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By Charles S. Barrett

The experiments reported in this paper have been fruitful in disclosing the mechanism of the deformation of iron in compression. They have established the nature of "deformation bands," "etch bands," or "X-bands," that have been a recognized but little understood feature in the structure of cold-worked metals since the early days of metallography, and have shown the role of the bands in the development of preferred orientations by cold-working. The work has also shown the relation of the orientation of individual grains to the preferred orientation of the aggregate. Some of the methods previously used in the determination of the indices of slip planes and slip directions are shown to be untrustworthy in the presence of deformation bands. The conclusion is reached that many slip planes and slip directions must operate during each stage in the compression of a single crystal, and that theories failing to take account of this require revision. In conducting the experiments a method of compression has been used by which extreme reductions can easily be reached, even to the limit set by the metal's capacity to deform without fracture. The work is a portion of a research program on the plastic properties of iron and steel. It is being used as a foundation for studies of orientntions resulting from recrystallization and is being extended to other metals and other types of deformation. Previous Work The previous experiments are few and have given confusing results Onol compressed a polycrystalline alpha-iron specimen between two flan plates of a testing machine and found that severe deformation oriented the crystals into a duplex preferred orientation, one set of crystallites having a cube diagonal of the body-centered cubic lattice parallel to the compression axis, and another set having a cube axis parallel to the compression axis. We shall speak of this structure as a double fiber texture of the type [111] + [100]. Wever2 also made an X-ray determination of the texture

Jan 1, 1939

APPROXIMATELY 90 per cent of the steel that is melted and refined in the United States and poured into ingots is made in basic open-hearth furnaces, as shown in Table 1-1. The annual ingot capacity of the steel industry reported January 1, 1950, by the American Iron and Steel Institute3* was 99,040,160 tons, of which the basic open-hearth process accounted for 85,896,580 tons, 86.7 per cent of the .total. The capacity of the individual furnaces varies over a wide range, a large majority falling within limits of 50 to 200 tons (Fig 1-1). Most of the units constructed [ ] since 1942 are in the larger size groups, between 175 and 225 tons capacity.

Jan 1, 1964

By O. P. Dolph

SPANIARDS were probably the first to mine the rich surface ore in the veins cutting the rhyolite capping that outcrops on the hills of La Mazata, oil the Allyones side of the Magdalena valley in Jalisco, Mexico, although the name comes from a word of Indian origin meaning "deer". The camp is about 12 km. west of Magdalena, a town on the Southern Pacific Railroad, and about 17 km. north of Etzatlán, on the Mexican National Railroad, at an elevation of 4500 ft. The climate is subtropical with no extremes of heat or cold, the rainy season beginning in June and ending in October.

Jan 1, 1938

By C. R. Van Hise

[Concluding Contribution of Prof. Van Hise to the Discussion of his Paper, and Others on the Same General Subject, presented at the Washington Meeting, February, 1900 (see Trans., xxx., 27, 177, 323, 424, 5 S); also of the contributions of Vogt, De Launay, Beck, Lindgren, hemp, Rickard, Bain, Keyes, Collins and Adams, presented at the Richmond Meeting, February, 1901, and printed in the present volume.] IN June, 1900, shortly after my paper was published in the Transactions, I made a briefer statement* before the Western Society of Engineers covering the same `round, which, in certain respects, is somewhat of an improvement. For instance, instead of using the terms descending and ascending with reference to the waters resulting in the two concentrations, my modified statement is as follows " The first concentration of many ore-deposits is the work of a relatively deep water-circulation, while the reconcentration is the result of reactions upon an earlier concentration through the agency of a relatively shallow water-circulation. Commonly the deep water circulation is lacking in free oxygen, and contains reducing agents, and the shallow water contains free oxygen. The deep water is therefore a reducing, and the shallow water an oxidizing agent."† Of the papers upon ore-deposits which, in vol. xxx. of the Transactions, follow my own, or which were presented at the Richmond meeting, a considerable number are wholly confirmatory of the conclusions which I have presented. Among these are the Washington paper of Emmons upon the Secondary Enrichment of Ore-Deposits‡ and his discussion at Richmond of other papers,§ that of Weed upon the Enrichment of Gold and Silver Veins,[ ]the discussion of Emmons', and at Richmond of Weed's paper by Collinst and Prof. De Launay,† the paper of Lindgren on Metasomatic Processes in Fissure Veins,¶ that of-Rickard upon the Formation of Bonanzas in the Upper Portions of Gold Veins,** and the remarks of Bain upon the Mississippi Valley lead- and zinc-deposits.†† It is therefore un-

