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By R. A. Wagstaff

MANY changes in equipment have had to be made to handle the flotation products at the blast furnace, and these changes have meant an expenditure of considerable money, which has not been compensated by an increase in smelting tonnage. To date, very few new lead mines have been developed, so that the help derived by the innovation of flotation has been directed to old producing properties, where the ratio of concentration is greater now than when gravity concentration was in effect. In some smelting plants there has been an abandonment of complete units due to the introduction of flotation. FLOTATION PRODUCTS DIFFICULT TO HANDLE The physical characteristics of the flotation product do not make for economic handling for lead blast-furnace work, either mechanically or metallurgically. The millman or miner do not know what trials and tribulations they have passed on to the smelterman. To the smelterman it is "the everchanging flotation," for little does he know what new reagent will be perfected tomorrow that may completely change the grade and physical characteristics of the product. Even the mining companies who have complete units of mining, milling and smelting have had a hard time to reconcile themselves to the fact that the unit cost per ton of ore smelted must go up with the increase of flotation product on the blast-furnace charge. The "smelterman's burden," for that is what flotation has been for the last few years, has not caused the smelter operator to lag or fall down, but has spurred him on with new zeal. The physical properties of the flotation products are as follows: (1) High moisture content; (2) mucky nature of product; (3) fineness of product, and (4) high metal content. NEW MECHANICAL DEVICES FOR HANDLING FURNACE PRODUCT These characteristics have caused the use of many new mechanical devices in smelting practice, for example: New transportation equipment, such as solid-bottom cars, is required; unloading equipment and sampling

Jan 1, 1928

By Enrique Touceda, Henry M. Howe

This paper gives the composition of the iron and slag at different stages in the " air-furnace" process of preparing " hard metal," or white castriron, for conversion into malleable cast-iron by annealing. The details of the process are given in an appendix. One of us had been trying for years to work some chemist of some of our malleable-iron plants up to a degree of enthusiasm which would lead him to make such an investigation. It would have had the advantage of the greater familiarity with the conditions which one habitually on the spot must have. Failing in this, he made use of an opportunity which presented itself of taking samples here represented, with such fairness as the conditions permitted, holding firmly that a rough approximation to the truth is better than the complete lack of data, or that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. We hope that this attempt may stimulate others effectively to duplicate this work, and thus correct or confirm it. Our results are shown in Table I. and graphically in Figs. 1 arid 2. Discussion.—At the time when the first two samples were taken, the metal and slag were still too sluggish to permit fair sampling, and not until sample 6 were the conditions really favorable, because at the time of the fourth sample the metal was not fully melted, and even at the time of sample 5 it was still sluggish. Indeed, the slag was probably very heterogeneous throughout, because it took up silica and alumina rapidly from the bottom, and because it was so siliceous as to be sluggish at this relatively low temperature. This hetero-geneousness is exaggerated in the two samples of slag 8, apparently by the great viscosity due to its extraordinary acidity. Note that the manganous oxide of one sample is about two and

Jan 1, 1909

By K. L. Meissner

IT is well known that the so-called pure aluminum contains noticeable amounts of impurities, chiefly iron and silicon, and many investigators have studied the forms in which these impurities exist. Hanson and Archbutt1 state that iron exists in aluminum as FeAl3 and silicon as elementary Si. The solubility of FeAl3 in solid aluminum is practically zero, or at, least so small that the smallest trace of this compound is always visible as a separate constituent. Under the microscope an untrained eye can hardly distinguish, without etching, the two constituents FeAl3 and Si, but they can be differentiated by suitable etching reagents. Anderson2 also found the same results. At the same time, Merica, Waltenberg, and Freeman3 found a constituent of unknown composition. They found a small thermal effect, at 610° C., on the cooling curves of aluminum with small amounts of iron and silicon. The intensity of this effect increased with increasing silicon content, until an effect occured at 576° C. due to the eutectic between aluminum and silicon. The authors ascribed the effect at 610° C. to a compound, which they call "X constituent." It was thought to be a ternary compound containing iron and silicon and could be observed under the microscope as dark particles. Dix4 has published unetched photomicrographs of an aluminum with 0.51 per cent. iron, 0.99 per cent. silicon, and 0.32 per cent. copper that shows three constituents: the dark Si (black in the figure), the lighter FeAl3, which appears in half tone and crystallizes in needles, and a constituent of the same color as FeAl3 but of different crystal form, often resembling Chinese script. This last constituent, Dix thought, is a compound of Fe and Si; not the compound FeSi but a compound containing a relatively small amount of silicon. Therefore an alloy of aluminum, iron, and silicon (the copper should not be regarded in the following considerations) must contain the following four constituents: Al, FeAl3,

