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By M. J. Coolbaugh

Mining potash at depths of 3000 ft or more beneath thick water-bearing sediments in Saskatchewan presented a unique challenge to the North American mining industry. Potash is known to flow under pressure, but the knowledge of its flow characteristics at great depths was inadequate for safe design of mine workings and for assured protection from water above the salt formations. At the 3000-ft. depth of the Canadian mines, the potash is stressed beyond its elastic limit, and therefore mining design must deal primarily with its behavior as a plastic material. Recognizing that careful study would be required in order to assure safety and stability of mine workings in deep potash, IMC initiated an extensive rock mechanics investigation of structural properties of potash and salt under high-stress conditions. This presentation consists of a brief review of the development of some methods of testing potash in the laboratory and in the field; some of the rock mechanics concepts and principles derived; and their application to potash mine design. The mining of potash more than 3000 ft beneath the water-bearing sediments in Saskatchewan presented the unique challenge of designing stable mine workings and assuring protection from overhead water in a material that was believed to flow plastically, but whose behavior as a plastic material was not sufficiently known. Under the stress conditions ordinarily encountered in mining, most rocks behave as elastic materials; that is, they compress slightly under pressure, and rebound when the pressure is released. Salt and potash, however, are different. Even under the relatively low pressures encountered at shallow depths, these materials become slightly plastic and yield to stress by flowing.* The plastic properties become more pronounced at greater depth and pressure, and the question arises as to whether or not the plastic flow will be rapid enough and exert enough pressure to destroy underground structures or interrupt the mining process. It was found, however, that not only was there an insufficiency of information about the behavior of potash and salt, but conventional methods of testing these materials, such as determining the modulus of elasticity, Poisson's ratio, and uniaxial compressive strength, were inapplicable because of the high stress conditions prevailing at the 3000-ft depth. Potash under high pressure, for example, has practically no modulus of elasticity, its stress-strain relationship varies with time, and its compressive strength depends upon the degree of confinement. Elasticity and Stress/Strain Relationship: Fig. 1 shows a standard stress/strain chart for potash as made by the Department of Mines in Canada. Typically, when stress is applied to a hard-rock specimen, the specimen contracts, then expands to its original shape when the stress is withdrawn. This chart illustrates, however, that potash under stress yields to the stress by flowing, and does not expand when the stress is withdrawn. When the applied stress was held constant for 30 min, beginning at points A and C, the strain continued to increase and the potash flowed to points B and D, respectively. Points B, D, F, and H show that the potash did not return to its original shape when the stress was released. Thus it can be observed that potash has practically no elasticity and that the amount of strain depends upon the length of time that the stress is applied. Compressive Strength: The conventional method of determining the compressive strength of hard material is to find the maximum pressure that long slender specimens of the material can withstand without failing. As illustrated in Fig. 2,* line B, a standard 2-in. cube of potash subjected to a conventional type of uniaxial compressive test will exhibit a strength of about 5000 psi. However, the compressive strength exhibited can be made to change by changing the conditions under which the test is made. For example, if teflon plates lubricated with graphite are inserted between the press and the specimen, thus minimizing end constraint, the compressive strength is only about 2500 psi, shown in line A. If a specimen is cut in half, changing the width-to-height ratio to 2 : 1 instead of 1:1, and then tested without lubri-

Jan 1, 1968

By Arthur A. Center

AT the beginning of 1944 it was expected that the production of metallic zinc in the United States from domestic and foreign concentrates would exceed the 1943 figure though domestic production of concentrates was expected to drop below the 1943 rate, mostly in the Tri-State area. Imports of concentrates were estimated to more than take care of such deficiency. North American concentrate production, available for import to the United States or elsewhere during the year, was estimated at over 200,000 tons recoverable zinc content; South American at about 65,000 tons; Australian at about 50,000 tons. Production of both concentrates and metal in the United States, however, did drop, attributable in considerable part to man-power shortage in the industry. However production exceeded consumption, which fell off, and stocks of metal increased. These stocks have increased since the middle of 1942 but production and consumption are coming nearer to a balance. The A, B, and C premiums, which have played an important part in keeping up domestic production of concentrates, extend only to the middle of 1945 by present legislation. Congress is being asked for their continuance during the war and

