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By George H. Ashley

It has been said that the Pittsburgh bed is the most valuable single mineral deposit yet known to man. The figures in Table 1 are presented in substantiation of that claim. Production and Value In order that the figures of Table 1 may have any weight, a statement must be made to show how they were arrived at. Because, to the writer's knowledge, no accurate separate figures ever have been kept of the production and value of the Pittsburgh coal bed, the states will be considered separately. Pennsylvania Accurate figures are obtainable for Pennsylvania for recent years because recent reports of the Pellnsylvania Department of Mines show the production from each mine and the bed worked at each mine. For recent years, therefore, it is only necessary to list the mines working in the Pittsburgh bed and add up their production. The value was obtained by treating each county separately, applying the average price for the county to the production of Pittsburgh coal in that county. Unfortunately for great accuracy, while production figures for individual mines are available for many years, the name of the bed being

Jan 1, 1938

By George H. Ashley

It has been said that the Pittsburgh bed is the most valuable single mineral deposit yet known to man. The figures in Table 1 are presented in substantiation of that claim. Production and Value In order that the figures of Table 1 may have any weight, a statement must be made to show how they were arrived at. Because, to the writer's knowledge, no accurate separate figures ever have been kept of the production and value of the Pittsburgh coal bed, the states will be considered separately. Pennsylvania Accurate figures are obtainable for Pennsylvania for recent years because recent reports of the Pellnsylvania Department of Mines show the production from each mine and the bed worked at each mine. For recent years, therefore, it is only necessary to list the mines working in the Pittsburgh bed and add up their production. The value was obtained by treating each county separately, applying the average price for the county to the production of Pittsburgh coal in that county. Unfortunately for great accuracy, while production figures for individual mines are available for many years, the name of the bed being

Jan 1, 1938

By H. R. Thresh, A. F. Crawley, D. W. G. White

The densities of liquid tin, lead, and Sn-Pb alloys have been measured over a range of temperature above the liquidus. In all cases, data can be adequately represented by an equation of the type p = a + bT. For pure tin, the values of a and b are, respectively, 7.139 and 7.125 x 10-4, and for pure lead, 11.060 and 12.220 x 10-4. At constant temperature, molar volumes in the Sn-Pb system vary linearly with composition. DURING the course of a long-term program at the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources, Ottawa, Canada, the densities of liquid tin, lead, and Pb-Sn alloys were studied. The work reported herein draws on two sets of results independently achieved by Thresh, on the one hand, and by Crawley and White, on the other. EXPERIMENT The method and apparatus were originated by Thresh and have been described in detail in Mines Branch reports.172 In operation, the 14 cu cm graphite pycnometer is put in the furnace as shown in Fig. 1 after a machined charge has been placed inside the pycnometer and the lid screwed down. The dimensions of the charge are such that, upon melting, a small excess of liquid metal is discharged through the capillary hole to displace the weighted float above. When the pycnometer has been equilibrated at the experimental temperature, the

Jan 1, 1969

By Leo Tarasov

MAGNETIC torque studies of ferromagnetic single crystals have been carried out in a number of laboratories during the last decade1,2 and some work has been reported on polycrystalline material showing preferred orientation. Goss3 used the method extensively in developing electrical sheet with desirable magnetic properties, but he used it as a control rather than as a means of studying the texture. Bozorth4 made a quantitative correlation of a torque curve he obtained from some cold-rolled iron with the texture as determined from X-rays, but did not extend his studies beyond the one specimen. Other studies, which have been reported from time to time 1.5 have also been incomplete in the sense that no effort was made to study a whole series of samples, differing only in degree of cold reduction, or in the annealing temperature, in order to ascertain the effect of such treatments on the texture as revealed by torque measurements. It is the purpose of this investigation to make such a study, mainly in order to see how useful the method can be made when used under favorable circumstances and to find what kind of a correlation can be expected between magnetic and X-ray studies of texture. Before proceeding further, it is desirable to say a little about single crystals, so as to make clear the concepts involved in magnetic torque measurements.

