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By W. A. Hooker

This portion of Mexico is quite beyond the ordinary routes .of travel, and is seldom visited. Its mines have not the record of enormous wealth which has recently attracted foreign capital to other parts of the republic; but for many centuries it has been a mining country, and at some periods evidently a productive one. In 1881 the writer visited the State and spent some time in the inspection of the mines. The absence of published information regarding its mining industry is his apology for presenting to the Institute these notes on the subject. Oaxaca is, with one exception (Chiapas), the most southerly of the Mexican States. It extends from latitude 18o 20' to 15' 45' N.— about 180 miles, by some 300 miles, in an east and west direction, and embraces a large part of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The coast-line is wholly on the Pacific. The State has an area of 27,470 square miles, nearly that of the State of Maine, and a population estimated at one million, or thirty-six to the square mile. The great continental Cordillera which farther north and west expands into broad table-lands, is here converged into narrower limits and occupies the greater portion of the country; the main

Jan 1, 1887

By V. D. O’Leary

The Anaconda Co. has two economic uses for the drainage water from its underground mines in the district of Butte, Mont. One is the precipitation of copper, which the company has been accomplishing at the Leonard precipitating plant for many years, and the other is the leaching of the Berkeley pit discard, where millions of tons of leach material have accumulated. The acidic mine drainage water is an ideal leaching medium for the latter purpose, but the solids and colloidal material suspended in the water must be removed before it can be applied to the low-grade Berkeley leach dump. For this reason, it is important for Anaconda to have an efficient means of cleaning mine drainage. Such a means has been found and tested at one mine and is now to be incorporated in a new central pumping station the company is planning at the 3900-ft level of the Kelley mine. This plant is to be activated in early 1967 and will replace the antiquated four-lift High Ore mine pumping plant which was designed and installed before tailing backfill was adopted. The new plant will feature eight pumps with a total capacity of 8000 gpm in a single lift against a total dynamic head of 4100 ft. For the most efficient and economical operation of the plant it is imperative that all possible mud be removed from the drainage water before pumping.

Jan 9, 1966

By Jan M. Mutmansky

The primary purpose of this presentation is to analyze the strategies available to an operator using either stripping or stripping and subsequent punch mining on a given coal property. The initial concern is the formulation of a mathematical model, which allows an operator to determine and utilize the particular highwall height, which will maximize : (1) Total profit or (2) Profit per unit of operating time. The analysis centers on the relative costs and recoveries involved in a typical coal seam amenable to stripping, augering, and punch mining. The model defines the point to which the high-recovery stripping operation with increasing overburden removal and reclamation costs should proceed before the low-recovery augering and punch mining methods are employed so that the desired objective is achieved. Examples are presented, which exhibit the use of the model on typical operations. Present mining methods as practiced in the Eastern United States are examined in the light of the results. Recommendations for improving present strategies are made and the resulting economic ramifications are analyzed. Particular attention is given to the stripping ratios presently used and recommendations for improving present mining practice are presented. Implications of these recommendations to the design of strip mining equipment are discussed.

Jan 1, 1977

By T. L. McCall

This is a continuation of the paper on bumps presented by the late Mr. Herd in February, 1929. The seam worked consists of bituminous coal, 9 ft. thick, pitching 20°, and now under a depth of cover of 2800 to 3200 ft. Full particulars are given of two bumps that happened in November, 1931, with an interval of only 9 hr. between them. The first was a "district" bump affecting an area of 1000 ft. on the strike by 700 ft. on the dip and rise, beginning at a distance of 1000 ft. from the long-wall faces. The second, which caused much greater damage, was localized to two levels 200 ft. apart, in the area left undisturbed by the first bump next to the longwall faces. Observation stations had been established in the workings in 1931 and definite records were obtained on the flow of coal taking place from the edge of large pillars developed for retreating work, into the open roadways. The records also gave evidence that "advance weighting" or "underdraw " was affecting the coal at an average distance of 260 ft. in advance of the longwall faces. The author propounds the theory that the sandstone bed varying from 0 to 75 ft. in thickness and lying 14 ft. above the coal acts as a slab in distributing the superincumbent weight. The weight is thereby concentrated on the pillars in advance of the longwall faces and this load, in conjunction with a pavement strong enough to resist the reaction, leads to overstressing the pillars, which finally collapse suddenly, thus giving rise to this particular type of low side bump. The overlying sandstone bed, which is apparently a condition common to all coal mines in which bumps occur, is not necessarily a massive bed, as the thickness of this bed at Springhill in the area that has experienced these severe low side bumps is only 25 to 31 feet. A list of 43 minor bumps occurring in the past 2½ years is appended

