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By Yap Chu-Phay

IN the previous paper, the writer showed how, on the basis of thermodynamic reasoning, it seems probable that when true equilibrium conditions obtain, carbon exists as Fe3C in the liquid state and as elementary carbon in the solid state (7 Fe), in which case the solidus would be a straight line from 0.18 to 1.70 per cent. carbon (Fig. 1). In the same paper he concluded that the solidus obtained by Honda 'and his co-workers1 probably does not represent the same conditions, insuring a complete equilibrium. Except for a downward temperature displacement, the solidus obtained by Gutowsky,2 using the Heycock and Neville method, practically coincides with Honda's solidus as shown in Fig. 1. The writer at first thought that perhaps in some way Gutowsky's thermocouple was improperly calibrated for high-temperature measurements, as his liquidus was also much lower than those obtained by Carpenter and Keeling3 and by Ruer and Goerens.4 However, the eutectic temperature obtained by Gutowsky agrees with the generally accepted value of 1130° C., so that the validity of the inference regarding improper temperature calibrations is to be strongly doubted. In Fig. 1, Gutowsky's solidus is shown both in the original and in the corrected form. In the latter, a correction of 29.2° C. is made for all temperatures above 1416° C. in accordance with-

Jan 1, 1931

By John Jermain Porter

THe value of any particular ore, coke, or limestone, for iron-making, depends upon its effect, first, upon the quality or value of the resultant product; and second, upon the cost of smelting. The factors under the first head are the percentages of phosphorus, manganese, and other elements, which remain in the pig-iron ; while those under the second head are the percentages of iron, carbon, or lime, the slag-forming constituents, which must be fluxed, and any other ingredients which give rise to variations in cost of fuel and flux. The first of these criteria of value is perhaps not capable of being reduced to a general formula embracing all cases, since it must vary to a great extent with market-fluctuations. For example, Bessemer pig is worth sometimes more and sometimes less than foundry-pig; and the premium paid for high manganese varies within wide limits. The second, or smelt-ing-value, however, can be expressed numerically with a fair degree of accuracy; and it is with this phase of valuation that the present paper is concerned. The utility of a means of comparing numerically the relative smeltiug-values of difierent ores, cokes, and limestones, is self-evident, although it may not have importance in Northern practice, where materials are largely standardized. On the other hand, there are, especially in the South, many furnace-managers who must use a great variety of materials of widely varying grade; and it is with special reference to this district, and in connection with the efficiency-methods which I have elsewhere proposed,' that the methods herein described were devised.

Jan 1, 1913

By E. Robert Ruhlman

The term potash refers to potassium oxide (K2O), a compound not found in nature or produced by man but used as a basis for comparison of all potassium compounds and now is applied generally to various compounds of potassium used by agriculture and industry. Potassium, the last of the three major plant foods to be used in appreciable quantities by agriculture, was originally produced only from organic materials for chemical uses. The first recorded identification of a mineral source of potassium was in 1797; but, until the discovery in 1839 of the large deposits of soluble potassium salts in Germany and their development in 1860-61, nearly all potassium compounds continued to come from organic sources. With the importance of potash to plant life discovered in 1840 by von Liebig and the production of potash in Germany after 1861, agriculture soon became the major consumer of potash. In 1958 agriculture accounted for about 95 pct of the total potash consumption; the chemical industry used the remaining 5 pct. Mineralogy and Geology Potassium, an important constituent of the earth's crust, occurs in many forms in numerous rocks and minerals, including water solutions, but is not found in its native state. Twenty-five of the more important potash minerals are listed in Table 1. The properties of the five potash minerals most common in Permian salt formations follow: Sylvite is isometric; has a hardness of 2, a specific gravity of 1.98, vitreous luster, and cubic cleavage; and ranges in color from clear to brick red. In taste it is similar to halite but has a sharper taste and a cooling effect on the tongue. It is very plastic under pressure. Langbeinite is isometric; has a hardness of 4, a specific gravity of 2.82, vitreous luster, conchoidal fracture, and no cleavage; and ranges in color from clear to gray. It is taste- [ ] less, somewhat granular, and slowly soluble in water. Polyhalite is triclinic; has a hardness of 3, a specific gravity of 2.77, and dull luster; and

