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By Henry Phelps Howland

During the last decade no topic has created more interest or received more thought among blast-furnace men than coke. One reason for this is, undoubtedly, the remarkable increase in the use of byproduct coke. Formerly our coke was made at a distance from the furnaces and by a distinct organization. There was little cooperation or development possible under these conditions. Today the situation is greatly changed. Much of our coke is made by the organization operating the furnaces and the coke oven is operated with the primary object of obtaining the best results in the blast furnace. The effect of changing the method of coke manufacture, even in some minor detail, is often felt almost immediately at the blast furnace. There naturally results one of the most valuable assets of the byproduct coke oven, i.e., the possibility of increased blast-furnace efficiency due to close observance and correct operation of the ovens. The results are evident, but often it is difficult correctly to account for them. In attacking the solution of a problem of as much importance as why one coke is better than another, there are facts which should be kept clearly in mind. The author hopes, in this paper, to bring out some points relative to the use of carbon in the blast furnace which will be of value in solving this question. GeÜner's Ideal Working Years ago GrÜner made a statement regarding the use of carbon in the blast furnace, which has been very generally accepted by metallurgical and blast-furnace men. I quote this theory as given by Prof. Richards on p. 248 of Metallurgical Calculations: "From the standpoint of the generation of the maximum quantity of heat in the furnace, GrÜner was right in formulating his dietum of the ideal working of a blast furnace, vie.: All the carbon burnt in the furnaee should be first oxidized at the tuyères to CO and all reduction of oxides above the tuyères should be caused by CO, which thus beeomes Co2."

Jan 1, 1917

By W. W. Svendsen, J. F. Hoffmeister, W. C. Larson, R. E. Cozad

The paper presents the background, history, and current development of the retractable core bit for the wireline drilling system. Design criteria, concept development, and system design of the retractable bit system are discussed, including laboratory test results.

Jan 1, 1983

By K. L. Fetters, F. M. Walters

ALL previous records were broken by the Iron and Steel Division, in the number of sessions, the number of papers, and the attendance. In addition to ten papers (all preprinted) on properties, structure, aid hardenability of, carbon and alloy steels, eight formal papers were presented on one or more phases of steelmaklng, and a symposium on the determination of hydrogen and nitrogen in steel. This last started at 2 p.m. and was going strong with more than a third of the audience still present at 6 p.m.

Jan 1, 1944

By Eric Jette

THE literature on the binary alloys of iron and silicon has been reviewed by Stoughton and Greiner.1 Another even more extensive and detailed survey of the present knowledge has been prepared under the auspices of the Alloys of Iron Research Committee by Greiner, Marsh and Stoughton. Since the latter survey has already been issued in its preliminary form, it will be unnecessary to review the literature in the present article. However, in this connection there should be noted the important work on the crystal structures of the iron-silicon alloys by Phragmén,2 who investigated the entire system, identified the various phases and determined the homogeneity ranges of these phases. It was evident in the surveys cited above that in the range from 0 to 15 per cent silicon, which includes the commercially most' important alloys, the results obtained by thermal analysis, microscopic examination and the determination of electrical, magnetic and mechanical properties were extremely confusing. From time to time various compounds between iron and silicon have been postulated to account for the results yielded by the classical methods, and much argument has ensued. It was presumed that if compounds occurred which are sufficiently diverse in their properties to account for the characteristics of the alloys, they should be recognizable as separate phases but satisfactory proof of this sort has not been found by thermal or microscopic methods. Contrib-uting to the confusion is the fact that the electrical, the magnetic and some of the mechanical properties are "structure sensitive"; i. e., they are influenced to a marked degree by the presence of minute amounts of impurities, the specific characters of these impurities, the grain size, the character of the grain boundaries, small general or local strains, etc. Thus interpretations of the discontinuities in the various property versus composition curves that identified these discontinuities with phase changes or compound formation have always been open to question.

