Search Documents

By L. T. Leyson, U. C. Tainton

Some time ago, at ameeting of the Institute Prof. J. W. Richards1 said, "I take exception to the statement that all the factors in the production of electrolytic zinc were known long ago.... There is possible in my opinion an improvement of perhaps 50 per cent. in the new electrolytic processes." An examination of the literature of the subject will show the justness of Professor Richards' contention. The work of the earlier investigators was carried on in the shadow of difficulties that, today, are hardly more than memories. We seldom hear now of zinc sponge, that bête noir of the electrolytic-zinc pioneers. Zinc sponge was the name given to a peculiar, soft, black, non-adherent form of zinc deposit that was utterly useless for melting into ingot form. At the big plant at Cockle Creek, New South Wales, in 1897, Edgar Ashcroft2 said that the solution in the plant would suddenly, and without ascertainable cause, go' "bad" and begin to deposit spongy zinc. The most delicate, even spectroscopic, methods of analysis were unable to detect any difference between "good" solution and "bad" solution; either form might change to the other on being kept for a while. When it is added that an outbreak of this insidious disease (which appeared to be infectious, or at least contagious) could be dealt with only by discarding the solution and washing out all tanks and pipe lines, some idea may be gathered of the troubles of the zinc electrometallurgist in what may be spoken of as the "sponge age" of electrolytic zinc. Thanks to the efforts of a number of investigators, we are today able to diagnose with considerable certitude the nature of the malady that puzzled Ashcroft and his co-workers. The researches of Mylius and

Jan 1, 1924

By Alan Morris

Season cracking of brass has received wide attention and there is a wealth of technical literature on the subject. Its causes arc fairly well understood and means for its prevention are inexpensive and effective, so that the frequency of failures from this source has diminished of recent years. But its sister phenomenon, the failure of annealed brass by reason of applied tensile stress plus a certain type of corrosion, has received less attention, though it has been responsible for occasional more or less troublesome cases of cracking of brass in service. The work described in the following pages was undertaken about two years ago to determine the relative resistance of various commercial brass mixtures to stress-corrosion cracking, and to learn something of the controlling factors. By stress-corrosion cracking we mean the cracking of brass free from internal stresses by reason of applied tensile stress and simultaneous attack by certain corrosive agents. Rogers,' in discussing a paper by Hatfield and Thirkell, says: " He had also applied a solution of mercuric salt to tensile test pieces of brass whilst they were under stress in the testing machine. At very moderate stresses such test pieces cracked, and very readily broke." Moore, Beckinsale and Mallinson2 subjected test pieces to simultaneous corrosion and tensile stress. In order to determine the minimum stress detectable in brass by the mercurous nitrate test, tensile samples were placed under stress and treated with mercurous nitrate solution. They found that brass stressed below a minimum did not crack. Dr. McAdam3 has investigated the effect of corrosion on the fatigue limit of brasses, among other materials. He directed a stream of either fresh or salt water against the specimen while it was undergoing fatigue test. The corrosion-fatigue limits thus determined may be considerably lower than the endurance limit without coincident corrosion. The exact

Jan 1, 1930

By M. R. Geer

THE increase in the number of coal-cleaning plants employing dense-medium processes occurring since 1946 is especially interesting when viewed historically. Both sand and magnetite were introduced as material for heavy mediums at about the same time, sand in the Chance process in 1921 and magnetite in the Conklin process in 1922, but from that point on their records diverge. The Chance process enjoyed a steady growth from its inception, whereas no additional magnetite plants were built in the United States for over 20 years. Then, following the close of the World War 11, magnetite was again introduced, this time with marked success. During the following years some 47 plants employing magnetite medium were built.

