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By Fleming, R. C.

ONE OF THE NEWEST developments of industry rising from the commercial application of scientific knowledge is in the making of solid carbon dioxide from the gas about 1925 the first efforts were made to manufacture "dry ice" on a large scale and at a price to permit widespread use. From that beginning the industry has grown to a consumption of 40,000 tons in 1930. Carbon-dioxide ice, as the name implies, is merely the gas compressed and cooled to a solid. The ice has a temperature of 109° F. below zero and is in many ways superior to water ice. It evaporates to a gaseous form so it is not wet and leaves no trace; in fact, one suggested minor use is as coasters under water glasses on the dining table. The gas is harmless except in large concentrations and. when the ice is used as a refrigerant, the resulting gas actually becomes a preservative, keeping oxygen away from perishable products. Not only does the ice have a greater amount of cold in a small volume than water ice but cooling is effected by direct contact of the resulting gas with the materials to be refrigerated rather than by convection air currents.

Jan 1, 1932

By Anson Hayes

FOR the purpose of the following discussion the word "research" is interpreted as including all phases of development work on methods of manufacture, metallurgical characteristics, and uses of iron and steel. Research in the iron and steel industry then includes both plant re- search and laboratory research. Since iron and steel came into being, the steel consumer's plant and the steel producer's plant have been important factors in the development of the steel industry. Good minds have always been associated with both consumer and producer plants, so marked progress was made in the industry even when these were the only types of research and development groups in action.

Jan 1, 1937

By Verne C. Fryklund, S. Warren Hobbs

The Coeur d'Alene district in the panhandle of Idaho is one of the major lead-zinc-silver producing areas in the world. The value of recorded production to date has exceeded $2 billion. Country rock comprises six formations of the fine-grained, highly siliceous, and slightly metamorphosed Precambrian Belt Series. Small stocks of monzonitic rocks and several varieties of dikes intrude the sediments. The district is at the intersection of a north trending major anticlinal uplift and the west northwest-trending Lewis and Clark line of which the Osburn fault is the dominant feature. The district structure is complicated and comprises folds, some of which are overturned, and a complex of faults of diverse ages and directions of movement. Late Cretaceous stocks but are also probably Cretaceous in age. The productive veins are localized within a series of 12 subparallel, straight mineral belts that trend approximately N65°W and that appear to be controlled by deep fractures in the basement rocks. The mineral belts are in two groups, separated by 15 miles of post-mineralization movement on the Osburn fault. Veins and ore shoots are variously disposed within each mineral belt. Many crop out at the surface, but others apex several thousand feet beneath it. Local controls that influence the position of ore shoots within the mineral belts include the brittle character of host rock attitude of bedding relative to the mineralized fracture, and the amount and direction of movement on faults. Depth appears to have had little effect on the occurrence or type of ore. Ore occurs in a series of steeply dipping replacement veins of relatively simple mineralogy. Six periods of mineralization, ranging from Precambrian to Tertiary in age, are recognized. The productive galena sphalerite-bearing and tetrahedrite-bearing veins-of the main period of mineralization-are younger than the

Jan 1, 1968

By Scott Turner

AS IN OTHER lines of engineering, progress in mining was influenced during 1931 by the world-wide economic depression. Low-metal prices ? resulted in active efforts to reduce production costs of base-metal mines. Probably the chief factors in reducing costs were the greater efficiency of labor, due to better relations between management and workmen, to the scarcity of jobs, reduced wages in most base-metal mines, and to lower overhead expenses secured by drastic economies. The use of mechanical equipment continued to increase, due to more efficient designs and a better practical understanding of the applicability of such equipment to requirements. With one exception, there were no startling innovations in stoping methods, but there was notable progress in the better adaptation of mining methods. In the United States, no large new base-metal or silver mines came into production during the year. At a number of mines, output was curtailed, and operations were discontinued at several important producers. On the other hand world-wide interest in gold was stimulated, as evidenced by increased output from producing mines, the reopening of some old properties, and intensive prospecting for new deposits. Mining methods at several gold mines in the United States and Canada were modified or changed to obtain a higher extraction of ore or to meet the need for additional support of the mine workings at depth. Permanent record of improvements in mining practices has been made during the year by the Federal Government; the industry thus has available for its use more detailed information than ever before. This work was done through cooperation of the mining companies and their representatives with the United States Bureau of Mines, whereby many papers descriptive of practices and costs at individual mines have been published. The Bureau's program of describing methods and costs at the more important mines (those producing in excess of $100,000 annually) is nearly completed, but papers will be issued concerning such additional mines as may possess particular interest because of novel methods, exceptional conditions or operating results, and others to supplement reports already issued. In this way, an interesting record of the results of changing conditions, or innovations in methods, will be made available.

