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By F. S. Norcross

MANGANESE has long been considered one of the United States' most important strategic raw materials. Its indispensability in steel manufacture makes it vital to the nation's industrial life. Coupled with this indispensability is the fact that domestic producers have not been able as yet to supply more than a small part of the nation's manganese needs; consequently the United States has had to depend upon such distant foreign sources as the U.S.S.R., British India, the African Gold Coast and Brazil for the major portion of its ore. The great bulk of the mineral is consumed in the form of ferromanganese, an alloy that averages 8o per cent manganese and 20 per cent mainly iron and carbon. Manganese is used as a deoxidizer and desulphurizer in steel manufacture. By combination with the residual oxygen and sulphur of the bath, it helps to produce a clean, sound metal. Approximately 14 lb. of manganese, it is estimated, is used in making one ton of steel. For standard-grade ferromanganese, the ore should have a minimum of about 48 per cent Mn and preferably more. Beneficiation methods have not yet been developed for making the immense low-grade deposits in the United States salable at prevailing prices. Dependence upon foreign sources thrust the United States into serious difficulties during the World War. At the start of hostilities in 1914, the nation was obtaining about four-fifths of its ore from the Eastern Hemisphere. Domestic production had been negligible, amounting to only 3000 to 7000 tons a year. As the war continued, shipments from the East, endangered by sea attack and blockade, dwindled rapidly. Imports from Brazil mounted. In this grave emergency, the United States, starting almost from scratch and under the stimulus of high prices, succeeded by 1918 in producing a peak of 311,000 tons, about 3 5 per cent of its consumption that year. Since the war, the United States has depended upon foreign sources for more than nine-tenths of its high-grade ore. During 1936, 1937 and 1938, imports for consumption averaged 736,000 tons a year. During the same period, domestic shipments averaged 21,000 tons a year. Of the imports, the U.S.S.R. accounted for an annual average of 280,000 tons, the Gold Coast 208,000 tons, India 74,000 tons, and Brazil 72,500 tons. But India and Brazil, which in 1936 ranked third and fourth in the list of importers, were displaced in 1937 and 1938 by a new and much nearer source-Cuba. From less than 1 per cent of United States imports in 1931, the island republic increased its shipments to more than 27 per cent in 1938. Cuba's average for this three-year period was 97,000 tons, and its total for 1938 was 131,000 tons.

Jan 1, 1940

By E. E. McGinley, L. D. Woodworth

DURING the past several years has occurred what, in the light of future events, may aptly be called the rebirth of the acid Bessemer process. The increased attention given to the technical and metallurgical details involved in the production of Bessemer steels has been exceedingly fruitful, and indicates the value of further research and plant development. In times like these, when the steelmaking capacity of the country is operating at a maximum rate to supply materials for the national defense program, it behooves the Bessemer operator not only to strive to increase production but also to maintain a high standard of quality. The opportunity is ripe, it seems, to recapture fields of application once considered the birthright of Bessemer steels, but supplanted in recent years by open-hearth grades. This involves cooperation all along the line, from the blast-furnace operator to the metallurgical contact man and salesman. The metallurgist's part in this program involves the study of the many steelmaking variables and the measures necessary to ensure constancy in the finished product. It is equally important that the knowledge gained be disseminated widely to ensure the wise application of Bessemer steels in new fields. The merits of Bessemer steels for certain work are well understood. The combined properties of good weldability, machinability and stiffness are unique and fully explain the strong entrenchment of Bessemer steels in certain fields; e.g., skelp for small butt-weld conduit, screw steels machined in automatics, and certain tinplate applications. It is the purpose of this paper to review briefly the physical properties of Bessemer steels as contrasted with those of open-hearth steels, to discuss control measures now employed in the making of Bessemer steel, and to consider the advantages derived from the use of these control measures. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF BESSEMER VS. OPEN-HEARTH STEELS A number of Bessemer blows and open-hearth heats were tested for tensile strength, ductility and impact strength. The steels selected were confined to sections from ¾ to 1 ¼ -in. diameter, inclusive, and the carbon content covered was sufficient to yield parallel ranges in ultimate strength for the comparison. Other factors, such as the extent of deoxidation of the steel and variations in chemistry, were kept as comparable as possible. Machined test pieces of 0.505-in. diameter with an 8-in. gauge length were pulled. The data obtained are shown in Fig. 1, ultimate strength being plotted against carbon content. This graph shows that for equivalent carbon content Bessemer steel has on the average 15,000 lb. per sq. in. greater tensile strength and, conversely, for the same tensile strength Bessemer steel requires on the average 0.14 per cent less carbon. The average phosphorus content for the Bessemer steel was 0.090 per cent,

