Search Documents

By Ira N. Holli

A meeting of Engineering Council was held on Thursday, Jan. 22, 1918, at the Engineering Societies Building, New York. Present: Chairman Ira N. Hollis (A. S. M. E.); Dr. Charles Warren Hunt, Alex. C. Humphreys and F. H. Newell (A. S. C. E.); B. B. Lawrence and .J. Parke Charming (A. I. M. E.); Charles Whiting Baker, D. S. Jacobus, and George, J. Foran (A. S. M. E.) ; H. W. Buck, E. W. Rice, Jr., N. A. Carle, C. E. Skinner and Comfort A. Adams (A. I. E. E.) ; Clemens Herschel and Calvert Townley (United Engineering Society); also, by invitation, D. W. Brunton, Chairman, War Committee of Technical Societies of Engineering Council. Of the several actions taken at this meeting, the following are selected as being of most general interest. Chairman-Baker-presented a resolution on the conduct of the war, to which objections were made. It was referred to a special-committee; Charles Whiting Baker, Charles Warren Hunt, and Calvert Townley, for re-drafting and presentation later in the meeting. The revised resolution submitted by this committee led to further discussion and as no agreement could he reached, the matter was laid on the table.

Jan 3, 1918

By C. T. Bischoff

DURING the past few years geochemical testing for traces of heavy metals in water, soil, rock, and vegetation has aroused increasing interest. Various techniques for field and laboratory determinations have been described in the literature, as have some of the results of application. However, little information has been published regarding application to glacial terrain. Over 90 pct of the Canadian Shield is overburdened, resulting in high costs for mineral exploration once the outcropping ore deposits have been found. This has been largely responsible for the widespread application of mining geophysics in Canada, permitting concentration of effort on area or zones considered most favorable. However, geophysical interpretation has its limitations, since at least 90 pct of the structures indicated thereby contain no valuable minerals. A more direct approach is therefore highly desirable. If underlying base metal mineralization can be detected by sampling soil or vegetation at moderate cost this should prove of great help in locating new discoveries or extending known ones. A large proportion of Canadian ore deposits contain appreciable copper or zinc, even where these are not the principal economic metals. Consequently the field of application is a broad one.

Jan 1, 1954

By A. Eilers

In a former paper on Western Smelting Works, I mentioned the great difficulty of obtaining accurate information in regard to the economy of the processes in practice; and to-day, although nearly two years have elapsed since my former paper was written, I am sorry to say that very little improvement has taken place in the keeping of accounts, and in the direction of a more systematic management in the majority of these works. But I am quite certain that by this time even the most sanguine furnace managers must have become convinced, from the experience of the last year, that somewhere in their processes there are enormous losses. Rates for the purchase of ores in 1873 were not as high as they were in former years in certain parts of the country ; labor was no 'higher than formerly; the demand for unparted lead was good throughout the year, with the only exception of the time of the panic, in the fall of 1873; yet there are, of between 40 and 50 works, not more than two or three in Utah and Nevada to-day, that have paid a reasonable interest on the capital invested.

By M. Perišic

Requirements concerning determination of geometric characteristics and estimate of reserves and grade may in various mineral deposits significantly differ and by no means can be completely envisaged. Therefore, program writing which would in advance meet all requirements is from a practical point of view impossible. Programming for each particular project is also unacceptable solution, due to many facts, among which is ever growing scope of work and the terms to be met. Therefore, conventional method of programming proved to be ineffective. The team of the Mining Institute experts came to the conclusion that the solution of facing problems lies in the idea of introducing specialized programs, instead of complex ones. Each of them represents a functional entirety. Procedure of complete mineral deposits computer processing is described by a problem-oriented programming language which was designed for that particular application. One or more than one specialized programs are called by one instruction so that the program in that language can have a few hundred time less instructions than an equivalent FORTRAN program. Besides description of the program system and programming language the paper also covers some aspects of its application in solving complex problems.

Jan 1, 1977

By J. K. Jeyapalan, A. P. S. Selvadurai

Plate loading tests which use surficial loading of a rock mass are employed quite extensively for the determination of in situ deformability characteristics of rock masses. The cable jacking method is essentially a surficial plate load test in which the test load is provided by reaction against a cable anchored at some depth below the rock surface. The results of the test are usually evaluated within the framework of the classical theory of elasticity to generate estimates for the bulk deformability properties of the rock mass. In the conventional evaluation of this test it is assumed that the test plate is rigid and that the embedded anchor load has no influence on the test plate settlement. The purpose of this paper is to examine the possible influences of the plate flexibility and the anchor load location on the effective settlement of the test plate. The variational estimates presented in the paper are valid for moderately flexible test plates which are characterized by a relative rigidity parameter Numerical results are developed in the form of correction factors that should be applied to the cable jacking results to arrive at the deformability characteristics of the tested rock mass.

