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By W. C. Phalen

SALT-MAKING PROCESSES THE production of salt in the United States divides itself at the outset into two distinct classes: (1) The mining of rock salt and its purification and separation into marketable sizes, and (2) the production of salt by evaporation from brines, bitterns, and other solutions. The processes employed at the present time in the manufacture of salt by evaporation may be outlined as follows: 1. Solar evaporation. 2. Direct-heat evaporation (a) in open kettles; (b) in open pans. 3. Steam evaporation, (a) in jacketed kettles, (b) in grainers. 4. Vacuum-pan evaporation. In this paper only the solar-evaporation processes practised in different parts of the United States will be described. SOLAR EVAPORATION Localities In the Eastern States the solar-evaporation process is not generally employed for climatic reasons. In the Western States, particularly in California and Utah, the great bulk of the salt produced originates in the solar-evaporation process. Of the Eastern States producing salt, this process, so far as the writer is aware, is employed in New York State only.

Jan 9, 1914

By L. H. Schwartz, M. V. Nevitt

THE phase Ti2Ni has been described by Laves and Wallbaum,1 who found the phase to be face-centered cubic with 96 atoms per cell, by Duwez and Taylor,2 who confirmed these observations and reported a lattice parameter of 11.333A, and by Rostoker,' who reported the structure to be isomorphous with the double carbide Fe,W,C, type E93, and to have a lattice parameter of 11.29A. In this study a group of isostructural phases has been found among alloys of certain second and third long-period transition elements. The systems investigated included all the combinations of zirconium and hafnium with the Group VIII elements rhodium, palladium, iridium, and platinum. There is evidence that many of these new Ti2Ni-type phases require oxygen for their stability in the temperature ranges in which they were studied. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Alloy samples weighing 5 g were prepared by arc-melting metals whose purity is indicated in Table I in a helium-argon atmosphere. Samples of the as-cast buttons, wrapped in molybdenum foil and sealed in evacuated quartz tubes, were

Jan 1, 1959

By G. E. Pellissier, C. W. Mason

Tin has long been cited as offering a classic example of polymorphism, second in repute only to the allotropy of sulphul.. The notorious "tin disease," which Cohenl has studied so exhaustively in terms of the enantiotropic transformation of tetragonal white P tin to cubic gray a tin, has apparently encouraged the expectation that one or more additional polymorphic modifications might exist. The search for confirnmntion of this idea has, as might be anticipated, led to the accumulation of a body of miscellaneous evidence, much of which would probably never have been sought, or taken seriously even by its discoverers, but fur previous assumptions. The ball apparently was started rolling iii 1880 by Trechmann,2 who reported a new modification of tin (7 tin), which was brittle and found in "hard head," a highly arsenical, slaggy material produced in a certain stage of tin smelting. A mixture of two kinds of crystals was obtained from a Cornish tin furnace, and those thought to be 7 tin were studied crystallographically. The results indicated that these crystals were rhombic and of different density from the tetragonal tin prepared electrolytically by Miller. Their analysis was given as 98.7 per cent Sn, 1.3 per cent Fe, and traces of As, Sb, Bi and S. In 1881 von Foullon4 obtained similar crystals from a Bohemian tin furnace. Headden5 examined crystals similar to those of Trechmann and von Foullon and reported them to be monoclinic, but of analysis corresponding to stannous sulphide. Later, Stevanovic,~ by goniometric measurements, proved that these crystals of SnS were really rhombic. Groth7 pictures and describes both "rhombic tin" (Fig. 9, vol. 1) ant1 stannous sulphide (Fig. 84, vol. 1); their faces and angles correspond within the accuracy of measurement. Spencers in 1921 examined the above evidence critically; lie lound similar crystals from Cornish tin furnaces, proved them to be SnS, and even was able to analyze some of Trechmann's original specimens, finding high sulphur content. (Apparently Trechmann's analysis had been based on :L second lot of crystals, not described crystallographically.)

