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By John Wulff, H. H. Uhlig

Since its first mention in the literature in the eighteenth century12 the phenomenon of passivity in metals has stimulated much speculation and attendant controversy as to its nature and cause. No one of the numerous theories so far proposed has been generally accepted. ‡ Faraday,' in 1836, associated the passivity of iron with a protective film over the surface of the metal, which materially prevents or slows down reaction with corrosive environments. His theory was that oxidizing acids like nitric acid form an unstable oxygen or oxide layer over the iron surface, which protects the underlying metal from further attack. This concept was simple yet plausible, and without alteration has frequently been assigned in present-day discussions as explanation of the passivity of many metals. With the advent in recent times of stainless steels, it is not surprising that this oxide film theory of passivity proposed by Faraday has been used to explain the phenomenal corrosion resistance of stainless steels and other passive alloys. The passive alloys, such as the chrome-iron alloys, are supposedly covered with a protective oxide film, which forms on exposure of the alloy to air, is extremely stable and self-healing, and accounts for the remarkable resistance of these alloys to corrosion. Within the past few years, several investigators, following the theory of film protection, have attempted to gauge the resistance of the supposed film on steels. Brennert8 and Donker and Dengg9 determined the potential at which a negative ion (e.g., C1-) moving in an electric field reacted with the metal anode, as detected by increased current flow or change in potential of the steel electrode in an electrolytic cell. The potential corresponding to reaction Brennert called the film break-through potential.

Jan 1, 1939

By Gust Bitsianes, Joseph H. M. Beaty

Successful blast-furnace operation depends upon securing an optimum balance between a number of important variables. This balance will vary somewhat from furnace to furnace in the same plant and with raw materials available in different plants. It is difficult to isolate the effect of any one variable unless it has a rather pronounced effect upon the efficiency of operation. The physical properties of iron ore and coke are known to affect the process, yet it is difficult to set up any definite yardstick by which these differences can be appraised. In recent years, whenever practicable, operators have taken steps to obtain better control over the absolute size and uniformity of size of the ore and coke. The size and physical character of the stone, however, have received comparatively little attention, emphasis being placed upon chemical composition, fluxing efficiency, and action as a desulphurizing agent. Since the stone occupies only about 10 per cent of the volume of the stock column, its influence upon permeability is less than that of the ore and the coke. The large pieces now used have a tendency to roll to the center and thus increase the permeability of this part of the stock column. Smaller pieces would be more effective in promoting the permeability of denser portions of the stock. The size and physical properties of blastfurnace stone are important also for reasons best understood by considering the results obtained by the crushing and the sizing of iron ore. Crushing ore to about 2 in. at Provo, Utah, and to about I in. in Alabama produced material somewhat less permeable to gases, even though sized. In spite of some sacrifice in permeability, the efficiency of the process was improved by crushing and sizing the ore, as indicated by a substantial saving in fuel and increased output. This saving in fuel is due in large measure to more thorough reduction of ore in the upper part of the furnace and to a corresponding decrease in the amount of carbon consumed prematurely above the tuyeres by the reaction CO2 + C = 2CO - 70,080 B.t.u. [I] The physical properties of stone, its size and rate of calcination are important because they influence the rate at which CO2 is released and the completeness of calcination before reaching a level in the furnace where the temperature does not exceed 1050°C. (1920°F.). Briefly, carbon dioxide from the limestone or from the reduction of ore may cause premature corn bustion of carbon above the tuyeres. Assuming that 1000 Ib. of limestone is used per ton of pig iron, about 435 Ib. of CO2 will be liberated during calcination of a good grade of stone. If all this CO2 from the stone were to oxidize carbon prematurely, about 120 lb, would be consumed above the tuyeres in a heat-absorbing reaction. The amount of carbon thus consumed when a

