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By Robert W. Hunt

The American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers was the first American technical organization to consider steel-rail specifications and sections. If I am not mistaken, the first contribution on those subjects to the Proceedings of the Institute was presented by Prof. Thomas Egleston, in 1874, and was entitled "Investigations on Iron and Steel Rails made in Europe in the Year 1873.1" The next contribution was Dr. C. B. Dudley's report of his investigation for the Pennsylvania Railroad of the wear of steel rails in their tracks, in 1878, which contribution led to a very memorable discussion that extended through several meetings.2 In 1880, Mr. C. P. Sandberg3 presented an article on rail specifications and inspection and rail sections. This was followed, in 1881, by A. L. Holley,4 in his exhaustive report on the then used American rail sections. The next contribution, I believe, was made by myself5 at the Buffalo meeting, in 1888, on steel-rail specifications, which I followed,6 in 1889, by a paper on steel-rail sections. Since that time there have been numerous contributions to the Transactions of the Institute in relation to the manufacture of steel rails. The American Society of Civil Engineers officially took up the investigation of the relation of rail sections to the wear of car wheels in 1888. In the prosecution of this work, the Society appointed a special committee, whose labors extended through several years and resulted in an exhaustive report to the Society in 1893.7 Later, another committee was appointed to consider specifications for the manufacture of steel rails; the labors of this committee extended over a period of several years, a final reporta being made in 1910. It was my fortune to be the secretary of both of those committees. The American Society for Testing Materials, organized in 1899, took up the consideration of rail specifications and is still giving attention to that subject through its established procedure of investigations by committees. In 1900, the American Maintenance of. Way Association was organ-

Jan 1, 1920

By AIME AIME

TECHNICAL achievement in mining will be rewarded at the forthcoming Annual Meeting of the Institute when the William Lawrence Saunders Gold Medal will be presented to Herman C. Bellinger. Mr, Bellinger was unanimously selected on the first ballot of the Medal Committee. Mr. Bellinger has had notable technical success as vice-president in charge of operations for the Chile Exploration Co., a position he has held since 1920.

Jan 1, 1941

By Ihor A. Kunasz

Introduction Lithium minerals occur predominantly in pegmatites which contain mineral assemblages derived from the crystallization of postmagmatic fluids or from the metasomatic action by residual pegmatitic fluids. They have been the traditional sources of raw materials for ceramic and chemical industries. With the discovery of Searles Lake, brines became new sources of lithium. Indeed, the 1960s may well be referred to as the "brine decade" because several brine bodies of significant economic importance were discovered. In the United States, the brines of Clayton Valley, Nevada, are presently exploited by Foote Mineral Co. The brines of the Great Salt Lake of Utah, the Smackover formation, and the Imperial Valley geothermal field, have been defined as important resources of lithium. In South America, new occurrences have been identified in Bolivia and Argentina. At the Salar de Atacama, Chile, new production capacity is scheduled for 1984. Following the termination of the AEC purchase program in 1959, several companies such as Maywood Chemical Co., American Lithium Chemicals, and Quebec Lithium Corp. were forced to close their operations. Nevertheless, with the development of new applications in glass ceramics, air conditioning systems, synthetic rubber, and metallurgy (aluminum potlines), the lithium industry grew steadily, and with the potential application of lithium metal in batteries and nuclear reactors, a healthy growth can be foreseen. New products and new applications are likely to stimulate exploration for expanded, reserves as well as the search for new sources from which lithium could be extracted economically. Geochemistry of Lithium Lithium is the third element in the periodic table. It is the lightest of all the metals, having an atomic weight of 6.938, an ionic radius of 0.68Å and a charge of +1. The geochemistry of lithium has been extensively studied and has been summarized by Rankama and Sahama (1950), Goldschmidt (1937), and Hortsman (1957). The distribution of lithium in igneous rocks is controlled by its size and its charge, and by the (MgO+FeO) / Li2O ratio. In the early stages of crystallization of a magma, that ratio is very large. Consequently, both magnesium and iron are removed by ferromagnesian minerals in preference to lithium which is then concentrated in the residual magma. This results in an enrichment of lithium in silicic rocks and pegmatites (Strock, 1936). Pegmatites are coarse-grained igneous rocks formed by the crystallization of postmagmatic fluids. Minerals within pegmatites may also form by metasomatism (Jahns, 1955). Genetically, the pegmatites are associated with neighboring intrusives. Mineralogically, granitic pegmatites contain feldspar, quartz, and mica as the main constituents and a variety of exotic elements such as lithium, beryllium, tantalum, tin, and cesium, which may or may not occur in economically significant concentrations. Detailed studies by numerous investigators (Cameron et al., 1949, 1954; Hanley et al., 1950; Jahns, 1953, 1955; Page et al., 1953) indicate that pegmatites often exhibit an internal zonal arrangement, with each zone containing a specific suite of minerals. The lithium minerals are usually found in the intermediate zones, and although as many as 13 zones have been recognized by Cameron, et al. (1949), a complete zonal arrangement is rarely found. Zoning of pegmatite bodies has also been observed on a regional basis. The regionally zoned pegmatite sequences exhibit mineral assemblages and complexity according to their re-

