Search Documents

By H. L. Gilbert, H. A. Johansen, R. G. Nelson

High purity electrolytic chromium plate has been hydrogen-reduced and arc-melted under inert atmosphere to give sound ingots. These ingots may be hot forged to break the as-cast structure and then worked at 500°C to finished form. An intermediate and final high temperature anneal gives best ductility and grain refinement. HE increasing interest in refractory metals for I use in high temperature gas turbines, jets, and rockets has led to great efforts in exploiting the fifth and sixth groups of transition elements. Much of the interest has centered upon production of metals that can be worked and fabricated by normal means to produce various engine parts or components having the high temperature characteristics of oxidation resistance and high creep strength required for such uses. If these pure elements do not exhibit all of the desired characteristics, it may be possible to obtain a high purity alloy that will. Since, in all cases, development of these transition elements has depended to a large extent upon removal of oxygen and nitrogen as a means for producing ductile metal, the hypothesis has been accepted that oxygen is the normal embrittling material in a high grade electrolytic chromium metal. Various methods have been employed in an effort to remove this oxygen by direct or indirect attack.' Many workers have endeavored to produce pure chromium through reduction of the oxide by carbon or active metals, while others have recommended fusion electrolysis of chromium salts or reduction of these salts by active metals, such as sodium or calcium. Hydrogen reduction of the oxide or chloride and thermal dissociation of the iodide have been reported to give high purity metal. Experimental Work The U. S. Bureau of Mines, Northwest Electro-development Laboratory, has systematically re-examined the more promising methods and developed two which produce metal having ductility at temperatures lower than heretofore described. It has been found' that oxide-free chromium chlorides in a NaCl-KCl carrier salt may be mag- nesium-reduced and the byproduct salts distilled off in vacuo to give a high purity chromium sponge. Fusion analysis conducted under the supervision of W. W. Horton of Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory showed the oxygen and nitrogen both to be below 10 parts per million on a selected sample. A small amount of carbon is carried over in the final metal from the chlorination and reduction steps which are carried out in graphite crucibles. This trace of carbon is not detrimental to hot ductility. A more practical method for producing ductile metal is through hydrogen reduction of high purity electrolytic chromium. Normal electrolytic chromium will, if "developed" for a few minutes at 1100°C in high vacuum, be found by the method of Adcock:; to contain about 1 pct chromium sesquioxide (Cr2O3). This small amount of oxygen may be effectively reduced by hydrogen.2, 4 The method employed was to crush electrolytic chromium plate in a gyratory crusher to pass 60-mesh; finer crushing appears to offer no advantage. A nitric acid leach removed the iron picked up during crushing. The leached powder was rinsed until neutral with distilled water and vacuum-dried.

Jan 1, 1954

By Frederick N. Rhines

BECAUSE of the nature of the environments in which metals are handled, it is natural that gases should be suspected of intruding into metallurgical operations, there to produce effects both beneficial and detrimental. The problem of tracing and controlling such effects is often made difficult by the complexity of the conditions surrounding 'their occurrence, even though the fundamental mechanisms involved may be simple and of familiar type. Many gas-metal reactions are known to be implemented by processes of diffusion. These form a homogeneous group of phenomena which become more readily understandable when viewed together, in that the knowledge gained from one serves to interpret the next. It is the purpose of the present paper to present, by means of examples drawn from practice, a brief survey, of the ways in which gas-metal diffusion serves and obstructs the purposes of the metal-fabricating industries. The selection of the cases described was made by consulting more than thirty-six practicing experts whose combined experience provided an extensive coverage of the field and who were in a position to supply examples of occurrences of present day interest. The response was generous and it is regrettable that space permits the description of only a limited number of typical examples with but brief mention of parallel cases. THE NATURE OF GAS-METAL DIFFUSION The term "gas-metal diffusion," although commonly used, is ambiguous in so far as it implies that a definite group of substances may be identified as gases and may be expected to behave in a manner distinct from other substances in association with metals. "Gases" such as oxygen and hydrogen when diffusing through a liquid or solid metal are properly components of the liquid or solid solution; they behave as alloying elements and are not to be distinguished in their diffusion characteristics from other elements, except that each has an individual rate of diffusion. On the other hand, a number of metals in certain temperature ranges are volatile to the extent that they may appear in the form of vapor in metallurgical operations. For the sake of greater definiteness, therefore, it will be convenient to- regard as "gas-metal diffusion" any process in which the result depends upon one or more of the diffusing elements appearing, at some stage, in the gaseous state, or as a compound gas. No element, gaseous or otherwise, can diffuse through a liquid or solid metal unless it is at least slightly soluble in that metal. The elements of low atomic number

