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By Wilbur T. Stuart

To assist the mining industry in attacking problems of water control, the U. S. Geological Survey has begun a program of research in mining hydrology. In certain fundamental respects water control is similar to development of water supplies from wells or to the drainage of agricultural lands, as many of the tools developed in recent years for quantitative ground-water problems are applicable, with modification, to mine-water problems. In 1952 a 30-day pumping test conducted jointly by the Eureka Corp. Ltd. and the Defense Minerals Exploration Agency provided an opportunity to gain knowledge concerning water movements around a flooded mine shaft. The methods of analyzing the data may be used as a guide for the evaluation of similar problems elsewhere.

Jan 2, 1955

By R. G. Ward, P. L. Sachdev

Using an improved maximum bubble pressure technique, the densities of iron silicates at 1400°C have been measured under nitrogen. At the wiistite composition the density has been measured by bubble-blowing experments with both argon and nitrogen and calculated from the measured volume of a known mass of melt under nitrogen. The densities under nitrogen are significantly different from those measured under argon for melts containing less than 28 wt pct SiO2. THE constitution of liquid slags is not well understood, largely because no single property or parameter can be measured which gives conclusive evi- dence of the types and packing of the ions present. Of the many property measurements which can provide information leading to a picture of the constitution of slags, density gives the most direct evidence and has been studied extensively. The work reported here is part of a program of study of densities in multicomponent melts in which the iron oxide-silica system is the solvent. These melts are important as they are fundamental to basic steelmaking, and they allow the study of basic silicate compositions which have hitherto been largely neglected. As considerable disparity exists

Jan 1, 1965

By Robert Lowrie

Nine intermetallic compounds were tested in tension at various temperatures. Seven exhibited extensive plastic deformation at elevated temperatures. Correlations of tensile strength and elongation are attempted with melting (decomposition) temperature, valence electron configurations of the component elements, heat of formation, crystal structure, density, and volume decrease accompanying compound formation. A LTHOUGH intermetallic compounds have been -tX known for many years, the study of their mechanical properties, particularly in tension, is just beginning. The problem has been unattractive because of the well-known, erratic behavior of brittle materials tested in tension. The strong influence of surface or internal flaws as stress raisers in non-ductile materials and the effect of eccentricity of loading in superimposing bending stresses on the state of tension in the specimen are extremely difficult to mitigate and impossible to completely eliminate. Thus, tensile properties determined for brittle materials, such as intermetallic compounds at temperatures low in comparison to their melting points, are at best only general guides to the values to be expected in an ideal test of a perfect specimen of the material. It is, nevertheless, surprising that apparently no attempt was made to follow up the pioneer work of Tammann and Dahl1 in this field. Working with crude apparatus, these investigators succeeded in showing unequivocally that at temperatures sufficiently close to their melting points (from 75" to 400°C for the compounds tested) intermetallic compounds did exhibit plasticity. This was indicated by the appearance of slip lines on the surface of the specimen. No observations of strength were made in these tests, which were of a compressive or indentation type. Rossi2 in 1932 attempted to study the physical and mechanical properties of single crystals of a group of intermetallic compounds. However, he was able to prepare only one material, Cu2Z8,, in the form of large, defect-free, single crystals. Thus, he was able to report only the relative fragility of the compounds at room temperature. He reported one compound, Ag,Zn,, to be somewhat plastic at room temperature and Cu,Si to be friable, the latter in agreement with results reported herein. Although test results are available only in classified literature, it has also been announced that MoSi, possesses some ductility at elevated temperatures." In 1948 and 1949 Savitskii and Savitskii and Baron -ublished their work on the hot extrusion of Mg-Zn, Al-Mg, and Cu-Zn compounds. Under the favorable state of stress existing for this process MgZn, MgZn,, MgZn,, ß (Al-Mg), ? (Al-Mg) and 0 (Cu-Zn) could be reduced by amounts up to 90 pct at elevated temperatures. These authors also report that hardnesses of Mg-Zn compounds decrease from room temperature values of about 300 kg per sq mm to 30 to 50 kg per sq mm at 325°C. They found that alloys consisting solely of one Mg-Zn compound were most resistant to softening on heating, mixtures of a compound and eutectic less resistant, and mixtures of two compounds least resistant. The more rapid softening of mixtures of

