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THE refining period of an open-hearth heat blends imperceptibly into the finishing period, during which final adjustments are made in slag composition, in bath action and temperature, and in composition of the steel, in order to prepare it for casting into ingots. Operations must be governed by the consideration that alterations in the character of the heat during the finishing period must be held to a minimum. In a broad sense, the finishing and deoxidation period of a heat may be said to begin when the action of the last ore addition has ceased, and to end when the teeming of the ingots is completed. INGOT STRUCTURES A survey of the relative advantages and disadvantages of different types of ingot structure is required because deoxidation treatments during the finishing period control the amount of gas evolved during solidification and consequently determine the type of ingot structure. Four classes of ingots are recognized, depending upon the degree of deoxidation to which the steel has been subjected. These types are killed, semikilled, capped, and rimmed; typical examples of their structures are represented by ingots 1, 2, 5, and 7, respectively, of Fig 9-1. The actual ingots from which these cross sections were sketched were all poured to the same height (indicated by the dotted lines) in the same type and size of bottle-top molds. The eight drawings of the figure represent selected types of ingot structure in a continuous series from "dead killed" to "wild," resulting from variations in the total quantity of gas evolved, from none at all to copious amounts, during solidification of the steel in the mold. Killed and semikilled steels are adjacent at the "quiescent" end of the ingot structure series where only small amounts of gas are evolved. The term "quiescent" describes the action of the molten metal during and subsequent to the teeming of killed and semikilled steels. Capped and rimmed steels are adjacent at the

Jan 1, 1951

MINING, to be precise, ends when the ore is delivered to a bin outside the mine. Usually the next step is concentrating; or, as it is more often called, milling. A few elementary definitions will help make clear the discussion that is to follow. A rock is an aggregate of minerals; copper ore is rock that contains copper-bearing minerals in quantity sufficient to make it profitable to mine and recover the copper in the form of marketable metal. Manifestly, under a literal interpretation, a mass of material might be copper ore one day and merely copper-bearing waste rock a week later, if the price of copper happened to drop in the interim. Emphasis already has been placed on the expansion that took place in the ore reserves of the Porphyry companies as a consequence of the great strides made in the technique of mining and ore treatment. So, even if one inserted a qualifying phrase, "at an average price for the metal," after the word "profitable," the definition would still be open to criticism. Place is another factor. It is evident that a body of excellent ore in Arizona might cease to be ore in the economic sense if it were moved intact to the interior of China. However, it is with ore in its technical and scientific aspect that this chapter is concerned. Speaking in general terms, the ton of Porphyry ore as it arrives at the surface contains 25 to 70 lb. of copper minerals in the form of disseminated particles or thin coats along fracture planes. When subjected to appropriate treatment this ton yields 12 to 40 lb. of metallic copper. These ranges take into account conditions of today and of 25 years ago. Two procedures are available: (1) concentration, followed by smelting of the concentrate, or (2) leaching and precipitation, usually by electrolytic deposition. Smelting and leaching are metallurgic processes in that they involve chemical change; concentration

Jan 1, 1933

By H. Shaw

GRAVITATIONAL measurements made by means of the Eötvös torsion balance over any area enable a representation to be obtained of the total gravitational effects over the surface of that area arising from the combination of all sources of gravitational disturbance. The investigation of gravitational anomalies occurring in the upper layers of the earth's crust, in this way, has been attended with considerable success, and, especially in areas in which no undesirable disturbing factors were present, it has been possible to locate geological structures and mineral deposits with remarkable accuracy and also to delineate their confines and to indicate their depth below the surface with a certain amount of precision. Before this can be done successfully, however, it is necessary to determine the gravitational effect arising from all other extraneous .anomalies in order that these may be satisfactorily eliminated. Disturbing features giving rise to these gravitational anomalies may be divided into two classes, according to whether they are situated at or below the surface. The former are determined readily by a detailed leveling of the ground surface, and may be satisfactorily eliminated provided the specific gravity of the terrain material is known, but the latter are generally unknown, and can only be ascertained with difficulty. When, therefore, the observations obtained by means of the Eötvös torsion balance have been corrected for all surface irregularities, known as terrain and topographical effects, there remain residual gravitational values which are due entirely to subterranean conditions. The task of interpreting these results consists in disentangling the various subsurface anomalies, and subsequently in computing and recombining the effects of these various masses in order to verify the interpretation. When the gravitational anomalies are due to large and comparatively simple structures it is a matter of little difficulty to arrive at a satisfactory interpretation of the subterranean conditions, but in more complex areas, where the geological conditions are more complicated and several irregular features exist, the process of disentangling the various constituents of the complex mass arrangement is more difficult and requires the expenditure of considerable time and labor.

