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By D. Harker, M. J. Murphy

The mechanism by which age-hardening takes .place is still not completely understood. The principal theories range from the extreme of "precipitaiion-hardening" to that of "order-hardening," with many intermediate gradations. In the hope of obtaining new data on which to base a choice among the many theories, the authors have made electron micrographs of formvar replicas taken from metallic specimens at various stages of age-hardening. The results so obtained on an alloy of 2 per cent beryllium in copper and one of 20 per cent molybdenum in iron will be described in the following pages, as well as the technique used in preparing the replicas. Preparation of Formvae. Replicas of Metallic Specimens This section is concerned with the techniques that have roved successful in preparing formvar replicas for studying the microstructure of metals with the electron microscope. Because of its simplicity and accuracy, the formvar replica1 method developed in the General Electric Research Laboratory has been used exclusively, since it is much simpler than the silica replica method of Heidenreich and Peck2 and produces as good results. The formvar method to be described requires a technique acquired only by practice, and no foolproof set of rules can be given. it is a rapid method and a replica can be obtained in less than five minutes under favorable conditions. This does not mean that perfect replicas can be produced every five minutes, but rather that one can well afford to take several strippings* in order to produce a replica of high quality. The metallographic technique required for replica work—very fine polishing and etching with very dilute solutions—is described here. It can be said, in general, that almost any surface that has been carefully prepared for a photomicrograph at 1000 or more diameters can be used to obtain a replica for the electron microscope. Preparation of Metallographic Specimens The preparation of the metallographic specimens is somewhat more exacting than that usually given to samples to be used for inspection under the light microscope. After much experimentation, it was concluded that the best method consists in polishing the metal through to the coarse cloth, then etching and repolishing on final cloth until the layer of distorted metal is removed. After this procedure has been completed, a dilute etch—to approximately the depth necessary for a micrograph at 1000 diameters—usually produces a sur-

Jan 1, 1945

By Stanley D. Michaelson

THE selection of the proper size of grinding mill for a given installation has long been a subject of discussion by mill manufacturers, consulting engineers, and their clients. It would be presumptuous for the author to propose a simple cure-all. Instead this paper describes a method that has been used over a period of years to determine mill size with a reasonable degree of accuracy. Furthermore, this method claims no theoretical background, for ball milling, as practiced today, is still an art. The selection of the proper size and type of mill must, therefore, be made on an empirical basis. A ball mill, in order to grind, must deliver power through its grinding media to the material to be ground. Assuming that a mill is properly supplied with grinding media, ore pulp, and power, the amount of grinding done is closely proportional to the power expended. With this as a basic premise we can, for the moment, forget about type of mill (i.e., overflow, low-level mill, or other design) and base our calculation of mill size on the total power required to grind a ton of a particular ore from a given size of feed to a given size of product. When this is determined the type and size of mill, its speed, and the weight of the load of grinding media can be selected to absorb this amount of power. DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNIQUE Some years ago, W. L. Maxson, F. Cadena, and F. C. Bond, working in the Minerals Research Laboratory of Allis-Chalmers Co., Milwaukee, developed and described a laboratory technique for comparing grindability (or relative ease of grinding) of various ores at different mesh sizes of grind.1 Additional papers2 have described the work done since that time, and the most recent paper3 summarizes results for hundreds of tests on many ores and materials. The essentials of the testing method are: a I a by 12-in. laboratory mill operating at a constant speed of rotation, using a constant volume of ore, and a constant ball load having a relatively constant grinding surface. Tests are run at 250 per cent circulating load with the feed, circulating load and products screened on calibrated Tyler standard screens. Certain ores from operating mills, representing various mineralogical types, were selected for reference and designated "standard ores." In most cases, detailed studies of the grinding circuits were made when samples of mill feed were taken for grindability tests. Each analysis formed a basis for comparison of the grindability in the laboratory with actual power requirements for a particular grinding circuit. In addition, a critical study was made, to evaluate the differences in the various grinding circuits so that two or more field installations having different layouts (single-stage grinding, two-stage grinding, or others), and using mills of various diameters operating at various speeds with differing circulating loads, etc., could be compared. Large-scale tests by mill operators complemented by laboratory investiga-

Jan 1, 1945

By H. C. Loesche

The problem of signaling to the hoisting engineer from the cage in a shaft mine has been given considerable thought and attention by engineers and mine operators seeking to Increase the safety and efficiency of hoisting. HISTORY R. L. Rutherford,3/ an employee of the Magma Copper Co., Superior Ariz., realizing the need for a simple and practical moving-cage signaling system, began a serious of experiments early in 1937, Available electrical moving-cage signal in operation at this date required that signal wires be installed in the shaft to make a simple, positive signal without wires, the first experiments used the pipe lines in the shaft for carrying the signal current, but these experiments were not successful.

