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By J. P. Van Kleunen

9.3-1. Introduction. The demands of industry for handling materials at higher rates and at reduced costs have had a very significant effect on belt conveyor technology. Although the general appearance of the belt conveyor today is essentially the same as it has been for the past several decades, the similarity ends there. Each component comprising the conveyor system has been continuously improved through design and materials technology to enable present conveyor systems to operate at ever-increasing rates and reliability. For example, twenty years ago the strongest commercially available, fabric-reinforced conveyor belting had a tension rating of 50 lb per ply-in. Currently, fabric-reinforced belts are available with ratings of 350 lb per ply-in. and steel cable reinforced belting is available with tension ratings of 3000 lb per in. of belt width (3). These technological advances have therefore enabled the belt conveyor to not only attain acceptance as a preferred method for in-plant movement of bulk materials, but also to be used for long distance transportation of bulk materials, particularly in areas of adverse terrain. The information contained in this chapter is intended to assist the reader to make basic decisions regarding the use and application of a conveyor system. The design of an overland conveyor transportation system or an in-plant process conveyor is accordingly beyond the scope of this article. Many comprehensive technical works covering the design of a belt conveyor are currently available from the manufacturers of materials handling equipment (6, 7, 9, 11). The design handbook published by the Conveyor Equipment Manufacturers Association is particularly recommended (2). 9.3-2. Conveyor Capacities. One of the most important factors in determining the proper size of a conveyor system is the rate at which material must be handled. Although tables and charts are available to the conveyor designer to assist him in his selection of conveyor components, only the

Jan 1, 1968

A new $18-million hydrometallurgical ore treatment facility for the recovery of molybdenum oxide was dedicated at Climax, Colo., on November 19 by Climax Molybdenum Co., division of AMAX. The Company has been producing molybdenum from molybdenite (MoS2) ores since 1918. Now oxide values, formerly lost in the sulfide flotation plant tailing are to be processed to yield about 3 million Ib per year of metal. In 1965, Climax produced about 50% of world molybdenum from sulfide ore. This ore is mined at the rate of 42,000 tpd. The annual production of concentrate is 100 million lb containing 90% to 92% MoS2, or about 50 million lb of metal. As only a relatively small portion of the total Climax production is sufficiently enriched in oxide molybdenum to process through the new plant, 5700 tpd of selected ore containing 1.5 lb of Mo per ton is now treated by the new process.

Jan 12, 1966

By H. W. Mathews, J. D. Wheeler

AS predicted by Messrs. Fuqua and Thompson, in last year's paper on West Texas1, 1935 saw a marked increase in activity in this area over recent years. Both major and independent operators shared in the increased wildcatting operations, which resulted in the discovery of eight and probably nine new fields in this area. During 1935 there were 700 wells completed as compared with 468 in 1934 and only 236 in 1933. Of these completions 579 were producers with a total 24-hr. potential of over 700,000 bbl. It is estimated that the new fields discovered during 1935 added from 200,000,000 to 400,000,000 bbl. to the known oil reserve in West Texas. In addition to these new fields, many of the older producing areas scored marked extensions during the year. New Fields Goldsmith.—-The Goldsmith field, in west central Ector County, gives promise of being the year's outstanding discovery in this area. The discovery well was completed by the Gulf Production Co. in June at a depth of 4177 ft.; it gaged 275 bbl. of 36° gravity oil in 3 hr. through 85/8-in. casing on its first production test. The field has been extended to the east by wells drilled by Phillips and Pure on their Cowden block. Present indications are that the field may contain 10,000 productive acres, and this, together with the large flush production from only a small penetration into the pay, leads to the belief that Gulf-Goldsmith No. 1 was the outstanding Permian lime discovery of 1935. It is quite probable that production will prove to be continuous to the Landreth-Scarborough No. 1, 33/4 miles to the northwest, which was completed for a small producer late in 1934. Sand Hills (Ordovician).—From the standpoint of creating excitement, the outstanding West Texas test of the year was no doubt Gulf-Waddell No. 1, on the northwest nose of the Sand Hills structure. This test was started late in 1934 as a deep test to the Ordovician. Thc Ordovician was topped above 6000 ft,., considerably higher than expected. Oil shows in the Simpson were passed and the well was drilled down to the

