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By Robert Archer

THE proper material of construction for a given purpose is that material which meets the requirements satisfactorily at the lowest ultimate cost. It is consistent with this principle that most aluminum castings are made of an alloy containing about 8 per cent. copper. This alloy possesses mechanical properties satisfactory for general engineering purposes together with manufacturing characteristics leading to the production of finished castings at low cost. It is to the aluminum industry what gray iron is to the iron and steel industry. Just as some services require "semi-steel," malleable castings or steel castings instead of gray iron, there is a certain and growing demand for aluminum castings of superior strength or ductility, or both. Since the beginning of the industry producers and others have sought to develop alloys or processes by which such castings could be made. Out of these efforts have emerged many alloy compositions and special processes, of which only a few have had sufficient merit to survive. It is the purpose of this paper to describe those which seem to the authors to offer the greatest promise for the production on a commercial scale of aluminum castings of superior mechanical properties, with special reference to heat-treated castings. The suitability of an alloy or process for actual manufacture is affected by so many factors that the problem of appraisal is not a simple one. Since this is such an important part of the whole subject it is proposed to discuss briefly some of the requirements. The final verdict is of course the result of commercial trial and experience. It will therefore, perhaps, be profitable to employ a somewhat historical method of treatment in discussing the subject of alloy development.

Jan 9, 1926

By Comfort Adams

WHEN this country went into the war, but two concerns, The Bethlehem Steel Co. and The Midvale Steel and Ordnance Co., knew how to make steel fit for great cannons and at these concerns there were relatively few men who knew the whole art. Fortunately, certain of these men put their knowledge at the service of the Government, and proceeded to instruct the metallurgists at the arsenals and at various steel works. The then chairman of the Engineering Division of the National Research Council, Doctor Howe, suggested that this work might be facilitated, and the number of effective gun-steel makers thereby increased, if a detailed description of the best practice could be written, giving the reasons for the various steps, and issued with the endorsement of a committee composed of those who were evidently the most competent authorities. It was thought that something would be gained by clarification of the subject, and something by the eminent authority' of the members of the committee. To that end, the Engineering Division appointed-a committee, consisting of the gentlemen whose names follow, to mention only those who retained their connection with it. At, this time there were serious difficulties in the manufacture for the Government, of aircraft and high-speed engine crankshafts, of certain ordnance forgings, and of shells for both the Army and Navy. This Committee was asked to study and report upon these, with a view to betterment of practice. There were indications that the source of some of the difficulties went back to the melting of the steel and the production of the ingot. Hence, the committee first studied steel melting and ingot production, in order to guide the wartime manufacturers to an even larger percentage of useful production from the steel initially melted.

Jan 1, 1922

By Christopher H. Bierbaum

The first significant fact observed in the study of bearing metals is that not a single pure homogeneous metal has given satisfactory service; all bearing metals are alloys made up of two or more phases; that is, they consist of hard and of relatively soft microscopic particles intimately mixed. The function of the hard particles, or bearing crystals, is to support the load and resist the wear when actual metallic contact exists between the bearing surfaces. The functions of the softer particles are to allow the harder particles to adjust themselves to the surface requireinents of the journal and to wear down slightly below the surface of the harder, forming slight depressions on the apparently smooth wearing surface of the bearing, in which some of the lubricant is held when the bearing surfaces are brought into contact with each other. It is this characteristic of certain alloys to form these slight depressions, and thus provide the means for retaining a lubricant, that characterizes them as true bearing metals; in fact, a bearing metal has been defined as "an alloy that is capable of retaining a lubricant upon a bearing surface."' The extent to which the lubricant can be so held determines the most valuable characteristic of an alloy as a bearing metal. An alloy which, perhaps, most characteristically represents a bearing metal is the composition of copper and tin that contains sufficient tin to produce the tin-copper eutectoid, or delta crystal. The depressions worn upon the surfaces of the softer crystals of the teeth of a motor-truck worm wheel, made of an ll-per cent. tin bronze, in many cases were from 5 to 6 microns in depth; all other conditions remaining constant, this depth of wear increases with an increase of working pressure. This copper-tin bronze contains intercrystalline shrinkage cavities, which also

