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By William P. McConnell

At the dawning of the first century of AIME, mechanical handling of bulk materials was largely confined to movement of grain and light mill products by belt and screw conveyors, but grain handling experience inevitably led to the use of the belt conveyor for coal, ore and other heavier materials. In 1891, the first major U.S. conveyor installation for heavy minerals was completed at the Edison, N.J., plant of the New Jersey & Pennsylvania Concentrating Co. Functionally, this plant revealed its grain elevator heritage. Overlooked at the time of design or, perhaps more accurately, not fully recognized, were the dramatic differences between grain and minerals in both operating conditions of the system and the physical characteristics of the material to be conveyed. This inevitably caused problems, but from the ashes of these problems rose solutions. The Edison plant became a proving ground from which came two significant developments by Thomas Robins-the first conveyor belt designed specifically for impact loading and abrasive materials and the three-roll conveyor idler. As an installation with more than 50 conveyors in widths of 20-30 in. and belt centers of up to 500 ft, the plant was a landmark, for it established the belt conveyor as a vital method of trans- porting heavy, abrasive materials.

Jan 1, 1971

By Phillip A. Stoll, Young Ku Yoon

ThE deterioration of the magnetic properties of silicon-steel core materials during service (magnetic aging) is quite undesirable. Although some information about the effects of impurity elements on magnetic properties is available, 1,2 magnetic aging that occurs at low temperatures has not been extensively studied. Moreover, the microscopic techniques used by earlier workers were not suitable for study of fine metastable phases that are precipitated at relatively low temperatures. Recently, several investigators3,4 successfully used transmission electron microscopy in the study of low-temperature precipitation in Fe-C, Fe-N, and Fe-Mn-C alloys. To investigate metallurgical factors that affect magnetic properties after aging, the microstruc-tures of steels having different magnetic-aging

Jan 1, 1964

By R. S. Shoemaker, D. L. Harris

Past investigations into the possibility of concentrating the low-grade iron ores of the Gogebic Range in Wisconsin have been hampered by the complex association of the constituent minerals. In part the problem arises from the fact that the iron occurs essentially as two minerals, hematite and goethite, having nearly the same chemical composition but exhibiting different physical properties. Individual grains of these minerals are usually so small that the ore must be ground to a size finer than 325 mesh if substantial liberation of the minerals is to be secured. Appraisal of beneficiation tests on this iron ore requires, therefore, some method of determining quantitatively the contents of constituent minerals in the various products of the beneficiation. Because of the chemical similarity of the two iron minerals, chemical analyses do not provide a means of differentiation. Although the minerals are different physically, they are both opaque and friable, and as the ore must be ground to a very fine size for liberation to be secured, quantitative microscopic methods of analysis are extremely difficult at best. In an effort to overcome these analytical problems, a quantitative X-ray diffraction analysis method has been developed at the University of Wisconsin for the research program on iron ore beneficiation.

Jan 5, 1955

By Max C. Eastman, V. H. Wilhelm

California had a record year in production and drilling activity, but the results have not been sufficient to keep up with the enormous increase in demand due to war activity. During the year, 164 dry wildcats were drilled, 80 dry wells in proved areas, 31 gas wells, and 1158 successful oil-well completions for a total of 1433 wells, compared with a total of 765 in 1942. With new discoveries of only 20,000,000 and production of 283,000,000 bbl. for the year, total reserves of California oil have decreased more than 250,000,000 bbl. However, revised estimates of the reserves of old fields indicate an increase in the state's reserves of I00,000,000 barrels. The completion of 1158 wells has served only to maintain the maximum efficient daily rate of production at 800,000 barrels. There is evidence in many fields that oil is being withdrawn too rapidly to obtain the maximum recovery, and more rapidly than is conducive to good production practice. Statistics for 1943 as compared with I942 are shown in the table in the next column, Supply and Demand Steadily mounting needs of the military forces and increased industrial consumption raised total demand for all petroleum products on the Pacific Coast to 914,000 bbl. daily in 1943. That all-time record demand was 149,ooo bbl. daily higher than in 1942 and 214,000 bbl. daily above 1941 demand. Despite restrictions due to shortages of critical material, crude-oil production was boosted from 680,000 bbl. daily in 1942 to 779,000 bbl. daily in 1943, the highest level in 15 years. However, the new crude supply plus natural gasoline production and imports from other states totaled only 840,000 bbl. daily, leaving a deficiency between supply and demand of 74,000 bbl. daily. That shortage had to be made up by withdrawals from inventories, which had been steadily depleted during the previous four years. Aboveground reserves, which totaled 159,574,000 bbl. on Jan. I, 1939, were down to ~8.000,000, bbl. at the end of 1943. Significantly enough, the greater part of that decrease occurred during the last six months of I9437 when more than 23,000,000 bbl. was taken from inventories of both crude and products. Although the size of total inventories on Dec. 31, 1943 might appear substantial, about 65 per

