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By Bieniawski, Z. T.

The importance of understanding the phenomena associated with rock fracture has long been fully appreciated in rock mechanics. This is clearly apparent from the special attention paid to rock fracture in the comprehensive papers published within the past four years. These papers present a picture of how the knowledge of brittle fracture of rock was gradually enriched and also show that what was often taken for granted three or four years ago is no longer considered as valid today.

Jan 1, 1972

By E. A. Gulbransen, K. F. Andrew

Thermodynamic information on the solubility of hydrogen in exothermic metals is limited. Thus, the overall solubility decreased as the temperature rose, which suggests the heat of solution of hydrogen in the metal is negative; yet the terminal solubility in the metal phase increased, which suggests an endothermic reaction. A thermodynamic analysis, therefore, was made of the several equilibria involved when hydrogen dissolved in the metal. Equations were derived expressing the solubility, terminal solubility, and decomposition pressures of hydrogen in terms of the heat, entropy, and free energy of solution of hydrogen in the given phase. The relations between the thermodynamic functions for the a-zirconium and 8-hydride phase were developed. The thermodynamic quantities were determined experimentally by the measurement of the decomposition pressures over a broad composition and temperature range. Two new methods of analyzing the experimental data were developed for determination of the terminal solubility. STUDIES', ' of the impact strength of zirconium at room temperature indicated that small quantities of hydrogen, of the order of 10 parts per million, embrittles the metal. Micrographic' and X-ray diffraction' studies showed this embrittlement to result from the precipitation of a second phase upon slow cooling. These studies suggested that the terminal solubility of hydrogen in the metal phase increased with increase of temperature. This behavior appeared to contradict the effect of temperature on exothermic hydrogen occluders such as zirconium. For these metals, the solubility of hydrogen should decrease with increase of temperature. Before these facts could be understood, a thorough analysis of the several equilibria was essential. It was the purpose of this paper to consider the several equilibria involved when hydrogen was reacted with zirconium from both the theoretical and experimental points of view. Since the overall solubility of hydrogen in the metal has been considered by a number of workers, it was proposed to study the composition range 0 to 6 atomic pct H in detail. Literature Schwartz and Mallett' determined the terminal solubilities of hydrogen in the metallic phase from diffusion studies. They extrapolated concentration-penetration curves to the boundary between the solid solution phase and the hydride phase at the surface. Their results showed values of 2.6 atomic pct at 400°C and 5.2 atomic pct at 500°C. Extrapolations of the data to room temperature suggested very low values for the terminal solubilities. This study confirmed the hydrogen embrittlement results and indicated that the terminal solubilities increased as the temperature was raised. The solution of hydrogen in zirconium over the complete concentration range was studied by Hall, Martin, and Rees3 and by others. The results showed that hydrogen was absorbed up to a maximum composition of 66 atomic pct or ZrH This composition represented the t-hydride phase. The maximum amount of hydrogen absorbed increased with pressure and decreased with temperature. Due to this temperature behavior, zirconium was classed as an exothermic occluder." In 1930 Hägg studied the crystal structures of the Zr-H alloys over a broad composition range. Four hydride phases were found. However, the range of homogeneity of the several phases was not studied. Gulbransen and Andrew" recently studied the phase diagram of this system by X-ray diffraction methods and by a thermodynamic method based on decomposition pressure measurements. The results showed that only two hydride phases existed for low temperatures, the 6 and the .-phases of Hagg.' Both phases had broad regions of homogeneity. The lower limit of the two-phase region of a and d-phases suggested a terminal solubility of 4 atomic pct at 500°C. This value was in agreement with the results of Schwartz and Mallett.' To avoid hydrogen embrittlement at low temperatures, it was necessary to heat the metal in high vacuum at elevated temperatures. To choose the conditions of temperature and high vacuum, it was

