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By D. A. Dahlstrom

Although the liquid-solid cyclone is a relatively recent innovation in the field of coal preparation, various authors have already indicated three distinct applications to operations encountered in the modern tipple. Driessen's articles and work at the Dutch State Mines exhibited its possibilities in the beneficiation of fine coal with apparently high efficiencies down to the 200-mesh fraction. 1 2 3 4 Other publications point out its use as a recoverer, thickener, and preliminary dewatering agent of fine coal which in too many cases is being wasted due largely to former high operating cost limitations 5 6. Finally, certain authors have emphasized the practicability of applying the cyclone to the elimination of coarse and fine solids from water slurries in the tipple in order to produce a water suitable for recycle purposes containing only minute particles far below the 200-mesh size.6 This would result in a closed water system for many cases, with its accompanying economic and operating advantages to locations where water quantity and quality problems are severe; better operation of washing equipment using a consistent water devoid of injurious fine particles; lowered maintenance costs due to the lesser abrasion resulting when the fine abraiding particles are removed; and the greater ease of disposing of refuse streams of reduced volume containing greater percentages of solids.

Jan 1, 1949

George A. Packard, Boston, Mass. (communication to the Secretary†):—The very interesting results obtained by Prof. Hofman and his assistants came to my attention when I had temporarily assumed charge of the metallurgical department of the Missouri School of Mines, and had found it, pending the completion of a new building, lacking a furnace in which to roast ore preparatory to the customary lead blast-furnace run. An attempt at lime-roasting had been already determined upon, but the use of a charge which would make a slag of definite composition was a new idea. The results following were obtained by Messrs. Aubrey Fellows, J. C. Long, E. R. Wash, and Dr. T. C. Tseung, under my supervision. It is regretted that the data are not more complete; but the work was done simply incidentally to securing the desired ore for the blast-

Jan 1, 1908

By Herbert J. French

ALLOY steels have become essential to industry in meeting the rigid requirements on materials imposed by our, advanced technology. In comparison with the total ingot capacity of the steel industry, the volume of alloy steels is relatively small although for many years annual alloy-ingot tonnage has, been in seven figures. However, the monetary value of the alloy-steel production is exceedingly high and the benefits derived from the products are relatively great. The trend in total ingot production since 1932 has been generally upward with only two major interruptions. That of the year 1938 was due to a decrease in general business activity whereas that of 1946 resulted largely from work stoppages. Traditionally, the tonnage of alloy-steel ingots produced was in the neighborhood of 5 to

Jan 1, 1948

By James P. Kimball

Jan 1, 1881

By Oscar Weiss

An aerial magnetometer survey was carried out by the author's geophysical organization over the Vredefort dome, where Witwatersrand beds are wrapped around a granite plug 25 to 30 miles in diameter. The well- known magnetic shales of the Lower Witwatersrand system (to be referred to as LWW) give strong negative anomalies over the out-cropping portion of the dome. This is unusual as these same shales -cause positive anomalies over large areas near Johannesburg and along a strike of 130 miles between the East Rand and Klerksdorp. It is suggested that the negative polarization is caused by heat and stresses connected with the doming. This negative polarization of sedimentary beds, which usually cause positive anomalies, is a good example of how "magnetic lows" can be caused by "structural highs." Significant magnetic anomalies should be tested by gravity and seismic methods irrespective of the sign of the anomalies.

