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By K. E. Beu

THE integrated intensity X-ray method of meas-uring retained austenite concentrations in hardened plain carbon or low alloy steels as proposed by Averbach and Cohen1,2 has the advantages of being a highly sensitive and precise quantitative method. The various phases of this method have been studied and several modifications have been developed which aid not only in reducing the time required per determination, but which also increase the possible accuracy of the method. A fundamental step in the original calculation procedure is to plot V.A(?) curves for austenite and martensite and to obtain VM/VA ratios from these curves.' In taking this ratio the absorption factor A (8) drops out since it is constant for a. given diffraction angle 8. The reason for eliminating A(?) in this manner is because it is apparently assumed

Jan 1, 1953

By F. R. Scauzillo

Equilibrium data which should be useful in the design and/or evaluation of glycol dehydration units were prepared from an analysis of various published data and the correlation of these data by the use of the thermo-dynamic equilibrium ratio. The equilibrium ratios of water are used to solve the glycol absorber problem; such solutions are necessary to define the number of trays and the glycol circulation rate needed to meet drying requirements. Activity coefficients were obtained which relate directly to the equilibrium ratios of water in the water-TEG-natural gas system. These activity coefficients have been used to calculate the equilibrium dew points for aqueous TEG concentrations of 60 to 99.9 weight per cent for the temperature range of 40° to 120° F. They also provide a means of calculating equilibrium ratios for water in the water-TEG-natural gas system; this applies to any desired TEG concentration and to the temperature range from 40° to 120°F. INTRODUCTION During the last several years, the drying of natural gas with aqueous triethylene-glycol (TEG) solutions has become very prominent. Most users of TEG as a drying agent have been satisfied with the performance of TEG solutions at the conditions used; however, there always has been some discussion of the drying ability of TEG solutions at conditions not commonly encountered such as temperatures below 50° or 60°F, but more particularly temperatures above 100°F, and pressures above 1,000 psia. Today, when higher wellhead temperatures such as 120°F are more commonly encountered many are skeptical of TEG's ability to dry sufficiently well to provide dew points around 32°F, which is generally the maximum tolerable when attempting to dry a gas to contract specifications of 7 Ib/MMscf. These views probably have evolved to some extent from the days when suppliers would not guarantee dew-point depressions in excess of 65° to 75 °OF. Also, the feelings about TEG drying may have arisen from the lack of information about the equilibrium relation of water in the drying operations. Porter and Reid' have reported equilibrium data for a 95 per cent TEG solution, while Townsend2 reported equilibrium data for 95, 98 and 100 per cent TEG solutions. Townsend also presented a calculational method which obtains activity coefficients in the liquid phase and, subsequently, the equilibrium water content of a saturated gas over glycol from published3 atmospheric dew points. Wise, Puck and Failey' presented activity data for the water-TEG system at atmospheric pressure. In the past, the equilibrium ratios published for water in a 95 per cent by weight aqueous TEG solution have been used indiscriminately by many for all concentrations of TEG encountered in gas drying operations. Since essentially all such gas operations require the use of more concentrated TEG solutions, a study was undertaken to correlate the existing equilibrium data for aqueous TEG and gas systems and to provide some means of calculating the equilibrium ratio of water in the natural gas-water-TEG system where TEG concentrations were other than 95 per cent. The data presented herein consider only the equilibrium drying ability of the TEG solutions and do not consider the effect of temperature and pressure on the tray eficiency of contactors. In other words, this paper is concerned primarily with the development of the equilibrium relationship between water in the dried natural gas and the water in the lean TEG entering the top tray of the absorber. BASIC EQUILIBRIUM RELATIONS A relationship which relates the K value of water in the natural gas-water-TEG system to the vapor pressure of water at the system temperature, the total pressure of the system and the activities of the liquid and gas phases has been evaluated. It is well known that, for any component of a mixture at equilibrium between a gas phase and a liquid phase,

