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The Institute is custodian of -funds for support of numerous gold medals and prizes and has representatives on boards awarding still others. Details regarding the Institute Awards are given below. The Institute is represented on the boards of the John Fritz Medal, the Hoover Medal and the Washington Award, in connection with the three national societies of Civil, Mechanical and Electrical engineering; and, also, in the case of the Washington Award, with the Western Society of Engineers. The Institute is represented with these four societies on the committee in charge of the Alfred Noble Prize.

Jan 1, 1938

By Clarence A. Seyler

The object of all classification is to group together things which are alike, and separate those which are unlike. This object is essentially a practical one, enabling us to apply past experience to new conditions. Many costly large-scale experiments lose half their importance for want of proper description of the coal used, and the consequent impossibility of predicting that other coals will behave in the same way. I do not, therefore, make a fundamental distinction between "scientific'' and "use" classifications, except in so far as use depends on conditions, such as size or impurities which are not related to the nature of the coal substance itself. The characters chosen to define the classes of coal must be such as are accompanied by as many other properties as possible. It is not to be expected that any system of classification will enable us to predict every property of coal, since all specimens have an individuality of their own. But specimens can be grouped by a number of resemblances into species. Further, species which resemble each other can be grouped into genera. Elementary Composition as a Basis of Classification There can be little doubt that the ultimate or elementary composition of "pure coal" is the best basis of classification. It was soon after the perfection of the method of elementary analysis of organic substances by Liebig that Regnault, the distinguished chemist and physicist, laid down the principle that coals of the same kind vary only between narrow limits of elementary composition. This is still the widest generalization that can be made about coal. Upon it the metallurgist Gruner based his classification. In some quarters the value of the ultimate composition was denied, Stein going so far as to say that it teaches us nothing of importance about coal. One still hears statements that it is like crushing a work of art in a mortar and analyzing the powder, or like counting the number of times a given letter occurs in a sentence. Such comparisons are misleading, and the criticism might be applied to organic chemistry as a whole. Nor is the existence of isomerism, or of entirely different substances which

Jan 1, 1928

By H. W. Johnson

DURING part of the year 1932, conditions at the plant of the Inland Steel Co. made possible the collection of data on two of the variables of blast-furnace operation, between which we observed an interesting correlation. The variation in percentage of coke ash in the coke seemed to be reflected in the variations in percentage of silicon and sulfur present in the iron. This subject is of particular interest during this period of low production because of its effect on quality and cost of pig iron. The consumers of pig iron are now more exacting in their requirements. Formerly 0.050 per cent sulfur was considered satisfactory; now many foundries and steel plants insist on iron under 0.030 per cent sulfur and expect it to average 0.025 per cent sulfur. To attempt to produce iron so low in sulfur and still have reasonably good furnace operation means that everything possible must be done to minimize all variations. This subject is also directly connected with the cost of producing iron. A blast furnace operates most economically and efficiently in rather narrow limits and so any variable that has range enough to disturb regular operation must be moderated. The importance of regularity is accepted and the methods followed to eliminate variations in materials such as coke and iron ore are recognized as indispensable. Uniformity of Ore and Variations in Coke Ash The delivering of uniform cargoes of well mixed ore to the blast furnace involves much handling and expense, but it is accepted that the trouble and expenditure are justified. After the ore reaches the dock, further mixing is assured by spreading ore in thin layers, preventing segregation by keeping piles level, variations in digging, and the use of several bins for one ore. And finally, the fact that the furnace burden generally contains three or more ores, together with several miscellaneous materials, eliminates the possibility of ill effects due to variations in any one. Thus, much effort is made to insure a uniform ore. But a variation in the percentage of silicon in ore is less detrimental than a variation in the percentage of ash in coke. The former affects

