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Jan 1, 1902

By Jun-Yan Chen, Stefan H. Boshkov

Metal mining in the People's Republic of China has shown great growth during the last three decades. Over 150 new iron ore mines and nonferrous base metal mines have been opened since 1949, althouc.11 most of them of medium and small size. Concurrently, many old mines were enlarged and reconstructed. The production of iron ore has grown from less than 1.5 million tons per year in 1949 to almost 76 million tons in 1978. A corresponding increase in the total annual output in the nonferrous metal mineral industry has also been noted. It is well known that the PRC is very rich in metal mineral resources. The reserves of tungsten, tin, antimony, molybdenum and iron ore are ranked in the top three in the world. Recently, some copper porphyry ore deposits were discovered in Jianxi and Anhui provinces. Some large nickel-copper sulfide deposits were discovered and have been developed in North- West China. Huge iron ore deposits have been found in Liaoning, Hebei and Szechwan provinces. However, the bulk of the iron ores are low grade. The growing metal mineral production has met basic domestic needs since 1949; it has also proven China's big resource potential. Mining methods have also undergone development in the past 30 years. About 80% of the annual output of iron ore comes from open pits, whereas about 58% of nonferrous metal ores come from underground mines. Blasthole open stoping, sublevel caving and induced block caving are widely used in Chinese underground metal mines (table 1). This paper summarizes in detail the planning for and application of these three bulk mining methods in the nonferrous and iron ore mines in China. CLASSIFICATION OF UNDERGROUND MINING METHODS The main principle of the classification of underground mining methods in PRC is ground support in the stoping cycles of the mining blocks or stopes. Table 2 lists this classification. It is essentially the same as that given in the SME Mining Engineering Handbook. Be- cause pillar removal is a secondary mining operation, using a variety of methods, they are not included in this classification. As is the case with most classifications in science and technology, there is no precise division between the classes of mining methods. Because of the rapid development of consolidated filling techniques in the past twenty years, some types of open stoping methods use fill in order to improve the ground conditions for the secondary recovery stage. Thus, these mining methods have features of both methods using no artificial support and those using artificial support. In this classification, this type of mining method is placed in the latter category. The shrinkage stoping method has been employed extensively to mine steeply dipping narrow veins of tungsten and tin in the Jiangxi, Hunan, Guangdong and Guangxi provinces. Shrink- age stoping is placed under the class of mining methods without artificial support be- cause this reflects the nature of the Chinese experience. The function of the broken ore serving to support the footwall and/or hanging wall is limited, because the expectation is for the host rocks to remain unsupported until the stope is drawn empty. APPLICATION OF BULK MINING METHODS Bulk mining methods consist of blasthole open stoping, sublevel caving and block caving. These stoping methods have much in common, such as: bulk ore materials blasted by long holes; higher production rates of stopes or blocks and higher production efficiencies of the whole mining systems.

