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By Linda Lee, R. E. Reed-Hill, C. R. Smeal

Four fcc metal surfaces, etched to make them responsive to polarized light, have been studied with an electron microscope. Jones'prediction that these surfaces are grooved has been verified. Optical-goniometer measurements made on commercially pure nickel indicate that the groove walls are poorly defined (100) facets. Surface mientations close to either 4001 or {ill).- show no extinctions on the polam'zid-light microscope. An explanation is offered for this orientation dependence. It has also been deduced that polarized-light extinctions on a grooved cubic-metal surface should not be used directly in crystallographic-orientation determinations. The nature of the etching solutions that produce these surfaces is considered. A cubic-metal surface may be made responsive to polarized light in two basic ways."' In one, an anodic film, believed anisotropic, is formed on the surface. A plane-polarized-light beam, at normal incidence, should be reflected from this type of film with an ellipticity that varies with grain orientation. Under crossed polarizers of a polarized-light microscope, each grain may be distinguished from its neighbors by a difference in reflected-light intensity. An alternate treatment,' more generally applicable to cubic metals and of principal concern here, involves etching of grain surfaces. The characteristic features of this surface were first deduced by Jones3 from light-microscope observations. She concluded that, in general, grain surfaces were furrowed so that light was reflected from two parallel sets of etched facets. A grooved surface produces elliptical polarization of a plane-polarized beam because the beam does not strike groove walls at normal incidence. Jones also observed that the furrows must have faces inclined to each other by approximately 90 deg, since the light returns along the incident path, and that a grooved surface should show four maxima and minima of reflected-light intensity during a 360-deg stage rotation of the polarizing microscope. Positions of maximum extinction were predicted to occur when groove axes were parallel to either polarizer or analyzer vibration directions. Because of the limited resolving power of Jones' optical microscope, her deductions were primarily indirect. Proof of the correctness of her conclu-sions, as demonstrated by the electron microscope, will be given as well as evidence concerning the crystallographic nature of the etch furrows and the types of etching solutions that produce them. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE During a comprehensive study of hot plastic deformation in nickel and nickel alloys, an etch was evolved that produced a surface with an excellent polarized-light response on Nickel 200 ("A" Nickel). The etching solution and associated metal-lographic procedures are given in Table I. In evaluating this etch, a study was made of the topological features of the etched surface and their relation to the underlying crystalline structure. As part of this investigation, large crystals (2 mm average diameter) were grown in a 1-cm-sq Nickel 200 specimen. After the surface was etched, the crystallographic orientations of ten grains were determined by the standard back-reflection Laue technique of Gren-inger.4 Maximum extinction positions during a microscope stage rotation were also measured for the ten grains. Groove-wall positions on the surfaces of the ten grains were measured with a two-circle optical goniometer. The technique was essentially that of Barrett and Levenson.5 Several grain surfaces were photographed with a Philips Model 100A electron microscope. All specimens were replicated with collodion, or collodion backed with formvar and chromium shadowed at 18 to 20 deg. The basic material was Nickel 200. However, an electron-micrographic study was also made of surfaces developed by polarized-light etches on other fcc metals (90-10 a brass, Monel 400, and lead). All etching procedures are given in Tables I and 11. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS Fig. 1 shows typical electron micrographs of three different fcc metal specimens and an optical micrograph of a fourth. All photographs show a grooved structure corresponding closely to Jones'3 predictions. Also, as noted by Jones, extinctions were always observed when groove axes were either parallel or perpendicular to the microscopes' vertical cross hair. The symmetry of the grooves, with respect to the twin boundaries in Fig. 1, implies that furrows have a crystallographic basis. The coarse-grained Nickel 200 specimen was used to study this basis. Facet Orientation. The poles of the ten Nickel 200

