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By E. A. Beck

(New York Meeting. February, 1913.) For a number of years many attempts have been made to use thermit in order to do away with piping in ingots. Some of these attempts were successful, while others did not give the expected results. Nearly every plant had its own method of using the thermit, and no special care was taken to study, the results or to find the causes for lack of success. Formerly the principle of the process was to decrease the piping by introducing a can filled with thermit, attached to an iron rod, into the head of the ingot directly after it bad been poured. In this case the thermit reaction took place in the upper part of the ingot, and it was thought that through the heat produced the head would keep liquid longer and piping thus be reduced. In other words, the aim was to keep the head of the ingot open by making use of the heat of the thermit reaction, which would thereby give the gases in the steel sufficient time to escape. This result can be attained by the application of a large enough quantity of thermit, but it would not be economical in general practice, and could only be used for high-grade material. Many steel-makers abroad and in this country have had this experience. The Th. Goldschmidt A. G., Germany, has, therefore, made a special study of this question with the co-operation of a well-known steel company, and has worked out a new method for. the application of thermit for this purpose. The results obtained have been most satisfactory and reliable, and this- process is now used in Germany on a large scale in many prominent steel-works.

Jan 4, 1913

By P. W. Ramsey, D. P. Kedzie

INCREASING demand for improved strength-weight ratios made on aircraft structures has resulted in a gradual increase in the tensile strength requirements for steels used in such applications. As the cyclic loads often are more critical than static loads, and the fatigue properties are generally the design criteria, the question arises as to whether an improvement in fatigue properties accompanies the increased tensile strength. The present investigation was undertaken to determine the relationship between fatigue and tensile properties for an aircraft quality steel in the 155 to 280 ksi (1000 psi) tensile strength range, using the Prot method of fatigue testing. Procedure and Results After preliminary work to establish proper heat treating procedures for this heat of aircraft quality electric furnace steel (a Ni-Cr-Mo-V steel," AMS- Prot Fatigue Testing Method—The determination of the endurance limit by the conventional Wohler method can be time-consuming and easily require 20 specimens when statistical variance is to be established. This is also true when endurance limit loads are determined on actual parts or subassem-blies, and the desirability of a reliable accelerated method has been evident for some time. The primary advantage of the Prot method of fatigue testing is in reducing the number of specimens and the time required for each test. Unlike the Wohler method, every Prot specimen tested con- tributes to the determination of the endurance limit, and the authors have been able to duplicate Wohler results obtained with 20 specimens with only half the specimens and a fourth of the total cycles. This new technique for defining the endurance limit was proposed in 1948' by Marcel Prot and consists of progressively increasing cyclic stress until fatigue failure occurs. By varying the load rate, a, a useful relationship is found to exist with failure stress, so that for steel the failure stress appears to

Jan 1, 1958

By Edmund C. Pechin

THE iron trade of America seems on the point of a new departure. After years of struggling against heavy odds, patient endurance in periods of depression and loss, fears and hopes alternating as failure or success seemed to be the penalty or reward ; wanting in sufficient capital, embarrassed by reason of imperfect knowledge and lack of skilled labor, confronted by a powerful foe-every doubt has at last vanished, physical and mechanical difficulties have been largely over-come, capital has become more abundant and remunerative, the excellence of our product has been everywhere established, and the peculiarities of American character-pluck, energy, and perseverance -have at last placed the trade upon a foundation so broad and stable that upon it we begin to erect the structure of a world-wide business. Concerning the future of the iron trade in the United States there can be but little doubt. The growing scarcity and constantly increasing cost of raw material in Great Britain, their loss of labor by emigration, the social disturbances among the working-classes, assuming a more threatening attitude on each new outbreak ; the rapidly decreasing value of money, in consequence of the enormous production of gold and silver, combine to forbid any return to former prices, and indicate that a point has been reached beyond which any marked increase of production is improbable. The same causes are operating to a greater or lesser extent upon the Continent. In the meanwhile the growing wants of humanity are rapidly outstripping these sources of supply. In addition to the steadily increasing foreign and home demand, we find, the world over, the most intense activity everywhere displayed in enterprises requiring

