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By J. F. Pashak, T. E. Leontis

The effects of zirconium on the properties of sand cast Mg-rare earth metal alloys were discussed in detail in an earlier publication.' It was shown that a significant improvement in strength properties at temperatures up to 400°F resulted from the zirconium addition. In general, the properties of cast Mg-Didymium-Zr alloys were superior to the corresponding alloys containing Mischmetal and the optimum rare-earth level was approAmately 3 pet. Jessup, Emley, and Fisher have also shown the advantages of didymium in Mg-rare earth-Zr alloys, 2

Jan 1, 1961

By J. J. Bowman, E. H. Dix

A lack of experimental data illustrating the effect of composition, particularly in respect to impurities, on the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of aluminum-alloy die castings induced the authors and their associates to undertake a limited study of these relations. A number of commercial alloys and several experimental variations of a commercial alloy were used for the investigation. Mechanical property, growth, steam, paraffin, salt spray and atmospheric exposure tests were employed. This paper deals with the more accelerated tests and the results they have produced. It is concluded that a high-silicon alloy with all impurities except iron strictly limited to small amounts will develop an excellent resistance to corrosion and retain satisfactory mechanical properties and casting characteristics. As a direct result of this investigation an alloy of this character with superior corrosion resistance is now available commercially. In general, copper increases the strength and decreases the elongation and corrosion resistance. Tin reduces the mechanical properties and the resistance to corrosion. Iron reduces the elongation and, if excessively high, may adversely affect the tensile strength. Even excessively high iron contents do not affect the corrosion resistance, which is fortunate for the die caster as it is this element that is the most difficult to control. Nickel and zinc in limited amounts do not seem to affect the properties or corrosion resistance of at least the high-silicon alloy. Growth tests have confirmed the previous common belief that dimensional changes under either dry or wet conditions at 100" C. are too small to be of practical importance. Introduction The technical literature contains numerous papers describing die castings, their production, compositions and uses, but nearly all of these

Jan 1, 1935

By J. J. Bowman, E. H. Dix

A lack of experimental data illustrating the effect of composition, particularly in respect to impurities, on the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of aluminum-alloy die castings induced the authors and their associates to undertake a limited study of these relations. A number of commercial alloys and several experimental variations of a commercial alloy were used for the investigation. Mechanical property, growth, steam, paraffin, salt spray and atmospheric exposure tests were employed. This paper deals with the more accelerated tests and the results they have produced. It is concluded that a high-silicon alloy with all impurities except iron strictly limited to small amounts will develop an excellent resistance to corrosion and retain satisfactory mechanical properties and casting characteristics. As a direct result of this investigation an alloy of this character with superior corrosion resistance is now available commercially. In general, copper increases the strength and decreases the elongation and corrosion resistance. Tin reduces the mechanical properties and the resistance to corrosion. Iron reduces the elongation and, if excessively high, may adversely affect the tensile strength. Even excessively high iron contents do not affect the corrosion resistance, which is fortunate for the die caster as it is this element that is the most difficult to control. Nickel and zinc in limited amounts do not seem to affect the properties or corrosion resistance of at least the high-silicon alloy. Growth tests have confirmed the previous common belief that dimensional changes under either dry or wet conditions at 100" C. are too small to be of practical importance. Introduction The technical literature contains numerous papers describing die castings, their production, compositions and uses, but nearly all of these

Jan 1, 1935

By C. Q. Payne

The art of crushing ores and other materials by means of rolls is a comparatively recent one. While the first record of rolls using iron crushing-surfaces dates hack to the year 1806, when they were employed in Cornwall, their principal developmcnt has taken place during the past 30 years. To Stephen R. Erom belongs the credit of the pioneer in introducing the belted high-speed roll, which has had its origin and a marked development in this country. His notable contrib'ution to the art was in the use of a single bed-plate or frame supporting the roll-shafts, and to which levers holding the mova, ble roll-bearings were pivoted. He also made use of steel tension-rods to support the crushing-strains, and of hammered-steel tires for the crushing-surfaces. These changes brought the design of crushing-rolls to a high level. Following closely thereon, about 1885, W. R. Eckart conceived the idea of the swivel or ball-and-socket support for the roll-shaft bearings. This is an excellent mechanical conception, especially for bearings held against a spring pressure, and while it may not be necessary for all types of rolls, yet it has been quite generally adopted by other roll-designers, and illustrates the refinement which roll-construction has now reached. Other engineers, as, for example, Argall, Vezin, Roger, and Sturtevant, to mention only a few among many, have also given the closest attention to the various details of rolls, such as the frame, springe, bearings, and shafts, and have developed many novel and original designs. It has remained, however, for the boldness and originality of Mr. Edison to extend the field of crushing-rolls in two new directions, and to cause them to ex-

