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By S. A. Shoop, J. J. K. Daemen

Site-specific blast vibration prediction can be more accurate than using a universal prediction equation. Vibrations from 37 blasts were monitored using three seismographs. Data analysis showed that square root, cube root, and site-specific scaling predicted ground motion with equal reliability. Imprecise prediction is caused by geologic and blast variability, particularly, inaccurate delay times. Vibrations at some mines were consistently lower or higher than vibrations predicted from US Bureau of Mines (USBM) equations. Vibration restrictions based on USBM studies could then be too conservative or too lenient. Predominant vibration frequencies were generally less than 50 Hz, but several blasts had significant energy up to 125 Hz. In some cases, energy was concentrated at frequencies corresponding to delay intervals.

Jan 1, 1985

TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND MEMBERS Of THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF MINING AND METALLURGICAL ENGINEERS GENTLEMEN Submitted herewith are the reports of the Treasurer for the year 1947 and the reports of the following standing committees Membership, Admissions, Papers and Publications, MINING AND METALLURGY (Magazine), and Library 75th Anniversary Celebration The founding of the Institute at Wilkes-Barre, Pa, in 1871, vas appropriately commemorated by a three-day Celebration, March 17, 18 and 19, 1947, at The Waldorf-Astoria, in New York City The Celebration had been scheduled for the preceding September but had been postponed, perforce, because of conflict with meetings of the Assembly of the United Nations The Celebration immediately preceded the Annual Meeting which was deferred from the usual February dates The proceedings took the form of a "World Conference on Mineral Resources " More than three thousand people, including eight hundred ladies, participated in the proceedings in one way or another Twenty-eight foreign countries were represented, some of them by five or six individual delegates Likewise, official representatives were designated by fifty institutions of higher learning in the United States A special 820-page Anniversary Volume entitled "Seventy-five Years. of Progress in the Mineral Industry,".(which

Jan 1, 1952

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Jan 1, 1938

By A. M. Kivari

Operations at the cement plant of the Permanente Corporation, in the hills about 45 miles south of San Francisco and 12 miles west of San Jose, are interesting to the members because of the adoption of modern hydrometallurgical methods for handling and beneficiating raw materials. Closed-circuit grinding, classification, hy-droseparation, flotation, agitation, and thickening are familiar terms at this cement plant. These methods make it possible to process refractory limestone into suitable materials for the mallufacture of modern cements. Construction of the plant, having originally a design capacity of 7000 bbl. of cement per day, was started in June 1939, and the first clinker was ground on the following Christmas Day. At present the capacity is about 12,000 bbl. of finished cement per 24 hr., most of the production being low-heat cement. † About 3I30 tons of limestone, 620 tons of clay and I00 tons of gypsum are required daily for this output. Occasionally iron oxide is added to the clay to obtain the desired composition. This, together with the gypsum, is purchased from outside sources. up to the present time, the ccrporation has produced low-heat, normal, moderate-heat, moderate-sulphate-resisting, high-early-strength, oil-well, modihed-oil-well, and plastic cements. Most of the present production is for Shasta Dam, near Red- ding, Calif., the total demand being 5,800,000 bbl. of cement. Following are some of the cement require ments of the Shasta Dam specifications: Per Cent Chemical composition: Loss in ignition.......... 2.25 Insoluble residue......... 0.75 SO3.................... 2.25 MgO................... 5.'' Uncombined lime in clinker (CaO)......... I.25 Percentage of iron oxide to alumina ratio....... I.5 Compound composition: Tricalcium silicate (3CaO.SiO2)........... Not more than 35 Dicalcium silicate (zCaO.SiO2)........... Not less than 40 and not more than 65 Tricalcium aluminate (3CaO.Al2O3).......... Not more than 7 Tetracalcium aluminofcr- rite (4CaO.Al²O³.Fe²O³) Not more than 20 Fineness: The average specific surface in the bin sampled shall be not less than 1800 sq. cm. per gram and no individual sample less than 1600 sq. centimeters. Compressive strength: The average compressive strength in pounds per square inch of three mortar cubes composed of one part cement and 2.75 parts fine testing sand, by weight, shall be equal to or greater than the following:

Jan 1, 1942

By A. M. Kivari

Operations at the cement plant of the Permanente Corporation, in the hills about 45 miles south of San Francisco and 12 miles west of San Jose, are interesting to the members because of the adoption of modern hydrometallurgical methods for handling and beneficiating raw materials. Closed-circuit grinding, classification, hy-droseparation, flotation, agitation, and thickening are familiar terms at this cement plant. These methods make it possible to process refractory limestone into suitable materials for the mallufacture of modern cements. Construction of the plant, having originally a design capacity of 7000 bbl. of cement per day, was started in June 1939, and the first clinker was ground on the following Christmas Day. At present the capacity is about 12,000 bbl. of finished cement per 24 hr., most of the production being low-heat cement. † About 3I30 tons of limestone, 620 tons of clay and I00 tons of gypsum are required daily for this output. Occasionally iron oxide is added to the clay to obtain the desired composition. This, together with the gypsum, is purchased from outside sources. up to the present time, the ccrporation has produced low-heat, normal, moderate-heat, moderate-sulphate-resisting, high-early-strength, oil-well, modihed-oil-well, and plastic cements. Most of the present production is for Shasta Dam, near Red- ding, Calif., the total demand being 5,800,000 bbl. of cement. Following are some of the cement require ments of the Shasta Dam specifications: Per Cent Chemical composition: Loss in ignition.......... 2.25 Insoluble residue......... 0.75 SO3.................... 2.25 MgO................... 5.'' Uncombined lime in clinker (CaO)......... I.25 Percentage of iron oxide to alumina ratio....... I.5 Compound composition: Tricalcium silicate (3CaO.SiO2)........... Not more than 35 Dicalcium silicate (zCaO.SiO2)........... Not less than 40 and not more than 65 Tricalcium aluminate (3CaO.Al2O3).......... Not more than 7 Tetracalcium aluminofcr- rite (4CaO.Al²O³.Fe²O³) Not more than 20 Fineness: The average specific surface in the bin sampled shall be not less than 1800 sq. cm. per gram and no individual sample less than 1600 sq. centimeters. Compressive strength: The average compressive strength in pounds per square inch of three mortar cubes composed of one part cement and 2.75 parts fine testing sand, by weight, shall be equal to or greater than the following:

Jan 1, 1942

NEW MEMBERS The following list comprises the names of those persons who became members during the period Dec. 10, 1918, to Jan. 10, 1919. ADAMS, W. W., Mine Supt., Cia. Minera Paloma y Cabrillas, Higueras,,Coah., Mexico. ANKENY, CLEMENT W., Golden Cycle Min. & Reduction Co., Colorado Springs, Colo. ARGUE, WILLIAM H Mech. Engr., Ohio Brass Co;, Mansfield, Ohio. ARTHUR, WALTER Chem. and Met., Garford Motor Truck Co., Lima, Ohio. BANGSER, WILLIAM, Supt., Treatment Dept., Bethlehem Steel CO., Bethlehem, Pa. BEACH, C: S Asst. Supt. and Engr., Kemmerer Coal Co., Frontier, Wyo. BEAVER, A. B., Chem. and Engr. of Tests, National Cash Register Co., Dayton, Ohio. BORRIES, WILLIAM J., Min. Engr., Gen'l Mgr., American Zinc & Slate Co., Picher, Okla. BOTSFORD, CLARENCE A., Acting Gen'1 Mgr., Mogollon Mines Co., Mogollon, N. M. BOTSFORD, GEORGE B., Asst. Supt., Sunrise Iron Mines, Colorado Fuel &. Iron Co., Sunrise,. Wyo. COLLINS, GEORGE N., Mine Shift Boss, New York & Honduras Rosario Min. Co., San Juancito, Honduras, Central America. COTS, HOMER, Resident Engr., Arkansas and Oklahoma Dist., Central Coal & Coke Co., Huntington, Ark. CRICHTON, WALTER CREIG, Min.. Engr., 20S Charleston National Bank, Charleston, W. Va.

