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By L. D. Anderson

WHEN, after years of troublous experiences in roasting sulfide ores with heavy dust and fume losses resulting from the equipment and methods first available, there appeared on the, scene of metallurgy that revolutionary process known as sintering, it was felt that at last there had been found the ideal method for preparing sulfide ores for blast-furnace reduction. Not only were the sulfides roasted but also the fine oxidized ores were bound together with them in strong porous cellular masses which were in the best possible condition for reduction. With the experiences gained in the manipulation of the Huntington-Heberlein, Carmichael-Bradford, and Dwight & Lloyd processes there developed a refinement of detail which brought the whole plan of roasting by sintering to a high plane of perfection. But that metallurgy is never stationary is revealed by the fact that changes in milling practice, particularly the development of flotation, have introduced a new set of problems in sintering itself. Inasmuch as it is felt that these problems have not yet been solved in an entirely satisfactory manner this paper is written to record the present practice of the Salt Lake Valley smelters with the hope that there will be brought forth such discussion as may perhaps lead to still better practice. By far the greater proportion of the sulfides smelted today are flotation concentrates. Usually they are high grade, sometimes as high as 70 per cent. and more in lead. They are extremely fine, many mills grinding the ore so that from 60 to 80 per cent. will pass through screens of 200 mesh. The physical condition in which many of these concentrates reach the smelters is disconcerting to the metallurgists. Some are of about the consistency of putty. Others are of a sticky, slimy nature. Others again, dried to the limit, are veritable powders. Remembering that the down-draft sintering charge for the best results must be porous enough to let air be drawn through it reasonably well, must be thoroughly mixed, and must have some coarse material in it to segregate out and form a layer on the grates, it will be understood that the advent of this extremely fine material has made necessary still further elaboration in the equipment and processes of preparing sulfides for the blast furnaces, all of which is expensive. The high metal contents of the concentrates

Jan 1, 1929

By Adrian C. Dorenfeld

Laboratory data form the basis for the design of flotation circuits. These data, obtained from testing samples of the ore, should show the optimum con- ditions for concentrating the ore and the effects of change in process vari- ables. Among the more important variables commonly met in flotation practice are: Liberation Size-This is the particle size at which substantially all of the valuable minerals are detached from the gangue minerals. Reagent Additions- Experimental data will show the reagents used and their quantity, quality, and point of addition. Pulp Density-This is an important variable in the design of the flotation circuit because it is one of the factors determining the size and number of flotation cells. Flotation Time-The time necessary to make the separation into concentrate and tailing depends on such factors as particle size and reagents used and must be known for determination of the size and number of flotation cells in the plant. Temperature of Pulp-Temperature affects flotation reactions. Water at approximately room temperature is satisfactory for most flotation separations, but some minerals such as fluorspar are best floated in hot water. Type of Circuit-Many types of circuits can be designed, as discussed in detail later. The laboratory tests should provide data for design of the plant circuit best suited to the ore. Water-Knowledge of the quality of the future plant's raw water is important because water quality may drastically affect flotation results. If possible, flotation tests should be made using samples of the water to be used in the plant. Flotation results may vary with seasonal temperatures and with circulation of reclaimed water. Experimentation can show whether it will be necessary to provide for heating, cooling, treating, or reclaiming the water. Uniformity of Ore-The extent of variation of the ore in hardness, grind- ability, mineral content, and floatability should be investigated so that the designer can ascertain methods to overcome problems caused by ore variations. Settling and Filtration Data-To design the plant flotation circuits, settling and filtration rates and ultimate percentage solids of the various products must be determined. Corrosion and Erosion-Corrosion and erosion tests should be made on the flotation pulps, particularly if the pulps are acid or at an elevated temperature, so that suitable materials of construction can then be chosen.

Jan 1, 1962

H. H. Hill.—I believe that as petroleum engineers you are all more or less interested in geophysical prospecting. A large number of the papers that have been written on that subject are too detailed or too much involved to be of much value to a person who is not familiar with the subject, so I suggested to Mr. Fohs that he might bring us something that we could all understand. As I take it, we are interested in learning something about the different methods, the places where they have been used, their limitations and in general whether they have given satisfaction in locating oil deposits. F. J. Fohs, New York, N. Y.—I will briefly summarize some of the results as I Bee them from my practical contacts with them and my discussion of the subject with some of the more important rnen both in this country and Europe. Geophysical Methods 1. Seismographs: A. 1. Sonic refracting seismographs of Karcher, McCullom and Reiber. For rapid reconnaissance and also for detail—perhaps, the best type of instrument. 2. Mechanical refracting seismographs of the Weichert-Mintrop type. B. I. Sonic seismographs using reflected sound from contacts of sufficiently unlike beds where latter are thick enough, being used for detail of both salt domes and ordinary structures where a good reflecting key bed occurs. 2. Torsion Balances: Made in three sizes with greater portability and loss of but 20 per cent. in medium size and loss of 40 per cent. efficiency in smallest size. A. Used to best advantage in detailing salt domes, in noting anomalies of deep-seated structures of the Edgerly, La., type (but not always certain here and dependent on interpretation which involves both experience and the human equation to a large degree). R. Used to advantage in mapping faults where a lime or other denser bed occurs upthrown, and the topographic irregularities are not too involved. C. Of use where buried granite plugs and buried-hill structures occur as in the Western Texas fields. D. Believed of little use for other types of structure. 3. Magnetometers or Variometers: Now built horizontal and vertical with declinometer combined in one instrument. A. Practical in mapping granite or basic igneous rock plugs and intrusions, or of detritus therefrom. Adams has recently demonstrated definite results in mapping the well known Panhandle arch.

