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By Carl Lee

CHICAGO in the last week of June fulfilled all its promises to the visiting engineers except one. This holds true with respect to the activities of the Regional Meeting of the A. I. M. E. in particular and of Engineers' Week in general. No one expected to find much of the beautiful in the outward aspects of the Fair-the Century of Progress Exposition, to be more formal; but they expected novelty, color, and startling lighting effects at night, and they were in no sense disappointed. It has been said that the architecture is a portent of the style of the buildings of the future; most who have seen the Fair hope that this forecast will prove inaccurate. As to the exhibits themselves, they are splendid. They are in keeping with the theme of the Exposition-a Century of Progress in science, in engineering, in the industries based upon them. No attempt will be made here even to suggest the exhibits that are most interesting. There are plenty for every one; and any member of the Institute who has the opportunity should by all means visit Chicago before the end of October.

Jan 1, 1933

By AIME AIME

THE Board of Trustees, made up of three from each of the four societies, conducts the business com- mitted to United Engineering Society by its Founder Societies under its Charter, the Founder's Agreement and the Library Agreement. A draft of a budget of revenue and expenditures for the ensuing calendar year is presented each September to the secretaries of the Founder Societies for the information and comment of their governing bodies. After revision, the budget is adopted, by the incoming Board of Trustees at its meeting in January.

Jan 1, 1929

By Carl Zapffe

JUST as 85 per cent of the total ore produced annually in the United States comes from the Lake Superior region, so does one of its six producing districts-the Mesabi --dominate that region both as to production and total reserves; also in ore Treatment, Mesabi practice is dominant. Therefore, in discussing future reserves or ore treatment one may visualize one big district with five smaller districts as so many satellites. In considering the future less thought need be given to processes than to, economic policies. For thirty years experimental work has now been in progress and every possible ore-treatment process now known has been given attention. This work was started when there was no recognizable danger of running short of ore because of rapid consumption. Thirty years ago the annual production had just progressed beyond the twenty-million bracket for the first time. Today fifty million tons is considered a small production, and last year the aim was for 65 million. At the recent rate of production the life of the estimated reserves of good ore is about 35 years. All who know the local terrain are convinced that, unlike thirty years ago, the chances for discoveries of new big deposits are nil; treatment of lean ores obviously is to become an all-important topic.

Jan 1, 1938

By L. R. MacLead

Delivery of tailing to any part of the area by gravity from the ridge was found practicable. Experiments with asbestos-cement pipe proved it possible to use level pipe across the dams if it is fed through an inclined section in which pressure could be developed. Use of pipe to transfer the tailing to the dams was not favored because of the possibility that choking might occur. Metal flume was not believed to have sufficient wear resistance on this material and wooden flume would not withstand damage by the weather so well- Flume -action made- of 26-in diameter asbestos-cement pipe, split before curing and molded to a specified cross section, were finally approved. The flume is connected to the 24-in. diameter tail in distribution pipe by heavy concrete lateral launders. Cascades of horizontal and vertical pipe sections are used at the top of the pressure leg where scouring by high-velocity flow of tailing might occur.

Jan 1, 1942

By Robert Keeney

Before the outbreak of the war in 1914, the only electric-furnace smelting plant operating on a commercial basis west of the Mississippi River was an electric pig-iron plant in California; rare metal ores were not smelted, concentrates of molybdenum, tungsten, uranium, and vanadium ores being shipped east for reduction. Practically no- chrome ore was being mined, and only comparatively small amounts of manganese ore. Today there are two electric smelting plants in California, one in Washington, one in Iowa, and four in Colorado; two plants are under construction in California, and one in Montana. Ores of manganese, chromium, molybdenum and tungsten are now smelted in the West, and although uranium and vanadium concentrates are still shipped to the East, they will probably be treated in western plants in a short time. The four electric-furnace plants in Colorado are listed in Table 1. TABLE 1.-Electric Smelting Plants in Colorado Capacity, Company, Location Kilowatts Products . Tungsten Products Co Boulder 800 Ferrotungsten, ferromolybdentun. Boulder Tungsten Production Co. . Boulder 400 Ferrotungsten. Ferro Alloy Co Utah Junction 1200 Ferrochrome, ferrotung-sten. Iron Mountain Alloy Co Utah Junction 3000 Ferromanganese. Power for all of these plants is supplied by the Colorado Power Co.