Jan 1, 1913

By C. L. Baker

The district of Catoree, San Luis Potosi, ranks among the first half-dozen silver-producing camps of Mexico. Mining has been more or less continuous there for 150 years. The large producing mines, Mapnni, Mazapil, Palomas, Musquiz, Minas Viejas, now for the most part idle or abandoned, are grouped around the head of two valleys: one, which drains to the west, falls 2000 ft. (610 m.) in 41/2 mi. (7.2 km.) between the main Catorce and the western foot of the range and is characterized by steep canon walls; the other, east of the main town of Catoree from which it is separated by a high divide, heads in a number of steep tributaries above the basin in which lies the town of Potrero and flows nearly north for 10 mi. (16 km.) to the northern base of the range; below Potrero, it has for the most part gently sloping valley walls and a broad valley floor. The Sierra Catorce is the highest range of the region, the summits reaching altitudes of over 11,000 ft. With the exception of a few cliffs of the erosion escarpment of the lower limestone and the canon walls below the main town of Catoree, which is the highest town in Mexico, the gently rounded slopes are characteristic of a maturely eroded mountain range composed of folded sedimentary rocks. As is usual in desert regions, the heavy-bedded limestones are the most resistant to crosivc forces. Folded into anticlines, they form the mountain ranges; and the intermontane valleys and basins, originally carved out of less resistant shales, clays, marls and sandstone?, are covered by debris forming a mantle with surface gradually rising upwards toward the hills. In time, the debris buries, in deposits formed from their own ruins, all but the highest summits of the original mountains: some of this region has already nearly reached this stage. Most of the debris is firmly cemented by calcium carbonate (caliche). Solution of the limestone by meteoric waters afforded the supply of lime carbonate, which has been redeposited upon evaporation of the waters as a cement binding the boulders, pebblcs, and finer detritus. According to tradition, the higher portions of the Sierra Catoree were forested with pines and cedars but none remain within the mining district, although cedar is found farther south in the range. The vegeta-

Jan 1, 1922

By Alfred Boyles

THE experiments described below are a continuation of work on the graphitization of cast iron conducted as part of the program of funda-mental research at Battelle Memorial Institute. In previous work it was found that melting in hydrogen increased the amount of eutectic and in others i produced al marked changes in the size of the graphite flakes. These effects seemed to be III sulphur and manganese present in the material studied. Iron-carbon- respond silicon alloys did same manner as mg cast iron and there was no evidence to show that hydrogen was able to stabilize the carbide in such alloys unless additions of sulphur were made. The two alloys examined contained about 2 per cent of FIG. 1.-APPARATUS FOR MELTING UNDER PRESSURE. silicon. The present paper is con- A, inlet for gas. cerned with alloys of lower silicon B, outlet for evacuation. content and describes the structural C, power lead. D thermocouple changes produced by melting in E, plug for access to furnace. various atmospheres at pressures F, crucible. ranging from a partial vacuum up to 300 lb. per sq. inch.

Jan 1, 1939

By Will Mitchell

The classical definition of a beneficiation engineer as one who treats an ore in order to separate and discard worthless fractions by essentially physical means is obsolete. Technology in the profession has advanced so rapidly during the last two or three years that educators have not been able to coin definitions to keep up with the pace. In the past some people have hesitated to include leaching or even agglomeration as minerals beneficiation, because of the major chemical changes involved. This view has fallen by the wayside, especially because a majority in the profession have become actively involved in extraction and pyro processes that go far beyond the original definition of mineral dressing. To say that there is a great revival of interest in leaching is putting it mildly, for the uranium business, like the gold business, now depends almost entirely on leaching. This revival of leaching, long overdue in mineral engineering, has been stimulated this year, especially as a result of the relaxation of security restrictions surrounding the recovery of uranium from its ores. It has brought new unit operations to minerals beneficiation, namely ion exchange and solvent extraction. These operations have appeared as resin-in-pulp, solvent-in-pulp, and liquid-liquid systems. In many cases these leaching and separation procedures, now reaching the production stage, have been engineered by minerals beneficiators. The trend toward leaching has also had impact on the technology of beneficiating other nonferrous minerals, especially copper, manganese, columbium, tantalum, nickel, cobalt, titanium, and the rare earths.

