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By Albert J. McIntosh

In discussing the petroleum products situation the first thing that comes to mind is "what is happening to gasoline." Is the consumption increasing? How is the export market? What about imports? Are stocks on hand too high? Have we produced too much? This paper will attempt to answer these questions. Consumption of gasoline (motor fuel) in the United States in spite of the depression and the chaotic conditions of many industries has increased during 1931 about 2 per cent over 1930. This favorable factor was offset by a severe contraction in exports, which fell off about 30 per cent from 1930. This drop in exports was so large that very little more export business was done than in 1926 or 1927. Taking all demand combined, there was a decrease from the peak year of 1930 of nearly 11,000,000 bbl., amounting to slightly over 2 per cent. The units of the industry, though, should have expected some decrease and governed themselves accordingly. Let us see what they did. They reduced imports over 3,000,000 bbl., which helped. Production was cut 3,000,000 bbl., but this was not enough, so that stocks increased 1,800,000 bbl. whereas during the previous year stocks were reduced 2,500,000 bbl. It is apparent, therefore, that something was done to keep the industry in balance in regard to gasoline, but not enough. If the year had ended on Sept. 30, we could have said that production had been cut 19,000,000 bbl. and stocks had been reduced from the previous year, but the excessive production during the last three months of the year changed everything. It is a strange thing and worthy of note that the price of gasoline fell to its lowest levels when apparently the greatest improvement was being made, and that during the last quarter of the year prices started to improve, when, in spite of an improvement in total demand which approximated 1930, an excessive production caused an uneconomic condition to set in. Stocks on hand on Dec. 31 were unquestionably too high, possibly 10,000,000 bbl. more than was needed for a strong condition to obtain. It seems almost unbelievable that the industry would continue to produce

Jan 1, 1932

By Robert F. Randolph

Real-world levels of attenuation from hearing protection devices are usually much lower than the rated values obtained under near-ideal circumstances. The shortfall is even more extreme for earplugs than it is for earmuffs, primarily because of the complicated process of fitting the plugs within the ear canal. This study examines the use of a commercially-available lubricant for hearing aids to determine whether it would facilitate improved fit and attenuation for earplugs. In this experiment, ten participants inserted earplugs with and without using the lubricant. Average attenuation was assessed with the Real-Ear-Attenuation-at-Threshold (REAT) technique, and showed over 5 dB improvement when the lubricant was used. Participants obtained an 85% mastery rate using the lubricant versus a 50% mastery rate without. These results indicate several possible applications for improved earplug performance in real-world settings where hazardous noise is unavoidable and effective hearing protection is necessary.

Jan 1, 2008

By William P. Blake

The mineral, garnet, is a common associate of copper-ore in the southwestern portion of the United States. This association may be observed on a large scale in southwestern Arizona, in southern New Mexico and in Sonora, Old Mexico, especially at El Cananea, and at Nacozari. At other localities in Mexico the general occurrence of garnet " as a contact metamorphic mineral" in the copper-deposits of the Cretaceous limestone is noted by José G. Aguilera.1 It is usually found at the contact of this limestone with diorites, granites, etc., at numerous mines. The same authority also cites the occurrence of garnet in metamorphosed Cretaceous limestone alongside of diorite dikes in association with iron-ore. Other foreign examples are found in the Banat and Servia, at Rezbanya in Hungary, and Offenbanya in Transylvania, and at Bogoslovsk in the Urals. In New South Wales, at Broken Hill, the gangue in the Proprietary mine is chiefly garnet, with quartz, opal and rhodonite.2 Also, in a recent paper by George Smith, entitled, " The Garnet-Formations of the Chillagoe Copper-Field, North Queensland, Australia,"3 it is shown that in the copper-field of Chillagoe, Australia, where there are many lode-formations, about one-half of the number are garnetiferous, and many of this garnet-type are associated with magnetite, which is regarded as of analogous origin. The two minerals are found merging imperceptibly into each other. These examples suffice to show the very general and wide distribution of garnet as an associate of copper-ore. In addition to the localities already mentioned as known in Arizona may be mentioned the copper-mines and occurrences

