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By C. D. Rubert, W. J. Parton

Large quantities of fine anthracite with associated impurities are discharged with the waste water from the coal-cleaning plants in the Pennsylvania anthracite region. Furthermore, for many years this fine material has accumulated and formed silt banks. The difficulty of removing the impurities from the fine material and the lack of adequate markets are responsible for the waste of this material. In view of a larger demand for fine coal, mainly for pulverized fuel, the Lehigh Navigation Coal Co. Inc. decided to investigate the froth flotation process for recovery of fine coal from these waste solids. A test plant was constructed and operated for six months during 1942 in order to determine the practicability of recover ing coal from the waste water of a a plant (breaker) by froth cleaning and to obtain operating data for designing a commercial plant if the results were favorable. Preliminary Investigation Before the pilot plant was constructed information was obtained by field and small-scale laboratory tests to serve as a guide in the design and operation of the pilot plant. Size and ash analyses of a representative sample of the material discharged in the wash water from a cleaning plant are given in Table. The refuse content increases progressively as the size of the particles decreases The larger particles (+35 m.) are low in ash content and could be marketed without cleaning. Since these solids are discharged from the breakers with 90 to 95 per cent water by weight, the first step in the recovery of the coal was that of reducing the quantity of water so that water in excess will not have to be handled. Furthermore, it was found that the removal of most of the minus 200 mesh high-ash material was desirable to permit the most efficient flotation of the cod. Classification tests were run and showed that a hydroseparator overflow rate of 12 ft. per hour* was sufficient to elimi-,late much of the minus 200-mesh material while allowing the coarser material to settle and be thickened,

Jan 1, 1944

By C. D. Rubert, W. J. Parton

Large quantities of fine anthracite with associated impurities are discharged with the waste water from the coal-cleaning plants in the Pennsylvania anthracite region. Furthermore, for many years this fine material has accumulated and formed silt banks. The difficulty of removing the impurities from the fine material and the lack of adequate markets are responsible for the waste of this material. In view of a larger demand for fine coal, mainly for pulverized fuel, the Lehigh Navigation Coal Co. Inc. decided to investigate the froth flotation process for recovery of fine coal from these waste solids. A test plant was constructed and operated for six months during 1942 in order to determine the practicability of recover ing coal from the waste water of a a plant (breaker) by froth cleaning and to obtain operating data for designing a commercial plant if the results were favorable. Preliminary Investigation Before the pilot plant was constructed information was obtained by field and small-scale laboratory tests to serve as a guide in the design and operation of the pilot plant. Size and ash analyses of a representative sample of the material discharged in the wash water from a cleaning plant are given in Table. The refuse content increases progressively as the size of the particles decreases The larger particles (+35 m.) are low in ash content and could be marketed without cleaning. Since these solids are discharged from the breakers with 90 to 95 per cent water by weight, the first step in the recovery of the coal was that of reducing the quantity of water so that water in excess will not have to be handled. Furthermore, it was found that the removal of most of the minus 200 mesh high-ash material was desirable to permit the most efficient flotation of the cod. Classification tests were run and showed that a hydroseparator overflow rate of 12 ft. per hour* was sufficient to elimi-,late much of the minus 200-mesh material while allowing the coarser material to settle and be thickened,

Jan 1, 1944

By Oswald J. Heinrich

IN this paper I shall attempt a description of the successful extraction of coal from this property after it had been on fire for probably fifty years, or more, and after attempts, made at various times, which had still left considerable coal behind. The Richmond coal-field has a well-founded bad reputation, arising from the circumstance that many of its collieries have had to be abandoned, from time to time, if not entirely, on account of fires, caused by spontaneous combustion, to which the character of the coal in this field renders them peculiarly liable. While I fully assent to the opinion that this trouble lies in the nature of the coal, which is highly bituminous, and the seams of which are, moreover, divided by slaty bands, through which, as also in the coal, iron pyrites is more or less disseminated, often in microscopically small particles, I must, nevertheless, declare that many lamentable disasters, causing great loss of life and property, could have been avoided if a suitable system of mining had been pursued in all the collieries. If this could not have been done from the beginning of mining in this section of country (the history of which can be traced back to over one hundred years), at least experience enough existed upon this subject thirty and forty years ago to dictate the avoidance of the dangers to a considerable extent. It is therefore necessary here to refer first, in a few remarks, to the character of the coal deposits, particularly in this immediate neighborhood, the Midlothian being one of the oldest and most extensive mines, and some of its coal being much subjected to spontaneous combustion. I must also refer to the history of former managements to explain more clearly the results which were arrived at. The Midlothian coal-mine property, situated upon the eastern outcrop of the basin, about four miles south from James River, exhibits