Jan 1, 1953

By G. H. Shefelbine

DISCOVERED during the time of the Spaniards, the Namiquipa silver-lead-zinc mines in Chihuahua, Mexico, remained idle until 1916, when mining claims were first denounced. About 1922 a Japanese company, the Santo Domingo Mining Co., was formed to mine the oxide silver ore. The company built a 75-tpd cyanide plant and mined in the area for a number of years. Because of an error in surveying in one of the company's mines situated in another district, mining was carried over into a claim owned by General Marcel Caraveo, at that time governor of Chihuahua. Santo Domingo Mining Co. lost the resulting lawsuit and consequently had no capital to continue operating at Namiquipa. Later, Ray Brown and Eugenio Caballero formed a company to operate the mine, shipping crude ore to the American Smelting and Refining Co. smelter at Avalos, Chihuahua. The cyanide plant was changed to flotation with a capacity of 75 tons per 24 hr. In 1936 the property was again closed owing to labor trouble, a drop in the price of silver, and increased water in the mine.

Jan 10, 1957

By F. Milton Lewis, Roshan B. Bhappu

The methods for preparing operating cost estimates for a proposed mining venture are outlined. The procedures for estimating the direct and indirect operating cost for proposed mining and ore processing facilities are reviewed. Profits from the by-products are credits to the total operating cost, direct plus indirect, and are subtracted to obtain the total net operating cost. The non-operating costs which are a part of the total expenses are defined but are not considered in this manuscript. A method for developing the operating cost for a typical copper concentrator in the southwest is described in detail.

Jan 1, 1978

By S. G. Malghan

Steel consumption forms a significant part of the operating cost of a minerals processing plant. An estimated 250 kt (276, 000 tons) of steel in the US and over 500 kt (551, 000 tons) worldwide are consumed each year in wet grinding alone. The depletion of ore grades and the need for finer grinding of abrasive ores are expected to increase steel consumption even more. Through continued research and development by the mining industry and the suppliers of steel products, several methods to reduce steel consumption have evolved. This paper critically reviews the mechanisms involved in steel wear and the currently available methods, materials. and operating conditions for reducing steel consumption. Particular attention is given to liner design modifications and substitution of rubber liners for steel liners.

Jan 1, 1983

By M. E. Grimes

Rio Algom Mines Ltd. owns eight uranium mines and mills in the Elliot Lake district of Ontario, seven of which were producing before 1960. At present only one mine is operating and meeting current contract requirements. Under present economic conditions, it is not feasible to mine ore of less than 2.0 lb per ton U3O8, although there are very large reserves below this grade, Rio Algom is interested in preconcentration for three possible applications: to extend ore reserves by permitting use of lower grade ore, to reduce costs on processing of present grade ore, and to reduce capital investment in expanding production to meet future production goals. Rio Algom has been investigating various applicable preconcentration processes since the early 1950s to date, on laboratory and pilot-plant scale. Methods investigated include gravity concentration by sink-float, high intensity wet magnetic separation, flotation of uranium, flotation of acid consumers, and a number of electronic sorting methods including radiometric, photometric, and conductimetric. No method tested has yet been satisfactory under Rio Algom's criteria of uranium recovery and cost, principally because uranium loss has been too high for a useful weight rejection. Metallurgical results of the preconcentration test work and the economic assessment therefrom are reviewed.

Jan 1, 1974

During the presentation of the papers, questions were deferred until after the last paper in the afternoon. At that time, the authors and co-chairmen formed a panel for discussion of any pertinent questions. The panel was as follows: Carl Gerity - Ozark Lead Company – Chairman Mike Young - Master Mechanic - Ozark Lead Company Largo Albert - Maintenance Specialist (hoisting) Mines Maintenance Dept. - International Nickel Company, with assistance from Co-author Alan Cameron - International Nickel Company Gary Beerkircher - Product Manager - Rexnord Inc., Nordberg Machinery Group Richard Schaal - Director of Maintenance - Superior Division, Magma Copper Company Rich Hodgson - Assistant Production Superintendent - FMC Corporation The remarks have been edited by the panelists for readability, the basic ideas were not changed. Additional thoughts by the panelists submitted at the time of their revision are indicated by ***.

