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Hunkered up against the spine of the Andes in a tight valley where natural refuge from avalanche hardly exists is the daring Rio Blanco project of Cerro Corp. The deposit here was found in 1904, but nature has foiled all previous attempts to open it. To an experienced mountaineer or a highway engineer with mountain experience, the avalanche hazard in the valley of the Blanco river would be immediately apparent. The collar shaft is at the head of the valley at an elevation of 3600 m and for 12 km down the valley there is no space on the floor for building very much; the dissected rock walls are roadways for avalanches and even a highway could not be maintained sufficiently passable. This is the proposition taken on by the Cerro Corp. Chilean National Decree #1699, passed on December 9, 1966, signified "Go" to the Compania Minera Andina, a company whose shares are held 70% by the Cerro Corp. and 30% by the government of Chile. The orebody, although only partially delineated, contains proven reserves of 120 million tons of ore averaging 1.58% Cu. When the operation comes on stream in the last quarter of 1970, it will be at the rate of 11,000 tpd. Annual production will be 65,000 tpy of recoverable copper in concentrates.

Jan 11, 1969

By J. D. Miller, M. Misra

The processing strategy for the effective separation of bitumen from low grade (<l0 weight percent bitumen) Utah tar sands by a hot water process differs significantly from that used for the processing of high grade (> 10 weight percent bitumen) Utah tar sands. Excellent separations (coefficient of separation = 0.9) can be achieved for high grade Utah tar sands by intense hot water digestion followed by a modified froth flotation step. Such a technique is ineffective for low grade tar sands. In order to change the characteristics of the low grade tar sand an attempt was made to enrich the bitumen content of the feed to greater than 10 weight percent by recycle of bitumen concentrate to the digestion stage. However, the quality of the separation was not improved under these circumstances. Similarly feed enrichment by heat treating the low grade feed with recycled concentrate prior to digestion did not improve the separation. More successful separations of low grade Utah tar sands were finally achieved by modification of the viscosity of the low grade bitumen with controlled addition of diluent. These results of the hot water separation tests and variations in the quality of separation are interpreted in terms of the physical properties of the bitumen and the surface bonding forces operative at the bitumen-sand interface.

Jan 1, 1981

By D. W. Rudd, D. W. Vose, J. B. Vetrano

In an earlier paper the permeability character of Mo-0.5 pct Ti to hydrogen was described.&apos; It was shown that this alloy is a more effective barrier to the passage of hydrogen than previously studied systems, i.e., copper,2 nickel,3 and several stainless steels.4 The permeability of Hastelloy B to hydrogen was investigated as a material having promising high-temperature structural properties which might have a low permeability to hydrogen. The general theory of permeation has been previously discussed,&apos; and here only a summary of the more important results are given. It is found that except for very thin membranes, at low temperature, permeation of a gas through a metal barrier is determined by the rate of diffusion of the gas through the crystal lattice of the specimen, and that for hydrogen and the common diatomic gases, this passage involves dissociated particles as the diffusing species. The rate of permeation for hydrogen is therefore proportional to the square root of the pressure. It has also been found that the rate of permeation is inversely proportional to the thickness of the barrier. The apparatus used in this investigation was fundamentally the same as that employed in previous studies,&apos; except that several simplifications result in the case of Hastelloy, since oxidation at the temperatures investigated is no longer a problem and welding of the specimen is relatively easy. A cross section of the membrane assembly is shown in Fig. 1. When finished, the assembly is about 5 in. long. The wall thickness is about 6 times the membrane thickness. The membrane (A) can be maintained at

Jan 1, 1963

By S. L. Payne, J. P. Morris, R. L. Kipp, G. R. Zellars

The activities of iron and nickel in liquid Fe-Ni alloys were determined by measuring the vapor pressures of iron and nickel above the alloys and comparing with the vapor pressures of the pure metals. Nickel was found to deviate negatively from Raoult&apos;s law over the entire composition range. Iron behaves ideally down to 0.7 mole fraction but shows negative deviations at lower concentrations. At 1600°C the activity coefficients at infinite dilution are 0.40 for iron and 0.66 for nickel. 1 HE formulation of the conditions of chemical equilibrium between liquid metals and gases or slags is an important application of thermodynamics to pro- cess metallurgy. Usually the metal and slag phases are solutions of several components; and for accurate calculations, it is often necessary to use the activities of the components in place of their concentrations. Data concerning activities, however, are quite meager. The evaluation of the activities of iron and nickel, presented in this paper, is part of a project to determine activities in iron alloys at elevated temperatures.