Feb 1, 1956

By Philip Kraft

WHEN it came time to write a biography of Philip Kraft, we got out a copy of Bartlett's "Familiar Quotations" and looked through the references to Travel, Traveled, Traveler, and Traveling, feeling sure there would be some reference to Mr. Kraft. Sure enough, we found: "Travel, in the younger sort, is a part of education; in the elder, a part of experience." Had Francis Bacon done his writing three and a half centuries later, Mr. Kraft might well have served as the inspiration for that sentence. New Yorker born, he received his B.S. and E. M. degrees from Columbia. In 1912, then 22 years old, he took off for Germany where he spent two years studying at the Royal School of Mines, Berlin, for his Doctor of Engineering degree. Contrary to the Greeley-Soule precept, Mr. Kraft, on his return from Europe, went north to South Porcupine. Ont., working as geologist and mining engineer for the Dome Mine. From South Porcupine his next stop was Washington, D. C., where, during the years the country was in the first World War, he was engaged in war work.

Jan 1, 1947

By Ancel St. John

During a session on coal and coke at the February, 1926, meeting of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, the writer called attention to the important work on the X-ray analysis of coal1,2 being carried on in England by C. Norman Kemp and his associates. This aroused so much interest that a paper on the subject was requested for the October meeting. It has seemed advisable to make this paper a preliminary survey of the present status in the application of X-ray methods to coal problems and to follow it from time to time with further articles as the art develops. A survey of this sort naturally divides itself into two parts, radio-scopic analysis of the distribution of constituents through the body of the coal, and diffraction analysis of the state of association of the elementary components. In this article the subject matter concerning radioscopic analysis has been drawn almost entirely from the writings of Kemp and his associates and the illustrations have been sptcially furnished by him. It is a pleasure to record here a great indebtedness for this courtesy and cooperation. The subject matter and illustrations concerning diffraction analysis are taken from the author's unpublished researches. Nature and Properties of X-rays Before proceeding it is well to recall the nature and some of the properties of X-rays, as well as our present conception of atomic structure According to the accepted theory atoms are composed of electrically-charged particles. A positively-charged center, called the nucleus,

Jan 1, 1927

By G. E. Agar, A. L. Mular

G. E. Agar (Manager, Minerals Processing Research, International Minerals & Chemical Corp., Skokie, III.) — The author notes a discrepancy between the parameters a and ß which are the slopes of the size distribution and energy-size modulus plots respectively. The reason for the discrepancy and the systematic decrease in the magnitude of a with grinding time is abundantly clear from the work of Fuerstenau8 on dry grinding. Fuerstenau shows very clearly in his Fig. 5 that at short retention times the parameter a is the same as that obtained by sizing over the complete size range. From this figure, it is obvious that sizing to only 400 mesh gave distribution curves similar to Mular's - that is, the slope apparently decreased systematically with increased grinding. As a consequence of the improper determination of a, the magnitude of ß given by Mular must be larger than the true value. In order to demonstrate this, the following Fig. 6 was taken from Mular's paper (his Fig. 1). Fuer-stenau's results show that we can approximate the correct value of K by drawing lines parallel to the short retention time curves through the 400-mesh