Jan 1, 1941

By Wilford S. Wright

FOR the past four years the management of the Black Hawk Consolidated Mines plant at Mogollon has conscientiously kept accurate records pertaining to cost of operation and the performance of certain equipment. These records have been valuable in coordinating the work in the mine, mill and power plant. Also, as to quantity and kind of equipment and supplies most suitable from the standpoint of economy and dependable operation, they have served as a guide. Through comparison with records at other mines, where the same things are being done in a different way, they have pointed out mistakes to be avoided. No outstanding accomplishments, either in costs or performances, are revealed; in fact, some of the results are perhaps quite inferior to those obtained at similar plants, but it is with the thought that more records should be published for the benefit of the mining profession that the author presents these data. To other operators and to mining engineers who are called upon to make estimates for prospective operations, the information herein should be helpful. GENERAL CONDITIONS Mogollon is in the southern part of Catron County, southwestern New Mexico. It lies near the western border of the Mogollon Range, 14 miles east of the Arizona line. Silver City, 80 miles to the southeast, is the nearest railroad point. The connecting road, over which supplies are hauled into camp by trucks, is an improved highway for about 50 miles; the remainder consists of graveled roads and unimproved steep mountain grades. One general supply truck and one tank truck make daily round trips. Hauling of supplies to the mine has cost at the rate of $0.08 per ton-mile; or, on the basis of ore production, $0.30 per ton mined. Lumber, hauled in from local mills, has cost an average of $30.00 per 1000 board feet, $8.50 of which has been for hauling. The annual consumption averages 108,000 board feet. Lime, hauled from a plant in Arizona, is about the only other item not brought out from Silver City. Fuel oil for the generation of power is the item of greatest hauling expense, the f.o.b. Mogollon cost of approximately $0.06 per gal. being nearly twice the f.o.b. refinery price. Water for power plant, mill and camp use flows to camp storage tanks through a 4-in. pipe line from a spring and intake 3 miles up Silver Creek Canyon. A few times, particularly in the month of June, mill operations have been suspended for two or three days because of water shortage. MINING CONDITIONS During the years 1938, 1939, 1940 and 1941, the mine produced 230,059 dry tons