Jan 7, 1953

T. L. Joseph (University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn.)—Mr. Killian is to be commended for his inquiry as to why a decrease of 15.3 pct in coke consumption was accompanied by a decrease of only 1.9 pct in the CO/CO, ratio of the top gas. Although I encouraged him in his efforts to find a more significant and meaningful carbon-gas ratio, the method, calculations, and conclusions originated entirely with the author. Whether we agree entirely with the assumptions underlying his corrected ratio, I think we can all agree that a better ratio is needed, and that he deserves credit for recognizing the need and for doing something about it. To be most useful, the CO/CO, ratio for the top gas should reflect the way in which the carbon is gasified in the furnace, particularly the degree of oxidation and the extent of heat release. The effect of CO, from the decomposition of the limestone and the effect of the reaction of CO and water vapor in the upper part of the furnace on the quality of top gas should be isolated from the effect of more basic reactions such as ore reduction and solution loss. The reduction of sufficient iron oxide to produce a ton of pig iron and the accompanying changes in the proportions of the carbon gases can be expressed on a mol basis as follows: 16.5FeA + 16.5CO - 33FeO + 16.5CO, [1] 33FeO + 33.0CO = 33Fe + 33CO. [2] The CO, from eq 1 normally escapes from the furnace because it does not react with coke at the temperature of its release. However, as much as 50 pct of the CO, from eq 2 may react with coke because it is released at temperatures above 1000°C: 16.5CO. + 16.5CO2 = 33CO [3] Thus we see that the gasification of 16.5 mols or about 200 lb of C in solution loss will regenerate as much CO as is required for the last stage of reduction. The pronounced effect of reaction 3 on the final proportions of CO and CO, in the gas stream is obvious. It also follows that reaction 3 materially alters the heat release but it cannot be entirely eliminated in Lake ore practice. A previous study indicates that 100 lb of solution loss may be necessary to maintain the reducing power of the gas. A reduction of 100 lb from the normal level of 200 lb would mean that over 1,-000,000 additional Btu are released in the process. The 100 lb of additional carbon which will be burned at the tuyeres will release 437,000 Btu and the absorption of 583,000 Btu by eq 3 would be prevented. One of the chief objectives of sized ore burdens and more uniform distribution of the gas stream is to minimize solution loss by completing reduction higher in the furnace and in turn to release the maximum amount of heat from the carbon charged. It was odd, indeed, to find that the use of sized ore and sinter in the careful tests reported by Dobscha had changed the CO/CO2 ratio very little. The author has stressed the close correlation between his corrected CO/CO, ratio and production. A correlation of fuel consumption and the CO/CO, might be more logical. Fuel consumption on the prepared ore burden decreased 15.3 pct whereas the corrected CO/CO2 ratio decreased 19.0 pct. Although this agreement between the reduction in fuel and the reduction in corrected CO/CO2 ratio is not as close as the correlation with tonnage, it indicates the corrected ratio is superior to the normal ratio which decreased less than 4 pct. Some adjustment should be made for the reaction: CO + H2O = CO2 + H2 —700Btu [41 because there is evidence to indicate that about one half of the hydrogen is formed in the upper 21 ft of

Jan 1, 1953

By Reginald Williams

THE amount or value of the precious metals consumed in dentistry is probably amazing to most people. It falls very little short of that which is consumed in jewelry. Inasmuch as the ultimate destination is in the human mouth, dental alloys enjoy some importance because life and health depend upon restorations made with them. Prosthetic dentistry has made wonderful progress in the last few years. The manufacturers who supply the metals also deserve commendation. This industry which deals with metals to go into people's mouths is comparatively new. There is no literature on the subject, and little or no precedent by which to be guided. It was only by close cooperation with the dentist or prosthetic technician that desirable physical properties were produced, as nearly as possible, in the metals which were available and permissible. It is true that there were and still are conflicting opinions among the dentists as to the physical properties they require. Sometimes they request the impossible, such as alloys which are exceedingly stiff and springy, yet will bend or adjust easily. Even in this latter instance, progress has been made by supplying methods of heat-treatment whereby metals may be softened or hardened at will. (Figs. 1 and 2.) The demands made upon manufacturers are extremely varied. They must supply metals of tensile strengths ranging from approximately 30,000 to 100,000 lb. per sq. in. and over. The latter metals must be workable and in many instances capable of extreme deformation. They must not be affected by mouth conditions, nor should they oxidize greatly when molten, at red heat, or during a soldering operation. In addition to physical specifications, color demands must also be met. The firm of which I have the most knowledge manufacturers 11,553 standard stock articles of precious metals, taking into consideration formulas, finenesses, grades, colors, gages, lengths, sizes and weights. If special demands are taken into consideration, the number would be in excess of 25,000. Wrought metals are manufactured in a great many alloys of different sizes and shapes, such as plate, bar, rod, wire, sheet, strip, mesh and foil. There are also other products of importance.

