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By M. J. Coolbaugh

Mining of potash more than 3000 ft beneath the water-bearing sediments in Saskatchewan presented the unique challenge of designing stable mine workings and assuring protection from overhead water in a material that was believed to flow plastically, but whose behavior as a plastic material was not sufficiently known. Under the stress conditions ordinarily encountered in mining most rocks behave as elastic materials; that is, they compress slightly under pressure, and rebound when the pressure is released. Salt and potash, however, are different. Even under the relatively low pressures encountered at shallow depths, these materials become slightly plastic and yield to stress by flowing.* The plastic properties become more pronounced at greater depth and pressure, and the question arises as to whether or not the plastic flow will be rapid enough and exert enough pressure to destroy underground structures or interrupt the mining process.

Jan 5, 1967

By Philip D. Wilson

IT has been my privilege to read the article prepared by R. S. Dean entitled "Production of Alumina from Low-Grade Domestic Materials" which appears on another page of this issue. Dr. Dean should be congratulated on the preparation of such an erudite and scholarly dissertation on bauxite and on the work which the Bureau of Mines has been doing in connection with the development of processes to use low-grade domestic materials.

Jan 1, 1943

By R. S. MACPHERRAN

TRENDS in the manufacture and use of cast iron are decidedly toward specialization, alloy iron, and increased strength. Old handbooks list only one kind of cast iron, with a tensile strength of 15,000 lb. Recent A.S.T.M. specifications show that from 50,000 to 60,000 lb. per sq. in. can now regularly he guaranteed. The use of alloy iron, heat-treated iron, and even nitrided cast iron, is rapidly growing and all kinds are improving in quality. Iron for operation at high temperature and corrosion-resisting irons have also been developed. Only a few years ago cast iron was "cast iron," but now there are almost as many kinds of cast iron as there are foundries making it

Jan 1, 1936

By Philip E. LaMoreaux

Fluoride, generally less than 0.5 ppm, is present in ground water from rocks of Paleozoic age and older, in northern and eastern Alabama. Some of the water-bearing formations in the Coastal Plain area of the State yield water with as much as 6.8 ppm fluoride.