Jan 1, 1873

By H. K. Shearer

Oil production in north Louisiana in 1937 was 28,668,070 bbl., an increase of 1,896,925 bbl., or 7.1 per cent over 1936, as against an increase of 178 per cent from 1935 to 1936. Gas production of 301,148 million cu. ft. from gas wells and 17,330 million cu. ft. of casinghead gas, a total of 318,483 million, was an increase of 33,483 million cu. ft., or 11.7 per cent over 1936. Well completions numbered 716, with 411 oil wells, 175 gas wells and 130 dry holes; compared with 346, 109 and 78, respectively, in 1936. There were 58 wildcat dry holes. In addition to the wildcat producers described and tabulated with the fields, there were two small, shallow gas wells in Sabine and Tensas Parishes, which did not open fields of any present importance. At the close of 1937 there were only five wildcat tests actually drilling, with nine others shut down or temporarily abandoned. Chief interest during 1937 was in development rather than discoveries. The only real discoveries were two deep gas and distillate fields, Bear Creek and Ruston. There were also three completions of gas-distillate producers from deeper formations in old fields, of which the most important was at Cotton Valley, one discovery of oil in a previously known gas sand and five or six extensions of some importance. Geological Section The columnar section in south Arkansas (Fig. 1, p. 317) also applies in north Louisiana, with a few changes noted below. The oldest known formation in north Louisiana is a bed of rock salt. Except on salt domes, only one well at Rodessa has been drilled into this salt, but it has been penetrated by a number of wells in south Arkansas. Salt domes have been discovered near Vicksburg and Hattiesburg, Miss., and a deep well in Limestone County, Texas, has drilled into rock salt. In Louisiana the distance between the "interior salt-dome basin" and a salt dome of the "Gulf Coast salt basin" is hardly 60 miles. In short, evidence is accumulating to indicate that all of Louisiana, with the possible

Jan 1, 1938

By J. E. Forciea, R. W. Salmi

Operating and research personnel at U.S. Steel's Pilotac concentrator have evolved specifications for magnetic separators suitable for use in beneficiation of Mesabi magnetic taconite. These specifications were developed as a result of investigations into the operating and metallurgical problems at the Pilotac concentrator over a period of some ten years. This paper discusses primary magnetic separator specifications, but much of the information is also pertinent to secondary and tertiary magnetic separators. Of particular significance is the proposal of a new basis for specifying the magnetic field which includes consideration of both field strength and field gradient. Other areas of discussion include flowsheet service, operating conditions such as drum speed and pulp level, tank configuration, magnet strength including field gradient, sleeve bearing design, designation of corrosion resistant materials and other details that result in a metallurgically efficient machine that has low repair and maintenance requirements. The mechanical and metallurgical design of magnetic separators at the Pilotac plant, Minnesota Ore Operations, United States Steel Corp. has progressed from the original single-stage, belt-type machines to the present multiple-stage, drum-type units, In ten years of operation, the plant operating and research personnel, in consultation with manufacturers, have made design changes to improve mechanical, electrical and magnetic features to meet process needs as flowsheet designs developed and to incorporate new permanent magnet materials as they became available. Separator specifications were an end result of this effort. The latest specifications which were developed for the Minnesota Ore Operations' plant were not all-inclusive listings; they covered only those points indicated by plant experience. For example, magnet pole piece design and dimensions were not stated. The manufacturers were given freedom to use any design as long as the field pattern was as specified. The selection of the items to be included in the specifications was undoubtedly influenced by particular conditions at Pilotac such as composition of plant water, concentration characteristics of the ore, repair and maintenance facilities available and the research programs that had been conducted. Only the developments leading to the specifications for a primary or "cobber" magnetic separator are presented in this paper. However, the same general concepts are used to specify secondary and tertiary separators. The areas of interest discussed include flowsheet service, tank configuration, magnet design, bearings, materials of construction, and some minor mechanical details. FLOWSHEET SERVICE The primary magnetic separators in the Pilotac Concentrator flowsheet are located after the first stage of grinding as shown in Fig. 1.