Jan 1, 1964

By F. J. Norton

THE object of this investigation was to make a comprehensive study of the degassing of molybdenum in order to determine how rigorous a treatment was necessary to completely remove sorbed gases from molybdenum electrodes in vacuum tubes. Some work has also been done with tungsten, nickel and carbon. As a logical development of this work it has been shown that the gas is present throughout the body of the metal and a study has been made of the solubility of nitrogen in molybdenum and tungsten and the rate of diffusion of nitrogen through molybdenum has been calculated. Tests were made on molybdenum from all the commercial sources and no difference was discovered in the nature of the gases present, the amounts or the ease of removal. The reason for this was apparent when a study was made of the manner in which gases are absorbed by gas-free molybdenum. It is necessary to heat molybdenum to 1760° C. in a vacuum of the order of 0.001 micron for a time which varies lineally with the thickness, in order to obtain a condition in which no further gas is evolved by the sample. A sample so degassed can be handled and subsequently assembled in a tube and then degassed readily. The gases obtained from molybdenum are carbon monoxide and nitrogen, the nitrogen being the more difficult to remove.

Jan 1, 1932

By Jesse O. Betterton

IN the last analysis, two basic factors influence the use of metals and alloys; namely, cost and adaptability to the use under consideration. These are so interrelated that to study the properties of metals or alloys without considering the prices and price trends is quite illogical. Lead has been a cheap metal, selling in 1932 for the extremely low price of 2.56 cents per pound. The cheapness of lead in the past was not due to a particularly abundant supply of the element in the earth's crust but rather to the ease with which it was won from its ores and to the chemical stability of the metal, preventing its dissipation. Today, however, our modern economy has caught up with the distribution of lead in the earth's crust and the price is largely dictated by the supply of concentrates readily available for smelting, and which can be placed quickly upon the market. The demand for lead, particularly in times of stress, has brought the price up to the level of 19 cents in the United States, where the price is controlled by Government decree, and the price has been even higher in the world markets. The higher price for lead has changed the uses for this metal to a marked degree, driving it out of the fields where it is not essential. Lead articles of great antiquity have been found in Egyptian ruins, proving the stability of the element and indicating the basic simplicity of its metallurgy. It is probable that lead was the first

Jan 1, 1953

By James A. Crookston, William D. Fitzpatrick

Committee C-8 of the American Society for Testing and Materials defines refractories as "material, usually nonmetallic, used to withstand high temperature," and it defines the term refractoriness thus, "in refractories, the capability of maintaining the desired degree of chemical and physical identity at high temperatures and in the environment and conditions of use.” The ability to withstand high temperatures is critical to classifying a material as a refractory. However, as the foregoing definition of "refractoriness" implies, the refractory material may be subjected to and is expected to resist not only high temperatures but a variety of other destructive forces incidental to its use. These include abrasion, impact, thermal shock, chemical attack, and high level loads at high temperatures. The various industrial applications of refractories represent an infinite variety of combinations and degrees of severity of these destructive forces, including high temperatures. Naturally, such a variety of application conditions leads to a need for a wide variety of refractory products to satisfy those conditions. The number of refractory products available is great enough that some form of classification is necessary to a discussion of refractories. Refractories may be classified in several ways, but the most suitable one is based on their general compositions and to lesser degrees on their physical condition and distinctive properties. The primary types of brick include aluminosilicate brick (fire clay and alumina), basic brick (magnesia and chrome ore, alone and in various combinations), silica brick, insulating brick, and special refractories (carbon, SiC, ZrO2, zircon, borides, and nitrides). Brick is, of course, preformed and usually is heat treated at high temperatures before use, but in some instances is unburned and/or chemically bonded, including the relatively new class of tar-bonded magnesia and/or dolomite brick. In addition to preformed refractories, another broad category includes the so-called specialty refractories, which are usually made in the same types as itemized for brick-bonding mortars and high temperature cements, hydraulic setting castables or refractory concrete, plastic firebrick, and ramming mixes. Refractory grains, such as fire clay and high alumina calcines, dead-burned magnesite and periclase, and dead-burned dolomite are also considered refractory products. Bricks are also classified on the basis of physical dimensions, as standard sizes and special shapes. The standard sizes are those which are of definite shape and design and are designated as 228.6 x 114.3 x 63.5 mm (9 x 4 ½ x 2 ½ in.) and 228.6 x 114.3 x 76.2 mm (9 x 4 ½ x 3 in.) straights and series. Bricks of nonstandard sizes are referred to as special shapes. These come about as a result of a particular need for a given furnace or for a particular application. Types and Classes of Refractories Fire Clay Refractories Classification: Fire clay refractories, as the name implies, are composed essentially of fire clay and/or calcined fire clay in varying proportions. The ASTM Standard Classification of Fireclay and High Alumina Refractory Brick, C27-70 (reapproved 1976), gives five classes of fire clay brick designated as super-

