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By Robert G. Woolery, S. Ramachandran, James A. Weber, Donald J. Hansen

Union Carbide began looking seriously at heap leaching in 1971. At that time some 1.6 million tons of mineral averaging 0.40 kg U308 /t) (0.80 lb U308) were stockpiled at various sites around the Gas Hills, Wyoming, uranium facility. Several alternatives for economically exploiting these reserves were considered and heap leaching seemed the most attractive. At the time, Western Nuclear Inc. was operating a heap leaching project nearby in which the low-grade ore was leached with sulfuric acid, the product liquor treated in an on site solvent extraction circuit, and the stripped product liquor re-acidified and recycled. The operators were most generous in allowing us to visit their site and in answering our questions. They were also helpful in discussing the problems associated with heap leaching. Their experience confirmed our belief that it was possible to operate a heap leach profitably on material too low grade for conventional milling.

Jan 3, 1978

By B. D. Saklatwalla

FOR the proper understanding of the inclusion of certain elements in this review it seems necessary to state the meaning of "rare metals." Certain elements occur in deposits limited in extent or concentration, so that the extraction of the element in relation to market conditions becomes uneconomical. Others may occur in extensive and rich deposits but the reduction of the metal may be difficult and costly. Both these conditions effect the same result, namely, make the metal rare and costly. As an example of the first kind may be mentioned radium and of the second, calcium.

Jan 1, 1939

By J. T. Norton, H. Blumenthal, S. J. Sindeband

The interstitial phases formed by the transition elements with carbon, nitrogen and boron constitute a unique class of substances which are of considerable technical interest because of their well developed metallic properties and their high hardness and melting points. They are also of interest from the point of view of structure. It was pointed out by Hagg1 some years ago that the principal factor determining these structures was the relative sizes of metal and metalloid atoms. He predicted that if the ratio of the radii of metalloid to metal atoms was less than 0.59, the metal atoms would be arranged in a close-packed fashion of relatively simple type. This prediction has been amply confirmed. It appears, however, that this specification applies most generally to those structures in which the metalloid atoms occupy isolated positions in the lattice and there is no tendency for strong binding between the metalloid atoms themselves. The series of borides of the type MeB2 formed from the transition elements of the fourth (Ti, Zr) and fifth (V, Cb, Ta) groups of the periodic table provide an opportunity to investigate this situation further. If one takes as a basis the radius of 0.87 A for the boron radius and the Goldschmidt values for the metal atoms in 12 coordination, then the radius ratio varies from 0.54 for zirconium to 0.64 for vanadium, which latter is considerably greater than Hagg's limit of 0.59. It was of interest, therefore, to see if these five elements would form borides of the MeB2 type and have simple isomorphous structures. When this investigation was initiated, relatively little information had been published on the structure of this group of borides. McKenna2 reported the preparation of ZrB2 by a carbon reduction process. Its structure was hexagonal and the approximate lattice constants were given as a = 3.15 A, c = 3.53 A. Ehrlich3 reported the structure of TiB2 as being of the C 32 type with a = 3.02, c = 3.21 and c/a = 1.06 A. Recently, Kiessling4 published the results on ZrB2, showing it to be one in which the metal atoms are arranged in a simple hexagonal lattice with the boron atoms in flat sheets, midway between the layers of metal atoms. The structure is C 32 type with a = 3.169, c = 3.530 and an axial ratio =1.11 A. He also states that CbB2 and TaB2 are isomorphous with ZrB2. Preparation of Borides The borides of titanium, zirconium, columbium and tantalum were made by the electrolysis of fused salt baths after the method described by Andrieux.5 The bath, totalling about 6500 g in each case had the following general composition: Metal Oxide + B2O3 + CaO + CaF2. The actual proportions of the ingredients were determined for each individual case. Although Andrieux reports the preparation of vanadium boride by the same electrolytic method, several attempts proved unsuccessful. However, it was possible to prepare VB2 by the carbon reduction method used by McKenna to produce ZrB2. The mixture consisted of V2O5 + 6B2O3 + 11C and the reduction was carried out in an induction heated graphite crucible. This method proved satisfactory for ZrB2 and TiB2 and undoubtedly the others could be made in the same way. The borides, which were all in the form of fine gray metallic crystals from the electrolytic bath or gray powders from the reduction process, were carefully separated from other constituents and analyzed chemically for metal and boron content. The densities of the boride powders were measured using a standard 10 cc pyenometer at 18°C and ethyl benzene proved to be the most satisfactory liquid for this purpose. X Ray Technique The boride crystals, as prepared, were too small for single crystal examination so that powder techniques were employed. Patterns of the finely ground borides were prepared, using the Norelco recording X ray spectrometer. The lines on these patterns were indexed with the aid of Hull-Davy charts and the approximate dimensions

