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By Frank Ittner

In this section it is proposed to discuss operating methods considered good practice under the various field conditions commonly encountered. Efficient field direction and types of equipment needed to meet transportation problems are considered only to the extent that the desire to produce the best possible records must sometimes give way to the factor of cost. As in all engineering projects, alternative possible methods of operation must be considered in the light of relative costs as well as of the quality of results obtained, Cost may be in the background of much that is done in the field operations, but only the effect on record quality will be considered here. Record quality at a particular shot point may vary with the various factors of spread character (relative positions of geophones and shot point), shot-hole depth, formations opposite position of shot, size of charge, the effect of repeat shots, surface geology and culture in the immediate vicinity of the geophones, recorder instrument characteristics, particularly filter.

Jan 1, 1940

By William A. Johnson

The fundamental role of diffusion in many reactions occurring in solid metals has long been recognized, and there have been careful measurements of rates of diffusion in numerous alloy systems; but our understanding of the atomic mechanism by which diffusion occurs is scarcely in an advanced state.l-3 It is doubtful that this mechanism can ever be directly ascertained; rather, all imaginable mechanisms must be examined and the one that is in best accord with such data as can be obtained from suitably chosen experiments should be selected. Because of its relative simplicity, diffusion in a system containing only one kind of atomic species—commody called self-diffusion—is of considerable theoretical interest. It may be expected that diffusion theory will not be advanced appreciably until a wide variety of diffusion experiments—of which diffusion in a chemical concentration gradient and self-diffusion are two important types—are carefully performed and inter-compared. Aside from the purely theoretical interest in self-diffusion measurements, such studies will be of considerable engineering importance. The rate of any process in a pure metal requiring the movement of atoms, of which recrystallization and creep are two familiar examples, will be understood more readily with the aid of self-diffusion data.† Self-diffusion implies the diffusion of something into its exact counterpart; the detection of such a process is patently impossible, and it is necessary to substitute for it the diffusion of one isotope (in this case radioactive) into another isotope (in this case stable) of the same chemical element. There is, however, no reason to suppose that a radioactive atom will not diffuse at the same rate as its stable isotope, for all of the isotopes of the same element have exactly the same chemical properties; neither the difference in nuclear energy nor the difference in mass would be expected to exercise an important influence in this phenomenon. In this sense, self-diffusion may be thought of as the diffusion of radioactive atoms down a radioactivity concentration gradient, just as usual diffusion is the diffusion of one kind of atom down its chemical concentration gradient. The first measurements of self-difiusion were made by von Hevesy4-6 using the radioactive lead isotope thorium B in ordinary lead. The recent development of means for producing artificial radioactive elements has made possible similar measurements on gold,7, 8 copper,2, 9 and zinc.10, 11 Many of the data that have been obtained are rather poor, and no adequate reason has been given for their poorness; it appears, however, that the unsatisfactory results are characteristic of the particular experimental procedure employed, and not of self-diffusion measurements in themselves. The experimental technique that has yielded the poorer results is the deposition of a thin layer of radioactive atoms on the surface of a specimen and the determination of the rate of inward diffusion