Jan 1, 1923

By Frank S. Gardner, Morris Cohen, Dara P. Anita

There is a conspicuous lack of information in the literature on the precise role played by residual quantities of austenite in heat-treated steels. While retained austenite may be expected to have significant effects on such important properties as the impact resistance of tools and carburized parts and the dimensional stability of dies and gauges, attempts to study these problems systematically have suffered from the absence of a reliable technique for ascertaining absolute amounts of austenite. With such a technique, not only could the relation between residual austenite and service behavior be investigated, but the chemical and heat-treatment factors that control the quantity of the austenite could also be established. Thus, the retained austenite content could then be regulated in accordance with the results desired. The presence of retained austenite may be inferred by observing the changes in properties (hardness, specific volume, electrical resistance, etc.) due to its decomposition on subatmospheric cooling1 or on tempering,2 but these indirect measurements are not readily translated into percentages of austenite. Quantitative determinations have been achieved in special cases by means of dilatometric3 and magnetic4,5 measurements; but the former procedure requires that observations be conducted during the hardening and involves difficult calibrations that limit its applicability, while the magnetic procedure is very sensitive to extraneous influences and depends upon assumptions that can only be considered as approximate in an absolute sense. Furthermore, both the dilatometric and magnetic effects are volume properties, and cannot be conveniently utilized to explore variations in retained austenite from point to point in a suecimen. Some microstructures lend themselves to accurate evaluation of retained austenite contents by metallo-graphic methods,3 but such instances are not too common, and at best, the procedure is tedious. The characteristic X-ray diffraction lines of austenite permit positive identification of its presence; and in the present paper the intensities of these lines, or the corresponding densities* on photographic film, are employed to measure the amount of the retained austenite. In order to cancel the effect of uncontrollable variations in the X - ray exposure and film - development conditions, a standard reference line is Superimposed on each film by maintaining a foil of aluminum in the path of the incident X-ray beam during the entire exposure. With different samples of steel and the same foil, the ratio of the density of some one austenite line to the density of

Jan 1, 1943

By Albert Sauveur

As director of the Division of Metallurgy of the Technical Section of the Air Service, American Expeditionary Forces, from August, 1917, to January, 1919, I devoted much time to the study of the steels best suited to the construction of aircraft. It became apparent at a very early stage of my investigation that the practice of builders varied greatly in regard to the number of different steels to be used, to the kinds of steels, and to their treatment. Some manufacturers employed as many as fifteen steels while the builder of one of the newest motors, favorably passed upon in the United States, assured me that two or, at the most, three kinds of steel were all he needed to produce satisfactory results. In the matter of treatment, the manufacturers were also greatly at variance. Some treated their steel with considerable refinement while others paid but scant attention to this feature. Some manufacturers case-hardened many parts, while others used the case-hardening process sparingly, if at all. Nickel-chromium steels were used at some works for case-hardening while at other plants this treatment was applied exclusively to carbon steels. Air-hardening nickel-chromium steel was used extensively by some and not at all by others. Considerable variance existed likewise in regard to the steels used for admission and exhaust valves. The conclusion was obvious, that no two manufacturers of airplane motors held like opinions as to the steels to be used or as to the treatment they should receive. Was it to be inferred from this that the many committees and associations that had been created, in part at least, for the standardization of aircraft steels had failed to make proper recommendations or that the manufacturers had ignored their recommendations ? Confining our inquiry to the committees and associations that had dealt with this question in England, France, and the United States, it was found that in Great Britain the British Engineering Standards Committee, now the British Engineering Standards Association, had devoted much time to the problem of satisfactory standards for aircraft steels. In April, 1918, this Association presented a set of specifications described as "British Standard Specifications for Aircraft Steels for Government Purchases in the United States of America." They included twenty-one different steels and, as the title indicates, were drawn for the

Jan 1, 1920

By R. A. Meussner, R. J. Goode

Six intermediate phases occur in the Nb-Zn sysThese phases form by peritectic reactions at 1120°, spectively. The Nb Zn 15 phase appears as the minor phase in the eutectic structure, and the terminal phases remain nearly pure niobium and zinc even at high temperature. Vapor -pressure measurements on the four high-temperature phases (Nb Zn to Nb Zn 3) permitted estimates of the composition limits of these phases and the calculation of approximate values of AFO, AH°, and AS°. 1 HE present study of the constitution of the binary Nb-Zn system was a part of an analysis of the mechanism by which coatings of the Nb-Zn intermediate phases protect niobium against oxidation at high temperature.' Since the primary interest in these phases was in coating service, attention in this study was given principally to the four phases stable at high temperature with only cursory attention to the two low-temperature phases. The solubility studies of niobium in zinc by Martin, Knighton, and Feder2 and the reports from the present study of the Nb-Zn coating represent the only published data pertaining to this system. Previously Hodge, Evans, and Hoskins, in an experimental survey, had noted that niobium was not resistant to attack by molten zinc, but no further observations were reported. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES a) General. The nature of the binary Nb-Zn system precluded the use of more conventional methods of determining the phase equilibria such as thermal analyses of a series of cast alloys. An extrapolation of the liquidus data of Martin, Knighton, and Feder2 to higher temperatures suggested that the solubility of niobium in zinc would remain low in the entire temperature range of interest. The preliminary results of the present studies showed that all of the high-temperature intermediate phases form by peritectic reactions. Thus the sluggish nature of this type of reaction and the steepness of the liquidus indicated that thermal analyses would not yield reliable data. The peritectic reactions, of course, precluded the direct formation of samples of the individual phases from the melt. b) Materials. The niobium and zinc used in the present studies were of high purity. The niobium, in the form of 0.1-in.-diameter rods, contained 30 ppm 0, 30 ppm N, and 15 ppm C. Aside from 0.05 pct Ta, the metallic impurities (iron, titanium,