Jan 1, 1939

By G. E. Pellissier, C. W. Mason

Tin has long been cited as offering a classic example of polymorphism, second in repute only to the allotropy of sulphul.. The notorious "tin disease," which Cohenl has studied so exhaustively in terms of the enantiotropic transformation of tetragonal white P tin to cubic gray a tin, has apparently encouraged the expectation that one or more additional polymorphic modifications might exist. The search for confirnmntion of this idea has, as might be anticipated, led to the accumulation of a body of miscellaneous evidence, much of which would probably never have been sought, or taken seriously even by its discoverers, but fur previous assumptions. The ball apparently was started rolling iii 1880 by Trechmann,2 who reported a new modification of tin (7 tin), which was brittle and found in "hard head," a highly arsenical, slaggy material produced in a certain stage of tin smelting. A mixture of two kinds of crystals was obtained from a Cornish tin furnace, and those thought to be 7 tin were studied crystallographically. The results indicated that these crystals were rhombic and of different density from the tetragonal tin prepared electrolytically by Miller. Their analysis was given as 98.7 per cent Sn, 1.3 per cent Fe, and traces of As, Sb, Bi and S. In 1881 von Foullon4 obtained similar crystals from a Bohemian tin furnace. Headden5 examined crystals similar to those of Trechmann and von Foullon and reported them to be monoclinic, but of analysis corresponding to stannous sulphide. Later, Stevanovic,~ by goniometric measurements, proved that these crystals of SnS were really rhombic. Groth7 pictures and describes both "rhombic tin" (Fig. 9, vol. 1) ant1 stannous sulphide (Fig. 84, vol. 1); their faces and angles correspond within the accuracy of measurement. Spencers in 1921 examined the above evidence critically; lie lound similar crystals from Cornish tin furnaces, proved them to be SnS, and even was able to analyze some of Trechmann's original specimens, finding high sulphur content. (Apparently Trechmann's analysis had been based on :L second lot of crystals, not described crystallographically.)

Jan 1, 1939

By C. L. Kinney

The rapid increase in the amount of steel produced by the basic open-hearth process is an index of its ability to produce high-grade steel from raw materials of the most, varied physical character and chemical analysis. This inherent adaptability of the process has resulted in a lack of care in the selection of raw materials, so that in far too many cases charges are used of a chemical and physical character not justified by local economic conditions. A practice, or series of practices, should be used that will result in the greatest economy for the plant as a whole; therefore, the operations of blast furnace and open hearth must be considered together. In this paper, an effort has been made to show those variations in both open-hearth practice and cost that follow changes in the analysis of the pig iron arid it may be said that the theoretical costs shown are worthy of careful study and consideration. Carbon, manganese, silicon, phosphorus, and sulfur constitute the principal metalloids in basic pig iron and play the leading role in the production of steel by the basic open-hearth process. The percentages of each of these metalloids, with the exception of carbon, is a variable that has its genesis in the economic relation of the blast-furnace plant to its ore and fuel supplies. As the amount of carbon in the iron is a saturation function of the temperature at which it is produced, the variation in the amount carried is, for any given locality and grade of iron, practically negligible and is so considered in the eight heats discussed in this paper. The melting and refining reactions in an open-hearth furnace, either acid or basic, are essentially oxidizing and vary greatly with the type and age of the furnace, as well as the character of the fuel employed. The outstanding characteristic of the basic process, and the one that explains its predominance over the acid, is its ability to form out of the lime charged and the phosphorus oxidized from the charge a stable

Jan 1, 1924

By F. Lynwood Garrison

It is not intended to make in the present paper any deduction or to formulate any theories from the results obtained by experiments. The further expenditure of considerable time and labor would be required to obtain a sufficient basis for positive assertions as to the microscopic structure of the different varieties of iron and steel, and the structural changes which take place in them. It is therefore my purpose at this time to offer simply a synopsis of the general results arrived at in a few months' work, a brief description of apparatus used, and a few hints as to the preparation and preservation of the material which it is intended to investigate. The study of the microscopic structure of iron and steel is not altogether new. Some attention has been given it in both England and Germany. But the foreign publications on the subject have thus far been confined, so far as I am aware, to two papers, one by Herr Martens, of Berlin, contributed to the Verein zur Befoerderuny des Gewerbfleisses and the other a lecture by Dr. H. C. Sorby of Sheffield. Dr. Sorby, it seems, was induced to investigate the subject as bearing on the structure of meteoric iron ; and the results he obtained are certainly very interesting. At the Boston meeting of this Institute, in February, 1883, Mr. J. C, Bayles called attention to the subject in a neat and exceedingly interesting paper, in which the work of Messrs. Martens and Sorby was summarized,* and original suggestions were added. It is at present difficult to say what will he eventually the practical value of the microscope, thus employed, in the sciences of engineering. The role which it seems most likely to play is that of' an adjunct to the testing-machine, and not (as some have supposed) a rival to the chemical laboratory. That it will be a most valuable accessory seems, to say the least, highly probable. I need hardly go at length into the details of preparing the material for examination. Mr. Bayles has described the process in such a plain and comprehensive manner that if his instructions are

