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By F. Keller, E. H. Dix

The use of magnesium as an alloying element in aluminum alloys has been limited, in general, to comparatively small quantities. In duralumin-type, strong aluminum alloys, magnesium is present to the extent of 35 to 3/4 per cent. and various grades of Magnalite and the "Y" alloy of the National Physical Laboratory of England contain up to 1 1/2 per cent. In this country small quantities of aluminum alloy sheet containing 4 per cent. magnesium are produced commercially. All commercial aluminum contains sufficient silicon to convert a portion of the magnesium added to the compound Mg2Si. It is well known that the solubility of both magnesium and magnesium-silicide decrease with decrease in temperature. It is, therefore, impossible to separate the age-hardening effect of the magnesium-silicide from that of magnesium, except by the use of aluminum of such high purity that the silicon content is negligible. The present paper is the fifth l, 2, 3, 4 of a series from the laboratories of the Aluminum Co. of America reporting the results of investigations of the equilibrium relations in aluminum-rich alloys made from the high-purity aluminum manufactured by this company. 5 Previous Investigations A number of investigations have been made of the constitution of the complete aluminum-magnesium system and several determinations made

Jan 1, 1929

By Joseph W. Richards

The Ashio copper-mine of the Furukawa Mining Co. is situated 18 miles from Nikko, and 109 miles north of Tokyo, near the center of Japan. The mine-waters are run over scrap-iron, whereby most of the copper is precipitated as cement-copper, leaving iron sulphate with some copper sulphate in solution. After using in the wet concentrating ore-dressing plant, the waste water contains clay and ore-slimes. The only avenue of disposal of this water is the Watarese river; but as this flows through valleys in which the water is used for irrigating the rice-crops, it is necessary to purify and clarify the water before discharge. The water amounts to from 600 to 700 cu. ft. (from 17 to 20 cu. m.) per minute, and averages about 0.00028 per cent. of copper, representing more than 18 tolls of copper per month. The water carries H2SO4, FeSO4, Fe2(SO4)3, CuSO, and other metallic sulphates in solution, and clay, ore-fines, slimes and basic iron sulphates as suspended matters. To purify and clarify the water, precipitation by milk of lime has been used, in three different ways, as follows: I. First Method, Copper not Recovered. Milk of lime was run into the water, and the mixture run through six settling-ponds, and then through a sand filter into

Jan 1, 1913

By H. D. Keiser

Minor industrial minerals included in this chapter are: the alum minerals, bromine, calcium chloride, epsomite and other natural magnesium salts, iodine, meerschaum, quartz, industrial crystals other than quartz, and nonfuel gases (air, helium, carbon dioxide). Alum Minerals The natural alums comprise a group of hydrated double sulfates, the most important of which are potash alum, KAI(S04)2.12H20, the "alum" of popular usage; ammonium alum, (NH4)AI(SO4)2, known mineralogically as tschermigite; and soda alum, NaAI(SO4)2.12H20. Kalinite, KAI(SO4)2.11H20, and mendozite, NaAl(SO4)2, 11H20, are fibrous monoclinic alums, distinct from the isometric species potash alum and soda alum.4 Alunite, KAI3(S04)2(OH)6, also known as alumstone or alum rock, has been used as a raw material in the manufacture of alum since early times. All the natural alums are highly soluble and occur as surface evaporation products in arid regions or in sheltered places. Potash alum, together with the other natural alums, commonly occurs as an efflorescence or crevice filling in argillaceous rocks and brown coals that contain disseminated pyrite or marcasite. The mineral is derived by the action of sulfuric acid, formed during the weathering of the sulfide, upon alkali-rich aluminum silicates. Ammonia alum is found chiefly in lignite or broad-coal beds and bituminous shales. Alunite is most commonly associated with acid volcanic rocks, where the rock has been largely altered and alunite formed owing to the presence of sulfuric acid solutions or vapors. Aluminum sulfate, which for most uses is the essential ingredient of alum, may be found in saline residues resulting from the evaporation of natural water and may be formed by the action of acid waters upon aluminous rocks. A deposit of natural potash alum occurs in an irregular network of veins associated with sulfur in rhyolite in Esmeralda County, Nevada, about 35 miles west of Tonopah and 10 miles north of Silver Peak. Alum was recovered at a plant operated on the property between 1920 and 1923 by crushing the ore to ¾ in., grinding to minus 80-mesh, and counter-current leaching; the resulting alum solution was then filtered and crystallized. Alunite was of much interest during World War I as a source of potash and during World War II as a source of alumina. The wellknown deposits at Tolfa, Italy, are veins in trachyte and have been the basis of alum manufacture there since the middle of the fifteenth century. Pure alunite is insoluble in water and in common acids, but if it is heated to 500°C it loses its water of hydration, and the residue consists largely of anhydrous potash alum, part of which is readily soluble in water or acids. If the heat is increased beyond 500°C, most of the sulfur combined with the alumina is released as oxides and the residue consists of potassium sulfate and alumina. Thus, either potash alum (and aluminum sulfate) or potassium sulfate and alumina may be made. In the