Jan 1, 1981

After the explosion in the Black Heath pit, that company sent to England for some experienced miners to reopen the mine. The results of their work in this vicinity are mentioned in an advertisement for pit hands by the Mid-Lothian Co., as follows: "PIT HANDS WANTED.-In consequence of reports having been circulated of the insecurity of hirelings in the Mid-Lothian Mines, the Company deem it proper to make known, that the mines have recently been opened, and that not the slightest explosion from gas has occurred; the workings were laid out and are now progressing, ° under a plan furnished by Messieurs Foster & Hall, .two distinguished English Colliers, sent over from England to reclaim the Pits of the Black Heath Company after the recent explosion of gas-and the present under ground operations are now conducted under the management of one of the English foremen left here by these gentlemen, and supervised by Mr. Wm. Hall, who has under his superintendence the Black Heath Company's Works at present. The skill and capacity of those gentlemen, is fully evinced in their skilful reclamation of the Black Heath Mines, and their present successful working of said Pits; and their confidence in the safety of the hands in the Mid-Lothian Mines, will be seen, by reference to the annexed extract from the Plan left by Messrs. Foster & Hall for laying out and working the Mid-Lothian Mines, and from the Certificate of Mr. William Hall, as to the manner in which that plan is carried into effect. This publication has been deemed proper, as the Company are now in want of some ten or fifteen additional able-bodied, active Pit-hands, on hire by the year, for which they will give the most liberal hire. The Company have not hitherto spared any labor or expense, deemed necessary to secure the absolute safety and comfort of the hands in their mines; nor is it designed in future to omit any thing that can add to the security of their own hands, or the hired laborers of other persons-indeed they can, with great propriety, say, as far as they have progressed, that no mines in this country exhibit stronger, if as strong, evidence of general safety. The Company will receive on hire, no hands who do not voluntarily enter their service -and they request of those having hands to hire out, to remember that they will want upon hire, successively, at intervals of every ninety days, some additional four or five hirelings during the year, or to purchase, progressively, that number of healthy, able-bodied young men. "Owners of slaves at a distance from the Coal Mines, would do well to give some attention to the subject. There is no place in this country where slave labor commands as much, where their general health is better, and where the treatment and contentment of the slaves are surpassed. It is true that within the last few years several disastrous accidents have occurred, but from the scientific and practical skill attracted to the mines, these accidents will be of rare occurrence, it is to be hoped. A. S. WOOLDRIDGE, President, at the Mines in Chesterfield County.

Jan 1, 1942

By Dever C. Ashmead

FRom time to time metal-mine engineers have inquired why anthracitc mines and their preparators are rarely operated on the two or three-shift basis. The subject may be approached as affecting: labor, development, the underground workers, the preparator, the outside workers, capital, the supply account, power consumption, the storage of coal over various shifts, railroad car supply, and the market. Labor From the start, the adoption of a plan of three full-shift operations in a day would cause difficulty with the colliery employees, for they have never worked on that plan and would show their resentment by suspending work. Even if they could be induced to work according to this schedule they would not be as efficient, for they would be working more or less unwillingly at hours at which they are accustomed to rest. Operation on a three-shift basis would necessitate triple manning of each working place, and dissensions would arise between the men, for each shift would claim that the preceding shift had taken undue advantage and had not left as favorable conditions as it had found. To obviate these disputes it might be [necessary to let out the work to a contractor, who would hire his helpers to mine out the chamber, or breast. The state mining law requires that a miner be put in charge of each working place. To conform with this provision he would have to hire three helpers and two miners to mine the breast. The labor unions have been trying to abolish the subcontractor in mine work and any method of working that would cause his return, however innocent in purpose, would result in labor disturbances. It might be possible to form partnerships of three miners working a place together, but these men would be quite likely to have frequent dissensions as to the proportion of work performed by each shift. Only

Jan 1, 1923

By Dever C. Ashmead

FRom time to time metal-mine engineers have inquired why anthracitc mines and their preparators are rarely operated on the two or three-shift basis. The subject may be approached as affecting: labor, development, the underground workers, the preparator, the outside workers, capital, the supply account, power consumption, the storage of coal over various shifts, railroad car supply, and the market. Labor From the start, the adoption of a plan of three full-shift operations in a day would cause difficulty with the colliery employees, for they have never worked on that plan and would show their resentment by suspending work. Even if they could be induced to work according to this schedule they would not be as efficient, for they would be working more or less unwillingly at hours at which they are accustomed to rest. Operation on a three-shift basis would necessitate triple manning of each working place, and dissensions would arise between the men, for each shift would claim that the preceding shift had taken undue advantage and had not left as favorable conditions as it had found. To obviate these disputes it might be [necessary to let out the work to a contractor, who would hire his helpers to mine out the chamber, or breast. The state mining law requires that a miner be put in charge of each working place. To conform with this provision he would have to hire three helpers and two miners to mine the breast. The labor unions have been trying to abolish the subcontractor in mine work and any method of working that would cause his return, however innocent in purpose, would result in labor disturbances. It might be possible to form partnerships of three miners working a place together, but these men would be quite likely to have frequent dissensions as to the proportion of work performed by each shift. Only