Jan 2, 1919

By Jos D. Weeks

On the extreme fringe of' the great Appalachian coal-basin is a long narrow detached coal-field, which is, in some respects, one of the most important in the United States. This field, about 90 miles long by 2½ to 16 miles wide, extends from the southwest corner of Somerset county, Pennsylvania, through Allegany and Garrett counties, Maryland, Mineral, Grant and Tucker counties, West Virginia, into Randolph county, West Virginia. In this distance four distinct sub-districts are recognized, the Wellersburg in Pennsylvania, the Cumberland-Georges creek in Maryland, and the Elk Garden and the Upper Potomac in West Virginia. The output of coal from the whole field including steam, domestic, smithing and coking-coal of the best quality, is about 4,500,000 tons annually. It is the nearest to tide-water of all the bituminous coal-fields which supply the great coal-markets of the Northern Atlantic seaboard ;

Jan 1, 1895

By W. H. Emmons

INTRODUCTION THE deposition of metalliferous lode systems takes place at considerable depths and no one may observe the process. We see only the end results of the process and from these we seek to construct a theory that will account for them. Because there is an obvious relation between many lode systems and intrusive igneous masses, it is a natural inference that they have formed by fluids that were expelled from such masses. The metalliferous lode systems have been deposited by ascending thermal fluids that have risen mainly from great irregular bodies of intruding magmas which are called batholiths. Probably 95 per cent of such lode systems have formed in connection with acidic or "granitic" batholiths and probably less than 5 per cent have formed in connection with basic intrusives. The study of lode ores, therefore, should include the study of the intrusion and differentiation of the batholith. It was noted long ago1 that certain tin-bearing deposits are commonly associated with small stocks. That small stocks are cupolas of larger intrusive masses has generally been recognized. Butler,2 in his studies of the ore deposits of Utah, showed that the chief deposits in Utah are in and near the stocks; that is near the "apically truncated

Jan 1, 1933

By T. G. Digges, C. L. Vold, M. R. Achter

A study was made of the effect of the growth conditions on the perfection of single crystals of niobium (columbium). Dislocation densities, determined by means of double-crystal diffractometer measurements , were not greatly affected by the method of crystal preparation but could be reduced by annealing treatments. However, the size, sharpness, and tilt angles of the substructures, observed with X-ray reflection macrograph, were sensitive to variations in growth procedures as well as to subsequent thermal treatments. Although the dislocation density was the same in both types, there were more low-angle bound-aries in crystals grown by zone melting than in those prepared by strain anneal. Mechanisms to account for these observations are discussed in terms of dislocation movements. A planned study of the structure-sensitive properties of refractory metals required the use of single crystals of a high degree of structural perfection and, for ease of handling, of large cross section. It appeared that the strain-anneal technique could satisfy both of these requirements. First, crystals grown in the solid state have been reported to be more perfect than those obtained from the melt.' Second, the diameters of rods which may be produced by zone melting should have a theoretical limit determined by specific gravity, thermal conductivity, and surface tension, while the diameter of strain-annealed rods is limited only by practical considerations. Previously it was shown that niobium (columbium) single crystals of 1 in. diam2 may be grown by strain anneal, compared to the 0.5 in. maximum diameter achieved by zone melting, as reported for molybdenum by Belk.3 The current research was undertaken to investigate and optimize the effect of various process variables on the perfection of 1/4 and 1/2-in.-diam niobium single crystals grown by strain annealing and to compare their perfection to those grown by zone melting. Characterization of these crystals was more conveniently accomplished by means of X-ray than by metallo-graphic techniques. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Specimen Preparation. Zone-melted crystals of 1/4 in. diam were produced by the standard electron-beam zone-melting technique. The swaged and cleaned rods were outgassed, in the solid state at a temperature near its melting point, at a rate of 12 in. per hr, and single crystals were grown by making two molten passes at 2 in. per hr. By maintaining a zone length of 4 to % in., very uniform single crystals several inches long were obtained. For the strain-annealed crystals, an induction heater was used, in preference to other types of heating, to take advantage of the good penetration of large sections. A five-turn coil, 1 in. long, operating at 10 kc and powered by a motor generator, was contained in a vacuum chamber. The rod, suspended from the upper end, was raised through the coil for both recrystallization and crystal growth. In preliminary work single crystals of the same material were also grown with single and multiturn coils powered by a 450-kc generator. A vacuum of 2 X 10-6 Torr was maintained at temperatures up to 2400°C. Starting with electron-beam-melted ingots of 21/2 in. diam, the analysis for which is given in Table I, the material was cold-swaged to the desired cross section of 1/4 and 1/2 in. diam and then recrystallized. The rods were then strained in a tensile machine and converted to single crystals by passing through the induction coil. As with zone melting, control of orientation is possible by the use of special procedures. Other investigators, see for example Williamson and smallman,4 have reported that orientation control may be achieved by a bending technique. In the present work the strained rod is partially lowered through the coil to start the growth of the crystal. Then it is removed and bent at a point in the poly crystalline portion. Finally, it is returned to the chamber and growth is continued "around the corner". This procedure has certain limitations. If the bending operation exceeds the critical strain, recrystallization may take place. Also, the amount of bending which can be imparted to the rod is limited by coil geometry, and up to now has been 10 deg. However, by repeating the bending and growing operations it should be possible to attain any desired orientation. In preparation for X-ray examination, single crystals were sectioned and planed by means of the spark-erosion technique. To obtain the maximum reflected intensity, the (110) plane was exposed for examination. They were then etched 3 to 5 min in a mixture of con-

