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By Mario L. Villa

Argentina's oil production continues in its upward trend. The year 1940 closed with an important increase over 1939; that is, 1,996,371 bbl., or 10.72 per cent. The Government oil fields (Y.P.F.) are responsible for these results, as their total output was 12,474,655 bbl., which compared with the 10,222, 533 bbl. produced in 1939 represent an increase of 2,252,122 bbl., or 22.03 per cent. Fields operated by private companies yielded 8,134,882 bbl., against 8,390,633 bbl. in 1939, a decrease of 255,751 bbl. (3.04 per cent). To the total of 20,609,538 bbl. produced in 1940 in Argentina, the Comodoro Rivadavia field contributed 14,976,222 bbl.; Plaza Huincul, 1,275,814 bbl.; the Province of Salta, 1,845,1977 bbl. and the Province of Mendoza, 2,51I,475 bbl. Table 3 compares the output of companies working in Comodoro Rivadavia. The total increase of 186,819 bbl. (1.26 per cent) registered in the Comodoro Kivadavia area is due only to an intensification of development programs in the known

Jan 1, 1941

By Mario L. Villa

Argentina's oil production continues in its upward trend. The year 1940 closed with an important increase over 1939; that is, 1,996,371 bbl., or 10.72 per cent. The Government oil fields (Y.P.F.) are responsible for these results, as their total output was 12,474,655 bbl., which compared with the 10,222, 533 bbl. produced in 1939 represent an increase of 2,252,122 bbl., or 22.03 per cent. Fields operated by private companies yielded 8,134,882 bbl., against 8,390,633 bbl. in 1939, a decrease of 255,751 bbl. (3.04 per cent). To the total of 20,609,538 bbl. produced in 1940 in Argentina, the Comodoro Rivadavia field contributed 14,976,222 bbl.; Plaza Huincul, 1,275,814 bbl.; the Province of Salta, 1,845,1977 bbl. and the Province of Mendoza, 2,51I,475 bbl. Table 3 compares the output of companies working in Comodoro Rivadavia. The total increase of 186,819 bbl. (1.26 per cent) registered in the Comodoro Kivadavia area is due only to an intensification of development programs in the known

Jan 1, 1941

THE Lehigh Valley Section is planning with a num-ber of other organizations a three-day conference, April 25, 26 and 27, with field visits to cement, slate and steel plants in the vicinity of Easton, Pa. W. B. Plank is chairman and D. Knickerbocker Boyd is sec-retary. Headquarters will be at Hotel Easton. Wednesday' will be cement day. In the forenoon A. S. T. M. Committee D-16 will meet and after luncheon the delegates will visit the Martin Creek plants of the Alpha Portland Cement Co. An evening dinner and general session on cement is being arranged. Thursday morning will be devoted to a technical ses-sion on slate, and the breaking of ground for the new John Markel mining building at Lafayette College. After luncheon various slate quarries will be inspected, the visitors being guests of the companies. In the eve-ning there will be a conference dinner at Hotel Easton with a number of distinguished visitors. Friday will be given over to steel and will include a visit to Lehigh University, an inspection of the plant of the Bethlehem Steel Corp., and a luncheon as guests of the latter.

Jan 3, 1928

By N. A. Elmslie

This subject covers much ground, therefore it must be treated in a general way rather than in detail in this paper. Personnel To approach the measure of a mine, it is, of course, essential that the personnel be measured, and this measuring must be done in a circumspect manner and conclusions must be reached slowly. There may be one unit in the personnel of an organization that may be out of step with the remainder of the organization, not always because of lack of ability, but because of misplacement or lack of proper measurement of his capabilities. Too much time can scarcely be spent in the study or measure of the personnel ; in fact, a manager or a superintendent of a mine never completes his work along this line. Mine or Plant Just as no two men are alike, so no two mines or plants are alike; and yet there are many similarities. Find out what the similarities are, and this will help to make clear the dissimilarities. Try to visualize details of the difficulties, not because you will have to deal with them yourself, but to consider them in later studies of general problems. To outline all the steps to be taken in familiarizing oneself with a plant or operation would be impossible, but the following points may be of interest in any investigation. The study of a mine is generally made backwards-—that is to say, one sees the finished product first-—-but this is immaterial, because each step must be considered separately in any event. As a rule, there are certain heads under which the different features of mining can be placed, as follows: Ventilation.—Ventilation is usually the most important item in power cost and safety, especially in gassy mines. Quantity of air, water gage and power consumption, and finally analysis of the return air in full return and separate splits should be considered. Type of fan and type of power unit should enter into this study because it is important to view expenditures which are going on 24 hr. a day and 36.5 days in the

