Search Documents

By Andrews Allen

THE large increase in the wages of mine workers makes it imperative that all factors tending to limit production per miner be eliminated, if possible. The trolley and storage-battery locomotive, mining machine, hoisting engine, mining system, etc. have increased the possible output per man. But this output is still limited by the capacity of the hoisting engine and cable and by the size of the mine car. The superiority of skip hoisting in metal mining is shown by its almost universal adoption. By varying the size of skip and the rope speed, any desired hoisting tonnage can be secured and, since only one kind of material is handled and breakage is unimportant, the loading of the skips can be easily and cheaply effected from bins into which the cars are dumped. The cars may then be designed to fit the conditions in the mine instead of being a compromise between hoisting and mining conditions, very likely suiting neither. In coal mines, the usual practice has been to hoist the car to the surface, either on platform or self-dumping cages. Of late years the number of skip-hoisting plants in coal mines has been rapidly increasing, but there is more or less inertia to overcome in establishing so radical a change in practice; also the earlier skip operations were not uniformly successful. As a result, it became evident that metal-mining practice would require radical modification before skip hoisting could be successfully used in coal mining.

Jan 2, 1921

By Shiou-Chuan Sun

THERE are several postulations for the mechanism of slime-coating. Ince1 proposed the electrostatic hypothesis, del Giudice2 suggested the chemical theory; Bankoff3 reported that slime-coating is inhibited whenever the surfaces of the slime particles are ionized sufficiently for Brownian movement to occur, and is facilitated when they are not. These postulations were examined by experiments involving the Burton tube, the cataphoretic cell, and slime-coating. The techniques involved will be described elsewhere in this paper. The electrostatic hypothesis, supported by migration experiments in a Burton tube, was abandoned by del Giudice.2 Experiments of mineral migration in a Burton tube, after the idea of Ince with modification, indicated that this apparatus was inefficient for accurate observation. A cataphoretic cell was constructed. The experimental data, as shown in this paper, enable the correlation and advancing of this hypothesis. Del Giudice's chemical hypothesis considered that slime particles are attached to the galena surfaces by a cement formed as the result of a metathetical reaction between the sulphide and the slime particles. Applying this hypothesis, the calcite slime particles were cemented to the galena surface by the formation of a cementing lead carbonate. In a similar way, lead silicate was considered as the cement of quartz slime coating on galena. Experiments verifying this hypothesis were carried out according to the following procedure: Fresh mineral particles selected from the central part of the broken lumps and examined first under a microscope for ascertaining a clean surface were placed in a small beaker (1.5-in. dia. by 2.5 in. deep) half filled with one kind of slime pulp. The dilution of all slime pulp was 4: 1 and the particle size of slime was minus 400-mesh. After agitation for 5 min. the specimen was removed by a sharp-end tong and washed gently three times in three separate distilled water baths. It was dried before a small electrical fan and examined immediately under a microscope. A photograph was made of the observation. With reference to the published solubilities,4 several of these experiments, which contradict the chemical hypothesis, are listed as following: I. The coating of fluorite slime on the galena surface was light but the coating of galena slime on the fluorite surface was heavy. In a similar way, the coating of quartz slime on the galena was fairly light, but the coating of galena slime on the quartz particle was heavy. According to the chemical hypothesis, using the same constituents and regardless of which is the slime, the density of the coating should be expected to be the same. This, however, as shown above, is not true. Moreover, fluorite (CaF2), having a solubility of 16 mg.[4a] per liter of water, should not be

Jan 1, 1943

By A. G. Worthing

Black: Bodies.-In the ordinary conception, a black object is an opaque object that reflects but little of the light that is incident on it. This means naturally that such an object is a good absorber of luminous radiation. The black body; which is so closely connected with high-temperature measurements, represents the limit in blackness of all black objects. It is a body that not only absorbs all visible radiations but also all other radiations in the infra-red and the ultra-violet regions of the spectrum which are incident on it. No substance is known that is completely black; platinum black, one of the nearest if not the nearest representative of the ideal, reflects 1 per cent. or so of ordinary visible radiation. The closest approach to the ideal is a small opening in the wall of a relatively large opaque cavity. Any radiation incident on this black body will be almost completely absorbed if the relative dimensions are properly chosen no matter what the material may be. The great difference between the blackness of such a cavity and of lampblack, for instance, will be apparent to one who makes the simple test. Non-black Bodies.-The field of non-black bodies covers all real bodies. Their characteristics are extremely varied. So far as absorption of radiation-is concerned, these bodies range practically from the almost completely black, platinum-black, and lampblack, which absorb all but a fractional part of 1 per cent. or so of the incident radiation, by an infinite variety of steps to freshly polished silver, which ordinarily absorbs only a few per cent. The exact percentage absorbed depends not only on the nature of the incident radiation, but also on the temperature of the body, the condition of its surface, the angle of incidence, the nature of the surrounding medium, and on certain other less important conditions. As consequences of these varied characteristics, we have not only the differences of color of ordinary objects, but also the changes of color that any one object undergoes on heating or when lighted front various directions. This complexity of the phenomena, in a way, is responsible for the meagerness of knowledge, regarding materials at elevated temperatures. Measurement of High Temperatures.-Excepting in cases where the thermocouple or the gas thermometer are applicable, in which case the temperatures obtained are true temperatures regardless of-the material" studied, high, temperatures are almost always, if not always, determined from measurements of radiation. In fact, determinations of temperature from this latter point of view are often so much more convenient than the thermocouple and especially the gas-thermometer determinations that, in the region where all of these types of measurements may be made, the radiation measurements are often preferred. This is true even though the temperatures usually thus directly determined are not the actual temperatures, a consequence of the sources of the radiation being non-black bodies; in other words, a consequence of being concerned with iron, or glass, or tungsten instead of small openings leading to relatively large-cavities uniformly heated. Coordination of Experimental Results.-In order that data on iron, glass, tungsten, or other non-black bodies obtained in one laboratory, may be, correlated with similar data obtained elsewhere, temperatures must be expressed on a common scale. The true temperature scale is the natural scale for this purpose it is ordinarily the scale to which all other temperatures can be most directly reduced. When the measurements depend on the radiation, a knowledge of emissive powers repre-

