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By Charles H. Osmond

The rapid progress of basic changes in refining processes, which has characterized this division of the petroleum industry during the last 7 years, slowed up in 1926 and the industry as a whole devoted itself to the enormous task of adopting these changes to its methods of manufacturing. If for no other reason, the year of 1926 will stand out as the first year of widespread activities in placing refining on a true manufacturing basis. A brief survey of each of the important operations and the trend of the changes with their economic results indicate the importance of this period of transition. No attempt has been made to detail the numerous activities in each of the major operations and the writer would refer those seeking such information to the various trade papers and the paper on "Basic Changes in Refining Processes," by Walter Miller.' Distillation.—-Distillation (excluding cracking) is the major item in refining. During the past year there has been a wide application of the improvements developed in former years. Operating costs have been reduced for fuel, labor and capital items. Practically all types of distillations are now carried on as semi-continuous or continuous operations, rather than by the old batch method. Heat-saving devices, such as heat exchangers, or improved combustion chambers, have had a marked effect on the total fuel bill of the industry. The modern pipe-still has been widely used and figures available show that approximately 10 per cent. of the older shell equipment was replaced by pipe-stills during 1926. The range of usefulness of this type of equipment has been extended successfully to the most complicated types of lubricating oil manufacture. These stills afford marked economies in fuel as well as labor costs, also many advantages in older plants where space is limited, as a single pipe-still can replace several batteries of shell stills. Capital expenditure per barrel capacity is decidedly lower and offers economy in this direction. Although there has been considerable discussion of other types of distillation equipment such as the vacuum still, there has been no appreciable increase in these installations during 1926. Cracking.—-Cracking equipment increased rapidly during 1926 as evidenced by the increase in output of cracked gasoline from an average

Jan 1, 1927

By H. L. Luo, W. Klement

By rapidly quenching Ag-Pt alloys from the melt, a continuous series of solid solutions has been obtained. At equilibrium''2 these fcc elements form a peritectic system, Fig. 1. Weighed amounts of silver and platinum powder (325 mesh, purity greater than 99.9 pct) were mixed for 24 to 120 hr, pressed into compacts, sintered at 1000°C in a hydrogen atmosphere for at least 16 hr, and then furnace-cooled. Because of the difficulty in achieving homogeneity in alloys containing more than about 40 at. pct Pt, the sintered compacts were induction-melted under hydrogen in alumina crucibles and then cold-rolled into wires. Small amounts ("30 mg) of alloys cut from various sections of the sintered compacts or rolled wires were heated to at least 50' ~ above the liquidus in an alumina insert held within an induction-heated graphite crucible; then the molten alloy was ejected by a blast of helium onto a lightly polished copper strip held on the inner periphery of a rotating wheel. The flakes thus obtained were typically 1 sq mm in area or often slightly larger for the silver-rich alloys. X-ray diffraction patterns were obtained with nickel-filtered copper K radiation in a 114.6-mm-diam Debye-Scherrer camera with rotated specimens. Lattice parameters and associated uncertainties were estimated from extrapolations against the Nelson-Riley function. High-angle lines were always resolved and spacings were computed relative to r(CuKa!,) = 1.540508 The details of these techniques have been discussed previously.s'6 Lattice parameters of the solid solutions are plotted in Fig. 2, together with the data of Schneider and Esch,' Johansson and Linde,' and Novikova and pudnitskii. Each of the present lattice spacings represents two or more independent determinations. The alloys were homogeneous within 2 at. pct of nominal composition as estimated from the uncertainties in the lattice spacings. Many of the mechanisms involved in the achievement of metastable solid solutions by rapidly quenching from the melt have been previously discussed. There is some evidence" that such solid solubility cannot be obtained when the liquid alloys are cooled

