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By S. H. Chauvenet

Jan 1, 1882

By S. H. Chauvenet

HARRISBURG is situated on the Pennsylvania Railroad, one hundred and five miles from Philadelphia, two hundred and forty-eight miles from Pittsburgh, and ninety miles from Baltimore, and has running through it the Pennsylvania, Northern Central, Philadelphia and Reading, and Cumberland Valley Railroads, and the Pennsylvania Canal. Surrounded by a thickly settled farming country, from which to draw native labor, within easy distance of anthracite and bituminous coal, with ores and limestone near at hand, and with the Susquehanna River as a never-failing water supply, Harrisburg has advantages for manufacturing which warrant the investment of the capital that has already been made, and has a future as a manufacturing city second only to Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. THE PENNSYLVANIA STEEL COMPANY, L. S. BENT, SUPERINTENDENT. The works of this company, the largest in Harrisburg, lie between the Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia and Reading Railroads, on. the Pennsylvania Canal, and are essentially devoted to the manufacture of Bessemer steel rails. Capital stock, $2,000,000; invested in business, $5,000,000; wages per month, $80,000; employs 2000 men; capacity, 100,000 tons of rails per year, which is being increased to 130,000 tons. The plant, as it now stands, comprises five Bessemer converters, two 7-ton and three 8-ton converters, two 15-ton open-hearth furnaces in operation, and two 30-ton open-hearth furnaces in course of construction, one blooming mill, one rail mill, seven steam hammers, two blast furnaces in operation, two blast furnaces in course of construction, foundry, pattern $hop, machine shop, blacksmith shop, and frog shop, and merchant mill in course of construction. Bessemer No. 1 was built in 1865, with two 7-ton converters, 2 spiegel cupolas, 3 feet diameter, and 3 iron cupolas 6' 6" diameter,

Jan 1, 1882

By S. K. Bradford

(Pittsburg Meeting, March, 1910.) FOR years past I have traveled in quest of promising mining-properties, over almost impassable mountain-trails to remote places in the mining-regions, usually, many miles from an assay-office. If, upon examination, the formation and the ore-deposit appeared favorable, a quick determination of the value of my samples was necessary, in order that I might take intelligent action with reference to the acquisition of the property. A journey with my samples to civilized regions often meant weeks of delay, and perhaps loss of opportunity. How many, under similar circumstances, have returned with their assay-results from such a journey, only to find that some audacious speculator had " optioned" the property ! True, a first payment could have been made and the chances taken on the results; but experience has taught that rich-looking ore is not of necessity valuable. Personally, I would not hazard a ten-dollar bill on any property without first determining by assay the value of the ore. To carry the usual complete assay-paraphernalia over such mountain-trails was impracticable by reason of the loss of time involved, the great expense of transportation (charged according to weight), and the fact that a few such trips would almost certainly wreck the outfit. For these reasons I began a process of elimination and substitution which finally enabled me to carry, in an ordinary 26-in. valise, sufficient apparatus and supplies for, say, 100 assays of adequate commercial accuracy. My final outfit was as follows: APPARATUS. Small hammer; steel mortar (2.5 in. wide, 3 in. high, with stand sawed off flat, so that it can be used as an anvil and for

