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[Billings Petroleum Section: Fraser M. Burback, chairman; N. J. Matthews, first vice-chairman; Charles B. Evans, second vice-chairman; and lion M. Madden, secretary-treasurer. Meets 3d Tues., Petroleum Club. California Coastal Section: Jack R. Severns, chairman.; Gilbert L. Jemmott, vice-chairman,- Jack A. Biren, secretary; and Robert L. Richardson, treasurer. Meets 3d Thurs.] [ ]

Jan 1, 1961

By A. Dubé, G. Letendre, C. E. Beaulieu

An experimental study has been made of the time dependence of internal .friction and modulus of rigidity in- freshly quenched steels at room temperature. The effects of frequency, composition, and various thermal treatments are given. The kinetic 1aws observed cannot be fully explained by the so-called first stage of tempering and the transformation of retained austenite. It is suggested that the observed phenomena are due to the progressive immobilization of dislocations introduced by the martensitic transformation. It is generally agreed that the conversion of tetraginal martensite into cubic ferrite and ce-mentite occurs in three stages which at moderate rates of heating take place in the following temperature ranges:'-3 a) The first stage involves mainly a partial loss of tetragonality of martensite and the formation of ?-carbide between 95" and 175oC. b) The second stage consists of the decomposition of retained austenite between 230 and 290' C. c) The third stage covers the formation of ce-mentite between 290o and 400' C. The kinetic laws of these heterogeneous reactions have also been the subject of isothermal studies. Thus, Roberts, Averbach. and cohen3 report a very low reaction rate with a eutectoid steel at room temperature. For example, less than 10 pet of the contraction associated with the first stage is observed after 50 hr at room temperature. Hollonlon, Jaffe, and Buffum4 show that under the same conditions less than 10 pet of the tetragonality is lost. These results have led to the belief that martensite is a relatively stable phase at room temperature. On the other hand, it is well known that important structural changes occur in martensitic steels during the first few minutes at room temperature after quenching. This pretempering has at least two important consequences. In the first place, freshly quenched steels have a tendency to crack at room temperature, a fact which leads to the necessity of tempering as soon as possible after the quench. Another important consequence of pretempering a steel for short periods of time at room temperature is the stabilization of the retained austenite. Thus, as shown by Cohen,5 a very pronounced stabilization is effected with holding periods of 30 min at room temperature. Since these two effects are apparently not caused by the heterogeneous reactions mentioned above, they must be related to the rearrangement of structural defects within the martensite and retained austenite. According to the modern theory of dislocations, the shears required to effect the austenite-marten-site transformation may be realized through the motion of dislocations at the austenite-martensite interface and within the martensite plates.6 In this way, a martensitic transformation closely resembles a plastic deformation. In cold-worked solids, high concentrations of dislocations are left immediately after the plastic deformation and it seems reasonable to assume that appreciable densities of dislocations should also appear in the wake of a martensitic transformation. A considerable part of the high hardness of martensite would then originate in the obstruction of dislocations in analogy

Jan 1, 1961

By A. C. Fraker, H. H. Stadelmaier

WIENER and Bergerl reported the existence of the nitrides Fe3NiN and Fe3PtNwith a cubic L1'2 structure. The present note shows that a similar nitride Fe3PdN can be observed and that the composition range between the iron nitride Fe4N and the nitrides Fe3NiN, Fe3PdN, and Fe3PtN is occupied by single-phase cubic nitrides with structures intermediate between L1' and L1'2. The materials used in this investigation were electrolytic iron of 99.9 pct purity, carbonyl nickel of 99.7 pct purity, sponge platinum of 99.95 pct purity, and palladium sheet of 99.8 pct. purity. Binary alloys of the transition metals were induction-melted in a crucible of fused alumina, powdered, and screened to a particle size of - 200 mesh. The powders were nitrided at 600°C in a gas mixture of ammonia and hydrogen, and the crystal structure was determined with the aid of a Wilson powder camera. The results are compiled in Table I together with information from the paper of Wiener and Berger.1 The compound at the nominal composition Fe3PdN has a diffraction pattern with prominent reflections of a face-centered cubic lattice (h2 + k2+l2 = 3, 4, 8, 11, 12, 16) and weaker superstructure lines (h2 + k2 + 12 = 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 10, 13, 14). With decreasing palladium content the superstructure lines become weaker and approach the intensity of those of Fe4N. No analysis was made of the intensities, but it can be assumed that the structure is that found by Wiener and Bergerl in Fe3NiN and Fe3PtN, namely L1'2 (perovskite structure) with both palladium and the interstitial nitrogen fully ordered. The dependence of the lattice constant upon the solute atom (Ni, Pd, Pt) content can be explained tolerably well by simple lattice expansion due to subsequent work confirms this suggestion, it will be of significance to order-disorder theory. The author is grateful to Lester Guttman for discussions on this topic.