Jan 1, 1983

By P. S. Kotval, O. H. Nestor

Stacking fault energy measurements of nickel-base alloys have been mainly confined to binary and ternary systems. In this paper, the stacking fault energy has been measured by the rolling texture method in a series of ten alloys which comprise successive additions of Cr, Mo, Fe, and C to pure nickel, eventually resulting in an alloy of the composition of Hastelloy alloy X. The alloys studied here are single-phase, solid solutions with the exception of two alloys in which some undissolved particles of "primary" carbide have been retained. It is found that successive additions of chromium, molybdenum, and iron all lower the stacking fault energy, with iron having only a minor effect. The stacking fault energy is found to increase when carbon is added in solid solution. The results from the rolling texture measurements are correlated with thin foil observations of dislocation substructures in these alloys. In a recent paper' it was pointed out that the dislocation substructure of various superalloy matrices could be classified into three broad categories based on 'high', 'medium', and 'low' stacking fault energy. It has also been demonstrated2 that the dislocation substructure in each of these categories has a well defined role in the nucleation of strengthening precipitates which is different from the role played by the dislocation substructure in other categories. Thus, it becomes desirable to understand the influence of various solute elements on the stacking fault energy and hence on the dislocation substructure of the matrix, before any further development of superalloys by mi-crostructural predesign can be undertaken. Recently, Beeston and France have studied the influence of increasing solute additions on the stacking fault energy of a series of binary nickel-base alloys relevant to the Nimonic series using the rolling texture method, and have then estimated the effect of a given alloy addition in five commercial Nimonic alloys. However, comparison with stacking fault energy data from other investigations''5 suggests that the influence of a given solute element in a nickel-base binary system is not necessarily the same in a ternary or more complex superalloy system. Accordingly, the present work was undertaken to study the effect of successive addition of solute elements to pure nickel, the final composition being the nominal composition of Hastelloy X. The rolling texture method of stacking fault energy measurement was used since it can be used for the whole range of stacking fault energy values and does not have the disadvantage of, say, the Node method which is only applicable to low values of stacking fault energy. In addition, the rolling texture method provides a means of determining the stacking fault energy which is statistically more significant than that provided by other methods. EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUES Button heats of alloys of the compositions shown in Table I were prepared. Each button was remelted not less than four times. After a slight deformation (approximately 5 pct) all alloys were homogenized at 2200°F except alloys, H . I, and J. Alloys H and I were solution heat treated at 2150°F and alloy J at 2282OF. The buttons were cold worked by rolling, using "end-to-end" passes and intermediate anneals at the homogenization temperatures mentioned above. After each annealing treatment the samples were rapidly water quenched to avoid any precipitation. In alloys F and I, however, a few particles of "primary" carbides were retained even after the homogenization treatments at the temperatures mentioned above. Part of the solution heat treated material was cold worked to 0.04-in.-thick sheet and the penultimate reduction was -50 pct of deformation as recommended by Dillamore et al. All annealing was carried out in vacuo within sealed quartz capsules. Some of the material from each alloy was rolled down further to 0.004 in. strip for thin foil transmission electron microscopy specimens. Specimens of this strip were annealed at the homogenization temperature for 1 hr and then strained 7 pct by rolling at room temperature. Thin foils were prepared from the strip specimens by the 'window" technique using an Ethanol-Perchloric acid electrolyte at 32°F and a voltage of 22 v. Stainless steel cathodes were employed. All transmission electron microscopy was performed in a JEM-7 electron microscope using an accelerating voltage of 100 kv. Specimens from the 0.04 in. sheet which had been rolled -60 pct in the final pass were electropolished to remove the surface layers to a depth of approximately 0.002 in. Rolling texture pole figures for all the alloys were determined using a Schulz ring and nickel filtered CuKa radiation at 50 kv and 20 ma. The texture parameter Io/(lo + I,,) (where Io is the

