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By J. D. Lubahn, R. P. Carreker, J. G. Leschen

The formation of slip bands in crystalline solids undergoing plastic deformation has recently been treated as a problem of nu-cleation and growth.' A simplified theory was developed and shown to be qualitatively consistent with certain experimental observations reported in the literature, such as the frequent failure of slip bands to traverse the entire crystal, the effect of specimen diameter and temperature on the yield stress, and the occurrence of incubation periods in the deformation of suddenly loaded crystals. The theory further predicts the appearance of transients in the rate of strain of a crystal when the applied stress is suddenly changed from one constant value to another. A transient consists of a discontinuous change in the strain rate followed by a gradual approach to a steady-state value. Such transient behavior apparently has not been recognized in previous experimental work. The preliminary experiments reported in the present paper were undertaken to confirm the existence of the predicted transients and thus to determine whether a more detailed treatment of the nucleation theory of slip might be theoretically and experimentally fruitful. Experimental Procedure A simple creep apparatus was assembled as shown in Fig I. Very little insulation was used on the furnace in order to facilitate rapid changes of temperature. Temperature was measured with a thermometer placed in the center of the furnace and was controlled by adjusting the Variac setting. The specimens were cold-headed in split-cylinder grips. The strain was measured as total elongation by a dial gauge sensitive to I/I0,000-in movement of the weight pan. Since the specimen gauge lengths were

Jan 1, 1949

By Walter H. Bruckner, George B. Clark

Since the end of World War 11 interest has been increasing in the use of shaped charges in the mining industry and in other industries using explosives for blasting purposes. Shaped charges employ the principle known as the "Munroe effect," which was discovered by Charles E. Munroe more than 50 years ago (in 1888). Details of their design have been explained elsewhere.1,2,3 Fig I shows the essential features of design of two types of shaped charges (with conical and hemispherical cavities) and a schematic sketch of their action upon detonation. The following discussion deals with the behavior of the metal in the cavity liners when they are subjected to intense Pressures exerted when the explosive charge is detonated. Among the conclusions reached in research on shaped explosive charges, the following have been established conceming cavity liners:1'2 I. The optimum wall thickness of a conical cavity liner is dependent upon the apex angle of the cone as well as On the base diameter of the charge. Acute apex angles require thinner walls for optimum perfonnance and more obtuse angles require thicker walls for the same base diameter. '. Cones were more effective in forming a penetrating jet when the walls were tapered; that is, the thickness of the wall of the cone increased from the apex down. 3. The physical and mechanical properties of metals have a marked effect upon their performance as cavity-liner material. Boiling point, ductility, malleability, ten-sile strength, and hardness are among the properties that influence the effectiveness of a metal used as a cavity liner. Lead, for example, makes a wide, flat crater in steel plates. Aluminum makes a deeper crater than lead, and an aluminum alloy having a high tensile strength makes a deeper hole, but slightly smaller in diameter. Cast iron makes a deep, narrow hole. These findings, together with the following analysis under Metallographic Survey of slug, offer solutions to many of the problems involved in solving the mechanism of the formation of Munroe jets. It has been fairly well established that cavity liners collapse in a manner similar to that indicated in Fig 2, Conical liners are known to collapse upon themselves while hemispherical liners are believed to turn inside out in the process of jet formation. The first has been definitely proved by recovery of collapsed portions of cones, while liners from partly detonated charges show that hemispheres may turn inside out. Fig 3 shows a sketch of a recovered slug from a 6-in. shaped charge using a 45" cone made of cast iron. (This size of charge drilled holes up to 3 ft in depth in solid granodiorite.)

