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By C. W. Dunham

FROM the primary gyratory crushing plant, described in MacLeod's article, ore is delivered to a large storage or surge bin from which it is carried by two transverse conveyors to the secondary crushing plant. The bin has a useful drawoff of about 13,000 tons, this being slightly over one half of the initial daily capacity of the Morenci Reduction Works. This arrangement provides sufficient storage to permit intermittent operation of the primary and secondary crushing plants without too close a coordination between the two.

Jan 1, 1942

By Stanley J. Gasior, Albert J. Forney, Joseph H. Field

Most bituminous coal mined near Eastern industrial areas requiring high-Btu pipeline gas is caking and therefore unsuitable for fixed-bed pres- sure gasification by present techniques. If the caking property of such coal can be destroyed, the resulting fuel can be gasified in a fixed bed at pressure with steam and oxygen as a preliminary step in making a high-Btu gas. To find a practical way to convert strongly caking coals of granular or small lump size to noncaking fuel was the object of this study. In previous work, strongly caking coals of 1/8- to 1½ -in. size were converted to a noncaking coal char by treatment in a static bed in about 3 hours1 and coal of 18-100 Tyler mesh in a fluidized bed in about 5 min.2 An inert gas such as steam, nitrogen, carbon dioxide or a mixture of all three with a small amount of oxygen was used in both studies. In our work a strongly caking bituminous coal from the Pittsburgh seam of 4-8 Tyler mesh size was converted to a noncaking form in free-fall in about 2 sec by dropping it through a countercurrent flow of steam containing 4% to 7% oxygen at 1150º-1200°F and 300 psig. This method should also be applicable to smaller-sized material.

Jan 3, 1965

By H. M. Howe

PART I. INTRODUCTORY. § 24. INTRODUCTION.-This paper discusses the chief existing data as to the temperature, in iron-carbon alloys, of Ae.3, the upper limit of the transformation range when in equilibrium, as distinguished from Ac3, the temperature at which the end of the transformation is noted in heating up, and from Ar3, that at which its beginning is noted in cooling down. The former is in fact carried above Ae3 and the latter below Ae3 by lag. I touch incidentally on the influence of manganese on Ae3 (§ 29, p. 1102). The sections, tables, and illustrations, are numbered consecutively with those in the accompanying papers by Howe and Levy on Determination of, the Position of Ae3 in Carbon-Iron Alloys, and by Burgess, Crowe, and Rawdon on Thermal and Microscopical Examination of Professor Howe's Standard Commercial Steels, to which the present paper forms a sequel. § 25. The contradictoriness of our present evidence is shown by grouping it together in Fig. 14. For instance, both Goerens and Meyer (Series 2) and Meuthen (Series 12) used practically stationary temperature, and thus reduced the influence of lag very greatly; yet Ae3 for 0.32 carbon steel according to the former investigators is 894°, but according to Meuthen it is at or below 770°, a discrepancy of 124° or more. In view of our ability to measure these high temperatures within a few degrees, the existence of such a discrepancy is as unwelcome as it seems needless. I attack the thankless task of bringing some order out of this chaos.