Jan 1, 1902

By Frederick C. Hull, Robert F. Mehl, Robert A. Colton

IT is known that pearlite forms from austenite by a process of nucleation and growth, and that the rate of formation of pearlite may be described by a rate of nucleation and a rate of growth.1,2 The manner in which these two quantities operate to produce the observed isothermal reaction curve has been analyzed in a paper published in 1939.3 Two types of process were described: (1) that in which nucleation occurs at the grain boundaries of the parent phase, with the nodules growing toward the centers of the grains, initially as hemi¬spheres and then after impingement as roughly radial-columnar structures; and (2) that in which nucleation occurs generally, with the nodules growing to full spheres until impingement with other growing nodules restricts growth. Both cases are met in the formation of pearlite from austenite (Fig. 1);2.4 the former, occurring near the knee of the S-curve has been named "grain-boundary transformation," and the latter, occurring at temperatures near Ae1, has been named "group-nodule transformation." In developing our knowledge of the factors that determine the rate of formation of pearlite from austenite, it is important 1,2 to obtain data on the rate of nucleation and the rate of growth of pearlite. Such data, when obtained near the knee of the S-curve, will furnish information of use in understanding the factors that affect hardenability; when obtained at higher temperatures, such data will be useful in understanding the behavior of steels that during heat-treatment react to pearlite.2 It is the purpose of this paper to present data on the rate of nucleation and the rate of growth of pearlite in dependence upon composition, grain size, temperature, and the degree of homogeneity of the parent austenite. The studies are restricted chiefly to plain carbon commercial steels.* PREVIOUS DATA ON RATE OF NUCLEATION AND RATE OF GROWTH Data on the rate of nucleation and the rate of growth of pearlite have been published by Scheil and Lange-Weise,5 by Mirkin and Blanter,6,7 by Mehl,1 and by Dorn, De Garmo and Flanigan.2 It is difficult to interpret the data, for in most cases too little information is given on austenitizing temperatures and times, the state of homogeneity of the austenite (presence or absence of carbide, etc.), austenite grain size, and mode of formation of pearlite at the temperatures given.

Jan 1, 1942

By L.W. Eastwood, Arthur E. Bousu, C. T. Eddy

The recrystallization and grain-growth phenomena of cold-worked metals have considerable industrial importance because of their role in the fabrication of metals. For this reason, and because of the general academic interest in the subject, these processes have received considerable attention since the time of J. E. Stead's paper1 on The Crystalline Structure of Iron and Steel. There are considerable differences of opinion regarding the theory of recrystallization and grain growth and also differences in the observation of the modus operandi of the processes themselves. The value of many of the existing quantitative data on grain growth is decreased by the failure to distinguish between the grain sizes just after complete recrystallization and those resulting from coalescence. For this reason also, the value of the diagrams of stable grain sizes, like those produced by Bass and Glocker2 and Czochralski3, is lessened in so far as an interpretation of the facts of recrystallization is concerned. It is hoped that the data presentcd in this paper will help to clarify and to simplify the facts relating to recrystallization, and at the same time will show that some of the present-day conceptions are untenable. A paper on the theory of recrystallization, with additional data, will be completed in the near future by the writers. Since the literature on the subject has been adequately and frequently reviewed, the only referenccs to it in this paper will be those necessary in the discussion of the data presented.

