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By Walter R. Hibbard

ALTHOUGH extensive pole figure studies have been reported by Brick1 and others2,3 showing preferred orientations in rolled and annealed 70-30 alpha brass, and by Hermann and Sachs4 in 70-30 alpha brass cups, comparatively little information has been published on textures in drawn 70-30 alpha brass tubes. Crampton5 reported a (110), [III] texture in drawn brass tubes based on selected individual X ray photograms following the method of Norton and Hiller,6 but the extent and ease of developing this texture and the annealing texture have not been reported and pole figures of these structures were not found in the literature. The present investigation was further stimulated by the possible influence of textures on the mercury stress-corrosion cracking of brass tubes. According to Snoek,7 iron-nickel alloy sheet with a strong cubic texture was more resistant to corrosion than a randomly oriented sheet. Crampon5 reported that single crystals of 70-30 alpha brass drawn into tubes did not crack after 24 hr s in a standard mercurous nitrate test. Edmunds 12 found that single crystals of 70-30 alpha brass did not crack in a standard mercurous nitrate test but did crack when subjected to ammoniacal vapor. Wassermann reported a similar failure of a single crystal of brass in ammonia. A tube with a strong texture might approach single crystal behavior and tend to resist mercury cracking if the differences in orientation between adjacent grains were sufficiently slight. PREPARATION OF SPECIMENS Crampton's5 tubes drawn 28 pct reduction in area developed a slight degree of preferred orientation while in tubes drawn 48 pct it was more marked. Based on this information, in order to obtain specimens with markedly different degrees of preferred orientation but with the same final draw, two sets of 70-30 alpha brass tubes were made following the mill schedules shown in Table I. The final draw involved a large reduction in outside diameter, and a ratio of reduction in area to reduction in outside diameter similar to that reported by Crampton,5,10 to cause mercury cracking of brass tubes. The brass contained 71.31 pct copper, 0.01 pct lead, 0.01 pct iron and zinc by difference. DETERMINATION OF POLE FIGURES A 6-in. length from each tube was rotated rapidly by an electric stirrer in 25 pct nitric acid until the gauge was reduced to 0.003-0.005 in. The tubes were carefully cut longitudinally and the walls gently flattened. They were further etched in 25 pct nitric acid to 0.0015 in. thickness and (III) pole figures were determined using copper K-alpha radiation in the manner described by Brick.1 The three general types of pole figures

Jan 1, 1947

JOSEPH W. RICHARDS, Chairman. J. E. JOHNSON, JR., Vice-Chairman. ARTHUR S. CALLEN, Secretary, 453 Chestnut St., So. Bethlehem, Pa. SUB-COMMITTEES IRON ORE DWIGHT E. WOODBRIDGE, Chairman. ERNEST F. BURCHARD, WILLIAM KELLY, CHARLES F. RAND, FELIX A. VOGEL. BLAST FURNACES II. A. BRASSERT, Chairman. WILLIAM H. BLAUVELT, AMBROSE N. DIEHL, JAMES GAYLEY RICHARD V. McKAY. STEEL WORKS HENRY D. HIBBARD, Chairman. GUILLIAEM AERTSEN, C. F. W. RYS, .1. S. UNGER. FRANK D. CARNEY, A. A. STEVENSON, WILLIAM It. WALKER. MECHANICAL TREATMENT CHARLES A. BUCK, Chairman. ROBERT W. HUNT, GEORGE MESTA, FREDERICK W. WOOD.

