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By Sage B. H., G. W. Billman, Lacey W. N.

The composition of the coexisting phases in the methane-ethane-n-pentane system was determined at 100°F. This was accomplished by withdrawing samples of the coexisting phases under isobaric-isothermal conditions. The relative amount of each of the components present in the liquid and gas phases was determined by conventional analytical fractionation methods. The phase behavior of this system approximates that estimated from generalized correlations which take into account the influence of the nature and amount of each of the components present upon the equilibrium. It was found that for particular pressures and temperatures the equilibrium constant of each of the components was influenced significantly by the composition of the system and this effect was more pronounced at the lower pressures for methane than for the components of greater molecular weight. However, at the higher pressures approaching the maximum two-phase pressure for the system at this temperature the composition markedly influences the equilibrium constants of all the components at a particular pressure and temperature. The results of this study are presented in graphical and tabular form. Introduction The phase behavior of many of the binary systems containing parafin hydrocarbon components from methane through n-pentane has been investigated during recent years. In addition the compositions of the coexisting phases in mixtures of crude oil and natural gas have been studied.' However, these results do not establish the influence of the nature and amount of the other substances making up a multi-component system upon the gas-liquid equilibrium constant of any one component. A preliminary correlation on the basis of values for binary systems was made2 utilizing such experimental information as was available. However, there is need for much additional information regarding behavior in systems containing more than two components. Study of the phase behavior of ternary systems offers a feasible attack upon the determination of the influence of composition as well as of pressure and temperature upon the several equilibrium constants concerned. An investigation of the phase behavior of the methane-propane-n-pentane system at 100°, 160°, and 220°F was reported.".' This work served to illustrate the marked influence of concentration of the other components upon the equilibrium constants. Variations of as much as 50 pct in the equilibrium constants for methane for fixed temperature and pressure were observed in regions remote from the critical state. Likewise there was a marked variation in the equilibrium constants of propane and n-pentane as a result of changes in the composition. These results indicated the desirability of investigating additional ternary systems. The present paper deals with a study of the methane-ethane-n- pen-tane system at 100°F, which is similar in many respects to the work upon the meth-ane-propane-n-pentane system cited above.

Jan 1, 1948

By D. P. Morton

SINCE 1023, which closed the speculative era in the bituminous coal fields of the United States, there have been wide annual fluctuations in the national production of bituminous coal. These changes in annual output have been variously attributed to: (I) increased competition from petroleum products, natural gas and hydroelectric power; (2) lower unit consumption of coal; and (3) fluctuations in the general business level. The purpose of this paper is to measure, from a practical standpoint, the net effect upon the annual trend of bituminous coal production, and to give those who are interested a basis for estimating in advance the probable output of bituminous coal. It can readily be shown that changes in the level of general business affect the national production of bituminous coal more than does any other factor. Therefore it is necessary to use some standard measure of the relative business level for purposes of comparison. The Federal Reserve Board Index of Industrial Production offers the basis for such a measure.' This Index, a weighted composite of 81 different series, rests upon the averages of the years 1935 to 1939 as loo, and is presented graphically in Fig. I. Even a cursory examination of the chart will indicate a definite uptrend for industrial production over a period of years. This uptrend is due to at least two factors: (I) an actual increase in national population, and (2) a probable increase in the per capita consumption of goods. This means that there is no such thing as a fixed Normal, rather Normal is a variable, tending to increase from year to year. In order to measure the amount of annual increase in normal, the Index of Industrial Production must be studied in relation to its major components, Durable Goods and Nondurable Goods. Durable Goods are those made from the lasting materials such as iron, steel, other metals, lumber, stone, cement, clay, glass. Nondurable Goods are those for early consumption, such as foods, textiles, tobacco, chemicals, paper, gasoline, and goods made of leather and rubber. The purchase of Durable Goods may be postponed, but Nondurable Goods must be purchased currently unless the standard of living is lowered. The Federal Reserve Indexes of durable and nondurable goods are shown graphically, 1920 to 1939, on Fig. 2 (pp. 764-765 of ref. I). It is apparent that fluctuations in the production of nondurable goods are not nearly so wide as in the production of durable goods, and that the curve of Industrial Production (Fig. I) would fall between the two curves on Fig. 2. It would, however, seem logical that both curves should follow the same long-term trend, or that over a period of two to three decades the relative proportion of durable and nondurable goods, in periods of normal production, should he the same. It is neces-

Jan 1, 1941

By N. S. Greensfelder

The firing of explosive charges by electricity dates back to 1745 when a Doctor Watson is said to have used an electric spark for igniting gunpowder. His method failed in practical application because, to ignite blasting powder, heat must be applied for a period longer than the duration of an electrostatic spark; Wheatstone found that this does not exceed 1/24000 sec. The usual result, therefore, of an electrical discharge in gunpowder is to scatter the grains, without igniting them. Benjamin Franklin partly overcame this difficulty by confining the powder and crushing grains that lay in the line of discharge. In 1822, after the primary cell had been discovered by Volta, Robert Hare, professor of chemistry at the University of Philadelphia, noticed the heating of a short piece of wire placed in the circuit of a voltaic battery. Later work by Oersted, Faraday, Wheatstone, and Henley resulted in the developmcnt of the magneto blasting machines. Fulminates of gold and silver are thought to have been discovcrcd by Cornelius Drebbel, about 1600. Pepys, in his diary for November 11, 1663, recounts a conversation with Doctor Allen, who told him about aurium fulminans "of which a grain ... put in a silver spoon and fired, will give a blow like a musquett and strike a hole through the silvel spoon downward, without the least force upward.'ll This fallacious belief that explosives act downwards only is still held by many who should know better. Fulminate of mercury was discovered by Howard in 1799. J. Shaw of Philadelphia is said to have invented a fulminate-of-mercury cap in 1814; his idea was later adopted by gunmakers in England and France. The principal advantages of mercury fulminate for use in detonators are the simplicity of exploding it and the great shock developed by its explosion.

