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By J. T. Lapsley, I. I. Cornet, A. E. Flanigan, R. Hultgren, J. E. Dorn

With the greatly expanding use of magnesium during the war, it appeared necessary to the War Metallurgy Committee that procedures of heat treating common magnesium casting alloys be investigated systematically. Accordingly, the National Defense Research Committee of the Office of Scientific Research and Development placed a research contract with the University of California, supervised by the War Metallurgy Committee. Research on the solution heat treatment and aging of magnesium alloy AZg2, (formerly ASTM No. 17; also known as Dowmetal C or AM26o) which was done under "Restricted" Project NRC-2I, in 1942-1943, and reported in detail in a final report to the OSRD on September 3, 1943, is the basis of this paper, which has been released for publication by the OSRD. American experience with magnesium alloys prior to World War II was limited, although some of these alloys had been in commercial use since 1909. Requirements of the aircraft industry for light alloys made it imperative to understand and utilize the advantageous strength-weight properties of magnesium castings. Magnesium casting alloys are commonly solution heat- treated to increase their ultimate tensile strength and ductility; this treatment may be followed by an age hardening at elevated temperatures, which raises the tensile yield strength but diminishes the ductility. In the present investigation, AZp was studied to determine the effects on properties of various solution heat treatment and aging schedules. The principles of heat treatment of magnesium alloys are the same as for other non-ferrous alloys. The alloy studied, AZp, has a nominal composition of 9 pct aluminum, 2 pct zinc, and minor constituents. Fig I shows, by the projection of isothermal sections on the concentration plane, the solubility surface1 of the ternary magnesium-rich solid solutions as determined by X ray 'analysis. From this figure it may be seen that above approximately 375°C (707OF), AZp alloy is a single phase alloy at equilibrium; below this temperature the equilibrium condition is a two phase alloy. The beta constituent which precipitates from the solid solution exerts a hardening effect. Because the zinc concentration is only 2 pct, ancl because of its solubility relations, AZqz resembles a binary alloy of magnesium with aluminum. The solubility curve1 of Fig 2 shows how rapidly the solubility of the beta phase decreases with decreasing temperatures. Unlike many aluminum alloys, magnesium alloys do not age harden at room temperatures; precipitation hardening of AZ² alloy is performed at about 177°C (350°F). At this temperature about 3 pct aluminum

Jan 1, 1949

By W. J. O'CONNOR

THE production of lead in the United States for the period from 1720 to 1912 was 10,432,668 tons valued at $924,600,000. The average price during this period was 4.4c. a pound, although lead sold at times below 3 cents. We know that in the early days of lead smelting in Montana lead was deliberately lost in the slag and only enough reduced as bullion to collect the silver. This bullion was freighted by ox team to Corinne, Utah, the terminus of the railroad at that time, and shipped to Swansea or Omaha, Neb., for refining. The slag from some of the above mentioned operations contained as much as 15 per cent lead and has since been resmelted. Since 1921 the production of lead has increased each year and the price and tonnage have been as follows :

Jan 1, 1926

By H. M. Wilten

THIS article presets a view of a problem encountered in petroleum refining in the deterioration of equipment used in condensation of vapors and cooling of liquids. Discussion is limited to the problems of shell- and tube-type exchangers and condensers. In this service shell- and .tube-type equipment is gradually displacing other types and, for this reason, its economic importance ill oil-refining practice is also increasing. Considering oil - refinery practice during the last two decades one can readily see many important improvements in the apparatus used. Briefly, the present equipment is safer, more efficient, and Ignore economical. Improvement in apparatus used for the condensation of distillates has, in my opinion, been less than that in other essential distilling apparatus. So it is hoped that this discussion will stimulate research among the producers as well as among the consumers of this equipment with a view to ameliorating this condition.

Jan 1, 1937

William Kent, New York City: I regret that I have not had the time since the Cincinnati meeting to make as complete a study of Mr. Salom's paper as I wished. I regard it as one of the most important papers that have been presented on this subject, and worthy of complete study. I started out, on the limited time I had, on a system of study which I would recommend to any one else who has leisure to complete the investigation. I took the original report presented at the Cincinnati meeting, and selected from it' such tests as had the analyses reported along with the physical tests, giving the amounts of carbon, phosphorus, manganese, etc., taking only those in which all these elements are given.

