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Jan 1, 1938

By C. B. Foraker

THE Magma mine, of the Magma Copper Co., at Superior, Pinal County, Arizona, is 68 miles east of Phoenix and 21 miles west of Miami, Arizona, on highway U. S. 180. TEMPERATURES AND UNDERGROUND WATERS Surface Temperatures.-The average surface dry-bulb temperature at Superior is 72.4°; wet-bulb, 57.4°; with an indicated relative humidity of 38 per cent. The average yearly rainfall from 1921 to 1936, inclusive, was 18.74 in. The maximum condition of the atmosphere is in June, July and August, and the minimum is in January and February. The surface temperatures, of course, influence the temperatures of the down-cast shafts; however, the variation between winter and summer causes a difference of only 2° to 3° in the stopes and working places that are not close to the intake shafts. Average atmospheric conditions are shown in Fig. 1. Rock Temperatures.-Rock temperatures on the deeper levels of tile mine are as follows: LEVEL DEGREES LEVEL DEGREES 2000 109 3200 127 2250 112.5 3400 130 2550 116 3600 134 2800 120 3800 137 3000 124 4000 140 There appears to be no difference in rock temperature for any particu-lar horizon of the various formations or in the vein. Water encountered is always the same temperature as the rock from which it flows, and for this reason it is thought that the water is heated by the rock; not the rock by the water. The country rock apparently has been heated by the various intrusions, perhaps the vein itself, and has not yet had time to cool off. The geothermal gradient (Fig. 2) as indicated by the rock tem-peratures given above is 1 1/2 ° per 100 feet.

Jan 1, 1938

The production of Rumania for 1937 amounted to 54.142.600 bbl., which is a decrease of 10.319.636 bbl., or 15.9 per cent over that of 1936. In all. 1.300.000 ft. were drilled during the year— an increase of 220.000 ft. over 1936.

Jan 1, 1938

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Jan 1, 1938

By Charles E. Reed

With the increasing importance of clay in drilling operations which demand more precise and exacting control over its behavior, there has come the realization that most of our present methods of control over many of its important properties still represent more of an art than a science. Such a situation with respect to a material of such industrial significance is unfortunate, and naturally many investigations have been conducted to improve our knowledge. In general, these investigations have revealed the complex nature of clay behavior and while sometimes they may not have seemed to contribute directly to a solution of the field operator's problems they have been of inestimable importance in bringing to light the broad fundamental scientific principles upon which must be based any effective working theory correlating the known facts of clay behavior and predicting profitable new lines of attack for its improvement. Major Facts Concerning Behavior of Clays In the study of clays, as in that of most other colloidal materials, it has been impossible to make progress by the study of isolated facts. On the other hand, analysis of large groups of facts, many of which seem at first completely unrelated, can lead to a deeper insight into the structure of clays and the mechanism of their behavior. It will be well to list the major facts on which the analysis here presented is based, starting with those that have emerged repeatedly from past investigations and which thereby constitute an impregnable foundation upon which must rest any comprehensive theory of clay behavior: 1. Clays consist of hydrated aluminosilicates of extremely fine and variable particle size. 2. Suspended in water, clays exhibit variable degrees of swelling, depending upon their origin and upon the chemical and colloidal nature of any other substances present. The magnitude of the swelling is a direct indication of the extent to which the clay has become dispersed.

