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By Roy G. Mead

BECAUSE of its magnitude, and the type of occurrence, the deposit of boron minerals in the Kramer district, Kern County, California, is unlike any other in the world. Discovery of this vast deposit has brought about many changes in the borax industry, so a discussion of the geology, and the occurrence, would not be complete without a brief history of the development of the borax industry. Until the discovery of boron minerals in the desert regions of California and Nevada some seventy years ago, borax was imported from Tibet and India, principally for medicinal purposes, at almost prohibitive prices. Following the discovery of commercial deposits of boron minerals in California and Nevada, and the subsequent development of new uses for borax and boric acid, the consumption has steadily increased until today borax is used in some form or other in every household.

Jan 1, 1933

National Minerals Advisory Council A meeting of the National Minerals Advisory Council on August 3rd in Washington, D. C., indicated the vitally important part that the mining industry is to play in the mobilization program. Director James Boyd of the Bureau of Mines told the Council that the Department of the Interior would review the recommendations of all the Council's commodity committees with regard for mobilization planning in the light of the changed international picture. The Council was requested to reactivate its commodity committees and have them gather all available data on supplies, their sources and availability and present and potential production of the minerals and metals represented on each committee. Data on labor, machinery, transportation, automotive and stationary equipment, power, fuel, lumber, water supply are a few of the important items called for in the reports, which are to be presented at a meeting of the Council on September 1 at Salt Lake City. The material in the reports will become the basis for discussing metal and mineral requirements at that time. Discussion at the meeting bared several $64 questions, probably the most important of which are the following: 1. Which of the war-essential metals and minerals and in what quantities can we reasonably expect to get them from abroad under threat of submarines? 2. How are we going to meet the manpower problem posed by (a) migration of labor from mining to manufacturing since the end of World War II and (b) the draft and the calling up of reservists? Opinion was expressed by industry spokesman at the meeting that the function of complying with mobilization requirements be left to those in the industry itself; that is, those having the "know how." This view contended that any administrating governmental agency should be kept as small and streamlined as possible. There was general sentiment against the reactivation of the wartime Premium Price Plan or other bonus plans as a stimulus to production. The thought was emphasized that what was needed was a change in the basic conditions which have fostered the decline in domestic mining activity in the postwar years. One such condition, long overdue for correction, is the tax structure as it applies to mining enterprises. Many quarters both in industry and in government favor tax relief along the lines suggested in the six tax recommendations by the Council to the Secretary of the Interior last December. The Council adopted a resolution expressing a feeling that the following tax recommendations are still feasible and desirable and will accomplish as much toward increasing exploration for new deposits (thereby subsequently increasing production) as will government loans for exploration: (1) Losses from unprofitable ventures should be allowed corporations, partnerships, or individuals as ordinary deduction against current income. (2) Development costs after discovery should be recognized as operating expenses. (3) Allowance for depletion should be made to the stockholder as well as to the corporation. (4) Income should not be taxed without full allowance for losses of loss years. (5) Adequate allowances for percentage depletion should be made. A discussion of the manpower problem led to the Council's acceptance of a resolution advising that "military authorities should proceed with caution in depriving the mining and metallurgical industry of its manpower." The resolution strongly urged that no personnel "directly engaged in exploration, development, production or supervision (of strategic and critical materials) should be drafted for the armed forces, at least until the anticipated demands upon these producers are clarified." Stockpiles The Munitions Board's "Stockpile Report to the Congress" of July 23, 1950 revealed: (1) The total estimated value of the stockpile objective is $4,051,714,510 at the close of fiscal year 1950. (2) The total value of the stockpile on hand, at the close of fiscal 1950 was $1,556,154,352 or 38.4 pct of the total stockpile objective. An additional $494,948,060 was on order, making a total of 50.6 pct on hand plus the amount on order. (3) Materials obtained for the stockpile by the ECA from January to June 1950 amounted to $13,112,085, while development projects by ECA during this period involved the expenditure of $9,322,000, mainly with counterpart funds. Shortly after the start of the Korean conflict it was felt that Congress ould appropriate greatly increased sums for the purchase of materials for the stockpile. This stimulus to the program may increase the dollar earnings of those European nations that are present or potential contractors in our stockpiling program. Such a development would mean that these nations could add to their gold reserves, thereby stabilizing their respective economies and hastening recovery. This seems to be the picture for the next six months anyway. The "bug" appears when it is realized that the increased threat of total world war actually may retard recovery in Europe as nations on the continent may feel inclined to devote more of their resources to defense programs. Industries Essential to Defense The Department of Commerce in response to a request by the Department of Defense issued on August 3, 1950 a "Tentative List of Essential Activities" as a "guide for calling up for active duty members of the civilian components of the Armed Forces." The list includes the following: Primary Metal Industries. Included herein are establishments engaged in the smelting and refining of ferrous and nonferrous metals from ore, pig, or scrap. Metal Mining. This category includes establishments primarily engaged in mining, developing mines or exploring for metallic minerals (ores). This group includes all ore dressing and beneficiating operations. Anthracite Mining, Bituminous Coal and Lignite Mining, Crude Petroleum and Natural Gas Extraction, Mining and Quarrying of Nonmetallic Minerals, Except Fuels. Challenge to the Mining Industry The source of our country's great strength lies in its capacity to produce. In times of stress such things as national morale and manpower are all-important but without a capable industrial machine we would be helpless. That machine must be fed with minerals and metals in order to generate and maintain momentum sufficient to insure success. Consequences of the lack of adequate supplies of essential metals and minerals to increase and sustain our industrial power are not pleasant to contemplate. It is absolutely imperative that we put forth Herculean effort to guarantee ample supplies of such essential materials as copper, lead, zinc, manganese, antimony, mercury, tungsten, tin, chromite, nickel, cobalt, iron ore and rubber. The mining industry faces a challenge more serious than ever existed before in the history of our country. The industry must be equal to the task.