Jan 1, 1873

By Robert L. Bates

On April 2 and 3, 1970, more than 100 geologists attended the Sixth Annual Forum on Geology of Industrial Minerals at Ann Arbor, Mich. After this brief appearance, the Forum apparently ceased to exist- but it didn't really, and another spring will see it again in action, in another corner of the country. The organization might be characterized as the country's largest permanent floating conference on the geology of industrial minerals. What is the Forum, where did it come from, and what is it up to? The idea originated in 1964 with a small group in the Department of Geology at Ohio State University, Columbus. This group felt that a forum was needed for the exchange of geologic information on industrial rocks and minerals. They envisioned an approach-which has subsequently been adhered to--that would be dominated neither by geological academics interested in theoretical problems nor by practical engineers concerned with processing large tonnages of rock. It was proposed to focus attention on the middle part of the spectrum, especially on practical problems of geological occurrence and how these problems affect extraction and use. In terms of the standard rock-products flow sheet, which starts with a truck unloading into the primary crusher beneath the words 'from quarry,' it was proposed to focus geological attention on what is beyond the primary crusher, out in the quarry.

Jan 1, 1970

By C. D. Demond

In reverberatory smelting, fuel is the chief item of expense, as it commonly is in processes using large percentages of it. Hence the most suitable supply is eagerly sought; that is, the supply which, in the end, yields the greatest net profit. The better grades are not infrequently bought, even at an advanced price, because they are apt to be decidedly more economical. High price, of itself, however, is no merit, for freight is generally the largest part of the cost of fuel, and the nearby supply may yield as high efficiency as that from a greater distance. If a poorer grade is reasonably good, and if its cost is low enough to more than offset the decreased technical efficiency, it is of course the more suitable. Any smelting operation depends for both efficiency and economy on raising the furnace atmosphere considerably above the "critical" temperature; that is, above the temperature at which smelting is completed. If this temperature is not exceeded, smelting stops, no matter how much coal is burned; and the real value of a fuel depends on the number of degrees that the temperature is continuously kept above this point. For example, if one fuel maintains 2,500" F. and another only 2,100 F., while the "critical" temperature is 2,000" F., the first is worth at least five times as much as the second, although the increase above atmospheric temperature is only one-fifth more in one case than in the other. This "margin of temperature" above the smelting point is much more significant than the total number of heat units developed from the fuel. The case is parallel to that of water flowing from a pipe. The reservoir may contain a billion gallons of water; but, even though the fluid has come to the nozzle, not a drop will run out, where it can be of practical use, unless the level in the reservoir is higher than the nozzle; and the speed and volume of flow depend on how much higher the level is in the reservoir than at this point. If the temperature in a furnace is not above the critical level there will be no slag to flow over the skimming plate, even though there are enough heat units to bring an unlimited quantity of charge up to the point of slag formation; and just as the value of a water supply for the purpose of putting out a fire depends largely on the effective head, so the difficulties of furnace management

Jan 1, 1915

By E. C. Wright

THIS paper describes some properties of steels in the composition range 0.10 to 0.30 per cent carbon and 1 to 7 per cent chromium. It is well known that some steels of this type develop high tensile strengths upon receiving comparatively simple heat treatments, such as ordinary air cooling from appropriate temperatures, with "or without subsequent tempering treatments. These high strengths are frequently associated with unusual toughness as measured by the Izod or Charpy impact test. The chromium content, in addition to imparting the above properties, enhances the resistance to corrosion and improves the strength and oxida-tion resistance at elevated temperatures. Moreover, these steels have good forging and fabricating properties, as evidenced by the fact that several thousand tons of seamless tubing have been made during the past five years from steels containing 0.10 to 0.25 per cent carbon and 5 per cent chromium.