Jan 1, 1926

By Magnus Troilius

For some time I have been using with great advantage, for the purpose of determining rapidly and accurately the chemical composition of gases from Siemens producers, an apparatus arranged generally like that proposed by Prof. Eggertz; * and I now take pleasure in laying before the members of the Institute a description of the apparatus and its use, hoping that some of them may find it. of practical advantage. At the end of the paper are given some results obtained and heat calculations, with the necessary data for the same. COLLECTION OF GASES. Fig. 1. Shows the arrangement for taking a sample of gas. The funnel F, which may be made of tin plate, is made to fit the test-hole. The gas passes up through the funnel and through the rubber-tubing with the glass tube K, filled with asbestos for retaining dust,, and is drawn into the upper flask by means of water flowing from the same into the lower flask. The upper flask must be completely filled with water from the beginning, so that no air remains. When filled with gas the screw-compressors are securely fastened on, and the flask disconnected from the funnel and receiver. Quart flasks, with openings at the bottom, are very suitable, and easily obtainable. COMPOSITION OF THE GASES. The ingredients found in producer gases are: carbonic acid (CO2), oxygen (0)) ethylene (C2H4), carbonic oxide (CO), hydrogen (H), and marsh gas (CH4). The nitrogen is taken by difference. CO2,O,C2H4, and CO are determined by absorption in various liquids and by observing the resulting diminution of volume. H and CH4 are determined by combustion with oxygen. Carbonic acid.—For this gas is used a solution of 16 grams of potassium hydrate in 100 C.C. of water. 4 or 5 C.C. of this solution absorb 100 C.C. of CO2.

Jan 1, 1883

By H. R. MacMichael

THE rate, at which zinc ore can be sintered varies widely, depending on the characteristics- of the ore. A coarse table concentrate already roasted to a very, low sulfur content may sinter at the rate of-8.6 tons per hour per 100 sq.ft., of wind-box area. At the other extreme is a finely ground flotation, concentrate, with considerable sulfur remaining in the ore as delivered to the sinter plant, for which corresponding rate may be only 3.8 tons per hour, or 44 per cent of the first rate. A usual, size-of sinter machine in zinc plants is one with wind-box 3.5 by 33 ft., making 115.5 sq. ft. of area, and using a 100-hp. fan. Such a machine with the coarse concentrate described would produce 10 tons of sinter per hour; and with the fine, flotation concentrate would produce only 4.4 tons per hour. Ore of the latter class is -sintered at the plant of the Mexican Zinc Co. (subsidiary of the American Smelting & Refining Co.) at Rosita, Mexico. ; Consequently, an unusually large sintering capacity per ton of ore to be treated is required, and provision was made for treatment of 9000 tons concentrates per month, preroasted to. 5 to 9 per. cent sulfur. For this duty three of the usual 33-ft., 100-hp. sintering machines would have been needed.. Considering the auxiliary equipment. necessary for proportioning, handling, and mixing charge, as well as means for disposition of the sinter, a three-unit plant becomes-very complicated, especially if the capacity should be doubled later. After much study it was decided to build a single sintering unit of ample capacity for the work, the plant thus being much simpler and cheaper in construction as well as in operation (Figs. 1 and 2). The sintering machine was built with a wind-box 5.25 by 60 ft. (315 sq. ft.) and provided with a 300-hp. fan.