Jan 1, 1963

By William M. Newton, John E. Sherborne

The value of the electric log as a means of interpreting underground structures has been increasingly demonstrated by its almost universal present-day use. It becomes important, therefore, to be able to evaluate the factors that affect the values obtained. By far the greatest number of electric logs are measured today in boreholes filled with rotary mud, the properties of which may exert an important influence on the electric log. In an effort to establish what the order of magnitude of such effects might be, a series of investigations was made in the laboratory and the field. Apparatus suitable for either field or laboratory use was designed and a procedure established for determining the factors that affect the resistivity of drilling muds over a wide variation in mud condition. Five muds representative of the types of clay-base muds employed in California were tested and the following observations were made: 1. The effect of raising the temperature from 8o° to i8o°F. is to decrease the resistivit~ of the mud or filtrate approximately 50 per cent. 2. The resistivity of the mud in most cases closely approximates that of its filtrate. 3. The change in the resistivities of muds caused by the addition of chemical is not the same function of the amount of chemical added for each mud. 4. The effect produced by increased sodium chloride content is to reduce markedly the resistivity of the mud and its filtrate. 5. Weighting materials, such as baroid and limestone, tend to increase the resistivity of drilling mud. 6. Cement and counteracting reagents reduce mud resistivity. The results of the investigation indicate that the mud resistivity is materially affected by the addition of electrolytes whether these are added for the purpose of conditioning the mud or enter the mud when salt beds or highly saline structures are penetrated. It should be observed, however, that the magnitude of the effect produced upon the electric log by changes in mud resistivity is also dependent upon the relative salinity of the water en. countered in the formation being logged. The laboratory data are supplemented by field data, which indicate that both the self-potential and resistivity curves are influenced by mud resistivity.

Jan 1, 1946

By John E. Sherborne, William M. Newton

The value of the electric log as a means of interpreting underground structures has been increasingly demonstrated by its almost universal present-day use. It becomes important, therefore, to be able to evaluate the factors that affect the values obtained. By far the greatest number of electric logs are measured today in boreholes filled with rotary mud, the properties of which may exert an important influence on the electric log. In an effort to establish what the order of magnitude of such effects might be, a series of investigations was made in the laboratory and the field. Apparatus suitable for either field or laboratory use was designed and a procedure established for determining the factors that affect the resistivity of drilling muds over a wide variation in mud condition. Five muds representative of the types of clay-base muds employed in California were tested and the following observations were made: 1. The effect of raising the temperature from 8o° to i8o°F. is to decrease the resistivit~ of the mud or filtrate approximately 50 per cent. 2. The resistivity of the mud in most cases closely approximates that of its filtrate. 3. The change in the resistivities of muds caused by the addition of chemical is not the same function of the amount of chemical added for each mud. 4. The effect produced by increased sodium chloride content is to reduce markedly the resistivity of the mud and its filtrate. 5. Weighting materials, such as baroid and limestone, tend to increase the resistivity of drilling mud. 6. Cement and counteracting reagents reduce mud resistivity. The results of the investigation indicate that the mud resistivity is materially affected by the addition of electrolytes whether these are added for the purpose of conditioning the mud or enter the mud when salt beds or highly saline structures are penetrated. It should be observed, however, that the magnitude of the effect produced upon the electric log by changes in mud resistivity is also dependent upon the relative salinity of the water en. countered in the formation being logged. The laboratory data are supplemented by field data, which indicate that both the self-potential and resistivity curves are influenced by mud resistivity.