Jan 1, 1932

By E. L. BROKENSHIRE

FLUORSPAR, a little known non-metallic mineral, referred to technically as fluorite, chemically as calcium fluoride, is a compound of calcium and fluorine in the ratio of one molecule of calcium to two of fluorine. By weight it is composed of 51.3 per cent of calcium and 48.7 per cent of fluorine. Its specific gravity is 3.2. It is brittle, has a hardness of four and can be easily scratched with a knife. It weighs about 200 Ib. per cubic foot and has a melting point of 1650" F. The color of fluorspar ranges from pure white and opaque white, according to its purity, to various hues of yellow, green, pink, lavender, blue and brown, to bluish black. Although the lumps have color, when ground the fluorspar becomes pure white. The reason for this is because the mineral usually carries no fixed pigment, the color being produced by the re- fraction of light rays within the crystal structure and small quantities of organic matter which readily oxidizes. It crystallizes in the isometric system with perfect octahedral cleavages.

Jan 1, 1929

By William Sellers

tested without knowing anything of their chemical composition. I had these pieces separately placed upon 10-inch bearings under a 7-gross ton lianlrner, a piece of 2½-inch round iron laid upon them as a fuller, and the hammer allotved to fall from 20 inches above the fuller, which, according to Haswell, gave a ldow of 67.75 gross tons. The pieces were then turned orcr, the fuller placed upon the convex surface, and the harnnler allowed to fall from 13 inches above the fuller, giving a blow of 58.46 gross tons. You will see that the rails do aot show ally bigrls of ruptnre, and their color at the points of torture prove them to have been absolutely cold when the test was made. I thirk these rails ought to be reasonably safe in the track. As you see by this piece of the head of one of these rails, I had it plarred, and then some teeth cut in it by a cold clrisel, and one-half of them pounded down with a hammer. The teeth of my rack did not break off. The analyses of these rails substquently made are: I. 11. Carbon,... 0.110 0.880 Silicon,..0.050 0.058 Phosphorus ,..0.086 0.082 Manganese,.. 0.042 0 840 In conclusion, I will say that Dr. Dudley's paper as a contribu tion to our knowledge of steel rails is valuable and interesting, but I protest against his conclusions king reoeived as manufacturing or comtnercial axioms. From its being presented in the form-of a report to the leading railroad of the country from one of its trusted officers, as well as from the tone of the concluding deductions, it is liable to be so received by railroad men. If any railroad com pany desires rails made under either of Dr. Dudley's formulas, and are willing to pay a price large enough to cover the loss in making them, dl and good; but so long as the rail makers are compelled to gwrrantee the wear of their rails for a given number of years, justice reqnires that. the composition of the steel from which these rails are made should be left to them. WILLIAM SELLERS, PHILADELPHIA: The very interesting paper upon the wear of steel rails that has just been read preseak the record of a series of investigations that are extreniely valuable, and the deduction that bas been drawn from the results noted seems to be unavoidable; the tests, however, to which it is proposed steel rails shall be subjected hereafter, with a view to determine their quality, sllould

Jan 1, 1881

By Mark C. Malamphy

AT present the Federal Government represents the only organization applying geophysical methods of prospecting in Brazil. The geophysical work of the National Department of Mineral Production, which will be described in the following pages, must be considered as a program of experimental work designed to demonstrate the applicability of the more or less "standard" methods of geophysical prospecting to various problems of economic interest in Brazil by means of practical examples of results obtained in certain typical areas. Our work is somewhat similar to that of the Imperial Geophysical Experimental Survey of Australia, but our task has been greatly simplified by the ever increasing number of technical publications relative to the theory of instruments and methods.