Jan 1, 1944

By Max C. Eastman, V. H. Wilhelm

California had a record year in production and drilling activity, but the results have not been sufficient to keep up with the enormous increase in demand due to war activity. During the year, 164 dry wildcats were drilled, 80 dry wells in proved areas, 31 gas wells, and 1158 successful oil-well completions for a total of 1433 wells, compared with a total of 765 in 1942. With new discoveries of only 20,000,000 and production of 283,000,000 bbl. for the year, total reserves of California oil have decreased more than 250,000,000 bbl. However, revised estimates of the reserves of old fields indicate an increase in the state's reserves of I00,000,000 barrels. The completion of 1158 wells has served only to maintain the maximum efficient daily rate of production at 800,000 barrels. There is evidence in many fields that oil is being withdrawn too rapidly to obtain the maximum recovery, and more rapidly than is conducive to good production practice. Statistics for 1943 as compared with I942 are shown in the table in the next column, Supply and Demand Steadily mounting needs of the military forces and increased industrial consumption raised total demand for all petroleum products on the Pacific Coast to 914,000 bbl. daily in 1943. That all-time record demand was 149,ooo bbl. daily higher than in 1942 and 214,000 bbl. daily above 1941 demand. Despite restrictions due to shortages of critical material, crude-oil production was boosted from 680,000 bbl. daily in 1942 to 779,000 bbl. daily in 1943, the highest level in 15 years. However, the new crude supply plus natural gasoline production and imports from other states totaled only 840,000 bbl. daily, leaving a deficiency between supply and demand of 74,000 bbl. daily. That shortage had to be made up by withdrawals from inventories, which had been steadily depleted during the previous four years. Aboveground reserves, which totaled 159,574,000 bbl. on Jan. I, 1939, were down to ~8.000,000, bbl. at the end of 1943. Significantly enough, the greater part of that decrease occurred during the last six months of I9437 when more than 23,000,000 bbl. was taken from inventories of both crude and products. Although the size of total inventories on Dec. 31, 1943 might appear substantial, about 65 per

Jan 1, 1944

By Forbes Wilson

IN February 1952 Freeport Sulphur Company started exploration work on a group of lateritic deposits at Moa Bay, Cuba. As a result of successful exploration work and a vast amount of metallurgical research over the past five years, these deposits will soon become a new Free World source of nickel and cobalt. Moa Bay lies on the north coast of Oriente Province, the easternmost part of the island, about 600 miles east of Havana and about 40 miles east of the U. S. Government nickel plant at Nicaro.

Jan 5, 1958

By H. L. Ames, P. H. Jennings, R. W. Stanley

A process has been developed for leaching copper, lead and calcium from molybdenite concentrate. The leachant is a solution containing an oxidizing chloride (e. g., CuC12, FeC13) and an alkaline earth metal chloride (e. g., CaC12). Cupric chloride and ferric chloride, in the presence of 20-30% calcium chloride, are effective oxidants for chalcopyrite and galena. Calcium chloride, in addition to promoting the rate of leaching, serves to lower the solution pH and raise the boiling point. Leaching for two hours at 110'~ with a 1 % CuC12-10% FeC13- 30% CaC12 solution results in the extraction of up to 98% of the copper in molybdenite, 98% of the lead, and 79% of the calcium. Less than 0. 5% of the molybdenum is dissolved. The leach solution can be rapidly and effectively regenerated with gaseous chlorine and recycled. Build-up of copper and lead in the leach solution is controlled by discarding about 30% of the leach solution each cycle.