Jan 1, 1946

By A. Vignes, J. P. Sabatier

A study of ternary diffusion at 1315°C in the Fe-Co-Ni system covering the entire ternary phase diagram has been carried out. Experimental values of the four interdiffusion coefficients DFeNico,DFeCoCo, DFeCoNi were computed at 33 points of the ternary diagram. The limiting values of these coefficients on the three sides of the ternary diizgram have also been determined. This set of data is presented as a contour map on the ternary isotherm for each of the four coefficients. Assuming that the Fe-Co-Ni system can be considered as ideal, the phenomenological coefficients Lk ij (with k = Fe) have been computed and the Onsager reciprocal relutions verified. It is shown that, in the Fe-Co-Ni system, the diffusion process can also be described by only two interdiffusion coefficients DFeFe and DCoNiFe, the second cross diffusion coefficient DCoFeNi being equal to zero and the second direct difusion coefficient being given by The values of the cross interdiffusion coefficients and of the Onsager coefficients are explained in terms of atomic mobilities of the three components with the help of a kinetic calculation due to Lane and Kirkaldy.8 It is shown that all the results are explained if the tracer difusion coefficients of the three components are such that DFe > DNi ~ DCo in complete agreement with experimental data on the three binary systems. DIFFUSION in a ternary alloy system is basically and significantly different from diffusion in binary alloys. In binary diffusion, there is just one independent composition variable and only one coefficient Dij is needed to describe the interdiffusion process. In ternary diffusion, we must allow for cross interaction between two independent species, and four interdiffusion coefficients are necessary to describe the transport process. Kirkaldy et al.1,2 have determined interdiffusion coefficients in the systems, Cu-Mn-A1 and Zn-Cu-Al. Guy and Leroy4 have reported intrinsic diffusion coefficients for the r phase at 1300°C of Co-Ni-Cr alloys as a function of composition using the analysis of Philibert and Guy.3 Interdiffusion coefficients were measured at three different compositions at 850°C in the single phase copper-rich corner of the Cu-Zn-Mn system by Dayananda and race.5 Zie-bold and Ogilvie6 have determined interdiffusion coefficients in the single-phase field of the Cu-Ag-Au system at 725°C. Preliminary results on diffusion at 1136°C in the system Fe-Co-Ni have been reported.7 In this study, data are reported on a more complete determination of interdiffusion coefficients in the Fe-Co-Ni system in the entire ternary at 1315°C. There is complete solid solubility with the fcc structures at 1315ºC, and this system can be considered as nearly ideal. This approximation allows the computation of the Onsager phenomenological coefficients. These values can then be used to test a kinetic calculation of the Onsager L coefficients in ternary substitutional solid solutions due to Lane and Kirkaldy.8

Jan 1, 1970

By J. H. Berryman

THE use of oxygen as a bath reagent in hearth furnaces during the refining period is a familiar story. Investigations and tests in which oxygen was substituted for iron ore to reduce carbon date back 25 years and include the work of Bigge,1 Browne,2 and Chelius.3 During this past year the majority of the experimental work in the use of oxygen was carried on mainly in open-hearth shops, since it was felt that the greater field for application lay in this type of furnace. Much constructive work was done in evaluating the carbon-oxygen relationships, as reported by Slottman and Lounsberry4 and by Hughes.5 Steelmakers using the electric furnace have been actively engaged meanwhile in an experimental program of their own, with such success that the oxygen injection pipe has become a tool in the day to day production of low-carbon and stainless steels.

Jan 1, 1947

By C. P. Proctor, J. T. Crawford

TROUGH washers were among the earliest methods used for concentrating ores; they are referred to by Agricola about the middle of the sixteenth century as already being used while the hand- operated jigging sieve had only recently come into use. For cleaning coal the trough washer apparently was first used in France and Belgium .about 1841. The early trough washers were intermittent and the refuse at least was shoveled out by hand. The invention of a continuous jig washer, by a Frenchman, Berard, in 1848, acted as a stimulus to coal washings in jigs and retarded progress in trough washing' in the nineteenth century. Chapman and Mott describe a number of trough washers developed in England and on the Continent from 1850 to 1900, such as the Bell and Ramsay, Ramsay, Bell and Green, Wunderlich, Scaife, McLellan; Lodge, Elliott, Blackett, and Murton. , The later of these removed the refuse mechanically, either intermittently or continuously, but in ways that interfered with stratification. THE RHEOLAVEUR A Belgian engineer, Antoine France, is responsible for the development of means to remove refuse materials continuously from a trough washer while preserving stratification and preventing the loss of coal with the refuse. The methods and equipment devised, which have become known throughout the world as Rheolaveur, were initiated at the St. Nicholas mine near Liége, Belgium, about 1912. This installation consisted of two units to wash 20 to 8-mm. (13/15 to 5/16 in.) and 8-mm. to 0 (5/16-in. to 0), each having only two superimposed inclined troughs. The first few "Rheo" boxes on the top trough removed refuse directly and the remaining Rheo boxes discharged impure refuse to the lower trough for rewashing. On the lower trough the first few boxes removed refuse and the following boxes removed a middling product