Jan 1, 1935

By Arthur E. Bousu, C. T. Eddy, L. W. Eastwood

The recrystallization and grain-growth phenomena of cold-worked metals have considerable industrial importance because of their role in the fabrication of metals. For this reason, and because of the general academic interest in the subject, these processes have received considerable attention since the time of J. E. Stead's paper1 on The Crystalline Structure of Iron and Steel. There are considerable differences of opinion regarding the theory of recrystallization and grain growth and also differences in the observation of the modus operandi of the processes themselves. The value of many of the existing quantitative data on grain growth is decreased by the failure to distinguish between the grain sizes just after complete recrystallization and those resulting from coalescence. For this reason also, the value of the diagrams of stable grain sizes, like those produced by Bass and Glocker2 and Czochralski3, is lessened in so far as an interpretation of the facts of recrystallization is concerned. It is hoped that the data presentcd in this paper will help to clarify and to simplify the facts relating to recrystallization, and at the same time will show that some of the present-day conceptions are untenable. A paper on the theory of recrystallization, with additional data, will be completed in the near future by the writers. Since the literature on the subject has been adequately and frequently reviewed, the only referenccs to it in this paper will be those necessary in the discussion of the data presented.

Jan 1, 1935

By J. D. Davis, A. C. Fieldner

The older coal chemist had a much simpler conception of coal than we have today. To him coal was a mineral composed essentially of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, ash, and water, in various proportions. His studies on the constitution of coal were directed along the conventional lines of proximate and ultimate chemical analyses and making deductions from these data without any real appreciation of the fact that coal is a conglomerate of various chemical compounds, including many of the most complex structures known to organic chemistry. The view of the modern coal chemist is well expressed by Franz Fischer,' who says that while proximate and ultimate analyses are important both from the scientific and technical point of view, they tell the chemist no more concerning the number and kinds of chemical compounds that constitute coal than the reader would learn of the contents of a book if told that the printed contents consisted of 15 per cent. of the letter "e," 5 per cent. of the letter "n," 1 per cent. of the letter"g," 4 per cent. of the letter "b," etc. As the reader must have the grouping of letters into words and words into sentences, so the chemist must have the grouping of atoms into molecules and the proportion of each molecular compound in the coal aggregate before he acquires an adequate knowledge of the constitution of coal. Modern investigators2 are laying the foundation of a new chemistry of coal based on the biochemistry of plants and the chemical changes involved in processes of fermentation and decay. As

Jan 1, 1925

By Haakon Styri

In discussion of Dr. Fitterer's paper on electrolytic separation of slag inclusions, some results from experiments on electrolyzing high-carbon steels at the SKF Research Laboratory were given. l We had been working for a number of years on chemical methods of separating the inclusions but could not find any solvent that would dissolve the steel without attacking some of the inclusions, particularly the sulfides in which we were mostly interested at the time, nor any that would dissolve all sulfide or silica in filings as fine as 300 mesh without attacking the iron. Electrolytic methods had also been tried without any real progress until we learned from the Bureau of Mines about the use of the collodion membrane around the anode. Our early difficulties were to some extent different from those of the Bureau of Mines, perhaps because of experimenting on steels of higher carbon content, but most of our difficulties were of the same nature as those of the Bureau. Formation of large quantities of basic hydroxides was traced to the use of impure and oxidized ferrous sulfate. To protect from oxidation from the atmosphere during electrolysis, after purer chemicals were obtained, a thin layer, 54 in. or less, of molten paraffin was poured over the surface of the cathode liquid, where it solidified. It was found desirable also to hold the cathode chamber slightly acid by initial addition of 0.1 per cent acid (sulfuric or hydrochloric) to prevent precipitation of the hydroxide. This acidity would decrease gradually and the cathode chamber would become neutral before the end of the electrolyzing. The increase in acidity in the anode chamber during our early experiments had appeared to cause attack of the precipitated sulfides in the residue, which originally was analyzed by volumetric method for sulfur, and for this reason a 10 per cent sodium citrate solution was substituted for the sulfate in the anode chamber. With the use of the more reliable Eschka method for sulfur determination (as in coke), there was however no serious attack on the sulfides in the anode chamber with a variety of different liquids, as shown in Tables 2 and 4. The Eschka method gives a higher sulfur value than

