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By A. E. Wells

IN 1866, Thomas Graham1 called attention to the volume of gases, three times the volume of the sample, evolved from a meteoric iron heated in an evacuated porcelain tube. From that time to this the occurrence and significance of gases in metals have been the subject of investigation by many workers, among whom Sieverts,2 Iwasé3 and 0. W. Ellis4 stand preeminent. Sieverts and Iwasé concerned themselves with the solubility of a number of gases in metals in the liquid and solid states. They determined the absorption coefficients of these gases, and in all cases found a sharp change in solubility at the melting point of the metals. Ellis analyzed the gases evolved by solidifying copper and those occluded by the solidified metal. Lobley and Jepson5 endeavored to determine the effects of hydrogen, carbon monoxide and nitrogen on the porosity of copper that was allowed to solidify in the presence of each gas after 30 min. exposure to it in the

Jan 1, 1930

By Bunting S. Crocker

In the summer of 1961, the Anaconda Research staff and Kilborn Engineering Ltd. began a study to investigate the possibilities of using some form of autogenous grinding in the new concentrator which Anaconda was planning to erect at Butte, adjacent to their Berkeley pit. The following criteria applied to the project: 1) The Butte mill was to be able to handle 36,000 to 42,000 tpd of copper ore, taken from the Berkeley pit and adjacent underground mines. 2) The plant was to be built in six units. 3) It would be started up two units at a time. 4) Equipment from the Anaconda mill was available for use in the new location. 5) Tonnage would be maintained at Butte and Anaconda, with equipment being moved down as required. 6) The ore from the Berkeley pit was known to vary widely from place to place in the pit and to be generally soft and friable.

Jan 5, 1964

By Rudolph G. Wuerker

WITH the growing complexity of ore dressing processes and the diversity of equipment, efficiency control has become increasingly important in beneficiation. In the case of iron ore dressing, there have been sporadic attempts'-3 to establish the optimum separation for various ores so that grade and recovery would be readily predictable. But no rigorous statistical analysis and graphical presenta- tion of such tests could be found in the literature of this country. Tests Made with Iron Ores Expanding upon existing methods of plant supervision and efficiency control, an investigation was started in the ore dressing laboratory at the University of Illinois on the applicability of distribution analysis to iron ores. A sample of crude ore was obtained from the Ohio mine of Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co. at Ishpeming, Mich., consisting mostly of alternating bands of hematite and siliceous gangue, both about 1/4 in. wide. The ore was heavily coated with limonite, which often filled the cracks.

Jan 1, 1959

By Enid C. Plante, K. L. Sutherland

Practical metallurgists are unanimous in stating that oxidation of mined sulphide ore adversely affects separation of the constituent minerals under standard conditions in a mill. Frequently, the need for different operating conditions in different plants is attributed either to the extent of oxidation of the mineral surfaces or to soluble oxidation products. The investigations reported in this paper study the effect of oxidation on the primary condition necessary for flotation, namely that of adhesion of an air bubble to the mineral. Oxidation Products from Sulphide Minerals Weinig and Carpenter1 state that the relative rates of oxidation of some sulphides are: FeAsS > FeS2 > CuFeS2 > ZnS > pbS > Cu2S tetrahedrite. They also show that oxidation is rapid at first, that sulphides of older geological formations are more stable than those of recent date and that mixtures oxidize more rapidly than any one mineral alone. The more rapid oxidation of mixtures is borne out by results of Gottschalk and Buehler2 who found that PbS, zns and cus oxidized 8 to 20 times faster when pyrite was present. Only the end products of oxidation, sulphate and the metal ion, were identified in these tests. Gaudin3 states that pyrite is difficult to oxidize in the laboratory. Winchell,4 using pyrite containing 99.98 pct FeS2, allowed water to percolate through a bed of this ground material. At the end of three months only a trace of Fe+++and So4- were found. Even after 10 months the quantity of Fe+++ was only 7.8 mg and SO4- 25.5 mg per liter of percolating solution. Car-michael5 confirmed Winchell's results on the slow oxidation of pyrite. Usually the oxidation of sulphide surfaces has been conducted in neutral or acid solutions, the acidity being caused by the oxidation products. Eliseev and Nagir-nyaka found that treatment of pure pyrite with lime gave only thiosulphate, but considered it possible that thiosulphate was obtained not by oxidation of the pyrite itself, but by oxidation of calcium disul-hide. Mitrofanov7 suggested that thiO~ulphate was formed by the following process: oxidation of sulphide to give free sulphur (this frequently happens with marcasite), followed by oxidation of the sulphur to sulphur dioxide and reaction of the sulphur dioxide with sulphur to give thiosulphate. Ferric and ferrous hydroxides, or similar compounds, were shown to be present. The Research Staff of the United Verde Copper Co.8 treated ore from the United verde mine with lime. Thiosulphate, sulphide and polysulphides were stated to be