Jan 1, 1950

By I. N. Knapp

Introduction.—The spccial object of these notes is to describe the mixing, testing, and use of mud-ladened water for rotary drilling in such a way as to make them helpful to the driller, the operator, or the engineer in solving his own special drilling problems. The structures, apparatus and tools used are indicated in a general way. No attempt is made to describe the art of rotary drilling; only such descriptions as are necessary to make plain the use of mud are given. The information is the result of actual experience in drilling in Coastal Plain formations. The materials encountered in the wells drilled were unconsolidated sands, gravels, and clays, in which thin layers of sandstones, shell conglomerates, and shales began to appear at about 1,200 ft, in depth, although one well was drilled to 3,018 ft. without encountering any cemented or indurated materials. Unusual Conditions.—-The general surface of the ground where the drilling was done being hardly a foot above mean tide, and the daily tidal variation being about 15 in., it was found necessary to plank over the sod surface with 3-in. plank to work from. A 30 by 30 ft. planked area was sufficient to carry the derrick with equipment and 2,500 ft. of 4-in. drill pipe stacked in it. The derrick was set up 3 ft. on cribbed blocking arranged to spread the load over the planking. The engine, bailers, and pipe yard were also carried on 3-in. planking. Drilling 0utfit.—This consisted of a derrick, 20 by 20 ft. and 84 ft. high, two 35-h.p., "oil country" boilers, one double 8 1/4 by 10 in. reversible engine, two 10 by 6 by 12 in. duplex mud pumps, one 15-in. rotary, "hoisting works" with chain drive, hoisting block with line, crown block with pulleys, rotary jetting swivels, hose, complement of tools, pipes and connections, and a mud mixer, with engine. Hydraulic Rotary Drilling Method.—This method of drilling is an adaptation of Fauvelle'sl invention made in France in 1833 for drilling

Jan 1, 1915

By R. A. Wood, R. I. Jaffee, H. R. Ogden, D. N. Williams

Dispersion-containing titanium-copper alloys were prepared having mean free paths varying from 1.0 to 9.7 P. Tensile studies at room temperature and at 1000°F showed that little or no strengthening occurred when the mean free path exceeded 3 p. However, at lower values of mean free path appreczable strengthening was observed. A considerable amount of strengthening also resulted from copper in solid solution. DURING the past several years, an increasing amount of study has been devoted to dispersion hardening, an alloying process in which increased strength is obtained through the addition of a ran-

Jan 1, 1961

By Charles A. Chase

This paper, descriptive of a single mine, is presented in the belief that it may furnish useful suggestions to mine-managers encountering similar problems; and it includes the details which will enable them to estimate the value of the methods employed—especially where these depart from common practice. Tt should be added, however, that this mine is not typical of the San Juan district, but differs markedly from neighboring mines in physical conditions and metallurgical requirements. The Liberty Bell mine is situated in San Miguel county, Colo., on the west front of the San Juan mountains, 2 miles north of Telluride. The vein was discovered in 1876 by Wm. L. Cornett, who, with subsequeilt locators, took up claims along the apex. A few hundred feet of development-work was accomplished, and a few? tons of ore were smelted or milled; but profitable working proved impossible under existing

Jan 1, 1912

By F. G. Jaicks

RECOGNITION of the benefits to be gained from the continuous casting of molten steel into finished or semifinished products has been given by scientific minds since the very beginnings of steel plant technology. In fact, Sir Henry Bessemer is credited with the first of a long list of patents' issued by the U. S. Patent Office for a process which would accomplish this desirable end. None of these early ideas attained practical success and, as a result, the conventional method of teeming into ingot molds became an integral part of modern steelmaking operations. This procedure, although refined to keep pace with the changes which have come about in steelmaking and finishing facilities, is recognized to have inherent shortcomings which adversely affect manufacturing costs and steel quality. Interest in the continuous casting of steel persists because the process is directed toward avoiding some obvious weaknesses of conventional ingot casting. It has been recognized that should it be possible to substitute any of the continuous casting techniques under current development for ingot casting, it would no longer be necessary to make large capital investments in primary rolling equipment, the sole purpose of which is to reduce ingot castings to a form rollable on finishing mills. The results reported in the continuous casting of non-ferrous metals and specialty steels indicate that in addition to avoiding the primary rolling mills there is some basis for expecting significant improvements in yield, surface, and internal quality. Recognizing the shortcomings of the conventional procedures, the Inland Steel Co., in cooperation with Atlas Steels Ltd. and the Freyn Dept. of the Kop- pers Co. Inc., embarked upon a program to evaluate certain aspects of continuous casting in order to determine whether the process could be applied practically to an existing integrated steel plant producing 'large tonnages of carbon steels. TO assist in this evaluation a study was carried out in which several types of low carbon steel were continuously cast in an existing machine. It is the purpose of this paper to review some of the results obtained in the casting studies and to interpret the information that was obtained so as to indicate factors that must be considered in assessing operating limitations and plant capacities. Despite the early interest in the continuous casting of steel, the actual application to the steel industry is relatively recent. At present, there are about 25 operating plants casting steel, most of which have been built in the past decade. None of these plants could be classified as large in terms of the tonnages that are being processed by the major integrated steel plants. In contrast to the situation in the steel industry, there has been widespread adoption of the continuous process in the casting of nonferrous alloys, particularly aluminum and copper. As a result, much of the basic information that was required to apply the process to steel was developed in the nonferrous industries. In this respect, a most important contribution was the development of the Junghans2 system, which was initially designed for the casting of nonferrous metals and later applied to the casting of steel. Alternative methods for casting have also been proposed by Babcock and Wilcox Tube Co.,'" the British Iron and Steel Research Association,5 and the Gebruder Bohler A. G.13 Each of these methods is now being used successfully for the casting of special steels in small experimental plants or in modest sized commercial steelworks. The Original Junghans process was first developcd in Germany. Further application of the process has been made by Rossi in other countries.'*' The experi-