Jan 6, 1915

By J. E. Dorn, S. K. Mitra

The low -temperature tensile and creep behaviors of single crystals of copper were evaluated and analyzed in such a manner as to provide an estimate of the separate contributions of short-and long-range stress fields to strain-hardening. Furthermore, the average force-displacement diagram for thermally activated intep-section of two dislocations was estublished. This diagram plus a knowledge of the variation of dislocation spacing and the long-range back stresses with strain permits on accurate prediction of creep rates. The calculated activation energy for intersection under conditions of a constant strain rate increases linearly with the absolute tempevatus-e as required by theory. AN understanding of the detailed mechanisms for strain hardening constitutes one of the principal unsolved problems in dislocation theory. Two major models for strain hardening have been advanced in the past. The one that has received greatest attention assumes that strain hardening arises exclusively from long range interaction stresses between moving dislocations and piled-up arrays of blocked dislocations on the slip planes. This type of interaction was first announced by Taylor' who revealed that the back stress fields due to a simple uniform array of positive and negative dislocations entrapped in the deformed crystal would result in parabolic hardening. Shortly thereafter Andrade and Henderson" demonstrated that the strain hardening of fcc single crystals was not parabolic, as previously thought, and finally it was recognized that a typical stress-strain curve consisted of three successive stages of deformation, niz., the easy glide, Stage I, linear hardening, Stage 11, and the parabolic hardening, Stage 111, ranges. The objections to Taylor's somewhat na'ive model, which were presented so forcefully by cottrell; were largely removed by the more realistic details incorporated in Mott's analysis.5 But because Mott's theory for hardening via long range stress fields gave somewhat analogous results to that of Taylor's (inasmuch as it also predicted a parabolic rate of strain hardening whereas the observed rate of strain hardening in Stages I and I1 were linear), it was not widely accepted. Major consideration was therefore given to models, such as those which were advanced by Friedel and seegere that were formulated for the ad hoc purpose of yielding linear rates of strain hardening. The second major thought regarding strain hardening is based on the concept that it arises principally from short-range stress fields due to the interactions between intersecting dislocations. Cottrell and stokes7 showed, several years ago, that the constancy of the flow stress ratio at two temperatures regardless of the strain was inconsistent with the concept that strain hardening arose exclusively from long-range back stresses. The argument that strain hardening was primarily due to local interactions of intersecting dislocations was presented in considerable detail by asinski.' Extending Basinski's method of analysis of the intersection process, Mitra, Os-borne, and dorn recently demonstrated that indeed the strain hardening in aluminum single crystals arises principally from local effects coincident with intersection; however, these conclusions, too, must be modified, as will be shown later in this report. The present investigation, devoted principally to the low-temperature deformation of copper single crystals, was initiated in an attempt to ascertain whether or not the same conclusions arrived at for aluminum also apply to metals, such as copper, which have much wider stacking faults. It was soon observed that the strain hardening in copper could not be attributed exclusively to local effects between intersecting dislocations. Previously no analytical method for arriving at the possible simultaneous contributions of long-range stress fields and localized forces on intersecting dislocations was available; consequently, the separation of these two factors could not be readily accomplished. In the present report a method of estimating the separate contributions of each of these two factors to strain-hardening will be presented. The authors will show that both long-range stress fields of the type contemplated by Seeger and Friedel as well as short-range forces of the type considered by Basinski are responsible for strain hardening in fcc metals at low temperatures. This method of analysis also accounts for, in a satisfactory way, the effect of stress, temperature, and strain on the creep rate under constant stress. Furthermore, in the course of presenting their methods of analysis the authors will also reveal the rather complete agreement of their experimental data with the concepts of the theory for thermally activated intersection of dislocations. INTERSECTION MODEL As shown by seegerl0 the strain rate arising from thermally activated intersection of dislocations is given by

