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By Gregory M. Dexter

Recent litigation in Pennsylvania between three coal-mining companies and a private water company resulted in the payment by the coal companies of the equivalent of about $500,000 to buy a new water supply to replace that which had been damaged by acid drainage from strip mining. An investigation of the relevant facts indicates that the water could have been treated by spending about $40,000 on equipment and $15,000 yearly for chemicals, labor, and power until the contarnination could be reduced about 80 pct. The water company's supply, furthermore, had deteriorated largely by reason of dry weather before stripping was begun by the coal companies. Payment to the water company should not have exceeded $300,000 and could have been as low as $100,000. Strip mining of coal is common in Pennsylvania. The most important objection to it in Pennsylvania is generally acid pollution of runoff water. An outline of the methods, therefore, that could be used to reduce such pollution, to compare acid-contaminated waters. and to treat such waters to make them satisfactory for public and industrial use is worth-while. The watershed of the West Penn Water Co. covers about 4.5 square miles, 20 miles west of Pittsburgh, and has two 90,000,000 gal reservoirs supplying about 1,300,000 gal daily for public and industrial use of which 450,000 gal daily are for two railroads. The pollution arises from weathered derivatives of typical'" Coal Measures"' rocks, the principal source being pyrite (and marcasite) in Pittsburgh and Rooster coals. Springs and seeps on hillsides issue from sandstone and limestone formations intersecting shale or clay land surfaces, or from perched water tables. The two reservoirs create an artificial permanent water table. Soap-hardness tests on three seepage samples taken in a dry summer ranged from 150 to 500 ppm. Water sampled came from aquifers above Pittsburgh and Rooster coals, obviating the possibility of contact with pyrite-containing coal. Since acid contamination of mine waters is the result of chemical reactions of oxygen and water with pyrite, it will be reduced by the exclusion of either air or water. The Sunnyhill Coal Co. has applied this principle in its "contouring" method of strip mining by burying contaminated coal-waste material under a compact, smoothed-up surface of top-soil, gravel, clay, and sand at a cost

Jan 1, 1950

By Arthur Knapp

No oil territory in the world has been so rich in large producing wells, in a comparatively small area, as the Baku field. Particularly is this true of the Bibi Eibat field, which formerly produced millions of "poods," of " gusher," or as it is called in Russia, " fountain " oil. The Bibi Eibat and Balachany fields have been exhausted of gas and ruined by water, but the Surachany and Benegadi fields are still fountain territories and many outlying districts that have only been prospected produce rich fountains. The method of controlling fountains, or gushers, is the result of growth, along with the Russian system of drilling, where large diameters and riveted casing have been in vogue. The screw casing is seldom used except to exclude water. Formerly the method of finishing wells and the condition of the casing at the top of the well would not permit the use of gates, manifolds, and connections as is standard elsewhere. The life of the flowing wells is very short, particularly those 10 in. (25 cm.) or more in diameter, which produce large quantities of sand and often flow for but a few days and are then a complete loss. More than 1,000,000 poods in 24 hr. have been claimed in several instances, but in no case was the flow for more than a few days. The oil sands of this district are free uncemented sands and vary in thickness from paper thin to a maximum of 10 ft. (3 m.). The sands are interlaid with strata of soft clay. In spite of this, the practice has been to drill into such sands and produce from the open hole without screen or liners. Sometimes the casing is set below the oil sand but in this case holes from 2 ½ to 3 in. in diameter are drilled opposite the oil sand, which would not have the effect of a screen.

Jan 1, 1920

By Joseph Moses Botbol

In passing the judgments essential to his trade, the geologist may be assisted by two new methods. These will enable him to (1) arrange the minerals of a selected group of base metal mining districts in the order of their typicalities and (2) compute the degree of mineralogic association between the model so derived and a district external to the model. It must be remembered, of course, that the methods discussed in this article are no more powerful than the structure of the model used and the data available. The geologist who employs these techniques must still exercise his expertise