Jan 1, 1945

By Frank R. Van Horn

In the summer of 1908, R. B. Cochran, Superintendent of the Compania Metalurgica Mexicana at Sierra Mojada, Mexico, presented to the Department of Geology and Mineralogy at Case School of Applied Science an interesting series of silver-, copper-, and lead-ores from the Veta Rica mine. These ores contained several interesting minerals which were associated in a somewhat peculiar manner, so that I was impelled to make a closer study of their occurrence. The investigation has brought out several new facts concerning the geology of the district and the geological occurrence of the ores, and therefore has seemed worthy of record. Two papers have been published previously about the region, one by Chisml in 1887, and the other by Malcolmson² in 1902. These articles, however, treat of the district more from the stand-point of the metallurgist and mining engineer, and not much attention is devoted to its mineralogy and economic geology. 11. Geographical Location of the District. The Sierra Mojada is situated in the extreme western part of the State of Coahuila, near the Chihuahua boundary. It is reached best via the Mexican Central railroad from El Paso, Tex., to Escalon, Chihuahua, a distance of 494 miles. From this point, a branch line, the Mexican Northern railroad, runs 78 miles in a NE. direction to the mines, which are its northern terminus. The railroad was built about 1890, practically on account of the Sierra Mojada mining-district.

Jan 1, 1913

By J. Chipman

There is no better way of paying tribute to the memory of a scientist than by developing and carrying forward those ideas which he has contributed to science and which are for us the very essence of his immortality. For a lecturer who has not had the great privilege of stdying under Professor Howe or 'ven of knowing him in person, these ideas must be transmitted through the printed word. It is our great good fortune that Professor Howe left to us a rich heritage of publication, not only in his classic monograph on the "Metallography of Steel and Cast Iron" but in a wealth of earlier hooks and papers in the transactions of this Institute arid of other scientific and engineering bodies. An outstanding characteristic of this published record is the great breadth of interest and of vision which it portrays. His was riot a narrow specialization in only the scientific aspects of ferrous metallographg. On the contra1y many of his important contributions had to do with a far broader field of metallurgicial endeavor. He insisted that his students be well grounded in 1 he fundamentals underlying the whole field and not led into the narrow groove of specific applications. Among his first major publications we find papers on copper smelting, extraction of nickel, the efficiency of fans and blowers, thermic curves of blast furnaces, the cost, of coke, and the manufacture of steel. These are the papers of a metalhurgical engineer and it was among engineers that Henry Marion Howe made his early and well-merited reputation. These early engineering contributions display very clearly the strongly sctientific inclination of their author. The classic work on "The Metallurgy of Steel" published in 1890 contains a thorough and critical discussion of all that was known at the time concerning the alloys of iron and of what we would now call the physical metallurgy of steel. In addition it describes steel-making processes in use and some that had become obsolete, and points out in critical fashion the reasons for success and failure. Steel mill design and layout were included as well as some pertinent discussion of refractories. The book is indeed an embodiment of one of Howe's outstanding characteristics—breadth. It is both the science and the engineering of steel production as known in that day. One of Howe's earliest technical papers was entitled "What is Steel?" That was nearly seventy-five years ago when many new processes and new kinds of steel were being developed. The time was ripe for such a question and the answers which Howe was able to give were helpful in understanding the phenomena of heat treatment. Twenty-five years ago Professor Sauveur repeated the question as the title of the first Henry Marion Howe Memorial Lecture. It seemed to him that this question, "What is Steel?," had served as Howe's motto throughout the remainder of his life. Today I shall present for your consideration a question of another sort: "What is Sletallurgy?" Perhaps it is not too much to hope that in the answer we may obtain a clearer and possibly broader view of the nature of our science and our profession. The time is ripe for giving careful consideration to what we mean by metallurgy. If our Metals Branch is to become in fact an American institute of Metallurgical Engineers, it is essential that we understand what is meant by metallurgical engineering. I am convinced that the best interests of the profession have not been served by a narrow interpretation of these terms. We must now place emphasis on the breadth of metallurgy as a science and as an engineering profession. With its usual brevity and wit. Webster's dictionary definesmetallurgy as "the science and art of extracting metals from their ores, refining them and preparing them for use." I shall riot assume that the words "science" and "art" and "metal" are so well understood as to require no defining but others among our contemporaries are better qualified than either your lecturer or the dictionary to present the broad meanings of these terms. When we say that metallurgy is among the oldest of the arts we are not classing it with painting or sculpture or music but rather with the making of tools or weapons or the building of bridges or chariots or cathedrals. In short we are saying that metallurgy is among the oldest of the engineering professions. The question " What is metallurg ? " has been one of rather more than ordinary concern to those of us who have the task of developing a curriculum for the education of students in this field. This development has been going on in a number of universities over a period of some years. but there seems to be as yet no unanimity as to what such a curriculum should contain. I believe there is fairly complete agreement that it must be founded upon sound

Jan 1, 1950

By Tommy Wilson

OIL well drilling fluids have become a vital part of the drilling industry during the past 25 years. From chance usage of drilling mud at the fabulous Splindletop field in 1901, drilling fluid control has become an extremely technical and exacting science. Drilling for oil today involves exploration at depths ranging to 21,000 ft, nearly 4 miles. Geological formations encountered at these depths offer a tremendous challenge to the production, research, and service facilities of any drilling mud company.