Jan 1, 1949

By J. D. Livingston, H. E. Cline

The lamellar-dendritic transition in Sn-Pb alloys near the eutectic composition has been studied at high growth rates. Lamellar structures were found over a substantial range of tin-rich compositions, and this range extended to increasingly tin-rich concentrations as growth rate increased. These results are discussed in terms of stability and competitive-growth arguments. Various experimental and structural limitations to the rate of directional solidification are discussed. The rate of heat removal at the heat sink is the major experimental limitation. ReCENT interet1,2 in the use of fine composite structures produced by directional solidification of eutectic alloys makes it important to determine the range of composition and growth conditions that yield such microstructures. Because increasing growth velocities produce increasingly finer microstructures, it is particularly significant to determine the factors limiting the rate of solidification. Mollard and Flemings3 have shown that composite structures, free of primary dendrites, can be obtained in Sn-Pb alloys of off-eutectic composition. The composition range of composite structures was found to increase with increasing values of G/V, where G is the temperature gradient and V is the growth velocity. These results are in good quantitative agreement with an analysis of the stability of a planar eutectic interface.4 This analysis specifically predicts that over a small range of compositions stable lamellar structures will be obtained even for G/V = 0, hence, even at very high growth rates. The lamellar-dendritic transition in Sn-Pb alloys has also been analyzed with a model based on competitive growth between dendrites and the composite structure.576 This treatment, based on earlier work on organic eutetics,7 predicts that the composition range yielding composite structures in Sn-Pb will increase rapidly at high growth rates. An increase in the composition range of composite structures at high growth rates was recently observed in Cu-Pb alloys near the monotectic composition.8 In view of these results, and the predictions of the stability and competitivegrowth analyses, it was decided to study the lamellar-dendritic transition in Sn-Pb alloys at high growth rates. EXPERIMENTAL Using 99.999 pct pure materials, a series of Sn-Pb alloys were prepared containing 16.8 at. pct to 27.6 at. pct lead. (Eutectic composition is 26.1 at. pct Pb.) Ingots were extruded to 0.175 in. rod, and some rod was drawn to 0.070-in. wire. Directional solidification was accomplished in two different ways, Fig. 1. For growth rates up to 2 x 10-1 cm per sec, a 0.175 in. diam sample was placed in a graphite crucible 5 in. long with 0.250 in. OD and 0.035 in. walls. Samples were melted under flowing argon in a vertical, platinum-wound furnace, and solidified by driving the crucible downwards through a \ in. hole in a water-cooled copper toroid, Fig. l(a). An insulated chromel-alumel thermocouple was imbedded in the center of a representative sample, and moved with the sample during solidification. The local temperature is plotted against the distance travelled by the sample in Fig. 2. As the growth rate increased, the solid-liquid interface moved closer to the water-cooled toroid and the temperature gradient increased. At growth rates above 10-1' cm per sec, heat was not removed fast enough and the sample moved into the toroid in the liquid state. The curve for V = 2 x 10-1 cm per sec shows a plateau caused by incomplete removal of latent heat from the interface, a problem which will be discussed later. To improve the heat removal, the toroid was cooled by nitrogen gas precooled in liquid nitrogen. This allowed successful solidification at rates up to 2 x 10-1cm per sec. Higher solidification rates required still more effective heat removal. Samples 0.070 in. in diam were placed in graphite tubes 0.125 in. in diam with 0.020 in. walls. Instead of cooling by sliding contact with a cooled toroid, these thinner samples were sprayed or directly immersed into water, Fig. l(b). After solidification, samples were stored in liquid nitrogen until they could be examined metallographic-ally. The surface was prepared with a diamond-knife microtome, followed by a light etch. The presence or absence of tin dendrites, Fig. 3, or lead dendrites, Fig. 4, was noted by optical microscopy, usually of a transverse section near the center of the sample. Replicas of the surface were prepared and examined in an electron microscope to resolve the fine lamellar structures, Fig. 5. The structures observed at various compositions and growth rates are summarized in Fig. 6. Composite structures were observed at increasingly cin-rich compositions as growth rate increased. This transition from dendritic to composite structure with increasing growth rate was also demonstrated by solidifying half a sample at a slow rate and then suddenly increasing the growth rate by lifting the furnace and quenching the sample with a water spray. A longitudinal section of this sample, Fig. 7, shows that the tin dendrites, which extended ahead of the slow-moving composite interface, were bypassed by the composite when the growth rate was increased. The range of composite structures at high growth rates was limited by the appearance of primary lead dendrites on the tin-rich side of the eutectic composition. Observation of representative longitudinal

Jan 1, 1970

By J. P. Smith

Permian salt measures carry extensive lenses of soluble potash salts in north central Germany. Potash deposits of Oligocene age are found in the Upper Rhine Graben of Alsace (France), and in the Catalonian Basin of Spain. These deposits are found in a wide range of structural settings. Reserves are large, and the production of potash salts is an important phase in the economy of each of these countries.

