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By T. H. Janes

NATURAL abrasives of some type are found in all countries of the world. In order of their hardness the principal natural abrasives are diamond, corundum, emery, and garnet, which are termed high grade, and the various forms of silica, including pumice, pumicite, ground feldspar, china clay and, most important, sandstone. The properties qualifying materials for use as abrasives are hardness, toughness, grain shape and size, character of fracture, and purity or uniformity. For manufacture of bonded grain abrasives such as grinding wheels, the stability of the abrasive and its bonding characteristics are also important. No single property is paramount for all uses. Extreme hardness and toughness are needed for some applications, as in diamonds for drill bits, while for other purposes the capacity of the abrasive to break down slowly under use and to develop fresh cutting edges is of greatest importance, as with garnet for sandpaper. In dentifrices, soaps, and metal polishes, of course, hardness and toughness are objectionable. First among the natural abrasives, industrial diamonds are essentially of three types: l—bort, which includes off-color, flawed, or broken fragments unsuitable for gems; 2—carbonado, or black diamond, a very hard and extremely tough aggregate of very small diamond crystals; and 3—ballas, a very hard, tough globular mass of diamond crystals radiating from a common center. Bort comes from all diamond-producing centers, carbonados only from Brazil, and ballas chiefly from Brazil, although a few of this last group come from South Africa. By far the largest producer of industrial diamonds is the Belgian Congo; the Gold Coast, Angola, the Union of South Africa, and Sierra Leone supply most of the remainder. There is no production in Canada, which imports $6 to $9 million worth of industrial diamonds annually. Industrial diamonds find innumerable uses in modern industry. They are used for diamond drill bits for the mining industry; in diamond dies for wire drawing; in diamond-tipped tools for truing abrasive wheels and for turning and boring hard rubber, fibers, and plastics; and in diamond-toothed saws for sawing stone, glass, and metals. High-speed tool steels, cemented carbides, and other hard, dense alloys can be cut, sharpened, or shaped efficiently only with diamond-tipped tools and diamond grinding wheels. .. Second only to the diamond in hardness is corundum, an impure form of the ruby and sapphire gems consisting of alumina and oxygen (Al²O³) with impurities such as silica and ferric oxide. Corundum generally crystallizes from magmas rich in alumina and deficient in silica, as in the nepheline syenites of eastern Ontario. Grain corundum is used in the manufacture of grinding wheels; very coarse grain is used in snagging wheels. Both types of wheels are employed in the metal trades, where the hardness of corundum, coupled with its characteristic fracturing into sharp cutting edges, makes it an ideal cutting tool. The finest corundum (flour grades) is used for fine grinding of glass and high-precision lenses. From 1900 to 1921 Canada was the world's leading producer of corundum. Following this period the deposits located in northern Transvaal of the Union of South Africa supplied more and more of the world's requirements, and since 1940 South Africa has provided almost the entire output, which has ranged between 2500 to 7000 tons a year during the last decade. Minor amounts have also been produced in Mozambique, India, and Nyassaland. Opportunities for Mining Corundum Corundum deposits in southeastern Ontario are of three types, which may be described as follows: 1—Scattered, irregularly-shaped deposits of coarse-grained corundum which could be mined by means of small pits. About 10 groups of such deposits are known. Although the tonnage of individual deposits of this type is not great, it has been estimated that several years' ore supply is available for a small tonnage operation. Deposits average about 9 pct corundum. 2—Large irregular deposits of coarse-grained corundum which would require mining by adit with possibly a scavenger operation on the remains of former surface deposits. The Craigmont deposit of this type produced about 20,000 tons of corundum concentrate during operations between 1900 and 1913. Most of the readily available surface ore was removed by operators during that time. Reserves of ore above road level have been estimated to average 7 pct corundum, but none of the so-called reserves have been blocked out, or even indicated, by diamond drilling. From 1944 to 1946, 2025 tons of

