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By J. E. Spruiell, F. H. Patterson, B. F. Shuler

The microstructures and textures developed by the working of high-purzly thermochemically deposited tungstem sheet have been inuesligated. Greater than 60 pct reduction was required to deslroy the columnar grain structure which existed in the as-deposited sheet. With increasing reductions the texture gradu-ally charged from the initial as-deposited orientation with (100) parallel to the sheet normal to a (100}(011) ideal ovienlation with some spread about the rolling direction. This texture was retained after recrystalli-zation a1 2000°C. THE processes for depositing tungsten by hydrogen reduction of tungsten hexafluoride have been under development for the past several years.1,2 The nature of the deposition process is such that the as-deposited material contains a highly oriented columnar grain structure perpendicular to the deposition substrate. This well-defined columnar structure may be useful in certain applications293 but a wrought or equiaxed structure may be desired for some components such as tubing. Knowledge of the effects of working ther-mochemically deposited (TCD) tungsten is therefore necessary in order to establish the feasibility of obtaining worked and recrystallized microstructures and textures. The details of a recently developed technique for thermochemically depositing flat, uniformly thick tungsten sheet are presented with emphasis on the effects of deformation by rolling on the microstructure and texture. Although no work has been previously reported on the rolling and the annealing textures of TCD tungsten, there have been some determinations of textures for cold-rolled tungsten foil prepared from powder-metal -lurgy billets.4-8 The general description is that of a predominantly lurgy{100}(011) texture, with some spread about the rolling direction as an axis. pugh5 reports data both for cold-rolled and for annealed foil having about 96 pct initial cold work. He observed no change in texture, except for a decrease in the spread, for annealing treatments of 30 min at temperatures up to 1800°C. On annealing at 1900°C, both the low-temperature components plus new components which were described alternately as {001}(320) plus {001)(230) or as {100}(011) ± 12 deg about the sheet normal were observed. Above 1900°C, the new orientation existed alone, and it was stable up to 2500°C, the highest temperature that Pugh investigated. THERMOCHEMICAL DEPOSITION OF TUNGSTEN SHEET High-purity tungsten sheet was reproducibly deposited on the inner walls of a molybdenum mandrel by the thermochemical reaction WFs(g) + 3H2(g) - W(s) + 6HF(g). The mandrel was heated by a five-zone tube furnace which afforded a controllable fixed-temperature profile. Sheets measuring 1+ by 12 in. have been deposited with uniform thicknesses of up to 0.145 m. As shown schematically in Fig. 1, the purified reaction gases were metered into a mixing chamber at a Hz-to-WF6 ratio of 15 and preheated to 350°C. The flow rate of the WF6 was 300 cu cm per min at stp. These gases were directed through a conical injector into the deposition chamber. Inside this chamber hydrogen reduction of the WF6 to pure tungsten metal occurred on the hot walls of the molybdenum mandrel at a total pressure of 5 Torr. Typical temperatures for the five zones in the chamber were, respectively, 565", 540", 550°, 570°, and 590°C. The hydrogen fluorlde generated from the reaction, the excess hydrogen, and some un-reacted WF6 were pumped on through the scavenger

Jan 1, 1968

By J. T. Crawford

COAL-CLEANING plants using the launder process generally wash the fine coal (minus 3/8 or minus 5/16-in.) separately in a plant consisting of washing launders or troughs placed one below another and sometimes supplemented by additional washing equipment such as tables and jigs. The coal and its associated impurities enters the feed end of the top launder, with a current of push water. As the material moves along the impurities, being heavier than coal, settle toward the bottom of the launder and are drawn off, with some coal, through "free discharge" boxes to the launder below. These boxes were given their name because their discharge falls freely; that is, it does not discharge into a water seal. Thus the impurities are progressively concentrated in the lower launders until box products are sufficiently free of coal to be discharged to refuse. The overflows of the upper launders go to clean coal while the overflow of the lowest launder, and perhaps that of the one immedi-ately above, is usually recirculated to the plant feed. Thus the bulk of the clean coal is removed rapidly and the impurities are concentrated more slowly. The chief purpose of this paper is to present the cleaning data of such a plant under different operating conditions.

Jan 1, 1940

By G. M. Ellis

When developing a mineral processing facility, the mining company management and engineering staff should have some knowledge of the construction industry in order to work with the contractors involved as a team. Of course, the situation varies with the nature of the project and its size, but relations among owners, engineers, and contractors always will be enhanced if the mining company has a knowledge of three construction industry facets: (1) the makeup of a construction company, (2) the functions performed by its staff, and (3) the various types of contracts and tendering procedures available. There are several options open to a company wishing to bring a new mine into production from the grass roots, depending upon corporate structure, capabilities, and financial strength. A company that already employs a substantial engineering staff may elect to manage and perform the design requirements itself, and may handle some or even all of the actual construction work. But in cases where bank financing is required, the loan is often dependent upon adequate professional construction help being used.

