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By W. F. Faragher

The principal equipment in the catalyst plants at Ludwigshafen-Oppau was inspected and is presented in the form of flow sheets for the manufacture of four of the principal catalysts. The equipment is in many cases of special design rather than stock items that was built by the company and modified in the coarse of the growth of the high-pressure synthesis of hydrocarbons in Germany. It is believed that if the manufacture of catalysts were to be undertaken elsewhere, the selection of equipment for the operations involved could be made successfully from the guidance furnished by this rather general report. Five additional catalysts are described, also. II. CATALYST 5058 FROM FRESH TUNGSTIC ACID In a supply tank of about 2,000 liters capacity, 500 kg. of tungstic acid (W03.H2O) that contains about 92-93 percent of W03 is dissolved at 60-70° C. in 1,500 liters of mother liquor. The solution is-effected by stirring for about 1-1/2 hours. The mother liquor is obtained from a previous, lot of catalyst and is first adjusted to a concentration of 13 percent 1H3 by passing in gaseous ammonia. The solution is allowed to stand without stirring for 1 hour, then is pumped into the saturating vessel through a cloth filter (three-quarters hr. to one hr.). The saturator is purged with H2S and thereafter the solution, which has been cooled to about 75° C., is heated in an atmosphere of hydrogen sulfide with stirring to about 70° C. This charge is slowly cooled to 50°, and then more rapidly to about 20° C. (time of cooling 6-7 hours).

Jan 1, 1946

By E. L. Martheleur

Introduction In October, 1945, the Coal Division of the Institute appointed a Committee on The Use of Electricity in Coal Mines, with the following terms of reference: ?To study under which conditions in each deposit the use of electricity can be brought closer to the coal face and which types of electrical machinery can be recommended?. It was not until the beginning of this year (1946) that the Committee had a chance to convene and .discuss the conclusions which are embodied in this report. Mr. McLeod, as Chief Electrician of the Dominion Coal Company, is intimately concerned with that Company's installations, and Mr. McIsaac, as Electrical Inspector of Coal Mines for Nova Scotia, is well acquainted with installations in all coal mines in the Province. The knowledge of both has been very valuable in helping to draft this report.

Jan 1, 1946

These inspection standard have been prepared for use in the Federal inspection of strip mines producing, bituminous coal, anthracite, and lignite. This circular is a revision of the Safety Code for Strip Mining, which was prepared by the Bureau of Mines and employed as a guide for Federal inspectors. Numerous changes have been made in the original code to keep the in step with improvements in the industry. With continuing changes in mining methods and facilities some of these standards may become inapplicable and further revision may be advisable. Therefore, questions regarding these standards, and suggestions regarding new standards should be brought to the attention of the Bureau of Mines. Few States haves laws pertaining to strip mines, but where such laws do exist it is possible that some of the standards may conflict with them. In cases of conflict, the intent is not to advocate noncompliance with State laws, but to suggest reconsideration of such laws or safety orders.

Jan 1, 1946

By G. P. Gladis, R. H. Atkinson

PALLADIUM has been used for jewelry for many years, particularly in conjunction with gold. This use increased in amount during the war, as palladium and gold were only moderately used for war purposes while demands for platinum and some of the other members of the platinum group were so great that their use in jewelry was prohibited. Palladium hardened with a small percentage of ruthenium has the necessary technical properties and appearance for good jewelry, and it is sufficiently rare to be desirable for luxury items-at least 100 times as rare as gold. Although both visual and spectrophotometric examination demonstrated that the color of palladium was almost the same as that of platinum, a few jewelers found the surface of palladium, even after some polishing, rather dark in areas that had been repeatedly heated during the soldering necessary to assemble certain types of handmade ornaments. This phenomenon is not to be confused with the thin, bluish oxide film that can be produced by heating in air over the range 400° to 800°C., as that film is easily reduced by dipping in warm 5 per cent formic acid or in warm methanol. It was suspected that the difficulty arose from heating in atmospheres that were alternately oxidizing and reducing, as Wise and Vines1 had found that this opened the grain boundaries of palladium and palladium-silver alloys in the same manner as in pure silver, as reported by Martin and Parker.2 This damage is caused by the reaction between oxygen in solid solution in the metal, acquired when heated under oxidizing conditions, and hydrogen diffusing in from subsequent heating under reducing conditions; the steam cannot diffuse out and therefore builds up sufficient pressure to disrupt the metal near the surface. Copper and various other metals can be damaged similarly, but platinum is nearly immune; therefore the problem was new to the platinum jeweler. Sulphur in the fuel gas also can cause trouble but did not appear to be dominant in the present instance. Metallographic examination of both pure palladium and ruthenium-palladium showed that the usual torch using oxygen and city gas as normally operated did in fact cause the surface and subsurface damage that had been observed, and also disclosed that a reducing flame caused more damage than an oxidizing flame and was very damaging even in the absence of any intentional swing in atmosphere from oxidizing to reducing (Fig. 7); besides the surface damage, there was serious loss of ductility. A full explanation of the mechanism of attack is not evident at the moment, but may be allied to the attack that occurs on heating catalytically active metals in nonequilibrium atmospheres.