Jan 1, 1886

By B. W. Gandrud

WET-PROCESS coal-washing tables as we know them today have been in use in this country for approximately 25 years. The literature records only a few table installations worthy of note prior to adoption of the present-day differential-motion table. According to Phillips,' six Campbell bumping tables were being operated by the St. Bernard Coal Co., Earlington, Ky., in 1893. As late as 1923, according to Richardson, 72 such tables were in operation in the Rosedale washery of the Cambria Steel Co., at Johnstown, Pa. Bumping tables probably were not used to any considerable extent except in the plant at Earlington, and at two or three plants in Pennsylvania, but they may be considered as forerunners of the present-day coal-washing table. The transition from bumping tables to the type of tables now in use signalized a revolutionary change iii table design. The advantages of the new design over the old were so outstanding as to make its adoption inevitable. BUMPING TABLES Bumping tables, as the name implies, utilized a bumping action for conveying the refuse and discharging it over the refuse end. The tables were hung from rods attached to overhead supporting beams. A shaft and cam arrangement at one end of the table served as ,the actuating mechanism and imparted to the table an endwise, back-and-forth, swinging motion. A bumping block was fixed in the proper position at the shaft end, so that the table would strike against it at the end of each backward swing. The hanger rods or stirrups were so adjusted as to give the table a slight uphill slope toward the refuse end; that is, the end next to the driving mechanism. The feed box was near the upper end of the table and designed to spread the mixture of coal and water over the width of the table. Wash water was added a short distance below the feed box. With the table in motion and coal mixed with water being fed to it through the feed box, a certain amount of stratification took place, depositing heavy refuse at the bottom of the bed in contact with the surface of the table. Constant bumping and a certain amount of

Jan 1, 1943

By Joel H. Watkins

The terms kaolin, china clay, ball clay, and paper clay are more or less loosely and interchangeably applied to a large class of white-burning clays. These clays are made up chiefly of hydrous amorphous (colloidal) aluminum silicates with variable amounts of free silica and other impurities in small quantities. Occasionally also the term kaolinite is wrongly applied to a white-burning clay, for kaolinite is a mineral of definite chemical composition and definite crystalline form which occurs but sparingly in nature. It is not the purpose of this paper, however, to define or classify clays, or to enter into a discussion of the chemistry of clays. It is rather a general description of the occurrence and methods of mining of a kindred group of clays, and a discussion of their future economic aspect. In the Southern Appalachian States, the mining of white-burning clays has in recent years become an important industry. Although these clays are of several distinct types, which occur in as many localities under different geologic conditions, they are for the most part primarily of the same origin. They are essentially the same in elementary constituents, and are largely consumed in the game industrial arts. From the standpoint of a mining engineer, therefore, and for convenience in comparison and correlation, it should be interesting to discuss them under one heading. Kinds of Clay The most important types of clay which are now being actively mined in the Southern Appalachian States and with which this paper is particularly concerned are the North Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia kaolins or china clays (residual); the South Carolina and Georgia kaolins or paper clays (sedimentary); and the Florida and Tennessee plastic kaolins or ball clays (sedimentary). Other varieties which are interesting but which are as yet of little importance are the pocket deposits of white clay in Augusta County, Virginia, the bauxitic kaolins of Tennessee,

