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By T. A. Rickard

In a previous paper (ante, p. 411) some description was given of the occurrence of the auriferous alluvium, extensive deposits of which lie among the highlands of the province of Otago, New Zealand. The present paper will describe some of the methods by which that alluvium is exploited. The alluvial mining of New Zealand is not yet hindered by " debris legislation." The mines are for the most part situated in a country of little agricultural value, and large rivers with rapid currents act as tailings conveyors. In time, however, steps will have to be taken to restrict the discharge into the Clutha of the tailings which are slowly raising the river-bottom. The methods of California have been followed in Otago with such alterations as peculiar local conditions require. The distinctive feature of the alluvial mining of Otago is the prominence given to the hydraulic elevator. The all-important factor in this form of mining is the control of an abundant water-supply at a suitable height above the level where it is to be utilized; and in this respect the gold-fields of the south island of New Zealand are most favora-

Jan 1, 1893

By David White

ATTENTION has been given to the sources and supply of the raw vegetal matter and. the conditions of its submission to the process of sedimentation. An original and most valuable review has been made of the more important or significant chemical compounds originally contained in the organic debris, and of the biochemical changes-undergone by the latter during deposition. Consideration also has been given to the factors controlling the selective biochemical decomposition, in whole or in part, of :this debris, and the deposition, as, sediments, of the undecomposed plant structures and compounds, together with more or less of the so-called "ulmic," or "humic," organic decomposition products in colloidal solution.1 BIOCHEMICAL CHANGES END IN PEAT FORMATION The biochemical process terminates in the peat stage of coal formation, and with the cessation of this process organic sedimentation is completed. All subsequent changes result from geological causes and conditions. The deposits are in the form of peats of different types, organic muds, oozes, etc. They are essentially uncompressed and are wholly unconsolidated, and their water content is great, amounting to over 85 per cent. near the surface of the deposit. Many of the chemical compounds remain as in the once living organisms; others are biochemically broken down and new ones formed.

Jan 2, 1925

By Wilbur C. Helt, Joseph J. Yancik

Throughout the history of mankind, the principal use of coal has been to produce heat through combustion. The heat is used in many ways: to warm air space for our comfort; to provide heat or energy to power industrial processes, such as cement and steel production; and to produce electricity. Because it is our nation's most abundant fossil energy fuel, coal in the late 20th century is on the threshold of becoming a significant source for synthetic liquids and gas energy fuels for this country. This is made possible by conversion processes which can change solid coal into various synthetic gases and liquids. These coal-derived fuels are nearly identical to the processed fuels and chemicals provided by natural gas and crude oils, which presently provide almost all the petrochemical feedstocks and energy fuels needed for the residential, light commercial, and transportation markets. A revolution is beginning to take place, not only in the United States, but in many other countries with a return to a coal-based energy economy. Also, new combustion and conversion technologies which are compatible with national health arid environmental goals are rapidly emerging. These technologies will allow coal's use to be expanded not only in its traditional markets, but also to supply markets held by natural gas and crude oil. With the worldwide decline in natural gas and crude oil reserves, coal is being looked upon to meet the energy demand. Because of these new coal conversion technologies, coal will no longer be only a combustion fuel, but a valuable raw material for production of a variety of clean fuels and chemicals. MARKETS FOR COAL: PAST AND FUTURE A simplified diagram of the marketing network for coal is shown in Fig. 1. As shown in this figure, coal is transported to its traditional

Jan 1, 1981

By Volker Weiss, George Sachs, AE. P. Klier

PHYSICAL chemistry contributes to the understanding and efficient operation of hydrometal-lurgical processes in many ways, among them by providing quantitative answers to the following questions. 1) Can a given chemical reaction or process be made to operate and. if so, under what conditions? 2) what are the' factors which determine the rate of the reaction and how can this rate be regulated in practice? Thermodynamics attempts to answer the first of these questions and kinetics the second. The answer