Jan 9, 1919

By Joseph C. Kieffer

THE Duquesne property of the Callahan Zinc-Lead Co. is about 20 miles east of Nogales, in southern Arizona. One mine is near the mill, but most of the mill feed is hauled in by truck from a number of small mines. The same sulphides are found in all the ores, in general, but the amounts vary considerably. All ores contain silver, copper, lead and zinc minerals but one mine ships ore high in silver and lead and low in copper and zinc; while another mine ships ore high in copper and zinc, and low in silver and lead. The common sulphides are galena, carrying most of the silver; chalcopyrite; sphalerite, carrying iron in solid solution; and pyrite, in a gangue consisting of limestone, quartz and garnet. Mineralization is fairly coarse. At the present grind of about 66 per cent minus 200 mesh most of the sulphides are liberated. A small amount of chalcopyrite is locked up with the sphalerite and cannot be liberated at an economic grind, and the copper carried into the zinc concentrate with the sphalerite accounts for the comparatively poor recovery of copper in the copper-lead concentrate. PRODUCTION OF TWO CONCENTRATES The milling problem, which was complicated by the extreme variation in the grade of the feed, was first attacked with the idea of producing a silver-copper-lead concentrate and a zinc concentrate, both with satisfactory grades and recoveries. By February I94I, it was felt that these objectives had been attained, when the grades of the various products and the recoveries were as shown in Table I. [ ] A rough outline of the flowsheet and reagents used is as follows: Minus ¾ -in. feed to a 7-ft. by 36-in. Hardinge ball mill working in closed circuit with a 36-in. Wemco classifier. The classifier overflow passes to the second cell of an 8-cell bank of No. 18 Special Denver Sub-A flotation machines (volume, 22.5 cu. ft. per cell). A rougher concentrate is removed from the second to the fifth cells inclusive, and returned to the first cell, which is the cleaner. A scavenger concentrate is removed from the sixth, seventh, and eighth cells, and returned to the third cell. Consump

Jan 1, 1942

By Frederick J. McGarry, Fred Moavenzadeh

An experimental investigation of the thermal and mechanical responses of rock materials to laser radiation is described. Specifically, the following three topics have been studied in detail: 1. Temperature measurements on thin discs subjected to laser radiation. 2. Strain measurements on thin discs subjected to laser radiation. 3. Observation and evaluation of cracking and spalling phenomena in constrained and unconstrained thin discs respectively, subjected to laser radiation. In conjunction with the experimental work done, use was made of a heat flow analysis and a stress analysis program developed for this purpose. It was possible to theoretically predict the thermal and mechanical responses of a rock specimen to laser radiation and then compare them with experimental observations. Good correlations were obtained.

Jan 1, 1971

By John J. Schanz

INTRODUCTION The two prior Seeley W. Mudd books on mineral economics devoted their final chapters to themes having to do with the future. In 1932, the last chapter in Mineral Economics8 was "The Future Value of Mineral Property" by J. R. Finlay. Both the first edition (1959) of Economics of the Mineral Industries7 and the slightly revised second edition (1964) closed with "Minerals and Man's Future" by Zay Jeffries. We are not inclined in this third AIME volume on mineral economics to ignore the tradition of the prior volumes. Moreover, it always is fitting and proper to close a book about the mineral industries by examining in a rather general way the challenges and uncertainties that are perpetually strewn in our path as we pick our way into the future. Unlike its predecessor volumes, which were written to acquaint the nonspecialist with the economic characteristics of mineral resources and to provide data about the mineral industries, this edition was also designed with the mineral economics student and practicing specialist in mind. Thus it is anticipated that it will be both a reference as well as suitable for use as a textbook. Consequently, this closing examination of our changing perspectives about mineral resources devotes some space to the past events and current status of mineral economics as a field of study. The fears and forecasts of the past can be a perceptive and usually deflating way to begin an examination of the future. As we look up and down the track of time from the 1975 platform, we find that many of the past views of the future were transient in character, others were imperfect in their prognosis, while others were based on fears that now seemed unfounded. But down through the years some of the observations or expressions of concern have a persistency which perhaps reflects some elemental characteristics of mineral resources. On these "truths" rest our contemporary understanding of the economics of the mineral industries. The uncertainties and priorities for the next 25 or more years, not surprisingly, have a somewhat different mix than those that seemed most compelling to our predecessors in 1932 or 1959. So it is appropriate that we review how the perspective of the mineral economist has changed over the span of a half century. In light of the particular interest of AIME on the role technology must play, it is fitting that we close with some observations on that topic. THE EMERGENCE OF MINERAL ECONOMICS AS A FIELD OF STUDY The publication of Mineral Economics by the AIME in 1932 as a Seeley W. Mudd volume marked the end of emerging interest in

