Search Documents

By J. O. Whiteley

IT is difficult to give a refining outline that may be followed for any and all combinations of the platinum metals; different combinations require different methods of attack. This paper does not pretend to go into all of the reactions of the metals of the platinum group, but will outline the commercial refining of platinum scrap. TYPICAL PLATINUM SCRAP As a concrete case, let us take 100 oz. of miscellaneous scrap, made up of jewelry scrap, dental scrap and laboratory ware. This lot will contain some platinum, palladium, iridium, ruthenium, rhodium, gold, silver and copper. The first problem is to get all of the metals in solution. If the scrap is principally platinum, palladium and gold, a treatment with aqua regia is the course to pursue; but if the scrap contains alloys high in iridium or ruthenium, aqua regia will act too slowly. In the case in hand, we are going to presume that we have scrap high in iridium and ruthenium, and proceed accordingly.

Jan 1, 1928

By Charles E. Nelson

THIS paper will outline briefly the practices commonly followed in this country for the melting and refining of magnesium and its alloys. The processes used for the various forms of primary magnesium, as jar as there are differences in the physical shape or behavior, will be discussed. The refining of general fine scrap or secondary magnesium was presented in an earlier paper and will be discussed briefly.1 Inasmuch as the use of fluxes is an essential part of all the melting and refining processes, this paper will deal with these in sufficient detail to point out their unique characteristics, in order to make their use more effective. The outline of this discussion will closely follow that of an earlier paper,2 with such changes and additions as seem necessary to bring it up to date. TYPES OF MELTING PRACTICE All melting and refining processes for magnesium and its alloys require the use of fluxes. These fluxes have a magnesium chloride base and other halide salts or oxides are added to give a density or behavior exactly suited to the particular melting practice. The successful handling of magnesium depends upon the proper use of the correct fluxes. There are four general methods of melting, summarized in the following paragraphs and treated in more detail in the section on Melting and Refining. Open-pot Method The open-pot method makes use of No. 230 flux, which provides protection during melting and a molten pool of flux into which the solid magnesium melts. The flux is stirred through the molten metal bath and agglomerates oxide or similar foreign bodies;, on quiet standing, it separates away, leaving the refined metal ball floating in an encircling layer of molten flux. It forms only a thin fluid film over the surface of the molten metal, which may be parted for hand-ladling processes and tends to cover the metal again after the ladle is removed. A very light dusting of the pot surface with fresh flux immediately after the ladle is removed is desirable. The open-pot method is used generally in the following processes: (I) alloying and remelting in the production of ingot, (2) in sand foundries for premelting and to a smaller extent for the production of small castings, (3) in permanent-mold founding for premelting and also direct ladling to castings, (4) for continuous methods of preparing metal in the production of billets or ingots from which wrought products are fabricated, (5) in general scrap recovery. Crucible Process The crucible process makes use of No. 310 flux, which has the property of being thinly fluid at the start, to provide protection and refining qualities, and then drys out or thickens after a time, leaving a protecting crust on the pot surface until the time of casting. At that time it can be readily skimmed off or held back, thus allowing the contents of the crucible to