Jan 1, 1960

Jan 1, 1908

The Library of the above-named Societies is open from 9 A.M. to 10 P.M., except on holidays. It contains about 70,000 volumes and 90,000 pamphlets, including sets of technical periodicals and the publications of scientific and technical societies. Members of the Institute, with few exceptions, are forced to spend a portion of their time in localities isolated from sources of information. To these the Library, through its Library Service Bureau, can render valuable service through correspondence; letters requesting information will receive especial attention. The Library is prepared to furnish references and photographic copies of articles on mining and metallurgical subjects; to determine the existence of mining maps, and to furnish general information on the geology and mineral resources of all countries. All communications should be made as definite as possible so that the, information received may be what is desired and not include collateral matter which may, not be of interest. The time spent in searching for such collateral matter will be saved, and the information will be sent more promptly and in more usable shape.

Jan 4, 1917

By F. V. Lenel, G. S. Ansell, M. J. Salkind

An experiment is described in which the growth of interparticle necks in an array of loose spherical silver powder at temperatures near 300°C was determined by measuring changes in the electrical resistance of the array. The activation energy for neck growth of contacts was derived by abruptly changing temperature and noting the change in the rate of neck growth. Since the experiments were run under an external load, the changes in activation energy with stress could he determined. The activation energy was found to decrease rapidly with increasing stress. It is concluded that the material transport in the experiments is one of plastic flow by dislocation motion. The variation of activation energy with stress is typical for cross slip of dislocations, an important material transport mechanism in the temperature range investigated. THE process in which powder compacts or aggregates of loose powder are held at an elevated temperature under an external load is called hot pressing or sintering under pressure by powder metallurgists. In this investigation the early stages of this process as applied to loose spherical silver- powder aggregates were studied. The powder particles were approximately 100µ in diameter and the temperature was near 300°C, i.e., below one half of the melting point of silver in degrees Kelvin, where volume diffusion is not expected to contribute to sintering. In the process, the contact or neck areas between powder particles grow. Since this involves plastic deformation of the particles under a constant external load (even though not under constant stress) it would be termed creep by mechanical metallurgists. On the other hand, the growth in neck area observed in compacts or loose-powder aggregates held at elevated temperature without the application of an external load is termed sintering by powder metallurgists. During sintering the major driving force is the stress due to surface tension. However, even when no load is placed on the compact or powder aggregate, an external stress, i.e., gravity, plays an important role in sintering in addition to those stresses arising from surface tension, as was shown in two previous investigations.'" It is therefore postulated that no sharp dividing line can be drawn between the phenomena of "creep" and "sintering". Different material transport mechanisms may be involved in either of these phenomena, but they will depend upon the temperature and the level of stress, but not necessarily upon the nature of the driving force: surface tension or external load. At the low temperatures of this investigation, an external stress much higher than the stress due to surface tension is necessary to obtain measurable rates of neck growth. In order to avoid misunderstanding this phenomenon will be called "creep". The rate of growth in contact area in the loose silver-powder aggregates was determined by meas-

