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By Walter F. Bradley

CLOSE to 300 members and guests were registered at the Regional Meeting of the Institute in San Francisco. Oct. 3-6, and many other mining men were present at some of the sessions, but failed to register. Headquarters were at the Palace Hotel. Technical papers for the Metals Session were sponsored by the San Francisco Section, whereas the program for the Industrial Minerals Session was arranged by the Southern California Section. Walter W. Bradley, Chairman of the San Francisco Section, opened the General and Metals Session, introducing President Buehler, who gave a hearty welcome to those present. Clyde M. Eye, of the. Benguet Consolidated Mining Co., presented the first paper, entitled "The Economic and Strategic Value of Philippine Metals to the United States." In closing, he urged. that this country retain and control the Philippines because their large

Jan 1, 1935

By GILBERT C. DAVIS

ANY thought of Morenci naturally includes its sister town of Clifton, its gateway to the outside world. Clifton, the country seat of Greenlee County, is the terminus of a branch line of the Southern Pacific railroad from Lordsburg, N.M. Carload freight incident to the Morenci operation moves from Clifton over Phelps Dodge?s standard-gauge industrial railroad. Private freight must be hauled by truck. These two communities fell far short of supplying adequate housing for the personnel concerned with the new operations so a new townsite, Stargo, was developed adjacent to Morenci. Here 234 housing units with garages have been built and twenty similar units have been erected near the reduction works.

Jan 1, 1942

By C. W. Waidner

THE standard scale of temperature that it is attempted to realize in practice is the centigrade thermodynamic scale, as defined by Kelvin about the middle of the last century. This scale would be exactly realized with a perfect1 gas in an ideal gas thermometer, and is closely realized with the more permanent gases. From the departure of certain properties of these gases from those of a perfect gas, it is possible to deduce the amount of the departure of the temperature scales, defined by their use, from the thermodynamic scale. In nearly all the precise experimental work done during the latter part of the last century, it was necessary for the experimenter to establish his own gas-thermometer scale, and the labor involved in this was often greater than that involved in the prime object of the experimental work undertaken. The experimental difficulties involved in gas thermometry led to the establishment of temperature scales differing from one another by amounts considerably greater than could be accounted for by the differences in the properties of the gases used. Results were, therefore, expressed in terms of somewhat different temperature scales, snaking correlation of such results difficult and uncertain.

Jan 9, 1919

By G. F. Butterworth

The metallographic structures most frequently encountered in rifle barrels, and which are illustrated by the accompanying photomicrographs, fall naturally into two groups, distinguished by the method used to, produce in the stock a physical condition having the requisite properties. The fist group consists of "rolled" barrels; that is, barrels subjected to hot working by rolling in or near the critical range. In the second group, the stock, which is smaller in diameter than the first, is upset to form the butt end and is then heat treated by giving it a quench and a draw. These barrels will be referred to as " heat-treated " barrels. The structure of the rolled barrels resembles closely that of the same steel after annealing. There is the same network of excess ferrite outlining the grain boundaries, but the grains themselves are composed of sorbite rather than pearlite. The grain size is closely related to the rolling temperature. The critical-point curves of this grade of steel, which is approximately 0.50 to 0.60 per cent. of carbon and 1.00 to 1.30 per cent, of manganese, show a single very pronounced point between 1300" and 1350" F. (704" and 732" C.). Barrels rolled within this temperature range give an exceedingly fine grain, shown in Fig. 1. In fact, the grains may be so fine that, at a low magnification, they may be confused with the heat-treated structure shown in Fig. 6. A magnification of 500 diameters, however, will always resolve a rolled barrel into the characteristic structure shown in Fig. 2. As the temperature is increased, the grains are found to be larger. If, on the other hand, the rolling temperature is below the critical range, the structure previous to rolling will not be obliterated, the only effect of rolling being to elongate the coarse sorbite grains in the direction of rolling, Fig. 3. This distortion is greatest at the muzzle. Heat-treated barrels are quenched in oil from above the critical range, which should give a martensitic structure, Fig. 4, but the presence of some troostite in the martensite is frequently noted when the quench has not been sufficiently drastic, Fig. 5. The structure brought about by the subsequent draw is not so striking, though quite as typical. It is sorbitic or sorbito-pearlitic, and under a low magnification appears almost homogeneous, as in the case of fine grains of pepper and salt well mixed together, Fig. 6. This structure is substantially the same for all