Jan 1, 1946

By Fred C. Bond

COMPRESSION TESTS THE standard method of determining the crushing resistance of rocks consists of crushing prepared shapes under slow compression, and expressing the ultimate crushing resistance at the load causing failure in pounds per square inch of crossectional area perpendicular to the crushing force, with the height approximately equal to the diameter. One-inch cubes or cylindrical drill cores are commonly used. Cubes and drill cores are cut by a high-speed steel disk with diamond dust embedded in the edges, and running under a water spray. Such a saw will cut one square inch or more of hard stone per minute. An oiled, spherical, swivel compression block of small diameter should be used to equalize the pressure. Each sample is crushed between sheets of cardboard or blotting paper extending about one-half inch beyond the edges of the stone. A cloth is wrapped around it to prevent dangerous explosive shattering. It is probably preferable to place the swivel block below the specimen, with either a rigid head or another swivel block above. Whatever the arrangement, the conditions should be selected that will develop the maximum crushing strength of the specimen, even though its top and bottom planes may not be precisely parallel. The cardboard pads may be dispensed with if the ends of the specimens are polished smooth. The use of lead pads was discontinued because of the observed tendency to split the material. The samples are weighed and measured before breaking, and the density is calculated. Cubes that contain bedding planes or veinlets are usually placed with these vertical and parallel to the crushing force, in order to develop the maximum resistance possible. A number of compression tests were made on Canadian ores, by Forrest Nagler, of the Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Co., and are listed alphabetically in Table 1. These tests were made on one inch cubes or on diamond-drill cores approximately one inch in diameter and one inch long. The drill cores represent virgin rock, while the cubes may have been previously weakened by explosives. Compression tests have been made in the Allis-Chalmers Milwaukee Laboratory on a number of ores and other materials. These are listed alphabetically in Table 2. In test No. 1339, on limestone from the Hanna Coal Co., comparison was made between 2 by 2-in. diamond-drill core segments and one-inch cubes cut from the cores in the same strata. Results for the cylinders are tabulated directly below those for the cubes. The bedding planes were normal to the compressive force in breaking the cylinders and parallel in breaking the cubes, which accounts for the lower strength obtained from the cylinders. The percentage of net linear compression at the ultimate pressure was measured in test No. 1055 for Fontana TVA quartzite as 0.30 for cube A, and 0.37 for cube D.

Jan 1, 1946

By J. S. Bryner

INTRODUCTION IN the study of metallographic specimens in the electron microscope, there is need for a method of locating the same field in both the light microscope and the electron microscope. This need arises chiefly from the fact that in the electron microscope the magnification and degree of resolution are so much higher, and the field so much smaller than in the light microscope that it is often difficult, if not impossible, to identify positively what is being observed. The difficulty is increased by the fact that, because a transparent film replica of the metal surface must be used in the electron microscope, micro-constituents can be identified not by their color but only by their texture and contours. For these reasons it is desirable to obtain a series of photographs showing the same field in both microscopes in order that the appearance of common microstructures and micro-constituents in the electron microscope may be identified and catalogued for future reference. The need for a method of locating the same field in both microscopes arises also when it becomes desirable to enlarge in the electron microscope for more detailed study a particular interesting structure observed in the light microscope. Using the standard polystyrene-silica1,2 replica technique, in which the silica film replica is fished from the ethyl bromide on a 1/3 in. diam 200-mesh specimen screen, the possibilities of locating a particular area on the film in the electron microscope are rather remote. The desired structure may be obscured by the wires of the specimen screen or unrecognizable at the high magnification. A solution to the problem would be provided if a specially designed specimen screen, containing an opening which could be absolutely identified and quickly located in the electron microscope, could be fastened to the silica film replica in such a position that the desired field on the specimen would be located at the identifiable opening in the specimen screen. The design for such a specimen screen, a method for producing it, and a technique for fastening it to the silica film replica are described below. DESCRIPTION OF METHOD The Specimen Screen A simple design for a specimen screen containing an opening easy to identify and locate in the electron microscope is one with two lines of openings at right angles in the form of a cross. Such a screen is shown in Fig I. The opening at the center of the cross is identified easily and can be located quickly in the light microscope and in the objective image of the electron microscope. The specially designed specimen screens for this work were produced in quantity by electroforming. On both sides of a polished strip of copper 1 X 3 X 1/8 in., twenty patterns of the cross of openings were punched with a diamond point micro-hardness tester, using a load of magnitude

