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By James C. M. Li, J. Weertman

James C. M. Li (United States Steel Covp.)—The author has discovered a single analytical relation between the minimum, or the steady-state, creep rate and the applied stress confirming a statement made earlier by orn" that such relation should exist and should reduce to the power law at low-stress levels and to the exponential law at high-stress levels. However, as pointed out by the author, all the available theories of creep are not adequate to explain such a single relation. Inspired by such a statement, I have made a suggestion concerning a possible explanation13 of the new relation. This is based on the concept that the rate-controlling step is the cooperative motion of a short dislocation segment. The nature of and the reason for the cooperation have been discussed13 as well as the reason why the motion of the dislocation could be controlled by the mobility of the short segments. A natural short segment has been proposed13 to be the node formed at the intersection of two dislocations. The reason why the node may contain only a few atoms has not been discussed and the application of the proposed model to all the metals and alloys reported in this paper has not been attempted. It seems appropriate to include these in this discussion. The model was partly inspired by the substructure recently observed in the electron microscope on creep specimens. One such example is shown in Fig. 48 in Darken's Campbell Memorial Lecture. The substructure is a collection of dislocation intersections and irregular networks. No pileups have ever been observed in such specimens. A closer look at the network indicates that one set of dislocations is more straight than the other set sug- gesting that the other set may be mobile in the plane of the net. Since, for the network to survive the creep deformation, some dislocation reaction has to take place at the intersection of the two sets of dislocations, the mobile dislocation, even if it can slip in the plane of the net, will have difficulty in moving at these intersections. To illustrate, an idealized network is shown in Fig. 9. The thin lines represent the set of dislocations which are mobile and can slip in the plane of the net except at the nodes which are formed at the intersection of the two sets of dislocations. The other set of dislocations, represented by the thick lines, may have a Burgers vector which is not parallel to the plane of the net, and therefore may be immobile. Because of this nonparallel Burgers vector, the Burgers vector of the node, which is avectorial sum of the Burgers vectors of the two sets of dislocations, will also be nonparallel to the plane of the net. Therefore, the node cannot slip in the plane of the net and the set of mobile dislocations will have to drag the node along as indicated in Fig. 9. Now the problem is how many atoms could be involved in the nodes. Exact calculation of the length of the node is a difficult task especially since the length should be a steady-state length and not an equilibrium length. An estimate of the equilibrium length can be made by balancing the line tension of all the dislocations. The results would be a small fraction of the length 1 between nodes as shown in Fig. 10. In some instances such a calculation shows that the node will not be formed. But, since the calculation is only approximate, it does not rule out the possibility of the formation of a short node. In other instances the equilibrium length of the node is an appreciable fraction of I. Such a node would

Jan 1, 1963

By E. C. Olsen

This paper describes the unusual hazardous conditions encountered in mining thick, inclined coal beds under heavy cover in Carbon County, Utah. This description includes heavy roof conditions, sloughing ribs, steep pitches, and severe bouncing experience. Emphasis is placed on the top bench system of mining and development in the top half of a 16-ft seam, under the roof rock, which is bolted, and the recovery of the bottom coal on retreat; success of bolted roof and ribs; and shuttle car haulage on pitches up to 25%. The use of protective cages for operators of face equipment, the guarding of belt conveyor systems to prevent injury associated with deliberate entry, and the positive lockout of electrical equipment is described and illustrated. Most coal mining areas of the Western United States are characterized either by thick beds, steep pitches or heavy cover. Individually, each of these may present inherent safety hazards that in- fluence mining. When all are met at one location, the combined effect is to make the safe operation of the mining property a challenge to management. These combined conditions are met in the coal mines of the Columbia-Geneva Steel Div. of the United States Steel Corp., in southeastern Utah. This coal bed measures up to 16 ft in thickness, the pitch is as much as 25% and mining is under a cover approaching 3000 ft. The Sunnyside coal bed is found in the Book Cliff Mountains, a great escarpment extending from west of Castle Gate, Utah, some 180 miles to Grand Junction, Colo. West of Green River, Utah, the Book Cliffs swing sharply to the north because of the domelike uplift of the San Rafael Swell to the southwest. It is in this northerly extension of the Book Cliffs that the Sunnyside coal in the Blackhawk Formation of the Mesa Verde Group, Upper Cretaceous Age is found. The strata are transected by numerous faults with from a few inches to as much as a hundred feet of displacement. All of these faults have had some effect on the mining operation, either in roof control or, in the case of major faulting, the pattern of mine development. MINING PRACTICES Mining has generally been confined to the Lower Sunnyside Seam which measures from 7 to 16 ft in

