Search Documents

By A. A. Smith, J. S. Smart

THE elements silver, cadmium, tin, antimony and tellurium either are found as impurities in commercial coppers or are intentionally added to produce coppers for special uses, When present in small quantities, each of these metals exerts a significant effect on the properties of copper, but despite considerable experience and investigation much remains to be learned about their specific behavior. The presence of extraneous elements, particularly oxygen, complicates the study of individual additions of impurities in the range 0 to 0.05 per cent, and the use of high-purity copper has been found extremely helpful in circumventing these difficulties. It has also been found that individual behavior can be satisfactorily determined from measurements of two commercially important properties, conductivity and softening temperature, according to methods that have been described previously.1,2 Data of this type, obtained in the course of a general investigation of the effects of impurities on the properties of both oxygen-bearing and oxygen-free copper are presented herewith. All samples except those containing cadmium were prepared as 3/8-in. continuously cast oxygen-free rod from pure copper and weighed amounts of a similarly synthesized master alloy. Composition was checked by chemical methods, which in every case verified the calculated analyses. Test wires were cold-drawn one B. and S. number per pass on a string-up machine using four 30-min. 600°C. anneals at 0.3125, 0.257, 0.204 and 0.162 in. and a final cold reduction of 75 per cent to 0.081 in. Some oxygen-bearing samples were produced directly from the 3/8-in. oxygen-free rods by diffusion from a surface scale at 850°C. and drawn to size as listed above, but most of the alloys were remelted in pure graphite and cast through air into a I-in. round mold, The slugs were then hot-rolled to 5/16 in., drawn to 0.162 in., annealed as listed above, and drawn to 0.081 inch. Conductivity wires were annealed for I hr. at 100°C. intervals between 300° and 800°F., using a hydrogen atmosphere for oxygen-free samples and purified nitrogen for the oxygen-bearing type, All samples were quenched from the annealing temperature in 10 per cent H2SO4 and conductivity was measured on a Hoopes bridge that had been checked against a Kelvin bridge. The softening temperatures represent the half-hard stage of the annealing curve as determined by a standard procedure.1 EFFECT OF SILVER Numerous excellent studies of the argentiferous coppers are found in the literature, and these have been adequately

Jan 1, 1943

By W. L. Batt

MODERN war means mechanization, and mechanization means raw materials, especially minerals-and lots of them. Let me recall a few events of recent history-events that constitute mile- stones down the road to the war now blazing on three continents and threatening to spread still farther. In 1932, Japan took Manchuria, largely upon the excuse that she needed raw materials; in 1935, Italy invaded Ethiopia, largely upon the excuse that Mussolini's growing nation needed raw materials-in this case oil; from 1933 to 1935, Germany cried out for a greater share of the world's natural wealth, and since 1938 has invaded or occupied ten other countries, frequently upon the excuse that she needed-and had a right to-more raw materials.

Jan 1, 1940

By M. Mathieu

The Rove tunnel is the means by which the canal from Marseilles to the Rhone Riverl penetrates the hills of Nerthe, lying between Mar- seilles harbor and Lake Berre, Fig. 1. The canal will communicate at sea level with both terminals. The original project planned a lock near the village of Marignane; but observations, pursued for more than three years, showed that the water surface gradient would average only 0.015

Jan 1, 1923

By M. Mathieu

The Rove tunnel is the means by which the canal from Marseilles to the Rhone Riverl penetrates the hills of Nerthe, lying between Mar- seilles harbor and Lake Berre, Fig. 1. The canal will communicate at sea level with both terminals. The original project planned a lock near the village of Marignane; but observations, pursued for more than three years, showed that the water surface gradient would average only 0.015

Jan 1, 1923

By Garth M. Crosby

Seven mines with important production records in the Coeur d'Alene lie adjacent to the Gem stocks -the Frisco (Gem), Hercules, Interstate, Rex (Sixteen to One), Success (Granite), Sunset, and Tamarack. Old records are incomplete, but avail- able data given in Table I show these mines have produced 10,550,721 tons of ore containing more than 50 million oz of silver, more than 1.5 billion lb of lead, and about 1 billion lb of zinc (approximately 1.25 million tons of lead and zinc combined). Average ore grade is 4.8 oz of silver per ton, 7.2 pct Pb, and 4.6 pct Zn. This impressive production represents about 12 pct of the District's yield. At present metal prices, with modern beneficiation, the gross value would be more than $400 million.