Jan 1, 1956

Edward S. Simpson, Perth, Western Australia (communication to the Secretary): In 1896 the East Coolgardie gold-field was divided into three fields, viz. : Area, square miles. Officia1 Centers. (1) East Coolgardie,. . 634 Kalgoorlie. (2) Broad Arrow,. , 588 Kurawa. (3) Northeast Coolgardie,. 22,960 Kanowna. The whole of the area embraced by the eastern gold-fields is covered with late Tertiary sands and gravel, with occasional beds of clay shales. These mostly overlay granite which occasionally shows through in small round hills. At Coolgardie, Kalgoorlie and other mining centers, belts of diorite, serpentine and highly metamorphosed sedimentary rocks appear on the surface. The rainfall at Kalgoorlie in 1897 was 4.75 inches. That the climate has not always been so arid is evidenced by the recent discovery at Coolgardie (only twenty-five miles away) in the late Tertiary formations of a thick bed of brown coal, containing numerous fossil fern-leaves. As assayer and mineralogist to the Government of Western Australia I have had occasion to examine a large amount of the Kalgoorlie ores, both in Perth and at the mines at Boulder itself. The only tellurides I have been able to determine are

Jan 1, 1899

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 Hans Lundberg

By electrical prospecting, orebodies that do not otherwise manifest themselves at the surface may be located. Conditions favorable to success with the methods are: Favorable geological conditions, such a proportion of minerals of good electrical conductivity in the orebody as will render the latter materially a better conductor than the enclosing rock, situation of the orebody within the range of influence of the electrical currents used and in proportion to this range a sufficient area of horizontal cross section of the orebody. The result is to permit of spotting drill holes accurately and to save the expense of drilling barren ground. THE art of prospecting, like other branches of mining, has developed rapidly during the last ten years, mainly because of the advancement of mining geology, but also because of the development of "geophysical methods," which are based on the different physical characters of minerals and rocks, e. g., specific gravity, elasticity, and magnetic and electric properties. These methods have proved of great value, especially in countries where the rock is covered by soil and direct geologic investigation is out of the question. In prospecting for orebodies, the methods based on studying differences in electrical conductivity have proved most successful; for which reason, the methods of electrical prospecting have been subject to the most energetic and systematic work, especially in Sweden. This paper gives a brief description of the methods of electrical prospecting now in use, especially the new electromagnetic methods, which have not been described before. The great differences in the electrical properties, especially in conductivity, between ore minerals and rock minerals are fundamental to all methods of electrical prospecting, for which reason, the electrical conductivity of ore minerals and rock minerals has been carefully studied in connection with and previous to the development of the various methods of prospecting with electricity. Ore minerals with a metallic luster, such as chalcopyrite, iron pyrite, galena, specular iron, magnetite, etc., also graphite and a number of cows, have considerably higher conductivity than the surrounding rock and soil (see Table 1). The figures of the table denote the specific resistance W, expressed in ohms for a cube with an edge of 1 centimeter.

Jan 7, 1925

By C. W. Allen, L. C. Moore

THE Mather mine, of the Negaunee Mine Co., is within the limits of the City of Ishpeming, on the Marquette iron- range in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It is named for William G. Mather, who has served as President, and Chairman of the Board, of The Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co. for well over 50 years. The property comprises nearly the square mile of section 2, T.47 N. R.27 W., which, except for 20 acres in the northeast corner, was leased by The Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co. to the Negaunee company. The latter is a partnership of Cleveland-Cliffs and the Bethlehem Steel Co., organized to equip the property, retaining Cliffs in charge as operator. Shipments of ore from this area are mainly through Marquette, which is 16 miles to the northeast on Lake Superior, or through Escanaba, a Lake Michigan port, 65 miles to the south. Cleveland-Cliffs, in 1943, operated 12 mines in the Lake Superior district, with shipments of 6,635,576 tons for the year. GEOLOGY The north footwall of the Marquette Range synclinorium outcrops near the north line of sec. 2, the iron formation dipping to the south at an angle of about 40º. The south side of the trough reappears at a distance of 4 ½ miles on sec. 26 and the surface geology between shows iron formation or intrusive diorites. The latter are harder than most phases of the iron formation and, as a result of glacial action, appear as buttes or low-lying hills. The general elevation of sec. 2 is about 1450 ft. above sea level, or 850ft. above Lake Superior, and the higher diorite outcroppings about 1600 ft. above sea level. The geological structure has been complicated by a series of major and minor faults, one of which may be illustrated by the diorite sheet, which tilts south with the iron formation in the north half of the section and then reappears near the center to repeat this sequence. Sectionally the geological series includes a nearly eroded capping of Goodrich quartzite followed by the considerable thickness of Negaunee iron formation, which is cut by intrusive dikes or diorite sheets, and underlain by the Siamo slates grading into quartzites. The ore deposits occur mainly in troughs formed by the intersection of impervious dikes and the footwall slate, but include locally enriched lenses or bands in the iron formation and also interbedded with the Siamo slate. The ore is a soft red hematite with an indicated dried analysis from the surface drilling to date of 61.50 per cent Fe, 0.134 per cent P, 5.40 per cent Si, 2.87 per cent Al and 0.015 per cent S. EXPLORATION A diamond-drilling campaign started in 1937 actually had its inception in 1917, when a number of shallow test holes were put down for the purpose of locating ore that might be quickly developed and mined