Jan 1, 1963

By AIME AIME

The first Diesel-electric locomotives for the Mesabi iron range of the Lake Superior district were put into service last summer by the Oliver Iron Mining Co., U. S. Steel subsidiary. There were ten of these locomotives, rated 1000 hp. and weighing 125 tons each. They are designed for service from 16 to 24 hours per day to haul trains of loaded ore cars from open-pit mines, 200 to 400 ft. deep, on a two to eight-mile haul to the top of the pit. The locomotives push or pull the trains over switchbacks and up heavy grades with 5 per cent maximum against the load. High tractive effort, less smoke, and ability to negotiate sharp curves were among the reasons for the selection of Diesel-electric locomotives.

Jan 1, 1941

By G. Thodos, W. F. Stevens

The point-source function introduced by Horner' us a solution to the general unsteady-state equation for the flow of fluids through porous media has been utilized to calculate pressure profiles for adjacent wells as a function of time. By trial and error, the time at which the pressure waves meet to cause interference can then be calculated. For this calculation, the time of interference is arbitrarily defined as that time when both pressure waves exhibit a pressure decrease of 25 psi ar the same point within the formation. To illustrate the method, an example involving two adjacent wells producing at different rates has been worked out and is presented in detail. INTRODUCTION The initiation of production of a new well is usually accompanied by pressure drawdown measurements in order to establish the extent and characteristics of the formation. The interpretation of such pressure drawdown data is based on mathematical developments involving a single well in an infinite reservoir. If more than one well is present in a reservoir, the possibility of interaction between wells exists. Therefore, care must be taken in interpreting the pressure drawdown data. It becomes important to be able to determine when this interaction, or interference, becomes significant. This paper presents a method for the prediction of the approximate time of interference between two such adjacent wells. The basic differential equation describing the pressure distribution existing during unsteady-state flow of a slightly compressible fluid has been solved by Hor-ner.' for a constant production rate from a circular homogeneous reservoir of infinite extent. The solution utilizes the point-source function to define the pressure at various points within the formation as a function of time. The resulting expression is: q = production rate, STB/D ,;= formation volume factor, dimension-less µ = fluid viscosity, cp k = formation permeability. md H = formation thickness, ft C - fluid compressibility, psi' F = formation porosity, dimensionless R = distance from centerline of well, ft T = production time, hours Ei(—u) = Ei-function of U Eq. 1 may be used to calculate the pressure profiles generated during production from a single well in an infinite reservoir.

By D. N. Dietz

Jan 1, 1969

By L. A. Panek, F. D. Wang, M. C. Sun

A method of stability analysis of underground opening by the limiting equilibrium approach is presented. The Coulomb shear failure criterion is employed to find possible fracture surfaces and to evaluate the shear strengths along them. The normal stresses required for the calculation of shear strength, and the shear stresses for the calculation of total shear force along the fracture surfaces, are obtained by the finite-element method of plane-strain analysis. The factor of safety against Coulomb shear failure is calculated as the ratio of the shear strength to the shear force along a fracture surface, similar to the practice in slope stability analysis. Four shapes of openings are analyzed, with three ratios of horizontal lithostatic stress and four coefficients of internal friction. The critical fracture surfaces found by this method of analysis are consistent with the arching of roofs and slabbing of ribs commonly observed.