Jan 1, 1950

By G. R. Speich

The distribution of carbon and the type of substructure in iron-carbon martensites containing 0.02 to 0.57pct C has been studied in the as-quenched condition and after tempering at 25" to 700°C by using electrical resistivity, internal friction, hardness, and light and electron microscope techniques. in marten-sites containing less than 0.2 pct C, almost 90 pct of the carbon segregates to dislocations and to lath boundaries during quenching; in martensites containing greater than 0.20 pct C, appreciable amounts of carbon enter normal interstitial positions located far from defects. Tempering martensites with carbon contents below 0.20 pct at temperatures below 150°C results in additional carbon segregation to dislocations and to lath boundaries but no carbide precipitation whereas -carbide precipitation occurs in martensites with carbon contents exceeding 0.2 pct. Above 150°C, a rod-shaped carbide (either Fe3C or Hagg) is precipitated in all cases. At 400°C, spheroidal Fe3C precipitates at lath boundaries and at former aus-tenite grain boundaries. At 400" to 600"C, recovery of the martensite defect structure occurs. At 600" to 700°C, recrystallization of the martensite and Ost-waW ripening of the Fe3C occur. The effects of the carbon segregation that occurs during quenching and the subsequent substructural changes that occur during tempering on martensite tetragonality, hardness, and precipitation behavior are discussed. A mathematical analysis of carbon segregation during quenching is presented. RECENT studies of the strength of low-carbon martensitel-4 emphasize the importance of carbon segregation to the martensite lath boundaries and to the dislocations contained between them during quenching. Unfortunately, very few studies of the tempering of low-carbon martensites have been conducted, so the exact nature of this segregation is poorly understood. In fact, most early tempering studies5,6 were restricted to carbon contents greater than 0.20 pct. Moreover, these studies did not determine the amount of carbon segregated to the martensite substructure during quenching so that the initial state of the martensite was not established. Aborn7 studied the precipitation of carbide in low-carbon martensite during quenching but did not establish whether carbon segregation occurs prior to carbide precipitation, nor did he study the subsequent tempering sequence in detail. In the present work we have used electrical resistance and internal friction measurements, supplemented by electron transmission microscopy to establish the carbon distribution in as-quenched specimens. Specimens thin enough to avoid carbide precipitation (but not carbon segregation) were employed. The redistribution of carbon on subsequent tempering below 250°C was followed by measurements of elec- trical resistance. Additional studies were made on specimens tempered at 250" to 700°C to elucidate the overall tempering behavior of low-carbon martensites, including the formation of cementite and recrystalli-zation of the martensite. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Eight iron-carbon alloys with 0.026, 0.057, 0.097, 0.18, 0.20, 0.29, 0.39, and 0.57 wt pct C were prepared as 8-lb ingots by vacuum melting. Typical impurities in wt ppm were 40 Si, 20 Mn, 30 S, 10 P, and 10 N. These alloys were hot rolled to 3 in. plate at 1095°C) (2000°F). The hot-rolled plates were surface ground to remove scale and the decarburized layer, then cold rolled to 0.010 in. sheet. Specimens cut from the sheet were austenitized for 30 min at 1000°C (1830°F) in a vacuum tube furnace in which the pressure did not exceed 2 x 10-3 torr. Chemical analysis of specimens after austenitization indicated no decarburization at this pressure. Immediately before quenching, the furnace was filled with prepurified helium. The specimen was then pushed rapidly through an aluminum foil gasket, which sealed the bottom of the furnace, into an iced-brine bath (10 pct NaC1, 2 pct NaOH). The quenching rate at the M, temperature is about 104'c per sec for 0.010 in thick specimens, as calculated from Newton's law of heat flow2 using a heat transfer coefficient of 25 ft-'. This quenching rate is sufficiently high so that all the alloys transformed completely to martensite throughout the entire 0.010 in thickness and no carbide precipitation occurred in the martensite. All specimens were immediately transferred to liquid nitrogen after quenching and stored there until needed. Tempering below 250°C (480°F) was done in silicone oil baths thermostatically controlled to *;"C. Tempering above 250°C was done in circulating air furnaces or lead pots with the specimens contained in evacuated silica capsules. Electrical resistance was determined by measurement of the potential drop across both a standard resistance and the specimen, connected in series. All resistance measurements were made in liquid nitrogen (77K, -196°C) to minimize thermal scattering of electrons and thus maximize the contribution of impurity scattering to the resistance. Specimen dimensions were 5.10 by 0.19 by 0.025 cm. Although the precision in the electrical resistance measurements was +0.1 pct, the electrical resistivities could only be measured with an accuracy of +5 pct because of uncertainty in the specimen dimensions. Internal friction measurements were performed in an inverted pendulum apparatus at vibration frequencies of either 1.9 or 66 Hz. The specimen dimensions were 5.10 by 0.375 by 0.025 cm. Hardness measurements were made with a Leitz-Wetzlar microhardness machine with loads of 100 g. Specimens were examined by light microscopy after etching in 2 pct Nital and by electron transmission microscopy after preparation of thin sections by electrolytic thinning in a chromic-acetic acid solution.

Jan 1, 1970

By Joseph E. Pogue

THE period of new oil discoveries in Illinois began in February 1937, when The Pure Oil Co. found the Clay City field the forerunner of a number of limestone pools. The importance of the area was emphasized greatly in December of the same year with the discovery of excellent sand production by The Carter Oil Co. at Louden and in June, 1938, with the discovery by The Texas Co. of the Salem field producing from two sands and one lime- stone horizon. By September, 1939, new discoveries in Illinois were estimated to have added, under prevailing production practices, some 500,000,000 barrels to the crude oil reserves of the United States and to have produced to that date some 63,000,000 barrels with daily production passing the 300,000-barrel mark by Sept. 1.