Jan 1, 1923

By R. S. Dean. J. R. Long, T. R. Graham

Although considerable information has been published concerning manganese additions to the aluminum bronzes, these data refer principally to the two-phase alloys containing 8 to II pet aluminum, with some incidental information on the single-phase alpha solid solution alloys. Straussl gives an excellent review of the literature on aluminum bronzes up to 1927 and a bulletin2 of the Copper Development Association brings the bibliography up to 1938. The most extensive work on manganese addition is that of Rosenhain and Lantsberry,3 who investigated alloys ranging up to 10 pct aluminum and up to 10 pct manganese, and presented data on the physical properties of sand-cast, chill-cast, and several wrought alloys. The greater portion of the work, however, concerns alloys ranging from 7 to 10 pct aluminum in the cast condition and sheds little light on the properties of wrought single-phase alloys. Corson4 notes that alloys containing 10 pct manganese and 4 pct aluminum are not hardenable by heat-treatment, while one with 15 pct manganese and 5 pct aluminum can be hardened, but he gives no tensile data on it. In fact, no systematic study of the properties of single-phase wrought alloys containing substantial amounts of manganese has been reported. It should also be noted that most of the investigators worked with alloys containing significant amounts of iron and silicon, and that these impurities, whether intentionally added or accrued from the raw materials used in the preparation of the alloys, may be expected to have a direct bearing on the resultant properties. In the work on alloys made with electrolytic manganese, the Bureau of Mines has undertaken an investigation of the copper-manganese-aluminum system for the purpose of establishing the constitution and properties of high-purity alloys. In a recent paper6 the authors reported a metallographic investigation of the alpha solid solution area and the adjoining fields of the copper-manganese-aluminum system up to 50 pct manganese. This study established the alpha-phase boundaries at 50" temperature levels from 400' to 850°C. It was found that the addition of manganese to copper-aluminum alloys decreases the solub%ty of aluminum in the alpha phase (Fig I), curving the boundary toward the copper-manganese base line. The greatest change occurs in the first 20 to 25 pct manganese, which decreases the solubility of aluminum to approximately 4 pct. With larger amounts of manganese the alpha boundary tends to parallel the copper-manganese binary. At 13oo'F and higher,

Jan 1, 1947

By S. D. Warriner

ONE of the most, if not the most, difficult of the problems associated with the mining and distri-bution of anthracite is to get clearly into the minds of the consumers and of the editorial and reporto-rial writers in the public press the relationship between the cost of production, the price at the mine and the price that the consumer pays for his coal, delivered in the cellar. One sees in his morning paper a statement to the .effect that out of the $12 or $13 per ton that his dealer charges him, the miner gets only $2 or even less, and he asks himself or the paper asks for him, "Who gets the difference?" Not infrequently the amount that the miner gets is given for run-of-mine bituminous coal while the price quoted is that of prepared anthra-cite, egg, stove, or chestnut, as the case may be, delivered to the bin of the consumer; and the difference stands out with all the more prominence; and it sticks in his memory with a persistency which no manner of explanation is able to efface. A recently published official report for the year. 1921 of one of the State Bureaus stated the total production of anthracite in net tons of 2000 lb., and included not only the output recovered by washeries from old culm banks and by dredges from creek and river channels, but also the colliery consumption;, i.e., the coal used by the companies in the operation of the collieries. This resulted in a total production of 90,509,075 net tons for which the labor cost was stated at $283,961,300, or $3.13 per net ton, equivalent to $3.50 per gross ton. This figure of $3.50 was immediately seized upon as representing the labor cost per gross ton of fresh-mined commercial coal. It is almost a hopeless task to try to correct such errors of statement in the first place, and, in the second place, to correct the misapprehen-sions that arise from them. As a matter of fact, the report was misleading in regard to the labor cost of the entire production shipped, as the coal used for colliery consumption should be deducted. Correctly stated, the report should have shown, calculated in terms of gross tons of 2240 lb., the legal weight in Pennsylvania, as follows: Gross production 80,607,359 tons Less colliery fuel 8,757,137 tons Commercial production 71,850,222 tons Total labor bill $283,961,300.00 Labor cost per ton...: 8 3.952 The foregoing figures" of tonnage are obtained from the State Department of Mines. Even these include the quantity recovered from calm, banks by washeries, and consequently the $3.95 arrived at as the average labor cost is somewhat less than that actually involved in the mining of fresh-mined coal. Unfortunately, the figures of washery production and the cost of producing it are not available.