Jan 1, 1955

By Ralph Hultgren, Prodyot Roy

Manganese vapor pressures from 1250° to 1500°K were measured by conventional Knudsen and torsion-effusion methods in twelve Fe-Mn alloys with compositions from 9 to 80 at. pct Mn. The Knudsen re-sults agveed approximately with previous measurements found in the literature which indicated the solutions were nearly ideal. However, except for the higher manganese compositions, the initial torsion readings indicated much (up to 50 pct) higher vapor presszcres than the Knudsen method. These high readings decreased steadily with time. The results are interpreted as due to depletion of surface concentration of manganese during evaporation. Thus the initial torsion readings are the most nearly correct and Knudsen methods on alloys are to be regarded with suspicion unless it can be demonstrated that diffusion rates are rapid enough to replenish surface concentrations depleted by evaporation. For the lowest manganese contents and highest temperatures, depletion causes initial torsion readings to be too low. FEW thermodynamic data are available for alloys of the high-melting transition metals due primarily to experimental difficulties at the high temperatures involved. Measurement of vapor pressure is one of the most promising techniques to be applied to this problem. From the vapor pressure of a component of an alloy phase, its activity or its partial molar Gibbs energy can be directly calculated. From measurements over a sufficient range of temperatures and compositions the partial and integral Gibbs energies, enthalpies, and entropies may be determined through Gibbs-Duhem integration. For solid phases of variable composition, which commonly are found in alloys, measured vapor pressures are low because of depletion of the surface concentration of the more volatile component as it is selectively vaporized. Diffusion from the interior tends to restore the depleted concentration. The seriousness of the effect depends on the relative rates of diffusion and vaporization. Although depletion has been recognized as a factor,' direct measurements of its rate are lacking and quantitative estimates of its effect on measurements are uncertain. In the present work the vapor pressures above a series of Fe-Mn alloys have been measured by the torsion-effusion method. This method permits a measurement of the vapor pressure of manganese as soon as the sample comes to temperature and continuously throughout the run. The rate of decline of the apparent vapor pressure measures the rate of depletion and the torsion reading at zero time should be correct. At high manganese concentrations (70 and 80 at. pct Mn), the torsion reading remained nearly constant; surface depletion was negligible. There was a slow drop in measured pressure due to bulk loss of manganese from the sample. However, for lower manganese contents, especially at high temperatures, the depletion effect was considerable and the apparent vapor pressure decreased steadily with time. For these alloys the Knudsen method should give pressures which are too low. The measurement of pressure in the Knudsen method cannot be made until enough manganese has been vaporized to be weighable. The Knudsen result is therefore an integrated average between the initial and final vapor pressures. To verify this, conventional Knudsen measurements were also made with results in approximate agreement with previously published Knudsen measurements for these alloys. As expected, for the lower manganese contents the initial torsion readings of pressure were as much as 50 pct higher than the Knudsen. THE APPARATUS The apparatus, shown in Fig. 1, is capable of operating to temperatures up to 2000°K. A vacuum of 5 x 10"6 mm Hg can be maintained. Temperatures were measured to +3° by a W-Re thermocouple placed in the dummy cell, N. The torsion cell consisted of two alumina crucibles with holes in their covers. They were placed in the molybdenum holder shown suspended from the torsion wire. Rectangular torsion wires (1 by 4 mm) were found to have superior sensitivity and less residual distortion than circular (2-mm-diameter) wires. The precision of angular measurement was found to be *0.025 deg; the variation is no doubt due to temperature fluctuation and vibration. For the Knudsen experiments the alumina cell was set on the support, N. SAMPLE PREPARATION 800-g samples were prepared by melting together electrolytic iron and electrolytic manganese and pouring the melt into a water-cooled copper mold. Melting and pouring were done under a helium at-