Jan 1, 1938

By R. A. Flinn, John T. Norton

A considerable number of experiments in recent years have definitely established the fact that the internal friction or mechanical hysteresis of a metal under cyclic stress is a property that is highly "structure sensitive." Because of this fact, it has been suggested that an observation of this property, which often is referred to as "damping capacity,'' might be a useful indicator of structural changes taking place when a metal or alloy is subjected to any of a number of metallurgical treatments. Damping capacity is of interest to both engineer and metallurgist, but from a rather different point of view, and the information that each desires from such observations is of a different nature. The metallurgist is in search of various external indications of changes taking place in the interior of a metal; changes which are in themselves not directly observable. Even if the observed phenomenon cannot be explained in fundamental terms, it may be empirically related to certain characteristics of the material and prove of real value in research. Internal friction or mechanical hysteresis occupies such a position, and, although it is not well understood in terms of basic metallic theory, an observation of its changes can serve in a very useful capacity. Of course, there is nothing new in the measurement of damping, but the use of this property in metallurgical research constitutes a vast field, which has received all too little attention. The present work is essentially of an exploratory nature in this field and is an attempt to evaluate the process as a research tool. The phenomenon of age-hardening was chosen as a typical example of a structural change and one method of measuring damping was examined in considerable detail. Methods of Measuring Damping Capacity Many kinds of observations can be made upon a specimen subjected to a cyclic stress from which can be calculated the energy absorbed in

Jan 1, 1938

By Joseph B. Perry, G. M. Kirwan

MAGNESITE is found in 22 California counties, but many of the deposits are too small or too impure to be of commercial value. Several of substantial size and quality were entirely exhausted by wartime operation. At present, three properties comprise the only known workable deposits in the state. Of these, the Western mine and the Patterson mine have been known and worked for many years, and have been described in considerable detail in various publications, therefore need only brief mention here, because of their proximity to the Bald Eagle mine. The latter, recently developed, is unusual in type of ore deposit, plant design and operation, as well as products made, and very little has been written concerning it. WESTERN MINE The Western mine, 32 miles south of Livermore, Calif., was formerly operated by C. S. Maltby. It has been a consistent producer for many years.1 The ore is of amorphous variety, occurring along fracture zones in serpentine. The veins vary greatly in width, the average being perhaps 8 ft., with the maximum indicated in one early stope of 40 ft.; 2 ft. is considered the minimum for economical mining. The strike of the veins is predominantly north and south, with dip to the west varying from 40º to 75 º. Walls are well defined and as a rule firm and easily supported. Veins range in length from a few hundred feet to 1000 or more. Their maximum vertical extent is about 350 ft., but many run less. Early mining consisted of open-cut and glory-hole work on the larger outcrops. This was followed underground by a modified shrinkage system, the waste and low-grade horses being removed by hand sorting on the tramming levels and transported to surface dumps. Filled-stope mining is used now, in order to eliminate the handling of waste, which has

Jan 1, 1938

By J. B. Austin, R. L. Rickett

MEASUREMENTS Of the rate of decomposition of austenite at constant temperature are commonly represented by plotting the percentage transformed on linear coordinates against time on either a linear or a logarithmic scale, a method that yields a curve that in shape resembles an integral sign (Fig. 1). A graph of this kind is not always convenient because extrapolation to the beginning or end of the transformation, or even interpolation, may be uncertain unless there are a large number of observations, which seldom happens; furthermore, the degree of consistency of a set of measurements is difficult to judge from such a curve. It is desirable therefore to find some mode of plotting, or even better to find a standard variety of graph paper, that gives a straight line instead of the integral shape. The straight line has many advantages; the number of readings required to fix the position of the curve is greatly reduced, interpolation is easy and rapid, extrapolation can be carried out with greater confidence and, finally, the consistency of the measurements is readily estimated from the scatter of the points. The last advantage is particularly valuable when the data are obtained by direct microscopic examination alone, because they are influenced by the skill of the observer in estimating the relative size of areas, possibly also by undetected inhomogeneity of the specimen. A search for ways of representing the observations as a straight line yielded two methods which are described in this paper. The paper also includes an account of some interesting relations brought to light in applying these methods to the available experimental data. Usually the best way to derive such a method of plotting is to base it on established principles of chemistry and physics, as has been done, for example, for the temperature variation of the equilibrium constant of a chemical reaction. But so little is known of the mechanism of the decomposition of austenite, and so little is available in the way of well established background for changes of this kind, that it is simpler to rely upon purely empirical means. The general plan therefore is to study existing data with a view to finding some function of the direct observations that will