Jan 1, 1928

By G. H. Clevenger

(Continuing the discussion of the paper of James Johnston, presented at the New York meeting, February, 1914, and printed in Bulletin No. 85, January, 1914, pp. 107 to 133.) This paper cannot fail of being of great interest and value to all who are interested in the cyanide process, on account of the important developments which it records. Mr. Johnston is to be commended for the large amount of detail which he gives, and the company and its management for permitting the publication of data of this character, which while of great value to others could well be considered private property. It might be discussed from a number of standpoints: First, as an example of recent practice in mill and cyanide plant construction; second, the mill practice; third, the cyanide practice; and fourth, the new features in cyanide treatment involved. Perhaps a more vivid way of expressing it would be : First, the equipment or tools with which the various operations are carried on, are they the best and most efficient which could have been selected for their respective uses; and, second, is the best use in every case made of these tools? It may be well inquired is the highest possible recovery of silver made at the lowest cost per ounce recovered? For after all, the making of the greatest ultimate profit is inseparably associated with successful metallurgical practice; there must therefore be at all times a careful balance maintained between recovery and cost of obtaining it. I wish to call attention in a very general way to the equipment used and to an anticipation of questions which are bound to arise in this connection. However, the. bulk of my discussion will be confined to the presentation of certain additional data, together with a more or less general discussion showing the line of development which leads up to the present practice and .the applicability of certain features of it to similar problems elsewhere. There are a number of vital points of broad general interest involved in Nipissing low-grade practice upon which metallurgists will by no means be agreed to which I wish to call particular attention in the hope that it will lead to the presentation of data y others of practice in other districts which will' assist in reconciling this divergence of opinion.

Jan 7, 1914

By Luther W. Lennox

The purpose of this article is not to compare one type of grinding machinery with another and to conclude from a series of tests that one particular machine is superior to all others. Neither is the reader asked to tire himself with the details of many tests to prove the statements herein made. The Chilean mill stands today almost an outcast from the milling world. It ranks with the applicant for a job who has been given a trial along with others and condemned because he was not able to perform the definite task assigned as well as the others, and was forever eliminated. The judges did not tarry long enough to try this aspirant in a field of a slightly different nature. Even though it has been condemned, the writer contends that the published records will indicate that the trials were never shifted into the field of greatest efficiency for the . Chilean mill. Those of us who cling to this outcast as a fine grinder in our milling operations do not wish, naturally, to be condemned also, with the machine, and yet we feel that we are classed as behind the times, at least in this phase of our milling judgment. Hence there is considerable personal feeling in our efforts. During the last few years there have been published several papers on the relative merits of the various grinding machines. In two of these articles a comparison was made between Chilean mills and cylindrical grinders. In each case the Chilean mill came out second best from about all standpoints. The outstanding feature in these comparisons would seem to be the decided attempt to keep all conditions the same, so that each machine could be judged on its merit. As Mr. David Cole states,1 "We are inclined to regard a direct comparison of grinders arranged side by side, and making a product that affords as nearly as possible the same screen measure, as the Supreme Court in these grinding matters." The writer agrees that this is the very best method for true comparison between machines. The results in the two detailed tests should give the relative merits of the two grinders in doing the work assigned. And they probably do. The conclusion drawn in each case was adverse to the Chilean mill as a fine-grinding machine. However, the duty placed upon the machines was that of converting material that had already been

Jan 1, 1920

By MAGNE MORTENSON

IN laboratory work and industrial tests it is important to set forth the results of research, clearly. This is generally achieved by means of some form of diagram or graphical illustration. The most common form for such graphs of flotation research is a simple chart with two curves for percentage and recovery of the concentrate. This may be quite useful, especially for minerals which may be floated: by means of one reagent in variable and another in constant amounts. If both reagents are used in variable quantities the process may be illustrated by means of several diagrams, .keeping one reagent constant in each series of tests. A more useful form of diagram for a. system with two variable - components (reagents) may be established by drawing a chart with the weights of the two reagents as .abscissas and ordinates. Every test is marked down -in the diagram with an indication of the extraction and concentration gained. In this diagram there are drawn lines for equi-extraction and equi-concentration of the mineral that is floated out in the - concentrate. The contour of these lines gives a relatively clear impression of the conditions for flotation by means of .the chemicals used. The best conditions are of course found in diagrams where the 'areas for maximum extraction and high conntration are coincident