Jan 1, 1978

By C. F. Cornell, Henderson, A. F. Dunyon, D. A. Dahlstrom

IN processing magnetic taconites several steps of crushing, grinding, classification, and magnetic separation are required to produce a 60+ pct Fe concentrate. Usually the final concentrate is in a slurry form of 55 to 70 pct solids by weight and is further characterized by a particle size of 60+ pct -325 mesh. In taconite plants already completed or under construction the conventional method used to obtain pellets suitable for blast furnaces is to filter the concentrate slurry, ball the filter cake, and then harden the green pellets in a traveling grate or in a vertical shaft furnace. Large tonnages must be handled in minimum floor space, with reduced maintenance and lowest possible operating cost. Filtration must therefore achieve two objectives: 1) high filtration rate-in terms of pounds of dry solids per hour per square foot of filtration area-at a low filtrate solids concentration, and 2) a filter cake moisture that will always permit efficient balling within the normal fluctuations of plant operating conditions. If moisture contents are too high, balling may be impossible or result in a mushy ball without enough green strength for the firing operation.

Jan 3, 1957

By William A. Johnson

The fundamental role of diffusion in many reactions occurring in solid metals has long been recognized, and there have been careful measurements of rates of diffusion in numerous alloy systems; but our understanding of the atomic mechanism by which diffusion occurs is scarcely in an advanced state.l-3 It is doubtful that this mechanism can ever be directly ascertained; rather, all imaginable mechanisms must be examined and the one that is in best accord with such data as can be obtained from suitably chosen experiments should be selected. Because of its relative simplicity, diffusion in a system containing only one kind of atomic species—commody called self-diffusion—is of considerable theoretical interest. It may be expected that diffusion theory will not be advanced appreciably until a wide variety of diffusion experiments—of which diffusion in a chemical concentration gradient and self-diffusion are two important types—are carefully performed and inter-compared. Aside from the purely theoretical interest in self-diffusion measurements, such studies will be of considerable engineering importance. The rate of any process in a pure metal requiring the movement of atoms, of which recrystallization and creep are two familiar examples, will be understood more readily with the aid of self-diffusion data.† Self-diffusion implies the diffusion of something into its exact counterpart; the detection of such a process is patently impossible, and it is necessary to substitute for it the diffusion of one isotope (in this case radioactive) into another isotope (in this case stable) of the same chemical element. There is, however, no reason to suppose that a radioactive atom will not diffuse at the same rate as its stable isotope, for all of the isotopes of the same element have exactly the same chemical properties; neither the difference in nuclear energy nor the difference in mass would be expected to exercise an important influence in this phenomenon. In this sense, self-diffusion may be thought of as the diffusion of radioactive atoms down a radioactivity concentration gradient, just as usual diffusion is the diffusion of one kind of atom down its chemical concentration gradient. The first measurements of self-difiusion were made by von Hevesy4-6 using the radioactive lead isotope thorium B in ordinary lead. The recent development of means for producing artificial radioactive elements has made possible similar measurements on gold,7, 8 copper,2, 9 and zinc.10, 11 Many of the data that have been obtained are rather poor, and no adequate reason has been given for their poorness; it appears, however, that the unsatisfactory results are characteristic of the particular experimental procedure employed, and not of self-diffusion measurements in themselves. The experimental technique that has yielded the poorer results is the deposition of a thin layer of radioactive atoms on the surface of a specimen and the determination of the rate of inward diffusion

Jan 1, 1941

By William A. Johnson

The fundamental role of diffusion in many reactions occurring in solid metals has long been recognized, and there have been careful measurements of rates of diffusion in numerous alloy systems; but our understanding of the atomic mechanism by which diffusion occurs is scarcely in an advanced state.l-3 It is doubtful that this mechanism can ever be directly ascertained; rather, all imaginable mechanisms must be examined and the one that is in best accord with such data as can be obtained from suitably chosen experiments should be selected. Because of its relative simplicity, diffusion in a system containing only one kind of atomic species—commody called self-diffusion—is of considerable theoretical interest. It may be expected that diffusion theory will not be advanced appreciably until a wide variety of diffusion experiments—of which diffusion in a chemical concentration gradient and self-diffusion are two important types—are carefully performed and inter-compared. Aside from the purely theoretical interest in self-diffusion measurements, such studies will be of considerable engineering importance. The rate of any process in a pure metal requiring the movement of atoms, of which recrystallization and creep are two familiar examples, will be understood more readily with the aid of self-diffusion data.† Self-diffusion implies the diffusion of something into its exact counterpart; the detection of such a process is patently impossible, and it is necessary to substitute for it the diffusion of one isotope (in this case radioactive) into another isotope (in this case stable) of the same chemical element. There is, however, no reason to suppose that a radioactive atom will not diffuse at the same rate as its stable isotope, for all of the isotopes of the same element have exactly the same chemical properties; neither the difference in nuclear energy nor the difference in mass would be expected to exercise an important influence in this phenomenon. In this sense, self-diffusion may be thought of as the diffusion of radioactive atoms down a radioactivity concentration gradient, just as usual diffusion is the diffusion of one kind of atom down its chemical concentration gradient. The first measurements of self-difiusion were made by von Hevesy4-6 using the radioactive lead isotope thorium B in ordinary lead. The recent development of means for producing artificial radioactive elements has made possible similar measurements on gold,7, 8 copper,2, 9 and zinc.10, 11 Many of the data that have been obtained are rather poor, and no adequate reason has been given for their poorness; it appears, however, that the unsatisfactory results are characteristic of the particular experimental procedure employed, and not of self-diffusion measurements in themselves. The experimental technique that has yielded the poorer results is the deposition of a thin layer of radioactive atoms on the surface of a specimen and the determination of the rate of inward diffusion

