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By R. L. Manegold

IN RECENT years there has been a decided trend toward bringing ores and coal out of open-pit and underground mines by long, sloping single-stage belt conveyors. Because the high investment cost of haulage conveyors dictates maximum speed and full loading for economy, conveyor belts are running faster than ever before, with a greater burden on the belts. In addition, larger blocks of ore are being mined and conveyed. Rougher use of large mining equipment generates more tramp iron; mechanical loading rejects nothing. Therefore the extraction of tramp iron and other deleterious materials for the protection of haulage conveyors at transfer points, chutes, and idlers is becoming an increasingly difficult job. In our experience, the best method of protecting long haulage conveyor belts is to extract the tramp iron, at least the large tramp iron, ahead of the main haulage conveyor or series of conveyors. It is most practical to collect the tramp iron at the earliest source -possible, usually directly after the primary car unloading dump or after the primary crushers, which are ordinarily not affected by tramp iron, see Fig. 1. The coal or ore from its primary source is fed by chutes or feeders onto a buffer or shock belt conveyor, a short, ruggedly built conveyor system that can be considered somewhat expendable. Its primary function is to bring the ore up to speed for transmission to the haulage conveyor. There is no assured method of protecting this conveyor from tramp iron damage at its feed end. Likewise, there is a possibility, although remote if the magnet applied to this belt is installed correctly, that the tramp iron extraction process will damage the shock belt, which is, however, short and comparatively inexpensive. Magnetic head pulleys with their maximum effective range of about 8 or 10. in. cannot be considered for large installations, even though they are desirable because of the continuous and, automatic tramp, iron removal feature. Further, the most dangerous form of tramp iron with respect to potential damage to a haulage conveyor is the long rod, roof bolt, or rail segment, which is not extracted satisfactorily because of the limited tangential contact of such an iron shape with the magnet. Magnetic head pulleys are also undesirable because the dribble or fines from the head pulley discharge at the same point as the tramp iron. Screens must be used to separate the fines from the magnetics, resulting in additional expense and loss of head room. Magnetic detectors have been used with success, but they only indicate the, presence of iron, and the conveyor belt must be stopped for its manual removal. The, stoppage of any conveyor means that all preceding equipment must be stopped or a cascade of material on the idle conveyor will result. Occasionally combinations of detectors and magnetic, head pulleys are used. The detector precedes the magnetic head pulley and detects only large pieces of tramp iron, while the magnetic pulley subsequently takes out the smaller ferrous metals. Suspended magnets overcome the disadvantages of magnetic head pulleys, detectors or a combination of both. There are several magnetic extraction problems involved in applying a suspended magnet at this

Jan 1, 1952

By W. E. STOKES

SOME extension of flying service to the mining industry occurred in 1938, particularly in Canada, where freighting activity radiated from Edmonton into the new northern mining districts. Again the airplane demonstrated its usefulness in getting new equipment rapidly into the field and in decreasing shutdown time while waiting for repairs. An 18-ton Caterpillar tractor with shovel attachment was disassembled, brought in by plane, and placed in operation at Berens River, Ont., within seven days after its de- livery at Winnipeg. At Central Patricia a mill breakdown required the replacement of a full mill head and trunnion with ball bearings, weighing 2700 lb. The Canadian Airways Junkers, termed the "flying boxcar," was called in from Yellowknife, 1300 mi. away, and the new installation was completed three days later.

Jan 1, 1939

By N. B. Aughenbaugh, W. C. Patrick

The availability of a thorough, simple-to-use roof fall classification system is desirable for several reasons. First, such a system would expedite the reporting of falls for the purposes of estimating material removal costs, analyzing damage levels, and complying with federal regulations to report falls in certain areas of the mine. Second, the classification system would allow the mining engineer to record falls routinely with little time and effort expended. This would encourage him to make observations concerning what type of roof support would work best in a given situation. Third, and probably most important, an

