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By Edwin R. Phelps

In the year 1900 about 212 million tons of bituminous coal were produced in the United States. Almost none of this was produced by surface mines (Fig. 1), because there was no large equipment suitable for stripping overburden at that time. By 1915 the surface mines had built up their capability largely through use of the steam shovel to the point that they produced 2.8 million tons of the nation's total production of 443 million tons. Over the intervening years between 1915 and 1970 surface mining provided a continually increasing percentage of the nation's bituminous coal, stimulated by the growing availability of giant surface mining machines, some of which are presently capable of removing 220 cu yd of earth with one bite of their mighty buckets. In 1970 the nation's surface mines produced 244 million tons of bituminous coal, over 40% of the total national production. On the other hand, the nation's underground mines hit a peak of 560 million tons in 1920, dropped to a low of 273 million tons in 1961, and are presently on a very slow rise. Environmental pressures generally oppose surface mining, and have forced coal companies to consider more underground mining in future planning. Also, since strippable reserves are decreasing in the eastern states, an increase in underground mining is expected over the coming years. However, in the western states there are enormous reserves to be extracted by surface methods. Why has surface mining increased, while underground mining has decreased? It's largely a matter of economics. The cost per ton is greatly reduced by surface mining because of the relative ease of obtaining the coal. Also, there is a much greater percentage of coal recovery-nearly 85% in surface mines within the minable area, as compared to an average of about 50% in underground mines. Much surface mining recovers coal that could not be extracted by underground methods because of coal bed thinness, or multiple beds close together, split seams, the nature of the roof, and other geologic conditions. What are some of the limitations of surface mining? First of all, with presently available machinery it is difficult to surface mine at depths

Jan 1, 1973

By S. C. Sun, T. Chao

The reaction of gaseous sulfur trioxide with different aluminum-bearing minerals for the conversion of their alumina content into water soluble sulfates has been investigated. Theoretical considerations indicate that this reaction is thermodynamically feasible and that preferential sulfatization can be accomplished. The five minerals tested were gibbsite, boehmite, diaspore, kaolinite, and halloysite. In general, over 90% sulfatization could be achieved in 1 hr when using sodium sulfate as an additive at a temperature between 500° and 600°C. It was found that sulfates of the light alkali and alkaline earth metals exhibited some effectiveness in promoting the sulfa-tizing reaction. Selective sulfatization of alumina in a mixture of calcined halloysite and ferric oxide was accomplished. The gas-solid type of sulfatizing reactions have become increasingly important in recent years for the treatment of the oxides of such nonferrous metals as cobalt,' nickel,' manganese,3 zinc, and copper.4-6 Similar reactions were attempted in the present investigation for the recovery of aluminum from the low grade aluminous ores. Unlike the Bayer process in which silica is a serious contaminant, or the acid processes whereby iron usually causes difficulties, the reactions between gaseous sulfur trioxide and various aluminous minerals could hopefully be selective for aluminum. THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS Reactions between aluminum-bearing minerals and gaseous sulfur trioxide have been shown respectively in Table I and Fig. 1 to be thermodynamically favorable for temperatures below 1000°K approximately. Calculations of the thermodynamic functions were where ?G, ?H, ?Cp and ?S are changes in free energy, enthalpy, constant-pressure specific heat, and entropy of the system under consideration, respectively; T is the absolute temperature, R the universal gas constant, and K the equilibrium constant. Thermochemical data so far available for these calculations were based on sources given by T. Chao.7 In Table I, the free energy values indicate that reactions between the gaseous sulfur trioxide and

