Search Documents

By A. E. Jenkins, L. A. Baker, N. A. Warner

Rates oj decarburization of levilated Fe-C droplets conlaining 5.5 to 0 pct C have been measured at 1660°C. Gas mixtures of 1, 10, and 100 pct 0, with helium diluenl were used at velocities of 12.5 and 62.5 cm per sec. Rates were independent of carbon concentration in the mell and in good agreement with the calculated rule of oxygen diffusion through the gas boundary layer. The effects of flow rale and total pressure are as predicled and the rates are approxitnalely 2.5 times those with CO2 as oxidant. The mass-transfer correlation used incorporaled the efject of natural convection as well as forced conrection. Graphile spheres are shown to oxidize at the same rate as Fe-C droplets under the same experimental codlions. It is concluded that, for high carbon concentrations in the melt, the rate of- decarburizalion is controlled wholly by the rate of gaseous diffusion. Rate measurements with pure CO, are reported for low carbon concentrations where CO bubbles nucleate within the droplet. Under these circumstances the decarburi-zation decreased with carbon concentration and it is proposed that carbon diffusion is significant in conlrolling the decnvburization rate. In an earlier paper1 decarburization rate measurements were reported for levitated Fe-C alloys at 1660°C but with CO2 as the oxidant. The decarburization rate was found to be independent of carbon concentration in the melt but slightly affected by total pressure. The authors were unable to explain the slight pressure effect but in all other respects the results were consistent with control by diffusion in the gas boundary layer. Subsequent work has been directed at finding the reason for the slight pressure effect and whether the kinetics with oxygen as oxidant parallel those with CO2. Recently Ito and Sano2 have shown that with water vapor-argon atmospheres the decarburization rate is gaseous diffusion controlled until an oxide film appears on the surface. In this work the melts were contained in crucibles. MASS TRANSFER IN THE GAS PHASE In the earlier analysis1 only forced-convection mass transfer was considered. Subsequent recognition of the existence of some free-convection mass transfer explained the observed small effect of total pressure on the decarburization rate. Steinberger and Treybal3 and Kinard, Manning, and Manning4 have developed correlations involving the linear addition of the contribution of radial diffusion, free and forced convection. Steinberger and Treybal&apos;s correlation was chosen as the most applicable to the present work since it correlated most of the data available in the literature and handled the low Reynolds number region exceptionally well. The correlation for (Gr&apos;Sc) < 108 is where Nu&apos; is the Nusselt number for mass transfer based upon the total surface of a sphere in an infinite medium, G&apos; is the mean Grashof number for mass transfer defined by Eq. [2], Sc is the Schmidt number (µ/pDAB)f, Re is the sphere Reynolds number (dpu,pf/µf), p is the viscosity of the gas (poise), p is the density of the gas (g cm-3), Dab is the binary diffusivity for the system A-B (sq cm sec-&apos;), dp is the sphere diameter (cm), u is the approach velocity of the gas (cm sec-I), and subscript f denotes the property value is computed at the film temperature Tf defined by Tf = +1/2(To + Tr) where To is the specimen temperature and T, is the approach gas temperature (oK). Natural convection occurs when inhomogeneities exist in gas density. These may be caused by concentration gradients, temperature gradients, or both. In the present work the temperature gradient between the sphere and the bulk gas was very large and in some cases, for example the runs with pure oxygen, the concentration gradient was also appreciable. The Grashof number defined by Mathers, Madden, and piret5 was used since it took account of both temperature and concentration gradients: where Gr&apos; is the Grashof number for mass transfer (p2fgd3|-yA-yA|/µ2f), Gr is the Grashof number for heat transfer (p2f gd3p|To - T,]/µ2fTf), Pr is the Prandtl number (cpµ/k)f, g is the acceleration due to gravity (cm sec-&apos;f, a is the concentration densification coefficient (1/p)(ap/ayA)T, yA is the mole fraction of component A at the gas-metal interface, yA is the mole fraction of component A in the bulk gas stream, cp is the heat capacity of the gas per unit mass at constant pressure (cal g-I OK-&apos;), and k is the thermal conductivity of the gas (cal cm-&apos; sec-1 OK-1). Mathers et al. tested this combined Grashof number