Jan 1, 1982

By C. A. Kroetz, A. J. O’Neal

The Long Island Lighting Co. has operated an extensive monitoring system for over three years. Nearly 900,000 separate pieces of information have been recorded for a land area of some 600 sq miles, 15 miles north to south by 40 miles east to west. The data are composed of about a half million sulfur dioxide measurements at various locations, 290,000 of which were by the West-Gaeke method, about 160,000 pieces of weather data, and 220,000 measurements of sulfur dioxide as emitted from each of the power plant stacks on the system, all measured on an hourly basis and stored on computor cards and tapes. The computor has been programmed to collate stack emissions, weather information, and ground level sulfur dioxide measurements. The analysis shows that emissions from tall stacks do, indeed, contribute very little to ground level sulfur dioxide. For example, LILCO shows that its Northport plant contributes less than 2 ppb, hourly annual average. They also state that the plant converted to 100% natural gas or shut down, would reduce ground level sulfur dioxide by no more than 2 ppb.

Jan 1, 1973

By Ben E. Lusk

During the past five years, the surface mining industry in Appalachia has launched itself into a technological revolution, which has never been equaled during a similar period of time. Operators have begun to realize that effectively restoring land to a useful purpose, to the satisfaction of all concerned, has to start at the beginning of the operation and be an integrated part of it throughout. In order to insure continued mining in the mountainous areas, with protection of aesthetic beauty, things really have had to change. And so the new steep slope mining theory of "controlled placement" has been developed. Controlled placement is a broad term which means the placement of spoil in steep areas where its condition can be completely stabilized and revegetated. This includes the head of valley fill, mountain top removal, haulback, over the shoulder, block cut, and any other methods where the over-burden is technically delivered, hauled, or compacted, so that there is no adverse after effects when mining has been completed. [(Fig. 1)] Under controlled placement, our whole approach to mining has changed. Before any displacement of soil or uncovering of the coal seam transpires, a complete drainage system

Jan 1, 1977

By C. F. Jr. Park

HOG MOUNTAIN is in the north central part of Tallapoosa County, Alabama, about 13 miles northeast from Alexander City. The Hog Mountain Mining and Milling Co. controls 1658 acres of land and is the only company operating in the district. The principal mine workings are in sections 10 and 15, T.24N., R.22E. The region has been visited by geologists many times, has been briefly described in several papers,1 and mentioned in many others. No detailed map of the mine or vicinity has been published. The field work for this report was started in March, 1934, as part of the Public Works reemployment program. About a month and a half was spent mapping both the surface and underground geology. The mine owners and operators have cooperated in every way possible to facilitate the work. N. 0. Johnson, the mine engineer, E. W. Ells-worth, J. E. McCoy and J. G. Englebert have acted as assistants for part of the work. The University of Alabama and the State Geologist's office have aided materially by permitting free use of their libraries and laboratory equipment.

Jan 1, 1935

By J. M. Avasthi

The DOE-funded (Contract No. DE-ACO3-77ET13108) Gulf Research & Development Co. (GR&DC) field tests of underground coal gasification in steeply dipping beds (UCG/SDB) were conducted in the North Knobs area, located 12.8 km (8 miles) west of Rawlins, WY. The site has a gently rolling, sparsely vegetated, semidesert terrain on the transition zone between a broad, flat basin (Great Divide Basin) to the west and the subdued mountains of the Rawlins uplift to the east. A comprehensive geotechnical program (Ahner et al., 1980) was essential to successfully complete the test program. Emphasis of the program was the subsurface characterization of the site and consisted of mapping, drilling and logging, core analyses, and hydrologic tests. The samples of lithologic units over- and underlying the G coal seam were tested in the laboratory for their modulus and strength. This program provided the required data necessary for designing surface facilities, input for permits, and ensuring correct placement of the process modules. The two UCG tests at the Rawlins site were conducted in the nominally 6.7 m (22 ft) thick G coal seam (rank-subbituminous B), dipping at 63°.

Jan 1, 1984

By Robert Bakish

VARIOUS aspects of structure-sensitive corrosion of single crystals and polycrystalline aggregates of Cu,Au have been presented in papers by the author, in association with W. D. Robertson. Prompted by some observations in the course of these studies, a new approach to the problem was undertaken. Results of these new experiments are reported here. Thin slices, less than 2 mm thick, were prepared from single crystals 3.5 mm in diam grown by the Bridgman technique. The crystals were homogen- ized for 300 hr at 850°C. Crystals with no deformation, crystals deformed in tension to the yield point, and crystals deformed 20 pct in excess of the yield point were used. Crystals of several different orientations were studied. Slices were immersed for one month in 2 pct aqueous solution of FeCl3 and, subsequent to this immersion, were subjected to bending. Immersion and bending were carried out at room temperature. The size and geometry of the crystals did not permit accurate data on the loads involved. A most unexpected result was obtained in the process of bending these slices of Cu3Au crystals normal to the (110) plane. Completely brittle be-

