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By John B. Miles

THE present period of depression in the iron industry, with the resultant close approximation of the cost of production to the selling-price of pig-iron, should make the discussion of this subject at this time not only interesting but, profitable. It is possible that it may result, in the collection of data, which when added to those set forth in this paper will clearly indicate the influence of the rate. of driving a blast-furnace upon its fuel-economy. The question is not whether an excessive rate of driving (meaning a rate definitely in excess of the average rate in the United States) results in, an increase in the fuel-consumption, but rather whether a rate considerably less than the average does not result in a marked decrease in the fuel-consumption. The commercial and metallurgical sides of. this problem must be kept separate. With a large margin between the cost of production and the selling-price of pig-iron, and a plant already in operation, it is frequently profitable to sacrifice a couple of hundred pounds of fuel per ton of pig-iron in order to secure the greater gross profits resulting from a larger tonnage. When this margin decreases with a plant in operation, or when the determination of the size of a new furnace intended for a certain production . confronts the management, a clear understanding of the effect of the rate of driving upon fuel-economy becomes necessary. If it be granted that slow driving leads to low fuel-consumption, it should he borne in mind in the design of a new plant for the production of a certain tonnage that the adoption of an economical rate of driving increases only the size of the furnace proper, whereas, due to the decrease in quantity of blast required on account of the decrease in fuel burned, the stoves, the blowing-engines, the boilers and the piping may be de-

Sep 1, 1908

By P. G. Shewmon, F. R. Winslow

An experimental method is describedfor Ihe determination of the derivative of the surface free energy (y,) with surface orientation using symmetric bicrystals. The method measures the equilibrium root-angle of grain boundary grooves for the same grain boundary on two different surfaces. In contrast to previous methods, the presence of annealing twins is not necessary. Results on silver at 900°C indicate that ??s/?3 is 0.014y, on the (loo), 0.075y, on the (111), and < 0.004?s on the (110). DURING an investigation of the kinetics of grain-boundary grooving on silver&apos; values of the derivative of the surface free energy ?s with respect to orientation were needed. Previous investigations of these so-called torque terms show that, for low-index planes in copper2 and nickel,&apos; a finite derivative exists even near the melting point. These two studies give the only previously published values of the torque on low-index metal surfaces. These investigators measured the equilibrium root angles, both greater than and less than 180 deg, along the lines where a twin boundary intersects a free surface. The technique described here is suitable for materials which do not have annealing twins, and enables the surface for study to be chosen instead of having to work in a direction normal to the twin trace on the surface. The purpose of this paper is to describe this new technique and to report the values found for the (111): (100), and (110) surfaces of silver. To check the technique proposed above, a series of 99.99 pct Ag bicrystals were used. These bicrystals were grown from the melt by a modified Bridge-man technique so that a low-index direction was parallel to the growth direction. Two orthogonal faces were studied on each bicrystal. One of these contained the low index or simple plane normal to

Jan 1, 1963

By Theodore Barry

The task of developing controls in the mining and manufacturing industries to give them a tighter grip on operating costs has afforded this author an interesting vantage point for observing certain practices common to both industries. Of course, each of these industries has problems unique to itself, but all industries have many common problems. After all, every industry is a business and every business is concerned with the task of producing its wares as profitably as possible. While many differences between businesses in different industries are known, the author is convinced through experience that the mining industry has much more in common with the manufacturing industry than is generally acknowledged. Four principal questions come to mind in the comparison of mining with manufacturing: How different are the management control methods in these two worlds? How do both industries go about the task of controlling costs? How does the mining industry compare in terms of the effectiveness of its workers? And perhaps most important, what can the mining industry learn from what the manufacturing industry is doing?

