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By J. E. Lawver, G. L. Samsel

The success of many mineral dressing processes, including froth flotation and electrical concentration, depends largely on knowledge of physical and chemical structures of the mineral surfaces involved. As a general rule solids have surface layers, usually invisible by optical tests, that differ from the substratum. To the mineral engineer, therefore, a knowledge of the surface structures of minerals is of paramount importance. During the past decade one of the most powerful tools in the study of froth flotation mechanisms has been the use of radioactive tracers, but this technique usually cannot give definite information regarding the chemical changes that may or may not have occurred at the surface. The electron microscope and electron diffraction camera can be particularly useful instruments in surface studies.. An election microscope permits much closer examination of surfaces than can be obtained with a petrographic microscope. In certain cases, it is possible to identify trace quantities formed by chemical reaction between flotation agents and mineral surfaces by the use of a single-crystal, reflection electron diffraction camera. This article describes several instances in which these instruments have been valuable guides in mineral dressing research at International Minerals & Chemical Corp. One of the first applications of these techniques employed by International Minerals was in conjunction with the study of electrical concentration of potash ore. The first reasonably successful separation of potash ore was made by subjecting a sample of the ore to a methanol wash. Subsequent tests using tagged 6C14 methanol showed that only a minute quantity of radioactivity was detectable after the methanol-washed sample had been dried and heated to about 300°F. It was concluded that although some methanol had been held to the surface by adsorption, this could not account for the improved electrification because there was no evidence of methanol selectivity with respect to NaCl or KCl. Consequently there must have been some other change in the surface. Carbon replicas* of the mineral grains were made before and after the methanol wash. The replicas were separated from the minerals by dissolving in water. This extraction replica technique is particularly attractive because the specimen can first be used with the electron microscope to observe the general structure of the surface and can be re-used as a specimen for electron-diffraction studies to identify any solvent insoluble material present on the mineral surface." Fig. 1 shows the general

Jan 1, 1960

By John A. Oberteuffer, James E. Lawver, Ionel Wechsler, Bo Arvidson

INTRODUCTION The demand for aluminum metal and thus for alumina and bauxite (the primary sources), is expected to increase at an annual rate of about 6% through the year 1980. It appears that about 90% of the future aluminum metal requirements could be produced at domestic plants but the production would remain dependent on the use of imported bauxite and alumina. The U.S. dependence on foreign bauxite and alumina is of considerable economic and strategic concern because availability and prices are very sensitive to changes in the political climate in the exporting countries. Dependence of the United States on foreign sources of bauxite closely parallels its dependence on foreign sources of oil, particularly since ten countries, including most of the world's major bauxite exporting countries, recently have formed the Inter- national Bauxite Association (IBA) for the specific purpose of increasing revenue for the participating countries. Although it is clear that long-term aluminum requirements cannot be fulfilled by domestic resources of bauxite,; the U.S. has an almost unlimited supply of aluminous resources such as Kaolinite (38% Al203), Alunite (37% Al203), Dawsonite (35% A1203), and Anorthosite (29% A1203)

Jan 1, 1976

By N. O. Johnson

The Hog Mountain mine is a pyritic-gold property in the north central part of Tallapoosa County, Alabama, at an elevation of 800 ft. in the southern Appalachian region. It is 13 miles by a good secondary road from Alexander City, a station on the Central of Georgia Railroad. Since its discovery in 1839, the mine has been worked intermittently. The records of past operations are few and are scattered over a long period of time; however, available information indicates a production of approximately 12,000 oz. of gold prior to the present company's activities, which started in 1933. Additional 7844 oz. has been produced under the direction of the present management. The ore from stopes has averaged 0.200 oz. gold per ton; the ore from development, 0.136 oz. gold per ton. Silver, copper, iron and sulphur are also present but to date are of minor importance. The grade of ore in comparatively narrow veins makes necessary extreme vigilance in the methods of mining. Geology Wall Rock.—Hog Mountain consists of a quartz-diorite intrusion approximately 5000 ft. long by 1200 ft. wide. Its resistance to weathering, as compared to the surrounding schists, has led to the formation of a conspicuous ridge rising 400 ft. above the adjacent country. All the mining operations are confined within the limits of this quartz-diorite formation. Except where there is excessive shearing, either parallel or at flat angles to the quartz veins, all the walls of the stopes within the limits of the veins are strong enough to make timbering unnecessary. Where shearing exists, there may be a sloughing off of the walls, especially in the process of drawing the ore. When this occurs, stulls are placed in the stope, either while the stope is advancing, or while ore is being drawn from a completed stope. In general, very little timber is required. Veins.—The quartz veins have been deposited along fracture planes in the quartz diorite. There are 20 principal veins, all of which are roughly parallel and strike at right angles to the long axis of the formation.