Jan 1, 1941

By Bernard G. Carbajal

The dielectric properties and thermal stability of glow-discharge polytnerized films of styrene, chloro-benzene, and other organics and photoresist filrns are presented. Variations in the glow-discharge polymerization procedure are related to thermal stability. Thermal treatwzents to improve the dielectric properties of both positive (A2 340) and negative (KMER) photoresists are given. THIS study of the dielectric properties of thin organic polymer films is part of a program to investigate the electronic applications of organic materials. Thin organic polymer films have been produced in an ac glow discharge,13 with a low-energy electron-beam process,4 and in an rf dicharge. A process has been developed during the course of this program for forming thin organic polymer films in a dc glow discharge. These glow-discharge polymerized (GDP) films exhibit some useful dielectric and insulative properties. Variations in the properties of the GDP films can be induced by changes in the source material (monomer) andor in the conditions of the glow discharge. Thin organic polymer films can also be produced from typical positive and negative photoresists. Some variations in the properties of the photoresist films can be induced by suitable post-application treatments such as thermal crosslinking. The properties of interest in this study are dielectric constant, dielectric strength, resistivity, and thermal stability. POLYMER FILM PREPARATION I) GDP Films. The GDP films were prepared in a dc glow discharge in an atmosphere of organic monomer vapor. The details of the glow-discharge procedure have been presented previously.6 Briefly, under the influence of a dc glow discharge organic vapors can be polymerized in the vapor phase and the resultant polymer (GDP film) deposits on and in the vicinity of the cathode. Substrates placed behind a screen cathode can be uniformly coated over all exposed areas. Pattern definition can be achieved using normal mask stencil techniques. Table I presents the pertinent parameters in the preparation of GDP styrene. Conditions of Forrrzation of GDP Styrene. The rate of deposition for GDP films was monitored using a current-time integrator. The thickness of the deposited film for a given set of experimental conditions was a function of the current-time integral. The fifth row in Table I is a compilation of the deposition rate of GDP styrene films. Other organic monomers behave in a similar fashion. With the exception of the highly halogenated saturated hydrocarbons, all organics subjected to the conditions of the glow discharge form GDP films. 11) Photoresist Films. Photoresists are normally recognized to exist in two forms, a low molecular weight, soluble polymer form (A) and a high molecular weight, crosslinked insoluble form (B). Typical negative photoresists are applied in the low molecular weight form A and converted to the high molecular weight form B by the action of light. (Positive photoresists are applied in form B and converted to form A by the action of light.) Eastman Kodak Metal Etch Resist (KMER) has been chosen as a typical negative photoresist. Polymer film samples were prepared in the same configuration used for GDP films. The KMER was applied in the usual fashion using a 120°C drying step (infrared-lamp heating) and a 180°C post-bake. Care must be taken to completely remove the solvent in the drying step and to properly develop and postbake to exposed photoresist. If the photoresist film is not properly dried and postbaked, severe blistering and peeling will occur during subsequent elevated-temperature exposure. Thickness can be controlled by varying the viscosity of the form A photoresist and the spin rate at application. AZ 340 was chosen as a typical positive photore-

Jan 1, 1967

By G. R. M. Del Giudice

The term "slime-coating" is not new in the art of flotation; the phenomenon has been observed and described by Taggart;(l)† Taggart, Taylor, and Ince;(2) and by Ince.(3) Notwithstanding that flotation was introduced for the treatment of finely crushed ore, the adverse effects of slimes have been recognized since the earliest days of the process, and the Elmore, Delprat, Potter, and other processes actually specified desliming of the ore prior to treatment. The cause of this trouble has been studied and described by Taggart;(1) Taggart, Taylor, and Ince;(2) Ince;(3) Morrow and Griswold;(4) and by Gaudin and Malozemoff.(5) Old Theory of Slime-coatings At present, so far as published work shows, there seems to be but one theory for the mechanism of slime-coatings. Ince(3) states that they are due to attraction between electrostatic charges of opposite sign on the sulfide and on the slime particles, supporting this theory by migration experiments in the Burton tube. He also used the microscope in conjunction with a glass cell employed by Beans and Eastlack(6) in studying migration, but met with interference from endosmosis. Several attempts have been made in the Department of Mineral Dressing at Columbia University to duplicate Ince's experiments with the Burton tube, but the results have never been convincing. Formation of precipitates which settled through the pulp levels, and evolution of gas at the electrodes, which disturbed the interface between the pulp and the distilled water above it, seriously interfered with observations. However, by use of the migration cell shown in Fig. 1, endosmosis effects and the disturbances due to precipitation and gas evolution were avoided, and distinct and reproducible migrations or absence of migration were observed. The cell was made of bakelite and had platinum electrodes. Objectives were employed which had a working distance of at least three millimeters,1 and the parts of the mounting which came in contact with

