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By P. de Vitry, Willis P. Mould

The wire saw is a tool not less than 60 years old, probably nearer 100 years old. It was developed in Europe and is reputed to have originated in Belgium. Frombold is said to be the original patentee. Wire sawing equipment, as indicated in Fig. I, is very simple. It consists of a three-strand wire cable, usually pis or 1/4 in. in diameter, or a single flat ribbon of medium hard, tough, alloy steel twisted into a helix of those diameters, made to form an endless belt of any length up to several thousand feet. The wire is guided into the cut by sheaves mounted in slides on steel columns situated close to either end of the cut. The feed motion usually is controlled either by gravity or by hand-operated feed screws. The steel columns or "standards" range from 15 to 30 ft. in length. At the top is a swiveled arm supporting a sheave similar to the traveling sheave below. Immediately under the swivel-mounted sheave is a guy plate or collar with shackles attaching four chain or wire-rope guys with suitable tightening devices, or with two guys and two jack legs for supporting the standard vertically or at any desired anale. The usual drive is by a 10-hp. motor through a gear reducer, on which are Insti- two grooved sheaves, One of which is keyed and the other free running On the shaft. Tension is provided by a car running on a track in line with the driving sheave

Jan 1, 1948

By Joseph Moses Botbol

This study was designed to demonstrate the viability of using high-frequency radio transmission as a means of communications between a remote field camp and a time- sharing computer system. A field camp near Johnstown, Pa., was linked by high- frequency radio to a base station 160 miles to the southeast in Vienna, Va. The base station was in turn linked by telephone to a time-sharing computer system near Los Angeles, Cal. Error-free data transmission utilized highly stable receivers and transmitters, forward error correction, and dual-frequency diversity. Three geologic applications programs resident in the Los Angeles computer were executed from a graphics cathode ray tube terminal in the field. Bulk data equivalent in volume to 4 days of typical spectrographic analytical work generated by one spectrograph and one spectrophotometer were transmitted from the field to the base station. All programs, were executed successfully, and all data were transmitted error free.

Jan 1, 1976

By F. H. McDowell

The electro-magnetic separator of Mr. G. Conkling, Glens Falls, N. Y., described by Mr. Birkinbine* in a paper at the New York meeting of the Institute, in February, 1889, has been in successful operation at the Tilly Foster 'mine for a considerable period, under the disadvantages which seem to be the inevitable attendants of pioneer enterprises in new technical fields. The results of a run of several months, which the Superintendent, Mr. S. P. Tomkins, has taken pains to collate, are here presented by his courteous permission, and that of Mr. E. S. Moffat, the energetic and skilful General Manager of the Lackawanna Iron and Coal Company, to whom our profession is already indebted for examples of bold and ingenious practice in mine-engineering. It is believed that these figures will assist those who are planning similar operations to decide intelligently what they may, and, more important still, what they may not, expect to accomplish. The local difficulties in the way of this experiment at the Tilly Foster mine were many and great. Only about two-thirds of the waste-dump, resulting from the assorting of previous years, is ore; and this varies in content of iron from 20 to 28 per cent. The remainder is rock, some (from horses in the vein) showing particles of adhering mineral, some (from the foot- and hanging-walls) entirely barren. The expense of overhauling the dump and removing this rock is by no means the least of the numerous items which must be charged against the concentration. Associated with the lean ore are hornblende and other minerals, carrying iron in the non-magnetic state, which must necessarily be washed away with the tailings. The waste-dump was originally located without reference to future treatment, and now can only be handled by means of a locomotive,

Jan 1, 1891

By I. Milton LeBaron

OPERATION of the phosphate flotation plant at the Peace Valley mine of the International Minerals and Chemical Corporation, Florida, began in the summer of [ ] 1942. Since that time several changes have been made in the flowsheet, with resultant increases in metallurgical results. Three flowsheets, together with the comparative plant results, are given in this paper, together with a discussion of the desliming circuit used for preliminary washing of the flotation feed. FIRST FLOWSHEET CHANGES Fig. I lists the essential units in the original flowsheet at the Peace Valley plant. The figures for tonnage and grade are average for a period of two months. Mineral Separation Airflow cells are used for both the fatty acid and the amine float. Three immediate difficulties presented themselves in the use of this flow sheet: I. Floating a maximum amount of phosphate in the rougher section to give good recovery sent a low-grade concentrate to the silica float, resulting in high costs for amine reagent in that section.