Jan 1, 1960

By R. G. Treuting, W. C. Ellis

D. Whitwham, M. Mouflard, and P. Lacombe (British Council Research Fellow, Labratoire du Professor Chaudron, Vitry-sur-Seine; Inqenieur de Recherches, Labratoire de Vitry; and Maitre de Recherches, Labratoire de Vitry, Professeur Adjoint de Metallurgie, Ecole des Mines, Paris)—The authors' work is of great interest in bringing out the geometrical relations existing between twinned lattices, and for the notion of a coincidence super lattice developed from this. We should like to point out that a similar idea was put forward by Friedel8 in his book on the subject of lattice merohedrism "merihedrie réticulaire:"—When two crystals A and B are twinned with respect to a mirror plane, there exists a common superlattice, "réseau periode," which is independent of the contact surface between the two crystals. The volume V of this superlattice is a simple multiple of the volume v of the lattice of crystals A, or B, (Fig. 5). This "multiple cell" is defined by the twin plane (p q r) and a row of atoms [h k l] normal to this plane, the base being taken as the smallest unit (two-dimensional) of this plane. Two cases must be considered. First when the multiple cell, as defined, has no atom site at its center nor at the center of its faces other than (p q r), v the twinning index is defined by —. In the second v case, when one of the two above conditions does not v apply, then the twinning index is V 2v A more intuitive definition of the twinning index would be the proportion of atoms of C, which would coincide with those of C1 when the C, lattice is imagined to extend on the other side of the contact surface. In the case of cubic crystals, the twinning index

Jan 1, 1952

By D. J. Schmatz, H. I. Aaronson, H. A. Domian

Diffusion kinetics in disordered hcp Cd-Mg alloys have been investigated by means of the Kirkendall effect and concentration-penetration curves determined with an electron-microprobe analyzer. Self-diffusion coefficients of both species were determined at the three marker compositions obtained, averaging 27.6, 46. 7, and 78.1 at. pct Mg, by means of the Darken analysis. These coefficients were then corrected for the unequal and concentration-dependent partial molar volumes of the two elements with the Balluffi analysis, and for the vacancy flux effect by the Manning analysis. The latter correction reduced the Balluffi correction produced larger changes in the self-diffusiv-ities; neither, however, produced statistically significant changes in the Do's or the H'S. The most striking result of this investigation is that at all three compositions and at all temperatures studied both the uncorrected and corrected self-difjusivities of magnesium are higher than those of cadmium. The Cd-Mg system is the first one found in which the higher melting, lower vapor pressure element diffuses more rapidly. Both an empirical correlation due to Toth and Searcy and considerations of the atomic mechanism of diffusion indicate that this anomaly is probably due to a comparatively low value of the activation energy required for a magnesium atom and a vacancy to exchange sites, perhaps occasioned by the higher compressibility of magnesium atoms. KIRKENDALL effect studies have been previously reported for only two hcp solid solutions: the E phase of the Zn-Cu system1 and the a phase of the Cd-Hg system.' In neither investigation were the marker-movement studies supplemented with the concentration-penetration curve determinations necessary to evaluate self-diffusivities by means of the atano and the Darken analyses. The present program was undertaken to obtain both types of data on a hexagonal solid solution in order to provide more detailed information relevant to the mechanism of diffusion in this type of lattice. The Cd-Mg system was chosen for this study because the disordered solid solution extends across the entire phase diagram at temperatures above 253"c5 and the substantial difference in the melting points of the component pure metals promised that marker movements would occur at reasonably rapid rates should the diffusivities of the two species be as unequal as might be anticipated. The experimental convenience of the relatively low melting points of cad-miun and magnesium and the availability of extensive and accurate activity data6 (required for application of the Darken analysis) were additional reasons for selecting this alloy system. Since the anisotropy of diffusion is not large in either pure cadmium7 or pure magnesium,' the diffusion couples were prepared from polycrystalline components. The presence of a well-defined texture in the couples—the c axis of individual crystals tended to be normal to the diffusion direction— however, provides a fair degree of crystallographic definition to the data obtained. The principal (and entirely unexpected) finding of this investigation, that magnesium, the high-melting low-vapor pressure element, diffuses more rapidly than cadmium, in contradiction to a broad range of results in fcc and bcc alloys, as well as in the previously studied hcp alloys,172 makes the self-diffusivity determinations of immediate interest in understanding the origin of this anomalous result. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The cadmium (Belmont Smelting and Refining Co.) and magnesium (Dow Chemical Co.) used in this study were both of 99.99 pct purity. Alloys containing 51.0 and 65.6 at. pct Mg were prepared from these materials by melting under a MgC12-base flux in a high-purity graphite crucible. These alloys were subsequently hot-worked and then homogenized in a helium atmosphere at temperatures close to their solidus points. Sandwich-type diffusion couples of the type g/d/g were prepared from the pure metals by solid-state diffusion. Two-piece alloy couples of Mg/65.5 at. pct Mg (Mg/gCd) and Cd/51.0 at. pct Mg (Cd/CdMg) were welded by a liquation technique. The individual components of both types of couple were initially cylinders 1.27 cm in diam and in length; the ends of these cylinders were machined accurately flat and parallel. For both welding techniques, the pure cadmium cylinders and the alloys were chemically polished in a mixture of 40 pct ethyl alcohol, 40 pct hydrogen peroxide (30 pct conc), and 20 pct nitric acid,g while those of pure magnesium were polished in a solution of 10 pct nitric acid in ethyl alcohol.' Immediately afterwards, both metals were rinsed in freshly distilled acetone, and then in similarly purified methanol.' The Mg/Cd/g couples were assembled in a carefully cleaned stainless-steel welding fixture, in which a screw operating through a self-centering arrangement permitted a controlled pressure to be exerted upon a couple prior to welding.'' Tungsten marker wires 0.005 cm in diam were placed at the d:g interfaces of some of these couples, and imbedded in the couples during the application of pressure. As soon as a couple had been assembled, the welding fixture was inserted into a Pyrex capsule containing a packet of zirconium chips at each end. The capsule

