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By D. L. Ward

This paper is the result of a study, in 1919, to determine how much surplus power could be produced through the proper utilization of the entire gas flow from the two furnace stacks at the Federal Furnace Plant, South Chicago, Ill. Obviously, the problem was to measure the flow of gas through the main beyond the point where the amount necessary for stove operation was removed. In all probability, blast-furnace gas is the most difficult gas to measure, because of the high moisture and dust content, and the widely fluctuating flow from the furnaces. This wide fluctuation of flow forbids the acceptance of any one group of flow readings as indicative of normal operating conditions. A study of the conditions showed that a recording device on gas flow was necessary. As the gas at the point of measurement had passed through wet washers, and accordingly was saturated with water and contained considerable dust carried past the scrubbers in the form of sludge, no form of Pitot tube could be used, for this sludge would quickly plug the dynamic and static holes, spoiling the gage readings. An even more serious objection to the use of Pitot tubes was the impossibility of accurately measuring the cross-sectional area of the gas main on the plane of Pitot-tube installation. Given an absolutely clean gas and a perfectly circular pipe, it would be safe to assume, through measurements of the pipe diameter, that the gas main was of a certain cross-sectional area. But the continual depositing of sludge and the fact that the main was fabricated from riveted sheets led us to discard the idea of using Pitot tubes for this service. The Venturi tube was then considered, and had there been a sufficiently long straight run of gas main to accommodate a tube of the required size (72 by 28 in.) such an installation would very likely have been made.

Jan 2, 1921

By J. L. Gissy, G. H. Schippereit, J. B. Schroder

THE existence of mechanical anisotropy in hexagonal metals is well known.' One possible method of measuring the degree of anisotropy in a metal is to make hardness measurements on the different planes of a single crystal. So far as is known, no single-crystal hardness data have been reported in the literature for alpha titanium. To obtain an estimate of the variation in hardness with crystallographic direction in titanium, Knoop hardness measurements were made on single crystals of electrorefined alpha titanium obtained from the Bureau of Mines, Boulder City, Nev. The hardness of arc-melted ingots prepared from this material was 64 Bhn (1000-kg load, 30 sec). Crystals of sufficient size were mounted in epoxy resin with the basal plane exposed. They were then polished and etched to remove excess plastic resin and work-hardened surface material. The crystals were then examined by x-ray diffraction, using the back-reflection Laue technique to insure that the crystals were properly oriented and strain free. After Knoop hardness readings (100 or 200-g load) were taken on the exposed surface, the crystals were remounted to expose a prismatic face and the foregoing procedure was repeated. Hardness values for various orientations are listed in Table I. The data show a difference between the hardness of the basal planes and that of the prismatic planes, as anticipated. More striking is the hardness difference observed between different orientations of the indentor on the prismatic planes as shown in Table I and Fig. 1. All of the indentations shown in Fig. 1 were made with a 100-g load. The long axis of indentation A is parallel to the unique (c) axis of the crystal. The deformation marks visible around indentations A and C of Fig. 1 are probably slip traces of the (10.0) system reported by Rosi, et al. The greater hardness observed when the long axis of the indentor was perpendicular to the unique axis of the crystal (indention B) is probably caused by the opera-

Jan 1, 1959

By John Jermain Porter

In taking up this subject it is first necessary to define our terms. Efficiency, in its engineering usage, means the ratio between actual and theoretical results, and efficiency-records thus involve the use of scientifically determined standards with which all results are compared. Scientific management is the methods used in increasing efficiency, and includes the use of efficiency-records. Efficiencj-records do not alone constitute scientific management, but they are necessary to it, and any so-called system of management which is not based upon standards and standardization is fundamentally wrong. An efficient management and efficiency-methods in management are not the same thing. There are some people who have an instinctive genius for management and accomplish results without exactly knowing how they do it. Such a manager may obtain a very high efficiency without the aid of scientifically determined standards. On the other hand, it sometimes happens that poor results will accompany the use of efficiency-recorcis, due to a weak or indifferent management, which fails to make use of the information acquired. Efficiency-records are only a tool, and like other tools are worthless unless used. The ordinary cost-sheet and production-statement do not go far enough. They tell what has been done, but give no information as to how well it has been done. It is true that the man who is familiar with the industry and the plant in question may draw inferences and form a general idea of good work or bad work, but it can only be a very general and hazy idea. Comparisons with previous records or records of other plants are unsatisfactory, since there is nothing to show the cause of the differences. Efficiency-records supply this need. They compare actual