Jan 1, 1965

By Joseph Pogue

THE past year in the petroleum industry was one of overproduction, rising inventories, low prices, and meagre to vanishing profits. This outcome was the result of a long period of intensive and uncompensated effort on the part of both financial and industrial interests, to stimulate supply on the theory that the primary problem facing the petroleum industry was the development of an adequate reserve of raw material to protect a large and ever-growing investment. The stimulus was applied in various forms and through diverse channels: capital had, long flowed into the industry in excessive amounts under the attraction of large expected profits; the price level for crude petroleum had persistently been influenced -by speculative considerations, with the result that prices declined slowly in periods of flush production and were quick to advance in anticipation of statistical improvement, thus maintaining a superfluous degree of stimulus on wildcatting and on drilling; speculation in inventories had led to the unsound, or at least unusual, business practice of accumulating huge stocks of oil; and, above all, the industry had directed the potent force of technology to the expansion of supply and achieved radical results in accelerating oil discovery, speeding up the rate of oil extraction, and enlarging the recovery of gasoline and lubricating oils from the raw material. In short, the economic conditions of 1927 were exactly those to which the objectively driven enterprise of the petroleum industry had long been directed; and the undesirable financial consequences arising. therefrom reflected no lack of success in what had been set out to be achieved, but rather the failure to have established concurrently the necessary means of economic control to prevent the immediate conversion of reserves into current supply, and likewise the oversight in neglecting to apply the technological force to the enlargement and diversification of the market for petroleum products. Perhaps, when viewed in its longer perspective, 1927 will stand out as the turning point in the economic policy of the petroleum industry, when the technique of rationalizing production made its, initial claim for recognition.

Jan 1, 1928

By C. L. Magee, H. W. Paxton

The effects of testing temperature, frorn 77" to 420" K, and volume fraction of martensite on the micro-plastic response of unaged Fe-31Ni martensite-austenite aggregates have been determined. The kinetics of the aging phenomena which lead to a decrease in the microplastic response were also characterized. These determinations, supplemented by other experimental results, show that at least two mechanisms of plastic deformation give rise to the apparent softness of the quenched structures. Only one of these mechanisms is fully discussed in this paper The transformation of retained austenite to martensite during the application of stress leads, in specified conditions, to large microplastic strains. This deformation behavior cannot be described by normal transformation plasticity theory but is shown to result from the fact that stress-assisted formation of martensite is a possible deformation mode. The present results and further considerations of previous work lead to the conclusion that it is unnecessary to postulate a special work-hardening mechanism to explain the mechanical properties of unaged martensite. It is now generally accepted that dislocation motion can occur in many solids at stresses very much below the L'macroscpic" yield stress, e.g., 0.1 pct offset. This phenomenon has been investigated by a variety of techniques including measurements of elastic limit,' effective static elastic modulus,~ and irreversible deformation following stressing at low levels.3"5 Of particular interest to the work to be described are exper -iments conducted on the deformation of martensite in attempts to decide whether freshly quenched ferrous martensites are "hard" or "soft".6 Muir, Averbach, and cohenl and McEvily, Ku, and ~ohnston' have shown that as-quenched ferrous rnartensites can be plastically deformed at relatively low stresses. A difference between these two sets of experiments exists in that some diffusion of carbon would take place before testing in the experiments of Muir et a1. because the plain Fe-C alloys which they have tested transform to martensite well above room temperature. McEvily et a1. examined Fe-Ni-C alloys with Ms of about -30"~ and tested the alloys directly after quenching to — 195" ~ —a technique which obviates any appreciable carbon diffusion. Unfortunately, a characteristic of the alloys which transform below room temperature is that they do not transform entirely to martensite. The results discussed below will show that, because the transformation of this retained austenite under stress leads to plastic deformation, one cannot investigate the properties of martensite by such experiments. The existence of a second deformation phenomenon, which is not caused by retained austenite, is also established in the present work. In line with a previous suggestion,' it is believed that the second microdefor-mation mode is principally due to the internal stresses generated by the formation of martensite. To avoid confusion in the present report, the evidence we have found for this interpretation will be discussed separately in a brief note.7 EXPERIMENTAL Materials. The alloys were induction-melted and cast under vacuum; the resulting compositions are given in Table I. The ingots were hot-swaged to 2-in.-diam bar and further cold-swaged and/or cold-rolled prior to specimen preparation. The standard tensile specimens were machined from sheet. The gage section was 0.05 by 0.2 by 5 in.; 0.75-in.-wide ends had 0.2 5-in. centered holes for pinloading. The three-point bend samples were 0.075-in. thick and 0.6 in. bide. The distance between the outer loading points was 5.5 in. In order to establish a standard starting condition, all specimens were quenched to 77°K prior to annealing in vacuo for austenitizing. The temperature of the austenitizing anneal was controlled to + 5"~. The testing and aging temperatures were maintained by various liquid baths (nitrogen, 77"~; freon, 130° to 200°K; acetone, 200 to 300°K; silicone oil, 300' to 450°K) to better than il°K. Strain Measurement. The results herein were derived from both uniaxial tension and three-point bending experiments. For bending tests, the stresses and strains reported are those corresponding to the maximum fiber values. Normally, because of the small strains involved, very sensitive strain measurements are necessary to make microplastic measurements. However, because of the magnitude of the dilatation and shear involved in the martensitic transformation, the requirements in the present experiments proved to be less rigorous. In most experiments the plastic strain was evaluated by measuring stress relaxation and modulus defects. In this method, specimens are loaded rapidly to some predetermined load on an In-

