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By H. Rumfelt

Strip mining in the domestic coal industry is contributing a greater proportion bf overall production than at any time in the past. U.S. Bureau of Mines statistics show that the percentage of total production mined in 1958 by stripping methods increased to more than 30 pct, up from 22 pct in 1951. The tendency to favor strip and open pit mining exists in other mining activities, but such trends are not as clearly outlined as in the coal industry. Significantly, the depth of overburden in coal properties considered suitable for stripping is also increasing. A depth of 50 to 60 ft of overburden was once considered to be about the maximum amount that could be handled economically. Today, a depth of 80 to 100 ft is frequently taken into consideration for simple overcasting operations (i.e., excavating overburden and dumping it in the spoil position where it remains indefinitely).

Jan 5, 1961

By W. C. Bleimeister

The rock salt deposits of the U. S. occur in five major basins: 1) the Eastern Basin (which includes parts of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia, and Ontario) ; 2) the Gulf Coast Basin (the northern rim of which includes parts of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas, while its southern rim includes parts of the Isthmus of Tehuampetic and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico), 3) the Southwestern Salt Basin (which includes parts of Kansas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico), 4) the Williston Basin (which under- lies parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Saskatchewan), and 5) the Green River Basin (whose periphery underlies parts of Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado). The greatest salt production in the U. S. is obtained from the Eastern Basin,-particularly from the areas of Michigan, Ohio, and Ontario. In 1958 the salt production from these areas amounted to 8.7 million tons or 35.3 pct of the combined total produced in the U. S. and Canada. Of the 24,286,000 tons produced by Canada and the United States, 6,443,000 tons were in the form of rock salt from dry mining, while 17,843,000 tons were produced from wells in the form of artificial brine, the result of dissolving the rock salt formation by fresh water. Three important factors lie behind the location and development of this salt mining area:

Jan 5, 1961

By B. C. Scott, A. Baker

The Pitch mine of Pinnacle Exploration, Inc. is in the Marshall Pass district, thirty miles east of Gunnison, Colorado. This is a new mining district, having come into existence as recently as 1955, when uranium mineralization was discovered rather late in the days of the uranium boom. There have been three other mines in the district, all of them now inactive. Two of these produced a few hundred tons of very high-grade uranium ore, and the third, Pinnacle's Little Indian 36 mine, produced a few thou- sand tons of lower grade ore. Pinnacle was one of the first companies in the district, and was able to acquire a large acreage. The first two years of exploration were essentially wasted in looking for Plateau-type deposits in a mineralized sandstone bed, but this "wasted" work produced two specific items that paid off. One was an ore-grade outcrop that ultimately became the Little Indian 36 mine, and the other was a boulder of very high-grade uranium ore that eventually led to the discovery of the Pitch mine; however, the actual source of the boulder still has not been found.

Jan 5, 1961

By B. C. Mariacher, I. Hoffman

In 1952, beneficiated phosphate ore first began to move from the Oron plant of Negev Phosphates Ltd. in the Negev Desert to the super-phosphate plant at Haifa, Israel. Since that time this company has continually sought to overcome its natural handicaps affecting the operating efficiency and quality of the product in an effort to bolster the agricultural program of Israel and the development of an exportable commodity. The most serious deterrent to the development of a beneficiation process was the total absence of water. The Oron plant lies approximately 30 miles south of the irrigated regions of Israel with the nearest producing water well located about 10 miles to the northwest. The urgency of early phosphate production made it necessary to consider only dry processes in the initial operation. Fortunately, the ore was amenable to a dry process which yielded a usable concentrate assaying about 28.5 pct P2O5; but phosphate recovery was low. A description of the characteristics of the Negev ore should help to clarify the principles upon which the dry concentration is based.

Jan 5, 1961

By V. D. Perry

Mineralized breccia pipes, because of their wide-spread occurrence and close structural relations to some of the world's great ore bodies, are objects of unusual interest for mining engineers and geologists. The literature contains many references to them, but it is questionable whether their genetic significance and economic importance have been sufficiently emphasized. The purpose here is to stress these features, relating them to the field facts, for the particular benefit of younger generations of geologists who, confronted with and sometimes confused by the growing flood of geochemical, geophysical, and other specialized research approaches, may be reassured that mappable field relations remain a foremost guide to a better understanding of ore deposits. A mineralized breccia pipe is a pre-mineral, breccia structure which has controlled the circulation and deposition of subsequently introduced mineralization. It is composed of relatively rotated angular or rounded rock fragments, set in a mineralized matrix. A pipe in plan outline may be circular, oval or approach polygonal form, with a steep to vertical axis proportionately much greater than its horizontal dimensions. The pipe is a steeply plunging, chimney-like mass of brecciated rock cemented with later minerals.

Jan 4, 1961

By John L. Ryon

Experimentation with ammonium nitrate fuel oil mixtures at three under-ground salt mines revealed its excellent applications at those properties. The author relates the present blasting practice used at these mines by the International Salt Co.

