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By John F. Abel

Personal gain seems to be the most powerful incentive to economic progress. One of my first exposures to this phenomenon was the comparison between company stopes and leaser's stopes in a vein gold mine. The company stopes were 4 to 6 ft wide, whereas the leaser's stopes were so narrow that in some places one could not turn around. The company leased only that ground it felt was marginal to mine with day's- pay miners, but by skillful, careful and energetic mining, the leasers managed in most cases to make money for themselves and the company. The Hurting Truth This capitalist system, which puts a premium on successful risk taking, is under attack. Not that it hasn't been under attack all along. What hurts and angers us at this time is that the attack comes from the children of the system-its youth. Such blasphemy should, of course, be eradicated, root and branch. Or should it? Are we hurt in part because some of the things they say are true?

Jan 1, 1970

By J. D. Ridge

The geologic setting and mineral relationships of seven European massive sulfide deposits that more or less conform to the bedding of the largely noncal-careous sedimentary rocks and/or bedded volcanics in which they are found are considered here. These orebodies consist largely of massive beds or lenses of sulfides usually surrounded by halos of disseminated sulfides and distorted by tectonic activity. The formations containing these deposits have been metamorphosed in varying degrees at times subsequent to their lithification. The ore-forming process is thought to be essentially volcanic, with the ore constituents being brought to the shallow-water site of deposition through tectonic fissures from magma chambers at depth as gases or relatively concentrated hydrother-mal solutions. Certain European ore deposits of base metal sulfide have previously been considered to be of hydro-thermal or magmatic origin, but today a number of European mining geologists consider them to be syngenetically produced. In an effort to provide American geologists with some idea of the reasons behind this change in thought, the geological settings of seven of these deposits have been studied. These are: Ldkken, Meggen, Rammelsberg, Ergani-Maden, Outokumpu, Boliden and Roros. These deposits lie in bedded rocks that have undergone metamorphism from causes not universally agreed upon; most of the formations were originally shales, and may have been intercalated with limey and occasionally quartzitic beds, volcanic tuff, agglomerate, extrusive lavas and usually basic intrusives. Deposits of the conformable type, however, are not confined to these rock types but may be in calcareous and associated igneous rocks or almost entirely in volcanics. These deposits may be closely associated in space with igneous rocks that, again, are usually basic types. Although the ages of the enclosing rocks range from mid-Precambrian (Boliden and Outokumpu) to Eocene (Ergani-Maden), the bulk of them are Paleozoic, with two (Meggen, and eammelsberg) being upper middle Devonian and two (LØkken and RØros) being Cambro-Ordovician. Geographically, two are in West Germany, four in Scandanavia and one in Turkey. Of the seven deposits, six are mined for copper, with three of these also producing zinc, and two lead; one is mined for zinc and minor lead. In the discussions of the seven conformable deposits that follow, I have attempted to present as uniform a treatment as their varying characters will permit. For each deposit, I have considered the stratigraphy of the area, its major structural characteristics, the form of the orebodies, their mineral content, and the origin of the ore. In the last of these subdivisions, I have presented only the viewpoint of those who believe the ores to have been formed by syngenetic processes, processes that went on at the same time as those which produced the beds that enclose the ores but that are not, in the deposits in question, thought to have been sedimentary in the strict sense of the term. The materials of which these orebodies are composed, it is suggested, did actually collect by falling through sea water to the floor of that portion of the sea in which they accumulated. The ore constituents, however, are believed by a considerable number of European geologists to have been added to the sea water from intratelluric sources, probably igneous magma chambers, as exhalations — hydrothermal solutions or volcanic gases. The effect of the encounter with sea water on these ejected gases or water-rich vapors was to precipitate their potentially solid constituents with great rapidity; they were deposited so quickly, in fact, that the amounj of normally accumulated mechanical or chemical sediment deposited over the same period of time was essentially negligible. The ores formed in this manner, however, are generally interbedded with normal sediments or with lava flows, or with any combination of these two types of rock-forming materials. Such departures as these deposits may have from their original mineral content and attitude are thought to be directly related to the degree of dynamic or static metamorphism that they may have undergone after their accumulation. I have not attempted here to present alternate hypotheses to that of so-called exhalative sedimentation although, of course, such exist and, in my