Jan 1, 1943

By John M. Gallow

Discussion of the paper of JOHN M. CALLOW, presented at the New York meeting, February, 1916, and printed in Bulletin No. 108, December, 1915, pp. 2321 to 2339. R. H. RICHARDS, Boston, Mass.-I think there is one note which would be interesting to have recorded in connection with this paper, and that is another form of flotation machine. The Minerals. Separation machine has a vortex action, with a vertical shaft and a propeller. This new frother has been developed for the Copper Queen Co. at Bisbee, Ariz. It has a horizontal shaft and a paddle wheel for a frother. It has eight cells, I think, all connected underneath in one continuous tank, and the only separation of the cells is in the upper chambers where the froth is. When this paddle wheel goes around it throws out the froth and the sand goes to the bottom and drifts over from the first to the second cell, where it is paddled again, and comes out with its froth; the sand goes to the third cell where it is again beaten. In that way the sand is continually drifting toward the last cell, while each new froth remains in its own cell. You can see in the working of this machine just the same effect that you see in Callow's machine, i.e., the earlier cell has the darker or richer froth, and the latter has the lighter or poorer froth until you get to the farthest one-which has very little froth, and is very light. JOSEPH W. RICHARDS, So. Bethlehem, Pa.-Speaking from the metallurgical standpoint, it is quite desirable, in many cases, that the oil be removed from the concentrate in order to facilitate the metallurgical work, and I think attention should be directed to the desirability of removing from zinc sulphide concentrates the oil which interferes with their subsequent roasting. The value of the oil is not large; in Mr. Callow's plant, for instance, it would be $20 a day, and it may be possible that a process might be developed which, within the limits of the value of the oil, would remove it, and thus facilitate the metallurgical treatment. LEONARD WALDO, New York, ,N. Y.-The question came up about a year ago as to why-Mexican crude was not an admirable oil for flotation. I have never heard any satisfactory answer to the question. The Mexican crude has the peculiar property of comparative freedom from dangers of fire, a very great reluctance to part with its water, and a specific gravity almost identically the same as water.

Jan 5, 1916

On the map of Europe the shield-shaped area included in the boundaries of Rumania appears too small to constitute a very important factor in the wold's oil production. The country has a total area of 122,000 square miles of territory, about one-fifth of 1 per cent. of the world's surface, from which about 21/2 per cent. of the world's oil was produced in 1929. This relatively small area also constitutes one of the known billion-barrel reserves of the world. Oil has been found in various localities in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains, extending more than 100 miles in length at their base. It is rather unusual that, while the extent of prospective territory seems to be large, the area of the commercially productive pools is comparatively small. Oil accumulation in Rumania is closely associated with salt stocks. Shows of oil are encountered from the Pliocene down to the Cretaceous. Most of the production, however, comes from the Pliocene, the chief producing sands of which are the Dacic and the Meotic, although some oil is produced from the Levantic and the Pontic. The Meotic as a source of oil was known for many years, but the intensive output from this sand series is a comparatively recent development and accounts in a big measure for the steady increase in Rumanian production. In the early part of the summer of 1929 the Astra-Romano (Royal Dutch) completed a well at Moreni in what is thought by some to be a fourth Meotic sand (a new sand series) at a depth of 5200 ft. with an initial production of 2000 bbl. a day of 41" gravity oil. The development of this new horizon has been somewhat retarded by the disastrous fire which occurred at Romano-Americana's well No. 160 in Moreni, but its discovery adds materially to the future life of the Moreni area, one of the country's oldest fields. Rumania's production for 1929 is estimated at 35,556,000 bbl., a daily average of 97,400 bbl. This compares with the total of 31,542,000 bbl. for the previous year, a daily average of 86,180 bbl., or an increase of 12.73 per cent. Rumania now occupies seventh position in the world's oil picture, it having been replaced as the sixth in importance by the Dutch East Indies in 1929. Table 1 shows a comparison of production by districts and fields.