Jan 1, 1933

By S. Floreen

Seven iron alloys ranging from 5 to 12 pct Ni and 5 to 14 pct Cr were studied. All alloys transformed to bcc massive martensites. Tempering increased the strengths , probably because of relief of residual stresses generated by the martensite transformation. The major strengthening mechanism appeared to be solid-solution hardening by nickel and chromium. Studies of the work-hardening behaviw, of the effects of prior austenite grain size, and of the effects of changing strain rate and test temperature gaue results very similar to iron or low-alloy steels. Increasing nickel contents markedly improved the toughness at subzero temperatures. Studies of the flow properties did not, however, indicate the reason for the beneficial effect of nickel on toughness. The marine atmosphere corrosion resistance of the alloys was improved primarily by chromium additions, but increasing nickel contents were also beneficial at low levels of chromium. J\ number of maraging and PH stainless steels are strengthened by precipitation hardening in a low-carbon Fe-Ni-Cr martensite matrix. To some extent the resultant properties of these steels must depend upon the properties of this matrix. The present study therefore was conducted to evaluate the transformation characteristics and mechanical properties of a series of Fe-Ni-Cr martensitic ternary alloys. A limited evaluation of the corrosion resistance of the alloys in marine atmosphere was also made. ALLOY PREPARATION Seven 100-lb air induction melts were prepared using electrolytic iron, nickel, and chromium metal additions. The initial Fe-Ni charge also contained 0.05 wt pct graphite to produce a carbon boil during melt down. After melting of the base charge, the heats were refined with 0.1 wt pct additions of manganese, silicon, aluminum and titanium and poured into cast-iron molds. The ingots were homogenized at 1250°C and uni-directionally hot-rolled to 2-in. plate. They were then homogenized another hour at 1250°C, and unidirection-ally hot-rolled to %-in. plate at a finishing temperature of approximately 1050°C. The compositions of the heats are given in Table I. Two additional heats were prepared as 40-lb vacuum-induction melts using electrolytic iron, nickel, and chromium metals, and commercially pure molybdenum chips. A carbon boil, and 0.1 wt pct additions of aluminum and titanium were again employed, but manganese and silicon were not added. The heats were converted to %-in. plate using the procedure described above. The compositions of these heats are included in Table I.

Jan 1, 1967

By G. K. Manning, M. C. Udy, L. W. Eastwood

Those who have examined beryllium and beryllium-rich alloys under the microscope have noted the results of the difficulties encountered when preparing these materials for examination. Hard constituents are readily chipped and pulled out of the matrix, and the soft ones are easily gouged out or embedded with abrasive or other material. The matrix is easily deformed, which makes it very difficult to remove the effects of scratches. Furthermore, the matrix and some of the constituents are also readily pitted during etching, which makes the structure difficult to develop. The metallographic techniques designed to avoid these difficulties are neither radically new nor necessarily the best possible procedures. They were developed at Battelle to fill immediate requirements as part of a study of the preparation and pouring of beryllium melts as described in a separate paper. A part of the research program on the causes of gas unsoundness in beryllium castings entailed a study of the effects of such gases or gas formers as oxygen or oxides, nitrogen or nitrides, and carbon or carbides. These gases or gas formers, if dissolved in the melt, might be an important factor in the study of unsoundness caused by gas evolution in beryllium. Because it was necessary to be able to distinguish these gases or gas formers, if present as alloy constituents, from metallic phases also present as alloy constituents, a series of alloys was prepared with additions of the various possible metallic and non-metallic constituent formers. It should be emphasized that the constituents referred to as gases or gas formers are important in the study of gases in beryllium only if they form a part of the alloy, that is, if they dissolve in the liquid or solid metal. During the first part of the development of metallographic techniques, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, unpublished report (TC 3315, Nov., 1945) by Paul Gordon, describing various microconstituents in beryllium, was quite useful. Of particular interest in this report is the confirmation of one of the conclusions drawn from the present investigation, that is, that a distinct oxide phase apparently does not occur in beryllium. The Preparation of Metallographic Specimens GRINDING PROCEDURE The original specimen is either sawed or cut on an abrasive wheel to a convenient size. For best results, the surface to be polished should not be more than about 1/4 in. square, and it is convenient to mount the specimens in bakelite to facilitate handling. Two alternative grinding procedures have been developed. As one alternative, specimens are ground successively on 120-, 240-, and 400-grit, wet-or-dry metallographic discs. The abrasive discs are revolved at 1750 rpm on a conventional pedestal grinder. The coarsest disc (120 grit) is used either wet or dry, and in most instances, it can be eliminated from the procedure. Grinding on the two finer discs (240 and 400 grit) is accompanied by the application of kerosene. The technique consists of holding an oil can, containing kerosene, in one hand and the mounted specimen in the other hand. While the grinding is being done, several drops of kerosene are applied every few seconds close to the center of the disc. Carbon tetrachloride serves at least as well as kerosene as a lubricant; perhaps it is slightly better, but it volatilizes so readily that an additional health hazard is involved. Light oils and water are not satisfactory for the finer grinding operations. The second procedure is perhaps slightly slower than the first and requires a more careful technique, but it eliminates the use of kerosene. The specimen is first ground wet on a 240-grit disc, followed by dry grinding on a 400-grit disc. Finer grinding does not appear to be necessary with either of the two alternative procedures. The pressures used throughout either grinding operation must be extremely light, that is, barely sufficient to hold the specimen in contact with the disc; otherwise, flow and chipping are almost certain to occur. In both procedures, it is essential that the discs be sharp and that they be discarded as they show evidence of becoming dull or loaded. In general, not more than four or five specimens can be ground on a disc before the disc becomes dull enough to warrant discarding it.

