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By H. Foster Bain

THERE has never been a great civilized nation which did not have a mining industry; civilization cannot flourish without metal mining. Without tools we can have none of the 'industries that are the foundation of civilization and without metal mining we cannot produce the material of which tools are made. Therefore, if we have no metal mining we have no metals, no tools, no civilization. An example to illustrate this may be drawn from a recent article in the Saturday Evening Post which described the run-down condition of modern Athens. Athens is nothing but a busted mining camp! In its palmy days the Greeks so applied the leasing system to the silver mines of Laurium that the royalties, paid the expenses of government and instead of a tax bill the inhabitants received a pay check. The Persians came over to capture these mines but the Greek navy was built to defend them. When the silver mines played out, Greek civilization declined.. Our mining must continue if our civilization is to continue.

Jan 1, 1921

By Frank Rieber

EVERYONE is familiar with the story of the poor Indian and his leaking tepee. He couldn't repair the leak while it was raining, naturally. And when it wasn't raining, where was the incentive? Even if this traditional Indian was apochryphal, his counterparts are certainly alive today, and operating on a world-wide scale. - A recent issue of the Wall Street Journal, for example, carried an impassioned letter from an old cocoa planter, who wants the world to know why the price of cocoa has gone skyrocketing. For years, he says, British and American interests have bought cocoa at the cheapest possible price and, incidentally, from growers willing to sell at that price. Between them, they didn't put enough money back into the business, either to fight disease in the cocoa groves or to plant new cocoa trees. Until new trees are planted and come into bearing, we will be paying exorbitant prices for our cocoa, and getting less of it.

Jan 1, 1948

By Edmund C. Pechin

I REGRET that I am unable to present this subject in definite form and detail. All I shall attempt at this meeting is to lay before you some curious facts, the bearings and explanations of which must be reserved for future consideration. I hope before the next meeting to have carried experiments far enough to furnish a more important contribution to the science of iron metallurgy. The Wickersham process consists in the introduction into the molten metal, as it runs from the furnace, of air from the hot blast. Mr. Samuel Wickersham is the originator of the plan, as applied in practice, although Mr. Martien had the idea a long time ago, and, I believe, went to England about it. But at that time Mr. Bessemer was coming before the public with his invention, which engrossed the attention of iron-masters, and Mr. Martien accomplished nothing. The principal difficulty in our experiments at Dunbar was to get a practicable runner or trough, through which the molten metal should pass, and in which it should be exposed to the action of the Mast. The runner we used was ten feet long, and perforated on the sides to permit the entrance of the air-currents. When we used a cast-iron and fire-clay runner, the heat was so great that before we were more than half done with a run, the lower part of the runner was melted, and we had a magnificent Fourth of July display of fireworks until the blast was shut off. We had to abandon fire clay. The runner with which we have had the best success is made of wrong- ht-iron tubes, 29 inches in diameter, attached to a wrought-iron frame, and lined with a mixture of crushed conglornerate (quartz) and a little fire clay to give it cohesion. The wrought-iron shell curves inward over the upper edges, so as to catch and throw back into the current the flying sparks and particles of metal thrown out by ebullition. With this we have been able to run 12 to 14 tons at a heat with great ease. Mr. Wickersham has since prepared this material (pounded quartz) into a shaped brick or tile, with the necessary perforations for the passage of the air, which promises to answer every requirement for steady working. As regards the improvement in the quality of the iron, there seems to be no question. A large number of practical tests were made in

By Ovid W. Eshbach

ENGINEERING education has been powerfully affected by the impact of war, just how powerfully can be better understood after considering the postwar problems regarding students, staff, and plant. In time of war no one will question the necessity of expediency of military training. With the cessation of hostilities, expediency gives way to the evolutionary process of strengthening engineering education as need is exemplified by experience. During the war, except for the Navy V-12 program, engineering education was at its lowest ebb of the century. Freshman enrollments were largely limited to those graduating from high school at the age of seventeen; and the upperclass, to those disqualified for active service. In most schools the experienced staff was either in service or government and industrial research. Many may never return to their former occupations. The most immediate problem is that of maintaining and building a staff to meet the enrollment of returning veterans. It is estimated that out of the eleven