Jan 1, 1920

"The mountains of Utah contain one of the largest deposits of high grade bituminous coal in the world. According to the United States Geological Survey, there are 13,130 square miles of land known to contain workable coal, and these extensive fields contain 196,000,000,000 tons of coal. More remarkable than the extent of the coal fields is the thickness of the coal beds. Over three-fourths of the output of coal in Utah is recovered from beds ranging from 8 to 17 feet in thickness, as compared to one-eighth of the output of the entire country from such beds. In 1917, Utah mined one-third of its coal from seams at least 16 feet thick, compared to one-half of one per cent of the total bituminous output of the country from like seams.Coal at Wales, in Sanpete County, and in the vicinity of Coalville, Utah, was, it is reported, the first discovered by white men in the state. Wales claims the distinction of having produced the first coal mined in Utah. Two men, who had been coal miners in Wales, learned of the coal from an old Indian chief who called it ""rock that would burn."" In 1857, the town of Wales was founded and coal mined, and in 1858 some coke was manufactured and hauled by ox team to Salt Lake City. South of Wales is Castle Valley, in Wasatch Plateau field. From 50 to 60 miles of the Old Spanish Trail from Santa Fe, New Mexico, to Monterey, California, lies in Castle Valley. The coal in this field may or may not have been known at the time the trail was used extensively. The first published reference to this coal, however, was made by a party of the Corps of Topographic Engineers in their journal for October 11, 1853.After the completion of the Union Pacific railroad in 1869, mining on a commercial scale was attempted. In 1876 the Utah and Pleasant Valley railroad commenced operations between Scofield, in Carbon county, and Springville, Utah county, and following the year 1878, when the Rio Grande Western railway began construction through the Carbon county field, development increased until in 1900, when large smelters commenced operations in Salt Lake valley and gave coal mining in Utah an impetus that first carried it to an annual output of a million tons. During the past fifteen years many new mines have been opened, and with the construction of the Utah railway, an exclusive coal road, from the properties of the United States Fuel company in Carbon and Emery counties to connect with the Union Pacific system at Provo, the state reached a maximum production of 6,005, l 99 tons in 1920."

Jan 1, 1925

By H. H. Stout

In the early fall of 1925, the writer was conducting, in the Ledoux and Co. laboratory, New York, experiments directed toward ascertaining the effect on its impurity content when cathode copper was subjected to a current of various gases at an elevated temperature below the melting point. The apparatus consisted of a vertical I-in. dia. silica tube about 12 in. long, heated on the outside. The cathodes were broken to pass 3/8-in. mesh, and a current of various different gases was passed up through a 4-in. long column of these loose cathode particles in the vertical tube furnace. Temperature was maintained to 1500º to 1600ºF. and the gas treatments lasted from 3 to 6 hr. The writer observed that whenever reducing gas (H2 or CO) was used, these cathode particles stuck together at points of contact with each other. The cohesion was so marked and tenacious that an examination was made of the fractured surfaces, when cathode particles were broken from the cluster. Crystal growth was always found to have taken place across the surfaces where separate particles were in contact, but only after all oxides, sulphates, etc., had been completely removed. The idea of a possible new process was then conceived and was disclosed to A. M. Smoot (V. P. Ledoux and Co.) with intent to obtain his views. The first conception as given Smoot was "to gas-clean broken cathodes, put them in an extrusion press, solidify and extrude them at around 1500ºF." Smoot's reaction, after a few moments considera- tion, was, "It looks perfectly all right to me.'' The writer and his assistants, W. H. Osborn and H. H. Stout, Jr., after conferring as to ways and means, decided to go ahead with preliminary laboratory experiments, which, it was thought, would move the new process from the possible to the probable. This program followed a course indicated by three basic considerations: 1. Since brittle cathodes were often unintentionally produced, it seemed probable that the laws controlling this type of deposition could be ascertained. 2. We had already proved the gas-cleaning feature. 3. There remained to prove: whether a sound, homogeneous metal billet could be produced with crystal growth established over the entire surface of each individual particle in the billet; and, if so, what would be the physical properties? Osborn arranged with Columbia University for conducting experiments in its research laboratory to prove or disprove the third item; Columbia assigned C. A. Phillipi, Jr. to assist in the project. A press with a cylinder 2 in. high and of I-in. dia. was used. It was surrouilded and heated by a resistance coil 01 Nichrome wire. Broken tough cathodes were used. Experimental Procedure The first run took place March 18, 1926. The resistance wire gave out when temperature of 1000ºF. was obtained. Pressure was immediately applied: perceptible ram movement stopped when 39,000 lb. per sq. in. on the copper was reached, with a maxi-