Jan 1, 1915

By E. A. Gulbransen, W. S. Wysong

THE behavior of tungsten and its surface oxides in oxidizing and reducing atmospheres and in high vacua at elevated temperatures is a question of considerable technical importance. The use of tungsten as a metal or as an important component in alloys in high temperature oxidizing atmospheres has been limited because of the unprotective nature of its oxide film and the volatility of its oxide. This paper will present results of a microbalance study1,2 of the following problems: (I) the oxidation behavior in the temperature range of 25 to 550°C (2) the reduction with pure hydrogen of thin oxide films formed on tungsten, and (3) the volatility of thin oxide films on tungsten. Tungsten is an interesting metal to study for the following reasons: (1) although the oxide to metal volume ratio is greater than one, the oxide is not considered protective, (2) the metal readily oxidizes at temperatures from 300° to 550°C (3) the oxides W02 and WO3 are reduced at temperatures as low as 500°C. by hydrogen, and (4) the oxide W02 is volatile at temperatures from 800 to 1100°C. LITERATURE The oxidation of tungsten in its thin film range has not been studied critically. In the thick film range Dunn3 has made the only systematic study. He found the oxidation rate to obey the parabolic rate law in the temperature range of 700 to 900°C. The temperature variation of the oxidation rate constant was found to follow an exponential law of the Arrhenius type. An inflection was noticed in the temperature plot of the rate law constant at 850 to 900°C. This was attributed to a phase change in the oxides. Scheil4 has studied the oxidation rate at 500 and 700°C over long periods of time and found a linear rate law. This result was interpreted as evidence for the presence of a nonprotective film. Pilling and Bedworth5 analyses of the oxide volume to metal volume ratio would indicate that a compact protective film should form. McAdam and Geil6 have studied the oxidation of tungsten in the thin film range using the interference color method. A parabolic rate law was found. Their curves showed that tungsten oxidizes faster than nickel but more slowly than iron. The lattice structures found in the oxidation of tungsten surfaces have been studied by Hickman and Gulbransen.7 They have reported that W03 is the stable oxide in contact with the metallic substrate up to approximately 600°C while W02 forms first at 700°C. Hägg and Magneli8 have recently reported a study of the lattice structures observed in the tungsten oxides using the X-ray diffraction method. In addition to an a-phase W03 and a d-phase W02, they reported the existence of two new phases. A ß' phase, homogeneous between

Jan 1, 1947

By C. M. Brinckerhoff

Safety work in mining at the Andes Copper Mining Company, Potrerillos, Chile, is divided into three parts: (1) accident prevention, (2) fire prevention and protection, and (3) silicosis prevention and control. In the company's operations a steady campaign has been waged to reduce accidents and silicosis, and to prevent fires. In the following pages the safety record for the past twelve years will be examined and the methods explained by which the accident rate was reduced. Table 1 contains yearly data pertaining to the scale of the mining operations and the accident record. Block caving is used for all ore production and the tonnage mined has averaged 30,000 short tons per day for the past seven years. Table 2 classifies 44 fatal accidents which have occurred since 1935. The leading causes of accidental death are transportation of ore and use of explosives, followed in order by persons falling, falls of ground, and by asphyxiation. In the case of serious accidents, however, the greatest cause is falls of ground, followed, in turn, by ore transportation, persons falling, explosives, and asphyxiation. Accident Prevention The improvement of the safety record was obtained by a combination of many factors. In surveying the results at Andes for the past twelve years, it is possible to select some features of the present operation which have contributed to the accident record. The most important of these are: (1) good staff planning, (2) good equipment, (3) an alert safety organization, and (4) education and selection of the workmen. GOOD STAFF PLANNING As a result of good staff planning, the mine has good working conditions, namely, good ventilation, moderate temperatures and humidity, and good lighting. These factors not only reduce accidents but also improve efficiency. In haulage work, accidents have been reduced by having traffic move in a forward direction only. The latter makes possible a one-man train crew. Trains are centrally dispatched from loading drifts which are interconnected by signal lights, so that when a train in a lateral drift is given permission to move into a main line drift, a red light signals in all other lateral drifts in that area. Good track is maintained, and safety niches are required at all switch throws. Since safety niches were provided there have been no fatal or serious accidents at such points. All main line haulage drifts are illuminated by electric lights. Haulage drifts are kept clean. Adequate clearance has been provided between cars and between cars and the sides of the haulage drifts. The 4 1/2 ton Cranby type cars are equipped with roller bearings, and the 10 ton loconlotives with trolley shoes instead of wheels. These two features are responsible for improved ore haulage conditions and contribute to greater efficiency and safety.

