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By J. O. Whiteley, C. Dietz

It is difficult to give a refining outline that may be followed for any and all combinations of the platinum metals; different combinations require different methods of attack. This paper does not pretend to go into all of the reactions of the metals of the platinum group, but will outline the commercial refining of platinum scrap. Typical Platinum Scrap As a concrete case, let us take 100 oz. of miscellaneous scrap, made up of jewelry scrap, dental scrap and laboratory ware. This lot will contain some platinum, palladium, iridium, ruthenium, rhodium, gold, silver and copper. The first problem is to get all of the metals in solution. If the scrap is principally platinum, palladium and gold, a treatment with aqua regia is the course to pursue; but if the scrap contains alloys high in iridium or ruthenium, aqua regia will act too slowly. In the case in hand, we are going to presume that we have scrap high in iridium and ruthenium, and proceed accordingly. Obtaining Residue A Place the scrap, together with six times its weight of granulated test lead, in a solid carbon crucible. This crucible may be placed inside a clay graphite crucible packed with charcoal, to prevent the excessive oxidation of the carbon crucible by the furnace blast. Place a tight cover on the carbon crucible; heat gradually to a good red heat and allow it to soak in the heat for 4 or 5 hr. After the leaded mass is cool, dissolve in dilute nitric acid (1-6) on a steam plate or sand bath. This dissolves practically all of the lead and most of the palladium, silver and copper, together with seme of the platinum and rhodium, and leaves the iridium, ruthenium, gold, and most of the rhodium and platinum as a finely divided residue. Siphon off the clear solution and treat the residue with another portion of dilute nitric acid to insure the solution of the lead and copper. The second nitric acid solution is added to the first, and the residue is filtered on suction and washed thoroughly with hot

Jan 1, 1928

By T. A. Rickard

The use of the verb in this mood is not as common as formerly: at the time, for' example, when the Bible was translated and the plays of Shakespeare were written. Nevertheless it is an essential part of literary English. In editing the `Mining and Scientific Press' I do not insist upon the use of the subjunctive in articles that are contributed from the outside, but it is deemed proper in all our editorial writing. To speak plainly, the subjunctive is I a mark of scholarship; it is ignored by those that are not particular in such matters, and unfortunately it is a source of perplexity to many that are entirely unfamiliar with the use of it. Therefore, as an editor, I think it well to allow the indicative mood to be used by contributors in sentences in which, to be strictly correct, the verbs .should be in the subjunctive mood. The fact that most subjunctives are indistinguishable in form from indicatives is another cause of trouble to the uninitiated.* For example, the verbs in such phrases as "Suffice it to say ", "So help me God ", and "God save the King" Fare in the subjunctive. One reason why the subjunctive is becoming uncommon is the growing habit of expressing the subjunctive meaning by aid of auxiliary verbs that are coupled with the infinitive; thus: "It will suffice' to say" and "May God save the King". The subjunctive is common in subordinate clauses, and that is how it obtained its name, `subjunctive', meaning * The student is referred to `A New English Grammar', by E. A. Sonnenschein, published by the Clarendon Press, Oxford. This textbook (see pp. 60-71 in Part III) discusses the subject luminously.

Jan 1, 1931

A. R. Ledoux,New York City: The so-called combination method " is generally used in assaying bar copper for silver. It has been modified from time to time. Briefly outlined

Jan 1, 1901

Discussion of the paper of HOWARD N. EAVENSON, presented at the Pittsburgh meeting, October, 1914, and printed in Bulletin No. 94, October,' 1914, pp. 2637 to 2660. GEORGE S. RICE, Pittsburgh, Pa.-I think it is very wise to point out the greater liability to explosions in certain parts of the year, if there be such difference, with the caution, however, that vigilance be not relaxed at other times. In comparing the figures for the United States with those of Europe, I think we should separate them as far as possible according to cause of origin and means of propagation. That is to say, it would appear to me that the majority of our explosions are due more directly to the ignition of coal dust directly from the flame of explosives, whereas, judging from my inquiries and observations in some of the mines of Europe, the majority of their explosions have been caused by the ignition of fire damp. Now, in the case of fire damp, I do not think that anybody has yet attempted or has been able to find any connection between the seasons and the issuance of methane into mines. One thing must be borne in mind, that if you get a strong explosion of fire damp, dust of a character that might not ignite readily by itself might assist in the extension of an explosion of fire damp through a considerable area in the mine, if not throughout the mine. While it is true we have many lesser explosions in this country attributable to fire damp, it would appear that the majority of all the mine explosions of the country, in considering the means of propagation beyond the locality of the origin, are due to coal dust; and it is the liability to coal-dust explosions that appears to be affected by seasonal changes. Hence the desirability of separating statistically (if it could be done by the inspectors) fire-damp explosions from coal-dust explosions, in order to obtain the true value of the seasonal effect. Nevertheless, in spite of the inclusion of fire-damp explosions with coal-dust explosions, the preponderance of the evidence, as indicated in Mr. Eavenson's figures for American mines, has shown that' in this country there were more explosions in the winter and spring months, when the mines are drier; that is, when the mines are apt to be drier. Whereas, according to the European figures that he has gathered, it seems to be very clearly demonstrated that in France, England, and Belgium, the time when explosions occur has no connection with any particular season. That, I think, is partly due to the point just mentioned, that a majority of their explosions have originated from fire damp. The European mining men have been more careful, generally speaking, with the use of explosives than we have, so that the cause of ignition from that source has been less. Only comparatively few of the mines in foreign

