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By M. J. Scoble, N. Rowlands, L. Piciacchia

Pronounced non-linear behaviour of mine backfill arises from the influence of confining pressure, cementing agent content, curing time, void ratio and water content. Past research into backfill behaviour under stress is reviewed and related to the needs for constitutive laws which can be integrated into numerical modelling for mine design where structures employ backfill support. A method for representing non-linear backfill behaviour is proposed, which is based upon numerical regression treatment of triaxial laboratory data. The non-linear behaviour observed from a program of laboratory triaxial testing of cemented hydraulic backfill is presented. The particular influence of confining stress and curing duration is high- lighted. The paper concludes by considering the alternative means of accounting for such behaviour in mine design.

Jan 1, 1984

Jan 1, 1922

By R. W. Wittkopp, J. D. Stephens

In a device known as the electron-beam microprobe, the mining industry has lately acquired a sophisticated new analytical tool that can dig out answers to a broad range of questions spanning all phases of mining activity. Essentially, the microprobe is a specialized X-ray fluorescence unit that makes it possible to obtain chemical analytical data for volumes as small as 1 cup. With this capability, it can be used both for determining the composition of small inclusions in rocks or metallic products and for monitoring changes in composition that proceed from a reacting surface. At the Research Center of Kennecott's Metal Mining Division, this versatile probe has successfully solved problems in mineral operations ranging from exploration through refining. A few instances of how the probe has been applied at the Center are presented here. In Mineral Exploration-A Good Look Before Leaping Since the objective of mineral exploration is to locate deposits of materials which can be processed at a profit, the mode of occurrence of elements or minerals in the deposits is important.

Jan 1, 1970

By Tom Bilson

TO recover the remaining ore tonnages along the south side of the Inspiration orebody, the company began open-pit operations in early 1948 in addition to underground mining. Due to the differences in elevation between the orebody and the existing ore handling and treating plants, the truck haulage operation is up hill. Road grades were established at 7 pct maximum.

Jan 8, 1951

By J. Van Oirbeek

The ash-fusion gas producer, blown with air preheated to a high temperature, was perfected by the Société des Houilléres de Saint-Etienne during the years 1920 to 1925, for the treatment of a mixture of ashy fuel and limestone. The temperature, about 1800° C., obtained by using hot air in running the producer, ensures the fusion of all the slag and the transformation into carbon monoxide of every particle of carbon contained in the materials treated.

Jan 1, 1937

WE the undersigned, being all persons of full age and citizens of the United States, and a majority residents of the State of New York, desiring to form a corporation pursuant to the provisions of the Membership Corporations Law for the purpose of incorporating, as provided in Section 5 of Article I. of said law, the existing unincorporated association known as American Institute of Mining Engineers, do hereby make, acknowledge and file this Certificate for that purpose, and do Certify as follows I. That the American Institute of Mining Engineers is an unincorporated association organized and existing with the object of promoting the arts and sciences connected with the economic production of the useful minerals and metals and the welfare of those employed in these industries by means of meetings for social intercourse and the reading and discussion of professional papers, and to circulate by means of publications among its members and associates the information thus obtained.

