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By Oberlin Smith

It may surprise the learned metallurgists who read this paper to learn that, by a recent discovery, nails of good quality can be made at one operation, directly from the ore, at the rate of, say, sixty per minute for each operator. It should be stated, however, that the raw material referred to does not answer strictly the ordinary assayer's definition of' an ore. It is found, in strata of various thickness, in Harlem, N. Y., and other localities where the débris from restaurants and from sheet-metal factories of various kinds has been dumped. In other words, it is old and new tin-scrap—one of the few substances which this generation, mainly occupied in exhausting the accumulated resources of the past, seems to have laid up, by way of atonement, for the benefit of posterity. In speaking of this material as ore, we are simply looking forward, prophetically, to the time when our descendants may dig it. up and write learned papers for the American Institute of Mining Engineers upon the best methods of assaying and smelting it. At least such has seemed to be its destiny hitherto. It may fairly be said that the many attempts which have been made to utilize it by separating, through chemical or electrolytical processes, its two valuable constituents, metallic tin and first-class wroughtiron, have failed, either technicaljy or commercially. The reasons fur such failure need not here be discussed: Either the separation has been incomplete, the iron still retaining enough tin to spoil it for the sinking-fire, or other use short of re-melting (perhaps even for that), or the manipulations of the process have been too expensive to make its results profitable—or both. Meanwhile the great tin-scrap deposits have gone on growing faster than any other strata of our Post-Tertiary, Psychical Era; given up by metallurgists, not yet attacked by geologists, and explored only by that mining engineer of the transitional period, Gulielmus Caper. Before leaving these heaps of tin-scrap, however, to become mere mineral deposits for future ages, it may be well to consider a novel plan for their immediate utilization—novel, not only in its means, but in its principle. For it undertakes to use this material just as it is, without trying to separate its constituents at all, and to use it,

Jan 1, 1889

By R. E. Hudrlik, G. W. Preckshot

The diffusion coefficients of silver from solid silver in molten lead were measured to within ± 0.8 pet in a columnar type diffusion cell ower, the temperature range of 326° to 530°C. Fick's law describes the process up to 530°C where the laminar mechanism appareltly breaks down. These is negligible resistance at the interface as shown by mathematical analyses. The diffusion coefficients are found concentration independent. IT would seem that diffusion in liquid metals would be free of such effects as molecular structure, dissociation. polarization. and compound formation. This view was taken by Gorman and preckshot in their study of diffusion of copper from solid copper into molten lead. They reported diffusion coefficients which were independent of the concentration over the range of 478° to 750°C. They found that the Stokes-Einstein equation with constant radius of the diffusing specie represented the diffusion data better than Eyring's rate theory equation and Sheibel's correlation. The radius of diffusion was found to be that of the doubly charged copper. There appeared to be no resistance across the solid-liquid boundary. In the present work the diffusion coefficients for silver in liquid lead were measured over a range of temperatures of 350° to 505°C. The solubility of silver in lead over the range of 303° to 630°C was also obtained. These results are compared with calculated or correlated values or with data in the literature. EXPERIMENTAL Procedure—The experimental equipment techniques and procedures were those reported in detail by Gorman and preckshot9 and will not be repeated here. Measured values of WT, Co, A. L were obtained for various diffusion times and the diffusion coefficient was computed for the case of no resistance at the interface9, 11 by: WT/CoAL = 1- 8/p2 n=1 1/(2n - 1)2 exp[-(2n - 1)2p2 Dt/4L2] [1] or where there was resistance at the interface by: WT = 1- ?n=1 2h2/ap2L [sxp [-Dan2t]/[(h2 + an2) L + h] The roots an are those of the transcendental equation3 tan (an L) = Iz/cun. The diffusion coefficient is that defined by Hartley and Crank.7 The total silver in the lead cylinder and equilibrium slug was determined by a cupellation technique' with proper correction for losses. Analysis of known samples showed that this method is surprisingly accurate. The amount of silver in the lead adhering to the silver cylinder was obtained in the same fashion as shown by Gorman and preckshot.9 The small errors involved in this determination are not critical since the silver in this adhering lead layer is only 3 to 15 pet of the total diffused. Materials—Electrolytic silver containing 99.9+ pet Ag obtained from General Refineries of Minneapolis, Minn. was used for all but runs 7 and 8. For the balance of the runs this silver was reduced with hydrogen at 1100°C and its oxygen content was found to be about 0.017 pet. For the runs. 7 and 8, phosphorous-reduced silver of the same purity was obtained from Handy and Harman Co. of Chicago, Ill. The densities of the phosphorus-reduced silver and the hydrogen-reduced electrolytic silver were 10.484 and 10.487 g per cm3, respectively. These values agree with those reported for pure silver. Silver which was reduced at 900 C had an average density of 9.998 g per cm3, indicating porosity. This silver was used for a number of runs which were not tabulated in Table I. These are indicated by crosses on Fig. 2. The 99.999 pet Pb was obtained from the National Lead Co. Research Laboratory of Brooklyn, New York. DISCUSSION OF RESULTS The diffusion and solubility results are reported in Table I for eleven runs using either phosphorus-reduced electrolytic silver or hydrogen-reduced silver at 1100° C. The solubility data shown in Fig. 1 show the excellent agreement with that reported by Heycock and Neville.8 The data of Friedrichs5 apparently are in error. The experimental solubility data of this work are reported to 0.3 pet. The experimental diffusion coefficients computed from Eq. [1] are reported within 1.2 pet of the mean and are plotted in Fig. 2. These are expressed within +0.8 pet of the experimental values over the entire temperature range by: D= 8.26 x 10 -5 e-1925/RT . [3] There appears to be little difference due to the