Jan 1, 1936

By J. D. Wheeler, H. W. Mathews

AS predicted by Messrs. Fuqua and Thompson, in last year's paper on West Texas1, 1935 saw a marked increase in activity in this area over recent years. Both major and independent operators shared in the increased wildcatting operations, which resulted in the discovery of eight and probably nine new fields in this area. During 1935 there were 700 wells completed as compared with 468 in 1934 and only 236 in 1933. Of these completions 579 were producers with a total 24-hr. potential of over 700,000 bbl. It is estimated that the new fields discovered during 1935 added from 200,000,000 to 400,000,000 bbl. to the known oil reserve in West Texas. In addition to these new fields, many of the older producing areas scored marked extensions during the year. New Fields Goldsmith.—-The Goldsmith field, in west central Ector County, gives promise of being the year's outstanding discovery in this area. The discovery well was completed by the Gulf Production Co. in June at a depth of 4177 ft.; it gaged 275 bbl. of 36° gravity oil in 3 hr. through 85/8-in. casing on its first production test. The field has been extended to the east by wells drilled by Phillips and Pure on their Cowden block. Present indications are that the field may contain 10,000 productive acres, and this, together with the large flush production from only a small penetration into the pay, leads to the belief that Gulf-Goldsmith No. 1 was the outstanding Permian lime discovery of 1935. It is quite probable that production will prove to be continuous to the Landreth-Scarborough No. 1, 33/4 miles to the northwest, which was completed for a small producer late in 1934. Sand Hills (Ordovician).—From the standpoint of creating excitement, the outstanding West Texas test of the year was no doubt Gulf-Waddell No. 1, on the northwest nose of the Sand Hills structure. This test was started late in 1934 as a deep test to the Ordovician. Thc Ordovician was topped above 6000 ft,., considerably higher than expected. Oil shows in the Simpson were passed and the well was drilled down to the

Jan 1, 1936

By E. Z. Lajtai

The probability distribution of fracture data from a rock mechanics test contains information about the effectiveness of the testing procedure and/or about the nature of the operating failure mechanism. The tensile strength of Lac du Bonnet granite forms a bimodal probability distribution when determined through line loading as in the Brazilian test. The same data obtained from three point bends tests are unimodal. The bimodality can in part be removed by distributing the line load over a finite area. Moisture has the anticipated effect in lowering both the average compressive and the average tensile strength of Lac du Bonnet granite. The reduction in strength however is not uniform within the probability distribution; the change is the largest at low and the smallest at high strength. Conversely, long-term loading is more damaging to the high strength members of the distribution. The large scatter of failure times in static fatigue experiments can in part be removed or even utilized when the probability distribution of instantaneous strength is taken into account.

Jan 1, 1982

By Oliver S. North

Reserves of perlite rock in the western section of the United States are immense. A geological report prepared for the Union Pacific RR showed proved tonnage of over 400 million tons in southern Nevada alone. Yet the perlite industry is not large, and most of the mines are relatively small. There are indications that perlite processing, thus far largely in the hands of relatively small com¬panies, is becoming concentrated in a few large companies. For economic reasons the bulk of perlite sold in crude form has come from three or four pro¬ducers, although many individual operators have sold small quantities to limited lists of purchasers. Perlite is one of ultra-lightweight aggregates. Owing to its outstanding qualities as an aggregate, variety of uses, and ultimate economy of use, it has enjoyed considerable popularity in this country in recent years. Marked foreign interest also has been evinced in this material.