Jan 1, 1976

By L. L. Wyman

Previous studies1 by the writer dealing with the embrittlement of copper have been concerned with the behavior of various pure and deoxidized coppers when exposed to an oxidation-reduction cycle, and the consequent evaluation of these materials on the basis of their resistance to this action. No attention was devoted to the variations in penetration of embrittlement with time, when these copper materials are exposed to a strong reducing gas, such as hydrogen, nor to the variations in oxygen penetration, with time and temperature, into the "pure" coppers. The cause of the embrittlement is the reduction of the oxygen in the copper by the hot reducing gas, so that a consideration of time, temperature, the occurrence of hydrogen and oxygen must be given. For the purpose of differentiating some of the involved factors, the present work may be divided into two separate series of experiments. The first of these deals with the oxidation of purified coppers under various conditions and then the subjection of these to a standard hydrogen treatment. The second series concerns the reduction, under different conditions, of tough-pitch coppers of several oxygen contents. The resulting data will give the rates of oxidation, and of reduction, for the materials involved. The first series of experiments will reveal how rapidly copper may become oxidized, while the second series will indicate how rapidly embrittlement will penetrate into an oxygen-containing copper when it is exposed to hydrogen at different temperatures. Materials For the purpose of determining these variables, three types of material were selected, to cover the extremes in the ranges of materials commercially obtainable. The first class of materials is represented by an oxygen-free copper, as well as the high-purity vacuum-melted copper2 used in previous work. These materials were selected to determine the variation of oxidation with time and temperature, by oxidizing these coppers under various combinations of these factors, and noting the effect as indicated by a

Jan 1, 1934

By S. P. Kinney, A. J. Boynton

THIS paper is not the result of recent research with regard to any particular feature of iron metallurgy, blast-furnace practice or mechanical engineering. It is rather a series of notes with regard to contemporaneous progress in blast-furnace construction and operation, together with some suggestions as to changes and improvements that seem to be desirable. On April 1, 1930, a committee of the Chicago District Blast Furnace and Coke Association presented to that association a rather ambitious study of blast-furnace equipment, together with recommendations for the design of construction of a complete blast-furnace unit for the production of 1000 tons of pig iron per day. This report represented the result of months of study by members of the committee, all of whom were actively engaged in operation or design of blast-furnace plants. It is natural, therefore, that comments on the present state of the art should take this 1000-tons furnace, as recommended by the Association, as a basis for comparison with corresponding features of construction or design. See Table 1. In looking through this report at the present time, the significant difference is in the nature of the gas-washing equipment that today would be specified. In other respects, the installation would remain generally very much as it was outlined in 1930. The change in furnace dimensions would be very slight and of no especial significance, except with respect to changes in stock-line diameter, of which more will be said hereafter. The high-efficiency stove as developed by various designers is thoroughly described within this report, and few changes have taken place since. Blowing equipment shows refinement and reflects the improvement in steam engineering. Hoisting and charging equipment and ladles for the conveyance of iron and slag remain, in general, as they were in 1930. In accordance with a general tendency

Jan 1, 1935

By T. A. Wright

THE-Institute of Metals Division opened on Tuesday afternoon with Wheeler P. Davey as chairman and G. E. Edmunds as vice-chairman. Four papers were on the program, two being of a fundamental character. A paper on "Internal Surface in Minerals and Metals," by R. S. Dean and J. Roster, was presented by the latter; C. H. Gottschalk discussed coercive forces in powders. In answer to a question by the chairman. The author stated that he had not investigated [he temperature coefficient of resistance. A paper on "Recrystallization and Grain Growth in Cold Worked Polycrystalline Metals," by L. W. Eastwood, Arthur E. Bousu, 'and C. T. Eddy, was presented by Mr. Eastwood. A. great many quantitative data were given, with little reference to the theory. Theoretical considerations were discussed by Dr. Gottschalk, and C. A. Edwards of the University College of Wales, contributed very interesting comment on the relationship of size and critical strain. Dr. Edwards discussed the necessity of considering strain with time and temperature.