Jan 1, 1885

By K. G. Davis

Dilute alloys of silzer in tilz haz been solidzjzed a1 controlled rules, in lzorizontal tubes 2 mrz and 0.5 rn in diam. Radioactive; tracer techniques we?-e used to study solute distvihutions along llze specimens and irmpurity substructures, as functions of the conditions growth. The results have heen mzalyzed using Burton, Prim, and Slichter's tnodel for the solute disty-ihution in the liquid ahead of an advancing solid-liquid interface. DECANTING techniques have been used to establish criteria for the formation of impurity substructure during solidification in several alloy systems An analysis equating the appearance of impurity substructure with the incidence of constitutional supercooling was developed,= in which diffusion was assumed to be the predominant mode of solute mixing in the liquid. Substitution of experimental data into the equations derived from the diffusion analysis gave reasonable values for solute diffusivity in the liquid. However, in these investigations solidification rates of 10 cm per hr and over were used, to minimize the effect of natural conection, whereas for crystals of high perfection lower solidification rates are needed, usually between 1 and 5 cm per hr. A knowledge of the conditions under which impurity substructures will be formed at low growth rates, and the degree of segregation to be expected, is therefore of interest. In the present investigation, radioactive-tracer techniques have been used to study the effect of growth rate, initial solute concentration, and size of specimen on the formation of substructure in uni- directionally solidified rods of dilute silver in tin alloys, over a range of growth rate between 0.5 and 10 cm per hr. Criteria for the formation of substructure were established by auto radiography. This was believed preferable to the decanting technique, for the relationship of the structure on a decanted interface with that of the freezing interface is not clear, since a layer of liquid is left on the surface following decanting.' The effect of substructure on the distribution of solute along the rods was also investigated. EXPERIMENTAL The procedure for sample preparation has been described in detail by einber. Alloys were prepared from tin of 99.999 pct purity and silver of 99.99 pct purity. A"', an emitter of both y and 0 radiation, was used as tracer. Samples of the alloys were drawn up into silica tubes with inside diameters 0.5 or 2 mm, remelted in a horizontal furnace, and solidified at controlled rates. A few centimeters of the samples were left unmelted for a measure of the initial concentration. Total sample length was approximately 20 cm. The temperature gradient in the furnace was kept constant at 36°C per cm in the region corresponding to the melting point for tin. To find how well this corresponded to the actual temperature gradient in the melt, a thermocouple of 38-gage wire was electrically insulated with a thin layer of Sauereisen cement and placed within one of the 2-mm-diam tubes, which was then filled with tin. The maximum diameter of the coated wire was 0.5 mm, the bead of the thermocouple junction being no larger than the diameter of the wire. A plot of temperature vs distance traveled by the furnace is given in Fig. 1 for a rate of furnace travel of 1 cm per hr. The temperature gradient in the liquid

Jan 1, 1967

By J. J. Scott

INTRODUCTION Rock mechanics theory needs to be applied to solve ground control problems, but in the final analysis the mining method and equipment which is used will be those which solve problems in a practical manner. Equipment and its inherent productivity and safety as supplied as "off the shelf" items by manufacturers often dictate the size of mine openings. Operators may tolerate falls of ground and associated hazards if productivity and safety problems are not too severe. In this whole process the costs of mining finally dictates just what system will be employed and what equipment will be used. True solutions to ground control problems sometimes require that the mine operator step back and totally rethink his problems. The true cost of accidents are often missed and hidden in overhead costs. Losses in production and accompanying profit are not fully considered, false economics, such as using inappropriate roof support devices, are undertaken at times when using the most expensive devices to totally eliminate accidents may be the best overall solution. Automation to remove the worker from the hazard area is often over- looked as the initial capitol expense to apply it may be high. Cooperation between mine engineers, mine operators, safety personnel, equipment suppliers, and government inspectors, both state and federal, is required to reach workable solutions that best meet the goals of all parties.