Jan 1, 1965

By J. A. Elias, R. H. Heyer, J. H. Smith

Plastic anisotropy determined by the ratio of width strain to thickness strain in tensile specimens of low-carbon steels is strongly related to crystallographic preferred orientation. Using(222) Pole figures, a method was developed which permits rapid Predictions of plastic anisotropy for any crystallographic texture or orientation. The method is applied to low-carbon steel sheets in which four different crystallographic orientations were produced by variations in cold rolling and annealing treatments. AnISOTROPIC behavior of metal sheets during plastic deformation has long been evident. A familiar example is earing in cup type draws. During tension testing of sheet specimens, anisotropy results in a difference in width strain as compared with thickness strain. Carpenter and Elam1 observed this phenomenon in single crystals of aluminum for both sheet and rod samples. Lankford, Snyder, and Bauscher2 made tension tests on sheet samples of aluminum-killed low-carbon steel to determine the ratio of the width-to-thickness strains, and showed that this ratio was related to drawing performance. Burns and Heyer3 calculated theoretical ratios of width strain to thickness strain for two specific orientations of the bee system, using <111> as the operative slip direction. These calculated values were in fairly good agreement with the ratios determined by tension tests of low-carbon steel sheets in which these preferred orientations existed. The high degree of plastic anisotropy of silicon steel sheets could also be predicted from their crystallographic structure by these calculations. The present study has been made to show that the anisotropy observed in plastic tensile straining is strongly orientation dependent and can be adequately predicted for many orientations and textures. PLASTIC STRAIN RATIO R In the region of uniform elongation of a tension test specimen the plastic deformation may proceed at different rates in the width and thickness directions. Such anisotropy has been described in the past by the plastic strain ratioR:

Jan 1, 1962

By R. E. Ogilvie, H. C. Gatos, R. E. Hanneman

The ejj-ect of high pressures on chemical inter-diffusion in the Fe-V system was determined by analyses of concentration vs distance profiles of atmospheric and high-pressure diffusion couples. Diffusion data were obtained as a function of tern -perature and composition. Activation energies, activation volumes, and frequency factors were determined at 1 atm, 20 kbars, and 40 kbars as a function concentration in the a and y phases. The A great deal of research has been carried out in the measurement and understanding of binary chemical inter diffusion in solids. Studies of the effects of high pressure on interdiffusion in binary systems, however, have been virtually nonexistent until the present work. This paper gives a detailed account of the effect of high pressure on interdiffusion and the Kirkendall effect in the Fe-V system. The present data are compared to existing theo- Kirkendall effects were measured at 1 atm and 40 kbars. At 1 atm Dy > DFe at the marker concentration; however, Dv approaches DFe under pressure, and at 40 kbars the values are approximately equal. The high-pressure and atmospheric diffusion data are evaluated on the basis of theoretical models. Chemical analyses of the diffusion -couple profiles were made using an electron microbeam probe. retical treatments of pressure dependence of diffusion which are based upon self-diffusion studies. THEORY The rates of atomic migration in metals and alloys are regulated by the repulsive forces exerted on an atom during its motion from one equilibrium lattice site to another and by the availability of a jump site. Application of high pressure is expected to decrease diffusion rates because it decreases interatomic distances as well as defect concentrations. A number of theoretical treatments have been focused on the problem of calculating self-diffusion coefficients in solids under atmospheric pressure. In general, the vacancy mechanism of diffusion appears to be dominant at high temperatures in most metallic systems. The migration of an atom by this