Jan 1, 1933

By Leon Eliel

TEN years ago a broad knowledge of aerial mapping, coupled with a smattering of geology, qualified one to speak on the subject of the appli-cation of aerial mapping to geology. Today, with aerial maps a common tool in the hands of expert geologists on every continent throughout the world, it would be nothing short of presumptuous for the author of this paper, who is not a geologist, to give any geological statements on his own authority. Relatively, today we are only purveyors of general geological gossip, with a definite case here and there by way of illustration. But we can present a story of the really marvellous strides that have been made in the evolution of aerial mapping, built around a skeleton of geological tidbits, from which some useful conclusions may be drawn. The average geologist goes about reading his aerial maps much as one would approach the problem of deciphering a cryptogram. To begin with, typical key expressions appear in recurring sequences and under certain conditions. If once the meaning of these isolated bits of infor-mation can be ascertained, the message begins to take meaning. In a similar fashion, the geologist works out his key from aerial maps of territory with which he has some familiarity. He learns that a certain type of thin, white line may mean a vein of quartz. He sees that a certain change in the photographic tone of vegetation on the ground reflects two kinds of soils on opposite sides of, a contact. He sees that a certain type of alignment of topographical features often means a fault. He learns that by the erosion pattern .he can frequently distinguish soft formations from harder ones. And so, bit by bit, he ties together the information of the picture with his experience on the ground until he develops a reasonably creditable capacity of interpretation. Through the complete gamut of surface conditions, ranging all the way from flat, arid, exposed desert terrain to dense jungle, or rugged mountains, the evidence from which the geologist must make his inter-pretation varies with bewildering profusion. The quality of photographs which are obtainable may range from perfect pictures in the desert to almost useless smudges in the steaming jungles. One thing he has learned with certainty-the airplane carrying its mapping camera is a superb reconnaissance tool, only awaiting his ingenuity in correlating the pictures with the ground to simplify most exploratory problems.

Jan 1, 1936

By George A. Komadina

The Pima mine lies 20 miles southwest of Tucson, Ariz., and 45 miles north of the Mexican border. It is located on a hillside overlooking Tucson, which allows for gravity flow generally through the plant. In April 1965, an expansion was authorized by the mine's board of directors. This will triple the mine's output to 18,000 tpd. At this rate, it is estimated that there is sufficient ore to last 20 years.

Jan 6, 1965

By Charles S. Larkey

Numerous papers have been published on the use of graphic methods for determining the best curve for estimating the production decline of oil wells but, as far as the writer has been able to ascertain, nothing has been published showing how curves may be worked out mathematically that will conform most closely to the production data under consideration in any given instance; hence the writer has endeavored to show just how such application can be made. Among the valuation engineers, two types of curves are in current use for the representation of the decline in production of oil wells. One may be represented by the equation, y = krx; this is sometimes known as a percentage curve, for the production for any period is multiplied by a constant rate or percentage to obtain the production for the succeeding period. It appears as a straight line on semilogarithmic cross-section paper. The other curve may be represented by the equation, y = kxn, and is shown as a straight line on logarithmic cross-section paper. In each equation, y represents the number of barrels produced in a given period of time, and x the successive periods of time. The other letters are constants to be determined for each well, or group of wells considered in arriving at the most probable curve to represent the rate of production for a given property. From this the underground reserves may be estimated by extrapolation, or by extending the curve beyond the last known period of production to show the most probable production values for the future. Application to the Burbank Pool Fig. 1 relates to a property in the Burbank Pool, Osage County, Okla. The production is shown as an average per well per month, is plotted to the vertical scale of barrels on the left-hand margin and to the horizontal scale of months at the bottom of the chart. In column y, the number of barrels is listed beginning with May, 1922, as the first month on which to base a decline curve. The type of curve used is of the form, y = krx, or, expressed in logarithms, log y = log k + x log r, in which log k and log r are constants to be determined so that the curve will most closely approximate the production data given.