Jan 1, 1960

By B. Ladanyi, B. Hoyaux

One of the most important problems in underground works is the assessment of the stability of underground openings and the determination of loads on eventual supporting structures. Under certain stress conditions, a hard and sound rock around an unlined opening may show a tendency to rock bursting, which can be prevented by appropriate measures. On the other hand, a less competent rock even if it fails in a less violent manner may give rise to a rock load because within limited regions surrounding the opening, the failed material may have a tendency to flow into the opening; this condition should be prevented by designing a proper supporting structure. The stability of the opening, as well as the value of the design loads acting on the supports in the latter case, depends clearly on the shape, extent, and location of the failed regions, which are often called “plastic zones.” It has been known for some time how the plastic zones develop in some very simple cases, such as in the case of a circular opening in an elastic ideally plastic medium subjected to a nongravitational stress fie1d.l However, to the knowledge of the authors, no information has been available up to now about the extent of the plastic zones in a more general case and for rocklike media. ASSUMPTIONS ON ROCK BEHAVIOR MADE IN THE CALCULATION The solution shown in this chapter is valid for a horizontal tunnel of circular cross section driven through a rock medium at a finite depth.

Jan 1, 1970

By L. L. Davis

The rapid increase in the use of pulvcrulent adsorptive materials in the so-called "contact filtration" process for decolorizing lubricating oils makes it desirable to consider some of the basic principles involved. The commercial methods and types of equipment now used arc fairly well known, having been extensively described in the trade journals. In spite of this very little has been published concerning the factors which must be considered in the selection of a process or of a decolorizing ing material. It is commonly understood that contact filtration more or less closely follows the laws of adsorption. These principles have been thoroughly drscribed by Gurwitsch.&apos; The contacting of neutral mineral oils seems to be adsorptive in character and apparently follows Freundlich&apos;s law of adsorption which may be expressed by the formula: X = Color material adsorbed hy the clay. M = Amount of clay used. C = Concentration of color material after equilibrium. A and P = Constants for a given oil and clay. Fig. 1 shows the decolorization curve for a natural, dark colored cylin-der stock when contacted with various quantities of clay, curve R being made with natural Riverside Texas fuller&apos;s earth and T being made with an acid-treated clay from Texas. As the Tag-Robinson color is inversely proportional to the depth of color, the reciprocal of these colors ran be assumed to be a funct ion of the concentratlion of coloring matter. The values of and C&apos; can, therefore., br calculated by using the reciprocal Tag-Robinson colors, and when these

Jan 1, 1928

By Thomas S. Nye

Mineral exploration in the United States relies heavily on theoretical geologic concepts and indirect methods such as geophysics and geochemical prospecting, as there are few exposed areas of mineralization which have not already been explored. In Mexico, ore grade samples can be cut at the surface on vein, replacement, and disseminated types of deposits in many areas. The problem is not in finding a mineralized area but in deciding which mineralized area can be explored and developed at the least risk and cost, with the greatest profit potential within the framework of Mexican mineral economics and that nation&apos;s government policies. Socio-economic Posture Mexico, prior to World War II, had suffered from more than one hundred years of intermittent wars and exploitation by internal and foreign elements. Consequently, the basic facilities which today&apos;s society takes for granted were scarce or non-existent in most of the country. Travel was largely a matter of negotiating poor dirt roads, riding horseback or walking. Relatively few people were literate and medical facilities were luxuries for the wealthy. Mexico&apos;s leaders were, however, determined to improve the lot of their people, within a system of private enterprise and personal freedom. Long-range programs initiated at about the time of World War II to provide infrastructure-education, health and welfare, transportation, power, water, communication-are now established fully or in part for most of the country and are being continually expanded.