Jan 1, 1983

By Tadao Nagai, Masao Sato

Electrochemical measurements have been carried out in an auto- clave to investigate the electrochemistry of hydrogen precipitation of nickel from acetate buffered solution. After having previously obtained the rate equation for this reaction we have now made a concentrated effort to explain the rate equation electrochemically. A saturated NaC1-type Ag/AgC1 reference electrode has been improved so that it can be used in an autoclave. Polarization curves for the reaction, [H2=2H+ + 2e,] on nickel electrode were measured in solutions free from nickel ions at 185°C, and the parallel curves were obtained by changing PH2 and pH for normal and reverse reactions, respectively. Polarization curves in nickel solutions were complex, probably because the potential of hydrogen electrode is close to that of nickel and of the nickel surface altered during polarization. Then the nickel electrode potential and the reaction rate were measured simultaneously during pressure reduction at various hydrogen pressures and at various nickel concentrations. The reaction rates in terms of current density were plotted to obtain the local polarization curves for reactions Ni2+ + 2e ? Ni and H2 ?2H+ + 2e. The anodic and cathodic local polarization curves exhibit potential dependency. Therefore it is likely that the pres- sure reduction can be regarded as a coupled electrodes reaction.

Jan 1, 1973

By Albert Hill Fay

IN giving a sketch of the geology and mining of the tin-deposits of Cape Prince of Wales, a short description of the geographic and climatic conditions may be of special interest on account of this being a part of the world of which very little is known, even by the reading public. As shown in Fig. 1, the location of the Cape is lat. N. 65° 35' and long. W. 168°. It is bounded on the north by the Arctic ocean ; on the west by Bering strait and on the south by Bering sea. It is the western-most point of the mainland of North America, and to the west, across the strait, one can see East Cape, Siberia, which consists of a rugged, steep coast of granite cliffs. The climatic conditions are of interest because of the part they have had in the surface geology, and also because they affect mining from an economic standpoint. In connection with the climate and geography, it does not seem out of place here to quote a few lines from the prologue of The Wandering Jew, written by Eugene Sue, under the caption '1 The Land's End of Two Worlds."

Sep 1, 1907

By R. Dugdale, F. Habashi

Studies on hand-picked samples of chrysocolla from Arizona showed that heating in an inert atmosphere enhances greatly copper extraction by ammoniacal-ammonium carbonate solutions. Heating in hydrogen improves the extraction of copper even further and maximum extraction by ammoniacal-ammonium carbonate and by sodium cyanide solutions is achieved for samples heated at 350°C. Heating in SO2 atmosphere results in the simultaneous formation of CuSO4 and Cu2O; maximum reaction rate is also achieved at 350°C. At temperatures higher than 350°C, CuCO4 starts to decompose. Chrysocolla heated above 600°C either in argon, H2, or SO2, is rendered less amenable to leaching, supposedly due to the formation of insoluble copper silicates.

Jan 1, 1974

By H. B. FERNALD

THE first year to which the Revenue Act of 1936 has applied is now passed. It is appropriate to try to give some calm thought to the plan of Federal income taxation as now imposed and what it will mean to the business and industry of the country if this plan of taxation is continued unchanged. Whether or not we like to pay these taxes is beside the point. Taxes are high and may be expected to be high for many years. The important question is whether the taxes to be imposed will destroy or injure business enterprise and development, and, in so doing, lower the standards of employment, living, comfort, and welfare of our people. The power to tax is the power to destroy. That destruction may come suddenly as a cyclone, or slowly as dry rot. What, if any, features are there in the present plan of Federal income taxation that have these destructive tendencies? A few of the points follow that seem to call for consideration.

Jan 1, 1937

By AIME AIME

THE Board of Trustees, made up of three from each of the four societies, conducts the business com- mitted to United Engineering Society by its Founder Societies under its Charter, the Founder's Agreement and the Library Agreement. A draft of a budget of revenue and expenditures for the ensuing calendar year is presented each September to the secretaries of the Founder Societies for the information and comment of their governing bodies. After revision, the budget is adopted, by the incoming Board of Trustees at its meeting in January.

