Search Documents

By H. E. Powell, A. A. Cochran, R. E. Coleman

Infrared spectroscopy, employing the internal reflection method in conjunction with solvent extraction techniques, was used to study surface reactions between aqueous potassium ethyl xanthate and both sphalerite and precipitated zinc sulfide, each activated with aqueous copper sulfate. It was determined that reactions occurring on the sphalerite and zinc sulfide surfaces produce the reaction products ethyl dixanthogen and cuprous ethyl xanthate, some of which are adsorbed on the mineral surfaces. As the pH of the xanthate solution increased from 5.6 to 11.0, the amount of cuprous ethyl xanthate on powdered sphalerite surfaces decreased and the amount of ethyl dixanthogen first increased and then decreased. It is generally accepted that the collector potassium ethyl xanthate will not float the mineral sphalerite (ZnS). However, Gaudin1 showed that sphalerite readily floats if activated with certain metal cations before exposure to the xanthate. Copper sulfate (CuSO4) was found to be the best activator for sphalerite. The over-all flotation reagent reaction, as given by Gaudin,3 is as follows: While this is the over-all reaction, the exact mechanism of the reaction and the intermediate compounds that may be formed are not yet known with certainty. Important work has been done in Russia by Plaksin

Jan 1, 1968

By John R. Weeks, Dan McLachlan, John R. Lewis

DURING the operation of the iron blast furnace, aggregates of hard, infusible, yellow, cubic crystals frequently form in the interstices of the lining and on the hearth of the furnace. These were first examined by Wohler&apos; and were identified by him as a complex cyanonitride of titanium, having a formula Ti(CN)2 • 3Ti3N2, or more simply Ti10C2N8. However, recent investigators have suggested that this complex compound does not exist. Recent work by Hume-Rothery, Raynor, and Little2 on the carbide and nitride particles in titanium steels suggests that a complete series of solid solutions of the general type Ti<0+y>C0Ny exists between titanium carbide (Tic) and titanium nitride (TiN). Assuming this to be true, it seems likely that Wohler&apos;s cyanonitride of titanium is in reality a solid solution of 20 mol pct Tic in 80 mol pct TiN, .the nearly consistent carbide-to-nitride ratio probably resulting from temperature and pressure conditions in the blast furnace. The object of the present work was to investigate thoroughly this possibility of a solid solution by using the single-crystal methods of X-ray analysis. A spectrographic qualitative analysis of a sample of the yellow crystals furnished by the Geneva Steel Co. sh&apos;owed, in addition to the titanium, strong lines of vanadium and moderate to weak lines of iron, magnesium, silicon, aluminum, and calcium. The last five were probably slag impurities, but the vanadium was possibly included in the yellow crystals, owing to a great structural similarity of its carbide (VC) and its nitride (VN) to the titanium compounds, Table 11. A chemical analysis was made

Jan 1, 1952

By H. H. Podgurski, Hsun Hu

Large cryslals of high-purily iron (99.996+ pcl) cannot be obtained by the usual strain-ameal technique. Repealed phase transformation by thermal cycling prior to crilical deformation improves the capabilily of cryslal growith but fails to yield satisfactory crystals. Imperfect columnar crystals can be produced by the phase-transition method. The addition of a small amounl (0.005 wl pet) of nilrogen IT was reported&apos;-4 that for metals of very high purity the usual procedures of the strain-anneal technique fail to produce large crystals. This was eliminates practically all the difficulties in crystal growth by the normal strain-anneal procedures. An actual example is presented, showing that most parts of a strip have been converted into a large crystal by this method. The addition of nitrogen, which can be removed from iron with less difficulty, is believed to be more desirable than carbon additions for the same purpose. thought to be due to the strong tendency for recovery in the high-purity metals: hence the critically strained matrix undergoes polygonization instead of recrystallization upon annealing for crystal growth. Talbot1,2 succeeded in overcoming this difficulty by adding 0.03 to 0.04 pct C to high-purity iron before critical deformation. followed by annealing in hydro-

Jan 1, 1965

By D. Malhotra, R. M. Hoover

The effect of a surfactant, designated Syntex, on the wetting and spreading of hydrocarbon oil on molybdenite surfaces (faces) has been investigated experimentally through measurements of zeta potentials and factorially designed flotation tests. These studies indicate that Syntex has a positive effect in increasing molybdenite recovery in the rougher flotation circuit at the Climax mill. The analysis of experimental data using DLVO theory shows that the controlling factor in determining the magnitude of the repulsive energy barrier preventing oil from wetting and spreading on the molybdenite faces is the MoS2 zeta potential and the vapor oil droplet size. The role of Syntex in this case seems to be related to the decrease and stabilization of MoS2 zeta potential by Syntex adsorption and also to the emulsifying action of Syntex on vapor oil to provide a more favorable oil particle size.

