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By Carl W. Volz

NORWAY'S metallurgical development, which has extended over many centuries, is intimately associated with that country's unique topography and climatic conditions. It is a rugged mountainous country, with a most irregular shore line, bordered by thousands of islands forming a natural protection for shipping. There are an endless number of lakes, and innumerable rivers and waterfalls, many fed by glaciers and melting snow. Rainfall is abundant. Though half of the country is north of the Arctic Circle, it is warmed by the Gulf Stream, so that the average temperature is about 45°, or 20° higher than other parts of the world in the same latitude. A sub-

Jan 1, 1935

By T. K. Redden

Protective coatings based on the formation of a surface coating of nickel aluminide (NiAl) were applied to the nickel-base superalloys IN 100, SEL 15, and U-700. Coated specimens were exposed to an oxidizing environment at temperatures between 1600 and 2200 F for times up to 1000 hr. The oxidation resistance and stability of the coating were evaluated by weight gain measurements, metallographic examination, and X-ray diffraction study of surface oxides and coating. The composition of the coating and diffusion zone was determined by electron microprobe traverse of samples before and after high-temperature exposure. Intermediate phases formed in the coating and diffusion zone were identified by X-ray diffraction in situ and after electrolytic extraction. The outer coating was found to consist of the inter-metallic compound, NiAl, while the diffusion zone contained MC, M23C6 or M6C carbides, and a phase in a matrix of NiAl + Nidl. Oxidation resulted in formation of an A1203 n'ch scale containing some Tz02. Depletion of aluminum during oxidation resulted in degradation of the outer coating to Ni3Al and the nickel alloy matrix. Diffusion of aluminum into the base metal was found to be slight and did not influence coating life significantly. The o formed in the diffusion zone during coating decomposed during elevated-temperature exposure to form stable carbide phases characteristic of the base metal. Diffusion zone phase changes were found to have no effect on the life of the aluminide coating in the oxidizing envzron?nent. THE oxidation resistance of many high-strength nickel-base superalloys is inadequate for extended exposure at temperatures above about 1600°F. In addition, some applications for these materials require that they be exposed to environments containing sulfur compounds and sodium salts which can cause surface attalk known as sulfidation or hot corrosion. In order to provide the necessary corrosion resistance to the high-strength alloys, protective coatings based on an aluminizing process have been developed. These processes, usually based on a pack cementation technique, result in the formation of a NiAl-rich outer coating layer either during the coating process or by a subsequent diffusion treatment. The performance of the aluminide coatings is affected by interactions between the coating layer and the base metal both during the coating process and during subsequent exposure at elevated temperatures. Knowledge of these interactions is required to guide the development of coatings capable of longer life and improved reliability. Goward et al.' recently reported the metallurgical factors which influence coating per- formance on MAR-M200. The present work is concerned with correlating the interactions and performance of coating compositions on several representative materials. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES Materials. Three cast nickel-base superalloys which are used for turbine buckets in air-breathing engines were studied: IN 100, U-700, and SEL 15. Their chemical compositions are given in Table I. The alloys were vacuum-induction-melted and cast to slabs approximately 0.3 in. thick from which rectangular specimens 0.25 by 0.5 by 1 in. were machined. Coating Procedures. The machined specimens were coated by CODEP processes which were developed at the author's laboratory. These are based on pack cementation in various media to deposit either aluminum or aluminum in combination with titanium. The coating process which deposits only aluminum is designated CODEP-C, while the CODEP-D process deposits titanium in combination with aluminum. The CODEP-D process was applied only to IN 100. Both CODEP processes are applied at 1950" or 2000°F for 4 hr without need for a subsequent diffusion treatment. An outer coating about 1 mil in thickness is produced by these processes. Test Procedures. Coated specimens were exposed to static oxidation for periods ranging from 24 to 1000 hr at temperatures of 1600" to 2200°F. Terminal weight gain measurements and visual examination were used to evaluate oxidation resistance. including oxide spalling and coating failure. Both as-coated and exposed specimens of each alloy were studied by metallographic examination, electron microprobe analysis (EMA), and X-ray diffraction analysis either of the exposed surfaces or of phases extracted from the coating and diffusion zone. RESULTS As-Coated Condition. The microstructures of as-coated conditions were generally similar, irrespective of base materials or the particular coating process. They are typified by IN 100 coated by CODEP-D as shown in Fig. 1. The predominately single-phase outer layer, area A, Fig. 1, was identified by X-ray diffraction as the intermetallic compound NiA1. The NiAl zone extended inward to the original base metal interface. The diffusion zone, area B, Fig. 1, included carbide phases, a lamellar phase oriented perpendicular to the base metal surface, and a matrix phase consisting of a mixture of NiAl and Ni3Al. The phases in the diffusion zone were electrolytically extracted using a 10 pct HCl in methanol solution at approximately 1.3 amp per sq cm. The extracted phases were found to be M6C, MC, or M=C6 carbides and o as shown in Table I1 for each of the alloys. The d spacings from a typical diffraction pattern are