Jan 1, 1939

By F. Louis Grammer

The rapid advances on the mechanical side of blast-furnace practice have not always been accompanied by a proper appreciation of the metallurgical requirements. This is illustrated occasionally by the improper use of automatic barrow chargingdevices and bins (introduced at the expense of accuracy in weight), with ores of irregular composition or ores that have been poorly graded. The 100-ft. blast-furnace has not always been advantageous, and in many instances the increase in the number of tuyeres, from 8 or 12 to 20, has resulted in decreased output. The data pertaining to this division of blast-furnace practice are now sufficiently complete to allow inferences to be made. The use of fine ores has indicated the manner in which large outputs could be obtained, as it has emphasized the fact that intimacy of contact. between gases and ore, and coke and air, were more important than the time of exposnre. It was reasonable to suppose that if more points of contact were made between the air and the coke, their union would occur in a shorter period of time, and the coke would be burned more rapidly in the same-sized hearth, and an increased output thereby obtained. In consequence of this theory, many furnace men upon relining a furnace increased the number of tuyeres from 8 or 12 to 20, or even more, frequently with unfortunate results. If the number of tuyeres in an old furnace is

Jan 1, 1904

By S. A. LoPilato, J. T. Smith

SEVERAL techniques have been evaluated for cooling the throat area of rocket-nozzle inserts to prevent erosion or fracture of the inserts during exposure to high operating temperatures and pressures. Self-cooled composites, such as infiltrated tungsten, have shown considerable promise for these applications. These composites can be fabricated by infiltrating the refractory matrix with a lower-melting metal or non-metal which is insoluable in tungsten. During firing, the lower-melting substance undergoes a series of continuous endothermic phase changes which absorb sufficient heat to maintain the nozzle matrix material at or below a safe operating temperature. At present, the state-of-the-art has reached a point where the refractory matrix density and microstruc-ture have been established as the critical parameters to be controlled for optimum self-cooled performance.'" Nondestructive testing has been utilized to ensure that porous tungsten billets were of uniform density and free from cracks or other defects prior to fabrication into rocket nozzle inserts. Ultrasonic-velocity techniques have been employed because of their reliability and reproducibility. The purpose of this note is to present and interpret the test data developed for porous tungsten matrices. For evaluation purposes, tungsten powders with Fisher subsieve sizes of approximately 4 and 18 p have been obtained for study from four commercial sources: the General Electric Co., Wah Chang Corp., Fansteel Metallurgical Corp., and Kennametal, Inc. Porous tungsten matrices were fabricated from the powders by hot pressing in induction-heated graphite die assemblies. Typical billets ranged from 3 in. diam, 2 in, high to 5 in. diam, 5 in. high. The ultrasonic-velocity measurement technique employed was through transmission, pulse echo at a frequency of 1.0 mc using matched barium titanate crystal transducers. The testing equipment included a pulsed ultrasonic generator, an amplifier, a specimen holder, and an oscilloscope, as shown in Fig. 1. The porous tungsten thickness was measured to i 0.0005 in, with precision micrometers while the oscilloscope achieved 0.02 psec time measurement accuracy. The time for a sound wave to pass through the billet, the bulk wave velocity, was calculated to 0.5 pct using Eq. [l]: V-} where V = bulk wave velocity, in. per psec, T = specimen thickness, in., and / = time, psec. To develop inspection standards, the bulk density of a porous tungsten billet was determined by the ASTM water-immersion technique.3 The ultrasonic-velocity measurements were completed at seventeen positions for each billet and averaged to develop a characteristic standard velocity for a particular tungsten powder at several density levels. A plot of ultrasonic velocity vs density is presented in Fig. 2 for six different tungsten powders. This graph has been established as

Jan 1, 1967

By M. B. Bever, A. M. Reti, A. K. Jena

The results of this investigation show that in the system SnTe-PbTe l) the solid solutions have small exothermic heats of formation relative to the binary compounds, 2) solid-solution hardening is almost absent, 3) the tin and lead atoms are .randomly distributed on the sublattice occupied by them and do not undergo an ordering transition during a thermal treatment designed to promote such a transition, and 4) the lattice parameter changes linearly with composition. These findings suggest that the solid solutions of tin telluride and lead telluride approach ideal behavior. THE binary compounds SnTe and PbTe form a continuous series of solid solutions.' Information on several physical properties of these solid-solution alloys has been published.1"3 In the work reported here, the heats of formation, microhardness, and lattice parameters of these alloys have been measured and the possibility of an order-disorder transition has been investigated. Order-disorder transitions occur in some solid solutions of binary compounds. In the system Bi2Te3-BizSes, for example, the electropositive bismuth atoms and the electronegative tellurium and selenium atoms always occupy separate layers. In the disordered alloy Bi2Te2Se, the tellurium and selenium atoms are randomly distributed on the layers occupied by them, while in the ordered alloy they occupy distinct layers.4 The NaC1-type (Bl) structure of SnTe-PbTe alloys consists of two sublattices, one of which is occupied by the electropositive tin and lead atoms and the other by the electronegative tellurium atoms; any ordering would be expected to occur in the sublattice occupied by the tin and lead atoms. PREPARATION OF SPECIMENS Polycrystalline specimens of PbTe and Sn1-xPbxTe (x = 0.25, 0.50, and 0.75) were prepared by melting stoichiometric amounts of lead (99.999 pct), tin (99.98 pct), and tellurium (99.999 pct) in evacuated and sealed Vycor tubes. Because of the deviation of tin telluride from the stoichiometric composition5 this compound was prepared by melting 49.8 at. pct Sn and 50.2 pct Te. The tubes containing the melts were quenched into water; the solidified ingots were removed from the tubes and annealed for 2 weeks in vacuum (PbTe approximately 100°C below its melting point, the three alloys 100°C below their solidus tem-