Jan 1, 1972

By R. G. Turner, M. G. Hubbard, A. E. Dukler

Gas phase hydrocarbons produced from underground reservoirs will, in many instances, have liquid phase material associated with them, the presence of which can affect the flowing characteristics of the well. Liquids can come from condensation of hydrocarbon gas (condensate) or from interstitial water in the reservoir matrix. In either case, the higher density liquid phase, being essentially discontinuous, must be transported to the surface by the gas. In the event the gas phase does not provide sufficient transport energy to lift the liquids out of the well, the liquids will accumulate in the wellbore. The accumulation of the liquid will impose an additional back pressure on the formation that can significantly affect the production capacity of the well. In low pressure wells the liquid may completely kill the well; and in the higher pressure wells there can occur a variable degree of slugging or churning of the liquids, which can affect calculations used in routine well tests. Specifically, the calculated bottom-hole pressures used in multirate backpressure tests will be erroneous if the well is not removing liquids on a continuous basis, and gas:liquid ratios observed during such a test may not be correct. Several authors1,3,8,14 have suggested methods to determine if the flow rate of a well is sufficient to remove liquid phase material. Vitter14 and Duggan' proposed that wellhead velocities observed in the field would be adequate for keeping wells unloaded. Jones8 and Dukler3 presented analytical treatments resulting in equations for calculating, from physical properties, the minimum necessary flow rate. An analysis of these studies indicates the existence of two proposed physical models for the removal of gas well liquids: (1) liquid film movement along the walls of the pipe and (2) liquid droplets entrained in the high velocity gas core. Although there probably is a continuous exchange of liquid between the gas core and the film, they will be treated separately for the purposes of this study. The development and comparison of these separate models with experimental data will permit the determination of which, if either, is the controlling mechanism for the removal of liquids from gas wells. The Continuous Film Model Liquid phase accumulation on the walls of a conduit during two-phase gas/liquid flow is inevitable due to the impingement of entrained liquid drops and the condensation of vapors. The movement of the liquid on the wall is therefore of interest in the analysis of liquid removal from gas wells. If the annular liquid film must be moved upward along the walls in order to keep a gas well from loading up, then the minimum gas flow rate necessary to accomplish this is of primary interest. The analysis technique used follows Dukler2 and Hewitt5 and involves describing the profile of the velocity of a liquid film moving upward on the inside of a tube. The minimum rate of gas flow required to move the film upward is then calculated.

Jan 1, 1970

By F. W. Bowdish

Analysis of data on the equilibrium exchange of sodium ions from salt solutions for calcium ions, from various fractions of an oxidized calcareous iron ore from Lorraine, France, strongly suggests that the calcium may be attached to the solid by only one of its bonds. Nearly equal values were found for the equilibrium expression from data covering concentration ranges of 1000 fold for the salt and 235 fold for the ion-exchangeable calcium. Differences indicated between the exchangeable calcium contents of the slime and the sandy portions of the ore, as well as the equilibrium relationship itself, are of importance in the flotation of the ore. During an experimental program on the flotation of oxidized calcareous iron ores from Lorraine, France, ion-exchangeable calcium was found in the ore. Because this source of calcium ions, if not controlled, could thwart all efforts at flotation, an extensive study was made of the phenomenon. The part of that study reported here was to obtain data on the equilibrium established between ore solids and solutions of sodium chloride, and to analyze the data to try to understand better the physical chemistry of the exchange. The ore contains oolites of goethite and quartz grains embedded in a matrix consisting of calcite and a brown cement believed to be the residue from oxidation of the silicate minerals found in fresh unoxidized ore. When ground, a substantial fraction of the ore becomes a fine slime in which is concentrated more than half of the alumina content of the ore. It is believed that the alumina occurs as unidentified clay minerals with which most of the ion-exchange capacity of the ore is associated. A preliminary experiment on the exchange of ions from the ore for sodium ions from solutions of NaCl showed that calcium was about ten times as abundant as magnesium in the exchange solutions. Thus calcium was the predominant ion in causing difficulties with flotation, and it was the only one for which data was obtained in this study. It is believed that the omission of magnesium ion exchange from consideration does not invalidate the results. It is possible, however, that inclusion of magnesium in the analyses and calculations or its prior elimination from the samples would have improved the consistency of the results. EXPERIMENTAL Data about the equilibrium exchange of sodium from solutions for calcium from the solids were obtained using two different samples of material. The solids