Jan 1, 1938

The following list contains the names of members of whose deaths notices have been printed in MINING AND METALLURGY during the year ending April 1, 1938. Biographical sketches published in MINING AND METALLURGY are indicated in the last two columns. YEAR OF ELECTION - NAME - DATE OF DEATH ? ISSUE CONTAINING BIOGRAPHY - PAGE 1908 - ARCHBALD, JAMES, JR - July 24, 1937 - March 1938 - 168 1934 - BAECKCTROM, OLOF - Oct. 9, 1937 - March 1938 169 1918 - BAKER, HARRY A - May 28, 1937 1916 - BANDY, PERCY 3 - April 19, 1937 1916 BARKDOLL, I. H Dec. 1, 1937 Feb. 193S 121 1936 BARNETT. PETER T Jan. 27. 1937

Jan 1, 1938

By James Terry Duce

In order to facilitate interpretation of the data in this chapter, we print the following excerpts from circulars to authors, compiled by Mr. Frank A. Herald when he was Vice-chairman for Production of the Petroleum Division: Generally in Table 1 the unit for presentation of data is a field. For our purposes a field is defined as the whole of a surface area wherein productive locations are continuous. Such unit commonly includes and surrounds nonproductive areas. Such unit commonly includes a great variety of geologic conditions-several units of continuous productive reservoirs of distinctly different structure and of distinctly different stratigraphy. Therefore it is hoped that our authors will subdivide "field" so as to enable students to make analyses that may have scientific and/or commercial value. As to each space in the tabulation, it is either (I) not applicable, (2) the proper entry is not determinable, (3) the proper entry is determinable, but not determinable from data available to the author, (4) the proper entry is determinable by the author. In spaces not applicable, the author will please draw horizontal lines; in spaces where the proper entries are not determinable, the author will please insert x; in spaces where the proper entries are determinable but not determinable from data available to the author, the author will please insert y; in spaces where the proper entries are determinable by the author he will, of course, make such entries. Generally, y implies a hope that in some future year a definite figure will be available. Inability to determine precisely the correct entry for a particular space should not lead the author to insert merely y. Contributions of great value may be made by the author in many cases where entries are not subject to precise determination. In such cases the author should use his good judgment and make the best entry possible under the circumstances. For many spaces, the correct entries represent the opinion of the author (for example, "Area Proved") and in such cases the entries need not be hedged to such extent as in cases where the quantities are definite yet can be ascertained only approximately by the author. In cases under definite headings but where figures are only approximate, the author may use x. For example, if the total production of a field is known to be between 1,800,000 and 1,850,000, the author may report 1,8xx,xxx; or if the production is between 1,850,000 and 1,900,000, the author may report 1,9xx,xxx. Where a numeral is immediately to the left of x or y, such numeral represents the nearest known number in that position. As to quantity of gas produced from many fields the question will arise as to whether the figures should include merely the gas marketed or should include also estimates of gas used in operations and gas wasted. Although rough approximations

Jan 1, 1938

By R. E. Head

SOME mixtures of sulphide and oxide ores from the Tintic district in Utah are of a sufficiently good grade to be shipped to the smelter without beneficiation. In mining this type of ore, however, a material tonnage of ore of a similar composition but of lower grade is obtained. It is a question of economics whether such ore should be shipped with a certainty of a small return or concentrated if that would yield a sufficiently increased return to amortize plant construction and upkeep and yield a higher rate of profit than at present. It may be assumed that the tonnage of this borderline ore is constantly increasing and that eventually it will attain such proportions as to justify plans for milling on a relatively large scale. Under existing conditions, the producer of mixed sulphide and oxide ores is not greatly concerned about the physical characteristics of his ore or of its mineralogical complexities, since his contract with the smelter calls for payment on the basis of chemical analysis. When concentration is contemplated an entirely different picture is presented. Percentages of valuable metal content must then be considered in terms of minerals, for it is in the form of minerals that recoveries are made and losses sustained. In describing the performance of a given flotation mill and reagent combination, it may be stated as a generality that a specific percentage recovery of valuable elements is made. Technically, however, the concentrator is really constructed and the reagents are selected to recover the valuable minerals. These considerations must be given prominence in discussing border- line ores from the Tintic district because of their physical characteristics and mineralogical composition. Because of these peculiarities they may be justly termed complex, since their lead, silver, and copper contents are each represented by two or more minerals of different chemical composition and presenting widely divergent physical properties. This paper sets forth the results of a microscopic study of a type of borderline ore from the Tintic district that is now being treated by direct smelting. A