Jan 1, 1948

By George L. Porter

Mr. President and Gentlemen of the Institute of Mining Engineers: . Unofficially representing the people of the vicinage, it is my pleasant duty to welcome you to the city of Bridgeport, to the valley of the Naugatuck, to the State of Connecticut. The importance and wide-reaching influences of the investigations for which your Institute is organized, the beneficial results which have directly and indirectly blessed mankind from your and kindred studies, the distinguished position which has been achieved in the scientific world by the Institute as a society, and the personal reputation which is the proper recognition of the ability and knowledge of its individual members, assure all that in attempting to honor you we are ourselves honored. In the republic of knowledge no fictitious rewards dignify the incompetent and the ignorant—the attested success of inventions and discoveries in the workshop of nature differentiates her real citizenship. Your present place of meeting is wisely selected ; for this senti-

Jan 1, 1895

By Bruce N. McIver, Leo Casagrande

Similarities are noted in the practices and problems of constructing dams to impound mine tailings, fly ash, and chemical wastes. The comparison of a typical tailings dam with a conventional water-retaining earth dam shows that the former is inherently less stable and can be susceptible to cracking, liquefaction, erosion, and frost action, as illustrated by examples. Several methods are presented for building safe tailings dams using either the coarse fraction of the tailings or local soils, the important factor in each method being proper compaction of the material. The safety of existing tailings dams can be improved by flattening the overall slope, preferably by adding berms, or by decreasing the height. Where neither remedy is possible, the installation of electro-osmotic tie-backs is suggested. Dumps of mine spoil can be stabilized economically by compacting the material in layers along the toe to form a dam.

Jan 1, 1971

PASSING over the derivation of the word as well as the description of the alum that has been written of as a liquid and that was once called natta, I tell you that the alum that is commonly called rock alum today is a congealed earthy substance, clear and transparent, of a hot and dry nature, and of a bitter taste with a certain unctuous saltiness. It has an astringent and corrosive property and is drawn from mineral stones by means of art. All that I have seen is of the same nature but of two colors,

Jan 1, 1942

By Percival Roberts

IT may seem necessary to offer an apology for presenting for consideration a process which is conspicuous by its absence in the literature of the Institute, and which may be thought by some to belong to the past in metallurgy, and to have been already superseded. But the large capital invested in puddling calls for a careful consideration of the question whether the time has certainly arrived when the puddling furnace must be replaced by the converter and open-hearth furnace. May there not still be a place for puddled iron alongside of molten iron and steel, and is not the improvement of the puddling process itself worthy the attention of engineers equally with the Bessemer and open-hearth processes? The changes involved in the conversion of pig iron into wrought iron are well understood and need only be briefly alluded to. The patent of Henry Cort bears the date of 1784. Since that time the improvements in the process have mainly consisted in the replacement of sand by iron bottoms by Samuel Baldwyn Rogers in 1818, and the still more recent substitution of iron oxide for the refractory materials used for the rides and bridge of the hearth, which distinguishes the wet or boiling process from the dry or paddling process. Chemically, the process consists in the removal of the metalloids from the pig iron, a result effected mainly by the iron oxide. Silicon is first oxidized, then the phosphorus, and finally the carbon. The silicic and phosphoric acids produced pass into the cinder and the carbonic oxide burns as it escapes from the bath of metal. It is interesting in this connection to note the effect of temperature on the removal of the phosphorus from the iron. As is well known, no phosphorus is eliminated under the oxidizing influences prevailing in the Bessemer converter, while from 70 to 80 per cent. is removed in puddling. But we find, if in working cold short irons

Jan 1, 1880

By E. C. Pechin

AT the September meeting of the Iron and Steel Institute of Great Britain, Mr. Charles Wood, of the Tees Iron-works, read an interesting paper on "Further Improvements in Blast-Furnace Hearths," which was followed by an animated and instructive dis¬cussion. If the durability of hearths and in-walls is a matter of interest in England, where furnaces stay in blast from eight to twenty years, it