Jan 1, 1943

By W. J. Slatosky

W. 0. Philbrook (Cairiegie Institute of Technologyogv—Mr. Slatosky has presented an interesting and constructive paper that represents another step along the way of converting steelmaking from an art to a science. I am confident that his computer will be practical and successful and that with a very few months of experience it will provide a significantly better degree of control than his record of 65 pct of heats within range obtained with the slide-rule calculator . A paper such as this, with a lot of symbols and condensed mathematics, is difficult to comprehend quickly. Since I have had an opportunity to study it carefully, perhaps my evaluation of its validity and accomplishments will save time for others. Mr. Slatosky has correctly used standard principles of stoichiometry and heat balances, which are available to anybody, but he has also brought to them two original contributions: 1) He has developed from operating data some empirical relations for predicting the final FeO content of the slag (at 0.5 pct C end-point) as a function of slag basicity, lance height, and scrap, ore, and scale in the charge. This improves the accuracy of prediction of temperature or scrap requirement compared with assuming an arbitrary, constant FeO content at the end of each heat. There is no assurance yet that exactly the same relations will hold for other furnaces or practices, but similar correlations can be expected. 2) He has combined calculations that are ordinarily carried out laboriously as a number of individual steps into a single, simple linear equation that can readily be fed into a machine. This involved a tremendous amount of painstaking detail work as well as the imagination to see the possibility and work out the steps. While his particular Eqs. [3] and [6] are valid only for the furnace design, charge weight, and blowing time used at Aliquippa Works, only a few numerical values have to be changed to adapt it for other conditions. In order to arrive at a useable solution, Mr. Slatosky had to make some basic assumptions about the process that are similar to those used by others. He neglected variation in some process variables and assumed an arbitrary average value for waste gas analysis and temperature for want of more exact information at the present time. All of these judgments are clearly stated. In addition, some thermody-namic data presently available are not adequate for the job, notably in relation to heats of formation and sensible heat in slag, and some expedient has to be adopted to get around the difficulty. Other people might prefer slightly different judgments about these details and hence obtain somewhat different numerical solutions. This is not of serious importance, however, because the errors accumulate in the "heat loss" term and are largely self-compensating for a constant heat time. Although the extended Eq. l(a) in Appendix I was set up as a rate equation originally, for convenience in using an analogue computer as stated in the paper, the time dependence was removed by later mathematical manipulations and assumptions about the process. The final result is an integration of element and energy balances from initial to final states; this procedure is as legitimate here as in any other form of heat-balance calculation. The formal handling of stoichiometry and thermochemistry appears to be correct, and it is assumed that any arithmetical errors would have come to light in applying the calculations to furnace practice. Mr. Slatosky's approach is not necessarily unique, in that other people might start with apparently different equations or prefer another form of final equation for another type of computer. However, he has presented an accomplished result that appears to be a theoretically sound and practically useful way of applying scientific principles and rapid computation for better control of steelmaking. His success will undoubtedly encourage himself and others to improve on the mathematical model and its use as better informatioq becomes available. John F. Elliott (Massachusetts Institute of Teck-t2ology)-The last comment by Mr. Richards that a calculator is quite unnecessary for an L-D operation ?-equi??es a rebuttal. The L-D furnace is a very high capacity process which places a premium on close control. When one is making steel at rates between 100 and 200 tons per hr, one cannot afford the luxury of an extra 5 or 10 min at the end of a heat correcting for an error that should never have been made in the first place. Mr. Slatosky's paper is a very sound application of the simple principles of stoichiometry and the energy balance. It is a satisfactory and valuable start, but only the start of the development of methods of control for this process. An analysis of the process shows that it should be very suitable to control by a computer. This is especially the case when various grades of steel are to be made. In fact, it would seem that the organizations who are planning new and bigger installations of L-D vessels should consider carefully the advantages that would stem from computer control of a vessel with the operator present to do little more

Jan 1, 1962

By Thomas Darlington

The obligation of an employer to the State requires certain things of him as matters of good citizenship: for instance, that his workmen shall have a living wage, that child labor shall not be employed, that injuries from accidents shall not make workmen a charge upon the State, and that the laborer's children shall have opportunity for education and to become good and useful citizens. Affairs of this kind are not taken up as philanthropy, for the officials of a corporation or a large manufacturing concern may not feel at liberty to spend the funds of their company as prompted simply by motives of kindliness; but they may spend company money on such matters because it is good business. For years, the poisonous effects of lead, phosphorus, and dust have been emphasized in books on industrial hygiene and their elimination has been urged; but the more important and everyday physiology of the workman himself has been neglected. Part of my object in writing this paper is to show how our knowledge of physiology may be applied to working conditions in everyday life. In the interest of industrial laborers, accident compensation laws have been enacted in 33 States. This has been carried forward rapidly, because it has been shown that it pays both employer and employee. A further step is the recognition of sickness and disablement independent of accidents, not only because of their immediate cost to the worker and to the employer, but because continued efficiency in work and business depends largely upon health. Some measure of the importance of health in industry can be gained by the knowledge that records kept by some companies which now make this the subject of careful inquiry show that the time lost by employees, through illness, is several times as much as that lost as the result of industrial accidents. It is true that accidents frequently result in permanent disability or death, but it is equally true that illness is also a cause of permanent disablement or death. Thus the chief difference is that the loss to the employee through accidents occurring in the course of his employment is now generally recognized as a cost

