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By Henry Louis

THE work performed by, the Royal Commission on Mining Subsidence is likely to prove of permanent value, less perhaps for the conclusions it has reached and for the recommendations it has based upon these than for the admirable exposition which it affords of the law concerning mining subsidence and of the legal status of the person who has suffered damage by reason of such subsidence, as also of him whose working has caused the damage. The Commission was appointed by Royal Warrant in the middle of 1925 and delivered its final report in the middle of 1927. The terms of reference to the Commission were as follows: "To consider the operation of the law relating to the support of the surface of the land, and of buildings or works on or under the surface, by underlying or adjacent minerals; to enquire into the extent and gravity of the damage caused by subsidence owing to the extraction of minerals and the incidence of the resulting liability; and to report what steps should be taken, by legislation or otherwise, to remedy, equitably to all persons concerned, any defects or hardships that may be found to arise in existing conditions."

Jan 1, 1929

By N. Mungan, J. L. Thompson

Laboratory displacement tests were performed to study oil recovery elficiency by gravity drainage in fractured systems under miscible conditions. The porous media used were cylindrical Berea and Blue Jacket sandstone cores containing a number of well-defined, artificially formed, vertical and subvertical fractures. Butane and Soltrol 130 were the two miscible fluids used. The purpose of the study was to examine the influences of the displacement rate, fracture density, fracture orientation, fracture permeability, matrix permeability, crossflow, core length and connate water on the oil recovery. It was found that displacement rate, matrix permeability and the subvertical fractures affected oil recovery most. The critical flow rate, based on the matrix permeability, was found to be a significant factor in the process. For displacement rates below the critical flow rate, the oil recovery efficiency appeared to be unaffected by the density of the subvertical fractures. At the high displacement rates, the fracture density becomes important, with the recovery being the most efficient in the core having the greatest number of the subvertical fractures. The magnitude of the fracture permeability, the fracture orientation, the core length and the connate water have little effect on the oil recovery efficiency. INTRODUCTION Gravity drainage under miscible conditions from relatively thick reservoirs can be a very efficient recovery process, especially at low flow rates where the gravity forces are dominant and, consequently, the adverse viscous fingers associated with the unfavorable viscosity ratio are minimized or eliminated. Such a process might involve injection of an LPG or some solvent bank at the crest and then driving the bank with dry gas. For some favorable combination of reservoir temperature, pressure and oil composition, there may be no need to inject any solvent bank, since enrichment of the dry gas by the light ends of the crude creates an in-situ solvent bank. Slobod and Howlett2 have studied the effects of gravity segregation in vertical unconsolidated porous media under miscible conditions in the laboratory. The main variables in their study were the viscosity ratio, the density differences and the rate of flow. In this study, the objective was to find the influence of fractures on gravity drainage under miscible conditions. A greater number of related variables were also studied. LABORATORY STUDY CORE DESCRIPTION Displacement tests were performed mostly in cylindrical Berea sandstone cores. In a few cases in which a much lower matrix permeability was desired, Blue Jacket sandstone cores were used. The vertical fractures were formed by cutting the cores with a thin circular blade or by parting them along a bedding plane. The vertical fracture plane always contained the axis of the cylindrical core. The subvertical fractures, cut with a saw, were inclined 45' from the horizontal. The line of intersection between the planes of the vertical and subvertical fractures was parallel to the circular faces of the cores in all cases except one, as depicted by VF3HF-2 in Fig. 1. Fracture geometry of the other cores is also given in Fig. 1. Tables 1 and 2 give the physical properties of the solid and fractured cores, respectively. The suffixes and prefixes shown for each core have been used throughout the paper so that the reader may discern the fracture geometry from the core numbers.