Jan 1, 1965

[University of Alabama University, Alabama Mining and Metallurgical Society (Inactive) University of Arizona Tucson, Arizona Miners' Society ROBERT HIGH, President RICHARD FLAGG, Secretary J. B. CUNNINGHAM, Faculty Sponsor Birmingham-Southern College Birmingham, Alabama Geology Journal Club (Inactive)]

Jan 1, 1946

John Birkinbine, Philadelphia, Pa.: We have in the Institute two Dudleys—Dr. Charles B. Dudley, who has so thoroughly studied the chemical composition and physical behavior of rail-steel, and Dr. P. H. Dudley, whose investigations and

Jan 1, 1900

Jan 1, 1935

By G. E. Johnson

E. D. HYMAN*—How much sorting of scrap is done ? G. E. JOHNSON (author's reply)—We do practically no sorting. We charge "run of mine" scrap to the furnace. The unmeltables, mostly iron, are in such demand today that there is no difficulty in disposing of them. It may soon be desirable to sort out from the unmeltables as much of the brass as possible. J. J. BRUGMAN†—We have somewhat similar problems in the secondary aluminum business. What is your method of removing the unmelted material from the furnaces? Why have you such an apparently small space in which to charge your materials? Do you find that you have to seal that opening, or can you have it open and continuously charge at one end and pull out the other ? G. E. JOHNSON—Our means of melting scrap is efficient only to the extent that we use the waste heat from the vaporizing chamber to do the job. It is a batch process. We open the charge door and place the scrap on the hearth by hand shoveling. The door is then closed during the melting down period. After the melting is complete, the opposite door is opened and the unmeltables are raked out. The doors are approximately 3½ X 4½ ft and are not sealed during the process only closed. They are nominally tight. Some metal is oxidized in the process. We have visualized a means of conveying the materials through this melting unit with the metals that are melted trickling out during its travel. T. H. WELDON‡—Mr. Johnson, in line with the last question, is it necessary to seal the furnace between the melting down and the vaporizing unit, or have you got an inverted syphon in the bottom of the chamber? G. E. JOHNSON—That was one of the first things we encountered. We had to have a sealed opening, and it is a molten metal seal. You have indirectly asked me another question, which was: "Do you have to seal up the melting unit?" I would say we should exclude as much air as possible, although we are not too efficient in doing that. We allow the melting unit doors to be open when we charge and when we remove unmeltables. You can readily see that that would lead to the idea of having a controlled atmosphere in the melting unit, and I think this would do a more efficient job of melting the scrap. T. H. WELDON—How often do you charge the furnace? G. E. JOHNSON—We charge the melting unit, and rake out the unmeltables, about every hour. H. R. HANLEY*—Are any provisions made for controlling the rate of oxidation for the production of various size particles for certain characteristics of the zinc oxide product? G. E. JOHNSON—Yes, there are many. You are getting pretty much into the fine points of zinc oxide manufacture. Some of us still think we have something to learn about that. In general, this muffle furnace as I have described it to you produces a rounded particle of zinc oxide which is generally formed by a rapid oxidation of the zinc vapor, followed by rapid cooling. We have gone to the other extreme in some of our experiments. We have changed the furnace to produce a type of zinc oxide, such as we thought was peculiar to American process zinc oxide, by controlling the temperature at the point of oxidation and maintaining that temperature for a much longer period of time than we do when we make the rounded shape. There are other relationships that this furnace readily provides. One of the important factors is the ratio of air to zinc vapors. We can vary that by varying the air supply to the baghouse, or vary the rate at which we are vaporizing the zinc by the simple expedient of regulating the temperature over the carborundum arch. We have a number of variables that permit us to produce all of the grades of French process zinc oxide from lead-free up through the highest grades of seal oxides. There are many controls that we can apply to the operation. What I have said is but a brief condensation. K. MORGAN*—Can Mr. Johnson give us some idea of the fuel consumption of the furnace ? How much oil does he use per ton of zinc distilled? I am also interested to know what sort of heat transmission he gets through the arch? What is the thickness of the tiles used to construct the arch? Some time ago we built a small furnace for a different purpose, using a carborundum arch, and we found that the reflectivity of the molten zinc surface was so great we had to use a very high arch temperature. We found we made an improvement by having a layer of carbon on the surface of the zinc. Has Mr. Johnson had any experience on these points ? Does he make any sort of insolu-bles which he leaves in the furnace which he cannot tap out ? G. E. JOHNSON—I believe your first question was the fuel consumption. If I recall, somewhere in this paper there is a test that I quote. I believe we used 800 gal in a given period of time. Offhand I cannot translate that into tons of metal. I might also state that we have this understanding; that the carborundum arch, as the temperature becomes higher, becomes more efficient in heat transmission. As a matter of fact, I believe it is at about 2600°F or higher that the highest efficiency of heat transmission becomes available. We have calculations that I cannot quote from memory which indicate that the carborundum arch does a really very fine job for this type of furnace. Another point that we had considered was the fact that this furnace could be readily constructed so as to furnish an ideal source of heat for waste heat boilers. If a carborundum arch was used over the melting unit, we would have no zinc vapors in the gases at all— just clean combustion gases from which we would have removed some of the heat. L. P. DAVIDSON†— The insolubles