Jan 1, 1938

By C. A. Heiland

THERE once was a little kid, whose lot was a very tough one until he grew up. His parents did not have much in common; from all indica-tions, it is probable that the child was not wanted. His father Geology and his mother Physics separated shortly after his birth, which occurred during the World War amid a smoke screen of mathematics. He was kicked around a great deal. His parents could not agree on a name, and they finally christened him "Geophysics," for short. His relatives insisted that the name should be "Geophysical Prospecting," "Geophys-ical Exploration" or "Exploratory Geophysics"; though the youngster has grown up by now, this battle is still going on. His father did not think the child would amount to much until he began to show some unexpected talents, which were acquired, no doubt, from his mother Physics. His progress caused his father no little worry, and he began to wonder whether his offspring would help him in his business when he grew up or would set up shop in competition with the old man. His aunt Petroleum watched his growth with benevolent interest; his uncle Mining remained rather skeptical and cousin Civil Engineering not only assumed the attitude of the man from Missouri but was not much con-vinced even after he had been shown. Making a long story short, the kid decided that he had to stand on his own feet and get along as best he could. Having come from a good family . he possessed some outstanding characteristics such as resourcefulness and a reasonable amount of business ability. He therefore decided that it would be to his advantage to follow in his father's and mother's foot-steps as much as possible, and develop the good qualities of both. As a result, the youngster did fairly well for himself, and his relatives decided that it might be to their advantage to be on better terms with him. Father Geology had come to the conclusion that the boy could be very helpful to him and now wanted him to live in his house. His mother, who had brought him through the teething and measles stages, felt quite capable of bringing up the boy without the help of his father; and, as the fairer sex will do, would confide to a neighbor every now and then that his

Jan 1, 1938

By Charles H. Breerwood, Benjamin L. Miller

From earliest recorded times, limestone has been employed in the industrial life of peoples of all sections of the world where it exists. It is widely distributed and therefore has been available in almost every country and has been employed for a variety of purposes. Its earliest use was for buildings, since it is more easily quarried and dressed than most other kinds of rocks and so could be utilized by early inhabitants, poorly equipped with tools. The next use was in the manufacture of lime, which was employed by the ancients in mortar. These two uses of limestone are still all important, but they have been overshadowed in scores of regions by literally hundreds of new applications for raw limestone or products made from it. Anyone familiar with modern manufacturing processes can quickly call to mind many industries in which limestones are essential, and new uses are continually coming to notice. Any enumeration would probably be incomplete and soon out of date. Origin of Limestone Disregarding details and unusual types concerning which often there is insufficient evidence and considerable difference of opinion, limestones have been formed by the precipitation of calcium carbonate from solution through the action of organisms, both plants and animals, or in a limited number of instances by chemical reactions without the intervention of living forms. Some of the organisms extracted the calcareous material in order to build up hard structures, either as bony skeletons or as coverings (clams, snails, etc.), whereas others in their life functions emitted substances that resulted in the precipitation of the soluble constituents outside the organisms themselves. In some instances the organisms utilized only calcium carbonate but in some cases other compounds as well were precipitated. Various materials have been found in the hard parts of animals, and for that reason it is almost impossible to find a pure natural limestone; that is, one composed entirely of CaCO3.