Jan 1, 1970

By Norman Brown

It is suggested that the difference in ease of cross-slip among the fcc metals determines the relative amounts of [111] and [100] wire texture which occur in each metal. Since the ease of cross-slip is controlled by the stacking fault energy, it turns out that the amount of [111] texture should increase as the stacking fault energy increases. Arguments and existing data are presented to support the above suggestion. THE fcc metals generally have a dual texture, [11 and [loo], after wire drawing. As yet no fundament explanation exists concerning the variation of the amounts of each texture among the metals. Barrett&apos; has compiled data which show how the relative amounts of each texture vary from 100 pct [Ill] in the case of aluminum to 25 pct [l1] for silver. In this paper it is suggested that the value of stacking fault energy plays a major part in determining the amount of each type of texture. The double texture has its origin in the classical rotation of a single crystal under tension. An equilibrium position of the crystal is one in which three or more equivalent slip systems are operating simu taneously. Most crystals, initially, tend to rotate toward the [1ll] or the [l00] pole depending upon its initial orientation. This single-crystal behavior is essentially the same as the rotational behavior of the polycrystalline metal as worked out by Taylor.2 The next point to consider is whether the [Ill] or [100] orientation is more stable. There have been many discussions of this question3&apos;" which, in general, have lead to the conclusion that 11111 is most stable. For example, Pickus and Mathewson 4 suggested that a [Ill] texture produces more effective flow becake the [ 110] slip direction makes a smaller angle with the [111] than with the [loo]. A crude statistical argument will be presented which again favors the (1111 orientation. In order to maintain a pure [loo] wire texure, slip must occur in equal proportions in four of the six possible <110>slip directions. In order to maintain a pure [Ill] texture, slip must occur in equal proportions in only three of the six <110>directions. Since the <110> directions are the only slip directions in a fcc metal and if it is assumed that each of these six directions is equally probable, then the relative probability of a [1ll] texture vs a [l00] texture may be calculated. The statistical weight of a particular texture is the multiplicity of a texture times the probability of obtaining any one. The statistical weight for [Ill] is

Jan 1, 1962

By T. S. Mohibatsela, R. V. Ramani, C. V. Manula

The Mineral Engineering Department of The Pennsylvania State University has developed a suite of computer models for anthracite open pit mining (Fig. 1)1 Individual sub-systems have been developed to (a) interpolate geologic field data to obtain coal tonnages, waste volumes, and strip ratios; (b) simulate equipment performance on selected pit profiles to generate data required to choose coal and waste removal equipment; and (c) evaluate selected cost factors to determine either a rate of return for a specified selling price or vice-versa. This paper describes the application of two of these subsystems, namely, the Reserves Model (GEOL) and the Open Pit Materials Handling Simulator (OPMHS), and how these may be applied for the selection of equipment for a prime anthracite mining site.2

Jan 1, 1981

By W. M. Bertholf

IN 1945 tests were made in the coal washery of the Colorado Fuel and Iron Corporation, at Pueblo, Colo., to determine the value of the Humphreys spiral. So far we have demonstrated that it is of definite value to us in rewashing a portion of our table middlings; and we are fairly certain that this is not necessarily the only place in which it can be used to advantage. Because of manpower and material shortages, experimental work has been discontinued for the present. Three of the spirals are being installed for use in rewashing the middlings, and testing and experimental work will proceed when this installation is completed. All evidence secured so far points to the fact that the spiral can make an effective separation of heavy material below 8-mesh; but that it is ineffective in removing larger, heavy material. This, of course, will limit its use to fine coal or a classified feed containing no heavy material larger than 8-mesh. In considering the results of our tests, it should be noted that the feed was our table middling, and that any real separation of this material is a "moral victory," as there is little material that could be properly called coal and practically no heavy rock, the consequence being that previous attempts to clean the middlings have not been at all successful. Several articles dealing with the spiral and its use in treating heavy minerals have already been published,1 but for the benefit of those who have not seen these we include a brief description of the spiral and of the way it operates, taken from Bulletin 4 of The Humphreys Investment Co.: The Humphreys Spiral Concentrator consists of a spiral conduit of modified semicircular cross section. Ore pulp is fed to the top and, as it flows downward, the heavier particles concentrate in a band along the inner side of the pulp stream (Fig. I). Outlets for removal of products are located at the lowest points in the cross section of the conduit. Wash water, added at the inner edge of the stream, flows outwardly across the concentrate band. The width of concentrate band removed at the outlets is controlled by adjustable splitters. Concentrate is usually removed from the upper portion of the spiral and middling from the lower portion. Tailing is discharged from the lower end. Tests are usually made in closed circuit, since this provides a maximum of information with a minimum amount of sample. Fig. 2 shows the spiral set up for closed-circuit testing, and gives a good idea of the general arrangement of such an installation. The small cyclone separator is used to provide clean wash water without introducing additional water into the circuit.