Jan 1, 1928

By W. A. Hustrulid, N. A. Ross

An analysis of the design of medium to hard rock tunneling machines is presented. The developed equations are used to compare performances and machine requirements using kerf and fixed pick cutters to bore a given rock. With the use of pick cutters, required thrusts can be greatly reduced and still achieve the same boring rate as with present day tooth or kerf cutters. It appears that the cutting coefficient, which for most boring machines is of the order of 0.1, should be increased to one or larger to facilitate rock removal by cutting rather than grinding. The depth of cut and the indexing distance should be greatly increased to make use of inherent rock weakness.

Jan 1, 1971

By Reginald Williams

THE amount or value of the precious metals consumed in dentistry is probably amazing to most people. It falls very little short of that which is consumed in jewelry. Inasmuch as the ultimate destination is in the human mouth, dental alloys enjoy some importance because life and health depend upon restorations made with them. Prosthetic dentistry has made wonderful progress in the last few years. The manufacturers who supply the metals also deserve commendation. This industry which deals with metals to go-into people's mouths is comparatively new. There is no literature on the subject, and little or no precedent by which to be guided. It was only by close cooperation with the dentist or prosthetic technician that desirable physical properties were produced, as-nearly as possible, in the metals which were available and permissible. It is true that there were and still are conflicting opinions among the dentists as to the physical properties they require. Sometimes they request the impossible, such as alloys which are exceedingly stiff and springy, yet will bend or adjust easily. Even in this latter instance, progress has been made by supplying methods of heat-treatment whereby metals may be softened or hardened at will. (Figs. 1 and 2.) The demands made upon manufacturers are extremely varied. They must supply metals of tensile strengths ranging from approximately 30,000 to 100,000 lb. per sq. in. and over. The latter metals must be workable and in many instances capable of extreme deformation. They must not be affected by mouth conditions, nor should they oxidize greatly when molten, at red heat, or during a soldering operation. In addition to physical, specifications, color demands must also be met. The firm of which I have the most, knowledge manufacturers 11,553 standard stock articles of precious metals, taking into consideration formulas, finenesses, grades, colors, gages, lengths, sizes and weights. If special demands are taken into consideration, the number would be in excess of 25,000. Wrought metals are manufactured in a great many alloys of different sizes and shapes, such as plate, bar, rod, wire, sheet, strip, mesh and foil. There are also other products of importance.

Jan 1, 1928

By James A. Lewis

It is the purpose of this paper to show the importance of sand characteristics, when combined with other physical data, in evaluating production obtained by secondary recovery operations, and to indicate the benefits to be gained from the application of these principles to primary production.

Jan 1, 1942

By A. W. Furbank

IN reviewing the aerial cameras produced in different countries, it becomes apparent that in nearly all of them an attempt has been made to secure the greatest possible angle of view. This angle, of course, is determined by the objective. The objectives most commonly in use in aerial cameras have a maximum angle of 65°. The objective developed for this new Zeiss camera combines freedom from distortion and brilliant definition, with an angle of 95°. Aerial mapping, it is claimed, has been placed on a different economic basis, and new possibilities presented, par-ticularly in connection with automatic stereoscopic plotting instruments, to which some short references are made. One way of enlarging the angle of view is to couple several instruments with their axes convergent, thereby producing a multilens camera. Typi-cal of cameras of this sort in the United States is the Bagley four-lens camera, which later was developed into the five-lens camera (T3-A) of the U. S. Air Corps. More recently, in order to get away from the unfavorable Maltese cross image field of the five-lens camera, and to obtain a more practical form, two five-lens cameras were combined. By using them in tandem and rotating them by 45° relatively to each other, a ten-lens camera was produced, covering an octagonal ground area, with a total angle of view of 140°. Similar designs have been evolved in other countries. In all of them, however, a number of difficulties have arisen, quite apart from their large weight and high cost. Because of their complex mechanism, numerous shutters and magazines, and the high precision with which these parts must be interadjusted and synchronized, these cameras are far from dependable. Moreover, a multilens camera by itself does not yet constitute a complete outfit for producing pictures suitable for photogrammetric survey. Because all the component pictures, except the central one, are obliques, it is always necessary to employ rectifying apparatus which transforms the marginal views to the perspective of the central one. In multilens cameras with many individual magazines, it is not convenient to