Jan 1, 1939

By S. R. Mitchell, M. Weissman, J. H. Brown

It has been demonstrated that for fine grinding operations, the energy input (E) and the product size modulus (k) are related by an equation of the form E = Ak1-n (1) where "A " and "n" are constants.(1) Also, it was suggested that "A" is determined by the comminuting device and that "n" depends primarily on the rock. It was the purpose of this investigation to study these constants by determining the form of an energy-size reduction relationship over an extreme range of energy inputs, and at the same time, to evaluate the minimum particle size produced during grinding. The comminution system consisted of a stainless steel laboratory ball mill in which quartz was ground at 60% solids for times ranging from 1 minute to 700 hours. The mill which measured 10" diameter by 12" long was loaded with about 60 pounds of balls ranging in diameter from 3/8" to 1-1/8" and was driven at 55 r.p.m. Quartz was selected for the tests because it is a brittle material for which size distribution data were expected to show a constant distribution coefficient regardless of product size.(1) This permitted specification of product size by a size modulus alone. The quantities measured were the time of grind (measure of energy input) and the specific surfaces of the products. Since no accurate method is available yet for determining particle size directly in the very fine size ranges specific surface data were used for this purpose. The relationship between these two quantities may be expressed as where Cis a constant which includes a shape factor, p is the specific gravity of the solid,_S is the specific surface and D is an equivalent particle diameter. For a material in which the distribution coefficient does not change with size the term (l/S) may be substituted for k in equation L if the proportionality constant "A" is changed correspondingly. This substitution was made in this work but in addition, screen analyses were made on several products to verify the equivalence of the two methods of size specification. EXPERIMENTAL DETAIL QUARTZ Quartz from two sources was tested. One series of tests was made on a clear, high purity crystalline quartz from Brazil and Arkansas, and another series was run on massive quartz fromNewHampshire. Grinding charges of the high purity material consisted of 2000 gram samples of -3-8 mesh particles, while the charges of the New Hampshire quartz were 500 gram samples of a -35+48 mesh screen fraction. The difference in the sizes of these two series of charges was not significant in view of the extreme size reduction accomplished, and the New Hampshire samples were smaller to permit ginding to finer sizes in shorter times than required for 2000 gram lots. SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS Separate charges were ground for all tests in which the grinding times were less than one hour and for all tests on New Hampshire quartz since these products were difficult to sample accurately without affecting the entire charge. During the long time grinding tests the mill was

Jan 1, 1961

By A. W. Hahn

USE of gold leaf goes back to biblical and even to prehistoric times. Both gold and silver, as well as other metals, were employed in illustrating or illuminating manuscripts. The medieval monks also used bronze powders. Metals were subdivided as finely as possible by mechanical methods, or by granulation and then were pounded into finely divided flakes. Substances such as honey have also been employed, since early times to keep the flakes of metal apart during grinding. Stearic acid is a more modern agent used in flaking aluminum and other metals. Finely divided "blue powder" is a by-product in retorting zinc ores, and contains from 78 to 90 per cent of zinc metal. This has been used as a precipitant for precious metals in the cyanide process and for chemical reduction processes. The making of zinc dust by atomizing is a step well known in electrolytic zinc plants. The Thermit process of Goldschmidt also requires the use of finely divided aluminum.

Jan 1, 1937

By William R. Taylor

This paper reviews the mining and related legislation history of in situ uranium mining in southwest Texas with emphasis on the last five years. It also reviews the current regulatory process and some of the more critical concerns and concepts relative to containment and restoration of in situ mines.