Jan 1, 1932

By William A. Longacre

IN a previous paper1 the author discussed the problem described by the title of this paper, outlining and reviewing the Gish-Rooney method, with comparison and brief analysis of the interpretation techniques of Roman2 and Tagg.3 Some aspects of the simple type of two-layer system were reviewed from various sources.4,5,6 THE TWO-LAYER PROBLEM For the configuration shown in Fig. I, and for any electrode separation A, the apparent resistivity is a function of the relative depth [HA], the overburden resistivity pi, and a factor K defined by the equation [ ] where p2 is the resistivity of the lower bed, Thus, by the known theory of electrical images, [ ] THE MULTILAYER PROBLEM As the number of isotropic, homogeneous, horizontal layers increases, the difficulties of interpretation multiply. The theory becomes much more involved, and in view of the state of our knowledge, the general problem is virtually impossible of exact solution. However, certain types of [ ] multilayer problems can be worked out in terms of two-layer theory. Hummel,7 Pirson,8 Tagg,3 Watson,9 and others have pointed out the possibility of building up approximations of multilayer resistivity curves with suitable combinations of two-layer curves. Many three-layer curves can be constructed in this way to a good degree of accuracy, and special types of four-layer curves can be approximated. It is very likely that as the number of layers increases, the method of combination will not give good approximations except in very special cases, In the analysis of actual field data, the author has found that many obviously multilayer curves can be solved partially with a good degree of accuracy, using the theory that thin adjacent beds may be considered as one layer or zone, and applying two-layer theory to the extremities of the field curve. MODIFIED TAGG METHOD OF INTERPRETATION Tagg's second method, though superior to his first, necessitates a large number

Jan 1, 1941

By W. H. Kantner

IN this paper, no attempt will be made to theorize on subsidence. Only known data and actual facts will be given, with a few exceptions noted where other factors and outside influences tend to change sub-sidence directly resulting from porphyry caving. The area under observation is known as the Southeast Extension of the East orebody. The orebody is irregular in outline and dips to the south and the east, extending in depth from about 425 ft. below the sur-face to 1050 ft. below the surface. In the upper horizon, the orebody is about 400 ft. long and 150 ft. wide. At 720 ft. below the surface, the ore outline is approximately 450 by 170 ft.; 70 ft. below this, it is 500 by 110 ft., with an extension at the north end to the east 270 by 120 ft. From this elevation to about 900 ft. below the surface, the ore spreads out to the east and south, being about 700 by 500 ft. between these vertical limits. Below this it pinches out and at 1060 ft. below the surface is only 100 by 100 ft. The nearest point of the orebody-which is on the northwest side-is 600 ft. southeast of the Sacramento shaft. The country rock is all porphyry. Fig. 1 is a vertical east-west section showing orebody and original surface. The surface over the orebody was fairly regular and in this area and adjacent to it were portions of the surface plant, roads, and the main plant railroad to the concentrator. Fig. 2 is a map of the surface over the porphyry area. Caving operations started in April, 1925, at the approximate top of the orebody. The first lift was on the 600-ft. level; the ore was extracted by means of the Morenci timbered slide method and was from 425 to 455 ft. below the surface over an area of about 22,000 sq. ft. This lift was finished in May, 1926. The second lift, on the 650-ft. level, was already in production by May, 1926, so extraction of ore was continuous. This lift was 48 ft. high and covered an area of about 30,000 sq. ft. The ore from this lift was extracted by means of a modified Morenci timbered slide method. This lift was finished in March, 1927. The direction