Jan 1, 1970

By John W. Langley

In the summer of 1888 it was the fortune of the writer to present the subject of the desirability of establishing a set of samples of steel, which should be analyzed with extreme care, in order that they might become standards to which scientific and commercial analyses of iron and steel could be subsequently referred; also, that greater uniformity in the results of analyses might be brought about, since these standards would bear towards analytical methods somewhat the position which the original units of weight and length, the gramme and meter, or the pound and yard, preserved in Paris, London, and Washington, do to the mechanical arts. The plan met with hearty co-operation, with the result that com mittees were appointed in Sweden, Germany, France, England, and America, to receive the material and to see that the necessary au alyses were executed. In England, the British Association for the Advancement of Science appointed a committee, which subsequently published a plan

Jan 1, 1891

JOHN H. NELSON, Worcester, Mass.-At our plant we have done considerable work on notch-bar testing and are farther at sea now than when we started. So far, we have been unable to get the notch-bar test to be consistent with any other known test. Lately, I have been investi-gating the effect of the position of the notch-bar specimen in a, bar. To do this I took a 3, ½ in. square bar and quartered it, then heat treated the four quarters. Each of these pieces was again quartered and a specimen machined and notched. "In this way we would have notch-bar tests from the exterior to the interior of the bar. These were made of such lengths that it was possible to make four impact tests on each speci-men. Extreme care was taken in marking the position of these test speci-mens in the original bar. The notches were then cut with relation to position of the specimen in the original bar. The second notch was cut 90° from the first, and so on around the specimen. In this way, we have found that, with a 3 ½ in. bar of 0.4 or 0.5. per cent. carbon steel when properly heat treated, we could get impact values ranging from 15 to 100 ft.-lb. Just why this is the case we are unable to state; but it does appear to be a fact that along the outside of the original bar the notch-bar test seems to be low and increases toward the center, but it is not always consistent. For instance, we may have, on a single specimen; one notch-bar test giving us 15 ft.-lb. and another 100 ft.-lb. We have not found such inconsistencies in alloy steels. Alloy steel is consistently good or consistently bad. If it. is good, you cannot readily destroy the impact value, no matter what you do; if it is bad-that is, if it is a poor notch-bar steel-and you have sufficient latitude in your draw, you may correct it. In other words, if the hardness you are working to will allow you to draw to about 1050° F.(561° C.) or over and then quench this steel from the draw heat, you. can raise the im-pact value of the steel from about 4 or 10 ft.-lb. up to-40-or 50 ft.-lb: Just what occurs I do not know. There is evidently a critical-point in steels that have poor impact value, in the neighborhood of 1000 F. to 1050° F. (536° to 561° C.).

Jan 12, 1919

By William Lodding

In leaching ores at atmospheric pressure it is often desirable to apply high reagent concentration, long exposure time, and elevated temperature. All of these conditions tend to increase the treatment cost. In conventional leaching, direct or countercurrent, the leaching fluid is needed to transport the solids through the process. This requires relatively large volumes of fluid and limits the reagent concentration economically feasible. The relatively high dilution also increases fuel cost if leaching is to be done above ambient temperature. Heating of water is expensive.