Jan 1, 1983

APPROXIMATELY 90 per cent of the steel that is melted and refined in the United States and poured into ingots is made in basic open-hearth furnaces, as shown in Table 1-1. The annual ingot capacity of the steel industry reported January 1,1950, by the American Iron and Steel Institute8* was 99,040,160 tons, of which the basic open-hearth process accounted for 85,896,580 tons, 86.7 per cent of the total. The capacity of the individual furnaces varies over a wide range, a large majority falling within limits of 50 to 200 tons (Fig 1-1). Most of the units constructed [ ] since 1942 are in the larger size groups, between 175 and 225 tons capacity.

Jan 1, 1951

By Harold B. Goldman, Don Reining

The sand and gravel industry is the largest nonfuel mineral industry in the nation (Drake, 1972), Table 1. In 1970, the production of sand and gravel totaled 944 million tons valued at $1.1 billion. California, which leads the nation with more than 140 million tons, together with Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, and New York, account for 43 % of the total production in the nation. In commercial usage, "sand" applies to rock or mineral fragments ranging in size from particles retained on a No. 200 sieve (0.074 mm openings) to those passing a No, 4 sieve (4.76 mm openings). "Gravel" consists of rock or mineral fragments larger than 4.76 mm, ranging up to 3%-in. maximum size. The construction industry consumes 96% of the sand and gravel produced; the remainder is sand used for specialized products such as glass (see the chapter on "Silica and Silicon"). Utilization The building industry uses sand and gravel chiefly as aggregate in portland cement concrete, mortar, and plaster; the paving industry uses sand and gravel in both asphaltic mixtures and portland cement concrete. Aggregate is commonly designated as the inert fragmental material which is bound into a conglomerate mass by a cementing material such as portland cement, asphalt, or gypsum plaster.

Jan 1, 1975

By T. Egleston

THE direct process for the manufacture of iron which is principally used in the United States, in New York and New Jersey, is called the Jersey forge, the Champlain forge, the Catalan forge, the Bloomary forge or fire, and sometimes a Forge fire. Dr. T. Sterry Hunt, who has discussed the process as applied to the beach sands of Canada as well as to ores, in the Report of the Canadian Geological Survey for 1867-69, has shown that the name of Catalan forge is incorrect, as this process in no way resembles the Catalan, but is really the old German bloomary modified by long use in this country. Dr. Hunt gives the probable history of the introduction of the process into the United States, and a series of historic citations of great interest relating to it. Not¬withstanding the improvements which have been made in the construction of the furnace and its greater output, the process to-day, in all its essential features, is carried out as Karsten described it. It should now be known as the American Bloomary. The name of Jersey or Champlain forge or fire is not sufficiently distinctive. The name of Bloomary, by which the process is usually distinguished, is objectionable, not because it is incorrect but because it is indefinite, as the Knobbling fires, which are a very slight modification of the Walloon process, for making blooms either from pig iron or by sinking scrap, are also called Bloomaries, and although Knobbling fires are only used in a few localities where charcoal pig is made, and special grades of charcoal-refined blooms are required, one does not, without an explanation, know whether the blooms are being manufactured from ore or pig. The name Forge fire is equally indefinite, as it might just as well apply to any of the five direct methods of making blooms which have been in use in Europe, but which have now mostly gone out of date. The Dame of American Bloomary, however, is the one which most completely describes it, and is the one least open to objection. The names of German, Jersey, and Champlain bloomary are too local, and these adjectives are thought unnecessary by those who use the process, and we shall not therefore describe it under any of these names, but as the American Bloomary process. * Read at the Montreal meeting, September, 1879.