Jan 1, 1967

By William P. Blake

The salt-beds at Salton, on the line of the Southern Pacific railway, in San Diego county, California, have been successfully worked for many years by the corporation known as the East Liverpool Salt Co., and the salt has been largely used upon the Pacific coast generally and in the interior. But the industry has lately been destroyed by the overflow from the Colorado river. The salt is dissolved, and the waves of the Salton sea now roll 50 ft. above the site of this once thriving and growing business. The salt-bed was evidently the residual accumulation from the waters of an ancient lake, which I have named Cahuilla, from the name by which a large part of the valley—the home of the Cahuilla tribe of Indians—is known. The deposit covered a comparatively small area in the lowest part of the valley, 280 R. or more below the sea-level. This depressed area is now generally known as the Colorado desert, but has a soil of wonderful fertility wherever water can be had on its surface. The deserted beaches, and the water-lines, only a few feet above tide-level, upon the rocks of the bordering mountains, as well as a great abundance of shells in the soil, all bear decisive testimony to the former occupation of the valley by water. The depression is topographically the northern end of the Gulf of California, from which it is now separated by the delta of the Colorado river, extending practically from the mouth of the Gila river across the valley to the coast mountains on the

Jan 1, 1908

By C. R. King

Most of the acid volcanic glasses such as obsidian, perlite, pitchstone, pumice, and pumicite (volcanic ash) are susceptible to some expansion if suddenly subjected to a suitably high temperature in a properly designed furnace, and subsequently suddenly cooled. Expansion results from the action of chemically combined or dissolved water expanding as a vapor within the softened heated rock particles. This expansion forms countless minute bubbles within the pasty mass of the natural glass particles. If the particles are cooled before these bubbles can escape, the resulting products are cellular, more or less spherulitized glass froths or hollow glass spheres of many types. Chemically, they are essentially aluminum silicates containing about 70 to 75 pct silica, 10 to 16 pct alumina, and 2 to 7 pct sodium plus potassium oxides. They are relatively resistant to attack by acids or alkalies, are resistant to heat up to over 1000°F, and are completely inert to insect or fungus attack. These products are of great potential value in many branches of industry as insulation materials, aggregates, fillers, abrasives, and additives. By proper selection of the perlite rock type and control of processing conditions, expanded perlite of a bulk density varying from about 2 to 20 Ib per cu ft can be • made. The physical properties of the particles comprising a product of a given bulk density also may be varied within wide limits of porosity, water absorption, and crushing strength. In general, crushing strength of expanded perlite increases in direct relation to increase in bulk density, but insulating value varies in inverse ratio to bulk density. The selection of a particular grade of expanded perlite for a given use as an aggregate is therefore always a compromise between insulating value, lightness, and friability. If porosity and water absorption are factors affecting the use of the material, factors other than bulk density are important. Some types of perlite rock tend to decrepitate excessively during expansion, resulting in a highly porous or even hygroscopic product of high friability relative to the bulk density of material produced. In general, treatment of any good perlite rock below the temperature necessary for maximum expansion, or insufficient time in the hot zone of the furnace for effective heat penetration to the core of the rock particles will result in some decrepitation and high porosity in the expanded product. On the other hand, exposure of the material to the temperature required for optimum expansion for a period of time slightly longer than that necessary for proper heat absorption will result in a slightly heavier product of extremely low porosity, i. e., a glazed surface. It is beyond the scope of this paper to describe in detail the rock types and processing methods used to produce the many types of expanded perlite in present use, or that may be produced to fill the present and future needs of industry. A few phases of the economics involved in processing and selling products made from this abundant and cheap mineral raw material, plentifully distributed in large and relatively accessible deposits in most western states and in other areas within economic shipping distance of large centers of consumption, will be treated with particular reference to the Los Angeles area. Relation of Balk Density to Use and Cost of Production Perlite differs from most other lightweight aggregates and fillers in that the raw material (perlite rock) may be quarried much as rock arid sand is mined, and then shipped into consuming areas as crude rock in open gondola cars at correspondingly low freight rates and handling costs. At processing plants in or near large consuming areas the rock is converted into relatively fragile, very bulky products which in most cases are used within a short haul of the processing plant or enter into a manufactured product made at the site of the perlite processing plant.