Jan 1, 1938

CONTENTS PAGE HESSE, A. W,-Safeguarding Coal-mining Operations against Danger from Oil and Gas Wells. Discussed by A. W. Hesse, T. G. Fear, George H. Ashley, George S. Rice, W. E. Fohl, R. V. Norris, S. A. Taylor, F. B. Tough, C. W. Gibbs, A. Hurlburt, S. W. Meals 1 DAWSON, THOS. W.-Belt Conveying of Coal at H. C. Frick Coke Company Mines. Discussed by F. F. Jorgensen, Thos. W. Dawson, Graham Bright, A. W. Hesse 13 OTTO, HENRY H.-Ultimate Recovery from Anthracite Coal Beds. Discussed by R. V. Norris, S. A. Taylor, Henry H. Otto, Douglas Bunting, Graham Bright, Howard N. Eavenson, J. B. Warriner 15 HOSLER, Rush N.-Schedule Rating Coal Mines in Pennsylvania for Compensation Insurance Rates. Discussed by E. A. Holbrook, W. W. Adams 17 ARCHBALD, HUGH.-Application of Gaussian Curve to Mining Industry. Discussed by Donald A. Laird, T. T. Read 19 ASH, SIMON H.-System of Coal Mining in Western Washington. Discussed by Eli T. Conner, Simon H. Ash 21 MILLER, J. S.-Method of Mining a Steeply Pitching Anthracite Vein by Successive Skips. Discussed by Eli T. Conner, J. S. Miller, J. B. Warriner 22 HARRINGTON, GEORGE B.-New Orient, an Unusual Coal Mine. Discussed" by George S. Rice, Eli T. Conner, John A. Garcia, George B. Harrington, F. F. Jorgensen, Graham Bright, W. M. Hoen, George N. Simpson, W. C. Adams, R. W. McNeill, Chas. C. Whaley, Carl Scholz, E. T. Gott, Andrews Allen 23 PERROTT, G. ST. J.-Properties of Liquid-oxygen Explosives. Discussed by George S. Rice 48 Safeguarding Coal-mining Operations against Danger from Oil and Gas Wells Discussion of the paper of A. W. HESSE, presented at the New York Meeting, Feb-ruary, 1925, and issued, as Paper No. 1412-F, with MINING AND METALLURGY, February, 1925. A. W. HESSE.-The well under investigation, No. 101, Fig. 2, was started about Sept. 5, 1921, and drilled-in in November. The first hole was started with a 13-in. bit and reached the Pittsburgh coal at a depth of 563 ft.; at 602 ft. the 10-in. casing was run in and the well was continued with a 10-in. bit and 1400 ft. of 8-in. casing was put in. It was then continued to a depth of 1770 ft. and 6-in. casing put in; then continued to a depth of 2555 ft. where the gas was struck. As the well produced only about 100,000 cu. ft. per day. 2-in. tubing was used to conduct the