Jan 5, 1954

By Robert Berggren

THE hot-milling process for reconditioning rock-drill bits is not new. It has been employed by a few mines for years and in the past decade it has been widely adopted, as its advantages have become better known. Because of the extensive commercial development in England and Canada of machines to operate on this principle, general acceptance has been largely in the British possessions and until recently has been chiefly in the field of conventional steel. In the past two years there has been a definite trend toward hot-milling of detachable bits in Canada, t but only in the past year has any considerable attempt been made to build special machines for this type of work. Generally a machine designed for con-ventional steel has been used and special holders employed to manipulate the bit. As early as 1934 at least one operator in the United States had adapted hot-milling to conventional steel with a substantial saving in resharpening costs. Several other operators have taken it up but there has been no widespread adoption of the method in this country by users of conventional steel. This may be partly explained by the fact that until recently no American manufacturer produced this equipment and operators have been obliged to build their own hot-millers or import them. Several years ago a few machines were built in Seattle, Wash-ington, and operated in some mines in the northwest, but, for reasons not generally known, the effort was abandoned.

Jan 1, 1940

By M. F. Williams, L. G. Hendrickson

IN classification of pulps bearing magnetized ferromagnetic particles, depolarizing is of great importance. If size separation is to be effective, particles must be individual rather than in floes. Depolarizing is also practiced in heavy medium separations in which ferrosilicon or magnetite is the medium. When particles of ferromagnetic material have been removed from a magnetic field, residual magnetism causes agglomeration. The term depolarizing refers to the operation of reducing or eliminating this residual magnetism and may thus be considered magnetic deflocculation. The terms demagnetizing and randomizing are also used. At the Research Laboratory of Oliver Iron Mining Div. in Duluth a method was developed for measuring depolarization of the pulp of ferromagnetic material. Experiments were made with Mesabi taconite,' a natural magnetite of low coercive force. Ferromagnetic materials of higher coercive force, such as lodestone or the artificial magnetite produced by reduction roasting of hematite, present a more difficult problem, which was not within the scope of this investigation. It is possible, however, that some of the techniques evolved for measuring and calculating electrical characteristics of alternating current coils would be of use in depolarizing high coercive force material, particularly in conjunction with high-frequency alternating current, as proposed by Hartig and others.'," Properties of Ferromagnetic Materials:'7 Experimental work, described below, has shown that if a sample in the magnetized state is heated above the Curie point and cooled, much of the preferred orientation is destroyed and the sample is substantially depolarized. It has been thought that when the sample cools below the Curie point the domains cancel each other, leaving a zero net moment. However, such particles still exhibit a tendency to cohere, and undoubtedly this is caused by the forces of residual magnetism. -AS measured by the percent depolarization, this tendency is reproducible for any sample upon repeated heating above the Curie point and subsequent cooling and is independent of the initial state of magnetization. It is postulated, therefore, that as the material is cooled below the Curie point the domains in any particle do not completely cancel each other, but rather are preferentially oriented to some extent. Mechanism of Depolarizing with Alternating Current Magnetic Fields: It is believed that when ferromagnetic material is passed through an alternating magnetic field, depolarizing occurs in the decaying portion of the field. As the particles pass through the portion of highest intensity they become magne- tized. If the particles are not free to move, the polarities of the particles will be reversed (by a mechanism similar to that described above for magnetism) at a frequency equal to that of the applied field. As the material moves through the decaying field, intensity levels become such that a domain does not completely reverse, but stops on an axis of easy magnetization. By the time the material reaches the point of zero field intensity, a state of fairly random orientation of domains is achieved. If conditions are such as to give a completely random orientation, the particle will have little or no external magnetic field, and a pulp of such particles will be depolarized. Previous Work In 1918 E. W. Davis was granted a patent for demagnetization of magnetite pulps.' His method consisted of passing the pulp through a tapered coil, activated by alternating current of normal frequency (60 cycle). This method, with minor modifications, has been used almost universally in all pilot plants and commercial installations in which depolarization of low coercive force materials has been required. Hartig, Onstad and Foot2,3 avd made a detailed study of the factors involved in depolarizing both low (below 100 oersteds) and high (above 100 oersteds) coercive force material. They developed a method for evaluating the relative degree of depolarization of any pulp based on the settling characteristics of the pulp. Their standard of comparison was a sample heated to above the Curie point and cooled in a zero field, all in a neutral atmosphere.* For low coercive force material they found treatment.Thisprocedure is subsequently called, in this report,theCurie that results equivalent to Curie treatment could be