Jan 1, 1958

By K. Sassa, I. Ito

The dynamic principal stresses induced within rock by an explosion under con fined conditions are analyzed for the case of blasting with one free face by applying the values of measured radial displacement, particle velocity and so on to equations derived from the theory of elasticity. The dynamic stresses on the free face are also calculated from the strain measured by wire strain gauges affixed on the free face. Some results obtained are briefly: 1) The maximum stress on the free face appeared at the intersection between the free face and the burden, and its magnitude was about twice as large as the magnitude of the tangential tensile stress imparted by the incident stress wave within the range related to the breakage by blasting. 2) The maximum value of the compressive stress near the free face was decreased due to the existence of the free face, while that of the tensile stress was increased. 3) At any point near the free face, the directions of the principal stresses in the r? plane using spherical coordinates with the origin at the center of the spherical charge, changed with time except in the direction of the burden. However, at another point near the explosion point where the principal stresses were mainly those stresses caused by the initial longitudinal wave, the directions of the principal stresses coincided with those of the coordinate used. 4) The maximum value of the tensile stress in the F direction was larger than those in the re plane at and near the free face. 5) The tensile stress caused by the Hopkinson effect appeared only near the burden. 6) It is presumed from the results of stress analysis that radial cracks will be produced in the rock mass near an explosion point, but with the approach of the free face, the directions of cracks curve towards a direction parallel to the free face. INTRODUCTION In order to investigate the mechanism of rock breakage by blasting, it is considered to be very im- portant to know how the stresses are generated and distributed within the rock by explosion of a confined charge. As part of a research program concerning the mechanism of rock breakage by blasting, the authors have already published papers on the detonation pressure produced at the inner surface of the charge hole1 and on the behavior of the dynamic stresses within rock caused by an explosion in the case where no free face existed.' In this study the dynamic stresses on and near the free face have been investigated for the case of blasting with one free face. The mechanism of rock breakage in blasting is discussed in the light of these studies.

Jan 1, 1967

By Philip R. Strand, O. F. Stewart

Vermiculite is the name generally applied to the group of hydrated ferromagnesian aluminum silicates that are characterized by the ability to expand when heated. This process, called exfoliation, results in a lightweight product of commercial value. Most uses of vermiculite are for the expanded material. The chief markets are in construction, agriculture, and horticulture, with lesser uses in general industry. Composition and Properties Vermiculite, in its natural state, has the characteristic micaceous habit, a perfect basal cleavage which causes splitting into thin laminae that are soft, pliable, and inelastic. The structure of vermiculite is basically that of a talc. The prominent monoclinic crystal faces are often marked by lines at 60° and 120°. Hardness varies from 1.5 to 2 or more; specific gravities are between 2.1 and 2.8; color varies from almost clear to amber, bronze, brown, green, or black. Vermiculite feels like talc, especially when wet. Although much research has been performed on the chemical and structural composition, there is not yet complete agreement on the exact formula. This is to be expected when different workers have examined the many different varieties. Vermiculite is not considered to be a single mineral species but a family of related minerals. The structural formula for a trioctahedral vermiculite may be written: (H20)-(Mg,Ca,K)-(A12,Fe,Mg)-(Si,A1,Fe)4O10 (OH) 2 Hydrobiotite also occurs with vermiculite and is usually considered a vermiculite for commercial uses. When heated quickly to elevated temperatures, vermiculite expands by exfoliating at right angles to the cleavage into wormlike particles. The name vermiculite is derived from the Latin vermiculare, to breed worms. This characteristic of expansion is the result of the mechanical separation of the layers by the rapid conversion of contained water to steam. The decrease in bulk density of commercial grades is usually approximately 10 times, from 50 to 5 lb/ft3, but varies depending on the quality, size, and furnace efficiency. Individual flakes may expand up to 30 times. Vermiculite may also be expanded by soaking in chemicals such as hydrogen peroxide, weak acids, and other electrolytes. Color change during expansion is dependent upon the type of vermiculite and furnace conditions. Heating in an oxidizing atmosphere produces a dull gray or tan color, whereas a reducing atmosphere can produce a bronze or gold color. The expansion of the vermiculite crystal results in large pores being formed between the platelets. Thus, exfoliation makes available a large increase in void volume which is important in the application of vermiculite as a chemical carrier. Mathieson and Walker (1954) state vermiculite must be regarded as a true clay mineral. The characteristic properties of the mineral, such as high cation exchange capacity, organic complexing ability, and variable interlamellar distance are very similar to those of montmorillonite. The cation exchange capacity of vermiculite is one of the highest of all the clay minerals. The interplatelet space is accessible to penetration by some electrostatically neutral molecules. Water and glycerine are two common substances whose molecules may be so imbibed. In the natural state and under normal atmospheric conditions, water occupies the spaces between the silicate layers. The crystal d-spacing is near 14.2A. By differential thermal analysis, it has been determined that the water

