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By A. L. Slaughter

The Homestake mine, located in western South Dakota, was discovered in 1876. The first reported production was in I 878. Total production through 1965 is 6,554,249 troy ounces of silver and 27,961,276 troy ounces of gold, worth $987,000,000 at present prices. Precambrian sedimentary formations at Lead total 20,000 feet. The Poorman Formation, the oldest, is chiefly ankerite carbonate. The Homestake Formation is iron-magnesium carbonate. The younger formations are argillaceous with some quartzites. The Cambrian Deadwood Formation unconformably overlies the Precambrian. All are cut by Tertiary intrusives. Sideroplesite schist of the Homestake Formation was converted to cummingtonite schist in the zones of higher-grade metamorphism. The Precambrian rocks show the effects of extreme isoclinal folding. A second stage of folding ( cross folds) may have been caused by the Tertiary intrusives. All folds plunge to the southeast. The Homestake ore bodies are pipe-like replacements of the Homestake Formation in zones of cross folding. It is believed that dilatation of the schists has increased permeability in these zones. Chloritization of the schists is the most widespread effect of the mineralization which is divided into four stages. Principal minerals of the first stage are quartz, chlorite, and arsenopyrite; in the second stage, quartz, ankerite, and pyrrhotite. In the third stage only pyrrhotite was deposited. The fourth stage followed the intrusions of Tertiary dikes and deposited mostly pyrite and calcite. Gold accompanies all stages and is always the last mineral to be deposited. It is most closely associated with arsenopyrite of the first stage but can be interpreted as having been deposited during the fourth stage and superimposed on the products of the earlier stages.

Jan 1, 1968

By H. Sigurdson, C. H. Moore

Extensive studies have been carried out on electric furnace and blast furnace slags obtained in the winning of iron from its ores. These slags normally consist of elements of the gangue minerals present in the ores, as well as the added flux materials. In consequence, melts of CaO, MgO, Al2O3 and SiO2 can be considered as representing typical slag compositions. When a slag of this composition cools, it usually crystallizes according to predictions possible from an equilibrium diagram of these constituents, providing the melt is not undercooled to form glass. The melt is either viscous or fluid, depending upon the ratio of binary cations to silica, and crystallizes easily or forms a glass for the same reasons. If the melt is not overheated so that carbides of the metal components of the slag are formed and if the composition of the slag is so adjusted that it has a high fluidity, liquid equilibrium is attained and the slag can be held in a liquid state for extended periods of time. Upon tapping, the slag crystallizes into minerals, the type and proportion of which are determined by the melt composition. Since equilibrium is attained, the holding period is not critical. In melts containing a large increment of titanium, however, the normal slag procedures are not applicable. Titanium, as one of the atomic transition elements, is, at elevated temperatures, capable of being reduced to form metalloid compounds much more readily than the refractory oxides present in normal slags. In consequence, an oxide melt containing titanium never reaches equilibrium in a reducing environment, but continues to shift its composition until cooled. If melts of this nature are cooled and samples submitted to metal-lographic and X ray analysis the course of reaction and crystallization in this type of slag can be determined. Preparation of Slag The slags investigated fell into the system CaO-MgO-TiO2-Al2O3-SiO2 and were produced from ilmenite ores reduced by carbon in an electric furnace. Since the equilibrium series1 and the laboratory smelting of ilmenite2 are described in two of the accompanying papers, detailed description of the smelting procedure is not required here. However, certain essentials must be mentioned. Two types of melts were used to produce slags studied in this investigation. The first series of smelts made to determine proper flux addition were produced in a 4 lb Ajax induction furnace. The charge, consisting of ore with the proper flux addition, was heated in a graphite crucible until fluid, held fluid for a sufficient time period to obtain 1-5 pct FeO content, and poured. Because of the small size of the charge only the final sample of these melts could be examined. In the melts made in the 50 lb arc furnace, however, grab samples taken at 10 min. intervals between time of initial melting and final pouring were available for examination. These samples allowed a much clearer picture of the course of reaction and crystallization. amounts of ferrous oxide and reduced titanium compounds is opaque to transmitted light. Therefore, all petro-graphic studies had to be made on polished slag sections. A representative sample of slag was cut or broken, mounted in a thermosetting plastic, ground flat using 400 grit silicon carbide, the coarse scratches removed with 600 grit silicon carbide and polished on billiard cloth using levigated alumina. Rouge was avoided because of the entrainment of the red particles in pores in the slag, causing a possible confusion with some of the mineral phases. In order to prevent sample projection above the plastic surface red bakelite was used to hold the sample, and backed up with clear lucite. In this manner sample labels could be permanently retained in the mounting. The polished samples were examined on a Bausch and Lomb metallograph at magnifications of 250 X, 500 X, 1000 X and 1800 X. The instrument was equipped for examination of specimens under bright field illumination and with crossed nicols. A magenta tint plate to aid in color tone differentiation was also used. Petrology of Slags In order to determine the composition and mineral relatinos of a previously unreported system petrologically, it is essential that the starting composition, reaction temperature and final composition be known. The chemical composition of the ilmenite ore used in these smelts is given in Table 1, and the complete analysis of a typical high titanium, low iron slag is given in Table 2. In the winning of TiO2 from ilmenite by a smelting process it is necessary to produce a slag which will melt at an economically feasible temperature, remain molten as the iron is removed by reduction, be fluid enough to be readily removed from the furnace, contain a high percentage of TiO2 and a low percentage of reduced titanium com-