Jan 3, 1979

Discussion of the paper of EZEQUIEL ORDOÑEZ, presented at the Pittsburgh meeting, October, 19.14, and printed in Bulletin No. 94, October, 1914, pp. 2531 to 2536. DAVID T. DAY, Washington, D. C.-Dr. Ordoñez is really the pioneer in the study of the occurrence of Mexican oil. His studies came at such an early time as to prove really prophetic. He was successful in pointing out the relationship of these oil deposits to the volcanic teeth which are so very characteristic as a geological feature in the coastal plain of Mexico. At that time only the first wells around Ebano had been drilled, and drilled under the direction of Dr. Ordoñez himself. Only these Ebano wells were available for a real study of the condition of the occurrence of oil, the other large gushers not then being known. From that time on, the study of the geology of the country has, in large measure, been able to keep up with the oil development. As usual, a great deal of haphazard work in the exploration of the oil fields has been carried on. The results have been good, bad, and indifferent. We know a great deal more about the distribution of oil in Mexico than we do about the geology of it. Two ideas have become prevalent in regard to the Mexican oil, due to the peculiar development there: (1) That oil is omnipresent over a tremendous area bounded by De Soto La Marina, in the province of Tamaulipas, on the north, to south of Tuxpam in Veracruz; and (2) that there are very few spots in all this region which have rich gushers. The truth is somewhere between the two. The amount of land taken up, chiefly by three or four large companies, is extremely great, and covers all the possible chances. The idea that oil is going to be discovered in a large percentage of the land taken up by the oil companies, seems to me entirely unjustified. The amount of oil that will be produced from comparatively small spots here and there over that territory and other territory, undoubtedly will be very great. I do not think there is any hope of multiplying the capacity of these large gushers by the area of that part of Mexico in which they are contained, as a, large number of promoters are inclined to do.

Jan 4, 1915

When Ponce de León landed in Florida in 1573 he was told of an Indian chief that possessed much gold. In 1576 Diego Meruelo obtained some of it from the Indians, and in 1579 Álvarez de Pineda reported that the natives wore ornaments of gold, which they obtained from the rivers. These statements all refer to the southern Appalachian region. The name is recorded in 1527; when Pamphilo Narváez landed at Tampa he heard that there was much gold to be obtained in a region named Apalache. * In 1564 René Laudonnière describes the methods used by the natives to win gold in the Apalatcy mountains.† However, no serious mining operations were undertaken until long afterward; the mining of gold in the Southern States may be said to have had its beginning when a nugget was found at the Reed mine, in North Carolina, in 1799. This nugget, which was of "the size of a small smoothing iron", was kept for several years before the finder learned what it was, but later more lumps, one weighing 28 pounds, were found in the same locality, and eager digging ensued. ‡ Thomas Jefferson, in his `Notes on Virginia', mentions the finding of a quartz specimen, not a nugget as is generally stated, that contained 17 pennyweights of gold; this was found on the Rappahannock river in 1782. §

Jan 1, 1932

By John D. Ridge, Robert C. Barwick

The quantities and destinations of the metallic ores and concentrates and partially or fully refined metals in international trade result from the interaction of many factors, of which geographic location is only one. How far the processes of concentration and refining are to be carried in the country in which the mining is done and what dictates the destinations to which the more or less completely processed raw materials will move are determined not only by present-day geologic, political, and economic conditions, but also by the patterns set up by these same conditions as they obtained in the past. The first generalization that can be made regarding trade in metal raw materials-one that affects the form in which the material is transported, rather than the patterns followed by that trade-is that concentration is carried out for all low grade ores, nonferrous or ferrous, in the country in which they originate. (Rule 1.) Economic considerations alone almost always require that this be done; only high grade iron, manganese, and chromite ores can be shipped as they are mined.

Jul 1, 1955

By John C. Smock

George Hammell Cook was born at Hanover, Morris County, New Jersey, January 5, 1818. His early education was obtained in the country school, and he was, for a short time, a teacher in his native town. In 1836 he was engaged, as a civil engineer, in making surveys and locating the line of the Morris and Essex Railroad from Newark to Morristown, and the extension of the road to the Delaware River. Appreciating the advantages of a thorough education, and seeking a wider field of usefulness, he entered the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at Troy in 1838, and, was graduated from that .school in 1839. In this institution he heard the lectares of Amos Eaton, the famous teacher, from whom so many of our older scientists caught their inspiration and love for the natural sciences. After graduation, he was employed as a tutor in the school, and subse-

