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By Floyd C. Kelley

The literature of the last decade is rich with information relating to the cause and means of control of grain growth in pure metals, but is deficient concerning the role diffusion plays in grain growth, although during this period many new products that depend on diffusion for their properties and success have been developed. Among these are cementation products, produced by calorizing, chromizing, and carbonizing, or by mixing, pressing, and sintering powdered metals such as Syke's iron-molybdenum die material, Genelite, and Elcon Metal (copper, tungsten) etc. This is a fertile field for new developments, but before it can be utilized to the fullest extent there must be a thorough invest,igation of the processes by which diffusion and grain growth take place. Grain growth plays no small part in the process and certainly the physical properties of these products depend largely on the grain size and state of equilibtiuni produced. The field of investigation does not end here, but may be extended to the effect of diffusion on impurities, segregations and dendrites in the broad field of ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy. A number of years ago the author investigated several of these cases and noted, with striking regularity, the pronounced effect of diffusion in promoting recrystallization and grain growth. An example of this phenomenon is given in his paper on chromizingl which contained photomicrographs of large radial or columnar crystals produced by diffusion of chromium in the solid state. Another manifestation of this effect was discussed by Austen,2 who showed the part hydrogen plays in the decarburization of steel and the effect of diffusion upon the grain structure. Diffusion of Metals in Iron It seems to be a general law, whenever two metals are brought into intimate contact at a temperature at which diffusion takes place, that a comparatively rapid, or abnormal, grain growth results. The grains

By C. G. Dunn, J. L. Walter

Secondary recrystallization to the (110) [001] texture in high-purity silicon iron occurs if low-oxygen material is annealed in a nonoxidizing atmosphere. Any departure from these conditions results in a growth of (100) oriented grains. The nature of the matrix and secondary recrystallization structures and textures and the nature of grain boundary interactions during growth show that the low gas-metal interfacial energy of the (110) surfaces provides the driving force for growth of these grains. A type of grain growth, characterized by a driving force which derives from energy differences of {hkl} surfaces at the gas-metal interface, has been treated in recent papers.&apos;-7 Secondary recrystallization to the cube text!:: in high-purity silicon iron provides one example. The present paper also deals with a surface energy driving force but the texture that results by secondary recrystallization is not the cube texture; it is a texture in which the (110) plane is in the plane of rolling and the [001] direction is in the direction of rolling. The phenomenon described in this paper is different from the impurity (dispersed phase)-controlled secondary recrystallization process in which the (110) [001] oriented grains grow under the action of grain boundary driving forces.8-12 It is also different from tertiary recrystallization,2 which also produces the (110) [001] texture in high-purity silicon iron, since the matrix textures and grain sizes are different. Finally, it is unlike any other form of secondary recrystallization reported in the literature. The possibility of obtaining the (110) [001] texture in high-purity silicon iron became clear in a study of the effect of impurity atoms on the energy relationships of (100) and (110) surfaces. In this study Walter and Dunn6 observed the migration of (100)/(110) boundaries, i.e., boundaries between two grains, one of which has a (100) plane and the other a (110) plane, respectively, parallel to the plane of the sheet specimen. At 1200°C the (100)/(110) boundaries advanced into (100) grains in a vacuum anneal, then reversed their direction and migrated into (110) grains in a subsequent anneal in impure argon. Finally, the direction of migration reversed once again with (110) grains growing into (100) grains in a second vacuum anneal. These results were explained in terms of a change in concentration of oxygen atoms at the gas-metal interface during the anneals. Thus, oxygen atoms were added to the surface during the anneals in impure argon to the point where ?100, the specific surface energy of the (100) oriented grains, was lower than ?110, the surface energy of (110) oriented grains. In vacuum, however, the oxygen concentration at the surface was lowered to the point where ?110 < ?100. Concerning the possibility of secondary recrystallization in high-purity silicon iron with a low initial oxygen concentration, the observed effect of adsorbed oxygen atoms has indicated6 that a good vacuum anneal would favor the rapid growth of matrix grains with the (110) plane in the plane of the sheet much more than grains in the (100) orientation. The growth of only (110) oriented grains of course would depend upon y110 being less than ?hkl, where hkl refers to any plane different from (110). The present paper is concerned with the application of the above ideas to secondary recrystallization to the (110) [001] texture in high-purity silicon iron. The matrix and secondary recrystallization textures and structures are defined and discussed. Observations of growth of nuclei for secondary recrystallization and of boundary interactions are included to provide direct information on the surface energy relationships between (110) and other (hkl) surfaces. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE As before, 2,4-6 high-purity iron and silicon were melted and cast in vacuum to provide an alloy containing 3 pct Si with less than 0.005 wt pct impurities. The oxygen content of the ingot was lower than in previous ingots, being approximately 3 ppm (by weight). The carbon content of this ingot may have been slightly higher than was found for previous ingots. The same rolling and annealing schedule used previously2 was followed in this study to obtain samples 0.012 in. (0.3 mm) thick. These samples were electropolished prior to annealing. After rolling and polishing, the oxygen content of the material was approximately 6 ppm; material used in the previous studies contained about twice this amount of oxygen.

