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By John F. Blandy

ALTHOUGH the question of the "waste of anthracite coal mining" has been so frequently discussed, and a committee was appointed at the first meeting of this Society to consider and report upon the subject, still but little progress seems to have been made in arriving at a conclusion as to how it can be reduced. That committee made a preliminary report at the August meeting, 1871, in which it divided the question into three parts, namely Waste in mining, in preparing for market, and in transportation. I shall not here refer to the first item, as so much depends upon the peculiar features of each separate mine, and the skill of those in charge; but in reference to the second, that of preparing the coal for market in breaker and screens, I wish to make some remarks. There is no use considering the question, whether the coal should be broken up to suit the fancy of consumers; all miners are satisfied that it should not be, but the consumers decide that they want it that way, and the miner must submit, and simply utter his maledictions upon the head of the man who first suggested a breaker or screen, if that is any consolation to him. What is called waste in this process of preparation, is the dust and fine coal, which results from the breaking and screening, and, as we all know, this is a very important percentage of what passes from the slope to the top of the breaker. Now, if this dust and fine coal can be utilized-the slate which is' picked out is not to be taken into consideration as waste-then we get rid of this item entirely. There is no question in my mind that this article can and will be used as a steam generator at least, and I think, therefore, that in depositing

Jan 1, 1877

By Howard N. Eavenson

One who has been trained in belief in the law of supply and demand and its effect upon prices finds it difficult to adjust himself to the minute regulations imposed by the New Deal, and also to the bewildering changes of government policy as expressed within a short period of time between the antitrust laws and the N.R.A., and later by the Bituminous Coal Conservation Act of 1935. A survey of the coal industry since the World War, both in this country and Great Britain, however, shows that regulation of some sort is needed if any stabilization is to be achieved and if the wage structure and economic welfare of the many communities dependent solely upon coal are to be maintained. Let us look at what has happened to the industry since 1920, which can be considered as the end of the period affected by the war influence. This discussion will be confined solely to bituminous coal, although many of the general conditions are equally applicable to anthracite, the position of which now is at least as bad as that of the softer variety. Since 1920—to the end of 1934—the production of coal has decreased from 568.7 million to 358.4 million tons, or 37 per cent; the number of mines from 14,766 to 6,258, or 58 per cent; the average annual production per mine has changed from 38,512 to 57,425 tons, or 50 per cent. The number of large mines has increased considerably, and the number of men employed has decreased from 639,547 to 458,011, a reduction of 28 per cent, while the average output per employee has changed from 4.0 to 4.4 tons, or an increase of 10 per cent. The average price per ton of coal at the mine has varied from $3.75 to $1.75. During that time wages decreased largely until 1933 and since that time have increased, until now the rates paid are considerably above those in other occupations, although the actual yearly earnings are low, because of part-time work. From 1920 to the signing of the Jacksonville wage agreement in 1924, about two-thirds of the men were union members and practically all of the nonunion mines were south of the Ohio River; with the fixing of the high wage scale of that agreement, which soon proved to be an uneconomic one, many of the mines found that they could not retain their business, so gradually changed to nonunion. By 1928 the proportion

Jan 1, 1936

By Howard N. Eavenson

One who has been trained in belief in the law of supply and demand and its effect upon prices finds it difficult to adjust himself to the minute regulations imposed by the New Deal, and also to the bewildering changes of government policy as expressed within a short period of time between the antitrust laws and the N.R.A., and later by the Bituminous Coal Conservation Act of 1935. A survey of the coal industry since the World War, both in this country and Great Britain, however, shows that regulation of some sort is needed if any stabilization is to be achieved and if the wage structure and economic welfare of the many communities dependent solely upon coal are to be maintained. Let us look at what has happened to the industry since 1920, which can be considered as the end of the period affected by the war influence. This discussion will be confined solely to bituminous coal, although many of the general conditions are equally applicable to anthracite, the position of which now is at least as bad as that of the softer variety. Since 1920—to the end of 1934—the production of coal has decreased from 568.7 million to 358.4 million tons, or 37 per cent; the number of mines from 14,766 to 6,258, or 58 per cent; the average annual production per mine has changed from 38,512 to 57,425 tons, or 50 per cent. The number of large mines has increased considerably, and the number of men employed has decreased from 639,547 to 458,011, a reduction of 28 per cent, while the average output per employee has changed from 4.0 to 4.4 tons, or an increase of 10 per cent. The average price per ton of coal at the mine has varied from $3.75 to $1.75. During that time wages decreased largely until 1933 and since that time have increased, until now the rates paid are considerably above those in other occupations, although the actual yearly earnings are low, because of part-time work. From 1920 to the signing of the Jacksonville wage agreement in 1924, about two-thirds of the men were union members and practically all of the nonunion mines were south of the Ohio River; with the fixing of the high wage scale of that agreement, which soon proved to be an uneconomic one, many of the mines found that they could not retain their business, so gradually changed to nonunion. By 1928 the proportion

