Search Documents

By Milton E. Wadsworth, Edward M. Eyring

BETTER understanding of solid surfaces and their associated adsorption products is of both academic and practical value. The study of detergents and their behavior in cleaning surfaces is fundamentally related to the nature of the products adsorbed and their ability to compete for certain surfaces. Similarly in flotation, the nature of the adsorbate before and after adsorption is basic to clear understanding of the process. The recently developed pellet technique1,2 employing infrared spectroscopy provides a powerful tool for the study of solid surfaces. Absorption bands, which are infrared-active, may be observed for adsorbed products. Also any changes in the surface substrate that occur as a result of adsorption may be detected by means of differential spectra. In applying the pellet technique to solids of large surface area, French and his coworkers3 have surveyed the adsorption of organic flocculants on clay minerals, oleic acid on fluorite, and ammonia on cracking catalysts. Recent work on application of differential infrared spectroscopy to the study of solid surfaces' has demonstrated that the difference between a sample and a reference can be obtained with double-beam instrumentation. In this way displacement of surface products, adsorption of new products, and differences in the substrate, if any, may be detected. Experimental Procedure: Potassium iodide pellets were used in this study, prepared from recrystallized analytical reagent grade KI. Grinding was carried out in a Fisher mechanical agate mortar. Two-gram plates containing the solid under study were pressed in a special evacuated die constructed in the laboratory at the University of Utah." Concentration depended on the solid in question. Zinc sulfide and willemite are sufficiently transpar- ent in the infrared region for concentrations as high as 20 mg of mineral in 2g of KI to be used. Zinc oxide is even more transparent, permitting concentrations as high as 60 mg in a 2-g plate. For non-differential operation, however, much lower concentrations (2 to 10mg/2g KI) had to be used. Spectra were obtained on a Per kin-Elmer 21 double-beam recording infrared spectrophotometer. A sodium chloride prism was used giving a spectral range of approximately 2 to 15 v wave length. For differential runs a resolution of 1000 was used and the scanning speed was controlled commensurate with instrument response. The response was checked continuously and each spectrum was repeated several times. For nondifferential runs a resolution of 927 was used. Zinc oxide used was analytical grade oxide fume. The zinc sulfide was precipitated from solution with analytical grade zinc sulfate and sodium sulfide. The precipitate was washed and centrifuged several times and dried. Before use the precipitate was washed in dilute HCl and then treated with saturated NH4Cl to remove any bulk oxides and sulfates. X-ray patterns of the precipitate were comparable to that of the natural mineral sphalerite. The precipitate was much more satisfactory than finely ground natural ZnS because of its very large surface

Jan 1, 1957

By Frank Foote

PRECISION lattice-constant measurements have been widely used in the study of cubic solid solutions but as yet have been rarely applied to noncubic solid solutions. (See, however, references I and 2.) With the high precision at present attainable in the measurement of lattice constants, the X-ray method should be readily applicable to noncubic solid solutions. In the work reported here, hexagonal close-packed magnesium was used as the solvent and either lead, bismuth or gold as the solute. In the magnesium-lead and mag-nesium-bismuth systems the a and c lattice constants were determined as a function of composition, densities were calculated from these lattice-constant data, these theoretical densities were compared with those directly measured and the solid solubility limit was determined on quenched specimens over a considerable range of temperature. In the magnesium-gold sys-tem, the solid solubility is very small but we have obtained an indirect check on the solubility limit previously reported.

Jan 1, 1940

Jan 1, 1890

By G. D. Van Ardsdale, A. W. Hudson

Heap leaching, as practiced at Rio Tinto, Spain, while one of the oldest, and probably one of the cheapest, methods of extracting copper from its ores, has not had, until recently, other than experimental application in this country. This has been due partly to a mistaken idea that the Rio Tinto ores possess some obscure and mysterious quality that renders them alone suitable to the process, partly to the fact that tests properly made meant the expenditure of large sums of money and several years time, and partly to the fact that favorable commercial and other conditions are not often found. This paper gives some views on the chemistry and mechanism of the method, an account of the preliminary experiments, and the final plans adopted for a large-scale installation of the method by the Phelps Dodge Corpn. for treating low-grade ore from Sacramento Hill, Bisbee. If results comparable with those obtained from the test heap are to be had from the large plant, this plant will operate on the lowest-grade sulfide ore now being treated commercially in the country. The method has several advantages: The installation cost is low. Interest charges must, of course, be made both on the cost of the ore delivered to the plant and for the plant itself, but as these are low, there is considerable advantage in the ability to regulate output by more or less complete shutdowns in accordance with market and other conditions. The amount of labor needed is small, and the cement copper produced may be considered nearer a finished product than the sulfide concentrates from a mill, and certainly means less installation cost per ton to put into final form by present methods. At Bisbee, conditions were favorable for a trial of the method for, in the preparation of the Sacramento Hill orebody for steam shoveling,' a large amount of material below concentrating grade had to be moved to