Jan 1, 1961

By A. S. Dwight

Taking up first the lead field, flotation concentrates offer serious difficulties in handling and in preparing for the blast furnace, quite aside from the problems presented to the furnaceman by the necessity of smelting smaller tonnages of material higher in grade and usually basic in character, with the consequent changes in flux requirements and furnace operation. As received at the smelter, these concentrates are always wet and usually of the consistency of sticky mud. Difficult enough to handle in warm weather, they are worse in winter, when it may be necessary to blast them out of the cars. They hang up in bins and chutes and stick to conveyors, requiring the constant attention of the operators. If dried they become like wheat flour, involving heavy dust losses in handling and in furnace operations. Roasting in hearth furnaces is more difficult than with coarser materials. Dust losses are increased and, what is more serious, the moist concentrates tend to form balls or nodules, which harden and pass almost unaltered through the furnace with consequent high sulfur in the product, while the unballed fine particles lie on the hearth in a dense bed, practically impenetrable to the oxidizing gases, so that roasting takes place only on the surface of the bed. A more prolonged roasting period is therefore required and the capacity of a given furnace is decreased. They are entirely too fine to be charged into the blast furnace, even if thoroughly roasted; excessive flue-dust losses, irregular operation and slowing up of the furnace would be the obvious result. Consequently, it was early recognized that flotation concentrates would have to be put in coarser condition for smelting and the universal method adopted has been the Dwight & Lloyd process of sintering. This did not usually

Jan 1, 1928

By G. W. Leney

Iron ores occur in such a wide variety of forms that nearly every kind of prospecting, geological knowledge, and geophysical technique has some application in the search for them. The type of orebody that is considered desirable depends on political and economic considerations, on transportation and markets, on the characteristics of the orebody, on the metallurgy of the ore, and on its comparison with other available ores. In North America, materials that can be efficiently processed into high grade concentrates and pellets are now the object of most exploration work. These are usually shallow, relatively unoxidized, metamorphosed iron formations that are particularly suitable for geophysical methods of exploration. Magnetic surveys are used for the direct discovery of new orebodies, for mapping stratigraphy and structure, and at times to locate oxidized zones in magnetic iron formation. Gravity mapping provides supplementary information, indicates gross tonnages, is useful in regional studies, and can discover non-magnetic orebodies. Electrical methods have not been fully exploited but self-potential, resistivity, applied potential, electromagnetic and perhaps induced polarization surveys all have restricted but highly useful applications. The use of all geophysical techniques promises to increase as the number of exposed easily discoverable orebodies decreases. A high consumption of steel, and consequently of iron ore is the chief characteristic of an industrial society and this consumption has been increasing at an average rate of about 35% every ten years for the past century. To supply this demand, iron ores and iron bearing materials in a wide variety of forms have been exploited on every inhabited continent and in nearly every country. Nearly every kind of prospecting, geological knowledge and geophysical technique has some application in the search for them. The type of orebody that is con-