Jan 1, 1936

By Martin A. Mayers

Five-sixths of all the coal that is mined in the United States is burned, without previous treatment other than screening, for the production of heat and power, so that its value is fixed by its suitability for this purpose. Nevertheless, the characteristics of individual coals that determine their fitness for use in particular pieces of combustion equipment are not yet well known. This condition is due not only to the small extent of our knowledge concerning coal itself, but also to our comparative ignorance of the nature of the combustion process. The following paper is an analysis of the combustion process as it occurs in industrial furnaces, based largely on the results of laboratory research on combustion rates. From this analysis it is possible to determine the characteristics of the fuel that limit the capacity of a given piece of combustion equipment. Limitations imposed by other factors than the attainable speed of combustion will not be considered, since they are subject to a different type of analysis involving the balancing of maintenance costs against fixed charges. In order to observe the relations among the various factors that affect the speed of combustion, representative particles of fuel will be followed through two types of furnaces. A pulverized-coal furnace will be considered first, because the independence of the individual particles facilitates the analysis of the effect of furnace conditions. The second example will be a grate-fired furnace in which ignition of the fuel takes place on the underfeed principle. This includes both underfeed and chain grate stokers, (8)† but does not include hand-fired furnaces and some overfeed stokers. The furnace will be considered to be large enough, the temperature high enough, and enough air provided, to burn the fuel completely, without, for the moment, specifying these quantities more completely. Furnaces Burning Pulverized Coal In a pulverized-coal furnace, the fuel particle is carried, in a stream of air, into the furnace, where it is subjected to radiation from the flame and from the hot walls of the furnace. The increase of particle tempera-

Jan 1, 1936

By Martin A. Mayers

Five-sixths of all the coal that is mined in the United States is burned, without previous treatment other than screening, for the production of heat and power, so that its value is fixed by its suitability for this purpose. Nevertheless, the characteristics of individual coals that determine their fitness for use in particular pieces of combustion equipment are not yet well known. This condition is due not only to the small extent of our knowledge concerning coal itself, but also to our comparative ignorance of the nature of the combustion process. The following paper is an analysis of the combustion process as it occurs in industrial furnaces, based largely on the results of laboratory research on combustion rates. From this analysis it is possible to determine the characteristics of the fuel that limit the capacity of a given piece of combustion equipment. Limitations imposed by other factors than the attainable speed of combustion will not be considered, since they are subject to a different type of analysis involving the balancing of maintenance costs against fixed charges. In order to observe the relations among the various factors that affect the speed of combustion, representative particles of fuel will be followed through two types of furnaces. A pulverized-coal furnace will be considered first, because the independence of the individual particles facilitates the analysis of the effect of furnace conditions. The second example will be a grate-fired furnace in which ignition of the fuel takes place on the underfeed principle. This includes both underfeed and chain grate stokers, (8)† but does not include hand-fired furnaces and some overfeed stokers. The furnace will be considered to be large enough, the temperature high enough, and enough air provided, to burn the fuel completely, without, for the moment, specifying these quantities more completely. Furnaces Burning Pulverized Coal In a pulverized-coal furnace, the fuel particle is carried, in a stream of air, into the furnace, where it is subjected to radiation from the flame and from the hot walls of the furnace. The increase of particle tempera-

Jan 1, 1936

By J. B. Austin, R. L. Rickett

MEASUREMENTS Of the rate of decomposition of austenite at constant temperature are commonly represented by plotting the percentage transformed on linear coordinates against time on either a linear or a logarithmic scale, a method that yields a curve that in shape resembles an integral sign (Fig. 1). A graph of this kind is not always convenient because extrapolation to the beginning or end of the transformation, or even interpolation, may be uncertain unless there are a large number of observations, which seldom happens; furthermore, the degree of consistency of a set of measurements is difficult to judge from such a curve. It is desirable therefore to find some mode of plotting, or even better to find a standard variety of graph paper, that gives a straight line instead of the integral shape. The straight line has many advantages; the number of readings required to fix the position of the curve is greatly reduced, interpolation is easy and rapid, extrapolation can be carried out with greater confidence and, finally, the consistency of the measurements is readily estimated from the scatter of the points. The last advantage is particularly valuable when the data are obtained by direct microscopic examination alone, because they are influenced by the skill of the observer in estimating the relative size of areas, possibly also by undetected inhomogeneity of the specimen. A search for ways of representing the observations as a straight line yielded two methods which are described in this paper. The paper also includes an account of some interesting relations brought to light in applying these methods to the available experimental data. Usually the best way to derive such a method of plotting is to base it on established principles of chemistry and physics, as has been done, for example, for the temperature variation of the equilibrium constant of a chemical reaction. But so little is known of the mechanism of the decomposition of austenite, and so little is available in the way of well established background for changes of this kind, that it is simpler to rely upon purely empirical means. The general plan therefore is to study existing data with a view to finding some function of the direct observations that will

