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By George H. Deike

UNDERGRADUATE interest in coal mining engineering has dropped to an alarmingly low level. Most companies having co-operative scholarship programs have been forced to abandon them for the duration.

Jan 1, 1944

By George C. Bateman

I HAVE been introduced in the dual capacity of president of the Canadian Institute and Metals Controller for Canada. There are three particular points of similarity between these two positions. They are both temporary ; they both have to do with the mining industry ; and by a peculiar coincidence they both pay me exactly the same salary. It is difficult to appreciate the background of our present situation without knowing the really tremendous changes that have taken place since the last war. I sometimes think that even among ourselves we are likely to forget the extent to which our great mining industry has been expanded. In 1914 Canada's gold production amounted to only $16,000,000 and the suggestion was seriously ad¬vanced in Ottawa that the gold mines should be allowed to close down so that their men might be used in more important work. Today with a production at the rate of over $200,000,000 a year no one in Canada would venture such a suggestion because the output of our gold mines is the greatest single factor in producing dollar exchange, badly needed for the purchase of munitions and to maintain Canada's unbroken record of always meeting its obligations. Even with the severe restrictions now in effect against the importation of nonessentials, our imports for war purposes from the United States are resulting in the biggest adverse trade balance in our history. With us, gold mining ranks as an essential industry.

Jan 1, 1941

By AIME AIME

Acid Open-Hearth Manipulation.. By ANDREW MCWILLIAM and WILLIAM H. HATFIELD, ii, 279. Discussion by J. J. MORGAN, iii, 647; E. H. SANITER, iii, 648; MCWILLIAM and HATFIELD, 111, 648. ADDICKS, LAWRENCE. The Effect of Impurities on the Electrical Conductivity of Copper, iii, 559. Address of Welcome to the U. S. National Museum, Washington, D. C. By RICHARD RATHBUN, .iv, 923. ALLDERDICE, TAYLOR. Discussion of MR. ROE'S paper, The Mann¬ facture and Characteristics of Wrought Iron, v, 1091. American Mining Engineer. Discussion by ARTHUR JARMAN, iii, 641. An Automatic Stock-Line Recorder for Iron Blast-Furnaces. By J. E. JOHNSON, JR., iii, 509. Anthracite-Washeries. By GEORGE W. HARRIS, vi, 1263.

Jan 1, 1907

By Will H. Coghill

WITH gold at $35 for the last four years, almost double the old figure, and 'an unlimited market, there is perhaps more activity in the mining and milling of that metal than in that of any other of the widely distributed ores. Despite threats from Russia, the Rand district is still dominant. In South Africa in 1936, 48,200,000 tons of gold ore was crushed after sorting out about 10 per cent of that mined. The pounding of 5914 trusty stamps on the 60 mi. of Rand reefs is noteworthy. At the end of 1935, 466 tube mills were operating on the Rand, the popular size being 6 1/2 by 20 ft. The grinding medium normally consists of ore pebbles picked from the ore but recently a composite load of 3-in. steel balls and pebbles has found favor for added capacity, a ratio of 2.5 tons of pebbles to one ton of halls being maintained. The total ore fed to the mills is only about 0.14 ton per hp.-hr. Such a slow rate 'of feed cannot help but result in overgrinding. Ball mills, 9 by 8 ft., some of which have come from Canada, are now being tried. Stamps have been ousted from all new flow sheets, but the old stamp mills are continually renovated and kept on duty as they are at the Homestake in the United States. Half of the world's gold and silver ores is still crushed by stamps, a few of which are single, dropping in individual mortars.'

Jan 1, 1938

By J. A. Wilcox

A NEW LINE of specialists has arisen as a result of the trend toward labor socialization and collectivism in all branches of industry. These men are the ones who will govern the destiny of many companies and the labor policy of our government in coming years. They must be men of integrity and of rather exceptional qualifications; men who can foresee the trend of labor relations with business, and who are willing to sacrifice the immediate fruits of technical training for manual labor and study. They must take their place in industry, not with the idea of following the orthodox line of advancement, but knowing that they must stay at the bottom until they have learned to understand the viewpoints, the work, the advantages and the disadvantages of each classification of labor. They must not be of a radical nature or become easily biased, and they must study. You will say I am looking for a superman and in one sense that is true, but the business man and our government are both in the market even now for this type of man, and with the proper training and background, many of our young technicians can readily enter this field of work.