Jan 1, 1963

By G. Gabra

The kinetics of acidified thiourea leaching of pyrite concentrate was investigated at temperature ranging form 20 °C to a 60 °C. The effect of various parameters on the dissolution rates are discussed. The gold extraction was found to be zero and first orders with respect to Fe (111) and thiourea concentration, respectively. The order of the reaction with respect to sulfuric acid was found to be zero. The activation energy was determined from the Arrhenius plot as 2,039 kcal mole -1 (for a freshly prepared acidic solution containing Fe (111) as the oxidant and at 800 rpm stirring speed. This relatively low activation energy value suggests that the gold extraction is controlled by a-physical phenomenon. Under optimum conditions, more than 90% of gold has been dissolved in about 30 min. and 95% in 60 min. Attempt to recover gold from thiourea solution using active carbon is also discussed.

Jan 1, 1984

Executive JOHN M. LOVEJOY, Chairman ERLE V. DAVELER G. B. WATERHOUSE WISER JUDSON WILLIAM WRAITH J. V. W. REYNDERS, Consultant Finance HENRY KRUM, Chairman PAUL D. MERICA R. M. ROOSEVELT H. G. MOULTON, Consultant Admissions. RALPH M. ROOSEVELT, Chairman GEORGE D. BARRON, Vice-chairman JOHN L. CHRISTI PHILIP KRAFT W. A. SINSHEIMER

Jan 1, 1936

By Charles S. Barrett

NUMEROUS determinations1-7 of the tex-ture of cold-rolled polycrystalline iron, steel, and ferritic alloys have been made with good agreement among the various observers as to the principal features of the texture common to all, but there has been no adequate explanation of the texture in terms of the behavior of individual grains. This study presents an explanation of the texture based on the observed rotation of single crystals when deformed in a manner similar to a grain in the aggregate, a method we have found useful in leading to a better understanding of compression and tension textures;8,9,10 in particular, the aim has been to determine experimentally the end orientations of rolled single crystals of iron. These are discussed in connection with the point of view of Wever1 and of Boas and Schmid2 that the rolling texture is a simple compression texture (compression normal to the rolling plane) superimposed on a simple tension texture (tension in the roll-ing direction), and the point of view of Kurdjumow and Sachs3 that three ideal end orientations exist.

Jan 1, 1940

By C. E. Gerity

Near Bunker, Mo., in the New Lead Belt, Ozark Lead Co. operates a 6000 tpd lead-zinc mine. Mined ore is transported to the surface in three mechanized and automated steps. The mine is developed by a rectangular-shaped sublevel haulage drift 15 ft high by 28 ft wide, driven on strike below the ore zones. Ore transfer raises were driven from the sublevel at locations near the shaft, 1500 ft distant, and on subsequent 1000 ft centers. These 6 x 5-ft raises are slashed to obtain maximum storage below dump points. These dump points are located on each mining level and are of steel and concrete construction. Spiral 12 X 24-ft inclines driven from the sub-level provide access to these levels for equipment and mine utilities.