Jan 1, 1946

By Gerhard Derge

THE chemical and physical properties of slag systems are of special interest to metallurgists, for nearly all metals are in contact with molten slags during the primary reduction from their ores and then during the subsequent refining and alloying processes that determine their ultimate use, These processes are carried out at high temperatures and involve such complex chemical systems that fundamental scientific knowledge of the properties and behavior of these slags is inadequate. Various hypotheses have been proposed to explain known slag characteristics. The commonest of these regard the molten slag as constituted of compounds that are dissociated in varying degrees into their constituent oxides, as illustrated by Schenck1 and the recent papers of Chipman and co-authors.2-5 Another proposal is that these compounds dissociate by completes or partial ionization, the evidence for which has been reviewed by Martin and Derge.7 Whatever hypothesis is favored, the exact formulation of these compounds is incomplete. It is based on three principal types of information: I, Studies of solidified slag samples by X-ray diffraction, petrography, and similar methods that can be used at room temperature, The correlation of this information with the high-temperature properties of the molten slag is uncertain, 2. Studies of slag-metal equilibria, which have the advantage of providing observations on the molten slag at high temperature, However, even these data present problems of interpretation because they require a complete knowledge of the metal phase, 3, Direct measurements of properties of molten slag at the temperature of greatest metallurgical interest. Viscosity, electrical conductivity, specific heats, and similar properties have been measured, but the data of this type are widely scattered and frequently difficult to interpret, Additional direct measurements of properties of molten slag that can be interpreted in terms of chemical behavior are required, and this paper shows that the standard physical-chemical measurement of reversible electrode potentials, which measure the activity of specific constituents, is a fruitful source of such information, The purpose of this investigation, therefore, was to find an electrode combination that would yield reversible electromotive force measurements when dipped into the molten slag to be studied. Slags of the systems CaO-SiO2 and CaO-A1203-Si02 were chosen for study because graphite containers could be used and the data could be correlated with those for viscosity, conductivity, and other proper-

Jan 1, 1946

By William A. Johnson

The mathematical analysis of diffusion curves in solid metals is carried out ordinarily by analogy with the flow of heat in a continuous medium and no account is taken of the fact that the materials involved are composed of discrete particles that move discrete distances at irregular intervals. It is possible to treat the problem on the basis of simple assumed atomic mechanisms, in which case, because of the small scale of the elementary process compared to the gross effects observed experimentally, the two procedures lead to the same expression for the variation of concentration with distance. Thus, for engineering purposes, the usual methods are quite satisfactory. If, on the other hand, our purpose is to go beyond the mere collection of data, however desirable this may be, it is necessary to recognize and understand the factors that are of fundamental importance. One factor that has not hitherto been considered when dealing with solid metals is the difference in atomic weights of the isotopes of a single metal. While all the atoms of a given element are alike chemically, their weights may vary by a small but significant amount, and atoms of different weights may have different diffusion rates. With gases this variation in isotopic weight produces a change in the rate of diffusion by a factor inversely proportional to the square root of mass. While, except for the lightest gases, this is not a large effect, it is, for example, sufficient to permit a considerable concentration of one isotope at the expense of others. If metals exhibit a similar phenomenon, some modification of the analysis of the diffusion process will be required, since the different isotopes of a given metal will have different probabilities of moving and the heat-flow analogy will contain a fundamental error. This situation cannot be rectified by using a diffusion coefficient based on the average probability of moving, and it can be shown that even when the diffusion coefficient is independent of composition, the diffusion curve will not agree with the simple theory except in the rare cases where only one isotope exists; e.g., gold. If, however, the mass effect in the solid state were no larger than in the gaseous, the errors arising therefrom in the analysis of ordinary diffusion curves would be quite negligible. Nevertheless, our desire to obtain all possible information concerning the details of the diffusion process, and the possibility of diffusion in the solid state as a means for separating isotopes are cogent reasons for undertaking an experimental study to determine whether isotopes of different masses diffuse at different rates. Experimental Procedure If isotopes of different masses diffuse at different rates, the ratio of the concentration of one relative to another will vary with the distance from the diffusion inter-