Jan 1, 1904

By J. B. Austin

In considering so complex a process as the smelting of iron in the blast furnace, there is obviously no single method of calculating efficiency that gives a complete appraisal of the performance of the furnace in all its several functions; such a comprehensive view as is required to evaluate producing ability and manufacturing costs for a given furnace is obtained only by considering a group of efficiencies, each of which measures the performance of the furnace from a specific point of view. For instance, there is the rate of consumption of coke per ton of iron produced, which is probably the most frequently considered, and is certainly one of the most important of the group; there is the efficiency of recovery of iron charged; and there is the efficiency of utilization of energy, both chemical and thermal, in some respects related to the former two yet in other ways independent of either. In each of these cases, the calculation can be made on the basis of the actual input of material or energy, or it may be based upon a comparison with the minimum amount of material or energy that would be required by a "perfect" furnace; that is, an imaginary ideal furnace analogous to the perfect steam engine used in thermodynamic calculations, when this furnace is operating under optimum conditions. Moreover, the furnace itself can be considered either as an apparatus for smelting iron or, taking a somewhat less common point of view, as a gas producer yielding iron and slag as by-products. Some of these efficiencies are more useful than others, yet all are instructive; for a knowledge of them not only leads to good engineering practice from the standpoint of control but also discloses limits to possible improvement in performance and indicates the lines along which improvement is most likely to be profitable. Estimates of some of these efficiencies have appeared from time to time in the literature, but many of them are open to objection because they are based on data of uncertain accuracy or because they have been calculated without due regard to the thermodynamic principles involved. Moreover, so far as the author is aware, no general survey of the blast furnace comparing its performance in all the aspects mentioned has been made.

Jan 1, 1938

By Reinhard Gnilsen

Ground pillar control in soil and weak rock often represents a critical and sometimes a determining factor for mined underground civil structures. A concept is desirable that minimizes the restrictions possibly imposed by pillar control requirements on geometrical tunnel characteristics and on the mining operation itself. Conventional concepts are discussed and an alternative concept is introduced. This concept reduces pillar control requirements to ground control measures required with "regular" tunnels. The conventional model of pillar mechanics with potential yielding of a ground body in more than one direction, is then avoided. Due to the complexity of pillar mechanics, the level of engineered design furnished to the contractor is crucial to optimizing ground pillar control. Conventional versus alternative contractual arrangements for pillar control are described and their important role is illustrated. The concept introduced relates to principles inherent to the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM). However, tunnel projects using other mining concepts can employ alternative ground pillar control principles as well, if certain criteria are observed. Case histories in the United States and abroad are presented and the impacts from different concepts of ground pillar control are illustrated. The paper concludes by analyzing concept characteristics that can infer monetary impacts on both the owner and the contractor.

Jan 1, 1987

By Luís Marcelo Marques Tavares

Pelotas de minério de ferro representam uma parcela significativa do mercado transoceânico de minério de ferro, contando com uma participação importante de empresas brasileiras. Pelotas concorrem favoravelmente com granulados e sínteres de minério de ferro na carga metálica de fornos, em particular devido à sua elevada resistência à degradação durante o manuseio e transporte. Entretanto, pelotas ainda sofrem desse problema, que resulta na geração de finos, removidos previamente à alimentação do forno, ou de cacos, que podem resultar no aparecimento de clusters em fornos de redução direta. Esses efeitos danosos da degradação podem ser minimizados caso uma metodologia adequada de caracterização de pelotas e de simulação do processo de manuseio se encontrasse disponível. O presente trabalho trata do desenvolvimento de metodologia inédita e inovadora para previsão de resultados de degradação de pelotas, desde a usina pelotizadora até o pátio ou forno do cliente, desenvolvido como parte da parceria entre o Laboratório de Tecnologia Mineral da COPPE/UFRJ e a Samarco Mineração. O trabalho mostra ainda uma validação preliminar a partir de um ensaio de quedas múltiplas em laboratório, mostrando ótima aderência. Um simulador do processo foi desenvolvido, o qual permite inserir as características das pelotas produzidas, bem como o fluxograma de manuseio, permitindo prever a intensidade da degradação.

Aug 16, 2017

By Howard K. Worner

Several features of smelting and refining operations make them appropriate technology to adapt to the processing of "wastes" not only from the minerals Industry itself, but for wastes in general. These features include significantly higher temperatures than are achieved in conventional Incinerators and also good thermal stability derived from the mass of molten metal and slag in the furnace. This paper expands on Information contributed to the Mervyn Willis Symposium in July 1992 and includes knowledge generated in the last two years of waste processing R&D in a sealed 100kg capacity DC arc furnace specially constructed for the "Environment" process being developed in Wollongong. As one product of-the process is a foundry-type iron, the feed always contained ferruginous dusts or heavily contaminated scrap. For the dusts, sewage sludge has been used as a binder and also as a proportion of the fuel-reductant. To achieve the necessary bath carburisation, It is beneficial to add other lower reactivity carbons such as "kish' graphite, carbon from electrode butts, dusts from coke ovens, carbon from aluminium pot line residues, dry cell batteries etc. Metallurgical factors involved In process control, Including metal and slag, compositions, are discussed.

