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By Otto H. Henry, J. J. Cordiano

Though powder metallurgy is one of the oldest of metallurgical processes, it is in its infancy as a branch of the modern field of metallurgy. As early as 3000 B.C., the ancients produced implements and weapons of iron by reducing iron ore in a charcoal fire and forging the resultant sponge while still hot into the desired shape. Melting and casting soon superseded the powder metallurgy practice, and it was not until the turn of the twentieth century that powder metallurgy was applied to the commercial manufacture of tungsten lamp filaments. From this beginning, the use of the powder metallurgy process spread" to the manufacture of porous oil-impregnated bearings, cemented carbide tools, contact points, diamond grinding wheels, clutch facings, starter brushes, resin-bonded radio cores, magnets, metallic filters, and other parts. More recently, and particularly during the present war, there has been a definite trend toward the manufacture of machine parts by this process in competition with the more conventional fabricating methods. Notwithstanding these many developments, scientific progress has been slow. While many articles on powder metallurgy have appeared in the press and various publications, there have been too few contributions to our technical societies, with the result that there is a dearth of the type of information necessary for the full development of this science. It is of primary importance that the results of research and development be freely disseminated if powder metallurgy is to realize its fullest potentialities. Purpose of Investigation Excluding the refractory metal field, all commercial powder metallurgical products made by a cold compressing and sintering operation contain voids. These voids can be substantially eliminated by subsequent severe working and heat-treatment, but ' such practice has not proved economical in most applications. By applying heat during the compressing operation, plastic deformation of the powder particles is substantially increased, and the resultant compact or briquette is practically free of voids. However, hot-pressing has many attendant problems, which at present preclude its use in the manufacture of precision parts. The more important of these are to devise: 1. A die steel capable of withstanding high pressures at elevated temperatures. 2. A high-temperature lubricant capable of preventing excessive die wear and welding of the compact to the die walls. 3. A method of retaining a neutral or reducing atmosphere in the compacting zone of the die assembly. 4. A means of ejecting the hot-pressed specimen into a neutral atmosphere until reasonably cold.

Jan 1, 1946

By C. D. Michaelson

Bridging the gap between have and have-not nations is one of the necessities of the present era. The responsibility for accomplishing this must be assumed by the affluent industrial societies of the world, both through their governments and through private enterprise. Despite a discouraging number of instances where companies established in underdeveloped countries have been expropriated, U.S. industry must not abandon such ventures. Instead, it should tailor them to the needs and aspirations of the host nations. One way in which industry can minimize the danger of expropnation is to enter into partnership with the government of the host nation. Kennecott Copper has recently done this in Chile, becoming 49% owner of a company formed to expand and operate the El Teniente mine. So far, the partnership has produced marked benefits not only for Chile, but also for Kennecott. The memory of D.C. Jackling serves chiefly to remind us how much we owe to the pioneers of our industry. Jackling was one of the giants. Orphaned at the age of two, he made his way through sheer persistence and plain hard work. His brilliance gave rise to a vision, and his tenacity made his vision a reality. Foreseeing that economies of scale would make the handling of low-grade ore profitable, he introduced the revolutionary concept of open-pit copper mining. During World War I, the defense effort of the United States was irnrneasurably strengthened by the tremendous supplies of copper from the western mines that Jackling had made possible. Again in World War 11, the demands for copper were supplied, and the nation once more had profound reason to be grateful to this rugged, stubborn man who had long ago ventured into the mountains and unlocked their wealth. We are now embarked upon another great era of change, and we must devise new concepts to meet it. The task is not only to create new techniques of mining, but to forge better ties between men and institutions which will let us work in harmony with the techniques we have. We might recall that while Jackling was a man of towering pride and formidable will, he was also adept at getting others to share his vision and join his purpose. Today our reach for cooperative endeavor must go far beyond our own shores as we seek to develop the buried riches of distant lands. And we would do well to remember that Jackling's remarkable insight would have come to nothing had not British investors been willing to provide much of the initial capital. As was true of so many early enterprises in America, European capital was absolutely essential. CORPORATIONS ABROAD - AN EXPANDING ROLE Today the situation is quite different. The United States is now a capital-surpIus nation and looks abroad for opportunities to employ its capital profitably. On the other hand, we have become dependent on foreign sources for supplies of vital raw materials, while we seek

Jan 1, 1970

By J. P. Givry

The bath and the liquid metal in the aluw~inuw~ electrolytic cells are moving under the action of the Laplace forces. Consequently there are differences in level at the interface of the liquid. This phenomena is studied by means of a computer; the characteristics of the mathematical model used are presented with the results corresponding to two typical cases. This study gives a new and origi~zal interpretation of magnetic ej-jects; their action depends very closely on the hydraulic phenomenon which explain the sensibility of the cells to the slope and thickness of solid bath frozen around the pot. MAGNETIC effects produced in the electrolytic cells used for the production of aluminum are known to exist, a factor whose importance is well-known by producers through its influence on cell operation and output. In particular, these effects bring about movements in both the bath and metal as well as interface variations in level that are detrimental to sound electrolysis . A direct study of these effects by means of an experimental device would raise a number of problems particularly difficult not to say impossible to solve in the present state of techniques. It is for this reason that we had recourse to an electronic computer for working out the speed and pressure distribution within the liquid in the cells. We have assumed that all other possible causes for movement, such as thermal convection and evolution of gas at the anode, are acting without any connection with magnetic effects, and that consequently we may study each of these causes separately. A basic cause for magnetic effects lies in the presence of Laplace forces within the bath and metal. Electric current and magnetic field distribution have been calculated with the help of an electronic computer, and two communications about it have already been made to AIME.* 1) PRESENTATION OF THE MATHEMATICAL PATTERN In order to solve this problem, it was essential to assume a number of simplifying hypotheses with regard to both the geometry of the actual cells and the phenomena themselves. A first simplification consisted in assuming that the movements of the conducting liquid modify neither the electric currents nor the magnetic fields. In consideration of the magnitude of the values involved this assumption seemed accep-tible. 1.1) Finding the Equation of the Problem. The problem raised consisted in determining the flow of two viscous immiscible liquids with different densities subjected in a complex environment to gravity and Laplace forces. As a matter of fact, the sum of the external forces acting on the liquids is: F = JAB +pg where F = volume energy, B = magnetic field, J = current density, p = specific gravity, g = gravity. In the case of a laminar flow and assuming that the liquids are Newtonian and incompressible liquids, the equations governing movements are the following: 1) Navier Stokes' equation written in vectorial form: In fact one tries to find a steady-state solution, so aVx/at = 0; besides, one assumes that the movements are slow enough for quadratic terms such as Vy(a Vx/ay) (of round about the square of speed) to be neglected in front of the viscosity term: pAV, so