Jan 1, 1950

Time as a Factor in the Making and Treating of Steel. By John Johnston. (Howe Lecture) (T.P. 1478) Influence of Chromium and Molybdenum on Structure, Hardness and Decarburization of 0.35 Per Cent Carbon Steel. By R. F. Miller and R. F. Campbell. (T.P. 1345) Mechanical Properties of Iron-manganese Alloys. By F, M. Walters, Jr., I. R. Kramer and B. M. Loring. (T.P. 1369) The Instability of Low-expansion Iron-nickel-cobalt Alloys. By I. R. Kramer and F. M. Walters, Jr. (T.P. 1370) The S-curve of a Chromium-nickel Steel. By B. M. Loring. (T.P. 1383) A Magnetic Determination of the A3 Transformation Point in Iron. By B. A. Rogers and K. 0. Stamm. (T.P. 1388) Rapid Tension Tests Using Two-load Method. By A. V. de Forest, C. W. MacGregor and A. R. Anderson. (T.P. 1393) Effects of Scrap in the Blast-furnace Burden. By C. L. T. Edwards. (T.P. 1270) Temperature Gradients through Composite Carbon Columns and their Application to Blastfurnace Linings. By F. J. Vosburgh and M. R. HatFIeld. (T.P. 1363) Correlations of Some Coke Properties with Blast-furnace Operation. By H. W. Johnson. (T.P. 1402) The Technical Cohesive Strength and Yield Strength of Metals. By D. J. McAdam, Jr. (T.P. 1414) Effects of Eight Complex Deoxidizers on Some 0.40 Per Cent Carbon Forging Steels. By George F. Comstock. (T.P. 1417) Significance of the Bessemer End Point. By H. T. Bowman. (T.P. 1428) Structural Diagrams of Nickel Irons and Steels. By J. T. EasE and N. B. Pilling. (T.P. 1432) Carbides in Low-chromium Steel. By Walter Crafts and C. M. OFFenhauer. (T.P. 1436) Hardenability Calculated from Chemical Composition. By M. A. Grossmann. (T.P. 1437) Recrystallization of Silicon Ferrite in Terms of Rate of Nucleation and Rate of Growth. By J. K. Stanley and R. F. Mehl. (T.P. 1438) The Solubility of Carbon as Graphite in Gamma Iron. By R. W. Gurry. (T.P. 1440) An Evaluation of the Factors Affecting Iron Oxide in the Open-hearth Bath. By J. E. Gould and H. J. Hand. (T.P. 1442) Precision in Creep Testing. By J. A. Fellows, Earnshaw Cook and Howard S. Avery. (T.P. 1443) Lattice Relationships in the Decomposition of Austenite to Pearlite, Bainite and Martensite. By G. V. Smith and R. F. Mehl. (T.P. 1459) Rate of Nucleation and Rate of Growth of Pearlite. By F. C. Hull, R. A. Colton and R. F. Mehl. (T.P. 1460) Weight Change as a Criterion of Extent of Decarburization or Carburization. By R. W. Gurry. (T.P. 1470) Observations in the Making and Use of Sulphite-treated Steels. By E. L, Ramsey and L. G. Graper. (T.P. 1476) Diffusion in Metal Accompanied by Phase Change. By L. S. Darken. (T.P. 1479) Engineering Properties of Heat-resistant Alloys. By Howard S. Avery, Earnshaw Cook and J. A. Fellows. (T.P. 1480) Distribution of Manganese and of Sulphur between Slag and Metal in the Open-hearth Furnace. By L. S. Darken and B. M. Larsen. (T.P. 1481)