Jan 1, 1969

By J. Chipman, M. N. Dastur

The importance of dissolved oxygen as a principal reagent in the refining of liquid steel and the necessity for its removal in the finishing of many grades have stimulated numerous studies of its chemical behavior in the steel bath. From the thermodynaniic viewpoint the essential data are those which determine the free energy of oxygen in solution as a function of temperature and composition of the molten metal. A number of experimental studies have been reported in recent years from which the free energy of oxygen in iron-oxygen melts can be obtained with a fair degree of accuracy for temperatures not too far from the melting point. Certain discrepancies remain, however, which imply considerable uncertainty at higher temperatures; also several sources of error were recognized in the earlier studies. It has been the object of the experimental work reported in this paper to reexamine these sources of uncertainty and to redetermine the equilibrium condition in the reaction of hydrogen with oxygen dissolved in liquid iron. The reaction and its equilibrium constant are: H2 (g) + Q = H2O (g); K1 _ PH2O / [1] Ph2 X % O Here the underlined symbol Q designates oxygen dissolved in liquid iron. The activity of this dissolved oxygen is known to be directly proportional to its concentrationl,2 and is taken as equal to its weight percent. The closely related reaction of dissolved oxygen with carbon monoxide has also been investigated:3,4,5 co (g) +O = CO?(g); K _ Pco2___ [2] K2= pco X % O [2] The two reactions are related through the wat,er-gas equilibriuni: H2 (g) + CO2 (g) = CO (g) + H2O (g); K2 = PCO X PH2O [3] PH2 X PCO2 and with the aid of the accurately known equilibrium constant of this reaction, it has been shown5 that the experimental data on reactions [1] and 121 are in fairly good, though not exact, agreement. Experimental Method Great care was taken to avoid the principal sources of error of previous studies, namely, gaseous thermal diffusion and temperature measurement. The apparatus was designed to provide controlled preheating of the inlet gases and to permit the addition of an inert gas (argon) in controlled amounts, two measures found to be essential for elimination of thermal diffusion. A known mixture of water vapor and hydrogen was obtained by saturating purified hydrogen with water vapor at controlled temperature. This mixture, with the addition of purified argon, was passed over the surface of a small melt (approximately 70 g) of electrolytic iron in a closed induction furnace. After sufficient time at constant temperature for attainment of equilibrium the melt was cooled and analyzed for oxygen. GAS SYSTEM A schematic diagram of the apparatus is shown in Fig 1. Commercial hydrogen is led through the safety trap T and the flowmeter F. The catalytic chamber C, held at 450°C, was used to convert any oxygen into water-vapor. A by-pass B with stopcocks was provided so that the hydrogen could be introduced directly from the tank to the furnace when desired. From the catalytic chamber the gas passed through a water bath W, kept at the desired temperature by an auxiliary heating unit, so that the gas was burdened with approximately the proper amount of water vapor before it was introdvced into the saturator S. All connections beyond the catalytic chamber were of all-glass construction. Those connections beyond the water bath were heated to above 80°C to prevent the condensation of water vapor. After the saturator, purified argon was led into the steam-hydrogen line at J, and finally the ternary mixture was introduced into the furnace. THE SATURATOR The saturator unit comprised three glass chambers, as shown in Fig 1, the first two chambers packed with glass beads and partially filed with water and the third empty. Each tower had a glass tube with a stopper attached for the purpose of adjusting the amount of water in it. The unit was immersed in a large oil bath, which was automatically controlled with the help of a thermostat relay to constant temperature, ± 0.05ºC, using thermometers which had been calibrated against a standard platinum resistance thermometer. The performance of the saturator over the range of experimental conditions was checked by weighing the water absorbed from a measured volume of hydrogen; the observed ratio was always within 0.5 pct of theoretical.

