Search Documents

By Frank Firmstone

The furnace from which the brick here referred to were taken, was lined under my supervision and blown-in in May, 1902. It was 75 ft. high and 18 ft. in greatest diameter, and used coke to smelt a lean magnetic iron-ore. The lining was put in as follows:—First, blocks 14 in. long by 6 in. thick; second, 2 in. of loam; third, 13.5 in. of 9-in. fire-brick (one-and-ahalf brick wall) laid in English bond; fourth, red brick to within 2 in. of the iron shell; and fifth, 2 in. of slag-wool between the red brick and the shell. The brand of brick used has been known to me for over 20 years, and in my observation had always proved very durable, notably when used in a small furnace 50 k. high which treated the same magnetic. ore. On revisiting and examining the furnace in March, 1903, it was found that the whole of the lining of 14in. blocks at the top, and for an unknown distance (more than 20 ft.) below, had completely disappeared; and a few weeks later the 13.5-in. lining and the red brick at the top likewise vanished, and the furnace was blown out. N~twithstanding the complete failure of the lining higher up, measurements taken after blowing-out showed no unusual wear in the lower part of the furnace. The exact position in the furnace of the piece of brick-work used in the analysis, given below, is not known; but it came from between 30 and 40 ft. above the bottom. It had formed part of the 13.5-in. wall (no 14-in. brick remaining at that level) and consisted of parts of several bricks so firmly sintered together that fracture occurred indifferently through the joints and through the body of the brick. The joints could, however, be traced by a close examination. The surface which had been in contact with the material in the furnace was covered with a yellowish, translucent glaze, somewhat vesicular, and from

Jan 1, 1904

By D. J. Cox, J. P. Conway, A. E. Gooch

A two-year test conducted by the USBM's Spokane Mining Research Center (SMRC) has proven the feasibility of the yielding rockbolt, a concept which may prove very useful to the mining industry by providing ground support under a variety of conditions. The yielding rockbolt was originally developed in South Africa3 to overcome the limitations of conventional bolting in rock subjected to high-stress or rock burst conditions. The yielding effect is obtained by fitting the bolt prior to thread rolling with a smooth-bore die of internal diameter slightly larger than the shank diameter but smaller than the rolled thread diameter.

Jan 4, 1977

By John Birkinbine

The iron industry of the United States, and, in fact, of the world, was established with charcoal as fuel. Long before the value of mineral coal was recognized, the carbonization of wood was carried on in connection with various metallurgical processes, but at the present time we look upon establishments using charcoal as the remnant of a former greatness, and are apt to sympathize with the operators because they have no other fuel to depend upon. In the iron

Jan 1, 1883

By Mason K. Banks

A process has been developed which produces spodumene concentrates assaying 6.0 pct Li20 and 0.45 pct Fe203, with 70 to 75 pct recovery of spodumene. Two flotation separations are required: the simultaneous removal of mica, feldspar, and quartz as a froth product using a cationic collector, and the subsequent removal of iron-bearing minerals as a froth product while spodumene is depressed as a tailing.

Jan 2, 1953

By E. Mcl. Tittmann

Deep-seated human instincts urge us to positively mark the passage of time. We celebrate the passage of each year. Years give way to decades, and decades to half centuries and centuries. At all these mileposts we are inclined to pause, take a look around and catch our breaths before embarking on the next leg. We are at such a point now and this meeting I am sure will give direction to the road ahead into the decade of the seventies. In looking around at this point, 1979, it is obvious to all of us that the environment in which we must mine, mill, smelt and refine lead and zinc has radically changed. These changes have, of course, occurred over a long period of time. They have, however, all been in the same general direction. They have all had the same motivation. The period of greatest contrast is probably the fifteen years just before World War II and the fifteen years following the end of that war. I thought that I might review briefly with you what seems to me to be four of the more important changes that have developed since World War II that profoundly affect our activities in the lead and zinc industry. I mentioned before that all these changes have been in the same direction; that is, they have all tended to restrict our freedom of action in pursuing our objective of producing lead and zinc on a competitive basis at a profit. Consequently, in discussing them you may think that I am merely viewing with alarm. This is not the intent. This is merely supposed to be an objective analysis. I think it appropriate before discussing these trends in detail to examine the position of lead and zinc today.