Jan 1, 1935

By J. E. Lawrence

Copper-decorated lattice disorders in silicon have been analyzed by electron transmission microscopy, chemical etching, and P-N junction reverse current measurements before and following different gettering treatments. Lattice disorders acted as the nucleating sites for copper precipitation. Copper precipitates in silicon resist chemical etching, absorb electron beams more than silicon, and cause excess reverse currents. Totally gettered disorders will chemically etch rapidly, be transparent to electron beams at extinction contrast, and not contribute to excess reverse currents. Three different gettering procedures were performed to determine the effectiveness of different EXTRANEOUS metal contamination can alter the minority carrier lifetime and resistivity of bulk silicon as well as cause excessive reverse currents in semiconductor devices. Previous workers have reported such activity for gold,1,2 copper,'-* iron,' and rnanganese.2,5 Gettering is a method employed to render these impurities electrically inactive. However, some property of the junction-degrading metals prevents gettering procedures from being wholly reliable. The comparative effectiveness of gettering with different agents has been the topic of earlier publications.2,3,6-11 Two mechanisms for gettering metallic impurities have been proposed: the distribution coefficient mechanism by Thurmond and Logan7 and the compound formation mechanism by Goetzberger and Shockley.2 Both of these models evolved from data gettering mechanisms. First, phosphorus was allowed to enter a protective SiO2 film but remain away from the Si-SiO2 interface to test the effectiveness of the compound formation gettering mechanism. Second, phosphorus was allowed to enter the backside of silicon wafers to test the effectiveness of the lattice strain gettering mechanism. Finally, nickel was diffused into the backside of silicon wafers to test the effectiveness of the distribution coefficient gettering mechanism. In each case, copper precipitates dissolved as a result of the gettering treatment. Tightly packed precipitates will resist gettering more than loosely packed copper precipitates. acquired by the electrical analyses of gettered semiconductor materials. An electrical analysis, however, cannot identify the fate of the gettered metals. The radiotracer technique has recently been applied to determine the redistribution of metals following different gettering treatments.3,9,10 The spatial resolu tion of the radiotracer technique prevented the analysis of metal precipitates which contribute to the excessive reverse currents of P-N junctions. The gettering processes employed by the earlier workers, almost without exception, allowed the gettering agent to enter the silicon lattice. This procedure makes it quite difficult to differentiate between the distribution coefficient and the compound formation mechanisms. The metallographic analysis of gettered copper precipitates discussed in this work supplements the earlier work by obtaining direct evidence of silicon lattice defects decorated with copper before and following different gettering treatments. The effectiveness of a process which restricts the gettering agent, phosphorus, to a dielectric film and thus away from the silicon lattice is discussed in addition to the ef-

Jan 1, 1969

By C. E. Violet, R. J. Borg, E. M. Howard

The miscibility gap in the Au-Ni system has been determined by Mossbauer spectroscopy, with used as a probe. The phase boundaries were determined from the compositional dependence of both the isomer shift and Curie temperature. X-ray diffraction measurements were also used to confirm the Mossbauer results. 1 HE purpose of this research is to demonstrate the application of Mbssbauer spectroscopy to the determination of phase boundaries and to redetermine the miscibility gap by an independent and novel technique. The techniques evolved in this study are readily applicable to other polyphase systems and are generally as quick and accurate as the more conventional methods, e.g., metallography, X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis, and so forth. To be sure, not all polyphase systems will lend themselves favorably to Mijssbauer investigations, but this is a problem met in the use of conventional methods as well. The Mbssbauer spectrum responds to a different set of physical parameters, and consequently provides an entirely independent method of analysis. It is especially useful if the system has either a ferromagnetic or an antiferromagnetic transition. The Au-Ni system was selected because alloys containing more than -60 at. pct Ni become magnetically ordered at low temperatures; also the miscibility gap is quite well established (see Ref. 7 for a compilation of pertinent references, also Fig. 11, and thus provides a reliable test of this novel procedure. As Fe is the most commonly used Mijssbauer isotope, there exists a wealth of information concerning its behavior in iron-containing alloys and compounds. However, as yet there have been relatively few experiments using it as a probe to investigate nonferrous systems. By choosing a nonferrous alloy system, we are able to demonstrate that its use is not restricted to systems containing iron as one of the major constituents. Wertheim and ~ernick' have used the same method to investigate Cu-Ni, and demonstrated that one can obtain a systematic variation in the isomer shift and magnetic hyperfine field. However, we believe this to be the first time these techniques have been used to establish phase boundaries. Two hyperfine interactions were measured and used to determine the phase boundaries, viz., the magnetic hyperfine splitting and the isomer shift which in this alloy system are both strong functions of composition. Calibration curves were established based upon single-phase solid solutions obtained by quenching from temperatures well above the maximum of the miscibility gap, see Fig. 1. Solid solutions containing 25, 50, 65, 75, 85, 92, and 96 pct Ni as well as pure nickel were used in the calibration procedure. Fig. 2 shows the Curie temperature, TC, and the isomer shift, v,, as determined from the Mbssbauer spectra, and variation in lattice parameter as determined by X-ray diffraction, as functions of composition. The compositions of the two-phase systems quenched from temperatures within the miscibility gap are obtained by comparing their respective values of TC and v0 with the calibration data. I) EXPERIMENTAL Mbssbauer sources were made by fusing the component metals in a tungsten arc melter, which has a water-cooled copper hearth. Both nickel and gold were 99.999 pct pure, and the melting was done in an atmosphere of purified argon. The alloys were rolled, diced,