Jan 1, 1950

By D. J. Mack, J. A. Mullendore

MUCH work has been reported in the literature on the separation of individual phases in steels, particularly carbides, for the purpose of structural and chemical analysis. The methods usually involve separation of the particles from the matrix by chemical or electrochemical methods. Another .group of alloys ideally suited for selective removal of one phase is the commercial aluminum bronzes. Al-

Jan 1, 1959

By C. Norman Cochran, James L. Brandt

ALTHOUGH gas in aluminum and its effect on aluminum products have been the subject of a number of papers, not many quantitative determinations of the hydrogen content of solid aluminum and its alloys have been recorded in the literature. For solid aluminum samples, four investigators have reported hydrogen contents which appear reasonable compared with the hydrogen solubility of 0.7 ml per 100 g, STP, in molten aluminum at 660°C established by Ransley and Neufeld' and verified by Opie and Grant' and Ransley and Talbot. Sloman," who used a vacuum fusion procedure, reported the hydrogen content of some high purity aluminum as 0.66 ml per 100 g, STP. Griffith and Mallett, employing the tin fusion method, reported the internal hydrogen content of six different aluminum alloys as ranging from less than 0.1 ml per 100 g, STP, for 1100 alloy to 0.7 ml per 100 g, STP, for 4043 alloy (previously 43S, a 5 pct Si alloy). Eborall and Ransley," using a solid extraction of the gases at 600°C, reported hydrogen contents ranging from 0.1 ml per 100 g, STP, to 1 ml per 100 g, STP. Ransley and Talbot reported that several thousand analyses on 99.2 pct and higher purity aluminum as well as Duralumin type alloys indicated hydrogen contents ranging from 0.1 ml per 100 g, STP, to 0.5 ml per 100 g, STP.

Jan 1, 1957

THE second operation in the art of casting, and one of the greatest importance, is that of melting and thoroughly liquefying the materials of which you wish to make your casting. On this operation depends the whole outcome of your intentions and the perfection of your work. Without it, even though you had a great abundance of moulds and vast quantities of bronze, your desires, labor, and expense would all be in vain. In this operation I find on consideration that, in addition to experience, there are three necessities-perhaps indeed four-that must be provided without fail. The first is the furnace or other agent which contains the fire and the metal brought together. The second is the wood or charcoal which is the necessary and proper nutriment of the fire, from whose virtues are derived the greater or lesser forces which, according to their kind, are ready to effect what is required. The third is to have the materials disposed to easy fusion by means of corruption, alloying, or by their own nature. The fourth, as the motivating cause of the whole, could perhaps be listed as the first-this is the ingenuity and good judgment of the worker, together with the bodily exertions not only of himself but also of his helpers in addition. For, besides a certain ordinary caution, it is necessary to pay particular attention, first, to see that the furnaces, machines, ladles, hearths, refineries, and other kinds of instruments or similar vessels be made so as to dispose the metals for melting, and, when melted, that they easily maintain them so. These should also be prepared in such a way that they cannot be injured by the fire, for if they should be damaged the operation would fail. In order to do this, it is first necessary that you arrange the instruments with forethought and action so that the power of the fire can operate. Fire operates on things only when brought together with them in long-continued operation, or when driven by a great force of wind. It burns many things and softens others, but it makes the metals as liquid as water.

Jan 1, 1942

By E. A. Gulbransen, K. F. Andrew

In a recent communication14 we have reported on the kinetics of the reactions of zirconium with O2, N2 and H2 as a function of the time, temperature and pressure variables. A systematic study was made and the results correlated with fundamental theories of gas-metal reactions. This paper will present a similar study for titanium. Titanium and zirconium are members of the IV group of the periodic table and possess many similar physical and chemical properties as a result of their similar electronic configuration for the outer electrons. The two metals are relatively inert to both gas and liquid phase corrosion at room temperature. However, at moderate temperatures the metals become active and react readily with the common gases including O2, N2 and H2 which are of interest in this study. A study of the kinetics of these gas-metal reactions is of interest for three reasons: (1) to understand the rate of reaction of titanium and its role in the behavior of high temperature alloys; (2) to understand the practical difficulties of the reduction, refining and working of titanium; and (3) to correlate the data with fundamental theories of gas-metal reactions and crystal structure predictions. Literature Survey Several review papers8 and books4243 exist on the preparation and properties of titanium and its alloys. THE METAL Titanium has, at room temperature, a hexagonal lattice of the zinc type. Hagg19 gives a value of 2.953A for the (a) axis, a value of 4.729 for the (c) axis and a density of 4.427 at 20°C. Burgers and Jacobs6 have observed the transformation of the hexagonal to the body-centered cubic structure at 880°C and have established a value of 3.31 for the cube edge and a density of 4.31. TITANIUM-OXYGEN Carpenter and Reavell6 using a pressure change method have studied the reaction at temperatures of 742° and 1000°C and for a pressure of one-fifth of an atmosphere. The probabilities for reaction are calculated from kinetic theory and they report a value of 10-5 for O2 at 1000°C and 10-6 at 740°C. The titanium-oxygen system has been investigated by Ehrlich.10,11 Five phases are observed. Between (TiO2 and TiO1.90) an alpha-phase, consisting ofarutile lattice, is found. A beta-phase is observed between (TiO1.80 and TiO1.70). A gamma-phase is homogeneous between (TiO1.56 and TiO1.46) and has a structure of the corundum type. The delta-phase exists between TiO1.25 and TiO0.6 and has a sodium chloride structure. From TiO0.42 to Ti the metal structure is observed. The surface oxide films have been studied by Hickman and Gulbransen.20 The rutile structure is observed in the temperature range studied, 300 to 700°C. Three crystalline modifications of TiO2 exist: rutile and anatase which are tetragonal and brookite which has an orthorhombic structure. Anatase is reported36 to exist in two forms: I and II. Anatase II changes to anatase I at 642°C. Anatase I is stable up to 915°C where rutile becomes the stable modification. At 1300°C rutile transforms to brookite which melts at 1900°C. The monoxide, TiO, may be prepared from the dioxide by high temperature reduction with carbon or magnesium. Its melting point is 1750°C. TITANIUM-NITROGEN Carpenter and Reavell6 report that at 1000°C a linear rate law is observed. The probability of reaction is given as 10-8 at 1000°C. Fast12 has studied the solubility of nitrogen and its effect on the mechanical properties of the metal. The crystal structure of TiN has been shown by several workers2'21'44 to follow the sodium chloride structure. However, the calculated density is found to differ from the pycnometric value. This is studied by Brager3,4 in detail. He has suggested that the titanium sites in the lattice are only partially filled at low temperatures. As the temperature of preparation is raised the vacant sites become occupied which expands the lattice and increases the hardness and density. An (a) value of 4.22Å is given for room temperature. TITANIUM-HYDROGEN The solubility and the crystal structures observed in this system have been reviewed in a recent book by Smith.40

