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By C. D. Young

IN an effort to employ cast steel of a stronger structure than that found in the annealed steel castings, the possibilities of heat treatment which will increase the strength without materially decreasing the ductility may be resorted to. The following abstracted report (which is a brief outline of what has already been clone by the Pennsylvania Railroad Co. at its shops and Test Laboratories at Altoona, Pa.) is of material interest, as it indicates what may be done with steel castings when properly treated, thereby permitting in railway service greater strength of cast steel parts without any increase in weight or space. The question of the heat treatment of alloy steel castings is not taken up in this paper. The obscurity formerly surrounding the heat treatment of steel has been for the most part removed by the development of our knowledge of the critical points of steel, pyrometers, furnace construction, and the testing of the finished product. The operations of the heat treatment proper will be taken up under the heads of (1) heating for quenching; (2) quenching; (3) drawing. (1) Heating for Quenching.-Heating for quenching is best conducted slowly, especially in the case of castings of variable thickness. Cracks may occur either in heating or in cooling, clue to different temperatures at different points of the casting. The castings should be thoroughly soaked at the maximum temperature (generally 1,500° to 1,600° F.), 1 hr. being sufficient for sections 1 ft. in thickness. The minimum temperature which will produce the desired hardening effect will, in all cases, be found to be the most satisfactory, as the grain coarsens when the critical range is exceeded to too great an extent. All temperatures should be governed by a checked pyrometer with the hot junction to the heated object, and with several couples in a large furnace to insure a uniform temperature.

Jan 2, 1914

By Major N. R. Junner

Although manganese-garnets are rarely seen in hand specimens of the manganese ores and associated rocks, they have been detected by the writer in thin sections of all the ores and wall rocks that have been sliced, with the single exception of the Insuta deposit. Rhodonite, and an almost colorless amphibole, which appears to be manganiferous, are less common. Types of Occurrence (a) Rocks Composed of Manganese-garnet and Quartz The best known examples of this type are from near Bole and Wa in the Northern Territories of the Gold Coast, and from near Chama in the Gold Coast Colony. Normally these are fine and even-grained rocks, in which the garnets cannot be recognized in hand specimens. They are often stained with secondary manganese oxide. Thin sections examined microscopically are seen to be composed of aggregates of minute crystals of garnet in a matrix of mosaic quartz. Some manganese oxide and braumite (?) is often present, but other minerals are exceptional. The relative proportions of garnet and quartz in these rocks vary greatly and there is a complete gradation from quartz-rock to garnet-rock. (6) Rocks Composed Mainly of Manganese-garnet and Manganese Oxides Rocks of this type are known from Kalimbi Hill near Siripe, Pabini Hill near Bangwon, near Odumase and Konongo, and in the Ya Ya creek, about 5 miles east of Dunkwa. These are usually fine-grained banded dark-colored rocks, composed of abundant minute garnets in a matrix of black manganese oxide and braunite (?). A little microcrystalline is often present, and occasionally a little colorless amphibole. quartz (c) Rocks Composed of Rhodonite and Manganese-garnet Rocks of this type are not common. They are known from near Chama, and from the road between Senyong and Mangkuma. Some quartz is usually present. All these rocks resemble closely in texture and composition certain rocks from India, described by Fermorl as "gondite;" and they also resemble certain rocks described by Derby2 from the Queluz district,

Jan 1, 1927

By H. Foster Bain

FROM time to time geologists and mining engineers, impressed by the heavy demands made on our mineral reserves' by modern industry, and particularly by the steadily mounting rate of production necessary to meet that demand, have issued warnings as to the danger of exhaustion. There can be no dispute as to the fact that mineral deposits are exhaustible. New mineral, is not created to replace that taken from the earth and when a crop of mineral is once harvested another cannot be grown in the same area. The evidence of exhaustion 'of particular oreshoots, deposits, or even of whole districts is familiar to all who have mined. If one were to judge solely from the abandoned mills and prospect holes he would rightly conclude that mining is but a short-lived industry. If one were, furthermore, to assemble the data as to known reserves of almost any of the commonly used minerals, and divide them by the annual tonnage mined, he would come to the same conclusion. If, again, one were to consider the most carefully made estimates of competent men seeking to measure the earth's reserves of minerals and plot against them a projection of the curve of past consumption, he would be justified in viewing the situation with alarm.

