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By J. T. Griffith, Walter S. Lutz

The rainfall during the last six months of 1942 in Scranton and vicinity was 24.06 in.—only 4.35 in more than the average for this district in any equivalent period—yet that rain forced The Hudson Coal Co. to handle 38.8 tons of water for every ton of coal mined. It filled to overflowing, or to a higher level, 14 flooded mine areas holding, in total volume, 8.3 billion gallons of water in storage; brought about a pumpage of 11.4 billion gallons in the months of December 1942 and January, February and March 1943 Half of the total energy generated or purchased (44,322,980 kw-hr.) was required to keep the mines sufficiently free of water to permit the mining of coal during a period of much needed output. Fig. I shows the extent to which this flooding of exhausted and idle properties has proceeded, and is known to be proceeding further, at the upper end of the Northern field. This rainfall (24.06 in.) means 80,559,444 tons of water on approximately 46.2 sq. miles of area tributary to the pumping plants. During the high rainfall period, 72,687,661 tons went underground, being pumped at the stations in this territory. This means an inflow of 88per cent, a runoff of 12 per cent compared with 64 per cent during normal conditions in a normal region. During this period no floods, either surface or underground, had to be dealt with, although the streams and rivers were high on several occasions. In general, the rainfall for the first three months of 1943 can be described as heavy but not abnormal.9 These figures not only indicate the large volumes of water to be handled but, by their very size, they also emphasize that the mine-water problem is not to be conquered, at least from an economical standpoint, by merely buying and installing more and more pumps. Into the solving of this water problem must go much planning, adhering to the principle of keeping the highest percentage of water at the highest possible level for the longest period of time; the storage of huge volumes in sumps capable of being reduced after the flood inflow and at rates less than the inflow; plans for prevention of surface inflow; provision of the minimum of pumping capacity arranged to as nearly 100 per cent pumping load factor as is possible; intercompany joint pumping plants; the conducting of water from one plant to another and from one property to another over distances measured in miles; priorities in power to the threatening situations; and. balance of the necessities and dangers existent in one colliery over another, day by day, when quantities of water are running high. Despite these astronomical figures of water volumes, their disposal to the surface is accomplished reasonably cheaply because, although the annual cost of $575,020 is a large sum, the cost per ton is about 0.1168 cents. Credit for this goes

Jan 1, 1947

By A. M. Gaudin, R. T. Hukki

Previous work on the principles of comminution has shown: (I) that the surface produced is proportional to work input (Rittinger law,1a-3); (2) that there is regularity to the weight distribution of the fragments according to size.4-10 In this paper it is brought out that the surface on the fragments is distributed in definite and simple relation to size. The experimental work has involved: I. Construction of an apparatus capable of measuring the surface of mineral fragments independently of the chemical composition of the fragments and independently of the site of the surface; 2. Refining the methods available for measurement of particle size; 3. Designing and building a crusher capable of operating on very small quantities of mineral, if necessary on single crystals, and in such fashion as to minimize handling losses of material. Complete experiments have been carried out with massive quartz and individual quartz crystals. partial experiments, lacking surface measurements, have been made with glass spheres, galena, sphalerite, fluo-rite, salt and coal. Introduction The existence of regularity in weight distribution with size was noted many years ago, especially by A. 0. Gates;' the subject was also studied in detail by one of us.6 In the latter paper it was shown that rocks can be divided into two classes: homogeneous rocks, which show no preferential breaking, and heterogeneous rocks, which show preferential breaking at the grain size of the rock. It was shown, furthermore, that the fragments obtained by rupturing a homogeneous rock occur (in the fine range) in such abundance as to permit the writing of a relatively simple equation to relate the weight retained on a screen to the screen opening. With screens of which the openings are in constant ratio, the weight retained, w, is related to the screen size x by the equation w = Cxm [I] In this equation C and m are experimental constants. A plot of weight retained against particle size is a straight line of slope m if the scales for x and w are both logarithmic. In the fine range, the slopes of the size-distribution graphs plotted according to the method described above vary within a limited range. An inspection of a number of size-distribution data by various experimenters indicates that the slope very seldom exceeds 1.0, but is usually greater than 0.7. More recently, schuhmann8 proposed a method of charting that has so many advantages of its own that it has been used primarily in this work. For fine particles Schuhmann has found that the data are represented by the equation (x)m k [2]