Jan 1, 1949

By David Burgess, Hershiel H. Hayden

Experiments at the Somerset mine, Colo., under an agreement between US. Steel Corp. and the US. Bureau of Mines are described. A test was made of the tube bundle method of mine air sampling which was developed for European longwall mines; some 300,000 running feet of tubing provided continuous monitoring at 38 locations. Carbon monoxide concentrations were obtained with standard deviations of less than 1 ppm and oxygen concentrations with standard deviations of less than 0.2%. A base level of CO index (ppm CO evolved per percent 0, removed) was determined to be zero to 20 through most of the passageways of the mine. However, in one working section where the coal was initially hot (about 180°F within a pillar) the CO index was demonstrably higher, 120 trending upward to about 60 when smoke appeared and the section was sealed. The data are discussed in terms of laboratory experiments on CO evolution from coals.

Jan 1, 1977

By Herbert Clark Hoover, Lou Henry Hoover

QUALITIES which the perfect miner should possess and the arguments which are urged for and against the arts of mining and metallurgy, as well as the people occupied in the industry, I have sufficiently discussed in the first Book. Now I have determined to give more ample information concerning the miners. In the first place, it is indispensable that they should worship God with reverence, and that they understand the matters of which I am going to speak, and that they take good care that each individual performs his duties efficiently and diligently. It is decreed by Divine Providence that those who know what they ought to do and then take care to do it properly, for the most part meet with good fortune in all they undertake; on the other hand, misfortune overtakes the indolent and those who are careless in their work. No person indeed can, without peat and sustained effort and labour, store in his mind the knowledge of every portion of the metallic arts which are involved in operating mines. If. a man has the means of paying the necessary expense, he hires as many men as he needs, and sends them to the various works. Thus formerly Sosias, the Thracian, sent into the silver mines a thousand slaves whom he had hired from the Athenian Nicias, the son of Niceratus1. But if a man cannot afford the expenditure he chooses of the various kinds of mining that work which he himself can most easily and efficiently do. Of these kinds, the two most important are the making prospect trenches and the washing of the sands of rivers, for out of these sands are often collected gold dust, or certain black stones from which tin is smelted, or even gems are sometimes found in them ; the trenching occasionally lays bare at the grass-roots veins which are found rich in metals. If therefore by skill or by luck, such sands or veins shall fall into his hands, he will be able to establish his fortune without expenditure, and from poverty rise to wealth. If on the contrary, his hopes are not realised, then he can desist from washing or digging. When anyone, in an endeavour to increase his fortune, meets the expenditure of a mine alone, it is of great importance that he should attend to his works and personally superintend everything that he has ordered to be done. For this reason, he should either have his dwelling at the mine,

Jan 1, 1950

By Rudolph G. Wuerker

WITH the growing complexity of ore dressing processes and the diversity of equipment, efficiency control has become increasingly important in beneficiation. In the case of iron ore dressing, there have been sporadic attempts1-3 to establish the optimum separation for various ores so that grade and recovery would be readily predictable. But no rigorous statistical analysis and graphical presentation of such tests could be found in the literature of this country. Tests Made with Iron Ores Expanding upon existing methods of plant supervision and efficiency control, an investigation was started in the ore dressing laboratory at the University of Illinois on the applicability of distribution analysis to iron ores. A sample of crude ore was obtained from the Ohio mine of Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co. at Ishpeming, Mich., consisting mostly of alternating bands of hematite and siliceous gangue, both about ¼ in. wide. The ore was heavily coated with limonite, which often filled the cracks.

