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What do you think are the major problems that the mining industry is facing? While I don't have any intensive knowledge of the various problems that plague our industry, I know that they are all part and parcel of a more complex and fundamental question: What must we do to make mineral extraction successful, safe, and profitable? Obviously, as mining people, we must continue to expand our technical know-how and to make better use of it. In today's context, however, that is not enough. We must also improve the "public image" of the mining industry. Why? Because the key word in the term "public image" is: the public. Many people in our country and in Congress, for instance, are against strip mining-and some are even against underground mining. Pressures from the public, from voters, have affected past, present, and new legislation. And government controls can be a major problem in any industry, let alone mining. At first, people ask government to intervene, act, or resolve problems, even in management and labor contract negotiations. But later, after Washington gets involved, there are clashes between departments and personalities, and eventually there is resentment against the interference with mining operations or our daily lives.

Jan 3, 1975

By L. P. Davidson

THE new electrolytic zinc plant of the American Zinc Company of Illinois commenced operation in April 1941. The simple flowsheet using the standard current density and the economic reasons that dictated it are given herewith. The Evans-Wallower Zinc Co. built an electrolytic zinc plant at Monsanto, Ill., in 1929 and .operated it for about two years. The plant stood idle from 1932 and was purchased by the American Zinc Co. in 1940. Because of the condition of the equipment, excepting the motor generator set, a complete rebuilding was necessary. The Fairmont City plant of the American Zinc Co. could treat the leach residues, the purification cake and the skimmings from the melting furnace in its various plants. This possibility permitted a simple flowsheet with good economic results. The flowsheet is shown in Fig. I. The calcined concentrates are leached in mechanically agitated tanks with spent electrolyte and such ferric iron solution as necessary. When the acid has been neutralized and the iron coagulated, the fluid is discharged to settling tanks. The underflow from these thickeners is filtered on a Moore filter; the filter cake leaves the plant for retreatment and the filtrate joins the thickener overflow. Zinc dust is added to this solution until the copper and cadmium are precipitated. The pulp is filtered through Shriver presses, which deliver the purified solution to storage tanks, and the copper-cadmium-zinc cake is shipped for retreatment and recovery of these three metals. The purified solution is electrolyzed; the regenerated acid is returned for use in the leaching plant and the cathode zinc, after stripping, goes to the melting furnace, from which it is cast in slabs. The skimmings from the melting furnace are shipped to the Fairmont City plant for reduction to metal in. the retort furnaces. The choice of this simple flowsheet was made possible only because of the facilities of the Fairmont City plant. The long leaching period, with high acid content and high temperature which characterize the high-density process, gives a higher zinc extraction but also dissolves more impurities, which must be removed. The same is true to a lesser degree of the multi-step leaching of the western low-density plants. By the sacrifice of some initial extraction, solutions can be obtained that are relatively easy to purify and give good ampere efficiency. This loss in initial extraction is made up in the retreatment of the residues in the Waelz plant. The impurities that accompany the zinc thus extracted are inconsequential when the Waelz product is treated in a distillation plant. It was recognized that this flowsheet would require a somewhat greater amount of sulphuric acid-either as acid or as sulphate sulphur in the calcine-because of poorer washing. The sulphuric acid plant at Fairmont City could deliver 60° Be. acid to compensate for the sulphate loss and the cost would be less than the cost of more intensive washing.

Jan 1, 1942

By Henry Hanson

A STUDY of the ore to be treated should be the first step in deciding on a machine for crushing or grinding. Coarse crushing is practically confined to the jaw and the gyratory crushers, the large-size jaw type being often employed in large installations as a primary crusher, followed by the gyratory type for secondary reduction. In small plants where mine-run ore is reduced in a single step, either of these machines will do the work. In intermediate and fine grinding, various machines are used. The relative merit of the different types will be governed in no small measure by the size of the installation, the character of the ore to be reduced and the final product desired for subsequent treatment. It should be possible, nevertheless, with the data available, if properly classified, to arrive at an approximation of the relative efficiency of these intermediate and fine grinders. It should be possible, also, to determine the economic grinding range of the different machines. With this in mind, it will be the object of this article to indicate, in rough outline, how the data available may be classified, rather than to attempt to discuss any particular practice and compare the results with other practices. Conclusions or generalizations can not be drawn without an exhaustive classification of data; in fact, many vital points will have to be determined by additional experiments which can be carried on most advantageously in the laboratory. The expense en-tailed in such experiments would be worth while if the data obtained should lead to definite conclusions that would aid in standardizing and simplifying grinding practice.