Jan 1, 1965

By George H. Ashley

The present critical state of the supply, distribution, and utilization of coal and the necessity for pooling and zoning coals calls renewed attention to the lack of any fully adequate classification of coal. In the past coals have been classified as anthracite, semianthracite, semibitumi-nous, bituminous, subbituminous coals, and lignite, and a few special types, such as splint coal and cannel coal. But under the term bituminous coal are included a great variety of coals differing markedly both physically and chemically. The term subbituminous coal covers as great a range of chemical differences. In order to distinguish these varieties of bituminous coals it has been customary to designate coal by names derived from the place where mined, or by the name of the bed from which it is mined. Thus, in the market reports, coals are quoted as Pocahontas coal, New River or Sewell coal, Moshannon coal, Ohio coal, Williamson County coal, Jellico coal, and so on indefinitely, no limit being set as to the boundaries of the area to which a given name is applied. Nor is there any scale by which the coal from one place may be compared with the coal from some other district or some other bed. On the one hand, coals from the same district may be quite distinct and sell at very different prices or coal from the same bed may differ greatly in different districts; on the other hand, coals from different states may be so similar physically and chemically that one could replace the other in practical use without any appreciable difference in service. The following classification, arrived at after a careful review of a large number of systems of classification and of all of the recognized characteristics of coal, brings together all coals that so nearly resemble each other physically, chemically, and in heating qualities that any coal of a given type could replace any other coal of the same type and grade in use. Thus, if coals A and B are classed as of the same type and grade they have, so far as known to the writer, approximately the same heating value when burned under the same conditions, and the same character, length of flame, and properties affecting transportation and stocking; and if of the same grade, approximately the same percentage of impurities.

Jan 1, 1920

By Dara P. Antia, Morris Cohen, Frank S. Gardner

THERE is a conspicuous lack of information in the literature on the precise role played by residual quantities of austenite in heat-treated steels. While retained austenite may be expected to have significant effects on such important properties as the impact resistance of tools and carburized parts and the dimensional stability of dies and gauges, attempts to study these problems systematically have suffered from the absence of a reliable technique for ascertaining absolute amounts of austenite. With such a technique, not only could the relation between residual austenite and service behavior be investigated, but the chemical and heat-treatment factors that control the quantity of the austenite could also be established. Thus, the retained austenite content could then be regulated in accordance with the results desired. The presence of retained austenite may be inferred by observing the changes in properties (hardness, specific volume, electrical resistance, etc.) due to its decomposition on subatmospheric cooling1 or on tempering,2 but these indirect measurements are not readily translated into percentages of austenite. Quantitative determinations have been achieved in special cases by means of dilatometric3 and magnetic4,5 measurements; but the former procedure requires that observations be conducted during the hardening and involves difficult calibrations that limit its applicability, while the magnetic procedure is very sensitive to extraneous influences and depends upon assumptions that can only be considered as approximate in an absolute sense. Furthermore, both the dilatometric and magnetic effects are volume properties, and cannot be conveniently utilized to explore variations in retained austenite from point to point in a specimen. Some microstructures lend themselves to accurate evaluation of retained austenite contents by metallographic methods,3 but such instances are not too common, and at best, the procedure is tedious. The characteristic X-ray diffraction lines of austenite permit positive identification of its presence; and in the present paper the intensities of these lines, or the corresponding densities* on photographic film, are employed to measure the amount of the retained austenite. In order to cancel the effect of uncontrollable variations in the X-ray exposure and film-development conditions, a standard reference line is superimposed on each film by maintaining a foil of aluminum in the path of the incident X-ray beam during the entire exposure. With different samples of steel and the same foil, the ratio of the density of some one austenite line to the density of