Jan 1, 1929

By E. C. W. Perryman

On electropolishing, high-purity Cu-Sn and Cu-Sn-P alloys with more than 5 to 9 pct Sn were found to contain many grain boundaries with a ridge-and-furrow profile. The effect was not eliminated by solution treatment and was present at the new boundaries in recrystallized material. It could be produced by diffusing tin into the 3 pct Sn alloy and it is concluded that the effect is due to enrichment of certain boundaries in tin, or possibly in an impurity present in the tin, in solid solution. IN the hot working of tin bronzes, especially those with moderately high tin contents, considerable difficulty is frequently encountered from intercrystal-line weakness, which results in cracking at the edges in sheet on strip rolling and in the unsupported regions of the rod in rod rolling.' These difficulties are not at all pronounced with up to 3 pct Sn, but at 5 pct Sn impose serious limitations and at higher tin contents, especially if the phosphorus content is also high, they may become very severe. In some work carried out at the laboratories of The British Non-Ferrous Metals Research Association it was found that a notable lack of ductility in tension at elevated temperatures, associated with intercrystal-line failure, was characteristic of tin bronzes even of relatively high purity. That the intercrystalline fracture is not due to a brittle or molten impurity phase at the grain boundaries was shown by the fact that the temperature at which intercrystalline fracture first occurred decreased with decrease of rate of straining. Tensile tests on some commercial tin bronzes, reported by Goetzel,² show a similar fall in ductility with increasing temperature. As no visual evidence had been obtained showing that the grain boundaries of the tin bronzes were different from those in copper, a more detailed microscopical examination was carried out, and the results of this are given in the present report. Several workers"' have observed that electrolytic polishing is a powerful tool for detecting small amounts of a second phase and in particular for detecting high solute concentrations, "equilibrium segregation," at grain boundaries. Since it had been found that the suggested solutions for electropolishing bronze and the standard solutions for brass and copper did not give satisfactory results it was first necessary to find a suitable electropolishing solution.' Experimental Procedure Materials Used: The cast and wrought materials used for this work were the same as those used for the mechanical tests referred to above. They comprised 3, 6, and 9 pct Sn alloys without phosphorus and the same three basic alloys with 0.03 and 0.4 pct P. A 5 pct Sn alloy without phosphorus, of similar purity, was also examined. The basis materials were Chempur tin, high purity 15 pct phosphor-copper and cathode copper, and spectrographic analyses are given in Table I. Treatment: The cathode copper was first melted under charcoal, degassed by plunging marble chips beneath the surface, and cast through a coal gas flame into sand molds to produce a number of small ingots which after machining were of a suitable size for subsequent vacuum melting. Chill cast bars of the alloys, approximately 1¼ in. in diameter, were then made by melting and casting in vacuo, the tern-

Jan 1, 1954

By O. E. Kiessling

THIS announcement of the topics relating to production control, which the Committee hopes to have discussed at the February meeting, supplements the preliminary announcement published in the November number of MINING AND METALLURGY. In the previous article, the writer indicated the kaleide-scopic nature of the questions involved in obtaining better coordination in industry, and that, as a matter of practical expediency, the discussion in February would be limited to the more obvious difficulties in industry which need attention and to those questions which the Committee thinks would be of greatest interest to members of the Institute. But while practical considerations necessitate limiting the program, free discussion of all phases of the subject is urged by 'the Committee. In a preliminary consideration of the production control problem, there loom up two questions which have to be faced: (1) First, there is the question of the extra industrial capacity necessary to meet demand during the ordinary fluctuations of business, commonly characterized as `the "business cycle." Anyone who tries to formulate a program pertaining to productive capacity must decide whether he wishes to discuss the control of business cycles. While this question may eventually lend itself to treatment, the Committee does not feel that it can be considered at present with much profit. (2) The second question arises from the existence of over-stimulated capacity above and beyond peak demands in boom times. Discussion of this topic, it is felt, would be most fruitful. How to prevent capacity from being over-stimulated to an extent beyond any hope of possible demand is a