Jan 1, 1947

By G. Ansel, J. P. Doan

The important literature concerning zirconium in magnesium-base alloys is predominantly contained in patent references. Sauerwald, Eisenreich, and Holubl-4 discovered the profound grain-refining influence of small amounts of zirconium on cast magnesium and the attendant increases in strength and ductility. They extended their work to reveal that limited amounts of certain other elements, including zinc, could be added for further improvement in strength and hardness. British Patent 5111375 relates to the parent discoveries of Sauerwald, Eisenreich, and Holub. All of these references deal primarily with casting characteristics and properties in the cast state. Minor mention is made of desirable tensile strength, ductility, and toughness of wrought Mg-Zr alloys* modified by one or more additional elements. No extensive reference in the literature5. has been found to the particular characteristics of wrought blg-Zn-Zr alloys, with which the present paper is concerned. The work to be discussed represents essentially an extrusion study of the blg-Zn-Zr alloys and indicates that this system is highly interesting in the wrought state both academically and commercially. Accordingly, an important aim of this paper is to describe the hot-workability, tension and compression properties, metallography, and toughness of these alloys. Compositional variations are limited to the ranges 0 to 7 per cent Zn and 0 to I per cent Zr. Experimental Procedure Alloying and Casting Alloying ingredients were cell magnesium, commercial zinc (intermediate grade), and a chloride salt containing approximately 50 per cent ZrCl² and 50 per cent alkali chlorides. This salt is produced by Titanium Alloy Manufacturing Company. Melting, alloying, and pouring procedure essentially followed the crucible process as described by Nelson.6 The magnesium was melted using Dow No. 310 flux, and the temperature raised to 1350° to 1400°F for the alloying operations. After alloying of the zinc, the zirconium containing salt was added in small portions with vigorous stirring. This is an adaptation of the method described in British Patent 533264.7 The alloying efficiency of zirconium was approximately 30 per cent. During the alloying of zirconium, fluorspar was added in amount required as a flux-inspissating agent. Next the melt was refined with Dow No. 310 flux and held quietly for 15 min. Finally billets were cast in a book-type permanent mold

Jan 1, 1947

By F. E. Buch

THE Smelter is designed for a production capacity of 10,000 short tons of blister copper per month, when operating on the present concentrate grade. The Smelter lay-out is shown in Fig I. The major units of equipment comprise two reverberatory furnaces, three 13 by 30 ft Peirce-Smith converters, two straight line casting machines, one being served by a 13 by 30 ft holding furnace and the other by a ladle tilting quadrant, two converter ,aisle cranes and two converter blowers. The plant is compact and the general arrangement of standard gauge railway tracks and conveyor belts provides for a smooth flow of incoming materials and metallurgical products. Concentrate is received by conveyor belts and fluxes in standard railway trucks. The local track system is covered by an electric trolley locomotive. The Smelter treats a wet (10 pct moisture) flotation concentrate containing approximately 53 pct total copper and 0.9 pct oxide copper. The predominating minerals are chalcocite, chalcopyrite and bornite accompanied by small quantities of malachite and cuprite. The gangue is highly siliceous and requires limerock as a flux. Metallurgy would be straightforward were it not for the necessity for eliminating k bismuth which occurs as an impurity in the ore along with the copper. Directly or indirectly most of the Smelter problems can be traced to the necessity for bismuth removal. Copper recovery, based on new copper treated, averages 97.5 pct. GENERAL DESCRIPTION Flotation concentrate, containing to pct moisture, is conveyed from the filter plant to the smelter storage bins by conveyor belts, the material being weighed in transit by a revolving drum type of weigh-hopper manufactured by Samuel Denison and Son, Ltd. The weigher consists of a steel drum with dished ends carried on a horizontal shaft and rotated by an 8 hp squirrel-cage motor through a worm and spur reduction gear. A feed mouth in the drum permits of filling and discharging. The whole unit is supported on a framework resting on weighing levers, which in turn connect to transfer levers, thence to an indicator of the steelyard type situated 16 ft from the centre line of the drum. The indicator is of the "Denison" patent equilibrium controlled ticket stamping type, insuring mistake-proof records by a combination of electrical and mechanical movements which prevent the operator from printing until the cover enclosing the steelyard is closed and until the poise-weights have been set correctly to the weight of the hopper and contents. The machine is capable of weighing 30 short tons at a time but the usual load is 28 tons. After obtaining the gross weight the drum is rotated and discharged into a receiving bin situated below it. The empty drum is weighed and the net weight re-

Jan 1, 1947

By E. A. Gulbransen, J. W. Hickman

In a previous paper' the authors have investigated the structure of the oxide films formed on most of the metals that make up the alloys of this study. The metals were studied in order to provide basic information on the structures, both physical and chemical, of the oxide films and to determine how these structures are effected by the temperature, time of oxidation, and surface preparation. It was felt that an understanding of the physical and chemical structure as well as the stability of the oxide film might furnish clues as to the nature of the reaction process and the protective quality of the film. The oxidation of the metals was studied over the temperature range 300' to 7o0°C. except for copper, wherc the range selected was 100' to 500°C. The results of these studies were presented in graphical form as existence diagrams of the oxides on a time-temperature scale. For some of the metals the existence diagrams were simple and showed few chemical transitions, but there were numerous cases where the physical state of the oxide surface was a function of time and temperature. In general the physical state of the oxide surface changed with increasing temperature so as to increase the sharpness of the diffraction patterns and to cause orientation effects to be more pronounced. Deviatiois in lattice Darameters from X-ray values were noted. In general these deviations were of positive nature and may be due to solid solution of the metal in the oxide lattice. This effect might be expected in thin oxide films. In a study of the oxidation of alloys containing two or more metals, there may arise the complicating factor of identification of the oxides formed. A thorough understanding of the oxides formed on the pure metals, therefore, was, essential before investigation of the oxidation of alloys. In this paper it is our purpose to present a study of the following problems: 1. The existence diagrams of various alloys. 2. The effect of the structure of the alloying metal on the existence diagram of iron. 3. The effect of the percentage of chromium on the oxides formed on Fe-Cr alloys. 4. The relationships, if any, between the oxides formed and the protective quality of the oxides. The following alloys are included in this study: alloys of iron with body-centered cubic, face-centered cubic and other metals, 13 Cr-Fe, 18-8 stainless steel, K4²B, Nichrome V, Hipernik, Inconel, Stellite "²I," Refractaloy, Kovar, mild steel, a series of Cr-Fe alloys and a series of Co-Fe alloys. Since many of the commercial alloys in this list contain more than two metals, various complicating factors in the identification of the oxides formed may arise.