Jan 1, 1944

By A. D. Hodges

The great mining region of Peru is a mountainous belt of country, running nearly the whole length of the republic, and comprising the two grand ranges of the Andes with the elevated table-lands between them. On the east of this belt are the extensive plains and fertile valleys of the Amazon and its tributaries. On the west is a narrow strip of coast 20 to 50 miles wide, for the most part a sandy desert, but producing abundant crops where irrigated ; and here are found petroleum (Department of Piura), salt (at Huacho and elsewhere), nitrate of soda in enormous amounts at the south, silver in a few localities (Province of Tarapaca), copper and other mineral products. The Western Cordillera, running nearly parallel with the shoreline, rises like a wall on the eastern side of the coast-belt, with passes from 15,000 to 18,000 feet high and peaks attaining 18,000 to 20,000 feet. Further east, at a varying distance, is the Eastern Cordillera, composed of broken mountain ranges which, considered as one group, have a general parallelism with the western chain, but individually vary greatly in direction, sometimes running nearly east and west, in places projecting out into the Amazonian lands, or here and there curving around to unite with the western ridge, and with this enclosing immense inter-alpine plains. These general features are indicated in Fig. 1. The surface of these plains is uneven and traversed by lower ranges of hills which surround large lakes, or rolling pampas, or fertile valleys; and through many of these last run rivers of considerable size. The whole country has a high altitude (averaging up to 15,000 or 16,000 feet), and slopes gradually north and east towards the Amazon, into which drain all its waters. Its bounding mountain chains are scored on all sides by narrow, picturesque and pre-

Jan 1, 1888

By Dever C. Ashmead

FRom time to time metal-mine engineers have inquired why anthracitc mines and their preparators are rarely operated on the two or three-shift basis. The subject may be approached as affecting: labor, development, the underground workers, the preparator, the outside workers, capital, the supply account, power consumption, the storage of coal over various shifts, railroad car supply, and the market. Labor From the start, the adoption of a plan of three full-shift operations in a day would cause difficulty with the colliery employees, for they have never worked on that plan and would show their resentment by suspending work. Even if they could be induced to work according to this schedule they would not be as efficient, for they would be working more or less unwillingly at hours at which they are accustomed to rest. Operation on a three-shift basis would necessitate triple manning of each working place, and dissensions would arise between the men, for each shift would claim that the preceding shift had taken undue advantage and had not left as favorable conditions as it had found. To obviate these disputes it might be [necessary to let out the work to a contractor, who would hire his helpers to mine out the chamber, or breast. The state mining law requires that a miner be put in charge of each working place. To conform with this provision he would have to hire three helpers and two miners to mine the breast. The labor unions have been trying to abolish the subcontractor in mine work and any method of working that would cause his return, however innocent in purpose, would result in labor disturbances. It might be possible to form partnerships of three miners working a place together, but these men would be quite likely to have frequent dissensions as to the proportion of work performed by each shift. Only

Jan 1, 1923

By Dever C. Ashmead

FRom time to time metal-mine engineers have inquired why anthracitc mines and their preparators are rarely operated on the two or three-shift basis. The subject may be approached as affecting: labor, development, the underground workers, the preparator, the outside workers, capital, the supply account, power consumption, the storage of coal over various shifts, railroad car supply, and the market. Labor From the start, the adoption of a plan of three full-shift operations in a day would cause difficulty with the colliery employees, for they have never worked on that plan and would show their resentment by suspending work. Even if they could be induced to work according to this schedule they would not be as efficient, for they would be working more or less unwillingly at hours at which they are accustomed to rest. Operation on a three-shift basis would necessitate triple manning of each working place, and dissensions would arise between the men, for each shift would claim that the preceding shift had taken undue advantage and had not left as favorable conditions as it had found. To obviate these disputes it might be [necessary to let out the work to a contractor, who would hire his helpers to mine out the chamber, or breast. The state mining law requires that a miner be put in charge of each working place. To conform with this provision he would have to hire three helpers and two miners to mine the breast. The labor unions have been trying to abolish the subcontractor in mine work and any method of working that would cause his return, however innocent in purpose, would result in labor disturbances. It might be possible to form partnerships of three miners working a place together, but these men would be quite likely to have frequent dissensions as to the proportion of work performed by each shift. Only