Jan 1, 1923

By A. W. Hudson, G. D. Van Ardsdale

Heap leaching, as practiced at Rio Tinto, Spain, while one of the oldest, and probably one of the cheapest, methods of extracting copper from its ores, has not had, until recently, other than experimental application in this country. This has been due partly to a mistaken idea that the Rio Tinto ores possess some obscure and mysterious quality that renders them alone suitable to the process, partly to the fact that tests properly made meant the expenditure of large sums of money and several years time, and partly to the fact that favorable commercial and other conditions are not often found. This paper gives some views on the chemistry and mechanism of the method, an account of the preliminary experiments, and the final plans adopted for a large-scale installation of the method by the Phelps Dodge Corpn. for treating low-grade ore from Sacramento Hill, Bisbee. If results comparable with those obtained from the test heap are to be had from the large plant, this plant will operate on the lowest-grade sulfide ore now being treated commercially in the country. The method has several advantages: The installation cost is low. Interest charges must, of course, be made both on the cost of the ore delivered to the plant and for the plant itself, but as these are low, there is considerable advantage in the ability to regulate output by more or less complete shutdowns in accordance with market and other conditions. The amount of labor needed is small, and the cement copper produced may be considered nearer a finished product than the sulfide concentrates from a mill, and certainly means less installation cost per ton to put into final form by present methods. At Bisbee, conditions were favorable for a trial of the method for, in the preparation of the Sacramento Hill orebody for steam shoveling,' a large amount of material below concentrating grade had to be moved to

Jan 1, 1923

By F. V. Lenel, G. S. Ansell, J. A. Dromsky

The growth of aluminum oxide particles in a nickel matrix was studied eve?. the temperature vange of 2140° to 2470°F. The instability of the dispersed alumina was shown to be independent of the crystal structure of the alumina. The activation energy for the growth of the dispersed alumina was found to be 84.7 1 2.0 kcal. The particle radius increased as a function of time. These results indicate that the growth is not diffusion controlled. It is believed that the rate controlling mechanism is the dissolution of the aluminum and oxygen atoms into the nickel lattice. THE strength properties of alloys which consist of a finely dispersed second phase in a metallic matrix depend upon the spacing between the second phase particles. It is therefore desirable to achieve very fine dispersions in these alloys. Furthermore, to retain the properties these very fine dispersions must be stable during fabrication and service of the alloys. The best known of the dispersion strengthened materials, the SAP type alloys, which consist of a dispersion of aluminurn oxide in aluminum, have exceptionally good stability up to the melting point of aluminum. There is evidence, however, that other dispersion strengthened alloys, even those consisting of refractory oxides in a metal matrix, may be less stable. This investigation is concerned with the stability of Ni-Al2O3 alloys in the temperature range in which these alloys are usually fabricated. The mechanical properties of Ni-Al2O3 alloys at elevated temperatures have been previously investigated by Crelnens and rant,' and Gregory and Goetzel.2 The behavior of these alloys in stress rupture tests appears to indicate that at temperatures below 1800°F they are highly stable. There is some doubt, however, as to their stability at the higher temperatures used during the conventional fabrication. Cremens and Grant, in preparing their test alloys, cousolidated, by powder metallurgical techniques, nickel powders as fine as 0.13 µ diam and alumina powders as fine as 0.018 µ. Metallo- graphic examination of the alloys following fabrication revealed that none had interparticle spacings of less than 2 µ. Considering the size of the original component powder particles, it is likely that the dispersions coarsened during fabrication. Gregory and Goetzel, in their studies of extruded alloys of 80 pct Ni—-20 pct Cr matrixes with nonmetallic dispersion, observed a definite coarsening of the alumina dispersions in alloys sintered at 2280°F as cantrasted to those sintered at 2000oF. Similar observations on the spheroidization and growth of thoria particles finely dispersed in a nickel matrix were made by D. K. Worn and S. F. Marton.3 As a result of such coarsening, much of the effort expended in the preparation of very fine powder mixtures would be lost. The mechanical properties of the alloys which had experienced coarsening would be expected to be poorer than if the original dispersions had been retained. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Ni-Al2O3 alloys were produced from powder prepared by a coprecipitation technique. Aluminum hydroxide and nickel hydroxide were coprecipitated from chloride solutions of the metals. The mixed hydroxides were calcined to form metal oxides and the nickel oxide in the mixture was selectively reduced to nickel by treating it in hydrogen. Specimens were compacted from the resultant powder which consisted of a fine, uniform mixture of aluminum oxide and nickel particles. The compacts were sintered by resistance hot pressing4, a densification technique which requires exposure times of the order of only a second or less at elevated temperatures. A conventional sintering process was not used, since the temperature required for densification would have to be in the region in which the stability of the dispersion was to be studied. A series of hot pressed specimens were treated in hydrogen at temperatures from 2140o to 2470°F (1171o to 1355oC, for times up to 120 hr. Changes in the microstructures were studied by electron microscopy using the two-stage preshadowed carbon replica method.5 In performing a lineal analysis on a series of micrographs from each specimen it was found more convenient to determine the mean free path between alumina particles rather than particle radii as the parameter of growth. Although these quantities are directly proportional for only spherical particles, the alumina particles in these alloys