Jan 1, 1968

By F. S. Crawford

IRON and copper are mined in the Lake Superior district. The iron mines of the district have the best safety record for that industry in the country as a whole, while the copper mines of the district rank second in two of the four years recorded (Table 1). In Utah copper comes mainly from open-pit mines, which enables that state to lead easily in safety. All of the Michigan production comes from deep underground workings. About 60 per cent of the iron miners in St. Louis County, Minnesota, are employed at open-pit mines; this favorably affects the combined open-pit and underground accident-frequency rate, as this county provides most of the Minnesota-mined iron ore. In Michigan, however, there are few open-pit mines, the bulk of the production coming from underground mines, while all of the Wisconsin production, just across the state line from Michigan, is from underground mines. In spite of the fact that fewer mines in Michigan use the safer open-pit method, the iron-mining industry of that state maintained a consistently low record from 1931 to 1934; however, it was many points behind its nearest competitor, Minnesota, with its much greater production from open-pit mines.

Jan 1, 1939

By Robert M. Keeney

Important recent developments in the melting and annealing of non-ferrous metals include: 1. Melting of nickel silver in the vertical ring induction furnace. 2. Electric melting of stereotype metal. 3. The rotary-drum gas-fired brass melting furnace. 4. The low-frequency coreless induction furnace. 5. Finishing annealing of brass sheets with city gas1 replacing wood in the large brass-rolling mill. 6. Electric annealing of brass and copper tubing and sheets. 7. Replacement of oil by gas and electricity in the annealing of nickel-silver shells and stampings. Melting Nickel Silver in Vertical Ring Induction Furnace Although over 90 per cent. of the output of the brass rolling mills in the United States is now melted in electric furnaces,2 until recently a considerable part of the output of nickel silver has been the product of the pit fire. The application of the electric furnace to the melting of nickel silver has been slow for several reasons: (I) Until recently no lining has been available that gave a satisfactory life in the vertical ring induction furnace when melting nickel silver; (2) the rocking arc furnace so widely used in the foundry does not appear to have been favored by the rolling mill for melting nickel silver, possibly because the gases present may affect the quality of the alloy; and (3) the exclusive rights to the use of the high-frequency coreless induction furnace (which has proved very satisfactory for melting nickel silver) for the wrought brass industry are controlled by one concern. A little over one year ago the first vertical ring induction furnace to be used for melting nickel silver in the Naugatuck Valley was placed in operation. This was followed by two more in the same mill, and by

Jan 1, 1930

By Van Dyne Howbert, Fred E. Gray

The Presidio mine of The American Metal Co. of Texas is situated 45 miles south of Marfa, Texas, a town on the Southern Pacific R. R., and lies approximately 20 miles north of the Mexican border. Communication with the railroad is maintained over a state highway. All supplies for mine and mill are hauled in by truck from Marfa and precipitates and concentrates are freighted to the railroad by the same means and shipped to Selby and El Paso, respectively. The mill is at the town of Shafter, 1 mile from the mine and at approximately 350 ft. lower elevation. The ore is conveyed to it by an aerial tramway which requires practically no power on account of the difference in elevation. The mill is a countercurrent decantation cyanide and gravity concentrating plant of 200 tons daily capacity. Coarse and fine crushing are done at the mill. Two neal-by shallow wells in the bed of Cibolo Creek furnish an abundance of water. Power is generated for the mill and town by a Diesel engine plant. Ore Treated The ore is oxidized and siliceous. The greater part contains approximately 16 oz. of silver per ton, but mixed with this are many particles of ore of much higher grade, assaying in many instances 100 oz. or more. In the 16-oz. material there is an almost constant amount of silver which is difficult to recover by cyanidation. The high-grade material contains a much greater proportion of silver which is easily amenable to cyanide treatment. Thus, as the grade of ore becomes higher, the percentage of recovery of silver increases rapidly, under equal milling conditions. The silver minerals contained in the ore are principally argentite and cerargyrite, the former predominating The lead minerals, all of which are argentiferous, are chiefly cerussite and galena, with occasionally a little anglesite. The gold is free; most of the ore contains merely a trace