Jan 1, 1976

During 1918, the activities of the United Engineering Society, the Library, the Engineering Foundation, and Engineering Council Were deeply affected by the war and much important war work Was done in our building. The endowment of Engineering Foundation was increased to $300,000 by an additional gift of $100,000 from Ambrose Swasey. By bequest of Dr. James Douglas, the American Institute of Mining Engineers received an endowment of $100,000, the income of which Will be expended in the maintenance of its library (now a part of the joint library). The Library Service Bureau has gained steadily; its business for 1918 amounted to nearly $10,000. Indexing of current engineering literature has been undertaken in conjunction With the Founder Societies and the Index is being printed in their publications. This service has been extended to the Engineering Institute of Canada and the Canadian Mining Institute. The expense is borne by the Societies. In this connection the American Society of Mechanical Engineers has purchased the Engineering Index heretofore published by "Industrial Management." In June the Westinghouse and General&apos; Electric Co. donated to the United Engineering Society their Patent Con¬trol Library of about 8000 volumes. Other noteworthy gifts Were a collection of 370 pieces relating to patent litigations, from Jesse M. Smith, and Dr. William Paul Gerhard&apos;s collection on gas engineering, transferred by the American Gas Association.

Jan 1, 1923

By T. L. Kesler

With only six small spodumene prospect pits, no detailed mapping, and no subsurface information in 1938, the Carolina lithium-pegmatite area now contains four mines among more than 25 properties on which exploratory work has been done. Even the open pit mine of Foote Mineral Co. described herein, from which ten million tons of ore and waste have been removed since 1952, was virgin ground when mapped in 1938-40 1. It has been a privilege to participate in the transition. In 1940, the spodumene pegmatites were known in a 25-mile belt (originally noted for tin prospecting) between Lincolnton, N. C. and Grover at the South Carolina line. Subsequently, Broadhurst 2 reported relatively small bodies northeast of Lincolnton near the Catawba County line. To the south, diamond drilling done in 1953 on the old Ross tin-mine property near Gaffney yielded pegmatite cores containing a few crystals of spodumene. This fact, not previously reported, suggests that some of the pyroxene in the Ross shaft as described by Sloan 3 may be spodumene.

Jan 9, 1961

By Max Barber

PRESENT equipment and practices in open-pit mines of the Lake Superior iron ranges have been described recently in some detail by A. H. Hubbell.1 It is anticipated that any further improvements will be the result of gradual evolution of present methods and equipment, just as those now used have been gradually evolved from earlier methods. An exception to the process of gradual evolution during the last decade has been the adoption of electric power for operating shovels and trains in open-pit mines, but it is not expected that any such revolutionary changes will be made in the future. The use of Diesel, engine equipment will gain considerable headway, no doubt, and will find favor in certain lines of operation as improvements and adaptations are evolved to meet particular requirements. The question of installing belt conveyors for handling material from deep mines of restricted area, where haulage grades become a serious consideration, or even for transferring earth, rock, or ore material for distances of several miles, is now being studied and some very interesting data are being obtained.

Jan 1, 1932

By Y. J. Wang

A critical path approach is presented for the problem of mine ventilation networks where regulators and fans are employed to control the airflow distribution. The problem is a classic one arising in mine ventilation planning. By identifying the analogy between the network for controlled flow and that for critical path method (CPM), the applications of the well known CPM technique to the ventilation problem become straightforward. The mathematical formulation of the problem is presented and the solutions are illustrated with examples. The cutset operation is introduced and employed for obtaining alternative solutions. The effects of booster fans on the total air power of the ventilation network are also discussed.