Jan 1, 1969

By Karl F. Peterson, H. K. Najarian, Robert E. Lund

PRIMARY products of the Josephtown smelter are zinc metal of various grades, lead-free zinc oxide pigments, cadmium metal, and sulphuric acid. Zinc concentrates of domestic and foreign origin are blended and desulphurized at the roaster plant. The equipment includes five, 12-hearth Herreshoff roasters and two modified Trail-type suspension roasters. The sulphur dioxide containing gases from the roasting operation are diverted to a four-unit contact acid plant for the manufacture of sulphuric acid. The roasted calcines are agglomerated by sintering on Dwight-Lloyd-type sintering machines; the sinter is crushed and sized within required limits; and the sized sinter is smelted in vertical shaft-type electro-thermic furnaces. Of the 13 electrothermic furnaces of various sizes now in operation, four are designed to produce American process zinc oxidc of various specifications; and the remaining nine furnaces are equipped with vacuum-type condensers and produce zinc metal. Papers describing the general smelting practice at Josephtown have been published by AIME. Since both High Grade zinc metal and lead-free zinc oxide pigments are produced direct from the electrothermic furnaces without need for subsequent refining, the elimination of impurities such as lead and cadmium has to be accomplished during roasting and sintering operations. To effect the producing of both High Grade and Prime Western zinc products, the roasting and sintering operations are on two separate circuits. A High Grade circuit produces finished sized sinter low in lead, cadmium, etc., for the High Grade furnaces; and the Prime Western circuit produces finished sinter destined for the furnaces producing Prime Western metal. Sintering at the Josephtown smelter differs in many important respects from the sintering practice in smelters operating horizontal retort zinc furnaces. Requirements of the electrothermic smelting furnaces define the physical characteristics of the sinter, while the chemical composition of the sinter is controlled according to the grade of metal and oxide to be made as final products. Three principal objectives in the sintering process at Josephtown smelter are: 1. To transform the zinc calcine from the roasting operations into a hard, yet porous agglomerate that will not crumble in the smelting furnace. 2. Crushing and sizing of the sinter to obtain a proper screen analysis which is normally —% in. down to +1/4 in. particle size. 3. To eliminate, particularly in the High Grade circuit, as much of the impurities such as sulphur, lead, and cadmium as possible. The sintering plant as originally built in 1930 was equipped with three standard 42 in. x 44 ft Dwight-Lloyd sintering machines. Each machine was equipped with a 15x60 in. sintering corporation fan driven by 150 hp, 900 rpm synchronous motor through a magnetic clutch and capable of delivering 30,000 cfm of air at 15 in. of water and 150°F. Each sintering machine was driven by 7½ hp dc motor with controllers for varying the speed of the machine from 8 to 32 in. per min. The pallets were cast iron and the grates of the herringbone type. The charge was mixed in a 4 ft diam x 8 ft Stehli pugmill and transported by belt conveyor, elevator and tripper conveyor to a small bin over each machine. Shortly after the start of operations the following changes were found necessary: 1. The herringbone grates which plugged very quickly and were difficult to keep clean were replaced by straight, narrow cast-iron grate bars running at right angles to the travel of the pallets. These grate bars are held in place by a center bar extending across the pallet on the 24 in. dimension and by removable retaining plates which form the sides of the pallets. 2. Mechanical grate knockers were developed in conjunction with new grate bars for continuously and automatically cleaning the grates. 3. As the cast-iron pallets cracked, they were replaced with cast-steel pallets. In 1938, the capacity of the sinter plant was increased with the installation of two 42 in. x 22 ft machines which were brought from the company's Herculaneum lead smelter. With a circulating load of some 250 to 300 pct, production of finished sinter on the 42 in. x 44 ft machines at this time amounted to about three tons of sized sinter per machine hour. In 1945, one of the 42 in. x 22 ft machines was replaced by a 60 in. x 44 ft machine of our own design. In 1948, as part of the plant-wide expansion program, the sinter plant not only was expanded but also divided into two separate plants; namely, Prime Western and High Grade circuits. The sinter destined for furnaces producing Prime Western zinc metal is made in a new plant comprising two 60 in. x 44 ft Dwight-Lloyd-type sintering machines, each having a 45,000 cfm Sturtevant fan at 18 in. water static pressure and served by an 8 ft diam x 12 ft long rotary charge pclletizer and auxiliary crushing and sizing equipment. The sinter destined for furnaces producing High Grade zinc metal and zinc oxide pigments is produced in the old sinter plant which was expanded to accommodate four of the 60 in. x 44 ft sintering machines, replacing the old sintering units. In the High Grade sinter circuit, two units of the 60 in. x 44 ft machines are used as preliminary soft sinter machines; and the remaining two units of the 60 in. x 44 ft machines are used to make finished hard sinter. Purification Theory Partial elimination of lead and cadmium in the sintering of zinc ores is common knowledge. However, by some manipulation and by taking advantage of the double circuit, it is possible to make zinc sinter which is nearly free of contaminators. Lead

Jan 1, 1952

By Duane H. Haley

The century we live in has been an eventful time for the Third World, particularly the country of Peru. Although it will take one or two generations more to see its end and fully evaluate its scope, it is already clear that during the twentieth century, Peru has entered a dynamic industrial, economic, social, and political revolution. This century has seen the end of old governments, and the introduction of reforms which radically change complex traditional patterns. It also has marked the beginning of an era in which the government has elected to undertake, as a national effort, most of the future economic growth of Peru. For the most part, large multinational mining companies, which have helped to discover and put into operation large mineral and ore deposits in Peru, have been sympathetic toward this philosophy. Most big foreign companies, in addition to capital, brought with them to Peru an efficient technology, modern management, and an effective organization for the further processing, sales, and distribution of refined commodities. Nationalization of all basic resources, including mining, is the, trend-not, it is hoped, to the detriment of established technology and production.

