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By E. W. Newman

DURING 1943 and 1944, there was an urgent need for certain grades of optical calcite (Iceland spar) for instruments for military uses. To find a supply of this material, prospecting was carried out in Montana, California and Colorado. Although some production was obtained by the work in California, the best results were from prospecting the large calcite veins of south central Montana. The bulk of the optical calcite mined during World War II has come from that area. The Bureau of Mines took an active part in the search for optical calcite in Montana. It examined most of the known calcite veins in the 70-mile distance between Wilsall, on the Shields River, and Absarokee, on the Stillwater River, and conducted exploration on several of the deposits. The Geological Survey also took an active part by mapping many of the veins. Actual mining of the calcite was performed at first by Calcite Operators, Inc., and later by the Metals Reserve Co., through an agent. A sorting plant was established at Clyde Park, where custom material could be sold. These activities stimulated mining by private operators. To be suitable for military uses, the calcite mined had to meet rigid specifications as to both size and quality. Individual crystals had to be clear and transparent and if in the form of rhombs had to measure at least 7/8 in. on each edge. Some color and a few inclusions in the calcite were allowable, but material with incipient or developed cleavages, or showing twinning other than parallel to the base, was unacceptable. HISTORY OF DEPOSITS The existence of large veins of calcite in south central Montana has long been known, and for many years the farmers of this region have used the common vein calcite for producing grit for chicken feed. According to reports, the first optical calcite produced from Montana came from the Cartwright deposit near Greycliff,1 but until recently the mining of optical calcite in Montana has been limited to spasmodic searching for small crystals suitable for making nicol prisms for saccharimeters and microscopes, or for mineral specimens. The possible need of substantial amounts of optical calcite for military uses began to appear late in 1942 and early in 1943, therefore the Polaroid company began searching for a source of supply in Montana and California. Work on the Wade property near Clyde Park was started on a small scale in the fall of 1942, by A. H. Hansen, of Clyde Park. During the winter and spring of 1943, a modest quantity of optical calcite was mined and shipped to the Polaroid Corporation, Cambridge, Mass. Most of this was produced from the "Hansen vug," which was found close to the surface. Early in the summer of 1943, mining on the Wade property was undertaken by Calcite Operators, Inc., a company organized for mining optical calcite from the Montana and California deposits. This com-

Jan 1, 1945

By John W. Weeton, Donald W. Petrasek

Relatively few metal-metal systems exist that would permit the creation of fiber-metal composites consisting of mutually insoluble constituents. It is anticipated that most high strength-to-weight ratio and high -temperature fiber composites ultimately to be produced will utilize high-strength fibers embedded in a highly alloyed matrix. An investigation was conducted to determine the effect of alloying on the tensile Properties and micro-structure of tungsten-fibey-reinforced composites. Composites were made of tungsten fibers infiltrated with copper binary alloys that contain elements of varying solubility in tungsten. Room-temperature tensile tests were made on the composites, and a metallographic study of the microstructure of the fiber-metal-matrix interfaces was conducted. It was shown that, as the depth of penetration of some alloying elements into the fiber increased, a decrease in both tensile strength and ductility of the composite results. A notch effect, due to the formation of a brittle alloy zone with the tungsten fiber, was observed and gave rise to greater reductions in tensile properties and ductility behavior than would be Predicted by a law-of-mixture relation alone. In recent years, investigators have considered combining fibrous materials with relatively weak binder materials. The interest in fiber-reinforced composites results from the fact that fibers or wires may be exceedingly strong and exhibit mechanical properties superior to those of the bulk materials from which they are derived. For example, tungsten wires drawn to less than 1 mil in diameter may have strengths of over 600,000 psi,' while steel wires ranging from 10 to 3 mils in diameter may have strengths of the order of 300,000 to over 600,000 psi.2 Both metallic and ceramic whiskers are known to have very high strengths. For example, iron whiskers have been shown to have strengths of 1.9 million psi3 and sapphire whiskers have been reported to have strengths of the order of 1.7 million psi.4 If all or part of the strengths of such fibers could be retained, subsequent to the incorporation of the fibers in an engineering material, a superior material could result. In previous work done at the Lewis Research Center, McDanels, Jech, and weeton5 demonstrated the feasibility of fabricating metal-fiber—metal-matrix composites that utilized the full strengths of the fiber and matrix materials. Tungsten fibers were combined with a copper matrix by a liquid-infiltration method such that the tungsten fibers were uniaxially oriented parallel to the tensile axis of the composite. A linear relation was established that related the tensile strength of the composite with the volume percent of the fibers. Mutually insoluble constituents were selected for the study so that the strength of the composite could be quantitatively related to the strength of the individual constituents. The fact that there are only a few metals that are mutually insoluble with tungsten, e.g., copper, silver, gold, and zinc, and that these either have low melting points, high vapor pressures, or poor oxidation resistance, makes it necessary to utilize other metals that are soluble in tungsten, where high-temperature applications are ultimately contemplated. It was anticipated that, for most practical fiber-reinforced composite materials, it would be necessary to use a fiber and metallic matrix that would have varying degrees of solubility for each other. A logical extension of the earlier work was thus felt to be a study that would determine the effects of elements that had mutual solubility with the tungsten. Numerous investigators have found that tungsten fibers may be damaged by thermal treatments or contamination of the surface of the fiber by alloying elements.6-10 On the other hand, surface treatments may improve the strength of such fibers."-" Relatively little work with composites containing tungsten fibers have been reported. The work of parikh14 has shown that kinked, short-length tungsten, steel, and molybdenum fibers could str'engthen such matrices as silver, gold, and copper. Some of the combinations of fibers and matrices studied by

