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By Homer Turner

THE nature and comparative features of anthracite and bituminous coals have been discussed by the writer in two previous papers.1 Although this paper is offered as a further contribution to the subject, it seems desirable at the outset to repeat some of the descriptive matter of the early works in order to show the actual connection between various constituents of both coals and the new photomicrographs and other physical and chemical properties.

Jan 1, 1929

By T. M. Girdler

IN THESE perilous days of world- wide uncertainty, this Institute and the profession represented by it take on new importance in the economic life of the nation. I have long been impressed by the fact that the objects of the A.I.M.E. are purely professional and scientific. The country has benefited from your honorable tradition of adherence to those objectives over a period of 68 years. The Institute's policy of refraining from controversial matters - has made possible the serious, balanced, and uncolored consideration of the particular problems that come before it.

Jan 1, 1939

By Morgan Walker

Intermittent injection of gas in gas-lift pumping is a variation of the common practice in that the gas is delivered to the well for a short period, called the "on time," followed by a period during which none is admitted, called the "off time," instead of being admitted continuously at a constant rate or by intermittent flowing in which it is occasionally delivered to the well in just sufficient quantity to flow off the accumulated head of fluid. The term "gas" is used throughout this discussion but it should be remembered that in so far as the operation is concerned either air or natural gas may be used. The equipment at the well is the same as commonly used in gas-lift installations and gas may be admitted to either the tubing or the casing. It seldom occurs that all the wells on a lease can be pumped economically by intermittent injection from one header. Wells that have flow characteristics which permit their being handled together have their intake lines grouped at a central compressor station. Well groups may consist of two or more wells. The total volume of gas delivered by each group of compressors goes to one well at a time through a quick opening valve, each well connected to the header receiving its charge of gas in turn. Special cases may require a deviation from this arrangement. The distribution of the gas to the different wells is effected by an automatic timing device which operates quick-opening valves on the intake lines. The timing mechanism may be actuated by electricity, liquid or gas pressure, The essential factor in the operation of the timing mechanism is that as one intake valve is closed another must be opened. Water-operated Timing Device Timing devices operate the intake valves either directly, or indirectly by pilot valves. Of the former type one that is operated by water and has given satisfactory service is shown in Fig. 1 and can be made on the lease. The horizontal cylinder is a piece of 10-in. casing about 7 ft. long, closed at each end and free to oscillate about a fulcrum at the center.

Jan 1, 1929

By W. H. Adams

Among the engineering plants with new features and deserving details which are constantly being brought to the working stage in the Southern States by the generous expenditure of capital, none can exceed in interest, whether to the public or the profession, the incline-railway built from base to summit of Lookout Mountain, near Chattanooga, Tennessee. Much geological and historical interest centers in this section of the middle mountain-country. Of its geology, the Transactions of the Institute contain many particulars. Of its history, the most

Jan 1, 1888

By Richard D. Hagni

Although the ore microscopist routinely examines polished sections to determine the mineralogy and texture of ores, his importance to the solution of problems peripheral to geology is not always fully realized. The techniques which he uses can be applied with little modification to the solution of a wide variety of beneficiation problem. By extending his studies beyond those normally considered to be of interest to the geologist, he can include examinations of polished sections of selected mill products. This is a logical extension, because the minerals and textures in the polished sections of ores are the same as those in millproducts. The mill dressing engineer should be more aware of the types of beneficiation problem that can be solved by the ore microscopist and what the ore microscopist can do for him. A greater degree of cooperation between the ore microscopist and the mill dressing engineer can be of significant mutual benefit. Ore microscopy holds an advantage over chemical analysis, because the interrelations and combinations ofthe mineral constituents of an ore or mill product can be visually determined. This advantage provides solutions to many beneficiation problem. Locking is a type of beneficiation problem that is particularly amenable to ore microscopy. The percentage, type, and distribution of locked particles can be readily determined with the aid of an ore microscope and an estimate made of the extent of additional grinding required for liberation. The extent of intimately locked types, which no reasonable amount of grinding will liberate, can also be evaluated. Mineral coating conditions, free particles of a deleterious mineral, and free particles of a valuable mineral held in flocculated clusters of gangue are other features that can readily be observed. In some instances, visual examination may show that the problem is not one of locking. Photomicrographs illustrate the variety of beneficiation problems for which the ore microscope is applicable. These problems and their resolution demonstrate the importance of the instrument and show the value of close coordination between the mill dressing engineer and the ore microscopist.