Jan 1, 1963

By A. L. Field

Previous Publications THE first report on the slag viscosity work of the Bureau of Mines was made by one of the authors 1 in 1916. It was concerned chiefly with, the method of measurement. A paper 2 on this phase of the work was presented to the Institute in February, 1917, and a similar paper 3 was communicated to the Faraday Society. Purpose and Scope of the Slag Viscosity Tables Following the development of a suitable method, the next step in the investigation was the measurement of slag viscosity over a wide range of temperature and composition, and the arrangement of this experimental data in the form of tables for the use of the blast-furnace operator. It is believed that this information, if used intelligently, should help the operator to reduce losses in production caused by off-grade pig iron, to improve fuel economy, to promote operating efficiency, and to extend present-day practice to meet the increasing need of smelting lean and complex ores. In the experimental part of the work it was early observed that the temperature-viscosity relations of a slag were determined, for practical purposes, by the relative proportions of the three major constituents, lime (CaO), alumina (Al203), and silica (Si02), provided the percentage

Jan 12, 1917

By R. J. Cowan

In the art of cementation a controversy has been going on for years as to whether solid or gaseous carbon is the active agent in carburizing steel. More recently opinion has crystallized into a compromise to the effect that carburizing is a gaseous cementation of steel in the presence of solid carbon. The importance of this theory has a particular bearing upon the work to be described. In the art of carburizing, use is commonly made of such words as '' Catalytic" "atomic," "nascent" and "activated," in an attempt to describe the process. These words are used indiscriminately. For instance, the gas is said to be "catalytic" and carbon to be "nascent," or vice versa. In using these expressions, investigators are confirming the acceptance in their minds of the active conditions of both gas and carbon in the cementation process. Reactions at Metal Surfaces For many years attention has been directed to the consideration of reactions that occur on metal surfaces. When heated under the influence of certain metals a complex gas will be broken down and one of the constituents thereof usually found to be very active chemically in combining with the metal. The process of nitriding is an example of this type of reaction. In this case ammonia (NH3) breaks down at the metal surface and the nitrogen which is thus liberated reacts with the surface to form a nitride whereas molecular nitrogen not so liberated is inert and will not react chemically with the metal. Whatever term or terms may be used to describe such reactions, the fact remains that they are highly important and valuable in their commercial applications. Since the metal surface plays so important a part in these reactions, it is evident that any accumulation of reaction products thereon interferes seriously with the progress of the reactions. For this reason it is desirable to remove all such products as rapidly as they are formed in order to bring active gas into contact with the surface and thus facilitate the desired reactions. This is accomplished best by conducting the operation in a continuous manner, thereby causing the reacting gases to pass over the

Jan 1, 1931

By J. W. R. Rayner

THE conventional method of making water gas involves individual plants for the separate carbonization of coal to coke and the subsequent gasification of coke with steam. The process demands lump coke, preferably made from the best quality of coking coals. The ash in the coke should have a high melting point and the gasification process suffers a loss of efficiency when cokes with low ash-melting points are used. In Britain, these coals are generally the most expensive and they are readily available only in certain localities. The coals not suitable for making lump coke, or yielding only poor quality coke, are much more widely available and are generally cheaper. DEVELOPMENT OF ALTERNATIVE PROCESSES In Germany, processes have been developed and operated commercially for the production of water gas from very low-rank coals such as brown coal and lignites, but much less effort has been spent on processes to use coals of intermediate rank, which are widely available in Britain. The brown-coal processes use coal in the form of either dust or briquettes. The most successful of the dust-gasification methods is the Winkler process, which made a substantial contribution to German oil production during the war. It uses coal in the size range 0 to 8 mm and the fuel bed is blown with a mixture of oxygen and steam at a rate high enough to give it a characteristic boiling motion or, in present-day phraseology, at a rate more than sufficient to fluidize it (Fig. 1). Air cannot be used to provide the heat required for gasification, for vari¬ous reasons. In the first place, to make the process continuous by mixing air and steam would involve the production of a lean gas containing much nitrogen. If a separate blow were used, a large amount of potential heat would be lost because the blow gas in such a process would contain a very high percentage of carbon monoxide. Oxygen is necessary therefore and oxygen remains relatively expensive for use in gasification. In the Winkler generator, formation of clinker caused by local overheating does not occur, because of the mobility and high heat transfer of a fluidized bed. These properties of fluidized dusts have been used most successfully.

Jan 1, 1953

By Reynold Q. Shotts

Data are presented which show that fractions of varying densities-from the same coals are oxidized at different rates by nitric acid. From oxidation data, the approximate quantity of "bright" and "dull" components may be calculated. Definite relationships between oxidation rate and rank are shown for density fractions from at least two bituminous coals.

