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By D. J. Cox, J. P. Conway, A. E. Gooch

A two-year test conducted by the USBM's Spokane Mining Research Center (SMRC) has proven the feasibility of the yielding rockbolt, a concept which may prove very useful to the mining industry by providing ground support under a variety of conditions. The yielding rockbolt was originally developed in South Africa3 to overcome the limitations of conventional bolting in rock subjected to high-stress or rock burst conditions. The yielding effect is obtained by fitting the bolt prior to thread rolling with a smooth-bore die of internal diameter slightly larger than the shank diameter but smaller than the rolled thread diameter.

Jan 4, 1977

By Anthony F. G. Lucas

BORN on Sept. 9, 1855, in the city of Spalato, Dalmatia. Austria, Antonio Francisco Luchich was the son of Francis Stephen Luchich, a prosperous shipbuilder and ship-owner of Lesina. His mother, Johanna Giovanizio, was known to the people of Trieste as a woman of unusual learning and piety. After receiving his high school training in Trieste, Antonio Luchich entered the Polytechnic Institute at Gratz in the year 1875, graduating two years later as an engineer. He then entered the Naval Academy of Fiume and Pola as a Midshipman, receiving his commission as a Lieutenant in 1878. In 1879, then 24, Antonio Luchich obtained a leave of absence from the Austrian Navy and came to Saginaw, Mich., to visit an uncle. He remained in this country and on May 4. 1885 at Norfolk, Va.. he became Anthony Francis Lucas. an American citizen.

Jan 1, 1945

By R. E. Pollard

The National Bureau of Standards received, in August 1940, a number of samples of bridge wire taken from the cables of the General U. S. Grant suspension bridge over the Ohio River at Ports- mouth, Ohio. These cables were 7% in. in diameter under the wrapping and each was made up of 1458 ungalvanized wires of No. 8 gage in 3 parallel-wire strands. The choice of ungalvanized wire was based on the previous satisfactory performance of similar wires in other bridges over periods of 20 to 50 yr. of service(1).2 After about 12 yr. of service a number of breaks were discovered in the Portsmouth bridge cables, most of them at the anchor- age shoes, and they were replaced by cables made up of galvanized wire(2).

Jan 1, 1945

By F. M. Lewis, J. F. Myers

The paper reports the development of a large, slow speed ball mill closed circuited with a hvdro-scillator. This increased grinding efficiency 28 pct over conventional units. AS the title indicates, this is a progress report for the first year of experimental operation of a relatively large diameter, slow speed ball mill with 1-in. balls, with and without various classifiers, and including a hydroscillator. Several years ago the authors came to the conclusion that if any further progress were to be made in our flotation process, an understanding of the chemical and physical reactions and the control thereof, in the grinding circuit, was essential. It may be stated, at this point, that the preparation of a correct feed for the flotation process is still the number one objective of our grinding studies. This progress report deals with grinding "per se," and not with the chemical and physical reactions as the result of grinding. Prior to this time we had taken the naive position, that since grinding had been practiced by the industry for some fifty years or more, it had been well exploited and developed by a host of investigators. Consequently, we had given the matter only superficial attention. At the start of our study, we were aware of the fact that some difference in opinion existed, but we were not prepared for the controversial evidence that developed nor for the extent to which the experts differed in their viewpoints. There seemed nothing else to do but to tour the continent and decide for ourselves what was right and what was wrong, read all the published literature and visit with anyone who had ideas about the matter. This we did over the next few ensuing years. Since our study has met with some measure of success, we report, herewith, these data that ultimately they may be of help to other investigators. In 1944 it became necessary to increase our grinding capacity and at the same time to grind the sulphide portion a little finer. This provided the impetus to put our ideas into effect. As has been previously described, our grinding flowsheet at that time consisted of a 6x12 rod mill, followed by two 5x10 ft, and one 6x12 ft trunnion overflow ball mills, with conventional rake classifiers. Naturally, we first considered all the possibilities of altering or adding to the existing equipment. It became evident that if any appreciable increase in grinding efficiency could be obtained, it would pay to scrap the existing small mills and classifiers and install one big mill with adequate classification. Trying to determine just how much more efficient a big mill could be, in which were incorporated all