Jan 1, 1946

By C. W. Green-Halgh

The accuracy with which grade and tonnage of a mineral deposit may be calculated from diamond-drill assays is dependent upon: (1) the reliability of core and sludge samples and (2) the validity of methods used in grade and tonnage calculations. Limitations imposed by drilling and sampling preclude elaborate methods of computation. In adjusting core and sludge assays the importance assigned the core and sludge samples may be based on either the respective weights recovered or the respective volumes represented by each. Only when core and sludge recoveries arc poor do discrepancies between adjusted assays calculated by these two methods develop, in which case the "weight" method gives emphasis to the core sample and the "volume" method gives emphasis to the sludge sample. When the sludge suffers classification within the drill hole, the weight method gives more accurate results; when the sludge sample suffers no classification, the volume method gives more accurate results. Any drilling campaign offers a compromise between desired accuracy on the one hand and expediency, limited time, money. or facilities on the other. Since the determination of grade and tonnage is an approximation at best, a proper basis for their computation requires a knowledge of the limitations imposed by all phases of work upon which the calculations depend A rational basis for coordination of these phases of work requires determination of: (I) the degree of accuracy desired, as a function of the object of examination; (2) the degree of accuracy attainable, as a function of the limitations imposed in the drilling and sampling program; and (3) the validity of method to be used in calculating grade and tonnage from core and sludge assays. This paper presents results of a comparison made between two commonly used methods of adjusting core and sludge assays, the assumptions upon which these methods are based, and the interrelationship of the phases of work upon which these calculations are dependent. Object of Examination The Purpose of prospecting any mineral deposit is to secure sufficient samples from which Ore grade and tonnage may be calculated. Any mine examination, preliminary or formal, has a definite purpose, although its scope may be limited or broad. The type of examination to be conducted is dependent, therefore, 'pan the reason for instituting the investigation; its scope and thoroughness are directly related to economic considerations. It is highly desirable, therefore, that before starting a drilling campaign a complete understanding of the extent of examination and desired degree of accuracy be determined as a means of simplifying the drilling program and unifying the relative degree of

Jan 1, 1946

By M. M. Slotnick

It was once aptly said that a sign of approaching senility is ceasing work on a subject and beginning to talk about it. Perhaps that explains why, after many Years in which Part of my duties has been the training of college men in various branches of petroleum exploration geophysics, I have now begun to talk about it. In making an outline of what I believe ought to be discussed under the general heading of the title, I found it almost impossible to subdivide the ideas into an ordered set of discrete subjects. Rather, the pertinent remarks seemed to interlock almost everywhere. The consequence is that it will be necessary to start with the conclusions and then try to justify them by jumping back and forth. However, based on the types of men with whom I have had to deal, the subject naturally divides itself into two parts. In the first part, I should like to deal with the case of those undergraduates whose natural bent is toward the physical sciences and who may decide to enter the geophysical fold as a career. The other part will deal with those many men, geologists and engineers for the most part, who have drifted into exploration geophysics by one means or another, and whom it is necessary to train for geophysical work while they are occupied in their routine jobs. Here it may be in point to remark that most men in exploration geophysics at Present have been developed from precisely the latter group, and that the problem of training here is of great importance even though, in this paper, it will perforce occupy the secondary place. Training oF a Geophysicist The outstanding reason for the perplexing problem on the training of a geophysi-cist is that ideas differ on the answer to the question: "what is a geophysicistp" ln any of the scientific "specialties," like physics, for example, it is relatively simple to pigeonhole a man as being qualified to call himself a physicist. That appellation applied to an individual does not mean that he has mastered only the branches of intellectual endeavor usually associated under the broad name of "physics." we expect him also to have a more than mere acquaintance with mathematics and chemist~ and some understanding of most of the other sciences. But note this important point—we expect our physicist, whom we have chosen as an example, to be intelligently trained so that, if necessary, he can and will know how and where he can get the proper information on a subject in which he is not a specialist; he will know how to absorb that information and turn it to his uses. It seems to me that this is the outstanding characteristic of a man who can truly call himself a scientist: that he is a specialist in one of the broad branches of science in that he has enough training and discipline in the scientific approach so that, when called upon to do so, he can inteugently absorb knowledge from another bordering science (and all sciences not only border upon one another to some extent, but more often, overlap One another), and