Jan 1, 1950

By T. D. Yensen

It is safe to say that of all the different materials that go to make up electrical machinery, iron is the most important. Upon its magnetic and electrical quality depends not only the efficiency of the machine but, to a very large extent, the cost. Aside from the mechanical strength, there are three characteristics of iron that are of importance in this connection, viz., magnetic hysteresis, electrical resistance, and magnetic permeability. In the homopolar machine, where the magnetic flux is unidirectional, permeability is the only important factor, but in all other machines the flux is reversed in one or more parts and causes losses due to hysteresis and eddy currents. The eddy-current loss depends largely upon the electrical resistance of the iron; the higher the resistance the lower the loss, under otherwise identical conditions. These hysteresis and eddy-current losses cause heating of the machine, and as they depend upon the magnetic density in the iron, this density must be regulated so that the heating shall not be excessive. If the hysteresis and eddy-current losses and the permeability of the magnetic circuit will permit an increase in the magnetic density, or, in other words, a decrease in the amount of iron, this in turn will mean a decrease in the amount of copper needed, with a consequent decrease in the copper loss. It is thus seen that, indirectly as well as directly, the above characteristics have an important bearing on both the efficiency and the cost of electrical machinery. In general, it may be said that iron for electrical machinery should have the following characteristics: (1) low hysteresis loss, (2) high electrical resistance, and (3) high permeability. These are the characteristics that investigators have been striving to attain since electrical machinery first came into use. Until the beginning of the present century, Swedish charcoal iron was regarded as the best grade of iron for magnetic purposes, and even now it ranks high among the various grades used. About that time Sir Robert Hadfield1 produced a number of iron alloys that revolution-

Jan 1, 1916

By Lucius W. Mayer

WHILE the mind of the financier does not normally run along channels similar to those of his technical adviser, engineers, because of their exactness, are ever more called upon to manage affairs where financial matters are involved. It is, true, not a relatively large number have thus far functioned in this capacity. It is also true that the essentially financial mind could not serve in a responsible engineering position; for to be a successful engineer one requires precise thinking, making due allowance for factors of safety. To be a financier seems to require less aptitude for exact thinking than of enthusiasm and confidence in capitalizing prospective possibilities. Both require imagination, the engineer being, more conscious of the limitations of natural conditions. It is to be regretted that the engineer' stands so far aloof from financial matters. Many consider them- selves successful, as did Steinmetz, as long as their reward is the consciousness that they are giving supreme service to mankind. They are 'generally happy in their work and, like our honored brothers who are teachers, gain their greatest satisfaction, not in the amount of their remuneration so much as in the service rendered society and in the excellence of results achieved. Indeed, these sentiments bespeak character and command respect.

Jan 1, 1924

By Lewis Carroll

AS he contemplates the numerous good things the hard-working committees have evolved for the 140th Meeting of the Institute, the Editor knows just how the walrus felt when he uttered his memorable, if somewhat lugubrious lines. For there are the Annual Reception and Dinner at the Commodore, 'the Gold Supply Symposium, the luncheons, general and special, and the Annual Institute of Metals Lecture, a Round Table on Iron Ore and a wonderful Informal Dance at the Grand Central Art, Gallery, substantial general sessions, a Smoker-and many other things. -Old, friends and new, reminiscences and confidential chats, horizons pushed back by new information and adjusted perspectives, courage revived and ambitions stimulated-one with a flair for the modernistic might make something-or nothing-of the kaleidoscopic preview 'of the coming Annual Meeting.

Jan 1, 1931

By John V. Beall

One Sunday night last month the phone rang and it was George Schenck from Penn State. How would we like to see a big scrap operation, he wanted to know. A few days later we were on the Connecticut turnpike headed for New Haven to visit a large scrap operation, M. Schiavone and Sons. George had a large clam basket in the back which he explained was for collecting trophies. The car shredder, he said, turns out some fancy metal shapes. In fact, they have gained a certain acceptance as objets d’art among George's friends and relatives. He thinks there may be a small, but possibly lucrative secondary market for shredded cars in the art world if the idea is imaginatively promoted. On the way to New Haven we received a briefing on the scrap industry. The scrap business grew from humble beginnings. Mostly it was started by a few immigrant Jews who collected junk in hand- or horse-drawn carts. The fortunate one might even have had a truck. Before proceeding further, we hasten to point out that the word "junk" is strictly taboo among scrap people, who prefer to refer to their industry as the "secondary metals industry."