Jan 1, 1950

C. A. ROSE, New York, N. Y. (written discussion *).-Without doubt the excellent results obtained at Ajo will cause surprise among metallurgists; 75 per cent. average capacity and 80 per cent. extraction during the first year of operation of a plant using a new metallurgical process are figures that speak for themselves. It is obvious that the most troublesome feature of the process is the fouling of solutions. The effects of this are most evident in the electrolytic tank house; but apparently the solutions are so heavily loaded with salts that their dissolving power is also impaired. This is indicated by the fact that copper comes into solution during washing after the leaching of the ore is completed, as shown by the decreasing ratio of acid to copper in the various washes tabulated in Table 4, and also by the fact that 4.9 per cent. of the total copper in the ore remains in the tailings in a soluble form. Even though the extraction in leaching and the ampere efficiency in electrolysis would be benefited by keeping the salts in solution at a lower concentration, it is doubtful whether it would pay to decrease these salts by discarding more electrolyte without other changes in the, process, since this would increase the amount of cement copper produced, which is already very large. If, however, it would not disturb the process otherwise, this object could be accomplished by increasing the range of electrolysis, so that solution going to the tank house would contain, say, 4 per cent. copper and 1 per cent. acid, and the solution returned to the leaching plant 1 1/2 per cent. copper and 4.8 per cent. acid, and by increasing the volume of solution to be discarded, this to be taken from the electrolyzed solution returned to the leaching plant. By this arrangement, more salts will be removed from the system per ton of cement copper produced; and if sufficient solution is discarded to keep the iron content down to 1 1/2 per cent. it would he feasible to recover the copper from

Jan 4, 1919

By P. K. Currie, J. V. Walters

Solution mining of magnesium salts (Carnallite and Bischofite) is taking place near Veendam, in the northeast Netherlands. The magnesium salts are used for the production of magnesia sinter, used as a base material for the manufacture of refractory bricks for furnaces. This paper gives, first, an introduction to the operational procedure followed in Veendam, with the emphasis on some of the unique aspects, and then discusses rock-mechanical aspects of the cavity behaviour. The creep behaviour of magnesium salts is described, and Finite Element calculations on cavity stability and potential surface subsidence are discussed.

Jan 1, 1985

By G. R. Love, M. L. Picklesimer

Aboue 950°C the Nb-Zr system consists of a completely miscible bcc solid solution, commonly called the phase. Between 950 and 600°C, and between 20 and 85 pct Nb, the phase deconlposes, after sunciently long times, into two bcc solid solutions. The pct Zr alloys are conveniently descibecl with T-T-T (time-temperature-transformation) curves having a nose at about 2 hr at 700°C. The reaction rate varies only slowly with zirconium content and negligibly with oxygen contanzination; it is speeded up by a factor of 10 to 15 by 90 pct cold ulork and slowed dou by n factor oj 10 to 30 by a two-hundrecljold increase in grain size. Nb-r alloys with compositions between 40 and 85 pct Nb have been the basis for the majority of commercially important superconducting materials. In part because of their commercial promise, more is known about these alloys than about most other high-field superconducting materials. At the same time, there is considerable disputed or incomplete metallurgical information. For example, although Rogers and tkins&apos; indicate a monotectoid reaction at approximately 600°C and a two-phase 01 + 0, field extending between 20 and 85 pct Nb and to a maximum of 95OGC, erhout&apos; has reported that this entire region would be a single homogeneous B were it not for oxygen contamination. Again, although it has been shown that relatively short-time heat treatments in the vicinity of 700CZ significantly improve the ability of short wire samples to carry high currents in high magnetic fields at 4.2K, these observations have never been fully correlated with the structural change or changes occurring during the anneal. We intend to investigate in detail the effect of metallurgical variables, including heat treatment, on the superconducting properties of hard superconductors. To verify that our experimental techniques are valid and to establish a relative standard against which other materials may be measured, we feel it advisable to know the behavior of the Nb-Zr alloys under a variety of processing conditions. As an initial step toward this goal, we have determined in detail the kinetics of the transformations in Nb-Zr alloys. EXPERIMENT A number of problems had to be solved before beginning any fruitful work on the reaction kinetics in this system. While solving some of these problems, either by chance or by design, small amounts of information were obtained about alloys containing 40, 50, 60, 65, 67, 70, and 75 pct Nb, bal. Zr. In addition, a large range of grain sizes and a range of temperatures considerably greater than the range indicated by Rogers and Atkins phase diagram were examined. We will, however, report in detail only the results obtained for the Nb + 33 pct Zr and Nb + 25 pct Zr alloys at three grain sizes, two levels of oxygen contamination, and the temperature range 550 to 950°C. These data are most complete, but the other data are sufficiently complete to indicate the kind and magnitude of the variation of the transformation kinetics outside this range. The first and most difficult problem encountered in this inquiry was one of sample homogeneity. When Nb-Zr alloys are arc- or electron-beam-melted on a cooled copper hearth, solidification is sufficiently slow that there is appreciable coring in the cast structure and a large variation of grain size across the button thickness. Both these factors significantly affect the apparent reaction rate in the system. A two-step solution to the problem was attempted; an arc-melting and drop-casting technique has been developed by conald that greatly reduces the as-cast grain size and virtually eliminates coring segregation. Ingots made in this way exhibited no detectable (3 pct maximum) zirconium segregation. Before it was evident just how good this technique was, we attempted to supplement it with rather long-time, high-temperature annealing of the cast ingots. This annealing was carried out in evacuated and sealed (seal-off pressures < 1.0 x 106 torr) quartz capsules lined with tantalum foil at 1400 to 1450 C for 8 to 72 hr. There were two principal effects of this treatment: the grain size increased to a fairly uniform 150 p, and the surface and all grain boundaries near the surface acquired a film of a second phase, tentatively identified as an oxide (possibly additionally contaminated with silicon). There was no evidence that this 1400 C treatment had affected the zirconium segregation. High-temperature annealing was subsequently used only for grain-size control, but anneals of longer than 4 hr at temperatures greater than 1000°C were performed in dynamic vacuums (pressure no greater than 1.0 x lo torr). Any contamination resulting from these treatments was well below the limits of detection of our techniques. All samples, as cast, were cold-swaged to at least 85 pct reduction in area. The samples called cold-worked were tested as swaged. The minimum re-crystallization anneal for these alloys was about 12 hr at 1050 C; this produced an equiaxed grain diameter of about 4 to 8 P. Annealing for 4 hr at 1450°C produced a grain size of about 80 to 150 p; and annealing for 4 hr at 1650aC, close to the melting point of many of these alloys, produced a grain size of 0.5 to 1.0 mm. At all temperatures, the larger grain size was