Jan 1, 1950

One-half fare return rate again available to members of the Institute and dependent members of their families. DON'T FORGET YOUR RAILROAD CERTIFICATE Over 300 members of the A. I. M. E. and dependent mem-bers of their families attending the last annual meeting se-cured return railroad tickets at half price by means of the railroad certificate, thereby saving several thousand dollars. DIRECTIONS 1. Be sure to obtain your railroad certificate when pur-chasing your railroad tickets for the meeting or you will lose money. 2. Purchase your tickets at regular one-way adult tariff fare between the dates specified for your territory in the accom-panying table. 3. Present your certificate for valida-tion at Institute headquarters in New York immediately after registration. Certificates will be validated on Feb. 21 and 22 between 9 a. m. and 5.30 p. in. 4. You must use your return half-rate tickets not later than Feb. 27. 5. Use the same route for both going and return trip. PLEASE REMEMBER THIS 1. Unless-250 certificates are validated at headquarters it will be impossible for anyone to secure the reduced rate. 2. Unless you secure a certificate you cannot take advantage. of the half-rate return fare, even if the necessary 250 certificates are validated.

Jan 2, 1928

By W. L. Zeigler

During the middle 1880's, shortly after the discovery of silver-lead ores in the Coeur d'Alene district of northern Idaho, it became apparent that concentration of the ores would be necessary to obtain a profitable product. Too much siliceous material was present for direct smelting, and the majority of the ores found at depth were too low in metallic content for economic smelting processes at the time. As the ores occurred in quartzite shear zones with siderite and quartz gangue, a large quantity of waste material was present in all the mines. As the galena was not finely disseminated, this made possible relatively good extraction of the argentiferous galena by coarse concentration. The first concentrators consisted mainly of coarse crushing, screening and jigging, principally by Harz jigs, the slimes being treated on buddles. Later Wilfley tables took the place of sand jigs and vanners superseded the buddles. Because of the marketing conditions, no attempt was made until 1900 to effect a recovery on the zinc minerals present, which were found associated in varying amounts with the galena. All through this period, the greater part of the production was obtained from mines containing ore assaying high in lead and low in zinc. Parts of some ore bodies would be reversed in this respect, so that ores high in zinc were left intact. During the decade after 1910, several important mines, The Success and The Interstate Callahan, containing ores high in zinc, were put into operation and were a material aid in the needed zinc production during World War I. Gravity concentration by jigs and tables was used during this period, with bulk flotation increasing in popularity for the treatment of the fine material that had already been treated by ordinary slime concentrating machinery. No extra fine grinding for flotation concentration was thought profitable at the time. Tailings Discharged into Streams From the start of mining and milling operations in this district until 1904, no attempt was made by the various mills in the upper district to impound or stack their tailings. They discharged them directly into the adjacent creeks or streams, to be carried away by high water. The Bunker Hill and Sullivan and the Last Chance mines, both in the relatively flat valley of the district, stacked huge piles of the coarse jig tailings on the near-by river bottom. Rain and snowfall are heavy in the Coeur d'Alene district, as it is on the heavily timbered Pacific slope of the Bitter Root Mountains. A heavy runoff occurs every spring and there is an occasional flood of disastrous proportions when warm "Chinook" winds accompanied by rain

