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Discussion of the paper of L. W. BAHNEY, presented at, the New York meeting, February, 1915, and printed in Bulletin No. 9S, February, 1915, pp. 339. to 344. E. J. HALL,* New York, N. Y. (communication to the Secretary+).- The Chiddy method for determining gold and silver in cyanide solutions has been subjected to so many proposed modifications, of which L. W. Bahney's is one, it is natural to suppose the method is defective. There is no denying that this method is capable of giving inaccurate results, but so is any other method of quantitative determination. However, proof has not come to my notice that the troubles are inherent and not in the detail application, and I am inclined to think from our experience that in many cases it is the latter. Errors in this method may be occasioned by: (1) The retention of zinc in the sponge, which tends to desilverize the molten lead in cupellation, similar to the action in the Parkes process, removing gold and silver in a crust of zinc oxide. Failure to remove zinc may result from lack of concentration of hydrochloric acid, clue to neutralization by salts present, volume of liquid too great for the specified amount of acid, or the use of weak acid. (HCl rapidly loses its strength unless kept in perfectly tight containers. The HCl gas escapes even from the ordinary glass-stoppered acid bottles after the plaster seal has been broken.) Undissolved zinc, is likely to be held in the upper part of the lead sponge, which floats above the liquid, and unless the solution is boiled it will escape action. Mr. Bahney's modification makes this

Jan 5, 1915

By G. Wakefield, A. H. Daane, D. H. Dennison, F. H. Spedding

Preparation of pure scandium metal was accomplished by calcium reduction of the fluoride by two methods; a low-temperatzdre alloy process and direct reduction with subsequent distillation of the product. The following properties were determined: melting point: 1181OK; boiling point (calculated): 3000°K; lattice constants at 298°K (hexagonal lattice): a = 3.308 * 0.001 A, c = 5.267 * 0.003A; calculated density at 298°K, g per cm3: 2,990 + 0.007; electrical resistivity, ohm-cm: 299°K, 66.6 ± 0.2 x 10 -6; 373oK, 77.4 * 0.2 x 10 -6; thermal coefficient at 299°K, ohm-cm per deg: 5.4 X x; heat of sublimation at 298°K, kcal pel- mole: 80.79. The vapor pressure was determined as a function of temperature between 1505o and 1748°K, with the data fitted to a straight line shielding the equation: Log Pmm = -1.718 X 104/ToK + 8.298. SCANDIUM, element number 21, was first discovered by Nilson in 1879 and was recognized as the Ekaboron as predicted by Mendeleff. As it is in group III of the periodic table, the general properties are a little like aluminum and also resemble quite closely the properties of yttrium and the rare-earth metals, in both the metallic and ionic form. Although the earth's crust contains approximately 5 ppm of scandium (the element is as abundant as arsenic and twice as abundant as boron) it generally occurs so widely distributed that it has earned the reputation of being very rare. The one exception to this is the mineral thortveitite, which has been found in Madagascar (20 pct Sc2O3) and in Norway (35 pct Sc2O3). Scandium also occurs in small but distinct amounts in uranium and rare-earth ores; the recent larger scale processing of these materials has made some scandium available from these sources. As with other naturally-occurring monoisotopic elements (except Be), scandium contains an odd number of protons and an even number of neutrons. Scandium metal was first prepared by Fischer and coworkers1 in 1937 by electrolysis of scandium chloride in a molten eutectic mixture of lithium and potassium chlorides, using molten zinc as a cathode and collector of the scandium metal produced. The zinc was removed from the Zn-2 pct Sc alloy by vacuum distillation, leaving a product reported to be 94 to 98 pct Sc, with the main impurities being iron and silicon. They reported a melting point of 1400° C for this material. Scandium has also been prepared by the reduction of scandium chloride with potassium metal in a glass apparatus by Bommer and Hohmann in 1941,' resulting in a mixture of metal and potassium chloride; these workers did not isolate the metal proper, but the X-ray diffraction of the slag-metal mixture showed it to be hexagonal with a = 3.30A, c = 5.45A. petru3, 4 and coworkers have recently reported the preparation of the metal in a compact form by the reduction of either ScF3 or ScC13 with calcium metal and subsequent distillation of the product. This process probably yielded a metal of high purity, but they list no chemical analysis nor do they list any of the properties of their product. Previous related work in this Laboratory has been concerned with the production of yttrium and the rare-earth metals and the determination of their physical properties. Because of its similarity to these metals, scandium is being included in this study. PREPARATION OF SCANDIUM METAL The preparation of yttrium and the rare-earth metals may be accomplished by reduction of their fluorides with calcium metal in tantalum crucibles.5 This process leads to the introduction of tantalum (up to 0.5 pct) as an impurity in the higher melting rare earths, but since the tantalum occurs as dendrites, uncombined with the rare-earth metals, its presence is not objectionable in some cases. The preparation of scandium metal in this manner, however, was found to yield a product containing 2 to 5 pct Ta. To obtain a purer product, the following two methods were developed for the reduction of scandium fluoride with calcium metal: i) a low-temperature process utilizing zinc to form a low