Jan 1, 1945

By Gerald Edmunds

In a paper1 before this Institute in 1940, the writer reported that the surface orientation texture of zinc and cadmium differed from the texture existing within the casting, in that basal planes were parallel to the surface. He was unable to rationalize the , origin of this surface texture. It is conceivable that the surface orientation texture is influenced by the atomic force fields, which are different at the surface and within the body of metal. It was considered that a radical changc in the surface against which the metal is cast might alter the surface texture. In trial of this, zinc has been cast against a surface of molten lead, but the same result has been obtained—i.e., (001) parallel, ± 2oo, to the surface—as was obtained when it was cast against air, Transite or iron.' Into the bottom of an open cast-iron tray, 7 by 14 in. by 2 in. deep, preheated to about 275°C., about 1/4 in. of lead, then 1/2 in. of zinc was poured, and the whole was covered with an electric heater to enforce freezing from the bottom upward. After a lapse of time sufficient for the zinc but not the lead to solidify, the zinc slab was raised free of the molten lead. The bottom surface of the zinc casting was coated with a thin layer of lead. A specimen of the slab 136 in. square was metallographically polished to flatten it and remove the slight film of lead, and the orientation was determined by the method used before,' with the result stated above. Some determinations have also been made on other metals, as follows: Surface orientation determinations were made on the 3/8-in. diameter grip section of two 1/4-in. diameter aluminum-alloy die-cast tensile bars and on a 1/8 by 1/2-in. flat aluminum-alloy die-cast tensile bar. None of these three aluminum die castings exhibited any preferred orientation at the surface. A brass die casting (nominal composition: 60 Cu, 37.75 Zn, 1.00 Sn, 1.00 Pb, 0.10 Al, 0.15 Si) furnished by C. S. Smith was also examined. The surface showed a random orientation of alpha and beta. Summary A zinc casting solidified against a molten lead surface was found to have the same surface orientation texture, (001) parallel to the surface, as other zinc and cadmium castings. Aluminum and alpha-beta brass die castings were found to have random grain orientation textures at the surface. Acknowledgment The X-ray determinations were conducted by M. L. Fuller.

Jan 1, 1945

By Robson W. D, Irwin D. A

In November, 1932, an investigation of silicosis was undertaken at the, McIntyre Porcupine Mine, Schumacher, Ont., atfer a discussion of the problem with Sir Frederick Banting and his, staff. As a result it was decided to carry on dusting experiments with animals at the mine in a manner that would duplicate as far as possible actual industrial conditions.At that time 50, guinea pigs were placed in the crusher nouse tunnel of the mill where a considerable quantity of fine dust, containing approximately 35 per cent., of free silica, was being constantly produced. These animals lived in this atmosphere for periods up to one year, and, while on autopsy large amounts of dust were found in the lungs, not a single case of silicosis had developed. These negative results suggested, among other things, that the mine gases might be a predisposing factor in the production of silicosis, and the results of this investigation led us to undertake the study of the hydrogen-ion concentration of the condensate of the atmosphere, both in the mine and in various sections of the mill.The C02 combining power of blood serum on a series of 400 miners was also studied at this time. While these results were inconclusive, the variation in the hydrogen-ion concentration of the condensate between the surface and underground atmospheres encouraged us to investigate the effect of neutral, weak acid and alkaline solutions on the solubility of silicious materials. Gye and Purdy were the first to point out that the chemical reaction and not the physical presence of silicious material was responsible for the production of the fibrosis in silicosis. This work was investigated by Gardner and Cummings who showed that the tissue reaction to quartz was definitely proportional to the size of the particle. They found that 1-3 micron particles of quartz produced an acute proliferative fibrotic response while the 10-12 micron particles produced only a foreign body reaction up to a period of three years. It is accepted that the dangerous silica particles retained by the lung are under 5 microns in diameter. We assumed that if the solubility of the silicious material retained in the lung could be reduced sufficiently by the addition of some non-toxic element or compound the usual fibrotic respohse would be modified. We found that the addition of certain compounds to silica would reduce its solubility in the beaker to a slight extent. But these compounds, when mixed with quartz...