Jan 1, 1951

By J. F. Myers, F. M. Lewis

The paper reports the development of a large, slow speed ball mill closed circuited with a hvdro-scillator. This increased grinding efficiency 28 pct over conventional units. AS the title indicates, this is a progress report for the first year of experimental operation of a relatively large diameter, slow speed ball mill with 1-in. balls, with and without various classifiers, and including a hydroscillator. Several years ago the authors came to the conclusion that if any further progress were to be made in our flotation process, an understanding of the chemical and physical reactions and the control thereof, in the grinding circuit, was essential. It may be stated, at this point, that the preparation of a correct feed for the flotation process is still the number one objective of our grinding studies. This progress report deals with grinding "per se," and not with the chemical and physical reactions as the result of grinding. Prior to this time we had taken the naive position, that since grinding had been practiced by the industry for some fifty years or more, it had been well exploited and developed by a host of investigators. Consequently, we had given the matter only superficial attention. At the start of our study, we were aware of the fact that some difference in opinion existed, but we were not prepared for the controversial evidence that developed nor for the extent to which the experts differed in their viewpoints. There seemed nothing else to do but to tour the continent and decide for ourselves what was right and what was wrong, read all the published literature and visit with anyone who had ideas about the matter. This we did over the next few ensuing years. Since our study has met with some measure of success, we report, herewith, these data that ultimately they may be of help to other investigators. In 1944 it became necessary to increase our grinding capacity and at the same time to grind the sulphide portion a little finer. This provided the impetus to put our ideas into effect. As has been previously described, our grinding flowsheet at that time consisted of a 6x12 rod mill, followed by two 5x10 ft, and one 6x12 ft trunnion overflow ball mills, with conventional rake classifiers. Naturally, we first considered all the possibilities of altering or adding to the existing equipment. It became evident that if any appreciable increase in grinding efficiency could be obtained, it would pay to scrap the existing small mills and classifiers and install one big mill with adequate classification. Trying to determine just how much more efficient a big mill could be, in which were incorporated all

Jan 1, 1951

By Henry Howe

1. Introduction.-This paper is based in large part on the examination of two rings, shown in section in Fig. 4 to 15, cut from an eroded 14-in. (35.56-cm.) gun, liner, and containing, according to Booth, Garrett, & Blair: Carbon, 0.380 per cent.; manganese, 0.655 per cent.; nickel, 2.810 per cent.; vanadium, 0; chromium, a few hundredths of 1 per cent.; tungsten, 0; molybdenum, 0. These rings were received from Admiral Joseph Strauss, then Chief of Ordnance, U. S. Navy, through the kindness of Mr. Hudson Maxim, Chairman of the Committee on Ordnance and Explosives,, of the U. S. Naval Consulting Board.

Jan 2, 1918

By Henry G. Granger

A RESIDENCE of 14 years in the Republic of Colombia, spent in almost continuous traveling and prospecting-trips, has given me an intimate knowledge of the resources of that wonderful country. The man who best knows Colombia is unquestionably General Rafael Reyes, President of the Republic for the past three years, and with seven years more to serve in his present term. Such is the strength of his personality and the wisdom of his policies that his term of office will no doubt endure as long as he is willing to serve. The vastly improved economic situation and the brilliant outlook for Colombia are so directly due to the influence of President Reyes that a few lines concerning him. will not be amiss, if they serve towards a better understanding of his personality. Born of a distinguished ancestry in the mountains of Boyaca, he is now 57 years old, just the age of his friend Porfirio Diaz when be began the work which has placed Mexico in the rank of great modern nations. It was Reyes who came to Washington to protest against the action of the government of the United States of America in reference to the establishment of the Republic of Panama, and, without entering into a discussion of this affair, it can be fairly said that there was not an American in Colombia whose feelings of justice were. not outraged at the government action and subsequent refusal to submit the matter to the impartial judgment of the' Hague. President Reyes is an accomplished linguist, speaking English, French, German, Portuguese, Spanish, and Italian. He has a remarkably. powerful voice, which can readily be heard by a large assemblage. His height is about 6 ft., and his weight exceeds 200 lb. He has clear gray eyes. Reyes was the leader of those who favored the approval of