Jan 1, 1962

By F. E. Smith, David R. Mitchell, B. M. Bird

DENSE-MEDIA processes utilize the familiar laboratory float-and- sink procedure on a commercial scale. Just as wood chips float on water and sand sinks, ,so coal floats and refuse sinks when placed in a medium intermediate in specific gravity between the coal and refuse. Liquids intermediate in specific gravity between coal and refuse used in commercial plants are of four types: (1) Organic liquids of high specific gravity-halogenated hydrocarbons; (2) dissolved, salts in water; (3) pseudo liquids obtained by suspending solids, such as sand, in water, and (4) fluidizing a mass of sand or other solids by air currents. Those most widely used for cleaning coal are solutions of calcium chloride in water and a suspended-sand pseudo liquid. Laboratory float-and-sink testing is an intermittent operation during which every opportunity is given for particles lighter than the medium to float and particles heavier to sink. Commercial processes are continuous, vertical and horizontal currents of the separating medium occur as either part of the process or unavoidably produced by the introduction of feed and withdrawal of products, so that the exact separation of the laboratory technique is not duplicated by commercial processes. However, separations close to the theoretical are obtained in commercial machines by careful technical control of the process. Most machines in commercial installations are crowded to get as much out of the equipment as possible, so that careful technical control is necessary to get the recoveries and grade of product desired. Sizes usually cleaned are plus 3/16-in. or plus 1/8-in. in the United States and plus 1/16-in. in Great Britain: Coal as small as 1 mm. has been cleaned in some experimental installations. The separation of coal from refuse in sizes finer than about in. is made difficult by viscosity' effects and hence at the present time cleaning is confined to the coarser sizes. Technical advances in the art of cleaning coal by dense-media

Jan 1, 1943

By John W. King, S. Ralph Austin

Spurred by recent forecasts of greatly increased demands for uranium by 1980 and beyond, interest is once again focusing on America's western uranium deposits. One of the principal producers in this area is the Gas Hills district in Wyoming, the site of approximately 12% of the known uranium in the U.S., including past production and current reserves. Located on the south flank of the Wind River Basin, the Gas Hills deposits have been recently studied by the Atomic Energy commission for clues to and guides for discovering similar-occurring ores. The ore deposits are confined to a permeable sandstone unit, up to 350 ft thick, at or near the base of the upper Wind River formation of early Eocene age. The uranium occurs in three principal north- south "ore trends," each of which is about six miles long, one mile wide, and separated from each other by approximately three miles (Fig. 1).

Jan 5, 1966

By Robert E. Green, Kenneth Reifsnider

A microscopic X-ray diffraction technique was employed for the simultaneous study of the behavior of several families of lattice planes, whose local orientatiotz changes are manufestations of internal distortions resulting from specimen deformation. Photographs taken using aluminum were single crystals 1/64 in. In diam are presented which illustrate the appearance of various types of deformation- or growth- induced structural variations. Slip and lattice bending were detected in tensile tests for strains as small as 0.1 pct. Evidence of deformation bands, lineage structure, and void formation wns also shown. AmONG the most important methods of studying internal stresses in metals is the utilization of various X-ray techniques. The general subject of X-ray metallography has been treated in a most excellent manner by Taylor,1 and the use of X-rays for the direct observation of imperfections in crystals has recently been reviewed in an article by Newkirk2 and in the book edited by Newkirk and Wernick.3 Since the inception of metallographic X-ray analysis, there have been numerous technological developments and refinements, each with its particular advantages and disadvantages and, acrording to these, its particular applications. X-ray diffraction techniques can be divided into two general categories, that of X-ray diffraction microscopy and that of X-ray diffraction macroscopy. In the former are included such methods as those of Berg-Barrett, Lang, and Schultz2,3 which are concerned with microscopic imperfections such as dislocations. The second category includes all work concerned with the study of the condition of a crystal lattice structure as indicated by the marroscopic detail in its diffraction patterns. An example of this is the study of the diffraction manifestations of inhomogeneous plastic deformation as manifested by formation of deformation bands and inhomogeneous lattice rotations. The method used in the present investigation was an X-ray diffraction macroscopy technique. The geometry and analytical aspects of the method were similar to those of Julien and Cullity.4,5 The source was collimated with a single slit in a manner simi- lar to the "parallel beam'' method of Barth and Hosemann6 except that a continuous spectrum of radiation was employed. The apparatus produced large-beam transmission Laue patterns of thin cylindrical aluminum-wire crystals, which were deformed either in tension or torsion. Although the conventional X-ray target and interposed slit were not capable of the high resolution obtainable with a fine-focus X-ray source as employed in a microfocus apparatus, resolution was a secondary consideration in our technique, and was sacrificed to obtain sufficient intensity along a sizable length of the specimen. By using a grid indexing technique similar to that of Barth,7 we were able to study several diffraction lines from various planes simultaneously. The results of these tests give additional information with regard to the inhomogeneous deformation of single crystals, and the indexing procedure used provides a correlation between portions of the test specimen and portions of a diffracted beam. EXPERIMENTAL TECHNIQUE The experimental arrangement used is shown schematically in Fig. 1. A source of continuous X radiation from a vertically mounted Machlett X-ray tube possessing a copper target and operated at 20 kv and 10 ma was passed down a horizontal lead tube 80 cm long which terminated in an adjustable vertical brass slit. The slit opening was adjusted to correspond with the diameter of the test specimen. In front of the brass slit it was possible to place a screen wire mesh, one horizontal strand of which was a lead wire which served as a fiduciary mark, the screen itself serving as an indexing system as will be described later. Behind the screen was the test specimen which consisted of an aluminum single crystal wire 1/64 in. in diameter and 3 in. long. These 3-in.-long crystals were cut from