Jan 4, 1915

By E. L. Dougherty, J. W. Sheldon

A numerical method for computing the dynamical behavior of fluid- fluid interfaces is described. Results of studies made to assess the accuracy and economy of the method on a computer are reported. It is concluded that it is practical to obtain digital computer solutions for fluid- fluid interface problems with two space dimensions. PROBLEM DEFINITION We consider two-dimensional flow in a rectangle as shown in Fig. 1, where a fluid-fluid interface divides the rectangle into two regions. The pressure is specified along the lower boundary (the injection boundary) and upper boundary (the withdrawal boundary). There is to be no flow of fluid across the side boundaries, which are walls of symmetry for the flow, and px = 0 along these boundaries. The fluids are incompressible, the absolute permeability and porosity is constant, and each fluid has its own constant mobility. Thus, the pressure satisfies Laplace's equation in each region. Across the interface, pressure is continuous and the normal component of fluid flux is 1. These conditions are shown in Fig. 1. The velocity of a point on the interface in the direction of the normal from Fluid 1 into Fluid 2 is U,/ Q, where Un is the normal component of volumetric flux at the point on the interface, i.e., For brevity, we call the problem defined above "Problem A". Problem A is a simple example of a dynamical fluid-fluid interface problem. However, the same numerical methods which we use to solve Problem A can be extended to the solution of a large number of fluid-fluid interface problems which are mathematical models for various oil recovery processes,l hence our interest in Problem A. We define the interface by prescribing the x, y coordinates of a finite set of points. These points are called "interface mesh points" and are illustrated by triangles or asterisks in the figures. Fig. 2 is a procedural (flow) chart displaying the main steps in the solution. We comment briefly on some of these steps in this section and then give further details in subsequent sections. For mobility ratio greater than one it is well known that Problem A is unstable.*2 Small amplitude,

Jan 1, 1965

By John V. Beall

As recently as 1964, the situation in the Australian iron ore industry was chiefly one of potential. The only producer was the Broken Hill Pty. (BHP). That company mined about 5 million tpy from deposits in the Middleback Range in South Australia and at Yampi Sound in Western Australia. No ore was exported from Australia. Now, just five years later, and after expenditures amounting to approximately one half billion dollars, BHP and seven new companies exported about 15 million tons (long tons) of iron ore and pellets as well as meeting Australia's own annual requirements of approximately 8.5 million tons of ore. Early this year, the volume of iron ore on order stood at 328 mil- lion tons to be delivered over a period of 15 years, but Cliffs Western negotiations for sale of Robe River iron ore have boosted the volume to the new high of 466 million tons. All of this has meant a great deal to Australia in terms of new income. In fiscal year 1967 (ending June 30, 1967) exports of iron ore amounted to $52 million; in 1968, $128 million and by 1'972 the Bureau of Mineral Resources expects the value of exports from iron ore to reach $242 million. In achieving the position of major- supplier of iron ore to the Japanese steelmakers, it was necessary to build a great many new facilities, mostly in Western Australia. Three railroads, 70 miles long, 182 miles and 265 miles were constructed. A new port was created at Dampier; Port Hedland was deepened and otherwise improved; both of these ports are in Western Australia. In Tasmania, Savage River developers built an offshore shiploading station that has received the recognition of engineers internationally. At least a half dozen new communities have been founded. The narrow gage railroad from Kalgoorlie to Perth and Freemantle was replaced with a standard gage line.

Jan 6, 1969

By Verne D. Johnston

ALTHOUGH the stocks of Lake Superior iron ore on dock or at furnaces at the beginning of the year were about 6,000,000 tons less than at the beginning of 1938, the steel industry was operating at only 52 1/2 per cent of capacity and continued at approximately this rate to about Aug. 1. Consequently the iron mines in the Lake Superior district during the winter and spring period were almost all on a curtailed production basis, governed mostly by the needs of the communities rather than by anticipation of ore demands. Many of these properties gave extra employment by prosecuting heavy strip- ping programs, and the underground mines by shaft sinking and rock development. All underground mines re- turned to full operation in September, mostly two-shift, five days per week. A few operated the sixth day. The ship- ping schedules were increased so that the actual delivery for the year exceeded early expectations by about 20 per cent. Final Lake shipments were slightly in excess of 45,000,000 gross tons.