Jan 1, 1968

By C. H. Mathewson, P. W. Bakararian

The greatcr part of the literature on the plastic behavior of magnesium dates back to that active period of research in crystal mechanics immediately following the widespread preparation of isolated metallic crystals large enough for the application of conventional methods of mechanical testing. These investigations, performed on single crystals, revealed an analogy between zinc and magnesium with respect to their fundamental mode of deformation. in the operation of glide and twinning, respectively, on crystallographically similar planes. Mathewson and Phillips (1928)' by geometrical analysis identified the plane in magnesium as the twinning plane. Schiebold and Siebel (1931) confirmed this twinning planc, established the basal plane as the plane of slip, and a digonal axis I as the slip direction. They also rcported twin formation in a secondary role on the {IOI} plane. Schmid (1931)³ summarized and discussed the earlier evidence and presented the results of his own experiments on the effect of temperature and small amounts of soluble elements. From X-ray studies on extended wire single crystals, he concluded that slip along the basal plane in the direction of the digonal axis I closest to the stress direction was the sole slip system operating at atmospheric temperature. This conclusion was based on experiments with crystals of many different orientations relative to the stress axis. Special attention was directed to the basal plane and the digonal axis I, as the plane and direction of greatest atomic density. Determinations of resolved shear stress at the onset of plastic yielding-—i.e., the critical resolved shear stress—were also made; the average of these calculations showing 82.9 grams per sq. mm. This value varied only slightly up to 300°C. at which temperature it was found to decrease to 70.5 grams per sq. mm. The extension of his crystals at temperatures above 225°C. further disclosed the presence of new slip systems. After the origince specimens of circular section had been

Jan 1, 1943

From the beginning to the end, the attendance and enthusiasm of the 119th meeting, which was held in New York, Feb. 17 to 20 surpassed all expectations. Besides the ten technical sessions, one of which was in conjunction with the American Institute of Electrical Engineering and one a session of the National Research Council, there were two memorial meetings, one for Dr. Raymond and one for the members who died in service; two joint sessions with the Canadian Mining Institute; and a meeting devoted to pictures of copper mining, milling, and smelting. Of the 732 persons registered, 119 registered in the Institute of Metals Division. Monday's sessions were devoted to the problems of industrial organization, the Institute of Metals Division, and to petroleum and gas. Among the special features of these sessions were the topical discussions on housing and. Americanization. Americanization, too, was the topic for discussion by the Woman's Auxiliary Wednesday morning. On Tuesday, nearly 100-members of the Canadian Mining Institute were present to discuss the possibility of bringing about uniform mining laws for the United States, Canada, and Mexico, to obviate the maintaining separate legal departments and managerial forces for the several countries; and to avoid the confusion which, it is said, has led to a duplication of effort and has sometimes created a barrier to international cooperation in mining. Among the Canadian delegation were D. B.

Jan 3, 1919

By W. A. Backofen, G. Y. Chin, W. F. Hosford

The effect of machine stiffness on discontinuous flow and fracture of the 2024 aluminum alloy was studied in tension at 4.2OK. An increase of machine stiffness was found to decrease the amount of elongation and drop in load during discontinuous flow, thereby postponing fracture to larger strains and higher stresses. The possibility of utilizing stiffened tools in deformation processing to suppress shear fracture originating from unstable flow was indicated. The problem of nucleating discontinuous flow and the role of the effective mass of the system in discontinuous flow were also considered. AT low temperatures the plastic flow of metals is often discontinuous, with sudden load drops and elongations.1,3 Basinski1,4 has presented strong evidence that discontinuous flow, at least in aluminum alloys, occurs under nearly adiabatic conditions. During testing the load may drop suddenly and flow become localized when the thermal softening, due to heat generated in plastic straining, is greater than the strain and strain-rate hardening. This instability criterion is more easily satisfied at low temperatures because 1) the volume specific heat is reduced so that relatively large temperature increases are possible in straining, and 2) the flow stress is relatively temperature-dependent. The important role of adiabatic shear in ductile fracture processes has been emphasized,5-1 and consideration has already been given to the influences of thermal and mechanical properties on the tendency of a material to undergo adiabatic shear.17677 By focusing attention on how the mechanical loading system influences low-temperature discontinuous flow, additional insight into adiabatic shear and its effect on fracture may be gained. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Because of its low thermal conductivity, the 2024 aluminum alloy exhibits a highly consistent discon- tinuous-flow behavior at 4.2°K and was therefore chosen as the material for study. Machined specimens of 0.113 in. diam and 1.125 in. gage length were solution heat-treated at 490°C for 3 hr, quenched into cold water, and immediately immersed in liquid nitrogen until just before testing. Testing was done at 4.2°K by immersion in liquid helium at a crosshead drive rate of 0.03 in. per min. As normally used (hard-machine basis), the spring constant of the testing machine was k = 25,000 lb per in. By inserting beam springs in series with the specimen, this value could be lowered by a factor of about 100. Details can be found elsewhere.? As a result of variable machine stiffness, the actual strain rate ranged from about 3 x 10 5 to 3 x 10-4 per sec from one test to another, as well as within any one test. However, preliminary tests had established that the tensile curves were not altered significantly by this strain-rate variation. Fig. 1 shows a typical load vs plastic-elongation curve for a solution heat-treated 2024 aluminum alloy specimen pulled in the standard hard machine (k = 25,000 lb per in.) at 4.2"K. The elastic extension has been subtracted. Plastic flow proceeded smoothly from yielding at approximately 22,000 psi (load = 220 lb) to a strain of about 4 pct at which point the flow became discontinuous. The magnitude of the load drops as well as the plastic elongation per drop increased with increasing strain until the specimen finally broke abruptly. The load-elongation behavior of a sample tested with a relatively soft machine under otherwise identical conditions is given in Fig. 2. In general, there