By John Fulton

THE increase in the production of iron has been accompanied by a growing demand for an improved quality, and more especially at the present time, in the manufacture of Bessemer steel, which is rapidly becoming an important branch of industry. This has led the makers of pig iron to a careful investigation of the composition of the materials from which their metal is produced, the inquiry being greatly assisted by a cordial alliance of science and practice. Formerly, chemical science was held in abeyance, or admitted in a hesitating experimental way ; but now it is received as a valuable auxiliary, and its decisions are accepted as final and conclusive. It is called on to assist the iron-maker in determining the quality of his stock, and to detect the presence of injurious elements in his fuel, ores, flux, or iron. The object of this paper is to submit the method now in use at the furnaces of the Kemble Coal and Iron Company in the Broad Top coal and iron region, for removing, by a process of crushing and washing, slate and other impurities from coal, designed, when coked, for furnace fuel. It is not contemplated to claim very advanced progress in this work, believing that it is susceptible of improvement, but to show that some progress has been made in a comparatively new field, and it is hoped in the right direction, since coke is probably destined to become the principal fuel in the metallurgy of iron. The Broad Top coal region occupies an isolated geographical position, standing 25 miles east from the Alleghany field. It is associated with the latter by the structure of its coal, and more closely with the Cumberland field by a similarity in the quality of coal.

Jan 1, 1875

By J. I. Drever, C. R. McKee

The push-pull test, which is a simple injection and pumping sequence of ground water spiked with solutes of interest, is presented as a method of determining the adsorption characteristics of a formation. Adsorption properties are necessary to predict restoration from both in situ coal gasification and in situ uranium extraction. The major problems in applying laboratory measurements to the field concern scaling the effect of particle size, and obtaining representative samples. Laboratory measurements are conducted on gram to kilogram scale samples, whereas the push-pull test evaluates a sample weighing approximately 130 to 1,000 metric tons, depending on volume injected and porosity. The problems in translating laboratory results to the field appear to be less severe for sedimentary uranium bodies than for coal. Laboratory measurements are useful in delineating possible ranges in adsorption properties, and in planning the field experiment. The adsorption properties of a formation are characterized by the cation exchange capacity (C) and the distribution coefficient measured at low concentration, (kd) 'Laboratory procedures for their measurement on coal and uranium ore are reported. Two field push-pull tests were conducted on uranium formations in Wyoming. Adsorption properties estimated from these tests on the basis of a simple cell model were compared to the laboratory values. In the first case, excellent agreement was observed between the values estimated from the field test and the values measured in the laboratory. In the second case, the value for kd determined in the laboratory was 5 times higher than the field value. It is recommended that push-pull tests be conducted on coal formations being considered for in situ gasification in view of the great uncertainty in extrapolating 1aboratory.adsorption properties to the field.

Jan 1, 1979

By Charles Austin

IN a recent paper the authors1 discussed the reactions to tempering of hypereutectoid steels quenched from 1000° C., as revealed by studies on changes in hardness, electrical resistivity, coercive force and metallo-graphic characteristics. The data, which related specifically to temper-ing temperatures of 550°, 650° and 710° C., for varying periods up to 125 hr., permitted the following important conclusions: 1. The rate of softening of the steels at the temperatures examined differed markedly although the steels were of "similar" general chemi-cal composition. 2. The temperature of maximum softening spread over a range from about 650° C. to the eutectoid inversion. 3. The divergence in behavior was ascribed, at least in part, to a profound difference in tendency to graphitization on annealing at sub-eutectoid temperatures. 4. The mode of spheroidization of the cementite, as revealed by metallographic studies, also varied considerably in the different steels. The purpose of the present investigation is to pursue further the study of the difference in behavior of the steels on tempering over a wider range of temperature. To this end the following features have received particular attention: 1. Comparison of temperatures of maximum softening of the various steels when the quenched samples were tempered for 5 hr. and for 75 hr. followed by furnace cooling and by quenching in water. 2. Determination of the effect of quenching temperature, prior to tempering, on the rate of softening. Quenching temperatures of 1000° and 850° C. were used in the investigations. 3. Examination of the microstructures obtained with the various heat-treatments employed.