Jan 1, 1983

The term metamorphism as commonly used means any change in a rock in either form or composition, from whatever cause. By metasomatism, according to Lindgren, is meant a metamorphism that involves a change in the chemical composition of a rock by the addition or subtraction of substance. Certain types of metamorphism are due to the action of mineralizing solutions, and are closely connected with ore deposition; they form, therefore, valuable guides in the exploration for ore- deposits. Other types of metamorphism are due to regional processes, and are not connected with ore deposition. By dynamo-regional metamorphism is meant a primary alteration of rocks over large areas under conditions of pressure, flowage, and heat. This process produces schists and gneisses from either sediments or igneous rocks. It is thought that there is little migration of minerals or of elements in dynamo-regional metamorphism, and that the changes are due chiefly to recrystallization and rearrangement of original minerals in bands with their major axes oriented normal to the direction of greatest pressure. Under these conditions limestones are commonly altered to marble, and sandstones to quartzite, basic igneous rocks to greenstone or serpentine, while rocks of normal or acid com- position commonly yield the usual types of schist or gneiss. Dynamo-regional metamorphism, extending over large areas, has no connection with mineralizing processes, and is, therefore, no guide to ore deposits; while this process has certain features, such as characteristic mineral associations, in common with contact metamorphism, the results of the two processes may usually be distinguished without difficulty.

Jan 1, 1932

C. W. GOODALE,* Butte, Mont.-I notice Mr. Newton refers very briefly to the carbonate ores of manganese, rhodochrosite, but he does not go into any special description of the treatment of that material. In some of the veins in Butte, Mont., there is a large amount of rhodo-chrosite, and a large tonnage of that material has been shipped to the East for making ferromanganese. At the works of the Anaconda company at Great Falls they treated several thousand tons of this manganese ore, running about 37 to 38 per cent. manganese, in electric furnaces, giving a product of about 78 per cent. of manganese. But just at that time the demand for ferromanganese from the West was discontinued and the material, about 1000 tons of 78 per cent. manganese, is on hand at the works at Great Falls. With the higher-grade manganese ore, running, we will say, 37 or 38 per cent., there are large bodies of ore perhaps 20 or 25 per cent., but containing too much silica to be valuable in their present condition. Some efforts have been made for water concentration of that material, but owing to. there being only a difference of about 1 in the specific gravity of the quartz gangue and the manganese mineral, water concentration has offered some difficulties, I have been told, however, that some very satisfactory experiments have been made with magnetic concentration of this material. I think it is a new idea that this manganese ore can be treated successfully by magnetic concentration.

Jan 4, 1919

Insoluble slimes are present in nearly all sylvinite ore bodies and must be removed prior to potash flotation because they adsorb excessive amounts of potash flotation reagents and cause low potash recoveries and grades. The problems associated with insoluble slimes will become more pronounced as high grade-low insol potash ores are depleted and lower grade ores containing high insols are processed. The most common commercial practice for insoluble slimes removal is mechanical desliming (hydroclassification); however, most of these desliming circuits were designed to treat sylvinite ores containing less than 4 percent insoluble slimes. As Mr. Banks mentioned in his presentation, higher insoluble slimes concentrations (>4 pct) in the mill feed overtax the mechanical desliming circuit and result in excessive brine and potash losses. Increasing the capacity of the circuit would require redesigning of the entire potash circuit and additional costly equipment. Because of mineralization and liberation properties of the high insols sylvinite deposits, the expansion of the desliming circuit may not economically maintain high potash grades and recoveries. Selective flocculation-flotation is an excellent alternative for removing insoluble slimes from potash ores. Cominco&apos;s ore, containing 4.5 to 8 percent insoluble slimes, is particularly amenable to the slimes flotation process, probably because of the absence of expanding-type clays such as montmorillonite. The overall potash recovery of 86 percent and low slime flocculant and collector dosages of 0.03 to 0.04 pound reagent per ton of feed is good evidence of the success of the process. If appreciable montmorillonite were present, the metallurgy would not be as favorable and reagent consumptions would increase significantly.