Jan 1, 1961

By J. W. Rutter, K. T. Aust

Observations are presented of the formation of annealing twins during the growth of a recrystallized grain into a striated, melt-grown crystal of high-purity lead. The formation of an annealing twin resulted in replacement of the original migrating boundary by a large-angle grain boundary of the caincidence-site type or by a near-twin boundary. The results support the Fullman-Fisher theory of annealing twins and demonstrate the usefulness of the coincidence-site model. FULLMAN and Fisher1 have advanced the following theory to account for the formation of annealing twins during grain growth. Whenever a grain A grows into a matrix of grains S1 and S2, a twin A' of grain A may form, as shown in Fig. 1, if the following energetic condition is satisfied: where "E" and "a" refer to the specific interfacial free energy and the area, respectively, of the boundaries indicated by the subscripts. In effect, the twinned grain will persist when the energy of the boundary between the twin(A') and the matrix grain (S, or S,) is less than that of the boundary between the original growing grain (A) and the matrix grain by an amount which exceeds the energy of the coherent twin boundary between A and A'. Experimental observations on the changes in grain boundary free energy accompanying the formation of twins1 are in agreement with the theory outlined in Eq.[l]. Direct observations of the formation of annealing twins at moving grain corners1"3 and the depend-

Jan 1, 1961

An investigation into the causes of variable sulphur content in blast furnace metal produced at No. 4 blast furnace at the Port Kembla works of Australian Iron and Steel Pty. Ltd. was carried out. Theprogramme included an extended and detailed experimental study of a great number of the operating variables of the furnace, on a cast-bycast or four-hourly basis, over fourteen days.Possible causes of the variation were found in irregular operation due to sinter variability, and it was also clearly shown that slag conditions were most important in controlling sulphur contents of pigiron. Some decrease in sulphur variability was achieved, arising partly from this investigation, and it is hoped to try magnesia additions to modify slag conditions for better desulphurizing.INTRODUCTIONSulphur in pig iron is a problem common to many blast furnace operators throughout the world, but the direct causes and means of overcoming them are functions of the available raw materials, and are hence more particular to each plant and its operating practice. Sulphur in hot metal influences the steel-making operations, the rolling operations and the quality of the finished steel. The main problem associated with high sulphur in steel is "hot shortness", which leads to cracking of ingots and billets in rolling, to poor surface finish and to poor welding properties in the finished steel. On the other hand, sulphur is sometimes a desired additive to steel in order to promote free machining properties.Normal means of controlling sulphur A small degree of control of sulphur in steel is available to open hearth operators by alteration of slag volumes and basicity, but any large degree' of sulphur elimination is...