Sep 1, 1908

By John E. Hockett

The need for basic information about the relationship between resistance to dejormatim (flow stress), temperature, strain, and strain rate, for the solution of metal-fovming problems, is pointed out. Some early attempts to satisfy the need are mentioned. A brief description of a machine called a Cam Plastome-ter is given, including the processing of results of testing in the machine. Next, a program of testing aluminum in compression over a wide range of constant true-strain rates (0.1 to > 200 sec-1) and a modevately broad range of temperatures (223° to 673°K) is described. The results of this program are presented in the form of true-stress us true-strain cuvves. The data in these curves are presented in the form of relationships between true stress and true-strain rate in sermilogarithmic and log-log form, as functions of temperatures—for several true strains. Finally, true stress, for a given true strain, is displayed as a function of log true-strain rate and absolute temperature, i.e., a surface. SINCE the publication of Hill's book1 on plasticity theory, increasingly rapid advances have been made in analytical solutions to forming problems. Methods in common use are the slab method, the uniform deformation energy method, the limit analysis method, the slipline field method, and the semiexperimental method called "visioplasticity". These approaches, and examples of their use, are covered in detail by Johnson and Melloor2 and by Thornsen, Yang, and Kobayashi.3 unfortunately, practically all of the above work has had to rely upon a number of basic assumptions, e.g., homogeneous deformation and Coulomb (sliding) friction; and virtually no dependence of the mechanical behavior of the deforming metal, upon temperature, strain, and strain rate, has been included. It is with this dependency that this paper is concerned. Loizou and sims4 looked at the above relationship for lead using both a constant compression-speed Cam Plastometer and a constant true-strain-rate Cam Plastometer designed by Orowan.5 Alder and Phillips8 investigated the relationships for aluminum, copper, and steel in the same constant true-strain-rate Plastometer. cook7 tested twelve steels at temperatures ranging from 1170° to 1473°K in the same Plastometer over a range of true-strain rates of 1.5 to 100 sec-'. The writer tested commercially pure aluminum at room temperature and depleted uranium at temperatures from 573" to 873°K at strain rates from 10-3 to 1.0 sec-1 in a Cam Plastometer designed and built at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory.8 During the past few years the Cam Plastometer at Los Alamos has been used for a number of relatively minor experiments on brass, mild steel, duralumin, Armco iron, and depleted uranium. In this time the machine has been continually modified and improved. It was decided to utilize fully the wide range of strain rates now available with the machine by testing a material about which some information was already in the literature. Prior work on commercially pure aluminum6 appeared to deserve confirmation and expansion. So it was decided to explore the resistance to compression of this material over the currently available range of constant true-strain rates and a convenient range of temperatures. This paper is a report of that exploration. I) EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURE The principal item of equipment is, of course, the Cam Plastometer, the working part of which is shown in Fig. 1. In this figure, an aluminum specimen may be seen between two tungsten carbide platens, in position for a room-temperature test. Above the upper carbide platen is a load cell. Output from the load cell is amplified and applied to a galvanometer in a recording oscillograph. Auxiliary equipment includes the oscillograph, the control console, a counter, and a time-mark generator. The counter is first used in adjusting the time base. Then it registers the count, of sixty pips per revolution generated by the rotating cam, in each second. These pips and the time base are also applied to galvanometers in the oscillograph. Thus, load, time, and cam position are recorded simultaneously. Heating of a specimen prior to compression is done