Jan 1, 1964

By C. H. Mathewson, Kent R. Van Horn

Copper and the copper-base solid solutions readily form twin crystals when plastically deformed at a suitably elevated temperature or annealed after cold deformation. In fact, no feature of the microstructure of these materials is more prominent or characteristic than these straight-sided bands or simple lines of division which sometimes come from groups of thin polysynthetic lamellae, penetrating part way or wholly through the parent grain substance, but often divide the grain into a few or perhaps only two crystallographically related parts. Nearly always the bands as seen in the usual microscopic examination of a specimen come into vivid contrast with the adjacent crystalline material owing to the inherent difference in orientation. Bands which under special conditions of orientation cannot be seen with vertically incident light are often visible under oblique illumination and, when this fails, contrasting effects usually may be obtained by using polarized light. There is no longer any doubt that these synthetic banded structures obtained in the ordinary course of working and annealing are due to twinning of the spinel type which was observed long ago in a number of metals crystallizing in the isometric system.' It has been customary in metallurgical literature to designate these synthetic twins, which grow into prominence during an annealing process, as "annealing twins" without regard to the actual mode of their formation, which is, indeed, obscure and with scant recognition of the fact that prior deformation is essential, no twins having been observed in metal of known unstrained history. This is questionable; especially in view of the fact that in a number of metals and minerals, reorientation into the twin configuration is known to occur as a result of a simple shearing mechanism along the recognized twinning planes and the

Jan 1, 1930

By E. O. Wagner, V. F. Parry, W. S. Landers

Development work has shown that the yield of primary tar from coal is proportional to the heat in the volatile matter of the coal and that the yield of tar from noncoking coals may vary from 10 to 45 gal per ton on the ash-free and moisture-free basis. Pilot plant operations have proved that 100 to 135 pct of the bench-scale carbonization-assay yield of tar can be obtained. FOLLOWING investigations by the Denver Bureau of Mines on drying fine coal in the entrained state,'. ' Texas Power & Light Co. employed the fluidized technique to upgrade Texas lignite for use in power plants. Because of the rapidly rising cost of natural gas in Texas the company agreed to cooperate with the Bureau of Mines in studying further the upgrading of lignite by low-temperature carbonization, since potential value of the tar would help offset the cost of fuel. Considerable interest was aroused, therefore, when Aluminum Co. of America decided to use dried lignite in its 240,000-kw power plant at Rockdale, Texas, operated by Texas Power & Light. Carbonization of coal before burning in a power plant is not new. Plants in Germany have been operated for many years on carbonized brown coal and lignite briquets produced in large integrated plants. Large-scale experiments in carbonizing pulverized coal with hot flue gases were made 30 years ago at Milwaukee," and many inventors have proposed other processes. In the U. S., technical and economic problems have prevented successful operation of large plants on carbonized coal. but new techniques of handling solids in fluidized beds may overcome these difficulties, particularly if the higher volatile noncoking coals are used. Any bituminous material will decompose when heated to about 900°F to yield primary tar, gas, and char. The quantity of tar obtained from various coals depends on their rank and volatile content and to some extent on rate and method of heating. The liquid products derived from thermal decomposition of peat, brown coal. lignites, oil shale, and noncoking bituminous coals can be easily liberated by rapidly heating these materials in a fluidized bed at about 500°C (932°F). Since it takes only a few minutes to heat small particles of fuel to carbonizing temperature in a fluidized bed, processing plants can be built to handle up to 50 tph at relatively low cost. The pioneering development work being conducted at Rockdale, Texas, by Alcoa and Texas Power & Light will solve many engineering problems of such operations. The Bureau of Mines at Denver has studied the carbonizing properties of several hundred coals by small scale assay at 500°C, deriving a simple correlation between the potential yield of tar and the proximate analysis. This correlation, shown in Fig. 1, compares the heat in the volatile matter of the coal with the potential yield of primary tar. The yield of primary tar varies from 12 to 50 gal per ton of pure coal." About the same amount of heat is needed to * MAF equals moisture-and-ash-free basis. distil any dry coal at 500°C, and the time required to carbonize a given particle size is about the same for any coal. It is therefore obvious that coals rich in volatile matter will show the greatest profits when processed. Texas lignites are rich in volatile matter, which contributes some 5700 Btu per lb of MAF coal, and the potential primary tar and oil yield from this lignite averages 12 pct by weight or 27 gal per ton from the pure lignite. Texas lignites are considerably richer in potential tar than lignites of North Dakota and Montana. During 1950 the Bureau of Mines conducted many experiments on carbonizing fine dry coal in the entrained state, publishing a report4 n major features of pilot and commercial-size units required to carry out the process. Additional experimental work has been done at Denver and the pilot plant has been improved, particularly the facilities for studying removal of fine dusts from tar vapors and gases at high temperatures by electrostatic precipitation. A number of materials have been carbonized, including sawdust, peat, brown coal, Brazilian oil shale, lignites, and the lower rank bituminous coals having noncoking properties. Straight coking coals cannot