Jan 1, 1965

By Franklin H. Allison

The influence of cobalt and nickel on the properties of steel might be readily expected to be very similar. The two elements occupy close and somewhat unusual positions in the periodic table, their chemical behavior and compounds are so completely analogous and their various physical properties, including the ferro-magnetic characteristic, show such 3 remarkable correspondence, that there is no doubt of a strong resemblance existing between these two metals. However, the variety of properties that are obtained from steel is due largely to the fact that the element iron possesses allotropic forms. Alloying elements that affect these allot ropic forms, or alter the nature of the allotropic changes, exert a profound influence on the resulting steel. In the case of nickel and cobalt, although these elements are very similar chemically and physically, it is found that they differ distinctly in their individual effects on the critical points of iron. Both nickel and cobalt form a series of homogeneous solid solutions with iron at temperatures above 1500" F. The difference in their behavior does not occur until changes begin to take place in the solid state below this temperature. An inspection of the respective thermal equilibrium diagrams at the lower temperatures makes the opposite effects of nickel and cobalt clearly evident. Effect of Nickel and Cobalt in Binary Alloys with Iron The binary diagram of iron-nickel has been investigated by a number of workers. The lower temperature portion in Fig. 1 is reconstructed from the data of D. and H, Hanson.1 The diagram of iron-cobalt, shown in Fig. 2, is taken from the work of Ruer and Kaneko.2 Masumoto3 has recently discovered a lower critical point in cobalt and this has been added to the diagram. In both diagrams the space lattice structures as determined by Andrews4 have been included. It is interesting to note

Jan 1, 1927

By J. M. Morris

The point to be made most clear in this paper is the economic value of flotation in the Benguet mill flow sheet. It is rather a statement of effect with no attempt at a technical explanation of the cause. Certain well-known, easily understood reagents, mechanisms and principles have been adapted to the conditions at Benguet, and have proved to be more successful than was demonstrated in the laboratory. The mechanical and metallurgical development of this particular operation was arrived at by trial and error, with fortunately very little error. Changes were slow, of necessity, which in the end proved a blessing in that time was afforded for observation and analysis of the disturbing factors; and as a result each change was a definite step towards higher efficiency. Many of these steps were unpredictable from laboratory work because of the varied and differing characteristics of ores met with in daily operation of the mill, which were practically impossible to reproduce on a laboratory scale. The Benguet mill receives daily ores that differ as much as if they were delivered from three different properties. There is first the surface and upper-level zone, which produces an oxidized secondary ore containing considerable iron oxide, manganese oxide and some organic matter. Formerly, most of this ore consisted of very soft fill with some hard rock mixed in. It also contained an unusual amount of iron and aluminum sulfate, which formed hydrates upon entering the alkaline cyanide solution and caused excessive frothing. When flotation was introduced in the Benguet mill the general characteristics of this upper-level ore had changed considerably, in that it was practically all newly mined, fairly hard ore. It still contained many of the same disturbing elements, but was somewhat simpler to treat than formerly. The small proportion of fines is still troublesome in flotation, and plant practice probably does not show more than 80 per cent extraction on this small portion of the ore. No definite figure on this is available, as this particular ore is delivered at irregular intervals