Jan 1, 1941

By William A. Johnson

The fundamental role of diffusion in many reactions occurring in solid metals has long been recognized, and there have been careful measurements of rates of diffusion in numerous alloy systems; but our understanding of the atomic mechanism by which diffusion occurs is scarcely in an advanced state.l-3 It is doubtful that this mechanism can ever be directly ascertained; rather, all imaginable mechanisms must be examined and the one that is in best accord with such data as can be obtained from suitably chosen experiments should be selected. Because of its relative simplicity, diffusion in a system containing only one kind of atomic species—commody called self-diffusion—is of considerable theoretical interest. It may be expected that diffusion theory will not be advanced appreciably until a wide variety of diffusion experiments—of which diffusion in a chemical concentration gradient and self-diffusion are two important types—are carefully performed and inter-compared. Aside from the purely theoretical interest in self-diffusion measurements, such studies will be of considerable engineering importance. The rate of any process in a pure metal requiring the movement of atoms, of which recrystallization and creep are two familiar examples, will be understood more readily with the aid of self-diffusion data.† Self-diffusion implies the diffusion of something into its exact counterpart; the detection of such a process is patently impossible, and it is necessary to substitute for it the diffusion of one isotope (in this case radioactive) into another isotope (in this case stable) of the same chemical element. There is, however, no reason to suppose that a radioactive atom will not diffuse at the same rate as its stable isotope, for all of the isotopes of the same element have exactly the same chemical properties; neither the difference in nuclear energy nor the difference in mass would be expected to exercise an important influence in this phenomenon. In this sense, self-diffusion may be thought of as the diffusion of radioactive atoms down a radioactivity concentration gradient, just as usual diffusion is the diffusion of one kind of atom down its chemical concentration gradient. The first measurements of self-difiusion were made by von Hevesy4-6 using the radioactive lead isotope thorium B in ordinary lead. The recent development of means for producing artificial radioactive elements has made possible similar measurements on gold,7, 8 copper,2, 9 and zinc.10, 11 Many of the data that have been obtained are rather poor, and no adequate reason has been given for their poorness; it appears, however, that the unsatisfactory results are characteristic of the particular experimental procedure employed, and not of self-diffusion measurements in themselves. The experimental technique that has yielded the poorer results is the deposition of a thin layer of radioactive atoms on the surface of a specimen and the determination of the rate of inward diffusion

Jan 1, 1941

By E. W. Shilling Harwick Johnson

The separation of hematite by hysteretic repulsion was first brought to the attention of the public in 1922, by W. M. Mordeyl. Three years later another paper2 was published and after another four years a third paper3 appeared in the South African publications. Certain data were lacking in these papers. In order to continue the work intelligently a knowledge of the shapes of the hysteresis curves for certain minerals was very necessary. This information was not available until the present year4. It was known that reduction of certain ores rendered them amenable to this process of separation but definite data in the form of curves showing exactly the effect of such treatment were lacking. Probably our best source of information on the separation of minerals by the use of alternating-current magnetic fields today is the reports from the U. S. Bureau of Mines5"7. It is not the purpose of this paper to tell the reader in detail how to make a commercial separator. Experimental models have recently been made? and the results obtained have been so good that it is the opinion of the authors that the public will soon take an active interest in the subject and its development. The writers have constructed a separator that is considerably different in construction and operation from the two types described by Mr. Davis. This will be described, but the real purpose of this paper is to outline certain experiments and give curves showing data that have a fundamental bearing upon the practical construction of a separator of this type. Specular hematite is usually considered nonmagnetic; that is, it is very feebly magnetic as compared to some other minerals. If specular hematite is placed in a steady magnetic field there is no apparent attraction. At the moment of closing the switch, however, some particles may be seen to move. If the field is alternating, the particles are con-

Jan 1, 1936

By E. W. Shilling Harwick Johnson

The separation of hematite by hysteretic repulsion was first brought to the attention of the public in 1922, by W. M. Mordeyl. Three years later another paper2 was published and after another four years a third paper3 appeared in the South African publications. Certain data were lacking in these papers. In order to continue the work intelligently a knowledge of the shapes of the hysteresis curves for certain minerals was very necessary. This information was not available until the present year4. It was known that reduction of certain ores rendered them amenable to this process of separation but definite data in the form of curves showing exactly the effect of such treatment were lacking. Probably our best source of information on the separation of minerals by the use of alternating-current magnetic fields today is the reports from the U. S. Bureau of Mines5"7. It is not the purpose of this paper to tell the reader in detail how to make a commercial separator. Experimental models have recently been made? and the results obtained have been so good that it is the opinion of the authors that the public will soon take an active interest in the subject and its development. The writers have constructed a separator that is considerably different in construction and operation from the two types described by Mr. Davis. This will be described, but the real purpose of this paper is to outline certain experiments and give curves showing data that have a fundamental bearing upon the practical construction of a separator of this type. Specular hematite is usually considered nonmagnetic; that is, it is very feebly magnetic as compared to some other minerals. If specular hematite is placed in a steady magnetic field there is no apparent attraction. At the moment of closing the switch, however, some particles may be seen to move. If the field is alternating, the particles are con-