Jan 7, 1959

By Andrew Balint, Peter Cammack

When coal is irradiated by the X-rays emitted from a plutonium 238 isotope, the radiation absorbed by elements of low atomic number (carbon and hydrogen) is lower than that absorbed by elements of high atomic number (silicon, aluminium, iron) which form the ash in coal. The differences are reproducible and readily measurable, and this paper describes how this technique is used to determine the ash content of coal and to optimize measurement accuracy. Uses of the output signal are given with an example of a simple control circuit, and the advantages of instantaneous ash measurement are highlighted in terms of operational convenience and profit.

Jan 1, 1977

INTRODUCTION It has been impossible for the student, the practicing engineer, and the geologist to find all of the essential elements of mineral appraisal and mineral economic analysis in a single text. Indeed, the most recent texts on mine evaluation are over 20 years old. Many of the basic principles of mine sampling and evaluation have not changed over the ensuing years, but with the advent of the digital computer the entire scope of mineral evaluation has been expanded to encompass superior techniques that heretofore were not possible when using manual methods. The old manual methods for ore reserve computations and the techniques for assignment of area of influence to drill-hole samples are now as antiquated as the Model-T Ford. With the computer making possible solutions that had not been practicable in terms of time and effort, it is important for the practicing explorationist and mining engineer to understand many of the new concepts and principles that can be applied with the resolving power of the computer. Many practicing mineral industry professionals have been disappointed by certain computer programs and thus have some reservations about computers being able to solve their very real problems. Often the gap between the practicing engineer and the ivory tower theoretician applying modern computer techniques is too broad to be bridged with scattered, fragmented publications. PURPOSE AND SCOPE OF TEXT It is the intent of this book to update and to unify a great many scattered reference works used in the mineral industry today. The ensuing pages are addressed both to the professional already working in the mineral industry who needs information on computerized methods as well as to the serious student seeking to grasp the fundamentals and modern techniques of mineral appraisal and feasibility. These techniques are based on sound mathematical principles and theory, with the computer as a tool-but a very essential tool-for the solution of the problems involved. The computer can be of value only if it is programmed by those having sufficient expertise to use its inherent problem-solving capability, and the output is interpreted by those who are sufficiently acquainted with its operation to understand the data it produces. In the pages that follow the author intends to outline in considerable detail all the essen-

Jan 1, 1980

By Charles Macdonald

It may seem to be almost unnecessary to occupy the time of the Institute in further consideration of a question which has been so comprehensively treated in papers already on file in our own Transactions and in those of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Unfortunately, however, the results of these concerted efforts have not been materially to increase our stock of Knowledge in the direction sought for; and as the necessity for this information is becoming.more and more apparent as the demand for structural materials increases, it is believed that by continuing the agitation by means of discussions in this and kindred societies, whose members are vitally interested in obtaining reliable data as to the properties of the materials they are called upon to work with, public opinion may be educated up to the importance of exerting such an influence upon the law-makers of the country as will result in the formation of a competent board, with adequate means at its disposal, to carry out this great work in a manner alike acceptable to the makers and users of the materials in question. It may be proper in the first place to glance briefly at what has been attempted thus hr, then to indicate some of the more important lines of needed investigation, and finally to consider reasons why government aid may with propriety be sought for in carrying on the work. At a convention of the Society of Civil Engineers held at Chicago June 5th, 1872, it was, on motion of General William Sooy Smith, resolved, that, " Whereas, American engineers are now mainly dependent upon formula for the calculation of strength of the different form of iron and steel, not based on experiments upon American materials and manufacture; and " Whereas, There differ greatly in many of their ch~racteristics front thoae of foreign production, both in their nature and forma: therefore,