Jan 6, 1913

By D. R. Mash

A strong yield point with attendant enhanced mechanical properties was found in commercially pure beryllium under certain conditions of heat treatment. Beryllium specimens also responded to both quench and strain aging treatments. Based on these results, a possible means of obtaining increased normal temperature mechanical properties is suggested. COMMERCIALLY pure beryllium has been found to exhibit the yield point phenomenon and several other aging manifestations under certain conditions of heat treatment. This behavior is not surprising in view of the present accumulation of experience regarding such effects in numerous metals; but in addition to extending this experience to include beryllium, the present study is of interest because aging effects are generally associated with the presence of small amounts of solute elements. The well known lack of tensile ductility in beryllium at normal temperatures is also considered to be due to impurities in some way. In the present investigation, the view was taken that beryllium of commercial purity (greater than 98 pct) should be considered as a dilute alloy and that precipitation phenomena may well exist which could lead to enhanced mechanical properties. In connection with this possibility, published data on the variation of mechanical properties with temperature are of interest. For example, Fig. 1 illustrates the variation of ductility (percentage of elongation) and ultimate strength as a function of temperature for beryllium of various histories.* Although these curves are somewhat schematic in nature, they clearly indicate the possibility that precipitation of an unstable phase and/or aging effects occur during tests in the region 400" to 700°C. The existence of such behavior should be recognized as affecting the properties of the commercial material and perhaps can be employed advantageously. Experimental Method All testing was done at room temperature using a Baldwin universal testing machine. A microformer extensometer was used in conjunction with a micro-former-type stress-strain recorder. All tests were conducted at constant loading rate, the slowest rates being used. This corresponded to 120 lb per min in the 1200 lb full scale range and 300 lb per min in the 6000 lb full scale range. After the rate of loading was set in the elastic range of the material during the early part of the test, no further adjustments were made, allowing the test to proceed at that setting. In the plastic region of the curve above the yield region, strain rates of from 0.002 to 0.006 in. per min were regularly obtained. All experimentation was carried out on specimens machined from the same lot of beryllium, lot No. Y5036BP. Table I shows the chemical analysis as furnished by the supplier, Brush Beryllium Co., as well as the standard specifications to which commercial beryllium is produced. Both 1/4 in. thick hot pressed plate and ½ in. round hot pressed and warm extruded rods were obtained. The history of the material is reported to be as follows: 1—Beryllium metal plates, produced from a standard hot pressed QMV beryllium metal block 4x15x40 in., were cut off and finished machined to 1/4x6x12 in. flat plates. The original hot pressed block was made by hot pressing —200 mesh vacuum cast attri-tioned powder at about 1050°C under vacuum. 2—Beryllium rod was hot pressed and warm extruded. Extrusion billets were machined from the regular hot pressed blocks followed by extrusion at 425°C. The extrusion was done without jacketing, and graphite was used as a lubricant. The rods were then straightened at 720 °C, after which they were annealed at 800°C for 15 min. Both flat tensile specimens and round tensile specimens were tested. The former were machined from the plate stock into standard specimens according to specifications shown in ASTM E8-52T. The nominal cross-section was 0.25x0.500 in. and the gage length was 2 in. The round specimens were

Jan 1, 1956

By William J. Priestley

Much time has been devoted, by metallurgists, to the study of steel after solidification and remarkable strides have been made in the heat treatment of steel, but less knowledge is available of the thermophysical activity of the constituents of steel prior to solidification in the mold. It is known that certain elements added to steel produce marked changes in physical properties, also that other elements added to steel produce similar changes, but we have only meager knowledge as 'to. how these elements combine in steel under different conditions of solidification. It is not sufficient to know, from chemical analysis, that a certain element is present in steel. We should know how this element is in combination with the other elements and whether the combination is such as will give the greatest physical properties. Certain elements go into solid solution with the iron, while others segregate to the grain boundaries and combine with the impurities collected there. Until it is known where an alloy produces the most beneficial effect and a means is determined for controlling its physical location by altering solidification conditions, or otherwise, we will not obtain the maximum value from our alloys. When molten steel freezes, it forms a heterogeneous mass of various crystalline constituents; and as the transformation of steel from a liquid state to the solid crystallized state is a critical step, involving as great a transfer of heat as any other operation in the making of finished steel, a variation in the rate of this heat transfer will have much to do with the arrangement of the various constituents in the solid state. The object of this paper is to show some of the effects on steel caused by variations in the rate of cooling in the ingot mold, particularly as to ingotism, segregation, dendrites, and intergranular material.