Jan 12, 1972

By W. A. Tiller, W. C. Johnston

A theoretical analysis of alloy solidification in which the effective partition coefficient, k, of the solute is allowed to vary as a function of interface position is performed. A variety of solute distm&apos;butions in the solid is predicted depending upon the functional dependence of k with interface position. Conversely, the variation of k with interface position required to produce a particular solute distributzon in the solid can be calculated. These preciictions have been tested by controlling the width of the momentum boundary layer in the liquid as a function of interface position with a rotating mugnetic field. One of the objects of controlled solidification is to utilize the freezing process for the preparation of crystals of specific materials containing a predetermined distribution of solutes. For example, a thermoelectric power generation material may exhibit a figure of merit, 2,&apos; as a function of temperature, T, and solute concentration, C, as illustrated in Fig. 1. If we wish to use this material in a device between the temperature limits T1 to T2 a significantly greater efficiency will result from the device if the thermoelectric element illustrated in Fig. 1 consists of a range of solute concentrations appropriately located with respect to the temperature distribution rather than using a sample of constant solute concentration. For this reason and many others2 we are interested in programming and controlling the solute distribution in a single crystal

Jan 1, 1962

By Edward Chapman

IN the Leadville district toward the close of the "intermediate mesothermal period" of mineralization, there occurred a stage of ore deposition marked by a rather complex mineral association. As bismuth minerals formed in many places during this period, it is here called the "bismuth stage" for convenience of description. The minerals so far identified with this stage, listed roughly in the order of prominence, are: chalco-pyrite; several varieties of galena, differing slightly from one another in their small contents of silver, bismuth and tellurium; altaite; hessite; galenobismutite; alaskaite; aikinite; gold; tennantite; argentite; and perhaps sphalerite and arsenopyrite. With the exception of gold, the age relations of these minerals are difficult to determine. As shown in their descriptions, they all appear contemporaneous and hypogene. Gold may be in part contemporaneous, but most of it is distinctly later. Where minerals of this stage occur so that they can be mined alone, as at the Tucson mine, they constitute high-grade ore. Elsewhere their presence in small amounts has served to increase greatly the value of what otherwise would be low-grade pyritic or zinc-lead sulphide ore. The distribution of the bismuth ores corresponds closely to the distribution of gold ores, though not so general. It seems probable that most of the gold in the district was deposited during the "bismuth stage." These ores occur relatively near the supposed centers of mineralization in Breece and Printer Boy Hills or deep down along the Tucson-Maid fault, which is one of the well recognized channels of mineralization in the Iron Hill and Graham Park areas- Consideration of the high-grade nature of this mineralization and the fact that it appears to be found relatively close to the source of mineralization suggests that prospecting along some of the known channels, even deeper than they have yet been prospected, may offer hope of commercial success.

Jan 1, 1939

In the late 19th century Fremont Pass was only a gateway to Leadville, Colo., 12 miles to the north. Some of the silver, lead, and zinc won from this famous camp crossed the Continental Divide at Climax, passing by the huge outcrop of molybdenum on Bartlett Mountain. This element, relatively un- known in the world of commerce, was then nothing more than a joke to play on greenhorn prospectors. Even 30 or 40 years later, after the demand for metals created by World War I had forced temporary use of molybdenum as an alternate for tungsten in tool steels, the Bartlett Mountain outcrop once again became merely a curiosity. With the persistent efforts of Brainerd Phillipson, for years the president of Climax and almost the only employe, use of molybdenum gradually began to grow, first in tool steel and later in the alloy steels required by the growing automotive industry. Mr. Phillipson was first an engineer and second a salesman. The combination of these two qualities is the key to the story, not only of Climax sales but also of the growth of molybdenum from an object of idle curiosity to the point where it is today, along with chromium and nickel, one of the most versatile alloying elements in the iron and steel industries and increasingly important in chemistry.