Jan 1, 1961

By S. Y. Ezz

The quality and extent of fluidization of fine iron ore beds with gases were investigated. Factors affecting the rate of reduction with H, and the sintering of the partially reduced material were studied. Trials to retard sintering by covering the particles' surface with nonsintering materials were successful. THE gaseous reduction of iron ores is a gas-solid reaction. Hence the fluidization technique seems ideally suited to it. However, a serious drawback

Jan 1, 1961

By Irving Cadoff, Kurt Komarek, Edward Miller

THE lead-telluride phase diagram as compiled by ansen' has one intermetallic compound, PbTe, with solid-solubility limits extending from 22 to 45 wt pct Te (31.4 to 57.1 at. pct). Pelzel2 redetermined the solubility limits on the lead-rich side of the compound by measuring the relative areas of the two phases in samples annealed in the liquid + compound region, and obtained data that agreed with that of Hansen. Recent studies of the semiconducting properties of PbTe3 however, have indicated that addition of either lead or tellurium to PbTe does not produce samples having carrier concentrations greater than about 10 19 cm-3. Assuming that each impurity atom results in one ionized charge carrier, this carrier concentration corresponds to a solubility range of less than 0.04 at. pct. Fritts and Karrar4 have also observed two phases in samples containing from 0.15 to 3.0 pct excess Pb. To resolve the discrepancy between these data, the solid solubility limits of the compound PbTe were reinvestigated, using several other techniques. Ten 25-g samples with compositions of 1/2, 1, 3, 5, and 10 wt pct excess Pb and Te and two 100-g samples of 15 and 65 wt pct Te were prepared, sealed in evacuated quartz capsules, and melted at 950oC. The 1 pct excess Pb and Te and the 15 and 65 wt pct Te alloys were homogenized for 96 hr at 450°C; the remaining specimens were annealed 50°C below the solidus temperature reported in Hansen. The specimens were polished and etched with dilute HNO,. All the samples were two phase, the second phase appearing at grain boundaries or as spheroidized inclusions in the grains. In the case of the tellurium rich specimens, the second phase could be identified as a eutectic. Debye-Scherrer powder diffraction patterns of the i, 1, 3, 5, and 10 pct excess samples were obtained using CuKa filtered radiation. The films were indexed as the B1 or NaCl structure. The calculated lattice parameter of PbTe was the same for all the specimens, with an average of a0 = 6.460 ± 0.0005A. Lines due to excess lead or tellurium were very faint but could be clearly seen in all the films. The relative areas of the two phases in the 15 and 65 wt pct Te samples were corrected for the differences in density of Pb, Te, and PbTe, and taken as proportional to the relative volumes of the two phases. The corrected relative volumes agreed with a phase diagram having negligible solubility of both lead and tellurium in lead tellurium. The density of the two specimens was obtained to give a third independent determination of the phase limits. The specimens were broken into small pieces to eliminate any internal porosity, and adherent air bubbles were removed by vigorous shaking under water for several hours. The density of lead (11.34 g per cm3) and of tellurium (6.25 g per cm3) was taken from the International Critical Tables and that of stoichiometric PbTe (8.25 g per cm3) calculated from the lattice parameter. For the 15 wt pct Te samples, the density assuming no solubility was calculated to be 9.89 g per cm3; the observed density was 9.86 g per cm8. For the 65 wt pct Te alloy, the density calculated for the case of no solubility was 7.24 g per cm3; the measured density wag 7.22 g per cm3. These results are consistent with those of planimetry and X-ray. SUMMARY Data have been presented which show that the solid solubility of both lead and tellurium in PbTe is

Jan 1, 1961

[Adams, Douglas K General Electric Co., P.O. Box 2331, Denver 1, Colo. Adams, Frank E U.S. Steel, 919 Kearns Bldg., Salt Lake City, Utah Alger, Van Kaiser Steel, Sunnyside, Utah Allan, Andrew Thompson Creek Coal & Coke Corp., Glenwood Springs, Colo. Allen, Earl W Mine Safety Appliances Co., 257 Rio Grand St., Salt Lake City, Utah Allen, Thomas Chief State Coal Mine Inspector, State Services Bldg., Denver, Colo. Anderson, Nephi W :Book Cliffs Coal Co., Dragerton, Utah Anderson, W. J Texaco, Inc., 845 N. 5th E., Price, Utah Ankeny, Marling J U. S. Bureau of Mines, 5308 Roosevelt St., Bethesda, Md. Arentzen, E. M Lee-Norse Co., Charleroi, Pa. Arentzen, L. E Lee-Norse Co., 2975 18th St., Boulder, Colo:]