Jan 1, 1933

By J. O. Glanville, L. H. Haley

Ice frozen from a dilute chemical solution is mechanically weaker than ice frozen from pure water. This phenomenon is the basis of a practical method for reducing the strength of a mass of frozen coal. If a chemical additive is applied to moist coal prior to its shipment during freezing weather, the resulting frozen coal can be more easily broken than in the absence of the chemical additive. This greatly expedites the unloading and handling of coal during winter. There has been considerable research into the nature and mechanical strength of ice frozen from various solutions. In this paper, literature relating to this process as well as literature relating to the chemical treatment of coal and mineral particulates is reviewed. Some important articles are discussed and speculations made about the nature of the ice-weakening process. A laboratory evaluation of the effects of chemical additives on the mechanical strength of ice and frozen coal has been made. An apparatus designed for this purpose is described, and some results obtained with it are discussed.

Jan 1, 1983

By R. E. Lindstrom, D. G. Peterson, H. J. Heinen

Alkaline alcohol solutions were investigated by the Federal Bureau of Mines for improving the desorption rate of gold and silver from metal-laden activated carbon generated in gold processing circuits. Factors affecting the desorption, such as temperature, alcohol content, type of alcohol, and alkalinity, were studied. Nearly complete metal desorption was obtained in 5 to 6 hr at 80º C using a solution containing about 20 vol-pct alcohol and 1 pct sodium hydroxide. Sodium sulfide was shown to be effective for selectively precipitating silver from the carbon strip solutions, thereby providing a means for producing high- purity gold by subsequent electrolysis.

Jan 1, 1976

By V. Apraxine, J. Lakaye, J. J. Saquet, P. Troch

Union Minière du Haut-Katanga owns concessions for extracting copper and associated metals in the high plateau region of Katanga. The concession is about 188 miles long by 44 miles wide and has three principal areas: Southern area-The Prince Leopold mine is an underground operation from which a copper-zinc sulfide ore is extracted. The mine and associated concentrator are at Kipushi. Copper concentrates are smelted and converted to blister copper at the Lubumbashi smelter at Elizabethville.

Jan 12, 1962

By S. W. Zehr, G. S. Murty, W. A. Backofen

AN observation by Squires, Weiner, and phillipsl has stimulated interest in a mechanism of deformation at high temperature (above -0.5 of the absolute melting point) that is not usually thought to be involved in the creep of metals. They found precipitate-free or "denuded" zones along grain boundaries normal to the stress axis in tensile specimens of a hydrided Mg-1/2 wt pct Zr alloy after slow straining at 450° and 500°C. Their suggestion that the zones were a result of directional diffusion of magnesium atoms was supported with calculations from Harris and Jones2 which also tended to identify the process as Nabarro-Herring (N-H) creep3,4—a process that is characterized by Newtonian viscosity, with stress (o) directly proportional to strain rate (C), and one that proceeds by lattice diffusion. Material transport by diffusion along grain boundaries is an alternative basis for Newtonian viscosity, as demonstrated by Coble,5 and is favored over N-H creep for fine grain size and lower temperature.6 In either case, the strain rate sensitivity of flow stress, defined as m = d log o/d log E (which commonly appears in the empirical a = KEW), is unity. The experiments to be described here gave metallo-graphic indications of diffusional creep which were no less clear than those just cited, but the associated m (as measured by the method of Ref. 7) was much more like that of a Bingham material. For true Bingham behavior, (a — ao) E, where oo is an initial yield stress. Therefore, even if flow after yielding should occur by diffusional transport, m must increase from 0 as < is raised to reach unity only in the limit as One result is that the resistance to tensile necking conferred by Newtonian viscosity is lost, which would become increasingly apparent through the formation of more sharply defined necks as 6 is lowered. That trend appeared in these experiments. Most of the work was done on an extremely finegrained alloy of magnesium with -6 wt pct Zn and ½ wt pct Zr (Mg ZK60); the initial mean-intercept grain diameter, L, was 0.55 µ. Shown in Fig. l(a) is a germanium-shadowed carbon replica of the surface of a specimen that was coated with silicone oil,* heated to 270°C under a helium atmosphere, and then stretched locally -200 pct at an initial E = 3.3 x 10-5 sec-1. Under

