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By L. F. Pease, J. H. Brophy

A phase diagram for the Ta-Zr system is presented. The system is of the minimum-melting point type with the 0-zirconium phase decomposing monotectoidally at 785°C and 95.5 at. pct Zr. The minimum solidus temperature is 1875°C and the temperature of the top of the monotectoid loop is 1775°C. Techniques employed included X-ray diffraction and fluorescmce, electron microprobe analyses, diffusion couples, metallography, and melting-point measurements. Errors due to interstitial solutes and in melting observations are particularly common in this system, and their occurrence is discussed. SEVERAL versions of the Ta-Zr phase diagram have been reported in the literature.lm7 Williams et al.' report a diagram of the minimum-melting point type with a monotectoid reaction at 800°C and 12 wt pct Ta. The minimum in the solidus occurs at 1820°C and 25 wt pct Ta, while the top of the monotectoid gap is located at 1780°C and 80 wt pct Ta. The experimental techniques employed were metallography, electrical resistance variation with temperature, dilatometry, X-ray diffraction, and direct observation of melting by the technique of Pirani and ~lterthum.' Experience in the Nb-Zr phase diagram has shown that small changes in the interstitial content can cause large shifts in the positions of the phase boundaries. Small amounts of inter -stitials can cause similar changes in the Ta-Zr system and may be responsible for the wide variations in the phase diagrams previously reported.'-' The authors15 have found that alloys containing 0.75 wt pct 0 and 1.0 wt pct Ni with tantalum contents from 19 to 85 at. pct often contain a lamellar or cellular precipitate after annealing above 1400°C. This precipitate is very similar to that reported by pollack,12 Ralls," and Donlevy17 for the Ni-Zr system. In the present investigation, a wider variety of experimental techniques and improved alloy purity were applied to the resolution of errors in diagrams for this system as they now appear in the literature. New results have been obtained in the areas of alloy homogeneity and purity. Errors in the common techniques of direct melting observation in binary alloys have been demonstrated. In the commercially important high-tantalum region, the more accurate metallographic method of solidus determination has been employed. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Nominal analyses of the materials employed are given in Table I. The zirconium was low hafnium reactor grade iodide crystal bar, and the tantalum was in the form of high-purity sheet. Powders were impossible to use because of gas content. Alloys were melted on a water-cooled copper hearth, with a thoriated tungsten-tipped nonconsumable electrode in 2/3 atm of Zr "gettered" argon. Alloys were

Jan 1, 1963

By F. Habashi

Siberia, a vast country rich in mineral resources and a large number of different ethnic groups. To the east of Lake Baikal is Buryatia with capital Ulan Ude. The Buryat are closely related to the Mongolians. Ulan Ude is connected to Ulaan Baatar (Ulan Bator) the capital of Mongolia by train – a 26 hours trip. Getting a visa to Russia is not a simple case. Visits to metallurgical research laboratories, Lake Baikal, and historical museums are enriching experience.

Jan 1, 2006

By Bowen Li

Silicon Carbide is an excellent refractory material. Its physical properties make it extremely useful, particularly in applications where corrosion resistance and wear are important considerations. Commercial silicon carbide refractory is frequently manufactured by bonding silicon carbide particles with clay; however, clay may cause problems in the sintered products. This study investigates the potential of replacing a portion of the clay with andalusite powder. The results show that micron size andalusite powder can improve not only the strength of the refractory but also the sinterability. The mechanisms for these improvements are discussed.

Jan 1, 2006

By J. F. KENP

THE White Knob copper-deposits are situated about three miles south of Mackay, on the Salmon River .branch of the Oregon Short Line Railroad, in Custer county, Idaho. An outline-map of this district is given in Fig. 1. The deposits have been known and spasmodically worked for many years, and a total of over 3.5 miles of tunnels, shafts and other workings has been driven with a view to their development. These extensive excavations have exposed the deposits sufficiently to permit a careful geological examination. The peculiar features which give special interest to this paper are the branching, free-like form of the ore-bodies; the absence of zones of secondary enrichment in the partly oxidized pyritic deposits, and the fact that while the deposits are associated in a general way with the contact of an eruptive rock with limestone, which it penetrates, the garnetization has taken place not in the limestone, as is the usual case, but in the igneous