Jan 1, 1940

By G. W. White

Over the past several years, the steady progress of gas lift from a mysterious art into a developing science has been traceable through the many fine papers that have appeared in Journal of Petroleum Technology. Consequently, this magazine has rightly become a standard for the serious students of gas lift all over the world. The following discussion is offered in a sincere attempt to accurately present certain topics covered in the subject paper in the light of acknowledged state of the art procedures. INSTALLATION DESIGN The first point to be questioned is the author's installation design, beginning with Eq. 6. The use of 1,200 psi in the spacing equation instead of the 1,275 psi noted as available seems, at first glance, to be a simple arithmetic error. Upon further examination, it appears evident that both this 75 psi plus the 100-psi safety factor must be subtracted from available kickoff pressure because of conditions imposed by the characteristics of the ASC valve (see Fig. B-1). Pressure-charged valve design is incorrectly penalized by spacing the first valve using only 1,100 psi. The use of such a high back-pressure makes it appear that a typical ASC installation would require no more valves than a comparable conventional valve installation. Using a value of 100-psi tree pressure, the well could be valved to 11,000 ft very conservatively with seven pressure-operated valves, but would still require 11 ASC valves. The use of 400-B/D spacing gradient for a 140-B/D rate is not an accepted practice using precharged valves. The author would have done well to note the advantages to be gained by reducing the 500-psi tree pressure, which is clearly explained by Beadle, Harlan and Brown.' In Step 1 of Part III of the continuous flow discussion, the author incorrectly applies the Poettmann and Carpenter curves.2 Item 2 is an incorrect statement. An excellent reference on this point is the paper by Baxen-dell and Thomas.' VALVE MECHANICS The next topic relates to the mechanics of precharged valves. Eq. 2 for the ASC valve can be used to describe the condition of equilibrium, wherein the valve is closed with opening pending. When this equation is used to determine relative values of casing, dome and tubing pressure with conditions approaching the transition value, some strange results are obtained. The following uses the author's symbols and values given on page 689. Fig. B-1 shows the condition that exists at the moment an ASC valve has been uncovered during the unloading process (Condition I). The obvious result is a locked condition. The basis for the curve is shown on the figure which includes 1,000 psig casing pressure to uncover the valve. If injection gas is not bled off the casing until the pressure is decreased by an amount exceeding the stabilizer discharging valve pressure, upward adjustment of the casing pressure is mandatory for the valve to open and unloading operations to continue. In Condition I the dome pressure exceeds the casing pressure by 20 psi, and the tubing pressure required to open the valve is 1,212 psig. This tubing pressure would not exist under the assumed conditions. In Condition I1 the casing pressure is increased to the dome pressure, and the tubing pressure required to open the valve is 1,102 psig. It is apparent that the casing pressure must be increased to a value exceeding the dome pressure before unloading operations could continue. In Condition I11 a maximum casing pressure of 100 psi (stabilizer charging valve set pressure) above the dome pressure is reached, and the tubing pressure required to open the valve is 549 psig. The author's statement after Eq. 5 that "the minimum tubing pressure required to open an ASC valve is equal to the casing pressure at depth less the transition pressure of the valve" is incorrect except for Condition I11 only. Otherwise, the equation is invalid.

Jan 1, 1965

By Dwight L. Sawyer

IF it had not been for the testimony of former Secretary of the Interior, Harold L. Ickes, before the Senatorial investigating committee the public would have heard little about the Federal Government's suit against California for the ownership of the tidelands. The Ickes-Pauley dispute brought to public attention that the California tideland oil deposits are the last remaining large Federal oil reserves. Ickes contends that these tideland oil deposits belong to the nation for the benefit of all the people of all the states and not solely to the State of California. Ickes also accused California oil man Ed Pauley of offering to give $330; 000 to the Democratic party fund if Ickes would drop the Federal Government's suit against the State of California for the ownership of said tidelands. The tidelands may be considered as the land bordering the coast line between mean high tide and outward under the ocean for a distance of a marine league, or about three statute miles. This strip of land along the coast of southern California contains large oil deposits which have a present and future prospective value of several billion dollars.