Jan 1, 1890

By R. C. Mahon

THE importance of ground water control in glacial drift overlying mines is widely recognized. Adequate handling of the problem results in considerable saving in overall pumping costs, as the cost of pumping the larger quantity of water under low heads from surface wells is more than offset by the decrease in the quantity of water to be pumped from the mine under high heads. Eliminating or partly reducing seepage of water through the ledge reduces moisture content of the ore, a factor especially important in iron ore mines, where a reduction of 1 pct in moisture effects a very material saving. An important though indeterminate saving is also brought about by the elimination of water in the working places underground. The Homer and Wauseca mines of Hanna Coal & Iron Co. at Iron River, Mich., cover 480 acres. When these mines were started it was possible to operate on only one 40-acre tract, as the depth of water over the remainder of the property was too great to permit operation. Although the average depth of the ground water over the area being mined at that time was less than 50 ft it was necessary to pump 1200 gpm from the mine, the greater part from a depth of 750 ft. The slate footwall and graywacke hanging wall are almost impervious, and it was apparent that seepage into the mine was mainly through the iron formation in which the orebodies were located. Analysis of the water in the iron formation showed it to be of the same character as that in the glacial drift, while the water in both walls was heavily mineralized, also indicating that the water passed much more freely through the iron formation. The first attempt to take off the water above the ledge was by means of drainage drifts driven 15 to 20 ft below the ledge, Fig. 1. Various schemes were used to get the water into these drifts: 1—Holes 15 to 20 ft long were drilled from the back of the drifts to the ledge, but these were difficult to drill and blocked easily. 2—Sections of the drifts were blasted down. This gave a large flow for a time but eventually almost total blockup occurred. 3—Raises 4x4 ft were driven above the drifts to within 8 ft of the

Jan 1, 1955

By M. I. Nathan, K. Weiser, R. S. Levitt, G. Burns, J. Woodall

Jan 1, 1964

By R. P. McLaughlin

IN most branches of the mining industry it is a well-recognized fact that care must be taken to protect the mineral deposit from undue physical injury. It is comparatively easy to grasp this idea when the mineral is a solid and the lives of workmen depend directly upon the care with which it is removed from its natural position, but when the product is a liquid. drawn up from pools several thousand feet beneath the surface of the ground through openings only a few inches in diameter, it requires some imagination to picture underground conditions and the changes which must often occur. The development of the petroleum deposits of California has been attended by numerous accidents, the results of which are readily noticed at the top of the wells and in the profit and loss accounts of the operators. Determination of the cause of these accidents has been the subject of considerable study, which naturally has fallen upon men familiar with technical methods. The greatest damage to the oil deposits of California has resulted from water finding its way into the oil-bearing sands, and it is the purpose of this paper to set forth briefly this phase of the oil industry. Much of the material here presented has previously appeared inn publications issued by the California State Mining Bureau, which, under the direction of State. Mineralogist Fletcher McN. Hamilton, has investigated the subject and taken steps toward improvement of conditions. The writer, having been in charge of this branch of the Bureau work, has gained considerable knowledge of existing conditions.

Jan 12, 1915

By Alan K. Burton

The individuality of off-highway trucks is largely determined by a number of truck components that include beds, frames, and suspensions. With the exception of tires, these features are generally standard equipment and the mine operator gets "what comes with the truck." With the advent of larger trucks, more complicated haul profiles, and sophisticated production control systems, a new truck support-component industry is rapidly appearing. The impact of the new options for off-highway trucks can be significant in terms of future fleet performance. Innovations include "Mesabi" radiator cores that reportedly offer greater engine temperature control; load indicators that insure proper truck loading at the shovel; and digital communication systems that signal truck status in the haulage cycle. An understanding of tires, brakes, and newly introduced support components is necessary before an optimum choice of truck can be made