Jan 7, 1958

By James L. Hendrix, Pat Vreeland, Hamilton Vreeland, Marcel F. DeGuire, Peter L. Comanor

A study of the ground area surrounding the Getchell, Nev., gold mine mill tailings was conducted so that a better understanding of the effects of arsenic toxicity on Upper Sonoran vegetation could be obtained. The Getchell area was selected because of the known high values of arsenic currently contained in the tailings waste (1% or higher). Mill wastes as well as the scrubber product As2O3 are contained in the tailings pond. In order to determine the effect of the tailings disposal on the surrounding vegetation, plots and line-transect techniques were employed to obtain plant ecological information on the area surrounding the ponds, and also non-affected control plots. Data for percent ground cover, species frequency, and plant vitality as a function of distance from the tailings ponds were collected. In an attempt to isolate naturally occurring factors for varying plant communities from induced factors derived from the close proximity of the tailings, soil cores were

Jan 1, 1975

By B. Hyatt, E. Klokholm

The reesistivity of Cu-Pd alloys of 9.6 to 29 pct Pd alloys was measured after plastic deformzation in tension. For all compositions a continzting decrease in resistivity with increasing plastic strain was observed. By comparison with the results of Damask on a brass ad Cu3Au, it was deduced that these anonzalous decreases in resistivity are due to the decrease in short-vunge order caused by cold work. An anomalous decrease in the resistivity of cold-worked CU-Pd alloys was first reported by Jaumot and Sawatzky.' They observed decreases in the electrical resistivity when disordered Cu-Pd alloys drawing at room temperature. Recently, a similar anomaly was reported by Aarts and Houston-Mac-Mi1lan2 in Ag-Pd alloys containing 10 to 45 pct Pd. The plastic deformation in this case was produced by tensile strain at liquid-nitrogen temperatures. For AE-Pd alloys the relative resistivity change becomes positive for tensile strains of about 20 pct.

Jan 1, 1960

By J. D. Prater, H. R. Spedden, E. E. Malouf

Application of research findings to the old art of leaching copper from copper-bearing mine waste has resulted in a significant contribution of copper to over-all copper production. For example, at the completion of the current expansion program at the Kennecott properties in the United States, copper produced from waste dump leaching will amount to about 25% of the total production, whereas formerly only 2% was derived from this source. This planned expansion of copper leaching focused attention on the problem of developing more efficient methods for the recovery of copper from greatly increased volumes of copper-bearing so1utions.l Detailed investigations made in laboratory pilot plant and plant tests for the recovery of copper from copper-bearing solutions have included electrowinning, solvent extraction, ion exchange and cementation with iron in launders, precipitation drums, activated launders, and precipitation cones. The results of these investigations have led to the development of a precipitation cone-type recovery system having advantages over older methods.