Jan 1, 1942

By Robert Mehl

A STUDY of the structures arising from the decomposition of the a solid solutions in the Cu-Zn and the Cu-Al systems is of peculiar interest in the study of the mechanism of precipitation from solid solutions. It is possible in these alloys, by varying the composition within the ß field, to precipitate from the same basic lattice phases having different lattice structures. It has been rather generally assumed heretofore that the type of structure originating from the decomposition of a solid solution-the Widmanstätten structure-is determined by the lattice structure of the parent solid solution alone. In the first paper of this series1 evidence was advanced which threw doubt upon this hypothesis; but definite proof of the correctness or incorrectness of the hypothesis should be forthcoming from a study of these alloys, for if the structures originating, for example, from the precipitation of the a phase from ß and of the -y phase from the ß in the Cu-Zn system should be shown to be crystallographically different, the hypothesis would necessarily be held as definitely disproved. Furthermore, the newer proposal enunciated in the first paper of this series-that the origin of the Widmanstätten structure lies in a cooperation between the lattice of the parent solid solution and that of the precipitate-which at present seems the only alternative hypothesis, would in such an event be given added weight. The work here reported shows that the Widmanstätten structures originating in the precipitation of the a phase from the a and in the precipitation of the -y phase from the ß in the Cu-Zn system are indeed crystallographically different; and incidentally presents some new descriptive information on the Widmanstätten structure from a more general point of view.

Jan 1, 1931

By Lysle E. Shaffer

TEACHING engineering students how to write and speak effectively -is one of the greatest problems facing the technical schools today. No phase of engineering education has received more criticism, and rightly so, for the criticism is justified. Year after year we continue to graduate men that are indifferent to the use of a tool they will need every day of their lives. Our young engineers cannot write a clear, concise report, and their business letters are a disgrace to the profession that takes pride in precision. The problem is not new. The remark ascribed to Sir James Barrie, that "The man of science appears to be the only man who has something to say, just now-and the only man who does not know how to say it" is as uncomfortably true today as it was thirty years ago. The records of meetings of engineering educators and the transactions of the engineering societies show that the inability of the engineer to communicate his ideas has been discussed for years. Engineering educators, prodded by industry, have recognized that the problem exists, but they have not solved it. Instead they continue to expose the student to composition and rhetoric, hustle him through English and American literature, and then blame his high school because he does not know enough English grammar to write a clear sentence. We must face the fact that the graduate is not going to reflect on the high school, but on his college. If the high school has shirked the job, the responsibility for correction rests on the faculty of the professional school.

Jan 1, 1948

By A. Raman

The Nb-Co system was nuestigated in the range 10 to SO at. pct Co with X-rays. A pt phase with the W6Fe.r-type structure occurs in the system between 46 and 52 at, pct Co. Its unit-cell dimensions are nearly identical to those of the p Phases found in the Nb-Fe and Nb-Ni systems. Two Laves phases, one having the MgZnz-type structure and the other the MgCuz-type structure, already t-eported in the literature, are found to exist in the system. The ,l.IgZnz-type phase occurs between 62 and 64 at. pct Co. A MgNi2-type Laves phase, reported in the literature, is no! obtained. A binalry phase is found to exist belozv I000C around 82 at. pct Co. THE cobalt-rich side of the system Nb-Co has been repeatedly investigated by previous inestiators" and the following intermediate phases are known to occur: NbCo, which crystallizes in the MgCu2-type structure and Nbc03,' reported originally by Wall-bam, which has the MgNiz-type structre. Jordan and uwez' as well as lliott' were unable to find the MgNiz-type phase. Two phases, designated as x and y, were reported by Saito and eck.' The phase x was inferred to have a narrow composition range near 77 at. pct Co. No published work is known to the author which reports the investigations in the niobium-rich portions of the system. This paper presents the results of an investigation in the Nb-Co system between 10 and 80 at. pct Co. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Two or three grams of the alloys under investigation were prepared using niobium (99.9 pct +) and cobalt (98.8 pct + with 0.14 pct Fe and and 0.03 pct C) in a tungsten-electrode arc furnace under commercial argon atmosphere. They were then wrapped in molybdenum sheets and annealed for a period between 5 days and 1 week at 1300°C in high vacuum (10-" orr) or in evacuated quartz amules for 2 weeks at 1000°C. Powders of -325 mesh size were prepared for X-ray work by crushing and grinding the specimens. Subsequent reannealing of the powders was not undertaken since most of the alloys were brittle and broke easily. X-ray powder patterns of the as-cast and annealed samples were prepared in a Siemens cylindrical camera (57.3 mm radius) with Cr-K, radiation. A Siemens diffrac to meter was used to get the X-ray patterns of some new phases. Metal log raphic examination of the alloys supplemented the X-ray findings. RESULTS The results of the X-ray and microstructural analysis Of the alloys are in in Table I. The lattice parameters of the phases are listed in Table 11 for quick reference. A set of micro photographs in Fig. l(n) to (j) show the microstructures of some alloys. A probable equilibrium diagram is drawn in Fig. 2