Jan 1, 1969

By Arvid E. Anderson, Frank K. Cameron

The weathering of copper-bearing ores with the formation of a water soluble salt and the recovery of the metal by leaching and evaporation precipitation, are processes long known, which have at various times been utilized with more or less commercial success. It is commonly assumed that the technical principles involved are quite simple and their application to a particular case easy. If these assumptions were true, we should anticipate a long list of uniformly successful leaching operations, which is not the case, and one would be justified only in calling attention to either unique or peculiar features of any particular enterprise; whereas, in studying the problems of the recovery of copper from the old workings of the Ohio Copper Co. in the light of available descriptions of other leaching projects, we have not found the assistance hoped for to guide us to the best realization of our own opportunities. It appears desirable, therefore, to call attention to these guiding principles, together with a description of the facts of accomplishment. Justification lies in the fact that the leaching and precipitation of copper at the Ohio Copper Co. mine in Bingham Canyon, Utah, is successful. This success is measured by an average monthly production of 600,000 Ib. of copper at an average operating cost, to date, of 3.85 cents per pound at the company's workings, or 6.32 cents per pound after paying shipping and smelter charges on the finished copper. A total of 17,076,099 Ib. of copper had been shipped to the smelter from the beginning of operations, August, 1922, to April 1, 1925. Probably these results can be bettered with further study and realization of the factors involved and the devising of methods of meeting them. It is now an assured fact that the enterprise will have a relatively long and continuously profitable life and that its reserves will not, nor cannot, be suddenly and permanently depleted. It is particularly noteworthy that the financing of this enterprise has been entirely from its earnings. The few hundred dollars necessary for the first experiments and production were obtained by the sale of used, and no longer needed, equipment from a mill belonging to the company; and all funds since required throughout the growth and development of the enterprise, from a few troughs with a production of 2000

Jan 1, 1926

By Dennis J. McCarthy

TAX TREATMENT OF EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT EXPENSES Exploration Expenditures General Principles. Exploration expenditures are expenses incurred within the United States or the Outer Continental Shelf for the purpose of ascertaining the existence, location, extent or quality of any deposit of ore or other mineral. Section 617 of the Internal Revenue Code permits a taxpayer to elect to deduct these expenditures currently. In default of election, exploration expenditures must be capitalized and included in the basis of the mineral property for purposes of determining cost depletion. Entitlement to Deduction. In order to qualify for current deduction, exploration expenditures must be incurred prior to the commencement of the development stage, i.e., when mineral deposits are shown to exist in sufficient quantity and quality to reasonably justify commercial exploitation. Generally, expenditures for geological and geophysical investigations, reconnaissance, surveying, testpitting, trenching, drilling, driving of exploration tunnels and adits and similar types of work constitute exploration expenditures if incurred prior to the commencement of development. However, expenditures to further delineate the extent and location of an existing commercially marketable deposit are not exploration expenditures. Exploration expenditures may be incurred from within a producing mine to ascertain the existence of what appears to be a different ore deposit. Expenditures for property which is subject to an allowance for depreciation are not deductible under §617. However, depreciation properly allowable on assets used in exploration is an exploration expenditure. Election to Deduct Exploration Expenditures. The election to deduct exploration expenditures is made by deducting these expenditures in the return for the first taxable year for which such treatment is desired. The election applies to all properties of the taxpayer. Once the election is made all exploration expenditures, in the year of election and thereafter, must be deducted, unless the election is revoked with the prior consent of the Commissioner. The Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 (TEFRA) made substantial changes in the treatment of exploration expenditures. For exploration expenses incurred after 1982 and before 1984 by a corporation, the amount currently deductible is limited to 85% of the expenditure. The remaining 15% must be capitalized and recovered over a five-year period. Although exploration costs capitalized under this provision are not part of the basis of the property for cost depletion purposes, investment credit may be claimed with respect to these expenditures. Further changes have been added by the Tax Reform Act of 1984 with respect to expenditures made after 1984. The Act reduces the amount of otherwise currently deductible costs from 85% to 80%. Additionally, it limits the availability of the investment credit for capitalized mineral exploration costs to deposits located in the United States. TEFRA also allows individuals a special method of recovery under which exploration expenditures may, at the election of the taxpayer, be amortized ratably over a 10-year period beginning with the year in which the costs are paid or incurred. If taxpayer does not use this method, the excess of the exploration expenditures actually deducted over the amount that would have been deducted if 10 year amortization had been elected is an item of tax preference subject to the alternative minimum tax.

