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By Bernard Moore

THE last few decades have witnessed the introduction of many new nonmetallic mineral products and changes in the use of many of those already well known. Among these is diatomite, formerly employed as a mild abrasive and, at one time, as the absorbent material in dynamite. Now nearly 100,000 tons a year are mined and milled into such things as filter aids, cement admixtures, insulants, fillers, absorbents, cosmetics, cleansers, etc. Pumice, commonly regarded as only an abrasive, is now also employed as an insulant, as light-weight aggregate and as a concrete admixture. With increasing use of insulants, light-weight aggregates, and acoustic stuccos and plasters in the building trades, both these mate-rials should find increased application. Very large deposits occur in eastern Oregon and have been studied by the U. S. Geological Survey in cooperation with the Oregon State Mining Board.

Jan 1, 1934

By Dennis K. Mortensen

Startup of the 9000 tpd Sacaton concentrator is expected to increase Asarco's domestic copper concentrate capacity by 21%. The plant site is located due west of the mining operations, consisting of both crushing and concentrating facilities. Arthur G. McKee & Co. served as the prime contractor for the project. The Sacaton mineralization contains both sulfide and oxide ores. Primary mineral constituents are chalcocite, azurite, malachite, chrysocolla, and minor amounts of silver and occasional gold. Sulfides are distinguished from oxides when more than half the total copper content is in the form of a sulfide copper mineral. While non-sulfide copper minerals are considerably less prevalent throughout the orebody, they tend to occur quite intimately with the sulfide minerals, particularly in the upper zones of the mineralization. For this reason the decision was made to treat all the ore in a flotation circuit using existing sulfidizing methods.

Jan 11, 1974

GENERAL COMMITTEE GERALD F. G. SHERMAN, Chairman. ARTHUR NOTMAN, Secretary. NORMAN CARMICHAEL, JOHN C. GREENWAY, W. L. CLARK, W. G. McBRIDE, B. BRITTON GOTTSBERGER, FOREST RUTHERFORD. General Committee on Transportation WALTER DOUGLAS, Chairman. CLEVELAND E. DODGE, Secretary. ARTHUR S. DWIGHT, JOHN C. GREENWAY, JULIUS KRUTTSCHNITT, JR. Committee at El Paso W. D. GORDON, ROBERT McCART, JR., W. W. ROSE. Committee at Santa Rita JOHN M. SULLY, Chairman.

Jan 12, 1916

By B. Woyski

MANY writers, in discussing defects caused by oxidation and gassing of bronzes and red brasses advocate substantially the same cure for both. But from its nature, oxidation cannot take place if there is an excess of fuel in the furnace, while the gases absorbed by some alloys are products of incomplete combustion of the fuel. Hence the metal can be either oxidized or gassed, but it is doubtful whether these actions can take place simultaneously. Oxidation can be easily overcome by the use of deoxidizers or it may be avoided by protecting the molten metal with suitable fluxes. Absorption of gases is more difficult to overcome. The regulation of the air and fuel, so as to produce complete combustion, and the protection of the bath by mineral fluxes are the most important factors. Gas expulsion, resulting in gas holes, porosity, unsoundness, and swollen or cauliflower-headed risers, is said to have several causes. One writer' lists the most common causes in the order of their importance, as follows: Superheated metal, dirty or slaggy furnace conditions, using metals low in quality or those previously subjected to bad melting practice, poor grade of fuel, use of newly lined or damp ladles, indiscriminate mixing of scrap or illogical combinations of metal. Superheating the metal usually occurs when the heat is ready to be poured but for some reason must be held in the furnace. In this case, a careful furnace tender tries to avoid overheating the metal by keeping a mild fire; that is, a reducing fire which, unfortunately, results in gassing the metal. A dirty, slaggy furnace may result in gassing the metal by retarding the heating and prolonging the time necessary to bring the metal to the proper temperature, thereby increasing the chances of gassing in uncertain furnace atmosphere.