Jan 1, 1949

By H. M. Howe, W. E. C. Eustis

The processes which form the subject of this paper have been experimented on in the laboratory of W. E. C. Eustis, but have not passed beyond the experimental stage. The first is the invention of Mr. J. L. Thomson, of Capelton, Quebec, Canada, the others have been invented by the writers. Thomson's PRocess foR the Extraction oF Nickel. This consists essentially in first rendering the nickel magnetic, and then separating it from the materials with which it is mechanically vol. X.—20

Jan 1, 1882

By Marston G. Fleming

E. C. Peterson (Anaconda Copper Mining CO., Darwin, Calif.)—A study of this quite comprehensible and interesting paper by Dr. Fleming brings to mind several observations in the practical application of alkalinity and related factors to the actual practice of lead mineral flotation. Soda ash has long been a widely used and a very helpful alkaline conditioning agent in the flotation of galena from the usual run of lead-zinc ores. Soda ash is one of the common "standard" conditioning agents tried in any laboratory investigation of lead-zinc ores because it has so often proved helpful to galena flotation. However, the use of soda ash in the actual flotation of oxidized lead ores is certainly not widespread. In the flotation of certain lead-zinc ores from the Park City district of Utah, it was found in the usual cyanide-zinc sulphate-xanthate circuit that soda ash had an effect of producing a very condensed and flat froth regardless of the many frothers tried and that substitution of lime for soda ash to produce the same pH (8.0 to 8.4) improved the froth condition. However, the flotation of coarse particles of galena became so critical that some would pass through into the tailing, but caustic soda as a substitute for either soda ash or lime produced a very desirable froth condition in the same pH range and greatly improved the metallurgical outcome. Milling was carried out in typically "hard water" from watersheds of limestone and other calcareous rocks and the ore also apparently contributed magnesium and calcium salts to the pulp. Certain lead-zinc ores of Mexico have shown their greatest flotation response in circuits conditioned with sodium bicarbonate, and such actual mill use was also believed to be related to the water necessarily used in milling. On other lead-zinc ores the optimum has been obtained in actual milling treatment by use of caustic soda in both circuits of the operation. In flotation of oxidized lead ores in which sulphidi-zation is employed by addition of sodium sulphide, very high pH's exist in the flotation circuit. With the usual oxide lead ores, demanding 5 to 15 lb of sodium sulphide per ton of ore, pH's in the circuit (closed and open water-circuits) may range from 9.5 to 12, and for ores that contain much anglesite or a high percentage of iron oxide minerals, sodium sulphide consumption may reach as much as 30 lb per ton of ore and the resultant pH will be correspondingly higher. Yet in such flotation treatment employing either xanthate or oil (high-sulphur crude oil or diesel oils) as the collector, satisfactory to excellent grades of concentrate and lead recovery are obtained. Although there have been great studies and accomplishments in the investigations of flotation fundamentals and flotation theory, and although an investigation to determine the effect of all factors entering into the actual plant flotation of sulphide and oxide ores must become very complicated, as Mr. Fleming has mentioned in his caution regarding the drawing of general conclusions for other ores, it seems that it would be of greater interest if the techniques and investigations could, with time, approach the conditions of actual practice and lead the way to improved and more efficient flotation plant performance. Marston G. Fleming (author's reply)—The gulf between fundamental flotation research and plant operation is, perhaps, less wide than Mr. Peterson suggests. For example, the work described in my paper developed from an extensive investigation of a complex lead-vanadium ore from southwest Africa. This investigation started as a standard ore-testing problem but, at almost every stage, results were obtained which could not be interpreted in terms of previous experience. A program of fundamental research was therefore undertaken and was closely interlocked with the ore testing. This coordinated investigation resulted in a flotation process which has now been proved by two years of successful plant operation, and although the grade and mineralogical constitution of ore as well as smelter requirements have altered more than could have been anticipated, our knowledge of the fundamental character of the problem has made it possible to meet each change in conditions with much more confidence than would have been the case had we neglected this aspect of the investigation.