Mar 1, 1907

By Robert B. Parsons

"The tax reform process marches on. The December 16, 1987 measures tabled by Finance Minister Michael Wilson represent one more step toward the objective of total reform of Canada's income and sales taxes. While the income tax changes are taking shape, much work still needs to be done on the sales tax side of the coin.IntroductionOn December 16, 1987 Finance Minister Michael Wilson tabled measures to implement the changes to Canada's income tax system that were proposed in the June 18, 1987 White Paper on Tax Reform. The measures were set out in a Notice of Ways and Means Motion; draft legislation relating to preferred shares, research and development expenditures; and draft regulations regarding capital cost allowance, certified films, flow-through shares, and the resource sector. The reaction of the government to the recommendations made by the Finance and Economic Affairs Committee Report on Tax Reform (the Blenkarn Committee), the Report of the Standing Senate Committee on Banking, Trade and Commerce and through consultations with interested groups and organizations, business, labour and individual Canadians is set out in a booklet of supplementary information.The basic features of the reformed income tax system set out in the White Paper remain. However, a number of significant changes have been incorporated in the Notice of Ways and Means Motion and other material. The following comments address those area s where changes have been made to the original White Paper proposals."

Jan 1, 1988

Bacterial Leaching of Complex Polymetallic Sulfide Ore The work described here concerned the study on bacterial leaching of complex sulfide minerals and polymetallic ores operated in shaken flasks and small-scale columns. The bioleaching of jamesonite was not accessible. The iron extraction in pyrrhotite leaching reached 98.2 per cent after 23 days. After 26 days, the zinc extraction of marmatite reached 92.3 per cent while the iron extraction only reached 13.6 per cent. The pulp density had effect on the metal extraction of pyrrhppite and marmatite. For complex polymetallic sulfide ores, after 10 days in shaken flasks, 97.1 per cent zinc extraction was achieved. While after 60 days in small-scale column, the zinc extraction only proceeded to 7.8 per cent; By SEM and EDXA of experimental samples and their leaching residuum, the bioleaching mechanism was discussed.

Sep 13, 2010

By Kung-Lee Wang

This report describes the linkage of all mining sectors with all other manufacturing, services, and final demand sectors of the U.S. economy. Besides being a basic data source, it provides a framework for aggregate economic impact analysis with respect to the mining industries. The framework is an open-static input-output model specifying 48 mining industries as classified in the Standard Industrial Classification Manual for all mining activities and 76 nonmining industries which collectively exhaust, all economic activities. The 124-sector model used in this report is an expansion of the preliminary 82-industry aggregation estimates made by the Department of Commerce. In the expanded model, 48 ruining industries are substituted for the original 6. The methodology used to ascertain the industry-by-industry procurement cost estimates and product ion flows necessary to the construction and expansion of the basic 82-sector model included personal interviews, case studies of specific mining activity analysis, and published and unpublished data from the Bureau of Mines and the Census of Mineral Industries, The end products of this study are two tables arranged to show the direct purchases necessary for each industry to support the level of economic activity and the total purchases generated in each industry throughout the economy by each $1 of aggregate economic demand in 1958. The tables may he used for economic impact studies and market analysis by firms engaged in or closely associated with the mining industries. Some illustrations of their usages are presented.

