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As is known to representatives on Engineering Council, the Patents Committee of Council has collaborated with the similar committee of National Research Council in developing a scheme for the improvement of the method of dealing with patents in this country. The staff of the Patent Office is itself actively engaged in this effort. Out of the report prepared by the National Research Council, and approved and adopted by Engineering Council as the report also of its Patents Committee, remedial legislation has taken form. Three hills have been introduced, known as H.R. 5011, a bill to make the Patent Office independent of the Department of the Interior or any other department, and to simplify the procedure of the Courts with reference to assessment of damages or profits for infringement of patents; H.R. 5012, a bill to establish a single Court of Patent Appeals; and H.R. 7010, a bill to increase the force and salaries in the Patent Office. Chairman Charles A. Terry, of the Patents Committee, requests that representatives of Engineering Council write to their congressmen, urging the passage of these hills and so far as convenient, request their friends to do likewise.

Jan 9, 1919

By T. V. Subrahmanyam, A. P. Rao

The adsorption behavior of chalcopyrite has been studied at different xanthate concentrations and flow rates in a column apparatus with potassium ethyl xanthate as the collector. Based upon the experiment results an equation of the type: 1/F = K3 + m3C + k2/t.Cm2.fm1 is proposed to account for the experimental data. Among copper minerals an early study on chalcocite by Gaudin and Schuman (Taggart, 1951) is well known for its research on the kinetics of the reaction by conventional method of mass balance between the products of reaction and xanthate consumed. The results were interpreted by the concept of ion exchange adsorption. Szeglowski (1977) conducted measurements on the adsorption of potassium ethyl xanthate on copper polarized to various potentials, the adsorption being measured by radio-tracer techniques. The adsorption in the range -1800 to 700 mv was found to be a reversible physical adsorption. The potential range in which the primary electrode process could lead to surface coverage with a minimum number of product layers was evaluated. The adsorption density of xanthate on sulfide surface was found to be related to the concentration of xanthate in solution and concentration of depressants as: [ ]

Jan 1, 1983

History of Production, of Salt Creek Oil Field, Wyoming Discussion of the paper of EDWARD L. ESTASROOK and CLARENCE M. RADER, presented at the Casper Meeting of the Petroleum Division and issued, as Paper No. 1503-G, with MINING AND METALLURGY, September, 1925. C. E. REISTLE, Laramie, Wyo.-The application of water analysis to petroleum engineering problems is successful in many cases, particularly if the water in the sands is of uniform chemical constituency and if each sand water varies definitely from the others in its chemical properties. At Salt Creek, the sand waters are not of uniform chemical character, and the waters in the various sands do not differ greatly; so a water from one sand might easily be classified as a water from some other sand. The water from the Shannon sand contains sulfates; this alone makes it possible to differentiate between the Shannon and the First and Second Wall Creek and Lakota sands. However, it is not so easy to differentiate between water of the First and Second Wall Creek sands. As a rule, the Second Wall Creek sand contains a higher concentration of mineral matter, but in Table 19, sample 2; of the First Wall Creek sand and sample 7 of the Second Wall Creek sand have approximately the same amount of total solids. As a rule, the chlorides are higher in the Second sand waters than in the First sand; but, the chlorides in sample 6 of the Second sand show practically the same amount as sample 3 of the First sand. The use of reaction properties does not. solve this trouble, as they generalize the conditions even more. For instance, the reaction properties of sample 3 of the First sand are almost identical with the reaction properties of sample 6, of the Second sand. The authors suggest that the chemical characteristics of the water in a sand are not uniform because of the concentration of the water by underground evaporation. In that case should not the ratio of the various chemical constituents remain the same? Gas does remove some mineral matter, as evidenced by deposits in the gas lines and packing in the absorbers of the natural gasoline plants, but why does the gas act selectively, removing one salt and not all of the salts in the ratio that they occur?