Jan 1, 1954

By Louis A. Panek

Ground movements in the zone adjoining an active cave were measured at four sites in the San Manuel Mine. Measurements were made to detect extension and inclination, basic components of displacement, which can readily be duplicated by mine personnel using relatively simple equipment. The displacements demonstrated the development of a zone of strain relief surrounding the active cave, within which the ground tends to migrate toward the cave, and extension cracks develop tangential to the cave. This expansion of the ground surrounding an active cave can be exploited to promote future caving; it also creates special problems with respect to the design of an effective ground support system for mine openings in the production area.

Jan 1, 1981

By Per Kofstad, Hallstein Kjöllesdal

The oxidation behavior of niobium (columbium) has been studied in the temperature range 500° to 1200°C and at oxygen pressures of 760,100, 10, 1, and 0.1 mm of Hg. The work comprises kinetic studies of the oxidation as well as structural investigations of the oxidized specimens by means of X-ray diffraction, electron diffraclion, electron microscopy, and metal1ographic techniques. The oxidation reaction has a highly irregular temperature dependence and is unusually sensitive to changes in the oxygen pressure. The complex oxidation behavior is suggested to be due to formation of different Nb2O5 modifications in different temperature regions. During oxidation oxygen is also dissolved in the metal. Formation of oxide whiskers take place on the oxide surface at temperatures above approximately 800°C. VARIOUS aspects of the oxidation of niobium have been studied.l-12 The investigations show that niobium has a complex oxidation behavior, and the oxidation

Jan 1, 1962

By W. M. Brown

SEQUACHEE Valley includes portions of the counties of Marion, Sequachee, Bledsoe and Cumberland. It extends in a general direction parallel with the Great Valley of East Tennessee, some 75 miles northward from the Alabama state line. It is separated from the Valley of East Tennessee by a mountain arm about a dozen miles wide, known as Wallen's or Walden's Ridge. The genesis of the valley, geologically speaking, is simple. It is an erosion-valley along the axis of an anticlinal. The point of the wedge remains in a row of low "saw-tooth" hills, running up the center of the valley. These hills are of Lower Silurian age, and consist of Trenton limestone, covered and protected in some measure by chert. Walls of Carboniferous age form the inclosing mountains on either side; whilst a magnificent arch of Hudson River, Niagara, Hamilton and Subcarboniferous strata closes the valley at the

Jan 1, 1886

By Y. Wang, M. M. Singh, H. L. Hartman

Knowledge of the state of stress at the bottom of a drillhole is of practical importance in rock drilling, since the induced stresses must exceed the strength of the rock in order to cause fracture. This note reports on a numerical method to determine the stress distribution at the bottom of a borehole induced by a static bit load and overburden and fluid pressures. The procedure adopted is similar to that for the plane-strain, discrete model employed by Harper and Ang.1,2 The rock medium is considered to be homogeneous, isotropic, and elastic-perfectly-plastic. METHOD OF ANALYSIS AND PROGRAMMING The discrete model adopted consists of two types of points: mass points and stress points. The configuration and numbering notation are depicted in

