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By Hal M. Lewers

IN the past few years and especially since the beginning of World War No. 2, gold has attained a new, important. and critical place in the international scene, and in world affairs. In the past, as far back as history records, most wars have been waged for the purpose of acquiring it from someone else by conquest. But now, the most titanic struggle of all time is being waged with the avowed purpose of not only destroying it, but of destroying all that it stands for and represents. A tradition dating back to ancient Rome, affirms that battles are fought by men with weapons, but wars arc eventually won by gold. The validity of that tradition is now being subjected to its major test. Hitler has proclaimed that in his new world order, the work dollar or reichsmark, a beautifully engraved paper currency representing only a theory of value, based on unit of work and production, will become the supreme medium of world exchange, and that gold eventually will he valueless and obsolete.

Jan 1, 1942

Four years of intensive exploration effort by Newmont Mining Corp. came to a climax May 27 in Carlin, Nevada, when local, state and federal officials joined with company officers at a dedication ceremony saluting the start-up of the firm's wholly- owned subsidiary, Carlin Gold Mining Co. Before an invited audience at the plant site, Newmont's President Plato Malozemoff and Nevada's Senator Howard D. Cannon pushed a lever and watched the new melting furnace rotate until a brilliant orange-red stream of molten gold poured forth from its mouth. Two 1200-oz bricks of bullion were poured that day, and they are the first of many that will lift this mine into the number two slot among U.S. gold producers and fourth among all gold mines on the North American continent. Although Newmont Mining first entered the gold mining business in 1929 in Grass Valley, California, the Company had operated no gold producers since the well-known Government directive L208, issued in 1942, closed down U.S. gold mines for the duration of World War 11. Now it is back in the business in a big way-a $10 million mine and plant capable of producing 200,000 oz. per year. All the gold from the Carlin operations is earmarked for the U.S. Mint in San Francisco.

Jan 7, 1965

By H. E. Biber

DURING the production of tin plate a thin layer of FeSn2, is formed at the interface between the steel sheet and the protective tin coating. Because excessive amounts of this alloy layer are undesirable, the kinetics of its formation is a subject of interest in the tin-plate industry. A recent study of this subject at our laboratory uncovered a relationship which should be of general interest to anyone studying kinetics of reactions in metallic systems. It had been previously concluded that, at any given temperature in the range 175" to 330°C, the Fe-Sn alloy layer would have a parabolic growth rate.1,2 However, our studies showed that this rule apparently holds only when the tin plate is heated very slowly to the "reaction" temperature; when the tin plate is rapidly heated, considerably different growth rates occur. An example of this effect of heating rate on growth behavior is contained in the accompanying results of alloy-layer growth measurements at 240°C in oil baths stirred at 10,500, 1800, and 0 rpm. The heating curves for these three conditions are given in Fig. 1, and the growth data are presented in Fig. 2. With the rapid heating rate, provided by the stirring at 10,500 rpm, the alloy layer had three distinct stages of growth. In the initial stage, which persisted well beyond the time required to heat the tin plate to bath temperature, the alloy layer formed very rapidly. The growth followed a rate law of the form w = ktn where n > 1. This initial stage was followed by a growth-retardation stage of about 50-sec duration in which little additional alloy was formed. In the third stage the growth again followed a rate law of the form w = ktn, but here « =0.3. With the intermediate heating rate provided by stirring at 1800 rpm, the three-stage nature was less pronounced and the slope of the third stage increased (i.e., n > 0.3). With the slow heating rate provided by the unstirred oil bath, the alloy layer grew in two stages. The initial rapid-growth stage persisted only until the specimen was heated to bath temperature, no growth retardation was observed, and the slope of the main portion of the plotted data was greater than in the stirred baths, having a value of almost 0.5. Similar results were obtained for other bath temperatures in the range 200" to 300°C. This effect of heating rate on growth behavior may be due to changes in the rate of nucleation of FeSn, crystallites. The iron and tin are in contact from the onset of heating. Thus the initial formation of FeSn, occurs not at the "reaction" temperature but rather while the tin plate is being heated to that temperature. Because nucleation is in general temperature-dependent, different heating rates could cause different over-all nucleation rates, which in turn could cause different growth behaviors. A more detailed discussion of the growth of Fe-Sn alloy layer and the effect of heating rate will be published shortly.

