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By Paul M. Tyler

Mineral raw materials, because they are essential to our industrial prosperity and military strength, must be made available in substantial quantities. regardless of cost. Variations in the cost of procuring minerals, as compared with the cost of obtaining other commodities, and changes in the cost of production of different minerals relative to one another, will naturally influence the quantities of a given mineral item that can be marketed readily. However, in the last analysis, the cost of winning minerals from the ground usually constitutes only a small fraction of the value of the end-use products and services derived from them. The miner's share of the cost of a typewriter, telephone circuit, or even a modem office building, is almost insignificant. Far more important to the ultimate consumer, therefore, than any minor saving in cost is the assurance of ample supplies of the minerals needed to aliment our expanding economy. To create a successful metal mining operation involves ( 1 ) the discovery and systematic development of a mineral deposit, (2) extraction of the ore, (3) the mechanical and metallurgical processing to eliminate worth- less or harmful impurities, and (4) the profitable disposal of the product. The first step of the technological process belongs chiefly in the realm of the geologist, the second is a mining engineer's job, the third is mainly up to the millmen and extractive metallurgists; whereas the fourth and equally important step poses a commercial problem that has aspects in common with the marketing of other products. Ore finding is far from being an exact science. There is no mathematical criterion for evaluating the efficiency of prospecting and exploration. Lady Luck shares the honors or assumes part of the blame along with the prospector and geologist. Marketing like- wise involves factors that seemingly defy engineering analysis. Although the other steps can be measured with some degree of mathematical accuracy, even they tend to vary so widely in basic principle, as well as in

Jan 1, 1959

By J. P. Powell

Since the beginning of waterflooding in the Midcontinent area, the Bureau of Mines has published many reports3-6/ describing in detail the results obtained on individual waterflooding projects in the area. These are intended as guides for operators in the selection of well-spacing, water-treating, and other techniques, as well as an indication of the results being obtained in waterflooding in various areas, fields, and horizons. In addition, Bureau personnel has arranged a tour of selected waterflooding projects each year for the past several years so that actual operating conditions may be observed and an additional opportunity provided for exchanging information. Each of these tours has been supplemented by a published

Jan 1, 1959

By C. P. Miller

In a study of the usefulness of geochemical and biogeochemical prospecting for nickel made about two years ago, approximately ten localities, representing several different types of nickel occurrences were sample, and about 1500 samples of plant and soil were collected. This report will briefly cover the data and results for two areas, and s summary of guides for prospecting.

Jan 1, 1959

By S. S. Teal, W. W. Weber

"AS THE TITLE implies, this paper will deal with the unusual rather than the standard practices as employed . at the property of North Rankin Nickel Mines, Limited. Fortunately •the mining, with the exception of permafrost conditions, and the milling practices, are the normal approaches dictated by the size, type, and character of the orebody. The unusual aspects are linked directly or indirectly to the isolated location and are •principally ancillary requirements or services covering a broad range from climate to supplies and from finance to entertainment. It is our intent to cover the more salient points of interest together with a brief description of the general operation.To understand the primary motivation of the mine, it must be made clear that North Rankin was conceived as a foothold in the Canadian North, that region embracing 40 per cent of the Dominion which ex-tends north of the commercial tree-line and which includes nearly 50 per cent of the Precambrian Shield, our mainstay of Canadian mining. Secondly, this project was born in an atmosphere of premium sales in the nickel markets, assuring a rapid pay-back of the heavy •capital expenditures. And finally, it has •been coddled through the stark reality of a competitive metal market with the hope and trust that the experiences and achievements will lead over the bill to a bigger and better mine in this virgin territory. This is the briefest story of the mine's history, but it pays tribute to the many people who, in thirty years since .discovery, have championed this project."