Jan 1, 1876

By B. B. Gottsberger

HAVE given considerable thought during the past year to the subject of licensing of engineers and par-ticularly to the position which the mining engineer should take on this question. I have found, however, that it is not a subject which yields much result for the thought expended on it. So far as any published record will show, mining engineers have been either ignorant of the extent to which the movement for the licensing of engineers has progressed or else indifferent to it. It is true that the Mining and Metallurgical Society of America, by a questionnaire sent out to its member-ship, did a great deal in calling this matter to the atten-tion of the mining profession, and so far as I know, the report of its committee, which analyzed the replies received, is the only published statement of the feelings and opinions of our branch of the engineering profes-sion. It is to be hoped that the conclusions shown by that report, namely, that mining engineers are almost unanimously opposed to the principle of licensing and consequently any legislation dealing with it, has received serious thought and that we are ready for an even more thorough consideration of the subject.

Jan 3, 1922

By AIME AIME

LIFE in few countries is dominated by geographic conditions to the degree that it is in Peru. The broad plateau of the Andes, bordered by lofty ice-clad ranges with deeply eroded flanks, imposes a pattern on the region to which most human activities must conform. On the Pacific side, desert conditions prevail, interrupted only by irrigated valleys along rivers that descend from the highlands. Above seven or eight thousand feet the rocky ridges become grass covered, and the central zone is one of high pastures with cultivation in the valleys or on terraced slopes except at altitudes over 15,000 ft. where glaciated landscapes prevail. Each of the three belts has its own distinctive resources and climate, and each its own special ways in which its inhabitant, must make a living. The Pacific region is one of the most arid regions in the world. Except for the irrigation, the country is an unmiti¬gated desert. The climate, in spite of the tropical latitudes, is mild with the heat relieved by air from the adjoining cold ocean. Fogs are prevalent throughout the winter months but precipitation is scarcely measurable. Ideal conditions exist for cultivation of sugar and cotton which are the dominant crops. Lima, the capital. situated in one of the most productive valleys, is an impressive city which in its modern development is well maintaining the high position it held when it was the

Jan 1, 1945

By D. Hnrrington

THE Dust Symposium was attended by approximately 100 persons, nearly all of whom remained from the starting hour (2 p. m.) until the use of the auditorium was demanded for another meeting at 5:30 p. in. In calling the meeting to order, D. Harrington made a few remarks as to the importance of the health dust problem in mining as well as in general industry and expressed gratification that the subject is now out in the open and that mining people are desirous of ascertaining the facts. B. F. Tillson acted as chairman of the meeting. The milling executive who desires to know what to do to prevent his workers from being unduly exposed to the dust hazard can get much out of the paper by D. E. Cummings, who has been doing much work in mines trying to keep -the dust in the air within safe limits. His recommendations indicate that the main protection of the worker in mines is by adequate ventilation, supplemented by the extensive use of water in drilling, as well as in water curtaining to condition air both in regard to dust content and to temperatures. Blasting was shown to be one of the chief causes for dust and it was recommended that whenever feasible all blasting should be delayed to the end of the working shift.

Jan 1, 1935

By Richard P. Rothwell

THE communication which I have to lay before my fellow-members of the Institute, is no elaborate paper, nor the statement of any great discovery ; it is simply the record of convenient methods of conducting topographical surveys, and of keeping the notes of the same; methods that have grown out of practical experience, and have saved me many a day's labor by facilitating office and field work, and at the same time secured a greater degree of accuracy than is obtained by the methods now in general use. I assume it as granted that no topographical map is worthy of the name, except it represent the elevations and depressions of the surface by means of horizontal or contour lines. In the Ordnance Survey of Great Britain, the contour lines are traced for every fifty feet vertical height, I believe, by running out the line with level and compass through all its meanderings on the surface ; this, of course, is a very tedious, though accurate process, but "in the woods," where many of our surveys have to be made, it would be practically impossible. Some time ago, I made an extensive and quite elaborate topographical survey and contour map of the southern portion of the Cahaba coal-field, in Alabama, the object of the survey being to