Jan 1, 1983

By E. M. Murphy

Eight years ago the Hecla mine, a lead-silver producer, situated at Burke, Idaho, was producing ore from but two levels, the 300- and the 600-ft. All hoisting was done with a 12- by 16-in. slide-valve, double-reel, hoist. The hoist was being worked to its capacity and was unsuitable for hoisting from greater depths. As the work of opening a new level was about to be started, it became necessary to remodel the then-existing equipment or install a new hoist. The recent advent of electricity from Spokane had made available a cheaper power than steam. By a series of tests conducted throughout the Cæaur d'A1ene district, it was found that it cost $109 per year to generate a horse-power with steam. Electric power was to be had for $50 a horse-power per year. It was decided to substitute for the engines a motor-drive, of sufficient capacity to operate from the 900-ft. level, and ultimately install an entirely new hoist. After disconnecting the engines, installing a new shaft, and making a few minor changes, a 300-h-p., 2,300-volt, 514-rev. per min., variable-speed motor of the induction type was geared to the reel-shaft. The reels were supplied with 3/8- by 4-in. flat rope, and the duty of the hoist was about as follows: Cage, 1,700; ore, 2,600; car, 1,400; rope, 2,250; total, 7,950 pounds. The Bristol ammeter chart, Fig. 1, shows the combined current-consumption of the hoist- and mine-motors. The large intermittent load is clearly shown; this produced harmful fluctuations in the voltage of the long, lightly-loaded, 60,000-volt transmission-line from Spokane to the Cæmur d'A1enes. The power company received no compensation for the increased cost of producing power for this intermittent or fluctuating load. In order to protect its system from similar excessive

Jan 1, 1913

By Bruno Nordberg

HOISTING is one of the earliest endeavors of man with machinery, for hoisting was probably used by the early Egyptians. Treadmills were used for general hoisting until early in the nineteenth century and it was a short step only to attach a Watt steam engine to the rope drum of a hoist. One of the earliest steam hoists was built for a coal mine at Frisne, near Valenciennes, France. It was a remarkable piece of engineering created by James Watt in 1811, using a wooden drum on a vertical shaft. This followed the crude hoist by Holtzhausen in 1803, which used a drum of wood on a horizontal shaft.1 In this country there were examples of crude mine hoists, which have been developed into the efficient machines in use today. African and Australian mines show examples of both extremes, and have an array of fine hoisting equipment exemplified in those built by British manufacturers. The influence of both English and American engineering in hoisting is interestingly evident in Canada. The information available to the writer does not reveal this to be true of South Africa, although American-built hoists have been furnished. Mining camps develop their own style of equipment, adapted to local conditions. For instance, the Butte mining district adheres to the straight drum with friction clutches, because of the great number of levels from which hoisting is done or to which men and material are lowered and the necessity for hoisting or lowering unbalanced. The north Michi-gan copper country uses both straight and cylindroconical drums and hoists continually in balance, so that the drums are not clutched to the main driving shaft. The Joplin mining district, Missouri, has its own peculiar small hoists. Other individual mines or localities in which a number of mines have been developed show individualisticc types of hoists, depending upon their particular problems. In each instance, however, the particular problem must be carefully analyzed, as conditions are seldom so near the same that a number of identical hoists can be used to advantage.

