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By Alfred F. Beasley

The slags derived from the smelting of lead and copper ores are composed essentially of silicates. The problems arising from the smelting of these ores consequently involve the study of silicate fusions. In the absence of specific knowledge concerning the compounds occurring in slags, it has been the practice of metallurgists to treat them in terms of their total chemical composition. Slags have been classified as monosilicates, bisilicates, sesquisilicates, and subsilicates according to the relative amounts of oxygen in the acid and basic radicles of the hypothetical salt produced. While this has been a useful guide to metallurgists in computing the furnace charges, it falls far short of a basis for the scientific investigation of slags. In order to understand the nature of a slag as a whole it is necessary to learn the physical and chemical properties of the mineral compounds which go to make up that slag. The efficiency with which an ore is smelted in a furnace depends primarily on the physical properties of the compounds formed during the operation. When the melting points and fields of stability of each of the mineral compounds in slags have been established, it will be possible to determine the properties of any given slag by examining the nature and amounts of its mineral constituents. Earlier Investigations In 1884 and succeeding years an extensive survey of lead and copper furnace slags was made in Europe by Vogt, and a large part of the present knowledge of the subject is due to his publications.' Vogt's interest in artificial fusions was directed primarily towards the explanation of problems in igneous and economic geology and his subsequent works have been confined wholly to that subject.

Jan 1, 1930

By R. G. Knickerbocker

THE copper smelter and refinery of The Messina (Transvaal) Development Co. Ltd., at Messina, South Africa, was erected in 1920 and 1921, but initial operations were deferred until late in 1922 on account of the collapse of the copper market in the interim. Because the anticipated production was to be only 20 tons of copper per day from a high-grade matte containing 60 per cent copper, and because the ore did not contain gold or silver in quantities sufficient to pay for separation from the copper bullion, it was decided to design the plant along lines quite different from the modern smelteries treating large quantities of sulfide ores carrying appreciable amounts of gold and silver. The plant was built, therefore, for the production of copper by the Nicholls-James process. By this method two-thirds of the copper matte produced was roasted in a Merton calciner and charged into a bath of the remaining one-third portion of unroasted matte in a reaction furnace. The original design was not only novel in providing for the Nicholls-James process, but also in comparison with new plants built elsewhere, because of factors inherent in the locality. Sources of supply for machinery were very remote; it takes three months after the placing of an order to accomplish delivery of machinery into Messina from the United States. Native labor was available at 30 to 40¢ per 8-hr. shift. These factors permitted plant design which provided no overhead cranes, no matte ladles, no slag pots or other usual mechanical means of transportation between departments. The design resulted in a compact simple plant with furnaces arranged close together and. terraced so as to provide for gravity transfer of molten material from one furnace to another and for manual disposal of products. Fig. 1 shows the relative location of furnaces. The three furnaces are parallel on successively decreasing elevations. A superimposed feed floor was provided above the furnaces. All three furnaces were provided with coal-dust burners served from a Bonnot system of coal-dust transportation, and the waste gases were discharged into waste-heat boilers.

Jan 1, 1932

By Robert F. Shurtz

When an ore deposit is evaluated on the basis of core sampling, questions always arise as to how much weight should be given the various sample grades and how the deposit should be divided into specific volumes assigned to corresponding grades. For a tabular deposit it is customary to use the so- called zone-of-influence. This zone is usually de- fined as the polygon in the plane of the deposit having corners halfway between a given core drill intersection and each of the nearest neighboring intersections. The volume of the ore in this polygon is assigned the analysis obtained from the drill core taken at the intersection. In massive or irregular deposits, volumes of various shapes may be defined with respect to the locations of drill core samples. These volumes may be regarded as three-dimensional zones-of-influence; the theory involved in assigning the values of the central analyses to the ore in the volumes is the same as that used in the case of a tabular deposit. The zone-of-influence method was used in evaluating one of the magnesite deposits at Gabbs, Nev.1-3