Jan 1, 1957

By W. S. Row

This mine is operated at 4000 to 4500 tons daily through a single shaft, with one rock hoist and one senice hoist. Latest shaft construction is concrete with wooden dividers. Economics of drifters and air-leg drills are compared, as well as costs of shrinkage and sub-level stoping. Economy of large haulage equipment and underground crushing is shown. THE property of Kerr-Addison Gold Mines is located in the Larder Lake district of Ontario about 3 miles from the Quebec boundary on the highway between Kirkland Lake and Noranda. It is roughly 320 miles due north of Toronto and 365 miles north of Buffalo, N. Y. The property was staked in 1906 and after several development efforts finally came into continuous production at 500 tons per day in 1937. In 1939 the daily tonnage -was increased to 1200 and in 1941 to 2100 tons. At the end of the war, because of the shortage of labor, tonnage was down to 1100 tons per day, rising to 2200 in February 1947. A further plant expansion inaugurated in 1946 was completed by December 1948, bringing the capacity of the mine and mill to a production rate of 4000 tons per day. Current production, with 880 men employed, is 4400 tons per day. Changes in mining methods and equipment, required by the recently completed expansion program, have yielded interesting comparative results, some of which are described in this paper. Hoisting of ore and waste from the mine, as well as all service facilities for handling men and supplies underground, are provided for in a single vertical five-compartment shaft. Ore and waste are hoisted in 12½-ton skips in balance by a 14-ft diam hoist with drums 115 in. wide, grooved for 2?-in. wire ropes. This hoist, with a total rope pull of 85,000 lb, was designed to operate at a speed of 2600 ft per min to a depth of 4000 ft, hoisting 15 tons of ore in each skip. It is amplidyne-controlled and powered with dual drive dc motors of 2250-hp each, through flexible couplings to two pinion shafts, one on each side of the main gear. Each motor has a peak load rating of 4500-hp at point of greatest duty. Direct current power to the hoist motors is supplied from a motor generator set consisting of a 5000-hp synchronous motor driving two 1750-kw dc generators. The loading pockets used so far are at depths of 1500 and 2725 ft respectively. Consequently the present hoisting speed is 2000 ft per min and the skips capacity only 12½ tons. Now that the shaft has been deepened the new pockets at 3934 ft will be increasingly used so that the speed and the skip size will be increased up to original specifications as required. Some difficulty in meeting the required hoisting cycle is expected because of the shape of the skips. As now in use the cross-sectional dimensions of the inside of the skip are 4 ft 6 in. x 3 ft 8 in. To hold 121/2 tons, therefore, they are 14 ft 10 in. deep. Since the skips are the conventional overturning or Kim-berley type, considerable hoisting time is lost in retardation in entering the headframe dump and in acceleration when leaving. It is expected that to obtain the specified tonnage from this hoist when the skip size is increased to 15 tons it may be necessary to resort to bottom dump skips. This type of skip could reduce considerably the present excessive acceleration and retardation times. Analyses of the skip-hoisting operation are made monthly, and every effort is made to reduce controllable delays. For a nine-month period in 1951 such an analysis shows that the hoist was in operation 92.5 pct of the available time, which was allotted as shown in Table I. Overall hoisting costs, cage and skip, for the year 1951, averaged $0.168 per ton of ore milled. The mine is serviced entirely by means of a single cage, capacity 35 men or 15,700 lb, operating in con-

Jan 1, 1954

By C. Pin, J. Bruce Wagner

In order to demonstrate the role of defect chemistry in the solid state to a process-metallurgy reaction, laboratory experiments were carried aut to remove copper from liquid lead using lead sulfide which had been doped to provide definite concentrations of cation vacancies. The removal of copper decreases in the order: bismuth- or antimony-doped PbS, undoped PbS or tin-doped PbS, and silver-doped PbS. The data are explained using the simple mass -action law and in terms of the exceedingly rapid interstitial diffusion of coppw in PbS to vacant cation sites. Results are in agree-ment with thermodynamic predictions and certain industrial practices that copper may be removed from lead below the limit of its coexistence with pure Cu,S and pure PbS. The role of defects in solids has been exploited in semiconductors and many device applications, in explaining tarnish formation, dissolution rates, and mechanical properties. The application of these principles to many process-metallurgical problems has not received as much attention. It was the purpose of this study to illustrate the role of defect structures of solids in a process-metallurgical application. When lead is refined, the ore, galena (PbS), is reduced by a series of operations to liquid lead (lead bullion) containing impurities such as copper, bismuth, antimony, arsenic, and silver depending on the original composition, the fluxes added, and the particular type of operation, see Fig. 1. In order to produce a pure lead, a series of refining operations are carried out. A typical lead-bullion analysis before drossing is shown in Table I. Copper is removed first as its presence increases the zinc consumption during the desilverizing process. For preliminary copper removal the lead bullion is brought to a temperature of 440°C in a kettle of 60 metric tons capacity. Some tar (or sawdust or resins) is usually added and the kettle is cooled slowly to 400°C while the liquid is stirred. A solid phase, called a dross, floats on top of the liquid and the particles of the solid phase adhere to the tar. This "hot dross" is collected. It contains mostly lead and copper which are partly oxidized and/or sulfurized if the lead bullion contains some sulfur.*