Jan 1, 1950

By M. Safiuddin

Within the mining industry, open-pit mining has progressed to a point where a 200-yard walking dragline is as conceivable today as a 35-yard dragline was just a few years ago. This is possible due to the technological advances and efforts of the excavator manufacturers, and the manufacturers of electrical equipment have always stayed abreast with them in meeting their requirements and in making available their experience with the latest control techniques and hardware from various fields for application in the mining industry. An electrician in the coal mines of Pennsylvania who had not heard the word "thyristor" a few years ago now wonders how the old excavators with Rototrols® and magamps could ever work. The thyristors, transistors and operational amplifiers which were considered too fragile and delicate for a rugged and severe application like the mining industry, today constitute the brain of an excavator control taking commands from the operator and giving signals to the muscles of the excavator to move the bucket within a few seconds. A giant 200-yd bucket filled with overburden moves within seconds of the operator's command. Digging cycles for these excavators range from 40 to 60 sec depending on the swing angle. With these tremendous production capabilities of the excavators, the equipment failures and downtime become very expensive, and the loss of return on large capital investment for such machines becomes intolerable. Even though these failures and downtimes cannot be avoided completely, a good preventive maintenance program can help reduce them, thus increasing the machine availability. As we shall see below, the causes for breakdowns and failures of electrical equipment can be analyzed and a good preventive maintenance program can be drawn up to eliminate most of these failures.

Jan 9, 1967

By L. R. Jackson

It is convenient to have a consistent system of notation that will allow the representation of the entire range of complex stresses from hydrostatic compression to hydrostatic tension on plastic flow in a single diagram. Such a system is provided by making use of the fact that any complex stress system can be resolved into a hydrostatic tension or compression and a pure shear. Consider a stress system having the principal stresses This system can be resolved into a new system consisting of the three components and three pure shears. If Sm is positive, the net stress effect is hydrostatic tension; if it is negative, the effect is hydrostatic compression. In order to produce a systematic notation, a quantity that will be referred to as the "triaxial ratio" will be defined by the equation _ Sm Tr = Sm - Sm is given by Eq. I and Sl is the absolute magnitude of the largest principal stress without regard to sign. Table I lists the triaxial ratios for various common systems. Table i.—Triaxid Ratios for Various CommonSyslems Triaxial Ratio Stress System Tr Hydrostatic compression — SI - —St - -S³............................... -1 Torsion or shear -SI - S². S² = O..... O Simple tension SI. SI = SI = 0......... +0.33 Biaxial tension SI = S² S³ - 0......... +0.66 Hydrostatic tension +SI - +S³ = +S³. +1.00 Representation of Strains Strains will be plotted as "true" strains according to the system proposed by Ludwik.1

Jan 1, 1945

By H. S. Munroe

To those familiar with ore-dressing practice, it is hardly necessary to dwell upon the importance of the jig. Within its proper sphere no substitute has been found that does the work as well or as cheaply. Its capacity is large, it requires but little attention, and the losses are small. In one form or another, it is the principal machine used in the concentration of low-grade ores, and for the separation of one metallic mineral from another; and it is almost the only machine used for the purification of coal. The present paper is a study of the action of the jig in the light of results obtained in the Lake Superior copper mills, ad at the St. Joseph Lead Co.'s dressing-works, in Missouri; and a description of experiments undertaken with the view of reproducing and isolating the conditions of jigging, in order to develop the laws which underlie the process. There are two recognized systems of jigging, the English and the Continental or German. The English system is a development of the hand-jigging formerly employed in Cornwall and other metalliferous districts of England, and introduced by English miners to this country. In this method the crushed ore, coarse and fine together, is first jigged oh a