Jan 11, 1972

By P. K. Guerrero, N. Arbiter

The correlation of power consumed by a tumbling mill with the dimensions, speed, and load has been attempted by three principal methods. One of these, the torque formula, has been reviewed critically elsewhere.' This approach, while analytical, disregards the individual motion and speed of the tumbling bodies and assumes that the gross geometry of the entire load is sufficient to establish the power requirement. A more general approach, using dimensional analysis, has been applied in this laboratory by the present authors1'1, and more recently by Rose.3 This disregards the internal conditions within the mill entirely and in effect is an empirical procedure for correlating data. Finally, the complete analysis of tumbling mill dynamics as first made by Davis' attempts to develop the power requirement from individual ball and rod paths and velocities. Although Davis' result is applicable only at a single speed for a given size and load it could be useful, since his optimum speed is at the upper limits of conventional tumbling mill practice. Where power values predicted by the Davis equation were compared with actual mill requirements, they were found too low for small mills and much too high for the largest mills. This suggested that the agreement with actual intermediate range requirements might be fortuitous, and the development of the equation was examined critically. The probable source of error was found to lie in an erroneous assumption made by Davis in converting the energy of ball or rod motion to power. With the same approach, but with different assumptions, a modified equation has been obtained which predicts results that are usually consistently high. This is to be expected, since it is assumed that there is no slip between load and shell and no interference among tumbling bodies. Both these effects should account for the difference. Development of Equation: When a cylindrical shell charged with a substantial weight of rods or balls is slowly rotated about a horizontal axis, the load surface first assumes an inclination that gradually increases to a maximum. Continued rotation results in failure within the load, characterized by a sliding of the top layers down the slope and a reduction in the angle of inclination. Further rotation again increases the angle, and the cycle repeats. If the speed is increased, there is continuous load failure and build-up and a continuous stream of rods or balls descends over the upcoming mass, which moves in circular arcs. At higher speeds the up-

Jan 1, 1961

Elected Died 1903 * ADAMS, CHARLES C. 1905 1884 *ADDY, MATTHEW 1896 1894 *ALLFN R B 1896 1874 *AMIOT, H 1892 1886 *AMSLER, CARL 1894 1895 *ÅNGSTROM, CARL 1901 1895 *ARMSTRONG, JOHN F 1898 1882 *ARNOLDS, HUGO 1886 1875 *ASHBURNER, CHARLES A 1889 1872 *ASIIBURNER, WILLIAM 1887 1883 *ATKINS, C M , JR 1885 1897 *AYERS, WILLIAM 1898 1885 *BABCOCK, GEO H 1893 1884 *BAILEY, EDWARD 1889 1880 *BAILEY, JACKSON 1887 1900 *BALLOU, FRANKLIN 1903 1886 *BARNES, F W 1892

Jan 1, 1910

By K. W. John, L. Mueller

The rock mechanics approach to stability problems of steep rock slopes dealt with in this article has particular reference to the concept and methods of analysis developed by the Salzburg, Austria, school of rock mechanics. These theories are based on the principal postulate of the anistropy of the technological properties of in-situ rock masses. The present approach, which is more in line with geological engineering concepts, differs distinctively from the soil mechanics and engineering geological concepts commonly practiced in the United States. PRINCIPAL ENGINEERING APPROACH TO GEOTECHNICAL PROBLEMS AVAILABLE ENGINEERING CONCEPTS At the present time two different concepts are available for engineering analysis of underground structures and foundations in different earth material: soil mechanics and rock mechanics. Of these two branches, soil mechanics is, after 40 years of initially revolutionary and more recently evolutionary development, well established. Its principal concept of replacing in-situ soils or rock masses by perfectly homogeneous substitues has resulted in many practicable methods of analysis which, if applied with judgement, have resulted in successful applications throughout the world. Conversely, rock mechanics is still in the early stages of revolutionary development. Few, if any, standard concepts or methods of analysis have been established. Opinions vary widely. At present the professional background of an investigator very often determines the engineering concept to be applied to a particular problem, rather than its actual requirements if considered objectively. This paper stresses the rock mechanics or geological engineering point of view advocated by the Salzburg group. A review of the soil mechanics concepts is considered beyond the scope of this paper. THE "SALZBURG APPROACH" TO ROCK MECHANICS The rock mechanics concept as outlined here was initiated by Stini, based upon work by sander.1 Since