Jan 1, 1950

By J. L. Schroeder, W. G. Talman

EXPERIENCE has shown that certain known natural conditions and other indefinite characteristics combine to make a mining area vulnerable to mountain bumps. Some of the known conditions are heavy overburden, an overlying stratum of strong non-elastic rock, a structurally strong coal seam that does not crush easily and yet is the weakest stratum in the series, and a floor stratum of more than ordinary firmness. The indefinite characteristics could include resistance of top or bottom of a coal seam to lateral flow, effect of immediate top and bottom strata, nature of the coal seam, and other factors about which very little is known. It is in this area that exhaustive study is needed to achieve positive control of the dreaded mountain bump hazard. In the Gary district, West Virginia, two of the five operating mines have areas known to be vulnerable to mountain bumps.These are the No. 2 and 6 mines, which are working the Pocahontas No. 4 coal seam. In this area the seam is overlain at a zero to 10-ft interval by the massive Eckman sandstone, which is about 100 ft thick in the vulnerable areas. Total overburden, consisting of shale, coal seams, and sandstones, ranges from 700 to 1400 ft where bumps have occurred (Fig. 1). The coal seam is 4 to 8 ft thick and has a weak columnar structure of very soft and spongy or woody coal. The immediate top is either the Eckman sandstone or hard shale, both of which provide generally good roof conditions for mining operations. The bottom ranges from medium to hard gray shale. The incidence of bumps in the Gary district dates from about 1930 and can be correlated to some degree with the increased rate of extraction attained with mechanical mining. During early years of operation at the No. 2 and 6 mines, most of the work was development and under comparatively light cover. As overburden became heavier, together with an increasing percentage of coal coming from pillar extraction, mountain bumps began to occur. Before 1945 they were much less severe than in later years, and because there were no injuries or fatalities, no records were kept. But by 1951 the incidence of bumps had increased to such extent that it became evident a mining system would have to be designed to eliminate or at least minimize these occurrences. Drawing on experience with modified versions of old systems and certain characteristics peculiar to the Pocahontas No. 4 coal seam, the district mining engineer, Martin Hayduk, outlined the essential factors for bump control in the Gary district. These control factors indicated: 1) The highly stressed area, which lies within the limits of convergence effects, moves at approximately the same rate as the retreating pillar line. 2) There is a decided softening of the periphery of blocks which is greatest and deepest on the gob side. 3) Blocks less than 45 ft wide never have been known to bump in the Pocahontas seams. Fig. 2 shows the mining plan based on these observations—a thin-pillar system with a minimum of secondary development. It was recognized from the start that the Hayduk system had certain limitations. When pillar work backed up to an inevitable surrounded block it was no longer applicable; also, burnt bottom and/or unknown factors reduced the system's effectiveness in certain headings. Since there was no way to eliminate the loaded block, it was decided to experiment with auger drilling to attain controlled release of this stored-up energy. The decision to auger was made after consideration of three separate plants, which were: 1) To cut the solid block into pillars of maximum size by driving away from the fracture line and at such a distance outby that development

Jan 1, 1959

By Walter W. Bradley

FOR a number of years up to the economic setback of the 1929-1931 period, the greatest proportional advances in the mineral industries in California were made among the substances in the nonmetallic groupings, particularly among the so-called industrial minerals and the salines. During the past year or two, although these have not regained the stride that marked their progress in the preceding decade, we can still record, -some new developments. California produces annually between 55 and' 60 different minerals on a commercial scale. Of these, some 40 to 45 comprise the "structural," "industrial," and "salines" materials as grouped in the reports of the State's Division of Mines. Barite-The barite deposits of California were described in Report