Jan 4, 1961

By R. W. Smith

A study has been made of the crushing and grinding circuits by the Portland Cement Association in nine cement plants. Five of the plants used the wet process and four, the dry method. Both raw and clinker grinding were studied in the four dry processing plants. The raw materials used varied considerably from plant to plant. Actual power consumption data were obtained for the majority of the grinding mills in these plants. Previously representative raw and clinker samples had been obtained from the nine plants, and Bond1 and Hardgrove2 grindability tests were run on these samples. All pertinent data concerning the grinding mills, such as mill size and speed, ball charge size and weight, size distribution of feed, and discharge materials were also obtained. Thus it became possible to calculate the actual horsepower used by the various mills, and to compare this figure to the theoretical horsepower as calculated by several different methods.

Jan 4, 1961

By A. C. Freeze

The first use of electric punched card accounting machines as an aid in calculating reserves at the Sullivan mine in Kimberly, B.C., was made in January, 1948. At that time their use was limited to totalling individual reserve blocks for the various reserve classes and for calculating total metal content. The immediate objective was to increase speed, improve accuracy, and to effect some savings in labor that could be employed more usefully elsewhere. It was recognized also that the potential for achieving even greater advantages was excellent. The initial experiment proved so successful that it was inevitable that the use of the method would expand. Thus, for the past nine years assay data from core hole and development headings have been processed by these machines and the results integrated with the program of calculating reserves. It was also learned that the machines could store and classify a large amount of other information concerning the mining characteristics of each reserve block in addition to tonnage and metal content. This has proven very useful for the preparation of monthly production reports as well as in long term planning, in forecasting production schedules, and in analysing the results achieved.

Jan 4, 1961

By J. L. Gillson

In this past year of our Institute's life, February 1960 to February 1961, we had some major problems to face, as did our members, since businesses in which they were engaged were feeling the recession. The major problems confronting us during this past year were: 1) Financing the new Engineering Center. 2) Keeping our three almost autonomous societies working together and toward a stronger AIME. 3) Cooperation with other engineering societies the Functional Plan. 4) Licensing and registration, and the Model Law. 5) The reorganization of the Council of Section Delegates. 6) Combatting the slump in the appeal of engineering to the young students.

Jan 4, 1961

Closed-circuit television was first installed under- ground by United States Steel's Tenessee Coal & Iron Division during the summer of 1957. Placed at a rotary dump location in one of TCI's mines, the installation was designed to permit operation of all functions of the load car haul chain, rotary dump, and empty car haul chain from a remote location, and to improve safety. The initial installation was very successful, and similar ones were subsequently placed at all of TCI's operating ore mines. The 10-ton capacity, automatic coupled mine cars are placed on the load car haul chain by the main-line locomotives. The haulage dispatcher has been located at the skip loading point of the underground pocket, some 80 to 100 ft below the rotary dump. The video monitor is located so the operator has a constant view of the activities around the rotary dump. By means of remote controls, the TV camera can range through a four-way turret of lens changes, can pan 350° in about nine seconds, can tilt 45° up or 45° down in nine seconds, and also can range through an optical focus for any of the lens positions.

Jan 3, 1961

By E. P. Shea

The Anaconda Co.'s Geological Department at Butte, Mont., was started early in the Company's history because of litigation involving vein ownership and extralateral rights. The problems, some of which were resolved in courts, were many because of the large number of veins and lode locations. Defensive action was required to prove ownership and protect against illegal exploitation of the downward and extra-lateral extensions of the ore bodies. In many cases it was necessary to define the outcrop of the vein and to show that its apex was within the boundaries of the lode claim. Exhibits illustrating geology were needed to present the cases clearly, and these could be made only after careful inspection and mapping of the underground workings by competent geologists. Also, The Anaconda Co. was one of the first companies to recognize the worth of skilled mining geologists and the value of accurate records in the search for new ore. The department was organized in 1900 by H. V. Winchell who, with D. W. Brunton, worked out the methods. Reno Sales was Chief Geologist from 1906 until 1948 when he was succeeded by V. D. Perry, the present Chief Geologist. Under their direction, F. A. Linforth, M. H. Gidel, C. H. Steele, E. P. Shea, C. C. Goddard, Jr., and W. A. O'Brien enlarged the scope of the work and improved the technique.

Jan 3, 1961

By D. H. Davis

Coal operators have been justified in spending most of their efforts and capital expenditures on improvements in productivity at the working face, on better transportation facilities, and on surface plants for improvement of the product by means of modern cleaning and drying equipment. Although the above subjects will continue to receive close study for further technological advances, there are other operations involved in the production of coal, which can be improved by the application of ingenuity and modern equipment.

Jan 3, 1961

By J. W. Miller

One of the major problems confronting coal producers in this highly competitive era is whether or not the potential profit to be made from the products of coal flotation would warrant the capital investment required for the necessary equipment. The author supplies two theoretical cases to illustrate methods for computing such costs.