Jan 1, 1945

By E. S. Davenport

IT is indeed an honor and a responsibility to have been selected to present the thirty-fourth in this series of Henry Marion Howe lectures, established to perpetuate the memory of a great teacher and one of America's outstanding scientists. Previous Howe lecturers have established high standards for this annual AIME event. It has been my good fortune to have enjoyed close association with five of these former lecturers; namely, Bain, Grossmann, Johnston, Sosman, and Vilella, all of whom have been prominently identified with the research activities of the organization with which I am connected. Some years ago I had an opportunity to examine a letter written by Professor Howe in 1904. This document was particularly interesting to me since I never had the privilege of personal acquaintance with Professor Howe and do not recall even having seen him during his long and active career. In view of the fact that the letter dealt, to some extent, with matters related to the subject of today's lecture, I would like to quote briefly from it. The letter is datelined, "Bad Kissingen, June 11, 1904." The salutation reads, "Dear Bradley," which suggests that it was probably addressed to Bradley Stoughton, who, I believe, was working with Howe at Columbia University at that time. The letter reads, in part, as follows: "Austenite and Martensite. I have not examined what Osmond says in his new book. His former remarks about austenite I found very confusing, indeed unintelligible. I think we can reconcile matters well enough for the present by assuming that martensite is a transition step between austenite at one end and ferrite and cementite at the other. Above critical range for steel of 0 to 1.80 carbon, austenite is normal state; below Ar1, ferrite and cementite are normal." The letter then continues with a discussion of Osmond's ideas on metallographic nomenclature, particularly his use of the terms martensite, troostite, and sorbite, including the following pointed comment: "For common purposes it seems to me unwise to drag them in, and much simpler to confine ourselves to the end stages Austenite Ferrite plus Cementite Osmond does not really know his own mind— or does not clarify his ideas to others—as to nomenclature." Thus we see that, as far back as 1904, the transformation of austenite, and the products of that

Jan 1, 1958

By John A. Gann

WITHIN a very few years magnesium has sprung from oblivion, from classification as a technically unknown, little appreciated, and expensive material to front-page importance in many fields of engineering. Bunsen may be considered the real founder of our present magnesium industry. In 1852; he prepared this metal by the electrolysis of fused magnesium chloride in a porcelain crucible. In the following years the electro¬lytic process became recognized as superior to chemical reduction methods and Germany became the world's chief producer, installing the first electrolytic magnesium plant in 1886. ' Thirty years later, national defense requirements, occasioned by the outbreak of the World War and the cutting off of imports, caused France, England, and the United States to begin production. Most of this magnesium was used for military purposes so the close of the war resulted in a large curtailment in production. A few companies, however, encouraged by the early success of the Germans and by the rapid developments taking place in aeronautics, and confident in the certain future and ultimate value of this metal, undertook extensive re¬searches in its production and utilization. A variety of production methods, both chemical and electrochemical, were investigated and some of them operated on a commercial scale. Reduction of the oxide with carbon at high temperatures and the electrolysis of the oxide in a fluoride