Jan 1, 1968

By Clarence Thom

This chapter presents, in summarized form, standard procedures for making separations of minerals from their ores by the froth flotation process to produce marketable concentrates. These are typical mineral separations which are being made commercially with the reagents and conditions generally used in the mining industry. Typical separations are presented for 17 metallic and 11 nonmetallic ores. The review of each includes a brief description of the mineral and the particular problem presented, general market specifications for its concentrates, an outline of treatment method, and kinds and quantities of reagents usually employed. This chapter does not include de- tails about ore preparation (crushing, grinding, and classification), elements of ore and pulp transportation (conveying and pumping), or concentrate preparation for market (thickening, filtering, and drying). In each presentation it is assumed, if not detailed further, that the ore is ground to the economical point of liberation of the minerals to be separated. Specific information, such as ratio of concentration and recovery, that depends upon the grade of ore being treated is considered beyond the scope of this chapter. Effective flotation separations that produce marketable concentrates may produce widely varying results in terms of percent recovery and still be economically profitable operations. Details of plant practice on specific ores are presented in Chapters 16 and 17. In this chapter the chemical names of the reagents are given. The extent to which different reagents are used in flotation plants in the U. S. is presented in Chapter 4. A compilation of the various flotation reagents, their trade names, manufacturers, and use has been prepared by H. T. Spedden. ANTIMONY The principal ore mineral of antimony, stibnite (Sb2 S3), is generally found in the U. S. in ore bodies in association with other valuable minerals such as galena (Pbs), sphalerite (ZnS), chalcopyrite (CuFeS2), or tetrahedrite (3Cu2 S – Sb2 S3), The sulfo-salt minerals of antimony, such as tetrahedrite or pyrargyrite, are often associated with high silver values, so that the presence of antimony may indicate economic importance even though the actual antimony content is low. Antimony is also significant to the mineral economy because of its occurrence in some ores where lead, gold, and silver are the

Jan 1, 1962

By Martin T. Broome

INTRODUCTION The Luanshya Mine is situated in the southern part of the Zambian Copperbelt. The copper ore deposit is stratiform, and is preserved in a synclinorium known as the Roan/ Muliashi basin. Roan shaft (formally called No.14 shaft) is located at the eastern end of the syncline and is theoldest of the presently operating hoisting shafts, being sunk during the 1930's. It presently hoists some 45 per- cent of the total Luanshya Mine production. A cross-section through the shaft is shown in figure 1. The ore formation on the south limb is unmined on this section because until recently it was believed that such mining might cause damage to the shaft. This paper examines the influences of adjacent mining on this so-called 'shaft pillar', and describes the mechanics of subsidence of the pillar itself. GEOLOGY AND STRUCTURE Figure 1 shows the general form of folding in the vicinity of Roan shaft. The north and south limbs of the main syncline approach parallelism, with the bottom of the trough fairly smoothly rounded. The axis of the - trough plunges to the west-north-west at 6° - l0°. A brief summary of the major lithologies present in the Roan basin is given in table 1, however, the performance of the overall structure during progressive mining of the ore horizon is controlled by the following features in addition to the mining method. Intraformational Contacts These are characteristically weak in most geological environments. The BC/RL7 contact is an unconformity between moderately weak quartz-biotite schists below (unconfined compressive strength 40 - 80 MN/M 2), and strong quartzites above (U .C .S. 170-200 MN/M2) Subsequent formations are conformable, and planes of weakness are generally the result of contrasting lithology (see below). Weak Interbeds The Rt7, RL6, RL5, RL3 and RU2 horizons consist predominantly of quartzitic rocks, i.e. conglomerates, quartzites and argillites, and as such are generally strong and considered suitable for the positioning of development. Between these however, lie two much weaker dolomitic horizons, the RL4 and RU1. The Rt4 is the main hangingwall aquifer, and must be drained prior to mining. Drainage results in an extremely weak, blocky cavernous horizon which usually requires support if exposed by development. Similarly, the RU1 formation is comprised mainly of dolomites and dolomitic arqillites which are weak and cavernous. In the eastern part of the Roan/