Jan 1, 1964

By Elmer W. Pehrson

OPINION seems widely divergent as to where we stand with respect to future mineral supply. From some quarters we hear that the United States is about to become a "have-not" nation and about to experience the evil consequences such a situation would entail. Others claim that we are still a treasure house of stored-up mineral wealth, the surface of which barely has been scratched. The data to be presented here support the conclusion that neither of these viewpoints is correct and that we are far from exhaustion of those mineral resources that are basic to our industrial economy. However, exhaustion is well advanced in a number of important subsidiary minerals so that we can no longer drift along with the easy-going philosophy that the earth will provide. The time has come when we must recognize the true situation and do something about it.

Jan 1, 1945

By R. N. Singh, A. S. Atkins

One of the most difficult problems associated with modern mechanised longwall mining is the lack of system flexibility to deal with local changes in geology, seam thickness and the face design parameters. As a consequence of system rigidity and the quest for increasing the coal face performance, the percentage extraction in the U.K. is currently below 52%. The paper outlines the current guidelines used in face design which permit coal to be left in situ for various purposes and discusses the strata control implications in extracting subsequent panels in the same and adjacent coal seams. The paper examines the application of strata mechanics to the design of longwall layouts for maximizing .the percentage of coal extraction. Remedial measures include optimizing pillar dimensions, reduction in roof coal left for support purposes by improving the use of available powered support technology and application of thick seam mining methods including sub-level caving and techniques of extracting coal from odd shaped pillars. Case studies are described where coal extraction has been maximized by adopting a new single heading retreat mining system; a shallow seam partial extraction system utilizing, existing heading machines and minimisin8 coal sterilization in pillars by replacing longwall access roadways by goaf scour.

Jan 1, 1984

By AIME AIME

THAT neither the Reconstruction Finance Corp. nor its subsidiary, the Metals Reserve Corp., are in competition with private enterprise was stressed by Charles B. Henderson in an informal talk before the N. Y. Section, A.I.M.E., on Sept. 23. Among other things, the speaker stated that the R.F.C., since its establishment, had authorized loans of $12,000,000, of which over $8,775,000 has actually been distributed. Of this amount, over $6,600,000 has been repaid. None of this money was appropriated by Congress, the sole assistance from that body being the initial authorization of $500,000,000 capital stock.