Jan 1, 1969

By Henry T. Mulryan

Since World War II, U. S. chemical companies have loosed a flood of synthetic organic insecticides. These synthetics fall into two broad categories. DDT is the best known of the chlorinated hydro- carbons and Parathion is the most famous (or infamous) of the organic phosphate nerve gas type. Insecticide poisons are not applied at full strength but as dilute sprays or dusts. This permits a broader and more efficient distribution of the active killer.

Jan 12, 1958

By Richard L. Stowe, Donnie L. Ainsworth

The static, rapid, and shock-loading response of rock is of interest to many in the field of rock mechanics. For example, the effects of loading rates on strength and stress-strain characteristics of rock are quite important in defining input loading for use in the design of underground protective installations. Response data on rock subjected to shock loading over a wide range of pressures are also vital in the field of underground nuclear testing. In addition, material response is needed in design of shock-absorbing liners. A number of investigators have reported that ultimate compressive strength of rock increases with increased rates of loading.1-6 Wuerker3 stated that modulus of elasticity, obtained from sonic determinations, increased in some rocks by a factor as high as 4.5. It appears that only a limited amount of work has been done on comparing static modulus and modulus obtained from impact testing.6 Phillips4 showed that with increased rates of loading the deformation decreased. More recent work by Atchley and Furr5 showed that when moderate-strength concrete is stressed with increased loading rates, the axial strain at failure increased. One would expect this to occur if we think in terms of purely elastic materials. For example, if E is constant and maximum strength [amax], increases, the axial strain would also increase. However, in rock testing thus far we have worked almost exclusively with nonhomogeneous and inelastic rocks. From this fact alone the increase in axial strain with increased load application is noteworthy.

Jan 1, 1972

By T. E. Brower

SHORTLY after our previous paper on this subject was printed,1 we located a source of uncertainty in the results arising from the unexpected fact that hydrogen slowly reduces silica at 1100° C. in presence of iron, even when the iron nowhere touches the silica, although in absence of iron it does not do so. This difficulty has been completely obviated by the use of a small high-frequency furnace, which enables us to heat the specimen for analysis without raising the temperature of the silica vessel to a point at which any appreciable reduction of the silica glass occurs. We now describe this modification of procedure, and present some typical results obtained with it. For any given specimen of steel, the results are entirely definite and. reproducible, but their precise significance is still open to some question, as indeed is true of all methods of oxygen determination so far developed. Further elucidation of this question is to be expected from the cooperative comparison of the several methods now under way under the auspices of the Bureau of Standards at the instance of the Iron and Steel Division of the A.I.M.E.

Jan 1, 1934

By R. C. FLEMING

G OLD MINING is enjoying a real revival in the West, and a considerable portion of the production is coming from small properties. The large mining companies of the world get most of the publicity, but in the last year the small gold property has often proved a more attractive field for the mining engineer looking for something to do. Old mines have been re- opened, prospects have been more closely examined, and many properties that were out of the running with the high commodity and labor costs of two or three years ago, have recently been making money for their operators. An interesting phase of this activity is the operation of so-called one-man mines. The west is dotted with these small properties, without the resources or reserves to warrant large-scale operation, but which return a living and often something over to one or two men who under- stand mining and simple methods of treatment.

Jan 1, 1932

A. Bement, Chicago,Ill. (communication to the Secretary*):— Formerly it was the general practice of engineers to designate coal that is free from moisture and ash as " combustible," notwithstandirig that it contains oxygen and nitrogen. The origin of this practice was more particularly due to the requirements in connection with boiler-testing, which demanded a consideration of that portion of the fuel which took part in the combuition-process because results based on a unit of either moist or dry coal were not comparable, since both moisture and ash were recognized as variable quantities. Thus, a pound of " combustible " became a standard of value, and was treated as a constant before employing measurements of heating-power and calculating therefrom the percentage of efficiency. The recognition of this term " combustible " was an advance to be credited to the engineer rather than to the chemist, because the latter, not having to do with the interpretation of analyses in practice outside the laboratory, usually saw no reason for reporting results in terms other than those of the moist-coal composition. Some years ago I needed a table of fuel-composition in terms of moist, dry, moisture-free and ash-free coal, and of the combustible components. This table required the use of the word combustible in its proper sense, for the purpose of designating carbon, hydrogen, and sulphur, instead of including these three elements with oxygen and nitrogen, to which aggregate the term combustible was formerly applied. To make such a tabulation involved either the use of the inconvenient and cumbersome term, "ash- and moisture-free coal," or of some other representative term, and for this purpose I adopted the expression pure coal, which is short, simple, convenient, and technically correct. It is also harmonious, because it agrees