Jan 1, 1911

By J. E. Harris

By elimination of other possible nucleation processes, it has been demonstrated, for commercially pure magnesium and a Mg-Al alloy, that at stresses less than that necessary for triple-point cracking creep cavities are most probably nucleated heterogeneously at second-phase particles. Evidence for the existence of such particles is presented and the role of grain boundary sliding in the nucleation process is examined quantitatively. DURING creep deformation of polycrystalline magnesium and its dilute alloys in the temperature range 0.45 to 0.7 Tm (Tm = absolute melting temperature) cavities form mainly along grain boundaries oriented normal to the stress axis and failure eventually occurs by their growth and impingement.' The possibility of low-ductility creep failure of magnesium-alloy reactor cans during service has prompted a number of studies of cavity formation in these materials.2-5 In this paper divergent theories of cavity nucleation6-10 are examined critically and conclusions drawn regarding the most probable mechanism of formation of cavities in magnesium. The paper is divided into two parts. The first section consists of the review and quantitative assessment of the possible role of grain boundary sliding in the nucleation process. In the second part an experimental program is described where an electron-microscope technique has been used to determine if second-phase particles exist in as-received commercially pure magnesium and in a magnesium alloy 1) THEORETICAL REVIEW Possible nucleation sites for creep cavities are: a) high-angle grain boundary triple points,11-14 b) subboundary/grain boundary intersections,15-18 c) ledges in the grain boundary, 19-25 d) second-phase particles. 9,26-30 Each of these possibilities is now considered with special reference to deformation of magnesium. 1.1) Triple-Point Cracking. The stroh31 condition to nucleate fracture is: " > vr [1] where ss = applied shear stress, ? = surface energy, C = shear modulus, L = length of sliding interface. This relationship is independent of the nature of the interface and it is possible to calculate the stress concentration at the end of a sliding high-angle grain boundary and thus deduce, approximately,* the minimum applied stress necessary to nucleate triple-point cracking. Such theoretical predictions for Nimonic alloys have been made by McLean13 and found to agree quite closely with the minimum stress determined by experiment. Stresses capable of nucleating triple-point cracking should also be sufficient to nucleate fracture at a grain boundary due to intragranular slip, for the lengths of sliding interface in the two cases are approximately equal. Thus the minimum stress for triple-point cracking should represent a demarcation between failure due to general "cracking" and that due to cavitation. Hauser, Landon, and Dorn32 have demonstrated that for polycrystalline magnesium in the temperature range 78° to 298°K the fracture stress is inversely proportional to the square root of the mean grain diameter. As pointed out by stroh31 this result indicates that Eq. [I] describes the fracture characteristics of magnesium at low temperatures. Heal3 has reported that for rapid deformation (112 pct hr-1) of polycrystalline magnesium the transition from cracking to cavitation occurs in the temperature range 175" to 275°C. He also presented the fracture-stress values for the same material tested under similar conditions. From Eq. [I] taking G = 1.3 x 10" dynes , ? = 600 ergs . cm-2,33 and L = 0.017 cm, a Stroh-McLean13,31 tensile stress of -266 kg. cm-2 is calculated, corresponding to a transition temperature of -190°C; this is in

Jan 1, 1965

By Ta M. Li

How do you convert a copper-zinc resource into a viable economic mining operation? This problem, unlike most, was complicated by the additional presence of a sub-arctic climate, highest labor costs in the world, low-grade copper-zinc values, depressed market prices, and a complex mineralization.

Jan 12, 1977

By G. P. Halliwell, C. R. Austin

The investigation described in this paper deals with the development of high-temperature alloys of the Konel series over a considerable period of time at t,he Research Laboratories of the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co. The word ''Konel" has been coined to designate a class of alloys which are essentially nickel-cobalt-iron with other elements added, usually in small quantities. Most of these alloys contain titanium, usually about 2.5 per cent. The main consideration related to strength at high temperatures but the thermionic characteristics of the alloys was also of considerable importance. It is, however, with the mechanical properties at elevated temperatures that we are herein concerned. Much attention has also been devoted to their age-hardening characteristics. There is little need to stress the utilitarian aspect of this subject, as it has been discussed frequently. Alloys exhibiting superior properties at normal or elevated temperatures rapidly find many suitable applications. There may be some question, however, as to what constitutes a "superior alloy," or an alloy that may have good service possibilities at high temperatures. The problem is complex and various means have been employed to predict the useful life that may be expected of a material. In recent years the "creep limitJ' has been used as the best means of evaluation. Such tests necessarily are prolonged and hence collection of data is very slow. In a general survey of many alloys therefore the creep test is not desirable and recourse must be had to much shorter time tests in order more rapidly to select alloys which appear to show promise. For this reason the present survey has been made using the high-temperature tensile test and a bend test developed by Howard Scott.' In the tensile test the conditions have been standardized for all tests, so that values obtained are at least comparable, one alloy with another, although the absolute values recorded merely indicate the mechanical properties at the given temperature under a definite rate of loading.