Jan 1, 1965

By J. L. Lytton

The flow-stress recovery of high-purity aluminurn following a 10 pct tensile prestrain was studied in terms of a fractional flow-stress recovery parameter fr. The flow-stress recovery behavior was related to the dislocation arrangements using transmissiort electron rnicvoscopy. During recovery at 120° and 160°C, nearly stable strength levels were attained, the strength level for 120°C recovery being greater than that for 160°C. This stabilization of flow stress was related to the formation of meta-stable dislocation networks bounding nearly perfect cells. Both network formation and the annealing of dislocation loops were found to be recovery mechanisms, and the stronger metastable strength level joy 120°C recovery was related to a smaller average cell size. Analysis of the networks was consistent with the reaction of sets of dislocations with a/2 (110) Burgers vector to give product Burgers DURING isothermal annealing of cold-worked metals, a degree of softening occurs without re-crystallization, and the processes responsible for this change are termed recovery processes. During recovery annealing, the dislocations generated during cold work become rearranged into low-energy configurations, and as much as 50 pct of the stored energy is released."' The relationship between this rearrangement of dislocations and mechanical behavior is of considerable importance, since the dislocation substructures formed during recovery provide a significant degree of low-temperature strength3j4 and can favorably alter the course of primary creep at high temperatures.4 The purpose of the present study was to relate the flow-stress recovery behavior of high-purity aluminum to the substructural modifications that occur. Electron transmission microscopy was therefore employed for direct observation of dislocation substructures at various stages of recovery following 10 pct prestrain. Several investigators5-' have proposed that dislocations can become rearranged or lost during the preparation of thin foils. It was found early in the present study that the dislocation structures in the thicker regions of the foils changed in a systematic way during the course of recovery. Therefore, it is unlikely that substantial losses or rearrangements occurred during thinning. This point will be discussed in more detail later. The results of various investigators indicate that recovery processes in fcc metals can result in release of 50 pct or more of the total energy stored in the as-prestrained metal, this percentage decreasing with increasing prestrain.' Alloying elements or impurities tend to increase this percentage. The release of stored energy of fcc metals during recovery appears to occur by 1) annealing of point defects if the deformation occurred at sufficiently low temperaturesg and 2) rearrangement of dislocations into low-energy Configurations.1,2In bcc metals, the annealing of dislocation loops has also been observed during recovery after prestrain,10-12 and it has been proposed that this is a recovery mechanism for unidirectionally strained fcc metals.' The density of dislocations in bcc metals has not been observed to decrease appreciably during recovery,10 although the formation of regular dislocation networks has been observed. has shown that the formation of such networks can result in elimination of long-range stresses and can lead to significant release of stored energy without dislocation annihilation. It might thus be expected that network formation is a significant recovery mechanism in fcc metals, although extensive network formation has apparently not been reported in controlled recovery experiments. The formation of sub-boundaries in aluminum has been observed by various investigators13'17 during recovery studies of aluminum, but the structure of these boundaries was not resolved. In this regard, it is significant to note that Bailey and Hirsch,' using transmission electron microscopy, detected no network or sub-boundary formation during recovery of 99.99 pct Ag. Furthermore, Clarebrough et al.2 found no such rearrangements during recovery of copper. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The high-purity aluminum used in this investigation was obtained in the form of 0.125-in.-thick sheet. Spectrographic analysis revealed that the sheet was 99.995 pct A1 with the following weight-percent impurities: 0.001 Cu, 0.002 Fe, 0.001 Si, and 0.0004 Mg. The as-received sheet was in the heavily cold-rolled condition. The as-received sheet was cold-rolled at room temperature to 0.040-in.-thick sheet in the longitudinal direction, which was the original rolling