Jan 6, 1925

By C Gunther

The classification here used is one of convenience only; it is not intended to include all known types of ore deposits. The characteristic features of the several well-marked types of primary mineralizations are described without reference to the ultimate source of their metals. The minerals of many deposits of obscure origin were probably introduced through fissures that are now healed, or are due to the migration of metals from such deposits. It is not within the scope of this book to enter into a general discussion of the genesis of ore deposits but, in view of the progress being made in our comprehension of the conditions under which ore deposits were formed, mention should be made of recent work. J. E. Spurr's two volumes, "The Ore Magmas," are recommended as crystallizing the views of those who are inclined to ascribe the origin of most ore deposits to a differential precipitation from magmatic rock masses and to the migration and precipitation of the viscous, liquid or gaseous exhalations from those masses. He has especially emphasized the role

Jan 1, 1932

By R. A. Hadfield

It seems a specially fitting opportunity to present a paper on the alloys of iron and aluminum at the New York meeting of this Institute, owing to the fact that America has, more than any other country, originated and developed the manufacture of cheap aluminum. The Cowles, Castner, and Hall systems have all originated in the ever-busy brain of our cousin across the water. The problem of cheaply producing this valuable metal has been a difficult one, but to the writer it seems that the more arduous the task the greater the delight with which our American friend attempts to overcome the difficulties surrounding it, and the more vim he throws into the work. Another and equally striking proof of this is to be found in the recent appearance of the already wellknown remarkable work, The Mefallurgy of Steel, by Mr. H. M. Howe, of the Institute of Technology, Boston, Mass. It is to be hopel that this Institute will not be slow to recognize by some special mark its appreciation of this signally valuable and original work. The writer has been led to describe the following experiments, believing that so far no full and exact report has yet been presented to this Institute as to the effect of aluminum alloyed or combined with the metal iron. It has been a special object to make the material as far as possible a true alloy or combination of aluminum and iron, with as small quantities as possible of other disturbing ingredients, such as silicon, manganese, etc. In the material described in these experiments, the total amounts of other elements present (sulphur and phosphorus being disregarded as present in such small quantities) do not exceed about 0.5 per cent. Such material may therefore be probably taken as fairly illustrative of the effect of the metal aluminum upon iron. Since completing the experiments the writer

Jan 1, 1891

By Paul Wilkinson

From the earliest times, the principal component of mallplaster has been ordinary lime. Plaster-of-Paris has also been known from early times, but never used to any extent in the actual base-work of plastering-materials; it is generally used for finishing over the brown coat and for ornamental work. As an illustration of the antiquity of the use of gypsum-plaster for mortar, I find that the analysis of the exterior covering of the pyramid of Cheops, as made by Dr. Wallace, is almost identical

Jan 1, 1898

By F. J. Fayers, R. L. Perrine

For many years the problem of increasing ultimate recovery of oil from a reservoir has been a subject of interest to the oil industry. At present, a standard secondary recovery technique is to flood the reservoir with water once natural forces of the system are depleted. The permeability characteristics of the rock, together with interfacial forces which exist between the two fluids and the porous material. allow only part of the oil in the rock formation to be recovered by the water-flooding process. Laboratory experiments have shown that when detergents are added to the flooding water, the flow properties of oil in a porous rock arc improved. This improvement results in greater oil recovery. Even though higher recoveries are obtained using detergents, the extra cost associated with the method may make it economically unsatisfactory. To establish economic feasibility requires experimental laboratory measurement of fluid and rock properties together with a calculational procedure to predict field results. Pilot tests in the field may also be required. This paper presents a mathematical procedure for predicting detergent flood behavior. A number of reasonable simplifying assumptions are made to obtain a tractable system of equations. The resulting method may be regarded as a generalization of Buckley-Lev-crett' theory to solve simultaneously for water saturation and detergent concentration profiles. Consequently this type of calculation can be used in much the same manner as Buckley-Leverett theory is used to evaluate a water flood. The mathematical method employed is the so-called method of characteristics for solving hyperbolic partial differential equations. This application of the method is instructive because several other problems in reservoir analysis may be analyzed in a similar manner. FLUID FLOW EQUATIONS The flow behavior of oil and water without detergent through porous reservoir rock is usually expressed by Darcy's law and a continuity equation for each phase. If gravitational forces are neglected, vrg = kr (s)µr v p rg.........(1) vrg = kr (s)µr v p rg.........(1) ? pa va = F ?/?t (sd) where v is the volumetric flux, k represents permeability, S is saturation, and P the pressure. Fluid viscosity is denoted by 11, p is the density, 4 is porosity, and I the time. The subscripts w and o refer to water and oil. The capillary forces in the system lead to a difference in pressure between phases. This may be expressed by the relation: Pm -P0 =Pc(S).........(5) The capillary pressure? P,, is determined experimentally as a function of saturation. DETERGENT BALANCE EQUATION Addition of detergent to the water phase affects the flow properties of the system. Capillary pressure and relative permeability become functions of detergent concentration, c, as well as fluid saturation. That is: P--P (S,c) and k,,,.- - -- k,,,. At low oil saturation values, the presence of detergent reduces capillary pressure and reduces the relative permeability ratio. Detergents are surface-active and adsorb on rock surfaces. The quantity adsorbed, a, will depend on the concentration c of detergent solution and may also depend on the saturation; thus, a = a(S,c). In this analysis we have assumed that the detergents used are water soluble but not oil soluble, and their movement is therefore restricted to the water phase. The dispersion of detergent in water is neglected by comparison with transfer by flow within the system. Detergent movement is determined by the water flux and adsorption: ? cv m = -F ?/?t (cs + a) We will assume that the quantity of detergent in solution is too small to significantly change water density or viscosity. When the permeability and capillary pres-