Jan 1, 1923

By J. W. Freeman, D. N. Frey

Fundamental reasons for the improvement in creep resistance of an austenitic alloy by cold working were investigated mainly by X-ray diffraction. The creep resistance was found to be improved by the internal stresses in the lattice of the alloy induced by the cold work. THIS investigation was concerned with the fundamental reasons for improvement in creep resistance of an austenitic alloy as a result of cold working. Also, the investigation was carried out to elucidate the conditions under which cold working could be expected to improve the creep resistance. To achieve these ends, creep resistance and internal structure were correlated for a variety of cold-worked conditions. Since the aim of the investigation was not to obtain specific and extensive information on any one alloy, creep testing was done with a single stress at 1200°F. Structural studies were carried out primarily with X-ray diffraction characteristics. The alloy used, low carbon N-155, was selected on the basis of being representative of at least some of the alloys used in gas turbines. Low carbon N-155 alloy in the form of %-in. sq bar stock was used in this investigation. The chemical composition, in percent, was: C, 0.13; Mn, 1.43; Si, 0.34; Cr, 20.73; Ni, 18.92; Co, 19.65; Mo, 3.05; W, 1.98; Cb, 0.98; N, 0.14; and Fe, balance. The bar stock was produced from a 13-in. sq billet, finished to 7/s in. round cornered square between 2060" and 1910°F. Prior to use in this particular investigation, the bar stock was solution-treated 1 hr at 2200°F and water quenched. This procedure was used in order to put the stock in a condition where effects of prior processing were minimized. Experimental Procedure The specific approach to the problem was twofold. First, the influence of cold working, under various conditions, on the creep rate under a single stress at 1200°F and on the internal structure was in part determined. Second, the effect of annealing at various times and temperatures on the creep rate and internal structure of the cold-worked samples was in part evaluated. The first step was basic to the investigation—creep resistance and structure were to be correlated. The second step was taken to see if the annealed samples showed some internal changes which could also be correlated with changes in creep resistance. This it was felt would facilitate solution of the basic problem. The creep and structural studies were carried out on samples reduced approximately 5, 15, and 40 pct at room temperature and 15 pct at temperatures up to 2200 °F. Annealing of various of the samples was done at 1200°, 1400°, 1600°, and 1800°F for time periods up to 1000 hr. Studies of the annealed samples were concentrated on materials rolled approximately 5, 15, and 40 pct at room temperature and 15 pct at 1400°F. The creep tests were carried out at 1200°F under 40,000 psi, the latter being approximately the 1000 hr rupture stress of the material

Jan 1, 1952

By William L. Fink

Nickel is used as an alloying element in several complex commercial aluminum alloys, among which are found some very interesting properties, such as relatively high strength at elevated temperatures, relatively low coefficient of expansion, the absence of permanent growth, ability to take a good polish, and a bright, pleasing as-cast surface. For that reason the aluminum-nickel system was included in the list of binary aluminum systems that are being studied as a preparation for the investigation of more complex commercial alloys. This paper is the fifteenth of a series from the Research Laboratories of the Aluminum Company of America reporting the results of investigations of equilibrium relations in aluminum-base alloys of high purity. The aluminum-nickel equilibrium diagram from 0 to 18 per cent nickel was determined, using the purest material available. Previous Investigations The entire aluminum-nickel system was studied thermally and microscopically by Gwyer.1 At the aluminum end of the system he found the intermetallic compound NiA13. He found a eutectic at 6 per cent nickel with a melting point of 630" C. A slight thermal arrest, which he could not explain, was also noted in alloys from 2.5 per cent to 41.9 per cent nickel at 550" C. Bingham and Haughton,2 in a later investigation of alloys of aluminum with copper and nickel found the eutectic concentration of the binary aluminum-nickel system at about 5.3 per cent nickel. The melting point of the eutectic was about 633" C., or slightly higher than that found by Gwyer. Although the solid solubility of nickel in aluminum could not