Jan 1, 1970

By Marcus A. Grossman

THE institute has established this lectureship to honor the memory of a great American metallurgist, one whose fame has continued long after his passing. As one scientist recently stated it," All metallurgical texts gradually become outdated and outmoded, except those of the great Henry Marion Howe." It seems fitting, then, that, once every year, we should review, in his honor, some aspects of the science in which he was such a distinguished leader, and also discuss any new data that may help to clarify our concepts. It is my privilege, for which indeed I express the deepest appreciation to this Institute, to offer for consideration a few thoughts on the toughness and fracture of hardened steels. Before proceeding to the data, I wish to express my great indebtedness to many associates whose stimulating discussions, generous contributions of data and cooperation in experiments are gratefully acknowledged. (But I wish to absolve them of any blame that may arise from the way in which their discussions and data have been used!) First, Dr. Edgar C. Bain, Vice President, Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation, whose amiable but merciless criticisms and always constructive and thoughtful suggestions help unfailingly to guard against pitfalls. Then to associates at Gary Steel Works, especially Mr. H. B. Wishart, Mr. W. K. Smith and Mr. V. Elliott, for great assistance in securing data. Also to Col. C. H. Greenall, Director of Laboratories, Frankford Arsenal, and his metallurgical staff, including Messrs. J. K. Desmond, H. Markus, D. F. Armiento, H. Rosenthal and Henry George, for numerous data and illustrations. Further to Dr. J. R. Low and Dr. M. Asimow, for helpful discussions of effects of states of stress during deformation and rupture, to Mr. J. M. Hodge for discussions and data, to the staff of the U. S. Steel Corporation Research Laboratory for advice and data, and to the Metallurgical Staff at Duquesne Steel Works. The individual acknowledgments will also be found under illustrations. Acknowledgment is also due to Mr. S. C. Snyder for incredibly meticulous scrutiny of manuscript. To all of these, grateful thanks.

Jan 1, 1946

By Harlowe Hardinge

[Crushing Tests by Pressure and Impact (T.P. 1895, by F. C. BOND,, Min. Tech. Jan. 1946). Discussion by H. HARDINGE and the author 1 Pumping Sands, Slurries and Slimes and Installation and Performance of Sand Pumps (T.P. 2013, by W. B. STEPHENSON, Min. Tech., May 1946 and T.P. 1978, by C. G. SOUTHMAYD, Min. Tech., March 1946). Discussion by OSCAR LEE, G. J. HOLT, L. D. ANDERSON, and the author 2 Rapid Polarographic Method for Determination of Copper, Zinc and Lead in Flotation Tailings (T.P. 2010, by G. A. CROWE and W. T. BISHOP, Min. Tech., March 1946). Discussion by E. H. ROSE and the authors 4 Ball Wear and Functioning of the Ball Load in a Fine-grinding Ball Mill (T.P. 1984, by W. I. GARMS and J. L. STEVENS, Min. Tech., March 1946). Discussion by J. F. MYERS, E. W. DAVIS, F. M. JARDINE, H. HARDINGE, F. C. BOND and the authors 5 Correlation between Mineral Behavior in Cataphoresis and Flotation (T.P. 2005, by A. M. GAUDIN and S. C. SuN, Min. Tech., May 1946). Discussion by 0. C. RALSTON, G. L. SIMARD and D. J. SALLEY 7 Accident Experience in Milling (T.P. 1981, by J. F. MYERS and S. E. SHARP, Min. Tech., May 1946). Discussion by C. E. MCKNIGHT, C. H. BENEDICT, T. S. WILSON and S. POWER WARREN9 Mill Design for Labor Economy (T.P. 1997, by NORMAN WEISS, Min. Tech., May 1946). Discussion by R. S. HANDY and the author13] Crushing Tests by Pressure and Impact (0.C. Ralston presiding) HARLOWE HARDINGE.*-Has the impact method described in the paper been used to compare the resistance to reduction in size of various materials with actual operation results of mills in the field? Is this impact method a better index of the true resistance to grinding under actual field conditions than other methods the author has reported in the TRANSACTIONS? F. C. BOND (author's reply).-The impact crushing device was designed to measure relative resistance to crushing, or what may be called the crushability, and is not used for comparing the resistance to grinding, or grindability. The correlation between crushability and grindability of different materials is not at all close, since fractures, zones of weakness, and structural features of rock have a much greater effect upon the crushability than upon the grindability. We still depend upon our standard grindability tests for measuring resistance to grinding, and use the impact crushing tests only in relation to crusher installations. The impact crushing device has several advantages over the measurement of crushing strength in pounds per square inch as an index of crushing resistance.