Jan 1, 1947

By Richard H. Willey

EFFICIENT handling of large tonnages in open-pit mining demands, primarily, an abundance of well fragmented rock. To accomplish this, a drilling and blasting department composed of a well-knit, versatile group of workers and supervisors must be established. Some costs will remain relatively on the same level over a period of years, while others can be greatly lowered as will be shown. The Utah Copper Division, Kennecott Copper Corp., Bingham Canyon, Utah, has been ever alert for improvements in operating methods and equipment to gain increased efficiency and lower costs. BINGHAM CANYON MINE The greatest dimension of the mine is 8000 ft northeast-southwest with a width of 5000 ft southeast-northwest. From the lowest level, at an elevation of 6040 ft above sea-level, the mountain rises in 27 benches on the west side to W level (elevation 7800 ft) and 21 benches on the east side to Q level (elevation 7460 ft). At the inception of open-pit mining in 1906, the overcapping of leached porphyry had to be removed to reach a commercial grade of sulphide ore. The overcapping or waste now remaining is quartzite with intercalated limestone beds. The limestones are usually soft in nature except in the south-middle portion of the mine where they have been metamorphized along the contact zone. This area usually gives drilling and blasting operations a great deal of trouble. Here occurs the greatest amount of secondary blasting, as the well-established fracture planes cause the altered beds to break into large boulders. Several massive quartzite "ribs" occur in the overburden, and as a result, the uniform breakage is difficult to obtain. The major quartzite areas have been subjected to complex folding, fracturing and faulting because of the intrusion of the underlying stock. The monzonite porphyry, which carries the commercial values, presents no serious drilling problem because of its softness and extensive minute fracturing throughout the mass. A series of major slips or faults pass through the ore body which, although of considerable advantage to the drilling and blasting department, sometimes works to the disadvantage of the track department. Drilling and blasting of the porphyry apparently becomes easier as depth is attained, but highly siliceous streaks throughout the pit still present difficulties. At no place is the rock of such character as to allow excavation without preparations. On certain higher elevations or levels, old fill material can be dug by the shovels, but only at some risk to equipment because of bank slippage. PAST METHODS At the outset of shovel operations in 1906, drilling was done with the Ingersoll-Rand F-24 piston drill mounted on an un-

Jan 1, 1947

By R. J. Stevens

THE Roan Antelope Smelter commenced operations in October, 1931. As originally designed, its equipment consisted of one reverberatory furnace, 120 X 25 ft, two Peirce-Smith converters 12 X 20 ft, and one straight line casting machine. Since that time the following additions have been made: One reverberatory furnace 120 ft X 28 ft (1934) One reverberatory furnace 95 ft X 28 ft (1943) Two 12 X 20 ft Peirce-Smith converters (1934 and 1938) One 13 X 30 ft holding furnace 6 (1938) One straight line casting machine and 2 ladle tilting quadrants (1934) The metallurgy of the smelting process is comparatively simple. However, there are several features of operation which are uncommon to most copper smelters: (1) The high grade of concentrate treated; this has always been about 50 pct copper. (2) The high flux burden on the charge. This is necessary because of the deficiency of bases'in the concentrate and the high alumina content of the concentrate. (3) The frequent necessity of adding coal to the furnace charge to control the matte grade. (4) The high grade of matte produced. This has led' to unusual converter problems. From the commencement of operations, the ore mined has come from the Roan Basin orebody. The concentrate produced from this ore consists mainly of chalcocite and shale with small proportions of other copper minerals. As mining operations extend to the Roan Extension orebody, the proportions of bornite and chalcopyrite in the concentrate will increase with a corresponding decrease in the copper content of the concentrate. Because of the concentrate grade the capacity of the reverberatory . furnaces in terms of tons of copper produced per ton of coal burned is high.. This ratio is usually over 2.2, and on especially favourable runs has reached 2.6. Reference to Table , shows that the iron content of the concentrate is unusually low. Only part of this iron is available for slag formation, the balance going to the matte. To make up this deficiency in bases, limerock is added to the furnace charge. This flux ensures a slag that is of the correct silicate degree, is sufficiently fluid, of low specific gravity, and it counteracts the thickening effect of the alumina present. An ample supply of flux is obtainable from Ndola, 2 2 miles distant by rail. Although the reverberatory slag has a high copper content, the slag fall is low and the copper loss in the slag now rarely exceeds 1.0 pct of the total copper charged. The blister copper shipped is of such purity that only one fire refining operation has been necessary to produce a wirebar with properties comparable to electrolytic copper. Bismuth has always been the most troublesome impurity and consequently the problem of its control in the finished product has been of prime importance. Practically none is removed in the reverberatory furnace. The bulk of the elimina-