Jan 1, 1958

By A. Filers

IN a former paper on Western Smelting Works, I mentioned the great difficulty of obtaining accurate information in regard to the economy of the processes in practice ; and to-day, although nearly two years have elapsed since my former paper was written, I am sorry to say that very little improvement has taken place in the keeping of accounts, and in the direction of a more systematic management in the majority of these works. But I am quite certain that by this time even the most sanguine furnace managers must have become convinced, from the experience of the last year, that somewhere in their processes there are enormous losses. Rates for the purchase of ores in 1873 were not as high as they were in former years in certain parts of the country ; labor was no higher than formerly ; the demand for unparted lead was good throughout the year, with the only exception of the time of the panic, in the fall of 1873; yet there are, of between 40 and 50 works, not more than two or three in Utah and Nevada to-day, that have paid a reasonable interest on the capital invested.

Jan 1, 1875

By Wolfgang Pietsch

Prior publications have shown that the structure and characteristics of direct reduced iron produced by direct reduction from iron ores or iron ore pellets depend on many parameters which include process variables, such as, reduction temperature, reduction gas composition, and type or origin of the raw material. Most of the published literature deals with direct reduced iron produced in the laboratory at theoretically interesting but commercially uneconomical or technically impossible conditions. Much of the work was carried out in pure carbon monoxide in pure hydrogen, or in such mixtures of carbon monoxide and hydrogen which are of no commercial interest. Other results were obtained at temperatures which are too high and would cause sticking in large scale plants. For this reason, work was initiated by Midrex Corporation to investigate the influence of raw materials and reduction temperature on structure and characteristics of direct reduced iron. The composition of the reducing gas used to prepare the samples for this study produces results corresponding to those obtained with a typical commercial gas. The temperatures at which reduction was carried out are in a technically feasible range. This paper reports on the results.

Jan 1, 1979

By Benjamin N. Webber

During World War II the Pocos de Caldas bauxite deposits of Minas Gerais in Brazil yielded some 60,000 tons. Since then they have maintained a small but almost continuous production. Known for many years, the deposits have been reconnoitered by a number of geologists,1-4 but no dimensional study has been possible because there have not been enough exposures to show clearly the depth, bedrock, and habit of occurrence. The deposits are somewhat unorthodox in their occurrence mainly on steep slopes of mountainous terrain. Although the parent rocks are a sequence of alkalic intrusions that bauxitize readily under the proper conditions, bauxitization has not been the dominant weathering process in the area. It is limited to certain localities where important volumes of bauxite have formed by laterization of several rock types, each yielding a distinctive type of bauxite. Bauxitization may be observed in several stages and in both direct and indirect cycles of formation. The deposits are unique in being of demonstrably recent age, so that the conditions under which the bauxite formed are essentially those of the present time. The bauxitization sequence is postulated in Fig. 1.

Jan 8, 1959

By George H. Ashley

It has been said that the Pittsburgh bed is the most valuable single mineral deposit yet known to man. The figures in Table 1 are presented in substantiation of that claim. Production and Value In order that the figures of Table 1 may have any weight, a statement must be made to show how they were arrived at. Because, to the writer's knowledge, no accurate separate figures ever have been kept of the production and value of the Pittsburgh coal bed, the states will be considered separately. Pennsylvania Accurate figures are obtainable for Pennsylvania for recent years because recent reports of the Pellnsylvania Department of Mines show the production from each mine and the bed worked at each mine. For recent years, therefore, it is only necessary to list the mines working in the Pittsburgh bed and add up their production. The value was obtained by treating each county separately, applying the average price for the county to the production of Pittsburgh coal in that county. Unfortunately for great accuracy, while production figures for individual mines are available for many years, the name of the bed being

Jan 1, 1938

By E. A. Stevens

IT has been ascertained in recent years that certain rocktypes, geological formations and structural conditions may be used as fairly reliable guides, when prospecting in recognized mineral belts or mining districts, with a reasonable certainty of discovering "pay-ore;" and that such is considered as a practically established conclusion may be inferred from a perusal of the recent reports of the U. S. Geological Survey and the literature of the several scientific societies discussing minim, geology, and kindred subjects. Cripple Creek is no exception to this conclusion, and the rock-type or association, rather than the structural condition, is the most infallible guide.† These guides consist of four, possibly five, dike-rocks, three of which are extremely basic, while the fourth is an acid rock of an entirely dissimilar character. The basic rocks are nepheline-basalt, limburgite, feldspar-basalt and tephrite. There are grounds, however, for believing that the two latter are subdivisions of one type, and therefore will be described under one head. The acid rock is quartz-porphyry. Nepheline-basalt is-a rock encountered in but few localities elsewhere on this continent, and occurs in narrow dikes cutting various formations. When typical‡ it is composed of