Jan 1, 1932

By G. E. Frantti

UNDER the auspices of the Geophysical Committee of Michigan College of Mining and Technology, an investigation was made in Michigan's Upper Peninsula to obtain geophysical data" related to the regional subsurface geology in the area covered by Paleozoic sediments. The area surveyed includes that portion of the Upper Peninsula which lies between R18W to R26W and T41N and T49N, covering approximately 1300 square miles. On the index map, Fig. 1, it is represented by the cross-hatched zone west of Munising. Four of the five sites of detailed investigation are indicated by the letters A, B, C, and D. A detailed gravity and magnetic survey had previously been conducted by J. G. Wilsonz near Perkins, 8 miles north of Rapid River, on a local anomalous area. Results of his work, which showed a large positive magnetic anomaly associated with a gravity anomaly, aroused interest in the possible economic significance of the formations underlying the Paleozoic sediments in this part of the Upper Peninsula. Early in the 1900's the Michigan Geological Survey, as well as many private companies, had done a considerable amount of dip needle work near the southwest corner of the area discussed in this paper. Most of the information available to the writer was obtained from indicated magnetic anomalies on the geological map of the northern peninsula of Michigan. Results of the geophysical activities of mining companies in the vicinity of the Marquette range and Gwinn district were unavailable to the author. Physiography and Geography: The region under consideration has low to moderate relief. About half the area is comprised of swampy lowlands, and because of the swamps and forests much of the land is almost inaccessible. The major drainage system is dendritic, with streams flowing into Lake Michigan on the south and Lake Superior on the north. The general geology, shown in Fig. 2, indicates an overlay of Paleozoic sediments on pre-Cambrian formations along a line running approximately south from Marquette (not shown on the geological map). Actual contact between pre-Cambrian and Paleozoic sediments is not known because most of the area is covered with glacial till, and outcrops are very scarce. Exposures of the Paleozoic sediments show that these beds in the northern areas dip gently under Lake Superior and that in the southern areas they 'dip gently to the southeast. Outcroppings of the pre-Cambrian formations occur primarily to the west of the surveyed area except in the northwest corner where the Laurentian series outcrop as far east as the Gwinn district and also in T46N, R24W. Instrumentation: Gravity measurements were made with the Worden portable gravity meter. Since this was chiefly a reconnaissance regional survey, both the large and small dials were used. The instrument used had a constant of 0.0035 milligals per scale division, a working range of about 25 milligals.

Jan 1, 1957

By W. WANJUKOW, H. O. Hofman

(New York Meeting, February, 1313.) I. INTRODUCTION. IN the metallurgical treatment of most metallic sulphides it is usually necessary to carry on a roasting-operation. In some cases the raw ore will have to be roasted.; in others the intermediary product, matte, produced in smelting the ore; again, both ore and matte may have to be subjected to oxidation at elevated temperatures. Most metallic sulphides, when given an oxidizing-roast, pass through the state of sulphate before they are converted into oxides. All metallic sulphates are completely decomposed by heat, with the exception of those of lead and bismuth, but the temperatures at which decompositions take place vary with the metals. Some metallic sulphates are converted directly into oxides, others first form basic salts. Alkali-earth sulphates show a behavior similar to that of metallic sulphates, while alkali sulphates do not part with their sulphur trioxide even at elevated roasting-temperatures. The older data on the decomposition of metallic sulphates by beat are only approximations. Thus Kerl 1 gives the order in which metallic sulphates are decomposed with increasing temperatures as (Ag2, Fe, Cu, Zn, Ni, CO, Mn, Pb) SO4. More recent statements give definite temperatures and modify the formerly accepted order of decomposition. But the temperatures given by various observers do not agree. The reasons for this are to be found mainly in the method and manner of carrying out experiments. Four methods have been used: 1. Heating in an evacuated tube; 2, heating in a tube closed at one end, without air-cur-

Sep 1, 1912

By AIME

IN the parlance of Hollywood, it was a super-colossal meeting. In the more restrained language of engineers, the Institute's 75th Anniversary Celebration attracted the largest crowd ever; was the longest Annual Meeting ever held, occupying a full week; had more important papers, more important people, more of an international flavor, and more glamour than ever before. And in the minds of those who came to the big city from the wide open spaces, one other record should be mentioned: for those not on an expense account, it was the most expensive affair ever staged by the Institute! To state the attendance down to the last digit for a meeting such as this is impossible. The total names registered on cards, plus those who attended the Annual Banquet but were not otherwise registered, came to 3149. But a few were registered twice, and probably a still larger few did not register at all, but just dropped in for a session or two in which they were interested. It would appear that 3200 would be about as close an estimate of attendance as could be made, and that is some 300 more than came to the biggest Annual Meeting of the past-in 1944. A considerable number of members brought their wives, but most were delegates at large.