Jan 1, 1961

By T. A. Rickard

Technology has no recognized rank in what is called polite literature; the subject-matter of engineering is not supposed to lend itself to artistic treatment; we are the hewers of wood and drawers of water to the high-priests of learning that live on the cold summit above our humbler dwellings. Therefore the hierophants smile at the notion of 'style1-" that curiously personal thingy-in technical writing. The "great art" of Pater, the "inevitable phrase" of Raleigh, the "note of distinction" that Arnold demanded are said to be beyond the scope, as they are supposed to be beside the need, of a writer on geology or engineering. This is a narrow view. Science, no less than belles lettres, calls for the best exercise of the human intelligence; the art of writing should be employed as skilfully and as earnestly in a description of the structure of the Sierra Nevada, or of the construction of a tunnel through the range, as in a rhapsody welcoming the rosy fingers of the dawn. The idea still lingers that fine writing does not befit technology, even though the masters of the Victorian period-Huxley, Tyndall, Ruskin-proved that science is worthy to be arrayed in the best robes that the looms of thought can weave. At the beginning of these lectures I quoted Barrie's remark touching the inability of the scientific man to express himself. That imputation has been passed to the technologist, whose utilitarian pursuits are supposed to make him too clumsy for the refinements of human speech. We may not have acquired the self-consciousness of those writers on Art whose "power of expression is so cultivated that their sensual caterwauling may be almost mistaken for the music of the spheres"; nor can we imitate the politicians, who have the ability to speak far beyond anything that they may have to say; but we too have a litera-

Jan 1, 1931

By M. F. Goudge, R. V. Tomkins

Sodium sulfate is an important chemical raw material that is being used in ever increasing quantities in modem industry. It comes on the market mainly in three forms: (1) Salt cake (Na2SO4), a relatively crude form of the anhydrous salt containing up to 3 pct impurities, and comprising about three-quarters of the North American production; (2) anhydrous sodium sulfate (Na2SO4), a refined form containing less than 0.3 pct impurities; (3) Glauber's salt, the decahydrate (Na2SO4.10H2O) containing 55.9 pct water of crystallization. Competing with salt cake from natural sources is byproduct salt cake from a number of industrial operations. For instance there is Mannheim cake resulting from the manufacture of hydrochloric acid by the reaction of salt (NaCl) and sulfuric acid in Mannheim furnaces; rayon cake, a high-quality product, resulting from the process of making rayon by the viscose process; chrome cake from the processing of sodium chromate to dichromate; phenol cake from the manufacture of phenol; also byproduct sodium sulfate resulting from the conversion of lithium sulfate to lithium carbonate; from the processing of sodium tetraborate to boric acid; from converting sodium formate to formic acid; and in the manufacture of cellophane. Sodium sulfate is also obtained as a byproduct in the manufacture of isosebasic acid. In addition strong competition has resulted from imports of byproduct salt cake from the chemical industries of a number of highly industrialized European countries. However in recent years due to technological changes the output of byproduct salt cake is rapidly diminishing and the natural deposits are becoming the most important source of sodium sulfate used in North America. For instance, the production of hydrochloric acid in Mannheim plants has become obsolete and thus the greatest single source of byproduct salt cake will disappear. Also viscose rayon is meeting strong competition from nylon and other synthetic fibers and production of byproduct salt cake from this source may do little more than remain at the present level. These factors together with increasing demand for sodium sulfate point to increased production from natural sources. In 1958, 36 pct of the total United States production was derived from natural sources and in addition 97,000 short tons was imported so that over 40 pct of the total consumption was supplied by natural sources whereas in 1953 the proportion was only 24 pct. The rapid growth in production is shown in Table 1. Principal Sodium Sulfate Minerals There are many minerals in which sodium sulfate is a constituent but those of commercial importance at the present time, and consisting wholly of sodium sulfate in either the hydrous or anhydrous states, are mirabilite and thenardite. Minerals of potential importance but consisting in part of compounds other than sodium sulfate are glauberite in which sodium sulfate is combined with calcium sulfate, and blödite in which sodium sulfate is combined with magnesium sulfate. Mirabilite (Na2SO4.10H2O) the decahydrate, consists of 24.8 pct SO3, 19.3 pct Na2O, and 55.9 pct H20. It is a colorless to opaque, soft, water-soluble mineral with a slightly bitter taste. It has a hardness of less than 2 and a specific gravity of 1.48. It forms long needle-