Jan 11, 1962

By Foster Bain

THOUGHTFUL people have raised questions as to how long nature&apos;s bank could continue to accept our drafts. These questions came to the fore so persistently, and there were so many evidences -such as the failure of natural gas in Indiana, the increasing scarcity of lumber in the Lake Superior region, the progressive sterility of Southern farm lands, the choking of the Sacramento River by tailing-point-ing to possible danger from overdraft or to misuse of resources and opportunity, that President Roosevelt called a conference which assembled at the White House on May 13, 1908, to consider these and related questions. This, the first great Conservation Congress, had a wide and beneficial influence on the thought of the world. It profoundly influenced the course of succeed-ing events and, while even yet there are sharp dis-agreements as, to the wisdom of much that has been done in the name of conservation, I believe that thoughtful men, and engineers especially, agree that the time had come when sharp attention was properly called to the waste that accompanied development of our resources. RESOURCES LARGE BUT NOT INEXHAUSTIBLE In 1908 there was a surprisingly large number of men, who should have known better, prepared to argue that our resources are "inexhaustible." No competent mining engineer, of course, believes that, as regards minerals at least. They may be, and, in most cases, fortunately are, large; as to many of them our knowledge is too general to permit measuring the reserves; but we know now, and I think the public appreciates, that there is a limit to our supply of gas, oil, coal, iron, and metals. Indeed, with the inten-sive study made necessary to meet the demands of the war, and the more careful accounting required by the newer systems of taxation, depletion has become a common word, and that mines are wasting assets has become a platitude.

Jan 8, 1922

By David G. Chedgy

The Meadow River No. 1 preparation plant, owned by Sewell Coal Co. which is a subsidiary of the Pittston Co., was commissioned in the spring of 1974. A survey of the environmental noise levels was conducted, and the dominant noise sources identified. An engineering program was initiated to reduce the prevailing levels to a point that the operator&apos;s exposure would be within compliance with the MESA regulation for ear protection. The program was continued until compliance was achieved and the attenuation factors for each abatement device recorded. The highlights of this program will be presented with a discussion of the practicality of the devices utilized.

Jan 1, 1977

By L. S. Castleman, H. A. Froot

A study was made of the growth kinetics of B-brass layers in a-brass us y-brass diffusion couples in which both phases were saturated in the 6 phase. It was found that useful estimates can be made of the difhsion coefficients at the ß-phase interfaces from interface displacement data, which are relatively easy to measure experimentally; also, a useful estimate can be made of the mean heat of activation for diffusion from layer growth data. The effects of pressure on layer growth kinetics were explored and found to be consistent with a vacancy model for diffusion in 6 brass in both the disordered and ordered temperature range. 1 HE study of multiphase diffusion receives relatively little attention in comparison with that devoted to diffusion in homogeneous materials. Of the hundred or so papers on diffusion written each year,&apos; only a few are devoted to the subject, and it is the rare review article2,3 that devotes any space to multiphase diffusional phenomena. This is unfortunate, since the metallurgist frequently encounters practical situations involving cementation processes such as cladding, protective coating of metals, and so forth in which he needs guidance of a fundamental nature. The investigation of multiphase diffusion phenomena is complicated by the fact that one must consider reactions at phase interfaces as well as the migration of atoms within the individual phases; these reactions cause the interfaces to be displaced within the diffusion zone. The relative displacement of two adjacent interfaces corresponds to the growth of an intermetallic layer, and it is not difficult to determine experimentally the kinetics of layer growth. In the past few years it has been pointed out4,5 that valuable fundamental information may be gained about diffusion coefficients and the concentrations at interfaces through a study of their motion. Accordingly, it is the purpose of this paper to report the results of an investigation of interface motion in a simple multiphase binary system. In the work reported herein, attention was focussed on the growth of a 6 -brass layer in a diffusion couple prepared from a- and y-brass compositions saturated with respect to the 6 phase. This particular system was chosen for a number of reasons. First, the bcc ß-brass phase is disordered for all compositions at temperatures above 468°C and becomes increasingly long-range ordered for all compositions at temperatures below 454° C;6,7 thus, the effects of a variation in order on interface displacement could be determined. Second, diffusion coefficients have already been obtained as a function of temperature in the ß phase both in the ordered and disordered Re- and a theoretical picture of the mechanism of diffusion in this and other ordered solutions is emerging.11&apos;12 Third, some thermodynamic data are available for the a-, ß-, and ?-brass phases,13,4 and these data could be used to gain insight into questions of phase equilibria and concentrations at phase interfaces.

Jan 1, 1963

By Ralph W. M. Lai, D. W. Fuerstenau

In aqueous solution, an oxide surface is considered to consist of positively charged surface sites, MOH, neutral surface sites MOH, and negatively charged surface sites MO-. From the mass action law, equations for the distribution of these sites have been derived in terms of the hydrogen ion concentration in solution and the point of zero charge of the oxide. Experiments on the flotation of futile were carried out with sulfonates and amines which are collectors that physisorb, and with oleate, which is a collector that chemisorbs. Flotation response was found to correlate with the site distribution model. A similar correlation was found with published data on iron oxide potation.