Jan 1, 1985

By Oswald J. Heinrich

THE serious objections to the Leblanc soda process may be enumerated as follows : 1st. The total loss of sulphur employed, equal to about one-third of soda produced. Various processes have been proposed to regain this sulphur, but none have come into practical operation on a large scale. 2d. The great bulk of waste products, equal to nearly twice the amount of soda, which forms a serious annoyance about the works. 3d. The complicated series of operations necessary. 4th. The large amount of labor and fuel required. 5th. The production of noxious gases which necessitate extensive condensing arrangements. 6th. The large capital necessary for the erection and maintenance of the plant. These objections have long been recognized, and many attempts have been made during the last thirty or forty years, to discover and introduce a cheaper and more direct method for the manufacture of this important staple. The reaction between bicarbonate of ammonia and common salt, whereby bicarbonate of soda, insoluble in a solution of chloride of ammonium, is precipitated, has been closely studied for the last twenty-four years, on account of its simplicity and the purity of the product it affords. This ammonia-soda process is now so far developed, that while it is not .in position to entirely replace the Leblanc process, yet it can successfully compete with it where the conditions and localities are favorable. The advantages of the ammonia-soda process may be summed up as follows : 1st. It is independent of the essential agent in the Leblanc process, viz., sulphuric acid, and hence can be established in those localities where salt is abundant, and yet where sulphuric acid could not be made, or where it could not be transported profitably. 2d. The ammonia-soda process being a " wet" process, the evaporation of salt brines to obtain the solid salt required in the Leblanc process, is rendered unnecessary. 3d. The direct conversion of chloride of sodium into bicarbonate of soda, which can readily be converted into the maketable monocar-