Jan 12, 1925

By D. F. Atkins, B. A. Rogers

The constitutional diagram presented herein is relatively simple. Complete mutual solid solubility exists for an interval below the solidus line, a continuous curve with a flat minimum near 22 pct Cb and 1740°C. Upon cooling, the solid solution breaks up, except at the columbium-rich side, from two causes: zirconium-rich alloys transform under the influence of the ß-a transformation in zirconium; alloys of intermediate composition decompose into two solid solutions below 1000°C. The combined effect is the formation of a eutectoid at a temperature of 610°C and a composition of 17.5 pct Cb. The eutectoid horizontal extends from 6.5 to 87.0 pct Cb. Some age hardening effects have been observed in the zirconium-rich alloys but the positions of the solvus lines remain uncertain. IN recent years, zirconium has been produced in much larger quantities than were available previously. Correspondingly, the incentive for studying its alloy systems has increased, as the number of recent publications on alloy systems testifies. However, only a partial diagram of the Zr-Cb system has been published and relatively few references have been made to alloys of the two metals. Hodge' investigated the Zr-Cb system up to about 25 pct Cb. His data on melting points were not sufficiently numerous to distinguish with certainty between the alternatives of a narrow eutec-tic horizontal and a wide flat minimum in the solidus curve. Although Hodge considered his results on transformations in the solid state to be only tentative, he suggested that the eutectoid in the zirconium-rich alloys lay at about 625 °C and 10 pct Cb and estimated that the solubility of colum-bium in zirconium at 625 °C was near 6 pct. According to Simcoe and Mudge,2 less than 0.5 pct Cb is soluble in zirconium at 800°C. These authors observed an increased strength in both the 0.5 and I pct Cb alloys made with hafnium-containing zirconium. According to Keeler,3 the strength of zirconium is increased by addition of columbium to a content of at least 3 pct. Keeler' also observed a maximum in hardness at about 10 atomic pct Cb and commented on the brittleness of alloys of this composition. Anderson, Hayes, Rober-son, and Kroll5 investigated the tensile properties of Zr-Cb alloys containing 5.1 and 12.9 pct Cb at room temperature and at 343°C. The 12.9 pct alloy had a high tensile strength at room temperature but also a low percentage of elongation. All alloys had high elongation at 343 °C. Littona measured strength and elongation values of annealed alloys containing up to 27.5 pct Cb and found low elongation values for all of the alloys of high columbium content. Some observations on the resistance of Zr-Cb alloys to corrosion in water at high temperature have been published by Lustman, De Paul, Glatter, and Thomas' who found that additions of columbium up to 1 pct had only a minor effect on the corrosion resistance of zirconium. Preparation of the Alloys Raw Material: Zirconium of a relatively good grade was available for making the alloys. It was obtained as scrap pieces that had been left over from an operation that included production by the iodide process, melting under a protecting atmosphere, and fabrication to plates. The individual pieces had hardness values of 24 to 32 Ra and a typical analysis is shown in Table I. The columbium also was scrap trimmed from sheets. It was furnished by the Fansteel Metallurgical Corp. and had a high ductility but its analysis was known only approximately. The metal probably contained about 0.5 pct Ta, perhaps 0.25 pct C, and a few hundredths percent each of iron, silicon, and titanium. Melting: The alloys were melted in a tungsten-electrode copper-crucible arc furnace similar to units that have been described recently in the metallurgical journals.'.' The crucible of this furnace is provided with a cavity in which a getter charge can be melted before the melting of the alloy charges. Hardness measurements on the ingots indicate that the getter charge takes up a considerable fraction of the oxygen and nitrogen from the helium atmosphere of the furnace. The alloys used in the investigation are given with their intended compositions, hardness, and melting points in Table 11. Fabrication: All alloys of the Zr-Cb system appear to be amenable to fabrication. At least, all of the compositions listed in Table II could be reduced to wires in a rotary swaging machine. The starting material was either slabs cut from ingots and ground by hand to rough cylinders or narrow strips trimmed from sheets made by cold rolling slabs. However, not all of the alloys could be fabricated satisfactorily by the same method. From 0 to 4 pct Cb and from 20 to 30 pct Cb or more, the alloys could be swaged cold from ¼ in. cylinders to 0.80 mm wires with only one intermediate annealing, sometimes with none. From 40 to 90 pct Cb, the alloys were difficult to swage either hot or cold but could

Jan 1, 1956

This Bulletin will be received by members at about the time the Colorado Meeting is in session. A general account, of the meeting will be printed in the October Bulletin, but it will not be practicable to publish the discussion of the papers at the Colorado Meeting until the Nov-vember Bulletin.