Jan 1, 1925

By Persifor Frazer

"The nebular theory is a noble speculation supported by plausible argument, and the verdict of science on the whole subject cannot be better expressed than in the words of Newcomb :—'At the present time we can only say that the nebular hypothesis is indicated by the general tendencies of the laws of nature, that it has not been proved to be inconsistent with any fact, that it is almost a necessary consequence of the only theory by which we can account for the origin and conservation of the sun's heat, but that it rests on the assumption that this conservation is to be explained by the laws of nature as we now see them in operation. Should any one be skeptical as to the sufficiency of these laws to account for the present state of things, science can furnish no evidence strong enough to overthrow his doubts until the sun shall be found growing smaller by actual measurement, or the nebulæ be actually seen to condense into stars and systems.' " Leibnitz2 is credited by Cuvier3 (who associates with him Descartcs) with " amusing their imaginations " by conceiving the world to be an extinguished sun or vitrified globe upon which the vapors, condensing in proportion as it cooled, formed the seas, and afterwards deposited the calcareous strata. Whiston4 believed the earth was crested from the atmosphere of one comet and deluged by the tail of another. The heat which remained from its origin excited the whole antediluvian population, men and animals, to sin, for which they mere all drowned in the deluge, except the fish, whose passions were apparently less violent. De Maillet5 held that the globe had been covered by water for many thousand years. The terrestrial animals were originally inhabitants of the sea, and man himself began his career as a fish. He adds it is not uncommon to meet with fishes in

Jan 1, 1905

By D. O. Noel, E. B. Gebert, J. D. Shaw

IT. is, of course, expected that manufacture of the various metal powders should involve numerous methods adapted to the specific characteristics of the metals themselves. Several methods for powdering a particular metal may be available, but the physical characteristics of the powder as produced by the several methods may be quite different. In the final analysis, the application of the metal powder dictates the physical properties that the metal powder must possess, and this, to a very large extent, will determine which of several possible methods of. manufacture is adopted. Sometimes powder of the same metal is produced by more than one method, each powder having specific characteristics .that make it particularly suitable for its application. For purposes of classification, the various methods of powdering metals can be grouped as follows: 1. Machining. 2. Milling (by ball mills, stamps, attrition mills, etc.). 3. Shotting (pouring molten metal into water, air, etc.). 4. Granulation (by stirring molten metal while solidifying). 5. Atomizing (disintegrating by steam, compressed air, etc.). 6. Condensation of metal vapor. 7. Reduction of oxide powders. 8. Chemical precipitation. 9. Electrolytic deposition. 10. Sintering (for producing alloy powders). 11. Formation of an alloy followed by dissolving or otherwise removing one of the alloying constituents. MACHINING Turnings, cuttings, filings, etc., are, of course, produced as by-products in machine work of various kinds, and find certain applications as metal powders. For example, iron powder so produced is used extensively as a reducing or precipitating agent and as a constituent in certain hard-finish cements.

Jan 1, 1938

By Conrad E. Hesse

To increase the durability of paint exposed to the weather, it is necessary to protect the oil with a substance that is itself unaffected by the elements. The so-called " metallic " paints, containing ochre,

Jan 1, 1891

By A. S. Yue

It was deemed desirable to obtain an understanding of the vacuum desulfurization process. McKechnie1 has reported that the sulfur content of nickel- and cobalt-base alloys is reduced in vacuo. Keverian and Taylor2 have observed that vacuum melting causes desulfurization of iron-carbon-silicon alloys. Garnyk and samarin3 have desulfurized transformer steel by vacuum treatment. Experiments were conducted in order to investigate the desulfurization of liquid iron under reduced pressures, and to establish the effect of some alloying elements, and various crucible materials. A vacuum-induction furnace of 50-lb capacity was used. The charge was Armco iron. Silicon was added as 90 pct ferrosilicon, carbon as electrode graphite, and aluminum as high-purity aluminum metal. Magnesia and silica crucibles were used, their inside diameters were 5 1/2 and 5 3/8 in., respectively. The temperature was measured with an optical pyrometer and it was held at 1600 1 15°C. Samples were withdrawn with quartz tubes of 6 mm ID, without disturbing the furnace atmosphere. Pressures were measured with an alphatron gage. The experimental results are shown in Fig. 1. They indicate that: 1) Sulfur can be removed from liquid iron alloys by vacuum treatment; 2) The desulfurization is enhanced by the presence of silicon, carbon, and aluminum, all these elements increase the activity of sulfur dissolved in liquid iron;4 3) The pronounced effect of silicon indicates that probably a volatile silicon sulfide is formed, Alcock and Richardson5 have observed a similar phenomenon; 4) The same rate of desulfurization was obtained when the metal was contained in either magnesia or silica crucibles. Dr. J. Keverian has contributed many discussions and recommendations. M. S. Sutliff has helped in conducting the heats. The permission of General Electric Co. for this publication is gratefully acknowledged.

