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Examples are given of the different management approaches used to improve a mine's profitability and the view is put that attention to mine design is very important but easily overlooked. The need for humans to use graphics to ccanprehend and develop strategies to exploit ore deposits is discussed. The use of two and three dimensional representations for geology, mine design and survey data is reviewed. The current use of computers in mining is discussed and reasons for the limited use of ccanputer graphis are proposed. Suggestions are made as to how more extensive use may be made of catputer graphics in mining by using recent and possibly forthcoming advances in computer hardware and by adopting certain software approaches.

Jan 1, 1983

By Staude W, Rosser A

Due primarily to the publication of the Fitzgerald Report the impact of taxation on the mining industry and the amount of taxes actual- ly paid by the industry have become items of intense debate. However, the discussion has been governed more by impassioned rhetoric than considered logic. It is equally as wasteful to the economy for the mining industry as a low cost efficient export earner to be punitively taxed, as it is for the industry to be given excessive taxation assistance. A comparison of the effect of five tax- ation policies on the cash flow of a capital intensive mining project is presented. The policies considered are Liberal 1969, Liberal 1976 with and without the coal levy, Labor 1975 and Labor 1976. The mining project used in the analysis is modelled on published estimates for the proposed Nebo coal project. The analysis is equally applicable to any large mining or petroleum development.

Jan 1, 1977

By Jon P. Stone

The Automated Minerals Information System (AMIS) is an integrated data base system being developed to support the Bureau of Mines minerals information collection and analysis activities. The system facilitates cross-referencing and integration of domestic and foreign information from a variety of sources. The AMIS provides a central source of minerals information that is versatile and responsive to the needs of problem and policy analysts as well as supporting the needs of those involved in data collection and interpretation. As the AMIS becomes fully implemented, it will become an important tool in forecasting and assessing the impact of policy decisions that affect the supply and demand for minerals. The Bureau of Mines has long been the Federal Government's principal source of worldwide information on non-fuel minerals. Emphasis is placed on the analysis of mineral problems and policies as they affect the world's nonfuel mineral resources. To facilitate timely and accurate analysis, comprehensive data on 87 commodities are collected by various Bureau programs. Minerals information is made available through a number of periodic publications including the annual Minerals Yearbook and monthly Mineral Industry Surveys. These data collection and analysis activities have traditionally been supported by over 200 separate information processing systems. The Bureau of Mines has begun to implement a broad information strategy to provide a better response to the mineral problems and issues of the 1980's. The cornerstone of the Bureau of Mines information strategy is the development of the Automated Minerals Information System. When fully operational, we believe that the AMIS will provide the Bureau of Mines with the most comprehensive source of minerals information available anywhere in the world.

Jan 1, 1982

By James C. Scott

Compression and tension load testing were performed on bored concrete piles installed to depths of 18 to 34 meters below excavation levels for a large mixed-use development in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 900 mm diameter piles were installed in weathered graphitic schist bedrock. Load testing confirmed the side shear and end bearing capacities of the piles. The work formed part of the investigations for the 56,000 m2 site which includes a 79-story office tower, hotel tower, apartment tower, retail complex, and plaza area underlain by 4 to 6 basement levels. The paper provides the results of the site investigations, pile-load testing procedures, pile-load settlement behavior, and shaft load distribution.

Jan 1, 2007

By Charles E. Munroe

"It has been recently learned that certain foreign manufacturers are offering far importation into this country detonators at greatly reduced prices, some of these detonators being of such low grade (No.4), that their use would greatly increase the dangers in blasting.Detonators and electric detonators are used in initiating the explosion of the various high explosives that are now so extensively employed in a great variety of mining operations. Originally a large number of different grades (or ""strengths"") of detonators and electric detonators were marketed, the grade number indicating the weight of the charge of fulminating material contained in the copper case of the detonator. As late as 1914, a report of the Bureau of Mines (Bulletin 80, A primer an explosives for metal miners) shows that grades Nos. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, containing from 0.54 to 2.00 grams each, were being offered for use. However, the writer bad observed as early as 1896, when the more insensitive types of explosives like nitro-substitution explosives began to be introduced for use in mining and other blasting operations, that use of a high-grade detonator was essential to insure certainty of discharge."