Jan 11, 1975

By L. O. Howard

What was perhaps the first attempt at basic converting in the Southwest was made by the late Charles F. Shelby at Cananea early in 1907, when he removed the acid lining from one of the 8 by 12-ft. barrel-type converters then in use at the reduction works of the Cananea Consolidated Copper Co. and substituted a lining of one course of magnesite brick. In this shell, he blew 21 taps (about 180 tons) of matte to white metal before the brick gave out along the tuyhre line. In every case, the white metal so made was transferred and blown to copper in other converters. The cost of the lining was $700 and Mr. Shelby gave up the experiment as impracticable. No further serious effort to bessemerize copper mattes in a vessel having a more or less permanent lining of basic brick was made by any of the large copper smelters in the Southwest until some months after Messrs. Peirce and Smith had brought the question permanently before the public, and had proved it to be a metallurgical and financial success by their work at Baltimore and Garfield. Early in 1911, the Cananea Consolidated Copper Co. had in operation at its reduction works at Cananea, Mex., several 8 by 12-ft. barrel-type converters lined with magnesite brick which had previously been operating with acid linings. In the 18 months following, these converters produced 50,000 tons of copper. In June, 1912, this company installed the first of its new equipment of six stands of electrically operated 12-ft. Great Palls type converters, and shortly afterward discontinued the use of the smaller shells. In September, 1911, the Consolidated Kansas City Smelting & Refining Co. had installed at its El Paso plant two 10 by 26-ft. Peirce-Smith converters. Later, in March, 1913, one standard Great Falls type converter was added. About the time the Peirce-Smith converters were going in at El Paso, the Calumet & Arizona Mining Co. was experimenting with basic linings in 7-ft. by 10-ft. 6-in. barrel converters at its plant in Douglas, Ariz. These efforts were sufficiently successful to enable the plant to "handle the total output of copper in these small shells until the standard Great Falls converters were substituted in June, .1914.

Jan 1, 1917

By R. E. Ogilvie, H. C. Gatos, R. E. Hanneman

The effect of high pressure on the stability of the (any phase transformation in the Fe-V system was studied by experimental and theoretical methods. The maximum solubility limit of the y loop of the atmospheric phase diagram was found to increase by a factor of five at 40 kbars pres-sure. The solubility limits of (Y and y phases are calculated on an approximate thermodynamic basis at pressures of 20, 40, and 50 kbars as a function THE high-pressure behavior of the a =^ y transformation in iron and iron-base alloys has been the subject of considerable interest recently. For those binary or higher-order alloy systems possessing a closed y loop, the effect of pressure is to extend the region of solubility of the more dense y phase. Although quite accurate calculations have been made of the a y temperature-pressure diagram of pure iron,' only very approximate thermodynamic calculations or experimental measurements have been made of the pressure dependence of a ^ y equilibria in binary systems exhibiting a y loop.2"4 of temperature and are found in excellent agreement with experimental results. The experimental high-pressure phase diagrams were determined using binary diffusion couples diffused under simultaneous conditions of high pressure and temperature and analyzed with an electron microbeam probe. Approximate calculations of the stabilizing effect of high pressure on the o phase are qualitatively confirmed by experimental results. These previous calculations have primarily dealt with the slopes of the allotropic a (Y= y phase boundary at terminal solubility. The lack of detailed understanding or accurate experimental results of the pressure dependence of the two-phase a ^ y field has been due, in part, to the types of experimental methods previously employed. The primary purposes of the current paper are twofold: 1) to develop and make use of thermodynamic expressions with the aid of supplementary data, to approximately calculate the pressure dependence of the entire y loop and the two-phase ((Y + y) width in the Fe-V system; and 2) to accurately determine the corresponding experimental high-pressure phase diagrams. The current paper describes the powerful method used which enables the simultaneously measurement of phase equilibria and diffusion under high pressure and temperature. A second paper, part 11, will deal with the effect of high pressure on binary diffusion in the Fe-V system.

Jan 1, 1965

By Richard M. Foose

The year 1950 has been a fascinating and unusual one as far as industrial minerals are concerned because of the sudden development of a critical international situation in late June. The first half of the year was marked by thriving peacetime conditions.