Jan 1, 1977

By R. W. Ludt, C. C. DeWitt

The use of froth flotation for the separation of minerals has become one of the most important of ore dressing processes. Its particular adaptability to the enrichment of low grade ores has made the process an important factor in the national economy. The methods have been extended to the recovery of a great number of minerals. Among the few minerals which have resisted efforts toward industrial flotation is chrysocolla, a hydrated partly colloidal copper silicate. Chrysocolla, being a product of natural oxidation, has been found to occur in small quantities with many ores which are recovered by flotation methods. In present practice, these small quantities of copper silicate pass off with the tailings and are lost. The advantages to be gained by a satisfactory process for the recovery of chrysocolla is apparent. Any application of principles which points a way toward the satisfactory industrial flotation process for copper silicate would be of advantage. This paper presents an attack on this problem. Two methods for the recovery of chrysocolla have been developed by the United States Bureau of Mines.1,2 They have been successful on a laboratory scale but have been seriously restricted in industrial application by critical requirements in the procedure. In one of the Bureau of Mines methods,&apos; the ore is activated with sodium or hydrogen sulphide in an aqueous solution at a pH of 4. Amy1 xanthate is then used as a collector with pine oil as a frother in the flotation process. An excess of sulphide acts as a depressant and the state of optimum conditions is difficult to control industrially. In the second Bureau of Mines method,2 soap is used as the collector at a pH of between 8 and 9. The diffi- culties with this process are that soap is not a specific collector, that heavy metal or alkaline earth ions cause the formation of insoluble soaps, and that a more acid solution causes the formation of a free acid which does not act as a collector for chrysocolla. The problem of recovering chrysocolla by flotation involves the selection of a suitable collector. The collector molecule must be composed of an active polar group that has an attraction for chrysocolla, and of a hydrocarbon chain. Certain dyes have been shown to have an attraction for certain minerals. Suida3 found that hydrated silicates are colored by basic dyes. Dittler4 showed that chrysocolla, among other colloidal minerals of acid reaction, preferentially takes up such basic dyes as fuchsin B, methylene blue, and methyl green. Endell5 gave information to show that the colloidal material in clay may be determined by its selective adsorption of fuchsin. A simple experiment, likewise, illustrates the difference in the adsorptive power of chrysocolla and of silica for the basic triphenyl methane dyes. When a mixture of chrysocolla and silica is immersed in a very dilute dye solution, less than 5 ppm, the chryso-colla is rapidly dyed and the silica is dyed more slowly. The difference is substantial but one of degree. Dean2 showed that the dyes, crystal violet and toluidine blue, are taken up by quartz in an adsorption type process. The difference in the adsorptive power, however, offers the means by which a new collector may act. To form such a collector, a hydrocarbon chain must be attached to the dye molecule. This involves a process of organic synthesis. Butyl, hexyl, and octyl hydrocarbon chains were selected for substitution in the malachite green molecule. For the purpose of identification, the alkyl-substituted dyes formed are called: butyl-malachite green; hexyl- malachite green; and octyl-malachite green. An outline of the procedure for their synthesis is given in the appendix. It is generally recognized in the preparation of this type of dye that the chemical structure of some of the dye molecules varies. However, a uniform formula is attributed to the dye. Such a procedure has been followed in specifying the structure of these alkyl-substi-tuted malachite green dyes. The structure is given on the basis of their properties as an homologous series of dyes, on their method of preparation, and on the purity of intermediates used. Structure of substituted alkyl malachite green is: C6H4 N(CH3)2 p-R C6H4 CH C6H4 N(CH)2 Procedure The flotation cell is a Bureau of Mines 100-g, batch unit provided with an air inlet at the bottom above which is a variable speed agitator. The agi-