Jan 1, 1945

By H. R. Banks

PONDERING the action of a ball mill employed to carry on comminution from the product of fine crushing to the point where flotation, cyanidation or other concentrating methods are applicable, one wonders where this machine had its origin. When Henry Wadsworth Longfellow reiterated the observation of that older poet Von Logau, and wrote “Tho’ the mills of God grind slowly, yet they grind exceeding small," he probably visualized the type of mill that was employed in medieval times for the production of flour, and can therefore not be considered as having gained admittance to the fraternity of millmen, on behalf of, either poet. He does, however, make it quite clear that the efficiency of even these Mills of Destiny was low, and to that extent voices a characteristic of fine-grinding equipment that has been the bugbear of all metallurgical engineers. PRINCIPLE OF BALL MILL The principle of the ball mill probably is traceable to the action along the coast line of oceans or lakes, or in the mountain streams. Wave action on rocks and pebbles, close to the shore line, gives the potential energy to the grinding media, which, in their rolling and tossing, break down the sands, and the resultant "pulp" carried out from the shore is classified and settles out in sizes ranging downward to extremely fine mesh. Surely, these are the real mills of God. If we allow our minds to dwell on the total tonnage that has been handled in this way, adding to the sands and clays at present in existence those enormous tonnages of metamorphosed sedimentaries, we sense the vast quantity of rock that has been so reduced. Is it not likely, therefore, that the answer to the beginnings of pebble milling, and eventually ball milling, came through the perception of this natural mill by one of our engineering forebears? METHODS OF GRINDING The relatively low return of mechanical input to a ball mill, in terms of useful work accomplished, has always intrigued me immensely. The potential energy absorbed by a ball raised to a high point in its path is apparently released with a very small return in useful work. Is the ball mill the most desirable means of fine grinding, or is there some other method through which we can recover a reasonable amount of the energy input in terms of useful work? Some years ago, on his retirement, H. W. Hardinge was questioned as to his thoughts on the trend of fine-grinding equipment. As I recall, his prophecy at that time was that the most likely field for improvement in grinding media would be toward a charge of flat disks with some mechanical scheme to cause them to slide over each other. Undoubtedly, Mr. Hardinge went through the usual experience of the muller and bucking board, the customary introduction of the budding millman to his calling. I have often wondered, but have never got beyond the wondering stage, as to the

Jan 1, 1945

By Frank H. Macpherson

FEW people realize the tremendously important part that Saline and Pulaski Counties in central Arkansas have played in the winning of the war. The present favorable war situation might have been very different if we had not had the bauxite produced during the past two years from these two small areas, a total of about 15 square miles. As a general statement, it can be said that the Arkansas bauxite deposits are, individually, relatively small, irregular in thickness, somewhat scattered and, therefore, compared with coal or iron-ore or open-pit copper deposits, relatively ill adapted to a rapid and drastic expansion in output. A few years ago it would have seemed an impossibility for these two counties to produce over six million long dry tons of bauxite in one year. However, with the cooperation of the operators, that is what happened in 1943, when the state of Arkansas achieved the seemingly impossible with a production of 6,020,684 1 long tons (dried equivalent) of bauxite ore during the calendar year, compared with an average annual production of 323,725 2 tons in the period 1931 to 1941. It became apparent early in the year 1941 that the United States soon might be drawn into the war, and, therefore, that an immediate study of the domestic metal situation was necessary. Aluminum is by far the most important metal used in the manufacture of aircraft and many other implements of war and it was evident that there would have to be a tremendous increase in the domestic production of bauxite, which is practically the only present source of this metal. As more than 95 per cent of the known bauxite reserves of the United States was in Arkansas, careful preliminary studies were made in that state by representatives of the United States Bureau of Mines, the United States Geological Survey and the War Production Board in the summer of 1941. Reserves in other states also Were studied. The result of these studies was a recommendation by the War Production Board that mining in the bauxite-producing areas of Arkansas be geared for maximum production, in order to supply sufficient ore for this country's war requirements and, if necessary, to supply the war needs of Canada as well. The annual goal of eight million long tons (dry Weight) set for Arkansas by the War Production Board Was exceeded in 1943, when in August the output reached a rate equivalent to more than 8,300,000 long tons, dry basis. Because of the comparatively small tonnage of bauxite reserves, Congress appropriated funds for an extensive drilling program to be carried out by the Bureau of Mines in cooperation with the Geological Survey. Drilling began in May 1942 but owing to delay in delivery of drills, and trucks upon which the drills were mounted, the program did not get into peak operation until early in 1943. By the end of July 1944, the Bureau of Mines records indicated an addition to the Arkansas reserves of 10,000,000 long tons (wet basis) in place