Jan 1, 1947

By Paul Weir

FOR the first time in 1938, bituminous coal production for the week ending Nov. 19 surpassed that of the corresponding week in 1937, and indexes of industrial activity indicated the possibility that the remaining weeks of 1938 would run ahead of the corresponding weeks of the preceding year. But regardless of this year-end pickup, total production in 1938 was approximately 25 per cent less than in 1937. The estimate of 340 million tons for 1938 places the bituminous industry slightly above the production level of 1933 and approximately 10 per cent above the modem low of 1932. Anthracite production is not subject to the same extent as is bituminous coal to fluctuations arising out of the rate of industrial activity, hence the decline from 1937 has not been so great being approximately 14 per cent under 1937. The estimate for 1938 production is approximately 45 million tons, but this represents the lowest level reached in the last fifty years with the possible exception of several strike years.

Jan 1, 1939

By William Paxton Hewitt

Mineral deposits of western Utah and eastern and central Nevada have produced in excess of $8,500,000,000 since 1871. Through 1965, Bingham Canyon had produced over $4,600,000,000 and seven other camps over $100,000,000 each, principally from base metals. In addition, they yield iron and uranium ores; contain the world's largest beryllium reserves; and have produced the United States' most important gold discovery in 25 years. The area is famous for its silver production and its bonanza-type precious metal deposits, but such production has become unimportant. The area's greatest producers of metallic wealth are base-metal deposits in limestones and porphyry-type copper ores. In contrast to silver's decline, gold production has been rising-the result of by-product operations at Bingham Canyon. The area also contains gold deposits in which the gold is so finely disseminated it is not recoverable by panning. The area's gold ores frequently are associated with realgar, cinnabar, and carbon. The ore deposits generally are attributed to Tertiary intrusives,* but, at Mountain City, they may be related to Paleozoic volcanism. Mountain City has yielded rich chalcocite from quartz-pyrite-chalcopyrite bodies in siliceous sediments. Regional stratigraphy and structure are difficult to interpret, 69 per cent of the area being obscured by alluvium or volcanics. In general, central Nevada consists of chert, shale, silty sandstones, lavas, and pyroclastics; eastern Nevada and western Utah of many alternations of limestone, shale, and sandstone. Central Nevada has been structurally active since late Devonian. Although granitic stocks may have intruded eastern Nevada and western Utah prior to the Cretaceous, these areas remained quite stable until affected by the Laramide Revolution. Precambrian exposures, occupying 3 per cent of the area, have not been important hosts. However, the question is raised as to whether Precambrian carbonates, properly situated with respect to invading mineralizers, might yet prove to be important. This paper describes 16 precious metal camps, 6 limestone replacement districts, 2 silver-base metal vein deposits, and 9 miscellaneous types and discusses briefly the 11 * Some ores, as at Ely, are associated with intrusives of. Cretaceous age. major camps that are described in detail in this Volume.

Jan 1, 1968

By F. F. Aplan

Mineral processing engineers have recorded an- other year of active research and development work. Most gratifying was the broadly based attendance at the Mineral Processing Fundamental (formerly Basic Science) Committee sessions at the 1968 Annual Meeting of the AIME. Because of the availability of good papers, the active discussion and the growing attendance, sessions have grown from one to three at the annual meeting. Prof. M. C. Fuerstenau of the University of Utah will chair the Mineral Processing Fundamentals Committee for the next two years and we may thus be assured of continued active leadership. The name change from "Basic Science Committee" to the more descriptive "Mineral Processing Fundamentals Committee" approved by the MBD executive council is a welcome improvement. Our profession continues to attract the interest and cooperation of those in other professional groups. The 1968 Engineering Foundation Particulate Matter Conference, under the chairmanship of John Karpinski of Bethlehem Steel, was devoted exclusively to comminution this year. It attracted conferees from five continents and served as a particularly stimulating source of interchange of knowledge from many technical fields. Next year's conference will be under the chairmanship of Professor L,. G. Austin of The Pennsylvania State University. This conference plus the Symposium on Wettability and Flotation to be held at the annual American Chemical Society meeting in Minneapolis in April indicates the success achieved in the inter-disciplinary approach to problems. Other evidence of this spirit of professional cooperation is the forth- coming book on Size Reduction edited by D. W. Fuerstenau. This is the outgrowth of an AIChE symposium on size reduction held in 1965.

