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FREQUENTLY the careful engineer puts the word porphyry in quotation marks or precedes it with "so-called," when he writes of the Porphyry Copper mines. This is done by way of serving notice that he is aware that the term is not a precise one, though no one who is informed on the subject would in any event misinterpret it. The name originated from the fact that the rock containing the copper at Utah Copper, Morenci, Nevada Consolidated, and Braden-the first four to be developed-was in each instance known as porphyry. The term was convenient; and when Ray, Miami, and inspiration came along they fell into the Porphyry category even though the ore consisted essentially of a rock called schist instead of porphyry. The word is not inclusive enough; nor as a matter of fact is it sufficiently exclusive. Numerous copper deposits occur in porphyry rocks that are not Porphyry Coppers, paradoxical as it may seem. Desiring to be more accurate and at the same time to use a word that is in some degree descriptive, various engineers have adopted the expression "disseminated copper deposits." This alludes to the characteristic scattering of grains or specks of copper minerals more or less uniformly throughout the mass of the rock. Yet here again the implication is not entirely accurate, for the following reason: in some of the ores, the proportion of copper minerals "peppered" in the rock is small, compared with that which coats the walls of cracks and minute fissures; and that which is found as veinlets along planes of fracture. Many geologists have extended their interpretation of the term disseminated to include both types of mineral occurrence. One of the most striking features of the Porphyry ores is the intense shattering and fracturing that the rock underwent at some period or periods prior to the deposition of the copper

Jan 1, 1933

By Sherwin Kelly

IN presenting this brief historical perspective, it is not my purpose to address myself to the geophysicists, to most of whom the story is already well known. My objective is to draw the attention of those who hold the belief that geophysics is something new, typically twentieth century, to the fact that fundamentally, whether it was known by the name of geo-physics or not, the science is an ancient and an honorable one. It began many centuries ago, and our modern civilization and its commerce owe a great debt to Its founders, who today are likely to be overlooked and their names forgotten. The word "geophysics" means the physics of the earth, and is descriptive of a science that in many ways bears the same relationship to geology that astrophysics does to astronomy. When dealing with dis-tant stars or deeply buried rocks, the experimenter cannot reach them to obtain samples, which can be taken to his laboratory for study. He therefore exhibits the resourcefulness of Mahomet in the mountain episode, and makes the terrestrial globe or the cosmic universe his labora-tory, studying the effects of distant bodies on certain "fields of force" which come to him across interstellar space, or through the rocks that make our earth. The application of these techniques of the physics laboratory to the study of the stars is the science of astrophysics, and to the investigation of the earth is geophysics. Yet the origin of the most valuable contribution to the world's trade and commerce ever made by geophysics remains lost in deep obscurity. Unknown even is the country wherein lived the unsung genius who invented the first geophysical instrument, the mariner's compass! Worse yet, it is not certain whether this invaluable guide of man had its begin-nings in Europe or in Asia. A Chinese legend tells of the Emperor Hwang-ti, who attacked his enemy Tchi-yeou on the plains of Tchou-lou in the year 2634 B.C., whereupon the latter magically raised such a fog that the Emperor could not pursue the retreating troops. Not to be outdone, the mighty ruler constructed a chariot that indicated the cardi-

Jan 1, 1938

By Robert Franke

In view of the prominence which the conical mill has attained in the fine-crushing field within the few years since its introduction, the following comparison with its more mature forerunner, the Chilean mill, based on extensive tests, is submitted in the interest of the milling profession. Soon after designing the concentrating plant of the Miami Copper Co. in 1909, the Hardinge conical mill made its appearance in the milling forum. Its possibility as a suitable crushing device for the plant was well recognized, but in view of the lack of commercial demonstration, at the time, as to capacity, efficiency for desired product, and the still more uncertain factors of cost of maintenance and power consumption, it was deemed that the immediate adoption of this machine throughout the plant would be a hazardous undertaking. For these reasons it was decided to equip the majority of the immediately required units of the plant with Chilean mills, the fine-crushing proficiencies of which were better known, and one section with Hardinge mills, to serve as a test unit for the guidance of future installations and replacements. Thereby, after 1.5 years' operation with both types of mills, a thorough test as to metallurgical efficiency and cost economy has been obtained. The conical mill used in these tests is the 8-ft. Hardinge pebble mill, having a cylinder 22 in. in length. The cylindrical portion of this mill is lined with cast-iron liner plates, and the conical extensions with silex bricks bound together by cement. Each liner plate carries a projecting lifter, the function of which is to increase the height of drop of the lifted material. Danish No. 5 pebbles, obtained from the coast deposits of Denmark, are used for the grinding charge. The Chilean mill used is a fast-running, 3-roller, 6-ft. Saturn mill, with screens of 0.037-in. opening. The feed to these mills is the oversize of Callow screens having 0.029-in. openings, which follow rolls crushing to 0.5 in. For the ore of this mine, a moderately hard but very fissile schist,