Jan 1, 1913

By Z. T. Bieniawski

The efficient and safe design of room-and-pillar coal mines still remains as one of the pressing problems facing the mining industry in the United States. Present day design is a trial-and-error approach based mostly on experience. Although much research has been directed to stability of mine roofs and coal pillars, no generally-accepted design method has been formulated. This paper reports on a three-year research effort directed to an improved design of room-and-pillar coal mining in the U.S.A. Essentially the study consisted of three aspects: (i) determination of stable roof spans; (ii) determination of the strength of coal pillars; and (iii) determination of safety factors for room-and-pillar coal mining in the United States. Furthermore, three novel approaches were utilized during this research: i) the "petite sismique" technique was assessed for possible determination of coal pillar deformability ii) the "Geomechanics Classification" was extended for determination of safe roof spans in room-and-pillar coal mining. iii) a national survey of the current design practice and mining dimensions was performed with the aim of assessing factors of safety for room-and-pillar coal mining The outcome of this work, which is summarized in this paper, is a design code for room-and-pillar mining in the United States.

Jan 1, 1983

By A. G. H. Anderson, Eric R. Jette

A few years ago, while the writers worked on the constitution of ternary and quaternary alloys consisting mainly of iron, chromium and siliconl,2 some information on microstructures and hardness, not incorporated in the published work, alas obtained. It has not been possible to do any further work on the properties of the alloys. The information possessed is hereby presented for the interest it may have in connection with the constitution of the alloys. Microstructures Referring to the iron-chromium-silicon diagram,' the regions that received most attention were those in which the sigma phase appears. It was found that the mode of occurrence of this phase varied much with the condition under which it mas formed, and the mode influenced considerably the hardness of the alloys. In some slowly cooled alloys, well within the alpha + sigma-phase boundary, sigma occurs in pabterns suggesting a eutectic. The structure of such an alloy is shorn in Fig. 1, showing it to be partly coarsely laminated and partly globular mottled. In other annealed and slowly cooled alloys, the lanlinated structure is entirely absent, and sigma appears in an irregular distribution of sharply cornered elongated areas (Figs. 2 and 3). These areas all possess a more or less mottled structure. A carbide phase is also visible in these two photomicrographs; it is represented by bright white arras of various shapes, sometimes apparently enveloping the sigma. Quenched and aged specimens, whose compositions arc: located near the phase boundary between alpha and sigma + alpha regions, have structures not unlike martensite (Figs. 5 and 6). Fig. 4 shows the structurc of alloy No. 35 as quenched from 1100" C.; it is a typical solid solu-

Jan 1, 1938

By Eric R. Jette, A. G. H. Anderson

A few years ago, while the writers worked on the constitution of ternary and quaternary alloys consisting mainly of iron, chromium and siliconl,2 some information on microstructures and hardness, not incorporated in the published work, alas obtained. It has not been possible to do any further work on the properties of the alloys. The information possessed is hereby presented for the interest it may have in connection with the constitution of the alloys. Microstructures Referring to the iron-chromium-silicon diagram,' the regions that received most attention were those in which the sigma phase appears. It was found that the mode of occurrence of this phase varied much with the condition under which it mas formed, and the mode influenced considerably the hardness of the alloys. In some slowly cooled alloys, well within the alpha + sigma-phase boundary, sigma occurs in pabterns suggesting a eutectic. The structure of such an alloy is shorn in Fig. 1, showing it to be partly coarsely laminated and partly globular mottled. In other annealed and slowly cooled alloys, the lanlinated structure is entirely absent, and sigma appears in an irregular distribution of sharply cornered elongated areas (Figs. 2 and 3). These areas all possess a more or less mottled structure. A carbide phase is also visible in these two photomicrographs; it is represented by bright white arras of various shapes, sometimes apparently enveloping the sigma. Quenched and aged specimens, whose compositions arc: located near the phase boundary between alpha and sigma + alpha regions, have structures not unlike martensite (Figs. 5 and 6). Fig. 4 shows the structurc of alloy No. 35 as quenched from 1100" C.; it is a typical solid solu-