Jan 1, 1965

By B. G. Klugh

(New York Meeting, February, 1912). IN a paper before the Institute at Wilkes-Barre, Pa., June 1911,1 Mr. James Gayley discussed the application of this process to iron-bearing materials. The same author2 described the results of operations at the plant at Birdsboro, Pa. The purpose of the present paper is to present further discussion of some technical details involved in the operation of this plant, and of the theoretical and practical relations of this product to blast-furnace practice. Since Oct. 1, 1911, the Birdsboro plant has been in operation at the blast-furnace of the E. & G. Brooke Iron Co. The results have been highly satisfactory, although the material treated, being chiefly the flue-dust currently made by the furnace or taken from the accumulated stock-pile, was excessively high, and yet not uniform, in carbon, so that the desirable control or regularity of the amount of fuel in the mixture treated could not be maintained. Nothing could more forcibly demonstrate the flexibility of the process than the fact that, under these conditions, the sinter produced was, in all cases, of excellent quality. The Dwight & Lloyd process, as such, and its present highly-developed mechanical appliances were described by Mr. Gayley in the paper above mentioned. While the repetition of some particulars will be unavoidable in this paper, it will be confined to features bearing upon the metallurgical principles involved. According to the principle of the process, the finely-divided iron-bearing material to be sintered is intimately mixed with

May 1, 1912

By Dogan E. Gücer

In the following note, with the help of a new parameter of strain hardening, the attention is drawn to the close relationship between the relative performances of steels under plastic range cycling and their strain hardening characteristics. If a cantilever beam of rectangular cross section is tested with the arrangement shown in Fig. 1 in reversed bending between constant deflection limits at the lever head, the longitudinal strain-deflection hysteresis shown in Fig. 2 is obtained. There is no lateral strain due to constraint at the rectangular test section.' If the absolute value of strain undergone between a maximum state of tension and maximum state of compression is called A, it will be seen that A decreases with cycling rapidly due to the strain hardening in the test section and the ensuing change in the bent beam profile. It will also be seen that A reaches an approximately stable value around 10th cycle. If we call the first cycle strain range, A,, and that of 10th cycle, A,,, then is an index of the strain hardening capacity at a particular deflection level. A plot of n vs ? is reproduced in Fig. 3 for two ASTM steels: A-302 and A-201. A-302 is a low alloy structural steel, A-201 a low-carbon steel. The specimens were first normalized at 1650°F for 75 min then grooved with a milling cutter; and the notches were ground to 50G finish. The final operation before testing was a stress relief at 1150°F for 75 min. The behavior of the two steels changes around ?1 = 0.8 pct or A,, = A, -n = 0.7. If these curves are compared with the endurance life curves given in Fig. 4, it will be seen that the relative performance of the two steels also change around A,, =. 0.70 pct. The steel with lower strain hardening capacity (7) at a certain strain level shows a longer endurance life, irrespective of their strength levels. Since the exponent governs strain hardening at lower strain levels than the Modulus, the relative values of both parameters also coincide with the change in n values and the relative performances of the two steels at different strain levels. These two observations indicate to the close relationship be-

Jan 1, 1962

Jan 1, 1963

By R. W. Drier

THE conductivity of copper wire is of prime importance to the electrical industry and consequently to the copper refiner and wire manufacturer. Annealed copper wire has a higher conductivity than hard-drawn wire, but, on the other hand, its tensile strength is lower. In an attempt to explain the reasons for these changes in property or at least to study the conditions existing in these two types of copper wire, the experiments described here were carried on in the Department of Metallurgy of the Michigan College of Mining and Technology. This is only a partial and preliminary report on some of the work done to date on a research program of which the object is an intensive study of copper. It is offered with the hope that, though it is not an exposition of the most rigorous of conclusions, the general trend of inferences which may be drawn will be of value and interest.