Jan 1, 1941

By P. R. Hines

Diphenyl guanidine is used as an accelerator in vulcanizing rubber. Other rubber accelerators are also flotation collectors, e.g., dithiocarbamate, thiazole, and the xanthates. Urea and its derivatives are good flotation collectors,' and guanidine is the nitrogen analog of urea. These two characteristics suggested testing diphenyl guanidine as a flotation collector. Diphenyl guanidine has been tried in flotation work previously, but references give no details.'.' Bunker Hill Co. of Kellogg, Idaho, supplied the ore sample used in these tests. The sample was typical of the ore milled in 1949 and contained 4.52 pct Pb and 1.08 pct Zn. A flotation test made by the author with potassium ethyl xanthate as a collector, the same flotation reagents, and the same grind employed in regular Bunker Hill mill practice was the standard for comparing results with the compounds and derivatives of guanidine. The compounds and derivatives of guanidine are only fair collectors of galena. However, if potassium ethyl xanthate were used in the galena float, its presence later in the sphalerite float would make it impossible to introduce another type of collector and be certain which collector contributed the result, so the compound or derivative of guanidine under test was used in both the galena and sphalerite floats in Table I. On both the galena and the sphalerite in the Bunker Hill ore, the depressing action of sodium cyanide and zinc sulfate is much greater with collectors of the guanidine type than with the xanthates. If the depressing agents are left out when a guanidine type of collector is used, but a pH of 8.6 is maintained with either lime or sodium carbonate, the depressing action is approximately the same as in the standard xanthate test. Consequently the depressing agents, sodium cyanide and zinc, were not used in the galena floats of tests 1226, 1228, and 1286, Table I, so the galena floats would be on a comparable basis with the standard xanthate test. As shown by the tests in Table I, the loss in the tail when diphenyl guanidine is used is 8.3 to 9.3 pct, as compared to 17.6 pct with potassium ethyl xanthate, or a recovery of 2.3 to 2.0 lb more zinc. Concentrate grade is 13.7 pct with potassium ethyl xanthate and increases to 22.9 and 31.8 pct with diphenyl guanidine, showing a much higher selectivity. Unless the Barrett's No. 4 coal tar creosote is considered to be a collector, no collector other than diphenyl guanidine is present in the tests, Nos. 1226, 1228, and 1286. Tests 1218, 1253, and 1263 in Table I1 were run to check the effect of the depressing agents used in flotation of the galena (sodium cyanide and zinc sulfate) upon subsequent flotation of sphalerite by diphenyl guanidine. Urea was substituted for potassium ethyl xanthate in tests 1253 and 1263 because it is a good collector for galena and a poor one for sphalerite, and the effect of the depressing agents is more marked with urea than with potassium ethyl xanthate. Test 1205 checks the effect of urea alone without any depressing agents when used for the flotation of galena. Table I1 shows that diphenyl guanidine as a collector for sphalerite is compatible with other flotation reagents used in floating galena. When the depressing agents sodium cyanide and zinc sulfate are used in the galena flotation step, the amount of lime in the sphalerite flotation must be increased (compare 1253 and 1263). Table I11 gives some of the compounds of guanidine which were tested and compared. Some of the compounds and derivatives of guanidine* are solu- * Diphenyl guanidine is in commercial production and is available on the market. ble in water and others are not. Those tested were fed dry. When an organic collector is promising, its compounds and derivatives should be tested and their comparative collecting power recorded. Eventually, in this way, it may be possible to discover some of the essential chemical characteristics of a good collector. For example, it is interesting to compare the diphenyl and dibutyl derivatives in Table IV with those of urea in Table 111, Example 3, U. S. Patent 2,664,198. All are good collectors. Table I shows some of the effects of lime on recovery of sphalerite by diphenyl guanidine. Table V

Jan 1, 1960

By Becket, Frederick M.

CHROMIUM is but one hundred and thirty years of age-a mere youngster as related to many metals that' have speeded world progress. It was Vauquelin of France who proved conclusively that the so called red lead of. Siberia contained a new element. The variety and characteristic colors of the compounds suggested the name chromium. He also succeeded in reducing oxide of chromium to the metallic form and described the product as very brittle, infusible, needle- like crystals on which acids had very feeble action. His metal was not pure chromium, of course; it must have contained appreciable carbon in the combined form as a result of reducing the oxide by carbon at high temperatures. Vauquelin's description in 1798 of this work is a gem-indeed, literally, he went so far as to discover the presence of chromium oxide in the emerald. The metallic product did not seem to interest Vauquelin greatly, but a new chemical industry began shortly after his discoveries.