Jan 1, 1994

By Frederick F. Sharpless

The term "segregation," as here used, means the separation of certain natural resources into groups, consisting of one or more members, with the idea that when thus segregated, each group may be more easily and effectively administrated. We may, for example, consider surface rights as distinct from underground rights, and stop there; or we may go further, and deal separately with timber, water, and agricultural rights, or, going underground, we might deal separately with such groups as precious and base metals, clay, oil, gas, etc. The present paper contemplates only the separation so far as practicable, for administrative purposes, of surface from mineral rights. " Classification," in this paper, has reference to the groups into which the government has divided, is dividing, or will hereafter divide its natural resources; first, into the broad classes of mineral and agricultural lands; and, second, into coal, oil, phosphate, brine lands, etc., the central idea being the separation into natural groups for the purpose of simplifying administration and for the purpose of encouraging maximum development and minimum waste. The two subjects are in some respects quite distinct, but as my argument develops, I think it will be obvious why they are discussed in the same paper. In the pursuit of our professions as mining engineers, geologists, or operators, we are continually confronted by conditions with which our present mining laws or regulations are incompatible. It may be a conflict, hardship or injustice, a piece of favoritism, or of unnecessary red tape; or we may see lack of development in a promising locality, and wonder what is the reason. Often we can see where a modification, slight or radical, in the laws would have obviated the difficulty without doing harm to any of those immediately concerned. Such alterations as individuals could intelligently suggest would be based on a relatively small number of situations occurring in their experiences. The published replies to the queries formulated by the various committees on mining law appear generally to reflect personal experience. Concerning a few points, there is a marked uniforhity of opinion, while on other points opinions

Jan 1, 1915

By M. Hansen, C. C. Wang

THE 6 phase of the Cu-Sn system (Cu,Sn, = 32.53 pct Sn) was considered to be stable down to room temperature until Owen and Iball showed by X-ray analysis that it undergoes a eutectoid decomposition into the a and e phases at a temperature near 300°C. Their findings have been confirmed by other investigators,2-5 a11 of whom used X-ray diffraction studies of powdered specimens. The transformation temperature has been reported by various authors as lying between 300" and 380°C. To our knowledge, no microscopic evidence of the eutectoid reaction has been published, as yet. It was in connection with other work that longtime annealings at 300°C were conducted with alloys containing 22, 32.6, and 35 pct Sn (nominal compositions) prepared from electrolytic copper and electrolytic tin and cast in a small iron mold. The specimens were first annealed at 700°C for 5½ hr and quenched from 400 °C after cooling to, and annealing at, that temperature for 9½ hr. After this treatment the sample with 22 pct Sn was cold worked for 15 pct reduction in thickness; the 32.6 and 35 pct alloys were too brittle to be cold worked. The final anneal at 300°C was done in a sealed pyrex glass bulb for 63 days. Fig. 1 represents the microstructure of the annealed alloy with 22 pct Sn. It shows primary a solid-solution crystals in a matrix of the (a + 8)-eutectoid formed at 520 °C. The a crystals contain 8 inclusions which precipitated from a due to the decrease in the solubility of tin in copper with fall in temperature. The decomposition of the 8 phase into a (light) and E (dark) can clearly be seen in some areas of the (a + 8)-eutectoid matrix. However, the decomposition is far from being completed, even after the long-time anneal used. Figs. 2 and 3 depict the microstructures of the annealed 32.6 pct alloy, which was intended to consist entirely of 6 phase. Due to some loss in copper on melting, the composition is slightly higher in tin. Accordingly, the sample after quenching from 400 "C consisted of grains of the 8 phase with the e phase arranged along the grain boundaries and as a Wid-manstatten precipitate within the 6 grains. After an annealing time of 63 days, the eutectoid decomposition, 6 + a + e, is still in its early, initial state. The pearlitic type of eutectoid is nucleated at the c crystals, preferably those surrounding the grain boundaries of the 8 phase. The appearance of the (a + €)-eutectoid in the 35 pct Sn alloy was very similar to that shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Again, the eutectoid decomposition nucleated at the 6 phase and proceeded from there into the 8 areas. As is evident from Fig. 2, the rate of decomposition of the 6 phase at 300°C is extremely sluggish: In the representative area shown only about 5 pct of the 8 phase has undergone the eutectoid trans- formation after annealing for 63 days. On the other hand, Owen and Williams2 have reported that X-ray photographs of powdered samples with between 17.5 and 34 pct Sn did not show 8 lines after annealing for only five to seven days at 300°C. This is in accordance with the fact that the rate of reaction in powdered samples is higher than in massive specimens, as a result of the excess free energy of the powder (due to its greater surface area). The authors wish to express their thanks to C. A. Johnson for preparation of the micrographs.