Jan 1, 1923

By J. C. Purcupile, R. L. Morris

Present methods of roof support require that first a hole must be drilled, and then a toggle belt or grouted resin bolt be set. Automating this system is very difficult. Therefore, we decided to develop a system which would insert pins into the roof in one step. We think that this type of system can be automated much easier. It would then speed up the roof bolting operation and eliminate the need for a man to work under unsupported roof, making roof bolting a much safer job. There are two ways that a pin can be inserted in a mine roof without drilling a hole. It can either be pushed in, using a very high, constant axial force; or it can be hammered in like a nail. The former method involves very high compressive stresses in the pin, and requires complicated machinery to prevent buckling. Since hammering the pin does not require high axial forces buckling is not as likely. Also, experiments have shown that there are no problems associated with getting the pin to go in straight. We chose to develop the second method. While investigating methods for hammering a pin into a mine roof, we learned that piles were being driven 10 times faster than by conventional methods with a method called "orboresonance." We decided to turn the pile driver upside down, and drive pins up into the mine roof. Sonic Pin Setting Machine The machine consists of a steel bar supported at the nodal points of its first mode of transverse vibration (Fig. 1). A mechanical oscillator, driven by a hydraulic motor, is attached to one end of the bar. This provides the forcing function for the vibrations in the bar. The hydraulic power is supplied by a portable unit. When the forcing function is near the natural frequency of the bar, large amplitudes of vibration occur and require little power input. An anvil is attached to the bar at a point of maximum deflection, providing a means for striking the pin. Since the bar is being driven near its natural frequency, it takes little energy to accelerate the bar back and forth between each hit. This means that most of the power being put into the bar is going into driving the pin. This is unlike conventional pile drivers which use most of their power to accelerate the hammer back and forth between hits. The resonant frequency of the bar we used is about 250 Hz, which is in the audible range, hence the term "sonic pin setting machine." The system benefits are: (1) elimination of the two-step drilling and pin-setting roof bolt operation, (2) increased speed, (3) more intimate contact between the formation and bolts, (4) less expensive roof bolts, (5) higher integrity, (6) potential for automatic operation. Modifications During the months from Oct. to Dec. 12, 1974, under U.S. Bureau of Mines grant No. 00144104, "Projects on Coal Extraction," six members of the senior class at Carnegie Mellon University designed and built the experimental machine. They drove three pins into the Safety Research coal mine at Bruceton, Pa., and determined that the project was worth continuing. In January 1975 we began making modifications and repairs in preparation for a more extensive program of testing at Bruceton. The major items were: 1) Design and build a collapsible pin guide to keep the pin parallel with the line of travel of the lift table. 2) Move the anvil to the center of the bar. 3) Refinish the nodal holes and install new node pins and bushings. 4) Realign the bar in its frame. 5) Install a relief valve on the lift unit to control the upward force. The upward force that we exert on the pin is relatively small, so there is no tendency for it to buckle. This means that all we need to do is hold the pin straight during its initial penetration. This allows the bushing to travel up and down in a straight line. At the beginning of penetration, the bushing

Jan 1, 1977

FEW whose good fortune it has been to gaze on the Utah Copper mine but will agree that it is one of the two or three most magnificent man-made spectacles in the world. Skyscrapered Manhattan Island perhaps is more inspiring; but there the effect is obtained by aggregating a thousand separate units. The Utah mine is a single thing- the biggest thing that men have made. By the end of 1931 there had been moved at Utah 222,000,000 cu. yd. of material, including ore and the waste rock that overlay it. This figure will be increased at an average rate of nearly 20,000,000 yd. per year. Excavations for the Panama Canal are estimated at 232,300,000 cu. yd., but the Canal is 50 miles long, and it is impossible to obtain a comprehensive view of the whole project at one time. The spectator, on the other hand, need only walk part way up the east slope of Bingham Canyon to see unfolded before him the whole panorama of the great copper mine. In the foreground is a huge pit bottomed for the time being 100 ft. below the normal floor of the canyon, which also is the elevation of the main railroad yard. Here from 500 to 800 standard steel railway cars, each of 80-ton capacity, are assembled daily to carry the ore to the concentrators. But the main part of the mine and that from which ore is now coming lies above this level. As can be seen in the accompanying photograph, a series of terraces or benches reaches to the top of the mountain that projects between the main branch of Bingham Canyon and Carr Fork. From bench A (the yard level) to bench W is a vertical distance of 1500 ft. In height the benches vary from 40 to 70 ft. and in width from 30 to 450 ft. The lower benches, as they skirt the mountain,