Jan 1, 1931

By J. W. Pugh, J. D. Nisbet

F. B. Foley—The use of data published by Wever and Jellinghaus in 1931 to fix boundaries of the sigma phase in the Fe-Cr system, in the face of the author's own references to the suggestions of Bradley and Goldschmidt, Aborn and Bain, and Hougardy that the phase is much more extensive, and the very much more accurate work, which weighs heavily in favor of these suggestions, of Cook and Jones, published in 1943 and evidently disregarded by the authors, makes their derived ternary diagram, especially fig. 15 for 400°C, quite inaccurate on the Fe-Cr side and affects the extent of phase boundaries in the most controversial and important part of this ternary system. In commercial Fe-Ni-Cr alloys the occurrence of sigma has been observed time and time again at lower chromium contents than that of the 24 pct Cr, 16 pct Ni, 60 pct Fe alloy which is the lowest permitted by fig. 15 of practically carbonless metal. Newel1 reports sigma in 27 pct Cr-Fe even with some carbon present to be one of the greatest detriments to its extensive application, whereas Pugh and Nisbet set a low limit of 36 pct Cr for sigma in the binary Fe-Cr system. J. J. Heger—The diagrams presented by the authors do not agree with observations made on commercial Fe-Cr and Fe-Cr-Ni alloys, nor do they agree with two recent investigations made on the Fe-Cr and the Fe-Cr-Fe systems. I refer first to the investigation made by Cook and Jones1' on the sigma region of the Fe-Cr system. On the basis of their results which were published in 1943, Cook and Jones established new boundary limits for the sigma and the alpha plus sigma regions. These new limits have been accepted and are incorporated in the Fe-Cr diagram that appears in the 1948 edition of the Metals Handbook. This diagram is shown here as fig. 34. As will be noted, the boundary limits of the alpha plus sigma region in this diagram extend to much lower chromium contents than do those in the diagram presented by the authors in fig. 2. These new limits indicate that sigma phase should form in an Fe-Cr alloy containing 26 pct Cr, and experience with commercial alloys confirms this finding. Indeed, recent studies on a commercial Fe-Cr alloy containing 17 pct Cr have shown sigma phase to be stable in this alloy at 550°C. I recognize that the authors' work did not include studies on the sigma region; however, I believe this is a serious omission because sigma phase may profoundly affect the physical properties of these alloys and should be evaluated in any investigation which attempts to relate physical properties to the equilibrium diagram. The second investigation to which I refer is that made on the Fe-Cr-Ni system by Rees, Burns, and Cook,'' who used pure alloys and employed heating 17 W. P. Rees, B. D. Burns, and A. 3. Cook: Journal Iron and Steel Institute. (July 1949) 162, Part 3. p. 325. times that extend to 200 days. These investigators published their results in July 1949 and from these results constructed isothermal sections at 800" and 650°C. The isothermal section at 650°C is shown here as fig. 35. This diagram indicates sigma phase should form in a pure 18 pct Cr-8 pct Ni alloy. Although sigma phase has not been observed after 10,000 hr at 1200°F in commercial 18-8 alloys containing carbon and nitrogen, it has been observed under the same conditions in 18-8 alloys modified with titanium and columbium, both of which serve to reduce the effect of carbon and nitrogen. This section and the one at 800°C suggest that the constant iron sections which are presented by the authors, should be considerably altered, if they are to represent an accurate picture of the system. A few of the suggested alterations are as follows: In fig. 9, the section at 50 pct Fe, the gamma plus sigma region should be widened, not narrowed at 800" and 650°C. In fig. 10, the section at 60 pct Fe, the gamma plus sigma region should be widened at 800° and 650°C. In fig. 11, the section at 70 pct Fe, an alpha plus sigma, an alpha plus gamma plus sigma, and a gamma plus sigma region should be added. In fig. 12, the section at 80 pct Fe, the alpha plus gamma region should be widened at 800°C. In fig. 13, the section at 90 pct Fe, the alpha plus gamma region should be widened at 650° and 800°C. Undoubtedly, the chief reason for the discrepancies between the authors' data and those of Rees, Burns, and Cook is that the authors did not employ long enough heating times to allow for transformation. In this connection, I wish to warn that transformations in these alloys, particularly transformations at temperatures below 800°C, are extremely sluggish and may require a year or more to approach completion. Therefore, unless extremely long heating times are employed or steps are taken to accelerate these transformations by such means as mechanical working, the results will not yield an accurate picture of the alloy system. Certainly, an accurate picture is needed for the development of better high-temperature materials. E. J. Dulis-The purpose of this work is not clear. If an improvement of the ternary equilibrium diagram of the Fe-Cr-Ni system was wanted, it seems logical that testing techniques superior to those previously used would be a prime requirement. To approach equilibrium in this system, long holding times are needed; a fact established long ago but apparently ignored by the present authors, who used the continuous heating and cooling tests in equilibrium studies. A publication on the same system by Bradley and Goldschmidt6 was criticized by Monypenny in a

Jan 1, 1951

By W. C. Ellis, E. S. Greiner, M. E. Fine

C. H. Samans and W. R. Ham (Chicago, Ill., and Dix-field, Maine, respectively)-—For several years we have been studying transitions of this basic type in metals, alloys, glasses, etc. Usually, however, they are not so clearly marked as those which the authors have found, and hence are much more difficult to determine accurately. Since our studies indicate that most of them occur virtually unchanged (as far as temperature is concerned) regardless of the form in which the element appears, we believe that they are a characteristic of the atom. Specifically, we believe that there is an additional rotational degree of freedom possessed by the nucleus which has not been considered heretofore. This nuclear rotation is made up of several components, each related to the several quantum shells of electrons. In chromium there are four of these shells and hence four separate series of characteristic transition temperatures. The lowest temperature at which any transition occurs, based on the present state of our computations, is 125°K, 4° higher than the authors' value of 121°K. A convergence of this series, we believe, shows up at the higher temperature of 2085 °K, surprisingly close to the transformation temperature of 2103°K recently announced by N. J. Grant of M.I.T. for a body-centered to face-centered transformation in chromium. Likewise, our computations indicate a temperature of 311°K for the second transition temperature, reported by the authors as 310 °K. A convergence of this series, we believe, shows up at a higher temperature as the melting point at 2163°K. Although our work on these series must, in a sense, still be regarded as empirical, since we do not understand fully as yet just what the series mean, it is based on a reasonably firm picture. The individual constants, from which the various series are computed for each element, comes directly from the X-ray K absorption limit. Furthermore, the same basic method has accounted for transformation and melting temperatures in about 50 of the chemical elements, which is all we have tried thus far. In many cases the only known transformation is the melting point, but in others the occurrence of transformations or other transitions, equally as well marked as those of the authors, has been pointed out by others. These observations have assisted us greatly. Consequently we were very pleased to see the authors' excellent work in finding these two transitions in chromium. With these confirming data, our picture of this element is clarified considerably, so we expect that at least some of our work can be published in the near future. R. C. Ruder (E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Cu., Wilmington, Del.)—The authors' interpretation of these transitions in terms of 3d to 4s electronic structure transitions is most interesting. It would be interesting to have additional experimental evidence of such transitions from the temperature dependence of the Hall coefficient in the neighborhood of the property changes discussed in this paper. Simple theory15 suggests the Hall coefficient as a measure of the free electron (or s electron) concentration per unit volume. It has been shown that for paramagnetic'" and ferromagnetic1? metals the simple theory is in fact too simple. However, the existence of a discontinuity in the Hall coefficient would provide information which should aid both in our understanding of these transitions and the significance of the Hall coefficient in these metals. It was rather surprising that no significant paramagnetic effects were observed. In this connection the recent work of McGuire and Kriessman18 is cited. They measured the magnetic susceptibility of chromium from 20" to 1460 °C. They also observed no large change in the susceptibility although there might be a change in slope in the vicinity of the 40 °C transition. The existence of these 3d to 4s electronic transitions has been discussed in connection with the paramagnetic susceptibility behavior of nickel and nickel alloys.'"-" Assuming a correspondence principle between classical and quantum mechanical paramagnetic theory and using classical theory to calculate the effective Bohr magneton number from the Curie constant for substances obeying the Curie-Weiss law," it is found that the effective magneton number is a function of temperature. The process of calculation involves the inverse of the differential of the 1/x4 vs. temperature curve so that good and numerous data are necessary to obtain significant results. The data of Fallot23 show a discontinuous increase of about 12 pct in the effective magneton number between 850" and 900 oC, followed by a continuous increase up to the melting point. The data of Sucksmith and Pearce24 show a possible 8 pct increase. The older data of Terry25 and Weiss and Foex26 show a continuous increase. It is possible that small amounts of impurity atoms change these electronic transitions significantly. Fallot's23 data on a nickel alloy with 4.5 atomic pct Fe indicate that the discontinuity occurs around 1300 °C. Systematic investigation of the transition metals for transitions of this nature should provide information which would be very valuable for our understanding of these metals. The absence of antiferromagnetic structures in chromium has been shown by Shull27 using neutron diffraction techniques. M. E. Fine, E. S. Greiner, and W. C. Ellis (authors' reply)—The remarks by Drs. Samans and Ham are certainly very interesting, in particular those pertaining to the close agreement between the theoretically calculated values for transition temperatures in chromium and the experimental values reported by a number of investigators. This is a remarkable achievement and we shall look forward to a more detailed presentation of the method followed in their calculations. We do not believe that the transition in pure chromium near 40 °C remains temperature invariant with alloying, as was reported by Samans and Ham for a number of the substances that they studied. We have not done any work with alloys but base our belief on the results of earlier studies in which less pure chromium was included and considerably lower transition temperatures were observed. The transition tempera-