Jan 1, 1950

By J. E. Lawrence

Copper-decorated lattice disorders in silicon have been analyzed by electron transmission microscopy, chemical etching, and P-N junction reverse current measurements before and following different gettering treatments. Lattice disorders acted as the nucleating sites for copper precipitation. Copper precipitates in silicon resist chemical etching, absorb electron beams more than silicon, and cause excess reverse currents. Totally gettered disorders will chemically etch rapidly, be transparent to electron beams at extinction contrast, and not contribute to excess reverse currents. Three different gettering procedures were performed to determine the effectiveness of different EXTRANEOUS metal contamination can alter the minority carrier lifetime and resistivity of bulk silicon as well as cause excessive reverse currents in semiconductor devices. Previous workers have reported such activity for gold,1,2 copper,'-* iron,' and rnanganese.2,5 Gettering is a method employed to render these impurities electrically inactive. However, some property of the junction-degrading metals prevents gettering procedures from being wholly reliable. The comparative effectiveness of gettering with different agents has been the topic of earlier publications.2,3,6-11 Two mechanisms for gettering metallic impurities have been proposed: the distribution coefficient mechanism by Thurmond and Logan7 and the compound formation mechanism by Goetzberger and Shockley.2 Both of these models evolved from data gettering mechanisms. First, phosphorus was allowed to enter a protective SiO2 film but remain away from the Si-SiO2 interface to test the effectiveness of the compound formation gettering mechanism. Second, phosphorus was allowed to enter the backside of silicon wafers to test the effectiveness of the lattice strain gettering mechanism. Finally, nickel was diffused into the backside of silicon wafers to test the effectiveness of the distribution coefficient gettering mechanism. In each case, copper precipitates dissolved as a result of the gettering treatment. Tightly packed precipitates will resist gettering more than loosely packed copper precipitates. acquired by the electrical analyses of gettered semiconductor materials. An electrical analysis, however, cannot identify the fate of the gettered metals. The radiotracer technique has recently been applied to determine the redistribution of metals following different gettering treatments.3,9,10 The spatial resolu tion of the radiotracer technique prevented the analysis of metal precipitates which contribute to the excessive reverse currents of P-N junctions. The gettering processes employed by the earlier workers, almost without exception, allowed the gettering agent to enter the silicon lattice. This procedure makes it quite difficult to differentiate between the distribution coefficient and the compound formation mechanisms. The metallographic analysis of gettered copper precipitates discussed in this work supplements the earlier work by obtaining direct evidence of silicon lattice defects decorated with copper before and following different gettering treatments. The effectiveness of a process which restricts the gettering agent, phosphorus, to a dielectric film and thus away from the silicon lattice is discussed in addition to the ef-

Jan 1, 1969

By D. F. Kaufman, V. V. Damiano, G. J. London, L. R. Aronin

Beryllium bicrystals were Prepared by a seeding and floating zone-melting technique from high-purity beryllium single-crystal material. The starting material was given six floating zone purification passes prior to producing the bicrystals. Symmetric, asymmetric, and antisymmetric bicrystals were tested in tension. Included were bicrystals with boundaries both parallel and perpendicular to the tension axis. Modified symmetric bicrystals were also examined in detail. In these cases, the angles made by the slip planes with the boundary were not equal. Failure by (0001) cleavage, (1180) cleavage, and boundary separation were all observed depending on the orientation of these cleavage planes and the boundary with respect to the tension axis. Failure occurred on whichever system experienced the greatest normal stress. The origin of the fractures observed and the operative dislocation mechanisms were investigated by frac-tography and transmission electron microscopy. The results indicate that low-angle boundaries form in close proximity to the bicrystal boundary and act as sites for crack nucleation. It has been concluded that, although macroscopic compatibility was satisfied in many of the bicrystals examined, the bicrysta1 boundary was effective in Producing "early" failure by local bend plane formation as plastic deformation proceeded, followed by cleavage initiation and crack propagation. SINGLE crystals of high-purity beryllium oriented with the basal plane inclined 45 deg to the tension axis exhibit a critical resolved shear stress of about 300 psi and 200 pct extension by slipping only on the basal plane before failure by cleavage on that plane. Single crystals, oriented with the basal plane parallel to the tension axis, deform by prism slip at a critical resolved shear stress of 9000 psi and exhibit an extension of over 100 pct before failure in a ductile manner.' In contrast to the behavior of single crystals, poly-crystalline beryllium deformed in tension or bending exhibits little or no ductility at room temperature. Beryllium's lack of ductility at room temperature has been attributed to its lack of a sufficient number of independent slip systems. Beryllium has only four independent slip modes at room temperature and according to the Taylor2 and von Mises3 criteria at least five independent shear modes are necessary to completely satisfy the strain compatibility conditions at all the boundaries in a random polycrystalline sample. Studies of beryllium bicrystals thus appear to provide a convenient way in which to determine whether the condition of strain compatibility is a necessary and sufficient condition to prevent failure and whether obviously incompatible boundary conditions result in boundary separation. Bicrystal studies, although not providing all of the constraints encountered in polycrystalline samples, do allow one to select very specific orientation relation-