Jan 1, 1943

By G. P. Gladis, R. H. Atkinson

Palladium has been used for jewelry for many years, particularly in conjunction with gold. This use increased in amount during the war, as palladium and gold were only moderately used for war purposes while demands for platinum and some of the other members of the platinum group were so great that their use in jewelry was prohibited. Palladium hardened with a small percentage of ruthenium has the necessary technical properties and appearance for good jewelry, and it is sufficiently rare to be desirable for luxury items—at least I00 times as rare as gold. Although both visual and spectro-photometric examination demonstrated that the color of Palladium was almost the same as that of platinum, a few jewelers found the surface of palladium, even after some polishing, rather dark in areas that had been repeatedly heated during the soldering necessary to assemble certain types of handmade ornaments. This phenomenon is not to be confused with the thin, bluish oxide film that can be produced by heating in air over the range 400' to 800°C., as that film is easily reduced by dipping in warm 5 per cent formic acid or in warm methanol. It was suspected that the difficulty arose from heating in atmospheres that were alternately oxidizing and reducing, as Wise and Vines1 had found that this opened the grain boundaries of palladium and palladium-silver alloys in the same manner as in pure silver, as reported by Martin and Parker.2 This damage is caused by the reaction between oxygen in solid solution in the metal, acquired when heated under oxidizing conditions, and hydrogen diffusing in from subsequent heating under reducing conditions; the steam cannot diffuse out and therefore builds up sufficient pressure to disrupt the metal near the surface. Copper and various other metals can be damaged similarly, but platinum is nearly immune; therefore the problem was new to the platinum jeweler. Sulphur in the fuel gas also can cause trouble but did not appear to be dominant in the present instance. Metallographic examination of both pure palladium and ruthenium-palladium showed that the usual torch using oxygen and city gas as normally operated did in fact cause the surface and subsurface damage that had been observed, and also disclosed that a reducing flame caused more damage than an oxidizing flame and was very damaging even in the absence of any intentional swing in atmosphere from oxidizing to reducing (Fig. 7); besides the surface damage, there was serious loss of ductility. A full explanation of the mechanism of attack is not evident at the moment, but may be allied to the attack that occurs on heating catalytically active metals in nonequilibrium atmospheres.

Jan 1, 1946

By Jiuhua Xu, Yuling Xie, Fenglei Bie, Neng Jiang

"Abstract - The Xiaoqingling Mt. area is one of the most productive gold districts in China. The gold-bearing quartz veins are controlled by a series of east-west shear zones within the Archean Taihua Group, and related to the late Yanshanian (Cretaceous) granite. The major metallic minerals are native gold, electrum, pyrite, galena, chalcopyrite and sphalerite, with gangue minerals dominated by quartz, sericite, ankerite, and calcite. The host rocks are mainly amphibolite, plagioclase gneiss, and migmatites. Principal alteration is sericitization, silicification, pyritization, and carbonization.There are four generations of hydrothermal quartz in altered rocks of gold deposits. The earliest generation of quartz, (Q1), occurs in altered amphibolite gneiss and migmatite, and typically contains fluid inclusions with halite crystals (type A) and two phases, (L+V), of fluid inclusions (type B). The salinities of type A inclusions are 32 wt% to 52 wt%, with dissolution temperatures of halite crystals being from 155°C to 465°C. The second generation of quartz, (Q2), occurs as a fine-grained aggregate associated with sericite, and has small (less than 3 µm) type B inclusions. The third generation of quartz, (Q3), occurs in mylonitic, intensively altered rocks and specially beresite (a type of rock composed of quartz, sericite, and pyrite) near the veins, and contains large amounts of CO2-rich fluid inclusions (type C-fluid inclusions with liquid CO2 and type D-fluid inclusion with high density CO2). The CO2 contents of type C range from 72.6 to 87.4 mol% in gas phases, and 35.7 to 68.3 mol% in liquid phases, based on Laser Raman analysis. The homogenization temperatures of fluid inclusion type A and C are from 215°C to 380°C, and from 210°C to 325°C, respectively. The minimum trapping pressure of fluid inclusions is estimated as 80 MPa to 170 MPa for type A, and from 57 MPa to 190 MPa for type C, which approximate to those of fluid inclusions in vein quartz.The ?18O of quartz are from 10.4‰ to 11.0‰ for Q3 of altered rocks, and from 10.7‰ to 12.8‰ for stage I quartz. The calculated ?18O of fluid inclusions varies from -1.3‰ to 6.0‰. The ?D of fluid inclusions ranges from -67‰ to -59‰ and from -81‰ to -48 ‰, respectively. It is concluded that the water in the hydrothermal fluids both reacting with wallrocks and precipitating orebodies could have been mainly of magmatic and/or metamorphic nature. However, local meteoric water might have been important in late mineralization, because of a distinct oxygen-shift toward the meteoric water. The ?34S values for pyrite of the ores range from -7.1‰ to +7.1‰, with an average of +2.9‰. Those of other sulfides (chalcopyrite, galena, and sphalerite, range from -12.5‰ to 8.3‰. The ratios of lead isotopes for galena of the ores are: 17.06 to 17.31 (206Pb/204Pb), 15.43 to 15.74 (207Pb/204Pb) and 37.58 to 38.45 (208Pb/204Pb). In summary, ore-forming fluids in the Wenyu-Dongchuang gold deposits may have originated from a mantle and/or lower crust source, and ore materials were derived from the Precambrian basement, the Taihua Group."