Jan 1, 1888

By Blandford C. Burgess

Mica is an orchid among minerals. It is formed in pegmatites, one of the most bizarre of igneous formations, and is exceeded by few other minerals in the perfection it may attain as to size, color, and cleavage. First used for window glazing, as an ornament and article of trade, it has become one of the most essential insulators of electricity, heat, and shock. Most internal combustion engines use mica condensers or capacitors and such machines of war as planes, tanks, and submarines are immobile without it. The original manuscript of this guide was written in April 1943 at the peak of war emergency. It was not used because shortly thereafter a decision was made to buy on a one price basis eliminating differentials for both quality and size. This is now presented with the thought that from the standpoint of preparedness we can only consider another war imminent and every effort should be made to set up in usable form the experience gained during the Second Morld War. Colonial Mica Corp. was set up by Metals Reserve Co. as a wholly owned government agency to encourage production of domestic mica and to purchase it. It soon became the exclusive buyimg agency for such mica. The writer as Southern Manager called on all the private agencies buying mica to assist in formulating buying policies, methods, and prices. A meeting was held for that purpose in Asheville, N. C., July 20, 1942. In the general discussion the first two hours of the meeting it was decided that the following factors should be considered in pricing strategic mica: clearness, flatness, trimming, color, classification (size and quality), free splitting, hardness, and air inclusions. Most of the mica miners have been buying strategic mica, according to the mine, as No. 1, No. 2, or Nos. 1 and 2 combined. In addition to these grades of strategic mica they have been buying three lower grades of mica, electric (vegetable-stained), black-spotted and black-stained. A number of mines were named one by one and the buyers present gave their opinions as to the basis they would use in buying the sheet mica from each. It was suggested that in addition to the prices already published, prices be posted up to 10 pct higher for special quality and preparation and prices be posted 25 pct lower than the published prices for the lowest acceptable grades of strategic mica, giving the buyers authority to make intermediate prices according to the quality and preparation. It was thought desirable at the same time to announce prices for nonstra-tegic mica where such quality is being obtained in mines producing strategic mica and where it would be necessary to take the output in order to get the strategic mica. It was also suggested that the price of electric and black-spotted mica be 50 pct below the price of the lowest grade of strategic mica and the price of black-stained mica be 60 pct below the price of lowest grade strategic mica. The few experienced buyers available were employed but they were inadequate for the job and others had to be trained. All needed a guide or primer of some kind to attain systematic procedure and consistent prices in their respective buying areas. The Mica Buyers Guide was formulated for that purpose based on experience gained in the first six months of buying. The Preface to the original guide was as follows: The purpose of this guide is to serve as a text in training beginners and as a handbook for experienced buyers of the instructions which have been issued up to this time. At the meeting of prospective buyers last summer, it developed that the first essential to attain uniformity must be some kind of check sheet. Our "Mica Buyers Report" was developed for this purpose and forms the backbone of this guide. Price is determined according to size, quality and preparation. Size can be measured, but no system of measurement or machine has been devised which can be substituted for the trained eye of the buyer to deterrnine quality and preparation. Although the "One Price" system was instituted and the "Guide" not used, the buyers were required to continue making out a "Mica Buyers Report" (Fig1) with each lot of mica purchased. The form proved its value and there is no doubt that in another such emergency some similar form should be