Jan 10, 1959

By C. R. Wohrman

A melt of pure electrolytic iron with about 0.4 per cent. sulfur and 7 per cent. manganese was prepared in connection with a study of inclusions in iron. The alloy darkened rapidly when etched with a 10 per cent, alcoholic solution of nitric acid, and microscopic examination revealed the presence of a semimartensitic, semi-Widmanstättian structure (Figs. 1 and 2) closely resembling the structures found by Benedicks in his artificially prepared "meteoric iron."' The structures found by Benedicks were readily explained by the presence in his alloy of the two well-known iron-nickel solid solutions, taenite and kamacite, and of their eutectoid (?) aggregate, plessite. By analogy, one would infer the existence of similar phases in the iron-manganese alloy just described, such an inference being strengthened by the similarity displayed in many ways by nickel and manganese in their effects on iron. Iron-manganese Alloys are Regarded as Homogeneous Heterogeneity of iron-manganese alloys has not been recognized heretofore, judging from the data of standard metallographic books and those of original papers. In fact, iron and manganese are quite generally regarded as completely miscible in the solid state. Dr. Rosenhain,2 for example, writes: Alloys of group (a), of which those of gold-silver, iron-manganese, and copper-nickel are examples, when allowed to crystallize sufficiently slowly to attain their condition of final equilibrium, present a microstructure exactly similar to that of a pure metal—the homogeneous character of the molten solution is in that case so completely maintained that the microscope cannot detect the presence of any second constituent. Guillet and Portevin3 refer to the iron-manganese system as an example of the "case of metals completely miscible in the solid state."

By J. B. Fisken

(Butte Meeting, August, 1913.) BEFORE touching upon the immediate subject of this paper a few facts of a historical nature as to the general application of electricity to mining might be of interest. As to what was actually the first application of electricity to mining, opinions will no doubt always differ. My experience does not go back far enough, nor are the records to which I have had access of any value as covering this point. Sydney F. Walker, a man whose pioneer experience in the application of electricity to mining purposes dates back as far as 1876, ,gave an interesting resume of the subject in an address before the South Wales branch of the Association of Mining Electrical Engineers at its 1.913 session, and, unless his statements are shown to be wrong, they should be accepted as facts. According to Mr. Walker, the ignition of charges of blasting powder was the first operation in mining to be accomplished with the aid of electricity. Very frequently this energy was furnished by a static machine and occasionally by a magneto generator. Later, this was followed by the application of electricity to bell signals, and we are told that this application was looked upon skeptically and regarded as an expensive experiment by the mining managers of those early days. At the Paris Exposition of 1878, there was exhibited an electric lamp, which suggested future possibilities to the mining engineers of those days. The first successful application of electric lighting to underground excavations that I have been able to find any record of is that of M. Blavier. In the year 1879' he installed two Serrin lamps and successfully illuminated one of the large underground chambers in the Angers slate quarries. Another early application of electricity to the lighting of mines is that in the large chambers in the salt mines of Maros-Ujvár, in Hungary; these have been regularly and successfully lighted elec-