Jan 1, 1947

By S. Suphi Yavasca, A. M. Gaudin

This paper is intended as a contribution to our knowledge of the mechanism of comminution and of the work of crushing. In a previous paper1 it was shown that with quartz comminution proceeds as follows: 1. The size distribution of broken fragments made by a single fracture is such that the new surface on each grade is the same. 2. Multiple fracturing results in a size distribution such that in the he sizes the surface per grade is the same in every grade; in coarse sizes the surface per grade decreases gradually with increasing size. In that paper it was mentioned that determinations on minerals other than quartz were in course of completion in order to establish the generality of these observations. In this paper, condensed data1 are presented for galena, pyrite and glass. Galena and pyrite are crystalline materials and glass is noncrystalline. Galena has excellent cubic cleavage. Pyrite, although cubical, does not have marked cleavage. Quartz, on which the original determinations were made, does not cleave and although crystalline (hexagonal) breaks conchoidally. Glass breaks much like quartz. It is apparent, therefore, that the minerals selected represent some range in character of the solid without covering all possible types. Glass Fifteen glass marbles were crushed individually in the pendulum crusher described in the preceding paper,' then subjected to careful screening for 30 min. Six sized fractions were selected and cleaned in a hot 0.12 N solution of hydrochloric acid, washed with distilled water and dried on a hot plate. This was followed by an examination with a binocular microscope, to remove foreign matters not eliminated in cleaning as well as to eliminate "compacts" of fine particles. These compacts are groups of he irag-ments that seem to be mechanically stuck together as a result of localized compacting during the comminution operation. The presence and the abundance of these compacts may be related to the amount and direction of the forces applied in different crushing devices. Since, properly, such compacts should be entirely eliminated in the sizing analyses, it is necessary to remove them to the last before making surface determinations on sized fractions. For example, with a — 28 + 35-mesh glass the surface areas of two samples, one cleaned with acid and under the binocular, the other only washed, were 102 and 172. cm' per gram, respectively. Examination of the samples under an Ultropak microscope showed that washing alone failed to remove the compacts and also that it fails to remove certain fine dusts attached to the particles. Cleaning with acid loosens the fine dusts and

Jan 1, 1947

By N. C. Fick, R. L. Rickett

Despite the large volume of literature on alloys of iron and silicon,' there is little published information dealing specifically with the constitution, at various temperatures, of the alloys containing less than 0.10 per cent carl~on and from 0.5 to 4.5 per cent silicon that are used extensively in the electrical industry. Because such information was needed by those engaged in the production of these alloys in sheet and strip form, the constitution nas determined of a series of commercial silicon steels containing 0.05 to 0.08 per cent carbon and 0.20 to 4.1 per cent silicon, over the temperature range 1300° to 1500°F. These alloys were all from regular production heats and of commercial quality. The results of the tests are given in Fig. I and for comparison the constitution diagram of iron-silicon alloys with 0.01 to 0.02 per cent carbon, taken from the literature, is also presented Material and Procedure All steels were hot-rolled to a thickness of 0.060 to 0.080 in. and used in this condition. Their chemical compositions, including over-all check analysis, and "center" analysis for carbon and silicon, are given in Table I. The so-called center analysis was determined on samples pickled to remove the outer surface and leave only the center third of the gauge thickness—the portion of the sample on which metallographic ratings were based. In most, but not all, of the alloys, slightly higher carbon was found at the center than when the whole strip was sampled; the two methods of sampling show relatively little difference in silicon. Two of the steels, A and E, contain relatively high phosphorus, while I and K are somewhat higher in manganese than the others. The procedure consisted essentially of heating specimens (about 1/16 by 3/8 by 3/4 in.), protected from oxidation or change in carbon content, at a temperature in the desired range and for a selected period, after which they were quenched in iced brine; the degree of transformation that had then occurred was determined by metallographic examination. The soaking periods were selected after preliminary investigation had shown that a con-