Jan 1, 1949

By B. L. Averbach, M. Cohen

Many hardened steels contain significant quantities of retained austenite even in cases where the carbon and alloy contents are low. In fact austenite has been detected in plain carbon steels containing as little as 0.50 pct carbon.1 Although the austenite may not be visible metallographically it causes definite dilatometric and magnetic effects during subsequent tempering or sub-atmospheric coo1ing.l,2,3 Therefore if the reactions which hardened steels undergo during later treatment are to be understood in quantitative fashion it is most essential to have some kind of absolute analysis for the austenite content in hardened steels. Once this analysis has been made, the austenite transformations can be followed precisely by observing such sensitive phenomena as changes in length or in magnetization but the latter techniques can only determine differences in the amount of retained austenite and usually an independent method must be found to put these differences on an absolute basis. In certain instances the microscope can be used advantageously to determine the percentage of retained austenite. The quenched sample is tempered to "darken" the martensite with minimum decomposition of the coexisting austenite, and then is polished and etched in the usual fashion. If the austenite is clearly distinguishable from the tempered martensite and other possible constituents its volume percentage can be measured quantitatively by point counting or lineal analysis.4 Such microscopic methods, however, depend on the etch being sufficiently discriminatory. In fairly coarse structures, if the austenite content is greater than 10-15 pct, there is probably little smearing of the etch, and point counting or lineal analysis seems to be quite accurate. On the other hand if the structure is difficult to resolve, as in commercially treated fine-grained . steels which contain less than 10-15 pct retained austenite, the latter may be completely obliterated by the dark etching martensite or it may appear disproportionately low as the interfaces between the two constituents become difficult to distinguish. Another disadvantage of the metallographic method is the need for "darkening" the martensite and hence the determination cannot be applied to as-hardened steels. The required tempering may spoil the structure for other tests or may even remove a small part of the austenite which is being sought. X ray methods hold more promise for covering the range under 15 pct retained austenite. Although austenite and martensite in the hardened steel may be chemically identical, their crystal structures and lattice parameters differ, and the intensity of an austenite diffraction line is some continuous function of the percentage of re-

Jan 1, 1949

By W. Tempelaar Lietz

The Ten Section oil field is located in the San Joaquin Valley in Kern County, California. about 12 miles southwest of Bakersfield in Township 30 South, Ranges 25 and 26 East. The accumulation is in a low relief anticlinal dome and has a productive area of approximately 2,200 acres. Discovered in 1936 as a result of seismic work, it was the first field on the floor of the Valley to obtain production. It had a small primary gas cap, and since its inception has been produced by depletion with controlled withdrawal from the gas cap to minimize blowthrough. STRUCTURE AND STRATIGRAPHY The Ten Section structure is an elongated anticlinal dome with flank dips of only about 7 degrees. A map of the field, now fully developed, and a composite log are shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Contours shown on the map are on the top of the first zone, or Marker XA as indicated on the composite log. As shown, the field has a productive closure of only some 350 feet, and there apparently is no faulting in the reservoir. The productive measures in Ten Section are of Upper Miocene age and are known as the Stevens sand. They contain thin, irregular shale or siltstone streaks which vary considerably in stratigraphic position and thickness and apparently are rather discontinuous. As a result, individual sands and shales cannot be correlated over any appreciable area, which makes it difficult to subdivide the sand body into separate zones which are distinct throughout the field. However, there are two fairly persistent siltstone bodies that at the time of development were considered to divide the productive measures into three - zones. The first, or uppermost zone is productive over the entire field and has an average thickness of 180 feet, of which some 65 per cent is sand. It had a primary. gas cap in the crestal area with an areal extent of 930 acres. The second zone has a productive area somewhat smaller than the first zone, but it did not have any original gas cap. It has an average thickness of about 360 feet, of which 55 per cent is sand. The third zone has a very limited areal extent and a maximum productive thickness of 100 feet, of which 80 per cent is sand. Recently, a deeper oil accumulation, termed the "53" sand, was discovered, but it is not discussed in this analysis. In the first and second zones the water table was at 7,980 feet subsea, while in the third zone it was at 8,080 feet subsea. RESERVOIR CHARACTERISTICS Sand Characteristics The Stevens sand in Ten Section is hard and well consolidated, and numerous wells were cored for core analysis. Core data on four representative wells are shown, plotted beside the electric logs in Figs. 3 to 6. The average porosity is 20 per cent, with porosities ranging from 15 to 30 per cent. It is estimated, from cores taken with oil base muds, that the interstitial water content is about 40 per cent. The average weighted permeability is approximately 140, with measured permeabilities ranging from 10 to 3,000 md. As might be expected with practically no correlation of individual sand