Jan 9, 1950

By Nick Barton, Stavros Bandis

The descriptive term "rock mass" encompasses individual block dimensions ranging from centimeters to many tens of meters. Strength and deformability vary both qualitatively and quantitatively as a result of this size range. A key issue is therefore the appropriate size of the test sample. A large body of test data was reviewed to determine the influence of block size on the displacement required to mobilize peak strength. It is shown that the shear strength and shear stiffness reduce with increased block size due to reduced effective joint roughness, and due to reduced asperity strength. Both are a function of the delayed mobilization of roughness with increasing block size. A method of scaling shear strength and shear displacement from laboratory to in situ block sizes is suggested. It is based on the assumption that size effects disappear when the natural block size is exceeded. This simplification appears to be justified over a significant range of block sizes, but is invalidated when shearing along individual joints is replaced by rotational or kink-band deformation, as seen in more heavily jointed rock masses. Recent laboratory tests on model block assemblies illustrate some important effects of block size on deformability and Poisson's ratio.

Jan 1, 1982

By Byron E. Eldred

(Pittsburg Meeting. March, 1010.) GENERALLY speaking, the practical study of combustion has been made mainly from the stand-point of the steam engineer. This. narrow view-point has left open a large field for scientific research on the application of combustion in other arts, where the conditions of heat-utilization are widely different from those presented in the steam-generator. The great economic importance of the boiler and the ease of measuring its performance, together with the comparative uniformity of conditions in the steam-generator, is, probably, quite largely responsible for the practical neglect of the study of the use of fuels in other arts save only on the basis of their thermal value. Yet these other arts show quite plainly that a thermal-value basis alone is Dot sufficient. For example, in burning lime, under ordinary conditions of firing, a cord of wood will do as much work as a ton of coal, though the latter affords more than twice the number of heat-units. Similar results are evidenced in burning brick, in the roasting of certain ores, in reheating billets, and in many other arts where heat is to be applied over extended areas to fragmental masses of more or less refractory materials. In these arts much is to be gained by a careful study of the application of the heating-agent in the form of the long flame, and in the production of the heat in contact with, or in direct proximity to, the object to be heated. Of necessity, in boiler-practice, combustion cannot be maintained in actual contact with, or in close proximity to, the object to be heated. Speaking in a general way, heat is imparted from burning bodies to things to be heated in two ways : directly, by radiation, and indirectly, by transfer of the sensible heat of hot gases by convection or contact; by conduction from the hot uses. Both ways are utilized in boiler-practice-directly, by