Jan 1, 1967

By W. C. Hagel, H. J. Beattie

Seven austenitic alloys of varions base compositions and minor-alloy additions were solution-treated, aged systematically between 1200oand 1800oF, and examined by X-ray and electron metallography. Intragranular preczpitations of µ, Laves, s, ?', Ni3Ti, and x phases were observed as a function of composition and aging time and temperatwre. Phase solubility limits were detevtnitzed within 100Fo intervals. These inter metallic compounds fall into two distinct general classes, and whichever class predomznates depends on base composition. It has become increasingly evident that multicom-ponent austenitic alloys are well characterized by their precipitation processes. Since certain groups of elements act as one, the relationships among these processes are reasonably simple; complete identification of such processes is usually attainable by a systematic aging study with a combination of techniques centered on microscopy and diffraction. Several nickel- and cobalt-base alloys illustrating cellular precipitation and its interaction with general precipitation were reported previously.1 The group of alloys covered in the present paper demonstrates precipitation-hardening reactions involving two distinct classes of intermetallic compounds where the predominating class appears to depend on base composition. This dependency ties in with a crystal-chemistry regularity first observed some twenty years ago by Laves and Wallbaum but never amplified to our knowledge. Results of electron-microscope and X-ray diffraction studies on systematically aged hot-rolled alloys known commercially as S-816, S-590, Rene-41, Incoloy-901, M-308, and M-647 are reported here. Some of these alloys have previously undergone minor-phase analyses by other investiators. Alloy S-816 was investigated by Rosenbaum, Lane and Grant,3 and Weeton and Signorelli.4 Rosenbaum found only CbC in hot-rolled bars. Lane and Grant found CbC and a small amount of M6C in the cast structure and stated that both carbides form during aging, most of the precipitation being CbC. Weeton and Signorelli found CbC, M23C6 and a weak indication of a phase after a slow step-down cooling cycle from 2250°F. Rosenbaum also investigated hot-rolled samples of S-590 and identified CbC and M6C. Preliminary information on Rene-41, gained partly from the present work, was reported by Morris.5 Long-time precipitation phenomena in Incoloy-901 at 1350°Fwere investigated by Clark and Iwanski.B heir raw data re- semble those of our present heat with 0.1 pct B, while their interpretation of these data resembles our interpretation of data from another heat with only 0.001 pct B; they made no statement as to boron content. No previous minor-phase studies of alloys M-308 or M-647 have been reported. EXPERIMENTAL METHODS Table I gives alloy compositions in both weight and atomic percent. Specimens were solution-treated from 1700º to 2200ºF, aged at logarithmic-time intervals up to 1000 hours between 1200 and 1800 F, and examined in accordance with procedures previously described in detail. ' ' Phase extractions were carried out in electrolytic cells containing 800 ml of either 7 pct HC1 in denatured ethanol or 20 pct H3PO4 in water. After electrolysis for 48 hr at 0.1 to 0.2 amp per sq inch, residues were separated by filtration or centrifuging. X-ray powder patterns of residues were recorded on a diffractometer for accuracy and on film for sensitivity. Lattice parameters were calculated by least-squares analyses of indexed sin 8 values, and relative abundances were estimated from intensities of strongest lines of each phase. These phase abundances denote relative amounts with respect to each other rather than to the alloy. Mechanically polished specimens were etched in a freshly mixed solution of 92 pct HC1, 5 pct H2SO4, and 3 pct HNO3. Parlodion replicas for the electron microscope were chromium-shadowed in high vacuum at a glancing angle of 20deg. All electron micrographs are reproduced here with the shadowing source above. The correspondence betweenelectronmicrostructures and phases identified by X-rays was established by a high redundancy of correlation between relative amounts at different stages of aging and examination above and below critical transformation or solubility temperatures. EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS S-816 and S-590—The phases found in S-816 and S-590 after various aging and solutioning treatments are listed in Table 11. These data and the observed