Jan 1, 1964

OPEN-HEARTH refractories are not merely an accessory to the furnace. They are the furnace, to all intents and purposes. The steel work of the main structure is merely an open frame which helps to support the refractories; and the regenerators, a necessary part of the furnace system, consist almost entirely of refractories. Not only do refractories constitute the essential part of the furnace, but they also carry the liquid steel all the way &apos;to the point where it begins to solidify. On leaving the furnace the liquid passes through a refractory runner into a refractory-lined ladle, then through a refractory nozzle closed by a refractory stopper on the end of a rod protected by refractory sleeve bricks. The liquid is sometimes sent through an additional refractory- lined tundish, a supplementary ladle, or a refractory runner for bottom pouring, until it finally enters the iron mold in which it solidifies. Even in the mold, refractory materials are sometimes used to provide a nonconducting "hot top." This series, from runner and ladle to hot top, inclusive, is often referred to collectively as the "pouring-pit refractories." REFRACTORY RAW MATERIALS The raw materials available are best classified into basic and acid types. The principal basic raw materials are magnesite, dolomite, and chrome ore. The principal acid materials are silica in various natural forms, and fireclay. Magnesite. Austria was the principal source of magnesite (MgC03) until recent years, when the Province of Quebec, in Canada, and the states of Nevada and Washington became important sources for the American steel industry. More recently these natural sources have been supplemented by the so-called "sea-water magnesite"-which is the name somewhat incorrectly given to magnesium hydroxide obtained as one of the products

Jan 1, 1951

By Rudolf K. Berkhard

Static soil investigations with more or less heavy loads and extensive borings do not always have efficient results; also, they are very expensive. The new geophysical method of dynamic tests described herein is simple and cheap and avoids several disadvantages of the routine investigation, thus forming a useful supplement to the older methods and even at times replacing various static tests. The fundamental principle of dynamic soil tests consists in the application of artificial vibration. The technique employed is essentially geophysical in nature and in some respects is akin to seismic studies. Artificial vibration may be excited by centrifugal forces resulting from eccentrically supported rotating masses. The reactions of soil and structures caused by these vibrations may be measured. Their dynamic constants, such as amplitudes, phase speeds, damping, reflection, and interference effects, can be investigated. This geophysical method has been used for several years with increasing success. The results of these tests, summarized at the end of the paper, indicate that this method opens a new field for the pkactical engineer in investigating soils (capacity and formation), foundations, dams and structures, and especially buildings that must withstand earthquakes. Methods Static Method.—The first and oldest tests to investigate the bearing capacity of the soil were carried out by static weights. The penetration of these weights, however, depends not only on the soil but also on the size and the form of their lower surface. The length of time the load acts is also important. To imitate actual field conditions, heavy weights and lengthy tests are required, both of which are expensive. Furthermore, the influence of static weights affects only the surface and does not penetrate into deeper strata, therefore substitutes and supplements for static tests have to include the time factor and consequently lead to dynamic investigations. Such dynamic investigations also affect

Jan 1, 1940

By Rudolf K. Berkhard

Static soil investigations with more or less heavy loads and extensive borings do not always have efficient results; also, they are very expensive. The new geophysical method of dynamic tests described herein is simple and cheap and avoids several disadvantages of the routine investigation, thus forming a useful supplement to the older methods and even at times replacing various static tests. The fundamental principle of dynamic soil tests consists in the application of artificial vibration. The technique employed is essentially geophysical in nature and in some respects is akin to seismic studies. Artificial vibration may be excited by centrifugal forces resulting from eccentrically supported rotating masses. The reactions of soil and structures caused by these vibrations may be measured. Their dynamic constants, such as amplitudes, phase speeds, damping, reflection, and interference effects, can be investigated. This geophysical method has been used for several years with increasing success. The results of these tests, summarized at the end of the paper, indicate that this method opens a new field for the pkactical engineer in investigating soils (capacity and formation), foundations, dams and structures, and especially buildings that must withstand earthquakes. Methods Static Method.—The first and oldest tests to investigate the bearing capacity of the soil were carried out by static weights. The penetration of these weights, however, depends not only on the soil but also on the size and the form of their lower surface. The length of time the load acts is also important. To imitate actual field conditions, heavy weights and lengthy tests are required, both of which are expensive. Furthermore, the influence of static weights affects only the surface and does not penetrate into deeper strata, therefore substitutes and supplements for static tests have to include the time factor and consequently lead to dynamic investigations. Such dynamic investigations also affect

