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By Fred H. Kan

The production of petroleum in Venezuela during 1931 was approximately 118,767,000 bbl., a decrease of 18,904,000 bbl., or 13.7 per cent, compared with the previous year. This is the first break in production, which has risen steadily since 1920, and is attributable to restriction of output and drilling operations, in harmony with lessened demand, rather than to any real decline in potential production. Venezuela ranked third among the world's producers, having lost second place to Russia. The Bolivar coastal fields, which were extended approximately 14 miles southward during the year, continued to supply most of the oil. La Concepcion, Los Manueles and Quiriquire all showed marked increases. A new field of light oil was discovered on the north coast near Puerto Cumarebo, State of Falcon. Exports declined 15.7 per cent, from 137,377,000 bbl. in 1930 to about 115,800,000 bbl. in 1931. Crude oil in storage at the end of the year amounted to 7,450,000 bbl., a decrease of 2,150,000 as compared with 1930. Tankage utilized is about 40 per cent of the available space. A drastic decline in drilling activity reduced the number of wells completed in producing areas from 401 in 1930 to 116 in 1931. Only three wells were drilled in the Lagunillas field proper, but, the amount of closed-in production and proven acreage gave assurance of a satisfactory potential output. Of the 1580 wells drilled to the close of 1931 in the producing areas of the Bolivar Coast, 631 were active and 853 were closed in; 96 had been abandoned. The status of the active wells at the end of 1931 was as follows: flowing, 331; pumping, 99; gas-air lift, 201. Producing wells closed in numbered 452; workovers, 8; totally inactive, 393. Lago Petroleum Corp. and Venezuela Gulf Oil Co. placed in operation the first units of their electric power plants, the former at Punta Gorda and the latter at Las Morochas, and are replacing steam power in their operations as rapidly as possible. Compressor stations were also installed for use in connection with air-gas lift operations. A considerable volume of gas was treated in gasoline extraction plants, the tail gas being recom-pressed and utilized together with natural high-pressure gas, for stimulation of production.

Jan 1, 1932

By O. Nomland

The work of The Bahrein Petroleum Company, Ltd., on Bahrein Island consisted mainly in continuing development work and prospecting previously reported. The exploratory work, however, has been greatly minimized and new wells are being drilled, chiefly for the development of larger production; 20 wells had been completed by the end of 1935 and 8 were being drilled. In addition to what has been referred to as the ''main pay," two deeper productive horizons have been discovered, which apparently will greatly increase the potential of the field although the areal extent of this lower production has not yet been determined. The proven acreage of the "main pay" is more than 12,500 acres. Current production (principally from the upper horizons) is about 13,400 bbl. a day. The construction of a 10,000-bb1.-a-day refinery has begun and is to be in operation by July, 1936. It is expected that the capacity will be considerably increased at a later date. The construction of office buildings and a permanent camp has been almost completed. In Saudi Arabia the California Arabian Standard Oil Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Standard Oil Company of California, spudded in a well in April, 1935, near the village of Dammam, on the Persian Gulf coast of A1 Hasa. Although several important showings of high-gravity oil and considerable gas have been found, the well is not yet considcred a commercial producer. Dammam well No. 2 has been started farther south on the same structure. A great deal of reconnaissance and some detailed geological work has been completed during the last three field seasons. In order to overcome difficulties of transportation over the desert sand, unusual methods have been used. The parlies penctrating the interior by the use of automobiles and trucks have been supplied with gasoline and provisions by caravans of camels. Mail and supp1ies of lighter weight urgently needed have been carried to the field men by an airplane operated by the geological division of the company. Each party has been supplied with a radio receiving and transmitting set to keep in contact with the airplane as well as with geological headquarters at Jubail on the coast of A1 Hasa.