Jan 1, 1918

By C. Baldwin Sawyer

J. S. Vanick,* Washington, D. C. (written discussion).—To those who have been confronted with the study of the gas-metal reactions, this paper is a most welcome contribution. My personal interest in work bearing upon this general problem, stimulated by an appreciation of the difficulties inherent to problems of this type, prompts a few words of discussion. Table 2 of the paper shows a gradual increase in the nitrogen content with an increase in pressure, and an interpretation follows in which nitrogcn is used as the compressed medium when the conditions admit that cyanogen gas could be active as a contaminating ingredient. Fusions of electrolytic iron made in the induction furnace in an atmosphere of deoxidized nitrogen and out of contact with contaminating materials have shown no microscopic evidence of -a nitrogen increase; using a refractory-lined graphite crucible in the furnace under the same conditions or admitting air often resulted in the occurrence of nitride needles in the solidified melt. These results suggested that a nitrogenous compound served as a vehicle for the introduction of nitrogen and that such compound was not available when the pure gas and carbon-free refractory were used. The fusion of pure iron in pure nitrogen is perhaps a matter of theoretical interest. The author's work serves a more practical purpose when applied to steels rather than iron. Table 2 reports the absence of nitride needles in melts made under pressure of one atmosphere, although the quantity of nitrogen present would seem to exceed microscopically detectable percentages. In some recent work29 on carburized iron, nitride needles have been observed in areas analyzing as low as 0.015 per cent. nitrogen. This low percentage of nitrogen would indicate that the solubility limit is less than 0.030 per cent. for hypoeutectoid steels. There is the possibility that the areas of pearlite which exist in a hypoeutectoid steel restrict the distribution of nitrogen and limit its presence to the ferritie fields. In view of this work and the references quoted by the author, I am led to expect that the value for the solubility of nitrogen in solidified iron may approach