Jan 1, 1935

By Mark Malamphy

DURING colonial times, Brazil was famous for the richness of her alluvial gold deposits. Paul Ferrand has estimated that the gold produced during the period from 1700 to 1820 was the equivalent of some 64 million pounds sterling. Since that time, most of the more prolific alluvial deposits have been exhausted. A few gold mines are still func-tioning, notably the Morro Velho mine, which is one of the deepest mines in the world. Today, the gold production of Brazil is insignificant when compared with world figures, but there are still many gold-bearing regions and it is probable that in at least some of them profitable returns would result from an exploitation program taking advantage of all the most modern innovations in gold mining and ore treatment on a large scale. In order to demonstrate the value of some of these abandoned pros-pects and stir up interest in increasing the national gold production, the government has stimulated research. Experimental plants have been and are being established in various places, and tests on large quantities of ores are being carried out on a semicommercial basis. The Geological Survey of the State of Minas Geraes is very active in this line and the Federal Institution is also showing an increased interest in the matter. One of the lesser known gold-bearing regions of Brazil is in the vicinity of Lavras, in the State of Rio Grande do Sul. Gold was first reported from this region in the early part of the nineteenth century. In 1811, D. João VI sent an experienced prospector from Minas Geraes to investi-gate the validity of the reports. According to the reports of Baron

Jan 1, 1934

By Theodore Simons

During the last half century a great amount of ingenuity and energy has been devoted to the invention of appliances for the recovery of valuable minerals from very fine sands and slimes. The reason for this is that in almost every dressing plant the greatest losses of values, considered relatively as well as absolutely, occur in the treatment of slimes. The natural aim of mill operators to minimize these losses has in recent years received another impetus, from the fact that the gradually diminishing occurrence of high-grade ores makes a more intense recovery of values from existing resources absolutely necessary for profitable operation. The results of such attempts are found in the appearance of a great number of machines and appliances which make it profitable to-day to rework old clumps, containing the tailings of older processes. A constantly growing difficulty of obtaining skilled labor and the increase in wages made it prohibitory to employ those types of machines which required much attention, and in the middle of the ninieteenth century the various concentrating tables of the percussion type, which automatically discharge their products, began to take the place of the intermittent tables, on which, when the bed had reached a certain thickness, operation had to be stopped in order to allow the skimming by hand of the separate layers formed on the table. In the course of years, two general types of machines evolved for the treatment of fine sands arid slimes: The so-called concentrators and vanners, on the one hand, and the buddles and round tables on the other.&apos; For the profitable treatment of the very finest slimes, round tables have as a last resort proved more satisfactory and econoillical than other machines. In recent years they have agaiu become the subject of close inves-

Jan 1, 1914

By J. A. Roberson, Robert A. Rapp

From the observation of platinum wire marker movement in the oxidation of columbium at high lemperatures and low oxygen pressures, predonzinant cation diffusion in CbO, has been demonstrated. The Cu,0 molecule was used as an oxidizing species to study the nature of the porous scale and the location of the reduction site in the oxidation of colum-bium. The Cb205 scale contains microporosity and forms by alternate ionic diffusional growth and fracture. The oxidation of columbium at high temperatures and very low po, results in a relatively compact and protective Cb205 layer. THE observation of marker movements during oxidation is one means for the identification of the mobile ionic species in an oxide lattice. Previous marker experiments in the oxidation of columbium have all resulted in the markers being found on the outside surface of the Cbz05 scale. The Cr203 powder markers of Klopp et a1.,&apos; the gold film marker of Kofstad and ~jijllesdal,&apos; and the platinum wire marker of Cathcart et a1 .3 were found at the oxide/gas interface for oxidation temperatures ranging from 450" to 120O0C. However, in all experiments relatively high oxygen pressures were used. As discussed by Mrowec, even the interpretation of marker experiments in simple scales containing only one compound is not without ambiguities. In brief, it can be said that a marker may be found almost anywhere in the scale layer if the metal oxidizes by cation diffusion through the scale; the position of the marker depends upon morphological happenings in the scale. When considering marker movement in a polyphase scale one must proceed with extreme caution. For example, in the past (and present) work markers have never been found at the columbium-scale interface, and one might infer that the oxygen ion is mobile in CbO and CbO,. However, only trace quantities of CbO and CbOz have been present on any of the specimens, so no firm statement is justified on this basis. Despite previous experimental work, considerable doubt still exists concerning the role of the oxides CbO and CbOz in the oxidation of columbium. The identification of the mobile ionic species in CbO and CbOz from the observation of platinum wire markers was one goal of the present investigation . The linear kinetics of columbium oxidation at high temperatures (T - 1000°C) suggests that the Cbz05 scales which form on columbium are porous. From mercury absorption measurements on a Cbz05 scale formed at 500"C, Aylmore et al.&apos; reported a minimum volume fraction of connected voids equal to 0.15. While these scales often appear to be quite porous when viewed in metallographic cross section, they are so brittle that metallographic preparation is likely to exaggerate any porosity originally present. In this investigation, porosity developed during the oxidation of pure columbium and present at the high temperature was detected by oxidizing specimens in sealed evacuated capsules containing large compacts of mixed copper and CuzO powders. wooda has demonstrated that the CuzO, or (CuzO),, molecule is volatile and that oxygen is transferred by the CuzO molecule from a Cu/CuzO mixture to materials having a greater affinity for oxygen. For each molecule of CuzO that is reduced at a sink for oxygen, two atoms of copper are deposited. Quantitatively, essentially all of the oxidation carried out by a Cu-Cu20 compact results from a displacement reaction involving the CuzO molecule. When a metal which oxidizes to form a porous scale is exposed to the CuzO vapor, the CUZO molecules are reduced in the pores leaving a deposit of metallic copper to mark the site of the reduction. This technique has the rather unique advantage that any copper-coated pores found in the scale are unambiguously related to the reduction site in the growth of the scale under consideration. Pores or cracks which form in a msition*- external to the reduction site or which occur as a result of cooling or handling of the specimen will not exhibit the copper deposit. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Marker experiments were made on columbium metal, and on pellets of CbO which had been pressed and sintered. Platinum wire markers (0.001 and