Jan 1, 1928

By Marcus Nadler

WAGES in the United States, in spite of the wage freeze, have increased materially. Overtime payments have become standard practice in almost all industries. Now efforts are being made to place wages on an annual basis, and if this is adopted, it will result in an increase in the cost of production. Organized labor today is more powerful than ever before; union membership is large and steadily increasing, and in many instances membership in the union is a prerequisite to employment. The treasuries of many unions are strong as a result of the large membership and full employment. The unions, therefore, today are in a much better position than ever before to carry on long strikes. Politically, too, the unions are more powerful today than they ever were. On the basis of their strength, one may expect that some of the demands that the labor unions will make in the not distant future will be granted. It is, therefore, quite evident that before long, particularly when the curtailment in war production reaches about 40 per cent, this country will be confronted with a serious labor problem.

Jan 1, 1945

By Robert L. Marovelli

A recent reorganization placed the health and safety research activities of the Bureau of Mines under a director, Division of Minerals Health and Safety Technology. The new health and safety research organization and its position in the Bureau hierarchy is shown in Table 1.

Jan 11, 1979

By Edward H. Robie

PONCA CITY proved an ideal selection as a place of meeting for the Petroleum Division this fall. The accommodations at the Conoco Club were just what was required for such a gathering; the committee having the arrangements in charge functioned with the efficiency of veterans and the enthusiasm of neophytes; and the members and guests followed the speakers with close attention, entered the subsequent discussions with gusto, and divulged the "low-down" at private conferences. No one minded the drizzling rain on the first day, which only served to keep up the attendance in the auditorium; the weather then cleared up in time for a group picture before the gathering went their separate ways.

Jan 1, 1932

By AIME AIME

MEXICO embraces one of the great metal and petroleum producing provinces of the world. In this respect its history dates back to the overthrow of the Aztec empire by a Spanish force under Hernando Cortes between 1519 and 1.521. Even before then, its richness in silver and other minerals was not unknown. But it was a treasure house for the Spanish conquerors until the country became independent in 1821. It has been computed that in the 400 years following 1521, Mexico yielded 1.55,000 metric tons of silver, worth $3,000,000,000, two-thirds of the entire world production. In 1935 the country accounted for 36 per cent of the world's silver output, 14 per cent of its antimony (in 1934), 13 per cent of its lead, 3 per cent of its zinc and copper, and 21/2 per cent of its petroleum. Contrary to the impression of some, its gold output is now comparatively small, though important in the past. Its oil, as well, formerly hulked much larger than now, in 1921 being one-fourth of the world output.

Jan 1, 1936

By P. W. Bakarian, John C. McDonald

Three magnesium alloys were processed in various ways to exhibit a wide variation in the ratios of yield strength and tensile strength in the rolling direction compared to the cross-rolling direction. Basal-plane pole figures were prepared from several specimens. A fair correlation was observed between the property ratios and the ratio of percent of poles oriented in the cross-direction quadrants compared to the percent oriented in the rolling-direction quadrants of the pole figures. THE modes by which magnesium crystals deform are such as to lead to marked preferred orientations in all forms of wrought products. The effect of the active modes at room temperature, coupled with these orientations, is often to produce a lower compressive yield stress compared to the tensile yield stress. The phenomenon is due to easy twinning in compression, and has been well-related to the preferred orientations as described by basal-plane pole figures of the hcp magnesium single crystal. The literature contains some information on the variation with test direction of the tensile properties of sheet, but no quantitative relationship to the observed pole figures has been established. These effects have been reviewed in the few com- prehensive treatises in English which have been written on magnesium technology and metallurgy.1°3 Roberts presents several pole figures, but no tensile-property data in the plane of the sheet. Raynor has no pole figures, but quotes Frommer's4 results. The information in Beck's compendium more or less parallels the results of Jones and powell.5 In both a Mg + 1.5 Mn alloy and a Mg + 4.6 A1 alloy, cold rolling was found not to change the general situation of higher properties in the cross-rolling direction,* than in the rolling direction. Thomas'6 X-ray studies of Jones and Powell's specimens did not permit correlation of properties and preferred orientation. Ansel and Betterton7 report tensile and compressive properties on three other alloys as a function of degree of cold rolling, plus a recrystallizing anneal. As rolled, there was a change in anisotropy with degree of reduction, but all alloys were reasonably isotropic in tension when annealed. X-ray diffraction photograms illustrated the kinds of orientations present, but were not correlated with the properties. Bakarian8 has described a method of determining quantitatively a preferred orientation, and illustrated the method by applying it to pure magnesium and two of its alloys. This method was used in the present work as a basis for correlating the strength properties with the texture.