Jan 1, 1945

By D. L. Katz, M. J. Rzasa

The derivations of three methods of computing the static pressure gradients in natural gas wells have been presented to show the assumptions made. Charts were developed from which the pressure gradients may be read when the well-head pressure, the well fluid gravity, depth, and the average well temperature are given. A chart for estimating the well fluid gravity from the condensate content and separator gas gravity is included. The effect of the increased average well temperature after flow on the calculation of the static pressure gradient is discussed. Introduction Reservoir pressures have been calculated from well-head pressures for gas wells for many years. As the pressure measurements become more accurate, the need for a reliable calculation of the static pressure gradient often arises. This paper will develop the several methods for computing the pressure gradient in gas wells and make a comparison between them. The method of calculating static pressure gradients in common use is Eq. I (ref. I) or its counterpart which includes a factor for the deviation of the gas from the ideal gas law. P2 - P1 = P1(e0.0000347GX _ I) Eq. [I] in which P1 = pressure at well head, lb. per sq. in. abs. PP = pressure at bottom of well, Ib. per sq. in. abs. G = gas gravity X = depth of well, ft. An alternate method is to compute the average density of the gas in the well and multiply by the well depth in a manner similar to that used for liquid gradients. Derivation of Formulas A static pressure gradient is a special case of the general fluid-flow equation. Consider a pound of fluid flowing in a vertical column from point I to point 2, Fig. I. By an energy balance for fluid flowing from I to 2: U1 + P1V1 + u12/2g + X1 + q = U2 + P2V2+ u22/2g+X2 +W [2] in which U = internal energy, ft-lb. per lb. P = pressure, lb. per sq. ft. V = volume, cu. ft. per lb. u = average linear velocity, ft. per sec. X = height above datum, fl. q = heat absorbed by fluid, ft-Ib. pcr lb. W = work done by system, ft-lb. per lb. An energy balance on the fluid itself gives: U = ?TdS - ?PdV + etc. [3] in which T = temperature, deg- R- S = entropy, ft-lb. per deg. R. per lb.

Jan 1, 1945

By C. O. Swanson

CALCULATING the average grade of a gold deposit is a problem that presents certain unique difficulties. Particularly troublesome is the fact that the average of the samples taken from a deposit is likely to be higher than the grade of the ore that is eventually mined, even when allowance is made for dilution and other factors resulting from the mining operations. It would seem that this situation is due to the presence in the deposits of structural peculiarities which have not been properly taken into account, since estimating the average grade of the broken ore produced from the deposits does not present the same difficulty. It is therefore evident that structural considerations are of prime importance in estimating the grade of a deposit. This fact is clearly realized and taken into account in cases where the boundaries of the orebodies and the variations within them are easily recognized. But in many gold deposits this condition is not satisfied, a circumstance which can be regarded as the main source of difficulty. Lacking definite information concerning the structure, we are apt to use certain procedures which are either empirical or based on general probabilities.

Jan 1, 1945

By Robert S. Dewey

More wells were drilled in West Texas† during 1944 than in any year since 1941. As compared with 1943, there was an 82.5 per cent increase in the total number of completed wells. The 1646 wells required an estimated 140,715 days to complete for a total of 7,632,249 ft. An average of 85 completion days was required to drill to an average of 4630 ft. This depth is approximately 100 ft. greater than that of the previous year. It is estimated that $100,000,000 was invested in drilled wells. As of Dec. 31, 1944, there were 270 field and 91 wildcat wells being drilled. While an identical number of wells were drilling Dec. 31, 1943, the proportion of wildcats increased in 1944 from 19.7 to 25.2 per cent. During 1944, oil wells were completed in 103 of the 164 fields in West Texas. Of the 1361 oil wells, 385 were in Slaughter, 116 in Fullerton, 63 in North Cowden, 62 in Fuhrman-Mascho, 59 in Wasson, 52 in Westbrook and 47 in North Ward. Approximately 22 per cent of the wildcat drilling was to pre-Permian formations. Despite the increasing proportion of wildcat wells drilled, the wildcat discovery rate has declined since the year 1942. AS compared with 1943, the number of wildcat wells drilled increased from 11.7 to 12.7 per cent and the footage in wildcat exploration increased from 13.3 to 13.8 per cent of the total. The monthly production of crude continued to increase to a peak of 15,336,000 bbl. in October 1944. As compared with a similar peak production in October 1943, there was a 37.3 per cent increase. The yearly production increased from 98,165,-ooo bbl. in 1943 to 159,943,000 bbl. in 1944, an increase of 62.8 per cent. Based upon an assumed average price of $1.00 per barrel and less 1/8 royalty, the gross return to the producer amounts to $140, 000,000. From 1943 to 1944, the average number of producing wells increased 6 per cent while the average daily production per well increased 53.1 per cent. The average daily production per well increased from 17.5 bbl. in 1943 to 26.8 bbl. in 1944. The proportion of flowing wells decreased from 50.5 per cent in January to 49.1 per cent in December 1944. Drilling With the continued shortage of labor and materials, drilling costs have risen sharply. Just how much is difficult to ascertain. Owing to competition for available drilling rigs, contractors are reluctant to assume drilling risks. In consequence, some contracts are let on a cost plus basis, or day work below some specified depth with the operator furnishing part of the consumable materials, such as mud and drilling bits. Contractors are having difficulty in maintaining full and effective drilling crews with insufficient and inexperienced labor. Service companies have inadequate labor and equipment to meet their appointments promptly. Pipe Lines The Gulf Pipe Line Co. increased the capacity of its 10-in. main line by filling in gaps amounting to 75 miles on the loops between Judkins and Weatherford, Texas.