Jan 1, 1950

By Howard N. Eavenson

Waste of coal, or perhaps more properly the percentage of its recovery in mining, has keenly interested me during an experience of over a half century in coal mining. In the early part of that time and until a few years after World War I the use of better mining plans and supervision resulted in an increased recovery. Since then, and particularly since controlled prices have been effective and mechanized mining has been extensively practiced, the tendency has all been toward lesser recovery in mining. The purpose of this paper is not to criticize the methods being used, which after all are the result of economic forces, nor to point to any particular mining method or to any locality where the best recovery is obtained, but to call attention to the tremendous waste of our national coal resources that is constantly continuing. A possible method of reducing this loss will be suggested, but without any illusions that it will be followed or that such attention will be paid to it. Average Recovery The actual average percentage of recovery of coal in the ground is not known. Many papers giving figures of recovery have been published but no definite base of measurement has been agreed upon by those presenting the data. As an example, the Pittsburgh bed can be considered—it has produced a greater output than any other and has been sold or leased at higher prices in place than any other coal bed. Over a large part of its area where high prices have prevailed it has been customary for many years to draw pillars. In these mines it has been usually assumed that the average recovery was higher than in other beds and percentages of recovery of 85 to 95 per cent are usually said to be realized. In all of these mines, however, it has been customary to leave from 4 to 8 in. in the bottom, and 10 to 16 in. in the roof; thus from 14 to 24 in. of coal has been left in the mines out of a total seam thickness of about 96 in., or 15 to 25 per cent of the total coal. No attempt is made to mine this coal for metallurgical purposes, owing to its impurities, although this unmined coal is of excellent quality and better than much of the coal used for steam purposes. If we add to this discard the coal usually lost in mining and those parts of the bed &apos;that must be left because of bad seam conditions, barrier pillars, reservations for buildings, gas and oil wells, one can easily see that the actual recovery from this bed cannot be more than 65 to 75 per cent. In addition, the rooster or rider or wild coal over the mining bed—often 3 to 4 ft. of coal, high in ash and sulphur but still good steam coal—is hardly ever mined, nor is any attempt made to mine it. It is safe to say that from a broad economic viewpoint not more than 50 to 60 per cent of the fuel value of this great seam is actually being recovered.

Jan 1, 1947

By Howard N. Eavenson

Waste of coal, or perhaps more properly the percentage of its recovery in mining, has keenly interested me during an experience of over a half century in coal mining. In the early part of that time and until a few years after World War I the use of better mining plans and supervision resulted in an increased recovery. Since then, and particularly since controlled prices have been effective and mechanized mining has been extensively practiced, the tendency has all been toward lesser recovery in mining. The purpose of this paper is not to criticize the methods being used, which after all are the result of economic forces, nor to point to any particular mining method or to any locality where the best recovery is obtained, but to call attention to the tremendous waste of our national coal resources that is constantly continuing. A possible method of reducing this loss will be suggested, but without any illusions that it will be followed or that such attention will be paid to it. Average Recovery The actual average percentage of recovery of coal in the ground is not known. Many papers giving figures of recovery have been published but no definite base of measurement has been agreed upon by those presenting the data. As an example, the Pittsburgh bed can be considered—it has produced a greater output than any other and has been sold or leased at higher prices in place than any other coal bed. Over a large part of its area where high prices have prevailed it has been customary for many years to draw pillars. In these mines it has been usually assumed that the average recovery was higher than in other beds and percentages of recovery of 85 to 95 per cent are usually said to be realized. In all of these mines, however, it has been customary to leave from 4 to 8 in. in the bottom, and 10 to 16 in. in the roof; thus from 14 to 24 in. of coal has been left in the mines out of a total seam thickness of about 96 in., or 15 to 25 per cent of the total coal. No attempt is made to mine this coal for metallurgical purposes, owing to its impurities, although this unmined coal is of excellent quality and better than much of the coal used for steam purposes. If we add to this discard the coal usually lost in mining and those parts of the bed &apos;that must be left because of bad seam conditions, barrier pillars, reservations for buildings, gas and oil wells, one can easily see that the actual recovery from this bed cannot be more than 65 to 75 per cent. In addition, the rooster or rider or wild coal over the mining bed—often 3 to 4 ft. of coal, high in ash and sulphur but still good steam coal—is hardly ever mined, nor is any attempt made to mine it. It is safe to say that from a broad economic viewpoint not more than 50 to 60 per cent of the fuel value of this great seam is actually being recovered.

Jan 1, 1947

By A. F. Crowley, D. W. G. White

AS part of a continuing program of liquid metals research, the densities of liquid lead, tin, zinc, cadmium, and indium have been measured by a pycnometric method. The pycnometers are made of high-density graphite to the design illustrated in Fig. l(a). In pursuing this research program, emphasis has been placed on detailed experimental care. As a result, claims are made for densities accurate to within ± 0.05 pct over temperature ranges varying from about 100° to 200°C above the melting point. A paper reporting the densities of tin, lead, and Pn-Sn alloys has recently been published,&apos; while papers dealing with

Jan 1, 1969

By Thomas F. Evans

This study shows that statistics on the rate of coal dumping can measure the effectiveness of freeze conditioning agents. The use of appropriately indexed dumping intervals or interval logrithms provides a more sensitive indication of unloading problems than does a simple calculation of average loading time because of the abnormal form of the distribution of dumping intervals. The paper presents information that indicates suitably applied coal freeze conditioning agents are effective in reducing coal handling problems attributable to frozen coal. Graphs and figures show that the severity of coal freezing potential due to subfreezing temperatures is proportional to the exposure time and average departure of the temperature from the freezing point.