Jan 1, 1935

By George F. Kunz

THE recently discovered occurrence of diamonds near Murfreesboro, Pike county, Ark., was brought to. our attention by Mr. Samuel W. Reyburn (Trustee for Messrs. C. S. Stifft, A. D. Cohn, August Zinsser, Jr., and himself, owners of the property), through whose courtesy we investigated the locality of the deposit. Prospecting with the diamond-drill is now in active progress ; but mining operations on a large scale have not yet been ordered. Geology.-The geology as well as the petrography of this interesting locality has been well described by Messrs. J. C. Branner and R. N. Brackett.1 Briefly summarized, the igneous rock in which the diamonds are found is a vitreous peridotite, forming a stock or volcanic neck, which has broken up through the Carboniferous and Cretaceous quartzites and sandstones. After an extensive period of erosion, during which an unknown portion of the neck and presumably a previously existent volcanic cone have been removed, the surface was covered with thin beds of Post-Tertiary conglomerate. The volcanic intrusion was accompanied by the formation of several small dikes of a rock much like that of the main body. One of these dikes cuts across the stock, while another cuts the Cretaceous sandstone, but is overlain by the conglomerate, thus giving a datum for the period of intrusion. So far as known, there was little, if any, metamorphism of the country-rock by the igneous magna, which probably followed an approximately vertical course, so that a more or less vertical extension downward of the igneous body to indefinite depths may be expected.

Mar 1, 1908

By Leo Wolrnan

IN the relations that exist between capital and labor in this country, there is a bright as well as a dark side. After many years of distressing conditions of labor and a plentiful supply of propaganda, it is doubtful that the doctrine of the class struggle, however defined and stated, has been embraced by any influential and numerous elements of our population. Extreme and uncivilized methods of conflict, whether they be the labor spy as used by the employer or the sit-down strike by organized, labor, have come to be abandoned as the result of the pressure of sober and distinterested public opinion. Unwise terms of our law of trade unions and the unbridled zeal of its administrators show some slight signs of being revised in the light of 'experience and the protests of the law's own beneficiaries. At the point where labor policy touches economic conditions, the two powerful factions in the American labor movement appear to look with a less friendly eye on the bewildering succession of economic experiments and to have a deep nostalgia for a simpler and more prosperous economy.

Jan 1, 1938

By AIME AIME

DESTRUCTION of the plants, machines, utilities, tools, materials, and other essentials for peacetime living penalizes not only the owners of the materials destroyed, but the world as a whole. Specifically, the fundamental fallacy of any proposal for the in- discriminate destruction of the German industrial system is that it fails to differentiate between the wartime and the peacetime economy of the Reich. We are for one simple, clear objective-an effective industrial means to keep Germany from starting another war. This objective should not be con- fused, especially before the war is even won, with the appropriate punishment of Germany or with the international arrangements for the long future to be made around the peace table by the representatives of the Allied Nations after victory is achieved. This paper, therefore, does not deal with broad, complex postwar questions of diplomacy and international policy. "Unconditional surrender" implies disarmament of the German armies, the surrender of all arms, munitions, air- planes, and other ordnance material in stock piles or in process. It also should include the elimination of all German war production facilities, such as ordnance plants, munitions plants, and submarine works, and the control of raw materials required by war industries.