Jan 1, 1931

By William B. Millar

IN ONTARIO development of the gold mines is being rapidly pushed, while the intensity of the search for new mines has probably not been equaled at any time in the past. Even to outline the results of recent prospecting activity in Ontario would be a big undertaking, but it would be timely and, I hope, interesting to Institute members to review some generalities regarding the work of the prospector and then to discuss in some detail the growth of Ontario's most promising prospect area, the Swayze district, where serious mining operations are already under way. Probably no one writing about prospectors and pros¬pecting can resist hoping that his article will not reach the eyes of a certain portion of the uninformed general public and cause a further influx of "prospective prospectors" into any given area. It is somewhat mystifying how so many people reach the conclusion that prospecting is in

Jan 1, 1933

By R. V. Norris

1. INTRODUCTION. THE anthracite coal trade, with a shipment averaging about 70,000,000 tons per year, differs essentially from other coal business, in the fact that the larger sizes, comprising about 65 per cent. of the total, are used almost exclusively for domestic purposes, principally during the winter months; and that for proper combustion close-sizing is imperative, so that eight sizes are made; broken, egg, stove, and nut, known as prepared sizes, and pea, buckwheat, rice, and barley, known as steam sizes. These sizes are made in the regular course of preparation, and but little variation in the natural percentage of each is practicable. Thus it is necessary either to work the collieries intermittently, or to dispose of all the varying sizes in their fixed proportions. Unfortunately, the market does not at all times absorb the coal in proper proportions, and rather than interfere with the regular operation of the mines it has been found economical to provide storage for the excess. While the cellars of the consumers are the great storage-plants of the country, this capacity is not under the control of the trade, except so far as reduced prices during the spring and summer months may tempt the use of this reserve. The same remark applies but with less force to the retail yards, which,, though usually small, store in the aggregate a large amount of anthracite. While every effort is made to utilize to the utmost the individual storage-capacity of the country, there still remains the necessity for taking care of the irregularities of the market by the construction of storage-plants under the direct control of the producers. Such plants are usually the property of the railroads, and are situated at points most convenient from a traffic stand-point.

Jun 1, 1911

By M. E. Tyrrell, Alan H. Goode

The application of a simple, two-dimensional computer technique for evaluating rock burst potential in cut-and-fill stopes was investigated. The principal purpose of the study was to compare the effectiveness of high-modulus fill and destressing as aids in the control of rock bursts. Two conclusions that are probably of general applicability are drawn. First, high-modulus fill is ineffective as a means of increasing the mine stiffness and acts to control rock bursts only if it supports enough load to reduce substantially the stresses on the unmined vein material. Second, destressing is most effective if it is performed when the vein material is near the point of failure.

Jan 1, 1975

Jan 1, 1903

By Edward Saibel

The object of this study is to investigate the effect of prior tensile strain on the fracture stress of a metal. This is done in a theoretical manner starting from the point of view developed by the author in his thermodynamic theory of the fracture of metals. The results are compared with experimental findings and a rational interpretation is given to work that shows the variation of fracture stress with prior tensile strain. Theory op Fracture In the thermodynamic theory of the fracture of metals developed earlier,' it was shown that a critical strain energy per unit volume exists. This is characteristic of the material and may be calculated from basic thermodynamic data. When the area under the flow curve reaches this characteristic value, fracture occurs. The general criterion for fracture is expressed in the form « ± u. = JLJW/V [r] where L, is the latent heat of melting of the unit volume, AV/V is the ratio of the change in volume of the unit volume to the original unit volume on passing from the solid to the liquid state, uo is an initial energy density, and J is a conversion factor, which changes energy from heat to mechanical units. As a first approximation, it will he assumed that the stress-strain curve is the straight line that extends from the point of maximum load onward, extrapolated back to the axis of zero strain, for example, line AC of Fig. I. If the point of intersection of the straight line with the axis of zero strain is represented by v., and the slope of the straight line is p, the analytic form of the flow curve is a = (To + pd [2] and the strain energy per unit volume evaluated from Jud6 becomes (u,6 + pa2/2). When this latter term reaches the critical value JLbVIV (designated hereafter by M), it is assumed that fracture occurs. This leads to the following expression for the fracture stress: a; = V«r.2 + iMp [3] The strain at fracture may be calculated from Eqs 2 and 3. It is assumed in this paper that the initial energy density is either zero or that it may be neglected. Furthermore, the complicated states of stress and of strain existing in the necked region of the tensile specimen after "necking" has occurred will also be neglected for the present, so that average conditions will be assumed to prevail. Flow and Fracture Curves LudwigZ attributed to materials two fundamental properties: (I) a resistance to flow and (2) a resistance to fracture. He reasoned that at each instant the