Jan 1, 1962

By K. S. Lane

The problem of stability of slopes in reservoirs is one of real interest in civil engineering. The problem is whether the valley walls will remain stable or whether they are likely to slide as conditions are changed by storage of water in the reservoir. If major slides are indicated, as on the walls of relatively steep canyons, one must estimate whether they will be so located and of sufficient size as to interfere with operation of the reservoir-as by blocking the outlets, or by displacing sufficient water to over-top the dam in a huge wave. Some cases involve problems in soil mechanics for slides in earth or weaker rock; other locations need the assistance of rock mechanics for slides in harder rock. While this is not a new problem, attention has recently been focused on its importance by the hugh landslide into the Vaiont reservoir in 1963, which claimed the lives of over 2000 people and forced abandonment of the dam and powerhouse. VAIONT RESERVOIR SLIDE Fig. 1 shows Vaiont Dam in Italy which is a double curvature arch, 875 ft high, located on a tributary of the Piave River, north and west of Venice. When completed in 1960 it was the highest arch dam in the world. In 1960 a sizable landslide (some 700,000 cu yd) occurred on the left abutment a short distance above the dam. Following this, the reservoir was held down for construction of a by-pass tunnel through the right valley wall to insure connection with the upper end of the reservoir in event of further slides. In October 1963 a giant landslide occurred on the left valley wall, over a width of some 14 miles (see Fig. 2). Over 300 million cu yd slid into the reservoir, displacing the water and forming a hige wave 700 ft above the top of the dam as it hit the opposite, or right, wall of the valley. The wave then passed some 500 ft over top of the dam, followed down the tortuous winding canyon and debouched into the

Jan 1, 1967

(Members are urged to send in for this column any notes of interest concerning themselves or their fellow-members.) Members and guests who registered at Institute headquarters during .the period Jan. 10 to Feb. 10, 1915: N. H. Emmons, 2d, Dover, Mass. R. 0. Hocking, Redruth, England. Paul W. Gaebelein, Cornucopia, Ore. G. H. Carnahan, New York, N. Y. H. D. Kinney, Easton, Pa. W. A. Wilson, Salt Lake City, Utah. W. D. McDougall, New York, N. Y. H. V. Winchell, Minneapolis, Minn. Kirby Thomas, New York, N. Y. Mrs. H. V. Winchell, Minneapolis, Minn. V. T. Lawshe, Newark, N. J. Keijiro Nishio, Tokyo, Japan. Henry S. Stebbins, who has been connected with the firm of Oglebay, Norton & Co., Cleveland, since 1892, has resigned to accept a position with M. A. Hanna & Co. of the same city. E. L. Newhouse has been chosen First Vice-President of the American Smelting & Refining Co. in place of the late Barton Sewell.

Jan 3, 1915

By O. O. Laudig

It is a well-established fact that some ores do not reduce as readily in the furnace as others, thus seriously affecting out-put, and consequently, cost of product. With the object of obtain ing some information upon this subject, the following experi ments were made in the laboratory of the Buffalo Furnace Company. Efforts were made to obtain, as nearly as possible, represent ative ores from some of the most important mining districts in the United States. The ores received were from the Mesabi, Marquette, Gogebic, Menominee and Vermilion ranges of the Lake Superior district and from Southwest Virginia. Requests

Jan 1, 1897

By T. E. Godson

AS this is the age of reform, a uniform mining law for North America is a moot subject for discussion at this meeting of the Institute. The question is one of peculiarly technical and, in many respects, local character. We all appreciate the value of the metal-producing industries and recognize the necessity and importance of a well-considered and evenly balanced mining law as a branch of our jurisprudence either for the Provinces or the Dominion as a whole. Mining has taken its place as a forempst industry and legislation that seeks to control and govern it is the concern of not only the active miner but the citizens of the state. A law that, through its charitable measures brings into being the prospector, the pathfinder and superstructure of all mining activity and industry! protects his interests, safeguards invested capital, and encourages and enforces development, possesses at least the salient requirements of a businesslike Act. The manner of doing so is, I think, one of local and internal concern. May I be permitted to say without presumption that of the five mining codes, or Acts, that we have in the Dominion of Canada born and bred within the Provinces of British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia, some of them could be materially improved. In many respects they do not measure up to the times; they were no -doubt creations of merit at the date of their .birth but they have not been clothed in seasonable raiment as the years passed by. It is a stern fundamental principle that all natural resources are the inalienable property of the crown. If it is mineral land, then it follows for the protection of the state and the direct advancement of the occupant that the land should be developed as such. The method or machincry by which this must be accomplished is a matter of detail, not of principle. If the right to possession as a licensee depends on discovery, it is not inconsistent with the duty the crown owes to the state that a grant in fee should pass to the discoverer if there is imposed, after patent issues, a requirement of continuous work or the alternative of an acreage tax sufficiently burdensome to make it unprofitable that the land should be held in an undeveloped state. If this requirement is recognized, the mental distinction between a grant and lease ceases to exist. A

Jan 1, 1920

The Institute has no available copies of Bulletin No. 7, January, 1906, and Bulletin No. 105, September, 191.5. The sum of 30.50 per copy will be paid for these Bulletins.