Jan 1, 1963

By R. W. Hertzberg, F. D. Lemkey, J. A. Ford

The effect oj unidirectional solidification upon the microstructural, crystallographic and mechanical characteristics of high -purity A1-A13Ni eutectic a1loy specimens has been investigated. varying the growth rate caused the morphology of the Al3Ni phase to gradually change from platelets to rods. In addition, the effect of increasing the rate of planar liquid-solid interlace movement is to decrease the Al3Ni rod diameter and inter-rod spacing. The platelets and rods grow approxinlately parallel to each other and are aligned in a faulted substructure. A single unique crystallographic relationship hetween the A1 and ASNi phases was found and may he descrihed as : interface {001} Al3Ni {331} Al and growth direction <010>Al3Ni || <110> Al The platelet interlace and the aligned rows of rods are both uniquely defined by the above statements. Alignment of the Al3Ni phase by unidirectional solidification has given rise to a threefold increase in strength over that exhibited by specimens with an as-cast microstructure. These results illustrate the possible use of this eutectic alloy as a zohisker -reinforced structure. It has been demonstrated by Winegard et al.,1 Kraft and Albrighht,2 Chilton and winegard,3 Chad-wick,4 Yue,5 Tiller,6 and others that a planar liquid-solid interface may be established in binary eutectic alloys by proper control of heat flow during the solidification process. The unidirectional movement of such an interface results in a eutectic mi-crostructure consisting of an essentially parallel array of the two phases over an entire ingot. Two dominant phase micromorphologies have been produced using this technique: that of substantially parallel alternating lamellae of each phase or long thin parallel rods of one phase imbedded in a continuous matrix of the other phase. While not all eutectics can be controlled in this manner, it has been shown that a "normal" eutectic may, under properly controlled conditions of purity, liquid and solid thermal gradients, and solidification rate, be forced to solidify with essentially parallel phase particles. Kraft and Albright2 have demonstrated that, when the growth rate is too rapid or when the thermal gradient in the liquid at the growing interface is too low, a layer of constitutionally supercooled liquid, formed by impurity build-up, will stabilize a cellular rather than a planar interface. The unidirectional movement of the cellular interface forms the macrostructure of eutectic colonies.7 Chilton,3 Chadwick,4 and Tiller,&apos; studying eutectics of zone-refined Pb-Sn, A1-CuAl2, Zn-Sn, and Cd-Zn systems, noted that in the absence of impurities a planar interface is stabilized even when rapidly solidified. Although it is generally agreed that impurities break down a planar interface to form the eutectic-colony macrostructure, at present the origin of the varying micromorphologies (i.c., plates or rods) in a given normal eutectic alloy is not completely understood. Tiller8 has predicted that the micromor-phology produced may be dependent on solidification rate (i.e., at fast rates a rodlike structure is preferred whereas at slow rates a lamellar structure should form), and also suggested that rod formation may be favored at large phase-volume ratios. yue5 has experimentally verified Tiller&apos;s prediction in the eutectic Mg-Mg17Al12 by observing a lamellae-to-rod transition with increasing growth rate where the phase-volume ratio was approximately 2.3:1. However, Hunt and chilton9 more recently unidirec-tionally solidified over a wide range of growth velocities six different eutectic systems with phase-volume ratios between 12:l and 2.7:1 and observed no lamellae-to-rod transition. chadwickl0 has proposed that the change in micromorphology in some eutectic alloys is due entirely to the presence of impurities and further states that the lamellar structure is the characteristic structure of pure eutectic alloys even when the phase-volume ratio is as great as 12:l. Kraft11,12 has shown that the parallel lamellae in certain eutectic alloys assume a unique crystallographic relationship during unidirectional growth. This preferred crystallography may be developed

Jan 1, 1965

By M. Safiuddin

Within the mining industry, open-pit mining has progressed to a point where a 200-yard walking dragline is as conceivable today as a 35-yard dragline was just a few years ago. This is possible due to the technological advances and efforts of the excavator manufacturers, and the manufacturers of electrical equipment have always stayed abreast with them in meeting their requirements and in making available their experience with the latest control techniques and hardware from various fields for application in the mining industry. An electrician in the coal mines of Pennsylvania who had not heard the word "thyristor" a few years ago now wonders how the old excavators with Rototrols® and magamps could ever work. The thyristors, transistors and operational amplifiers which were considered too fragile and delicate for a rugged and severe application like the mining industry, today constitute the brain of an excavator control taking commands from the operator and giving signals to the muscles of the excavator to move the bucket within a few seconds. A giant 200-yd bucket filled with overburden moves within seconds of the operator&apos;s command. Digging cycles for these excavators range from 40 to 60 sec depending on the swing angle. With these tremendous production capabilities of the excavators, the equipment failures and downtime become very expensive, and the loss of return on large capital investment for such machines becomes intolerable. Even though these failures and downtimes cannot be avoided completely, a good preventive maintenance program can help reduce them, thus increasing the machine availability. As we shall see below, the causes for breakdowns and failures of electrical equipment can be analyzed and a good preventive maintenance program can be drawn up to eliminate most of these failures.

Jan 9, 1967

By D. Weinstein

Yieldilzg in annealed arc-cast molybdenunz in torsion was studied as a function of strain rate and tem-perature. The temperature dependence of the yield point for different strain rates was used to calculate a heat of activation for the yield point. The heat of activation was not a constant but was approximately a linear function of the stress at yield. It is proposed that the rate effect in yielding is determined in part by a site place-change of C (or other interstitial atom) in the metal. THE low-temperature embrittlement phenomenon in metals and alloys has been known to exist for a long time. Although a transition from ductile to brit-tle behavior has been observed in some close-packed hexagonal metals1 and a face-centered cubic alloy, the most common class of metals exhibiting this be-havior has a body-centered cubic lattice structure. For example, a ductile to brittle transition has been observed in iron,3 molybdenum,4 chromium,5 colum-bium,6 and tungsten.7 In the present investigation, molybdenum specimens were tested in torsion over a wide range of temperatures at three widely separated strain rates, and the temperature for onset of embrittlement was determined. Characteristic of body-centered cubic metals and closely associated with plastic deformation is the appearance of a sharp upper and lower yield point. Theoretical explanation of the yield point in iron and low-carbon steel is due to Cottrell,8 who attributes the phenomenon to the pinning of dislocations by the formation of impurity atmospheres around the dislocations. These atmospheres tend to lock the dislocations and make them more difficult to move. The stress required to move a dislocation and thereby cause plastic deformation is greatly increased, and thus an upper yield point is observed. In addition, theoretical analysis,9 as well as experimental observations, show that the upper yield point is strongly a function of temperature. The upper yield point is observed to decrease with an increase in testing temperature, and above a certain temperature (-700° K in iron) it no longer appears. This is consistent with the concept that thermal vibrations will help free a dislocation from its atmosphere, so that the external stress required to free a dislocation from its pinning atmosphere decreases with increasing temperature. Furthermore, with increasing temperature the equilibrium concentration of impurity atoms around a dislocation decreases exponentially with the result that the dislocation is less firmly pinned. In Cottrell&apos;s theory of yield point a static model is visualized in which the pinning atmospheres, particularly interstitial atoms, are immobile, and the dislocations are anchored to stationary positions in the lattice. However, experiments1,7 show the upper yield point to be time-dependent or a function of the rate of straining, a high strain rate causing a high upper yield point. Present theory does not adequately account for the rate dependence of the yield point, and the exact function of the interstitial atom is not under stood. Nevertheless, observation of the temperature dependence and rate dependence strongly suggests that the upper yield point phenomenon is due to the interaction between dislocations and pinning atoms, and that a diffusion mechanism is important in determining the yield point.