Mar 1, 1921

By D. W. McDonald, N. A. Duke, R. L. Hauser

"The NERCO Con Mine is situated in the amphibolite facies aureole of the Western Plutonic Complex overprinting the Yellowknife Greenstone Belt. Metamorphic grade of the upright monoclinal basaltic succession decreases from hornblende-amphibolite facies along the border of the batholith to greenschist facies. Metamorphic isograds, subparalleling the faulted margin of the batholith, transect volcanic stratigraphy and coincide with major goldbearing shears.Gold mineralization is confined to north-striking, west-dipping shear zones where hangingwall amphibolite facies mineral assemblages retrogress to chlorite-carbonate-sericite-sulfide bearing schists hosting multiple generations of quartz-ankerite veins. The gold-producing portions of the Con and Campbell Shears occur where these structures transect an east trending thermal corridor. The corridor is defined by granitic plugs and a number of related breccia bodies, that can be traced outwards from the batholith across the greenstone belt.Prograde reactions of greenstone during amphibolitization effectively liberate fluids that partition metals. With retrograde reactions at shear zones, gold is precipitated with quartz due to the destabilization of sulfide and arsenic complexes. The coupling of regional prograde metamorphic and restricted retrograde metasomatic overprints suggest mineralization is temporally related to emplacement of the Western Plutonic Complex. Economic gold concentrations within the intrusive corridor indicates enhanced metamorphic overprint of hornfelsed greenstones enveloping satellite intrusives peripheral to the main batholith."

Jan 1, 1993

By Benjamin LeRoy Miller, Joseph T. Singewald

For a number of years Russia, India and Brazil have outranked all other countries as producers of manganese ores. During the 5 years immediately preceding the European war, the average annual production of Russia was 844,000, of India 694,000 and of Brazil 200,000 long tons. Since the outbreak of the war there has been a considerable falling off in the Russian and Indian production, particularly in the former, whereas the production of Brazilian ores has been greatly increased, amounting in 1914 to over 250,000 tons and in 1915 to nearly 350,000, with conditions favorable for a still larger production in 1916. Manganese is one of the few industrially important metals that are not produced in the United States in quantity commensurate with our needs, so that we have been compelled to import annually about 300,000 tons, having a value of over $2,000,000, and these ores have been obtained from the three countries mentioned above. Their rank as contributors to our imports of manganese ores was India, Russia, Brazil; and in 1913, Brazil contributed only one-fifth. During the past 2 years Brazil has furnished rapidly increasing quantities to this country, and, with the falling off of imports from India and Russia, has become our principal foreign source. In 1914, Brazil furnished two-fifths of the imports and more than India or Russia, and in 1915 over nine-tenths. The manganese ores of Brazil are consequently of more than usual interest to us at this time. The Manganese-Ore Distbicts of Brazil , The manganese mining industry of Brazil dates from the year 1894, and since that year the total production has been over 3,000,000 tons. With the exception of a small quantity produced in the State of Bahia from deposits west of the City of Bahia, this output has come from the

Jan 1, 1917

By Pedro Henrique da Rocha Silva

Os tratamentos de borbulhamento de gás nas panelas são parte essencial para melhoria da cinética de todas as reações, diminuição de zonas mortas e remoção de inclusões. O presente trabalho teve o objetivo de caracterizar as bolhas da pluma na panela usando fotos tiradas por uma câmera de alta velocidade e assim avaliar seu diâmetro e sua área superficial. Foram utilizados três plugues porosos situados no fundo da panela, com áreas de injeção diferentes e testadas diferentes vazões de injeção. A partir dos valores encontrados, foram feitas considerações sobre os processos de refino dentro da panela.

Oct 30, 2017

By D. Strachan

Installation of support in known poor ground intersections during reaming operations requires rapid access to stabilize the shaft wall and thus to prevent the loss of the shaft through scaling. This is especially relevant to shafts of long dimension where the duration from time of exposure to time of support installation is lengthy This paper deals with the innovative methodology employed at Harmony?s No. 8 Shaft 17/24 level sub ventilation shaft to rapidly support a shale intersection between 23 and 24 Level by employing a single deck stage suspended from the reamer head by means of Skyjack winches.