Jan 1, 1936

By C. H. Herty

Almost every metallurgist who has given the Howe Memorial Lecture has had a personal contact with the distinguished gentleman to whose honor this hour is devoted. Unfortunately for me, such personal contacts were not possible. However, in the preparation of a thesis on the open-hearth process, one of my earliest tasks was to make a survey of the literature, and it was from Professor Howe's Metallurgy of Iron and Steel that I drew a number of references to previous work which formed the foundation for my reading. In his volume there is such a complete exposition of the then current thought on the subject of slags and on their role in the elimination of phosphorus from steel that I feel no hesitation in discussing in this Howe Lecture the subject of "Slag Control." In the present era of close specification, the drive for uniformity of product, and the close inspection of the product and of the cost sheet, the utmost efforts must be made to control the steelmaking variables to the best advantage of the steel producer. One of the major variables is the slag in the furnace and its effect upon the composition and quality of the metal. What advantages are to be gained from slag control? In the broad sense the advantages must be tremendous, because the very foundations of good steel melting are based on "shaping up" the slag to a point where, with proper temperature, the heat is ready for the final additions. Every melter works toward these ends through his experience with innumerable heats of steel. The elimination of undesirable constituents such as phosphorus and sulphur is entirely a matter of slag composition and physical nature, a point well known for over half a century. The role played by the slag in assisting in proper heat transfer from roof and flame to the steel has been equally well known. In more recent years there has come the problem of oxygen control in the more accurate gauging of additions for making high-grade rimmed steel for the new strip mills, and in the deoxidizing additions for grain-size control and cleanliness of forging steels, both carbon and alloy. In this problem the oxidizing characteristics of the slag are of prime importance.

Jan 1, 1940

By C. H. Herty

Almost every metallurgist who has given the Howe Memorial Lecture has had a personal contact with the distinguished gentleman to whose honor this hour is devoted. Unfortunately for me, such personal contacts were not possible. However, in the preparation of a thesis on the open-hearth process, one of my earliest tasks was to make a survey of the literature, and it was from Professor Howe's Metallurgy of Iron and Steel that I drew a number of references to previous work which formed the foundation for my reading. In his volume there is such a complete exposition of the then current thought on the subject of slags and on their role in the elimination of phosphorus from steel that I feel no hesitation in discussing in this Howe Lecture the subject of "Slag Control." In the present era of close specification, the drive for uniformity of product, and the close inspection of the product and of the cost sheet, the utmost efforts must be made to control the steelmaking variables to the best advantage of the steel producer. One of the major variables is the slag in the furnace and its effect upon the composition and quality of the metal. What advantages are to be gained from slag control? In the broad sense the advantages must be tremendous, because the very foundations of good steel melting are based on "shaping up" the slag to a point where, with proper temperature, the heat is ready for the final additions. Every melter works toward these ends through his experience with innumerable heats of steel. The elimination of undesirable constituents such as phosphorus and sulphur is entirely a matter of slag composition and physical nature, a point well known for over half a century. The role played by the slag in assisting in proper heat transfer from roof and flame to the steel has been equally well known. In more recent years there has come the problem of oxygen control in the more accurate gauging of additions for making high-grade rimmed steel for the new strip mills, and in the deoxidizing additions for grain-size control and cleanliness of forging steels, both carbon and alloy. In this problem the oxidizing characteristics of the slag are of prime importance.

Jan 1, 1940

By A. P. Miller, T. S. Washburn

Improved procedure in the manufacture of rail steel has come as the rail user demanded better wearing qualities combined with greater unit weight. With each weight increase per lineal yard has come greater difficulty in making a product that would successfully withstand all tests that modern rails must meet. With these facts in mind, and with a sincere desire to produce a rail whose service in track would be satisfactory in all respects, the steelmaker was quick to realize that all of the factors entering into his process would have to be more closely controlled. Control of rail-steel slags was recognized as one of the most important of many interdepending factors. The object of slag control is to hold the slag compositions within a range that gives the best results with respect to economy of production, uniformity of analysis, and quality of the finished rails. The most important component of the slag from the standpoint of these production and quality factors is the ferrous oxide content. This component is a good indicator of the basicity and oxidizing power of the slag, and these largely govern the effect of the slag on the steel. Consequently, the