Jan 1, 1948

By Edward Saibel

The object of this study is to investigate the effect of prior tensile strain on the fracture stress of a metal. This is done in a theoretical manner starting from the point of view developed by the author in his thermodynamic theory of the fracture of metals. The results are compared with experimental findings and a rational interpretation is given to work that shows the variation of fracture stress with prior tensile strain. Theory op Fracture In the thermodynamic theory of the fracture of metals developed earlier,' it was shown that a critical strain energy per unit volume exists. This is characteristic of the material and may be calculated from basic thermodynamic data. When the area under the flow curve reaches this characteristic value, fracture occurs. The general criterion for fracture is expressed in the form « ± u. = JLJW/V [r] where L, is the latent heat of melting of the unit volume, AV/V is the ratio of the change in volume of the unit volume to the original unit volume on passing from the solid to the liquid state, uo is an initial energy density, and J is a conversion factor, which changes energy from heat to mechanical units. As a first approximation, it will he assumed that the stress-strain curve is the straight line that extends from the point of maximum load onward, extrapolated back to the axis of zero strain, for example, line AC of Fig. I. If the point of intersection of the straight line with the axis of zero strain is represented by v., and the slope of the straight line is p, the analytic form of the flow curve is a = (To + pd [2] and the strain energy per unit volume evaluated from Jud6 becomes (u,6 + pa2/2). When this latter term reaches the critical value JLbVIV (designated hereafter by M), it is assumed that fracture occurs. This leads to the following expression for the fracture stress: a; = V«r.2 + iMp [3] The strain at fracture may be calculated from Eqs 2 and 3. It is assumed in this paper that the initial energy density is either zero or that it may be neglected. Furthermore, the complicated states of stress and of strain existing in the necked region of the tensile specimen after "necking" has occurred will also be neglected for the present, so that average conditions will be assumed to prevail. Flow and Fracture Curves LudwigZ attributed to materials two fundamental properties: (I) a resistance to flow and (2) a resistance to fracture. He reasoned that at each instant the

Jan 1, 1948

By A. Gatti

Studies were made on the system iron plus alumina. Various methods of dispersing and various amounts of alumina were used. Powder metallurgy techniques were used to produce the final product. Microstructures and some mechanical properties are presented. Alloys containing up to 16 pct alumina by weight are ductile at all temperatures tested. The ivon-alumina materials have a higher yield stress and improved creep resistance over that of pure iron. SINCE the development of SAP' an A1- Al2O3 powder metallurgy product, great interest has been shown in the development of a SAP-like structure in metals and alloys other than aluminum. The outstanding properties of this class of materials are: 1) Good creep resistance at high temperature. 2) High yield strengths and high hardness at high temperatures. 3) High recrystallization temperature. However, the lack of ductility and formability has thus far limited the applications of SAP-like materials. The following report deals with methods of dispersing A12O3 in Fe, processing of powders into rod, structures produced after processing, and mechanical properties of the iron-alumina material produced. Methods of dispersing the alumina and also the volume fraction of alumina added were varied. MATERIAL Powder Processing— Four methods of obtaining dispersions of alumina in iron were studied. 1) Oxidation-reduction of a Fe + 8 pct Al alloy. .2) Coprecipitation of Fe(OH)3 + Al(OH)3 from aqueous solution. 3) Colloidal mixing of Fe,O3 and Al2O3. 4) Colloidal mixing of Fe powder and A1,O3. Fig. 1 is a processing flowsheet which outlines the processing steps taken to produce a final extruded bar 1/4 in. in diameter and about 30 in. long. The - 100 mesh iron-aluminum alloy was oxidized by placing a thin layer of powder on an alumina plaque. The reduction step was modified to include 1/2 hr at 1000°C since the powders tended to become pyro-phoric unless sintered slightly after low-temperature reduction. Compacting was done in a 1-1/8-in.-diam pressing die. The slugs produced averaged 1 in. in length. The billets were encased in low-carbon steel cans shown schematically in Fig. 2. The blank is included for structure and property comparison purposes. TESTING PROCEDURE All tests were made on as-extruded material.