Jan 1, 1979

By Edwin Ludlow

THE responses to the request of the Finance Committee have been coming in with gratifying results, .but there have also been about a dozen letters received objecting in various ways to the voluntary subscription. These can be summarized as: First.-That the dues should have been increased, and thus impose the same burden on everyone. This would not have met the present situation, as under the constitution no increase could be effective until 1922. Second.-The Institute should 'live within its means, and reduce its expenses to correspond with its income. As far -as possible this was done by deferring the publication of Volume LXIV until 1921, although the papers published in that volume, were presented at the meeting in February, 1920. It is to avoid being obliged to do this again that the subscription is asked, as we feel that it is, a duty we owe to our membership_ to give them the papers presented at as early a date as possible.. Our financial situation is due to the very large increase in the cost of publication; owing to the high price of paper and printing. The cost of paper is now decreasing, and we hope that there will be' wage adjustments that will permit a lower cost for printing. Under present conditions each volume of our TRANSACTIONS costs three times as much as it did in 1917 and we would be able to publish only one' volume per year. Third.-That there are too many papers published that are 'of no interest to the writer of them .complaint.-This is undoubtedly true, but it must be remembered that the membership of the Institute includes all branches of mining and metallurgy and that all these branches are entitled to be' represented in our TRANSACTIONS by papers.

Jan 1, 1921

By Philip J. Shenon

IN 1947 the mining industry strove desperately to regain operating normalcy. During the first part of the year the industry in this country was plagued with labor shortages, strikes, and portal-to-portal lawsuits. Then followed the uncertainty of Government policy with respect to subsidies and tariffs; and the long and bitter controversy as to whether we are a nation of mineral "haves" or "have-nots." As the year progressed the labor supply impoved somewhat and the Taft-Hartley law brought partial relief to strike-troubled industry. The uncertainty with respect to tariffs was partly answered by President Truman on April 29 when he announced the suspension of the 4¢ import duty on copper until March 31, 1949, and later, near the close of the year, by the announcement of the tariff agreement signed by the United Nations at Geneva. By this agreement tariff rates are to be adjusted downward, or "bound" at their present levels, for three years, on commodities amounting to some 60 per cent of United States trade. Effective Jan. 1, 1948 the rate of duty will be substantially reduced on ores, concentrates, or metals of zinc, aluminum, copper, manganese, tungsten, iron, steel, barytes, nickel, cadmium, and antimony.

Jan 1, 1948

By G. K. Burgess

THE question of the allotropy of iron, in spite of a vast amount of experimental work and perhaps an even greater amount of theorizing, is not yet settled. That there is a definite transformation in iron near 900,° the A3 point, is generally recognized, as well as the fact that the temperature of this transformation is lowered by the addition of carbon and metallic elements. On heating, the transformation Ac3 is always found at a higher temperature than the transformation on cooling, Ar3. Whether the A3 transformation is sharp like the melting point of a pure substance, or extends over a considerable range of temperatures, embracing perhaps as a lower limit the A2 change, appears to be still an open question for pure iron. The nature and identity of the A2 transformation, it would appear from recent publications, has not yet been satisfactorily settled. In the present paper a critical, historical summary is given of the experimental investigations of the location of A2 and A.3 in pure iron, together with brief mention of some of the theoretical aspects of the subject, and an account is given of a series ?of experiments carried out with several samples of very pure iron which were studied by two methods of thermal analysis in the range from 5000 C. to 1,000° C., and which it is believed furnish a contribution of considerable interest as to the location and nature of the A3 and A2 transformations. Great attention has been given to the details of experimental manipulation and to the preparation of the samples, as it was soon found that some of the discrepancies noted in the work of many experimenters may be traced largely to lack of precautions which we have found essential. For example, to anticipate somewhat, it is necessary to provide a suitable practically gas-free furnace, the heating and cooling of which may be regulated to a nicety. To render a minimum the deforming effects on the cooling and heating curves of the poor conduction of the sample, it must be of a form and mass to pass on its heat rapidly and completely to the thermocouple; and finally the sample itself must be freed from gases which, if present, further mask the definiteness of the heating and cooling curves. We, have also varied within wide limits the several factors which may influence the determination of the exact location and shape of the transformation ranges, especially the mass and preparation of sample, rate of heating and cooling, design of furnace; and finally, as nearly as it is experimentally possible, we have worked with a substance approaching pure iron, free from occluded gases and other impurities, and contained within a vacuum.