Jan 1, 1947

By S. Feuerstein, L. Rice

The effect of low pressures on the flow and fracture behavior of molybdenum is described. For poly crystalline samples, room-temperature tensile tests indicate greater ductility under 10 Torr than under intermediate pressures up to and including atmospheric pressure (760 Torr). In addition, tests conducted at 760 Torr under atmospheres of air, dry nitrogen, and purified argon exhibited no apparent difference in mechanical properties. Critical tests involving baking in situ as well as those involving single-crystal deformation further imply that the ductility effect is a pressure-dependent phenomenon related only to the fracture process. This dependency is discussed in terms of adsorption and diffusion contributions. THE effect of very low pressures on material properties has heretofore been presumed to be important only for substances possessing relatively high vapor pressures at ambient temperatures. Research has therefore been concentrated primarily on organic solids and liquids, and in some instances on metals such as zinc and cadmium. Most vacuum-effect studies' on the mechanical behavior of metals have been performed under conditions of either cyclic loading or creep rupture at elevated temperatures, i.e., over extended time periods. These studies were not restricted to high vapor pressure materials but also encompassed such metals as gold, copper, and nickel. Very little concern, however, was placed upon the importance of a vacuum environment on the mechanical behavior of metals subjected to a simple unidirectional deformation at ambient temperatures. A tension test is generally of short duration as compared to a creep test, and at room temperature vacuum effects if any would be expected to be surface-limited. In early 1963, Kramer and podlaseck2 reported a change in the bulk flow behavior of aluminum single crystals during room-temperature tension tests. The deformations were performed under pressure conditions of 760 to 3.4 X 10-8 Torr and indicated for the first time a vacuum surface effect contributing to the bulk tensile behavior of metal specimens. As a consequence, an experimental program was initiated in this Laboratory to study the effects of ultrahigh-vacuum conditions on the mechanical behavior of metals. The results of a preliminary study on poly-crystalline molybdenum3 revealed, unlike Kramer's observations of changes in the stress-strain behavior, only an increased ductility under ultrahigh vacuum. Flow behaviors were nearly identical for all tests re- gardless of pressure. This paper presents comprehensive results obtained in this area of research. 1) EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Three material categories were used in this study: sintered and are-cast polycrystalline molybdenum of nominal purity 99.93+ pct and single-pass electron-beam zone-refined molybdenum single crystals having a nominal purity level of 99.99+ pct. The interstitial levels (weight percent) as determined by the Materials Testing Laboratories, Division of Magnaflux Corp., were as follows: sintered molybdenum (C— 0.005, H—0.0004, O—0.015, N—0.008); and arc-cast molybdenum (C-0.0038, H-0.0003, O-0.015, N-0.023). Single-crystal molybdenum obtained from Materials Research Corp. had a typical interstitial analysis of C-0.0015, H-0.00007, O—0.00045, and N-0.0001. Tensile specimens having a 5 mm diam by 50.8 mm length were prepared from these materials. An average grain diameter of 0.059 mm was obtained for the sintered specimens following a 4-hr, 1600°C heat treatment. Grain sizes from 0.019 to 0.149 mm were obtained in the arc-cast specimens following heat treatments from 1100° to 1600°C for 1 hr. This series of specimens was used exclusively for the grain-size effect studies. All samples were electrolytically polished in 97 pct sulfuric acid solution prior to testing. Experiments were performed at room temperature in an ion-pumped ultrahigh-vacuum system positioned in an Instron tensile machine, Fig. 1. A constant strain rate of 4.2 x 10-4 sec-1 as derived from crosshead displacement was assumed for the deformations. Starting vacuums ranged from 2 to 0.5 X 10-10 Torr. These pressure measurements were made using corrected values4 of an NRC Redhead gage. Comparative readings were also made against a G.E. triggered dis-

Jan 1, 1967

By S. F. Emmons

IT was said by many who discussed Professor Posepny's admirable paper on the " Genesis of Ore-Deposits," read at the Chicago meeting of the Institute, in 1893, that its most valuable feature was the clear distinction which it drew between the influence upon ore-deposits of the "vadose " circulation of waters descending directly from the surface, and that of the deep underground circulation of waters generally coming from the depths, and assumed by the author to be ascending through more or less open spaces under the influence of heat. A little later the effect of the oxidizing action of the vadose circulation upon ore-deposits was ably and exhaustively treated by Prof. R. A. F. Penrose, in a paper on " The Superficial Alteration of Ore-Deposits "f-the only one, so far as I know, which has been exclusively devoted to this important subject. My own first detailed study of ore-deposits was made at Leadville, in 1880, at a time when almost the only minerals visible in those deposits were in oxidized forms. That this form was the result of the alteration of earlier sulphides by surface-waters had to be proved at the time by induction or analogy, the general correctness of which was, however, abundantly confirmed by subsequent developments. Thus I was early impressed with the importance of distinguishing, in the study of an ore-deposit, the alteration-products, resulting from the action of oxidizing waters descending from the present surface, from the earlier-formed sulphides; and, assuming that the latter were primary or original, I called the former secondary. I also went so far as to say$ with regard to oxidized ores passing into sulphides in depth "So generally is this accepted as a rule in ore-deposits that it would require special demonstration to prove beyond a doubt that the native metals or their