Jan 1, 1880

By T. Egleston

The direct process for the manufacture of iron which is principally used in the United States, in New York and New Jersey, is called the Jersey forge, the Champlain forge, the Catalan forge, the Bloomary forge or fire, and sometimes a Forge fire. Dr. T. Sterry Hunt, who has discussed the process as applied to the beach sands of Canada as well as to ores, in the Report of the Canadian Geological Survey for 1867-69, has shown that the name of Catalan forge is incorrect, as this process in no way resembles the Catalan, but is really the old German b1oomary modified by long use in this country. Dr. Hunt gives the probable history of the introduction of the process into the United States, and a series of historic citations of great interest relating to it. Notwithstanding the improvements which have been made in the constrnction of the furnace and its greater output, the process to-day, in all its essential features, is carried out as Karsten described it. It should now be known as the American Bloomary. The name of Jersey or Champlain forge or fire is not sufficiently distinctive. The name of Bloomary, by which the process is usually distinguished, is objectionable, not because it is incorrect but because it is indefinite, as the Knobbling fires, which are a very slight modification of the Walloon process, for making blooms either from pig iron or by sinking scrap, are also called Bloomaries, and although Knobbling fires are only used in a few localities where charcoal pig is made, and special grades of charcoal-refined blooms are required, one does not, without an explanation, know whether the blooms are being manufactured from ore or pig. The name Forge fire is equally indefinite, as it might just as well apply to any of the five direct methods of making blooms which have been in use in Europe, but which have now mostly gone out of date. The name of American Bloomary, however, is the one which most completely describes it, and is the one least open to objection. The names of' German, Jersey, and Champlain bloomary are too local, and these adjectives are thought unnecessary by those who use the process, and we shall not therefore describe it under any of these names, but as the American Bloomary process.

Jan 1, 1880

By Ira B. Jorafemon

In the interesting Institute symposium of the preservation of peace by force, through mineral control, one important aspect of the question was not presented. This is the responsibility the United Nations, and particularly the United States, will incur the through limitation of the economic activities of nations that are now friendly to us, as well as of nations that are enemies or are under the control of enemies. After the war all nations, friends as well as enemies will be poor. Hunger and bankruptcy will, will like the sword of Damocles, hang over the heads of all of us on this blundering planet. When the actual fighting is over, there will be a universal attempt to squirm out from under the sword by resuming production of peacetime goods, for trade as well as immediate consumption.

Jan 1, 1944

By Robert Glass Cleland

THE BEGINNING of a large enterprise is often as in- significant as a lump of leaven hidden in a bowl of meal or a handful of mustard seed that the wind blows across a field. In 1950 the company known today as the Phelps Dodge Corporation had nearly thirty-two thousand stockholders, paid salaries and wages of about fifty million dollars to some thirteen thousand persons, produced nearly four hundred and ninety million pounds of copper, and possessed net current assets of approximately one hundred and six million dollars. For the origin of this great business, one must go back approximately a hundred and fifty years to an obscure saddle-making shop in the small town of Hart- ford, Connecticut. Anson Greene Phelps, proprietor of the shop and master saddler in his own right, was born in 1781-the year of the Battle of Yorktown, the surrender of Cornwallis, and the close of the Revolutionary War Anson's forebears had come to America in the great Puritan migration that left fields, shops, pulpits, and hearthstones in the reign of Charles the First to transplant the strong, tough roots of their race, culture, and institutions in the New World.