Jan 1, 1937

By W. M. Peirce, E. A. Anderson

A FEW metals have been known since the dawn of history. Many have been prepared in quantity only within the present century. Zinc falls into an intermediate category, although there is some evidence of its existence in elemental form in Greece as early as the third or fourth century B.C. Nevertheless, the first important use of zinc antedates the earliest records of civilization. This first use was in the alloy, brass, which is roughly one third zinc. This continues to the present time as one of the major uses of the metal. The first production of brass, in light of present knowledge, was perhaps one of the 'most romantic and fortuitous of technical discoveries. Copper, the major constituent of brass, had been given to man by Nature in the native state; that is, as lumps of fairly pure copper. The art of melting and working it had been learned. But zinc does not occur as the metal in Nature and even if some early metallurgist happened to heat zinc ore with a reducing agent, the reduced metallic zinc passed off as vapor and was lost. Doubtless some early coppersmith, melting copper in accidental contact with zinc ore, reduced the zinc, and the vapor was absorbed by the molten copper. Its color, hardness, and other properties were thus wonder- fully changed. And so the earliest metallic form of zinc, as nearly as we can deduce, existed in the alloy brass. Probably knowledge of the kind of rock with which to heat copper to change it to brass, the best

Jan 1, 1953

By Richard B. Moore

The successful commercial production of helium during the last few years has added greatly to its scientific interest. When the quantity of an element available for experimental purposes increases within a few years by 200,000 per cent., both public and scientific interest in the element are greatly stimulated. Before the war, probably, there was not more than 10 or 15 cu. ft. of helium in existence. The larger part of this was owned by Prof. Kam-merlingh Onnes, and was used by him in connection with his low-temperature work at Leiden. By experimental work during the war and immediately afterwards, the Canadians, under Prof. J. C. McLennan, produced about 60,000 cu. ft. of helium of various grades of purity. Up to Dee. 1, 1921, when the plant at Fort Worth was shut down because of lack of funds, there had been produced during the experimental work by the U. S. Government, during the war and afterwards. 2,300,000 cu ft. of helium averaging between 92 and 95 per cent. purity. After the new appropriation was made in 1922, the production plant was again started and at the time of writing was making about 15,000 cu. ft. of helium a day. Only three of the five units were being operated because of the inability to get sufficient gas to run at full capacity. The gas supply is owned by two companies and on account of a disagreement between them, it has been possible for some time to get gas from only one. It is expected that when all five units are running steadily, the daily production will be between 30,000 and 40,000 cu. ft. of gas averaging from 93 to 95 per cent. purity. All three experimental plants used during the war have been shut down. The Air Reduction plant, using the Claude system, and the Linde