Jan 1, 1935

By A. P. Miller, T. S. Washburn

Improved procedure in the manufacture of rail steel has come as the rail user demanded better wearing qualities combined with greater unit weight. With each weight increase per lineal yard has come greater difficulty in making a product that would successfully withstand all tests that modern rails must meet. With these facts in mind, and with a sincere desire to produce a rail whose service in track would be satisfactory in all respects, the steelmaker was quick to realize that all of the factors entering into his process would have to be more closely controlled. Control of rail-steel slags was recognized as one of the most important of many interdepending factors. The object of slag control is to hold the slag compositions within a range that gives the best results with respect to economy of production, uniformity of analysis, and quality of the finished rails. The most important component of the slag from the standpoint of these production and quality factors is the ferrous oxide content. This component is a good indicator of the basicity and oxidizing power of the slag, and these largely govern the effect of the slag on the steel. Consequently, the

Jan 1, 1935

By L. F. Reinartz

The furnace in which rimming steel is made has an important bearing on the quality of the steel produced. Furnace.—Particularly in the manufacture of low-carbon rimming steels, it is necessary to have an efficient, easily regulated furnace, because of the relatively high finishing temperature requirements. In recent years, the most important development in design of open-hearth furnaces has been the sealing and insulation of the greater part of the furnace to prevent air infiltration and loss of heat. Efficient, straight-line valves insure proper draft. Combustion controls guarantee correct gas-air ratios. Furnaces of all sizes ranging from 20 to 200 tons have been used successfully in the manufacture of rimming steels. Metal bath is varied from 20 to 40 in. in depth without appreciable variation in quality. Charging.—A normal open-hearth charge consists of pig iron (hot or cold), scrap of miscellaneous nature, and slag-making additions, such as limestone and burnt lime. Because of local conditions, some plants find it necessary to discard the use of pig iron and use some carbonaceolis substances with varying percentages of cast iron to replace the pig iron. It is questionable whether such practice will consistently produce the quality of rimming steel required for auto stampings and other severe drawing requirements. Pig Iron.—An open-hearth furnace under proper control should melt 150 tons of low-carbon rimming steel on about 35 to 38 per cent pig-iron charge basis. In some practices, best results are obtained when the total charge contains from 0.40 to' 0.50 per cent silicon. If reasonably low-

Jan 1, 1935

By L. F. Reinartz

The furnace in which rimming steel is made has an important bearing on the quality of the steel produced. Furnace.—Particularly in the manufacture of low-carbon rimming steels, it is necessary to have an efficient, easily regulated furnace, because of the relatively high finishing temperature requirements. In recent years, the most important development in design of open-hearth furnaces has been the sealing and insulation of the greater part of the furnace to prevent air infiltration and loss of heat. Efficient, straight-line valves insure proper draft. Combustion controls guarantee correct gas-air ratios. Furnaces of all sizes ranging from 20 to 200 tons have been used successfully in the manufacture of rimming steels. Metal bath is varied from 20 to 40 in. in depth without appreciable variation in quality. Charging.—A normal open-hearth charge consists of pig iron (hot or cold), scrap of miscellaneous nature, and slag-making additions, such as limestone and burnt lime. Because of local conditions, some plants find it necessary to discard the use of pig iron and use some carbonaceolis substances with varying percentages of cast iron to replace the pig iron. It is questionable whether such practice will consistently produce the quality of rimming steel required for auto stampings and other severe drawing requirements. Pig Iron.—An open-hearth furnace under proper control should melt 150 tons of low-carbon rimming steel on about 35 to 38 per cent pig-iron charge basis. In some practices, best results are obtained when the total charge contains from 0.40 to' 0.50 per cent silicon. If reasonably low-