Jan 1, 1938

By B. S. Norris, Charles R. Austin

IN a recent paper the authors1 discussed the reactions to tempering of hypereutectoid steels quenched from 1000° C., as revealed by studies on changes in hardness, electrical resistivity, coercive force and metallographic characteristics. The data, which related specifically to tempering temperatures of 550°, 650° and 710° C., for varying periods up to 125 hr., permitted the following important conclusions: 1. The rate of softening of the steels at the temperatures examined differed markedly although the steels were of "similar" general chemical composition. 2. The temperature of maximum softening spread over a range from about 650° C. to the eutectoid inversion. 3. The divergence in behavior was ascribed, at least in part, to a profound difference in tendency to graphitization on annealing at subeutectoid temperatures. 4. The node of spheroidization of the cementite, as revealed by metallographic studies, also varied considerably in the different steels. The purpose of the present investigation is to pursue further the study of the difference in behavior of the steels on tempering over a wider range of temperature. To this end the following features have received particular attention: 1. Comparison of temperatures of maximum softening of the various steels when the quenched samples were tempered for 5 hr. and for 75 hr. followed by furnace cooling and by quenching in water. 2. Determination of the effect of quenching temperature, prior to tempering, on the rate of softening. Quenching temperatures of 1000° and 850° C. were used in the investigations. 3. Examination of the microstructures obtained with the various heat-treatments employed.

Jan 1, 1938

By John Fulton

THE increase in the production of iron has been accompanied by a growing demand for an improved quality, and more especially at the present time, in the manufacture of Bessemer steel, which is rapidly becoming an important branch of industry. This has led the makers of pig iron to a careful investigation of the composition of the materials from which their metal is produced, the inquiry being greatly assisted by a cordial alliance of science and practice. Formerly, chemical science was held in abeyance, or admitted in a hesitating experimental way ; but now it is received as a valuable auxiliary, and its decisions are accepted as final and conclusive. It is called on to assist the iron-maker in determining the quality of his stock, and to detect the presence of injurious elements in his fuel, ores, flux, or iron. The object of this paper is to submit the method now in use at the furnaces of the Kemble Coal and Iron Company in the Broad Top coal and iron region, for removing, by a process of crushing and washing, slate and other impurities from coal, designed, when coked, for furnace fuel. It is not contemplated to claim very advanced progress in this work, believing that it is susceptible of improvement, but to show that some progress has been made in a comparatively new field, and it is hoped in the right direction, since coke is probably destined to become the principal fuel in the metallurgy of iron. The Broad Top coal region occupies an isolated geographical position, standing 25 miles east from the Alleghany field. It is associated with the latter by the structure of its coal, and more closely with the Cumberland field by a similarity in the quality of coal.

By R. G. Coyle

This paper describes a model of operating policies in an underground metal mine. The purpose of the model is partly that the problem of controlling a mining operation in the face of shocks from its economic environment is interesting in its own right, and also as an input to a larger research project on policy-making in mining companies. The model includes, mining, development and milling sectors together with cash flow and finances. In particular, it shows how the policies used to control the various sectors in the face of environmental shocks from metal prices and changing state of the system are connected by feedback loops. The use of feedback theory differentiates the model from 'ordinary' simulation and assists in the design of 'robust' policies which always achieve effective control. This model is the first stage of a major project and approximations have been made, simply to get the model going. The purpose of this paper is to show the kind of output this type of model produces, to lay our explicitly what is in the model and above all, to invite contributions from mining people on what the model should show and what should be put into it. We claim no virtues for this model. It is just a research tool so that later models will be more worthwhile and useable in practice.

Jan 1, 1977

By G. Gutierrez, M. C. Fuerstenau, J. D. Miller

The response of pure goethite and two natural iron ores to flotation with potassium octyl hydroxamate is presented. The ores contained 12.5% and 39.7% iron; concentrates containing 69.5% and 61.5% iron, respectively, were obtained with additions of 0.4 lb/ton hydroxamate. Selective flotation of iron oxides from associated gangue minerals has proven difficult in the past with standard collectors, such as sulfonates and fatty acids. As a result, recent work has been directed toward silica flotation with calcium activation after the iron oxide surfaces have been blinded with certain starches.& The results obtained with this technique are encouraging. This method, however, involves depressing a mineral that would normally float under the conditions employed. A preferable method would involve floating the iron oxide because quartz is naturally depressed until activated. Earlier work involved this approach, but in view of the results obtained, collectors that exhibit greater specificity for iron are needed. During an investigation of chrysocolla flotation with potassium octyl hydroxamate, a metal chelate former, it was observed that pyrite floated well with low additions of collector.3 This phenomenon suggests that hydroxamate has a rather strong affinity for iron, and that other iron-bearing minerals should also respond to flotation with octyl hydroxamate. The object of this paper is to determine this response. The experimental work was divided into areas, the first of which involved microflotation experiments with pure goethite with an apparatus described previously.4 Goethite was selected because of the ease