Jan 1, 1929

By Howard R. Pratt, Jimmie L. Bratton

The Air Force Weapons Laboratory (AFWL) has been carrying out a series of experiments whose principal purpose is to measure the dynamic response of rock media to large pressure pulses. Coupled with the field experiments have been theoretical calculations simulating this response. These two approaches allow an appraisal of the current ability to measure in-situ rock response under extreme conditions and also give a fair estimate of the current state-of-the-art in the area of computer calculation of the response of "real" geologic media to a large load. The area chosen for the test series is composed of a sequence of sedimentary units (shale, sandstone, and limestone) located in the Estancia Valley 45 miles east of Albuquerque, N.M. (Fig. 1). The units, which dip gently off the uplifted Manzano Mountains to the west, are essentially horizontal at the test site. An extensive geologic and geophysical investigation of the area was carried out in the form of surface mapping and seismic exploration. Numerous holes were cored and material properties were determined from tests of the cores. In-situ geophysical measure¬ments were also carried out. The experiment consisted of loading a 60X40 ft test area with a 4000-psi transient exponentially decaying pressure pulse. The pulse was initiated at one end and traveled the 60-ft length of the test bed. The test area was instrumented with acceleration, velocity, and strain measuring devices placed in drill holes to depths of 30 ft. Theoretical computer calculations of the response of the layered geologic media have been carried out on the AFWL CDC 6600 using one and

Jan 1, 1972

By F. W. Bowdish

Analysis of data on the equilibrium exchange of sodium ions from salt solutions for calcium ions, from various fractions of an oxidized calcareous iron ore from Lorraine, France, strongly suggests that the calcium may be attached to the solid by only one of its bonds. Nearly equal values were found for the equilibrium expression from data covering concentration ranges of 1000 fold for the salt and 235 fold for the ion-exchangeable calcium. Differences indicated between the exchangeable calcium contents of the slime and the sandy portions of the ore, as well as the equilibrium relationship itself, are of importance in the flotation of the ore. During an experimental program on the flotation of oxidized calcareous iron ores from Lorraine, France, ion-exchangeable calcium was found in the ore. Because this source of calcium ions, if not controlled, could thwart all efforts at flotation, an extensive study was made of the phenomenon. The part of that study reported here was to obtain data on the equilibrium established between ore solids and solutions of sodium chloride, and to analyze the data to try to understand better the physical chemistry of the exchange. The ore contains oolites of goethite and quartz grains embedded in a matrix consisting of calcite and a brown cement believed to be the residue from oxidation of the silicate minerals found in fresh unoxidized ore. When ground, a substantial fraction of the ore becomes a fine slime in which is concentrated more than half of the alumina content of the ore. It is believed that the alumina occurs as unidentified clay minerals with which most of the ion-exchange capacity of the ore is associated. A preliminary experiment on the exchange of ions from the ore for sodium ions from solutions of NaCl showed that calcium was about ten times as abundant as magnesium in the exchange solutions. Thus calcium was the predominant ion in causing difficulties with flotation, and it was the only one for which data was obtained in this study. It is believed that the omission of magnesium ion exchange from consideration does not invalidate the results. It is possible, however, that inclusion of magnesium in the analyses and calculations or its prior elimination from the samples would have improved the consistency of the results. EXPERIMENTAL Data about the equilibrium exchange of sodium from solutions for calcium from the solids were obtained using two different samples of material. The solids