Jan 1, 1960

By G. P. Connell, R. E. Gilmore, J. H. H. Nicolls

The purpose of this paper is to suggest a procedure for indicating the dividing line between noncaking coals and those that have weakly caking properties. A laboratory agglomerating test as an aid in classifying weakly caking coals is outlined and its merits in comparison with the standard agglutinating method advanced by the U. S. Bureau of Mines are discussed. No attempt, however, is made to discuss in detail either the different methods for determining "caking" and "agglutinating" indices or the various systems of classification. Two methods, differing somewhat in procedure, have been employed and recognized as suitable for determining the caking or agglutinating values of coals; namely, those in which an inert material such as sand, electrode carbon, etc., has been mixed with the coal before being heated, and those in which the coal is carbonized alone. In all such methods, the coal with or without the inert material is in the finely divided state and the index or value sought is derived from the examination of the residue after heating in a closed crucible or other container. The procedure outlined by Selvig, Beattie and Clellandl is the most recent representative of the method using sand as inert material, while the agglomerating test described below is representative of the method in which the coal is carbonized alone. The standard volatile-matter determination affords a means for observing the coking properties of a coal, and this has been described by Rose2 as the simplest of all coking tests. According to him, "the resulting coke button will indicate whether the coal is noncoking, feebly coking or strongly coking," despite the fact that "almost every condition in this test is at variance with large-scale carbonizing practice." Lessing,3 the

Jan 1, 1934

By T. Koulomzine

The theory of the Askania magnetometer, as well as a complete discussion of all factors influencing magnetometer readings, is very ably described by J. Wallace Joyce. We will assume that the reader is thoroughly familiar with this theory and we will use whenever possible the same notations for the physical values involved in the theory. On the other hand, we believe that the principal formulas of the magnetometer can be deduced much more easily by the use of differential calculus than by the methods employed by Joyce. Consequently, we are presenting herewith a resume of the theory of the vertical magnetometer in order to determine the correct formula of the temperature coefficient which we propose to compensate.

Jan 1, 1949

By Arthur Notman

TO present some idea of the magnitude of the gold-mining industry of Canada and the world, the records of 106 gold-mining companies currently paying dividends have been studied. Forty of these are in Canada, and 37 on the Rand in South Africa, these being all the straight gold-mining companies that paid dividends in the two areas in 1938. None of the base-metal companies that produce gold as a by- product, or even as a major fraction of the value of their total product, have beezl included. In addition, a group of 29 similar companies from Southern Rhodesia and the Gold Coast in Africa, India, Australia, Manchuria, Philippine Islands, the

Jan 1, 1939

The importance, validity, and acceptability of the Paley Report has become the great issue of the minerals industry. A 12-man panel made up of representatives of various facets of the industry sat down at the 1952 Mining Congress Show in Denver in an attempt to clarify the many opinions currently held concerning the report. Howard Young, deputy administrator of the Defense Materials Procurement Administration, noted that the report had caused more discussion and serious thinking than any other government report, He did not subscribe to the "have not" principle, however, but called it a "need more" principle. Horace M. Allbright, president of U. S. Potash Corp., believes industry should continue to develop the report. He cited the editorial appearing in the September, 1952 edition of Bining Engineering,,, "Don't Let It Die," as expressing his feelings. Edward Snyder, president of Combined Metals Reduction Corp., says the statistics used in the report were used to promote a false international policy. He sees the report as a master plan for the development of the superstate. He also stated that the-ore reserves given in the Pales, report represent only 10 pct of what is actually available.