Jan 1, 1941

By Howard Scott

THE GREAT advances made in mechanical engineering during recent years through the use of alloy steels, as illustrated by the development of the airplane and automobile, may be ascribed primarily to the application of nickel as an alloying element. The ternary system iron-carbon-nickel has a wide industrial application and forms, further; the fundamental basis of the even greater class of the widely used quarternary steels such as nickel-chromium, nickel-silicon, and nickel-vanadium. As is not uncommon with such cases of virile growth in an industry, the application of the alloy steel in a largely empirical manner has outstripped its scientific development so that a fertile field for metallographic research still remains. In this field, the basic nickel steels require first consideration and are the subject of the present investigation, which is offered as a preliminary to the study of the more complex alloys of industrial importance. Of the principal tools of metallography-microscopic examination, determination of -mechanical properties, and thermal analysis-the last has developed much more slowly in its application to industrial needs so that the situation often exists that heat treatment operations are based on empirically determined temperatures; that is, temperatures determined without regard to the actual transformation characteristics of the alloy. This situation is undesirable as there is no uniform standard for comparison of results. It is due, outside the usual difficulties involved in temperature measurements, to the pioneer character- of much of the published work; to the lack of definiteness of the Ac2 transformation,1 particularly in low-carbon steels; to the failure to define operating conditions completely; and to the paucity of information correlating thermal characteristics with results of heat treatment.

Jan 2, 1920

By H. M. Howe, A. G. Levy

§ 1 Introduction.—This paper gives the results of our micro-graphic determinations of the position of Ae3 in a series of 14 hypo-eutectoid steels of varying carbon content, one of them very rich in phosphorus, and of SEe for one hyper-eutectoid steel. We have proceeded chiefly by noting the temperature at which the reabsorption of the pro-eutectoid element is found to be complete after a 30-min. holding, but in part also by noting the temperature at which its precipitation begins. Observations on these same steels by Messrs. Burgess, Crowe, and Rawdon, of the United States Bureau of Standards, are given in a paper1 issued simultaneously with this, while in a third paper2 one of us compares these data with those of earlier observers. These three papers are treated as one whole by numbering their sections, tables, and illustrations continuously, and by setting the folding plates of micrographs at the end of the last paper. The Composition of the Steels Experimented On is given in Table I. § 2. Notalion and Definitions.—Following Osmond's development of Tschernoff's notation, in which " Ac3 " is the upper limit of the hypo-eutectoid part of the transformation range as observed in heating up, and " Ar3 " is that same limit as observed in cooling down, and following the usual custom of calling the upper limit of the hyper-eutectoid part of that range " SE," we may go farther and call this latter limit " SEc" when observed in heating up and " SEr " when observed in cooling down. Further, we may call the equilibrium position of these lines, i. e., the position which they would have in pure iron-carbon alloys if all

Jan 1, 1914

By James V. Thompson

ENGINEERS from industrialized countries are frequently called upon to examine mining operations in primitive areas and make recommendations regarding mechanization and modernization. They often set forth with self-confidence, knowing full well that all that is needed is their experience and several shiploads of mining machinery, and at times they mentally provide the answers before the problems have been clearly stated. In primitive areas it is absolutely essential that the examining engineer spend enough time at the site to acquire a thorough understanding of what is being done now and why it is done the way it is. The objective here is to state in simple terms some of the problems that may be encountered, in- as much as solutions, if they can be found at all, will differ with each experience.