Jan 2, 1969

By Jean Howard

ALTHOUGH zone melting has found favor in recent years because of its convenience and its faster rate of production of single crystals, the older technique of strain annealing still has a number of advantages. It has been reported1 that the lattice of a crystal prepared in this manner has fewer defects than one grown from the melt and, of course, the control of the external geometry is easier. Also, the diameter of the crystal which can be grown by zone melting has a theoretical limit determined by the surface tension, thermal conductivity, and specific gravity of the material, while the size of that which can be grown in the solid state is limited only by practical considerations. In a program for the study of the structure-sensitive properties of niobium and its alloys it was desirable, for ease of handling, to have available single crystals of large diameter. This requirement dictated the choice of the strain-anneal technique. Induction heating was chosen in the present work in preference to other methods because of its deep penetration of large-diameter sections. A five-turn coil, powered by a motor generator operating at 10,000 cps, is contained in a vacuum chamber. The work is lowered through the coil for both the recrystallization and the crystal-growth steps. Starting with electron-beam melted material, the bars are cold-swaged, recrystallized, strained in a tensile machine, and then subjected to the growth step. Single crystals have been grown under the following conditions: Reduction in area during swaging— 79 to 99 pct, recrystallization temperature—1500o to 1667°C at the rate of 1.25 in. per hr, strain—1.0 to 2.5 pct, growth temperature—1600o to 2400°C at rates from 0.15 to 1.25 in. per hr. Starting grain sizes achieved after the recrystallization step varied from 0.6 to 1.55 mm. The starting grain size was found to be critical; if it is too fine and has any residual cold work, as shown by the presence of a fiberlike texture, a single crystal cannot be grown. Using this technique niobium single crystals have been grown from 0.250 in. diameter and 12 in. long to 1.00 in. diameter and 5 in. long as shown in Fig. 1. The 1-in. crystal is the largest to be reported for a refractory metal as compared to 0.500 in. for molybdenum grown by zone melting.2 As with zone melting, control of orientation is possible by the use of special procedures. Other investigators, see for example Williamson and Smallman,3 have reported that orientation control may be achieved by a bending technique. In the present work the strained rod is partially lowered through the coil to start the growth of the crystal. Then it is removed and bent at a point ahead of the interface between the single and polycrystalline portions. Finally, it is returned to the chamber and growth is continued "around the corner". The amount of bending which can be imparted to the rod is limited by coil geometry which up to now has been 10 deg. However, by repeating the bending and growing operations it should be possible to attain any desired orientation. The perfection of these single-crystal specimens as a function of process variables is being measured by X-ray and metallographic techniques and the results will be reported in a forthcoming paper. This work was partially supported by the Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Jan 1, 1964