Jan 1, 1933

By John F. Elliott, John P. Hager

The standard free energies of formation of the lowest stable sulfides of chromium, molybdenum, and tungsten in equilibrium with the corresponding metal hazle been determined by reacting the sulfide and metal with H2(g)/H2S(g) mixtures. The reaction is A method for estimating the standard ~nolav entropies and standard entropies of formation at 298°K of the sul-fides of refractory metals is presented. The standard free energies of formation of the lowest sulfides of the metals in group VIa of the periodic table are probably best determined with the reaction* is known with greater accuracy than is that property for any other sulfur-bearing compound or solution which might serve as a reference phase to establish the chemical potential of sulfur for the essential re- However, there still remain significant problems to the use of Reaction [I] in studying these sulfides. First, the equilibrium gas ratios (Ph2S/PH2) are very small, and with the most stable sulfides in the series the ratios tend to be at the limit of the range for precise chemical analysis (10-4); and second, the reaction rate for the formation or reduction of these sulfides appears to be relatively slow. A primary reason for the latter problem is that the gas phase near the equilibrium concentration has very little capacity for transport of sulfur. It is to be noted that the thermo-dynamic properties obtained from the experimental results by Eq. [I] apply for 1 g-atom of sulfur in the metal-saturated compound even though the exact composition of the compound has not been determined. The work reported here is a study of the standard free energies of formation of the lowest sulfides of chromium, molybdenum, and tungsten, and of copper, by Reaction [I]. In planning the experimental program, it was decided that the technique that has been used previously3"' could be used with modification and that an improved analytical method was needed for determining H2S in the gas phase. THE EXPERIMENT The once-through flow of gas was selected in preference to recirculating the gas, a) because of the low sulfur capacity of the gas, b) because of the relatively slow rate of reaction and the danger of the

Jan 1, 1968

By Harlowe Hardinqe

ABOUT three years ago a distinctive new type of crushing and grinding equipment, known as the Hadsel mill, was announced. A description appeared in the November, 1932, issue of this magazine. Any machine that would take run-of-mine ore and reduce it, in one operation, and at a reasonable cost, to a size suitable for metallurgical treatment was bound to attract much interest, as the original Hadsel mill did. The first commercial sizes were built with the drum supported by an overhung shaft and partly immersed in a tank. The drum carried inside and outside buckets to lift the ore, which was dropped as the drum revolved onto stationary breaker plates projecting into the drum from the opposite tank wall. The coarser material settled back into the inside buckets. Intermediate sizes were carried into the tank, and this material was scooped out by the outside buckets and deposited hack in the drum for further grinding. The fines were carried out of the mill with the wash water over an adjustable weir at one side of the tank.

Jan 1, 1935

By Chas. F. Jackson

IN these days the headlines and spotlight have been focused largely upon the new processes developed and new plants erected to meet the multiplied demands for mineral products required for prosecution of the war. By comparison, the less spectacular achievements of the miner, who is meeting the demand for raw material without which these processes and plants would be useless, have received little attention. Attendance at the mining meetings here reported was small, averaging about 35 to 40, but interest was as keen as ever, and evidenced to your reporter that the miner is no less on the job than is the metallurgist. It is evident that the mine operators are not neglecting any improved methods and practices in their struggle to produce more in the face of diminishing labor supply.