Jan 1, 1957

By Ednlund D. North

Discussion of the paper of Edmund D. North, presented at the Spokane meeting, September, 1909, and published in Bulletin No. 37, January, 1910, pp. 21 to 25. A. SCOTT REID, London, Eng. (communication to the Secretary*) :-As a constructor of several glass mine-models, I have read with much interest the description of the model of the Montana-Tonopah mine-workings by Edmund D. North. As an interchange of ideas and experience is always an advantage, and in view of the fact that such models are coming more and more into vogue, perhaps the following remarks on this subject may prove of interest to mining engineers generally and to Mr. North particularly. In the model of the Waihi gold-mine, New Zealand, which I constructed, a dust-proof case is used. The top, bottom, front, and two ends are of glass; the back only is of wood, painted a dull white, against which the mine-workings show very distinctly. Each mine-level is represented by a horizontal sheet of glass, supported on metal runners fixed to the uprights at each end of the case, in a manner similar to that described by Mr. North. The corner uprights are strengthened by having a metal band screwed to the inside face of each, to which the metal runners or supports for the sheets of glass are screwed in turn. The reason for having this additional strength is that as the mine is developed in depth, and fresh levels are opened, the increasing weight of the glass sheets, added to the model, caused the unsupported wooden uprights to bend slightly, so that the glass sheets-did not fit in with the desired nicety, and co-ordination was, to a considerable extent, lost. Strengthening the uprights in this manner is not important in models of mines in which only a few levels have been opened, or when the sheets of glass are small, but in the Waihi model there are 15 sheets of glass to be supported, and more to be added as development proceeds, and the weight is considerable.

May 1, 1910

Organization Place 1917 National Association of Stationary Engineers .... Evansville, Ind. Sept. 10-15 National Safety Council New York City. Sept. 10-15 National Exposition of Safety and Sanitation.... New York City. Sept. 10-15 American Iron, Steel & Electrical Engineers Philadelphia, Pa. Sept. 10-14 American Association of Port Authorities Cleveland, Ohio. Sept. 11-14 American Institute of Metals Boston, Mass. - Sept. 24-29 American Foundrymen's Association Boston, Mass. Sept. 24-29 Chemical Industries, Third National Exhibition.. New York City. Sept. 24-29 American Electrochemical Society Pittsburgh, Pa. Oct. 3-6

Jan 9, 1917

By Jack R. Elenbaas, Donald L. Katz

A radial turbulent flow formula has been developed which permits the computation of the pressure drop for radial flow in gas wells whether the flow is laminar, turbulent, or partially laminar and partially turbulent. Using the formula a complete back-pressure curve has been calculated and analyzed by a comparison with existing back-pressure curves. A procedure is presented for computing the permeability of the porous media when the porosity, sphericity and average particle diameter are known. Introduction Recent studies on the flow of fluids through porous media have provided new methods for computing flow under turbulent conditions. The present study was initiated as an investigation of pressure -drop computations for flow through porous sands in gas wells and as an analysis of present-day back-pressure tests. Although laminar flow exists in the producing formation of gas wells under normal flow rates, turbulent flow does take place adjacent to the well bore. As the flow rate is increased, turbulent flow exists further and further into the producing formation and under open-flow conditions in relatively deep wells a considerable portion of the flow through the sand will be turbulent. In order to calculate a complete backpressure curve for relatively deep wells without resorting to extrapolation of curves drawn from data obtained in back-pressure tests or calculations made in the completely laminar region, it was necessary to have some means of calculating pressure drop for flow through porous sands under turbulent conditions.4.6 As a result, a radial turbulent flow formula was derived from the equations recently presented by Brownell and Katz.1 A rigorous solution of this equation involves a trial and error graphical integration. By making the assumptions of average viscosity, temperature and compressibility factor of the flowing gas, it was possible to graphically integrate the relation for the general case of radial flow of gases through the porous sand of gas wells. A chart has been prepared relating the value of the integral to the radius of the well bore and to the Reynolds number of the flowing gas. The chart actually performs the graphical integration and the solution of the formula is then reduced to a simple trial and error calculation. A typical back-pressure curve is calculated to show the transition from laminar to turbulent flow. This paper will briefly describe the pro-cedurcs for computing flow through porous media, including a method for predicting sand permeability from porosity and grain size and shape. Flow through Porous Media Brownell and Katzl recently reported a correlation for computing flow of fluids through porous media by the use of an enlarged Reynolds number and friction factor in which the porosity of the bed is included as an additional prime variable. The enlargcd Reynolds number com-