Jan 1, 1882

By Joseph P. Hodgson

In 1880, mining operations were commenced at the Copper Queen mine. The famous Queen ore body, which extended to the surface, was first quarried from a large open cut in the outcrop. The ore body was followed down to the 300 level with the Queen incline, and stoped. This, we believe, marks the introduction of square setting in the Bisbee district, which is still the method most generally used. Orebodies The orebodies in the Copper Queen mine occur in the limestones, and the main portion of the ore has been mined from the Abrigo, Martin, and Escabrosa limestones. mile the orebodies outcrop in the extreme western end of the mine, the general dip is to the east and south, at an angle of about 20°, although this dip is not by any means regular, being, in fact, very irregular locally. The ore is remarkable for its variableness in character, some of it being very soft, requiring a large amount of timber, and other portions consisting of extremely hard sulphides. The orebodies, in general, while remarkable for their continuity, are very irregular, both as to shape and size. The mine having been in operation so many years, and mining having been prosecuted over such a large area, the operations have caused the shrinkage of the overburden, and there is a constant movement, which is shown by large cracks and interstices in the surface rocks, which largely contribute to the very high deadwork or maintenance cost of the mine. It is surprising that for year 1913 it cost almost $400,000 just for the one item of repairs and dead work in this property. Haulage and Hoisting The underground openings have been extended in the neighborhood of 200 miles. The ore hoisting is performed at a centrally located shaft, the Sacramento, to which all the ores from different parts of the mine are conveyed by electric haulage, of which there was slightly over 9 miles in operation in 1913. The hoisting levels at the Sacramento shaft are placed 200 ft. apart, commencing at the 400 level and continuing down to the 1,600 level, the average hoisting distance being 1,000 ft. The

Jan 1, 1915

Greater automation of facilities is probably the best hope of the mining industry in its efforts to surmount continually rising labor costs. Underground mining, with its inherently low unit labor output, is especially vulnerable to rising costs, and here maximum automation is becoming increasingly important. One area of such operations that has been receiving a great deal of investigation is that of ore haulage and hoisting, two steps that often account for 10-35% of underground operating costs. Innovations and experimentation by mining firms and manufacturers over the past few years have resulted in larger, faster and more efficient tramming and hoisting equipment, but the White Pine Copper Co., at its operation in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, is preparing to start up an entirely new concept in haulage later this summer. Known as the Dashaveyor System, it consists of individually powered modules (cars) that run on tracks inside a rectangular tube or on an open trackway at predetermined speeds up to 50 mph. At White Pine the Dashaveyor will be used to carry ore (crushed underground to -10 in.) from the mine to the concentrator. Dr. James Boyd, president of Copper Range Co., which is a 25% shareholder in The Dashaveyor Co., has indicated that if the Dashaveyor meets the expectations for surface operation, it will also be used underground for ore transport in place of the several miles of conveyor belts currently in use (Business Week, July 29, 1967).

Jan 7, 1968

By J. R. Dawson, J. A. Glunt

Vesta No. 4 and 5 mines supply most of the high volatile coal required for Jones & Laughlin's by-product coke plants. Until 1944 all coal produced in these mines was loaded by hand. Pressure to mechanize at Vesta was brought on by the manpower shortage in World War II, and in 1943 a decision was made to change to mechanical loading. It was the opinion of those concerned that by use of selective mining the coal would be clean enough to be processed by the existing preparation plants. At that time coal cleaning at Jones & Laughlin consisted of hand picking the larger sizes at the mine tipples and wet washing at plants located at the Pittsburgh and Aliquippa Works. A typical section of the Pittsburgh seam as it occurs at Vesta is shown in Fig. 1. The 14 to 16 in. of drawslate immediately over the coal is too soft to be used for roof and must be taken down, leaving the rooster coal just above for roof. In selective mining an attempt is made to mine the coal under the drawslate first and then load out the drawslate separately as refuse. In full seam mining slate and coal are shot down at the same time and loaded out.

Dec 1, 1956

By Heath B. Fowler

The surface mining operations of the Simplot Fertilizer Co. are on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation approximately 16 miles east of Fort Hall, Idaho (Fig 1). The Phosphoria formation outcrops in sec. 2, 3, 11, 14, 15, 22 and 27, T 4 S, R 37 E, Boise Meridian. The ownership of these phosphate-bearing lands is divided between individual Indians and the Bannock-Shoshone Tribe, and the royalties are paid to the respective owners on a tonnage basis, as the rock is mined. The geology and mineral resources of the Fort Hall Reservation were studied by the U. S. Geological Survey in 1913 and reported on in 1920. † However, it was not until the winter of 1945 that exploratory work was undertaken by private enterprise. Diamond drilling was begun by the Simplot Fertilizer Co. in April 1946, and stripping operations were started in June. A camp was established near