Jan 1, 1939

By C. W. Hall

Owin to its isolation and comparatively small tonnage, the Yoquivo district is not widely known; though financially important andgeologically, quite interesting. San Francisco de Yoquivo, the center of the mining district, is in the western part of the state of Chihuahua, Mexico; about 35 miles west of San Juanito, on the Kansas City, Mexico & Orient R. R. The town can be reached from the railroad by a good trail over a rugged country. The elevation of Yoquivo is 6500 ft., and peaks surrounding the town are 2000 ft. higher. The mining towns of Concheño and Ocampo are 25 miles northwest, and Uruachic is 20 miles southwest. The climate, temperate and healthful, is almost ideal. The rainy season begins in July and ends the latter part of September. There is usually, though not always, some precipitation in all months except April, May, and June. The mountains are covered with pine and scrub oak. Water, wood and lumber are plentiful for all ordinary purposes, and hydroelectric power is available for about six months of the year, when wood for steam power is utilized as an expedient. The district has been worked recurrently for over 60 years. The Yoquivo province lies on the steep western slope of the Tara-humara division of the Sierra Madre range of mountains. The province is traversed by many deep canyons, most of which flow west. The town is situated on the San Francisco arroyo, which makes a confluence with the Huevachic stream 236 m. southwest; the Huevachic in turn joins the Candemeña river farther down and these two drain the western flank of the Tarahumara mountains and form the headwaters of the Mayo river. The claims of the Yocluivo Development Co., which is the only organization in the district with a record of any considerable production, lie within an area roughly l½ m. square. Thc area extends from the San Francisco arroyo north, and from the Dolores arroyo west, and is confined to the andesite formation. General Geology The terrane about Yoquivo is composed of a series of Tertiary eruptives that consist of numerous phases of andesite and rhyolite, and

Jan 1, 1927

By John M. Gallow

Discussion of the paper of JOHN M. CALLOW, presented at the New York meeting, February, 1916, and printed in Bulletin No. 108, December, 1915, pp. 2321 to 2339. R. H. RICHARDS, Boston, Mass.-I think there is one note which would be interesting to have recorded in connection with this paper, and that is another form of flotation machine. The Minerals. Separation machine has a vortex action, with a vertical shaft and a propeller. This new frother has been developed for the Copper Queen Co. at Bisbee, Ariz. It has a horizontal shaft and a paddle wheel for a frother. It has eight cells, I think, all connected underneath in one continuous tank, and the only separation of the cells is in the upper chambers where the froth is. When this paddle wheel goes around it throws out the froth and the sand goes to the bottom and drifts over from the first to the second cell, where it is paddled again, and comes out with its froth; the sand goes to the third cell where it is again beaten. In that way the sand is continually drifting toward the last cell, while each new froth remains in its own cell. You can see in the working of this machine just the same effect that you see in Callow&apos;s machine, i.e., the earlier cell has the darker or richer froth, and the latter has the lighter or poorer froth until you get to the farthest one-which has very little froth, and is very light. JOSEPH W. RICHARDS, So. Bethlehem, Pa.-Speaking from the metallurgical standpoint, it is quite desirable, in many cases, that the oil be removed from the concentrate in order to facilitate the metallurgical work, and I think attention should be directed to the desirability of removing from zinc sulphide concentrates the oil which interferes with their subsequent roasting. The value of the oil is not large; in Mr. Callow&apos;s plant, for instance, it would be $20 a day, and it may be possible that a process might be developed which, within the limits of the value of the oil, would remove it, and thus facilitate the metallurgical treatment. LEONARD WALDO, New York, ,N. Y.-The question came up about a year ago as to why-Mexican crude was not an admirable oil for flotation. I have never heard any satisfactory answer to the question. The Mexican crude has the peculiar property of comparative freedom from dangers of fire, a very great reluctance to part with its water, and a specific gravity almost identically the same as water.

Jan 5, 1916

By E. A. H. Tays

As I promised, in a former paper on the Bryan Mill,* to give further data regarding the plates from four battery-aprons, I now submit the following: These aprons were 4.5 feet wide by 16 feet long; the first two plates of each apron were 4.5 by 4.5 feet, and the remainder of varying sizes, as can be seen by their relative weights, as shown in the table; but all were 54 inches wide. They were in use 4 years and 9 months, and about 15,265 tons of ore passed over each. The ore was quartz, carrying about the same weight in silver as in gold; showing some copper, and highly impregnated with ferric oxide. The tailings show about 0.6 per cent., and the bullion about 10 per cent., of copper. The silver was present mostly as sulphide; and the copper was also present as sulphide, with some carbonate. The ore treated ill 1898 was a fair average of the whole run; so I take it as an example from which to make a few deductions.