Jan 1, 1982

By Roshan B. Bhappu, Raul A. Deju

The mineral olivine has been the subject of continued research by various authors. Paik1 conducted infrared and flotation studies of the adsorption of sodium alkyl benzene sulfonates on olivine. These studies are of interest from two points of view. First, in the metallurgical field it is of interest to understand the mechanism of silicate flotation using sulfonate collectors and second, hydrologists are interested in studying the chemical reactions that take place when water plus sulfonates encounter a porous silicate medium. On the basis of his study, Paik was able to postulate a possible mechanism for the attachment of RSO3- (sulfonate radical) to the olivine surface.

Jan 1, 1973

By R. I. Jaffee, F. C. Holden, H. R. Ogden

Alpha solutes increase the strengths of Ti-Mn alloys through solid-solution strengthening. The substitutional a addition, aluminum, decreases, and the interstitial solutes, carbon and nitrogen, increase the rate of nucleation and growth of a from ß. The best combinations of properties of a-ß alloys are obtained when there is a sufficient quantity of a phase in the structure to dissolve the a solutes. OF the many different titanium-base alloy systems, the predominant alloy type is the a-ß alloy. The properties of the a-ß alloys are dependent on solid-solution strengthening and heat-treatment effects involving the a-ß ratio and transformation reactions. Another variable which influences the mechanical properties of a-ß alloys is the a-stabilizer content of the alloy. An a solute may be present as an intentional addition, such as aluminum, or as an impurity element, such as carbon, oxygen, or nitrogen. It is known that these a stabilizers, when added to titanium, form single-phase alloys which are not heat treatable but which obtain their strength from solid-solution strengthening. Thus, it would be expected that a additions to a-ß alloys would increase the strength of the alloys by solid-solution strengthening of the a phase. In addition, they would affect the transformation kinetics of the ß-to-a reactions and other processes based on the instability of the ß phase. The effects of heat treatment and structure on the mechanical properties of Ti-Mn alloys have been shown in a previous paper.6 This system offers a good base to demonstrate the effects of typical a solutes on the properties of a-ß alloys. The three a solutes described in this work are aluminum, representative of a substitutional a solute, nitrogen, representative of an interstitial a solute, and carbon, representative of an interstitial compound-forming element. The effects of heat treatment and microstructure on the properties of a alloys containing these three elements are described in concurrent publications. Some of these data are used for base-line points in several of the curves used for illustration herein. Experimental Procedures Iodide titanium was used as the base for all of the alloys studied in this work. The alloys were prepared as ½ lb ingots by double arc melting in an argon atmosphere. The ingots were forged to ¾ in. rounds, vacuum annealed for 6 hr at 900°C at a pressure of 10 &apos; to 10-5 mm of Hg to remove hydrogen, and hot swaged to 1/4 in. diam rod. After me- chanical descaling, test specimens were prepared for heat treatment. The alloys used in this study together with the fabrication temperatures are given in Table I. Heat treatments were done in argon. For the most part, the specimens were sealed in Vyeor capsules under a partial pressure of argon. Quenching was accomplished by breaking the capsule under water. Other cooling methods used included oil quench, argon cool (simulated air cool in an argon atmosphere), and furnace cool. The times for the various heat-treating temperatures are given in Table 11. The tests performed on the alloys consisted of tensile tests on ? in. diam specimens, hardness tests, and microimpact tests. Specimen sizes have been adequately described in a previous publication.&apos; The micrographs presented in this paper were taken from specimens cut from the shoulders of broken tensile specimens. Final polishing was done with Linde B on a slow-speed wheel, and the specimens were etched with a 1½ HF — 3½ HNO, solution. Ti-N-Mn Alloys The transformation diagram and microstructures of the Ti-0.1 pct N-Mn alloys used in this investigation are given in Fig. 1. The effect of small nitrogen additions on the binary Ti-Mn diagram is to raise the ß-transus temperature with little effect on the a solubility of manganese. Also, as has been noted previously,&apos; high manganese-content alloys containing nitrogen, when quenched from temperatures high in the ß field, contain a subgrain boundary phase which appears to be nitrogen-rich a. Marten-site is formed when alloys containing less than about