By J. W. R. Rayner

THE conventional method of making water gas involves individual plants for the separate carbonization of coal to coke and the subsequent gasification of coke with steam. The process demands lump coke, preferably made from the best quality of coking coals. The ash in the coke should have a high melting point and the gasification process suffers a loss of efficiency when cokes with low ash-melting points are used. In Britain, these coals are generally the most expensive and they are readily available only in certain localities. The coals not suitable for making lump coke, or yielding only poor quality coke, are much more widely available and are generally cheaper. DEVELOPMENT OF ALTERNATIVE PROCESSES In Germany, processes have been developed and operated commercially for the production of water gas from very low-rank coals such as brown coal and lignites, but much less effort has been spent on processes to use coals of intermediate rank, which are widely available in Britain. The brown-coal processes use coal in the form of either dust or briquettes. The most successful of the dust-gasification methods is the Winkler process, which made a substantial contribution to German oil production during the war. It uses coal in the size range 0 to 8 mm and the fuel bed is blown with a mixture of oxygen and steam at a rate high enough to give it a characteristic boiling motion or, in present-day phraseology, at a rate more than sufficient to fluidize it (Fig. 1). Air cannot be used to provide the heat required for gasification, for vari¬ous reasons. In the first place, to make the process continuous by mixing air and steam would involve the production of a lean gas containing much nitrogen. If a separate blow were used, a large amount of potential heat would be lost because the blow gas in such a process would contain a very high percentage of carbon monoxide. Oxygen is necessary therefore and oxygen remains relatively expensive for use in gasification. In the Winkler generator, formation of clinker caused by local overheating does not occur, because of the mobility and high heat transfer of a fluidized bed. These properties of fluidized dusts have been used most successfully.

Jan 1, 1953

By Harry E. Krumlauf

The year 1957 was one of declining metal price and production. Many lead-zinc-copper mines were forced to close, and the remaining mines limited production to stay more in line with demand. High cost of labor, supplies, and equipment and high taxes aggravated the situation. Some operators postponed or abandoned expansion programs because of uncertain economic conditions. Output was curtailed by elimination of over- time employment and reduction of the working force. The number of employes laid off was small- reduction in the labor force was accomplished by not replacing those who left a company's employ.

Jan 2, 1958

By Bruce W. Gonser, A. U. Seybolt

A few copper-zinc-hasp alloys mppt die-casting requirements reasonably well, although improvements are desired. Aluminum bronzes, high-tin bronzes and some copper-nickel-zinc alloys can be die-cast, according to Herb,' but seldom are because of such factors as higher melting ranges and greater cost than certain of the brasses. Fox2 has summarized the copper-base die-casting alloys that were in commercial use in 1937 and has given the effects of different alloying constituents. Table 1 gives some of the properties of these alloys as reported by Fox. a Properties reported by Fox.2 b Trade name of Brastil, Doehler Die Casting Co., similar to Webert Alloy,34 American Brass Co., and Tombasil Alloy,5 Ajax Metal Co. e Trade name Tinicosil, Titan Metal Manufacturing Co. Melting point (liquidus) of the yellow brass is given by Herb1 as 1650" F., of the high-silicon Brastil (with 4.5 to 5 per cent Si) as 1600" F., and of the nickel silver as 1675" F. d Criterion not stated.

Jan 1, 1940

By A. U. Seybolt, Bruce W. Gonser

A few copper-zinc-hasp alloys mppt die-casting requirements reasonably well, although improvements are desired. Aluminum bronzes, high-tin bronzes and some copper-nickel-zinc alloys can be die-cast, according to Herb,' but seldom are because of such factors as higher melting ranges and greater cost than certain of the brasses. Fox2 has summarized the copper-base die-casting alloys that were in commercial use in 1937 and has given the effects of different alloying constituents. Table 1 gives some of the properties of these alloys as reported by Fox. a Properties reported by Fox.2 b Trade name of Brastil, Doehler Die Casting Co., similar to Webert Alloy,34 American Brass Co., and Tombasil Alloy,5 Ajax Metal Co. e Trade name Tinicosil, Titan Metal Manufacturing Co. Melting point (liquidus) of the yellow brass is given by Herb1 as 1650" F., of the high-silicon Brastil (with 4.5 to 5 per cent Si) as 1600" F., and of the nickel silver as 1675" F. d Criterion not stated.

Jan 1, 1940

By AIME AIME

TRANSFER to the Bureau of Mines of the responsibility for conservation and production of helium, and announcement that a proposal has been made to the President for commercial operation of the Los Angeles has attracted new attention to the helium program of the Government. The matter is one in which mining engineers, and the mining industry in general, have a peculiar interest. Helium is a byproduct of the petroleum and natural gas industry. It is found in certain of the natural gases which have themselves been discovered, in the main, in the search for oil. If it is to be produced on a large scale, the conservation and development of the fields will necessarily be done by the men of the oil and gas industry. There is no known or expected source of supply of quantities of commercial importance save in the natural gas fields. Not all gas wells supply helium and none of them supply it in important percentages. If it were necessary to prospect a field, develop it, lay pipe lines and build production plants for the helium alone, the cost would be prohibitive. On that basis helium would necessarily be restricted to essential war uses, where cost is subordinate to need. As a byproduct of the natural gas in certain, at least, of the fields in the United States there is distinct reason for anticipating that it may be produced in amounts and at a cost that will permit its regular use in commercial airships.