Jan 1, 1960

By Homer Staley

THE casting alloy 88 copper, 10 tin, 2 zinc, commonly known in England as Admiralty metal and in this country as Government bronze, gun metal, or Naval Department composition G, has, at its best, many valuable properties. However, its physical properties are known to vary widely with slight changes in method of manufacture of the castings, such as slight variations in composition, variation in pouring temperature, kind of mold used, method of pouring and gating of molds, size and shape of castings, amount and kind of heat treatment., and so forth.1 The microstructure of castings made from this alloy is influenced by slight variations of composition, rate of cooling, and kind and length of heat treatment. This is best understood by reference to the equilibrium diagram. The part of the diagram in which we are interested and the effect of the thermal equilibrium relations on the physical properties of the alloy 88 copper, 10 tin, 2 zinc, have been discussed by Hoyt, Camp-bell, Primrose, and Rawdon.2 In Fig. 1 is given the equilibrium diagram of the copper-tin alloys. Briefly stated, the relations of composition and temperature changes are as follows. Compositions between A and a consist of but one constituent-the a bronze, which is a, solid solution of copper and tin, rich in copper. On cooling from the molten state these compositions gradually crystallize, at temperatures above 790°, into a mass of interwoven tree-like crystals or dendrites. The cores of the dendrites are rich in copper and the percentage of tin gradually increases as the surfaces are approached. As cooling progresses, after all the metal has crystallized, no further changes occur, in the crystals other than diffusion within the crys-

Jan 9, 1919

By J. R. McWilliams

THE task of recovering most of the contents of an oil and gas reservoir economically presents many and varied problems. In order to attempt intelligently a solution to these problems, an understanding of fundamental physical laws is essential. As the pertinent facts needed in applying these laws to recovery problems are not readily obtainable, observation must be made and the data tabulated. Here, good judgment must be exercised, for at best the information is meager. The engineer is well fitted to undertake the task of solving this problem. In my opinion, the decision on the part of some production executives to allow the engineer to cope with the oil recovery situation and other problems, is an outstanding example of improvement in production methods. The executive head must make this decision or the qualified engineer will be working under a severe handicap with the present system of supervising the production of oil and gas. A qualified engineer should have not only the required technical training but also enough field experience to enable him to understand the difficulties encountered in producing oil and gas. Such a man tactfully cooperating with the practical oil man can greatly improve present methods of oil recovery. The realization that nature's forces have not been efficiently controlled in past recovery of petroleum deposits has recently brought distinct improvement in production methods. Papers are to be presented at this meeting discussing in detail improved methods of conserving gas in both flowing and pumping wells, and also methods of lifting oil after Nature's supply of gas has proved inadequate. The application of back pressure to producing oil wells has not, to my knowledge, been extensively applied in Oklahoma or Kansas up to the present time. Most of the flowing wells are allowed to flow through the casing until the rock pressure has been dissipated. However, some flowing wells have been tubed before the well stopped flowing through the casing. Recording pressure-gages can be installed to study well performance.