Jan 1, 1913

By F. T. Davis

The annual review of mineral dressing was the subject of considerable discussion at the MBD meeting in New York last February. Because the amount of material now being published is so imposing, it was generally agreed that reviewers should try only to cite the items of importance. In order to conserve even more space, it was agreed to omit bibliographies. In reading these reviews, and those of the past two or three years, one is impressed by the advances in materials handling, the enlargement and the advances in automation of unit process equipment. Although there has been development of a variety of new concentration principles in flotation, magnetic separation, et al., the design of these principles into new plants has not been widespread. The probable reason is that the plants being built today are so large and costly that few are able to face the risk of any significant degree of experimentation. There are exceptions to this; for example, some of the chemical processes, but these are usually because there was no conventional process available. This situation should change in time as the ores amenable to our conventional methods become depleted.

Jan 2, 1967

By Henry S. Brown, Jean E. Tilden

Pyrite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite, and sphalerite from deposits distributed within the Piedmont and Blue Ridge provinces of North Carolina and adjacent areas were examined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry for cobalt, nickel, manganese, lead, tin, chromium, molybdenum, and gold. The ore samples were also examined petrographically. Cobalt and nickel, in general, enter pyrite and pyrrhotite rather than chalcopyrite and sphalerite. Manganese generally enters sphalerite rather than the other phases where an alternative is possible. The presence of tin in sulfide minerals was noted in a group of deposits east of the known occurrences of tin oxide (cassiterite) in the Kings Mountain belt, which may indicate the presence of a more extensive tin belt in the southeastern Piedmont than was previously recognized. Pyrrhotite from a group of four deposits in Jackson and Clay Counties, North Carolina, differs from pyrrhotite from other Ducktown-type deposits in having cobalt/ nickel ratios less than one, finer grain sizes, and colloform texture. These differences suggest that that this group of deposits has had a history different from that of the other Ducktown-type deposits studied. No significant conclusions could be made based on the distribution of lead, chromium, molybdenum, or gold.

Jan 1, 1975

By W. C. Peters

From the time of its beginning in the mid-19th century, the American barite industry has had its major development in the eastern and central states. Geologic and economic factors serve to maintain Arkansas, Missouri, and the Southern Appalachian states in the lead position. In earlier days, the major markets for barite were in paint, chemical, and glass manufacturing, and the favored deposits were those which were close to eastern industrial areas; furthermore, the eastern deposits were cheaply mined and required little or no beneficiation. In the last few decades, the use of barite as a weighting medium for muds in rotary oil well drilling has caused a great expansion in the industry, but the marketing picture is still centered outside of the western states-now on the Gulf Coast area where high pressures are common in oil wells. Low cost imported barite, readily available on the East Coast and Gulf Coast, has always been a major marketing factor in the industry. The major barite producing state is Arkansas, with the industry centering about the Magnet Cove area. Missouri ranks second, with production mainly from residual deposits. Several Southestern states are actively producing from residual deposits.

Jan 9, 1958

By John D. Morgan

Prior to World War I there was no Government stockpiling program. Prior to World War I1 relatively few items were included in Government stockpiling and the start of that war found most objectives for even these few materials far from complete. Profiting from the experience of materials shortages in two wars, Congress in 1946 passed the Strategic and Critical Materials Stock Piling Act, which stated that it is the policy to decrease and prevent wherever possible a dangerous and costly dependence of the U. S. upon foreign nations for supplies of strategic and critical materials in times of national emergency. However, as of mid-1950 few stockpile objectives had been achieved. Shortly after the start of the Korean War it was obvious that in the absence of adequate stockpiles, the defense program could not be successfully carried out without broad authority to expand supplies of strategic and critical metals and minerals and at the same time to channel limited supplies of these materials to essential defense purposes. Accordingly, in September 1950 Congress passed the Defense Production Act, which provided broad powers for allocating materials and for making arrangements, including financial, to expand supplies.

Nov 1, 1955

By Harry V. Warren

There are two topics which may be considered as opening gambits in any conversation in any part of the world, weather and health. Nothing much can be done about the former, and it would appear that no great changes can be anticipated in the immediate future. With respect to health, a great deal has been achieved in the past 150 years, curiously enough not all of it by medical men. It would appear that the time is now appropriate for geologists to come to the assistance of medical men. During the past few decades, medical science has mastered many of the diseases commonly associated with childhood. As a man tends to live longer, those diseases usually associated with middle and old age become more prominent. Thus we must realize when we say that today more people are dying of cancer and coronary disease, absolutely and relatively to other diseases, this should not suggest that these diseases did not exist a hundred years ago; it does suggest that more people are living to an age where death from these diseases is apt to become more common.

Jan 7, 1962