Jan 1, 1979

By H. M. Fisher, R. E. Snow, S. C. Sun

RAPID colorimetric estimation of the amount of transparent minerals has been applied successfully to instream mill products at the cryolite flotation plant of the Pennsylvania Salt Mfg. Co., Na-trona, Pa. Apparatus used was a Bausch & Lomb monochromatic colorimeter. The optical assembly of the colorimeter, shown in Fig. 1, passes light from a 6-v, 32-cp, prefocus incandescent lamp through two condensing lenses, a heat-absorbing filter, an aperture-control diaphragm, an interference filter, and a sample container. The light finally strikes a barrier-layer photocell and the output current of the photocell is measured by a galvanometer. The engraved index line of the collective lens, located between the lamp and the galvanometer, is imaged upon the transmission scale of the colorimeter by the galvanometer mirror. Reflected light from the galvanometer mirror, the position of which is determined by the output current of the photocell, enables reading of percent transmission throughout the mineral sample being tested. The colorimeter, Fig. 1, was standardized as follows: 1—The colorimeter was&apos; connected to a Sola constant voltage transformer, A, of 6-v output operated from a 110-v ac supply. 2—Turning the toggle switch, C, illuminated the transmission scale, B, and the control knob, D, was adjusted with a blank in the optical system until the hairline on the scale read zero. 3—A No. 430 interference filter, E, was inserted into the filter channel, F. 4—A test tube, G, containing 7 cc of distilled water was pressed into the sample space, H, and the fine adjustment knob,

Jan 1, 1955

By P. Barnes

THE sums given in the accompanying table are those actually paid for material and labor up to about August, 1875; but, as some parts of the machinery were not wholly completed at the starting of the works in September, 1875, the statement cannot be taken as an absolutely correct note of the total cost. A complete description, with engravings of the building and machinery, was given in Engineering, April 26th, 1878, in a paper by Messrs. A. L. Holley and Lenox Smith, to which convenient reference may be made. A detailed list of the construction accounts has been given in a paper, by the present writer, in vol. vi, Transactions of the Institute. A summary is given in the table of the items in each class which enter into the total cost, and also a note of the proportion which each of these items forms of the whole. A concise view may thus be obtained of the facts embodied in the statement, as a whole, even though it cannot lay claim to completeness in showing the entire or final cost. An urgent suggestion has reached the writer from a distant country that such statements of cost to be really most serviceable should give the details in days of labor, in weight of iron, and in number of brick, and to this an assent is most cordially yielded. It is true, however, that the mere labor of copying and compiling these details to such a degree of minuteness, would be very great, and, in any event, the probable difference between the plans of an existing establishment and one projected, would be so wide as to render even so complete a statement of cost of little more real service than the approximate notes given herewith.

Jan 1, 1879

By Werner Goldsmith, Akihiko Kumano

An experimental investigation was conducted to study the response of soft, porous rock, green shale, under dry and liquid-filled conditions to normal impact of hemispherically-tipped cylindrical steel projectiles with diameter and mass of 6.35 mm and 31 g, respectively. Disk-shaped green shale specimens with nominal thickness and diameter of 32 mm and 127 mm, respectively, were tested in the initial projectile velocity range of 18 to 42 m/s. For the liquid-filled tests, the green shale specimens were saturated with kerosene. A total of eight impact tests were conducted. Information on the extent and pattern of the damage in the rock and velocity histories of the projectiles were collected. It was found that while the penetration depth was quadratically related to the initial projectile kinetic energy for the dry case, the penetration depth for the liquid-filled case was directly proportional to the initial projectile kinetic energy. The results of the impact tests under dry and liquid-filled conditions conformed well to a linearly viscous model and a Coulomb frictional model, respectively. The major deformation processes in the dry specimens were found to be compaction and equivolumnial distortion of the material. In the liquid-filled case, however, formation of cracks and equivolumnial distortion with less material compaction were observed. Furthermore, craters were formed as a result of the crack formation in the liquid-filled specimens.

Jan 1, 1982

By Orville R. Lyons

THE Russellton preparation plant of Republic Steel Corp., located north of Pittsburgh, Pa., prepares 3 1/2x0-in. Thick-Freeport coal by means of a 13-ft 6-in. diam Chance cone and 16 No. 7 Deister tables. The plant feed ranges between 370 and 410 tons per hr, of which approximately 31 pct is ¼x0-in. size, and the plant reject ranges between 14 and 16 pct of the feed. The 3½xY4-in. washed coal, the cone product, is dewatered and desanded by a double-deck Parrish-type shaking screen 46 ft long and 7 ft wide. The 1¼x¼-in. portion is further dewatered by two 4x12-ft single-deck vibrating screens. The ¼x0-in. washed coal from the tables is distributed to three 54x70 in. Bird centrifuges. The dewatered centrifuge product is combined with the product of the de-watering screens prior to loading into railroad cars. During the early part of 1951 complaints were received from officials at Republic&apos;s coke ovens concerning the moisture content of Russellton washed coal. The records revealed that during the first half of 1951 the shipped washed coal moisture averaged