Jan 1, 1943

By Morris Cohen, Dara P. Anita, Frank S. Gardner

There is a conspicuous lack of information in the literature on the precise role played by residual quantities of austenite in heat-treated steels. While retained austenite may be expected to have significant effects on such important properties as the impact resistance of tools and carburized parts and the dimensional stability of dies and gauges, attempts to study these problems systematically have suffered from the absence of a reliable technique for ascertaining absolute amounts of austenite. With such a technique, not only could the relation between residual austenite and service behavior be investigated, but the chemical and heat-treatment factors that control the quantity of the austenite could also be established. Thus, the retained austenite content could then be regulated in accordance with the results desired. The presence of retained austenite may be inferred by observing the changes in properties (hardness, specific volume, electrical resistance, etc.) due to its decomposition on subatmospheric cooling1 or on tempering,2 but these indirect measurements are not readily translated into percentages of austenite. Quantitative determinations have been achieved in special cases by means of dilatometric3 and magnetic4,5 measurements; but the former procedure requires that observations be conducted during the hardening and involves difficult calibrations that limit its applicability, while the magnetic procedure is very sensitive to extraneous influences and depends upon assumptions that can only be considered as approximate in an absolute sense. Furthermore, both the dilatometric and magnetic effects are volume properties, and cannot be conveniently utilized to explore variations in retained austenite from point to point in a suecimen. Some microstructures lend themselves to accurate evaluation of retained austenite contents by metallo-graphic methods,3 but such instances are not too common, and at best, the procedure is tedious. The characteristic X-ray diffraction lines of austenite permit positive identification of its presence; and in the present paper the intensities of these lines, or the corresponding densities* on photographic film, are employed to measure the amount of the retained austenite. In order to cancel the effect of uncontrollable variations in the X - ray exposure and film - development conditions, a standard reference line is Superimposed on each film by maintaining a foil of aluminum in the path of the incident X-ray beam during the entire exposure. With different samples of steel and the same foil, the ratio of the density of some one austenite line to the density of

Jan 1, 1943

By A. R. Elsea, C. C. McBride

HIGH-TEMPERATURE alloys, that is, alloys that are strong at high temperatures, have become increasingly important with the development of modern aircraft engines. Many alloys of this type are available. However, metallurgists do not have a clear understanding of the phases or structures which are responsible for these high-temperature properties. If these basic factors were understood, it might be possible to make better or cheaper alloys for service at high temperatures. For this reason, an investigation of the fundamental factors promoting high-temperature strength in alloys was started at Battelle Memorial Institute. This was to have included a study of the relationship between the structure and properties of cobalt-chromium base alloys of the vitallium type. It soon became clear that the structure of vitallium is quite complex and that the equilibrium diagrams which should explain these structures were unreliable. As a result, the cobalt-chromium binary diagram was determined as the first phase of this investigation1. This diagram is shown in fig. 1. During the study of the cobalt-chromium binary system, it was learned that these alloys may pick up considerable nitrogen when melted and heat treated in air. The extent to which nitrogen affects the various reactions in cobalt-chromium base alloys was not known, but there were indications that this impurity might be responsible for some of the erratic test results obtained for vitallium. Consequently, nitrogen was the first ternary addition studied. Thereafter the work was extended to ternary additions of iron and of nickel. This paper describes the investigation of the effects of nitrogen, iron, and nickel upon the reactions in cobalt-chromium alloys with 80:20 and 68:32 cobalt-chromium ratios. Experimental Work Alloy Preparation: A series of cobalt-chromium base alloys containing various amounts of the third element being studied were made for both the 80:20 and the 68:32 cobalt-chromium ratios. Electrolytic chromium, cobalt, and iron, and reagent-grade nickel powder were used as melting stock. Table I contains the chemical analyses of these materials. The charges were melted in alun-dum thimble crucibles which absorbed chromium oxide and effectively deoxidized the melts. These crucibles were supported by close-fitting graphite sleeves so that if they cracked during melting the metal would not be lost. Carbon increases, during

Jan 1, 1951

By D. L. McElroy

It is too broad a statement to say that the mine car is the most important unit in a haulage system, but almost every mining man will admit that it is one of the most important. The mine car is to the mine haulage system what the railroad car is to the railroads; the main purpose in each instance is to move the greatest number of ton-miles of material at the least cost. The data presented in this paper are taken from a study of mine haulage conducted by the School of Mines of West Virginia University at 42 mines in 8 coal fields of Wrest Virginia. The study was made possible by a graduate fellowship of the School of Mines and the cooperation of the mining companies of the state. Three important factors in the use of mine cars in West Virginia are: (I) the number of mine cars in use per loader; (2) the capacity of mine cars; (3) the distribution of mine cars. ("Loaders" in this paper refers to all men loading coal, whether manually or mechanically.) During the World War many mine managers were annoyed by the reduction of efficiency and production caused by railroad-car shortages. Today relatively little complaint is heard about a shortage of mine cars, yet possibly 50 to 75 per cent. of the mines in West Virginia are suffering from this cause of reduced production and increased costs. The railroads have solved their car shortage by placing in service more cars of larger capacity and better design. Many coal mines in West Virginia should solve a part of their cost problems by the same simple procedure. Such a procedure requires an initial outlay of capital, but there is little doubt that this will be repaid, with a good return on the investment. Determining Number of Cars Needed There can be no mathematical rule to determine the number of cars which should be in use per loader in a coal mine, because numerous factors such as concentration of mining, system of haulage, car capacity, speed of haulage, distance of working places from tipple, and so forth, affect materially the number of cars in use. These factors in turn are more or less determined by height of bed, character of roof and coal,