Jan 1, 1965

By C. P. Sandberg

Notwithstanding the growing importance of this subject, no work specially devoted to it has hitherto been published. Having had to inspect during the last twenty years nearly a million tons of iron and steel rails for various countries, I have obtained experience of what rail manufacturers can practically execute, as well as of what railway engineers practically require. Bearing these two points in mind, I have from time to time published observations with a view to unite both interests,—that of the producer and that of the consumer,—and to reduce the specifications and the forms of sections to standards, or types, in order to facilitate the execution of the works and to improve the construction of permanent way. The Swedish government railways, as well as private companies owning railways in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark,.have during the time above mentioned consulted with me and intrusted to me their rail inspection. I therefore owe to these countries much of the opportunity which I have enjoyed of gaining experience and position. Next to Sweden, America is the country which has most liberally favored me with its confidence in placing these matters in my hands. Through circumstances not under my control there has been little exportation to, and less work done by Europe for, America during the last six years; but the recent revival of the rail trade has been the more gratifying to mo, seeing that almost all the importers of American rails are still specifying for the Sandberg rail sections and inspection. It is therefore with feelings of gratitude that I now beg to lay before the American Institute of Mining Engineers, and I hope, through that body, before the American railway world, the results of some experience which I have gained in the execution of work for their country, and which therefore belongs rightfully to

Jan 1, 1881

By C. P. Sandberg

INTRODUCTION. NOTWITHSTANDING the growing importance of this subject, no work specially devoted to it has hitherto been published. Having had to inspect during the last twenty years nearly a million tons of iron and steel rails for various countries, I have obtained experience of what rail manufacturers can practically execute, as well as of what railway engineers practically require. Bearing these two points in mind, I have from time to time published observations with a view to unite both interests, -that of the producer and that of the consumer,-and to reduce the specifications and the forms of sections to standards, or types, in order to facilitate the execution of the works and to improve the construction of permanent way. The Swedish government railways, as well as private companies owning railways in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, have during the time above mentioned consulted with me and intrusted to me their rail inspection. I therefore owe to these countries much of the opportunity which I have enjoyed of gaining experience and position. Next to Sweden, America is the country which has most liberally favored me with its confidence in placing these matters in my hands. Through circumstances not under my control there has been little exportation to, and less work done by Europe for, America during the last six years ; but the recent revival of the rail trade has been the more gratifying to me, seeing that almost all the importers of American rails are still specifying for the Sandberg rail sections and inspection. It is therefore with .feelings of gratitude that I now beg to lay before the American Institute of Mining Engineers, and I hope, through that body, before the American railway world, the results of some experience which I have gained in the execution of work for their country, and which therefore belongs rightfully to

Jan 1, 1881

By AIME AIME

BY the end of 1943, the United States will be able to produce aluminum at a rate of 1,150,000 tons a year. How much aluminum is 1,150,000 tons? It is sufficient to replace every railroad passenger car in this country three times a year. Or, it would put a thirty-piece aluminum cooking utensil set in every one of America's 34,000,000 homes with enough metal left over to make 5,000,000 miles of aluminum transmission cable, such as was used in the electrification of much of rural America. Expansion of aluminum production capacity for the war program has occurred in three steps: (1) expansion by private industry; (2) the letting of contracts by the Defense Plant Corp. for the construction of additional aluminum plants which may remain after the war to compete with existing facilities; and (3) the more recently announced D.P.C. program for the building of emergency plants to make aluminum, using stand-by power available in large metropolitan centers power of relatively higher cost, making it questionable whether such plants, now gravely needed, will be able to compete in a peacetime economy.