Jan 1, 1946

By W. T. Irvine

Introduction The property of the Britannia Mining and Smelting Company is on the east side of Howe sound, some twenty miles north of-Vancouver. The camp is served by two settlements, one at Britannia Mines townsite, approximately three miles from the water's edge at an altitude of 2,100 feet, the other at Britannia Beach, on Howe sound. The first discovery of copper ore on the property was made in 1888, but it was not until 1905 that production started. From that year until the end of 1944, production had totalled 732,414,420 pounds of copper and 261,126 ounces of gold from six orebodies, known as the Victoria, Empress, No. 5, Fairview, Bluff, and Jane. No. 8 orebody, with which this paper is concerned, was discovered in 1937 by diamond drilling from the 4100 level, some 300 feet above sea level. Development of this orebody to the end of 1944 had included the sinking of a shaft from the 4000 to the 5250 level, and a limited amount of stoping. This work has delimited the orebody from the 3800 to the 4950 level and has indicated upwards of 1,000,000 tons of copper-zinc-gold ore. It is planned to commence production in the near future, while continuing exploration of the orebody at depth.

Jan 1, 1946

By Norman Weiss

THE need for more efficient utilization of labor in the metal-mining industry has been the subject of several recent editorials in the mining press, and one attractive possibility for such improvement lies in the designing of future milling plants particularly with economy of man-power in mind. We are accustomed to think of mill design as the selection and coordinated arrangement of process equipment, but if labor is to be efficiently utilized it must be given early consideration in planning the new mill. There are three good reasons for economizing in labor: (I) to reduce costs, not only in the form of wages but also in housing, hospital, welfare, and other obligations that a company accepts when a new man is added to the payroll; (2) to prepare for recurrent periods of manpower shortage, during which a well-designed plant can manage to get along with skeleton crews; (3) because a milling plant that must depend upon an inordinately large labor force for its operation and maintenance is certain to be inefficient in other respects, for many of the shortcomings in design that make necessary the excessive use of labor are generally not corrected merely by having too many men. A simple example of this is a poorly designed ore-feeding system: if this is inadequate to the extent that one man must be constantly unclogging feed chutes, it may help the situation to put two men or three at this task instead of one, but the feed rate will still be inconstant. First of the factors that affect labor saving is the location of the mill. This is often determined by transportation costs alone, and as a result the mill may be placed close to the mine regardless of the nature of the terrain. The designer must then adapt his layout to the conditions, favorable or not. This happens often at small properties, where capital investment may seem more important than operating expense. In most instances, however, a mill site carefully selected for the advantages it gives the designer in laying out the plant is the most economical in the long run, even if it involves a slight increase in cost of ore haulage. Given some freedom of choice, the design engineer may be able to find just the piece of ground that provides the proper gradient for the needs of the flowsheet, permits installation of essential yards and trackage, and perhaps supplies an excellent site for a tailing dam. Further justification for having placed the mill not too close to the mine sometimes emerges only years later as an opportunity to treat ores from other properties. When it is known from the beginning that the new mill will serve a number of scattered mines, a free choice of mill site is naturally stimulated. The most important single factor in limiting the labor requirements of a mill is its materials-handling system for bring-