Jan 3, 1967

By P. Duwez, C. B. Jordan

A. J. SHALER*—I should like to congratulate the authors for having carried out such a precise set of experiments. It has been found useful, in sintering experimental compacts in vacuo, to make certain that the residual gas is not one which reacts with the metal. Since traces of oxygen can be kept away only with great difficulty, the technique is often adopted of using a "getter " of powder in the vicinity of the compacts, and, in addition, of permitting a small hydrogen leak to flow into the vacuum chamber. Did the authors use similar devices? This paper brings up a question concerning the definition of the word ' sintering.' The authors restrict its use to the adhesion between particles. Kuczynski, in a paper presented at this meeting, applies the word to the growth of areas of contact between particles. I have used it to mean both these phenomena and also the dimensional changes which continue to take place after the first two have run their course. May I suggest that we should come to an agreement on the use of these words ? Fig 1 and 2 show an interesting feature: extrapolation of the curves to zero time does not give a densification parameter of zero. The higher the temperature, the higher is the intercept on that axis. These observations agree with the concept of a practically instantaneous densification taking place while the compact is being brought to heat. Such a change may be brought about by plastic deformation and primary creep. The stress pattern causing this first rapid flow is, to my mind, due to the force of attraction between the surfaces of opposite particles in the regions immediately flanking their common areas of contact. The stress is not temperature-sensitive, but at room temperature plastic deformation only proceeds until the metal in the area of contact can support it elastically. As the metal is heated, the elastic limit falls, and further plastic flow occurs. At the higher temperatures, this is followed by primary creep, and finally by the steady-state rate-reaction which the authors are seeking. If they were to recalculate their densification-parameter values, using, not the initial density of the cold compact, but the density after the compacts have been brought to temperature, the systematic deviations from linearity in Fig 3 and 4 might be eliminated. Such initial densities might be obtained by extrapolating the curves of Fig 1 and 2 to zero time. I am naturally pleased to see that such a very well done series of experiments leads to a heat of activation (for the densification process in hydrogen) that is much higher than that for self-diffusion, in confirmation of the less elaborate results reported by Wulff and myself (Ind. and Eng. Chem., (1948) 40, 838). J. T. KEMP*—I would like to comment on Dr. Shaler's remarks. There are apparently different interpretations of the word "sintering." It seems to me that an accurate definition of our word is essential in all metallurgy. May I point out, in this connection, that in practical metallurgy the word "sintering" has been applied to a bonding process in the preparation of ores and flue dust for fur-nacing. It would be unfortunate if in the area of powdered metallurgy we should establish a definition that is essentially different in meaning. F. N. RHINES*—I think that I can answer the question by saying that I see no essential difference between the use of the term "sintering" in extractive metallurgy and in powder metallurgy; physically the same things are going on. I admit sintering is used for different end purposes in the two cases. When we resort to the sintering of lead ore mixture we are doing so to obtain a chemically reactive, loose texture of some rigidity. This is only a difference in use. After all, in powder metallurgy we sometimes deliberately produce a very porous material which has just a little strength, just as in the case of sinter cake. P. DUWEZ (authors' reply)—We agree that it would be helpful to have well-established definitions of such terms as "sintering." Since the question has now been raised, the time might be appropriate for its consideration by some suitable committee of one or more of the metallurgical societies. In answer to Dr. Shaler's first question, no getter nor hydrogen leak was used in our vacuum experiments, except insofar as the guard disks (used to reduce friction between specimens and trays) may have acted as getters. Dr. Shaler's statement that extrapolation of the curves of Fig 1 and 2 does not lead to zero densification at zero time apparently overlooks the logarithmic

Jan 1, 1950

By Nicholas J. Grant, A. W. Mullendore, Paul Predecki

The Duwez technique of splat cooling in which a molten droplet of metal is accelerated and made to impact on a cold, highly conducting substrate was investigated.- An apparatus for producing "splat" was constructed employing an explosive powder charge to accelerate the molten metal. Transport of the molten metal just prior to impact with the substrate was studied by means of high-speed photography. The molten particles are small spherical droplets from about 1 to 50 µ diameter. The average cooling rates for aluminum, silver, and a gold alloy splatted on nickel substrates at room temperature were determined experimentally and were found to vary from 18 to 5 x 10' C per sec. The heat-transfer coeficients for pure aluminum and pure silver splats cooled on nickel substrates at room temperature were found to be 2.7 to 6.8 and 13.6 to 54.2 cal per sec sq cm 'C (2 to 5 x 104 and 1 to 4 x 18 Btu per hr sq ft OF), respectively. Solidification rates in pure aluminum and silver splats were calculated. "SPLAT cooling" is a term describing a technique for extremely rapid freezing and cooling of molten metals and alloys to room temperature or below. The technique was developed by Duwez et al.' in 1960, and after refinement2 consisted in transferring a few tenths of a gram of molten metal to near sonic velocity to strike a suitably placed cold copper surface. Upon impact, the metal spread into a thin nonuniform film called a splat, about 10-4 cm thick. The splat particles produced in this manner were thin enough in some areas to be suitable for transmission electron microscopy, without further treatment, and, together with X-ray data, yielded a variety of structures which would be classified as follows: 1) supersaturated solid solutions (increase in solubility limit), 2) metastable crystalline stoichiometric and non-stoichiometric intermediate phases ( in Au-20.5 at. pct Si and in Au-14 at. pct Sb, respectively), 3) amorphous alloys, 4) retained high-temperature phases, 5) alloys having equilibrium phases present, but with unusual, markedly altered structures. The crystalline phases present in splats were usually extremely fine-grained and had low dislocation densities. Present interest in splat cooling centers around a study of the unusual structures produced by the technique, their contribution to alloy theory, and the possibility of the development of new or unusual properties. In addition, the technique is being examined for the production of bulk quantities of new high-strength alloys for low- and high-temperature use. Although a number of alloy systems have already been investigated by the technique, relatively little is known about the mechanism of splat formation and the physical conditions encountered by the metal during solidification and cooling. The purpose of this work was: 1) to determine the velocity, shape, and size of the molten metal droplets just prior to impact with the cold substrate; 2) to try to estimate or measure solidification rates, heat-transfer coefficients, and cooling rates in splats. EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUE Splatting Apparatus and Procedure. An apparatus similar to the type originated by Duwez et a1.,2 but employing an explosive charge to accelerate the molten metal, was used. A "Ramset" fastening tool (a gun normally used for driving studs into concrete, steel, and so forth) was mounted vertically above a resistance-heated graphite crucible as shown schematically in Fig. 1. A splat product was produced by melting a few tenths of a gram of metal at the position shown in Fig. 1, and then exploding a powder charge in the breach. The shock wave thus generated traveled down the barrel into the furnace, ejecting the molten metal through the 0.06-in.-diameter hole at the bottom of the crucible. The ejected metal was impacted on a high-conductivity metallic substrate where it formed a splat. High-Speed silhouette Photography. In order to investigate the size and shape of the ejected, molten metal just prior to impact with the cold substrate, high-speed silhouette photographs were taken, and are shown in Figs. 2 and 3. These photographs were obtained with the aid of an Edger-ton, Germeshausen, and Grier microflash unit and a submicrosecond flash drive equipped with a variable time delay. Two types of triggers were