Jan 1, 1940

RichaRd PeaRce, Argo, Colo.: This contribution upon the very interesting subject of the origin of the gold of certain lode-formations offers many subjects for thonghtful consideration. The explanation, for instance, of the perplexing features of thin lava dikes seems to me to be in harmony with facts as I have myself observed them elsewhere. At Marshall basin, near Telluride, Colorado, there is an extensive lava-flow. The material of this formation contains a large proportion of fragments of foreign matter in the form of angular pieces of rock. The latter show no signs of having undergone metamorphism, such as would be expected to be due to the direct effects of heat; and the evidence in this particular case would certainly lead me to suppose that the flow was due to causes analogous to those suggested by Mr. Rickard. It was, I believe, a moving mass of material, having a temperatrire considerably below the actual melting-point of the rock of which it is composed. In regard to the theory which the author has built up from the existence of the iodide of gold in sea water, I cannot consider it untenable ; but I would put the question whether any investigations have been made with a view to determining whether gold and silver occur in the beds of rock-salt, formed, as is generally allowed, by the evaporation of bodies of salt water. At Stassfurt, in Germany, there is a very remarkable series of alternating beds of rock-salt and anhydrite, the uppermost members of which are covered with deposits of potash salts. The question occurs to me, why should not gold and silver have been discovered in these deposits? Iodine and bromine, I believe, have been found in the salts last deposited by

Jan 1, 1894

By J. R. Sturgul, J. C. Wynn

Computers and computer applications in geophysics are fairly recent innovations. The area of data handling is one that has found many immediate applications. Initially, the use of computers involved in almost all cases, a batch-input arrangement requiring a trip to the local computer center, a wait and another trip. Even though the computer worked at incredible speeds, the time-delays, in case an error in the input data developed, often could be several days. Use of computers in mining exploration by medium-sized or small-sized companies and contractors has been almost non-existent beyond simple data reduction work. The principle J. R. Sturgul, SME member, and J. C. Wynn, both affiliated with the Dept. of Geosciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, presented this paper at the Eleventh International Symposium on Computer Applications in the Minerals Industry, reasons appear to be the time factor and the inconvenience of the frequent trips involved. With the advent of time sharing systems, whereby a company need only have access to a terminal, the main objections can be overcome. An Apparent Solution An apparent solution to the time and distance inconveniences which would permit more extensive use of computers in geophysical exploration, is to buy or lease/purchase a medium-sized computer and install it in or near one&apos;s office. This is a formidable proposition in terms of cost and programming time on both respects, but several mining companies of larger size have already gone this route. In most cases, the computers have been expensive devices with a limited memory or core size. For routine data handling this memory size is not restrictive; however, for many geophysical applications such as three-dimensional modeling this can be critical.