Jan 4, 1966

By Clarence Zener

THE internal friction of nonferrous metals vibrating at low stress amplitudes has so far always been successfully interpreted in terms of inhomogeneities of one sort or another. Examples are the fluctuation of stress across a specimen vibrating transversely,1,2,3 the stress inhomogeneities due to the elastic anisotropy and partial random orientation of the individual crystallites,4,5 localized weak regions introduced by cold-working,6,7 grain boundaries and possibly twinning planes.8.9 Perfect single crystals are, by definition, homogeneous. Actual single crystals usually, perhaps always, contains some imperfections. The present investigation was undertaken to determine whether the internal friction of single crystals may likewise be attributed to inhomogeneities. This study was made possible through the gift of a large single crystal of 70-30 alpha brass by H. L. Burghoff, of the Chase Brass and Copper Co. The specimen, 3-s in. in diameter and 10 in. long, was similar to samples previously described by Mr. Burghoff.10 EXPERIMENTAL METHOD The experimental method used has previously been described in Institute papers.5,6.9 The measure of internal friction adopted here, I/Q, is (p) X the logarithmic decrement, a measure used by some writers, and is also (I/2p) X the specific damping capacity, a measure used by other writers. In all measurements the stress level was kept so low that the measurements were independent of stress level. In all measurements in which the temperature was varied, observations were made as the specimen slowly cooled from its highest temperature. The specimen was vibrated transversely. Observations were made at the fundamental frequency and at the first overtone, of about 620 and 1710 cycles per second, respectively. No attempt was made to avoid acoustical losses. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS The specimen was annealed for several hours at 450°C. The temperature dependence of the internal friction was then determined from room temperature to 400°°C. As shown in Fig. i, the internal friction increased by only a factor of 2 from room temperature to 300°°C., then by a factor of 100 during the next :too' interval. These measurements are consistent with the view that the observed internal friction is the superposition of two distinct parts. One, dominant at room temperature, is nearly independent of temperature. This part may be accounted for by acoustical losses and by transverse thermal currents. It was not further investigated. The second part, when plotted in the manner of Fig. I, lies upon a straight line. Therefore it has a heat of activation H; i.e., it varies with temperature as Internal friction ~ e-HI/RT [I]

Jan 1, 1942

(Under this heading will be published notes sent to the Secretary of the Institute by members or other persons introduced by members.) Member, graduate Columbia School of Mines, age 35, married, best of health, dependable, desires position as manager or scout for reliable interests. Experience covers responsible positions incident to the mining and milling of gold-silver, copper, lead, and zinc ores, and the examination of base and rare-metal deposits in United States and Mexico. Salary $3600. Available April 1. No. 453. Member, mining engineer, technical training, age 32, assayer, engineer and superintendent of porphyry copper development, churn drilling and shaft sinking. Examination of prospects and development of gold prospects. Considerable flotation experience. No. 454. Young Columbia graduate, conscientious worker, with experience in inorganic analysis, surveying, draughting, and wit. post-graduate training in geology, desires position wt. prospects. Minimum salary considered, $130 in U. S. and $150 in Mexico. At present employed. Draft exempt. No. 455.

Jan 5, 1918

By R. W. Smith

A study has been made of the crushing and grinding circuits by the Portland Cement Association in nine cement plants. Five of the plants used the wet process and four, the dry method. Both raw and clinker grinding were studied in the four dry processing plants. The raw materials used varied considerably from plant to plant. Actual power consumption data were obtained for the majority of the grinding mills in these plants. Previously representative raw and clinker samples had been obtained from the nine plants, and Bond1 and Hardgrove2 grindability tests were run on these samples. All pertinent data concerning the grinding mills, such as mill size and speed, ball charge size and weight, size distribution of feed, and discharge materials were also obtained. Thus it became possible to calculate the actual horsepower used by the various mills, and to compare this figure to the theoretical horsepower as calculated by several different methods.

Jan 4, 1961

All the TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS and CONTRIBUTIONS published in 1934 are available at Institute headquarters, unless otherwise noted They are also on file in many public, university and technical libraries and, when so indicated in the list, may be found in the TRANSACTIONS Copies of the TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS have been mailed to those members of the Institute who are registered in the different classes A-Metal Mining, B-Milling and Concentration; C-Iron and Steel Division; D-Nonferrous Metallurgy; E-Insti¬tute of Metals Division; F-Coal Division; G-Petroleum Division; H-Nonmetallic Minerals; I-Mining Geology; J-Mineral Industry Education Division; K-Mining Administration; L-Geophysical Prospecting Other members may obtain copies by writing to the Secretary Copies of CONTRIBUTIONS may also be obtained from the Secretary's office Additional copies are sold at the rate of 1 cent per page, minimum charge, 25 cents Nonmembers may purchase the papers at the prices mentioned

Jan 1, 1935

By O. B. Bennett

WHEN diamond drilling was introduced in the Rhokana mines in 1939 it was used principally for pillar removal and for completion of the upper portions of shrinkage stopes which were being affected by increasing pressure. This method of drilling long blastholes proved so successful that it was extended gradually to cover stoping, pillar recovery, and hanging cave work. By 1949 virtually all the production of Mindola and Nkana was being obtained by this method. At the present time 87,500 ft are drilled each month by the 80 diamond drills in daily operation. Responsibility for control and issue of diamond drilling equipment and crowns, as well as tabulation of all performance figures, was taken over by a specially formed Roto drill department, which also investigated the problems encountered with this new method. To assist this department a fully equipped test chamber, Fig. 1, was established underground where performances of various types of machines and equipment could be studied under conditions as nearly uniform as possible.

