Search Documents

By Edwin Ludlow

EDWIN LUDLOW, president of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers for the year beginning Feb. 15, 1921, is a well-known figure in the state that was the birthplace of the Institute-Pennsylvania-although he was born and educated in New York and is again one of its residents, after years of active work in the field. Mr. Ludlow was born at Oakdale, Long Island, and was graduated from the School of Mines at Columbia University with the class of 1879. After graduation, he became a civilian worker with the U. S. Engineer Corps under General William Ludlow, his brother, and for two years did river and harbor surveying along the New Jersey coast.

Jan 1, 1921

By M. S. Azun

M.S. Azun I have many objections to the content of the author's paper. Before discussing it, however, I would like to repeat the property of semivariogram function. Second order stationary properties of regionalized variables (ReV's) such as semivariogram function ?(h) are perfectly known in geostatistics. Also, the kriging equations in the language of mathematical statistics using second order stationary properties are well understood. However, the way to use the sample (estimated) semivariogram function in any one of the kriging procedures is vague. The sample semivariogram function is given as follows: [1 N-hy*(h) = 2(N h) i21 {Xi-Xi+h}Z, h=0, 1, N-1] where N is the total number of samples, Xi is the sample value at the i - th location, X i+h is the sample value at the i +h - th location, and h is the distance among the samples. An estimation variance of sample semivariogram function of first lag is smaller than that of higher order lag. The theoretical semivariogram function reaches the variance of samples asymptotically. But this is not easily observable because of the larger variation involved in the estimate of semivariogram function. In general, an estimation procedure is done for h = 0, 1, 2,…., up to the greatest integer less than N/2, even though sample semivariogram function can be computable through N-1. After estimating semivariogram function, the critical question of how to model sample semivariogram function arises. As seen in the above equation, sample semivariogram function is discrete and can be smoothed by the model being selected. Therefore, modeling of sample semivariogram function is the most important step in geostatistics. It not only smoothes a discrete function but also affects the results of the kriging procedure. When the only aim is to model the semivariogram function, which is the basic point of the author's paper, one can employ any fitting techniques, such as curve fitting, or any ar¬bitrary functions, which are called submodels in the paper. The term "arbitrary function" is used rather than "submodel" because there is no basic understanding of developing them. The author suggests that the sum of those submodels can also be used for the modeling of sample semivariogram function. The combination of any arbitrary functions brings many problems instead of giving an insight of the domain structure considered. The author used two arbitrary functions and the nugget effect in response to sample semivariogram function (Fig. 10). For the same example, he stated that the parameters involved in the mixed arbitrary function model can be accepted when the discrepancy between sample semivariogram function and the model is small visually. For verifying the fitting behavior of any selected model, one should not be contented with the visual satisfactory. Some statistical measure such as goodness of fit has to be used. The author's practice is no more than an exercise in curve fitting without any fundamental understanding or conceptualization of the underlying physical mechanism. Furthermore, the selection of any model is not an easy task if the purpose is the search for the "best" response to the observed second order properties of ReV's. I suggest that the Markovian model (Azun, 1983), on the basis of a theoretical understanding of underlying mechanism, which gives more information about the occurrence of regionalized variables, is used to respond all properties of ReV's. There are a lot of problems for modeling of onedimensional sample semivariogram function. Thus, it is not appropriate to go to higher order dimensional sample semivariogram function modeling. In the meantime, I would recommend that one can connect the values of standardized sample semivariogram function rather than simple values of semivariogram function in the two-dimensional estimation. The standardized values can be computed in dividing the semivariogram function value by the number of sample pairs involved in each lag regardless of the directions. In conclusion, geostatistics is an interdisciplinary area in mining that uses the principles of mathematical statistics. Thus, it should not violate any probabilistic and statistical rules. When Matheron was developing the theory of geostatistical study in the early years of geostatistics, many mining people had a reservation accepting the geostatistical tools. However, this does not mean that we, the geostatisticians, might try to convince those people using some "strange" tools or rules as some authors implied (Baafi and Kim, 1984). Instead, we have to develop and explain the geostatistical tools staying only in the framework of statistical concepts and properties. ? References Azun, M.S., 1983, "Stochastic Process Modeling of Spatially Distributed Geostatistical Data," Columbia University, Ph.D. Thesis. Baafi, E.Y., and Kim, Y.C., 1984, "Discussion - Comparison of Different Ore Reserve Estimation Methods Using Conditional Simulation," Mining Engineering, Vol. 36, No. 3, p. 280. Reply by J.M. Rendu The interactive method proposed by Rendu allows practitioners to develop semivariogram models that take into account not only the numerical information obtained by sampling, but also highly significant additional information that often cannot be quantified. The geology of the deposit - including hypotheses concerning its genesis, sampling methods, assaying methods, and mathematical methods used to calculate the semivariograms - all have an influence on the numerical results obtained and on how these results should be interpreted. If all the information concerning the spatial distribution of values in a mineral deposit was contained in the sample values, it could be argued that statistical techniques alone would produce optimum models. However, this is rarely, if ever, the case. Methods that allow the user to take into account his experience and his geologic understanding of the deposit should not be rejected for the sake of theoretical statistical purity. ?