Jan 1, 1943

By T. L. Joseph

A study is made of the amount of solution loss necessary to maintain the reducing power of the gas stream in the blast furnace. Curves are presented to show the effect of solution loss, moisture in the blast, and carbon dioxide from the flux on the nitrogen in the THE blast furnace process is based upon the counter flow of gases and solids. As CO, N, and H, flow upward from the combustion zones, oxygen is acquired from the descending charge. In the reduction of iron ore, a portion of CO is converted to CO, and similarly a portion of H, is converted to water vapor. The inert N,, from the air used in combustion, passes through the furnace with little change. Its concentration is, however, decreased by reactions such as direct reduction and solution loss which increase the volume of CO in the gas stream; Similarly the evolution of C02 from the limestone also dilutes the nitrogen. he purpose of this paper is to illustrate an idealized and simplified method of studying furnace processes by following changes in the gas phase between the tuyeres and the stock line. A more specific objective is to evaluate the effect of solution loss upon the CO/CO, ratio in that region of the furnace in which FeO is reduced to metallic iron. This last stage of reduction requires relatively high CO/CO, ratios to exceed the equilibrium requirements. Solution loss or the reaction of COZ with C to produce CO has a pronounced effect upon the ratio of the carbon gases and is necessary to maintain the reducing power of the gas stream if the consumption of coke is low. It will be explained later that indirect reduction followed by solution loss is stoichiometri-cally equivalent to direct reduction. Calculations will be made to show how the composition of the gas in the region of the mantle varies with coke consumption and with different amounts of solution loss. Such calculations show the condi- tions under which gasification of C with oxygen in the charge is needed to maintain the reducing power of the gas. Equilibrium conditions for FeO and the carbon gases will be used to establish a minimum CO/CO, ratio below which reduction will not proceed. The manner in which carbon is gasified in the furnace, at the tuyeres with oxygen in the air or above the tuyeres with oxygen from the charge, will be a basic feature of all calculations. It is hoped that greater interest in the use of top gas as a means of following furnace reactions will be aroused by the calculations and generalized curves which are presented. Bosh Gas Equations Subject to some alteration by the amount of moisture in the blast and by direct reduction, the gas leaving the combustion zones of a blast furnace has a definite composition. Because a relatively small amount of oxygen is acquired from the charge in the bosh and in the crucible, the products of combustion undergo little change until they enter the shaft. Bosh gas is, therefore, essentially the products of combustion of carbon in a deep fuel bed with air. The relative weights and volumes of reacting materials are expressed by the equation: 2~ + 0? + 3.76N, = 2C0 $ 3.76NZ [I] Air Bosh Gas -air = 79% N? = 3.76) 21% 02 Starting with a known mass of C consumed largely by air, Eq 1, but partly by water vapor, Eq 2, the volume and C + H2O = CO $ H? [21 composition of the bosh gas can be calculated and subsequent changes followed as reactions take place at various elevations in the furnace. As shown in

Jan 1, 1952

By G. B. Gould

THE softening temperature of coal ash, as determined in the labora-tory, has been used for years as an indication of the tendency of coal to form clinker and slag. It has not, however, provided an index of unfail-ing and complete reliability for forecasting the relative performance of different coals, even in the same plant and under the same conditions of operation. A large amount of investigation has been done in attempts to account for this, but practically all of this has been in the direction of studying the chemical constitution of coal ash. Much has been learned, but without much progress toward a better practical application of knowledge to the selection of coal. There has always seemed to be an important factor that eluded discovery. It has long been recognized that the ash-softening temperature as determined in the laboratory had one weakness, in that it represented the temperature at which a thorough mixture of the whole ash of the coal would melt, the mixing having taken place before the heat was applied. This does not, of course, simulate what takes place in practice. With certain exceptions, which will be noted later, almost all of the investiga-tions that have been made, especially the chemical studies of coal ash, have likewise dealt with a mixture of the whole ash in the coal. The present investigation differs from these fundamentally in its approach to the problem. It started from the observation that some clinkering and slagging obviously takes place in a boiler furnace at tem-peratures below the laboratory-determined ash-softening temperature of the coal. Knowing that coal as it is shipped to market is a hetero-geneous mixture of diverse mineral substances, each of which may act independently of the others in the initial stages of clinker and slag formation, it seemed logical to investigate separately the softening tem-perature of the ash in physically separable portions of the coal, and to determine the relative quantities of ash contributed by each portion.