Jan 1, 1909

By Edward H. Robie

PROBABLY nowhere in the United States or its possessions is mining development more active at present than in the Philippine Islands. Only a few years ago only one company was of any importance, the Benguet Consolidated. Now, five companies are paying dividends, five others have reached the producing stage, some seven others may produce this year, and a score or so are being actively developed. Gold production in 1933 was valued at about $8,000,000, last year at about $11,000,000, and this year an output valued at about $17,000,000 is envisaged. At the beginning of 1934 about 1750 tons of ore was being milled daily; at the end of the year, the tonnage was approximately 3400. In 1933 there were only thirteen Institute members in the Philippines; a year ago there were 27, and now there are 46. About fifteen thousand amen were employed in the mining industry last year, with mine payrolls amounting to $3,500,000. An immense amount of new machinery has been required. One difficulty has so far hindered gold-mine development to some extent-lack of adequate power. Each company therefore finds it necessary to generate its own power, and for this purpose diesel engines are generally adopted.

Jan 1, 1935

By D. Mills, G. B. Craig

ZIRCONIUM has been float-zone-refined in an electron-beam furnace and the redistribution of oxygen, iron, and tungsten has been measured. The iodide zirconium used in the present experiments initially contained both oxygen and iron in the range 100 to 200 ppm by weight, and tungsten in amounts less than 10 ppm. Float-zone refining of zirconium, using induction heating, has previously been attempted by Kneip and Betterton1 and Langeron.2 Kneip and Betterton were primarily interested in the removal of iron and nickel. They achieved some purification, with respect to both these elements, in material given up to six passes at 150 mm per hr under an argon atmosphere. Langeron reported purification for a large number of elements after four completed passes in a static vacuum system operating at pressures less than 10-6 mm of Hg and with rates of zone travel between 30 and 40 mm per hr. He did not report oxygen concentrations, but stated that there was inverse segregation of this element. westlake5 has also used a minimum of four zone passes to remove iron from zirconium. No rates or conditions were given. Belk6 has shown that tungsten contamination can occur during electron-beam melting. He reported an increase from 0.01 to 0.05 pct by weight tungsten in molybdenum after four complete zone passes. The vacuum system for the electron-beam unit used in the present investigation consisted of a single-stage rotary pump backing a liquid-air-trapped oil-diffusion pump. A pressure of less than 10-8 mm of Hg was obtained with Dow-Corning 705 fluid in the diffusion pump. In order to avoid contamination of the zirconium by evaporation from the tungsten filament, a special focusing cage4 was employed. Three rates of zone travel, 114, 38, and 4 mm per hr, were investigated, with the liquid zone moving from the bottom to the top of the bar. The bars used were 3 mm diam and the total melted length was 130 mm. Oxygen was analyzed by neutron-activation analysis using a neutron flux of 10' neutrons per sq cm per sec to form the isotope N16 by the 016 (n,p) N16 reaction. The standard deviation is quoted for each oxygen determination. The iron and tungsten analyses were performed spectrographically, and the precision is estimated to be ±6 pct. Analyses for tungsten were all below the detectable limit of 10 ppm, confirming the protection given by the focusing cage. No significant redistribution of oxygen was found at the two higher rates of zone travel. The redistribution of oxygen and iron obtained after five passes at a rate of zone travel of 4 mm per hr (1.1 x 10-4 cm per sec) is recorded in Tables I and 11. Burris, Stockman, and Dillon3 have estimated the distribution of solutes during multipass zone refining. Using their curves for an effective distribution coefficient of Keff = 1.5 and 2 for oxygen and Keff = 0.3 for iron, the expected concentrations were estimated for the present material. These are shown in Tables I and 11, along with the experimentally measured values. The calculated concentrations are based on a molten-zone length of 10 pct of the total melted length, whereas in the present experiments the molten zone was approximately 5 pct of the total melted length. The effect of zone length on solute redistribution is most pronounced after a large number of zone passes. Comparison with Pfann's published data8 for solute redistribution for various Keff's and zone lengths indicates only small differences at low numbers of completed zone passes. It is evident that the expected distribution has not been realized in the case of iron. Scrapings of material deposited on the inner surfaces of the electron-focusing cage were found to be magnetic. It is, therefore, concluded that redistribution of iron is masked by evaporation. Deposition of iron inside the focusing cage was observed at all rates of zone travel. The results of the investigation may be summarized as follows: 1) Segregation of oxygen is typical for a solute with a distribution coefficient, Keff > 1. 2) No redistribution of oxygen takes place at high rates of zone travel. 3) The distribution coefficient for oxygen lies between 1.5 and 2.0. 4) Purification with respect to iron occurs mainly by evaporation. 5) The focusing cage is effective in preventing tungsten contamination.

