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By R. Dugdale, F. Habashi

Studies on hand-picked samples of chrysocolla from Arizona showed that heating in an inert atmosphere enhances greatly copper extraction by ammoniacal-ammonium carbonate solutions. Heating in hydrogen improves the extraction of copper even further and maximum extraction by ammoniacal-ammonium carbonate and by sodium cyanide solutions is achieved for samples heated at 350°C. Heating in SO2 atmosphere results in the simultaneous formation of CuSO4 and Cu2O; maximum reaction rate is also achieved at 350°C. At temperatures higher than 350°C, CuCO4 starts to decompose. Chrysocolla heated above 600°C either in argon, H2, or SO2, is rendered less amenable to leaching, supposedly due to the formation of insoluble copper silicates.

Jan 1, 1974

By Enrique Touceda

FOR a number of years prior to the world war, the firm of Geo. H. Thacher & Co., of Albany, N. Y., was engaged in the manufacture of marine and other gray-iron castings. At -the outbreak of the war the firm decided to specialize in the manufacture f propeller wheels. It attacked the problem, therefore, from a foundry point of view, seeking to produce a casting that would be so accurate that no subsequent machining would be required on the blades, also from the point of view of the ship builder. There were two general methods f manufacture, the shortcomings of which have been freely acknowledged. In the sweep method, the nowel, or bottom half-mold, for each blade is swept up by a spindle beam and pitch race, while the top half-mold for each blade is built up individually. In the pattern method one individual blade, with the hub or hub portion, is mounted on a spindle and the individual -blade mold formed, the pattern is then rotated on the spindle to the position- for the next blade, etc. In rare cases wheels were made from a solid pattern. Owing to the cost of the pattern, its failure in many instances to be correctly made, and (when made of wood) its early and sure distortion the disadvantage of this practice is obvious, while metal patterns in most instances were prohibitive in cost. In these methods both green-sand and loam molding was practiced. The casting produced by either method can be considered only as a blank from which the propeller must be machined. The back surface f each blade must be chipped too the templet and through this procedure chipped to such accuracy, as will be required for a static balance. Inasmuch as the' work done by the machine tool is confined to the driving face of the blades, not only is perfection most difficult, but corrosion will be greater because of the removal of the dense skin f the casting and the local strains set up by the pneumatic tool in chipping. To produce a finished 9-ft. propeller for a Navy destroyer required from 8 to 21 days f foundry work and about the same length of, time for the machining. Through the use f the Thacher process, only as many hours are required, besides it is possible to produce a finished casting in perfect conformity, with any particular propeller-wheel design,

Jan 4, 1921

By W. T. Thom

RegaRding the elements necessarily involved .in working out a scientific scheme of classification, Stansfield and Sutherland, (94)† quoting Grout, (34) make the following statement: All bases (for a scientific classification) should be capable of quantitative determination, or be exactly related to some property capable of such a test, so that, if no natural groups are found, arbitrary lines may be drawn to limit the classes. The best basis for classification should involve inherent and fundamental qualities of the materials considered. Allied to this is the requirement that advantage should be taken of any natural grouping. As a further help in selection, the bases or tests should be easily applied, widely known, and have a wide range of values in the material classified. In order that we may apply the philosophy thus expressed, it is necessary for us to have clearly in mind both the reasons why coals differ and the specific purposes to be served by the classification to be devised. Coals differ because, as modern science has shown, coal beds are actually neither more nor less than buried and altered peat deposits, formed in remote geologic time. And as is generally known, such peat beds consisted of masses of partly macerated and decayed trees, shrubs, plants, mosses and/or algae, deposited under swamp or semiswamp conditions. It is therefore to be expected that coals will vary: 1. Because of differences in the parent vegetation, due either to evolutionary plant changes, as from the fernlike types of the Paleozoic to the coniferous and hardwood types of the late Mesozoic and Tertiary; or due to the differences in floral assemblages (growing at the same time) induced by differences in local environmental conditions. For example, moss, sedge, woody and other peats are today accumulating simultaneously in different bogs in North America. 2. Because of differences in the stage to which bacterial decay proceeded in the peat bed. Peats laid down in stagnant waters suffer