Jan 1, 1946

By J. H. Nead, T. S. Washburn

The grades of commercial steel produced in large quantities can be divided into two general types from the standpoint of ingot structure— killed and rimmed. Killed steel covers a wide variety with carbon contents throughout the range of the steel portion of the iron-carbon diagram, and is the kind usually used in the production of alloy steels. Rimmed steel is normally associated with carbon ranges under 0.30 per cent, and is not yet used to a large extent in alloy practice, except for copper-bearing steels. The fundamental differences in the ingots made from these two types of steel can be seen most easily in Figs. 1 to 7. In the rimmed ingot shown in Figs. 5 to 7 there are two lines of blowholes approximately parallel to the sides and coming together at the top and at the bottom of the ingot. In the killed ingots shown in Figs. 1 to 4 these blowholes arc not present. Also, the rimmed ingot has no well defined pipe, as compared to the deep pipe on the killed ingots, and there are numerous primary blowholes in the lower portion of the rimmed ingot perpendicular to the surface and close to it, while on the killed ingot there are no blowholes of this type in the ingot shown in Fig. 1 and very small ones close to the surface in the lower part of the ingot shown in Figs. 2 to 4. With respect to the presence of pipe and the primary blowholes, the structure may vary considerably in both rimmed and killed ingots, therefore these cannot be considered as fundamental structural characteristics differentiating the two types of steel. The primary blowholes in rimmed ingots may be much less pronounced than those in the ingot shown in Figs. 5 to 7—as, for example, in "ingot iron," which is entirely free from them. An example of a cross section of an ingot-iron ingot is shown on page 16 of "Research and Methods of Analysis of Iron and Steel," published by the American Rolling Mill Co. (1920). A certain amount of pipe may also occur in rimmed ingots, though it is normally porous and not as well defined [or deep as in the killed ingot of Fig. 1. In killed ingots, primary blowholes may occur near the surface, as in Figs. 2 to 4, and

Jan 1, 1937

By Samuel M. Cassidy, John A. Garcia

In some districts of the bituminous coal field the problem of constructing bulkheads to seal off water under pressure is becoming increasingly important. Recently this matter has been brought very much to the front by the loss of a large Illinois mine due to failure of a bulkhead that separated it from several old, flooded mines. As this great misfortune has provoked much inquiry about proper bulkhead design, it is felt that a description of the successful and extensive water-sealing practice at three mines that have different natural conditions will be of considerable interest to those connected with properties having a present or future water problem and to engineers that may have to design safe bulkheads of economical construction. These three mines are the Saxton and Dresser, near Terre Haute, Ind., and the Hegeler, near Danville, Ill. All three have water conditions that make it necessary to regularly seal off all worked-out sections of the mine, and there are considerably over a hundred bulkheads in each. AS far as the writers know, these three mines are the only ones in the bituminous coal fields of the United States with anything like so large a number of water seals and experience, although a number of other mines are known to have a few bulkheads. More detail will be included herein on the Saxton mine than on the others, as the writers are more familiar with it. General Mining System All three of the mines use the same general panel room-and-pillar system, which consists of rooms turned both ways off room entries and a solid block of coal left on all sides of the completed panel except on the cross-entry side, where a heavier pillar is pierced by two entries for haulage and air. On completion of the panel the two entries arc sealed and the panel is then isolated from the rest of the mine. Owing to water conditions, no pillars are pulled; recovery inside the panel barrier pillars is approximately 65 per cent.