Jan 1, 1963

By D. H. Forbes, H. M. Manasevit, F. L. Morritz

Single-crystal thin films of molybdenum have been grown. by the pyrolytic decomposition of molybdenum hexafluoride in a hydrogen ambient on various insulating substrates at temperatures front 650° to 900° C. Single-crystal discs of various orientations of magnesium aluminate spinel, a aluminum oxide, magnesium oxide, and the natural facets of beryllium oxide were all observed to exert epitaxial control on the depositing film. Determinations of the crystallographic relationships existing between film and substrates have been made, using X-ray diffraction three-circle goniometry and Laue back-reflection techniques. Using these data, crystallographic overlays have been constructed which suggest a possible interfacial geometry on the basis of a match between metal deposit atoms and metal ion sites in the substrate. A continuing program has been in effect in the Auto-netics Laboratories over the past several years aimed at the development of electronic materials in new and useful forms using chemical vapor deposition techniques. During the course of these investigations, the epitaxy of silicon1"5 and tungstenep7 on single-crystal metal oxide insulators was studied extensively. The deposition of molybdenum is a logical extension of the tungsten work since the crystal structure is identical and the lattice dimensions differ by less than 1 pct. The pyrolytic decomposition of molybdenum hexafluoride in hydrogen was used to grow molybdenum films on the oxide substrates AlzOs, MgA1~04, MgO, and Be0 at from 650" to 900°C, depending on the substrate material. Under the experimental conditions to be described, monocrystalline films of controlled orientation were obtained. The materials investigated and their crystal structure are listed in Table I. EXPERIMENTAL The molybdenum depositions were effected by the hydrogen reduction of molybdenum hexafluoride (MoFe) in a flowing system of hydrogen at atmospheric pressure. The schematic of the apparatus is shown in Fig. 1. The hydrogen, purified by passage through a heated palladium thimble, was mixed with the vapor of the liquid MoFe maintained in a steel bottle at room temperature (25°C). The mixture was passed over the substrate, which was heated by rf induction of a sup-

Jan 1, 1969

Discussion of the paper of H. R. Barnhurst, presented at the New York Meeting, October, 1913, and printed in Bulletin No. 82, October, 1913, pp. 2523 to 2532. H. R. BARNHURST :-I would say that in that experimental furnace we were trying to adopt the proper form for burning low-volatile coal. I was enabled on one occasion to burn coke having 15 per cent. ash. Tailings, or washings from the preparation of coal for by-product coke ovens, which came to me 52 per cent. ash, were burned without any trouble. So that ash really might be regarded as not burning, but simply diluting the fuel that was there, without doing any particular harm except that we had to put in more of the material to get the same quantity of heat. With anthracite, I burned coal right along with from 24 to 27 per cent. ash, but it took a furnace of peculiar form in which the products of combustion had to be diverted to the point of entrance of the fuel. With an ordinary furnace the fuel is deflagrated by its surroundings as soon as it enters the furnace. In a cement furnace this action is secured by the hot clinker passing clown, and the walls of the kiln are heated upon contact with it, revolving as they do', so that deflagration occurs very quickly in a cement kiln. Deflagration would occur very quickly in an open-hearth furnace also. There is no trouble in burning anthracite coal under those conditions for three or four days successively. It should be very well dried and thoroughly pulverized. Aside from that, there is no trouble. WILLIAM A. EVANS,* Boston, Mass. :-In a 52 per cent. ash, or any high-ash coal, what disposition is made of the ash ? MR. BARNHURST :-Most of it went out through the flues. Some of it remained in the boiler and a quantity remained in the furnace. We raked it out and carried it away. MR. EVANS :-Do you experience the forming of stags in flues with such coal as that?

Jan 12, 1913

By F. C. Newton

RefineRs of lead by the Parkes process have always been solicitous of recovering the zinc used in the desilverization, and justly so, as the loss in zinc constitutes one of the heavy costs in this method of refining. Part of this loss is due to the absorption of zinc by lead, and in the present state of knowledge is not recoverable as metallic zinc. The remainder of the zinc, which finds its way into the precious-metal-bearing crust, is recoverable and naturally engages the operators' most exacting attention. Careful elimination of the impurities in base bullion has enabled the refiner to produce a zinc crust better adapted to retorting, which reflects favorably in the zinc recovery;- and to produce a richer crust, thereby lowering the zineking cost, as the increased efficiency of the zinc results in less of it being in circulation. It is obvious that if the ratio of concentration be increased, a lessening of the amount of crust formed will ensue, throwing less work on the retorts and diminishing the amount of retort metal sent to the cupels, thus making an actual money saving in all these operations. In the effort to obtain a rich crust, the metallurgist has increased the heat to a considerable degree, upon the assumption that at the higher temperature the zinc-dver alloy could be squeezed free from the adhering lead. A further possibility for improvement suggested itself in the freezing-point curve of Prof. H. C. Carpenter, upon zinc and silver. Study of this curve disclosed the existence of a definite chemical compound, Zn3Ag2, with a freezing point of 665" C., a promising compound for practical application. In the experiment undertaken it was endeavored to force this compound into the crust, hoping thereby to obtain a higher concentration than formerly. It was recognized that in bringing a large kettle of lead to such a heat, more fuel would be used, the life of the kettle would perhaps be shorter, and other disadvantages would be experienced. AS a commercial operation, the project would have to stand on its own feet,