Jan 1, 1932

By Michael Hoch, Walter C. Wyder

The Cr-Ni system was investigated between 900" and 1400°C and 45 to 100 wt pct Cr. The Cr-Fe system was studied between 1200" and 1385°C and 70 to 100 wt pct Cr. Powdered alloy compacts were produced from high-purity chromium, nickel, and iron poulders. The compacts were sintered in an argon atmosphere and then machined into small, 0.030-in. diam cylindrical specimens. These were then heated by induction in the high-temperature X-ray diJfractwn camem under a helium atmosphere and irradiated with copper Ka radiation. From the results of the high-temperature X-ray diffraction patterns it can be concluded that chromium exists only in the bcc form, and that no eutectoid reaction occurs in the Cr-Ni system in the temperature interval 900" to 1400°C. The X-ray diffraction patterns are in agreement with the Cr-Ni phase diagram of Bechtoldt and Vacher, and Williams. It is possible that chromium undergoes one or more allotropic transformations between room temperature and its melting point. Most of the evidence was gathered from the study of the chromium-rich ends of the Cr-Ni and Cr-Fe binary systems. All the investigations rely heavily on indirect methods: thermal analysis, electrical resistivity, and micro-graphic inspection of quenched samples. In the present work the chromium-rich side of the Cr-Ni and Cr-Fe binary systems is studied, using high-temperature X-ray diffraction techniques. Thus the coexistent structures can be observed directly at temperature. PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS ~ansenl shows two possible Cr-Ni phase diagrams 1) a simple eutectic [Liquid =a-Cr(bcc) + y-Ni(fcc)], 2) a eutectic [Liquid+ P-Cr(fcc) + y-Ni(fcc)] and euctectoid [p-Cr(fcc) ==a-Cr(bcc) + yNi(fcc)]. The latter is based on the work of Grant and co-workers.2 Stein and rant'" placed the eutectoid composition at 1215°C and 68 wt pct Cr; their diagram is shown in Fig. l. Similarly, Sully3 also discusses the two proposed diagrams. Price and Grant,4 working on an isothermal section of the Cr-Ni- Fe ternary diagram at 1300°C, made no mention of a ß-chromium phase (fcc). The ß-chromium structure was also reported by Misencik 5 in the Cr-Nb(Cb) system. Williams 6 studied the Cr-Ni system using precipitation techniques. His work included the chromium and nickel solvus lines below 1250°C. He reported no ß structure nor any eutectoid reaction. The solvus lines which he produced were very similar to those of Jette, et al 7 below 1000°C. He concluded that Grant and coworkers2 had misinterpreted their data, and that effects which they had reported were actually due to the rapid and extensive precipitation of the nickel-rich phase. Bechtoldt and vacher8 used sintered powdered alloy compacts in an attempt to find the ß phase. They used metallographic and room-temperature X-ray diffraction techniques and also failed to detect the fcc chromium phase. They attributed the low slope of the chromium solvus at approximately 1150°C as the probable cause of the abundant precipitation obtained. They also stated that the precipitation was the probable cause for the abrupt discontinuities in the thermal analysis and electrical resistivity data which led to the conclusion that a eutectoid reaction existed. Fig. 1 also shows their diagram. Grigor'ev and coworkers9 investigated the polymorphic changes of chromium in the Cr-Ni phase diagram. Using standard microstructural and thermal analysis techniques, they published a phase diagram which contained five polymorphic forms of pure chromium and four eutectoid reactions. They stated that the room-temperature bcc chromium transformed to a fcc structure at 930°C, to bcc at 1300°C, to hcp at 1650oC, and then finally to bcc at 1830°C. The eutectoid reactions were placed at 850°, 960o, 1140°, and 1220°C. Also to be noted was the fact that the uppermost phase, the bcc above 1830°C, was different from the upper phase of Grant and coworkers,2 the fcc above 1840°C. Their eutectoid reactions, temperatures and compositions fall

Jan 1, 1963

By Clyde E. Williams

MUCH has been said recently concerning the depletion of the Lake Superior iron ore re- serves. Estimates given indicate a total life of the present known reserves of twenty to thirty years. Some argue that there is no need to concern ourselves about the possible depletion of the Lake Superior iron ore supply because foreign ores can be brought in to this country at a lower price than rich agglomerated ore can be produced from the lean domestic ores. Some fear, as a result of this, a displacement of the steel business from present districts to the Atlantic seaboard. Others show that foreign ores will be brought to interior points via the projected Great Lakes-St. Lawrence waterway. Others believe that the South, given better freight rates, will extend its iron and steel market into northern territory.