Jan 6, 1913

By William D. Klopp

A study was conducted of the tensile and creep properties of are-melted and electron-beam-melted tungsten over the temperature range 2250° to 4140°F. The tensile and creep strengths vary with pain size, the finer -grained materials being stronger. The activation energy for transient creep at 2250° to 3500°F is 95,000 cal per (g)(mole), while that for steady creep at 3300o to 4000°F is 141,000 cal per (g)(mole). At 2875o to 3300°F the apparent activation energy for steady creep decreased with decreasing temperature. It is suggested that cross slip is rate controlling during transient creep, while dislocation climb is rate controlling during steady creep above 3300° F. ALTHOUGH considerable data have been generated on the high-temperature tensile properties of powder-metallurgy tungsten,1 relative few data have been published on the properties of are-melted2 or electron-beam melted tungsten.3 Furthermore, the available data show a fairly large amount of scatter at high temperatures. The effects of structure and purity have not yet been defined, aside from observations that high-purity electron-beam (EB)-melted tungsten3 and single-crystal-plasma-flame tungsten4 are weaker than less pure powder-metallurgy tungsten. The creep behavior of powder-metallurgy tungsten has been studied, but no data are available on the creep behavior of tungsten consolidated by melting. Green5 found that powder-metallurgy tungsten exhibited linear creep at 4082° to 5072°F with an activation energy of 160,000 cal per (g) (mole). The similarity of this activation energy to that of 153,000 cal per (g)(mole) for volume self-diffusion6 suggests that recovery of strain hardening by dislocation climb is rate controlling in this temperature range. In studies at 4800°F, Sutherland and Klopp7 concluded that grain size significantly affected the creep behavior of commercial powder-metallurgy materials. This grain-size effect was suggested by sherby,8 although the opposite relation had been reported for aluminum.' The purpose of the present study was twofold: first, to provide baseline data on high-temperature tensile and creep properties of are-melted and EB-melted tungsten for concurrent tungsten alloy studies, and, second, to determine the phenomenolo-gical effects of structural and purity variables on the high - temperature mechanical properties of tungsten. EXPERIMENTAL The are-melted tungsten materials were prepared by melting sintered 1-1/4-in.-diam electrodes into 2-1/2-in.-diam by 5-in.-long ingots. The are-melting facility has been described previously.' Eight ingots were melted, machined, and hot-extruded at

Jan 1, 1965

The Institute has no available copies of Bulletin No. 7, January, 1906, and Bulletin No. 105, September, 191.5. The sum of 30.50 per copy will be paid for these Bulletins.

Jan 6, 1917

By John A. Gann

The following investigation constitutes a brief réumé of the more important binary magnesium alloys from the standpoint of metallo-graphic technique, and the effect of heat treatment on structure and properties. The comparative newness of the subject justifies this procedure as a preface to a more detailed study of each individual series of alloys. The work was started with the idea of practical application in the industry rather than as a theoretical investigation. The alloy compositions studied were selected as those most likely to show whether heat treatment would produce beneficial results. Furthermore, it was considered satisfactory to use commercial 99.9 per cent. magnesium, the best commercial grade of alloying ingredients, and to limit the time of heat treatment at the expense of incomplete equilibrium. These facts must be kept in mind when examining the results obtained, and the conclusions drawn. Preparation of Alloys All melts were made in an oil-fired cast-steel pot, approximately 12 in. dia, by 12 in. deep. Approximately 15 lb. of flux and 50 lb. of magnesium were melted and the calculated amount of alloying metal was added. After thorough alloying and puddling, the metal was chill cast in a graphite mold with four 1/2 by 1/2 by 4 in. bars fed from a common sprue and runner. The next higher composition alloy in a given series was made by adding the calculated amount of metal to the heel from the preceding cast. The pot was thoroughly cleaned after each series and new flux then introduced, thus avoiding possible contamination from earlier melts. The percentage compositions given in Table 1 are the calculated values. While not all alloys were analyzed, enough were checked to indicate that the reported compositions are correct to a few tenths of one per cent. A more detailed description of the foundry methods employed has been given in a previous paper. 1

