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By D. W. Gentry, H. E. Sherer

Determining the age at which to replace a specific piece of mining equipment, and choice of the best possible replacement, is a problem common to nearly all mining operations. This paper examines the data required for intelligent equipment replacement decisions and discusses how to predict future repair cost from historic data, determine the total cost of various replacement alternatives, and evaluate the different replacement alternatives. Various operations research and computer methods were used to develop this easily-used, practical equipment replacement method.

Jan 1, 1984

By W. J. Taylor

It is, perhaps, more important to put on record the particulars of experiments that are derided failures than those that are successful, as those of the latter class are certain to live, while the former may be lost sight of in a short time, and repeated by others. TO this end, I propose to give the particulars of a straight or no-bosh furnace just tried at the Chester (New Jersey) works, which was such a decided failure as to leave no doubt of the plan being wrong, and determining the necessity of a bosh of some kind, as of old. Some experiences during the past year led me to suppose that the bosh or belly of a furnace was unnecessary, and that the contraction of the walls toward the bottom for the stock to wedge in, in its descent, facilitated dirty walls and scaffolding; hence, irregularity and high fuel. I concluded, however, that a very shallow bosh for a skew-back support to the stock would be necessary, and that the proper place for this was in the tuyere-section, beginning just below the tuyeres and ending just above them, where there is nothing in the solid state but fuel, which is consuming, and no slipping or travel of stock takes place. The cubical capacity of a furnace of this design would necessarily be much less than in the old style, unless it was made very much higher. But I assumed that the loss of room for reduction could be overcome by making the size of the ore and stone charged much smaller, so that the gases would act more quickly. The next point was, what should be the size of the shaft, crucible, tuyere-circle, and tunnel-head for a given quantity of air? My first design was 12 feet diameter of shaft for 7000 feet of air, with a 9-foot crucible and 8-foot toyere-circle. This I soon reduced to 8-foot shaft diameter, which I concluded was large enongh for economical work, if regular travel of the stock on the walls could be maintained. I consulted with a number of experienced furnacemen and furnace-engineers, and the plan was well thought of by many of them; and, as I had also some offers of financial aid from them toward the risk of trying the experiment, my firm concluded

Jan 1, 1885

By Walter Bradley

MINING by hydraulic process of the important gold-bearing gravels of the Sacramento Valley in the basins of the Yuba, Bear and American rivers began in 1853, and continued at an ever-increasing rate for 30 years. In its most active days it reached an annual production of $15,000,000, and averaged $10,000,000 per year over the 30 years. During that period no provisions were made to prevent the debris from being dis-charged into the water courses, and ultimately large quantities of silt, sand and gravel were washed down to the lower valleys; filling channels, causing overflow of agricultural lands and difficulty in maintaining navigable depths in the Sacramento River. Agitation and suits filed because of these damages finally resulted in the injunction decision of Judge L. B. Sawyer,1 in the U.S. Circuit Court, Jan. 23, 1884, which closed down practically all hydraulic mining operations not having means to restrain their debris. In 1893 (approved March 1, 1893), Congress passed the act introduced by Representative Anthony Caminetti, of California, creating the California Debris Com-mission, composed of three officers assigned from the Engineer Corps of the U.S. Army, and since that time it has been legal and possible within the drainage systems of Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers to conduct hydraulic mining of gold-bearing gravels behind dams built under this commission's permit and supervision. In the watersheds of the Trinity and Klamath rivers, which flow directly to the Pacific Ocean and do not affect navigation or agriculture, operating permits from the California Debris Commission are not required. There is a measure of restriction there, however,. through what is known as the Trinity and Klamath River Fish and Game Dis-trict. Chap. 215, Stat. 1931, in order to secure relatively clear water for the fishing season, provides that between July 15 and October 15 each year there must not be discharged into these rivers debris that will cause a turbidity greater than a content of 50 parts per million in the

Jan 1, 1936

By A. B. Parsons

Not so many years ago the interest of the average mining engineer in money matters-aside from his pay check or his consulting fees-was confined to the per-ton cost of mining and beneficiating ore and to the amount of capital that would be required to erect the plant necessary to carry out such operations on a prescribed scale. The so-called "business men" assumed that questions of marketing the products, of profits, and of dividends were in their exclusive sphere-matters too intricate or, perhaps, too practical for the mere engineer! In the case of a new enterprise, the promoter shouldered the entire responsibility for raising the necessary funds, and incidentally he got the lion's share of profits. In fact, he frequently profited handsomely even though the mine earned little or nothing. Occasionally the engineer turned promoter or entrepreneur--conspicuous examples are Herbert Hoover, D. C. Jackling, William Braden and F. W. Bradley- but by and large he remained in a sphere of his own. To what extent this condition of affairs has changed is difficult to say. It might be argued that it were better that it be not changed; and yet I cannot help feeling that in mine promotion lies a distinct opportunity for the