Jan 1, 2009

By Todd M. Ruff

The lack of visibility near earthmoving equipment resulted in six fatalities in U.S. surface mining operations during 2003. These accidents were the result of either a piece of equipment striking another vehicle or worker, or the equipment traveling over the edge of an embankment. Figure 1 is an example of a recent accident that resulted in serious injuries to one worker and fatal injuries to two others when a van parked in front of a haul truck. Two fatalities occurred in separate incidents when front-end loaders struck workers. Another two workers were killed when their equipment backed over the edge of a highwall or dump point [1]. There is clearly a need to provide better information to equipment operators regarding their surroundings. [ ] Researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Spokane Research Laboratory, are working to reduce these accidents by developing systems that sense obstacles and changes in terrain near the equipment and provide this information to the operator. Many off-the-shelf proximity warning systems that were developed for automobiles, light trucks, and recreational vehicles were evaluated on off-highway dump trucks [2]. Many limitations were found with existing systems, including frequent false alarms, limited detection range, a lack of specific information on an obstacle (e.g., location, identity), difficulties in finding suitable mounting locations, and an inability to withstand the environment. These limitations have necessitated the development of new systems designed specifically for large, off-highway, earthmoving equipment. New off-the-shelf systems available for mining equipment include radar and tag-based detection systems. Prototype systems now being developed include a proximity warning system based on the Global Positioning System (GPS) and a computer-assisted stereovision system. Development of these new systems was accomplished by working with manufacturers to modify existing systems to meet the needs of surface mining and through cooperative research with organizations to develop completely new solutions. A typical proximity warning system consists of a sensor or antenna mounted on the equipment that detects the presence of obstacles and an alarm interface in the cab of the equipment. Some systems, as described in more detail below, also require that other vehicles and personnel on the ground be outfitted with electronic tags that transmit an “I’m here” signal back to the system (e.g., radio signal detection systems or GPS). Many types of proximity warning systems are on the market, but they are not all discussed in this paper. APPROACH In past work, engineers at NIOSH evaluated several off-the-shelf proximity warning technologies in order to verify their effectiveness on off-highway dump trucks [2]. Dump trucks were chosen because of the number and severity of accidents involving this type of equipment and because extensive blind areas around these trucks are typical. This experience allowed engineers to limit the number of systems chosen for long-term tests at mine sites to those systems showing

Although technology and circumstances are in a constant state of change, the principles of managing the human element remain constant. The isolated mining community continues to form the backbone of the minerals industry but the nature of the isolation, along with the economic and political environment of the industry, is changing. These changes require new inputs by management to the workforce. Management must determine an effective working relationship with unions on its mine site and concurrently contribute to the build- up of the expertise of the individual worker through training and communication. It must also retain a proper balance, by way of human contribution, in cost and information reporting and in other areas amenable to computerisation. These comprise the aids to management necessary to achieve the desired operating efficiency and profitability.