Jan 1, 1960

By Kenneth R. Hancock

Iron oxides are unique in that they are the only significant colored mineral found in a natural state suitable for use as a pigment after being pulverized to pigmentary size. The current world production of iron oxide pigments is estimated by the author to be between 499 and 590 kt (550,000 and 650,000 st) based on 1979 data. The fact that highly colored natural deposits of iron ore are found throughout the world accounts for its use in prehistoric man's artistic cave paintings. These early artists did not realize that they had established man's first paint test fence which now has some 20,000 years of exposure. In addition to abundance, constituting about 7 % of the earth's crust, iron oxides have the advantages of low cost, permanency, and are not toxic. Through the centuries, succeeding civilizations have utilized iron oxides as a major source for decoration and protection when coloring was desired. In the last century the chemical industry has improved on nature by developing a complete range of synthetic iron oxide pigments which surpass the pigments produced from natural iron ores in uniformity, color quality, and chemical purity. In the United States alone, the combined production of natural and synthetic iron oxides produced sales of over $28,000,000 in 1970 (Stipp, 1970) and increasing to $97 million by 1980 (Spinrad, 1980). Nomenclature With the increasing importance of the synthetic iron oxides it is necessary to make a distinction between the natural or mineral pigments and the synthetic pigments. Natural pigments are those products which are derived from selected ores and should not be confused with iron ores mined for steel production. Iron ores that are mined for steel must be capable of being mined and reduced to iron on a commercial basis. These ores are selected on the basis of iron content and processing economics. It is therefore unusual when iron ores for steel production are suitable for use as mineral pigments. Natural pigment ore sources are selected for their special physical-chemical properties and can command a premium price. Synthetic pigments, and in this instance iron oxides, are those pigments produced from basic chemicals. Through chemical synthesis pigmentary sized particles are produced as opposed to comminution, the major procedure common to all natural iron oxide pigments. Classification An important characteristic of a pigment is its color and, therefore, a logical separation can be made on this basis. A. Yellow Iron Oxide Pigments 1. Natural mineral origin a) Goethite b) Lepidocrocite c) Ochres d) Siennas e) Limonite 2. Synthetic pigments a) Goethite B. Red Iron Oxide Pigments 1. Natural mineral origin a) Hematite b) Siderite (calcined) c) Pyrites (calcined) 2. Synthetic pigments a) Hematite C. Brown Iron Oxide Pigments 1. Natural mineral origin a) Umbers b) Limonite (calcined) c) Siderite (calcined) d) Goethite (bog ore or sulfur mud) 2. Synthetic pigments a) Blends of hematite, goethite, and magnetite

Jan 1, 1983

By AIME AIME

DESPITE the fact that its membership is spread over every continent of the globe, the Petroleum Division was able to report a very substantial attendance at its meetings. Careful planning on the part of its chairman, J. B. Urnpleby, and his associates resulted in the presentation of a program that was of timely interest -and led to discussions that will unquestionably prove to be of major value to the petroleum engineer and to the oil industry in general. Scheduling of meetings so as to avoid all conflicts made it possible to obtain a higher average attendance at the several sessions* than in previous years, and gave everyone a chance to hear all of the papers that he was interested in. The chairmen of the various meetings are to be congratulated especially for their skill in handling them so that at .no time was there the least indication of lagging interest.