Jan 1, 1875

Problems discussed and research opportunities identified during the workshop in the major areas of 1) flocculation, 2) flotation, 3) leaching and magnetic separation are summarized below. I. FLOCCULATION Problems Practical problems caused by unintentional flocculation or dispersion were described in the papers that dealt with iron ore processing, selective flocculation, fine coal processing, phosphate processing and potash processing. Ideas generated during the discussions ranged from the very practical suggestion that a conscious effort be made to transfer knowhow from the experienced clay industry to the metals and fuels-from-slimes industry. . . , to the familiar appeals for omnipotent theoretical developments. There was surprising recurrence of some questions in many contexts. Recurring questions are emphasized here rather than commodity-specific problems because their answers would serve a wider clientele usage. There is indeed no objection and some advantage to commodity-specific research, however, provided the proposed project is planned with full cognizance of transferable knowledge in other commodities, and of the possible usefulness of these results in other areas. Research Needs Most of the questions or research opportunities can be classified into three groups: a) water chemistry, b) dewatering, and c) flocculation theory. Other classifications are possible and probably useful. In each group there is a clear need for outwardly esoteric theoretical research a clear application of that work to current practical problems. Higher priority should be given to proposals for theoretical research which explicitly show the expected ultimate usefulness of the result. Likewise, proposals for applied research should demonstrate cognizance of applicable theory. Both of these types of projects could profit from collaboration among industrial, university and government personnel.

Jan 1, 1979

By Ross W. Smith, Salim Akhtar

INTRODUCTION Flotation of oxide minerals, particularly silicates, with cationic collectors differs substantially from classic flotation of sulfide minerals using sulfhydryl collectors. In the case of cationic flotation of these minerals, in general: 1. There is a greater importance of electrostatic interaction between mineral and collector. 2. Longer-chained collectors are required; as a rule at least 10 carbons must be present in the hydrocarbon chain. 3. Moderate concentration of collector is required. 4. Attachment between collector and mineral appears to be less strong even though the system may exhibit a large contact angle. 5. Required conditioning time before flotation is usually relatively short. 6. There is sensitivity to slimes. 7. The collectors usually possess frothing power. 8. Selectivity of cationic collectors for specific minerals is usually poor. Almost any of the oxide and silicate minerals may be floated using cationic collectors. However, specific response to these collectors varies with mineral type. The following classes and minerals are

Jan 1, 1976

By The Staff of Dames & Moore

Five factors are required for the formation of uranium deposits: a source, transporting medium, host, trap, and preservation. Locating and evaluating uranium deposits requires ail integration of methods and techniques to determine if the above factors are present. A typical exploration program consists of selection of a favorable area, field reconnaissance, land acquisition, and target definition and evaluation. Target definition and evaluation utilizes a combination of geologic mapping, geochemical surveying, geophysical surveying, and drilling and logging. Each overlaps the others to some degree.

Jan 10, 1978

By C. Le Neve Foster

The object of this paper is to offer a few suggestions for improving the mining and mineral statistics presented by the governments of various nations on both sides of the Atlantic. At the present time one may fairly complain of' two evils—lack of uniformity in some cases and want of completeness in others. The consequence is that the statistics are either less plain than they might be, or are useless for comparisons, or fail to present a faithful picture of the state of the mining industries of a country. The principal subjects upon which information is desirable are: the amount and value of the mineral products raised and the number of the mining population. With these data it is possible to form an estimate of the importance of the mining industries of any given