Jan 1, 1969

By Bahngrell W. Brown

IN an age when anything short of miraculous can and does happen it is entirely too easy to become labeled as a prophet. After the first wave of hysteria over atomic weapons died down there were crystal gazers enough in that field. The mining fraternity, always anxious to get back to normal anyway, looked, was duly impressed, and passed on to more mundane affairs. After all it was just another big blast in the stopes of life. After we "laymen" had seen the effects at Hiroshima and been granted a peek into the phenomenon of Numbers 4 and 5, we saw, indeed, that it was a tremendous but understandable weapon. Now it appears that we may fall heir to much of the defensive planning of the future. If, as our military planners tell us, it will be necessary to go underground for defense, then we are the true forerunners of a race of troglodytes. The underground belongs to us as to no other profession; the subsurface is our prerogative. Already the big mistakes in planning atomic defense are being made. It is within our ability now to correct them. Surveys are being made of natural caverns to be used as a basis for military planning. This is our first big mistake. Even if the natural caverns, many of which Nature has precariously carved from cherty and brittle limestones, could withstand the seismic force of a proximate blast without major roof failures, there is a more serious argument against the blanket use of natural caverns as a first line of defense. In addi-

Jan 1, 1946

By Frank H. Macpherson

When it became apparent early in 1941 that the United States might be drawn into the war, studies were made of the bauxite situation in Arkansas, principally because 9.5 pct of the known bauxite reserves of the country were located in that State. Bauxite mining was then geared for maximum production to supply ore to meet this country's war requirements and, if necessary, to supply the needs of Canada as well. In view of the comparatively small bauxite reserves, Congress appropriated funds for an extensive exploratory drilling program to be carried out by the Bureau of Mines in cooperation with the Geological Survey. An alumina plant was erected near Bauxite and an aluminum plant near Hot Springs, Ark., by the Defence Plant Corp. The Metals Reserve Co. established a schedule of prices, arranged for stockpile sites and a buying agency. Operators cooperated to step up production and new ones came into the field. Production Record Prior to 1941, the greatest annual production in Arkansas was 562,892 long tons, dry basis in 1918. During the single month of August 1943, 693,596 long tons were mined—130,704 tons more than for the entire year of 1918. In general the Arkansas bauxite deposits are relatively small, irregular in thickness, somewhat scattered and, compared to coal, iron or open-pit copper deposits, are ill-adapted to an expansion in output. Commercial deposits range in horizontal extent from less than an acre to about 40 acres and are usually very irregular in outline. The average thickness of all known workable deposits is between 12 and 15 ft. with a maximum of about 60 ft. The ore bodies are usually somewhat undulating and nearly horizontal although locally some deposits dip as much as IS°. Types of Bauxite Three physical types of bauxite may be recognized: pisolitic, granitic and amorphous. Pisolitic ore is the most common type. It consists of small pebble-like nodules, ranging from the size of a pin head up to several inches in diameter, all set in a fine grained matrix. Transported bauxite is usually- pisolitic. Most residual bauxite is granitic. It is believed not to have moved appreciably from the location where it originally was formed. This is indicated by the fact that it appears to grade into unaltered nephelite syenite, which it overlies. Amorphous ore is the least abundant. It is nonpisolitic and resembles clay, has no characteristic texture, and can be identified definitely only by chemical analysis. Uses of Bauxite Bauxite is chiefly used for, and at the present time is substantially the only

Jan 1, 1948

By Frank H. Macpherson

When it became apparent early in 1941 that the United States might be drawn into the war, studies were made of the bauxite situation in Arkansas, principally because 9.5 pct of the known bauxite reserves of the country were located in that State. Bauxite mining was then geared for maximum production to supply ore to meet this country's war requirements and, if necessary, to supply the needs of Canada as well. In view of the comparatively small bauxite reserves, Congress appropriated funds for an extensive exploratory drilling program to be carried out by the Bureau of Mines in cooperation with the Geological Survey. An alumina plant was erected near Bauxite and an aluminum plant near Hot Springs, Ark., by the Defence Plant Corp. The Metals Reserve Co. established a schedule of prices, arranged for stockpile sites and a buying agency. Operators cooperated to step up production and new ones came into the field. Production Record Prior to 1941, the greatest annual production in Arkansas was 562,892 long tons, dry basis in 1918. During the single month of August 1943, 693,596 long tons were mined—130,704 tons more than for the entire year of 1918. In general the Arkansas bauxite deposits are relatively small, irregular in thickness, somewhat scattered and, compared to coal, iron or open-pit copper deposits, are ill-adapted to an expansion in output. Commercial deposits range in horizontal extent from less than an acre to about 40 acres and are usually very irregular in outline. The average thickness of all known workable deposits is between 12 and 15 ft. with a maximum of about 60 ft. The ore bodies are usually somewhat undulating and nearly horizontal although locally some deposits dip as much as IS°. Types of Bauxite Three physical types of bauxite may be recognized: pisolitic, granitic and amorphous. Pisolitic ore is the most common type. It consists of small pebble-like nodules, ranging from the size of a pin head up to several inches in diameter, all set in a fine grained matrix. Transported bauxite is usually- pisolitic. Most residual bauxite is granitic. It is believed not to have moved appreciably from the location where it originally was formed. This is indicated by the fact that it appears to grade into unaltered nephelite syenite, which it overlies. Amorphous ore is the least abundant. It is nonpisolitic and resembles clay, has no characteristic texture, and can be identified definitely only by chemical analysis. Uses of Bauxite Bauxite is chiefly used for, and at the present time is substantially the only