Jan 1, 1929

By Roy A. Lindgren

SINCE the year 1643, when the first blast furnace in America for treating iron ore was built at Saugus, Mass., out of mica schist quarried in the neighboring district, the procurement of a suitable refractory for furnace lining has been a problem of concern to the operators of furnaces. The stacks built of mica schist continued to smelt iron ore until about 1836, when, according to F. H. Norton, the first firebrick were produced', at Queens Run, Pa. Other writers speak of brick having been molded and burned in Massachusetts about the year 1834. In 1841, Andrew Russell began to produce medium refractory plastic clay brick near East Liverpool, Ohio, that were used for lining blast furnaces'. The well-known Kentucky clay-producing district was not opened up until the year 1871, but since then it has produced a large percentage of the linings for iron blast furnaces. While some strides have been made by the refractories industry during the 100 years that have passed since the first firebrick were produced, it has been only during the last two decades that any real progress has been made towards bettering the product, even though the method of production had improved. Perhaps the fault lies with the user of the brick rather than with the producer, for not sooner demanding a supe¬rior product. During the past 15 years the tonnage produced per lining has increased from 500,000 gross tons to 1,000,000 gross tons, and now some furnaces are producing 1,600,000 gross tons and better on a single lining. It is true that enlarged capacity of furnaces and improved practice have accounted for some of this increase in tonnage, nevertheless better quality in firebrick must be given credit for its share. However, we are not yet ready to say that we have reached a maximum life of furnace lining. We believe that a better product can be produced and that the refractories industries of America will, through their extensive research depart-

Jan 1, 1937

THE refining period of an open-hearth heat blends imperceptibly into the finishing period, during which final adjustments are made in slag composition, in bath action and temperature, and in composition of the steel, in order to prepare it for casting into ingots. Operations must be governed by the consideration that alterations in the character of the heat during the finishing period must be held to a minimum. In a broad sense, the finishing and deoxidation period of a heat may be said to be- gin when the action of the last ore addition has ceased, and to end when the teeming of the ingots is completed. INGOT STRUCTLIRES A survey of the relative advantages and disadvantages of different types of ingot structure is required because deoxidation treatments during the finishing period control the amount of gas evolved during solidification and consequently determine the type of ingot structure. Four classes of ingots are recognized, de- pending upon the degree of deoxidation to which the steel has been subjected. These types are killed, semikilled, capped, and rimmed; typical examples of their structures are represented by ingots 1, 2, 5, and 7, respectively, of Fig 9-1. The actual ingots from which these cross sections were sketched were all poured to the same height (indicated by the dotted lines) in the same type and size of bottle-top molds. The eight drawings of the figure represent selected types of ingot structure in a continuous series from "dead killed" to "wild," resulting from variations in the total quantity of gas evolved, from none at all to copious amounts, during solidification of the steel in the mold. Killed and semikilled steels are adjacent at the "quiescent" end of the ingot structure series where only small amounts of gas are evolved. The term "quiescent" describes the action of the molten metal during and subsequent to the teeming of killed and semikilled steels. Capped and rimmed steels are adjacent at the