Jan 2, 1955

By Fred C. Bond

The process of comminution by grinding is properly classified as an art, rather than as a science. Like most other operations concerned in ore dressing, or in the treatment of nonmetallic minerals, the mathematical relationships of rock breaking are still obscure, and much disputed. If some basic formula exists, comparable for instance to E = RI in electricity, it has not yet been placed in common use. The absence of such a comprehensive mathematical background undoubtedly is the cause of many inefficient designs and installations, as well as of much poorly oriented experimental work. On the other hand, the mathematical immaturity of the process constitutes an opportunity for a real contribution on the part of those who enjoy mental pioneering. Some of the statements made in any such exploratory work may be little more than opinions, and it is to be expected that some will later be proved untrue; but such an evolutionary development is necessary if we are ever to arrive at the fundamental laws, the discovery of which can change the empirical art into a mathematically exact science. The most significant principle of comminution that we possess is probably Rittinger's law, which states that the work done in crushing or grinding is proportional to the area of the new surface produced. There is an alternative theory, known as Kick's law, which formerly was preferred to Rittinger's but which now is rather discredited. According to Kick, the work done in comminution is proportional to the volume, or weight, of the pieces broken, or to the cube of their diameters, while according to Rittinger it is proportional to the square of the diameters. Careful determinations of size distribution below the limit of sieve sizes1 indicate strongly that under ordinary grinding conditions the amount of new surface area produced is directly proportional to the net power input. Changes in the size ratio between the balls and the particles cause important differences in the proportion of the product that passes a given mesh size, but do not affect the total amount of new surface area; they merely change the distribution of the surface among mesh sizes. The principle of constant surface area is the logical result of Rittinger's law, and it may well have an important bearing on the comminution theories of the future. Formula for Ball Wear Grinding tests have been made in the Allis-Chalmers laboratory for more than 9 years, using a standard charge of mixed balls of different sizes; and a continuous record has been kept of the rates of wear of each size. These results have been combined and plotted in various ways in order to discover the relationship that exists

Jan 1, 1943

By Fred C. Bond

The process of comminution by grinding is properly classified as an art, rather than as a science. Like most other operations concerned in ore dressing, or in the treatment of nonmetallic minerals, the mathematical relationships of rock breaking are still obscure, and much disputed. If some basic formula exists, comparable for instance to E = RI in electricity, it has not yet been placed in common use. The absence of such a comprehensive mathematical background undoubtedly is the cause of many inefficient designs and installations, as well as of much poorly oriented experimental work. On the other hand, the mathematical immaturity of the process constitutes an opportunity for a real contribution on the part of those who enjoy mental pioneering. Some of the statements made in any such exploratory work may be little more than opinions, and it is to be expected that some will later be proved untrue; but such an evolutionary development is necessary if we are ever to arrive at the fundamental laws, the discovery of which can change the empirical art into a mathematically exact science. The most significant principle of comminution that we possess is probably Rittinger's law, which states that the work done in crushing or grinding is proportional to the area of the new surface produced. There is an alternative theory, known as Kick's law, which formerly was preferred to Rittinger's but which now is rather discredited. According to Kick, the work done in comminution is proportional to the volume, or weight, of the pieces broken, or to the cube of their diameters, while according to Rittinger it is proportional to the square of the diameters. Careful determinations of size distribution below the limit of sieve sizes1 indicate strongly that under ordinary grinding conditions the amount of new surface area produced is directly proportional to the net power input. Changes in the size ratio between the balls and the particles cause important differences in the proportion of the product that passes a given mesh size, but do not affect the total amount of new surface area; they merely change the distribution of the surface among mesh sizes. The principle of constant surface area is the logical result of Rittinger's law, and it may well have an important bearing on the comminution theories of the future. Formula for Ball Wear Grinding tests have been made in the Allis-Chalmers laboratory for more than 9 years, using a standard charge of mixed balls of different sizes; and a continuous record has been kept of the rates of wear of each size. These results have been combined and plotted in various ways in order to discover the relationship that exists

Jan 1, 1943

By William E. Souder, Eugene R. Palowitch

INTRODUCTION The longwall method of mining coal underground is now a highly developed and accepted mining technology. However, it was only through a long history of successes and failures that this technology now has the potential for reversing the declining trend in underground mining productivity in the United States. From its early beginnings in the United States during the 1800's, several species of longwalls have evolved. The evolutionary record consists of a series of overlapping birth-death eras, with each era giving way to another unique longwall technology. Typically, an era begins when some new longwall technology appears in response to a new technical opportunity or economic need. This new technology is adopted initially by only a few innovators. Later, other imitators get on the bandwagon and the technology diffuses throughout the user population. But evolving technical demands and socio-economic circumstances eventually cause many of the adopters to discontinue its use. This paper chronicles seven eras in the history of the evolution and utilization of longwall technologies in the United States. Some of the important factors that have influenced this history are discussed. Some distinctions are drawn between the operators who were first to adopt longwalls (innovators), and the imitators who followed. Statistics are presented which show that longwall mining is being adopted at an exponentially increasing rate, substantiating the forecast for a significant number of new longwall installations in' the future. Potential barriers to this increased utilization of long- walls are noted.