Jan 1, 1940

By J. S. Aronofsky

The results of polentiometric model studies and numerical computations are described. The purpose of these studies was to determine the influence of the mobility ratio on flooding efficiencies during water encroachment in petroleum reservoirs, in systems of regular well geometry. The direct line drive well pattern having relative spacing distances of one and one-half to one was investigated for water to oil mobility ratios of 10. 1. and 0.1. The results of these studies indicate that the pattern Sweep efficiency i.; very dependent upon the mobility ratio. INTRODUCTION The almost universal occurrence of water in the immediate neighborhood of oil-hearing sands lends considerable emphasis to the desirability of having a rational analysis of water encroachment into petroleum reservoirs. This problem has 1)become increasingly important with the accelerated use of water injection for secondary recovery operations. The water encroachment problem has been studied from both the theoretical and experimental viewpoints by Muskat.' He has formulated, in a precise manner, differential equations to express flow in a water encroachment system, and rigorous analytical solutions have been developed for the linear, radial, and spherical cases.' However, it becomes exceedingly difficult to solve the encroachment problem rigorously for any general two-dimensional system in which the shape of the two-fluid interface is not immediately evident from the geometry of the system. The difficulty lies in the fart that a rigorous analytical solution requires that the shape of the two-fluid interface be known simultaneously with its instantaneous posititon and with the pressure distribution on both sides of the interface. Although this paper concerns the study of the two-fluid system of oil and water. the methods described in the paper are generally applicable to other systems of incompressible and immiscible fluids in which the displacing fluid sweep-the displaced fluid down to a residual value. In each region it is assumed there is only one mobile fluid and its mobility is constant throughout the region. The Same procedure. with minor alteration, is applicable for gas injection systems provided the assumption can be made that both the displaced and displacing gases can be described by steady state formulas. For the particular two-fluid problem considered in this paper, there is a relative permeability. K, and a viscosity. p. associated with the water zone, and a different permeability and viscosity associated with the oil zone. The K/p (mobility value associated with a particular volume element of the porous medium. at any instant of time. will depend upon whether the element is ahead of. or behind the advancing interface. It is assumed that all volume elements ahead of the interface are characterized by the K/p value for oil, while all the elements behind the interface are characterized by the K/p value for water. That is. the K/p value in the oil zone is constant throughout the oil zone. and the K/p value in the water zone is also constant but different from the value in the oil zone. The symbols are defined at the end of the paper. The well pattern chosen for initial study is the direct line drive; the swept-out area at breakthrough was determined by two different methods which are described in the section on theory. These are: 1. Potentiometric analyzer 2. Numerical computation The use of the potentiometric analyzer for studying water flooding problems is adequately described in the literature, particularly for cases where the mobility in the water zone is assumed equal to the mobility in the oil zone." ' 5

Jan 1, 1952

By Harold Bloom, H. E. Hawkes

Streams and rivers are the principal channels into which the weathering products of rocks and their contained ores are funneled. The inorganic load of a stream system is a crude sample of all the earth materials in the drainage basin of the stream, and the heavy mineral assemblage of sediments is one of the oldest and most successful guides to certain kinds of bedrock ore in unexplored terrain. Early application of this method was made possible by the ease of separation and identification of heavy minerals in the field with the simplest equipment. Water analysis for traces of base metals became a practical possibility about eight years ago with the development of rapid chemical tests that could be carried out at the field site. Since that time the water method has been widely used in mineral reconnaissance, and a substantial number of discoveries have been reported. Here again, the techniques developed for this work were relatively simple and could be performed easily at the field site.

Nov 1, 1956

By A. M. Rowe, I. H. Silberberg

A computer program was written to predict the phase behavior generated by the enriched-gas-drive process. This program is based, in part, on a new concept of convergence pressme, which is then used to select vapor - liquid equilibrium ratios (K-factors) for performing a series of flash calculations. The results of these calculations are the equilibrium vapor and liquid phase compositions which define the phase envelopes. The program was used to predict phase envelopes for 11 different hydrocarbon systems on which published experimental data were available. The predicted and experimental results compare favorably. INTRODUCTION The reservoir engineer is frequently faced with the problem of predicting what will happen if gas is injected into a reservoir. One aspect of this, general problem is predicting the phase changes that will occur when a non-equilibrium gas displaces a reservoir fluid. In particular, a "dry" gas, upon displacing a volatile oil, will pick up intermediate components from the oil. On the other hand, a "wet" gas, containing a high concentration of intermediates, will lose some of these components to a relatively low-gravity, non-eouilibrium1- crude. It is this latter Drocess. occurring in the enriched-gas displacement, which is treated in this paper. In the past, these phase changes have been determined experimentally and the results incorporated into various modifications of the Buckley-Leverett analysis.112 Such experimental work is time consuming, and the results are sensitive to numerous experimental errors. With the wide availability of high-speed digital computing equipment and numerous correlations pertaining to the vapor-liquid equilibria of hydrocarbon systems, it is now practical to calculate such phase behavior. This paper describes a computer program for performing these calculations. THE ENRICHED GAS DISPLACEMENT PROCESS Experimental results have shown that oil recovery can be significantly increased by enriching the displacing gas with intermediate hydrocarbon c0m~onents.3 The essential features of the phase behavior generated by this enriched-gas-drive process are commonly illustrated with ternary diagrams such as Fig. 1.4 In this figure, Gas D, which contains a high concentration of intermediate hydrocarbons with respect to the undersaturated Crude A, is injected into the reservoir. When D contacts A, gas goes into solution until the oil becomes saturated (Point. B). Further contacting of Gas D and saturated Oil B results in a Mixture C which separates into Vapor Y(c) and Liquid X(c). Liquid X(c) is contacted by additional Gas O, resulting in Mixture E which separates into Vapor Y(e) and Liquid X(e). Repeated contacts of the liquid by the injected gas will eventually result in Liquid X(4 of maximum enrichment existing in equilibrium with Gas Y(d). The equilibrium tie-line X(4 Y(4, when extended, passes through the Point D representing the enriched injection gas. For systems of more than three components, the predicted equilibrium states are dependent upon not only reservoir temperature and pressure, but also the compositions of the crude oil and injected gas. If the gas is sufficiently enriched, a miscible displacement is generated. Line If is tangent to the phas,e envelope at the critical point (Point Z) and represents the limiting slope of the tie-lines as the critical state is approached. Point 1 therefore represents the minimum enrichment of injection gas required to generate a miscible displacement. Point G represents the minimum enrichment required for initial miscibility of the injection gas with Crude A. Accra has presented a method to be used for prediction of oil recovery by the enriched gas displacement process.l To develop the phase behavior data needed, he designed the experimental procedure described in the following quotation from his paper: The original liquid was contacted by a volume of displacing gas and allowed to come to equi-