Jan 1, 1965

By B. D. Cullity

This investigation of bismuth-selenium alloys was made in an attempt to find a suitable material for use in thermoelectric generators. These devices are simply thermocouple circuits designed for the efficient production of electrical energy from thermal energy, which may in turn be derived directly from solar radiation or from the combustion of fuels. The requirements of a material for use in a thermoelectric generator are obviously quite different from those of a material used in a temperature-measuring thermocouple. Naturally, for power generating purposes, the thermoelectric power (voltage produced per degree difference in temperature between the junctions) must be as high as possible. Furthermore, in order to obtain reasonably high power outputs, the materials used in the generator must have an electrical conductivity which is as high as possible. Finally, in order to minimize heat lost by conduction to the cold junction, the thermal conductivity must be as low as possible. The relation between these several factors and the efficiency of conversion of thermal into electrical energy—the thermoelectric efficiency—has been discussed by Telkesl in a recent review of the subject. She gives the thermoelectric efficiency as: W o Efficiency = -Wo ______________i____________ TR-TC+ O2TR-Tc) where W, = power output in external load (watts) Wi = rate of heat input to hot junction (watts) TE,T, = temperature of hot and cold junctions (oA) K1,Kz = thermal conductivity of the two thermocouple materials (watts/cm°C) p,,pz = electrical resistivity of the two thermocouple materials (ohm cm) 9 = thermoelectric power (volts0/C) For many materials, some of the desired properties (for example, high electrical and low thermal conductivity) are almost mutually exclusive; the problem thus becomes one of finding a material which has the optimum combination of pfoperties. Bismuth-selenium Alloys work on the equilibrium diagram of the bismuth-selenium alloys has been reviewed by Hanson who gives the diagram reproduced in There are two intermediate phases in this system, BiSe and Bi²Se3. The existence of an alpha and beta modification of BiSe has not been demonstrated satisfactorily and the writer found no evidence of it in the present work. BiSe and Bi2Se3 have, like bismuth, a rhombohedra1 crystal