Jan 1, 1981

By H. Rees

This paper supplements and brings up to date a report prepared earlier this year and presented at the Eleventh Pan American Railway Congress in Mexico City. Most of the original report is contained in this paper in order to acquaint the reader with the project background. On December 1, 1961, construction of this locomotive was completed. Stationary testing started immediately, and a host of problems in various areas were uncovered. Many of these had no relation to the use of coal in a direct fired gas turbine. All of them emphasized the problems which plagued previous projects of this kind. In 1944 the Locomotive Development Committee of Bituminous Coal Research, Inc., was formed to study the problems of combustion, coal handling, and fly ash removal which would have to be solved before coal could be used to fire a gas turbine. By 1947 this committee was composed of the chief executive officers of nine eastern railroads and five eastern coal companies. All of the members of this committee were vitally concerned in a coal fired gas turbine because coal cost only one-fourth as much per heat unit as fuel oil. A number of research projects were started to develop and test components on a small scale. This included work at John Hopkins University, Battelle Memorial Institute, Institute of Gas Technology at Chicago, Purdue University, and Southern Research Institute. By 1946 a pilot plant had been installed at the Dunkirk, New York plant of Alco Products Div. of American Locomotive Co. The U. S. Bureau of Mines made available to the Locomotive Development Committee (hereafter called LDC) a Houdry process gas turbine plant, originally destined for a Russian oil refinery. The full scale pilot plant was used to evaluate the results obtained from the small scale studies under actual gas turbine conditions. Operation of this plant disclosed a number of problems which had not been discovered in the small scale tests. By 1951 four 250 hr tests had been conducted with the Houdry gas turbine to test out a variety of equipment. The major problem concerned the removal of abrasive fly ash from the products of combustion so that wear on turbine blades would not be excessive. The first 250 hr test showed that the original fly ash separating equipment was inadequate. Large ash particles passing through the turbine blading were nicking the leading edges of the first row blades. At the conclusion of the second 250 hr test, erosion was so severe that the first row of stator and the first row of rotor blades were replaced. At the end of the third 250 hr test, it was necessary to replace the first three rows of stator blading. The fourth test was used to test out a new design fly ash separator developed by LDC and named the Dunlab tube. This device gave more encouraging results than any of the others tested. Early enthusiasm for overcoming major difficulties had resulted in placing an order in 1946 with Allis-Chalmers Mfg. Co. for a 3750 hp regenerative gas turbine. The gas turbine, together with associated combustion and ash removal equipment, coal handling equipment, generators and gear reduction unit was installed at Dunkirk by 1951. A 750 hr test was made in 1952 with the LDC-Allis Chalmers gas turbine power plant. At the end of this test it was necessary to replace the first four rows of both rotor and stator blading. Rows 5 and 6 did not require replacement. In 1953 the American Locomotive Co. joined with LDC and assumed an active role in equipment development and manufacture. During 1954 LDC-Alco operated the rebladed gas turbine 300 hr to determine if a new fly ash separator was adequate. Performance of the improved separator was considerably better, but trouble was experienced with clogged blowdown lines from the Dunlab tubes. When these lines clogged it permitted the passage of abrasive particles. In 1955 a total of 1421 hr was run. This included 243 hr of cycle operation on Union Pacific coal from the D. O. Clark mine at Superior, Wyoming. During the 243 hr a total of 370 tons of coal was consumed. The purpose of this test was to determine if U.P. coal was suitable for use in a coal fired turbine. It was the unofficial opinion that it was as good or better than the eastern coals that had been tested.