Jan 1, 1968

By G. M. Lee

SEVERAL improvements have been made in Granby smelting practice since the company abandoned the direct smelting of raw ore in the blast furnaces in June, 1927, in favor of sintered concentrate. These improvements have been made in several fields, but the most novel and outstanding change was the development of a process of concentrating most of the gold, and a somewhat smaller fraction of the silver present, in a small portion of the blister copper produced. The practice of making "copper bottoms" is usually associated with the reverberatory smelting of copper ores containing high percentages of impurities, or of copper matte high in precious metals. It has for its object, in the one case, the production of a major part of the copper relatively free from impurities and, in the other case, the production of a small per¬centage of the copper carrying the major part of the precious metals. Although the blister copper produced at the Anyox plant of the Granby company is remarkably free from deleterious impurities and normally contains no great amount of precious metals, certain economic considerations made it advisable to concentrate the existing precious metals into a relatively small percentage of the blister copper produced. The process devised took advantage of principles and reactions of the usual bottoms processes, but was carried out in the converters instead of in a reverberatory furnace.

Jan 1, 1935

By Otto H. Henry, Edward L. Badwick

Up to the present time, according to Hansenl and Haughton,² the constitution of the bismuth-indium system has not yet been published. The generally accepted value for the melting point of indium, as listed in most scientific journals and textbooks, is 155°C. Recently, however, H. M. Davis3 has determined a new melting point for indium of 157.3²C O.l°C. Since bismuth has been used in preponderance as an alloying element in the majority of low-melting alloys, and indium has been used with considerable success in lowering the melting points of low-melting alloys, 4,6 an interest has been developed in the application of these two metals, making a complete knowledge of the constitution of its alloys desirable. In this investigation, the melting point of indium reported by H. M. Davis has been found to be substantially correct. A value of 157. ²°C ± O.5°C was determined. The two eutectic compositions have been placed at 34 and 50 pct bismuth with their respective eutectic temperatures as 72.4°C ± 0.5°C and 90°C ± 0.5°C. The bismuth-indium phase diagram has been determined by thermal and microscopic analysis and is shown in Fig I. Thermal Analysis Granulated bismuth and indium shot, having a guaranteed purity of 99.99 and 99.95 pct, respectively, were melted in a carbon crucible by means of a laboratory heater. To minimize oxidation of the alloys, a heavy mineral oil (Nujol) having a high- flash point was used. A platinum-platinum rhodium thermocouple of fine wire encased in a thin-walled Pyrex glass tube, about 1/8 in. in diameter, was connected to a type K potentiometer for temperature measurements. The thermocouple was calibrated against the melting points of tin, bismuth, and the silver-copper eutectic and the boiling point of water. Since the temperature readings could be reproduced to 0.²°Cl and the accuracy of the temperature standards in this range is slightly better than 0.5°C, it scems reasonable to assume that the temperature readings are reliable to approximately 0.5°C. The cooling rate could be controlled by varying the amount of insulation surrounding the crucible. Three or four layers of asbestos paper, 1/16 in. thick, sufficed to give a cooling rate of from I° to ²°C per minute. Undercooling was slightly noticeable. This condition was minimized by vigorous stirring, since the advantage of using slower rates was too small to justify the greater expenditure