Jan 1, 1938

By C. M. Loeb, T. E. Norman

THE use of ball, rod and tube mills for grinding ore, cement and other materials has grown so rapidly during the past forty years that the world's annual consumption of ferrous grinding media for these mills is now estimated to be between one half million and one million tons per year. Ferrous grinding balls constitute the major portion of this tonnage. Obviously they represent sufficient value to justify thorough studies of the factor sgoverning their performance. The selection of grinding balls is governed principally by: I. Quality (wear resistance, impact resistance, soundness, and the like). 2. Sources of supply and delivered cost. 3. Grinding characteristics or efficiency in the ball mill. This paper deals principally with the quality of ferrous grinding balls. In the study of these factors certain data relative to the fundamental nature of ball wear in ball mills have been obtained. These data are also presented and discussed briefly. THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SUITABLE WEAR TEST A study of the fundamental factors governing the quality of grinding balls has been hampered seriously by the fact that a competent test has, in the past, involved the purchase of several hundred tons of balls of a specific type which were then run in one or more ball mills for a period ranging from several months to several years' duration. Often, during the period of test, it became necessary to change operating conditions or the character of the ore fed to the test mill with the result that the rate of ball consumption changed and the test figures became of little value. Under such circumstances, progress in the development of better grinding balls, has been necessarily slow. Economic factors and variations in the quality of balls produced by different sources of supply generally make it necessary for each mill operator to determine for himself the most suitable type of balls for his mills. In our own ball mill grinding operations at Climax, Colo., we were faced with this problem. After we had run a few large scale wear tests at considerable expense we decided to investigate the possibilities of a small scale wear test which would be capable of testing numerous types of balls within a relatively short time. The most important requirement of any test is, of course, that it give results which can be used to predict accurately the wear in full scale operations. It was. known that Ellis and his associates1.2 had developed a method of testing grinding balls by small scale tests run at the Ontario Research Foundation. Ellis' method of testing was used as a starting point in our investigations. In the course of our tests a number of modifications of the original method were found to be desirable so that, by an evolutionary procedure, a method of small scale

Jan 1, 1948

By R. C. Mahon

THE Homer iron-ore mine is at Iron River, Mich. Because it covers a large area, 400 acres, and because there was a considerable depth of water in the glacial drift above most of the ore bodies, this mine has presented a number of unusual and often difficult operational problems. The purpose of this paper is to discuss a few of the most important problems encountered. SURFACE WATER Mining on this property was started on one 40-acre tract. The ledge in this area was the highest on the property and, although it was a real problem, water could be handled by underground pumping. During the first period of mining, drifts were driven just under the ledge and holes were drilled through to the surface material. In later years these drifts have been extended wherever possible. Although these drifts assisted in the drainage problem, it was evident they would not be sufficient alone. Before mining on a large scale could be started on this property, the water problem had to be solved. A number of test holes were put down to the ledge, and showed that there was an average 150 ft. of water-saturated glacial drift above the ledge over the rest of the mine. The upper 70 ft. was gravel and sand and the lower 80 ft. clay and hard pan, with some narrow seams of sand and gravel. It was evident that the water above the clay seam could not be drained off through openings in the ledge and for that reason it was decided to install surface drainage wells. This method of drainage was entirely new at that time and was pioneered at the Homer mine. The sinking of the first well was started in June 1929. Immediately following the first well a number of wells were sunk, but only to the top of the clay seam. This was done with the idea that a greater capacity could be obtained in a shorter time from gravel seams where the water flowed more freely and that the cost of pumping the water above the clay seam would be considerably less than if the wells had all been sunk to the ledge at once. Before the drainage of surface water was started, 1200 gal. per min. against a head of 800 ft. was being pumped from the mine. By March of 1932, with five surface wells in operation, the mine pumping had been reduced to 150 gal. per min. At this time we were pumping 5000 gal. per min., under an average head of 110 ft. from the surface wells. The total pumping costs were 30 per cent less than in 1929 because the greater capacity was being pumped at a much lower head. From 1932 to 1936 the mine was idle and all surface pumping was stopped. Since 1936, 10 new wells have been added with a total pumping capacity of 8000 gal. per min. at the present time. The water level has been lowered 70 ft. since surface pumping was started in 1929, and it is now approximately at the top of the clay. To remove the water below the clay seam, 11 of the 15 wells were sunk to the ledge.