Jan 8, 1958

By M. G. Benz, J. F. Elliott

The austenite solidus of the iron-carbon system has been determined using a series of diffusion couples, each of which consisted of a specimen of austenite held in contact with a melt saturated with austenite. After the equilibrium distribution of carbon had been established by diffusion at a specified temperature, i.e. the austenite specimen had become austenite of the solidus conzposition, the diffusion couple was cooled, sectioned and anazlyzed for carbon. The solidus was found to be a straight line: A revised iron-carbon temperature-composition diagram is presented, COMPOSITION has a marked effect on the temperature at which austenite begins to melt and the austenite solidus of the iron-carbon system describing this effect has been the subject of many investigations.1-10 The significant results of these investigations are presented in Fig. 1. The experimental methods and purity of the materials used in them are summarized in Table I. In plotting the data in Fig. 1 no attempt has been made to convert these results to the International Temperature Scale of 1948," except for the data of Adcock,5 as this conversion would do little to reduce the uncertainty that exists as to the position and shape of the solidus. A point of major concern in evaluating these data is that the alloys studied, except those used by Adcock, were not binary alloys of iron and carbon, Table I. Also, it would appear that several of the methods did not permit equilibrium to be established through the system being studied. All that can be said for the results of these investigations is that they indicate only approximately the location of the solidus with the uncertainty as to its location at 1 pct C being approximately 100°C. The current investigation was undertaken to provide reliable data by which the austenite solidus could be established. It was hoped that information on the liquidus also could be developed at the same time, but experimental limitations prevented this as austenite segregated from the liquid on cooling. After a careful study of possible experimental methods and extensive laboratory tests, it was decided that the use of a series of austenite-liquid diffusion couples would provide the most reliable results. This paper describes the method and its results and also includes a complete iron-carbon temperature-composition diagram based on what are considered to be the best available data. EXPERTMENTAL METHOD The diffusion couple used for this investigation consisted of a small cylindrical pellet of austenite held in contact, at a specified temperature, with a melt saturated with austenite. The composition of the cylindrical austenite pellet was chosen to be approximately 0.1 wt pct C less than the estimated

Jan 1, 1962

By A. E. Nehrenberg

IN an earlier publication' it was shown that the.. shape assumed by a volume of growing austenite is inherited from the prior structure. The matrix grains of pearlitic microstructures are equiaxed, and austenite grows in an equiaxed manner in these prior structures. Martensite and bainite, on the other hand, have an acicular grain structure, and the austenite produced in such structures grows in an acicular manner. In the discussion of this paper' it was pointed out that in cold-rolled tempered martensite, austenite grows in an equiaxed, rather than an acicular manner. The results of an experiment carried out to arrive at an understanding of this behavior are illustrated by the micrographs. Fig. 1 shows the acicular microstructure produced by heating tempered martensite to a temperature within the Ac1-Ac3 range, 1350°F. When tempered martensite is cold rolled, then heated to the same temperature, the equiaxed structure shown in Fig. 2 is produced. A sample of cold-rolled tempered martensite heated at 1350°F just long enough for the formation of a small amount of austenite is shown by Fig. 3 to have an equiaxed (recrystallized) ferrite grain structure. The small particles of. austenite which formed at 1350°F in the equiaxed ferrite matrix are likewise equiaxed. Thus, the equiaxed growth of austenite in cold-worked tempered martensite is not a contradiction of the principles described in the previous paper, for the growth pattern reflects the matrix grain structure existing at the time of austenite formation. References A. E. Nehrenberg: The Growth of Austenite as Related to Prior structure. Trans. AIME (1950) 188, pp. 162-174; Journal of Metals (January 1950). 2 J. R. Vilella and R. A. Grange: Discussion of ref. 1. Trans. AIME (1950) 188, pp. 1378-1381; Journal of Metals (November 1950).