Jan 1, 1980

By P. M. Jones

Introduction The success of in situ leaching depends upon: • maintaining adequate injection and recovery flow capacities in wells, and • distributing leach solution effectively to contact and leach ore minerals within the target zone. Solution balance is an important indicator of the capability of a particular in situ hydrologic design to efficiently and effectively control and distribute leach solution within the target ore zone. As part of ongoing hydrological investigations into in situ leaching, the US Bureau of Mines (USBM) is studying factors affecting solution balance in an unsaturated copper ore deposit at the Cyprus Casa Grande Mine. The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of hydrogeologic features and in situ operating conditions on changes, during leaching, in: • solution storage within the deposit, and • solution balance. At the Casa Grande Mine, In-Situ-Leaching Test Facility, solution balance estimates are obtained for 10 selected intervals during 17 months of leaching under a variety of well configurations, pressures and flow conditions. Operational and geological description The Casa Grande Mine is located 32 miles south of Casa Grande, AZ. The mining area is within the Casa Grande Deposit, a porphyry copper stock consisting primarily of an intensely-fractured, granodiorite cap overlying a copper sulfide base. As a result of mine dewatering activity, unsaturated conditions existed in the deposit prior to leaching (Schmidt et al., 1990; Friedel and Schmidt, 1991). No groundwater was present in any of the in-situ-leaching, test-facility wells after drilling and prior to leach solution injection. Also, no ground water seepage occurs in the test-facility drift. The Casa Grande, In-Situ-Leaching Test Facility consists of 58 injection and recovery wells collared in an underground drift. The wells were drilled at various angles into the granodiorite deposit in a series of 15 divergent fans (Fig. 1). The fans are 12.5 ft apart and lie parallel to one another between the 900- and 1100-level drifts. Each fan contains three to five wells drilled at angles ranging from 6° to 89° from the horizontal. The wells can operate in an injection or a recovery mode. Currently, 36 flow sensors and 28 pressure transducers (part of a hydrologic, data acquisition system) are used to continuously monitor injection-well flow rates and pressures.

Jan 1, 1993

Abstract-This paper discusses the fundamental question, "what is an adequate sample size?" in the light of recent developments regarding parameters of Gy’s well-known formula for predicting sampling variance. New understanding of the granulometric factor, g, and the liberation factor, l, had significant impact on the results of calculations involving Gy’s equation. For the granulometric factor, justifications are given as to why nominal comminution size should always be reported as P95 (i.e., the screen size rejecting 95% of the mass). A small but important change in the model to estimate the liberation factor makes the difference between a predictive formula that works or does not. Other parameters and considerations regarding their practical implementation are commented upon in light of the author’s experience.

Jan 1, 1998

By K Gottliebsen

Many hydrometallurgical and chemical processes produce large amounts of acid waste. This is illustrated by the copper S/X-E/W process used at the Mount Gordon mine in North Queensland, which produces a tank house bleed in the form of a concentrated sulphuric acid stream. The bleed stream is necessary to remove impurities such as iron that decrease the efficiency of the electrowinning process. However, this bleed stream comes at a high financial cost due to large quantities of make up sulphuric acid required as well as the need to neutralise the bleed stream prior to disposal. The present work describes the approach taken to develop a solvent extraction process for the selective recovery of sulphuric acid from copper tank house bleed liquor. The proposed extraction system was investigated using a branched long chain aliphatic tertiary amine tris(2-ethylhexyl)amine (TEHA) as the extractant, Shellsol 2046 as the diluent and octanol as a modifier. Computer simulations were used to determine the optimum operating conditions for the recovery process. It was found that the process was able to selectively recover up to 90 per cent of the sulphuric acid from the copper electrolyte. This is recovered as a pure aqueous acid stream at a concentration of up to 130 g/L that can be recycled back into the tank house circuit or other areas of the process. The raffinate acid concentration was reduced from 180 g/L to as low as 18 g/L, significantly reducing waste disposal and the environmental impact of the copper process. The equilibrium data and simulation results were also compared with an alternative extractant, CYANEXR 923. Finally the efficiency of the TEHA extraction system was investigated on a pilot-scale in a pulsed perforated plate column. This information was used in order to scale the process for an industrial application. The same methodology applied in this case study could be used to provide innovative and cost-effective solutions to waste streams encountered in other hydrometallurgical or chemical processes.

Jan 1, 2000

By A. M. Marabini, G. Belardi, E. Spaziani

The objective of this research was to investigate the possible application of integrated circuits to the concentration of talc from the Valmalenco mine, located in northern Italy. The investigation was aimed at producing a high-grade product (low in impurities such as iron and carbonate) that would be suitable for industrial applications. Because of the presence of accessory minerals, the talc concentrate from this ore is not, at the present time, suitable for industrial applications.