Jan 1, 1940

By George Weaton

Two years ago the general features of the St. Joseph Lead Company's zinc-smelting process were described.1 At that time the discussion was limited to a description of the production of high-purity electrothermic zinc oxide. The present paper will describe the commercial production of electrothermic zinc metal. Since a fairly complete description of the plant of the Josephtown smelter was given in the earlier paper, the brief recapitulation given here will be limited to mention of additional equip-ment recently installed and a bare outline of the preparatory process. The raw material is zinc sulphide concentrate received from the com-pany's mines in St. Lawrence County, New York. An average dry-weight analysis of this material is: Zn, 58.28 per cent; Pb, 0.56; insoluble, 1.6; Si02, 1.12; Fe, 6.4; CaO, 0.47; MgO, 0.27; S, 31.9; Cd, 0.1; Cu, 0.06; Mn, 0.24. Moisture content is usually about 3 per cent. Three 21-ft. 6-in. diameter, 12-hearth Nichols-Herreshoff furnaces roast the concen-trate to a calcine of average composition (first 10 months of 1938) : Zn, 67.69 per cent; Pb, 0.06; insoluble, 1.75; Si02, 1.26; Fe, 7.24; CaO, 0.47; MgO, 0.36; S, 1.88; Cd, 0.1; Cu, 0.07; Mn, 0.27. The sulphur dioxide gas, after passing through a waste-heat boiler, proceeds through a recently redesigned low-resistance gas-purification assembly to the contact sul-phuric acid plant, of which the capacity is 200 tons of concentrates per day. The calcine is mixed with a portion of returned furnace residues and sintered on 42-in. by 44-ft. Dwight-Lloyd sintering machines, gas-fired. Wind-box gases pass through air coolers before filtering in a 1440-bag Dracco unit, and thence to stack. The Dracco fume is mixed with Cottrell dust, from roaster gas cleaning, and sent to the leach plant, where it is roasted (SO2 to acid plant) and leached with sulphuric acid to recover, as end products, lead sulphate, zinc sulphate and cadmium.

Jan 1, 1939

By Carleton C. Long, George F. Weaton

Two years ago the general features of the St. Joseph Lead Company's zine-smelting process were described.' At that time the discussion was limited to a description of the production of high-purity electrothermic zinc oxide. The present paper will describe the commercial production of electrothermic zinc metal. Since a fairly complete description of the plant of the Josephtowlz smelter was given in the earlier paper, the brief recapitulation given here will be limited to mention of additional equip-ment recently installed and a bare outline of the preparatory process. The raw material is zinc sulphide concentrate received from the company's mines in St. Lawrence County, New York. An average dry-weight analysis of this material is: Zn, 58.28 per cent; Pb, 0.56; insoluble, 1.6; SiO², 1.12; Fe, 6.4; CaO, 0.47; MgO, 0.27; S, 31.9; Cd, 0.1; Cu, 0.06; Mn, 0.24. Moisture content is usually about 3 per cent. Three 21-ft. 6-in. diameter, 12-hearth Nichols-Herreshoff furnaces roast the coacentrate to a calcine of average conlposition (first 10 months of 1938): Zn, 67.69 per cent; Pb, 0.06; insoluble, 1.75; SiO², 1.26; Fe, 7.24; CaO, 0.47; MgO, 0.36; S, 1.88; Cd, 0.1; Cu, 0.07'; Mn, 0.27. The sulphur dioxide gas, after passing through a waste-heat boiler, proceeds through a recently redesigned low-resistance gas-purification assembly to the contact sulphuric acid plant, of which the capacity is 200 tons of concentrates per day. The calcine is mixed with a portion of returned furnace residues and sintered on 42-in, by 44-ft. Dwight-Lloyd sintering machines, gas-fired. Wind-box gases pass through air coolers before filtering in a 1440-bag Dracco unit, and thence to stack. The Dracco fume is mixed with Cottrell dust, from roaster gas cleaning, and sent to the leach plant, where it is roasted (SO² to acid plant) and leached with sulphuric acid to recover, as end products, lead sulphate, zinc sulphate and cadmium.