Jan 1, 1938

By Samuel M. Cassidy, John A. Garcia

In some districts of the bituminous coal field the problem of constructing bulkheads to seal off water under pressure is becoming increasingly important. Recently this matter has been brought very much to the front by the loss of a large Illinois mine due to failure of a bulkhead that separated it from several old, flooded mines. As this great misfortune has provoked much inquiry about proper bulkhead design, it is felt that a description of the successful and extensive water-sealing practice at three mines that have different natural conditions will be of considerable interest to those connected with properties having a present or future water problem and to engineers that may have to design safe bulkheads of economical construction. These three mines are the Saxton and Dresser, near Terre Haute, Ind., and the Hegeler, near Danville, Ill. All three have water conditions that make it necessary to regularly seal off all worked-out sections of the mine, and there are considerably over a hundred bulkheads in each. AS far as the writers know, these three mines are the only ones in the bituminous coal fields of the United States with anything like so large a number of water seals and experience, although a number of other mines are known to have a few bulkheads. More detail will be included herein on the Saxton mine than on the others, as the writers are more familiar with it. General Mining System All three of the mines use the same general panel room-and-pillar system, which consists of rooms turned both ways off room entries and a solid block of coal left on all sides of the completed panel except on the cross-entry side, where a heavier pillar is pierced by two entries for haulage and air. On completion of the panel the two entries arc sealed and the panel is then isolated from the rest of the mine. Owing to water conditions, no pillars are pulled; recovery inside the panel barrier pillars is approximately 65 per cent.

Jan 1, 1938

By H. Rush Spedden, A. M. Gaudin

IN the belief that a critical study of its operating problems might be a sound investment, the Cuban American Manganese Corporation initiated an ore-treatment research in cooperation with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology One of the early objectives of this research naturally became the relationship of the microscopy of the Cuban ores of the Corporation to their flotation treatment The operations in Cuba have already been described by F S Norcross, Jr 7 and the laboratory study of manganese oxide flotation goes back a number of years 4 Broadly speaking, the difficulties encountered in the flotation of manganese ores are that the consumption of reagents is extremely high, the concentrate contains more silica than is desirable and the tailing losses are relatively high An appreciable betterment on any of these scores would achieve a definite betterment in costs, quantity of minable ores, and quality of product The microscope study discussed in this paper was made on samples from the Quinto mine, from the Ponupo mine, and from mill products at various stages of passage of the ore through the mill The writers have had access to Company records and in particular to the petrographic studies made on thin sections of ore by the late Professors R J Colony and Philip Krieger, of Columbia University They acknowledge their debt to both of these men for the help derived from the reports Manganese oxides are black, friable, smudging It is therefore, very difficult to judge operations by inspection The mineralogy of manganese compounds seems to be confused, and the authors believe that many more minerals have been described than actually exist Much of this difficulty is due to the prevalence of the structural conditions that will be discussed further in this paper, namely, the porosity and the friability of the ores, and the extremely intimate association of minute manganifeous mineral crystals with impurities of various sorts By all odds the most important manganese mineral in Cuba is the one that in this paper is called "psilomelane " The name "psilomelane" has been used in so many different ways that the choice of it for this ore may not be approved by all However, it seems to be the best under the circumstances This mineral accounts for about 97 per cent of the manganese in the ores of the Quinto and Ponupo mines and in the mill feed The remaining odd 3 per cent consists mostly of pyrolusite together with minor amounts of other manganese oxide minerals DESCRIPTION OF PSILOMELANE Aggregate Structure In grains or lumps, psilomelane has a characteristic fibrous appearance and seems

Jan 1, 1942

By Gregory L. Gullord

In September, 1975, production was begun at the new milling facility of ASARCO Incorporated, the Young Mill. The mill is located adjacent to the Young Mine 35 km (22 miles) east of Knoxville, Tennessee. The Young Mill replaced the obsolete Mascot Mill which had been operating since 1913. The basic flow sheet of Mascot was retained for the construction of the Young Mill, with a 20% increase in capacity included in the design. The Young Mill is capable of processing 7710 - t/d (8500 stpd) of crude ore from three underground mines (Young, Immel and Coy) yielding 300 - t/d (330 stpd) of 63% zinc concentrate. The Young Mill is unique in that 92.5% of the ore milled is recovered as saleable products, including zinc concentrate, construction aggregate, sand and agricultural limestone. Processing at the Young Mill is divided into five basic stages: two-stage crushing, heavy media separation, grinding-flotation, concentrate filtering and drying, and limestone by-products recovery. The ore bodies are located in the Knox formation, which consists of primary dolomite, secondary dolomite and limestone with silicas in the form of chert and jasperoid. The zinc mineralization occurs as an exceptionally pure sphalerite. The ore contains an occasional abundance of pyrite and traces of fluorite and barite. TWO STAGE CRUSHING Ore enters the crushing section from two points. The Young Mine ore is hoisted into a 816 ton (900 st) bin which feeds a 1.52m (60 in) conveyor via a 1.52 m (60 in) vibrating feeder. The Immel ore is trucked 10 km (6 miles) by an independent contractor and weighed on automatic recording truck scales at the entrance to the property.