Jan 1, 1970

By C. S. Smith

The solubility of tantalum at 1100°C is 0.025 pct in pure copper, 1.2 pct with 20 pct Ni, and 2.7 pct with -30 pct Ni. The solubility decreases with temperature, and the alloys are precipitation hardenable. A 79/20/1 Cu-Ni-Ta alloy reaches maximum hardness after aging at about 750°C and, if cold worked, does not recrystal-lize below that temperature. The alloys have good tensile properties at moderately elevated temperatures and, since they can be hot and cold worked nearly as easily as cupronickel, they are suggested for service at temperatures above the usual limits for copper alloys. MASSIVE tantalum dissolves extremely slowly in copper-rich alloys, and tantalum powder forms refractory surface layers which prevent its solution unless special precautions are taken. After many trials, an 80 pit recovery was consistently obtained by using a mixture of a finely divided tantalum powder with two or three times its volume of potassium tantalum fluoride (K2TaF1,-melting point about 750°C) poured in a slow stream directly on to the surface of the molten copper alloy, so that each particle would remain coated with flux and be immediately and individually wetted by the molten metal. A 50-50 nickel-tantalum alloy has a melting point of about 1400°C and small lumps of it slowly but satisfactorily dissolve in molten copper-nickel alloys as does commerical "ferro-tantalum." The high affinity of tantalum for carbon makes it necessary to avoid carbonaceous crucibles. COPPER-TANTALUM ALLOYS Castings with good shrinkage resulted when 0.1 pct Ta or more was added to copper melted under charcoal and cast in air. Copper in two-pound melts to which 0.1, 0.15, and 0.2 pct Ta had been added retained residual amounts, by analysis, of 0.025, 0.023 and 0.026 pct, respectively. The solubility of tantalum in molten copper at about 1200 °C is therefore about 0.025 pct. The electrical conductivity of these three samples was 100.48, 100.00 and 100.20 pct IACS in the annealed condition, and 98.24, 97.98 and 98.08 in the cold-drawn condition. Wires 0.080 in. in diam withstood from thirteen to nineteen reversed bends after annealing for 30 min in hydrogen at 850°C and the metal was therefore completely deoxidized. The annealing temperature corresponding to 50 pct loss of work hardness in 1 hr in a strip cold rolled 77 pct reduction was 175C, compared to 230°C for equivalent undeoxidized material. It is unusual for a decrease of recrystallization temperature to result from an alloying addition, and the tantalum probably combines with and removes some minor impurity in the original copper that restrained its recrystalliza- tion. No difficulty whatever was encountered in hot or cold rolling or drawing these ingots, and were tantalum not so expensive it would make an excellent deoxidizer for copper. COPPER-NIcKEL-TANTALUM ALLOYS Studies were made of the solubility of tantalum in a large number of copper-rich alloys, but of these significant solubilities were found only in the case of an iron alloy (which, however, separated into two immiscible liquid layers) and alloys of copper and nickel, in which tantalum is freely soluble and which were found to have interesting properties. The latter alloys are the subject of U. S. Patent No. 2,430,306 (1947). They are not at present available commercially. The Ternary Constitution Diagram—The copper-rich corner of the constitution diagram was constructed on the basis of microscopic examination of samples of various composition and treatments. The alloys were hot rolled to 0.25 in. from castings 0.625 in. thick, then annealed for 1 hr at 1000°C, quenched, cold rolled to 0.10 in. and finally annealed for various periods of time at temperatures between 800" and 1100°C in a nonoxidizing atmosphere and quenched. When the solid-solubility limit had been transgressed, particles of a compound believed to be Ni2Ta*were