Jan 1, 1959

By W. J. Feuerstein

STRUCTURAL imperfections in crystals, in recent years, have received the attention of metallurgists concerned with single-crystal properties. Certain etching solutions cause local variations in the rate of etching at dislocations.' Dislocations are expected to be preferred segregation sites for impurities' and Dash" has shown that precipitation of copper occurs preferentially at edge-type dislocations in silicon. Diffusion rates along dislocations are probably higher than rates through more perfect crystalline regions.' These and other phenomena which may be influenced by dislocations may be studied by revealing dislocations as etch pits. This study was undertaken to develop an etch solution for silicon crystals to reveal low-angle grain boundaries associated with dislocation arrays and also etch pits with good contour definition. Additional etches have been reported by Dash," Vogel and Lovell.T rystals were sectioned on crystal lographic planes at various angles from the growth direction for microscopic examination of the etch pits. Experimental Crystals of 75-100 g mass and 3 cm diam were oriented and cut on crystallographic planes. Crystals were grown by Czochralski technique from a quartz crucible. Lapped wafers were chemically polished in a modified CP-4 etch for 1 min (bromine was deleted from the etch solution). The polished wafer was then etched* at room temperature for 5 min. The use of larger amounts of H2O and/or CH2COOH slows the reaction. The Cu(NO3),.3H2O was added to increase the reaction rate and give more definition to the etch pits developed. Some pertinent features concerning the attack of this etch on silicon can be summarized as follows:

Jan 1, 1959

By R. C. Corey

GERMANIUM is an element that has come into widespread use in the electronics industry in recent, years. So far this increasing demand has been, met by ample supply: however, the future balance is uncertain, and the need has been recognized to discover additional domestic sources of germanium. This investigation was conducted to study the possibility of obtaining a potential supply of germanium from coal or coal ash. It has been known for some time that coal contains germanium; the discovery that By ash from coal-fired boilers often contains appreciably more germanium than the original coal suggested the possibility that coal ash might be an abundant and economical source of this element. In this study the concentration of germanium was determined in numerous samples of coal and ash. A number of miscellaneous waste materials also were examined in the course of the investigation; the results are reported as a matter of general interest. The methods and equipment employed are discussed in detail. Sample-preparation and analytical techniques are described in the appendix. Spectrographic analyses were made on a total of 639 samples, including coal, coal ash, slap ash from lignite and peat, wood ash, and various inorganic materials. Qualitative analyses were run on all samples, and quantitative determinations were made on those samples that contained enough germanium to be measured by this method The lower limit at which germanium can be determined quantitatively by spectrographic analysis is 50 parts per million (p. p. m.), but concentrations of less than 20 p. p. m. can be detected qualitatively.

Jan 1, 1959

By D. H. Turner, F. A. Crossley

The titanium-rich corner of the system Ti-Al-Si has been studied to determine the phase relationships in the temperature interval 600° to 1200°C. Metallographic examination of long time isothermally annealed specimens was the means of investigation. PART of a program on phase relations and transformation processes of titanium alloy systems included the study of the titanium-rich corner of the Ti-Al-Si system. The investigation covered ternary compositions in the range 2 to 8 pet A1 and 0.1 to 2 pet Si and binary compositions in the range 0.2 to 2 pet Si. Temperatures were in the range of 600" to 1200°C. Alloys containing 6 pet A1-0.1 to 0.5 pet Si were investigated down to 400°C. Partial vertical sections are presented for 2, 4, 6, and 8 pet Al. The Ti-Si system has been reported by Hansen et al.' It is characterized by a eutectoid decomposition, ß = ± a + Ti3Si3, at 860°C. The maximum solubility of silicon in a is reported to be about 0.5 pet at the eutectoid temperature. The solubility of silicon in 0 increases from 0.9 pet at the eutectoid temperature to approximately 3 pet at the eutectic temperature, 1330°C. Several investigations in the composition range of interest have been reported for the Ti-A1 system."' These investigations are in agreement on the phase fields, but differ to small extents on boundary positions. However, very recent, and as yet unpublished, findings" " indicate that there are perhaps two phases which occur at lower aluminum contents than the ? (TiA1) phase, and that the solubility of aluminum in a titanium is less than 6 pet. In the present investigation phase relations found are in agreement with the published literature exemplified by the work of Bumps et al.3 Therefore, it is probable that the partial system reported herein is metastable and does not represent true equilibrium. Experimental Procedure High purity Bureau of Mines titanium sponge of 103 Bhn hardness, granulated aluminum shot of 99.7 pet purity, and silicon powder of 99.8 pet purity were used in making the alloys. For the work in the range from 600" to 1200°C, 100 g ingots were prepared by arc melting. Melting losses were negligible and spot checks by chemical analysis showed good agreement between nominal and analyzed results. Nominal compositions are used throughout this paper. Ingots were forged to 3/8 in. rounds and cut into specimens for heat treatment. Isothermal anneals in the range from 600" to 900°C were preceded by solution treatment at 1000°C for 1 hr, followed by furnace cooling to the annealing temperature. Samples were sealed in evacuated Vycor bulbs for heat treatments up to 1000°C. Higher temperature anneals were done with the samples sealed in quartz bulbs under a partial pressure of argon.