Jan 1, 1946

By A. M. Mirani

The Mine Planning System consists of two parts: 1. A Sales Forecast (Sales Planning) 2. A Production Planning. The mathematical methods of the sales forecast are the exponential smoothing and a method with Markov-Chains. By these methods the quantity of material (ore, coal) will be calculated for the time planned. These quantities constitute the points in the production-planning. In the production-planning , special kinds of networks are used for calculating the resources-equipment required, labor and costs. A special routine optimizes the sequence of the mining areas within the mine on the basis of the lowest costs. The resources can be limited. The activities will be shifted when the demand exceeds this limit. The basis of the production-planning are computer files, in which the geological data and economical evaluations are stored.

Jan 1, 1969

By G. R. Leverant, C. P. Sullivan

To evaluate the effect of a dispersion of nondeform-able, incoherent, second-phase particles on high-strain cyclic deformation and fracture, recrystallized TD-nickel (Ni-2ThO2) and a commercially pure nickel, Ni-200, were fatigued under strain control at total strain ranges varying from 0.009 to 0.036. Relative to the Ni-200, the slip at the surface of the TD-nickel was more wavy and discontinuous due to the presence of the thoria particles. This made crevice formation (incipient cracking) within slip bands more difficult in TD-nickel than in Ni-200. Both materials cyclically hardened to a constant (saturation) flow stress which increased with increasing plastic strain amplitude. Cellular substructures were developed in both materials during cycling. The cell size in TD-nickel was controlled by the thoria particle distribution and was independent of plastic strain amplitude over the range investigated. The cell size in Ni-ZOO was larger than that in TD-nickel at similar plastic strain amplitudes and was a function of plastic strain amplitude. These results, together with the cyclic stress-strain curves for both materials, are discussed in terms of a model for fatigue strain accommodation at saturation recently proposed by Feltner and Laird. NUMEROUS fatigue investigations have considered the interrelation of slip character, dislocation substructure, and cracking in pure metals and solid-solution alloys. However, except for the studies of the low-strain fatigue of internally oxidized copper alloys1 and cast, dispersion-strengthened lead,&apos; little is known about the effects which small, incoherent, nondeform-able, second-phase particles have on cyclic deformation and cracking processes. Effects due to the particles alone are often obscured by a dislocation substructure introduced during thermomechanical processing of dispersion-strengthened metals. In the present study, recrystallized TD-nickel and a commercially pure nickel, Ni-200, were employed to evaluate the effect of a thoria dispersion on high-strai fatigue deformation and cracking at room temperature. I) MATERIAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The TD-nickel was supplied by DuPont as a 5/8-in.-thick stress-relieved plate which had been subjected to a proprietary schedule of thermomechanical treatments, and the Ni-200 as 3/4-in. bar which was subsequently annealed for 2 hr at 850°C in argon resulting in an average grain diameter of 0.05 mm. The compositions of these materials are given in Table I. The microstructure of the TD-nickel consisted of elongated grains parallel to the primary working direction with an average width of 0.16 mm, Fig. l(a). Many fine annealing twins were present indicating that the starting material was in a recrystallized condition; this supposition was confirmed by the absence of of any extensive dislocation substructure, Fig. l(b). Sheetlike stringers parallel to the rolling direction were occasionally seen both within grains and at grain boundaries. Some approximately spherical particles about 2 in diam, which may correspond to exceptionally large thoria particle aggregates, were also present. The average Young&apos;s modulus of the plate material in the rolling direction was 21.8 X 106 psi which is consistent with a {100}<001>recrystalliza-tion texture3&apos;* being prominent. In transmission microscopy, the 2.3 vol pct of thoria particles generally appeared to be uniformly distributed although some clusters, 0.1 to 0.3 in diam, of larger particles were observed as previously reported for TD-nickel sheet,5 and stringering of particles was present in some areas as welt. The average diameter of the thoria particles was 450A with a calculated mean planar center-to-center spacing of 2100A, as determined by quantitative metallographic analysis.= The 0.2 pct offset yield stress was 36,000 psi which agrees with the value predicted by the modified Orowan relation7 for edge dislocations bowing between thoria particles of the size and spacing observed in the present investigation. Fig. 2 illustrates the specimen design employed for the axial high-strain fatigue testing. Adapters were screwed onto the threaded portions of each specimen so that testing could be performed in the same manner as that reported for buttonhead specimens.8 Stressing was coincident with the working direction for both materials. The gage section of each specimen was electropolished and lightly etched prior to testing. The total strain was controlled, being varied between zero and a maximum tensile strain ranging from 0.009 to 0.036. In addition to these tests, a circum-ferentially notched TD-nickel specimen was cycled over a total strain range of 0.0075. The same strain