Jan 1, 1962

By C. W. Clark, J. H. Schloen

Two papers have been written previously concerning operations at the Montreal East plant of Canadian Copper Refiners Limited. The first one,&apos; written in 1932, described silver-refinery operations at the time for producing silver and gold bullion from tankhouse anode slimes; the second,2 published in 1933, consisted of a description of the entire plant. Since publication of these papers the refinery has become the world&apos;s largest producer of refined selenium. The first selenium was produced in August 1934. Tellurium production on a commercial scale followed in October 1935. This paper will deal with selenium and tellurium production and also with present operations in the silver refinery. Blister cakes from Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Co., Flin Flon, Manitoba, and commercial anodes from Noranda Mines Limited, Noranda, Quebec, are refined at Montreal East. Both these bullions have unusually high gold, selenium and tellurium content. The average assay of raw slimes produced from domestic and Noranda anodes is about 40 per cent Cu, 3600 oz. per ton Ag, 800 oz. per ton Au, 22 per cent Se and 3.7 per cent Te. Early Silver-refinery Operations From the start of operations in 1931 until July 1934, the raw slimes were oxidize-roasted at 700" I?. in a Nichols-Herreshoff furnace, acid-leached with tankhouse discarded foul electrolyte (20 per cent H²SO), filtered and charged directly to the doré furnace for refining to doré meta1. This is the customary method for treating tankhouse anode slimes but was not suitable at the Montreal East plant because of the high selenium and tellurium content of our slimes. In the acid-leaching process about 50 per cent of the selenium and tellurium in the roasted slimes was dissolved in the electrolyte. These elements were recovered with the copper as a sludge in a small electrolytic

Jan 1, 1943

By J. E. Pavlick, W. W. Mullins, H. W. Paxton

The growth of nitrogen-austenite during nitriding of large-gvained ferrite between 650" and 800°C has been studied as a functimz oJ time and nitrogen potential of the atmosphere for a variety of alloying elements dissolved in the ferrite. Whereas no preferential grain boundary penetration by aistenite takes place in zone-refined iron, the addition of aboit I zot pct oj&apos; V, Ti, Cr. Si, or A1 produces significant protrusion of austenite down former 0-0 boundaries. This group of elernents also produces ragged y-0 interfaces in the a grains which advance more slozuly than those in zone-refined iron. 1 zut pct of Ni, Co, Mn, or Mo dissolved in ferrite leads to essentially smooth 7-a interfaces, which advance at rates very sinzilar to those in zone-refined iron. The reasons for this effect are not clear. Two possible limiting hypotheses, not necessarily exclusive, are discussed. One involves p.referentia1 grain bozindary diffusion of nitrogen. the other the production of a zone of ferrite, stpersatcirated with respect to nitrogen, from which austenite precipitates helerogeneozisly on the a-a gyain boundaries. In many phase transformations which occur by nu-cleation and diffusion-controlled growth, information on the parameters which control the rates of nuclea-tion and of growth is frequently not quantititative. The present work describes a continuation of efforts to obtain quantitative data on growth rates in systems where thermodynamic and kinetic factors are known independently, and thus where comparison with models of the growth process is possible. The work has been conducted on iron-base systems for two reasons. Firstly, there are several interesting transformations in this system, many of which are of practical importance. Secondly, the information on phase diagrams, activities, and diffusion coefficients is more complete in this system than in any other. These data are still inadequate to check all the effects of alloying elements, but at worst it is possible to make estimates and thus examine order-of-magni-tude agreement with proposed models. It will be necessary to do this in the present work. The problem studied was the growth of nitrogen-austenite in from the surface of large-grained columnar crystals of alloyed ferrite exposed to an NHs/Hz atmosphere. Earlier work by Grozier et al.&apos; had suggested that growth of austenite may occur preferentially along grain boundaries of alloyed ferrite, whereas zone-refined (ZR) iron shows no such effect, Fig. 1. Growth of nitrogen-austenite into single crystals of zone-refined ferrite is planar provided sufficient nu-cleation sites for austenite are present, and is controlled by volume diffusion of nitrogen through the

Jan 1, 1967

By H. J. Snyder

Both the room-temperature and 600°F (315°C) primary solid-solution phase boundaries for the silver comer of the Ag-Cd-In temary system have been determined using X-ray diffraction and metallo-graphic techniques. Solid solubility of indium in silver at room temperature and 600°F (315°C) is shown to be between 20.3 and 21.7 wt pct, and corrects the previously extrapolated value of 18 wt pct appearing in the literature. The solid solubility of cadmium in silver at room temperature, not previously established, is shown to be between 34.9 and 41.3 wt pct. The solid solubility of cadmium in silver at 600°F (315°C) is confirmed as 43.2 wt pct. The shape of the primary phase boundary line for the subject temary system appears straight at room temperature and curves con-vexly towards the solvent (silver) comer at 600°F (315°C). THIS investigation was undertaken to initiate development of the Ag-Cd-In ternary diagram by establishing the primary solid-solution phase boundary in the silver corner of the diagram. At the present time, a diagram for this ternary system is not available, while this system appears to offer potential for a variety of uses. One alloy in the system has already proven to be useful as a control rod material in nuclear reactors.1"3 To encourage additional exploration of the potential of the system an understanding of its ternary diagram would be beneficial. It is towards this end that the present study is directed. LITERATURE SURVEY In undertaking this study, a comprehensive literature survey was first conducted to find information that would be useful for guidance. Useful knowledge did result from investigating the respective solubilities of indium and cadmium in silver as indicated in the binary constitutional diagrams of the systems Ag-In and Ag-Cd and also reviewing possible shapes of ternary primary phase boundaries. Weibke and Eggers~ used metallographic techniques to establish the system In-Ag as illustrated in Fig. Is This diagram shows that silver in the solid state is capable of dissolving approximately 18 wt pct In. This solid solubility of indium in silver holds true from room temperature up to 1276°F (691°C), then decreases continuously up to 1&apos;761°F (960.5"C), the melting point of the silver. The solid-solubility limit of indium in silver established by Weibke and Eggers has been confirmed by Hume-Rothery and Reyno1ds. G Durrant&apos; used a method which consisted of microscopic examination of quenched specimens to establish the Cd-Ag system as displayed in Fig. 2.&apos; The primary phase boundary of Fig. 2 proved to be in good agreement (ie., within 1 wt pct) with other studies*&apos;1&apos; of the Ag-Cd system made using X-rays and metallog-