Jan 1, 1923

By J. W. Whitlow, P. K. Theobald, W. C. Overstreet

Monazite placers in a region of the Carolinas ex- in 1951-1954 by the USGS are estimated to contain at least 53,000 short tons of thorium and 4600 short tons of uranium. None of these deposits is being mined. The 5200-sq mile area investigated extends northeast along the western Piedmont from the Savannah River in South Carolina to the Catawba River in North Carolina. Much of the region is 700 to 1100 ft above sea level. Gentle hills and broad interfluves give a local relief of 100 to 200 ft. This increases to 1700 ft at the west margin of the area where the east flank of the Blue Ridge is approached in South Carolina and the South Mts. are entered in North Carolina. This report is restricted to placers in the Piedmont. Monazite deposits in the Blue Ridge and coastal plain were not covered by the investigation. Monazite Mining in the Carolina Piedmont: Discovered in 1879 by W. E. Hidden,' the monazite placers in the Carolina Piedmont were first mined in 1886. The area was a major world source for thorium and the lanthanides until 1895, when Brazilian monazite entered the trade. Total output from the Carolina Piedmont has been nearly 5500 tons of monazite,2 but the placers have been idle since 1911, except for 48 tons produced between 1915 and 1917. Monazite mining was revived in the Carolinas in 1954 when a dredge operated by the Heavy Minerals CO. opened a fluviatile placer along Horse Creek in the coastal plain near Aiken, S. C. Geology and Mineralogy: Two recent papers",' have described the geology of the monazite placer district in the Piedmont between the Savannah and Catawba rivers; the general geology of the region has been reviewed by P. B. King.' These reports show that the placers are in locally derived alluvial sediments that cover the floors of shallow, narrow valleys in an area underlain by monazite-

Jan 1, 1960

By Alfred Heggem

IT is the purpose of this article to describe methods recently introduced into the oil and natural gas industry to safeguard the lives of the workmen and to protect property from destruction. Only such drilling methods are described as pertain directly to the operations necessary to maintain the well under complete control at all times. Wells Formerly Drilled Without Controlling Equipment It may seem incredible that practically all wells, until recently, were drilled without the provision of any means for control. To drill a hole into a boiler carrying high-pressure steam without first providing means to control the escape of steam would be unthinkable, yet in oil fields wells are drilled into a gas or oil formation with a possible pressure of 300 to 1,800 lb. per square inch and a daily flow of 20,000,000 to 80,000,000 cu. ft. of gas or 1,000 to 15,000 bbl. of oil per day. Some wells have produced in excess of 100,000 bbl. of oil per day, but these are exceptional cases. In addition to the loss of product, one must consider the great danger attendant upon the promiscuous liberation of such an amount of explosive and inflammable substance.

Jan 1, 1916

By Samuel M. Cassidy

The exact date of man's first use of coal is lost in antiquity. The discovery that certain black rock would burn was undoubtedly accidental and probably occurred independently and many times in the world over thousands of years. It is quite likely that these independent discoveries were made when primitive man chanced to build camp fires on exposed ledges of a black rock, then was amazed when it caught fire. The Chinese recorded the use of coal 1100 years before the Christian Era and from the Bible we learn that King Solomon was familiar with coal in what is now Syria. In Wales, there is evidence that the Bronze Age people used coal for funeral pyres, and it is known that the Romans used this fuel. There are other ancient references. So the knowledge that coal would burn, and even some uses of that knowledge, go back thousands of years. However, practical and consistent use of coal seems to date to England in the Middle Ages. COAL IN AMERICA In the Americas, there is evidence here and there of occasional use by the Indians. However, the first recorded discovery of coal, in what is now the US, was by French explorers, who reported an outcrop exposure on the Illinois River in 1679. Following this, other discoveries were made by French and British explorers, but the first recorded actual usage was in Virginia in 1702, where a French settler was granted permission to use coal for his forge. Earliest recorded commercial mining was in 1750, from the James River coalfield near Richmond, VA, a deposit now abandoned. Besides local consumption from this field, shipments were made to Philadelphia, New York, and Boston. During the Revolution this coal was of importance in the manufacture of shot and shell; so important, in fact, that the British sent an expedition in 1781 to destroy the iron works and

Jan 1, 1981

By Charles A. Ashburner

The Bradford Oil District lies in the northern part of McKean County, Pa., and the southern part of Cattaraugus County, N. Y. Although petroleum was first found in the producing sand in 1871, it was not until the early part of the year 1875 that a productive horizon was acknowledged to exist, even by those most largely interested in the production of the crude oil. It has been reported to me that the first well drilled in the valley of the Tuneangewant Creek (commonly called Tuna Creek) was drilled by F. E. Dean and brothers in 1865. This well was located on the Shepherd farm, near the present site of Custer City. One hundred and sixty feet of drive pipe was used, and the hole was drilled to the depth of 900 feet. The producing sand at Custer City is found about 1130 feet below the level of the railroad track. The Shepherd farm well was therefore abandoned over 200 feet above the top of the oil sand. The next well was drilled by the Dean brothers on the Clark farm at Tarport. Drilling was stopped at a depth of 605 feet, or over 400 feet above the top of the oil sand. In the year 1862 the old Bradford well, since known as the Barnsdall well, was drilled to a depth of 200 feet with a spring pole, and then abandoned. In the spring of 1866 the citizens of the village of Bradford concluded to club together and sink the Barnsdall well deeper. It was drilled to a total depth of 875 feet, or to within 150 feet of the Bradford producing sand. All of these wells were drilled with the expectation of finding the Venango County oil, and at