Jan 1, 1953

By H. Kazemi

An ideal theoretical model of a naturally fractured reservoir with a uniform fracture distribution, motivated by an earlier model by Warren and Root, has been developed. This model consists of a finite circular reservoir with a centrally located well and two distinct porous regions, referred to as matrix and fracture, respectively. The matrix has high storage, but low flow capacity; the fracture has low storage, but high flow capacity. The flow in the entire reservoir is unsteady state. The results of this study are compared with the results of the earlier models, and it has been concluded that major conclusions of Warren and Root are quite substantial. Furthermore, an attempt has been made to study critically other analytical methods reported in the literature. In general, it may be concluded that the analysis of a naturally fractured reservoir from pressure transient data relies considerably on the degree and the type of heterogeneity of the system; the testing procedure and test facilities are sometimes as important. Nevertheless, under favorable conditions, one should be able to calculate in-situ characteristics of the matrix-fracture system, such as pore-volume ratio, over-all capacity of the formation, total storage capacity of the porous matrix, and some measure of matrix permeability. INTRODUCTION The analysis of flow and buildup tests for obtaining in-situ characteristics of oil and gas reservoirs has received considerable attention in the past decade. Most of the available techniques result in reliable conclusions in macroscopically homogeneous reservoirs or in the homogeneous reservoirs with only certain types of induced and/or inherent heterogeneity (such as wellbore damage, etc.). In general, the greater the degree of heterogeneity, the less the reliability of the information deduced from the pressure transient data. A commonly encountered heterogeneous system is a naturally fractured reservoir where two types of distinct porosities occur in the same formation. The region containing finer pores may have high storage and low flow capacities. This is called the matrix. The remaining region may have high flow capacity with low storage. The latter region is generally the set of interconnecting fractures and fissures of the rock, and for this reason it is called the fracture. Ordinarily, we wish to obtain the permeability and porosity of each region and perhaps the frequency of the fracture distribution in a reservoir. Such information is necessary for reservoir engineering. Other information, such as wellbore damage, will be useful in evaluating possible remedial work for such fields. Few authors have suggested theories to aid in calculating the in-situ characteristics of a naturally fractured reservoir similar to what we have described above. Pollardl suggested that a naturally fractured reservoir contained three distinct regions: a damaged or an improved region surrounding the wellbore, and the two remaining regions the same as described earlier. He suggested that the flow was taking place from the tight matrix into the highly conductive fractures, then into the we wllbore region and finally into the well column. He concluded that the average pressure buildup in each of these distinct regions can be expressed approximately in terms of an exponential decay function of time. He also hypothesized that the decay coefficients for each of these functions were significantly different from each other; consequently, each of these functions became dominant in turn, in the process of pressure buildup. Thus, by a proper graphic plot of the logarithm of wellbore pressure differences vs buildup time, each of these functions could be determined (see Fig. 1). Pollard suggested methods of determining the wellbore damage and fracture volume. Later Pirson and Pirson2 extended

Jan 1, 1970

Adolph Greiner, Seraing, Belgium:—I have nothing special to add to Professor Hubert's paper except to say that there are some little things that it would be well to have corrected when the paper comes to be published. In dealing with the thermal efficiency of the engine, you will find that the 29.84 per cent. was a very high one. Professor Hubert has forgotten those engines built under the Cockerill type, but he has referred to them in Appendix 11. At our works at Cockerill we have built 63 engines, giving 63,000 h.p., and the other companies who have received licenses have built 113 engines, making 103,000 h.p., and aggregating 176 engines and 166,000 h.p. Eight years ago I had the pleasure of giving to the Institute the results obtained up to that time. Since then a good many engines have been constructed. In 1898 I thought a blast-furnace producing 100 tons of pig iron would allow 3,000 h.p. Professor Witz and Professor Hubert show that with the same production of pig the new engines take 3,800 h.p. out of the gas. At present at Cockerill we make 700 to 800 tons of pig iron per day, and we hope to have 26,000 h.p. in a few years. At present we have only half of that in gas-engines, but we hope to have in five or six years all the gas out of these furnaces to the number of 25,000 or 26,000 h.p. Tom WEstGarth, Middlesbrough, England :—My contribution is not a paper in the ordinary sense of the word, because I am sure you will agree with me that what I have written is only supplementary to the other two papers. The notes are schedules of the larger-size gas-engines built by British engine-makers, of 500 h.p. and upwards. If you look at the schedules you will find that in England gas-engines have become quite ordinary motors for a good many purposes. It was at first thought that gas-engines were troublesome, and ill-