Jan 1, 1935

By K. F. G. Hosking

I read Professor Gaudin&apos;s paper with great interest and pleasure because for some time I have held that the chemical aspect of comminution is a subject of considerable importance to the mineral dresser and deserves to be thoroughly investigated. It does seem appropriate, however, to emphasize the fact that "fresh" edges and corners produced by the grinding of solids display enhanced reactivity has been recognized and utilized in the development of certain mineral identification techniques. Some of these techniques are worth noting, not only because they might facilitate research in the aspect of mineral dressing under discussion, but also because they emphasize the fact that many mineral species commonly regarded as being very inert can display a surprising reactivity when in the freshly ground state. In 1951 Isakov6 published a number of tests for the components of certain mineral species which depend essentially on grinding in a mortar a mixture of the material under investigation with a solid reagent. Thus when stibnite, 4(Sb2S3), is ground with sodium or potassium hydroxide. the antimony is revealed by a momentary development of a yellow color which changes in air to orange-red. Other antimony minerals need a preliminary treatment before the test can be carried out. This consists of grinding with aluminium sulfate, ferric sulfate or potassium bisulfate, and breathing upon the resultant mixture. I have employed a similar technique to determine the approximate magnesia content of certain limestones.&apos; The method depends essentially on the fact that when a sample of limestone is ground under controlled conditions with solutions of sodium hydroxide and Titan yellow the color of the final product is, within limits, a function of the amount of magnesia present. I have also shown that the components of a wide range of minerals can be identified by applying chemicals to their streaks on portions of vitrified, unglazed floor tiles, etc. Under such circumstances the diversity of the reactions which take place in the cold (because of the reactivity of fresh corners and edges) is surprising. Thus, for example, if a garnierite, (Ni,Mg)3Si2O5(OH)1, streak is treated first with a drop of 0.880 ammonia and then with a drop of a 1 pct alcoholic dimethyl-glyoxime it immediately becomes red, indicating the presence of nickel.&apos; Stevens and Carron9 have evolved a simple field test for distinguishing minerals by "abrasion pH." A soft nonabsorbent mineral is scratched in a drop of water on a streak plate until a milky suspension is formed. A piece of pH indicator paper is dipped into the suspension, after which it is removed and the maximum deviation from neutrality noted. When a hard mineral or one which absorbs water is being tested, fragments are first ground for 1 min with a few drops of water in a mortar to make a heavy suspension. The importance of the findings of such tests to mineral dressing may be judged by the abrasion pH values, Table 11, recorded by Stevens and Carron for certain species usually regarded as comparatively inert. The combined results Of the above researches clearly indicate that comminution is capable of altering the pH of a pulp and of causing the chemical nature of the surfaces of some of the components to be profoundly changed&apos; Depending On circumstances such surface alterations may have a beneficial or an adverse effect if these products are subsequently subjected to flotation. The tests also suggest that by grinding "inert" minerals with appropriate solid or liquid reagents "reactive" surfaces may be developed which might facilitate separations by flotation. It is an interesting and instructive problem to determine the reactions that are likely to take place when dry solid substances are subjected to comminution and to the unavoidable heat liberated during the process. To do this it is theoretically necessary to know the free energy values of the reactants and possible resultants, but unfortunately there is a dearth of such data! However, the heats of formation of many substances are known, and generally speaking, if in a reaction of the type AB + CD = AD + CB the sum of the heats of formation of AB and CD is less than that of AD and CB the reaction will probably proceed to the right. Thus, according to a note I have (the author of which I cannot name) if PbS (black) is warmed with CdSO, (white), PbSO., (white) and CdS (yellow) are formed, and that the reaction does, in fact, take place is indicated by the change in color of the mixture. The reaction is expected, as the sum of the heats of formation of PbS and CdSO, is less than that of PbSO, and CdS (as shown below). PbS + CdSO4 = PbSO4 + CdS 22.2 + 218.0 < 216.2 + 33.9 Finally, certain other aspects of the chemistry of comminution, which are neither mentioned by Professor Gaudin nor referred to by me are to be found in a paper by Welsh" and in the printed discussion thereof. A. M. Gaudin (author&apos;s reply)—The observations contributed by Dr. Hosking are indeed welcome, as they add to our experimental knowledge of a topic which is believed to be of the first importance. In connection with the experiments cited it should be kept in mind that oxidation, hydration, and carbonation at various rates should always be deemed to be possibilities when grinding is done in water or in air, even in "industrially dry" air. Special precautions might lead to sufficient minimizing of these reactions and to the assertion, instead, of deliberately-created reactions. The author wishes to thank Dr. Hosking for his contribution.

Jan 1, 1957

THE metal iron has physical arid chemical properties which are some- what different from those of steels, but a knowledge of the pure metal is a useful starting point in studying the behavior of steels. Solid iron exists in two different crystalline forms, called alpha (a) and gamma (?) iron the former being the ordinary form at room temperature. When heated above the "A2 point," 769 C (1416 F), the metal becomes nonmagnetic, and at the "A3 point," 911 C (1672 F), it undergoes a change in crystalline form to become gamma iron. 111 the range 769 to 911 C, it is sometimes called beta (ß) iron to distinguish it from the magnetic alpha, but the two are identical in crystal structure. When gamma iron is further heated to 1392 C (2538 F), it changes into delta (d) iron, which is identical with beta or nonmagnetic alpha iron. Pure iron melts (in an inert atmosphere) at 1536 C (2797 F); the melting point is generally lowered by alloys or impurities. PHYSICAL AND THERMAL PROPERTIES OF IRON Many of the properties of iron undergo abrupt changes at the transition temperatures.1 For example, in heating through the A3 point, a sudden shrinkage in volume occurs. Similarly, melting is attended by sharp physical changes such as an increase in volume. Table 16-1 contains a summary of the measured physical properties of pure iron at several temperatures. Usually the properties change smoothly with the range of stability of a given form, but this is not always true. For ex- ample, the specific heat reaches a sharp maximum at the A2 point al- though no transformation occurs. (See Fig. 14-1.) Solvent Powers of Liquid Iron. Liquid iron is capable of dissolving most of the other metals and many nonmetallic elements as well. Of the metals that are liquid at the melting point of iron, only lead, silver, and bismuth refuse to dissolve to an appreciable extent. Table 16-2 contains a list of the common elements classified with respect to their solubility in liquid iron. Those which are very soluble or practically insoluble require no further discussion, but several of the nonmetals that are gases and exhibit limited solubility are of considerable importance to us and merit more detailed consideration.