Jan 1, 1946

By Edward F. Courtney

Loss of life, loss of sight, crippling injuries, and property damage nearly always result from accidents involving explosives. The severity of such accidents has prompted lawmaking bodies to pass laws concerning the transportation, handling, and use of explosives; manufacturers of explosives publish manuals 'describing explosives and practical methods of handling then; and mining companies and others who use large quantities of explosives publish rules based on actual experience for the guidance of their employees. Careless storage of explosives by thoughtless or incompetent persons, particularly if they are left where children or saboteurs have access 'to them, has led to many serious accidents. Many contractors and mining operators who use explosives are extremely careless about storing them. It is the purpose of this paper to discuss the explosive-handling practices of a large western mining company, which are considered better than most.

Jan 1, 1946

By Robert I. Jaffee, Bruce W. Gonser

RECENT work by the authors1 established the constitutional diagram of the gold-germanium system. Of particular interest in the simple euctectiferous system was the eutectic alloy at 12 per cent Ge, which melted at the very low temperature of 356°C. and had an unusually fine eutectic structure. It was of interest to investigate the effect of third components on the melting point, microstructure, and strength of this alloy, and in this work the effect of copper is discussed rather completely, with less complete data on the effects of silver, platinum, nickel, and zinc. No reference in the literature has been found on ternary systems with gold-germanium. MATERIALS AND ALLOYING As in the work on the binary system, gold-germanium, the germanium used in this investigation was the cyanide-reduced, 99.9 per cent product, produced by the Eagle-Picher Co. Fine gold sheet from Handy and Harmon, pure platinum sheet from the American Platinum Works, copper magnet wire from Anaconda, nickel wire assaying 99.6 per cent Ni, and electrolytic zinc were used for alloying. To make the alloys, charges of the pure metals were put in a graphite crucible and melted in an atmosphere of pure hydrogen. The temperature was brought up to about 1050°C., and the metal allowed to freeze in the crucible. Except with alloys containing zinc, melting losses were consistently less than a few milligrams. When zinc was a component, weight losses up to half the weight of the zinc present were incurred, and the alloy compositions were calculated by assuming the entire weight loss to be that of zinc. In all other cases the composition of the alloys could safely be taken as that of the charge. The ingots, as solidified, were segregated, the heavier primary phases being at the bottom and sides of the ingots and the lighter primary phases at the top, but by sectioning the entire ingot vertically for microscopic examination, this factor could be evaluated. Ingots for microscopic examination weighed one gram, and those for thermal analysis weighed three grams. THERMAL ANALYSIS In this work, the eutectic line composition and thermal arrests were desired, and, after microscopic exploration had established the position of the eutectic line at a given percentage of the third component, a thermal analysis was run at that composition. The method of thermal analysis used in the work on the binary Au-Ge system,1 a method particularly well suited for a small quantity of material, was used in this work. Clearly defined arrests were obtained, although with some alloys containing platinum

Jan 1, 1946

By Haley, D. F.

WHEN operations were first started at Climax in 1917 by the Climax Molybdenum Co., they were pioneering in the molybdenum industry for little was known relative to the uses of molybdenum or the metallurgy of molybdenite concentration. Concentration of molybdenite is relatively simple today but in 1916, when the Climax deposit first attracted attention, it presented serious difficulties. Little was known, in fact, even about the assaying of such low-grade molybdenum ores. Mine samples were sent to at least a dozen of the best laboratories in the United States and average values reported varied from 0.4 per cent to 1.0 per cent MOS2. Owing to the wide variations in MoS2 content obtained from reliable chemists, the actual value of the ore was most uncertain. This variation occurred repeat¬edly over a period of six months in 1917. It was finally decided, as a last resort, to cut several tons of sample from the tunnel and have a mill test made, using the recovered MoS2 per ton as the grade of the ore, for a small error in the assaying of the concentrate would not materially affect the results. These mill tests were made by the General Engineering Co. (Callow) at Salt Lake City. The results proved an ore of commercial grade and indicated the flotation process for the best metallurgy. Based upon these tests, the decision was made to build a 200-ton flotation plant. At this time, the art of flotation was