Jan 1, 1947

By Albert E. Reed

The development of the modern highspeed vibrating screen, together with the increasing availability of long-lasting stainless-steel screen cloth for relatively fine-mesh separations, means that more screen circuits will be used in the future. It seems pertinent therefore to examine a few characteristics of screen-circuit products, and especially the points of difference as compared with products of classifier circuits. The most noticeable change that takes place when substituting screening for classification in a grinding circuit is a substantial drop in the circulating load, owing to the greater ease with which the "fines" leave the circuit. Where circulating loads of 500 to 600 per cent are considered fairly normal in classifier grinding circuits, the grinding circuit equipped with screens for equivalent work will have a circulating load of only 20 to 75 per cent. As a result, the products of screen circuits will show a minimum of overgrinding or sliming as compared with a classifier circuit. The desirability of this characteristic will naturally vary according to the metallurgical requirement in each case. Because screen separations make a sharper division according to particle size, the products of screen circuits can be expected to show greater crowding of particles near the point of separation. These changes in product characteristics are so important that other factors, both in the grinding and concentration processes must be adjusted if the operator is to take full advantage of the increased tonnages and higher efficiencies available to him through the use of the screen circuit. One factor that too often is overlooked when changing to screen circuits is the importance of adjusting the ball-mill or rod-mill charge, to compensate for: (I) increased tonnage of new feed, (2) decreased circulating load, or (3) more granular character of feed. These same factors should also be taken into consideration for their effect on the various types of concentration or flotation equipment that may follow the screen circuit. Over a period of years, this equipment has generally been designed and adjusted to the product of the classifier, therefore it seems obvious that some research on the adjustment and adaptation of concentrating and flotation equipment to screen-circuit products will be most profitable to the operators. To illustrate the points mentioned above, the results from three recent installations follow, with data on the comparative characteristics of screen and classifier circuits. A range of separation from 10 to 48 mesh has been chosen, using two general types of screening equipment and two types of classifiers. The first of the installations of which the results are to be examined is that of an iron-ore installation where eastern magnetite was being concentrated prior to sintering. Fig. I shows the original grinding circuit, using classification, while Fig. 2 shows the same circuit equipped with a

Jan 1, 1947

By Hollomon John H., L. D. Jaffe Hollomon

For many steel parts it is desired to obtain the maximum toughness consistent with the strength required by the mechanical design. It is generally recognized that the greatest toughness at any given strength is found in steels having a tempered martensitic structure.' and is virtually independent of the composition of the steel2 (except for carbon). The choice of the composition of a steel for the parts in question should be based, therefore, on hardenability considerations and on manufacturing facility and economy. In a recent paper3 the concept of hardenability was discussed and a somewhat new approach to the problem was suggested. The hardenability was defined in terms of the cooling conditions (speed of cooling) required to avoid the pearlite and the bainite reactions. Since all the alloying elements do not have the same effects on the two reactions, the bainitic and pearl-itic hardenabilities must be considered separately. In order to design a steel for a given part, it is necessary to design a composition that has both sufficient pearlitic and sufficient bainitic hardenability. However, this requirement does not fix the combination of alloying elements to be used; an infinite number of steels would have the required hardenabilities. Other considerations limit the choice. For example, decreasing the carbon content increases the toughness at a given hardness, and for this reason low-carbon steels are often desired. Limitations or requirements of refining, casting, or forming practices often affect the level of some of the alloying elements. Price considerations enter. Frequently, however, it is very desirable to minimize the tendency toward quench-cracking while maintaining the necessary hardenability. This paper is concerned with suggesting a method for choosing compositions that will have the required hardenability together with minimum tendency toward quench-cracking. Quench Cracking Since only the case in which the entire part will transform to martensite in the particular quench employed is being considered, the analysis of the quench-cracking problem is somewhat simplified. Quench-cracking arises from the temperature gradients existing throughout the piece during cooling. Because of these temperature gradients, the contraction arising from the decreasing temperature and the expansion arising from the austenite-martensite reaction do not occur uniformly over the parts, and stresses are set up that tend to cause cracking. The temperature gradients can be reduced by decreasing the severity of quench. This, however, requires that the hardenability be correspondingly increased by increasing the carbon or alloy content. An

Jan 1, 1947

By A. S. Nowick, E. S. Machlin

ONE of the main criteria used to rate the heat-resisting properties of alloys is stress rupture.1 During a stress-rupture test a tensile specimen is held under a constant load at a constant temperature until it fractures. The chief measurement made during this test is the time required for rupture at the specific test stress and temperature. It was found empirically from a series of stress-rupture tests at a constant temperature that when the logarithm of the time for rupture is plotted against the logarithm of stress a straight line is obtained within experimental error.2~3 This method of showing stress-rupture data has been adopted by many investigators and the KACA.4 By interpolation and extrapolation from these plots, values of the stresses required to rupture the specimens (the rupture strengths) in 10, 100, and 1000 hr are obtained for specific temperatures. Alloys are then rated for a particular application on the basis of their rupture strengths at the rupture life that most nearly represents the application. Inasmuch as stress rupture is an important criterion in rating heat-resisting alloys, it would be advantageous to know the quantitative dependence of the time for rupture on stress, temperature, com- position, and structure. In order to obtain this information, an investigation was made at the KACA Cleveland laboratory during the spring of 1945. The theory of rate processes was used because it has been found to apply to certain processes such as chemical reactions, viscous flow, and creep that occur at a definite rate for given conditions. It was thought that stress rupture was such a process. An equation was derived that gives, for a given com- position and structure, the dependence of the time for rupture on stress and temperature. The investigation is part of a general program to provide information that will lead ultimately to the development of better alloys in order that the efficiency and power output of gas turbines used in aircraft propulsion can be increased. THEORY The theory of rate processes will first be discussed as a general theory. It will then be shown that if stress rupture of heat-resisting alloys can be treated as a rate process, certain equations must be satisfied. Later sections will then show that these equations are satisfied. General Theory of Rate Processes The theory of rate processes5 eveloped by Eyring and others has been applied to chemical reactions as well as to other processes such as viscosity of liquids and diffusion. In every case in which rate- process theory can be applied, there is a small subdivision, so that the macroscopic process is the net effect of all the small processes. This smallest subdivision is called the "unit process.'' For example, in a chemical reaction the unit process is