Jan 1, 1967

By Waldermar Lindgren

[The observations here presented were made during a short visit at Calico, in December, 1886. The accompanying map, which does not claim to be more than a careful sketch, is based on the position of a few mines obtained from Mr. F. Lewis, at Calico, and the plats in the Land Office with the patented claims. Only a few claims are shown by their boundary lines: as usual in mining districts, there is an enormous number of them, often conflicting or overlapping, the correct mapping of which would be useless for the present purpose. The rest of the topography and the drainage are mapped from sketches, aided by compass and aneroid. The elevations are taken from Daggett as base, the altitude of this station being determined by the railroad to be 2000 feet.] Until a few years ago the product of silver in California was of little importance, compared with that of gold, and often fell short of $1,000,000, the only noteworthy counties being Mono, Inyo and San Bernardino. About 1881, however, important discoveries were made in the deserts of San Bernardino, and the remarkable increase in the production may be seen from the following figures, taken from the Reports of the Director of the Mint: Silver Production of California. Of San Bernardino Co. 1883,. .. $1,460,000 $1,050,050 1884,. .. 3,000,000 2,550,000 1885,. .. 2,568,036 2,363,436 By far the largest portion of the product of San Bernardino is derived from the district surrounding Calico, although the success there has also given fresh stimulus to prospecting and mining in other parts of the county. San Bernardino borders towards the east on Nevada and Arizona, towards the south on San Diego County, California. Topographically, as well as geologically, the largest part of it belongs to the Great Basin. Broad shallow lake-beds or valleys with an elevation of 2000 to 3000 feet, are separated by low mountain chains and

Jan 1, 1887

By W. S. Row

This mine is operated at 4000 to 4500 tons daily through a single shaft, with one rock hoist and one service hoist. Latest shaft construction is concrete with wooden dividers. Economics of drifters and air-leg drills are compared, as well as costs of shrinkage and sub-level stoping. Economy of large haulage equipment and underground crushing is shown.