Jun 1, 1910

By William Gilman

IN the past five years, and without much fanfare, Turkey has emerged as a significant figure in the world mining picture. This has been accomplished by a five-year plan now in its last year. A second five-year plan is already under way, ahead of schedule. It will concentrate even more than the first in developing Turkish mines in order to increase present exports of coal, chrome ore, and copper, and to develop new mineral exports as well. To be fully understand the republicic?s mining program should be considered as something more than merely tapping rich resources in the East along the Aegean Sea, in the North among the mountains descending to the Black Sea, and in the West at the foot of the Taurus Mountains. It should also be viewed in the light of a strong nationalist policy with many aspects of state socialism. Turkey declares frankly that all mineral re- sources belong to the nation and all exploitation should be by the state for the twin purpose of modernizing the state and securing foreign exchange for the state by exports. Accordingly, the principal mines are state-operated and a few lesser enterprises, although not state-owned, have at least been put in the hands of Turkish capital.

Jan 1, 1938

By J. L. Gillson

The big mass of anorthosite in the Lake Sanford district and the bodies of titaniferous magnetite that occur in a small area near the south margin of the mass have been described repeatedly, and the puzzling problems of the genesis of the rocks and ores have stimulated the deductive reasoning of geologists for a hundred years. Some of these men have taken a leading part in describing the anorthosite rock and forming hypotheses concerning its origin; some have contributed most to the study of the ore deposits; and some have made classical Studies introducing a basic approach to the problems of the anorthosite rock and genesis of the titaniferous magnetites. Much of the writing on the problems of rock and ore genesis has been based on physical-chemical reasoning rather than on field and microscope observations of the rocks and ores. Most of these geologists conclude that the anorthosite was formed by true magmatic crystallization, involving previous settling or squeezing out of ferromagnesian minerals from the parent magma. The associated gabbro is a separate segregation or later intrusion, and the lighter colored and finer grained facies of the anorthosite is either a chilled border zone of the anorthosite or the result of granulation by crushing of the coarse, dark blue rock of the main mass. This blue rock, called the Marcy type, is named after the highest peak in the range. The finer grained and lighter colored rock is called the Whiteface, after another mountain appropriately named for a cliff colored by this facies of the anorthosite.