Jan 1, 1956

By Rossiter W. Raymond

I desire to call the attention of the Institute to a novel system of dredging which, it seems to me, may prove applicable, not only to river and harbor improvements, but also to certain varieties at 1east of alluvial and diluvial gold mining; that is, river-mining, barmining, coast-mining, and any other similar operations now carried on by means of coffer-dams or dredging machines. The simple and effective method to which I refer is the invention of General Roy Stone, formerly an officer of volunteers, and at present a civil engineer, engaged under General Newton, of the United States Engineer Corps, upon the government works in New York harbor. General Stone has been, since September, 1878, in charge of operations upon Diamond Reef. This reef, lying between Governor&apos;s Island and the Battery, is one of the most dangerous in the harbor. Its position in the highway of navigation, and the fact that it is dangerous only to vessels of considerable draught and at certain stages of the tide, combine to increase the serious nature of the disasters which it has caused. The reef consists partly of rock in place, and partly of deposits of glacial clay, boulders, and pebbles, over all of which lies, or did lie until it was removed, the ordinary silt and rubbish of the harbor. As the purpose of the present paper has nothing to do with the special dimensions and other circamstances of this particular work, I describe those features only which are connected with General Stone&apos;s ingenious device. Various attempts have been made to remove the upper portion of Diamond Reef and secure a navigable depth at low tide. Some years ago Maillefert undertook to accomplish this by firing charges of high explosives, simply laid upon the surface. He accomplished some good in the removal of projecting points and ridges; but as soon as the surface of the reef had become approximately level, his method was no longer effective. After the work had been taken up by the Engineer Corps, the well-known drilling-scow invented by General Newton was brought into action; and, SO long as holes could be bored and fired in solid rock, this process was effective enough. In the mixture of hard-pan

Jan 1, 1880

By George Scott

MANY requests for information as to the possibility of washing coals to some predetermined percentage of ash or sulfur have suggested that the producers aim to satisfy some degree of purity set by the user of the fuel, rather than to attain the greatest economic benefit to all concerned. This paper is written to show that the highest economic purity of washed coal can be determined from washability studies of the raw coal, costs of mining and washing coal, and data on the effect of ash and sulphur on the value of the coal for the particular use for which it is intended. COKE FOR BLAST-FURNACE USE For purposes of illustration, we take the case of coal washed for coke to be used in the iron blast furnace. The method outlined can be made general in its application by substituting for the figures used here the actual operating figures for the particular case under consideration. In general, it costs the blast-furnace operation from 8 to 25 c. per ton of pig iron to slag out each 1 per cent. of ash introduced into the blast furnace by the coke. This figure depends on which one per cent. of ash is removed, and decreases with decrease in ash: When blast furnaces and coal mines are considered as a whole, the figure decreases to zero and then becomes negative, on account of low recovery of washed coal. Various figures1 have been given by different investigators: These figures necessarily differ, not only on account of the differences in operating costs but on account of the difference in the respective fuels as well. For the purpose of this paper, which, as explained, is to point out a method of attacking a certain problem, the figures used in the exposition of the method are of secondary importance. It is apparent that no universally applicable figures can be used, because there are none. Each plant has its own coal,2 its own operating cost, and its own conditions.

Jan 1, 1929

By J. W. Eckerd

Anthracite mining developments have not been as spectacular as the advances made for bituminous coal. The reasons are well known, i.e., steeply pitching seams of the western, eastern, middle and southern fields, and the physical conditions of the strata in which the seams are situated. Beds with moderate pitches (30º to 35º or less) have been mined with coal planers, longwall with movable props, shaker chutes, coal borers and large diameter boring machines. However, the use of this equipment has been limited to a relatively small portion of the production. Long-hole drilling has been developed from a point where holes of 25 or 30 ft have been replaced by those up to 130 ft. This has been possible through the introduction of primacord and similar detonating agents that can fire a long train of explosives with one cap. The usual practice in long-hole mining is to drive a gangway, chutes and monkey heading, or return airway, in the normal development manner. Two breasts can then be driven from the lower to the upper level to act as openings for the beginning of the long-hole work. Following completion of the development, holes can then be drilled from the monkey headings 100 ft or more up the pitch through the coal to within 15 ft or more of the upper level, depending on the nature of the coal on the roof. The thickness of the coal bed determines the spacing of the long holes, although they usually are on 6-ft centers for a 6-ft thick coal seam. The Bureau of Mines has conducted extensive investigations and tests on the development of a hydraulic mining system to be used in conjunction with hydraulic hoisting. Tests were conducted in cooperation with a large anthracite producer in a coal seam from 10 ft 6 in. to 15 ft in thickness and on a pitch from 0º to 20. This particular mining procedure is adaptable only to thick seams on relatively flat pitch as the maneuverability of the hydraulic jumbo is an important restricting factor.