Jan 1, 1967

By William P. Blake

THE use of diamonds upon a large scale in drilling rocks, and the substitution to a certain degree of rotary diamond drills for the ordinary steel percussion drills, marks a new era in the art of mining. Since the invention by Leschot of the diamond drill, it has steadily advanced in its utility and range of application, and in the appreciation of miners and engineers. I t must be claimed as one of the many gifts of science to the arts ; and it is, in particular, one of the fruits of the scientific education given at the Ecole Centrale, at Paris. Members are all, doubtless, more or less familiar with the construction of the drill and of the machinery by which it is applied in boring. I t is, therefore, my present purpose only to direct your attention to some recent marked improvements, made by the American Diamond Drill Company, by which the economy and efficiency of the machines have been increased. Form of Bit.-The annular or ring form of the drill-head or bit was, I believe, the earliest; and it is still in use, without essential modification, wherever it is desired to obtain a sample " core" or specimen of the rock traversed. But for mere drilling, regardless ~f the preservation of a test-core, a solid-head bit is preferred, except for very large holes. Until recently, these solid-head bits were made with a pointed cutting face shaped like an obtuse cone. This form was assumed to be the best, being most in accordance with the experience obtained with percussion drills. I t is found, however, that the exact reverse

By William P. Blake

THE use of diamonds upon a large scale in drilling rocks, and the substitution to a certain degree of rotary diamond drills for the ordinary steel percussion drills, marks a new era in the art of mining. Since the invention by Leschot of the diamond drill, it has steadily advanced in its utility and range of application, and in the appreciation of miners and engineers. It must be claimed as one of the many gifts of science to the arts ; and it is, in particular, one of the fruits of the scientific education given at the Ecole Centrale, at Paris. Members are all, doubtless, more or less familiar with the construction of the drill and of the machinery by which it is applied in boring. It is, therefore, my present purpose only to direct your attention to some recent marked improvements, made by the American Diamond Drill Company, by which the economy and efficiency of the machines have been increased. Form of Bit. The annular or ring form of the drill-head or bit was, I believe, the earliest; and it is still in use, without essential modification, wherever it is desired to obtain a sample "core" or specimen of the rock traversed. But for mere drilling, regardless of the preservation of a test-core, a solid-head bit is preferred, except for very large holes. Until recently, these solid-head bits were made with a pointed cutting face shaped like an obtuse cone. This form was assumed to be the best, being most in accordance with the experience obtained with percussion drills. It is found, however, that the exact reverse

Jan 1, 1873

By W. A. Naismith, R. T. Pakalnis

The Umgal a section of the We1gedacht Exploration Company Ltd., a member of the Rand Mines Group, is situated near Utrecht in the province of Natal, South Africa. Two coal seams, the Alfred and Gus, are mined to fulfill commitments to both inland and export markets. To increase extraction in the high quality Alfred Seam, pillar extraction, known locally as stooping, was introduced to the mine in September, 1980. Mining is a conventional cut-drill -blast operation and takes place under a unique set of geological conditions viz. moderately thick seam at 3.5 m; rapidly varying cover from 25m to 120 m; an overburden containing competent sandstone and dolerite horizons. In order to improve the understanding of the manner in which the pillar and overburden interact during pillar extraction, a largely visual system of monitoring backed up by roof-floor convergence measurements was employed. Preliminary analysis of the observations suggests that roof collapse or goafing occurs in three phases but is only initiated once a critical amount of convergence has taken place.

Jan 1, 1983

By A. A. Berk

LAGGING technology and the slow spread of in- formation have been the chief obstacles to wide- spread participation in minimizing the industrial pollution load. These obstacles can be conquered by fact finding and applied research. There are three aspects to the problem of waterborne mineral waste: to minimize the amount being thrown away, to select a predisposal treatment, and to use the products or dispose of them.