Jan 1, 1924

By F. N. Rhines, T. E. Leonitis

The oxide scale that forms upon magnesium at elevated temperatures is non-protective in the sense that the rate of oxidation is constant and thus does not decrease with the growth of the scale as it does with other common metals. This generality was first stated by Pilling and Bedworth' and has been verified by Suzuki2 and by ScheiL3 Pilling and Bcdworth argued that the nonprotective characteristic could be predicted from the fact that magnesium oxide occupies less space than does the metal from which it springs, wherefore the scale is not expected to cover the metal so completely as to exclude all direct access to the atmosphere. Linear oxidation is thought by Scheil to be common to all cases where the reaction occurs at the oxide-metal interface. According to Suzuki," he product of high-temperature oxidation in the air is MgO contaminated with no more than traces of a nitride. When the metal is allowed to burn freely a fume composed of cubic crystals of Mg04 is given off. Delavaults observed that excrescences form upon liquid magnesium and alloys in thc course of oxidation. Beyond this it is known that the use of atmospheres containing small quantities of sulphur dioxide6 or carbon dioxide serve to retard the oxidation of solid magnesium and that beryllium' and calciums minimize the oxidation of molten magnesium exposed to the air. Many studies have been devoted to the nature and rates of "protective" oxidation, as exemplified by the cases of copper and iron, wherein the rate is characteristically parabolic. The theory of parabolic oxidation is well developed.~ Linear oxidation, on the other hand, has received but little attention and the theories proposed by Pilling and Bedworth and by Schcil have yet to withstand careful examination. There exists no comprehensive survey of the high-temperature oxidation of magnesium (or of any other metal that exhibits linear oxidation) over a broad range of temperature, under a variety of atmospheric conditions and covering a large group of alloys. It has been the purpose of the present investigation to provide such a survey, with the object of gaining a fuller understanding of linear oxidation, especially as applied to magnesium. Experimental Procedure and Results The experimental studies undertaken were of two kinds: (I) measurement of the rate of oxidation as influenced by the 6c

Jan 1, 1946

By T. E. Leonitis, F. N. Rhines

The oxide scale that forms upon magnesium at elevated temperatures is non-protective in the sense that the rate of oxidation is constant and thus does not decrease with the growth of the scale as it does with other common metals. This generality was first stated by Pilling and Bedworth' and has been verified by Suzuki2 and by ScheiL3 Pilling and Bcdworth argued that the nonprotective characteristic could be predicted from the fact that magnesium oxide occupies less space than does the metal from which it springs, wherefore the scale is not expected to cover the metal so completely as to exclude all direct access to the atmosphere. Linear oxidation is thought by Scheil to be common to all cases where the reaction occurs at the oxide-metal interface. According to Suzuki," he product of high-temperature oxidation in the air is MgO contaminated with no more than traces of a nitride. When the metal is allowed to burn freely a fume composed of cubic crystals of Mg04 is given off. Delavaults observed that excrescences form upon liquid magnesium and alloys in thc course of oxidation. Beyond this it is known that the use of atmospheres containing small quantities of sulphur dioxide6 or carbon dioxide serve to retard the oxidation of solid magnesium and that beryllium' and calciums minimize the oxidation of molten magnesium exposed to the air. Many studies have been devoted to the nature and rates of "protective" oxidation, as exemplified by the cases of copper and iron, wherein the rate is characteristically parabolic. The theory of parabolic oxidation is well developed.~ Linear oxidation, on the other hand, has received but little attention and the theories proposed by Pilling and Bedworth and by Schcil have yet to withstand careful examination. There exists no comprehensive survey of the high-temperature oxidation of magnesium (or of any other metal that exhibits linear oxidation) over a broad range of temperature, under a variety of atmospheric conditions and covering a large group of alloys. It has been the purpose of the present investigation to provide such a survey, with the object of gaining a fuller understanding of linear oxidation, especially as applied to magnesium. Experimental Procedure and Results The experimental studies undertaken were of two kinds: (I) measurement of the rate of oxidation as influenced by the 6c