Jan 1, 1973

By F. S. Crawford

IRON and copper are mined in the Lake Superior district. The iron mines of the district have the best safety record for that industry in the country as a whole, while the copper mines of the district rank second in two of the four years recorded (Table 1). In Utah copper comes mainly from open-pit mines, which enables that state to lead easily in safety. All of the Michigan production comes from deep under-ground workings. About 60 per cent of the iron miners in St. Louis County, Minnesota, are employed at open-pit mines; this favorably affects the combined open-pit and underground accident-frequency rate, as this county pro-vides most of the Minnesota-mined iron ore. In Michigan, however, there are few open-pit mines, the bulk of the production coming from underground mines, while all of the Wisconsin production, just across the state line from Michigan, is from underground mines. In spite of the fact that fewer mines in Michigan use the safer open-pit method, the iron-mining industry of that state maintained a consistently low record from 1931 to 1934; however, it was many points behind its nearest com petitor, Minnesota, with its much greater production from open-pit mines.

Jan 1, 1939

Jan 1, 1902

By George B. Clark, John W. Brown, Hemendra N. Kalia, Ronald R. Rollins

A new theory for three dimensional collapse of conical liners shows why the two dimensional theory may offer a good approximation. Shaped charge design parameters and rock target properties were investigated to determine their effects on penetration and breakage. Penetration in dolomite is somewhat similar to that in steel, but copper does not have markedly better penetration capabilities than brass. Several metals, liner thicknesses, cone angles and standoff ranges for each were investigated. Effective standoff is greater for aluminum than more dense metals. Optimum geometry appears to approximate that for metal targets. Resistance to penetrations was greatest for a red granite and dense siliceous rocks, and least for dolomite and porous sandstone. Hardness and compressive strength appear to be two important conventional proper- ties. The first order law does not apply to the rocks tested. Dolomite may be drilled with shaped charges, the holes sprung and round blasted successfully.

Jan 1, 1971

By H. H. Alexander

In the early part of the last century textile fabric was used for the filtration of products of combustion and lampblack was obtained by passing smoke through a series of canvas bags. Natural draft was used to draw and force the smoke through the bags. About 1850 bag filtration was used for collecting zinc oxide. Around 1876 it was introduced for collecting the fume from lead-ore hearth smelting in Missouri. Shortly afterward it was used, first at Portland, Me., and later at Canon City, Colo., for the collection and production of zinc-lead pigment in treating mixed zinc-lead sulphides. In 1890 the Globe Smelting & Refining Co., at Denver, Colo., installed a bag house containing 1,458 bags for the recovery of fume from silver-lead blast furnaces. This installation was too small to handle all of the gases and was increased to approximately 2,300 bags. In 1900 the number of bags was again increased, making a total of approximately 2,800. The usual difficulties incident to new installations were encountered, but they were gradually overcome and the bag house became accepted as standard practice for this class of smelting, As all of the bag houses built since have followed the general lines of the Globe installation, a short description may be of interest. The general construction of the Globe bag house is shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. The building is 149 ft. 8 in. long by 67 ft. 4 in. wide and 40 ft. 2 in. high from the basement floor to the eaves of the roof, having brick walls 26 in. thick from the foundation up to the thimble floor, from there an 18-in. wall for 16 ft. and a 13-in. wall from this point to the top, a distance of 14 ft. 2 in. Additional stiffening is given to the walls above the basement by pilasters located every 16 ft. The end-wall construction is similar to that of the side walls with the exception of the spacing of the pilasters, which is somewhat greater. The roof is made of corrugated iron laid on 1-in. boards and supported by a timber frame work spaced 16 ft. apart resting on the basement partition walls. On top is a louver running the