Jan 1, 1949

By James A. Barr

PUMICE and pumice are varieties of volcanic ejecta formed from lavas of the more silicic types. Chemical analyses of pumice, pumicite and perlite, from which synthetic pumice is now produced, will generally fall within the limits 65 to 75 pct silica, 9 to 20 pct alumina, less than 8 pct combined alkalies (sodium and potassium oxides), less than 3 pct calcium and magnesium oxide, less than 3 pct iron oxide, with smaller amounts of manganese, titanium, phosphorus and other oxides. Perlite is characterized chemically by having, in addition to the percentages of oxides given above, as high as 6 pct combined water. PROPERTIES Pumice is a natural silicic foam glass produced by volcanic eruptions. The molten glass foam, upon rapid cooling, trapped the steam and volcanic gases that caused it to remain extremely porous and vesicular in structure. Pumice is found in the form of large lumps several cubic feet in volume and also in grains only a few millimeters in diameter. Chemically, pumicite is of the same range of composition as pumice. The distinction between pumice and pumicite is one of particle size; the coarser materials are pumice; the fine particles, an appreciable percentage of which is in the range of 100 to 325-mesh or finer, are pumicite. If the erupting volcano ejects a silicic lava containing much gas and water vapor, the sudden release of pressure tends to free the gas. The viscosity of the lava, its rate of cooling and the amount of gas evolved, all have part in determining the degree of expansion of the glassy particles and the fineness of the vesicle. If the lava is of the correct viscosity and there is not too much gas, a pumice may be formed. Large amounts of gas may cause complete disruption into pumicite.30 In 1916, Barbour gave the name "pumicite" to the volcanic ash of Nebraska and since then the name has been widely used in industrial circles for the finer-grained commercial varieties. The glass of pumice and pumicite is transparent and colorless. It

Jan 1, 1949

By McHenry Mosier

MeRcuRy is one of the strategic metals of which the supply has been raised from critical uncertainty to more than enough for essential demands. Work by the Bureau of Mines has contributed substantially to increased production of mercury in the United States and to consequent accumulation of Government stocks. Other contributing factors have been higher prices for mercury and Government loans to operators. The Bureau has undertaken 13 exploration projects, 10 of which have been completed. This work has comprised 28,376 ft. of several types of drilling and 23,798 lin. ft. of surface trenching, and has indicated commercial ore containing 34,800 flasks of mercury and marginal ore containing 26,200 flasks, a total of 61,000 flasks; equivalent, respectively, to domestic production for 8 months, 6 months, and 14 months. As Government stocks are now adequate, domestic production (currently at the rate of 50,000 flasks per year) is gradually being curtailed through Government control of labor and operating supplies. Introduction Mercury was one of the seven metals designated as strategic by the Army and Navy Munitions Board in 1939, when Congress appropriated funds for the investigation of domestic sources of supply of war minerals. The Bureau of Mines immediately started a limited search for strategic minerals, but the first mercury project was not begun until December 1940. The U. S. Geological Survey assisted in the search for cinnabar by contributing information on domestic mercury deposits, preparing maps, and making geological studies of exploration projects. The present high rate of production of mercury in the United States was encouraged by the increase in price to $196 per flask at New York (Fig. I) and Government loans to operators for mine development and plant construction. The Bureau of Mines has issued, for restricted distribution subject to wartime controls, 13 War Minerals Reports on individual mercury deposits (listed in appendix A). In March 1942 it also published a Progress Report of the Metallurgical Division, R. I. 3627, Cinnabar-reduction Plants of the Southwestern Arkansas Quicksilver District. Uses of Mercury Mercury and its compounds have more than 3000 uses. Its principal use is as a catalyst in the manufacture of gases for chemical warfare; the next largest is in pharmaceuticals. Mercury is essential also for: (I) certain electrical apparatus, (2) industrial control instruments at many war plants, (3) munitions, including blasting caps, (4) insecticides in agriculture, (5) antifouling paint for ship bottoms, (6) dental preparations, (7) general laboratory use, and (8) amalgamation of free-milling gold ores.

Jan 1, 1949

By E. Lee Cameron

Summary Records of the past show that the first mineral production in what is now the Province of Manitoba consisted of salt, obtained about the year 1800 by the evaporation of brine. Also at an early time in our history, the Ordovician limestone at St. Andrews Locks, East Selkirk, and other localities was quarried for use as building scone in the construction of forts and fur trading posts. Both salt and building stone are still produced in Manitoba, although not from the original sources. In addition, there is now a substantial production of a variety of other industrial minerals and their products such as lime, crushed stone, gypsum, peat moss, and bentonite. The annual dollar value of production of the industrial mineral industry in Manitoba is today greater than at any time in our past and is derived from a greater variety of products. At the present time, exclusive of the various gravel pits operated by the Provincial Department of Public Works, twenty companies operating thirty-four separate pits, quarries, or mines are producing industrial mineral raw materials in Manitoba. This paper attempts to outline the development of the industry from its start about 1800 to the present, giving general information on the various materials produced. Some suggestions regarding the possibilities of establishing new industries based on other raw materials are given at the end of the paper.