Jan 1, 1907

By R. E. Ogilvie, N. L. Peterson

Diffi-lsion measurements were conducted at all compositims in the bcc solid solution of the U-Nb system employing incremental couples at composition intemals of 10 at. pct. Diffusion coefficients were determined by the Matano method from concentration gradients obtained with the electron-probe microanalyzer. The activation energy for inter-diffi-lsion as a function of compositim shows three distinct regions: 1) 80 to 100 pct U.6= 30 kcal per mole; 2) 20 to 80 pct U, $ - 70 kcal per mole; 3) Oto 20 pet U, Q = i40 kcal per mole. The frequency factor, fi0 and the activation energy $ were found to be roughly related by the following equation: log Do ^9.7 X IO-5Q -6,6. The Kirkendall marker movement indicates that DU is larger than DNb between 16 and 100 pct U and DNb is larger than DU from 0 to 4 pct U. FOR practical as well as fundamental reasons, the rates of diffusion in alloys are of considerable consequence. Most solid-state reactions are largely dependent upon the diffusion of atoms through the lattice structure and along grain boundaries. The high-temperature strength and reasonable nuclear properties of niobium have prompted its use as a reactor material in contact with uranium fuel. Hence, diffusion data for the U-Nb system are of considerable importance. In the previous diffusion study1 on the U-Nb system using pure element couples, reliable data were obtained only in the range of 0 to 10 at. pct Nb due to the large variance of the diffusion coefficient with composition. Also, a large Kirkendall effect and considerable porosity in the uranium-rich areas of the specimen were reported, which suggests that the true diffusion coefficients are somewhat larger. The purpose of the present study was to obtain reliable diffusion coefficients at all compositions using incremental diffusion couples with intervals of 10 at. pct. In view of the abnormal self-diffusion be- havior of y uranium2-4 and some other bcc transition elements,&apos;-&apos; it was felt that a comparison of the interdiffusion coefficients in the bcc U-Nb system with those of Reynolds et al.9 for the fcc gold-nickel system might shed some light on the diffusion mechanism involved. Both systems have similar phase diagrams, in that complete solid solubility exists above a miscibility gap. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The uranium used in this investigation was obtained through the courtesy of Argonne National Laboratory. An analysis of this material detected only Si-30, A1-7, C-6, N < 10 and 0-18 ppm. The niobium was electron-beam melted material obtained from Stauffer-Temescal. The gaseous impurities were less than 50 ppm, and the spec troc hemical analysis showed Ta-500 and W-200 ppm. U-Nb alloys were prepared at composition intervals of 10 at. pct by melting the appropriate amounts of the pure elements in an arc furnace. The buttons were inverted and remelted 6 times to assure complete mixing. The buttons were then wrapped in molybdenum foil, canned in Zircaloy-2 or stainless steel, and hot rolled 30 pct reduction in thickness at temperatures between 850" and 1100°C. Alloys with 10, 20, 30, 40, and 90 at. pct Nb rolled quite easily under these conditions, but the 50, 60, 70, and 80 pct alloys remained brittle. After melting and rolling (when possible), the alloys were annealed for 24 hr at a temperature within 100°C of their melting point in a dynamic vacuum of better than 4 x 10-8 mm Hg. These treatments produced alloys which were homogeneous on a 1 p scale within the detectability limits of the electron probe. During fabrication, the alloys picked up as much as 100 ppm Mo and 100 ppm Zr. Other elements checked for but not found were Co, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Ti. The grain size of the annealed samples ranged from 3 mm for the uranium-rich alloys to 0.3 mm for the niobium-rich alloys. This permitted measurements of the concentration gradients in the diffusion samples without crossing more than one or two grains, thereby eliminating any grain boundary effects. The specimens were bonded by theU&apos;picture frame" technique as reported by Kittel.10 Specimens of composition b)U + (100 - x)Nb were sandwiched between two specimens of composition (x + 10)U + (90 - x)Nb after they were ground flat and parallel