Jan 1, 1942

By M. Cohen, C. Wagner, J. E. Reynolds

If the total volume of a diffusion couple changes during the diffusion, the measurement of distance becomes ambiguous. Use of distance parameters as suggested by Hartley and Crank is discussed. For small concentration differences, the standard form of Fick's second law is retained with conventional length units and the in- terdiffusion coefficient D. It is shown how D can be calculated from experiments involving large concentration differences and analyzed in terms of distance parameters. 'The merits of incremental diffusion couples involving small concentration differences are emphasized. THE conventional form of Fick's second law for one-dimensional diffusion of component B in a binary solution of A and B is where c, is the concentration of component B; x, the distance; t, the time; and D, the interdiffusion coefficient which may depend on ca. Hartley and Crank' have pointed out that Eq. 1 applies only if the total volume of the diffusion couple does not change during the diffusion process; otherwise, the definition of x becomes ambiguous. No change in total volume takes place if the specific volume of the solution is a linear function of the weight fraction Wb, or if the molar volume is a linear function of the mol fraction N. In some alloys, however, these relationships do not hold, and then it is necessary to introduce a modified measure of distance, 4 in order to retain the general form of Eq. 1. The application of Hartley and Crank's suggestions to diffusion in alloys has been discussed by Wagner.' Relation Between Measure of Distance and Units of Concentration The definition of [ depends on the choice of units for the concentration c,, as follows: 1—If the concentration ca is measured as the weight fraction W, (or weight percent), [ = 5, has to be defined so that equal increments of contain equal increments of mass m of the solution, e.g., dm = pSdx = Sdw [2] where p is the local density of the solution, and S is the cross-sectional area in sq cm which is taken to be constant in this problem of one-dimensional diffusion." * da Silva and Mehla have demonstrated the constancy of the cross-sectional area in the usual type of diffusion couple. However, experiments involving diffusion into thin wires4, 5 may exhibit changes in cross-sectional area, and therefore are excluded from the present treatment. Thus and the unit of is gram per sq cm instead of cm. 2—If the concentration c, is the mol fraction N, must be defined so that equal increments of contain equal numbers of mols of solution, e.g., dn= (S/V)dx= Sd [41 where V is the local molar volume of the solution. Thus dt, = dx/V [51 and the unit of is mols per sq cm. 3—If, as may be advisable in the case of interstitial solutions, the concentration C is measured in terms of the molar ratio of components B and A (c,, = Y, = nH/nA, where n and nl are numbers of mols of B and A), = Y has to be defined so that equal increments of contain equal numbers of mols of A, e.g., dnA= (NAS/V)dx = Sdf [6]