Jan 1, 1961

By L. J. Kane

Several processes being developed by the Federal Bureau of Mines to provide new and more efficient uses for coal require practical methods for removing dust from hot gases. Filters provide such means. The efficiency of filters made of aluminum silicate fibers and porous stainless steel was determined. The results obtained with the fibers were previously reported.5 In this investigation tests were made with three porosities of stainless steel filter material (grades C, D, and E) at a gas flow of 1,000 std. c.f.h./sq. ft. of filter, temperatures of 75° and 1,000° F., and dust loadings (as represented by cumulative dust fed) of 100, 1,000, and 10,000 gr./sq. ft. of filter. Pressure drop during the runs ranged from 0.1 to 21 in. of mercury, and dust removal from 25 to 99.93 pct. Filters having the finest pores gave the greatest pressure drop and percentage of dust removal; however, their dust-holding capacity was slightly lower. Usually, their ability to remove a higher percentage of dust at the same pressure drop more than compensated for the slightly lower dust-holding capacity. With increase in temperature, for the same weight rate of flow of gas, the pressure drop increased and the percentage of dust removal decreased. The effect of temperature was probably due to the accompanying change in the linear velocity and viscosity of the gas.

Jan 1, 1961

By N. A. Parlee, A. E. Lord

Measurements of the solubility of lead in liquid iron were made at 1550°, 1600°, 1650°, and 1700°C using two different methods, i.e., 1) liquid iron-liquid lead equilibration and 2) liquid iron-lead vapor equilibration. LEAD was long considered insoluble in liquid iron1. Today steels containing 0.15 to 0.35 pct Pb are used. One laboratory has found a solubility of about 0.5 pet in the 1600°C range. Recently Miller and Elliott2 gave 0.60 pct as the result of one determillation at 1540°C. Because these findings resulted from the

Jan 1, 1961

By Stephan Stecura

One of the principal objectives of the Bureau of Mines program for development of superrefractory ceramic materials is to obtain fundamental data on the physical properties of refractory oxides. Elements of particular interest to research workers in the Bureau include groups III and IV of the Periodic Table and the rare-earth group. This report contains thermal expansion and phase inversion measurements on oxides of scandium, yttrium, lanthanum and 12 lanthanide series elements (promethium and terbium omitted) up to 1,350°C, made by high-temperature X-ray diffractometer techniques. Thermal expansion values were calculated from unit cell dimensions measured at selected temperatures; with anisotropic oxides expansion was determined parallel to each major crystallographic axis. The combined random and systematic errors in the thermal expansion values are considered to be less than 3 percent of the total expansion at 500° C, and approximately 2 percent at 1,000° C, No difference in expansion coefficients was observed between heating and cooling cycles for oxides that did not undergo phase inversion. Tabular data of linear expansion, in percent, linear expansion coefficients, and graphical presentation of linear expansion as a function of temperature are presented.

Jan 1, 1961

By Erwin A. Morlan

Present methods of boring large hole mine openings are briefly reviewed. Factors that influence the design and choice of down-the-hole equipment for rotary drilling large holes are discussed. With formation drillability taken as a starting point, graphs and charts are given as an aid in the selection of bit load, circulation system, flow rate, drill stem, cutter design and rotary speed.