Jan 1, 1998

By D. O. Hobson, J. O. Stiegler, C. J. McHargue

The effects of alloy composition, deformation temperature, heal treatment, ad inlerstilial contamination on the occurrence of deformation twins were studied. The twinning transition temperature varied with composition and was a maximuni of 140°C for the 40 pcl V composition. Tire remperature range of the transition was very narrow. Alloys of 20 to 70 pet V could he cold-rolled and exhibited profuse twinning. The alloys which did not twin at room temperature (10, 80, and 90 pel V) could plot be cold-rolled. Oxygen additions systematically lowered the transition temperatures for all vanadium contents. The transition temperature for a 30 pet V alloy increased with annealing temperature, apparently due to changes in dislocation density and configuration. Twinning did not nucleate fracture in any specimen in the 20 to 60 pet V composition range. THERE is great current interest in the refractory metals and alloys as structural materials. An important factor in considering the ductile-brittle behavior of such materials is the role of mechanical twinning as a deformation mechanism. Mechanical twins have been observed after deformation at low temperatures or at high loading rates in the pure metals iron,1 vanadium,2,3 columbium,4,5 tantalum,6 Chromium,7 molybdenum,8 and tungsten.9 Binary alloys in which mechanical twins have been observed include: iron with silicon,10 phosphorous," or aluminum;12 and chromium, molybdenum, or tungsten with rhenium.13-17 The increase in low-temperature ductility obtained by alloying the Group VI-A elements with rhenium is very important with regard to fabricability, and there has been considerable effort to understand the so-called '(rhenium effect". Factors suggested to explain this effect include:'' 1) increase in solubility of interstitial impurities with alloying (electronic effect): 2) changes in the nature of grain boundary phases; 3) changes in interfacial energies of grain boundaries and stacking faults: and 4) promotion of twinning. Although an outstanding characteristic of these alloys is the profuse twinning that accompanies low-temperature deformation, most studies of the rhenium effect have been concerned with the other factors. During recent studies of refractory-metal alloys, it was noted that solid solutions of columbium and vanadium exhibited high hardness and strength at room temperature and elevated temperature and, surprisingly, also showed considerable ductility at room temperature and below. These alloys deformed by twinning at room temperature when subjected to slow loading rates. It appeared that the low-temperature ductility resulted at least in part from the relaxation of stresses by twinning in a system where slip is difficult. The reason for enhanced twinning behavior in some bee solid-solution alloys is unknown. There have been suggestions18,19 that, as in fee alloys, the

Jan 1, 1965

By A. Dave Mackintosh

The Current demand for potash has pushed world prices to record levels and allowed Saskatchewan producers to operate at maximum capacity. Several years of strong demand has resulted in a permitting rush not seen since the 1960?s. Even though Saskatchewan has a huge potash resource, mining and processing constraints will limit the areas of economic development. Introduction In 1969 M. E. Holter prepared a report ?The Middle Devonian Prairie Evaporite of Saskatchewan?, published by the then Dept. of Mineral Resources. Holter?s report has remained the bible of geologists working in potash ever since. It is astounding that a report written before there was really much potash mining history in the province, is as valid today as when it was first published. This paper re-iterates much of Holter?s report and adds a little mining experience to essentially confirm the importance of his work.

May 1, 2008

This paper details successful implementation of a revolutionary pit access system involving excavation of an 'in-the-wall' ramp at Three Mile Hill open pit operated by Gold Mines of Coolgardie, formerly Goldfan Limited, at Coolgardie, Western Australia. Three Mile Hill is a medium-size, open pit, gold operation typified by hard, competent, fresh rock conditions from near surface. The project involved construction of a haulage tunnel or decline access located in the wall of an open pit in place of a conventional pit access ramp. Works undertaken as discussed herein included excavation, support, ventilation, dewatering, services installation, commissioning and monitoring. Prior to implementation, the conventional hardrock pit slopes and designs were constrained by the presence of infrastructure and a main road to the North and by adjoining leases to the Southeast. The combination of these factors and economic considerations resulted in a decision to proceed with an innovative in-the-wall ramp access system that is believed to be the first of its type in Australia. Back-analysis indicates that implementation resulted in a cost saving of as much as A$3.6 million and increased mineable pit reserves. The paper deals with the successful implementation and operation of the in-the-wall ramp haulage as well as an economic evaluation that is aimed at drawing some general conclusions on favourable conditions for implementation in other mining scenarios.