Jan 1, 1915

By W. N. Best

THIS paper is not intended as a scientific discussion of the combustion of oil but is written from, the standpoint of an operator who has the experience and qualifications necessary to guide others in producing the most economic results in the use of liquid fuels. Oil, in this paper, usually, means petroleum or its products but incidental reference is made to other liquid and gaseous fuels, so that the term may be considered, as referring to all liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons in comparison with solid fuels, as coal and. wood. However, only a few of the principal factors in the use of oil as a fuel can be given. The present, and prospective, high price of coal is causing users of fuel to renew inquiry as to the merits of other forms of fuel for industrial purposes. Crude oil (petroleum) is proving to be one of the world's most valuable mineral resources. The recent discovery that oil underlies a considerable area of the United States, Mexico, and other parts of the world to a greater extent than was formerly believed and the large production of some of the wells in these areas shows the probable quantity of fuel oil that may now be available. Through the energy of Lord Cowdrey, who was one of the pioneers of the oil industry in Mexico, oil has been discovered in England; some prominent geologists believe that it may be found yet, in quantity, in Great Britain. For years, oil has been known to be of great value in the manufacture of metals. It has proved incomparable in forge shops, steel foundries, heat-treating furnace s, and wherever accuracy of temperatures is essential, or where a maximum output is desired as well as quality of metal. In some types of equipment, the output produced with oil as fuel is double that obtained with coal and, at a reduction of 50 per cent, in the cost of the fuel. For example, in drop-forging plants, the metal is always waiting for the man when oil is used as fuel, whereas with coal, the man must wait for the metal to become sufficiently heated.

Jan 8, 1920

By J. C. Bayles

It is seldom the privilege of one who contributes to the Transactions of a technical society, to describe a new industry in which, by processes employed for the first time, are attained results of conspicuous value. There are but few such patches of virgin soil worth the tilling, within the area circumscribed by the industries which have experienced a regular and uniform development. New and startling methods in production are often announced as about to be introduced; but, as a rule, they take their place among the " large desires with most uncertain issues," or give new significance to the historic words of an eminent statesman concerning " the bright beginnings and the bitter end of a halcyon and vociferous proceeding." In this paper I shall have the pleasure of briefly describing a new industry which has been established without announcement or proclamation — the manufacture of serviceable pressure pipes of great strength, from strips of steel or iron wound spirally, heated only along the overlapping edges, welded by hammering and finished into tubes of uniform diameter, and of such length as mag be found convenient in handling and transportation. As such tubes are now manufactured on a considerable scale, in a range of sizes which will soon include everything between 4 inches and 30 inches, and as much larger as may be needed, both process and product are likely to be of interest to engineers in all departments of professional work. The raw material of the industry is the ordinary sheet-iron or steel of commerce, of such lengths and widths as it is convenient to roll. The range of the ganges of the metal which can be employed has riot yet been determined. The lightest metal thus far successfully made into pipe is No. 29 iron, and the heaviest a steel gauging somewhere between 12 and 14. Heavier machines are now building which will bend steel .165 of an inch in thickness, or No. 8 of' the Birmingham gauge. Probably No. 20 or No. 22 will be the lightest used in making commercial pipes; hut the experiment with No. 29 was interesting as showing the readiness with which the flame can be controlled. To get a welding heat with such thin