Jan 1, 1936

By O. Nomland

The work of The Bahrein Petroleum Company, Ltd., on Bahrein Island consisted mainly in continuing development work and prospecting previously reported. The exploratory work, however, has been greatly minimized and new wells are being drilled, chiefly for the development of larger production; 20 wells had been completed by the end of 1935 and 8 were being drilled. In addition to what has been referred to as the ''main pay," two deeper productive horizons have been discovered, which apparently will greatly increase the potential of the field although the areal extent of this lower production has not yet been determined. The proven acreage of the "main pay" is more than 12,500 acres. Current production (principally from the upper horizons) is about 13,400 bbl. a day. The construction of a 10,000-bb1.-a-day refinery has begun and is to be in operation by July, 1936. It is expected that the capacity will be considerably increased at a later date. The construction of office buildings and a permanent camp has been almost completed. In Saudi Arabia the California Arabian Standard Oil Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Standard Oil Company of California, spudded in a well in April, 1935, near the village of Dammam, on the Persian Gulf coast of A1 Hasa. Although several important showings of high-gravity oil and considerable gas have been found, the well is not yet considcred a commercial producer. Dammam well No. 2 has been started farther south on the same structure. A great deal of reconnaissance and some detailed geological work has been completed during the last three field seasons. In order to overcome difficulties of transportation over the desert sand, unusual methods have been used. The parlies penctrating the interior by the use of automobiles and trucks have been supplied with gasoline and provisions by caravans of camels. Mail and supp1ies of lighter weight urgently needed have been carried to the field men by an airplane operated by the geological division of the company. Each party has been supplied with a radio receiving and transmitting set to keep in contact with the airplane as well as with geological headquarters at Jubail on the coast of A1 Hasa.

Jan 1, 1936

By L. C. Morganroth

Discussion of the paper of L. C. MORGANROTH, presented at the New York meeting, February, 1916, and printed in Bulletin No. 110, February, 1916, pp. 475 to 481. DAVID B. REGER, Morgantown, W. Va.-I notice in the third paragraph of the first page of the paper, that in mentioning the clays of the Pottsville series, the author says: "The bed of clay found in the latter formation is unique in that flint clay is practically restricted to it. (A variety of flint clay is occasionally found in these upper deposits but this is in such small amounts as to be negligible."). If the author wishes to confine himself to the fire clays of Pennsylvania, as the title seems to indicate, I have nothing to say, but if he wishes to include a discussion on fire clays of the adjoining States which the. subsequent paragraphs of his paper seem to indicate, then I wish to call attention to the fact that there are large and extensive deposits of fire clay in the Allegheny series, immediately overlying the Pottsville in the northern counties of West Virginia. These fire clays have been studied carefully, and described in several reports of the West Virginia Geological Survey, first in the report on Ohio, Brooke, and Hancock Counties, in the northern part of the State; described later ,in the report on Monongalia, Marion, and Taylor Counties, and in the report on Preston County, which followed. In these latter counties (Monongalia, Marion, Taylor, and Preston) there are some beds of fine fire clay, varying in thickness from 6 to 10 or 12 ft., with a content of only 2 or 3 per cent. of fluxing ingredients, and these are of the typical Savage Mountain appearance and also have the typical Savage Mountain fracture. They have been prospected, but not mined a great deal. Several of them have been tested in blast furnaces and furnaces for other purposes, in glass-manufacturing plants, also for firebrick, arid have been found to be very good. They are simply awaiting development, and I merely want to call attention to the fact that there are plenty of them in the Allegheny series still above the Pottsville in West Virginia. There are two or three valuable seams which I have seen in person and have had analyzed in our laboratory.