Jan 1, 1947

By Michael J. Messel

THE critical shortage of asbestos fiber in the world today brings to the foreground the question of locating and developing new deposits. The object of this paper is to discuss some of the more important factors which should be considered in the examination and valuation of a new asbestos enterprise. Some of the more important uses of asbestos fiber are for textiles, heat insulators, building materials, filters and a series of other uses. The properties of this mineral, such as fibrous structure, color, strength, silkiness and flexibility, coupled with resistance to fire, certain chemical action and decay make its application unique for certain industrial uses which consume over 500,000 tons annually. These same unique properties which make this mineral so valuable also make a deposit one of the most difficult to appraise accurately, because of the many undeterminable and varying factors which must be considered before a deposit can properly be termed commercial. The majority of the asbestos fiber today, having the above mentioned properties, is sold by grades which are based on fiber length. Present day fiber prices vary over a wide range from $800 to $225 for crude fibers and $300 to $20.00 per ton for milled grades. For valuation purposes a careful study should be made of existing fiber prices and markets. EXAMINATION OF DEPOSITS In carrying out prospecting and examination of a deposit, considerable caution is required to get the necessary information in the form that will have the most value for the final determination. There are two main classes of asbestos fibers, chrysotile and the amphiboles, the chrysotile being, by far, the most important both in abundance and uses. This paper will stress mainly chrysotile deposits, however, the amphiboles have many important uses, especially amosite and crocidalite. Their valuation presents special problems as other factors may be involved, especially as they are not graded according to any well defined and adopted standard but usually according to the use for which they are being supplied. Most chrysotile deposits occur in two main types of rock, (I) mainly in basic igneous, such as dunite and peridotite, (2) to a lesser extent in sedimentary rocks, such as dolomite and limestone. All of these require a certain degree of metamorphism to be favorable to asbestos formation. Approximately 90 pct of the asbestos deposits are derived from serpentinization of dunite or peridotite, whereby the magnesiumsilicate olivine was altered to hydrous magnesium-silicate serpentine. Under certain favorable geological conditions, this serpentine takes a fibrous form having a definite crystal structure, probably due to molecular rearrangement, and is known as chrysotile. The fiber veins are usually ir-

Jan 1, 1947

By Charles McElroy White

IT is indeed an honor to have been asked to participate in the program which celebrates the seventy-fifth birthday of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers. This great organization has occupied an important place in the professional and industrial life of this country-of the world. Its members have explored the far reaches of our globe and have played a great part in the discovery, extraction and utilization of the mineral resources upon which our civilization so largely depends. These engineers, together with the restless prospectors, on the one hand, and the scientists, on the other, have literally been the advance scouts of our modern way of life. As such, we owe them a deep and lasting debt of gratitude. May I, therefore, wish many happy returns to the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers and express the hope that it may long continue to be of great service, as it has been in the past. The subject assigned to me-Iron Ore and the Steel Industry-is, indeed, important, as one considers the future of our world. I shall give as few figures as possible. Pertinent statistical data are included in the tables in this chapter, which, I think, will prove interesting. Many studies of iron-ore reserves have been -published and are available; hence I shall limit myself mainly to an interpretation of these figures. The statistics data are from standard sources, including the Lake Superior Iron Ore Association, the American Iron and Steel Institute, the United States Bureau of Mines, the United States Geological Survey, the United

Jan 1, 1947

By David J. Mack

THE structures and properties of the copper-aluminum alloys have been the subject of much study since the classic investigation of Carpenter and Edwards1 focused attention on the engineering utility of these alloys. It was recognized at an early date that the metallographic structures developed in the aluminum bronzes were similar to those developed in steels, both in the annealed and the rapidly cooled state. Most investigators have been concerned with the acicular, martensitic-like structure formed from the ß solid solution upon rapid quenching; the transformation of the ß under equilibrium cooling to a lamellar eutectoid having been relatively neglected. With the introduction in 1930 by Davenport and Bain2 of the isothermal transformation technique for studying eutectoidal decompositions, a new field was opened. Although an enormous amount of work has since been done on the isothermal transformation of steel, study of structurally analogous systems has been almost totally overlooked. The outstanding exception was the prize-winning paper† of Smith and Lindlief3 who investigated the decomposition of the ß phase in copper-aluminum alloys by isothermal methods. This was followed in 1934 by Wasserman's reviews of available information on analogous transformations in eutectoid alloys. Since that time no comprehensive study of isothermally transformed eutectoids analogous to steel has appeared, although many valuable contributions have been made to an understanding of the structures developed in such systems. Important papers have been published by Kurdjumow, Gridnew and co-workers, 5-17 Obinata,18,19 Greninger,20,21 and others .22.28 The work to be described in this paper was an out-growth of preliminary studies on the isothermal transformation of a eutectoid aluminum bronze, after it became apparent that the alloy under study was reacting somewhat differently than the similar alloy used by Smith and Lindlief. PRELIMINARY EXPERIMENTS The material used in this study was a high purity aluminum bronze especially prepared by Ampco Metal, Inc. It analyzed: Copper-88.o7 pct, Aluminum-11.89 Oct, Iron-0.02 pct, Manganese-0.01 pct, Others-Balance. Although some disagreement exists on the exact composition of the eutectoid, this alloy was believed to be of essentially eutectoid composition even though some pro-eutectoid* delta particles existed in the microstructure of furnace cooled specimens. Specimens transformed isothermally at temperatures slightly below the eutectoid showed relatively large amounts of pre-eutectoid delta, but as will be shown later, this results