Jan 1, 1962

Jan 1, 1923

By I. Iwasaki

The steel industry is facing an unprecedented challenge. I would like to point out the role that flotation technology could play in meeting this challenge by providing high quality raw materials to the steel industry. Of all the technology available to a blast furnace operator, raw material preparation is by far the most important. Raw material preparation has been a key to the success of the Japanese steel industry. The foremost proponent of better raw material preparation was Professor Joseph at Minnesota. He gave a Howe memorial lecture to the AIME audience in the early 1950s, prepared from the lecture notes that he gave in his classes. At about that time he was invited to Japan. It is ironic that the Japanese steel industry listened and made it a success. In order for our steel industry to be competitive, first we must supply high quality and uniform quality raw materials to improve the efficiencies of our blast furnaces. Where does flotation fit in to the iron ore industry then? First, as a primary means for concentrating for oxidized iron ores. Second, to touch up magnetite concentrates for the removal of the last few percent of silica. And third, in the preparation of super-concentrates for direct reduction.

Jan 1, 1984

By R. A. Foos

During the radium boom in the early part of the twentieth century, the basic chemistry of uranium was fairly well defined. Uranium production has progressed from the status of a radium by-product to a very important industry. With the ever increasing need for more efficient and cheaper methods of processing uranium ores, new techniques are being developed. Since uranium and vanadium often occur together in nature, the latter element will also be considered. As production rates, costs, and certain aspects of uranium chemistry are still classified by the Atomic Energy Commission, these will not be discussed. Domestic uranium deposits, in general, are composed of the minerals carnotite, which contains hexavalent uranium, and to a lesser extent, pitchblende and uraninite, which contain tetravalent uranium. Carnotite also usually contains vanadium. The uranium and vanadium contents of these ores vary considerably. The ores currently processed on the Colorado Plateau assay from 0.2 to 0.4 pct U and from trace amounts to 5.0 pct V. On the other hand, the phosphate rock deposits of the southeastern U. S., from which uranium is also recovered, contain only about 0.01 to 0.02 pct; processing of the

Sep 1, 1956

By R. G. Knickerbocker, W. H. Yarroll, P. E. Churchward, J. W. Hunter, J. H. Jacobs

THE present paper records a chapter in the history of the development of an electrolytic manganese industry in the United States.1 A relatively large pilot plant at Boulder City, Nev., for the production of electrolytic manganese was conceived as part of the national defense program to make this country independent of foreign importation of manganese ore. The first authorization, in November 1940, however, was for a plant of only several hundred pounds capacity. Improvements in process and subsequent additions to some sections authorized by subsequent appropriations have enabled the plant to produce as much as 2000 lb. of manganese a day for substantial periods of time. Since in pilot-plant operation frequent changes are made in the flowsheet, the electrolytic manganese plant was constructed so that equipment could be rearranged with a minimum of expense and time. Several different kinds of the various types of equipment were installed for many of the operations, so that the one most suitable for the process might be chosen. Pilot-plant operations were begun in November 1941 and have been continuous except for brief shutdowns for installation of new equipment. More than one-half million pounds of manganese have been produced. The improvements in process, selection of equipment, and operational procedure developed are recorded here. DEVELOPMENT OF THE PROCESS The work of early investigators on the electrolysis of manganese solutions has been reviewed by Shelton.2 Until the method of continuous production of manganese by electrolysis was perfected by Shelton2-4 and coworkers, no practical procedure had been devised. The method as originally developed by the Bureau of Mines will be described here only briefly. The manganese dioxide ore was reduced in a rotating kiln-type furnace at 650°C. in an atmosphere of "city" gas. The calcine was leached with spent electrolyte and enough sulphuric acid to produce a neutral leach solution containing 25 grams manganese per liter as manganese sulphate and 200 grams per liter of ammonium sulphate. Arsenic was removed from the solution by the addition of 0.05 gram iron per liter as ferrous sulphate followed by oxidation