Jan 1, 1968

By Chas. Y. Clayton, Francis B. Foley, W. E. Remmers

DuRing the summer of 1919, the late Dr. Henry M. Howe, then Chairman of the Division of Engineering of the National Research Council, organized a committee to obtain a better insight into the behavior of carbon steels under the influence of various treatments by a proper control of the time and temperature factors. During part of 1919 and 1920, work in connection with this investigation was carried on at Dr. Howe's laboratory at Bedford Hills, N. Y. During 1921 there was an enforced hiatus in the work, occasioned by the illness which resulted in Dr. Howe's death in 1922. At that time one of the present authors compiled the results of the work which had been done and this was published in 1923.' Following the publication of this work, it seemed desirable to carry on in the same manner an investigation of steel of C 0.75 per cent., which steel had not been as fully treated as had the other steels of C 0.34 and 0.52 per cent., used in the published work. Furthermore, certain unusual results have been obtained in the treatment of C 0.52 per cent. steel by quenching and drawing, and repetition of this part of the work seemed advisable. This has been done during the past year at the School of Mines and Metallurgy of the University of Missouri at Rolla, Mo., by a cooperative undertaking of the School and the Bureau of Mines, working in conjunction with the Committee on Heat Treatment of Carbon Steels of the National Research Council. The present paper is a report of the results obtained in this work.

Jan 1, 1926

By J. Versluys

A well can flow exclusively through the casing or exclusively through a tubing but can also flow partly through a casing and at the top part through a tubing. The main principles of the flowing of wells under these conditions were explained in the author's former paper.' Practically all factors that influence the regular flow are dealt with therein. The question of irregular flow, however, will be discussed briefly here. As a rule, an irregular flow must be avoided, as it may be assumed that the efficiency is thereby very small, while on many fields it is injurious to the sand of the oil-bearing layer. Periodical flowing often occurs with rising mixtures of gas and liquid. The phenomenon can be explained if it is accepted that two conditions are possible in the mixture; namely, the foam condition and the mist condition. If there is no stabilizer in the liquid, the foam condition can exist only when the liquid forms a greater portion of the volume than the gas. The mist condition, on the other hand, can exist only when the liquid occupies a smaller part of the volume than the gas. The foam condition occurs when there are gas bubbles in the liquid mass, while in the mist condition drops of liquid are disseminated in a gas-filled space. For sake of simplicity, it has been assumed that the mist condition prevails when 50 per cent. or more of the volume is occupied by gas, while with less than 50 per cent. gas the foam condition will arise. For distilled water and for oils which do not tend to form stable foams this is probably approximately true. If this does not hold good, however, two cases are possible: (1) The fields of the two conditions overlap or (2) they do not meet. If the fields of the conditions overlap there is an intermediate field where either of the two conditions can exist, depending on the history of the mixture. Suppose the foam condition prevails first and the gas