Jan 2, 1968

By M. E. Wadswort, A. S. Peck

Infrared data disclose that phenacite reacts with oleic acid to form a chemisorbed oleate monolayer on the mineral surface. The absorption band characteristic of the antisymmetrical C = 0 oleate structure appears at a spectral wavelength of 1623 cm-&apos;. Chemisorption also results in the displacement of OH- and silicate from the mineral surface. Infrared absorbance at 1623 cm-1 is correlated with float-ability at different pH for -60-mesh phenacite particles. Phenacite, Be2SiO4, is an ore mineral often associated with quartz, microcline, and chrysoberyl in pegmatites and mica schist. Experimental phenacite beneficiating processes have been confined principally to the flotation of low grade ores occur-ing in several mountain ranges of Utah and Nevada. The U.S. Bureau of Mines &apos; has recently reported on the separation of phenacite from ore deposits of Mount Wheeler, Nev. Infrared techniques were previously applied by the authors to characterize the role of sodium oleate and oleic acid in the flotation of several non-sulfide minerals.23 A parallel study was projected to the flotation of the orthosilicate mineral phenacite with oleic acid. Infrared spectra provided a &apos;molecular fingerprint&apos; of the mineral surface and permitted identification of the reaction mechanisms. Infrared data were complemented with flotation and chemical tests. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES The experimental procedures used in this investigation, for which data are presented in graphical or spectral form, are described in chronological test order. Phenacite crystals from Mt. Antero, Colo., were obtained from Ward&apos;s Co., Monterey, Calif. The crystals were fragmented in a porcelain mortar to -60 mesh and then pretreated with 0.5 molar HC1 for 15 min to remove iron. Then, the mineral particles were washed free of acid with distilled water and dried. Part of the dried material was ground to a fine powder with a Fisher Grinder using an agate mortar and pestle. Next, the powder was placed in a graduated cylinder and mixed with 500 ml of distilled water. The mineral in suspension was decanted from the settled fraction after 5 min, and the colloidal suspension was used for adsorption tests in which a high specific mineral surface area was required for adsorption and infrared analysis. Conditioning was performed in 50 ml glass centrifuge tubes for both infrared and flotation test determinations. Twenty ml of colloidal suspension was used for the infrared adsorption tests. One and a half g of deslimed -60-mesh HCl pretreated phenacite was added to 20 ml of distilled water for flotation conditioning tests. Six mg of oleic acid was used for each infrared adsorption test, and 0.2 mg of oleic acid was used for the flotation conditioning tests. HCl and NaOH were used for pH modification. The pulps were stirred at a speed of about 1500 rpm for 3 min. Then, the solids were separated out and either dried at 50°C or immediately transferred to a float cell. The pH of the residual liquid was determined with a Beckman Zeromatic pH meter. The flotation procedure is described as follows: 1) A 325-1111 glass micro-float cell was filled with distilled water. 2) Conditioned mineral was placed in the cell and the pulp was aerated through the glass fritted bottom at 7 psi pressure. 3) Floated mineral was skimmed from the cell with a glass slide until flotation ceased. (The end point was reached in all tests in less than 2 min.) 4) The flotation products were dried, weighed, and the recovery was calculated. Samples for infrared analysis were made into mulls using either oleic acid or series 13-21 Halocarbon oil obtained from Halocarbon Products Corp., Hacken-sack, N.J. The mulls were placed between two sodium chloride windows. A characteristic phenacite infrared band at 1868 cm-&apos; was used as an internal standard for quantitative determinations in which absorbance at this position was quantified by the baseline-tangent method4 and related to absorbance at 1623 cm-&apos;. The ratio obtained by dividing absorbance at 1623 cm-&apos; by absorbance at 1868 cm-&apos; was defined as an absorbance quotient for use in graphical presentation.