Jan 1, 1932

By W. C. Elli, M. E. Fine

YOUNG'S modulus of elasticity in metals ordinarily decreases with rising temperature. The range of the thermoelastic coefficient at room tem- 1/E dE/dT perature (temperature coefficient of modulus, is illustrated1 by the values for tungsten and hard-drawn aluminum, —95 and —1220x10-6 eg C-1. However, a nearly zero thermoelastic coefficient is observed in some ferromagnetic alloys over a limited temperature range. In these alloys, as the temperature is raised, an increase in modulus arising from loss of ferromagnetism compensates the normal decrease. Iron-nickel alloys containing 36 to 52 pct Ni behave in this manner. In the present investiga- tion, the dependence of the modulus and thermo-elastic coefficient on cold working and annealing were studied in iron-nickel alloys in this range of nickel. Although these alloys, when fully annealed, have a coefficient near zero over a very small temperature interval, the temperature range of low coefficient can be extended greatly by straining and then stress-relief annealing. The modulus of face-centered cubic iron-nickel alloys annealed at 1000°C does not vary linearly with composition at room temperature but, as shown by the solid line of fig. 1, from Koster,' is minimum at 40 pct Ni and maximum at 87 pct Ni. The modulus increases with applied magnetic field but retains the minimum near 40 pct Ni. Schematic change of modulus with temperature for three compositions is shown in fig. 2.'. ' With increasing temperature, the slope becomes less negative, goes through zero (temperature of minimum modulus for the alloy), becomes positive, and resumes its normal negative value above the Curie

Jan 1, 1951

By Walter W. Bradley

Mining by hydraulic process of the important gold-bearing gravels of the Sacramento Valley in the basins of the Yuba, Bear and American rivers began in 1853, and continued at an ever-increasing rate for 30 years. In its most active days it reached an annual production of $15,000,000, and averaged $10,000,000 per year over the 30 years. During that period no provisions were made to prevent the debris from being discharged into the water courses, and ultimately large quantities of silt, sand and gravel were washed down to the lower valleys; filling channels, causing overflow of agricultural lands and difficulty in maintaining navigable depths in the Sacramento River. Agitation and suits filed because of these damages finally resulted in the injunction decision of Judge L. B. Sawyer,' in the U.S. Circuit Court, Jan. 23, 1884, which closed down practically all hydraulic mining operations not having means to restrain their debris. In 1893 (approved March 1, 1893), Congress passed the act introduced by Representative Anthony Caminetti, of California, creating the California Debris Commission, composed of three officers assigned from the Engineer Corps of the U.S. Army, and since that time it has been legal and possible within the drainage systems of Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers to conduct hydraulic mining of gold-bearing gravels behind dams built under this commission's permit and supervision. In the watersheds of the Trinity and Klamath rivers, which flow directly to the Pacific Ocean and do not affect navigation or agriculture, operating permits from the California Debris Commission are not required. There is a measure of restriction there, however, through what is known as the Trinity and Klamath River Fish and Game District. Chap. 215, Stat. 1931, in order to secure relatively clear water for the fishing season, provides that between July 15 and October 15 each year there must not be discharged into these rivers debris that will cause a turbidity greater than a content of 50 parts per million in the

Jan 1, 1937

By AIME AIME

BECAUSE of its unequalled skill, your country in- creased its production until, in 1913, it produced 40 per cent. of the world's consumption of coal, iron ore, and cast iron; 45 per cent. of the steel; and 60 per cent. of the copper. Your industrial effort, in a general manner and your mining effort in particular, has been tremendous. In the general economy of the world, you occupy an incomparable position of power and action. All your curves of production, mineralogical, metallurgical, financial, commercial, have taken terrific trigonometrical tangents and you will easily under- stand the sorry position of your competitors. I must, therefore, pay a tribute of homage arid admiration to you all who, each in his sphere, have been the artisans of such prosperity and my earnest wish is that you continue in this way.

