Laboratory Testing & General Mineral Processing Engineering

Laboratory Testing & General Mineral Processing Engineering

  • To participate in the 911Metallurgist Forums, be sure to JOINLOGIN
  • Use Add New Topic to ask a New Question/Discussion about Mineral Processing or Laboratory Work.
  • OR Select a Topic that Interests you.
  • Use Add Reply = to Reply/Participate in a Topic/Discussion (most frequent).
    Using Add Reply allows you to Attach Images or PDF files and provide a more complete input.
  • Use Add Comment = to comment on someone else’s Reply in an already active Topic/Discussion.

identifying slag (3 replies)

R
Lonetown
7 years ago
Lonetown 7 years ago

A piece of presumed slag was turned in to the local historian by a citizen who was foraging in the site of an old bloomer forge.  The forge existed from 1760 to 1805 at the particular site.  I would like to identify if it is slag and if so what else can I learn from it.  I took some pictures at low mag and they show some vitreous areas and some bubbly.  Small spheres can be seen as well.  see pics.

slagsphere
https://www.911metallurgist.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Slagsphere.jpg
F
Siddiquf
7 years ago
Siddiquf 7 years ago

The features you describe are consistent with slag textures. Bubbels indicate that melt was quite viscous and so trapped air and other gasses, depending upon what was being treated. Spheres indicate partial devitrification over time. Such slag pieces are expected near a forge. To extract more information you may get an XRF scan to determine the chemical composition, if you consider it worthwhile.

 

M
BAUD
7 years ago
BAUD 7 years ago

Besides identification of the sample as slag, there is a lot to learn from slag. The point is that the purpose of the exercise is to be clearly pictured, otherwise you end up with full of information not helpful. Your sample has probably an historical local interest at this step.

On top of the chemical analysis, here are some other tests that can enlarge the spectrum of interpretation:
- Phase analysis (mineralogy);
- Morphology;
- Structure;
- Grindability.
and the list is not exhaustive. As said by Siddiquf, see if it is worthwhile for you.

R
Lonetown
7 years ago
Lonetown 7 years ago

I was able to find a lab that could do XRF but it was metals only.  They could not comment on P, S, or Ca which I would have also liked.

The results for Testing Method: Percentage of Compostion (Alloys, Predominantly Metallic Samples, Etc.) were:

  • Fe = 98.79%
  • Mo = .23%
  • Z = .25%
  • Mn = .74%

The forge we suspect this is from probably used bog iron from the area.  Is this result consistent with that conclusion?

Please join and login to participate and leave a comment.