Jan 1, 1946

By R. S. Lewis

IN a recent study1 of the evolution of engineering education 1870 was taken as the initial point, as it is said to mark the transition from the poineer era in American engineering education to an era of rapid growth and consistent development. Prior to the founding of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1824, West Point Military Academy was the principal source of formal engineering training. In 1849 Rensselaer revised its program on the model of the leading French technical schools. Lawrence Scientific School was estab-lished at Harvard and Sheffield Scientific School at Yale in 1847. The University of Michigan pioneered in en-gineering instruction in the West, offering its first course in 1853 and awarding its first degree in 1860. Other important steps in -the progress of engineering education were the founding of Columbia School of' Mines in 1864, the opening of Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1865, and the founding of Cornell Uni-versity and the Thayer School of Civil Engineering at Dartmouth in 1867. From its organization in 1852 until 1871 the Ameri-can Society of Civil Engineers was virtually the only national society of engineers. In 1871 the American Institute of-Mining and Metallurgical Engineers was founded, to be followed later by the Mechanical En-gineers in 1880 and the Electrical Engineers in 1884. This expansion and diversification of the engineering profession was paralleled in the colleges, and by 1885 the plan of different curricula in the major branches of engineering was soundly established.

Jan 7, 1927

By J. C. M. Li

This exploratory survey was undertaken to repeat some experiments- in which anomalous results were reported1 for bismuth and to measure the thermoelectric power of some bismuth alloys and inter-metallic compounds. sato1 reported that the thermoelectric power of bismuth depends on the temperature gradient. This seems rather unreasonable especially when the Benedicks effect' has not been detected. Even if the material is not homogeneous, the observed thermoelectric power can be represented by

Jan 1, 1959

YUGOSLAVIA is one of the smaller countries in Europe-about twice the size of Pennsylvania -but one of the richest nations in variety and quantity of minerals on the Continent. The country, just now beginning the pangs of a real industrial birth, has a mining history that goes back as far as the sixth century, B. C. Among others, the Romans exploited Yugoslavia's lead and zinc deposits, and there was intensive mining during the Middle Ages. But until now, the country's industrial development was such that it made no great demand on the mining industry for development or expansion. Conversations with Yugoslavian officials in New York give the impression that they are interested in two things. They need money and they need trained engineers to solve their mining problems. Yugoslavia appears to be attempting to attract both foreign money and foreign technical skill. They want financial aid in the form of loans. The U. S. Government has given aid to Yugoslavia in the shape of armaments, foodstuffs, and equipment. Recently, American banks have advanced funds.

Jan 5, 1954

By W. M. Dressel, A. Visnapuu

The Bureau of Mines, U.S. Department of the Interior, has upgraded high-iron domestic chromite concentrate to high-chromium concentrate by a laboratory carbonyl process. The chromite concentrate product has a chromium-to-iron ratio in excess of 3:l compared with the starting concentrate ratio of 1.6:1. The high-iron chromite was first reduced to convert the iron oxides to the metal, and then treated with carbon monoxide at elevated pressures and low temperatures to convert the metallic iron fraction to iron pentacarbonyl. Carbonylation was accelerated by the addition of hydrogen sulfide in small quantities. A constant flow of carbon monoxide swept the iron pentacarbonyl formed in the reactor out through a pressure-reducing valve. The mixture of carbon monoxide and iron pentacarbonyl at atmospheric pressure was then passed through a heated section to decompose the iron pentacarbonyl to carbon monoxide and iron, whereupon the latter plated out on the heated surface. Carbon monoxide pressure, temperature, and promoter trends for enhanced carbonylation are presented.

Jan 1, 1984

By John Chipman, Donald W. Murphy

RECENT developments in iron alloys containing nitrogen have indicated that this element may exert a considerable influence on the properties of the metal. This influence is not always in an undesirable direction and the indications are that nitrogen should be regarded as an alloying element, the amount of which should be subject to control, rather than as an inherently deleterious impurity. In controlling this element in liquid iron to the best advantage, it is necessary to have a reliable background of fundamental data pertaining to solubilities, rates of solution and chemical reactions of nitrogen in liquid iron. Obviously, the first step in such an investigation is the determination of the solubility of nitrogen in pure iron, and this has been the object of the experiments described in this paper. The solubility of nitrogen in solid iron has been measured by Zurich,1 Sieverts,2 Martin,3 and Iwasé4 and, the agreement among the first three inspires confidence in their results. No accurate determinations of its solubility in liquid iron have been recorded though several investigators have obtained approximate results. Strauss5 was able to introduce 0.03 to 0.04 per cent nitrogen into steel by the action of either ammonia or nitrogen on the liquid metal. This was accomplished by Eilender and