Jan 1, 1931

By William B. Stephenson

The paper describes efficient and effective methods of automatically controlling sand pump installations. Particular reference is made to liquid-level controls actuating variable speed pump-driving units. Included is a discussion of various combinations of equipment, with schematic drawings. HERETOFORE many sand pump installations in the mining and metallurgical field involved guesswork as to the size of the pump and then simply direct-connecting it to a constant speed motor which was often large enough to do twice the work required. Considerable thought was given to mill location in an effort to avoid as much pumping as possible. Hillside design of mills with gravity flow of tailing was much to be desired. Power costs were low, construction was relatively cheap, and labor in many places meant nothing in comparison to the values derived from the ores being treated. Today most of these conditions are reversed. Ores are becoming more complex with lower values per ton of ore treated. Power is more expensive, construction is higher, and labor definitely takes a very important place in the profit and loss statement. Each piece of equipment incorporated in the design of a new mill is selected to provide highest efficiency based on careful metallurgical analysis of the ore to be treated both in good and poor markets. Each is designed with its flexibility in mind and with provision for adjustments in its performance to meet actual conditions in the operation of the mill. Sand pumps have taken an important position in mill design. Operators the world over are relying more and more on the performance of a sand pump in the efficient operating of their plant. Many ordinary jobs are being done today with pumps driven through adjustable pitch diameter V belt drives in order that changes in pump speed can be made easily to meet actual operating conditions. Operating costs have long since proved the folly of operating a pump at too high a speed for the volume and head to be overcome. Metallurgical results have shown the benefits derived from a smooth flow as contrasted with a surging flow from an uncontrolled pump. Construction costs have risen to such an extent that surge bins and other means formerly employed must be omitted from today's flowsheet. Several installations of considerable size and involving the use of automatic pump speed control have proved the adaptability of such controls since they were placed in service in recent years. In the following presentation each system discussed and illustrated schematically has been installed in one or more instances and has proved itself reliable and definitely economical from the standpoint of capital investment, operation and maintenance. Variable Volume-Head Speed Control: Probably the most popular, effective and efficient automatic control setup for sand pumping installations is the one shown schematically in fig. 1. Commonly used

Jan 1, 1951

By H. B. Northrup

Mineral Industries Extension instruction was pioneered by The Pennsylvania State Colleges Extension work was organized in 1893 and constituted what is believed to be the first vocational adult educational effort in that field in America. From 1894 to 1899, twenty-seven extension bulletins were printed and distributed free for the benefit of classes in the coal-mining industry and the records show that free lectures wore delivered by a corps of teachers of the mining department of the College "to the mining employees at their customary lace of assembly upon matters of interest to them in their occupation." In 1899, the State Legislature reduced the appropriation to the College and therefore the extension pamphlets and lectures were discontinued. Several sporadic attempts were made to resume the extension services in mining through industrial grants for travel and publications, and through voluntary contributions by members of the resident staff. The work. consisted mainly of lectures and demonstrations and served the purpose of creating the desire for more training and information of a more formal character. In 1928, the nave of the school was changed, by trustee action, from School of Mines and Metallurgy to the School of Mineral Industries and the working structure of the school was organized under the three functional collaborating headings: Resident Instruction, Correspondence and Extension Instruction, and Mineral Industries Research. The three functional bodies are separate, yet interdependent. The Federal Smith-Hughes law, passed in 1917, made Federal and State funds available for vocational educational work. Mining extension was revived in 1919 and the College employed one full-time extension professor to reorganize the work and instruct the classes. In 1923, the State Department of Mines and the State Department of Public Instruction entered into, a formal agreement with the School of Mineral Industries to assist the College in its extension program.. Classes were organized to study the State mining laws and State Department of Mines' previous examination questions and answers, in preparation for coming state examinations for certification of competency as underground officials. Mimeographed lesson material was used at first, and in 1947 and 1929 mining instruction and mining teacher-training lessons were printed. In 1931, the extension activities of the school were placed on an organized basis compatible with the newly formed school organization and a director was appointed to tale full charge of the work. During that year, at a conference in Harrisburg, an agreement was consummated between the State Departments of Public. Instruction, Mines, Labor and. Industry, and the College whereby extension classes in the field of the, mineral industries could be organized by the College, throughout the State, under "public supervision and. control," in close cooperation with the State Department.