Jan 8, 1918

By Mi Chung

T HE ore-dressing problem at Tul Mi Chung is complicated by the unusually complex nature of the ores. These come from replacement ore- bodies in limestone at the contact with a granite batholith, and contain copper, gold, silver, bismuth, molybdenum, iron, arsenic, zinc, and lead, the first two metals constituting the principal sources of profit. Iron is present as pyrite, magnetite, and hematite. Arsenic occurs both as mispickel and lollingite (FelAsa), the latter carrying a certain amount of finely divided gold. The gangue minerals are those typical of limestone con- tact-metamorphism and include a large percentage of garnet, together with diopside, serpentine, calcite, epidote, zoisite, actinolite, 'mica and other minerals. A part of the gold occurs in a free state; some is combined with chalcopyrite and lollingite, and a consider- able proportion is contained in the pyrite. Researches towards the improvement of recovery have been energetically conducted since 1915. Amalgamation, gravity concentrating tables, vanners, can- vas plants, etc., have all been tried and discarded in favor of flotation. It was very quickly established that fine grinding was essential for satisfactory recovery. This was and is still accomplished in Hardinge ball and pebble mills. A comparative test showed that when the ore was crushed to the point at which it contained 20 to 26 per cent. coarser than 100 mesh, the gold recovery was only 55.9 per cent., whereas when crushed so that only 11 to 15 per cent. was coarser than 100 mesh, the gold recovery was increased to 82.5 per cent. No particular difficulty was ever experienced in making a satisfactory recovery of copper but the losses in gold were considered serious and led to the investigation described in this paper.

Jan 1, 1924

By E. W. Davis

The: mysterious Lake Erie price for iron ore, established each spring, determines the maximum price that will be paid during the following season for ore of Mesabi Non-Bessemer base grade. This price is important to the ore producers, hut since most of the ore in the Lake Superior district is owned or controlled by consuming interests, the really important question to them is not the price of ore but how much it will cost them to mine and transport their season's requirements to their furnace plants. However, a few million tons are actually sold each year, and considerable quantities are traded for mixing purposes, and the negotiations lor these sales and trades usually begin with some reference to the Lake Erie price. There is no difficulty with the Lake Erie price itself or with the manner in which it is established, but the system prescribed for determining the values of ores that are not exactly base grade is incomplete. The Lake Erie price takes into consideration only the iron and phosphorus contained in the ore, but when the ore producer is negotiating a sale or trade, he is confronted by the fact that his ore must he studied and the price adjusted, not only on the basis of the iron and phosphorus analyses, as specified by the Lake Erie price, but also on the basis of silica! alumina, manganese, structure, etc. The vague and unsatisfactory methods used in making these adjustments bear some relation to the manner in which the ore is supposed to act in the blast furnace. The ore producer may not understand all of the idiosyncrasies of the blast furnace, but if the smelting-plant operators have a system more accurate than the Lake Erie price method for determining the relative values of different ores, why not pass this information on to the ore producers, so that they can make use of it and perhaps modify their practice in such a manner as to benefit both themselves and their customers? There is a lack of understanding and appreciation between these two groups that may, to some extent, be unavoidable, but in the interests of efficiency and conservation rules that are more accurate and complete than the Lake Erie price method in use at the present time should be established for the guidance of the ore producers. Recently a paper was read before the Eastern States Blast Furnace and Coke Oven Association, by Mr. G. W. Hewitt, Manager Production, Blast Furnace and Coke Oven Department, Wheeling Steel Corporation, in which he explained how his company determines the relative values of different grades of Non-Bessemer ore. This is a very important paper, perhaps not so much on account of the actual calculation methods described as because of the fact that premiums and penalties are shown on Non-Bessemer ores for silica, alumina, phosphorus, and manganese. As pointed out by Mr. Hewitt, the premium and penalty system described may not apply without adjustments to other smelting plants. However, if the various ore