Jan 1, 1996

By S. Leber, R. F. Hehemann

Diffusion coefficients for the Cb-W system were measured using couples prepared from poly crystalline, commercially pure metals. The diffusion coefficients, measured in the temperature range between 1700° and 2300°C, decreased exponentially as the tungsten concentration was increased from 0 to 50 at. pct, then decreased abruptly at higher concentrations. A decrease of two orders of magnitude was observed over the entin? compositional range. The diffusion coefficients were in the range defined by the self-difiusion coefficients of the individual elements, indicating their general validity. An activation energy of 60,500 cal per mole was measured for the 20 pct W composition. Such low values, when compared with energies over 100,000 cal per mole for the pure constituent elements, indicated that transport mechanisnzs more rapid than volume diffusion were contributing substantially to inter dijfusion. Difference should, therefore, be expected between these data and the intrinsic diffusion coefficients. These differences should be significant in the kinetics of 'transport phenomena in practical systems. CONSIDERABLE attention has been devoted in recent years to the mechanical behavior and other properties of the refractory metals and their alloys. The Cb-W system has been of special interest as a base for the development of more complex compositions of commercial interest. In spite of the importance of mass transport to all aspects of elevated-temperature behavior, and especially to the production of alloys by powder-metallurgy techniques, little attention has been paid to diffusion in the Cb-W system. Results from a previous study of this system1 appeared to be anomalously high. The present investigation is, therefore, an attempt to obtain more accurate diffusion coefficients in this system. Intrinsic diffusion coefficients, of primary importance from the theoretical viewpoint, can only be obtained accurately from studies utilizing compositional gradients approaching zero. However, many practical problems involve diffusion under significant concentration gradients. The diffusion coefficients determined in this investigation were, therefore, obtained from couples prepared from elemental metals. The data obtained should be of value in the analysis of problems such as homogenization during powder-metallurgy alloying or reactions between base and clad in coated structures. In this vein, the investigation was conducted on poly crystalline materials of commercial purity. PROCEDURE Diffusion couples were prepared by sandwiching a columbium sheet between two sheets of tungsten. The composite was welded around all edges, the tungsten forming a protective can for the columbium. The composite was soaked for 4 min at 1600°C in a hydrogen-atmosphere furnace, quickly forged to 40 pct reduction in thickness, and then rapidly cooled to room tempera-

Jan 1, 1967

By Roderic A. Ellman

The new Woodrow Wilson Bridge (WWB) will replace the existing bridge over the Potomac River to connect Alexandria, Virginia to Prince Georges County, Maryland. The new WWB will extend approximately 1.1 miles across the river, with a 367-ft long bascule span in the main river channel where the water depth is about 36 ft. The bridge is primarily comprised of fixed spans in relatively shallow water and a bascule span over the navigation channel. The subsurface soil profile was quite variable along the bridge alignment. In Virginia, there was fill over soft Alluvial deposits underlain by dense Terrace deposits, as well as remnant foundations from a former ship yard. At the bascule span, there was up to 50 ft of a soft organic silty clay layer underlain by a deep deposit of stiff Cretaceous clay. Along the Maryland approach, there were Alluvial deposits over dense Terrace deposits over stiff Cretaceous clays and dense Cretaceous sands. The variation in subsurface conditions led to the selection of alternative deep foundations that suited the specific conditions and were based on the design phase testing program, from which ultimate design capacities were determined. During construction, there were instances of unexpected pile performance, notably different than that experienced during the design phase testing, requiring changes to the contract installation criteria and re-design. This paper will present the types of deep foundations used for the project, the performance criteria assumed during the design, the measured performance and difficulties encountered during construction, and the resulting remedial actions, i.e., changes to contract installation criteria and/or re-design due to the unanticipated field conditions.

Jan 1, 2009

By George K. Burgess, Robert A. Hadfield

1. Introduction.—The methods of production of sound steel ingots have been described in several papers read recently before this Institute. It was thought by Director Stratton, of the U. S. Bureau of Standards, and ourselves to be of sufficient interest and importance, as a further contribution to this subject, to compare the properties of rails rolled in one mill according to American practice, from several types of ingot of substantially the same chemical composition but cast by several processes; and to compare in considerable detail the properties of an ingot manufactured by the Hadfield special-feeding process and one of the usual type for rolling into rails. We are greatly indebted to F. W. Wood, President of the Maryland Steel CO., who made this investigation possible by kindly placing his rail mill at our disposal; and he and his associates at Sparrows Point did everything possible to make the experiment a success, including the execution of several of the tests and analyses. 2. Classification and Manufacture of Ingots.—Of the ingots used in this investigation, eight were made in Sheffield and furnished by Sir Robert Hadfield, and one was made and furnished by an American steel company,l as a comparison ingot, and was supposed to represent the usual type of ingot from which rails are made. The characteristics of the ingots are given in Table I. Ingots 1, 2, 3, and 4 were cast large end up and fed by the Hadfield method in the usual manner with charcoal and blast continued until the molten steel has set on the top of the head, say varying from 20 to 40 min. To ingots 1, 2, and 4 was added 0.1 per cent. aluminum, and to the nickel-chrome ingot, No. 3, 0.125 per cent. For sake of comparison, there were also included two ingots, Nos. 8 and 9, cast with the small end up and fed by