Jan 1, 1967

By J. W. Stewart

ONE of the postwar problems posed for mineral engineering educators is the desire of some mature student veterans to finish their college education under the G. I. Bill of Rights as quickly as possible, a desire that is quite understandable. Not only have they lost several years of education, which they wish to make up as quickly as possible, but many are married and have families and want to become productive as soon as possible in order to support their families properly. The obvious solution to this problem, if it really is serious, would appear to be a continuation of the wartime Accelerated Program, as it was carried on in most colleges and universities. As a matter of fact some schools are known to have continued their wartime programs in one or another form. To ascertain just what our mineral engineering schools generally are doing to meet this postwar problem, last April a questionnaire was sent to administrative officers at colleges and universities

Jan 1, 1946

By S. Maemura

Miike Colliery of Mitsui Coal Mining Company, the biggest and oldest coal mine in Japan, is producing a quarter of the national coal production, about 5.2 million tons of clean coal annually and almost a half of which is now being mined under the "slicing Mining System". The slicing system is a mining method to mine a thick coal seam dividing it into two faces, upper and lower. Its history started nearly 20 years ago. However, the all-around modernization of this system has made little progress up to recent years, while mining methods for single longwall faces has made a remarkable progress together with the improvements in mining machineries, self advancing supports and so on. The reason was that the tremendous difference in adaptabilities of mechanized face equipments existing between the upper and lower faces has made it very difficult to increase the total production capacity of slicing system. After our persistent study for seventeen years, we have recently realized successfully the quite satisfactory slicing system, applying the combination of shield type self advancing supports and double ranging drum cutter at both faces. We are now fully convinced of that the high efficient, quite safe and improved slicing system has been basically established for the present. This paper intends to brief the transition on the combination of self advancing supports and mining machines, its results and further to detail the development of shield type self advancing support for upper face and artificial roof material which shall be the key point to be successful in full mechanization of slicing faces.