Jan 1, 1879

By Bernard Moore

AT present the demands of the United States for strontium are met by imports from Germany, England and Canada, which vary considerably in proportions of ore and finished salts, in tonnage and in value. Statistics for the period 1926-1932 are given in Table 1. Domestic deposits are TABLE 1.-Strontium Imported into the United States, 1926-1932a Ore Chemicals Year Short Tons Value Pounds Value 1926 2,200 $58,159 5,433,044 $115,436 1927 1,356 58,711 4,233,816 149,383 1928 759 31,157 3,380,464 136,561 1929 973 45,505 4,578,327 196,233 1930 220 10,459 2,153,788 104.807 1931 (260 lbs.) 123 1,742,714 83,564 1932 5 276 469,481 20,910 a Mineral Industry (1934) 42, 61. known in many states, but the, larger and purer ones are in the West, particularly in the desert region of southeastern California and western Arizona. These deposits are large enough to command interest, par-ticularly in consideration of future cheap power at the Boulder Dam. The deposits described in this paper were examined during an investi-gation of the mineral resources of the Boulder Dam region by the United States Geological Survey for the United States Bureau of Reclamation in the spring of 1934. Mr. D. F. Hewett, who had general charge of the investigation, Mr. W. T. Schaller and Mr. M. I. Goldman contributed many helpful suggestions. Mr. N. H. Harshman assisted efficiently during the field work.

Jan 1, 1935

By T. M. Chance

THE term "low-sulfur coal," as used in this discussion, is limited to coals containing less, or very little more, than 1 per cent. sulfur. For certain purposes it might be advantageous to include coals that contain as much as 1.25 per cent. sulfur, because such coals have been considered as available for making metallurgic coke of fair grade; but the same reasoning might apply to coals containing as much as 1 ½ per cent. sulfur, if facilities exist for utilizing such coal by admixture with coal containing less sulfur. In Pennsylvania, it is not possible to define the exact geographic limits of the areas in which coals relatively low in sulfur exist, because variations in the percentage of sulfur occur irregularly and often abruptly. It is not uncommon to find areas, more or less circumscribed in extent, in which the coal is relatively high in sulfur although all the surrounding territory contains low-sulfur coal; and, similarly, small areas of low sulfur coal exist in districts where the coal is normally high in sulfur. These generalizations apply, With few exceptions, to the whole area underlaid with bituminous coal in the State of Pennsylvania, and also to each of the individual beds of coal in this state. Pennsylvania is poorly supplied with coals of the low-sulfur class. We find, however, as an offset to this condition, very large areas in which coal ranging from 1 to 2 ½ per cent. sulfur exists in beds of good workable thickness. This coal, by washing, can be reduced in sulfur low enough to make coke of a high grade. While a considerable tonnage of workable low-sulfur coal remains in the Pennsylvania bituminous dis-tricts, it has been necessary to turn to the areas of higher-sulfur coal for the supply of metallurgical coke. This utilization of the higher sulfur areas has been made possible either by washing or by selective mining. Washing.-Fine crushing of the entire feed is not generally necessary to the successful washing of Pennsylvania coals. This is due to the fact that the pyrite is rarely finely and uniformly disseminated throughout