Jan 1, 1952

By J. D. Shaw, E. B. Gebert, D. O. Noel

It is, of course, expected that manufacture of the various metal powders should involve numerous methods adapted to the specific characteristics of the metals themselves. Several methods for powdering a particular metal may be available, but the physical characteristics of the powder as produced by the several methods may be quite different. In the final analysis, the application of the metal powder dictates the physical properties that the metal powder must possess, and this, to a very large extent, will determine which of several possible methods of manufacture is adopted. Sometimes powder of the same metal is produced by more than one method, each powder having specific characteristics that make it particularly suitable for its application. For purposes of classification, the various methods of powdering metals can be grouped as follows: 1. Machining. 2. Milling (by ball mills, stamps, attrition mills, etc.). 3. Shotting (pouring molten metal into water, air, etc.). 4. Granulation (by stirring molten metal while solidifying). 5. Atomizing (disintegrating by steam, compressed air, etc.). 6. Condensation of metal vapor. 7. Reduction of oxide powders. 8. Chemical precipitation. 9. Electrolytic deposition. 10. Sintering (for producing alloy powders). 11. Formation of an alloy followed by dissolving or otherwise removing one of the alloying constituents. Machining Turnings, cuttings, filings, etc., are, of course, produced as by-products in machine work of various kinds, and find certain applications as metal powders. For example, iron powder so produced is used extensively as a reducing or precipitating agent and as a constituent in certain hard-finish cements.

Jan 1, 1938

By D. O. Noel, E. B. Gebert, J. D. Shaw

It is, of course, expected that manufacture of the various metal powders should involve numerous methods adapted to the specific characteristics of the metals themselves. Several methods for powdering a particular metal may be available, but the physical characteristics of the powder as produced by the several methods may be quite different. In the final analysis, the application of the metal powder dictates the physical properties that the metal powder must possess, and this, to a very large extent, will determine which of several possible methods of manufacture is adopted. Sometimes powder of the same metal is produced by more than one method, each powder having specific characteristics that make it particularly suitable for its application. For purposes of classification, the various methods of powdering metals can be grouped as follows: 1. Machining. 2. Milling (by ball mills, stamps, attrition mills, etc.). 3. Shotting (pouring molten metal into water, air, etc.). 4. Granulation (by stirring molten metal while solidifying). 5. Atomizing (disintegrating by steam, compressed air, etc.). 6. Condensation of metal vapor. 7. Reduction of oxide powders. 8. Chemical precipitation. 9. Electrolytic deposition. 10. Sintering (for producing alloy powders). 11. Formation of an alloy followed by dissolving or otherwise removing one of the alloying constituents. Machining Turnings, cuttings, filings, etc., are, of course, produced as by-products in machine work of various kinds, and find certain applications as metal powders. For example, iron powder so produced is used extensively as a reducing or precipitating agent and as a constituent in certain hard-finish cements.

Jan 1, 1938

By James R. Dunn

The purpose of this chapter is to review the uses of sand and gravel by the construction industry. The specific intention is to give tech¬nical people the general perspective and frame¬work which they need to help in making tech¬nical and business decisions. In the sand and gravel industry such decisions are based on an understanding of sociologic, economic, and technologic factors. In order to discuss the sand and gravel industry intelligently, it is necessary to define sand and gravel. "Sand" as most often used by industry is not sand in an engineering or geo¬logic sense but should be called "natural fine aggregate." The expression "fine aggregate" is preferable to "sand" because fine aggregate in¬cludes grain sizes which, according to engineer¬ing or geologic classifications, are defined as pebble or grit size. Natural fine aggregate is distinguished from manufactured fine aggregate in that the manufactured material is crushed and screened to produce the required sizes and natural fine aggregate is only screened. Coarse aggregate is generally defined as aggregate which will not pass a No. 4 or %o-in. sieve. Coarse aggregate may be natural (gravel) or manufactured (crushed stone, crushed gravel, slag, or coarse lightweight aggregate). Gravel is usually considered sufficiently crushed to qualify as manufactured coarse aggregate when two or more sides are broken. Sand and gravel (crushed or uncrushed) is used in asphaltic and portland cement concretes, is subbase for pavements, as fill where good drainage is needed (such as around structures), and for many other uses. About 96% of all he sand and gravel produced is used in construction.