Jan 1, 1920

By Nathan C. Rockwood

WHILE mining engineers have been searching in far corners of the country and of the world for hidden wealth there has grown up around us in nearly every city great wealth-producing mines calling for the investment of hundreds of millions of dollars and yielding products now sold for over half a billion dollars yearly-largely unknown and almost wholly neglected by mining engineers. But this neglect is explainable and excusable. They are industries of very recent origin-practically the growth of the last 25 years. They are in a very large measure the result of tremendous developments in engineering construction and the rapidly expanding use of portland cement concrete for structures of every description. Concrete as a material of construction is going through an evolution very much as did cast iron and other metals used in engineering; and this phase of the industry should appeal to the imagination of metallurgical engineers. At first iron was iron-a material of uncertain properties, owing both to small differences in chemical composition and in methods of manufacture. By successive steps iron was studied and knowledge of its properties developed-the striking effects of very small percentages of other minerals and of various heat-treatments.

Jan 1, 1924

By AIME AIME

THE meeting of the Petroleum Division at Houston, Oct. 10-12-headquarters, Rice Hotel-was preeminently a technological success. Two hundred and twenty-five attended the Thursday morning session and approximately 200 attended the sessions on Thursday and Friday afternoons and Saturday morning. Harry Power, Chairman of the Division, in his opening remarks, credited Paul Weaver and M. Albertson, respectively chairman and vice-chairman of the local committee, with working long and prodigiously in organizing the program. The theme of the initial session was indicated by Mr. Albertson in a statement relative to the estimation of developed petroleum reserves. He said that the problem of securing more accurate estimates of developed petroleum reserves existed prior to curtailment of production. With curtailment, however, the problem became an acute one. Mr. Albertson gave some of the more important reasons for this situation. Since the decline-curve method became inapplicable, the volumetric method has become the chief one used. It depends on the factors of productive formation volume, porosity, saturation, and recovery. He briefly discussed the factors necessary for application of the volumetric method. P. P. Gregory discussed the estimation of petroleum reserves in prorated lime¬stone fields (see his paper in the October

Jan 1, 1935

"For many years it has been known that large bodies of iron ore existed in Iron and Washington counties in Utah. The ore is chiefly hematite—both hard and soft—though some magnetite is found. No definite and complete estimate of the iron ore reserves of the state have been made. The U. S. Geological Survey estimated that 40,000,000 tons of ore were disclosed by development work averaging only 35 feet below the surface of the ore. The ore is found along an area about one and a half miles wide by twenty miles long, and for the most part on the eastern and southern slopes or foothills of Three Peaks, Granite Mountain and Iron Mountain. Later estimates by others have gone as high as ore in sight 164,000,000 tons, probable ore 300,000,000 tons and possible ore 1,000,000,000 tons. Whether this last estimate is too great or not there is sufficient iron ore in Utah to justify the starting of an iron industry.Two companies are now mining iron ore in Utah, the Columbia Steel Corporation and the Utah Iron Corporation. The mine of the Columbia Steel Corporation is at Iron Springs a few miles west of Cedar City. About 650 tons, of ore a day is being shipped to the blast furnace at Ironton. The ore is mined by the glory hole method. After being drilled it is blasted to the bottom of the several glory holes and is dropped through chutes into cars on the ore haulage level below. It is then hauled by electric locomotives to the crushing plant, where it is crushed to blast furnace size before going to storage bins. Some of the softer ore is brought to the chutes by Fresno scrapers."