Jan 1, 1966

Connecticut Geological and Natural History Survey, P O Box 1106, New Haven, Conn W. E Britton, Superintendent. A complete list of Bulletins available will be sent upon request. Address all inquiries for publications to: George S Godard, State Librarian, Hartford, Conn Fifty-one Bulletins have been issued, 15 of which are of particular interest, dealing with the geology of the state, and are available as follows; 4, The clays and clay industries of Connecticut, by G. F Loughlin (1905), 35 cents; 8, Bibliography of Connecticut geology, by H E Gregory (1907), 20 cents, 13, The lithology of Connecticut, by J Barrell and G. F Loughlin (1910), 45 cents, 18, Triassic fishes of Connecticut, by C. R Eastman (1911), 30 cents, 23, Central Connecticut in the geologic past, by J. Barrell (1915), 20 cents, 24, Triassic life of the Connecticut Valley, by R Lull (1915), 70 cents, 29, The Quaternary geology of the New Haven region, Connecticut, by F. Ward (1920), 60 cents, 30, Drainage modifications, and glaciation in the Danbury region, Connecticut, by Ruth S. Harvey (1920), 55 cents, 33, Geology of the Stonington region, Connecticut, by L H. Martin (1925), 60 cents, 40, The geology of the Shepaug Aqueduct Tunnel, Litchfield County, Connecticut, by W M. Agar (1927), 50 cents; 41, Guide to the geology of Middletown, Connecticut, and Vicinity, by W. N Rice and W. G Foye (1927), $1, 44, Report on the water resources of Connecticut, by R. H Suttee (1928), $1, 46, The physical history of the Connecticut shoreline, by H S Sharp (1929), 75 cents; 47, The glacial geology of Connecticut, by R F. Flint (1929), $2, 51, Minerals of Connecticut, by J F Schairer (1932), 75 cents Bulletin 51 explains the physical and chemical properties of minerals, their classification, and describes more than 100 common minerals found in Connecticut. A bibliography is included The Survey gratuitously distributes all its Bulletins to state residents, scientific institutions, etc. Prices quoted are to private citizens of other states

Jan 1, 1933

By Thomas Read

AMONG the large number of deep mines in the world there are several which do not differ much in depth. The St. John del Rey mine, in Brazil, has reached a vertical depth of 6726 ft. below the top of its shaft; miners enter it, however, through an adit which intersects the shaft 324 ft. below its top, wherefore it might be said that the mine is really only 6400 ft. deep. In the Kolar gold field of India there are a number of deep shafts, one of which reaches to a vertical depth of 6140 ft. below surface. In South Africa also there are a number of deep shafts, the Village Deep being 6100 ft. early in 1921. The City Deep, Ltd., proposes to sink to a depth of 7000 ft. but pre-sumably by the time it does so the St. John del Rey will be deeper than that, since it has been increasing in depth at an average rate of about 150 ft. per year. The deepest shaft in the United States, the Tamarack No. 5, although it is only 5308 ft. deep, actually approaches nearer to the center of the earth (4100 ft. below sea level, as against 3958 ft. , at St. John del Rey). The deepest workings in the Calumet & Hecla go down to 4600 ft. below sea level. The St. John del Rey is not only the deepest, mine in the world, but it also is worked by the oldest registered English mining company, which was organ-ized in 1830 to work a mine at a considerable dis-tance from this one. That mine proved unprofitable, and in 1837 operations were transferred to the. deposit now under discussion, where operations have been prac-tically continuous ever since.