Jan 1, 1950

FOR this Famous Mining Enterprise issue MINING ENGINEERING selected the company that started the zinc in dustry in the United States. The New Jersey Zinc Co. has been a supplier of zinc products to the nation's industries for more than 104 years. Its Horse Head trade mark is famous throughout the world.

Jan 12, 1953

By Donald W. Scott

This paper describes the application of ore-dressing methods to the reclamation of milled frit from over-spray, or waste, porcelain enamel. Frit is the name given by enamelers to a granulated glass produced by the smelting and subsequent water quenching of various ingredients capable of forming a glass, usually including a compound to produce opacity. It is the major component of porcelain enamel, and normally commands a price ranging from 7 to 12 cents a pound. In the *preparation of a white enamel slip, usually 6 or 7 parts of clay, 2 parts of opacifier, small amounts of electrolytes, in some cases inorganic color stabilizeis and organic dyes, and 35 parts of water are added to 100 parts of frit; the mixture then is milled to a fineness of the order of 92 to 95 pct through a 200-mesh sieve. The frit forms the base of the enamel; the opacifier imparts opacity or reflectance; the clay suspends the frit while in slip form and serves as a binder in bisque form (dry and unfired); and the electrolytes control the workability. Spraying is used commercially, in many cases, to apply the finish coat of enamel to the ware, prior to drying and firing. In the spraying operation, only about 50 pct, by dry weight, of the enamel slip adheres to the surface of the ware, the remainder forms the over-spray. From 1/2 to 2/3 of the overspray goes up the flue where it is lost or recovered, depending on whether the plant is equipped with a dust-collecting installation; the coarser portion of the over-spray is collected in the spray booth. The former product is termed flue reclaim enamel, and the latter booth reclaim enamel. Although the spraying operation is done in specially constructed booths, which are partially or completely enclosed, it is extremely difficult to keep out contaminating dirt, which joins the reclaim. Some present-day large enameling plants use 20 tons of frit a day, of which 10 tons go into reclaim with a potential value of $1400 to $2400. When two-coat finish enamels were common, the reclaim was used satisfactorily for the undercoat, but the relatively recent advent of one-coat finish enamels prevented use of the reclaim because, even when blended with first-run enamels, it gave dirty finishes with poor gloss. It was thought that the pitting and specking encountered with reclaimed enamels were caused by the contaminating dirt, and that the poor gloss was caused, primarily, by the high clay content; more clay usually was added to give proper suspension properties to the slip when the reclaim was used. A clay content in excess of about 10 pct usually imparted refractoriness to porcelain enamels. Present-day one-coat porcelain enamels must combine high gloss and opacity with freedom from surface defects. Methods of beneficiating the over-spray,