Jan 3, 1953

By George Macready

TRINIDAD, British West Indies, is an island near the north coast of South America, situated between latitudes 10° and 11° N:, and. opposite the numerous outlets of the Orinoco River Delta. It is separated from Venezuela by the Gulf of Paria (salt, water) and straits over 5 mi. (8 km.) wide. The area of the island is approximately 1750 sq. mi. (453,- . 250 hectares) and the population is approximately 400,000. The climate is tropical with an annual rainfall of from 45 to 60 in. (114 to 152 cm.). The oil fields consist of several units, or fields, located in the southern half of the island. Approximately 90 per cent. of the total production has been yielded by fields situated within 7 mi: (11.3 km.) of the famous asphalt lake and on the southwest peninsula. The most important producing fields, or units, are the following, which are shown on the accompanying map: Brighton, or Pitch Lake Field, operated by the Trinidad Lake Petroleum Co., Ltd., is situated beside the famous Pitch Lake; it, even encroaches on the lake. Vessigny Field, operated by the Trinidad Lake Petroleum Co., Ltd., is situated 2 mi. (3.2 km.) south of Pitch Lake. Lot One Field, operated by the Petroleum Development Co., Ltd., the United British Oilfields of Trinidad, Ltd., and Stollmeyer, Ltd., is situated 3 mi. south of Pitch Lake upon Lot One of Morne 1&apos;Enfer Forest Reserve and adjoining properties. Parry Lands Field, operated by the United British Oilfields of Trinidad, Ltd., and the Petroleum Development Co., Ltd., is situated 3;2 mi. south of Pitch Lake on Lot Three of Morne l&apos;Enfer Forest Reserve and adjoining properties. Point Fortin Field, operated by the United British Oilfields of Trinidad, Ltd., is situated at Point Fortin, 6 mi. southwest of Pitch Lake. Fyzabad Field, operated by Trinidad Leaseholds, Ltd., is situated several miles southwest of Fyzabad Village and 6 mi. south-southeast of Pitch Lake. Barracpore Field, operated by Trinidad Leaseholds, Ltd., is situated several miles south of. San Fernando and 15 mi. (24.14 km.) east of Pitch Lake.

Jan 9, 1920

By AIME AIME

BLANDFORD. C. BURGESS, the new Chairman of the Industrial Minerals Division, took the advice of Horace Greeley in reverse-he turned his hack on San Francisco and the Golden Gate, and after a few side excursions toward Alaska and Arizona, hit the trail eastward, not for the lonesome pine, but for Spruce Pine, N. C. Born Aug. 10, 1893, in San Francisco. Burgess found his first job, shortly after finishing high school at 19, as axeman for a surveying party of engineers working for the Southern Pacific Co. in Oregon. Later he moved on up with them into Alaska. He liked the engineering profession, and decided to equip himself further so he entered the University of California in the fall of 1913. and for the next two years devoted himself to acquiring an education in civil engineering.

Jan 1, 1945

By H. S. Munroe

As elaborate discussion under this heading formed a chapter in one of the reports made by Professor Raymond as Commissioner of Mining Statistics." In a subsequent report? was printed a paper., by Mr. William Main, Jr., of Columbia, South Carolina, containing a theoretical investigation into the effect of the velocity of impact on the effective ditty of stamps. A visit to the Lake Superior copper region last summer suggested an inquiry into the relative efficiency and economy of the enormous steam stamps of the copper-mills, as compared with the results obtained with the cam and tappet stamps commonly used in the West. The atmospheric stomp used at the Phoenix Mill promised to add interest to the inquiry, as giving an example of unusually high speed, this stamp making 160 drops per minute. In introducing his subject Dr. Raymond makes the following remarks, which are quite apropos of the present investigation: "In considering the economical application of stamping machinery, we meet, at the beginning, with serious difficulties in obtaining accurate data for comparison. The weight and fall of stamps vary as the shoes and dies wear out; and this may lead to a change of speed also. Moreover, defects in engines, boilers, or machinery for the transmission of power, may occasion serious losses, which cannot fairly be charged to the arrangements of the stamps proper. Again, the capacity of stamp-mills is directly dependent, in some degree, upon the nature and extent of discharge, fineness of screens, and other peculiarities of the battery. Finally the hardness and tenacity of the rock crushed varies so much that comparisons between different localities cannot be implicitly trusted. The safest experiments are those made in the same mill, by changing first one arid then another condition of working; but this is seldom possible for such

Jan 1, 1881

By O. W. Ellis

THE question of the influence of gases upon the properties of copper has received the attention of a number of investigators, among whom Sieverts,1 Iwasé,2 Lobley and Jepson3 stand preeminent. SOLUBILITY OF . GASES IN. COPPER Sieverts and Iwasé concerned themselves with the solubility of a variety of gases in the metal in the solid and liquid states. They determined the absorption coefficients of these gases and in all cases found a sharp change in solubility at the melting point of the metal. In this respect they disagree with Lobley and Jepson, who have based their opinions upon the appearance of small ingots of the metal which had been fused in an atmosphere of one or other of three gases and had then been rapidly cooled, while surrounded by gas, to the freezing point (rate-possibly 30° to 60° C. per sec.). The ingots that had been fused and cooled under nitrogen and carbon monoxide were free from blowholes and it was assumed that these gases were not absorbed in amounts much in excess of those which would dissolve in the solid metal; the ingots similarly treated under hydrogen were full of blowholes and it was assumed in this case that gas was ejected on solidification of the copper. The effect of varying the rate of freezing upon the character of the test ingots was not examined by these investigators; otherwise, it is felt, their views might have been subject to modification. Sieverts&apos; most important contribution is that the solubility of a gas in any metal is proportional to the square root of its pressure or concentration. Knowing then the absorption coefficients of the various gases in copper, it should be possible to determine the analysis of the