Jan 1, 1950

The early Spanish adventurers found but little gold or silver on the American mainland, and the aborigines in the country that is now the United States were not as submissive as those of the West Indies, so the conquistadores obtained no foothold north of the Caribbean sea. Their later exploration north- ward had Mexico as a base-and wild yarns as a basis. The friar Marcos, a member of Estevanico's unfortunate expedition, brought the story of the Seven Cities of Cibola to Mexico City in 1539. Except as Indian hovels,* they existed only in a disordered imagination, but when Váquez de Coronado's expedition pricked the glittering bubble, there appeared an enticing mirage in the northern desert: the glorious land of Quivira, where even-the common pitchers and bowls were made of solid gold. Coronado proceeded northward and found only enormous herds of buffalo on the plains of Texas. It was a melancholy land. No gold or silver was to be seen among the poor Indians. Coronado reached the country of the Wichitas, in Kansas, before he abandoned his quest and turned home, which he reached, with only a third of his party, hungry and tattered, in 1542. So long as greed stimulates the imagination there will be no lack of tales such as those that repeatedly led the Spaniards to the rainbow's end. In 1860 an expedition was organized in San Francisco by Dr. Darwin French to explore the desert country near Owens lake on the news that the Indians in those parts shot golden bu1lets.t The fact that the savages were known to possess few guns did not discredit the tale, which

Jan 1, 1932

By W. B. Lewis, M. E. True, M. C. Leverett

Tars paper states the theory underlying the design of two kinds of dimensionally scaled models of parts of idealized oil fields. One of these simulates an oil well and its surrounding sand for a distance of 16 ft. radially from the well. The other model simulates linear flow through layered sands. Construction and operation of the models are described and typical data are given. The unique features in the design of the models are: (I) the treatment of the permeability-viscosity quotient as a single variable and (2) the use of previously reported experimentally developed relations between relative permeability and saturation and capillary pressure, saturation, porosity, perm ability and interfacial tension. The models at present simulate flow of oil and water only, through unconsolidated sands. They are superior to unscaled models, which may give rise to erroneous conclusions. The models are designed to study the desirability of various methods of sell completion and the effects of various factors on recovery of oil from layered sands.

Jan 1, 1942

By Roshan B. Bhappu, Ronald J. Roman, Dexter H. Reynolds

The reaction between manganese dioxide and molybdenite in a water- sulfuric acid medium was studied at atmospheric pressure and from 25° to 103°C. Both solids are dissolved to give, as final products in solution, Mo(VI), S(VI), and Mn(II). Stoichiornetric relationshifis are most simply represented by the equation MoSz + YMnO2 + 15H+ - HMoO-4 + 2HSO-4 + 9Mn++ + 6H20 The rate of this reaction was found to be dependent on temperature, manganese sulfate concentration, acid concentration, and, in a complex way, the surface areas of both manganese dioxide and molybdenite. Both the total amount of manganese dioxide and tnolybdenite and the ratio of manganese dioxide to molybdenite played a part in determining the over-all rate of the reaction. The effect of acid concentration on the rate was also dependent on the ratio of manganese dioxide to molybdenite. SEVERAL reports in the literature describe reactions using manganese dioxide in water-sulfuric acid media as an oxidizing agent. Nearly all previous work describes interactions between an ion and manganese dioxide, such as the oxidation of ferrous to ferric iron,' or the interaction between a molecule in solution and manganese dioxide, such as the oxidation of toluene to benzaldehyde.2 Only a few references describe the use of solid manganese dioxide to oxidize another solid in sulfuric acid. One report3 states, "Manganese dioxide in dilute sulfuric acid solutions had no beneficial effect (in leaching copper from chalcopyrite), but in more concentrated acid solutions the rate of solution was about the same as that for permanganate." In 1902 a German patent4 described a process which used manganese dioxide in strong (50°Be') sulfuric acid for oxidizing chromite ores to soluble iron and chromium salts. The process consisted of mixing the sulfuric acid with the finely ground ore and manganese dioxide. The pulp was then heated to about 120°C and an electric current passed through it. The manganese dioxide apparently dissolved in the strong, hot acid solution, oxidized the iron and chromium and itself was reduced to manganese 11! then was oxidized at the anode back to manganese dioxide, and the cycle repeated. An extensive study5 of the kinetics of the oxidation of pyrite with manganese dioxide indicated that in dilute sulfuric acid solutions (about 0.1 N) and at elevated pressures the dissolution of the pyrite was brought about by air oxidation of the iron to ferrous sulfate, followed by manganese dioxide oxidation of the ferrous sulfate to ferric sulfate. The mechanism proposed by the authors involved the oxidation of the iron at the surface of the manganese dioxide. Also! the oxidation of sulfide sulfur to sulfate was credited to the oxygen in the air, not to the manganese dioxide. Since the metallurgical literature is lacking in information concerning the use of one solid to oxidize another solid. the current investigation was under-