Jan 6, 1917

By Thirumalai, K.

Although the term "spalling" has long been known, Norton l first referred to its usage for the fracture or disintegration of materials subjected to rapid temperature changes. Spalling of ceramic materials at high temperatures has received attention in the past. Removal of the char formed during ablation in re-entry of space vehicles has been referred to as mechanical spalling. The first experiments to evaluate the process of rock fragmentation by thermal spalling were conducted by Stoces using a series of gasoline burners on the quartz veins of the Zinnwald deep mines in Germany. After the development of rocket-jet burners, the principles of 'thermal spalling combined with high fluid momentum found wide practical application in rocks. The well-known jet piercing process for drilling blastholes in taconite and for jet channeling in the quarrying of granite are among the more notable of these application^.

Jan 1, 1970

Edward K. Landis, Philadelphia, Pa.: In studying Mr. Thackray's paper it seemed that a critical comparison of the results from different methods therein reported would he of interest. For this purpose Table I. was constructed by grouping all determinations made by the same method, and the probable errors were calculated. In this table all chemists titrating with permanganate (A1, E, F, G and 0 of Mr. Thackray's paper) are classed under "Emmerton;" those titrating with nitric acid (C, J, S and Y) under " Handy; " those re Probable error of result: a, ±0.0008996; b, ±0.000694; c, ±0.00107; d, ±0.00115; e, ±0.000674; f, ±0.000473; g, ±0.003675; h, ±20.0007959; i,0.000.5098; k, ±0.0008303. Probable error of single determination: a, ±0.001989; b, ±0.001547; c, ±0.00214; d, ±0.0023;e, ±0.00116;f, ±0.000818;g, ±0.0019;h, ±0.00224; i, 40.00143; k, ±0.00234. The formula for calculating the probable error is 0.6745, where N (N— 1)' S is the sum of the squares of the differences from the mean and N is the number of determinations.

Jan 1, 1897

By Glenn Keep

THIS paper is not an announcement of the successful conclusion of the Cerro de Pasco Copper Corporation's pacos-pyrite problems, but merely a description of the commercial-scale, intermittent-roasting operations conducted by the writer, J. H. Lucas and others of the staff. It was prepared by request, for presentation at the February meeting of the Institute. The results obtained in Peru confirm the 1-ton-a-day experiments completed about three years ago at Kearny, N. J. by C. C. Gordon and Mr. Lucas, where it was first demonstrated that a mixture of about 80 per cent. pacos ore with 10 per cent. pyrite ore and 10 per cent. salt could be roasted intermittently in a small 1-ton-a-day Holt-Dern furnace without extraneous fuel, producing porous calcine that could be leached rapidly. Mr. Keep and his staff, by successfully introducing improvements in the construction of the commercial furnace and in their handling of material, have established beyond doubt a low cost for roasting. The other steps in the process of treating pacos and pyrite ores have not as yet been demonstrated as sufficiently conclusive to warrant their acceptance for a permanent plant.