Jan 1, 1964

By William E. Greenawalt

Ever since electrolytic copper refining gave promise of success, about a half century ago, efforts have been made to apply the idea to the extraction of copper from its ores. The methods of attack have, usually, been to leach with a dilute acid and then to deposit electrolytically the copper from the resulting solution with the simultaneous regeneration of the solvent used in the process. Many efforts have been made, and many patents have been taken out, both in the United States and abroad, to give this idea practical application, but only within the past few years have the difficulties been surmounted. Leaching and electrolysis, as applied to copper ores, are among the most promising fields in modern metallurgy. New conditions are arising, which will bring the wet methods into prominence; while high freight rates and increasing cost of fuel will tend to limit smelting to highly favored localities. The possibilities offered by the installation of hydroelectric plants and the greatly enlarged range of power transmission will greatly widen the field of electrolytic methods. Electrolytic methods are ideally adapted to hydroelectric development, for the load is constant throughout the full twenty-four hours, and the cost of both installation and operation of hydroelectric plants is not appreciably greater when operating for twenty-four hours than when operating for eight or ten hours; whereas, in fuel-power generation, as also in smelting, the cost is more or less in proportion to the fuel and power used. Nevertheless, fuel-power generation presents advantages in electrolytic methods, as the power plant may be located in a favorable place while the leaching and electrolytic plants may be located at the mine. The ultimate possibilities of the wet methods have yet to be determined. The possibilities of smelting have been thoroughly worked out; there is no unsolved major problem in copper smelting, and it has practically reached the limit of its possibilities. It seems hardly probable that any future improvement, either of method or apparatus, will greatly

Jan 1, 1924

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

Fluid flow strongly influences ingl structure and the columnar -to-equaaxed transition. Artificial flow patterns siwzilar to the nuturul ones act to induce this transition, while dampening forces act to suppress this transition. It is shown here how simple mechanical forces can be applied to a systerrz in order to induce or slipPvess relative fluid flow and the change both the structure transition and the exact structures obtained. The example used is the effect of slow rotations and oscillations 012 a cooling- ingot (of laboratory scale). The details of rotution and oscillation for various cooling rates, lenlperal~ire gradients, and sizes of ingot are related to other solidzfication variables. THE grain structure of a casting can be changed by altering the fluid motion during solidification. Just how important these changes are depends directly upon the degree to which the fluid motion can be controlled. An early step in understanding the nature and influences of fluid motion was taken by studying natural thermal convection; when a static mechanical device was used to suppress natural flow the result was opposite to that obtained when an electromagnetic device was used to augnlent flow in a pattern similar to the natural one. ''2 Suppression allowed more columnar growth to occur, but "augmented natural convection" brought about an earlier columnar-to-equiaxed transition (CET). Since the solidification of a free ingot must have characteristics somewhere between those displayed during suppression and augmentation, we know that natural convection must influence the CET. Further, since heat transfer in the liquid is always some time-dependent combination of convection and conduction, it can easily be guessed that the temperature gradient in the liquid is the vital factor affecting the CET.1,2 It is obvious that the structure arising from the unadulterated solidification of an ingot, without external influence, is rarely if ever the best possible one. Although the pattern of the natural fluid flow may be considered efficient, the magnitude of the flow and the heat transfer decrease freely from the outset. For a

Jan 1, 1968

By John T. Norton, Robert J. Anderson

The purpose of this paper is to report evidence, regarding metal structures, that is contradictory to the amorphous-metal hypothesis of Beilby, and particularly evidence that is opposed to the proposition that a vitreous amorphous layer is produced by polishing a piece of metal. According to the theory of Beilby, which has been developed by Rosenhain and others, polishing a piece of metal greatly affects the condition of the metal at or near the surface polished, making that surface entirely different in character from the metal beneath. A vitreous amorphous surface film is said to be formed. The polishing process, on the basis of Beilby's explanation, is well known and does not require discussion here, but it is advisable to seek the precise meaning of the term "amorphous." According to Beilby, "amorphous means non-crystalline in the most intimate sense of the word; the molecules arc not marshalled in crystalline order and orientation." According to Rosenhain, the amorphous condition is that assumed by a metal when the crystalline arrangement is completely broken up so that the atoms exist in a state of disorderly arrangement similar to that which exists in the liquid state. Thus, from the point of view of the phase rule, the "amorphous phase" is regarded as being identical with the liquid phase. Amorphous metal is often likened to an undercooled liquid. A crystalline substance is one in which the atoms are arranged in space according to some definite repeating geometrical pattern. The existence of amorphous metal has not been definitely proved. The evidence offered here that amorphous metal probably does not exist is of a direct nature and is afforded by x-ray diffraction effects given by a number of metals and alloys when polished, cold-worked, and annealed. Considerable of the experimental work was carried out with substantially pure aluminum and the aluminum alloy duralumin, but many of the observations made on these materials were checked by similar observations on copper, iron, tin, zinc, lead, mild steels, and