Jan 1, 1970

By J. Parke Channing

THE production and use of copper in the world, like that of other metals, has been of slow growth. In 1880, production in the United States, was only about 60,000,000 lb. and the world's production 325,000,000 lb. Up to 1913 there was a gradual and regular increase in production; in 1912 the production was 1,250,000,000 lb. for the United States and 2,200,-000,000 lb. for the world. At the outbreak of the war there was a slight falling off, both in the United States and elsewhere, but when it was realized that the war was not to be a short one and that copper was one of the most important things for carrying it on, there was a tremendous increase in production every-where. Roughly speaking, the average production for the years 1916, 1917 and 1918 was very close to two billion pounds in the United States and three billion pounds in the world. WAR DEMANDS STIMULATED PRODUCTION Not only did the production of copper in the United States increase, but the same may be said of .all the base metals, particularly of zinc. Much of the zinc used by the Allies came from Australia, but had been smelted in Belgium and Germany, now closed to them. We were called upon to make good this lost supply and in feverish haste built new zinc smelteries and opened new mines. The armistice found the United States with a large surplus of copper on hand, variously estimated at from 800,000,000 to 1,000,000,000 lb. In addition to this surplus in the United States, there were considerable stocks in the hands of the Allies and also immense quantities of unused brass. To. complicate the situa-tion still further, the reclamation of old brass shell cases and other used material was instituted, still further curtailing the demand for new material. This situation was- not appreciated at the time and it was assumed, that the Central Powers would immediately come into the market ? replenish their exhausted stock of copper. During the war Germany had torn down copper trolley wires and roofs, and melted up bronze bells, doors, statues and other copper-bearing material to reclaim this metal for military purposes. But Germany-was unable or at least unwilling immediately to replace her copper substitutes.

Jan 1, 1923

By Gregg A. Scott

Upper Stillwater Dam is to be a roller-compacted concrete gravity structure, founded on nearly horizontally bedded sandstone and argillite rock. An overview of the testing and analyses used to evaluate the adequacy of the foundation relative to deformation, seepage, and stability is presented.

Jan 1, 1984

By C. M. Marquardt

Tramp iron and steel moving on a conveyor belt cause small currents to be generated in a coil situated in a strong magnetic field, which are converted to an alternating current and are amplified. The output voltage from the amplifier fires a thyratron with a relay in its anode circuit, which actuates a howler and simultaneously drops a spot of marker material on the belt.

Jan 6, 1950

By R. M. Stewart, C. W. MacQueen

Anaconda's Berkeley pit at Butte produces 34,000 tpd of ore averaging 0.8 pct copper. Two-and-one-half tons of waste is stripped per ton of ore, approximately 40,000 tpd by the company and an added 45,000 tons by the F&S Contracting Co. The company truck fleet consists of 24 Euclid and 18 Mack 34-ton, rear-dump diesel trucks.

Jan 7, 1961

By Charles J. Speake, Dennis R. Haley, Thomas E. Finch

As there exists a strong trend to computer assisted mine design, this twofold presentation will emphasize an examination of the parameters wed to create a mine design computer program. The program results are a first-order engineering design and evaluation of methods wed to handle the parting or inner burden found in thick-seam western surface coal mines. The alternative selections are draglines, backhoes, scrapers, front-end loaders, shovels, and bucket wheel excavators used in direct stow or haul-back techniques. The computer program wed in the design selection will be explained and typical input and output information shown.

Jan 1, 1980

By H. I. Ashby

INITIAL development of the south orebody at San Manuel is being carried out from the No. 1 and No. 2 shafts. The haulage and grizzly levels are being driven to develop the upper one third of the massive hydrothermally altered and fractured monzonite orebody. This first haulage level has been placed at the 1475-ft level with a grizzly level 60 ft above. The grizzly level will be connected to all service shafts so that men and supplies can come down to the grizzly level and go to working places without congesting the haulage level. These connections are also a vital part of the ventilation plan. The haulage level is being advanced along the north and south fringes of the orebody and connections are being driven to the three shafts now under construction. The No. 1 and No. 2 shafts will serve the development work with supplies, skip hoisting, and ventilation at each shaft and the two shafts are connected on both the grizzly and haulage level.