Jan 1, 1967

By Jerome F. Kuzmick

INTRODUCTION THE use of iron powder during the post-war conversion period has been increasing with great rapidity. This is particularly true in regard to the manufacture of molded mechanical parts such as bushings, gears, cams, small wheels, and the like. Many manufacturers have found it possible to replace machined cast iron and carbon steel with molded iron powder parts, and thereby can not only effect a savings in cost, but can produce a better product as well. As the field of application for iron powder parts widens, greater demands are made upon the powder supplier concerning quality and uniformity characteristics. The following are some of the most important properties parts fabricators desire in the iron powder they use: I. The powder should have high compressibility so that good density can be obtained without the use of excessive pressures. At the same time, it should show low die wear so that a large number of pieces can be produced from the die. This means that the powder must be of high purity and good softness or plasticity. 2. The powder should produce compacts of high green strength, so that unsintered parts can be handled without breakage or fraying of the edges. 3. The sintering properties should be good so that satisfactory strength is obtained in the sintered piece. 4. Compacts made from the powder should show small but, above all, uniform dimensional changes during the sintering operation so that accurate parts can be produced, and warping and other such bad effects eliminated. 5. The powder should have satisfactory flow properties for automatic molding. 6. It is very important that the powder be uniform in sieve analysis, compressibility, flow, purity, and other qualities, from container to container in any given lot and from shipment to shipment. 7. Price-The fabricators desire all these good properties, but in many instances still do not wish to pay a premium price. There has been considerable discussion as to the importance of price of the powder in relation to the cost of the finished product. It is true that in cases where certain special properties only procured by powder metallurgy are required, price is not a criterion. On the other hand, there have been a number of applications recently made which would not be commercially practical with a powder which commands a premium in price. Iron powder parts are compressed in automatic presses to definite size, shape, and density. The powder is compressed to a density figure dependent upon the function the part is to perform, as well as upon such important considerations as press capacity and die wear. Such parts can be roughly broken down into the following density ranges:

Jan 1, 1948

By Victor Raul Alarcon

The Ilo Refinery was commissioned in 1975, with a cathode production capacity of 150,000 tpy. In 1994, Southern Perú Copper Corporation (SPCC) purchased the Refinery from Minero Perú SA. Subsequently, in November 1999, Grupo Mexico acquired control of Southern Perú. The anode production facility is located at the Ilo Refinery. A number of effective operating and quality control practices have been developed that have improved anode quality, as well as increasing anode production capacity to 350,000 tpy. These, and other optimization actions have allowed for a current density increase from 213 A/m2 to 275 A/m2, while maintaining current efficiency at 98% and sustaining the high quality of the cathode. The paper will outline the scope of operational practices in the Anode Plant and provide some discussion on the Ilo Smelter modernization project, and the resulting impact on the existing anode plant.

Jan 1, 2005

By Chris Fleming, John R. Goode, James Brown

"Data will be produced from two uranium feasibility studies that were conducted in 2008, both involving uranium recovery from leached slurry by resin-in-pulp (RIP) with strong base resins. Excellent metallurgical results were produced in RIP pilot plants in both studies, and the loaded resins were eluted with strong sulphuric acid and recycled to RIP in an integrated process. Resin losses by either abrasion or mechanical breakage were immeasurably low.Metallurgical results from these two campaigns will be presented, along with an economic analysis of RIP versus the alternative process of CCD or filtration and solvent extraction.INTRODUCTIONThe recovery of uranium directly from pulp with strong base resins in RIP contactors was practiced commercially in the USA in the 1960s, but the process never established itself as a viable alternative to solid/liquid separation and solvent extraction. This was due mainly to the necessity to do a sand-slime separation partially resulting from the unavailability of coarse resin beads, inadequacies in the design of the RIP contactors and screens to separate resin from pulp, as well as problems with the strength and durability of resins in agitated pulps.There have been significant advances in the last 30 years in each of these areas. All the commercial resin manufacturers are now producing very tough, durable, strong base resins, and are manufacturing them in a large bead size that is better suited to RIP applications. In addition, with the emergence and wide spread implementation of the carbon in pulp process in the gold industry in the 1980s, many innovative techniques for preparing leached slurries and separating carbon from pulp have become firmly established. These techniques have proven to be equally applicable to resin separation from pulps in RIP contactors."

Jan 1, 2010

Jan 1, 1997

The National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum (NMHF&M) will celebrate its 25th anniversary on Sept. 22, 2012 when the 2012 class is inducted during a special ceremony in Las Vegas, NV in conjunction with MINExpo 2012. The NMHF&M will induct four men representing the equipment manufacturing, minerals exploration, copper and coal sectors of the mining industry. The diverse cross-section of mining industry giants joining the hall of fame include Glen A. Barton, J. David Lowell, Samuel Newhouse and John Cleveland Osgood. They will join 214 other mining industry pioneers when they are formally inducted into the National Mining Hall of Fame at the 25th Silver Anniversary Induction Banquet & Ceremony. These men were selected for being visionaries, leaders and ambassadors within their own sectors and across the industry at large.