Jan 1, 1969

By Robert Franke

(Butte Meeting, August, 1915.) IN view of the prominence which the conical mill has attained in the fine-crushing field within the few years since its introduction, the following comparison with its more mature forerunner, the Chilean mill, based on extensive tests, is submitted in the interest of the milling profession. Soon after designing the concentrating plant of the Miami Copper Co. in 1909, the Hardinge conical mill made its appearance in the milling forum. Its possibility as a suitable crushing device for the plant was well recognized, but in view of the lack of commercial demonstration, at the time, as to capacity, efficiency for desired product, and the still more uncertain factors of cost of maintenance and power consumption, it was deemed that the immediate adoption of this machine throughout the plant would be a hazardous undertaking. For these reasons it was decided to equip the majority of the imme diately required units of the plant with Chilean mills, the fine-crushing proficiencies of which were better known, and one section with Hardinge mills, to serve as a test unit for the guidance of future installations and replacements. Thereby, after 1.5 years&apos; operation with both types of mills, a thorough test as to metallurgical efficiency and cost economy has been obtained. The conical mill used in these tests is the 8-ft. Hardinge pebble mill, having a cylinder 22 in. in length. The cylindrical portion of this mill is lined with cast-iron liner plates, and the conical extensions with silex bricks bound together by cement. Each liner plate carries a projecting lifter, the function of which is to increase the height of drop of the lifted material. Danish No. 5 pebbles, obtained from the coast deposits of Denmark, are used for the grinding charge. The Chilean mill used is a fast-running, 3-roller, 6-ft. Saturn mill, with screens of 0.037-in. opening. The feed to these mills is the oversize of Callow screens having 0.029-in. openings, which follow rolls crushing to 0.5 in.

Jan 7, 1913

By Oliver Bradley

THE utilization of casing-head gas in the manufacture of casing-head gasoline by both the absorption and the compression method is a most important factor in the conservation of our natural resources.. Any industry connected with the oil business, in general, possesses particular attraction for a large number of people not conversant with its basic principles, for the reason that the large fortunes made in the production and utilization of petroleum and its products have been given undue prominence. The general impression of the public that enormous profits are to be realized in the casing-head gas industry with minimum expenditures of both capital and effort has, in a large measure, accounted for the phenomenal expansion of the industry in recent years and, likewise, has resulted in many mistakes and loss of investment funds. It is true that many installations have been very profitable, but such instances are always the result of careful planning, experienced judgment and conservative estimates. The inception and subsequent activity in the manufacture of casing-head gasoline, enabling the business to assume an important position in the petroleum industry, are of, comparatively recent origin, as its greatest growth, particularly in Oklahoma, occurred during the years 1917 and 1918. Much information must yet be secured and systematized concerning the methods of manufacture of gascline from high-yield casing-head gas, and a large field is still open for the application of accumulated experience and good engineering practice in devising better methods of extracting gasoline from casing-head gas of the poorer grades. The absorption process is coming into general use as a most efficient system of treating casing-head gas, and even so-called dry gas. In fact, there is a decided tendency toward the universal adoption of the absorption process as against compression methods. However, a general discussion of the relative merits of these two systems is not within the scope of this article.