Jan 1, 1934

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 Heinrich Ries

The clay-resources of Colorado are but little known, for the reason that little has been published concerning them, and also on account of the hitherto small demand for clay products in the Rocky Mountain region. At the present day the wares manufactured from clay which are used in Colorado include common and pressed brick, terracotta, sewer-pipe, pottery and refractory articles. Most of these are brought from a considerable distance; but with an increasing demand for such goods in the West and a better knowledge of the available materials, there should be considerable expansion in the clay-working industry of Colorado in the future. The notes here presented are an abstract of those collected by the writer in October, 1896, in a reconnaissance of the clay-bearing formations of Colorado. Clay-bearing Formations. We may roughly divide the clay-bearing formations of Colorado into three groups : 1. Loess and alluvial deposits. 2. Jura-Trias and Cretaceous clays. 3. Tertiary clays. . The loess forms an extensive deposit of large area, though not very thick, extending from north to south across the State, and eastward from the foot-hills. It is generally a very sandy clay, with little plasticity, and is underlain by a gravelly stratum, which determines the workable depth. Clay similar to the loess is found underlying the river terraces in many of the broader valleys, such as those of the Arkansas, Grand River, etc. The Mesozoic formations extend along the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains, and also occur in some of the deeper valleys tributary to the foot-hill belt. They consist of a great series of interbedded shales, sandstones and limestones of Jura-

Jan 1, 1898

By S. F. Shaw

THE principles involved in lifting oil in wells flowing naturally are identical with those underlying the flowing of wells by means of the air-gas lift, and information of a dependable nature obtained in the study of the air-lift can be applied to wells with natural flow. A well flowing naturally is one in which the lifting is done by means of the gas-lift, for which the gas is supplied entirely by the formation from which the oil is derived. In air-gas lift operations, there is insufficient gas supplied by the formation to lift the oil to the surface in an efficient manner, therefore additional gas for this purpose must be furnished from an outside source. There may, at times, be conditions obtaining in natural flowing wells different from those in wells flowed by gas-lift, but these differences do not at all conflict with the main principles of gas-lift work. One such condition is met with in wells in which the gas supplied by the formation is in considerable excess of that required to lift the oil to surface; this excess may be so great as to reduce the quantity of oil that can be lifted through the particular diameter of casing or tubing that has been lowered into the well. This same condition can be brought about, however, by supplying a large excess of gas from an outside source to an artificial gas-lift well, and a study of the effects obtained from injecting a large excess into the well can be applied directly to handling wells flowing naturally which have a large excess of gas supplied by the underground reservoir.

Jan 1, 1929

By C. B. E. Douglas

In an interesting article on evaluation of the water problem at Eureka, Nev., W. T. Stuart describes how a difficult water problem, or one phase of it, may be evaluated by means of a small scale test. Test data are plotted by a method rendering, under certain conditions, a straight-line graph that can be projected to show how much the water table will be lowered by pumping at any specified rate for a given time. A formula is then used to determine the size of opening, or extent of workings, necessary to provide sufficient inflow to enable pumping to be maintained at that rate. At first glance this might seem the answer to a miner's prayer, but a word of caution is in order. It may not be the whole answer. Moreover, results obtained by the method described are reliable only for conditions approximating those assumed. Even where conditions do not meet this requirement, however, it may be possible to draw helpful inferences from the results, perhaps enough to facilitate another approach to evaluation of a problem.

Nov 1, 1955

By Charles A. Kelliher

In November of 1957, the Aliquippa Works started operation of the third basic oxygen furnace shop in North America. This high speed basic steelmaking method provided a very economical increase in capacity at the Works. The success of these two (2) 81-ton furnaces led to the construction of a second B.O.F. shop, producing heats of 230 tons at J&L's Cleveland Works in 1962. The experience gained operating both shops provided the background for the design of the new steelmaking complex at the Aliquippa Works. This new complex consists of a three (3) furnace shop with two (2) furnaces blowing alternately producing heats ranging from 120 to 207 tons. This variation in heat size is predicated on the requirement that approximately 20% of the shop production will be used to supply steel to a six (6) strand casting machine, producing 4' through 7" billets. The new B.O.F. shop has replaced all other steelmaking units including the #1 Shop, where operations were discontinued in September of 1968. With the advent of the strand casting facilities in September of 1969, many of the standard shop practices had to be changed to compensate for higher tap temperatures, longer handling times, and reduced ladle availability. The subsequent changes in these areas led to the evolution of the strand cast ladle practice which is described in this paper.