Jan 1, 1888

By Leonid V. Azároff, H. N. Murty

In the course of investigating the soft X-ray absorption spectra of Ni-A1 alloys, Das and ~zfiroff' observed an anomalous brittleness in solid solutions containing 3 to 5 at. pct Al. The brittle alloys also had anomalously larger lattice constants' and the fine structure at the nickel K edge of an alloy containing 3.96 at. pct A1 unexpectedly resembled that of NiA1 more closely than that of a solid solution containing 5.51 at. pct Al. This led them to suggest the possibility that short-range ordering was produced during the homogenization anneal to which each specimen was subjected, similar to that observed in dilute solutions of vanadium and of chromium in nickel: as the principal cause of embrittlement. It was decided to repeat the above measurements on several alloys in this composition range in order to test the above hypothesis and to establish the effect of heat treatment on the alloys' properties. Three solid solutions in this range were prepared containing, respectively, 3.16, 4.00, and 4.54 at. pct Al, in addition to alloys containing 6 and 9 pct. All samples were annealed in vacuum at 1800°F for 100 hr and then furnace-cooled to room temperature, as in the original study. The lattice constants of these alloys are shown by open circles in Fig. 1 and can be seen to fit quite closely the curve established by the previously measured values, indicated by solid circles. (The experimental errors are of the order of the size of the circles, +o.oo~R.) The three alloys containing 3 to 5 at. pct A1 were found to be quite brittle, as previously reported. In order to test the possibility of ordering, these three solid solutions were again heated to 1800°F and, following a few hours at that temperature, were quenched directly to room temperature. All three alloys lost their brittleness. In order to verify the proposed ordering hypothesis, it was decided to subject each sample to several cycles of quenching and annealing (disordering and ordering). After some experimentation, it was established that reproducible results could be obtained by anneal-

Jan 1, 1968

By W. Klement

By quenching liquid alloys, single-phase solid solutions are obtained in the ranges 0 to 42.0 at. pct Co-Au and 0 to 15 and 75 to about 100 at. pet Co-Cu. Metastable solid solutions are also found in multiphase 42.0 to 49.0 and 69. 0 to about 100 at. pet Co-Au alloys. fie inability to achieve complete solid solubiliiies in Au-co and cu-co alloys is rationalized by a conszderation of the rate processes during cooling and solidification. Trends in lattice distortion and shifts in the compositions of the melting-point minima and critical points are discussed for the binary alloys of copper, silver, and gold with some of the transition metals of the first long period. By rapidly cooling alloys from the melt, a continuous series of metastable solid solutions can often be obtained for components of similar crystal structure which normally form eutectic systems.' The eutectic system Au-Co, Fig. 1, and the peritectic system Cu-Co, Fig. 2, were investigated in order to determine the extent of the metastable solid solutions attainable with the present technique.* EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES Most of the alloys were prepared by melting weighed quantities of the elements (purity greater than 99.9 pct) under hydrogen in alumina crucibles by means of induction heating. After reweighing, the alloys were cast under argon into 1 mm diam wires. However, it was not possible to prepare some of the Cu-Co alloys with the requisite homogeneity (over about 1 mm3) in this way. For these alloys, reduced powders (purity greater than 99.9 pct) were mixed for 12 to 48 hr, pressed into compacts that were sintered at 1000º to 1050°C for 6 to 48 hr under hydrogen, and then furnace-cooled. Alloy charges of a few mm3, cut from the cast wires or chipped from the sintered compacts, were heated to 1550º to 1600°C in 30 sec in an alumina insert held within a graphite support and then ejected by a pulse of helium onto a lightly polished copper strip on the inner periphery of a rotating wheel. The

Jan 1, 1963

By Alfred E. Hunt

The technical papers of the last few years give numerous in stances of serious failures by cracking or rupture of soft steel boiler plates, marly of which have satisfactorily passed the rigid inspection and tests required by both Lloyds' Register and the Board of Trade in England. I speak of the inspecting department of Lloyds' and the Board of Trade, for we do not begin to have as systematic and intelligent work regularly done in this country as is done by these institutions in England. Tension-tests of this steel have given from 65,000 to 65,000 pounds per square inch tensile strength, with from 20 to 30 per cent. elongation in 8 inches. Chemical analyses have shown the steel to contain from 0.12 to 0.15 per cent. carbon, from 0.25 to 0.40 per cent. manganese, and from 0.03 to 0.05 per cent. phosphorus. All of these tests are considered normal, and, in the words of one of our members, " boiler-plates with these qualities ought not to fail." There are, however, several causes of failure in soft steel plates which, although the writer does not presume to ascribe to then], or either of them, any particular instance, are still dangerous, and ought to be guarded against much more carefully than in usual present practice. These causes are: 1. The hardening property of all steel. 2. Insufficient work from the ingot to the finished plates. 3. Temporary fiber in certain steels. 4. Internal strains caused by unequal work upon the material. Hardening.-The writer, in a paper read before the Institute in October, 1883," made the statement that soft .steel, no matter how low in carbon, would harden to a certain extent upon being heated red-hot and plunged into water, and that it hardened more when plunged into brine and less when quenched in oil, and gave the results of one experiment, merely as an illustration of many which had all confirmed the statement made. The illustration was a heat of open-hearth steel made by the . writer, of 0.15 per cent. carbon and 0.29 per cent. of manganese, which gave (he following results upon test-pieces from the same 1/4-thick plate.