Jan 1, 1954

Time as a Factor in the Making and Treating of Steel. By John Johnston. (Howe Lecture) (T.P. 1478) Influence of Chromium and Molybdenum on Structure, Hardness and Decarburization of 0.35 Per Cent Carbon Steel. By R. F. Miller and R. F. Campbell. (T.P. 1345) Mechanical Properties of Iron-manganese Alloys. By F, M. Walters, Jr., I. R. Kramer and B. M. Loring. (T.P. 1369) The Instability of Low-expansion Iron-nickel-cobalt Alloys. By I. R. Kramer and F. M. Walters, Jr. (T.P. 1370) The S-curve of a Chromium-nickel Steel. By B. M. Loring. (T.P. 1383) A Magnetic Determination of the A3 Transformation Point in Iron. By B. A. Rogers and K. 0. Stamm. (T.P. 1388) Rapid Tension Tests Using Two-load Method. By A. V. de Forest, C. W. MacGregor and A. R. Anderson. (T.P. 1393) Effects of Scrap in the Blast-furnace Burden. By C. L. T. Edwards. (T.P. 1270) Temperature Gradients through Composite Carbon Columns and their Application to Blastfurnace Linings. By F. J. Vosburgh and M. R. HatFIeld. (T.P. 1363) Correlations of Some Coke Properties with Blast-furnace Operation. By H. W. Johnson. (T.P. 1402) The Technical Cohesive Strength and Yield Strength of Metals. By D. J. McAdam, Jr. (T.P. 1414) Effects of Eight Complex Deoxidizers on Some 0.40 Per Cent Carbon Forging Steels. By George F. Comstock. (T.P. 1417) Significance of the Bessemer End Point. By H. T. Bowman. (T.P. 1428) Structural Diagrams of Nickel Irons and Steels. By J. T. EasE and N. B. Pilling. (T.P. 1432) Carbides in Low-chromium Steel. By Walter Crafts and C. M. OFFenhauer. (T.P. 1436) Hardenability Calculated from Chemical Composition. By M. A. Grossmann. (T.P. 1437) Recrystallization of Silicon Ferrite in Terms of Rate of Nucleation and Rate of Growth. By J. K. Stanley and R. F. Mehl. (T.P. 1438) The Solubility of Carbon as Graphite in Gamma Iron. By R. W. Gurry. (T.P. 1440) An Evaluation of the Factors Affecting Iron Oxide in the Open-hearth Bath. By J. E. Gould and H. J. Hand. (T.P. 1442) Precision in Creep Testing. By J. A. Fellows, Earnshaw Cook and Howard S. Avery. (T.P. 1443) Lattice Relationships in the Decomposition of Austenite to Pearlite, Bainite and Martensite. By G. V. Smith and R. F. Mehl. (T.P. 1459) Rate of Nucleation and Rate of Growth of Pearlite. By F. C. Hull, R. A. Colton and R. F. Mehl. (T.P. 1460) Weight Change as a Criterion of Extent of Decarburization or Carburization. By R. W. Gurry. (T.P. 1470) Observations in the Making and Use of Sulphite-treated Steels. By E. L, Ramsey and L. G. Graper. (T.P. 1476) Diffusion in Metal Accompanied by Phase Change. By L. S. Darken. (T.P. 1479) Engineering Properties of Heat-resistant Alloys. By Howard S. Avery, Earnshaw Cook and J. A. Fellows. (T.P. 1480) Distribution of Manganese and of Sulphur between Slag and Metal in the Open-hearth Furnace. By L. S. Darken and B. M. Larsen. (T.P. 1481)

Jan 1, 1942

GENTLEMEN : Herewith are submitted reports for the calendar year 1933 of your Treasurer and the Chairmen of the following standing committees: Finance, Admissions, Membership, Papers and Publications, Library, and MINING AND METALLURGY. TO these reports you are referred for additional details of the year's activity. Finances.-Income for 1933 from all sources totaled $121,690 com- pared with $138,331 in 1932. Incidentally, this exceeded the income as estimated in the budget by $7,190; the largest item being a "surplus" of $3,316 over the budget expectancy as to member dues. As compared with 1932 the most important items of shrinkage in income were $9,000 from dues and initiation fees; $5,500 from the magazine, MINING AND METALLURGY; and $2,500 from sales of publications other than the magazine.