Jan 1, 1902

By John E. Carr

A bewildering variety of continuous thickeners and clarifiers are used in mineral industries and other heavy industries. General topes arc: ? Conventional thickeners ? Thickeners with flocculating feedwells ? Solids contactors ? Tray thickeners ? Lamellas ? Conventional thickeners with Lamellas ? High flow, fluid bed thickeners These units must be adapted to varied applications. They must provide operating flexibility to meet process needs. Such factors multiply the decisions which must be made prior to the selection of a thickener. The seven types of thickeners listed above, with their variations, share design concepts which limit their application and which can be used to evaluate their performance. Some of these arc: ? Feed velocities must be limited and/or controlled. ? Natural or reagent flocculation is necessary. ? Horizontal settling area is the basis for capacity. ? Overflow velocities must be limited and. or controlled. ? A controlled underflow is necessary. Thickener selection is the application of these needs to the basic process concepts. The basic function of a thickener, in the minerals industry, is the separation of a thickener sludge containing fine solids from water. In addition to this primary separation function, others include: ? Separation of solids from water ? Separation of flocculated solids from slimes ? Storage of solids ? Control of percent solids ? Storage of water ? Process control by absorbing fluctuations in feed ? Process control by increase in head clue to the depth and percent solids of the thickened sludge. Most thickener designs, suitable to minerals applications, are based on the separation of minus 65-mesh, 2.7 specific gravity solids containing slimes. These designs are routinely adapted to coarse and or denser materials. Materials of lower specific gravity such as coal, wood, char, some chemical precipitates and organics act Hike slimes if a thickener is used. Perhaps the most conservative approach to sizing and application is the use of comparative data from similar plants or similar industries. Thickeners are-routinely used in a great number of industries from which there is good historical information available. In the minerals industry, thickeners are used in: clay sizing, coal refuse, heavy media, copper concentrates, copper tailings, gold flotation concentrates, and countercurrent decantation for cyanidization in gold and CCD in uranium. Concentrate and tailings thickeners are used in iron ore plants, and concentrate and tailings units in lead-zinc plants. In addition, there arc thickeners designed to handle lime mud; limestone concentrates and tailings; phosphoric acid; potash; and rutile concentrates. Thickeners are, in addition, widely used in gravel plants for water reclamation. This gives excellent data on clay settling in some cases. Thickeners are used extensively for slurries generated by flue dust from wet scrubbers. Thickeners in flue dust applications are operating with considerable variations, treating blast furnace dust. BOF flue dust, and wood char. Similar applications are met in the power industry with fly ash and SO2 scrubber systems. Even though field data is preferred, such data has limitations as listed: ? Flowsheets are seldom identical. ? Data is often incomplete or limited. ? Ores vary significantly. ? Operating needs are changing. For these reasons, mathematical and theoretical methods are needed for application of field data to a specific project. In addition, laboratory data for similar projects and, if possible, laboratory data on a representative sample should be used to specify the thickener. There is a great volume of thickener literature. The references for this paper, along with their references, and past AIME papers provide excellent background. Older literature can be reviewed in light of current methods. It is interesting to note that the requirements for higher flow rate designs, more extreme flocculation systems, etc., can be logically introduced by reading Gaudin's Sections on Flocculation and Thickening, which was written before field installations could illustrate all of his ideas. The problem, then, is to select hardware which will take into consideration the functions of flocculation, separation of the solids, water clarity, control of the underflow, and control of the overflow. Reliable operation and simple control are customary.

Jan 1, 1979

By L. C. Uren, E. J. Bradshaw

This paper presents the results of a group effort by a number of University of California students and faculty members, and the authors attach their names primarily in the capacity of editors and interpreters of the data thus assembled. In addition to the writers, the following individuals have made substantial contributions in time and effort in the conduct of this research: Dr. A. J. Carlson, Associate Professor of Petroleum Engineering; J. E. Gosline, University Research Assistant; C. F. Bedford, G. W. Mikulasek and H. S. Conder, senior and graduate petroleum engineering students; H. Bachman, G. Spencer and G. W. Gard, mechanicians in the Department of Mining and Metallurgy. Acknowledgment is also due the Research Board of the University, the Department of Mining and Metallurgy, and Prof. F. H. Probert, Dean of the College of Mining, for continued cooperation in securing mechanical assistance and funds for the purchase and assembly of apparatus. Significance of the Pressure Gradient The expulsion of petroleum from its reservoir sand doubtless is due to expanding natural gas intimately associated with the oil, to the hydrostatic pressure of encroaching edge waters, and to gravitational influences. These forces may operate independently or collectively. In any case they subject the fluids stored within the reservoir sands to elevated pressures, thus causing movement of oil and gas through the productive formations toward the lower pressure of the well outlets. This movement is opposed by pore friction, capillarity and adhesion: resisting influences brought to bear by the reservoir sand on the moving fluids. The magnitude of the resisting force is influenced directly by the viscosity, surface tension and density of the oil, as well as by the properties of the gas. The more rapid the rate of flow, the greater will be the resistance offered, and the greater will be the energy consumed.