Jan 1, 1886

By B. D. Cullity

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

Jan 1, 1949

By R. Rocca, M. B. Bever

THE adiabatic elastic deformation of a body is accompanied by a change in temperature. This phenomenon is known as the thermoelastic effect. Under adiabatic conditions the temperature of a metal bar is decreased by an elastic elongation and is increased by an elastic compression. All materials which elongate on heating behave in this manner. The sign of the thermoelastic temperature change is reversed for the few materials which have a negative coefficient of thermal expansion. The following equation for the thermoelastic effect can be derived from fundamental thermody-namic theorems, as shown in the Appendix: dT8 =-a1/cs T dss [1] Cs In this equation, T is the absolute temperature, S is the entropy, a, is the coefficient of linear thermal expansion, cs' is the heat capacity per unit volume at constant stress and s is the stress (positive in tension). Eq 1 can be applied to small, but finite changes in stress in the following form: ?Ts =- a1/cs T?ss [2] The sign of the temperature change AT is opposite to that of the change in stress s for materials which have a positive coefficient of thermal expansion. Eq 2 has been verified for many different materials and stresses at room temperature. No previous publication appears to have been devoted to an in- vestigation of the thermoelastic effect over a range of temperatures. Review of Literature Lord Kelvin (W. Thomson) presented a general theory of the thermoelastic effect in 1851' and later applied it to a solid, subject to an arbitrary system of stresses'. His analysis was based on a cycle of isothermal and constant-strain transformations and led to Eq 2 above. Even today, one of the clearest expositions of the thermoelastic effect is found in Lord Kelvin's article on elasticity in the Ninth Edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica (1878). R. ROCCA, Junior Member, and M. B. BEVER, Member AIME, are Research Assistant in Metallurgy and Associate Professor of Metallurgy, respectiuely, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass. AIME New York Meeting, Feb. 1950. TP 2760 E. Discussion (2 copies) may be sent to Transactions AIME before APT. 1, 1950, and is scheduled for publication Nov. 1950. Manuscript received Oct. 15, 1949.

Jan 1, 1951

By R. A. Corley, W. R. Wilcox, J. R. Teviotdale

Chemical vapor deposition of hafnium carbide yielded whiskers, needles, dendrites, faceted crystals, and adherent coatings. The gas stream compositiom and the mass transfer conditions determined the habit of the deposit. The deposits were obtained at temperatures ranging from 1100" to 1800°C. HAFNIUM carbide has the highest melting point of any binary compound; therefore, its various potential applications are a subject of vital interest to the aerospace industry. The experiments described herein were performed to investigate the chemical vapor deposition of hafnium carbide with particular interest being placed upon the possible production of high-strength single-crystal whiskers for composite materials. In 1931 Moers 1 used a gaseous mixture of HfC14, Hz, and toluene to vapor deposit crystalline hafnium carbide on a tungsten filament heated to 2400°to 2800°C. More recently Lepie 2 deposited hafnium carbide on graphite using HfC14 and methane in a helium gas carrier. The pyrolytic depositions described here were accomplished in graphite tubes by using various gas mixtures and dopants. The resulting crystal habits included whiskers, needles, needle dendrites, bulbous dendrites, faceted crystals, and smooth, adherent poly-crystalline layers. EXPERIMENTAL The depositions were carried out in an induction-heated graphite tube, 1.2 cm ID, which was contained in a vertical 9-cm-ID quartz tube. (A more detailed account of the experimental procedures and results is given in Ref. 3.) Refractory oxide fiber and tubes and graphite felt were utilized jointly and singly for therma1 insulation. A typical temperature distribution is shown in Fig. 1. The reactant gases were introduced at the top and removed at the bottom of the tube. Table I summarizes the experimental conditions and results. Many deposition habits were obtained. X-ray analyses showed that they possessed the hafnium carbide structure. Almost invariably these formed well above the point of maximum temperature in the graphite tube. The habit depended strongly on the gas composition. In a series of runs (e.g., run A) using HfC14 and toluene in H 2, hafnium carbide coatings, Fig. 2, were reproducibly obtained at the position where the tube wall was 1400°C, and bulbous dendrites, Fig. 3, were