Jan 1, 1929

By John A. Gann

The following investigation constitutes a brief réumé of the more important binary magnesium alloys from the standpoint of metallo-graphic technique, and the effect of heat treatment on structure and properties. The comparative newness of the subject justifies this procedure as a preface to a more detailed study of each individual series of alloys. The work was started with the idea of practical application in the industry rather than as a theoretical investigation. The alloy compositions studied were selected as those most likely to show whether heat treatment would produce beneficial results. Furthermore, it was considered satisfactory to use commercial 99.9 per cent. magnesium, the best commercial grade of alloying ingredients, and to limit the time of heat treatment at the expense of incomplete equilibrium. These facts must be kept in mind when examining the results obtained, and the conclusions drawn. Preparation of Alloys All melts were made in an oil-fired cast-steel pot, approximately 12 in. dia, by 12 in. deep. Approximately 15 lb. of flux and 50 lb. of magnesium were melted and the calculated amount of alloying metal was added. After thorough alloying and puddling, the metal was chill cast in a graphite mold with four 1/2 by 1/2 by 4 in. bars fed from a common sprue and runner. The next higher composition alloy in a given series was made by adding the calculated amount of metal to the heel from the preceding cast. The pot was thoroughly cleaned after each series and new flux then introduced, thus avoiding possible contamination from earlier melts. The percentage compositions given in Table 1 are the calculated values. While not all alloys were analyzed, enough were checked to indicate that the reported compositions are correct to a few tenths of one per cent. A more detailed description of the foundry methods employed has been given in a previous paper. 1

Jan 1, 1929

By V. H. Wilhelm

In contrast with the previous year's activity, the California oil industry for 1938 showed a decrease in drilling, market demand, and discovery of new oil reserves, although there was an increase in oil production. Although additions to reserves from new fields and extensions were less than withdrawals during the year, reappraisals of discoveries in 1937 added to new discoreries during 1938 amounted to over 300,000,000 bbl. The following comparative statement shows the important changes in various phases of the industry: Throughout the year the storage situation became progressively more acute, owing principally to less Pacific foreign demand, and increased potential from drilling the newly discovered fields and pools (Fig. 1). California storage increased approximately 32,000,000 bbl. during 1938, most of which (approximately 18,000,000 bbl.) was heavy crude and residuum. The market demand for the year was around 600,000 bbl. per day. Because of the trend toward Diesel power for heavy transportation, the non-gasoline-bearing crudes arc fast becoming a drug on the market. New discoveries were instrumental in increasing the potential production of the state from 1,076,000 bbl. per day in January to an all-time high of 1,420,000 bbl. per day at the close of the year; although the indicated reserves of these new discoveries were not equal to the yearly withdrawal of 249,000,000 bbl. As of the end of 1938, the state was voluntarily curtailed about 58 per cent. As a result of prospecting during the year, six new fields were discovered, three fields were extended, and deeper zones were reached in five of the older fields.

Jan 1, 1939

By V. H. Wilhelm

In contrast with the previous year's activity, the California oil industry for 1938 showed a decrease in drilling, market demand, and discovery of new oil reserves, although there was an increase in oil production. Although additions to reserves from new fields and extensions were less than withdrawals during the year, reappraisals of discoveries in 1937 added to new discoreries during 1938 amounted to over 300,000,000 bbl. The following comparative statement shows the important changes in various phases of the industry: Throughout the year the storage situation became progressively more acute, owing principally to less Pacific foreign demand, and increased potential from drilling the newly discovered fields and pools (Fig. 1). California storage increased approximately 32,000,000 bbl. during 1938, most of which (approximately 18,000,000 bbl.) was heavy crude and residuum. The market demand for the year was around 600,000 bbl. per day. Because of the trend toward Diesel power for heavy transportation, the non-gasoline-bearing crudes arc fast becoming a drug on the market. New discoveries were instrumental in increasing the potential production of the state from 1,076,000 bbl. per day in January to an all-time high of 1,420,000 bbl. per day at the close of the year; although the indicated reserves of these new discoveries were not equal to the yearly withdrawal of 249,000,000 bbl. As of the end of 1938, the state was voluntarily curtailed about 58 per cent. As a result of prospecting during the year, six new fields were discovered, three fields were extended, and deeper zones were reached in five of the older fields.