Jan 11, 1926

By J. R. Cain

ROLE OF GASES IN FERROUS -METALLURGICAL PROCESSES IN every process for making steel there are one or more stages where the metal is exposed to gas of one kind or another. Thus, in the open-hearth furnace, the carbon dioxide and water vapor in the products of combustion are oxidizing toward the ferrous and manganous oxides in the slag, tending to convert these to higher oxides; the higher oxides then oxidize the steel, so that indirectly the products of combustion are oxidizing toward the steel. In the Bessemer process, there is direct contact of air and steel; also, the water vapor in the air blown into the converter is continually decomposed by the molten steel, yielding hydrogen and ferrous oxide, both of which are in part taken up by the metal. In the electric-furnace processes, there is always more or less air in contact with the slag covering the metal, and this air and the gaseous reaction products from it are dissolved in the slag to some extent and thus transmitted in part to the steel. In the crucible processes, there is always entrapped air in the charges and the crucibles are more or less permeable to the gaseous products of combustion from the furnace. In all the processes of manufacture, the molten metal is exposed to air while tapping into ladles and ingot molds and has an opportunity to saturate itself with air or with gaseous or solid products generated by chemical reactions between air and steel. Sieverts1 has shown that molten metals require but a few seconds to saturate themselves with a surrounding gas. No one familiar with the operations at a steel plant needs to be reminded of the important role that gases play at all stages. The familiar "boil" of open-hearth furnaces, due to evolution of carbon monoxide when iron ore is added to the molten steel; the spectacular operation of the Bessemer converter brought about entirely by a gaseous reagent; the almost magic effect of small quantities of silicon manganese or

Jan 8, 1919

By H. Sevim, T. M. Yegulalp

This paper summarizes recent developments in modeling of underground coal slurry haulage networks to determine optimum design and operating parameters. The model presented is based on a stochastic dynamic program¬ming formulation. It is applicable in any typical room-and-pillar or longwall mining configuration commonly practiced in the US. The formulation and structure of the model is general enough to handle design problems involving more than one face and mining method. Given the stochastic operating characteristics and a system layout, the model can be used to determine the equipment configuration and operating regimes that minimize the overall unit cost of coal haulage.

Jan 1, 1985

By C. H. Samans, G. F. Tisinai, J. K. Stanley

The addition of nitrogen (0.10 to 0.20 pct) to Fe-Cr-Ni alloys of simulated commercial purity results in a real displacement of the u phase boundaries to higher chromium contents. The effect is small for the (Y + s)? boundary, but is pronounced for the (y + a +s)/(y + a) boundary. Although there is an indication of an exceptionally large shift of the n boundaries to higher chromium contents, especially in steels with nitrogen over 0.2 pct, the major portion of this apparent shift results from the fact that carbide and nitride precipitation cause "chromium impoverishment" of the matrices. The effect of combined additions of nitrogen and silicon to the Fe-Cr-Ni phase diagram is demonstrated also. Nitrogen can nullify the effect of about 1 pct Si in shifting the (y + o)/? phase boundary to lower values of chromium at all nickel levels from 8 to 20 pct. NItrogen can nullify this U-forming effect of about 2 pct Si at the 8 pct Ni level, but not at the 20 pct Ni level. The alloys studied were in both the cast and the wrought conditions. There are indications that the u phase forms more slowly in the cast alloys than in the wrought alloys if both are in the completely austenitic state. The presence of 6 ferrite in the cast alloys accelerates the formation of U. Cold working increases the rate of o formation in both cast and wrought alloys. THE major improvement in Fe-Cr-Ni austenitic alloys in recent years has been in the addition or removal of minor alloying elements to facilitate better control of corrosion resistance, sensitization, and heat resistance. One shortcoming of the austenitic Fe-Cr-Ni alloys, which never has been completely circumvented, is their propensity toward u formation. In the AISI-type 310 (25 pct Cr-20 pct Ni) and type 309 (25 pct Cr-12 pct Ni) steels, sufficient amounts of u phase can form, if service or treatment is in a suitable temperature range, to cause severe embrittlement. Also, there is a growing conviction that this phase may be contributory to some unexpected decreases in the corrosion resistance of certain of the 18 pct Cr-8 pct Ni-type steels. The present paper discusses the effect of nitrogen additions on the location of the (r+u)/d and the (y+a+u)/(y+a) phase boundaries in the ternary Fe-Cr-Ni system, for cast and wrought alloys of simulated commercial purity, and in similar alloys containing up to about 2.5 pct Si. The objective is to define compositional limits for alloys which will not be susceptible to u formation when used near 1200°F (650°C). An excellent review of the early studies of the u phase in the Fe-Cr-Ni system has been compiled by Foley.1 Rees, Burns, and Cook2 have determined a high purity phase diagram for the ternary system, whereas Nicholson, Samans, and Shortsleeve3 are- stricted themselves to a portion of the simulated commercial-purity phase diagram. Both groups of investigators show almost an identical position for the commercially significant (y+u)/y phase boundary. Further comparison of the work of the two groups indicates that, below the 8 pct Ni level, the commercial alloys have a decidedly greater propensity toward u formation than the high purity alloys. The two groups of workers agreed that both the AISI-type 310 (25 pct Cr-20 pct Ni) and the type 309 (25 pct Cr-12 pct Ni) steels are well within the (y+~) region and that the 18 pct Cr-8 pct Ni-type alloys straddle the U-forming phase boundaries. Nicholson et al.3 showed, in addition, that these boundaries shift toward lower chromium contents if greater than nominal amounts of silicon or molybdenum are added. The effect of nitrogen on the location of the s phase boundaries in the Fe-Cr-Ni system has not been known with any certainty. In 1942, an approach to this problem was made by Krainer and Leoville-Nowak,' but at that time they apparently were unaware of the slow rate of s formation in strain-free samples and aged their samples for insufficient times, e.g., 100 hr at 650°C (1200°F) and 800°C (1470°F). For this reason, it would be expected that their (y+ u) /y boundary would be shifted toward lower chromium contents (restricted ?-field) when equilibrium conditions were approximated more closely. Procedure for Studying the Alloys The alloys used were prepared in the following way: Heats of 200 lb each were melted in an induction furnace. A 5 lb portion of each heat was poured into a ladle containing an aluminum slug for de-