Jan 1, 1961

By C. F. Baes, H. H. Kellogg

The effect of dissolved sulphur on the surface tension of liquid copper has been measured by a sessile-drop method at 1120°C. Sulphur is highly "surface active" in liquid copper; the surface tension lowering is about 650 dynes per cm for a sulphur content of 0.6 pct. The degree of adsorption of sulphur on the liquid copper surface has been calculated, and various models of the surface layer have been tested against the results. THE science and technology of surface chemistry and physics at room temperature are relatively advanced, and the engineer possesses a background of information that allows him to predict and control many phenomena—such as frothing, emulsifica-tion, wetting of solids by liquids, flow through capillaries, adsorption, mineral flotation, penetration of porous bodies by liquids—which are related to the behavior at interfaces. Surface phenomena in high temperature systems are probably of equal importance to the metallurgist and ceramist, but at present are incompletely understood. Frothing of liquid slags, penetration of refractories by liquid metals and slags, infiltration of powder metallurgy "skeletons" by liquid metals, bonding of metals to ceramic oxides in the manufacture of "cermets," wetting of one metal by another for purposes of soldering and welding, are but a few of the many phenomena of metallurgy that are controlled by surface behavior. Concerning the most elementary of surface properties—the gas-liquid surface tension—the existing data on liquid metals are inadequate. For the surface tension of "pure" metals the results of different investigators differ by 10 or 20 pct. The role of surface-active agents in liquid metals is relatively unknown, and it is not unlikely that the discrepancy in the values for the surface tension of pure metals is due to the presence of traces of surface-tension-lowering impurities in the samples. Based on analogy to room-temperature systems, the highly surface-active impurities in liquid metals should be elements or compounds of limited solubility in the liquid metal and possessing considerably weaker in-termolecular bonding forces than the metal itself. The nonmetals of the V, VI, and VII groups of the periodic table might be expected to act in this way. The experimental work in this paper represents a study of the surface tension of pure liquid copper in hydrogen at 1120°C, and the effect of dissolved sulphur (which is a strongly surface-active agent in liquid copper) on the surface tension of copper. The Gibbs equation has been applied to the results and an attempt made to correlate the surface tension behavior with two models of the interfacial layer. The sessile-drop method for surface-tension measurement at high temperatures which was used in this investigation has been described by several investigators.1,2 It involves the measurements of the dimensions of a stationary liquid drop on a horizontal surface. From these dimensions and the liquid density, the surface tension of the liquid may be calculated either by means of various approximate formulas, or more accurately by means of the Bash-forth and Adams tables.- or liquid drops which exhibit a contact angle greater than 90°, by far the simplest dimensions to measure are those indicated in Fig. 1, i.e., the diameter of the maximum horizontal cross section (2X) and the maximum height (Z) above this plane. In order to calculate the contact angle and the volume of the drop, the diameter at the base of the drop (2a) and the total height (h) also must be measured. Upon investigation of the literature, the authors failed to discover a concise statement of the accuracy of the method when used in conjunction with the Bashforth and Adams tables, hence a careful examination of the tables was made and the curve shown in Fig. 2 was constructed. The "error factor," plotted as the ordinate, is the factor by which the

Jan 1, 1954

By J. G. Thompson

IRON, iron everywhere, but hardly a particle of pure unadulterated iron for the metallurgist to use as a base for the protean characteristics that he develops in the alloys of iron-the modern steels. Iron, next to aluminum the most abundant metal in the crust of the earth; one of the oldest metals known to man and serving him as the most indispensable metal in both war and peace; yet man's knowledge of its properties is based on specimens that are not pure and hence probably differ considerably in their properties from the truly pure metal. Purification of iron has brought about startling changes in its electrical and magnetic properties and has modified its behavior in changing its crystal form with temperature, the basis of the heat-treatment of iron. So both the research metallurgist and the metallurgist of the steel plant are intrigued by the possibilities that might unfold were 100 per cent pure iron available in sufficient quantities to determine its properties.