Jan 1, 1941

By E. W. Davis

The: mysterious Lake Erie price for iron ore, established each spring, determines the maximum price that will be paid during the following season for ore of Mesabi Non-Bessemer base grade. This price is important to the ore producers, hut since most of the ore in the Lake Superior district is owned or controlled by consuming interests, the really important question to them is not the price of ore but how much it will cost them to mine and transport their season's requirements to their furnace plants. However, a few million tons are actually sold each year, and considerable quantities are traded for mixing purposes, and the negotiations lor these sales and trades usually begin with some reference to the Lake Erie price. There is no difficulty with the Lake Erie price itself or with the manner in which it is established, but the system prescribed for determining the values of ores that are not exactly base grade is incomplete. The Lake Erie price takes into consideration only the iron and phosphorus contained in the ore, but when the ore producer is negotiating a sale or trade, he is confronted by the fact that his ore must he studied and the price adjusted, not only on the basis of the iron and phosphorus analyses, as specified by the Lake Erie price, but also on the basis of silica! alumina, manganese, structure, etc. The vague and unsatisfactory methods used in making these adjustments bear some relation to the manner in which the ore is supposed to act in the blast furnace. The ore producer may not understand all of the idiosyncrasies of the blast furnace, but if the smelting-plant operators have a system more accurate than the Lake Erie price method for determining the relative values of different ores, why not pass this information on to the ore producers, so that they can make use of it and perhaps modify their practice in such a manner as to benefit both themselves and their customers? There is a lack of understanding and appreciation between these two groups that may, to some extent, be unavoidable, but in the interests of efficiency and conservation rules that are more accurate and complete than the Lake Erie price method in use at the present time should be established for the guidance of the ore producers. Recently a paper was read before the Eastern States Blast Furnace and Coke Oven Association, by Mr. G. W. Hewitt, Manager Production, Blast Furnace and Coke Oven Department, Wheeling Steel Corporation, in which he explained how his company determines the relative values of different grades of Non-Bessemer ore. This is a very important paper, perhaps not so much on account of the actual calculation methods described as because of the fact that premiums and penalties are shown on Non-Bessemer ores for silica, alumina, phosphorus, and manganese. As pointed out by Mr. Hewitt, the premium and penalty system described may not apply without adjustments to other smelting plants. However, if the various ore

Jan 1, 1941

By M. L. Requa

EVERY forward step in civilization brings with it an increase in population and increasing demand for raw materials. Modern civilization, because of its industrial development, depends more and more for its well-being on ample supplies of raw materials; the higher the type of that civilization, the greater its dependence. No fact is more obvious than that the raw materials should be put to use with greatest prudence and efficiency. National life is not a matter of a decade or a century. Conservation is no longer a matter for political discussion; it is a vital element in the future welfare of all nations. Unfortunately, to the minds of many, conservation means the locking up of natural resources, their arbitrary withdrawal, bringing about, in short, a condition of industrial stagnation. This has occurred in past centuries through misdirected governmental effort. Two eminent engineers have variously defined conservation as follows:

Jan 1, 1925

By Walter C. Holmes

IN the recently published book entitled "Man in a Chemical World," by A. Cressy Morrison, the several pages discussing explosives were included in the chapter on "Serving Industry." Such a classification is entirely correct, as blasting explosives function only as a tool for accomplishing certain useful work, a tool which is completely destroyed in one use. Explosives are so important to industry and to modern society, in fact, that it seems impossible to imagine the existence of civilized nations without access to commercial explosives as ready servants. Two main types of explosives are now in use, the low-velocity or deflagrating type, such as black powder, which is adapted for use in coal mining and other applications where a slow, heaving effect is desired, and high explosives of the dynamite type,