Jan 1, 1915

By R. P. Heuer, Paul M. Tyler

THE literature on refractories, although fairly extensive, is so scattered through books and periodicals as to be difficult of access to the general reader and most of the individual papers serve merely to illuminate some particular phase of the industry. Two general treatises by American authors8.16 are available, also the somewhat older works by a well-known British authority, 12,13 but these make their appeal to the technically minded ceramic engineer. Another small group of publications deals with the use of refractories, mainly in the iron and steel industry.1, 3,5,6,11,15 Raw materials utilized by the refractories industry have been covered by sundry books and articles. For the relatively nontechnical reader and economist, however, there appears to be no single review that purports to describe the industry as a whole. Furnace linings and other products that are classed as "refractories" are designed primarily to withstand high temperatures but this important property is by no means the only requirement; a suitable refractory material must likewise withstand slagging (chemical' action), abrasion (physical wear), and spalling, as well as the various other stresses and physical phenomena induced by heat, of which softening or incipient melting is only one phase. Nevertheless, subject to these highly practical considerations, the definition of a refractory material is based upon temperature resistance. Broadly speaking, any material that shows obvious signs of fusion after being heated slowly to 1500°C (2732°F) cannot be classified as a refractory material. The characteristic properties and requirements of refractory materials are conveniently summarized in Fig 1, prepared on the American Refractories Institute Fellowship at Mellon Institute, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Most of the factors of service and properties of refractories given in this chart are interdependent and are greatly affected in degree by the functions of temperature and time. The factors in the chart are believed to cover the commoner questions.

Jan 1, 1949

By G. S. Brooks

(New York Meeting, February, 1913.) THE tendency of the oxides of such metals as aluminum, zinc, chromium, and calcium to form compounds at high temperatures with iron oxide is well established by past investigation. Data of this reaction, as developed in laboratory research, have been contributed by Burleigh, Hofman, and Wells, in America, and by many others abroad. A partial bibliography of the subject is appended. From these authorities we learn that the ferric oxide here has the function of an acid, giving in the case of ZnO a zinc ferrite, with a normal composition of ZnOFe2O3. This formation of zinc ferrite particularly affects the success of such processes as leaching or magnetic separation, and thus becomes practically important to the metallurgist. But the meager existing data do not entirely agree; and quantitative results from muffle-practice are conspicuously absent. Furthermore, it being of some general importance to the zinc smelter in both roasting and reduction, the following few notes of operations on a commercial scale are contributed

Jan 5, 1913

Jan 1, 1950

By B. L. Averbach, E. E. Underwood

The vapor pressure of zinc in equilibrium with solid ß AgZn alloys has been measured by the dew-point method. The thermodynamic activities of silver, and the molar heats of formation have been calculated. Similar measurements have been made for the ternary alloys formed by adding gold to AgZn. An apparent particle size effect has been observed for AgZn filings. The vapor pressure of zinc over filings is 15 to 20 pct higher than over the solid alloys. STATISTICAL methods have been used to inter pret the thermodynamic activities of the components of a solid solution in terms of average equilibrium atomic configurations. In some cases, the atomic arrangements can be measured by X-ray methods, and the results are usually expressed in terms of short range order parameters. Only in the cases of Cu³Au and AgAu have there been sufficient X-ray and thermodynamic data to verify the assumed correlation between the X-ray and the thermodynamic measurements. In Cu³Au the agreement is good; negative deviations from Raoult's law are observed and the number of Cu-Au nearest neighbor pairs predicted on the basis of the thermodynamic treatments agrees quite well with the number of such pairs observed by the X-ray methods. The ß brass alloys present a different set of conditions. The ordering is so rapid in these alloys that the disordered state cannot be retained on quenching. In contrast, the disordered state in CuAu is easily retained on quenching. On heating, the ordered ß brass loses its long range order continuously as the critical temperature is approached; in Cuau the order decreases slightly on heating and then drops discontinuously to zero at the critical temperature. These differences indicate that the short range order configurations in ß brass systems may be of a different character than in Cudu systems. However, X-ray measurements of local order cannot be made in the Cu-Zn alloys because of the similarity in scattering factors. The alloy AgZn is isomorphous with CuZn, however, and recent experiments have indicated that there is a good possibility of observing short range order in this system. Another complication arises in the case of ß AgZn. The disordered body-centered cubic structure exists above 280°C. On quenching from above this temperature an ordered structure of the cesium-chloride type is formed. On slow cooling, however, a complex hexagonal structure, the 3 phase, is produced; and if an ordered quenched alloy is reheated the phase begins to form above 80°C. It is thus difficult to study local order by X-ray methods in single crystals of AgZn since the C phase formed on heating does not necessarily return to a single crystal of the original orientation. This problem has been met, however, by adding a few percent of gold to the AgZn. The gold suppresses the formation of the c