Jan 1, 1932

The following list comprises the names of those persons who became. members during the period Oct. 10, 1919, to Nov. 10, 1919. ABELL, 0. J., Pres. & Treas., Abell-Howe Co., 332 South Michigan Ave.; Chicago, Ill. ADAMI, ARTHUR E., Asst. Prof. of Min. Engrg., Montana State School of Mines,Butte, Mont. BASSETT, R. H Chief Engr., Hanna Ore Min. Co., Hibbing, Minn. BOZA, HECTOR J., Cons. Engr., Boza Aizcorbe Hermanos, Box 106, Lima, Peru. BROWN, HAROLD P., Cons. Concrete Engr 120 Liberty St., New York, N. Y. BUCHANAN, W. A Mgr., Meteor Mine, Slocan City, B. C., Canada. CAMERON, JAMES A Supt., Ellsworth Collieries Co., Ellsworth Pa. CARPENTER, CRANSTON HOWE, Electro-Met. Engr., General Engrg. Division, Westinghouse Electric & Mfg. Co., East Pittsburgh, Pa. CASTLETON, GEORGE T Assayer, Custom Office, Box 122, Eureka, Utah. CHAFFIN, C. E., Eastern Mgr., General Engineering Co., 120 Broadway, New York-, N. Y. CLARK, WALTER R., Wks. Mgr., Bridgeport Brass Co., 1875 Park Ave., Bridgeport, Conn. CLARKE, ERNEST E., Min. Engr., Vinegar Hill Zinc Co., 419 S. Court St., Platteville, Wis. COOLIDGE, E. B., Mgr., Spotted Horse Mine, St. Paul Montana Min. Co., Maiden, Mont. CORTELYOU, ARTHUR P., Resident Mgr., Potrero Min Co. Mocorito, Sinaloa, Mexico. COTTINGHAM, KENNETH, Pet. Engr., Halter & Robitaille Delmonico Bldg.,Fifth Ave. & 44th St., New York, N. Y. CREW, J. A Mgr., Research Dept., Pittsburgh Steel Co., Monessen, Pa. CUMMINGS, LISTER M., Efficiency Engr., Copper Queen Branch, Phelps-Dodge Corpn., Box 1539, Bisbee, Ariz. DANFORTH, GEORGE L., JR., Asst. Gen'l Supt., Illinois Steel Co., South Works, South Chicago, Ill.

Jan 12, 1919

By James P. Kimball

AMONG the curious results of the recent advance of prices in the iron trade of the United States, one of them at least is to be regarded as of great importance. I allude to the utilization of mill cinder as a cheap and almost costless substitute for high-priced iron ores in many blast furnaces, situated within easy reach of such raw material. It has been, with but few exceptions, the practice in this country, based upon tradition rather than upon authority or European precedents, to waste this material on 'account of its high proportion of silicic and phosphoric acids, although known to contain more iron than most ores, and although also known to be sometimes applied to the blast furnace in greater or less quantities without serious detriment to the iron for specific purposes. While in use to a limited extent in the Hocking Valley and Hanging Rock iron regions of Ohio for several years, its use in Western Pennsylvania has only become general of late, under the exigencies of high prices and a short supply of ore. Especially has mill cinder largely entered into the stock of furnaces attached to rolling mills in and about Pittsburgh. Under such circumstances the cinder pig has been paddled on the premises, and the malleable iron produced has been unexpectedly good. Cautiously as at first mill cinder has been applied, it is evident that the temptation to use it freely is a strong one whenever the commercial rates for high-class ores are out of proportion to the general conditions of the iron trade, as sometimes happens in this country, especially as the free use of it is apparently justified by the quality of the iron produced from this cheap and abundant material. Indeed the consumption of cinder pig has., not been wholly confined to mills using up the production of furnaces belonging to the same plant. One furnace at least on the Ohio, at Covington, for several' months has been making foundry pig from "all cinder." The iron has gone into the general trade. It is probable that malleable iron of good quality can he made from the poorest cinder pig, but with what degree of economy will