Jan 1, 1946

By William E. Schoeneck

This paper presents the problem of oil-well abandonment as a group of studies involving the compilation of physical well data, the use of special curves, maps, and interpretative Procedures, in order that operations can be analyzed and means for reducing costs can be effected. Methods for the calculation of the economic limit of production and resultant oil reserves are suggested in order that profitable production may be continued and premature abandonment prevented. INTRODUCTION Purpose Extensive studies have been made and much has been written on the procedures for prospecting, drilling, completion, production and repair of oil wells, but the writer has long felt the need for a study of the procedure that should be followed when considering the abandonment of a well. The production from numerous well bores of a fluid material (a circumstance peculiar to the oil industry) that is continually decreasing in quantity leads to an increasing ratio of operating cost to production. It is for this reason that oil fields are not abandoned as a whole and detailed consideration of each well is required before it can be determined whether more is being expended than will be returned On any well or lease in question. It is the purpose of this paper, therefore, to compile, correlate, and present all matters worthy of consideration in the problem of oil-well abandonment; to suggest interpretative procedures based on such compilations, to the end that reliable estimates of reserves and life may be obtained; to show, as a result of such interpretative procedures, the possibilities for corrective measures conducive to economical production, thereby extending both profitable reserves and length of life. Scope and Approach Compiling data and outlining a study having the complexity of the problem at hand are naturally subject to the personal experiences of one who undertakes the study; however, the chosen approach and grouping of the subject material may be helpful in the consideration of abandonment problems. Consideration has been given to wells that make gas and water incident with the production of oil; but consideration has not been given to either gas wells or condensate-producing wells, for wells of the latter type have sufficient problems to warrant separate investigation. The major subdivisions of this paper-— physical considerations and economic considerations—do not imply that either of these phases can be considered independently, but rather that the two are mutually dependent and are the component parts of an engineering study.

Jan 1, 1946

By William E. Schoeneck

This paper presents the problem of oil-well abandonment as a group of studies involving the compilation of physical well data, the use of special curves, maps, and interpretative Procedures, in order that operations can be analyzed and means for reducing costs can be effected. Methods for the calculation of the economic limit of production and resultant oil reserves are suggested in order that profitable production may be continued and premature abandonment prevented. INTRODUCTION Purpose Extensive studies have been made and much has been written on the procedures for prospecting, drilling, completion, production and repair of oil wells, but the writer has long felt the need for a study of the procedure that should be followed when considering the abandonment of a well. The production from numerous well bores of a fluid material (a circumstance peculiar to the oil industry) that is continually decreasing in quantity leads to an increasing ratio of operating cost to production. It is for this reason that oil fields are not abandoned as a whole and detailed consideration of each well is required before it can be determined whether more is being expended than will be returned On any well or lease in question. It is the purpose of this paper, therefore, to compile, correlate, and present all matters worthy of consideration in the problem of oil-well abandonment; to suggest interpretative procedures based on such compilations, to the end that reliable estimates of reserves and life may be obtained; to show, as a result of such interpretative procedures, the possibilities for corrective measures conducive to economical production, thereby extending both profitable reserves and length of life. Scope and Approach Compiling data and outlining a study having the complexity of the problem at hand are naturally subject to the personal experiences of one who undertakes the study; however, the chosen approach and grouping of the subject material may be helpful in the consideration of abandonment problems. Consideration has been given to wells that make gas and water incident with the production of oil; but consideration has not been given to either gas wells or condensate-producing wells, for wells of the latter type have sufficient problems to warrant separate investigation. The major subdivisions of this paper-— physical considerations and economic considerations—do not imply that either of these phases can be considered independently, but rather that the two are mutually dependent and are the component parts of an engineering study.