Jan 1, 1943

By George F. Weaton, Carleton C. Long

Two years ago the general features of the St. Joseph Lead Company's zine-smelting process were described.' At that time the discussion was limited to a description of the production of high-purity electrothermic zinc oxide. The present paper will describe the commercial production of electrothermic zinc metal. Since a fairly complete description of the plant of the Josephtowlz smelter was given in the earlier paper, the brief recapitulation given here will be limited to mention of additional equip-ment recently installed and a bare outline of the preparatory process. The raw material is zinc sulphide concentrate received from the company's mines in St. Lawrence County, New York. An average dry-weight analysis of this material is: Zn, 58.28 per cent; Pb, 0.56; insoluble, 1.6; SiO², 1.12; Fe, 6.4; CaO, 0.47; MgO, 0.27; S, 31.9; Cd, 0.1; Cu, 0.06; Mn, 0.24. Moisture content is usually about 3 per cent. Three 21-ft. 6-in. diameter, 12-hearth Nichols-Herreshoff furnaces roast the coacentrate to a calcine of average conlposition (first 10 months of 1938): Zn, 67.69 per cent; Pb, 0.06; insoluble, 1.75; SiO², 1.26; Fe, 7.24; CaO, 0.47; MgO, 0.36; S, 1.88; Cd, 0.1; Cu, 0.07'; Mn, 0.27. The sulphur dioxide gas, after passing through a waste-heat boiler, proceeds through a recently redesigned low-resistance gas-purification assembly to the contact sulphuric acid plant, of which the capacity is 200 tons of concentrates per day. The calcine is mixed with a portion of returned furnace residues and sintered on 42-in, by 44-ft. Dwight-Lloyd sintering machines, gas-fired. Wind-box gases pass through air coolers before filtering in a 1440-bag Dracco unit, and thence to stack. The Dracco fume is mixed with Cottrell dust, from roaster gas cleaning, and sent to the leach plant, where it is roasted (SO² to acid plant) and leached with sulphuric acid to recover, as end products, lead sulphate, zinc sulphate and cadmium.

Jan 1, 1943

By C. P. Fiske

The pottery of the New Jersey Zinc Co. (of Pa.) is equipped to make three classes of refractories; namely, spelter vessels, spelter condensers, and high-grade fire-brick. The most important of these are the spelter vessels, on account of the extreme severity of the service which they must perform, necessitating great care in the selection of materials and in the whole process of manufacture. Next to the spelter vessels in importance come the condensers, as large numbers are used in the manufacture of spelter, and improvements in quality result in material decreases in working cost. While the fire-brick which form the laboratory, or high-temperature portion of the spelter furnaces, are placed at the foot of the list, they are nevertheless of much importance, since high quality will decrease the frequency of the always expensive shutdowns for repairs. To promote simplicity, the manufacture of these three products will be described separately in this paper, except in so far as materials and the crushing and handling system common to all are conccrned. Materials Bond Clay.—The bond clay used entirely at the Palmerton pottery is a St. Louis clay furnished by the Grand View Fire Clay Co. It is stored in a system of covered bins, and no attempt is made to weather it in the accepted sense of the term " weathering." Some years ago our clay was weathered before pugging, but we did not find the benefit sufficient to offset the additional handling and the loss of clay incurred. Furthermore, we believe that the rotting of the pugged mix (described later) accomplishes the same results to better advantage. That there is some action taking place in the clay while stored in the covered bins, however, is evidenced by an increase in volume which at times has caused damage to the retaining walls of the bins. We have at present a stock of bond clay weathering in the open, and when this is put into service an opportunity will be afforded for making comparisons with the clay as usually handled.

Jan 1, 1918

By W. H., Bassett

IN January, 1926, the writer began a study of the commercial value of beryllium in its relation to copper. The purpose of the investigation was not to make a mere laboratory study of the characteristics of beryllium-copper alloys, but to determine under mill conditions the behavior of copper when alloyed with beryllium and when other metals were added to such alloys; in other words, it was considered important to know whether the alloy bars could be hot-rolled or cold-worked, and what limits in composition would have to be established for these two methods of working. Consequently, more stress has been placed on the practical application of the alloys in engineering and commercial use than on a discussion of the metallography of the specimens examined, although this part of the matter has not been entirely neglected. Credit should be first given to G. Oesterheld,1 who, in 1916, published the copper-beryllium equilibrium diagram. Fig. 1 has been copied from the original article with the simple substitution of English words. It will be noted from Fig. 1 that alpha solid solutions are formed, up to about 1.5 per cent. Be (10.5 atom.). The freezing-point curve, after falling from 4.2 per cent. Be (23.5 atom.), enters into a very complicated form over the entire beta region. There is a possible compound, Cu2Be, at about 6.5 per cent. Be (32.3 atom.). The pure gamma range extends from 11.2 to 12.2 per cent. Be. (46.5 to 49 atom.), after which the liquidus rises rapidly to 30 per cent. Be. (75 atom.). The delta solution extends from 25 per cent. to an unknown percentage of beryllium. There is a eutectoid point at 575" C., extending from 1.5 to 11.2 per cent. Be., the maximum time interval of which occurs at 6 per cent. Be. Below this line the beta solution is described as breaking up into alpha and gamma. Microscopically, the eutectiferous alloy thus formed closely resembles pearlite, and requires a high magnification for its resolution.