Jan 9, 1918

On Feb. 16, 1948, the Board of Directors of AIME authorized the publishing of "Technical Notes" in METALS TECHNOLOGY. The purpose is to provide prompt publication of wry short items of the following general types: 1. Results of short investigations which do not warrant a paper. 2. The conclusions of extensive investigations of insufficient general interest to justify a regular paper. 3. Conclusions arising in the course of an investigation, which, because of interest to others in the field, the author wishes to present prior to completion of the investigation. 4. Pertinent factual comment (not mere argument) on the subject matter of previous "Notes." Such Notes will be subject to the approval of the Auxiliary and AIME Publications Committees, but can be handled more promptly than regular papers because they need not be referred to readers. The recommended maxi- mum length is 500 words; notes in excess of 1,000 words will not be considered for this type of publication. A graph or photograph may be included as part of the note when particularly illustrative. As with regular papers, contributions to the new section should be submitted to the Secretary of the AIME.

Jan 1, 1948

Low metal prices prevailing at the beginning of 1950 stimulated the search for improved mining methods. More experience was gained during the year with such new developments as the jackleg drill, millisecond delays as applied underground, trackless mining, and Diesel powered equipment. One of the outstanding innovations in mining practice was the starting of the Round Mountain "dry land gold dredging operation." The Government is now inviting the mining industry to open up every available source of new metal supply and this circumstance will undoubtedly speed the development of new machines. New methods will also result but it is doubtful if economic efficiency will be at its peak.

Jan 2, 1951

Open pit operators have found the dropball crane a great aid in cutting costs and hazards of secondary breakage. But a common problem in using the unit has been with the shock absorbing connection from the cable to the dropball itself. Blair Limestone Div. of Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. has come up with a new connector to solve this problem and to save the time usually lost in frequent replacement of the cable slings, chains, or old tires hitherto used at this point. J&L personnel solved the problem by combining three ideas from other dropball crane owners. Their unit consists of two long U-bolts running through a heavy spring originally made for use on a vibrating screen. Heavy duty swivels attached to the bent ends of the U-bolts provide attachment points for the crane cable and the special chain to the dropball. Connection at the dropball is by an eyelet welded directly into the mass of steel, and a special alloy chain is connected to this with a clevis.

Nov 1, 1955

By B. Pitchumani, D. Venkateswarlu

INTRODUCTION The characteristics of feed and product of any size reduction operation are normally expressed as mean size, the size corresponding to 80 percent undersize or the percentage below a specified size or specific surface area. But the feed has a distribution of sizes and quite often it becomes essential to obtain a product of desired distribution. In such cases, size distribution of feed is related to product by matrix methods. The technique of matrix representation of crushing operation was proposed by Broadbent and Calcott (1 to 4). They divided the complete crushing mechanism of coal into breakage, selection and classifying functions for a closed-circuit system to establish relations between the feed and product distribution. Ellis, Ray and Venables (6) suggested an empirical method of determining the breakage matrix by combining the characteristic functions and proposed the following hypotheses: 1. The breakage of individual size fractions passing through the mill at a given rate is the same whether passed separately or as part of a mixed feed. 2. The breakage of a mixed feed may be estimated from the products of individual size fractions passed through the mill separately at a rate at which they would be crushed as part of the mixed feed. This method is stated to be applicable when there is no interaction between the individual sizes.