Jan 1, 1963

By P. Niessen, W. C. Winegard, C. J. Beingessner

DURING the last 10 years, several grain-growth studies have been made using zone-refined metals with controlled amounts of solute to elucidate the interaction of solute with moving boundaries. In all these studies, it was more or less implicitly assumed that the alloys used were, after recrystallization and grain growth, homogeneous within the grains with respect to solute and lattice defects. This note deals with observations made on microstructures originating from solidification of dilute alloys and from grain growth. Briefly, the experimental procedure used in these studies was the following: zone-refined cadmium and master alloys were melted and cast in Pyrex under vacuum to produce bars 14 mm in diam and about 150 mm long. These bars were cut into 8-mm-thick slices which were mechanically and chemically polished. The specimens were then deformed 30 pct in compression and given a 1-week anneal at 260°C in argon. After this anneal, a second deformation produced completely recrystallized samples 4 mm thick. The time-temperature controlled anneals were carried out in a bath of silicone oil. After the grain-growth anneal, the specimens were polished in Gil-man's' solution (33 g CrOs, 6 g NazSO, in 100 ml of water). Several etches were used depending on the alloy investigated, but mostly a mixture of concentrated HC1 and HNOj (98:2 vol) was employed. In all the alloys examined, the ease with which substructures could be revealed depended strongly on the crystallographic orientation of the surfaces of the grains. However, very frequently the microstructures to be discussed here etched up over broad areas comprising several grains. Fig. 1 is a micrograph of a Cd-0.05 at. pct Mg alloy annealed for 100 sec at 270°C. Different substructures are seen in this photograph. A denotes the now existing grain boundaries. The well-defined lines and points marked B are the remains of a solidification substructure. The lines are boundaries between cell colonies, and the points are nodes located on regular two-dimensional cells. This cellular structure has the same appearance as that found by weinberg2 for rapidly quenched Zn-Au alloys. The "ghost boundaries", marked C, are very similar in appearance to a grain boundary array in a polycrystalline sample. Repeated polishing and etching showed that all the substructures observed were three-dimensional. To date, the ghost boundaries have been clearly observed in all samples containing 0.005, 0.01, 0.05, and 1 at. pct Mg, and in samples containing 0.01 at. pct Zn. Attempts to outline these ghost boundaries in cadmium alloys containing 0.01 at. pct Ag and Au were only partially successful. In these alloys, parallel lines, having a resemblance to the ghost boundaries in the Cd-Mg and Cd-Zn alloys, were observed, but it was not possible to obtain complete arrays of ghost boundaries which extended over several grains. It is possible that a different etch than that presently employed would reveal the ghost boundaries in the Cd-Au and Cd-Ag alloys as clearly as in the Cd-Zn and Cd-Mg alloys. A close examination of the ghost structure showed that it consisted of linear etch-pit arrays, Fig. 2. The ghost boundaries were resolvable even in grains which showed over-all faceting due to the etching, as seen in the corner of Fig. 2. The general appearance of the ghost structure suggests that it originated during grain growth. This is supported by the observation that the mesh width in the ghost-boundary array generally increased with increasing final grain size. To test whether the ghost structure was formed during the long homogenizing anneal or during the grain-growth anneal, some as-cast samples were deformed and given a grain-growth anneal. This anneal was terminated by air cooling or