Jan 1, 1996

By Shiro Ban-ya, John Chipman

The effects of many alloying eletnents on the acticity coefficient of sulfur in liquid iron have-been studied by the equilibriutn in the reaction Sfin Fe) + Hz = HzS at 1550°C'. Results are expressed in terms of a concentration variable for a nonmetallic or for a substitutional metallic solute. Activity coefficient of sulfur, defined as increased by B, Al, C, Si, Ge, Sn, P, As, Sb, Mo, W, Co, and PI. It is decreased by Cu,Au, Ti. Zr, V, h'b, Ta, Cr, ,23n, and Ni. Irulues oj. the interaction coejficient 0i = 6 In are labulated. The same interactions are expressed also in terms of atom fraction and of weight percent. The thermodynamic properties of sulfur in liquid iron have been fairly well established. Our recent paper1 reported new determinations of activity coefficient up an atom fraction of 0.12 and equations based on a careful review of all published data. The effects of alloying elements on the activity of sulfur have been studied by several investigators,2"11 especially by Morris and Williams for silicon,' by Morris and Buehl for carbon,~ and by Sherman and Chipman for manganese. phosphorus, and al~minum.~ However, the effects of some important alloying elements remain to be determined. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effects of many alloying elements on the activity of sulfur in Fe-S-j ternary systems. EXPERIMENTAL METHOD This study was based on experimental determination of equilibrium in the reaction at 1550°C: The same apparatus and procedure as described in our previous paper have been retained, and the same corrections were applied for dissociation of H2S. The alumina crucibles used in the experiments consisted of four separate compartments. In a given experimental run. kach of three alumina crucibles held four different samples of about 3 g each which reached equilibrium in the same gas atmosphere and temperature. The charges were made up of electrolytic iron, pure iron sulfide, and desired alloying elements, which were pure metal or master alloys made in the laboratory. The weighed samples were held for 4 to 12 hr in the prepared atmosphere at 1550°C. They were then low- ered to be cooled as quickly as possible. The quenched metal beads were crushed to avoid the errors of segregation in the ingot. The sulfur content was determined gravimetrically and alloy content by appropriate chemical analysis. CALCULATIONS The apparent equilibrium constants of Eq. [I] are expressed as follows from the corrected gas ratios and sulfur concentrations: The term K" is the observed equilibrium constant in any given ternary solution, K' is the value for the Fe-S binary solution. and the limiting value of K' in the infinitely dilute solution is designated by K, which is the true equilibrium constant in Eq. [I]. In the thermodynamic treatment of nonmetallic elements in a metallic solution, it has been suggested1' that the lattice ratio has certain advantages over other variables to express the concentration of solute. In interstitial solid solutions the lattice ratio zj is proportional to the ratio of filled interstitial sites to those which remain unfilled. The equations derived for the activity of the solute using zj as the concentration variable are found also to be applicable to liquid solutions containing nonmetallic solutes when the nonmetal is treated as if it were interstitial. For this purpose we adopt the following definitions: The quantity vj which is negative for interstitial solutes is taken as -1 for nonmetallic and +1 for metallic solutes. For purposes of calculation however ; j may be assigned a value which results in a linear relation such as shown in Figs. 1 to 15. The activity coefficient of sulfur, Qs, and equilibrium constant. K(z). are defined as follows: According to a Taylor series expansion. the logarithm of the activity coefficient of sulfur in Fe-S-j ternary system is: However, the value of 6 In */6zi remains constant through a broad range of dilute solutions and the terms of higher order are negligibly small. As a consequence, Eq. [6] is simplified as follows:

Jan 1, 1970

By F. McIntosh Galbraith

THIS paper describes the use of the magnetometer, under geological direction, in exploration of the Sudbury nickel district. The writer's experience at Falconbridge has led him to the belief that only through detailed work, and by careful correlation of both geological and geophysical results, can geophysical prospecting methods be applied successfully to mining exploration problems. It is hoped that the basic technique described in the paper will be found to have general application.