Jan 7, 1922

By Edward P. Chapman

IN the Leadville district toward the close of the "intermediate mesothermal period" of mineralization, there occurred a stage of ore deposition marked by a rather complex mineral association. As bismuth minerals formed in many places during this period, it is here called the "bismuth stage" for convenience of description. The minerals so far identified with this stage, listed roughly in the order of prominence, are: chalcopyrite; several varieties of galena, differing slightly from one another in their small contents of silver, bismuth and tellurium; altaite; hessite; galenobismutite; alaskaite; aikinite; ,gold; tennantite; argentite; and perhaps sphalerite and arsenopyrite. With the exception of gold, the age relations of these minerals are difficult to determine. As shown in their descriptions, they all appear contemporaneous and hypogene. Gold may be in part contemporaneous, but most of it is distinctly later. Where minerals of this stage occur so that they can be mined alone, as at the Tucson mine, they constitute high-grade ore. Elsewhere their presence in small amounts has served to increase greatly the value of what otherwise would be low- grade pyritic or zinc-lead sulphide ore. The distribution of the bismuth ores corresponds closely to the distribution of gold ores, though not so general. It seems probable that most of the gold in the district was deposited during the "bismuth stage." These ores occur relatively near the supposed centers of mineralization in Breece and Printer Boy Hills or deep down along the Tucson-Maid fault, which is one of the well recognized channels of mineralization in the Iron Hill and Graham Park areas. Consideration of the high-grade nature of this mineralization and the fact that it appears to be found relatively close to the source of mineralization suggests that prospecting along some of the known channels, even deeper than they have yet been prospected, may offer hope of commercial success.

Jan 1, 1939

By C. G. Southmayd

Anyone who has been confronted with the problem of predicting the performance of a sand-pump installation is vitally aware of the dearth of precise information that has been published on this important subject. Such data as have been collected are not readily available in a concise and readily usable form, so that many operators would find it a considerable chore to find the pertinent information required to undertake a detailed study. The purpose of this paper is to assemble such established data, correlate them with field experience and outline the factors that must be appraised in the determination of a satisfactory pump installation. The transportation of solids in solution is of vital interest to every mill superintendent and operator, and many of the factors that are involved in this hydraulic problem vary widely from installation to installation, and in some cases even from time to time on any one installation. These include: type of solids (including shape of particles), size of solids (grind), percentages of fines (slimes), dilution of pulp, contour of pipe line, type of pipe, age of pipe line, effect that diameter of pipe has on characteristic flow conditions, and other factors. Some of these have been fairly well determined by experimental work but many still must be established through interpolating or extrapolating between values that have been derived from known field conditions. Most problems primarily concern the transportation of a definite weight of dry solids from one specific location to another. The type of material, shape of particles, grind and percentages of fines are established and very often the dilution at which the solids must be handled as well. The problem then evolves into a determination of the size, type and contour of the pipe line and the net effective head against which the pump must operate. Before discussing the determination of the head, it might be well to review the interrelationship between the pump discharge (capacity), the head developed by the pump and the pump speed, which will apply to any centrifugal pump installation. Effect of Pump Speed Basically, the head developed by a centrifugal pump varies as the square of the pump speed and the discharge as the first power of the speed. However, even at constant speed a centrifugal pump will operate over a wide range of capacities, depending upon the head that must be developed to deliver the liquid or pulp to the end of the pipe line. This is shown graphically in Fig. I. If the pump in question is being driven at a constant speed of goo r.p.m. it will deliver 500 U. S. gal. per min. against a head of 56 ft., 800 U. S. gal. per min. against a head of 50 ft., and so on. In other words, at this speed the capacity of the pump will be determined and limited by

Jan 1, 1947

By Carl E. Swartz

ALTHOUGH a number of articles appeared during the war advocating the use of cadmium in lead-tin solders, very little information of value can be found in the literature regarding the properties of solders containing cadmium. In most of the published articles the cadmium seems to have been considered merely as a partial substitute for tin in a tin-lead alloy rather than as an essential constituent of a ternary alloy. The primary object of the substitution of cadmium for tin was to lessen the amount of tin required, at a time when the latter was scarce and high-priced, and thus to produce a cheaper solder. While this object was accomplished, the new properties resulting from a change from a binary lead-tin alloy to a ternary lead-tin-cadmium alloy were not given proper consideration in many cases. For the past few years, the American Smelting & Refining Co. has been marketing a very considerable amount of cadmium in the form of lead-tin-cadmium alloys for use as solders for certain special purposes, and the successful use of these solders suggested that if more extensive knowledge were available concerning the properties of lead-tin-cadmium alloys of various compositions their field of usefulness might be materially extended. The investigation described in the present paper was undertaken to obtain this information and, by means of tests under conditions approaching those of practical use, to determine the suitability of cadmium solders for various purposes. CHARACTERISTICS AND REQUIREMENTS OF SOLDERS IN GENERAL General Physical Properties.-When cast into bars, solder should present a smooth and bright appearance free from oxide inclusions and bubbles. Ductility should be as great as possible without sacrificing tensile strength, and vice versa. Hardness and specific gravity are not of any great importance. Melting Characteristics.-The melting or solidification range is important. This statement applies both to the extent of the range and to the actual temperature at which complete solidification occurs. A rather narrow solidification range is desirable in soft solders in order that solidification may take place quickly. The solder should have high fluidity at temperatures only slightly above its melting range. For a