Jan 1, 1963

By H. W. Gillett

Unlike most previous Howe lecturers, I had not the good fortune to be associated with Henry Marion Howe, nor to be directly one of his students. Yet, through his writings, he has been my teacher, as he has of all American metallurgists. Instructive as his writings are—I use the present tense because Howe thought so keenly and reasoned so surely, seeing clearly, as if by intuition, what was hazy to lesser minds, that his writings are still vital—it is not those books and papers, nor even the minds he trained in his classes, that were his most outstanding service. It was the spirit of Howe in his approach to the problems of metallurgy, his broad-mindedness and fairness, his recognition of the need for theories and hypotheses to explain metallurgical phenomena, his willingness to use them as servants, as well as his questioning attitude—his refusal to accept them as masters—that comprise his greatest service. This most thoroughly warrants the honor the Institute pays each year to his memory. These traits I so respect and honor in any man that I glory in this opportunity to do reverence to him in whom they were so notably united. Howe's Discussion of a Creep Problem I have often wished that Howe were still with us to turn his keen insight upon the problems of the use of metals at high temperatures, a field much studied but still very hazy. Indeed, 53 years ago, in a paper1 before this Institute, Howe stated a problem closely allied to some that still perplex metallurgists and engineers dealing with the high-temperature field. Howe was intrigued by a report2 from another old master, Robert Henry Thurston, on the behavior of annealed vs. cold-drawn iron wire, and in order to broaden the foundation for metallurgical generalization, Howe made experiments of his own on copper and silver. In these tests by Thurston and by Howe, the wires were rapidly loaded to determine the

Jan 1, 1939

By D. C. Lindley, D. H. Gaucher

The displacement of oil by water in a waterflood project is accomplished by the action of transient viscous, gravitational and capillary forces which drive fluid through interconnecting pore spaces toward production wells. The relative importance of each of these forces to the effectiveness of the displacement and the production history depends on properties of the reservoir itself and the manner in which it is operated. There has been considerable discussion'-3 concerning the importance of these factors and the extent to which they control the performance of individual waterflood projects. No data have been presented, however, to demonstrate the effect on waterflood behavior of variations in rock permeability, water-injection rates and mobility ratios in three-dimensional reservoir systems in which viscous, gravitational and capillary forces are allowed to assume the proper relative influence on fluid flow. Much information relevant to water flooding has been gained from the study of field case histories. But, the complexity of the systems involved, the difficulty of defining geometry and obtaining sufficient data, and the fact that the same reservoir is never flooded twice with the same initial conditions, all obscure the role of process variables such as rate. Further, mathematical calculations of waterflood behavior are restricted at this time by available mathematical techniques to highly simplified situations. Scaled models, however, do offer an approach at the present time to evaluation of the effects of the pertinent variables. Several investigators have predicted prototype reservoir behavior from observations of model waterflood performance under a variety of conditions. Two-dimensional aspects of waterflood pattern efficiency have been investigated by Muskat, Aronofsky, Dyes, et al, raig, et al,' and Rapoport, et al. he effects of gravity segregation, viscous fingering and permeability stratification have also been studied in two-dimensional models. Craig, et al," studied the importance of gravitational forces on frontal displacement in three-dimensional models with wells on a five-spot pattern. This work in- vestigates the tendency for water to segregate in homogeneous reservoirs because of gravity and to under-run the oil for a range of water-inject ion rates. The effects of permeability stratifications were investigated by these authors using miscible fluids to simulate water-channeling through permeable strata in systems of negligible capillary force. In this investigation, a three-dimensional model of a five-spot pattern flood was designed to represent typical prototype conditions, and the sand and liquid properties were selected so that capillary, gravitational and viscous pressure gradients were scaled. It was not, however, possible to achieve exact similitude regarding viscous fingering when the more viscous oil was used. The effects of rock stratification on waterflood behavior were studied by changing both the permeability ratio and the position of the more permeable sand stratum in a two-layered, horizontal model. For each type of stratification, constant-rate floods were performed and the rates were varied, in separate experiments, over a tenfold range. To observe the effect of mobility ratio on flood performance, two series of constant-injection-rate floods were performed on the most highly stratified reservoir at a water-oil viscosity ratio of one.