Jan 1, 1965

By Horace Mann

A FEW years ago, it was generally thought that from 15 to 18 per, cent. of zinc oxide was the upper limit of a workable lead blast-furnace slag. With slags above this zinc-oxide content, the furnaces gave so much trouble because of hearth, wall, and crucible accretions that the campaign was very short. The time lost in cleaning out the frozen furnaces, for it was seldom possible to blow them out, and blowing in was so great that it was considered uneconomical to attempt the running of high-zinc slags, even if this were metallurgically possible. It is true that there are, references to one or two slags much higher in zinc than the foregoing,1 but the average smelterman regarded these, as freaks and not to be considered for regular furnace work. One or two plants, notably the plant of the United States Smelting Co, at Canyon City, Colo., ran charges, higher in zinc. At this plant, the zinc-oxide content of the charge was frequently 20 per cent. and higher but the slags from these furnace's seldom ran over 10 to 12 per. cent. zinc oxide. The furnaces were run with a large volume of air under a relatively low pressure, a low smelting column, and a very hot top; as a result, a large amount of zinc was volatilized. Even with the low smelting column and hot top, accretions caused much trouble and barring, down was a daily occurrence. At the time most of the theories on lead blast-furnace work were promulgated or worked out, it was necessary to run a furnace with a cold top in order to avoid an excessive loss due to fines and fume. At the same time, the smelting conditions had to be such that the lead and silver would be reduced and would enter the bullion. The slag had to be liquid but the charge must not give excessive accretions either in the hearth or on the walls of the furnace. This forced the operators to run the furnaces with a comparatively low blast, which, in turn, caused a small fuel consumption per unit of time with the accompanying result of a low working temperature.

Jan 8, 1925

By William C. Hagel

Oxygen-18 exchange between gaseous oxygen, held at a pressure of 125 mm Hg in a PL-IORh chamber, and splzeres of a Fe2O3 containing three or less grains was determined from 9000 to 1250°C. Isotope equilibrum on crystal surfaces appears to be quickly established, and the rate-determining factor is self-difiusion confbvrning to the relation D = 2.04 esp(- 77,900/RT) sq cin sec-'. Changing sphere diameters caused no detectable variation in diffusion coefficients. Oxygen ions diffuse faster than cations at low temperatures, but a crossover may occur at about 1150°C. INVESTIGATIONS by Davies et al.' and Himmel et al2 have suggested that the mechanism of iron oxidation above 600°C involves a predominance of cation migration in the wüstite (FeO) and magnetite (Fe301) layers and oxygen-ion migration in the hematite (a Fe2O3) layer. Evidence for little cation migration during hematite growth consists of: 1) the disappearance of radioactive-silver markers, presumed to vaporize from the oxide-gas interface, and 2) a large discrepancy between parabolic rate constants for magnetite oxidation and those calculated from Lindner's3 data for cation self-diffusion, D:, using Wagner's theory.4 Reversing the calculations gave anticipated self-diffusion coefficients, D:, for oxygen ions of 3.6 x 10-9 sq cm sec-1 at 1100°C and 5.9 x 10-10 sq cm sec-1 at 1000°C. Since then Kingery et a1.5 reported three values for oxygen-ion diffusion in polycrystalline, sintered hematite. These were obtained near 1200°C, at an oxygen pressure of approximately 150 mm Hg, and could be represented by the Arrhenius expression, Dg = 1 x 10 11 exp(-146,000/RT) sq cm sec-1. Extrapolation to temperatures below 1100°C infers that oxygen ions are less mobile than cations. This contradicts the aforementioned oxidation evidence and also coble7s study of the initial sintering of hematite. From the latter, apparent diffusion coefficients for the slowest rate-controlling species could be calculated, and fair agreement was found with an extension of Lindner's data for cation diffusion. Fig. 1 depicts such comparisons graphically. Three points have been included for the determinations of Himmel et al. on cation diffusion in large, natural hematite crystals surrounded by pure oxygen at atmospheric pressure. No dependence on crystal log raphic direction was noted. Since the value of 10-l4 sq cm sec-' at 1000°C actually represents an upper limit, one might interpret that there is a small decrease in D: when single crystals are employed. On the whole, however, cation diffusion appears relatively well-defined,* while the few results tension to lower temperatures. After having gained experience measuring oxygen-ion diffusion in certain glasses7 and in the corundum oxide, a Cr2O3, the purpose of this work was to determine D; values for hematite and thus possibly assist a mechanistic understanding of the kinetics of the oxidation and reduction of solid iron oxides. I) EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE A) Material. Hematite powder of moderately high purity was received from the Columbian Carbon Co. An accompanying lot analysis listed 0.03 H2O, 0.008 weight percents, with the remainder Fe2O3. Subsequent treatments were ball milling, drying, prepressing, and hot-pressing for 60 min at 1350°C under 5000 psi. Since graphite dies coated with a slurry of alumina were used for hot-pressing, the surrounding atmosphere at temperature was sufficiently reducing to form some magnetite on the outer surface of each cylinder. After removing any attached alumina, a stabilizing anneal of 50 hr at 1300°C in oxygen was added. The final product was nonmagnetic and exceeded 97 pct of the density (5.24 g cm-3) usually given for FezO3. On polishing cylindrical ends, counts were made of the number of grain boundary intercepts per