Jan 1, 1964

By Raymond L. Orr

Calorimetric measurements have been made of the heats of solution of gold axd indium in a number of liquid tin-rich alloys at a temperature of 705°K. Relative partial molar enthalpies of gold were determined as a function of dilute solute concentrations in the binary Au-Sn system and in the ternary Ag-Au-Sn and Au-In-Sn systems. Relative partial molar enthalpies of indium were determined for dilute solute concentrations in the In-Sn, Ag-In-Sn, and Au-In-Sn systems. Through application of the interaction coefficient concept introduced by Wagner and more recently extended by Lupis and Elliott, ualues have been obtained for the Au-Au, Ag-Au, Au-In, and Ag-In enthalpy interaction coefficients in liquid tin. The results are inte@reted in terms of solute atom distributions through comparisons with the predictions of dilute solution models. INTEREST in the thermodynamic behavior of dilute liquid alloys stems from two primary sources. From a practical viewpoint, it is often of importance to know or to be able to predict the effect that one solute will have on the thermodynamic properties of the other solutes in a multicomponent system. Studies of dilute solutions may also be rewarding from the theoretical point of view. Some of the difficulties arising from the more complex interactions possible in concentrated solutions are avoided, leading to easier interpretations in terms of solutibn models and bonding energies. For example, in a binary alloy the limiting values of the partial molar properties of the solute represent the case for which each solute atom is completely surrounded by atoms of the solvent, and no other interactions are possible. Solute - solute interactions in dilute solutions are conveniently treated by the interaction coefficient concept of ~agner.&apos; Using a Taylor series expansion for the logarithm of the activity coefficient, In yi, of a component, i, in a solution consisting of dilute solutes with atomic fractions xi, xj, xk, and so forth, in a solvent, s, and neglecting the second- and higher-order terms, Wagner obtained the expression: Where Wheyz is the limiting value of yi in the pure solvent, s. The interaction coefficients, e:, e:, and so forth, are defined by: Since yi is related to the excess partial molar Gibbs energy of component i by GfS = RT In yi, E: is re- ferred to as the "Gibbs energy interaction coefficient". Lupis and Elliott~ extended Wagner&apos;s treatment to the relative partial molar enthalpy, aHi, and the excess partial molar entropy, qS. They defined the enthalpy interaction coefficient as: and the excess entropy interaction coefficient as: leading to expressions similar to Eq. [I]: The three interaction coefficients are related by? The self-interaction coefficients, E:,qf,and at, represent the effects of interactions between atoms of component i in solvent s; €3, q{, and 03 represent the effects of interactions between i and j atoms in solvent s; and so forth. From the Maxwell-type relationships between partial molar quantities, it may be shown1&apos;2 that e{ = ej, r}\ =tj), and ai - crj. Experimental determination of the interaction coefficients requires extremely precise measurements of the appropriate properties as functions of solute concentrations in very dilute regions. Few such data exist for intermetallic alloys, even for binary systems, because of experimental difficulties. This is especially true with respect to enthalpy data for dilute alloys. Examination of the compilation of data for binary alloys by Hultgren, Orr, Anderson, and ~elle~~ reveals that determination of limiting values of &fii(Xi =0) often requires extrapolations to infinite dilution from xi = 0.05 to 0.10. Direct measurements of the enthalpy interaction coefficient, qi, for multicomponent systems are virtually nonexistent. This quantity is of course subject to direct calorimetric measurement, but its determination must be limited to cases where high experimental precision is possible. The heats of solution of gold and indium in liquid tin can be measured with relatively high precision, which makes determinations of 73 involving these metals as the measured solutes experimentally attractive. This paper presents the results of such determinations of the Au-Au, Ag-Au, Au-In, and Ag-In enthalpy interaction coefficients in liquid tin. MODELS FOR DILUTE-SOLUTION BEHAVIOR Random-Solution Behavior. In the quasi-chemical treatment of solutions, only nearest-neighbor bonds are considered, and a composition independent value

Jan 1, 1967

By C. K. Leith

In discussing the subject of mineral exploration, one is tempted to resort to reminiscence. I could tell of many missed opportunities, but I propose rather to outline certain changes in the methods and conditions of exploration which present new problems to the mineral explorers of today. Our subject might appropriately be called The Passing of the Old Time Prospector. The first question that presents itself is whether the job of mineral exploration is not already pretty well finished. The current market surplus of most minerals and the present overcapacity for production, with their attendant financial troubles, naturally raise the question whether the accumulation of reserves has not gone far enough for the present, and whether further exploration should not be left to some future time when consumption shall have caught up. Unquestionably we have gone far in the conquest of our physical environment, and the fear of shortage of minerals is less than formerly. For the time being there is no great need of further supplies for the world as a whole of many of the great essential minerals, coal, oil, copper, zinc, silver, and others. For a few minerals, such as gold and lead, the known future world supplies are not yet large enough. For all minerals the distribution is so unequal among the nations that exploration will continue in deficient areas in the attempt to make nations self-supporting.