Jan 1, 1969

By H. J. Rahilly

MINE FIRES, in the Butte District, have been a source of trouble and expense for the past thirty years, for while the actual fire area in most of the mines has been comparatively small, the handling of the gas has generally been a much larger problem than the actual putting out of the fire. The chief causes of these fires have been: Defective electrical equipment, incendiarism or carelessness, and spontaneous combustion. While fires from the first two causes have been numerous, they have generally been discovered and extinguished before they became very serious. Spontaneous combustion has been the cause of most of the large fires. Sufficient heat has been generated by ground movement, high rock temperatures, and decomposition to set fire to inflammable materials (tarred ropes, canvas, dry timber, manure, and hay) left in the gobs some years ago. Also, the heat resulting from the oxidation of the fine broken sulfide ore is sometimes sufficient to set fire to the timbers. In 1906, a fire was discovered on the 1100-ft. level of the Minnie Healy mine about 400 ft. (122 m.) west of the Minnie Healy shaft, which presumably originated, in one of the upper levels, from spontaneous combustion. The fire was walled off by concrete bulkheads and a pillar of ground 100 ft. (30 m.) thick was left below and mining resumed underneath. During subsequent operations, this pillar became cracked and broken and the fire passed into the new workings. It travelled downward and spread rapidly until, in 1917, it had become necessary to wall off portions of the Tramway, Leonard, and West Colusa mines on the 1300, 1400, 1500, 1600, 1800, 1900, and 2000-ft. levels, and the top of the 2200-ft. raises were sealed. The fire area now consists roughly of a block 1000 by 1200 ft. and from the 600-ft. to the 2200-ft. level. This block is composed largely of a series of parallel northwest-southeast nearly vertical veins and stringers that form a large orebody, with no well-defined walls but badly fractured and faulted, and known locally as "Horsetail Ore." These veins, or orebodies, are mined by the square-set or the rill method.

Jan 2, 1922

By D. G. Westlake, E. S. Fisher

The habit planes for zirconium hydride precipitation in crystals of a zirconium have been determined at various hydrogen concentrations. The (10 • 0)planes are the predominant habit planes; some (10 • 5) and (10 -1) planes were observed after charging conditions which pevmitted formation of a surface layer of hydride. No platelets zrlere observed parallel to any of the twinning planes. Mechanisms for em-brittlement due to hydride precipitation are discussed. LANGERON and Lehr1 found, in 1956, that zirconium hydride precipitates in zirconium in platelets lying parallel to (10.0) slip planes. In 1960, Kunz and Bibbz reported observing the platelets in three different families of twinning planes, (10.2) {11.1), and {11.2), but never in the slip planes. The present study was undertaken to ascertain the cause of these seemingly contradictory results. EXPERIMENTAL Two specimens of iodide zirconium were used in the experiments. Specimen I was a single crystal, while specimen II contained three grains. Grain growth was accomplished by the technique of Lange-ron and Lehr. Three faces were ground on specimen I; the first was 2 deg from the (00.1) basal plane, a second was 2 deg from the (10.0) prism plane, and a third was 4 deg from the (12.0) plane. One face was ground on specimen II such that the poles of the surfaces of crystals A, B, and C were as shown in Fig. 1. After the faces were ground on 600 grit silicon carbide paper, they were chemically polished by dipping in a solution of 8 parts hydrofluoric acid, 50 parts nitric acid, and 50 parts water. This removed all cold worked metal from the surface. The samples were charged to various levels of hydrogen content by heating in hydrogen gas which had been purified by reaction with uranium powder. The various charging conditions are shown in Table I. Specimen I was heated to the reaction temperature at the indicated hydrogen pressure and allowed to react until essentially all the hydrogen was used up. Then the temperature was raised for homogenization. Specimen II was charged by making periodic addi-