Jan 1, 1979

By H. William Ahrenholz

The coal industry had another prosperous year in 1966. Since the turn of the decade, production has been climbing at an average rate of 6% per annum. Although the fast pace slackened somewhat, 1966 production showed a gain of almost 3 % over that of 1965. An impressive record can be drawn from the fact that output per man-day in 1966 was more than twice that of the early 1950's, and more than three times that of the early 1940's. And even though man-power requirements lessened, those men retained by the industry worked longer hours and benefited through higher hourly pay rates. However, cost to the customer increased a little. Such statements can only be made for a healthy industry -one that is constantly improving its efficiency. Coal currently provides more than 25% of the total U.S. energy output. About 50% of all U.S.- mined bituminous coal goes directly to the electric utility market. It should be noted that, now, well over one trillion kwh of electricity is generated annually. Dependence of the giant electric utility industry on coal is based on economy and an abundant, dependable supply of this fuel.

Jan 2, 1967

By R. P. Smith

The carbon content of a number of alloys ranging (before carburitation) from purified iron to purified cobalt was determined for fixed activities of carbon by equilibration with each of six CO-CO2 atmosphere at 1000°C. At fixed carbon activity, the carbon content decreases continuously with increasing cobalt content. For concentrations of 0 to 50 at. pct Co the results can be expressed by a linear interaction equation of the type In y2 = 7.76n2/(n1+n3)+ 2.30 n3/(n1+n3) where y2 is the activity coefficient of carbon (standard state such that y2— 1 as n2 — 0 in the Fe-C binary) and n1, n2, and n3 are the number of atoms of iron, carbon, and cobalt per unit weight of alloy. The results are also given in terms of the a functions. In the same concentration range, the results are in accord with the regular solution theory of Alcock and Richardson. THE carbon content of Fe-Si, Fe-Mn, and Fe-Ni alloys at fixed activities of carbon has been reported previously.'-, The present work extends R. P. SMITH, Member AIME, is Research Chemist, E. C. Bain Laboratory for Fundamental Research, United States Steel Corp., Research Center, Monroeville, Pa. these measurements to a series of Fe-Co alloys. These alloys, like the Fe-Ni alloys, are fcc ("aus-tenitic") over the entire range of composition at 1000°C. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The alloys were made from electrolytic cobalt and Plast-Iron in a small vacuum-melting furnace. A small amount of graphite was added to each melt to keep the oxygen content low. The ingots were analyzed for iron and carbon: the amount of cobalt was obtained by difference. Analysis of the top and bottom of the ingots indicated that they were uniform in alloy content. Except for the pure cobalt the ingots were hot-rolled to approximately 0.15 cm thickness, cleaned by sandblasting, then cold-rolled to about 0.045 cm. We were not successful in cold rolling the pure cobalt; therefore it was hot-rolled to the final thickness. The last traces of surface oxide were removed by acid pickel, then the samples were treated in a hydrogen-2 pct water vapor mixture at 1100°C to remove carbon and most of the oxygen. The carburizing procedure was similar to that previously described.1,2,4 The alloys in the form of strips about 1.7 cm wide, 7.5 cm long, and 0.04 cm thick, together with a similar specimen of purified iron, were equilibrated with each of six CO-CO2 mixtures of fixed composition, then quenched in the

Jan 1, 1965

By V 7. 0 / 300 dpi

LAST fall, having a number of ore samples from mine-development work carried on in spite of the "Revolution," I was forced to do my own assaying again, after a lapse of many years. This gave me an opportunity to build a furnace for crucible assaying, using wood for fuel, along lines which had been developing in my mind since the time 20 years ago, when as general factotum at a little mining camp in western Chihuahua, Mexico, I had converted a crucible charcoal furnace into one using the reverberatory principle. Wood-burning furnaces have been described in technical literature, but I believe the present application will prove helpful to those of the profession who are working in out-of-the-way places. The furnace is shown in detail in Figs. 1, 2 and 3. Remembering the trouble caused by stoking my first charcoal furnace too heavily, I fired this one with but a few sticks of wood at a time. By this method I could run out a charge of 12 crucibles in 30 to 35 min., using 50 sticks of ordinary stove wood. Later I fill up the firebox, holding about 40 sticks, get everything ready, put the crucibles into the melting chamber and "fire up." Just as soon as the fire is well started the draft door is closed and the furnace allowed to heat up slowly for 5 min. Then the draft is opened (the door to the ash-pit) and the fire allowed to roar, which it does. In 20 min. from the time the fire is lighted the fire door is opened, the fire stirred along the grates, and 5 or 6 more sticks of wood thrown in. In 25 min. from the start, the draft is closed again, the cover of the melting chamber pushed back and the charges poured. The melts will be found to be perfect, and the crucibles to pour absolutely clean, if everything has gone right, as will usually be the case. A new charge may be put in, and fired with S to 10 sticks of wood at a tine, and be ready to pour within 20 min.; but it is just as well to leave the crucibles in the melting chamber a full 2.5 min. By using 10 sticks of wood to start the fire and adding 5 sticks as often as needed, which will be as soon as the last sticks fed in are in perfect combustion, the smelting can be completed in from 30 to 35 min., using from 35 to 40 sticks of wood. I consider this to be the best method of stoking.