Jan 1, 1934

PETROLEUM DIVISION Established as a Division March 24, 1922 Paul R Turnbull, Chairman John R McMillan, Vice-Chairman Morris Muskat, Vice-Chairman William E Stiles, Treasurer Joe B Alford, Executive Secretary 408 Trinity Universal Building Dallas, Texas

Jan 1, 1952

[PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR H. G. MOULTON3 NEW YORK, N. Y. PAST PRESIDENTS AND DIRECTORS - D. C. JACKLING1 SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. DONALD B. GILLIES2 CLEVELAND, OHIO TREASURER AND DIRECTOR KARL EILERS3 SEA. CLIFF, N. Y.]

Jan 1, 1940

By Clyde Evarts Weed

SOME one once affirmed his great belief in luck, adding that he had found that the harder he worked the more luck he had. Clyde Weed is a firm believer in this method of courting the fugitive lady. He is at work early and late, often leaving his staff at Anaconda's offices at 25 Broadway breathless trying to keep up with the ideas teeming from a fertile brain and the actions those ideas entail. Miles ahead of his assistants much of the time, he still manages to be an agreeable fellow to work with, no small accomplishment as many can testify. Mr. Weed arrived in the world at Moorestown, Mich., on Aug. 8, 1890. Sixteen years later he entered Michigan Agricultural College, a lowly freshman. The following year, with the experience and wisdom expected of a sophomore, he transferred his studies from the reaping of a harvest on the surface of the earth to delving into the deeper, unpredictable bowels of the earth, his studies now shifted to the Michigan College of Mines. Last June his alma mater conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Engineering.

Jan 1, 1947

By Edwin B. Wilson, Charles F. Cockrell

The application of evolutionary operation is proposed for the cleaning of coal by the heavy media process. Analysis of the data given suggests some benefits that may not be immediately appreciated unless evolutionary operation is applied. For example, while it may seem obvious to increase specific gravity when the ash and sulfur content of the clean coal is lower than that allowed, evolutionary operation may show that an increase in feed rate or an increase in both feed rate and specific gravity would be a more profitable alternative. In addition, by using evolutionary operation, up-to-date knowledge of the effect of change of feed rate or specific gravity on yield and product quality is available. This information facilitates confidence about decisions made in regard to the day-to-day operation of these units. A number of other applications in the minerals industry are proposed. An application of evolutionary operation in a related field is also given where a large number of variables were required to be optimized.

Jan 1, 1969

By John F. Lundeberg

CLAUSS1 observed that if isothermal creep data could be approximated as straight lines on a log stress-log time plot, a relationship existed that could be expressed as log t = m log s + b [ l] where t = time,

Jan 1, 1965

By EDWARD B. DURHAH

The illustration Fig. 12, of the paper of Edward B. Durham, "Electrolytic Refining at the U. S. Mint, San Francisco, Cal.," printed in Bulletin No. 58, October, 1911, p. 830, contained an error. The corrected diagram is printed below.