Jan 1, 1938

By James Douglas

Discussion of the paper of James Douglas, presented at the New Haven meeting, February, 1909, and published in Bulletin No. 29, May, 1909, pp. 439 to 451. JAMES DOUGLAS, New York, N. Y. (communication to the Secretary*) :-In my paper on the Conservation of Natural Resources, I referred to the slow replacement of bee-hive ovens by the by-product ovens as a most notable instance of waste. And I quoted from Mr. Parker's report for .1906 an explanation given by him in accounting for the small production of by-product coke. It was that the markets for the by-products of the coke-ovens was so limited that some of the ovens constructed were out of operation. His report on the manufacture of coke in 1908 1 does not record an improvement, and attributes the strange fact that we alone, of all the industrial peoples, delay the adoption of this cardinal improvement from the continuance of the same almost inexplicable cause. To quote again from his report, lie says (p. 241): "The year 1908 was not marked by any notable gain in the construction of by-product coking plants, though some new work was done. There was a net increase of 115 in the number of completed ovens in 1908 over 1907, the totals for the two years being, respectively, 3,892 and 4,007. The additional equipment consisted of 140 Koppers regenerative ovens built at Joliet, I11., by the United States Steel Corporation, but this increase was partly offset by the dismantling of Y5 Semet Solvay ovens at Sharon, Pa., the net gain being 115 ovens. Included in the total of 4,007 completed ovens in 1908 are 152 Newton-Chambers ovens at Vintondale, Pa., but as no recovery of by-products was made at this plant in 190S, the production of coke is included with that from beehive ovens. The 56 ovens of the same type at Pocahontas, Va., have not been in practical operation since they were first. installed. In addition to these there was one other by-product plant of 120 ovens. Oat. was not operated during the year. The number of retort ovens producing coke in 1908 was 3,679, as compared with 3,811 active ovens in 1907." In describing the anomaly he says (p. 249): It has been contended that the development of the by-product coking industry would have shown more rapid progress if markets for the by-products were * Received Feb. 2, 1910. Mineral Resources of the United States for 1908, Part I1., U. S. Geological Survey (1909).

Apr 1, 1910

By S. C. Lindsay, D. J. I. Evans

With each year that passes hydrometallurgical processes are being more widely used to recover base metals from ores and concentrates. Generally these processes involve liquid-solid separation of metal-bearing liquors from barren residues. This may be done by countercurrent decantation, thickening and filtration, or filtration or centrifuging only. Choice of method is governed by chemical and physical characteristics of the pulps; cost of labor, power, materials, and waste disposal; and even by the amount of capital available when building plans are under way. Since all these controlling factors change with time and location and with technological advances, the separation method must be re-evaluated when new plants or expansion programs are contemplated. At the Sherritt Gordon refinery in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, an ammonia pressure leaching process recovers nickel, copper, and cobalt from the nickel concentrate produced at Lynn Lake, Manitoba.' Pregnant liquors are separated from the barren leach residues in a thickener-filter liquid-solids circuit. The decision to use this type of separation was based on a summation of economic factors during the pilot plant and design stages. Although countercurrent decantation was not incorporated in the refinery flowsheet, the problems solved in thickening the leach residues and the experience gained in operating the commercial plant are pertinent to countercurrent decantation, particularly where it is applied to slow-settling leach slurries or slurries having a relatively high vapor pressure of a valuable, obnoxious, or poisonous vapor. The nickel sulfide concentrate is leached under pressure with air and ammonia to dissolve the nickel, copper, and cobalt and most of the sulfur, leaving a residue of iron and siliceous material to be discarded.2,3 During a subsequent distillation stage to recirculate part of the ammonia used for leaching, copper is recovered from the solution as a high-grade sulfide. After further purification to remove traces of copper and undesirable sulfur compounds, the nickel is precipitated by hydrogen under pressure at an elevated temperature. The cobalt, together with unreduced nickel, is precipitated as a mixed metal sulfide by hydrogen sulfide for eventual cobalt recovery. The end solution is then evaporated to produce a crystalline ammonium sulfate byproduct. As shown in Fig. 1, the nickel concentrate is leached in a continuous, two-stage, countercurrent circuit. In the first stage, or adjustment leach, the fresh concentrate is partially leached (60 pct) in the liquor produced in the second stage, or final leach. This system is necessary to produce a solution suitable for treatment in the copper sulfide precipitation step. Both stages are carried out at 170" to 180°F under a total pressure, with air, of 100 to 120 psig in large, horizontal, water-cooled autoclaves. The autoclaves are divided by overflow weirs into four compartments to give a certain amount of staging during leaching. In each compartment a relatively slow-speed (100 to 150 rpm) agitator maintains the nickel concentrate in suspension. Adjustment leaching, carried out in two autoclaves in parallel, is followed by a thickener-filter liquid-solids separation. Final leaching is done in two parallel trains of three autoclaves using aqueous ammonia to extract metal values from the adjustment leach residues. This too is followed by a thickener-filter circuit. Here the residues are repulped once with aqueous ammonia and twice with process water and refiltered after each repulping stage, to insure a maximum recovery of soluble metal, before being discarded to the tailings pond. The adjustment leach is followed by a seven-disk Dorr-Oliver American filter, with an agitator in the filter boot to keep the residues in suspension. Agitators have also been installed beneath the four ten-disk filters following the final leach thickener. Slurry Characteristics: A typical analysis of the Lynn Lake nickel concentrate, produced by differential flotation,' is given in Table I. The concentrate comprises 35 to 49 pct pentlandite, (Fe, Ni)S; 3 to 6 pct chalcopyrite, CuFeS,; 1 to 4 pct pyrite, FeS2; and 24 to 42 pct pyrrhotite, Fe1-2S (where x varies between 0 and 0.2) together with various siliceous minerals such as actinolite, hornblende, and talc. During leaching, the sulfur in the pentlandite, chalcopyrite, and part of the pyrrhotite is successively oxidized through the thiosulfate and poly-thionate radicals to sulfate and sulfamate." Simultaneously the nickel, copper, and cobalt are converted to soluble ammine complexes and the iron in the pentlandite, chalcopyrite, and part of the pyrrhotite is oxidized to a spongy hydrated iron oxide. The hydrated iron oxide is readily broken down by the agitation needed to sustain the concentrate in suspension and to maintain a satisfactory mass transfer of the oxygen from the air to the slurry. Table I shows typical chemical, screen, and