Jan 1, 1925

By Roy Lindgren

Since the year 1643, when the first blast furnace in America for treating iron ore was built at Saugus, Mass., out of mica schist quarried in the neighboring district, the procurement of a suitable refractory for furnace lining has been a problem of concern to the operators of furnaces. The stacks built of mica schist continued to smelt iron ore until about 1836, when, according to F. H. Norton, the first firebrick were produced1, at Queens Run, Pa. Other writers speak of brick having been molded and burned in Massachusetts about the year 1834. In 1841, Andrew Russell began to produce medium refractory plastic clay brick near East Liverpool, Ohio, that were used for lining blast furnaces1. The well-known Kentucky clay-producing district was not opened up until the year 1871, but since then it has produced a large percentage of the linings for iron blast furnaces. While some strides have been made by the refractories industry during the 100 years that have passed since the first firebrick were produced, it has been only during the last two decades that any real progress has been made towards bettering the product, even though the method of production had improved. Perhaps the fault lies with the user of the brick rather than with the producer, for not sooner demanding a supe¬rior product. During the past 15 years the tonnage produced per lining has increased from 500,000 gross tons to 1,000,000 gross tons, and now some furnaces are producing 1,600,000 gross tons and better on a single lining. It is true that enlarged capacity of furnaces and improved practice have accounted for some of this increase in tonnage, nevertheless better quality in firebrick must be given credit for its share. However, we are not yet ready to say that we have reached a maximum life of furnace lining. We believe that a better product can be produced and that the refractories industries of America will, through their extensive research depart-

Jan 1, 1936

THE metal iron has physical and chemical properties which are somewhat different from those of steels, but a knowledge of the pure metal is a useful starting point in studying the behavior of steels. Solid iron exists in two different crystalline forms, called alpha (a) and gamma (?) iron, the former being the ordinary form at room temperature. When heated above the "A2 point," 768 C (1414 F), the metal becomes nonmagnetic, and at the "A, point," 910 C (1670 F), it undergoes a change in crystalline form to become gamma iron. In the range 768 to 910 C, it is sometimes called beta (ß) iron to distinguish it from the magnetic alpha, but the two are identical in crystal structure. When gamma iron is further heated to 1400 C (2552 E), it changes into delta (d) iron, which is identical with beta or non- magnetic alpha iron. Pure iron melts (in an inert atmosphere) at 1537 C (2800 F); the melting point is generally lowered by alloys or impurities. PROPERTIES OF IRON AT HIGH TEMPERATURES Many of the properties of iron undergo abrupt changes at the transition temperatures.1 For example, in heating through the A, point, a sudden shrinkage in volume occurs. Similarly, melting is attended by sharp physical changes such as an increase in volume. Table 16-1 contains a summary of the measured physical properties of pure iron at several temperatures. Usually the properties change smoothly within the range of stability of a given form, but this is not always true. For example, the specific heat reaches a sharp maximum at the A2 point although no trans- formation occurs. (See Fig 14-1.) Solvent Powers of Liquid Iron. Liquid iron is capable of dissolving most of the other metals and many nonmetallic elements as well. Of the metals that are liquid at the melting point of iron, only lead, silver, and bismuth refuse to dissolve to an ap-