Jan 1, 1944

By C. M. Brinckerhoff

Safety work in mining at the Andes Copper Mining Company, Potrerillos, Chile, is divided into three parts: (1) accident prevention, (2) fire prevention and protection, and (3) silicosis prevention and control. In the company's operations a steady campaign has been waged to reduce accidents and silicosis, and to prevent fires. In the following pages the safety record for the past twelve years will be examined and the methods explained by which the accident rate was reduced. Table 1 contains yearly data pertaining to the scale of the mining operations and the accident record. Block caving is used for all ore production and the tonnage mined has averaged 30,000 short tons per day for the past seven years. Table 2 classifies 44 fatal accidents which have occurred since 1935. The leading causes of accidental death are transportation of ore and use of explosives, followed in order by persons falling, falls of ground, and by asphyxiation. In the case of serious accidents, however, the greatest cause is falls of ground, followed, in turn, by ore transportation, persons falling, explosives, and asphyxiation. Accident Prevention The improvement of the safety record was obtained by a combination of many factors. In surveying the results at Andes for the past twelve years, it is possible to select some features of the present operation which have contributed to the accident record. The most important of these are: (1) good staff planning, (2) good equipment, (3) an alert safety organization, and (4) education and selection of the workmen. GOOD STAFF PLANNING As a result of good staff planning, the mine has good working conditions, namely, good ventilation, moderate temperatures and humidity, and good lighting. These factors not only reduce accidents but also improve efficiency. In haulage work, accidents have been reduced by having traffic move in a forward direction only. The latter makes possible a one-man train crew. Trains are centrally dispatched from loading drifts which are interconnected by signal lights, so that when a train in a lateral drift is given permission to move into a main line drift, a red light signals in all other lateral drifts in that area. Good track is maintained, and safety niches are required at all switch throws. Since safety niches were provided there have been no fatal or serious accidents at such points. All main line haulage drifts are illuminated by electric lights. Haulage drifts are kept clean. Adequate clearance has been provided between cars and between cars and the sides of the haulage drifts. The 4 1/2 ton Cranby type cars are equipped with roller bearings, and the 10 ton loconlotives with trolley shoes instead of wheels. These two features are responsible for improved ore haulage conditions and contribute to greater efficiency and safety.

Jan 1, 1950

By N. S. Wagner

The production of lightweight aggregates in Oregon is a new industry, and, like all new enterprises, it is suffering from growing pains characterized by numerous, small operations some of which flourish for a short time and then cease altogether. Normally all industrial mineral products are produced in a highly competitive atmosphere. At the present time this condition does not exist to a very marked degree in the state because as yet producers have not saturated the constantly expanding market. This paper has been prepared with the intention of outlining very briefly the current status of the various products now being used as lightweight aggregates in Oregon. The present picture will surely change, perhaps quite radically within even a short space of time.

Jan 1, 1949

By G. B. Gould, F. M. Gibson

IN DECEMBER, 1934, the joint Committee on Fuel Values, of the American Institute of Minim and Metallurgical Engineers and the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, submitted a preliminary report, which briefly stated its conclusion that it was not possible to devise any formula for the valuation of coal, based upon the various physical and chemical properties, that would be generally applicable. That report also listed those chemical and physical properties of coal that are generally recognized to have some effect on its use in steam plants, and those physical characteristics of steam plants which affect, in one way or another the relative importance of the properties of coal used in them. Since then, the Committee has considered and discussed in greater detail the interrelationship of the properties of coal and plant characteristics. The conclusions of the Committee are summarized below, with certain recommendations regarding engineering procedure, which will promote the collection of more easily correlated observations with respect to this subject, and thus advance more rapidly the accumulation of data capable of general application.

Jan 1, 1936

By AIME AIME

ON THE occasion of the eightieth birthday of Captain Robert W. Hunt, the Iron and Steel Committee of the Institute, desiring to commemorate the great contributions made to the steel industry by Captain Hunt during his long career, conceived the idea of a Hunt Medal to be awarded annually by the Institute for meritorious contributions to the art of making steel. The project was received enthusiastically by all to whom it was proposed, especially by Captain Hunt's partners and employees who considered it their right, and asked for the privilege of -. - raising the necessary funds within their own circle. This was agreed to, and the Institute has received from them $7500 as an endowment fund to provide an annual award, and $1000 for the expenses of providing of medal.

Jan 1, 1920

By M. TAYLOR

AT Grand Saline, some 65 miles east of Dallas, the Morton Salt Co. of Chicago has for some years operated a brine pumping and evaporation plant on a salt dome. They recently drilled trial holes to obtain data on the dome, preparatory to opening, a new mine, with the following results: The dome is in the form of a truncated cone, with an average of 210 ft. of cover. The top of the dome is approximately one mile in diameter, with the town of Grand Saline lying over the northern rim, and the sides slope off at an angle of 50" to 80" from the horizontal. The deepest holes were drilled to 900 ft. without penetrating beyond the salt, and indications are that the salt deposit is several thousand feet thick. As the deposit increases in area with the depth, there is undoubtedly enough salt to supply a mining operation for an almost unlimited period of years.