Jan 1, 1952

By M. E. Steidlitz

FABRICATION of semiconductor devices.requires the formation of electrical contacts, often involving the use of lead, tin, and lead-tin solders. In several recent instances when germanium had been bonded to nickel with lead, a new metallic phase appeared, unattached to either germanium or nickel, but rather suspended as a continuous foil wholly contained within the lead matrix. Since such metallic structures do not form in nickel-lead or lead-germanium systems under identical conditions, a brief study was made of the characteristics and possible formation mechanisms of this material. EXPERIMENTAL Specimens were prepared by placing single crystal, transistor-grade germanium discs, 30-mils in diam by 6-mils thick, into a depression in a graphite boat. =A* nickel washers, 125 mils in diam by 5-mils thick, containing a center hole of 10-mils diam, and coined into a soup bowl shape, were loaded on top of the discs, so that the bottom of the

Jan 1, 1959

By M. S. Burton, G. V. Smith, A. Rosen

The kinetics of re crystallization and the effect of recovery on recrystallization of pure iron were investigated within the temperature range of 517" to 632 OC. Grain growth and activation energies were also studied. Two stages can be distinguished during recrystallization; the first is gvowth-controlled and the second is nucleation-controlled. The extent to which the first stage succeeds before the second stage begins depends on both temperature of recrystallization and temperature of recovery. The softening of cold-worked metals and alloys due to transformation of the deformed crystals to strain-free equiaxed grains during annealing is well-known, and early inestiators established that recrystallization kinetics is strongly influenced by minute quantities of impurities. Generally, it is believed that impurities decrease the rate of recrystallization and the rate of grain growth. To understand the basic phenomena of recrystallization, investigations should be on pure materials. Most of the research on high-purity materials has been on metals having the fee Bcc materials, and especially high-purity iron, have been studied only in recent years. It is known that recovery may influence recrystalliation;" however, no general description of the influence, applicable to all materials, has been presented. This paper presents results of a study of the recrystallization kinetics of high-purity iron, after 60 pct cold deformation by drawing, with particular reference to the influence of recovery on the rates of recrystallization and grain growth. From observations of these rates, conclusions are drawn concerning nucleation. MATERIAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Preparation of Material. High-purity iron, prepared by zone refining of vacuum-melted electroiytic iron at Battelle Memorial Institute under sponsorship of the American Iron and Steel Institute, was used in this study. Table I gives the reported chemical analysis of the material, taken at a point near the last molten zone and thereby rep- resenting the maximum impurity level for the entire bar. Prismatic specimens, approximately 10 x 10 X 50 mm, were sawed from the 50-mm-diam bar, perpendicular to the zone-refining direction, and turned to cylindrical shape. These specimens were sealed in quartz capsules under vacuum, approximately 10"e mm Hg, austenitized at 930° C for 15 min, slowly cooled, removed from the capsules, and cold-worked in air by swaging to approximately 20-pct reduction of area. The encapsulating, austenitizing, and swaging operations were repeated two additional times, after which the samples were encapsulated, austenitized, and cold-drawn to 60-pct reduction of area. A further vacuum anneal at 630°C for 120 min and cold drawing to 60-pct reduction of area produced wire 2.8 mm in diameter. The drawn wire was electropolished to remove deformed material on the surface, after which it was sawed into 4-mm-long specimens for the recrystallization study. Microscopical examination before the final cold reduction revealed equiaxed grain structure with very fine grains in a thin layer near the surfaces of the specimen and nearly uniform ASTM 3-4 grain size in the center. Recrystallization Heat Treatment. a) Direct Recrystallization of Cold-Worked The 60 pct cold drawn iron specimens were recrystallized at five temperatures, 517, 556, 590°, 612, and 632C, in a lead bath covered with graphite (the temperature was controlled to 1°C). Specimens were treated for twelve different times at each temperature, and all were water-quenched after heat &eatment. b) Recrystallization Following Preliminary Recovery Heat Treatment. After cold working, specimens were sealed into quartz capsules under vacuum, 105 mm Hg, and recovery-annealed at 362", 400", and 440°C for 20 hr prior to recrystallization. No evidence of recrystallization was found