Jan 1, 1965

By Kenneth C. Vincent, A. M. Gaudin

IN a study1of the action of amyl xanthate on chalcocite in water suspension, it was found that if the xanthate is added in relatively large quantity the xanthate group can be accounted for in three forms: (1) as xanthate ion remaining in water, (2) as benzene-soluble cuprous xanthate on the chalcocite, (3) as a benzene-insoluble coating on the chalcocite. Reduction in the amount of xanthate added leads to disappearance of form 1 then of form 2. With minute quantities of added xanthate, substantially all the reagent is of the "unleachable" kind. Yet this unleachable xanthate can be dissolved by pyridine to form a soluble cuprous xanthate complex, and it is sufficient in effectiveness to make chalcocite flotable even if insufficient in quantity to form a complete monomolecular film on the mineral. In that study it was also found that chalcocite abstracts cuprous xanthate from benzene solution, in what may (or may not) be a case of molecular adsorption. It seemed desirable, therefore, to study further the "unleachable" xanthate on the chalcocite, and particularly to ascertain whether it is formed as a result of the benzene leach or is actually formed during the conditioning of chalcocite in aqueous xanthate solution. A splendid tool to make such studies has recently been perfected; that is, the use of radioactive spies or tracer atoms. With this tool, it was thought possible to answer the problem stated above, but, unfortunately, this did not prove to be true. Answer to the flotation question was clouded by the existence of rapid and selective diffusion of copper atoms in the solid mineral-a phenomenon that was totally unexpected yet remains interesting and perhaps important. METHOD OF RADIOACTIVE SPIES The method of radioactive spies is discussed in many places. Two convenient references are the article by Evans2 and the book by Pollard and Davidson.3 The method was first developed by Von Hevesy and Paneth in 1913, when only natural radioactive isotopes were available. These isotopes are few in number, and so the method remained limited in scope. Recently the synthesis of over 350 active isotopes of all the known stable chemical elements4 has opened widely expanded possibilities for the method. A fundamental tenet of the method is that a radioactive atom and a nonradioactive atom are exactly alike until disintegration of the radioactive atom. Then, by its sudden death, the spy reveals its location. The relative abundance of spies at various locations makes it possible to ascertain the relative abundance of the corresponding nonradioactive atoms at the same times and locations. A second fundamental tenet of the method of radioactive tracers is that the radioactivity lies in the nucleus of the atom: transfer of radioactivity from one