Jan 1, 1949

By W. R. Hibbard

The increased strength of a polycrystal-line metallic aggregate compared with that of its individual crystals generally has been associated with complex stress distributions at the grain boundaries resulting from atomic irregularity between grains. This disregistry, together with the necessity for adjacent crystals to deform compatibly regardless of the single crystal crystallo-graphic strain mechanism, complicates this mechanism so as to increase the metal's resistance to deformation. Although Taylor1 has shown from purely mechanical considerations the requirement for at least five active slip systems to absorb the complexities during the homogeneous deformation of polycrystalline face-centered cubic metals, experimental studies by Barrett and Levenson2 indicate that this is feasible only in a qualitative sense because of deviations from homogeneous deformation. Seitz and Read in their review3 state: " Unfortunately . . . present knowledge of the grain boundary influence is not sufficient to complement the work in single crystals and provide us with a good foundation for treating polycrystals." The purpose of this investigation was to attempt to clarify the gap between single crystals and crystalline aggregates by an analysis of the effects of dcformational stresses. Some of the results were described by C. H. Mathewson in his 1943 Campbell Memorial Lecture.zl Previous Investigations Since the performance of single crystals deformed under pure stresses has been relatively thoroughly investigated, the most significant researches are concerned primarily with deviations from single crystal behavior of large grained specimens. Qualitative grain boundary effects involving the observed amount of slip werc reported by Carpenter and Elam5 in 1921. Individual crystals in a two or three grained aluminum specimen deformed by tension acted in the normal manner described by Taylor and Elarn4 except for marked modifications at the grain boundaries. There the power to withstand deformation was considerably increased, leaving a ridge on the specimen where decreased slip occurred, often noticeable yi in. from the boundary. Adcock,6 Yamaguchi,' Seumel, Hirstg and others have also reported this phenomenon as a qualitative trend. Yet attempts by O'Neill'o and Ljunggrenll to measure a difference in hardness at grain boundaries in undeformed specimens were unsuccessful. Miller12 measured quantitatively the reduction in slip near the boundary between the single crystal and polycrystalline areas of zinc specimens. These effects consisted of two parts: I. Next to the polycrystalline interface thc distribution of stresses was so altered

Jan 1, 1949

By J. T. Fyles, C. G. Hewlett

"THE TOWN OF Salmo, rail centre for the Salmo lead-zinc mining district, is in southeastern British Columbia 26 miles by road east of Trail an about the same distance south of Nelson. The belt in which the mines occur is a few miles east of Salmo and extends about 6 miles north of the town and 17 miles south and southwest to the International Boundary. The belt includes the H. B. mine of The Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada, Limited, the Jersey mine of Canadian Exploration Limited, the Reeves MacDonald mine, and the Jack Pot property of New Jersey Zinc Explorations Limited.Since 1949, the Jersey and Reeves MacDonald mines have produced most of the lead and zinc in the district. From 1949 through 1954 these two mines together produced a total of 233,134 ounces of silver, 87,659,399 pounds of lead, 215,708,856 pounds of zinc and 475,397 pounds of cadmium. This amounts to more than 80 per cent of the total production of lead and 95 per cent of the total production of zinc from the district since the first recorded production in 1906. Reserves at the largest properties amount to several million tons of ore containing 4 to 7 per cent combined lead and zinc. Several prospects are potential producers.Regional StructureThe main structural units in the Salmo area are outlined in Figure I, and the major rock units of the stratigraphic column are listed in the following table. The lead and zinc deposits are replacements in a highly deformed limestone formation near the base of the Laib group, and all mineralized zones are on the south and east side of structural unit 2 (see Figure I)."

Jan 1, 1949

By Th. G. Sahama

This paper contains some new heat-of-solution measurements of geikielite (MgTiO3), limonite (FeTiO3), fayalite (Fe2SiO4), and a natural forsterite in mixed acid (HF +HCl) and gives the results of a thermodynamic attack on the problem of stability of geikielite in rocks.