Jan 1, 1980

By P. K. Foh, C. G. Dunn

IN an investigation of the rolling and recrystalliz-ing textures obtained from single crystals of Si-Fe, Koh and Dunn included specimens in the (111) [lie] orientation.1,2 This note reports some additional results obtained on samples of this orientation set aside for further study. After, primary recrystallization longer annealing treatments at 980°C produced only normal grain growth; after 16 hr at 980°C the largest grains were approximately 0.010 to 0.020 in. in diam. The orientations of 13 of the larger grains were found by the transmission Laue method. The unidentified (110) poles of these grains have been added to the (110) pole figure obtained after primary recrystallization2 to give the plot shown in Fig. 1. When grain identifications are also included, such a plot reveals the following. Two orientations agree almost exactly with the peak pole ,density positions of component B of the primary recrystallization texture, one with component A, and one with component C. All the remaining orientations except one have (110) poles near weaker and unidentified pole density peaks. In fact, the correlation is good enough for an identification of eight components. Previously only components A, B, and C were certain. The results are perhaps even more informative when combined with the (110) pole figure of the cold-rolled crystal to give the plot shown in Fig. 2. Each of the 13 orientations is identified and uniquely determined by selecting two (110) poles per crystal, which are 90" apart. The plot shows that every grain of the 13, except grain 6, has a (110) pole in common with a (110) pole concentration of the cold-rolled crystal. The orientation relationship with the cold-rolled orientation may be expressed as approximately 25" rotations about <110> axes, which is in agreement with the results found for coarse-grained primary recrystallization.2 If primary recrystallization had occurred according to the <110> rule without preference, there would have been 12 components. Actually our limited data reveals nine of the possible 12. The integrated pole figure also shows preferences among them, since three are considerably stronger than the rest. In addition to the above direct information, the following conclusions may be drawn. Primary recrystallization of the (111) [110] cold-rolled crystal produces a limited number of weak and strong components with the larger than average primary grains from these components related to the cold-rolled crystal by 25° <110> relationships. In arriving at this conclusion of limited orientations the (111) [110] orientation has to be ruled out as a source of large primaries for two reasons. First, growth in this orientation was not observed, despite an expected high grain boundary mobility (due to its 25" <110> relationship with every component of the texture). Secondly, primary recrystallization usually produces grains in new orientations, particularly in a single orientation matrix; but (111) [110] is not new. Other orientations besides those of the <110> type may be considered unlikely, of course, because the <110> relationship holds quite well for primary recrystallization2 and should produce the large primaries. There are exceptions to this rule, but probably not enough to provide large

Jan 1, 1958

By T. B. Massalski, Horace Pops

Martensitic transformations were observed by optical metallography and electrical-resistivity measurements during cooling at cryogenic temperatures of the bcc pr-phase Au-Zn alloys. The com-position dependence of the MS, MF, AS , and AF temperatures have been determined. It is concluded that the martensitic platelets which grow mainly in the lengthwise direction and which are associated with a very small temperature hysteresis are "thermoelastic" martensite. In some cases the observed structure seems to have no definite crys-tallographic habit or consists of a mixture of- plates and broad transformed areas. THE majority of the bcc /3-phase alloys in systems of copper, silver, and gold with zinc and cadmium are unstable at low temperatures and undergo a transformation upon further cooling into another structure. A large number of such transformations are martensitic. The composition dependence of the Ms temperatures has been determined and reported for CU-~n,&apos; Ag-Cd,&apos; and AU-C~~ alloys. The 50 at. pct ordered Au-Zn p&apos; alloy has been reported by Jan and pearson4 to transform martensitically at 58°K in connection with their study of the de Haas-van Alphen effect The p&apos; phase in the Au-Zn system has the ordered CsC1-type structure. The phase field is shown in Fig. 1: it has the typical V shape which is characteristic of all copper-, silver-, and gold-based binary /3-phase alloys. There appears to be no a priori reason why the transformation should be limited to the equiatomic composition and the availability of a cryogenic stage for optical metallography5 has permitted studies down to the liquid-helium temperature of a series of alloys in this system. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Predetermined weights of 99.999 pct pure gold and zinc were melted and cast under a partial atmosphere of helium in sealed quartz capsules. Thorough mixing of the molten metals was achieved by vigorous shaking, followed by a rapid quench into a brine solution. All ingots were homogenized at 640°C for 4 days. The loss in weight was usually less than 0.04 wt pct and was assumed to be due to

