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By James E. Lawver

A SURVEY of Minerals Beneficiation Div. membership indicated genuine interest in automatic process control, but revealed that the average mill is operating with a minimum of self-regulating devices. Apparently, the mill operators are content to continue without controls until the practicality of self-regulating devices is more generally accepted, or, in the opinion of the writer, until automatic controls become a necessity to meet economic demands of product quality and cost. Both to stimulate interest in control, and to solicit publication of technical know-how by members and equipment manufacturers, this paper presents a cross section of control problems in two general categories: (a) Control problems that can usually be solved by reference to the literature, i.e. controls that have proven successful in the mineral or chemical industries; (b) Problems that are troublesome and frequently unsolved due to unavoidable adverse conditions in the mill circuit to be controlled.

Jan 10, 1953

By T. Egleston

In the year 1881 I presented to the Institute two papers containing the resnlts of researches on gold, in which I endeavored to make plain some of the causes of the losses in the working of gold-ores. Since that time I have continued this investigation at intervals with the following results. In the papers previously presented to the Institute I made no attempt to make compounds containing more than two substances. Since then I have endeavored to make more complex compounds. The experiments consist in fusing mispickel free from gold with a certain amount of metallic gold, and experimenting with that; also fusing the same mineral with sulphide of antimony, and fusing iron pyrites with gold and compounds of antimony. The mixture was made with mispickel taken from a vein not far from Stamford, Conn., absolutely free from gold. It was fused

Jan 1, 1884

By James S. Browning

The Mineral Resources Institute and State Mine Experiment Station of the University of Alabama conducted Humphreys spiral tests on fine coal waste from nine preparation plants of Alabama strip mining operations to determine the feasibility of recovering low ash and sulfur fuel meeting steam coal specifications. The ash in the samples ranged from 9 - 5l%, and the total sulfur ranged from 0.4J- 2.39%. Continuous laboratory tests using a Humphreys spiral gave good recovery of the coal with excellent rejection of the ash and pyritic sulfur. Coal recoveries of 83.6 - 94.1% were achieved from the different samples. Ash content of the clean coal products fell within a range of 5 - 12.2%, with a total sulfur content of 0.62 and 1.10%. In quality, the products were comparable or superior to those now being shipped from the preparation plants.

Jan 1, 1980

By D. A. Crerar, R. L. P. Kleinmann, R. R. Pacelli

A bacterium, Thiobacillus ferrooxidans, is of prime importance in the formation of acid drainage from pyritic material. Above pH 4.5, T. ferrooxidans increases initial acidification; below pH 4.5, it allows acidification to continue by oxidizing Fe2 +. Below a pH of approximately 2.5, the activity of F3+ is significant and results in steady-state cycling between oxidation of pyrite by Fe3 + and bacterial oxidation of Fe2 +. Laboratory and field tests demonstrate that inhibition of T. ferrooxidans by controlled release of anionic detergents can inexpensively reduce pyrite oxidation and acid formation.

Jan 1, 1982

By George Ashley

IT has been said that the Pittsburgh bed is the most valuable single mineral deposit yet known to man. The figures in Table 1 are presented in substantiation of that claim. TABLE 1.-Pittsburgh Coal Bed to Dec. 31, 1934 Estimated Recov- State Thousands of ( Value erable Reserves Tons Mined (1935), Thousands of Tons Pennsylvania 3,144,000 $4,922,000 7,500,000 Ohio 493,391 843,699 3,000,000 West Virginia 650,000 1,027,000 5,500,000 Maryland 183,224 254,681 20,000 Totals 4,470,615 $7,047,380 16,020,000 PRODUCTION AND VALUE In order that the figures of Table 1 may have any weight, a statement must be made to show how they were arrived at. Because, to the writer's knowledge, no accurate separate figures ever have been kept of the production and value of the Pittsburgh coal bed, the states will be considered separately.

Jan 1, 1936

By Frank A. Crossley

The work described has one serious shortcoming: grain size was not monitored during heat up to the temperature (1675°F) of isothermal anneal. The chief obstacles to p grain growth in titanium a-ß structures are the a grains. Heating a structure such as that shown in Fig. 1 to a temperature close to ß transus causes dissolution of a grains in order to adjust the a/ß ratio, compare Figs. 1 and 2. During this process there is a concomitant growth of the ß grains—otherwise ß grains would have to be nucleated in order to adjust the a/ß ratio. When the annealing temperature is reached the a/ß ratio stabilizes and this initial phase of ß grain growth ceases. After an incubation period growth resumes as described. Some 0 grain boundaries can be clearly seen in Fig. 1. (Skilled metallography commonly produces photomicrographs which show more structural detail than direct observation.) These boundaries suggest that the average ß grain size is approximately 0.002

Jan 1, 1970

By Don Hendricks, Alan Dahlstrand

Introduction The subjects discussed in this chapter deal with production planning, or more specifically, how the results of production planning may relate back to long-range planning and final pit design. The items discussed here are operating slopes, geometry, bench height, ore and waste faces, relationship to equipment selection, and computer methods. Many different ideas can be presented on these subjects, but this material is a recap of mining experience in the Butte ore body.