Jan 1, 1932

By S. S. Nosseir

INTRODUCTION General Quebec Cartier Mining Co. (QCM) , Canadian subsidiary of U . S. Steel Corporation, operates two iron ore concentrators at the North Shore of Quebec, Canada. In its own operation at Mount-Wright, over 45 million tons per year of crude ore are ground, fully autogenous in six 32&apos; x 11-1/2 Dominion Engineering mills. At Fire Lake/Lac Jeannine operation, property of Sidbec Normines Incorporated (SNI), over 11 million tons per year of crude ore are now ground, fully autogenous, in twelve 18&apos; x 5&apos; Hardinge mills. The Lac Jeannine concentrator was originally constructed by Q.C.M. in 1960 and. was since operated, in beneficiating the Lac Jeannine ore deposit until fully depleted in 1977, at an annual capacity of 18 million tons of crude per year. In 1976, the new company, Sidbec Normines, was incorporated by Sidbec Corporation, British Steel Corporation and Quebec Cartier Mining Co., in proportional holding of approximately 51 to 41 to 8 percent respectively. Since the acquisition of the Fire Lake ore deposit and Jeannine concentrator by the new company, QCM has continued managing the mine and concentrator operaions for S idbec Normines Inc . Flow-Sheet Design Jeannine concentrator comprises twelve identical mill lines grinding the ROM from 8" top size to 14 mesh nominal size range. Driven by 600 H.P. motor at 13.4 RPM corresponding to 73% critical speed, each mill is operated in a closed circuit with two 5&apos; x 12&apos; vibrating screens dressed with 2.5 x 25 mm slot opening cloth. The ground product or screen undersize at an average grade of 33.4% Fe is beneficiated by gravity separation to produce 66.5% Fe concentrate grade at 42.7% weight recovery. At the rougher stage, each mill line con-tains 128 Humphrey 13- 1/2" pitch spirals which produce a final tailing, middling and concentrate products. The rougher concentrate - so produced - is classified by 64 Humphrey pocket sizers into an underflow, which is a final concentrate product and an overflow which is further upgraded by 64 cleaner spirals. The cleaner concentrate together with the pocket sizer &apos;s underflow are dewatered on a 13&apos;[6] horizontal filter. The rougher middling together with the cleaner tailing are recycled in a closed circuit with the spirals. The rougher tailing after dewatering by hydrocyclones is disposed of by a

Jan 1, 1982

By Douglas R. Piteau

Douglas R. Piteau (Engineering Geologist, De Beers Corp., Kimberley, South Africa; Presently Consulting Specialist at Nchanga Mine Open Pit, Chingola, Zambia)-Mr. Lutton is to be commeneded on his analyses and presentation of such practical data which can be used for predicting a preliminary optimum slope angle in rock. It appears that he assumes all slopes analyzed to be straight. Although there are overriding factors which affect the general slope configuration, such as structural discontinuities, ground water, and other environmental factors such as weathering conditions, regional stress, etc.,8 the affects of plan geometry under certain conditions also can be of outstanding importance. In investigation of natural slopes, for example, the effects of plan geometry are not entirely appreciated and it is in this respect that discussion is given. Experience in southern Africa has shown that the overall geometry of surface openings in rock, particularly those with dimensions of the order of 1500 ft or less, i.e., where radii of curvature of the slopes are less than, say, 700± ft, must be considered in rational slope-stability analyses. That is, the slope angle is not only a function of slope height, strength of the mass, and geometry of structural discontinuities, but also is dependent upon the plan geometry of the local slopes and the plan shape of opening. Technically speaking, adequate analysis of the slope must be three-dimensional, the third dimension being that of overall plan configuration and the analysis must incorporate its subsequent effects. However, current theories of slope stability all deal with the slope as a two-dimensional problem, i.e., a slice of unit length of an infinitely long slope is considered for a condition of plane strain. In this the tacit assumption is made that the plan radii of the crest and toe of the slope are infinite and no attention is given to the plan geometry of the slope. Clearly this is not the condition encountered in practice, particularly in open pit mining where excavations, relatively speaking, can be small and where these radii of curvature accordingly can have important affects on the slope stability. This is illustrated by the analyses of Piteau and Jennings 9 of the natural slopes which had developed around pipes of four diamond mines in the semiarid Kimberley area of South Africa. Although these slopes consist of dolerite overlying shale, the values of the slope angles of all the pits were corrected for a height of slope of 320 ft assuming that no dolerite occurred. This brought the data onto a comparable basis. These data were analyzed statistically and a clear empirical relationship, as is shown [in Fig. 4], is seen to have formed between angle of slope and curvature of slope, i.e., the angles of slope are greatest where the radii of curvature are least. Also, it can be seen that the slope of each line is different, indicating that the plan shape of the open pits also are significant, the curve being steepest for the open pits which are more circular in shape in contrast to those which are more elongated. The effect of slope curvature on the average angle of slope for the two extreme radii of 200 ft and 1000 ft for all four open pits is 39.5° and 27.3°, respectively. Hence, the concave curvature effect represents an average increase in slope angle of 12.2° from the essentially straight slope. In quantitative terms in Mr. Lutton&apos;s Fig. 2, this represents displacing the curve for a 320-ft pit from the second curve from the bottom (i.e., shale in subtropical climate) to that of the third from the bottom (i.e., quartzite in temperate environment).