Jan 1, 1949

The Diamond mechanical soot blower system, manufactured by the Power Specialty Co., Detroit, Mich., consists of a permanent installation of units arranged in groups to fit the design of the various boilers to which they are attached. The units are so arranged as to effect the cleaning of the fire surfaces of the boiler, particularly the tubes, by means of steam jets. When this steam is released among the tubes at a velocity of approximately 2700 ft. per sec. (assuming a pressure of 150 lb.), a perfect whirlwind of currents is created, reaching all the nooks and crannies of the boiler, and thoroughly removing the particles of soot and fine-ash accumulation. This operation requires but a moment's time-from 20 to 50 sec. per unit¬and is performed from two to four times a day, while the boiler is under full load, using a greatly decreased amount of steam and labor as compared with the hand hose or any other system of blowing. Moreover, this cleaning is effected without admitting air, with its cooling effects, to the boiler setting. The Diamond model "G" blower consists of five principal elements as follows: 1. A head through which the steam passes from the main supply line when the valve is opened. The head is the foundation element to which the other elements are attached. 2. A wall box which is bricked into the setting. The box supports the unit, and is so constructed that the blower can be turned freely without admitting air to the inside of the setting. 3. A blower element running cross-wise of the bank of tubes, and consisting of a small header with nozzles so placed as to discharge steam between the boiler tubes. 4. A sheave or hand wheel by means of which the blower element is rotated. 5. Bearings attached to the boiler tubes which support the blower element and permit it to revolve freely. The nozzles from which the steam issues are designed on the principle of the Venturi tube, and vary in design for different pressures. The expanding walls of the Venturi nozzle increase the velocity of the steam over 200 per cent., as compared with a nozzle having a straight orifice. Thus, the velocity of the steam issuing from a straight nozzle at 150 lb. pressure is 912 ft. per sec., whereas, at this pressure the velocity of the steam issuing from a Diamond Venturi nozzle is 2795 ft. per second.

Jan 5, 1918

By R. F. Mehl, J. K. Stanley

THE recrystallization of cold-worked metals is studied ordinarily by determining the temperatures required for complete recrystallization to occur within a given arbitrary time period, usually within 15 min. to 2 hr. The results obtained are conventionally assembled in a three-dimensional diagram relating this temperature to the amount of cold-work (percentage deformation) and the resultant grain size, though sometimes other modes of representation are employed.1 Such three-dimensional diagrams are not complete, for the number of variables exceeds the number represented. The process of recrystallization is characterized by a time-rate, a fact that is not portrayed upon ordinary recrystallization diagrams. It is known that recrystallization consists in the formation of new nuclei and the growth of these nuclei, a process that continues until the matrix is completely consumed and the original set of grains entirely replaced by the new. This knowledge is old.2 Truly heterogeneous reactions invariably proceed by nucleation and growth; the decomposition of eutectoid solid solutions provides an example about which much is known,3 and freezing, originally studied by Tammann, provides the classic example. Although recrystallization is not a heterogeneous reaction within the orthodox meaning of the term, the mechanism of the process is the same. As in eutectoid inversion and freezing, it should be possible to study the rate of isothermal recrystallization as a function of time, and it should also be possible to analyze the isothermal reaction curve into the component rates of nucleation and growth that determine them.* Other methods, not employing the rates of nucleation and growth, have been used to represent the rates of such reactions, but these in general have been artificial and have not led to progress .4,5† The theory of recrystallization is not in advanced state; if recrystallization data were obtained in terms of the rate of isothermal recrystallization, and in terms of the rate of nucleation and the rate of growth of recrystallized grains, and in particular if the temperature coefficients of these rates were measured accurately, an adequate theory should be more readily developed .27 Such an effort requires proper experimental technique, but especially requires suitable methods of mathematical analysis to convert measurements made upon a surface of polish into values for the rate of nucleation and the rate of growth and to combine these into a rate of isothermal recrystallization. These methods are now

Jan 1, 1942

By Paul A. Hodges

With plant start-up slated for early 1966, Palabora Mining Co. will take its place among the large copper mining properties of the World. Located near the town of Phalaborwa in the Lowveld area of Transvaal Province, approximately 250 air miles northeast of Johannesburg, Palabora is the result of a cooperative project between Rio Tinto-Zinc Corp. and Newmont Mining Co. Other large shareholders are American Metal Climax, Inc., Union Corp. Ltd., and Selection Trust Ltd. Earliest known mining activity in the area is thought to date back about 400 years, when the Bantu tribes were migrating southward from the great lakes of Central Africa. Old workings and hand tools have been found in numerous places on the flanks of Loolekop, the hill that contains the outcrop of the Palabora orebody. Nearby ruins of small furnaces give added evidence of the knowledge of copper smelting possessed by these natives.