Jan 1, 1948

SMELTING is a thing essential to the end for which ores are sought, for without it every ore is a useless stone. This art is especially needed by those who, drawn on by hope, have mined ores in large quantities with great expense and effort. For this reason it is worth while to use one's wits and, if ordinary ways should not suffice, to consider how to find new ways of smelting the ores in order to extract the metals and to purge them of their earthiness. For this reason I shall now tell you of blast and other furnaces, and I shall also tell you, in order that you may be warned, that whoever wishes to do this well must first look at the nature and quality of the ore. You will already have had enlightenment on this from the experiments on assaying and with this as guiding star it is necessary to make ingenious structures and to provide for-the other needs as necessary, for one ore requires iron and another lead. Since I have already spoken of these in their own places on their ores, it is not necessary at present that I repeat, but here I wish to speak only of copper ore as a companion of silver and gold, and of where art is most required and where difficulties chiefly appear. For these things a machine must be built that is convenient to a good water supply in order to continue the work more easily. Its wheels should be large and easily moved, constructed in such a way that the force of the water lifts the bellows that are placed at the tuyère to direct the blast inside the furnaces that are to smelt the ores. For this, attention must first be given to the site of the machine, the quantity of water, and its fall; then to the wood for building the machine and for making charcoal; then to the stones that are used for the blast furnaces; then to the provision of good bellows that are wide, long, and full in their sides and made of cloth, for the better these are, the more they quicken the power of the charcoal

Jan 1, 1942

By J. S. Westwater

The Mather mine of The Negaunee Mine Co. embraces nearly all of Sections 1 and 2, T47N, R27W, within the limits of the cities of Negaunee and Ishpeming on the Marquette iron range of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Operations of the Negaunee Mine Co., the stock of which is jointly owned by Bethlehem Steel Co. and The Cleve-land-Cliffs Iron Co., are under the direction of the latter company. The opening of the Mather mine was described by C. W. Al1en.† Mather " A " shaft was completed to an initial depth of 2352 ft in early 1943. The shaft capacity of over one million tons yearly is in prospect of being realized by orderly development and mining, and sinking of the second or "B" shaft then started in accordance with previous planning. Mather "B," also a vertical shaft, was designed as a twin to Mather "A" shaft and the sinking technique developed at Mather "A" was utilized in "B" shaft operation. Shaft Sinking General Plan An average depth of 16 ft of sand overburden at the shaft site was cleared away by bulldozer, and the shaft approximately 15 by 20 ft in rock opening put down to an initial depth of 87 ft. Mucking of the broken rock to this depth was accomplished by an Insley excavator equipped with a 1/2 yard ca-pacity Owens clamshell bucket. Addition of 200 lb weight to each lip of the clam bucket provided adequate "bite" to dig the broken diorite and jasper rock. Temporary heavy wood bearers were placed across the shaft mouth to support the steel shaft sets which were hung in this initial 87 ft depth, aligned accurately and concreted in place from the lowest set upwards. The permanent steel headframe foundations and three service tunnel openings to the shaft were also concreted in the upper section to the shaft collar. A temporary wood headframe was then erected over the shaft mouth, and initial hoisting machinery assembled consisting of a Lake Shore 12 ft diam single drum grooved for a 1 3/8 in. rope and powered by two 400 hp motors to attain hoisting speed of 1100 fpm. Compressed air was obtained from a Nordberg 2 stage tandem horizontal type with a capacity of 1500 cfm. An enclosed landing platform at the shaft collar was equipped with a rotary dump and pocket for discharge of the rock into a Euclid 15 ton truck. On completing assembly of this equipment and installation of a special cage in the shaft, sinking was resumed on a three shift, six days per week

Jan 1, 1950

By Frank C. Smith

THE following article covers the history of a metallurgical campaign, commenced in March, 1905, at the mines of the Socorro Gold Co., in the so-called desert region of Yuma county, Arizona. The results obtained were simply a function of necessity, as will be seen from the description of the local economic conditions and the character of the ores treated. The mines and mill of the Socorro Gold Co. are located near the small village of Harrisburg, about 60 miles from Congress Junction, Arizona, which, at the time this work was undertaken, was the nearest railroad station, and from which all supplies were brought by wagon through the desert, at a cost varying from $10 to $15 per ton in addition to the railroad freights. Wood, the only available fuel, cost $7 per cord. Water for all purposes was pumped to the plant from a well in the valley about 4 miles away. Under the Arizona law, a working-shift is 8 hr. Wages were $6 per day for foremen and mill-men, $4 per day for blacksmiths and engineers, $3.50 per day for miners, and $3 per day for shovelers and trammers. The ore consisted of quartz, in which, above the 250-ft. level, the iron-minerals were largely oxidized and some free gold was visible; below that level few traces of oxidation occurred, and pyrite constituted the principal mineralizer in the quartz, together with occasional pockets of galena and a few eccentric specks of covellite. The 20-stamp mill was equipped with plates for amalgamation, and three Standard tables for concentration. The tails from the tables were elevated by a centrifugal pump to a launder, by which they were conveyed to a 60-ton cyanide-mill for further treatment. The cyanide-mill was erected at so great a distance from the stamp-mill that a separate crew of workers and a separate power-plant were necessary. No arrangement had been made for the treatment of the concen-