Jan 1, 1925

By H. Conrad Meyer

The wizardry of nucleonics has added new and greater dimensions to the almost inseparable "twins"-zirconium and hafnium. So close is their relationship that neither element is found free of the other in any presently known mineral. Although zirconium in the form of its oxide was discovered in 1789 by Klaproth, the metal in an impure, nonductile form was not isolated until 1824 by Berzelius. About 100 years later -1925-van Arkel and deBoer developed and patented a technique for the deposition in vacuo of crystalline, coherent, highly ductile metal of extreme purity on an electrically heated filament through the dissociation of gaseous zirconium tetraiodide. Within the past five years both zirconium and hafnium have been dramatized by the press and in popular science magazines. This has led to the false assumption that practically all of the world consumption of zirconium ores is used in the production of the metals. Recent statistics on the subject show that not over 15 pct of the zirconium ore consumed in 1958 went to ferrosilicon zirconium and zirconium metal. The rest was consumed in refractories, foundry sand and facings and ceramics. The importance of zirconium as a component in compact, relatively lightweight nuclear energy units, such as those now used in the submarine Nautilus,6 is well established. A rival of zirconium metal as a casing for atomic fuels is a newly developed ceramic body. It is claimed to be cheaper than zirconium-to withstand higher temperatures-and to be more resistant to corrosion. Whether such ceramic casings have the required low thermal neutron absorption cross section, high strength and easy formability of zirconium is yet to be demonstrated. Hafnium, because of its low order of abundance and its close chemical relationship to zirconium, was not definitely recognized as a new element until around 1923, despite prior claims. A study of the X-ray spectra of zirconium led to its identification. The circumstances leading to the discovery of hafnium were much less fortuitous than those surrounding zirconium. The more precise tools of arc and X-ray spectrometry lent themselves admirably to the search for elements to fill certain gaps in the periodic table. [ ] Pure, ductile hafnium-a metal similar in appearance to stainless steel-has a specific gravity of 13.3 (zirconium 6.52) and a melting point of 2,200°C. In other respects it closely resembles zirconium except in one important respect which gives it a preeminent position in nuclear energy development, namely, a high thermal-neutron absorption cross section. This explains the necessity of hafnium-free zirconium in atomic piles. The ability of hafnium to capture thermal neutrons makes it an excellent "moderator" of "governor" when used as control rods in nuclear reactors (Table 1).

Jan 1, 1960

By A. D. McMaster, M. L. Gimpl, N. Fuschillo

Low-power, high-speed, radiation-resistant, monolithic thin-film integrated circuits require thin-film resistors of high sheet resistance which are compatible with the processing requirements for monolithic silicon devices. For this purpose the structure and electrical resistance as a function of temperature were investigated for Nichrome-silicon monoxide cermet films on passivated single-crystal silicon substrates. A suitable material was found to be a mixture of 50 vol pct Nichrome-50 vol pct silicon monoxide. This mixture, when evaporated onto 300°C substrates. showed a low temperature coefficient up to 400°C, at both 270 and 1100 ohms per square. Resistors deposited on room-temperature, 300°, and 500°C substrates were heat-treated at 600°C in air for short periods of H- seed, low-power, radiation-re sis tant, monolithic thin-film integrated circuits'-3 require thin-film resistors of high sheet resistance and low temperature coefficients of resistance which are compatible with the processing requirements for monolithic silicon active devices. The present investigation is directed towards the replacement of the Nichrome in the sandwich-type SO2-Nichrome-SiO resistors, currently used for DTL monolithic thin-film integrated circuits, with codeposited Nichrome-SiO cermet resistors. These Nichrome-SiO resistors are provided with an overcoat of SiO and are deposited onto thermally oxidized silicon wafers used in monolithic mi-crocircuit technology. The cermet resistors are shown to provide a lower temperature coefficient of time totaling up to 45 min. Electron nzicrogvaphs and diffraction patterns were taken of the as - deposited and heat-treated films. These results were then compared with electrical-resistance measurements for each condition. The room-temperature and 300°C substrate films showed a large decrease in resistance. The 500°C substrate film remained stable throughout the entire cycle. Electron-microscopy results show that the increased stability after heating to 600°C is largely due to crystallization of the films which begins in the vicinity of 400°C. The slight oxidation of the films when heated in air had a negligible effect on the resistance. The resistance of the film was a function of the substructure. resistance and a more versatile compatibility with silicon monolithic processing. Previous work3, on chromium-SiO coevaporated cermet resistors on glass and ceramic substrates without overcoats of SiO has been reported. For the present application, the thin films should possess the following ideal requirements: a) a temperature coefficient of resistance as near zero as possible up to 300°C; b) have a sheet resistance higher than 200 ohms per sq to conserve space on the chip; c) be easy to evaporate; d) be oxidiation- and radiation-resistant; e) show long-time stability at 100°C; } be stable in N2 atmospheres up to 600°C for short periods of time (5 to 45 min). Requirements a to e are well-known. The last requirement was optional and was due to a mask elimi-