Jan 1, 1951

By John C. Draper

The principal object of an underground coal mine transportation sys tem is to move coal from the face where it is produced to the outside of the mine where it is prepared for market. In addition to the movement of coal, a transportation system must also move supply materials to the inside; it must move men in and out of the mine ; and it must move rock and other debris out of the mine for disposal. Usually, mine haulage is divided into three categories named for the various areas of the mine served: 1) Face Haulage. This is used at face from the mining machine to the intermediate transport system. 2) Intermediate or Secondary Haulage. Generally this is used between face haulage and main haulage. Sometimes this is merely an extension of the main haulage. 3) Main Haulage. This extends from the secondary haulage to the outside and is usually either a track or conveyor system, sometimes a combination of both. Transportation modes of coal in the various areas pose different problems, but the whole system must be synchronized. For instance, at the face the coal should be removed quickly from the various places to facilitate the movement of machines, whereas the intermediate system just passes the same coal on to the main transportation system. Selection of the transportation system must be based on the seam height, mining methods used to extract the coal, capacity required, ease of coal handling, and haulage efficiency. When driving rooms, mine cars can be used. They often simplify supply haulage and rock handling because they can also handle these items. Conveyors could be used and would have a greater haulage capacity but they cannot handle supplies easily or segregate the rock. When using a different mining method, such as longwall, mine cars cannot be used because there is not sufficient space to move the cars at the face nor can the cars haul the coal without delays which would cause excessive losses in production. As for ease of handling

Jan 1, 1973

By R. K. Hopkins

For a great many years fusion welding has been used in and around petroleum refineries, but it is only within six or seven years that the more important pressure vessels have been constructed by this process, because before that time the properties of fusion welds would not with-stand such rigorous service. Since the adoption of fusion welding for the construction of this equipment, the refiner has required pressure vessels suitable for operation over a very wide range of conditions. On the one hand, vessels must operate at extremely high temperatures, in the range of 950° to 1000° F., and on the other vessels must be suitable for operation at sub-zero temperatures down as low as -75° F. Also, vessels are required suitable for operation at pressures upwards of 1000 lb. per sq. in., and as low as a 29-in. vacuum. In addition, vessels are required to withstand the attack of very corrosive mediums. It has been a rather difficult task for the fabricator to meet all of these require-ments, but as a result of the extensive research carried on by steel manu-facturers and several fabricators of class I vessels, practically all of these demands have been met. In order to meet the refiners' requirements for this wide range of conditions, the fabricator has worked closely with the metallurgist. This has enabled him to choose the proper base metal for each service condition, but it has been the fabricator's problem to develop a welding rod and welding technique, as well as a heat-treatment, that would produce in the welded vessel characteristics in and around the weld comparable to those in the base metal. Where corrosion is not a serious problem, and where the operating temperatures are not too high, ordinary carbon steel has served very well. But when corrosion is serious, and/or when the temperatures are either very high or very low, it is necessary to use some form of alloy steel to give satisfactory service.

Jan 1, 1935

By R. K. Hopkins

For a great many years fusion welding has been used in and around petroleum refineries, but it is only within six or seven years that the more important pressure vessels have been constructed by this process, because before that time the properties of fusion welds would not with-stand such rigorous service. Since the adoption of fusion welding for the construction of this equipment, the refiner has required pressure vessels suitable for operation over a very wide range of conditions. On the one hand, vessels must operate at extremely high temperatures, in the range of 950° to 1000° F., and on the other vessels must be suitable for operation at sub-zero temperatures down as low as -75° F. Also, vessels are required suitable for operation at pressures upwards of 1000 lb. per sq. in., and as low as a 29-in. vacuum. In addition, vessels are required to withstand the attack of very corrosive mediums. It has been a rather difficult task for the fabricator to meet all of these require-ments, but as a result of the extensive research carried on by steel manu-facturers and several fabricators of class I vessels, practically all of these demands have been met. In order to meet the refiners' requirements for this wide range of conditions, the fabricator has worked closely with the metallurgist. This has enabled him to choose the proper base metal for each service condition, but it has been the fabricator's problem to develop a welding rod and welding technique, as well as a heat-treatment, that would produce in the welded vessel characteristics in and around the weld comparable to those in the base metal. Where corrosion is not a serious problem, and where the operating temperatures are not too high, ordinary carbon steel has served very well. But when corrosion is serious, and/or when the temperatures are either very high or very low, it is necessary to use some form of alloy steel to give satisfactory service.