Jan 1, 1976

By Nicholas J. Grant, William H. Ferguson, Bill C. Giessen

Ta-lr alloys have been examined over the complete range of compositions using metallographic and X-ray techniques. The terminal solid-solubility limits, solidus temperatures, and intermediate phases were determined. There are four inter-mediate phases: o, tetragonal, analogous to a (Fe-Cr); 0,. orthorhombic; az, tetragonal; and a TaZr,, cubic, AuCu, structure. Of these, o and a, melt peritecticaLly, a, decomposes peritectoidally, and a TaIrs has a congruent melting point. Three peri-tectic and one eutectic reactions occur. 1 HE Ta-Ir phase diagram has not been treated in the literature. Intermetallic phases and terminal solid solubilities have been described and estimated.'-4 The previous findings have been confirmed in this work. A complete diagram with additional phases and solidus curves is presented. EXPERIMENTAL METHODS Starting materials were tantalum powder of 99.8 pct purity, supplied by the National Research Corp., Cambridge, Mass., and iridium powder of 99.9 pct purity, supplied by the Bishop Co., Malvern, Pa. Both powders were -200 mesh. Table I lists the analyses as given by the suppliers. A standard procedure was employed in making the alloy buttons, which was described in detail in Refs. 5 and 6, and which included repeated arc-melting of powder compacts and determination of the composition by the weight-balance method. This is especially justifiable due to the similar vapor pressures of tantalum and iridium. In the critical parts of the diagram, a spacing of 1/2 at. pct was used, based on premelted master alloy material. The observed structures and X-ray spectra were consistent with the composition sequence of the alloys. Table II lists the final alloy atomic percentages with the calculated percent error of composition. Cross sections representative in grain size and composition were selected for the study, as described in Ref. 5. Based on prior experience, no contamination from the tungsten electrode was considered. Temperature measurements were obtained using a Leeds and Northrup optical pyrometer and have been described extensively in Refs. 5 and 6. All heat treatments were made in the high-vacuum tantalum tube furnace mentioned in Ref. 5. Samples annealed in tantalum containers cooled from 1800" to 1000"~ in 5 sec; those annealed in ceramic crucibles cooled over the same range in 15 to 30 sec. The thermal treatments are listed in Table 111. All specimens were homogenized at 1735°C for 24 hr. Tantalum-rich compositions were treated in tantalum buckets. Iridium-rich compositions were annealed in tantalum buckets below the eutectic temperature of 1950°C; up to 2200°C, tungsten-lined tantalum baskets were used; and above 2200°C thoria crucibles were used. It was found that refractory oxides (in early stages of the investigation alumina crucibles were used up to 1800°C and thoria crucibles were used to 2400"~) give off minute amounts of oxygen and thereby influence the microstructure considerably, or react directly with the alloys.

Jan 1, 1963

(The following list contains the names of those members of the Institute of whose connection with military service. we have only recently become acquainted; it also includes the names of a few who have recently been promoted or transferred. A complete list was published in the Year Book, issued as a supplement of the Bulletin for March, 1918.) ADAMS, HENRY, Major, Assistant to Department Engineer, North-eastern Dept. ALINE, P. A., Co. C, 316th Supply Trains. * Low-cost cottage construction in America; a study based on the housing collection in the Harvard Social Museum, by Winthrop A. Hamlin. Cambridge, Mass., Harvard University, 1917. (Publications of the Department of Social Ethics, No. 7.) 30 pp., 4 charts. Illus.

Jan 5, 1918

By Oliver Bowles

When a new type of equipment revolutionizes methods of quarrying one kind of stone, producers of other kinds focus their attention on its potentialities in their particular fields. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the accomplishments of the wire saw in slate, to show its more limited attainments in other kinds of stone, and to point out the possibilities of much wider application. A wire saw consists of a 3/16-in. or ji-in. three-strand wire cable that runs as a belt and cuts the rock by abrasion. (Fig. 1. The teeth of the saw are sand grains carried in the grooves between the strands. Accomplishments in Slate† Initial experiments with wire saws by the U. S. Bureau of Mines in the Colonial Slate Quarry, Wind Gap, Pa., in 1926, attained success so immediate and pronounced that within two years in virtually every quarry in the neighborhood of Wind Gap, Pen Argyl and Bangor, the most productive slate area in the United States, wire saws were substituted for channeling machines. An 80-ft. cut in slate is shown in Fig. 2. The technique of operation has been described in several reports (references at the end of the paper). The present purpose is to summarize the accomplishments in a large, typical slate quarry after nine. years of experience. Parsons Bros. Slate Co., at Pen Argyl, Pa., substituted two wire saws for six channeling machines in 1927. The following comparisons are made between the present method with wire saws and the former channel-ing-machine method. Rate of Sawing.—The average rate of cutting with a wire saw in the early days of its operation, as determined by the Bureau of Mines', wits 14 to 17 sq. ft. per hour. Parsons Bros. Slate Co. estimates the present rate of cutting at about 25 sq. ft. an hour, whereas the channeling-rnarhirle