Jan 1, 1967

By Hubert E. Risser

Although, for about a half-century the percentage of coal production provided through strip mining has steadily increased, recent trends indicate that a peak in percentage (not tonnage) is being approached, principally because of the decline in economic adrantage enjoyed by strip mining compared to underground mining. Factors contributing to the decline are the decrease in the margin of advantage in manpower requirements held by strip mining; an increase in depth and volume of overhurden, requiring larger equipment and capital investment; increasing lack of reserve land blocks large enough to support extensive strip mining operations; more stringent legislation for reclamation of stripped land, with increasingly higher costs of such reclamation; and the increasing costs of land surface rights for strip mining. Already there has been a peak and suhsequent decline in relative importance of strip mining insome major Eastern coal-producing states; trends indicate that a peaking for the whole Eastern region is on the way. Although, in the West the pressures are less severe, they will, nevertheless, reduce to an increasing degree the advantage that strip mining has possessed. For about half a century, strip mining has been providing an ever-increasing share of total coal output in the United States, and in the past 30 years this share has grown from less than 8% to 33.7%, as shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 1 also shows that strip mining is gaining faster in the West than in the East. From 1961 to 1967, output from strip mines grew 63.6 million toqs, or 52.2%. Certainly there is nothing in such performance to indicate any peaking in the level of strip coal-mine production. But the fact is that, if not in actual tonnage, strip mining appears to be reaching its peak in relative importance, at least east of the Mississippi River. And the area east of the Mississippi provides 90.0% of the strip and 94.9% of the total coal production of the nation. The relative economic advantage which spurred strip mining's growth for a third of a century has been diminishing markedly in recent years. Fig. 2 shows evidence of this decline. From 1947 until 1961, strip tonnage output remained fairly stable, at the end of the period showing only a 12.5% decline. Meanwhile, underground coal production fell 44.5%. As the result of the greater decline in underground coal, strip coal in 1961 furnished 30.3% of the total coal produced, compared to only 22.1% in 1947. In the succeeding six years, however, underground coal output increased by 76.5 million tons, while strip output increased only 63.6 million. Further evidence of the strengthening of underground coal's relative position — or if you will, the weakening of strip coal's position — can be found in the major coal stripping states: Illinois, West Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and West Virginia, which in 1966 provided 80% of the nation's strip coal. Fig. 3 shows what has been happening in three states lying in the Appalachian field and in the total output of these three states. In the figure, the column height represents the output of coal mined by all methods. The number at the base of each column is the percentage mined by stripping. In Pennsylvania and Ohio, the percentage of strip mining increased between 1956 and 1961, but by 1966 had declined from the 1961 level. In West Virginia, a decline occurred during the first five years but was followed by a rise. In January 1968, Coal Age published an article listing the locations and capacities of new large mines in the planning and construction stages that would be operating by 1968-1971. The plans for West Virginia and Pennsylvania indicated all the new mines would be underground. Except to the extent they might replace existing under-

Jan 1, 1970

By Henry M. Howe

(Cleveland Meeting, October, 1912.) Manuscript received Aug. 20, 1912. PROFESSOR RUFF'S most illuminating paper' describing his extremely valuable investigation of the carbon-iron equilibrium diagram assigns definite temperatures to certain very important lines in the diagram, viz.: the eutectic temperature EB (Fig. 1) and the " near-eutectic " temperature E'B', but without indicating clearly enough the reasoning which warrants these assignments. These temperatures are of such primary importance that it is well to indicate the apparent gaps in the reasoning, in the hope that they may be filled in. In his diagram, Fig. 1, the point X and the lines B'D'HI represent the experimental results reached by Ruff and Goecke; 2 AB, AEB, and SE represent the liquidus, the solidus, and the solubility of the carbon in solid austenite in the absence of graphite according to Gutowsky,3 AB being also in accordance with Spiecker's data;4 ,S'E' the solubility of carbon in solid austenite in the presence of graphite according to Ruer and Iljin; 5 GS the line A3 after Goerens and Meyer;6 I and EBC the true eutectic line as inferred by Prof. Ruff from Gutowsky's data. B'D' is the carbon content found in cast-iron which had apparently saturated itself with carbon in the presence of the graphite of the enclosing graphite crucibles in which the determinations were made. From its straightness and its sharp inflection near 6.67 per cent. of carbon, the carbon content of * Professor of Metallurgy in Columbia University. 1 Metallurgie, vol. viii., pp. 456 to 464 and 497 to 508 (1911). 2 Idem, vol. viii., pp. 417 to 421 (1911). 3 Idem, vol. vi., pp. 731 to 743 (1909). 4 Idem, vol. vi., p. 524 (Wüst) (1909). 5 Idem, vol. viii., pp. 97 to 101 (1911). 6 Idem, vol. vii., pp. 307 to 312 (1910).