Jan 10, 1973

By F. T. Havard

The present truce in litigation between Western smelting and ranching interests gives opportunity for a summary of the results achieved by metallurgists in condensing fume and de-acidifying furnace-gases. In the absence of complete records of past experiments, there ha&apos;s been a good deal of unliecessary duplication of attempts and failures. Yet, especially uilder the recent policy of our large corporations, looking to the economic recovery of the values of by- and waste products, . original and, in some cases, effective measures have been developed by American metallurgists. In the case of Bliss us. the Anaconda Copper Mining Co., the Montana Suprenle Court, recognizing the progressive efforts made to render the flue-gases innocuous, and the value to the community of the smelting company&apos;s operations, refused to hamper its work, and returned a verdict in favor of the defendant. In the trial, the experimental farms of the company ill the so-called "aff&apos;ected region" were proved to be thriving perfectly, showing that immunity was guaranteed to vegetation and stock by tlle wide distribution of the sulyhurous acid gas in the dry air of Montana. Indeed, L. S. Austin has proved that by the time the fume is 4,000 ft, distant from the stack, the percentage of sulphurous acid has been diminished from 2.28 to 0.00045; and Angus Smith has shown that rain must contain 40 parts per million of free acid before vegetation is affected. The arsenic in the stack-gases is but a very small part of the original content of the ore, of which 80 per cent. and over is rejected in the coilcentrator and furnace waste-products or recovered in the flues, Nevertheless, neither the peace in Montana nor the armistice

Jan 1, 1911

By H. S. Geismer

Campbell,&apos; in 1896 said: "The Birmingham district in Alabama has certain great advantages for there are few places in the world where fuel and ore are so near together, although, unfortunately, both are of inferior quality; the ore being low in iron and high in phosphorus and the coal giving a weak and impure coke." This statement could not have been questioned in 1894, but by 1896 several Robinson-Ramsay washers had been put into operation and weak and impure coke was a thing of the past. The Warrior coal field of Alabama contains six seams that yield coking coal of excellent quality. In descending order, they are Brookwood, Milldale, Pratt, America, Mary Lee, and Black Creek. In each of these, however, bands of rock and bone coal of varying thickness are stratified with the coal; and while some of these impurities can be separated from the coal by the miner, much of it must be loaded out with the coal. Consequently, unless the coal is washed before being coked, it will yield a coke of varying ash and sulfur content quite unsatisfactory for blastfurnace use. At present, the Gulf States Steel Co. is producing run-of-mine coal at its Virginia mine, from the America seam, that is uniformly low enough in ash to permit of coking without washing, but this is the only exception to the above statement. Alabama was the first state to experiment seriously with coal washers, was the first to install washers on a large scale and, up to the present, has maintained the lead. The Alabama State Mine Inspector reports that during 1923 20,919,303 tons of bituminous coal was mined in Alabama; 12,858,499 tons of which was delivered to coal washers for treatment.

Jan 1, 1925

By H. A. Buehler

The Ozark region occupies a large part of the southern half of Missouri, the northern portion of Arkansas and comparatively smalll areas in northeast Oklahoma, southwest Kansas, and southern Illinois. It is a roughly elliptical plateau which has been deeply dissected by stream erosion, and which slopes imperceptibly into the prairie regions to the north, east, and west, but which terminates rather abruptly along the Arkansas River on the south and Tertiary lowland to the southeast. The Boston Mountains extending for a distance of some 200 miles (321 km.) along the Arkansas River rise to an elevation of 2000 ft. (609 m.), forming the most prominent topographic feature of the region. The so-called St. Frangois Mountains in St. Frangois, Madison, and adjoining counties in southeast Missouri, form a prominent but more restricted topographic feature, the highest point rising to an elevation of 1800 ft. (548 m.). The remainder of the region is largely a plateau area varying from 800 to 1500 ft. (243 to 457 m.) in elevation. Stratigraphy The region is underlain chiefly by sedimentary formations, which outcrop in roughly concentric bands around a comparatively restricted area of igneous rocks in the St. Frangois Mountain district. Although located geographically near the eastern edge of the Osarks, the St. Frangois Mountains have apparently suffered the greatest orogenic movement and the lowest formations of the succession are exposed in their immediate vicinity. The various sedimentary formations of the region do not show any considerable metamorphism and have suffered little change since consolidation. With the exception of a few basic intrusions in Ste. Gene-vievg County and a pegmatite dike in Camden County, Missouri, there is no evidence of igneous action, since the first sedimentary beds were deposited.