Jan 8, 1919

By William Ward

ONE often reads of the rich placer gravels in many of the canoe-traveled rivers of South America. The apparent richness of these gold-bearing gravels impresses the traveler, and in fact he may see batea after batea showing enough colors to figure over a dollar per cubic yard. These workings are called "playas" from the Spanish word playa, meaning shore or beach. Many workings have been reported in tropical rivers, but to my knowledge no dredge has made a success in such deposits. Investigation generally shows that the area of richness is limited and especially that the depth of the rich concentration is hardly ever more than a few inches. The Cauca river in Colombia, South America, is noted for its many rich playas.. This river rises near Popayan in the southern part of Colombia, flows north through a narrow valley between parallel mountain ranges and empties into the Magdalena river near Maganque. The airline distance between source and mouth of this river is only about 500 miles. The rainfall is large and the lower Cauca appears to be about the size of the Missouri river in the United States. From its mouth up to Valdivia, in the State of Antioqua, it is navigable. Above Valdivia is a. narrow gorge, above which the river is again navigable for some distance. The part of the Cauca where the playa panning is most noticeable is from Valdivia down to Where the Nechi river enters the Cauca, a distance along the river of about 100 miles. The current in this part is swift, so that the stern-wheel river steamers make the trip with some difficulty. In the course of my work in this section of Colombia I have had the opportunity to make a study of several of these playa workings and will give in detail the conditions observed.

Jan 7, 1914

By H. E. Gross

Recently, areas of abnormal rock pressure have been drilled on the Gulf Coast of the United States. These pressures may be caused by the recent and pronounced raising of some of the structures without loss of the formation pressure that existed when the reservoir was developing and the producing sand much more deeply buried. It is possible also that a permeable fissure may connect a shallow accumulation of gas with the gas cap of a much deeper reservoir of oil, gas and water. The pressures are so great that dependence on blowout-prevention equipment alone is hazardous to life and property. Fortunately, wells with excessive casing-head pressures, such as the Stanolind Oates No. 1 of the South Houston field, an 8700-ft. gas well with 6000 Ib. per sq. in., and the near-by Stanolind Candelari No. 1, and 8100-ft. gas well with 5000 Ib. per sq. in., have not blown out and cratered. A case is on record of drill pipe in a well in Harris County, Texas, (Oates No. 1) rotating for 8 hr. through blowout-prevention rams holding a back pressure of 2900 Ib. per sq. in. at the casinghead after the mud was altered by salt-water intrusion. Such conditions warrant the use of extremely heavy muds having low viscosity, made from galena (PbS) or specially prepared mixtures of hematite (Fe²O³) and galena suspended by bentonite. In some Gulf Coast wells, sodium silicate mixed with concentrated brine is used to drill through heaving shale formations. Such a fluid inhibits heaving remarkably, but it is expensive and costs as much as $10 per barrel. Barite has been used to weight this mixture. However, this mineral too rapidly increased an already excessive viscosity and it was thought that galena might be better for weighting such drilling fluid. The operator was anxious to try the latter, but none was available in the district. Laboratory Study of Heavy Muds To foster the use of the plentiful and extremely heavy mineral, galena, research has been done recently at the University of Oklahoma to determine the mud-making properties of this substance. For comparative

Jan 1, 1938

By T. Smales, P. L. Wright, K. Barron

The results of field measurements using an air injection technique to investigate the integrity of three pillars in the Mclntyre Mines Ltd. 114 seam at Crande Cache, Alberta, are reported. These pillars are shown to be stable and an estimate is made of the strength of these pillars. Using these results, together with Hustrulid's pillar strength formulae, a general pillar strength equation for the 114 seam is developed. This equation takes into account the probability of failure that may be deemed tolerable within the design requirements. The variation of the minimum pillar dimensions with depth below surface for uniform pillar layouts is then examined for a range of tolerable failure probabilities. A general equation of the form B = 2.60 +B Z relates the minimum pillar design width, B metres, with the overburden depth, Z metres, where B is a parameter related to the tolerable failure probability. This equation only applies for 3.05m high pillars with 6.lm wide entries. Finally, the question of what failure probability is tolerable within the design of mine pillars is discussed. This will depend on the support role required of that pillar and the anticipated period over which the pillar must perform that role. Five categories of coal mine pillars are defined, each with a somewhat different role to perform. Tentative design criteria in the form of "tolerable probabilities of failure" are suggested for four of these five categories of pillar. The fifth category of pillar has no reliable support function to perform and support must be obtained by other means.