Jan 7, 1957

By W. T. Bishop

For many years pine oil has been used extensively as a frother for the flotation of minerals, particularly sulphides, yet the published information available to the average user on its composition, chemical and physical properties, has been rather meager. It is the purpose of this paper to discuss these points and their relationship to the frothing properties of pine oil used in flotation processes. Pine oil, as the name implies, is a liquid obtained from the processing of wood of the longleaf and other southern pines. It is a complex mixture of naturally occurring terpene derivatives, primarily alcohols, and a smaller amount of terpenes, which has found many uses in various industries. Its use as a frother in flotation processes was the first large-scale application in industry and today the mining industry still consumes large quantities of pine oil but the textile and disinfectant industries consume comparable volumes. Much is used in soap manufacture and laundry operations. The surface-active properties of pine oil are in a large degree responsible for this versatility. History The name "Naval Stores" goes back to the days when pine tar and pitch were used to caulk leaky ships and 'Oat their ropes and rigging. Today this term is still used to include not only the oleoresinous products of the pine tree—rosin and turpentine— but other products such as pine oil, pine tar, and the many terpene and resinous compounds obtained by extracting the pine wood or tapping the tree. That part of the industry known as "wood naval stores" dates from about the beginning of this century and today produces a large part of the country's rosin and turpentine by processing pine wood. In addition, all of our natural pine oil is supplied by the wood naval stores industry, as tapping of the live tree gives only rosin and turpentine. This latter phase is known as the "gum naval stores " industry. The first successful commercial operation of the steam and solvent process of the wood naval stores in industry was carried out by Yaryan at Cadillac, Mich., in 1909.1 This operation did not prove profitable, so Yaryan went south to utilize the longleaf pine, and built a plant at Gulfport, Miss.2 Soon after, another plant was built at Brunswick, Ga., which is still in operation, and in 1914 was reported to have processed about 500 tons of wood per day.' In 1921 Hercules Powder Co. acquired the Yaryan interests, at which time the production of pine oil was only 3 to 5 million pounds per year and flotation was the largest customer. As time went on, technological advances were made, other companies entered the field, and the production of pine oil increased many fold. The growth of the industry was especially marked during the past 10 years, and in

Jan 1, 1947

By W. T. Bishop

For many years pine oil has been used extensively as a frother for the flotation of minerals, particularly sulphides, yet the published information available to the average user on its composition, chemical and physical properties, has been rather meager. It is the purpose of this paper to discuss these points and their relationship to the frothing properties of pine oil used in flotation processes. Pine oil, as the name implies, is a liquid obtained from the processing of wood of the longleaf and other southern pines. It is a complex mixture of naturally occurring terpene derivatives, primarily alcohols, and a smaller amount of terpenes, which has found many uses in various industries. Its use as a frother in flotation processes was the first large-scale application in industry and today the mining industry still consumes large quantities of pine oil but the textile and disinfectant industries consume comparable volumes. Much is used in soap manufacture and laundry operations. The surface-active properties of pine oil are in a large degree responsible for this versatility. History The name "Naval Stores" goes back to the days when pine tar and pitch were used to caulk leaky ships and 'Oat their ropes and rigging. Today this term is still used to include not only the oleoresinous products of the pine tree—rosin and turpentine— but other products such as pine oil, pine tar, and the many terpene and resinous compounds obtained by extracting the pine wood or tapping the tree. That part of the industry known as "wood naval stores" dates from about the beginning of this century and today produces a large part of the country's rosin and turpentine by processing pine wood. In addition, all of our natural pine oil is supplied by the wood naval stores industry, as tapping of the live tree gives only rosin and turpentine. This latter phase is known as the "gum naval stores " industry. The first successful commercial operation of the steam and solvent process of the wood naval stores in industry was carried out by Yaryan at Cadillac, Mich., in 1909.1 This operation did not prove profitable, so Yaryan went south to utilize the longleaf pine, and built a plant at Gulfport, Miss.2 Soon after, another plant was built at Brunswick, Ga., which is still in operation, and in 1914 was reported to have processed about 500 tons of wood per day.' In 1921 Hercules Powder Co. acquired the Yaryan interests, at which time the production of pine oil was only 3 to 5 million pounds per year and flotation was the largest customer. As time went on, technological advances were made, other companies entered the field, and the production of pine oil increased many fold. The growth of the industry was especially marked during the past 10 years, and in

Jan 1, 1947