Jan 1, 1930

By David B. Morris, Paul I. Eimon

Computer-assisted data storage and retrieval in the geosciences is coming of age. A growing awareness of the need of the geological and mining community for effective access to existing data has triggered studies and development programs on many levels; governments, professional societies, industrial concerns, and the academic world are all active in this field. Developments in the past decade in computer hardware and software lend hope to the geoscientist searching for a means of expediting the flow of data. The new concern of the earth sciences coming together with the blossoming child of technology, computing, has led to serious study of the geoscience information problem. Active system development is under way in several areas. The papers presented at this Symposium effectively sample the spectrum of present day activity in machine-based geologic data storage and retrieval. These papers show the reader where the action is in this field today. Both long-range studies and plans and operational systems are discussed. Several studies and research efforts have been undertaken on a national or international scale. Robinson discusses the activity of the international geological community in these Proceedings. He speaks from a position of authority as Chairman of the International Union of Geological Sciences' Committee on Storage, Automatic Processing and Retrieval of Geological Data. A study of a "coordinated information program for geological scientists in the United States" documented by Smith, et al.1 proposes a "long-range information program ... responsive to the entire geosciences community . . . (to) draw on the best of large-scale information systems technology." The European geologic community is embarked on project Geosemantica 70, started at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Mines de Paris. Dixon discusses some results of this work in a following paper. The Canadian study of geological data storage and retrieval on a national scale is reported in a volume edited by Brisbin and Ediger.2 The Canadian report presents detailed recommendations for recording and coding geologic data for automatic process-

Jan 1, 1969

By H. R. Hanley, Charles Y. Clayton

One of the most important contributions to the art of electrolytic zinc production has been the aluminum cathode. This has been used in all major production since its commercial development in 1916. The literature is replete with important contributions, some of which may have been replaced by better ones, but thus far there appears no other metal to take the place of aluminum as cathode material. Credit for this innovation goes to Sherard Cowper Coles, of England. When experimenting on the extraction of zinc from Broken Hill ore at Hayle, Cornwall, in 1893, he introduced the aluminum cathode, and in 1895 obtained British Patent No. 20073. The reason for this dominant position of aluminum as cathode material in zinc sulphate electrolytes is its unique surface, to which electro-deposited metals usually do not tightly adhere. The metal must, be of high purity for best results. It is possible to develop a starting-sheet method by which thin electro-deposited sheets of cathode zinc are made and stripped from a smooth aluminum plate. Such thin sheets of cathode zinc may be used as are the copper sheets in standard electrolytic copper-refinery practice. However, complications arise because of extreme warping of the zinc starting sheet after a few hours of deposition, and thus special arrangements must be made to compensate for this abnormality. Reasons advanced for the ease with which deposits may be stripped from the aluminum surface are: (1) presence of a permanent oxide coating on the metal, (2) failure of aluminum to alloy with the deposit, (3) differences in coefficient of expansion, (4) high position of aluminum in the electromotive scries of metals. Of these reasons for nonadherence, which may have some application in general deposition, probably the oxide coating has the greatest bearing on the subject of zinc deposition. Adherence of zinc deposits has occasionally had serious effect on tonnage and production costs. Opinions have differed as to the specific