Jan 1, 1945

By J. A. Roberson, A. M. Adair

A plate of an 18 pct Ni (250 grade) maraging steel was homogenized, cold rolled, and re crystallized to produce a fine grained, homogeneous structure. The strength properties were then measured as a function of cold rollinq prior to aging. Material in the solution heat treated condition exhibited substantial strengthening from cold rolling. The strength increase and the rate of strengthening were proportional to the amount of cold work. This benefit, of up to 50 ksi, was retained during aging for 3 hr at 900°F. The structures produced by cold rolling and aging have been systematically investigated by transmission electron microscopy. The dislocation debris produced by cold work influences the morphology and distribution of precipitate particles as well as the rate of precipitation. An essential feature of the high nickel maraging steels is a martensitic transformation from y to a with the resultant production of a supersaturated bcc solid solution. This solution decomposes to form precipitates during a subsequent aging treatment.' The martensitic transformation in low carbon Fe-Ni alloys and the mechanical properties of these alloys have been studied extensively.2"4 The carbon content of maraging steel is kept very low to avoid the embrittling Fe3C phase and to minimize the acicular, or twinned martensite common to high carbon steels. Maraging steels are usually strengthened only by heat treatment, but cold working is also quite effective in this respect as was shown by Decker, Eash, and Goldman,' Kula and Hickey,5 and the present work. There is, however, some disagreement between the present results and those of Kula and Hickey. Because of their unusual combination of strength and toughness, the maraging steels are suitable for applications where reliability at high stress levels is required. The strength level is achieved through a combination of solid solution hardening,' substructure hardening,3 and precipitation hardening,6 of which the last is the most important. The toughness of these steels has been reported to be a result of the absence of brittle grain boundary precipitates,7 and the fact that the matrix is a massive martensite rather than a twinned martensite.' One of the problems in the manufacture and use of maraging steel has been its tendency to develop laminations in sheets parallel to the rolling plane.9,10 The present investigation was intended to determine whether or not an improvement in the microstructure of this steel by thermomechani-cal processing would improve mechanical properties. I) EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES A plate ($ in. thick) of an 18 pct Ni-250 grade maraging steel* was obtained and examined metallo- "Analysis, wt pct: 18.1 Ni, 8.6 Co, 5.3 Mo, 0.4 Ti, 0.07 Mn, 0.05 Cr, 0.05 Si, 0.002B. 0.1 Cu. 0.05 Al. 0.002 Zr, 0.016 C, balance Fe. graphically. It was found to contain laminations as described by previous investigators. This plate was then annealed at 2100°F for 24 hr to promote homogeneity. Pilot studies on small coupons had shown that this was the minimum temperature required to accomplish homogenization in 24 hr. Since this treatment caused excessive grain growth, the steel was subsequently cold rolled and recrystallized. Cold rolling was accomplished at about 5 pct per pass to a total reduction of 66 pct. The standard solution annealing treatment (1 hr at 1500°F) was adequate to cause recrystallization of the cold worked steel. The recrystallized steel was then cold rolled and ground by various amounts to produce specimens with uniform thickness and selected amounts of cold rolling. All tensile specimens with less than 90 pct cold reduction were ground to a thickness of 0.050 in. Specimens with 90 pct cold reduction were 0.025 in. thick. All