Jan 1, 1933

By Gary Beerkircher

The mine hoisting equipment that is selected and installed at a mine is the lifeline of the mine, and therefore the proper selection of equipment will save a lot of time and money during the life of the mine. Various types of mine hoist designs &e available today, and each has their advantages and disadvantages. Double Drum Hoists, Single Drum Hoists, Friction Hoists and various special designs of these are available but should only be used on applications where they are suitable. There have been several new drive systems for mine hoists which have come into the picture in the last ten years, and they in turn must be evaluated along with the existing drive systems for each hoist application. It does not make sense to properly select the hoist mechanicals, and then have a drive system that turns out to be a bottleneck. This paper will attempt to cover the above noted systems - both the hoist selection and hoist drive system that will provide the mine with a reliable and economical hoisting system. I. Mine Hoist Types There are two basic types of mine hoists available in the world today: the drum hoist on which the hoist rope is actually stored during the hoisting cycle, and the friction (Koepe), which merely passes the rope over the wheel during the hoisting process. Following is a general outline of each type of hoist and the hoisting applications that they are suitable for. First let us consider the simple Single Drum Hoist. As a Service or Production Hoist with cage or skip in balance with a counterweight, a Single Drum Hoist can efficiently service one or more levels since the location of the counterweight at anytime is not important. As a Production Hoist with skips in balance the Single Drum Hoist is best used for single level hoisting. All rope adjustments for proper spotting must be done manually for the Single Drum Hoist. This has to be done periodically to compensate for rope stretch. A variation of the Single Drum Hoist is the divided drum hoist. If multi-layer winding is necessary the Single Drum Hoist must have a divider to allow a separate compartment for each rope. If a counterweight is used with a divided drum application the counterweight rope can be wound on a smaller diameter (Figure 2). Consequently, it moves a lesser distance than the main conveyance and rope adjustment problems are reduced.

Jan 1, 1975

By Rudolph Emmel

The mines operated by the South American Development Co. are located in the Zaruma mining district of southwestern Ecuador. They are near the old mining town of Zaruma, which is the only important city in the canton of the same name. The district is situated in the upper end of a valley lying between two spurs of the Cordillera, one of which may be considered the Coast Range and the other an intermediate range. The mining camp proper, known as Portovelo, and the plant are 2.4 km. south of Zaruma, on the north bank of the Amarillo River, a tributary of the Tumbes River, which flows southwestward through Peru to the Pacific. Portovelo is difficult of access; it is reached from Guayaquil by means of river steamers and muleback. 'Embarking at Guayaquil, the route is down the Guayas River, across the Jambeli Canal, and up the Santa Rosa River to Santa Rosa, a distance of 177 km. From Santa Rosa, the road or trail follows the Santa Rosa River, then across the summit of the Coast Range into Portovelo, a distance of 74 km.—a two-day trip on muleback. The mining property of the South American Development Co. comprises 297 lode claims and 142 placer claims. The combined lode claims cover an area, roughly rectangular in shape, 9000 m. long from north to south by 4000 m. wide; the northern edge of the rectangle is about 3000 m. north of the central plaza of Zaruma. Mineral lands in Ecuador are held by virtue of an annual tax per claim paid to the central government, no surface rights being included. HiSTOry The Zaruma mine has been worked by white men since 1549, probably before that it was worked by Indians. The followers of Pizarro, led by traces of gold in the sands of the Tumbes River, followed that stream to its source, worked the gold veins that they found and established the city of Zaruma. Among the mines worked by them were th Sesmo, Leonora, Viscaya, and Mina Grande. Only the soft ores at the outcrop were

Jan 1, 1925

By Alan E. Gallie

SHERRITT Gordon Co. was formed in 1927 to exploit a copper zinc orebody located in the bush 90 miles north of The Pas, Manitoba. The mine went into production in 1931, operated for a year and a half, and closed because of the low price of copper. Reopened in 1937, it operated continuously until mined out in 1951, producing 8.5 million tons of ore. From 1937 on Sherritt Gordon conducted an energetic prospecting program throughout northern Manitoba, giving particular attention to the belt of favorable greenstone rocks north of the Churchill River. From 1937 to 1941 a number of gold showings were located but nothing of economic value was found.