Jan 1, 1940

By Harold L. Bare, Frank R. Barnako

Coal mining historically has been a. hazardous occupation but, in recent years, tremendous progress has been made in reducing accidental coal mine deaths and injuries. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the basic principles of accident prevention as they are related to coal mining. Accident prevention fundamentals are no different for coal mining than for any other type of work. The fundamentals apply to all industries. Construction workers may be struck by falling tools and materials, and miners may be struck by falling slate and coal. Sailors may be trapped by shipboard fires, and miners may be trapped by mine fires. Railroad brakemen may lose hands and fingers positioning couplers, and miners may lose hands and fingers positioning couplers. Many other examples could be cited, but the point is that accidents that happen in coal mines are basically similar to accidents that happen in other industries. Thus, the basic principles for preventing accidents apply in coal mining as they do in any other type of work. COAL MINE ACCIDENT EXPERIENCE The US Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is the main source for accident experience data in coal mines. Coal mine operators are required, by law, to forward to MSHA monthly the number of fatal and disabling injuries, man-hours worked, and tons of coal mined. This information is compiled and published quarterly, with annual summaries, by MSHA. Trends in the number of fatalities and fatal injury rates are shown in Fig. 1. Major coal mine disasters, with number of miners killed, and dates of coal mine safety legislation are shown in Table 1. The fatal and disabling injury frequency rates for the coal industry are shown in Fig. 2.

Jan 1, 1981

By J. W. Rutter, K. T. Aust

Competitive growth of recrystallized grains into striated single crystals of zone-refined lead produced preferred orientations of the coincidence type after annealing at 175°C, but not at 300°C. This preferred orientation development was found to result from the higher mobility and lower energy of large -angle coincidence boundaries compared to large-angle noncoincidence boundaries. These mobility and energy difference provide a useful basis for explaining many cases of preferred orientation observed in annealed metals. DURING a study1 of the mobility of grain boundaries in zone refined lead, it was observed that the temperature dependence of the grain boundary migration rate is smaller for large-angle, coincidence-type grain boundaries than for large-angle noncoincidence ("random") boundaries. This observation is illustrated schematically in Fig. 1, which shows log rate of grain boundary migration vs reciprocal absolute temperature for two large-angle boundaries. The upper curve refers to a coincidence-type boundary of the sort discussed by Kronberg and Wilson.2 While the mobilities of these two boundaries are similar at 300°C, the coincidence-type boundary has a greater mobility, by a factor of about: four, at 175°C than does the noncoincidence boundary illustrated in the lower curve. The observation described above suggested a simple experiment for testing the role of grain boundary mobility in the development of preferred orientation in annealed, high-purity lead. On the basis of this observation, it would be expected that if a large number of grains of different orientations are growing competitively, and if relative grain boundary mobility is a controlling factor, then the specimen procluced by boundary migration will contain crystals having random orientations if annealing is done at 300°C, while preferred orientations of