Jan 1, 1967

By E. T. Turkdogan

The activity of sulfur was determined as a function of composition of ferrous sulfide by equilibrating with hydrogen sulfide-hydrogen gas mixtures at 670° , 800°, and 900". The present results supplement the available data over the composition range from 36.6 to 39.5 pct S. The X-ray lattice spacing measurements made are in accord with the available data and indicate that the limiting composition FeSl.008 may be taken for the iron-iron sulfide equilibrium. The growth rate of ferrous sulfide on iron was measured by reacting iron strips or blocks in hydrogen sulfide-hydrogen gas mixtures. Owing to the slow approach to equilibrium between the gas phase and the surface of the sulfide layer, The sulfidation experiments were carried out for several days. It is shown that the growth rate ullimately proceeds in accordance wilh the parabolic rate law. From the parabolic rate constants and the thermodynamic data on iron sulfide the self-difiusivity and chemical diffusivity of iron in ferrous bisulfide are evalualed. The self-diffusivity of iron thus derived zs found to increase with increasing sulfur content. THE ferrous sulfide known as "pyrrhotite" is a non-stoichiometric phase having a wide composition range from about 50 to about 58 or 60 at. pct, depending on the sulfur activity. RosenQvistl studied the thermodynamics of this phase over wide ranges of temperature and composition. Hauffe and Rahmel' and Meussner and ~irchenall~ studied the parabolic rate of sulfidation of iron in sulfur vapor. By using markers, these investigators showed that the iron cations were the predominant diffusing species in iron sulfide. This is confirmed decisively by the self-diffusivity measurements of condit4 who showed that the self-diffusivity of sulfur in ferrous sulfide is several orders of magnitude lower than the self-diffusivity of iron. Although much has been learned from these studies about the Fe-S system, further research on this subject was considered desirable for better understanding of the physical chemistry of iron sulfide. This work was confined to the study of the kinetics of sulfidation of iron in hydrogen sulfide-hydrogen gas mixtures. The results of this study are given in two consecutive parts. Part I, the present paper, is on the parabolic rate of sulfidation of iron and the diffusivity of iron in ferrous sulfide. The second paper, Part 11, is on the kinetics of the surface reaction between hydrogen sulfide and ferrous sulfide. EXPERIMENTAL Three types of experiments were carried out: i) equilibration of ferrous sulfide with gas of known E. T. TURKDOGAN, member AIME, is Manager,Chemical Metallurgy Division, Edgar C. Bain Laboratory for Fundamental Research, U. S. Steel Corp., Research Center, Monroeville, Pa. Manuscript submitted March 6. 1968. ISD sulfur potential; ii) X-ray studies of ferrous sulfide; and iii) measurements of the parabolic rate of sulfidation of iron. Equilibrium Studies. About 1 g of iron powder or foil. contained in a small recrystallized alumina crucible ind suspended from a calibrated silica spring, was reacted with a hydrogen sulfide-hydrogen mixture of known ratio until no further change in weight was observed. %hen the gas composition was changed and the new state of equilibrium was established after several hours of reaction time. The composition of the sulfide was obtained from the initial weight of the sample and the weight after equilibration. X-Ray Studies. The lattice parameters of some of the equilibrated samples were determined using the General Electric XRD-5 diffractometer with a cobalt tube (no filter) set at 40 kv apd 10 ma; the CoK, radiation was taken as 1.79020A. Observed 220 and 311 diffraction peaks of silicon served as an internal comparison standard to correct for possible misalignment of the goniometer. The lattice parameters of the sulfide phase were calculated from the corrected Bragg angles of the 110 and 102 peaks. Rate Studies. In the initial experiments attempts were made to measure the parabolic rate of sulfidation by measuring the gain in weight of a thin iron strip, -0.05 cm thick, suspended from a silica spring in the reacting atmosphere. The preliminary experiments showed that this technique was not reliable for the measurement of the parabolic growth rate of the iron sulfide layer. In the subsequent experiments the data on growth rate were obtained by measuring, on a microscope stage, change in the thickness of the sample after reaction for a specified time in a hydrogen sulfide-hydrogen mixture of known sulfur activity. For each reaction time a new sample was used. Precision-machined iron blocks, 0.5 by 2 by 5 cu cm, were de-greased and annealed in hydrogen for several hours prior to the sulfidation rate measurements. The experiments were carried out at 670°, 800°, and 900°C in gas mixtures having the ratios, and 1.0 for periods of times from a few hours up to 8 days. Apparatus and Materials. A vertical globar tube furnace with a 3-in.-long uniform temperature zone was used. The glass tube fittings were fused on the zircon reaction tube, 1.5 in. diam. The temperature was measured with a Pt-10 pct Rh/Pt thermocouple placed in the hot zone of the furnace inside the reaction tube (an alumina thermocouple sheath was used). A separate thermocouple was used for the temperature controller which maintained the furnace temperature constant within about 2°C. Anhydrous liquid hydrogen sulfide and oxygen-free dry hydrogen from gas tanks were used in preparing the gas mixtures by the constant head capillary flow-meters. In all cases volume flow rate was 1000 cu cm per min at stp, corresponding to a linear velocity of about 6 cm per sec at 800°C; under these conditions