Jan 2, 1951

By O. C. Ralston

The use of copper sulfate for improving the flotation behavior of sphalerite is probably at least 15 years old. The original discovery of its activating influence is somewhat obscure. The story goes that in the mill at Mascot, Tenn., its favorable action was discovered by accident, early in 1914, as follows: The original laboratory test work on a sphalerite ore gave favorable flotation results, but after a mill had been built the flotation concentration of the ore was very unsatisfactory. In diagnosing the probable reasons, one fact pointed out was that the laboratory test machine had been constructed of bronze whereas the commercial machine allowed pulp to come in contact only with wood and iron. A plate of sheet copper was hung in the flotation machine and results immediately improved. At first fanciful explanations of electrolytic and electrostatic behavior were given credence, but when the copper plate was removed and a small amount of copper sulfate substituted in the pulp an even more favorable result was obtained. Toward the end of 1914 copper sulfate was also adopted in the acid flotation circuit of the Butte and Superior Copper Co. Just who is responsible for the original discovery the present writers do not know. It seems strange that in that era of flotation litigation this discovery was not patented. While for pragmatic purposes it [nay be sufficient to know that the mere addition of copper compounds to a flotation pulp is sufficient to activate the flotation of the sphalerite, for scientific purposes it is quite desirable to know more about how the action takes place. It is the purpose of this paper to present certain evidence dealing with the mechanism of the beneficial effect. The description of the effect as activation in contradistinction to depression is now common in both the English and German languages. It makes no assumptions as to whether the zinc sulfide surfaces have been filmed with copper compounds. In fact, the principal differences of opinion expressed in the literature deal with whether there is an actual formation of CuS (or even Cu2S) on the surface of the sphalerite. Activation of sphalerite takes place in alkaline, neutral or weakly acid solutions and whereas the present day flotation of sphalerite is usually in ah alkaline solution, the early use of copper sulfate was in a sulfate solution.

Jan 1, 1930

By Herbert A. Stein, John B. Murdock

AN analysis of perlite expansion furnaces must be based upon one consistent theory which explains how and why perlite does expand when heated. There is more than one such theory, so to establish a basis for the rest of this paper, the authors will outline one theory and the data that support it before going into the construction details of different furnaces. JOHN B. MURDOCK, Associate Member AIME, is President, and HERBERT A. STEIN is Secretary, of the Perlite Corp., Phoenix, Arizona. San Francisco Meeting, February 1949. TP 2736 H. Discussion of this paper (2 copies) may be sent to Transactions AIME before Feb. 28, 1950. Manuscript received Jan. 3, 1949. Why Perlite Expands: Perlite is known to contain some dissolved or combined fluid, probably water, which is lost when the material is heated to fusion. It is generally agreed that when particles of this volcanic glass are heated to fusion in such a way that vaporization of this water into steam takes place at the same time as the glass becomes soft, the steam puffs up each particle into a mass of glass foam. It is a simple matter to expand perlite under a blow torch for demonstration purposes, but in commercial installations, the problem is made more complicated by the necessity of making efficient use of both raw material and fuel, and producing an expanded aggregate conforming to close specifications for size distribution and density, using many different types of perlite rock. The ability of a given operation to fulfill these requirements depends upon the proper handling of four variables. They are: (1) the nature of the perlite rock used, (2) the heating time taken to get the perlite particle up to its highest temperature, (3) the size of the particle, and (4) the maximum temperature the particle reaches. Types of Perlite Rock: Perlite may be classified in many ways, but the characteristics most easily correlated with its behavior in furnaces are its softening temperature, its effective water content, and its "liveliness." Actually there is a close correlation among these three characteristics so it is possible to describe a perlite using any one of them. Lively perlites always have low softening temperatures and high effective water contents, whereas the deader perlites have higher softening temperatures and lower effective water contents. These softening temperatures run from 1400°F to above 2000°F and the effective water contents run from over 2 pct down to 0.2 pct. Included in the category of lively glasses are the green pitchstone from the Edgar claim in Superior, Ariz., the red pitchstone on the Animas highway south of Lordsburg, N. Mex., and a gray glass from Beatty, Nevada. Examples of intermediate perlites (in order of decreasing liveliness) are the Guzman-Lobb perlite with obsidian