Jan 1, 1915

By E. Sabina Brady

Over the next two decades there will be significant trade and development opportunities in China for mining, engineering, equipment, and construction companies interested in becoming part of the development of China's chemical and fertilizer industries. At last count, China's phosphate ore reserves of 11.8 Gt (13 billion st), ranked fourth in the world behind the US, the USSR, and Sahara-Morocco. However, a recent statement by the head of the Ministry of Geology and Minerals, Sun Daguang, claims that with increased prospecting in the last few years, China's phosphate reserves now rank first in the world. Whatever the actual size of its known and potential reserves, China's present phosphate processing capabilities fall far short of demand, while the substantial progress that has been made in this area points out the severity of the problems that still remain. Since 1949 China has developed 181 mines and increased its phosphate concentrate production from 10 kt (11,000 st) to 10.86 Mt (11.97 million st). By the 1980s, China was the third largest chemical fertilizer producer in the world-although this claim is slightly misleading as China's nitrogen/phosphate potassium ratios are far from average world ratios and even further from US standards. According to the Sixth Five Year Plan promulgated in 1982, the country's development plans emphasize the expansion and upgrading of key energy and industrial sectors, including that of fertilizer production-specifically phosphate and potash. Within the framework of the plan, the Ministry of Chemical Industry's development priorities are to: • Increase potash production by 150% to 50 kt (55,115 st). • Raise phosphate fertilizer production 21.2% to 2.8 Mt (3.1 million st), 46 kt (50,705 st) of which will come from new projects constructed and completed within the Sixth Five Year Plan, with projected new production of phosphate concentrate and complex fertilizer in the next decades totaling 500 kt (551,146 st). • Commence work to increase phosphate ore production by 8.33 Mt (9.18 million st). Facilities for 2.43 Mt (2.68 million st) will be completed and come on stream by 1985. • Commence work to increase iron pyrite ore production by 3.69 Mt (4.07 million st), facilities for 2.9 Mt (3.2 million st) will be completed and come on stream by 1985. • Verify 600 Mt (661 million st) of new phosphate ore reserves. Since the promulgation of the Sixth Five Year Plan, Chinese authorities have announced that 70 key construction projects will receive top priority in the implementation of the plan. These projects include five in the chemical industry area, including the construction of four fertilizer plants in Urumqi (Xinjiang), Zhenhai (Zhejiang), Beijing, and Lucheng (Shanxi), and a pyrite mine in Yunfu (Guangdong). In addition, by 1985 the state will expand or construct three major phosphate mines: Wangji in Hubei, Kaiyang in Guizhou, and Kunyang in Yunnan. Fertilizer Ratios In 1982, China's fertilizer production was slightly higher than 12 Mt (13.2 million st) and consisted of 80% nitrogen, 19% phosphate, and 0.19% potassium. By 1985, state officials project that fertilizer production will reach 13.4 Mt (14.8 million st) and consist of 78.4% nitrogen (10.5 Mt or 11.6 million st), 21.2% phosphate (2.8 Mt or 3 million st), and 0.39% potassium (52.3 kt or 57,605 st). To attain the world average using the country's 1985 projected production level for nitrogen, China will have to double its 1985 phosphate production to 5.76 Mt (6.35 million st) and increase its 1985 potassium production almost 80 times to 4.1 Mt (4.5 million st). These numbers demonstrate the seriousness of the fertilizer production problem in China today and the long-term nature of the problem's solution. Development Examples Yunnan is the third largest phosphate-rich province in China with verified deposits of 1.9 Gt (2.1 billion st). Despite this abundance, the province only mines around 3 Mt (3.3 million st) of phosphate rock annually. In June of this year, Yunnan announced its intention to initiate 39 development projects within the next two and a half years, requiring an estimated $200 million worth of foreign investment. The three areas receiving the most emphasis will be:

Jan 9, 1983

By E. J. Rapperport, M. F. Smith

A presentation of the W-Ru constitution diagram is given. Techniques utilized in the determination of phase boundary values include electron micro-probe analysis of two-phased alloys and diffusion couples, as well as normal metallographic and X-ray methods. The primary features of the diagram are: 1) a terminal solid solution of ruthenium in tungsten with a maximum solubility of 23 at. pct Ru at 2300°C; 2) a terminal solid solution of tungsten in ruthenium with a maximum solubility of 48 at. pct W at 2205°C; 3) a o phase of maximum breadth about 6 at. pct based on the composition W3Ru2 which forms peritectically from the melt at 2300°C, and which decomposes eutectoidally at 1667 °C to form a twigs ten and 0 ruthenium; 4) a eutectic at 45 at. pct Ru and 2205°C with the products being o plus ß ruthenium. THE W-Ru diagram has previously been studied only in a cursory fashion. Raub and alter' obtained a 1400°C isotherm in which they observed no intermediate phases, and on which they established the limits of solubility as 36.5 at. pct W in ruthenium and about 1.5 at. pct Ru in tungsten. In addition, Obrowski2 found a o phase forming peritectically from the melt and existing only above 1650°C. Below this temperature the phase was presumed to decompose eutectoidally. The present work finds the diagram as given in Fig. 1. I) EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The materials used for alloy preparation in determining the W-Ru constitution diagram were 99.9 pct pure ruthenium powder supplied by Baker Chemical Co., and 99.9 pct pure tungsten powder from General Electric Co. Typical analyses of these elements are given in Table I. Initial alloys at 10 at. pct intervals were prepared from the metal powders by the following method. Powders sufficient for 25 g of the alloys were weighed out with an accuracy of 0.1 mg and blended mechanically. After blending, the powders were compacted, in a steel die, at approximately 30,000 psi. The compacts were sintered in an electric vacuum furnace in order to remove adsorbed gases and to achieve partial densification prior to arc-melting. Vacua of 10-4 mm Hg or less were maintained in sintering as the furnace temperature was raised to approximately 2000°C. Sintering times ranged from 10 to 20 hr. The sintered compacts were arc-melted under a protective atmosphere of purified helium. Melting was conducted on a water-cooled copper hearth, utilizing a nonconsumable tungsten electrode. In the melting process, each alloy was turned over and re-melted on opposite sides from four to six times to ensure complete melting and to eliminate gross in-homogeneities. The arc-melter used had a vacuum capability of 5 X 10-6 mm Hg, and a leak rate of about 20 -liters per hr. Chemical analysis techniques for refractory metal-platinum group metal combinations are not well-established; therefore, composition control and determination depended principally upon weight-loss observations and calculations. This consisted in weighing each alloy after sintering and after arc-melting, and calculating the maximum and minimum composition values, assuming the total weight losses to be first all tungsten, and then all ruthenium. Since composition uncertainty was directly related to weight loss, care was taken to minimize losses in handling, compacting, and melting. Prior to homogenization and equilibration the as-arc-melted alloys were analyzed in several

Jan 1, 1964

By Leo F. Reinartz

Part II of a four-part series on the history of steelmaking in the US, points out the inadequate safety and living conditions that existed in steel mills at the turn of the Century. Also defined are furnace and process developments. OPERATIONS in steel plants today are highly mechanized. Men work in light, clean, orderly melting shops, making it difficult for old timers to convince young men that primitive, hazardous conditions existed in steel plants at the turn of the century. Working conditions then were very poor as compared to present day standards. In small plants especially, sanitary, locker, and washroom facilities, first-aid practices and stations were un- known Accidents were frequent and severe. Workers had a fatalistic attitude toward getting hurt. He who had an accident was looked upon as a hero. A dirty bandanna often served as a bandage. Infections were frequent. Electric cranes were in their infancy and broke down often Cables had not as yet replaced chains. Pig iron and scrap iron were loaded by hand in the stockyard, and stockyard locomotives were un- known; mules served as the usual motive power. It was not unusual to see recorded a delay of ½ hr in charging a furnace because of a balky mule. Furnace operations A few plants had primitive charging machines, but most furnaces were charged by placing scrap or pig iron on the paddle of a long peel, which rested on a bar across the furnace door opening. Laborers at the handle end of the peel, using the bar as a fulcrum, would heave the material into the furnace by a down and sideward motion of the peel handle. In time they became expert in placing these materials in the furnace, but it was hard, hot work, and a long time was required for charging. Cold charges of 25 tons required more than 12 hr for melting and re- fining the steel. Ports, doors, and frames were not water cooled. The charging and working area in front of the furnace was covered with steel plates. They were hot and often warped by the intense heat of the un- insulated checker chambers directly below. In the summer, working conditions on the charging floor were almost unbearable. Silica refractories were of poor quality. Because of this, and the inadequate training of furnace men in fuel control and furnace operations, roofs, front and back walls, and ends burned out rapidly. Dolomite machines were unknown; consequently, furnace banks and hearths were fettled with dolomite by the use of hand shovels. The round system required six or more men. Each man took a shovelful of dolomite and, in his turn, deposited it on the back wall and bank by a dexterous forward swing and twist of the shovel. The upward swing of the shovel partially protected his face from the searing heat of the furnace coming out through the wide-open door. Considerable skill and stamina were required to do this job properly. Reverse valves, usually of the cast-iron butterfly type, were located below the charging floor. They were operated by long levers on the charging floor level men they became warped, because of heat and abuse, great strength and skill were required to reverse them. Furnace operations were difficult. The quality and quantity of producer gas coming from irregularly stoked, hand-operated gas producers was uncertain and unreliable. Furnace Linings and ports were quickly burned out. Poor bottom and side-wall refractories, indifferent and inexperienced crews, as well as irregular re-