Jan 1, 1952

By H. F. Beardmore

PETROLEUM consumption during 1946 broke all previous records and further increases are expected during 1947. U. S. consumption amounted to an average of 5,280,000 bbl a day, of which 4,745,000 bbl was domestic crude oil, with the rest from natural gasoline production and crude oil imports. World consumption during the past year, excluding Russia, is estimated at 7,200,000 bbl daily. Forecasts for 1947 indicate a U. S. consumption of 5,425,000 bbl daily of petroleum products. This is expected to be made up of 4,655,000 bbl of domestic crude oil production, 340,000 bbl of natural gasoline production, 400,000 bbl of crude oil imports, and the rest from stocks. Petroleum's principal use is still as a fuel. The field remains highly competitive, but petroleum has been continuously progressing. Less than fifty years ago, oil supplied only one twentieth as much of the nation's total energy as coal, but today it supplies over half as much.

Jan 1, 1947

By W. S. CAYPLESS, H. O. Hofman, E. E. HARRINGTON

I. INTRODUCTION. LIME-ROASTING is a term proposed by Ingalls 1 for the operation of forcing air under pressure through a mixture of galena and lime at the kindling-temperature with the object of oxidizing lead and sulphur and of fritting or fusing the charge. If, finely-divided galena were treated in this manner without the addition of lime, the heat set free by the oxidation of part of the lead and the sulphur would be sufficiently great to fuse undecomposed sulphide, and thus stop desulphurization. Besides the chemical action that the addition of lime, limestone or gypsum to the charge may have, the admixture has the physical effect that it keeps the particles of galena separated from one another and accessible to the oxidizing effect of the air. At present, three methods of lime-roasting are carried out on a working-scale, the Huntington-Heberlein, the Carmichael-Bradford and the Savelsberg2 processes. In the last, which interests us here, an 8-ton charge is made up of galena, limestone and perhaps some siliceous or ferruginous flux; the whole is crushed to pass a screen with 3-mm. holes and moistened with 5 per cent of water. It is fed gradually into a bowl-shaped converter, 6.56 ft. in diameter, supported by trunnions attached to a truck. On the .bottom the converter has a grate with blast-inlet beneath. In starting, the truck with the converter

Jan 1, 1907

By J. D. Hanawalt, W. H. Gross

Magnesium has long been known as the lightest of our engineering metals. This metal, silvery white in color, has a specific gravity of only 1.74. Aluminum, the next lightest structural metal, is 1 ½ times heavier; zinc is 4 times heavier; iron and steel are 4 ½ times heavier; and copper and nickel are 5 times heavier. Magnesium does not occur in the free state but is very abundant in nature, constituting 2.5 pct of the earth's crust in the form of various ores. It is the third most abundant structural metal, being exceeded only by iron and aluminum. Magnesium is unique, however, in that in the form of magnesium chloride it also exists in the oceans. Sea water is the source most widely used for production in the United States but magnesium is also commercially produced from magnesite, dolomite, and other ores as well as from certain inland brines. The vast quantity of magnesium existing in the waters of the oceans can be visualized when it is realized that the removal of one hundred million tons per year (the approximate annual steel production in the United States) for a million years would reduce the magnesium content of sea water only from 0.13 to 0.12 pct, providing no more magnesium had washed into the sea in the meantime. Not only is magnesium potentially very abundant but it is in addition a very versatile metal and can be shaped and worked by practically all methods known to the art of metal working. It can be cast by sand, die, and the various permanent-mold methods;

Jan 1, 1953

By Henry M. Rowe

Professor Ruff's most illuminating paper' describing his extremely valuable investigation of the carbon-iron equilibrium diagram assigns definite temperatures to certain very important lines in the diagram, viz.: the eutectic temperature EB (Fig. 1) and the " near-eutectic " temperature E'B', but without indicating clearly enough the reasoning which warrants these assignments. These temperatures are of such primary importance that it is well to indicate the apparent gaps in the reasoning, in the hope that they may be filled in. In his diagram, Fig. 1, the point X and the liues B'D'lII represent the experimental results reached by Ruff and Goecke;a AB, AEB, and SE represent the liquidus, the solidus, and the solubility of the carbon in solid austenite in the absence of graphite according to Gutowsky,3 AB being also in accordance with Spiecker's data; S'E' the solubility of carbon in solid austenite in the presence of graphite according to Ruer and Iljin;5 GS the line A3 after Ooerens and Meyer; 6 and EBC the true eutectic line as inferred by Prof. Ruff from Gutowsky's data. B'D' is the carbon content found in cast-iron which had apparently saturated itself with carbon in the presence of the graphite of the enclosing graphite crucibles in which the determinations were made. From its straightiiess and its sharp inflection near 6.67 per cent. of carbon, the carbon content of

