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By Francis P. Sinn

IN the zinc smelting industry the year 1947 seems to have been one of putting one's house in order rather than one of any material technical development or radical change in operating conditions. Labor generally has been in better supply but several plants report a scarcity of skilled workmen. Some plants continue to operate on the basis of a six-day week and will probably continue to do so until labor is more plentiful. Only one plant is known to have operated on a curtailed basis because of labor shortage, but here the difficulty was lack of proper housing facilities. Necessary materials and equipment for much-needed maintenance and modernization have been in short supply so these programs have often been delayed. Laborsaving devices of the "Payloader" type have been more generally used for handling materials. Slab zinc production was discontinued during the last months of the year at Danville, 111. and at Langeloth, Pa. Both of these plants used the Hegeler type of furnaces fired with producer gas. It is understood that the rolling mill and possibly the acid plant at Danville will continue to operate. At Langeloth acid will be produced from

Jan 1, 1948

By AIME AIME

Council.* PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL. ROBERT W. HUNT CHICAGO, ILL. (Term expires February, 1907.) VICE-PRESIDENTS OF THE COUNCIL. WILLIAM P. BLAKE TUCSON, ARIZ. THOMAS F. COLE DULUTH, MINN. IRVING A. STEARNS WILKES-BARRE, PA. (Term expires February, 1907.) HENRY AL HOWE NEW YORK, N. Y. J. B. GRANT DENVER, COLO. JAMES D. HAGUE NEW YORK, N. Y. (Term expires February, 1909.)

Jan 1, 1907

By William Metcalf

One of the first questions that naturally occurs to one who handles steel is, " Why does steel harden?" To answer this question the chemist and physicist have devoted much thought and experiment, and while they have enriched our store of knowledge of the nature and composition of steel, it cannot be said that they have yet solved the problem involved in its hardening. In this communication I desire to direct attention to a line of investigation yet new, in the hope that it may receive the attention. of those who have the time and ability to pursue it. I refer to magnetism. There are so many parallels between the action of magnetism on iron and steel and their behavior under different processes of manipulation that it would seem. as if there must be some connection between tile forces at work in the different cases, if, indeed, there be not an identify of force in all of these cases. Magnetism, as me know it, may be merely the visible manifestation of forces, which may serve as a guide to lead us to an exact knowledge of the structure, tile strains, and the resistances with which me have to deal in iron and steel. If a magnet be brought close to a pile of iron filings, the little pieces of iron will fly to the maguet and attach themselves to it, with their longer axes lying in the direction of the force. If molten cast iron be poured into an iron mould,—a chill,—the iron upon crystallizing will form needlelike crystals, with their long axes normal to the surfaces of the mould. • If the iron is at the proper temperatare and the quantity small, compared to the mass of the mould, the whole of it, will be chilled, or set, in 'the hard needlelike crystals

Jan 1, 1881

Jan 1, 1929

By E. C. Roberts

TO facilitate some recent microscopic investigations it was necessary to devise special mounting techniques for the polishing of two quite different metallographic specimens. These techniques are extremely simple and are submitted for whatever value they may be to other investigators. The first specimen mount proved very satisfactory for the study of untempered martensite. Since it was undesirable to heat the specimen, lucite or bakelite mounting materials could not be used in the conventional manner. A cold mount was made by drilling a hole of the same diameter as the specimen in a cylindrical piece of polystyrene then press- ing the steel specimen into the hole on an ordinary vise. A prefabricated disk of lucite should work equally well. The only precautions necessary are that the hole be drilled out cleanly and the piece of steel be pressed into the plastic uniformly, otherwise the mount will crack. The second type of mount was required for the study of slag specimens by reflected light. Mounting these specimens in bakelite and then attempting to rough finish the surfaces on graded emery papers resulted in a considerable amount of chipping and breaking out of the slag particles. This made further satisfactory polishing almost impossible. It was found, however, that if the bakelite-mounted specimen was first rough finished to a point where a good specimen surface became visible, the interstices in the specimen surface could be filled and the polishing completed. This filling was accomplished by placing a small amount of lucite powder in the bottom of the steel specimen mold then reinserting the bakelite-mounted specimen on top of the lucite powder. Reheating the mold to the proper temperature and applying the required pressure resulted in the formation of a thin disk of lucite on the bottom of the bakelite specimen. By carefully grinding the lucite away a uniform surface including the slag specimen was obtained and further polishing was unhampered by slag disintegration.