Jan 1, 1975

By Morris Muskat

ALTHOUGH the problem of well spacing is one of the most important involved in the production of oil, it must be considered at the present time as still subject to further development. The published literature on this question is so voluminous that we cannot enter here into a review of it, except to refer to the recent papers by L. L. Foley1 and E. A. Stephen-son,2 where other references are cited. However, a decisive and conclu-sive answer to the problem of well spacing in any general form does not seem to have been developed. And while we shall be unable to present the desired solution in the present paper, it is nevertheless felt that the material to be given here not only provides the physical ground work for the ultimate solution, but shows qualitatively the essential factors that enter the well-spacing problem. Field studies of the well-spacing problem, in which the ultimate recoveries from different fields with different well spacings have been compared, have generally suffered from the lack of knowledge as to the similarity of the inherent characteristics of the producing reservoirs being compared, such as the sand volumes, the sand porosities, the sand permeabilities, the original reservoir pressures, the presence or absence of gas caps, the presence or absence of effective water drives, and the economic limits of production rates at which the various fields were considered to have yielded their ultimate recoveries. Certainly no one who is evaluating originally the economic significance of any oil reservoir would deliberately ignore these phases of the problem. And it is equally certain that no one would reasonably expect the ultimate recoveries from two reservoirs, even with the same well spacing, to be identical regardless of these other factors. More reliable results might be expected from comparisons of the recoveries obtained from different leases with different well spacings, but producing from the same reservoir sand. Unfortunately, however, even conclusions for such studies may be subject to serious errors. The reason simply is that however much one may insist that an operator is entitled only to the oil immediately underneath his surface acreage he will nevertheless drain the surrounding properties as long as his reservoir

Jan 1, 1939

By Blamey Stevens

The following paper aims to make a full explanation of the phenomena of rock jointing. It may be unnecessary to give any general description of what are termed joints in rocks, but Professor Geikie's clear and faithful generalizations are so illuminating that no excuse need be given for introducing the following and other quotations into this paper : " Almost all rocks are traversed by vertical or highly inclined divisional planes termed joints. These have been regarded as due in some way to contraction during consolidation (fissures of retreat) ; and this is no doubt their origin in innumerable cases. But, on the other hand, their frequent regularity and persistence across materials of very varying texture suggest rather the effects of internal pressure and movement within the crust." 1 General Explanation.—In this paper I show that the phenomenon of jointing may to a large extent be accounted for by the pressure of the water contained in the pores of the rock. To understand this, each constituent grain of the porous material may be considered to be separately compressed by the water which submerges it. As all the grains are held together by cohesion, the whole mass is contracted by this pressure. In an indefinitely extended mass, however, there must be a limit to the possible contraction without rupture, because the material is restrained from moving freely by other material around its boundariee. The mass of rock thus becomes broken up. This phenomenon is known as " shrinkage" jointing. The term " shrinkage " is an apt one, if it be understood that the shrinkage of the rock is often brought about by change of stress. Stresses.—The compressive component of water stress on the individual grains is evidently the same as that of the water with which it is in contact. This is so, both before and after the jointing is formed. Before the jointing is formed there is, however, a tensile stress in one or more directions which keeps the material from contracting. At the moment of the formation of joints this stress is equal to the cohesive compressive stress. This is more commonly known to engineers as the tensile breaking stress.