Jan 1, 1946

By Robert T. Pring

In addition to the humanitarian aspects of a dust-control program, certain economic benefits are becoming more fully recognized and now furnish a greater incentive to the mill operator to eliminate the dust from his plant. It is well known that a favorable working environment promotes increased efficiency and improves the morale of employees, with a consequent decrease in labor turnover rates. One progressive mining company' estimates its direct and indirect labor turnover costs at from $40 to $50 per man; for skilled labor, such as machine operators, the cost may approach $100 per man. While these figures may not be typical of every plant, they do indicate a potential savings in operating costs. Dust signifies waste; its elimination decreases maintenance costs of mechanical and electrical equipment; its recovery is often justified from the standpoint of values contained in the collected material, although in large-scale milling operations handling low-grade ore this may not be an important factor, Perhaps the most significant trend in industrial sanitation is that dust-control equipment and procedures are becoming recognized as integral parts of the mill flowsheet. Exhaust ventilating systems are now afforded equal care in design and maintenance to that given other machinery more closely related to the Process. Methods of Dust Control "Dust control" is a general term descriptive of a number of methods used singly or together to prevent particulate atmospheric contamination. These methods are: in order .of their desirability, as follows: 1. Change of process. 2. Isolation of process. 3. Wet methods. 4. Ventilation. a. Local exhaust ventilation. b. General ventilation. 5. Personal respiratory protection. In ore-concentration plants it is seldom prac tical to change a process to eliminate the dust it creates It is possible in some cases to isolate a particular dust-producing operation from the rest of the plant, provided that constant attention on the part of the operators is not required. Frequently water is used in fine crushing and fine grinding, primarily to facilitate the processing of the ore and incidentally to allay the dust produced. Wet methods, however, are not feasible in coarse and secondary crushing operations, because of the relatively great volume of water required in instantly wetting each freshly fractured rock surface. Such quantities of water would entail conveying and storage difficulties. Local exhaust ventilation is the most effective and most commonly applied control measure, wherein directional air currents through the zone of dust production draw the contaminants into a duct system. Unfortunately, only a limited amount of reliable information on exhaust ventilation is available.2-5 of necessity these publications are rather general, being primarily concerned with engineering fundamentals. While many organizations have successfully

Jan 1, 1943

By Robert T. Pring

In addition to the humanitarian aspects of a dust-control program, certain economic benefits are becoming more fully recognized and now furnish a greater incentive to the mill operator to eliminate the dust from his plant. It is well known that a favorable working environment promotes increased efficiency and improves the morale of employees, with a consequent decrease in labor turnover rates. One progressive mining company' estimates its direct and indirect labor turnover costs at from $40 to $50 per man; for skilled labor, such as machine operators, the cost may approach $100 per man. While these figures may not be typical of every plant, they do indicate a potential savings in operating costs. Dust signifies waste; its elimination decreases maintenance costs of mechanical and electrical equipment; its recovery is often justified from the standpoint of values contained in the collected material, although in large-scale milling operations handling low-grade ore this may not be an important factor, Perhaps the most significant trend in industrial sanitation is that dust-control equipment and procedures are becoming recognized as integral parts of the mill flowsheet. Exhaust ventilating systems are now afforded equal care in design and maintenance to that given other machinery more closely related to the Process. Methods of Dust Control "Dust control" is a general term descriptive of a number of methods used singly or together to prevent particulate atmospheric contamination. These methods are: in order .of their desirability, as follows: 1. Change of process. 2. Isolation of process. 3. Wet methods. 4. Ventilation. a. Local exhaust ventilation. b. General ventilation. 5. Personal respiratory protection. In ore-concentration plants it is seldom prac tical to change a process to eliminate the dust it creates It is possible in some cases to isolate a particular dust-producing operation from the rest of the plant, provided that constant attention on the part of the operators is not required. Frequently water is used in fine crushing and fine grinding, primarily to facilitate the processing of the ore and incidentally to allay the dust produced. Wet methods, however, are not feasible in coarse and secondary crushing operations, because of the relatively great volume of water required in instantly wetting each freshly fractured rock surface. Such quantities of water would entail conveying and storage difficulties. Local exhaust ventilation is the most effective and most commonly applied control measure, wherein directional air currents through the zone of dust production draw the contaminants into a duct system. Unfortunately, only a limited amount of reliable information on exhaust ventilation is available.2-5 of necessity these publications are rather general, being primarily concerned with engineering fundamentals. While many organizations have successfully