Jan 1, 1938

By Oliver Bowles

When a new type of equipment revolutionizes methods of quarrying one kind of stone, producers of other kinds focus their attention on its potentialities in their particular fields. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the accomplishments of the wire saw in slate, to show its more limited attainments in other kinds of stone, and to point out the possibilities of much wider application. A wire saw consists of a 3/16-in. or ji-in. three-strand wire cable that runs as a belt and cuts the rock by abrasion. (Fig. 1. The teeth of the saw are sand grains carried in the grooves between the strands. Accomplishments in Slate† Initial experiments with wire saws by the U. S. Bureau of Mines in the Colonial Slate Quarry, Wind Gap, Pa., in 1926, attained success so immediate and pronounced that within two years in virtually every quarry in the neighborhood of Wind Gap, Pen Argyl and Bangor, the most productive slate area in the United States, wire saws were substituted for channeling machines. An 80-ft. cut in slate is shown in Fig. 2. The technique of operation has been described in several reports (references at the end of the paper). The present purpose is to summarize the accomplishments in a large, typical slate quarry after nine. years of experience. Parsons Bros. Slate Co., at Pen Argyl, Pa., substituted two wire saws for six channeling machines in 1927. The following comparisons are made between the present method with wire saws and the former channel-ing-machine method. Rate of Sawing.—The average rate of cutting with a wire saw in the early days of its operation, as determined by the Bureau of Mines', wits 14 to 17 sq. ft. per hour. Parsons Bros. Slate Co. estimates the present rate of cutting at about 25 sq. ft. an hour, whereas the channeling-rnarhirle

Jan 1, 1938

By J. Norman Bulkley

As electrical power is used to a greater extent on the Rand than in any other mining center, it is thought that a short description of the methods used and results obtained may be of interest. In comparing Rand practice with that on other fields, several general factors should be borne in mind: First, the mines are all working on large tonnages of low-grade ore (average $6.50). The annual crushing rate is about 27,000,000 tons. Second, the mines are all grouped under the financial and engineering control of mining houses, so that the results of a group, rather than an individual mine, are open for study, and practice follows more uniform lines. Third, coal of fair quality (about 12,000 B.t.u.) can be obtained for $2 to $3 per ton. Good supplies of condensing water are, however, scarce, and have to be carefully stored. Power Supply Power is supplied by the Victoria Falls & Transvaal Power Co., Ltd., and its subsidiary, the Rand "Mincs Power Supply Co. Both companies, which are practically one from an engineering point of view, operate the following stations, all fecding into the same system. Capacity Installed Turbo Capacity Installed Steam-Tur- Station Alternators bine Dliven Centrifugal Compressors Brakpan............... Two 12,500-kw. sets Two 3,000-kw. sets Simmer Pan............... Six 3,000-kw. sets Rosherville................ Two 11,000-kw. sets Six 3,500-kw. machines Five 9,600-kw. sets Three 7,000-kw. machines Verckniging ............. Two 9,600-kw. sets Two 12,000-kw. sets 162,200-kw. sets Total steam-tkbine capacity installed, 204,200 kw. There are also at the Robinson Central air station six motor-driven centrifugal compressors, each of 3,500 kw., equal to 22,000 cu. ft. per minute at 120 Ib. capacity at 3,000 r.p.m. Power is supplied from these stations as 50-cycle, three-phase current generally at 40,000 volts,

Jan 1, 1916

By F. L. Wolf

THE catenary system of line construction possesses so many desirable characteristics from the operating standpoint that it has wide application for all types of electric traction. Many steam roads are electrifying sections of their lines, and in most cases are operating both steam and electric locomotives over the same track. This' means that the overhead catenary system is subjected to the severe corrosive action of locomotive smoke, and data concerning the resistance of various alloys to this form of corrosion are very desirable from every point of view. Reliable and specific information and data on the subject of corrosion due to steam and smoke from locomotives are extremely meager and, on this account, extensive service tests, together with accelerated tests, have been made on a number of commercial metals and alloys. The observations and data recorded in this paper are the result of a, preliminary test which was started in 1923 and which has been carried on to the present time. The recognition of the need for even more detailed and accurate data has resulted in the undertaking of another test which has been in progress for about a year. The result of this test will be published in due course. Some years ago The Ohio Brass Co. was asked by one of the large steam railroad companies to furnish data on construction details for a catenary system which it was considering for one of its divisions. The selection of, materials which would give the necessary physical characteristics as well as withstand the severe corrosive action of locomotive gases caused electrical railroad engineers considerable concern. At that time, there were available no specific or authentic data on these important questions: no systematic investigation of the problem appeared to have been made, even though its importance was generally recognized. Such observations as had been made were crude in that they had been limited largely to visual inspection which too frequently is most misleading. However, the scattered information which was collected gave important clues as to how best to start an investigation.