Jan 1, 1907

By H. W. Schreiber, G. R. Castle

INTRODUCTION The small mining company faces the dilemma of how to finance the development of its properties. Many of these small companies don't have the financial resources to pay for development costs from their own funds and frequently they do not even have the financial strength to permit them to borrow the money needed for development. A project financing can sometimes be arranged in such a way as to solve this dilemma. A typical project financing will not provide the answer to the "little guy's" problem because most project financings require that the sponsors of the project provide completion undertakings and sometimes other undertakings. These undertakings are often a prerequisite to obtaining financing, and if the sponsor is not financially strong enough to provide the comfort that the lenders require, then the sponsor will have difficulty obtaining financing no matter what undertakings are offered. However, with a little imagination and the right set of circumstances, a project financing can sometimes provide the solution to the small mining company's problem. The Strathcona Sound Project is unusually suited as a case study because the sponsor, Mineral Resources International Limited,(MRI) was able to arrange a project financing for the development of the project even though the lenders probably would not have been willing to loan a similar amount of money direct to MRI based on the full faith and credit of MRI's balance sheet. The way that MRI was able to arrange this financing makes for an interesting story. THE CASE In early 1974, MRI owned 100% of a small to medium sized zinc - lead - silver massive sulfide deposit (Property) located 475 miles north of the Arctic Circle less than two miles from deep water on Strathcona Sound which is a shipping zone in the Canadian Arctic. The Property was situated at a desolate location except for an Eskimo settlement (Arctic Bay) which was about 20 miles west of the Property. In other words, the project required that complete infrastructure would need to be installed in this far northern location. Independent reserve and feasibility studies (Study) had been completed on the Property which confirmed a total of 6,825,000 tons of reserves classified and summarized as shown below on Table I: [ ] These reserves were based on 229 diamond drill holes totalling 58,909 feet and were established on a cut-off grade of 7% zinc and a minimum mining height of seven feet. The overall mining recovery rate was estimated at not less than 85% and not more than 90%. The feasibility study indicated that it would cost an estimated $45,044,000 to develop an underground mine, a concentrator, a town-site, a power plant, storage facility, loading dock, a tailings disposal area and an airstrip on the Property with an annual capacity of 525,000 tons of ore per year. The construction period was expected to take two years and projected capital costs were broken down as set forth below on Table II:

Jan 1, 1985

By R. R. Jones, R. W. Kraft

Zn-Mg2Znn eutectic alloys nzay freeze willr either rodlike or lanzellar rnorphology. Alloys with slighlly more than /he eutectic arrzount of rnagnesillrn usually contain three-cnned dendrjles of MgzZnll in a eutec-lic ttlulris. All three morphologies haue the same cryslallographic orientution relationship: (0UOl) zn - 11 (111) Mg2Znll and (2310)Zn 11(101) Mg2Znll, but u3ith different prej-erred groulth direclions. The lurnellae lo rods transifion in con/rolled ingols qf euleclic cotnposition occurs because lhe large kinelic undercooling due to MgzZnll minirrzizes /he ejj-ecl of the solid-solid inlerface energy. The eutectic morphology is influenced by the presence of lhree-nned dendrites 0-f MgzZn11 which may conlrol /he rricroslrccture by acting as nuclealion sites. In recent years there has been much interest in eutectic solidification and several theories have been proposed. One of the confusing factors is the existence of various morphologies in which the solidified phases may form. The lamellar microstructure seems to be most common in metal eutectics, and it has been claimed' that all regular eutectics should be lamellar if sufficiently pure. However, there still remain eutectic alloys which are not lamellar or which change their morphology as a function of growth conditions. The eutectic between zinc and the intermetallic phase Mg2Znll was chosen for this investigation because it has been found to solidify in more than one morphology. The diagram in anssen' locates the eutectic point at 3.0 wt pct Mg and 367°C. lliott gives 364°C as the eutectic temperature, leaving the phase compositions unaltered. Since the growth conditions determine the micro-structure of the solidified alloy, the factors controlling the transition from one morphology to another could be studied. The lamellae to rods transition is of particular interest. PROCEDURE Alloys were prepared from carefully weighed portions of 99.999 pct Zn and 99.97 pct Mg by melting in Pyrex containers under argon and casting into graphite boats. The resulting ingots were remelted under argon and solidified unidirectionally in a horizontal tube furnace at growth rates ranging from 2.0 to more than 50 cm per hr under a temperature gradient, measured over a 5-cm length, of 9" to 14°C per cm. The solid-liquid interface appeared to be planar at all growth rates although no attempt was made to confirm this by decantation or quenching. A few ingots were allowed to freeze uncontrolled. Most alloys were of the nominal eutectic composition, 3.0 wt pct Mg according to Hansen2 and lliott, but some contained as much as 3.35 wt pct Mg. Chemical analyses were not run since metallographic examination confirmed that the desired composition was achieved. Specimens were cut from the middle portion of the ingot normal to the growth axis, polished mechanically, and etched with 2 pct Nital. Suitable areas were selected for the determination of crystallographic orientation relationships by a tiontechniqueof described previously by one of the authors.4 The (2310) planes of zinc and the (8701, {944}? (1032) planes of Mg2Znll were found suitable for orientation determination; experimental error was on the order of 2 or 3 deg. RESULTS Three different morphologies were found in the unidirectionally solidified alloys: lamellar eutectic, rod-like eutectic, and a structure whose most predominant characteristic was the presence of three-vaned (cellular) dendrites of Mg2Znll. These dendrites were only found in alloys with more than the eutectic amount of magnesium. In some ingots fine hexagonal needles of Mg2Znll surrounding a core of MgZn2 were observed. They were probably due to incomplete alloying and seemed to have no effect on the eutectic morphology. In addition hexagonal spirals like those discussed by Fullman and wood5 and Hunt and acksonh ere observed in some ingots frozen without directional control. Both MgZZn,, and MgZnz were detected by X-ray diffraction in these alloys. Since the morphology could not be grown unidirectionally and no characteristic orientation relationship between the phases was found, further study was limited to the lamellar: rodlike, and three-vaned dendrite morphologies. Alloys of Eutectic Composition, No Dendrites. The mcrostructures of allovs with no three-vaned dendrites were either lamellar or rodlike depending on the growth rate. At rates below 10 cm per hr the morphology was lamellar, consisting of two sets of parallel plates intersecting at about 54 deg like the Mg-MgzSn eutectic described by raft.7 At growth rates faster than 14 cm per hr the microstructure showed rods of zinc in a matrix of MgnZnll, while intermediate rates yielded mixtures of rods and lamellae in small groups. The lamellar "grains" were often several millimeters in cross section, but contained small irregular areas which divided each grain into perfect islands 100 or 200 p in diam. Lamellae were parallel to each other throughout the grain in spite of these defects in the structure, Fig. 1. Rods, on the other hand, could only be produced in small groups arranged like fish scales and separated by irregular areas of appreciable thickness, Fig. 2. Alloys Not of Eutectic Composition, With Dendrites. In alloys with 3.1 to 3.35 wt pct ME,-. three-vaned dendrites bf MgzZnll were usually found surrounded by eutectic. At growth rates slower than about 10 cm per hr the dendrites were separated from each other by small areas of both lamellar and rod eutectic, Fig. 3.