Jan 1, 1935

By Harry V. Welch

This paper presents a brief discussion of numerous devices and processes which have been utilized for the recovery of values from gases in copper reduction works and describes in greater detail the development and application in recent years of electrical precipitation, more familiarly known as the Cottrell process, to the problems of dust losses with furnace gases in copper-smelting and refining plants. The field for collection of suspended particles in gases is widely extended in our modern complex, congested .and industrialized mode of living, and its satisfactory solution is required by our increasing appreciation of the extravagant waste, unhealthful effects and nuisance which such uncontrolled emission of solid suspensions represents. Much of the special dust-recovery equipment in use today has been developed in one industry and carried over to many others. The early work of Cottrell was with sulfuric acid mists, aimed at the purification problem in contact acid manufacture, but the present uses of Cottrell equipment cover a diversified field—carbon black, combustible gas, oil mists, iron blastfurnace fumes and dusts, cement-kiln gases, as well as the purification of gases in contact and chamber acid plants and its wide and extended use in the nonferrous metallurgical field of copper, zinc and lead, and their associated metals. Dust and fume collection from furnace gases became a problem only with the modern development of large and amply powered auxiliary furnace equipment, which in turn permitted large furnace units, fast driving and large outputs of finished product per unit of furnace capacity. The ancient metallurgist with his small clay pot and hand-operated bellows had too little gas velocity to cause a real dust loss. As furnaces grew in size, flues and stacks were added, and undoubtedly the first observable dust losses were indicated by the deposits in the flue and stack base. Large flues, it was noted, collected more than smaller ones, and the expansion of a portion of the flue into a chamber represented the first serious attempt at recovery of furnace dust losses. For a century or more the settling chamber represented the best of skilled metallurgical practice in recovery of furnace dust, and it may be said to have reached

Jan 1, 1934

By P. D. I. Honeyman

Changing trends in concentration, involving regrinding with the subsequent production of a finely divided, high-grade flotation product, presents a real problem to the modern copper smelter. In the treatment of such a material, handling difficulties are numerous and potential possible losses may be very great. In many plants, of course, preliminary roasting of the furnace charge remains an economical necessity. Under such circumstances, the operator has no alternative except to follow orthodox roaster reverberatory practice, though taking all possible precautions to avoid excessive dust losses and bad working conditions. In other plants, roasting is not only unnecessary but would be highly undesirable, and at best the charge would be merely dried before entering the reverberatory furnace. In the latter case the possibilities of raw charging loom large. The Miami plant of the International Smelting Co. handles the entire output of concentrates of the several mining companies operating in the Globe-Miami district. All of these companies produce a flotation concentrate which, at the Miami Copper Co. particularly, is all reground and is high in grade. In addition, the Inspiration Copper Co. ships a substantial tonnage of high-grade cement copper to the smelter from its leaching plant. Following the flow sheet of the original plant, all such material received was bedded, dried in Wedge furnaces and smelted in reverberatory furnaces. At times during the history of the plant it has been necessary to carry the drying operation further, to a partial roast, before reverberatory smelting. Since the charge contained over 80 per cent flotation concentrates, the handling of which in a dried condition was at best a dusty job, unusual precautions were taken to cut down dust losses. The Wedge furnace plant was equipped with a Cottrell treater and all hoppers and calcine cars were carefully designed to cut down dust loss in transferring the so-called calcine from hoppers to car and from car to furnace. In the furnace itself the dusting problem was a severe one. Arch erosion was very rapid and flues and waste-heat boilers rapidly filled up with a partly smelted flue dust.

Jan 1, 1934

By J. C. Mertz, C. H. Mathewson

Accurate knowledge of the solid solubilities of the elements that dissolve in the important base metals is needed for guidance in the preparation and heat-treatment of the alloys derived from these components. While there is still difference of opinion concerning the merits of the X-ray and microscopic methods of determining such solubilities, it is certainly true that the recent extensive use of X-ray diffraction to review the existing constitutional data has revealed many glaring inaccuracies and has brought about a much improved knowledge of phase-boundary locations, which will inevitably come to include all of the important alloy systems. When the work is done with all necessary precautions it appears that in the majority of cases where the solubilities extend beyond a few tenths of a per cent the X-ray back-reflection technique is capable of furnishing the best of information in this field. For the most prolonged and thorough studies it is obviously advisable to combine the results of several methods, in particular, to obtain an agreement between X-ray and microscopic data. This paper reviews the work previously done on the solubilities of phosphorus, arsenic, antimony and bismuth in copper and, in consideration of the uncertainties thus made apparent, presents new X-ray data obtained with the first three members of this group. Copper-phosphorus System Heyn and Baurl found that in slowly cooled alloys phosphorus forms a solid solution with copper up to about 0.175 per cent. Huntington