Jan 10, 1914

By J. R. Dawson, A. B. Kinzel

THE purpose of testing is to determine whether the material in question is identical in all essential respects with similar material which has given satisfactory service. The most common method of securing such information is to select samples as representative of the entire material and subject them to destructive tests. As the welding industry grew, service data were accumulated and tests of welds took on new significance. New tests were devised and old tests modified so as to be more pertinent to welding. Moreover, in some cases the generally accepted procedure of testing by sampling is not accorded the same degree of confidence when applied to welds as in the usual applications. Thus, in instances where great hazard would be involved should the material fail, means of non-destructive testing have been sought with favorable results. Accordingly, tests used today may be divided into two groups, destructive and non-destructive tests.

Jan 1, 1930

By G. M. BUTLER

TWENTY-ONE of the states in the Union, the Territory of Hawaii, and seven provinces of Canada now have in operation laws requiring that professional engineers be registered or licensed. In addition, two states require that civil engineers be registered, and one other state demands registration of structural engineers. Moreover, nearly every year sees additions made to the list. The registration movement, fostered by the American Association of Engineers, now has the powerful, energetic backing of the An1,erican Society of Civil Engineers, which is itself now fostering registration legislation, and there is a strong sentiment in favor of registration in the American Institute of Electrical Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Only in the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers is anti-registration sentiment, strongly dominant, but many members of this organization are enthusiastic advocates of registration.

Jan 1, 1930

By NATHANIEI HERZ

(Cleveland Meeting, October, 1912.) THE formula very frequently used for computing the economical size of pipe to transmit compressed air is that of D'Arcy, as follows: d5(p1-p2)/w1l D-c w11 Where, D = the volume of compressed air delivered in cubic feet per minute,-at the final pressure. c = an experimental coefficient determined for the various sizes of pipe. d = the diameter of the pipe in inches. 1 = the length of the pipe in feet. P1 = the initial gauge-pressure in pounds per square inch. p2= the final gauge-pressure in pounds per square inch. W1 = the density of the air, or the weight in pounds per cubic foot at the initial pressure, p,. The most common case is that in which the given quantities are: the quantity of air required, the length of the pipe, and the initial pressure. The method of solution is to assume a pressure-loss and to compute the remaining factor, c/d5, thus giving the size of pipe corresponding to the assumed loss of pressure. It is always desirable to try two or more pressure-drops, in order to find the combination that is most satisfactory, since often a small change in the size of pipe will reduce or increase the loss of pressure several pounds. An alternative method is to assume a size of pipe and calculate the corresponding pressure-drop. Each method involves a series of tedious calculations to arrive at the most economical solution, and also requires the use of tables giving the constant, c, the actual diameters corresponding to the nominal pipe-sizes, the density of the air, w1, and often, for convenience, a table giving the