Jan 1, 1938

By Lytle Brown, Thomas C. Meadows

The rock now known to almost every Middle Tennessee farmer as " phosphate," was but recently recognized as such. The existence of a stratum of black siliceous rock in the hills surrounding the Nashville Basin has been known for many years to Dr. Safford, the State geologist. Nothing about it, however, would lead to the conclusion that it contains a considerable amount of bone phosphate of lime. The only feature that might attract attention is its very dark color; and since it occurs near the " black slate," one would naturally infer nothing more of interest to be connected with that feature than that this rock and the " black slate " derived their carbonaceous matter from a common source. Many of the country people have mistaken it for coal, or for an indication of coal; this impression being strengthened by the fact that, when a piece of the rock was thrown into a blacksmith's forge, a slight combustion was observed. As will be more fully explained, the phosphate-rock is of two kinds: (a) loose or separate boulders, occurring in a stratum of clay or blue shale; and (6) solid rock occurring in a continuous stratum. The boulders have been known for a long time as "balls," "kidneys," " stink-stones," etc. ; and as early as 1887, an analysis made under the direction of Dr. Safford, at Vanderbilt University, showed one of these boulders to contain 64 per cent. of bone-phosphate of lime. This information awakened no great interest in the matter, for the probable reason that at the same time it was known, or supposed to be known, that the boulder-beds were of limited extent as

Jan 1, 1895

By Thomas S. Carnahan

The mining property of the Utah Copper Co. is situated in the West Mountain mining district, Salt Lake County;Utah, in the Oquirrh Range of mountains. Geology In a general way the rock formation of the district consists of a series of beds of quartzite and limestone intruded by a body of monzonite porphyry roughly elliptical in shape, with an east-west axis over a mile in length and a north-south axis of about 3,000 ft. This porphyry intrusion, accompanied by strong mineralizing action and fracturing, resulted in the formation of orebodies in the adjacent sedimentary rocks, and was itself sufficiently mineralized to make it one vast orebody. The Utah Copper Co.'s mining property comprises within its boundaries practically the entire outcrop of the monzonite mass, of a commercial grade. Genesis of Porphyry Ore Following an intricate system of fracturing, mineral solutions circulated freely through the porphyry, depositing small quantities of copper and iron, and resulting in a considerable silicification of the monzonite. The quantity of copper originally deposited was undoubtedly too small to have ever given the porphyry a commercial value, had not secondary enrichment, due to the leaching of the copper from the surface of the mass and re-deposition in the sulphide zone, been active over a long period of years. A large portion of the leached material has probably been removed by erosion, but there still remains a blanket of leached and oxidized porphyry of varying thickness covering the sulphide ore, known as capping. Over certain sections of the orebody, this capping contains commercial quantities of copper carbonates, but most of it contains little or no copper.

Jan 1, 1916

By H. S. Munroe

To those familiar with ore-dressing practice, it is hardly necessary to dwell upon the importance of the jig. Within its proper sphere no substitute has been found that does the work as well or as cheaply. Its capacity is large, it requires but little attention, and the losses are small. In one form or another, it is the principal machine used in the concentration of low-grade ores, and for the separation of one metallic mineral from another; and it is almost the only machine used for the purification of coal. The present paper is a study of the action of the jig in the light of results obtained in the Lake Superior copper mills, ad at the St. Joseph Lead Co.'s dressing-works, in Missouri; and a description of experiments undertaken with the view of reproducing and isolating the conditions of jigging, in order to develop the laws which underlie the process. There are two recognized systems of jigging, the English and the Continental or German. The English system is a development of the hand-jigging formerly employed in Cornwall and other metalliferous districts of England, and introduced by English miners to this country. In this method the crushed ore, coarse and fine together, is first jigged oh a