Jan 1, 1934

By Nico Van Wingen

Experiments performed with distilled water, unconsolidated sand and dead oil for the purpose of determining the influence of oil flow on the water content of sands were described. While results found are not necessarily, therefore, identical with those that would be obtained under natural petroleum reservoir conditions, the following conclusions were drawn. 1. When oil under constant head is flowed through an unconsolidated sand, the amount of water retained in the core is inversely proportional to the specific permeability of the core. This corroborates the view that the degree to which oil displaces water out of the pore space is limited by the size of the pores. 2. For the range investigated, the displacing action of a more viscous oil of higher specific gravity was found to be the same as a less viscous oil, or lower specific gravity. 3. The amount of interstitial water retained in the sand bears an inverse relationship to the pressure head of the displacing liquid. 4. The degree of retained water saturation of the sand appears to approach 100 per cent as the specific permeability approaches zero. 5. For the higher values of specific permeability and for the pressure range investigated the remaining amount of water in the sand occupies approximately 10 per cent of the pore space. This, together with the fact that the limiting oil velocity curve approaches approximately 10 per cent water saturation as an asymptote, indicates that beyond this point removal of water is achieved only by a stripping of the grains requiring considerable pressure drops across the sands; or by a balancing of the molecular forces. 6. As the water saturation of the sand exceeds approximately 15 per cent of the pore volume, the permeability of the sand to oil decreases rapidly. 7. Sands with water saturations as high as 40 per cent were found to produce 100 per cent oil.

Jan 1, 1939

By Nico Van Wingen

Experiments performed with distilled water, unconsolidated sand and dead oil for the purpose of determining the influence of oil flow on the water content of sands were described. While results found are not necessarily, therefore, identical with those that would be obtained under natural petroleum reservoir conditions, the following conclusions were drawn. 1. When oil under constant head is flowed through an unconsolidated sand, the amount of water retained in the core is inversely proportional to the specific permeability of the core. This corroborates the view that the degree to which oil displaces water out of the pore space is limited by the size of the pores. 2. For the range investigated, the displacing action of a more viscous oil of higher specific gravity was found to be the same as a less viscous oil, or lower specific gravity. 3. The amount of interstitial water retained in the sand bears an inverse relationship to the pressure head of the displacing liquid. 4. The degree of retained water saturation of the sand appears to approach 100 per cent as the specific permeability approaches zero. 5. For the higher values of specific permeability and for the pressure range investigated the remaining amount of water in the sand occupies approximately 10 per cent of the pore space. This, together with the fact that the limiting oil velocity curve approaches approximately 10 per cent water saturation as an asymptote, indicates that beyond this point removal of water is achieved only by a stripping of the grains requiring considerable pressure drops across the sands; or by a balancing of the molecular forces. 6. As the water saturation of the sand exceeds approximately 15 per cent of the pore volume, the permeability of the sand to oil decreases rapidly. 7. Sands with water saturations as high as 40 per cent were found to produce 100 per cent oil.

Jan 1, 1939

By R. A. Wagstaff

Many changes in equipment have had to be made to handle the flotation products at the blast furnace, and these changes have meant an expenditure of considerable money, which has not been compensated by an increase in smelting tonnage. To date, very few new lead mines have been developed, so that the help derived by the innovation of flotation has been directed to old producing properties, where the ratio of concentration is greater now than when gravity concentration was in effect. In some smelting plants there has been an abandonment of complete units due to the introduction of flotation. Flotation Products Difficult to Handle The physical characteristics of the flotation product do not make for economic handling for lead blast-furnace work, either mechanically or metallurgically. The millman or miner do not know what trials and tribulations they have passed on to the smelterman. To the smelterman it is "the everchanging flotation," for little does he know what new reagent will be perfected tomorrow that may completely change the grade and physical characteristics of the product. Even the mining companies who have complete units of mining, milling and smelting have had a hard time to reconcile themselves to the fact that the unit cost per ton of ore smelted must go up with the increase of flotation product on the blast-furnace charge. The "smelterman's burden," for that is what flotation has been for the last few years, has not caused the smelter operator to lag or fall down, but has spurred him on with new zeal. The physical properties of the flotation products are as follows: (1) High moisture content; (2) mucky nature of product; (3) fineness of product, and (4) high metal content. New Mechanical Devices for Handling Furnace Product These characteristics have caused the use of many new mechanical devices in smelting practice, for example: New transportation equipment, such as solid-bottom cars, is required; unloading equipment and sampling