Jan 1, 1943

By H. R. Hanley, Charles Y. Clayton

One of the most important contributions to the art of electrolytic zinc production has been the aluminum cathode. This has been used in all major production since its commercial development in 1916. The literature is replete with important contributions, some of which may have been replaced by better ones, but thus far there appears no other metal to take the place of aluminum as cathode material. Credit for this innovation goes to Sherard Cowper Coles, of England. When experimenting on the extraction of zinc from Broken Hill ore at Hayle, Cornwall, in 1893, he introduced the aluminum cathode, and in 1895 obtained British Patent No. 20073. The reason for this dominant position of aluminum as cathode material in zinc sulphate electrolytes is its unique surface, to which electro-deposited metals usually do not tightly adhere. The metal must, be of high purity for best results. It is possible to develop a starting-sheet method by which thin electro-deposited sheets of cathode zinc are made and stripped from a smooth aluminum plate. Such thin sheets of cathode zinc may be used as are the copper sheets in standard electrolytic copper-refinery practice. However, complications arise because of extreme warping of the zinc starting sheet after a few hours of deposition, and thus special arrangements must be made to compensate for this abnormality. Reasons advanced for the ease with which deposits may be stripped from the aluminum surface are: (1) presence of a permanent oxide coating on the metal, (2) failure of aluminum to alloy with the deposit, (3) differences in coefficient of expansion, (4) high position of aluminum in the electromotive scries of metals. Of these reasons for nonadherence, which may have some application in general deposition, probably the oxide coating has the greatest bearing on the subject of zinc deposition. Adherence of zinc deposits has occasionally had serious effect on tonnage and production costs. Opinions have differed as to the specific

Jan 1, 1943

By R. L. Templin

In treating a cast metal by any working process such as rolling, drawing or forging, variations in the conditions present in the remelting, casting, chilling and preheating of the initial ingot will certainly have some effect on the physical properties of the final product. In considering the effects of cold working on the physical properties of metals, however, it will be assumed that these factors, being controlled according to best practice, will remain constant and therefore may be neglected. Starting with such a uniform metal ingot, the next operation in the production of wrought metal involves hot working by rolling, forging or extrusion so as to produce a slab, billet or bloom. This working must be sufficient to produce substantial grain refinement and minimize any defects occurring in the initial ingot. Even such a hot-worked product is not suitable as a starting material for determining the effects of cold working because it contains internal strains analogous to those resulting from cold working. It is necessary, therefore, to supplement the hot working with a considerable amount of cold working, followed by a proper annealing in order to obtain a material suitable for use in defining the effects of cold working on the physical properties of a metal. That is, if the effects of cold working are to be evaluated accurately it is necessary to have other effects at least constant if not absent. Such material, unfortunately, cannot always be obtained in commercial practice but the requirements just indicated certainly represent the desired goal; this goal has been attained in the treatment of some metals, one being aluminum. Factors That Must Be Considered Simultaneously with Cold Working So many other factors affect the physical properties of a metal that it is necessary to consider these factors simultaneously with cold working; their effects vary in magnitude with the amount of cold work present. The most important of these factors are: (I) chemical composition, (2) structure, (3) temperature of working, (4) character of working, (5) rate of working, and (6) methods used for measuring results. For

Jan 1, 1930

By Guillermo Mariaca, Jorge Muñoz Reyer

As far as technology is concerned there has been no development in Bolivia during the year 1936, because the country, just emerging from the war with Paraguay, is only beginning to rebuild its economic foundations. Great steps, however, are being taken in order to secure a rapid and sound development of its oil resources, as follows: 1. The new Petroleum Law, which contemplates the problem of proration and conservation of natural resources, prohibiting the wasteful use of gas, and regulating the number of wells, their spacing and the permissible output per well, for each particular pool according to the conditions prevailing therein. 2. The creation of an official entity with the object of developing and exploiting a large petroliferous area. This entity has been called Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales Bolivianos (Y.P.F.B.), and the region assigned to it is all the sub-andean zone, which is approximately one hundred miles wide and borders the eastern part of the Oriental Andean range, from Argentine to Peru. It is said that drilling will be started immediately in various localities. At the present time a wide geological survey of part of the area is being made in order to find out which regions offer the best possibilities of commercial development. Y.P.F.B. has been authorized by the Government to draw up contracts with private companies for the exploitation of limited zones. Production The only company that has been producing in the country in 1936 is the Standard Oil Company of Bolivia, and only from two of its fields: Camiri and Sanandita. New wells were not drilled. During the first nine months of the year 12,762,958 liters (80,275 bbl.) was produced, 34,985 bbl. from the Camiri field and 45,290 bbl. from the Sanandita field. Reports for October, November and December are not yet available. The total for the year 1935 was 25,978,737 liters (163,388 bbl.).