Jan 1, 1947

By Otto H. Henry, Edward L. Badwick

Up to the present time, according to Hansenl and Haughton,² the constitution of the bismuth-indium system has not yet been published. The generally accepted value for the melting point of indium, as listed in most scientific journals and textbooks, is 155°C. Recently, however, H. M. Davis3 has determined a new melting point for indium of 157.3²C O.l°C. Since bismuth has been used in preponderance as an alloying element in the majority of low-melting alloys, and indium has been used with considerable success in lowering the melting points of low-melting alloys, 4,6 an interest has been developed in the application of these two metals, making a complete knowledge of the constitution of its alloys desirable. In this investigation, the melting point of indium reported by H. M. Davis has been found to be substantially correct. A value of 157. ²°C ± O.5°C was determined. The two eutectic compositions have been placed at 34 and 50 pct bismuth with their respective eutectic temperatures as 72.4°C ± 0.5°C and 90°C ± 0.5°C. The bismuth-indium phase diagram has been determined by thermal and microscopic analysis and is shown in Fig I. Thermal Analysis Granulated bismuth and indium shot, having a guaranteed purity of 99.99 and 99.95 pct, respectively, were melted in a carbon crucible by means of a laboratory heater. To minimize oxidation of the alloys, a heavy mineral oil (Nujol) having a high- flash point was used. A platinum-platinum rhodium thermocouple of fine wire encased in a thin-walled Pyrex glass tube, about 1/8 in. in diameter, was connected to a type K potentiometer for temperature measurements. The thermocouple was calibrated against the melting points of tin, bismuth, and the silver-copper eutectic and the boiling point of water. Since the temperature readings could be reproduced to 0.²°Cl and the accuracy of the temperature standards in this range is slightly better than 0.5°C, it scems reasonable to assume that the temperature readings are reliable to approximately 0.5°C. The cooling rate could be controlled by varying the amount of insulation surrounding the crucible. Three or four layers of asbestos paper, 1/16 in. thick, sufficed to give a cooling rate of from I° to ²°C per minute. Undercooling was slightly noticeable. This condition was minimized by vigorous stirring, since the advantage of using slower rates was too small to justify the greater expenditure

Jan 1, 1947

By W. R. Bendy

GRINDING is a large and costly part of Portland cement manufacture. Prior to clinkering in the rotary kiln, raw materials are ground to a fineness of 80 to 90 pct passing 200 mesh. Then, after burning and cooling, the resulting clinker is ground to about 92 pct passing 325 mesh. In the cement industry the most favored method of grinding has always been by impact and attrition of a ball charge in a rotating mill. Other types of mills, in which materials are ground between die rings and rollers, or between die rings and large balls, are sometimes used for single-stage grinding and often for preliminary grinding followed by grinding in ball-type mills. Their efficiency is usually high, but maintenance and repair costs are high also, and the ball-type mill continues to be the most widely used. Together with 4 pct gypsum to retard setting time, the kiln run clinker—consisting of hard, semi-fused lumps that may have been crushed to — 1/2 in.—is ground to a Blaine surface area of 3000 sq cm per gram and about 92 pct passing 325 mesh. Approximately 32 kw-hr per ton, or 6 kw-hr per 376-1b barrel, are consumed in the grinding mills alone, not counting auxiliaries. Open Circuit Clinker Grinding: Many early clinker grinding plants employed two-stage, open circuit grinding. Comparatively short mills of large diameter, loaded with balls 4 in. and smaller, first reduced the clinker to 95 pct passing 14 mesh. Tube mills of smaller diameter and greater length, loaded with balls 11/4 in. and smaller, carried out the fine grinding operation. An early development was to assemble two or more stages of grinding in a single mill having two, three, or four compartments separated by division heads. There were difficulties in balancing the compartments, but compartment mills were popular in the 1920&apos;s because the layout was simple and there were no elevators and conveyors. Oversize Particles: Open circuit mills, whether separate ball and tube mills or compartment mills, always encountered the problem of tramp oversize in the product. A small percentage of clinker survived passage through the first grinding stage as particles—perhaps 1/16 in. diam—that were too large for the smaller balls in the following stages to reduce to —200 mesh. When the feed rate was lowered to reduce tramp oversize, there were serious losses in grinding efficiency. Many ingenious designs were perfected to incorporate perforated screen plates or wire mesh screens in the ball mills or in the first compartments of compartment mills. Their purpose was to prevent mate: rial passing out of the first stage until it was small