Jan 1, 1960

By Samuel M. Cassidy, John A. Garcia

IN some districts of the bituminous coal field the problem of constructing bulkheads to seal off water under pressure is becoming increasingly important. Recently this matter has been brought very much to the front by the loss of a large Illinois mine due to failure of a bulkhead that separated it from several old, flooded mines. As this great misfortune has provoked much inquiry about proper bulkhead design, it is felt that a description of the successful and extensive water-sealing practice at three mines that have different natural conditions will be of considerable interest to those connected with properties having a present or future water problem and to engineers that may have to design safe bulkheads of economical construction. These three mines are the Saxton and Dresser, near Terre Haute, Ind., and the Hegeler, near Danville, Ill. All three have water conditions that make it necessary to regularly seal off all worked-out sections of the mine, and there are considerably over a hundred bulkheads in each. As far as the writers know, these three mines are the only ones in the bituminous coal fields of the United States with anything like so large a number of water seals and experience, although a number of other mines are known to have a few bulkheads. More detail will be included herein on the Saxton mine than on the others, as the writers are more familiar with it. General Mining System All three of the mines use the same general panel room-and-pillar system, which consists of rooms turned both ways off room entries and a solid block of coal left on all sides of the completed panel except on the cross-entry side, where a heavier pillar is pierced by two entries for haul- age and air. On completion of the panel the two entries are sealed and the panel is then isolated from the rest of the mine. Owing to water conditions, no pillars are pulled; recovery inside the panel barrier pillars is approximately 65 per cent.

Jan 1, 1937

By Samuel M. Cassidy, John A. Garcia

In some districts of the bituminous coal field the problem of constructing bulkheads to seal off water under pressure is becoming increasingly important. Recently this matter has been brought very much to the front by the loss of a large Illinois mine due to failure of a bulkhead that separated it from several old, flooded mines. As this great misfortune has provoked much inquiry about proper bulkhead design, it is felt that a description of the successful and extensive water-sealing practice at three mines that have different natural conditions will be of considerable interest to those connected with properties having a present or future water problem and to engineers that may have to design safe bulkheads of economical construction. These three mines are the Saxton and Dresser, near Terre Haute, Ind., and the Hegeler, near Danville, Ill. All three have water conditions that make it necessary to regularly seal off all worked-out sections of the mine, and there are considerably over a hundred bulkheads in each. AS far as the writers know, these three mines are the only ones in the bituminous coal fields of the United States with anything like so large a number of water seals and experience, although a number of other mines are known to have a few bulkheads. More detail will be included herein on the Saxton mine than on the others, as the writers are more familiar with it. General Mining System All three of the mines use the same general panel room-and-pillar system, which consists of rooms turned both ways off room entries and a solid block of coal left on all sides of the completed panel except on the cross-entry side, where a heavier pillar is pierced by two entries for haulage and air. On completion of the panel the two entries arc sealed and the panel is then isolated from the rest of the mine. Owing to water conditions, no pillars are pulled; recovery inside the panel barrier pillars is approximately 65 per cent.

Jan 1, 1938

By Samuel M. Cassidy, John A. Garcia

In some districts of the bituminous coal field the problem of constructing bulkheads to seal off water under pressure is becoming increasingly important. Recently this matter has been brought very much to the front by the loss of a large Illinois mine due to failure of a bulkhead that separated it from several old, flooded mines. As this great misfortune has provoked much inquiry about proper bulkhead design, it is felt that a description of the successful and extensive water-sealing practice at three mines that have different natural conditions will be of considerable interest to those connected with properties having a present or future water problem and to engineers that may have to design safe bulkheads of economical construction. These three mines are the Saxton and Dresser, near Terre Haute, Ind., and the Hegeler, near Danville, Ill. All three have water conditions that make it necessary to regularly seal off all worked-out sections of the mine, and there are considerably over a hundred bulkheads in each. AS far as the writers know, these three mines are the only ones in the bituminous coal fields of the United States with anything like so large a number of water seals and experience, although a number of other mines are known to have a few bulkheads. More detail will be included herein on the Saxton mine than on the others, as the writers are more familiar with it. General Mining System All three of the mines use the same general panel room-and-pillar system, which consists of rooms turned both ways off room entries and a solid block of coal left on all sides of the completed panel except on the cross-entry side, where a heavier pillar is pierced by two entries for haulage and air. On completion of the panel the two entries arc sealed and the panel is then isolated from the rest of the mine. Owing to water conditions, no pillars are pulled; recovery inside the panel barrier pillars is approximately 65 per cent.