Jan 1, 1931

By Carroll F. Hardy

The day by day loss of industrial plants to gas and oil is chiefly by default. The coal industry is not selling its superior economy, safety, and other advantages to its customers. THE position of the coal industry has been affected by a wide variety of developments in the production and use of energy. The tempo of development and change has been increasing and the end is not in sight. Legislation is currently being proposed for commercial use of atomic power, and the employment of atomic energy in significant quantity will probably occur about the same time as the decline in production of petroleum and natural gas. But these developments are in the future and have little immediate effect on utilization and marketing of coal. While no one should try to suppress or retard the development of a new and economical source of energy, both the coal and private utility industry should be allowed to question how the nuclear power is to be used, who is to use it, and who is going to pay for it. The taxpayers have a monopoly on fissionable material and the knowledge to employ it. Any commercial use must stem from this source. It is not hard to visualize either taxpayer-subsidized private utility atomic power plants on one hand and super TVA's on the other. In view of the gains of gas and oil in the home heating field, it is interesting to compare the 1940 and 1950 census reports on the kind of fuel used for heating in occupied dwelling units. Table I shows that whereas coal provided 77 pct of the fuel for central heating (furnaces and boilers) in 1940, it was down to 45.4 pct in 1950. However, only about 1 1½ million units were lost in this 10-year period. In the non-central heating category, which principally includes stoves, the percentage declined from 39.2 to 25.6, but the units declined about 2½ million in number. The big increase was in heating units designed to burn gas and oil. Use of wood for central heating declined about one-third. Data on amount of fuels used for residential heating are not available, but information is on hand for residential and comnlercial space heating, see Table 11. Commercial space heating includes office buildings, churches, schools. and similar structures. The annual use of bituminous coal in these two categories declined about 1 million tons in the 10-year period. Other forms of solid fuel showed greater losses, except wood, which remained the same. Domestic stokers reached their high point in 1948 with about 1,200,000 in use. At the end of 1951 there were approximately 1,116,790 stokers in use. Conversions to gas and oil have been from hand-fired heating plants in the ratio of about 7 to 1 compared to stokers. In other words, for every one stoker which has been converted to gas or oil, seven hand-fired units have been converted to gas or oil. A bare recital of these data would indicate that the coal industry is holding its own reasonably well. However, 93.4 pct of the new homes built in 1951 were heated by gas or oil. Oil-burning equipment was installed in 37.8 pct and gas equipment in 55.6 pct of the new homes. This indicates that the public prefers gas when it is available, and that oil is second choice, with all forms of solid fuel apparently used when it is unavoidable. It must be pointed out, however, that during the period of rapid expansion of gas pipelines gas has been sold for house heating at prices that are in some cases actually lower than coal prices, or very nearly on a par. Gas has been sold at wells at far below the comparable price for oil produced from the same wells, and far below its actual worth. This situation is being remedied at the present time by increases in gas prices at the wells. For example, the wellhead price of gas in Texas averaged 7.494 per Mcf in 1952. In 1949 it was 4.59c per Mcf. This increase in price is being reflected in pipeline gas prices, and in most of the markets served by the pipelines the tendency is to get it out of the bargain basement type of sales. The American Gas Association estimates that at the end of 1952 there were in the United States about 11 million customers for gas house-heating, and the Association expects additional gains each year until around 18 million homes will be heated by gas in 1975. By 1975 there should be 60 million dwelling units to be heated in the United States, if dwelling units increase at the same rate as the population. If the gas industry heats 18 million dwelling units by that time, this still leaves 42 million units to be heated by some other fuel. If oil is used to heat 18 million dwelling units in that same year, 24 million would of necessity be heated by coal, coke, wood, electricity, or another fuel. The total number of dwelling units using coal listed in the 1950 Census was 18,776,000, so it would appear that coal has a chance at least to stand still in the tonnage sold for domestic use. In the first quarter of 1953, 2044 domestic stokers

Jan 1, 1955

By K. Winterton

The effect of a near-saturation unidirectional magnetic field was to decrease slightly the endurance life in Armco iron in the annealed condition. This is expected since the energy-absorbing mechanism associated with domain wall movemenfs is inhibited bv the strong field. THE factors determining failure under dynamic loading are not yet clearly recognized. One of the properties of a metal which might be thought to influence fatigue life is its damping capacity. Foppl1 conducted an alternating torsion test at a frequency of 700 cpm continuously for a period of 3 years, without the test piece breaking or showing any sign of deterioration after 1100 Million cycles of stress; the rate of dissipation of energy was sufficient to maintain the test piece at about 100°C above the ambient temperature. cazaud2 concludes from this, and others follow him, that ('the capacity for dissipation in the form of heat by internal damping is unlimited" and that therefore "damping is not directly related with fracture by fatigue." Future work may necessitate qualification of this rather uncompromising view. It is shown later that in all