Jan 1, 1929

By T. K. Perkins, W. W. Krech

Jan 1, 1969

By Eugene McAuliffe

The mining press, as well as certain federal and state bulletins, refer from time to time to the relative hazards that attach to loading bituminous coal by hand when compared with the so-called "mechanical loading" process. Much of the coal coming under the head of hand-loaded coal is won in part by the use of machinery; the coal-cutting machine is in general use, the electric power drill employed to a lesser extent. Therefore it may be said that the principal difference in the process employed, mechanical loading versus hand loading, lies in the fact that some type of loading machine is employed in the mechanical loading process to lift the coal from the face of the room, place or entry, after it is mined, placing it in the pit cars for transport to the tipple. It is a common practice to compute accident records on the basis of tons mined per fatal and per nonfatal accident, disregarding the fact that it is possible to produce by the aid of coal-loading machines the same daily, monthly and annual tonnage with a much smaller force than is required where the coal is all shoveled by hand. Inasmuch as the men who are released by the substitution of machinery for hand labor must find employment elsewhere, suffering some measure of hazard in their new occupation, we are of the opinion that the true relative hazard that attaches to the processes of mechanical loading and hand loading can be determined only by using as the basis of comparison "man shifts worked" or "hours of exposure" experienced per accident. The Union Pacific Coal-Co., beginning with the year 1929, undertook to maintain a true record of man shifts worked per compensable accident, giving equal weight to fatal and nonfatal accidents. Accidents lacking sufficient severity to come under the compensable terms of the Workmen's Compensation Act were not included in the compilation, the Act providing that "no compensation, except the expense of medical attention, shall be allowed for the first seven (7) days of disability, unless the incapacity runs beyond the period of twenty-one (21) days, in which case the compensation shall run from the time of the injury." With the further thought that all accidents suffered by employees engaged in any service, in or about the place where the loading process

Jan 1, 1931

By Myers, J. F.

The purpose of the mill tests reported herein, was to determine the relative power efficiency of fast and slow rod mill speeds on the ores of the Tennessee Copper Co. The tests were carried out at the lsabella Mill of the Tennessee Copper Co. under normal operating conditions. Every effort was made to keep the ore supply and other conditions constant, but it will be noted that some slight variation did occur. The open circuit 6 by 9 rod mill, and ore, used in these tests have been previously described.' Four motor drive pinions were available and the tests were performed in the following manner: each pinion was used to drive the mill for a period of one week. Constant sampling prevailed during the test run, and a composite sample for each speed test was made. Realizing that some slight liner wear took place during the four-week test-run, and that some slight variation of the ore may have taken place, a second and then a third series of four-week test- runs were made with the four different pinions. The screen analysis of each of the thee-week run samples at the various speeds were composited and the results are shown in Table 1. The authors feel that the 12 weeks of operation consumed during these test-runs would represent fairly the effect of each mill speed. The data of line 37 show that within the error of sampling and plant operation, the tons of minus 65-mesh material generated per horsepower hour was the same at all four speeds.

Jan 1, 1949

Mine Taxation On Monday morning, Sept. 22, a session on- Mine Taxation was held in cooperation with the Internal Revenue Dept., U. S. Treasury, Mr. R. C. Allen presiding. This was followed by two adjourned sessions, at which Mr. R. C. Allen and Mr. A.D. Brokaw presided. The following paper was presented: Federal Taxation of Mines. By L. C. Graton. (Presented by the author; dis¬cussed by R. V. Norris, W. O. Hotchkiss, W. P. Beldon, Paul Armitage, R. C. Allen, E. F. Brown, William Belly, A. D. Brokaw, F. W. Sperr, C. H. Benedict, E. P. Griffitts, W. E. Forsythe, and the author). Coal and Gas The first session on Coal and Gas was held on Monday morning, Sept. 22; the second, on the afternoon of the same day. Mr. Curl Scholz presided at both sessions. The following papers were presented: Research on the Coal-mining Industry. By E. A. Holbrook. (Presented by the author.) Some Factors that Affect the Washability of a Coal. By Thomas Fraser and H. F. Yancey. (Presented by the author.) A Use Classification of Coal. By George H. Ashley. (Presented by title.) Distribution of Anthracite. By A; S. Learoyd. (Presented by title.) Height of the Gas Cap in the Safety Lamp. By C. M. Young. (Presented by the author.) Engineering Features of Modern Large Coal Mines in Illinois and Indiana. By C. A. Herbert and C. M. Young. (Presented by the authors.) Gas-producer Practice. By G. S. Brooks and C. C. Nitchie. (Presented by the authors.) Testing of Coals for Byproduct Coking and Gas Manufacture. By Horace C. Porter. (Presented by the author.) Coals of Ohio and their Limitations for Byproduct Coke. By Wilber. Stout. (Presented by the author.) Outdoor Substations in Connection with Coal-mining Installations. By H. W. Young. (Presented by the author.)