Jan 1, 1958

By H. L. TERWILLIGER

THOSE of us who have been following rock drilling work for the last 15 or 20 years can recall some of the problems that were encountered with the old piston type of rock drill and the solid steel which it used. There was frequent trouble in keeping a straight hole in badly broken ground when using the ordinary four- point bit that had a flare on the wings of about 14". The drill steel, when pounding down its hole, would follow the line of least resistance and draw away from the desired line when it encountered a weak side in the ground through which it was drilling. Some would overcome the difficulty by making long winged bits to prevent the steel crowding over; this would relieve the troubles to a great extent. There was trouble with the rifling of drill holes and inability to drill round holes in some ground. The cure for these ills was to use the "X" bit, rather than the crossbit. The "2" bits were brought out in an effort to make it easier to drill a round hole in bad ground. Most of these troubles were before the days when the mechanical drill sharpener was in as common use as it is today. It was not until the introduction of the Leyner type of rock drill, requiring hollow steel that the users of rock drills found themselves confronted with more difficult prob- lems than they had ever encountered before with drill steel because the steel had to stand more severe service.

Jan 1, 1924

By S. E. Haszko

SEVERAL new XGa2 intermetallic compounds, Table 1, where X is a rare earth, having the AlB, structure were prepared as part of a continuing study of the magnetic and structural properties of rare-earth alloys.&apos; In this note, the crystallographic results of these compounds are presented. Chart, Eq. 121 for the data in Fig. 1 can be adequately represented by The corresponding standard free-energy change is AF; = -4.576 T log K = -20,900 + 10.20T [5I At low nitrogen concentrations the ratio of mole fraction to weight percentage is a constant so that the mole fraction X of nitrogen is given by X = 0.0392 [%NJ. At low values of X, the activity and the concearation approach each other, hence K, = 0.0392 K,, where K, is expressed in terms of the mole fraction of nitrogen. Hence Eqs. [4]. and [5] become

Jan 1, 1962

By A. L. Mular

lnput energy-size modulus relation at small reduc-tion ratios is expressed by Et = (M, -Mt) k;. In some cases 13 is close to Schuhmann&apos;s distribution modulus a in value. Experimental results in conjunc-tion with the equation demonstrate the fact that energy input which produced fracture is not expended on unbroken starting material inside the mill at any time. Recently, schuhmann1 derived the Charles equation2 using the postulate that complex com-minution operations can be considered as a summa- tion of many comminution events. The fragments resulting from each event are assumed to follow the Gaudin-Schuhmamn distribution. In his derivation, Schuhmann implies that the size distribution of the total mass of a material is determined by the fraction of that mass actually subjected to comminution. Consider a feed to contain a volume, Vo, of uni- formly sized homogeneous material. After t seconds of grinding, let the volume of broken material be Vo - Vt where Vt is the volume of starting material not yet broken. The size distribution of the broken material is given by: where V is the cumulative volume less than size X, and k, is the size modulus of the broken material at time t. The distribution for the total volume at this

Jan 1, 1962

The high-grade orebody at Miami was mined successively by top-slicing, shrinkage, stoping and under caving. The method described in this paper was developed to enable the low-grade orebody (36,000,000 tons assaying 1.06 per cent copper) to be mined at a low cost without further dilution of the grade. The method is clearly described and illustrated by drawings and photographs, and the original paper should be consulted as it is impracticable to abstract it, beyond noting that the mining cost is just under 40 cents per ton and the average grade of ore now being produced yields less copper than the mill tailing of 1915, the tons mined per day having increased from 4000 to 18,000 in the same period. Vertical and Incline Shaft Sinking at North Star Mine By Arthur B. Foote, Grass Valley, Calif. (Tech. Pub. No. 324: Class A. Metal Mining, No. 36) THE main shaft of the North Star mine is an inclined one following the main vein at an average dip of 26 deg., a vertical shaft intersects it at the 4000-ft. (incline) level, the incline continuing to the 6300-ft. level. At this point the vein was found to give out and a new vein, called the No. 1, was found to dip in exactly the opposite direction.