Jan 1, 1986

By John W. Cabot

The fact has long been known, that the temperature at which steel is made and cast bears a very important relation to the molecular condition of the cast ingot. But until quite recently this fact has not received the consideration which its importance seems to justify. That the ingots from a very " hot " blow in the Bessemer converter, for instance, would not roll as well as those made at a lower temperature, was observed very early in the development of the process; but the further investigation of the effects of varying temperature from "hot" to "cold," has not been carried out with that degree of fulness which has been accorded to the effects on the rolling of the chemical elements, and other conditions in the manufacture. In the following pages will be presented the results of an investigation of this subject, undertaken with the view of determining how far the influence of temperature extends, through how great a range its effects can be traced, and what temperature in the making and casting will give the best results in the rolling of the ingots. In the series of observations forming the basis for the conclusions arrived at, while it was not possible to get the full chemical analysis of every heat considered, a complete record of each, in other details, was made, and a large number of these were averaged together to

Jan 1, 1886

By Ellis Clark

The greater portion of the brown ore in the vicinity of Easton, along the north slope of the Lehigh Mountain or Durham range of hills, is obtained from mines instead of from open cuts or quarries, as is the case in the ore-beds in the western part of Northampton County, in Lehigh County, and in Berks County. The reasons for this method of procedure are various, and the principal causes of the shaft and regular mine system of working being adopted instead of the open air cuts, are: First, the large amount of stripping that would be necessary, as the richer and more valuable portions of the ore do not appear to be found as near the surface as those in other portions of the Kittatinny valley; second, the occurrence of the ore in regular beds, interstratified with the clay, and, to a less extent, in pockets or erratic deposits, as is the case in the mines of Lehigh County; and third, on account of many of the mines being situated at the immediate base of the Lehigh Mountain, where the surface water would be in such large quantities as to be with difficulty handled, and where the subsequent caving in of the sides of the open cut would be almost certain to expose the gneiss rock, which is water-bearing, the large quantities of water coming from which would probably drown out the ore-bed. Shafts, and a regular system of gangways and mining are therefore required by the configuration of the surface, the depth of the deposits and their geological structure. The ordinary size of the shafts is about four feet square, but where an extensive plant of pumping machinery is required the size may be increased to eight feet by six, with two compartments for the hoisting and pump-shaft respectively. A man-way, consisting of ladders with rests at intervals of twenty or thirty feet, is comprised in the pump-shaft, the wire rope being used for purposes of ascent and descent only in exceptional cases, on account of accidents which