Jan 1, 1974

By William J. Potter, Roger N. Pyle

Introduction The primary ingredient for survival of mining companies during a recessionary period is to be innovative and resourceful in the structuring and financing of operations. Over the past decade, many mining companies have had to retrench and restructure their operations and to redeploy their assets just to survive. During the same period, traditional sources of financing for mining companies -- commercial banks, subsidized export credit loans and long term straight debt financing in the public markets -- became less available and more expensive. Meanwhile, new markets and new financing instruments provided new alternatives for mining companies. Those companies which exploited these alternatives greatly enhanced their capacity for survival and even for profitability. This article considers the strategies adopted by some companies to adapt to changes in this recessionary environment; the inadequacy of traditional sources of financing; certain of the new financing instruments, structures and markets which have become available; and how several mining companies have utilized these new instruments, structures and financial markets to improve their competitive positions. THE IMPACT OF RECESSION ON MINING COMPANIES AND TRADITIONAL FINANCING SOURCES In its 1983 year-end article "The New Economic Order" Mining Journal characterized many of the large private sector mining companies with operations in the industrialized countries as being "gripped between the jaws of high working costs and stagnating metal commodity prices." The article went on to characterize the Canadian mining industry in particular as being "in the difficult position of having to seek to sell the bulk of its output in a world market characterized by over-capacity, where production costs were determined by internal political and economic factors while prices were set by external competitive forces of supply and demand." Miners of a wide range of commodities in the industrialized countries have come to realize that their domestic mineral resources are in many cases no longer competitive with global sources of supply. To compete and survive they would have to rely on their technical and financial expertise in mineral exploration and development and in mining and processing. Strategies For Survival Global competition has compelled management in the extractive industries to improve their worldwide cost position. This is the only means whereby a mining company can differentiate its product and attain a substantial competitive advantage. During the past decade, for example, ASARCO Inc. and Inco Ltd. chopped their payrolls, postponed expansion plans and otherwise retrenched. ASARCO reduced its capital expenditures and cash requirements for operations in 1984 to a level almost equal to its internally generated cash. The company's finances were also strengthened by increasing total lines of credit from outside sources, by selling common stock, and by reducing annual pension funding through a change in actuarial assumptions. Other companies returned to their traditional organizational structure where they had a demonstrated competitive strength. Consolidated Gold Fields, for instance, resumed its operation as a mining finance house. Its capital investment programs are now devoted solely to resource development. In mid-1984, at a time of firming zinc prices, Union Miniere S.A. used the opportunity to integrate its smelting capacity and to direct investment to certain subsidiaries at the expense of less viable operations. Smaller corporations realized that it was not enough just to be the low-cost producer. For example, Drummond Coal Company in Alabama, which dominates its regional market due to its low-costs, has also developed a world-wide trading capability and has placed incremental tonnage from its own mines as well as brokered coal produced by others, thereby minimizing capital risk. In Canada, Campbell Resources has exploited difficult times by acquiring assets cheaply. In the process it improved its capacity to withstand cyclical economic swings by diversifying from solely a copper and gold producer to a company based upon asbestos, coal, copper, gold and natural gas.

Jan 1, 1985

By Robin O. Williams

The increase in internal energy as the result of deformation has been measured for lead, aluminum, silver, nickel, iron, and zirconium by using rapid, adiabatic compression. The stored energy increase is roughly Proportional to the strain; the propor-tionality constant increases rapidly with increasing melting point. The fraction of the mechanical energy which is stored increases more slowly, since the strength of the metals also increases with melting point. The values of the stored energy are considered accurate to about 10 pet. The present values appear about 50 pet larger than the more reliable published results where comparisons are possible. It is possible that this difference is due to the high strain rate used in this investigation. Immediately after deformation all these metals release energy at a rate roughly proportional to (time)-'. This release is considered to be associated with dislocation motion but in aluminum (and copper) some additional process seems to be present. This release can represent 20 pet or more of the stored energy. WHEN pure metals are plastically deformed, most of the mechanical energy is converted into heat. The energy remaining within the metal is significant in that it is the energy of the disorder produced and thus detailed knowledge of this energy is a powerful tool in understanding the nature of deformational disorder. While much effort has been expended on this problem, the amount of information available is limited. The situation as of 1958 has been carefully reviewed by Titchener and ever.' The present results have been obtained by a new experimental approach to this problem. The method necessitates high-strain rates which make comparisons with published results less certain, but a high-strain rate is an advantage in that the energy release immediately after deformation can be followed. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE In the experimental method used, the internal (stored) energy is given as the difference between the mechanical work used in deforming the sample and the heat which is released (the first law of thermodynamics). The work is supplied by two identical hammers swinging freely from a fixed height, the available energy being the product of the mass, the gravitational constant, and the distance through which the center of gravity moves. The initial temperature rise of the sample represents the heat produced by the deformation. The sample temperature is determined by a small thermocouple embedded in and supporting the sample. This process can be repeated over and over to produce increased strains. Most samples are run through about five cycles to a total strain of around 0.7. Further details are covered elsewhere. The determination of the heat is dependent upon the sample weight, its specific heat, the rise in temperature, and any gains or losses to the surroundings. One is dependent on published results for specific heals (the values were taken from a collection).3 The values must be accurate to about 0.1 pet in order that they not affect the results. The best values thus do not contribute to the uncertainty, but this is probably not always the case. The accuracy of the temperature rise is limited primarily by knowledge of the thermocouple characteristics over short temperature intervals, but careful calibration eliminates this as an important factor. One can calculate readily the heat flow between the sample and hammers if the time of contact and the sample temperature are known and if there were no oil at the interface. Assuming the maximum temperature difference, upper values for this interchange have been calculated (the time of contact is determined from the decrease in sample length) and it may or may not be significant. However, no correction is colnsidered necessary because of the presence of a thin oil film which has a thermal conductivity much less than the metals. Except for the possible uncertainty in specific heat, the heat is considered to be adequately known. The mechitnical losses which are recognized as important are: 1) friction between the sample and the hammer:;, 2) the kinetic energy in the hammer suspension system which may not be entirely usable, 3) the rebound energy of the hammers, and 4) the vibration of the hammer heads. All these have been covered in detail elsewhere2 and only the more significant points are made here. The friction turns out to be small except for soft materials (lead)