Jan 1, 1936

By P. V. Brough, K. B. Gillaspie

DECISION to build a mill at the Bayard property was made in May 1942. Western-Knapp Engineering Co., of San Francisco, assisted by engineers of U. S. Smelting, handled the design and construction. Much of the milling equipment was moved from the Company's mill at Goldroad, Ariz. Wartime restrictions necessitated wood construction and paper sheathing except for structures adjacent to the Bullfrog shaft. Construction started in September 1942 and milling in March 1943. Bayard ores are processed in a single-ection mill. About half of the ore treated during the past year was hoisted through the Bullfrog shaft and the rest was trucked from other shafts. Coarse storage includes four bins, two of 120 tons each for Bullfrog ores and two of 85 to 120 tons each, served by a truck ramp. The low capacity figure refers to

Jan 1, 1948

By H. B. FERNALD

THE first year to which the Revenue Act of 1936 has applied is now passed. It is appropriate to try to give some calm thought to the plan of Federal income taxation as now imposed and what it will mean to the business and industry of the country if this plan of taxation is continued unchanged. Whether or not we like to pay these taxes is beside the point. Taxes are high and may be expected to be high for many years. The important question is whether the taxes to be imposed will destroy or injure business enterprise and development, and, in so doing, lower the standards of employment, living, comfort, and welfare of our people. The power to tax is the power to destroy. That destruction may come suddenly as a cyclone, or slowly as dry rot. What, if any, features are there in the present plan of Federal income taxation that have these destructive tendencies? A few of the points follow that seem to call for consideration.

Jan 1, 1937

By George S. Rice

GROUND movement from mining, whether it be for coal, metal, industrial minerals, or .oil, will always present many difficult problems. These are especially serious when valuable surface improvements may be badly damaged. The mine itself, if mining methods are not suitable to the formation, is subject to heavy falls of the main roof in the working places; and with certain structural conditions the movements may cause in coal mines disastrous bumps and outbursts of gas, and in deep metal mines rock bursts. In open-cut work rock and earth slides may result. Absolute prevention of ground movement from mining is impossible unless large pillars are left unmined,

Jan 1, 1937

By H. L. Talbot, R. S. Young, A. Golledge

The differentiation of oxidized forms of lead from lead sulphide in complex products by chemical analysis is of considerable importance to certain mining and metallurgical companies. A method for the separation of "oxide" lead, (non-sulphide), from sulphide lead, based on the solubility of the former and virtual insolubility of the latter in concentrated ammonium acetate solution, has been employed for many years in the industry.1,2 Unfortunately this solvent, while satisfactory for lead sulphate and carbonate, is without action on lead phosphates or vanadates, with the result that at .Rhodesia Broken Hill Development Co. where these latter minerals are present, they have counted as sulphides when using this procedure. For the control of operations in the new concentrator it became necessary to have a closer check on sulphide lead than could be obtained by the only current method of differentiating this constituent from oxidized lead. For some time this problem has engaged our attention, and after a large number of solvents had been tried, the following procedure was evolved. Like all methods depending on selective solution in a com- plex material, it will not give 100 pct separation into oxide and sulphide portions. Because of the ease of oxidation of galena this is almost an impossibility. Our procedure will, however, give a recovery of 99-100 pct of the oxidized lead, contaminated with very small quantities of lead sulphide, and a corresponding recovery of 97-98 pct of the sulphide lead. The procedure is simple and reproducible, and gives results quite .satisfactory for routine control purposes. Experimental For this work standard samples of the following pure lead minerals were obtained from Broken Hill, Northern Rhodesia. These were hand-picked specimens, and were carefully ground to —200 mesh. Since it was realized that a fair-sized sample would be necessary for this work to thoroughly test the large number of procedures we had in mind, a compromise had to be effected between a few grams of very pure minerals and a large sample of lower grade material. For this work the presence of gangue was not deleterious, so long as the oxide lead minerals did not contain lead sulphide, and vice versa. Table I shows the lead minerals used, and their total lead content, both theoretical and actual. Apart from the pyro-morphite the minerals are seen by analysis to be quite pure. Many solutions were tried in an effort to dissolve the oxidized lead minerals and