Jan 1, 1918

By Richard P. Rothwell

IN the pear 1881, I visited San Domingo, in the interest of French capitalists, to examine and report upon certain "concessions" of gold-bearing gravel and quartz veins, on the Isabella and Jaina rivers and their tributaries. This district is periodically reported to he extraordinarily rich, and there is oast around it the glamour of the mysterious shipments of gold, credited, in romance and in more or less romantic history, to Columbus and the Spaniards of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Since considerable sums of money and several valuable lives have been lost in the unsuccessful search for its profitable mines, it seems desirable to place on record Borne of the information collected concerning the value of these famous gold fields, with the hope of facilitating the work of those who may hereafter be called on to investigate these claims, and of preventing the unnecessary waste of capital. It is needless to add that the capitalists for whom my investigations were made abandoned the enterprise they had in view,although no doubt similar schemes will be brought forward many times in the future, as they have been in the past, under the fervent advocacy of too sanguine enthusiasts. Since the time of the Spanish occupation of the Island of San Domingo, in 1497, when Columbus Found the natives wearing ornaments of gold, more or less of the precious metal has been obtained annually by washing the gold-bearing sands of several of its streams. It is said that during the Spanish domination, when the native Indians were held in the most abject servitude, a certain amount of gold was required of each one as the rault of his labor. Uuder this

Jan 1, 1882

By J. F. Wolff

DURING the past 4 or 5 years, much has been added to the detailed geologic knowledge of the Mesabi Range. This has not been in the direction of discovery of any new fundamental facts, but of detailed study, subdivision and correlation of different parts of the whole formation and of individual orebodies. Prior to this time, mining engineers in the district were so engaged with the commercial interests of exploring and developing orebodies that close geologic study and subdivision was done in only a few instances. The demand for refinements of work in this direction has caused caused extensive structural subdivision and correlation to he done in all exploration work during the past 4 years by the engineers of the Oliver Iron Mining Co. Such work has become a commercial necessity rather than a scientific refinement, and at the present time is being extended to all parts of the Range. In the summer of 1914, the author of this paper wrote a series of articles on the orebodies and special features of the Mesabi Range, which was published in the Engineering and Mining Journal, issues of July 17 to Aug. 7, 1915. Since that time studies of subdivision of the iron-formation have been extended considerably. The principle feature of this paper is the presentation of the subdivisions of the iron-formation. To this is added a discussion of the relations of the orebodies to the gentle folding and fracturing of the formation, and special features of the Range. The outline will he as follows: I. General geology. II. Subdivision of Biwabik iron-formation. III. Relation of orebodies to folding and fracturing of the iron-formation. IV. Special features. Acknowledgment is due to W. J. Olcott, President, and John Uno Sebenius, General Mining Engineer, of the Oliver Iron. Mining Co., for permission to use the information presented in this paper.

Jan 10, 1916

By David B. Reger

The exhaustion of oil and gas in the United States is proceeding at a rapid pace. This is especially true in fields where the light oils that furnish the most fuel for internal-combustion engines arc found, leading to a late estimate by Arnold that the petroleum resources are 36 per cent. exhausted.l The further remark by Dr. David T. Day at the New York meeting of the Institute, in February, 1916, that the operators of the country are now scarcely able to supply the ever-increasing demand for gasoline, leads the writer to believe that a determined effort will soon be made to secure deeper producing horizons in those regions that now furnish high-grade oil, and in which pump stations and pipe lines offer convenient means for the economical handling of new production. A study of Arnold&apos;s table shows further that the States that produce paraffin oil exclusively are 45 per cent. exhausted, this figure being much higher than the average of paraffin and asphalt States altogether. The most extensive of all the paraffin-oil-producing areas is the Appalachian Field, extending with the Appalachian Geo-Syncline from western New York southwestward through western Pennsylvania, western West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee, where oil of high gravity is always secured. Of these States, Pennsylvania and West Virginia rank highest in the quality of their product. In West Virginia, the oil sands dip to a lower level than in any other locality in the Appalachian Geo-Syneline, the Pittsburgh Coal of the Pennsylvanian being only 50 ft. above sea level along the Nineveh Syneline at Wileyville, Wetzel County.² The very significant fact that the sands of the Mississippian and Upper Devonian Measures furnished the richest oil pools of the State along this