Jan 1, 1928

By A. L. Marshall, F. J. Norton

THE object of this investigation was to make a comprehensive study of the degassing of molybdenum in order to determine how rigorous a treatment was necessary to completely remove sorbed gases from molybdenum electrodes in vacuum tubes. Some work has also been done with tungsten, nickel, iron and carbon. As a logical development of this work it has been shown that the gas is present throughout the body of the metal and a study has been made of the solubility of nitrogen in molybdenum and tungsten and the rate of diffusion of nitrogen through molybdenum has been calculated. Tests were made on molybdenum from all the commercial sources and no difference was discovered in the nature of the gases present, the amounts or the ease of removal. The reason for this was apparent when a study was made of the manner in which gases are absorbed by gas-free molybdenum. It is necessary to heat molybdenum to 1760°C.oin a vacuum of the order of 0.001 micron for a time which varies lineally with the thickness, in order to obtain a condition in which no further gas is evolved by the sample. A sample so degassed can be handled and subsequently assembled in a tube and then degassed readily. The gases obtained from molybdenum are carbon monoxide and nitrogen, the nitrogen being the more difficult to remove. APPARATUS AND TECHNIQUE The apparatus is shown in Figs. I and 2. It consisted of two units, a degassing system and an analytical system. Each had a bake-out oven, as shown surrounding the systems in the sketches. The system will be traced, starting from the sample in the degassing system. A water-cooled quartz chamber surrounded the sample. The high-frequency coil, which heated the sample, extended only around this chamber and was cooled by an air blast. High-frequency power of 0800-meter wave length was obtained from a self-rectifying oscillator circuit with a maximum power input of 20 kw. A graded seal connected the quartz to the rest of the apparatus, which was of hard' glass. The temperature of the molybdenum sample was observed by an optical pyrometer through an optical window about 40 cm. distant from the sample. Since the object viewed under these conditions was not 'a black body, true temperature was not observed, but the so-called "brightness temperature." The correction of this to true temperature is discussed in a later section. The apparatus was taken apart just above the graded seal; the quartz chamber was slipped off, washed with nitric acid, water and alcohol, and dried by an air stream. The old sample was removed by

Jan 1, 1944

By E. D. Gardner

Introduction Oil shale deposits have been exploited in various countries throughout the world, but generally with government aid. The oil-shale industry of Scotland perhaps is the oldest and best-known; the largest was conducted in Manchuria by the Japanese during World war 11 as a source of liquid fuels for military uses. In general, foreign oil-shale deposits that have been exploited are much lower grade than those in the western United States. Considerable interest began to be shown in western oil shales in 1916; the peak of activities was in 1923. The catlin operation, near Elko, Nevada, perhaps was the nearest approach in this country to an oil-shale enterprise on a commercial scale. Over 100 companies were formed, ostensibly for exploiting the oil shale; a large number of them, however, proved to be stock promotions only, which gave the embryo industry a black eye. The Bureau of Mines operated an experi-mental oil-shale retort plant near Rifle, Colorado, from September 1926 to June 1927 and again from April 1928 to July 1929, after which the plant was dismantled. By this time the East Texas oil fields had come ill and the country lost interest in substitute liquid fuels. During World War II the Nation again became concerned about the magnitude of its petroleum reserves. Congress (April 1944) directed the Bureau of Mines to build and operate demonstration plants to produce synthetic liquid fuels from coal, oil shales, and agricultural and other products; a five-year Program was authorized. *' a part of this program the Bureau of Mines has built, at Anvil Points near Rifle, Colorado, a retort plant and develOped an experimental mine to supply the plant with oil shale. An important part of the mining work at Rifle is to devise methods and select practices for mining the oil shale on a commercial scale at the lowest practicable cost. The product to be mined has a relatively low value, a fact that must be kept in in mind. The combined aim of those in charge of the mining and those in charge of retorting is to demonstrate that the shale oil can be produced at a cost per barrel corresponding to the current quotation for crude petroleum —or at least very close to it. Plans call for an uninterrupted flow of broken oil shale from the lace in the mine, through crushers, through the retorts and thence to the disposal dump. The disposal of the spent shale in the Ride area should present no unusual problem. Mining research has consisted so far of Paper studies of the general phases of the probleml determination of the widest Span that the roof Stone will stand safely unsupported, and drilling problems. underground development has not proceeded far

Jan 1, 1949

By Gustav S. Preller, A. M. Gaudin

Fox the past 20 years it has been generally accepted that the flotation process is made possible as a result of the action of certain chemical substances on the surface of the mineral particles. In fact, it has been suspected, but never demonstrated, that this action produces on the mineral particles a layer of chemosorbed ions that is of the order of magnitude of a monolayer; that is, of a layer one ion deep. It is the purpose of this paper to present certain initial results on the relationship of mineral surface area and collecting-agent requirements. Up to about eight years ago, all considerations involving the surface area of finely divided solids were-limited by the fact that there was not in existence any general method for determining the extent of such surfaces, especially on mixed materials. However, the method invented by Brunauer, Emmett and Teller1 has changed the situation by providing a general procedure (BET method). This procedure has already been applied to mineral dressing problems2 -4 and has now received confirmation as to accuracy by an entirely independent method.5 This confirmatory or "absolute" method uses a very tedious calorimetric procedure and is not suitable for routine determinations; but still another method6 now is available to relate the results obtained by the BET method to those obtained calorimetrically. This Harkins-Jura method has the advantage that it does not require an assumption concerning the parking area per molecule of adsorbate (nitrogen). In the original work by Brunauer, Emmett and Teller the parking area per nitrogen molecule was calculated to be either 13.8Å2. or 16.2Å2. according as the nitrogen was assumed to be closely packed as in crystalline nitrogen or loosely packed as in liquid nitrogen. The initial experimental work from this laboratory2 supported the 13.8Å2. figure; that work was done on glass spheres of measurable geometric area and it was based on the assumption that the glass spheres were truly smooth; any deviation from this assumption would, of course, have made the calculated parking area higher. Harkins and Jura's results suggest that the parking area is not the same for all substrata; furthermore, the average of the 87 measurements cited indicates a "preferred" parking area for the nitrogen molecule of about 15.2Å2., with extreme values at 13.7 and 16.9Å2. The average of 21 determinations made in connection with this study' gave a parking area of 14.3 ± 0.27Å2. In view of this result and of the Harkins and Jura