Jan 1, 1938

By I. Sheinhartz, H. M. McCullough

DURING the course of a lubrication study in relation to the compacting of metal powders, it became desirable to measure the thickness of sprayed graphite coatings on steel dies for hot pressing. The thickness of these lubricant coatings ranged between 0.0001 and 0.002 in. In their particular case, the authors were interested in a method for measuring the lubricant thickness on tapered die inserts having curved surfaces. The lubricant was sprayed on the inserts at an elevated temperature and it was desirable to measure the thickness as soon as possible after application. Various standard types of commercial equipment were tried. Most of the available devices operated on either a mechanical or magnetic principle. The mechanical devices, such as micrometers, dial indi-

Jan 1, 1956

By O. W. Rees, Gilbert H. Cady

Unit coal calorific values represent a close approach to pure coal values; they possess characteristics theoretically inherent in the latter values. They are essentially uniform in the same seam for areas possessing essentially uniform geological environment. They are higher in older than in younger coals in most cases, and in deeper than in shallower coals. In general, they display characteristics closely in accordance with expectation assuming that they are essentially indices of rank. Because it possesses these characteristics, the unit coal value is essentially a standard value, characteristic of each bed in each local region. Hence it can be used as a basis for determining the accuracy of results in newly established laboratories, or when new equipment is installed, or in checking the results of different laboratories, or even in determining the character of coal as mined or prepared if ash, moisture and sulfur values are known. DISCUSSION (A. C. Callen presiding) R. P. Hunson,§ Wayland, Ky. (written discussion).—One of the interesting observatioris made by the authors is that there is a more or less definite correlation between unit coal calorific values and the geological environment of the coal bed. It is very interesting to note that, in general, the unit B.t.u. value increases with the increase in the probable original depth of burial, and that each seam tends to increase in calorific value toward the areas of diastrophic instability. It is generally conceded that Parr's formula, for determining unit coal values, is about as accurate as any formula subsequently proposed for the same purpose. In his formula, Professor Parr did not differentiate between the sulfur present as iron pyrites and that present as organic sulfur. However, the practical application of the formula has shown that this is of little consequence. I agree with the authors that unit coal calorific values are useful ill determining the accuracy of calorimetric determinations, and in determining the character of the

Jan 1, 1934

By R. V. Ramani, George W. Luxbacher

Computer simulation of mine ventilation systems, after a slow start in the early sixties, is gaining increasing acceptance for planning, design, and evaluation purposes. Numerous programs are readily available from government, university, consulting, and industry sources. The computer adage "garbage in, garbage out" is as applicable in ventilation engineering as in any other application of computers, and has been responsible for the questionable results obtained in some instances. The source of input data for a ventilation simulation is most often a pressure-quantity survey of the mine, or, in the case of a new mine, information derived from a survey of an existing mine which has conditions similar to those expected in the new mine. The crucial step is to generate simulation input data from the ventilation survey. Problems such as quantities that do not balance, pressure gradients opposite to measured air flow, differences in the pressure datum in a multi-shaft mine, modeling of leakage, and deviations in flow from the square law (H=RQ2) are frequently encountered and must be resolved. The purpose of this paper is to discuss these aspects and to propose procedures which can lead to input data for valid simulations of mine ventilation systems.

Jan 1, 1982

Jan 1, 1968

By Marston G. Fleming

CRITICAL pH has been defined by Wark1 as that pH value below which a mineral will float and above which it will not float in solutions containing a given concentration of collector but free from other depressants or activators. - The relationship between mineral, collector concentration, and pH is expressed in the form of a critical pH curve determined by the captive bubble method and is generally regarded as being fundamental to the system involved. The mechanism of alkali depression is currently in dispute, two general theories having received authoritative support. The view expressed in Taggart's chemical theory of flotation2 is that in the presence of a critical concentration of hydroxyl ions, all the metal ions available at the surface of the mineral are present as anions of the form [M (OH)x]-y. The formation of the necessary metal xanthate is thus precluded and, furthermore, any metal xanthate coating previously formed, at a lower pH, will be dissolved. Gaudin3,4 and the Melbourne school under Ware hold that alkali depression is caused by the preferential adsorption of hydroxyl ions by the mineral surfaces. This paper describes an investigation of the mechanism of alkali depression in each of the three systems: cerussite-aqueous carbonate-xanthate, cerussite-xanthate, and galena-xanthate. Alkali Depression of Cerussite by Control of Carbonate Ion Concentration Wark and Cox6 have shown that in the presence of Na2CO3 a higher concentration of xanthate is required to effect bubble contact with a cerussite surface than in carbonate-free solutions. To examine this depression of cerussite by sodium carbonate, a series of captive bubble tests was carried out on cerussite specimens in solutions containing 100 mg per liter of potassium ethyl xanthate and varying concentrations of sodium carbonate. The pH was adjusted by the addition of dilute hydrochloric acid. For purposes of comparison a standard critical pH curve was determined for cerussite with potassium ethyl xanthate in solutions containing no added carbonate. In the latter case pH adjustment was made with sodium hydroxide. The experimental method employed in both series was broadly similar to that described by Wark and Cox;7-9 a number of refinements suggested by Sutherland10 were adopted, and the procedure was further developed and modified to suit the particular requirements of the investigation. The relationship between pH and the concentration of potassium ethyl xanthate necessary to induce bubble contact at cerussite surfaces is shown in Fig. 1. The relationship between pH and the concentra- [ ] tion of sodium carbonate necessary to prevent bubble contact at cerussite surfaces in the presence of 100 mg per liter of potassium ethyl xanthate is shown in Fig. 2. Comparison of the. two curves shows that at a collector concentration of 100 mg