Jan 1, 1961

By J. R. Hornaday, A. E. Morris, N. A. Parlee, D. C. Carmichael

Rates of absorption and effusion of hydrogen in solid iron were measurede by a Sieverts type of apparatus. With clean a iron these rates are diffusion controlled down to 420°C and are represented by the equation D = 6.70 x e-'100' crn2 sec-I Certain surface impurities can affect these rates at all temper-atuves. Thin oxide films lower, the apparent diffusivity of annealed iron markedly. Cold-worked iron (75 pct) annealed at 430°C has practically the same solubility and diffusivity as anealed iron. THE mechanism of absorption and evolution of hydrogen in solid iron alloys is not fully understood despite the large number of investigations on the subject. While there appear to be many instances of simple solid-state diffusion control of rate, there are many cases where investigators have either concluded that surface reactions are rate controlling or that some "nondiffusible" hydrogen resides in discontinuities. The purposes of this research were 1) to develop a sound method for studying this absorption and evolution behavior, 2) to examine it in pure annealed iron, and 3) to determine the effects of important variables, such as cold work, surface condition, and composition. This paper relates the progress toward these objectives. Much of the present knowledge of the movement of hydrogen through iron alloys comes from permeability studies which involve the measurement of the rate of passage (under steady state conditions) through membranes of the order of 1 mm in thickness. This method is open to question on various grounds. If surface reactions are involved, two different surfaces operating under two different conditions must be considered. The presence of defects in the membrane even of microscopic dimensions may lead to erroneous results. A few people have studied evolution of hydrogen into vacuum, under carefully controlled (unsteady state) conditions, and some of the best diffusivity data come from these sources. Most of these methods measure rates of evolution only and thus do not make a rigorous test for reversibility of behavior. It appeared that an "unsteady state" method that would permit the measurement of both rates of evolution and absorption under controlled temperature, pressure, and other conditions would offer several advantages. Accordingly the modified Sieverts apparatus described below was designed and built. APPARATUS This apparatus is shown in Fig. 1. The sample bulb is detailed in Fig. 2. Hydrogen of 99.5 pct purity and argon of 99.99 pct purity were used. The hydrogen was deoxidized and dried by means of a Deoxo unit followed by a "Dri-erite" tower. The argon was only dried. The gas burette was graduated in tenths of a cubic centimeter, and, with the aid of a travelling magnifier, readings could be estimated to the nearest 0.01 cc. The level of mercury in the burette was adjusted by means of a leveling bulb operated by a fine screw adjustment. An electrical system, consisting of two slightly separated platinum electrodes inserted in one leg of the manometer and a small light bulb was used to obtain rapid accurate adjustment of the pressure. The capillary tubing of the Vycor sample bulb was 3 mm bore as was all tubing back to the gas burette. The samples were discs made from vacuum-melted Ferrovac-E iron of greater than

Jan 1, 1961

By Ben Sheneider

AT THE Flin Flon plant of the Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Co., Limited there are two types of multiple hearth furnaces used in the roasting of sulphides. This pa-per will deal primarily with the wedge-type furnace in the roasting of zinc concentrates. The other furnace, the Nichols-Herroshoff type, is used in the copper smelter and is described in the papers given by (1) J. H. Ambrose in 1935 and (2) R. E. Mast and G. H. Kent in 1954. The design and operation of these roasting furnaces at the present time is essentially the same as given in the write-up in 1954. No at-tempt will be made here to describe these furnaces, except to mention that there are five Nichols-Herreshoff multiple-hearth furnaces, four of which are used to roast a dried mixture of copper concentrate, zinc plant residue, and flux, before this material is fed to the reverberatory furnace.

Jan 1, 1961

By Alla D. Mah

No experimental heat-of-formation value has been reported in the literature for cerium sesquioxide. The heat of formation of bismuth sesquioxide has not been determined in recent years, and the older value was subject to large uncertainty. Accordingly, the heats of combustion of cerium sesquioxide and bismuth metal were measured by the Federal Bureau of Mines. The heats of formation were: ?H°298.15 = -427.01 ± 0.70 kcal. /mole for cerium sesquioxide and ?H°298.15 = -137.16 ± 0.30 kcal./mole for bismuth sesquioxide. The free energy of formation was estimated for cerium sesquioxide and accurately calculated for bismuth sesquioxide. The data were compared with values in the literature.