Jan 1, 1968

By George A. Moore, Donald P. Smith

In spite of many investigations of the occlusion of hydrogen in iron, the nature of the process and the reasons for the accompanying effects upon the metal are still open questions. This is in large part due to three causes: (1) the difficulty of obtaining iron of adequate purity as starting material; (2) the occurrence of allotropic transformations, which complicate the effects; and (3) the fact that the body-centered cubic modification does not lend itself readily to crystallographic investigation. The present paper attempts a critical review and correlation of the somewhat scattered and disconnected existing observations, and an experimental determination of the extent to which the conclusions that appear to follow from these are applicable to iron of really high purity, studied under well-defined conditions. Review Although only a comparatively few investigations have so far been made on the pure system iron-hydrogen, there is a much larger volume of literature which throws some light on the problem but falls short of a place in the systematic investigations, either because no attempt was made to measure equilibrium conditions or because the metal used was not iron or the gas not pure hydrogen. Such results have been variously dismissed in the past as of no importance, or as too complicated to try to explain; or they have been explained in terms of any of a dozen or more pictures, each of which is contradicted by data from other sources. The present importance of these data thus arises from their very mass and diversity, which present a picture of occlusion as a phenomenon whose variability cannot be ignored. We have attempted to organize the literature into groups comprising similar experiments or data leading to similar conclusions, thus of necessity sacrificing accuracy of historical order. Lattice Occlusion.—Throughout this discussion, the term "lattice occlusion" will be used to denote the formation of a simple solid solution of a gas in a metal lattice, usually of interstitial distribution. The word

Jan 1, 1939

By George A. Moore, Donald P. Smith

In spite of many investigations of the occlusion of hydrogen in iron, the nature of the process and the reasons for the accompanying effects upon the metal are still open questions. This is in large part due to three causes: (1) the difficulty of obtaining iron of adequate purity as starting material; (2) the occurrence of allotropic transformations, which complicate the effects; and (3) the fact that the body-centered cubic modification does not lend itself readily to crystallographic investigation. The present paper attempts a critical review and correlation of the somewhat scattered and disconnected existing observations, and an experimental determination of the extent to which the conclusions that appear to follow from these are applicable to iron of really high purity, studied under well-defined conditions. Review Although only a comparatively few investigations have so far been made on the pure system iron-hydrogen, there is a much larger volume of literature which throws some light on the problem but falls short of a place in the systematic investigations, either because no attempt was made to measure equilibrium conditions or because the metal used was not iron or the gas not pure hydrogen. Such results have been variously dismissed in the past as of no importance, or as too complicated to try to explain; or they have been explained in terms of any of a dozen or more pictures, each of which is contradicted by data from other sources. The present importance of these data thus arises from their very mass and diversity, which present a picture of occlusion as a phenomenon whose variability cannot be ignored. We have attempted to organize the literature into groups comprising similar experiments or data leading to similar conclusions, thus of necessity sacrificing accuracy of historical order. Lattice Occlusion.—Throughout this discussion, the term "lattice occlusion" will be used to denote the formation of a simple solid solution of a gas in a metal lattice, usually of interstitial distribution. The word

Jan 1, 1939

By J. A. Dos Santos

High angle conveyor (HA C) systems in open-¬pit mining offer many advantages over the traditional, truck only, haulage systems. These include superior energy efficiency, less dependency on petroleum products, less sensitivity to inflation, less excavation for the amount of ore recovered, and less ramp construction and maintenance costs. Various high angle conveying systems and the corresponding characteristics of the high angle conveyor are illustrated. Discussion includes the range of HAC systems from the low capacity (up to 1.8 kt/h or 2000 stph), low lift (10.7 to 36.6 m or 35 to 120 ft), continuously mobile to the moderate capacity (1.8 to 3.6 kt/h or 2000 to 4000 stph), moderate lift (36.6 to 76.2 m or 120 to 250 ft), intermittently mobile to the high capacity (greater than 3.6 kt/h or 4000 stph), high lift (greater than 76.2 m or 250 ft), semimobile. Combinations of the above as required for the various open-pit mining operations are also discussed.