Jan 1, 1881

By T. W. Bossert

MELTING is the initial step in the fabricating of all aluminum and aluminum-alloy products. Its function may be considered as threefold: to improve the metal quality, to adjust the composition, and to change the form to that required for subsequent fabrication. Because the melting operation is generally somewhat removed from the final product fabrication, its importance is frequently overlooked. Melting equipment and melting procedures can reflect materially on fabricating procedures as well as on quality and cost of final product. The selection of equipment and the establishment and control of melting procedures, therefore, should be given careful consideration. It is the purpose of this paper to present the various factors that should be considered in establishing melting procedures and in selecting melting equipment. Certain of these are the result of the inherent characteristics of aluminum and can be treated rather specifically. Others depend on the particular production requirements and hence will have to be considered more generally. This paper is intended to cover only the melting of solids, as differentiated from fines, such as borings, turnings, and sawdust. The melting of fines, in many respects, is a subject that should be treated by itself, and practices for melting fines are by no means as standardized as are those for melting solids. The melting of fines is today the subject of considerable developmental interest; hence practices discussed today may soon be replaced by new or improved ones. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE METAL THAT AFFECT MELTING Aluminum and aluminum alloys possess several inherent characteristics that affect the melting problem. Of the physical properties, density, heat content, thermal conductivity, emissivity, and melting temperatures are important because of their effect on equipment design. A list of such properties for commercially pure aluminum is given in Table r, compared with similar properties for iron and copper. The low density of aluminum as well as of the aluminum alloys is of material advantage in the design of melting equipment, in that such equipment can be considerably lighter than similar equipment for handling the heavier metals. The density, however, particularly of the molten metal, is not greatly different from that of the oxides and other nonmetallic materials that develop or become part of the melt during the melting process. Separation of such nonmetallics is not as rapid a process as with some of the other metals, and consideration of this must be made in establishing melting procedures. Sufficient holding time to permit such materials to separate out and, in some cases, fluxing treatments to aid the separation, are required. Since some of these nonmetallics settle to the bottom of the melt, provision should also be

Jan 1, 1946

By H. A. Kuhn

THE Pittsburg coal field in western Pennsylvania, is conceded to be the most important in the world. To measure its importance it is necessary to understand the extent of its service in the various industries of the country. Probably 90 per cent. of the pig iron manufactured in the United States up to the present time has been made by using coke manufactured from the Pittsburg coal seam in western Pennsylvania. This coal field is the foundation on which the city of Pittsburg rests and is the reason for the great growth of the iron industry in the Pittsburg district. Iron ore is brought to this district, not because Pittsburgh is a. natural location, over other locations, for the iron and steel industry-as its position places the manufacturer at the mercy of the railroads-but the ore is brought 1,100 miles to meet the fuel. It can be said that the illuminating-gas industry in the United States has used this coal exclusively to the same extent that the pig-iron maker has used it. It may be also said that 20 to 25 per cent. of the fuel used on railroads in the United States conies from this coal field. The Pittsburg coal field is unquestionably the center of the industrial population of the United States, for in addition to the industries of the district and those closely adjoining, it has tributary to it all the cities and industries along the Great Lakes and practically all of Canada with the exception of the extreme western and eastern ends. It supplies the industries and population west of Duluth and Superior many hundreds of miles. This coal is floated down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, supplying the towns en route, and is delivered in New Orleans, a distance of 2,200 miles, for approximately SO to 90 c. per ton transportation cost. It is delivered on the docks of Superior and Duluth at a cost of transportation 50 c. a ton less than the cost of transporting the same coal from Pittsburg to a local consumer in Philadelphia. With other Appalachian coals it has large markets east and along the seaboard, especially for byproduct-coke making and the illuminating-gas industry. It is considered the premier railroad fuel of the world on account of the fact that this coal in a given-sized locomotive will probably haul more cars than any other coal in the

Jan 10, 1914

By H. A. Guess

Introduction. History and Production Statements. Southeast Missouri is the oldest of the large producing districts of the United States. The first recorded production from disseminated ores was in 1869, although for many years prior to that time lead had been milled from shallow pockets, and steady growth in production has been shown ever since, the greatest increases being during the past five years. The production by years for each of the operating companies from 1869 to 1907, inclusive, is given in Table I. In Table 11. is given the production by years from 1908 to 1912, inclusive, for the district as a whole, showing the tonnage of crude ore mined, yield in concentrates, average assay of concentrates; yield in metallic lead both per ton of crude ore and in total; also approximate value of the yearly production. It is interesting to note that the production for the 5-yr. period 1908 to 1912, inclusive, is practically equal to the total previous production, viz., the 39-yr. period 1869 to 1907, the summary being as follows:

Jan 1, 1915

By A. C. Veatch

Jan 1, 1921

Discussion of the paper of W. A. Forbes, presented at the New York Meeting, October, 1913, and printed in Bulletin No. 82, October, 1913, pp. 2477 to 2514.. SAMUEL K. VARNES,* Steelton, Pa.:-We have a gas-cleaning plant consisting of a, centrifugal dry dust catcher, and two rain-type wet scrubbing towers, 25 by 60 ft. each, for rough cleaning of blast-furnace gas. This plant was put in early in 1910, with the intention of cleaning gas for use in hot blast stoves and under boilers, and was so used for several months. Soon after it went into service, the blast-furnace men complained that they could not get as high blast temperatures as they had obtained when using dirty gas. It was decided to run a series of careful tests to determine if this were true and to what degree the apparent results might be affected by other conditions. About 60 tests were run, covering a period of five months, and at the end we came to the conclusion that it did not pay us to scrub the gas for stoves and boilers. The tests were all run upon a single stove, no boiler tests being made, but the conclusions of the stove tests being applied to the boilers. The furnace burden was practically the same for all the tests and averaged: Per Cent. Daquari and other hard ores 57 Nodules 13 Raw Mayari ore 25 Mill cinder and scale 5

Jan 12, 1913

By N. A. Tiner, Saara Asunmaa

The early stages of nucleation of vacuunz-deposited gold coatings on electropolished surfaces of pure nickel and binary alloys of Ni-A1 and Ni-Ti have been studied, employing carefully controlled temperature and vacuum conditions. The preferential nucleation of gold on slip-plane edges on the crystal surfaces gave rise to a very pronounced decoration effect which was used in studying the morphology of the pain boundaries, etch pits, and slip planes on crystal faces. Characteristic surface patterns were observed with local dimensional variations. Most pronounced geometric patterns were ohserved in the pain boundaries of nickel and on the crystal faces of Ni-A1 alloy. The nucleation behauior of gold indicates contamination on the Ni-T1 alloy and the getter properties of titanium are presented as a tentative interpretation for the detected contamination. The markings and imperfections on cleavage surfaces of crystals have long been observed by optical microscopy.1,2 Surface-replica techniques are also used to detect the smallest steps and structural details on crystal surfaces by electron microscopy. Recently, Bassett3-5 and Sella, Conjeaud, and Trillat 6 have shown that, when gold is deposited onto a rocksalt cleavage surface, there is preferential nucleation at steps and slip-plane edges on the crystal surface. This gives rise to a very pronounced decoration effect which is invaluable for revealing the lattice steps on a cleavage surface. According to Bassett,3 gold atoms arriving during vacuum evaporation at the crystal surface have a certain mobility on the surface after arrival, particularly at elevated temperature. If a significant

Jan 1, 1964

By DR. DOUGLAS

Discussion of the Paper of Dr. Douglas, presented at the Toronto Meeting of the Institute, July, 1907 (Trans., xxxviii., 455 to 471). EDGAR HALL, Silverspur, Queensland, Australia (communication to the Secretary*) :-Dr. Douglas has written on this subject before, and his influence has had a powerful effect on the side of freedom among the younger generation of engineers. Moreover, it is not the first time that he has attributed the decline of the copper-smelting industry in Swansea to the secrecy maintained by the firms there engaged in smelting-operations. In this latter statement I think his conclusions are open to criticism. Whether the firms referred to have suffered by their secrecy is their own business-I. bold no brief for them ; but that the decline of the copper-industry at Swansea was inevitable seems to me to be proved conclusively by Dr. Douglas's own writings. In his paper on The Copper Situation,1 Dr. Douglas says "In comparing iron and copper mining, . . . it must be remembered that 2 tons of average iron ore from the most prolific source now available will make 1 ton of metal; whereas from 33 to 75 tons (say an average of 50 tons) of copper ore must be mined to produce 1 ton of copper." And further: "Last year's production of iron was made from approximately 50,000,000 tons of ore. Our copper mines, to yield a production of 900,000,000 pounds, must have handled approximately 22,000,000 tons of ore, or nearly half the quantity raised from our iron mines." Is not this the key to the whole situation ? In transporting the 50,000,000 tons of iron-ore, 25,000,000 tons of the metal iron were carried so much nearer to the market, but the transportation of 22,000,000 tons of copper-ore would have carried only 450,000 tons of the metal copper nearer to its ultimate destination. The small percentage of copper available in its ores makes