Jan 1, 1913

By D. E. Light, J. Y. Somnay

The use of alkyl acid phosphates and their alkali salts as collectors for the uranium minerals brannerite and uranothorite was investigated. In particular a detailed flotation study was carried out using isooctyl acid phosphate as a promoter. Tests were conducted on an Elliot Lake ore analyzing 0.11% U 3 O 8, chiefly as brannerite, and approximately 9% pyrite. Pyrite was floated with conventional reagents; the flotation of brannerite from the sulfide tails was studied to determine the optimum pH and pulp density to employ with isooctyl phosphate. 4 uranium recovery of over 90% was possible with a selectivity index of 8.95 when these tails were floated at 17% solids and a pH of 1.7. The effect of various modifying agents was also investigated. Aluminum sulfate, lactic acid and sodium silicate improved the selectivity of collection yielding selectivity indices of 9.5 to 11.5. Ferric chloride was found to be a depressant for brannerite. A Bancroft ore which analyzed 0.13% U308, and contained uranothorite was also amenable to flotation using isooctyl acid phosphate. The composite uranium concentrate obtained assayed 0.41% U308 at a recovery of 95.3% and a ratio of concentration of 3.24. Previous investigations1,2 on the flotation of brannerite, pitchblende, uraninite and/or uranothorite from various Canadian ores showed that fatty acids, including oleic acid and tall oils, petroleum sulfo-nates and alkyl acid phosphates, were suitable collectors for these uranium minerals. Additional work carried out by the Mines Branch in Ottawa on brannerite ores from the Elliot Lake area3 used the tall oil Acintol FA-1, or FA-2, as a collector. A recovery of 92% of the uranium in a concentrate which contained about 55% of the weight and assayed 0.2% U3O8 was obtained from a feed of 0.1% U308 in this latter instance. Eigeles et a1.4 carried out flotation on pitchblende ores and found that the most promising results were obtained with alkyl acid phosphates and their alkali salts as collectors. Within the homologous series of alkyl phosphates, the best flotation characteristics were displayed by isooctyl phosphates. Further, isooctyl phosphate derivatives were much less sensitive to hardness forming salts than oleic acid, enabling all flotation tests to be made with tap water. This paper describes tests employing alkyl acid phosphates for the flotation of ores containing brannerite and uranothorite. The flotation work described herein was conducted in conjunction with the development of a leaching process for Elliot Lake, Ontario, brannerite ores. In this process pyrite in the ore was concentrated by flotation and roasted, providing sulfur dioxide which was used to produce sulfuric acid in situ in a liquid-solid extraction process. A 40% conversion to sulfuric acid was indicated at a leaching temperature of 80°C; this resulted in the extraction of 93% of the total uranium after a contact period of 6 hr. A rotary kiln was used as a leaching vessel. Preconcentration by flotation was studied in conjunction with the above process to reduce the bulk of solids for leaching and, consequently, capital expenditure. The materials and methods used in this study will be described initially. Then the results will be presented in two sections, the first dealing with the brannerite ore, and the second with the uranothorite. Finally an economic analysis of the results on the brannerite material will be made. MATERIALS AND METHODS The two ore samples examined were from uranium-producing mines. One was a brannerite ore, a uraniferous quartz pebble conglomerate from the Elliot Lake area, which contained 0.11% U3O8, 4.3% S and 4.5% total Fe. Mineralogical studies of similar samples indicated the presence of quartz, microcline, sericite, pyrite and minor quantities of rutile, pyrrho-tite and zircon. The other ore was from a biotite-rich pegmatite in the Bancroft area; feldspar, quartz and biotite formed the major gangue components. Uranothorite was the principal uranium mineral; the head assay was 0.13% U 3 O 8. Preparation of Feed: The ores were crushed to —10

Jan 1, 1963