Jan 1, 1931

By J. H. Swislzer

TWO-LIQUID miscibility gaps have been found to exist in both the CaO-SiO, system above 1705 and the Cr,03 system above 2200"c. Glasser and 0sborn3 studied the extension of these miscibility gaps into the Ca0-Si0,-Crz03 ternary system and reported that the two-liquid region is not present at temperatures below the monotectic temperature of 1705°C in the CaO-SiO, system. The present authors, in connection with other work on surface-tension measurements and foam stabilities in the same ternary system,4 observed that the miscibility gap exists at temperatures as low as 1600°C. A brief experimental study was devoted to deter- mining tie-line positions in the two-phase region. The technique used was to obtain a separation of phases at 1600°C, then to quench-in the high-temperature phases and obtain a chemical analysis of each phase. It was necessary to take special precautions in obtaining a phase separation because of a tendency toward emulsification of the two liquids. The procedure followed is described in the schematic drawing in Fig. 1. A small platinum crucible containing several pinholes on its sides was placed inside a larger platinum crucible. An excess of Crz03 was placed in the outer crucible, together with a prefused binary CaO-Si02 mixture, and the Cr203 was allowed to diffuse through the pinholes and saturate the same binary CaO-SiOl mixture in the smaller crucible. After equilibration at 1600°C, the inner crucible contained only the lighter liquid (liquid A) saturated with Cr203. The outer crucible contained layers of both liquids. Experimental data were obtained by analyzing the entire contents of the inner crucible and only the bottom layer of the larger crucible (liquid B). The upper layer of the outer crucible was not suitable for chemical-analysis purposes because dispersions of the second phase sometimes were found in the samples. The technique is described in more detail in Ref. 4. The same method was used by Grieveson and urkdoan' to study a miscibility gap in sulfate-ferrite melts, where the liquids were difficult to separate because of similarities in density. In addition to the phase-separation experiments, a few others were conducted to obtain information

Jan 1, 1964

By L. W. Saperstein, Y. J. Wang

The development of computer programs to solve complex ventilation networks has reached a point of refinement where these programs become a necessary tool of the ventilating engineer. Such a program is presented. This program has an increased efficiency over its predecessors; it also includes the important facility of fixed quantity branches. This is in addition to the earlier capabilities of free-splitting, internal or external fans, and natural ventilation pressures. The program is written in Fortran IV with double-precision arithmetic and is listed here. Sample problems with input and output are also given. The recent, and presumably continuing, official interest in mine safety is bound to result in more stringent control requirements for ventilation. Anticipating this requirement, the Dept. of Mining, The Pennsylvania State University, has developed a computer program for the solution of complex mine ventilation networks. It is the opinion of this department that the program has sufficient merit to warrant its use in normal industrial operating conditions. Although the undergraduate mining engineering students of this department are routinely trained to use the program, it was felt that this training did not present a fast enough means of dissemination; consequently, this paper was written. The conception of the program is not new;1; however, the present version incorporates features that changes it from a scientific endeavor to a useful operating tool. These features include those of earlier programs, such as free-splitting, external or internal fans, and natural ventilation processes plus the important ability of handling fixed quantity branches, and of increased efficiency giving reduced cost. The facility for fixed quantities will be discussed in more detail. The solution of any network depends upon satisfying Kirchchoff's laws. These state that the sum of flow at any junction is zero, and that the sum of the pressure drop in branches totals the pressure drop in the mesh constituted by those branches, that is that the pressure drop around any mesh is zero. The terminology is derived from Synge," and is, in fact, that used by Topologists. A branch is any airway of uniform characteristics; a junction is where two or more airways meet (the minimum number of two airways is useful for describing the point where a low resistance airway changes into a high resistance one due to some physical constriction); a mesh is a path, along some branches, that returns on to itself, but does not need to traverse the same branch twice in order to do so; and a tree describes all those branches in a network which, while connected through all the junctions, do not form any meshes. Obviously the branches-in-tree are open-ended and can be shown to be one less than the number of junction (J-1). The branches-out-of-tree, also called basic branches, are equal to the number of basic meshes and are M = N — J + 1, where M is the number of meshes and N is the number of branches. The major difference between this network and an electrical one is that the law attributed to Atkinson for pressure drop is utilized rather than Ohm's law. Atkinson stated that the pressure drop (potential) is equal to a resistance factor multiplied by the quantity squared. This is written H = RlQlQ where H is the head loss. Q? is written in this factored fashion so that H will always have the same sign as Q. A negative sign is used to indicate that flow in a branch is opposite to that of its containing mesh. A mesh takes the direction of its basic branch. Utilizing Atkinson's law in Kirchchoff's second law and bearing in mind that the first law must remain satisfied, the program will determine all quantities, or head losses as they are related, for the branches of the network. The program uses a Geuss-Seidel form of in-teration, starting from an arbitrary Q and using a correction factor of the type first suggested by Professor Hardy Cross' that will handle the nonlinear equation of Atkinson's law. A fuller description of the interative process is included in Wang and Hartman.' Iteration continues until the correction factor is less than or equal to a preset error (E) or until a maximum number of iterations (MAXIT) have been reached. Utilizing an E of 50 cfm, sample problems have had rapid solutions. Rapidity of solution is also ensured by the method of selecting meshes and basic branches. This is done by the computer, which chooses the highest resistance branches, fixed quantity branches, and those containing fans, as basic branches. Natural ventilation pressures are handled as fans of constant pressure and may be assigned to any branch. The computer will generate a fan characteristic by polynominal fitting if a few operating points from the desired fan are input. A fan may be placed in any branch of the network, except those with fixed quantities. The strength of the present program over its earlier versions is its ability to handle fixed quantity branches. This means that certain branches can have their quantity determined, or preset, by the ventilating engineer. Operating under this constraint, the program will analyze the network and output the pressure change necessary to achieve this desired quantity. A call for positive head loss would require an auxiliary fan; negative head loss would require a regulator. This represents a powerful tool for the ventilating engineer who must insure that certain quantities of air pass across the operating faces or through working stopes. McPherson6 suggested that a ventilation program would be useful for determining in advance which branches were receiving inadequate air, and that subsequent calculations would then indicate the necessary corrections. The present program makes these corrections. Thus the mine manager can know immediately the consequences of changes to his system;