Jan 1, 1959

By N. Parlee, V. C. Kashyap

The solubilities of nitrogen in liquid iron and liquid Fe-Ni, Fe-Mo, Fe-V, and Fe-Mo-V alloys were measured by the Sieverts method. Measurements were made at 1600° to 1800°C on binary alloys up to 20 pet Ni, 10 pet V, 10 pet Mo; and on ternary alloys containing 0 to 3 pet V with 0 to 5 pet Mo. The results on liquid iron confirm that Sieverts' law is obeyed in the range 50 to 750 mm pressure. The measured solubilities and their temperature coefficients are in general agreement with other modern authors. The logarithms of the activity coefficients of nitrogen in the binaries are approximately linear functions of the pet of alloying element. A method suggested by Wagner, Chipman, and others for predicting gas solubilities in complex alloys from solubility data on binaries was applied to the Fe-Mo-V alloys. Reasonably good agreement was obtained between calculated and experimental solubilities. NITROGEN'S solubility in liquid iron has been studied by a number of investigators. It is reasonably well established that the solubility of nitrogen follows Sieverts' law at least up to 1 atm partial pressure and that the solubility increases gradually with temperature. The solubility of nitrogen in Fe-X binary liquid systems has been investigated in only a few cases. Only the systems Fe-Cr,3-5, 7 Fe-V,3 Fe-Mn,3, 5 Fe-Ni,3, 5 Fe-Si,B, H Fe-C, L, H and Fe-P4 appear to have received any study. The only work on liquid Fe-V was done by Brick and Creevy.3 This was limited to 13.5 pet and 26.5 pet V, but no exact temperatures were recorded. No work whatsoever appears to have been done on liquid Fe-Mo alloys and even work on Fe-Ni alloys is rather scant. The work on liquid ternary systems is still more limited, and the only publication available appears to be that of Wentrup and Reif,7 who studied the Fe-Cr-Mn and Fe-Cr-Ni alloys. Rassbach, Saunders, and Harbrecht17 have reported work on the solubility of nitrogen in stainless steel but this was not a systematic study of any particular system. Commercial alloys usually contain several alloying elements. Thus, it often becomes important to be able to predict the nitrogen solubility in systems containing two or more added elements without the necessity of making measurements. Wagner,14 Chipman," Darken and Gurry," and Morris and Buehl 14 have suggested means by which this may be accomplished, and Langenberg14 has recently applied one of these methods to nitrogen solubility in complex liquid alloys. This paper reports the results of nitrogen solubility determinations on Fe-Ni, Fe-Mo, Fe-V, and Fe-Mo-V alloys and compares calculated and experimental solubilities in the ternary alloy. Attempted measurements on Fe-Cr alloys were not successful by the experimental method employed. Experimental Method The general method of solubility measurement was that of Sieverts.' The apparatus and procedure were essentially the same as used by Liang, Bever, and Floe."' The equipment consisted of a small vacuum furnace heated by a 6 kw induction unit, gas measuring apparatus, and a gas purification train. The crucibles used were Norton Alundum with alumina sand around them for insulation. The crucibles were charged with 100 to 200 g of material, about 180 g or nearly filling the crucible being found most satisfactory. Hot volumes were determined with argon and ranged from 95 to 130 cu cm (stp). Temperature measurements were made with a Leeds and Northrup optical pyrometer which was calibrated periodically against the melting point of iron in the same apparatus."-'* Good quality nitrogen, hydrogen, and argon gases were further purified and dried in standard purification trains. The sources of the high purity iron and other alloying elements used were as follows:

Jan 1, 1959

By Eugene T. Sheridan

This report presents data on individual plants of the fuel-briquet and packaged-fuel industries that were circularized by the Bureau of Mines, United States Department of the Interior, in its annual survey for 1958. Only plants that processed fuels of mineral origin were included; specifically, plants that manufactured briquets from charcoal were excluded. Fuel briquets and packaged fuel are manufactured by mixing fine-sized fuels with binders and compressing into small individual shapes. Both are used mainly for residential heating in the United States, but they differ considerably in appearance and physical characteristics. Briquets usually are produced as small, pillow-shaped forms, 2 to 4 inches in length, weighing from 2 to 4 ounces. Pack-aged fuel consists of 3-to 4-inch cubes, 6 or 8 of which are wrapped in heavy kraft paper to form a package weighing 10 to 15 pounds. Briquets are made with a water-insoluble binder and are designed for rough handling and outdoor storage, whereas packaged fuel generally is made with a water-soluble binder and must be stored indoors to prevent deterioration. Briquet plants are relatively large and usually are at mines or in dock areas where large quantities of fine-sized fuels accumulate. Packaged-fuel plants are smaller and are used chiefly by retail dealers to convert locally available coal and coke fines into a product that can be burned efficiently in residential beating equipment.

Jan 1, 1959

By W. L. Heidenreich

This report describes the methods and results of field investigations conducted by the Bureau of Mines between December 1956 and December 1957 on seven deposits of nickel-cobalt-iron-bearing laterite and weathered serpentine near the west coast of Puerto Rico east and south of Mayaguez. These deposits were named, for purposes of identification, Guanajibo, Punta Guanajibo, Las Mesas, north and south deposits of the Rosario Southeast group, and the west and east deposits of the Maricao Southwest group. In addition, the lower 17 miles of the Guanajibo River Valley was tested at widely spaced intervals for possible concentrations of magnetite and chromite in the alluvial sands. The objective of the investigations was to appraise, by drilling and sampling, the two largest deposits--the Guanajibo and Las Mesas. Testing of the smaller deposits was much more restricted. Field investigations consisted of mapping, drilling with power auger, sampling drill-hole sections, and pre-paring samples for chemical analyses, mineralogical studies, and metallurgical tests. The work was financed jointly under a cooperative agreement by the Bureau of Mines and the Economic Development Administration, an agency of the Puerto Rican Commonwealth.

Jan 1, 1959

By S. C. Sun

Very little information is available concerning the magnetic properties of minerals and only recently has there been any attempt to correlate magnetic susceptibility with varying chemical composition1. The work described here covers a study of the relationship and chemical composition of both the rutile and sphene types of titanium minerals. The relationship between the magnetic susceptibility of three selected mineral specimens and the applied field strength is also presented. Experimental: The equipment and procedures used in this in- vestigation for crushing and cleaning the mineral specimens and for determining the magnetic susceptibilities were the same as that employed by Spokes and Mitchell1. The particle size of-the measured specimens was limited to 270/325 mesh.

Jan 1, 1959

By John J. Schanz

The ideal entering freshman for the College of Mineral Industries possesses the necessary aptitude to complete successfully a difficult technical curriculum, has a highly developed intellectual curiosity and adequate preparation in basic mathematics, sciences, and English, is enthusiastic about pursuing a career in the mineral industries, and puts forth a good academic effort while attending Penn State. The present programs of the University?s Division of Counseling and the College of Mineral Industries are directed toward providing the College with students who will meet these requirements. At present, freshmen are admitted to the Pennsylvania State University without entrance examination if they are in the upper two-fifths of their high school classes. All Pennsylvania students in the lower three-fifths are required to take the University Aptitude Test and all out-of-state students the College Entrance Board Examinations. Such students are admitted only if they score sufficiently high on either test to indicate the ability to do satisfactorily the work of University students. Only to this extent, are native intelligence and areas of greatest aptitude known for the Freshman prior to admission, and they are, therefore, largely beyond the control of either the Division of Counseling or the College of Mineral Industries. Because all freshmen, with exceptions that are numerically minor, are required to select a curriculum before admission to Penn State, each student who presents himself for required counseling during the summer, prior to his first semester, has already made a choice of his course of study. In many instances, such choices have been made without a rational and serious consideration of the student?s abilities and interests. Through tests given between the date of admission and the date of the counselling interview, it is possible to measure these characteristics and for the Division of Counselling to advise the student of his chances of success in his chosen curriculum. If he is qualified for the curriculum he has selected, Counselling Service goes on to direct the student?s attention to those other curriculums which are in the same general area as the one he has chosen and which will also challenge his abilities and correspond to his interests, Through this counselling, the curriculums of the College of Mineral Industries, which are often less well known to high school students than others for which they are no more qualified by ability or interest, are brought to the attention of the incoming freshman.