Jan 1, 1951

By Herbert A. Stein, John B. Murdock

AN analysis of perlite expansion furnaces must be based upon one consistent theory which explains how and why perlite does expand when heated. There is more than one such theory, so to establish a basis for the rest of this paper, the authors will outline one theory and the data that support it before going into the construction details of different furnaces. JOHN B. MURDOCK, Associate Member AIME, is President, and HERBERT A. STEIN is Secretary, of the Perlite Corp., Phoenix, Arizona. San Francisco Meeting, February 1949. TP 2736 H. Discussion of this paper (2 copies) may be sent to Transactions AIME before Feb. 28, 1950. Manuscript received Jan. 3, 1949. Why Perlite Expands: Perlite is known to contain some dissolved or combined fluid, probably water, which is lost when the material is heated to fusion. It is generally agreed that when particles of this volcanic glass are heated to fusion in such a way that vaporization of this water into steam takes place at the same time as the glass becomes soft, the steam puffs up each particle into a mass of glass foam. It is a simple matter to expand perlite under a blow torch for demonstration purposes, but in commercial installations, the problem is made more complicated by the necessity of making efficient use of both raw material and fuel, and producing an expanded aggregate conforming to close specifications for size distribution and density, using many different types of perlite rock. The ability of a given operation to fulfill these requirements depends upon the proper handling of four variables. They are: (1) the nature of the perlite rock used, (2) the heating time taken to get the perlite particle up to its highest temperature, (3) the size of the particle, and (4) the maximum temperature the particle reaches. Types of Perlite Rock: Perlite may be classified in many ways, but the characteristics most easily correlated with its behavior in furnaces are its softening temperature, its effective water content, and its "liveliness." Actually there is a close correlation among these three characteristics so it is possible to describe a perlite using any one of them. Lively perlites always have low softening temperatures and high effective water contents, whereas the deader perlites have higher softening temperatures and lower effective water contents. These softening temperatures run from 1400°F to above 2000°F and the effective water contents run from over 2 pct down to 0.2 pct. Included in the category of lively glasses are the green pitchstone from the Edgar claim in Superior, Ariz., the red pitchstone on the Animas highway south of Lordsburg, N. Mex., and a gray glass from Beatty, Nevada. Examples of intermediate perlites (in order of decreasing liveliness) are the Guzman-Lobb perlite with obsidian

Jan 1, 1951

By K. Hanumantha Rao, A. Nayak, . K. S. Narasimhan, S. N. Mahapatra

Selective flocculation studies carried out with iron ore tailings generated at Kudremukh iron ore plant indicate that a concentrate containing 63% iron can be obtained from the tailings containing 34% iron with around 60% recovery. This opens up the possibility of recovering most of the iron lost in the tailings generated at 2 kt/h (2200 stph) while processing 22 Mt (24 million st) ore per year. This would mean that the productivity could increase by around 50%. In these studies, it has been established that caustic degraded tapioca starch is a most effective agent for selective flocculation. While potato starch after caustic degradation can also be used, neither the parent starch nor the amylopectin compound is as effective.

Jan 1, 1986

By Sebastian Paul Musco

The importance of the recovery of precious metals, specifically platinum group metals, was recently expressed by Robert McNamara, former head of the World Bank, who stated that the United States should stockpile strategic metals. More than 90% of the platinum metals are imported into the United States from South Africa and Russia. Mr. McNamara's concern is based on the possibility of a disruption of obtaining these metals due to any racial unrest in South Africa and a renewal of the Cold War with Russia. The United States has a platinum mine from coast to coast. Since 1974, the automotive industry has consumed 3 million ounces of platinum and palladium, and the recovery of these metals from auto catalyst converters is estimated to be 300,000 ounces of platinum per year. This would make the United States the 4th largest producer in the world.

Jan 1, 1984

By AIME AIME

THE difficult problem of visitors is being met by the Hudson Coal Co. at Scranton in an ingenious fashion. The Company had long made it a point to have dealers selling its coal visit the mines, whenever possible. "The excellent reaction obtained from these dealer visits brought up the question of whether it would not be possible to open one or more mines to the public, and give the consumer an opportunity of seeing for himself how anthracite is mined and prepared. Ac-

Jan 1, 1929