Dec 1, 1912

By J. E. Berg

THE geology of the Coeur d'Alene mining district is so familiar to every one interested in mining that I will only note as an introduction that the main producers are mines whose orebodies lie in the Revett or Burke quartzites ; that the known orebodies in the eastern part of the district all lie north of the Osburn fault; that the Prichard formation is quite generally looked upon as being unfavorable for lead deposits ; that the monzonite intrusive mass extending north from Gem to Sunset Peak, and over into Cedar Creek divide, is considered to have been the prime agent in the crea-tion of our orebodies, and that diabase dikes are a quite common feature at most of the properties with which I am familiar. Some of the exceptions to these statements may be mentioned. The Interstate-Callahan mine is considered the exception disproving the alleged relation between large ore-deposits and the Prichard formation, but this property was primarily a zinc producer, with lead secondary, though of sufficient tonnage to be a valuable product. A second interesting occurrence in the Prichard worth calling to your attention is the Jack Waite property, on Tributary Creek, north of Murray. This vein lies at a low horizon in the Prichard forma-tion, and the ore differs essentially from others in the same horizon elsewhere in that it is a clean, medium to coarsely crystalline, lead ore carrying very little zinc, about one ounce silver to ten units lead, and is accom-panied by a clean quartz gangue or vein filling. I believe that quartz was the primary mineral in the fissure, and that the lead ore was deposited in the vein as a replacement of the quartz.

Jan 7, 1927

By J. H. Jackson, P. D. Frost, C. H. Lorig, A. C. Loonam

THIS paper describes (1) the effect of sodium on the tensile ductility of magnesium-lithium base alloys, and (2) the precautions necessary to avoid sodium contamination. Effect of Sodium on Properties The harmful effect of sodium in magnesium-lithium base alloys has been recognized by other investigators.1,2 However, quantitative data on its effect have not hitherto been published. The effect of sodium on the ductility of an 87 pct Mg-9 pct Li-4 pct Zn alloy is shown in fig. 1. The sodium was introduced by adding sodium chloride to the flux, which consisted of 50 pct LiC1-50 pct KC1. Moderately high ductility was obtained at an indicated sodium content of about 0.05 pct. Actually, the value probably was less than 0.05 pct, be-cause analyses of the lithium, which were more accurate than those of the alloy, indicated that the highest ductility was obtained when its sodium content was 0.02 pct or less. In fact, in alloys having somewhat greater strength than this particular composition, the sodium content of the lithium must be under 0.01 pct to avoid embrittlement. The effect of sodium on the ductility of several alloys having fairly low strength levels is shown in fig. 2. These alloys were melted with a flux containing 75 pct LiC1-25 pct LiF, to which various quantities of sodium chloride had been added. Sodium had no significant effect in pure magnesium but markedly decreased the ductility of the magnesium-lithium-zinc alloy, even though the alloy contained only 3 pct Li. As the lithium content of the binary alloys was increased, the ductility of the sodium-free alloys also increased. However, the effect of sodium on ductility became progressively more pronounced. Sodium raised the minimum hot-rolling temperatures, particularly those of the high-strength alloys, but its effect, in this respect, was less critical than its effect on tensile ductility. For optimum cold roll-ability, a low-sodium content was required. No deleterious effect of sodium on the stability of properties at slightly elevated temperatures was found. Control of Sodium in the Alloys Optimum ductility is obtained in the magnesium-lithium base alloys when sodium-free materials are used. Commercial lithium was formerly the chief source of contamination. Now purified lithium is usually available. When lithium of ordinary purity is used, the effects of sodium can be minimized by using a flux consisting of 75 pct LiC1-25 pct LiF. Bubbling nitrogen through the melt also helps remove sodium. The damaging influence of sodium on the ductility of the magnesium-lithium base alloys was observed very early in the alloy development program. The discovery came about as a result of chemical analyses made on the lithium used in the alloys. Ductile alloys had been made from lithium containing about 0.2 pct Na, whereas the lithium used in the brittle alloys contained about 0.9 pct Na. The first magnesium-lithium alloys were melted under commercial fluxes ordinarily used in melting magnesium alloys. These fluxes were unsuited for scavenging the contaminating sodium, and the resulting alloys were not ductile. Next, a flux containing 50 pct KC1-50 pct LiCl was tried. This was somewhat more effective but still was not satisfactory. After a number of different experimental fluxes had been investigated, one containing 75 pct LiC1-25 pct LiF was adopted. This flux made it possible to obtain good ductility in the alloys. The