Jan 12, 1954

By Herbert H. Kellogg

RECENTLY the long-chain primary amines have been used extensively for the flotation of silicate minerals. The use of amines to float sulphide minerals has been investigated by several authors1-5,18 but most of this work has been done with the short-chain (less than six carbon atoms) primary amine compounds or the more expensive secondary, tertiary and quaternary amines. Perhaps the fact that the long-chain amines are good collectors for the common gangue minerals has led investigators to omit them from consideration as collectors for the selective flotation of metallic sulphides. The work reported in this paper was designed to investigate the use of a typical long-chain amine salt, lauryl amine hydrochloride, as a collector for the flotation of galena-sphalerite ores. The results show that lauryl amine hydrochloride (LAmHCI), when used in small amounts, is a good collector for the selective flotation of sphalerite and galena from the common gangue minerals. The differential flotation of sphalerite from galena was not accomplished but the amine flotation of sphalerite after the standard xanthate flotation of galena is possible. The experimental work reported herein is not complete enough to be able to say whether amine flotation of lead-zinc ores would prove superior to xanthate flotation, or whether the method is even applicable to a more complex ore than the one used for this work. However, the apparent reagent costs for the flotation operations described in this paper seem to be less than for xanthate flotation. This fact alone should be sufficient to encourage the millman to investigate the use of these amine reagents, especially as these reagents are available on a commercial scale at a reasonable price. This paper has as its secondary purposes to illustrate how contact-angle measurements have aided in this investigation, and to bring forward some evidence concerning the mechanism of the collecting action of primary amines. CONTACT-ANGLE TESTS The contact-angle measurements were made by the method described by del Giudice6 and used in recent work by Taggart and his collaborators.7-9 The mineral specimens for the contact-angle tests were carefully chosen, to avoid cracks and inclusions of other minerals. All specimens were mounted in "transoptic" plastic mounts and the surfaces were cleaned by polishing with levigated alumina on a cloth-covered glass polishing wheel. Distilled water was used on the lap during the polishing and at all subsequent steps in the contact-angle tests. The mounted mineral specimens were handled with glass forceps and special care was exercised to prevent exposure of the dean surface to air or any other source of contamination.

Jan 1, 1945

By E. A. Smith, E. R. Parker

METALLURGISTS and engineers have always been interested in the mechanism of high-speed deformation because metals are rapidly deformed in various applications and manufacturing processes. The deformation of metals by impact loads has recently engaged the attention of a number of investigators. Many of their results have not been disclosed but some of the published investigations1-8 have shown that the tensile strength, yield strength and elongation generally increase with increasing strain rate. The investigation reported herein is an attempt to determine the reason for this increase in strength and elongation. Single-crystal copper specimens were broken in tension at impact velocities up to 100 ft. per sec. The distribution of slip bands in the fractured crystals was found to depend upon the strain rate. In the bars broken at high speeds, the slip bands appear to be more numerous. This might account for the higher strength as well as the greater elongation. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Single crystals of copper (approximately 99.98 per cent) were made in graphite molds by the conventional method of lowering the mold out of the hot zone of a hydrogen furnace at a rate of one inch per hour. Solidification progressed from the bottom upward, forming a single crystal. The crystals were about 0.30 in. in diameter and 4 in. long. They were made into test bars by sliding threaded steel bushings over each end of a crystal and then flowing silver solder between the crystal and the bushing. The inside diameter of the bushings was slightly greater than the diameter of the crystals, to allow space for the silver solder. The bushings were placed so that the gauge length of the crystals was one inch. The assembly is shown in Fig. I, with two views of a fractured crystal. Annealed polycrystalline copper bars of similar shape were machined from solid stock. X-ray measurements were made on all single crystals to determine their orienta¬tions. The results are shown in Fig. 2, where the location of the axis of each specimen is indicated on a standard projection. The bars were broken in a commercial variable-velocity tension im¬pact machine, which has been described in detail elsewhere.7,8 The stress and strain were recorded by means of wire strain gauges and a special commercial oscillo-raph, also described in detail elsewhere.9,10 The equipment and method can be briefly described as follows. The impact machine consists of a motor-driven flywheel containing a two-pronged hammer. This hammer is held retracted in the flywheel