Jan 6, 1923

By C. P. Sandberg

Notwithstanding the growing importance of this subject, no work specially devoted to it has hitherto been published. Having had to inspect during the last twenty years nearly a million tons of iron and steel rails for various countries, I have obtained experience of what rail manufacturers can practically execute, as well as of what railway engineers practically require. Bearing these two points in mind, I have from time to time published observations with a view to unite both interests,—that of the producer and that of the consumer,—and to reduce the specifications and the forms of sections to standards, or types, in order to facilitate the execution of the works and to improve the construction of permanent way. The Swedish government railways, as well as private companies owning railways in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark,.have during the time above mentioned consulted with me and intrusted to me their rail inspection. I therefore owe to these countries much of the opportunity which I have enjoyed of gaining experience and position. Next to Sweden, America is the country which has most liberally favored me with its confidence in placing these matters in my hands. Through circumstances not under my control there has been little exportation to, and less work done by Europe for, America during the last six years; but the recent revival of the rail trade has been the more gratifying to mo, seeing that almost all the importers of American rails are still specifying for the Sandberg rail sections and inspection. It is therefore with feelings of gratitude that I now beg to lay before the American Institute of Mining Engineers, and I hope, through that body, before the American railway world, the results of some experience which I have gained in the execution of work for their country, and which therefore belongs rightfully to

Jan 1, 1881

By C. P. Sandberg

INTRODUCTION. NOTWITHSTANDING the growing importance of this subject, no work specially devoted to it has hitherto been published. Having had to inspect during the last twenty years nearly a million tons of iron and steel rails for various countries, I have obtained experience of what rail manufacturers can practically execute, as well as of what railway engineers practically require. Bearing these two points in mind, I have from time to time published observations with a view to unite both interests, -that of the producer and that of the consumer,-and to reduce the specifications and the forms of sections to standards, or types, in order to facilitate the execution of the works and to improve the construction of permanent way. The Swedish government railways, as well as private companies owning railways in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, have during the time above mentioned consulted with me and intrusted to me their rail inspection. I therefore owe to these countries much of the opportunity which I have enjoyed of gaining experience and position. Next to Sweden, America is the country which has most liberally favored me with its confidence in placing these matters in my hands. Through circumstances not under my control there has been little exportation to, and less work done by Europe for, America during the last six years ; but the recent revival of the rail trade has been the more gratifying to me, seeing that almost all the importers of American rails are still specifying for the Sandberg rail sections and inspection. It is therefore with .feelings of gratitude that I now beg to lay before the American Institute of Mining Engineers, and I hope, through that body, before the American railway world, the results of some experience which I have gained in the execution of work for their country, and which therefore belongs rightfully to

Jan 1, 1881

By Warren W. Jamar, Philip D. Pearson

IN recent years, there have been many changes in mining operations in the Lake Superior district. To follow these trends on the Menominee Range of Michigan, information has been assembled from all of the iron informatior]mining operations in the area. There are 15 operating underground mines in the Iron River-Crystal Falls area of the Menominee Range. Within the past two years, two idle properties were reopened pasttwoyears,and are now producing, and a third and fourth are being reopened. Also, there are two siliceous openpits operated by independent companies outside this immediate area. Six companies operate the underground mines, employing some 1850 employees. Table I shows pertinent facts about these properties. During 1949, the largest mine in Iron County shipped 571,287 tons, and one of the newer mines shipped 39,378 tons, with a range total to 3,535,-373 tons. Since the Menominee Range was opened in the 1870's, the mines in Iron County have shipped 85,890,922 tons. From an operator's viewpoint rather than a geologist's, the ore is' classified as semi-hard, composed of hematite and limonite. It is not as soft as the ores of the Marquette Range nor is it as hard as the hard ores of the Marquette and Vermillion Ranges. The ore bodies have slate hanging walls and slate footwalls. In most cases the hanging walls and footwalls are soft and high in sulphur. The sulphur comes from pyrite, and these slates will ignite when piled more than 6 to 8 ft high. Ore is mined on this range by: 1—Sub-level stop-ing; 2—Shrinkage stoping; 3—Sub-level caving; 4— Block caving; 5—Top slicing. The predominance of these methods is in the order named. Underground drilling is important in the mining cycle. Some changes made and trends toward future changes fall into four categories: Drill bits, drill steel, drill machines, and compressed air pressures. Several types of bits have been tried and are in use. They include the detachable tungsten carbide, insert bit; the intraset steel bit, which is a conventional steel rod with tungsten carbide insert; the one-use bit; and the multiple-use bit. For many years, detachable multiple-use bits have been standard. In tests conducted recently to im- prove drilling efficiency, this bit was used as the basis for comparison. Under existing conditions, a multiple-use bit can be resharpened about three times before it is discarded. A thorough test of 2-in. tungsten carbide threaded bits was conducted under various ground conditions. 1—The drilled footage ranged from 48 to 600 ft per bit; averaging 357 ft per bit. Under these same conditions, a multiple-use bit ranged from 8 to 80 ft per bit. 2—The bit cost was greater for the insert bit in each case. 3—The average drilling speed for the insert bit was 12 in. in 62 sec and for the multiple-use bit was 12 in. in 64 sec. In a second test, 2V4 -in. tungsten carbide bits with the large 1 3/16-in. thread were used in moderately soft ground on a 152-lb drifting drill on a long feed jumbo. 1—The drilled footage ranged from 450 to 5000 ft per bit, averaging 1810 ft per bit. Under these same conditions, a multiple-use bit averaged 64 ft per bit. 2—The bit cost was reduced by the use of the insert bit. 3—No increase in drilling speed was recorded. 4—Minimum footage obtained was caused by thread failure. To improve the thread life, thread size on the rod was increased and the bit was attached to the rod with a pipe wrench. After this, bits failed in equal proportions because of cracked skirts, broken inserts, and gage loss. Tungsten carbide bits are now used in the operation where this second test was conducted because labor costs were lowered as a result of reducing the number of bits being changed by the miners. At the same operation and under the same conditions as the second test, 1Y4-in. insert bits with standard 1-in. threads were used. These bits did not drill much more than 300 ft before thread failure and were then welded to the rods and used until total failure. Sometimes this footage was considerable, sometimes it was not. Chisel-type 2%-in. insert bits were