Jan 3, 1957

By Walter O. Snelling

IN combating mine-fires the use of carbon dioxide as a means of producing an atmosphere in which combustion cannot be sustained, has been many times suggested and frequently tried, generally with a fair degree of success. The carbon dioxide is produced by acting on limestone with dilute sulphuric acid, large wooden boxes being used to hold the limestone, and arranged in such a manner that one box may, be cleaned and refilled with blocks of limestone while another is being used in generating the carbon dioxide. The gas is led by means of pipes of large diameter to the location of the fire, tight brattices having been previously put up as close to the fire as possible on every side, so as to limit the space to be filled with the .gas to the smallest possible volume. The cost of producing Carbon Dioxide has been, however, a decided draw-back to the use of this method, and the danger of producing carbon monoxide by the reduction of the carbon dioxide by heated carbon, and consequently bringing about an explosion, has also tended to prevent the application of this method. The use of sulphur dioxide in combating mine-fires has not, I believe, been previously suggested or tried, and yet the method presents such decided advantages over the use of carbon dioxide that it seems proper to suggest the advisability of considering it as a cheap, convenient, and safe means of fighting stubborn mine-fires. 1. Cost, Preparation, etc.-One ton of brimstone, costing from $20 to $30, will produce about 25,000 cu. ft. of sulphur dioxide gas, and allowing for all sources of loss it is probable that sulphur dioxide gas can be produced for about $1,300 per 1,000,000 cu. ft. For carbon dioxide gas, produced by the action of sulphuric acid on limestone, a good estimate would be $4,000 per 1,000,000 cu. ft., provided that sulphuric acid

Sep 1, 1908

By John A. Oberteuffer, Ionel Wechsler

High gradient magnetic separation, first introduced in 1968 as a means for the removal of very fine magnetic contaminants from clay, is no longer a new technology. Applications to a number of solid-solid and solid-fluid separation problems are now being exploited. Recent pilot tests and full-scale industrial installations of high gradient magnetic separators and filters have established their commercial viability and have demonstrated their superiority both in efficiency and cost effectiveness to conventional prior-art methods for water treatment and mineral processing. In high gradient magnetic separators, the magnetic trapping force for fine, even weakly magnetic particles is greatly increased over those available in previous magnetic separators. These very strong trapping forces are created on the edges of fine filamentary ferro- magnetic materials in the presence of a strong background magnetic field. In the basic cyclic high gradient magnetic separator, particles are trapped in the filamentary matrix until it is loaded, at which point the magnetic field is turned off, and the filter is back- flushed. Applications of cyclic high gradient magnetic filtration for water treatment include filtration of waste and process waters in steel mills. Treatment of hot rolling mill scale pit effluent and cold rolling mill emulsion has been successfully tested, and 2-meter diameter SALA-HGMF® magnetic filters have been installed at Japanese steel companies for the treatment of recirculating scrubber waters in a de-gas- sing system. A second major application in water treatment is for the polishing of recirculating waters in power and steam generating systems. High gradient magnetic filters can operate under conditions of