Jan 1, 1969

By R. W. Raymond

THE important question of the metallurgical value of the coals of the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Coast is to be settled, of course, by practical experiment. Meanwhile; as I have had occasion to point out, the proximate analyses of these coals throws little light upon it, and is, indeed, likely to mislead the metallurgist, if he compares it with the results of similar analyses upon bituminous and semi-bituminous coals. With the view of showing how large a proportion of the material usually classed as." volatile matters " consists of combined water, or oxygen and hydrogen presumably in chemical combination, I have collected a number of ultimate analyses from various sources, in the following tables. The numbered analyses in the first table are as follows

Jan 1, 1874

By Willard S. Morse

In my paper on "The Lixiviation of Silver-Ores by the Russell Process at Aspen, Colorado" (page 137 of the present volume), attention was called to the decrease in "chlorination " during the washing of the roasted ore with water, to remove soluble salts, before leaching with hyposulphite and Russell solutions. This decrease in " chlorination," which is due to conversion of the silver chloride to some other form not soluble in hyposulphite solutions, and which, for the sake of brevity, will be termed the "going-back" of chlorination, has been a serious obstacle to the successful operation of several leaching-works, and was at Aspen the only difficulty encountered. I have never seen any explanation of the cause of this failure to extract, in actual practice in the mill, the amount of silver chloride shown by laboratory-leachings to be present in the roasted ore; and the purpose of this paper is to record the conclusions arrived at concerning the cause of the phenomenon, and the data upon which they are based. The average decrease in chlorination by washing with water in the Aspen ores for a period of fourteen months was as follows:

Jan 1, 1896

By K. G. Colman

This text is intended to provide the operator and turn-key contractor with the basic data for sizing vibrating screens to be used in ore crushing plants. The basic capacities, modifying factors, etc. used in the area requirement calculations were developed empirically and modified to their present values based upon years of practical applications. It must be pointed out that screening is much more of an art than an exact science, however, the information presented here should provide for reasonably accurate screen sizing when applied to metallic ores .

Jan 1, 1978

US underground mine production of nonfuel minerals was 153 million tons of crude ore in 1971, according to a recent US Bureau of Mines report compiled by Dravo Corp. Underground capacity includes all nonfuel mineral commodities and is distributed into three general categories: (1) metallic ores; (2) nonmetallic ores; and (3) construction materials, such as clay, sandstone, and limestone. All three categories are produced by a combination of open-pit and underground methods. While US underground mining represents only 5.9% of total domestic capacity, it is significant in the types of products produced. Domestic supplies of potash, trona, A lead, zinc, sulfur, and fluorspar are almost exclusively recovered from underground mines, as well as a significant portion of the gold, silver, molybdenum, and salt supply.