Jan 1, 1928

A cooperative service for engineers and their employers under the direction, of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers; American Society of Civil Engineers; American Society of Mechanical Engineers; and American Institute of Electrical Engineers, and with the cooperation in Chicago of the Western Society of Engineers, and in San Francisco of the California Section of the American Chemical Society and the Engineers Club of San Francisco. For information as to men available or positions open, address the nearest office. New York Walter V. Brown Manager, 31 West 39th St., Telephone Penn. 9220 Chicago A. Krauser, Manager, Room 1736, 53 West Jackson Boulevard, Telephone Harrison 1238 San Francisco Newton D. Cook, Manager, Room 715, 57 Post . St., Telephone Sutter 1684 UNITED ENGINEERING SOCIETY This is a corporation organized by the American Institute of Mining Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the American Institute of Electrical Engineers to hold the title and administer the property at 29 West 39th St. In 1916 the American Society of Civil Engineers was admitted, and each society now holds an equal one-fourth interest in the ownership, occupancy, and administration of the building. The value of this property is estimated at two million dollars. A. I. M. E. representatives are : Arthur S. Dwight, J. Vipond Davies and J. V. N. Dorr. ALFRED D. FLINN, Secretary, 29 West 39th St., New York City. ENGINEERING FOUNDATION This is a fund established by the United Engineering Society in 1915 with a gift of $200,000 from Ambrose Swasey. Subsequent gifts had increased the fund to $600,000 on Jan. 1, 1927. The income, of the fund is used to further research in science and engineering and to advance the profession of engineering and the good of mankind. A. T. M. E. representatives are: H, M. Boylston, J. Vipond Davies, Galen H, Clevenger. ALFRED D. FLINN, Secretary, 29 West 39th St,, New York City.

Jan 1, 1928

Bill S.1431 for the creation of a Department of Natural Resources has received a propitious hearing before the Senate Committee on Government Operations. Interior Secretary Rogers C. B. Morton was one of the prominent witnesses who testified in favor. The department had been proposed, Morton said, with "the conviction that the development of all natural resources would be harmonized with the most practicable possible means to protect and preserve the environment, consistent with the social and economic needs of the Nation." Another opinion on the pro side came from Atomic Energy Commissioner Clarence E. Larson, who said that a "total picture" had become essential to the establishment of a policy for developing energy resources in the best public interest. Commissioner James T. Ramey, on the other hand, was one of the AEC dissenters. Ramey said he believed the reorganization of resource responsibilities would hinder efforts to deal with energy-environmental problems and prevent the use of AEC "expertise and facilities" to the greatest advantage. As Arnold Weber, associated director of the Office of Management and Budget, pointed out, however, retiring AEC Chairman Glenn T. Seaborg is in favor of the new department. Another supporter, and one who can cast a vote on the bill, is Sen. Frank E. Moss. Final Standards for emissions from new stationary sources will be published by the Environmental Protection Agency on October 27. The initial proposals, appearing in the Federal Register on August 17, called for limiting emissions per million Btu of heat input (maximum 2-hr average) to 0.2 lb of particulate matter, and, where solid fuel is burned, to 1.2 lb of sulfur dioxide and 0.7 lb of nitrogen dioxide. While the new rules are mainly for new plants, the EPA is also proposing them for "existing plants which are modified in such a way as to increase or alter. . . their emissions."