Jan 1, 1937

By John T. Norton

FoR many years the copper-bearing steels have been of considerable interest to the metallurgist because of their corrosion-resistant properties. More recently the discovery of their definite age-hardening characteristics has focused attention on them again. In a recent paper, Smith and Palmer(l)† have given an admirable description of the behavior of a considerable number of steels of this type and a study of their results suggests two questions of a more or less fundamental sort. In the first place, it has been plainly shown that the hardening effect of added copper does not increase up to the maximum solubility of copper in iron as given by earlier investigators, but reaches its greatest value considerably below this point. This fact suggests that either the solubility is not so great as previous investigators have stated, or that the age-hardening mechanism is not the simple precipitation phenomenon that has been postulated. In the second place, the nature of the aging mechanism in this particular system should be determined. Recent developments in the study of age-hardening processes have shown that the increase of hardness is often, but not always, accompanied by precipitation and the action of a particular system is not predictable on the basis of its components or type of phase diagram. It would be of considerable interest to study the aging of the iron-rich iron-copper alloys in detail. One would like to know whether the aging mechanism is different at high and low aging temperatures, and whether the extreme sluggishness of the system may perhaps represent some new type of aging process. The experiments to be described were carried out in an endeavor to answer these questions. Obviously, in such experiments it is important to confine the hardening effect to the single element, copper, so that iron and copper of high purity must be used in the preparation of specimens. An observation of lattice changes during the aging process, correlated with the hardness changes, seems to be the best available method of

Jan 1, 1935

By John T. Norton

FoR many years the copper-bearing steels have been of considerable interest to the metallurgist because of their corrosion-resistant properties. More recently the discovery of their definite age-hardening characteristics has focused attention on them again. In a recent paper, Smith and Palmer(l)† have given an admirable description of the behavior of a considerable number of steels of this type and a study of their results suggests two questions of a more or less fundamental sort. In the first place, it has been plainly shown that the hardening effect of added copper does not increase up to the maximum solubility of copper in iron as given by earlier investigators, but reaches its greatest value considerably below this point. This fact suggests that either the solubility is not so great as previous investigators have stated, or that the age-hardening mechanism is not the simple precipitation phenomenon that has been postulated. In the second place, the nature of the aging mechanism in this particular system should be determined. Recent developments in the study of age-hardening processes have shown that the increase of hardness is often, but not always, accompanied by precipitation and the action of a particular system is not predictable on the basis of its components or type of phase diagram. It would be of considerable interest to study the aging of the iron-rich iron-copper alloys in detail. One would like to know whether the aging mechanism is different at high and low aging temperatures, and whether the extreme sluggishness of the system may perhaps represent some new type of aging process. The experiments to be described were carried out in an endeavor to answer these questions. Obviously, in such experiments it is important to confine the hardening effect to the single element, copper, so that iron and copper of high purity must be used in the preparation of specimens. An observation of lattice changes during the aging process, correlated with the hardness changes, seems to be the best available method of

Jan 1, 1935

By Donald W. Murphy, John Chipman

Recent developments in iron alloys containing nitrogen have indicated that this element may exert a considerable influence on the properties of the metal. This influence is not always in an undesirable direction and the indications are that nitrogen should be regarded as an alloying element, the amount of which should be subject to control, rather than as an inherently deleterious impurity. In controlling this element in liquid iron to the best advantage, it is necessary to have a reliable background of fundamental data pertaining to solubilities, rates of solution and chemical reactions of nitrogen in liquid iron. Obviously, the first step in such an investigation is the determination of the solubility of nitrogen in pure iron, and this has been the object of the experiments described in this paper. The solubility of nitrogen in solid iron has been measured by Jurich,' Sieverts,2 Martin,3 and Iwasé4 and the agreement among the first three inspires confidence in their results. No accurate determinations of its solubility in liquid iron have been recorded though several investigators have obtained approximate results. Strauss6 was able to introduce 0.03 to 0.04 per cent nitrogen into steel by the action of either ammonia or nitrogen on the liquid metal. This was accomplished by Eilender and