Jan 1, 1979

By Minoru Yamada, Eikichi Mohri

INTRODUCTION Most of the copper concentrates treated by the flash smelting furnace at Kosaka smelter come from "black ore" that is produced in the local mines nearby. The copper concentrates contain various impurities such as lead and zinc as shown below. [ ] These impurities are mainly concentrated into the flue dusts in the copper smelting system. The dust production rates of flash smelting furnace and converter at Kosaka smelter are, therefore, fairly high compared with other copper smelters. However, by recovering these valuable metals in the dusts systematically, profit-increase of the by-products must be expected. This also leads to the solution of environmental pollution problems and enables us to establish the technical completion of complex sulfide ore treatment by flash smelting process. HISTORY OF DUST TWATMENT AT KOSAKA SMELTER 1) December in 1967 to January in' 1969 Since the flash smelting furnace started its operation in December 1967, all the dusts from the furnace had been recycled. Only conver-

Jan 1, 1976

By Thomas L. Watson

My thanks are due to Mr. Frank Firmstone, Easton, Pa., who has called my attention to the statement in my paper' that " Barite, fluorite and quartz, thougll not observed in the Tennessee area," ... as possibly misleading to the reader, if construed to mean that such a discovery had never been made. Mr. Firmstone is correct in assuming that this statement referred only to the study of the worked areas of the metallic ores, especially zinc, made in the course of the survey upon which my paper was based. The occurrence of barite and fluorite with lead-ores in Tennessee was reported by Prof. Safford? in 1869, and by Safford and Killebrew? in 1887, with the further statement that about 1,000,000 lb. of barite were annually mined in Greene, Washington and Jefferson counties, Tenn., and that considerable deposits occur also in McMinn, Smith and other counties. It is also noted that the barite " usually occurs in veins, associated with galena." The present worked areas of barite are, however, distinct barite propositions, without workable quantities of either lead or zinc, so far as mining operations have gone, and the areas are more or less removed from the present areas of zinc-ores. Mr. Firmstone informs me also that, in 1892, he observed, in the magnesian limestone at Watauga Point, in Carter county, on the left bank of the Watauga river, a little below the mouth of Buffalo creek, small quantities of galena and some fluorite.

Jan 1, 1907

[ALBERTA, UNIV. OF AZIZ, Khalid FLOCK, Gerald L HART, Richard T NAOER, Walter SCHEIDEGGER, Adrian E SHIELS, David Alexander ALUMINUM CO. OF AMER. GAYLE, Douglas Z MINTER, John L MOORE, Thomas C NEUSTAEDTER, J A REISS, Royal W SPEYRER, Henry R AMARILLO OIL CO. BEST, John B Jr COX, Arthur F GRAY, Stanley F Jr KEENS, Roy J MORRIS, Edward S TIPTON, J A WHITIS, Thurman S]

Jan 1, 1961

By Norikazu Hashimoto

SILICIDE coatings on refractory metals are often applied by transporting a silicon halide vapor to a hot metal surface . The coatings are usually grown by solid-state diffusion reaction. The diffusion is often slower than the vapor transport and hence may become rate-controlling.

Jan 1, 1968

By W. W. Simpson, W. L. Staker, R. G. Sandberg

The Bureau of Mines investigated selective extraction of Au and Ag from a low-grade Au ore containing Hg. Gold and silver were extracted from the ore in cyanide slurries, and Hg extraction was suppressed with sodium or calcium sulfide. Maximum Au extraction and minimum Hg extraction were obtained using solutions containing 17 kg NaCN/t of solution (0.34 lb NaCN/st). Increasing the cyanide concentration increased Hg extraction without increasing Au extraction. Mercury extraction from the ore was suppressed with 0.5-2.9 kg CaS/kg Hg (0.5-2.9 lb/lb) in the ore. Gold-to-mercury ratios of 100:1 to 400:1 were obtained in the leach solution, and on the activated carbon in a CIP circuit.

Jan 1, 1985

By G. H. Lovell, W. J. Parton, J. J. Crane

IN 1949 Lehigh Navigation Coal began a study to improve its mining methods. At this time the company mines were using conventional breast and pillar and slant chute methods to mine the. steeply pitching coal (40º to 90º). Mining costs were high, the miners' productivity low. There were many hazards typical of the methods employed. Coal seams in the Panther Creek Valley area of the southern anthracite field form a syncline dipping 40" to the south and 75º to 80º to the north, the lowest point 1500 ft from surface. Several contiguous veins 7 to 50 ft thick are mined. Characteristic folding is shown in Fig. 1.