Jan 1, 1972

By Robert N. Eli

The application of Geographic Information System (GIS) technology to support the planning, design and analysis of coal mines is discussed. Traditional two-dimensional GIS structures are modified to produce a three- dimensional GIS system that combines the efficient topologic description of a cubic grid cell skeletal structure with the precision surface representation of a Triangulated Irregular Network (TIN). The surface terrain and any subsurface strata, such as a coal seam, are represented by separate TIN'S. Any attribute data to be assigned to the TIN'S are stored in polygon overlays. Any remaining spatial data are stored as link strings or nodes in a global data set. The most valuable application of the system is the production of map products. Both projections and cross-sections of surface or subsurface structures are possible, in either horizontal or vertical planes. Engineering data, including lengths, areas, or volumes, can be calculated.

Jan 1, 1983

By D. L. Harris, A. M. Gaudin

THE following results, presented here in condensed form,1 were obtained in a preliminary study of the adsorption of n-hexane thiol, hexyl mercaptan, on sphalerite, zincite, willemite, and quartz, from aqueous solution and from a gas. Interest in this subject was aroused by a Belgian report2 of effective use of hexyl mercaptan for flotation collection of oxidized zinc minerals. The relatively low boiling point, 149°C, of the mercaptan3 suggested the desirability of extending the usual measurements of partition of collector between aqueous solution and gas and between gas and mineral. It is believed that this paper presents the first measurements of this type on a flotation system. Attempts were made to carry out the measurements at equilibrium, but as the work progressed it became increasingly doubtful that this desirable condition had been achieved. To control composition and extent of the gas phase, the apparatus was a wholly-enclosed thermally-controlled glass system. Because of these constraints and the desirability of dealing with pure minerals, a scale of operations was chosen in which a few grams of deslimed mineral were used in each test. It was also necessary to choose a particularly sensitive method for mercaptan analysis, and in fact a method that would permit the experimenters to follow the approach to equilibrium. For these reasons mercaptan marked by radiosulphur 35 was used. An analysis was made for the radiosulphur by a modification of the method of Gaudin and Carr.4

Jan 9, 1954

By Keith E. Robinson, Brian Stimpson

INTRODUCTION In inclined sedimentary strata slope failure may occur by sliding along bedding and along a discontinuity or weak zone, as illustrated in Fig. 1. This mode of failure may be called 'bi-linear', as the failure surface is comprised of two linear or approximately linear segments. This type of failure has been suggested for the famous Frank Slide, Alberta, Canada (Cruder and Krahn, 1973) in which an estimated 90 M 5 tons (8.97 x 10 MN) of rock separated from Turtle Mountain and buried the town of Frank. Also, with the increasing depth of open pits and the construction of highways through inclined sedimentary strata this mode of failure is of major concern to the rock slope stability engineer. A computer program for calculating factors of safety for this slope failure mode is provided and includes the ability to vary shear strengths of potential slide surfaces, ground water elevations and wedge geometry. LIMITING EQUILIBRIUM MODEL The simple limiting equilibrium model used in the analysis is shown in Fig. 2. It is assumed that jointing is orthogonal to bed- ding and that the interface between the upper and lower wedges there- fore corresponds to a joint plane or planes. No shear strength is attributed to the interface so that the resultant force, P, from the upper wedge acts normally across the interface. The normal loads