Jan 1, 1935

By Roy A. Lindgren

Since the year 1643, when the first blast furnace in America for treating iron ore was built at Saugus, Mass., out of mica schist quarried in the neighboring district, the procurement of a suitable refractory for furnace lining has been a problem of concern to the operators of furnaces. The stacks built of mica schist continued to smelt iron ore until about 1836, when, according to F. H. Norton, the first firebrick were produced1, at Queens Run, Pa. Other writers speak of brick having been molded and burned in Massachusetts about the year 1834. In 1841, Andrew Russell began to produce medium refractory plastic clay brick near East Liverpool, Ohio, that were used for lining blast furnaces1. The well-known Kentucky clay-producing district was not opened up until the year 1871, but since then it has produced a large percentage of the linings for iron blast furnaces. While some strides have been made by the refractories industry during the 100 years that have passed since the first firebrick were produced, it has been only during the last two decades that any real progress has been made towards bettering the product, even though the method of production had improved. Perhaps the fault lies with the user of the brick rather than with the producer, for not sooner demanding a superior product. During the past 15 years the tonnage produced per lining has increased from 500,000 gross tons to 1,000,000 gross tons, and now some furnaces are producing 1,600,000 gross tons and better on a single lining. It is true that enlarged capacity of furnaces and improved practice have accounted for some of this increase in tonnage, nevertheless better quality in firebrick must be given credit for its share. However, we are not yet ready to say that we have reached a maximum life of furnace lining. We believe that a better product can be produced and that the refractories industries of America will, through their extensive research depart-

Jan 1, 1937

By Robert Keeney

THE electric smelting of manganese ore and the production of ferro- manganese did not exist as an industry, in the United States or elsewhere, previous to the outbreak of war in 1914. Ferromanganese had been produced, electrically, during times of high prices by two companies at Niagara Falls and by several European companies, but the production. was spasmodic, and none was electrically produced when ferromanganese sold at from $35 to $40 per ton. Thus the electric smelting of manganese ore must be considered as a development caused by the high prices prevailing during the years 1916, 1917 and 1918, and the necessity of smelting domestic ore in order to fill the ferromanganese requirements of the steel industry of the United States, which increased from 189,088 tons in 1914 to 356,356 tons in 1918. The electric furnace is well adapted to smelting domestic-ore because it can be located in small units near the source of ore supply. In 1918, the ferromanganese production of the United States was 333,027 tons, of which about 7 per cent., or 23,000 tons, was produced in the electric furnace. The electric furnace not only assisted materially in the development of a domestic-ore supply but made a considerable saving of coke, as it requires about 1,4 tons of bituminous or lignite coal per ton of ferromanganese compared with a blast-furnace consumption of 2.9 tons of coke per ton of ferromanganese. Some of the plants in the United States that smelted manganese ore in the electric furnace during the war and in 1920 are listed in Tabled. From early in 1919 to about February, 1920, little ferromanganese was produced in the electric furnace. During this period the price of ferro-manganese (78 to 82 per cent. manganese) was about $100 per ton. During the first half of 1920, several plants resumed operation when the, price of. ferromanganese (76 to 80 per cent. grade) gradually increased to $200 per ton, delivered.