Jan 1, 1935

By John Chipman, Donald W. Murphy

Recent developments in iron alloys containing nitrogen have indicated that this element may exert a considerable influence on the properties of the metal. This influence is not always in an undesirable direction and the indications are that nitrogen should be regarded as an alloying element, the amount of which should be subject to control, rather than as an inherently deleterious impurity. In controlling this element in liquid iron to the best advantage, it is necessary to have a reliable background of fundamental data pertaining to solubilities, rates of solution and chemical reactions of nitrogen in liquid iron. Obviously, the first step in such an investigation is the determination of the solubility of nitrogen in pure iron, and this has been the object of the experiments described in this paper. The solubility of nitrogen in solid iron has been measured by Jurich,' Sieverts,2 Martin,3 and Iwasé4 and the agreement among the first three inspires confidence in their results. No accurate determinations of its solubility in liquid iron have been recorded though several investigators have obtained approximate results. Strauss6 was able to introduce 0.03 to 0.04 per cent nitrogen into steel by the action of either ammonia or nitrogen on the liquid metal. This was accomplished by Eilender and

Jan 1, 1935

By Francis M. Rice

Before the world-wide depression, the primary purpose of most blast-furnace operators was to produce a maximum tonnage of pig iron per day for each furnace in blast. Some attention was paid to the conservation of labor and raw materials, but the idea was well established that low-cost pig iron was attainable only when each furnace was producing a high tonnage. After the depression had set in, the picture changed considerably. Each blast-furnace operator was forced to run his plant in a manner that best fitted the economical set-up of his company. A great deal of thought was expended on the different methods of operation, always with the idea of making each product in a way that would best serve his company financially. Because of this abnormal condition, the blast-furnace man was compelled to indulge in various practices of which many had been believed to be next to impossible up to that time. The ultimate purpose of these innovations was either one or a combination of the following: 1. To produce only enough pig iron for immediate consumption at a minimum cost. 2. To produce gas for boiler or mill use to supplant some higher priced fuel. 3. To consume the coke produced at the coke plant, which was often viewed as a byproduct. 4. To protect the cash position of the company. These conditions were met by diverse methods, some of which were: 1. Slow or decreased wind. In some instances the blast blown was held as low as 25 per cent of the normal volume. 2. Intermittent operation, in which the furnaces were shut down or "fanned" at frequent intervals.

Jan 1, 1935

By Francis M. Rice

Before the world-wide depression, the primary purpose of most blast-furnace operators was to produce a maximum tonnage of pig iron per day for each furnace in blast. Some attention was paid to the conservation of labor and raw materials, but the idea was well established that low-cost pig iron was attainable only when each furnace was producing a high tonnage. After the depression had set in, the picture changed considerably. Each blast-furnace operator was forced to run his plant in a manner that best fitted the economical set-up of his company. A great deal of thought was expended on the different methods of operation, always with the idea of making each product in a way that would best serve his company financially. Because of this abnormal condition, the blast-furnace man was compelled to indulge in various practices of which many had been believed to be next to impossible up to that time. The ultimate purpose of these innovations was either one or a combination of the following: 1. To produce only enough pig iron for immediate consumption at a minimum cost. 2. To produce gas for boiler or mill use to supplant some higher priced fuel. 3. To consume the coke produced at the coke plant, which was often viewed as a byproduct. 4. To protect the cash position of the company. These conditions were met by diverse methods, some of which were: 1. Slow or decreased wind. In some instances the blast blown was held as low as 25 per cent of the normal volume. 2. Intermittent operation, in which the furnaces were shut down or "fanned" at frequent intervals.

Jan 1, 1935