Jan 1, 1923

By C. Law McCabe, R. G. Hudson

The Knudsen cell has been employed to determine the free energy of formation of Mn7Cs in the temperature range 800" to 950°C. A value of 66,440 cal was found for hH°o for a-manganese. Measurements of the pressure of manganese over a mixed carbide, (Fe,Mn),C, points to a power relationship between aun7cs and N.4,. RECENTLY Kuo and Perssonl have reported that the carbide of manganese which is in equilibrium with graphite at temperatures up to 1100° C is Mn7Ca. There are no published data on the thermo-dynamic properties of this compound. In order to determine the stability of Mn7Ca, it appeared that, by obtaining the pressure of manganese above 8-manganese and also above Mn,C, in equilibrium with graphite, the free energy of formation of Mn7Ca from 8-manganese and graphite could be obtained. In addition, the vapor pressure of manganese, reported by Kelley From data of Bauer and Brunner,' is subject to some uncertainty and further determinations of the vapor pressure of manganese seemed warranted. In this investigation of the pressure of manganese vapor above pure manganese and also above the carbide of manganese in equilibrium with graphite the apparatus used is the Knudsen orifice cell. The same apparatus, experimental procedure, and method of calculating the pressure was used in this investigation as in one previously reported.~ Care was taken to insure that the cells were at constant weight before using them in a run. The manganese charged in the cell was CP grade powder, carbon free, obtained from the Fisher Scientific Co. A spectroscopic analysis of the manganese after appreciable amounts of it had vaporized from the Knudsen cell showed that no element was present in sufficient quantities to contribute to a weighable weight loss or to decrease the vapor pressure of manganese to any appreciable extent. The spectro-graphic analysis was 0.002 pct Cu, 0.05 pct Fe, 0.002 pct Pb, and 0.002 pct Ni. 8-manganesea is the allo-tropic form of manganese which was present in the cell at temperatures used in this investigation. The manganese carbide, Mn,Ca, was made in the following way: In a closed graphite cell manganese powder was added to graphite powder, which was made from graphite rods for spectrographic use. The manganese powder was the same as that described previously; 5 pct excess graphite was added over that required for the formation of Mn7C,. The mixture was heated in a closed graphite cell for approximately 20 hr at 1350°K under vacuum. X-ray analysis revealed that there was no manganese present after this treatment, but that the lines due to Mn,C, were present. In order to prove that there was no volatile carbide of manganese which was effusing out of the cell, the following experiment was performed: A graphite effusion cell containing graphite power, in excess of that to form Mn,C, of a desired amount, was brought to constant weight on heating at 1228°K. The required amount of manganese was accurately weighed and then added to the graphite effusion cell. The cell was placed in a vacuum at 1228°K for one week, which was the time calculated for the manganese to have effused completely, assuming instantaneous formation of Mn,C8. The cell was then weighed again. This experiment was carried out on two different occasions and both times the weight loss of the cell came within 1 pct of the weight of manganese originally charged minus the weight of manganese left in the cell, as determined by chemical analysis. These data are summarized in Table I. This agreement is considered to be within experimental error and is taken as proof that no carbide of manganese is volatile in this temperature range. It was established, by X-ray analysis, that Mn,C, formed before appreciable amounts of manganese vaporized from the metal powder which was charged. The identification of the carbide of manganese which was present in the Knudsen cell in equilibrium with graphite and manganese vapor was carried out by Kehsin Kuo at the University of Uppsala. He established that the authors' sample, which was submitted to him for analysis, contained the phase

Jan 1, 1958

By L. G. Schulz

THE possibility of using reflected X-rays to produce images of crystals was explored by Barrettl who developed simple experimental procedures for X-ray microscopy and who showed by numerous examples the great range of information that could be made available. In his method characteris radiation is used to produce an image of a limited area of the sample on fine-grained film, this image subsequently being enlarged approximately X100. A somewhat different method will be described here;' white radiation from a fine-focus X-ray tube-"' is used to produce an image of a relatively large area of a single-crystal surface. part of the sample; therefore, white radiation is needed. The resolution in the image formed on the photographic film will depend on the size of the focal spot of the X-ray tube. If the sample is made

Jan 1, 1955

By Wang Yongjia, Steven L. Crouch

This paper describes a numerical method for computing time- dependent displacements and stresses in linear viscoelastic media. For such materials, the correspondence principle can be used to obtain the time-dependent solution directly from the solution to an associated elastic problem in Laplace transform space. The elastic solution, in turn, can easily be obtained by boundary element methods. The work presented in this paper is based on the displacement discontinuity method, adapted for the case in which the region of interest consists of two half-planes bonded together. A practical example of the method is given for a problem involving a panel of rooms and pillars in a thick layer of salt that is overlain by limestone. Viscoelastic behavior of the salt causes time-dependent displacements and stresses in both rock types.