Jan 1, 1952

Bauxite Resources Limited is grade drilling in its Western Australian Darling Range tenements to firm up resource definition and to develop mine plans. The Darling Range bauxite is generally in shallow deposits with minimum overburden. In the northern tenements, the ore is characterised by a higher silica layer which may extend from 0.5 to 1.5 m below, which high grade bauxite is found to a depth of four to 7 m. When grade drilling samples are taken, every 0.5 m and the recovered sample is weighed, logged and bagged. To eliminate splitting errors, the whole sample over the short interval is pulverised. Twinning holes variations are observed when using various drill rigs. Diamond core has been shown to give close to 100 per cent recovery and grades have been verified by digging bulk samples. As such, diamond core is used as the reference. It is intended to include sonic drilling as an alternative to diamond cores. This presentation details and attempts to explain the reasons for the observed variations in the various drilling methods used by Bauxite Resources Limited. This is an ABSTRACT ONLY no paper was prepared for this presentation.

Mar 1, 2010

By Juarez Linhares

A mini sinterização processo JL patenteada sob o número PI-9202973-6, é caracterizada por soprar o ar pelo fundo da panela, dispensando o uso de grelhas, caixa de ignição além de proporcionar um baixo consumo de energia elétrica, o que se traduz em vantagens técnicas e econômicas ao processo de sinterização.

Aug 16, 2017

By Van Barnefield J G

This paper is based on an evaluation project engaged upon jointly by Mount Isa Mines Limited nnd" IBM Austra]ia Limited. Mount Isa Mines Limited produces most of its copper from large underground open stopes within massive orebodies. Variations in the position and shapes of these stopes can result in improved metal recovery. An interactive graphics system has been developed to assist the mine design engineer optimise his design. The system can assist the engineer throughout the orebody visualis- ation, initial design and optimisation phases of his design. At any stage the engineer may call upon the display of gridded mesh data, digitized ore outlines or existing stopes or development (drives, cross-cuts). This information may be viewed in plan or any vertical section or in three dimensions with rotation. Tonnage and grade calculations may be quickly performed for initial stope outlines or for modifications to them during the optimisation phase. The system design is highly modular. An array of functions for the manipulation of coordinate and line information may be linked with the development or stope design functions in whichever way the designer desires.

Jan 1, 1977

Since 1958 there have been 16 major coal mine explosions in the U.S. claiming 323 lives. Whilst the exact cause of a number of these incidents has not been determined, the majority has involved gas ignitions in one way or another. In addition there have been fatal gas explosions in salt mines and vapor explosions in oil mines. Furthermore, many of the oil shale mines in the U.S. have proven to be gassy giving cause for concern. Compounding these problems is the fact that frictional ignition of methane in coal mines has dramatically increased over the past several years; over 100 such ignitions were reported in 1979. While, no fatalities have been attributed to frictional ignition in the U.S. since early 1978, a recent mine explosion in Nova Scotia which resulted in 11 fatalities was attributed to a frictional face ignition. Research being conducted at the Bureau of Mines is aimed at the prevention and suppression of gas explosions. Emphasis is placed on new coal cutter bits for reducing ignition frequency, machine-mounted water sprays for preventing frictional face ignitions and automatic devices for quenching incipient ignitions and fully developed gas explosions.