Jan 1, 1935

By Richard T. Ely

Conservation, narrowly and strictly considered, means the preservation in unimpaired efficiency of the resources of the earth; or in a condition so nearly unimpaired as the nature of the case, or wise exhaustion, admits. And broadly considered, it means more than the word itself implies, for it naturally includes an examination of methods whereby the natural inheritance of the human race may be improved; and still more broadly considered—and as used in popular discussion—it includes a treatment of the effects of productive conservation measures upon distribution. We shall give our attention briefly to the main points in this informal definition before we pass on to the thesis that conservation is largely a matter of property relations—-that a wise conservation policy means wise property relations.

Jan 1, 1916

By J. V. Calara, J. D. Miller

The sign of the surface potential for complex non-reactive ionic solids cannot be predicted solely from consideration of the hydration energy of gaseous ions which constitute the ionic lattice. Accurate analysis of these systems must involve the hydration energy of surface ions, which requires knowledge of the crystal structure, the identification of cleavage planes, and the calculation of binding energies of surface ions. Surface binding energies for ionic solids can be determined if the Surface Madelung Constant is known. A computational technique was developed for the calculation of Madelung Constants for infinite lattices which gives excellent agreement with the values calculated by other more complicated methods reported in the literature. Extension of this technique permits the calculation of Surface Madelung Constants and binding energies of surface ions, [Aus], for semi-infinite solids. The hydration free energy of gaseous ions, [AFh], together with the calculated binding energy of surface ions, [Aus], allows calculation of the hydration energy of surface ions,[AGh], as for the case of the ionic solid, MX: [ ]

Jan 1, 1976

By H. D. Peterson, G. E. Butts, J. F. Spisak

In 1978, Anschutz Mining Corp. began efforts to develop the Madison Cobalt Project in southeast Missouri. Preliminary metallurgical studies indicated that intermediate grade cobalt products, suitable for shipment to existing refineries, could be recovered from the sulfide mineralization of the ore body. However, tolling and freight charges were significant, as the refineries were located outside the US. These refineries would not satisfy the goal of strategically insulated production of superalloy-grade cobalt. The acquisition of proven, readily available refinery technologies was then evaluated. However, licensing costs were substantial and the "proven" technologies were not directly applicable to the unique chemistry of Madison materials. Faced with these challenges, Anschutz, in conjunction with the Colorado School of Mines Research Institute, embarked on an effort to develop a sulfate-based separation and refining process. CSMRI performed bench-scale and continuous pilot experiments on solutions generated through other pilot campaigns conducted by Lurgi, Hazen Research, and Sherritt Gordon. The results indicated that cobalt could be selectively extracted from sulfate media using a new generation of organophosphates. The solvent extraction system produced a solution suitable for electrolysis of high-purity cobalt. Preliminary cost studies indicated the novel process was competitive with other refinery systems. Plans to develop the detailed engineering-design information required to commercialize the process were abandoned when the price of cobalt collapsed to less than $17.64/kg ($8.00 per lb).

Jan 1, 1985

By Shiou-Chuan Sun

THE effects of oxidation on the flotation behavior of sulphide minerals have been extensively studied,1-3 but no similar study has been made of coals. Coals of bituminous and lower rank undergo atmospheric oxidation during mining and storage, and their degree of oxidizing increases with temperature4,5 and time of exposure.6 The problem of recovering fine oxidized coal from culm piles, rivers, and streams by froth flotation has become increasingly important to the coal industry as well as to those concerned with air and stream pollution. This paper describes the flotation behavior of oxidized and unoxidized coals and carbons in the presence of oily collectors and presents the reagents found effective in the flotation of oxidized coals and carbons. Except where otherwise stated, flotation tests were performed in a 50-g Denver flotation cell. Solid feed for each test was 30 g, and the pulp dilution was kept at 8.5. The -65 mesh coal sample was wetted by agitation with water in the flotation cell for 6 min, then conditioned with a predetermined amount of collector for 2 min, and finally floated with pine oil as frother for 3 min.