Jan 1, 1961

By E. A. Anderson, P. W. Ramsey, E. J. Boyle

Only a few zinc-rich alloys are in commercial use today, and these depend largely upon solid solution effects for their desirable properties. Typical examples are rolled alloys containing about 1 Per cent of copper, with Or without additions of elements such as magnesium, and die-casting alloys containing about 4 Per cent of aluminum with small amounts of magnesium and sometimes copper." A number of elements are capable of forming alloys with zinc, Which do not enter into solid solution except in limited degree. The Present Paper considers One such system, zinc-titanium, in which alloys having potentially useful properties in the rolled form were found. Zinc-titanium System The zinc-rich portion of the zinc-titanium diagram, as determined by standard methods in this laboratory,3 is shown in Fig. I. The portion of the diagram of significance in the present work extends from 0 to about 0.5 per cent titanium. Gebhardt4 places the eutectic at 0.45 per cent, but the evidence in favor 01 the composition given in Fig. I is considerable. The solid solubility of titanium in zinc is very low indeed and possibly places these alloys in a somewhat different category from the commercial alloys previously mentioned. Alloy Preparation All of the alloys used in this work were prepared with titanium metal of 98.9 per cent purity. In most cases high-purity zinc (99.99 per cent) was used but sufficient work was done later to show that zinc of about high-grade composition would yield approximately equal results. Best practice in alloy manufacture seemed to be to prepare a zinc-titanium hardener by adding about 4 per cent of titanium metal to molten zinc and holding under a boric acid cover, with frequent stirrings, at 750°C, until the titanium had dissolved. The desired titanium content could readily be obtained in the final alloy by adding the calculated amount 01 this hardener. The alloys proved to be quite stable in composition, unless overheated, and, with reasonable temperature control, required no cover or flux to prevent loss of titanium content by oxidatioll, Hot-rollig Tests Three alloys containing, by analysis, 0.05, 0.12, and 0.23 per cent titanium were selected for preliminary study. Slab cross sections a a marked grain refinement* (Fig. 2) in the two alloys of highest titanium content. Cast unalloyed zinc has a columnar grain structure similar to that shown for the alloy of lowest titanium content but without the scatter of small equiaxed grains at the center.