Jan 1, 1949

By A. J. Shaler, J. Prieto Isaza, J. Wulff

Tantalum metal has a number of unique properties which give it widespread application in modern technology and in research. In electronic apparatus involwing high temperatures in vacuo some of the refractory metals 6ecome brittle. Tantalum retains its ductility at elevated temperatures, and this property, together with its low vapor pressure and its ability to absorb gases, make it important in this field. Its chemical inertness in the presence of acids, halogens, and other corrosive media, makes it useful in chemical apparatus and in neuro and orthopedic surgical applications. As an addition to tungsten carbide in steel-cutting grades of cemented-carbide tools, the carbides of tantalum and of its sister element colum-bium have found considerable use. The present-day method1 of manufacturing tantalum is to sinter a powder compact of the metal in vacuo. Because tantalum-columbium alloys are difficult to work and since tantalum ores almost always contain columbium, the two metals must be separated chemically, the products of the separation being generally in the form of potassium tantalum fluoride and potassium columbium oxyfluoride. These salts are used in fused-salt electrolytic baths from which coarse metallic powder is deposited as a sponge at the cathode. Finer powder can be made from the coarse product or from tantalum scrap by first submitting it to an embrittling heat treatment in hydrogen and then crushing it. The fine hydrogen-containing powder may subsequently be degassed in vacuo at a high temperature. Prompted by the success of others2,3 in the magnesium reduction of titanium and zirconium halides; one of the authors undertook4 an investigation of the thermochemistry of the reaction between solid magnesium and gaseous tantalum penta-chloride, a subject which had not previously been studied. He found that the heat of formation of tantalum pentachloride is approximately 364,250 cal per mol at temperatures lower than the melting point of magnesium. A value of 83 units was found for the standard entropy at these temperatures. With these values, it was shown that magnesium and tantalum pentachloride are capable of reacting exo-thermically at temperatures less than the melting point of magnesium, and that no great violence is to be expected when these substances are heated together. The exothermic nature of the reaction indicated that the Drocess should be efficient and should not require much externally applied energy. Tantalum pentachloride is not commonly made commercially, and any process using it therefore involves the subsidiary problem of producing and handling this substance. A series of experiments was carried out in which dried chlorine saturated with carbon tetrachloride was passed over heated tanta-

Jan 1, 1949

By Constantine C. Popoff

During 1946 several limestone deposits near Fortson, Snohomish County, Wash., were examined by the Bureau of Mines. These examinations were part of a long-range investigative program of regional mineral supplies required by the anticipated industrial development of the Pacific Northwest. The .study outlined in the following paper was specifically undertaken to disclose new sources of high-purity limestone and to appraise, their economic aspects. The deposits examined -namely the Galbraith, Climax, and Hi, Hi -are somewhat similar in physical features and geologic environment. They are lenticular and belong to the same formation of metamorphosed sediments that underlies the prominent Whitehorse Ridge.

Jan 1, 1949

By Frank H. Riddle, Wilfrid R. Foster

GENERAL treatment of the various minerals of importance in refractories appears in the chapter entitled "Refractories" elsewhere in this volume. The present chapter is restricted to a discussion of minerals of the sillimanite group and brings up to date the excellent information contributed by Prof. Paul F. Kerr to the first edition (1937). Since the appearance of that edition, the status of the group has changed some- what. Kyanite remains the preferred source material for mullite refractories but total consumption of kyanite has increased considerably.85 The exigencies of World War II forced an increased dependence on domestic sources and led to an intensification of the search for higher-grade deposits of kyanite and allied minerals. The first discovery of massive kyanite similar to that of India has been reported from Georgia.37 British East Africa has joined India as a substantial supplier of our imported kyanite, but that from India continues to hold preference.85 During World War II, prices of both domestic and foreign grades reached peaks unparalleled since the earliest years of the use of kyanite and as yet have shown no tendency to return to prewar levels. Topaz, by virtue of the deposit outlined in South Carolina, merits inclusion in the group.20,36,95 Large andalusite deposits, which threaten to rival our one large domestic occurrence, have been found in Russia.69,88 Sillimanite has not yet attained an important position among these useful minerals because of the lack of accessible deposits of high-quality material in adequate supply.37,50,58 Tests by the Bureau of Mines have indicated the possibilities of economically beneficiating low-grade sillimanite and kyanite.105.106,140 Government, university, and industrial