Jan 3, 1966

By R. M. Hudson, P. E. Perry

Weight-gain data obtained by nitriding low-carbon sheet steel in an amrnonia CNH,) atmosphere indicated that the process obeyed a parabolic rate law. The calculated actization energy for nitriding in the range 964" to 1268°F agreed reasonably well with published data. At 1358"F, rate data indicated that the activation energy decreased. Weight-gain data obtained by uszng mixtures of NH3 -Nz at 1268°F containzng jrom 10 to 100 zol pct NH3 also obeyed a parabolic rate law. The rate of 'nitriding increased with an increase in the NH3 content of the gas Mixture. It is well-known that steel heated in gas mixtures containing ammonia (NH3) takes up much larger quantities of nitrogen than steel heated in nitrogen, both gases having a total pressure of 1 atm;' this phenomenon can presumably be attributed to the catalytic decomposition of NH3 on the steel surface to furnish nascent (monatomic) nitrogen. This process was studied bv Brunauer. Jefferson, Emmett, and Hend-ricks at furnace temperatures of 752" and 831°F2 using mixtures of NH3 in Hz. Englehardt and wagner3 reported that, at a furnace temperature of 914°F and under their experimental conditions, both nitriding and denitriding were controlled by the rate of gas-metal reactions at a steel surface rather than by the rate of diffusion of nitrogen in iron. The present study was undertaken to obtain information on the kinetics of nitriding low-carbon steel strip at higher temperatures so that practical rates for short-time strip-annealing treatments could be estimated. Variables studied included time: temperature, and NH, content in the annealing atmosphere. Mechanical and chemical characteristics of steel nitrided in this manner will not be considered in the present article. MATERIALS AND EXPERIMENTAL WORK The samples used were from a commercial low-carbon steel, 0.0244 cm thick, in the cold-reduced condition. The chemical composition of this steel is given in Table I. Panels were cut to 5.1 by 17.8 cm, degreased in toluene, and weighed just before treatment. Four specimens were nitrided under each of the experimental conditions. A study was made of the nitriding rate of steel in a 100 vol pct ammonia atmosphere, 740 mm pressure, at five specific temperatures within the range 964" to 1358°F. The nitriding rates of steel in ammonia-nitrogen gas mixtures containing 10, 18, 26, 50, and 100 vol pct ammonia, 740 mm total pressure, at 1268°F were also determined. All atmospheres used were dried by successively passing them through drying towers packed with soda lime and with Linde Molecular sieve Type 4A. Quoted gas compositions refer to those entering the furnace. Specimens were held in the constant-temperature zone of a vertical annealing tube furnace for times of 14, 3, 5, 10, or 15 min. Gas flow rates were maintained at 3.8 cu ft per hr, which was nineteen volume changes per hour for the system used. The rate of flow was selected to provide a high level of free NH3 for cracking on the steel surface where the ammonia gas is most effectively used as a nitriding agent. The vertical annealing tube furnace consisted of a Hevi-Duty tube furnace with a 2 1/2-in.-ID mullite ceramic high-temperature tube. The constant-temperature zone (controlled within 10°F) was about 10 in. long. After each specimen was degreased, a hole was punched in one end, for attaching the specimen by hook to a chain so that it could be lowered into or raised from the high-temperature portion of the tube by means of a power-driven winch. A stainless-steel access port with O-ring seals was connected by suitable glass-to-metal seals to the cool upper portion of the furnace tube. After the weighed specimen was placed in the access port, the furnace tube was evacuated to approximately 10"3 torr, and then the system was flushed thoroughly with the atmosphere under study. When the gas flow rate and constant-temperature zone of the furnace were established, the specimen was lowered into the constant-temperature zone. The atmosphere flowed from the top to the bottom of the vertical furnace tube and was then vented. For all these runs, during the first 3 min of the time the specimen was in the constant-temperature zone of the furnace the specimen was heating up to the tempera-

Jan 1, 1970

By C Macquarie, Maurice Cook

Normally the grain size of cold-rolled and annealed copper sheet is of the order of 0.02 to 0.06 mm., and 0.1 mm., for example, would, for many purposes, be regarded as undesirably large. The occurrence of very large grain sizes in a few isolated cases of copper sheet led the authors to inquire into the causes giving rise to such unusual results. During the course of this work a very large number of experiments have been carried out to determine the effect of varying the conditions of the final and penultimate rolling and annealing operations, as well as of earlier rolling and annealing treatments. A correspondingly large number of observations have been made, but within the space of one paper it is possible only to outline relatively briefly what appear to be the more important of these experiments and observations. The presentation of the results does not follow chronologically the order in which the experiments were carried out and they have been rearranged for the sake of simplicity. In recent years a considerable amount of work has been done in connection with the recrystallization and grain growth in metals arid alloy. that take place on annealing, and a number of generalizations have beell reached. It is known that the crystal size in wrought material in the annealed condition depends on a number of factors, including the time and temperature of the annealing operations and the nature and amount of cold-work to which the material has been subjected. Results. however that are not covered by these generalizations can be obtained, which, in some instances, may even appear to be contradictory to them. Xccortling to these generalizations gradual changes in grain size are effected by progressive variation of the factors involved in annealing or cold-working. The work recorded in the present paper, however, relates to the development of grain sizes which are far beyond those normally encountered in ordinary annealing operations and far in excess of grain sizes which,