Jan 1, 1971

By H. Foster Bain

AFTER all, mineral sanctions are not a measure of peace, they are a measure of war, and we must regard them as such. We have had two examples now in the world-first, Italy, and secondly, Japan-where we have applied sanctions. When we got ready to apply sanctions to Italy that would hurt, they went to war. In the Far East, when we applied sanctions against Japan, in the latter part of 1941, there was a quick reaction, and the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.

Jan 1, 1944

By R. Gibala

Internal-friction measurements on hydrogen-charged iron over the temperature range 4° to 300°K are reported. Two relaxation peaks, the hydrogen Snoek peak at 48 °K and the hydrogen cold-work peak in the range 145" to 2200K, are observed at 80 kc per sec. The effects of hydrogen-charging, aging, and deformation on the internal-friction results are determined and are used to show evidence of partitioning of hydrogen between solid solution and dislocations. The hydrogen-dislocation binding energy is estimated from the behaviors of the relaxation tiwzes and relaxation strengths of the Snoek peak and the cold-work peak. Its value is approxi,mately 6400 cal per mole. MANY investigators have demonstrated the usefulness of internal-friction measurements in determining the manner in which interstitial impurities interact with dislocations in bcc metals. Part of this success has resulted from the existence in bcc interstitial alloys of two anelastic relaxation peaks—the Snoek peak' and the cold-work or Koster peak2 (designated hereafter by SP and CWP, respectively). The SP has its origin in the redistribution of interstitials in solid solution among sites made energetically nonequivalent by an applied stress. The rate at which the redistribution occurs, measured by the relaxation time for the process, is related in a simple way to the diffusion rate of the interstitial in the free solution. The relaxation strength is proportional to the concentration of interstitial in solid solution. The CWP appears to have its origin in the relaxation of an interstitial-dislocation complex for which the relaxation time at a given temperature is much longer than that for the SP. The relaxation strength depends strongly on the concentration of interstitial and the amount of deformation at relatively low concentrations and deformations.2-8 From the dependence of the relaxation strength on interstitial concentration, the SP and CWP may serve as measures of the concentrations of interstitials in free solution and bound at dislocations, respectively. Thus their behaviors have been used to investigate interstitial-dislocation interactions in Fe-C, Fe-N, and several refractory metal systems.'-' However, the Fe-H system has not been studied extensively,? even though disputes in recent years over the mechanism of hydrogen embrittlement in steels involve argument over the extent to which lattice hydrogen and hydrogen-dislocation interactions play an important role.?-'' Previous work on Fe-H indicates the internal-friction behavior to be qualitatively consistent with that for other systems. Apparently, both a SP and a CWP are observed in the temperature ranges 30" to 50°K and 100°to 140°K, respectively (at 1 cps). However, there is neither sufficient nor accurate enough information to identify convincingly these peaks with their supposed counterparts in other systems. Nor have there been any attempts to make quantitative use of these peaks to study hydrogen diffusion, aging, or interaction processes. In this paper, an attempt is made to obtain more complete information on internal friction of hydrogen in iron than presently available. Internal-friction measurements in the range 4° to 300°K on hydrogen-charged iron show that the two peaks discussed above are in fact the hydrogen SP and CWP. Several effects of hydrogen charging, aging, and deformation on these peaks are observed and are used to determine the partitioning of hydrogen between solid solution and dislocation sites in iron. EXPERIMENTAL Materials. The starting material for this investigation was a high-purity iron supplied by National Research Corp. as a 1-in.-diam rod. The following analysis was given (inwt pct): C, 0.004; N, 0.0003; 0, 0.007; P, 0.002; S, 0.005; Si, 0.006; Mn, 0.001; Cu, 0.002; Ni, 0.005; Cr, 0.001; Mo, 0.001. After an initial vacuum anneal (-5 XTorr) at 700°C, the rod was cold-