Jan 1, 1959

By Eugene T. Sheridan

The 25th annual survey of the peat industry by the Bureau of Mines, United States Department of the Interior, disclosed that 79 companies produced and sold peat from 81 operations in 21 States in 1958. Peat is a carbonaceous deposit, formed under water or in a water-saturated environment from plant material. It is the first stage in the development of coal and, when properly dried, can be used as fuel. Although 98 percent (estimated) of the total world production is used for energy purposes, the status of peat in the United States is somewhat unique in that none is used for fuel, and practically all is consumed as an agricultural product, chiefly for soil improvement purposes. The domestic peat industry has expanded rapidly since World War II, and production in 1958 was 327,813 net tons valued at $3,445,767. More than one-half million ton of peat was consumed in the United State in 1958, however, as 269,096 tons was imported.

Jan 1, 1959

By Alexander E. Morrow

Oxygen breathing apparatus for use in mines was introduced to the United States in 1907. Despite their intended purpose of safeguarding lives, the apparatus led to the deaths of many men because of inherent or developed defects in the equipment, lack of training,, physical shortcomings of wearers, and improper procedures. The Bureau of Mines pioneered in research and training to curb logs of life among users of such apparatus and promoted development of safer equipment and procedures. As a consequence, deaths have been far less frequent. In 1944 the Bureau issued Information Circular 7279, Loss of Life Among Wearers of Oxygen Breathing Apparatus. That publication listed the case histories of 26 deaths that had occurred since the introduction of such equipment to American mining. The author, the late G. W. Grove,3/ asserted that further loss of life could be avoided if good equipment were used, teams were properly trained, and the basic principles of safe procedure were followed. This publication is a sequel to I.C. 7279 and contains information on eight deaths among wearers of oxygen breathing apparatus that were overlooked in the original compilation. It also describes the single death that occurred since I.C. 7279 was published.

Jan 1, 1959

By J. L. Gillson

Andre Hubaux: In the writer's opinion, more stress should be put on field and microscope observations, as J. L. Gillson does. His discovery of relics of big labra-dorite feldspars from the Marcy anorthosite in all the other rocks is proof enough that previous field observations have been inadequate. The writer's field experience with anorthositie massifs is limited to the Egersund-Sogndal district in southern Norway; however, this is a very large and well exposed area. It seems to have so many points in common with the Adirondack region that a detailed comparison should be beneficial. This comparison was not possible 20 years ago, owing to the scarcity of geological data, at least for Norway. Both regions are now far better known—the Norway district because of the work of Professors Bugge and Barth 33-35 and especially because of the extensive field and microscopic research of P. Michot,30-35 who introduced me in the field to the problems of that region. In a particular unit of the Egersund district, a sodi-fication of the plagioclase, very similar to what Gillson calls "andesinization," has taken place. 12' The percentage of anorthite in the plagioclase has dropped from 42 to 43 pct in the original norite down to 27 pct, but never below that level. This metasomatical transformation is a part of a whole series of processes of mig-matitization which have produced, above the level of granitization, concentrations of Mg, Fe, and Ti and among them, patches and parallel bands of ilmenite and magnetite. Thus both regions present somewhat comparable features and the theories to explain them have several points in common. However, as there seem to be differences between some American conceptions and the views commonly accepted at the University of Liege, I would like to make some comments about J. L. Gill-son's article. The author speaks of the garnet as being an anti-stress mineral. However, garnet may be found in schists, where its helicitic texture, when present, demonstrates its formation during differential movement. Furthermore, the whole concept of stress and anti-