Jan 1, 1949

By C. E. Corson

THE experiments of which the results and significance are set forth in this paper do not by any means cover the whole subject of the heat-treatment of the material referred to, yet they constitute a contribution to that general subject, rather than to the special department of annealing. The material here considered is acid open-hearth steel, containing from 0.50 to 0.80 per cent of carbon, with a nearly uniform percentage of other elements. This class of steel is rapidly increasing in commercial importance. It is even rumored that the rail-specifications of some railroads will hereafter require open-hearth steel. Yet this particular grade seems to have received less study and description from the standpoint of the metallographist than many others. The investigation here described was directed to the following points:-Steel containing about 0.50 per cent, of carbon : 1. The structure as related to the temperature, at the same rate of cooling; 3. The structure and physical properties as related to temperature at different rates of cooling; 3. The structure and physical properties as related to different finishing-temperatures and different rates of cooling; 4. The bearing of these observations upon the statement of Prof. Albert Sauveur.1

Sep 1, 1906

By R. W. Heins, N. Street

An investigation was made of the Rehbinder-Kuznetsov pendulum as an instrument to aid in the study of rock drillability and of the effect of surface active agents on rock drillability. The "critical weight", i.e., the pendulum weight at greatest sensitivity, was determined for several solids and it was shown that a change in surface environment changed the maximum value of the apparent hardness but not the critical weight, and the critical weight increased with increase of hardness of the solid used. Using silver halides as the solid material, and solutions of either silver nitrate or the appropriate alkali halide, it was shown that there is a hardness maximum at the zero point of charge of the particular silver halide. INTRODUCTION The development of relative hardness measurement by the method of damped oscillations, or what has been called the pendulum sclerometer, is due largely to the Russian workers P. A. Rehbinder and V. D. Kuznetsov and their co-workers.1,2 The apparent simplicity of the method has led to its use in a number of fields, particularly those where relative hardness has to be determined on a brittle solid. As will be shown, the simplicity of the method belies its complexities. THEORY OF THE PENDULUM SCLEROMETER The operation of the pendulum is quite simple. Make a sharp point such as a diamond, hardened steel or tungsten carbide, as the fulcrum of a pendulum, with the center of gravity of the system below the point of support. The attenuation of this pendulum is a function only of air friction, provided no fragmentation, breakage or other work is performed by the point. However, when the solid surface breaks or disintegrates under the point, and the latter penetrates the solid, part of the energy of oscillation is absorbed in the work of creating new surface, and the rate of attenuation increases. In the case of brittle solids, the point of the pendulum produces fragmentary particles, whereas the point produces plastic deformation in a plastic solid; but in both cases damping occurs. This pendulum damping is a function of the hardness or strength of the solid. Whereas a pendulum oscillating on a hard material attenuates primarily by air friction, in the case of a soft material, the points penetrate the surface of the solid, producing new surface, and the pendulum damps much faster. Thus the attenuation rate is a function of the hardness or strength of a material in both plastic and brittle substances. Russian workers initially used a single support for the pendulum, but this created many problems because of oscillation of the pendulum in more than one plane. A revised version used two points, or sometimes a prism as support, successfully confining oscillation to one plane. The version using two points was constructed and used throughout this investigation, making the recording of the attenuation as a function of time relatively easy. That both points should be in contact with the solid during the damping is implied. Rehbinder (c.f. Kuznetsov2) proposed that the hardness H as measured by this method could be expressed by a quantity which is inversely proportional to the relative initial rate of attenuation of amplitude. where H = hardness parameter (arbitrary units) a, = initial amplitude da/dt = rate of attenuation of amplitude with time. In the simplest case of damping with a constant logarithmic decrement, H can be regarded as a constant for the duration of the whole damped oscillation process. That is

Jan 1, 1966

By GEORGE A. KIERSCH

The awesome destructive power of known and projected weapons of war presages a new need for geologists and engineers, who may be called upon to locate vital industry underground, thereby protecting it from sky-borne destruction. The Corps of Engineers is now conducting special tests to establish design standards covering the general field of underground installations as well as surveys a of construction methods and the operational hazards connected with such plants. National planning must dictate a policy that is either tactical, where surface manufactured parts; are stored underground and during art emergency assembled, or operational with both the manufacturing and assemblage completed in subsurface plants. Both plans of operation require the use of subterranean plants. Relocation of vital plants underground will probably involve only a small percentage of the production capacity of this nation. The cost of rebuilding in new location will obviously limit its adoption