Jan 1, 1985

By G. A. Alers, J. H. Bechtold, R. W. Armstrong

The plastic flow of .molybdenum was studied in compression at temperatures below the ductile-to-brittle transition in tension. It was found that molybdenum is ductile in compression at all temperatures down to —196°C. The yield strength continues to increase with decreased test temperature below the tensile ductile-to-brittle transition temperature range. Difficulty was encountered in correlating the experimental data obtained with existing theories of plastic flow. THE body-centered-cubic metals as a group show a rapid and very large increase in yield strength with decreasing test temperature.' It is of fundamental importance to the understanding of the mechanism of plastic flow that this general characteristic be examined carefully. Unfortunately, brittle fracture in low-temperature tensile tests prohibits the measurement of flow properties at very low temperatures. By using compression tests, fracture can be suppressed and the plastic flow of the bcc metals can be studied far below their tensile ductile-to-brittle transition temperatures. Molybdenum was chosen for this experiment and plastic-flow data were obtained down to —196°C.

Jan 1, 1959

By Samuel S. Wyer

The following abbreviations hare been used in the text: Am. Mfr. and Iron World. American Manufacturer and Iron World, Pittsburg, Pa. Can. Min. Rez;. Canadian Mininy Review, Ottawa, Can. Cuss. Mag. Cassier's Mayazine, New York, N. Y. Col. Eng. Colliery Engineer, Scranton, Pa. Col. Guard. Colliery Guardian, London, Eog. Eng. and Min. Jour. Engineering and Mining Journal, New York, N. Y. Eng. News. Engineering News, New York, N. Y. Engr. Engineering, London, Eng. J. I. and 8. I. Journal of the Iron and Steel Institute, London, Eng. Jour. W. Soc. of Engrs. Journal Western Society of Engineers, Chicago, Ill. Lond. Eng. The Engineer, London, Eng. Mines and Min. Mines and Minerals, Scranton, Pa. North of Eng. I. M. E. North of England Institute of Mining Engineers, Newcastle-on-Tyne, England. Oester. Zeitsch f. Berg u. Hüt. Oesterreichische Zeitschrift für Berg-und Hittenwesen, Vienna, Austria. Pract. Engr. Practical Engineer, London, Eng. Proc. I. C! E. Proceedings Institution of Civil Engineers, London, Eng. Trans. A. I. M. E. Transactions American Institute of Mining Engineers, New York, N. Y. Trans. A. S. M. E. Transactions American Society Mechanical Engineers, New York, N. I!. Duns. Fed. I. M. E, Transuctions Federated Institute Mining Engineers, Newcastle-on-Tgne, England. Trans. L 31. E. Transactions Institute Mining Engineers, Newcastle-on-Tyne, England.