Jan 1, 1930

By Frederic A. Delano

In adding one more to the list of papers that have been presented on the subject of steel rails, I wish to explain at the beginning that in enumerating the steps in the manufacture which, I think, have an all-important effect on the wearing-qualities of the rail produced, I do so with no little hesitation. As a student in the field, I am anxious for the opinions of others, and have finally decided to ask for it in this way. I have not stated everything which I think affects, in one way or another, the life of rails, but have confined myself to those steps in the manufacture which I felt most sure did do so. Recognizing the danger of being carried away by enthusiasm, I have endeavored to make my assertions with caution, and to understate my case rather than to overstate it; but if I have succeeded in throwing a ray of light on this vexed question and placed it in the eyes of some railroad men in an aspect which they have not fully considered, my boldness will be more than justified. I. Uniformity in the quality of the material charged into the converter assists the attainment of uniformity in the steel produced.— This is the argument which is used by the champions of the cupolamelting or indirect process, and has considerable weight. It takes vastly more skill to make good steel if there is a great irregularity in the iron charged into the vessel than if there is not this irregularity ; but on the other hand, there are certain advantages in the direct method, such as a lower sulphur-percentage from the same furnace-iron, while it is possible to get as great uniformity in the iron charged by having the furnace-capacity enough in excess of the demands from the converting department, to allow for occasional " slips " in the furnaces, and permit the mixing of the iron from two furnaces which are respectively too " hot" and too "cold." 11. Care in pouring ingots at the proper temperature into warm moulds, and the treatment of ingots before rolling, have important effects on the rails made from them. In other words, many of the failures in rails and the uneven wear of rails are often traceable to

Jan 1, 1888

By B. K. Parekh, W. M. Goldberger

Silicon carbide (Sic), produced by heating rice hulls to elevated temperatures, contains a mixture of beta crystalline silicon carbide whiskers, particles, and unreacted carbon. The silicon carbide whiskers are 0.5 micron in diameter and 50 to 100 microns in length and have been found useful for reinforcing metal and other composite materials. The carbon can be removed by combustion, but this makes separation of the silicon carbide whiskers from particles difficult and a high grade whisker product cannot be made. However, a clean, high grade SiC whisker product can be obtained from the pre-burned converted rice hulls using physical separation processes that are based on differential wetting. Recovery of Sic whiskers from the pre-burned material was found to exceed 90%. A modification of the froth flotation process developed during this study is now being used commercially to separate silicon carbide whiskers and particles and to recover a high grade whisker product.

Jan 1, 1986

BECAUSE gold is a compound mineral praised by philosophers and all wise men as being of the highest perfection among all mixed minerals, and because of its great beauty, it is the universal opinion that it possesses extraordinary powers which are beneficial to man. For this reason it is the thing esteemed most highly in this world, after living creatures. Hence, I, too, in order to honor it, wish to begin by speaking of it now rather than of any of the other metals, and I wish in particular to tell you of its generation and of its most obvious qualities, for, although it is a metal very widely known and one that is desired and sought after by all kinds of persons, I know of few who take the trouble to find out what its substance or natural form may be. But, in order that you too may not be one of those who know it only by name or by the appearance that it shows outwardly to us, I tell you that its original and peculiar materials are none other than elemental sub¬stances, with the quantity and quality of each proportioned equally one to the other and very finely purified. From this union of elements which are of equal force there is born a pleasing and perfect elemental mixture,* and then after fermentation and decoction the elements finally become