Jan 1, 1983

By D. D. Pollock

The resistivity, temperature coefficient of resistance, and absolute thermoelectric properties of some binary terminal solid solutions of silver were determined. Equations are given which permit the calculation of these properties. CONSIDERABLE work has been done on the constitution and electrical conductivity of binary alloys of silver.1-l2 Some of these alloy studies are apparently complicated by doubtful chemical analyses. In some cases the limits of solid solubility are questionable. Those references which present electrical properties of binary silver alloys usually give just one particular set of characteristics such as conductivity (or resistivity). As a means of checking and extending this earlier work, an investigation was undertaken to describe and calculate the resistivity, temperature coefficient of resistance, and thermoelectric power of binary terminal solid solutions of silver. PREPARATION OF ALLOYS All of the alloys were made with silver containing less than 0.014 pet (by weight) of impurities. These materials were carefully weighed out into 225-g heats and melted in a high-frequency induction furnace. The indium, tin, and antimony systems were melted in Al2O3 crucibles, under a boric anhydride cover, and poured into split graphite finger molds. The aluminum, germanium, arsenic, lead, and bismuth alloys were melted in machined graphite crucibles, and they were also covered with boric anhydride and poured into split graphite finger molds. The alloys containing magnesium and manganese

Jan 1, 1964

The Library of the above-named Societies is open from 9 A.M. to 10 P.M. on all week-days, except holidays, from September 1 to June 30, and from 9 A.M. to 6 P.M. during July and August. The Library contains about 55,000 volumes, including sets of technical periodicals and the publications of scientific and technical societies. Members of the Institute, with few exceptions, are forced to spend a portion of their time in localities isolated from sources of information. To these the Library can render valuable service through correspondence; letters requesting information will receive special attention. The Library is prepared to furnish references and copies of articles on mining and metallurgical subjects; to determine the existence of mining maps, and to furnish general information as to the geology and mineral resources of all countries. All communications should be made as definite as possible so that the information received may be what is desired and not include collateral matter which may not be of interest. The time spent in searching for such collateral matter will be saved, and the information will be sent more. promptly and in more usable shape. The members of the Institute can be of service to the Library by forwarding copies of mining reports, maps privately issued, and similar material, which will be classified, indexed, and made available to other members. Suggestions for additions to the Library, either by purchase or personal solicitation as gifts, will be welcomed. It is hoped that members while in the city will use the Library freely, and assurance is given that most careful service will be rendered to them.

Jan 12, 1914

The apparent small effect of skimming on desulphurization is somewhat misleading because the data was collected during the first months of use on the skimmer. During this period of time, the operators were, of course, just learning to use the equipment and, consequently, in many cases a so-called skimmed heat may have only been partially skimmed. In addition, during this period, the percentage of sulphur in the blast furnace slag was gradually increasing because of the increasing oil injection rates being employed at the blast furnace. An additional factor that cannot be disregarded is the apparent slower slag formation rate obtained in the BOF when the blast furnace slag is removed. This is evidenced at our shop by a much stronger tendency toward sparking and related lance skulling problems with deslagging, in spite of satisfactory manganese levels in the hot metal. Naturally, slower slag formation could account for poor desulphurization which would partially offset the beneficial effect of a lower sulphur input.

Jan 1, 1972

By Richard L. Ash, Thomas E. Pearse

Most theories of blasting phenomena are based on the condition that explosive charges have a spherical shape. If a cylindrical charge is considered, the explosive is usually assumed to have an infinite velocity of detonation. Another limitation is also often imposed whereby only one free face is considered to exist. Unfortunately, these conditions all serve to limit the number of variables involved and tend to over-simplify analyses. The result is that explanations for actual effects from blasts are seldom realistic. In addition, no solution has yet been found to explain the actions of certain blasting agents that appear to stress materials in a different manner than do many of the high explosives. In order to determine causes for some of the unexplained phenomena, investigations were conducted by the writers on both actual field blasts and theoretical problems. Although many solutions have been proposed to explain the rock breakage processes, none relate the effects of hole depth, explosive and rock energy- propagation velocities with charge placement geometry. Evidence indicates there is a definite interdependence of those factors and that they are of vital importance in proper drill-pattern design. For simplicity most of the discussion in this paper applies to vertical blast-holes drilled in uniform massive rock for open pit blasting, although the basic principles presented apply to all forms of blasting with certain basic modifications being necessary for specific field conditions.