Jan 1, 1879

By B. L. Averbach, E. E. Underwood

The vapor pressure of zinc in equilibrium with solid ß AgZn alloys has been measured by the dew-point method. The thermodynamic activities of silver, and the molar heats of formation have been calculated. Similar measurements have been made for the ternary alloys formed by adding gold to AgZn. An apparent particle size effect has been observed for AgZn filings. The vapor pressure of zinc over filings is 15 to 20 pct higher than over the solid alloys. STATISTICAL methods have been used to inter pret the thermodynamic activities of the components of a solid solution in terms of average equilibrium atomic configurations. In some cases, the atomic arrangements can be measured by X-ray methods, and the results are usually expressed in terms of short range order parameters. Only in the cases of Cu³Au and AgAu have there been sufficient X-ray and thermodynamic data to verify the assumed correlation between the X-ray and the thermodynamic measurements. In Cu³Au the agreement is good; negative deviations from Raoult's law are observed and the number of Cu-Au nearest neighbor pairs predicted on the basis of the thermodynamic treatments agrees quite well with the number of such pairs observed by the X-ray methods. The ß brass alloys present a different set of conditions. The ordering is so rapid in these alloys that the disordered state cannot be retained on quenching. In contrast, the disordered state in CuAu is easily retained on quenching. On heating, the ordered ß brass loses its long range order continuously as the critical temperature is approached; in Cuau the order decreases slightly on heating and then drops discontinuously to zero at the critical temperature. These differences indicate that the short range order configurations in ß brass systems may be of a different character than in Cudu systems. However, X-ray measurements of local order cannot be made in the Cu-Zn alloys because of the similarity in scattering factors. The alloy AgZn is isomorphous with CuZn, however, and recent experiments have indicated that there is a good possibility of observing short range order in this system. Another complication arises in the case of ß AgZn. The disordered body-centered cubic structure exists above 280°C. On quenching from above this temperature an ordered structure of the cesium-chloride type is formed. On slow cooling, however, a complex hexagonal structure, the 3 phase, is produced; and if an ordered quenched alloy is reheated the phase begins to form above 80°C. It is thus difficult to study local order by X-ray methods in single crystals of AgZn since the C phase formed on heating does not necessarily return to a single crystal of the original orientation. This problem has been met, however, by adding a few percent of gold to the AgZn. The gold suppresses the formation of the c

Jan 1, 1952

Jan 1, 1964

By J. B. Newsom

IN the September 1936 issue of MINING AND METALLURGY the pioneer work of boring a 5-ft. shaft to a depth of 1125 ft. at the Idaho Maryland mine in California was described. Later, a Bureau of Mines Information Circular (No. 6923) gave additional data. In re¬cent months still further progress has been made in this technique through the sinking of a 5 1/2-ft. shaft for Pickands, Mather & Co. at their Zenith mine, Ely, Minn. The present work was done with new carefully designed equipment and several experienced men so that progress, as shown below has been much better:

Jan 1, 1938

By Ashok K. Sinha

During the course of an in~*estigation into the occurrence of ordered AB3 structures, the following new phases have been found —CrRh3 (AuCu3 type), CrCo3 (MgCd3 type), HfCo4 (Ths Mn23 type), and WPt, MoPh type). The composition of the TiPt3-x phase (TiNi, type) is close to Ti23Pl77. The alloy chenzistry of transition rnetal AB3 structures is rezliewed in the light of electron concentration correlations of hex-agonality recently obtained for quasi-binary alloys. The relatizte colurne contraction in the AB3 structures increases with increasing difference in volume of the conzponents. A family of ordered close-packed layered structures is formed by stacking identical layers of composition AB, in various sequences, such that the coordination is twelvefold throughout and there are no A-A contacts. Previous work' on quasi-binary AB3 alloys has led to the conclusion that the stacking sequence of the AB, structures changes with increasing radius ratio RA/RB from a purely cubic, through different mixtures of hexagonal and cubic stacking to a purely hexagonal stacking. However. for binary AB3 alloys, a correlation between the type of the crystal structure and the position of the components in the various volumns of the periodic table has been noted.2-5 It has been noted6 that this correlation appears to hold even though the radius ratio RA/RB may vary over a considerable range with the location of the components in the three long periods. Another study7" of several quasi-binary systems led to the conclusion that an increase in hexagonality of the stacking is associated with increase in the electron concentration e/a. as defined by the average per atom of the total number of electrons outside the inert gas shells. In apparent conflict with this conclusion, it is known that seven binary alloy structures isotypic with TiNi3 which is 50 pct hexagonal occur at a higher electron concentration (e/n = 8.5) than that (e/a = 8.25) for the 100 pct hexagonal MgCd3 type structure present in seven binary AB3 alloys. Table 111. In the present work, an investigation into the occurrence of binary AB3 structures in transition metal alloys was made, and a survey of binary AB3 structures is presented. EXPERIMENTAL The starting materials were pure metals of 99.9 wt pct purity. The alloys were arc-melted under partial pressure of argon and annealed in sealed silica capsules lined with molybdenum foil under argon at- mosphere. The total weight loss upon melting and subsequent annealing was always less than 1 pct and hence the alloys will be referred to by their intended (unanalyzed) compositions. Wherever the constitution permitted. the alloys were given a homogenizing treatment at 1200°C (3 days) prior to annealing. Unless otherwise stated all alloys were annealed at 900°C for 1 week and water-quenched. Sometimes the final annealing treatment was carried out on powders to accelerate the attainment of equilibrium. X-ray powder patterns were taken using a Guinier-de Wolff focusing camera (CuK, radiation) or an asymmetrical focusing camera (Co or CrK, radiation). For lattice parameter determination. internal silicon standards were employed. The intensity calculations were made using a Fortran IV program written by Jeitschko and parthe.9 RESULTS Twenty AB3 and three AB4 alloys were investigated. Table I lists the crystallographic data on some of the intermediate phases encountered in the present work. Table II contains the X-ray data for HfCo, (Th,,Mn,, type). The positional parameter, x. was assumed to be 0.378. the value for Th6Mnn2310 The X-ray pattern of ZrCo, was very similar to that of HfCo, and the previous structure determination of ZrCo, by Kuzma el al." was confirmed. Ordering in the alloy CrCo could be ascertained by the presence of only one weak super lattice line (101). the others being too weak presumably owing to the small difference in the scattering powers of chromium and cobalt. This line was observed in the X-ray pattern of powder from the massive sample annealed at 830°C (7 days) after the powder had been reannealed at 600°C (24 hr). The diffraction pattern of the powder similarly reannealed at 830°C (24 hr) contained only the lines due to a mixture of hcp and fcc Co(Crj solid solutions. Therefore, it appears reasonable to assume that O2 and/or N2 contamination which would be less likely to occur during the 600°C anneal was not responsible for the observed weak reflection. Also. this reflection cannot be identified with any of the strong lines of the neighboring s phase which is present in the Co-Cr system at higher chromium contents. The composition corresponding to the TiNi3 structure observed by Raman et al.12 in the two-phase alloy Ti,zt,, has been established in the present work as being between There was satisfactory agreement for the low-angle lines (up to d = 1.997A) between the observed diffraction pattern of TiCua and that calculated assuming the ZrAu, structure. as recently proposed by Pfeifer-et a1.I3 However. some of the superlattice lines. e.g., at d = 1.937 and 1.919A. predicted by the ZrAu, structure were not actually observed eve? though neighboring lines. at d = 1.947 and 1.986A. of comparable calculated intensity were present. The ZrAu

Jan 1, 1970

By R. Taggart, D. H. Polonis, J. C. McMillan

Thin foil electron microscopy techniques have been used to study the micros tructure of a Ti- 7.5 wt pct vanadium alloy in the quenched and aged cond_itions. Selected area diffraction has identified a (1011) twinning mode accompanying the martens ite t9.an.sfo?rn~ation. Precipitation of the 0 phase during the aging of quenched alloys has been obsevced to occuv in the form of plates and needles with preferential growth along the (1120) direction in the a' matrix. In the present work, the micro structures of quenched and aged alloys of the 0 isomorphous Ti-V system have been investigated by means of thin-foil electron-microscopy techniques. Most of the previous studies of martensitic phases in titanium-base alloys have utilized optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. The application of transmission electron microscopy is more recent, and only a few such studies have been reported.1-5 This paper is concerned particularly with the crystallographic nature of substructures formed in the martensitic a' plates. The early stages of aging or tempering have also been examined to determine the modes of precipitation from the martensitic solid solutions. Such information is essential in studying strengthening mechanisms and in determining the feasibility of high-strength rnartensitic alloys based on titanium. Liu and Margolin6 reported several types of substructures within the martensitic plates of quenched Ti-Mn alloys. It was later suggested by Liu7 that the structure of martensitic plates might be very complex and not single crystals as normally assumed. The sub-markings could not be identified with the two possible habit-plane orientations {334}ß and {344}ß, and it was not positively determined whether they are associated with mechanical twinning. The recent studies by Armitage5 on titanium martensites in a variety of commercial alloys have indicated that twinning does not generally accompany the transformation. This observation is in accordance with the Mackenzie and Bowles model for the transformation in pure titanium8 which suggests that twinning is not to be expected. However, a number of other recent investigators have reported twinlike substructures in the martensitic plates of several titanium systems including commercia1 titanium,2,3 Ti-Cu,5,9 Ti-Ta,1 and the commercial alloy Ti-8A1-1Mo-1V. Blackburn* has reported that the structure of quenched Ti-8A1-1Mo-1V depends on the prior solution temperature. He identified two types of martensitic structures, one of which is described as a heavily faulted hcp or twinned fcc structure and the other an hcp structure with a high internal dislocation density. The latter type exhibited some twinning with a (1011) twin plane. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES AND RESULTS The alloy used in the present work was a 7.5 wt pct V alloy that was prepared by conventional arc-melting techniques. This alloy composition was selected