Jan 1, 1959

By W. T. Wertman

A research program to aid development of better petroleum-recovery technology is in progress at the Appalachian Experiment Station, Bureau of Mines, Morgantown, W. Va. The work is part of the overall effort of the Federal Bureau of Mines to effect true conservation of the Nation's natural resources. Knowledge of the magnitude of the interstitial water content of oil-bearing formations is important to petroleum-reservoir engineers because of the influence of water on fluid flow during oil production and because of the significance of water volume in oil-reserve evaluation. Such information on Appalachian oil-bearing formations is needed to aid in planning secondary oil-recovery projects. Generally, the interstitial water content of oil sands can be estimated by one or more of the following methods: Analysis of cores obtained with oil-base drilling fluid, electric logging, restored-state or capillary-pressure tests, centrifuge tests, evaporation tests, or mercury-injection tests.

Jan 1, 1959

By R. L. Loofbourow

SEVERAL categories of storage are used depending on capacity. Operational storage, which is small in comparison with the market, facilitates handling surges of a few hours' or a few days' duration. Seasonal storage, usually larger, permits accumulation of product during sea- sons when demand is low, for delivery when demand is high. In producing areas, large storage may permit production at a uniform rate, without waste or distress sale. Near large markets such storage increases the efficiency of transportation, allows a more extensive or higher grade market to be served, and affords protection against interruption in delivery.

Jan 1, 1959

By Carl Rampacek

Recent research by the Bureau of Mines has demonstrated that the segregation process has merit for treating oxidized and mixed oxide-sulfide copper ores. The process comprises heating the crushed ore with salt and coke or other carbonaceous materials at about 700° C. to produce fine flake copper, which then is recovered by conventional copper-flotation methods. Bench-scale laboratory tests of a number of oxidized and mixed copper ores assaying 0.78 to 5 percent Cu gave copper recoveries of 73 to 96 percent. The flotation concentrates assayed 21 to 76 percent Cu, depending on the ore being treated.

Jan 1, 1959

By Sylvain J. Pirson

A fluid mining process has been developed by the writer whereby phosphate deposits are leached in place through the injection of a weak and recoverable acid solution much in the same manner as in the recovery of oil by water-flooding. The phosphate mineralization is dissolved In place, selectively treated in a surface plant and a high grade diacalcium phosphate substatially free of fluorine (hence of feed grade quality) is recovered. Because of its finely divided and powdery state, the plant product is highly desirable as stock material for the manufacture of triple-superphosphate and of high grade phosphatic chemicals. Details of well completion, fluid injection, areal sweep and solution efficiency, plant design and economics are presented The rate of return on investment is particularly attractive under conditions of shallow occurrence of the phosphate mineralization such as in the Bone Valley formation of Florida. The process may also be applied economically to the Phosphoria formation of wide- spread occurrence in the Northwest United States through the application of selective formation fracturing (or Hydrofrac) previous to fluid mining operations.

Jan 1, 1959

By J. J. Becker

Changes in magnetic properties with particle size are used to study the precipitation process in a Cu-Co alloy. In particular, the effect of a field during aging in producing anisotropy is shown to occur entirely during the growth of the particles, after precipitation is complete. HEAT-treatment in a magnetic field is done commercially to improve the magnetic properties of a number of materials. These can be divided into solid-solution alloys and precipitation alloys. The Permalloys are representative of the first type, and magnetic annealing greatly increases their maximum permeability. On the other hand, in precipitation alloys such Alnico 5 the important result is an increase in maximum energy product. The effect of the field in all cases is to bring about an additional magnetic anisotropy, uniaxial in nature, which makes the hysteresis loop more upright when measured in the direction in which the field was applied. The structural origin of the anisotropy brought about by magnetic annealing is not well understood. In the solid solution alloys, one possible explanation is based on ordering.' Another possibility is the orientation of like-atom pairs.' The precipitation systems known to respond to magnetic heat treatment are Alnico 2, in which the effect was first discovered," Alnico 5, cobalt ferrite (oxide),' and Cu-Co alloys.3 n these materials, the field affects the precipitation process itself in some way. Although there has been much work on Alnico 5. its nature is still incompletely understood. According to Geisler,' the precipitation reaction is of the

Jan 1, 1959