Jan 10, 1913

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 H. B. Goodrich

Anthony I?. Lucas died suddenly at his home in Washington, D. C., on Sept. 2, 1921. Captain Lucas, as he was known to us, was born in Dalmatia, Austria, in 1855, of Montenegrin ancestry. He was graduated as an engineer at the Polytechnic of Grate and served in the Austrian Navy as second lieutenant. In 1879, he obtained leave of absence and visited an uncle in the United States. After an extension of this leave of absence, in order to undertake an engineering engagement in the lumber district of Michigan, where he resided, he decided to become an American citizen. He was naturalized in May, 1885. His name was Luchich, but as his uncle had adopted the name of Lucas, which was more easily pronounced by Americans, from his entrance to this country, he used this Anglo-Saxon form. Without knowing this fact, upon first meeting him a person was sometimes surprised to note the rather Germanic pronunciation of the Captain. Although he subsequently revisited Austria with Mrs. Lucas, he made his permanent home at Washington, D. C. His son served with distinction in the A. E. F. during the World War. His activities in this country as a mining engineer were at first in Colorado and later in salt mining at Petit Anse and Belle Isle, La. During his salt investigations, his attention was directed toward the possibility of oil in the Gulf Coast region and in January, 1901, his well, the "Lucas Gusher," on Spindle Top, Tex., started a new era in the oil business and his reputation as discoverer made him famous throughout the world. Captain Lucas became a member of the A. I. M. E. in 1895. During 1914, 1915, 1918, and 1919, he was chairman of the Petroleum and Gas Committee of the Institute and was at all times prominent in Institute affairs. As to the personality of Captain Lucas, the lasting impression is of a courteous hospitable gentleman, genial, affable, obliging, and helpful with his advice br assistance to any colleague. He was sincere, honest, firm against all obstacles, backing his judgment with his own hard work along any course which he had determined to be correct. His value in the engineering world lies mainly in the petroleum industry. In the oil business all wild-catters are pioneers that deserve credit and gratitude upon their success. There are, however, names that particularly stand out in our history. Drake conquered such obstacles as ridicule, lack of finances, and started the oil business. In 1901, Captain Lucas had the conviction that Spindle Top, a dome rising about 12 ft. above the coastal prairie south of Beaumont, Tex., contained commercial oil. He was scoffed at by practical oil men of the East. Noted geologists

Jan 1, 1921

By J. C. Reed

CINNABAR was discovered in southwestern Arkansas on Little Missouri River in sec. 1, T.7S., R.26W., in April, 1930, and near Antoine Creek in sec. 28, T.6S., R.23W., some 15 miles farther east in May of the same year. It was not, however, until June, 1931, that cinnabar was identified as such in a specimen from the original discovery area sent to W. M. Weigel1 by Walter F. Hintze of Murfreesboro. Almost simultaneously2, in July, 1931, Moritz Norden of Hot Springs identified specimens from the Antoine Creek area as cinnabar. Immediate interest in the district followed the identification of cinnabar and by January, 1932, the district was known to extend as a mineralized belt about one mile wide trending east-northeast from sec. 13, T.7S., R.27W., in Howard County-across central Pike County and into Clark County to sec. 19, T.6S., R.23W., thence extending southeast into sections 33 and 34 of the same township. Since then, cinnabar has been found in sec. 6, T.7S., R.22W., thus giving a total east-west length to the district of approximately 30 miles. Interest focused mainly on the two discovery areas, with the result that mining development has progressed most rapidly in those localities. In the Antoine Creek area the Arkansas Quicksilver Co. has done con-siderable exploration work and has retorted the high-grade ore so .obtained. In the Little Missouri area the Southwestern Quicksilver Co. has had a 12-ton rotary furnace in more or less continuous operation since April, 1932, and has been the largest producer in the district.

Jan 1, 1935

By JOHN A. MALONEY

AS noted in the February issue of MINING AND METALLURGY, an advisory committee to the Museum of Science and Industry of Chicago was authorized by the Institute's Board of Directors, with W. R. Wright of Chicago, former Director of the Institute, as chairman. Since that time the committee has been undergoing organization, and held its initial meeting at the Museum offices in Chicago on April 11 and 12. Functioning as consultants to the Geology and Mineral Industries branch of this new institution, the advisory committee is aiding in building an exhibit which will tell the story of geology, mining, and metallurgy to millions of visitors a year. Although patterned to some extent