Jan 1, 1879

By David R. Mitchell

THE mineral pyrite (or marcasite) occurs in coal beds as balls, lenses, veinlets and bands. Several million tons are wasted annually on the refuse dumps from coal mining and coal-preparation activities. Sporadic attempts have been made in the United States to recover this pyrite for manufacture of sulphuric acid but only a few plants have succeeded in recovering it on a commercial scale. Several chemical companies in the East became concerned about supplies of pyrite early in 1943, but by late summer of that year the situation had eased. If for no other reason than national security and self-sufficiency during war-time, methods of recovering pyrite from coal-mine refuse should be worked out and made available to coal-mine operators who are potential producers of pyrite. Eastern sulphuric-acid plants are particularly likely to have their sources of raw material blocked by war conditions, so that special studies to determine where supplies of pyrite can be obtained for these plants from inland sources are desirable. Davis's1 summarization of conditions during World War I gives the following facts: During those years, the shortage of pyrite became acute. Shipments of hand-picked pyrite were made from a number of coal mines in Illinois, Indiana, western Kentucky, Ohio and Pennsylvania. A mechanical concentrating plant for separating pyrite from picking-table refuse was built at Danville, Ill., and operated for several years, and a small pyrite-concentrating plant treating washery refuse near Gillespie, Ill., operated for several months in 1918. The Consolidation Coal Co. of Fairmont, W. Va., constructed and operated a sulphuric-acid plant using pyrite recovered from coal-mine refuse. The U. S. Bureau of Mines during 1917-1919 made a comprehensive survey of pyrite-production possibilities from coal mines and estimated that there was a potential yearly production of 435,000 tons from Ohio and Pennsylvania and 928,000 tons from Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana mines. This estimate included only mines that could produce one per cent or more of their coal production as pyrite containing a minimum of 40 per cent sulphur. PYRITE PRODUCTION According to the Minerals Yearbook,2 approximately 660,000 long tons of pyrite was produced in the United States in 1941, with an average sulphur content of 42 per cent. The average value f.o.b. mines was $3.09 per long ton. Spanish pyrite, 48 per cent sulphur minimum, was quoted at 12 cents a unit c.i.f. U. S. ports, equal to $5.76 a ton for shipments of minimum sulphur content. Most of the pyrite produced in the United States is obtained as a by-product in the dressing of copper and zinc ores. Metal mines in the East making pyrite concentrate for the market or use in company-operated sulphuric-acid plants

Jan 1, 1944

By John V. Beall

IKE'S amiable expression and apparent sincerity impressed AIME members as did the theme of his talk. Cautioning against the gradually increasing power of the federal government, he said: . . . "freedom as we know it is in no greater danger from without than it is from our own lack of understanding of this creeping paralysis from within." Next February, it will be three years since he uttered these words at Annual Meeting welcoming ceremonies, but the theme was oft repeated in his winning campaign. This brush with the exalted, brief though it was, makes Washington look friendlier to many AIME members than it has for years.

Jan 1, 1953

By Persifor Frazer

TILE ore property of Mr. Augustus Roop is situated about one and a half miles south of the New Windsor Station of the Western Maryland Railroad and is connected with the town of New Windsor by the Liberty and New Windsor Turnpike. It is about forty miles distant from Baltimore, and about seven miles west from the county town of Westminster, and a little more northeast from the celebrated Liberty Copper Mines. (See accompanying Maps 1 and 2.) The property comprises about 140 acres, lying principally

Jan 1, 1881

By Lewis A. Smith

Chromium is one of the new metals, but considerable research has been required to determine an approximate record of its production from 1827 until the present. Its use in the form of pure metal is not extensive; of the chromite mined, about one-half is required for making ferrochro-mium, about two-fifths goes directly into refractories and the remainder is absorbed chiefly by the chemical trades. The industries that demand chromite for such uses are mainly in countries that produce little chromite, while the important chromite-producing countries are not generally consumers. The international flow of chromite is therefore of interest, as well as the political and commercial control of resources of the metal. World Production The first mining of chromite is said to have occurred as early as 1820, at the Roros deposit in Norway, but the first well-established output came from the Reed mine, in Maryland, about 1827. Thereafter the United States led the world in chromite production until 1860, when Turkey took the lead. Russia in turn became the chief producer from 1897 to 1902, inclusive. From 1903 to 1909, New Caledonia held first place, but alternated with Southern Rhodesia from 1910 to 1917, inclusive. In 1918, 1919 and 1920-1921, the United States, India and New Caledonia led, respectively. In 1922 Southern Rhodesia assumed first place and has since continued to be the world's foremost producer by a large margin. Fig. 1 illustrates the production of the leading countries from 1890 to 1929, inclusive. Fig. 2 shows the world production of chromite from 1890 to 1929, inclusive, in long tons and Table 2 gives the production by countries for the same period. The total world production for the 103 years, 1827 to 1929, ipclusive, is estimated at about 7,100,000 long tons, distributed as shown in Table 1. World Trade in 1928 In reviewing the figures for the flow of chromite in 1928, it is evident that the six countries that produce most consume little chromite and