Jan 1, 1934

Balancing the prodigious iron ore deposits of Western Australia are the equally vast coal resources of the Bowen series of eastern Queensland. The Bowen series is a Permian basin stretching 500 miles in a north-south line. The beginning of what will be large scale mining of the Kianga-Moura coalfields in Dawson Valley was made by the Australian company of Thiess Bros. in July 1961. Then Peabody Coal Co. of St. Louis, Mo., joined Thiess. Later, Mitsui & Co. Ltd. received a 20% interest in the firm Thiess, Peabody, Mitsui Coal Pty. Ltd. Rtitsui was to lend the company money for development. Queensland Parliament, by special act, granted the company exclusive franchise over the Kianga-Moura coalfield, an area of 350 square miles. The rights do not include other minerals. The company is to have a 120-mile railroad completed to Gladstone or some other port in seven years. It must produce at least 500,000 long tons of coal annually until the line is built, after which production is to be upped to 2 million tons. By December 1962, these arrangements were completed.

Jan 10, 1964

By M. S. King

In the design of foundations for large structures and of safe mine openings in rock, the results of laboratory and small-scale in-situ tests are often used to predict the behavior of the material as a whole. For reasons of simplicity in these analyses, the rock is usually treated as an ideally elastic, isotropic material. It has been observed, however, that most rocks are neither isotropic nor ideally elastic. This observation is particularly true for rocks subjected to low confining pressures. It is therefore necessary to investigate further the effects of anisotropy and nonlinearity on the mechanical behavior of rocks. When small differences in stress and strain only are involved, the rock may be treated as an elastic material. The elastic constants for such a material subjected to a particular confining pressure can be calculated from the classical theory of elasticity for different degrees of anisotropy. There are two experimental methods by which this can be done: first, from measurements of static stress-strain relationships; second, from elastic wave velocities measured in the rock. The former yields the static elastic constants, and the latter, the dynamic constants. The static constants will be equal in magnitude to the corresponding dynamic constants only if the rock is ideally elastic. Walsh and Brace1 have reviewed theoretical studies of the elasticity of rock considered as a material containing pores and cracks. They re- ported that the presence of sharp, narrow cavities at low confining pressures strongly influences the mechanical properties of a rock. A considerable reduction in magnitude of elastic moduli is associated with the presence of inhomogeneities such as cracks or joints. The elastic properties appear to approach those of the uncracked material in magnitude as the cavities are closed by higher pressures. Walsh and Brace

Jan 1, 1970

By W. F. Hosford

A quantitative explanation is offered for the peculiar curled grain shapes found in the microstructures of drawn wires of bcc metals and compressed aluminum specimens. It is shown that once an [011] fiber texture is developed, the slip system are so oriented that further slip tends to produce plane strain rather than axially symmetric flow of individual grains. With plane -strain flow, however, compatibility of neighboring grains can be maintained only by a bending of grains about one another. PROBABLY the most obvious microstructural feature of heavily worked metals is the distorted shapes of grains. In the course of deformation, the shape change of each grain must be compatible with that of neighboring grains; otherwise holes would be formed at grain boundaries. In analyses of poly-crystalline deformation by Taylor and subsequent workers it was assumed that grain boundary compatability was maintained by each grain undergoing the same shape change as the polycrystalline aggregate in which it is imbedded. According to this assumption, when simple tension or compression is applied to a random polycrystal or to one with a fiber texture, each grain ought to deform with axially symmetric flow. Initially equiaxed grains should become cigar-shaped during wire drawing and pancake-shaped during compression. While microstructural observations of deformed metals are generally in accord with such a picture, certain striking exceptions may be noted. Peck and Thomas5'8 found that grains in heavily drawn tungsten, iron, and niobium (columbium) wires become shaped like ribbons curled about the wire axis, Fig. 1. At a suggestion from the author, they rationalized the development of these micro-structures by considering the orientation of the slip systems in the [011] texture formed by the wire drawing. It is shown in this paper that marked departure from axially symmetric flow of grains is also observed when polycrystalline aluminum is severely compressed. Again the explanation must lie in the orientation of the slip system in the [011] texture, which is formed in fcc metals by compression.' THEORY A simple quantitative argument will be presented to show that the development of these microstructures is a result of flow on the combination of slip systems for which the minimum amount of mechanical work is expended in producing a unit tensile (or compressive) strain. First it must be realized that the macroscopic strains of a crystal resulting from slip are given by: where d dy, and dc, are normal strain increments parallel to the x, y, and z reference axes; are crystallographic shear-strain increments on slip systems