Jan 1, 1929

By W. Bonfield

The microstrain characteristics of a polycrystal-line Cu 1.9 wt pet Be precipitation-hardening alloy have been determined for various conditions of aging. The friction stress remained constant for all the conditions investigated, whereas the microscopic yield stress (the stress to produce a plastic strain of 2 x 10-8 in. per in.) and the three-stage stress-strain curve in the microstrain region were sensitive to changes in dislocation and precipitate distribution. Correlations between the measurements of microplasticity and electron-nzicroscope observations of substructure are considered. ALTHOUGH the macroscopic mechanical properties of Cu 1.5 to 2.0 wt pet Be precipitation-harden ing alloys were established' in some detail, there has been no previous investigation of the nature of microyield-ing in these alloys. This paper describes a high-sensitivity extensometer determination of microplasticity in polycrystalline Cu 1.9 wt pet Be, in which the friction stress, the microscopic yield stress (the stress to produce a plastic strain of 2 x 10-6 in. per in.), and the rate of strain hardening in the micro-strain region were measured for various conditions of precipitation. The structural changes accompanying aging in this alloy were examined using transmission electron microscopy, a study which differed from previous investigations as, in order to minimize grain boundary precipitation effects,' the solution-treated alloy was cold-rolled to 40 pet reduction prior to aging. Hence the extent of recovery and recrystalliza-tion, as well as the variation of precipitate morphology and distribution, were assessed. From these results possible correlations between the microstrain characteristics and the observed precipitate and dislocation structure are considered. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The material investigated was a commercial copper beryllium alloy (Berylco 25), which had a com- position of 1.9 wt pet Be and 0.2 wt pet Co. The alloy was solution-treated at 800°C, quenched in water, and then cold-rolled to 40 pct reduction. Tensile specimens of gage length 1 in. and rectangular cross section of 0.18 by 0.06 in. were prepared from the solution-treated, cold-rolled material and aged for 15 min, 2, 24, and 100 hr at 315°C and 24 hr at 425°C to produce a range of precipitate structure. The hardness values associated with these conditions are listed in Table I. It can be seen that a maximum value is obtained after 2 hr at 315oC, which decreases with continued time at temperature to a minimum after 24 hr at 425°C. For comparison some as-solution-treated specimens were also aged for 2 hr at 315°C. The specimens heat-treated to a given condition were examined in two ways. First, the nature and distribution of the precipitate and dislocation structure was characterized using transmission electron microscopy. Thin foils were obtained from the specimens by electrolytic polishing in a 30 pet nitric acid-alcohol solution at -20oC, and were examined in an RCA EMU 3 electron microscope. Second, the mi-croplastic behavior of the specimens was measured with a Tuckerman strain gage, using the load-unload technique previously described2, 3 to determine the friction stress, the microscopic yield stress, and the variation of plastic microstrain with stress. RESULTS 1) Structural Changes During Aging. a) Annealing Processes. The solution-treated, cold-rolled Cu 1.9 wt pet Be had an irregular dislocation-cell structure,

Jan 1, 1968

By J. D. Miller, M. B. Mooiman

It has been discovered that gold can be extracted from alkaline cyanide solution with primary, secondary, and tertiary amines by adding certain Lewis base modifiers, such as organic phosphorus oxides. Under these circumstances, gold can be extracted at about pH 10, commensurate with the pH of cyanide leach liquors. The selectivity of the amines and amine/modifier combinations for Au(CN)[2] over other metal-cyanide complexes is discussed. Potential applications for the solvent extraction of gold from cyanide solutions are also discussed.