Jan 1, 1971

Arrangements have been completed in New York whereby the re- sources of The Engineering Foundation, under the auspices of the four principal national engineering societies, are placed at the disposal of the National Research Council, which was appointed by the National Academy of Sciences* at the request of President Wilson. The object of the Council is to coordinate the scientific research work of the country in order to secure efficiency in the solution of the problems of war and peace. The Council was without funds until The Engineering Foundation, established to further scientific and engineering research, offered to place its resources at the Council's disposal, including the services of its secretary, Dr. Cary T. Hutchinson, to act as-secretary of the Council. The offer was accepted and plans for immediate activities have been placed in the hands of an executive committee. In indicating how thoroughly, every branch bf science and engineering is represented, Dr. George E. Hale, Director of the Mt. Wilson Solar Observatory, and Chairman of the Council, when he was in New York attending to the details of the arrangement, called attention to the personnel of the body, saying that it is the purpose to enlist the cooperation, in the solution of our industrial and military problems of a scientific character, of every possible established agency. Medicine, for example, is represented on the Council by Dr. William H. Welch, President of the National Academy of Sciences, Brigadier General William C. Gorgas, , Surgeon Crenera.1 of the United States Army, Dr. Simon Flexner, Director of the Rockefeller Medical Institute, and Dr. Victor C. Vaughan, Past President of the American Medical Society; biological science by Dr. Edwin G. Conklin, Professor of Zoology, Princeton University; chemistry by Dr. A. A. Noyes of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Dr. L. H. Baekeland; physics by Dr. A. A. Michelson of the University of Chicago; and electricity by Professor M. I. Pupin, of Columbia University.

Jan 10, 1916

By Courtenay DeKalb

The accompanying illustrations, Figs. 1 to 6, from plans drawn by Mr. T. L. Knapp, a student in the Missouri School of Mines, show a type of furnace designed by the writer, which possesses some peculiarities intended to meet the necessities of laboratory-instruction in that institution. The object aimed at was the construction of a simple, inexpensive furnace, suitable for the distillation of zinc from its ores, and using only a single retort. This limitation imposed the chief difficulty, owing to the necessity of obtaining a high degree of heat concentra ted upon the retort. This is accomplished by the peculiar curve of the arch, which consists of arcs of seven distinct ellipses, one focus of each of which lies within the area occupied by the retort. Thus the reflected heat would necessarily be thrown mainly where most needed, namely, on the retort. Conservation of heat is provided for by a return-flue through the hollow arch, and by a sand bottom under the fire-brick hearth. Four openings lead back from the laboratory, or heating-chamber in this instance, to the arch-flue; and three openings lead from the arch-flue to a large horizontal flue, from which a down-take conducts the gases to the stack. The fire box, it dl be observed, is deep, thus producing much CO during the combustion of the coal. The further combustion of this CO may be accomplished by the admission of air through the hollow fire-bridge, thus producing a higher flametemperature surrounding the retort. Provision is also made for removing the retort and the portion of the wall supporting it and the condenser, leaving a high arch, into which a door-frame may be inserted; the space above being temporarily bricked in. By this alteration, which may be quickly and easily made, the furnace may be converted into a reverberatory, suitable for treating small charges such as

Jan 1, 1898

By C. E. Meissner

THE need for a practical method of deciding upon new alloy steel analyses to widen its markets was the problem facing the Chrome Steel Works at the beginning of 1927. In addition to determining the physical properties of the alloys under consideration, it was necessary to test their value in service. Small melts of steel in a crucible, from which test specimens could be made, were insufficient to determine more than physical properties, therefore actual castings and ingots had to be made before the products could be placed in service. Furthermore, to save further experimental work, it was desirable that these heats should be made on a "pilot" basis; that is, actually duplicating regular open-hearth furnace practice. Therefore a one-ton (2000-lb.) acid open-hearth furnace was built. FURNACE DESIGN There are no special features in the design of this furnace. Standard acid open-hearth practice is followed, with the reproportioning of the dimensions necessitated by its small size; notably, a considerably increased length in proportion to width in order to get proper flame propagation. After the first heat was made it was found that the checkers were insufficient. The checker chambers were increased in size and the checker openings were made much smaller. The furnace was started late in March, 1927, and made 65 heats. Experimental work was then stopped until the data accumulated could be worked up and summarized. The run was resumed in November and the furnace is still operating, having made at this writing 60 additional heats. For the last series of runs, there was some rebuilding of both the furnace itself and the checkers. Slag pockets were added. Fig. 1 shows details of construction; Fig. 2, the, general appearance. All designing was done by the operating and engineering staff. Construction materials were those available around the plant. The reversing valve is a standard butterfly type taken from an old furnace.