Jan 1, 1964

By Charles M. Rolker

THE Allouez Mine is situated in section 31, town 57, north of range 32 west, Michigan. The mine is being worked in a conglomerate bed, which conglomerate is generally conceded to be the continuation of the Albany and Boston conglomerate of Houghton County. Besides the well-known Calumet and Hecla with the adjoining Osceola, both working on the same bed, and the new location, the Seneca, now being tried on the Kearsarge conglomerate, the Allouez Mine is the only one working on a conglomerate bed. The Albany and Boston, in Houghton County, of which, as said before, the Allouez is supposed to be the continuation, shares with all the remaining conglomerate beds, near and around Portage Lake, the property of being non-quartziferous, while the conglomerates of Keweenaw County are all highly quartziferous in character. This change takes place, according to Professor Pumpelly, about six miles northeast of Portage Lake. The Allouez conglomerate, with a dip of 38° 15' and a general course of about 36° east of north, is overlaid by a trap, and has as its footwall an amygdaloid. The trap is followed by a series of amygdaloidal melaphyres and true amygdaloids, further on by the greenstone and ashbed ; towards the lake shore alternating traps and conglomerates are found. At the footwall of the Allouez conglomerate, an amygdaloid lies, the thickness of which is not known, which is also the case with the other formations, accurate surveys and geological researches of this district having, as I was informed, never been made. About 198 meters (650 feet), horizontally measured, from the Allouez conglomerate another amygdaloid bed can be traced, on which the present rockhouse stands, further on a melaphyre is exposed, and then follow the diverse conglomerates, the Calumet, the Kearsarge, and Kingston, which, according to the last geological report, are at about the re-

Jan 1, 1877

By John T. Popp, Jodi A. Rulli, Anthony T. Iannacchione

Anomalous geological features in the coal and surrounding strata of a mine in northern West Virginia have fractured and deformed an inherently weak roof rock prior to mining. Horizontal stresses, as much as six times greater than overburden related horizontal stresses, have induced cutter roof failure. This failure was distinguishable from rock deformation associated with geological anomalies because it was induced by mining. The characterization of these features has allowed for the prediction of zones of unstable roof rock and the determination of failure trends on gateroad stability. Geological anomalies included clastic dikes and a narrow zone of sandstone roof. Clastic dikes, representing intrusions of shale and claystone, were invariably accompanied by local roof rock instability, and often formed the boundaries of roof falls. Shale was the dominant roof lithology except where a small sandstone occurred in the northwest portion of the longwall mining area. The sandstone occurs in two phases: a sandstone-filled channel, 5-m- thick and 60-m-wide, which eroded and replaced the shale roof and the upper part of the coalbed; and a sheet sandstone unit which was crossbedded to interbedded with the underlying shale. Horizontal stresses are naturally relieved through the initiation of cutter roof failure. This failure may extend from a few meters to several tens of meters horizontally, and from a few centimeters to several meters vertically. Orientations of entries and crosscuts has a greater influence on the direction and total length of cutter roof failure at the rib-roof intersection than does the principal directions of the in situ horizontal stresses. Seventy-four percent of the cutter roof failures occurred along the rib-roof intersection. Orientations of cutter roof failure away from the rib- roof intersection were clustered in the north-south direction and may have been influenced by the horizontal stress field.