Jan 1, 1969

By Louis D. Huntoon

(New Haven Meeting, February, 1909.) THE Hammond Mining and Metallurgical Laboratory is the gift of Prof. John Hays Hammond to the Sheffield Scientific School of Yale University. Professor Hammond was graduated from this school in the class of 1876, and has always shown great interest in its welfare and progress. In 1903, he offered to build and equip for it a mining and metallurgical laboratory. This offer was gratefully accepted by the trustees; and in October of the same year the architect, W. Gedney Beatty, and the writer were employed to draw up plans for the building, which is the largest of its kind in this country. The Treasurer's report shows the total gift of Professor Hammond, including land, building, and equipment, to have been $128,741.53. This does not include $5,000 given by Professor Hammond to defray incidental expenses. The detailed cost of the machinery and installation, included in the above sum, is as follows: Machinery, $9,846.00 Pipe and fittings, 925.05 Hangers, shafting, pulleys, belts, etc., . 357.83 Steel-work, tanks, launders, etc., . 272.19 Screens for sizing ore, 411.37 Lumber, 1,896.36 General Supplies Hardware, . $135.96 Tools, 263.66 Paints, . 04.63 Electric and incidental, . 439.57 - 1,043.82 Machine-shop material, 259.44 Labor, 722.29 - 981.73

Mar 1, 1909

By A. M. Ribe

Briefly stated, the mission of the traffic manager (currently called a transportation services manager) is to enable his firm to utilize to its best economic advantage the various systems and modes of transportation available to it to bring in its raw materials and ship out its finished products. The function of the transportation services manager is perhaps of more relative importance in industrial minerals operations than in industry and trade generally.

Jan 1, 1970

By James W. Lower

IN developing the orebody on lower levels of the Star mine at Burke, Idaho, Hecla Mining Co. is faced with a serious problem in driving raises. Levels are at 200-ft intervals. As a raise is being driven between levels, at points about 70 and 130 ft from the sill, heavy pressure arches develop and the raise becomes extremely hazardous. Eventually, following a blast, caving occurs, making it impossible to recover the raise. In February 1957 it was decided to attempt sinking a small winze on the vein from the 5500 to the 5700 level. This shaft (winze-raise No. 2) was to be used as a raise prior to stoping. It was assumed, and correctly, that the heavy ground pressure could be controlled by timbering close to the bottom after each advance.

Jan 7, 1958

By J. I. Budnick, W. B. Ittner III, D. P. Seraphim

A reliable technique has been developed for producing single crystals of tantalum in the form of small diameter wires. By suitably heat treating these and polycrystal samples, first in an oxygen atmosphere and finally in vacuum, it has been found possible to reduce residual resistivities to 10-3 microhm-cm. The purity of these samples is thus comparable to the purities obtained in zone-refined silver, copper, and aluminum. THE growth and purification of pure single crystals of the transition metals is, in general, difficult. The high melting and annealing temperatures of these metals make it necessary to employ rather special techniques in any crystallization process. In addition, the transition metals show a great affinity for and are easily contaminated by nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon. Recently, however. a number of investigators have been successful in growing,

Jan 1, 1961

R. W. Raymond, New Pork, N. Y.:—I think Mr. Bache has put his finger on the chief source of the danger of dust-, or gas-and-dust, explosions in collieries. 1 mean the persistent determination of the miners' unions to increase their weekly wages by the excessive use of explosives. This would not be feasible if coal-miners were paid by the day; but this form of payment is, for many reasons, not economically practicable; and the universal practice is to pay for the winning of coal according to the quantity produced. If the miner, by using a large amount of powder, can throw down a large amount of coal without corresponding labor on his own part in undercutting and drilling, he will receive more money for less work, provided he is paid for everything—merchantable coal, worth-less dust, slate, and " bone "—resulting from such a method. My attention was called to this matter many years ago by an admirable report of Prof. W. B. Potter, a past- President of the Institute, on the conditions obtaining in this respect in the Illinois coal-field. It was made very clear in that report that considerations of danger to workmen or loyalty to employers could not be relied upon to prevent miners from employing this perilous and wasteful method of increasing their own immediate receipts. So far as I know, only three remedies have been attempted, namely: the enforcement of discipline as to the methods of mining; the refusal to pay for dust, etc., produced by the miners'methods; and restriction upon the use of explosives, effected by requiring the miner to purchase them from the employer, at a price so high as to make it unprofitable for him to use them in excess. All of these attempted remedies have encountered the bitter opposition of the miners' unions. The enforcement of discipline has become almost impossible, if discipline be (as it should be) understood to involve punishment for the violation of rules when no disaster has followed. I