Jan 1, 1962

Succession of Minerals and Temperatures of Formation in Ore Deposits of Magmatic Affiliations BY WALDEMAR LINDGREN (Tech Pub 713 10,000 words ) The paper presents data accepted by many geochemists and geologists regarding the succession of minerals and the temperatures of formation in ore deposits affiliated with igneous rocks It also presents the individual views of the author on the composition of the solutions that were active and on the mode of deposition He does not regard these views as speculations or hypotheses but as forming a well motivated and con¬sistent theory It is not certain, however, that all investigators will subscribe to them The mining engineer may not always be interested in the field of stability and tempera¬ture of origin in the mineralogy of ore deposits, but he certainly is interested in the succession of minerals because this has a definite bearing on the understanding of the ores and on the best processes of extraction The author, therefore, summarizes in plain language the principal features of succession as shown in metallic ores

Jan 1, 1937

By William H. Bassett

COPPER is the world's most important non-ferrous metal, and brass is the most widely used non- ferrous alloy. Much of the utility of each may be credited to the work of metallurgists who have constantly improved the quality of the metals and alloys and the methods of fabrication. Standing in the front rank among these is William Hastings Bassett, the newly elected president of the Institute. Mr. Bassett, ,who is technical superintendent and metallurgist for the American Brass Co.,

Jan 1, 1930

INTRODUCTION The meaning of cash flow has already been defined as after-tax earnings available for use by the corporation or business. It is therefore apparent that a significant part of mineral economic evaluation is concerned with correct and accurate computation of taxable income under existing tax laws, and the proper treatment of tax allowances and deductions. The various methods of depreciation, depletion, and amortization are all means whereby the investor can earn back or recover, before taxes are imposed, the investments made for purposes of doing business or for the production of income. Each of these three types of tax deduction are applied to different investment items such as property, equipment, buildings, research, etc. The cost of buildings, equipment, machinery, and transportation equipment are representative of capitalized business costs that must be recovered by depreciation over the life of the asset. The property investment costs of acquiring natural resources such as minerals, oil and gas, and standing timber are examples of investment costs that may be recovered by depletion. Several other capitalized business costs, such as research expenses and trademark expenses, may be recovered by amortization. The term "capitalized" means that the in- vestment cost is not deducted as an operating expense in the year that it is incurred, but is spread out over a period of years through depreciation, depletion, or amortization deductions according to lawful schedules. Of course, any capitalized cost can only be deducted once. The other costs of doing business which are not capitalized, such as labor and operating costs, are said to be "expensed," i.e., they are written off for tax purposes in the year they occur. DEPRECIATION Depreciation, according to US tax law, is a deduction from taxable income permitted as a "reasonable allowance for the exhaustion, wear and tear of property out of its use or employment in a business." The original cost of the property is the usual basis for determining depreciation. Since depreciation write-off is applied over the useful life of the asset, the first step is to determine the estimated useful life or its allowable depreciable life. These two lives may or may not be the same. No average life is applicable to all types of depreciable assets under different conditions or in different types of business. It is the taxpayer's responsibility to determine the useful life of the asset according to his own operating conditions and experience, within the guidelines set by the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The Class Life Depreciation Range (ADR) System permits the taxpayer to choose from a range of depreciable lives at 20% below or above the present guideline life. The second step required in calculating depreciation is to determine an estimated salvage value for the asset. The salvage value is an estimate, made at the time of acquisition, of the amount of money which can be realized by the sale of the asset at the end of its useful life. The four depreciation methods most widely used in the US are: (1) the straight-line method, (2) the declining balance method (double declining balance), (3) sum of the years - digits method, and (4) units of production method. Straight-Line Depreciation Method The straight-line depreciation method is the simplest for calculating depreciation. The depreciation for each year is determined by subtracting the estimated salvage value from the first cost of the asset and dividing the result by the years of life. The method gives equal annual deduction over the depreciable life. Salvage value equal to or less than 10% of the first cost may be ignored. [first cost - salvage Straight line = years of life ] Declining Balance Depreciation Method Declining balance depreciation, or double declining balance (DDB) as most frequently applied, is used for accelerating depreciation in the early years of the asset and is the fastest depreciation method allowed by the US Internal Revenue Service. The declining balance