Jan 2, 1921

By Wm Price

THE object of this paper is to present a survey of some of the physical properties of sheet nickel silver when subjected to cold rolling and when annealed at temperatures extending from 350° C. throughout the commercial annealing range. A number of alloys were taken from stock and analyzed. Four of these, representing low nickel and high nickel both with and without lead, were chosen for the tests. The analyses were as follows: ALLOY COPPER, LEAD, IRON, NICKEL, MANGANESE, ZINC, PER CENT. PER CENT. PER CENT. PER CENT. PER CENT. PER CENT A 64.68 Trace 0.194 - 6.73 0.06 remainder B 65.82 1.27 0.227 6.17 0.06 remainder C 65.44 Trace 0.345 17.83 0.08 remainder D 65.60 1.08 0.238 17.77 0.06 remainder These alloys were rolled in accordance with regular mill practice to approximately No. 6 B. & S. gage. The bars (which were then coiled) were annealed together in a mill muffle and afterwards pickled in a 10 per cent. sulfuric-acid solution and cold rolled in stages of approximately .one number (B. & S.) at a time to No. 18 B. & S. gage. After each stage, suitable samples were set aside for physical tests. Additional samples were chosen for tests after the bars were rolled to Nos. 8, 10, 12, and 14 gage. These samples were annealed together in the mill muffle and, after pickling, were finished on 0.050-in. gage, yielding a series of specimens 2, 4, 6, and 8 numbers hard for the subsequent annealing tests. Tensile test pieces 9 by 1 in. (22.9 by 2.5 cm.) were cut from both lots and the central portion was milled to give a test section 2 ½ in. long by ;Z in. wide. A distance of 2 in. was marked off on the edge of each specimen with light punch marks. In the case of the annealed alloys, Erichsen test pieces 4 by 2 1/2 in. were also taken.

Jan 10, 1920

By Roy Lindgren

SINCE the year 1643, when the first blast furnace in America for treating iron ore was built at Saugus, Mass., out of mica schist quarried in the neighboring district, the procurement of a suitable refractory for furnace lining has been a problem of concern to the operators of furnaces. The stacks built of mica schist continued to smelt iron ore until about 1836, when, according to F. H. Norton, the first firebrick were produced1, at Queens Run, Pa. Other writers speak of brick having been molded and burned in Massachusetts about the year 1834. In 1841, Andrew Russell began to produce medium refractory plastic clay brick near East Liverpool, Ohio, that were used for lining blast furnaces1. The well-known Kentucky clay-producing district was not opened up until the year 1871, but since then it has produced a large percentage of the linings for iron blast furnaces. While some strides have been made by the refractories industry during the 100 years that have passed since the first firebrick were produced, it has been only during the last two decades that any real progress has been made towards bettering the product, even though the method of production had improved. Perhaps the fault lies with the user of the brick rather than with the producer, for not sooner demanding a supe-rior product. During the past 15 years the tonnage produced per lining has increased from 500,000 gross tons to 1,000,000 gross tons, and now some furnaces are producing 1,600,000 gross tons and better on a single lining. It is true that enlarged capacity of furnaces and improved practice have accounted for some of this increase in tonnage, nevertheless better quality in firebrick must be given credit for its share. However, we are not yet ready to say that we have reached a maximum life of furnace lining. We believe that a better product can be produced and that the refractories industries of America will, through their extensive research depart-

Jan 1, 1936

By R. K. Hopkins

Fox a great many years fusion welding has been used in and around petroleum refineries, but it is only within six or seven years that the more important pressure vessels have been constructed by this process, because before that time the properties of fusion welds would not withstand such rigorous service. Since the adoption of fusion welding for the construction of this equipment, the refiner has required pressure vessels suitable for operation over a very wide range of conditions. On the one hand, vessels must operate at extremely high temperatures, in the range of 950° to 1000° F., and on the other vessels must be suitable for operation at sub-zero temperatures down as low as -75° F. Also, vessels are required suitable for operation at pressures upwards of 1000 lb. per sq. in., and as low as a 29-in. vacuum. In addition, vessels are required to withstand the attack of very corrosive mediums. It has been a rather difficult task for the fabricator to meet all of these requirements, but as a result of the extensive research carried on by steel manufacturers and several fabricators of class I vessels, practically all of these demands have been met. In order to meet the refiners' requirements for this wide range of conditions, the fabricator has worked closely with the metallurgist. This has enabled him to choose the proper base metal for each service condition, but it has been the fabricator's problem to develop a welding rod and welding technique, as well as a heat-treatment, that would produce in the welded vessel characteristics in and around the weld comparable to those in the base metal. Where corrosion is not a serious problem, and where the operating temperatures are not too high, ordinary carbon steel has served very well. But when corrosion is serious, and/or when the temperatures are either very high or very low, it is necessary to use some form of alloy steel to give satisfactory service.