Jan 1, 1942

By J. B. Cheatham, R. B. Paslay

Rock stresses and steady-state flow rates induced by the pressure gradient associated with the flow of formation fluid into a borehole have been analytically determined for a permeable, elastic material saturated with an incompressible fluid. In this analysis, the material properties and loading are considered to be symmetric about the axis of the borehole and independent of axial position. For Case I the material is assumed to have uniform permeability in the radial direction, whereas for Case 11 the permeability is assumed to have been reduced in a localized region adjacent to the hole by either normal well completion and production operations or deliberate plugging during air drilling. Results of a numerical example indicate that, in the absence of plugging, the rock shear strength must be approximately two-thirds the formation fluid pressure in order to prevent rock failure. The required rock strength is high for small radial zones of plugging and decreases as the region of reduced permeability becomes larger; however, a depth of plugging can be reached beyond which there is no real gain in strength, although the flow rate can be further reduced. INTRODUCTION During normal production of oil from a well, it is often desirable to increase the production rate of the formation fluid by increasing the pressure gradient through the formation adjacent to the borehole. Depending upon the magnitude of this pressure gradient and strength of the rock material, this production-rate increase can cause sloughing of the hole wall. In many cases, the production - rate increase can result in excessive sand production, increased wear of production equipment, lost production time and expensive workover jobs. In addition, the phenomenon of increased rock bit penetration rate with the use of a gaseous instead of a liquid drilling fluid has been observed in oilfield drilling operations and experimentally demonstrated by various investigators for several years. The improvement obtained by employing this technique can be quite significant and offers apromising method for reducing drilling costs. However, air drilling is currently limited to geographical locations where high-capacity water-bearing formations are not encountered. This limitation has prevented widespread adoption of air-drilling techniques, because the water influx into the borehole interferes with efficient removal of the drilling cuttings and usually results in a condition such that the bit becomes "balled-up" or stuck in the hole. In an attempt to remove the water - intrusion limitation from air drilling, various chemical and mechanical water shut-off methods have been proposed. Goodwin and Teplitzl suggested one such proposal whereby the permeability of the water-bearing rock structure was reduced in the vicinity of the borehole. Although the development of a shut-off method based upon this approach would certainly be welcomed by the oil industry, it is conceivable that, under certain conditions of the pressure gradient, strength of the rock material and depth of the modified permeability zone, a stress field can be created that will result in an unstable hole. As part of their study, an analytical solution is given for stresses in an idealized model of a hole and the surrounding rock material. The purpose of the present study is to extend the analysis of Goodwin and Teplitz to gain more insight into the details and consequences of excessive production rates and formation water shut-off. In particular, simplified models of these problems have been analytically examined, which makes possible the evaluation of the type of stress fields that can be anticipated as a result of these production and drilling practices. Both problems solved concern the determination of the steady-state volume flow rate of the formation fluid and the resulting steady-state stress and displacement distribution in a hollow, cylindrical configuration. The cylinder of Case I, corresponding to the production-rate problem, consists of a material with a constant permeability from the inside surface to the outside surface; the cylinder of Case 11, corresponding to the water shut-off problem, consists of a material with a constant permeability from the inside surface to an intermediate concentric cylindrical surface and a second constant permeability from the intermediate surface to the outside surface-

By W. E. Brigham, P. W. Reed, J. N. Dew

By Susan B. Leiter

That oxygen in copper has been a source of trouble is well known and that that trouble has been real in the commercial world has been shown by Fuller.' Moore and Beckinsale's paper2 at the annual meeting of the Institute of Metals in London, 1921, called forth considerable discussion. Prof. T. Turner expressed the opinion that it was not necessary to have cuprous oxide present in sufficiently large quantities to form either globules or seams in order to produce a bad effect if the copper were gassed. This brought up the question of the solubility of oxygen in copper and the authors desired to know whether there were any evidence of such solubility, because their experience was that whenever there was any oxygen in copper it was present in the form of free cuprous oxide, which was practically always in the form of globules. Later Hanson, Marryat, and Ford3 stated that 'for all practical purposes cuprous oxide may be regarded as insoluble in copper. However, they found particles of the eutectic to coalesce to form much larger particles. They suggested that cuprous oxide was actually slightly soluble in copper, for it was difficult otherwise to understand the mechanism by which such coalescence could take place. W. E. Ruder, in discussing that paper, said that his experiments had led him to conclude that a slight solubility must exist to allow for the ready coalescence of oxide particles, but conductivity tests convinced him that that solubility was very small. Nevertheless, there appeared to be a state of admixture of oxide with copper that closely resembled a colloidal mixture which at first was mistaken for a true solution and which usually existed at the grain boundaries. The purpose of this paper is to give the results of some investigations, begun in September, 1921, which would seem to show that although cuprous oxide may be only slightly soluble: (1) this solubility is sufficient