Jan 1, 1982

By G. L. Craig

COPPER containing a small amount of arsenic has been used extensively abroad, and a number of reports, particularly those by English workers, have indicated that such copper is better suited for certain uses than high-conductivity copper. Inasmuch as a large percentage of the copper fabricated is used for nonelectrical purposes where high conductivity is not at all essential, it has been suggested that arsenical copper might be at least as suitable as high-conductivity copper for many purposes. An investigation spon-sored by the Calumet & Hecla Consolidated Copper Co. at Battelle Memorial Institute was therefore undertaken with the object of determin-ing the effect of small amounts of arsenic (up to 0.75 per cent) on the properties of copper. In this work the effect of arsenic on the basic properties of tough-pitch and of phosphorized copper have been critically studied and many data collected from laboratory experiments which have been supplemented by mill-scale tests. The results of these tests, with coppers of the type referred to, in the annealed condition and after various degrees of reduction, show that the basic properties of copper are not greatly affected by small amounts of arsenic, an increase in strength being observed with increasing arsenic with no corresponding decrease in ductility. It is well known that the evaluation of material for plastic deforma-tion, on the basis of laboratory tests, may not be directly comparable with its performance in commercial operations. In order, therefore, to substantiate the data obtained at the Institute, the cooperation of the Wolverine Tube Co. was obtained for a series of production tests on the fabrication characteristics of phosphorized arsenical copper in the manu-facture of seamless copper tubing. In these tests the behavior of the arsenical coppers was carefully observed in comparison with that of representative types of phosphorized arsenic-free copper, which were fabricated under the same conditions.

Jan 1, 1933

By V. H. Gottschalk, R. S. Dean

In the theoretical study of metallurgical reactions, it is necessary to make certain assumptions concerning the nature of metal-gas systems. The assumption usually made is that the reaction in such systems takes place predominantly with gas that is in "solution" and that the amount of solution follows the rules which have been developed for aqueous solutions; namely, Henry's law. The purpose of this paper is to inquire whether these assumptions are the best ones that present knowledge of gas-metal systems permits us to make. In the first part the extent to which a gas will dissolve in a metal and still follow Henry's law is considered. The conclusion is believed justified that the number of molecules of gas that can dissolve in a metal and have the system follow Henry's law must be small indeed. It is therefore improbable that the first assumption concerning the predominance of these dissolved molecules in reaction is correct. It is suggested that some improvement in the correlation of the probabilities with the assumptions made in the mass law equations would be made by the use of the dp law of Sieverts in place of Henry's law. However, the amount of gas that may be held in a metal so that it follows either Henry's or Sieverts' law is considerably outweighed in most metallurgical reactions by that held in gas-metal systems of entirely different structures and concerning which little experimental evidence is available. Some speculation concerning the nature of these is offered. The conclusion is that attention should be given to the determining of the nature of gas-metal systems and that the really fruitful application of the mass law and its connected calculations will have to await a more complete knowledge of these systems than we now possess. DISCUSSION (Paul D. Merica presiding) P. D. Merica, New York, N. Y. (written discussion).—The solubility relations of gases in metals, in so far as they are known from the pioneer work of Sieverts and others, have from the first presented certain challenging peculiarities. The authors have emphasized the significance of these characteristics and suggest that they point

Jan 1, 1933

By Richard Dunmore

Tests of the MRDE firedamp prediction method have been carried out in a number of longwall districts with different conditions. The method itself and its development have been described previously At many test sites the prediction has been good, i.e. the calculated gas emission levels have agreed with measured values, averaged over a period of many weeks, within a few percent. In other cases, where there have been larger discrepancies between calculation and measurement, investigations have shown that these may be attributed to particular conditions of mining or geology. Recognition of these conditions in advance of mining is clearly desirable to improve the accuracy of the initial prediction. It has been shown that variations in gas emission rates depend largely on coal production in terms of the weekly advance of the coal face. Although there appears to be a random element present, variations in gas emission levels calculated from changing face advances agree well with measurement. The accuracy of prediction therefore depends on how well face advance can be forecast and needs to be updated as the working proceeds in the light of the face performance actually achieved. Continuous monitoring of the mine environment provides the information necessary to compare actual gas emission with predicted levels, and computerised systems make it possible to carry this out in real time. Predictions can thus be adjusted to take account of emission levels measured in previous weeks These adjustments, whether they are made after the first few weeks or subsequently during the district life, would also be used to alert management to particular abnormalities or significant changes in gas emission.