Jan 1, 1930

By W. A. Ver Wiebe

Spurred on by the very high demands for new crude supplies resulting from World War 11, the oil men of Kansas strained every effort in 1943 to find as many new pools as possible. In all, 1761 test wells were drilled, ,of which 895 were successful in finding new oil supplies and 32 in finding new gas supplies. The total number of wildcat wells drilled in Kansas was 577, including the so-called "extension wildcats," which are located less than 2 miles from production. As a result of the very determined effort to find new oil reserves, 49 of the wildcat test wells found new oil pools in western Kansas and 7 found new oil pools in eastern Kansas. There were 289 rank wildcat tests, and among these 28 were successful ventures. They are responsible for 26 of the new oil pools recorded for the year and 2 of the new gas pools recorded. The ratio of dry holes to producing wells among such rank wildcats is thus approximately 10 to I (289 dry and 28 good). This compares with a ratio of II: I in 1942 and 6:1 in 1941; the same in 1940 and 5:Iin 1939. With nearly all wells flowing to their maximum economic capacity, the total production for Kansas during 1943 reached a new high; that is, 107,700,000 bbl., compared with 97,000,000 during the previous year. Similarly, the amount of gas sold during 1943 made a new high point on the production curve. The total amount was 122 billion cubic feet, compared with about 98 1/2 billion cubic feet for the year previous. As usual, the large Hugoton field of south- western Kansas accounted for approximately half of the total gas production. Highlights of the Year Despite the fact that 56 new pools were found in Kansas during 1943, it must be admitted that the future reserves of the state have not been increased greatly. Most of the new pools seem to be of minor value, although it is admittedly impossible to gauge the future production of any pool in Kansas with any exactitude. Judging by the later performance of some of the pools found in 1942 and in 1941, less than five of the new pools are likely to make any great contribution to the state's future oil reserves. Taking up the counties of Kansas in alphabetical order, the following statements summarize the highlights of the year. In Graham County, the Morel pool was extended to the southeast and this pool now promises to become one of the important pools of western Kansas. Several of the older wells have already contributed more than I000,000 bbl. of oil, and such a figure is considered very satisfactory in Kansas. In McPherson County, important new reserves were found by persistent drilling in township 17 S., R. I. W., the most northeastern township of the county. Many new wells in older pools and discovery wells in new pools make this region look promising. The Lindsborg pool, which had a sensational revival during 1942, was also extended in a number of directions and has now become a rather large producing area with a fairly high future potential capacity.

Jan 1, 1944

By W. A. Ver Wiebe

Spurred on by the very high demands for new crude supplies resulting from World War 11, the oil men of Kansas strained every effort in 1943 to find as many new pools as possible. In all, 1761 test wells were drilled, ,of which 895 were successful in finding new oil supplies and 32 in finding new gas supplies. The total number of wildcat wells drilled in Kansas was 577, including the so-called "extension wildcats," which are located less than 2 miles from production. As a result of the very determined effort to find new oil reserves, 49 of the wildcat test wells found new oil pools in western Kansas and 7 found new oil pools in eastern Kansas. There were 289 rank wildcat tests, and among these 28 were successful ventures. They are responsible for 26 of the new oil pools recorded for the year and 2 of the new gas pools recorded. The ratio of dry holes to producing wells among such rank wildcats is thus approximately 10 to I (289 dry and 28 good). This compares with a ratio of II: I in 1942 and 6:1 in 1941; the same in 1940 and 5:Iin 1939. With nearly all wells flowing to their maximum economic capacity, the total production for Kansas during 1943 reached a new high; that is, 107,700,000 bbl., compared with 97,000,000 during the previous year. Similarly, the amount of gas sold during 1943 made a new high point on the production curve. The total amount was 122 billion cubic feet, compared with about 98 1/2 billion cubic feet for the year previous. As usual, the large Hugoton field of south- western Kansas accounted for approximately half of the total gas production. Highlights of the Year Despite the fact that 56 new pools were found in Kansas during 1943, it must be admitted that the future reserves of the state have not been increased greatly. Most of the new pools seem to be of minor value, although it is admittedly impossible to gauge the future production of any pool in Kansas with any exactitude. Judging by the later performance of some of the pools found in 1942 and in 1941, less than five of the new pools are likely to make any great contribution to the state's future oil reserves. Taking up the counties of Kansas in alphabetical order, the following statements summarize the highlights of the year. In Graham County, the Morel pool was extended to the southeast and this pool now promises to become one of the important pools of western Kansas. Several of the older wells have already contributed more than I000,000 bbl. of oil, and such a figure is considered very satisfactory in Kansas. In McPherson County, important new reserves were found by persistent drilling in township 17 S., R. I. W., the most northeastern township of the county. Many new wells in older pools and discovery wells in new pools make this region look promising. The Lindsborg pool, which had a sensational revival during 1942, was also extended in a number of directions and has now become a rather large producing area with a fairly high future potential capacity.