Jan 1, 1970

By Robin O. Williams

The increase in internal energy as the result of deformation has been measured for lead, aluminum, silver, nickel, iron, and zirconium by using rapid, adiabatic compression. The stored energy increase is roughly Proportional to the strain; the propor-tionality constant increases rapidly with increasing melting point. The fraction of the mechanical energy which is stored increases more slowly, since the strength of the metals also increases with melting point. The values of the stored energy are considered accurate to about 10 pet. The present values appear about 50 pet larger than the more reliable published results where comparisons are possible. It is possible that this difference is due to the high strain rate used in this investigation. Immediately after deformation all these metals release energy at a rate roughly proportional to (time)-'. This release is considered to be associated with dislocation motion but in aluminum (and copper) some additional process seems to be present. This release can represent 20 pet or more of the stored energy. WHEN pure metals are plastically deformed, most of the mechanical energy is converted into heat. The energy remaining within the metal is significant in that it is the energy of the disorder produced and thus detailed knowledge of this energy is a powerful tool in understanding the nature of deformational disorder. While much effort has been expended on this problem, the amount of information available is limited. The situation as of 1958 has been carefully reviewed by Titchener and ever.' The present results have been obtained by a new experimental approach to this problem. The method necessitates high-strain rates which make comparisons with published results less certain, but a high-strain rate is an advantage in that the energy release immediately after deformation can be followed. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE In the experimental method used, the internal (stored) energy is given as the difference between the mechanical work used in deforming the sample and the heat which is released (the first law of thermodynamics). The work is supplied by two identical hammers swinging freely from a fixed height, the available energy being the product of the mass, the gravitational constant, and the distance through which the center of gravity moves. The initial temperature rise of the sample represents the heat produced by the deformation. The sample temperature is determined by a small thermocouple embedded in and supporting the sample. This process can be repeated over and over to produce increased strains. Most samples are run through about five cycles to a total strain of around 0.7. Further details are covered elsewhere. The determination of the heat is dependent upon the sample weight, its specific heat, the rise in temperature, and any gains or losses to the surroundings. One is dependent on published results for specific heals (the values were taken from a collection).3 The values must be accurate to about 0.1 pet in order that they not affect the results. The best values thus do not contribute to the uncertainty, but this is probably not always the case. The accuracy of the temperature rise is limited primarily by knowledge of the thermocouple characteristics over short temperature intervals, but careful calibration eliminates this as an important factor. One can calculate readily the heat flow between the sample and hammers if the time of contact and the sample temperature are known and if there were no oil at the interface. Assuming the maximum temperature difference, upper values for this interchange have been calculated (the time of contact is determined from the decrease in sample length) and it may or may not be significant. However, no correction is colnsidered necessary because of the presence of a thin oil film which has a thermal conductivity much less than the metals. Except for the possible uncertainty in specific heat, the heat is considered to be adequately known. The mechitnical losses which are recognized as important are: 1) friction between the sample and the hammer:;, 2) the kinetic energy in the hammer suspension system which may not be entirely usable, 3) the rebound energy of the hammers, and 4) the vibration of the hammer heads. All these have been covered in detail elsewhere2 and only the more significant points are made here. The friction turns out to be small except for soft materials (lead)

Jan 1, 1962

By L. Weaver

THE Tennessee Copper Co.'s mines are in the southeast corner of the state of Tennessee, Polk Co., in the well-known Ducktown copper basin. Their new circular production shaft will eventually be the only ore hoisting shaft, and is located for handling ore from Boyd, Calloway, Mary, and Cherokee mines. A circular, rather than a rectangular, shaft was decided upon because: 1-The circular shaft section is stronger when lined with concrete. Reinforcing steel was not required, thus reducing lining cost by one- quarter. 2-Water sealing was desired; it was thought it could best be done with a concrete lining followed by pressure grouting to eliminate water seeps. 3-The shaft labor saving equipment could best be used in a large opening, so the round section was made for economy, sinking, mucking, concreting and water sealing. Less shaft steel is used than could have been possible with steel sets. There are no posts required; center beams and Tee plate assembly placed at 10 ft hold the 100 lb steel guide rails.