Jan 1, 1955

Papers in Classes A-Metal Mining, B-Milling and Concentration, H-Industrial Minerals, and I-Mining Geology are distributed in MINING TECHNOLOGY, which is issued every other month. Papers in Classes C-Iron and Steel Division, D-Nonferrous Metallurgy and E-Institute of Metals Division are distributed in METALS TECHNOLOGY, which is issued twice quarterly. Papers in Class G-Petroleum Division are distributed in PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY, which is issued every other month. TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS in Classes F-Coal Division, J--Mineral Industry Education Division, K¬-Mining Administration, and 1-Geophysics, are issued as separate pamphlets. Contributions are papers that when printed or mimeographed are available but only on request.

Jan 1, 1944

By Stanley L. Arnot

The Mother Lode district in California is probably better known as the land of Bret Harte and Mark Twain than as a gold-producing district, although in this respect it holds an important place. The history of quartz mining on the Mother Lode dates back to the '50s, when, after the first fever of the gold rush, men began to look for something more permanent, if not more lucrative, than the placers. Since that time, the discoveries, shutdowns, and reopenings of the many mines, together with the varying fortunes of their numerous operators, constitute an interesting chapter in California history, but one too long to include in a description of mining methods. The district is well situated, so far as physical conditions are concerned. The Mother Lode extends along the western slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, about half way between the crest and the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys, the country traversed consisting of low rolling hills—typical foot-hills. The elevation varies from 1000 to 1800 ft. and the climate is most desirable. There is an abundance of water, timber is easily obtained from the higher foot-hills a few miles east, and cheap hydro-electric power is generated practically on the Lode. These natural conditions are conducive to low costs in mining and have been the deciding factor in allowing profitable exploitation of the comparatively low-grade orebodies. Transportation facilities are not bad. Five branch railroads, from the main trunk lines in the valley, tap the district at intervals of from 10 to 30 miles, and the roads connecting these are fairly good for trucking purposes. Labor is made up of several nationalities, the principal ones being American, Spanish, Jugo-Slav, Italian, and Mexican. There were few Mexicans on the Lode prior to 1919, but the shortage of labor, experienced generally by the mining camps of the country in the years following the war, made necessary the hiring of some. The percentage of Mexican labor rapidly increased in 1920 and for a year or so thereafter, but it has now diminished until at most of the mines only a few Mexicans are working. Of the different nationalities, Americans are the most efficient and Mexicans the least.