Jan 1, 1960

By A. N. Holden

A DISLOCATION mechanism has been described by Cottrell' by which metals can yield locally, I. form Liiders bands, giving rise to a characteristic stress-strain curve with a sharp yield point and appreciable strain at constant or decreasing stress. It is undoubtedly the best mechanism that has been suggested to date." In its present development, however, the dislocation mechanism provides a more satisfying explanation for the sharp yield point than for the extensive localized flow occurring at the lower yield stress. The primary objective in this paper is to extend the dislocation mechanism to account for localized cataclysmic flow by a dislocation collision process and to give experimental evidence to support such a process. Only the yielding of iron containing carbon -will be discussed, although other metal-solute systems are known to behave similarly. Cottrell Mechanism In brief, Cottrell explains the yield point in the following way: The dislocations in iron which must propagate to produce slip usually lie at the center of local concentrations of carbon atoms, since segregation about these dislocatlons relieves some of the local stress resulting from them. A dislocation surrounded by a "cloud" of carbon atoms is thus anchored, and a higher stress is required to set it in motion than to move a free dislocation. Considering all available dislocatlons to be anchored in this fashion, the iron exhibits a yield point when the first dialocations break free and move through the lattice causing slip. This first breaking away of a dislocation enables other dislocations to break loose by "interaction" and the process becomes a cataclysm producing local deformation or Luders bands. The yield point in the stress-strain diagram for iron is absent in freshly deformed material, but returns gradually with time; the phenomenon is one aspect of what is called strain aging. The rate at which the yield point returns following straining depends on the temperature of aging. According to Cottrell the rate of return of the yield point in strained iron is limited by the rate of diffusion of carbon at the aging temperature, the mechanism is onr: of reforming the solute atmospheres around carbon-free dislocations that had stopped moving coincident with the removal of stress. If the specimen is retested immediately after straining and unloading, carbon will not have had time to diffuse to, and re-anchor, dislocations and the yield point will not occur. The carbon diffusion limitation for the rate of strain aging apparently applies if the criterion for strain aging is either the change in hardness" or the change in electrical resistance" of the strained speci- men with aging time. The possibility exists, however, that the yield point actually returns to strained iron at some rate other than that deduced from hardness or electrical resistance data. Therefore, as a preliminary experiment, the rate of yield point return in a rimmed sheet steel strained 6 pct in tension was measured at 27°, 77°, and 100°C. A plot of yield-point elongation for each of these temperatures against aging time appears in Fig. 1. The aging process is described by curves which rise to a plateau value of elongation that seems independent of temperature, but at a rate that depends on temperature. Very long times lead to a further rise in the yield-point elongation above the plateau value. However, if the later increase in yield-point elongation is ignored and the log of the time to reach half the plateau value of elongation is plotted against 1/T, a straight line results for which an activation energy of about 25 kcal pel- mol may be assigned. Within the accuracy of this sort of experiment this is approximately the activation energy for the diffusion of carbon in iron (20 kcal per mol), and the carbon diffusion limitation suggested for the yield-point return on strain aging is valid. The Cottrell mechanism thus explains in a qualitative manner the occurrence of a yield point in iron and its return with strain aging. It fails, however, to explain some of the other experimental observations that have been made of the yielding behavior of iron. For example, it is known that the yield point in iron becomes less pronounced with increasing grain size. Annealed single crystals of iron have very small yield-point elongations .if indeed they have any,' compared to a polycrystalline steel. If the only requirement for a yield point is that the dislocations in the lattice of the annealed. material be anchored by carbon atoms, the difference in the behavior of single crystals and polycrystals is not explained. That a dislocation mechanism may be entirely consistent with little or no yield point in an annealed single crystal will become apparent later when dislocation interaction is discussed. Strain aging produces a definite yield point even in single crystals. This accentuation of the yield-point phenomenon in single crystals after strain

Jan 1, 1953

By Ross Blake

THE St. Joseph Lead Co. became interested in the Tri-State district in 1921 through acquisition of prospecting and development rights on approximately 20,000 acres of land extending northeastward from the Picher mining field, mostly in Kansas. Prospecting with churn drills was begun the same year and the first commercial ore body was found on the Jarrett tract at the then northern limit of the main Picher field. Operations at this mine began in 1923. Kansas Explorations, Inc., was organized in 1923 by the St. Joseph Lead Co. as a wholly-owned subsidiary to carry on its operations in the Tri-State District from an office at Joplin, Mo. As prospecting of the original acreage proved largely negative, attention was subsequently turned to other sections of the district. Numerous additional leases were acquired and prospected. The Company was successful in developing into operating properties the Jarrett, Isherwood, Robinson, Sullivan and Lotson tracts and, in more recent years, the Ritz, Snapp, Buckingham, Gibson and Jasper mines.

Jan 1, 1947

By J. P. Denny

The constitution of the Ga-In system was determined by thermal methods. An experimentally determined metastable equilibrium line (an extension of the indium-rich liquidus) was obtained. The various alloys were studied metallographically using polished samples obtained by a casting method. These low melting alloys required a special dry-ice assembly to maintain a suitable temperature. RECENT interest in alloys that are liquid at room temperature has led to rather extensive investigation of gallium-base alloys. Widely distributed over the earth, gallium could be produced in substantially larger quantities than at present, if a significant demand existed.' One study' has established its presence in 12 out of 14 zinc blends, in all of 15 aluminum ores, in 4 out of 12 manganese ores, in 35 out of 91 iron ores, and in all of 7 magnetite ores. It occurs as a rule in minute amounts, however, leading to high extraction costs. Recent quotations run from $2.50 to $7.50 per g. During the course of the present investigation, portions of the system Ga-In have been redeter-mined, and the results of this study are presented herein. Thermal and metallographic methods have been employed. Lecoq de Boisbaudran, the discoverer of gallium, conducted the first investigation" on Ga-In alloys in 1885. The temperatures of incipient melting, and of completion of melting, were determined at four alloy compositions. In 1936, Hansen' constructed a eutec-tic-type phase diagram for the system Ga-In, based on . work. The existence of a Ga-In compound was regarded as improbable by Hansen, and subsequent investigations are in agreement. French, Saunders, and Ingle3 conducted a more complete study of the system in 1938, using thermal methods. Their phase diagram is a eutectic type, containing a unique concave-upward liquidus. The solid-solution range of gallium in indium was reported as 9.5 pct by weight, and that of indium as less than 1 pct, at the eutectic temperature. The eutectic composition, determined as being bracketed by the compositions showing a true horizontal at the eutectic temperature (16°C), was reported as 76 5-0.5 pct Ga and 24 i 0.5 pct In. Experimental Procedure The preparation of Ga-In alloys is simplified by the low melting points involved. Various compositions were prepared by melting in pyrex tubes, using a cover of distilled water or parafin to prevent the alloys from wetting the glass wall. In all cases, the melts were homogenized. by stirring. Where possible, both cooling and melting curves were determined. The extensive undercooling of gallium was found to prohibit a satisfactory cooling-curve analysis of gallium-rich alloys, however, and transition points on the gallium side of the eutectic could be determined only by melting curves. The inverse rate method of thermal analysis proved to be most satisfactory and was used to a great extent. Various heating and cooling rates were used, ranging from 0.2" to 5.0°C per min. Low temperature melting analyses were conducted within a constant temperature bath, maintained at about 70 °C. The alloys were solidified (under water or paraffin) within a pyrex tube, using dry ice; the tube was then sealed within a cold Dewar flask, the unit transferred into the constant temperature bath, and periodic temperature readings taken. The high temperature melting-curve determinations and all cooling-curve determinations were made in a vertical tube furnace. At near-eutectic compositions, the furnace was placed within a refrigerated room held at —20°C. Accordingly, the furnace on cooling approached —20°C asymptotically and permitted the determination of those phase transitions occurring below room temperatures. Temperatures were measured with a 30-gage iron-constantan thermocouple, immersed directly in the alloy. To prevent contamination of the melt, the leads and junction were coated with Lucite, applied by painting with a solution of Lucite in ethylene dichloride. Electromotive force measurements were made with a Leeds and Northrup precision potentiometer, type 8662. The couples were calibrated against the boiling point. of water and, at lower temperatures, against a calorimeter thermometer having a Bureau of Standards certificate. The melting points of gallium and indium used in the present investigation were determined as 29.-77° and 156.1°C, in good agreement with previously reported values of 29.78°C° and 156.4"C.' The spec-