Jan 1, 1980

INTRODUCTION TO MINERAL INVENTORY The first explanations to be made must answer the questions: What is a mineral inventory, and how is a mineral inventory different from an ore reserve? The term mineral inventory is a relatively new designation-born of the computer age and grown to common usage with the development of computer techniques for extending drill-hole sample values to regularly gridded data blocks representing in situ mineral values. The term has been generally accepted by geologists and engineers because it has a precise meaning which avoids many of the ambiguities of ore reserve. A mineral inventory is an estimated inventory of mineral in place and is usually achieved by dividing the deposit into regularly spaced gridded blocks to which are assigned estimated values using various extension techniques. A mineral inventory makes no presumptions about the mineability of the blocks or their cutoff grade. Such parameters are implied with the use of the term ore reserve. Ore has a specific definition (see Chapter 1) and ore reserve must reflect that definition and thus has economic and mining constraints. An ore reserve will be different under different economic and mining conditions and is subject to reclassification by many factors. The term mineral inventory avoids all such ambiguities. A mineral inventory estimate may be good or poor according to how much is known about the deposit, how extensively it has been sampled, and what techniques have been employed to assign estimated grade to the blocks. Such an inventory, however, does not change with time, economic conditions, or mining technology, but only with new and better data and methods. Thus, the mineral inventory is an excellent designation for describing mineral value distribution within a deposit's geological setting. The techniques for assigning values and tonnage to mineral blocks or panels are the subjects of this chapter. Whether a summation of the blocks be called a mineral inventory or mineral reserve is not important. Many conventional methods for computing reserves of minerals refer to the methods in terms of ore reserve calculations. OBJECTIVES OF MINERAL INVENTORY OR RESERVES Mineral inventories are computed for the purpose of determining the quantity, the quality or value, and the spatial distribution of potentially economic minerals within the earth. Such computations are made at all stages in the life of a mineral extraction process, from the early exploration phase to the final year in the life of a mine. To quote Popoff (1966, p. 2), "They are the most responsible and irreplaceable tasks in the valuation of a mineral deposit. Efficiency in extraction and productiveness is impossible without accurate reserve computations." The accuracy of estimate required for each of the three parameters of quantity, value, and location is dependent upon the objective for which the reserve estimate is being made. Again quoting Popoff (1966, p. 2): Reserves are computed to determine the extent of exploration and development; distribution of values; annual output; probable and possible productive life of the mine; method of extraction and plan design; improvements in extraction, treatment, and processing; and requirements for capital, equipment, labor, power, and materials. Such computations are used to assist development

Jan 1, 1980

By C. H. Mathewson, P.W. Bakararian

The greatcr part of the literature on the plastic behavior of magnesium dates back to that active period of research in crystal mechanics immediately following the widespread preparation of isolated metallic crystals large enough for the application of conventional methods of mechanical testing. These investigations, performed on single crystals, revealed an analogy between zinc and magnesium with respect to their fundamental mode of deformation. in the operation of glide and twinning, respectively, on crystallographically similar planes. Mathewson and Phillips (1928)' by geometrical analysis identified the plane in magnesium as the twinning plane. Schiebold and Siebel (1931) confirmed this twinning planc, established the basal plane as the plane of slip, and a digonal axis I as the slip direction. They also rcported twin formation in a secondary role on the {IOI} plane. Schmid (1931)³ summarized and discussed the earlier evidence and presented the results of his own experiments on the effect of temperature and small amounts of soluble elements. From X-ray studies on extended wire single crystals, he concluded that slip along the basal plane in the direction of the digonal axis I closest to the stress direction was the sole slip system operating at atmospheric temperature. This conclusion was based on experiments with crystals of many different orientations relative to the stress axis. Special attention was directed to the basal plane and the digonal axis I, as the plane and direction of greatest atomic density. Determinations of resolved shear stress at the onset of plastic yielding-—i.e., the critical resolved shear stress—were also made; the average of these calculations showing 82.9 grams per sq. mm. This value varied only slightly up to 300°C. at which temperature it was found to decrease to 70.5 grams per sq. mm. The extension of his crystals at temperatures above 225°C. further disclosed the presence of new slip systems. After the origince specimens of circular section had been

Jan 1, 1943

By C. H. Mathewson, P. W. Bakararian

The greatcr part of the literature on the plastic behavior of magnesium dates back to that active period of research in crystal mechanics immediately following the widespread preparation of isolated metallic crystals large enough for the application of conventional methods of mechanical testing. These investigations, performed on single crystals, revealed an analogy between zinc and magnesium with respect to their fundamental mode of deformation. in the operation of glide and twinning, respectively, on crystallographically similar planes. Mathewson and Phillips (1928)' by geometrical analysis identified the plane in magnesium as the twinning plane. Schiebold and Siebel (1931) confirmed this twinning planc, established the basal plane as the plane of slip, and a digonal axis I as the slip direction. They also rcported twin formation in a secondary role on the {IOI} plane. Schmid (1931)³ summarized and discussed the earlier evidence and presented the results of his own experiments on the effect of temperature and small amounts of soluble elements. From X-ray studies on extended wire single crystals, he concluded that slip along the basal plane in the direction of the digonal axis I closest to the stress direction was the sole slip system operating at atmospheric temperature. This conclusion was based on experiments with crystals of many different orientations relative to the stress axis. Special attention was directed to the basal plane and the digonal axis I, as the plane and direction of greatest atomic density. Determinations of resolved shear stress at the onset of plastic yielding-—i.e., the critical resolved shear stress—were also made; the average of these calculations showing 82.9 grams per sq. mm. This value varied only slightly up to 300°C. at which temperature it was found to decrease to 70.5 grams per sq. mm. The extension of his crystals at temperatures above 225°C. further disclosed the presence of new slip systems. After the origince specimens of circular section had been

Jan 1, 1943