Jan 5, 1916

By R. G. Vardiman, M. R. Achter

THERE has been interest recently in the conditions under which dislocation pipe diffusion may be observed. In order to extend the measurements to temperatures below Tm/2, where pipe diffusion becomes more important, a chemical sectioning technique was developed for silver single crystals which makes possible the removal of layers of 100A or less. The procedure is briefly as follows. Silver single crystals of 99.995 pct purity were cut in the form of discs t by 4 in., electropolished, and electropolated with Ag110 to about 1000A thickness. The thickness was determined by calibrating the activity with the weight of heavier platings, up to 10,000A. Both diffused and undiffused samples were sectioned in a two-step process. Reaction with a solution of iodine in alcohol formed a thin, even layer of AgI, which was then dissolved in a KCN solution. The reaction rate of the iodine solution varied slightly over a period of time, so that the thickness of the stripped layers, while quite even and regular for a given specimen, ranged from 65 to l00W for different specimens. This variation was checked by using a thickly plated standard with each run. Layer thickness was determined from undiffused samples by the point where the layer activity drops to half the maximum. This maximum intensity also provides, with appropriate corrections, the initial concentration per layer co. Because of the small penetration distances, it is necessary to use the exact solution of Fick's law for a source of finite thickness.' For a plating of thick- where c is the concentration at depth x. flj the error function, D the apparent diffusion coefficient, and t the time. The diffusion coefficient was obtained from the concentration-penetration data by extrapolating to x = 0 where c/co = erf h/2(Dt)1/2 Enough points were taken to impart confidence in the accuracy of the intersection, generally about ten layers. Four temperatures were used as in Table I. For best accuracy, t and h were chosen to give values of the parameter (Dt)1/2/h between 1.0 and 1.7. A typical concentration-penetration curve is shown in Fig. 1. The diffusion coefficients calculated from Eq. [I] are plotted in Fig. 2. For comparison, the high-temperature data of Tomizuka and sonder 2 which go down to 630°C are plotted as the solid line 2(a) from their expression D = 0.40 exp (-44,090/RT). Also for comparison, the lowest temperature point of Hoffman and Tumbull3 is plotted. It is apparent that our data diverge appreciably from the high-temperature extrapolation by 373°C. A better straight line fit for the low-temperature portion is obtained by subtracting the extrapolated volume diffusion coefficient from the apparent. or measured coefficient, and plotting the difference, curve (h) of

Jan 1, 1970

By Howard Talbot

THE history of the development of the strip in- dustry, mentioned in this paper, was covered in considerable detail by Stephen Badlam in his paper presented. before the American Iron and Steel Institute at its meeting in New York last October. The description of progress in rolling strip there out-lined will be found good reading by anyone interested in the subject. Quoting from Mr. Badlam's paper, "For practically thirty years, we find no record of the use of the backing-roll principle, until in 1916 the Lukens Steel Co., Coatesville, Pa., put in a 206-in. plate mill of the four-high type. This was a reversing mill with two 32-in. working rolls and two 50-in. backing rolls and is today making the widest and heaviest plate made anywhere in the world." The functioning of this mill, though rolling hot plate, is, on account of the extreme width and thinness of plate rolled, quite comparable to the rolling of wide strip either hot or cold and was a considerable factor in demonstrating the marked advantages available with the four-high or backing-roll mill for thin accurate rolling. As the writer has brought out, a demand for a product, the rolling of which required the character-istics of the backing-roll mill, was broached by the In-ternational Nickel Co. This resulted in an inquiry of March, 1924, for the building of a mill capable of cold-rolling wide nickel and monel metal sheets or strip, as mentioned. It may be of some interest to note, that whereas the .six-roll cluster mill with plain bearings was built for this installation, the mill designed by the United En-gineering and Foundry Co. for this inquiry was of the four-high type with roller bearings on the backing-roll necks, being essentially the same design as the four-high roller-bearing mill built in 1925 for the Rome Brass & Copper Co. This Rome mill, to quote again from Mr. Badlam's paper, "fulfilled every requirement, and was the model on which succeeding mills of this type were built."

Jan 5, 1928

By H. F. Miller

Fox some years the prejudice against basic open-hearth steel for casting has been gradually decreasing. Yet many consumers and engineers still cling to acid steel for castings, because of their alleged greater freedom from blow-holes and sponginess. Acid steel has been used for this purpose much longer than basic steel; and the melters in acid practice had it well in hand when basic steel was first tried. Then the necessity of learning a new set of laws for the production of satisfactory basic open-hearth steel for castings became evident. The first of these laws, in my opinion, has to do with the furnace construction. The heat should be melted down as speedily as possible so as to prevent excessive oxidation. I have described in another article ' some furnaces designed by me, and having as one of their features the promotion of quick melting. Size of the Furnace. The hearth of the furnace, however, is a decisive factor in the production of solid castings. The manufacturer should know the size of the heats he intends to make constantly, and should have his furnace built for that size of heat. The hearth should differ in dimensions from that of a furnace making ingotr steel. That is, the bath should be deeper and should have less surface-area. A shallow bath permits the slag to come out soon after the steel commences to flow, and thus prevents the additions from going into the steel, or from becoming uniformly distributed in case they have been put in hurriedly. Under this head comes the very poor practice of making small heats in hearths of a much larger capacity. If into a 25-or 30-ton furnace only 12 or 15 tons of metal is charged per heat, the proportion of heats that will be wild, or show signs