Jan 1, 1889

By Frank W. Harris

The strength of hard drawn copper wire is a question of considerable importance to both manufacturer and consumer. Unlike steel and alloy wires, in which strength is governed by both chcniical and physical considerations, t,he high conductivity required for copper wire in the clcc-trical industry generally precludes the possibility of obt,aining tensile strength through the use of alloys. Consequently, this strenglh is largely a rnatter of the ~hysical structure, and all factors known to affect this structure, such as rolling temperature, die contours, lubricants, drawing speeds, etc., arc matters of prime importance. The experiments described here have becn carried out dl~ring the past year at the Baltimore plant of the American Smelting & Refining Co., in connection with a general investigat,ion of sorne of the questions mentioned above, with the object of studying thc physical ~t~ructure of hard drawn copper wire and the influence of ccrtain factors on t,hat st'ruct.ure. The work has been of an exploratory nature, rather than con~prehensivc., but it was thought that the result,s might prove of sr~fficient general interest tjo warrant their publicatlion. The bulk of the hard drawn coppcr wire used in places where strength is an important factor is rnanufacturcd to strict specification, based USU-ally in the United States on thab of t,he Arrlerican Society for Tcst'ing Materials (B-1-23). This specification calls for almost as high a, valuc of t,ensilc strength, consistent with elongation, as it is possible pract'icnlly to obtain, and only physically perfect mlaterial can be relied on to lliect such a specification. Obvious defects, such as laminat'ions protluc:etl through fins in bhe original rods or brittleness duo lo ovt~rdrawing, arc. usually recognized and need only passing refercncc. Laminatlions can be detected by twisting and untwisting the wircx several times; they will show up on the surface in the form of fins. Pig. 1 shows a very bad example of this defect. Thc wire may bc perfectly smooth before twisting hut, when such larrlinations arc3 prcstmt they will readily show up under this treatrncnt. This trouble is caliscd by sirriilar defects in the original rod produced by overfills in rolling. Fig. 2 shows the cross-section of the rod from which thc wire in Fig. 1 was drawn.

By B. Bernstrom

A 22-ft diam, 7-ft long, wet autogenous grinding mill was installed in the new Cretaceous plant of the Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. to prepare crude iron ore for concentration in spirals and flotation cells. The paper describes the flowsheet and gives a description of the operating and metallurgical results that have been obtained. These results include capacity, horsepower, operating problems and a comparison of pilot plant results with those obtained in commercial operation. The Cretaceous plant at the Hill Annex mine of the Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. was designed with a wet autogenous mill for grinding low grade iron ore so that it could be concentrated by spirals and flotation cells. The plant, on the west end of the Minnesota's Mesabi Range, went into operation in June 1961, and preliminary operating and metallurgical information describing the performance of this mill can now be given. The crude is lean ore from the Cretaceous iron foundation. This formation is a beach deposit of Cretaceous age that overlies the Precambrian direct shipping and concentrating ores. This rock in nature is not extremely hard but is quite resilient, resisting blasting in mining and size reduction in milling. It contains hematite as water-rounded particles and other fragments of the underlying iron formation and adjacent rocks cemented together by a high alumina-silica ferruginous matrix. It is interspersed with hard dense hematite agglomerates and also contains granite pebbles and boulders that were not cleaned off during removal of the surface. It has a 3.48 sp gr and in the stockpile the material consists of frag-

Jan 1, 1962

By Arthur T. Allen

THE Kingsport formation, a part of the Knox dolomite of Ordovician age, is composed of 538 ft of dolomitc and limestone. Numerous bands, layers and nodules of chert, arenaceous and shale zones are present. The characteristics displayed by these features have been useful in mapping, prospecting and mining. Perhaps a better understanding of the origin of these zones will increase their usefulness. Introduction The presence of numerous bands, nodules, and irregular bodies of chert within the Kingsport formation in the Mascot locality has long been recognized. Oder and Miller1 mention the general characteristics, but do not deal with the chert occurrences in detail. When the occurrence of chert is studied in fresh exposures underground, a variety of characteristics is noted which has been useful in correlation and in detailing the sub-surface stratigraphy. Although the writer has no desire to enter into a controversy over the origin of chert, many observations have been made of its local characterigtics. A detailed stratigraphic section is included which shows the position of the individual horizons discussed in the following paragraphs. The term "chertification" has been adopted from Fowler and Lyden2 for use here. It refers to the replacement of lime- stone by introduced silicic acid. The writer uses it to refer to the occurrencc of introduced or original chert in limestone and dolomite. In this writing "syngenetic chert" refers to chert which has been deposited contemporaneously with the enclosing limestone or dolomite. Also, it is considered to include interstitial silica shown by chemical analysis and insoluble residues. The term "epigenetic" is applied to all chert which has been introduced after consolidation of the rocks in which it occurs, regardless of the nature of the depositing solutions. Syngenetic Chert It is the belief of the author that a large percentage of the chert found in the Kingsport formation is syngenetic. The widespread occurrence of similar nodules and bands of chert in the same horizon far from one another and far from areas of deformation or alteration of the enclosing rocks is difficult to explain by infiltration of the silica after compaction of the enclosing rocks. When chert of this type does occur near zones of movement it is likely to be involved in faulting and brecciation which indicates that it was deposited prior to deformation. Older Epigenetic Chert There are several occurrences of nodules in the Kingsport which seem to be epigenetic as pointed out in the following examples: A cherty zone occurs 26 ft above the o bed (Fig =). This is not always present but is found in the greater part of mine work-