Jan 1, 1930

By Howard Eavenson

PRIOR to 1907 nearly all coke was made in beehive ovens, and most of the gas produced was made in the old-style gas retorts, and while there were a few coke plants in southern West Virginia, southwest Virginia and Kentucky operating on high-volatile coals the proportion of the total product made by them was small and was usually used locally. The greater part of the coke made, and the coal gas produced, came from the Pittsburgh seam of western Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia-which was then regarded as the standard coking and gas coal of the coun, try, and the best coal available anywhere for these purposes. With the advent of the by-product oven and the building of coke plants at the furnaces, the restriction of the use of one grade of coal for making coke was removed and the use of mixtures of low-volatile and high-volatile coals began. The change in the locations of the coke plants removed the necessity of using Connellsville coal and also made sources of gas available to the public utilities other than of their own manufacture. Most of the first oven plants were built at points distant from the Connellsville region and this afforded an opportunity for the use of coals from the southern Appalachian fields, which were at approximately equal distances from the ovens. Since that time development has been made on a number of seams of coal of great purity in southern West Virginia, southwestern Virginia and eastern Kentucky, which have been largely used for cokemaking, gas and other metallurgical purposes where low amounts of ash, sulfur and phosphorus are determining factors. These coals are much lower in the objectionable elements than the best of the coal from the Pittsburgh seam, or than any northern coal, and in by-product ovens produce coke that is not excelled for any purpose by any coal mined in this country, and is equaled very seldom. Coal from several of these seams is shipped in great quantities without beneficiation and is lower in ash and sulfur than the best washed product from any seam mined in the north.

Jan 1, 1932

By William B. Senseman

FoR reasons well known to mining engineers, wet grinding is quite universal in plants having to do with the extraction of metallic values from crude ores. In the processing of the nonmetallic and industrial minerals, dry grinding is the more common method. The crude materials usually contain less moisture than is required for wet grinding and the products usually are marketed in dry form; most of them as powders. To grind wet, therefore, would entail the addition of water and an expense for drying the product, which is not justified. Furthermore, the material would be a dried cake that would still have to be pulverized or disintegrated before use. For producing fine products, air separators have largely replaced the earlier practice of sizing with screens and bolting reels. Mills in which the air-separating feature is an integral part of the design are now commonplace. Mill designs are many and air systems have developed along various lines, but for the purpose of this discussion, only the fundamental idea need be emphasized— the idea of using air for sizing and removing pulverized material from a grinding mill. About 20 years ago, when the use of mills equipped with air separation had become common practice, heated air or gas was introduced to such a system for the removal of moisture. The purpose of this discussion is to outline the developments and trends that have followed this experiment. It is an important development, for mills equipped with air separation are now universally used for pulverizing not only nonmetallic and industrial minerals, but a great variety of other materials. All such mills are essentially the same. Dried material is pulverized, removed by an air stream, trapped in a cyclone collector, and relatively clean air from the cyclone is returned through a fan to the mill. There is no theoretical need for a vent from the system. The practical need is to vent the air that leaks into the system; and, since the cyclone is not 100 per cent efficient as a dust collector, this vented air carries some dust with it. The initial attempt at drying was made on a system like that described, by the addition of a furnace. The minus pressure within the mill draws hot gas from the furnace. Infiltration air, along with the drying gases and evaporated moisture, is vented as before. The first application was made to a mill used for pulverizing coal. The coal contained very little moisture, so very little drying effect was needed for the success of this experiment. Actually, some calculated efficiencies of over 100 per cent were obtained before due allowance was made for the conversion of mill power into useful heat. When moisture is low, the heat obtained from the conversion of milt power is an appreciable part of that required. That drying can be effected in the short time interval available in a grinding mill of this type is better understood by visual-