Jan 7, 1954

By Richard Dunmore

Tests of the MRDE firedamp prediction method have been carried out in a number of longwall districts with different conditions. The method itself and its development have been described previously At many test sites the prediction has been good, i.e. the calculated gas emission levels have agreed with measured values, averaged over a period of many weeks, within a few percent. In other cases, where there have been larger discrepancies between calculation and measurement, investigations have shown that these may be attributed to particular conditions of mining or geology. Recognition of these conditions in advance of mining is clearly desirable to improve the accuracy of the initial prediction. It has been shown that variations in gas emission rates depend largely on coal production in terms of the weekly advance of the coal face. Although there appears to be a random element present, variations in gas emission levels calculated from changing face advances agree well with measurement. The accuracy of prediction therefore depends on how well face advance can be forecast and needs to be updated as the working proceeds in the light of the face performance actually achieved. Continuous monitoring of the mine environment provides the information necessary to compare actual gas emission with predicted levels, and computerised systems make it possible to carry this out in real time. Predictions can thus be adjusted to take account of emission levels measured in previous weeks These adjustments, whether they are made after the first few weeks or subsequently during the district life, would also be used to alert management to particular abnormalities or significant changes in gas emission.

Jan 1, 1982

By E. De Golyer

The only known direct method of discovering oil deposits is by the drilling of test wells. Such exploration is always hazardous and generally very costly. The problem of the prospector, therefore, is one of selecting test sites that are favorably located and so to reduce the odds against his venture. Early in the history of the oil industry, it was realized that oil and gas deposits, other conditions being favor- able, were usually found in anticlinal types of structure. This very understandable and rational habit of occurrence furnished the first substantial clue to the prospector. Oil occurs in sedimentary rocks, and beds of such rocks are deposited originally in parallel planes. An anticline at the surface, therefore, could be accepted as an indication of an anticline in lower beds. Structural geology became the tool of the prospector, and by its use in the past two decades, the majority of the known important oil deposits of the world have been discovered. This is but an incomplete, and the simplest, statement of the problem. Nine-tenths and more of the important oil pools of the world belong to the great class of accumulations controlled by structural traps- anticlines, faulted structures, salt domes, etc.-but by

Jan 1, 1932

By W. Spencer Hutchinson

It is the purpose of this paper to describe a method used to determine the corundum contents of samples of hard crystalline gneiss containing both corundum and red garnet. A chemical analysis of the rock for alumina would not fix the amount of corundum became at least three other constituent minerals of the rock, mica, feldspar, and garnet, contain alumina combined with silica. Following are the principal minerals found in the samples, together with their specific gravity and hardness as given by Dana: The corundum occurred in crystals of a gray or bluish gray color, in minute grains and coarser up to 0.5 in., and no massive or block corundum was observed. The larger crystals were commonly quite slender, well defined, and the normal hexagonal form clearly developed. They lay with the structural planes of the gneiss, and sometimes appeared prominently in relief on weathered surfaces. In some cases these crystals had suffered partial or total alteration to mica, margarite, or other soft minerals, a condition illustrated by sample D, which appeared to be studded abundantly with corundum on the flat faces. Garnet, a striking feature of nearly all the samples, was present in small rounded crystals of a pink to red color. The samples were first broken to pass a No. 4 mesh screen. This was done with a hammer on an iron plate, particular care being taken to avoid the breaking of the crystals finer than need be to pass the screen. A portion of the sample weighing 500 g. was then taken and, with a little water added, was scoured round and round in an iron bucket with a wooden block, until the coarse crystals of corundum were cleaned of adhering pieces of mica. The bucket was then re-

Jan 1, 1914

By J. J. Bodmer

In 1855, Franz Uchatius patented, in England, his process of manufacturing cast steel. The first experiments, on a practical scale, were made at the Ebbw Vale Iron Works, Monmouthshire. The charge consisted of a mixture of cast iron with about 20 per cent. of a pure iron ore, and with or without other ingredients. In order to obtain the cast iron in a subdivided condition, Uchatius granulated molten pig-metal by running it into water, which during the operation was kept well agitated, and found that "the finer the iron is granulated, the softer will be the resulting steel." The writer is not aware that granulated iron has been used practically, otherwise than in the above-named process; and until 1866 no other process of subdividing iron than by granulation was known. In April, 1866, an English patent was obtained by the writer for subdividing blast-furnace and other slags and metals in a molten condition, by passing the same through one or more pairs of rolls. In reference to iron the idea was, in following up the direction pointed out by the Uchatius process, to obtain better results in the puddling process by means of a thorough amalgamation (not simply a mixture) of the iron with the oxides and other ingredients in the charge itself. Experiments were made. A quantity of iron direct from the blastfurnace was subdivided (or laminated) by passing it through a pair of plain rolls. The rolls were hollow, and water was made to pass through them to keep them sufficiently cool. Without giving differential speed to the rolls, sheets were obtained about one-sixteenth inches thick, and from about one hundred square inches surface, downwards. With differential speed, the iron falls from the rolls in