Jan 1, 1968

By Edgar Shepard

THE interest of the Federal Government in improvement of water-ways dates from 1820, when Congress appropriated $5000 for making a survey of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers and assigned this work to the Corps of Engineers of the Army. Since that time the Government has gradually assumed increasing jurisdiction in the matter of improvement and control of inland waterways until, by the River and Harbor Act of Jan. 21, 1927, Congress assigned to the Secretary of War and to the Chief of Engineers the duty of making surveys, in accordance with House Document No. 308, 69th Congress, to formulate plans for the most effective improvement of the navigable streams of the United States and their tributaries, for navigation, development of water power, control of floods, and the needs of irrigation. Virtually all the preliminary investi-gations and surveys required by this act have been completed. The reports made to Congress have been published and often are referred to as "308 Reports." The map shown in Fig. 1 is merely a skeleton distribution of the projects covered by these reports, but it serves to indicate the magnitude of the proposed undertaking. In many instances, a single character on the map stands for a major development involving several dams and reservoirs or many miles of canals or levees. The devastating floods of 1936, and the need for worthy public works to take up the slack in employment, gave further impetus to this program and in 1936 led to the enactment of a bill authorizing a large number of these projects.

Jan 1, 1940

By Michael M. Maier, Charles B. Brumleve

The Henderson mine uses the panel caving method to extract molybdenum ore from a deep ore body in an igneous intrusive. Research into caving mechanics and its related problems has yielded fundamental relationships concerning the response of a stressed rock mass to the caving method. The relationships studied through a variety of programs include the following: the evaluation of time and distance related stress fields; the monitoring of the deformation of underground openings and the design implications; ground and mining sequence classifications compared to past support requirements; the response of finite rock masses to zones of high stress concentrations; the evaluation of the subsidence induced by caving; and the microseismic monitoring of cave growth. The cumulative objective of this research is to better understand, predict, and control rock mass response.

Jan 1, 1981

By A. E. Nehrenberg

THE mechanism by which austenite forms in steels has received a great deal of attention in the literature in past years.'-'* Our present knowledge concerning this mechanism has been recently summarized quite concisely by Bain and Vilella,1 while a few years ago the literature was carefully reviewed by Roberts and Mehl.² The consensus is that any ferrite-carbide interface is a potential site for the nucleation of austenite during heating above the Acl temperature, and that the new austenite generally grows freely to produce approximately equiaxed grains, whether the carbides are initially present in the lamellar or the spheroidal form. In the case of eutectoid steels, growth of the new grains of austenite continues until contact is established with other grains. Then growth stops and an initial austenite grain size is established which does not change until the heating is continued to some high temperature at which grain coarsening begins. In the case of pearlitic steels which are not of eutectoid composition, the proeutectoid ferrite or carbide may interfere with the growth of the austenite if the temperature is not above that designated the A63 or the Acm, respectively. Although a large amount of work has been done to establish the mechanism of austenite formation in steels, it became clear to the present author while he was studying the transformation characteristics of a new 0.25 C Mn-Si-Ni-Mo hypoeutectoid steel" that the manner in which austenite grows in steels depends upon some factor, or factors, not previously considered. This was indicated by the fact that when this steel in the spheroidized condition was heated above the Ae1 temperature the new austenite which was formed did not envelop the carbides and grow in an equiaxed manner as described by Bain³ or spheroidized steels. Instead, in this steel, the austenite was observed to grow much more readily in certain directions than in others with the result that at temperatures within the Ac1-Ac³ ransformation range the austenite grains were acicular in shape. The excess ferrite was also found to be acicular with the distribution of these phases being such that a lamellar pattern was developed. This unusual directional growth of austenite in this new steel initially in the spheroidized condition is illustrated by fig. 1. A search of the literature revealed that this type of growth was not necessarily peculiar to this steel for similar microstructures had been observed by other investigators.4-8 However, the full significance of these microstructures does not appear to have been appreciated, and no work has been done to determine the conditions responsible for this directional growth of austenite or to arrive at an understanding of it. It was for this purpose that the work described in the present paper was carried out. Material: During the course of this investigation a total of 15 steels was studied. They consisted of hypoeutectoid, eutectoid and hypereutectoid carbon steels, and hypoeutectoid and hypereutectoid alloy steels, all of which were obtained in the annealed condition from commercial warehouse stock. As received, the carbon and alloy hypereutectoid steels had microstructures which consisted of spheroidal carbides in ferrite, whereas the eutectoid steel and the hypoeutectoid steels were pearlitic. The grades of steel represented were 1050, 1080, 10110, 3310, 4140, 4340, 4615, 6145, 8620, 9260, 9442,