Jan 1, 1944

By P. W. Ramsey, E. J. Boyle, E. A. Anderson

Only a few zinc-rich alloys are in commercial use today, and these depend largely upon solid solution effects for their desirable properties. Typical examples are rolled alloys containing about 1 Per cent of copper, with Or without additions of elements such as magnesium, and die-casting alloys containing about 4 Per cent of aluminum with small amounts of magnesium and sometimes copper." A number of elements are capable of forming alloys with zinc, Which do not enter into solid solution except in limited degree. The Present Paper considers One such system, zinc-titanium, in which alloys having potentially useful properties in the rolled form were found. Zinc-titanium System The zinc-rich portion of the zinc-titanium diagram, as determined by standard methods in this laboratory,3 is shown in Fig. I. The portion of the diagram of significance in the present work extends from 0 to about 0.5 per cent titanium. Gebhardt4 places the eutectic at 0.45 per cent, but the evidence in favor 01 the composition given in Fig. I is considerable. The solid solubility of titanium in zinc is very low indeed and possibly places these alloys in a somewhat different category from the commercial alloys previously mentioned. Alloy Preparation All of the alloys used in this work were prepared with titanium metal of 98.9 per cent purity. In most cases high-purity zinc (99.99 per cent) was used but sufficient work was done later to show that zinc of about high-grade composition would yield approximately equal results. Best practice in alloy manufacture seemed to be to prepare a zinc-titanium hardener by adding about 4 per cent of titanium metal to molten zinc and holding under a boric acid cover, with frequent stirrings, at 750°C, until the titanium had dissolved. The desired titanium content could readily be obtained in the final alloy by adding the calculated amount 01 this hardener. The alloys proved to be quite stable in composition, unless overheated, and, with reasonable temperature control, required no cover or flux to prevent loss of titanium content by oxidatioll, Hot-rollig Tests Three alloys containing, by analysis, 0.05, 0.12, and 0.23 per cent titanium were selected for preliminary study. Slab cross sections a a marked grain refinement* (Fig. 2) in the two alloys of highest titanium content. Cast unalloyed zinc has a columnar grain structure similar to that shown for the alloy of lowest titanium content but without the scatter of small equiaxed grains at the center.

Jan 1, 1944

By Alden Greninger

THE time-honored description of the growth of metal crystals to form polycrystalline aggregates is one in which two important steps are con-sidered: (1) nucleation, and (2) dendritic growth, each dendrite starting from its individual nucleus and resulting (upon slow cooling, assuming no solid phase changes) in a macrograin. This picture of the process of crystallization is incomplete, and it is with the hope of enlarging upon it that the following summary and correlation of experimental results are given. MOSAIC STRUCTURE For an exact definition of the mosaic structure of metal crystals-if, indeed, one can be found that will hold for all metals-one must await the results of much experimental work in this field. The writer's investiga-tions have been confined almost entirely to copper and a few of its alloys. The following terms are proposed, and will be used in this report: Macromosaic Structure l.-Large-scale mosaic structure; more specif-ically, mosaic structure of a scale large enough to produce splitting of Laue spots on back-reflection Laue X-ray patterns2. The deviation from exact parallelism of neighboring macromosaics varies from a few

Jan 1, 1935

By George S. Rice

Ten years ago: October, 1914, the author had the privilege of giving an illustrated address on investigations of coal-dust explosions1 to this Institute at one session of its fall meeting in Pittsburgh, Pa,. On the following day, the members had the opportunity of seeing a large-scale explosion test at the Experimental Mine near Bruceton, in which the explosion was made to follow a predetermined path by means of rock-dust barriers of various types, which had prevented the explosive waves from reaching the outlets of the mine by the shortest paths.2 There was also shown a ((home-made" rock-dusting machine discharging the dust from a flexible nozzle, and a cement gun operated for the quick erection of a fire or ventilation stopping, such as might be put up after an explosion. Following that paper, there was presented a paper by J. Taffanel, Director of the Lìévin testing station in the Pas de Calais, which reviewed the French coal-dust investigations.3 A paper4 by Howard N. Eavenson contains lists of explosions that occurred in North America and Great Britain, from early in the 19th century to 1912; in France to 1903, and Belgium to 1909. Although explosions still occur, we are hopeful that we have entered a happier freedom from these visitations, as the result of increased knowledge of the causes and means of prevention. Looking back over coal-dust investigations, there appear to have been periods of advance and of stagnation. Coal-dust Investigations From the earliest times of coal mining, which chiefly affected Great Britain as the first nation to take up coal mining on a large scale, to the beginning of the 19th century, no one thought of coal dust as an explosive agency; firedamp was the cause dreaded. It was believed, when Sir Humphrey Davy invented his safety lamp in 1815, that a solution had been found for the prevention of mine explo-