Jan 1, 1926

By G. Sachs, E. J. Riping

All ferrous alloys can be made brittle by straining at sufficiently low temperatures. However, the changes in mechanical properties for different ferrous materials with decreasing testing temperature do not appear to follow any universal law. In particular, complex effects of testing temperature have been observed if cold worked steels were subjected to tensile tests at low temperatures. EFFECTS OF PRESTRAINING AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE THE TESTING TEMPERATURE ON THE FRACTURE CHARACTERISTICS‡ A considerable amount of data has been presented by a number of investigators on the fracture characteristics of various cold worked steels.' These data usually relate to a two-step procedure first used by Davidenkov,² consisting of stretching by tension to a certain strain or " prestraining" at room temperature and then completing the tensile test, or "testing" at the temperature of liquid air. On the basis of data of this type made available to date, ferrous alloys can be classified into two groups with respect to their fracture characteristics observed on testing at a low temperature after prestraining at room temperature. Very complex phenomena have been observed for all annealed steels. On the other hand, some observations indicate that steels in certain other conditions represent a fundamentally simpler relation. In considering the effect of prestraining at one temperature on the properties obtained at some lower temperature, it should be expected that any cold work reduces the ductility retained in proportion to the magnitude of the cold work. However, the test data presented to date indicate that only heat treated (quenched and tempered) steels appear to conform to this expectation, according to the very limited test data in Fig 1, presented by McAdam, Geil and Mebs. This series of tests, Fig 1, shows that the retained ductility became smaller the larger the prestrain. However, this decrease is less than the amount of prestrain or, in other words, less than the decrease in ductility at the prestraining temperature. These effects of prestraining are fundamentally identical with those observed by Bridgman3 when a steel was prestrained (in tension) under hydrostatic pressure and then subjected to a regular tension test. It appears, therefore, that the basic effect of prestraining under conditions which yield a higher ductility than the (subsequent) testing procedure, consists of gradually increasing the total ductility of the metal from the initial low value of testing to the higher value of prestraining. On the other hand, all annealed steels, if cold worked by tension at room temperature and then tested at a lower temperature, provided that some ductility is retained, showed a far more complex behavior than that discussed above. This relationship is exemplified by Fig 2, for three pearlitic steels.4,5 These particular steels were selected because of the various shapes of their ductility-prestrain curves. All three steels, and any other investigated so far, suffered a rapid decrease in retained (and consequently also in total) ductility when subjected to small pre-strains. Then, after exceeding a certain prestrain it was generally observed that the ductility recovered.* This rather complex behavior of annealed steels may be tentatively correlated with the presence of stretcher strains at small restrains. Heat treated steels do not exhibit stretcher strains. This fact might possibly explain their simpler prestrain-retained ductility relationship. The destructive effect of these stretcher strains may possibly be associated with the presence of triaxiality, which may occur in any highly non-uniform stress and strain state (and which is retained as residual stress after unloading). Even a small degree of triaxiality may then cause a reduction in ductility, or even embrittlement at a sufficiently low testing temperature. The discussion presented above deals with the effects of cold working at a high temperature on the fracturing

Jan 1, 1950

By C. T. Sheeran, J. C. Franklin

A commercially available microprocessor-based system capable of monitoring 512 channels has been interfaced with monitors for radon, working level, air velocity, and fan power. The basic system utilizes both 280 and 8080 microprocessors in a desktop central processing unit (CPU). CPU hardware includes keyboard, video display (CRT), and disk drive; a printer is used to keep permanent data records. Signals from all channels are transmitted to the computer in digital form where they are processed for alarm status. Software developed for the system allows for audiovisual alarms in the event of low and high readings, rate change, change of state, or communica- tion failure. Up to six channels can be continuously displayed on the CRT for current readings. Shift reports and trend logs may be generated to help the ventilation engineer determine average working levels and ventilation effectiveness. Additional software permits the operator to program command sequences which may be used to automatically restart fans after a power outage.