Jan 1, 1982

By Dorsey Hager

THE possibilities of finding new oil pools in Oklahoma and Kansas are far from promising. In 1916, the only new pools of importance were the Franchot pool near Bixby, the Garber, and the Billings pools in Oklahoma, and the Virgil and Utopia fields in Greenwood County, Kansas. In the first 8 months of 1917, a small pool of unknown extent was opened south of the Stone Bluff pool in Oklahoma, and a pool near Casey, Paunee County, Oklahoma. In Eastern Kansas, interest has been. caused by the sinking of new wells near the old Iola pool, but nothing of magnitude has yet been found. The outlook for new pools is far from encouraging, especially as geological surveys have covered all of Oklahoma and Kansas. There are a few areas where geological surveys throw little or no light on the subject, as exposures are poor, but the chances of finding new pools in such areas are slight indeed, if one can judge from the past history of such areas. So far the geologists have based their opinions largely upon the presence or the absence of geologic structure, such as anticlines, domes, and terraces, but some pools will most certainly be found where no surface structure exists, but where local changes in the sand body favor oil accumulations. However, the possibilities of new pools off structure are small, as fully 90 per cent. of the oil pools are on definite structure. In the past, it is estimated that one test in 150 "wild cats" or new tests has brought in a new field. The writer feels safe in asserting that the proportion will decrease still further, so that but one out of 500 new tests may bring in a pay well in a new area. From now on the principal field of work in Oklahoma and in Kansas will consist in developing the present pools. The years 1915, 1916 and 1917 saw the high peak of Oklahoma and Kansas oil production. The Eldorado and the Augusta oil fields present the largest possibilities for continued production in Kansas. These two pools have been scarcely more than one-third developed, and have greater potentialities than any of the present Oklahoma pools. In Oklahoma, pools of magnitude should

Jan 10, 1917

By Theo B. Comstock

In the summer of 1877, the writer led a party of four young men from Cleveland, Ohio, by way of the Great Lakes, to Prince Arthur's Landing (now Port Arthur), at the northwest corner of Lake Superior, thence, via the Dawson route and side journeys, as far as Cross Lake. It was the original intention to pass down the Pigeon river to its mouth, but the loss of one member of the party for six days in the forest, added to other obstacles, made it necessary to turn back. A well-filled note-book, together with illustrative collections, were sunk beyond recovery at the head of the Maligne rapids by the breaking of a tow-line, and two of our number (including myself) narrowly escaped drowning. I had, probably, obtained information of considerable economic value, but the necessity of travelling nearly 125 miles for provisions (excepting a meagre supply kindly furnished us by a Canadian government gang whom we fortunately met), rendered further note-taking impossible. Until now, such results of this expedition as could be recorded . from memory have gone unpublished, because of my inability to make them serve any useful purpose. The trip of the Institute to Vermilion Lake, only a few miles south and east of our turning point, gives some little excuse for presenting the following lines at this time. The ridge back of Port Arthur, Ontario, which follows approximately the course of the Lake Superior shore line, brings up the slates and accompanying strata through which the silver and gold veins of that region have penetrated. The interior district, hack from the lake, may be briefly described as a glaciated area, having its general drainage less modified by erosion than by the original structure. This statement, however, must be somewhat qualified with reference to minor details, which all bear the unmistakable impress of the ice-flow and its recession. In many respects there is much in this tract to remind one of the Sault Ste. Marie topography, excepting that the granitic character of the rocks is here largely replaced by fissile strata. The Kaministiquia river cuts through several of the parallel folds,