Jan 1, 1964

By E. H. Lovitt, A. C. Skerl

After nine years of continuous operation it is a good idea to take stock of the geological concepts that guide the working of a mine. This is a welcome opportunity to discuss the Lovitt gold mine, which has been a challenge in both the geological and operational fields. The occurrence belongs to the extensive group of epithermal gold-silver deposits once worked so vigorously in the western states, Hungary, and New Zealand and still producing in Central America and the Philippines. These deposits are characterized by a relatively shallow vertical range up to 2000 ft, and often much less, and by bonanza orebodies of even more limited range. The area in which they occur is frequently widespread, so that exploration must be directed along and across the strike of known favorable structures in search of repetitions.

Jan 9, 1958

By R. W. Raymond

Richard Pennefather Rothwell, was born May 1, 1836, at Oxford, Upper Canada (now the province of Ontario). His father, Rev. John Rothwell, was a native of County Meath, Ireland, where the family (originally, no doubt, a Scottish one) still holds large estates, under a grant from William and Mary. John Rothwell was graduated at Trinity College, Dublin, and became a clergyman of the Established Church. He married Elizabeth Garnett, of Athearn Castle, Ireland, and subsequently came to Canada. It is said that he was a man of liberal views combined with sterling piety, an enthusiastic sportsman and yachtsman, and a pastor who refused for many years to accept any remuneration from his parishioners. After preliminary education, the subject of this sketch entered Trinity College, Toronto, with the intention of studying law; but a year later he resolved to become a civil engineer, and entered the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at Troy, N. Y., where he was graduated, with high standing, as civil engineer, in 1858. He then went to Paris, and entered the Imperial School of Mines, where, by reason of the proficiency he had already acquired in civil engineering, he was able to finish in two years and a half the full three-year course, and to take the degree of Engineer of Mines. In 1861 he took the "practical courses" in mining and ore-dressing at the Mining Academy of Freiberg, Saxony. After traveling in Italy, etc., he went in 1862 to London, where, for the purpose of familiarizing himself with business methods, he entered the offices of W. T. Henley, a manufacturer of wire

Jan 1, 1902

By Herbert Clark Hoover, Lou Henry Hoover

GEORGIUS AGRICOLA was born at Glauchau, in Saxony, on March 24th, 1494, and therefore entered the world when it was still upon the threshold of the Renaissance ; Gutenberg's first book had been printed but forty years before ; the Humanists had but begun that stimulating criticism which awoke the Reformation; Erasmus, of Rotterdam, who was subsequently to become Agricola's friend and patron, was just completing his student days. The Reformation itself was yet to come, but it was not long delayed, for Luther was born the year before Agricola, and through him Agricola's homeland became the cradle of the great movement ; nor did Agricola escape being drawn into the conflict. Italy, already awake with the new classical revival, was still a . busy workshop of antiquarian research, translation, study, and publication, and through her the Greek and Latin Classics were only now available for wide distribution. Students from the rest of Europe, among them at a later, time Agricola himself, flocked to the Italian Universities, and on their return infected their native cities with the newly-awakened learning. At Agricola's birth Columbus had just returned from his great discovery, and it was only three years later that Vasco Da Gama rounded Cape Good. Hope. Thus these two foremost explorers had only initiated that greatest period of geographical expansion in the world's history. A' few dates will recall. how far this exploration extended; during Agricola's lifetime. Balboa first saw the Pacific in 1513 ; Cortes entered the City of Mexico in 1520; Magellan entered the Pacific in the same year ; Pizarro penetrated into Peru in 1528 ; De Soto landed in Florida in 1539, and Potosi was discovered in 1546. Omitting the sporadic settlement on the St. Lawrence by Cartier in 1541, the settlement of North America did not begin for a quarter of a century after Agricola's death. Thus the revival of learning, with its train of Humanism, the Reformation, its stimulation of exploration and the re-awakening of the arts and sciences, was still in its infancy with Agricola. We know practically nothing of Agricola's antecedents or his youth. His real name was Georg Bauer (" peasant "), and it was probably Latinized by his teachers, as was the custom of the time. His own brother, in receipts

Jan 1, 1950