Jan 1, 1958

Jan 1, 1963

By F. Keller, R. H. Brown

BECAUSE of the extensive use of Alclad 24s alloy sheet in aircraft construction, there is much interest in the metallurgical changes caused by heat-treatment of this product.1,2 One of these changes is the result of the diffusion of soluble elements from the core into the coating during treatment. This paper deals with the thermal treatments that may influence diffusion and with the practical effects of diffusion on the serviceability of the product. As is well known, Alclad 24s-T sheet has a core of high-strength alloy combined with surface layers of relatively pure aluminum. The microstructure of a cross section of this product is shown by Fig. I. hot only does the relatively high-purity coating have a high resistance to corrosion, and hence serves as a mechanical barrier between the core metal and the corroding environment, but in addition this coating I exerts electrochemical protection over areas where the core may be exposed, such as cut edges. In addition, the coating affords electrochemical protection to projecting heads of *417S-T, 17S-T and 24S-T rivets, or attached members made from these alloys. Under some conditions of heat-treatment, however, diffusion of copper into the coating will alter the electrochemical relationship between the coating and the core to the extent that only partial protection will be obtained under some corrosive conditions. The reason for the electrochemical protection lies in the fact that the coating layers of pure aluminum are anodic to the alloy core. The addition of copper to aluminum produces alloys in which the potential is lower than that of the pure metal. Moreover, as the amount of copper in solid solution in z4S alloy is increased, the potential of the alloy becomes more cathodic. When heat-treated at 920°F. and quenched in cold water, 24s-T is about 0.16 volt cathodic to pure aluminum. However, copper will diffuse from the core into the coating, and if it reaches the surface the potential will be altered in a cathodic direction. Thus the potential dif-erence between the core and coating may be less than 0.16 volt, depending upon the thickness of the coating, and the time and temperature of heat-treatment. Of the methods available for determining the extent of diffusion of copper from the core into the coating of Alclad 24S-T, two are generally used; namely, the metallographic and the solution potential method.3 METALLOGRAPHIC METHODS Metallographic methods will reveal the progress of diffusion of copper into the coating. For instance, the diffusion zone in the coating intermediate between the coating surface and the core is shown in Fig. I. This photomicrograph is of a polished and etched cross section of 0.040-in. Alclad 24S-T sheet. Diffusion proceeds into the coating more rapidly along the grain boundaries than through the body of the grains. consequently, the diffusion zone is not of uniform width

Jan 1, 1944

Jan 1, 1955

By F. B. Plummer

PETROLEUM ENGINEERING deals with the production, transportation, and refining of crude oil. Refining is chiefly the work of the chemical engineer; production, that of the petroleum engineer. Production engineering only is discussed in this paper. Petroleum production engineering is closest related to and, in fact, is a branch of mining engineering. Formerly, many petroleum engineers were trained as mining engineers or mining geologists. The profession is related also to mechanical and civil engineering to about the same extent that mining engineering is. Petroleum production draws upon the mechanical branch for drilling and pumping machinery and upon civil engineering for the construction of transportation lines, water supplies, and water-disposal plants. Fundamentally, petroleum production engineering deals with the removal of the oil from the reservoir rocks, just as mining is concerned with the removal of ore. The process of oil production demands a specialized knowledge just as distinct from mechanical and civil engineering as mining is distinct from operating a Diesel engine. Even though the chief tools of the petroleum engineer are the drill and the pump, these may be of little avail, and certainly not efficient, if their selection and use is not based on a knowledge of the physical chemistry of oil, the geology of the formations, the structure of the oil sand, the hydrodynamics of the reservoir, and the interrelation of all these many factors.