Jan 2, 1923

By Walter von der Linden

A description is presented of the mining conditions of four longwall shield type support installations in the Pittsburgh seam in northern West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania. Details of roof control and operating procedures, production and performance data, and equipment description and basic engineering specifications are given for these four longwall installations. The range of mining heights was between 150 and 250 cm (60 and 95 in.). The major accomplishment of the shield supports in all four faces was the provision of an almost 100% availability for coal cutting; i.e., the face-down time due to roof control problems and support maintenance requirements was minimal.

Jan 1, 1978

By Robert E. Hoffman, John B. Hudson

The self-diffusion coefficient of pure lead has been measured at five pressures between atmospheric and 40 kb. over a temperature range of about 150°C near the melting point at each pressure. Measurements were made using a radiotracer technique, samples being sectioned electrochemically after the diffusion anneal to determine the diffusion penetration curve. Pressure was applied in a "belt" type pressure device similar to that used by Hall et al., in the diamond synthesis. The self-diffusion coefficient, D, can be represented by an equation of the form at constant pressure, and an equation of the format constant temperature. An apparent correlation between the effects of pressure on self-diffusion and on the melting point of the material observed by Nachtrieb et al., at pressures below 10 kb. was found to be only approximate as measurements are carried to higher pressures. OVER the course of the past 30 years a large number of studies1-' of the rate of atom movements in solid metals have been carried out. These studies have in general been aimed at increasing the understanding of the detailed atomic process by which atom movements in metals can take place. The largest portion of these studies consisted of measurements of the self-diffusion coefficient, D, as a function of temperature. From such studies con- siderable information regarding the energetics of the motive process has been deduced. Recently such measurements have been extended to the pressure dimension. However, the existing work in this area is scanty and has in the past been limited to the pressures attainable in oil or gas bombs—i.e., up to about 10 kilobars (kb). In the present work, the self-diffusion behavior of pure lead has been investigated using the "belt" type high-pressure apparatus designed by Hall7 over a pressure range from atmospheric to 40 kb at temperatures extending over about a 150°C range close to the melting point at each pressure.

Jan 1, 1962

By D. T. Novick, M. B. Bever, B. Roessler

Ordered and disordered specimens of the alloy CusAu were cold worked and then annealed at 2880, 310°, and 340°C, together with disordered unworked specimens. me resistivity decreased during annealing mainly as a result of ordering; the resistivity measurements suggest that in cold-worked specimens the growth of antiphase domains is impeded. The strength properties increased during annealing at 288 "C; in cold-worked specimens this increase was lo a level above that for cold-worked specimens which had not been annealed. X-ray diffraction showed that after annealing for a few hours at 288ºC, the long-range order increased to a constant value; additional annealing at 288ºC resulted in the growth of antiphase domains in which the degree of order was constant. Changes in peak breadth and particle size confirmed that in cold-worked specimens the major effects of cold work were not eliminated during annealing at 288 "C, although a slight recovery process occurred. When a specimen of the alloy Cu3Au is heated to a temperature below the critical temperature (388ºC), long-range ordering tends to occur in a specimen containing less than the equilibrium amount of order characteristic of that temperature Ideally, a specimen of Cu3Au contains no long-range order if it has been quenched from above the critical temperature. Long-range order is reduced by cold work. If cold-worked specimens are heated, restoration processes such as recovery and recrystallization may occur,

Jan 1, 1963

By E. J. Horwood

The varying physical character and large extent of the Broken Hill lode necessarily involve the employment of a variety of underground methods. The lode had its origin in an extensive fault plane traversing metamorphosed schists conformably, as a rule, with their beds of stratification. The underground waters carrying minerals in solution deposited their contents. in the original cavities formed by the faulting action, and in the enlargements of these cavities due to dynamic forces brought to bear on the rocks, more especially on the hanging-wall side of the fault, This deposition was supplemented by metasomatic replacement of a portion of the original rock contents by the argentiferous sulphides of lead and zinc which form the staple products of the district. Although the orebody is practically continuous throughout the mines, its width varies greatly, ranging from a few feet to about 350 ft. The widest portions occur in conjunction with huge folds in the inclosing country rock, almost exclusively on the hanging-wall side. The ore it these folds pitches to the south in the southern half of the field, and to the north in the northern half; there are, however, undulations in these ore channels evidently due to compression of the rocks in the direction of the channels. In the earlier days, before the orebodies had been opened up: vertical cross-sections across these bulges in the hanging wall gave the lode the appearance of the "saddle formation," so well exemplified at Bendigo in Victoria; but subsequent development of the ore channels ha; long since proved that the formations in the two districts are entirely different. The depth reached by the zone of complete oxidation of the sulphide, varies from about 250 to 550 ft. from the original outcrop while partial oxidation extends in places below the 1,000-ft. level. The result of oxidizing influences has been the production of ore of every grade of cohesiveness, from that of dry sand to that of hard compact rock.