Jan 1, 1953

By J. W. Snavely

THE high tension belt conveyor is introducing a new and tremendously expanded era of low cost bulk material handling. High tension belt conveyors are generally those installations involving very long centers, high lifts, or drops, in which the belts are stressed up to their maximum tension values, and further, where the belt construction provides tension capacity far beyond what is possible with conventional belt constructions. With these high tension installations, the magnitude of the forces involved demands careful refinement of accepted design practice in order to achieve optimum balance of all factors. No attempt will be made to evaluate the relative merits of belt conveyor haulage with other means of transportation. For present purposes, it is assumed this has already been done in favor of belt conveyor. Neither will any attempt be made to evaluate the various conveyor belt constructions now available or to balance the advantages of various types of mechanical equipment. It is also assumed that the basic haulage information on which the conveyor design is based is accurate and complete. A sustained maximum, uniform load on the belt at all times must be achieved through proper feed control and the use of adequate surge storage to level the peaks and valleys of any varying demand for the material being handled. General Belt Capacity Considerations The belt conveyor capacity tables published by various belting and conveyor equipment manufacturers vary to a considerable degree, and the ratings given are quite conservative. Of necessity, these published ratings are based on the handling of average materials under average conditions. In applying a high tension belt, all possible capacity from the belt must be obtained in order to hold its width to a minimum and thereby limit the initial cost. Two factors are involved, loading to maximum cross section area and traveling at a maximum practical speed. Belt Loading: Proper treatment of the loading of the belt will result in maximum cross section to the load, and published capacity ratings can be exceeded, sometimes by appreciable margins. On the 10-mile conveyor haul used in the construction of Shasta Dam, California, although the rated capacity of the belt line was 1100 tons per hr, at times the system handled peak loads of 1400 tons per hr, almost 25 pct better than the rated capacity. One of the large coal companies has been able to exceed rated capacity by as much as 50 pct. Loading conditions which must be controlled are: 1. Large lumps must be scalped off and rejected or the load must be primary crushed before being placed on the belt. 2. The material weight per cubic foot must be accurate, must be known for all the materials being handled, and must be known for the complete range of conditions of the individual material being handled. Long centers and high lifts magnify small differences into serious proportions. 3. Uniform feeding to the belt is most important. Various types of feeders are available, which can be used to place a constant predetermined volume of material on the belt, or, where an appreciable range of material weight exists, through electrical control actuated by current demand, to place a predetermined uniform tonnage on the belt. One long slope belt in a coal mine in Pennsylvania is being fed at three separate stations with the controls so arranged that whenever the maximum load is going onto the belt from the first station, the other two stations automatically cut out. Whenever the load from the first station drops back, the other two stations again automatically cut in. 4. Careful design of the chutes and skirts is necessary to get the load centered on the belt with a minimum of free margin along each edge. Some free margin at the edge of the belt is necessary to prevent spillage, but if the load can be kept accurately centered, this free margin area can be reduced, and more material can be carried on the belt. What can be accomplished in this respect will vary widely, depending on the nature of the material being hauled. The chute and skirt design must also protect the belt. 5. The design of chutes and skirts should also get the load traveling in the same direction and close to belt speed, so that the load comes to rest on the belt as quickly as possible. The design of the chutes and skirts is worthy of careful study, and after a system is put into operation it should be experimented with to get the best results. Belt Speed: High belt speeds should be used in high tension work. Obviously, high belt speeds enable haulage on a narrower belt, reducing initial cost. The major portion of belt wear takes place at the loading point and around the terminal pulleys. The