Jan 1, 1962

By A. N. Holden, J. H. Hollomon

Inhomogeneous yielding during the early stages of plastic flow has been observed in many metals and has long been a subject of controversy. Low carbon steel, when strained at room temperature, exhibits a distinct yield point at which the metal ceases to behave elastically and begins to flow plastically without further increase in stress,† often with an actual decrease in stress from that existing at the yield point. One manifestation of this behavior is the familiar Lüders lines. The extent of the yield point elongation (the plastic strain which results without raising the stress above that at the initial yield point) may be several percent. Several explanations of this type of yielding in steels have appeared in the literature:1-3}; 1. The segregation of carbides or other constituents at the grain boundaries of ferrite forms cell-like blocks which break down at a higher stress than that at which the ferrite alone will flow. 2. The precipitation of various constituents within the ferrite itself in some way blocks initial flow until a higher stress is reached, after which a great deal of flow occurs without further increase in stress. 3. The restraining influence of neighboring, less favorably oriented grains in a polycrystal results in a storing up of energy, which on yielding is sufficient to cause the continued propagation of slip bands on the multiplicity of slip systems available in adjacent iron crystals without increase in stress. 4. Local segregation of carbon atoms increases the stress required for the initial propagation of dislocations. The stress required for further deformation is lower.3 Such an explanation would require the presence of upper and lower yield points in single crystals. Low and Gensamer2 have shown that heterogeneous yielding can be eliminated by removal of carbon and nitrogen from polycrystalline steels by wet-hydrogen treatment. They also demonstrated that the re-introduction of minute amounts of carbon or nitrogen caused a return of the yield point. Observations of the initial flow of single crystals containing small amounts of carbon and nitrogen- should provide a clue to the explanation of inhomogeneous yielding. Previous tests of iron crystals4-6 can not be considered conclusive because it is uncertain whether the carbon and nitrogen were satisfactorily removed by the decarburization technique employed. The purpose of the experiments described herein was to determine whether single iron crystals containing either carbon or nitrogen would exhibit in-homogeneous yielding. Experimental Procedures THE PREPARATION OF SINGLE CRYSTALS All crvstals were formed in the following way. Aluminum killed sheet material 80 mils thick was machined into specimens of the outer contour shown in Fig 1. These mildly tapered specimens were decarburized at 730°C for 16 hr in hydrogen that had been bubbled rapidly through water maintained at 70°. The resultant grain size after decarburizing was approximately ASTM 5. Several stress-strain curves were made of the decarburized niate-

Jan 1, 1950

By William H. Kobbé

The word recovery as used in this paper is applied in its broader sense and not limited to wells producing from horizons of unconsolidated sands. Certain problems connected with the winning of petroleum from such horizons present themselves while drilling is in progress and should be considered before drilling is commenced wherever unconsolidated sands are expected. Maximum recovery depends not alone. upon efficient pumping methods but also upon the selection of a proper drilling system and the completion of a well especially adapted to the extraction of these oil-bearing sands. 11. DRILLING Determining Factors in Selection of Method The selection of a drilling method for the development of a region in which the oil reservoir consists of unconsolidated sands is based on the following considerations: (1) Character of the formations overlying the reservoir; (2) thickness of the oil-bearing stratum or strata; (3) thickness and character of water or gas sands; (4) gas pressure to be encountered or expected; (5) total depth of well. 1. Character of the Formations Overlying the Reservoir The strata overlying the reservoir may consist of beds of shales, clays, sands and other soft materials, or they may be slates, limestones and sandstones consolidated to all degrees of hardness. Very often the overlying strata are predominantly of soft materials but interbedded with harder formations. Likewise, soft strata are encountered at different horizons in an overburden consisting almost entirely of the harder sedimentaries. The physical character of this overburden is frequently

Jan 1, 1917

By Zay Jeffries

The object of the present paper is to enlarge somewhat on the general principles advanced in my discussion1 of Mathewson and Phillips' article on The Recrystallization of Cold-Worked Alpha Brass on Anneal-- ing.2 It will also serve as an acknowledgment of Prof. Howe's most important remarks on my contribution. In this paper the writer has adopted Prof. Howe's suggestion to substitute the term "germinative temperature'' for "critical temperature for grain growth." Instead of being an exact or certain temperature it should be considered that the germinative temperature phenomenon exists throughout a small temperature range. v Factors Influencing Fast Growth Phenomena The development of grains of macroscopic size at the germinative temperature should be considered the extreme condition of a general rule. When considered in this light it is not strange that the development of these large grains should be the exception and not the rule. The principal factors influencing the operation of the laws of fast growth temperature are as follows: . 1. Rate of heating. In the original paper,' the germinative temperature was defined as "the minimum temperature at which two adjacent grains can coalesce to form one larger grain, provided that this larger grain will have sufficiently increased its power of attack, to enable it to absorb adjacent grains which cannot coalesce with each other. Time is always to be understood as a factor governing the first stage of grain growth." If the time of heating is short, the germinative temperature is raised. The formation of large grains in metals may occur at relatively high temperatures when the rate of heating is rapid. It is to be understood that in such cases, grain growth

Jan 1, 1917

By A. G. McGregor

DURING the past 5 years, five new copper-smelting plants have been built and put into operation in the State of Arizona. The monthly copper output from these plants averages from 5,000,000 to 18,000,000 lb. Previously, there never was as much activity in copper-smelting plant construction in the same length of time in all the rest of the world. Naturally, in this amount of work, some new problems were met and new features in plant design and. equipment developed. Some of these features are described in this paper. CONCENTRATE HAULING, UNLOADING AND SAMPLING SYSTEM (a) Concentrate Car The International Smelting Co. has provided at its plant at Miami specially designed cars for hauling the concentrates from the mills of the Inspiration Copper Co. and the Miami Copper Co.. The car has a bottom that is readily made tight to hold flotation concentrates and is quickly and cheaply unloaded. Figs. 1, 2 and 3 show views and details of the car. The main feature of this car is the slot in the bottom throughout its length, which is closed by means of short planks that overlap like ship-lap as shown by Fig. 1. At one end of the car an iron gate operated by a screw and hand wheel is provided, which clamps or presses the planks together, making the bottom tight. A removable tapered plug rests vertically over this gate when the loading of the concentrates at the mill commences.