Jan 1, 1980

By Lester C. Uren

It is realized that the depth of fluid maintained in a pumping well is sometimes influenced by other considerations than the quantity of fluid that will enter the well: the prevention of sand incursion, prevention of waste of natural gas, and the maintenance of a suitable submergence for the pump, for example. These latter factors have an important influence on the productivity of the well, so that otherwise unwarranted fluid levels must sometimes be maintained to offset them; but where the handling of unconsolidated sands is not a problem of consequence and where water has been properly excluded, the principles developed here and the practices recommended should apply. The principal objective of the producer should be to produce the maximum quantity of oil in the shortest possible time. Any method or equipment that will increase the rate of production during the early years of the life of the well, when gas pressure is high, will greatly augment the ultimate production. The maintenance of a proper fluid level in the well at all times will go far toward accomplishing this desired result. For a given set of conditions surrounding the flow of oil into a particular well, in which the viscosity of the oil, the porosity and grain size of the sand, and the diameter of the well appear as constants, two variables determine the quantity of oil that will flow from the sand into the well. These are: the effective pressure behind or within the oil in the reservoir sand, and the fluid level maintained within the well. The former is the expulsive force that causes movement of oil from the sand into the well, while the latter determines the magnitude of a resisting force opposing such movement. The first of these factors is largely beyond the control of the oil producer, but it is in his interest to reduce the opposing force to the lowest economic limit.

Jan 1, 1925

By R. C. Patterson

In view of the circumstance that very few important changes have been made within the last 15 or 20 years in the equipment of rod and wire mills, the description of a new process introduced by Grenville Mellen, of LleweIIyn Park, N. J., to take the place of the present laborious system of producing rods of lead, zinc, brass, copper, aluminum, etc., may be interesting to members of the Institute. This new process consists in the production of cast rods at one operation in a small continuous casting machine. The hot liquid metal is transferred from the melting crucibles directly into an endless chain of mold blocks in the machine, where solidification takes place, and the rod comes out continuously in a solid form at one end as long as the molten metal is supplied. The operation of these mold blocks so as to produce a solid rod of uniform structure constitutes an important part of Mr. Mellen's invention. The machine (Figs. 1 and 2), 12 ft. in height over all, 2 by 3 ft. in horizontal cross-sectional area, and 6,000 Ib. in weight, has a framework of cast iron, holding in position two endless chains of mold blocks, which are made in sections and join in center alignment. The mold orifice is made up of these mold sections, into which the liquid metal flows. The molding chains are composed of steel blocks, grooved on one face to form the molding cavity, and linked together with flexible joints. Each block is carried on four rollers which guide the chain around the end sprockets and carry it in its course through the machine. The accuracy of alignment requisite to the production of a perfect rod in the mold groove formed by these sections is secured by careful machine work, and by building the four ways, down which the alignment takes place, so that two of the sides are fixed permanently, whiIe the opposite sides are held to their position by spring pressure. The guides carrying the molds, while in casting position, are water-cooled square tubes. The length of this machine is somewhat indeterminate. A certain amount of both time and cooling surface is required to solidify the metal jn the mold; and one may either use a long molding chain and run it fast, or a shorter chain and run it correspondingly slower. We have found,

Jan 1, 1916

By P. V. Martin

Shortly after the middle of the nineteenth century, the invention of the regenerative open-hearth furnace and the development of the Bessemer process stimulated a rate of steel production whose magnitude created an unprecedented demand for pig iron. Revolutionary improvements in furnace design, auxiliary equipment, and operating technique enabled the blast furnace to keep abreast of the constantly increasing requirements of the steel mill. The development of improved blowing equipment, more adequate facilities for material handling, and particularly the general use of anthracitc and coke to replace the physically weaker charcoal, led to a rapid expansion in both the height and volume of furnaces. Beyond a doubt, however, the greatest single factor in blast-furnace improvement at this time was the use of the higher blast temperatures made available by the replacement of the recuperative iron pipe stoves by the regenerative Cowper brick stove. The increased blast temperature not only resulted in greater output but also reduced fuel consumption . far more than could be explained by the additional heat content of the blast. The progress of iron manufacturing was thus largely mechanical and thermal. Little attention was given the chemistry of the process until the publication of the investigations of Sir Lowthian Bell.1 Bell's painstaking experiments and investigations gave to the blast-furnace man his first real scientific conception of blast-furnace chemistry. Bell's recognition of the dual function of the carbon, the technical importance of reversible reactions and chemical equilibria, and his conception of the degree of oxidation of the carbon as shown by the analysis of the outgoing gases as a criterion of furnace efficiency, laid the foundation upon which has since been erected the structure of blast-furnace theory. Prominent among those availing themselves of Bell's data as .a basis of further study was M. L. Gruner,2 professor of the French School of Mines. His "Blast Furnace Phenomena," published in 1870, presented