Jan 1, 1950

By Edmond S. Miksch

The morphology and growth rate of ice grown in supercooled water are markedly affected by convection of the water. A dendritic ice sheet with water flowing past the dendrite tip exhibits deflection of the dendrite spine toward the upstream direction, accelerated growth of secondary spines on the upstream side, and suppression 01" secondaries on the downstream side. Flow causes a thin disk to become corrugated, the corrugations being parallel to the flow. Flow causes an increase in the growth rate of the ice. IF a small seed of ice is placed in slightly supercooled water, it grows initially as a disk with the axis of the disk parallel to the c axis of the ice crystal.' It appears that growth in the c direction is inhibited, while growth occurs with equal facility in all directions in the basal plane. It appears that growth rate as a function of interface temperature is very nearly equal for all directions similarly oriented relative to the c axis. Subsequent to the discoid growth, branching occurs and dendrites develop. The primary dendrite spines grow parallel to the six equivalent a axes of the crystal. Secondary, and in some cases, tertiary spines also grow in these directions. The highly anisotropic: dendritic growth indicates that there must be some finite difference of growth rate for different directions in the basal plane. These differences must be quite small, however, since if they were large, the discoid mode would not occur. Hence, it was expected that the dendrite growth direction could be deflected from the crystallographic direction by perturbation of the thermal field at the dendrite tip. Experiments were done in which perturbation of the thermal field was accomplished by causing the supercooled water to flow past the dendrite tip. The flow direction was perpendicular to the c axis of the crystal, and was perpendicular to the primary spine of the unperturbed crystal. Supercooled water was supplied by a 15 cm cubical copper box, which was refrigerated and insulated so it could cool water to temperatures down to —2oC, and maintain the temperature constant to O.l°C for the duration of a run. A lucite channel of rectangular cross-section, 12 by 24 mm, was mounted horizontally in the box, with one end open so water could flow into it, and the other end leading out through the wall of the box to a length of tubing leading: to an orifice plate 123 cm below. cnunMn s MIKSCH, MemberAiMe, formerly Research Associate, Research Associate, Fig. l(b)—Vertical section of apparatus A horizontal cross-section is shown in Fig. l(a), and a vertical section is shown in Fig. l(b). Means for observing the ice are shown in Fig. l(a). Collimated light passes through the ice sheet and forms an image on the ground glass screen. A lucite box containing dry air was employed to prevent condensation. Ice of the desired orientation was provided by the seed holder shown in Fig. l(b). This device was made of lucite, and had a reservoir in which ice could be frozen by placing it in a freezer. This reservoir com-unicated with the outside only through a narrow gap between two sheets of lucite. The seed holder (after ice had been washed off its exterior) was immersed in the tank of supercooled water, the narrow gap terminating in a slot in the top of the flow channel. Ice growing through a thin water layer in the gap between the two sheets of lucite was oriented so its c axis was perpendicular to the sheets. This orientation is an application of a growth phenomenon2 which causes ice growing along a smooth solid surface in supercooled water to orient itself so its c axis is normal to the surface. After the ice grew into the channel, further orientation was necessary, since the direction of the a axis

Jan 1, 1970

By D. W. Fuerstenau

In recent years, various advances have taken place in the flotation recovery of fine mineral particles. A number of new approaches to recovery of fine particles have been proposed. In this paper, the background and performance of some of these tech- niques for fine particles processing are reviewed. A brief sum mary of the problems associated with fine particles in flotation and related processes is presented.