Jan 1, 1945

M. A. SCHEIL (presented in written form).-Messrs. Franks, Binder and Brown are to be congratulated for the splendid paper that they have presented. We have not made stress-corrosion tests with the cantilever type of specimen which they describe, but it is well known that a uniform stress across a certain portion of the gage length can be obtained with such a specimen. This type of specimen would appear quite expensive to make. The writer was interested in the authors' remarks concerning the erratic results obtained from specimens with cold sheared edges. It might be of general interest to record here some results we obtained with annealed sheet N4 in. thick of type 304 stainless steel. After specimen No. 4 had been exposed 65 days without any signs of cracking we applied a strain gage and measured the stress as 25,810 psi. This value is considerably higher than we find for some of the type 347 stainless alloys and suggests that 18-8 might have a different threshold value for stress-corrosion cracking than 18-8 columbium. The test data in Table I show that strain caused by cold work or polishing has a pronounced effect in lowering the time for failure. In my paper I showed values of 8 hr. and 17 hr. to stress crack cold-rolled type 301 stainless steel stressed beyond the yield point. This steel contained 8.31

Jan 1, 1945

By Kendall E. Born

Production of crude oil in Tennessee during 1944 was slightly more than 9500 bbl., about 1300 bbl. more than 1943. Approximately 8000 bbl. was produced from the "Mississippi lime" in Scott and Morgan Counties. Some half dozen wells in Clay, Pickett, and Fentress Counties, pumped intermittently, produced about 1500 bbl. This production is from rocks of Ordovician age ranging in depth from less than 500 ft. to approximately 1000 ft. Natural gas was marketed from wells in Morgan and Fentress Counties for consumption in the Sunbright and Jamestown areas, respectively. The production of oil by counties is shown in Table I. Developments There were 20 completions during 1944 totaling 19,615 ft., nearly twice as much as in 1943. One well was drilling on Dec. 31, 1944. Of the 20 completions, one was a small oil well soon abandoned. Three gas wells were completed which are used locally. The completions are listed in Table 2. The distribution of tests according to physiographic divisions is given in Table 3. Cumberland Plateau There were five completions in the northern part of Cumberland Plateau. One was a small gas well in the Cooper pool 3 miles west of Oneida, but an attempt to extend the pool to the south resulted in a dry hole. The most active area in the state during 1944 was the northern Cumherland Plateau, especially in Cumberland, Morgan, and Scott Counties. Several blocks, aggregating more than 500,000 acres, were assembled and leasing was continuing in the early part of 1945. Surface work has been, or is being, carried on by at least four companies. While in an area of past oil and gas production from the "Mississippi lime," the principal interest appears to be in the essentially unexplored pre-Mississippian possibilities. The Knox dolomite group of Cambro-Ordovician age is receiving some attention as a possible reservoir. As the year closed one well was drilling on a surface structure near Lantana, 6 miles southwest of Cross-ville. This test will be drilled into the upper part of the Knox. Late in 1944, it was planned to lay a gas line from northern Morgan County to Oneida in Scott County, a distance of approximately 20 miles. Middle Tennessee Fifteen wells were drilled in Middle Tennessee. In the northeastern Highland Rim area there were 11 completions, one

Jan 1, 1945

The First Conference of the Powder Metallurgy Committee convened in the East Foyer of the Hotel Waldorf-Astoria, New York City, at 9:45 a.m., on Feb. 21, 1944, Mr. John Wulff, General Chairman, presiding. THE CHAIRMAN.-In behalf of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers I welcome all members and guests to this conference on Powder Metallurgy. We hope that this meeting will give expert and novice in the field a chance for discussion. Unfortunately, the subject has been overemphasized by some, and, of late, severely criticized by others. We have here today powder producers, fabricators, and engineers of different viewpoints, who can make the meeting a success. Such success depends not only on the caliber of the papers presented but more so on the discussion. To give you time for a free exchange of views, the papers have been shortened purposely. With the hope that you will all benefit by this conference, I shall turn the meeting over to the Chairmen of the morning session, Mr. Roland P. Koehring, of Moraine Products Division of General Motors, and Dr. R. K. Waring, of the New Jersey Zinc Company. SESSION ON DESIGN FACTORS IN POWDER METALLURGY R. P. Koehring and R. K. Waring presiding The opening paper of the session was presented by Mr. Fred P. Peters, as follows:

Jan 1, 1945

By H. F. Silliman, Daniel R. Hull, John R. Freeman

In the normal operation of a brass-rolling mill, sheet and strip has, for the most part, been finished in comparatively thin gauges, involving a substantial amount of cold-work and a considerable number of anneals. This condition has been disturbed by the preponderance of cartridge brass, which is not rolled to thin gauges, and particularly by brass for artillery cartridge cases, on which the mill may finish its work at a thickness between 0.400 and 0.900 in. Obviously, the amount of rolling and the number of anneals to which such a product can be subjected are small compared with strip that is carried to a thickness of a few hundredths of an inch. As a result, critical examination into the internal condition of metal has been made on an extensive scale at a stage of manufacture that would not, in normal times, have been chosen for complete inspection. Under these conditions, a type of defect has been recognized that is not seen at thinner gauges. It might be more accurate to call it the appearance of a defect, since it refers to an apparently laminated, discontinuous structure, which, in fact, does not exist as such, and disappears after suitable treatment. For this reason it has been called a phantom lamination, which the authors consider an appropriate term. It is the purpose of this paper to describe the phenomenon and the conditions of its occurrence and, at least tentatively, to discuss its nature and cause. Great numbers of phantoms may be found in 2:r brass, either hot-rolled or cold-rolled. They are also found in 70-30 brass, sometimes when hot-rolled and generally when cold-rolled. It is not believed that phantoms are confined to these alloys but this paper is limited to them for the purpose of description. Hot-rolled 2:1 Brass For illustration, therefore, a typical cake of hot-rolled 2:I brass has been chosen. This was rolled to a slab 36 in. thick, from a casting 5 in. thick by 24 in. wide by 18 in. high, which was believed to have been sound. After hot-rolling and cooling, the slab was sheared and a portion of such a shear cut is shown in Fig. I. It would be difficult to convince anyone viewing this specimen that the metal was not unsound. The impression would be confirmed by the appearance of a tensile break, as shown in Fig. 2. This is an ordinary tensile-test piece from metal just described. Although there was nothing in its tensile strength or elongation that suggested unsoundness, it appeared run through with pipes and laminations. To question the reality of such a condition would imply questioning the obvious. But, considering the history of the metal, it would be difficult to believe that it could be so bad as it appeared. It seemed reasonable, though, that if the defects were what they appeared to be, they could be traced back from the sheared or broken face.

Jan 1, 1945

By Carl E. Swartz

The Joint Session on Continuous Casting, of the Institute of Metals Division and the Iron and Steel Division of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, convened in the Jade Room of the Hotel Waldorf-Astoria, New York City, on Feb. 23, 1944, at 9:15 o'clock, Carl E. Swartz presiding. C. E. SWartz.—It is gratifying to see so many out at what may seem an early hour for the beginning of A.I.M.E. sessions, but I think this number-—some fifty or sixty of you —is an adequate expression of the interest in these processes all over the United States, and possibly in foreign countries. I would like to ask those who feel that this type of program is of value to you to write or speak to some one of the Institute of Metals Division officers and suggest other topics for symposiums. We have a feeling that some of these current practices are of interest and we believe that under proper sponsorship many of the companies mill be willing to give publicity to processes such as those that will be discussed today. Also, we would like suggestions and criticisms, so that the next ones can be better. The subject of continuous casting is not new, of course. The two papers on the program this morning will adequately cover the history and some of the earlier processes, some of the theory and some of the practice, some of the reasons why these various methods did not work. I was rather interested in discovering, when thumbing through one of the A.I.M.E. publications tile other night, an article on continuous casting. I was not aware that the A.I.M.E. had published any papers on continuous casting, but there may be a number. The one that I happened to find was published in the 1915 volume, on the Mellen rod-casting process, and so we might say this is not the first session in which these subjects have been under discussion. However, there have been many improvements since then in all fields of metallurgical and mechanical engineering; consequently, I think that the papers today will be a little more involved and a little more complete in their technique. The first paper today will be given by one of our gentlemen of the press, who has done one of the outstanding jobs in this country in calling to our attention some of the newer processes that are being considered and being used in the metallurgical indus-