Jan 5, 1922

By M. van Swaay, C. E. Birchenall

Palladium has a large capacity for the dissolution or occlusion of hydrogen; the gas also diffuses very rapidly through the metal. Palladium thimbles are widely used in the laboratory for purification of hydrogen by diffusion. The use of palladium filters could be extended to several large-scale applications if greater stability of the permeation process could be attained. In this paper a number of aspects contributing toward this goal are discussed, and new data on solubility and diffusivity are given. Palladium sheets of 0.005, 0.010, or 0.020 in. thickness were prepared by three procedures: casting and rolling, sintering palladium powder, and sintering palladium powder to which 0.1 pct thorium oxide had been added. Half-inch diam circular specimens were cut and clamped in a stainless steel holder provided with knife edges to seal the palladium sheet with soft copper gaskets. The seals were tested for leaks at l0-5 mm Hg. No difficulties from this source were encountered even after many temperature cycles in the system. The holder was silver-soldered to Kovar-glass seals and attached to the system through glass ball joints. Each joint was sealed with Apiezon wax and was adjacent to a cold trap. In several experiments the holders were fused directly into the system, eliminating the ball joints, to show that the wax did not affect the filter. Three filter holders were supported in holes in a stainless steel cylinder, which also acted as a temperature equalizing block inside the resistance wound furnace. The measuring thermocouple was inserted in one of the holders. A potentiometric controller with control thermocouple on the furnace heater winding maintained ± 0.2oC. Electrolytic hydrogen was purified and stored as shown in the flow diagram, Fig. 1. It could be admitted to either or both sides of the palladium specimens. Only a mechanical pump was used, for even high pumping speeds would not bring the pressure on the off-gas side of the filter below 10 to 50p Hg owing to the rapid hydrogen flow through the filters. A series of steady-state permeability studies allowed identification of several conditions of permeability loss. A constant fore pressure was maintained while the low-pressure face was pumped. After enough time had elapsed for a steady flow to be established the pump was cut off, and the rate of pressure increase in a thermostated bulb was measured to determine the flow rate. The time delay method of Daynes1,9 was adopted since it offered the possibility of determining solubilities and diffusivities. For each measurement both sides of the filter were evacuated for 15 min, which gave about 10-4mm Hg residual pressure. Hydrogen was admitted to one side or the other of the filter at a fixed pressure. The pressure on the off-gas side was observed as a function of time. A

Jan 1, 1961

By Ross Glanville

INTRODUCTION The Optimum Production Rate (OPR) is one of the most important parameters in the evaluation of a mineral deposit. The OPR can also be expressed as the Optimum Mine Life (OML) in years since the expected mine life is determined by dividing the OPR per year into the estimated ore reserves. Unfortunately, very little time and effort has been directed towards the determination of the OPR. Instead, "rules of thumb" are often applied to select a mine life without due consideration of the economic implications of such a selection. A "justification" for a particular production rate is often based on a pre-conceived arbitrary requirement for a mine life of 5, 10, or 15 years, for example. In this paper it is demonstrated that such arbitrary selections for high-grade/low-tonnage mines (such as many underground gold/silver deposits) often lead to sub-optimal results. In fact, an apparently uneconomic deposit at an arbitrary production rate may be economic at the OPR. Consequently, investment opportunities may be overlooked if one analyzes mine properties based on arbitrary production rates. This paper analyzes the interrelationships of variables such as production rates, capital and operating costs, cut-off grades, discount rates, metal prices, etc. The analysis shows that the OML for high-grade/low-tonnage deposits is often in the range of two to four years. Although such mine lives intuitively appear too short to many individuals, it should be noted that, in the past, much of the mining industry became familiar with the economics of large scale mining operations. The rules of thumb developed for such large scale operations should not be applied to high-grade/low-tonnage mines such as many of the underground gold deposits. DEFINITION OF OPTIMUM PRODUCTION RATE The OPR is selected on the basis of maximizing the net present value of the after-tax cash flows. However, as discussed later in this paper, the production rate selected for a particular mine may be somewhat higher or lower than the theoretical OPR as a result of other variables such as: 1) the probability or expectation of additional reserves being discovered 2) the likelihood of being able to custom mill nearby deposits owned by others 3) the configuration or attitude of the orebody, which may place upper limits on the production rate 4) the residual, or salvage values, of the mine/mill facilities COMPARISON BETWEEN DIFFERENT PRODUCTION RATES For an orebody with definite physical cutoffs*, or boundaries (such as faults or unconformities), the total ore reserves at different production rates may be identical. Consequently, for such an orebody, varying production rates result in differing mine lives. Although the metallurgical recoveries, the mine dilution, and other similar physical parameters may vary slightly at different production rates, the major differences are the capital costs and operating costs per ton. The ramifications of these differences are especially important at low production rates (up to approximately 1000 tons per day), but can also be significant at higher production rates.