Jan 1, 1943

By G. H. Billings

The following data were collected some years since in the course of a series of experiments with oil as a substitute for coal in puddling, the earlier form of the Archer apparatus being employed. While I am not at liberty to give the name of the works at which the tests were made, I can personally warrant the accuracy of the record, and feel justified, therefore, in making this contribution to a discussion in which all trustworthy figures are likely to be helpful. Oil in Puddling. Starting with everything cold, we used 3518 pounds of oil to get the furnace in condition to charge a heat. After charging, we ran until we took out 13,340 pounds of puddled-blooms, using 8437 pounds, or 1333 gal1ons of oil. At 49 cents per gallon, the cost for oil per gross ton of blooms was $10.91; with coal at $4.871/2, and a consumption of 1.5 tons per ton of blooms (the usual quantity is ton for ton), the cost for coal is $7.31. The quantity of oil consumed in heating the furnace to the proper temperature and to make the bottom, is not included in the oil consumption stated. The quantity used was 3518 pounds of oil. Usually, the furnace need only be lighted, but in this case it had been repaired, and it was necessary to make a new .bottom. This required the quantity of oil necessary to make three heats of blooms, or 2109 pounds. Deducting this from the 3518 pounds leaves 1409 pounds of oil as the quantity consumed every week in lighting up.

Jan 1, 1889

By Sherwin F. Kelly

NEW trend in geophysics has been uncovered in these depression years, made evident through the thinning cloak of commercial activity, which, in better times, would have completely obscured it. I refer to the increasing use of these methods for geological investigations by federal and state geological surveys. This is a trend that has been gathering momentum not alone in the United States, but abroad as well. Thus, in Poland, the Geological Survey has been playing an increasing role in geophysical work since 1927, and now has- its own geophysical department. The government petroleum producing organization of Argentina has its Geophysical Commission; Brasil boasts a completely equipped geophysical department in its Mineral Production Service; the government of Chile has contracted with commercial companies for geophysical surveys; Peru is planning an intensive program of geophysical prospecting in its petroliferous regions; and Canada has, for several years, cooperated with

Jan 1, 1935

By H. C. Boynton, Albert Sauveur

In the course of some experiments conducted in the Metallographical Laboratory of Harvard University, some interesting facts were brought to light which appear to be worth recording in advance of a more elaborate and exhaustive paper which the authors hope to present to the Institute in the near future. Fig. 1 shows, under a magnification of 100 diameters, the microstructure of the cross-section of a steel bar 1/2-inch square, containing 0.52 per cent. carbon, heated to 1100 degrees C. and cooled slowly with the furnace. Fig. 2 illustrates the structure of the same steel, heated to the same temperature but cooled more rapidly in the air. Both samples were cut from the same bar and heated side by side in the furnace. When a temperature of 1100 degrees C. had been reached, one sample was taken out of the furnace and allowed to cool in the air, while the other was cooled with the furnace. The only difference, therefore, in the treatment of both samples will be found in their respective rate of cooling. This variation in the rate of cooling resulted, as shown

Jan 1, 1904

By F. Z. Schellenberg

(Pittsburg Meeting, March, 1910.) SYSTEMATIC exploitation in the Pittsburg coal-seam on a large scale is simple where the boundaries of the property do not interfere by forcing drainage-, ventilation-, and transport-lines of entries to be run to particular confined fronts. A prime condition governing development is the natural direction of the seam's perpendicular cleavage-planes, giving long lines of smooth faces near together and parallel, bearing about 65° to the left of the meridian and therefore crossing the basins. The gradients of dip into the basins change from 10 per cent at the east rim to practical flatness northwestward across the great coal-fields, a hundred miles wide; the clip being halved in rate at each successive crossing-over of an anticlinal crest. Elevations above sea-level on this transverse section, in scope of present development, differ by 1,000 ft. between low trough and high outcrop. Local irregularities of dip are found, but the main feature to be recognized is the pitch of the basins-the general rise northeastward at 20 ft. per mile, from 100 ft, below sea-level at the low point near the. SW. corner of Pennsylvania to 1,500 ft. and more above tide, and the appearance then, at the surface, of the lower coal-seams carried in the next deeper-lying thousand feet of rock-measures; below which series come the oil- and gas-sands of Oliphant's charted column of strata, reaching down altogether 3,000 ft. below the Pittsburg coal-seam. Because of -the general regularity of occurrence of the coal-seam, the mine-map depicting the courses of economic operation to be undertaken and the steps in controlled exhaustion, need be but a projection of two dimensions on the horizontal plane of space, and this for the most part composed of natural, almost unbroken lines, on the face and on the end of the coal, co-ordinating rectangularly.