Jan 1, 1910

By Charles G. Maier

It has long been supposed that when crystalline materials are comminuted the energy used in the production of increasingly smaller grain sizes is not entirely dissipated as heat but that a certain portion is "stored" as a part of the internal energy of the material. This portion usually has been called the "surface energy" of the particles. The practical interest of the Bureau of Mines in this subject in connection with the energy requirements of crushing processes has led to the author's attempt to measure the "stored" energy in finely divided calcite by heat-of-solution methods1.t The experiments on calcite showed that "storage" of energy could not be proved for this material, because fine grinding caused a lack of chemical homogeneity evidenced by loss of carbon dioxide and subsequent adsorption of water on the surfaces of the calcite particles. When thermochemical correction was made for composition changes the corrected heat of solution was less for fine material than for coarse. Continuation of the experimental work into the problem of comparing work and heat in the deformation of metallic crystals, where the calorimetric difficulties were less, showed, however, that in the case of copper and aluminum a real discrepancy between work and heat could be shown. Similar results had previously been obtained by Farren and Taylor2 and Hort3 and more or less simultaneously with the author's work by Rosenhain and Stott4 and by Taylor and Quinney9 The results obtained by the different investigators were not satisfactorily consistent, but the experiments of Taylor and Quinney constitute by far the best figures obtained to date. The previous paper1 presented evidence to show that if energy is stored in the surfaces of crystals the densities of fine crystals should differ

Jan 1, 1936

By W. A. Backofen, G. Y. Chin, W. F. Hosford

The effect of machine stiffness on discontinuous flow and fracture of the 2024 aluminum alloy was studied in tension at 4.2OK. An increase of machine stiffness was found to decrease the amount of elongation and drop in load during discontinuous flow, thereby postponing fracture to larger strains and higher stresses. The possibility of utilizing stiffened tools in deformation processing to suppress shear fracture originating from unstable flow was indicated. The problem of nucleating discontinuous flow and the role of the effective mass of the system in discontinuous flow were also considered. AT low temperatures the plastic flow of metals is often discontinuous, with sudden load drops and elongations.1,3 Basinski1,4 has presented strong evidence that discontinuous flow, at least in aluminum alloys, occurs under nearly adiabatic conditions. During testing the load may drop suddenly and flow become localized when the thermal softening, due to heat generated in plastic straining, is greater than the strain and strain-rate hardening. This instability criterion is more easily satisfied at low temperatures because 1) the volume specific heat is reduced so that relatively large temperature increases are possible in straining, and 2) the flow stress is relatively temperature-dependent. The important role of adiabatic shear in ductile fracture processes has been emphasized,5-1 and consideration has already been given to the influences of thermal and mechanical properties on the tendency of a material to undergo adiabatic shear.17677 By focusing attention on how the mechanical loading system influences low-temperature discontinuous flow, additional insight into adiabatic shear and its effect on fracture may be gained. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Because of its low thermal conductivity, the 2024 aluminum alloy exhibits a highly consistent discon- tinuous-flow behavior at 4.2°K and was therefore chosen as the material for study. Machined specimens of 0.113 in. diam and 1.125 in. gage length were solution heat-treated at 490°C for 3 hr, quenched into cold water, and immediately immersed in liquid nitrogen until just before testing. Testing was done at 4.2°K by immersion in liquid helium at a crosshead drive rate of 0.03 in. per min. As normally used (hard-machine basis), the spring constant of the testing machine was k = 25,000 lb per in. By inserting beam springs in series with the specimen, this value could be lowered by a factor of about 100. Details can be found elsewhere.? As a result of variable machine stiffness, the actual strain rate ranged from about 3 x 10 5 to 3 x 10-4 per sec from one test to another, as well as within any one test. However, preliminary tests had established that the tensile curves were not altered significantly by this strain-rate variation. Fig. 1 shows a typical load vs plastic-elongation curve for a solution heat-treated 2024 aluminum alloy specimen pulled in the standard hard machine (k = 25,000 lb per in.) at 4.2"K. The elastic extension has been subtracted. Plastic flow proceeded smoothly from yielding at approximately 22,000 psi (load = 220 lb) to a strain of about 4 pct at which point the flow became discontinuous. The magnitude of the load drops as well as the plastic elongation per drop increased with increasing strain until the specimen finally broke abruptly. The load-elongation behavior of a sample tested with a relatively soft machine under otherwise identical conditions is given in Fig. 2. In general, there