Jan 1, 1948

By Donald L. Katz, Jack R. Elenbaas

A radial turbulent flow formula has been developed which permits the computation of the pressure drop for radial flow in gas wells whether the flow is laminar, turbulent, or partially laminar and partially turbulent. Using the formula a complete back-pressure curve has been calculated and analyzed by a comparison with existing back-pressure curves. A procedure is presented for computing the permeability of the porous media when the porosity, sphericity and average particle diameter are known. Introduction Recent studies on the flow of fluids through porous media have provided new methods for computing flow under turbulent conditions. The present study was initiated as an investigation of pressure -drop computations for flow through porous sands in gas wells and as an analysis of present-day back-pressure tests. Although laminar flow exists in the producing formation of gas wells under normal flow rates, turbulent flow does take place adjacent to the well bore. As the flow rate is increased, turbulent flow exists further and further into the producing formation and under open-flow conditions in relatively deep wells a considerable portion of the flow through the sand will be turbulent. In order to calculate a complete backpressure curve for relatively deep wells without resorting to extrapolation of curves drawn from data obtained in back-pressure tests or calculations made in the completely laminar region, it was necessary to have some means of calculating pressure drop for flow through porous sands under turbulent conditions.4.6 As a result, a radial turbulent flow formula was derived from the equations recently presented by Brownell and Katz.1 A rigorous solution of this equation involves a trial and error graphical integration. By making the assumptions of average viscosity, temperature and compressibility factor of the flowing gas, it was possible to graphically integrate the relation for the general case of radial flow of gases through the porous sand of gas wells. A chart has been prepared relating the value of the integral to the radius of the well bore and to the Reynolds number of the flowing gas. The chart actually performs the graphical integration and the solution of the formula is then reduced to a simple trial and error calculation. A typical back-pressure curve is calculated to show the transition from laminar to turbulent flow. This paper will briefly describe the pro-cedurcs for computing flow through porous media, including a method for predicting sand permeability from porosity and grain size and shape. Flow through Porous Media Brownell and Katzl recently reported a correlation for computing flow of fluids through porous media by the use of an enlarged Reynolds number and friction factor in which the porosity of the bed is included as an additional prime variable. The enlargcd Reynolds number com-

Jan 1, 1948

By B. L. Landrum, P. B. Crawford

The rise of a new laboratory model for studying tran-sient fluid flow problems, is described. The theory of he model is based on the analogy between the equa-ions which describe the flow of compressible fluids in porous media and the conduction of heal m solids. The "thermal model" is used to study the Iransient Pressure distributions during fluid displacement in five Standard well patterns. The studies indicate quantita-ively how die pressures change with lane at any poit in the reservoir. It was found that, in general, the equipressure contours are more radial about the wells early in the program than after steady-state conditions are established. In addition two studies of fractured five-spot patterns are presented to illustrate the opplicability of the model for a wide range of reservoir conditions. INTRODUCTION In reviewing the oil recovery techniques involving fluid displacement it was found that a very considerable quantity, if not all of the fluid within the pattern, mav be displaced (during a time-dependent or transient period rather than the usually applied steady-state conditions. Since the oil is displaced during a transient period, it was believed desirable to study the nature of the transients for several of the commonly used fluid displacement patterns. A literature review indicated fairly complete studies of the streamlines and isopotentials for steady-state: yet few data were available on the transient displacement process. Several simulated steady-state multiwell displacement programs were carefully mapped by Foster and Lodge on an electrical conducting sheet as early as 1875, hut the more recent work of Muskat provides the best source for steady-state phenomena having direct petroleum production applications. In order to study the transient phenomena a new lab-oratory model was developed which is based on the similarity of the equations that describe the flow of fluids and the conduction of heal. The equations describing heat flow were developed early in the nineteenth century. Regorous solutions tor most transient problems are in gcneral complex and usually limited to fairly restricted houndary conditions.2 the thermal model may be used to obtain approximate solutions for many transient problems without some of the restrictions required for analytical solution. The application of the analogy between heat conduc-. tion in solids. electrical flow and fluid flow, in a porous media has long been recognised. Techniques originally developed for the solution of heat conduction prol?lems have in many instances proved useful in ohtaining solutions to fluid flow prohlcms. Ir is not surpri5ing then that a heat conduction or thermal model might bf usefull in sludying transient fluid flow. As an example ol the problems suitable for the study with the thermal model, transient pressure distributions during fluid displacement programs are studied for the five-spot, line-drive, staggered line-diibe. seven-spot 211 two fractured patterns. A model was constructed of an iron plate of geometry similar to the reservoir patterns under study. The principle of mirror images as suggested by Bryan was employed in shaping the model. A temperature differential was obtained by soldering two sections of copper tubing to the plate at points analogous to the well location in the field. Hot and cold water was passed through the tubing. The temperature distribution, analogous to the pressure distribution in the field. was obtained a a function of time from thermocouplcs distributed over the plate.