Jan 1, 1913

THE gold medal of the Mining and Metallurgical Society of America was presented, on Jan. 10, 1922, to Charles Warren Goodale, "for signal services in furthering the welfare and safety of workers in the mining and metallurigical industries of America." The presentation was made by Dr. J. E. Spurr, presi-dent of the Society for the year 1921, at the annual meeting held in New York City. Dr. Van H. Manning, formerly director of the U. S. Bureau of Mines, made the first address. Toward the close of his brief speech, he said, "It has happily been suggested, ?Let us balance our praise of war heroes by pausing to honor a hero of peace.' We have with us tonight a man who has been a leader and inspirer of thousands of his contemporaries. . . . His zeal in the great work of increasing the safety of men engaged in mining and metallurgical operations has become an obsession with him. . . . That lie has been success-ful is evidenced by the great work, of which I have personal and intimate knowledge, done by him in con-nection with the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. and its subsidiaries." Dr. J. F. Kemp gave a brief sketch of Mr. Goodale's career, in the course of which he said, in speaking of .the consolidation of the Boston and Montana, the Anaconda, and smaller companies, "at the same time electric current was introduced for haulage in the mines and on the surface for the running of air compressors and the hoisting of the cage. . . . We can see that there was great danger to the miner and that safety first became a very important feature of the work. . . .

Jan 2, 1922

NEW MEMBERS. The following list comprises the names of those persons who became members during the months of July and August, 1913: Members. ALDERSON, VICTOR C., Prest. of Colorado School of Mines :.Golden, Colo. ALLEN, JOSEPH W., Secy. & Treas. International S. & R. Co;, 42 Broadway, New York, N. Y. AMMON, ROBERT, Chief Sampler B. & M. Reduction Wks., Anaconda Copper Min.Co., Great Falls, Mont. BARBER, RAYMOND J., Min. Engr 234 Newbury St., Boston, Mass. BARDWELL, EARL S., Genl. Concen rator Foreman Boston & Mont. Reduction Plant, Great Falls; Mont.

Jan 9, 1913

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEES OF LOCAL SECTIONS New York LOUIS D. HUNTOON, Chairman. ARTHUR S. DWIGHT, Vice-Chairman. THOMAS T. READ, Secretary, Woolworth Bldg., New York, N. Y. E. MALTBY SHIPP. Treasurer. GEORGE F. KUNZ, W. DE L. BENEDICT. Boston ROBERT H. RICHARDS, Chairman. ALBERT SAUVEUR, Vice-Chairman. AUGUSTUS H. EUSTIS, Secretary-Treasurer, 131 State St., Boston, Mass. TIMOTHY W. SPRAGUE, HENRY A. WENTWORTH. Columbia F. A. THOMSON, Chairman. GEORGE W. RODDEWIG, Vice-Chairman. LYNDON K. ARMSTRONG, Secretary-Treasurer, P. O. Drawer 2154, Spokane, Wash. R. S. McCAFFERY. S. H. RICHARDSON.

Jan 3, 1914

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEES OF LOCAL SECTIONS New York LOUIS D. HUNTOON, Chairman. ARTHUR S. DWIGHT, Vice-Chairman. THOMAS T. READ, Secretary, Woolworth Bldg., New York, N. Y. E. MALTBY SHIPP, Treasurer. GEORGE F. KUNZ. W. DE L. BENEDICT. Boston ROBERT H. RICHARDS, Chairman. ALBERT SAUVEUR, Vice-Chairman. AUGUSTUS H. EUSTIS, Secretary-Treasurer, 131 State St., Boston, Mass. TIMOTHY W. SPRAGUE, HENRY A. WENTWORTH. Columbia F. A. THOMSON, Chairman. GEORGE W. RODDEWIG, Vice-Chairman. LYNDON K. ARMSTRONG, Secretary-Treasurer, P. 0. Drawer 2154, Spokane, Wash. R. S. McCAFFERY, S. H. RICHARDSON.