Jan 1, 1928

By Lewis T. Wright

It is commonly believed by metallurgists that in copper-smelting, the copper in the slags, which is irreducible by continued " settling," is retained in the form of " prills " of matte. I have frequently held well-settled slag in a molten condition for a long period without being able thereby to reduce the copper-content. The slag acted as though it contained a minimum of dissolved or combined copper that could not be settled out by gravity. I have used reagents, but without satisfying myself in what form this copper existed. The same slags, by fine grinding and elutriation, could not be separated into portions containing more or less copper than the average content. By treating copper-slags in an electric furnace a button of metallic iron and copper was produced, but the high temperature and the strong reducing-action of the furnace mere influences that suggest an explanation of a result not obtainable with ordinary smelting-temperatures. If all the copper in the slag were in the form of copper-matte, and not existing as a dissolved compound with some of the elements of the slag, then the other metals in the matte, such as gold and silver, should occur in the slag in the same ratio to the copper as to the copper in the accompanying matte. This reasoning led me to study the ratio of metals in the products of smelting, and, apart from the issues discussed in this paper, the research has proved both interesting and illuminative. On the assumption of a similar ratio of metals in matte and slag, if the percentage of copper in the slag accompanying a matte containing 50 oz. of silver and 1 oz. of gold per ton of copper was 0.3 per cent., or 96 oz. per toll of slag, there should be found 0.15 oz. of silver and 0.003 oz. of gold per ton of slag; but, in my experience, there is less silver and much

Jan 1, 1910

By Will H. Coghill, Fred D. DeVaney, R. G. O’Meara

The size of ball mills in the ore-dressing industry has increased from about 4 ft. in each dimension to 10.5 ft. in diameter by 8 ft. in length. In the cement industry they are as long as 45 ft. Plainly the trend has been toward larger mills. The common belief is that the big mills economize in floor space and first cost, but the advantage with respect to friction has not been clearly defined. In the ball-mill studies at Rolla, Mo., laboratory mills as small as 2 by 2 ft. have been found as efficient in terms of the amount of grinding per unit of net power as mills 6 by 4 or 6 by 12 ft. Therefore, if supremacy can be claimed for the big mills, advantage must come from other sources. The advantage to be considered here is reduced loss by friction or dead load. In the study to determine whether big mills have relatively less loss by friction the commercial catalogs were used for fundamental figures. The dimensions and weights of Table 1 are taken from the catalogs (the last line gives data on a Rolla laboratory mill). The net power—that is, the power expended within the mill for grinding—is calculated by a new formula.' The assumed speeds are each at 70 per cent of their theoretical critical speeds, and the mills are loaded to the center with balls. In other words, they are assumed to be working under analogous conditions and are set for good grinding. In the last column the ratio B: A shows that the larger commercial mills are lighter per unit of net power than the smaller mills, and more of the motor output should therefore go into grinding. The laboratory mill seems to have some advantage over the larger mills; it would be expected to be light because it has no liners.