Jan 1, 1925

By H. B. Charmbury, D. R. Mitchell

Everyone in the coal industry from top management to the preparation engineer is vitally interterested in recovering as much salable coal as possible from the run-of-mine product. Coal losses from a preparation plant occur in the solid refuse material being discharged from the plant and in the bleed-off slurry from the water circuit. The refuse is generally hauled from the plant in solid form by trucks, conveyors, or aerial trams to the refuse or culm banks or it may be crushed and transported by hydraulic methods to refuse ponds or dams. The loss of coal in refuse material and the extent of this problem has been covered in another paver.' The loss of salable coal in the plant bleed-off slurry is one of the water circuit problems in coal preparation plants. Slurries originate at various places in the processing circuits and are usually disposed of by transportation to waste ponds known as slurry ponds. Even though the combustible material discharged as slurry and refuse from the plant is labeled a loss, the loss must only be considered temporary. There is a tendency at the present time to examine refuse and slurry losses and to reprocess these materials to recover valuable coal. Slurries from eight bituminous coal preparation plants in central and western Pennsylvania have been sampled and examined to determine the amount of recoverable coal in each. Examinations of the samples were made to determine the tons per hour of solids and the gallons per minute of water in the slurry; the size, ash, and sulfur analyses of the solids; and the sink-float characteristics of the larger solids. The extreme fines (—325 mesh material) from one of the samples has been examined further to determine the micron size fractions as well as the ash and sulfur content of the micron sizes. Collection of the Samples: Field trips were made to each of the plants where samples were obtained and discussions held with the preparation engineer prior to sampling. The flowsheet of the plant operation was studied and a time-period selected to obtain a representative sample. At least 20 1-gal samples of total plant bleed-off suspensions were collected at each plant in increments over designated periods belived to be typical of the plant flow Three of the samples were obtained from plants in the Pittsburgh area. Each plant supplied information on the capacity, operating time, type of cleaning equipment used, water and material balances, and auxiliary equipment. From the time required to collect given amounts of slurry and from the amount of solids in the slurry, total solids discharges from the plant were calculated and compared with the plant flow. Ash and sulfur analyses of the total solids were also checked, at some plants, with company figures. In all cases where checks could be made there was reasonable agreement between company figures and those reported here. Analysis of the Slurries: Representative fractions of properly agitated samples were examined in the laboratory to determine the specific gravities of the slurries. The solids and water were separated by filtration to check the weight of each so that the percent of solids in the pulp could be determined. From the resulting data, presented in Table I, it may be seen that the percent solids in the slurries ranges from 2.8 to 39.0 and the amount of solids from 2.61 to 45.61 tph. Size Analysis of Solids: Representative fractions of the slurries were permitted to settle and the clear water was removed by siphoning. The solids were then wet-screened at 28, 35, 48, 65, 100, 150, 200 and 325 mesh. Results of the size analyses are presented in Table 11. These results indicate the extreme variation of sizes and in most cases the degree of fineness of the solids. The amount of —325 mesh ranges from 22.5 to 84.5 pct and the amount of+200 mesh from 8.3 to 69.1 pct.

Jan 1, 1961

By C. W. EICHRODT

NUMEROUS requests for the suspension of publicity make difficult the preparation of the annual review of copper metallurgy for 1934. In the United States, sales allocations indirectly have set restrictions on the scope of activities of producers and refiners, and necessitated closer cooperation between secondary and primary producers. However, the feeling exists that preparations for a return of intense competition should not he neglected, and careful investigations are being conducted for ways and means of improving industrial positions and production methods. In all probability, efficiency in technique and equipment will prove of far greater importance in the near future than production capacity, and many important developments in copper metallurgy later will be found to have been born during the current year.

Jan 1, 1935