Jan 1, 1967

By J. S. Fulton

THOSE who live in steel-mill towns are so accustomed to the sight of flames spouting from the mouth of a Bessemer vessel that they seldom pause to think of the amazing process behind it. Actually cold air is being blown through a hot liquid and, instead of cooling it, raises the temperature of the liquid. When coffee is too hot to drink, we know that blowing on it will cool it, so it was no wonder that when Henry Bessemer (or William Kelly, as your patriotism chooses) first proposed this cycle of steel production, he was considered mad. When Bessemer and Kelly started their investigations around 1852, there was not much practical knowledge of metallurgy and, in consequence, there was wide variation in the product made by their process. It was appreciated that the silicon, carbon and iron were all potential fuels, but not until Mushet discovered the beneficial effects of having manganese in the pig iron did the process really become commercial. Bessemer's patent of 1855 covered a crucibleful of liquid iron into which a refractory tuyere was lowered and the blow started. Since that time virtually every conceivable form of vessel, bottom arrangement, tuyere size and location have been suggested or tried. There have been stationary vessels with fixed bottoms, that were side, top or bottom blown; tilting vessels with two sets of side tuyeres at different elevations; vessels like a three-compartment septic tank; vessels of a cylindrical form supported on the long axis with tuyeres along the side submerged by a partial rotation of the vessel (this type continues in copper refineries) ; portable vessels to make the blow in a ladle over a mold in a foundry; a combination of a cupola and converter in one shell, and various other arrangements. But in all these experiments, compressed air for the blast was presupposed and there was little discussion of the quantity or quality of the air delivered to the tuyeres. At one time or another various practices that now are forgotten have been tried or suggested: for instance, the use of inert gas at the end of the blow; the addition of fuel to the blast; the use of hot-blast stoves; the drying of the air to a minimum moisture in the blast. Except in the last-named method little attention was paid to the quality or quantity of the air blown. PHASES Of the many papers published on various phases of the Bessemer process, nearly 170 according to one bibliography, over go per cent were concerned with the metallurgical phase and less than 10 per cent discussed various sections of the pneumatic phase. Since the two phases are coincidental, apparently nine times as much thought has been given to the result as has been given to one of the causes of the Bessemer process. Is it not possible that if more attention had been paid to the pneumatics so many papers would not have had to be written on the troubles in the metallurgical phase? A study of published papers and conversation

Jan 1, 1941

By E. T. Dumbles

Prof. Edward Orton, in his Report on the Occurrence of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Asphalt Rock in Western Kentucky, thus clearly states his ideas of the universal dissemination and rare accumulations of the bitumens:I "We need to bear in mind that the various members 'of the bituminous series are abundantly and almost universally distributed among the unaltered sedimentary rocks of the earth's crust. The valuable accumulations of these substances are rare, it is true, but one can scarcely go amiss' of petroleum, asphalt or gas, at least in small quantities, among the stratified rocks that retain their original structure." Speaking of the Ohio valley, he adds: "A fifth of one per cent. of petroleum, if distributed through a thousand feet of rock, would make a total to the acre, or square mile far beyond any production that has ever been realized from the richest oil field, and -percentages of this amount are not only not rare to find, but are even hard to miss." Dr. F. W Clarke in his Data of Geochemistry (Bulletin No. 491, U. S. Geological Survey, 1911), discussing these views of Orton with similar views of T. Sterry Hunt and Szajnocha, says that they "lead to the conviction that the formation of bitumens is a general process and by no means exceptional. Wherever sediments are laid down, inclosing either animal or vegetable matter, there bitumens may be produced." The organic origin of the bitumens, including petroleum, Gas long been an accepted fact with nearly all geologists, but the method, place, and time of the transformation into petroleum or other bitumen is still under 'discussion. Dr. Orton says? "The statements now presented........bring before us two main views as to the origin of petroleum, viz.: " (1) Petroleum is produced by the primary decomposition of organic