Jan 1, 1936

By H. Reginald Hardy, Y. P. Chugh, Robert Stefanko

Many materials including rocks, ice, metals and their alloys, wood, etc., emit transient vibrations in the audible and subaudible range when stressed. In rocks, this phenomenon is referred to as "microseismic activity, " "rock noise, " or " seismo-acoustical activity. " In metals this phenomenon is often termed "acoustic emission." Each individual microseismic disturbance is generally referred to as a "microseismim" or an "elastic shock." The terms "microseismic activity" and "microseismim" will be employed exclusively in this chapter. Microseismic activity has been observed in many rocks loaded experimentally in the laboratory.1 The form of a group of typical microseismims is shown in Fig. 1. Quantitatively, the microseismic activity in rock under stress is most commonly described by the number of microseismims observed per unit time. This is commonly known as the "noise rate." The noise rate in general increases with increasing stress level and rises sharply just prior to failure of the material.2 The origin of microseismims is not well understood, but it appears to be related to processes of deformation and failure which are accompanied by a sudden release of strain energy. In a polycrystalline material, microseismims may originate at the micro-level as a result of dislocations or at the macro-level by twinning, grain boundary movement, or initiation and propagation of fractures through and between the grains. It is assumed that the sudden release of stored elastic strain energy accompanying these processes generates a stress wave which travels from the point of origin, within the material, to a boundary where it is observed as a

Jan 1, 1972

By Eugene Leonardon

THE search for oil has required, and without a doubt supplies, a tremendous amount of information on the structure, composition, physical properties, and history of sedimentary rocks. The earliest and most complete source of knowledge is the sample or core of the rock itself, the uses of which are well known. The purpose of this paper is primarily to discuss a new method for obtaining these cores, and to illustrate its use in connection with electrical logs. Most cores have been obtained through a special adaptation of rotary drilling, and the results have been remarkably good, considering the mechanical problems involved. Unfortunately, because of the time and expense, this method cannot be used for the entire length of the drill hole. Even though ingenious contrivances have been evolved in order to reduce the time spent in round trips, such as wire-line coring equipment, mechanical coring still remains too expensive to be carried out con-tinuously. In practice, therefore, one is finally compelled to estimate the probable depths of the more interesting horizons and, allowing a wide margin of safety, to core through those sections only. It is true also that interesting results have been obtained by examining the cuttings brought to the surface by the mud circulated in the well during the process of drilling. Be that as it may, the inescapable fact remains that key horizons may be passed inadvertently, for one reason or another, while the drilling operations are being performed. The only continuous record of the formations encountered is that furnished by electrical surveys. Obviously, it would be desirable to make the electrical survey first and to take the samples from the wall of the hole according to the indications on the electrical log. In this way, it would be possible to core only the exact sections desired, eliminating the otherwise inevitable estimates as to the point at which to start coring, and thereby reducing to a minimum this expensive operation. At the same time this method would provide a maximum' of useful samples.

Jan 1, 1939

By K. G. Wikle, W. W. Beaver

A general survey of the mechanical properties of commercially pure beryllium fabricated from powder by vacuum hot pressing and other consolidation methods is presented. The effect of fabrication method, grain size, strain rate, and directionality upon both room and elevated temperature tensile properties is reported. BERYLLIUM metal, in spite of its rather restricted use, has been the object of attention for many researchers in the past half century. However, such work was performed on special experimental lots of metal made in small quantities by a variety of reduction methods. Not until 1946 was there a substantial production of beryllium metal, and not until 1950 was there a steady production of a commercially standard beryllium in the United States. This output was both the result of a requirement of the Atomic Energy Commission for a high grade beryllium of consistent quality and the development of a powder metallurgy process, by the Brush Beryllium Co., known originally as Process Q, which yielded a fine grained beryllium suitable for fabrication. Because this powder metallurgy product, known as QMV, superceded other types of metal made previously and represents the great majority of beryllium in use today, it seems worthwhile to present the results of studies on the mechanical properties of this metal as currently made. To the design engineer and the metallurgist, beryllium has extremely interesting properties. It is as light as magnesium alloys while having a stiffness modulus 40 pct greater than steel and a strength-weight ratio superior to titanium and aluminum alloys and aircraft steels. The melting point is high, 1287°C (2348°F), and it has good corrosion resistance both in air and water. Also, it is highly transparent to X-rays and has good heat and electrical conductivity (electric conductivity is greater than 40 pct of Cu). To the atomic energy program beryllium is considered a valuable material because of its low neutron-capture cross section and high neutron-scattering cross section which make it a good moderator and reflector for the lower velocity neutrons. A major technical difficulty limiting the use of beryllium, especially in structural applications, has been its notch sensitivity and consequent room temperature brittleness. Kaufmann, Gordon, and Lillie1 have reported their work on the mechanical properties of beryllium performed from 1946 to 1950. They studied the room and elevated temperature properties of cast and extruded beryllium and extruded electrolytic flake, Table I. Cast and extruded alloys of 85 to 99 pct Be were tested also. They found that extruded metal developed good strength and appreciable ductility in the extrusion direction and that thermal treatment and alloying provided little improvement in mechanical properties. They concluded that preferred orientation and fine grain size were the means of obtaining optimum tensile properties in beryllium. Other investigators have measured and commented on one of the most striking mechanical properties of beryllium, namely, its abnormally low Poisson's ratio.2 Udy, Shaw, and Boulger3 presented the latest published survey on properties of beryllium but their information is based only on published data available before April 1949 and cites little information on metal fabricated by powder metallurgy