Jan 1, 1951

Mounting pressures to increase efficiency and yield, conserve energy, or minimize pollution have all taken their toll on the minerals industry. As management and technical personnel take a harder look at their operations for ways to shave cents off operating costs or to squeeze a bit more productivity out of existing equipment, instrumentation often comes up as the most effective answer. When Amax Lead installed an automatic grind control system in its Buick mill, ore throughput increased by 3 to 5%. Mill operators calculate that the initial investment is returned to them several times annually.

Jan 2, 1978

By J. O. Lewis, H. R. Pierce

Since the sudden revival of the air or gas-lift and its extensive use in the oil fields, many questions have arisen as to principles and as to their application under the conditions actually encountered in the field. Much has been written regarding both theory and practice, especially on the air-lift as applied to lifting water. Many statements have been made as to the use and benefits of the gas-lift, some of which are reasonable but many of which are unreasonable, many specialty makers claiming to have devices which operate in almost miraculous ways and even to generate energy nature never possessed. These claims are often based upon incomplete or inaccurate data. A review of the literature discloses many valuable articles, but it also discloses the need for setting out more clearly the different practical ends sought, and for working out specific engineering principles upon which to formulate the design and operation of gas-lifts to meet the desired ends within the limitations of field conditions. A check on some of the published information has revealed basic errors in the sources of data upon which conclusions have been predicated and has led the writers to doubt the value of a large part of the compiled data. The writers have concluded, therefore, that it will be opportune to direct discussion to the sources of error in the data now being collected, to recommend for consideration by the engineers some methods of collecting and correlating data, and to point out some of the factors relating to the application of the air-lift principle to oil production as dictated by the different economic ends sought, and the limitations of working conditions that may be met. Until these several considerations are clearly understood by the engineers, and the unreliable data have been sifted out and dependable data substituted, there seems little chance of evolving satisfactory engineering control for the air-lift. In the following pages no distinction will be made between gas-lift and air-lift, as they are generically the same.

Jan 1, 1928

By Eldon N. Dunlap

Recently the producing branch of the petroleum industry has shown a considerable and growing interest in the quantitative determination of the water, oil, and gas content of cores as it relates to estimation of reserves, to providing a basis for judging as to the feasibility of applying various secondary-recovery and pressure-maintenance processes, and in general to the operation of producing properties. For years it has been known that oil, gas and water coexisted in the pores of many semidepleted oil measures. It is now generally believed that oil-bearing beds contain connate water in amounts varying up to 50 per cent of the pore space. However, only lately has reliable direct evidence of the extensive occurrence of connate water in oil sands been published. Very little work has been done to ascertain the effect of this water on the productivity and ultimate recovery of oil from wells. It was the intent of this research to study the influence of interstitial water on the flow of oil through unconsolidated sands, with the hope that the results could be applied qualitatively to the flow of oil in underground reservoirs partly saturated with water. Obviously, ultimate recovery estimates based on the void volume of the reservoir will be in error unless a correction is made for the volume of water that occupies a portion of the effective pore volume of the reservoir. Evaluation engineers in the past have applied arbitrary saturation and recovery factors that may inadverently have compensated for the failure to consider specifically the water content. Nevertheless, the evidence available indicates that these factors need revising if each is to be independently correct and truly representative. Although the fact that the connate water renders part of the pore volume of the reservoir incapable of containing oil is of primary importance to the operator, it is also to his interest to know to what extent the presence of varying amounts of interstitial water influences the permeability of the sand to oil.