Jan 1, 1975

By F. Hass, N. W. Lord

This paper gives the results of experiments conducted in the metallurgical laboratory of the Ohio State University with the objects of determining: First, the calorific powers of a number of coals in general use in Ohio; and second, how far ordinary analytical methods could be used as a basis for computing these values. Incidentally a test of the performance of the calorimeter was involved. The chemical work has been carried on in the department for some time, so that the whole investigation has extended over three or four years. The Mahler calorimeter was purchased from L. Golaz in Paris, and is practically identical with the one described and figured by Mahler in his monograph "Contribution a l'Etude des Combustibles," from the Bulletin de la Société d' Encouragement pour l'lndustrie Nationale. A figure and description is also given by William Kent in The Mineral Industry for 1892, page 97. There were furnished with the instrument three thermometers covering a range of from 7°.5 C. to 31° C. Thermometer "A" (17°.5 to 31°) was carefully calibrated by reading the ends of a thread of mercury in sixteen positions covering the whole scale, supplementing this by readings of longer threads and deducing the errors of scale by the method published by Prof. Holman in the Technology Quarterly of September, 1887. The maximum error of a single reading was found to be 0°.0042 C. Thermometer "B" (13° to 25°) was compared directly with " A " over the scale common to both, and a variation was found of 0°.0145 C. for 7°.5 (or 0°.002 for l°) of the scale. Thermometer " C" ('7°.5 to 19°.0) was omitted from the cornparison, as it was rarely used, being only required where measurements were made at low temperatures. From the

Jan 1, 1898

By Henry G. Granger

Repeated failures in attempts to work gold-bearing gravels by means of suction-dredges have created the impression that this method is impracticable. The suction-dredges have failed from three special causes: excessive wear and frequent breakage of pump-shell, runners and liners; inability to dredge compact gravel which would not readily move towards the intake; and, most important of all, closing of the suction-pipe by stones too large to enter it. In my opinion, all three causes of trouble may be remedied: the first, by making stronger the parts most liable to wear and breakage; the second, by means for loosening the gravel at the intake; and the third, by sufficiently increasing the diameter of the suction-pipe. In suction gold-dredges, this diameter has not usually exceeded 10 or 12 in.; whereas there are few profitable gold-fields which call be considered dredge-able, in which stones more than 12 in. in diameter are not frequently encountered. II. An Effective Suction-Dredge. In harbor-operations, much larger stones are handled by suction-dredges. The large dredge of the Henry Steers Contracting Co. worked for nearly four years at League Island, Philadelphia, where it sucked up, passed through the pump, and forced through 3,700 ft. of discharge-pipe, gravel containing boulders up to 200 lb. in weight. This was done with no bad breaks and few shut-downs. The cutter and liners were the only parts liable to damage, and these were easily replaced with brief interruption of work. The chrome-steel liners are said to have lasted from six to nine months. I am informed that this dredge worked continously for nine