Jan 1, 1961

By M. A. Whiting, H. Kenyon Burch

One of the advantages presented by electric drive in many classes of work is the ease with which the electric motor can be controlled automatically. In a large number of cases certain features of the control are automatic—for example, the rate of acceleration may be limited automatically or the equipment may be stopped automatically at the limit of travel—but the equipment is started and ordinarily is stopped by hand. In other cases the motion of the machinery is utilized to start, control the speed, and stop the motor automatically, independently of any operator. A considerable proportion of the large mine hoists now in use have certain automatic features, particularly protective devices against overwinding, and, in some classes of electric hoists, devices for preventing excessive acceleration or retardation. The large automatic hoists discussed in this paper, however, are completely automatic, i.e., capable of making their trips without the presence of an operator at the control levers. According to circumstances, various advantages may be obtained . by automatic control, chief of which are decreased power consumption, increased precision and safety of operation, and decreased cost of attendance. The first step in the analysis of a prospective automatic mine hoist is to determine whether automatic operation is feasible at all. If men are to be hoisted, or levels changed, the attention of an operator is required for these purposes; but under some conditions it may be entirely practicable and advantageous to build the equipment so that, while provision is made for hoisting men or changing levels, ore can be hoisted automatically from any one level. If, however, an operator's attention is required every few minutes for changing levels, handling men or drills, or other work requiring hand control, it is obvious that automatic operation between times will not be of any practical benefit.

Jan 1, 1917

By Frederick L. Knouse

THE south border of Espirito Santo begins about 400 km. north of Rio de Janeiro and extends along the Atlantic Coast northward some 325 km. and inland 100 to 150 km. The area under consideration, where quartz crystal of strategic grades has been mined, extends from 19° to 21° and 30" south latitude; and from 40° to 41° and 30" west longitude. This includes the central part of Espirito Santo, chiefly south of the Rio Doce from the Atlantic ocean, and west across the border into Minas Gerais near the town of Aimores, in the municipalities of Aimores, Minas Gerais; Baixo Guandu, Santa Teresa, Santa Leopoldina, Colatina, Joao Neiva, Fundao and Domingo Martines, Espirito Santo (Fig. 1). During 1943 and the first half of 1944, this region accounted for approximately 3 to 5 per cent of the quartz crystal produced in Brazil. Shipments of crystal have been made chiefly by rail to Rio de Janeiro. This region is serviced by the E. F. Minas-Vitoria and E. F. Leopoldina to Rio de Janeiro through Vitoria; and by the E. F. Minas-Vitoria and E. F. Central do Brasil through Bello Horizonte, Minas Gerais to Rio de Janeiro. The major deposits are accessible from the railheads by dirt roads, some being 5 to 30 km. off the road, reached by trail. In 1943 and the first half of 1944, the bulk of the production was from inter mountain marshes and adjoining hillside alluvial placer deposits in the zone surrounding the town of Santa Teresa. Most of these deposits were formed from the erosion of pegmatites, quartz veins and pockets in the gneiss, with minor quantities produced from miarolitic cavity fillings in the granitic rock. EARLY OPERATIONS Mining of quartz crystal in this region began in 1928, and has been stimulated by the market demand for military uses. Before 1936 little attention was given to it, either in Espirito Santo or eastern Minas Gerais. From 1936 to 1941 the Japanese sent agents to various points of production or potential production to acquire quartz through purchase. They bought crystal as small as 10 grams. Since 1941 only the United States and Great Britain have received quartz from Brazil. The United States purchases crystals of loo grams and larger for strategic purposes. The first known discoveries were made either in the municipalities of Aimores, Minas Gerais, or in Baixo Guandu, or Domingos Martines, Espirito Santo. Marketable quartz crystal was first found either in the massive quartz replacement veins of the Victor Hugo mine in the municipality of Domingo Martines, or in the large cores of quartz in the pegmatites near Baixo Guandu, extending into Minas Gerais. PRODUCTION The production of quartz in Espirito Santo from 1936 through 1941 as recorded