Jan 1, 1914

By Marshall B. Standing, Donald L. Katz

DENSITY data are reported on 16 saturated hydrocarbon vapors at pressures ranging from 1000 to 8220 lb. per sq. in. and at temperatures ranging from 35° to 250°F. These data have been used to extend the compressibility-factor chart for natural gases up to 10,000 lb. per sq. in. The relatively large quantity of high-boiling constituents present in high-pressure vapors in equilibrium with crude oils makes it necessary to include in the analysis of the gas the molecular weight, density, and possibly boiling range of the heptanes and heavier fraction. Relationships have been presented by which the density of gases may be obtained directly from the temperature, pressure, and gas gravity provided the gases have a common source or are similar in composition. INTRODUCTION The densities of natural gases are necessary in many engineering computations in petroleum production and utilization. Gas reserves, changes in reservoir pressure, gradients in gas wells, metering of gases, pipeline flow, and compression of gases are typical problems requiring the density of the gas. A decade ago, engineering computations used ideal gas laws with deviations up to 500 lb. per sq. in.4 Recent discoveries of pools having pressures up to 7500 lb. per sq. in., and installation of pressure-maintenance and recycling plants, have increased the need for data on gas density at high pressures. METHODS OF COMPUTATION The accepted method of computing the density or specific volume of natural gases is the use of the ideal gas law corrected by a compressibility factor. The method proposed by Kay7 of correlating compressibility factors for gaseous mixtures on pseudocritical properties5 appears to be satisfactory for natural gases.2 The methane-compressibility factor has been shown to deviate systematically from the behavior of natural gases2 and a chart giving these corrected factors is available. A method of computing specific volume of gaseous mixtures from partial molal volumes has been reported by Sage and Lacey.8 Complete data for the computation are not yet available for all hydrocarbon gases. Most of the reported data on gas densities have been in the single-phase region removed from the dew point or saturation condition. Since most gases in the reservoir or while on contact with liquid during flow are saturated, the determination of densities under conditions of saturation is particularly important. Although there is no reason to believe that the saturated gases differ in behavior from those considerably removed from their dew points, the usual experimental determinations find difficulty on approaching the dew-point conditions. This paper reports the density of 16 saturated gases in equilibrium with crude oils. The relationships developed to compute the density of gases to high pressure' have been modified and enlarged. A simplified method of obtaining gas density is presented in the form of charts, which apply for specific groups of gases.

Jan 1, 1941

By Bruce R. Lipin

Chromite, the only ore of chromium, occurs almost exclusively in mafic-ultramafic rocks and their weathering products. However, not all kinds of mafic-ultramafic rocks are favorable hosts for possible low-grade chromite deposits. For instance, chromium-bearing basalts are not favorable because they commonly contain <0.3% Cr203, and chromite is almost always less than 50 mp in diameter, if it is present at all. Chromite-bearing ultramafic rocks in stratiform and alpine complexes tend to be either ore grade (>25% chromite) or very low grade (<2% chromite); intermediate rocks are scarce. In most complexes, large tonnages exist only in the <2% chromite rocks and the composition of the chromite in those rocks may be unsuitable for metallurgical use. Some nickel laterite districts contain more than lo8 tons of material with 2.0 to 5.5% Cr203, and hence, chromium could be a byproduct of nickel in some laterite districts. In addition, some chromiferous sand placers may contain tens to hundreds of millions of tons of material between 2 and 5% Cr203

Jan 1, 1983

By V. A. Phillips, M. Safdar Ali

The tensile properties of Cu-0.20 pct Al, Cu-0.45 pct Mg, Cu-0.27 pct Cr, and Cu-0.22 pct Be solid-solution alloys were studied at -196°, 18°, 2509 and 500°C on wires internally oxidized at 900°and 1000°C. Internal oxidation produced marked increases in yield strength relative to pure copper, particularly at low temperature. The yield strength decreased with increase in temperature to a much greater extent than predicted by current theories of dispersion hardening. The strengthening effect of internal oxidation persisted throughout the entire stress-strain curve, but since a marked loss of ductility occurred at all test temperatures, only modest increases in tensile strength were realized. INTERNAL oxidation involves the preferential oxidation of a baser solute in a relatively noble solvent by diffusion of oxygen into the solid. Since the process is diffusion controlled, it is expedient to carry it out at a high temperature often approaching the melting point. The amount of solute is limited and the oxidation conditions adjusted so that oxygen diffuses inwards to meet the solute causing reaction to progress inwards and form subscale instead of only sur face scale. The reaction can be made to occur throughout the thickness of thin material producing a fine dispersion of oxide inside the metal. C. S. Smith1"3 appears to have been the first to recognize the true nature of the process of internal oxidation. Although extensive kinetic and metal-lographic studies followed by Rhines and coworkers,4-5 Chaston7 andMeijering and Druyvesteyn8 working independently were the first to report hardening effects due to internal oxidation. These results prompted detailed studies of the effects of internal oxidation on the hardness, tensile, creep, and fatigue properties of a number of alloys by G. C. Smith and coworkers9-12 in England, on hardness by Gottardi13 in Italy, and on hardness and tensile properties by wood14 in the U.S.A. Publications dealing with other aspects of internal oxidation will not be reviewed here. Internal oxidation of solutes having a high affinity for oxygen provides a means of obtaining very fine dispersions stable in a suitable atmosphere at temperatures well above those at which most age harden ing precipitates coalesce. The process therefore offers a method of producing thin sheet and wire of possibly outstanding creep resistance. The size limitation might be overcome by internally oxidizing porous powder compacts made from alloy powder before final sintering. PREPARATION OF ALLOYS The alloy ingots, which were approximately 5 1/2 in. long by 1 in. diam, were made up in a high-frequency furnace, using as raw materials OFHC copper, 99.99 + pct Al, high-purity magnesium, and master alloys of Cu-4.19 pct Be and Cu-10 pct Cr. The alloys containing aluminum and magnesium were melted ii closed high-purity graphite crucibles and solidified in the crucible which was lowered partly Out of the coil to give a hot-top effect. The alloys containing beryllium and chromium were made by melting in vacuo in alumina-lined sillimanite crucibles. The magnesium, chromium, and beryllium