Jan 1, 1889

By Percival Roberts

It may seem necessary to offer an apology for presenting for consideration a process which is conspicuous by its absence in the literature of the Institute, and which may be thought by some to belong to the past in metallurgy, and to have been already superseded. But the large capital invested in puddling calls for a careful consideration of the question whether the time has certainly arrived when the puddling furnace must be replaced by the converter and open-hearth furnace. May there not still be a place for puddled iron alongside of molten iron and steel, and is not the improvement of the puddling process itself worthy the attention of engineers equally with the Bessemer and open-hearth processes? The changes involved in the conversion of pig iron into wrought iron are well understood and need only be briefly alluded to. The patent of Henry Cort bears the date of 1784. Since that time * the improvements in the process have mainly consisted in the replacement of sand by iron bottoms by Samuel Baldwyn Rogers in 1818, and the still more recent substitution of iron oxide for the refractory materials used for the rides and bridge of the hearth, which distinguishes the wet or boiling process from the dry or pnddling process. Chemically, the process consists in the removal of the metalloids from the pig iron, a result effected mainly by the iron oxide. Silicon is first oxidized, then the phosphorus, and finally the carbon. The silicic and phosphoric acids produced pass into the cinder and the carbonic oxide burns as it escapes from the bath of metal. It is interesting in this connection to note the effect of temperature on the removal of the phosphorus from the iron. As is well known, no phosphorus is eliminated under the oxidizing influences prevailing in the Bessemer converter, while from 70 to 80 per cent. is removed in puddling. But we find, if in working cold short irons

Jan 1, 1880

By T. R. Young, S. A. Scott

9.5-1. Introduction. The use of pipelines to transport solids has been successfully accomplished with many different materials. One of the oldest applications is the dredging and placing of hydraulic fill. Many installations have been made and operated for long periods of time with excellent dependability, low operating cost, and low maintenance. It is not the aim of this chapter to give the engineer the answers from which to design a pipeline, but rather to supply helpful information from which to start the project. There are several phases of solids pipelining which as yet have not lent themselves to quick engineering answers. Investigations have been carried on by many, with several theories advanced by the various investigators. In recent years certain notable theoretical advances in hydraulic transportation have been achieved. Vertical transport, using balanced "leg" operation, now appears competitive with other forms of vertical transportation. In addition, horizontal transport utilizing capsules has been proven experimentally to be attractive because of lower pressure drop than the conventional methods of solid transport in fluid media. With the aid of the computer, the laborious calculations associated with pumping calculations have been greatly simplified; and with this tool the pipeline engineers of the future will undoubtedly be able to develop a more comprehensive understanding of solids-fluid transport. 9.5-2. Theory. There have been many excellent studies made and information is available in the literature, but a general comprehensive theory of pipeline transportation of solids has not been advanced. The existing flow theories will give approximations for minimum and optimum flow velocities, friction head losses, energy requirements, and pump and pipe size The principles of dynamic similarity and scaling laws are well understood for the flow of pure liquids. There are no firm methods of scaling slurry pipelines of small diameter to larger diameters except for a few empirical.

Jan 1, 1968

By Henry M. Bates, Roscoe Pound

Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen: I accepted your Chairman's invitation to speak to a group of experts in this field with the greatest hesitation, because I know little or nothing about it. Certainly I can make no detailed suggestions, or suggest planning along very definite lines. You cannot do that sort of thing in a vacuum, and as I have suggested, my knowledge of the whole oil problem is next to nothing. It is possible that as a student of our public law, constitutional law particularly, for a number of years, I have acquired a perspective that may enable me to offer, for what they are worth, some general thoughts on these problems. I think that nothing in the whole field of law requires more definitely and clearly the functional approach than does the problem of a sound legal solution of the difficulties of the oil and gas industry. The industry is dealing with substances that are peculiar, and one must know how those substances act and what has been the history of the industry, to undertake to make anything like specific suggestions. I certainly am not qualified.