Jan 1, 1963

By AIME AIME

ON MAY 22 the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers will commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of its founding at Wilkes- Barre, Pa., in May, 1871. The Directors have transferred the May meeting of the Board to Wilkes-Barre, and the Pennsylvania Anthracite Section has invited as many members of the Institute as can to be present at this time and to join with their fellow-engineers at Wilkes-Barre in the inspection trip through a portion of the anthracite district that has been planned. Ac- cess to Wilkes-Barre is easy, from nearby points, over excellent automobile roads, or by train. The distance from New York is only about 140 miles. , It is hoped to engage a special car for those travelling by train from New York, which will leave the Pennsylvania Station over the Lehigh Valley Railroad at 11:50 p.m., arriving in Wilkes-Barre the next morning. Return can be made from Wilkes-Barre by sleeper the same evening, arriving in New York Saturday morning. Other trains are available for those who prefer a daylight journey.

Jan 1, 1931

By Robert F. Mehl

PROGRESS in the general field of nonferrous physical metallurgy during the past .year has been uneventful but healthy. A continued increase is apparent in the number of useful alloys and in the mechanical treatment and heat- treatment of finished metals and alloys nothing can hinder the multiplication of alloys or the diversification of their treatment as knowledge of the behavior of .alloys increases; as ternary and quaternary alloys are better understood, hundreds of new metal combinations with unusual properties may well be expected. Evidence of rapid progress is already at hand.