Jan 1, 1961

By L. Adler

Longwall caving, one of the most economical and attractive mining methods, is yet one of the most difficult and hazardous.1 This dualism is inherent in a method which manipulates the mine supports themselves to aid in excavation. The difficulty is further compounded by the lack of an analytical method to predict and control results. This paper is intended to meet this need by providing a first approximation to the mechanics involved. The analysis will be limited to materials which are linear-elastic, homogeneous and isotropic. The rock structure is assumed to consist of beds of uniform thickness with no interbed bonding.2 Consequently, the mine roof can be likened to a beam, in which the action characteristic of longwall caving is the controlled deflection of the barrier supports. This deflection causes load to be intentionally transferred from these barrier props to the working face.3 Two of the requirements of this method, shared in common with other mining methods, are the provision of (1) adequate and (2) safe working space. The third requirement is the one characteristic of longwall caving and is somewhat in conflict with the second; (3) the development of near-failure static loads at the face. Requirement (1) is handled by spacing the barrier props sufficiently far from the working face for efficient operation. Requirement (2) limits the static stresses in the structure to predetermined allowable values. This means that it is not desirable to induce a maximum load on the working face as requirement (3) may imply. Such a condition could produce collapse in the whole structure. It is the purpose of the undercut to limit the depth, and thereby control the failure of the face. Therefore, requirement (3) really means the development of an optimum, not maximum, load which, in conjunction with undercutting, produces failure at the working face, with minimum powder consumption. Stress analysis requires an exact delineation of the structure and loads. The structure will be defined as the immediate roof and its supports. Since the roof is severed at the caving line, the supports reduce to the barrier props and the working face, as shown in Fig. 1. The mechanics of failure within the working face itself are complex and beyond the scope of this study, since the face represents a typical mine invert structure.4 However, this lack can be made good by the judicious collection of field data. The primary load on the structure is its own weight or body load which can be considered uniformly distributed over its upper surface. Additional loading occurs due to interference of overbeds with the structure. Wherever this occurs, the effect can be approximated by a load uniformly distributed on the upper surface of the structure.5 When this interference is intermittent, as with a much thicker overbed, the elastic curve for the overbed is superimposed on that for the structure and the extent of interference noted, as Fig. 2 shows. However, for simplicity, this study will ignore such intermittent loads without impairing the generality of approach. Consequently, the free-body diagram is that of a uniformly loaded cantilever beam with an inter-mediate support, as shown in Fig. 3. For convenience of analysis, the diagram will be divided just to the

Jan 1, 1961

By W. R. Kube, W. H. Oppelt

Five low-rank coals, including two lignites, a steam-dried lignite, and two subbituminous coals, were carbonized at 940°F, in a bench-scale carbon-ize~ with a nitrogen and hydrogen atmosphere, or both, using pressures from atmospheric to 1000 psig. Coking characteristics were observed, and yields, composition, and distribution of products from thermal degradation were determined. The influence of pressure on yields from coal carbonization, as well as on modification of coke structure, has long been of interest. One of the first attempts at pressure carbonization was that of Capps and Hulett1 who in 1917 investigated the effects of pressure ranging from 1 to 20 atm on yields at 600° C for bituminous and subbituminous coals. High-pressure carbonization has not been used commercially for coke production. More recently, carbonization at relatively high pressure in the presence of catalysts and hydrogen has been proposed for the production of metallurgical-grade coke from low-rank fuels.' Another approach involves carbonization at high pressure in a hydrogen atmosphere to produce heating gas and a solid residue that is gasified with oxygen and steam to produce the hydrogen required for hydro-genation 3-4 or, alternatively, is burned to raise steam. Recently it has been proposed to carbonize coal under pressure, burn the gas in a gas turbine to produce power, and use the solid residue as fuel in a conventional steam-power plant.5 Our primary interest in pressure carbonization stems from an attempt to determine the influence of pressure on the coking characteristics of lignite to design a high-pressure slagging gasifier using oxygen and steam. At atmospheric pressure, North Dakota lignite is generally considered to be non-coking. However, lignite and subbituminous coals have been reported to show increased agglomeration properties in steam, hydrogen, or carbon-dioxide atmospheres at elevated pressures, although no strong coke was formed at pressures up to 3000 psig.6 If lignite would agglomerate seriously under gasification conditions, proper flow of charge through the gasifier could not be maintained without installing a mechanical stirring device or destroying the caking properties of the coal before gasification. Data on the caking properties of lignite or other gasification fuel, as well as on yields of products under conditions simulating the carbonization process in the pregasification zone, were required in the preliminary design stage of the gasifier. No information was available concerning the influence of pressure and type of atmosphere on North Dakota lignite. To provide this basic data, the U. S. Bureau of Mines investigated the effect of pressure and a hydrogen or nitrogen-rich atmosphere on the yield of products and on coke formation in a bench-scale pressure carbon-izer. SCOPE OF INVESTIGATION Five coals were tested at 940°F in nitrogen and hydrogen atmospheres, at pressures from atmospheric to 1000 psig. Yields and composition of solid, liquid, and gaseous products were determined as a function of the process pressure, and attention was given to the physical appearance of the solid residue. Percentage of carbon converted, sulfur retained in char, and thermal balances were calculated. In this paper, primary consideration is given to carbonization in a nitrogen atmosphere and to data concerning the solid phase. The effect of pressure in hydrogen is presented in detail for only one lignite. More complete information on the response of the other coals in a hydrogen atmosphere will be published in a USBM Report of Investigations. DESCRIPTION OF EQUIPMENT Details of the bench-scale pressure carbonizer are given in Fig. 1. The body of the carbonizer was