Jan 1, 1967

By Robert H. Richards

This is in part a review paper, indicating the various steps that have been taken in developing hindered-settling apparatus, some of the standard data that have been obtained, and some of the conclusions one is led to as to the effect of it in improving concentrating-methods and machinery, and in part it brings in some unpublished work. Causes oF Loss in ORe-ConcEntration. In making a study of the separation of valuable minerals from the waste gangue, particularly by water concentrators, it is necessary to define, first of all, what are the causes of loss that are likely to interfere with the concentration. Having made this definition, we can then study to see in what may the machines make their losses, and plan remedies for them in an intelligent way. Losses may be stated to occur as included grains, as flat or long grains, as fine free mineral, and as absolute slime. We will take these up one by one, as follows: Included Grains.—Fig. 1 shows by a set of diagrams how included grains may occur : first, where the heavy mineral grains attached to the quartz are of large size; secondly, where they are of small size; and thirdly, where very fine particles of heavy mineral are included in the quartz. We have to decide in regard to included grains whether they are rich enough to go direct to the furnace, or poor enough to throw away, or whether they lie between these two points and require recrush-ing as the only means of severing the values from the waste. This last case is the orlly one requiring special treatment at our hands. We will therefore consider that next.

Jan 1, 1911

By Howard Willey

Mining operations of the Charcas unit at present are limited to the Tiro General mine at Charcas, in the State of san Luis Potosi, Mexico. The Tiro General mine was first operated during the Spanish occupation of Mexico for rich silver ores in an oxidized zone along the outcrop of the principal vein. In depth the ore is a complex sulfide with widely varying proportions of sphalerite, argentiferous galena and chalcopyrite ; and until recent years, it was economically impossible to carry on mining otherwise than irregularly in sections of the veins richest in galena and chalcopyrite. The advent of selective flotation brought the orebody as a whole within the field of economic interest, and a flotation mill of 650 metric tons daily capacity was constructed in the year 1925. The mining of partly worked-out sections of the mine, as well as the very heavy ground in most of the stopes opened in virgin ore, presented an unusually difficult problem. This paper describes the so-called "filled top slice" stoping method finally adopted as the standard system. Physical and Geological Conditions The principal orebody of the mine is an oreshoot about 1400 ft ng in a fissure vein striking about east and west and with an average lip of 70" to the north. The footwall of the orebody is fairly cleancu and regular both longitudinally and vertically and generally shows a dell-marked post-mineral slip. The footwall rock varies from a fairly strong limestone to a broken, metamorphosed limestone which requires heavy timbering. In some sections it is an altered, crumbly porphyry, which swells badly and necessitates frequent renewal of drift and raise tirnber. The hanging wall is irregular and frequently an assay wall. The stopina width ranges from a few feet up to more than 90 ft.; it averages about 30 ft. For the most part the hanging-wall rock is a shattered and altered monzonite porphyry, nearly aways requiring heavy timbering. The orebody is greatly fractured by post-mineral movement, which usually followed the footwall and left it as a smooth surface frequently covered with a slippery clay gouge. Two well marked transverse faults

Jan 1, 1931

By E. Gybbon Spilsbury

(Pittsburg meeting, March, 1910.) THE recovery of gold and silver from their ores by means of the cyanide process has been so successful in the last few years that any radical improvement would seem impossible; yet the appliance to which I wish to call attention in this paper is really a radical departure from the methods now in general use. The most modern and approved of these, known as the all-sliming method, depends for its success on the grinding of the. ore so fine that practically 90 per cent. of it will pass through a 200-mesh screen. The slimes thus produced are then agitated and aerated in tanks of various types. The main object of this treatment is to insure such a thorough admixture of the pulp and solution that every particle of the ore is surrounded by a volume of solution sufficient to insure the dissolving of the whole of the gold- and silver-content. In addition, in order to expedite the action of the cyanide, and to oxidize such elements as would, if left in their active state, become cyanicides, air is blown in under pressure. In the Pachuca tank, this air is the active and sole means of agitation. The chief objections to all the methods off agitation used heretofore are the expense of operating and maintaining the mechanical devices for keeping the pulp in suspension, and the length of time required to obtain a fairly complete extraction. of the values. These objections are inherent to any method of agitation effecting a circulation of the pulp and the solution together, by giving the whole mass a circular movement, as in the low-tank system, or a vertical circulation, as in the Pachuca-tank system. In both methods, the particles of ore are kept traveling in the same direction as the solution, and with very little difference of speed; so that, while the whole mass is in