Jan 1, 1945

By P. Pietrokowsky

lntermediate phases in the binary metal alloy systems Ti-Zn, Ti-Hg, Zr-Zn, Zr-Cd, and Zr-Hg have been investigated by X-ray powder diffraction methods. Gamma-TiBHg and Zr3Hg have a beta tungsten structure; TiHg and ZrHg are analogous to ordered AuCu (L l0 type); delta-TixHg and ZrHg, are isomorphous with ordered AuCu,, (L l2 type); ZrZnz is face-centered cubic (C 15 type); TiZna crystallizes in a C 14 type structure; and Zrll-, occurs in cubic and tetragonal modifications in which a random distribution of atoms exists. Additional information for the intermediate phase TiZn, is presented. THE physical metallurgy of titanium and zir-conium when alloyed with elements in subgroup 11-B of the periodic table has received comparatively little attention in the literature. Laves and Wallbaum' reported the existence of several intermediate phases in the system Ti-Zn. They identified TiZn as a CsCl (B 2) structure and described TiZn, as an ordered Cu,Au (L 1, type) crystal structure. Gebhardt' investigated very limited zinc-rich regions in the systems Ti-Zn and Zr-Zn. Phase relationships in these partial constitution diagrams were deduced from the results of thermal analysis and metallography, X-ray results being inconclusive. The first zinc-rich intermediate phase in either system was not identified. More recently, Anderson, Boyle, and Ramsey" have had occasion to refer to a partial Ti-Zn phase diagram (unpublished data) covering the region 0 to 10 atomic pct Ti, wherein two intermediate phases corresponding approximately to TiZn,, and TiZn,, were indicated. The metals used in this investigation and typical analyses as determined by the suppliers are given in Table I. The iodide-process zirconium which was used was not hafnium free. Experimental Methods Alloy Preparation: The relative ease with which titanium and zirconium combine with other elements places extensive restrictions on the methods by which alloying can be achieved. The direct current electric arc melting procedure was found to be unsatisfactory for preparing these binary alloys and for this reason solid state diffusion methods were utilized. The iodide process titanium and zirconium rods were filed by hand. Fines were subjected to a magnetic separation and classified as to size as either finer than 200 mesh or coarser than 200 but finer than 80 mesh. Powder mixtures of various binary combinations of titanium and zirconium with zinc and cadmium were compacted in a 12 mm diameter die and then placed in Vycor or quartz vials which were evacuated and sealed. The mercury alloys were prepared in a similar manner; the proper weight of liquid mercury being placed in a vial with minus 200 mesh titanium or zirconium. These ampoules were then heat treated at various temperatures and times depending on the characteristics of the particular alloy system. Upon completion of the heat treatment the ampoules were cooled rapidly and the specimens weighed. The loss in weight varied from 1 to 3 pct (except as noted in the text) and for this reason the calculated compositions were accepted as a fair measure of the actual alloy compositions. X-Ray Dif raction Techniques: Powder diffraction experiments were conducted at room temperature with a 143.2 mm Debye-Scherrer X-ray camera in which the film was placed in the Straumanis arrangement. When copper radiation was used, a nickel filter was employed, and for the cobalt target a filter of iron oxide was used. In both cases, the /i? filter was placed between the X-ray target and the powder specimen which was mounted on a glass fiber. The lack of information based on optical metallography placed reliance on the results obtained from the X-ray experiments for determination of

Jan 1, 1955

By A. E. Nehrenberg

THE mechanism by which austenite forms in steels has received a great deal of attention in the literature in past years.'-'* Our present knowledge concerning this mechanism has been recently summarized quite concisely by Bain and Vilella,1 while a few years ago the literature was carefully reviewed by Roberts and Mehl.² The consensus is that any ferrite-carbide interface is a potential site for the nucleation of austenite during heating above the Acl temperature, and that the new austenite generally grows freely to produce approximately equiaxed grains, whether the carbides are initially present in the lamellar or the spheroidal form. In the case of eutectoid steels, growth of the new grains of austenite continues until contact is established with other grains. Then growth stops and an initial austenite grain size is established which does not change until the heating is continued to some high temperature at which grain coarsening begins. In the case of pearlitic steels which are not of eutectoid composition, the proeutectoid ferrite or carbide may interfere with the growth of the austenite if the temperature is not above that designated the A63 or the Acm, respectively. Although a large amount of work has been done to establish the mechanism of austenite formation in steels, it became clear to the present author while he was studying the transformation characteristics of a new 0.25 C Mn-Si-Ni-Mo hypoeutectoid steel" that the manner in which austenite grows in steels depends upon some factor, or factors, not previously considered. This was indicated by the fact that when this steel in the spheroidized condition was heated above the Ae1 temperature the new austenite which was formed did not envelop the carbides and grow in an equiaxed manner as described by Bain³ or spheroidized steels. Instead, in this steel, the austenite was observed to grow much more readily in certain directions than in others with the result that at temperatures within the Ac1-Ac³ ransformation range the austenite grains were acicular in shape. The excess ferrite was also found to be acicular with the distribution of these phases being such that a lamellar pattern was developed. This unusual directional growth of austenite in this new steel initially in the spheroidized condition is illustrated by fig. 1. A search of the literature revealed that this type of growth was not necessarily peculiar to this steel for similar microstructures had been observed by other investigators.4-8 However, the full significance of these microstructures does not appear to have been appreciated, and no work has been done to determine the conditions responsible for this directional growth of austenite or to arrive at an understanding of it. It was for this purpose that the work described in the present paper was carried out. Material: During the course of this investigation a total of 15 steels was studied. They consisted of hypoeutectoid, eutectoid and hypereutectoid carbon steels, and hypoeutectoid and hypereutectoid alloy steels, all of which were obtained in the annealed condition from commercial warehouse stock. As received, the carbon and alloy hypereutectoid steels had microstructures which consisted of spheroidal carbides in ferrite, whereas the eutectoid steel and the hypoeutectoid steels were pearlitic. The grades of steel represented were 1050, 1080, 10110, 3310, 4140, 4340, 4615, 6145, 8620, 9260, 9442,