Jan 7, 1975

By Henry N. Doyle

Basic procedures in the mining industry have changed only slightly over the centuries since metals and fossil fuels became an essential part of man&apos;s economic and cultural life. Mining techniques of the 20th century bear a close resemblance to those of the ancients: exploration, ore breakage and removal, hoisting, and processing. The great advances, however, have been in equipment and machinery of greater size and speed which allow greater efficiency in each of these operations, with a corresponding reduction in manpower requirements. Yesteryear production was measured in pounds per man-day; today a giant and complex, but highly efficient, continuous mining machine can remove as much as eight tons of material a minute from the coal face. If our energy and metal demands of the future are to be met, and at this time it can be assumed that coal will continue to supply a significant part of the energy demand, other dramatic and spectacular technologic advances must be accomplished. Along with mechanization, however, public policy will require the industry to place greater emphasis on health and safety protection, as has been well demonstrated by recent actions of Congress. Together, fossil fuels and metals formed the basis for the industrial revolution-coal to develop power and metals to transform power into useful energy. Strangely enough, however, the mining industry the world over has lagged behind the continuous social changes brought on by the industrial revolution, such as preventive health and industrial hygiene services, and other programs directed to the well-being of the worker. In some countries this resistance, to change may have led in part to the nationalization of the coal industry. Whether this disinclination to social change in the industry of the United States reflects managerial attitudes, inept labor leadership, government neglect, or economic relationship would be the subject of an interesting study. Doubtless the mores of miners and their resistance to change, as well as their geographic isolation from other industrial groups, may have had a strong influence on these factors. In every major coal mining country the accident rate in the coal industry is substantially higher than other industrial groups, and the cost of pneumoconiosis compensation in some countries is greater than the combined costs for all other occupational diseases from all other industries. The high social cost of occupational accidents and diseases may have been a factor in the closing of the industry in at least two countries. Despite diminishing manpower needs, the industry is faced with critical manpower shortages. Miners once reared their sons to be miners; now it appears that the opposite is true. This factor alone, however, does not explain an acute labor shortage in the industry. Traditionally, the industry drew much of

Jan 1, 1976

WHAT DOES "MAGNETIC" MEAN? The word magnetic has several meanings. When used, as it usually is, without qualification one is often unable to tell which meaning is intended. 1. A body is magnetic which has power to attract iron magnetically. Such is a lodestone or magnet, either permanent or not. This is an active sense or meaning in that the body itself does the attracting or is .magnetic. 2. A body is magnetic which may be made to attract iron magnetically, as the iron core of an electro-magnet when not magnetized by the current. This is a potentially active meaning, the body being capable of becoming a magnet. 3. A body is magnetic which has the property of being. attracted by a magnet magnetically. Such are iron, cobalt, nickel, magnetic oxide of iron, magnetic alloys, etc. This is a passive meaning, the attracting being done by the actively magnetic body. With these three meanings to choose from, one must usually make a guess based on previous knowledge as to which is the right one. Would it

Jan 5, 1914

By J. M. Cases

Study of the normal interaction between flotation collectors and the silicates through measurement of the electrokinetic potential carried out by the streaming potential and flotation recovery methods indicates that the interaction is wholly 07 partly of electrostatic origin. In some cases, it partly consists of the chemical affinity of the polar head of the collector for the active surface sites. Reagents composed of a polar head and a paraffinic chain and forming micelles in solution were used as flotation collectors. They are sodium dodecylsulfate (anionic collector) and dode-cylammonium chloride (cationic collector). The adsorption isotherms on biotite of alkylamine chloride having 10 to 18 carbon atoms in their chain all show a sharp change in slope relevant to the condensation of alkylammonium ions into bidimensional phase.1-1 Condensation is possible because of the relative homogeneity of the adsorbing surface and of the very strong lateral binding forces through Van der Waals type bonds in the adsorption layer. The different isotherms are seen to coincide when, instead of the equilibrium concentration, the under-saturation ?µ = kT In C/C, is plotted in abscissa, C representing the concentration of the solution with which the adsorbed layer is in equilibrium and C, the saturation concentration of micelles in solution or. critical micellar concentration. More particularly, the undersaturation ?,u1*, corresponding to a surface coverage 6 of 0.5, is equal to Since silicates immersed in aqueous solutions show a surface charge which is a function of pH, it is of primary importance to study the influence of this parameter on the adsorption of collector ions acting as Strong electrolytes in the pH range where they are utilized. The aim of this present paper is to determine by studying electrokinetic phenomena and recovery curves effectuated with a cationic collector and a anionic collector, the nature of the normal adsorbate-adsorbent interaction. Tables 1 and 2 sum up part of the results previously obtained&apos;H11 for the determination of the point of zero charge of the silicate studied by the streaming potential method. Throughout the remainder of this paper, the surface charge will be considered positive for all values of pH below the point