Jan 1, 1968

By T. M. Chance

The first bituminous coal cleaning-plant to use the sand-flotation process1 was placed in operation on Oct. 1, 1925, at the tipple of the East Broad Top Railroad & Coal Co., at Mt. Union, Pa. The general principles governing the design of plants of this type and typical operating results of anthracite sand-flotation units have been previously outlined.2 I will, therefore, confine myself to a description of this particular plant and to some of the elements of design it incorporates. The Original Mt. Union Tipple The plant was installed to transfer coal.from steel narrow-gage cars of 60,000 and 70,000 lb. capacity to standard-gage equipment. The coal was hauled about 30 miles from the East Broad Top field. This coa1, mined by the Rockhill Coal & Iron Co. and other operators, is a low-volatile slow-coking coal with ash of high-fusion point. It is normally a high-grade coal that does not contain an excessive amount of free impurities, but it requires careful handling to secure a fair domestic yield, and, naturally, the need for narrow-gage transshipment increases the difficulty of the problem. The narrow-gage cars were discharged into an 8-car track hopper equipped with two feeders passing the coal to two 42-in. apron intake conveyors. Twin units were installed throughout the original plant, two lump-and-egg shaking screens, two lump picking-tables, two egg picking-tables and two stoker conveyors. The stoker coal was loaded without cleaning. The loading tracks and booms were in duplicate and, with the layout as originally installed, either unit could be run independently, each unit shipping a different class of coal or both units making the same product.

Jan 1, 1927

By W. Ivanick, Frank W. Glaser

ORDERING reactions of Fe-Si compositions in the a region have been mentioned in a number of review articles.7-8 However, little is known in regard to the critical temperature, T at which this transformation takes place. Greiner and Stoughton,&apos; in a study of the constitution of iron-rich Fe-Si alloys below 800°C, placed the onset of order at a composition of about 4 to 5 wt pct (7.5 to 9.5 atomic pct) Si. They observed that at this composition the ductility and strength begin to decrease sharply and brittleness develops. During X-ray studies they observed only the appearance of superlattice lines for compositions containing 12.5 atomic pct Si. More recent X-ray diffraction studies- etected the appearance of superstructure lines (corresponding to the calculated positions of [Ill] and [ZOO] reflections) for alloys containing 9.5 atomic pct. This fact confirms Greiner and Stoughton&apos;s original hypothesis in regard to the onset of order at compositions containing about 7.5 to 9.5 atomic pct Si. The physical properties.of Fe-Si alloys containing more than 10 atomic pct Si have been studied only to a limited extent. Their extreme brittleness and difficulties of sample preparation render them of little industrial use in comparison with alloys in the 0 to 10 atomic pct Si range. The properties of Fe-Si alloys reported to date are mostly properties measured at room temperature on ordered compositions It appears that because of experimental difficulties fully disordered alloys could not be produced in the critical composition ranges and their properties could therefore not be reported. In Figs. la, lb, and lc, a summary of physical properties of Fe-Si alloys, measured during recent investigations of the influence of silicon additions to iron, is presented. No mention of determination of the critical temperature, T for disorder could be found in the literature. The following is an account of work done in an attempt to: 1) produce the disordered state of various Fe-Si alloys and establish the critical temperature, T for disordering, and 2) compare the electrical and thermal conductivity characteristics of the ordered and disordered phases as functions of composition. Materials, Preparation of Test Samples, and Testing Methods Fe-Si alloys with high silicon contents (about 10 atomic pct) are usually prepared using powder metallurgy techniques. This method insures accurate compositions and high purity through the use of protective atmospheres during solid state diffusion alloying of the mixed powders."" Iron and silicon powders were mixed in the desired proportions, cold or hot pressed, and then homogenized at 1150°C for periods ranging from 6 to 12 hr under a protective getter and in a hydrogen atmosphere. Fully homogenized samples were quenched in water from various and successively higher temperatures to establish the critical temperature for disorder. Temperatures were determined using Pt—Pt-Rh thermocouples in contact with the test samples. Test bars were approximately 0.6x1.25x7.5 cm. Electrical measurements were made at room temperature by determining the potential drop over a 1.5 cm span for a current of 10 amp. Densities of the samples were determined by immersion. High temperature electrical resistivities were measured using previously described techniques.&apos;" Specific heat conductivity up to 200°C was measured by heating one end of the test bar and water-cooling the other; heat conductivity was then obtained by subtracting the rate at which heat entered the water from the

Jan 1, 1957