By Douglas D. Donald

The New Jersey Zinc Co. successfully holed through a 2 1/2-mile haulage tunnel connecting its new Ivanhoe shaft with the Van Mater Shaft at Austinville, Va. This 8x 10-ft cross-section tunnel was driven from both ends and met at a point approximately a mile from one shaft and a mile and a half from the other. In order to make certain that the faces met accurately on line and grade it was necessary to refine conventional mine surveying practices. The mines that are serviced by these shafts are located in the southwestern part of Virginia approximately midway between Roanoke and Bristol at the west foot of the Blue Ridge. While the presence of lead-zinc sulfide ores has been known in this area for more than 200 years, it was in 1902 that New Jersey Zinc Co. acquired the Austinville property, which has been in constant operation since that time. About ten years ago the company undertook an extensive diamond drilling program at Ivanhoe several miles to the southwest. This program was successful in locating sufficient ore to justify the purchase of a number of the properties in this area and plans were made to develop the new orebodies. The discovery of this ore as well as substantial addi- tional reserves at Austinville resulted in a decision by the company to increase its daily milling capacity to 3000 tons, of which about 1000 tons would be supplied from the Ivanhoe mine. After careful consideration of all possible methods of transporting this volume of ore from Ivanhoe to the mill, it became evident that diesel locomotive haulage through a 2½-mile tunnel between the two mines would best suit prevailing conditions. Since the lowest operating level, known as the 1100 level, of each mine would be at approximately the same elevation, it was obvious that such a tunnel should be driven on this level. Not only would this tunnel facilitate feeding Ivanhoe ore into the underground crusher and skip loading installation at Austinville, but it would also open up a known orebody 5000 ft southwest of the Van Mater shaft. In addition it would provide a valuable diamond drilling base from which a large and a potentially favorable but untested block of ground might be explored. In order to hasten the completion of the tunnel, it was felt that it should be driven from both ends. ENGINEERING CONTROL PROCEDURES It was vital that the tunnel junction be made accurately on line and grade; thus it was felt that engineering control of an unusually high degree of reliability was required to prevent an accumulation

Jan 1, 1959

By AIME AIME

The Washoe plant, 1 in Anaconcla. Mont., together with the local street-railroad, ranches a. foundry and machine-shop a brick-plant and the Montana hotel, form a property under one management; to which should be added the mines in Butte owned by the company, from which part of the ore-supply of the plant comes. The Anaconda Copper Mining Co., controlled by the Amalgamated Copper Co., was reorganized under the laws of Montana in 1893. A map of the plant, showing the numerous departments and illustrating the details of tracks, pipe-lines, and charging-stations for compressed-air locomotives, is given in Fig. 1.

Jul 1, 1906

By F. W. Bradley

GOLD is a large subject. One could talk about its geological or mineralogical occurrences, prospect- i11.g for it, mining of .it, its metallurgy or its marketing; but I have decided to limit my discussion to gold as a business-that is, to its production and marketing. In the production of gold, it is necessary to consider the many possible sources, the quantities available, the capital and operating costs and the chances of price-breaking competition. So in the following remarks I shall endeavour to point out that though gold is found in every formation constituting the earth's crust, though it is possible to-find it free in great concentrated placer deposits on the surface, though there are still large unprospected areas of both the surface and the crust, though it may be possible to produce it by the cheapest labor on earth, and by processes not as yet developed, it still has an unlimited market at a definite price. There is no reasonable fear of disturbance by the finding of bountiful deposits, or by cheapening the cost of production due to devaluation, or by the development of any easy processes for direct, or for by product, production.