Jan 3, 1961

The phosphate pebble-bearing matrix in the Florida Phosphate Pebble Field has physical properties which make it readily adaptable to hydraulic transportation methods employing solids-handling pumps and pipelines. The abundance of water available, a practically flat terrain, low costs per ton-mile, and beneficiation of the matrix by agitation while being pumped have contributed to the popular choice of hydraulic transportation. Phosphate pebble mining in Florida, begun in the 1860's, first used high pressure water and solids-handling pumps for overburden removal about 1900. Removal of the average 25 ft of overburden was followed by hydraulic mining of the matrix, with 6-in. and 8-in. pumps handling 50 to 100 cu yds per hour being moved along the floor of the pit as they were advanced toward the face being undercut and slurried by hydraulic guns.

Jan 3, 1961

By J. W. Goss, M. J. Coolbaugh

A survey of literature published in the U.S. on grouting indicates that most such work has been done to stop water flow in mines and for stabilizing foundations of various man-made structures. Apparently San Manuel is one of the first mines in this country to use grout extensively underground for the strengthening and stabilizing of ground about drifts, shafts, and stations.

Jan 3, 1961

By L. A. Panek

When rock is subjected to a load it is deformed. Ordinarily this is observed in a mine as the displacement of one point with respect to another-the deflection of the roof, which may be observed as a convergence between roof and floor; or the extrusion of material from the rib, which may be observed as a decrease of the distance between the rib and the post of a timber set. The effect of excessive pressure may be a rockburst if the rock is strong, or it may be "squeezing" ground if the rock is "soft". Some desirable effects of high stress (high in relation to strength) are the caving of roof in a longwall mining operation, the caving of ore in block caving, and the decrease in mechanical energy required to break down the mineral seam in a retreating pillar-robbing operation. In any case, whether the observable effect of rock load is desirable or undesirable, it is a displacement, and depends on the following four factors:

Jan 3, 1961

By R. S. McClellan

In order to meet the ever-increasing demand by consumers for uniformity of ground talc, a new method of blending its finished product has been developed by Gouverneur Talc Company, Inc., at its plant near Gouverneur, N. Y. The method has been in use for a sufficient length of time to be now judged a success. The Gouverneur district is the leading talc producing area of the world, inasmuch as more tonnage is produced there than from any other state in the U.S. or, so far as is known, from any other locality in the world. Almost all of the output goes into industrial uses, with ceramics and paint being the principal consuming industries. The physical and chemical specifications imposed by these industries are stringent and the trend, as in most industries, is toward ever increasing severity. The blending method described herein has aided Gouverneur Talc to keep up with this trend.

Jan 3, 1961

By V. D. Leary, O&apos

Contracts between The Anaconda Co. and its miners at Butte, Mont., are not contracts in the true sense of the word. They are weekly verbal agreements which tacitly admit that the company, on the one hand, will supply the place, the tools, the material, and the opportunity and that the miners, on the other hand, will supply such effective labor that both parties will profit from the arrangement. Prices are seldom discussed at the time of hiring. The miner, in effect, is hired for a definite working place, as a contract miner, and if satisfied, tries to earn as much as he can. If he is not satisfied three courses are open to him: he can quit, he can ask for a change, or he can discuss prices or improved working conditions with the mine superintendent. This rather informal arrangement is due to conditions that are particular to Butte

Jan 2, 1961

Total U.S. mineral production reached an estimated $17.8 billion for 1960, 4 pct above 1959 and second only to the record high of $18.1 billion established in 1957. As a group, metals achieved a rise from $1.6 billion in 1959 to $2.0 billion this year, an increase of 28 pct. Similarly the value of nonmetallic production including fuels (i.e., natural gas, petroleum, natural-gas liquids, asphalt and related bitumens, carbon dioxide. anthracite. bituminous and lignite coal, peat, and helium) rose from $15.5 billion in 1959 to approximately $15.8 billion in 1960. However, this 2 pct increase in the total value of non-metallic production was due to an increase in the value of the fuels ($11.8 billion in 1959 to $12.2 billion in 1960) which offset a drop in value of the other nonmetallic minerals ($3.7 billion in 1959 to $3.6 billion in 1960).

Jan 2, 1961

The October issues* of the Journals of the three AIME Societies carried a brief resume of the historical development of various technical and professional organizations which in some immediate or remote way affect the individual member of AIME. This resume was presented by the Institute Committee on Inter-Engineering Society Cooperation. Recently, several plans have evolved designed as a first step to provide a so-called "unity organization" for the entire engineering profession. Almost all of the plans involve Engineers' Joint Council, Engineers' Council for Professional Development, and National Society for Professional Engineers in some way or other. Hence our committee is presenting to our membership a resume of the recent activities of the two umbrella organizations and of NSPE. More detailed information on any of these organizations may be obtained from annual reports published by the organizations.

Jan 2, 1961