Jan 1, 1938

By Henry Lewelling

An experimental investigation of the relative effectiveness of standard bullets and "shaped charges" in perforating dense, hard formations is reported. A method is described which simulates the conditions under which a shot is normally fired. Results are evaluated on the basis of depth of penetration, extent 01 Fracturing. extent and nature of formation damage, and other physical characteristics. INTRODUCTION A study was made of the relative merits of bullets and "shaped charges'' as applied to well completions in hard, dense formations such as those encountered in the Permian Basin. The planning of the laboratory program stipulated that core samples should be prepared and mounted in such a way that perforation shots of either kind"" could be fired into them, keeping the factors pertinent to good shooting practice similar to what they would be in a well. The shooting was done in a buried tank. with the sample and shooting equipment covered with water. The depth of water was calculated to he sufficient to simulate the inertial effects of well fluids for the duration of an explosion (a few micro-seconds). Flow measurements were attempted on the specimens after perforation. Due to the lack of uniformity of the limestone, shale breaks. etc., these measurements proved to be of little value to the study. The mounting materials were removed. so that the character of the penetration. fracturing, etc., could be observed. METHOD Laboratory samples were selected from the hard. dolomitic sand cores from Block 31 Field. Core pieces having a 3 3/4 in. diameter and a useful length of 10 to 12 in. were used. Selection was aimed at those pieces having a minimum of shale streaks and other irregularities. The ends were cut off square Manuscript received in the Petroleum Branch office June 28, 1951. Paper presented at the Petroleum Branch Fall Meeting in Oklahoma City, Okla., Oct. 3-5, 1951. with the diamond saw. Prior to lbeing mounted. the cores were soaked in water to prevent them from absorbing water out of the wet concrete, thus weakening it. A set of steel capsules was fabricated for holding the core Samples. Seven-in. casing was cut in two-ft lengths. of which one end was closed by "orange-peeling" and welding, and the other was threaded to accept a standard bull plug. The bull plugs were fitted with copper tube connections .so that pressure could be applied when the capsules were made up. The cores were mounted in the capsules by means of wire centralizers whose function was to hold the Core in proper position while concrete was poured and set. A special aggregate was prepared wing a graded sand and gravel mixture

Jan 1, 1952

By K. A. Johnson, H. F. Yancey

Physical properties have been used for a long time in characterizing different kinds of coal, and such physical properties as friability and slacking have been included along with chemical properties in grouping coals according to the widely used system of classification adopted by the U. S. Geological Survey. Nevertheless, the usefulness of physical properties for classifying the different ranks or kinds of coal has been limited because it has not been possible to express these properties in definite form as numerical values. Because of the present wide interest in the formulation and adoption of a satisfactory system of coal classification, the Northwest Experiment Station of the U. S. Bureau of Mines, in cooperation with the College of Mines of the University of Washington, has recently completed a study of the physical and chemical properties of approximately 100 different coals ranging in rank from lignite to anthracite. Purpose and Scope For this investigation samples were collected in approximately 45 mines and prospects in Washington and 23 mines in other states. The following studies, in addition to proximate and ultimate analyses, were made of the samples: Determination of (1) friability, (2) slacking or weathering characteristics, (3) yield of products by low-temperature carbonization in a laboratory retort, and (4) agglutinating value. Most of the coals examined were subjected to each of the tests enumerated, but with coal of some ranks this was unnecessary in some instances, and in others it was not feasible to do the work involved. A report which includes the analyses of the coals and the details of the methods of examination used in the investigation is being published by the Bureau of Mines.' It is the purpose of the present report to show the results of the friability, slacking, low-temperature and agglu-