Jan 1, 1968

By D. G. Westlake

THE structure observed in thin foils by transmission electron microscopy is not necessarily representative of the initial bulk material. We have shown that hydrogen, originally present in a specimen of vanadium, niobium, or tantalum, can be concentrated by the thinning operation used to prepare foils from the bulk materials.' These foils exhibited domain walls indicative of a tetragonal distortion of the bcc unit cells, probably caused by ordering of the hydrogen in preferred interstitial sites. We believe this ordering does not occur at room temperature in the bulk material which contains less than 1 at. pct H. In a continued effort to prepare metal foils whose hydrogen concentrations remain constant during preparation, we have developed some new chemical and electrothinning techniques for vanadium. Each of the procedures presented in Table I produced foils that were thin enough for transmission electron microscopy. The experiments described below were performed to test the effect of each thinning procedure on hydro-

Jan 1, 1968

By V. W. Buys, R. E. Havener

11.3-1. Basic Principles. Communications systems available for application to surface mining operations can be divided into basic categories. These are: 1. Wired systems requiring some type of metallic conductor 2. Nonwired systems, or those commonly referred to as space-radio systems. Under the heading of wired systems, telephones of the ringer type utilizing magnetos were used in the early pit operations. These are still being used in underground mining operations where calling is accomplished by ringing a code made up of short and long rings. While the standard Bell Telephone Systems have not been applied extensively in underground mining, they have been used in open pit operations but have the disadvantage of using multiple pair cables which must be installed and maintained as the mining operations proceed. They have the advantage however, that when a Bell System is installed in a surface mining operation, communication is available not only within the operation but to any point in the world through the facilities of the world-wide Bell Systems. A second type of communication available is the audio system or public address system requiring the use of a special audio cable made up of shielded pairs for the loudspeaker and microphone circuits. Audio systems have one outstanding advantage over most telephone systems in that, with a high-powered amplifier, a paging call can be heard over and above the high ambient noise conditions usually found at a surface mining operation. However, they have the disadvantage of requiring special cable which must be installed and maintained. Another type of wired communication system available for surface mining is that of carrier frequency equipment similar to that used in underground mining operations. In this system, transmission is accomplished by means of a frequency modulated carrier that travels over the underground trolley wire, the rail on which locomotives travel, and adjacent telephone wires.

Jan 1, 1968

By Enrique Hauser

FIRE-DAMP is a mixture of methane with other inert gases or combustible gases. The inert gases in question are carbonic acid, water vapor, nitrogen, etc. The combustible gases are hydrogen, ethane, etc. The study of the properties of fire-damp, therefore, becomes a study of the properties of methane and the influence on its properties of the different gases we have mentioned. Characteristic Properties of Methane 1. Respirability.-Methane being a paraffin is characterized by its weak chemical affinities. From the physiological, point of view one could substitute it for nitrogen of the air at least momentarily, without experiencing any difficulty in breathing the mixture consisting of 21 per cent. 02 + 79 per cent. CH4. I .have tried this on myself, making the gas exhaled -from the lungs burn subsequently in a Bunsen burner.1 From the chemical point of view, this weak affinity permits the gas to be burned in certain circumstances with hydrogen and oxide of carbon in an oxygenated mixture, with the result that the last two gases achieve only a fractional combustion. This practice has been utilized with success in the methods of analysis which I have perfected and which I describe later in this paper. 2. Retardation of Flashing Point.-A characteristic property of methane is its retardation of flashing point, noted by Davy in 1816 and studied by Mallard and Le Chatelier in 1883.2 Taffanel and Le Floch have recently confirmed these results.3 Let us recall the nature of this retardation:

Jan 2, 1916

By W. R. Webb, M. O. Peterson

WHEN men drive haulage equipment ranging up to 22 tons in an open pit operation, they must live with the realization that their safety is dependent upon the machines they drive and how well they operate them. The hazards inherent in their jobs must be recognized, met, and defeated. It comprises a never ending struggle toward perfection-an almost un- obtainable goal. The Jones & Laughlin Benson Mines, at Adirondack State Park in New York, created a safety program which resulted in only one three day lost time accident from April 1948 to April 1952. At the very start of the program, management of the open-pit operation recognized the hazards existing at Benson. The program was designed to meet each danger. With a knowledge of the problem faced, the process of minimizing each facet was planned along lines of maintenance of equipment and training of personnel. Its success is evident. In the ever-present struggle, care and maintenance of machines and application of experience to new equipment design are mainstays. Truck Haulage Benson produced 2.9 million tons of crude iron ore and 1.6 million tons of waste in 1951. To do the job, truck mileage reached 500,000 miles. The tremendous mileage emphasized to safety planners, the fact that the more work done, the greater the possibility of risk in haulage operations. Instrumenting the aim of the safest equipment possible is a methodical servicing program. Like other segments of the drive, the servicing program is based on greater production with fewer accidents. Every truck is serviced at least once per eight-hr shift. Examination includes inspecting and tightening wheel studs, checking tires, steering apparatus, lights, brakes, wipers, heaters, fire extinguishers, and refueling. A running history of the equipment's operating life is kept in the form of service and maintenance records. Machine operators are constantly on the alert for malfunctioning of units. At the first sign of trouble the truck is returned to the garage for exchange. No truck functioning incorrectly is kept on the line, regardless of its shift check schedule. The program resulted in a reduction of the number of costly overhauls and cut down the number of haulage accidents. Miscellaneous Mobile Equipment Auxiliary units, operating within the pit, have presented definite safety problems. The highest accident rate in the pit occurred on trucks carrying water and bits to the churn mills. The weight and awkwardness of bits and drill stems, combined with remote delivery points were direct causes of numerous accidents. Here, the problem has been one of equipment handling, rather than haulage. All air compressors for secondary drilling are truck mounted, facilitating mobility. In addition to making it easier to move the equipment, truck mounting has eliminated many of the hazards connected with relocating machinery. By making air compressors independent of other units, drilling operations have been speeded up considerably. Unseen rocks in the path of moving vehicles are a constant source of tire damage. At Benson the problem has been met by supplying each loading crew with a bulldozer for cleanup operations. The pitman directs the dozer operation, and when truck drivers back into loading areas, he serves as an extra set of eyes. Modern Truck Garage Provides Drive-Through Service Simplicity is the essence of any preventative maintenance program. At Benson, a modern garage, with a drive-through service bay simplifies servicing. Shift inspection of the 22-ton haulage units is accomplished with minimum delay and maximum thoroughness. Major repair work and periodic overhauls are done in the repair section of the truck garage. Crane facilities for handling heavy assemblies ease the job and add to the safety factor. Other mobile machinery,

Jan 1, 1952

By B. C. Mariacher, I. Hoffman

In 1952, beneficiated phosphate ore first began to move from the Oron plant of Negev Phosphates Ltd. in the Negev Desert to the super-phosphate plant at Haifa, Israel. Since that time this company has continually sought to overcome its natural handicaps affecting the operating efficiency and quality of the product in an effort to bolster the agricultural program of Israel and the development of an exportable commodity. The most serious deterrent to the development of a beneficiation process was the total absence of water. The Oron plant lies approximately 30 miles south of the irrigated regions of Israel with the nearest producing water well located about 10 miles to the northwest. The urgency of early phosphate production made it necessary to consider only dry processes in the initial operation. Fortunately, the ore was amenable to a dry process which yielded a usable concentrate assaying about 28.5 pct P2O5; but phosphate recovery was low. A description of the characteristics of the Negev ore should help to clarify the principles upon which the dry concentration is based.

Jan 5, 1961