Jan 1, 1950

By H. B. Kinnear

THE first copper stool used under an ingot mold to receive molten steel has recently been taken out of service after it had received ingots amounting to 6012 gross tons. This stool, weighing 8330 lb. had been in continuous service for 1822 heats since its installation. From this modest beginning the use of copper for ingot-mold stools grew to 425,000 lb. in 1934, with an additional 50,000 lb. of copper used in the form of inserts in cast-iron stools. During 1935 the quantity of copper used for stools increased by about 350,000 lb., making a total of 775,000 lb. now in use for that purpose. Copper used for inserts has increased during this time 180,000 lb., or over 350 per cent, to a total of 230,000 lb. The total of copper, therefore, in use at present under ingot molds is slightly over 1.000,000 lb.

Jan 1, 1936

By Donald Cummings

MEASURES appropriate for the control of the silicosis hazard in mining cannot be formulated precisely, but sufficient knowledge1-19 has accumu-lated during the past quarter century to permit the suggestion of useful, though partly empirical, rules for its alleviation. The industrial hygienist today recognizes that the peril incurred by the inhalation of harmful dust is a function of two variable factors-the degree of harmful exposure and the specific susceptibility of the exposed individual to pulmonary injury. Con-trol of the danger arising out of prolonged contact with pernicious air-borne particulate matter is consequently best exercised by influencing both of these recognized variables. Obviously the problem has two broad aspects-one, medical; the other within the province of the engineer.

Jan 1, 1938

By SIDNEY ROLLE

ACURSORY glance through the literature on the subject reveals that the ablest minds in the land are devoting themselves to the great question of labor, of which employment is one of the fundamentals. Volumes have been written and the end is not in sight. Employment management is today about in the position that efficiency was 15 years ago. During the early days of the war, and perhaps for a year or so before, labor was plentiful. As the war progressed and Europe drew on us for munitions, employers began to compete with one another for', all, classes of labor. Labor was difficult to obtain, wages rose, the labor turnover increased, and employers began to install employment departments, welfare plans, and all sorts of schemes, but the labor efficiency dropped. As the war progressed, greater and greater production was demanded. New factors were introduced each day. The government, labor unions, industrial councils, all tended, it seemed, to make the situation almost intolerable. Wages rose to fantastic heights, the cost of living rose higher and higher, and the efficiency dropped still further.

Jan 1, 1921

By Bernard E. Fernow

About eight years ago a comprehensive study of American timbers was begun in the U. S. Division of Forestry with a twofold object. On the one hand, it was desired to deternliiie the working-qualities of our numerous economically important timbers, and to furnish reliable standards of strength. 011 the other hand, it was intended to get a clearer insight into the properties and behavior of wood in general, with a view of establishing more rational methods in its use, and to furnish data for physical inspectioil which would permit an intelligent application of the standards of strength, and place upon a rational foundation the so-called " factor of safety," which is at present a mere baseless guess. The first object, namely, the establishment of standards for any given species, requires a very large series of tests, since Wood is an exceedingly variable substance, so much so that in the same tree a variation of 50 per cent. in strength may be found; hence the greater need of rational data of inspection. So far, the insufficient appropriations and facilities at our disposal have permitted us to establish really reliable standards for five species of southern conifers only. These have been deduced from nearly 20,000 tests. Besides these, 10,000 other tests have furnished indicatious regarding some two dozen other species. This work is now entirely abandoned, waiting for more prosperous times. The study of wood in general, however, can be carried on with smaller means, and has this year yielded not only very interesting, but highly important results, which will soon be published in detail. It is the purpose of this paper to make to the Institute the