Jan 1, 1971

By W. F. Kieschnick, and W. J. McGuire&apos, Eugene Harrison

This paper concerns the induction and extension of fractures into rock formations as involved in drilling, completing, and production stimulating operations on wells. Conclusions concerning formation breakdown are derived from (I) a review and extension of published analyses relating to mechanical theories of rock stress and the state of stress in the earth&apos;s crust and (2) a correlation of field data from fracturing operations. Conclusions concerning the mechanics of fracture extension, which indicate the relationship between fracture dimensions and rock properties, depth, and volume of injected fluid, are tentative and largely establish limits of relationships. These conclusions are derived from stress calculations, limited field data, and laboratory experimental studies. The experimental work involves the study of the stresses at the fracture boundaries and the geometry of pressurized fractures by means of photo-elastic modeling methods. Results of this investigation indicate that a large majority of pressure induced wellbore fractures are vertical, particularly in deeper wells; and variations in the pressures necessary to create and extend fractures can be explained largely on a basis of established rock properties. It is also shown that variations due to tectonic forces should usually be expected to be slight. Other results indicate that during that extension of fractures rather large fracture volumes are temporarily created by the parting of the formation. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of calculations and laboratory experiments concerning the mechanics of fracture induction and extension with a view to broadening existing knowledge relating to these phenomena. It is believed that continued progress in developing knowledge of this type is important to the further development of techniques for drilling and completing wells. When a wellbore is subjected to sufficiently high pressure, fracturing of the formation surrounding the well occurs. This phenomenon is a common cause of lost circulation during drilling operations, is a deliberately planned factor in most squeeze cementing operations, and is the controlling factor in many productivity stimulation operations. The exploitation of formation fracturing in recent years has been particularly impressive in sand-viscous fluid well stimulation treatments which were first introduced to the industry by the Stanolind research group1,2,3 several years ago. The borehole fracturing phenomenon has been analyzed mathematically by application of the principles defining the elastic and inelastic behavior of thick-walled cylinders of homogeneous, isotropic, and impermeable material.1,5,6 This basic argument is re-presented in this paper along with new considerations which strengthen it. In addition to these arguments relating to fracture induction some calculations and experimental results relating to the mechanics of fracture extension are presented. Since the nature of the pressure induced fracture at distances from the well is of great importance in considerations of well stimulation procedures there appears to be a need for an integrated approach which deals with the mechanics of fracture extension as well as with wellbore rupture.

Jan 1, 1955

By M. I. Kabir, R. S. Schechter, L. W. Lake

This paper presents the development and application of a novel scaling technique that, when used with a streamline model, causes a "bundle" of one-dimensional (1-D) problems to reduce to a single 1-D calculation. The 1-D bundle is the streamline representation of a two-dimensional (2-D) problem. The 1-D calculation accounts for chemical-rock interactions and the streamline model for areal sweep. The scaling technique significantly reduces computation time, is readily modified to desktop calculations, and can be applied to both absorbing and reacting species. The work was sponsored by the US Bureau of Mines.

Jan 1, 1986

By J. D. Miller, M. B. Mooiman

It has been discovered that gold can be extracted from alkaline cyanide solution with primary, secondary, and tertiary amines by adding certain Lewis base modifiers, such as organic phosphorus oxides. Under these circumstances, gold can be extracted at about pH 10, commensurate with the pH of cyanide leach liquors. The selectivity of the amines and amine/modifier combinations for Au(CN)[2] over other metal-cyanide complexes is discussed. Potential applications for the solvent extraction of gold from cyanide solutions are also discussed.

Jan 1, 1985

By Lawrence K. Jetter, Robert F. Mehl

SOME advances have been made recently in the theory of the kinetics of precipitation from metallic solid solution despite the complexities of the problem, but there is surprisingly little quantitative information available on rates of precipitation with which to test present theory or upon which to build new theory.‡ Attempts to measure rates of precipitation have been beset with difficulties which originate both in the anomalies that attend the changes in the properties selected for measurement, as, for example, in electrical conductivity or mechanical properties, and also in the complexities in the structural changes in some systems, as in the aluminum-copper system. If the functional relationship between the quantity of precipitate and the value of the selected property is uncertain, measurements of that property are obviously of uncertain utility in determining absolute rates of precipitation. If the precipitating system passes through one or more transition stages, the interpretation of measured rates lacks definiteness; in such cases, it is necessary to measure the rate of reaction in each separate stage, if the rate measurements are to have any significance from the kinetic point of view.* These difficulties cannot be wholly avoided, for at least in some measure they are characteristic of the process of precipitation from solid solution, but they can be minimized both by the selection of a simple system and by the use of a method of measurement relatively free from anomalous behavior. The present paper reports dilatometric measurements on the rate of precipitation of silicon from the aluminum-rich solid solution in the aluminum-silicon system-a study that approaches the desiderata of simplicity. The aluminum-silicon system offers advantages from these points of view: there are no known anomalies in the property changes accompanying precipitation; 2.3,4 there are no known transition stages; the precipitate is an element, not a compound, and both matrix and precipitate are cubic, and while the structures are not identical (the solid solution is face-centered cubic and the precipitate is diamond cubic), the system at least approaches the ideal case of a crystal precipitating from a matrix of the same crystal type-the ideal case which Becker5 assumed in treating the precipitation process theoretically. The dilatometric method, while not free from disturbing effects, as the subsequent dis-