Jan 1, 1972

By W. F. Kieschnick, and W. J. McGuire&apos, Eugene Harrison

This paper concerns the induction and extension of fractures into rock formations as involved in drilling, completing, and production stimulating operations on wells. Conclusions concerning formation breakdown are derived from (I) a review and extension of published analyses relating to mechanical theories of rock stress and the state of stress in the earth&apos;s crust and (2) a correlation of field data from fracturing operations. Conclusions concerning the mechanics of fracture extension, which indicate the relationship between fracture dimensions and rock properties, depth, and volume of injected fluid, are tentative and largely establish limits of relationships. These conclusions are derived from stress calculations, limited field data, and laboratory experimental studies. The experimental work involves the study of the stresses at the fracture boundaries and the geometry of pressurized fractures by means of photo-elastic modeling methods. Results of this investigation indicate that a large majority of pressure induced wellbore fractures are vertical, particularly in deeper wells; and variations in the pressures necessary to create and extend fractures can be explained largely on a basis of established rock properties. It is also shown that variations due to tectonic forces should usually be expected to be slight. Other results indicate that during that extension of fractures rather large fracture volumes are temporarily created by the parting of the formation. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of calculations and laboratory experiments concerning the mechanics of fracture induction and extension with a view to broadening existing knowledge relating to these phenomena. It is believed that continued progress in developing knowledge of this type is important to the further development of techniques for drilling and completing wells. When a wellbore is subjected to sufficiently high pressure, fracturing of the formation surrounding the well occurs. This phenomenon is a common cause of lost circulation during drilling operations, is a deliberately planned factor in most squeeze cementing operations, and is the controlling factor in many productivity stimulation operations. The exploitation of formation fracturing in recent years has been particularly impressive in sand-viscous fluid well stimulation treatments which were first introduced to the industry by the Stanolind research group1,2,3 several years ago. The borehole fracturing phenomenon has been analyzed mathematically by application of the principles defining the elastic and inelastic behavior of thick-walled cylinders of homogeneous, isotropic, and impermeable material.1,5,6 This basic argument is re-presented in this paper along with new considerations which strengthen it. In addition to these arguments relating to fracture induction some calculations and experimental results relating to the mechanics of fracture extension are presented. Since the nature of the pressure induced fracture at distances from the well is of great importance in considerations of well stimulation procedures there appears to be a need for an integrated approach which deals with the mechanics of fracture extension as well as with wellbore rupture.

Jan 1, 1955

By John Mark Patek

Knowledge of the relative floatability of silicate minerals is increasing in importance as flotation is being applied to the concentration of nonsulfides. Many silicates are in themselves commercial products amenable to concentration by flotation. Moreover, the selective flotation of other nonsulfide minerals, such as cassiterite, depends largely upon the floatability of associated gangue silicates. Differences in floatability existing between the various silicates have not- been sufficiently appreciated; for example, the feldspars that differ greatly in floatability have generally been merely treated as "feldspar." It was the purpose of the work described in this paper to determine by experiment the differences in floatability between silicates; to investigate the causes for such differences, and to discover a means of predetermining approximate floatability without the necessity of experimentation. Determining Floatability The relative floatability of 20 silicates so selected as to represent all of the more common silicate types1 was obtained by flotation tests enumerated in Table 1. The mineral to be floated was crushed dry on a steel plate, and screened repeatedly during crushing through an 80-mesh screen in order to produce a sand with all grains as close to 80 mesh as possible. The sand was placed in dilute (6N) hydrochloric acid until free of soluble foreign material, and then washed with tap water about ten times in order to remove both acid and fines. The resultant product, which averaged 82 per cent plus 200 mesh, was floated in 50-gram charges in a 50-gram Denver celluloid flotation machine with 0.008 gram of terpineol, and from 0.01 to 0.05 gram of oleic acid in a solution acidified with sulfuric acid. The degree of separation of one mineral from another was determined by counting under a nlicroscope the grains of each mineral, both in the concentrate and in the tailings, and comparing their relative abundance in each. Unless the comparison showed a decided difference in amount,

Jan 1, 1935

President MRS. HARRISON SOUDER south Paramus Road Ridgewood, N. J. First Vice-president MRS. ROBERT HURSH New York N. Y. Second Vice-president MRS. RICHARD LLEWELLYN LLOYD Great Neck, L. I&apos;. N. Y. Third Vice-president MRS. PERCY E. BARBOUR New York N. Y. Fourth Vice-president MRS. E. P. MATHEWSON Tucson Ariz.