Jan 1, 1935

By Marcel R. Daly

In a preceding paper1 the writer has pointed out some apparent relationship between the distribution, on the surface of the globe,, of the known hydrocarbon deposits and the disposition of the principal zones of deformation of the earth's body (geosynclines). He wishes to present some further remarks on this subject. Petroleum deposits, or their derivatives or descendants, are found through the whole range of sedimentary strata, from the pre-Cambrian to the Quaternary. For instance, the prc-Beltian (Shuswap) series of the Canadian Cordillera are interbedded with limestones which are sometimes rich in carbonaceous matter (Sicamous limcstone); and the Beltian system of the same region contains layers of argillitcs and dolomitic limestones which are equally high in carbon content.2 This carbon may be interpreted as the last remnant of hydrocarbons previously contained in the rocks. On the other hand, the actual formation of hydrocarbons under conditions that would eventually permit their deposition in modern sediments is conceded by some geologists.3 Between these two extreme limits, bitumens are found indifferently in all sedimentaries. Thcy constitute a continuous series, some kind of a large family, whose individual members may be entitled to a community of origin and probably represent the different stages of evolution of the primitive, parent matter. The kinship between petroleum and such substances as asphalt, ozocerite, manjak, grahamite, albertite, etc., is well known; and E. H. Cunning-gam-Craig has recently shown how intimately shale fields and oil fields are connectcd.4 For this reason, no distinction is made in the present

Jan 1, 1918

Discussion of the paper of F. M. Simonds and E. Z. Burns, presented at the New York Meeting, February, 1913, and printed in Bulletin No. 75, March, 1913, pp. 369 to 402. W. L. SAUNDERS, New York,. N. Y.:-Mr. Burns in his native Colorado modesty has said that he apologizes for things left out of this paper. I am much impressed by what he has put into the paper, as of all the papers that I have read on the subject, describing, as it does, a specific piece of work that has been accomplished, I do not recall one that gives so much information in such a practical way. Mr. Burns has also said that it is very hard to get men to put things down while the work is being driven. My experience is that it is very much harder to get the men in charge of work of this kind to bring them in in the form of a report before a body of engineers after the work is done. We have a great many cases where records are kept in much detail, but they are usually kept under cover, with the mistaken idea that the information gained is private information for the benefit of those who have done the work. Messrs. Simonds and Burns have opened up this case so that we can get the benefit of that experience which they have had, and so that we can learn something for the future. The description contained in this paper, as I have said, is a very practical one. You will notice in going through it. that the authors have given in detail a record of their work from the beginning to the end, and they even go so far as to publish an exact copy of the Rawley Mining Co.'s daily report. That daily report is something which those of us who are engaged in similar work might copy to great advantage, and having it before us we can check up our men while doing work and exact from them equal conditions, if it is possible to do so.

Jan 5, 1913

By Horace F. Silliman, Curtis L. Wilson, Eugene C. Little

The change in electrical resistance and Rockwell hardness (16-100-B) of copper alloys containing Ni2Si and Co2Si was determined by annealing the quenched solid solutions at various temperatures for various lengths of time. The rate of precipitation of Nisi, as measured by the rate of decrease of electrical resistance and increase of hardness, increased with annealing temperature up to a certain point, depending on the percentage of Ni2Si present. At these temperatures discontinuities in the rate: change occurred. Similar discontinuities in the Co2Si alloys were no The solubility of Co2Si in copper was found to be 5 per cent at 970" DISCUSSION (Robert F. Mehl presiding) R. I?. Mehl, Pittsburgh, Pa. (written discussion).—The electrical conductivity and hardness curves reported in this paper are interesting, particularly because many of the anomalies of the precipitation processes are evident from such curves. The title of the paper, however, is deceptive, for it implies that measurements of electrical conductivity and hardness are suitable to determine the rate of precipitation. Neither of these methods is suitable for a quantitative measurement of rates of reaction or of precipitation in the solid state. Electrical conductivity in some alloys shows an anomalous increase during the first stages of aging at low temperatures; it is notably sensitive to strain and to state of subdivision. I have plotted the conductivity curve representing the decomposition of the phase at 555" C. in the copper-aluminum system, given in the paper by Smith and Lindlief (Fig. 47, p. 93) as a rate of reaction curve, and compared it with the curve determined by area evaluation (Fig. 7); these two curves are not coincident. Hardness is likewise very uncertain, for it is so much dependent upon particle size. Of the various methods proposed for the study of rates of reaction and precipitation, the evaluation of volume of reaction product from the respective area of matrix and reaction product on the photomicrograph is the most trustworthy; suffering, perhaps, only from low sensitivity during the early stages. This method, used originally by Davenport and Bain and now by Smith and Lindlief, is suitable for