Jan 1, 1943

By Nathan C. Rockwood

BASIC mineral commodities may be divided into two general classifications in their market or price characteristics. In one class are commodities sold on a world-wide basis, as gold, silver, nickel, asbestos and petroleum, and in the second are those produced and sold locally. Of course, no precise line of demarcation exists between the two; coal, for instance, belongs more or less in both. If there are enough producers of any commodity to prevent control of production by any one person or group, a free market then exists and the price in a buyer's market is determined by the most favored producer-meaning the producer, with the lowest production cost or the lowest cost of transportation, or both, to the particular market, or place of use. With minerals in the first classification, their high intrinsic value far outweighs the transportation cost and a uniform market price is accepted as an essential element in the economy of distribution. But with common minerals of small. intrinsic value and relatively high transportation costs, economists are reluctant to admit that a uniform price may also be an essential element in distribution.

Jan 1, 1940

Jan 1, 1903

By John Cogan

Field observations were made of rock phenomena in shale, dolomite, and fractured quartzite in the Burgin Mine, Eureka, Utah. Draft closure rates were measured with extensometers and convergence gages. In addition the effects of hydraulic props upon the retardation of closure was also monitored. Drift closure rates were found to be constant and to vary between 0.32 x 10-8 min-1 for dolomite and 23.8 x 10-8 min-1 for soft shale. The installation of props set at constant load served to retard the closure rates. General results show closure to occur at a constant rate for all cases, to be non-uniform around the drift openings, and to be increasingly retarded toward a zero rate by increases in prop load.

Jan 1, 1979

By I. H. Warren, E. Devuyst

A review of the physical and chemical aspects of the direct leaching of metal oxides has been given and com- pared to recent data of the authors and co-workers. The physical aspects, including the anisotropy of the dissolution, the hydration and the zero point of charge of some metal oxides are discussed first and then the kinetics of the dissolution of metal oxides are considered. A general mechanism of the leaching of oxides which describes most of the observed results is proposed.

Jan 1, 1973

By William Rawles

THIS report is the first of a series planned by The Mineral Inquiry, organized by the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers to make factual studies of the world's mineral resources in their political and international relations. The efforts of The Inquiry are directed toward filling certain notable gaps in available information, without duplication of many other investigations touching this field which" are being conducted by other organizations, public and private. Much of its work is indirect-suggesting topics for study by other individuals and organizations and aiding in their planning and correlation. The present report is designed to show the nationality of the commercial control of mineral resources, in addition to the geographic distribution of production by nation-in other words, the overlapping of political and commercial control. Detailed accuracy cannot be claimed for the figures presented. For some companies division of ownership by nationality has been very difficult to ascertain, as many companies are reluctant to dis-close the extent of their holdings in other corporations, and the impossi-bility of tracing all stock ownership is obvious. Also there are frequent changes in the distribution of stock control. The percentages given rep-resent only the participation that has been identified definitely, even though it is known in some cases with fair certainty that larger interests exist, as, for instance, American participation in foreign chromite companies. In bringing' together these figures we have had the cordial co-operation of the United States Bureau of Mines, the United States Geologi-cal Survey, the Mineral Division of the Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce, the Brookings Institution, and of many specialists connected with the mineral industries covered. The report does not cover the entire list of minerals. Coal, although it is one of the most important minerals, was omitted because not more. than one or two per cent of the world's production comes from mines that are owned by companies foreign to the countries where the coal is produced. Others, such as gold, are omitted because sufficient data have not yet been accumulated. It is hoped that some of these may be covered in subsequent reports. It is not our purpose here to discuss the significance of the figures sub-mitted, but only to point out the general nature of the problems on which they have a bearing.

Jan 1, 1933