Jan 9, 1920

By J. P. Savely, D. E. Nicholas, R. D. Call

Progress in the technology of slope design over the past 15 years now permits the selection of rational slope angles if suitable data on geology, hydrology, and rock properties are available for a specified project. Although a full-scale slope design study remains the best course of action, there are situations where an extensive study is not feasible due to time or budget constraints. Two typical examples are: (a) selecting pit slope angles for a preliminary feasibility study at the exploration stage; and (b) coping with a slope failure in an operating mine. In both instances, slope angles must often be chosen on the basis of data that are currently available or can be readily obtained. All too often during exploration programs, a feasibility study is initiated shortly before the decision deadline to drop the property or proceed to purchase. If the only existing data at this point are a few cross-sections at odd angles showing ore and waste contacts or a dog-eared map of the surface geology, there may not be time to collect and organize sufficient information for the design of slope angles. On the other hand, if during the drilling program geologic cross-sections were constructed and the structural data compiled in tabular form, rational slope angles could be computed within the allotted time.

Jan 4, 1977

By E. S. Hutchinson

The subject of the influence of coal-dust in mine-explosions has received considerable attention both in England and on the continent of Europe, but until the recent disaster at Pocahontas, Va., it seems not to have been of special interest to engineers in this country. The reason, perhaps, is that most of our bituminous mines are worked by short shafts, slopes and drifts; few have been specially dry; and the explosions that have occurred could readily be traced to fire-damp with 110 complicated circumstances. The object of the present paper is to bring together, for the convenience of members of the Institute, the principal English opinions upon this important subject. Messrs. Lyell and Faraday, in their report to the Home Secretary," in England, on the Haswell Colliery explosion in 1844, seem to have been the first to point out that dust fed the flame originating in a

Jan 1, 1885

By R. H. B. Jones

This paper reviews pertinent geology of the Biwabik iron formation, Mesabi Range, Minnesota. This iron formation is divisible into four members. Each member is distinctive and contains marker horizons, which are recog nizable throughout all phases of alteration from lean, fresh rock to high-grade iron ore. Some beds have a larger magnetite content than others. During the process of ore genesis, which is essentially an oxidation process, the magnetite content is lowered. Alteration from iron formation to ore includes both oxidation of iron minerals and silica removal by leaching and these distinct processes progress at variable rates for different locations and structures. Magnetic intensities, of each horizon of the iron formation are dependent chiefly upon its preoxidation magnetite content, upon the subsequent degree of oxidation, upon the character of the enclosing rocks, and on the extent of fracturing, folding, or faulting. The results of a number of magnetic surveys are described and are correlated with results of drill-hole and mine exploration and developmerit. The magnetic anomalies obtained are discussed in relation to phases of formation of ore within the iron formation. General Information One hundred years ago a party of surveyors, applying the principles of geophysical prospecting, discovered iron ore in the state of Michigan in the Lake Superior district. This event was officially reported as follows:&apos; On Sept. 19 (1844) while running the east line of Town 47 North, Range 27 West, they observed by means of the solar compass remarkable variations in the direction of the needle, amounting to 87" from the normal. Ascribing this phenomenon to iron ore, they sought and found it in ledges or outcrops at several points. The solar compass referred to was invented by William A. Burt, deputy surveyor in charge of this party.2 It is used for determining the true meridian by an observation on the sun. Eight years later, on July 7, 1852, the first iron &apos;re, consisting of 6 bbl. of Ore, was shipped from Marquette, Michigan. It was another 40 years before the first or> shipment left the Mesabi Range in Minnesota, in October 1892. It totaled 4245 tons. Fifty years later, 90 years after the original shipment, during 1942 the Lake Superior district shipped 93,495,392 gross tons of iron ore. Production came from Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ontario, Canada. Throughout the 90-Year period it was known that magnetic properties of most of the ore bodies, and of the iron formations in which they occur, affected the compass. This phenomenon, later to be made use of to outline areas of ground favorable for exploration, was at first a