Jan 1, 1937

By H. R. Hanley, Charles Y. Clayton

ONE of the most important contributions to the art of electrolytic zinc production has been the aluminum cathode. This has been used in all major production since its commercial development in 1916. The literature is replete with important contributions, some of which may have been replaced by better ones, but thus far there appears no other metal to take the place of aluminum as cathode material. Credit for this innovation goes to Sherard Cowper Coles, of England. When experi¬menting on the extraction of zinc from Broken Hill ore at Hayle, Cornwall, in 1893, he introduced the aluminum cathode, and in 1895 obtained British Patent No. 20073. The reason for this dominant position of aluminum as cathode material in zinc sulphate electrolytes is its unique surface, to which electrodeposited metals usually do not tightly adhere. The metal must be of high purity for best results. It is possible to develop a starting-sheet method by which thin electrodeposited sheets of cathode zinc are made and stripped from a smooth aluminum plate. Such thin sheets of cathode zinc may be used as are the copper sheets in standard electrolytic copper-refinery practice. However, complications arise because of extreme warping of the zinc starting sheet after a few hours of deposition, and thus special arrangements must be made to compensate for this abnormality. Reasons advanced for the ease with which deposits may be stripped from the aluminum surface are: (1) presence of a permanent oxide coating on the metal, (2) failure of aluminum to alloy with the deposit, (3) differences in coefficient of expansion, (4) high position of aluminum in the electromotive series of metals. Of these reasons for nonadherence, which may have some application in general deposition, probably the oxide coating has the greatest bearing on the subject of zinc deposition. Adherence of zinc deposits has occasionally had serious effect oil tonnage and production costs. Opinions have differed as to the specific

Jan 1, 1938

By J. W. Stewart

ONE of the postwar problems posed for mineral engineering educators is the desire of some mature student veterans to finish their college education under the G. I. Bill of Rights as quickly as possible, a desire that is quite understandable. Not only have they lost several years of education, which they wish to make up as quickly as possible, but many are married and have families and want to become productive as soon as possible in order to support their families properly. The obvious solution to this problem, if it really is serious, would appear to be a continuation of the wartime Accelerated Program, as it was carried on in most colleges and universities. As a matter of fact some schools are known to have continued their wartime programs in one or another form. To ascertain just what our mineral engineering schools generally are doing to meet this postwar problem, last April a questionnaire was sent to administrative officers at colleges and universities

Jan 1, 1946

By E. W. Shilling Harwick Johnson

The separation of hematite by hysteretic repulsion was first brought to the attention of the public in 1922, by W. M. Mordeyl. Three years later another paper2 was published and after another four years a third paper3 appeared in the South African publications. Certain data were lacking in these papers. In order to continue the work intelligently a knowledge of the shapes of the hysteresis curves for certain minerals was very necessary. This information was not available until the present year4. It was known that reduction of certain ores rendered them amenable to this process of separation but definite data in the form of curves showing exactly the effect of such treatment were lacking. Probably our best source of information on the separation of minerals by the use of alternating-current magnetic fields today is the reports from the U. S. Bureau of Mines5"7. It is not the purpose of this paper to tell the reader in detail how to make a commercial separator. Experimental models have recently been made? and the results obtained have been so good that it is the opinion of the authors that the public will soon take an active interest in the subject and its development. The writers have constructed a separator that is considerably different in construction and operation from the two types described by Mr. Davis. This will be described, but the real purpose of this paper is to outline certain experiments and give curves showing data that have a fundamental bearing upon the practical construction of a separator of this type. Specular hematite is usually considered nonmagnetic; that is, it is very feebly magnetic as compared to some other minerals. If specular hematite is placed in a steady magnetic field there is no apparent attraction. At the moment of closing the switch, however, some particles may be seen to move. If the field is alternating, the particles are con-