Jan 1, 1945

By L. E. Porter, H. P. Hassel

The state of California produced 310,-996,696 bbl. of oil and about 415,832,000 M cu. ft. of gas in 1944. Such oil production represented 18.5 per cent of the nation's production, as compared with 19 per cent in 1943 ,The tremendous demand placed upon the California fields is indicated by the monthly production in 1944, as follows: Month Barrels per Day Jan................... 809,262 Feb.................. 820,712 Mar.................. 824,592 .4pr ................. 829,973 May.................. 832,068 June.................. 846,038 July.................. 849,231 Aug.................. 858,932 Sept.................. 885,823 Oct................... 877,667 Nov.................. 876,613 Dec.................. 883,847 In all, 2100 wells in proved areas and 269 wildcats were drilled in California during the year 1944. At the end of the year, approximately 270 wells were drilling in the state, as compared with 156 wells at the same time in the preceding year. Nine new fields or new zone discoveries were made during the year, which, according to best estimates, will contribute some 77,000,000 bbl. of new reserves; in addition, the extensions of old fields will increase the new reserves about 165,000,000 bbl., or a combined total, through dis- coveries of new fields, zones, and extensions, of 242,000,000 bbl., offsetting to the extent of about 78 per cent the total oil produced during the year. Geographically, the reserves from these new field and zone discoveries and extensions are distributed as follows: Per Cent San Joaquin Valley........ 72 Coast Area............... 24 Los Angeles Basin Fields. . . 4 100 The state's reserves of crude oil at the end of the year have been estimated to be distributed as follows: The outstanding development project for the year was that of the United States Navy in the Naval Petroleum Reserve No. I, Elk Hills field. During the year, 115 wells were completed in this field, and at the close of the year an average of 19 strings of tools were drilling. This program is being jointly conducted by the Standard Oil Co. of California with the Navy and is designed to increase the production of Naval Petroleum Reserves from approxi-

Jan 1, 1945

By J. R. Long, A. H. Roberson, T. R. Graham, R. S. Dean

Experimental work on the properties of high-purity alloys of the copper-man-ganese-zinc system has necessarily required extensive metallographic work to determine the equilibrium conditions in this system. Previous work on these alloys is fragmentary and, unfortunately, based on alloys made with impure grades of manganese, thus introducing significant amounts of iron, silicon, aluminum and carbon. Since these elements are known to affect equilibrium conditions, it became desirable to re-examine these alloys made from the pure metals. The alpha solid solution field was of particular interest and, therefore, was chosen for the initial work, which was outlined to determine the composition limits of this field. Previous Work Heuslerl conducted an extensive survey of the liquid-solid regions of this system and also made an estimate of the solid-phase boundaries at 340°C. The pertinent part of his diagram is given in Fig. I, but it is of limited usefulness, since it applied to a single temperature only and is based on impure alloys under admittedly nonequilib- rium conditions. Bauer and Hansen,2 likewise working with impure alloys, have determined the phase boundaries for alpha-beta brasses containing small amounts of manganese and indicate an increase in the extent of the alpha field with increasing manganese. This is not in accordance with Heusler or with data obtained on pure alloys.3 They also described a third constituent precipitating in the alpha plus beta field below 350' to 400°C. but did not identify this constituent. Guillet4 and Heike and Ledibur6 have also noted this precipitate. Each of these investigators recognized that impurities present in the manganese could and did have an effect on the structure and properties of their alloys. Corson6 in particular pointed out the hardening effects of silicon, aluminum, and carbon in copper-manganese alloys and Heusler reported that his alloys containing more than 25 per cent manganese were extremely brittle. In all probability this brittleness was due to the impurities present. This early work, therefore, should be taken as a general guide for preliminary studies only, and high-purity alloys may be expected to produce different results. The work of the Bureau of Mines laboratories with electrolytic manganese has been briefly summarized by Dean7 but includes only a short section on this system. Later work3 outlined a limited portion of the alpha field in the neighborhood of 65 per cent copper, 10 per cent manganese, and 25 per cent zinc. The present work was under-

Jan 1, 1945

By V. L., McCutchan

FORM of ore bodies, strength of wall rock, and quantity of water that must be handled differ so greatly in the various districts in which the Corporation operates that a variety of mining methods have to be employed. All are underground, however, with the exception of glory holes at Cerro de Pasco from which siliceous silver pacos ore is obtained. In general, the ors is in many relatively small bodies unsuitable for hulk mining, such as caving or top slicing. The strength of the rock and ore rarely permit open stopes, though shrinkage is successfully used on various veins with strong walls, particularly in, Casapalca. Horizontal cut and-fill and square-set stoping with careful filling are the principal methods employed, with the necessarily higher cost for supplies and labor offset as much as possible by care in the avoidance of dilution. The mines at both Morococha and Casapalca are notoriously wet, and even at Cerro de Pasco the quantity of water was enough to retard deep development until the perfection of electric pumps. In Morococha particularly, the extension of successive levels, first from adits of moderate length, then from shafts and heavy pumping installations on the 750 and 1000 levels, and finally by the 30,564-ft. Kingsmill tunnel, was one of the most difficult and long continued fights against water and resulting heavy ground that is recorded in mining history.