Jan 4, 1954

Discussion of the paper of L. W. BAHNEY, presented at, the New York meeting, February, 1915, and printed in Bulletin No. 9S, February, 1915, pp. 339. to 344. E. J. HALL,* New York, N. Y. (communication to the Secretary+).- The Chiddy method for determining gold and silver in cyanide solutions has been subjected to so many proposed modifications, of which L. W. Bahney's is one, it is natural to suppose the method is defective. There is no denying that this method is capable of giving inaccurate results, but so is any other method of quantitative determination. However, proof has not come to my notice that the troubles are inherent and not in the detail application, and I am inclined to think from our experience that in many cases it is the latter. Errors in this method may be occasioned by: (1) The retention of zinc in the sponge, which tends to desilverize the molten lead in cupellation, similar to the action in the Parkes process, removing gold and silver in a crust of zinc oxide. Failure to remove zinc may result from lack of concentration of hydrochloric acid, clue to neutralization by salts present, volume of liquid too great for the specified amount of acid, or the use of weak acid. (HCl rapidly loses its strength unless kept in perfectly tight containers. The HCl gas escapes even from the ordinary glass-stoppered acid bottles after the plaster seal has been broken.) Undissolved zinc, is likely to be held in the upper part of the lead sponge, which floats above the liquid, and unless the solution is boiled it will escape action. Mr. Bahney's modification makes this

Jan 5, 1915

By Valentin R. Garfias

The world's petroleum production in 1929 is estimated at 1,479,335,-000 bbl., which represents an increase of about 157,000,000 over 1928, as compared with an increase of 61,000,000 bbl. in the previous year. During the present year a more definite policy of conservation has been seriously considered by the foremost executives of the companies controlling the bulk of domestic and foreign production, and the United States Government has taken an active interest in the development of this program. Definite steps have already been taken and the industry is gradually establishing a foundation for closer and more intelligent cooperation. The entire program, however, is still in a formative or experimental stage. Among other salient constructive steps may be mentioned the establishing of tentative agreements of unification in the price of oil products exported from the United States, the putting into effect of a gas conservation law in California, and the marked tendency towards consolidatlions of the various branches of the industry into larger units. The publication of the draft of the proposed petroleum law in Colombia and of the Mexican Labor Law, on the other hand, has created papre-hension and uncertainty. It is confidently expected, however, that these perliminary drafts will be materially modified before the laws arc promulgated, or otherwise they may destroy the interest they are intended to protect. United States Production in the United States, which remained stationary during 1927 and 1928, increased about 105,000,000 bbl., or 11.6 per cent. This increase is due primarily to deeper drilling in the California fields and to the discovery of new pools in Texas and Oklahoma. The progress of the conservation program was marked by the action of the Government in stopping further permits to drill on Government lands; by putting into effect early in September the California Gas Conservation Law, and by

Jan 1, 1930

By P. de Vitry, Willis P. Mould

THE wire saw is a tool not less than 60 years old, probably nearer 100 years old. It was developed in Europe and is reputed to have originated in Belgium. Frombold is said to be the original patentee. [ ] Wire sawing equipment, as indicated in Fig. I, is very simple. It consists of a three-strand wire cable, usually 3/16 or 1/4 in. in diameter, or a single flat ribbon of medium hard, tough, alloy steel twisted into a helix of those diameters, made to form an endless belt of any length up to several thousand feet. The wire is guided into the cut by sheaves mounted in slides on steel columns situated close to either end of the cut. The feed motion usually is controlled either by gravity or by hand-operated feed screws. The steel columns or "standards" range from 15 to 30 ft. in length. At the top is a swiveled arm supporting a sheave similar to the traveling sheave below. Immediately under the swivel-mounted sheave is a guy plate or collar with shackles attaching four chain or wire-rope guys with suitable tightening devices, or with two guys and two jack legs for supporting the standard vertically or at any desired angle. The usual drive is by a 10-hp. motor through a gear reducer, on which are mounted two grooved sheaves, one of which is keyed and the other free running on the shaft. Tension is provided by a car running on a track in line with the driving sheave

Jan 1, 1946

By L. Massé, Th. Koulomzine

Note on Haalck's Formula Quantitative interpretation of magnetic anomalies is admittedly a difficult process. Few authors have attempted a general approach to this problem. A number of publications can be found widely scattered through scientific periodicals, which present particular solutions obtained by the introduction of simplifying assumptions, such as the reduction to an equivalent magnet or pole, or the hypothesis of a very thin vein. The practical applications of these solutions are necessarily very restricted though they have given satisfactory results in isolated cases. Probably the most widely known equation of this type was given by Haalck.' His classic work contains curves calculated for typical conditions, and has now become a standard reference. However, a close scrutiny of Haalck's derivation reveals that, aside from the hypothesis of a thin vein, it rests on the