Jan 1, 1932

By Tong Guangxu

INTRODUCTION Throughout the world, the caving mining methods of ore-draw under the overlying waste rock are sublevel caving in Sweden, block caving in U.S.A. and forced block caving and sublevel caving with sill-pillar in U.S.S.R. These caving methods are of high efficiency, low cost and large production (especially the block caving method) when compared to opencast mining. From the ore production of all under- ground mines, the largest annual production of underground metalliferous mines in the world is caving methods. The sublevel caving in Kiruna Iron Mine of Sweden has reached annual ore production over 20 million tons in 1974. The block caving in Climax Molybdenum Mine and San Manuel Copper Mine of U.S.A. both have produced about 40 thou- sand tons of ore per day in 1971. At the same time, the productivity of Kiruna was 12 thousand tons of ore per man-year, Climax 42.8 tons (48.3 short tons) per man-shift and San Manuel 29.01 tons (32.1 short tons) per man-shift. The main feature of this group of mining methods is the underground extraction of ore from beneath overlying caveable waste rock. Since the loss and dilution of ore are inherent (sometimes to a great extent), the control of ore-draw in these methods as com- pared with other methods is very important. Consequently, concerned Universities and Research Institutes have devoted great amounts of research on ore-draw theory and control management which has provided positive results to mine production, and has apparently promoted the development of the caving methods. During 1979 in China, metalliferous underground mines accounted for 15.22% of the total iron ore produced, while also accounting for 56% of total non-ferrous production. According to the mining methods, sub level caving in the principal underground iron mines counted for about 56.74% of total principal underground iron mine production, but only about 1% of total non-ferrous underground mine production. Relative to forced block caving and sublevel caving with sill pillar, the Chinese non-ferrous under- ground mines estimated about 35% of total non-ferrous underground mine production from these two methods, mainly from the latter. From the trend of development of underground metalliferous mines in China, the percentage of production in caving will be increased in the future, especially in block caving and forced block caving which have already been given great attention in the mining circle. In these types of mining methods the ore is drawn from the stope under a large area of overlying waste rock, which complicates the basic regulation and control of ore-draw, but provides lower loss and dilution than sublevel caving. Because of these reasons, the Kiruna Iron Mine in Sweden is intending to change its sublevel caving by testing a sublevel shrinkage caving method and considering a large area of ore-draw beneath the stope as an advantage. Therefore, the basic regulation and control management of ore-draw under a large area, as practiced in China, will be discussed in this paper. BASIC REGULATION OF ORE- DRAW FROM CAVING STOPE The aim of studying ore-draw under a large area of overlying waste rock is to se- cure a planned draw schedule that guarantees a certain plane of interface between ore and waste rock, and controls the change of its shape in spatial position for reducing ore loss and dilution during the draw process. Presently, the ellipsoid theory is comparatively near the actual attitude of ore-draw from the cave. 1. Ore Drawn Out from Single Drawpoint Laboratory testing and practical experience all show that after a certain amount of ore has been drawn out from a drawpoint, its original shape in the stope before drawing is more or less similar to an ellipsoid, hence the name "draw ellipsoid." This draw ellipsoid is cut at the bottom by a horizontal plane corresponding to the raise of the drawpoint, and its volume can be calculated by the following formula:

Jan 1, 1981

By Sir Albert E. Kitson

The manganese ore deposits of the Gold Coast, British West Africa, occur in very ancient rocks, of both sedimentary and metamorphic types. In certain respects they have a strong resemblance to those of India and Brazil, as contrasted with those of Tertiary age in Georgia, but in this paper no careful comparison with them can be made. Viewed from the present condition of the manganiferous rocks, the oldest deposits are in the sediments. Later than these are the progressively metamorphosed representatives of these sediments. Youngest are the products of decay and degradation with the concentration of manganese oxide in the rocks of both groups. The oldest occurrences are in argillaceous and siliceous phyllites and slates, which show only a moderate degree of metamorphism. They belong to a series which also includes mudstones, sandstones, grits, conglomerates and subordinate limestones, with tuffs and lava-flows, largely of basic types. This has been named the Birrim System. Its age is unknown, for no definite fossils have been discovered in it. Since these non-fossiliferous strata at many plaees are of a character which in many parts of the world are suitable for the preservation of fossils, and which contain them, it is assumed that the Gold Coast deposits are pre-Cambrian. These rocks of the Birrim System have normally a northeast-southwest strike, and are folded, but not to any very great degree except in certain belts. From the Eastern Province of the Gold Coast they may be traversed diagonally across their strike for upwards of 600 miles, to the extreme northwestern corner of the Northern Territories. Thence they probably extend much farther into French territory.