Jan 1, 1924

By M. F. McCarty, R. S. Olson

New organic flocculants of high-molecular weight are replacing lime, glue, and starch in liquid-solid separation. Of these synthetic materials, poly-acrylamides are outstanding. Polyacrylamides form a class of compounds varying widely in composition and activity. Separan 2610, one of the first of these flocculants' released to the mining industry in 1954, is described' as a high-molecular weight polymer of acrylamide with or without a copolymer material and with some replacement of amide by carboxylic groups. MECHANISM OF FLOCCULATION In practice, flocculation makes solids settle faster and filter better. But two opposing factors control it. The random motion that causes particles to collide favors Van der Waals' forces, which hold the particles together. The effect of zeta potential opposes this contact, and particles are mutually repelled. Flocculation can be achieved by reducing the magnitude of the zeta potential; this is the mechanism of flocculation by lime addition. The way in which polyacrylamides accomplish flocculation is not fully understood, but the action is undoubtedly comp1ex and probably varies considerably depending on the system. To begin with, the active groups of these compounds have an extremely high affinity for solid surfaces, probably by hydrogen bonding." Initially some active groups of the molecule attach themselves to the solids with a large portion of the molecule extending into the solution. Two particles can become tied together by long flocculant molecules in the following ways—by bonding between the active groups of two flocculant molecules on different particles, or by an extended molecule from one particle attaching itself directly to the surface of the other particles." These flocculant bridges prevent the particles from moving apart through random motion, but when such motion moves them together other active groups on the flocculant bridge bond to the solids, holding them in the closer position. This process is repeated until the particles are close together. Although bridging is probably a major flocculation mechanism, it is not the only phenomenon involved. Relatively neutral acrylamide flocculants reduce the magnitude of the zeta potential by increasing the viscosity of solution in the immediate vicinity of the solid surface which contains the mobile counter ions of the double layer. In other words, it moves the shear surface which bounds the zeta potential out into the solution containing counter ions which tend to neutralize the zeta potential. This effect is probably more pronounced during the initial adsorption period, before the flocculant molecules are pulled close to the solid. In some cases the slight charge of the polyacry-lamide molecule tends to neutralize a zeta potential. However, this is not a primary flocculation mechanism, as evidenced by the fact that the polyacrylamides will flocculate solids with either positive or negative zeta potential. Adsorption of polyacrylamide flocculants by a solid is substantially an irreversible reaction. Since the flocculant molecule is attached to the particle surface by many active groups of high bonding strength, desorption would require the simultaneous breaking of many bonds—an unlikely occurrence. UNIQUE PROPERTIES The irreversible adsorption of certain polyacrylamides, the flocculant's high affinity for solid surfaces and its rapid adsorption make it effective, but these unique properties require special techniques to achieve maximum flocculation. If flocculants of this type are added to a pulp as a relatively concentrated solution, the solids in the

Jan 1, 1960

By Christian F. Baiz

INTRODUCTION Industrial minerals can have similar financing requirements to those needs of metaliferrous and coal mining projects. One of the outstanding differences is the understanding of the many different markets that these industrial minerals represent. There are in excess of 30 principal industrial minerals ranging in terms of annual production from the largest quantity such as sand and gravel, to possibly the smallest quantity of production of a legitimate industrial mineral which may be defined as industrial and rough gem diamond. (See Tables 1 and 2) Project finance techniques, analytical methods, and information requirements are covered elsewhere in this Chapter and Chapter 10. Some comments on equity finance aspects follow. EQUITY AMOUNT The amount of equity in a financing transaction provides a cushion to the lender in case the project runs into trouble. Generally speaking, the greater the amount of risk in a project, the more equity a lender will require. The amount of cash equity in a project financing transaction is between 25 and 40 percent. The amount of leverage (debt/equity) is negotiable based on such factors as the strength and extent of the sponsor's undertakings, of the project's economics, and the term of a strong sales contract. Naturally, a borrower seeks to obtain d loan with as little equity required as can be negotiated. Zero percent equity is usually associated with a take-or-pay contract (a hell-or-high- water unconditional commitment under which the purchaser must pay for the commodity as though it were shipped regardless of whether it is actually mined or shipped) with a financially strong corporate entity i.e., the parent company or an end user. As a take-or-pay contract is tantamount to a guarantee of payment, the banker views the credit basis of the loan as being other than the borrower's mining operation and therefore will analyze the creditworthiness of the institution purchasing the commodity on the basis of its corporate balance sheet. Do not confuse a take-or-pay contract with a take-if- tendered or take-and-pay contract. Another means in the United States of obtaining zero percent equity is the carved out production payment financing, typical of coal mine financing. This involves the sale, or conveyance, by the owner of the mineral property of a production payment to a nominally capitalized company. The nominally capitalized company is formed solely to buy the production payment and usually borrows 100 percent of the purchase price from a lender. Equity amounts of 10 to 20 percent generally are found in transactions which employ techniques such as an advance sale or a subordinated lease/loan. These agreements are viewed as quasi equity by most banks for several reasons. First, the proceeds represent a cash infusion early in the project's life - usually prior to the bank lending any funds. Thus, the repayment schedule is "behind" that of the bank debt. In the case of an advance sale, repayment is in the form of a long-term supply contract with favorable terms, usually priced close to the mining operation's costs. There is also usually a requirement that all costs of the project be paid for by the loan or equity, often making the sponsors financially responsible for any cost overruns. Cost overruns are a major risk in any project, large or small, and are often due to unforeseen factors such as wildcat strikes, a piece of faulty equipment, or any event which delays completion, e.g., remote location, weather, etc.. . The question of how overruns are covered can be negotiated. For example, in addition to the original debt/equity ratio of the project, there can also be a cost overrun ratio that will