Jan 1, 1915

By George M. Rigg, Samuel M. Cassidy

During 1937 a program was begun to mechanize and modernize the then 28-year old Isabella mine of the Weirton Coal Co., which is on the Monongahela River, in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, at one edge of what is generally known as the Coke Region. Weirton Coal Co. is a subsidiary of the National Steel Corporation, and produces metallurgical grade coking coal for the Weirton Steel Co., Weirton, W. Va. Improvements subsequently made included a cleaning plant for washing the entire mine output, shovel-action track-mounted machines for mechanically loading all the coal, universal-type track-mounted cutting and shearing machines, post drills, 8-wheel mine cars of 10 tons capacity, cable-reel gathering locomotives and other auxiliary equipment. This paper presents the factors, reasons and results of decided changes from the mining system generally prevailing in the region, as well as abandonment of selective mining practices in favor of complete seam extraction. Coal-seam Conditions Fig. 1 illustrates the Pittsburgh coal seam on the property. Cover over the seam averages 450 ft., and 675 ft. is the maxi- mum. Main roof varies from very weak to medium strong; usually it disintegrates rapidly on exposure to air. The "wild" coal makes a fairly strong immediate roof if supported by crossbars and if unbroken affords a seal to the main roof. The draw slate is very weak and treacherous. The floor is characterized by numerous irregular bottom rolls, or "horsebacks," protruding from a few inches up to 3 ft. into the coal. Some are soft, but many are hard and flintlike. Although the bottom slate usually is hard, the underlying fire clay causes it to buckle and heave readily with any moderate increase in roof pressure or where damp. As a whole, the bottom is weaker than the main roof. The coal is characterized by numerous closely jointed face and butt cleats and a woody, springy nature when shot, both having a decided influence on face practices. As shown in Fig. I, at both the top and bottom of the main coal seam is a layer of coal of higher ash and sulphur content than the body of coal in the middle. Factors That Influence the Mining System Equipment was bought and organization for mechanical loading was made on the basis of working each mechanical unit as near its full capacity as possible, to lessen investment cost and obtain best operating efficiency. This led to combination double and triple-shift operation at the start, and, very shortly, to all sections being triple shifted.

Jan 1, 1947

By Samuel M. Cassidy, George M. Rigg

During 1937 a program was begun to mechanize and modernize the then 28-year old Isabella mine of the Weirton Coal Co., which is on the Monongahela River, in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, at one edge of what is generally known as the Coke Region. Weirton Coal Co. is a subsidiary of the National Steel Corporation, and produces metallurgical grade coking coal for the Weirton Steel Co., Weirton, W. Va. Improvements subsequently made included a cleaning plant for washing the entire mine output, shovel-action track-mounted machines for mechanically loading all the coal, universal-type track-mounted cutting and shearing machines, post drills, 8-wheel mine cars of 10 tons capacity, cable-reel gathering locomotives and other auxiliary equipment. This paper presents the factors, reasons and results of decided changes from the mining system generally prevailing in the region, as well as abandonment of selective mining practices in favor of complete seam extraction. Coal-seam Conditions Fig. 1 illustrates the Pittsburgh coal seam on the property. Cover over the seam averages 450 ft., and 675 ft. is the maxi- mum. Main roof varies from very weak to medium strong; usually it disintegrates rapidly on exposure to air. The "wild" coal makes a fairly strong immediate roof if supported by crossbars and if unbroken affords a seal to the main roof. The draw slate is very weak and treacherous. The floor is characterized by numerous irregular bottom rolls, or "horsebacks," protruding from a few inches up to 3 ft. into the coal. Some are soft, but many are hard and flintlike. Although the bottom slate usually is hard, the underlying fire clay causes it to buckle and heave readily with any moderate increase in roof pressure or where damp. As a whole, the bottom is weaker than the main roof. The coal is characterized by numerous closely jointed face and butt cleats and a woody, springy nature when shot, both having a decided influence on face practices. As shown in Fig. I, at both the top and bottom of the main coal seam is a layer of coal of higher ash and sulphur content than the body of coal in the middle. Factors That Influence the Mining System Equipment was bought and organization for mechanical loading was made on the basis of working each mechanical unit as near its full capacity as possible, to lessen investment cost and obtain best operating efficiency. This led to combination double and triple-shift operation at the start, and, very shortly, to all sections being triple shifted.