Mar 1, 1956

By R. A. Thomas, R. L. Solbod

The importance of transverse diffusion on the finger development in a miscible-phase displacement at an adverse mobility ratio of tbree was studied in a porous plate 1/4-in. thick, 3-in. wide and 18-in. long. Fast displacement rates (29 ft/D) and slow rates (1.6 ft/D) were used to determine the effect of residence time on the geometry of the fingers. The shape of the fingers was observed directly by use of the X-ray technique. At fast rates numerous narrow fingers were observed, but at slow rates a single somewhat bulging finger was produced. The amount of material moved transversely by diffusion across the plate was sufficient to modify the finger geometry in the slow-rate run because of the long residence time. These results are in contradiction to some of the postulates in the literature. The composition of the effluent stream, however, was not affected by the flow rate. This result is not inconsistent with the observed change in the shape of the finger in a short model, but it seems likely that a short model does not offer adequate and proper scaling of the reservoir. The model used was probably a valid one for studying the effect of transverse diffusion on the finger geometry, but a longer model would be needed for proper scaling of the effect of the change in the finger shape on the efficiency of displacement as measured by the composition of the effluent stream. INTRODUCTION Fingering can be defined as the uneven advance of the injected phase as it moves into a porous medium displacing the resident phase from the pore spaces of the rock. The use of this term is usually restticted to the situation in which the displacing phase is less viscous or more mobile than the fluid being displaced. Under these conditions, not only are fingers formed, but the length and width of the fingers grow with distance traveled in the porous medium. This subject has become one of great interest to the oil industry because of the present trend toward the use of various forms of miscible-phase displacement to increase oil recovery. Since in nearly all of the known modifications of the miscible-phase displacements an unfavorable mobility ratio exists (the displacing phase has a lower viscosity than that of the crude oil), the conditions are proper for fingering to develop. An appreciable amount of fingering appears to be a severe handicap to these processes for it increases the volume of agent required for the process to be a success, and such an increase puts a severe strain on the economics of the proposed processes. In some cases, such as for a mobility ratio of 200 unfavorable, it has already been demonstrated that the proposed process would not be economic if the fingering in the field were to be of the same magnitude as that observed in the laboratory. A number of aspects of fingering have been studied and reported in the literature. While the phenomenon of fingering cannot be regarded as a completely understood subject, considerable information exists on the effect of the path length and the mobility ratio on the growth of fingers. Less-complete data are available on the effect of the diameter of the flow path on the character and amount of the fingering, and even less agreement in results exists on the effect of rate of flow on the nature of fingering. This paper deals with one aspect of this latter subject. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was narrowed down to one rather specific feature of the behavior of fingers in miscible-phase displacement in porous media. The variable studied was the effect of rate of flow on the nature and the development of fingers. It should be made clear at this point that, while rate was the apparent variable, the real variable was residence time; that is, at low rates the fluids are present at a given spot in the porous medium for a longer time interval than at fast rates. The purpose of the study, therefore, was to determine the changes which occur in the fingering and the possible benefits which might accrue from a longer residence time during that period when fingers are

By R. W. Mancantelli, J. R. Woodward

IN 1947 a large low grade deposit of uranium was located in the northwest corner of Saskatchewan, in the Beaverlodge property of Eldorado Mining & Refining Ltd. Most of the values occur as thin seams and as coatings on other minerals, and the ore, which is light and friable, is not amenable to the usual gravity methods of concentration. The acid leaching process developed to retreat the company's Port Radium tailings was also impractical, as the percentage of carbonates is high and the percentage of sulphides relatively low. Construction of the mill building and installation of equipment, both scheduled for 1952, awaited selection of a satisfactory ore dressing process on or before Oct. 1, 1951. An extensive research program on dressing of ores from the Ace mine therefore was undertaken by the Mines Branch in Ottawa, a research team at the University of British Columbia, and an ore dressing group at the company's Port Hope refinery. Pilot plant operations were conducted at the Ottawa plant of Sherritt Gordon Mines Ltd. under the general direction of C. S. Parsons, consultant on metallurgy and ore dressing for Eldorado. In mid-September, having compared results of the several research programs, Dr. Parsons recommended a process employing a carbonate or basic leach. He reported that, while the chemistry of the process had been proved, engineering of the flowsheet was incomplete, and he suggested that under normal conditions further pilot plant work at the Ace mine might be profitable. However, since this would involve a delay of 12 to 18 months in bringing the property into operation, he recommended that design of the concentrator proceed immediately. Concentrator capacity was determined by two considerations: 1) the amount of ore then available and 2) the expectation that continued improvements would be made in the ore dressing process as a result of the intensive research being carried out by the Mines Branch of the Department of Mines and Technical Surveys. As these improvements could affect both the chemistry and the en-

Jan 1, 1956

By JESSE L. MAURY

DEVELOPMENT of new gold mines in Canada since the price of that metal was increased in 1932 and 1933 has been of interest and importance to many of us. The day-by-day story has given an impression of aggressive effort and enough good luck so that the spirit of enterprise has been encouraged. It is the purpose of this article to report the results of a statistical appraisal which give emphatic numerical confirmation to this impression, together with certain side lights on the costs of development and equipment of new mines. The data presented have been taken from all readily available published sources up to the close of 1938 and are representative of that year. A. B. Bower did a large part .of the spadework and Weston Thomas offered many helpful suggestions.