Jan 1, 1964

By T. F. McCormick

THIS year, 1950, is the golden anniversary of the construction and operation in this country of a tube mill for the sole purpose of fabricating aluminum alloy tubing. For a short period prior to the beginning of this mill, aluminum alloy tubing was obtained from foreign sources or produced in mills fabricating other metals. Indeed, it was a very short period because aluminum itself was a newcomer in the field of metals. The first sheet rolling mill had been in operation just eight years and a rod rolling mill for the production of wire and cable had been functioning one year. The first tube mill for aluminum was built by the Aluminum Co. of America in May 1900 and started production with four draw benches and five men, including the mill superintendent. The building itself was a lean-to attached to a sheet-rolling mill at New Kensington, Pa. The cost of equipment, including the draw benches, dies, mandrels, and other tools, was about $5000. This figure seems absurd in the present day but nevertheless it was questioned at that time whether or not such a large sum should be spent to embark on a new and uncertain venture. The initial production system for the new mill consisted of casting round hollow ingots in a tilting-type iron mold, reducing the ingots to bloom size outside the plant, and finally drawing to size on the draw benches. This method of producing aluminum alloy tubing survived just two years, as blooms of satisfactory quality were not obtained consistently. It was superseded by the cupping method in which a 24-in. diam circle cut from a rolled plate was formed into a tube bloom using first a small cupping press and then a push bench. It was stated that tubing so produced was limited to a maximum diameter of 2 3/4 in. and to wall thicknesses varying from 12 to 24 gage. However, for the first time all the operations were performed at one plant and the result was a quality product. Later larger cupping presses and push benches were obtained and the method continued to be the principal one for aluminum alloy tubing for almost a quarter of a century. During the interim the use of a Alan Mannesmann -type billet piercer was explored and it was used to some extent, but failed to produce consistently a smooth inside surface suitable for drawing with aluminum alloys. Experiments started during the latter stages of World War I in the production of tube blooms with a hydraulic extrusion press, led to the use of this type of equipment to make tube blooms for further drawing during a change-over period extending from 1925 until 1930. At this time the cupping method was discarded completely. From these humble beginnings, the aluminum alloy tubing business expanded until well over six million pounds were produced in a single month in the United States during World War II. The major portion of this production was in strong alloys which did not appear in the tubing picture until 1022, when 17S alloy tubing was introduced for aircraft construction.

Jan 1, 1951

By H. W. Gillett

CLYDE WILLIAMS has reminded me that in the fall of 1929, gave, in MINING AND METALLURGY, an account of the hopes and aspirations of Battelle Memorial Institute, which was then just swinging into initial operation; and that therein I remarked that B.M.I. should stand, as well, for Better Metallurgical Industries, since helping to better them was the Institute's aim. So he has suggested that some of the betterments of the past fifteen years might well be listed. A yearly summary of progress comes pretty close to the ultimate in futility, for everything proved of value in that year had its inception in earlier years, and everything really new has still to be proved. Plenty of things hailed as wonderful achievements for that year, by some enthusiasts invited to contribute to the summary, turn out in later years to be inglorious flops. But over a decade and a half, betterments that are really such become self-evident, and recounting some of them can be done without guesswork or wishful thinking. An inventory of what was known and utilized in 1929 compared to what is now known and used is not too hard to make. Perhaps the most clear-cut picture of what is known and used at a certain date is drawn by the handbooks, textbooks, and equipment catalogs of that date, with scientific periodical literature forecasting what knowledge may later be used when it is verified and assimilated. The tools available for production or for research limit the application of old and the finding of new knowledge.

Jan 1, 1945

By Fred C. Bond

THE process of comminution by grinding is properly classified as an art, rather than as a science. Like most other operations concerned in ore dressing, or in the treatment of nonmetallic minerals, the mathematical relationships of rock breaking are still obscure, and much disputed. If some basic formula exists, comparable for instance to E = RI in electricity, it has not yet been placed in, common use. The absence of such a comprehensive mathematical background undoubtedly is the cause of many inefficient designs and installations, as well as of much poorly oriented experimental work. On the other hand, the mathematical immaturity of the process constitutes an opportunity for a real contribution on the part of those who enjoy mental pioneering. Some of the statements made in any such exploratory work may be little more than opinions, and it is to be expected that some will later be proved untrue; but such an evolutionary development is necessary if we are ever to arrive at the fundamental laws, the discovery of which can change the empirical art into a mathematically exact science. The most significant principle of comminution that we possess is probably Rittinger's law, which states that the work done in crushing or grinding is proportional to the area of the new surface produced. There is an alternative theory, known as Kick's law, which formerly was preferred to Rittinger's but which now is rather discredited. According to Kick, the work done in comminution is proportional to the volume, or weight, of the pieces broken, or to the cube of their diameters, while according to Rittinger it is proportional to the square of the diameters. Careful determinations of size distribution below the limit of sieve sizes1 indicate strongly that under ordinary grinding conditions the amount of new surface area produced is directly proportional to the net power input. Changes in the size ratio between the balls and the particles cause important differences in the proportion of the product that passes a given mesh size, but do not affect the total amount of new surface area; they merely change the distribution of the surface among mesh sizes. The principle of constant surface area is the logical result of Rittinger's law, and it may well have an important bearing on the comminution theories of the future. FORMULA FOR BALL WEAR Grinding tests have been made in the Allis-Chalmers laboratory for more than 9 years, using a standard charge of mixed balls of different sizes; and a continuous record has been kept of the rates of wear of each size. These results have been combined and plotted in various ways in order to discover the relationship that exists