Jan 1, 1936

By E. W. Shilling Harwick Johnson

The separation of hematite by hysteretic repulsion was first brought to the attention of the public in 1922, by W. M. Mordeyl. Three years later another paper2 was published and after another four years a third paper3 appeared in the South African publications. Certain data were lacking in these papers. In order to continue the work intelligently a knowledge of the shapes of the hysteresis curves for certain minerals was very necessary. This information was not available until the present year4. It was known that reduction of certain ores rendered them amenable to this process of separation but definite data in the form of curves showing exactly the effect of such treatment were lacking. Probably our best source of information on the separation of minerals by the use of alternating-current magnetic fields today is the reports from the U. S. Bureau of Mines5"7. It is not the purpose of this paper to tell the reader in detail how to make a commercial separator. Experimental models have recently been made? and the results obtained have been so good that it is the opinion of the authors that the public will soon take an active interest in the subject and its development. The writers have constructed a separator that is considerably different in construction and operation from the two types described by Mr. Davis. This will be described, but the real purpose of this paper is to outline certain experiments and give curves showing data that have a fundamental bearing upon the practical construction of a separator of this type. Specular hematite is usually considered nonmagnetic; that is, it is very feebly magnetic as compared to some other minerals. If specular hematite is placed in a steady magnetic field there is no apparent attraction. At the moment of closing the switch, however, some particles may be seen to move. If the field is alternating, the particles are con-

Jan 1, 1936

By John B. Pearse

IN order to get an idea as to the strength of steel rails, it will be well to review the tests to which iron rails have been subjected. In England, Mr. Ashcroft found that the best 80 pound rails broke under a 300 pound weight, falling 15 feet. In Germany the Society of Railway Managers determined on and have long applied a test of 1000 pounds falling 101 feet, as the standard which all first-class iron rails must reach. In this country no inspection nor test is applied, but tests made show that iron rails from our most reliable makers, break under a 6 foot fall of a 1500 pound drop as an extreme test, most of those tested breaking under a far less test; some breaking with less than a 3 foot fall of the same weight. Everywhere where steel has been used, engineers have come to the conclusion that some test is required to show the regularity and strength of the product. As compared with iron, the tests which steel will stand are wonderful. After numerous experiments partially based on the experience of the rail-mill at Graz, belonging to the Southern Railway of Austria, the Society of German Railway Managers fixed upon a test of 2000 pounds falling 13 1/2 feet. They found that this test represented the steel which suited their necessities, and also found that with steel of otherwise average purity, this test represented about one-half per cent. of carbon, and made it a rule to take no steel containing under three-tenths of a per cent, of carbon, because it was too soft. They expressed a hope that a harder steel could soon be made tough enough to stand the same test. In England, a test was adopted of 2240 pounds, falling 15 to 17 feet on the rail on heavy bearings. This test has been found satisfactory under heavy traffic on average road-beds, and has been invariably