Jan 1, 1928

J. J. MCLELLAN, Webb City, Mo.-The Media mill, at the time it was built, was the largest mill that had been designed in the Joplin district. It was put up in a hurry, to take advantage of the high prices for zinc ore in 1915, by the owners of an adjacent plant, which had been very profitable. They owned a compound Corliss engine, and to take advantage of a single-unit drive it was necessary to build the mill in the form chosen, which involved making the hopper feed directly through the breakers and rolls, the undersize from the screen passing at once to the jigs, the oversize going through the rolls and returning to the original trommels. The mill was built in fairly good proportion; crushing was done by jaw breakers, Webb City pattern,&apos; and three sets of 42-in. (106.7-cm.) Cornish rolls for reducing the oversize. The jigs were larger than the usual practice. The roughers were two six-cell jigs, with 42 by 48-in. cells. The cleaner jig was the largest ever constructed in the district up to that time, having seven 36 by 48-in. cells, for treating the rougher jigs. There was also a chat rougher. "Smittem," as used in our district, is the partly concentrated product from the rougher, which is finished on the cleaner jigs. "Chats" are the middlings proper, that is, they are the grains of chert with included particles of sulphide; the very low-grade smittem is sometimes included among the chats. When drawing chats from a jig, we also draw about ten times greater quantity of barren chert in order to insure complete recovery of mineral. This mixture of middlings and tailings is taken to a set of 30-in. rolls, the crushed product then going to a chat rougher, a comparatively small jig, with 26 by 36-in. cells. The principal departure of the Media mill from the usual practice was to build a hopper sufficiently high to give gravity feed to the jigs, without using elevators. The sludge plant, for table treatment of sand and slime, also contained several innovations in the manner of distributing the feed. The tables were arranged in two rows and the feed ran around the outside in a launder having two or three cone classifiers

Jan 1, 1918

By Willard L. Hunter

Four solvent extraction systems were studied to determine their efficiency jor extraction and separation of tantalum and columbium. Aqueous feed solutions of varying HF-HCl concentrations and metal content were contacted with equal volumes of cyclohexanone, 3-methyl-2-butanone, and 2-pentanone and solutions of varying HF-H2S04 concentrations were contacted with equal volumes of 2-pentanone. One multistage continuous test was made in a polyethylene pulse column using cy clohexanone as the organic phase. In each system studied, columbium and tantalum purities in excess of 95 pct with respect to each other were obtained in single-stage tests at low acidities in the feed solution. Separation factors ranging from 1700 to 2400 were obtained when rising HF-HCl mixtures in the aqueous phase. Best results were obtained when a solution of HF-H2S04 was used as the aqueous phase and 2-pentanone as the organic phase. A separation factor in excess of 6000 was obtained in one stage with aqueous solution concentrations of 2 _N HF and 2N H2S0,. When acid concentrations were increaszd to 52 HF and 10 _N H2S0,, 99.9 pct of the tantalum and 98.2 pct of the columbium initially present in the feed solution were transferred to the organic phase. The separation of columnbium and tantalum obtainable by means of the solvent extraction systems presented in this paper was found to corn -pare favorably with other systems, including the HF-H2SO4-methyl isobutyl ketone system currently used by most producers for the extraction and separation of these metals. TANTALUM and columbium are always found together in minerals of commercial significance, although the proportion of the two metals in ores varies within broad limits. Columbium is estimated to be 13 times more abundant than tantalum. Five methods generally employed for the separat:ion of these metals are: 1) fractional crystallization (the Marignac process),2 2) solvent separation, 3) fractional distillation of their chlorides, 4) ion exchange, and 5) selective reduction. Of these methods, the one currently used by industry to the greatest extent is that of solvent separation. One of the early technical developments in solvent separation of tantalum from columbium was reported by the Bureau of Mines: the HF-HC1-methyl isobutyl ketone system; data were presented for both laboratory and pilot-plant experimentation.3 Of twenty-eight organic solvents tested for their ability to extract tantalum from an HF-HC1 solution of columbium and tantalum, 3-pentanone (diethyl ke-tone), cyclohexanone, 2-pentanone, and 3-methyl-2-butanone were chosen for further study. Data on the HF-HC1-diethyl ketone system has been published4 and data describing the use of cy clohexanone, 2-pentanone, and 3-methyl-2-butanone as the organic phase are included in this report. RAW MATERIAL The source of tantalum and columbium oxides for this study was (&apos;Geomines" tin slag from the Manono Smelter, Cie Geomines, Gelges, S.A., Congo. In order to extract the valuable Ta-Cb content, the slags were carbided, chlorinated, and the sublimate from chlo-rination was hydrolized and washed free of chloride with water. The washed material was air-dried and stored in a stoppered container. Throughout the paper, "feed material" refers to this mixture of hydrated oxides which was employed because of its high solubility in aqueous solutions. Typical analysis of the hydrated oxides is shown in Table I. I) HF-HC1-CYCLOHEXANONE SYSTEM Batch Separation. Effect of Acid Concentration. To determine the effect of varying the acid concentration upon the transfer of tantalum and columbium, a series of tests was made in which approximately 2.5 g of feed material was added to 25 ml solutions of 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 N HF and 0 through 5 N HC1. Tantalum pentoxide concentration of the solu%ons was approximately 21 g per liter and columbium pentoxide was 14 g per liter. These starting solutions were shaken with equal volumes of cyclohexanone in 100 ml polyethylene bottles for 30 min. The phases were carefully separated in 125 ml glass separatory funnels. The time of contact of the solutions with the separatory funnels was kept at a minimum to reduce silica contamination. The measured phases were separated into 400 ml polyethylene beakers and the metal contents of each were precipitated by addition of an excess of ammonium hydroxide. Precipitate from each phase was filtered on ashless filter paper, ignited at 800" to 1000°C for 45 min, weighed, and analyzed by X-ray fluorescence.5 Data tabulated in Table I1 and illustrated in Fig. 1, show that maximum separation of tantalum from columbium for each HF concentration was obtained with no HCl present. The purest tantalum product was obtained with some HCl present. The highest separation factor was obtained at 2 N HF and