Jan 1, 1894

By C. L. Mantell

ALTHOUGH SO common and well known a metal, tin is really a less abundant element than many of those less familiar and usually ranked with the scarce or rare elements, such as cerium, yttrium, lithium, beryllium., titanium, zirconium and vanadium. The color of tin is white, with a slightly bluish tinge. When it is compared with nickel, the latter metal is brown. When placed alongside of tin, chromium is definitely blue. Tin is whiter than silver or zinc. Exceedingly thin films of tin show various shades of brown by transmitted light. The metal has a brilliant luster, and when mirror-polished, has high light reflectivity. The luster depends to a large extent upon the pouring temperature at which the metal is cast. If the temperature be, too high, iridescent colors may show on the surface. These are the result of oxide film formation. If the pouring temperature be too low, the surface is dull. Small amounts of foreign metals, such as lead, arsenic, antimony and iron, decrease the luster of tin and impart a yellowish tinge to the metal. The structure is decidedly crystalline. The cast metal is a mass of crystals. When a bar of tin is bent, it emits a characteristic creaking sound. This is called the "cry" of tin, resulting from the grinding of the crystals one against the other during the bending of the metal. Tin metal may lose its crystalline structure by cold working, but grain growth occurs rapidly under the influence of heat. Metal which has been cast at a low temperature may become amorphous as the result of mechanical work. If such material be heated to temperatures well. below the melting point, say at 110° C. for a half hour or for a few minutes at 150° C. recrystallization occurs. If the surface of tinned plate, tin foil, or tin metal in cast form be etched with hydrochloric acid containing a little free chlorine, attack occurs at the intercrystalline faces. The surface shows patterns resembling the frost flowers on window panes in winter. The etched appearance is called moiré metallique. Fine dendritic surface crystals of tin may be obtained by casting the metal on a surface of polished steel. In commercial tin plate, the intercrystalline boundaries are shown by fine grooves or channels, which result from the method

Jan 1, 1929

WHEN Georgius Agricola, in 155o, dedicated his now famous De re Metallica to the rulers of Saxony, Thuringia, Meissen, and other, smaller principalities, he included in his review of previous works on similar subjects reference to two books written in German: one, an "anonymous, rather disorganized account of assaying for metallic content and of metals," which must be the Probierbüchlein, the other, "dealing - with veins, written by Calbus of Freiberg, a well-known physician."* Calbus is mentioned a second time-and cited-at the end of the Third Book of De re Metallica. Comparison of the citation with the Bergbüchlein leaves no doubt that Agricola considered Calbus of Freiberg the author of the latter work, although all the editions of the Bergbüchlein known now were published anonymously. It is generally accepted by those who have dealt with the bibliography of the Bergbüchleint that Calbus was Ulrich Rülein von Kalbe, who served the City of Freiberg, in Meissen, as health officer in 1497, as member of the City Council in 1509, and as mayor in 1514 and 1519. He died at Leipzig in 1523. In connection with the very garbled description of the mining compass toward the end of Chapter 3 of the Bergbüchlein it is of interest that von Kalbe is supposed to have been not only a physician of repute but a mathematician, astronomer, mine sur-

Jan 1, 1949

By John W. Tieman

Coal is a term applied to vegetable matter (trees, grasses, etc.) which was subjected to heat and pressure through geologic ages. This resulted in a change in both the physical and chemical properties. Because its chemical composition is variable, geologists classify coal as a heterogeneous mineral rather than a homogeneous mineral. Peat represents the initial, unconsolidated stage in the development of coal. This coalification continues with time and the application of temperature and pressure to lignite, subbituminous, bituminous, and anthracite toward the theoretical graphite end member. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF COAL The physical properties are concerned with the characteristics of coal in its natural state, or prior to its end use as a fuel. For example, the hardness and grindability of coal determine the maintenance cost for coal mining, handling, and pulverizing equipment; the specific gravity of coal and its associated minerals determines the coal preparation technique used in a cleaning plant as well as the capacity of coal bins, boats and size of cargo, and other coal storage facilities. The physical properties are, of course, dependent on the chemical constituents of coal, and all properties are interrelated. Specific Gravity The specific gravity (sp gr) of a solid is the ratio of the weight of a cubic foot of the solid to the weight of a cubic foot of water. The specific gravity of pure coal has been reported to range between 1.23 to 1.72 and increases with the change in rank from lignite to anthracite. This means that it is 1.23 to 1.72 times heavier than water.

Jan 1, 1981