Jan 1, 1949

By R. H. B. Jones

This paper reviews pertinent geology of the Biwabik iron formation, Mesabi Range, Minnesota. This iron formation is divisible into four members. Each member is distinctive and contains marker horizons, which are recog nizable throughout all phases of alteration from lean, fresh rock to high-grade iron ore. Some beds have a larger magnetite content than others. During the process of ore genesis, which is essentially an oxidation process, the magnetite content is lowered. Alteration from iron formation to ore includes both oxidation of iron minerals and silica removal by leaching and these distinct processes progress at variable rates for different locations and structures. Magnetic intensities, of each horizon of the iron formation are dependent chiefly upon its preoxidation magnetite content, upon the subsequent degree of oxidation, upon the character of the enclosing rocks, and on the extent of fracturing, folding, or faulting. The results of a number of magnetic surveys are described and are correlated with results of drill-hole and mine exploration and developmerit. The magnetic anomalies obtained are discussed in relation to phases of formation of ore within the iron formation. General Information One hundred years ago a party of surveyors, applying the principles of geophysical prospecting, discovered iron ore in the state of Michigan in the Lake Superior district. This event was officially reported as follows:&apos; On Sept. 19 (1844) while running the east line of Town 47 North, Range 27 West, they observed by means of the solar compass remarkable variations in the direction of the needle, amounting to 87" from the normal. Ascribing this phenomenon to iron ore, they sought and found it in ledges or outcrops at several points. The solar compass referred to was invented by William A. Burt, deputy surveyor in charge of this party.2 It is used for determining the true meridian by an observation on the sun. Eight years later, on July 7, 1852, the first iron &apos;re, consisting of 6 bbl. of Ore, was shipped from Marquette, Michigan. It was another 40 years before the first or> shipment left the Mesabi Range in Minnesota, in October 1892. It totaled 4245 tons. Fifty years later, 90 years after the original shipment, during 1942 the Lake Superior district shipped 93,495,392 gross tons of iron ore. Production came from Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ontario, Canada. Throughout the 90-Year period it was known that magnetic properties of most of the ore bodies, and of the iron formations in which they occur, affected the compass. This phenomenon, later to be made use of to outline areas of ground favorable for exploration, was at first a

Jan 1, 1949

By Herbert Banks Johnson

DURING the past 10 or 12 years very little information has been made generally available concerning the commercial possibilities of separating materials by means of static electricity; and yet during that same period important improvements have been made in various branches of the science of electricity, which, when taken together, and applied to electrostatic separation, have resulted in important improvements in that art as well. For example, much improvement has been made in high-voltage electrical equipment such as full-wave vacuum-tube rectification and improved mechanical rectification. Great strides have likewise been made in the development of insulators for high-voltage work, not only in the materials used but also in the design of the insulators themselves. Again, in another field, the development of air-conditioning equipment has improved the technique of controlling the surface condition, through drying or humidifying, of the various materials that are passed through the electrostatic separator. In many authoritative publications and textbooks, the electrostatic separation process is declared to require a balance far too sensitive for general commercial application. For example, one publication1 in the past has referred to an unfavorable effect on the process caused by varying atmospheric conditions such as humidity. Some2 have even gone so far as to state that sunlight and shadows may seriously affect the separating efficiency of the process. Such statements may have been true in the early development of the art, when the source of static electricity was derived from a friction disk machine, such as the Wimshurst. The Blake Mosher equipment and the work of Huff in applying motor- generator sets, transformers and mechanical rectification overcame much of this kind of objection to the commercial application of the electrostatic separating process. Another objection made periodically is that it is generally considered necessary to feed the particles into the electrostatic field in a stream that

Jan 1, 1938