Jan 1, 1940

By G. M. Wiles

The increasing number of problems of the modem mine manager has led the author to discuss the art of management. He lists the principles concerning selection of personnel, exploitation and development, new equipment, process improvements, new processes, maintenance, operating cost data and public relations. Application of the principles to problems of mine startup, operation and rehabilitation are described. Since D. C. Jackling was famous for his adeptness at organizing and training teams of operating personnel, the subject of mine management is particularly appropriate for a Jackling Lecture. In fact, it is doubly appropriate because in very basic ways Jackling's career changed the nature of the tasks and challenges facing a mine manager. Management of mines, of course, is the art of finding and winning minerals economically from the earth's crust, and it involves the use of all the engineering sciences. But also of prime importance is a skill which is not yet a science - the area of management often referred to as human engineering. Since expenditures on staff and labor may well involve more than 50% of the direct costs of operating a mine, ability at human engineering is just as important as the ability to plan and put into effect the most efficient operating procedures. In addition to his ability to select and train operating personnel, Jackling possessed, to a degree unmatched by many of his contemporaries, broad, analytical powers covering both the economics and operating phases of large scale mineral extraction. His breadth of vision found its greatest expression at the time he analyzed the Utah copper deposit. Fortunately, Messrs. Penrose and Gemmell had enough faith in his analyses to furnish the capital needed to begin operations. The result, as is well known to all of you, was Kennecott's lucrative Utah copper mine — and the beginning of the open pit porphyry copper era. The Utah copper mine, and Jackling's subsequent similar successes in Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada, had one thing in common —all of these large porphyry deposits were worthless until open pit, large daily tonnage schemes were developed for their exploitation. The successful development of such schemes made vast new mineral resources available for economic exploitation. But at the same time, the trend away from smaller high grade operations in favor of the far more complicated operations required to handle large deposits of low grade ore have greatly altered a mine manager's problems. We are all familiar with the saying "mines make managers." There is still some truth in this statement, but far less than there used to be in the days when high grade properties were the rule rather than the exception. When high grade orebodies prevailed, many managers, superficially at least, could not make a mistake because the profits of their mines

Jan 1, 1962

By Claus Guenter Goetzeil

(New York Meeting, February, 1937) The object of this investigation was to determine whether silver alloys could be used instead of the currently employed insert of high-expansion Average Coefficient per Deg. C. over Range 20° to 200° C. Pure aluminum..................................... 24.6 X 10-6 Cast low-expansion Si-Cu-Ni-A1 piston alloy............ 20.0 X 10-6 High-expansion austenitic Cu-Ni cast iron.............. 19.3 X 10-6 Cast steel (0.25-0.35 C, 0.40-1.0 Mn).................. 12.6 X 10-6 Cast iron (3.15 total C, 2.16 Si)....................... 12.8 X 10-6 Pure silver.......................................... 18.9 X 10-6 austenitic ferronickel alloy, to reduce the wear of ring grooves in light metal pistons. A typical example of a piston containing a ferronickel insert is shown in Fig. 1. The high coefficient of expansion of silver made it worthy of consideration, while the small size of the insert would render its use feasible in Germany as an emergency measure. The coefficients of linear expansion of several metals and ailoys are as shown in the table above. Obviously the melting point of the insert must be high enough to prevent it from melting when the light alloy is cast around it. This imposes a lower limit of about 850" C. for the solidus of the silver alloy. Pure silver melts at about 961" C., so that the tolerable depression in the solidus is rather small. To avoid deformation of the insert during use a Brinell hardness number of at least 60 appears necessary.