Jan 1, 1940

By P. V. Martin

Shortly after the middle of the nineteenth century, the invention of the regenerative open-hearth furnace and the development of the Bessemer process stimulated a rate of steel production whose magnitude created an unprecedented demand for pig iron. Revolutionary improvements in furnace design, auxiliary equipment, and operating technique enabled the blast furnace to keep abreast of the constantly increasing requirements of the steel mill. The development of improved blowing equipment, more adequate facilities for material handling, and particularly the general use of anthracitc and coke to replace the physically weaker charcoal, led to a rapid expansion in both the height and volume of furnaces. Beyond a doubt, however, the greatest single factor in blast-furnace improvement at this time was the use of the higher blast temperatures made available by the replacement of the recuperative iron pipe stoves by the regenerative Cowper brick stove. The increased blast temperature not only resulted in greater output but also reduced fuel consumption . far more than could be explained by the additional heat content of the blast. The progress of iron manufacturing was thus largely mechanical and thermal. Little attention was given the chemistry of the process until the publication of the investigations of Sir Lowthian Bell.1 Bell's painstaking experiments and investigations gave to the blast-furnace man his first real scientific conception of blast-furnace chemistry. Bell's recognition of the dual function of the carbon, the technical importance of reversible reactions and chemical equilibria, and his conception of the degree of oxidation of the carbon as shown by the analysis of the outgoing gases as a criterion of furnace efficiency, laid the foundation upon which has since been erected the structure of blast-furnace theory. Prominent among those availing themselves of Bell's data as .a basis of further study was M. L. Gruner,2 professor of the French School of Mines. His "Blast Furnace Phenomena," published in 1870, presented

Jan 1, 1940

By E. H. Dix

The success of the Charpy impact test in the steel industry has led those interested in aluminum alloys to investigate the possible application of this test to aluminum and its alloys. In this paper are set forth the results of a few preliminary tests made at the Lynite Laboratories of the Aluminum Manufactures, Inc. In order to study more thoroughly the significance of the Charpy test, slow-bending tests have been made duplicating the arrangement of the impact machine. Tests have been made on both notched and unnotched specimens of a series of copper-aluminum alloys. Apparatus The standard American-made Charpy impact machine delivering a blow of over 200 ft.-lb. was much too large to test aluminum-alloy specimens of the same type used for steel, so that it was necessary either to adopt a larger specimen or to have a special light-weight hammer made. Since there is no known relation between specimens of different sixes, even though geometrically similar, it was decided to adhere to the 10 by 10 mm. specimen. Accordingly, Sauveur and Boylston, the American makers of the machine, were asked to construct a special light-weight pendulum adapted to their standard machine, this pendulum to have one-tenth the capacity of the standard. The writer wishes here to acknowledge his indebtedness to Mr. H. M. Boylston for the personal interest and care exercised in constructing this pendulum. The machine with the light-weight hammer in place is shown in Fig. I. It is mounted on a concrete foundation with the concrete covering the flange on the base of the machine. Vibration is further prevented by four 5/8-in. (15.8 mm.) foundation bolts. The large standard hammer shown against the wall was also used for some of the unnotched bars that required more than 20 ft.-lb. to rupture. When the light-weight hammer was received, it was carefully cali-

Jan 1, 1921

By E. C. Weichel

THERE have been many attempts at permanent roof support in anthracite mines, in some cases brick arches, in others concrete, and also combinations of brick or concrete walls with steel beams. These supposedly permanent roof supports have frequently failed when heavy pressure is brought to bear upon the structure, because they are so rigid that failure occurs because the structure is unable to adjust itself to the increased load. Roof pressure exerts a tremendous weight, and it is at times difficult to find any means of support which is strong enough to bear the entire pressure, unless this supporting structure has in itself the element of some flexibility which will enable the structure to hold the moving mass until it "arches" itself. If the supporting medium has flexibility enough so that it can adjust itself to the heavy initial loads, and so give the overlying material an opportunity to form a self-supporting arch, then such a roof support will be more useful than any rigid roof support. There has recently been introduced into the anthracite region a new form of gangway lining that is flexible enough to slightly adjust itself under heavy pressures, and so give the loosened material which is being supported a chance to form into an "arched" mass. This lining, manufactured under patents granted to Hans Schaefer of Essen, Germany, was introduced in the United States in the summer of 1928, at which time the Amercan licensee, Richard Howells of