Jan 1, 1949

For many years the scrubbing of roaster gas carrying sulphur dioxide has been carried out at the plant of the Electrolytic Zinc Co. of Australasia Ltd. at Risdon, Tasmania, using long horizontal tubes. in which the gas stream crossed a shower of water. In order to provide for increased roaster capacity, it was evident that additional gas scrubbing capacity would be required to prevent pollution of the atmosphere.This provided an opportunity to review the whole operation of gas scrubbing and an investigation was initiated to determine the characteristics of a counter-current type of scrubber. It was hoped that a change to this type of scrubbing would also reduce the sulphur dioxide concentration of the gas delivered to the atmosphere to a negligible amount. This, paper outlines results obtained from an experimental tower which was operated under a wide range of conditions, the packing height, gas flow, water flow, water temperature, and concentration of S02 in inlet gas being varied independently. A description is given of the leading features and operating characteristics of the plant units, which are designed on the basis of the experimental results. Operation of the new scrubbing system commenced on October 5th, 1948.THE PROBLEMThe gas which is handled carries S02 which may vary in concentration from 2% to 5%, and reaches the scrubbing system at a temperature of approximately 180 deg. C. An appreciable amount of suspended material accompanies the gas which has passed the cyclone system.

Jan 1, 1949

By D. H. Davis

There are two general types of oil flotation processes, froth and bulk-oil. In froth flotation, the coal concentrates are removed in the form of a froth or foam composed of air, liquid, and solids. Mechanical or pneumatic agitation of a coal slurry with suitable frothing agent causes a selective action of the bubbles to the coal particles which are carried to the upper portion of the pulp in the flotation cell; the refuse is wetted by the water and does not rise with the froth, but goes out as tailings. The other type of flotation process, bulk-oil, consists of thoroughly mixing the slurry or pulp with 30 to 50 pct of its weight of oil. The coal agglomerates with the oil and drops to the bottom of the cell while the refuse is wetted by the water and is carried away in suspension. The concentrate granules may be screened and drained to 12 to 15 pct moisture. The minus 200 or 300-mesh is very effectively treated by this process. The Trent process is a bulk-oil type which has been used for coal cleaning on a commercial basis, but its use has been discontinued in this country. Froth flotation of bituminous coal should be subdivided into two distinct fields: (I) separation of a dry coal product such as recovered from an aspiration system; (2) separation of a minus 48-mesh slurry such as produced from a thickener in a wet cleaning plant. The capacities, performance, and general operating characteristics are very different in these two fields. The recirculated slurry in a washery becomes oxidized and is much harder to treat than a dry dust. It is difficult to clean a slurry containing an appreciable percentage of plus 48-mesh without also floating some high-ash clays minus 200-niesh in size. On the other hand, while working with an aspirated dust, good results have been obtained in floating coal as coarse as 3/16-in. Because of the relatively low capacity of flotation machines as compared with conventional fine-coal cleaners .and because of the greater quantity of reagents required to float coarse coal, there is usually no point in considering flotation on bituminous coal for anything coarser than approximately 48-mesh. In some coal-cleaning plants, good separations are being made down to 80 or even 100-mesh by a less expensive system of coal cleaning than flotation. The Pittsburgh Coal Co. carried out extensive tests on laboratory batch machines and on small units of both pneumatic and mechanical agitation types from 1930 to 1935 and have operated six, eight, and then twelve mill-size mechanical subaeration cells from 1932 to 1944 This paper will deal with some of the operating phases and results of coal-flotation practices as derived from this experience, and more specifically with the flotation practice at the Champion No. I preparation plant. The experience gained from the research and initial experimental work contributed greatly to the successful operation of the mill-sized flotation units at Champion.