Jan 1, 1932

By J. E. Johnson

(Cleveland Meeting, October, 11,1912.) THE subject of blast-furnace slag is one which has had much consideration, particularly from the scientific standpoint, and several years ago technical literature contained many learned discussions on the oxygen-ratio of the acids and the bases, all on the assumption that acids and bases must be present in a ratio depending on molecular weight and chemical valency. Much work has also been done, sometimes in conjunction with the former, on the total heat and the temperature of initial fusion or softening of various slags. A wider knowledge of the blast-furnace now enables us to say that for practical purposes this work has been of almost no value. It is now generally admitted that on the physical side the important point of a given slag is neither its total heat of fusion nor its softening-point, but its free-running temperature, since this is the critical temperature of the furnace. This temperature bears no definite relation to the softening-temperature, as determined by Seger cones, for instance, because some slags melt relatively like ice, with a very short viscous-range, while others melt relatively like tar, with a very long viscous-range. In one the difference between the softening- and the free-running temperature may be very small, as little as 100° F., while in another this difference may easily be 200° or 300°. The importance of this difference is so great in practice as to destroy completely the value of exhaustive investigations, even such as those of 0. Boudouard, published a few years ago.1 * Presented also at the Joint Meeting of the Institute with Section IIIa, Metallurgy and Mining, of the Eighth International Congress of Applied Chemistry, New York, September, 1912. 1 It may not be amiss at this point to call attention to the excellent suggestion of Woolsey McA. Johnson, made several years ago, for determining the temperature at which different slags have the same practical fusibility. This suggestion

Oct 1, 1912

By S. S. Clarke

THE opening of zinc-lead ore bodies in the lower chert beds of the Tri-State district, locally called sheet-ground deposits, [ ] presented several new economic operating problems to be solved before the low-grade deposits could be mined profitably. Drilling was the first high-cost problem and loading and haulage difficulties followed. At this time, the sheet-ground mines are producing about 2000 tons per day. GEOLOGY The geology and ore deposits of the Tri-State district have been covered in detail by [ ] Fowler and Lyden.* Briefly, the sheet-

Jan 1, 1942

TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF MINING AND METALLURGICAL ENGINEERS: Gentlemen.-I have the honor to present the following report of the President for the year 1919. In order that this report may be printed and distributed to the members in advance of the February meeting, it is necessary that it end with the calendar year 1919. Any activities during the first six weeks of 1920 will be covered in the Secretary's report for the year 1920. VISITS TO MEMBERS Your President has visited each of the Local Sections of the Institute, with the exception of the ones at Washington, D. C., Tulsa, Okla., and the Nevada Section. These three sections have not arranged meetings at which the President could be present. In addition, your President, accompanied by President Jennings and Secretary Stoughton, in the year 1918, attended meetings of members in Minneapolis and Duluth, Minn., and Houghton, Mich. A dinner and meeting of the members in Pitts-burgh, Pa., was also attended, in company with the Secretary and your President also attended the meeting of Canadian Mining Institute in Montreal, in March, 1919.

Jan 2, 1920

By S. L. GILLAN

OF the forty or more excursions provided for the delegates to the World Engineering Congress at Tokyo, the trip to the Ashio copper mine stands out as one of the most enjoyable. In every detail looking to our comfort and pleasure the Furukawa company, our hosts, were admirable. This company operates five other copper mines, also gold and coal mines. Ashio is the largest with an annual production of about 14,000 tons of copper. It has been continuously worked since 1620, and doubtless was one of the sources of copper used in the gigantic statues of Buddha of many hundred years earlier date.

Jan 1, 1930

By Larry Kaufman, Morris Cohen

THE solid phase equilibria' and the martensitic transformation in the iron-nickel system have been the subject of considerable study. In addition, there have been numerous investigations on the calorimetric and thermodynamic properties of iron-nickel alloys. The purpose of the present work is to extend the existing information concerning the martensitic reaction in the iron-nickel system, and to develop a general thermodynamic treatment which will encompass the equilibrium and non-equilibrium phase

Jan 1, 1957

The finding of gold, in enriching quantity, along the streams that issued from the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada was the prelude not only to the birth of an organized mining industry in California but to the intensive exploration of the entire Pacific slope; it presaged the feverish exploitation of the mineral resources that the ubiquitous prospector soon uncovered all over our western domain. At first when this migration began, as typified by the rush of 1849, there was no time to examine the signs of ore that were to be detected along the track of adventure, and, it must be added, not many in that motley crowd of gold-seekers were qualified to interpret the signs if they had lingered to look at them. Such intelligent curiosity as a few of them possessed was directed to the finding of gold chiefly, if not exclusively; and their good sense in this respect can not be impugned, because in a new and remote country the less valuable metals and minerals are unlikely to be worth the winning. Many of those that came to California crossed the alkaline wastes and sagebrush prairies that extend between the Great Sal? Lake and the ramparts of the snow-clad Sierra; when coming overland they found it convenient to halt on the eastern slope and to pitch their camp in the valley of the Car- son river before they began the tedious ascent of the mountains and the final entry into the land of gold. One of the trails most used by these immigrants followed the Carson river to the mountain meadows south of Lake Tahoe and then descended among the pine-woods of Placerville, where they went to work with pan and shovel in the gold-bearing streams