Jan 1, 1947

By James W. Shaffer

Aluminum is the most abundant metallic element and forms 8% of the earth's crust. Because of its chemical activity it does not occur in nature in a metallic form but principally in the silicates, feldspar, mica, shale, and clay. Bauxitic raw materials-bauxitic clay, aluminous laterite, and bauxite-develop from these aluminum silicate sources. Bauxite and aluminous laterite are naturally occurring mixtures of aluminum hydroxides and mineral impurities, and they are the major sources of aluminum. End Uses Bauxite is the basic ore of the aluminum industry. It is refined into aluminum hydroxide and calcined for feed stock to electrolytic smelters. Over 90% of the tonnage mined is refined and smelted into aluminum. The total tonnage consumed by other industries is small in comparison, but bauxite and alumina are important for the manufacture of refractories, ceramics, chemicals, abrasives, pharmaceuticals, catalysts, cements, dessicants, and flame retardants. Some aluminum-containing industrial products are made from clays and other materials but the majority originate from bauxite directly or from aluminum hydroxide and alumina refined from bauxite. Lateritic type bauxite is also used as building and decorative stone. Geology Mineralogy and Properties Bauxite is a mineral raw material composed principally of one or more aluminum hydroxide minerals and impurities of silica, iron oxide, titania, and other elements in minor or trace amounts. The important aluminum hydroxide minerals are gibbsite, boehmite, and diaspore. Bayerite, nordstrandite, and tucanite are naturally occurring aluminum hydroxides but are rare and not commercially important. Mixtures of gibbsite and boehmite are common, boehmite and diaspore less common, and gibbsite and diaspore rare. Gibbsite is aluminum trihydroxide. Boehmite and diaspore are aluminum oxide hydroxides and have essentially the same composition, but diaspore has a greater hardness and a more tightly bonded and denser atomic structure. Although not technically correct, the commercial terms trihydrate and monohydrate are frequently used to distinguish types of bauxite. If bauxite is all or nearly all gibbsite, it is referred to as a trihydrate ore; if boehmite or diaspore or a mixture of both are the dominant minerals, the bauxite is called a monohydrate ore. If substantial amounts of both gibbsite and boehmite are present, the bauxite is frequently referred to as a mixed ore. Properties of major bauxite minerals are shown in Table 1. Silica, iron oxides, and titania are major impurities always present in deposits of bauxitic raw materials.. Silica impurities usually occur as clay minerals, micaceous minerals, or quartz, but cristobalite and feldspar are found in some deposits. The most common clay minerals are kaolins; however, illites and chlorites are often found in small quantities. Varying proportions of aluminum, iron, and clay minerals make bauxite, aluminous laterite, ferruginous laterite, and bauxitic clay deposits gradational with each other. Hematite and goethite are the common iron mineral impurities in many bauxites. Magnetite and ilmenite occur in deposits derived from basic igneous rocks. Other iron minerals associated with bauxite are maghemite, pyrite, siderite, and marcasite. The titanium minerals found in bauxites are anatase, leucoxene, rutile, ilmenite, titaniferous

Jan 1, 1983

By S. H. Lorain, Norman L. Wimmler, S. Ricker, P. E. Oscarson, H. G. Iverson

This paper has been prepared with the principal objective of recording the results of the Bureau of Mines exploration of five major clay deposits in the Western Region. It is based mainly on data contained in unpublished Bureau of Mines reports. Acknowledgment is made to the Federal Geological Survey for its cooperative work with the Bureau of Mines, to the various State geological and mining departments, and other State and local agencies. Clay Exploration by the Bureau of Mines Much has been written and published on clays and clay deposits relating to their refractory, ceramic, and other qualities but such literature is lacking in analyses of the available alumina content of the clays and provides little indication of their possibilities as a source of alumina. With this new objective in view, a great many of the known clay deposits were reexamined and new ones discovered. The Bureau of Mines made preliminary examination of numerous areas in the western United States. Five of those most favorably indicated were systematically drilled, and in each a large amount of high-alumina clay has been found. These five major projects are Molalla and Hobart Butte, in western Oregon; Cowlitz-Castle Rock, in southwestern Washington; Ione, in California; and the Olson-Troy area in Idaho (Fig. I). Preliminary scout drilling was done in the Stockton deposit at Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; the White ware deposit near Lewis-town, Mont.; and 13 areas in the Spokane or eastern Washington region, where the most favorably indicated area, known as the Excelsior, is now being drilled more systematically. Preliminary drilling was undertaken in numerous areas adjacent to the major deposits and others more remote. As a result, large additional clay possibilities were found. The Clay Deposits The clay deposits under consideration are of the sedimentary or transported types, parts of which have been altered further by the agencies of weathering, ground water, or hydrothermal action. There are extensive deposits of residual clays in northern Idaho and in eastern Washington, but they have been found to be low in the available alumina and to contain much free quartz, mica, and unaltered feldspar. To be of value, they must first be subjected to beneficiation to remove these gangue minerals. The sedimentary clays have been derived largely from the decomposition, erosion, and transportation of granites, gneisses, schists, and basalts. At Molalla, some