Jan 1, 1949

By R. Schuhmann

The expression "unit process " comes up with increasing frequency in discussions among metallurgists and mineral engineers, especially among those concerned with training the next generation. The unit process approach characterizes a significant advance along the road from metallurgy as an empirical art to metallurgy as a branch of engineering. The purposes of this paper are to define and list the unit processes in specific terms, to indicate the scientific and engineering principles basic to all the unit processes, and finally to show how these ideas have been applied to a reorganization of instruction in chemical metallurgy. Unit Operations and Unit Processes Metals are extracted from ores and other raw materials by stepwise procedures. In general, each metallic element is extracted by a different procedure. For many of the metals there is a choice of several flowsheets. However, the procedures all have steps in common. In fact, the many different flowsheets are all made up of a relatively small number of steps which are combined in different groups and sequences. For example, crushing, screening, roasting, sintering, melting, and gaseous reduction are steps which each appear in the Bowsheets for extracting the majority of the metals. The individual steps or flowsheet units can be designated as unit operations or unit processes. These terms are well established in the field of chemical engineering, as the American Institute of Chemical Engineers' definition of chemical engineering shows: " Chemical engineering is that branch of engineering concerned with the development and application of manufacturing processes in which chemical or certain physical changes of materials are involved. These processes may usually be resolved into a coordinated series of unit physical operations and unit chemical processes. The work of the chemical engineer is concerned primarily with the design, construction, and operation of equipment and plants in which these unit operations and processes are applied. Chemistry, physics, and mathematics are the underlying sciences of chemical engineering, and economics its guide in practice."'1a In this definition, the distinction between unit operations and unit processes is that the unit operations are physical while the unit processes are chemical. Table I gives a list of the principal unit operations and unit processes of chemical engineering, taken from Shreve.1b Table 2 lists the principal unit operations and unit processes used for metal extraction. The division between unit operations and unit processes is similar to the chemical engineers' distinction and also correspollds approximately to the division of labor bctween mineral dressing and chemical metallurgy which has been customary in the past. Furthermore, it will be noted that in the proposed classification the unit processes primarily involve chemical reactions and/or changes in state of aggregation; the unit operations primarily do not involve either bulk

Jan 1, 1949

Jan 1, 1949

By Russell R. Trengove

In order to extend or delimit the known ore reserves adjacent to the Comet Coalition property on the western slope of the Highland Peak Range about 8 airline miles west of Pioche, Nev., the Bureau of Mines undertook an exploration project of diamond drilling. Production figures from this property, formerly known as the Schodde, are not available, but it has been reported that small amounts of rich silver and gold ore were Shipped by wagon to a smelter in the Salt Lake valley during 1900-1910. Small shipments were reported for the period 1915-1927, also. A study of the Pioche District by the Federal Geological Survey in 1942 and 1943 was the basis for the exploration program of the Bureau of Mines in 1947 This program consisted of diamond-drilling three holes. The total footage was 2,967 feet. No. 1 hole was drilled 1,260 feet, a record depth for diamond drilling in the Pioche District. Silver-bearing lead-zinc sulfide ores are found in the Combined Metals limestone, known locally as the C.M. bed, These deposits have been formed by replacement of the limestone that is inclosed in the Pioche shale.

Jan 1, 1949

By W. A. Lang

Introduction Under our present civilization, industrial developments will be greatest in those areas in which energy .can be most economically produced and efficiently used, where labour is in adequate supply, and where markets for the products of industry are available. A knowledge of fuels- the present major sources of energy- and of their utilization is therefore of vital importance. With that in mind, the aim in this paper will be to outline the known reserves of fuels in Alberta, to give their characteristics, to indicate the markets served by each, and to offer some suggestions for the future development of the coal industry. The paper should be regarded as a compilation of published data rather than as an original treatise. Alberta is richly blessed by having large reserves of mineral fuels. The estimated reserves of coal are 46,562 million tons. Alberta is the oil and gas province of Canada. The world's largest deposit of bituminous sand occurs along the Athabaska river in Alberta. In addition, there are large areas of forested land in the northern and western sections of the Province, and the rivers serve for the development of hydro-power.

Jan 1, 1949

By M. H. Kline

The Scarlet mine, in Randolph County, N. C., was operated on a small scale at intervals from 1899 to 1915, but no records of the quantity of ore produced are available. J. I. Moore unwatered the mine in March 1948, and Bureau of Mines' engineers examined the underground workings. Several assays checked previous sampling of the mine and indicated a small but comparatively high-grade copper-zinc deposit. The high metal content of the veins and the possibility of developing additional reserves prompted the Bureau of-Mines to drill three holes, totaling 530 feet, at the deposit during March and April 1948. Drilling disclosed that the mineralized vein did not extend over 300 feet along the strike and is probably limited in depth to the contact with the granite mylonite.

Jan 1, 1949