Jan 1, 1941

By C. P. Proctor, E. D. Hummer, J. A. Younkins

COMPARATIVELY little has been published relating practical experience with the control of the solid content of washery water systems that must be "closed." A "closed" system is one that for some reason may not be cleaned by the emission of any effluent of high solid content to be replaced by clean water in order to hold the solid content of the waste water within reasonable bounds for efficient washing. It is the purpose of this paper to describe practical experience with such a water system and to present data that it is hoped may be of some use to those who are faced with a similar problem. The washery clarification system described comprises three thickeners and three filters, and although it is admitted that each of the fields of water settling and thickening and filtration offers a wide scope for investigation, the authors are not attempting to present the answers to these problems but to set down the results of some experience along these lines, making no claims as to the ultimate solution of the problems in hand. The subject of water clarification has vast ramifications; for example, the science of flocculation as applied to water settling and filtering opens up fields of wide possibilities of which as yet little is known. A comparatively recent entry into the field of water treatment, which may offer possibilities of practical application, is the use of "wetting" agents such as "Aerosol." GENERAL ARRANGEMENT OF WATER SYSTEM So that the reader may obtain a comprehensive picture of the factors concerned in the control of a closed water system, it is necessary to give a brief description of the washing plant that is serviced by the water system to be described in the following pages. As we are not primarily concerned with the washing plant in detail, only a brief description of the flow of coal as it relates to the water system will be given here. For a more detailed account of this type of washer, the reader is referred to earlier papers.1.2 The washer, which handles 0 to 4-in. raw coal (750 tons per hour) is an American Rheolaveur plant of two complements; the coarse coal or sealed discharge plant and the fine coal or free discharge plant. The sealed discharge plant (Fig. r) consists of twin 48-in. primary launders, each having two washing boxes, supplemented by one 32-in. rewash launder, which also has two washing boxes. "Push" water for washing and conveying coal in these launders is supplied from a constant-head tank under pressure head of 10 ½ ft. at the point of introduction at the feed end of the launder. This tank also supplies water for upward or vertical currents used in the Rheolaveur or washing boxes. Each box discharges into a sealed boot elevator (Fig. I).

Jan 1, 1942

By George Smith

IN discussing present-day business and industrial troubles we easily drop into the habit of clinical diagnosis. Talk of this kind, with its emphasis on suspicious symptoms and abnormal tendencies, makes us all morbid. As an English essayist has put it, we may thus induce a melancholy, temper that simply in-vites the ministrations of social and political quacks. It is far better-because nearer the truth-for us to recognize that our condition is in no sense diseased, that our body politic, social and economic, is suffering merely from growing pains; that America is not de-cadent-indeed, that any lapses from staid normality are traceable to the, excesses of youth. Our chief .trouble, then, is only that our industrial state is still young; it may be that we have been growing too fast. The growth in the industrial development of our country from pioneer days to the present time has been marvelous. Too many of us, however, take all this as a matter of course-we credit this record of American progress to our American genius alone. Too often we overlook the fundamental relationship between resources and progress-that man is aided and even guided by Nature. The fact is, social advance, indus-trial progress, national prosperity all have their ma-terial basis in natural resources. In furnishing the needed mineral raw materials to the great manufac-turing industries of the United States there has been no halt, but rather a general acceleration. No other phase of American activity can show-equal advance. As the decades have passed, the winning of mineral wealth has progressed from the role of a stimulus for western exploration to that of the foundation for nation-wide business. In 1890 the Sherman law was passed; since then the population of the United States has about doubled. Since then, too, thevalue of the annual product of the mines of this country has increased better than eight-fold-from 650 millions to 51/ billions of dollars. Since then the four largest branches of the mineral industry, which supply the iron and copper, the bituminous coal and petroleum-the bone and sinew and the energy of all other American industries-have increased their annual output nearly ten-fold as to value and six-fold as to quantity. Such a growth in the volume of mineral output must be taken as a true measure of the ex-ceptional service rendered by the mines of the United States. Not only is this a much larger country than it was 38 years ago, but its growing mineral industry has met demands that have been out of all proportion to the growth of the population.

Jan 8, 1928

By J. Murray Riddell, George A. Morrison

This paper is a companion to the one by George A. Morrison on Mining a Deep Limestone Mine in Ohio.‡ Barberton is 8 miles west of Akron, Ohio, and 23 miles south of Cleveland. The underground mining of limestone at Bar-berton constitutes the world's deepest limestone mine. The stratigraphy is as follows: 0-20 ft. Loam, clay, sand and gravel. Water bearing. 2-40 ft. Fractured sandstone. Water bearing. 40-110 ft. Sandstone with interbedded shale, slightly fractured. Water bearing. 110-314 ft. Sandstone with interbedded shale, slightly fractured. Water carrying. 314-2197 ft. Shale with occasional seams of sandstone, which varies in thickness from a few inches to 4 feet. Dry. 2197-2247 ft. Limestone. Dry. 2247-2742 ft. Dolomitic limestone. Dry. 2742-2767 ft. Salt. Dry. 2767- Dolomitic limestone. Dry. All of the strata dip to the southeast, about 0.5 per cent from the horizontal. The top 110 ft. of the crust is water-bearing. The rock strata are naturally fractured to a depth of 314 ft., sufficient to allow the passage of water. In the shaft-sinking operations, a stra- turn of oil-bearing sandstone one foot thick was encountered at a depth of 520 ft., and flows of methane gas were pierced at depths of 1350 and 1952 feet. Specifications for the mine plant called for, in part, the sinking of two vertical shafts and a hoisting plant capable of producing at the rate of 300 tons per hour. No. I shaft is 550 ft. west of No. 2 shaft. Each shaft measures 8 by 17 ft. outside of steel. General features of the design (Fig. I) are: Principal set members, 6-in. H-section; connecting angles (studdles), ? by 4 by 4-in. angle irons; spacing of sets. 8 ft. centers; spacing of bearer sets, generally, 160 ft.; bearers, of 12-in. I-beams. Each bearing set featured a concrete ring about the periphery of the shaft, steel to rock, and 8 ft. in height; permanent guides, 6 by 10-in. long-leaf yellow pine, 85 per cent heart. The Shaft-sinking Operation The preliminary shaft-sinking work consisted of driving interlocked steel piling about the exterior of the shafts to depths of 35 and 32 ft., respectively, and of such horizontal dimensions as to ultimately permit the pouring of a concrete collar 2 ft. in horizontal thickness. Following the pouring of a shaft collar, a temporary wooden headframe for shaft-sinking purposes was erected. The head-frame, while ordinary, featured: (1) a storage pocket of 300 cu. ft, capacity with truck servicing facilities, and (2) pneu matically operated dump doors, which mere actuated by the hoistman, thus caring