Jan 1, 1985

By William J. Douglas, Jack T. Urie, Randall D. Metz

Production and financial planning for a new underground mine requires the coordination of equipment and coal reserves in a manner which assures that resources are utilized efficiently in achieving the target mine production. It is necessary to establish the productions which are attainable at the section level during different mining operations (advance, retreat, development) and under different mining conditions (roof, seam height, resource quality). It is also necessary to identify the interactions between production plans and ventilation equipment So that operations can be carried out without disruptions caused by inadequate ventilation. A set of computer models has been applied in planning a number of new coal, oil shale, and phosphate mines. A critical path production model, CPMINE, was used to determine face production levels for different cut sequences and seam heights, taking into account machine performance characteristics and operational availabilities under these varying conditions. The results formed a production data base for use in the mine sequencing model, MPLAN. This model processes each of the segments of a user-defined mine sequence network (strategy tree) taking into account the equipment available for mining operations and the previously determined production scheme devised by the mining engineer. Mine ventilation was analyzed with an expanded version of the Penn State MVS Ventilation model to determine fan and ventilation shaft requirements for supporting alternative production strategies. The MCOM mine cost analysis model has been applied to evaluate the economic performance of mining alternatives. The results of these studies were used to make decisions relating to equipment selection and acquisition schedules for both room-and-pillar and longwall mining systems. The approach and procedures which were used during these studies are described.

Jan 1, 1983

By William E. Ford, Edward Salisbury Dana

Normal phosphoric acid is H3P04, and consequently normal phosphates have the formulas R3PO4, R3(P04)2 and RPO4, and similarly for the arsenates, etc. Only a comparatively small number of species conform to this simple formula. Most species contain more than one metallic element, and in the prominent Apatite Group the radical (CaF), (CaCI) or (PbCI) enters; in in the Wagnerite Group we have similarly (RF) or (ROH).

Jan 1, 1922

Photographs of Officers

Jan 1, 1923

By F. Lynwood Garrison

There is probably no subject for study in the metallurgy of iron and steel of greater interest than the effect of manganese upon the properties of iron. Some of the peculiarities of iron and steel containing appreciable quantities of manganese were observed many years ago by Heath, Robert Mushet, and others; but it was not until the introduction of the Bessemer process, when a demand was created for large quantities of iron-manganese alloys, that such compounds of iron and manganese became articles of commerce. Since that time the demand for these alloys has steadily increased, the use of ferro-manganese not only becoming an absolute necessity in the ordinary Bessemer practice, but also essential to the manufacture of open-hearth, crucible steel and steel castings; in fact it is the only source of supply for all the manganese used in metallurgical opera-

Jan 1, 1893

By Edward Walsh

In the early history of the production of metallic iron from the native oxides or ores, success attended the labors of the workman according to the care he devoted to his work, and according to the degree of skill he possessed in furnishing the required amounts of fuel and ores to be acted upon by the blast propelled by the bellows, trompe, or wooden tub, and delivered into the hearths of the Persian, bloomery, or Catalan forges. The same skill may also have been of avail in the use of the lower forms of the ".Stück," "Blue,"or" Wolf"

Jan 1, 1887

By P. Somasundaran

An experimental and theoretical treatment of the depressing effect of inorganic electrolytes on the amine flotation of quartz is presented. Experimental data obtained for the amine flotation of quartz as a function of pH with potassium nitrate as depressant was used to test the models for the effectiveness of inorganic ions as depressants. The validity of commonly used assumptions are examined. The surface tension data obtained for dodecylammonium acetate solutions as a function of KNO3, concentration indicated that the collector adsorption on bubble cannot be neglected in the treatments, since this adsorption changes significantly with the addition of the inorganic electrolyte. It also indicated the possibility of significant changes in the specific adsorption potential of the collector occurring with the addition of inorganic electrolytes.