Jan 1, 1961

By E. S. Anolick, Joseph Singer

The magnetic after-effect, in the form of time decay of permeability (l/µ), has been used to obtain independent data on the solubility of' carbon in pure iron. The results differ slightly from the solubilities obtained through internal -friction experiments. The mechanism of the time decay being the magnetic analogue of internal friction, it appears necessary to explain the observed discrepancies, and some suggestions are made. THE purpose of this work was to establish the reliability of the time decay of permeability as a measure of dissolved interstitial in the body-centered-cubic lattice, and further, to establish techniques suitable for such measurements with samples of a form convenient for various other measurements. This particular sample form was the "epstein" strip, i.e., 25 cm by 3 cm by 0.035 cms. While the general conclusions are not limited by this geometry, there are two aspects of the samples that may be relevant: a) texture, and b) grain size, which ranged generally from 1 to 10 mm. Effects due to these two possible parameters were thought to be small and were not investigated. Calibrating the time decay technique and the other experimental procedures by measuring the solubility of carbon in pure iron suggested itself because of the accumulation of data on this subject through the related technique of the internal friction'; The essentials of this report have been published in a somewhat condensed form.5 Since then some additional data have been taken. It is the purpose of this paper to add these data and to provide more complete description of the experimental techniques than was possible then. The time decay of permeability is a form of the magnetic after-effect.6,7 Permeability is measured immediately after demagnetization (µº) and also long after (µ8). The time decay, ?(l/µ), is the difference 1/µ8 - 1/µ0 and has been considered to be proportional to the concentration of a dissolved interstitial6,8,9,12 The relaxation time! 7, is characteristic of a particular diffusion, and affects the permeability as follows: where he being the activation energy for diffusion of the interstitial. Reference is made to the works of snoek6 and Neel7 for a complete discussion. A brief exposition of the principal ideas may be in order here, as follows. On the basis of the simplest model, resistance against domain wall motion increases with time after demagnetization due to the diffusion of interstitials to preferred sites created by the magnetostrictive tetragonolization under the strong magnetic field. Thus permeability, measured with a small field after the abrupt removal of the large field, will continuously fall with the process of diffusion of the interstitials, and the total "time decay" (or "time decrease") should be proportional to the amount of interstitial in solid solution. In the present report, use is made only of the total time decay rather than of the nature of the progress of the decay; the only problem involved in this approach is the need for assurance that only one interstitial is contributing to the effect as used. It is felt that the special use made here of the total time decay warrants the conclusions. Other work has been going on elsewhere on the detailed study of the nature of the time decay.8'9 EXPERIMENTAL A) Materials—12-lb ingots were made in a vacuum furnace from high-purity iron and by a series of hot and warm reductions were brought down to 14-mil strip. This was cut into 25-cm epsteins. The pure iron was decarburized at 750 °C by hydrogen. The time decay measurement for the decarburized iron (see below) indicated a satisfactorily low starting level of interstitials. Grain growth to grain sizes of 1 to 10 mm was produced in the pure iron by a 700" anneal in hydrogen after a critical reduction of about 7 pct as suggested by previous trials. No measurement of texture in the pure iron was made. The grain size was taken to be large enough to be beyond any sharply critical size regarding solubility. B) Infusion of Carbon—Since the permeability measurement required about two dozen epsteins, a special method of carbon infusion had to be developed to ensure homogeneity of infused carbon. This was accomplished by setting the samples edgewise in a