Jan 1, 1939

By L. R. Jackson

It is convenient to have a consistent system of notation that will allow the representation of the entire range of complex stresses from hydrostatic compression to hydrostatic tension on plastic flow in a single diagram. Such a system is provided by making use of the fact that any complex stress system can be resolved into a hydrostatic tension or compression and a pure shear. Consider a stress system having the principal stresses This system can be resolved into a new system consisting of the three components and three pure shears. If Sm is positive, the net stress effect is hydrostatic tension; if it is negative, the effect is hydrostatic compression. In order to produce a systematic notation, a quantity that will be referred to as the "triaxial ratio" will be defined by the equation _ Sm Tr = Sm - Sm is given by Eq. I and Sl is the absolute magnitude of the largest principal stress without regard to sign. Table I lists the triaxial ratios for various common systems. Table i.—Triaxid Ratios for Various CommonSyslems Triaxial Ratio Stress System Tr Hydrostatic compression — SI - —St - -S³............................... -1 Torsion or shear -SI - S². S² = O..... O Simple tension SI. SI = SI = 0......... +0.33 Biaxial tension SI = S² S³ - 0......... +0.66 Hydrostatic tension +SI - +S³ = +S³. +1.00 Representation of Strains Strains will be plotted as "true" strains according to the system proposed by Ludwik.1

Jan 1, 1945

By J. E. Warren

To clarify the specific questions raised by J. E. Warren's discussion, the following remarks are offered. 1. It is correct that stratification is assumed in the application of the statistical zonation technique, but this does not constitute a limitation. If, in fact, the reservoir is not stratified the zonation technique will show it. The reservoir is then considered as one zone with a particular distribution of permeabilities. 2. The statistical zonation technique was intended as wells may not be an adequate measure of the lateral permeability changes; e.g., if the data presented in Table A-4 of the subject paper are evaluated on the basis of two crossed classifications with interaction, the variation between zones is significant with a probability greater than .99; however, the variation betwen wells is also significant with a probability greater than .87. It is apparent that the technique suggested by the author can be generalized to provide a powerful method for describing petroleum reservoirs. This generalization can be achieved by treating the core data as a two-way classification to determine the between-zones and the between-wells variations; then, the build-up permeabilities can be analyzed, perhaps on at least-squares basis, to establish the probable distribution of the permeabilities within the zones associated with the individual wells. an additional tool for the reservoir engineer to use together with other techniques and all available information. If pressure build-up permeabilities are available, they should certainly be included. Pressure build-up tests were not available for the reservoir considered in the paper. 3. The proposed correlation of zones between adjacent wells was the best of the techniques that I examined. It is not so much a "measure" as an indication of lateral permeability changes, regardless of whether they are seemingly random or form an obvious trend.

By Reinhardt Thiessen

During the last few years a type of coal called "splint coal" has been brought to the attention of the United States Bureau of Mines, through numerous inquiries concerning its nature. Until recent years it appears to have escaped general notice. The term "splint coal" is of long standing, but was thought to be merely another expression applied by the miner to coal having certain minor characteristics. When closely examined, however, these coals were found to form a marked and distinct type, with distinctive characteristics that cannot be mistaken. Because splint coals produce a hot cheerful flame, possess a clean blocklike nature, and have a high volatile content, they have lately become much valued for domestic, gas-producer and steaming purposes, and have attracted considerable attention. Mattkohle For many years we have heard from the Germans about Mattkohle and Streifenkohle, in contradistinction to Glanzkohle, but have not realized that they were of a different type from the coals with which we were most familiar. This type of coal was first brought to general notice by Muck, in 1881, who gave a good description of it.' Because this coal is often intercalated with thin sheets of brightly shining cod, Schondorff, who was more familiar with the Saar coals, called it Streifernkohle. This term was later used by Muck also. Still later Potoné² used this term exclusively for the whole group in contradistinction to a class called Glanzkohle, and considered these coals to be composed alternately of Humuskohle and Faulkohle or Mattkohle (Pig. 20). Not knowing the nature of the German coals and not realizing that the term Streifenkohle was applied to a distinct class of coal, the terms of its components as used by Potonié and others were translated to "bright Coal" and "dull coal" and applied to the components of our