Jan 1, 1937

By David B. Scott

The Mogollon mining district, New Mexico, has received little public attention, although for 15 years it has been the leading silver producer of the state; it is situated in a region remote from the principal lines of travel, and its activities have usually been limited to the operations of two or three companies. The value of the total production of the district in the 44 years of its history has been estimated at $15,000,000. For the years 1904 to 1917, inclusive, the output was: gold, $4,370,000; silver, 10,042,000 oz.; copper, 874,862 lb.; total value, approximately $10,500,000. In 1913 the district contributed 80 per cent. of the total silver production of New Mexico, but in 1917 only 41 per cent., due to serious interruption in the operations of the leading producer. Since 1914 the silver output has diminished one-half, and the present high value of silver is nearly offset by the increase in cost of production. The output of gold has rarely exceeded 35 per cent. of the total for New Mexico. The ratio of silver to gold, by weight, has averaged 46:1 based on the whole output of the district. Location and Topography The town of Mogollon is 75 mi. (121 km.) by a poorly located highway ,. from the nearest railroad terminals, at Silver City and Tyrone. All supplies are transported by motor trucks and teams. The area, sometimes called the Cooney Mining District, lies on the western flank of the Mogollon Mountains, which occupy the western part of Socorro County. The elevations drop steeply on the west to the valley of the San Francisco River, adjacent to the Arizona boundary. The topography is very rugged, the whole area being sharply dissected; deep canyons with steep gradients and rugged walls are characteristic of the whole western slope of the Mogollon Range. The main canyons i run east and west, and usually maintain a flow of water during the entire year. As would be expected in a region of such deep dissection, the mines are generally dry. The mountain ridges between the canyons have altitudes varying from 7000 to 10,000 ft. (2130 to 3050 m.) and drop sharply, on their western face, to the floor of the San Francisco Valley at an elevation of 5000 ft. (1525 m.). Erosion has been rapid, and the

Jan 1, 1920

By Arthur F. Taggart

THIS paper proposes two units (believed to be new) for designating, respectively, capacity and efficiency for primary and intermediate crushers. CAPACITY Operators know that the tonnage of rock that can be put through a particular crusher in a given time depends primarily upon the crusher setting (open setting for jaw and primary gyratory types; closed setting for cones and rolls), and secondarily on the lithological character of the feed, its maximum size, the amount of fines that it carries, its moisture content, and the method of feeding. The proposed capacity formula states a relationship between all of these factors in one empirical equation, as follows: TR = TR80KK'K" [I] in which TR, called "reduction tons per hour" is the new capacity unit; T = tons of feed per hour requiring crushing; R50 = "80-per cent reduction ratio"; and K, K', and K" are constants that approximate quantitatively lithological character, moisture content and method of feeding, respectively. T is the hourly weight of material in the feed that is coarser than the coarsest discharge of the crusher. (For marked departures from the normal specific-gravity range-2.5 to 2.7-T should be adjusted to corresponding volumes.) In the crushers under consideration, discharge from the crushing zone is limited by the minimum dimension of a particle. Passage of the particle through a square-mesh screen is limited by its intermediate dimension. Sheppard' has shown that the ratio of maximum: intermediate: minimum average dimensions of broken rock fragments may be taken as about I.5: I: 0.6 for nonslabby rocks such as are normally crushed, while for slabby rocks, such as thin-bedded sedimentaries, foliated schists and gneisses, and the blocky metamorphics, the ratio is of the average order I.3:I:0.3, with the possibility of an even smaller relative value for the thickness. Gaudin2 finds the corresponding ratio for -150 + 200-mesh pyrite to be I.4: I : 0.6. The hourly tonnage of crusher-plant feed, therefore, should be diminished by the amount thereof that would pass a square-mesh screen of which the aperture is S times the crusher setting, where S is a shape factor with the value I.7 for rocks that break exceptionally cubic; 2 for ores and rocks that exhibit no appreciable tendency to slabbiness; and 2.5 to 3, or, in exceptional cases, even larger, when the tendency to slabbiness is marked. R80 is the quotient of the theoretical square-mesh aperture that would pass 8o per cent of the feed, divided by the aperture that would pass S0 per cent of the product. It is best determined from screen tests.