Jan 1, 1888

ZAY JEFFRIES,* Cleveland, Ohio (written discussion?).-The microscope has, indeed, proved a mighty tool in the study of the structures of substances. It is limited in its resolving power to the wave length of the light used for illumination. A little in resolving power can be gained by using ultraviolet rays, which can only be detected by the photographic plate. Even the highest powered microscope only permits the study of aggregates of millions of atoms. The x-ray spectrometer, on the other hand, makes it possible to study the positions of the atoms in a crystal. The positions of the atoms in over fifty crystals have now been ascertained. But in amorphous substances the x-ray spectrometer is only able to tell us that the atoms seem to have no regular arrangement; the actual arrangement and method of grouping is still a mystery. In most perfectly formed crystals and in so-called "grains" in metals, the x-ray spectrometer teaches us that colloids seem to play no role inasmuch as the atoms are arranged in regular layers rather than in random clusters. In the boundary region between crystalline grains of like as well as unlike substances and in amorphous substances like glass, it seems probable that the random clusters, or colloids, play an important role. There still remains the application of wave lengths connecting the ultraviolet and x-rays both by direct reflection or diffraction and by the ultramicroscope. In the study of substances like glass, for example, it may be possible to identify the clusters or molecules by one wave length and to study the positions of the atoms in a cluster by using a smaller wave length. Any light that can be thrown on this important unknown subject and its relation to the properties of substances is therefore very welcome, and Mr. Alexander's paper is so written as to stimulate thought and experimentation in this direction. JEROME ALEXANDER (author's reply to discussion ?).-Col. Bancroft states' that in the case of alloys, the mass is always crystalline. While this generally may be so in the case of alloys, as ordinarily met with, before the alloy reaches this state or condition, its constituent particles must be in a still more finely dispersed state. In alloys, the speed' of transition between the finely dispersed state where the phases are amorphous, and the crystalline state where the phases are of known composi-

Jan 5, 1919

By F. H. McDowell

About a year ago Dr. Raymond, as engineer of Messrs. Cooper, Hewitt & Co., together with Mr. Rothwell, was considering the removal of the ore-floors and pillars from the Peters Mine at Ringwood, N. J., where the limit of profitable working by the old method of mining had been very nearly reached. Mr. Ferdinand Ruttmann was engaged to make the survey which forms the basis of the accompanying diagrams. At first it was thought that some method of mining and filling might be introduced with advantage; but after a careful study of the operations at the Tilly Foster it was decided to adopt the system of stripping.

Jan 1, 1890

By P. Martignan

THE year 1923 has seen new developments in the only French wells, i.e., those of Pechelbronn, Alsace. The output of the two pits now in operation totaled more than 75,000 tons, although there was a two months' strike. It is expected that 1924 will see an output of 85,000 tons; and 1925, 100,000 tons. A new pit has just been put in operation (fourth pit; the third not being in operation). The oil and the oil sands are extracted at a depth of 350 meters. Special attention has been given to the development of the distillation and refinery plants, particularly the manufacturing of lubricating oils. The present output of the lubricating-oil factories is approximately 20,000 tons neutral oils; 20,000 tons spindle oils, together with 2000 tons of paraffin. Engineers are introducing the most modern American processes of refinery and distillation. The company has 3000 employees. The capital of the company has just been increased from 45,000,000 francs to 81,000,000 francs. Some other drilling has been done in the Auvergne and Landes districts, and some oil has been found, but in too small quantities for commercial operation. Great hopes, however, are entertained of finding large quantities of oil, and the French Chambers have voted a special fund of 20,000,000 francs for investigating oil in France. Much work has also been done in the Colonies but without much success; oil is found in different districts of Tunis, but in relatively small quantities. In Morocco, drillings have not been successful. A prospecting mission recently returned from Madagascar gave an optimistic report concerning the oil conditions on the Island. Prospectings are being made also in French Indo-China. The present domestic yearly consumption is about: Gasoline 750,000 metric tons, kerosene 70,000 metric tons, automobile lubricating oil 75,000 metric tons.