Jan 1, 1927

By Clarence P. Linville

(Pittsburg Meeting, March, 1910.) IT is recognized that, in all metallurgical operations, the greatest possible uniformity in all conditions is essential to the best results. It is the constant aim of metallurgists to secure this uniformity, and their success in this respect has been in many cases the cause of great advances in the metallurgical processes themselves. Of all such processes, the production of pig-iron in the modern blast-furnace is perhaps the most complex and the most difficult of control. Notwithstanding the great progress of recent years, there is still great difficulty in obtaining anything like uniform conditions and results in the manufacture of pig-iron. The reason is not far to seek. The ores vary in composition and physical properties, often carrying a varying amount of gangue material, unevenly distributed The coke may vary in composition, cell-structure, moisture, hardness, and other properties. The blast, the weight of which far exceeds that of any other constituent, varies in its moisture-content and consequently in its chemical composition ; and its temperature, by reason of the method of heating, is not uniform, but, besides varying from time to time with atmospheric and other outside conditions, has a maximum and minimum for every changing of stoves. Now, with regard to these variations, the modern demand for uniformity has been greatly aided. Chemical analysis has made it possible to select ores so that the composition of the charge can be kept fairly constant; coal may be obtained from a given field, and coked in the same kind of ovens under conditions which . make the fuel practically uniform ; the Gayley

Mar 1, 1910

By J. M. Smith, G. P. Willhite, J. S. Dranoff

Heat transfer rates were measured in sandstones with flow of gases perpendicular to the direction of energy transfer. Effective thermal conductivities ker ranged from 0.7 to 1.7 Btu/(br)(ft)(°F). The contribution of the solid phase appeared to be the most important in these consolidated materials, although the thermal conductivity of the gas had some effect. The velocity of the gas through the pores of the sandstones had no influence upon ker up to values of 168 lb/(br) (sq ft) in agreement with data obtained for unconsolidated beds of glass beads. The present results indicated that gas mixing, and hence heat transfer by convection in the pores, is less for perpendicular transfer of energy than when fluid flow and energy transfer are in the same direction. HEAT TRANSFER PERPENDICULAR TO FLUID FLOW IN POROUS ROCKS Heat transfer in porous media with pore sizes in the micron range depends upon the fluid in the pores and the geometry of the solid phase. The best characterized system is a bed of solid spherical particles. Heat transfer in this system has been studied extensive1y (Ref. 8 summarizes the literature up to 1959) when the pores contain stagnant fluid. When the fluid is in motion the directions of flow and energy transfer have an effect on the heat transfer rates, as demonstrated by comparing the work of Willhite, et al l3 for perpendicular flow and that of Kunii and Smith9 for parallel flow of energy and fluid. For perpendicular flow, no increase in effective thermal conductivity ke was noted up to mass velocities G of 77 lb/(hr) (sq ft). In contrast, for parallel flow ke, increased with G in the same range of flow rates. These higher values of ke in the direction of flow also have been observed3,4,10 in beds of larger particles, 0.1- to 0.5-in. diameter. For beds of consolidated materials, such as porous rocks, data are not available for these compar- isons, although Adivarahan1 reported results for the parallel case. Hence the primary objective of this work was to measure ke values for perpendicular flow of fluid and energy in porous rocks. Of interest also was the variation in effective conductivity with fluid velocity. APPARATUS AND PROCEDURE In the experimental method, a constant heat flux was applied to the inner surface of an annular section of the porous rock. By cooling the outer wall, a temperature gradient through the annular sample was established and measured with thermocouples placed within the sample at various radial positions, and at three elevations (A,B.C). The location of the 2-in. O.D., 3.75-in. long sample in the apparatus is shown in Fig. 1. Fluid entered the bottom (1) of the 3-in. I.D. (approximate) steel shell, flowed upwards through the sample and out at the top (3). pressure taps (2,4) were used to check the permeability of the sample. The energy flowed radially from the centrally-located electric heater through the sample and was absorbed in the water-cooled jacket. The samples studied were naturally occurring sandstones from different locations with the properties given in Table 1. These materials are identical with those used by Adivarahan 1 for the parallel flow of energy and fluid. Prior to use they were refluxed with toluene to remove hydrocarbons and leached with distilled water to remove soluble salts. Each sample was visually examined and discarded if large nonhomogeneities, such as cracks or stone particles, were noted. Eight copper-constantan thermocouples were inserted in holes drilled radially into the sample with