Sep 1, 1908

By W. Griffith

The purpose of this paper is to make public record of new information in regard to the sustaining power of artificial mine-roof supports (not timber props), the result of investigations recently made in the anthracite coal fields of Pennsylvania. First.—By the "Scranton Mine Cave Commission," appointed to investigate the mining conditions under the City of Scranton. Second.—By the "Pennsylvania Mine Cave Commission," appointed by the Governor to investigate the general subject of mine caves in the anthracite region of Pennsylvania. Third.-—By the personal researches and tests made by the author in an effort to secure a better artificial mine-roof or surface support. During the progress of the work of the Scranton Mine Cave Commission, the Engineers for the Commission, Messrs. Conner and Griffith, being aware of the general lack of exact information in the engineering profession as to the strength of the ordinary artificial mine-roof or surface support, and particularly the stronger kinds, such as mine cogs, rock piers, etc., had tests made at the Fritz Engineering Laboratory at Lehigh University, to determine the sustaining power under various compressions of the several kinds of artificial mine supports in use in the anthracite region of Pennsylvania. A report of these tests wasincluded in the report of this Commission, which was published as Bulletin No. 25 of the United States Bureau of Mines, Washington. A similar series of tests, more extensive and more elaborately planned, were subsequently made for the Pennsylvania Minc Cave Commission at the U. S. Government Testing Laboratory at Pittsburgh, Pa. The report of this Commission was made to the Governor, but has not yet been published. The author, during his connection with the Scranton Mine Cave Commission, observed that of all the various devices employed for sustaining the roof of coal mines, the one universally used and the best

Jan 1, 1918

By J. A. Brierley, Roshan B. Bhappu, D. H. Reynolds, P. H. Johnson

Although the economic importance of recovering copper by leaching of mine work dumps from open-pit operations has been realized for some time, serious attempts to understand and to improve such operations through scientifi research has been made only in recent years. This progress report covers the results of chemical, physical, and biological studies pertaining to the dump-leaching process and discusses salient features and parameters that may be helpful in improving such operations. The dump leaching of low-grade copper ores, as an integral part of the open-pit mining operations in the Southwest, has been practiced for the last 50 years and is increasing in importance as one of the major sources of copper. The recent acceleration in dump leaching can be attributed to: (1) the greater tonnages of low-grade ores mined and dumped at newer mines as well as resulting from increased stripping ratios at the older mines, (2) the relatively small investment required for dump leaching facilities per pound of copper recovered contrasted with expansion of milling facilities to recover equal amounts of the metal by raising tonnage throughout, (3) low labor requirements needed for leaching, and (4) the simple and continuous nature of the process needing little close supervision of trained operators. In the past, the mining companies have not worried about efficiency in dump leaching but have been satisfied with whatever metal recoveries could be made without much effort. However, because of the huge amounts of metal accumulating in the low-grade waste dumps, compared to the relatively small amount recovered annually, an operator today cannot leave dump leaching to chance. What appears to be a simple, empirical process is actually a very complex one involving a large number of critical factors that encompass Several Scientific disciplines, such as physics, chemistry, geology, biology, and hydrology. It is imperative that

Jan 1, 1970

By W. E. D. Jr. Stokes

THE application of aviation to mining and petroleum operations, on the basis of economy and attainment, has become a demonstrated fact. According to Dominion Government records, 30. Canadian companies engaged in air transportation with northland mining camps, carried 13,000 tons of freight in 1935, and in 1936 carried 16,000 tons. In addition, many mining companies used planes to transport prospectors with canoes, outboard motors, gasoline drums and supplies to remote locations, and one company maintained a plane to take radium-bearing ore from its mine on Great Bear Lake nearly 1000 miles south to the rail-way at Waterways, Alberta. Heavy pieces of mining machinery weighing 2 tons are being carried by Ford trimotor planes over the Andes, at an altitude of not less than 15,000 feet. At Bulolo, New Guinea, 17,500 tons of disassembled gold-dredging equipment has been flown over inaccessible terrain, while supplies and building materials for a, community of 1000 whites have been transported by airplane. A 3 1/2-ton shaft was carried on one notable trip, while at another time an automobile, 2 tons of rice and a large safe went over the mountains in one plane. Fig. 1 shows an electric generator that was carried by plane to Bulolo.

Jan 1, 1937