Nov 1, 1911

By R. S. Shoemaker, R. M. Darrah

Expanded markets for copper in the past few years and a consequent search for new ore bodies have revitalized the widely known but seldom applied method of producing copper called heap leaching. Heap leaching is defined here as the process applied to oxide ores which have been mined solely for the purpose of leaching. In this case, all costs of mining the ore become a part (and a substantial one, as will be shown) of the cost of the copper produced, whereas in dump leaching the mining cost has already been accounted for as a stripping cost for the sulfide ore. Of course, with newly opened ore bodies, stripping costs may be divided through accounting procedures, between the copper produced by the mill and that obtained by leaching, but in general this type of operation must be economic on the basis of the sulfide ore alone. Heap Leaching Requires Low Capitalization Heap leaching, as a beneficiation method, is unique in that it is the only process used for the recovery of a metal in which the time involved from mining the ore to metal production is measured in months instead of hours or at the most, days. Then too, after the ore body has been depleted and mining has ceased, metal production will continue for some substantial period of time. Heap leaching is also unique because unlike any other method of beneficiation, metal recovery cannot be accurately forecast ahead of time and recovery will never approach that of a conventionally milled sulfide ore or even that of a vat leached oxide ore. Counter-balancing this drawback, however, is the relatively low capital expenditure necessary to put a heap leaching operation into production and the consequence that smaller ore bodies which would not support the higher capital cost involved in a vat leaching plant can be made into producers. Stated more simply, in heap leaching the operator accepts low recovery in exchange for low capital costs and low break even point. Whether the operator chooses vat leaching with its higher recovery and higher capital costs, is a mater of economics which depends in part on the nature of the ore to decide. For instance, an ore that will vat leach in 7 to 10 days using 7 pounds of sulfuric acid per pound of copper produced might use double or triple that amount of acid during the months that are required for heap leaching.

Jan 12, 1968

By ALFRED D. FLIWN

ENGINEERING COUNCIL is not "about to die," as some persons are saying. Through a natural and foreseen reorganization, Council is entering a new stage of existence with enlarged power for usefulness. Its early constituents have made it possible for many more of their fellow engineers and men of other technical vocations -to take a- share in its activities, responsibilities and support. A new organization is being set up, but it is really a new embodiment of the same spirit of service. Another step is being taken toward the full acceptance by the technical professions of their obligation to the public and to one another for those services which can -be rendered only through effective organization. A brief retrospect is timely. Engineering Council was established in the spring of 1917, as a department of United Engineering Society in response to requests of its Founder Societies. .It followed various attempts of these societies to deal through joint committees with public questions affect¬ing engineers -and with inter-society affairs. These attempts had very limited results. In the new by-laws adopted by United Engineering Society, the purposes and-powers d-powers of Engineering Council were thus defined: "To provide for convenient cooperation between the four Founder Societies, for the proper consideration of questions- of general interest to engineers and to the public, and to provide the means for united , action upon questions of common-concern to engineers.

Jan 1, 1920

By AIME AIME

TUESDAY afternoon the annual meeting was devoted to a general session, in the auditorium, on production control. George Otis Smith presided and in opening the meeting recalled that the session in 1920 on the stabilization of the coal industry was the first time this subject had been discussed by Institute members in a general session and then introduced Carl Snyder, of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, who spoke on "Long-time Growth and the Factors In Its Variations." He spoke without notes and a full presentation of his views must be deferred until the stenographer's report is available. He said that of the total production some 80 to 90 per cent represents goods for consumption and the other 20 to 10 per cent for construction. He discussed various indices of production, concluding that bank clearings are the best, and showed by charts that when they are plotted, allowing for various disturbing factors, they are seen to increase quite regularly at the rate of about 4 per cent per year. The production curve rises at only 3y2 per cent per year, because agricultural production does not in- crease as fast as manufacturing postal revenues in- crease at the rate of 5 per cent per year while the use of electricity increases twice as fast.

Jan 1, 1929

By J. Parker

As a practicing mining engineer, I face many rock mechanics' problems daily and would like to mention one or two examples to illustrate the current gap between laboratory investigations and actual field problems. I would like to endorse Dr. Obert's suggestion that more field measurements and observations should be undertaken. There is an ever-increasing body of data beginning with Hast's results in Sweden,l then measurements at Elliot Lake, Canada, and so on, including our own measurements at White Pine, which clearly indicate that the horizontal stresses underground. are often at least as large as the vertical stresses. Visual observation of the deformation of roof and pillars (including failure due to horizontal compres- sion) also demonstrates that the horizontal stresses are often most important: Yet almost every laboratory investigation begins with the assumption that the only stresses acting are vertical. Roof spans in layered formations. for example, are calculated on the assumption that the rock behaves as a gravity loaded beam. This is all too often unrealistic.

Jan 1, 1967