May 1, 1910

By Albert Ladd Colby

PAGE I. Introduction,...........577 11. PRocess of Manufacture. 1. American Specifications. 2. Foreign Specifications, . ......... 580 III. Chemical Properties. I. Chemical Composition: (a) American Specifications ; (b) Foreign Specifications. 2. Chemical Analysis: (a) American Specifications ; (b) Foreign Specifications ; (c) Number of Analyses Required ; (d) Sample for Analysis ; (e) Check-Analyses Impracticable ; (f) Rejection Solely on Variation in Com-' position,............581 IV. Physical Properties. 1. Drop-Test and Drop-Testing Hachine: (a) American Specifications ; (b) Foreign Specifications ; (c) Limits in Deflection. 2. Tensile Test: (a) American Specifications; (b) Foreign Specifications ; (c) Test-Pieces are not Representative ; (d) Specified Tensile Strength is Affected by the Section ; (e) BpeciBed Tensile Strength is Often Inconsistent with Specified Chemistry ; (f) Specified Tensile Strength is Often Inconsistent with Specified Elongation ; (g) Amount of Tensile Testing Required is Excessive ; (11) Conclusions. 3. Dead-Weight Test: (a) American Specifications; (b) Foreign Specifications; (c) Number of Tests Specified. 4. Bending-Test: ((1) American Specifications ; (b) Foreign Specifications,..........589 V. Section. 1. American Specifications. 2. Foreign Specifications: (a) Templets ; (b) Sample Piece of Rail; (c) Allowable Variation from Templet,...........601 VI. Weight. 1. American Specifications. 2. Foreign Specifications,. . 603 VII. Length. 1. American Specifications. 2. Foreign Specifications, . . 604 VIII. Drilling. 1. American Specifications. 2. Foreign Specifications, . 604 IX. Finish. 1. American Specifications. 2. Foreign Specifications, . . 50.5 X. Branding. 1. American Specifications. 2. Foreign Specifications : (a) Data to be Rolled in Raised Letters on Web of Rail ; (b) Marking of the Blow-Number on Each Rail; (c) Additional Marking and Painting of Rails,........605 XI. Inspection. 1. American Specifications. 2. Foreign Specifications: (a) Prior Notice of Rolling; (b) Free Access to the Works ; (c) Cost of Inspection, Analyses and Tests to be Borne by the Manufacturer ; (d) Rails after Inspection by Manufacturer to be Sorted into Lots Prior to Inspection by the Engineer ; (e) Disposition of Rejected

Jan 1, 1907

By R. HAYDEN, H. B. HALLOWELL, H. O. Hofman

THE object of refining copper in the reverberatory furnace is to obtain a metal which will have the highest attainable degree of malleability, ductility and electric conductivity, and present at the same time a level surface when it solidifies in the mold after casting. These desirable physical properties are governed by the character of the impurities and the forms in which they are present, by the amount of cuprous oxide retained by the copper, by the quantity of gas held in solid solution, by the casting-temperature, and by the thickness of the casting. The effects of impurities, of cuprous oxide and of gases upon the mechanical properties of copper have been studied by Hampe in his classical paper "Contributions to the Metallurgy of Copper." The most recent research into the effect of metals upon the electrical conductivity of copper is that of Addicks.2 The influence of cuprous oxide upon the electrical conductivity has been investigated by Walker' and Addicks.4 The absorption of gases has received' attention by Hampe,5 Stahl 6 and Heyn.7 The effects of casting-temperature have been noted by Stahl.8

Mar 1, 1907

By Felix A. Vogel

I (New York Meeting, February, 1912.) FLUE-DUST, to most blast-furnace operators, means a troublesome by-product, the formation of which should be curtailed, if not prevented entirely. However, with the increasing use of fine ores, larger furnaces, and high-pressure blast, the production of flue-dust is constantly increasing, and amounts annually in the United States to from 3,000,000 to 3,500,000 tons, An exceedingly high tonnage, of which a large part has been discarded as valueless. As a result of greater economy in the iron industry, the attention of our furnace-men has been directed towards the utilization of this enormous amount of waste material, a problem which had also been given due consideration by metallurgists abroad. Flue-dust is generally a fine material containing considerable coke and iron-ore, with a small admixture of lime and silica, depending upon the burden. The iron-ore is partly reduced, which shows that the dust originates largely in the reducing-zone of the blast-furnace. In the United States this dust usually contains 20 per cent. of coke and more than 40 per cent. of iron. Estimating coke to be worth $3.25 per ton, and iron-ore 7 cents per unit, a ton of flue-dust, unless made available, represents a loss to the furnace-man of $3.50. This accounts for the first efforts to recharge the flue-dust into the furnace, either by moistening it clown with an excess of water, or mixing it with clay to form balls of pulp, or treating it with lime-water. These methods, however, have been practically discarded, as they failed to produce the desired economies. To recover, in the blast-furnace, all the values represented by the material contained in the flue-dust, the following con¬ditions should be complied with