Jan 1, 1914

By A. J. Lynch, E. V. Manlapig, J. S. Hall, G. C. Thorne

Modelling of industrial sulphide flotation based on data collected in several flotation plants is discussed. A mechanistic approach is used in which it is recognised that flotation is a two stage pro- cess with concentration occurring both in the pulp and in the froth. The important features of the model, which is a kinetic model, are – 1. for each particle species there is a range of flotation rates which corresponds to the range of particle sizes, 2. the flotation rates of the liberated gangue particles which have no hydrophobic properties are dependent on the flotation rate of water and are controlled by variables such as the air and frother addition rates, and the pulp level, 3. as an approximation the valuable sulphide particles may be regarded as being present in two groups with high and low flotation rate constants, 4. increase in the addition rate of collector tends to increase the proportion of sulphide particles which are in the high flotation rate constant group. The actual flotation rate of each group of particles is a combination of an "inherent" flotation rate and a flotation rate which is dependent on the flotation rate of water, 5. at particular air and frother addition rates and pulp levels there is a physical limit to the rate at which particles can be transported into the concentrate and this is recognised in the model. The model has been used to study the steady state and dynamic properties of flotation circuits in operating plants. The assessment of the behaviour of composite particles is difficult because of the problem of quantitatively describing the surfaces of mineral particles. A method which is being developed to measure unpolished particles is described briefly.

Jan 1, 1976

The most extensive oil shale development program ever undertaken in the United States has been that carried out by Colony Development Operation at Para- chute Creek in western Colorado. Field development goals were completed this spring, with the remainder of the $24 million joint venture program, primarily engineering, environmental and economic analysis, due to be finished by the end of 1972. Upon completion of the overall program, a decision concerning a commercial venture is expected. This program points up the increasing attention being focused on oil shale as a source of crude oil and energy for the U.S. at a time when the nation's supply of oil produced by conventional methods is far from adequate to meet the demand. The oil shale reserves of the Green River formation in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming are the largest hydrocarbon reservoir. The Piceance basin of Colorado, alone, contains some 80 billion bbl of shale oil recoverable by modern methods in reserves more than 30 ft thick and containing at least 30 gal of oil per ton. The U.S. Geological Survey has estimated that the total shale oil reserves of the Green River formation in the states of Colorado, Utah and Wyoming is more than 600 billion bbl of oil in deposits containing at least 25 gal per ton of shale oil.

Jan 10, 1972

By Joseph Jensen

When the legal holders of Government permits in the Middle dome of Kettleman Hills entered into an agreement on May 27, 1929, to suspend all drilling activities on five permits, covering portions of the Kettleman Hills Middle dome, until Jan. 1, 1931, and the owners of fee lands contiguous thereto assured Secretary Ray Lyman Wilbur, of the Department of the Interior, that they too would respect a drilling suspension for a period of a little more than 19 months, none of these interested parties realized that this was the first step in a chain of events that would culminate, more than four years later, in the formation of the Middle Dome Corporation for the development of the Middle dome area in a unit plan that would be the first unit plan to be approved by the California Regional Producers Committee and recommended to the President as a satisfactory unit plan, under Section 7 of Article III of the Oil Code, approved Aug. 17, 1933. Neither did they realize that more than two million dollars would be spent before oil or gas would be successfully and continuously produced from wells drilled on that Middle dome area. On Oct. 1, 1933, under the terms of the Middle Dome Agreement, the Middle Dome Corporation assumes control of activities and is responsible for the division of all product's produced from the Middle dome area to members of the Middle Dome Corporation. This Middle dome plan is the second successful unit plan developed in California in the past three years, the first being the Kettleman North Dome Associationll formed under the agreement, of Jan. 31, 1931, for the unified operation and development of more than 12,000 acres of land on the North dome of the Kettleman Hills. All other unit plans discussed in the past four years in the state have not yet been completed, for one reason or another, but under Section 7 of Article 111 of the new Oil Code numerous plans of development, some of which may be unit plans, will be forthcoming within the next few months. There is much