Jan 1, 1951

By Burt Hartmann

The nation's ever-expanding construction and mining activity has placed an increasing demand upon engineers and geologists to design and construct stable slopes in earth materials-soil and rock. Man's attempt to handle these slope stability problems has been based primarily on practical experience and the resulting theories formulated to explain the phenomena. Too many instances occur when man is faced with a slope stability problem that has not yet been experienced and doesn't lend itself to solution by any existing theory. At this point he must extend himself in using his engineering judgment to arrive at a reasonable and safe design. As past experience has shown, all of the "safe designs" are not really safe. Sometimes they result in embarrassing failures. Measurements provide the key to understanding and controlling natural phenomena. We cannot hope to gain control of the slope stability problem until we understand the causes of slope failure, their behavior with respect to time and their relative magnitudes. Measurements required for an adequate definition of any slope problem must be of the highest reliability because of the importance of decisions which must be based on them. For this reason, direct measurements of movement, shear strength, water pressure, etc. of the unstable mass are preferable to indirect measurements of other physical properties. Movement instruments which can be positioned inside of the slope mass (within boreholes) are among the most useful in diagnosis and/or monitoring of slope movements. The higher the sensitivity and il-measurement precision possible with borehole instruments, the quicker the required information can be obtained and the more exactly may hazardous conditions be observed. A high density of measuring points in a single drill hole is deemed essential for diagnostic purposes. Behavior gradients may thus be obtained. The Pressure Meter (Fig. 1) can be used to measure a relative strength

Jan 1, 1968

By Thomas O. Ziebold, Robert E. Ogilvie

Experimental analysis of diffusion samples covering the entire Cu-Ag-Au system at 725°C has been carried out. Experimental coefficients are computed at twenty-eight points in the lermary system. It is found that the direct coefficienl for copper is nearly independent of the silver, content for 1ow-silver alloys and that the cross coefficient for silver correlates with the ther-nzodynatnic properlies. This lalter observalion leads to the conclusion that the mobililies of copper and gold are nearly equal. Thermodynarmic actiuilies for Cu-Ag-Au were computed from binary data and adjusted to be consistent with neasured tie lines across the two-phase region which extends into the ternary diagram at 725°C. Application of these therknodynarnic calculaliorls to the dijftcsion data terifies the Onsager reciprocal relations to the extent that experimental uncertainlies will allow. It is jound that diffusion neav the critical point of the 1200-phase field in the isothermal section at 725°C causes the composition gradients for copper and silver to approach infinity while the direct and cross coeficients become equal. From the standpoint of experimental Procedures, it has been shown that microanalysis of ternary samples may be carried out using a simple expression for the conversion of X-ray zntensily to composilion. The accuracy of' this method has been demonstrated by the analysis of standard alloys and by the reproducibility of composition determinations using differed X-ray lines. DIFFUSION in a ternary alloy system is basically and significantly different from diffusion in binary alloys. When only two elements are present there is just one independent composition variable, and the diffusion profile of composition vs distance across a sample must change monotonically through all solid solutions bracketed by the terminal alloys. If two-phase regions are stable for compositions between the terminal values, these must appear as planar interfaces in the diffused sample, with the composition profile exhibiting sharp discontinuities. Adding a third element may alter this picture completely. Because of the additional degree of freedom in the composition, we may see composition profiles which do not change monotonically through solid-solution ranges, and stable, nonplanar phase interfaces. Even though two-phase regions may lie between the terminal compositions of a diffusion sample on the constitution diagram, they will not necessarily appear in the diffusion profiles. In binary diffusion only one coefficient is needed to describe the interdiffusion process. From Fick's law this coefficient relates the diffusive flux of one component to its own composition gradient. In ternary diffusion we must allow for cross interaction between the two independent species. By a linear extension of Fick's law we introduce "cross" or "off-diagonal" diffusion coefficients which relate the flux of one component to the composition gradient of the other independent constituent. Thus, we require four interdiffusion coefficients to describe the transport process in a ternary system. In its most general form,1,2 the rate equation for mass transport by isothermal diffusion in a system of s components states that the diffusive flux of component i, Ji, is a linear summation of all driving forces, Xk, each force being multiplied by an appropriate compliance coefficient:

Jan 1, 1968

By S. Wiederhorn

The energy and force of interaction between a crack and a slip band have been calculated. When the distance between the crack and the slip band is greater than the dislocation spacing of- the slip band, the force on the cgrack is perpendicular to the slip band. The energy needed to propagate a crack against this force can be lawe enough to pevmit crack propagation parallel to noncleavage planes. SEVERAL recent experiments have demonstrated the occurrence of crack-slip band interaction in ionic crystals having a NaC1-type structure. Stokes, Johnston, and Lil have studied the nucleation and growth of cracks in MgO. From their observations, they conclude that slip bands have the ability to halt and stabilize cleavage crack nuclei. Gilman2 has shown that a crack, propagating along a (100) cleavage plane in a previously deformed LiF crystal, tends, at certain points within the crystal, to switch to (110) planes. He reasons that plastic deformation reduces the cohesive energy of the (110) planes below that of the (1130) planes, making possible (110) crack propagation. Keh3 has demonstrated that when indentations are made in MgO, crkcks form along (110) planes at the indentations. Gilman2 attributes the formation of these cracks to plastic cieformation. There is some doubt as to the formation of cracks on (110) planes. Kuznetsov4 in his discussion of crack propagation in rock salt, shows that splitting along (110) planes requires 1.76 times as much energy as splitting along a stepped (100) surface. Therefore, the observed (110) cracking in LiF and

Jan 1, 1962

By R. S. Botsford

SPECULATION as to when and under what conditions mining may be resumed in Russia by foreign interests is becoming more interesting. Circumstances have changed so completely that all new projects must give careful consideration to the conditions as they exist at this time. For example, it is now estimated that a certain copper company in Russia can produce copper and put it on board ship at seaboard for 8 1/2c. per lb., crediting the copper with the value of precious metals contained. It is further estimated that in some places gold can be produced at a cost of about one-half of its value; platinum can be produced even more advantageously. Transportation, which is absolutely necessary for mines of coal, iron or manganese ore, as well as for an industry consuming either coal or coke, is not so essential for the operation of a gold or platinum dredge when the dredge has once been put into operation; after that, food is the principal material for which transportation must be provided. During 1922 the operators in the Urals, who had combined in a so-called platinum trust, expected to produce about 2340 lb. of crude platinum but the amount actually recovered during that season was reported as only 1620 lb., most of which came from hand workings; Nicolo Pavda had the principal dredges in operation during that year. In preparation for 1923 operations, about $400,000 worth of repair parts were obtained in England. At least two American-built dredges and one Putiloff dredge are reported in operation at Nicolo Pavda and it is supposed that most of the better dredges in the platinum district are now working.

Jan 12, 1923

R. H. SWEETSER, Columbus, Ohio.-My experience with oxygen in the blast is limited to the use of one tank of oxygen in melting out a chilled anthracite furnace. The oxygen was introduced through the peephole of the tuyeres and opened them in a very short time. We could see that an intense heat was generated just as soon as the oxygen struck the fuel. I agree with the committee in respect to many. of the things that will probably happen in the iron blast furnace, particularly as to the speeding up of the operation. There will undoubtedly be changes in the shape of the blast furnace, and if I were designing one today I should hesitate about the form to give it. Mr. Kirby suggested that the proper shape might be rectangular. Some of the men of the American Rolling Mill Co. have reached the same conclusion, as a result of Royster and Joseph finding that the combustion zone in the front of the tuyeres extended into the furnace less than 40 in. If this is correct, we might build the furnace with an elongated rectangu-ular hearth having the shorter dimension a little over 80 in. and secure. a very intense temperature in the hearth. The committee's report said, "With more oxygen available in the blast, the smelting ability of the furnace will be increased beyond the' speed of the preparing zone in the shaft." This can be controlled by providing ample facilities for getting stock into the furnace, and this will be one of the biggest changes in blast-furnace construction. The question has been raised as to finding suitable refractories to withstand the increase of hearth temperature. If the furnace can be kept full, the descending column of cold material will probably take care of the increased heat from more rapid combustion of the coke. At the Cleveland meeting, in 1912, the iron blast-furnace men listened with great interest to a paper on copper slags; from Mr. Kirby's paper, it looks as though they might again have to go to the copper men, for many of the problems of the iron blast furnace of the. future that uses oxygen may be worked out on lines of the copper blast furnace.