Jan 1, 2013

By P. D. Chamberlain, R. M. Nadkarni, D. J. Kinneberg

Introduction The relationship between precious metal miners and gold refiners has been uneasy over the years. Reasons for this uneasiness and lack of trust include technical factors, economics of scale, and cultural differences. Technical factors take two forms. First, concentrates, precipitates, and sponge produced at the mine site are notoriously difficult to sample. A nonrepresentative sample can be the cause of misunderstanding and distrust. Dote, however, is relatively homogeneous and can be correctly sampled and analyzed with greater reliability. Second, the technology and chemistry of fine gold and silver production is complex and quite different from dote production. Most mining companies are content not to be involved with additional processing steps. From the standpoint of process economies, it is easy to see why miners and refiners are separate groups. Mine location is dictated by the natural occurrence of ore bodies. Heavy capital investment requirements for infrastructure in remote locations usually limits companies to produce the first marketable product from a mine. Beyond that point, the economies of scale and large capital investments for refineries generally dictate that the outputs of several mines be combined to feed a single refinery. The refin¬ing process is so complex that refineries are generally built in larger cities with a skilled labor pool. Therefore, only the largest mines can afford to refine their own output. Lastly, there are cultural differences between the miner and the refiner. The miner, particularly the small gold miner, is by definition a risk taker in a risky business. Refineries, on the other hand, have historically been operated under legal or implied monopolies approved by the government. The government is interested in owning gold, either for currency reasons or because many national mints are major users of gold coins. It is not surprising, then, to find that miners may regard refiners as part of an unresponsive government bureaucracy or, worse, as "city slickers." It is easy for the two groups to distrust each other with these different backgrounds. The interface between miner and refiner does exist and affects nearly all precious metal mining companies and most refineries. This paper discusses the technical and economic aspects of the interface. It points out how both parties can improve the relationship. Technical interface Precious metals selectively dissolve to produce a pregnant solution. They are then recovered from solution by zinc precipitation (Merrill-Crowe process) or by absorption onto activated carbon. This is followed by stripping and electrowinning. At this point, the mining company must decide whether to ship precipitates (or sponge) to refiners or to produce a dote. Some factors the company must consider are the ability to sample precipitates, concentrates or sponge, security of storage, and production rates. An important factor is the incremental cost (capital and operating) of converting precipitates or sponge into dote at the mine. Generally, mines prefer to melt precipitates or sponge to dote to avoid prob¬lems associated with sampling them. There are three types of fur¬naces used by mining operators to melt precipitates to dote. The first and most widely used is a sil¬icon carbide crucible heated ex¬ternally with a gaseous liquid fuel. The crucible is easy to use and slag can be skimmed before pouring dote. This simple system is capable of handling 1 t/a (32,000 oz per year) gold. It could cost as little as $20,000. More complex systems could cost up to $200,000. The second type of furnace is the gas- or propane-fired rever¬beratory furnace. This is usually used only by large-scale opera¬tors in the silver business. Precip¬itates in reverberatory furnaces come in direct contact with the flame. The large volumes of flue gas can carry significant amounts of dust and fume that must be re¬moved from the gas before dis¬charging it to the atmosphere. In the days when the Rand re¬finery in South Africa used reverberatory furnaces, the silver leaving the furnace in the form of vapor and fume was estimated at 2.2% of the total silver charged to the furnace. The gold in the gases was about 0.03% of the gold charged. Most of this silver and gold was recovered in the exhaust gas scrubber system. These scrub¬ber systems can be more costly than the furnace itself.

Jan 10, 1986

By Frederick Bird

This paper is based upon a review of studies of mostly Canadian mining companies in Chile, northern Canada, Tanzania, Guatemala, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In spite of often well-meaning efforts most mining firms produce wealth in developing areas that largely benefit those immediately involved, sometimes neighboring communities, and often those in the governing strata. Typically mining takes place in enclaves and fosters enclave development, rather than the kind of inclusive wealth development favored by the recently UN published Inclusive Wealth Report. One way by which mining operations can foster more inclusive wealth development is to adopt much broader approaches towards the construction of the various physical and social infrastructures ? roads, water, electricity, health services, schools, security ? required for their own operations by collaborating with diverse regional, provincial, and/or national agencies and businesses to develop these infrastructures for larger populations and areas beyond the immediate sites where they are operating. Established mining firms can also foster more inclusive wealth development by establishing more formal, collaborative relationships with artisanal miners.