Jan 1, 1935

By William P. Blake

In addition to uintaite, the Uintah Mountains contain a deposit, or vein, of the peculiar hydrocarbon mineral, to which I have given the name wurtzilite, * in honor of the chemist, Henry Wurtz, Ph.D., of New York, who, in 1865, described grahamite, and who has added to our knowledge of the composition of the hydrocarbon minerals. Wurtzilite and uintaite are very similar in appearance, but are very different in their physical and chemical properties. Both are black, splendent and shining in fresh fracture; but the wurtzilite has a decided toughness, and a degree of elasticity, especially when warmed, which suggests to some persons a resemblance to caoutchouc. It was at first, at Salt Lake, believed and reported to be a mineral form of India-rubber, and great expectations of its value as a substitute for crude rubber were indulged in. It was, however, found that it would not act like rubber with sulphur; it would not incorporate with it and become "volcanized," and it was very refractory and insoluble in the ordinary solvents of rubber and of uintaite. The elasticity, though unlike the elasticity of rubber, led to the reference of the mineral to the species elaterite, the only name under which an elastic bitumen is described in the mineralogies; and it is so called in the list of the mineral products of Utah, given in the last message of the Governor of the Territory. The name elaterite, as used by Dana, covers at least three differing substances, ranging in specific gravity from 0.905 to 1.223. Two of the varieties are soft and elastic, much like India-rubber, and one is occasionally hard and brittle, imbedded in the softer kinds. All are rare, and comparatively unknown, and not generally represented in mineral collections. One of the varieties referred to here is the subterranean fungus from Derbyshire, described by Lister as early as 1673.

Jan 1, 1890

By Alan Morris

THE investigation of the hot-working properties of metals and alloys furnishes a problem which has been attacked in many ways. Tensile, impact and hardness tests on heated specimens have furnished interesting data, but in most cases either the tests are difficult to make or the results hard to translate into terms of practical value. Some investigators have used the drop hammer to advantage. It furnishes a rapid and simple method of comparing the plasticity of metals at elevated temperatures. The indications obtained by its use are of value only in so far as their significance is understood and they can be intelligently used to predict the behavior of a given metal under given hot-working conditions. The work reported here was undertaken not only to add-something to the existing volume of such data but also to contribute to our understanding of the results. Doerinckel and Trockels1 used cylindrical specimens and determined the work required to reduce the specimen to one-half the original height. Ellis2 studied the effect of constitution on the malleability of steel at high temperature. His method and that of Kent3 were similar to the one used in the present work. The tests described by Kent were made on samples of tin, zinc, aluminum, copper, lead, 70:30 and 60:40 brasses, with and without a small quantity of lead. He concluded that the test would "indicate whether a material can be forged at a given temperature without cracking." This interpretation must be used with caution. While it is probably true within limits, one must consider the severity of the forging operation. Again, it will not apply strictly to forms of hot working other than forging. For instance, an alloy running 61.0 per cent. copper, 3.25 per cent. lead, remainder zinc, will crack badly in the test, yet it is extruded commercially. When the possibility of hot-working a new alloy is being considered a study of its drop-hammer test should help

Jan 1, 1931

By A. S. Richardson

VENTILATION of the Butte mines has long been a rather difficult problem because of the natural high temperature of the rock. With increase in mining depth, higher rock temperatures have been encountered, and this has caused a constantly growing demand for more effective ventilation measures. During recent years the hazards of dust in mine air have been more clearly recognized, and have necessitated the adoption of dust-prevention methods. To meet these ventilation problems in the mines of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co., a mines ventilation department was organized in 1918, to act under the direction of the general superintendent of mines. At the present time, under normal operating conditions, the force employed includes the ventilation engineer, two chief assistant ventilation engineers and eight assistant ventilation engineers. The activities of the department are, briefly: (1) planning and supervising operation of the general ventilation system; (2) planning and supervising the operation of dust-prevention measures, together with dust sampling and related microscopic work for the quantitation of the dust samples and determination of particle-size distribution; (3) the design and development of air- conditioning methods to meet present exceptionally severe temperature conditions and in anticipation of future requirements. To a large extent the technical features of the ventilation methods have been described in earlier papers by the author. This paper is written mainly to summarize past accomplishments bearing most closely on health and safety, with a somewhat more detailed account of the dust- prevention measures that have been developed comparatively recently. FACILITATING FLOW OF AIR As a basic requirement for the safety of the men, all ventilation plans are subject to a ruling that the main operating shafts must be maintained as inlet air courses. Under this condition, a safe, fresh-air escapeway is assured if a fire occurs within the mine, and the shaft is available as a base for fire-fighting operations. Control of the direction of air flow is

Jan 1, 1938