Jan 1, 1937

By J. J. Lander, L. H. Germer

Molybdenum and tungsten have desirable corrosion and temperature resistant properties, but the metals in bulk are expensive and their fabrication is difficult. Such considerations led to a search for a method of plating them upon base metals. This search was successful and led furthermore to a number of developments which could not have been foreseen. Neither pure tungsten nor pure molybdenum has been electroplated successfully, although the literature of electroplating is liberally sprinkled with the description of unsuccessful attempts. The process of plating these metals by thermal reduction of their halides has achieved onlv limited usefulness because of technical limitations and because of limited range of product quality. Plating by thermal decomposition of the carbonyls does not suffer from limitations of the same sort and the properties of the plate are readily controllable. This paper describes the plating of molybdenum and tungsten, and of compounds and alloys of these metals, by pyrolysis of their carbonyl vapors. Chromium also has been plated in this manner, but the experiments upon chromium have been less extensive and the results much less satisfactory. Probably the most important of the products which we have obtained are the alloys with carbon, and the carbides of the metals. Either molybdenum or tungsten can be deposited upon a base metal as a coherent and adherent coating. By adjusting the plating condition the carbon content of the coating can be made to have any value from substantially zero to about 35 atomic pct. The hardness is dependent primarily upon the amount of carbon in the plate and can be regulated over a very wide range, some coatings containing considerable carbon being harder than sapphire. In addition to products already known this method of plating has yielded new carbides of molybdenum and tungsten and alloys supersaturated with carbon. These new products are possible because, in the process of plating, carbonyl can be decomposed at temperatures as low as about 150°C, and thus in the presence of other substances reactions occur which could perhaps not be produced in any other way. In addition to carbides and alloys with carbon, sulphides and oxides of molybdenum and tungsten have been produced and studied. There are certain other advantages of the carbonyl method of plating. It is not required that the base have good electrical conductivity as in electrochemical processes, and the base need not have the temperature stability required in plating from a halide. Thus low melting glasses, as well as other ceramics, can be plated almost as readily as metals. In particular, the plating of glass with

Jan 1, 1949

By D. Mills, G. B. Craig

ZIRCONIUM has been float-zone-refined in an electron-beam furnace and the redistribution of oxygen, iron, and tungsten has been measured. The iodide zirconium used in the present experiments initially contained both oxygen and iron in the range 100 to 200 ppm by weight, and tungsten in amounts less than 10 ppm. Float-zone refining of zirconium, using induction heating, has previously been attempted by Kneip and Betterton1 and Langeron.2 Kneip and Betterton were primarily interested in the removal of iron and nickel. They achieved some purification, with respect to both these elements, in material given up to six passes at 150 mm per hr under an argon atmosphere. Langeron reported purification for a large number of elements after four completed passes in a static vacuum system operating at pressures less than 10-6 mm of Hg and with rates of zone travel between 30 and 40 mm per hr. He did not report oxygen concentrations, but stated that there was inverse segregation of this element. westlake5 has also used a minimum of four zone passes to remove iron from zirconium. No rates or conditions were given. Belk6 has shown that tungsten contamination can occur during electron-beam melting. He reported an increase from 0.01 to 0.05 pct by weight tungsten in molybdenum after four complete zone passes. The vacuum system for the electron-beam unit used in the present investigation consisted of a single-stage rotary pump backing a liquid-air-trapped oil-diffusion pump. A pressure of less than 10-8 mm of Hg was obtained with Dow-Corning 705 fluid in the diffusion pump. In order to avoid contamination of the zirconium by evaporation from the tungsten filament, a special focusing cage4 was employed. Three rates of zone travel, 114, 38, and 4 mm per hr, were investigated, with the liquid zone moving from the bottom to the top of the bar. The bars used were 3 mm diam and the total melted length was 130 mm. Oxygen was analyzed by neutron-activation analysis using a neutron flux of 10&apos; neutrons per sq cm per sec to form the isotope N16 by the 016 (n,p) N16 reaction. The standard deviation is quoted for each oxygen determination. The iron and tungsten analyses were performed spectrographically, and the precision is estimated to be ±6 pct. Analyses for tungsten were all below the detectable limit of 10 ppm, confirming the protection given by the focusing cage. No significant redistribution of oxygen was found at the two higher rates of zone travel. The redistribution of oxygen and iron obtained after five passes at a rate of zone travel of 4 mm per hr (1.1 x 10-4 cm per sec) is recorded in Tables I and 11. Burris, Stockman, and Dillon3 have estimated the distribution of solutes during multipass zone refining. Using their curves for an effective distribution coefficient of Keff = 1.5 and 2 for oxygen and Keff = 0.3 for iron, the expected concentrations were estimated for the present material. These are shown in Tables I and 11, along with the experimentally measured values. The calculated concentrations are based on a molten-zone length of 10 pct of the total melted length, whereas in the present experiments the molten zone was approximately 5 pct of the total melted length. The effect of zone length on solute redistribution is most pronounced after a large number of zone passes. Comparison with Pfann&apos;s published data8 for solute redistribution for various Keff&apos;s and zone lengths indicates only small differences at low numbers of completed zone passes. It is evident that the expected distribution has not been realized in the case of iron. Scrapings of material deposited on the inner surfaces of the electron-focusing cage were found to be magnetic. It is, therefore, concluded that redistribution of iron is masked by evaporation. Deposition of iron inside the focusing cage was observed at all rates of zone travel. The results of the investigation may be summarized as follows: 1) Segregation of oxygen is typical for a solute with a distribution coefficient, Keff > 1. 2) No redistribution of oxygen takes place at high rates of zone travel. 3) The distribution coefficient for oxygen lies between 1.5 and 2.0. 4) Purification with respect to iron occurs mainly by evaporation. 5) The focusing cage is effective in preventing tungsten contamination.

Jan 1, 1967