Jan 1, 1899

By Fred C. Bond

MANY grindability tests have been made in the Allis-Chalmers laboratory since the tabulated results were last published.1 The lists of standard ball-mill and standard rod-mill grindability tests are brought up to date in this paper, and considerable new material is added. This includes a tabulation of open-circuit grinding tests, with impact and compression-crushing tests. The standard ball-mill grindability tests (Table I) were made in a standard laboratory ball mill, 12 by 12 in. inside, running at 70 rpm, with a charge of 285 iron balls ranging from 1 1/2 to 3/4 in. in diameter and weighing 20,125 grams. Seven hundred cubic centimeters of minus 6-mesh stage-crushed dry feed was used, and the circulating load was maintained constant at 250 pct by adjusting the number of mill revolutions for each grinding period. Tests were made at all mesh sizes from 28 to 200, and the grindability is the number of net grams of screen undersize produced per revolution. The table includes 479 tests. It has been calculated that the ball mill does 52.3 joules of useful work on the ore per revolution2 with 93 joules input to the mill. The standard rod-mill grindability tests (Table 2) were made in a laboratory tilting rod mill, 12 in. in diameter by 24 in. long inside, with a wave-type lining, running at 46 rpm. The grinding charge consisted of six 1 1/4-in. diameter and two 1 3/4-in. diameter steel rods, all 21 in. long and weighing 33,380 grams. The mill was rotated level for eight revolutions, then tilted up 5° for one revolution, down 5° for one revolution, and returned to level for eight revolutions. It was discharged by tilting downward at 45° for 30 revolutions. Feed consisted of 1250 cc of minus 1/2-in. stone and the circulating load was maintained constant at 100 pct by adjusting the number of mill revolutions for each grinding period. Tests were made at all mesh sizes from 3 to 65, and the rod-mill grindability is the number of net grams of screen undersize produced per revolution. The table includes 105 tests. The impact and compression-crushing tests (Table 3) are given in a table that is an extension of a previous publication3 in which the method of testing was described in detail. Two equal hammers weighing about 30 lb each were arranged to strike simultaneous blows on opposite sides of the test specimen. Broken pieces of rock passing a 3-in. square and retained on a 2-in. square were set up with the smallest dimension between the hammers, and this distance was measured. The height of the hammers was increased slightly before each blow until the specimen broke, and the foot-pounds per inch of thickness was calculated. Ten pieces

Jan 1, 1947

By Robert Laurich

Chuquicamata pit was opened in 1915 with steam shovels and steam locomotives brought down from the Panama Canal excavation project. With expansions in the early years, more steam locomo¬tives were brought into the mine. IMPROVED LOCOMOTIVES During the period 1927 to 1937, electric locomo¬tives were purchased and main line and bench tracks were electrified. Third rail was installed up to the working areas. At first, the locomotives were equipped with batteries for service at the shovels, but charge life was too short and they were con¬verted to use the third rail and a reel with 3000 ft of trailing cable for service in the loading area.

Jan 11, 1959

By W. C. McClain

In the design of underground excavations, rock mechanics considerations are nearly always based on an elastic behavior of rock. Most rocks do exhibit a certain amount of elasticity, and the application of principles and concepts of elasticity to rock mechanics problems has been largely responsible for progress in the field over the past 10 or 15 years. No doubt the theory of elasticity will remain the most useful analytical tool available for both the design of underground openings and the interpretation of phenomenological data.

Jan 1, 1967

By Tribhawan N. Srivastava

The Henderson Mine started production in 1976 utilizing a unique, push-pull, mine ventilation plan. As the mine expands in size, the mine ventilation requirements will increase and a more comprehensive system for maintaining ventilation will be needed. A computer simulation study was completed and has resulted in a revised, systematic, mine ventilation plan which is being implemented as mine development proceeds. Based on the computer simulation study, the new ventilation plan takes into account mining of the orebody simultaneously from both the 8100 and 7700 production levels. Present experience and empirical data indicate that volumes of air needed to adequately ventilate both production levels cannot be obtained utilizing the existing mine layout. The total volume of air needed for the mine excluding haulage tunnel will increase from 708 m3/s (1 500 000 cfm) to 1652 m3/s (3 500 000 cfm), thus a new No. 5 exhaust shaft and connecting drifts are being developed to expand the mine ventilation system to service both production levels. The original ventilation plan for the 7500 haulage level was to bring air from the No. 2 and No. 3 intake shafts and exhaust it through the 94X raise to the 8035 exhaust level and then through the No. 1 exhaust shaft to surface. Control of air volumes in loading drifts was initially planned to be achieved by air doors and air curtains. Air doors on the 7500 level require large cutouts, expensive installations and constant maintenance. The computer simulation study indicates that air- flow in the 7500-level production drifts can be con- trolled exclusively by air curtains which are less expensive to install and more effective in regulating airflows than air doors. Air from the 7500 level can be exhausted through a new raise to the new 7635 exhaust level and then through the new No. 5 exhaust shaft.