Jan 1, 1934

By H. F. Haller

COLUMBIA-SOUTHERN'S Barberton limestone mine, 8 miles southwest of Akron, Ohio, is a million-ton-per-year producer from a depth of over 2200 ft in a district where other underground mining at this depth is unknown. Mining extracts 46 of the top 51 ft from a formation of Devonian limestone discovered by drilling in the 1890's. The same drilling revealed extensive salt deposits below the lime- stone, which led to the location of the chemical plant at Barberton as a division of the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co. in 1899. Soda ash was the principal product of the plant, and as production increased the demand for limestone increased. Columbia's first attempt to secure a reliable all-weather source of stone was the development of a quarry at Zanesville, Ohio, in 1919. Zanesville production eliminated some of the stock- piling required by the use of Michigan stone, avail- able only during the lake shipping season. Stone from some Zanesville horizons, however, was found to be more suitable for cement production than for soda ash, and rail transportation remained an important factor. As demand continued to increase, plans were made to develop the Barberton deposit.

Jan 12, 1954

By J. J. Egan, A. B. Kinzel, W. Crafts

Advances in the production of quality steel have emphasized the need for greater knowledge of the amount and distribution of oxygen in the steel. Control of inclusion content and quality is largely dependent on such knowledge. While many analytical methods have been devised for the accomplishment of this end, few are without serious limitations in accuracy, convenience, or skill required in application. Usually at least two methods are necessary to determine total oxygen and constituent oxides. Because of the great importance of this problem and the specific interest in the application of such methods of analysis, the various procedures were carefully reviewed at the Union Carbide and Carbon Research Laboratories, with the view of developing a method free from the limitations mentioned above. Intensive experimentation finally led to an improved iodine extraction analysis described by Cunningham and Price.1 After this had been thoroughly checked from the standpoint of the analytical chemist, it was rechecked from that of the metallurgist. This involved preparation of a number of small heats of varying composition with determination of total oxygen in the molten metal by the alumina method2 and an analysis of the solidified material without the aluminum addition by means of iodine extraction; the oxides of iron, manganese, silicon and aluminum also being determined by the iodine analysis. The report of this work constitutes the subject of this paper. The Iodine Method Fundamentally the iodine method is well established. It is based on the procedure first described by Eggertz3 and depends upon the fact that iron, manganese, silicon and aluminum, as well as the metallic constituents of the pertinent sulfides, carbides and nitrides of these metals

Jan 1, 1933

By W. W. Odell

Once it was believed that anthracite or coke were the only fuels generally available and suitable for the generation of water gas, particularly so when this gas was made in the generators of standard carburetted water-gas sets such as are commonly used in the manufacture of city gas. During the past 8 years, practice has changed considerably and it is now common to find gas plants operating without anthracite or coke and using bituminous coal in the generator. This change in fuel has appreciably increased the marketability and sales of certain coal producers' products; accordingly it is of interest to coal operators and others to know the reason for this change, the present trend in practice and the adaptability of various coals for generation of water gas. This paper briefly discusses these conditions and some of the factors relating thereto. Bituminous Coal not Ideal but Cheaper than Coke In spite of many changes which have been made in both process and generating apparatus for using bituminous coal as generator fuel more efficiently, in general it is not an ideal fuel for this purpose. It is supplanting coke because it costs less; it is so much cheaper per ton delivered at the gas works that water gas made therefrom costs less per unit-volume than that made from coke, even though the quantity of generator fuel consumed per therm (100,000 B. t. u.) of gas made is greater with coal. This is the reason why so many city gas plants, as well as others, are using bituminous coal instead of coke. Conditions Favoring Change from Coke to Coal The conditions which have made it possible and feasible, as well as economical, to supplant coke with coal may be summarized as follows: (1) Changes in methods of operating and alteration in generating apparatus; (2) lowering of the calorific standards for city gas, and (3) availability