Jan 8, 1916

By Russell Gibson, F. S. Turneaure

The tin deposit of Monserrat, Bolivia, consists of one major vein 1600 m in length. The ore is unusual because of the notable quantity of teallite, even though cassiterite is the principal tin mineral. The deposit, formed at shallow depth under a wide range in temperature, may be classed as xenothermal. Polished sections reveal a complex history of replacement, with low-temperature minerals deposited before high-temperature minerals.

Jan 10, 1950

By Tony B. Szwilski

A short study has been made of the underground mining potential in the Plains region, the Province of Alberta, Canada. Particular reference is made to the possible application of longwall mining: Presently underground mining is limited to small scale room-and- pillar methods. The problems anticipated with large scale mining at shallow depths (30 m) are examined. Production factors based upon longwall retreat mining utilizing shield supports are also considered.

Jan 1, 1981

By R. M. Hays

At the present time, oxidized taconite and semitaconite are not processed on the Mesabi Range except in vely limited tonnages. However, it is estimated that by 1990 shipments from the Range will approach 75 million tons of iron ore per year. To achieve this and future production, either additional magnetic taconite reserves must be proven or oxidized taconite and semitaconite must be processed. One beneficiation process which uses high-intensity magnetic separation and flotation for concentrating oxidized taconite and semitaconite is described. Detailed metallurgical results are given and an economic evaluation of the process is presented with comparison to other processes. The results of the present study indicate that the high-intensity magnetic separation and flotation process appears nearer commercialization for the processing of Mesabi Range semitaconite. The disadvantages of the process are nearer solution and are being solved by well-defined programs. During the twentieth century, the Mesabi Range in northeastern Minnesota has been the main source of iron ore for American steel mills. The Mesabi Range, which is about 120 miles long and up to 3 miles wide, is the pre-glacial outcrop of a group of sedimentary iron-bearing rocks known as the Biwabik formation. The formation, which is 200 to 650 ft thick and dips 50 to 10° to the southeast, is divided into four stratigraphic units. From top to bottom, these are the Upper Slaty, Upper Cherty, Lower Slaty, and Lower Cherty. Since its deposition in Precambrian time, most of the original Biwabik formation has been subject to alteration. Thus, although the iron content of the original formation was quite uniform, major variations in mineral composition now occur both laterally along the length of the formation and vertically within its units. Details of the mineralogical variations in the Biwabik formation have been described by Wolff,' Gruner, 2 and White.3 The unaltered portion of the Biwabik formation includes the magnetite taconites which are being commercially processed by Reserve Mining, Erie Mining, Eveleth Taconite, National Steel, Butler Taconite, and U.S. Steel. These six operations have a capacity of 32 million tons of iron ore pellets per year and have produced approximately 170milion tons of pellets since 1956. Capacity for another 30 million tons of pellets per year is being considered by the industry for the next ten years. This increase will be obtained by constructing new plants and by expanding present operations. Thus, by ! 978, it is estimated that approximately 60 million tons of iron ore vellets will be produced each vear from the magnetite taconites of the Biwabik formation. The portions of the Biwabik formation subjected to intense alteration resulted in direct shipping, wash, and heavy-media ores. Since 1892, 1.8 billion tons of direct shipping ore have been shipped from the Mesabi Range. This ore has been the major source of iron ore for American steel mills. In 1967, about 11 million tons of direct shipping ore and 13 million tons of wash, jig, heavy-media, and other gravity concentrates were shipped from the Mesabi Range.4 These products generally have poorer physical and chemical properties than the iron pellets produced from magnetic taconite. It is predicted that the shipment of these materials will decrease from 24 million tons in 1967 to 6 to 8 million tons in 1975.' This decrease will