Jan 1, 1985

By L. Mair

A STUDY by J. R. Low, Jr.1 on the effect of quench aging on the Charpy-impact specimens of semikilled 1020 steel disclosed that a decrease in cooling rate from 1275°F raised the transition temperature. This was demonstrated in his investigation by controlling the cooling rate of impact specimens to duplicate that of a heavier plate and com- paring the properties with air-cooled specimens and quenched specimens. The transition temperature of the samples that had been cooled at a rate estimated to be similar to that of an air-cooled 3/4 in. plate was approximately 45ºF higher than the quenched samples. The transition temperature of the air-cooled series was between that of the slow-cooled and the quenched series. On the basis of this work, it appeared that the cooling rate of plates after rolling in a hot mill would have a bearing on the brittle fracture of the

Jan 1, 1955

Executive Committee, Board of Directors Augustus B Kinzel, Chairman, J L Glllson, Vice-Chairman, A W Thornton, Howard C Pyle, Grover J Holt Finance Committee, Board of Directors Andrew Fletcher, Chairman, J S Vanick, Gall F Moulton Investments Gail F Moulton, '60, Chairman, Henry Krumb, '59, J Loveloy, '61, C R Dodson, ex off as Treasurer, Andrew Fletcher, ex off as Chairman, Finance Com¬mittee Endowment Andrew Fletcher, Chairman, N G Alford, H DeWitt Smith, W J Coulter, J V N Dorr, R B Gilmore, J B Haffner, O H Johnson, D H McLaughlin, J R McMillan, L F Reinartz, C E Weed, Wilfred Sykes, J R Suman Honorary Memberships H DeWitt Smith, '59, Chairman, C E Reistle, Jr, '59, Grover J Holt, '59, L F Reinartz, '59, M L Haider, '60, D H McLaughlin, '61, John M Lovejoy, '62, Augustus B Kinzel, ex off as President

Jan 1, 1958

By E. Peters

As in other fields of Extractive Metallurgy, Hydrometallurgy is preoccupied with separation processes and with oxidation-reduction processes. The physical chemistry of each type of process can be described in terms of thermodynamic equilibria and in terms of reaction kinetics. Reaction kinetics are much more important at the low temperatures limiting hydrometallurgical processes than in com- parable pyrometallurgical operations and the number of cases in which the kinetics can be described by simple liquid-phase mass-transfer models are sharply limited. It is convenient to subdivide the applicable rate phenomena into processes in which (a) interface reactions control the rate,(b) mass transfer processes control the rate, (c) solid state process affect the rate, (d) thermodynamically predicted phase changes or molecular reactions fail to take place, (d) metastable substances or supersaturated phases persist, and (elchomogeneous reactions in solution affect the chemistry and the kinetics. Examples are drawn from the unit steps of leaching, cementation, hydrogen reduction, and electrowinning.

Jan 1, 1973

By George Kenzy, Charles B. Manula

This paper introduces a philosophy of dynamic modeling. Here, the development of a simulation model of a coal mining system is described for the purposes of: (a) system design and selection of equipment for a new operation; (b) analysis of existing operation' for possible alterations, additions, or general improvements.

Jan 1, 1976

By Sherwin F. Kelly

GEOPHYSICS may be considered a vice (albeit, I submit, a comparatively harmless one) whose career is aptly described by Pope's lines: Vice is a monster of so frightful mien, As to be hated needs but to be seen; Yet too oft, familiar with her face, We first endure, then pity, then embrace. Although there may be some that have not yet succeeded in emancipating themselves from the first stage of horrified contemplation, geophysicists may be duly thankful that there are mining men and geologists that have arrived at a state of apparently irretrievable damnation.