Jan 1, 1939

C. Edward Stafford, Chester, Pa.:—Doring all my business life, I have been engaged in the manufacture of Bessemer and open-hearth steels, but, during my long connection with the Shoenberger Steel Co. of Pittsburg, I had some experience in the manufacture of high-grade puddled iron for horseshoes, and in making, by Dr. Otto Wuth's process, extremely pure, low-phosphorus puddled blooms (analyzing from 0.005 to 0.01 per cent. of phosphorus and sulphur), which were melted with low-phosphorus pig-iron in acid open-hearth furnaces, to make extra locomotive fire-box steel. I have also seen the Danks puddlers in operation at different times and places, notably where they were most successful, at the Otis Steel Works, Cleveland, Ohio; then under the management of our friend, Mr. S. T. Wellman. These Danks blooms were made solely for open-hearth melting-stock, to which they were well adapted. (The unavoidable presence of bits of ore-fix imbedded in the mass of the metal always prevents the profitable manufacture of merchant iron from Danks' blooms.) With the experience just described, I was to some degree in position to value fairly the means, methods and results of Mr. Roe's mechanical puddling from the metallurgical or technical and economic points of view, when given an opportunity by Mr. Roe to see his puddling-furnace or machine in operation in Pottstown, Pa. Briefly, the furnace, with water-cooled bottom, is rectangular in plan, about 20 by 8 ft. in the clear, suspended by trunnions at the middle of the long sides, at a height of 17 or 18 ft. above the general level. The oscillation (65" each way from the vertical) is accomplished by geared segments (attached to the downward-projecting side or trunnion-plates) with which engage pinions driven by a reversing engine. The whole section

Jan 1, 1906

By Harold Margalin, Elmars Ence

M. H. Mueller, M. V. Nevitt, and H. W. Knott (Argonne National Laboratory)—We have reported1 the crystal structure of Ti2CU as body centered tetragonal with a. = 2.944A and co = 10.786A, six atoms per unit cell, and space groupl4/mmm(MoSi2 type). This cell is larger but definitely related to the unit cell reported by the authors. It permits definite positions for the titanium and copper atoms in the cell located as follows: 2 Cu (a) 0 0 0; 1/2 1/2 1/2 4 Ti (e) 0 0 z; 1/2 1/2 1/2 + z; 0 0z; 1/2 1/2 1/2- z where z = 0.341 The face centered tetragonal cell reported by the authors can be transformed to a small body centered tetragonal cell with flo (small bet) = ao(fct)v2 Both unit cells have the same CO. Neither the face centered tetragonal cell with four atoms per unit cell nor the small body centered tetragonal cell with its two atoms per unit cell lend themselves conveniently to an orderly arrangment of the 2 to 1 ratio of titanium to copper atoms. When the co of this small body centered cell is tripled, however, a large body centered tetragonal cell results with six atoms per unit cell as described above. We had also noted that the X-ray patterns of Ti2Cu indicated that the structure could be approximately described by the face centered tetragonal cell as reported by the authors; how- ever, there was evidence for a few additional very weak lines whose positions indicated a larger unit cell. Since the X-ray scattering amplitudes of titanium and copper are nearly equal, it is evident that it is difficult to distinguish their positions especially from X-ray powder patterns. It was therefore decided to look at a powder pattern obtained by neutron diffraction since the scattering amplitudes of the two elements are considerably different in magnitude and opposite in sign. The sample used for neutron diffraction was selected from a group of three alloys prepared by arc melting using crystal bar titanium of 99.92 pet nominal purity and 99.999 pet pure Cu. The alloys designated as A, B, and C had the following respective compositions: Ti-32.8 at. pet Cu, Ti-33.3 at. pet Cu, and Ti-33.8 at. pet Cu. On the basis of the melting losses incurred, it was established that the actual concentration of either component in any of the alloys probably did not deviate from the intended value by as much as 0.1 at. pet. The alloys were annealed for 5 days at 700°C in evacuated Vycor capsules and quenched in tap water. The metallographic structures of these alloys are shown in Fig. 1. None of the alloys contained sufficient second phase to permit its positive identification. Since alloy B contained the least amount of second phase and since its composition placed it closest to the ideal stoichiometry, it was chosen for the neutron diffraction study. The oxygen content of alloy B was found by chemical analysis to be 0.06 at. pet. This particular intermetallic compound is especially suitable for investigation with neutron diffraction since if the titanium and copper atoms have a random statistical distribution, a near null-matrix would result in which there would be practically no coherent scattering of neutrons, and hence no Bragg diffraction peaks. Such a condition could come