Jan 1, 1975

Jan 1, 1922

By C. S. Barrett, D. B. Masson

Martensitic transformations have been found in AgCd both upon cold-working at room temperature and cooling to lower temperatures. The crystal structures of the transformation products were found to be close-packed hexagonal in the first case and or-thorhombic in the latter. The transformation characteristics also were studied. Similar treatment of AuZn alloys failed to yield any transformation. THE literature on martensitic transformations of body-centered cubic metals and alloys indicates widespread instability of this structure at low temperatures, a tendency which merits further study. The body-centered cubic ß-phase of CuZn, for example, when it contained less than 42 wt pct Zn, was found by Greninger and Mooradian' and others' to transform on cooling to subzero temperatures to a phase that was tentatively considered to be tetragonal. Further work by Massalski and Barrett" demonstrated that cold work at low temperatures causes a partial transformation of ß CuZn of higher Zn content. The structures of the strain-induced transformation products were found to be different from those induced by simple cooling. Another well-known martensitic transformation among body-centered cubic phases is that of ß AuCd, first studied with X-rays by Olander,' then very thoroughly by Chang and Read.5,6 Here again transformation was found to occur both as a result of cooling and of strain. The alkali metals Li and Na, as well as certain Li-Mg alloys, also undergo transformation from their normal body-centered cubic structure, both on cooling and on cold-working. The phase AgCd, the subject of the present report, should be expected to behave quite similarly to CuZn for a number of reasons. It is the chemical analogue of CuZn, silver being directly below copper and cadmium directly below zinc in the periodic table. The size factors (percent difference in size) of the atoms, possibly a consideration in the stability of the ß-phases, are +3.1 in AgCd and + 4.2 in CuZn. Likewise the relative electronegativities of the two pairs of metals are about the same, CuZn possessing an electronegativity difference of 1.0 and AgCd one of 0.8. These values are from a table of electronegativities given by Darken and Gurry." The phase diagrams of the two systems around 50 atomic percent are similar, both possessing a disordered body-centered cubic phase, ß, at high temperatures and an ordered bcc phase, ß, at room temperature; however, the ß and ß' phases of AgCd are separated by a hexagonal phase, [, stable in the range 220-440oC, which has no analogue in CuZn. There has been confusion in the literature as to the structures of the ß' and [-phases. The phase diagram in the ASM handbook'" has the structures of the two phases interchanged; however, Hansen" reports the correct relative positions and Muldawer" verified that ß', the low-temperature phase, is body-centered cubic. Work by the present authors also

Jan 1, 1959

NORTH AMERICA Number Members Alaska 36 Canada 323 Mexico 184 Newfoundland 3 United States Alabama 40 Arizona 111 Arkansas 8 California 646 Colorado 171 Connecticut 90 Delaware 21 District of Columbia 136 Florida 16 Georgia 7 Idaho 66 Illinois 208 Indiana 66 Iowa 11 Kansas 24 Kentucky 32