Jan 1, 1970

By H. S. Munroe

AN elaborate discussion under this heading formed a chapter in one of the reports made by Professor Raymond as Commissioner of Mining Statistics.* In a subsequent report- was printed a paper, by Mr. William Main, Jr., of Columbia, South Carolina, containing a theoretical investigation into the effect of the velocity of impact on the effective ditty of stamps. A visit to the Lake Superior copper region last summer suggested an inquiry into the relative efficiency and economy of the enormous steam stamps of the copper-mills, as compared with the results obtained with the cant and tappet stamps commonly used in the West. The atmospheric stamp used at the Phoenix Mill promised to add interest to the inquiry, as giving an example of unusually high speed, this stamp making 160 drops per minute. In introducing his subject Dr. Raymond makes the following remarks, which are quite apropos of the present investigation : "In considering the economical application of stamping machinery, we meet, at- the beginning, with serious difficulties in obtaining accurate data for comparison. The weight and fall of stamps vary as the shoes and dies wear out; and this may lead to a change of speed also. Moreover, defects in engines, boilers, or machinery for the transmission of power, may occasion serious losses, which cannot fairly be charged to the arrangements of the stamps proper. Again, the capacity of stamp-mills is directly dependent, in some degree, upon the nature and extent of discharge, fineness of screens, and other peculiarities of the battery. Finally the hardness and tenacity of the rock crushed varies so much that comparisons between different localities cannot be implicitly trusted. The safest experiments are those made in the same mill, by changing first one and then another condition of working; but this is seldom possible for such * Mineral Resources West of the Rocky Mountains, 1871, p. 380. †- Mineral Resources West of the Rocky Mountains,, 1873, p. 345.

Jan 1, 1881

By David V. Ragone, James A. Craig, Richard E. Balzhiser

The Gibbs free energies of formation of UC2 and UC were measured by equilibrating two-phase mixtures of UC2 + C and UC, + UC with liquid bismuth. The measured equilibrium concentrations of uranium in the bismuth combined with available activity coefficient information yielded uranium activities in these two-phase regions. Measurements on UC2 were performed over the range 1015 to 1160 K and on UC over the range 1115° to 1165°K. The values obtained for UC2 are in excellent agveement with values determined using combustton calorimetry and low-temperature heat capacity measurements. The UC values are in fair agreement with the calorimetric values, differing by about 10 pct from the calorimetric determination. MUCH interest has been shown in the uranium carbides in recent years because of their potential as nuclear fuels. As nuclear reactor operating temperatures have been raised to increase thermal efficiency, new fuels have been required. The uranium carbides are of interest because of their high melting points, >2000°C, high thermal conductivity, and resistance to irradiation damage. The manufacture and use of uranium carbides are aided by a knowledge of their stability and reactivity under various conditions. In this regard the thermo-chemical properties of the carbides, i.e., heat capacity, heat of formation, free energy of formation, and so forth, are particularly important. A great amount of work has recently been done on the thermodynamics of the U-C system. Unfortunately, however, there has not been good agreement among the various investigations. This study of the free energies of formation of uranium monocarbide and uranium di-carbide in the temperature region 1100°-1200° K was undertaken to help clarify the situation. It should be noted that in the temperature range of this investigation, 1100°- 1200° K, the thermodynam-ically stable phase in equilibrium with graphite is U2C3, not UC2, Fig. 1. However, U2C3 is reported to be stable only under extremely low oxygen and nitrogen pressure. Although UC2 is metastable below 150O°C, it exists under most experimental conditions. It should also be noted that "UC," never exists as UC2 but with compositions near UC1.9. However, "UC2" will be used to designate the dicarbide phase except when the stoi-chiometry is necessary for clarity. METHOD The approach taken in this study of the free energies of formation of UC and UC2 was to determine the thermo- dynamic activities of uranium in the two-phase regions UC, + C and UC + UC, by equilibrating the two-phase mixtures with the liquid bismuth. When a mixture of solid UC2 + C is brought to equilibrium with liquid bismuth, the reaction that occurs is: Neither carbon nor UC, could be detected as dissolved material in the bismuth. The standard free energy for this reaction may be written: In the two-phase region UC, + C, Fig. 1, the thermo-dynamic activities of UC2 and carbon are unity. The activity of uranium in this region was determined by measuring the concentration of uranium in a liquid bismuth melt in equilibrium with the two-phase mixture. This concentration was then used in conjunction with the activity coefficient data of uranium in bismuth reported by Tien et al.&apos; to determine the activity of uranium in the two-phase region, UC, + C. All of the quantities in Eq. [2] were then known, and the AG; (uc,) was evaluated. UC + UC2. For the studies involving UC + UC,, the reaction taking place when the two-phase mixture is brought to equilibrium with liquid bismuth is: The standard free-energy change for this reaction is given by:

Jan 1, 1969

By Jack A. Kanz, Samuel R. Shortes, E. C. Wurst

Zinc diffusion into GaAs from the vapor phase through reactively sputtered SiO, films Izas been inrestigated for various zinc pressures at 1000"C. Diffusions were carried out in evacuated quartz ampules with elemental zinc and with various Zn-Ga alloys. Sputtered films have proved effective in lowering surface concentrations and preventing surface deterioration during diffusion. Approxin.ate complenzentary error-function impurity distributions were found when surface concentrations were reduced to approximately 3 -—4 x 10" atoms cm&apos;3 or less with dilute zinc sources or by diffusion through SiO, films. Zinc difhsions in GaAs tlzrough SiO, films produced more planar diffusion fronts than were observed with uncoated zuafers under identical conditions. A) Surface Deterioration During Diffusion. Device technolorn-- in compound semiconductors has been hampered by several difficult problems not normally encountered with silicon and germanium. 111-V and 11-VI compound semiconductors generally have volatile constituents at temperatures used for diffusion. To achieve specific junction depths in reasonable lengths of time, or to obtain particular impurity distributions and doping levels, it is often necessary to use temperatures which cause surface deterioration and erosion of the wafer. The resultant surfaces are generally unsuitable for devices. The type and extent of surface damage depends to varying degrees on the particular environment of diffusion and on the particular impurity in question. The most common type of deterioration results from simple dissociation of the gallium and the arsenic during diffusin.&apos; The deterioration process is significantly enhanced by thermal gradients in the diffusion zone, usually resulting in vapor transport and condensation at the cooler portion of the system. The resulting damage sometimes appears as a general haziness over the surface or an array of pyramidal etch pits characteristic of the particular orientation. Occasionally, erosion of the surface occurs uniformly over the wafer so that surface loss is not readily apparent. Workers in GaAs usually resort to the sealed-ampule type of diffusion system3"5 rather than the more conventional open system used for silicon and germanium. Another type of deterioration results from direct interaction of the impurity with the surface. The form of deterioration may vary from surface alloying, as in the case of zinc, to direct chemical attack and vapor transport of the reaction products, as in the case of sulfur. Surface alloying with zinc occurs at higher temperatures and source vapor pressures.4 The process is largely controlled by the amount of free gallium on the surface of the wafer in equilibrium with the arsenic lost to the system. The group-VI elements, sulfur, selenium, and tellurium, are commonly used donor impurities for gallium arsenide. These elements are characterized by high vapor pressures and high chemical

Jan 1, 1964

By E. P. Klier

The work of Klier and Lyman1 on the bainite reaction has led to the full description of this reaction for medium-carbon low-alloy steels. Certain experimental data reported by Klier and Lyman appear, however, to be improbable of obtaining in very high-carbon steels. The study herein reported consists of an analysis of the transformation characteristics of a 3 per cent chromium, I per cent carbon steel by means of X-ray and metallographic methods. From the results obtained it is concluded that the bainite reaction in this steel is more complicated than that reported by Klier and Lyman for the low-carbon low-alloy steels. Henever, the mechanism of bainite formation in this steel appears to be essentially the same as proposed for the low-carbon low-alloy steels with the modification that the first volumes to transform are carbon-rich rather than carbon-poor. Experimental Procedure The analysis of the steel studied was: Cr, 2.89; C, 1.02; Mn, 0.33; Si, o.35; S, 0.012; P, 0.020. The stock was received from the Carpenter Steel Co. in rolled bars. Specimen Preparation Specimens were austenitized at 1200°C. (2192°F.) for 25 min. in purified nitrogen. The resultant A.S.T.M. austenite grain size was 0-1. Isothermal transformation was allowed by quenching the specimens into liquid metal baths controlled to 5°C. at 540°C. (1004°F.) and above, and to 2°C. at 490°C. (914°f.) and below. Following the desired degree of transformation all specimens were water quenched. Metallographic Examination Specimens 1/4 in. round by 1/4 in. were used for nietallographic examination. Etch-ants used were Vilella&apos;s reagent (I gram picric acid, 10 ml. hydrochloric acid to make 100 ml. ethyl alcohol solution) and alkalinc sodium picratc (electrolytic). Vilella&apos;s reagent was effective in revealing all microconstitucnts, while the alkaline sodium picrate developed the carbon-rich structures or carbides only. X-ray Examination Two X-ray techniques were used—the Debye-Scherrer method and a back-reflection method. &apos;The small specimens necessary for the Debye-Scherrer method were austenitized and then allowed to transform, or were cut from the larger metallographic specimens. The metallographic specimens were used for the back-reflection X-ray analysis. When it was desirable to determine the structure of the carbide present, sliver specimens were electrolytically etched to develop a carbide coating, then were exposed in the cameras. This technique was frequently necessary to allow positive identification of the carbide.