By Charles E. Lundin, Albert S. Yamamoto

The phase eqrtilibria of the binavy system, Nb-Al, weye established by metallographic, X-ray diffraction, hardness, and thermal-analysis techniques. Three intermediate phases were identijied, Nb3.41, Nb2Al, and NbAl,. The N6,Al and NbAl phases have extensiue ranges of solubility. The maximum solubility of aluminum in niobiuitz is 23.0 i0.5 at. pct (8.0 wt pct) A1 clt 1960" i 10°C. The maximumt solinbility oj niobiunz in alunzinutz is less than 0.3 i0.1 at. pct (1.0 tut pct) fib. The A'h,Al and Nbgl interinediate phases forr peritectically at 1960° 1UcC and 1870" i 1U9C, respectively, zuhereas the NbAl, phase fornts congvuently fio11t the melt at 1605" 10°C. A eutectic reaction oc- The intent of an over-all research program was to develop niobium-aluminide-base coatings for refractory metals since these coatings exhibit useful high- curs at 57.8 i 0.5 at. pct (28.5 wt pet) A1 and 1500" 10°C between NbAl and NbAl3. The aluminum-rich region of the system has a peritectic reaction where liquid reacts with NbAL, to form aluminum solid solution. Structural and lattice -pavarneter data /or the intermediate phases were determined by X-ray diffraction analyses. An unusual transfov?nation having charactevistics of nucleation-growth and martensitic nleclanisils occurs on cooling the niobium solid solution in the region from 18 at. pct (6 wt pct) Al to 23 at. pct (8 wt pct) Al. The transfornzed product on rapid quenchirzg is an acicular NhAl. temperature resistance to oxidation. As a prerequisite, the phase equilibria of the system, Nb-A1, were necessary. A literature survey revealed that the phase-equilibria data reported by various investigators were rather incomplete and conflicting. Therefore a complete determination of the system was undertaken by the authors from 0 to 100 pct of solute addition.' In 1959 Savitskiyz presented a tentative diagram which

Jan 1, 1967

By Walter R. Hibbard

THE term lineage was first introduced by Buerger1 to denote dendritic branches, grown from a crystal nucleus during solidification from the liquid, with imperfections in alignment of the order of 10-1 [ ] to 10-4 cm. These imperfections are associated with distortions of the dendrites caused by the subsequent solidification of the inter-dendritic filling and are illustrated in Fig 11. Buerger etched zinc single crystals made by the Bridgman2 method to develop this dendritic pattern and show lineage microscopically. Since maximum crystal growth in face-centered cubic metals occurs along the [100] directions,2 lineage would appear in copper as small deviations of dendritic branches from these directions. Elam4 and others5-8 reported etching effects resulting from coring along the cube face traces of various copper alloy crystals. These traces were used by Samans8 to orient single crystals. Williamson9 noted a "lined structure (in alpha brass single crystals) consisting of an ordered arrangement of etch pits" which were probably traces of {100} planes but somewhat uncertain because they were never straight (i.e., apparently lineage). Greninger10 described the distortion and multiplicity of Laue spots in back reflection X ray photograms of copper single crystals showing lineage. The present investigation includes metallographic, X ray and property studies of lineage in large grain and single crystal specimens of copper. PREPARATION OF SPECIMENS Specimens 10 in. long and ½ in. diam of oxygen-free copper (O.F.H.C.) (99.985 pct) were melted vertically in graphite crucibles under an atmosphere of commercial nitrogen purified through a gas train including sulfuric acid, potassium chloride, magnesium chlorate, hot copper chips and phosphorus pentoxide. After a temperature of 1200°C had been maintained for ½ hr, the furnace was turned off and the specimens cooled at a rate of about 150°C an hour. This method of direct solidification was used by Greninger10 to produce single crystals with marked lineage and in this investigation produced a fair yield of single crystal specimens in