Jan 1, 1962

By R. T. DeHoff

Saltykov's meihod for the determination of the size distribution of spherical particles from measurements made on random plane sections is extended to particle shapes which are not equiaxed. The analysis permits the deterrrzination of the size distribution of aggregates of ellipsoidol particles provided all particles have tlze same shape. V ARIOUS solutions to the problem of the determination of the size distribution of spherical particles from measurements made on random plane sections have appeared in the literature since the original solution was first published by Scheill in 1934. Solutions have been offered utilizing measurements of the diameter1y2 or area3'4 of circular sections that result when a test plane is passed through an aggregate of spherical particles, and the length of intercept5y6 that results when a test line is passed through the aggregate. To the best of the knowledge of the author, no method has been proposed which permits the determination of the size distribution of particles that are not equiaxed. The purpose of this paper is to develop a method which permits the determination of the size distribution for a specific class of particle shapes which cover awide range of axial ratios; namely, ellipsoids of revolution. In the interests of simplicity, it is necessary to limit consideration to aggregates of particles which are all similar in shape; that is, the ellipses which, by rotation about one of their axes, generate the particles, all have the same axial ratio. The size distribution, which is to be determined by the analysis, is arbitrary. It is also assumed that the section, or sections, upon which the measurements are made represent the average of all possible sections through the structure. This ideal condition can be approached as nearly as may be desired by observing a sufficient area of sections taken at random positions in a randomly oriented aggregate, and in random positions and orientations in an aggregate that has one or more axes of orientation. SIZE DISTRIBUTION FOR PROLATE ELLIPSOIDS Consider an aggregate of cigar shaped, geometrically similar particles (prolate ellipsoids), dispersed in an opaque matrix. Let the size of each particle be specified by the length of its minor axis, By Fig. 1, and the shape, q, be defined by the ratio of its minor to its major axis, B/A. Let the index, j, refer to dimensions of ellipsoids in a particular size class, and the index, i, to dimensions of an ellipse resulting from the intersection of a test plane and a particle. The size of such a section is specified by the length of its minor axis, b. Let the particles be arbitrarily divided into k size classes, and let the increment of size between each class be A, where A = &,$, B,,,being the minor axis of the ellipsoids in the largest size class. Since all sections are represented on the test plane, the minor axis of the largest of the sections observed, results from the intersection of the test plane with an ellipsoid in the largest size class at its center, and is therefore equal to Bmax Thus the increment, A = The final result will consist of the k numbers which represent the number of particles in each size class per unit volume of aggregate:

Jan 1, 1962

Jan 1, 1925

By Walter R. Hibbard, Ming-Kao Yen

VARIOUS rationalizations of preferred orientations in cold worked polycrystalline metals have been based on the operation of at least two,1 three,2 five,4 an indefinite number,5 and all,6 slip systems of the type occurring in single crystals. Pickus and Mathewson3 suggested that the cold rolling texture in face-centered cubic metals could be rationalized on the basis of two or more operating slip directions symmetrically disposed about the direction of flow in such a manner that the resolved shear stress factor is equal for all operating slip systems and lattice rotations cancel each other. The importance of the direction of flow, † the necessity for the operation of slip systems capable of producing the required, changes in external dimensions, the maintenance of a common surface between adjacent grains and a symmetrical arrangement of the operating slip systems in order to produce an end orientation which is stable under additional deformation lead to the following rationalization of textures based on the type of slip systems operative in single crystals. The rationalization is intended to explain why certain orientations are suitable for deformational flow without a change in orientation and thus are stable end orientations or ideal texture orientations. It does not attempt to explain how the grains of a randomly oriented polycrystalline aggregate will reach this orientation. The rationalization is based on the following four postulates: I. The ideal textures for polycrystalline aggregates are the result of reorientations of individual crystals toward the same stable end orientation at which no further reorientation will occur even during additional deformation. Since, in simple slip, - the relative orientations of the stress axis and the active slip system determine the change in orientation during slip, it is considered that the orientation of the stress axis with respect to the ideal texture determines what slip systems must be active to retain the stable end orientation. Therefore the stable end orientation should be a symmetrical one around the stress axis with respect to the active slip systems such that lattice rotations resulting from slip will cancel each other and prevent a resultant change in orientation. (Rotational symmetry only-not translation, inversion, nor others-is considered here.) Thus a metal under a pure stress should develop a texture consisting of one or more of the crystallographically symmetrical directions, <100>, <110> or <111> for cubic metals or <0001>, <1010> or <1120> for hexagonal dose-packed metals, parallel to the stress axis. 2. Since the active slip direction is the direction of glide during simple slip and thus the direction of maximum shear movement, in the ideal texture the active slip

Jan 1, 1948

By Strathmore R. B. Cooke

On the basis of experiments con- ducted on quartz using a bubble pick-up method, it was shown in an earlier paper1 that this mineral will preferentially adsorb hydrogen, calcium, or sodium ions, depending on the relative concentrations of those ions in the solution in which the quartz is immersed. For quartz particles ranging in size from 0.2 to 1 mm, it was demonstrated that the concentration of calcium in solution (assumed present as ions) necessary to completely activate quartz for flotation is given by the expression: In this expression, ionic concentrations are in mols per liter. It was further shown that the pick-up method is apparently more sensitive to changes in reagent concentration than the standard captive-bubble method, and that induction times are apparently much reduced. Since completing these earlier tests, a new type of cell has been constructed; this is shown in Fig 1 and 2. In Fig 1, A is a ground joint, B is a ceutral tube reaching to within a few millimeters of the bottom of the cell, and C is a stopper which may be removed for re- agent addition, and serves the further purpose of excluding carbon dioxide from the air during the test. The entire cell is constructed of Pyrex glass, and does not give the trouble experienced with the earlier cell, in which activating ions were released from the glass at high pH values. The only critical factor in the construction of the cell is the clearance between the central tube and

Jan 1, 1949

By Paul Weir

PRODUCTION METHODS in the bituminous coal mines in the United States are undergoing many changes. Although the primary object of these changes is the production of a better product at a cheaper cost there are other considerations such as the improvement of conditions under which miners live and work. The almost complete unionization of the manual workers in the industry during the past four years has &apos;brought with it a stabilization of wages on a relatively high basis and of hours of work per day and per week on a relatively low basis. With differentials in wages between producing districts firmly established, and with a nation- wide and uniform application of in-

Jan 1, 1937

By Clyde E. Williams

MODERN steelmaking has gradually evolved from an inefficient small-scale operation, utilizing tiny units, to a highly efficient one utilizing large units almost completely mechanized. The leading position of the United States in the steel industry is due to the possession of easily assembled high-grade raw materials and large-scale highly developed plants. Modern integrated steel operation is largely one of material handling. Mining and transportation of iron ore, coal, and fluxes, coking the coal in by-product ovens, smelting the ore with coke and limestone in blast furnaces, converting the resulting pig iron into steel in the Bessemer, or in the open hearth when supplemented with scrap, and fabricating the resulting steel ingots in the shapes of commerce all are done on a huge scale, mostly by machinery, most of the labor being employed either in operating the machine or keeping it in repair. At the same time the quality and uniformity of the product have been greatly increased by the development of scientific knowledge and operating skills. Thus, the steel industry in this country is highly developed both mechanically and technically.