Jan 1, 1981

By E. M. Chance

HERBERT M. WILSON, Pittsburgh, Pa. (written discussion).-Permit me to endorse the author's conclusions and their form of presentation as ,being, in my judgment, the last word 'on the subject of lights for the illumination of coal mines. I also feel that the open-flame oil lamp has outlived its usefulness, and that it should go, in the interests not only of safety but of efficiency. Where an open-flame lamp can be used with safety in non-gaseous mines, the acetylene light adds materially to efficiency by its better illumination, and to safety for the numerous reasons given by Mr. Chance. The latter, however, lays chief stress on the value of the acetylene because of its non-fouling and non-obscuring effect on the atmosphere. Another important advantage over any other form of illumination is the clear, bright light projected at the point where the workman may look for danger. The better illumination materially safeguards the worker against obstacles over which he may stumble when traveling, and against dangers from falls of roof or of coal, weakness in timbering, and similar conditions. The acetylene lamp, where it may be used with safety, has advantages even over the present electric cap lamp, in that it gives a higher luminosity; and when the miner comes to learn its signals, as he will in time, just as he learns those given by the open-flame or the safety lamp, he will find that the acetylene lamp is a fair detector not only of methane but of carbon dioxide, as clearly shown by Mr. Chance. The only, serious objection, raised against the use of carbide lamps. has been recently in Pennsylvania, due to the belief of the State Mine Inspection Department that it endangered miners working on pillar work, or other places where carbon dioxide might accumulate, or where there is lack of sufficient ventilation, and because it was believed that the indications of the carbide lamp would not give the miner sufficient warning. On this point Mr. Chance has clearly shown the fallacies of the objections. I may add that for those unable to detect carbon dioxide with the acetylene lamp, the maximum of protection would be afforded by using an open oil lamp or a flame safety lamp in such places; or, because the miner might not watch his oil light, a better, protection still would be offered by a sufficient number of daily inspections of such working places by a fire boss or other official, with flame safety lamp.

Jan 4, 1917

I. PRESIDING OFFICERS. At all Business meetings of the Institute the President, or, in his absence, the Vice-President, or, in the absence of both of them, any other member of the Board of Directors to be chosen by the meeting, shall preside. At all other meetings of the Institute the President of the Council or, in his absence, one of the Vice-Presidents, if present, shall preside II. ORDER OF BUSINESS. At each Business meeting of the Institute the order of business shall be as follows 1. Reading of minutes of preceding meeting. 2 Report of the President. 3. Report of the Treasurer. 4. Report of the Secretary. 5. Election of Directors. 6. Reports of Standing Committees. 7. Reports of Special Committees. 8. Special Orders 9. Miscellaneous business. This order of business may be changed by a vote of a majority of the Members and Associates present in person or by proxy. The usual parliamentary rules shall govern all meetings of the Institute except in cases otherwise provided by the Constitution or the By-Laws. At all sessions of the Institute other than business meetings, the order of proceedings and the time of adjournment, shall rest in the discretion of the presiding officer