Jan 1, 1949

By Arthur T. Allen

THE Kingsport formation, a part of the Knox dolomite of Ordovician age, is composed of 538 ft of dolomitc and limestone. Numerous bands, layers and nodules of chert, arenaceous and shale zones are present. The characteristics displayed by these features have been useful in mapping, prospecting and mining. Perhaps a better understanding of the origin of these zones will increase their usefulness. Introduction The presence of numerous bands, nodules, and irregular bodies of chert within the Kingsport formation in the Mascot locality has long been recognized. Oder and Miller1 mention the general characteristics, but do not deal with the chert occurrences in detail. When the occurrence of chert is studied in fresh exposures underground, a variety of characteristics is noted which has been useful in correlation and in detailing the sub-surface stratigraphy. Although the writer has no desire to enter into a controversy over the origin of chert, many observations have been made of its local characterigtics. A detailed stratigraphic section is included which shows the position of the individual horizons discussed in the following paragraphs. The term "chertification" has been adopted from Fowler and Lyden2 for use here. It refers to the replacement of lime- stone by introduced silicic acid. The writer uses it to refer to the occurrencc of introduced or original chert in limestone and dolomite. In this writing "syngenetic chert" refers to chert which has been deposited contemporaneously with the enclosing limestone or dolomite. Also, it is considered to include interstitial silica shown by chemical analysis and insoluble residues. The term "epigenetic" is applied to all chert which has been introduced after consolidation of the rocks in which it occurs, regardless of the nature of the depositing solutions. Syngenetic Chert It is the belief of the author that a large percentage of the chert found in the Kingsport formation is syngenetic. The widespread occurrence of similar nodules and bands of chert in the same horizon far from one another and far from areas of deformation or alteration of the enclosing rocks is difficult to explain by infiltration of the silica after compaction of the enclosing rocks. When chert of this type does occur near zones of movement it is likely to be involved in faulting and brecciation which indicates that it was deposited prior to deformation. Older Epigenetic Chert There are several occurrences of nodules in the Kingsport which seem to be epigenetic as pointed out in the following examples: A cherty zone occurs 26 ft above the o bed (Fig =). This is not always present but is found in the greater part of mine work-

Jan 1, 1949

By John R. Anderson, Michael B. Bever

CARBON may affect the alloys of copper in several ways. Provided an alloying element does not oxidize preferentially, even minute quantities of carbon dissolved in liquid alloys of high copper content will form insoluble carbon oxide gases under oxidizing conditions. Gas porosity in castings of high-copper alloys can originate in this way. In certain alloys of low copper content carbon may have considerable solubility and may be an effective deoxidizer. In these alloys carbon will tend to suppress porosity. Carbon that is dissolved in the molten alloy is likely to be retained in the solidified metal. The effects of carbon on the physical properties of the metal are determined by the form in which it is present. Depending on the alloying elements and also on the cooling rate, carbon may precipitate as graphite, may form a carbide or may remain in solid solution on cooling. As solid copper does not dissolve a measurable amount of carbon, a carbon-bearing solid solution can occur only if the copper is alloyed with a large excess of an element that forms such a solution. The effect of graphite or of carbides on the properties of an alloy will depend on the size and distribution of the precipitated particles. As Hensel pointed out in discussion,1 the formation of an alloy carbide may interfere with the age-hardening properties of a copper alloy. One would also expect that the presence of carbides or of graphite will under certain conditions promote corrosion or high-temperature failure in nonferrous alloys. Since carbon has an effect on the soundness of castings and affects the structure and behavior of solid copper alloys, its solubility in the liquid alloys is of practical importance. The isothermal change of carbon solubility with alloy composition is of interest from a theoretical standpoint. The binary alloys of copper with manganese and with nickel are used industrially and serve as a base for more complex alloys. The solubility of carbon in each of these metals is known, but its solubility in their alloys has not been determined. EARLIER DATA The solubility of carbon in molten pure copper is about 0.0001 pct at 1100 °C and 0.0004 pct at 1475°C.1 Various authors2-6 have published data on the solubility of carbon in molten manganese. There is agreement on a value of about 6.7 pct in the temperature range 1217° to 1245°C. This solubility value corresponds to the formula Mn3C. It increases very little with increasing temperature. Corson7 states that carbon is soluble in copper-manganese alloys and that the