Aug 1, 1955

By R. C. Davis, R. F. Berry, G. W. White, B. T. O’Connell, L. A. Stacha

P,, and v, may now be solved for by trial and error between Eqs. 2 and 3, by assuming time approaching zero and equating PI, to P12. Observe that the pressure under the slug, P12 of Eq. 3, does not remain equal to the P1, at the valve in Eq. 2 as the slug proceeds up the hole. To plot the profile of pressure vs depth, it is necessary to express P12 in terms of P11. To do so, the extent to which the original submergence length S changes with respect to time must be analyzed. At the end of time t after injection, the actual value of L in Fig. 3 is The fall-back v,(t) is now distributed in the gas and exerts pressure on the bottom. This, in addition to the weight of the gas, amounts to the difference in pressures from point to point. With the average pressure profile calculable, a true numerical value for the average pressure in the tubing may be obtained. The value of v, must be obtained experimentally, and since v,, S and D are known, the basic Eq. 1 may be solved for the amount produced. Knowing P, and the actual volume of tubing occupied by gas (vat), it is possible to calculate the volume of gas at standard conditions which is present in the

By R. F. Marande, R. S. Busk

THE magnesium-aluminum-zinc system contains most of the magnesium-base alloys used commercially, although in practice the ternary, alloys are usually modified by the addition of a small amount [ ] of manganese. Table I contains the magnesium-base commercial sand-casting alloys most widely used throughout the world, together with their typical tensile properties. These alloys may be regarded as a single family of varying aluminum and zinc content, disregarding manganese. A concise means of presenting data for them is by means of iso-property lines plotted on triangular coordinate paper. Constitutional, casting, and mechanical properties are presented in this manner. The data are given with the object of providing reference material, and to aid in the choice of a commercial alloy to serve a particular purpose. Detailed, critical analysis of the commercial alloys has been covered in a previous paper.1 [ ] All alloys reported were made in 15-lb. melts, superheated to 1700°F. for 15 min., cooled to 1400°F. and poured in sand molds. The test bars produced had a ½ in. reduced section and were about 6 in. long. Except for the data represented in Figs. I and 3 the alloys used were of commercial purity and contained 0.1 to 0.2 per cent Mn in addition to the aluminum and zinc. CONSTITUTIONAL DATA Under the heading of Constitutional Data are included all known data on con-

Jan 1, 1946

By C. F. Jr. Nagel

THIS paper is written primarily for those who are familiar with the processes mentioned but who desire a further insight into some of the fundamental principles. It does not give a complete description of the various practices employed in the working of aluminum and its alloys, but presents a few illustrations of the essential respects in which aluminum differs from other common metals, and emphasizes the controlling factors of the processes under consideration. HEAT TREATING Certain aluminum alloys are capable of having their mechanical properties greatly altered by a heat-treatment process. The degree of this improvement may be illustrated by the typical properties of duralumin (Table 1). It is essential that the material be in the wrought condition in order to obtain maximum heat-treatment effects.

Jan 1, 1927

By H. Hanemann

THE application of other than mechanical methods to the study of the mechanical-physical properties of metals has become in the last few years a topic of investigation of ever-increasing interest, both from the theoretical standpoint and from that of the engineer and constructor. Besides the investigations which have been made of &apos;the magnetic properties of ferromagnetic metals, in their relation to the mechanical properties of these metals, which will be discussed more in detail below, there have been made studies of other phenomena in the same relation, and methods for the mechanical testing of metals have even been suggested, for example, the microscopic method of Tammann,1 and the thereto-electric, method of Turner2 for determining elastic limits. The application of all such methods, which are based upon the dependence of some physical, crystallographic, or possibly chemical property, upon the mechanical state of the metal, must be preceded by close and careful correlation of these various "test" properties with the known mechanical state of the different metals or materials. It is with this view that the present work, as well as that of many previous investigators of, what .may be termed in the interests of brevity, the mechanical-magnetic properties of ferromagnetic materials of construction, has been done.