Jan 1, 1952

By D. L. Luffel

This paper presents two main developments: (1) a short, constantly accelerated centrifuge method of measuring drainage capillary pressure properties of cores, and (2) a new analytic method of treatment of centrifuge measurements to obtain saturation-capillary pressure relations. Toward the first objective, a clever experimental method is presented which is certainly more rapid than previous centrifuge methods. Toward the second objective, a new analytic method is derived to eliminate the approximate method of Hassler and runner. The derivation of this new analytic method, however, appears to be in error. The new analytic solution is developed as Eq. 5 in Appendix A. At the beginning of this derivation, the average wetting phase saturation of a core is expressed as, where is the centrifuge angular velocity. Eq. D1.2 makes explicit the dependence of S and S upon The second equation shown in Appendix A expresses the relation between the three variables Since for a given porous medium the saturation is uniquely related to capillary pressure, the functional dependence of S upon P is trivial, i.e., Pc.ri does not actually appear. Thus, the function 5 (r, ) may be expressed as a new function, S*, of PC, , alone The author transforms the variable of integration in Eq. Dl through use of Eq. D2 and writes

Jan 1, 1965

By K. Heindlhofer

Estimates of the "plasticity" of a metal are commonly deduced from three types of test—tensile, torsion and impact. The several results have been more or less at variance, though this disparity has attracted little notice, largely perhaps because they have been expressed in different terms. The discrepancy between the results of the three tests becomes obvious when each is made at a series of low temperatures, for the temperature range within which the "plasticity" of iron largely disappears proves to be very different in the three types of test. The rather abrupt disappearance of "plasticity" of iron within a narrow temperature range cannot be due to any physicochemical change (such as a precipitation) taking place in the material at that time, because the original plasticity is immediately regained when the temperature of the material is brought above the sensitive range. Accordingly this difference in behavior shows that the "plasticity" of a metal depends upon the mode of action of the stresses which produce the deformation, and therefore upon the method of test. Analysis of the stresses leads to the conclusion that the observed plasticity of a metal is determined by the relation between its resistance to rupture by separation and its resistance to shear (slip), on the one hand, and between the effective normal and shearing stresses on the other; and that the relation between the two resistances does not in general remain constant with change of temperature, and may somehow be altered to some extent by the previous treatment of the specimen. This suggests the view that the results of none of the usual mechanical tests are directly comparable even for a single metal tested at a series of temperatures, or for a series of metals at one temperature, because the proportion of the total resistance of the metal to the test contributed by the