Jul 1, 1910

By C. E. MACQUICC

WITHIN a period considerably less than two decades, the engineering view of alloy steels has greatly changed-both as to their composition, and applications. Inasmuch as the elements used in manufacturing alloy steels are substantially the same as those which have been used for the past two or three generations, a statement like the foregoing may reasonably call for some explanation. The first commercial use of alloy steels in this country dates back to the sixties of the last century, when one of the earliest alloy steel patents, covering the use of chromium, was taken out by Bauer. About ten years later, German and French toolmakers began to introduce tungsten into tool steels. Developments along this line were more or less static for 25 years or more, the tool steel, compositions progressing along lines worked out by Mushet and one or two others in Europe. The next step in advance, made by Taylor and White inn the late nineties, consisted of heat-treating the alloy steels to enable much higher cutting speeds, thus introducing what soon became known as "rapid" or "high-speed" steels. All these developments being aimed toward the improvement of cutting tools, the compositions made were essentially of a hard, brittle nature. Following a different line of development started in the seventies, naval ordnance material began to embrace the nickel steels. These were rapidly popularized, became, and still are, with the addition of one or more elements, as chromium, molybdenum, vanadium, standard for heat-treated armor plate. During that period, however, no notable uses were made of alloy steels for engine parts or other high-stress parts where they are now considered indispensable; moreover, the present-day use of metals in the chemical industries was probably not even imagined. After the turn of the century, the necessity for making heavy-duty. machine parts, and especially the develop¬ment of the automobile, caused alloy steels to rapidly supplant plain carbon steels for engineering purposes.

Jan 1, 1930

By G. S. Cole, G. F. Bolling

A series of Al-Cu alloys has been cast from constant superheat to solidify either with a hot top or with a free liquid/air interface. All the other variables which affect relative fluid motions were kept constant except the imposition of slow rotations m oscillations of the mold. Depending upon the exact circumstances, evi-dence could be found for the nucleation of equiaxed grains from dendrite bits detached from the columnar zone, or from the free surface, or from solid bits induced at pouring; a special experiment showed the solute buildup during ingot solidification and by inference the reality of constitutional supercooling. All methods of grain nucleation are thus supported. When solidification is arranged in a static mold the columnar- to-equiaxed transition occurs by one of these nucleation paths, subject to the natural decay of temperature gradients which promotes nucleation or the survival of nuclei. But when solidification is forced under special fluid flows it may display odd transitions. In one of these the equiaxed zone is synihesized from. dendrite bits detached from the solid/liquid interface. These survive under the concurrent lowering of temperature gradients and eventually cause transition by impeding columnar growth. GRAIN structure control is desired because real experience shows that specific properties are associated with specific cast grain structures. But since control is thus a matter of need and does not require understanding, much of casting remains art. For example, the manipulation of relative fluid motions in simple ingots provides a control of grain structure development,1-4 but theoretical insight is not required in order to broaden its potential applicability. Fortunately, however, once a variable like fluid flow is recognized it can also provide paths toward new insight. New observations using this variable have provided an insight which is curious. All the theories or descriptions of the columnar-to-equiaxed transition (CET) seem to be supported as long as the appropriate experiment is carried out. In order to develop this idea, let us ignore segregation, the chill zone (until a later section of this paper), and the origin and development of the columnar zone.= The details of questioning how equiaxed material forms in a casting may be divided in two. The first part is simply a questioning of the origin for equi-axed grains: are there fresh nuclei from heterogeneous nucleation, or dendrite bits broken off or melted from the columnar zone or elsewhere,6 or other solid bits surviving from the outset of freezing? The second is more complex, a questioning of the CET: does columnar growth slow down and allow the dominance of equiaxed grains, however they are formed, or do equi-axed grains take over and force columnar growth to stop? This "chicken-or-the-egg" second question can be quite useful, especially because it allows us to delineate the ordinary or NATURAL EQUIAXED ZONE and the induced or SYNTHETIC EQUIAXED ZONE. A natural equiaxed zone occurs if solidification proceeds in the absence of disturbances or extraneous forces such as ultrasonics, stirrings, and so forth. Both the CET theory proposed by Winegard and Chal-mers, 7requiring constitutional supercooling, and the CET theory suggested by Chalmers,8 requiring nuclea-tion only on pouring, pertain to the natural equiaxed zone. The best collating evidence to date for both these theories is contained in the work by Biloni and Chal-mers;9,10 the former theory7 is supported by special versions of the unidirectional growth experiment performed by Plaskett and winegardl1 and the latter theory' is supported in detail for the solidification of small ingots. An equiaxed zone can be synthesized when disturbances caused by forced fluid flows2-4 or other artificial means9,10 break off or melt off dendrite tips from an advancing solid/liquid interface,* if (and only if) temperature gradients in the melt are (forcibly) reduced enough to ensure the survival of these bits of dendrites, 2'3 Willful disturbances even so trivial as those produced by rapping a mold might be included here; as will be shown for example, this follows Southin's suggestion that the free liquid/air interface