Jan 1, 1983

By Z. T. Bieniawski

The efficient and safe design of room-and-pillar coal mines still remains as one of the pressing problems facing the mining industry in the United States. Present day design is a trial-and-error approach based mostly on experience. Although much research has been directed to stability of mine roofs and coal pillars, no generally-accepted design method has been formulated. This paper reports on a three-year research effort directed to an improved design of room-and-pillar coal mining in the U.S.A. Essentially the study consisted of three aspects: (i) determination of stable roof spans; (ii) determination of the strength of coal pillars; and (iii) determination of safety factors for room-and-pillar coal mining in the United States. Furthermore, three novel approaches were utilized during this research: i) the "petite sismique" technique was assessed for possible determination of coal pillar deformability ii) the "Geomechanics Classification" was extended for determination of safe roof spans in room-and-pillar coal mining. iii) a national survey of the current design practice and mining dimensions was performed with the aim of assessing factors of safety for room-and-pillar coal mining The outcome of this work, which is summarized in this paper, is a design code for room-and-pillar mining in the United States.

Jan 1, 1983

By E. J. Schmitz

The following abstract of an unpublished treatise, prepared by me, on the geological formations and minerals of the State of Alabama, is deemed of interest to the Institute. This State, called after the river of the same name (which, formed by the junction of the Coosa and the Tallapoosa, waters, with its tributaries, more than half the State), is divided by its main watershed into a larger southern district, sloping south and southwest, and drained into the Gulf of Mexico, and a smaller northern district, sloping generally north and west, and drained into the Tennessee. Geologically the State may be divided (according to historical geology) according to the different formations it exhibits, among which I include the Azoic, the existence of which in Alabama has been doubted by some; or it may be divided (according to structural geology, as closely related to topography) into a north and northwestern, a middle, and a southern zone.

Jan 1, 1884

By Alexander B. Morris

In a recent paper on the intermittent injection of gas in gas-lift operations as opposed to continuous injection, Morgan Walker presented a comparative table showing the effect on oil and gas production from the same wells under the two methods of operation.' This table carried a column showing the formational gas-oil ratios under each method, computed by deducting the volume of input gas from the volume of trap gas. During the entire spring and summer of 1928, the present writer had been engaged on some extensive test car tests of rich gas in Glenpool, seeking, primarily, for an explanation of the apparent loss of gasoline during the summer season between the field meters and the plant master meter. Tests at several of the field meters where the richest gas was obtained regularly failed to check with other tests on the same gas made farther along the line, and the difference was not made up by the quantity of drip gasoline collected between the points. In the course of these tests, the final outcome of which is immaterial to the present purpose, an attempt was made to construct a curve representing the relationship between gasoline content of the gas in gallons per thousand cubic feet and the shrinkage in the volume of gas treated as a result of removing the condensible fractions. Such a curve was made, expressed in units of gallons per thousand cubic feet on the abcissa and the ratio vapor volume to liquid volume on the ordinate. This curve is a rectangular hyperbola and shows that 3 gal. of gasoline taken from 1000 cu. ft. of raw gas as a vapor occupied much less space, per gallon, than did 1 gal. of gasoline taken from 1000 cu. ft. of another sample of gas. This is, in general, corroborated by converting to the same units the residue settlement curves prepared by the Tidal Oil Co. and by the Natural Gasoline Manufacturers Assn., though the three curves, when plotted together, occupy entirely different positions on the paper, as shown in Fig. 1. The bearing of all this on Mr. Walker's discussion of gas-lift is this: if the formational gas is to be computed by deducting the input gas from the trap gas, some correction must be made for the vapor volume