Jan 1, 1946

By R. B. Walker, R. Palmer, L. C. Bryner

The purpose of this investigation was to further study some of the factors affecting the air oxidation of sulfide minerals. Data obtained from laboratory studies on the effect of temperature, concentration of iron salts, pH, and other catalysts on the biological and nonbiological oxidation of sulfide minerals are presented. The oxidation of copper sulfide minerals and subsequent leaching of the soluble copper has long been a profitable operation. The chief oxidizing agent is oxygen from the air. This reaction is influenced by a number of different factors such as temperature, light, hydrogen ion concentration, oxidizing agents, and various catalysts. Sullivan1 found that copper sulfide minerals are slowly oxidized by the air and that dilute sulfuric acid and iron (111) increased their solubility. At that time it was not known that bacteria were involved in the oxidation of the sulfide minerals. It has been shown that pyrite, molybdenite, free sulfur, and the copper sulfide minerals found in the waste rock dumps in Bingham Canyon, Utah, are largely oxidized by chemosynthetic autotrophic microorganisms found in the leaching streams.2-6 Similar organisms have been isolated in other mining areas7,8 and from the effluents from coal rnines.9 The following are some of the questions that have arisen regarding the mechanisms of the reactions involved in the leaching process. How dependent is the leaching operation upon the biological reactions? How does the temperature effect the biological and non-biological reactions? How does the concentration of iron (II) and (111) effect the rate of oxidation of copper (II) sulfide? Does the iron act as a catalyst? Does activated carbon act as a catalyst on the oxidation of sulfide minerals? What effect does the hydrogen ion concentration (pH) have on the above reactions? The purpose of this paper is to report the results of laboratory studies on these problems. EXPERIMENTAL The apparatus used in this investigation was an air lift percolator described in our earlier work.' The percolator consisted essentially of an air lift which enabled the leaching solution and microorganisms to pass freely through a suspension of mineral (substrate) in Ottawa sand. The air lift served the additional purpose of maintaining an ample concentration of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the nutrient (leaching) solution. (See Fig. 1.) The percolators were so constructed that they could be immersed in liquid constant temperature baths for temperature studies. The thermostats were controlled to +0.5°C. The reactions were all run in the dark. The percolators were charged with one to three g of mineral, dispersed in 100 g of Ottawa sand and 100 ml of nutrient or leaching solution. The sand was purified to remove traces of iron by digesting with concentrated hydrochloric acid and washng with distilled water until free from chloride. After drying, the sand was ready for use. The compressed air supply was regulated to 5 psi and bubbled through an aerator containing distilled water, which was maintained at the same temperature as the bath used. The air was filtered through cotton plugs to maintain sterile conditions. The tops of the

Jan 1, 1968

By A. L. Mular

The flotability of crushed zinc oxide pellets which were doped to produce more n-type or less n-type (more p-type) properties was studied with a Halli-mond tube. Flotation data are presented to show that the pH at which 50% recovery occurs and the collector concentration for 50% recovery depends upon the concentration of doping agent added substitu-tionally for zinc in zinc oxide. The time of sintering of pellets has a slight effect on flotation behavior. A speculative model is proposed to explain the observed behavior in light of the fact that zinc oxide is a semiconductor and has a space charge region at the surface. Experimental verification is necessary before the proposed model can be established as correct. In recent years, the attachment of flotation reagents to minerals has been shown to depend upon the behavior of an electrical double layer which exists in the liquid near the mineral-liquid interface.' Thus, a mineral placed in water will undergo a surface re-arrangement, most likely be preferential dissociation of lattice atoms or by surface adsorp-tion-desorption reactions, to form a dissociation electrical double layer with the solution. Among the many factors which influence adsorption processes, the past history of the mineral itself is one of the most important. Because of trace impurities, minerals from different localities may exhibit marked differences in flotation behavior. This is not unexpected, since investigators who have studied the detailed structure of the double layer's3 have known for some time that the impurity content of many minerals may exert strong influence on double layer variables. For this reason, their studies were usually made with minerals of high purity. The precise relationship between impurities in a mineral and double layer parameters such as capacity and electrostatic potential has been obscure. However, impurities in a semiconductor type mineral which is in contact with a solution have been recently shown to produce changes in the properties of a space charge layer which extends into the bulk of the semiconductor to a distance of one micron or more.4 The double layer is influenced by the space charge layer, whose origin is best discussed in terms of the band theory of solids. A qualitative description of the behavior of impurities in the bulk of a semiconductor, from a chemical point of view, is useful at this point. Briefly, impurities or defects (lattice vacancies, interstitials, etc.) in semiconductors such as PbS, ZnS, FeS2, Cu2S, NiS, NiO, Fe2O3, ZnO, CdS, MnO2 and many others, behave somewhat like acids or bases in water. For example, water dissociates into hydrogen and hydroxyl ions according to