Jan 1, 1910

By M. R. Tek, K. H. Coats, D. L. Katz

In natural gas storage operations, seasonal pressure fluctuations in the gas reservoir cause the water from the surrounding aquifer to flow into and out of the gas sand. The theory of unsteady-state liquid flow through porous media developed by Van Everdingen and Hurst' has been applied to predict the water movement into and out of the gar bubble for .several .postulated pressure cycles. Those cycles with as many pound-days above the original aquifer pressure as pound-days below, may cause the gas reservoir to slowly grow or shrink rather than hold to a constant volume. Applications to an actual field case study give the predicted gas reservoir monthly pressures and volumes as compared with the observed monthly pressures and volumes. INTRODUCTION A large number of natural gas storage reservoirs are bounded by or adjacent to large water-saturated formations called aquifers. The presence of these aquifers is usually evidenced by the production of water from wells delineating the gas-hearing sands. Some gas storage reservoirs in use today have been purposely developed on aquifers. Cyclic pressure variations in a gas storage reservoir cause water influx and efflux from the surrounding aquifer. This, in turn, results in a varying gas reservoir volume. The prediction of the effect of this aquifer fluid movement on the size and size variation of the gas reservoir can provide information valuable in the study of several reservoir engineering problems. The economics of gas storage operations are directly influenced by the influx of aquifer fluid into the reservoir since a shrinking storage reservoir requires increasing pressures for the storage of the same quantity of gas. Material balance and reserve or recovery calculations also obviously require knowledge of reservoir volume. Various other reservoir engineering calculations such as interpretation of well interference data, evaluation of physical characteristics of porous media, water coning, gas injection and pressure maintenance studies are typical problems where variations of volume due to edge or bottom-water encroachment becomes important. The solution of equations describing influx and efflux of water in the gas sand, application to gas storage reservoir behavior and interpretation of results are the main objectives of this paper. While this work was directed toward gas storage reservoirs, it applies equally well to repressuring of partially depleted oil reservoirs with an active water drive. MATHEMATICAL ANALYSIS As just mentioned, the cyclic pressure variations in an aquifer-surrounded gas storage reservoir cause water movement and varying gas reservoir volume. Prediction of this volume variation from the reservoir pressure cycles or the injection-production schedule requires adoption of a flow model, certain assumptions concerning reservoir and fluid properties, and formulation and solution of the governing differential equation. The flow model used in this study is a gas bubble located on a very large aquifer (Fig. la). Gas bubble radius and aquifer sand thickness are denoted by rr and h, respectively. Fig. lb shows the horizontal, radial two-dimensional porous reservoir attended by the unsteady, compressible motion of the aquifer liquid. Volume variation of the gas bubble is determined from aquifer water flow across the cylindrical boundary, r = r0

By A. F. Taggart, F. E. Beach

The flotation process for the concentration of ores is a method by means of which one or more of the minerals in the ore (usually the valuable ones) are picked up by means of a liquid film and floated at the surface of a mass of fluid pulp. Here they are separated from the other minerals, which remain immersed in the body of the pulp. In general, the minerals which are floated are sulphides of metallic luster, but some other minerals of metallic luster such as graphite and some sulphides with adamantine luster, such as sphalerite and cinnabar, are amenable to treatment by the process. The importance of flotation lies in the fact that it is primarily a "slimes process" by means of which the particles of valuable mineral, too fine for efficient gravity concentration, are saved with a high percentage of recovery. Recoveries in the mills treating low-grade copper sulphide ores have been advanced 10 to 20 per cent. by the installation of the process and similar increased savings have been accomplished by the same means in mills treating sulphide ores of zinc and lead. When finely ground ore containing sulphides mixed with a siliceous or earthy gangue is brought gently onto the surface of a body of water, in a direction forming an acute angle with the surface of the water, a considerable portion of the sulphide constituent of the ore floats on the surface of the liquid, while the gangue sinks. This is the so-called film flotation, exemplified by the Wood and Macquisten processes. When gas bubbles are introduced into a fluid pulp composed of finely ground ore and water, to which has been added (1) a small amount of certain oils, or (2) a small amount of certain acida or acid salts, or (3) a small amount of certain alkalis or alkaline salts, or (4) a small amount of a mixture of oil with acid or alkali, the sulphide particles in the ore are brought to the surface on the gas bubbles. These collect in a froth