Jan 1, 1944

By Edgar Bain

IN STUDYING the structural characteristics of martensite it is desirable that a clear conception of the material from which martensite is produced should first be obtained. Any theory of its formation and structure incompatible with the facts of its parent substance, austenite, can be eliminated with little consideration. Austenite is the name applied to solid solutions of carbon and other elements in gamma iron. At temperatures above about 900° C. (1650°, F.), pure iron exists in a system of crystallinity1 entirely different from the crystal structure below that temperature. This high-temperature allotrope of iron is of an atomic structure associated with great ductility, having very manifold symmetry and an abundance of easy slip planes. The exceptionally ductile and malleable metals (gold, silver, platinum, copper, aluminum, and nickel) have this same atomic arrangement-the face-centered cubic. The low-temperature allotrope of iron, alpha iron, the solid solutions of which are known as ferrite, has a body-centered cubic arrangement of atoms. Like it, in crystal structure, are the less ductile and malleable metals, molybdenum, tungsten, titanium and chromium. Fig. 1. shows the two atomic arrangements known in iron; the diagrams are drawn to scale. Either of these modifications of iron may dissolve other elements in the solid state; by so doing, the temperature of the transformation is changed. In general2-7, it appears that a solid solvent metal dissolves a metal solute by substituting foreign atoms in its own space lattice. Thus, iron may dissolve nickel in either of its crystalline forms by permitting an atom of nickel here and there to occupy the normal position

Jan 2, 1924

By E. R. Borcherdt

Methods and equipment are subject to study in the Butte district at all times in order that advantage may be taken of any new developments that might serve to increase efficiency and lower costs. Detailed time studies of each operation involved in the entire mining process have been of invaluable assistance in analyzing the individual operation for possible improvement. In other words, the fact that a practice has been in vogue for many years does not exempt it from change provided an easier and cheaper method can be found. Exploration Ore occurs in the Butte district in such manner that structures must be drifted on, no matter how small or unimportant they appear when intersected by a crosscut. Parallel structures also add to the crosscut requirements. This prospecting work, which formerly was done entirely by drifting and crosscutting, is now being supplemented by diamond drilling, to aid in greatly decreasing the amount of waste. In long-shot prospecting, or in second or third class prospecting, where the chances of developing commercial ore are not very great, diamond drilling is of particular value. In prospecting where chances of encountering commercial ore are certain or where crosscuts can be used later for haulage or ventilation, drilling obviously is not applicable. Improvement in drilling machines and bits has contributed greatly to the present success of diamond drilling. For many Years square-set filled stoping was the principal mining method used in the Butte district. Later timbered and untimbered rill stopes were used, also some horizontal cut-and-fill stoping where both Ore and walls were particularly strong. Because of the amount of timber required for square-set stoping, and the relatively low production per stope unit, experiments with horizontal cut-and-fill stopes were begun in Ore bodies of which many had fairly weak walls. It was felt that increase in the speed of the stoping operation, followed closely by filling, to avoid weight being produced by permitting ore and walls to remain insufficiently supported over comparatively long periods, would maintain the walls and backs in safe condition without the use of timber and without ore dilution from wall slough. Cycles of drilling, scraping ore, and filling were devised, which have materially increased stope production and decreased timber consumption, so that both stope labor and supply costs were lowered appreciably without materially affecting grade control. In the larger mines of the district, where wide veins favor this stoping method, half of the total production is now being mined by horizontal cut-and-fill stopes (Fig. I). The increase of the filling rate demanded by the increased stoping rate was the greatest obstacle encountered in the accelerated stoping operations. Finally this problem was solved by replacing the time-honored method of transferring filling waste by small cars, which were hoisted or lowered in the auxiliary shaft, by a transfer