Jan 1, 1982

By J. D. Hanawalt

Significant strides were made in the year 1948 leading to further recognition of the place of magnesium as a common commercial metal, rather than as just a premium aircraft material. One of the factors contributing to this recognition was the price stability and, in many cases, price reduction of magnesium products in 1948. In contrast to most other metals, manufacturing advances in magnesium outweighed the effects of increased labor and other costs. At the present time, many magnesium extrusions, die castings, and permanent mold castings can be purchased as cheaply as their aluminum counterparts in these forums, though competitive prices for sheet still await the inauguration of a modern tandem rolling mill for magnesium, such as has already been demonstrated.

Jan 1, 1949

By G. S. Phipps, E. E. Schumacher, G. M. Bouton

THE seriousness of the present tin scarcity has stimulated large consumers of this vital metal to develop drastic conservation measures in order to extend the available supplies to cover the emergency period. By devising new soldering methods and alloys the Bell System has contributed a substantial share in the tin conservation effort, Fortunately, the changes, as far as can be determined now, have not introduced weakness into the soldered joints. Some of the new procedures were already in the process of development at the onset of the emergency, while others were devised under its stress. In some instances, the newly developed solders were found to be more difficult to use than the alloys previously available, and would not have been introduced under normal conditions. One major change made that previously had been under consideration will result in large savings of tin. Unless service difficulties are encountered, this modification gives promise of remaining after the emergency has passed. The change involves a reduction in the amount of solder placed on a wiped joint between the cable sheath and the sleeve. Instead of the customary full sized wiped joint, a wipe of fillet proportions is formed. Through this change, a solder saving of more than 60 per cent per joint can be realized. Plumbers and cable splicers for many years have joined lead pipes and cable sheath by a soldering process called "wiping." The name is an apt description of the operation. For a wiped joint, the sections to be united' are heated by molten solder poured over their surfaces, and the resulting semiliquid mass is manipulated by wiping with cloth pads to a well rounded symmetrical form like the one shown in Fig. I, The operation requires considerable skill on the part of the splicer and close control of the composition of the solder. At first consideration, the problem of tightness in such joints seems simple but experience shows that even under the best conditions the fissures frequently found in the solder occasionally link and form a path that allows leakage to occur. In telephone cables not maintained under gas pressure, such leaks permit the entrance of water, which wets the paper-covered conductors and thereby impairs the insulation value and causes service interruptions. By going to an extreme and wiping off all the solder in excess. of a fillet, it has been found that many causes of porosity are eliminated. Figs. 2 and 3 show cross sections of joints wiped in the old and the new ways. The saving in solder, and consequently in strategic tin, is evident. The field splicing forces find that joints are easier to make by the new method and are less likely to be porous. The metallurgical considerations that are responsible for the success of the fillet wipe are of interest. Much has been written about the wiping process of soldering cable joints and the many requirements of a good wiping solder have frequently been listed. The success of the procedure described