Jan 1, 1916

By A. N. Winsor

Increased use of private aircraft in civil engineering, mining, forestry, and other land-use activities creates an opportunity for amateur aerial photography. Taking a photograph having less than 5° tilt requires precision equipment and skilled personnel, while controlled horizontal photography is primarily a terrestrial method that has passed to the limbo of forgotten things. But the remaining possibility – oblique aerial photography – can be…

Jan 2, 1955

By R. W. Woodward, G. K. Burgess

minum bronze. Nearly all copper-base alloys are improved by rolling processes, but the copper-aluminum alloys seem to possess equally good properties when cast or rolled; this is a remarkable metallurgical fact. Another important property of these copper-aluminum alloys is their resistance to alternating stress. Many tests indicate that their resistance is greater in this respect than that of some steels, and I have seen instances when cast aluminum-bronze bolts have outlived five steel bolts in foundation work subject to severe shocks. I mention these various instances to indicate that work originally started as research for substitution of one material for another frequently develops 212 article which has properties not possessed by the original metal or alloy. I have dwelt particularly on the aluminum bronzes because recently I have done more special work on them than on other alloys, but I believe that the use of aluminum itself, in many combinations of metals, is a very important subject for investigation. Undoubtedly, after the war, the cost of aluminum will be reduced from its present price, and considering its low specific gravity it offers a very interesting and important field for research in the non-ferrous business. Naturally, if combinations containing aluminum can be developed in view of a probably increasing supply of metal, the cost will be reduced. This will benefit the industry generally and will immediately conserve tin. Bronzes, Bearing Metals, and Solders G. K. Burgess* and R. W. Woodward,† Washington, D. C.— From a metallurgical standpoint, there are several ways in which a reduction of the tin consumed in commercial non-ferrous and white-metal alloys can be effected. First, a reduction of the tin content of the alloy; second, substitution of part or all of the tin content by some other metal; third, a substitution of a different type of alloy, which in some cases also involves a change in mechanical design. The Bureau of Standards has been studying these methods of conservation for tin alloys, particularly in regard to babbitts and bearing metals, bronzes, and solders. Much of the information sewed by the Bureau was obtained from answers to questionnaires sent to manufacturers and users of these materials, so that, in general, any of the following suggestions or recommendations can be considered as being practical and as having already been thoroughly tried. Bearing Metals There is no question that the tin content of nearly all bearing metals can be reduced to some extent, and in some cases actually eliminated

Jan 1, 1919

By AIME

DURING the Revolutionary War an iron mining industry was born in the Adirondack region of New York State. New York State ores provided the iron from which were forged the links of the chain that, strung across the Hudson River, successfully kept British vessels from ascending. The industry flourished for a while and then became dormant. For the successful prosecution of World War II, the magnetite mines were revived and given considerable aid in the form of government financial support. The complete story appeared in a special issue Of MINING AND METALLURGY published in November 1943. Now, almost four years later, it is interesting to see that these "war babies" were not really such but are well-established enterprises with a bright future. A ten-day trip through the Adirondack region and to St. Lawrence County dispelled all thoughts that mining in northern New York State is a transitory industry. In addition to substan-

Jan 1, 1947

By D. W. Gentry, H. E. Sherer

Determining the age at which to replace a specific piece of mining equipment, and choice of the best possible replacement, is a problem common to nearly all mining operations. This paper examines the data required for intelligent equipment replacement decisions and discusses how to predict future repair cost from historic data, determine the total cost of various replacement alternatives, and evaluate the different replacement alternatives. Various operations research and computer methods were used to develop this easily-used, practical equipment replacement method.

Jan 1, 1984

By M. B. Yung

Location THE Fu Chuan district lies near the eastern boundary of Kwang Si province in southern China and is connected with the coast by the West river and its branches. The Journey The first part of the journey from the coast is made very comfortably in one of the West river steamers which runs to Wuchow, the great distributing center for tile whole province. From here there are two ways of reaching the Fu Chuan district. One is to drop clown the West river for 15 miles and ascend the Yuen river for 120 miles. The other is to ascend the Fu river, which joins the West river at Wuchow, and at Ping Lok tike chairs across country. Of the two the former is the more direct and shorter but for other reasons I chose the latter. At Wuchow one must provide his own means of transportation, which may be a native boat anywhere up to 40 ft. in length, but not over 18-in. draft. The method of working these river boats against the swift current which in many places develops into rapids is interesting and worthy of note. Tracking along the bank with the tow line attached to the mast head is the most common procedure, but poling, sculling, sailing and winding up the rapids by a windlass are used as the case may require. The boatmen are the hardiest set of fellows I have ever seen often putting in 15 hr. of the most exhausting labor. The average clay's run against the current is 15 miles. On this trip one should have his own food, bedding and servants, and a guard of 10, or more soldiers is almost a necessity as certain parts of the river are infested with pirates.