Jan 1, 1945

By L. F. Bishop

THE ore bodies of the Butte district1 are found in many different vein systems having many different structural characteristics; some are narrow with self-supporting ore but with weak walls; some are wide with weak or strong ore and weak walls; some of the veins dip steeply and others do not; some have well defined walls, and others, in the "horsetail" area, are mined to sample limits. Consequently, many types of stoping methods are used in mining these ores. The stoping methods used in the Anaconda Copper Mining Company's properties are the square-set and cut-and-fill. The square-set method is the principal stoping method used because, generally speaking, the ore and walls are weak, the ore is high grade, and good extraction is required. These square-set stopes may be classified as conventional, vertical slice, slot, timber rill, and Mitchell slice types. The conventional type square-sets are those of various shapes and sizes, mined by horizontal slicing to the boundaries of the stopes. The rock is slid to the chute and the filling is moved by gravity. The ore and waste may be handled with a scraper when local conditions require it. The vertical-slice square-set system is the type used in narrow veins that are mined in vertical panels. The slot stopes are stopes in wide veins that employ a slot across the vein instead of a con- ventional chute to handle the ore. The timber rill fs a type of square set in which the ore is mined as in inclined cut and fill but the square-set timber is used. The Mitchell slice is the type used for some broken or heavy ore blocks, or for pillar extraction between two converging slot stopes. The cut-and-fill method is used where the ore will stand without much support although the walls may be weak. The principal type of this method is the horizontal cut-and-fill, with mechanical scraping. The inclined cut-and-fill, or rill, stopes are used in some veins too narrow for scraping. The production from the various meth: ods in use for the second six months of 1944 are shown in Table I. [ ] This paper deals mainly with the vertical slice and slot types of square-set stoping, because of their effect on production locally and their potential possibilities here and in other districts, with sufficient reference to conventional square-setting for comparison.

Jan 1, 1945

By J. H. Frye, R. M. Treco

One of the chief hindrances to an understanding of the hardness of solid solutions is the sparsity of suitable hardness data. There is great need of a large body of hardness data obtained from many different alloys of high purity by identical testing methods and corrected to correspond to a single grain size. A considerable amount of such data has been obtained by means of the Meyer analysis on copper-rich and silver-rich solid solutions. There are enough of these data to permit comparison of numerous alloys at equal solute concentration in these two solvents, but only in a few cases is it possible to construct hardness-concentration curves for any given alloy. Therefore additional hardness work on most of these alloys is desirable. The primary solid solutions of silver with cadmium, indium, tin, or antimony as solute are of special interest, since all elements are from the same period of the periodic table and since, as shown previously,l the hardening effect of equal percentages of these solutes is proportional to the lattice expansion produced by them. This paper presents the relation between hardness and concentration in the silver-antimony system from very dilute to nearly saturated solutions of antimony in silver. Experimental Procedure Alloys were made from silver, 99.99 per cent pure, and antimony, 99.975 per cent pure. Silver and antimony were placed in graphite crucibles that had an ash content of less than 0.7 5 per cent. These metals were melted and allowed to solidify in a vacuum, which, after melting was corn- . plete, was usually equivalent to 3 mm. of mercury. A high-frequency furnace was used. The ingots so obtained were worked and annealed to lessen segregation and to control grain size. Annealing was done in evacuated and sealed glass tubes. Hardness measuremeuts on specimens from these ingots were by means of the Meyer analysis.394 Using a 4-mm. ball, impressions were made under seven loads from 25 to 400 kg. The diameter of impression made under each load was measured. This enabled calculation of the constants in the well-known formula of Meyer. L = adn where L = load, d = diameter of impression, a = a constant, n = a constant The Meyer hardness is defined as P = L/i(1/4pd2) or P = 4adn-2/p Meyer hardnesses corresponding to d = I and to d = 4 are of especial interest, since the first corresponds to comparatively slight 'plastic deformation and the second to the maximum plastic deformation producible by penetration of the ball. These

Jan 1, 1945