Jan 1, 1907

By W. Bonfield

A study has been made of the dislocation substructures produced in hot-pressed beryllium specimens strained to various levels in the range from 800 x 10-6 In. pev in. to fracture. A number of distinctive dislocation configurations were observed in this region which had not been noted at lower levels of strain. These included dislocation-dislocation interactions to form networks, dislocation "walls", subgrain boundaries and complex arrays, interactions between dislocations and large beryllium oxide particles, and the generation of dislocations from certain particles. The nature of these differences in substructure and their relation to the stress-strain characteristics of polycrystalline beryllium are discussed. In a previous study1 of the plasticity of commercial-purity, hot-pressed beryllium a transition was found in the deformation characteristics in the mi-crostrain region. The initial plastic deformation could be represented by a parabolic stress-strain equation, but above a critical stress there was a complete departure from this relation and a reduction in the strain-hardening rate. The dislocation configurations produced by various levels of micro-strain in this region were examined by transmission electron microscopy and a general correlation was established between the observed transition in deformation characteristics and the dislocation structure of the material. The two stages in the micro-strain region distinguished in these experiments were designated as Stage A' and Stage B'. Stage A' type deformation generally was noted up to a plastic strain of -80 x 10"6 in. per in. and Stage B' type from -80 x 10-6 to -800 x 10'6 in. per in. The discovery of two stages in the microstrain region naturally posed pertinent questions as to the existence of any further distinct stages in the subsequent plastic deformation. The purpose of this paper is to present a study of the dislocation configurations produced in similar beryllium specimens strained to various levels in the range from -800 x 10 in. per in. to fracture and to discuss the relation between substructure and the stress-strain characteristics. It is concluded that this region of strain can be considered as a distinct stage in the plastic deformation of polycrystalline beryllium. Tensile specimens of gage length 1 in. and cross section 0.18 by 0.06 in. were prepared from commercial-purity, hot-pressed QMV beryllium and then annealed at 1100°C for 2 hr. 2 followed by a careful chemical polishing procedure.3 The specimens were strained at a constant rate to various levels of strain in the range from -800 x 10-6 in. per in. to fracture (at 0.5 to 2 pct elongation), using the Tuckerman strain-gage technique1 to measure plastic and total strain. Thin foils were obtained from the strained and fractured specimens by chemical polishing3 and were examined using an RCA-EMU 3 electron microscope. Considerable care waS taken to avoid both accidental deformation during the preparation of the thin foils and excessive heating during their examination. Selected-area diffraction patterns were determined for each micrograph. Tilting experiments were also performed whenever appropriate to establish the dislocation zero-contrast position and hence determine the Burgers vector. This operation was sometimes not possible due to the rapid contamination of the foils which occurred in the electron microscope. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION To enable the distinctions between the dislocation arrays at high and low strain levels to be adequately made, the main characteristics of Stage A' and Stage B' deformation are briefly reviewed. 1) Stage A'. In the annealed starting condition there was a variable density (5 x 107 to 3 x 10' cm per cu cm) of isolated dislocations within a grain. The initial deformation in a tensile specimen was heterogeneous, with the dislocation density increasing in a few grains to 5 x 10g to 1.5 x 101° cm per cu cm. The deformation occurred exclusively on the basal plane by the movement of one or more 1/3 (1130) type dislocation systems. The dislocations were long and regular in form and nearly all the intersections exhibited a simple four-point node configuration. No interactions between glide dislocations and beryllium oxide particles were observed. 2) Stage B. In Stage B' there was a large increase in the number of grains exhibiting dislocation movement and also a change in the nature of the deformation, in which jogged dislocations and elongated loops became the characteristic feature. The splitting up of the elongated loops into smaller loops and the possibility of source action from the re-

Jan 1, 1965

By J. J. Lillie

Sublevel stoping was first developed in the Michigan iron mines many years ago. Since that time this method, and modifications with long hole drilling, have been used in a number of non-ferrous mines and have been described in various papers and articles. With a few exceptions, the operations where sublevel methods have been applied are producers of large daily tonnages from ore bodies of considerable size. In selecting mining methods for small properties or relatively small detached ore bodies, sublevel methods often have been overlooked. The method has been used success- fully in relatively small operations at Copper Canyon, Nevada, and, more recently, in mining small ore bodies at Darwin, Calif. As a result of this experience, we believe that a review of the general procedure, the advantages noted, and the results obtained will be of interest to many operators of relatively small mines.

Jan 1, 1949

By Thomas L. Watson

A part of the field-seasons of 1900, 1901 and 1902 mas devoted by the writer to a study of the manganese ore-deposits of Georgia. A report embodying the results of this study is rapidly nearing completion, and when finished it will be published as a bulletin of the Geological Survey of Georgia. I believe, however, the importance of these deposits warrants a separate and earlier publication than that made possible by the Survey, in which the more important results of the study are briefly set forth. It is principally for this reason that the present paper has been prepared. Previous Work.—Some of the more important deposits of manganese occurring in the Paleozoic area of Georgia were studied to some extent previous to 1890 by Dr. Penrose;t and again in the early nineties by former State Geologist, J. W. Spencer. In a recent paper published in the Transactions, on the " Geological Relations of the Iron-Ores in the Cartersville District, Georgia," Dr. Hayes briefly mentions the manganeseores of the same district. Distribution of the Manganese-Ores.—Georgia is divisible into three geologically-distinct areas which, named in order from southeast to northwest, are (a), the Coastal Plain; (b), the Crys-