Jan 1, 1932

By Roman Šejnoha, Karel Mazanec

A pronounced tendency for delayed fracture zoas observed in the martensite structure of low-alloy steels in the as-quenched condition. Cracks of predominantly intercrystalline nature nucleated and propagated at stresses substantially lower than the short-titne tensile strength of- the steels, and were observed even in hydrogen-free speciunens. The occurrence of delayed fractures in the as-quenched condition is interpreted as a supevposition of the effect of free dislocations generated during the martensite transforlnation, and of a weakening of the prior austenite grain boundaries caused by dynamic shocks exerted on the boundaries by growing martensite plates. AN important metallurgical problem, connected with the production and use of high-strength steels, is delayed fracture in martensitic structures. Such fractures occur in quenched steels as a result of prolonged loading with external stresses far lower than the short-time tensile strength of the steel. The same effect can be produced by sufficiently high internal stresses: it is well-known that quenched structures will in some cases crack intergranularly at room temperature if not tempered quickly enough even in the absence of any externally applied stress. In Troiano's papers1,2 on delayed fractures in high-strength steels, the fundamental role of hydrogen migrating under the influence of multiaxial stress towards the nuclei of cracks was found. Fig. 1 shows the typical relationship between stress and the time to fracture found by Troiano in hydrogen-charged high-strength steels. On the other hand, Shurakov 3,4 explains the realization of delayed fractures in martensite as due to a "quasi-viscous" behavior of the austenite grain boundaries immediately after the martensitic transformation. 1) MATERIALS AND EXPERIMENTAL METHODS Two low-alloy steels of commercial purity were used for the experiments reported in this paper. Their chemical composition is shown in Table I. The heats were melted in a laboratory furnace, cast to ingots, forged to bars of 3/4 in. diameter, and annealed. Machined test pieces were heat-treated as follows: Ni-Cr-Mo steel held at 900°C for 30 min and quenched in oil; Mn-Si-Cr steel held at 900°C for 30 min and quenched in water. For the delayed-fracture tests, notched cylindrical test pieces, Fig. 2, stressed in torsion, and unnotched cylindrical tensile-test pieces, 1/4 in. diameter, were used. The specimens were normally loaded with a constant static load 45 min after quenching for the torsional tests and 10 min

Jan 1, 1965

By Basil Prescott

Resume.—The district of Santa Eulalia lies 12 miles to the southeast of the city of Chihuahua, Mexico. The ore deposits occur in a Cretaceous limestone of unknown thickness, overlain by a series of rhyolitic tuffs and flows. The limestone is very gently folded and is cut by several systems of fissures, of which only those with a general north-south strike are pre-mineral and control the deposition. The deposits are of two main types; the earlier silver-bearing iron sulphide type occurs as high-grade tabular bodies resembling veins and as large masses of relatively low-grade ore, The gangue of this type is composed of lime-iron silicates that point toward a close association with an igneous rock mass which has not yet been encountered. In the later silver-lead-zinc type the ore occurs in vertical chimneys and horizontal mantas, principally as oxides, though at a depth of 1,500 ft. some sulphides have been encountered. During oxidation the ore chambers have increased in size owing to the solution of the walls by the sulphuric acid generated in the process, and a substitution has taken place of nearly one-half part by weight of the original constituents of the ore, by newly introduced elements and radicals. Both types are believed to have come from greater depths than those yet reached by mining, and their ultimate source, from a consideration of similar deposits, is believed to be an igneous rock in contact with the limestone at some horizon below. The deposits are believed to have been formed at unusually great depths, as indicated by the proved great vertical range of the silicate minerals coupled with the absence of the igneous rock, and by the practically unchanged character of the silver-lead-zinc ores as far as developed. The volcanic capping is believed to be distinctly later than the economically important ore deposition. Introduction The Santa Eulalia district is situated in the State of Chihuahua, Mexico, and lies about 12 miles southeast of the capital, the city of Chihuahua. (See map, Fig. 1.) The district embraces the Sierra de La

Jan 1, 1915