Jan 1, 1948

By Donald W. Scott

This paper describes the application of ore-dressing methods to the reclamation of milled frit from over-spray, or waste, porcelain enamel. Frit is the name given by enamelers to a granulated glass produced by the smelting and subsequent water quenching of various ingredients capable of forming a glass, usually including a compound to produce opacity. It is the major component of porcelain enamel, and normally commands a price ranging from 7 to 12 cents a pound. In the *preparation of a white enamel slip, usually 6 or 7 parts of clay, 2 parts of opacifier, small amounts of electrolytes, in some cases inorganic color stabilizeis and organic dyes, and 35 parts of water are added to 100 parts of frit; the mixture then is milled to a fineness of the order of 92 to 95 pct through a 200-mesh sieve. The frit forms the base of the enamel; the opacifier imparts opacity or reflectance; the clay suspends the frit while in slip form and serves as a binder in bisque form (dry and unfired); and the electrolytes control the workability. Spraying is used commercially, in many cases, to apply the finish coat of enamel to the ware, prior to drying and firing. In the spraying operation, only about 50 pct, by dry weight, of the enamel slip adheres to the surface of the ware, the remainder forms the over-spray. From 1/2 to 2/3 of the overspray goes up the flue where it is lost or recovered, depending on whether the plant is equipped with a dust-collecting installation; the coarser portion of the over-spray is collected in the spray booth. The former product is termed flue reclaim enamel, and the latter booth reclaim enamel. Although the spraying operation is done in specially constructed booths, which are partially or completely enclosed, it is extremely difficult to keep out contaminating dirt, which joins the reclaim. Some present-day large enameling plants use 20 tons of frit a day, of which 10 tons go into reclaim with a potential value of $1400 to $2400. When two-coat finish enamels were common, the reclaim was used satisfactorily for the undercoat, but the relatively recent advent of one-coat finish enamels prevented use of the reclaim because, even when blended with first-run enamels, it gave dirty finishes with poor gloss. It was thought that the pitting and specking encountered with reclaimed enamels were caused by the contaminating dirt, and that the poor gloss was caused, primarily, by the high clay content; more clay usually was added to give proper suspension properties to the slip when the reclaim was used. A clay content in excess of about 10 pct usually imparted refractoriness to porcelain enamels. Present-day one-coat porcelain enamels must combine high gloss and opacity with freedom from surface defects. Methods of beneficiating the over-spray,

Jan 1, 1948

By Curtis L. Graversen, J. H. Hamilton, John C. Nixon, John R. Lewis

RECENTLY there has been much speculation concerning the advantages of using oxygen enriched air or pure oxygen in pyrometallurgical processes. The advantage of using oxygen in the iron blast furnace and elsewhere in ferrous production metallurgy has been given careful consideration and, as a result, several experiments have been tried and a number of papers have recently appeared on this subject.1.2 The use of oxygen in nonferrous smelting likewise poses interesting problems, therefore any experimental data obtained in this area should likewise be of general interest.3 Ashcroft4 in 1933 claimed to have obtained improved results when copper concentrates were roasted in pure oxygen. However, his' paper gives neither data nor experimental details. A few years ago a research program was started in this laboratory which had for its objective the determination of the mechanism of oxidation of metallic sulfides under varying conditions. To date we have studied the oxidation of galena, 5 sphalerite, and chalcocite. It is a well known fact that copper sulfide minerals are oxidized slowly by weathering agents, so that the sulfides of copper which find their way into a tailing pond are gradually changed into watersoluble and acid-soluble compounds. Commercially, the oxidation of copper sulfide minerals is accomplished by roasting them at elevated temperatures in air using a suitable (usually multiple-hearth) roaster. Most copper smelters are equipped with such roasters. In this phase of the study we were especially interested in determining the effect of temperature on: (I) the air oxidation of chalcocite and (2) the oxidation of chalcocite using commercial oxygen. The amount of sulphur removed as sulphur dioxide, the percentages of water-soluble copper, and of acid-soluble copper were determined for the air oxidation tests. In the tests using commercial oxygen, the percentages of sulphur dioxide, water-soluble copper, acid-soluble copper, water-soluble sulphur and acid-soluble sulphur were determined. For these experiments the temperature was varied from 250 to 700°°C. EXPERIMENTAL Preparation of Chalcocite (Cu2S) Natural chalcocite is not pure. Minerals such as bornite, covellite, and chalcopyrite may be present. It was decided, therefore, to prepare some chalcocite in our own laboratory. An intimate mixture of sulphur and finely divided metallic copper in the ratio of 4 g of copper to I g of sulphur was prepared. To this was added a slight excess of

Jan 1, 1948