Jan 1, 1923

By S. M. Brisbane

THE life of refractory linings in rotary cement kilns can be shortened by uneven or inadequate support of the kiln and its shell and by variations in the conditions of operation. Alteration of these factors may, according to their nature, bring about mechanical deterioration of the lining or promote chemical attack. Chemical attack has been described elsewhere.1-4 The distortion of cement kilns has been discussed in a general manner by Rochow,6 ho indicates the amount of distortion which may occur in an unlined shell, and by Rosenblad: who states that the deformations of the shell are greatest above the trunnions. The present article indicates the extent of the distortion of a kiln to an oval shape in certain selected positions and the deviation from a straight line of the kiln along its length between two supports. The cement kiln is a long, hollow, rotating cylinder consisting of steel plates which may be either welded or riveted together. This shell is supported on tires, frequently 60 ft apart, which roll on trunnions. The large mass of the kiln causes distortion of its cross-section; it becomes slightly oval, i.e., diameters lengthen as they become horizontal and shorten as they become vertical. There is also a tendency for the shell to bow between supporting tires; this bowing may be upwards or downwards depending on the position of the weight forces and the supports. The extent of the deviations from the ideal kiln shape was investigated. Observations described in this paper were made on the shell of the clinkering zone between the first and second tires of two of the kilns at the Geelong works of Australian Portland Cement Pty. Ltd. The kilns were both 400 ft long and 10 ft diam with a welded enlarged burning zone 11 ft 6 in. diam. The shell was fabricated from mild steel and in this section its thickness was 1 in. It was lined with 41/2 in. of chemically bonded magnesite-chrome bricks which were jointed with mild steel plates. The kilns operate on a 4 pct slope and the speed may be varied between 0.75 and 1.68 rpm. The wet process is used; kilns are coal fired and are fitted with integral coolers. Temperatures within the kiln are difficult to determine with any accuracy because of the absence of black body conditions, but surface temperatures are probably in the range 1420° to 1470°C. Average shell .temperatures at the two positions at which the deformation studies were made were 370°C and 355"C respectively. Methods: In determining the ellipticity it was necessary to measure the lengths of the vertical and horizontal diameters while the kiln was in operation; data obtained from a stationary kiln would not have the same practical significance. For this purpose the four points V, W, X, and Y at the ends of two mutually perpendicular diameters were marked on one kiln. The point X is shown in Fig. 1. For the measurement of the length of the vertical diameter a vertical column, to which a horizontally aligned telescope was attached, was placed 10 ft from the kiln. The telescope could be racked up and down in a vertical plane. Two sets of readings were taken, one set when each of the points V, W, X, and Y was at its maximum height above the

Jan 1, 1957

I. PRESIDING OFFICERS. At all Business meetings of the Institute the President, or, in his absence, the Vice-President, or, in the absence of both of them, any other member of the Board of Directors to be chosen by the meeting, shall preside. At all other meetings of the Institute the President of the Council or, in his absence, one of the Vice-Presidents, if present, shall preside II. ORDER OF BUSINESS. At each Business meeting of the Institute the order of business shall be as follows 1. Reading of minutes of preceding meeting. 2 Report of the President. 3. Report of the Treasurer. 4. Report of the Secretary. 5. Election of Directors. 6. Election of Members of the Council. 7. Reports of Standing Committees. 8. Reports of Special Committees. 9. Special Orders 10. Miscellaneous business. This order of business may be changed by a vote of a majority of the Members and Associates present in person or by proxy. The usual parliamentary rules shall govern all meetings of the Institute except in cases otherwise provided by the Constitution or the By-Laws. At all sessions of the Institute other than business meetings, the order of proceedings and the time of adjournment, shall rest in the discretion of the presiding officer