Jan 1, 1936

EdgaR S. Cook, Pottstown, Pa.:—Many friends and acquaintances seem to be under the impression that the Warwick Iron & Steel Co. received a' license from Mr. Gayley, free of cost, as an inducement to adopt the process. This impression is not correct, since the license was paid for, and I think it was the first payment that Mr. Gayley received for the use of his process. As president of the Warwick Iron & Steel Co., I am responsible for its earnings, and with only the experience at the Isabella furnaces as a guide, the directors of the company considered that there was a great risk in expending the large sum of money required for the plant. They, however, acted favorably upon my recommendation, and to this extent I am responsible for the installation at the Warwick furnaces. I made the best agreement possible with Mr. Gayley, and naturally our company received certain advantages. It will be contrary to all experience if subsequent plants do not show some improvements and economies in construction. It is to our indirect benefit that all subsequent licenses granted by Mr. Gayley should be charged at a much higher rate than we paid; and I trust that he will see to it that all such licenses granted, especially to companies making merchant iron, shall be at a maximum figure. The Warwick Iron & Steel Go. is not interested in any way in exploiting the merits of the Gayley dry-blast process; on the contrary, looking at the subject from a narrow and selfish standpoint, it is to the advantage of our company that no merchant blast-furnace competing with our iron-product should be equipped with a dry-blast plant. There is a clause in the contract with Mr. Gayley, whereby our company agrees to furnish him with all the data derived from the operation of the dry-blast plant, and that he or his

Jan 1, 1909

SEC. 1. This Institute is incorporated under the Membership Corporations law of the State of New York; its corporate name is American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, Inc.; and its abbreviated title A. I. M. E. SEC. 2. The objects of this Institute, as set forth in its certificate of incorporation, are: "To promote the arts and sciences connected with the economic production of the useful minerals and metals, and the welfare of those employed in these industries by all lawful means; to hold meetings for social intercourse and the reading and discussion of professional papers, and to circulate by means of publications among its members the information thus obtained, and to establish and maintain a place for meeting of its members, and a hall for the reading of papers and delivery of addresses, and a library of books relating to subjects cognate to the sciences and arts of mining and metallurgy."

Jan 1, 1932

By T. Sterry Hunt

But little was known of the coals of Southeastern Ohio until the present survey of the State under Dr. Newberry began its work. The results of the geological investigations of Prof. E. B. Andrews in this region, and of the chemical investigations of Prof. T. G. Wormley, both of which appear in the reports of the survey for 1869 and 1874, and more recent special reports by the former, together with some data for which I am indebted to the kindness of Dr. Newberry, and my own limited observations, have served me for the preparation of the following notice of the coals lying on the western border of the great Appalachian coal-basin in the region drained by the Hocking River and its tributaries, and belonging to the Lower Coal-Measures. Some uncertainty exists as to the place in the suc- ' cession of the lower coals to be assigned to the seams known and mined in the Hocking Valley. It is the opinion of Prof. Andrews that the inequalities of the original surface were such that we cannot identify in that region the lowest coals known in Northwestern Pennsylvania and the contiguous parts of Ohio, but that we must rather count from above downwards. These conclusions Dr. Newberry is not prepared to accept, and further researches will be necessary before certainty can be attained in this matter. Meanwhile it seems, from a study of its relations to the Pomeroy or Pittsburgh seam, that what is known as the great vein of the Hocking Valley, occupies the horizon of the Upper Freeport coal, E of the Pennsylvania survey, or No. 6 in Dr. Newberry's enumeration, counting from the base. This seam, in the region in question. assumes certain characteristics which, taken in connection with its geographical position, give it a great importance among the coals of the State. The area to be noticed includes the whole or parts of several townships in Perry, Hocking, Vinton, and Athens Counties, lying near the margin of the basin over which the vein in question assumes the character of a dry-burning or splint coal, and has a thickness varying from six to ten and even twelve feet. Its precise limit southward cannot at present be clearly defined, but it has been found as far south as the line of the Marietta and Cincinnati Railroad, with a thickness of six feet, and is mined at various points along the valley of the Hocking River, near Nelsonville, where it attains six or seven feet. To the northward, along the tributaries of this river, Sunday and Monday