Jan 1, 1984

By L. W. McKeehan

Jan 1, 1934

Manganese nodules are essentially a surficial resource-there are four times as many nodules on the surface of the deep ocean floor as in the next 3 ft of underlying sediment. Target mine sites in the North Pacific occur in water 12,000 to 18,000 ft deep. The mining technique is comprised of four major factors: the mining device, lifting method, surface vessel, and ore transport. Certain deep-ocean mining proposals are revolutionary in character. Current research has tended to construct simple but flexible devices to work at the great depths and corrosive environments of the deep-ocean floor

Jan 4, 1975

By Nicholas J. Grant, Michio Yamazaki

Cast copper alloys containing 10, 20, and 30 pct Ni and 0.75 to 0.80 pct Al were machine-milled into chips, then comminuted in a rod mill to fine flake powder utilizing a number of processing variables. The powders here internally oxidized, mostly at 800°C, in a low-pressure oxygen atmosphere. The consolidated powders were hot-extruded into bar stock. Room-tenmperature tension tests, stress-rupture tests mostly at 650°C, but also at 450° and 850°C, and hardness measurements after various annealing temperature treatments to study alloy stability were perfomted. Excellent room-temperature strength, high rupture strength at 650°C, and resistance to recrystallization at 1050°C were obtained. Problems in optimizing conditions for internal oxidation of Cu-Ni base alloys are discussed. THE interesting high-temperature properties of SAP' have stimulated considerable effort in the study of more refractory alloy systems where the potential for high-strength alloys at high temperature is great.2-13 A number of methods have been utilized to produce the desired fine, hard particle dispersions, of which internal oxidation2,9,7 of dilute solid-solution systems offers considerable promise by virtue of the potential for producing ultrafine, well-dispersed oxides. While most of the published works are concerned with pure metal matrices, a number of investigators have studied the effects of solid-solution strengthening.10,19 Use of more complex alloy matrices (for example, aging systems) has been unsuccessful because overaging still occurs at high temperatures in the oxide-containing alloys.14.15 Solid-solution strengthening is, however, effective at very high temperatures9,10 and might be expected to contribute importantly to the strength of oxide-dispersion strengthened alloys. For this study, internal oxidation of solid-solution alloys of copper and nickel, containing small amounts of aluminum, was chosen as the method of alloy preparation. PREPARATION OF ALLOYS Three copper alloys containing about 10, 20, and 30 pct Ni and each containing 0.75 to 0.80 pct A1 (enough to yield about 3.5 vol pct alumina) were prepared as air-cast ingots measuring 2.5 in. diameter by 6 in. high (see Table I for the analyses). Processing steps for all the alloys were as follows (also see Table 11): 1) Homogenization of the ingot at 982°C (1800°F) for 45 hr in an argon atmosphere. 2) Machine milling of ingots into fine chips. Average thickness was about 0.1 to 0.2 mm. 3) Hydrogen reduction of chips at 593°C (1100° F) for 1 hr to reduce copper and nickel oxides. 4) Rod milling of chips to finer powders. 5) Hydrogen treatment of powders as in step 3. 6) Internal oxidation of the powders. 7) Hydrogen treatment of oxidized powders as in step 3. 8) Hydrostatic compression of evacuated powders. 9) Sintering of compacts in hydrogen. 10) Hot extrusion. Variations in processing among the alloys were made in steps 4, 5, and 10 (see Table 11). In the past, two methods were utilized to internally oxidize alloy powders. Preston and Grant3 surface-oxidized dilute Cu-Al powders to obtain the necessary amount of oxygen to oxidize the solute metal (aluminum and silicon), and then permitted the formed copper oxide to diffuse and react with the solute in an argon atmosphere. Bonis and Grant4 exposed Ni-A1 and other nickel alloys to an oxygen pressure derived from the decomposition of nickel oxide at a preselected temperature, in an argon atmosphere. Both methods are applicable and can be modified to generate a range of oxygen pressures for oxidation of the solute but not the solvent metals. Procedure I: Surface Oxidation of Alloy A3, Cu-10Ni-0.76A1. Powders of -20 to +28 mesh were surface-oxidized at 500°C (932°F) to obtain the desired amount of oxygen for oxidation of the aluminum to alumina; the powder was then sealed in Vycor and heated at 900°C (1652°F) for various times up to