Jan 1, 1960

At Black Lake, Quebec, Lake Asbestos of Quebec Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of American Smelting and Refining Co., has opened a $36-million mining and milling operation which will produce about 100,000 tons of asbestos fiber a year and add 7 pct to the Free World&apos;s supply. The orebody once lay beneath Black Lake, and readying the ore deposit for open pit mining meant removing about 37 million cu yd of overburden- 30 million cu yd by dredging and pumping, and 7 million by power shovels and trucks. The enormous amount of material to be dredged, control of drainage during dredging, the need to cope with drainage problems in the area and to provide for flood control to replace the regulating effect of the lake, posed unusual engineering challenges and required tremendous capital investment.

Jan 1, 1959

By C. H. Benedict

A 2000-ton ammonia leaching plant has been operated by the Calumet & Hecla Mining Co., at Lake Linden, Mich., continuously since February, 1917, except from April, 1921, to April, 1922, during the period of depression following the European war. A description of this plant has been published elsewhere.1 The present article describes the operation of the plant since 1917, together with the changes in the process that have been found to be advisable. In spite of the fact that this plant and that of the Kennecott Copper Co. are the only ones operating on a large scale, much experimental work is being done on ammonia leaching, as applied to oxidized ores, and it is to aid these and other investigators that this detailed account is given. For the benefit of those unfamiliar with the original article, the following short abstract is given, as an introduction to a more detailed account of the process and the reasons for present practice.

Jan 2, 1924

By Hallan N. Marsh

The subject of mud sounds so simple, uninteresting and unimportant that it has failed to receive the attention that it deserves, at least as applied to the drilling of oil wells. As a matter of fact, it is one of the most complicated, technical, important and interesting subjects in connection with rotary drilling. In 1923, R. E. Colloml said "It should be possible to establish certain physical standards for mud fluid," but while considerable work has probably been done on the subject before and since that time, and numerous articles have been written, the progress of general knowledge of the subject and the application of better practices have not kept pace with other developments in rotary drilling, and physical standards cannot be considered as established. Mud is apt to be thought of as an accessible and cheap material, but its cost is likely to be an important factor in the total cost of drilling a well. Some wells "make" most of their own mud out of the formations drilled, but in most cases a great deal of mud-making material has to be supplied from more or less distant sources. Expenditures for mud materials by one California company totaled practically one-quarter million dollars during 1929 and averaged about $13 per rig per drilling day, or about $2000 per well. Under unfavorable conditions, mud cost may reach many times this figure. Parker2 says that in the Hobbs, N. M., field "as much as $75,000 has been spent on one well alone for mud and mud-weighting compounds."&apos; Presumably this is an exceptional case. Unit cost of mud fluid will range from 10 c. per barrel, where suitable material is close at hand, to $1 where crude material is available at moderate price but must be hauled long distances, and on up to as much as $11 per barrel where high gas pressure requires the use of special processed weighting material. The cost of mud pales into insignificance, however, when the results of using improper mud are considered. Blow-outs and lost circulation are obviously the result of inadequate mud. Stuck drill pipe, whether or not twisted off, in many if not most cases probably is caused by cuttings settling out of the mud or the mud itself precipitating. Recent experi-