Jan 1, 1904

By Herbert Hoover

THE desire of the engineers over the last few years, growing out of their contact with public affairs, that this Institute should take a wider vision than the narrower field of technology and should apply its skill to the development of civic problems which must lay in their foundation on engineering, has led to this discussion today. Some of us in San Francisco, in discussing this question of the relation of the engineers to civic problems, raised the question as to whether or not in this national emergency it was not the duty of the Mining Engineers to bring, forward their combined skill and knowledge and experience to bear upon the problems of the coal industry. This industry, considered as a whole, is one of the worst functioning industries in the United States. It is equipped with capital, with machinery, plants and labor to a peak load at least 20 per cent. above the average necessity. This peak load, therefore, involves the use of probably 100,000 men diverted from other productive industries; it involves an intermittency of employment through its whole personnel that results not only in a long train of human woe, but results also in a higher cost of coal -to the general public. The problem of whether the industry can, by any device, be cured or even partially cured of its intermittency, is solely an engineering problem. It is therefore an apropos problem for this Institute. Your President and myself and others thought that we could best develop this discussion by calling upon men of large experience in the particular branches of the soft coal industry, to bring the facts in front of this general committee, with a view to an exhaustive discussion and perhaps subsequently the appointment of a committee to formulate those facts and such remedies as may be developed into a report that would be of constructive value.

Jan 3, 1920

By Chester Lee

Introduction THE Atlin Mining District is in the northwest corner of the Province of British Columbia. Ruby Creek, where the operation to be described is situated, is 17 miles east of the town of Atlin and about 18 miles south of the south line of Yukon Territory (Fig. 1). Gold was discovered in the district in January, 1898, and the production to date from placer mines has been $4,518,000, according to the reports of the Minister of Mines for-the province. Geology The essential points in the regional geology are given in the following paragraphs. Long erosion produced a plane-like surface slightly above sea level with a few peaks and ridges.1 A gradual uplift followed and. erosion increased, the streams cut deeper, the cuts so made being afterward increased by glaciation. The ice straightened and planed the slopes of the main valleys and widened and lowered their floors, in some cases flooring the valleys with silt, sand, gravel, and clay. As the glaciers rapidly retreated, lakes were formed.

Jan 5, 1916

By John Wulff, David A. Stevenson

The rates of solution of copper, nickel, and three copper-nickel alloys in liquid lead were studied at 527° and 727°C under dynamic conditions. The relative velocity at the solid-liquid interface was varied from 8.65 to 125 cm per sec. Analysis of the data for the pure metals indicates that the solution rate is transport corztrolled at lower velocities, but a transition to mixed control occurs at higher velocities, higher temperatures, and higher percent saturation. 1 HE present work concerns the effect of relative velocity at a solid-liquid interface on the dissolution kinetics of pure solid materials in liquid metals. This general problem is of interest in electrode kinetics, in electrolytic processes, and more recently in the field of liquid metal corrosion. Considerable work has been done on dissolution kinetics in aqueous environments because of the obvious importance to electrolytic processes.1,2 In purely metallic systems investigation has been more limited. There are, of course, extensive data from loop tests which are used in an engineering evaluation of liq- uid metal corrosion. Here, however, the dissolution process is complicated by several interdependent processes. In general, one of two factors is considered to be rate limiting in the dissolution process: the transport of material from the solid-liquid interface into the bulk liquid, or an activation process directly at the interface. A number of studies of the dissolution rates of solid metals in liquid metals under static conditions have been published.3- Since the attendant hydrodynamic conditions imposed by thermal gradient convection and concentration gradient convection are difficult to analyze, it is doubtful if a clear interpretation of the experimental findings of these papers in terms of the mechanism involved in the dissolution process can be made. A clearer picture of the dissolution process is provided by