Jan 3, 1924

By T. Sterry Hunt

THE essential principle of this new process, now in operation in Chili and in North Carolina, for the extraction of copper from its ores, is the dissolving of the oxides of copper by a hot solution of protochloride of iron and common salt. In the action which takes place, the protochloride of iron is converted into peroxide, while the oxides of copper are changed into protochloride and dichloride, the latter of which, though insoluble in water, is readily soluble in a hot strong brine. From the solution thus obtained, metallic iron throws down the copper in a metallic state, regenerating the protochloride of iron; which is then ready for the treatment of a fresh portion of oxidized copper ore. In the case of slimy ores, the contact of the bath with the ore is effected by agitation in tubs; but when the ores are granular, lixiviation in large vats is equally efficient and simpler. The hot solutions, charged with chlorides of copper, are digested in tanks with scrap-iron, or better, are made to flow through covered channels containing the scrap-iron, and in their passage lose the whole of their copper; the reaction at the same time evolving so much heat as to keep up the temperature of the liquid. In order to prevent a certain loss of chlorine, which otherwise takes place from the production of some basic ferric chloride in the reaction between the ferrous chloride and the oxides of copper (both protoxide and dinoxide being generally present in calcined ores), a portion of sulphurous fumes from the roasting is made to pass through the regenerated bath before adding it to fresh ore. This has hitherto been effected by injection, with the aid of a jet of steam.

By David P. Hale, Guy W. Jordan

HIGH-IRON cements have a number of advantages over cements carrying little or no iron. The presence of iron in Portland cement aids in the manufacture of the cement and also imparts certain advantageous physical properties to the finished product. In manufacture, the presence of iron lowers the fuel consumption, increases the ease of proper burning, and lessens the destructive action of the charge on the kiln refractories. In the finished cement the presence of iron reduces the expansion and contraction, adds strength, adds increased resistance to freezing and thawing, and increases the resistance of the cement to sea or sulphate waters. During the past few years the construction of numerous dams throughout the Southeast by the Tennessee Valley Authority has stimulated the production of high-iron cements. At present a great number of specifications call for an iron cement, and the industry is supplying this demand with a Portland cement carrying approximately 5 per cent iron oxide. Several manufacturers are now making practically all of their cement of this type and a number of others manufacture it as a special cement over short periods to meet demands from the Tennessee Valley Authority and other buyers. The recent increase in the use of iron in Portland cement has created a market for iron products that previously was nonexistent. The chief sources of supply for the cement manufacturers at present are iron sand, iron sinter and slag, and ocher. The Copperhill mining district, Tennessee, supplies both iron sinter and slag for use in cement. The Cartersville district supplies iron sand, ocher, and some iron resulting from the magnetic separation of iron from barite. The advantages of these products vary according to the chemical properties of the raw materials and the methods of handling used by the different manufacturers. Where the iron is to be handled by conveying belts and in hopper cars, the iron

Jan 1, 1939

By Charles W. Goodale

The attention of the Institute has been called by Prof. John A. Church* and Mr. W. Lawrence Austin? to the free-milling ores of the Tombstone mines and their treatment, but the silver-bearing man ganese ores of the district have received only a passing notice. As these ores show some interesting peculiarities, and have yielded not less than 750,000 ounces of silver, they are worthy of some study. The Knoxville, Lucky Cuss, Luck Sure, and Wedge mines (named in the order of their importance) are situated along the northern border of the district. They have been the leading producers of this manganese ore, and possess the same general characteristics. Special attention will be given to the Knoxville, as it has been the one most extensively developed. The limestone belt, in which the Knoxville ore bodies occur, has an easterly and westerly trend, is about 1680 feet wide, and rests on granite on the north, the plane of contact being nearly vertical. It is overlain by quartzite, the contact-plane having a dip of 82°. Some mining has been done along these contacts, and a considerable amount of pay ore has been extracted, but development has been very superficial. The ore found along these contact planes contains very little manganese, and differs entirely from the ore in the lime stones. No attempt will he made to assign this limestone country-rock to a particular geological horizon, as no fossils have been found in it. Prof. Blake, in a paper on "The Geology and Veins of Tombstone, Arizona" (Trans., x., 334), speaks of the middle and upper strati-

Jan 1, 1889