Jan 1, 1917

By Wilbur Stout

IN Ohio, the annual output of coke made from native coals has averaged not more than 70,000 tons, or about enough to run a 200-ton blast furnace. Raw coal locally mined from the Sharon, or No. 1, bed was used for iron smelting in Mahoning furnace at Lowellville, Mahoning Co., as early as 1846. This practice was continued in the Youngstown district until the coal became scarce and the Connellsville coke more popular. At present, the Sharon bed contributes a part of the fuel for the production of ferrosilicon iron at Jackson, Jackson Co. About one-third native coal and two-thirds soft coal are used. In this state, coke, on a commercial basis, was first made in Jefferson County probably about 1861 or 1862. The coals used were the Steubenville Shaft, or Lower Freeport, and the Strip Vein or Middle Kittanning. The practice, however, was discontinued before 1880 because of the competition of superior foreign cokes. Beehive ovens, later built at Leetonia, Columbiana Co., were operated for only a few years; the coal used at this place is the Lower Kittanning or No. 5. In a desultory way, slack from the Pittsburgh coal has been coked at a few places in eastern Ohio, and attempts, either for experimental or for commercial purposes, have been made in other parts of the State. Small quantities of coke were made from the Upper. Freeport coal at Salineville, Columbiana Co., and near Nelsonville, Hocking Co.; the results were poor. Tests were made of the Middle Kittanning coal near Zanesville, Muskingum Co., at Moxahala Furnace, Perry Co., and at Washington Furnace, Lawrence Co.; the cokes were all high in sulfur and ash. Attempts were made to coke the Clarion coal at Vinton Furnace, Vinton Co.; a small battery of molding ovens and a pile of high-sulfur coke yet remain to tell the story. The Pittsburgh coal was coked on a commercial scale at Utley and at Lathrop, Athens Co.; but the operations were not successful and were soon abandoned.

Jan 9, 1919

Polluted air and water, despoiled land and excessive noise are the unwelcome results of the population growth and a rising standard of living. The consumption of goods and services, including metal products and minerals, by all people is increasing so rapidly that civilization is in danger of destroying the environment in which it lives. This is true because every human activity affects the environment, whether it is air, water or land. While E. F. Osborn, director, U.S. Bureau of Mines, says . . . "some members of the mineral industry are reluctant to recognize environmental demands" . . . William T. Pecora Under Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior.. . says that, "to maintain levels of resource development and environmental quality needed to satisfy our affluence, we must trade off values rather than turn off troublesome operations." What it seems to boil down to is how much control of its operations is the mineral industry willing to accept-internal policing or strict government control? The answer lies in how well the mineral industry maintains a balance between mineral development and environmental quality.

Jan 1, 1971

By Frank A. Hill

After a long struggle with an underground mine-fire and its accompanying evils, having experienced the discouragement of many retreats, the uncertain hope of varying advances, and the gratification of final success, I am tempted to give the members of the Institute some of the details of the fight. I do not write with the thought of treating a novel subject, but with the hope that some one as unfortunate as ourselves may be led by our experience to avoid our mistakes and to profit by our successes. The fire occurred on June 16, 1890. It was a calamity awful in its results, ringing the death-knell of thirty-one stalwart miners, bringing sorrow and desolation to many homes, and destroying in a few hours the work of years. While there have been a number of disasters in the history of American mining in which there was a greater loss of life and property, I know of none in which so simple a cause led to results so serious. A description of the mine, with the details of the accident, is necessary for a full understanding of the conditions existing at the time. The Hill-Farm-Parrish mine is in Dunbar township, Fayette county, Pa., about one mile from Dunbar station, on the Pennsylvania and Baltimore & Ohio railroads, about four miles south of Connellsville, nine miles northeast of Uniontown, and in the heart of what is celebrated as the Connellsville coke region. The mine is owned and operated by the Dunbar Furnace Company ; and all the coal produced is made into coke and used in the company's furnaces, one mile to the east. The mine is opened by two slopes, the HillFarm and Parrish, the latter known also as the Ferguson. The Hill-Farm slope is 2600 feet northeast of the Parrish. There are 150 ovens at the former and 70 at the latter slope. The Hill-Farm slope is 4100 feet in length, and the length of the Parrish at the time of the accident was 3700 feet. The average dip of the coal is about 8 degrees S of W. The workings of the two slopes are con-

Jan 1, 1893