Jan 1, 1965

By M. C. Fuerstenau, A. M. Gaudin

Understanding the sedimentation of relatively thick suspensions depends on a knowledge of the concentration of the solids at various positions in the pulp and the times required for thickening. Flocculated kaolin slurries were studied with the transviewer, a device utilizing X-ray absorption in conjunction with a scanning mechanism. A mathematical model based on the Schuhmann size distribution in conjunction with Poiseuille&apos;s law yields experimental filtration rates as a hction of pulp density. These calculations show accord with the experimental results. Accurate predictions of sedimentation results depend upon determining the number and size of pores for given conditions, since the voidage of the suspension controls the volume of liquor that can pass through an element of suspension per unit time. A study on the sedimentation of flocculated kaolin slurries has indicated that their sedimentation takes place by two different processes, dependent on the initial concentration of solids in suspension. One process occurs in dilute suspensions (less than about 2 pct solids by volume) in which a multitude of relatively small flocs settle by hindered settling. In this case, maximal settling velocity is independent of container geometry.1 r2 The other process occurs in relatively concentrated suspensions (greater than about 2 pct solids by volume) in which the mass is considered to be settling as an aggregate network or as one large floc, defined as to size by the dimensions of the container. In this case, container geometry affects sedimentation results significantly. Furthermore, it seems that this single floc is in a state of compression from the beginning of settling, and that two phases of compression settling exist during sedimentation. The first occurs during the early stage of settling where liquid exudes easily and rapidly from the floc, while the second occurs in the compacting portion of the floc where water escapes more slowly and with much more difficulty. Sedimentation of relatively thick suspensions may then be thought to be a filtration phenomenon in which a pulp thickens by the filtration of its contained liquor through the aggregate network of pulp above it. This postulate has also been advanced by others.,4 To understand the sedimentation of relatively thick suspensions more fully, it was felt that knowledge of the concentration of solids at all positions in the

Jan 1, 1962

By C. R. Johnson, R. A. Greenkorn, E. G. Woods

A new method of reservoir evaluation called pulse-testins has been developed for describing formation properties between wells. Pulse-testing utilizes a sensitive differential-pressure gauge at a responding well to measure and record the response generated by a series of flow rate changes (pulses) at an adjacent or pulsing well. Since the pulse-test instruments have a sensitivity of about 0.001 psi, pulses of several hours or less in duration will generate a measurable response in most reservoirs. For this reason, many well pairs can be tested in a short period of time with little interference in field operations. Comparison of pulse-test results to conventional testing methods shows that the pulses obey unsteady-state, compressible-flow theory and thus provide a measure of both transmissibility (kh/µ) and storage (Fch). In additian, the method can be used qualitatively to describe communication across faults and between zones, and direction and tnagnitude of fracture trends. INTRODUCTION To obtain maximum usefulness of new reservoir analysis methods as well as to aid the field engineer in understanding local reservoir anomalies, improved methods are needed to describe heterogeneities in specific reservoirs. Optimum well spacing, equipment specifications, well completion design and especially the economics of pressure maintenance and secondary recovery programs depend on the extent and location of the heterogeneities that affect flow behavior in the field. One method for obtaining a measure of areal reservoir heterogeneity is an interference test. In the simplest interference test. constant-rate production or injection is initiated at one well and the effect of this flow is measured as pressure vs time at another well. Thus, during interference tests the flow characteristics of the formation are determined in situ. Despite their obvious usefulness in reservoir delineation. interference tests have not enjoyed frequent usage. Reasons for this have been the weeks or months required in many fields to obtain a pressure response measurable with conventional gauges, and the interruption of routine field operation during the field-wide shut-in normally required during these long times. Also, only average properties of the relatively large volume of the reservoir disturbed during these long times can normally be obtained — variations in properties between individual wells cannot be delineated. To eliminate these drawbacks of conventional tests, a special reservoir description technique called pulse testing&apos; has been developed. Pulse-testing has several advantages that make it more convenient and practical for field use than interference tests. Valid tests are more certain because use of a series of flow disturbances gives rise to a diagnostic pressure response that can more readily be distinguished from unknown trends in reservoir pressure and other "noise." The time required is only a fraction of that for an interference test because a special, high-sensitivity differential pressure gauge can detect a much smaller pressure change. Variations in properties between individual wells can be delineated because of the relatively small volume of the reservoir disturbed during these short times. Finally, wells other than the pulsing and responding wells do not have to be shut in or carefully regulated.

Jan 1, 1967

By O. Z. Klopsch, G. L. Craig

The fabrication characteristics and properties of phosphorized arsenical Lake copper have been compared with phosphorized prime Lake and phosphorized electrolytic seamless copper tubing, in a series of mill-scale tests employing commercial drawing schedules. Phosphorized arsenical coppers containing as much as 0.20 per cent arsenic were drawn with various reductions into 7/8and 3/8in. seamless tubing along with billets of the two types of arsenic-free copper. The effect of arsenic was determined by the average power required to draw given compositions and by the final properties of the respective materials in the annealed condition and after various degrees of cold reduction. Power consumption data show that no more power is required to draw arsenical coppers of this type than the arsenic-free copper. The result? of tensile tests indicate that arsenic increases the strength of cold-drawn tubing somewhat, but has no measurable effect on the properties of annealed tubing; the ductility of the tubing as evidenced by the elongation and other prescribed tests is unaffectetl by 0.20 per cent arsenic.