Jan 1, 1938

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Jan 1, 1938

By W. E. Curran

For years the geographical isolation of the Southern iron-ore district from the great producing centers in the North and East enabled it to meet its conditions and solve its own problems without regard to the practices and policies of other districts, but during the past few years distances have been shortened, practices and wages are being standardized, and these changing conditions have brought new problems to the South. Development of Pig Iron in the South The development of the pig-iron business in the South was very slow during its early years, gained speed rapidly in the latter part of the nineteenth century, reached its peak in 1918 and was on the decline before the depression that began in the latter part of 1929. The first blast furnace in Alabama was built at Cedar Creek in 1818, the year before the state was admitted to the union. In 1830, Daniel Hillman was sent from Tuscaloosa to found an iron works in Roupes Valley, where rich pockets of brown ore were numerous. He built a forge on the site of what later became Tannehill furnace and called it the Roupes Valley Iron Works. There pots, pans, plows, and horseshoes were made of metal from his Catalon forge; shaped by a large hammer operated by water power. Daniel Hillman died in 1832 and the ironworks lay idle until 1836, when Col. Ninion Tannehill bought the property, rebuilt the forge and, using slave labor from his plantation, operated and enlarged the works. By 1845 he had built two crude furnaces and did a flourishing business in ovens, skillets and kettles, which found a good market all over the South. In 1855, the plant was sold by Colonel Tannehill to Moses Stroup, an experienced ironmaster from Pennsylvania. He tore down the old furnaces and built a new plant, the ruins of which stand today (Fig. l). This furnace plant operated continuously until it was destroyed by Northern troops in 1865. It was never rebuilt, so that the shell in the picture is the same furnace that made many tons of guns and shells for the Confederacy during the war period.

Jan 1, 1938

By W. F. Holbrock

IN a previous paper1 a method for the measurement of the compara-tive desulphurizing power of slags was described and data, were presented covering the range of likely slags containing up to 10 per cent MgO. In the present work the range is extended to include Tags containing up to 20 per cent MgO, and the effect of temperature on 5 per cent and 15 per cent MgO sings over the range 147.5° to 1525° C. is included. The method used was that described in the previous paper except that some of the temperature measurements were made with a noble-metal thermocouple instead of a tungsten-graphite thermocouple. Twelve-gram charges of 0.S per cent sulphur-metal and 5-gram charges of slag were subjected to heating for 30 min. at a prescribed temperature. The charges were analyzed for sulphur content. For purposes of comparison, desulphuriz-ing power is defined as the ratio of the percentage of sulphur found in the slag to that found in the metal. Six slag and metal charges were made coincidentally in holes in a section of all electrode graphite rod. One slag and metal charge was used as a control by means of which adjustment in the desulphurization value could be made for small varia-tions in temperature and other factors. For convenient presentation of the data, the slags are arranged in groups -in each of which one of the four main slag components is constant. Thus, the 15 per cent MgO slags are presented separately from those containing 20 per cent MgO.

Jan 1, 1938

Jan 1, 1938

By T. W. Guy

DURING the past three years the Surface Preparation Committee of the American Mining Congress Coal Operators' Committees has been collecting data on dewatering and drying washed coal, and on screening coal in representative plants in the Eastern and Central bituminous fields. Because of wide variations in bed moisture, such data can be compared only after deducting the bed moisture. It was found that practically every company used a different routine for moisture sampling and determinations. Some reported the moistures as total moistures, others as surface moistures, cur-dried moistures, or oven-dried moistures. For most of the reports it was necessary to esti-mate, from a consideration of the bed moisture and other data available in a given case, corrections to be made in order to obtain surface-moisture figures as a common basis for comparison. At any plant, and regardless of bed moisture, the percentage of surface moisture remaining in a product when the dewatering, or a given stage of the dewatering, has been completed, is the real measure of what has been accomplished. The descriptions and data given with Fig. 1 show that surface-moisture figures show relationships that would not be shown by total moistures. Therefore bed moisture should be deducted, or, if more practicable, the surface moisture of the. products should be meas-ured direct. A preparation engineer finds one per cent, or even a part of one per cent, of surface moisture a very important consideration in the results of his efforts to find the most effective and economical methods of reducing and controlling the surface moisture in his products within the required limits. Therefore it is important for him to have accurate measurements of surface moisture with minimum uncertainty as to whether they some-times include less than the surface moisture and at others all of the surface moisture plus an unknown part of the bed moisture.