Jan 1, 1943

By E. R. Borcherdt

Methods and equipment are subject to study in the Butte district at all times in order that advantage may be taken of any new developments that might serve to increase efficiency and lower costs. Detailed time studies of each operation involved in the entire mining process have been of invaluable assistance in analyzing the individual operation for possible improvement. In other words, the fact that a practice has been in vogue for many years does not exempt it from change provided an easier and cheaper method can be found. Exploration Ore occurs in the Butte district in such manner that structures must be drifted on, no matter how small or unimportant they appear when intersected by a crosscut. Parallel structures also add to the crosscut requirements. This prospecting work, which formerly was done entirely by drifting and crosscutting, is now being supplemented by diamond drilling, to aid in greatly decreasing the amount of waste. In long-shot prospecting, or in second or third class prospecting, where the chances of developing commercial ore are not very great, diamond drilling is of particular value. In prospecting where chances of encountering commercial ore are certain or where crosscuts can be used later for haulage or ventilation, drilling obviously is not applicable. Improvement in drilling machines and bits has contributed greatly to the present success of diamond drilling. For many Years square-set filled stoping was the principal mining method used in the Butte district. Later timbered and untimbered rill stopes were used, also some horizontal cut-and-fill stoping where both Ore and walls were particularly strong. Because of the amount of timber required for square-set stoping, and the relatively low production per stope unit, experiments with horizontal cut-and-fill stopes were begun in Ore bodies of which many had fairly weak walls. It was felt that increase in the speed of the stoping operation, followed closely by filling, to avoid weight being produced by permitting ore and walls to remain insufficiently supported over comparatively long periods, would maintain the walls and backs in safe condition without the use of timber and without ore dilution from wall slough. Cycles of drilling, scraping ore, and filling were devised, which have materially increased stope production and decreased timber consumption, so that both stope labor and supply costs were lowered appreciably without materially affecting grade control. In the larger mines of the district, where wide veins favor this stoping method, half of the total production is now being mined by horizontal cut-and-fill stopes (Fig. I). The increase of the filling rate demanded by the increased stoping rate was the greatest obstacle encountered in the accelerated stoping operations. Finally this problem was solved by replacing the time-honored method of transferring filling waste by small cars, which were hoisted or lowered in the auxiliary shaft, by a transfer

Jan 1, 1943

By G. T. Pruitt, T. L. Irby, P. B. Crawford, H. Ferrell

In water flooding peripheral, center-to-edge, line-drive or water-encroachment patterns the question has arisen, "when should a producing well be converted to a water-injection well?". It is realized that, if the producing well is shut in when water breakthrough occurs, some oil could be left in an unswept area. Yet, operation to high water-oil ratios may require processing much additional water. If a well is shut in, "where should the allowable be transferred?". A review of the literature indicates that very few data are available to the engineer to assist him in answering these questions. It is the purpose of this paper to present information which may be of value in selecting the flooding technique and the injection and producing wells and in scheduling injection and production rates. Certain phases of these problems can be studied in the laboratory. The Potentiometric model is well suited for studying many waterflooding problems. This model assumes that steady-state flow exists, that the mobility ratio is equal to one and that gravitational effects are neglected.'-' The three-phase sand model also has been recognized as an effective means for studying certain reservoir problems. Both models were used in making the study reported here. This paper discusses seven cases utilizing various waterflooding techniques. Data for the first five cases were obtained on the potentiometric model. Data for Cases VI and VII were obtained by constructing and flooding an unconsolidated sand pack (a three-fluid-phase system) and by determining the swept area and cumulative oil recovery for various types of operations. APPARATUS AND PROCEDURE The potentiometric model reservoir was 30 in. long X 10 in. wide by about 1/2 in. deep. Four wells were equally spaced in a line array along the lateral center line. (See Fig. 1.) Well No. 1 initially was an injection well for each of the patterns reported. The cases studied with the potentiometric model and sand model are described herein. The laboratory sand model reservoir was a 30- 10-in. rectangular Lucite vessel packed with sand to a depth of about 0.65 in. Four wells were equally spaced in a line array along the lateral center line. The reservoir material was an unconsolidated sand into which the reservoir fluids were mixed to yield fluid saturations of 55 per cent oil, 25 per cent water and 20 per cent gas. The water was added to the sand and the material mixed, after which the oil was added. Kerosene and water, the fluids used, gave a viscosity ratio of 1.64:1. In packing the reservoir, care was taken to assure constant fluid saturations and constant porosities. A new mixture was prepared for each run. During water flooding, a colored water was injected by a constant rate pump. The injection rate was 1.1 B/D/ft of sand thickness. For this series of tests, each of the producing wells was open to the atmosphere and, as in the potentiometric model study, Well No. 1 initially was an injection well for each of the patterns. KESULTS OF POTENTIOMETKIC MODEL STUDlES Two cases (Cases I and 11) involving equal pressure injections were studied, with the following results. Case Water injection was initiated at Well No. 1; the producing wells (Nos. 2, 3 and 4) were operated at constant and equal bottom-hole pressures. When water broke through at Well No. 2 and achieved the selected water-oil ratio, Well 2 was converted to a water injection well, resulting in two injection and two producing wells. The injection pressures at Wells 1 and 2 were maintained equal and constant; pressures at the producing wells were held equal, but they were lower than those at the injecting wells. A similar process was repeated when water broke through at Well No. 3. The flood was terminated when