Jan 1, 1946

Duval Corporation, the copper -producing subsidiary of Pennzoil United, Incorporated, operates two plants south of Tucson, Arizona: Esperanza and Sierrita. The newest, the Sierrita mine and mill, came into full production in 1971 at a rate of 72,000 tpd (now 87,000 tpd) which at that time made it the largest designed copper plant in the world. In 1968, the largest milling units then available were selected; these included fourteen 16$ ft by 19 ft long ball mills (5 m by 5. 9 m), each equipped with a 3,000 hp motor. The primary crushing plant contains two 60 in. by 89 in. Allis- Chalmers gyratories; each is constructed for two-side dumping by 120- and 150-ton trucks. Access to the maintenance areas to service the drive motors, eccentrics, apron feeders, and speedup conveyor is through hatches between the crushers. This area also contains a good- sized elevator and a stairway. The rather shallow dump pocket, the 300 -ton crushed ore pocket, and the overall design make for a fine, compact arrangement for two 60 in. crushers installed in a total height of 89 ft (27. 13 m) from dump level to top-of-concrete at the lowest level beneath the collecting or speedup belt. This efficient layout is reflected in the short changeout time for mantle and concaves (8 and 30 hours respectively) and the low crushing cost of $0.0416 per ton (first half of 1975). The crushers are installed on 64 ft (19.5 m) centers (Bougainville and Palabora, both with 54 in. crushers, are 55 and 43 ft or 16.76 and 13. 1 m respectively). The switchgear room is located between the truck dumping positions on one side of the installation and the hydroset units on the other side, with dust collecting equipment mounted over the latter. Protection of these units from rocks falling from the trucks is provided by concrete walls. Truck dumping is controlled from a central 25 ft high (7.6 m) control room, which permits fine observation of operations. Removal of oversize boulders from the dump pockets is done with a hydraulic grapple or a rock hook or sling attached to the auxiliary crane hook. Spare mantle stands and a maintenance room with a zinc melting furnace are located at one end of the surface facilities. The maintenance room is equipped with an access door for the crane, which is equipped with 80- and 20-ton hoists. The two 84 in. (2. 135 m) apron feeders receiving the 6 in. (152 mm) crushed rock discharge onto a 72 in. (1. 83 m) collecting and wear belt operated at a speed compatible with the 60 in. (1.524 m) takeaway belt running at a speed of 630 fpm (192 mpm). This belt feeds a 54 in.

Jan 1, 1978

By C. E. Siebenthal

produce attractive and consequently more salable products. It would seem, however, that if solder and babbitt were cast in closed molds, just as good practical results would be obtained by the user, without his being able to give preference to solders of unnecessarily higher grade on account of their appearance. It would be hopeless for any one. manufacturer of solder to undertake a change of this kind, but if all manufacturers of solder agreed upon it, they would be able, in my opinion, to get the users of solder to take, and to approve by their practical tests, metals containing less tin than they have been accustomed to. The same is true with regard to babbitt metals. An illustration of how, in the use of an alloy, appearance sometimes is deceptive, is to be found in the case of what may be called intermediate grades of babbitt. I am thoroughly convinced that high-tin or high-lead babbitts are better than those containing both lead and tin with relatively high percentages of each. A high-tin babbitt should not contain more than about 10 per cent. of lead, and a high-lead babbitt should not contain more than 10 per cent. of tin, unless the percentage of antimony can be correspondingly increased. The intermediate babbitts, such as those that contain from 30 to 70 per cent. of lead or tin, may give nice appearing castings that flow easily, but they have not the serviceability of the high-lead or high-tin babbitts. Their hardness diminishes very rapidly as the temperature rises, and they have a relatively low softening point due to the eutectic components present. The Cadmium Supply of the united States* C. E. Siebenthal, † Washington., D. C.—From being one of the most maligned of metals—a veritable bugaboo—cadmium has almost overnight become respectable, though its slender claim to respectability rests almost wholly on the possibility of its substitution for tin. Preliminary to any campaign for such substitution, particularly for enforced substitution, the possible supply of cadmium should be determined as closely as possible; for that reason the statistical inquiry of which this paper embodies the results was undertaken. Production Cadmium is marketed in two forms, as metallic cadmium, in sticks or bars, and as cadmium sulfide, the pigment. The metal has found its greatest field of use in this country as a component of an easily fusible alloy that is used in automatic fire extinguishers. The sulfide is used to some extent in paints but chiefly to give color and luster to glass and porcelain. The metal was first made in this country by the Grasselli Chemical