Jan 1, 1981

By Néstor D. Córdova

El presente trabajo revisa las técnicas empleadas y las condiciones previas para el sostenimiento y construcción del tunel Gandolini de la unidad minera Julcani. En esta perspectiva, el túnel sirvió de base para realizar las investigaciones de campo, obteniéndose así la información básica para un mejor entendimiento del comportamiento del macizo rocoso con miras a la solución de los problemas que planteaba su construcción. Por ello, la mecánica de rocas como técnica empleada, evalúa la alteración al equilibrio del macizo rocoso en el que se construye el túnel. Asimismo, se establecen criterios para la determinación de las cargas del techo y se los relaciona a los diferentes parámetros de diseño para llegar al cálculo del sostenimiento, dándose finalmente los aspectos prácticos relacionados a la selección de los tipos de sostenimiento más adecuados.

Oct 14, 1980

In 1803 the purchase of the immense territory called the province of Louisiana wm arranged between Thomas Jefferson, President of the United States, and Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of France. This central portion of what is now the United States was claimed in 1682 by the explorer Robert de La Salle for France, who continued to hold her title to the vast domain until 1762, when it passed by treaty to Spain, only to be retroceded to France in 1802, in consequence of Napoleon's military domination of Spain. Jefferson did not care to see New Orleans and its extensive hinterland pass into the hands of France. Spain did not matter so much; she was quiet and feeble, whereas France was restless and aggressive under Napoleon, who had dreams of founding a French colonial empire on the American continent. The expression of American feeling that Jefferson elicited came as a surprise to Napoleon, who concluded that a contest was not worth while, for his navy had been shattered by the English, and it was evident that only maritime supremacy could enable him to retain this trans-Atlantic possession; so he resolved to put it out of the grasp of England and at the same time replenish his military chest by selling Louisiana to the United States. The price was 60 million francs. By the terms of the Louisiana purchase a magnificent territory was added to the national domain; it covered more than a million square miles, or more than the total area of the United States at that time. Louisiana included the present States of Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Oklahoma, with parts of Colorado, Idaho, and Minnesota; but

Jan 1, 1932

By Tianfei Liao

Extensive site investigations revealed that abandoned shallow mine workings exist under a site planned for construction of a major new facility. Since the mine voids were susceptible to collapse, they were stabilized by grouting. After completion of the mine remediation, three types of deep foundations (micro-piles, auger-cast piles, and drilled piers) were considered for this site. Micro-piles spread the load via the bond between the pile and the bedrock. Without significant length socketed in rock, the axial load of auger-cast piles and drilled piers has to be concentrated on end bearing. Although spreading the load is preferable in this environment, economic consideration dictated the choice of drilled piers for construction.

Jan 1, 2009

By S. R. Goodman, Hsun Hu

The rolling texture transition in copper as a function of deformation temperature is found to be quite similar to that in high-purity silver. The ordinary copper type texture changes gradually to the brass type, accompanied by an increase in the stacking fault frequency, as the temperature of deformation decreases. The rolling textures obtained at low temperatures and the corresponding annealing textures compare remarkably well with the ordinary rolling and annealing textures of low-zinc brasses. Furthermore, it is also found that the observed stacking fault energies of copper specimens deformed at low temperatures correspond closely with those of low-zinc brasses, as deduced from measurements of the dislocation nodes. These results are consistent with the idea that texture transition may be significantly dependent on the stacking fault energy. It was shown in a series of previous publications1"3 that the rolling texture of high-purity silver changes gradually from the common silver type (or the brass type) to the copper type* with increasing temperature *The silver or brass type rolling textures are commonly described as (110)[112],4,5 whereas the copper type rolling textures are mainly (123) [a121 and (146)[211].5 Other ideal orientations have been used by various investigators for the copper type rolling textures, but the actual difference among these ideal orientations is rather small. of deformation, and that such texture transition can be correlated with the change in stacking fault frequency as a function of rolling temperature. Furthermore, it was shown that the formation of annealing textures in high-purity silver from the various rolling textures obtained during the course of texture transition depends entirely upon the deformation texture. From a common silver type or brass type rolling texture (such as produced by rolling at 0" or at 50° C) the recrystallization texture is mainly (120)[211], which is quite different from the recrystallization texture of brass.* However, for both ma- terials the orientation relationship between the rolling texture and the recrystallization texture can be expressed in terms of similar rotations around [Ill.] axes of approximately 30 or 35 deg. They differ in that the [Ill] rotational axes are different. In the case of high-purity silver, the axes of rotation are the two (111) poles near the plane normal of the deformed specimen with a (11l)[112] type rolling texture, whereas in brass, they are the (111) poles near the direction of rolling. For high-purity silver with a predominantly copper type rolling texture (such as produced by rolling at 150° or 200°C) the recrystallization texture is mainly (100)[001], or the cube texture, plus its twin orientations. It was shown previously6 that such reorientation observed in copper or aluminum can be described as [Ill] rotations of 30 to 40 deg. For intermediate cases, i.e., when the rolling textures are composed of a