Jan 1, 1965

By J. W. Peirce

Advances in instrumentation now make it possible to measure accurately flaw of such difficult-to-mea-sure liquids as mining slurries. A mass flowmeter, which introduces no restrictions in the line, will measure the mass flow of slurry equal to the volume flow times the mms/unit volume. In the mass flowmeter system a volume flow measurement is electrically multiplied by a density measurement in order to give mass flow. Fig. 1 shows a typical mass flow measuring system. The volume flow is measured by a magnetic flowmeter and the density is measured by a gamma gauge cell, neither of which have any restrictions in the line. Consequently, there is no clogging and no more loss of head than there would be in a similm length of standard pipe. None of the parts extend into the flowing stream and there are no moving parts in the measuring elements. PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION OF THE VOLUME FLOW TRANSMITTER The magnetic flowmeter, which is used for the volume measurement, operates on the principle of a generator (Fig. 2). This principle states that when a moving conductor cuts lines of force in a magnetic field, a voltage is induced in it. Moreover, if the dimensions of the conductor remain constant, then the induced voltage is directly proportional to the velocity of the conductor. Since the voltage is strictly a function of flow velocity, the transmitter output can in no way be influenced by such factors as temperature, viscosity, turbulence, or conductivity. The linear output is detected by flush mounted electrodes (as shown) and transmitted to a potentiometer flow receiver. Magnetic Meter Construction: The metering tube is constructed of nonmagnetic stainless steel. (See Fig. 3.) To prevent shortcircuiting of the generated voltage, the tubes are lined with a suitable liner, depending upon the corrosive, erosive or other properties of the liquid or slurry to be measured. A uniform magnetic field is produced by two saddle-shaped coils of insulated copper wire. A laminated iron core focuses the magnetic field at a 90' angle to the flowing liquid. The voltage generated by a flow of liquid through the magnetic field is detected by two point electrodes mounted flush with the inner wall of the metering tube, 180' apart. Electrodes are made of Type-316 stainless steel or other material suitable to the application . Volume Flowmeter Operation: The millivolt output of the metering transmitter is transmitted to a potentiometer-type receiver (Fig. 4). The self-balancing, self-standardizing receiver has a drive unit for circuit rebalancing. The measurement change imposes an unbalanced input on the twin windings of the drive unit. The resulting unequal pull on a segmental rotor provides the motion which drives a pen, while simultaneously and steplessly repositioning a rebalancing element. Changes in conductivity have no effect on the accuracy of the measurement or the calibration of the instrument. The minimum conductivity values are determined by the length of the transmission cable and the size of the transmitter. They can be as low as five micro mhos, since there is such a small load on the electrodes. Because the meter electrically averages all of the incremental velocities in an irregular flow profile, it is ideally suited for turbulent flow and suspended solids. Straight runs of pipe are therefore not required. The transmitter can be installed close to

Jan 1, 1962

By D. Webster

It has been found that cold work and annealing treatments greatly retard subsequent grain growth and re-crystallization in thoria-dispersed nickel and NiCr. It is suggested that this is due to cavities which form at the particle-matrix interface durilzg cold work. Some of' the cavities formed are stable at elevated temperatures and prevent the mouement of large-angle grain boundaries. The movement of these boundaries at elevated temperatures is known to start recrystal-lization and when they are pinned by voids recrystal-lization is made more difficult. TD Nichro,me had a maximun resistance to recrystallization when the initial structure was coarse-grained and had a low dislocation density. A precipitation reaction occurred between 700° and 1200° F in cold-worked TD Nichrome. It has been shown by Grant and his coworkers1-3 that a large part of the strength of dispersion-hardened materials is a result of the cold-worked structure produced during fabrication. In a comparison of the strength of cold-worked copper with and without an oxide dispersion, Grant4 has demonstrated that there is little difference in strength at room temperature. The function of the dispersion is essentially to maintain the cold-worked structure at higher temperatures than is possible in the base material. The dispersion accomplishes this by making recrystallization more difficult. The mechanism by which this is achieved is discussed in this paper. The fabrication history of the material has been found to greatly influence recrystallization behavior and this aspect is discussed in some detail. I) MATERIAL Three different thoria-dispersed materials were examined. 1) DuPont 2 pet thoria-dispersed nickel (TDNi) in 0.050-in. seeet. Thoria particle size is in the range 100 to 2500A. 2) DuPont 2 pct thoria-dispersed nichrome (20 pet Cr, 80 pct Ni) (TDNiC) in 0.125-, 0.060-, and 0.040-in. sheet. In the as-received condition these sheets have

Jan 1, 1969

By Edward Saibel, W. T. Lankford

During the course of an investigation of the plastic flow of aluminum aircraft sheet under combined loads, several problems arose in which analyses of the conditions leading to unstable plastic flow were needed. In order to provide these analyses, and in the hope of attaining a better understanding of the general problem of unstable plastic flow, the present study was undertaken. It is well known that unstable plastic flow is associated with a form of mechanical instabi!ity frequently observed during the plastic deformation of ductile metals. This instability is characterized by the fact that, at its onset, plastic straining mill proceed at a constant magnitude of the externally applied forces. It is further typical that the resulting unstable flow is generally accompanied by the formation of a neck, a local bulging, or some other form of heterogcneous deformation. Perhaps the most familiar example of unstable plastic flow to the metallurgist is the formation of the neck in the ordinary tension test. It is well known that in this test most metals exhibit a maximum in the externally applied load, followed by the process commonly referred to as "necking down." Instability in the simple tension test has been frequently discussed and numerous investigators1'2'3'12 have derived the criterion for instability in terms of a critical rate of strain hardening. It is the purpose of the present study to extend the criterion for unstable flow to the more general case where the body undergoing flow is subjected to combined loads. It is hoped that the problems considered will provide a more consistent picture of the general features of this important form of mechanical instability. The most practical implications of instability in plastic flow arise in connection with sheet metal forming operations. In the formation of a great many sheet metal parts, the deformations are produced primarily by stretching. If the conditions which lead to unstable flow are fulfilled in such a formation, and if the resultant instability leads to a pronounced localization of flow, then the useful limit of ductility of the material will have been reached. It i; also essential that the effects of instability be taken into consideration in any study of the plastic flow and rupture of metals under combined stresses. In general, when unstable plastic flow is initiated, straining becomes localized, the geometry of the test splecimen changes, and the state of stress in that portion of the specimen undergoing plastic flow is no longer under external control. In many past studies of the effects of combinetl Metals On flow and rupture) account has not been taken of the fact that, although a given test may be started under constant