Jan 4, 1914

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEES OF LOCAL SECTIONS New York L. W. FRANCIS, Chairman, WILLARD S. MORSE, Vice-Chairman. THOMAS T. READ, Secretary, Woolworth Bldg., New York, N. Y. P. A. MOSMAN, Treasurer. LOUIS D. HUNTOON. WILLIAM A. POMEROY. Boston HENRY L. SMYTH, Chairman. ALFRED C. LANE, Vice-Chairman. AUGUSTUS H. EUSTIS, Secretary-Treasurer, 131 State St., Boston, Mass. ROBERT H. RICHARDS, ALBERT SAUVEUR. Columbia F. A. THOMSON, Chairman. GEORGE W. RODDEWIG, Vice-Chairman. LYNDON K. ARMSTRONG, Secretary-Treasurer, P. O. Drawer 2154, Spokane, Wash. R. S. McCAFFERY, S. H. RICHARDSON.

Jan 11, 1914

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEES OF LOCAL SECTIONS New York LOUIS D. HUNTOON, Chairman. ARTHUR S. DWIGHT, Vice-Chairman. THOMAS T. READ, Secretary, Woolworth Bldg., New York, N. Y. E. MALTBY SHIPP. Treasurer. GEORGE F. KUNZ, W. De L. BENEDICT. Boston ROBERT H. RICHARDS, Chairman. ALBERT SAUVEUR, Vice-Chairman. AUGUSTUS H. EUSTIS, Secretary-Treasurer, 131 State St., Boston, Mass. TIMOTHY W. SPRAGUE. HENRY A. WENTWORTH. Columbia F. A. THOMSON, Chairman. GEORGE W. RODDEWIG, Vice-Chairman. LYNDON K. ARMSTRONG, Secretary-Treasurer. P. O. Drawer 2154, Spokane, Wash. R. S. McCAFFERY. S. H. RICHARDSON.

Jan 5, 1914

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEES OF LOCAL SECTIONS New York L. W. FRANCIS, Chairman, WILLARD S. MORSE, Vice-Chairman. THOMAS T. READ, Secretary, Woolworth Bldg., New York, N. Y. P. A. MOSMAN, Treasurer. LOUIS D. HUNTOON. WILLIAM A. POMEROY. Boston HENRY L. SMYTH, Chairman. ALFRED C. LANE, Vice-Chairman. AUGUSTUS H. EUSTIS, Secretary-Treasurer, 131 State St., Boston, Mass. ROBERT H. RICHARDS,. ALBERT SAUVEUR. Columbia F. A.. THOMSON, Chairman. GEORGE W. RODDEWIG, Vice-Chairman. LYNDON K. ARMSTRONG, Secretary-Treasurer, P. O. Drawer 2154, Spokane, Wash. R. S. McCAFFERY, S. H. RICHARDSON.