Jan 1, 1927

By Clarence W. Balke

Small buttons of fused tantalum have been produced by are fusion in a vacuum, by drawing an arc between sticks of pressed tantalum and a tantalum-faced water-cooled copper block. However, ingots of appreciable size can be produced only by the heat-treatment of bars pressed from powder. The following outline covering the production of finished bars of tantalum by the methods of powder metallurgy is also used for the production of columbium, taking into account the difference in the melting points of these two metals. Pressing the Powder With possibly a few exceptions, a pressing operation is one of the essential steps in the practice of powder metallurgy. In fact, the author's experience with a number of high-melting-point metals and with numerous types of hard carbide compositions has led him to believe that this operation is often one of the most important in the entire process, and frequently one of the most difficult to carry out in a satisfactory manner. Defects due to improper pressing can readily lead to a defective finished product. It is the author's opinion that rarely is a bar or other article pressed from metal powder in such a way that all parts of the piece are uniformly pressed. The nearest approach to uniformity of pressing is possibly attained when the powder is contained in a flexible receptacle, such as rubber, and is pressed under a liquid by hydrostatic pressure. However, this method is not generally applicable. Hydraulic pressing in steel dies where one or two punches are forced into the die must usually be resorted to. As the pressure in such a die is built up, the powder begins to cling to the walls of the die with a tenacity dependent upon the nature of the powder, and this results in a bridging action, so that the layers of powder adjacent to the moving punch are pressed more heavily than those further removed in the mass. Frequently, as the pressure is carried higher, there may be a mass slippage of the powder upon itself, with the result that slip cracks are formed within the pressed

Jan 1, 1938

By Clarence W. Balke

Small buttons of fused tantalum have been produced by are fusion in a vacuum, by drawing an arc between sticks of pressed tantalum and a tantalum-faced water-cooled copper block. However, ingots of appreciable size can be produced only by the heat-treatment of bars pressed from powder. The following outline covering the production of finished bars of tantalum by the methods of powder metallurgy is also used for the production of columbium, taking into account the difference in the melting points of these two metals. Pressing the Powder With possibly a few exceptions, a pressing operation is one of the essential steps in the practice of powder metallurgy. In fact, the author's experience with a number of high-melting-point metals and with numerous types of hard carbide compositions has led him to believe that this operation is often one of the most important in the entire process, and frequently one of the most difficult to carry out in a satisfactory manner. Defects due to improper pressing can readily lead to a defective finished product. It is the author's opinion that rarely is a bar or other article pressed from metal powder in such a way that all parts of the piece are uniformly pressed. The nearest approach to uniformity of pressing is possibly attained when the powder is contained in a flexible receptacle, such as rubber, and is pressed under a liquid by hydrostatic pressure. However, this method is not generally applicable. Hydraulic pressing in steel dies where one or two punches are forced into the die must usually be resorted to. As the pressure in such a die is built up, the powder begins to cling to the walls of the die with a tenacity dependent upon the nature of the powder, and this results in a bridging action, so that the layers of powder adjacent to the moving punch are pressed more heavily than those further removed in the mass. Frequently, as the pressure is carried higher, there may be a mass slippage of the powder upon itself, with the result that slip cracks are formed within the pressed

Jan 1, 1938

By J. L. Taylor, P. Duwez

PARTIAL phase diagrams of titanium with iron, cobalt, and nickel have been established by previous investigators.1-3 These diagrams seem to be reliable, at least for concentrations of titanium ranging from 0 to about 50 at. pct. More recently, Long and his collaborators have presented a tentative titanium-nickel diagram covering the titanium-rich side.' These various studies indicate that in each system three intermediate phases exist and correspond to the compositions Tia, TiX, and TiX2 (or TiX3). The purpose of this paper is to review the available information on the crystal structure of these phases and to give the results of additional X-ray diffraction studies. Previous Work A summary of the work of Wallbaum and his collaborators"-' is presented in table I. The first intermediate phase on the titanium-rich side of the three systems, with iron, cobalt, and nickel, is of the Ti2X type and has a face-centered cubic structure. Although it is stated that the unit cell contains 96 atoms: no lattice parameters are given. The second phase is centered around the compositions TiX for the three systems. The crystal structure of this phase is mentioned in a short note" as being body-centered cubic (CsCl type), but no parameters are given. The analogy between the three systems, which is perfect as far as the two phases of the type Ti2X and TiX are concerned, disappears at the titanium-poor end of the diagrams. In the system titanium- iron, TiFe2 has an hexagonal (MgZn2 type) struc-ture with the parameters given in table I. The existence of TiFe3 has also been reported8 (table I) but was questioned by other investigators2 and is also refuted by the present study. In the system titanium-cobalt, a phase corre-sponding to the composition TiCo2 has been investi-gated by Wallbaum and Witte6 who claim that the structure is cubic (MgCu2 type) for alloys slightly deficient in cobalt and hexagonal (MgNi2 type) for alloys slightly deficient in titanium. The parameters of the two phases are given in table I. In the system titanium-nickel, the nickel-rich phase corresponds to the composition TiNi3 and has been described as hexagonal7 with the parameters given in table I. The present investigation was initiated for the purpose of filling in the gaps in the knowledge con-cerning the structure of the various phases sum-marized in table I. Since the titanium used by Wallbaum and his collaborators was only 95 pct pure,' it was found desirable to redetermine the lattice parameters of the alloys prepared with a