Jan 1, 1962

By D. I. Bardos

The occurrence of Laves phases (AB,) in various binary alloy systems has been reviewed in recent papers.13 Iron forms Laves phases with Sc-, Ti-, V- and Cr-group elements. However, two of the corresponding Laves phases with cobalt, namely MoCo, and WCo,, are missing. Nickel forms binary Laves phases with Sc and Y, but not with any Ti-, V-, or Cr-group element. These conditions are schematically illustrated in Table I. That electron concentration is a significant factor in determining which type of Laves phase is formed in a given case was recognized long ago by Laves and Witte,4 This concept has been more recently applied to Laves phases formed by transition ele-ments. It now appears that the average electron concentration (average number of electrons per atom outside of the closed shells of the component atoms) may be an important factor also in determining whether or not a Laves phase can occur at all in a given system. As shown in Table I, in the transition element systems considered Laves phases are absent at electron concentrations of 8, or larger (to the right and below the double line in Table I). These absences clearly cannot be accounted for on atomic size considerations, as evidenced by the many inconsistencies apparent in Table 11. While the ideal radius ratio for Laves phases is 1.222, in the systems which do have Laves phases the ratios of CN 12 radii range from 1.10 to 1.46. The consistent absence of Laves phases at RA/RB< 1.10 might be attributed to the low values of these radius ratios. However, Table II shows that absences also occur irregularly throughout the radius ratio range covered. In a previous paper7 it was concluded that, in transition element systems forming u-phases, silicon may act as an acceptor of electrons, thus stabilizing the u-phase at electron concentrations higher than

Jan 1, 1962

By Isaac Vera, Hans Ruge

The El Soldado copper mineralization occurs as relatively high-grade irregular ore bodies with assay contacts and with frequent inclusions of barren rock. The sampling methods must be timely for production grade control purposes, as well as accurate and inexpensive. Sampling techniques evolved from sampling dump cars at the haulage level to sampling Scooptrams at the loading pockets. These methods were abandoned in favor of sampling production blastholes. Several sampling alternatives are discussed. These involve the selection of optimum volumes and sampling frequencies while taking into consideration geological parameters and statistical analyses of sampling data.

Jan 1, 1985

By Persifor Frazer

(Read at the Wilkes-Barre Meeting, May, 1877.) A CLASSIFICATION of natural objects is usually based either upon some fundamental and permanent attribute of the thing itself (as in the case of scientific classifications), or it embraces one or more generalizations convenient for use in ordinary life. Thus, it suffices for the statistician to, know that so many tons of fish are annually taken by our fishermen, and that they realize so many thousands of dollars, whereas to the student of natural history the anatomy, habits, and relationships of the animals are of chief interest, as settling their respective places in the scale of animate nature. Many different classifications of coals have been attempted, as one would naturally anticipate from the immense extent of the coal trade, and the different localities whence the supply was derived. The English divisions were prevalent up to the date of the publication of the last geological survey of the State, except so far as they were modified by local designations. Indeed, Rogers&apos; classifications made very little alteration in the English nomenclature, as may be seen by comparing. the tables given below. To commence with the different kinds mentioned in Ure&apos;s Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines of 1845 " 1. Cubical Coal.-Black, shining, compact, moderately hard and easily frangible. Comes out in rectangular masses, of which the