Jan 1, 1947

By C. S. Barrett, C. T. Haller

TWINNING in magnesium is known to occur profusely under certain conditions, and when it occurs in polycrystalline materials it brings about a partial or even a complete change in the preferred orientation. The amount of research on this subject, however, has not been in proportion to its importance as a mechanism of deformation and reorientation. Much of the research has been limited to twinning in single crystals. The present study' concerns polycrystalline sheet, and is an investigation of the twinning produced by plastic deformation as a function of the following variables: I. Direction and type of deformation. 2. Amount of deformation. 3. Speed of deformation. 4. Temperature of deformation. 5. Composition and temper of the sheet. 6. Twins previously produced. 7. Twins previously produced, then annealed. By proper control of these variables it is shown that, on a laboratory scale, samples can be produced that are free from preferred orientations. MATERIALS AND METHODS The materials used were samples of commercial magnesium-alloy sheets with nominal compositions given in Table I. [ ] X-ray diffraction was used in most of this work to detect the twins and to estimate the amount of twinning. Since twinning on {102} planes causes a reorientation of the crystal lattice by 86°, it is very easy to study with X-ray diffraction patterns, particularly if one notices the diffraction ring from the basal plane the 002 reflection. By properly directing the X-ray beam, it is possible to produce 002 reflections from twinned material at, say, the 6 and 12 o'clock positions on the 002 ring, with the untwinned material reflecting to 3 and 9 o'clock positions; and by judging the relative intensity of the arcs on the diffraction ring at these positions, it is possible to judge the amount of twinned material relative to the untwinned. This X-ray method of estimating the amount of twinning is generally superior to metallographic observation, for it was found

Jan 1, 1946

By Charles Morgan

AN increased demand for brown iron ore in the Birmingham district during the past 18 months has caused renewed activity both in prospecting and mining these ores. In recent years the production in Alabama has ranged from 41,559 tons in 1932 to 639,351 tons in 1928. During the last 9 years about 83 per cent of the total brown ore produced in the United States has come from Alabama (Tables 1 and 2). PROSPECTING Two methods of prospecting are used in this district: (1) test pits, (2) churn-drilling. Usually there is certain quite definite information on an area to be prospected; some of the indications are float ore suck as small gravel or small and large boulders known as "dornicks” scattered over the surface, and ore exposed by erosion in gulleys and ravines, which have cut or eroded through the overburden. Often these natural erosions furnish an indication of the thickness of the ore and to some extent of the area of the ore body. Deposits of brown ore are very irregular both in thickness and extent. Deposits are often lens-shaped or long narrow leads, some of which may be parallel and separated from one another by sand, clay or gravel. The bottom-the footwall-is also very irregular. This footwall is usually lime clay-disintegrated limestone, locally called "white horse," which usually is found at a depth of 6 in. to 20 ft. overlying the limestone. At some places sand and gravel is found under the ore instead of clay. No ore is found under the lime clay, although often the ore has sunk or slumped and is found in the upper portion of this clay, as at some of the Sloss workings at Russellville. The origin of these ores has been discussed by Major E. C. Eckel and Dr. E. F. Burchard in U. S. Geological Survey Bulletin 400, and recently the latter has done further work on ores in the Russellville district, of which reports undoubtedly will be published.

Jan 1, 1937

THE refining period of an open-hearth heat blends imperceptibly into the finishing period, during which final adjustments are made in slag composition, in bath action and temperature, and in composition of the steel, in order to prepare it for casting into ingots. Operations must be governed by the consideration that alterations in the character of the heat during the finishing period must be held to a minimum. In a broad sense, the finishing and deoxidation period of a heat may be said to begin when the action of the last ore addition has ceased, and to end when the teeming of the ingots is completed. INGOT STRUCTURES A survey of the relative advantages and disadvantages of different types of ingot structure is required because deoxidation treatments during the finishing period control the amount of gas evolved during solidification and consequently determine the type of ingot structure. Four classes of ingots are recognized, depending upon the degree of deoxidation to which the steel has been subjected. These types are killed, semikilled, capped, and rimmed; typical examples of their structures are represented by ingots 1, 2, 5, and 7, respectively, of Fig 9-1. The actual ingots from which these cross sections were sketched were all poured to the same height (indicated by the dotted lines) in the same type and size of bottle-top molds. The eight drawings of the figure represent selected types of ingot structure in a continuous series from "dead killed" to "wild," resulting from variations in the total quantity of gas evolved, from none at all to copious amounts, during solidification of the steel in the mold. Killed and semikilled steels are adjacent at the "quiescent" end of the ingot structure series where only small amounts of gas are evolved. The term "quiescent" describes the action of the molten metal during and subsequent to the teeming of killed and semikilled steels. Capped and rimmed steels are adjacent at the

Jan 1, 1951