Jan 1, 1961

Fine coal is defined as material with a maximum size of 1/2 in. Various methods for separate washing of such coal are discussed briefly because separate treatment can lead to a higher overall recovery of coal or to a product having a lower ash content.A felspar jig is discussed in detail because it is the method most recently adopted in Australia, and because it has the advantages of compactness, flexibility and automatic Gontrol, with minimum operator attention. This jig has a variety of adjustable controls to enable the desired results to be obtained from a wide range of coals and the general application of each control is discussed.The only separate treatment of fine coal in the Illawarra district is by felspar jigs on Bulli seam coal.INTRODUCTIONAll reasonably large Australian collieries now win coal by mechanical methods. but while mechanization leads to more economic production of high tonnages, it also changes the characteristics of the coal won. In particular there is an increased proportion of fines, and an increased ash and moisture content. However, specifications of coal for sale have become more stringent, and consumers now require coals in a definite size range with a lower and more uniform ash content, as well as with a low and uniform moisturecontent.These factors have led to the need to wash and grade run-of-mine coal at the pithead. In' plants where the whole of the run-of-mine coal is treated in a jig, some of the fine coal in the feed is beneficiated; the extent depending on factors such as the type of coal and the feed rate. However, for dense medium treatment, fine coal must first be screened out, and there may then be no washing of fine coal at all.

Jan 1, 1961

By S. R. B. Cooke, Iwao Iwasaki, Hyung Sup Choi

John Dasher (Materials and Processes Engineer, Crucible Steel Co. of America, Pittsburgh, Pa.) The authors are to be congratulated for their excellent work, dramatic results, and persuasive explanation on the neglected subject of the temperature variable in soap flotation. The explanation includes why heat is helpful in conditioning and why heat is helpful in flotation. This is a fine start, but I hope the work will be continued to show which is the major effect. In the work of Noman and Dash er(1) it was found that substantially all the benefit of heat came from the conditioning step, and that results were much better if a thick pulp was conditioned hot and then diluted with unheated (or less heated) water for flotation (or agglomerate tabling) than if the same quantity of heat was used to condition and float at some intermediate temperature. In other words, heat for conditioning gives a Rood return, but additional heat for dilution water is near or beyond the point of diminishing return. Strathmore R. B. Cooke, lwao lawsaki, and Hyung Su0p Choi (Authors' Reply) Mr. Dasher'skind comments on our paper are appreciated. In view of the relative simplicity of empirical investigationsof the temperature variable upon conditioning and flotation, it ispuzzling why the subject is so neglected. Our work, being sub sidiary to the main investigation of the effect of structure of fatty acid collectorsupon iron ore flotation, was quite restricted, but we intend to return to the subject as soon as possible. Mr. Dasher's point, that given a certain number of calories it is better to invest them for conditioning in a thick pulp rather than to spread them out for both conditioning and flotation operations, is well taken and cannot be argued. On the other hand there is no question that high temperature during the flotation of iron ores induces superior frothing characteristics, and, in particular, greatly augments the rate of flotation and markedly decreases the time required for "difficult" particles to float.

Jan 1, 1961