Jan 1, 1952

By A. C. Fraker, H. H. Stadelmaier

In the systems Mo-Fe-C, Mo-Co-C, and Mo-Ni-C the phase boumdaries of the cubic Ij carbides were determined at 1000°C and the variation of the lattice parameter with composition was measured. In the system Mo-Fe-C a single ternary carbide, Mo3Fe3C, was observed. In Mo-Co-C and Mo-Ni-C two new n phases of the type M12C were found: Mo6C06C and Mo6Ni6C. At 1000°C they coexist with the M6C phases MO3-4,CO3-2C and Mo3-4Ni3-2C, respectively. Mo3C03C and Mo4C02C are not separate phases but parts of a single M6C phase region, and the same is true of Mo3Ni3C and Mo4Ni2C. THE n carbide structure type has been known since it was determined by westgren' in 1933, yet reliable information on phase compositions of this type is ap-parently scarce. The following selection of suggested formulas illustrates the extent of the confusion con-cerning compositions: W2-3Fe4-3C,1W6Fe6C,2 W2_4Fe4-2C,3 (W,Fe)6C,4 Tj.-W4Co2C and nz-W6Co6C,5 n1-W3Co3C and n2-w4Co2C,5 W3C03C and w6Co3C2,7 MO3Fe3C,8n2-M04Fe2C,9 (MO,Fe)6C,4 MO3CO3C,8 n2-MO4CO2C.9 Many of these compositions obviously overlap, some disagree in carbon content. The use of the designations 77, and n2 is not consistent. There is uncertainty whether two carbides M6C coexist or whether there is only one M6C with a wide range of substitution of one metal for the other. The existence of M12C seems questionable altogether if one ignores the results of a neutron diffraction study of W6Fe6C supporting that particular metal to carbon ratio.'' More reliable information is available for the iso-typic oxides studied by Nevitt,11 Nevitt, Downey, and orris," and Meussner and carpenter.l3 That n car-bides and oxides are structurally identical, particularly with respect to the location of the metalloid atom, has been demonstrated clearly by Stadelmaier and Meussner14 and also by Parthe, Jeitschko, and sadagopan.15 Therefore the present paper, which attempts to establish the phase boundaries of n defini-tively for three carbon systems, has implications for the whole family of filled Ti2Ni types. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The samples were prepared in two stages. Pellets weighing 3 g were compacted from powders of the elements and presintered in a closed tube of fused silica that had been evacuated to lO-4 mm Hg. This was fol- lowed by arc melting the sintered samples under argon. Remelting the button once was sufficient to produce homogeneous specimens. The metal powders had the following minimum purities in wt pct: molybdenum 99.5, iron 99.0, cobalt 99.7, nickel 99.9, graphite 99.94. Carbon determinations by the gas volumetric method were obtained from thirty-one of the one hundred samples in the annealed condition. They were limited to compositions that were critical to placing a boundary line in the isothermal sections. The carbon losses were comparatively low and averaged less than 1.5 at. pct. For annealing, the samples were sealed in tubes of fused silica evacuated to 10-4 mm Hg. The annealing schedule was 20 hr at 1250°C followed by 150 hr at 1000" ±10°C. For the water quench the silica glass tubes were broken mechanically to speed the quench. The specimens were examined in the as-cast and annealed condition by standard metallographic techniques. Some of the as-cast and all annealed samples were studied by X-ray diffraction using a 114.6-mm powder camera with filtered Co radiation. The lattice parameters of the n phases were determined by graphic extrapolation to 8 = 90 deg on a plot against sin2 8. It is estimated that the maximum error in the lattice parameters is ±0.002A.. The phase fields were determined by the disappearing phase method, relying on X-rays for phase identification and on microscopy to detect small amounts of a phase. RESULTS Pertinent information on the binary side diagrams has been summarized by Hansen and Anderko16 and Elliott17 and will not be discussed further. Photomicrographs documenting the equilibria at 1000°C have been selected to avoid redundancy due to the similarity of the three systems. Thus there will be only one picture showing an equilibrium with Mo2C, and so forth. Molybdenum-Iron-Carbon. An isothermal section of most of the Mo-Fe-C system at 1000°C is shown in Fig. 1. No attempt has been made to distinguish between a and y iron or to determine their phase boundaries. A conspicuous absence is the phase Fe2 1Mo2C6 with the Cr23C6 structure, supporting the suggestion by Krainer4 that it decomposes by annealing at high temperatures. The only ternary phase is found in a narrow range around Mo3Fe3C (MO43Fe43C14). A microstructure with a two-phase mixture of Mo + n is seen in Fig. 2. The variation of the lattice parameter of n with the estimated composition is shown in in Table IA. The phase diagram does not agree with the results of Kuo9 who reported n2-Mo4Fe2C. Our lattice parameter Varies from 11.095A at the iron-rich end to 11.140Å at the molybdenum-richoend of the phase field whereas Kuo9reported 11.26Å for Mo4Fe2C. We are in agreement with the older work