Jan 1, 1873

By W. F. Dietrich

This paper deals with the methods of mining the high-grade clays of California. The fact that the majority of the clay pits in the state are operated on a scale that is small by comparison with most metal mines causes a diversity of methods and gives rise to problems of selection of the method best suited to given conditions. Two or three operators in California produce approximately 500 tons per day of a single kind of clay from a single pit. About five varieties of clay are mined on a scale of 200 to 400 tons per day; not over 15 varieties are mined on a scale of 50 to 200 tons per day; and more than 50 varieties are mined at the rate of less than 50 tons per day. It is the aim of this paper to delimit, as far as the data at hand permit, the conditions and scale of operations that favor the selection of each dominant method of mining that is actually being applied at California properties. Details of the occurrence and utilization of the clays of California have been given in a recent bulletin1 and will not be considered here. Geographical and Geological Features of California Clay Deposits The greater part of the high-grade clays consumed by clay-working plants in California is mined from one of three producing areas in the state: (1) Lincoln, Placer County, on the eastern edge of the Sacramento valley, 30 miles northeast of Sacramento; (2) Ione, Amador County, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, 38 miles northeast of Stockton, and 12 miles west of Jackson, one of the important towns of the famous Mother Lode gold-mining district; and (3) Alberhill, Riverside County, 90 miles southeast of Los Angeles. Other districts of minor importance are near Cardiff and Carlsbad, San Diego County, and El Toro and San Juan Capistrano, Orange County. In addition, there are a number of isolated properties in various parts of the state.

Jan 1, 1928

By E. M. Norris

In the summer of 1917 it was decided to fireproof the main tramway hoisting shaft of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. at Butte, Mont. The shaft has three hoisting compartments and one pump compartment; it is timbered with 12 by 12-in. (30.5 by 30.5-cm.) fir timber, and is 2475 ft. (754 m.) deep. Subsidence and displacement of the surrounding country rock had produced exceedingly heavy ground, and had carried the shaft out of line, in several places, by as much as 2 ft. (0.6 m.) displacement. Constant repairing and realigning of the timbers had been necessary in order to maintain clearance for the cages. The most feasible method of fireproofing, therefore, seemed to be to cover the timbers with a coat of concrete applied with the cement gun. The cement gun, which is operated by compressed air at ordinary mine pressures, feeds a mixture of sand and cement through a hose to a nozzle having a water connection. The mortar in fluid form is thus sprayed upon the prepared surface in thin layers, which can be built up to any desired thickness. The cement gun can be set up at any convenient point; satisfactory results have been obtained with the nozzle a distance of 500 ft. (152 m.) from the gun. The shaft was thoroughly overhauled and the timbers put in the best possible state of repair. Between the 1000 and the 1400 levels, much loose ground lay against the shaft timbers on the north side; this was breast-boarded back and a 30-in. (76-cm.) reinforced-concrete retaining wall was erected, leaving a space of 12 in. (30.5 cm.) outside the shaft timbers to allow for future movements of the ground. For convenience in handling men and materials; it was arranged to concrete the auxiliary hoisting-cage compartment and the pump compartment first, using the cages of the main hoist to serve the cementing crews. The auxiliary cage was then available while the remainder of the shaft was being concreted.

Jan 3, 1918

By Harry Tufft

FOR many years the treatment of mine timbers with preservatives was confined to a few pioneer plants in the United States, and it is only in the past few years that the practice has grown appreciably. In a field study of the mine timber situation in Illinois, Pennsylvania, and further study of the situation in the country as a whole, I found that most mine operators did not keep records on mine timber that would afford the necessary data for determining the possible savings from preservative treatment. Some primary questions the mining engineer should be able to answer before making his decision on preservative treatment. for a particular mine are: (1) Quantity and cost of timber going into permanent workings annually; (2) quantity and cost of annual replacements due to decay; (3) life of untreated timber in different places; (4) desired life of timber. With the necessary facts in hand, he can then con-fidently select a method of treatment and preservative that is best suited to his needs. In former years when timber was cheap and an abundant supply could be had close at hand, as was the case in the majority of mining regions, the mine op-erator did not concern himself much except to see that enough was supplied to keep the workings safe. The cost figure for timber and labor, distributed to cost per ton of ore, was all the bookkeeping necessary. With present costs of timber, labor, and increasing length of haul to the mine, many operators are paying closer attention to timbering costs and studying them in. more detail. Some of the larger and more progressive opera-tions now keep detailed' figures that give information on all phases of their timber problems. However, at the majority of mines the data available do not permit such analysis. Checks as to where the different con-signments are placed, the date of setting, and the period