Jan 1, 1935

By K. Heindlhofer

Estimates of the "plasticity" of a metal are commonly deduced from three types of test—tensile, torsion and impact. The several results have been more or less at variance, though this disparity has attracted little notice, largely perhaps because they have been expressed in different terms. The discrepancy between the results of the three tests becomes obvious when each is made at a series of low temperatures, for the temperature range within which the "plasticity" of iron largely disappears proves to be very different in the three types of test. The rather abrupt disappearance of "plasticity" of iron within a narrow temperature range cannot be due to any physicochemical change (such as a precipitation) taking place in the material at that time, because the original plasticity is immediately regained when the temperature of the material is brought above the sensitive range. Accordingly this difference in behavior shows that the "plasticity" of a metal depends upon the mode of action of the stresses which produce the deformation, and therefore upon the method of test. Analysis of the stresses leads to the conclusion that the observed plasticity of a metal is determined by the relation between its resistance to rupture by separation and its resistance to shear (slip), on the one hand, and between the effective normal and shearing stresses on the other; and that the relation between the two resistances does not in general remain constant with change of temperature, and may somehow be altered to some extent by the previous treatment of the specimen. This suggests the view that the results of none of the usual mechanical tests are directly comparable even for a single metal tested at a series of temperatures, or for a series of metals at one temperature, because the proportion of the total resistance of the metal to the test contributed by the

Jan 1, 1935

By Arthur F. Taggart

THIS paper proposes two units (believed to be new) for designating, respectively, capacity and efficiency for primary and intermediate crushers. CAPACITY Operators know that the tonnage of rock that can be put through a particular crusher in a given time depends primarily upon the crusher setting (open setting for jaw and primary gyratory types; closed setting for cones and rolls), and secondarily on the lithological character of the feed, its maximum size, the amount of fines that it carries, its moisture content, and the method of feeding. The proposed capacity formula states a relationship between all of these factors in one empirical equation, as follows: TR = TR80KK'K" [I] in which TR, called "reduction tons per hour" is the new capacity unit; T = tons of feed per hour requiring crushing; R50 = "80-per cent reduction ratio"; and K, K', and K" are constants that approximate quantitatively lithological character, moisture content and method of feeding, respectively. T is the hourly weight of material in the feed that is coarser than the coarsest discharge of the crusher. (For marked departures from the normal specific-gravity range-2.5 to 2.7-T should be adjusted to corresponding volumes.) In the crushers under consideration, discharge from the crushing zone is limited by the minimum dimension of a particle. Passage of the particle through a square-mesh screen is limited by its intermediate dimension. Sheppard' has shown that the ratio of maximum: intermediate: minimum average dimensions of broken rock fragments may be taken as about I.5: I: 0.6 for nonslabby rocks such as are normally crushed, while for slabby rocks, such as thin-bedded sedimentaries, foliated schists and gneisses, and the blocky metamorphics, the ratio is of the average order I.3:I:0.3, with the possibility of an even smaller relative value for the thickness. Gaudin2 finds the corresponding ratio for -150 + 200-mesh pyrite to be I.4: I : 0.6. The hourly tonnage of crusher-plant feed, therefore, should be diminished by the amount thereof that would pass a square-mesh screen of which the aperture is S times the crusher setting, where S is a shape factor with the value I.7 for rocks that break exceptionally cubic; 2 for ores and rocks that exhibit no appreciable tendency to slabbiness; and 2.5 to 3, or, in exceptional cases, even larger, when the tendency to slabbiness is marked. R80 is the quotient of the theoretical square-mesh aperture that would pass 8o per cent of the feed, divided by the aperture that would pass S0 per cent of the product. It is best determined from screen tests.

Jan 1, 1941

By Francis M. Walters, Irwin R. Kramer

The substitution of cobalt for part of the nickel in Invar was found by P. H. Brace1 to lower the coefficient 01 expansion. Scott1 extended the use of cobalt to alloys of higher inflection temperatures. Such alloys have a larger temperature range of low expansion than those without cobalt, and their use up to 400' or 500°C. offers decided advantages in certain applications. However, it has been found that the iron-nickel-cobalt alloys are not stable in this temperature range. Experimental Methods Two methods were used in studying the stability of the low-expansion iron -nickel-cobalt alloys. Dilatometer specimens were held at 480°C. for 9 months and the change in expansion characteristics was dctcr- mined. Filings were held for about 2 months at various temperatures and the change in structure was determined by X-ray diffraction. As shown by Table I, the alloys studied covered a wide range in nickel plus cobalt content (which determines the inflection temperature) as well as some variation in the ratio of nickel to iron (which controls the temperature of the gamma to alpha transformation). Included also are alloys containing carbon and vanadium, carbon and titanium and three with various amounts of copper. The alloys were melted in a high-frequency induction furnace with a magnesia crucible, using ingot iron, electrolytic nickel and commercial cobalt. Fifteen-pound heats were cast into iron molds after deoxidizing with silicon, or