Jan 1, 1970

By Bunting S. Crocker

PEBBLE grinding at Lake Shore is not a temporary wartime substitute. The tube milling plant, with a 1000 ton per day capacity, grinds a hard siliceous ore to 90 pct - 325 mesh. The plant, prior to using pebbles, was consuming 4.3 lb of 1 1/4-in. grinding balls per ton of ore, which amounted to 785 tons of balls per year. At September 1951 prices, $132.60 per ton, this steel cost amounted to, $104,400 per year, or $0.285 per ton milled. By the Lake Shore method of substituting screened rock for this steel, all of this cost is saved. This is one of the major economies in Lake Shore mill practice. Regardless of the ultimate price of grinding balls, a change, back to steel balls is not considered. The present pebble plant is more flexible than a steel ball plant and equally efficient. For example, if it is desired to change the size of grinding media, the pebble charge in any mill can be changed completely in 4 to 5 days, as against 76 days to change completely a 1 1/4-in. steel ball charge. To change pebble size it is necessary only to change two sets-of screens and clean out the rock feed storage bin. This will take 8 to 10 days as against 3 to 4 months to clean. out the customary supply of grinding balls kept on hand. Also it has not always been ' possible to purchase all desired sizes of balls at any price. In an analysis of savings effected by the use of the pebble mills, the flexibility of the Lake Shore grinding plant should be discussed, as it has a direct bearing on these savings. The plant has always used several units to handle tonnage rather than sending all the tonnage through a single unit. This principle may result in using small diameter mills, but no objection to that is seen. At no time has any advantage been found in cost per ton ground in large diameter mills. Both the capacity and the power of any mill varies as the diameter raised to the 2.6th power. Consequently large or small mills are equally efficient, and a plant should be designed to use as many units-or combination of units as is consistent with reasonable operating practice. Mills under 5 ft diam are harder to reline, etc. To define the case at Lake Shore, .2600 tons per day formerly were milled in seven 7x6-ft ball mills and twelve 5x16-ft (and two 6x16-ft) tube mills.* This gave an excellent test plant. and an extremely efficient-one. In this plant the ratio of ball mills to tube mills was 1: 2. When the much cheaper pebble mills were substituted for the tube mills, this. ratio -was changed to one ball mill to four pebble mills to take the greatest possible advantage of the cheaper operating mill, i.e., the pebble mill. This flexibility without loss in efficiency has been an important item in the cost savings. It is interesting to note that the use of pebbles for fine grinding was. proved first in the laboratory in a 12-in. ball mill. In fact, since 1934 all testing on -.8 mesh material has been done in this 12-in. mill. Scope of the Tests A paper on fine grinding at Lake Shore Mines was published in July 1940.1 This paper covered 7 years of intensive research on fine grinding as well as sizing methods and equipment, plant scale grinding tests on 5x16-ft tube mills with and without .grate discharges-both with 1 1/4-in. and 3/4-in. balls, the use of laboratory mills to evaluate plant changes, and several reports on classifiers and classification. In the following July the addendum report' was added in which the idea of series-circuit grinding was introduced, and the results of running five stages of tube mills and bowl classifiers were shown. Since 1940, the ball milling end of the plant has been altered extensively as a result of tests on the use of 3 1/2-in. rods in 7x6-ft mills and the use of the Tyler repulping screen with from 7 to 14 mesh screens. These tests are, lengthy and may be covered in a separate 'report later. The scope of this report is confined to ore ground by rod milling and ball milling until it passed through an 8 mesh Tyler Ty-rod screen. The -8 mesh screen undersize then was pumped to a primary bowl classifier in open circuit and the sands .from the bowl sent to the primary pebble mills, see Fig: 1. In the pebble mill circuit the ore is ground to 90 pct -325 mesh (24 pct + 28 microns) In studying the flowsheet, attention should be paid to the efficiency of the classification equipment used. The Tyler repulping screen is an efficient machine on the 8 to 10 mesh separation, and the bowl classifier is equally efficient at the 325 mesh separation. Efficient classification is a necessity for series-circuit stage grinding. The ore is hard siliceous porphyry, 60 pct SiO2, 80 pct insoluble. Its grindability at different. meshes has been shown near the top of 'the list in F. C. Bond's grindability tests' Lake Shore is not shown, but an adjacent-mine with identical ore, Wright-Hargreaves, is. Reasons for the-Changeover Since 1936 grinding balls have been rising steadily in price with no sign of stopping. For a mill that used 4.5 to 5.2 lb of grinding balls for every ton of ore ground this rise represented an alarming increase in grinding costs. In many cases the quality of the grinding balls fell off as the scrap steel became more difficult to obtain. The ratio of tube mills to ball mills increased with the use of the Tyler repulping screen in the ball mill circuit. Originally only 3.0 lb of balls per ton were used in the tube mills, and this