Jan 1, 1941

By E. H. Rose

IN the realm of ore dressing the most pregnant feat of all time was announced in 1945: the winning of the mineral raw materials which made the harnessing of atomic energy possible. Lost in the stupendous implications of the end result, in the two billion dollar hugeness of the project, and in the famous names attached thereto, the fact that crude uranium ores had to be concentrated received relatively little notice in the press. Only the final link in the concentrating chain was publicized-ether extraction of uranyl nitrate, developed by Hoffman and carried on by the Mallinckrodt Chemical Works, or methods developed by the Ames group under Spedding. Some of the earlier links represented less glamorous but equally difficult and exacting research. One may only speak a word of admiration for those who worked hard, accomplished much, and said nothing. The universal lament for most of the year was "man shortage." A group of Canadian engineers expressed it as "being so short of labor that no labor was available to develop laborsaving devices." . Despite this, an outstanding amount of mineral-dressing progress was made in 1945. Necessity allowed no alternative. The insatiable demand of war for minerals forced the exploitation of lower and lower grade ores, and of others not before considered of commercial character or use, requiring the mineral dresser to fight for and win new bridgeheads on the home front.

Jan 1, 1946

By Oliver Bowles

WAR necessities have spurred inventive genius in many fields. A grinding mill without any moving grinding parts stirs the imagination. Among the new and striking accomplishments in the heterogeneous group of nonmetallic industrial minerals is the use of an electric arc to speed up manyfold the difficult and delicate task of drilling a microscopic hole in a diamond, the hardest of all known substances. Outstanding in the field of optical research is the ability that man has developed to improve upon nature by making in the laboratory optical crystals many times larger than those usually found in rocky crevices. These are merely samples of numerous events and circumstances of noteworthy import, many of which are recorded in this review. Termination of the second World War in 1945 permits an appraisal of the effects of the conflict and the probable effects of the coming restoration of a peacetime economy on the nonmetallic mineral industries. Some industries were stimulated greatly by the war, notably mica, quartz crystal, graphite, spinning asbestos, potash, fluorspar, barite, and refractories. The large-tonnage industries connected with the building trades, however, were forced to curtail their activities, except where their products were needed for wartime construction. Their reconversion to peacetime production will not be difficult.

Jan 1, 1946

By F. M. Lewis, J. E. Goodman

A larger, slow-speed, under-loaded ball mill and hydraulic classifier have almost doubled grinding efficiency at the lsabella mill. TENNESSEE Copper Co. operates two ore con-A centrators, the London and Isabella mills near Copperhill, Tenn. In 1948 and 1949 the small ball mills and rake classifiers in the London concentrator were replaced by one large ball mill and one hydraulic classifier. This new ball mill was designed oversize so that it could be operated at slower than normal speed. The proper operating conditions were established and the results published.' Later it was found that this mill operated more efficiently with a small ball charge." While this London grinding practice was being developed, the Isabella grinding circuit was not changed in any way. It remained a conventional two-stage rod mill—ball mill combination, the rod mill in open circuit and the ball mill in closed circuit with a rake classifier. Study of the data indicated that grinding cost could be lowered by converting to the London practice, but not enough would have been saved to warrant the expense of converting. No plan for improving this grinding operation could be developed. In 1953 this study was reopened when plans were made to increase the Isabella mill output from 1150 to 1500 tpd. At this time the grinding circuit consisted of a 6x12 rod mill followed by a 6x12 ball mill in closed circuit with a 6-ft rake classifier. Another 6x12 ball mill and 6-ft rake classifier would have been sufficient equipment and would have been the simplest and cheapest installation. However, this would have offered no improvement in grinding efficiency or operating cost. If, on the other hand, the grinding operation could be converted to the London practice, by installation of one large 101/2x9x9 tricone mill and a 10-ft hydroscillator,2 lower operating costs would justify the additional investment. Economics: Table I presents estimates for the two schemes for enlarging the Isabella mill. In the first scheme, column 1, one 6x12 ball mill and one 6-ft rake classifier were to be added. In the second scheme, column 2, the existing small ball mill and rake classifier were to be retired and one large mill and hydroscillator were to be installed. Estimated savings from the difference in operating costs made an attractive return on the additional investment for the large mill and hydroscillator. Actual costs of carrying out this plan are tabulated in column 3b. It will be seen that these costs follow the estimates in column 3a very Closely. The return on the additional investment is calculated from the difference in the operating cost in column 1 and the actual operating cost in column 3b. This too come very close to the estimate. Power and Steel: Power requirements and steel consumption for the rod mills and ball mills, both actual and estimated, are presented in Table 11.

Jan 1, 1958