Report of the Secretary TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF MINING AND METALLURGICAL ENGINEERS Gentlemen:-To a Board of Directors keeping in as close touch with all of the affairs under their care as do the Board of Directors of the A. I. M. E., through their monthly meetings, a report of the year's progress is almost superfluous. To the members who read the monthly reports of. the Board Meetings and of the various activities of the Institute as published each month, a yearly report cannot carry much fresh information; yet for both it may be well, as is the custom, to glance over the field of our activities during the past year, and to make an estimate for the year to come. The beginning of 1924 was not propitious for the members of the mining profession, though tonnage production for 1923 had been high and the gross value higher than for several years. The margin of profit had been narrow, prospecting and development were limited, and many of our members were unemployed, or were working in other industries. Toward the end of the year, higher metal, prices were in sight. Old-time optimism began to grow, and it now brightens the outlook for 1925. An excellent barometer of the prosperity of the industry, and that of the Institute, for they go hand in hand, is the work of our Employment Bureau. During the past few months, the percentage of our members for whom openings have been found has been increasing to a marked extent, and many members who had fallen in arrears are placing themselves in good standing. The number of new members joining has remained about as it was in 1922 and 1923. The Directors have reason to congratulate themselves on the interest maintained during a dull period, for it is not humanly possible to take a keen interest in the technology of an industry when our hands and minds are not actively engaged in it Now, with a much brighter outlook, we can look forward to a year of increasing prosperity for the industry and for the Institute.

Jan 3, 1925

By C. P. Fiske

THE pottery of the New Jersey Zinc Co. (of Pa.) is equipped to make three classes of refractories; namely, spelter vessels, spelter condensers; and high-grade fire-brick. The most important of these are the spelter vessels, on account of the extreme severity of the service which they must perform, necessitating great care in the selection of materials and in the whole process of manufacture. Next to the spelter vessels in importance? come the condensers, as large numbers are used in the manufacture of spelter, and improvements m quality result in material decreases in working cost. , While the fire-brick which form the laboratory, or high-temperature portion of the spelter furnaces, are placed at the foot of the list, they-are nevertheless of much importance, since high quality will decrease the frequency of the always expensive shutdowns for repairs. To promote simplicity, the manufacture of these three products will be described separately in this paper, except in so far as materials and the crushing and handling system common to all are concerned. Materials Bond Clay.-The bond clay used entirely at the Palmerton pottery is a St. Louis clay furnished by the Grand View Fire Clay Co. It is stored in a system of covered bins, and no attempt is made to weather -it in the, accepted sense of the term " weathering." Some years ago our clay was weathered before pugging, but we did not find the benefit sufficient to offset the additional handling and the loss. of clay incurred. Furthermore, we believe that the rotting of the pugged mix (described later), accomplishes the same results to better advantage. That there is some action taking place in the clay while stored in the covered bins, however, is, evidenced by an increase in volume which at times has caused damage to the retaining walls of the bins. We have at present a stock of bond clay weathering in the open, and when this is put into service an opportunity will be afforded for making comparisons-with the clay as usually handled.

Jan 10, 1917