Jan 1, 1951

By S. G. Lasky

EVENTS during and since the war indicate that the nations of the world are trying to initiate an era of international co-operation. Definitions and objectives include social, economic, and human considerations no less than political considerations. The mineral resources of the world and the absolute and relative position of each nation enter into this situation. The possible use of armed might, the application of sanctions, the international flow of commerce, the ways in which this flow may encourage or hamper international well-being, and the influence of international and domestic well-being upon one another are all matters that must take mineral resources into account. If the United States is to act wisely and forthrightly in such matters we must be thoroughly informed as to our position with respect to mineral resources. What is the mineral position of the United States? A variety of widely conflicting opinions are held in authoritative and intelligent quarters: (1) For practical purposes our mineral resources are already exhausted.

Jan 1, 1946

By Robert F. Love

Deep under the hills of southwestern Wyoming lies a nonmetallic mineral deposit of incredible dimensions and value. This nearly pure, horizontal bed of the mineral trona, a sodium sesquicarbonate (Na2HC0,.NaHC08.H20), is found in the Green River formation some 1500 ft below surface. It is believed that evaporation of an ancient saline lake left this sodium carbonate as the evaporite and mysteriously left practically no sodium chloride, which is the common constituent of an evaporated saline lake. The trona bed averages 10 ft in thickness and extends over an area of several hundred square miles. In 1938 a geologist with the U. S. Geological Survey identified the trona in the core from a former oil exploration drillhole. By so doing, he initiated the developments of a chemical industry of impressive growth in the area, an industry on the threshold of further and much more spectacular growth. A drilling program by the Union Pacific Rd. and Intermountain Chemical Co. in the early 1940's succeeded in blocking out mineable reserves of several hundred million tons. Development of the deposit started in 1946 with the sinking of a 12-ft diam, concrete-lined shaft 1500 ft deep-followed by construction of a small pilot calcining plant. Actual mining of the trona started in 1947 and continued on a limited scale until 1953, when the $15 million surface facilities were completed, along with the second shaft and other expanded underground facilities. Since April 1953 the mine has been producing more than half a million tons per year, from which the refining plant has produced more than 300,000 tons per year of high quality soda ash.

Dec 1, 1956

By Jan D. Miller

Under the name given to this column, I almost feel obliged to write about some aspect of grinding, but I have decided instead to comment on the future of chemical processing. In recent years, I have seen a tremendous interest in extractive metallurgy develop among undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Utah. For example, of the 12 graduating seniors this year, over half seem to prefer extractive metallurgy to physical metallurgy. In particular, they seem to be most interested in hydrometallurgy, or chemical processing, obtaining industrial exposure to the phenomena they study via part-time employment at the Kennecott Research Center and the USBM Metallurgical Center in Salt Lake City. The stimulus has been generated by society itself. Many students are dedicated to the proposition that new technology can circumvent the destruction of our environment, a concept which provides considerable motivation. At the governmental level, the recent concern for the quality of our environment has created action in the area of chemical processing both through imposition of stringent air and water quality standards, and through increased funding for technological research in this area. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) gave impetus to this movement when it pointed up the need for development and support of such disciplines as extractive metallurgy, particularly chemical processing, in a recent report on Mineral Science and Technology. The recommendations in the NAS report have prompted governmental action on many fronts, including the Bureau of Mines, and have also given rise to direct legislation in the form of two bills -H. R. 3492 and S. 635- presently before Congress to a mineral engineering education. The report recommends that chemical processing technology (more generally extractive metallurgy) be developed by both new engineering techniques and unconventional chemical techniques such as application of the chemistry of nonaqueous liquids to mineral systems.

Jan 1, 1971