Jan 1, 1963

By G. Wayne Clough

During shallow tunneling in an urban environment, deposits or pockets of saturated soil or fractured, weathered rock are often encountered. Under such conditions, special problems with tunnel support, underpinning of structures adjacent to the tunneling, and/or flow of groundwater into the tunnel occur. If the ground conditions are appropriate, i.e., the soil is sandy, silty or fissured, or the rock is weathered or fractured, the solution to these tunneling problems may be chemical stabilization of the ground. Injection stabilization as an aid to tunneling is practiced extensively in Europe and its use is increasing in the U.S. The advantages of this technique over conventional solutions can be substantial in terms of cost and time, especially in mechanized tunnel boring where even a small zone of soft ground can bring the tunneling to a complete halt. In this paper European practice in using chemical ground stabilization for urban tunneling will be reviewed. In contrast to previous papers which have dealt with specific applications (1,5,8,9) this paper will broadly cover the subject, addressing itself to grouting techniques, costs, the reasons for grouting, philosophy of the users towards grouting, design of grouting solutions (or lack thereof) and methods of quality control. Differences with U.S. grouting practice are also noted. The information presented is derived from several visits to Europe, discussions with European and U.S. grouting personnel, and the available literature (2). The author's most recent European trip was made under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Transportation in conjunction with a research study being performed at Stanford University; a detailed report of this visit is available in reference (6).

Jan 1, 1976

For many years the occurrence of gold in the Coeur d'A1ène region had been rumored among the pioneers of the Northwest. It is stated that as early as 1853 gold was discovered in this district by Donelson, of the Stevens expedition, but the hostility of the Indians prevented prospecting. In 1858, when Lieutenant John Mullan surveyed the military road across the Bitter hot mountains, the members of his expedition, most of whom had mined in California, noticed sundry outcrops of good-looking quartz, and some of them actually found gold, as is recorded in a letter that Mullan wrote, from Washington, in 1884. The first successful prospector in the Coeur d' Alène was Tom Irwin, who worked a quartz vein on the Mullan road in the spring of 1879. Two years later he met A. J. Prichard, who was engaged in the lumber business; he told him what he thought of the chances of placer mining in the upper reaches of the Coeur d7AlBne river. This was in 1881. Prichard became keenly interested, and himself found gold on several creeks, one of which is now known by his name, at a place close to the site of the town of Murray.* In 1883 Prichard located a number of claims, and shortly afterward he wrote a letter to the members of a Liberal League to which he belonged, inviting them to "secure the lion's share" of the mineral wealth he had uncovered. His letters caused a stampede from Montana and Colorado, and from South Dakota also, to the Coeur d'Alène gold belt in the summer of 1883. A town, named Eagle City, was surveyed; in 1884 lots sold at prices ranging from $200 to $2000. The buildings were made of logs and shingles. Shoveling of the snow in' front left s

Jan 1, 1932

By John H. Hollomon

IN a recent paper,1 a very early suggestion by Ludwik2 concerning the nature of the mechanical behavior of metals has been reexamined and extended. In essence it was [ ] suggested that there exists, at least under certain conditions, a mechanical equation of state; that the stress required for flow depends upon the instantaneous values of the strain, strain rate, and temperature, and not upon their past values. It is proposed that under these circumstances the stress does not depend upon past history of these variables, but is like the temperature of a gas that depends only upon the I instantaneous values of the pressure and volume. This notion has not been applied to present day studies of metals, though it is especially applicable to the study of creep. It is the purpose of this paper to analyze the significance and possible range [ ] of applicability of this idea and to deter- mine how it influences the accepted ideas concerning creep. STRESS-STRAIN RELATIONS It is well known that the stress-strain curves of metals are influenced by both strain rate and temperature. For a fixed strain rate and temperature there is associated with each metal a stress-strain curve. If either the strain rate or temperature is changed a new stress-strain curve will be characteristic (Fig. I). A much more general relation between the effects of the sevariables is possible, however. Consider the stress-strain curves of Fig. I determined at

Jan 1, 1946