Jan 12, 1915

IN GATHERING material for this chapter on Yerington and the one to follow on Silver Bell, the A.S.& R. project near Tucson, Arizona, I was fascinated at the way the two stories paralleled each other. For example, here are a few instances: (1) The first copper mining in the Yerington district of Nevada was in the late 1860&apos;s; the first in the Silver Bell area in 1873. (2) Each district was served by a branch railroad about 25 miles long from a main line of the Southern Pacific (by quizzical coincidence); and, in each instance, the railroad was later abandoned and torn up. (3) Each district had a sizable blast-furnace smelter ten or fifteen miles from the principal mines, and in each instance the smelter was later dismantled for junk. (4) Up to 1954, the Yerington district was credited with a production of 100,000,000 lb of copper; the Silver Bell district with 80,000,000 lb. (5) In each district the entire production had come from deposits other than the low-grade ore bodies now being exploited. (6) In each instance, existence of the low-grade deposits of the Porphyry type was recognized in the period circa1910-1914 and a substantial amount of exploratory drilling had been done, on one deposit at Yerington and on two at Silver Bell. (7) In each instance, the properties containing the Porphyry ore were acquired by a strong company (Anaconda Copper Mining Company at Yerington and American Smelt-

Jan 1, 1957

By D. L. Katz

A PHASE diagram showing boundary curve and quantity of liquid in the two-phase region was determined for a mixture of natural gas and natural gasoline in the region of its critical conditions. The tempera-tures and pressures of phase measurements were in the range of 85° to 212° F. and 1300 to 2600 lb, per sq. in., respectively, with the critical conditions at 169.5° F. and 2615 lb. per sq. in. abs, Color phenomena were observed in the region of the boundary curve from 102° to 192° F. Approximate densities of the single-phase and two-phase regions and analysis of the system are included. Boundary curves between the single-phase and the two-phase regions have been determined for several binary mixtures containing hydro-carbons. 2,3,4,6,7,10,11,12,14 These investigators did not report the relative amounts of liquid and vapor within the two-phase region. The equilib-rium values obtained from the dew-point and bubble-point data can be used to compute the lines showing percentage of liquid on the pressure-temperature phase diagrams but the positions of the lines near the critical temperature and pressure are uncertain. Relative amounts of vapor and liquid were obtained for a gasoline and a naphtha&apos; within the two-phase area but not in, the region of the critical temperature and pressure. The bubble-point and dew-point lines, as well as the percentage liquid lines within the two-phase region, were determined by visual observations in glass apparatus.

Jan 1, 1939

By John F. Elliott, David L. Schroeder

SURFACE depletion can be a significant source of error in the use of the effusion method for determining the thermodynamic properties of alloys, particularly in the case of solid alloys.&apos; However, as yet this problem has not been treated quantitatively by experimentalists in the field.1-3 The method necessitates diffusive transport of material out of the source alloy to obtain a relevant measurement. The general character of the system is shown in Fig. 1. The diffusive flux (nD) at the alloy surface is equal to the effusive flux (nE): where D is the diffusion coefficient of the diffusing substance, C is its concentration, X is the distance from the surface into the source alloy, p is the density of the alloy, and AS is the actual available surface of the alloy. The concentration of the diffusing substance at the surface is CS, and Here fE is the Clausing factor, AE is the area (sq cm) of the orifice, y is the activity coefficient of the substance in the alloy, PO is the vapor pressure (Torr) of the pure substance, M is the molecular weight of the effusing species, and T is the absolute temperature. The differential equation for diffusive transport in the source alloy is Fick&apos;s second law. Its solution is dependent on the geometry of the source alloy. Two boundary conditions must be established to obtain the proper solution, the first being Eq. [1], or its equivalent. The solutions for several important forms of the source alloy are considered below.