Jan 1, 1931

By E. H. Citron

CLEANING fine coal in jigs is not new in Europe, where the feldspar jig is being used almost exclusively for this purpose. A feldspar jig operates with an artificial bed made up generally of feldspar or other hard rock material. Dimensions and specific gravity of this material must be of suitable values for good bedding qualities. For good efficiency, the size should range between 1x2 in. and 2x2x½ in. thick. The disadvantage of an artificial bed is that it is not mobile and must be replaced every so often with new material to obtain good cleavage characteristics. A semi-mobile bed has been developed to retain only a part of the feldspar on the sieve screen— the other part is drawn off with the refuse material, from which it is reclaimed and returned to the jig feed. Recirculating this feldspar rock offers definite advantages. However, in time it will lose its original shape because of wear, and new bed material must be added to the jig feed. The latest feldspar jigs arc generally air-pulsated, Baum-type jigs, although more than 70 pct of the feldspar jigs operating in Continental Europe are still of the piston type. These jigs are very popular in Europe, but they do require a great deal of time and attention. New Theory to Eliminate Artificial Bedding: At the preparation plants of Pittsburg & Midway Coal Mining Co. it has always been the contention that a small piston-type jig could be developed to clean fine 1/4x0-in. coal down to 28 to 60 mesh efficiently by obtaining and admitting bedding material from the present plant refuse circuit to the jig feed. This eliminates use of artificial bedding materials. The jig should incorporate these essential adjustable features as follows: Adjustable Sieve Screen A screen that can be raised and lowered to increase or decrease washing compartment depth. The sieve screen also can be set on an incline level, or decline. Adjustable Plunger Eccentric Length of stroke can be adjusted to increase or decrease pulsion and suction. Variable Plunger Speed Variable speed reducer for decreasing and increasing the number of strokes per minute. Water Distribution Adjustable baffle plate separating the plunger and sieve compartment so the water can be distributed uniformly over the entire sieve screen area. Refuse Ejector Special unique rubber-type refuse ejector gate operated by air and electrically controlled (as a conventional jig). Automatic Control Conventional float that measures the specific gravity of the coal-water refuse medium in the jig is of the submerged type. The float is mounted on a vertical stem held in position by two parallel arms. A movable weight regulates the effective specific gravity of the float. The float stem can be raised and lowered, having a graduated scale to indicate the depth of bed for the setting of the float. Hutch Drawoff Hutch material is drawn from the cell compartment to the elevator compartment by gravity. The first one-cell experimental jig incorporating all these features was built in January 1955 by Ore

Jan 1, 1959

By Sidney Siegel, J. Gardner Brooks, Irvin R. Kramer

IN 1942 Grossmann1 proposed that the hardenability of a steel may be calculated from its chemical composition by considering the base hardenability associated with its carbon content and grain size and multiplying this base by factors for each element present. Since Grossmann's original publication, several investigators2-5 have reexamined the multiplying factors for the individual elements and in general have found that the multiplying principle is valid. However, some of the individual factor curves developed have been in poor agreement. Inasmuch as the carbon-factor curve obtained by Grossmann was dependent [ ] upon the factors for all the other alloying elements present in the steel, it logically followed that his results were in need of correction in the light of the new data available for manganese, silicon, and the other alloying elements. Furthermore, in order to avoid the possibility that errors in the manganese, silicon, or other curves might influence the carbon-factor curve, investigation of iron-carbon alloys containing little or no manganese and silicon was necessary. That the effect of carbon on hardenability was greater than indicated by Grossmann is shown by a comparison of the diameters of completely hardened rounds of iron-carbon alloys with the ideal critical diameter calculated from Grossmann's factors. These alloys have a greater hardenability in a hite quench than predicted by Grossmann's factors for an infinite quench (Table I). [ ] Among the other important variables that were in need of further investigation were the effect of deoxidation practice on the grain-size correction curves and the effect of stable carbide-forming elements on the depth of hardening. Most of the work by Kramer, Hafner, and Toleman4 was done on silicon-killed steels. It was not known whether Grossmann's grain-size correction curves, deter- mined on aluminum-killed steels, was valid when applied to steels with different deoxidation practice. More data on the