Jan 9, 1914

Mrs. W. Y. Westervelt, Director of the New York Section, reports an interesting meeting at her house- on May 12. Dr. Cecile Griel, special worker of the division for work among foreign-born women of the National Board of the Y. W. C. A., spoke. As the Americanization Committee under Mrs. Scobey is planning an energetic campaign, Dr. Griel's stirring appeal was timely and suggestive. While Dr. Griel cited the usual avenues of approach to our alien population through the school children, the needs of the baby, sewing classes, English classes, etc., her especial appeal was for correct psychology on the part of the workers. She deplored the condescension, implied or expressed, so often manifest in persons attempting Americanism, work and emphasized many times the importance of an understanding heart and mind. At the close Mrs. Scobey brought forward plans for practical work to be done by the New York women, of which I hope to give some details next month.

Jan 7, 1919

THE Howe Memorial Lecture, in memory of Henry Marion Howe, Past President of the Institute, was authorized in April, 1923, as an annual address to be delivered by invitation under the auspices of the Institute by an individual of recognized and outstanding attainment in the science and practice of iron and steel metallurgy or metallography, chosen by the Board of Directors upon recommendation of the Iron and Steel Division The following were the Howe lectures and lecturers for the years indicated 1924 What is Steel? By Albert Sauveur 1925 Austenite and Austenitic Steels By John A Mathews 1926 Twenty-five Years of Metallography By William Campbell

Jan 1, 1952

By G. S. Scott, H. G. Turner, W. L. Kleene

It is well known that different forms of carbon show differences in chemical behavior under apparently identical conditions. It is fairly well known that these differences persist, although to a lesser degree, in a single group of carbons, such as the anthracites of Pennsylvania. It is the purpose of this paper to show the extent of these variations for Pennsylvania anthracites from actual quantitative measurements of the amount of carbon dioxide reduced under the standardized test conditions employed. As the amount of carbon dioxide reduced to the monoxide (under comparative conditions termed, for convenience, the "reactivity") is important in combustion, gas production and metallurgy, it is hoped that this paper will be a useful contribution to the store of knowledge on these subjects. In carrying out the investigation, considerable time and thought were spent in obtaining what seemed to be the best possible design of apparatus. The next step consisted in making a number of trial runs on the same sample, varying temperature, particle diameter, etc. and then outlining a standardized procedure to be followed in testing all samples. Fifty anthracites were tested. As a matter of interest, some 10 miscellaneous samples were also tested. The data show initial reaction temperatures (abbreviated I.R.T.), reaction velocity constants at 900" and 950" C., some effects of added substances, and a few additional tests designed to throw some light on the causes of differences in reactivity. The sample of charcoal, as was anticipated, proved to be easily the most reactive of any sample tested. The anthracites as a group came second. The five samples of gas and by-product cokes, obtained from five different coke manufacturers, came third, and a single sample of Rhode Island anthracite ranked fourth, with respect to reactivity as above defined. Although the five coke samples do not necessarily represent the average market coke, and five samples constitute a rather small number of samples to serve as a basis for comparisons, the fact that none

Jan 1, 1934

By Peter I. Brooker

Elementary estimation methods in which blocks are assigned values according to a geometrical area of influence concept are investigated for a tabular deposit. This quantitative assessment of the estimation technique is made using Matheron's geostatistics which allows the variance of the error between actual block values and estimated values to be found once the semi-variogram is known. For the deposit in question it is shown that the elementary technique makes poor use of the available information. There is a 20% relative error associated with it, whereas by using the optimal technique of kriging this can be reduced to 9%. An infill drilling program, which might have been suggested on area of influence results, would reduce the estimation variance only marginally over that of the current campaign; the relative error being lowered to 6%. Thus the geostatistical analysis shows this would be an unnecessary expense. The accuracy of an earlier drilling stage is also studied and it is shown that with the information available at the earlier stage block values could have been known with a relative error of 13%. Drilling could have stopped then if this were reckoned a tolerable error level. These results are all obtained for blocks whose size is dictated by the mining engineer and is set at the current grid size. In the area of influence approach smaller blocks are considered as the grid becomes finer and a study of the accuracy of area of influence estimates and kriged estimates for differing block sizes is presented. Between drilling stages more information from which the semi- variogram is calculated becomes available. The sensitivity of the estimation to changes in the semi-variogram parameters between earlier and current drilling programs is investigated.