Jan 1, 1955

By C. S. Simons, G. Major-Marothy, M. A. K. Grice, D. A. Dahlstrom

The vacuum filter operating variables that influence cake moisture are discussed. The influence of temperature control, particularly through application of steam to the cake, is emphasized. Results of pilot plant studies on filtration of fine hematite concentrates are presented and discussed, and are shown to support the theoretically-derived conclusions. Results on fine magnetite concentrates are also used to support the argument. The relative merits of disc and drum filters from the standpoint of cake moisture are discussed. Moisture content has always been recognized as one of the most important properties of concentrates used as pellet plant feed. Most iron ore concentrates are produced by wet methods, and are finally de-watered on filters. Obviously, a real economic advantage accrues to the ability of control the moisture content of the filter cake within the range required for optimum pellet production. Another consideration, also, has been receiving increasing attention recently. Transoceanic shippers of concentrate cargoes are critically assessing the hazards of excess moisture. The nature and magnitude of these risks have been described, ' and it appears that their elimination may require that residual moisture be somewhat lower than the limit for proper pelletization. Coarse, very free-filtering materials, such as the products of spirals, are usually best handled on top-feed types of machines. The moisture content of the cake may be held at a specified value by proper design and operation, taking into account cake thickness, air-flow rate, and drainage time. Fine-grained concentrates, with which we will be concerned here, must be filtered on Drum or Agidisc machines. With many of these materials, it is possible, by proper design, to meet cake moisture requirements with a conventional filter station. The first installations to produce high-grade pellets from magnetic taconites fell in this class. In fact, the design criteria were developed in connection with operations of Reserve Mining Co. at Silver Bay, inn.,2 and these have been verified repeatedly in other mills. The trend today, however, is toward the production of more difficultly dewatered concentrates. This is due on the one hand to the increasing attention being given to non-magnetic ores, which tend to be far slimier, and therefore much more retentive of moisture, than the magnetites. On the other hand, the pressure to improve the grade of the magnetic ores is leading to finer grinds, which also are more difficult to dewater. In the latter case, the decision to improve grade in an existing operation by finer grinding for better liberation may lead to two unattractive alternatives: 1) substantially higher bentonite consumption, plus the risk of poorer quality pellets, from high cake moisture, or 2) installation of a thermal dryer. There is, however, a third alternative. In recent papers by two of the authors3,4 it was shown that for many materials a significant decrease in cake moisture can be obtained by applying live steam to the cake face during the drying part of the filter cycle. Further, this limited drying appears to have distinct economic advantages compared to thermal drying. It is the purpose of this paper to explore the third alternative. To do this, the results of an extensive pilot study of steam filtration of a hematite flotation concentrate will be critically examined. This study was sufficiently broad so that a number of alternate suggestions (besides steaming the cake) for reducing moisture content were tested, and comparative data for both Drum and Disc filters were obtained. The work was particularly interesting since the concentrate has a high Blaine surface, and is therefore particularly difficult to dewater to the levels required. FILTER CAKE MOISTURE The significant difference between concentrate filter cake as discharged from the filter, a cargo of that same filter cake during or after shipment, and a green ball formed from that filter cake is in the relative volume of voids, or porosity. In every case, the material is a collection of small solid particles held together by the cohesive forces of a liquid. The physical properties of the aggregate are determined by the