May 1, 1912

By Henry A. Stiff, J. P. Hammond, A. B. Westerman, H. C. 195-000-000-014 Cross, and Lawrence E. Davis

The phases in Cr-Fe-Mo alloys have been investigated with homo-genization, aging temperature, composition range, and alloy addition as variables. Metallography, three X-ray methods, and hardness were used as methods of study. The behavior of s, M23,C8, and Z phase are reported for cornpasition range 60 pct Cr-15 to 25 pct Fe-15 to 25 pct Mo-<0.005 to 0.36 pct C with aging at 1400º to 2000°F. With 2 pct Ti, Tic and TiC-TiC are formed; with nitrogen Cr2N. THE recently developed class of chromium-base heat-resistant alloys shows appreciably higher strength than commercially used high temperature alloys. However, further developmental work is required to impart needed shock resistance and some degree of room-temperature ductility to these alloys. Extensive exploratory work on chromium-base alloys was begun in a program initiated by the War Metallurgy Committee of the National Defense Research Council at the Climax Molybdenum Co. in the early part of 1942.&apos; Alloys were sought for gas-turbine blades for use at 1600°F. A minimum of 5 pct elongation in the stress-rupture test was a requirement. From the Climax work, ternary alloys of chromium, iron, and molybdenum appeared to show the greatest promise as materials for gas-turbine blades. The composition line in the ternary diagram joining the 60 pct Cr-15 pct Fe-25 pct Mo and 60 pct Cr-25 pct Fe-15 pct Mo alloys was indicated as representing the most useful combination of strength and ductility.&apos; Strength increased while ductility decreased as molybdenum was raised in this composition range.&apos; The 60 pct Cr-15 pct Fe-25 pct Mo type alloy was thought to have the most suitable properties for gas-turbine blades.&apos; Concurrent with the study reported here, other investigations were being made on Cr-Fe-Mo alloys. The liquidus temperatures on a series of low carbon, ternary alloys were being determined, and isothermal sections drawn at 2370°, 2010°, and 1650°F (1300°, 1100°, and 900°C).2 Also, various methods of preparation and some mechanical and physical properties of chromium-base alloys, particularly the 60 pct Cr-15 pct Fe-25 pct Mo type, were being investigated., At the inception of the present program, only a limited study had been made of etchants for developing the microstructures of chromium-base alloys; X-ray analysis of the microconstituents had not been made. A review of the literature revealed that no phase-diagram work had been reported on the Cr-Fe-Mo system. Scope of Work The work on chromium-base alloys includes the following: 1—The development of etching methods for differentiating between the microconstituents; 2—The identification of microconstituents by X-ray diffraction methods; and 3—A comprehensive metallographic and hardness study after various heat treatments. The phases were studied by three standard X-ray techniques: 1—The block-sample focusing-camera method; 2—The powder-diffraction method on elec-trolytically separated residues; and 3—The powder-diffraction method on cold-worked aggregate samples. The results by the first two methods were correlated with the metallographic data. The third method was used largely to study conditions approaching equilibrium, since cold working prior to heat treating accelerated precipitation. Seven types of alloys were investigated: 50 pct Cr-50 pct Fe, 40 pct Cr-40 pct Fe-20 pct Mo, 55 pct

Jan 1, 1953

By William H. Spice

Drilling activities in South Central Texas for the year 1945 continued the steady increase over the past two years, while new fields discovered for the year included four new gas fields and one field extension. In the 30 counties included in this area, which comprises district No. 1, Oil and Gas Division, Railroad Commission of Texas, 141 exploratory wells were completed, compared with 61 drilled in 1944 and 29 drilled in 1943. Of these 141 tests, 55 were field well and 86 were wildcats; 38 were completed as oil wells, S as gas and gas-distillate producers, and 95 were abandoned as dry. Atascosa and McMullen Counties were the most active in the district, accounting for 73 of the wells drilled.

Jan 1, 1946