Jan 12, 1914

By J. W. Snavely

THE high tension belt conveyor is introducing a new and tremendously expanded era of low cost bulk material handling. High tension belt conveyors are generally those installations involving very long centers, high lifts, or drops, in which the belts are stressed up to their maximum tension values, and further, where the belt construction provides tension capacity far beyond what is possible with conventional belt constructions. With these high tension installations, the magnitude of the forces involved demands careful refinement of accepted design practice in order to achieve optimum balance of all factors. No attempt will be made to evaluate the relative merits of belt conveyor haulage with other means of transportation. For present purposes, it is assumed this has already been done in favor of belt conveyor. Neither will any attempt be made to evaluate the various conveyor belt constructions now available or to balance the advantages of various types of mechanical equipment. It is also assumed that the basic haulage information on which the conveyor design is based is accurate and complete. A sustained maximum, uniform load on the belt at all times must be achieved through proper feed control and the use of adequate surge storage to level the peaks and valleys of any varying demand for the material being handled. General Belt Capacity Considerations The belt conveyor capacity tables published by various belting and conveyor equipment manufacturers vary to a considerable degree, and the ratings given are quite conservative. Of necessity, these published ratings are based on the handling of average materials under average conditions. In applying a high tension belt, all possible capacity from the belt must be obtained in order to hold its width to a minimum and thereby limit the initial cost. Two factors are involved, loading to maximum cross section area and traveling at a maximum practical speed. Belt Loading: Proper treatment of the loading of the belt will result in maximum cross section to the load, and published capacity ratings can be exceeded, sometimes by appreciable margins. On the 10-mile conveyor haul used in the construction of Shasta Dam, California, although the rated capacity of the belt line was 1100 tons per hr, at times the system handled peak loads of 1400 tons per hr, almost 25 pct better than the rated capacity. One of the large coal companies has been able to exceed rated capacity by as much as 50 pct. Loading conditions which must be controlled are: 1. Large lumps must be scalped off and rejected or the load must be primary crushed before being placed on the belt. 2. The material weight per cubic foot must be accurate, must be known for all the materials being handled, and must be known for the complete range of conditions of the individual material being handled. Long centers and high lifts magnify small differences into serious proportions. 3. Uniform feeding to the belt is most important. Various types of feeders are available, which can be used to place a constant predetermined volume of material on the belt, or, where an appreciable range of material weight exists, through electrical control actuated by current demand, to place a predetermined uniform tonnage on the belt. One long slope belt in a coal mine in Pennsylvania is being fed at three separate stations with the controls so arranged that whenever the maximum load is going onto the belt from the first station, the other two stations automatically cut out. Whenever the load from the first station drops back, the other two stations again automatically cut in. 4. Careful design of the chutes and skirts is necessary to get the load centered on the belt with a minimum of free margin along each edge. Some free margin at the edge of the belt is necessary to prevent spillage, but if the load can be kept accurately centered, this free margin area can be reduced, and more material can be carried on the belt. What can be accomplished in this respect will vary widely, depending on the nature of the material being hauled. The chute and skirt design must also protect the belt. 5. The design of chutes and skirts should also get the load traveling in the same direction and close to belt speed, so that the load comes to rest on the belt as quickly as possible. The design of the chutes and skirts is worthy of careful study, and after a system is put into operation it should be experimented with to get the best results. Belt Speed: High belt speeds should be used in high tension work. Obviously, high belt speeds enable haulage on a narrower belt, reducing initial cost. The major portion of belt wear takes place at the loading point and around the terminal pulleys. The

Jan 1, 1952

By Dale S. Preece

INTRODUCTION In 1975 Congress passed the Energy Conservation Act to establish a U. S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) with a capacity of 750 million barrels of crude oil. The most economic storage medium was determined to be salt caverns leached in salt domes in Louisiana and Texas. Salt caverns existed at several sites when the reserve was created. These were obtained by the U. S. Department of Energy (DOE) and used to initiate SPR oil storage. In order to meet the storage capacity approved by Congress, new caverns also had to be leached. To support the resulting design effort, finite element computer programs have been used to determine the creep closure and structural stability of salt caverns Using site specific material properties including creep models, elastic moduli and fracture data, the finite element analyses have replaced earlier empirical approaches to cavern design. This report presents results of such finite element analyses to determine the best cavern roof shape and the minimum pillar to diameter ratio, P/D. These numerical predictions indicate that the current cavern design is safe. FINITE ELEMENT AND MATERIAL MODELING The finite element program used in this study has existed for approximately four years. Its theoritical basis (Key, et al, 1980) and application are well documented It was originally developed to predict the creep around mined openings In bedded rock salt for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) The program was tested by modeling the creep of salt around a drift and by comparing the results with the predictions of eight other structural computer codes (Morgan, et al, 1981) Since then the program has had continual use for calculations to support the WIPP (Miller, et al, 1982) For about two years the

Jan 1, 1984

By W. N. Tanner

The wire-rope hoisting conditions at the mines of the Anaconda Coppcr Mining Co. in Butte, Mont, are very severe because of the conditions under which it is necessary to operate. A study was made, in the fall of 1919, for the purpose of changing these conditions in order to obtain longer rope and sheave life. There are at present in Butte hoisting engines equipped with wire rope as follows: 9 main hoists using flat ropes. 7 main hoists using 1 1/2-in. rope. 5 main hoists using 11/4-in. rope. 6 shafts using 11/8-in. rope. 2 chippy hoists using 11/4-in. rope. 9 chippy hoists using 11/8-in. rope. 15 shafts using 1-in. rope. 7 shafts using 7/8-in. rope. 1 shaft using 3/4-in. rope. In addition, there are a number of sinking engines wing 5/8-in, 3/4-in., 7/8-in., and 1-in. (15.9, 10, 22, and 25 mm) rope. THe flat ropes run from 1/2 by 71/2 in. (12.7 by 1905 mm.) to-3/8 by 4 1/2-in (9.5 by 114 mm.) and are used on the older hoisting engines, which arc set comparatively close to the shaft. Because of swelling and moving ground at some of the shafts, these ropes present certain difficulties ill operation that are more pronounced than with round ropes; they are, therefore, being superseded by round ropes as newer engines are being installed. They are, however, much more easily inspected and repaired than round ropes. In general, the practice in Butte is to use hoisting engines equipped with 12-ft. (3 7 m.) cast-iron drums, smooth faced, for 11/2-in. rope and 6-ft. cast-iron drums, smooth faced, lagged with 3/8-in. steel plate for 11/4 l1/8 and 1-in. (31.7, 28.6, 25 mm.) rope in main and chippy shafts. Cast-iron head sheaves, 12, 10, and 6 ft. in diameter, with grooves