Jan 1, 1962

By C. E. Mendenhall

THE word temperature has both a colloquial and a technical use. For everyday purposes of abusing the weather man, no very exact definition is necessary, but for the purpose of giving a simple summary of the physical laws that form the basis of practical pyrometry, something more precise is required. Beginning, therefore, with the common concept of "hotness" and "coldness," we must agree on a method of measuring differences in "hotness," on the unit to be used, and on the point from which measurements are to be taken. We shall then have a definite "scale of temperature," which can be used in all methods of pyrometry. But, as in many similar cases, it is much easier to define or describe something than it is to make practical application and use of the definition; so that much of our attention will be taken up with practical methods of realizing or applying the scale agreed upon. It was early observed that changes in temperature produced large and easily measurable changes in gases, which may be most simply separated into changes in volume (expansion and contraction) under conditions of constant pressure, and changes in pressure under conditions of constant volume. These changes are much the same in magnitude for the common gases oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen and also for the rarer helium and argon. This relative uniformity in behavior led to the suggestion of "the gas thermometer" and "the gas scale" as the basis for all temperature measurements. However, as methods were refined, differences appeared between different gases and different ways of using gases, so that Lord Kelvin introduced his more fundamental notion of the "absolute thermodynamic scale" of temperature, which he defined as follows: Given two bodies, say two tanks of water, at different temperatures to determine these temperatures on the "absolute thermodynamic," or Kelvin, scale, operate a thermal engine between these two temperatures, letting it take in heat from the hot body and give out heat to the cold, which therefore corresponds to the boiler and the condenser of a steam engine. The engine we may imagine as a cylinder and piston inclosing a gas and operating with the well-known Carnot or isothermal-

Jan 9, 1919

By Frederic Benard

PRIoR to 1936, the Ontario Refining Co. received all incoming blister copper from The International Nickel Company's smelter in the usual form of 460-lb. cakes, or slabs. These were received in open cars in lots of 250 pieces. At the refinery the cakes were unloaded onto narrow- • gauge cars, for convenient handling and pickup by charging cranes. In March 1936, an investigation was started on the feasibility of transferring converter copper in the molten state from the smelter to the refinery anode furnaces, a distance of 1 1/4 miles. Although common in steel practice, the transportation of blister copper in this form had not previoisly been attempted and a preliminary study of the various factors involved was therefore necessary. For this purpose, a series of experiments was made in which molten copper, removed at different stages during the furnace cycle, was held in a small portable holding furnace. This vessel was essentially a refractory-lined steel cylinder provided with ports for filling and emptying, heated by an oil burner. Dimensions of the steel shell were 3 ft. 10 in. diameter by 7 ft. 3 in. long, and thickness of refractories depended on the design and combination used for the particular experiment. The vessel was filled with approximately 2 1/2 tons of copper at a predetermined temperature, the lining having been preheated to a definite point by means of an oil burner. All openings were well luted and temperature readings were made every 15 min. by means of an immersion-type thermocouple. In this manner the rate of heat loss resulting with different refractory design could be developed. The ratio of exterior surface to weight of metal was taken into consideration in comparing the experimental results with what might be expected for a full-sized unit, and observations were also made on type and degree of slag accretion. It was not possible to get as much information on this latter point as desirable, but all evidence showed that the problem would be control of slag build-up rather than attack on refractories. From the information derived, and in consultation with the engineering staff of the supplying company, an order was placed for the first

Jan 1, 1944

By H. J. Rahilly

Mine fires, in the Butte district, have been a source of trouble and expense for the past thirty years, for while the actual fire area in most of the mines has been comparatively small, the handling of the gas has generally been a much larger problem than the actual putting out of the fire. The chief causes of these fires have been: Defective electrical equipment, incendiarism or carelessness, and spontaneous combustion. While fires from the first two causes have been numerous, they have generally been discovered and extinguished before they became very serious. Spontaneous combustion has been the cause of most of the large fires. Sufficient heat has been generated by ground movement, high rock temperatures, and decomposition to set fire to inflammable materials (tarred ropes, canvas, dry timber, manure, and hay) left in the gobs some years ago. Also, the heat resulting from the oxidation of the fine broken sulfide ore is sometimes sufficient to set fire to the timbers. In 1906, a fire was discovered on the 1100-ft. level of the Minnie Healy mine about 400 ft. (122 m.) west of the Minnie Healy shaft, which presumably originated, in one of the upper levels, from spontaneous combustion. The fire was walled off by concrete bulkheads and a pillar of ground 100 ft. (30 m.) thick was left below and mining resumed underneath. During subsequent operations, this pillar became cracked and broken and the fire passed into the new workings. It travelled downward and spread rapidly until, in 1917, it had become necessary to wall off portions of the Tramway, Leonard, and West Colusa mines on the 1300, 1400, 1500, 1600, 1800, 1900, and 2000-ft. levels, and the tops of the 2200-ft. raises were sealed. The fire area now consists roughly of a block 1000 by 1200 ft. and from the 600-ft. to the 2200-ft. level. This block is composed largely of a series of parallel northwest-southeast nearly vertical veins and stringers that form a large orebody, with no well-defined walls but badly fractured and faulted, and known locally as "horsetail ore." These veins, or orebodies, are mined by the square-set or the rill method.