Jan 11, 1919

By Morris Cohen

This paper deals with the calculation of the composition of the infinitesimal trace of alloy that transfers from the liquid to the solid state at each temperature during the equilibrium solidification of a binary solid solution, and which thereby enables the compositions of the coexisting liquid and solid phases to follow along the liquidus and solidus lines respectively during the cooling. A general expression for the composition (S) of the liquid-to-solid transfer at each temperature has been derived S - ZLXL(XL - P) + Zsxs(P - XS) ZL(xL - P) + Zs(P - XS) where ZL and Zs are the slopes of the liquidus and solidus lines at the given temperature, XL and xs are the composi-tions of the stable liquid and solid phases at the same temperature, and P is the composition of the alloy under considera-tion. The S equation is valid for the process of equilibrium heating as well as cooling, and may be applied to vapor-to-liquid, vapor-to-solid, liquid-to-liquid, and solid-to-solid transfers if the corresponding equilibrium diagrams are known.

Jan 1, 1940

By E. R. Shorey

FLOTATION-Mill operator's have recognized that slimes are detri-mental to the flotation concentration of zinc ores. The, presence of primary slime in many of the Wisconsin ores is largely responsible for the failures experienced in treating these ores by flotation. These failures have discouraged the adoption-of the flotation process by opera-tors in the Wisconsin zinc district. The removal of slimes by decantation seemed to be the obvious way to meet the problem of treating slimy or' clayey ores by flotation. To facilitate the removal of slime, it was decided to mix the ore pulp with sodium silicate, which acts to deflocculate the pulp.1 Deflocculation causes slime suspension, making it possible to separate the slime from the sands by decantation.2 Since the literature contains little definite information on the use of sodium silicate to deflocculate ore pulps, a series of tests was conducted to obtain the necessary information. Tests to determine the settling rates of sand and slime in deflocculated pulps were conducted on a dolomite-marcasite-sphalerite ore ground to minus 80 mesh (175 microns) and mixed with water to form a pulp. The deflocculator3 was Mallinckrodt 40° to 42.5° Bé. liquid sodium silicate (Na20 + 3.25Si02). .By microscopic analysis the suspended slimes4 were found to be minus 15 microns (approximately 1000 mesh).

Jan 1, 1934

ALLERTON S. CUSHMAN, Middletown, Ohio (written discussion*).¬ This subject is one to which I have given much thought and study and which I have frequently discussed informally with Mr. Cain and others. I have long been convinced that the gaseous elements, either combined or entrained (occluded), in steel play a much more important role than is ordinarily admitted. This is probably due to the difficulties encountered in the accurate quantitative estimation of gases, some of which Mr. Cain has referred to, as well as to the fact that, considered from the weight-percentage basis, gas content is measurable only in hundredths or even thousandths of 1 per cent. Volumetrically, however, the results ob-tained by modern research are startling, to say the least. Baraduc-Muller,1 as cited by Mr. Cain, pumped out of 1000-lb. ingots of basic Bessemer steel 2100 l. of gas. or about 75 cu. ft., at normal temperature and pressure, per ton of steel. In other words, we are to understand that Bessemer steel normally carries about fifteen times its own volume of gas. According to Baraduc-Müller's table of results, which is given here-with, carbon monoxide, nitrogen, and hydrogen are important consti-tuents of Bessemer steel, the latter gas being undoubtedly formed by the