Jan 1, 1949

By Larry Dale

An approach for predicting the development of mineral resources on public lands has been developed as an aid to resource agencies. It consists of new techniques for evaluating the economic potential of the resource, the uncertainty about mine cost estimates, and the uncertainty about the occurrance of mineral deposits. New mineral sup- plies from inferred and hypothetical resources can be predicted by using these techniques. A case study illustrates their application in predicting development of copper resources in western Montana.

Jan 1, 1982

By C. H. Herty

The reactions that occur in the basic open-hearth process are complicated and are subject to many different factors such as temperature, slag composition and rate of boiling of the bath. It is difficult, therefore, to present an extended theoretical discussion of open-hearth operations without confusing the theory of the process with the application of the theory. This paper attempts to present some of the theory of the open-hearth process without mentioning theory at any point, simply giving some of the practical applications of results founded both on theory and practice and on experimental work both in small and large furnaces. It is hoped that an answer to a number of questions commonly asked by the open-hearth operator may be found in this paper. Discussion of the subject matter is taken up more or less in the order in which a heat ie worked, beginning with the oxidation of the scrap charged, sulfur absorption by the scrap, calcination of the limestone, and extending into the pig iron for the charge, the slags formed during the process, and some of the phenomena occurring in deoxidation of the steel and in its action in the molds. Oxidation of Scbap When scrap is charged into a furnace it immediately begins to oxidize, Oxidation is carried out by.three reactions: Fe + H20 + FeO + Hz (absorbs heat) (1) Fe + C02 + FeO + CO (absorbs heat) (2: Fe+ ½O2 + FeO (gives off heat) (3: The product of oxidation contains some Fe3O4, but FeO usually predominates on account of the iron present in close contact with the scale formed For a given type of scrap the amount of oxidation is controlled by thc fuel and by the excess air being carried in the furnace, the temperature 01 the furnace, and the length of time that the scrap is in contact with the furnace gases. In general, less oxidation occurs when the furnace is rur hot so that the scrap melts rapidly. More important in operation thar the two variables atmosphere and temperature, is the type of scrap being

Jan 1, 1929

By T. M. Chance

THe necessity of adopting improved methods of bituminous-coal cleaning at many collieries is recognized by all familiar with the requirements of the various bituminous markets, the approaching exhaustion of the relatively small areas of inherently high-grade coal, and the difficulties encountered in maintaining a uniform grade of shipped coal. Many coals lose much of their market value by degradation in size, and, in any event, if the cleaning .process is to contemplate wetting the coal the minimum amount of fines should be produced to prevent sludge losses and the difficulties resulting from the moisture content of the wet fines. Hence, it is desirable to bypass the finer coal dry, if this can be done without too great increase in impurities in the final product. This procedure has given excellent results at washeries at Steelton and in the Birmingham district. If the raw fines are too impure to permit admixture with the washed coal, it may be desirable to use dry methods, such as the pneumatic table, rather than to wet an excessive amount of such fine material. The bituminous-coal cleaning plant should therefore: (1) Treat the raw coal in as large lump as possible and without sizing; (2) eliminate degradation of pure coal in the washing process; (3) avoid wetting the fines, if possible; (4) produce washed coal practically free from mechanically included impurities; (5) crush the refuse and retreat, if much intergrown coal and refuse are present, rather than precrush the entire feed. Ordinary gravimetric methods of concentration, whether hydraulic or pneumatic, will not meet all of these requirements, as the large lump includes those sizes now sent to the picking tables, if it is desired to treat material of such size. I do not know of any prior commercial method, based on the falling velocity, coefficient of friction or resistance to fracture, that permits the production of clean coal varying in size from, say, 10-in. lump to 1/16-in. mesh. The effect on the specific gravity of any given coal as a result of variations in ash and pyritic sulfur content is well known; in fact, it has been made use of in commercially ascertaining ash content by deter-