Jan 1, 1977

By Shiro Ban-ya, John Chipman

Equilibrium in the reaction was investigated at temperatures of 1500°, 1550°, and 1600°C for sulfur concentrations up to 7.2 wt pct. Multisample crucibles contained the liquid alloys in a resistance-heated furnace using a technique especially designed for the study of more complex alloys to be reported separately. Modern free-energy data are used to correct the H2S:H2 ratio for dissociation of H2S and calculalion of the partial pressure of S2. Published data on the equilibrium are similarly corrected. Thermodynanzic treatment of the data employs the composition variable zs = nS/(nFe — nS) and the activity coefficient Gs = as/zs The data at 1500" and 1550°C are fitted by the equation log s = —2.30zs. Within the limits of experimental error the same coefficient is applicable to the data at higher temperatures. Equations are given for the free-energy change in Reaction [I] as well as for the solution of S, gas in the metal. The heat of solution of 1/2 s2 is -32.28 i2.5 kcal. Uncertainty in the free energy is very much smaller. For dilute solutions of interest in steelmaking, the activity coefficient of sulfur is unchanged from that listed in Basic Open Hearth Steel-making. DETERMINATIONS of the thermodynamic properties of sulfur in liquid iron by Morris and williams1 and by Sherman, Elvander, and chipman' provided a basis for control of sulfur in steelmaking processes. From the standpoint of understanding the chemistry of metal plus nonmetal in liquid solution they left several questions unanswered. The activity of sulfur in dilute solution at about 1600°C was well-established but temperature coefficients were uncertain, due at least in part to the use of the optical pyrometer and uncertainty regarding the effect of sulfur on emissivity. It appeared that deviation from Henry's law increased with increasing temperature, a most unusual behavior requiring either confirmation or disproof. These studies were based on experimental determination of equilibrium in the reaction: At high temperatures H2S is partially dissociated so that the gas mixture contains HS, S2, and S in addition to HS. At the time of the earlier studies the free energies of these constituents were unknown and it was therefore impossible to make adequate correction for dissociation. Observations on the effects of alloying elements by Morris and coworkers1, 3 and by Sherman and Chip-man4 enable us to assess the effects of alloying elements on the activity and to make corrections for incidental impurities in the binary liquid. These studies as well as a number of more recent investigations will be reviewed in detail after out own experimental results have been presented. It was our purpose in planning this study to avoid uncertainties regarding the emissivity of alloys and the errors of thermal diffusion which plagued some of the early attempts,5 by using a resistance furnace and thermocouple in preference to induction heating and optical pyrometer. Modern data on free energies of the gaseous species are to be applied to our data and to those of other investigators to obtain corrected values of K1 and of the activity coefficient and ultimately to relate the sulfur content of the bath to the equilibrium partial pressure of S,. Extension of the study to include ternary and complex solutions will be described in a later section. EXPERIMENTAL METHOD a) Preparation and Calibration of H2-H2s Gas Mixture. The source of hydrogen sulfide was a preparer mixture of 43 pct H2S, balance hydrogen, contained in a large aluminum cylinder. This was passed through anhydrone and through a microflowmeter. Hydrogen was passed through platinized asbestos, ascar-ite, and anhydrone, and through a capillary flowmeter. Argon was passed through copper wool at 500°C, then through ascarite, anhydrone, and a flowmeter. The flow rate of hydrogen was kept constant at 200 ml per min, to which an arbitrary amount of the hydrogen-hydrogen sulfide mixture was constantly added and then the prepared gas mixture was introduced into the reaction tube through a gas mixer. In certain experiments 200 ml per min of argon was added to the hydrogen-hydrogen sulfide gas mixture to increase the total flow rate of gas. The ratio of hydrogen-hydrogen sulfide in the inlet gas was checked for each run by chemical analysis. A sample of the gas taken from a bypass was bubbled through zinc and cadmium acetate solution (4 pct zinc acetate, 1 pct cadmium acetate, and 1 pct acetic acid) to remove hydrogen sulfide from the gas mixture, and the flow rate of the remaining hydrogen was measured by a soap bubble method to determine the volume of hydrogen. The amount of hydrogen sulfide absorbed in solution was determined by titration with iodine against sodium thiosulfate, with starch used as the indicator. The ratio of hydrogen sulfide to hydrogen in the inlet gas could be kept within ±2 pct in the range from 10-2 to 5 x 10"4 which corresponds to from 0.2 to 7.0 wt pct sulfur in liquid iron. b) Furnace Arrangement. Fig. 1 shows the furnace arrangement and the shape of the alumina crucible used in this experiment. A vertical-tube silicon carbide electric resistance furnace contained the reaction tube which consisted of two parts, the gas-tight