Jan 1, 1919

By William B. Stephenson

The paper describes efficient and effective methods of automatically controlling sand pump installations. Particular reference is made to liquid-level controls actuating variable speed pump-driving units. Included is a discussion of various combinations of equipment, with schematic drawings. HERETOFORE many sand pump installations in the mining and metallurgical field involved guesswork as to the size of the pump and then simply direct-connecting it to a constant speed motor which was often large enough to do twice the work required. Considerable thought was given to mill location in an effort to avoid as much pumping as possible. Hillside design of mills with gravity flow of tailing was much to be desired. Power costs were low, construction was relatively cheap, and labor in many places meant nothing in comparison to the values derived from the ores being treated. Today most of these conditions are reversed. Ores are becoming more complex with lower values per ton of ore treated. Power is more expensive, construction is higher, and labor definitely takes a very important place in the profit and loss statement. Each piece of equipment incorporated in the design of a new mill is selected to provide highest efficiency based on careful metallurgical analysis of the ore to be treated both in good and poor markets. Each is designed with its flexibility in mind and with provision for adjustments in its performance to meet actual conditions in the operation of the mill. Sand pumps have taken an important position in mill design. Operators the world over are relying more and more on the performance of a sand pump in the efficient operating of their plant. Many ordinary jobs are being done today with pumps driven through adjustable pitch diameter V belt drives in order that changes in pump speed can be made easily to meet actual operating conditions. Operating costs have long since proved the folly of operating a pump at too high a speed for the volume and head to be overcome. Metallurgical results have shown the benefits derived from a smooth flow as contrasted with a surging flow from an uncontrolled pump. Construction costs have risen to such an extent that surge bins and other means formerly employed must be omitted from today's flowsheet. Several installations of considerable size and involving the use of automatic pump speed control have proved the adaptability of such controls since they were placed in service in recent years. In the following presentation each system discussed and illustrated schematically has been installed in one or more instances and has proved itself reliable and definitely economical from the standpoint of capital investment, operation and maintenance. Variable Volume-Head Speed Control: Probably the most popular, effective and efficient automatic control setup for sand pumping installations is the one shown schematically in fig. 1. Commonly used

Jan 1, 1951

By Henry N. Doyle

Basic procedures in the mining industry have changed only slightly over the centuries since metals and fossil fuels became an essential part of man's economic and cultural life. Mining techniques of the 20th century bear a close resemblance to those of the ancients: exploration, ore breakage and removal, hoisting, and processing. The great advances, however, have been in equipment and machinery of greater size and speed which allow greater efficiency in each of these operations, with a corresponding reduction in manpower requirements. Yesteryear production was measured in pounds per man-day; today a giant and complex, but highly efficient, continuous mining machine can remove as much as eight tons of material a minute from the coal face. If our energy and metal demands of the future are to be met, and at this time it can be assumed that coal will continue to supply a significant part of the energy demand, other dramatic and spectacular technologic advances must be accomplished. Along with mechanization, however, public policy will require the industry to place greater emphasis on health and safety protection, as has been well demonstrated by recent actions of Congress. Together, fossil fuels and metals formed the basis for the industrial revolution-coal to develop power and metals to transform power into useful energy. Strangely enough, however, the mining industry the world over has lagged behind the continuous social changes brought on by the industrial revolution, such as preventive health and industrial hygiene services, and other programs directed to the well-being of the worker. In some countries this resistance, to change may have led in part to the nationalization of the coal industry. Whether this disinclination to social change in the industry of the United States reflects managerial attitudes, inept labor leadership, government neglect, or economic relationship would be the subject of an interesting study. Doubtless the mores of miners and their resistance to change, as well as their geographic isolation from other industrial groups, may have had a strong influence on these factors. In every major coal mining country the accident rate in the coal industry is substantially higher than other industrial groups, and the cost of pneumoconiosis compensation in some countries is greater than the combined costs for all other occupational diseases from all other industries. The high social cost of occupational accidents and diseases may have been a factor in the closing of the industry in at least two countries. Despite diminishing manpower needs, the industry is faced with critical manpower shortages. Miners once reared their sons to be miners; now it appears that the opposite is true. This factor alone, however, does not explain an acute labor shortage in the industry. Traditionally, the industry drew much of

Jan 1, 1976