Jan 1, 1942

By Frank Soulé

Secretary E. H. Benjamin, of the California Miners&apos; Association, has proposed and begun, in co-operation with the testing laboratory of the University of California, at Berkeley, a series of tests which should prove of great interest and practical use to all persons making extensive application of steel wire cables, and especially to miners who run them in deep mines. Mr. Benjamin is endeavoring to obtain pieces of cable both new, and old and worn, from every deep mine of importance on the Pacific Coast, together with all the data obtainable concerning their manufacture and particular use. Pieces from each sample will be broken ill the laboratory before mentioned: and as far as possible the effects of winding around drums or pulleys ; of sudden starting and stopping when loaded; of heavy shocks, and of the general wear and tear of the cables, will be ascertained by these tests. The Olsen testing-machine of 200,000 pounds capacity will be used to break the cables, and the rupturing force, in different instances, will be applied slowly and also rapidly, in order to make the tests comparable as far as possible with the practical use of the cables themselves. All information and data available should be obtained for each specimen sent to the laboratory, the name of the manufacturer, the date of making, strength of cable when new and unrusted, as well as the circumstances and conditions of the practical use of the cable. Having this information before us, we shall be able to tell, approximately at least, the effects of age, rust, wear and tear, shocks, etc.; and perhaps be enabled to draw the line of limitation beyond which it would be no longer safe to use a cable of known manufacture. Moreover, by means of such tests we may, perhaps, he able to recommend worn cables for other uses, less severe in character, thereby prolonging the life of their effective usefulness. When we consider the great number of miles of steel cable now in use, and of the greater number constantly being manu-

Jan 1, 1900

By J. R. Long, T. R. Graham, R. G. Feustel, R. S. Dean

THE comprehensive study of the copper-manganese-zinc alloy system in the Bureau of Mines Laboratories has so far been principally concerned with alloys that lie within the alpha solid solution field of the system. Two regions, one centering about 65 per cent copper, 10 manganese and 25 zinc, and the other centering about 70 per cent copper, 20 manganese, 10 zinc, have been carefully examined.1,2 These have indicated that when the alloys are made with electrolytic manganese considerable amounts may be readily introduced and that the strength and hardness are increased without excessive losses in ductility. In the course of the work of establishing the limits of the alpha solid solution range,3 enough of certain of the alloys was prepared to permit determination of their physical properties at a future date. The 60 per cent copper alloys concerned here are part of that series. They cross through the alpha field and into the adjacent alpha plus beta and alpha plus X fields, and are of interest because they offer some information on the effects of manganese on alloys lying in these fields. COMPOSITION AND FABRICATION OF ALLOYS The chemical composition of the alloys involved is given in Table I. They were intended to contain 60 per cent copper with manganese increasing from 5 to 25 per cent in 5 per cent steps and zinc decreasing [ ] from 35 to 15 per cent. The analyses are so close to the intended composition that the alloys will be referred to hereafter by their nominal compositions. They were finished into sheet by cold-rolling and intermediate annealing procedures calculated to produce sheet 1/16 in. thick, cold-reduced by 20, 40, 60, and 80 per cent in thickness. Physical properties were determined on standard flat tensile specimens with 4-in. gauge length, although the test gauge section used was 2 in. The properties were obtained on cold-worked material and on material annealed at temperatures ranging from l00° to 1500°F. after 60 per cent cold reduction. Since an annealing temperature of 1200°F.

Jan 1, 1946