Jan 1, 1932

By Charles De Witt

The ore treated at the reduction plant (called Yangdei) of the Chiksan -Mining Co., Korea, is brought from four of the company mines, and from the small tribute mines. The largest shipments conic from Sajunkohl mule, situated about a mile and a half from the mill (Fig. 1). The ore is quartz of medium hardness. The overage assay value in gold is $6.95 per ton. At the mine the ore is put into bin,, and is Mien trammed over an 8 per cent. grade to the tipple bins above the mill, where the ore is drawn through the hull holes as desired. The capacity of the tipple bins is about 3,500 tons. On, from Moonsukohl, Chung Tarrie, Yang Chun, and the tribute mines is brought in by bulls and bull wagons. The bulls carry from 350 to 800 lb.; the average wagon load is about 1,200 lb. (Fig. 2). One shovelful of ore out of every ten is taken as a sample. Considerable ore

Jan 5, 1915

By P. F. Allen

WITH capacity of 51,000 tpd, the Morenci concentrator produces approximately 49,000 tons of tailing for final deposition. Disposal involves distribution of thickened tailing to dams in such a manner that solids can be used for dam construction and water can be impounded for reclamation. During early operation, although tonnage treated was lower, it was necessary to use orthodox disposal practices in the areas available for tailing. Trestles mounted on a series of dams, constructed of borrow material, carried the pipelines from which tailing were spigoted behind the dams. When adequate disposal areas were finally established, it became desirable to look for more efficient methods. The idea of placing the distribution pipe or manifold directly on the crest of the dam was advanced in 1945. After a period of testing, that procedure in modified form replaced the older trestle arrangement. Marked economies resulted, and time required to prepare dams for succeeding storage cycles was greatly reduced. The tailing disposal area for the Morenci concentrator lies south and southwest of the concentrator building. Ample storage space is available. A wide valley contains three sharply defined ravines lying on an average slope of 4 pct. The more central of these ravines, and the largest of the three, is known as Morenci canyon, which provides substantially more tailing storage area than the other two. Stargo canyon lies to the west; the other is appropriately named East canyon. Total area of the tailing disposal site is nearly 31/4 sq miles, or about 2000 acres. The storage area in use was somewhat more than 850 acres at the end of 1954, or 16 acres per 1000 tons of tailing to be stored daily. At the present time none of the east side dams are in regular use but they are available in emergency. There are five dams on the west side (in Morenci and Stargo canyons) as well as two auxiliary dams adjacent to No. 4 West and No. 5 West. This has made it possible to concentrate men and equipment in a smaller area with consequent savings in both manpower and machinery. Tailing Thickening: Tailing from the flotation process reaches the thickeners with a solid content of about 18 pct. The launder carrying this pulp is subdivided at a central point into seven launders carrying a proportional share to each of seven tailing thickeners, which are located in Morenci canyon close to the concentrator. Five of these thickeners are 300 ft diam and two are 325 ft diam. Thickeners are of the peripheral traction type and rakes travel at the rate of one revolution in 37 to 39 min. The entire installation provides 500,000 sq ft of settling area, or approximately 101/2 sq ft per ton of tailing to be thickened daily.

Jan 1, 1957

By Herty, C. H.

Three distinct processes take place during the conversion of iron ore to steel. First: the raw ore is reduced to metallic iron in the blast furnace and during this reduction certain constituents are dissolved in the iron, either through the solution of a solid into a liquid phase, as in the case of carbon, or by reduction of an oxide existing in the slag to the metallic element of that oxide, with subsequent solution of the metallic element in the iron. Thus by the process of solution and reduction, a pig iron results which contains about 4 per cent carbon, 1 per cent silicon, 1 to 2 per cent manganese, 0.1 to 0.4 per cent phosphorus, and 0.03 to 0.10 per cent sulfur. To obtain a sufficient yield of iron from the ore it is necessary that the reducing process be carried as far as possible, with the result that the impurities mentioned accompany the reduced iron. Second: to convert this iron into steel it is necessary to oxidize a part of the iron in eliminating the impurities to the extent desired for the particular product being made. In eliminating these impurities by oxidation a certain amount of iron oxide (FeO) dissolves in the steel. This dissolved FeO reacts with the metalloids, except sulfur, and to eliminate them to the desired extent it is necessary to leave a considerable amount of FeO in the metal. The reaction of iron oxide with silicon, manganese, and phosphorus results in the formation of the oxides of these elements. The oxides enter the slag and the extent of elimination of the elements depends on certain equilibria between the slag and the metal. The reaction of FeO with carbon results in the formation of the gases CO and CO, which, after saturating the metal, pass into the furnace gases. Third: after the iron has been purified to the desired extent as far as the elements listed are concerned, it is necessary to deoxidize the bath to remove the FeO, which is the vital factor in gas formation as the steel solidifies.