Jan 1, 1952

By Bunting S. Crocker

EBBLE grinding at Lake Shore is not a temporary BlE wartime substitute. The tube milling plant, with a 1000 ton per day capacity, grinds a hard siliceous ore to 90 pct — 325 mesh. The plant, prior to using pebbles, was consuming 4.3 lb of 11/4-in. grinding balls per ton of ore, which amounted to 785 tons of balls per year. At September 1951 prices, $132.60 per ton, this steel cost amounted to $104,400 per year, or $0.285 per ton milled. By the Lake Shore method of substituting screened rock for this steel, all of this cost is saved. This is one of the major economies in Lake Shore mill practice. Regardless of the ultimate price of grinding balls, a change back to steel balls is not considered. The present pebble plant is more flexible than a steel ball plant and equally efficient. For example, if it is desired to change the size of grinding media, the pebble charge in any mill can be changed completely in 4 to 5 days, as against 76 days to change completely a 1-in. steel ball charge. To change pebble size it is necessary only to change two sets of screens and clean out the rock feed storage bin. This will take 8 to 10 days as against 3 to 4 months to clean out the customary supply of grinding balls kept on hand. Also it has not always been possible to purchase all desired sizes of balls at any price. In an analysis of savings effected by the use of the pebble mills, the flexibility of the Lake Shore grinding plant should be discussed, as it has a direct bearing on these savings. The plant has always used several units to handle tonnage rather than sending all the tonnage through a single unit. This principle may result in using small diameter mills, but no objection to that is seen. At no time has any advantage been found in cost per ton ground in large diameter mills. Both the capacity and the power of any mill varies as the diameter raised to the 2.6th power. Consequently large or small mills are equally efficient, and a plant, should be designed to use as many units or combination of units as is consistent with reasonable operating practice. Mills under 5 ft diam are harder to reline, etc. To define the case at Lake Shore, 2600 tons per day formerly were milled in seven 7x6-ft ball mills and twelve 5x16-ft (and two 6x16-ft) tube mills.* This gave an excellent test plant and an extremely efficient one. In this plant the ratio of ball mills to tube mills was 1:2. When the much cheaper pebble mills were substituted for the tube mills, this ratio was changed to one ball mill to four pebble mills to take the greatest possible advantage of the cheaper operating mill, i.e., the pebble mill. This flexibility without loss in efficiency has been an important item in the cost savings. It is interesting to note that the use of pebbles for fine grinding was proved first in the laboratory in a 12-in. ball mill. In fact, since 1934 all testing on — 8 mesh material has been done in this 12-in. mill. Scope of the Tests A paper on fine grinding at Lake Shore Mines was published in July 1940.' This paper covered 7 years of intensive research on fine grinding as well as sizing methods and equipment, plant scale grinding tests on 5x16-ft tube mills with and without grate discharges both with 1-in. and -in. balls, the use of laboratory mills to evaluate plant changes, and several reports on classifiers and classification. In the following July the addendum report2 was added in which the idea of series-circuit grinding was introduced, and the results of running five stages of tube mills and bowl classifiers were shown. Since 1940, the ball milling end of the plant has been altered extensively as a result of tests on the use of 3-in. rods in 7x6-ft mills and the use of the Tyler repulping screen with from 7 to 14 mesh screens. These tests are lengthy and may be covered in a separate report later. The scope of this report is confined to ore ground by rod milling and ball milling until it passed through an 8 mesh Tyler Ty-rod screen. The —8 mesh screen undersize then was pumped to a primary bowl classifier in open circuit and the sands from the bowl sent to the primary pebble mills, see Fig. 1. In the pebble mill circuit the ore is ground to 90 pct —325 mesh (24 pct + 28 microns). In studying the flowsheet, attention should be paid to the efficiency of the classification equipment used. The Tyler repulping screen is an efficient machine on the 8 to 10 mesh separation, and the bowl classifier is equally efficient at the 325 mesh separation. Efficient classification is a necessity for series-circuit stage grinding. The ore is hard siliceous porphyry, 60 pct SiO,, 80 pct insoluble. Its grindability at different meshes has been shown near the top of the list in F. C. Bond's grindability tests.' Lake Shore is not shown, but an adjacent mine with identical ore, Wright-Hargreaves, is. Reasons for the Changeover Since 1936 grinding balls have been rising steadily in price with no sign of stopping. For a mill that used 4.5 to 5.2 lb of grinding balls for every ton of ore ground this rise represented an alarming increase in grinding costs. In many cases the quality of the grinding balls fell off as the scrap steel became more difficult to obtain. The ratio of tube mills to ball mills increased with the use of the Tyler repulping screen in the ball mill circuit. Originally only 3.0 lb of balls per ton were used in the tube mills, and this