Jan 11, 1924

Discussion of the papers of FREDERICH LAIST and HAROLD W. ALDRICH, FREDERICH LAIST and F. F. FRICK, W. L. AUSTIN, and STUART CROASDALE, presented at the Salt Lake meeting, August, 1914, and printed in Bulletins No. 91 and 92, July, and August, 1914. R. C. CANBY, Wallingford, Conn. (communication to the Secretary*). -Apropos of the experimental reduction of copper from cuprous chloride by fusion with ground limestone and coke, as described by Messrs. Laist and Frick, and also proposed for use at Chuquicamata., it might be of interest to refer briefly to the experience at Argentine, Kan., in the smelting of the suboxide of copper (as produced in the Hunt and Douglas process) containing appreciable quantities of chlorides. In the Engineering and Mining Journal of June 10, 1911, I. gave some account of what had appeared to be crucial difficulties with the Hunt and Douglas process, and how the filter-press difficulty had been so rapidly overcome after my discovery of the effect of the sodium salts in the leaching solutions. I also described the effect of the cupola furnace gases upon the lime rock with which I had replaced the coke in the absorption tower, which apparently showed the presence of considerable-chlorine, clue to the imperfect conversion of the subchloride to suboxide, as well as that clue to the difficulties of washing thoroughly the suboxide with the means provided, and also to the presence of chlorides in the cement copper which was smelted With the suboxide. The fumes from the cupola, when issuing direct into the atmosphere, were very dense and white, except when a hot furnace top caused a reddish tinge due to dust. These, fumes had a peculiarly suffocating effect, so that when they were blown over into the town the population suffered the greatest actual distress, not the mere annoyance which would have been clue to a disagreeable odor. The absorption tower had been built at the instance of the city authorities to abate this nuisance, and not with the idea of making any additional metal savings. A serious feature in connection with the Argentine experience with the Hunt and Douglas process was, that it had been implicitly assumed that there could be no metal loss in the Hunt and Douglas process itself, and that all attempts to locate the ruinous copper losses which were accumulating in the metallurgical accounts were devoted to the roasting department. It is possibly unfortunate for metallurgical advance along these particular lines that just about the time of this discovery of this previously unsuspected volatilization loss, in the smelting of the suboxide, the Kansas City company made a contract with the Western Union Telegraph Co. for its supply of copper sulphate and the Hunt and Douglas

Jan 11, 1914

By William M. Newton, John E. Sherborne

The relation between the properties of electric logs and the fluid used in drilling a well is briefly discussed in this paper, and the fact that the resistivity of the drilling mud and its filtrate can appreciably affect such logs is shown. Apparatus was designed and a procedure established to determine the effect of various factors on the resistivity of drilling mud. Five muds commonly employed in California were tested and the following observations were made: I. The effect of raising the temperature from 80°F. to 180°F. is to decrease the resis-tiviiy of the mud or filtrate approximately 50 per cent. 2. The resistivity of the mud in most cases closely approximates that of its filtrate. 3, The change in the resistivities of muds caused by the addition of chemical is not the same function of the amount of chemical added for each mud. 4. The effect produced by increased sodium chloride content is to reduce markedly the resistivity of the mud and its filtrate. 5. Weighting materials, such as Baroid and limestone, tend to increase the resistivity of drilling mud. 6, Cement and counteracting reagents reduce mud resistivity. Introduction During recent years, the practice of "electrically logging9' a geologic formation by means of a system of electrodes lowered in a well bore has provided data of inestimable value concerning the nature of the sediments penetrated. Thus, it is generally possible, by means of electric logs, to distinguish readily the differences between shales, sandstones, cherts, limestones, and other rock forms. The distinguishing characteristics recorded in this manner have made possible long-range and closely detailed mapping and visualization of deeply buried structures1-5 to a degree not to be obtained with a reasonable expenditure of money by any other means at present in use. Besides being of value in correlation work, electric logs have been found, in some instances, to be useful in estimating the nature of fluid contained within the pores of a rock. In special cases, even the relative permeabilities at different horizons have been determined.6 That electric logs should reflect in some measure such physical properties of rocks as porosity and permeability and, in addition, give rise to data pertaining to the fluid content of rock interstices, becomes evident when the conditions giving rise to the electrical phenomena measured are known. However, it is not the purpose of this paper to review the present status of electric logging; rather, the reader is referred to the papers cited on page 220 for the principles and practice involved. Importance of Drilling FLuid in Electric Logging Because the drilling fluid must be the medium through which the electric logging device is made to traverse the formations penetrated by a borehole, and since, in general, the drilling mud completely surrounds

Jan 1, 1942

By John E. Sherborne, William M. Newton

The relation between the properties of electric logs and the fluid used in drilling a well is briefly discussed in this paper, and the fact that the resistivity of the drilling mud and its filtrate can appreciably affect such logs is shown. Apparatus was designed and a procedure established to determine the effect of various factors on the resistivity of drilling mud. Five muds commonly employed in California were tested and the following observations were made: I. The effect of raising the temperature from 80°F. to 180°F. is to decrease the resis-tiviiy of the mud or filtrate approximately 50 per cent. 2. The resistivity of the mud in most cases closely approximates that of its filtrate. 3, The change in the resistivities of muds caused by the addition of chemical is not the same function of the amount of chemical added for each mud. 4. The effect produced by increased sodium chloride content is to reduce markedly the resistivity of the mud and its filtrate. 5. Weighting materials, such as Baroid and limestone, tend to increase the resistivity of drilling mud. 6, Cement and counteracting reagents reduce mud resistivity. Introduction During recent years, the practice of "electrically logging9' a geologic formation by means of a system of electrodes lowered in a well bore has provided data of inestimable value concerning the nature of the sediments penetrated. Thus, it is generally possible, by means of electric logs, to distinguish readily the differences between shales, sandstones, cherts, limestones, and other rock forms. The distinguishing characteristics recorded in this manner have made possible long-range and closely detailed mapping and visualization of deeply buried structures1-5 to a degree not to be obtained with a reasonable expenditure of money by any other means at present in use. Besides being of value in correlation work, electric logs have been found, in some instances, to be useful in estimating the nature of fluid contained within the pores of a rock. In special cases, even the relative permeabilities at different horizons have been determined.6 That electric logs should reflect in some measure such physical properties of rocks as porosity and permeability and, in addition, give rise to data pertaining to the fluid content of rock interstices, becomes evident when the conditions giving rise to the electrical phenomena measured are known. However, it is not the purpose of this paper to review the present status of electric logging; rather, the reader is referred to the papers cited on page 220 for the principles and practice involved. Importance of Drilling FLuid in Electric Logging Because the drilling fluid must be the medium through which the electric logging device is made to traverse the formations penetrated by a borehole, and since, in general, the drilling mud completely surrounds