Jan 1, 1878

By D. V. Doane, G. A. Timmons, W. G. Scholz

Molybdenum of high purity can be produced by direct dissociatiott of commercial molyhdenm disulfide in vacuo at 1600° to 1700°C (2910° to 3090°F). The Product is lower in oxygen than commercially available molybdenzdm powder. Analyses of ingots arc-cast from commercial molybdenum powder, hydrogen-re-cluced from animonium molybdate, and from thermally dissociated molybdenum disulfide indicate that the levels of chemical impurities in these ingots are similar. Equipment now in operation will produce 100-lb hatches of powder product. The paper describes development of processing equipment, control of processing varzahles, handling of the product, and evaluatiotl of the melal produced. MOLYBDENITE (molybdenum disulfide) can be decomposed by heat in the absence of oxygen to produce elemental molybdenum and sulfur, which is evolved as a gas. The temperatures required for the dissociation are above 1370°C (2500°F); the sulfur must be continuously withdrawn to permit the reaction to proceed to completion. This is accomplished by continuous evacuation of the thermal dissociation chamber and condensation of the gaseous sulfur in another part of the system. Cognizance of the fact that the dissociation takes place in two steps is important in controlling the process. Basically, the molybdenite dissociation process has two potential advantages as a method of produc- ing pure molybdenum: 1) The materials entering into the process contain little or no oxygen. Since the process is carried out in vacuum at high temperature, the quantities of interstitial oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen in the product should be very low. 2) The process is more direct than the commercia1 method of producing high-purity molybdenum. In the conventional process, molybdenite is roasted to molybdic oxide, the oxide is purified first by sublimation, then by conversion to ammonium molybdate, and finally, the molybdate is reduced in a hydrogen atmosphere (usually in two steps) to the metal lic molybdenum powder. This paper presents a description of the stages in scaling-up of the dissociation equipment and an account of attempts to evaluate the molybdenum produced by thermal dissociation, rather than a report of a fundamental study of the dissociation reaction. Since little has been written on the subject, it is appropriate, before detailing the development of the process, to review briefly the research that has been conducted over quite a period of years. LITERATURE SURVEY The first accounts of the possibility of thermal dissociation of the mineral molybdenite were re-

Jan 1, 1962

By D. W. Fuerstenau, D. A. Sullevan

In the experimental work for this comparison of wet and dry grinding, it was found that the size distributions for wet grinding operations are characterized by a constant value of the distribution modulus, (a; whereas, for dry grinding the distribution modulus decreases slightly with increased size reduction. Wet grindability seems independent of the weight of material in the mill while dry grindability depends on weight. Experimental data and eqmtions for each process are presented for noncleavable isotropic material, for cleavable or material in which there is some form of internal stress, and for energy consumption. The equation ED/EW=BK-? (where ED and Ew are, respectively, energy for wet and dry grinding, k is the size modulus, and B and ? are constants) was found to give the ratio of energy. Dry grinding is generally considered to require more energy than wet grinding. Taggart&apos; states that power consumption in wet grinding ranges from 60 to 90 pct of that required for dry grinding. Bond&apos; states that dry grinding requires one third more power than wet grinding. It is interesting that Rose and Sullivan&apos; note this same difference in power required for wet and dry grinding, but they state that on purely mechanical grounds it is difficult to see any great difference in fundamental principles between wet and dry milling, since dry milling may be regarded as wet milling with a fluid of low viscosity (i.e., air vs water). Yet it must be the viscosity of the fluid that is responsible for the differences between wet and dry grinding. Probably the most comprehensive investigation comparing wet and dry grinding has been that made by Coghill and Devaney. They compared the grind-ability of both chert and dolomite in a 19x36-in. batch ball mill under both wet and dry conditions. In these tests the weight of ore in the mill was varied from 35 to 200 lb and each grinding test was carried out for such period of time that the amount of -200-mesh material in the product was essentially the same for each test with a given material. Cog-hill and DeVaney&apos;s data for the grindability of dolomite, which are reproduced in Fig. 1, show that a comparison between wet and dry grinding is com- plex. The comminution of a material by a wet grinding method is characterized by a constant grindability over a wide range of mill loadings. Since grindability is the weight of material comminuted per unit of energy expended, it is equivalent to (w)/ (p)(t), where W is the weight of material being ground, P is the power, and t is the grinding time. In the case of wet grinding, the grindability of dolomite in the Coghill and DeVaney experiments was 0.546 * 0.009 ton per hp-hr when the load of dolomite in the mill ranged from 50 to 200 lb. On the other hand, for dry grinding no such simple relationship was found to exist between power, time, and weight of material in the mill. Dry grinding efficiency appears to depend greatly upon the amount of material within the mill. When the mill contained