Jan 1, 1932

By R. A. Walker, R. G. Bradburn, B. C. Flintoff

The events which led to computer control of the grinding circuit at Brenda Mines are described, beginning with mill operating philosophy. High production rates are encouraged so that, despite severe upstream disturbances, a manual control method to meet this philosophy had developed. Unfortunately, due to the time interval between manual control adjustments, losses in production resulted. An analog control method was devised and, although superior to manual control in some situations, was found to suffer from several practical limitations. The data logging capabilities of a control computer seemed warranted. Circuit testwork combined with an analysis of operating data showed that (1) metallurgical personnel at times could increase production rates by as much as 10% over that achieved by grinding operators; (2) the chosen data base required an increase of 2% or more to be statistically significant; and (3) for a 2% increase there would be a significant rate of return of investment in computer installation. Consequently one grinding circuit was fully instrumented, and a rented computer was installed by Brenda personnel. Prior to installation, Brenda metallurgical and instrumentation personnel were trained in the use of the computer. An experimental program was devised with short and long-term objectives. The short-term objective was to develop a practical control strategy which would yield immediate production improvement. This goal has been successfully met as described in this paper. Statistically significant increases in excess of 2% have been established. Work is being completed for the permanent installation of computer control on all four grinding circuits at the present time. Long-term objectives are (1) off-line analysis of the circuit using mathematical models of process units; (2) on-line experiments to study alternative control tactics; and (3) possible expansion of computer facilities to the crushing plant.

Jan 1, 1978

By Charles E. Stuart

A paper on this subject can cover but a limited range. A thorough visualization of the subject would contemplate a comparative analysis of haulage machines and batteries of various types; the relationship of the storage-battery locomotive to other types of mine haulage should be considered and limiting factors in each case should be carefully developed. This paper will deal briefly with these factors. So far as the writer has been able to determine, the first storage-battery locomotives for mine haulage were manufactured in 1897 or 1898 and were tried out in the Pocahontas coal field, but they were not sufficiently satisfactory to justify their continued use. Battery explosions were frequent and caused serious damage to the wiring, electrical equipment, and the clothing and bodies of the motormen. Sulfuric acid was used as the electrolyte. Experiments were then conducted with locomotives bearing reels of flexible cable through which connection between the motors of the locomotive and the trolley wire was maintained. At first, these reels were turned by hand. Later, the reels were revolved by contact with the wheels of the locomotive, being raised out of contact with the wheels, by a lever, when necessary. About 1902, the plan of operating the reel, by chain and sprocket wheels, from one of the locomotive axles, as is still the practice, was devised. The popular floating motor-driven reel had its inception in the Pocahontas fields prior to 1906. The maximum radius of operation of the reel-type locomotive is about 500 ft. (150 m.) from point of connection with trolley wire. This is ample for room work and certain entry work, but the need for a machine that would operate entirely independently of the trolley wire was so great that, with the development of the storage battery, renewed efforts were made to manufacture a successful storage-battery locomotive. About 1908, the gasoline locomotive was introduced. In spite of many objections to this type of machine for such work, the fact that hundreds of these machines were purchased was proof of the need for a machine operating independently of the trolley.

Jan 1, 1923

By Charles E. Stuart

A paper on this subject can cover but a limited range. A thorough visualization of the subject would contemplate a comparative analysis of haulage machines and batteries of various types; the relationship of the storage-battery locomotive to other types of mine haulage should be considered and limiting factors in each case should be carefully developed. This paper will deal briefly with these factors. So far as the writer has been able to determine, the first storage-battery locomotives for mine haulage were manufactured in 1897 or 1898 and were tried out in the Pocahontas coal field, but they were not sufficiently satisfactory to justify their continued use. Battery explosions were frequent and caused serious damage to the wiring, electrical equipment, and the clothing and bodies of the motormen. Sulfuric acid was used as the electrolyte. Experiments were then conducted with locomotives bearing reels of flexible cable through which connection between the motors of the locomotive and the trolley wire was maintained. At first, these reels were turned by hand. Later, the reels were revolved by contact with the wheels of the locomotive, being raised out of contact with the wheels, by a lever, when necessary. About 1902, the plan of operating the reel, by chain and sprocket wheels, from one of the locomotive axles, as is still the practice, was devised. The popular floating motor-driven reel had its inception in the Pocahontas fields prior to 1906. The maximum radius of operation of the reel-type locomotive is about 500 ft. (150 m.) from point of connection with trolley wire. This is ample for room work and certain entry work, but the need for a machine that would operate entirely independently of the trolley wire was so great that, with the development of the storage battery, renewed efforts were made to manufacture a successful storage-battery locomotive. About 1908, the gasoline locomotive was introduced. In spite of many objections to this type of machine for such work, the fact that hundreds of these machines were purchased was proof of the need for a machine operating independently of the trolley.

Jan 1, 1923