Jan 1, 1953

By Bunting S. Crocker

EBBLE grinding at Lake Shore is not a temporary BlE wartime substitute. The tube milling plant, with a 1000 ton per day capacity, grinds a hard siliceous ore to 90 pct — 325 mesh. The plant, prior to using pebbles, was consuming 4.3 lb of 11/4-in. grinding balls per ton of ore, which amounted to 785 tons of balls per year. At September 1951 prices, $132.60 per ton, this steel cost amounted to $104,400 per year, or $0.285 per ton milled. By the Lake Shore method of substituting screened rock for this steel, all of this cost is saved. This is one of the major economies in Lake Shore mill practice. Regardless of the ultimate price of grinding balls, a change back to steel balls is not considered. The present pebble plant is more flexible than a steel ball plant and equally efficient. For example, if it is desired to change the size of grinding media, the pebble charge in any mill can be changed completely in 4 to 5 days, as against 76 days to change completely a 1-in. steel ball charge. To change pebble size it is necessary only to change two sets of screens and clean out the rock feed storage bin. This will take 8 to 10 days as against 3 to 4 months to clean out the customary supply of grinding balls kept on hand. Also it has not always been possible to purchase all desired sizes of balls at any price. In an analysis of savings effected by the use of the pebble mills, the flexibility of the Lake Shore grinding plant should be discussed, as it has a direct bearing on these savings. The plant has always used several units to handle tonnage rather than sending all the tonnage through a single unit. This principle may result in using small diameter mills, but no objection to that is seen. At no time has any advantage been found in cost per ton ground in large diameter mills. Both the capacity and the power of any mill varies as the diameter raised to the 2.6th power. Consequently large or small mills are equally efficient, and a plant, should be designed to use as many units or combination of units as is consistent with reasonable operating practice. Mills under 5 ft diam are harder to reline, etc. To define the case at Lake Shore, 2600 tons per day formerly were milled in seven 7x6-ft ball mills and twelve 5x16-ft (and two 6x16-ft) tube mills.* This gave an excellent test plant and an extremely efficient one. In this plant the ratio of ball mills to tube mills was 1:2. When the much cheaper pebble mills were substituted for the tube mills, this ratio was changed to one ball mill to four pebble mills to take the greatest possible advantage of the cheaper operating mill, i.e., the pebble mill. This flexibility without loss in efficiency has been an important item in the cost savings. It is interesting to note that the use of pebbles for fine grinding was proved first in the laboratory in a 12-in. ball mill. In fact, since 1934 all testing on — 8 mesh material has been done in this 12-in. mill. Scope of the Tests A paper on fine grinding at Lake Shore Mines was published in July 1940.' This paper covered 7 years of intensive research on fine grinding as well as sizing methods and equipment, plant scale grinding tests on 5x16-ft tube mills with and without grate discharges both with 1-in. and -in. balls, the use of laboratory mills to evaluate plant changes, and several reports on classifiers and classification. In the following July the addendum report2 was added in which the idea of series-circuit grinding was introduced, and the results of running five stages of tube mills and bowl classifiers were shown. Since 1940, the ball milling end of the plant has been altered extensively as a result of tests on the use of 3-in. rods in 7x6-ft mills and the use of the Tyler repulping screen with from 7 to 14 mesh screens. These tests are lengthy and may be covered in a separate report later. The scope of this report is confined to ore ground by rod milling and ball milling until it passed through an 8 mesh Tyler Ty-rod screen. The —8 mesh screen undersize then was pumped to a primary bowl classifier in open circuit and the sands from the bowl sent to the primary pebble mills, see Fig. 1. In the pebble mill circuit the ore is ground to 90 pct —325 mesh (24 pct + 28 microns). In studying the flowsheet, attention should be paid to the efficiency of the classification equipment used. The Tyler repulping screen is an efficient machine on the 8 to 10 mesh separation, and the bowl classifier is equally efficient at the 325 mesh separation. Efficient classification is a necessity for series-circuit stage grinding. The ore is hard siliceous porphyry, 60 pct SiO,, 80 pct insoluble. Its grindability at different meshes has been shown near the top of the list in F. C. Bond's grindability tests.' Lake Shore is not shown, but an adjacent mine with identical ore, Wright-Hargreaves, is. Reasons for the Changeover Since 1936 grinding balls have been rising steadily in price with no sign of stopping. For a mill that used 4.5 to 5.2 lb of grinding balls for every ton of ore ground this rise represented an alarming increase in grinding costs. In many cases the quality of the grinding balls fell off as the scrap steel became more difficult to obtain. The ratio of tube mills to ball mills increased with the use of the Tyler repulping screen in the ball mill circuit. Originally only 3.0 lb of balls per ton were used in the tube mills, and this

Jan 1, 1953

By AIME AIME

WEST TEXAS, New Mexico and Northern Mexico form one of the most interesting regions in America for geologists and mining men and are full of points of historical and human interest for others. Including as the region does, a representative portion of the high plateau of Mexico, the front range of the Rocky Mountains and the great down-dropping plains of Texas, there is variety as well as interest in the geological and mining problems there to be studied. Gold and silver mining were the pioneer industries and are yet of high rank in importance. Among the papers to be presented at the El Paso meeting of the Institute this month will be two dealing with silver mining and ore treatment at the Shafter mine in Texas, that most un- usual property which has for so many years been the largest mining enterprise in its region. West Texas is now better known for its petroleum and gas, and in another paper will be described the problems involved in uding natural gas for smelting at the well-known El Paso smelter of the American Smelting and Refining Co. In still other papers, presented at the session sponsored by the West Texas Geological Society and cooperating organizations, the general geology of the region, the potash and the sulfur deposits will be de- scribed. At El Paso the refineries of the great com- panics will be available for visits.

Jan 1, 1930

By William J. Coulter

WITHIN the past thirty years the United States has been involved in two tragic, vicious, and costly world wars. To make the world safe for democracy was the reason given for our participation, but the confusion and misunderstanding that prevails all over the world today suggests that war is not the proper approach to the attainment of that utopia. These conflicts were conceived and prosecuted by nations far advanced in civilization and culture. Their best manhood was sacrificed, a staggering tax burden was saddled on their peoples, huge financial losses were incurred, destruction of property was appalling, and cultural and peaceful scientific advancement received a setback that may require centuries to retrieve. Therefore, some basis is established for the conclusion that progress in the past fifty years has been most outstanding in the development of instruments used for death and destruction, and that progress in this direction between the two World Wars would indicate that the next war will go far toward total destruction of world civilization.

Jan 1, 1946

By A. Coskun, J. F. Elliott

The activity of aluminum in liquid Al-Fe alloys .has been measured by an improved version of the transportation method in which the metallic vapor has been collected by its solution in a metallic condenser. The results can be represented by the equation: log yAl = -3.0(1 - xAl2) (0.6 < XAl < 1.0) This equation applies at 1315°C. MORRIS and zellarsl adapted the transportation method for measuring the vapor pressure of a com- ponent of an alloy at high temperature. We have modified their technique further2 for use with metals that are strong oxide formers. In the present case the method has been applied to the Al- Fe system to obtain the activity of aluminum in the liquid region at 1315°C. Dried ultrahigh-purity hydrogen (Matheson) is the carrier gas. The operations, Fig. 1, of deoxidizing the gas, equilibrating the gas with the sample at 1315";, and then collecting the aluminum vapor are all accomplished within a single, continuous alumina tube to avoid contamination of the system by leaks. De-oxidation to a very low level of PO2 (<10-25 atm) is Obtained by passing the hydrogen through a tightly packed bed of aluminum powder. The temperature of this bed increases to approximately 550°C in the direction of the gas flow. The boat containing three pellets of the alloy is supported on the end of a