Jan 1, 1930

By R. F. Shurtz

The author proposes a method used with some success on a magnesite deposit at Gabbs, Nev. He believes this procedure to be more sound than the blind practice of assigning uniform quality to large, soinetimes vast blocks or ore on the basis of analyses made of a small number of samples. When an ore deposit is evaluated on the basis of core sampling, questions always arise as to how much weight should be given the various sample grades and how the deposit should be divided into specific volumes assigned to corresponding grades. For a tabular deposit it is customary to use the so-called zone-of-influence. This zone is usually defined as the polygon in the plane of the deposit having corners halfway between a given core drill intersection and each of the nearest neighboring intersections. The volume of the ore in this polygon is assigned the analysis obtained from the drill core taken at the intersection. In massive or irregular deposits, volumes of various shapes may be defined with respect to the locations of drill core samples. These volumes may be regarded as three-dimensional zones-of-influence; the theory involved in assigning the values of the central analyses to the ore in the volumes is the same as that used in the case of a tabular deposit. The zone-of-influence method was used in evaluating one of the magnesite deposits at Gabbs, Nev.'-"

Jan 1, 1960

By Max Boehmer

(Pittsburg Meeting, March, 1910.) AFTER 30 years of development and after an output of $350,000,000 in value of gold, silver, lead, zinc, and copper, there has not been published a satisfactory explanation of the origin of the immense deposits of the Leadville district. The original examination find survey of Leadville by members of the U. S. Geological Survey was a most magnificent piece of work, but their attempt to explain the origin of the ores was based upon the then-accepted theory of lateral secretion, originated by Sandberger, which theory was afterwards disproved in many cases by further development in numerous districts. This theory contended that the ore in the veins had been leached by surface-waters from the eruptive rocks in the immediate vicinity, and it had its origin in the fact that the neighboring eruptive rocks all contained, to an appreciable degree, the several metals found in the ore-deposits. But the practical miner, reasoning in a simple manner from the condition of things as he found them underground, soon discovered the fallacy of this proposition. He reasoned that, in the case of the Leadville deposits, this theory could not be true, because, if the ores were leached from the overlying eruptive rocks by surface-waters, they would as a matter of necessity be controlled by the action of gravity, and the main bodies would collect in- natural depressions of the underlying limestone, and at all points where such depressions existed. But this was not in accord with the channels of ore as he found there ; and hence the theory of lateral secretion in this district was never accepted. Another objection to it consisted in the fact that large areas within the ore-bearing district contained no ores whatever, although their formation was the same, and the same limestones were covered by the same thick sheet of

Feb 1, 1910

By William Hilliard

IN any manufacturing business, it is of vital importance that the management should know the exact cost of the units of production. Without such knowledge, a company can sell blindly in the open market, obtaining the best prices it can in competition with other firms, and manage perhaps to continue in business for a time; but at any moment, and especially in a period of falling prices, such a firm is at a loss to know exactly at what point it can sell at a profit and exactly how much it is losing per unit if it sells below that point. Furthermore, it is necessary not simply to know the exact total cost per unit, but to know definitely all the different-factors which enter into that cost. A firm manufacturing pocket knives had been doing a profitable business for many years when it began to earn smaller and smaller profits, until there was scarcely any profit at all being realized. Being unable to determine exactly what its future policy should be, it called in experts who studied the past records carefully and followed out for a period a better cost, system. Investigation then showed that on several different kinds of knives in common use, a small profit per unit was being made. On a number of special kinds of knives, of which the firm was very proud, it had been forced to cut prices under the pressure of outside competition and had believed that a small profit per unit was still being made on that product, while a detailed cost analysis showed that a loss was being incurred on each knife of that kind produced. It then became clear that the company must either give up the special line and concentrate wholly on the cheaper knives and extend their sales to territory not yet developed; or expand its plant and produce more of the higher grade knives and thus lower the cost per unit enough to make money on the higher grade knives also, if conditions warranted such expansion. Investigation revealed that the market for large quantities of the high-grade -knives was decidedly uncertain and that the most promising move would be to manufacture only the less expensive knives on a larger scale. That plan was carried out and the concern began again to make a better profit.