Jan 1, 1985

By T. B. Counselman

"C" VERYONE who has to calculate cyanide circuits, -¦-' using either thickeners, filters or both, realizes the headaches involved in solving a set of simultaneous equations. When you calculate a large number of these, based on experimental data, trying to arrive at the best flowsheet, you can spend days at the task. T. B. COUNSELMAN, Member AIME, is Manager, FluoSolids Division, The Dorr CO., Stamford, Conn. AIME New York Meeting, Feb. 1950. TP 2783 B. Discussion (2 copies) may be sent to Transactions AIME before March 31, 1950. Manuscript received Aug. 23, 1949. Herewith is presented a short method, equally accurate with the standard simultaneous equation method, and much quicker. Here for instance is the standard simultaneous equation method, for 100 tons per day of $10 ore, with the conditions assumed as below (fig. 1). Conditions Assumed a. 100 tons of ore per day crushed in cyanide solution. b. Discharge from all thickeners with 50 pct moisture. c. $10 value dissolved per ton of ore. d. 50 pct in mill and 50 pct in agitators. e. 400 tons of solution from thickener V precipitated to $0.02. f. Agitation with a dilution of 2 of solution to 1 of solids. g. Let V, W, X, Y and Z represent value in dollars per ton of solution discharged from the resvective thickeners. Equating Out of and Into Each Thickener 1. lOOVplus 400V = 500W plus (0.50 X $10 X 100) 2. 1OOWplus 600W= 500X plus lOOW plus (0.50 X $10 X 100) plus lOOV 3. lOOXplus 500X = 1OOWplus 500Y 4. 1OOY plus 500Y = 1002 plus 1OOX plus (400 X 0.02) 5. 100 Zplus l00Z = l00Y plus 100 tons of water (value $0.00) Simplifying: 1. v = W plus 1.00 2. W = X plus 1.20 3. X = Y plus 0.24 4. Y = 0.2Zvlus 0.064 5. 2Z= Y

Jan 1, 1951

By T. B. Counselman

"C" VERYONE who has to calculate cyanide circuits, -¦-' using either thickeners, filters or both, realizes the headaches involved in solving a set of simultaneous equations. When you calculate a large number of these, based on experimental data, trying to arrive at the best flowsheet, you can spend days at the task. T. B. COUNSELMAN, Member AIME, is Manager, FluoSolids Division, The Dorr CO., Stamford, Conn. AIME New York Meeting, Feb. 1950. TP 2783 B. Discussion (2 copies) may be sent to Transactions AIME before March 31, 1950. Manuscript received Aug. 23, 1949. Herewith is presented a short method, equally accurate with the standard simultaneous equation method, and much quicker. Here for instance is the standard simultaneous equation method, for 100 tons per day of $10 ore, with the conditions assumed as below (fig. 1). Conditions Assumed a. 100 tons of ore per day crushed in cyanide solution. b. Discharge from all thickeners with 50 pct moisture. c. $10 value dissolved per ton of ore. d. 50 pct in mill and 50 pct in agitators. e. 400 tons of solution from thickener V precipitated to $0.02. f. Agitation with a dilution of 2 of solution to 1 of solids. g. Let V, W, X, Y and Z represent value in dollars per ton of solution discharged from the resvective thickeners. Equating Out of and Into Each Thickener 1. lOOVplus 400V = 500W plus (0.50 X $10 X 100) 2. 1OOWplus 600W= 500X plus lOOW plus (0.50 X $10 X 100) plus lOOV 3. lOOXplus 500X = 1OOWplus 500Y 4. 1OOY plus 500Y = 1002 plus 1OOX plus (400 X 0.02) 5. 100 Zplus l00Z = l00Y plus 100 tons of water (value $0.00) Simplifying: 1. v = W plus 1.00 2. W = X plus 1.20 3. X = Y plus 0.24 4. Y = 0.2Zvlus 0.064 5. 2Z= Y