By Norberto Dominguez

In the year 1820 a commission, assisted by Sr. C. Fernando de Ainada, was appointed by Sr. Jose Ramon Mila de la Roca to report on the condition of the mining region of Parral, in the State of Chihuahua, Mexico, where in recent years the mines of Batopilas have reached an important development under American management. The object of the inquiry was to provide Sr. De la Roca with facts to support a project for reopening mines that two centuries before had produced a large amount of silver. Although this plan failed, many facts of interest in the history of the mines were presented.. Much of the report dealt with questions that had only local application or were restricted to the conditions of labor and equipment in the opening of the nineteenth century. The historical part is presented in the following paragraphs: Abstract of the Report. Notwithstanding the difficulty of forming a just estimate of the system of mines in this mineral group in the valley of Senor Sail Jose del Parral without an examination of each of them, that which we shall say in a general way will suffice to convey an idea of their value and of the urgent necessity of reopening them. If this is undertaken, we believe the results will be of the highest consequence to the Republic, as well as to this immediate locality. The group of the Villa del Parral covers the mineral territory in which the village of that name was located. Its moantains contain large metallic veins, from which, as from the trunk of a tree, depend others much more slender, locally called ,fibras, crossing and interlacing each other in many directions. The first and oldest of these very rich deposits of gold

Jan 1, 1902

By G. F. Jr. Butterworth

THE metallographic structures most frequently encountered in rifle barrels, and which are illustrated by the accompanying photomicrographs, fall naturally into two groups, distinguished by the method used to produce in the stock a physical condition having the requisite properties. The first group consists 'of "rolled" barrels; that is, barrels subjected to hot working by rolling in or near the critical range. In the second group, the stock, which is smaller in diameter than the first, is upset to form the butt end and is then heat-treated by giving it a quench and a draw. These barrels will be referred to as "heat-treated" barrels. The structure of the rolled barrels resembles closely that of the same steel after annealing. There is the same network of excess ferrite outlining the grain boundaries, but the grains themselves are composed of sorbite rather than pearlite. The grain size is closely related to the rolling temperature. The critical-point curves of this grade of steel, which is approximately 0.50 to 0.60 per cent. of carbon and 1.00 to 1.30 per cent. of manganese, show a single very pronounced point between 1300° and 1350° F. (704° and 732° C.). Barrels rolled within this temperature range give an exceedingly fine grain, shown in Fig. 1. In fact, the grains may be so fine that, at a low magnification, they may be confused with the heat-treated structure discussed below, Fig. 6. A magnification of 500 diameters, however, will always resolve a rolled barrel into the characteristic structure, shown in Fig. 2. As the temperature is increased, the grains are found to be larger. If, on the other hand, the rolling temperature is below the critical range, the structure previous to rolling will not be obliterated, the only effect of rolling being to elongate the coarse sorbite grains in the direction of rolling, Fig. 3. This distortion is greatest at the muzzle. Heat-treated barrels are quenched in oil from above the critical range, which should give a martensitic structure, Fig. 4, but the presence of some troostite in the martensite is frequently noted when the quench has not been sufficiently drastic, Fig. 5. The structure brought about by the subsequent draw is not so striking, though quite as typical. It is sorbitic or sorbito-pearlitic, and under- a low magnification appears

Jan 7, 1919