Jan 1, 1951

By Strathmore R. B. Cooke, Iwao Iwasaki, Hyung Sup Choi

Oleic acid is the chief ingredient of fatty acids used as collectors in nonsulfide flotation. With a few notable exceptions, the various quantities of saturated and other unsaturated acids comprising the remainder are usually unspecified. There have been occasional investigations to determine the collecting ability of these other acids and their effect on collection with oleic acid, but much remains to be done in this field. Hukki and Vartiainen, on the basis of tests using palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acids and an impure linolenic acid, concluded: "The collecting power of fatty acids used in flotation increases with increasing unsaturation of the hydrocarbon chain." 1 Their work was concerned mainly with the response of ilmenite to the foregoing collectors, although tests were also made with magnetite, pyrite, hematite, and rutile. Cooke and Nummela, employing an al- most identical technical procedure to evaluate flotation of hematite, magnetite, and goethite with various fatty acids, including oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids of the highest purity obtainable, found: "The effectiveness of 18-carbon unsaturated fatty acids, as collectors for hematite, decreases with increase in the number of non-conjugated double bonds."' In the foregoing investigations, collector efficacy was measured on the basis of reagent addition in moles per liter.

Jan 9, 1959

By Lynn B. Hales

The software systems which support the Pinto Valley Supervisory Control System are divided into three general categories. These are defined as the real-time operating system; a process data acquisition, reduction, and communication system; and a set of process-oriented systems which interface the operators and engineering staff to the process. The role of each of these three classes is reviewed. The software systems which provide reports, status displays, and trend graphs are discussed.

Jan 1, 1978

By H. H. Kellogg

An invitation to address you on the occasion of the one-hundredth anniversary of AIME represents an honor, a challenge and an opportunity: an honor that you judge me worthy; a challenge that I present to you a picture of extractive metallurgy in the years ahead that contains some ideas of value; and finally, an opportunity for me to express some deeply felt beliefs about our profession and our industry. My topic concerns the technology of metal production in the future - the processes, new and old, that will be used to extract metals. The nature of these processes will be shaped by many forces - some technical, some economic, some political or social. A forecast of future technology must recognize the role of each of these forces, and I have endeavored to do this in the analysis that follows. In brief, my outline consists of an analysis of the forces (perhaps better called "problems") that will influence the future of our industry, followed by consideration of likely lines of technological development to meet them. Let me dwell for a moment on the nature of this industry and the profession that serves it. I have been engaged in the profession of extractive metallurgy - teaching, researching and consulting - for 30 years. I have always found the subject stimulating and rife with challenges of a scientific, engineering, economic and socio-political nature. It is a big subject - it encompasses most of the elements of periodic table; we measure the U. S. production of six metals in millions of tons per year; new plant costs range to $100 million and more. The supply of metals from our extractive plants plays an essential role in our modern industrial economy. We could do without DDT, or phosphate detergents or 300-page Sunday newspapers; we cannot do without a huge and increasing supply of metals. The Basic Goal of Extractive Metallurgy Understanding of some basic forces that shape this industry can be gained by consideration of the question: What determines the utility of metals to man? We think immediately of the inherent properties of metals - strength, ductility, electrical conductivity and so forth - but these tell only part of the story. Metal price and the available supply play equally