Jan 1, 1947

By Henry J. Sandri

ACQUISITION JUSTIFICATION There are many reasons why companies consider acquisitions as a means to expand their operations. Some wish to reduce the impact of business cycles on their businesses. Others seek firms within the same industry for expansion and increased market share. Still others diversify in order to avoid takeovers. Whatever the reasons or justification, an evaluation of an acquisition candidate should be systematic and thorough. To many financial managers the concept of a systematic acquisition evaluation indicates the need for a regular set of evaluation criteria. While these are available from numerous sources, one basic parameter frequently overlooked is the application of these criteria to an industry which is different from the acquirer. This becomes particularly important when evaluating firms within the mineral industry. The mineral industry is significantly different from other industries to require different valuing techniques. • This paper will present a number of reasons why an acquisition candidate in the mineral industry should be evaluated differently from other acquisitions, including by other mineral firms. Additionally, this paper will review the most appropriate means of valuing a mineral firm. • Firms considering the acquisition of a mineral firm should understand the nature of the industry before ever making a tender offer. Some of the general considerations include the following: • Level of Capital Intensity: In the mid-1980's the start up cost for a gold mine has been between 20-200 million dollars and 500-1,500 million dollars for a bauxite operation. • Global Nature of Competition: Except for certain industrial minerals, most minerals and metals are traded worldwide and many on national exchanges, such as COMEX. • Start-Up Time: Many mining operations in developed and developing countries have long lead times, 7 to 10 years in some cases, prior to the start-up of production. • Long Term Nature of Investment: For most mineral operations payback usually occurs at least 7 years after production has started. Additionally, many mining operations will continue producing for 80-100 years. • High Level of Risk: The number of factors that a mining firm cannot control such as grade, volume, world supply and demand, plus the long payback periods tend to classify mineral firms at a higher than average risk compared to other investments. • Cyclical Nature: The mineral industry is cyclical in nature, experiencing long troughs and explosive peaks, thus making timing a critical issue. • Labor Intensive: Even with the large capital requirements needed to operate a mine, most mines are labor intensive in proportion to their capital equipment. • Location: Obviously, the nature of this industry requires operators to work in difficult locations, frequently far from civilized localities, in poor weather conditions and without proper supply and distribution infrastructure. One of the most important considerations is an understanding of asset replacement and asset value. Unlike manufacturing concerns, firms in the mineral industry are working toward the elimination, through depletion, of their asset base. Product flexibility is not available to a mining operation. A mineral firm basically has two options as its resource base is depleted: 1) replace the asset with new production, or 2) deplete the asset and close down operation, as in the South African gold mining model referred to later in this paper. An understanding of the

Jan 1, 1985

By Carlton D. Hulin

THE usual concurrence in time and space of intrusive igneous activity, favorable structural disturbance and mineralization, which is so manifest in the mineralized district necessarily indicates a close interrelationship between these events. Evaluation of available evidence leads to the recognition that an appreciable time interval exists between the emplacement of the igneous intrusive and the formation of associated ore deposits. During this interval known portions of the intrusive are completely solidified, highly differentiated magma fades are injected as dikes, and important faulting occurs, which may fracture and shatter the solidified intrusive body. The highly differentiated dike types could only have originated in some deep portion of an underlying plutonic body that had reached an advanced stage of magmatic differentiation. Appearing after these dikes, the mineralizing solutions may likewise be presumed to have originated at great depth. Certainly no source for these solutions can be found in near-by portions of the intrusive igneous body. The association of igneous intrusives and clustering ore deposits must be recognized as resulting from structural control. The emplacement and the subsequent solidification and cooling of the intrusive set in operation forces that are responsible for the favorable structural disturbances that control the mineralized district, The emplacement of the body of fluid magma weakens the crustal rocks to the extent that failure due to strains originally present in the rock body may occur. Faulting of any type and of any magnitude may be the result. Subsequently, owing to the change of state from fluid magma to crystalline granitic rock, volume decreases approximating 10 per cent may occur, with resultant shrinkage and collapse within the rock body. Following solidification, thermal contraction, induced by cooling of the rock body, causes a further volume reduction of 6 per cent. This thermal contraction, extending over a lengthy period of time, results in a succession of minor fault movements. These small fault movements, occurring progressively throughout the period of mineralization, are responsible for maintaining the permeability of the rock body, without which access of the mineralizing solutions and the formation of the ore deposits of the mineralized district would be impossible.