Jan 1, 1965

By Walter C. Smith

THE Cerro de Pasco Copper Corp. began to produce bismuth at the Oroya smelter in 1929, at which time the only important consumption of that metal was in the manufacture, of pharmaceutical compounds, and the normal supply of metal exceeded the demand. With a new and major producer entering the field, additional uses for bismuth had to be developed. A survey indicated that the most promising opportunity lay in fusible alloys containing bismuth. A large number of bismuth alloys were known and a few of them were being used in the manufacture of automatic sprinkler heads and safety plugs. The literature cover in,- the- alloys was found to be sketchy and contradictory. Research, development, and educational work carrried on by the Corporation during the past fifteen years has resulted in greatly enlarged uses for the metal. In general the low-melting bismuth alloys are of high specific gravity, relatively soft, of low tensile strength, brittle to shock, yet subject to plastic

Jan 1, 1945

By R. W. Raymond

In my paper on " End-Lines and Side-Lines in the Mining Law," read at the New York meeting of February, 1889 (Trans., xvii., 787), I discussed certain points involving the rights of a locator, B, who had located and surveyed a piece of ground, X + Y, of which only Y was properly subject to location, X being already held by another claimant, and had applied for and received a patent, granting X + Y, " excepting and excluding X." The paper concluded with the following questions : " Is there any difference in effect between the grant to him of Y simply and the grant of X + Y, ' excepting and excluding X' ? Why should any mining locator stake out his boundaries upon another location, and thus appear to assert a claim which he immediately withdraws? What is the legal force of such boundaries, established upon the land of another?" After calling attention to the fact that the entrance upon another's land for such a purpose is a trespass, and the principle that no trespasser can create by his trespass any right which he would not have without it, I reserved to another occasion a review of the history of the absurd practice of imaginary boundaries for mining claims, and a discussion of their legal effect. This practice is founded, of course, in the regulations and decisions of the United States General Land Office. There is nothing in the Revised Statutes which hints at it. On the contrary, the terms of Section 2322, giving to a locator " the exclusive right of possession and enjoyment" of the surface of his claim, seems clearly to forbid the use of that surface for the boundary-stakes of another locator. But the Act of 1866, though it provided for the issue of patents upon payment to the Government of so much per acre, and really by implication (as I have always believed) involved the absolute grant of the surface, was not so construed by the courts generally, or by the Land Office. Surveys were laid one over another in inextricable confusion, and the United States sold at $5 per acre the

Jan 1, 1890

By Ben L. Seegmiller

Roof, pillar and floor stability is a most important requirement in underground coal mines because it represents the leading cause of fatalities. In future coal mine planning the geotechnical aspects must often be minimized owing to unavailability of data. It is, therefore, very important to include a geotechnical investigation as part of the coal exploration program. Data which should be collected basically include the geological discontinuity characteristics, the rock strength characteristics and the groundwater aspects. Many times the only source of such data is the exploration boreholes. Therefore, an emphasis must be made to extract the maximum information from the core and the borehole. Data collection methods can include the preparation of detailed geotechnical logs for the roof, coal and floor. Laboratory strength testing will provide estimates of the mechanical properties of the various lithologic types. Slaking and swelling tests provide an insight into the stability characteristics of the rock materials immediately enclosing the coal seam. The boreholes may be used to provide permeability and pressurization data. Having developed a suitable geotechnical data base allows various stability prediction methods to be used. These include a geotechnical appraisal of the roof and floor units, depositional environment methods, multiple overlay techniques, hazard analysis techniques and classification/rating systems for roof and floor. The basic geotechnical data and the stability prediction methods form a basis upon which preliminary rock mechanics designs may be developed. Of particular importance to future coal mining are those designs relating to longwall mining because most companies are thinking in terms of the greater safety and greater productivity offered by longwalls. Items which should be ad- dressed when considering a longwall system include the panel layout in terms of a total mining plan, strata mechanics, roof/floor bearing capacities, face support requirements, face length, entry and pillar

Jan 1, 1983

By James M. Henderson, John B. Pfeiffer

The recently completed liquid sulfur dioxide plant at American Smelting and Refining Co.'s Tacoma copper smelter in Washington last April is one step by the firm to meet ambient air quality standards in the vicinities of its three US copper smelters. At a capital cost of $18.5 million, the liquid SO2 plant will work together with an existing sulfuric acid plant to treat all gases generated by the copper converters. Designed to handle up to 45,000 cfm of converter gas utilizing the Dimethylaniline (DMA) process, this plant is expected to recover about 51% of the total smelter input.

Jan 11, 1974

Jan 8, 1951