Jan 1, 1954

By John A. M. E. Church

AT the last meeting of the Institute, a discussion arose upon the question, " Is them pressure in coke ovens ?" and many of the members seemed to think that the superiority of the Belgian furnace might be due to the fact that it is a completely closed chamber, in which the gases given off by the coal are, or may be, at more than the atmospheric pressure. It seems to me that this position is untenable, and that an examination of one of these ovens in operation will show, not only that there is no excess of pressure in the coke chamber, but that the contrary is true, and a partial vacuum exists. The Belgian or François oven consists of a rectangular chamber closed at the ends by sliding doors, and furnished with flues in the side walls and floor. The new charge is introduced at a time when the furnace is so hot as to cause immediate and copious discharge of the volatile constituents of the coal. The gases pass downwards through the side flues giving out their heat to the walls and thus to the coal. Underneath the floor air is introduced and the gases burn, producing intense heat. Heat is also reflected from the arched roof upon the coal which is therefore heated from all sides. The especial advantage which this construction was designed to secure is that no air is admitted to the coke-chamber. All the heat is produced by the combustion of the uncokeable gases, and the yield ought to be a maximum. It is so in fact, allowing for the imperfections inseparable from furnace construction and management. Sometimes the yield is in excess of the percentage indicated by assay, showing that

Jan 1, 1873

By James E. Mills

In the work of exploring certain gold-bearing gravels in the American Valley, Plumas Co., California, entrusted to my charge by Prof. A. Agassiz, of Cambridge, and Q. A. Shaw, Esq., of Boston, it became necessary to sink a shaft through loose materials containing in some layers large quantities of water, and I have been compelled to devise a new method which has proved successful and may be of service elsewhere.

Jan 1, 1885

By F. Lawson, N. A. Sareyed-Dim

A rotating disk of iron precipitant in a high temperature batch reactor has been used to study the kinetics of precipitation of nickel from low concentration aqueous solutions. Under inert atmosphere conditions, for temperatures up to 150°C, the rate of nickel deposition at pH25°C of 5 to 6 is controlled both by the rate at which nickel ions reach the surface and the rate of chemical reaction at the surface. However, the presence of oxygen in the atmosphere above the reacting system increases the nickel deposition rate dramatically. It is suggested that under the experimental conditions used, hydrogen atoms are adsorbed on both the iron and nickel, thus reducing the number of sites available for the cementation reaction. Oxygen acts as a depolarizer for hydrogen.

Jan 1, 1977

By Jan M. Mutmansky, Gordon H. Walrod, Y. J. Wang

The selection of a shaft size for ventilation purposes is a classic problem of concern to mining engineers. This presentation is concerned with the sizing of conventionally-sunk circular shafts with concrete or shotcrete linings. Costs of sinking shafts of three different depths, from 150 m to 300 m (500 ft to l000ft), and six different diameters, from 4.27 m to 7.32 m (14 ft to 24 ft), were obtained through questionnaires to shaft contractors. The primary objective of the economic model presented is the balancing of detailed annual capital and operating costs to achieve the minimum overall cost of the shaft installation over its life. The economic model is similar to previous analyses but treats several of the individual cost categories in an updated fashion. Included in the paper is a detailed analysis of the effects of varying power costs on optimal shaft size. Also included are a statistical analysis of current shaft costs and comments on the choice between shotcrete and concrete linings.

Jan 1, 1980

By Edwin H. McKee

Eruption of rhyolitic ash-flow tuffs in the area of the McDermitt (Cordero) caldera began about 17.4 million yr (m.y.) ago and continued for about 1.5 m.y. During this period of silicic eruptions, a circular area about 30 km in diameter collapsed to form a caldera that subsequently filled with sedimentary and volcanic rocks. A total of more than 200 km30f silicic rocks was erupted from the volcano. The final phase of igneous activity, about 15.0 m.y. ago, included resurgent doming and intrusion in the south-central part of the caldera. Three to 4 m.y. later (-1 2 m.y. ago), hydrothermal solutions using the northern part of the caldera ring fractures as conduits deposited silica, cinnabar, pyrite, alunite, and other minerals in tuffaceous lake beds and volcanic rocks accumulated within the caldera. The ore-forming solutions may have been a residuum from the silicic magma, or connate water, or ground water heated by the still-hot resurgent magma in the central part of the caldera. The source of the mercury and other elements has not been identified.

Jan 1, 1977