Jan 1, 1947

By Robert H. Richards

OF the several professions-the chemist, the civil engineer, the mining engineer, the mechanical engineer-the courses of instruction, as arranged at the scientific schools, differ considerably as to the amount of practical information which the student is able to gain. The analytical chemist has facility for a very thorough review of the processes which he will be called upon to perform. The student in civil engineering by his field practice learns the use of his tools and the art of taking field-notes. The mechanical engineering student is in the vicinity of machine-shops, which he can visit, and at which he can work. The student in mining engineering has no such advantages. The mines are at a distance, and the railroad fare to get to them is oftentimes an insuperable difficulty. The aim of these laboratories is essentially to give to the student in mining and metallurgy a chance to study on a small scale the practical parts of his profession. We cannot, in a small laboratory, build a mine to timber, to work, and to survey; we cannot make artificial quicksands and other impediments to mining. In short, we cannot study exploration; but we can study the mechanical preparation and the subsequent smelting of ores. Before presenting the plan of these laboratories it may be interesting to indicate the progress of the idea from its beginning. During the summer of 1870 President Runkle visited the mines of Colorado, and while there, conceived the idea of making an expedition with the mining students to some of the Western mining regions. He talked over the scheme with many railroad and mining men, and everywhere received encouragement. In the summer of 1871 the Institute party visited the mines of Colorado, and spent six weeks in taking notes of them. President Runkle here conceived the idea of building up a mining and metallurgical laboratory ; and by the aid of Booth & Co. of San Francisco, a stamp-mill was obtained, with the Washoe silver-working apparatus. During the year

Jan 1, 1873

By J. R. Craig, T. N. Solberg, M. A. Linden

The central and southern Appalachian Mountains were the major sources of domestically produced gold throughout the first half of the 19th century and continue to yield gold today. Small amounts of gold were probably extracted by the Indians and the Spaniards but the first documented report of gold in the region was made by Thomas Jefferson who found, in the Rappahannock River of Virginia in 1782, a 1.8 kg (4 lb) lump of gold ore that yielded 26 g (0.85 oz). Gold was subsequently discovered in North Carolina between 1793 and 1799, in Virginia in 1806, in South Carolina in 1827, in Georgia in 1829, and in Alabama about 1830 (Becker, 1894-5; Pardee and Park, 1948). Production climbed to more than 933 kg/a (30,000 oz per year) between 1830 and 1852, but dropped sharply after the California gold rush in 1849 as experienced miners moved west in search of bigger and easier stakes. The Civil War briefly halted gold mining in the Appalachians, but production rose to an average of about 249 kg/a (8,000 oz per year) from 1865 until 1878 and to about 404 kg/a (13,000 oz per year) from 1881 until 1915 when it again fell to near nil (Pardee and Park, 1948). Minor resurgences occurred in the 1930s and 1940s. Although there has been no reported production in recent years, it is likely that "weekend panners" still remove hundreds of ounces from streams annually. The total reported production for the area through 1959 is more than 77 t (2.5 million oz). This paper reports some initial findings of a long-term project designed to investigate the mineralogy, chemistry, mode of occurrence, and petrology of gold occurrences in the Appalachians. The goal of the initial phase was to determine the compositional range of gold in the Appalachians as a step toward deciding if sufficient variations were present to allow the definition of "compositional signatures." The very few published data on gold fineness in the Appalachians are based on assays that commonly include gold and silver from several mineral species. Analyses in the present study were performed on individual grains of electrum using a spot size of 10 µm x 10 µm to 100 µm X 100 µm (394 X 394 micro in. to 3,940 X 3,940 micro in.), and thus reveal the true composition of the principal precious metal-bearing phase.

Jan 1, 1984