Jan 1, 1901

By Cyril Smith

THE following table, which is composed of data given in the author&apos;s first paper on the thermal conductivity of copper alloys1, contains the results which have been obtained by previous workers on the thermal conductivity of the copper-tin, the copper-phosphorus and the copper-tin-phosphorus alloys (the phosphor bronzes). TABLE 1.-Previous Investigations Composition, Per Cent. by Weight Thermal Conduc¬ Investigator tivity, Cal/Sq. Cm./ Copper Tin Phosphorus CM./Sec.. °C. Hardebecka 95.0 5.0 0.176 (20° C.) Grossmanb 90.1 9.9 0.105 75.5. 24.5 0.059 24.9 75.1 0&apos;.139 (13° C.) 9.7 90.3 0.131 0.0 100.0 0.142 Griffiths and Schofieldc 91.7&apos; 8.0 0.30 0.108 87.2 12.4 0.40 0.087 (20° C.) 90.0 10.0 Small amt. 0.100 Donaldsondd: 87.8 1 11.3 0.35 0.128 Pfleiderere 99.4 1 0.63 0.250 (30° C.) 98.0 1.98. 0.125

Jan 1, 1930

By Charles E. Heinrichs

There arc still ample reserves of phosphate in Florida and Tennessee, but the richest low-cost areas have been exhausted. The miners, by the introduction of more efficient equipment, have succeeded in preventing material increases in production costs. Further mechanical improvements could not be expected to keep up with the factors tending to increase costs. While the conventional phosphate "washers" are capable of recovering practically all of the plus 1.5-mm. phosphate from the matrix, approximately 50 per cent of the phosphate values are in the minus 1.5-mm. sizes. Flotation now affords an economical and efficient means for recovering the fine ( — 1.5 mm.) phosphate formerly discarded to waste dumps. Through the reclamation of dumps and recovery from current washer wastes, flotation has doubled the reserves of Florida and Tennessee. By doubling recoveries from the matrix, flotation reduces capital investment requirement and substantially reduces production costs. It definitely improves the grade of the total production and provides a flexibility of operation that cannot be obtained by any other known means.

Jan 1, 1934

Earnings of engineers in the period 1956 to 1958 continued the upward trend observed in the previous survey interval, 1953 to 1956. The overall median (all graduates) was $6500 in 1953, $7750 in 1956 (a 19 pct upstep or about 6.5 pct annually), and $8750 in 1958 (up 13 pct from 1956 or 6.5 pct average yearly). The latter represents an increase from mid-1956 to mid-1958. For this same two-year span the Consumer Price Index rose 1.5 pct and the Average Gross Weekly Earnings for Production (Manufacturing) climbed close to 10 pct. Median earnings for the major classifications studied are presented in Table I. The increase in engineering earnings are not distributed equally among the various activity classifications or among the experience levels of the survey. Summary results of the changes of the median lines for the major divisions are presented in Table 11. Data in this table are approximations- dollars are rounded to the nearest $50 unit and percentages to the nearest full percentage.

Jan 1, 1959

By William B. Plank

Mineral engineering student enrollment in U. S. and Canadian schools for 1955-1956 is 11,408, an increase of 11 pct more than last year. The undergraduate and graduate engineering students in both countries number 251,765, or 13 pct more than last year. These figures have been released by the American Society for Engineering Education. The largest increase in the undergraduate mineral engineering group in the U. S. is in ceramic engineering, with 676 students, or 31 pct more than last year. The next largest increase is in mining which shows a gain of 13.5 pct, compared with a gain of 13.1 pct in the total undergraduate enrollment in all engineering schools approved by the Engineers&apos; Council for Professional Development. This figure is 190,355, which approaches the prewar figure. Metallurgical undergraduates increased 13 pct; geological, 5 pct; and petroleum, 2.5 pct. This year the figures for geophysics are combined with those for geological engineering, making a total of 1610 undergraduates, of which the geophysicists comprise about one seventh.