Jan 1, 1946

By E. Alan Haley

Accurate and economic control of line and grade on long tunnels, large structures, excavations and waterways has been a problem to surveyors and engineers for decades. The conventional method of surveying, incorporating a level, transit and a number of surveying technicians, has proven to be a very expensive and time-consuming operation. Now, however, engineers have adapted the laser to help ease the problems of surveying, at the same time increasing the efficiency of such operations. The laser, which projects a continuous, narrow red beam of brilliant light, provides a constant alignment reference that does not interfere with personnel or equipment. A complete laser alignment system, specifically designed for and suited to a variety of mining and tunneling operations, has been developed by the Perkin-Elmer Corp. The engineering significance of this development can be fully realized when it is noted that, aside from potentially tremendous economic advantages in terms of labor savings, the laser beam provides a system of alignment that is at least ten times more accurate than presently used optical systems. The new laser system provides accuracies within 10 microinches per foot (1 x 10-5in.) when used with an accessory centering detector. In one of its first field trials, the laser was used for alignment of a two-mile tunnel which showed a total deviation of less than 5/8 in.

Jan 4, 1968

By Paul M. Tyler

Mineral raw materials, because they are essential to our industrial prosperity and military strength, must be made available in substantial quantities. regardless of cost. Variations in the cost of procuring minerals, as compared with the cost of obtaining other commodities, and changes in the cost of production of different minerals relative to one another, will naturally influence the quantities of a given mineral item that can be marketed readily. However, in the last analysis, the cost of winning minerals from the ground usually constitutes only a small fraction of the value of the end-use products and services derived from them. The miner's share of the cost of a typewriter, telephone circuit, or even a modem office building, is almost insignificant. Far more important to the ultimate consumer, therefore, than any minor saving in cost is the assurance of ample supplies of the minerals needed to aliment our expanding economy. To create a successful metal mining operation involves ( 1 ) the discovery and systematic development of a mineral deposit, (2) extraction of the ore, (3) the mechanical and metallurgical processing to eliminate worth- less or harmful impurities, and (4) the profitable disposal of the product. The first step of the technological process belongs chiefly in the realm of the geologist, the second is a mining engineer's job, the third is mainly up to the millmen and extractive metallurgists; whereas the fourth and equally important step poses a commercial problem that has aspects in common with the marketing of other products. Ore finding is far from being an exact science. There is no mathematical criterion for evaluating the efficiency of prospecting and exploration. Lady Luck shares the honors or assumes part of the blame along with the prospector and geologist. Marketing like- wise involves factors that seemingly defy engineering analysis. Although the other steps can be measured with some degree of mathematical accuracy, even they tend to vary so widely in basic principle, as well as in

Jan 1, 1959

By Ove Alm

Wet and dry specimens of three rocks of approximately granitic composition were deformed at different experimental conditions. These experiments were carried out in order to study the extent to which water, either added or released from mineral reactions, may affect the mechanical properties and the microstructure of these rocks. The experiments were conducted in a Griggs&apos; hot creep apparatus at temperatures and pressures up to 900ºC and 1000 MPa respectively; and most of them were performed in the constant strain rate mode [(1.10-6 < t < 1 • 10-4 s-1 )]. All three rocks were low porosity rocks, and the wet specimens never contained more than 0.9 wt % of added water. The experimental results are, however, quite unequivocal: They show that wet rocks are weaker than dry ones. A significant difference is even found for rocks tested in uniaxial compression at room temperature. A few experiments carried out on specimens obtained from larger prestressed rock cores indicated that the central parts of these cores were more likely to contain more microcracks than the ends. Optical microscope examinations revealed that extensive microcracking takes place even at the highest temperatures, where other mechanisms such as slip and dislocation creep also become important. Very little partial melting could be observed except for the specimens deformed at 900ºC.

Jan 1, 1982