Jan 1, 1957

By T. F. Witheree

The Fletcherville Furnace was built in 1864 and 1865, making its first blast from August until October of the latter year, when it was blown out to prevent its " bunging-up." Repairs were made in time to enable it to be blown in again December 12th, 1865, the blast ending October 7th, 1866. Total product 1921.15 tons iron, an average of 6.8.2.5 tons per day, from ores yielding 44.8 per cent. Consumption of charcoal 223.2 bushels per ton of iron. The furnace journal up to this time shows no record of furnace dimensions, or temperature of the blast, but as near as can be ascertained, they were as follows, viz.: Height of stack, 42 feet. Diameter of bosh, 11 feet. Angle of bosh, 71/2 inches to 12 inches rise, about 58°. Diameter of open tunnel head, 42 inches. Number of tuyeres 3 ; each 3 inches in diameter. Dam 15 inches high. Tuyeres 24 inches high. Tymp 224 inches high. Diameter of steam cylinder, 20) inches. } Diameter of blast cylinder, 64 inches. } Stroke 5 feet. The engine is direct-acting horizontal non-condensing. December 26th, 1866, the furnace was again put in blast, having been considerably altered in the crucible; the height of stack, bosh, and tunnel head remaining as before. Six tuyeres were put in, three in each of the side arches. The hearth or crucible was rectangular in form, 3 feet wide x 31/2 feet long x 64 feet high. Inclination of bosh 58°. Height of tuyeres 26 inches; nozzles 21/4 inches diameter. Temperature of blast estimated to be about 500°.

By J. R. Lucas, R. L. Frantz

Mine sealing programs for the alleviation of acid mine drainage were begun by the Federal Government in the '30's. As part of an acid mine research project to The Ohio State University, a field test was undertaken to determine the effectiveness of mine seals for reducing mine acid. Details of the tests made at the McDaniels mine show the feasibility of air-sealing and flooding an acid-producing drift coal mine. Work by the University continues. The Federal Government undertook in the early thirties an extensive mine sealing program for the alleviation of acid mine drainage. In the states of West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania many general summaries have been made on this program but no critical evaluation with supporting data has been found on the effectiveness of mine seals for reducing mine acid. Because of this it was decided to undertake a field testing program as part of an acid mine research project of the Engineering Experiment Station, The Ohio State University. The objective of this phase of the project was to develop and install a field research laboratory for acid mine drainage studies. Specifications for such a mine laboratory were developed and resulted from the following considerations: 1) Size and preservation—the test mine shou1d be of limited size to permit frequent and detailed examinations; it should be in a reasonably sound condition to permit safe entry. 2) Isolation—the mine should be physically separated from all other mines. 3) Openings—a minimum number would be desirable to reduce the sealing problem. 4) Structure—the mine especially near the openings should be structurally sound. 5) Acid production—the mine should be producing significant quantities of acid. After considerable searching, the McDaniels mine was selected in the Hocking coal field in Vinton County just above Lake Hope State Park in southeastern Ohio. The small drift mine in the middle Kittaning coal consisted of two small rooms with one mine opening about 6 ft above a seasonal stream bed. Before it was finally decided to seal the mine, a short study was made of the acid drainage over several months. Fig. 1 shows a plot of acidity (milligrams per liter), flow (gallons per minute), and acid production (pounds per day) vs time over the sampling period. Because the coal was overlain with a porous sandstone, the mine drainage was consistent the year around even though the mine was

Jan 1, 1961