Jan 1, 1968

By D. M. Blacknall, N. N. Winogradoff, E. W. Williams

Low-temperature measurements of photolumines-cence were used to evaluate the progvess in materials development. Variation of the impurity type, impurity concentration, and method of growth were used to clarify the chemical origin of defects in GaAs. Melt-g~ozun, epitaxial vapor-, and solution-grown samples were studied. A comparison of measurements at 77" and 20°K shows that more defects can be observed at the lower temperature. Th&apos;vee residual defects were identified in relatively pure GaAs. These were: silicon, copper, and a gallium vacancy-donor complex. Solution growth from a gallium solution inhibits the formation of the latter two. Eleven defects were studied and the "optical" activation energy of some of these, namely, silicon, cobalt, and chromium, has not been reported in the literature before. THE discovery of the injection laser in 1962 prompted extensive measurements of the photoluminescence of GaAs. The measurements were made at 77°K on GaAs doped with shallow impurities at various doping levels and compared with electroluminescence1&apos;2 and absorp- tion data.374 In addition, lower-temperature studies were made on relatively pure GaAS&apos; and on GaAs doped with oxygen,5&apos;" manganese,&apos; and copper.&apos; The observation of defects* in GaAs with photolu- *The word "defects" ~efers to both chemical impurities and native defects. minescence at low temperatures makes photolu mines-cence an invaluable tool in evaluating the progress in materials development. The only previous evaluation was done at 77°K when solution-grown and melt-grown GaAs were compared.O No identification of defects was made but it was shown that some of the deep-level luminescence seen in melt-grown GaAs was absent in solution-grown GaAs. The present work extends the comparison of preparation techniques to lower temperatures and to a study of epitaxial vapor-grown GaAs. It is particularly valuable for thin epitaxial layers since they cannot be analyzed by conventional analytical techniques. In addition, by varying the impurity type and impurity concentration the chemical origin and nature of defects in GaAs was demonstrated. Eleven defects were studied in all. Three of the defects were identified as residual defects which often contaminate GaAs prepared from the melt and the vapor. Only one such defect was observed in GaAs grown from a gallium solution and this was identified as silicon.

Jan 1, 1968

By T. K. Perkins, O. C. Johnston

Because of the influence of dispersion on miscible-displacement processes, diffusion and dispersion phenomena in parous rocks are of current interest in the oil industry. This paper reviews and summarizes a great deal of pertinent information from the literature. Porous media (both unconsolidated packs and consolidated rocks) can be visualized as a network of flow chambers, having random size and flow conductivity, connected together by openings of smaller size. In such a porous medium, the apparent diffusion coefficient D is less than the molecular diffusion coefficient Do, as measured in the absence of a porous medium. For packs of unconsolidated granular material the ratio D/D, is about 0.6 to 0.7. For all porous rocks, both cemented and unconsolidated, the ratio of diffusion coefficients can also be represented as D/Do = 1/FF where F is the for- mation electrical resistivity&apos; factor and 4 is the porosity. If fluids are flowing through the porous medium, dispersion may be greater than that due to diffusion alone. At moderate flow rates the porous medium will create a slightly asymmetrical mix zone (trailing edge stretched out), with the longitudinal dispersion coefficient approximately proportional to the first power of average fluid velocity (if composition is nearly equalized in pore spaces by diffusion). If the velocity in interstices is large enough, there will be insufficient time for diffusion to equalize concentration within pore spaces. In this region, longitudinal dispersion increases more rapidly than fluid velocity. At low velocities in interstices, transverse dispersion is characterized by a region in which transverse diffusion dominates. If the fluid velocity gets high enough, there will be a transition into a region where there is stream splitting with mass transfer but with insufficient residence time to completely damp-out concentration variations within pore spaces. There are several variables that must be con- trolled to get consistent longitudinal and transverse dispersion results, viz., (1) edge effect in packed tubes, (2) particle size distribution, (3) particle shape, (4) packing or permeability heterogeneities, (5) viscosity ratios, (6) gravity forces, (7) amount of turbulence, and (8) effect of an immobile phase. INTRODUCTION Diffusion and dispersion in porous rocks are of current interest to the oil industry. This interest arises because of the influence of dispersion on miscible-displacement processes. In a recovery process utilizing a zone of miscible fluid, there is the possibility of losing miscibility by dissipating the miscible fluid or by channeling or "fingering" through the miscible zone. Diffusion and dispersion are two of the mechanisms that may lead to mixing and dissipation of the slug. On the other hand, dispersion may tend to damp-out viscous fingers which may be channeling through the miscible slug. 58 Hence, dispersion may be detrimental or beneficial (if it prevents fingering through the miscible zone). Therefore, it is doubly important that we understand these processes. In this paper we review, summarize and interpret a great deal of information from the literature. In particular, we will briefly discuss molecular diffusion in miscible fluids. Then we will discuss what differences to expect for diffusion in a porous rock. If there is movement of the fluid through the rock, then there may be an additional mixing or "dispersion". Furthermore, the dispersion longitudinally (in the direction of gross fluid movement) and transverse to the direction of fluid movement will not be equal. We will discuss both types of dispersion as well as several variables which can affect dispersion (viscosity differences, density differences, turbulence, heterogeneity of media, etc.). This group of variables has sometimes led to difficulty when comparing literature data. DIFFUSION OF MISCIBLE FLUIDS If two miscible fluids are in contact, with an initially sharp interface, they will slowly diffuse into one another. As time passes, the sharp interface between the two fluids will become a diffuse