Jan 1, 1917

By C. H. Fulton

Page Introduction........................... 280 Distillation Products from Reduction of Zinc Ore........... 281 Preliminary Investigations..................... 290 Equilibrium of Reaction Zn + CO2 + ZnO + CO in Temperature Range of Condensation........................ 293 Requisites for Successful Condensation................ 299 Discussion............................ 300 Introduction The study of the condensation of zinc from its vapor was undertaken to shed light on certain problems encountered in large-scale electric zine-furnace work. recently conducted. It is a matter of common knowledge that one of the disadvantages of the arc type, electric zinc furnace, is the production of a large amount of blue powder and proportionately little liquid spelter, for, as stated by Stansfield,l "A notable defect in the electric smelting of zinc ores is the difficulty experienced in obtaining the distilled zinc in the liquid state; ...... when zinc ores are smelted electrically, very little liquid metal is commonly obtained, nearly all of the zinc being in the state of powder." This difficulty was not encountered in the electric furnace used12 the main difficulty being the destruction of the fire-brick lining of the large condenser, in certain parts, and the formation of .some oxide and dross coatings on the condensing surfaces. The reason for these difficulties could readily be explained by the infiltration of air whenever the condenser was changed from one retort base to the other, the zinc absorbed in the fire-brick forming oxide and causing rupture by its expending volume. Two facts, however, tended to disprove this theory for the rupture of the fire-brick lining: first, the large distilling retort, lined with fire-brick, which was shifted from charge to charge on alternate bases at temperatures between 1200 and 1300 C., fully exposed to the air, showed no signs of disintegration whatever; second, marked disintegration in the condenser occurred .only in places that were at tempera-

Jan 1, 1919

By Arthur Redfield

IN ESTIMATING the unmined petroleum reserves of Central America, it is not feasible to employ the methods that have been worked out in the oil fields of the United States. No producing wells have been brought in and no drilling sections have been made public. It is accordingly necessary to fall back on a crude "barrels per square mile" estimate. The method chosen is a comparison of the structure of the foreign field of unknown reserves with that of some supposedly analogous North American field of which the reserves have been estimated. This method makes no pretense at scientific accuracy; bit furnishes a working basis for an estimate. The areal geology of Central America is illustrated in the map prepared by Sapper and more recently in the geologic map of North America accompanying U. S. Geological Survey Professional Paper No. 71, "Index to the stratigraphy of North America." Disregarding for the present the Arrow Quaternary coastal plains and alluvial deposits of the river valleys, three chief zones may be distinguished. These are: A zone of late eruptive and effusive rocks; a zone of highly folded pre-Cambrian(?) or early Paleozoic crystalline schists and slates, considerably intruded by pre-Tertiary plutonic rocks; and a zone of more or less folded sediments, chiefly of Cretaceous or Tertiary age. The zone of late eruptive and effusive rocks of Central America begins in southeastern Chiapas, Mexico,. and extends, with increasing breadth, across southern Guatemala, across practically the whole of El Salvador, and across southern Honduras to the valley of Rio Goascorán, where the igneous zone attains a width of about 100 mi. (160 km:) East of the Goascorán Valley late eruptives and effusives play a subordinate part, being confined largely to the Departments of Valle and Choluteca. Dikes and sills of igneous rocks intrude the sedimentary formations of central and northern Honduras.