Jan 6, 1927

By H. R. Hanley, C. Y. Clayton

One of the most important contributions to the art of electrolytic zinc production has been the aluminum cathode. This has been used in all major production since its commercial developmerit in 1916. The literature is replete with important contributions, some of which may have been replaced by better ones, but thus far there appears no other metal to take the place of aluminum as cathode material. Credit for this innovation goes to Sherard Cowper Coles, of England. When experimenting on the extraction of zinc from Broken Hill ore at Hayle, Cornwall, in 1893, he introduced the aluminum cathode, and in 1895 obtained . British Patent No. 20073. The reason for this dominant position of aluminum as cathode material in zinc sulphate electrolytes is its unique surface, to which electro-deposited metals usually do not tightly adhere. The metal must be of high purity for best results. It is possible to develop a starting-sheet method by which thin electro-deposited sheets of cathode zinc are made and stripped from a smooth aluminum plate. Such thin sheets of cathode zinc may be used as are the copper sheets in standard electrolytic copper-refinery practice. However, complications arise because of extreme warping of the zinc starting sheet after a few hours of deposition, and thus special arrangements must be made to compensate for this abnormality. Reasons advanced for the ease with which deposits may be stripped from the aluminum surface are: (1) presence of a permanent oxide coating on the metal, (2) failure of aluminum to alloy with the deposit, (3) differences in coefficient of expansion, (4) high position of aluminum in the electromotive series of metals. Of these reasons for nonadherence, which may have some application in general deposition, probably the oxide coating has the greatest bearing on the subject of zinc deposition. Adherence of zinc deposits has occasionally had serious effect on tonnage and production costs. Opinions have differed as to the specific

Jan 1, 1944

By R. A. Deju, R. B. Bhappu

The basic structural unit of all silicate minerals is a tetrahedron with a silicon atom at the center and four oxygen atoms at the corners. The oxygen-silicon distance is about 1.6 & and the oxygen-oxygen distance about 2.6 &. The different types of oxygen-silicon frameworks in the various silicates are based entirely on the combinations of the tetra-hedral oxygen-silicon groups through sharing of oxygen atoms. In recent years, infrared spectroscopy has permitted estimation of the ratio of the ionic character of the oxygen-silicon bond to be a few times that of the oxygen-carbon bond and the ratio of electro-negativity of the two bonds has also substantiated this finding. On this basis, it is generally accepted that the oxygen-silicon bond is the strongest one occurring in silicate minerals. As the oxygen-silicon ratio increases from quartz to the olivines, a greater percentage of the oxygen bonding power is available for bonding to cations other than silicon. Hence, with an increasing oxygen-silicon ratio, there is increasing oxygen-to-metal bonding. Upon the fracturing of a silicate mineral crystal, the oxygen-metal bond, which is almost entirely ionic in character, should break more easily than the stronger oxygen-silicon bond, resulting in a greater number of unsatisfied negative forces on the surface. If, then the mineral is immersed in a liquid containing hydrogen ions, these negative forces should tend to be neutralized by hydrogen ions from solution, resulting in a change of the pH of the solution. An increase in the degree of adsorption of hydrogen ions is to be expected as the oxygen-silicon ratio in the crystal structure increases. This study attempted to correlate the oxygen-silicon ratio for various representative silicate minerals to the adsorption of hydrogen ions. Experiments to determine the effect of surface area on this adsorption and to investigate the effect of surface iron were also conducted. It is believed that such studies of the surface properties of silicate minerals will supply pertinent information about their behavior in froth flotation systems. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Ion Exchange: Carefully selected, hand-picked samples of the minerals investigated were dry-crushed in a ceramic ball mill and sieved to obtain a minus 100 plus 200-mesh sample. The sized samples were then run through the electro-magnetic separator to remove any iron-bearing particles. A 10-g sample of each mineral was placed in 100 ml of freshly deionized water previously adjusted to a pH of 3.50 with HCl. The beaker containing the sample and the water was placed under a bell jar from which the air was displaced at once by nitrogen gas from a tank. All experiments were carried out in a nitrogen atmosphere. The sample and solution were stirred gently but continuously during the entire experiment, the stirring speed being kept about the same for all runs. Changes in pH were followed with a Beckman Zeromatic pH meter and recorded on a