Jan 1, 1933

The Oregon School of Mines Society held its regular monthly meeting on the evening of October 23. This meeting was an informal reunion at which members gave accounts of personal experiences during the last three months. Many members of both junior and senior classes answered their country&apos;s call to arms and so did not return to college. The senior class is particularly well represented in the Army, as two men hold lieutenant&apos;s commissions and a third is already in France with a hospital unit. The junior class has also contributed men to various branches of the service. Plans for the regular meetings include discussions by members and lectures by outside authorities oil mining and allied topics. These meetings are open to the lower classes and all others interested. The Oregon School of Mines Society, composed of members of the junior and senior classes, has, joined with the sophomore and freshman relining students in purchasing a Liberty Bond under the name of the Miners&apos; Club of 0. A. C. H. W. THOMS, President.

Jan 12, 1917

By R. M. Treco

The effect of small additions of oxygen on the hardness, density, and lattice parameters of high purity zirconium has been investigated. Precision parameter values and density of oxygen-free zirconium are given as: a,, - 3.2258 kX units, C = 5.1373 kX units, O23 = 6.507 g per cc. THE effect of oxygen on the hexagonal-phase lattice constants of pure zirconium is of interest for several reasons. The extensive hardening effect of oxygen noted by previous investigators&apos; must be due in part to the lattice distortion accompanying its introduction and possibly to the preferred position of the oxygen atoms. De Boer and Fast&apos; have shown that oxygen is taken into solid solution in large amounts, appearing to occupy an interstitial position. These authors also found that expansion of the lattice was not uniform since the a axis attained a constant value after the addition of 10 atomic pct while the c axis continued to expand. It was thought in the present work that this expansion of the zirconium lattice with increasing amounts of oxygen

Jan 1, 1954

By Ralph A. Sherman, J. M. Pilcher

BY surface treatment of coal is meant the application of a material, either solid or liquid, to the surface of pieces of coal. The purposes of surface treatment are varied. They may be to identify or "trade- mark" the coal, to modify the burning characteristics, the coking tendencies, or the behavior of the ash, to prevent the freezing of wet coal, or to control the dust. The control of dust is the usual purpose of surface treatment. TRADE-MARKING COAL The application of color to the surface of coal for the purpose of identification and registration of the trade-mark has been practiced to some extent. In 1928, the Glen Alden Coal Co. began to color its coal and adopted the trade-mark, "Blue Coal." The Old Ben Coal Co. later followed a similar practice with "Green Coal." A commoner means of identification of coal has been the stenciling of designs or pasting labels on large lumps or in the distribution of small cardboard tags through the smaller sizes. The details of the method used to color coal have not been revealed. Usually all of the coal is not treated, because of the expense. Only enough pieces are colored to show clearly when distributed through the coal. The patent literature gives information on some of the methods proposed. Esselen and Weiss have patented the deposition of a coloring material in the valleys of the surface of the coal. Sperr covers the quenching of coke with water containing a pigment or dye that will deposit on the coke. He also suggests electroplating with copper or nickel. Glinsmann subjects the freshly fractured coal surface to the action of an alkali or alkali earth ferricyanide and a ferric salt. Barsky and Hanson specify a method for the application of the same chemicals covered by Glinsmann. COATINGS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF APPEARANCE As a purchaser often judges coal by its appearance, modification of the surface has been attempted from time to time, particularly of the surface of outcrop or stored coal, which has become covered with a brown film of iron oxides, but information is lacking as to the extent or success of the