By E. V. Potter, E. T. Hayes, H. C. Lukens

Large volumes of hydrogen are liberated at the cathode during electrolytic precipitation of manganese. Most of the gas escapes from the electrolyte, but a considerable amount may be entrapped in the manganese plate. Gas has been observed to escape from manganese melts in puffs that bite at the surface. It has been reported that castings made with electrolytic manganese tend to rise in the molds; for this reason the manganese is often treated to remove hydrogen before the melt is made or it is premelted and used as cast manganese in making the alloys. The effect of hydrogen on the properties of manganese and its alloys is not known, but its effect on iron and iron alloys has been studied extensively.l.2 The close relationship between iron and manganese suggests that hydrogen may have a similar effect on the properties of manganese and its alloys. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the amount of hydrogen or other gases in typical commercial electrolytic manganese sheet and to investigate ways of removing it most conveniently. Apparatus The apparatus used is shown schematically in Fig. I. It consists of a chamber A in which the metal sample is placed, a vacuum or pressure gauge B, volume gauge C, vacuum pump D, hydrogen container E, auxiliary gas chamber F, and furnace G. The specimen chamber was made of two concentric quartz tubes. The outer one, a, connects with the closed gas system and is surrounded by the furnace G. A second tube, b, fits closely inside a and has a small end that projects into the space for the specimen and holds the thermocouple for measuring the temperature of the sample. The inner tube is joined to the outer tube outside the furnace, with rubber tape and sealing wax, to prevent gas leakage into or out of the closed system. This type of specimen container is loaded very easily and can be used several times if molten metal does not come in contact with the quartz. An ordinary mercury manometer B is used to measure the pressure in the system. The volume gauge C is essentially another mercury manometer, but the volume of the column is much larger than normal and the height of the mercury can be varied by raising or lowering the well H. In this apparatus the tube had a volume of IOO C.C. for a 60-cm. length. For larger changes in gas volumes, auxiliary containers F were used to increase the volume of the system by known amounts. Valves were arranged so that these auxiliary containers could be filled from the system and evacuated by the pump as often as necessary to accommodate the increases in the volume of gas in the system. The furnace G, used to heat the samples, was equipped with an automatic temperature controller, which maintained the desired temperatures within ± 5°C.

Jan 1, 1945

By Theodore W. Robinson

WHEREVER the amount of work renders it practicable the plan of using permanent standard solutions, in connection with the colorimetric carbon test, affords such manifold advantages that it is to be strongly recommended. That it has not attained a wider and more general application, is mainly due to the fact that, as the method is generally employed, the difficulty attending the production of the colors, and their doubtful stability when produced, have been only too evident to those who have undertaken their composition. The old method of using standard solutions made from sugar, coffee, etc., has always been hampered by the tendency of the colors to change upon exposure to the light, and the consequent liability to serious error, unless they are closely watched. Appreciating these difficulties, while recognizing the desirability of permanent colors, Mr. Magnus Troilius, at the suggestion of Prof. F. L. Erkmann, investigated the properties of cobalt, copper and ferric chlorides, with the view of determining their efficacy in the production of standard solutions. His results, as obtained, seem to have been satisfactory, but his treatment failed to eliminate many of the objections that have rendered the use of organic colors undesirable. The

Jan 1, 1888

Each spring most secondary schools select their best student science exhibits, prepared during the preceding academic year, and send them to regional "Science Fairs", which now number over 220. Winner-finalists of these regional contests are then sent to the annual National Science Fair, conducted by Science Service, a non- profit institution for the popularization of science, for final judging. (The Fair is now known as the "National Science Fair-International" because of participation by finalists from Japan, Thailand, Germany, France, Sweden and Canada.) For the first time since the Fair was started in 1950, AIME participated in the awards presentation. Held this year in Baltimore, Md., from May 5 to 9, five members of AIME's Washington, D.C., Section consented to represent the Institute as judges. They were: Marlin J. Ankeny-Director, Bureau of Mines, U.S. Department of the Interior. Kenneth N. Weaver-Director, Maryland Department of Geology, Mines, and Water Resources. William Harper-American Petroleum Institute. Vice-Chairman, Washington Section, AIME.