Jan 1, 1923

By W. N. Tanner

The wire-rope hoisting conditions at the mines of the Anaconda Coppcr Mining Co. in Butte, Mont, are very severe because of the conditions under which it is necessary to operate. A study was made, in the fall of 1919, for the purpose of changing these conditions in order to obtain longer rope and sheave life. There are at present in Butte hoisting engines equipped with wire rope as follows: 9 main hoists using flat ropes. 7 main hoists using 1 1/2-in. rope. 5 main hoists using 11/4-in. rope. 6 shafts using 11/8-in. rope. 2 chippy hoists using 11/4-in. rope. 9 chippy hoists using 11/8-in. rope. 15 shafts using 1-in. rope. 7 shafts using 7/8-in. rope. 1 shaft using 3/4-in. rope. In addition, there are a number of sinking engines wing 5/8-in, 3/4-in., 7/8-in., and 1-in. (15.9, 10, 22, and 25 mm) rope. THe flat ropes run from 1/2 by 71/2 in. (12.7 by 1905 mm.) to-3/8 by 4 1/2-in (9.5 by 114 mm.) and are used on the older hoisting engines, which arc set comparatively close to the shaft. Because of swelling and moving ground at some of the shafts, these ropes present certain difficulties ill operation that are more pronounced than with round ropes; they are, therefore, being superseded by round ropes as newer engines are being installed. They are, however, much more easily inspected and repaired than round ropes. In general, the practice in Butte is to use hoisting engines equipped with 12-ft. (3 7 m.) cast-iron drums, smooth faced, for 11/2-in. rope and 6-ft. cast-iron drums, smooth faced, lagged with 3/8-in. steel plate for 11/4 l1/8 and 1-in. (31.7, 28.6, 25 mm.) rope in main and chippy shafts. Cast-iron head sheaves, 12, 10, and 6 ft. in diameter, with grooves