Jan 1, 1967

By E. M. Bennett

HISTORY In 1923 John Campbell Miles discovered the Mount Isa deposit after finding and submitting for assay some “unusual and heavy rocks”. Six months after submission he received the assays of his original samples which indicated high lead-silver values. The deposit area was isolated and unknown geographically and not served by even a rough country road. The isolation of Mount Isa coupled with the depression years had a strong influence on the rate of development of the area. These two factors resulted in a slow amalgamation of the early individually held leases and the lack of ready finance to begin serious mining of the deposit. Initially, surface lead-silver-zinc mineralisation was proved and diamond drilling to shallow depths showed the presence of a viable orebody. Limited underground development work was initiated and open cutting associated with glory holing commenced. Due to the metallurgical problems associated with the ore and due also to unsuspected change in metallurgical conditions as the ore deepened into what is known today as the transition zone, major problems of finance were recurring at frequent intervals. Despite low metal prices the development of the mine continued due to continuing infusion of capital. During the 1939-45 war years a surplus of lead was being produced in Australia, but a grave shortage of copper was apparent. About this time copper ore had been found to the hanging wall of the then known major lead orebodies. At the request of the Australian Government, lead production ceased and copper production commenced.

Jan 1, 1970

By M. H. Loveman

THE orebody described below has been rediscovered and developed within the last 3 years. It has, however, been known and worked by the Chinese for hundreds of years. When assay values and size are considered, it contains what is probably one of the largest single bodies of zinc and lead sulphides yet found. The tonnages developed at other places, as at Broken Hill, are much greater but the average zinc and lead sulphide contents are considerably lower than at Bawdwin. Bawdwin is situated in the semi-independent State of Tawng Peng, one of the numerous units which make up the Northern Shan States. These States are under British rule and are generally considered as a portion of Burma. They are governed as a separate administrative unit, however, under the Lieutenant Governor of Burma. Each State is under its own chief, or Sawbwa, who has considerable power over his own subjects. Bawdwin is approximately in latitude N 23°6&apos;, longitude E 97°20&apos;, about 50 miles south of the nearest point on the Chinese border and 450 miles north of Rangoon (Fig. 1). The period at which mining was first begun at Bawdwin is unknown. The most reliable records have been obtained by deciphering local Chinese inscriptions and from these it is concluded that the work dates back to at least the beginning of the 15th century. The first undoubted reference to the mines by a European is by Symes in 1795. Crawford in 1827 estimated the output of silver from the mines at $600,000 annually. At about the middle of the 19th century the rebellion of the Chinese Mohammedans in the neighboring Chinese province of Yunnan so weakened the power of the Chinese that the incursions of hostile tribes (Kachins) made work extremely dangerous. The mines were finally abandoned by the Chinese about 1868. The closing down of the mines was probably not entirely due to outside causes but may have been influenced somewhat by the increasing difficulty of handling the water, as the workings gradually descended below the water level of the district. Several attempts were made by the Burmese kings, Mindon Min and Thebaw, to resume operations, but because of a

Jan 12, 1916

By Francis Clark

WHEN 60:40 brass is heated to 825° C., given a drastic quench to obtain the beta solid solution, and reheated, various changes take place in the structure. Reheating at 200° C. causes a fine, granular, sorbitic structure to appear which has been considered alpha solid solution. These particles coalesce at higher temperatures of reheating, and at 470° C., the alpha forms twins. A further study of these transformations was considered worth investigating. EXPERIMENTAL WORK The object of the experimental work was to study the effect of mechanical work on rolled 60:40 brass, quenched and reheated, and the mechanism of twinning in the alpha reeds of a furnace-cooled specimen. It was desired to determine the effect of mechanical work on the transformations taking place on reheating the quenched material, both at 200 and at 470° C. A study of the nature of the structure resulting from the breakdown of the beta at 200° C. and a study of the mechanism of twinning above 470° C. were considered problems for investigation. The question of the twinning of the alpha reeds was also an important phase of the work. With high-power magnifications, there was hope of following these processes.

Jan 1, 1927