Jan 7, 1964

By A. Kenneth Schellinger

THE terms surface tension .and surface energy are well known when applied to liquids and are generally described by referring to the excess energy of the air: liquid interface as a result of unsaturated molecular forces surrounding the surface molecules of the liquid due to the presence of the air phase on one side. Such unbalanced forces produce the familiar water droplet of spherical form and are generally summed up as a surface tension measured in dynes per centimeter which can be shown mathematically to be equal numerically to a corresponding surface energy expressed in ergs per square centimeter. A specific surface energy, however, is best thought of as the energy necessary to produce one unit of new surface on a substance. Hence, in producing a bubble in a flotation cell the impeller must supply surface energy corresponding to the air: liquid interfacial area on the interior of the bubble. Inasmuch as it is relatively easy to extend or contract the surface of a liquid, there are a number of successful methods for liquid surface tension, or energy, measurement based upon surface deformation. This happy state of affairs does not, however, extend to solids, which are considered to possess surface energies for the same reasons as do liquids, i.e. because of unsaturated ionic bonds at the solid gas interface. As in the case of the flotation cell producing surface on liquids as new bubbles, it takes energy to produce new surface on solids as new particles. As every mill man knows, this surface is produced on mineral solids in a grinding mill by the action of a tumbling mass of iron balls. But here so much energy usually is wasted by the inefficient action of these balls that a large amount of heat is generated, and the surface energy production may be easily confused with the energy necessary to produce this ineffective heat. The tumbling balls and fracturing minerals ultimately take their energy from a rather large electric motor. It has been variously estimated that from 10 to 20 pct" only of this energy from the motor does not appear as heat and may be presumed to appear as surface energy on the minerals present.. Such a production of new surface on the mineral phases is accompanied, of course, by a size reduction that is inevitable as more and more mineral interior molecules become surface molecules by the fracture exposure. This size reduction of mineral particles, although the most obvious feature and perhaps the sole object of the milling operation, is from this energy viewpoint the outward manifestation of the production of surface energy only. Measurement of the characteristic surface energies of pure minerals and their various mixtures in ores would be a step towards understanding of the energetics of the commercial grinding operation. In addition, the characteristic surface energy of a mineral is probably a physical property specific for that mineral, and therefore, from a scientific standpoint, should be measured. It is interesting to note that, in contrast to the large body of work on the surface tensions of liquid systems and biological systems, the field of solid surface energies has been neglected. Prior to. 1920 it is difficult to find more than one or two references to work on solid surface energies in Chemical Abstracts. Since 1920 such references number somewhat less than 100, while those on liquid systems are numbered in the thousands. Much of this apparent neglect of the field of solid surface energies (the term is intended to be somewhat inclusive at this point and refers both to the solid: gas, and the solid: liquid interface) is because of the lack of a reliable method of measurement rather than any lack of scientific curiosity. It was, and still is, difficult to produce new surface on a solid without the simultaneous production of interior changes in the same solid which may consume part of the energy used. The extension in the surface area can be measured, but the interior crystal-

Jan 1, 1952

By R. L. Wiegel

The generation of operating information for mineral beneficiation processes has become more sophisticated as a result of the use of improved laboratory analytical techniques, some of which provide multiple component assays, as well as the introduction and gradual industrial acceptance of process sensors for the measurement of flow, density, size, and chemical composition. In general, however, the mineral processing engineer's ability to tie together this wealth of information has not kept pace with these developments. In fact, in almost all existing plants, the metallurgical inflow-output balance, wed to indicate current process performance, is still being calculated from only a small portion of the information routinely available. There is substantial activity in the development of techniques for using all available process information to significantly improve the reliability of the metallurgical balance. While the use of these improved techniques does require access to computing facilities and a slight change in perspective on the part of the mineral processing engineer regarding the inviolability of process information, there are numerous practical benefits to be derived from their application. In addition to summarizing some of the concepts basic to these techniques, this paper describes the experience of the author in applying one of these advanced metallurgical balance techniques to a variety of pilot plant and commercial plant flowsheets during the past eight years.