Jan 1, 1930

By A. B. Parsons

LAST YEAR (1934) saw the completion of a ten-year program of reconstruction and modernization of the world's largest lead- smelting plant, that of the ' Broken Hill Associated Smelters Proprietary, at Port Pirie, South Australia, which has a capacity for smelting and refining 220,000 (short) tons of lead per year. It deals with the entire output of lead concentrates from the famous Broken Hill district in Australia, being owned .jointly by the three leading companies: North Broken Hill, Broken Hill South, and the Zinc Corporation. These companies, together with the Sulphide Corporation, are credited with a production of 198,000 tons of lead in 1934. When one says regarding any metallurgical plant that modernization is "completed" he should add "for the moment." Development in the art of metallurgy and in the equipment used never ceases; that which seems close to the last word today is likely to be obsolete in a few years even in a process so well standardized as smelting and refining lead. However, the reconstruction at Port Pirie has altered the procedure materially. More im-

Jan 1, 1935

By DR. RICHARD RATHBUN

(Washington Meeting, May, 1965.) THE remarks of Dr. Rathbun in his address of welcome render it unnecessary that I dwell either upon the history or aims of the National Museum, and enable me to proceed at once with a brief descriptive outline of the Department for which I am responsible, and this with particular reference to that division devoted to applied geology. The amount of geological material brought together prior to 1876, under the various Congressional acts quoted, was, though valuable, comparatively small. It consisted mainly of the collections made by Professor J. D. Dana and his assistants during the Wilkes Exploring Expedition; by the various geologists accompanying the surveys of the Pacific railroads in 1854-55; the Surveys West of the 100th Meridian under the direction of the Engineering Corps of the Army; the United States geological surveys under direction of Dr. F. V. Hayden ; and the various Land Office surveys. Prior to 1873 there were no paid assistants to care for these collections. They were studied, if studied at all, by " collabrators," so-called, several of whom had offices and even sleeping apartments in the Smithsonian Institution. In the list of these collaborators are found such names as Conrad, Cope, Gabb, Leidy, Lesquereux, Meek, and Newberry. The building now occupied by the National Museum was designed primarily to make room for the great mass of material secured in 1876 at the close of the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. As completed in 1880, it afforded opportunity for expansion and incidental organization on much more practical basis than had previously existed. This found expression in the creation of numerous departments with salaried officials to take charge of the various collections. With the appointment of Dr. George W. Hawes to the position of Curator of Geology and Mineralogy, in 1881, and Dr.

Jul 1, 1905

By Harry P. Hohenadel

DURING the past few years the amazing developments of the chemical industry have inspired so much publicity that the feature writers assure us that we are entering a "Chemical Age," industrially as important as the "Steel Age" and the "Electric Age," so-called. Whether or not these assurances are overstatements, it is a fact that the expansion of the chemical industry during the past 25 years has been enormous. The Chemical Bureau of the War Production Board calculates the value of chemicals produced during 1944 at $8,300,000,000, no small sum even in inflated dollars. As concerns us of the Southwest oil and gas country, four significant trends of the chemical industry are most important. (1) Many of the recently developed chemical products are new creations, not substitutes,. as new and original as the invention of the light bulb, and with a field for exploitation almost as wide. (2) Many of these chemical products will enter the mass consuming markets, which require enormous tonnages of products, and such markets are setting up an industrial demand for chemicals on a mass volume basis, compared to the relatively high-priced low-volume basis ordinarily considered as the chemical outlet of the past. (3) Most of the processes involved in producing these chemicals are adapt. able to the use, all or in part, of natural gas, oil, or refinery gases as raw mate-

Jan 1, 1945