Jan 1, 1927

By J. H. Allport, C. Garnsey

During the latter part of 1916 and the early months of 1917, due to war activities, there was a threatened shortage of coal which resulted in panic among consumers and a rush to obtain coal at once at any price. As a result of this insistent demand for immediate delivery, prices were bid up by the consumers to unprecedented heights; spot coal which had previously been selling at from $1.50 to $2 per ton was bid up to $5, $6, and, in exceptional cases, as high as $7.50 or more per ton. Then when the April, 1917, contract period arrived, contracts could be made only at prices ranging from $3 up to $5 and $6 per ton for the year's delivery. This condition caused such a demoralization of the business, and SO much complaint, that some action to regulate prices was considered essential by the National Administration. Lane-Peabody Agreement In May, 1917, a committee under the chairmanship of F. S. Peabody, of Chicago, was appointed by the Council of National Defense, through Mr. Lane, to consider the whole question of bituminous coal. This committee, with the Secretary of the Interior, Mr. Lane, after numerous meetings and long negotiations with the operators throughout the country, announced on June 29 an agreement between the Committee and the producers, fixing a tentative maximum price for bituminous coal throughout the country at $3 per net ton f.o.b. mines, to which was added 25 c. for selling commission to wholesalers. This plan was based on the idea of fixing a maximum price, high enough to greatly stimulate production, with the expectation that the laws of supply and demand would, with ample production, operate to maintain fair and just prices for coal throughout the country.

Jan 1, 1920

"It shall be within the discretion of the Board of Directors to establish a medal to be known as the Charles F. Rand Memorial Medal to be awarded at such a time 'and under such rules as may be determined by the Board of Directors, for Distinguished Achievement in Mining Administration." The establishment of this medal was announced at the annual meeting in February, 1932, the term "mining" being defined in its broad sense to include metallurgy and petroleum. The members of the Charles F. Rand Foundation Award Committee, of which J. V. W. Reynders is Chairman, are listed on page 12. In both 1938 and 1939, the Committee gave consideration to the question of choosing a medalist but in each year the decision was reached to give financial help to other projects as an alternative. In 1938, publication of a monograph on "Struc¬ture of Ore Deposits in the Continen¬tal Framework" and of a booklet en¬titled "The Call for Endowment" was financed; and in 1939, a special appro¬priation was made to defray the ex¬ penses of special speakers for Affiliated Student Societies of the Institute. In 1940, the Committee elected to nominate a candidate for the medal and unanimously selected Robert, Crooks Stanley, Chairman of the Board of the International Nickel Co. This recom¬mendation was approved by the Board of Directors and Mr. Stanley became the first recipient of the medal. Citation for Award to Robert Crook,, Stanley. "For His Pioneering Leadership During a Period of Active Growth and Development of a World-wide Enterprise Involving the Mining of Nickel Ores, the Metallurgical Treatment Thereof, and the Expansion and Diversification of World Markets for Nickel Products. "For His- Able Direction of the Corporation Encompassing These Activities, Which Has Established an Enviable Record in Its Relations With Employees. Stockholders and With the Public."

Jan 1, 1941

The following is an incomplete list of members and guests who called at Institute headquarters during the period Sept. 10, 19188 to Oct. 10, 1918. Thomas J. Adams, Rahway, N. J. A. N. Mackay, London, England. Henry M. Ami, Washington, D. C. A. W. MacNichol, San Francisco, Cal. Chester Atkinson, Peru, South America. Ernest Marquardt, Casper, Wyo. Bennett R. Bates, Berkeley, Cal. Lieut. S. A. Mewhirter, Denver, Colo. Robert S. Botsford, Petrograd, Russia. William A. Nelson, Nashville, Tenn. Juan Felix Brandes, Santa Barbara, Cal. Robert W. Olinger, Bahia, Brazil, So. G. A. Collins, Seattle, Wash. Amer. C. V. Corless, Coniston, Ont., Canada. G. Preumont, La Paz, Bolivia, So. Amer. F. T. Eddingfield, Washington, D. C. William H. Rettie, Yonkers, N. Y. C. Mason Farnham, Barre Plains, Mass. . Julius Segall, Minneapolis, Minn. F. N. Flynn, Trail, B. C., Canada. Robert Y. Seip, Franklin, N. J. Duncan D. Forbes, Humboldt, Ariz. H. M. Schleicher, Boston, Mass. Alexandre Gouvy, Paris, France. Chester Steinem, Ft. Monroe, Va. Henry G. Granger, Cartagena, Colombia, A. L. Sweetser, Pittsburgh, Pa. So. Amer. . H: E. Treichler, Creighton Mine, Ont., E. Harms, El Paso, Tex. Canada. Alfred G. Heggem, Tulsa, Okla. Frank A. W. Tullock, Yumbo, Colombia, H. B. Henegar, Mascot Tenn. So. Amer. A. M. Kivari, Denver, Edward I. Williams, Ft. Monroe, Va. T. M. Kniffin, Brookline, Mass. Alfred W. G. Wilson, Ottawa, Canada. Charles Lehman, London, England. Donald H. McLaughlin, Camp Meade,Md. C. E. Addams, who recently resigned as general manager for the Arizona Hercules Copper Co., has leased the Ray silver-lead property three miles from Ray, Ariz. Bennett R. Bates has resigned his position as general superintendent of the Cubo Mining & Milling Co., in order that he may take the examination for an officer of engineers.