Jan 1, 1925

By D. R. Walker, M. C. Shaw

The laws of Kick and Rittinger are explained as functions of particle size with metal cutting theory. Comminution is shown to be basically the same process as metal grinding. The machine shop type of grinding operation is used to study mineral crushing. Evidence indicates that plastic flow occurs in comminution. THE laws of comminution of Kick and Rittinger have been debated for many years. Certain data obtained from ball mill and drop tests are found to be in approximate agreement with Rittinger's law while other data would seem to support Kick's law. In all these tests the energy required to produce a wide variety of particle sizes has been studied. Surface area has also been measured with considerable difficulty, at first because it was thought that the energy associated with crushing was that required to create new surface, later because of precedent and because a more fundamental variable was unknown. Tests made with the machine shop type of grinding process show that normally brittle materials that are usually crushed can behave like the more ductile metals. Brittleness is then a relative prop- erty largely dependent on specimen size and stress state. The machine grinding operation offers a convenient means for studying the comminution of materials in which the important size variable retains its identity. The energy required to grind a certain volume of material is shown to be strongly dependent on size. Kick's law is found to hold very well for particles below 1 micron in size, while Rittinger's law holds approximately in the comminution of larger particles. While a physical origin of Kick's law is established in terms of the theoretical strength of materials having a perfect lattice structure, there is found to be no physical basis for Rittinger's law. Because of its industrial importance, comminution has commanded considerable technical attention and has been the subject of continuous study for nearly a century. A number of empirical rules have been proposed to make it possible for grinding energies to be predicted. Of these so-called laws of comminution those bearing the names of Kick and Rittinger have been most widely applied and debated.

Jan 1, 1955

By B. M. Bird

ONE of the problems studied by the U. S. Bureau of Mines in cooperation with the University of Washington has been the re-treatment of table middlings. Hydraulic classification has given the best results. Instead of using the classifier to prepare the feed to the tables, as has been the practise for many years in ore dressing, it is used to separate part of a middling product that cannot be re-treated successfully on the table. Middlings are desirable in a table plant because the separation according to specific gravity is incomplete; that is, in the products of the table there is always an overlapping of free particles of coal and refuse that can be distinguished with heavy liquids such as are used in the float-and-sink test. The causes of this overlapping may be divided into two groups, those outside the table separation itself and those inherent in the table separation. The first of these groups includes, among other causes, the following: (1) poor adjustments of the table, (2) overloading or underloading the table, (3) irregularities in the quantity and quality of the feed, (4) irregularities in the power and water supply, and (5) a vertical danc-ing motion of the table deck due to weak foundations. These causes of overlapping are largely unnecessary in a properly designed and constructed plant; but whenever they are present they materially affect the character of the middling product, and hence the problem of re-treatment. The other group includes three additional causes: (6) small differences in specific gravity between coal and impurities, (7) a size-specific-gravity relationship of the coal and refuse particles in the table feed such that the sizing action of the table opposes the separation according to the specific gravity, and (8) shapes of particles that prevent a separation. The sixth, small differences in specific gravity, may be a very important reason for an incomplete separation. The change in specific gravity from coal to shale is always gradual and the designation of one part as coal and another part as refuse is arbitrary. If some specific gravity, such as 1.45, is chosen as the dividing point between washed coal and refuse,

Jan 1, 1928

HONORARY Membership in the Institute is limited to twenty and the roster is now only fifteen, so Dr. Reynders becomes a member of a select circle. All of his life, following graduation from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1886 at the age of twenty, lie has been connected with the steel industry. For about thirty years he stayed with the same company, the Pennsylvania Steel Co., until it was acquired by the Bethlehem Steel Corp., in 1916. For many years he had been vice-president and general manager. Before he attained that position, Dr. Reynders organized and remained in charge of the bridge-building department of the company, and during his professional life he has directed the construction of many

Jan 1, 1938