Jan 1, 1936

By E. J. Roberts

F. C. Bond (Allis-Chalmers Mfg. Corp., Milwaukee) —This paper considers comminution as a first order process, with the reduction rate depending directly upon the amount of oversize material present. The data show that other factors should be taken into account, and it is possible that in time these may be evaluated as simultaneous or consecutive reactions: Development of the theory of comminution has been retarded for many years by the assumption that surface area measurements constitute the sine qua non of the work done in crushing and grinding, and it is encouraging to note the belated growth of other ideas. In the Abstract the term "net power" should be changed to "net energy." Throughout the paper the term "hp per ton" should be changed to "hp hrs per ton", or "hp hr t." The term "Probability Theory" in the title does not seem appropriate, since it is not clear how the probability theory is used in developing the ideas in the paper. There seems to be a contradiction between the large calculated advantages of closed circuit operation and the statement following that the closed circuit test results showed no significant change in grinding behavior, when compared with the batch grind curves. Tables I and II show that between 75 pct and 50 pct solids the energy input required decreases with increasing moisture content and may indicate the advisability of grinding at higher dilutions in certain cases. The calculation of the hp-hr per ton factor indicates an input in the laboratory mill of only 7.32 gross hp per ton of balls; this casts some doubt upon the accuracy of the factor used, since the power input in commercial mills at 80 pct critical speed is customarily much higher. The tests show that within fairly wide limits the amount of ore in the laboratory mill may be varied and a product of constant fineness obtained, provided that the grinding time is varied in the same proportion. This has often been assumed, and confirmation by actual testing is of value. The Cavg corrections for differences between the plant and laboratory size distributions do not seem very satisfactory, since in many cases the plant/laboratory ratio is farther from unity after correction than before. The following equation has been derived from the data in Table VI: Relative Energy (log new ball diam in in. + 0.410) Input = --------------—--------------- from which the relative energy inputs for balls of different sizes can be calculated and compared. The relative energy input is unity for balls of 2.715 in. diam. The equation indicates that the work accomplished by a ton of grinding balls per unit of energy input is roughly proportional to the square root of the total ball surface area; provided, of course, that the balls are sufficiently large to break the material. The data in support of this statement are admittedly meager, but are fairly consistent when plotted. The relative grindability values listed in Table VI for 200 mesh multiplied by 4/5 apparently correspond approximately to the A-C grindability at 200 mesh.&apos; It would seem that for open circuit tests comparable accuracy could be obtained much more simply by the old method&apos; of plotting the test grind, extending the mesh grinds to the left of zero time if necessary, and determining from the plot the equivalent time required to grind from the plant feed size to the plant product size, using the average of several mesh sizes. The en- ergy input value of one time interval could be determined by tests on materials of known grinding resistance, and this multiplied by the interval required should give the desired energy input value. The relative grindabilities would be the relative time intervals required for a specified feed and product size. When the plotted mesh size lines of a homogeneous material are extended to the left beyond zero time they meet at one point at zero pct passing. The horizontal distance of this point from zero time indicates the equivalent energy input required to prepare the mill feed. The author&apos;s results show that the closed circuit grinding tests give about the same K values as open circuit tests, from which he concludes that open circuit tests are satisfactory in many cases. The value of the closed circuit test is its ability accurately to predict energy requirements in closed circuit grinding for both homogeneous and heterogeneous materials. If the material is homogeneous, the open circuit test gives satisfactory results; but if the material contains appreciable fractions of hard and soft grinding ore, the open circuit tests will not be accurate because of the accumulation of hard grinding material in the circulating load. Since in most cases it is not possible to determine a priori whether the material contains hard and soft fractions, the closed circuit tests are preferable and more reliable. B. S. Crocker (Lake Shore Mines, Ontario)—Dr. Roberts probability theory of grinding is very similar to our log pct reduced vs. log tonnage method of plotting and evaluating grinding tests at Lake Shore. However, although we both seem to start at the same point we finish with different end results. Shortly after publishing our grinding paper (referred to by Dr. Roberts) in 1939, we did pursue the subject of the "constant pct reduction in the pct +28 micron material for each constant interval of time. We ran innumerable tonnage tests on the plant ball mills, rod mills, tube mills with 11/4 and 3/4 balls, and lastly pebble mills, with tonnage variations from 180 tons per day to 950 tons per day. We found that when we plotted the log of the tonnage against the log of the pct reduced of any reliable mesh, we had a straight line up until 90 pct of the mesh is reduced. We have also tested this in our 12-in. laboratory mill with the same results. We have used this method of evaluating grinds for the past 8 years and developed the recent four stage pebble plant on this basis. By pct reduced we mean the percentage of any given mesh that is reduced in one pass through a mill at a given tonnage (or time). For example, if the feed to a rod mill is 90 pct +35 mesh and the discharge at 500 tons per day is 54 pct +35, the pct reduced is 90 — 54/90 = 40 pct. If the feed had been 80 pct +35 the discharge would have been 48 pct +35 or pct re- duced 80-48/80 = 40 pct as long as the tonnage re- mained constant at 500 tons per day. Thus we can easily correct for normal variation of mill feeds. This log — log relationship derived from the tonnage tests of all our operating mills has proved of tremendous help in checking laboratory work and in designing alternate layouts or new plants. The difference between the log — log and the semi-log plot is only shown up when the extremes in tonnages are plotted. When the relationship between the pct reduced and the tonnage was first investigated, we used semilog

Jan 1, 1952

By Albert Sauveur

Jan 1, 1924

By Albert Sauveur

Jan 1, 1924

By W. G. Jewitt

YELLOWKNIFE, the most northerly Canadian gold mining district, is once more in the throes of a boom. Touched off by spectacular and well-publicized diamond-drilling results on the property of Giant Yellowknife Gold Mines, Ltd., mining companies and the general public are competing for mining claims and for the shares of companies owning mining claims in the area, with little regard for values. Such a stock-market boom has various unfortunate consequences but undoubtedly one beneficial result is that considerable amounts of money are made available for serious development. The Yellowknife mining area lies on the north shore of Great Slave Lake, in the Northwest Territories, at a latitude of approximately 62°30&apos; north. The topography is a low-relief phase of that usual in the Canadian Laurentian shield. Roughly, one third of the surface is lake-covered, one third muskeg or overburden, and one third is bare

Jan 1, 1944