Jan 1, 1951

Despite the uncertain political situation in Katanga, copper and cobalt mining and metallurgical operations of Union Miniere du Haut-Katanga were normal at the time of this writing. In fact operations continued normal after Congo independence on June 30, 1960, with copper and zinc production for that year being slightly higher than in 1959. United Nations military operations from September to December 1961 resulted in death, shutdowns and damage to company persons and installations. Nevertheless, results for that year were only slightly off normal production. Moise Tshombe delared Katanga a separate state after Congo independence. Although there has been tribal unrest, the new State has enjoyed relative calm and normal industry by comparison with other parts of the Congo as a result of the firm hand of Moise Tshombe's government and the continued presence of Belgian officials and technicians.

Jan 12, 1962

By Charles F. Manness

In the great increase of product which has been accomplished in the American Bessemer plant, through improvements in machinery and refractories, and by more perfect skills in their manipulation

Jan 1, 1881

New Products Equipment

Jan 6, 1951

By John S. Crout

TWENTY-FIVE years ago the training of an engineer was of interest solely to the educator and to the student entering the field. At that time the engineer's position in society was relatively simple. His training emphasized design and operation and he expected to enter industry to handle the engineering problems of raw materials production, mechanical and product design, and the operation of power plants, factories, transportation and communication systems, and similar phases of industrial activity. He was not concerned with or particularly interested in the problems of management, administration, sales, publicity, industrial relations, or of legislation. To a large degree he was content to leave these matters to self-made businessmen, or men trained in law, finance, or commerce. That period in the evolution of the engineer is now history. It is generally conceded that the modern world is dependent upon engineering technology for its day-to-day survival. The continued operation of facilities on which mankind relies is dependent upon the functioning of mines, utilities, chemical plants, and other factories, all of which require the knowledge and the skills of trained engineers. Thus from a purely mechanical point of view, the engineer has become indispensable to

Jan 1, 1947

By J. F. K. Brown

ANTHRACITE in 1943, in common with the coal industry as a whole, passed through a year of wage negotiations that seemed endless. In the early months discussion of the United Mine Workers' demands was taken up and carried on continuously until May, finally reaching an impasse when the Union refused to continue at work, while submitting their demands to the War Labor Board. Thus a strike threatened, averted by the Federal Government taking over the industry, effective May 1, by order of the President. An office of the Bureau of Mines was established in Wilkes-Barre under the direction of J. J. Forbes, Mineral Production Security Division, as regional manager, who conducted operations until September, 1943, when the collieries were turned back to the operators. But the miners did not agree with the War Labor Board's award rendered in the fall, resulting in a recurrence of the previously threatened strike. again averted by Government control. In addition to the major upsets, a number of individual suspensions occurred at various mines. In spite of these drawbacks, to which might be added the difficulty of obtaining equipment and the scarcity of man power, the industry by November was only little less than a million tons short of the previous year. and in all probability, finally produced but little less than in 1942. This little less. however, was greatly missed in the market.

Jan 1, 1944

Jan 1, 1920

Jan 1, 1939

By Michael D. Loy

While the coal industry in general has been slow in accepting automation, the last few years have seen a myriad of products developed by the private sector. These packages run the full gamut from sophisticated geological information systems to line entry discounted cash flow analyses. This paper is an attempt to unravel the confusion that may exist about mining software. Discussions will highlight major differences between software products (such as block vs. grid models, prefeasibility programs vs. Monte Carlo analyses), briefly discuss known vendors, list known package features and touch on hardware requirements. The paper also focuses on the costs of automation (both software and hardware), possible trade-offs, advantages to in-house systems (vs. timesharing), a recommended review/selection process (including suggested RFP format), a test case procedure, when to bring in a consultant, and staffing considerations.

Jan 1, 1983

By Henry S. Poole

This field is geologically of much interest. It is small, hut with some seams of unusual thickness, the main one being as much as thirty-eight feet thick. The quality of the seams, as also of the associated beds of shale and sandstone, in several instances changes to a remarkable degree within short, distances. The strata dip at inclinations that carry the coal to depths of 3000 feet or more; heavy faults cut up the district, and the New Glasgow conglomerate, of disputed age, separates it from the Upper Carboniferous measures, in which no seams of workable thickness are known. This coal-field offers to the geologist much ground for study and peculation. The commercial value of the field is affected by its restricted area, the varied quality of its coal, and its advantageous position in the mainland, with railway connection and home markets, offset by the physical difficulties which make the cost of production high. It has been so long a habit with us to speak of our resources of coal as boundless, that any adverse comments, or insinuations that avoidable loss in working is a national loss, hare hitherto fallen on idle ears. While it is not my purpose to underrate the riches we do possess, yet I deem that no good end is served by echoing exaggerated estimates which encourage a national indifference to wasteful