Jan 1, 1980

By David R. Mitchell

THIS paper is limited primarily to a description of dry coal-cleaning processes in which air currents are used to effectuate a separation between coal and refuse. Processes depending mainly on differences in the coefficient of friction, resilience and shape are not described unless the use of air is necessary for the proper functioning of the process. The air cleaning of coal is of primary importance to the coal industry of the United States. From figures presented in the 1941 edition Mechannual,1 it is estimated that at least 12 million tons of bituminous coal was cleaned in the United States during 1940 by machines using air as the separating medium. One of the current problems confronting the coal-preparation engineer is the dry cleaning of small sizes and slacks. Progress in machine development for the cleaning of small sizes has been slow in recent years in the United States of America; it has been much more rapid in Britain and on the European continent. This paper does not attempt an exhaustive survey of all these developments, and only machines and processes that have found considerable commercial application are cited. Further, no critical analysis has been made of the theory involved in the separation of coal from refuse by processes using air as the separating medium other than that necessary for an understanding of particular machine designs and applications. HISTORICAL SUMMARY The possibility of using air for the separation of coal from refuse was recognized early by mining men and many attempts were made to develop commercial machines. The ingenuity of the early experimenters is to be marveled at in view of their lack of knowledge of the theoretical principles involved. As in other arts, practice has largely preceded theory. Yet, science and practice play a game of leap frog, now one ahead, then the other; the careful experimenter governs his efforts along practical lines by adapting his experiments to the limits prescribed by scientific laws. By first studying developments and the theory involved, it is not only possible to adapt processes to new uses but also to reduce materially operating cost and to build larger units without costly failures. Although many inventors have applied for patents for separating minerals by the use of air currents, the literature in regard to coal is meager. Berrisford2 describes briefly some of the early attempts to clean coal without the use of water. Several of the examples cited by him are reproduced herein. Fig. I shows a machine used for grinding and sizing, in which rollers running in a pan with a perforated bottom and fan opening on the side crushed the coal, which was then carried by the air currents to a settling chamber. The heaviest particles dropped out first and the light ones farthest away, as shown. In the year 1864, a machine was made that could be used as a sizer or to separate dirt from coal with a sized feed (Fig. 2).

Jan 1, 1942

By M. H. Caron

BASIC U. S. Patent 1,487,145 on ammonia leaching of nickel ores was issued to the author on March 18, 1924. Equivalent patents in other countries were obtained later. The Dutch Syndicate Brikcarbo became interested in the process in 1935; and a couple of years later the late Dr. H. Foster Bain sent samples of Surigao laterite iron ore to Delft and witnessed tests made there on this material for the Philippines Commonwealth. As a result, the author was asked in April 1940 by Dr. Bain to go to the Philippines to erect and take charge of a pilot plant for the process. The World War prevented carrying out this proposal. The Dorr Co. also became interested in the process at about the same period. The investigations by the Freeport Sulphur Co. on the process as applied to the Cuban nickeliferous laterites, which resulted in the Nicaro enterprise, and the results of this operation have been well described elsewhere.1,²,³,4,5 This Nicaro plant was, in operation for almost two years, and during this period produced about 10 pct of the world nickel production from laterites containing 1.35 pct nickel. This plant and its operation were war measures and, in view of this, activities were suspended in April 1947. The results obtained fully demonstrated the technical feasibility of the process and its economical aspects on a commercial scale. In this respect, it should be understood that it is probable that improvements may be made by further development, and that there are possibilities for advantageous application of the process to garnierite and similar ores with higher values in nickel than the laterite iron ores at Nicaro. While the articles cited above have given a certain amount of information, no general article containing all the important process data has been pub- lished. Since the process is of more than local interest, a fuller knowledge of the fundamental and practical factors of the method may be welcome to those interested in this new field of metals technology. The author, accordingly, takes pleasure in submitting this article to the AIME as it represents in a condensed form the results of many years of research. The brief outlines of the fundamental and other factors and the explanation of observed phenomena are presented with as little discussion of details as possible, consistent with clarity. It is a special satisfaction to the author to make some contribution of his own in return for the benefits of the many valuable publications issued by the Institute during his thirty years of membership. Ores Adapted for Ammonia Leaching: All nickel and cobalt ores which originate from weathering of peridotites or similar basic rocks having sufficient values are suitable for treatment by the ammonia leaching process after a preliminary reduction under proper conditions. The formation of these deposits was probably as follows: In the course of time the basic rocks were attacked by atmospheric agencies; MgO and SiO2 were gradually leached out, and secondary nickel minerals formed, such as garnierite, a hydrated silicate of nickel and magnesia. These secondary products are, however, not stable. They decompose in a further stage of weathering and ultimately only a relatively small residue of insoluble oxides remains, known as laterite iron ore with a small nickel content and very little cobalt. Under these mantles of laterite, richer nickel values may be found, usually indicated by the occurrence of garnierite. The more the ore is disintegrated by nature, the higher the iron content and the better the nickel extractions that may be expected therefrom. Table I shows extractions that may be expected from different types of ores, assuming treatment of -200 mesh products and that all precautions have been taken for obtaining maximum extractions. As for the distribution of the various nickel minerals and compounds that may be present, great variations may occur from locality to locality as well as vertically in a deposit. From such "run of