Jan 1, 1947

By Harrison Schmitt

THE definitions of the terms commonly used in connection with metamorphism at elevated temperature near igneous contacts are re-examined. As the study of tactite zones associated with igneous contacts progresses, more and more emphasis is put on the localization of the ore by structural forms. The generally early age of the silicates and late age of the sulphides is well established. Postsilicate structural deformation is likely to localize ore bodies. The silicates are often replaced by the ore minerals. We may not be far from proving that the elements involved in the formation of silicate aureoles are merely normal "volcanic" emanations, that silica, lime, magnesia, and alumina and probably soda and potash are likely to undergo local transfers only. The work of Newhouse suggests the agents of the formation of sulphides in deposits of various classifications are the volcanic emanations.

Jan 1, 1947

By A. J. Miller, G. R. Brophy

The Grossmann principle1 for the calculation of hardenability of steel from composition is attractive because of its simplicity. It postulates that the hardenability of a steel for any particular grain size may be expressed in terms of an ideal critical diameter, which is the product of an ideal critical diameter for a "pure" iron-carbon base multiplied by a succession of factors for each element of composition contained, including the incidentals. It infers that the multiplying factor for a given quantity of an element is constant for all combinations of composition. Gross-mann has stated that in the great majority of cases the experimental values of hardenability are found to be well within 10 per cent of the calculated values. The validity of the scheme has been confirmed in principle by Crafts and Lamont2,3 and by Kramer et al.4 Their results differ from the original in the magnitude of the effect of some elements but, since they accepted the product concept and followed its direction, it is to be ex~ected that similar results would be obtained. Crafts and Lamont, in their second Paper, recognized that the factor relations for manganese and nickel were not continuously linear, but beyond certain critical amounts increase sharply. Austin, Van Note and Prater6 demonstrated nonlinear relations between hardenability and alloy contents. Their curves for chromium, silicon, manganese and nickel were all convex upward to show decreasing incremental effects. They concluded that Grossmann's factors under-evaluate the hardening effect of low percentage additions of these elements, and overevaluate the larger additions. More recently W. Stevens has found that the factor method fails when applied to complex steels containing two or three principal alloying elements other than carbon. Multiplying factors derived from his results bear a complex relation to composition and are not constant for a given amount of an element as the base composition varies. C. A. Liedholm7 found that, using either the Grossmann or the Crafts-Lamont multiplying factor values, not only were the relative hardenabilities of two heats of S.A.E. 6130 chromium-vanadium steel

Jan 1, 1947

By G. K. Manning, C. H. Lorig

TWO metallurgical tools have acquired wide use within the past several years as a means of studying the transformation characteristics of steel. One is a technique used first by Bain and Davenport for determining the transformation characteristics of a steel at constant temperature; the second is the end-quench hardenability test. Constant-temperature transformation curves like those of Bain and Davenport have done much to rationalize the metallography of steel; however, in commercial practices, constant-temperature transformation is seldom encountered, therefore only rarely can such curves be directly applied. The real reason for the determination of such curves lies in the fact that they provide a way of thinking about transformation that is both convenient and productive. The end-quench hardenability test is a more practical means of studying transformation, for, by correlating positions on the hardenability bar with shapes of different masses, an almost direct application of the results can be made. Unfortunately, the end-quench test, though practical, can do very little toward improving the metallurgists' way of thinking about transformation. These two metallurgical tools, dealing with precisely the same phenomenon, should be very closely associated in metallurgists' minds. Actually, they are frequently pushed into separate mental corners and considered as being more or less distinct and unrelated. The reason for this is that no strong connecting link between them has been developed. An attempt is sometimes made to relate these two tools by projecting the critical cooling rate on the isothermal transformation plot as illustrated in Fig. I. The critical cooling rate is considered as a constant rate-though in practical applications, cooling rates are never constant—and this constant cooling rate is given uniform significance from the Ae temperature down to the temperature of initial transformation. A little thought indicates the errors of such a procedure. Certainly the time interval spent just below point A of Fig. I cannot be as effective in promoting nucleation as is the time interval spent just above point B. Yet the procedure represented in Fig. I considers all the time spent between temperatures A and B to be just as effective in promoting nucleation as though all the time were spent at temperature B. Furthermore, change the shape of the isothermal curve between points B and C in any way desired, and the required critical cooling rate is not changed one iota. This cannot possibly be true. Such a way of thinking about critical cooling rates not only is incapable of giving any results that are quantitatively satisfactory but is likely to give very misleading qualitative results.