Jan 1, 1970

By Frederic Benard

PRIoR to 1936, the Ontario Refining Co. received all incoming blister copper from The International Nickel Company's smelter in the usual form of 460-lb. cakes, or slabs. These were received in open cars in lots of 250 pieces. At the refinery the cakes were unloaded onto narrow- • gauge cars, for convenient handling and pickup by charging cranes. In March 1936, an investigation was started on the feasibility of transferring converter copper in the molten state from the smelter to the refinery anode furnaces, a distance of 1 1/4 miles. Although common in steel practice, the transportation of blister copper in this form had not previoisly been attempted and a preliminary study of the various factors involved was therefore necessary. For this purpose, a series of experiments was made in which molten copper, removed at different stages during the furnace cycle, was held in a small portable holding furnace. This vessel was essentially a refractory-lined steel cylinder provided with ports for filling and emptying, heated by an oil burner. Dimensions of the steel shell were 3 ft. 10 in. diameter by 7 ft. 3 in. long, and thickness of refractories depended on the design and combination used for the particular experiment. The vessel was filled with approximately 2 1/2 tons of copper at a predetermined temperature, the lining having been preheated to a definite point by means of an oil burner. All openings were well luted and temperature readings were made every 15 min. by means of an immersion-type thermocouple. In this manner the rate of heat loss resulting with different refractory design could be developed. The ratio of exterior surface to weight of metal was taken into consideration in comparing the experimental results with what might be expected for a full-sized unit, and observations were also made on type and degree of slag accretion. It was not possible to get as much information on this latter point as desirable, but all evidence showed that the problem would be control of slag build-up rather than attack on refractories. From the information derived, and in consultation with the engineering staff of the supplying company, an order was placed for the first

Jan 1, 1944

By J. F. Myers, S. E. Sharp

THE safety data presented in this paper are based upon replies to a Questionnaire sent out to representative mining companies. The authors feel that it is a fair cross section of the milling industry, in that the 17 companies, of the United States and Canada, reporting on 22 mills, are scattered from the Hudson Bay to the Mexican border and from coast to coast. These data concern the accident records of the. various plants from 1939 to 1944, inclusive and the six years are divided into two periods. The first period (1939, 1940 and 1941) represents something of a normal operating condition. The second period (1942, 1943 and 1944) represents the period of time that was most affected by war con¬ditions. During the second period there was a high labor turnover, inexperienced workers were numerous, women replaced men in many kinds of work, a labor shortage existed more or less throughout the industry, and supervision was pushed for peak production. All of the companies reporting compiled their accident experiences for these six years in accordance with the standards set up by the American Standards Association (Engineering Societies Building, New York, N. Y.), consequently the tabulated data presented herein are comparable. The authors of this paper feel that the industry as a whole is greatly indebted to the personnel of the companies that furnished these data, which make this study possible for presentation. This survey covers a total exposure of 74,528,880 man-hours, with 105,471 man-days of lost time from 870 accidents. SAFETY RECORDS In Table I, the safety record is shown of the various mills reporting. The severity rate is usually conceded to be the most vital statistical figure in safety parlance, therefore the participating companies are listed in order of their severity rate for the combined six-year period, under size of organization. The table also shows the frequency rate as well as the frequency-severity ratio (F/S). As noted in Table 1, most of the companies suffered an increase in both severity and frequency rates during the second period; only six of the 22 enjoyed an improvement. From correspondence with the various plants, it seems that a few had very little labor shortage or turnover, and these were not greatly affected. A few plants, anticipating the situation, strengthened their training facilities and actually were able to show a better experience during the second period. This gives great credence to the value of organized training in any safety program. The frequency-severity ratio (F/S) shown in the last column of Table I offers

Jan 1, 1946

By H. Landsberg

MANY of the sedimentary rocks contain small amounts of radioactive constituents. These vary in quantity in different layers. Some recent deposits show rather high activity as; for example, the deep sea oozes and some lake deposits.1,2. Measurements made in boreholes have also shown considerable changes in activity from horizon to horizon. The first to publish data on this fact was Ambronn,3 and recently Russian geophysicists have shown remarkable variations of activity from one layer to the next in various wells. Spak4 felt even that he was able to line up horizons from data measured in two neighboring wells. ? The measuring of radioactive radiation is fairly difficult. Large errors are possible by the circulation of gaseous emanations in the well and porous strata. It is, therefore, never certain whether the activity of the layer where the instrumental device or collector is located will be measured, or that of some adjacent layer, For this reason it seemed to be advantageous to take samples of rocks into the laboratory and test them therefor their contents of radioactive material, Such a method has been followed in the past to distinguish radioactive ore from other rocks. Radioactivity of rocks, especially of the igneous type, was also deter-mined in the laboratory by numerous authors for absolute age investi-gations.6 Corresponding data from studies of sedimentary formations are scarce. Specimens taken from a core of the Bradford oil sandstone were tested by Landsberg and Ingham,7 with the results illustrated in Fig. 1, which shows that within relatively small vertical distances the differences of relative activity were considerable. If one assumes that the distribution of radioactive material is fairly uniform throughout a layer, measurements of radioactive radiation in various horizons would offer additional information for stratigraphic