Apr 1, 1956

By Morris Muskat

TEe method of R. W. Moore&apos; for determining subsurface interfacial depths by means of integrated curves of apparent resistivity has been analyzed theoretically. It is found that the only unique tangents that can be drawn to such curves are the asymptotes at infinite electrode spacing and the tangents through the origin at vanishing electrode spacing. Explicit expressions have been derived for the relationship between the electrode spacing at the points of intersection of these tangents and the thickness of the surface strata as a function of the conductivity parameters for the two-layer and three-layer earths. It is found that in all cases the electrode spacing at the points of intersection will exceed % of the thickness of the surface layer, and may even become indefinitely large as the resistivity of the deepest layers increases as compared with that of the surface layer. These results do not agree with the empirical findings of Moore that the intersection of the tangent lines fall at an electrode spacing very approxirnately equal to the thickness of the surface layer. Introduction In a recent paper, R. W. Moore1 proposed a new method for the analysis and interpretation of earth-resistivity measurements. This consists essentially in plotting against the electrode separation of a Gish-Rooney system the integral of the apparent resistivity with respect to the electrode spacing, and observing the breaks in the integral curves. Specifically, tangents are drawn to the various segments of the integral curves, which show appreciably different slopes, and the intersections of these tangents are used as indications of the depths of the various underlying strata. By numerous examples Moore has shown that the electrode separation at the first intersection so found agrees very closely with the depth of the bottom of the surface layer. Moreover, in a number of instances the intersections for greater electrode spacings seemed to correspond to the depths of deeper beds. From a strictly empirical point of view, the procedure proposed and demonstrated by Moore appears to be particularly interesting because of its simplicity as well as its apparent accuracy, Moreover, such a simple method would be especially valuable in view of the well-known difliculties heretofore encountered in the quantitative interpretation of resistivity data. It therefore seems appropriate to attempt a mathematical analysis of the problem to see whether the integral method of Moore has a sound basis. Such an analysis is presented here. Even on cursory consideration, it is clear that the remarkable successes observed by Moore in the application of his method are indeed surprising. For it depends upon the determination and choice of the slopes of smooth and continuous curves, which by their nature must show even more gradual- variations than the original apparent-resistivity plots that are already so difficult to interpret quantitatively. It is well established, of course,

Jan 1, 1946

TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF MINING AND METALLURGICAL ENGINEERS Gentlemen -The Institute was founded 54 years ago "with the object of promoting the arts and sciences connected with the economic production of the useful minerals and metals and the welfare of those employed in these industries by means of meetings for social intercourse and the reading and discussion of professional papers, and to circulate by means of publications among its members and associates the information thus obtained" At least once a year it is well to take stock of our assets, review our performance and determine how well we are now carrying out the purposes of our Founders There can be no question as to the work the Institute has done and is doing in promoting the arts and sciences in the fields of mining and metallurgy One needs only to contiast the methods, the labor and the costs of a half century ago with those now to visualize how far we have gone in the development of accurate technology and sound economics in mineral and metal production The great mines, mills and smelters of the present, handling individually thousands of tons per day, would have been impossible except for the accumulation of knowledge, the development of theory, and the improvement in practice that has charac¬terized the period since the foundation of the Institute The United States has prospered in the last half century greatly, and this has been due not merely to the possession of great natural resources, but to these resources being reduced to possession and put to work The absence of customs barriers and the freedom of trade across the whole width of this great continent has been an important factor in the growth of our wealth Unrestricted interchange of goods has permitted each citizen to draw on the resources of the whole country However, these are but subsidiary causes of prosperity The free interchange of scientific and technical data, by making the whole body of facts and theory available to each worker, has made this quick and unrivaled development possible In promoting this free trade in knowledge the Institute may claim a large place without fear of denial The 72 volumes of TRANSACTIONS, the special volumes, the bulletins and the other pub¬lications that have been issued, include a store of knowledge of the arts and sciences related to the pioduction and use of metals and minerals not duplicated elsewhere The large list of foreign members-1746 in number-few of whom ever have opportunity to attend meetings and all of whom derive their main benefits from membership through the pub-