Jan 1, 1967

By W. C. Coffin

The refractory linings of open-hearth steel furnaces above the bath line are subject to severe wear not only from the heat caused by the combustion of the fuel and the reactions of the bath, but also from the melting action of the gases when not controlled and directed, and from the scouring of the oxides, etc. with which the products of combustion are charged. The framework that encases or binds the furnace is made up primarily of an iron or steel pan in which the furnace proper is built, side and end buckstays, and tie-rods. The expansion and contraction are so great and variable that the bindings may be subjected to severe stresses unless the tie-rods are carefully adjusted in heating up the furnace, but they are most affected by direct heat and usually become deformed from that cause when the lining is worn thin and, sometimes, when sections of the lining fall in and expose some of the framework. A deformed framework displaces the skewback of the roof arch and tends to distort or crush the roof. Bent buckstays deform the front wall, causing the door frames to stand away from the lining so that the gases burn between the lining and the frames, destroying both of them. Frequently the frames are attached to the buckstays; then when the latter bend the frames usually break. Preventing the distortion of the framework and maintaining the economy of the refractories are real factors in the cost of steel making. Nat only does the cost of general repairs and reconstruction add directly to the cost of steel produced, but the time lost in making repairs cuts down the steel production and increases the overhead expense of both the furnace shop and its allied foundry or mills. Many years ago water-cooled equipment applied to iron blast furnaces made it possible to increase greatly not only the size and production of the furnaces but also the life of the lining. It also cut down the loss from frequent repairs. The open-hearth furnace is a much later invention, especially as a commercial factor; for though it dates from the Fred Siemens patent of 1856, much more progress was made in the Bessemer process until the latter eighties and most of the development

Jan 1, 1920

By John B. Porter

Within the last year or so, a great deal has been heard about Southern iron ; even the Eastern markets have felt the effect of the cheap Alabama ores and coals, and public attention has again been drawn to what is now getting to be an old story—the great mineral wealth of the South. The following paper is based on a report prepared several years ago for a special purpose; but since then, through association with Mr. C. B. Going in a large analytical practice and as chemists to the Queen and Crescent Railway, I have had opportunity to increase my material so greatly that the present paper is really a completely different work. I am under very great obligation to Mr. Going, without whose assistance my work would have been very incomplete, and have also been materially assisted by Mr. F. P. Dewey, of Washington, and a host of gentlemen connected with the railroads and furnaces of the South. The arrangement of this paper is not all that could be desired. Some localities of importance are very poorly represented, both in the description and the tables of analyses. This, however, was in most instances unavoidable, as the study has been done ill the intervals of professional work. I have visited almost all the localities described, and, in all cases possible, have taken my own samples, and have made careful per-

Jan 1, 1887

THE Institute Committee on Industrial Relations, of which Robert Linton is chairman, held a meeting on Feb. 21, listed as one of the technical sessions of the annual meeting, at which reports of the sub-committees were presented. Following are abstracts of these reports. The Institute can furnish mimeo-graphed copies of the complete reports on Safety, Employment, Illness, Mental Factors, and Cripples in Industry. The supply of the other reports has been exhausted. A paper by George F. Kunz, which was presented at the same meeting, is printed here in full.

Jan 6, 1922

By Frank Wartman

RECENTLY Horace Freeman1 obtained a patent on a successful method of conducting a roasting procedure described as to general features by Carl Schnabel2 almost forty years ago. Essentially, the Freeman process of roasting consists in introducing the finely powdered sulfide mineral, suspended in air or any other suitable gaseous medium, into the upper portion of a heated chamber. The stream of suspended particles is directed vertically downward. A counter-current stream of gas introduced at the bottom of the chamber flows upward. The mineral particles are oxidized as they fall through the heated atmosphere of the chamber. All air required for the oxidation may be admitted either at the top or the bottom of the chamber, or may be divided between the top and bottom inlets in any desired proportion. Heat may be recovered by passing the gases leaving the furnace through a waste-heat boiler or other form of interchanger. In speaking of the results obtained in roasting pyrite, Freeman says:3 Steam yield from the boiler exceeds 1 pound of steam per pound of pyrite con-sumed, which pays the cost of operation of the burner. The oxide produced is in the form of fused particles or hollow shells of magnetite, containing about 65 per cent of iron. It contains the gangue material ordinarily produced in flotation concentrate, of course, but it is being found that most of this can be eliminated by magnetic separa-tion, and that the sulfur content, as consistently produced, is below 0.2 percent. This material is especially interesting as a high-grade iron ore, free from phosphorus and low in sulfur. It may be sintered or briquetted. It is even more interesting as a raw material for sponge-iron production, to be directly smelted in electric furnaces without the usual cooling of the iron powder and magnetic separation between the reducing kiln and the electric furnace.