Jan 1, 1950

By William A. Mitchell

AN X-ray diffraction pattern for "calcined cold precipitated ferric oxide" is reproduced dia-grammatically along with data for other iron oxides by R. C. Mackenzie.1&apos; This pattern, which shows spacings higher than those for any other form of iron oxide, was obtained from material prepared and photographed at several different times over a period of weeks, but later attempts to reproduce the results were unsuccessful, the pattern of hematite being obtained every time.2 In an attempt to solve this problem, the original photographs showing the strange diffraction pattern were examined and a marked similarity to the hematite pattern was noticed, suggesting that the pattern was in fact due to hematite but corresponded to a shorter wavelength of X-rays than the Cu Ka which was assumed to have .been used. The eight strongest lines were provisionally identified with the strongest hematite lines and, by means of the corresponding hematite spacings, the X-ray wavelength was calculated for each line. This gave an almost constant value, with the exception of the innermost line which was somewhat diffuse, and confirmed the presence of hematite. The value obtained, 0.703 ± 0.015Å, corresponds to the molybdenum Ka wavelength. The X-ray tube used was a four-filament demountable tube with a copper target. Other photographs, mostly of soil clays, taken during the same period gave normal patterns of Cu Ka radiation with one exception. This was a calcined soil clay with a high iron content and also showed Mo Ka lines of the hematite structure. The explanation is almost certainly that the copper target was contaminated with molybdenum, but it is not known how this occurred. Specimens of alumino-silicates gave their normal Cu Ka pattern, but as the K absorption edge of iron is a little longer than the Cu Ka wavelength, specimens with a high iron content greatly reduced the intensity of the Cu Ka diffraction lines relative to that of the lines due to the shorter Mo Ka wavelength. The formation of hematite on calcining cold precipitated hydrated ferric oxide3 is thus confirmed. References R. C. Mackenzie: Investigations on Cold-precipi-tated Hydrated Ferric Oxide and its Origin in Clays. Problems of Clay and Laterite Genesis, p. 69, Fig. 4, F. AIME Symposium, St. Louis, Mo. Feb. 19-22, 1951. Published 1952. &apos;R. C. Mackenzie: Ref. 1. Note added on proof. V. C. Hansen and L. T. Brownmiller: Equilibrium Studies on Alumina and Ferric Oxide and on Combinations of These with Magnesia and Calcium Oxide. American Journal of Science (1928) 5, No. 15, pp. 225-242.

Jan 1, 1954

By A. A. Mathews

During the past year (1967-68), there have been many instances of either partial or complete failure of a tunnel-support system. It looks like the art is in a pretty sad state, but as long as we permit the field of tunnel design to remain basically an art, that&apos;s about what we can expect. The application of scientific principles to tunnel design involves much more than assigning values to a series of factors in an equation. I am reminded of the case where the engineer calculated that steel ribs with struts were required to support a horseshoe-shaped tunnel in firm ground. The contractor had driven several hundred feet without installing the struts when the engineer visited the job. When he was informed that the struts had been left out, he fled the tunnel in alarm. As one authority has so aptly put it, "There is far too much calculating and too little observing." Initially, one might think of a tunnel support as a structural member, such as a strut or arch which is installed in order to support some definite load. Similarly, a tunnel lining might be considered as a treatment of the interior surface of the tunnel in order to produce desired aesthetic, hydraulic, or architectural results, or to serve a protective function. Actually, many linings, such as a concrete lining, serve a dual purpose and support a load as well as satisfy other requirements. Not too many years ago a tunnel, during the driving or excavating stage, was considered to be either supported or unsupported. In recent years, however, several techniques have been developed, which by helping the tunnel to support itself, permit the elimination of separate structural support. Since these techniques in many cases actually become a substitute for the conventional types of supports and linings, a state-of-the-art review would hardly be complete without including them for consideration. Thus, for the purpose of this discussion, we shall define tunnel supports as any system or technique which effectively maintains the integrity of the tunnel opening. In their chapters, both Jacobs (No. 6) and Lippold (No. 7) pointed out how support systems have advanced from timber supports to steel supports

Jan 1, 1970

New equipment for seabed sampling, presently at the prototype stage, operates on the principle of diamond core drilling with wire line core barrels and is designed to drill cores from the seabed at depths down to 200 m with a continuous recovery of cores from an attendant vessel. The machine operates on the seabed by remote control from a console on the vessel. Neither installation nor operation requires the use of divers. Principal Applications Principal areas of application for the drill which is dubbed Maricor include investigation drilling in the continental shelf, mapping geological conditions before large drilling platforms are installed and exploring proposed undersea tunnel routes.

Jan 11, 1973