Aug 1, 2013

By Robert Linton

THE PURCHASE of silver by the United States Government under the provisions of the Pittman Act is practically completed. Producers of silver in this country will now have to market their silver in competition with the rest of the world. It therefore becomes of interest to study such data as are available and endeavor to obtain such suggestions as may be afforded therefrom as to the probable future market position of the metal. Conditions influencing the marketing of silver are numerous and complex. It is a commodity entering. into the arts and manufactures, and therefore influenced by the condition of various lines of business which make use of it; it is currency-being used by all countries for subsidiary coins and even as the founda-tion of the system by a very few; and it serves as a frequent basis for speculation. The various factors involved can easily set up so many cross-currents in the flow of the metal that predictions in regard to the market position of silver can never be safely made, although it may be possible to form some idea of prob-able trends over a sufficiently long period. Of course price is determined, as is the case with all commodities, by the inexorable workings of the law of supply and demand.

Jan 6, 1923

By Sean Gallagher

This report describes research by the Bureau of Mines on alternative materials-handling strategies for reducing the costs and incidence of back injuries in low-seam coal mines. Strategies recommended for redesigning materials-handling tasks include elimination of tasks, mechanization of tasks, and matching lifting tasks to the physical capabilities of underground miners. The report also discusses other methods that can be used by management to reduce the costs associated with back injuries.

Jan 1, 1989

The annual reports of the supervising engineer of the seven sections comprising the Mining Division are assembled in the following pages and form the annual report of the division. In planning activities, the aim has been to adapt the work to changing conditions and needs of the mining industries and to avoid becoming bound to any particular type of investigation when others are found to be of more pressing interest.

Jan 1, 1939

By Qing Bo

In this study, the cobalt oxide precursor was prepared in open-style reactor in the condition of high reactant concentration, and then the precursor was decomposed to obtain the cobalt oxides (Co3O4). The effects of some factors on the cobalt precipitation, the particle size and size distribution, and the micro-morphology were addressed. The factors studied include cobalt concentration, initial pH of solution, temperature and time for the reaction, the charge amount of urea, and the temperature for decomposition. It is determined that the precursor particle is in the chemical composition of Co2(OH)3Cl with fine crystalline. By calcinations under proper conditions, the mono-dispersed cobalt oxide particles were prepared with fine crystalline, about 2 µ m in particle size and regular shape in morphology.

Jan 1, 2006

By Mark R. Pettitt

Noise surveys conducted in underground coal mines have consistently indicated that auger mining machines subject the operator and helpers to excessive noise exposure. The machine cutting heads have been identified as the primary noise source. This report documents the research program conducted to (1) investigate the nature of the cutting head noise problem, (2) develop noise control concepts, (3) devise in-mine survivable techniques to implement the noise control concepts, and (4) build and demonstrate prototype reduced-noise auger miner cutting heads. The dynamic forces generated during coal cutting by the brittle fracture of coal are predominently low frequency. The low-frequency (less than 1500 Hz) structural response of the cutting head, therefore, determines the noise radiated by the cutting head. The most feasible methods of reducing the cutting head low-frequency response are to increase both the structural stiffness and the low-frequency damping. A technique was devised to achieve these goals. The standard plate helix was replaced by a sand-filled hollow helix of triangular cross section, and the core diameter was increased with an attendant reduction in helix depth. Extended in-mine tests demonstrated the operational capability of the reduced-noise auger cutting heads. The simple noise control concepts are valid for all continuous miner cutting heads. The sand-filled hollow helix technique, which achieved a 10 dB(A) noise reduction for the auger, can be used on any helix-bearing Cutting head.

Jan 1, 1983

By M. Craig Miller

As the trend continues in the U. S. toward inceased capital investment in longwall mining equipment and wider panels. the risk also increases for gotential financial and production loses due to undetected geologic anomalies. This paper describes how RIM Sm (Radio Imaging Method) is utilized in conjunction with more traditional exploration and interpretive methods to delineate fluvial channels. displacement faults and poor roof conditions in a Southeastern Ohio coal mine

Jan 1, 1990