Jan 3, 1957

By E. S. Noe, D. S. Arnold, C. E. Polson

Reactors of today and tomorrow require a high uniformity of their fuel elements despite the wide variety of uranium raw materials from the far corners of the earth. To meet these quality standards metallurgists have been working to design production methods capable of yielding reactor feed materials whose maximum impurities are specified in parts per million, whose physical limits are expressed in thousands of an inch, and whose density variations are less than 1 pct. Such requirements are necessary to maintain normal neutron flow in the atomic reactor and to insure that the isotopic content of the feed material is maintained within narrow limits. Uranium ores and concentrates are produced in many sections of the world, including the Belgian Congo, South Africa, Australia, Canada, and the Colorado Plateau of the U. S. Ores from many of the larger deposits are relatively low grade, and these are concentrated near the mine site before shipment to refining centers, but high grade ores may be shipped directly to refineries.

Jun 1, 1956

By D. Lum

The limestone resources of Hawaii are derived chiefly from emerged fringing coral reef and coastal dune deposits of Pleistocene age. These deposits are most abun¬dant on the island of Oahu and other older islands and least abundant on the island of Hawaii, the youngest. Their origin and depositional environment were influenced by glacio-eustatic rising and falling of sea levels during Pleis¬tocene time. Dredged reef limestone deposits from two deep-water harbor projects have provided additional re¬sources. Limestone uses include cement and lime manufac¬turing, concrete sand and aggregate, road base material, beach sand replenishment, agricultural lime, and golf course construction.

Jan 1, 1984

By Nicholas J. Grant, Chih-Chung Wang

TO phase of the Ti-0 system has the structure of NaCl and has a wide range of solid solubility.' In the course of studying the Ti-Cr-0 ternary system, binary alloys were made of iodide titanium and high purity TiO,. It was found from X-ray studies of the binary alloys that a transformation of the TiO appears to take place at a temperature near 925°C. Evidence of this phase change is best seen in Fig. 1. Fig. 1A shows the X-ray spectrometer pattern (CUKa radiation) of an alloy of 25 wt pct 0 corresponding to the stoichiometric composition of TiO.

Jan 1, 1957

By R. W. Braund

THE Tracy mine is within the corporate limits of Negaunee, Mich. The tract of land comprising the Tracy group lies on the east end of the Marquette Iron Range between adjoining mined-out properties on the north and south. Since acquiring the Tracy lands in 1921, Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. has completed about 115,- 000 ft of surface diamond drilling, partially outlining five orebodies. Now that mining has started, one or more underground drills are in constant operation to obtain information that will aid mine development planning. Some 20,000 ft of underground drilling have been completed to date.

Jan 1, 1958

By M. N. Nabighian, J. R. Odekirk, D. M. Hausen

Preliminary investigations based on the concept of cross-power indicate that quantitative volume percentages of minerals, including quartz, orthoclase, plagioclase, fluorite, and chalcopyrite can be obtained by X-ray diffraction analysis. Pulverized samples are scanned from 4° to 65°, 2e, using a Norelco diffractometer, with the output recorded on a punched tape at 40 intervals per degree, 29. Errors from crystal orientation are minimized by (1) gridded surface packing, (2) sample spinning, and (3) quantitative measurement of all major diffraction peaks. Computer programming enables rapid quantitative evaluation of X-ray diffraction data. Results to date indicate that most minerals analyses can be performed within an accuracy of ±2%. Metallurgical applications include analysis of various flotation concentrates and tailings.

Jan 1, 1973

By M. L. Jeremic

The massive Pb-Zn-Ag sulfide ore body is originated at the contact between the porphyry (footwall) and volcanic (hanging wall). The ore zone is folded and refolded, which results in two different structural geometries of the individual ore bodies. This requires both shrinkage and cut-and-fill mining methods. Strong bedrock resists caving after shrinkage stope completion, so high stress zones are developed below and above the mined area. The cut-and fill system has a limited destressing mechanism, where the stope walls with a backfill exhibiting stress close to a primitive one. This results in closure deformation of the open stope walls, yielding deformations of crown pillars and roof falls of the wide stope backs.

Jan 1, 1985

By Robert Mehl

IT has been shown that quenched iron of high purity exhibits a Widmanstätten figure much resembling martensite in appearance.1 This figure exhibits a maximum of four directions of the surface traces that characterize it, suggesting that a Fe forms from y Fe in plates parallel to the {111}, octahedral, planes in the y lattice. Because of this, and also because of the general similarity to the structural appearance of martensite and to the Widmanstätten figure obtaining in slowly cooled hypoeutectoid steels it has been suggested2 that the orientation relation-ships obtaining between the y and a phases in pure iron are identical with those demonstrated in martensite3 and in slowly cooled hypoeutectoid steels,4 and indeed that the crystallographic mechanism of formation of a Fe from y Fe is the basic mechanism determining the orientation relation-ships found in both martensite and in slowly cooled hypoeutectoid steels. This paper will present experimental evidence in support of this view.

Jan 1, 1934