Jan 1, 1946

By B. M. Larsen, W. E. Shenk

This paper describes a method of reversal control of the open-hearth furnace that obtains in practice those effects considered below as essential to a completely automatic control, without appreciable interference with the natural rise and fall in temperature of the regenerative portions of the furnace system. Growing out of some studies of radiation pyrometry in open-hearth regenerators, it was developed during 1934-1938, and has been successfully applied to a number of commercial furnaces. The goal of open-hearth furnace operation is the highest rate of production of steel of proper quality consistent with good refractory life and fuel economy. This requires rapid heat transfer from furnace to charge, which in turn is dependent upon heating the furnace refractories to the highest safe operating temperature. The greater the heat input to the melting chamber, the sooner this limiting temperature will be reached, so that control methods in general that are designed to protect against overheating of refractories should help to maintain maximum fuel input and production rate. For the typical open-hearth system, with fixed regenerator capacity and with rate of fuel input usually restricted in its range of variation, our basic assumption is the idea that the only other important variable —that is, the time interval between successive reversals—should also be held constant or within a small range. The present reversal control was designed therefore so that, under normal operating conditions, no arbitrary limitation is imposed other than to keep the reversal interval within the optimum time range. However, since a near approach to completely automatic operation involves protection of refractories through the balancing of furnace end temperatures as well as emergency protection against temperature peaks above some upper limit, it was also felt essential to employ, as an integral part of the control unit, a temperature-measuring instrument to register the true temperature of the refractory surfaces at some critical region in the hot ends of the regenerative zones. As the basic elements of the control, we thus have one "maximum" and one lLminimum" time relay and a potentiometer recorder-controller, combined with switches and relays to operate as follows: I. Reversal normally occurs within an optimum range limited by the maximum and minimum settings to about 4 to 6 min. variation, but the actual interval usually is less variable and closer to the minimum setting. 2. The margin between minimum and maximum time is utilized, together with a "floating temperature limit" in the potenti-ometric control instrument, to correct any tendency toward temperature unbalance between ends of the furnace. 3. A second "maximum temperature

Jan 1, 1945

By Verma UK

Mining for sand was active in South Delhi during the last four decades disregarding all norms of safety. The aim of the paper is to highlight what is proposed to be done for mining in Delhi. Apart from the damage to the landscape, the earlier operations gave rise to visual pollution to the scenic Delhi area and there is immediate need of land restoration and landscaping. Future mining should be planned so that the resultant land surface completely merges with the topography and gradually assimilates with the green belt. Restoration of old workings, land reclamation and details of plantation in old pit areas are included. The project also provides a demon- stration site to show the impact of eco-development leading to new legisla- tive measures, as it is in the Capital of India itself and therefore more accessible than any other area. What has been suggested for mining is not the latest and the most modern equipments from the Western point of view but the right equipment to meet the specific requirement of the country. Financial projections are included alongwith technical details of the project to show the benefits to the society. It is concluded that eco-development is essential for the mining in the Twenty- First Century.

Jan 1, 1986

By Kavetsky A

In surface mining operations, the ease with which a muckpile may be dug is a dominant factor in mining efficiency. Within broad limits, this is largely dependent on muckpile shape and looseness within a muckpile. Moreover, prediction of grade boundary movement and subsequent dilu- tion is of interest to most open cut mines. Such a predictive tool would enable blast design changes to be made to reduce mixing of certain grade regions. At the very least, a good knowledge of post-blast region bound- aries can reduce layout of the grade boundaries and decrease grade dis- crepancies between pit and plant. The model presented in this paper is able to consider various options for a production blast and predict consequent muckpile shapes and grade boundary movements in a three dimensional manner. The overburden geometry, hole patterns, hole inclination and charge distribution are all explicit model inputs. The model divides the rock mass into blocks and calculates a velocity for each block. Three controlling parameters are used in the model, which are related to the explosive energy per unit length of blast hole, energy attenuation of the rock mass and inter-row delay, respectively. The output of the model is a 3 dimensional muckpile shape (contour or any cross section) and a contour map of grade distribution within the muckpile. The model parameters are site specific, since their values depend on the rock condition and explosive-rock interaction which varies from site to site. In order to "tune" the model to a particular site, parameter values must be found which reproduce an observed muckpile profile shape from a given blast design. This calibration of the model requires at least one surveyed muckpile profile shape from a production blast. The model parameters which best reproduce that shape are found by a pattern search technique, and may then be used to predict the effect of changes in blast design on muckpile profile shape and grade boundary movement.

Jan 1, 1989

By Mark R. Pettitt

After a long series of laboratory and in-mine tests, a cost- effective, mineworthy, reduced-noise auger miner cutting head was de signed, fabricated, and field-tested by Wyle Laboratories under contract to the Bureau of Mines. Compared with standard auger cutting heads, the new heads reduced noise by 10 dBA at the jacksetter's position and by 6 dBA at the operator's position. This report contains detailed fabrication instructions, including engineering drawings, that show how a standard auger cutting head can be modified to produce a reduced-noise auger.

Jan 1, 1984

The investigations described in this paper aim at the development of a new impact mill. The objective is to produce particle size distributions below 10 .tm without using an air classifier. Circumferential rotor speeds of up to 200 m/s are strived for.

Jan 1, 1993