Jan 1, 1969

By Enid C. Plante

INTRODUCTION To extend our knowledge of the flotation behavior of sulphide minerals, the response of the following minerals to ethyl xanthate as collector was studied by captive bubble and cylinder flotation tests: antimonite (Sb2S3), arsenopyrite (FeAsS), covellite (CuS), marcasite (FeS2), orpiment (As2S3), pyrrhotite (FeS) and tetrahedrite (4CU2S, Sb2S3). Lollingite (FeAs2) was also examined to determine if its behavior could be correlated with that of pyrite or marcasite (FeS2). EXPERIMENTAL METHOD Mineral for Flotation and Contact Tests Mineral was prepared in the manner already described' and its behavior both freshly ground and "oxidized" was studied. Tests in which the mineral was allowed to oxidize for various periods showed that a uniform response to xanthate was reached in two days or less. Oxidation Products The soluble oxidation products from most of the above minerals were measured and their effect on the flotation of the mineral studied. The mineral samples were wet ground to minus-52 mesh and deslimed, and 20 g of this material placed in 200 ml of distilled water of a measured pH value, and C02 free air bubbled through each suspension at a constant rate (about 1 bubble/sec) for 5 days. It has been shown1 that the size of the mineral is unimportant in the rate of formation of oxidation products and that probably the supply of oxygen to the mineral is the rate-determining step. At the end of 5 days the pH value of the supernatant liquid was measured again, the mineral filtered off and the soluble products determined. Methods for estimation of sulphur acids, ferrous and ferric iron and copper have already been described.1 No satisfactory method was found for antimony. Arsenic was estimated as the arsenate.2 FLOTATION OF "UNOXIDIZED" MINERALS WITH ETHYL XANTHATE AS COLLECTOR Fig I to 3, 4, 6, show the effect of alkali and cyanide as depressants for the minerals with 25 mg potassium ethyl xanthate per liter as collector at 35°C. Wark and Cox3 have shown that with ethyl xanthate as collector, galena, pyrite and chalcopyrite show a greater tolerance to cyanide and hydroxyl ions at room temperature than at 35°C. Covellite (Fig I), marcasite (Fig 2) and pyrrhotite (Fig 3) behave similarly. The independence of the curves for pyrrhotite at 35°C with respect to cyanide

Jan 1, 1947

By F. L. Bosqui

The history of the development of gold metallurgy in South Africa is divisible into two periods: That preceding the introduction of the cyanide process on a commercial scale in 1890; and the 24 years intervening between that important event and the present time. The period between the discovery of the banket reefs of the Witwaters-rand and the year 1890 was one of phenomenally rapid progress in mining development, but of no special interest to the metallurgist, There were no strikingly original or distinctly local advances in the treatment of gold ores. Californian practice in stamp milling and amalgamation prevailed, in mills ranging in equipment between 5 and 50 stamps, operating within a wide range of efficiency, and under the trying conditions usually encountered in a new and isolated field. The somewhat incomplete records of gold output of that period show that in December, 1887, there were 20 producing companies in the Witwatersrand district, of which 10 had mills, the largest being of 20 stamps. The only official record of returns for May, 1887, was that of the Wemmer mine, whose modest achievement with a 5-stamp mill was 100 tons crushed, producing 887 oz. 3 dwt. of gold. This is interesting in view of the present-day output of this field, which in 1913 reached 8,430,998 oz. The rapid increase of production during this first period (May, 1887, to January 1891) is shown by the following summary for the year 1890:1 Total tone crushed.................................. 702,828 Number of stamps in operation....................... 1,046 Average number of tons crushed per stamp per day..... 2.36 Yield of gold, ounces................................ 494,817 Yield per ton, pennyweights.......................... 13.36 The stamp duty ranged between 11/2 and 4 tons per day, according to weight of stamp, fineness of screen, and operating skill available. The prevailing weight of stamp was about 900 lb., and the screen, 900 meshes to the square inch.

Jan 1, 1916