Jan 1, 1925

By H. H. Evinger, M. Muskat

Although the shooting of oil wells for the purpose of increasing production has been practiced since 1866, present-day shooting technique has been arrived at almost wholly by a process of trial and error. The difficulties attending either a theoretical analysis of the problem or an experimental attack become apparent when one actually embarks on a theoretical investigation or attempts to formulate an intelligent experimental program. The literature on the subject consists mainly of descriptions of current practice, scattered eye-witness accounts of events following the shooting of a well, and vague speculations on the mechanical processes involved. In contrast to quarry blasting, the results of oil-well shooting cannot be determined by means of visual inspection, and it is perhaps for this reason that only one attempt at what approaches a direct experimental attack has been reported in the literature.' In these experiments, charges of liquid nitroglycerin were exploded in holes drilled in a sandstone outcrop. In order to observe the character and extent of the resulting fractures, the rock was blasted away so as to expose the original shot holes. After all this had been done it was found impossible to distinguish the fracturing due to the original shots from that due to the subsequent blasting. The enlargement of the holes due to the pulverizing action of the shots was measured and an attempt was made to determine the effectiveness if sand tamping. Only five shots were made and few definite conclusions could be drawn. Some small-scale experiments to deter-mine the effect of tamping were performed by Snelling and IIalL2 Small charges (zo grams) of dynamite were detonated at the bottom of a cylindrical hole in a lead block and the resulting enlargement of the hole was taken as a measure of the effectiveness of the explosion. It was found that when the shot was tamped with a sufficient amount of sand or clay, the volume enlargement was approximately double that found when no stemming had been used. The properties of the explosives have been the subject of much study by the manufacturers, the U. S. Bureau of Mines, and various other agencies. For example, velocities of detonation for many commercial explosives are to be found in the Blasters' Handbook, issued by the Du Pont company. Many other properties are given in a treatise on the subject by Naoum.~ The shock wave that accompanies the detonation of high explosives has been studied photographically by Payman4 and others. The hydrodynamical theory of the shock wave has received much attention, and an extended theoretical treatment is given by Bateman.6 Two aspects of the well-shooting problem will be considered in this paper; namely, the fracturing of subsurface strata, and possible damage to casing. With respect to the former of these, several calculations have been made giving the stresses in the rocks surrounding the shot. In order to arrive at numerical results at all, however, it is necessary to introduce a great many simplifying

Jan 1, 1941

By M. Muskat, H. H. Evinger

Although the shooting of oil wells for the purpose of increasing production has been practiced since 1866, present-day shooting technique has been arrived at almost wholly by a process of trial and error. The difficulties attending either a theoretical analysis of the problem or an experimental attack become apparent when one actually embarks on a theoretical investigation or attempts to formulate an intelligent experimental program. The literature on the subject consists mainly of descriptions of current practice, scattered eye-witness accounts of events following the shooting of a well, and vague speculations on the mechanical processes involved. In contrast to quarry blasting, the results of oil-well shooting cannot be determined by means of visual inspection, and it is perhaps for this reason that only one attempt at what approaches a direct experimental attack has been reported in the literature.' In these experiments, charges of liquid nitroglycerin were exploded in holes drilled in a sandstone outcrop. In order to observe the character and extent of the resulting fractures, the rock was blasted away so as to expose the original shot holes. After all this had been done it was found impossible to distinguish the fracturing due to the original shots from that due to the subsequent blasting. The enlargement of the holes due to the pulverizing action of the shots was measured and an attempt was made to determine the effectiveness if sand tamping. Only five shots were made and few definite conclusions could be drawn. Some small-scale experiments to deter-mine the effect of tamping were performed by Snelling and IIalL2 Small charges (zo grams) of dynamite were detonated at the bottom of a cylindrical hole in a lead block and the resulting enlargement of the hole was taken as a measure of the effectiveness of the explosion. It was found that when the shot was tamped with a sufficient amount of sand or clay, the volume enlargement was approximately double that found when no stemming had been used. The properties of the explosives have been the subject of much study by the manufacturers, the U. S. Bureau of Mines, and various other agencies. For example, velocities of detonation for many commercial explosives are to be found in the Blasters' Handbook, issued by the Du Pont company. Many other properties are given in a treatise on the subject by Naoum.~ The shock wave that accompanies the detonation of high explosives has been studied photographically by Payman4 and others. The hydrodynamical theory of the shock wave has received much attention, and an extended theoretical treatment is given by Bateman.6 Two aspects of the well-shooting problem will be considered in this paper; namely, the fracturing of subsurface strata, and possible damage to casing. With respect to the former of these, several calculations have been made giving the stresses in the rocks surrounding the shot. In order to arrive at numerical results at all, however, it is necessary to introduce a great many simplifying