Jan 1, 1930

By John D. Price

COAL blending, in the preparation of coal before coke making, is so commonly practiced as to be almost universal. But the reasons underlying this practice, the benefits resulting from it, and the materials used in blending vary widely. This paper will outline the various phases of the subject and present information which may be correlated with work that has been done elsewhere. It will deal entirely with work done on the high-volatile coking coals of the western part of the United States, special emphasis being given to the coals of Colorado and Utah. A surveyL of the 86 coke plants in active operation in the United States during 1949 indicates that only 9 plants, or 10.5 pct of the total, charged one single rank of coal into their ovens, while the remaining 89.5 pcl made use of blending in some form. This report indicated that of these total plants 5 used straight high-volatile coal, 4 used straight medium-volatile coal, 47 used blends of high and low-vola-tile coals, 25 used blends of high, medium, and low-volatile coals, 2 used blends of high and medium-volatile coals, 3 used blends of medium and low-volatile coals. The fact that certain plants operated on a single kind of coal should not be interpreted to mean that no blending was practiced there, for invariably such plants secure their coal from more than one source and in the interest of uniformity do blend the coals as received. The general term coal blending covers two fields, the first of which is the mechanical mixing of a number of coals to secure uniformity. Often it is found necessary to secure coal for coke production from a number of different mines; these coals, though of the same general type or rank, may differ in their chemical composition or in the physical qualities they impart to coke made from them. Again, it is not unusual to find that coal from different sections of the same mine may show variations in quality. Under such conditions it may be necessary, in the interest of a uniform final product, to introduce a system of blending bins, a bedding yard, or other mechanical methods of securing a uniform mixture. Unfortunately this form of blending has received very little attention up to the present time; it has not received the consideration its value merits. The second type of blending, while also for the purpose of coke improvement, deals more particularly with the use of a blending agent differing in character from the base coal: it is this form of blending that will be discussed here. To consider only the western coals, for blending may be found necessary for other reasons with other coals, blending has been practiced experimentally or commercially under the following conditions: 1—When a single coal or mixture of coals of the same rank does not produce a satisfactory coke. For example, a high-volatile coal when used alone is likely to contract when coked so that a comparatively weak coke is formed. Or, if of very low rank, the coal may be deficient in the necessary bitumens required for good coke production. 2—When a product of some special quality is required, for example, when a plant ordinarily producing blast furnace coke must operate at slow coking rate to produce a high-grade foundry coke. Under this condition the reduced daily production of all products which accompanies slow coking time may be undesirable, and the use of some blending agent to increase the size of coke made at faster coking rates may be necessary. 3—When greater yield of coke or its coproducts is needed. Depending upon economic values of the products it may be found desirable to increase the yield of one or the other. 4—When supply of a particular coal must be used, either to protect reserves of high quality coking coal or to utilize a surplus or inferior product not otherwise usable. Many materials have been used for blending purposes, the exact agent to be used depending both upon the condition to be corrected and the nature of the base coal. No universal blending agent that can

Jan 1, 1954

By Harrison Everett Ashley

Prof. Hofman's diagrams, Figs. 5 and 7 of his paper, which are reproduced as Figs. 1 and 2 of the present contribution, confessedly fail to show comprehensively the properties of the silicates investigated. Each curve is carefully discussed, and the author has evidently drawn all the conclusions that can be thus reached; but he says :* "The curves do not show, as was hoped, any simple connection between silicate-degree, percentage of lime, and minimum of formation-temperature." There is, therefore, in this case, an excellent opportunity of

Jan 1, 1902