Jan 1, 1945

By George A. Packard

WHEN, in April, 1892, the writer began experimenting with the cyanide-process, it had already proved a success in the treatment of tailings, but had not become an important factor as a primary method of ore-treatment. The Livingston, Colorado, mill was running a few small agitators; the Mercur mill, in Utah, was said to be a success, but was " closed down to increase capacity; " and Mr. A. B. Paul, in Shasta county, California, was running ore&apos;through a stamp-mill into leachingvats, using a weak cyanide solution in the battery. Mills had been, or were being, erected in Arizona; on the Comstock lode; and in South Dakota. Some of these never started, and several were shut down or remodelled for other processes. Altogether, the outlook was anything but favorable. Many of these mills were planned to make use of agits tion, and a cyanide solution containing at least 1 per cent. of potassium cyanide was employed. Since then the improvement of the process, both chemically and mechanically, has placed it among the recognized successful methods of oretreatment. Within the past year I have visited a large number of cyanide-mills, and have collected considerable data, of which I publish enough herewith to give an idea of the development of the process and of the methods followed in the principal mills. I would say, however, that nearly all of these plants are experimenting, most of them employing experienced chemists,

Jan 1, 1897

By Eugene McAuliffe

IT is not possible to include in this paper, limited as it is in scope, the many diverse steps toward the reduction of mine accidents that are taken in the mines that produce the nation&apos;s coal. Every coal-producing state has enacted laws covering proper mining practices, and the major portion of these are directly related to the safety of the mine employees. The United States Bureau of Mines, the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, The American Mining Congress, a number of national, regional and state organizations, as well as the coal technical press, have covered time and time again all of the "do" and "don&apos;t" phases of mine operation that bear on the important question of mine and employee safety. Within the past 15 years The Union Pacific Coal Co. has attempted to put into practice in its mines in southern Wyoming these many good recommendations, finding some value in all, and yet, to secure substantial results, the management found it necessary to resort in the end to what might be referred to as "extra-territorial" methods. It is the writer&apos;s purpose to show in this paper that marked and even extraordinary betterment can be brought about when employer and employee work together with due sincerity. In presenting our own experi-ence, one that has been duplicated in so far as results are concerned on numerous other properties, no theory of perfection of management exists; on the other hand, our organization feels that as long as our record of accidents remains as shown by even our latest and best performance we still have far to go. Safety work in some form has been carried on in and about the mining properties of The Union Pacific Coal Co. since the first mine was opened at the now long-abandoned town of Carbon, Wyo., in 1868. On June 30, 1903, an explosion and subsequent mine fire occurred in mine No. 1 at Hanna, taking 169 lives, and a second explosion occurred in tile same mine on March 28, 1908, in which 59 additional lives were lost. Looking back with impartiality on the causes leading up to these two unfortunate disasters, we can only conclude that shooting from the solid, the absence of adequate ventilation, rock dusting, the use of water at the face to allay

Jan 1, 1938

By P. F. MINISTER

AT Lime Spur, Mont., the East Butte Copper Mining Co. has been quarrying limestone for twenty years. The quarry is beside the Northern Pacific R. R. in the Jefferson River canyon, 4 ½ miles east of Cardwell, at Lime Spur, Montana. HISTORY This quarry was opened early in 1900 by Dan Morrison of Whitehall, the discoverer of the Morrison cave, to supply a demand for smelter flux. Limestone was sold to the Pittsmont smelter of The East Butte Copper Mining Co. and to the Butte Reduction Works. As no particular effort was made at the quarry to select the rock that delivered to the smelters was unduly high in magnesia and impurities. The East Butte com¬pany, therefore. Bought the quarry. in 1909 and confined operations to the high-grade beds in order to supply rock of the desired purity for its own smelter and the Butte Reduction Works until the latter shut down. It also developed a market for some of its rock with the sugar factories. The latter market increased until in later years all rock, larger than 4 in. in size over a bar grizzly, was being shipped to the sugar factories, and the rock smaller than 4 in. was being used as a flux in the blast furnaces at the Pittsmont smelter. In 1924, the East Butte concluded a contract with the Anaconda company for the treatment of its ores, and the Pittsmont -smelter -was shut down: which made the minus 4-in. rock a useless by-product. Since there was not enough revenue in the sugar rock alone and also because of limited waste room it became necessary, if Lime Spur was to continue to operate, to increase- the proportion of plus 4-in. rock and to develop a market for the minus 4-in.

Jan 1, 1930