Jan 1, 1964

By J. Quigley

As the outcrop mines in the West developed into underground operations, systems of ground support were gradually evolved. In the early coal mines there was little need for support except near the dirt line in portals, where stone masonry was common. Where the top was shaley or broken, native pine props with light cross bars and legs furnished enough support even in Utah's 25-ft coal seams. As depth of workings increased. roofs and backs of the same general nature as those near the surface became more and more unstable and required more and more support. Some coal airways show this tendency very clearly. From the surface down the same type of roof shows deterioration which an experienced eye can translate into a measure of depth under surface rather than change in rock characteristics. Rock bolts, developed by various companies and by the U. S. Bureau of Mines, have become an effective substitute for timber in sections of some metal and nonmetal mines formerly requiring escessive timber support, and further use of war surplus landing mats, chain link fencing, and a new punched channel developed by one of the steel companies has enabled other mines to operate deposits where costs of timber and lack of clearance for timber support would have prohibited mining. The block caving mines have made extensive use of reinforced concrete underground to achieve similar ends under difficult conditions. Steel sets are standard in many Bureau of Reclamation projects, although these are usually covered in with concrete to make the permanent structures the Bureau's reclamation projects require. But the use of steel in mining operations is limited and has been confined principally to the iron ore mines of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Some mines have installed used rail as posts, caps, and crossbars, but a rail section is not suited for load carrying, and used rails are generally brittle. having a tendency to fail without warning when overloaded. European mines were the first to reach the size of worked out areas and depths of cover resulting in major roof problems. The Europeans resorted to pack walls and masonry walls, in conjunction with timber arched sets. rail arches, and combination timber and rail and steel arches. The give in these pack walls and wooden blocking was supplemented by a hinge in the center of the arch. This design is called an articulated arch Through various refinements of this principle of the support giving graduallv with the load. Toussaint-Heintzmann developed the yielding or sliding arches, in which yield is accomplished by friction in the overlapping joints of the arch. This type has gained widespread acceptance in the Ruhr and Lorraine Basin and is being manufactured by Bethlehem Steel for sale in this country. In North America the anthracite mines in Pennsylvania, followed by certain iron ore mines in upper Michigan and Canada, were the first to employ these arches to any extent. The practice was later adopted by Kennecott at Ruth, Nev., and by others. Despite high initial cost, the use of these arches is growing in many parts of the country because of their suitability in heavy ground. In its present form of manufacture the yield-able arch consists of open U-shaped rolled section with heavy beads on the edge. The open edge of the U is placed toward the wall. The section nests in another section of the same dimensions, and an arch can be built up from rolled radii and tangents of various weights and lengths. Sections are fastened together by U bolts and saddles. The lap on the joint varies from 12 to 24 in., and ordinarily the bolts are tightened with a 1-in. drive air wrench. The arches are spaced with channel struts held by J bolts and saddles. Sections can also be obtained that are composed of various combinations of radii and tangents and true circles. The joints can be placed to bear against anticipated loads and asymmetrical loads imposed by dipping strata. In the arches now being manufactured clearance widths up to 19 ft are obtainable in weights of sections from 9 to 30 lb per ft. The circular cross sections are available in the same weights ranging from 8 to 16 ft diam. At present most of the arches sold are supplied only in carload lots. It is hoped that demand will grow so that distributors can stock various weights and sections to give small operators a chance to try this new type of rock support under their own particular conditions. Several excellent papers have discussed the properties of various sections now manufactured, the dimensions of the sets obtainable, and their application under widely differing conditions. The present article will describe the methods and results of a special use of the arches at Kaiser Steel mine No. 3. Sunnyside, Utah. Problem at Mine No. 3 : In 1953 Kaiser Steel Corp. laid out Sunnyside mine No. 3 to recover coking coal left by the previous operator, Utah Fuel Co.. below workings that had been abandoned in 1928. Two seams had been worked, the upper and lower, separated by 30 to 42 ft of rock. Approximately 10 million tons of coal had been extracted from this area some 3000 ft down the itch from the outcrop to a 1500-ft depth of cover. The mine had been opened by slopes in both upper and lower seams. Sometime in the late 1920's the lower slope