Jan 1, 1971

Elected Died 1895 *ABBOTT, AI ATTHUR 1908 1882 *ABBOTT, ARTHUR V 1906 1905 * ABE, MASAYOSHI 1909 1903 * ADAMS, CHARLES C. 1905 1906 * ADAMS, JOHN C. 1913 1905 * ADAMS, WILLAMS 1909 1903 * ADAMS, W. EDWARDS 1910 1884 *ADDY, MATTHEW 1896 1906 * AFFLECK, WILLIAM A. 1911 1889 * AKERS, WILLIAMS 1906 1905 * ALABASTER, RUPPERT C. 1911 1899 * ALBERGER, LOUIS R. 1911 1894 *ALLEN R B 1896 1905 * ALLEN, R. SCOTT 1906 1874 * AMIOT, H. 1892 1886 *AMSLER, CARL 1894 1898 ** ANDRSON, JOHN W 1905 1895 *ÅNGSTROM, CARL 1901 1887 * ARCHBALD, JAMES 1910 1900 * ARLETT, GEORGE H 1906 1895 *ARMSTRONG, JOHN F 1898 1882 *ARNOLDS, HUGO 1886 1875 *ASHBURNER, CHARLES A 1889 1872 *ASIIBURNER, WILLIAM 1887 1883 *ATKINS, C M , JR 1885 1905 * AUSTEN, PETER T 1907

Jan 1, 1917

By Albert E. Ketler

Introduction – The introduction of computerized monitoring and control (M/c) equipment into the U.S. coal mining industry may prove to be of truly revolutionary proportions in the 801s.Many of you are aware that the British have developed and have been using such sophisticated M/C equipment for performing production and safety related tasks in their coal mines for nearly a decade. The benefits of M/C systems in the mining industry are usually separated into those which improve productivity, and hence make money for the company, and those which improve safety, and hence cost money. The economic benefits of M/C are startling for the production related functions such as for monitoring and controlling conveyor belts, de-watering pumps, electrical power distribution, and the like. It doesn't take much analysis to show that hundreds and even thousands of tons of coal don't get mined every time a belt shuts down or when power is out due to circuit breakers tripping for any number of reasons. A flood, caused by a malfunctioning pump which goes undetected for lack of feedback monitoring of pumping parameters, can destroy literally millions of dollars worth of mining equipment. The M/C system would be justified or not based on whether or not the productivity benefits balanced the cost within a timespan commensurate with the return on capital philosophy of the company. The safety related benefits are easily underestimated or ignored completely and the purpose of this paper is to under-score some of these benefits, as well as to review the application of M/C to the coal mining industry. The companies involved are Transmitton Ltd of England and Minetics Corp of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Transmitton is probably the most experienced manufacturer of M/C equipment in the world having some 200 installations to its credit. Minetics is the marketing and manufacturing arm for Transmitton in the U.S.A. and is responsible for all aspects of distribution and service. Plans are underway for manufacturing of the Transmitton hardware for U.S. sales to be transplanted into U.S. subcontractors by 1981. Thus our coal mining industry will benefit from British technology, but without the delays and additional costs usually involved in international shipments.

Jan 1, 1981

By E. H. Denny

IN the past few years many men, including technically trained engineers, have been asphyxiated in metal mines, coal mines, tunnels and surface wells where a few relatively simple precautions with regard to ventilation and air testing would have saved them. Death from mine gases is analogous in some respects to death from poison and from drowning. The respiratory passages of a victim who has breathed oxides of nitrogen from burning explosives are badly irritated and a few hours or even a day after exposure he may develop a quick and fatal pneumonia; if, however, he enters without respiratory protective apparatus an atmosphere deficient in oxygen (a condition that may occur in unventilated or poorly ventilated parts of all underground mines) he collapses and if not rescued dies more quickly and surely than a lone nonswimmer who falls suddenly into deep water. An example of an atmosphere virtually without oxygen was demonstrated by an air sample taken by a Bureau of Mines engineer wearing oxygen breathing apparatus in a Cripple Creek shaft some years ago, during the recovery of the bodies of two victims of asphyxiation; analysis of the sample by the Pittsburgh laboratory of the Bureau showed the presence of 18.40 per cent of carbon dioxide, 0.27 per cent of oxygen, and 81.33 per cent of nitrogen, although the atmosphere apparently was clear and normal. In a mine one can pass from good, breathable air to an atmosphere that will kill as quickly as one can dive from a board to deep water below. SOME INSTANCES OF ASHYXIATION BY GASES IN METAL MINES The following typical examples of comparatively recent instances of asphyxiation in metal mines were taken chiefly from reports of various kinds of the U. S. Bureau of Mines.