Jan 1, 1933

By Leonard Klein

Reduction of oxygen-containing copper has always heretofore been brought about with wood poles. This paper reveals the first successful, economical, and Practical substitute for poles: a gaseous reductant, of which the production and plant use are detailed herein. THE art of fire refining of copper, consisting of melting, oxidation, slag removal, and finally reduction with wood poles, has been practiced for many centuries. An authentic record, discussed in detail in De Re Metallica,* mentions that as early as 1200 A.D. workers in this field of metallurgy were already acquainted with and practiced the basic principles of copper purification. Undoubtedly, the art was well developed marly centuries before the first written records began to appear. Notwithstanding the many advantages gained by application of mechanical con. trivances and by the tremendous increase in size of operations over the centuries, the reduction phase of the process has persisted essentially the same to the present time except for a very recent breakthrough. Numerous articles have been published and many patents have been issued on the subject of substitutes for wood poling in the past half century. They have dealt with a variety of gaseous, solid, and liquid reducing agents. But to the knowledge of the writer, no procedure has ever been prosecuted to a complete success on a large operating plant scale with the single exception of gaseous reduction of oxygen-containing copper revealed in detail herein. A natural gas-air reformer with ample capacity for

Jan 1, 1962

By R. S. Barneyback

Not much more is known about concrete today than was known to the Romans. For all the research only better tools have resulted to measure the quality of the materials that go into it." In this paper "some of the materials for lightweight concrete and their characteristics are considered and effort is made to indicate their effect on the end result — a structure of lightweight concrete." Lightweight concrete had noble beginnings. It is believed that the first specification for lightweight concrete was written by the Roman Emperor Hadrian in the early years of his reign, 117-138 AD. Hadrian, was an engineer by trade and an Emperor by adoption. He took considerable interest in the structures sponsored during his reign, even to the point of working out the structural details and preparing working drawings for some of the more prominent works in the vicinity of Rome. In order to reduce the dead weight of the 140 ft diam dome of the Pantheon he specified that the lightweight structural concrete members supporting this concrete and tile composite dome were to be fabricated from a concrete containing pumice and scoria. Still standing after 18 centuries of abuse, this structure has been described as the master effort of a great structural genius, the ultimate achievement of Roman engineering skill.' The Romans were the first to employ many concrete techniques we think of as modem innovations. Some unnamed superintendent noted that when a carefully measured amount of pigs blood was measured into each batch of concrete during mixing, the concrete was more durable and exhibited much better resistance to freezing and thawing climates. He no doubt, attributed this success to the appeasement of one of the gods who in return provided protection for the building containing this sacrificial offering in its walls. It is known today that the blood-entrained air in the concrete tends to make mixtures more workable, resistant to moisture penetration and more resistant to frost damage.