Jan 1, 1960

By F. T. Havard

The present truce in litigation between Western smelting and ranching interests gives opportunity for a summary of the results achieved by metallurgists in condensing fume and de-acidifying furnace-gases. In the absence of complete records of past experiments, there ha's been a good deal of unliecessary duplication of attempts and failures. Yet, especially uilder the recent policy of our large corporations, looking to the economic recovery of the values of by- and waste products, . original and, in some cases, effective measures have been developed by American metallurgists. In the case of Bliss us. the Anaconda Copper Mining Co., the Montana Suprenle Court, recognizing the progressive efforts made to render the flue-gases innocuous, and the value to the community of the smelting company's operations, refused to hamper its work, and returned a verdict in favor of the defendant. In the trial, the experimental farms of the company ill the so-called "aff'ected region" were proved to be thriving perfectly, showing that immunity was guaranteed to vegetation and stock by tlle wide distribution of the sulyhurous acid gas in the dry air of Montana. Indeed, L. S. Austin has proved that by the time the fume is 4,000 ft, distant from the stack, the percentage of sulphurous acid has been diminished from 2.28 to 0.00045; and Angus Smith has shown that rain must contain 40 parts per million of free acid before vegetation is affected. The arsenic in the stack-gases is but a very small part of the original content of the ore, of which 80 per cent. and over is rejected in the coilcentrator and furnace waste-products or recovered in the flues, Nevertheless, neither the peace in Montana nor the armistice

Jan 1, 1911

By K. E. Merklin, F. D. DeVaney

Students of the modern blast furnace seem unanimously agreed that they are observing a major revolution in practice. Rather than changing construction and operation of the furnaces, most of the great advances now under way deal with the raw materials feed. Prepared burdens have gained increasing significance during recent years. Sizing, concentration, and agglomeration have all become bywords to greater production and reduced operating costs. The remarkable results with test furnaces in which self-fluxing sinter makes up part or all of the ore charge foretell even greater improvements. Other investigators have reported many of these advances, and it is enough to predict here that more and more operators will turn to the use of self-fluxing sinter. This change in the operator's requirements comes at a time when one major section of the iron ore regions, the Mesabi, is finding it difficult to maintain, let alone improve, the tonnage and grade of its shipping product. To meet the new demands with respect to quality and structure, the iron ore producers of this area turned first to screening, crushing, and concentrating intermediate ores. More recently, declining higher-grade reserves have led to multimillion-dollar investments in plants to treat the low-grade magnetic taconites.1,2 To yield a suitable concentrate, the Minnesota magnetic taconites must be ground to about 80 pct through 325 mesh, too fine to be charged directly to the blast furnace or to make acceptable feed to the sinter strand. The pelletizing process was developed to meet the structure requirements laid down by the blast furnace operators. Taconite producers are succeeding in their efforts just when the attention of the blast furnace man is being drawn to the great advantages of self-fluxing sinter.3 The taconite operators are ready with an alternative. Why not produce sclf-flus ing pellets? At the Hibbing laboratory of Pickands Mather & Co., where much of the early work was done that led to Erie Mining's 7.5-million ton taconite plant at Hoyt Lakes, Minn., preliminary investigations have been made. Present Taconite Operations: Details of this work will be clarified by a brief review of agglomeration practice in commercial taconite plants. After the taconite has been ground to about 80 pct through 325 mesh to liberate the magnetite grains, the ore is concentrated on magnetic separators, thickened, and filtered to about 10 pct moisture. This structure and moisture fit in closely with the conditions required to produce good balls. It has been found with taconite concentrates that at least 60 pct of the feed to the balling drum must be —325 mesh to obtain good ball compaction within reasonable time. The filter cake moisture usually permits a slight water addition at the balling drum, and further balling control is obtained by adding about 12 Ib of bentonite and 1 1/2 lb of soda ash per dry short ton of concentrate. These additives, and occasionally small quantities of fine coal, are thoroughly mixed with the filter cake ahead of balling. The swelling property of bentonite improves the green and dry strength of the balls so they can be handled without breakage until they are fired. Soda ash is added for pH control to insure maximum performance of the bentonite, and coal is added for more heat in the firing process when required. The balls, normally 3/8 to l-in. diam, are brought to a temperature of 2350" to 2500°F in the indurating furnace. Heat for this process comes from three sources: 1) fuel burned in the combustion chamber, 2) oxidation of the magnetite concentrates to hematite, and 3) coal added to the balls. Pellet strength is developed by grain growth and bridging and, if enough slag-forming constituents are present, by slag bonding. Conversion to hematite is usually close to 100 pct in the fired pellets. Batch Test Procedures: Initial studies of self-fluxing pellets were made by producing balls on a batch basis under carefully controlled laboratory conditions. The l-in. balls, uniform in size, were fired in an oxidizing atmosphere in a standard laboratory muffle furnace. The firing procedure consisted of

Jan 1, 1961