Jan 1, 1942

By Francis M. Walters, Irwin R. Kramer

The substitution of cobalt for part of the nickel in Invar was found by P. H. Brace1 to lower the coefficient 01 expansion. Scott1 extended the use of cobalt to alloys of higher inflection temperatures. Such alloys have a larger temperature range of low expansion than those without cobalt, and their use up to 400' or 500°C. offers decided advantages in certain applications. However, it has been found that the iron-nickel-cobalt alloys are not stable in this temperature range. Experimental Methods Two methods were used in studying the stability of the low-expansion iron -nickel-cobalt alloys. Dilatometer specimens were held at 480°C. for 9 months and the change in expansion characteristics was dctcr- mined. Filings were held for about 2 months at various temperatures and the change in structure was determined by X-ray diffraction. As shown by Table I, the alloys studied covered a wide range in nickel plus cobalt content (which determines the inflection temperature) as well as some variation in the ratio of nickel to iron (which controls the temperature of the gamma to alpha transformation). Included also are alloys containing carbon and vanadium, carbon and titanium and three with various amounts of copper. The alloys were melted in a high-frequency induction furnace with a magnesia crucible, using ingot iron, electrolytic nickel and commercial cobalt. Fifteen-pound heats were cast into iron molds after deoxidizing with silicon, or

Jan 1, 1942

By Francis M. Walters, Irvin R. Kramer

THE substitution of cobalt for part of the nickel in Invar was found by P. H. Brace1 to lower the coefficient of expansion. Scott1 extended the use of cobalt to alloys of higher inflection temperatures. Such alloys have a larger temperature range of low expansion than those without cobalt, and [ ] their use up to 400° or 500°C. offers decided advantages in certain applications. However, it has been found that the iron-nickel-cobalt alloys are not stable in this temperature range. EXPERIMENTAL METHODS Two methods were used in studying the stability of the low-expansion iron-nickel-cobalt alloys. Dilatometer specimens were held at 480°C, for 9 months and the change in expansion characteristics was determined. Filings were held for about 2 months at various temperatures and the change in structure was determined by X-ray diffraction. As shown by Table I, the alloys studied covered a wide range in nickel plus cobalt content (which determines the inflection [ ] temperature) as well as some variation in the ratio of nickel to iron (which controls the temperature of the gamma to alpha transformation). Included also are alloys containing carbon and vanadium, carbon and titanium and three with various amounts of copper. The alloys were melted in a high-frequency induction furnace with a magnesia crucible, using ingot iron, electrolytic nickel and commercial cobalt. Fifteen-pound heats were cast into iron molds after deoxidizing with silicon, or

Jan 1, 1941

By Paul F. Gnirk

INTRODUCTION The notion of permanent disposal of high-level radioactive waste in natural salt formations was formally proposed in 1957 by the Committee on Waste Disposal of the National Academy of Sciences- National Research Council. This proposal was the result of the Committee's deliberations in response to a request from the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) in 1955 to assess the viability of geologic formations for such disposal. The research investigations for waste disposal in salt were initiated at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in the late 1950's and continued through the 1960's and early 1970's at a relatively modest level of funding. During the period of transfer of Federal Administrative authority from the AEC to the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) to the Department of Energy (DOE) during the latter part of the 197O’s, financial support for the research program was enhanced substantially. The program at OWL was regrouped under the Office of Waste Isolation (OWI) and later transferred to the Office of Nuclear Waste Isolation (ONWI) at Battelle Memorial Institute. With this enhancement in the research program, consideration of basalt, granite, shale, and tuff as repository host media was initiated. In February, 1980 the President of the United States established officially a comprehensive waste management program which called for the selection of the first repository site in 1985 from a suite of four or five potentially suitable sites, and initiation of a repository operation at that site in the mid-1990's. The current disposal system concept involves the emplacement of radioactive waste packages in mined disposal rooms at depth in suitable geologic formations, with closure of the facility effected

Jan 1, 1983