Jan 1, 1943

By Jerry H. Service, F. L. Partlo

The following investigation was undertaken to develop a method for determining with reasonable accuracy the depth of overburdens of 100 ft. or less. Seismic methods seemed to offer good possibilities. The problem differed from that of the familiar salt-dome location in that the depth of overburden to be determined is much less than is encountered in oil prospecting. This means that a much shorter time interval must be measured with accuracy. Refraction methods seem at present to offer greater possibilities than reflection. The air sound persists for from 0.1 to 0.5 sec., because of echoes, and seismic reflections coming during this time are difficult to detect. A seismometer sensitive to vertical vibrations only offers possibilities and has been used here with some success. It is hoped that the application of this type of seismometer to reflection shooting in this region may be investigated still further. The apparatus used consisted of a carbon-button seismometer followed by a three-stage, transformer-coupled, vacuum-tube amplifier and a General Radio string oscillograph. Time marks are provided by a 1000-cycle, 600-r.p.m., synchronous motor provided with five spokes which intercept the light to the camera at 1/50 sec. intervals. This motor is driven by a two-stage vacuum-tube amplifier of 3 watt output, actuated by a tuning fork. The power supply for the seismometer amplifier is one 2-volt storage and one 45-volt B battery. The motor amplifier is powered by a 6-volt storage battery and 6 to 225-volt, 15-watt motor generator. The temperature-frequency characteristics of the tuning fork have been determined and for ordinary working temperatures the error in time that would be introduced is less than M millisecond for time intervals up to 100 milliseconds. The impact is produced by a sledge blow for surface distances less than 100 ft. and dynamite for greater distances. Two steel balls with wires attached form an electric circuit through a 1-ft. piece of railroad rail upon which they rest. When the rail is struck by the sledge the balls rebound, opening the circuit and indicating the time of impact by a break in the oscillograph record line as at A, Fig. 3. When dynamite

Jan 1, 1934

By R. W. Titshall

WHAT IS SAMPLING? We are all involved in sampling almost every day of our lives, by tasting, feeling, or smelling. Most raw materials, food products or manufactured items are sampled several times at various stages of the production process before a commodity of suitable quality can be produced. Data obtained from sampling is used in establishing price, quality control, allocating production costs, or overall process efficiency. The area of sampling outlined in this article is the collection of a small quantity of material from large continuous bulk flows of solids and slurries. The concern in obtaining the sample is that the material obtained is truly representative of the main flow in every respect. The methods and equipment outlined are for the collection of a manageable sample. The sample has to be analyzed in a laboratory to determine its characteristics and compliance to set standards. SELECTING A SAMPLING SYSTEM When selecting a sampling system, it is essential to define the requirements, as to what the actual sample obtained will be used for and what degree of precision is required. Determine whether or not the system has to comply with any set standards such as A.S.T.M. (American Society for Testing and Materials) which have established methods for collection of a gross sample of coal. Sampling which is done for in-plant or process control is not generally governed by set procedures, but similar care should be taken during the selection process so that when the equipment is put into service it will operate reliably and produce a sample which is truly representative of the total material lot or consignment.

Jan 1, 1982

By Clarence E. Sims, George A. Moore

INTRODUCTION IN previous publications of the writers4-7 it has been shown that vacuum extraction of steel can be carried as close to quantitative completion as desired provided the steel is in the austenitic state and sufficient time is allowed. For precise work, the method claims preference because the equipment for holding and heating the sample can be made simple, and because crucibles, boats, and other unnecessary materials can be eliminated and the blanks thus made very small. It is well known that the evolution rate of hydrogen is smaller just above the transformation than immediately below, as would be expected from the increase in solubility when passing into the gamma state. Many attempts have been made to obtain analyses by extraction just below the transition, using times of approximately 2 hr. While it is true that the rate of evolution drops nearly to zero under these conditions, it has repeatedly been shown that the process is incomplete since on raising the temperature into the austenitic range, evolution will be resumed, usually after a considerable induction period. The low-temperature evolution process appears to be useful in some cases for comparative tests where the residual error may be more or less constant between samples. For general use, however, there is no guarantee that the error caused by incomplete extraction is constant; hence, the more laborious but more reliable high-temperature process must be used. At high temperature, an original flash evolution, similar to that at lower temperature, is first observed. After not more than an hour, the flash subsides and evolution settles down to a regular first-order reaction rate for which the half-life* is usually of the order of a few hours for the 5/8-in. diam cylinder at 1050°C. The regular evolution may be followed for whatever period appears justified, after which the residual gas may be estimated as equal to that which was evolved in the last observed half-life period. Tests have shown that the composition of the evolved gas does not vary greatly during the progress of evolution; therefore the residual gas may safely be taken to have the same composition as the portion col-

Jan 1, 1948