Jan 1, 1944

By R. L. Dietrich

Magnesium alloy sheet has less ability to accept bending at room temperature than most of the heavier metals. In work designed to improve the bend properties, the preferred orientation of the sheet is of major importance as it is in all studies of the properties of wrought magnesium products. When rolled into sheet, all of the common magnesium alloys form an orientation texture having the basal (002) planes approaching parallel to the surface of the sheet. This texture is only slightly affected by annealing. Magnesium single crystals are highly anisotropic, and, as might be expected, so are magnesium alloy wrought products in which a strong preferred orientation is developed. It is therefore not surprising that bend properties are affected by orientation. Ansel and Betterton1 reported that the orientation of AZ3lXt sheet varies from surface to center and that bend properties are improved by etching away the sharply oriented material at the surface of the sheet to reach the more broadly oriented structure below. This paper covers a study of that orientation, either during the rolling process or by treatment of the finished sheet, in an effort to improve the bend properties and toughness of sheet. Literature The orientation texture of magnesium and magnesium alloy sheet has been studied extensively. Early determinations2 showed that pure magnesium sheet has a preferred orientation in which the basal planes are parallel to the sheet surface within very narrow limits. J. C. hIcDonald3 and J. D. Hanawalt4 reported that sheet containing a small amount of calcium develops a "double" texture, that is, the majority of the basal planes are a few degrees from parallel to the surface and there is a noticeable vacancy at the parallel position. Bakarian5 made careful quantitative pole figures of both pure magnesium sheet and MI alloy SEPTEMBER 1949 sheet which show these features. In all of these studies, however, the orientation was determined by transmission methods in which the resulting pattern is an average through the thickness of the sheet. The tendency of wrought metal to exhibit a different orientation at the surface from that in the center has been reported by many investigators. G. von Vargha and G. Wasserman6 found that with copper, aluminum, iron, and brass the textures of rolled compared to drawn wires were the same at the center but differed markedly at the surface. It was also reported by investigators7 that the orientation of rolled aluminum varies from surface to center. Har-greaves8 found that the surface texture of AM503 (magnesium alloy similar to MI) sheet was different from the center texture. It is reported by Edmunds and Fuller9 that zinc alloy sheet sometimes had a thin layer at the surface with a strong orientation of the basal planes parallel to the surface, which, if present, impaired the bend properties of the sheet. Part1 Surface Orientation ofMag- nesium Alloy Sheet and the Effect on Properties Attempts to correlate the bend properties of magnesium alloy sheet with tension ductility over short gauge lengths proved unsuccessful and the subsequent investigation showed that nonuniformity in orientation is a con- tributing factor as the properties of the surface material have a much more important effect in bending than in tension. A program to study the relationship between surface orientation at the surface and bend properties was then undertaken. First, the effect of etching away the surface of sheet on the bend properties and the orientations at the various depths were studied. Sheet samples of M1, AZ31X, and AZ61X were etched in dilute nitric acid to remove the surface material for various depths to 0.015 in. As may be seen in Table 1, the minimum bend radius improved considerably as the surface layers were etched away but it was necessary to etch the sheet quite deeply, much more so than was found necessary by Edmunds and Fuller9 on zinc sheet. It is also apparent that the amount of etching required is a function of the sheet thickness. In all of this work, radii were measured as R/t, the radius divided by the sheet thickness, in order to eliminate the effect of the reduction in sheet thickness produced by the etching. To determine the orientation texture of the sheet, X ray reflection patterns were taken using copper radiation with the bearn striking the specimen at an angle of 17' to the surface, which is the Bragg angle for the (002) planes of magnesium. Two exposures were made of each specimen, one with the beam perpendicular to the rolling direction and the other with the beam parallel to the rolling direction. The symmetry of the preferred orientation in magnesium sheet is such that these two photographs gave an approximation of the pole figure sufficiently accurate for qualitative work and it was not thought worthwhile to make complete pole figures. These X ray patterns show that the orientation has a much narrower spread at the original surface of the sheet than below the surface. The narrow spread is found in sheet having the majority of the basal planes (002) parallel to the surface, and since this is an unfavorable position for slip, it is

Jan 1, 1950