Jan 1, 1977

By R. L. Templin

THE modulus of elasticity is defined as the ratio of stress within the proportional limit to corresponding strain. This property, as thus defined, is a constant for each kind of material; and in tension or compression is usually designated by the symbol E. The modulus of elasticity serves as an index of the stiffness of a material or a measure of its ability to resist change of shape under stresses not higher than the proportional limit. In view of the frequency with which the modulus of elasticity is used in engineering calculations, it is surprising to note the uncertainty that exists as to authentic values, and the marked lack of published information relating to the variation of the constant E within individual alloy systems. A value of 10,000,000 lb. per sq. in. has been quoted as representative of aluminum and its alloys. This value has been found to be approximately correct for pure aluminum and aluminum alloys in which the total percentage of the alloying elements is low, but seriously in error in the case of alloys that contain relatively large amounts of the alloying elements.

Jan 1, 1930

By Robert E. Campbell

Mining geophysics in 1969 marked a year of growth and consolidation in the application of ground and airborne geophysical methods and techniques with a 20% rise in expenditures for world-wide exploration. Growth was determined by questionnaire survey of industry, geophysical contractors, universities and government agencies conducted by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists. Relative position of metlhods is shown in the accompanying table on page 87. Methods and Techniques Electromagnetic airborne and ground methods showed the largest gains in the utilization of VLF-EM instrumentation. The VLF-EM instrument is a directional radio receiver which is tuned to distant radio transmitters in the 15 to 25 kilohertz band range. It measures vertical real and imaginary components of the magnetic field vector, and is used in geological mapping and surveying for various types of conductors in the ground. Ground VLF-EM instruments, Ronka EM-16 and Radem, are manufactured by Geonics, Ltd., Toronto, Ont., and Crone Geophysics. Ltd., Port Credit. Ont.

Jan 1, 1970

By I. A. Violic, L. D. Cruz, M. A. Solari

In Exxon's Los Bronces Expansion Project in Chile, a stochastic simulation is performed to resolve the complex decision problem of matching the mine to mill system capacities from both technical and economic standpoints. The unique combination of weather conditions at the mine and the 30-km (18.6 mile) belt conveyor network for ore transport to the mill necessitates this analysis in the planning phase to optimize the design capacity of the system. Appropriate statistical distributions of major equipment performance, snow storm duration, power outage, etc., are developed from actual mine local records and manufacturers' specifications. The interactions of operational constraints including ore storage capacities, number and sizes of individual equipment, ore variations, and mine and mill production rates are studied more realistically than in a traditional planning approach. Details of the computer modeling and typical results of simulation studies are discussed.

Jan 1, 1984

By Dewitt T. Ring

Oil development in 1934 has been largely restricted to drilling offset and lease requirement wells. Practically no effort has been made to discover new fields, chiefly because of price structure and proration allowance. A summary of developments during 1934 of necessity is brief. No state agency is maintained for the collection of data. The State Bureau of Mines issues permits for drilling and inspects the plugging of wells in coal-bearing measures only. Therefore data are not in existence with which to compile tables similar to those in other papers of this symposium. Forty-seven counties in the state produce oil, productive depths ranging from 100 to 5300 ft. Approximately 35 different formations in Ohio have produced either oil or gas. These reservoir rocks occur through a stratigraphic interval ranging in age from the shallow Goose Run sand of the Upper Pennsylvanian in Washington County to the St. Peter sand of Lower Ordovician in Seneca County. However, 75 per cent of these formations are unimportant from the standpoint of real production. Most of the oil and gas in Ohio has been produced from the Clinton, Oriskany, Berea and Big Injun sands and the Trenton Lime. Of these, the Clinton is first and Berea second in importance. Fields The oil and gas-producing territory of the state can be grouped into five fields or districts, made up of a series of "pools" usually separated by nonproductive areas, and is in no sense a belt of continuous production. Trenton Field of northwestern Ohio, is scattered through 15 counties. Development began in 1885. This field reached its peak in 1896 with a production of 20,575,138 bbl. for the year. For 1934, production had declined to 990,000 bbl. The oil is classified as Lima grade. Clinton Field extends from the Ohio River in Lawrence County to Lake Erie in Lorain, Cuyahoga and Ashtabula counties. First Clinton-

Jan 1, 1935