Jan 1, 1886

New Products Equipment

Jan 3, 1953

(Under this heading will be published notes sent to the Secretary of the Institute by members or other persons. ) The governing body of the Imperial College of Technology, London, S. W. (Royal School of Mines), will shortly proceed to the appointment of a Professor of Metallurgy. This important Chair has been filled in the past by such eminent metallurgists as John Percy, Sir William C. Roberts-Austen, and others. A large manufacturing company having two iron foundries, blast furnace, etc., requires the services of a chemist, metallographist, and metallurgical engineer qualified to give advice on cast iron practice, and to prescribe remedies for difficulties often met with in the usual iron foundry. The position of converter blower at a side-blow Bessemer steel casting plant is vacant.

Jan 5, 1913

By Persifor Frazer

From the easternmost point reached by the Ural excursion of the VIIth International Geological Congress (the city of Tschéliabinsk, a little more than 30' of longitude east of St.

Jan 1, 1899

By Arthur T. Ward

DESPITE the intense preoccupation of most of those members connected with the mining, concentration, and reduction of iron ores, the luncheon and subsequent technical session of the Eastern Magnetite Committee were exceedingly well attended. Many of the older faces were absent, but new ones took their places. More than sixty, all told, took in the technical session. Chairman Crockett opened the session by calling upon Meredith E. Johnson, whose paper, with its accompanying graph, was in reality a comprehensive historical review of iron mining from colonial days to the end of 1941. with some notes on current expansion which indicates that New Jersey is destined to become a still more important. factor in the production of magnetite ores.

Jan 1, 1942

By Harry H. Power

WHILE the attention of all engineering branches is focused today on changes and improvements in the several curricula, we are concerned here with the many questions arising in industry and college concerning the preparation for the petroleum engineering profession. The succession of problems confronting the petroleum engineer demands a degree of versatility not ordinarily encountered in other professions. As a consequence, the student cannot acquire mastery of all the several engineering branches represented in field practice, and as an alternative, he has learned to appreciate the value of thorough training in the basic or fundamental sciences as a preliminary foundation for professional work. While our attention is directed primarily to the training of engineers in educational institutions, it is necessary that the ultimate education of the professional engineer be kept in mind. It is apparent that his success as an engineer is limited not only by his educational and job experience, but by his native endowments: mentality, personality and health. The engineer's lack of job experiences often proves as much a handicap as the lack of adequate college training. If the final product proves to be satisfactory, both industry and technical institutions are to be congratulated. However, if the product is found wanting, the one most responsible should be apprehended. FITNESS FOR PROFESSION For the most part, students of engineering colleges have had their interests in applied science awakened at a relatively early age. Many of them entered college as a convenient means of acquiring a technical education, but undoubtedly would have had better prospects in a shorter program offered by institutions of noncollege grade. The activating motive of practical interest is also strong in students suitable for college training, but in many cases an intellectual interest must be awakened in order that it may survive graduation. Numerous engineers believe that this progressive process of selection and determination of career aims is one of the essential services rendered by the engineering colleges. Industrialists, who are more interested in quality than quantity of petroleum engineering graduates, have pointed out the good that should result if more empha¬sis were given to the work of eliminating the misfits. They also point out the protective measures that have been taken by other professions for the betterment of professional standards. Mention has been made of the beneficial results to be obtained by collective determination of the market for the products of engineering schools, particularly in that the students unsuited to the profession would have an opportunity to prepare themselves for employment more suited to their personalities and other qualifications. In the event that such a system of coordinated personnel direction is developed by the

Jan 1, 1941

By Jesse Jones

1. BRINELL tests at progressively increasing temperatures are given for a representative lead-base and a representative tin-base babbitt, showing that the former has superior resistance to deformation at the working temperatures of bearings. 2. Small squares of bearing bronze, tinned and then babbitted with a representative lead-base babbitt and a representative tin-base. babbitt were subjected to compressive loading. The lead-base babbitt showed less average compression than the tin-base babbitt. Compression did not materially increase the Brinell hardness of the babbitts. 3. A process and a tool are described for giving smoother and more accurate surfaces to bearings than has heretofore been possible. The following experiments have recently been carried out in the chemical laboratory of the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co., Pittsburgh, Pa. While the work is incomplete, it is described at the present time because data on the comparative merits of lead-base and tin-base babbitts are of interest in connection with the present shortage of tin.

Jan 8, 1918