Jan 1, 1923

By Jay Carpenter

THIS paper deals with only one step in the treatment of ore at the West End mill; not because the other steps are repetitions of practice in other mills, but because in this particular step there is in use the Trent agitator. This device, although it has apparently failed in many mills, is here giving excellent service and has proved to be well adapted for making a thorough replacement of pregnant solution with a minimum amount of barren solution. The strong and weak points of this agitator, its present simple construction, and its use as a thickener for agitator or battery pulp are features of interest; but perhaps the point of greatest interest to the metallurgist in this day of continuous decantation is its use in a series of tanks for slime treatment by the replacement method. The agitating department of the West End mill consists of six redwood tanks, 24 ft. in diameter, 18 ft. high, each equipped with aTrent agitator, a centrifugal pump, and a motor. The pulp is transferred by a pump from the top of a flat-bottomed tank to a set of arms and nozzles in the bottom of the tank, at just sufficient pressure to cause the arms to revolve. The streams from the many nozzles keep the bottom of the tank clean, and these streams, coupled with the effect of the revolving mechanism and the ascending current, keep the pulp in constant motion and of constant gravity. .These agitating tanks hold 90 tons of dry slime and 202 tons of solution with a 1.24 pulp, our ore having a specific gravity of 2.7. This capacity is about 10 per cent. in excess of the standard 15 by 45 ft. Pachuca tank. The tanks are connected in one series for continuous agitation, the pulp for each agitator being drawn by its pump through a branch suction from near the top of the preceding tank and. delivered to the bottom of the tank by the agitator arms along with the regular pulp of that agitator. This method works automatically, since the flow through the branch suction varies directly with the difference in head of the two tanks. The chance for new pulp to pass out quickly is, therefore, much less than in many other systems of continuous agitation, since the new

Jan 8, 1915

By W. S. Stahmann, F. W. Bowdish

Previously published experimental data showing that both collectable and non-collectable sulfide films may be formed on chrysocolla were analysed, and chemical mechanisms were proposed for the formation of the films. A special technique was developed by which the quantity of sulfur adsorbed was determined for samples sulfidized under different conditions of pH and soluble sulfide concentration. The data on sulfur adsorption were used together with the expression for the equilibrium constant for the proposed reaction to indicate the validity of the chemical mechanism theory. A recent paper 1 about contact angle studies on chrysocolla reported the effects of pH value and sodium sulfide concentration during sulfidization upon the character of the surfaces produced. In each experiment the surface of a specimen of chrysocolla was prepared by grinding it with fine abrasive and washing it in tap water. The specimen was then placed in the sulfidizing solution for 10 min, rinsed in tap water, treated for 15 min in a solution containing 30 mg of potassium amyl xanthate per liter, rinsed in distilled water, and tested for air adhesion in a contact angle apparatus. The results, when plotted as in Fig. 1, showed an island representing conditions giving air adherent or collectable surfaces surrounded by conditions giving non-collectable surfaces. Particular interest may be attached to the region of non-collectability to the right of and above the island in Fig. 1, and to the boundry curve separating these two regions. It is apparent that at any pH from 4.0 to 6.0, where a collectable surface may be produced, a sufficient increase in the sulfide concentration results in a non-collectable surface. Thus it appears that too much soluble sulfide has a depressing effect upon the mineral, just as it has in sulfide flotation. This paper presents some speculations regarding the chemical mechanisms by which the collectable and non-collectable sulfide films may be formed and reports on a physical-chemical study intended to support these speculations. THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS The experimental results presented in the previous paper were analysed in several ways in an attempt to understand better the chemical mechanisms involved. For several points on the boundary to the right of the region of contact in Fig. 1, molar concentrations of H+, OH-, HS-, and S= ions, as well as various ion concentration products, were calculated. Following the reasoning of Wark and Cox, 2,3 no single kind of ions may be credited with causing depression of the surface because none of them have a constant con-

Jan 1, 1968