Jan 7, 1922

By A. N. Winchell

In connection with law suits between mining companies at Bingham, Utah, a few years ago, the writer made petrographic studies of more than 1400 rock and mineral samples in thin sections, and also careful studies of their field relations. In petrographic studies, even when an area is studied intensively, attention is commonly centered very largely on the unusual features of special interest, so that the relative abundance of rock types (or minerals or textures) can only be determined by a study of map areas outlined largely by field methods, and cannot be based directly on microscopic work. It is very uncommon, and usually impossible, to take samples at regular short intervals along and across formations. It is precisely because such methods were used at Ringham that the work presents a rare opportunity for determining, on a microscopic basis, the relative abundance of rock types and the continuity of gradations between rock types. At the same time, a study was made of the alteration of sediments under the influence of igneous intrusions, with results that are believed to be of interest and importance. • Sandstone-limestone Gradation The sedimentary rocks of the Bingham district are chiefly sandstones, with some beds of limestone, all now lying with their strike nearly east and their dip nearly north at an angle of about 30°, near the surface. The limestone beds are remarkably irregular in thickness in some places, but usually change very slowly in composition along the strike. However, the most interesting results are obtained from a study of a section across the beds at right angles to the strike. In some places, such sections show the usual alternation of pure sandstone with nearly pure limestone, in the simple manner assumed in most geological discussions.

Jan 1, 1924

By John Johnston

The actual amount of any metal volatilized from a mixture of metals depends on the magnitude of its partial vapor pressure under the specified conditions of temperature, and on the circumstances attending the heating—in particular, on the duration of heating, the volume of gas coming into actual contact with the surface of the metal, the extent of this surface, and the rate of diffusion of the volatile metal from the body of the melt toward the surface.&apos; If two (or more) metals are volatilizing from the same mixture of metals, the several conditions are identical except for the difference in partial pressure and in rate of diffusion of the volatilizing metals; the second of these two factors is without doubt only of secondary importance as it is probable that the rates of diffusion of the volatilizing metals would be very similar. Hence, in order to gain an estimate of the relative amounts of two metals that may be volatilized from a given mixture, it is necessary to know the vapor pressure, or, more precisely, to ascertain for each metal its partial vapor pressure in equilibrium with the liquid (or solid) alloy under the particular circumstances. The partial pressure of each constituent depends on the effective concentration of that constituent in the alloy2 as well as on the vapor pressure of the constituent when pure, and it can be calculated when both of the above factors are known. The first step, therefore, is to ascertain the vapor pressure of the several pure metals. Vapor Pressure of Pure Metals The experimental data on the vapor pressure of the several pure metals with which we are here concerned are not so accurate as could be wished, nor have the determinations been made in general at temperatures such that the results can be used directly. In a previous

Jan 1, 1919

OPEN-HEARTH refractories are not merely an accessory to the furnace. They are the furnace, to all intents and purposes. The steel work of the main structure is merely an open frame which helps to support the refractories ; and the regenerators, a necessary part of the furnace system, consist almost entirely of refractories. Not only do refractories constitute the essential part of the furnace, but they also carry the liquid steel all the way to the point where it begins to solidify. On leaving the furnace the liquid passes through a refractory runner into a refractory-lined ladle, then through a refractory nozzle closed by a refractory stopper on the end of a rod protected by refractory sleeve bricks. The liquid is sometimes sent through an additional refractory- lined tundish, a supplementary ladle, or a refractory runner for bottom pouring, until it finally enters the iron mold in which it solidifies. Even in the mold, refractory materials are sometimes used to provide a nonconducting "hot top." This series, from runner and ladle to hot top, inclusive, is often referred to collectively as the "pouring-pit refractories." REFRACTORY RAW MATERIALS The raw materials available are best classified into basic and acid types. The principal basic raw materials are magnesite, dolomite, and chrome ore. The principal acid materials are silica in various natural forms, and fireclay. Magnesite. Austria was the principal source of magnesite (MgCO3) until recent years, when the Province of Quebec, in Canada, and the states of Nevada and Washington became important sources for the American steel industry. More recently these natural sources have been supplemented by the so-called "sea-water magnesite"-which is the name somewhat incorrectly given to magnesium hydroxide obtained as one of the products

Jan 1, 1964