Jan 1, 1946

By C. W. Greenhalgh

THE accuracy with which grade and tonnage of a mineral deposit may be calculated from diamond-drill assays is dependent upon: (I) the reliability of core and sludge samples and (2) the validity of methods used in grade and tonnage calculations. Limitations imposed by drilling and sampling preclude elaborate methods of computation. In adjusting core and sludge assays the importance assigned the core and sludge samples may be based on either the respective weights recovered or the respective volumes represented by each. Only when core and sludge recoveries are poor do discrepancies between adjusted assays calculated by these two methods develop, in which case the "weight" method gives emphasis to the core sample and the "volume" method gives emphasis to the sludge sample. When the sludge suffers classification within the drill hole, the weight method gives more accurate results; when the sludge sample suffers no classification, the volume method gives more accurate results. Any drilling campaign offers a compromise between desired accuracy on the one hand and expediency, limited time, money, or facilities on the other. Since the determination of grade and tonnage is an approximation at best, a proper basis for their computation requires a knowledge of the limitations imposed by all phases of work upon which the calculations depend. A rational basis for coordination of these phases of work requires determination of: (I) the degree of accuracy desired, as a function of the object of examination; (2) the degree of accuracy attainable, as a function of the limitations imposed in the drilling and sampling program; and (3) the validity of method to be used in calculating grade and tonnage from core and sludge assays. This paper presents results of a comparison made between two commonly used methods of adjusting core and sludge assays, the assumptions upon which these methods are based, and the interrelationship of the phases of work upon which these calculations are dependent. OBJECT OF EXAMINATION The purpose of prospecting any mineral deposit is to secure sufficient samples from which ore grade and tonnage may be calculated. Any mine examination, preliminary or formal, has a definite purpose, although its scope may be limited or broad. The type of examination to be conducted is dependent, therefore, upon the reason for instituting the investigation; its scope and thoroughness are directly related to economic considerations. It is highly desirable, therefore, that before starting a drilling campaign a complete understanding of the extent of examination and desired degree of accuracy be determined as a means of simplifying the drilling program and unifying the relative degree of

Jan 1, 1946

By Claus G. Goetzel

Pressing of powdered metal parts is best done in the direction of the shortest extension of the piece, to avoid too great a loss of pressing force through internal iriction. As long as curved surfaces, re-cessej, or offsets occur only parallel to this shortest axis of pressure, no special difficulties arise: the cross sections, perpendicular to the pressure, do not vary, nor does the shape of the parts change during compression except for a gradually reduced thickness (Fig. IA). The problem becomes more dificult, however, when the curved surfaces or recesses are perpendicular to the shortest axis of the part (Fig. IB) Two processes for molding uniformly dense parts with complicated shapes from powdered metals are described in detail in this paper. Both can be employed successfully by those trained in the art. The first refers to curved parts; the second is especially adapted to parts having one or more recesses or steps. Both methods, as set forth here, are applied under the condition that presents the more difficult problem. For clarity, before description of the two practical methods, the variable factors in molding powdered metal parts will be reviewed, then an idealized procedure will be considered briefly. Variable Factors in Molding Powdered Metal Parts Compression Ratio Compression ratio is defined as the proportion of the final relative density of the compact to the apparent density of the powder. For iron powder of an apparent density of 3.0, for example, a compression ratio of 2 1/2:1 would be required to produce a compressed compact of 7.5 density; whereas for another iron powder having an apparent density of only 1.5, a compression ratio of 5:1 would be required to produce the same density. The lower the powder's apparent density, the greater must be the compression ratio for pressing compacts of high density.