Jan 1, 1923

By C. G. Dunn, F. Lionetti

The energy associated with grain boundaries in polycrystalline aggregates is believed to play a major role in grain growth processes and, when growth ceases, to determine the final equilibrium grain boundary angles. Further, the energy of grain boundaries of recrystallization nuclei is a factor in nucleation processes. It is important to know, therefore, how the energy per unit area of a grain boundary, that is, the grain boundary surface tension y, depends on the difference in orientation of the two lattices of the grains producing the boundary. Although the problem is important, surprisingly little has been done toward a quantitative evaluation of the effect of orientation difference on grain boundary energies. C. S. Smith1 recently has discussed this problem and in addition to showing effects of orientation difference on equilibrium angles has shown a variety of interesting effects of surface tension on the appearance of microstructures. Fig 1 and the following relations expressed in Eq 1, which connect equilibrium grain boundary angles and surface tensions, illustrate equilibrium conditions which are believed to hold true in metals. ?l2 _ ?23 _ ?l3 [1] sin ?3 sin ?1 sin ?2 Clearly any two of these surface tensions can be expressed in terms of the third when the equilibrium angles ?1, ?2, and ?3 are known. Applied to the present problem for solid state equilibrium of three grains, the angles ?1,?2 and ?3 must be measured in a plane perpendicular to the line of junction of the three grains. Normally a direct determination of these angles from random microsections is impossible. Consequently Harker and Parker2 and Smith1 (except for some measurements on flat specimens) resorted to a statistical method to determine equilibrium grain boundary angles. Smith reported that grain boundaries meet the surface of a piece of metal nearly perpendicularly. He reported also, in connection with direct angle measurements on flat specimens with grains extending through the thickness, that angles varied appreciably from 120" and concluded that there was a measurable effect of orientation difference on surface tension. Another direct way of determining equilibrium angles and a method adaptable to studying particular configurations, recently suggested by Dunn,³ is to use a three-grain flat specimen with orientations of grains so chosen that the junction line of the three grains will be straight throughout the thickness and perpendicular to the surface of the specimen. Choice of orientations is possible when individual grains of each group can be grown to predetermined orientations through the reorienting and growth of " seed crystals " as described.³ Not only is it possible, for example, to have grains with the same crystallographic plane in the plane of the specimen, but a given orientation difference between two grains can be made a common factor to an unlimited number of three-grain groups while a series of orientation differences is investigated. Any effect of anisotropy of gas-solid surface tension due to grain orientation should be minimized by having all gains oriented the same with regard to crystallographic plane in the plane of the specimen. Another feature of the three-grain group is the notched grain boundaries as shown in Fig 2 for one specimen (S4). The notches serve to anchor the end positions of the grain boundaries (especially at high temperatures) while the central and junction point of the grains moves toward an equilibrium position. Final equilibrium should produce straight grain boundaries if the notches are very narrow and if changes in orientation* of the grain boundary do not alter the surface tension.† If one assumes the straight line condition and no change of surface tension with small changes in grain boundary orientation and finds the equilibrium configuration by a minimization of the grain boundary energy, one obtains the relations given in Eq 1. The approach to straight line boundaries or to minimum energy configurations in specimens containing large grains, such as those used in the present investigation, may be very slow compared with the approach to equilibrium conditions for the grain boundary angles. It may be desirable, as proved to be the case in the present investiga-

Jan 1, 1950

By J. C. Rengel

Why and how the nuclear industry entered the electric power generation business is discussed in terms that nuclear energy was an undoubtedly additional energy resource and that it had promise of becoming a virtually inexhaustible generating power if breeder reactors could be devised. The growth of nuclear power, its total generation capacity, are related to the need of increasing energy requirements. The use of atomic energy for power generation will grow if it can compete economically with other fuels. The rate of growth, the time scale and direction of technical development is dependent on ore supplies. It is predicted that by 1980, 50% of all new power installations will be nuclear stations. INTRODUCTION Ten years ago, the nuclear industry was virtually unborn, the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 had just been signed, and peaceful applications of atomic power was little more than a phrase. Serious discussion of the practical application of nuclear energy to electric utility installations in the West was highly unlikely. The questions: Why and how did the nuclear industry enter the electric power generation business at all?; What is the predicted growth of nuclear power?; What technological changes do we predict?; How will the above changes affect the utilities? will in part be answered by this paper. WHY NUCLEAR POWER? The only justification for the West as for any other section of the country for atomic power is economics. Whatever energy source will provide the lowest generation cost will prevail; the only electric utilities which have shown an interest in nuclear power are those to whom it means lower generation costs. It is true that the Government sponsored the development of this technology long before there was any evidence of better economics; but a Government must take a very long-range view and it is the only type of organization that can afford to look more than twenty or thirty years into the future. The Government looked at projections such as shown in Fig. 1, which shows various rates of energy consumption, and matched these against estimates of fossil fuel resources. This showed that we will exhaust our low-cost fossil fuel supplies within 75 to 100 years and our total known fuel supplies within 150 to 200 years. The decision to invest in nuclear energy rested, therefore, on two arguments: a) It was undoubtedly an additional energy resource; and b) It has promise of becoming a virtually inex-haustable resource if breeder reactors could be devised if, while generating power, the reactors would produce more fissile materials than they consumed. This decision produced an unexpected bonus: nuclear power became competitive with fossil power much earlier than had been expected and, as shown in Fig. 2, forced the coal industry to take a hard look at its own position. I believe that the drop of coal prices shown here is the direct result of the entry of nuclear power into the energy supply business. At this point, it ought to be explained why and under what conditions nuclear power can be cheaper than fossil power. Fossil fuel cost to the utility is composed of two factors: a) Mining; and b) Transportation. As a result, the cost of fossil fuel to the utilities varies from 126, 106 Btu to 306, 106 Btu and higher. Nuclear energy is highly concentrated and the transportation factor becomes insignificant. Today the cost of nuclear fuel to the utility ranges between 156