Jan 1, 1942

By L. C. Morganroth

Magnesite both Massive and Crystalline MAGNESITES are. of two general classes-massive and crystalline. Massive magnesite occurs in serpentine, being formed by the breaking down or decay of serpentine-making minerals or rocks as olivine, etc. (All the magnesia contained by the olivine is not liberated, as a portion goes to make up the serpentine; the breaking up of this serpentine later forms more magnesite.) Serpentine in various stages of transformation is found in the vicinity of magnesite deposits. Massive magnesite is very widely distributed. It is found in Greece, . California, Africa, India, Australia, Mexico, South America, and deposits of varying sizes occur in several of the European countries. Those on the Island of Euboea, Greece, are probable the most important deposits of this character of magnesite. They have been worked for a number of years, the principal quarries or mines being 3 miles in the interior from the village of St. George. (St. George is on the west coast of the island, between the towns of Limni and Khalkis.) (Figs. 1 and 2). -The magnesite occurs in veins or lenses in serpentine. Some of these lenses are very large; one worked several years ago was approximately, 50 ft. in thickness, 75 to 100 ft. high and 300 ft. or more in length. The magnesite is pure white and makes a very prominent feature of the landscape. While massive magnesite is widely scattered over the world, many of the deposits are in veins too thin to work. The usual mode of occurrence is in the form of stock work, the deposits in Venezuela, Mexico, and many of those in California, being of this form. The veins vary in thickness from the thinness of paper up to several inches, running in all directions, occasionally leading to a mass or nucleus of some,size. The spaces between the veins are filled with a disintegrated serpentine in the form of sand. Several of the deposits in California would probably be workable, if they were more favorably situated with reference to transportation, but by far the majority of the deposits are too poor to work. At one deposit,

Jan 9, 1914

By J. S. Aronofsky, H. J. Ramey

Potentiometric model studies of the five-spot water flood to determine the influence of mobility ratio upon injection or production histories are described. The results suggest a method for the correlation of data from field pilot tests for the estimation of an effective mobility ratio and its effect upon field water floods. The effect of the well spacing-to-well radius ratio upon production histories is presented. A method of accounting for this factor is suggested. The influence of injection (or production) rates and injection and production well pressures upon production histories is shown. The five-spot well pattern was investigated for water-to-oil mobility ratios of 0.1 to infinity. INTRODUCTION It has been well established that mobility ratio has an important effect upon flood patterns.1,2,3,4,5 It should be equally apparent that injection and production histories must also be influenced by mobility ratio. However, none of the articles referred to above mention the importance of being able to predict the effect of well pressures (or injection rates) during the entire time history of a waterflood operation. A complete description of production histories (the terms "injection" and "production" are synonymous for the steady-state model under consideration) would provide values for well pressures and interface positions at any time for a specified injection rate. conversely, if the waterflood problem is specified in terms of a constant injection well pressure, then it would be desirable to know the injection rate and interface positions at any time. This paper describes the results of potentiometric model studies which were used to analyze the influence of mobility ratio on injection or production histories. A method is presented for calculating production histories over a range of ratios of well spacing-to-well radius. The basic method described in this paper to evaluate production histories is to: (1) determine interface position as given in Ref. 1, and (2) measure electrical current and voltage drop for each interface position. It should be mentioned that the current state of knowledge on flood patterns as affected by mobility ratio shows that significant discrepancies exist between the results of various investigators2,3,4,5. It is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss the reasons for such discrepancies. However, the method of determining production histories presented in this paper could be applied to any of the swept-area patterns presented in the literature. All results given in this paper are based on a set of swept areas obtained by the potentiometric method. Potentiometric analyzer technique is adequately described in the literature, but the basic assumptions involved in work of this nature bear repetition. It is assumed that: 1. A distinct oil-water interface exists in the reservoir; only water is mobile in the region behind the interface (water zone) and only oil is mobile in the region ahead of the interface (oil zone). 2. There is a fixed mobility value, (k/µ) w associated