Jan 1, 1946

By E. I. Larsen, E. F. Swazy, F. R. Hensel

Experience has indicated that hard bronzes are not suitable for bearing applications where high bearing loads and speeds are involved. It is the general practice to utilize softer materials for these purposes, such as copper, lead, silver, babbitt, lead-base alloys, and more recently aluminum-base alloys, preferably supported by a steel backing. It was the objective of the present investigation to study a new material produced by powder metallurgical methods susceptible to precipitation-hardening. Test MAteriaIs Preliminary tests were made with compacts containing copper, nickel and silicon in quantities sufficient to form 3 to 5 per cent nickel silicide. It mas found that this type of alloy was susceptible to the formation of a soft surface shell when sintered in tank hydrogen. The depth of the shell depended On the length of sintering time and sintering temperature, and varied in thickness from a few thousandths to as much as One eighth inch. This soft shell resulted from the preferential oxidation of silicon, thereby reducing the efficiency of age-hardening by the nickel silicide compound. The body of the sintered compacts below the soft shell could be precipitation-hardened to a hardness of 70 to 85 Rockwell B, by quenching from goo°C. and age-hardening at 450°C. A series of tests was made with various addition agents, in order to decrease the rate of preferential oxidation, and it was found that phosphorus was most beneficial in this respect. After considerable experimentation, the following nominal com-position was accepted as standard: 2.4 per cent nickel; 0.8 silicon; 0.3 phosphorus; balance copper. The physical propertties and certain bearing properties of this alloy are described in the present paper Preparation of Compacts Several methods of incorporating the hardening ingredient (nickel silicide) were studied. Compacts formed from copper, nickel and silicon powders were found to be inferior to those fabricated from prealloyed nickel silicide master alloys, because of the rapid oxidation of pure silicon during sintering. The use of a prealloyed nickel silicide hardener containing 25 per cent silicon and 75 per cent nickel could be further improved by preparing a master alloy, incorporating nickel, silicon, phosphorus and copper, having the following nominal composition~ 25 per cent nickel; 7 silicon; 3 phosphorus 64 copper. This alloy is brittle in the cast condition and can be readily powdered. Sintering Procedure The blended powders were pressed at '5 to 40 tons per sq' in., the pressure depending on the size and shape of the compacts. Sintering was carried out in hydrogen or cracked ammonia atmospheres at

Jan 1, 1946

By Walter Stern

The self-potential or spontaneous polarization method is one of the oldest in the field of electrical exploration. When applied in prospecting for ore bodies, it is one of the most rapid and inexpensive means of locating indications of ore bodies at shallow depth. Usually, the procedure is to survey the equipotential lines of the electrical field that is generated by the electrochemical activity of the ore near the ground-water level, and to localize the so-called negative centers or points of greatest negative anomaly. Another field procedure involves the measurement of potential differences along potential profiles, generally laid out at right angles to the assumed strike. Again, in such survey, the basis for establishing the presence of ore is the location of negative potential anomalies. The earlier writers on the subject, notably Schlumbergerl and R. C. Wells,2 did much to clarify the fundamental electrochemical phenomena involved. Interpretation of the field data, however, remained largely qualitative. In 1925, A. Petrovsky3 analyzed the relation between the shape of the potential anomaly curve and size and depth of an Ore body by assuming the subsurface body to be a polarized sphere.' Along similar lines of approach, Edge and Laby5 considered the ore body a dipping sheet with limited extent in the direction of strike, while Poldini6 based the theory on the assumption of a dipping bar. The following study endeavors to enlarge upon these earlier investigations and attempts, on the basis of the potential distribution of a polarized bar, to indicate certain characteristics of the anomaly curve that make possible the determination of depth, size and dip of a subsurface body. The Spontaneous Polarization Field Set Up by an Ore Body If a sulphide ore body is subjected to oxidation varying in degree in its upper and lower parts according to the difference in the concentration of oxygen within the surrounding medium, an electrical potential field is set up. The form and distribution of this field will be investigated herein with special reference to its components on the earth,s surface. Under the simplifying assumption that the ore body may be considered as a dipole with the point sources Q1 and Q2 situated at its upper and lower ends (Fig. I), the potential of the spontaneous polarization at point P is given by the following equation:

Jan 1, 1946

By John L. Lamont, Walter Crafts

STUDIES of the effect of composition of steel on hardenability by Grossmann,1 and as-quenched hardness by Field2 and by the authors,3 have made it possible to predict the results of quenching when the composition and cooling rate are known. In order to extend the application of the hardenability calculation to the quenched and tempered condition in which steel is finally used, a survey has been made of the hardness changes caused by tempering. From this study a method has been developed for the prediction of hardness and tensile strength of steel in the tempered condition. The method of calculation was developed from Rockwell C hardness tests on quenched and tempered Jominy specimens and is expressed in Rockwell C hardness units. It is of an additive type in which the degree of softening from as-quenched hardness is estimated. Tempered properties may be calculated within about plus or minus 5 Rockwell C hardness or plus or minus 15,000 lb. per sq. in. tensile strength. This degree of accuracy is less than that necessary for the control of heat-treatment, but is adequate for the comparative evaluation and selection of alloy steels. The formula indicates that tempered hardness is primarily dependent on as- quenched hardness and, as in the hardening reaction, the progress of tempering is controlled mainly by the carbon content- Alloys tend to retard softening by a secondary hardening mechanism in which the alloy appears to migrate from ferrite to the carbide phase. The factors for the effects of alloys in tempering vary so much from the effects of alloys in hardening that different steels of equivalent hardenability may, after lie heat-treatment, differ considerably in tensile strength. PROCEDURE In developing the method for calculating tempered Rockwell C hardness, simple and complex steels were tested over a range from 0.08-to 0.65 per cent carbon and up to 2.68 per cent manganese, 2.18 silicon, 3.50 chromium, 4.94 nickel, and 1.06 molybdenum. The steels were made as small induction-furnace heats at the Union Carbide and Carbon Research Laboratories, Inc. The accuracy of the method was finally checked on a variety of carbon, low-alloy and high- alloy types of heat-treating steels produced under commercial conditions. The method was based on a study of tempered Jominy bars, and its validity was tested by correlation with the center hardness and tensile strength of oil-quenched and tempered bars from ¼ to 4 in. in diameter. The method of calculation was derived from the differences in Rockwell C hardness between as-quenched and quenched and tempered Jominy specimens. Prenormalized Jominy hardenability specimens quenched from a normal temperature for austenitization were used to obtain a range of as-quenched Rockwell C

Jan 1, 1946

By W. S. Landers

Analysis of the size consist of broken coal has been extended in recent years beyond the mere representation of the relative quantities of the various sizes present in a given lot of the material. Fundamental characteristics of the coal related to the process of breakage fix the distribution of sizes, and it has been found by Rosin and Rammler4/ that a relatively simple law-governs this property. Benhett5/ has described a graphical method of expressing the relationship, and by its use considerable simplification in the expression of size distribution is possible.

Jan 1, 1946

By Walter S. Weeks

In this paper the effect of natural ventilation pressures is considered a part of the mine resistance and it is shown that their effect on the mine resistance is not the same as the total natural ventilation pressure of the shafts if the mine has several levels. It is shown that increasing the fan pressure causes the division of the air to approach the condition that would obtain if there were no natural ventilation pressure present. It is shown that if an appreciable difference in pressure is maintained between the beginning and end of a group of splits, the value of the integrated effect of the natural ventilation pressures on the individual splits does not change substantially with moderate changes of this pressure. A method is outlined for determining the resistance factor of the mine and the value of the effect of natural ventilation with the fan operating; also a method for determining this factor when circulation is caused by natural ventilation alone. Natural Ventilation Pressure Natural ventilation pressure (N.V.P.) is caused by the difference in weight of the air in two similar columns between two horizontal planes, and the difference in weight is caused principally by the difference in temperature of the two columns. The fan pressure causes some variation in density, but, since it is usually small and affects both columns, its effect is relatively unimportant. It has been suggested that "N.V.P." be called "stack effect"; but, since the term N.V.P. was used in a previous Institute paper,' applied in exactly the same manner, the term will be used. Frictional Resistance The frictional resistance to flow in a mine without natural ventilation may be expressed as RQ2 where R is a constant for a given air density and Q is the rate of flow. This frictional resistance plus the effect of velocity changes will be called the F pressure (F.P.) and a curve of F.P. against Q, the F characteristic of the mine. If a pressure is applied to a mine by a fan, the air flow so adjusts itself that the drop in pressure through any path from entrance to exit of mine, due to frictional resistances and velocity changes, is the same as that in any other path. The mine resistance varies as the square of the quantity. The air distribution without N.V.P. will be called "normal." Natural Ventilation Present When N.V.P. is irregularly distributed in a mine, it is more convenient in analysis to consider the N.V.P. as a part of the duct resistance. If it is so considered the resistance no longer varies as the square of the quantity, and if N.V.P. exists between levels the distribution of the air is no longer normal. The total N.V.P. of the mine is the pressure caused by the full length of the shafts. If a mine has several levels, N.V.P. exists

Jan 1, 1946