Jan 1, 1935

By Robert M. Keeney, Jay Lonergan

The electric smelting of manganese ore and the production of ferro-manganese did not exist as an industry, in the United States or elsewhere, previous to the outbreak of war in 1914. Ferromanganese had been produced, electrically, during times of high prices by two companies at Niagara Falls and by several European companies, but the production was spasmodic, and none was electrically produced when ferromanganese sold at from $35 to $40 per ton. Thus the electric smelting of manganese ore must be considered as a development caused by the high prices prevailing during the years 1916, 1917 and 1918, and the necessity of smelting domestic ore in order to fill the ferromanganese requirements of the steel industry of the United States, which increased from 189,088 tons in 1914 to 356,356 tons in 1918. The electric furnace is well adapted to smelting domestic ore because it can be located in small units near the source of ore supply. In 1918, the ferromanganese production of the United States was 333,027 tons, of which about 7 per cent., or 23,000 tons, was produced in the electric furnace. The electric furnace not only assisted materially in the development of a domestic-ore supply but made a considerable saving of coke, as it requires about 11/4 tons of bituminous or lignite coal per ton of ferromanganese compared with a blast-furnace consumption of 2.9 tons of coke per ton of ferromanganese. Some of the plants in the United States that smelted manganese orc in the electric furnace during the war and in 1920 are listed in Table 1. From early in 1919 to about February, 1920, little ferromanganese was produced in the electric furnace. During this period the price of ferromanganese (78 to 82 per cent. manganese) was about $100 per ton. During the first half of 1920, several plants resumed operation when the price of ferromanganese (76 to 80 per cent. grade) gradually increased to $200 per ton, delivered.

Jan 1, 1922

By E. H. Bunce, E. C. Handwerk

The inherent difficulties of zinc smelting arise from the fact that metallic zinc is volatilized at the reducing temperature of zinc oxide and thus is liberated in the form of a vapor. This vapor must be subsequently condensed to obtain metallic zinc, first in molten and eventually in solid form. Zinc vapor is sensitive to oxidation not only by air but by combustion gases containing carbon dioxide. It is, therefore, necessary to carry out both the reduction and the condensation operations in a closed system consisting of an externally heated muffle with attached condenser from which extcrnal oxidizing agencies are excluded. However, the reoxidation of zinc vapor cannot be entirely prevented by excluding external sources of oxidation. Internal sources of oxidation are necessarily present when oxidic zinc ores are reduced by a carbonaceous reducing agent. The reduction reactions themselves involve, first, the production of carbon monoxide in an amount at least equal in volume to the zinc vapor produced in the reaction, and, second, the formation of carbon dioxide. Not all of the carbon dioxide is reduced again to carbon monoxide by the excess carbon in the time available, and the slightly oxidizing condition, which results, seriously affects the efficiency of the condensation of the zinc vapor to the metallic state. In the past the difficulties arising from these causes have limited practical zinc smelting on an industrial scale to the use of small retorts equipped with small condensers. The retorts had to be small, because a closed refractory container capable of excluding oxidizing gases from the heating chamber surrounding the retort could not be built in large dimensions. The size was also limited because ordinary refractories when thin enough to conduct heat readily are not capable of sustaining a heavy load of charge at high temperature. Moreover, a loose charge of zinc ore and carbonaceous reducing material such as fine anthracite coal or coke breeze is a poor conductor of heat, thus limiting the cross section of the retort. The operation of these small retorts requires arduous

Jan 1, 1937