Societies and Academies

Abstract

LONDON. Institute of Metals (Annual General Meeting), Mar. 9.—D. Hanson and Grace W. Ford: Investigation of the effects of impurities on copper. Pt. v.—The effect of bismuth on copper. Experiments on copper containing up to 0-1 per cent. of bismuth confirm the great embrittling effect of bismuth, and indicate that when more than a trace of bismuth alone is present in copper, the working properties, particularly the coldworking properties, are seriously affected. The solid solubility of bismuth in copper has also been investigated.—Clement Blazey: Brittleness in arsenical copper. A description is given of a type of brittleness in arsenical copper tubing developed by annealing in the temperature range 4500 to about 6500 C. The susceptibility to brittleness was inherent in the ‘as cast’ billets from which the tubes were made, and no alteration in hot and cold working methods could eliminate it. The degree of susceptibility varied from billet to billet, but the variation could not be connected with chemical composition. After remelting, no trace of brittleness could be developed. Over a period of several years the brittleness was encountered in a certain mill on three occasions, and appeared to be connected with the composition of the refinery charges and with melting operations.