Jan 1, 1957

By Hans-Jürgen Schaller, Horst A. Brodowsky

Activity coefficients of boron in palladium were determined at concentrations up to PdB0.23 by reducing B2O3 between 870" and 1050°C in a controlled H2-H2stream and measuring the resulting weight gain. The deviations from ideal behavior closely resemble those of the system Pd-H and are interpreted in terms of three principles: 1) The solute atoms occupy octahedral interstitial positions. 2) They donate their valence electrons to the 4 d and 5s bands of palladium, raising its Fermi energy. 3) The lattice strain energy is lower for two nearesl -neighbor interstitial particles than for two farther separate ones. SOLID solutions of hydrogen in palladium are a useful subject for studying thermodynamic aspects of the formation of alloys and of nonstoichiometric systems.1-3 The activity of hydrogen is readily measurable to a high degree of accuracy,4'5 even at low temperatures where the deviations from ideal behavior are more pronounced, and its simple structure facilitates an interpretation of these deviations in terms of a detailed model. Two effects are discussed to account for the non-ideal properties:3 An "electronic" effect, connected with the rise of the Fermi energy, as electrons of the interstitial hydrogen atoms enter the electron gas of the metal, and an "elastic" effect, due to an interaction of the regions of strain around each interstitial atom. The electronic effect is based on the idea that the lowest energy levels of the dissolved hydrogen atoms are higher than the Fermi energy, so that the electron will not occupy a localized state but enter into the electron band of the metal.6 The elastic effect is based on the observation that dissolved hydrogen distorts and expands the palladium lattice. The hypothesis is put forward that the elastic strain energy is lower for two adjacent dilatational centers than for two separate ones; i.e., they attract each other. The resulting pair interaction can be used to calculate an elastic contribution to the thermodynamic excess functions by means of one of the statistical methods. This model permitted a detailed description of the solution properties of hydrogen in palladium3 and in palladium alloys.798 An extension of the approach to describe the excess functions of substitutional palladium alloys is possible.9 In order to further test and refine the model, an investigation of other interstitial alloys was started. Palladium dissolves considerable amounts of boron in homogeneous solid solution.10 The palladium lattice expands linearly up to nB = 0.23 (nB = B/Pd atomic ratio), the highest concentration studied." The expan- sion, extrapolated for 1 mole of interstitial per mole of palladium, is 17 pct of the lattice constant of pure palladium vs 5.7 pct in the case of hydrogen.12 The fact that the lattice expands rather than contracts is a strong indication that interstitial positions are occupied. According to neutron diffraction experiments, hydrogen occupies the octahedral sites of the fcc lattice.13 Unfortunately, this direct evidence is not available for the Pb-B system, mainly because of the high-reaction cross section of boron with thermal neutrons. However, by way of analogy and on the grounds of the rather close similarities between the two systems to be reported here, it seems safe to attribute octahedral positions to the dissolved boron, too. At higher boron contents, compounds of stoichiomet-ric compositions are reported such as Pd3B, which has the structure of cementite,14 so that a close structural relationship seems to exist with the system r Fe-C. In their study of hydrogen absorption in Pb-B alloys, Sieverts and Briining noted that alloys with an atomic ratio of about nB = 0.16 are no longer homogeneous15 This observation was confirmed in an extensive X-ray investigation.11,16 The phase boundaries of two miscibility gaps were established. One two-phase region was stable below a transition temperature of about 315°C and extended from nB = 0.015 to 0.178. The other one extended from nB = 0.021 to 0.114 slightly above the transition temperature and had an apex at nB = 0.065 and 410°C. All phases involved have the fcc structure of pure palladium with lattice expansions proportional to their boron contents. The occurrence of miscibility gaps, i.e., the coexistence of dilute and concentrated phases, points to an energy of attraction between the dissolved particles, in the Pb-B system as well as in the Pd-H system. The filling up of the electron bands seems to be analogous, too, in the two systems, as indicated by the hydrogen absorption capacit15,17,18 and by the suscepti bility of Pd-B alloys.l8 In both types of experiments, boron acts as an electron donor. A chemical method was used to measure the activity of boron in palladium. Boron trioxide was reduced in a moist hydrogen stream: B2O3 + 3H2 = 2B + 3H3O [l] At known activities or partial pressures of boron trioxide, hydrogen, and water, the activity of boron could be calculated from the law of mass action. The equilibrium concentration of boron corresponding to this activity was determined as the weight gain of the sample. EXPERIMENTAL The samples consisted of small pieces of foil of 0.1 mm thickness and about 100 mg weight. The palladium was supplied by DEGUSSA, Germany, and stated to be

Jan 1, 1970