Jan 1, 1930

Howard N. Eavenson, Gary, W. Va. (communication to the Secretary*):—For some time before the publication of Mr. Scholz's paper, I had been collecting data bearing upon its subject, and I now take pleasure in presenting to the Institute my results in the form of a discussion. It has long been a matter of common opinion among mining-men that mine-explosions are more frequent during the colder, or winter months, than during the warmer ones, and it is a matter of common knowledge among them that the air-ways and road-ways in most mines are much drier and are more inclined to be dusty during the winter than during the summer. In many mines, places which are wet and sloppy in the summer are dry and sometimes dusty during the winter. These changes, of course, can only be due to atmospheric conditions, and are caused by differences in temperature and humidity. Until recently, however, very little attention has been paid to the part that atmospheric conditions may play in mine-explosions, or, rather, to the effect they may have in rendering mine-conditions peculiarly dangerous, and in spreading and rendering more disastrous the effects of what otherwise probably would have been small explosions. To show the difference in mine-conditions during summer and winter months, I have tabulated in Table I. the results of 24 observations of hygrometric conditions in several different mines at different times of the year. Mines Nos. 1, 2, and 6 are located in the Pocahontas coal-region, in McDowell county,w.Va., the first one being a shaft-mine and the others drift. Mines 1A and 2A are drift-mines located in Logan county, W. Va. All of these are mines of fair size, but none of them has been in operation more than six years,

Jan 1, 1910

By A. T. Shurick

WHATEVER the outcome of the Industrial Recovery Act, it has currently injected the first hope and optimism into the coal industry for more than a decade. Compared with the recent drab years the results are impressive: Bituminous production for the first ten weeks, 78,000,000 tons, may be compared with 63,000,000 last year; anthracite, 14,600,000 tons and 9,600,000 tons for the same periods, respectively, bringing the heaviest payrolls in ten years with individual checks reminiscent of former boom times. Hurried calls for long deferred new equipment and replacements have stimulated foundry and machine works and the -invigorating effect on the railroads is indicated by the first actual car shortage in a decade. And even in the welter of confusion over code prices, this heavy tonnage has moved at the most profitable figure the coal man has realized for many years, though with the large volume on old contracts, profits were not as large as many think.\

Jan 1, 1934

By Arthur Notman

YEAR ago, the Committee on Mineral Economics ventured to predict a more realistic attitude by the public toward the folly of seeking to have more by making less under the guidance of the Blue Eagle. A unanimous decision of the Supreme Court of the United States has now laid that embattled bird to rest. De rnortuis nil nisi bonum. In spite of dire predictions of disaster to follow its early demise, the metal industries and many others have improved substantially. One could name many indications of that improvement, and on the strength of stock-market activities might assume

Jan 1, 1936

lv. H. Blauvelt, Great Falls, Montana (communication to the Secretary): In his remarks on Mr. Stetefeldt's paper (Trans., xxiii., 587)) Mr. Goetz observes: " Trouble experienced with producers at Great Falls influenced me to try Taylor producers instead of those of Wellman. But recent reports show that the Wellman producers work better, besides coating nearly 50 per cent. less than Taylor producers of equal capacity. Indiana and Illinois coals cannot be used in the Taylor producers by reason of the large size and hardness of the clinkers which they form." I think that Mr. Goetz must have been misinformed regarding the work of this producer in Illinois. One of the large mauafacturing concerns in that State, the Illinois Zinc Company, situated at Peru, which uses a coal mined in the vicinity, tried one Taylor producer, some four years ago, in competition with those of an older type, which it had been using. As a result of this trial, the company has now thirteen Taylor producers, which have been in operation for about three years. A recent report from these works says that the Taylor producers have largely reduced the loss of coal through the grate, and have also improved the quality of the gas, as compared with that produced from the same coal in the producers of the older type. This Illinois coal is, perhaps, the worst in the country for making gas; since, besides containing from 20 to 40 per cent. of ash, it carries a large quantity of pyrites, so that the clinkers are large and extremely hard, and the capacity of the producer is most severely tested.

Jan 1, 1895