Jan 1, 1932

Briefly, an open stope is one in which the ore is taken out and no filling is put in; the only support for the walls may be posts or pillars of ore. Such a method is limited to orebodies with strong walls and ore strong enough to stand unsupported over the back of the stope. Details vary and depend on the dip of the vein, mode of breaking ground, method of handling broken ore, and so forth. The examples given are the Beat-son, Birmingham district, Mineville district, and Cornucopia.

Jan 1, 1925

By E. D. Peters

It frequently occurs in the establishment of reduction works, in an entirely new and untried mining district, that the metallurgist in charge finds considerable difficulty in determining the process best adapted to the ores which he receives for treatment. At the first glance it would seem easy enough to decide what style of furnace is best adapted for beneficiating any one class of minerals. If the ore possessed a quartzose gangue and was comparatively free from base metals, while salt could be obtained at a reasonable price, one would naturally resort to a chloridizing roasting, and pan or barrel amalgamation for the extraction of its silver contents. If galena or carbonate of lead was the prevailing mineral, and charcoal could be obtained at moderate figures, the blast-furnace would beneficiate the ores most advantageously. But if, as is usually the case in Colorado, the ores consisted of an intimate mixture of galena, zinc-blende, copper-pyrites, and noble silver minerals, associated with an overwhelming mass of siliceous heavy spar, or limestone gangue, the common reverberatory furnace can be used to the greatest advantage ; and, although the product is only a copper matte, I do not hesitate to affirm that it can be treated, and the silver, gold, and copper produced at nearly the same price for which silver and lead can be separated. In Germany, blast-furnaces are frequently used for this same purpose, both for argentiferous and non-argeutiferous copper ores; but any one who will take the trouble to examine the statistics of smelting at Fahlun, the Oberharz, and other Continental works of this description, will see that the expenses are far too great, and the production much too small to think of employing this method in our mining districts, where only the softest and most miserable kind of charcoal is obtainable. I propose in this paper to give an accurate account of the expenses incurred at the Mount Lincoln Smelting Works in treating the same kind of ore, and producing the same end-product in both blast and reverberatory furnaces. I have taken for comparison a favorable campaign of the blast-furnace, and a good average month's running of the reverberatory. In the blast-furnace estimate I have included the calcining and concentration of the matte produced during that campaign, as I always, when possible, concentrated the regulus made

By Kenneth K. Humphreys, Joseph W. Leonard, Robert L. Llewellyn, William F. Lawrence

INTRODUCTION Cleaning fine coal sizes utilizing air currents in machines as the primary separating medium is called dry concentration or pneumatic cleaning. In 1947 approximately 18 million tons (16.38 million mt) of bituminous coal were cleaned by air machines; in 1965, 25.4 million tons (23.1 14 million mt); but in 1975, only 7 million tons (6.37 million mt). Table 11-1 shows the tonnages cleaned of bituminous coal and lignite in the United States by various types of equipment from 1938-1963. Table 11-2 shows only tonnages cleaned by pneumatic methods from 1964-1975. The decrease in tonnage to approximately 7 million tons (6.3 million mt) is due to a higher moisture content in the mined coal and the greater difficulty in cleaning the coal by air. There also was a definite trend to load raw coal at the mines, especially the slack which is the most expensive to clean due to the dewatering and drying requirements. While there have not been any applications of pneumatic cleaning in the anthracite field, its use has not been fully explored. The same is true for lignite and subbituminous coals.

Jan 1, 1979