Jan 1, 1942

By J. R. Thoenen

The Bureau of Mines has used various sizes of core barrels above 2 in. and below 10 in. in diameter to core manganese, potash, coal, brown iron ore and bauxite. The paper describes in some detail the methods and types of equipment used to obtain maximum sampling accuracy. Introduction On December 11, 1946, R. D. Longyear, in his capacity as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Exploration Drilling, wrote the author requesting him to prepare a paper presenting the collective ideas of engineers in the Bureau of Mines on the design, standardization and application of core barrels using diamonds or other hard cutting media for drilling holes larger than two inches and less than ten inches in diameter. In subsequent correspondence it was indicated that similar papers covering the experience of other government agencies would be solicited and all such papers received would be combined in a symposium on the subject for discussion at the March 1947 meeting of the Mining Methods Committee AIME. In soliciting such information from other Bureau engineers, it developed that most Bureau experience had been confined to standard core size, two inches or less in diameter, and that larger sizes had been used only for special purposes. It is hoped the data contained herein will be of help to other operators in solving problems encountered in the field. Acknowledgments This paper was made possible by the request of Lowell B. Moon, Chief, Mining Division, Bureau of Mines, to all Division engineers to send to the author any data they had on the subject. Engineers of the Mining Division contributing were: M. H. Kline, Chief, Raleigh Branch. Paul T. Allsman, Chief, Salt Lake City Branch. J. H. Hedges, Chief, Tucson Branch. C. H. Johnson, Chief, Rolla Branch. A. M. Evans, Mining Engineer, College Park Branch. Wing Agnew, Engineer in charge, Mount Weather, Virginia. Andrew Brown, Mining Engineer, Tus-caloosa Branch. In addition Albert L. Toenges, Supervising Engineer, Bituminous Coal Mining Section, Pittsburgh, contributed his experience in coring coal beds. The author's experience in the use of cores within the limits stated has been confined to the brown iron-ore work described by Brown and coring bauxite and clay in Arkansas. Design and Standardization of Core Barrels Bureau engineers are primarily interested in obtaining core that will best represent

Jan 1, 1949

By A. M. Gaudin

The flotation process has been applied extensively in the mineral and chemical fields. This paper reveals results obtained by an exploration of an application to the biological field. In many ways this study was indeed an exploration since so many factors are different. In the mineral field, the particles, both those floated and those not floated, cover a wide range of sizes and shapes; in the biological field, the particles of one population are primarily of one or two sizes and one or two shapes. This identity in size and in shape gives biological systems the advantage of homogeneity. In the mineral field the particles may be as coarse as a millimeter; in the biological field the size may be a micron, or less. In the mineral field the particles may have a gravity several times that of water so that their apparent gravity is quite substantial. Microorganisms, on the other hand, may have a gravity so near that of the liquor that their settling velocity in the liquor is vanishingly small. These two facts conspire to make bubble-particle encounter in the pulp-body less likely. Finally, microorganisms are living, reproducing, and dying-all of which does not help the experimenter get a balance of materials. The analytical problems, too, are extraordinarily difficult, for the organisms can contain only elements that occur in their environment, although at a different level of concentration. The chemical composition of the surface of microorganisms is readily altered. In spite of these areas of difficulty, microorganisms can be floated to leave practically water-clear tailing, they can be floated from each other and, in fact, the same organism can be fractionated into a float that differs from the sink. SIZES AND SHAPES OF ORGANISMS Most ore pulps are described with reference to the percentage of the pulp that is fine enough to pass a 200-mesh sieve. Thus a copper-ore pulp may be 80% -200 mesh. Since 200 mesh equals 74 µ, a 2000-mesh particle would be 7.4 µ in diameter, and a 20,000-mesh particle would be 0.74 µ. The microorganisms with which this work is concerned are of the order of magnitude of 20,000 mesh. We have worked with Escherichia coli, the colon bacillus, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus megaterium, and Serratia marcescens. In some pioneer work, Dognonl,2 reported the use

Jan 1, 1962