Jan 9, 1962

By D. W. Fuerstenau

THE object of this article is to point out the experimental relationship which exists among contact angle, adsorption density, zeta potential, and flotation rate data. In each of the experiments discussed in this article, the surface properties of quartz, as a function of pH, were measured in solutions to which constant quantities of dodecylammonium acetate were added. Morrow1 and deBruyn2 worked with solutions containing 4.08x10-5 moles per liter, whereas Fuerstenau3 and Seele worked with solutions containing exactly 4x10 moles per liter, but this difference is not significant. The pH of the solutions was regulated with HCI or NaOH in all cases. In each case, the addition of collector was constant, but the concentration of dodecylammonium ions decreased because of the formation of dodecylamine at higher pH values2 Contact Angles: Gaudin and Morrow1 presented data for the contact angle of quartz in solutions containing 4.08x10-5 moles of dodecylammonium acetate per liter between pH 2 and pH 10.15. Using the same captive bubble techniques, the writer measured contact angles on quartz in solutions containing 4x10-5 moles of dodecylammonium acetate per liter at pH values ranging from 9.9 to 13.2. Both sets of data are presented in Fig. 1, in which the contact angle in degrees is plotted as a function of the pH of the solution. From pH 2 to about 8, the contact angle increases slightly with increased pH, but further increase in pH causes a sharp rise in the contact angle to a maximum of about 80º. At pH values above 11.6, the contact angle drops sharply, reaching zero by pH 12.6.

Jan 12, 1957

By Ian Wark

MERCAPTOBENZTHIAZOLE and its sodium salt are marketed under the trade names Flotagen and Flotagen S respectively, for use as collectors for cerussite and other minerals. The structural formulas for sodium mercaptobenzthiazole and for sodium ethyl xanthate are: Chemically there is a resemblance between the two compounds, though the free acid (mercaptobenzthiazole itself) is much more stable than xanthic acid. Both are readily oxidized, e.g., by iodine to disulphides, and can be estimated by iodometric titration. Qualitatively they are similar as collectors in flotation, although there are quantitative differences between them that may be important in practice. It is deduced that the influence of the nitrogen atom is subordinated to that of the sulphur atoms, and that the dominant group of these compounds is the mercapto group -SH or -SNa. The general method of investigation has been based on contact tests. Two temperatures, 10° and 35° C., have been chosen, and with a standard concentration of 20 mg. per liter of mercaptobenzthiazole (i.e., of the free acid) the influence of alkali, cyanide and copper sulphate on contact at sulphide mineral surfaces has been studied. This standard concentration corresponds to about 19 mg. per liter potassium ethyl xanthate; it brings out the differences between the minerals better than a higher concentra-

Jan 1, 1939

By R. G. Coyle

This paper describes a model of operating policies in an underground metal mine. The purpose of the model is partly that the problem of controlling a mining operation in the face of shocks from its economic environment is interesting in its own right, and also as an input to a larger research project on policy-making in mining companies. The model includes, mining, development and milling sectors together with cash flow and finances. In particular, it shows how the policies used to control the various sectors in the face of environmental shocks from metal prices and changing state of the system are connected by feedback loops. The use of feedback theory differentiates the model from 'ordinary' simulation and assists in the design of 'robust' policies which always achieve effective control. This model is the first stage of a major project and approximations have been made, simply to get the model going. The purpose of this paper is to show the kind of output this type of model produces, to lay our explicitly what is in the model and above all, to invite contributions from mining people on what the model should show and what should be put into it. We claim no virtues for this model. It is just a research tool so that later models will be more worthwhile and useable in practice.

Jan 1, 1977

By Albert D. Brokaw

The accompanying charts are presented to extend and improve a chart published under the title "A Chart to Provide Approximate Correction for Temperature and Deviation from Boyle's Law."' The applicability of this earlier chart was limited by the fact that it was based on the work of Burke and Keyes² and Kvalnes and Gaddy3 whose experiments were conducted with pure methane, the adjustments suggested for natural gases of higher specific gravity were unsatisfactory except within limited ranges of temperatures and pressures, and precise interpolation was difficult. The extensive work of G. G. Brown, D. L. Katz and their associates on the heavier natural gases has provided better bases for the needed corrections, and the present charts. which are based largely on their work, are intended to simplify the computations involved. The design of the charts has been changed by plotting temperatures as a function of pressure and correction factor, on a semilogarithmic or "ratio" grid, which gives fairly even spacing of the graphs and simplifies interpolation. Charts have been prepared for natural gas with specific gravities of .60, .65, .70, .75 and .80. The standard computation for use in estimating the quantity of gas in a reservoir may be expressed as follows: _ PA X 520 X VR ZT where: Q is the volume of gas at 60°F and one atmosphere pressure PA is the absolute formation pressure in atmospheres

Jan 1, 1949