By P. A. Witherspoon, S. P. Neuman

Evaluating the permeability of a caprock overlying a potential gas storage reservoir is a very critical problem. Pumping water from the reservoir can be used as an evaluation tool in analyzing this problem. Fluid level changes that occur in the aquifer us well as in the caprock can be measured with appropriately placed wells. If the leakage of water from the caprock into the aquifer is considerable, the effects will be apparent in the aquifer. If the leakage is slight, however, it will not be possible to detect it with certainty from observations in the aquifer alone. Fluid level measurements in the caprock must be relied upon. and improved methods of analyzing such effects have been developed which are based on a theoretical analysis of fluid flow through a caprock of infinite thickness. An example applying these methods to field data is discussed. INTRODUCTION One of the most critical problems in evaluating an aquifer gas storage project is determining the tightness of the caprock overlying the formation to be used as the storage reservoir. A formation that has previously held oil or gas obviously has a suitable caprock, but an aquifer that contains only water gives no such assurance. A number of aquifer projects in the United States have been troubled by gas leaking out of the intended storage zone, and the ensuing difficulties have led to the development of new evaluation methods. One of these new methods is pump testing wherein water is removed from the aquifer at some controlled rate prior to injection of gas. This fluid withdrawal causes a pressure drop to move out through the aquifer for considerable distances in a matter of days or weeks. Depending on the properties of the caprock, a pressure transient can also pass upward (as well as downward) through the caprock layers adjacent to the aquifer. Thus, if the operator has placed observation wells at appropriate distances from the pumping well, the rapidity with which the pressure transients reach different points in the system can be used to investigate the fluid transport properties of both the aquifer and its caprock. The usefulness of pump testing has been recognized by groundwater hydrologists for many years as a means of determining the potential yield and properties of aquifers used in water supply They have introduced the term "leaky aquifer" for a system in which an aquifer is overlain (or underlain) by semipermeable caprock layers. The ease with which water leaks into the aquifer during pumping can, of course, be very beneficial in bringing additional water to the pumped well. Hydrologists have therefore devoted considerable attention to this prob-lem. From the gas storage standpoint, however, the tighter the caprock layers that overlie the intended storage reservoir, the better are the conditions for minimizing or eliminating any vertical migration of gas. Thus, after a suitable geologic structure has been found, the emphasis in aquifer storage projects is in determining that the caprock is tight. Attention has recently been focused on the use of pump testing as one approach to solving this problem.23,24 This paper presents a further development on evaluating the permeability of a slightly leaky caprock when the caprock is of infinite thickness. From the practical standpoint, this means that the caprock layers are thick enough that pressure transients do not reach the outer boundaries of the system during the pumping test. In a subsequent paper, an analysis of the case where the caprock is of finite thickness will be presented. PREVIOUS WORK ON LEAKY AQUIFERS Jacob" developed a partial differential equation describing the flow of water in an aquifer of permeability k that is overlain by a leaky caprock of permeability k&apos;. Fig. 1 shows a schematic cross-section of the system under consideration. One of his principle assumptions was that if k > > k&apos;, the direction of flow is essentially vertical in the caprock and horizontal in the aquifer. Neuman19 confirmed the validity of Jacob&apos;s assumption using a mathematical model. Another assumption was that a permeable source layer overlies the caprock (Fig. 1) and is able to maintain a constant hydraulic head at the upper boundary of the caprock. By neglecting the effects of compressibility within the caprock, Jacob1* developed a solution for a bounded circular aquifer. Later, Hantush and Jacobx5 used the same assumptions to solve the case of an infinite radial aquifer that is pumped at a constant rate. Their solution may be expressed in di-mensionless parameters by

By N. F. Schulz, H. A. Lex, J. D. Zetterstrom

A green ball of iron ore faces many perils from the time it is formed until it finally emerges from the pelletizing furnace as a hardened pellet. For instance, if the rate of heat transfer into a ball is sufficient to produce vapor from either the free or combined water more rapidly than it can escape at a tolerable pressure, the ball may split, spall, or even explode, a failure commonly known as decrepitation. To avoid such failures, one must either limit the rate of heat transfer during the drying and preheating stages, at the expense of production rates, or improve the decrepitation resistance of the green balls. The latter remedy may often be accomplished through changes in ore preparation, balling procedures, or the judicious use of binders or other additives. INTRODUCTION Pelletization has become established as an especially desirable method for the agglomeration of fine taconite concentrates and it promises to be equally satisfactory for improving the physical structures of certain natural ores. A high-quality pelletized iron ore consists of uniformly sized spheres, usually about 1/2-in. diam, which are strong enough to resist abrasion and breakage during handling and which reduce well without disintegration in the blast furnace. The unfired agglomerates, "green balls", are subject to several destructive effects that must be avoided or minimized if a high-quality product is to be obtained by pelletization. Among these are abrasion and impact deformation or breakage during handling of the wet green balls, deformation and breakage by compressive forces in the bed of ore in the pel-letizing furnace, decrepitation during drying and preheating, wind erosion, and radial cracking at firing temperatures. Moisture condensation from the warm saturated gases downstream from the drying zone on wet, cool balls may cause bed collapse if it becomes excessive. Decrepitation is defined as the sudden disintegration of green balls, usually with an audible pop, that occurs when they are heated too rapidly during the drying or preheating stages of the pelletization process. The extent of ball disintegration may vary from merely splitting off a small fragment to almost total disintegration into the original ore particles making up the ball. Such ball destruction results in a decreased yield of pellets, and the fragments, which also tend to interfere by obstructing the gas flow through the bed, must eventually be screened from the fired product and recycled. The closely related type of ball failure that sometimes occurs during the high temperature firing stage, resulting in radial cracks without fragmentation, was not considered to be decrepitation for the purpose of this investigation. Failure by decrepitation is not usually a serious problem in the pelletization of taconite concentrates. The problem is significant, however, in the pelletization of some natural ores, especially those containing hydrous iron oxides. In some instances, economicd production rates cannot be maintained if the drying and preheating rates are slowed down enough to avoid decrepitation. OBJECTIVES This investigation was undertaken to: (1) Develop a practical laboratory means for quantitatively measuring the tendency for green balls to decrepitate in iron ore pelletizing furnaces, and (2) Investigate the causes and cures of ball decrepitation. MATERIALS Two iron ores were used in the work reported here: a taconite concentrate at 90% minus 325 mesh, containing 65.0% Fe, 8.4% SiO2, and no loss-on-ignition; and a crude oxidized ore at 54% minus 325 mesh, containing 59.1% Fe, 3.6% SiO2, 1.1% A12O3, and 9.5% loss-on-ignition. For a special test of effect of particle size distribution on decrepitation, two other

Jan 1, 1967