Jan 1, 1967

[A Editor's Note: Annual Reviews of various subjects and areas are found in February issues of Mining and Metallurgy and Mining Engineering. These Annual Reviews are not listed per se in the Index. Abating Stream Pollution in Anthracite Coal Fields. ME Mar 50 Abbadia San Salvatore mine, Italy. T178, 297 Abbott, C.E.: Limestone Mine in the Birmingham District. With Discussion. T129, 62 ABC Typifies Trend to Mechanized Mining and Coal Preparation. ME Dec 50 Abel, J.F.: Statistical Analysis of Tunnel Supporting Loads. T235, 288 Sulzbach, J. F., and Walker, D.K.: Ice Tunneling in Greenland. ME Jun 59 Aberfoyle tin mines, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, stannite, as intergrowths. T214, 1147 Abnormal Behavior of Some Ore Constituents and Their Effect on Blast Furnace Operation, The. T241, 1 Abrams, C.J.: Industry's Responsibility in Postwar Economy. M&M Mar 45 and Haley, D.F.: History of Crushing and Milling at Climax. M&M Jun 46]

Jan 1, 1972

By Wayne E. Tuomi

The mining industry is faced with a pressing problem; that is, to develop more efficient methods of extraction, handling and upgrading-techniques that will do the job faster and better than ever before. New techniques require new machines, or applications of new and improved materials that can be used to modify and improve existing machine and equipment designs. The traditional approach has been to increase productivity by increasing equipment size. Prognostication indicates that the trend toward larger equipment sizes and capacities will continue as one answer to the challenge imposed by future increases in mineral demands. But what is the limit on the continued growth of equipment size? Until about 1930, there was a very definite limit-a limit imposed by the strength of the steels and the power plants then available. The equipment engineer had come to an impasse: even though it was easily possible, for instance, to triple the size of a bucket, it had become impractical to correspondingly enlarge the boom, the counterweight, and the power plant.

Jan 3, 1967

By D. L. Passmore, J. D. Bennett

The degree of injury and days lost from work due to an injury are examined for selected electrical sources, occurring in conjunction with falls of the injured miner or with selected machinery, that could have been eliminated by use of diesel equipment. Although the number of preventable electrical source injuries is small relative to the total number of injuries during the period examined, many lost-time injuries could have been precluded and thousands of days lost from work could have been avoided.

Jan 1, 1986

By AIME AIME

LAST month we published (p. 440) the first half of the L discussion by O. E. Kiessling of the paper on copper by Mr. Vogelstein that appeared in the same-issue, but lack of space made it necessary to hold the remainder for this number. Mr. Kiessling now asks to have the last " sentence of the part already published revised to the form given in the first sentence which follows, and also asks that the two parts, though necessarily published separately, be read together, as a mistaken impression may be derived from the first Dart unless it is read in connection with the statement of the Bureau of Mines policy respecting secondary metals which is here published. .

Jan 1, 1931