Jan 1, 1969

Discussion of the paper of EDGAR L. NEWHOUSE, presented at the Salt Lake meeting, August, 1914, and printed in Bulletin: No. 92, August, 1914, pp. 1801 to. 1806. G. C. RIDDELL, East Helena, Mont.-As nearly as I can recall at the present moment, there are only four or five large plants on the continent where the lead on charge is carried in the neighborhood of 40 per cent. These are at Herculaneum, Collinsville, and Federal, Ill.; Trail, B.. C.; and East Helena, Mont. Our object at the latter point is to smelt a maximum amount of Coeur d&apos;Alêne lead sulphides in as compact and self-fluxing a charge as possible, and to this end we are now smelting a mixture that at times carries up to 42 per cent. lead. The monotony of producing the 7,000 tons of bullion shipped each month to. the Omaha and Chicago refineries is relieved somewhat by the fact that the 15,000 tons monthly of Coeur d&apos;Alêne ores that are com-ing to us carry enough zinc to provide the one-half slag used with from 6.5 to 7.5 per cent. zinc clay after day. During the month of March, 1914, three lead furnaces in continous operation, each 136 in. long, averaged 249 tons per furnace clay, exclusive of coke and slag shells, which is smelting at the rate of 5.5 tons per square foot of tuyère area. The

Jan 11, 1914

By R. V. Norris

THE wage rates and working conditions in the anthracite. region of Pennsylvania have been governed for nearly 20 years by the award of the Anthracite Coal Strike Commission, appointed Oct. 16, 1902, by President Roosevelt. The report of this com-mission, made in March, 1903, was accepted and, with eight modifications made at various dates, has had .almost the force of law, and has kept this great indus-trial region free from strikes for almost a generation. In 1920, President Wilson appointed an Anthracite Coal Commission, and its report, accepted Aug. 30, 1920, governed wage conditions to April 1, 1922. Actually, the agreements have been for terms of two to four years, and lately, in 1916 and 1920, the employ-ees have continued at work pending the negotiation of new agreements which were made retroactive, and which have all been modifications of the original 1903 award. With the expiration, April 1, 1922, of the 1920 award approaching, Mr. Lewis, president, of the United Mine Workers of America, addressed a letter, on Feb. 20, to the operators, suggesting a meeting on March 15; this date was accepted by the latter, with the notation that the time was short. At the meeting, the Mine Workers presented 19 demands, and advised that if a satisfactory agreement was not reached by April 1.a suspension of mining would occur, contrary to the practice since 1916 of continuing work with a retro-active adjustment.

Jan 6, 1922

By George Bell

THE mine and milling plant of Demonstration Gold Mines, Ltd., is near the city limits of Baguio, Mt. Province, P. I. The mine road connects with the main highway to Manila. The nearest railway point is near sea level, approximately 40 miles distant. The Baguio district is very mountainous and has one of the heaviest rainfalls in the world. It is therefore difficult to maintain roads or to impound tailings and mine dumps. All supplies are trucked into the district direct from Manila or the nearest railway point, which means uncertain deliveries and high freight rates. Installation of equipment is difficult and costly. The average elevation at the mine is 4000 ft. and the climatic condi-tions.are ideal except for a three months rainy season. The company generates its own power for mining and milling opera-tions with three 400-hp. Ruston Diesel engines direct connected to 250-kw. General Electric alternating current generators. Labor conditions have been excellent, although at present social security laws are causing some unrest. Labor receives a higher average wage rate in this district than other labor in the Islands. The com-pany also furnishes free living quarters, hospitalization and work-men&apos;s compensation. Taxation has been reasonable up to the present time, but some of the new mining legislation may make it difficult to operate and pay dividends. The future depends largely upon the continuation of $35 gold and the political outcome in the Islands.

Jan 1, 1939

By Henry J. Williams

The main difficulty in the determination of silicon in pig-irons containing very high percentages of that element, has been due to their almost complete insolubility in acids, or mixtures of acids. The object of the present paper, which presents no new principle, is to suggest a method of determination which has repeatedly given accurate results, and which obviates completely the tediousness and uncertainty of the usual slow solution in acids. This method has been tried with pig-irons containing from 7 to 14 per cent. of combined silicon, and properly called ferro-silicons. When reduced to an impalpable powder in the agate mortar, an 11 per cent. ferro-silicon was found to resist the action of all acids, or mixtures of acids, with the exception of sulphuric acid of about 1.25 specific gravity. But the action of this acid, even during long continued heating, was very slow, 72 hours being necessary to com pletely dissolve half a gramme of the metal. The complete decomposition of 1 gramme of the metal may, on the other hand, readily he effected in a few minutes by fusion with sodium carbonate in a covered platinum crucible over a blast-lamp —the idea being to dissolve the silicon, leaving the iron in condi tion to be readily attacked by acids. The silicon dissolves as soluble sodium silicate, and metallic iron remains in a very spongy and finely divided condition. The addition of a little hot water

Jan 1, 1889

By Robert H. Hafner, Irvin R. Kramer

In recent years considerable interest has been shown in surface-alloyed metals, particnlarly those of chromium (chromized steels), which have excellent corrosion resistance under a variety of severe conditions, and may undergo bending and flanging operations without spalling. An early method1 employed to produce a high-chromium case on steel was developed by Kelley in 1921. It consisted of heating a low-carbon steel in intimate contact with powdered chromium in the presence of hydrogen at temperatures sufficiently high to permit diffusion of chromium into the steel. The usefulness of this process was limited because the extremely high tem- peratures of 1200º to 1400ºC. (2200° to 2550°F.) caused excessive grain growth and warpage. Louenstein and Ulmer2 packed iron castings in ferrochromium and com- mon salt, and heated for approximately three hours at 930º to 1040°C. (1700º to 1900ºF.). A recent and more practical method of depositing chromium on steel surfaces has been developed in Germany by Daeves, Becker and Steinberg3-8 and in Russia by Izgaryshev and Sarkisov.9 This process consists of passing gaseous chromium chloride over the steel to be chromized at temperatures of 900º to 1000ºC., or packing them in a porous, ceramic material that previously had been saturated with chromium chloride. They reported obtaining a Chromized layer, 0.004 in. thick, on low-carbon steels. Later, Daeves4 established a relationship between the carbon content

Jan 1, 1943