Jan 1, 1941

By L. Weaver

THE Tennessee Copper Co.'s mines are in the southeast corner of the state of Tennessee. Polk Co., in the well-known Ducktown copper basin. Their new circular production shaft will eventually be the only ore hoisting shaft, and is located for handling ore from Boyd, Calloway, Mary, and Cherokee mines. A circular, rather than a rectangular, shaft was decided upon because: 1-The circular shaft section is stronger when lined with concrete. Reinforcing steel was not required, thus reducing lining cost by one- quarter. 2-Water sealing was desired; it was thought it could best be done with a concrete lining followed by pressure grouting to eliminate water seeps. 3-The shaft labor saving equipment could best be used in a large opening, so the round section was made for economy, sinking, mucking, concreting and water sealing. Less shaft steel is used than could have been possible with steel sets. There are no posts required; center beams and Tee plate assembly placed at 10 ft hold the 100 lb steel guide rails. The shaft is 12 ft 7 1/2 in. ID of the concrete walls. This is large enough for two 10-ton hoisting skips and a ladder compartment. One of the skip compartments is for hauling equipment. The grouting equipment was a 2%xlO-in. Gardner-Denver grout pump, air powered and developing 1000 lb pressure. A grout mixer, also air driven, fed the mixed solution into a tank coupled to the pump suction. Grout materials used were mostly water and Portland cement. Some Bentonite was used to seal porous ground near the surface.

Jan 11, 1950

By D. J. McAdam

As shown in three recent papers by the author, in two papers by McAdam and Mebs, and in a paper by McAdam, Mebs, and Geil," the technical cohesive strength of a metal, in any particular state as regards mechanical treatment and heat-treatment, cannot be represented by a single stress value, but must be represented by a diagram with the principal stressest as coordinates. Each point on the boundary of such a diagram represents a technical cohesion limit. The technical cohesive strength thus comprises an infinite number of technical cohesion limits, each representing fracture under a specific stress combination. Moreover, neither the yield strength1 nor the ultimate strength can be represented completely by a single stress value, but must be represented by a diagram with the principal stresses as coordinates. All combinations of the principal stresses may be classified in three groups as illustrated by Fig. I. Fig. Ia shows three typical stress combinations with no two principal stresses equal. The magnitude of each principal stress is indicated qualitatively by the length of the arrow. Arrows pointing away from the cube indicate tensile stresses; arrows pointing toward the cube indicate compressive stresses. Typical stress combinations with two principal stresses equal are illustrated in Figs. rb and Ic. Such stress combinations would be produced by subjecting a cylinder to combinations of uniform axial and radial stresses. The uniform radial stress may be resolved into two equal principal stresses. with the mutually perpendicular directions rotatable around the axis of the cylinder. Fig. ib shows stress combinations with Sz equal to The greatest principal stress is in the axial direction, and the stress combination tends to cause either absolute or relative increase in length.* Fig. u shows stress combinations with S2 equal to St. The greatest principal stress is in the radial direction, and the combination tends to cause either absolute or relative decrease in length. The complete representation of either technical cohesive strength, yield strength, or ultimate strength generally requires a three-dimensional diagram. When two of the principal stresses are kept equal, however, the strength of a metal may be represented by a two-dimensional diagram with the coordinates representing the axial and radial stresses.6-II In this paper, attention will be confined almost entirely to stress combinations with two of the prin-

Jan 1, 1945