Jan 1, 1948

By Norman L. Wimmler, H. G. Iverson, S. Ricker, P. E. Oscarson, S. H. Lorain

This paper has been prepared with the principal objective of recording the results of the Bureau of Mines exploration of five major clay deposits in the Western Region. It is based mainly on data contained in unpublished Bureau of Mines reports. Acknowledgment is made to the Federal Geological Survey for its cooperative work with the Bureau of Mines, to the various State geological and mining departments, and other State and local agencies. Clay Exploration by the Bureau of Mines Much has been written and published on clays and clay deposits relating to their refractory, ceramic, and other qualities but such literature is lacking in analyses of the available alumina content of the clays and provides little indication of their possibilities as a source of alumina. With this new objective in view, a great many of the known clay deposits were reexamined and new ones discovered. The Bureau of Mines made preliminary examination of numerous areas in the western United States. Five of those most favorably indicated were systematically drilled, and in each a large amount of high-alumina clay has been found. These five major projects are Molalla and Hobart Butte, in western Oregon; Cowlitz-Castle Rock, in southwestern Washington; Ione, in California; and the Olson-Troy area in Idaho (Fig. I). Preliminary scout drilling was done in the Stockton deposit at Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; the White ware deposit near Lewis-town, Mont.; and 13 areas in the Spokane or eastern Washington region, where the most favorably indicated area, known as the Excelsior, is now being drilled more systematically. Preliminary drilling was undertaken in numerous areas adjacent to the major deposits and others more remote. As a result, large additional clay possibilities were found. The Clay Deposits The clay deposits under consideration are of the sedimentary or transported types, parts of which have been altered further by the agencies of weathering, ground water, or hydrothermal action. There are extensive deposits of residual clays in northern Idaho and in eastern Washington, but they have been found to be low in the available alumina and to contain much free quartz, mica, and unaltered feldspar. To be of value, they must first be subjected to beneficiation to remove these gangue minerals. The sedimentary clays have been derived largely from the decomposition, erosion, and transportation of granites, gneisses, schists, and basalts. At Molalla, some

Jan 1, 1948

By R. L. Loofbourow

Trends in the metal mining industry were definitely down in 1954. With a record in 1953 of $1.8 billion output, the last year dropped to $1.5 billion, the lowest value since 1950. The decrease in iron ore production alone accounted for at least 10 pct of the decline. PROBABLY more than any previous year, political debates of 1954 marked a new high for the mining industry. Lead and zinc prices gave forth with minor rallies producing no real improvements. An anticipated drop in copper prices never came to be. Early in the year arguments for more free trade versus tariffs to restrict imports were voiced eloquently by Charles P. Taft, president, Committee for a National Trade Policy, and Andrew Fletcher, president, St. Joseph Lead Co.

Jan 3, 1955

By T. L. Joseph

Blast furnaces are most efficient thermally when the CO2 in the top gas is highest. Oxygen introduced in the air blast is converted to CO in the combustion zones. The extent to which CO, generated in front of the tuyeres, is converted later to CO2 depends upon the ratio of ore to coke in the charge and the degree to which CO2, formed by reduction of iron oxides with CO, reverts to CO by the secondary reaction C + CO2 = 2CO. About 300 to 400 lb. of carbon' per ton of pig iron is normally involved in the solution-loss reaction or direct reduction of FeO with carbon, which produces the same over-all results; that is, lower CO2 in the top gas. Rich2 has recently reported a reduction in fuel consumption at slower rates of blowing on two furnaces in spite of higher heat losses per ton of iron. Lower fuel consumption at slow operating rates was due to more complete reduction of the ore that resulted in higher CO2 in the top gas and consequently more efficient use of carbon. Kinney3 has reported substantial savings in fuel as a result of crushing and sizing the ore charge. Improvements in practice brought about by sintering magnetite concentrates, flue dust and fine ores have been due to the establishment of conditions favoring more complete reduction of the ore in the upper part of the furnace. The extent to which oxides and fluctuations in composition in pig iron affect the quality of steel and finished product needs further study. There is evidence that more thorough preheating and reduction of the ore in the upper part of the furnace tend to give a better quality of iron. Bogatzkii4 found from laboratory work that the amount of oxygen entering electrolytic iron, melted under various slags, was directly proportional to the concentration of free FeO in the slag and inversely proportional to the basicity of the slag. Herty and Gaines5 concluded that the silicate content of open-hearth steel before deoxidation is related to the concentration of silica in the pig-iron charge, indicating that most of the persistent inclusions are silica from the iron. They also found that

Jan 1, 1936