Jan 1, 1930

By W. M. Corse

I bring this investigation to your attention to emphasize the needless waste attendent upon the use of tin plate with an unnecessarily heavy tin coating. With our present knowledge, we are unable commercially to produce coatings as light as the lower weights used in this test. If, however, future research should develop means to this end, the resultant product would meet all practical requirements, and a very considerable saving in pig tin would result. DISCUSSION G. H. Clamer.-—The National Canners' Association is studying the action of fruit juices, etc., on solders. Of course these tests will take quite a long time, and we hope by that time the war will be over and there will be no need for conserving tin for war purposes. Germany for a great many years has prohibited the use of more than 37 per cent. of lead in alloys used in contact with food products. The eutectic composition is 37 per cent. of lead and 63 per cent. of tin; alloys containing more than that percentage of lead have some free lead. J. W. Richards,' South Bethlehem, Pa.—A great deal of conservation can result from the packing of dry foods in cartons and in fiber packages instead of using sheet tin. Many of the boxes used for packing things other than food are frequently made of sheet tin because it prints and lithographs well; these could be made of sheet iron coated with copper or some other substitute metal which prints equally well. The Aluminum Bronze Industry W. M. CORSE,† Mansfield, Ohio.—The conservation of tin, in view of the shipping situation, is one of great importance. Several methods of conservation can be employed: 1. Reduction of the amount of tin in an alloy or compound. 2. Substitution of an entirely different metal or compound for tin. 3. A combination of the first and second methods. The second method is the one that I wish to discuss. Metallic aluminum, has been known for a long time, and its use in copper alloys was discovered about 1855 by Lord Percy. The high cost of production of metallic aluminum retarded its commercial development, and it was not until the discovery of the electrochemical processes for its production that it came to be known as a common metal. I have been particularly interested, for the past few years, in working with the alloy known as aluminum bronze, which is usually composed of approximately 90 parts of copper and 10 parts of aluminum, by weight.

Jan 1, 1919

By Y. Oinouye, H. Ries

Of the several interesting physical properties of clay which have claimed the attention of investigators in recent years, none is more important than the behavior of the material when heated to temperatures above those of dehydration. Some of the problems to be solved are: 1. The mineralogical changes that take place in firing. 2. The relation between temperature and change in constitution, shrinkage, porosity, etc. 3. The importance of the time factor, as duration of firing, either in reaching a given temperature, or of exposure to a constant temperature. Mineralogical Changes As a result of fusion, reactions take place between the constituents of a clay, which result in a reorganization of the mass, and the formation of new compounds. Of the new minerals developed, sillimanite is the one usually recorded, and has been referred to by a number of observers.' There appears to be a difference of opinion, however, regarding the temperature at which it is formed. Thus Klein2 notes that sillimanite forms only above 1300" C., while Mellor claims that it can develop below 1200" C., the difference in results being conditioned by the time factor. In Klein's experiments the test pieces were fired in 12 hr., while in Mel-lor's, the temperature rose from 800" to 1180" in 24 hr., and occupied the same time in cooling back to 800".

Jan 1, 1918

By W. H. Howard

As the result of a series of analyses and volume determinations of gases discharged from the converters at the Garfield Smelting Co.'s. smelter at Garfield, Utah, it was found that a considerable amount of lead fume was escaping from the stacks of the converter plant, and `that if this lead could be recovered at a reasonable expense an attempt should be made to collect it. Two methods suggested themselves: (1) filtration through bags; (2) electrical precipitation of the condensed fume by a Cottrell plant. Filtration through Bags Tests were made in filtering converter gases through the ordinary woolen bags of lead-smelter bag houses to determine how long such material could withstand the corrosive action of the gases. While blowing on white metal only, the fabric was usually destroyed in 10 to 14 hr. In tests conducted in filtering gases when blowing on matte or slagging stage exclusively and when relatively considerable lead was being volatilized, bags in one instance lasted 60.5 hr. It therefore was evident that the Garfield converter gases did not contain in themselves sufficient neutralizing elements for the purpose of direct bag filtration, even during the slagging stage. Such results were more or less anticipated, but it was thus proved that under all conditions of blowing Garfield mattes a very considerable amount of neutralizing agent, zinc oxide or lime, or both combined, as in the Sprague process, would be required to render bag filtration possible. Again, owing to the constantly changing quantities of SO3 from a given battery of converters, depending on the number blowing at a given time and on the stages of the blow, it would be practically impossible to feed automatically the required amount of neutralizer. In order to safeguard the bags sufficient neutralizer would have to be continuously added to meet the maximum SO3 output, thus. wasting neutralizers and giving an undesirably diluted final product. Such a condition is entirely different

Jan 8, 1914