Jan 1, 1938

By Charles T. Holland

Miners have observed for many years that as pillars are removed in mining operations the pillar adjacent to those mined out frequently shows evidence of being compressed. Although this has been known for a long time, little or no information is available concerning how far from the mining area the pillars are affected in this manner, or how great is the magnitude of the compression, or concerning the manner or characteristic way in which the compression acts, as the mined-out area approaches the pillar under consideration. The writer made a study of pillar action in the Mona mine of the Arkwright Coal Co., partly to get some quantitative data on the deformation of coal-mine pillars. The study was not completed but it seems best to present the information that was obtained. Method of Measurement Fig. 1 shows the details of the apparatus used for measuring the deformation. This is permanently attached to the pillar. Fig. 2 shows the details of the gauge that records the deformation. This gauge is removable and was used to measure the deformation at all the stations. The recording dial is graduated in thousandths of an inch and records measurements up to one inch. Fig. 3 shows how the removable gauge is placed in the instrument. When installing the instrument in the side of the pillar, all loose coal near by was removed and a trench 4 to 6 in. deep, and approximately 1 ft. wide, was dug in the pillar. In this trench near the top and the floor, the holes holding the instrument were bored. These holes were then partly filled with thin cement and the rods were inserted. The remaining space in the holes was tamped full of cement. At this time, by carefully manipulating the permanent rods and clamps and adjustable pin, it was possible to adjust the instrument so that the removable gauge would stand true and measure any vertical deformation between the top and bottom rods. Fig. 4 is a photograph of one of the instruments installed, showing the removable gauge in place.

Jan 1, 1938

By Mark Sheppard

DURING the winter of 1937, the writer visited a West Virginia stone quarry at which the overburden is stripped hydraulically. The quarry is in a bed of limestone, about 200 ft. thick, which outcrops on a hillside above a small river; the quarry face is 175 ft. high. The top of the stone is cut in all directions by erosion channels, which are filled with a tough, red clay. Some of the larger channels are 30 ft. deep and 8 ft. wide. The thickness of the clay overburden ranges from a few inches to 10 ft., the average being estimated as less than 3 feet. The topography of the district is rugged, and the hillside above the quarry face is not suited to the use of the usual mechanical methods of moving dirt. Until hydraulicking was started 10 years ago, the over- burden was dug by hand labor, dumped to the quarry floor and transported to the dump in quarry cars. Cleaning deep channels was a slow and expensive process. When hydraulicking was started, the top of the quarry face was over 200 ft. above the level of the river. The pipe line was carried in a semi- circle around the top of the quarry about 200 ft. from the face and about 50 ft. above it. As there is no adequate supply of water above the quarry, the water must be pumped from the river. As quarrying progressed the pipe line was moved until the discharge points are now over 300 ft. above the river. Water is pumped from the river by a four-stage centrifugal pump having a 5-in. intake and a 4-in. discharge. It is direct-connected to a 200-hp., 2300-volt, 1760-r.p.m. induction motor. At 1760 r.p.m. the rated capacity of the pump is 750 gal. per minute under a head of 600 ft. The pump is installed in a house of frame construction on the river bank, about 10 ft. above normal water level, which also houses the pump for the mill-water supply. Above the pumps are hoisting bays into which the motors are raised whenever the river reaches flood stage. An 8-in. suction line, equipped with a strainer and a foot valve, takes the water from a concrete sump at the edge of the river. The pipe line from the pump consists of 1750 ft. of 8-in. spiral steel flanged pipe and 800 ft. of 4-in. spiral steel flanged pipe. The connection from the pump

Jan 1, 1938