Jan 1, 1961

As knowledgeable men in the industry know, a mineral occurrence is found through prospecting but an ore deposit is "made" -made through, first, imaginative and effective exploration; thence through efficient engineering, sales and management. There are two main phases of exploration-reconnaissance and target investigation-each of which can be further divided into two additional stages (see accompanying table). The search for a new ore deposit within a known and geologically mapped mining district involves only the last two stages, whereas the search for a new orebody in a virgin geologic environment involves at least three stages and often the full sequence. Of course, some of the exploration stages may be bypassed depending on available results of previous mineral surveys and/or exploration by individuals, business concerns, and governments.

Jan 10, 1967

By R. S. Goodrich, G. S. Ansell

The microstructure of three Al-Al2O3 SAP-Type alloys (containing 2.0, 3.0, and 5.7 wt pct alumina, respectively) was studied utilizing transmission electron microscopy. These alloys were fabricated from aluminum powders by powder-metallurgical techniques, cold-rolled into thin strips, and recrys -tallized. Thin foils suitable for an electron-transmission study were then prepared from the strip material by electropolishing. The microstructure of these alloys is shown to consist of small (0.1 mean diameter) plate -shaped alumina particles finely distributed in an aluminum matrix. In the higher-oxide content alloys the platelets are somewhat larger and more irregular in shape. The distribution of oxide particles is not uniform and there is an increasing tendency toward clumping SINCE the discovery by Irmann1 that aluminum alloys produced by compacting, hot pressing, and extruding fine aluminum powders possess remarkable high-temperature mechanical properties, the Al-A12O3 SAP-Type alloys have been utilized extensively as model dispersion-strengthened alloys in both experimental and theoretical invest igations.2-8 The use of the SAP-Type alloys as model dispersion-strengthened alloys implicitly assumes that their microstructure has been completely delineated. This is, however, not the case. with increasing oxide content. In all the alloys studied, the mean center-to-center spacing of particles was quite small (0.2 u) due to the very fine oxide debris present. Selected-area diffraction of the specimen identified the oxide as either y Al2O3 or y&apos; Al2o3. The re crystallized MD-5100 alloy exhibited a mean grain diameter of only 0.7u, while the grain size of the other alloys was several hundred microns. Severe pinning of the grain boundaries by oxide particles was rarely observed, and the grain boundary triple points in the small-grained MD-5100 alloy were often particle -free. Diffraction contrasts visible around the particles are attributed to elastic strain fields set up by differential thermal contraction during cooling from the recrystallization anneal. Early investigation demonstrated that optical metallography did not possess sufficient resolution to observe the microstructure of the SAP-Type alloys.&apos; Later, extensive use was made of replication techniques to study the microstructure by means of electron microscopy.7-9 These studies indicated that the SAP-Type alloys consist of a dispertion of irregular Al2O3 platelets, approximately 150A thick 9 and a micron or so on edge,9 distributed in a matrix of commercial-purity aluminum. These oxide platelets tend to be oriented in the aluminum matrix, with their largest dimension parallel to the extrusion direction. 8,9 A study employing polarized-light techniques1&apos; indicated that the grain size of a series of as-extruded SAP-Type alloys was several microns in diameter, while the grain size after re-crystallization was several millimeters in diameter. A more recent study 12 utilizing surface-replication techniques examined the particle morphology,

Jan 1, 1964