Jan 1, 1945

The following advertisements show the contemporary view of the value of coal on a tract, usually as compared with farming advantages of several kinds. Fayette Gazette and Union Advertiser, February 10, 1798: "For Sale in Washington twp., Fayette Co., 211 acres of land whereon is a good new grist merchant mill, a good stone dam, and a house for the miller, about two acres of bottom, cleared and fenced, an excellent coal bank and saw-mill seat unimproved." Pittsburgh Gazette, March 19 and 26, 1802: Ads. offering for sale two properties, one of 38 acres, "together with a Coal Pitt and Lime Quarry, lying on the Monongahela side of Grant's Hill, and within one mile and a half of Pittsburgh," and the other two tracts of 700 acres on "Racoon creek, contiguous to which is a valuable limestone quarry, and a quarry of building stone, also plenty of stone coal." Pittsburgh Gazette, Oct. 8, 1802: A farm between Pittsburgh and Greensburg "with house, barn and a Smith shop-also, a fine sugar camp, and a Coal Bank within sight of the house," was offered for sale. The Farmers Register, Greensburg, Pa., March 13, 1802: An advertisement of a "plantation, six miles from Greensburg, there are two coal banks on it, one at each end of the place." The Commonwealth, Pittsburgh, Aug. 4,1805: A number of lots were laid off on Saw Mill Run, nearly opposite the first opening made on the Pittsburgh seam. They were from two to twenty acres each "and a great quantity of Limestone and stone coal." Pittsburgh Gazette, Aug. 9, Sept. 6, Sept. 27, Oct. 4, 1811; The Commonwealth, Aug. 19, 1811: Five tracts were advertised that contained coal. One had "fine springs and an inexhaustible mine of coal;" one, "excellent sugar camps, coal banks and limestone and a good mill seat;" one, "good sugar camps, an excellent coal bank and an elegant seat for a distillery;" another, a tract of 45,000 acres in Allegheny and Butler Counties affording "stone coal and iron ore, and seats for water works;" and the last a tract on Beck's Run, four miles from Pittsburgh "and a coal pit opened about one fourth of a mile from the river." The Mercury, Pittsburgh, April 8, Jan. 14, Feb. 11, 1813; Pittsburgh Gazette, April 16, Dec. 3, 1813: These tracts were advertised during the year in the vicinity of the city. One had "a good sugar camp, woodland and plenty of coal;" another, "a sugar camp and a coal bank on the premises;" while the others were "well timbered or well watered and had excellent stone coal." The Mercury, Pittsburgh, Feb. 2, 1814: A farm was offered for sale on the headwaters of Robinson's Run, in Washington County, four miles from Burgettstown, containing 60 acres, "a young bearing orchard,... a coal bank and a good sugar camp." Genius of Liberty and Fayette Advertiser, Uniontown, Pa., March 2, 1814, carried an advertisement of a sale of lots in the new town of Perriopolis; "the quantity and quality of the clay, sand and salt licks, near the premises, together with the timber and abundance of .stone coals The town of Perriopolis was situated upon a . farm at one time belonging to Washington.

Jan 1, 1942

By C. W. Price, G. A. Wheeler

BERYLLIUM has always been a difficult material to prepare for metallographic examination. Severe surface deformation occurs during mechanical grinding and polishing, and a suitable bright-field etchant has not been developed. Certain electrolytic techniques produce satisfactory polishes, but these techniques have not yielded entirely consistent results. Furthermore, they have not provided satisfactory bright-field etches. The purpose of this paper is to describe an electrolytic polishing technique that can also provide an excellent bright-field etch. In addition to the bright-field etch, other advantages of this technique are excellent reproducibility, rapidity, and ease of polishing and etching. Experimental Technique. Specimen Preparation. Beryllium specimens may be either mounted or unmounted for the use of this technique, and the size of the specimens is not important. Specimens with surface areas up to 4 sq cm have been electrolytically polished and etched successfully with this technique. The most important requirement is to provide a good electrical contact to the specimens, preferably on the back of the specimens. When specimens are mounted, a hole is drilled through the back of the mount so that the specimen can be contacted with a probe. Conventional metallographic grinding techniques are used to prepare the specimens for electrolytic polishing. The specimens are ground on silicon carbide papers. Grinding through the usual series of papers down to the 600-grit paper is recommended to minimize the electropolishing time, although successful electrolytic polishes and etches have been obtained by grinding only through the coarser papers. A continuous flow of water is used during grinding to provide lubrication and to minimize contamination. Mechanical polishing is not required because high rates of material removal are achieved with the electrolytic polishing. Polishing. Most of the results reported in this paper were obtained with a "Disa-Electropol", manufactured by Struers Scientific Instruments of Copenhagen, Denmark. Satisfactory results have also been obtained with the conventional beaker technique of electrolytic polishing, however, the conditions applicable to both the Disa unit and the beaker technique will be described. Stainless-steel cathodes are used in both techniques. In the beaker technique, a flat cathode, with an area at least twice that of the specimen, is used, and the specimen is held parallel to the cathode. The distance between the specimen and the cathode affects the quality of the electropolish. This distance is set at about 7 mm in the Disa unit; the same distance produces the best results in the beaker technique. Specimen-cathode distances greater than about 20 mm produce considerable relief, while distances less than 7 mm cause high current densities that are difficult to control. An electrolyte of 2 pct HC1, 2 pct HNO3, and 2 pct HCIOl in ethylene glycol gives the most satisfactory results for both electrolytic polishing and etching. This electrolyte was developed by altering the composition of a similar electrolyte used for electrolytic lapping1 and adding HClOl to improve the etching characteristics of the electrolyte. Variations of from 0.25 pct to as much as 5 pct of each of the acids do not significantly affect the results, but the greatest amount of control and reproducibility can be obtained with the composition of 2 pct of each acid. Generally, lesser amounts of the acids produce lower polishing and etching rates, while greater amounts of acids cause high current densities that are difficult to control.

Jan 1, 1968