Jan 1, 1970

By FREDERICK MCAKCCOY

THE production of tin from Mexico has never reached the point of being considered a national industry, but the distribution of tin ores is so widespread that there are possibilities that one day it may become of importance. Of the twenty-seven states of the Republic, tin claims have been taken up in sixteen. In all there had been taken up to the end of 1926, two hundred and twenty-five claims, of a total area of about 7400 acres. The first historical mention of tin in the Americas is found in a letter of Cortez to the Emperor, Charles the Fifth, of Spain, which is as follows: Speaking of his manufacture of some small cannon, he says: "For these reasons I took considerable pains to get copper from some provinces of this country, and bought it at a high price in order to get it quicker.

Jan 1, 1929

By M. J. Coolbaugh

Standard Metals Corp.'s mining and milling operation at Silverton, Colo., has found that it can justify the use of a large computer system entirely on the basis of cost savings, and at the same time receive the benefits of speed, greater accuracy, and valuable data otherwise unobtainable at a reasonable cost. The Silverton operation consists of the historic Sunnyside mine and Mayflower mill, about 300 miles southwest of Denver, which produce about 700 tpd of a complex lead-zinc ore. This operation has not yet tried to use its computer for large, involved programs such as optimizing the efficiency of an operation, linear programming, or determining economic ore limits, although these are certainly within the capability of the equipment. However, there have been enough money-saving applications in the everyday routine to justify the use of this computer system, even before branching out into the more unusual or complex problems.

Jan 8, 1968

By A. B. Parsons

LAST YEAR (1934) saw the completion of a ten-year program of reconstruction and modernization of the world's largest lead- smelting plant, that of the ' Broken Hill Associated Smelters Proprietary, at Port Pirie, South Australia, which has a capacity for smelting and refining 220,000 (short) tons of lead per year. It deals with the entire output of lead concentrates from the famous Broken Hill district in Australia, being owned .jointly by the three leading companies: North Broken Hill, Broken Hill South, and the Zinc Corporation. These companies, together with the Sulphide Corporation, are credited with a production of 198,000 tons of lead in 1934. When one says regarding any metallurgical plant that modernization is "completed" he should add "for the moment." Development in the art of metallurgy and in the equipment used never ceases; that which seems close to the last word today is likely to be obsolete in a few years even in a process so well standardized as smelting and refining lead. However, the reconstruction at Port Pirie has altered the procedure materially. More im-

Jan 1, 1935