Jan 1, 1947

By Albert J. Phillips

IT is a privilege and a pleasure to deliver this, the Twenty-sixth Annual Institute of Metals Division Lecture. Eleven years ago C. A. Edwards addressed this audience on the subject "Gases in Metals." In spite of this relatively recent presentation, I propose to, present to you some quantitative considerations of industrial significance on the separation of gases from molten metals because recent observations and measurements, presented in the literature, have made it possible to evaluate mathematically the gases or gas-forming elements and to develop an understanding of the mechanism of gas separation that should permit, in many cases, the control of this baffling phenomenon. DEFINITIONS Before becoming involved in the subject it seems desirable, for the sake of clarity, to state certain definitions and axioms: I. We are dealing only with gases that separate from the molten metal either during cooling or in the transition from liquid to solid. Gases injected by the liquid stream and trapped in the solidified metal, or those forced into the solidifying metal from the mold due to either thermal or cher4ical effects are not considered. Neither are we concerned with the separation of gases within the metal after solidification is complete for the data on this subject are at least complete enough to permit the practicing metallurgist to satisfactorily control the phenomenon. 2. Only where there is a decrease in solubility or a change in equilibrium of either a gaseous element or an element that reacts to form a gaseous compound, can there be a separation of a gaseous phase from the liquid or solidifying metal. 3. The amount of gas separating from the liquid during solidification can be computed directly from the amount of the element contained in the liquid when freezing commences less the amount of the element found in the solid either as a separate solid phase or in solid solution. 4. There can be no separation of gas bubbles unless the told pressure of the gases in the liquid meld exceeds atmospheric pressure plus the hydrostatic pressure of ' the liquid metal head. (In addition, pres- sure resulting from surface tension in- creases the total pressure requirement for initial gas separation. Probably the remarkable differences in appearance caused by different gases in the same host metal are influenced greatly by the rate of diffusion of the gas in the liquid metal balancing the decrease in pressure as the gas bubble size increases and the surface tension effect decreases. Thus hydrogen with its high diffusion rate in liquid copper separates in the form of relatively coarse cavities for a given rate of heat extraction.) 5. Gas separation can take place at less than atmospheric pressure in the voids created by the shrinkage from liquid to solid, but since the voids are not caused by the gas the presence of gas in the voids is of importance only where it

Jan 1, 1947

By H. R. Deeth, C. J. Koenig

ABOUT ten years ago nepheline syenite was introduced to the ceramic industry and the material has now found application in the various branches of the industry, namely, as a vitrifying agent in white-wares and as a source of alumina and alkalies in glasses, glazes, and porcelain enamels. Spence1 described the early mining and processing developments regarding this material. Since the time of his article many research papers have appeared relating to the usage of nepheline syenite but little has been published relative to subsequent mining and processing methods. A complete indexed review of the literature was issued recently by Ohio State University.2 Since "Lakefield" nepheline syenite from Blue Mountain, Ontario (Fig I); is the only commercial ceramic-grade nepheline syenite now being marketed on this continent, discussion is limited to this operation carried on by American Nepheline Limited, Lakefield, Ont., and its subsidiary in the United States, American Nepheline Corp. at Rochester, N. Y. THE DEPOSIT Blue Mountain is a long ridge rising to an elevation of about 350 ft at its highest point above the surrounding country and extending for about six miles in a northeasterly direction across Methuen township, Peterborough County. The rock of the Blue Mountain central alkaline intrusive is fine grained, light colored and of even granitic texture. The solidified mass consists predominately of the minerals albite, nepheline and microcline in order of abundance. The average mineralogical composition for the deposit obtained by a study of 112 samples taken regularly over the whole formation is as follows:3 [VOLUMETRIC MINERAL PER CENT Albite54 Microcline20 Nepheline22 Muscovite2 Mafics2 (Biotite, hastingsite, magnetite) Total100] The mineral nepheline (or nephelite) belongs to the feldspathoid group but is lower in silica content than are the feldspars. It is a silicate of soda, potash, and alumina (NaKAl2O32SiO2). Its presence with albite (Na2O A1203 6SiO2) and microcline (K20 A12O3 6SiO2) gives the Blue Mountain deposit an alkali content of 15 pct and an alumina content of approximately 24 pct. While this huge alkaline mass is somewhat variable mineralogically, it has a uniform chemical composition. When the iron, mostly in the form of magnetite, is removed during processing, a remarkably uniform finished product is obtained. Geological surveying has disclosed many million tons of nepheline syenite in the Blue Mountain deposit. Diamond drilling in the area where mining is now being carried out indicates a block of about one million tons.

Jan 1, 1947