Jan 1, 1934

By L. Guttman, C. S. Barrett, J. S. Bowles

THE transformation from the face-centered cubic (Al) to the face-centered tetragonal (A6) structure in certain alloys of the indium-thallium system reported in the preceding paper1 exhibits many interesting crystallographic and metallo-graphic features, most of which presumably are similar to those of other cubic to tetragonal transformation such as, for example, the one which occurs in the chromium-manganese system,2 the one which, judging by microstructures and X-ray pat-terns,3 probably occurs in the copper-manganese system, the ones accompanying ordering in FePt,4 Copt,&apos; and AuCu,5 and the transformation near 115°C in barium titanate.6,7,8 If, as mentioned in ref. 1, the transformation is second order, the phases in equilibrium do not differ in composition, and it is both possible and likely that the mechanism is a diffusionless one. The present paper reports the results of a detailed study of the indium-thallium transformation and presents a theory for the atomic movements of the transformation which accounts for the observations. Experimental Crystallography of Transformation Markings The transformation from cubic to tetragonal in the indium-thallium alloys produces microstruc-tures of the type illustrated in fig. 1. These structures are observable either as relief effects produced on a smooth surface by the transformation, or after polishing and etching. These microstruc-tures are markedly similar to those found in copper-manganese alloys: iron-platinum alloys," and barium titanate,7,8 where it has been demonstrated that the lamellae are parallel to the (101) planes of the original cubic crystal. That the observed lamellae in indium-thallium alloys are also parallel to the (101) planes was proved by the following analyses performed on single grains in polycrystal-line samples containing 20.75 atomic pct T1. A study of the microstructures of a number of specimens revealed the fact that in many specimens the transformation markings continued unchanged in direction across the (111) interfaces of annealing twins. This at once demonstrates that the lamellae are parallel to a plane that is common to both parent and twin orientations, i.e., a plane in the zone <112>. This conclusion is compatible with the lamellae being parallel to (101) planes. To make a more complete determination of the habit plane of the lamellae, two grains were selected in which annealing twins ({Ill) twins) had been present in the high-temperature modification (cubic). The traces of the annealing twins, and of the transformation markings in both parent and twin crystals, were plotted together in stereographic projection, and a parent-twin pair of orientations was found that accounted for all lamellae as (101) planes. The projection of one of these twinned grains is reproduced in fig. 2. In view of these results the probability of there being another solution for the habit plane remote from (101) is very small, but to explore the possibility that the habit plane deviates slightly from (101), a more precise analysis was undertaken. In this, the orientation of a grain in the cubic modification was determined from a Laue back-reflection photograph taken with the sample at 90°C. The traces of the lamellae that formed in this grain on cooling were plotted in the stereographic projection

Jan 1, 1951

By Prakash C. Kapur

Many balling and gradation system6 generate self- similar size distributions of the agglomerates. Inspection of the experimental data shows that this is also true of the steady state distributions resulting from the granulation of coarse, partially wet powders, for example, the fertilizer feeds. This result is exploited in the derivations of a number of simple and useful relationships that are pertinent to the analysis of these agglomeration systems. The bonding liquid demand of the granulating charge is a third order polynomial function of the dimensionless ratio of feed particle size to median granule diameter in the weight-fraction distribution. The median size, in turn, is the scale factor or characteristic size parameter in the similarity distribution. The granule size distribution, therefore, is completely specified by the liquid content and the similarity function, and so are the process efficiency and the ungranulated component In the product at steady state.

Jan 1, 1977

By H. W. Morse

THE CHAIRMAN (H. W. MORSE).-Gentlemen, for the first time in the history of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, we have a full session on the subject of leaching-especially on the leaching of copper ores.. This branch of metallurgy is rather in its infancy. We have had one big plant running for a year or more, and pretty successfully; and another one which will be started in February or March, the New Cornelia. We have another one at Garfield for the Utah company, which is just designed and construction begun; and from several other points come reports of interesting test work. The first paper on the program this evening is one of some of the test work on the New Cornelia ore by myself and Mr. H. A. Tobelmann. LAWRENCE ADDICKS, New York, N. Y. (written discussion).-The Ajo proposition has had, as I understand it, two great advantages: it has not been obliged to measure leaching against flotation or some other metallurgical process, and it deals with a copper content high enough

Jan 12, 1916

NEW MEMBERS The following list comprises the names of those persons who became members during the period Apr. 10 to May 10, 1915: Members ADMAN, WILLIAM, Supt., Susquehanna Coal Co Lykens, Pa. BARTH, CARL G., JR., Min. Engr 6151 Columbia Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. BOOTH, ERIC EDWIN, Min. Engr., Mount Elliott Mine, Selwyn via Cloncurry, North Queensland, Australia. BOYDELL, HARRY CYRIL, Asst. Mgr., Randfontein Central Gold Min. Co., Box 42, Randfontein, Transvaal, South Africa. BRADY, SAMUEL HOWARD, Mine Supt Bohemian Club, .San Francisco, Cal. Buses, HARRY EDWARD, Mine Supt., Engels Copper MiningCo Keddie, Cal.

Jan 6, 1915