Jan 1, 1948

By William B. Senseman

FoR reasons well known to mining engineers, wet grinding is quite universal in plants having to do with the extraction of metallic values from crude ores. In the processing of the nonmetallic and industrial minerals, dry grinding is the more common method. The crude materials usually contain less moisture than is required for wet grinding and the products usually are marketed in dry form; most of them as powders. To grind wet, therefore, would entail the addition of water and an expense for drying the product, which is not justified. Furthermore, the material would be a dried cake that would still have to be pulverized or disintegrated before use. For producing fine products, air separators have largely replaced the earlier practice of sizing with screens and bolting reels. Mills in which the air-separating feature is an integral part of the design are now commonplace. Mill designs are many and air systems have developed along various lines, but for the purpose of this discussion, only the fundamental idea need be emphasized— the idea of using air for sizing and removing pulverized material from a grinding mill. About 20 years ago, when the use of mills equipped with air separation had become common practice, heated air or gas was introduced to such a system for the removal of moisture. The purpose of this discussion is to outline the developments and trends that have followed this experiment. It is an important development, for mills equipped with air separation are now universally used for pulverizing not only nonmetallic and industrial minerals, but a great variety of other materials. All such mills are essentially the same. Dried material is pulverized, removed by an air stream, trapped in a cyclone collector, and relatively clean air from the cyclone is returned through a fan to the mill. There is no theoretical need for a vent from the system. The practical need is to vent the air that leaks into the system; and, since the cyclone is not 100 per cent efficient as a dust collector, this vented air carries some dust with it. The initial attempt at drying was made on a system like that described, by the addition of a furnace. The minus pressure within the mill draws hot gas from the furnace. Infiltration air, along with the drying gases and evaporated moisture, is vented as before. The first application was made to a mill used for pulverizing coal. The coal contained very little moisture, so very little drying effect was needed for the success of this experiment. Actually, some calculated efficiencies of over 100 per cent were obtained before due allowance was made for the conversion of mill power into useful heat. When moisture is low, the heat obtained from the conversion of milt power is an appreciable part of that required. That drying can be effected in the short time interval available in a grinding mill of this type is better understood by visual-

Jan 1, 1948

By Ingvar Janelid

DURING the last ten years, in the effort to save manpower and costs, methods of drilling and blasting in Sweden have changed and developed in a revolutionary manner. These developments have been accompanied by extensive alterations in methods of tunneling and in mining technique. Since the end of the 1940&apos;s there has been a 100 pct change-over in Sweden to the use of tungsten carbide tipped drill steel. Both investigations and practical results have shown clearly that a tungsten carbide chisel bit fastened directly on the drill steel is the most economical for Swedish conditions. This applies to drill steel up to the longest size it is practical to handle. In terms of drilling footage, durability of the drill steel and the tungsten carbide bit is generally the same. In this respect, therefore, a detachable bit offers no advantage over integral steel. Transportation of integral steel to the grinding plant, instead of detachable bits only, involves heavier work, but this is counteracted by placing grinding plants closer together or by grinding at the working place itself. The drilling rate with integral steel is higher, the trouble of changing bits is avoided, and the difficulties which always arise with joints are eliminated.

Jan 6, 1954

SIDNEY ROLLE, Chrome, N. J.-I should like to ask if Mr. Bach does not think it rather harmful to let the amen depend entirely on the company, whether it would not be a good plan to let the men aid a little in the support of these organizations? Also whether he has had any experience with utilizing the Y. M. C. A. in this connection. E. E. BACH, Ellsworth, Pa.-That question is always raised whenever there is discussion upon this subject. So far as we are concerned that would not help a bit; our people do not have that feeling, because .we have a company which these men recognize has a corps of very sympathetic officials in every way. I remember the assistant general manager lived out in one of these mining towns for a while. His difficulty was that every man, no matter what, who or where he was, if he had, or thought lie had, a, complaint, had the right of way to his office, and didn&apos;t have to stop at all. That is the spirit that predominates all through it. This is also the spirit of the mine foremen, two of whom were trained in our own night school, and it is the spirit of the fire boss and the general spirit of the people. They do not feel that we are trying to feed them with a spoon. As to the Y. M. C. A., we feel that it would be impracticable for us. R H. VAIL, New York, N. Y.-It would be very interesting if Mr. Bach would tell a little more about the control of the dispensing of intoxicants. There are many communities where the state intends to do that but does not succeed very well, and as Mr. Bach has spoken of the speakeasies on the environment of these towns, it would he well to know more about the problem of eliminating those.

Jan 4, 1918