Jan 1, 1942

DR. PeRsifor Frazer, Philadelphia, Pa. (communication to the Secretary):* Mr. Campbell&apos;s very interesting contribution, after complimentary mention, finally decides against the acceptance of the classification proposed by me in a paper bearing the same title and read at the Wilkes-Barre meeting, May, 1877.2 That paper was written primarily for the Second Geological

Jan 1, 1906

By Oliver Bowles

DELICATE PLANTS are now put to bed for the winter under glass-wool or rock-wool blankets. Thus arise new and unexpected uses for non-metallic materials and rocks and, at the same time, certain unique uses are fading out; for instance, the Italians have taken steps to bar the use of salt for money in Ethiopia. Novel sources of supply find a place in the record of recent achievements as exemplified in the migration of the frontiers of industrial mineral exploitation beyond the land area of the earth to include the ocean. Salt, of course, has been recovered from the sea for years but the treatment of enormous quantities of sea water for bromine has lately added to the importance of the ocean as a reservoir of mineral wealth. Increased use of non-metallic minerals in the commercial and economic life of the country is reflected in the wide scope and activity of the Industrial Minerals Division of the Institute. The outstanding recent achievement of the Division is the publication of a 955-page volume on industrial minerals and rocks, comprising 48 commodity chapters each written by an authority on the subject.

Jan 1, 1938

By F. Morgan, M. Muskat, R. G. Russell

Core experiments with radioactive tracers are reported in which an artificial radioactive material, radiovanadium, was used in aqueous solution in a study of the mobility of connate water. Sandstone cores saturated with active water were first oil-flooded to simulate virgin sand conditions in which the pores are filled with oil and connate water. They were then subjected to flooding with inactive water. Measurements were made of the activity of various portions of the effluent as well as the activity of the core after the flooding process was completed. In additional experiments the distribution of activity along the core was measured during the flooding process. In still other experiments direct flooding tests were made on cores fully saturated with active water. In all cases it was found that after injecting into the core a volume of inactive water equal to a pore volume, the effluent contained more than 80 per cent of the active content originally in the core. It is felt that these results imply a high degree of mobility of the connate water when subjected to flooding, although at least a partial contribution of the effect of tracer transfer within the core cannot be definitely excluded. The implications of this result with respect to water-flooding, core analysis and electric logging are discussed. A better approach to determining the connate water saturation of oil-producing rocks, by measuring the fluid content of core samples at the surface, is by the use of crude oil or oil-base muds as the coring fluid. Although water flooding is of considerable importance in the recovery of ail, comparatively little is known with certainty about the role played by the connate water during the operations. Two possibilities exist. Either the connate water is retained in the formation while the flood water sweeps past, or it is pushed along to a greater or lesser degree by the flood. Thus far no explicit recognition in terms of quantitative studies appears to have been given to the displacement of connate waters by the intruding extraneous waters, although such a possibility might be important in determining the efficiency of the oil -displacement process in water-flooding operations, especially in argillaceous rocks. On the other hand, it is a common observation that the first water produced with the oil as a result of water-flooding is definitely saline.*.&apos; Similar questions regarding the mobility of the interstitial water arise in the quantitative description of the advance of edge-water drives. In the interpretation of the water saturations determined from core analyses, when coring with water-base muds, it is generally assumed that the drilling fluid merely adds to the connate water without displacing the

Jan 1, 1947