WE, the undersigned, being all persons of full age and citizens of the United States and a majority residents of the State of New York, desiring to form a corporation pursuant to the provisions of the Membership Corporations Law for the purpose of incorporating, as provided in Section 5 of Article I. of said law, the existing unincorporated association known as American Institute of Miming and Metallurgical Engineers, Incorporated, do hereby make, acknowledge and file this Certificate for that purpose, and do certify as follows: I. That the American Institute of Mining Engineers is an unincorporated association organized and existing with the . object of promoting the arts and sciences connected with the economic production of the useful minerals and metals and the welfare of those employed in these industries by means of meetings for social intercourse and the reading and discussion of professional papers, and to circulate by means of publications among its members and associates the information thus obtained.

Jan 1, 1946

ALEXANDER BURRELL Alexander Burrell, general manager of the Furnace Creek Oxide Copper Mining Co., and' a member of the Institute for 20 years, died suddenly at the Argo mine on Feb. 13, 1917. Mr. Burrell was one of the best known mining men in Montana. He was horn at Edinburgh, Scotland, Jan. 14, 1851, and came to Chicago with his parents in 1856. His father, who was a coppersmith, died soon after their arrival, and the ,son had few opportunities to gain an education in school, but was a natural student and was possessed of a liberal education acquired through self-teaching and through his constant reading and studying, particularly along scientific lines. It was this technical knowledge both of mining, and business, as well as his experience in the practical side of mining and his ability as an executive that won for him a high place in mining circles in Montana. As a very young man he worked as a miner in Illinois and later became an operator of a coal property. Subsequently he engaged

Jan 4, 1917

By James J. Bailey

Percussive drills have been in commercial use for many decades. Until relatively recently there was little serious effort to analyze the stresses in such devices in any detail. Within the last few years such analyses have been developed and have been reported by a number of authors.1-4 We present here an investigation of the impact systems of a family of conventional down-hole drills with optimization the objective. We have assumed that maximum drilling speed was the quality most desired and that this was to be achieved within conventional practice. In fact the methods that are demonstrated in principle below can readily be adapted to other percussive devices, whether conventional or not, and to other constraints. SOME PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS FOR PERCUSSIVE DRILLS Consider a percussive drill with an air motor operating with the following parameters: p-supply air pressure a-effective piston area W-piston mass S-piston stroke If we consider a simple (constant pressure) cycle, the following relationships can be derived. The blow frequency [N~ pa lie WS 377]

Jan 1, 1968

By Walter Mueller

Transition in the underground coal industry, begun with the passage of the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969, should be completed midway in the 1972-80 period. Surprisingly, many of the far reaching effects of this act have been, for the most part, beneficial to the industry from the standpoint of health, safety and basic operating standards. Production has dwindled, but the next few years will see production declines level out. Average declines of approximately 27% have been recorded since passage of the 1969 act, with costs increasing an average of $1.50 per ton throughout the industry. Nationwide averages presently are in the range of 14 tons per man-shift, and by 1980 this may be further reduced to a 10-ton per man-shift average for the industry. But in spite of the many temporary set-backs affecting the industry, the marketing opportunities are clearly visible. Due primarily to the energy squeeze facing the U.S. over the near term, the 'underground coal operator is and will be enjoying unusual leverage in selling his product.

Jan 10, 1972