Jan 1, 1952

By P. H. Wendland

Calculations are presented for the design of a silicon photodiode in which the incident light beam makes multiple passes between the detector surfaces. Total internal reflection is used for this "light-trapping" effect. By this means, the optical path length can be extended to several millimeters, while the electrode separation remains less than 102 cm, as required for nanosecond response time. Data are presented for a Schottky barrier photodiode constructed on a multiply reflecting silicon base wafer. It is shown that the long-wavelength response is considerably extended in such structures without a corresponding sacrifice in high-speed response. The development of efficient and powerful lasers at 1.06 p has stimulated interest in detectors which operate at this wavelength. In typical silicon photodiodes, for detecting 1.06 p radiation, the requirements for high speed and high sensitivity are mutually exclusive. Since the absorption coefficient is only 25 cm-', a lo-'-cm path length is required to absorb 92 pct of the incident 1.06 p radiation. If the electrode separation is greater than 10 cm, however, the carrier transit time will be greater than 1 nsec. This problem can be solved by allowing the incident light beam to make multiple passes between the electrodes. The optical path length can then be extended to several millimeters, as required for complete absorption, while the electrode separation remains less than 10' cm, as required for nanosecond response time. In a typical photodiode geometry, one ohmic contact and one rectifying contact are formed on the two opposite surfaces of a base wafer, and the wafer thickness determines the electrode separation. The objective of the multiple reflection design is to allow all 1.06 p radiation to enter the detector front surface and to form the back detector surface so that no 1.06 radiation can exit. Total internal reflection at the back detector surface is well-suited for light trapping of 1.06 p radiation because the relatively large dielectric constant of silicon leads to a critical angle of 16.5 deg for total internal reflection. LIGHT TRAPPING It is well-known that, as light passes from one medium such as air into another medium such as glass or silicon, the angle of refraction is always less than the angle of incidence. In the limiting case, where the incident rays approach an angle of 90 deg with the normal, the refracted rays approach a fixed angle +, beyond which no refraction is possible: this is called the critical angle. It follows from Snell's law that where = critical angle, n - index of refraction of air, n' - index of refraction of the medium. Applying the principle of reversibility of light rays, all internal angles of incidence greater than +, will produce total internal reflection and "light trapping". The index of refraction of silicon at 1.06 p is 3.5,' and the critical angle is thus 16.5 deg. Fig. 1 shows these relationships for silicon. This very small critical angle in silicon is significant because all incident angles between 16.5 and 90 deg will produce total internal reflection and "light trapping". This effect can be implemented with a "prismlike" geometry, so that incident light can be introduced into the sample without loss and "trapped". PHOTOSIGNALS A precise knowledge of the absorption coefficient at 1.06 in silicon is of critical importance to the design of fast and efficient silicon photodiodes for 1.06 radiation. Dash and newman2 show a value of 25 cm-l, and our measurements have corroborated this value. Assuming that the collection of photoinduced minority carriers is perfect, the quantum efficiency of a photodiode is dependent only on the absorption coefficient. It then follows from Lambert's law that where QE is the quantum efficiency in pct, a is the absorption coefficient, d is the optical path length, and the reflectivity at the surface is assumed to be completely suppressed by an optical interference layer. Fig. 2 gives the maximum quantum efficiency for 1.06p radiation of a silicon photodiode with optical path length d, using Eq. [2]. The ultimate response time of a fully depleted photodiode to an incident light pulse can be considered to be the arrival times of all photoinduced carriers at the contacts, i.e., the minority carriers at the junction interface and the majority carriers at the oppo-

Jan 1, 1968