Jan 11, 1919

Dr. F. W. C. Schniewind, New York, N. Y.:—Mr. Vogel speaks of briquetting the flue-dust by means of lime. I learned recently in Europe of a process employed with considerable success at one of the blast-furnaces, where blast-furnace cinder is used with lime. The lime and cinder are mixed with the flue-dust, and exposed to superheated steam, which converts the blast-furnace cinder into cement. Briquettes are then formed in the usual way. Mr. Vogel :—The process referred to is the " Scoria process," which has not been in use for some time past. For that reason, I did not mention it. Prof. Arthur L. Walker, New York, N. Y.:—I would ask the commercial name for magnesium chloride, and where it can be obtained ? Mr. VoGel :—I mentioned magnesium chloride, because it has been used abroad to a large extent. In Germany it is obtained as a by-product in the manufacture of potash-salts; in the United States we have been using chloride of lime, which is cheaper. Otto Sussman, New York, N. Y.:—What is the cost of this process ? Mr. Vogel :—The cost is exceedingly low. I can give you the figures from abroad, but not for the United States, because the system has not -yet been used here commercially to

Jan 1, 1913

PURPOSE OF UPDATED ESTIMATE FOR MINERAL INVENTORY BLOCKS During the production stage of an open pit porphyry copper mine it was observed that the expected production grade, as determined from the block inventory estimates, often differed greatly from the head grade of ore delivered to the mill. It was determined that, for purposes of production scheduling and monthly forecasting, better in situ grade estimates for mining blocks were necessary. Because all of the bench blastholes were being sampled, and periodic holes were being drilled into the next underlying bench, much more sample data existed than was being used for estimating the grade of nearby mining blocks. It was reasoned that, by periodically updating the mineral inventory block file over the benches scheduled for mining in the next time period using all existing data, better estimates and forecasts for production grade could be made. BLASTHOLE SAMPLE DATA MANAGEMENT The collars of all blastholes in each mined bench were surveyed and assays run on the cuttings representing the full 12-m (40-ft) bench height. The blastholes range from about 5 to 6 m (16 to 19 ft) apart along the front of the bench as well as perpendicular to the front. Overbreakage often left larger spacings between successive blasts. Fig. 17-1 is a plan map of blastholes on a typical mine bench. All blasthole data were keypunched to a format resembling that of the 12-m (40-ft) composite assay data file as follows: [Collar Coordinates Compite Assoy Hole ID Northing East Elewotion Total Copper Oxide Copper] Because of the many blasthole samples available, and in order not to use excessive computer time for running kriged estimates for 30.5 X 30.5 X 12-m (100 X 100 X 40 ft) blocks adjacent to and beneath the mined area, the decision was made to average all the blastholes falling with each 15.2 X 15.2-m (50 X 50-ft) mined block, and use the mean value of the samples as a regionalized variable for purposes of assigning kriged estimates and estimation variance to adjacent unmined blocks. In other words, instead of using individual blasthole samples for making kriged estimates, the holes were grouped by blocks and assay values were averaged and assigned to the centroid of the holes within the block, which was then treated as a single regional variable for purposes of kriging. See Fig. 17-2. VARIOGRAM COMPUTATIONS AND KRlGlNG RESULTS With the many blasthole samples it was possible to compute directional and vertical experimental variograms for both sulfide and nonsulfide copper assays falling within the enriched mineral zone for the full 12-m (40-ft) sample support. Due to the close spaced drilling, excellent definition of the experimental variograms was possible, and the spherical model exhibited good fits. A three-dimensional kriging program was then run over the two or three mine benches involved in the inventory update, and estimated grades reassigned to all mining blocks falling within the range of the new blasthole assay data according to the anisotropisms of the deposit. Better confidence limits could then be assigned to scheduled mining blocks and better short- range forecasts made. An interactive kriging computer program was also applied for the purpose of determining the kriging variance or estimation of error for larger, irregular mining blocks representing the monthly production from a particular bench. The interactive program permitted the operator to enter the limits of the irregular block onto the screen of a cathode ray tube (CRT) as a series of points around the perimeter of individual gridded blocks making up the larger irregular block. The computer then was programmed to calculate the kriging variance of the larger block using all samples fall- ing within range. Thus the limits of estimated grade could be established at any confidence level. Fig. 17-3 illustrates the output from the interactive kriging program showing the sample points entering into the grade and kriging variance computations, and also the kriging coefficient assigned by the computer to each sample.

Jan 1, 1980