Jan 1, 1924

By L. E. Young

THE purpose of this paper is to start a discussion on: (1) methods of supporting the immediate roof, particularly of local areas of poor roof, during the mechanical loading of coal; (2) methods of increasing the rapidity of the movement of the mining faces so that, without the use of cribs, jacks, pack walls, and filling, there will be no danger to men, equipment,, and working places from the subsidence of the overlying strata. In the Pittsburgh district the application of mechanical loading devices in mines working in the Pittsburgh seam, has been retarded by the difficulties of holding and handling the draw slate. Normally the thickness of this slate averages about 8 in. but the hardness varies, and a cut of coal cannot always be loaded without placing posts or crossbars to support the slate. Locally, the slate may be thicker and special methods of support may be required. If crossbars are placed to hold the slate when the coal averages 5 ft. in thickness, the standard methods of transporting the coal cannot be followed, and the use of conveyors may be desirable. Very little information is available on the effect of increasing the rate of movement of advancing or retreating break lines or longwall faces. A few British publications have presented some data but all such data relate to longwall faces that have moved not more than 6 ft. a day. The most rapid rate of movement of longwall faces in Germany is 6 ft. per day. In the ordinary hand-loading mine in western Pennsylvania break lines on full retreat will move about 2 ft. per day. If loading machines are used under similar conditions the, rate of retreat may reach 4 ft. per day. In a mine where coal is loaded by hand on conveyors three shifts per day, the rate of retreat has ranged from 11 to 16 ft. per day, with an average of 13 ft. If mobile loading machines could be used to load on con-veyors on break lines, the rate of retreat should be increased substantially.

Jan 1, 1938

By S. D. Brady

In Monongalia County, West Virginia, the Pittsburgh and Sewickley beds lie west of the Monongahela River and underlie practically all the western end of the county. The average thickness of the Pittsburgh bed is 8 ft., where it is being mined at present, sometimes running up to 9 ft. The Sewickley bed is 4½ to 6 ft. thick and lies 90 to 100 ft. above the Pittsburgh bed. As the Pittsburgh bed had a known value, a large part of it was bought up without consideration of the Sewickley bed. When the Monongahela Railway was built up the west side of the Monongahela River, other interests bought up the Sewickley bed, as it was found to be equal in quality to the Pittsburgh, with slight local exceptions. The two beds, therefore, were owned by different people, and naturally each owner opened his mine and ran it without regard to the working of the other bed. Consequently, considerable portions of the upper bed were seriously affected for economical mining, especially on Scotts Run. In recent years there has been a tendency, influenced by the decision of the West Virginia Supreme Court, on the part of the operators in Monongalia County to try to coordinate their projections in the layout of their mines. A typical geologic section, according to the report of the West Virginia State Geological Survey on Monongalia County, agrees with Fig. 1. It is apparent that the rock above the Sewickley bed and between the Sewickley and Pittsburgh beds is of a rather friable ~lature, therefore it is easily broken in pillaring. About the only difference between this section and the geologic section in the Lowsville district is that in the latter district the rock between the coals is a denser sandstone and contains little shale and limestone and no evidence of Redstone coal. It is a laminated sandstone, and although it makes a harder mass, it is easily broken. While working in the Lowsville district, the author had an opportunity to examine a neighboring mine in the Sewickley bed, which was over a section being pillared in the Pittsburgh bed. The two mines belong to dif-

Jan 1, 1931

By Frank L. Hess

BERYLLIUM is demanding more of the limelight, and the output of beryllium copper (containing 2% to~ 3 per cent of beryllium) seems to have grown 60 per cent above that of 1936, which was double that of 1935. There is increasing interest in beryllium-aluminum alloys and small quantities are being marketed at $50 per lb. for the contained beryllium. Other alloys also can be produced. Further price decreases for beryllium copper (now $23 per lb. for the contained beryllium) seem , possible and desirable. No difficulty has been experienced in obtaining beryl and a 'reserve stock has been built up. One supplier heretofore found reliable has offered to furnish 200 tons per month. Supplies during 1937 have come from the Black Hills in South Dakota, Colorado. India, and South America

Jan 1, 1938