Jan 1, 1951

By A. G. Moncrieff

In the paper the authors show [(Fig. 12)] in diagramatic form a "typical vacuum filtration system." This indicates a drum filter with two filtrate receivers-one for mother liquor and one for wash liquor. Have the authors ever found a drum filter that will adequately separate mother liquor from wash liquor? I recall in about 1957 being superintendent of a major copper leaching operation treating oxide flotation concentrates. The plan was being expanded, and filters installed to replace CCD following acid leaching and primary thickening of the pulp. The design of the expansion allowed the mother liquor to join the thickener overflow as feed for the electrolytic tankhouse. The water balance required that only pan of the wash liquor could be electrolysed direct, and the remainder had to be treated by lime precipitation. The design assumed the mother liquor would have the same copper content (about 50 gpl) as in the leach pulp solution, and the wash liquor about 50% of this (25 gpl from memory). You can imagine my horror when, on starting up, the solution from the mother liquor receiver contained somewhat under 40 gpl and, from the wash liquor receiver, somewhat over 40 gpl. The filters were provided by two of the most reputable manufacturers and, in the end I believe they agreed that never before had they supplied rotary drum filters that would segregate the filtrates. By changes to the valve design we made minor improvements, but eventually decided that insufficient segregation of the filtrates was possible to warrant trying to do it. On further consideration I concluded that, owing to the time delay between solution passing through the cake and entering the valve, segregation was impossible, though radical alteration of the internal piping of the filter might have improved it. I would be interested to know if anyone has found a solution to this problem using a drum filter. If not, why go on publishing information that infers that it is possible?

Jan 1, 1982

By Harry Roeser

Short cuts for determining the constants of oil decline curves, with the method of least squares as a starting point, are presented and applications made to practical examples. The nature of the raw data does not justify rigid adherence to the orthodox theory but does lend justification to convenient methods of approximation within reasonable limits. If the conventional form y = kxn were changed to y = k(x + c)', methods of determining the curves would be simplified and greater uniformity in calculated results would probably follow. As A result of the publication, several years ago, of some articles on determining the constants of empirical formulas, the determining the constant's of types of curves used for estimating the production decline of oil wells was brought to the writer for study. Methods requiring a minimum of time and labor and a maximum of rigor were sought, as it appeared that the nature of the data from which such curves are computed and the relative uncertainty of occurrence of the events predicted from them did not justify close adherence to the theory on which the solution of such problems is ordinarily based. The technical deficiencies of the solutions presented in this paper, from the standpoint of the method of least squares, are readily apparent to those familiar with that method, but their presentation in detail here is irrelevant to the subject matter. However, it is the author's conviction, after a rather exhaustive study of the problem, that the value of the solutions lose little by the approximate application of the conventional theory. It must be understood by those who use these formulas that the solutions herein given, and the formulas based on them, are merely facilities to aid the valuation engineer in forecasting future events. It is assumed, also, that before application is made of them, prescient judgment based on the circumstances in each case, shows that the forecast has some probability of realization. On this basis only will these formulas be found useful.

Jan 6, 1924

By G. L. Oldright, F. S. Wartman, H. E. Keyes

The economic manufacture of sulfuric acid by the ordinary chamber process usually involves production on a large scale and a plant that is costly to construct. The nature of sulfuric acid makes it costly to transport any great distance. For these reasons, the metallurgist has not found it feasible, at times, to beneficiate ores amenable to leaching, and a need exists for a local process that will produce acid cheaply on a small or large scale. To leach ores containing residual sulfides, an oxidizer, such as ferric sulfate, is needed in solution. Precipitation with scrap iron is one of the cheapest methods of removing some metals from solution, giving a plant of low first cost and supplying a source of cheap ferrous sulfate. The other ingredient needed for the process is SO2 roaster gas, the addition of which, as described below, will give both ferric sulfate and sulfuric acid. Where roaster gas is a waste or obnoxious product, the expense for materials is still further lessened. The use of ferric sulfate and sulfuric acid as a solvent lends itself well to the utilization of scrap iron as a precipitant, and the stages of the process fit in well together as an economic whole. Applications The hydrometallurgist usually thinks of ferric sulfate as a partial solvent for some of the sulfides of copper alone, as most work has been done on this metal. The processes of Hannay and Christensen, for leaching unroasted galena with ferric chloride made by anodic oxidation, show the added solvent action given by "ic" salts when added to brine solutions. It was found by R. D. Bradford (in some work to be published soon by the University of Utah) that, by the addition of a ferric salt to a brine solution, the silver as well as the lead in an unroasted semi-oxidized ore could be largely dissolved. The "ic" salt in the case of silver has evidently the same effect as the case of cupric sulfate when

Jan 1, 1926