Jan 1, 1949

By Lyle D. Randen

With the environmental movement beginning in the late 1960's came a deluge of permit requirements for the mining industry. Coal mining has been one of, if not the most, severely impacted of the mineral industries as a result of the passage of the Federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977. Numerous provisions of this Act and numerous regulations developed under authority of the Act are being challenged in differing levels of the judicial system across the United States. Such court cases have had varied success. Numerous other regulatory programs that are not quite as dramatic as the SMCRA have presented an unending regulatory problem for mining operators. My comments in this presentation relate primarily to the major Federal and State agencies and their legal responsibilities which we in the coal mining industry must address in order to receive authority to construct and operate surface coal mines in the State of Wyoming. A list of the Federal and State agencies one could deal with in an application is as follows: 1. Bureau of Land Management (BLM). BLM is responsible for deciding where and when to lease federally owned coal and for establishing terms and conditions for leases. BLM also has some control over surface reclamation on federal land, i.e. regrading to eliminate highwalls, covering of spoils, maximum extraction of coal to limit future disturbance, contemporaneous reclamation, etc. BLM is also responsible for designation of federal lands unsuitable for all or certain types of surface coal mining operations. 2. Geological Survey (USGS). USGS coal mining responsibilities apply only to Federal and Indian lands and concern compliance with production requirements including diligent development, minimum production levels, royalty payments and resource protection, and

Jan 1, 1983

By Douglas R. Cook

The urgent need for new base metal ore discoveries was discussed by various authoritative exploration personnel at a CIM symposium on the future of the Canadian mineral industry held at Ottawa in 1967. Data presented at this meeting showed that approximately 150 new mines have started or restarted production in Canada since 1955. Over half of these mines were discovered prior to 1950. The distribution of Canadian ore discoveries during the last 15 years (shown in Fig. 1) illustrates a striking reduction in the discovery rate in recent years in spite of increasing exploration expenditures. These data indicate that $20 million is now spent in exploration for every significant metal deposit found, and evidently the cost of discovery is still rising. Even fewer discoveries are being made in some other important continental areas of the world such as Africa, Australia and South America. The discovery record in the U.S. is thought to be more rewarding than in Canada because the new deposits appear to be substantially larger. Fortunately, most good base metal ore deposits have attractive investment re- turns to justify large exploration expenditures. The magnitude of the exploration expenditures and the increasing need to develop additional metal resources justifies a critical review of the procedures used in the search for ore deposits. Of particular concern is the need to improve the use of exploration techniques in the attempt to obtain better discrimination and efficiency. There is a tendency by inexperienced exploration groups to think of any geological, geochemical or geophysical anomaly as an exploration target and ignore the fact that anomalies can result from many factors other than economic concentration of metals. The desire for a unique and favorable explanation of exploration data often results in too rapid a movement from the reconnaissance to the drilling stage without the use of all the relevant information.

Jan 7, 1968

By William C. Buell

As used in connection with open-hearth or other high-temperature operations, "insulation" refers to a multitude of substances, natural or manufactured, that have the one principal property of preventing the flow of heat by conduction to a greater degree than refractories can prevent it, the principal properties of the latter being resistance to temperature and/or chemical action. The term "control" as commonly applied to the mechanization of management functions is inappropriate without qualification, for without some degree of control of every operation we could produce no steel worthy of the name. Although grouped together in this paper, insulation and control in open-hearth furnaces have little, if any, interrelationship, therefore the paper is made up of two distinct parts. INSULATION OF OPEN-HEARTH FURNACES More than ten years ago the writer proposed the insulation of an acid open-hearth furnace system below the charging floor, and it was accomplished, with gratifying results. Possibly that was the first time the insulation of regenerators and slag pockets of any open-hearth furnace was undertaken, but shortly thereafter such insulation became general, and when the six groups of 15D-ton furnaces' were built in 1929-1930, they were completely insulated below the charging floor. While the practice was accepted at least five years ago, it was not well understood, however, as indicated by the following incident which occurred in connection with an installation made in 1929. After the

Jan 1, 1935