Jan 1, 1938

By G. W. P. Rengstorff, H. B. Goodwin

A method is described for purifying iron in batches of 150 Ib or more. Oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, and sulphur are removed from flakes of electrolytic iron by treatment in wet and then dry hydrogen. A special consumable-electrode arc furnace is used to remove hydrogen and to melt the flakes into ingots. A LTHOUGH iron and steel have been made and used for hundreds of years, there are still wide gaps in the knowledge of these metals. One reason for this is that the true properties of the base metal, iron, are not well known, simply because really pure iron has never been readily available for research purposes. Commercial iron, and even the "pure" irons which are readily available, are really complex alloys of iron with oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon, sulphur, silicon, and other elements. With such materials, it has not been possible to prepare steels and other iron-base alloys in which all elements are present in exactly controlled amounts. It is an almost impossible task to determine the separate effects of each element or the intereffects of several elements unless alloys can be prepared containing only the desired elements. The ability to make controlled alloys of low impurity content is of far more than academic interest. It will assist in the study of such practical problems as the brittle failure of ship hulls or high pressure gas pipelines, determination of the factors which affect the deep-drawing properties of steels, the improvement of magnetic and electrical properties, the phenomenon of aging, and many others. In 1949, the American Iron and Steel Institute asked Battelle Memorial Institute to prepare high purity iron on a larger scale than had been attempted up to that time. The work was directed toward the preparation of iron as low as possible in carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, hydrogen, and sulphur because these are the contaminating elements of major interest in many research investigations on iron-base alloys. The initial goal was to prepare iron with not more than a few thousandths of one percent of each of these impurities. The purpose was to set up a "bank" of high purity iron on which researchers could draw when a supply was needed and which could be replenished from time to time as the stock became depleted. Of several possible purification methods, heating in hydrogen was selected as the most promising for the removal of both carbon and oxygen from solid iron. Metallic impurities are not removed by hydrogen. Electrolytic iron was chosen as a starting material because it is the most readily available form of iron low in metallic impurities. Decarburization and desulphurization were obtained by annealing in wet hydrogen at relatively low temperatures. The optimum temperature, as found by previous investigators,' is about 1400°F. This treatment also removes nitrogen. Deoxidation is favored by dry hydrogen and higher temperature. There is evidence from previous work that an anneal at 2200°F in dry hydrogen will deoxidize the iron, reduce the nitrogen content, and reduce the sulphur content. These facts suggested the use of a two-stage process: treatment in wet hydrogen followed by treatment in dry hydrogen. To carry out the purification process in a reasonable time, it was necessary that the iron be in thin pieces. Flakes of electrolytic iron were used. Because most research requires that the iron be in massive form, it was nccessary to melt the purified iron to consolidate it into large pieces. For this work, it was decided to prepare ingots weighing at least 15 lb by using a cold hearth arc-melting process in which the iron was melted in an inert atmosphere of argon or helium. This method of melting was selected because the water-cooled copper crucible is not wet by the iron and does not contaminate it as a refractory crucible would. Because the crucible is also the ingot mold, contamination from mold materials was also eliminated. Contamination from electrodes was avoided by making them from purified electrolytic iron. The melting procedure finally developed was an adaptation of the Kellogg electric ingot process.' Two batches of purified iron weighing about 100 Ib each in ingot form were prepared with analyses as shown in Table I. The remainder of this paper describes the procedures in more detail. In general, the process con-

Jan 1, 1956

By John Garcia

IN some districts of the bituminous coal field the problem of construct-ing bulkheads to seal off water under pressure is becoming increasingly important. Recently this matter has been brought very much to the front by the loss of a large. Illinois mine due to failure of a bulkhead that separated it from several old, flooded mines. As this great misfortune has provoked much inquiry about proper bulkhead design, it is felt that a description of the successful and extensive water-sealing practice at three mines that have different natural conditions will be of considerable interest to those connected with properties having a present or future water problem and to engineers that may have to design safe bulkheads of economical construction. These three mines are the Saxton acid Dresser, near Terre Haute, Ind., and the Hegeler, near Danville, 111. All three have water conditions that make it necessary to regularly seal off till worked-out sections of the mine, and there are considerably over a hundred bulkheads in each. As far as the writers know, these three mines are the only ones in the bitu-minous coal fields of the United States with anything like so large a number of water seals and experience, although a number of other mines are known to have a few bulkheads. More detail will he included herein on the Saxton mine than on the others, as the writers are more familiar with it.

Jan 1, 1937