Jan 11, 1918

By D. F. Stoneburner

The thermoelectric power and electrical conductivity of a series of liquid alloys of thallium were determined in order to study the relation of chemical bonding to semiconduction in liquids. The results indicate metallic behavior for the alloys of thallium with arsenic, antimony, and bismuth, while the sulfides, selenides, and tellurides indicate semiconduction. The results are compared with the Properties of the same alloys in the solid state. This work supports the observation that long-range order is not a necessary requirement for semiconduction. PREVIOUS work1,5 has shown that some sulfides and oxides behave as semiconductors in the liquid state. Although the band theory has been of great help in understanding the properties of solid semiconductors, its quantitative application to liquids is difficult. The very existence of liquid electronic semiconductors shows that ascribing the discrete structure of the energy spectrum to strict lattice periodicity, or long-range order, is not always satisfactory. Rather, the short-range order determines the structure of energy levels and the width of the forbidden gap and, consequently, the concentration of free holes and electrons. This is borne out by the analysis of data accumulated by Regel and coworkers.6 The similarity of electronic structure of liquid and solid phases of certain liquid metals was pointed out by Knight et a1.,7 who examined nuclear resonance in solid and liquid Li, Na, Rb, Cs, Mg, Al, Ga, Sn, and Bi. They found noticeable changes in the electronic structure upon melting only in the cases of bismuth and gallium. They concluded that "a liquid metal possesses a band structure which is very like that of the solid, provided the short-range structure is not altered during melting." In semiconductors in which the near-neighbor arrangement remains the same on fusion, the material would be expected to retain its semiconducting properties. The quantum theory of semiconductors, with its band structure of energy levels, is linked exclusively to long-range order. Furthermore, it has limited usefulness in predicting new semiconductors. Many sulfide8-12 have made comparisons of properties on the basis of crystal structure or the position in the periodic table, both methods involving the same factors as chemical bonding. Mooser and Pearson8"10 have pointed out that crystal structure depends on chemical bonding, and that this bonding is a property of the atoms themselves. As the periodic arrangement of the atoms offers an easy comparison of such factors as atomic weight and number of valence electrons it provides clues to expected similarities of bonding for various elements or groups of elements. This approach has led Mooser and Pearson to formulate their valence-bond theory of semiconduction, in which they define a semiconducting bond. These authors state that "semiconductivity is the result of the presence in a solid of predominantly covalent bonds. These lead, through the process of electron sharing, to completely filled s and p orbi-tals in the valence shells of all atoms of elemental semiconductors while in semiconducting compounds only one atom of any two bonded together need acquire closed s and p orbitals. The presence of empty 'metallic' orbitals in some atoms of a compound does not destroy the semiconductivity provided that these atoms are not bonded together; it may, however, give rise to pivoting resonance in

Jan 1, 1965

By Walther Mathesus

INTRODUCTION THE use of high blast heats on furnaces melting Mesaba ores is still the exception, the average blast temperatures carried on Mesaba stacks seldom reaching 1,100° F. Some 15 years ago, when the use of fine Mesaba ores in larger proportions to the total burden first came into practice, it was found difficult to employ even those blast heats which it had been possible to carry with the Old Range ores. The furnaces refused to "take" high heats, and would persistently labor with irregular stock movement, which impaired the practice and increased the coke consumption. By lowering the blast temperature, the working of the furnace became smoother, and experience taught that with the softer and more easily reduced Mesaba ores, satisfactory practice could be obtained with comparatively low blast heats. Therefore a large number of Mesaba furnaces have ever since been operated on very low blast temperatures, ranging between 800° and 1,000° F. In the face of these difficulties, furnace men were slow to recognize that furnaces could be so designed as to permit a free movement of the charges in combination with the use of higher heats. Since higher blast temperatures did not seem to offer great advantages in the smelting of Mesaba ores, investments in hot-blast stoves were not as attractive to the furnace man as labor-saving devices and means of obtaining greater tonnages. The effect of this preference is keenly felt at the present time. It has brought about the peculiar situation, that the majority of our furnace plants (among them some of the most progressive) lack modern and efficient stove equipment. The result is that, even where the proper furnace lines have been adopted and conditions are now favorable to the successful employment of higher blast temperatures, the heats required for the greatest fuel economy are not available.

Jan 3, 1915