Jan 1, 1951

By David R. Mitchell

This paper is limited primarily to a description of dry coal-cleaning processes in which air currents are used to effectuate a separation between coal and refuse. Processes depending mainly on differences in the coefficient of friction, resilience and shape are not described unless the use of air is necessary for the proper functioning of the process. The air cleaning of coal is of primary importance to the coal industry of the United States. From figures presented in the 1941 edition Mechannual, it is estimated that at least 12 million tons of bituminous coal was cleaned in the United States during 1940 by machines using air as the separating medium. One of the current problems confronting the coal-preparation engineer is the dry cleaning of small sizes and slacks. Progress in machine development for the cleaning of small sizes has been slow in recent years in the United States of America; it has been much more rapid in Britain and on the European continent. This paper does not attempt an exhaustive survey of all these developments, and only machines and processes that have found considerable commercial application are cited. Further, no critical analysis has been made of the theory involved in the separation of coal from refuse by processes using air as the separating medium other than that necessary for an understanding of particular machine designs and applications. The possibility of using air for the separation of coal from refuse was recognized early by mining men and many attempts were made to develop commercial machines. The ingenuity of the early experimenters is to be marveled at in view of their lack of knowledge of the theoretical principles involved. As in other arts, practice has largely preceded theory. Yet, science and practice play a game of leap frog, now one ahead, then the other; the careful experimenmenter governs his efforts along practical lines by adapting his experiments to the limits prescribed by scientific laws. By first studying developments and the theory involved, it is not only possible to adapt processes to new uses but also to reduce materially operating cost and to build larger units without costly failures. Although many inventors have applied for patents for separating minerals by the use of air currents, the literature in regard to coal is meager. Berrisford2 describes briefly some of the early attempts to clean coal without the use of water. Several of the examples cited by him are reproduced herein. Fig. I shows a machine used for grinding and; izing, in which rollers running in a pan with a perforated bottom and fan opening on the side crushed the coal, which was then carried by the air currents to a settling chamber. The heaviest particles dropped out first and the light ones farthest away, as shown. In the year 1864, a machine was made that could be used as a sizer or to separate dirt from coal with a sized feed (Fig. 2).

Jan 1, 1942

By David R. Mitchell

This paper is limited primarily to a description of dry coal-cleaning processes in which air currents are used to effectuate a separation between coal and refuse. Processes depending mainly on differences in the coefficient of friction, resilience and shape are not described unless the use of air is necessary for the proper functioning of the process. The air cleaning of coal is of primary importance to the coal industry of the United States. From figures presented in the 1941 edition Mechannual, it is estimated that at least 12 million tons of bituminous coal was cleaned in the United States during 1940 by machines using air as the separating medium. One of the current problems confronting the coal-preparation engineer is the dry cleaning of small sizes and slacks. Progress in machine development for the cleaning of small sizes has been slow in recent years in the United States of America; it has been much more rapid in Britain and on the European continent. This paper does not attempt an exhaustive survey of all these developments, and only machines and processes that have found considerable commercial application are cited. Further, no critical analysis has been made of the theory involved in the separation of coal from refuse by processes using air as the separating medium other than that necessary for an understanding of particular machine designs and applications. The possibility of using air for the separation of coal from refuse was recognized early by mining men and many attempts were made to develop commercial machines. The ingenuity of the early experimenters is to be marveled at in view of their lack of knowledge of the theoretical principles involved. As in other arts, practice has largely preceded theory. Yet, science and practice play a game of leap frog, now one ahead, then the other; the careful experimenmenter governs his efforts along practical lines by adapting his experiments to the limits prescribed by scientific laws. By first studying developments and the theory involved, it is not only possible to adapt processes to new uses but also to reduce materially operating cost and to build larger units without costly failures. Although many inventors have applied for patents for separating minerals by the use of air currents, the literature in regard to coal is meager. Berrisford2 describes briefly some of the early attempts to clean coal without the use of water. Several of the examples cited by him are reproduced herein. Fig. I shows a machine used for grinding and; izing, in which rollers running in a pan with a perforated bottom and fan opening on the side crushed the coal, which was then carried by the air currents to a settling chamber. The heaviest particles dropped out first and the light ones farthest away, as shown. In the year 1864, a machine was made that could be used as a sizer or to separate dirt from coal with a sized feed (Fig. 2).