Jan 1, 1982

By AIME AIME

LOCAL COMMITTEES. EXECUTIVE.-W. A. Lathrop, Chairman; R. V. Norris, Secretary; S. D. Warriner, Treasurer; Irving A.. Stearns, W. J. Richards, H. S. Drinker, C. D. Simpson. GENERAL RECEPTION.-Irving A. Stearns, Chairman. Archibald, James, Jr., Pottsville. Lawall, E. H., Wilkes-Barre. Ashley, H. H., Wilkes-Barre. Lentz, W. 0., Mauch Chunk. Ayres, WV. S., Hazleton. Lewis, Albert, Bear Creek. Beard, J. T., Scranton. Loomis, W. H., Jeddo. Bridgman, J. C., Wilkes-Barre. Markle, Alvan, Hazleton. Bunting, Douglas, Wilkes-Barre. Markle, John, Jeddo. Chase, F. M., Wilkes-Barre. Neale, J. B., Minersville. Coroner, Eli T., Scranton. Norris, R. V., Wilkes-Barre. Cote, E. B., Jr., Drifton. Oliver, Paul A., Oliver's Mills. Davies, W. H., Hazleton. Owens, W. D., Pittston. Davis, H. G., Dorranceton. Pardee, 1. P., Hazleton. Dodge, W. F., Wilkes-Barre. Quin, R. A., Wilkes-Barre.

Jul 1, 1911

By J. B. Knaebel, M. W. Von Bernewitz

OUTSTANDING FACTORS that have largely induced the current great interest in the reopening of old mines and the search for new deposits are the increased relative value of gold, the certainty of a market for it, and the decreased activity and poor profits in other lines of endeavor. It is easy to understand why a miner out of a job and unable to find any other means of livelihood would naturally take to the hills with his pan, pick, and shovel; but never before have inexperienced, would-be prospectors and placer miners materialized from the factories and farms, the haberdasheries, and the oil and gasoline supply stations, in such numbers as the last couple of years have witnessed, except when rich strikes of the proportions of a Klondike have been made. What, may one ask, has occasioned this condition? Unemployment has put these men in a receptive frame of mind, and newspaper and magazine articles have done the rest-- The Gold Miner of Los Angeles (a new weekly), The Mid- Week Pictorial (New York) for Sept. 3, 1932, and Popular Science Monthly for August, 1932, for instance. Even the Saturday Evening Post had an article on a promising part of Colorado. Stories that good wages may be had for the panning in nearly every western state have been featured by daily papers, popular "scientific" magazines, and quasi- technical journals. These tales have been eagerly grasped by thousands of people whose ignorance of mining has only served to increase their enthusiasm.

Jan 1, 1932

By George W. Powel

IN the nation's effort to raise its magnesium metal supply to meet the ever increasing demand, the Government is relying not only on standard established practice but has extended its support to developments not so well proved-at least, not commercially proved. Within the past few months considerable progress has been made, not only in the definite output of metal but in the exploitation of new processes, the successful adaptation of which should, in a reasonably short time, assure an adequate supply of magnesium. Recent months have also witnessed a reshuffling of the favored methods as well as of the likely raw materials, with the mineral dolomite gaining in interest over its richer but less abundant competitor, magnesite, while the lowly sea water appears to be losing ground to the higher magnesian brines of Michigan and western Texas. Every month sees a new alignment and there are signs that still newer methods or raw materials will be in use before the industry finally stabilizes itself.