Jan 1, 1967

By Valentin R. Garfias, C. O. Isakson

The production of oil in Mexico during 1929 was approximately 45,000,000 bbl., or 5,000,000 bbl. less than in 1928. The production of the fields near Tampico showed a decline of over 10,000,000 bbl. for both the light and heavy crudes, which was partly offset by an increase of over 5,000,000 bbl. in the production of the fields in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. During 1929 the retrenchment policy followed by practically all the companies was continued and no material improvement should be expected until the unsatisfactory conditions that brought about this situation are remedied. A new administration has just assumed control in Mexico; it should remain in power for 6 years, and the progress of the oil industry during that time will depend primarily on the policy pursued by the new government with respect to oil development. Development During 1929, there were drilled 214 wells as compared with 371 in 1928 and 583 in 1927. The percentage of producers in 1929 was 47.2 as against 34 per cent. in 1928. The new wells did not show water as quickly as in 1928, particularly in the Cacalilao field, where the greatest number of producers was brought in, their average initial daily production being 380 bbl. The flush daily production per well in the Southern fields was 1730 bbl., while the wells in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec came in with an average of 770 bbl. Development is summarized in Table 1. In the Southern fields 63 wells were drilled in 1929, of which 23 were producers, the best being drilled in Paso Real. This development tends to show that the southern extension of Dos Bocas-Alamo fault from Alamo to San Isidro terminates at San Isidro. The two wildcat wells completed in 1929, one in Magiscatzin and the other in Xicotencatl, were failures, and at the end of the year there were eight wildcat wells drilling and material was being hauled for two more.

Jan 1, 1930

By C. C. Hagenbuch

Machine loading of coal into mine cars is increasing rapidly. Particular reasons for its use frequently apply to certain localities, but in general, it is profitable to install mechanical coal-loading equipment: (I) when existing hand-loading contract rates prevent further cost reduction; (2) when the height of the coal bed requires that either top or bottom must be taken to place cars in rooms; (3) when labor shortage or limited house-plant capacity prevents the production of desired tonnage ; (4) when tonnage requirements are in excess of possible hand-loaded production from developed areas; (5) when working places are scattered and it is possible to concentrate production, and therefore supervision, by the installation of mechanical equipment; (6) when rapid development is essential. Having decided to install loading equipment, the problem then arises as to what type is best adapted for a particular mine or coal bed, the choice lying between mobile track equipment, pit-car loaders, scrapers, shaker conveyors, belt conveyors and drag conveyors. MajoR FactoRs Influencing Choice of Equipment In determining the type of equipment to be used, the following major factors must be studied: Grades.—Adverse grades, while permitting other types of loading equipment to work successfully, may prevent the success of a shaker conveyor installation. Thickness of Bed.—The thickness of coal governs the choice of equipment. A machine that requires 5 ft. of head room should not be selected for a 3-ft. bed where otherwise it would be unnecessary either to brush top or to lift bottom. Nature of Pavement.—Soft or scaly bottoms are unsuitable for the use of any type of digging loader, shaker conveyors or scraper loaders. nigging loaders and scraper loaders scale the bottom, mixing it with the coal and causing preparation difficulties; shaker-conveyor drives frequently work themselves loose, destroying the conveyor alignment and creating maintenance problems. Nature of Roof.—With any type of loading machine, it is policy to obtain the maximum possible tonnage per move per set-up. This must

Jan 1, 1931