Jan 1, 1933

By Alexander Gakner

Since the end of World War II the Soviet Union has made great strides toward economic development of the country. Today it is firmly established as the world's second largest industrial power after the United States and it has committed itself before the people on both sides of the Iron Curtain to catch up with and to overtake us within a few decades. No nation could achieve such a degree of industrialization or aspire to become the world's industrial leader without a large supply of many basic mineral raw materials or at least easy access to such resources. In addition, it requires technical competence, a large skilled labor force, and a high rate of capital investment. Why should we concern ourselves with these Soviet aspirations? The Free World's yardstick of measuring a nation's well-being is the standard of living of the people in that country. Presumably even Communist governments are committed to some, however gradual, improvement in the standard of living of their people. The population of the USSR is 20 pct greater than that of the United States. Hence, if they ever achieve a standard of living equal to ours, they must by all logic reach a greater overall industrial output. However, in the U.S.S.R. the standard of living of the masses has not kept pace with the expanding industrial production and is still far behind that of the United States. Our concern, therefore, is with what the USSR intends to accomplish with its expanding industrial power: Will they produce large mineral raw-material surpluses and manufacture products to compete with us for world markets and attempt to put us out of business if not use it directly to wage war; or will they use their resources merely to produce more consumer goods for the Soviet people; or will they, along with other Communist nations in the not-too-distant future, compete with us for the world's sources of mineral raw-materials to maintain a high level of mass consumption?

Jan 6, 1960

Jan 1, 1969

Mills Day left a journal of his travel to Ohio and return by way of Pittsburgh in 1810. He left this comment about western Pennsylvania: "June 19. As I proceeded toward Pittsburg, (From Washington and Canonsburg) the country grew more populous. The hills appeared to consist of strata of freestone, iron, coal, and slate. June 20. Its (Pittsburg's) water communication with a vast extent of country and the immense beds of coal in its immediate vicinity render it a place peculiarly adapted to manufactures. Coal may be obtained of a good quality, ready delivered at 5 cents a bushel."1 Until within a year or so of this period, coal was used for domestic purposes, brick-making, by blacksmiths, etc.; now the industry entered a period of rapid growth caused by the introduction of the steam engine. As manufacturing was increasing due to the settlement of the western country, the additional facilities created by mechanical power were welcome. Apparently the first engine was installed in Pittsburgh, in a steam grist mill, in 1808; it is described in the Navigator of 1811: "The water of the boilers are heated by large fires made of stone coal, which is introduced at one end into a grated fire place as long as the cylinders themselves; the quantity of coal consumed daily by these boilers is said to be about twenty bushels, which cost one dollar." Later it mentions the effect of burning coal:

Jan 1, 1942

By M. L. Fuller

OWING to the nature of the die-casting process, freshly cast alloys are undoubtedly not at equilibrium from the standpoint of alloy phase relationships. After casting, therefore, they tend to undergo phase changes, with the ultimate effect of reaching a state of equilibrium at the aging temperature, beyond which no further change takes place. This phase alteration undoubtedly is one of the primary causes of the changes in dimensions and physical properties that zinc-alloy die castings undergo during aging. It is planned to report on this problem in a series of papers of which this is the first. The writers have made a study of commercial zinc die-casting alloys over a period of several years, utilizing the X-ray diffraction technic of determining the phase composition changes in the alloys. Up to the present, two principal phase changes have been observed which are capable of causing dimensional changes: (1) the segregation of secondary constituents from the zinc-base solid solution and (2) the beta aluminum-zinc decomposition. The latter is the subject of the present paper and studies on the former will be reported upon at a future time.

Jan 1, 1934