Jan 1, 1942

By Elton A. Youngberg

The Holden mine operated by the Chelan Division of the Howe Sound Co. is on the east slope of the Cascade Range in north central Washington on the south slope of Railroad Creek valley at an elevation of 3500 ft. The mine may be reached by a 40 mile boat trip from the town of Chelan which is at the southern tip of Lake Chelan, to Lucerne at the mouth of Railroad Creek and an 11. mile bus ride up Railroad Creek to Holden. A11 freight and concentrate is moved over this route to Chelan Falls on the Columbia River which is on the railroad four miles below the town of Chelan. The mine is now producing 2000 tons of gold, copper, and zinc ore per day which is treated in the Holden mill. Gold-copper and zinc concentrates are made, the first of which is shipped to Tacoma, Wash., and the latter to Kellogg, Idaho, for smelting. Ore is broken by long-hole blasting using the Noranda system which has been modified to meet local conditions. Until recently, blastholes have been drilled by diamond drills. Now a partial substitution of percussion drill holes, drilled with tungsten carbide insert bits, is being made. Geology The ore body occurs as a replacement deposit in a highly metamorphosed series of sedimentary rocks, mainly gneiss and schists, in a shear zone several hundred feet in width and of undetermined length. Commercial ore has been found in mineable widths of 25 to 100 ft for approximately 2500 ft along its strike. The commercial minerals are chalcopyrite, sphalerite, and gold. During the period of mineralization considerable silicifica-tion took place giving the ore an abrasive drilling characteristic. Following the period of mineralization, numerous dikes were introduced into the ore body. The earlier ones were of granite composition having a width of a few inches up to 80 ft. These were followed by much younger, fine grained basic dikes which usually do not exceed 2 ft in width. Development of Percussion Blasthole Drilling Equipment Test work with the 1½-in. tungsten carbide bit was carried on in development headings for several months early in 1947. The short life of the bits, because of gauge loss caused by the abrasive nature of the rock, prevented its adoption for this use. However fast drilling speed and ability to drill a long uniform hole suggested its use for drilling blastholes in competition with diamond drills as diamond costs were steadily increasing and exper-ienced drillers were difficult to obtain. The 1½-in. bit was the largest available at the time initial test work was started with sectional steel. The 1½-in. hole limited the diameter of the steel thread and coupling which could be used. Type F couplings were first used but because of the small thread section excessive breakage of the steel was experienced. Type H couplings were tried next. In order to use this coupling which is 15/8 in. in outside diameter, it was reduced to 1 3/8 in. giving 1/8 in. clearance between the coupling and the hole. Rod breakage at the thread was substantially reduced but some coupling breakage was experienced, however the overall performance was considered satisfactory (see Fig 1 for illustration of coupling and thread). Early test work with the 1½ in. bit indicated machines of piston diameters larger than 255 in. would cause inserts to loosen or break. It was found however that the additional weight of the sectional steel cushioned the blow enough to prevent bit failures when 3-in. Leyners were used. Rods used with the 1½-in. bits were 7/8 in. q. o. for sectional steel and 1 in. q. o. for all chuck pieces. In May 1948, 2-in. tungsten carbide bits became available and test work was immediately started. The 2-in. hole approximated the AX (1 15/16 in.) diamond drill hole which was being used exclusively for blastholes and permitted their substitution for diamond drill holes in a ring without alteration of pattern, burden, or explosives. The 2-in. bit also gave room in the hole for larger couplings and permitted the use of heavier rods and 3½-in. machines, increasing the

Jan 1, 1950

By Claudio Gutierrez

It has been claimed (Eadington and Rosser, 1969) that when freshly precipitated lead sulfide is in contact with oxygen-containing water, there is an "induction period" of at least a few hours during which no detectable oxidation of the lead sulfide takes place This effect would be of the utmost importance for the adsorption of xanthate on galena in flotation mills. It was tried here to reproduce the results obtained in (Eadington and Rosser, 1969), but no "induction period" was found. Besides, reasons are given to prove that the oxidation mechanism proposed by Eadington and Prosser (1969) is not realistic.

Jan 1, 1982