Jan 1, 1964

CONTENTS PAGE WARNER, ROBERT K.-Efficiency of Screening. Discussed by Robert C. Canby,Robert K. Warner, W. 0. Borcherdt, V. E. Flanagan 1 FAHRENWALD, A. W.-Surface Reactions in Flotation. Discussed by Arthur F. Taggart, A. M. Gaudin 7 Efficiency of Screening Discussion of the paper of ROBERT K. WARNER, presented at the New York Meeting, February, 1924, and issued, as Paper No. 1293-M, with MINING AND METALLURGY, January, 1924. ROBERT C. CANBY, Wallingford, Conn.-On page 2, the author speaks of the importance of using a testing sieve clothed with the same material as the screen being studied; does he regard this as essential? In practice, how does the screen efficiency calculated by the difficult-grain method compare with those computed by the usual undersize method? Is it possible by the author's method, to obtain a measure of efficiency that can safely be compared with that of another screen sizing a different ore? ROBERT K. WARNER.-The use of a testing sieve clothed like the mill screen being studied is desirable but not essential for routine work about a mill where the character of the feed varies little, as regards the shape of the grains and the sizing test. Close agreement in size of aperture between the sieve and the screen is, however, important if the data obtained are to be valuable to others working on a different feed. If the testing sieve is coarser than the mill screen, the efficiency will appear unfairly low; whereas if it is too fine one might get efficiencies greater than 100 per cent. because of the apparent oversize in the undersize. In either of these cases the usefulness of the difficult-grain method of calculation would be reduced. As screens wear, the undersize grows appreciably coarser so that it is desirable to test screens only when the cloth is new or else to provide testing sieves that are worn about the same amount. The futility of making efficiency observations on a. distorted or broken screen surface is obvious.

Jan 6, 1924

By Robert A. Cook

Among the new devices for cheapening the cost of material entering into the manufacture of iron is the mechanical drawing of coke, by which the coke from bee-hive ovens is extracted with a minimum of manual labor. About twenty years ago, an ordinary plate-conveyer was put in use at the plant of bee-hive coke-ovens owned by the firm of Bell Bros. & Co., near Middlesboro, England. This conveyer ran close along the front of the ovens, and carried the coke to the cars. The ovens were drawn by hand, and a very great saving in cost was secured, as one man could draw and clean out twice as many ovens after the conveyer was put in use—he having no forking to do, and the coke being carried away as fast as it was drawn to the mouth of the oven. The next step was further to eliminate hand-labor as far as possible; and Mr. Thomas Smith of the Thorncliffe Iron Works, near Sheffield, patented in 1891 the machine for drawing coke which I here describe. This machine, the outcome of several years of experimenting, has now been in successful use since 1891, and there are between twenty and thirty of them in operation at present, and others building. The machine, as may be seen from Figs. 1 and 2, consists of a wedge-shaped shovel of proper width and thickness, connected with a steel rack of sufficient length to reach the back of the oven. The rack is supported by rolls, and guided by a device operated by a hand-wheel, which directs the shovel in the oven. The rack is driven by a pinion on a vertical shaft carrying a bevel-gear on the upper end. This bevel-gear is driven by another on the engine-shaft. The engine is single-cylinder, with reversible gear; and engine and machine are mounted on a truck, which is propelled

Jan 1, 1897

By Prof John E. Church

It is a well-known fact that under similar conditions a ton of pig iron can be made from any ore with less fuel when charcoal is used than when coke or anthracite is employed for heating. The cause of this superiority is entirely undiscovered, and no explanation has yet been offered which has won even temporary acceptance. Such as they are the hypotheses heretofore presented are of two general kinds, and they come from those two divisions of the working force which are so often antagonistic in all professions, the scientific and the practical men. The theory of the scientific men is drawn from the chemical reactions which are known to go on in the furnace, and it is well expressed in a recent paper by Prof. Akerman, of the Stockholm (Sweden) School of Mines. It makes the superiority of charcoal as a fuel in the blast furnace to depend upon its quick and thorough reduction of carbonic acid. This property belongs to charcoal in virtue of its porous structure. Its cells have a diameter of only one twenty-four hundredth of an inch, and one grain of charcoal has been computed to have a surface of two and four-tenths square feet. According to the theory in question, carbonic acid is formed by the first impact of the air upon the fuel; but in charcoal furnaces the acid is immediately reduced to oxide by taking the necessary amount of carbon into combination, and the gas reaches its highest reducing power even in the near vicinity of the tuyeres. Coke, being harder, does not produce so strong a reducing gas in that part of the furnace. Carbonic acid is formed as in the case of charcoal, and remains longer before its reduction to oxide is completed. Anthracite is the

Jan 1, 1879