Jan 1, 1942

By R. Wild, F. A. Wright

When a blast furnace has a certain defined burden and is operated under fixed conditions of blast temperature, etc., the fuel efficiency is determined by the extent to which the reducing gases can remove oxygen from the burden in the furnace stack. This is determined by two distinct factors: 1) The uniformity of gas-solid contact, and 2) The ease with which oxygen can be removed from individual pieces of burden. This latter is often called burden reducibility. When burdens were poorly prepared the first factor was by far the most important and a study of the reducibility of individual lumps was of rather academic interest. In recent years good burden preparation with emphasis on uniformly sized material has led to greatly improved gas distribution in the stack, and thus the second factor has become much more important and there has been a marked increase in interest in methods of measuring reducibility. This paper explores the Linder method of measuring such reducibility. The measurement of reducibility of burden materials must be carried out under conditions duplicating, as nearly as possible, those of the blast furnace stack. This is very difficult since the blast furnace process is a counter-current one, and thus the initial conditions encountered by the solid (gas temperature, composition, etc.) are the result of heat and mass transfer occurring lower down the stack. Any method of burden testing which does not take this into account is, at least to some extent, based on arbitrary assumptions. In an attempt to study blast furnace reactions under non-arbitrary conditions BISRA adopted the SCICE technique as a method of investigation. This technique has been used with a measure of success.' The SCICE technique, however, was found to be too slow for use as a routine test for burden materials and it was decided to construct additional equipment for burden testing. A test was required which would: 1) Be as realistic as possible. 2) Be quick and easy to operate. 3) Give some indication of the breakdown likely to take place during reduction in addition to a reducibility index. After a critical assessment of the reducibility tests which have been proposed it was decided to adopt the Linder test equipment and procedure as a basis for burden testing. THE LINDER TEST APPARATUS AND PROCEDURE The apparatus which was constructed (Fig. 1) was the same as that described by Linder2 except for minor changes in design. Linder also laid down a test procedure which he had derived from the results of investigations on Swedish blast furnaces. The variations of temperature and gas composition during the test were defined; these are shown diagram-matically in Fig. 2. BISRA's intention was to use the standard temperature and gas composition programmes for testing a variety of burden materials and also to investigate the influence of different programmes on standard burden materials, making use of information from the SCICE apparatus wherever this is possible. Up to the present, effort has been concentrated on the first part of the programme, and work on the second part has only just commenced. For each test 200 g of coke and 500 g of burden material were used. Linder had recommended that the coke and burden material should be between 1 and 1 1/2 in. and this was adhered to in early experiments on ores and sinters. Since the eventual aim of this work was to relate the test results to blast furnace operation, it was decided to carry out subsequent experiments using burden material in the size range used in the blast furnace, as far as this was possible. If the main interest was, for example, a comparison of the products resulting from different methods of agglomeration, then there would be advantages in using burden materials as close as possible to a standard size. After the charge had been placed in the reaction tube and this had been connected to the gas supply, rotation of the reaction tube at 30 rpm was started and the reduction programme was commenced, the gas temperature and composition being manually controlled according to the programme shown in Fig. 2. After the reduction test the charge was cooled in a nitrogen atmosphere. It was then removed from the reaction tube, the coke and burden separated, and the extent of burden breakdown assessed by screening it at 10 and 30 mesh. The extent of reduction was then

Jan 1, 1964

By Stanislaus Skowronski

OVERPOLED copper, as commonly defined, is copper which has been excessively reduced during the poling period of the refining process. Owing to its porosity, such copper is unfit for commercial purposes. The cause of this phenomenon is undoubtedly the lack of oxides in the copper, yet this does not completely explain it. Refined copper of the same "pitch" and "set" varies considerably in oxygen contents, and analyses of overpoled bars also show similar wide differences; moreover, it is possible to melt copper in crucibles so as to obtain bars that are practically free from oxygen although they show a "tough pitch" and "level set" surface. Frederick Johnson advances the following theory: The regulation of the quantity of oxygen in copper is the keynote of all copper refining. It is the presence of a Well defined proportion of oxygen in the form of cuprous oxide, forming a copper-cuprous oxide eutectic, Which enables copper to be cast free from blowholes. It seems that When oxygen is present, other gases are less soluble in molten copper; When oxygen is absent, or is present in insufficient quantity, the copper dissolves other gases, such as hydrogen and carbon monoxide, Which are insoluble in the copper when solid, and, being rejected during the process of solidification, causes internal porosity and external ridges and excrescences.1 The "level set" of Wire bars, etc., is entirely the result of a compromise between the occluded gases and cuprous oxide. With excess of the former the metal would be "overpitch" and spongy, While an excess of the latter would result in the metal being "underpitch" and brittle.2 The result of the absorption and subsequent expulsion of reducing gases, carbon monoxide and hydrogen, and the effect of this action. on the overpoling of copper are in dispute; the literature on the subject is full of contradictory statements and will continue to be so until better analytical methods have been developed. Sulphur, however, is tangible. The refiner can see it in his button sample and consequently attributes to it any trouble that may happen during the melting of the copper.

Jan 3, 1918

By Charles Will Wright

MINERAL production in almost all European countries suffered a sharp setback because of the war. Plants were damaged, transportation facilities disrupted, and labor dispersed and demoralized. Since the war, due to lack of confidence and economic stability, there has been little incentive to rebuild and expand the mineral industries even though a big demand at high prices exists for mineral products. Most mining and metallurgical companies in Europe hesitate to invest their capital because of the tendency towards nationalizing industry, high taxes, and low output of labor, as well as the deficiency of mine supplies and equipment within their countries. In short, they do not have faith in the future, and for these same reasons and fears most of the mining companies in America will not risk capital investment in Europe. In Europe, including the United Kingdom, free enterprise has been losing ground and as a result the foundation of their economic welfare is being undermined. American mining interests willing to take the initiative could help in counteracting this influence if a way were found for them to co-operate with the European producer without too great a risk.

Jan 1, 1948