Jan 1, 1944

By E. C. Franz

IN an effort to understand high cycle fatigue, as well as to study the mechanism of fracture in general, a number of researches have been undertaken whereby the fracture properties of a metal have been determined under conditions of repeated cyclic prestsain employing high strains with relatively few cycles. Liu, Lynch, Ripling, and Sachs' showed the effect of a definite strain history consisting of small increments of tensile or compressive prestrain upon the flow and fracture characteristics of metals after a limited number of repeated loadings. Liu and SachsW emonstrated by cyclic straining of the aluminum alloy 24s-T4 that the least reduction in ductility was obtained when the compressive stress was nearly equal to the tensile stress. Attempts have been made to correlate the reduction in ductility under such prestraining with conventional fatigue data, as was done by Liu and co-workers.' The following research was conducted to determine if such reduction as has been noted could be correlated with conventional fatigue data or whether the effect resulted from causes extraneous to the basic mechanism of fatigue failure such as strain aging. It might be pointed out in this connection that the reduction in ductility has occurred in alloys that might be susceptible to strain aging or similar behavior, such as alloy 24s-T4. In the present investigation, the test specimens were prepared from the aluminum alloy 75s-T6 and annealed electrolytic copper. Alloy 75s-T6 is a complex precipitation hardenable alloy, whereas electrolytic copper would not be expected to exhibit strain aging effects, particularly at room temperature. The experimental procedure consisted of prestraining test specimens repeatedly by increasing tension in small increments to various total prestrain values, followed by testing to failure in a tension test. The prestraining as well as the final testing was performed on a tensile machine using special fixtures9 0 maintain concentricity of the specimens. After prestraining, the specimens were unloaded as rapidly as possible and immediately reloaded so that the total time lapse between strains was held to a few seconds. Logarithmic or true natural strain was used in all calculations. The results are presented in Figs. 1 and 2. In Fig. 1, the retained ductility, area after prestrain area at fracture is plotted against the tensile prestrain, initial area area after prestrain as abscissa with the number of stress reversals executed to attain the required prestrain plotted as parameter. Several specimens that fractured during

Jan 1, 1955

By James Douglas

American metallurgical inventions have not always been absolute metallurgical improvements, if accurate work be the standard of comparison; but when we review the new methods and machinery which have been generally accepted, we find that some have become essential to the metallurgist the world over, while all are so admirably adapted to the peculiar requirements of our local conditions that they have entirely supplanted foreign processes and appliances. The necessity of diminishing to the utmost the employment of labor (owing to its great cost), and the inexorable requirements of our modern joint-stock corporate system, which demands that large quantities be worked up in order to secure large returns, regardless betimes of waste, have been the impelling motives to invention, and indicate the special directions in which originality has been exercised. As might be anticipated, the West has been the most fertile field of inventions by miners and metallurgists, by reason of its great and varied mineral wealth, locked up in ores sometimes lean and often of intricate composition, which must be profitably handled, at a great distance from fuel and from building-materials, by workmen who are paid wages very much higher than those received by their fellow-workmen of like craft in Europe, and in some localities twice as high as those paid for like services even in the eastern States. Moreover, paradoxical as it may seem, the technical inexperience of many of those engaged in mining and metallurgy has helped rather than hindered the progress of invention; fop while there may have been ignorance, there has been radical freedom from

Jan 1, 1894

By Albert R. Ledoux

In Great Britain all analytical chemists are styled assayers, but in the United states a slight distinction is made, assayers being considered those analytical chemists who have chiefly to do with the determination of the precious metals. There have grown up around the assayers of precious metals a number of customs and traditions which, as a rule, do not fetter American chemists when called upon to determine the composition or constituents of any samples submitted to them for analysis. In Great Britain, on the other hand, trade-customs even go to the extent of enforcing the employment of an admittedly erroneous atomic weight in certain alkali-determinations. If the American chemist is asked to determine the amount of lime in a water, potash in an alkali, or silica in an ore, the owner of the sample does not presume to suggest what method he shall employ, nor does he question his report on the ground that he should employ another method. But even in America it is different with the assayer. Unfortunately for the guild, as well as for those who have to base business operations on the reports of assayers, customs and traditions as well as divergent interests seek to circumscribe him in his choice of method and sometimes dictate how he shall perform his operations. This was true at one time of copper, which to-day in England is still determined by the so-called Cornish fire-assay, an attempt to imitate in the laboratory the various metallurgical operations in the smelting-works; but nowhere in this country is the assayer forced to employ any particular method for determining copper so long as his certificate indicates the true total percentage of copper in the sample. It is true that both buyers and sellers demand use of the electrolytic method, but only because it is the most accurate. In America the trade accepts the assayer's statement as final, and makes

Jan 1, 1895

By Milton E. Wadsworth, J. Brent Hiskey

Galvanic interaction between particulate chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) and copper results in the rapid conversion of chalcopyrite to chalcocite. The effects of temperature, surface area, concentration of sulfuric acid and agitation were systematically evaluated. The kinetics were found to be controlled by a steady-state current flow controlled by the effective anodic and cathodic surface areas involved in the galvanic couple. The experimental activation energy was 11.5 and stoichiometric data and reaction products have been characterized. The overall kinetic system has been evaluated based upon an electrochemical model.

Jan 1, 1974