Jan 1, 1931

By Robert A. Rapp

The standard molar free energy of formation of MOO,was determined between 750o to 1050o C in galvanic cell measurements involving the solid electrolyte Zr0.85 Ca0.15 O1.85. Use of the reference electrodes Fe + FexO and Ni + NiO Provided two independent determinations of FoMoo2. The data may be represented by the equation FMoO2 = -137,500 +40.0T(°K) which is in good agreement with previous CO/CO, gas equilibrium measurements of Gleiser and Chipman. The standard molar free energy of formation of molybdenum dioxide has recently been reported over a large range of high temperatures from the calorimetric experiments of King, Weller, and christensen.&apos; Gleiser and chipman2 have also recently determined ?FmoO2 from 926o to 1068oC in CO/CO2 gas equilibrium measurements. Earlier gas equilibrium studies have been made and reviewed by Gokcen.&apos; Over the temperature range studied by Gleiser and Chipman their values for ?FoMoO2 differed from the calorimetric data by about 700 cal. This investigation was undertaken to resolve this difference and thereby establish the two phase mixture of Mo + MOO, as an electrode of well-known oxygen potential for galvanic cell applications at very high temperatures. The galvanic cell technique involving the Zr,.,, Ca,0.15 01.85 solid electrolyte was introduced for the

Jan 1, 1963

By J. Parke Channing

IT IS most appropriate for mining engineers and in fact for all engineers to perfect themselves in leader-ship, because in the last ten years there has been a growing realization on the part of capital that there is no man who by capacity and training is better fitted to manage industrial production than the engineer. In high places the engineer and particularly the mining engineer is coming into his own. We have Mr. Hoover as Secretary of Commerce, Mr. Hammond as the head of the Federal Fact-finding Coal Commission, and Prince Caetani as Royal Italian Ambassador, all mining engineers. More and more in all industries is the manager more likely to be an engineer than he was five, ten, fifteen or twenty years ago, and the feeling is that the man who has had a technical training, whether from going to a school or from burning the midnight oil, makes a better manager than the man who has not. We find in mining that the best man for a manager is one who has had engineering, training. The manager who comes up from the office, from the purchasing department or from the transportation department may make a fairly good manager but he is never so good as the man who has had a technical training. He cannot speak the language of his staff.

Jan 5, 1923

By Tadeusz Cyrul

Results of a large scale compression test in situ are the subject of discussion. A cube of coal having an edge length of 1.5 meters was subjected to uniaxial compression tests in situ. At the same time both load and deformation were controlled. Deformations were measured on 60 short measurement bases, each 23 cm in length. The bases were uniformly distributed on the side surface of the cube, forming five horizontal rows and twelve columns on the development of the surface. Readings were taken from each gauge for each level of loading which was increased step by step. Due to heterogeneity of the rock, readings showed scatter. Scattered data were approximated by a plane, using the least squares method for each row separately and for the entire population of bases. Orientation of the planes are analyzed. The geometrical measure of the bending moment is introduced. It shows that the magnitude of the bending moment and the bending plane differed from row to row, thus implying that the cube was not only bent but twisted as well. This complex behaviour of the coal cube is apparently caused by its heterogeneity and vertical anisotropy. The results constitute a contribution to the verification of existing design criteria on the stability of mining pillars.

Jan 1, 1984

By Hugh J. Leach, J. C. Van de Water

In open pit mining, as in other industries, it has I become necessary to improve operating efficiency in order to combat higher labor and supply costs. Moreover, orebodies are becoming leaner, pits are getting deeper, stripping ratios are increasing, and hauls are getting longer. There has been a steady increase in size, speed of operation, and reliability of the various machines involved in breaking, loading, and hauling ore. Changes have seldom been radical but are rather the result of steady improvement. Drilling: Notable advances have been made in the use of rotary drills and air powered percussion drills for blasthole drilling. Several hundred of these machines are now in use as replacements for churn drills in softer rocks such as limestone and shale. Their application to hard rocks such as iron ore and taconite is under current investigation, but in the Lake Superior iron mining district, open pit blast-hole drilling in ore has been accomplished almost exclusively by standard churn drilling. The only recent advance has been the use of larger machines drilling 9-in. holes. This has increased drilling speed somewhat and allowed wider hole spacing, with consequent cost reduction.

Feb 1, 1956