Jan 1, 1952

By A. U. Seybolt, R. E. Honnemon

THE purpose of this communication is to present activity data of nickel in the Ni-A1 binary system that was obtained for oxidation studies in this system. This data has been calculated from previous aluminum activity data at 1000°C1,2 by two types of Gibbs-Duhem integrations. These results should be of particular current interest to oxidation studies of aluminide coated nickel-base superalloys3 as well as other problems. The aluminum activity of Steiner and Komarek1 is plotted in Fig. 1 as a function of composition in Ni-A1 alloys at 1000°C. The dashed parts of the aluminum curves represent our approximate extrapolations from the directly measured regions. In the terminal solution regions (a and L phases) standard parabolic solution functions of the following form are assumed: where i is the component subscript, Ki is a constant at a fixed temperature, and xi is the atom fraction. The resultant nickel activity curve at 1000° C from the Gibbs-Duhem integration4 of the aluminum data is shown in Fig. 1. The solubility ranges of the phases present in the Ni-A1 binary at 1000°C are also denoted at the bottom of Fig. 1. Corresponding values of the nickel activity, aNi and yNi, are listed in Table I at useful compositional intervals. including phase boundary values. The aNi and yNi data listed in Table I are subject to the uncertainties present in the experimental aluminum activity data1 and to deviations from parabolic solution behavior in the terminal solutions. The errors introduced into aNi and yNi due to the parabolic solution assumption are expected to be relatively small (<20 pct of the values given) in all the phases except the liquid phase. Some deviation from parabolic solution behavior in the liquid phase is indicated

Jan 1, 1970

By A. W. Fahrenwald

FLOTATION practice in Idaho is now about 13 years old. The advance has been steady during these 13 years. The operators have been alert to take advantage of the newest developments and they have themselves made a constant effort to improve their work. The metallurgical improvements are clue to the development of (1) better equipment, (2) better reagents, and (3) better understanding and control of the process. During the 8 years which the writer has been in this district, there has been continuous experimentation by several companies to improve the ore dressing by flotation methods. Gravity concentration has fought hard to hold its place, and although it is true that gravity processes have been improved during this period, nevertheless, in several of the important mills of the district the few tables that managed to hang on have finally given way. On the straight-lead ores, tables and jigs are still used; and, due to better classification, their hold on this job has been strengthened.

Jan 1, 1927

By R. R. French

Investigations were conducted by the lndiana Geological Survey for some dry methods of bene-ficiating low-grade gypsum ore. Seventy-two batch and continuous flow tests were performed with a roller mill, rod mill, pebble mill, electronic color sorter, electrostatic separator, and an air separator. Approximately 650 size analyses and 550 chemical analyses were performed during the investigation. Batch samples were tested by the Survey, and most of the continuous flow tests were handled by com-mercial laboratories. INTRODUCTION Although many companies producing gypsum have been interested in dry beneficiation, very little information has been published in the past. One of the most comprehensive investigations was reported by the Canadian Department of Mines.5 Other reports of interest have been published by the Canadian Department of Mines,&apos; the South Australian Department of Mines,2 and the U.S. Bureau of Mines.3 Some beneficiating practices, such as hand picking, selective mining, crushing and screening, milling, and air classifying, were already in use in the Canadian industry prior to MacPherson&apos;s investigations.5 MacPherson examined the effect of tabling, air separation, screening, flotation, electrostatic separation, calcining, washing, and various types of milling, in his efforts to eliminate dolomite, limestone, and small amounts of silica and clay from the gypsum ore. RAW MATERIAL Gypsum and anhydrite occur within the lower part of the St. Louis Limestone (Mississippian) in southwestern Indiana. Gypsum in single beds 10 or more ft thick occur at Shoals, Martin County; near Freedom, Owen County; near Bloomfield, Greene County; and in the Devonian strata of LaPorte County. Only the Shoals deposit has been exploited commercially. The western edge of the Shoals deposit is contaminated by a continuous bed of shale, about 1 1/2 to 2 ft thick, near the top of the evaporite and by thin continuous strata or irregular masses of carbonate rock. The low-grade material used in these investigations was obtained from the waste pile of the National Gypsum Co.&apos;s plant at Shoals. The waste ore averaged about 67.4% gypsum and was contaminated by various amounts of shale, dolomite, and limestone. All the material had been previously crushed and screened to minus 1 1/4 to plus 3/8 in. X-ray analyses of powdered, sedimentated, gly-colated, and heat-treated samples of the shale showed that it was composed of slightly structurally disordered illite, Fe-rich chlorite, and very finegrained disseminated silt. The clays and silt were partly cemented with carbonate material. Light-gray argillaceous limestone and gray or brown porous dolomite made up most of the carbonate rock contamination. Crushing Characteristics: The rate unweathered gypsum, carbonate rock, and shale reduce in size was determined by crushing handpicked samples in a rod mill and screening at minus 100 mesh (.0059 in.). Fig. 1 graphically represents the data. These data indicate that carbonate rock should be relatively easy to separate from gypsum, but that shale should be difficult to separate from gypsum by differential crushing. Controlled Samples: Eight rod mill tests of hand-picked samples of mixed gypsum and shale and mixed gypsum and carbonate rock were made. Sample weight and crushing weight were standardized, but the scalping screen size was varied from 3 to 10 mesh (.265 to .0787 in.) in order to obtain the optimum purity and recovery. The data obtained from the tests (see Table I) illustrate that the relatively hard carbonate rock allows appreciable beneficiation (13.6 to 18%), but the low strength gypsum and shale allows only minimal separation (3.1 to 7.5%).* Semi control led Samples: During the investigation considerable slaking of the shale was noted when the ore was subjected to alternate wetting and drying. As demonstrated in laboratory tests, as much as 76% shale can be removed by two cycles of wetting and drying in a 48-hour period with subsequent screening at .265 in. Five ore samples, stockpiled and weathered, were screened, rod-mill crushed and rescreened at .157 or .187 in. with excellent results (Table 11).