Jan 1, 1944

Discussion of the paper of Dorsey A. Lyon and Robert M. Keeney, presented at the Butte meeting, August, 1913, and printed in Bulletin No. 80, August, 1913, pp. 2117 to 2149. C. D. WOODWARD, Butte, Mont.:-We constructed a small blast furnace, and used first carbon electrodes and an alternating current of about 50 to 75 volts. We were able to smelt the material which was fed to the furnace, but we did not carry on experiments far enough to see just exactly what the power consumption was and compare it with the amount of material treated. We found that the blast seemed to help materially in reducing our charge and cutting down our power consumption. There were several other experiments tried at the time, and I do not call to mind now just what they were. We were trying to do away with the carbon electrode and replace it with an iron one, and it also seems to me we tried to use the ore for an electrode; but I believe that the electric furnace in the reducing end is simply a question of British thermal units per kilowatt-hour compared with British thermal units in a pound of coke. Now, if a pound of coke costs us 0.5 c. and a kilowatt-hour costs us in the neighborhood of 1.5 c., I think there is a big advantage in using coke instead of the electrical current for copper reducing. We tried steam, and a number of other methods, to throw copper down, but it has been some time ago and I am not very familiar with them now. The outlook of the experiments did not seem to be very promising, and we took it more as a thermal problem than an electrical one. PROF. JOSEPH W. RICHARDS, South Bethlehem, Pa.:-Mr. Woodward has spoken of the question as a thermal problem. I would call attention to the fact that electric furnaces usually utilize the heat of the electric current at from four to ten times the efficiency with which the heat generated by fuel is utilized; so it will not do simply to compare by thermal units generated. Your total thermal units may cost much less from coke than from electricity, yet you will find the electrically generated thermal units utilized in a properly designed furnace from three to ten times more efficiently than in the combustion furnace. You must make that allowance is comparing the cost of thermal units generated electrically and thermal units from coke.

Jan 11, 1913

Michigan State Department of Conservation, Lansing, Mich The Department of Conservation has two divisions issuing publications which should be listed in this directory. Geological Survey Division. R. A Smith, State Geologist Land Economic Survey Division L R Schoenmann, Head. A price list of publications of either division will be sent upon request to that division Geological Survey Division.-Citizens of Michigan may obtain publications of this Division on payment of forwarding charges Prices to others for available publications are given below: Vol 5 (1881-1884): Pt 1, Geological report of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, by L L Hubbard, pt 2, Geology of Lower Michigan with reference to deep borings, by A C Lane, $125. Annual Report for 1908. Pt b, Geological section of Michigan, by A C. Lane and A E Seaman, 50 cents. Publication No 5, The Late Glacial and Post Glacial Uplift of the Michigan Basin, and earthquakes in Michigan, by W. H

Jan 1, 1933

By J. P. Zannaras

If we assume that testing of the model started at time C, that time t2 was the instant at which the elastic limit of the material was passed at the points of the maximum stress, and that at time t3 the failure of the model was completed as shown in the typical photograph (Fig. 1), then actually the photograph shows the final results of what took place between time t2 and t3. By the principle of similitude all conclusions drawn from the behavior of the model were applicable and valid for actual mine roofs up to the time t, after time t, motions and friction came into play during the destruction of the model. The events between t2 and t3 and the photograph itself are not representative of the events expected in an actual mine roof unless corrections imposed by the principle of similitude are made.

Dec 1, 1956