Nov 1, 1912

By L. Adler

Longwall caving, one of the most economical and attractive mining methods, is yet one of the most difficult and hazardous.1 This dualism is inherent in a method which manipulates the mine supports themselves to aid in excavation. The difficulty is further compounded by the lack of an analytical method to predict and control results. This paper is intended to meet this need by providing a first approximation to the mechanics involved. The analysis will be limited to materials which are linear-elastic, homogeneous and isotropic. The rock structure is assumed to consist of beds of uniform thickness with no interbed bonding.2 Consequently, the mine roof can be likened to a beam, in which the action characteristic of longwall caving is the controlled deflection of the barrier supports. This deflection causes load to be intentionally transferred from these barrier props to the working face.3 Two of the requirements of this method, shared in common with other mining methods, are the provision of (1) adequate and (2) safe working space. The third requirement is the one characteristic of longwall caving and is somewhat in conflict with the second; (3) the development of near-failure static loads at the face. Requirement (1) is handled by spacing the barrier props sufficiently far from the working face for efficient operation. Requirement (2) limits the static stresses in the structure to predetermined allowable values. This means that it is not desirable to induce a maximum load on the working face as requirement (3) may imply. Such a condition could produce collapse in the whole structure. It is the purpose of the undercut to limit the depth, and thereby control the failure of the face. Therefore, requirement (3) really means the development of an optimum, not maximum, load which, in conjunction with undercutting, produces failure at the working face, with minimum powder consumption. Stress analysis requires an exact delineation of the structure and loads. The structure will be defined as the immediate roof and its supports. Since the roof is severed at the caving line, the supports reduce to the barrier props and the working face, as shown in Fig. 1. The mechanics of failure within the working face itself are complex and beyond the scope of this study, since the face represents a typical mine invert structure.4 However, this lack can be made good by the judicious collection of field data. The primary load on the structure is its own weight or body load which can be considered uniformly distributed over its upper surface. Additional loading occurs due to interference of overbeds with the structure. Wherever this occurs, the effect can be approximated by a load uniformly distributed on the upper surface of the structure.5 When this interference is intermittent, as with a much thicker overbed, the elastic curve for the overbed is superimposed on that for the structure and the extent of interference noted, as Fig. 2 shows. However, for simplicity, this study will ignore such intermittent loads without impairing the generality of approach. Consequently, the free-body diagram is that of a uniformly loaded cantilever beam with an inter-mediate support, as shown in Fig. 3. For convenience of analysis, the diagram will be divided just to the

Jan 1, 1961

By L. B. Slichter

Prospecting is certainly the world's biggest and best gambling business. It is a game where the chips cost many thousands and where many millions, even billions, can be won. An attractive feature of this gamble is the fact that the players are free to rig the odds as favorably as possible. Only the limited bounty of nature, the restrictions of the laws of the land, the competition from other players, the limited sagacity of the player himself— only these, and other factors, restrict the possibilities for large winnings. Today probably about half the land surface of the earth remains to be searched for signs of ore visible at the surface. It is fortunate that so much land still remains for exploration by relatively economical methods. Looking to the future, it is a good guess that the costs of finding ore will increase in response to increasing technical difficulties. To continue to achieve profits from prospecting, it will become necessary to analyze the business more skillfully, in a more and more sophisticated manner. Whenever feasible, qualitative concepts must be replaced by their quantitative equivalents, improvements, and extensions. THE GAMBLE The fact that prospecting is a gambling business reminds us at once of the elementary rule known as the law of gambler's ruin. I hesitate to mention so simple a rule in this company of experts. This rule expresses the rather serious chance of going broke when the odds for success are small, merely by a normal run of bad luck regardless of the long-run expectations of gain. The only sure way of avoiding this special risk of gambler's ruin is to have enough capital, and the will, to continue the play many times and thus ride out the inevitable runs of bad luck. For example, if the probability of success is one in ten for each venture, there is a 35 pct chance that ten successive ventures will fail in a row. But if one has the capital to continue the play through a run of 100 failures, then the chance of gambler's ruin is only 5 in 100,000. Almost any management, I suppose, would be under terrific pressure to cease the play during a long run of bad luck. To continue to prospect under such circumstances requires great confidence in the premises, and a firm conviction in the long-term expectation of profit. There is evidence which I shall mention that in the future even the strongest companies may not have the necessary capital to prospect on the ideal scale. Joint ventures will be very desirable as a means for extending the available venture

Jan 1, 1961