Jan 1, 1967

By E. A. Reilly, G. R. Gardner, F. P. Lasseter

THE methods that may be applied to the treatment of slurries and water, as these are related to practical coal-preparation problems, are concerned essentially with the movements of solids suspended in water. It is assumed that there are no fundamental differences between the principles involved in the treatment of coal slurries and the phenomena encountered in general mineral-dressing practice, and the latter are presented in some detail. Basic principles ,are correlated with present practice for both the anthracite and the bituminous coal fields, and methods are discussed which are designed to utilize best all the material subjected to treatment and suggest a sound approach to the solution of problems relating to the return of clear water to process or to streams. In order to approach the practical phases of the subject with sufficient understanding of the basic principles, it is necessary to discuss two types of phenomena that are applicable. The first is flocculation and the second is sedimentation. Descriptive matter is given covering the various methods and types of equipment employed to conduct these operations, with emphasis on their application to water and coal-slurry treatment. DEFINITION OF TERMS Definitions of terms are consistent with modern developments, and on form, in general, with their usage in mineral-dressing practice. Because of variations in coal-preparation methods, it is impossible to define a rigid upper limit of particle size for a coal slurry or sludge which will apply generally. Limits vary somewhat with the particular treatment method employed at a given plant. For purposes of definition, this limit is chosen as the particle size for which preparation methods such as Chance cones and jigs are usually dispensed with, and other methods, such as the Hydrotator, tables, and froth flotation, are employed. Generally the limit will be 10 to 6 mesh. In assuming this variable upper limit of particle size in a coal slurry, it is recognized that the size ranges discussed will duplicate sizes dealt with

Jan 1, 1943

By N. J. Grant, W. R. Opie

THE amount of hydrogen that will dissolve in lead has been considered negligible. However, a limited number of measurements made recently using apparatus built for determining hydrogen solubility in aluminum alloys&apos; indicate that liquid lead will hold a small but appreciable amount of hydrogen in solution. The apparatus used was similar to that developed by Sieverts.&apos; This consists of a bulb to hold the molten metal, a gas burette for introducing a measured quantity of gas into the bulb and a manometer for measuring the gas pressure in the bulb. Measurements are made by introducing enough of an insoluble gas (helium) to fill the system at a given temperature and pressure, thereby determining the hot volume of the bulb. This gas then is pumped out and hydrogen is introduced until the same pressure is reached, the metal being maintained at the same temperature while in contact with each gas. The difference between the volumes corrected for pressure is then the hydrogen solubility. A more detailed account of the procedure can be found in refs. 1 and 2. The lead was melted in an alundum crucible by induction heating to provide uniform temperature and an important stirring effect. The metal was the purest obtainable, 99.999 + , prepared especially by the research department of the American Smelting and Refining Co. Measurements were made by approaching the equilibrium value from high and low temperatures during the constant pressure runs, and from high and low pressures when the temperature was held constant. Thus a number of measurements were made on each of two large samples which weighed 336 and 398 g. The gases were purified as .described in ref. 1. The effect of temperature on the solubility was studied with the pressure held constant at 760 mm of Hg. To show the effect of pressure, solubility measurements were taken at two constant temperatures, 600" and 900°C. Results The effect of temperature on hydrogen solubility is shown in Fig. 1. The curve representing the data is parabolic, as are plots of hydrogen solubility vs. temperature for other metals and alloys (aluminum,&apos; copper," and iron,& for example). Fig. 2 shows the relationship that exists when the solubility is