Jan 1, 1923

By G. W. P. Rengstorff

In an effort to find an oxidation-resistant alloy of molybdenum, binary and ternary alloys containing aluminum, chromium, cobalt, iron, nickel, silicon, titanium, tungsten, vanadium, and zirconium were screened. Fourteen other alloying additions were also tested. Many of the alloys were more oxidation-resistant than molybdenum, but none were entirely satisfactory. MOLYBDENUM oxidizes extremely rapidly above 1450°F in air. At 1800°F, a loss of metal at the rate of 0.1 in. in 4 hr is typical. The high speed of this oxidation may be judged by comparison with the oxidation rate of 0.1 in. per year (0.00005 in. in 4 hr), sometimes taken as the maximum permissible oxidation rate at 1800°F for a satisfactory Fe-Cr-Ni alloy. Great strides have been made in the development of coatings and cladding to protect molybdenum from oxidizing atmospheres. These developments in surface protection will undoubtedly make it possible to take advantage of the excellent hot strength of molybdellum and its alloys in many new applications. Still, even the best coating can protect molybdenum only as long as the surface layer is unbroken. Research was undertaken to determine whether an alloy of molybdenum could be found which would resist oxidation. Such an alloy would not deteriorate suddenly when the protective surface layer was destroyed in a small area. In seeking an alloy of molybdenum to resist oxidation, the physical properties of molybdenum could not be sacrificed entirely. The development of an alloy with the desired resistance to oxidation was not achieved. The information obtained on the effect of a large number of elements on the oxidation of molybdenum is, however, of value in the development of coatings. Indeed, many of the alloys tested for oxidation resistance were already known to have poor mechanical properties but were tested to aid in the development of coatings. Oxidation of Molybdenum The rapid oxidation of molybdenum is usually attributed to the volatility of Moo,,. Gulbransen and Wysong have shown that molybdenum oxidizes very slowly up to 850°F, the temperature at which the oxide film begins to evaporate. Melting as well as evaporation of molybdenum oxides promotes the oxidation of molybdenum. MoO melts at 1465°F. MOO, the oxide which is believed to form at the metal-oxide interface, combines with MoO, to form a eutectic having a melting point of 1432°F.' The liquid oxide, even if nonvolatile, could cause poor resistance to oxidation by allowing easy transport of molybdenum and oxygen ions through the oxide. Actually, a sudden increase in the rate of oxidation of molybdenum at 1460°F has been observed to coincide with the appearance of a liquid phase. The formation of a volatile oxide is not unique with molybdenum. The problem is also encountered with vanadium, tungsten, and some of the Pt-Pd group of metals. Vanadium not only forms the volatile V2O3 but, like molybdenum, forms a liquid oxide coating. Few attempts have been made, however, to prevent the rapid oxidation of these metals by alloying. Oxidation of Molybdenum Alloys At the beginning of this work, very little was known of the oxidation resistance of molybdenum alloys. It was known that molybdenum disilicide (with 37 pct Si) has extremely good oxidation resistance,' but this compound is so brittle that it has few uses. It is an effective protective coating for molybdenum when allowance can be made for its brittleness. Chromium was known to retard the oxidation of molybdenum,' but at least 50 pct Cr was necessary to have an appreciable effect. Other, unpublished, reports show that a few other alloys have been given preliminary tests, but the results have not been promising." Choice of Alloys to be Investigated An alloying element might be expected to protect molybdenum in either of two ways: Its oxide might combine with molybdenum oxide to form a stable, nonvolatile complex oxide (a molybdate); or the oxide of the alloying element might form in preference to molybdenum oxide, developing an impervious layer which would prevent the formation of a volatile molybdenum oxide. The knowledge available about the formation of molybdates was meager. Therefore, the initial study was made on alloys of molybdenum with elements having especially stable oxides. On this basis, binary and ternary alloys containing the following six elements were investigated: aluminum, chromium, titanium, zirconium, silicon, and vanadium. Nickel was also added as an alloying element. Although it does not form a more stable oxide than molybdenum, it does impart some oxidation resistance to copper and iron. Its inclusion in the study was fortunate because its alloys proved to be the most promising of those first tested. Apparently nickel formed a stable molybdate. Because nickel was effective in reducing the oxidation rate of molybdenum, the elements iron, cobalt, and tungsten were added to the list. The ten alloying elements mentioned form ten binary and 45 ternary alloying systems with molybdenum. A series of alloys was tested in each of these systems. In addition, at least one test was made on the effect of each of the following alloying elements:

Jan 1, 1957

By H. S. Coe, G. H. Clevenger

Engineers have long recognized the desirability of correlating the data obtained from small-scale slime-scttling tests with commercial work as carried on in large tanks. This need, though most apparent in designing new installations, frequently arises also in existent plants, since a large range of experimental work can be performed without interfering with regular operation. General Settling Phenomena In order to develop rational methods of laboratory testing, it becomes necessary to study the general phenomena of settling. Since it was desired to give the public the benefit of these methods at as early a date as possible, together with the knowledge of the general principles of slime settling necessary for a clear understanding of the laboratory tests, we have ventured to discuss the subject in so far as brought out by the work which we now have under way. We realize that certain of our preliminary conclusions may be subject to modification, but it seems probable that, with but few exceptions, the general laws enunciated will cover the settling behavior of all pulps encountered in metallurgical plants. However, it must be recognized that there is still a vast amount of work to be done upon certain phases of the subject; therefore, at this time we will attempt only a discussion of the behavior of ore pulps during the process of settling or dewatering, under certain given conditions. The laws and principles controlling these conditions are not fully established, so that a complete discussion of them will not be attempted in this paper. In metallurgical practice, slime pulp consists of water, finely divided sand

Jan 1, 1917