Jan 1, 1939

By C Macquarie, Maurice Cook

Normally the grain size of cold-rolled and annealed copper sheet is of the order of 0.02 to 0.06 mm., and 0.1 mm., for example, would, for many purposes, be regarded as undesirably large. The occurrence of very large grain sizes in a few isolated cases of copper sheet led the authors to inquire into the causes giving rise to such unusual results. During the course of this work a very large number of experiments have been carried out to determine the effect of varying the conditions of the final and penultimate rolling and annealing operations, as well as of earlier rolling and annealing treatments. A correspondingly large number of observations have been made, but within the space of one paper it is possible only to outline relatively briefly what appear to be the more important of these experiments and observations. The presentation of the results does not follow chronologically the order in which the experiments were carried out and they have been rearranged for the sake of simplicity. In recent years a considerable amount of work has been done in connection with the recrystallization and grain growth in metals arid alloy. that take place on annealing, and a number of generalizations have beell reached. It is known that the crystal size in wrought material in the annealed condition depends on a number of factors, including the time and temperature of the annealing operations and the nature and amount of cold-work to which the material has been subjected. Results. however that are not covered by these generalizations can be obtained, which, in some instances, may even appear to be contradictory to them. Xccortling to these generalizations gradual changes in grain size are effected by progressive variation of the factors involved in annealing or cold-working. The work recorded in the present paper, however, relates to the development of grain sizes which are far beyond those normally encountered in ordinary annealing operations and far in excess of grain sizes which,

Jan 1, 1939

By Earle Schumacher

THE solidus line above the solid solution field in the lead-antimony system was originally determined by Dean and his associates1 from heating curves. They did not regard this line as having been accurately fixed and in their more recent publications2 the curves drawn do not follow closely the original data. The precise location of the solidus line is of importance in the extrusion of lead-antimony cable sheath, as the temperature of the metal in this process must be less than the lowest temperature at which any part of the alloy in the lead-press charge becomes liquid. It is very desirable, however, to operate at as high a temperature as possible, as the rate of extrusion for a given pressure is approximately doubled for an increase of 10° C. in temperature. The precise location of this line is also important, in the investigation of ternary systems of lead, antimony and a third metal. For these reasons, and because of the differences reported in the literature, data were secured on the lead-antimony solidus line by the classical quenching-test procedure.

Jan 1, 1927

By Robert Forsyth

IN working the Bessemer process, the bottom of the converter has always been a source of trouble and annoyance, and the subject of more experiments, probably, than any other part of the complex mechanism called a Bessemer plant. This will not appear remark- able when the duties this important piece of refractory material has to perform are taken into consideration. In the first place, by means of the tuyeres, it delivers at a high pressure the air necessary for the conversion of the bath of metal, and has then to resist the intense

Jan 1, 1876

By Robert Forsyth

In working the Bessemer process, the bottom of the converter has always been a source of trouble and annoyance, and the subject of more experiments, probably, than any other part of the complex mechanism called a Bessemer plant. This will not appear remarkable when the duties this important piece of refractory material has to perform are taken into consideration. In the first place, by means of the tuyeres, it delivers at a high pressure the air necessary for the conversion of the bath of metal, and has then to resist the intense

By Herbert Clark Hoover, Lou Henry Hoover

IN the last book I have explained the methods of delimiting- the meers along each kind of vein, and the duties of mine officials. In this book1 I will in like manner explain the principles of underground mining and the art of surveying. First then, I will proceed to deal with those matters which pertain to the former heading, since both the subject and methodical arrangement require it. And so I will describe first of all the digging of shafts, tunnels, and drifts on venae profundae; next I will discuss the good indications shown by canales2, by the materials which are dug out, and by the rocks ; then I will speak of the tools by which veins and rocks are broken down and excavated ; the method by which fire shatters the hard veins ; and further, of the machines with which water is drawn from the shafts and air is forced into deep shafts and long tunnels, for digging is impeded by the inrush of the former or the failure of the latter ; next I will deal with the two kinds of shafts, and with the making of them and of tunnels ; and finally, I will describe the method of mining venae dilatatae, venae cumulatae, and stringers.

Jan 1, 1950