Jan 1, 1939

By H. M. Roberts

H. M. ROBERTS, Minneapolis, Minn. (communication to the Secretary*). -The rifling of drill cores is a frequent source of interest to men engaged in diamond drilling. Previous to the appearance of Dr. Crane's paper, there has been little record of connected observation or rigid speculation as applied to the cause of rifling. Replying to one of Dr. Crane's letters of inquiry, I ventured my opinion that the cause of rifling was a complex problem in physics, which I had not attempted to solve up to that time, except to ascribe it to the general cause of rotation and vibration of the rods. The question is worth attention not only as a matter of curious scientific interest but also for the reason that it stimulates thought on

Jan 10, 1916

By A. L. Engel

STRICTLY speaking, ore-dressing does not commence until after the ore is in the mill bins, but where complex ores are treated and their minerals separated to make the best commercial concentrate with the lowest economical tailing, ore-dressing problems begin and often center in the mine itself. This does not refer to the grade of the ore, but rather to the frequent condition in which metallurgical results radically different from customary are obtained because of changes in the character of the ore treated. Different varieties of ore can usually be identified as coming from well-defined depths or zones in the mine, or from known sections of the orebody. Varying degrees of alteration of the ore, inclusions of harmful gangue material, or variations in the quantities of component metallic minerals are often causes of temporarily bad metallurgical results in otherwise successfully operated plants, especially those employing differential flotation to. recover several valuable minerals contained in the ore.

Jan 1, 1931

By G. H. Billings

The following data were collected some years since in the course of a series of experiments with oil as a substitute for coal in puddling, the earlier form of the Archer apparatus being employed. While I am not at liberty to give the name of the works at which the tests were made, I can personally warrant the accuracy of the record, and feel justified, therefore, in making this contribution to a discussion in which all trustworthy figures are likely to be helpful. Oil in Puddling. Starting with everything cold, we used 3518 pounds of oil to get the furnace in condition to charge a heat. After charging, we ran until we took out 13,340 pounds of puddled-blooms, using 8437 pounds, or 1333 gal1ons of oil. At 49 cents per gallon, the cost for oil per gross ton of blooms was $10.91; with coal at $4.871/2, and a consumption of 1.5 tons per ton of blooms (the usual quantity is ton for ton), the cost for coal is $7.31. The quantity of oil consumed in heating the furnace to the proper temperature and to make the bottom, is not included in the oil consumption stated. The quantity used was 3518 pounds of oil. Usually, the furnace need only be lighted, but in this case it had been repaired, and it was necessary to make a new .bottom. This required the quantity of oil necessary to make three heats of blooms, or 2109 pounds. Deducting this from the 3518 pounds leaves 1409 pounds of oil as the quantity consumed every week in lighting up.

Jan 1, 1889

At its meeting on February 21, 1933, the Board of Directors passed the following resolution defining and expressing the policy of the Institute with respect to official participation or action in controversial matters: WHEREAS, the Board of Directors at its last meeting passed the following resolution: "The Board of Directors, having been appealed to by several Local Sections for advice concerning the attitude and policy of the Institute relating to the endorsement of candidates for public office, the following statement of policy is formulated: "Whereas, the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers is organized for purely professional and scientific purposes, and whereas diversity of opinion among its members on partisan or political questions is inevitable, it is the expressed policy of the Institute to refrain from official participation or action, in political and semi-political matters." AND WHEREAS, appeals for additional advice have been received: NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS RE¬SOLVED: (1) That the policy of the Institute is to refrain from official participation or action in controversial non-technical economic subjects; further (2) That if any Local Section is in doubt as to the application of this policy to any particular subject, it should communicate with the Secretary of the Institute for advice.

Jan 1, 1946