Jan 1, 1923

By A. C. Fieldner, W. A. Selvig

Ash in coal has always becri regarded as an undesirable substance, as the heat content of a coal dccreases in direct proportion to its ash contcnt. It represents so much inert materid that has to be transported, handled when the coal is burned, and finally disposed of. W. R. Roberts, in an address bcfore the Engineers' Society of Western Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, on Sept. 29, 1925, said that on an annual output of five hundred rnillion tons of coal, a reduction of 3 per cent. of ash means fifteen million tons of refusc and a decrcase of $30,000,000 in freight charges. Ash also often prevents effieient utilization of the coal through the formation of clinker causcd by the mcltirig of the ash constituents when subjected to heat. The mineral constituents of coal may be of such nature as to make the coal unsuited for speeifie uses as for instance, high-sulfur coal for making metallurgical coke. While the usual proximate analysis of coal gives the amount of ash, it gives no information as to the nature and coniposition of the ash nor of the minera1 constituents from which the ash is produced. For the efficient washing of coal to remove ash-forining constituents it is desirable to know the composition and distribution of the ash-fonning constituents. Obviously such information is also desirable for the most efficient utilization of coal. Nature and Composition of Coal Ash Coal ash may be defined as the inorganic residue remailning after cornplete ignitior of coal. It is dcrived from the mineral constituents of thc coal. The ash-forming constituents may be roughly classified as inherent impurities and extraneous impurities. The former are mixed intimately with the coal substance, and arc derived either from the original coal-forming material or from external sources such as sedimentation and preeipitation while the vegetal coal-forming plant remains accumulated. The latter are present in the coal bed as partings, bands or nodules of pyrite! slate, shale, calcit,e, bone, etc. These are formed either during the laying down of the coal bed, or subsequently. Flag-

Jan 1, 1927

By R. M. Caves

High-purity dense tungsten coating is obtained by means of a modified de Boer-van Arkel iodide process using tungsten bromides. The all-glass reaction system is pumped, baked, and sealed (pinched-off) at about 10-7 mm Hg pressure. The bromides then formed in situ are decomposed, depositing tungsten on heated tungsten surfaces. Heating of the specimen is done inductively in a novel arrangement that avoids electrodes of glass-to-metal seals. The tungsten, deposited at specimen temperatures from 2000° to 2800°F and bulb (halide) temperatures of 225" to 725°F, was adherent and uniform, and ranged in thickness to 1/8-in. REFRACTORY metals are of interest at NASA for use in hypersonic aircraft, in rocket engines, and in other thrust devices where very high temperatures are encountered. Tungsten, with a melting point about 6100° F, is potentially very useful for some of these applications. Considerable research on tungsten and its alloys is currently being conducted at the NASA Lewis Research Center. In this tungsten research program, there is need for a method of depositing high-purity, nonporous tungsten coatirlgs. Metallurgical bonding of the coating both to itself and to the substrate is required. In addition, it is necessary to be able to deposit thin, uniform coatings on substrates of a variety of shapes and sizes for laboratory test purposes. A survey of the methods previously used for depositing tungsten coatings indicated that none would likely meet these requirements for high purity, good uniformity, and high density except thermal decomposition of the halides. The method for coating that was selected for investigation was the thermal decomposition of tungsten bromide. This is a variation of the van Arkel and de Boer iodide process established years ago and recently reviewed.1,2 This process is applicable to the transition metals in general. More recently, the application and techniques were extended with chlorine3 and fluorine,4 and included the coating of tungsten. This is believed to be the first report on the use of the bromide for tungsten coating. Bromine was chosen over the other halogens because it promised a lower temperature for tungsten

Jan 1, 1962