Jan 1, 1952

By F. M. Lewis, J. F. Myers

W. I. Garms-—The authors state that when they added 11 tons of balls to the 45 pct volume ball load, the power needle did not budge. The question arises as to whether any increase in capacity accompanied the 11-ton addition. It is hardly conceivable that all of the balls making up the 11-ton addition were sterile. However, as the work done in the ball mill is not by kilo-watthours per se or balls per se but by kilowatthour-balls, it is possible that the kilowatthourballs in the mill before the 11-ton addition had a different amperage, voltage or robustage than those in the mill after the addition and that the overall outcome was that equal work was done before and after the addition. The authors can keep the efficiency that they got with the 45 pct volume 1-in. ball charge and get additional capacity by putting more kilowatthourballs to work in the form of the addition of 11 tons of 2-in. balls to the present ball charge, and subsequent makeup additions by weight of 20 pct 2-in. balls and 80 pct 1-in. balls. J. F. Myers (authors&apos; reply)-—Mr. Garms points his finger at the 11 tons of "sterile" balls added to the Tri-cone mill. A fact so interesting to us that we felt it should be reported. Clearly, ball slippage at the existing mill speed prevented any further transfer of power from the shell to the ball mass. We agree that the kilowatthourballs would increase, were we charging rough 2-in. balls as suggested by Mr. Garms. The assumption is, of course, that we would get a corresponding increase in work done. Our reported data (CIME meeting, Vancouver, 1946) shows a gain of work accomplished of 7.6 pct as we decreased the ball size from 2 in. to 11/2 in. and a further gain of work accomplished of 2.1 pct when we went from 11/2 in. to 1 in. The small ball results reported by H. R. Banks at Chapman Camp are also very convincing. In the case of 2-in. balls they would take the conventional ball path and start cascading. They would thus destroy the classifying pool over the "foot" of the

Jan 1, 1951

By J. F. Myers, F. M. Lewis

W. I. Garms-—The authors state that when they added 11 tons of balls to the 45 pct volume ball load, the power needle did not budge. The question arises as to whether any increase in capacity accompanied the 11-ton addition. It is hardly conceivable that all of the balls making up the 11-ton addition were sterile. However, as the work done in the ball mill is not by kilo-watthours per se or balls per se but by kilowatthour-balls, it is possible that the kilowatthourballs in the mill before the 11-ton addition had a different amperage, voltage or robustage than those in the mill after the addition and that the overall outcome was that equal work was done before and after the addition. The authors can keep the efficiency that they got with the 45 pct volume 1-in. ball charge and get additional capacity by putting more kilowatthourballs to work in the form of the addition of 11 tons of 2-in. balls to the present ball charge, and subsequent makeup additions by weight of 20 pct 2-in. balls and 80 pct 1-in. balls. J. F. Myers (authors&apos; reply)-—Mr. Garms points his finger at the 11 tons of "sterile" balls added to the Tri-cone mill. A fact so interesting to us that we felt it should be reported. Clearly, ball slippage at the existing mill speed prevented any further transfer of power from the shell to the ball mass. We agree that the kilowatthourballs would increase, were we charging rough 2-in. balls as suggested by Mr. Garms. The assumption is, of course, that we would get a corresponding increase in work done. Our reported data (CIME meeting, Vancouver, 1946) shows a gain of work accomplished of 7.6 pct as we decreased the ball size from 2 in. to 11/2 in. and a further gain of work accomplished of 2.1 pct when we went from 11/2 in. to 1 in. The small ball results reported by H. R. Banks at Chapman Camp are also very convincing. In the case of 2-in. balls they would take the conventional ball path and start cascading. They would thus destroy the classifying pool over the "foot" of the

Jan 1, 1951

By K. W. John, L. Mueller

The rock mechanics approach to stability problems of steep rock slopes dealt with in this article has particular reference to the concept and methods of analysis developed by the Salzburg, Austria, school of rock mechanics. These theories are based on the principal postulate of the anistropy of the technological properties of in-situ rock masses. The present approach, which is more in line with geological engineering concepts, differs distinctively from the soil mechanics and engineering geological concepts commonly practiced in the United States. PRINCIPAL ENGINEERING APPROACH TO GEOTECHNICAL PROBLEMS AVAILABLE ENGINEERING CONCEPTS At the present time two different concepts are available for engineering analysis of underground structures and foundations in different earth material: soil mechanics and rock mechanics. Of these two branches, soil mechanics is, after 40 years of initially revolutionary and more recently evolutionary development, well established. Its principal concept of replacing in-situ soils or rock masses by perfectly homogeneous substitues has resulted in many practicable methods of analysis which, if applied with judgement, have resulted in successful applications throughout the world. Conversely, rock mechanics is still in the early stages of revolutionary development. Few, if any, standard concepts or methods of analysis have been established. Opinions vary widely. At present the professional background of an investigator very often determines the engineering concept to be applied to a particular problem, rather than its actual requirements if considered objectively. This paper stresses the rock mechanics or geological engineering point of view advocated by the Salzburg group. A review of the soil mechanics concepts is considered beyond the scope of this paper. THE "SALZBURG APPROACH" TO ROCK MECHANICS The rock mechanics concept as outlined here was initiated by Stini, based upon work by sander.1 Since

Jan 1, 1963

By ALEXANDER L Hay, Alexander L.

THE Sydney coal field, the largest and most valuable in Nova Scotia, is on the northeastern coast of the Island of Cape Breton, extending from Mira Bay on the south to Cape Dauphin on the north, a distance of 30 miles, and has a general dip northeast under the sea. The field embraces the mining villages of Morien, Birch- grove and Reserve and the towns of Dominion, Glace Bay, Waterford and Sydney Mines. The city of Sydney is about midway between the northern and southern extremities of the field and on the western fringe of the productive coal measures. Sydney harbor crosses the coal field, cutting off direct rail connection between Sydney Mines and the greater part of the field to the southeast.

Jan 1, 1928