Jan 1, 1983

By R. T. DeHoff

A general method for determining the geometric properties of structures composed of particles which are all the same shape and size is presented. The application of the method requires a knowledge of' the qualitative shape of the particles in the structure, ad a maximum of three simple counting measurenzents, which are made on a representative plane section taken through the structure. It is also shown that the number of different kinds of measurements necessary JOY the complete description of the structure can be decreased if some independent information about individual particles is available. The geometric properties that can be determined quantitatiz~ely from counting measurements for susch structures are size, shape, number, surface area, vlolume, ad such extensive properties as volume Mction and surface area per unit volume. THE simplest kinds of measurements that may be made on a metallographic section are counting measurements. There are three such simple counting measurements, which are determined by sampling the microstructure with a point, a line, and an area. The first of these, the point count, is probably the most familiar among metallographers. The second count, the number of intersections a test line makes with particle outline, is somewhat more recent in its origin and application. The third counting measurement, the number of particle sections observed in unit area of the plane of polish, has long been used in the estimation of grain sizes. The real utility of these three counting measurements lies in the fact that they are rigorously and unambiguously related to certain extensive geometric properties of the three-dimensional structure of which the metallographic section is a sample. These relationships will be reviewed briefly below. Of somewhat secondary importance to the fundamental relationships is the observation that, if some simplifying assumptions about the geometry of the three-dimensional structure are introduced, manipulation of the counting measurements gives a more complete description of the structure. Specifically, in addition to the extensive properties which these measurements rigorously estimate, the number of particles, their size, and their shape may be determined. The purpose of the present paper is to explore the consequences of introducing the assumption of constant size and shape. A later paper will deal with the estimation of geometric properties of structures which may be characterized by a two-parameter size distribution. It should be mentioned that the introduction of this simplest of assumptions, while clearly not generally justified in metallurgical structures, is not without precedent. For example, many estimates of the number of particles per unit volume of structure, based upon a single counting measurement, are scattered throughout the literature.13 Virtually all of these developments assume a constant particle shape, e.g., spherical or polyhydral, and constant size. That such an assumption is necessary is evident from the fact that, for more general structures, more than a single parameter is required to describe the three-dimensional structure, so that the determination of a single parameter on a section would be insufficient to specify the structure. Similar developments for the estimation of particle size from a single counting measurement, e.g., routine grain-size determinations, make the same very limiting assumption,435 but have nonetheless proven of practical value. The present paper embodies a generalized approach to the development of relationships among the two-dimensional counting measurements and the three-dimensional geometry of the structure, subject to the assumption of constant particle size and shape. It is the hope of the author that by presenting the relationships and the assumptions involved in dealing with this approximation, in a single, unified treatment, the reader may be impressed with the usefulness of the counting measurements, may be guided in their application to the estimation of details of the geometry in specific structures in which he may be interested, and may be moved to apply the results, with understanding, to new structural problems. Several authors6, 7 have demonstrated independently that it is possible to obtain unbiased estimates

Jan 1, 1964

By Roy J. Greenfield, Charles H. Stoyer

A geophysical survey was made in Kylertown, Pa., in an area where the ground water is polluted with acid mine drainage. Since acid mine water is a good electrical conductor, both direct-current electrical and electromagnetic loop methods were examined for their ability to determine the subsurface electrical conductivity structure and from this to imply the location of the acid water. Consistent results were obtained with the two methods and the interpreted subsurface resistivities were consistent with the electrical resistivity measured for water samples. It was demonstrated that fracture traces which act as conduits for ground water flow can be located with electromagnetic surveying methods. Thus geophysical methods for measuring subsurface electtrical resistivity can be used to advantage for monitoring the environmental impact on the ground-water system of acid mine water.

Jan 1, 1977

Joseph LeConte, Berkeley, Gal.: I have read with some care and with extreme interest the work of Dr. Don, and have 110 hesitancy in expressing my high estimate of its value. We have here an example of laborious work undertaken in the true scientific spirit and by right methods. Loose statements and rash conjectures are here brought to the test of chemical analyses. By such work only may we hope to reach reliable conclusions and finally to solve the complex problems presented by the occurrence of ore-deposits. Such work as this is not only scientific but Is in the highest degree practical; for while a crude and imperfect science, by interfering with the results of approved empirical methods, may be positively hurtful, a more perfect science must eventually become the only sure guide to practice. Such a more perfeet science can only be reached by such work as Dr. Don's. I am sure every member of the Institute will unite with me in the hope that Dr. Don will continue his work, and that his example will incite others to similar work. S. F. Emmons, Washington, D. C.: I desire to bear my humble testimony to the great value of Dr. Don's paper to the science of ore-deposits, the thoroughness and accuracy of his work, and the immense amount of care-taking and tedious labor which it represents. The only regret with regard to it is that it could not have been published in full. No more important paper in its line has ever appeared in the Transactions. Indeed,

Jan 1, 1898