Jan 1, 1969

By H. S. Martin

THE Phosphate Recovery Corporation operates three flotation plants, Nos. 1 and 2 concentrators about three miles northeast of Mulberry, Florida, and No. 3 plant at Wales, Tennessee. These plants represent the first commercial phosphate flotation operation and are also believed to be the largest nonmetallic flotation operation in the world at the pres-ent time. The details of this paper will be confined to plant No. 2, this being the newest and largest concentrator in Florida, and the flow sheet being practically the same as at plant No. 1. The No. 3 plant has been oper-ated but a short time and has been shut down since December, 1932, on account of the decrease in phosphate rock production. The phosphate washers usually are located centrally on a known deposit so that about two hundred acres of ground can be mined eco-nomically to each washer location. The washers are moved to new areas when the distance becomes too great for economical pumping. The flotation plants are built either adjacent to a washer, so that current debris may be utilized, or on the site of a former washer where there is sufficient accumulated debris available for mining, and the flotation plants must also be moved from time to time. Most of the water used in the Florida flotation plants is recovered after passing through a circulating system where most of the fine sus-pended matter is settled out, but some make-up water is obtained from deep wells near the plant. Power is obtained from the Tampa Electric Co. through the dis-tribution facilities of the International Agricultural Corporation. Flotation concentrate is hauled from the plant by trolley over the International Agricultural Corporation's trolley system, to the drying plant at Prairie, one mile northwest of Mulberry.

Jan 1, 1933

By F. D. Weeks

The Salida smelting plant, owned by the Ohio & Colorado Smelting & Refining Co., is situated at an altitude of 7,000 ft., about 2 miles west of Salida, Colo., and 215 miles southwest of Denver. Salida is a division point on the Denver & Rio Grande R. R. where the narrow-gage line serving the San Juan region joins the through standard gage. This narrow-gage road also serves the coal and coke companies at Crested Butte and the lime quarries and mines at Monarch and Garfield, which are only 20 miles distant. These facts, together with the possibility of an appropriate site, doubtless influenced the builders to locate at this point. The smelting plant and yard occupy 80 acres of land on the northeast side of the Arkansas River. The slope of the ground is such as to permit of the ore being delivered by cars at a point 25 ft. above the feed floor; and in front of the furnaces there is a fall of 50 ft. for the slag dump. A recent purchase of river bottom has provided slag room for 20 years. As originally constructed, the plant consisted of four blast furnaces, 40 by 144 in. at tuyéres, two copper-matting furnaces, dust chamber, stack, power plant, blowers, sampling works, and one railroad trestle about 16 ft. from bed floor to rails. Later 12 hand roasters of excellent design were added and the practice of smelting leady matte in a copper-matting furnace was abandoned. Since the plant passed under the present management the equipment has been increased so that the following is a brief description of the same at this date: Two lead blast furnaces, 48 by 180 in. at tuyéres, 17 ft. 6 in. tuyéres to feed floor; four lead blast furnaces, 40 by 144 in. at tuyéres, 17 ft. 6 in. tuyéree to feed floor; two copper-matting furnaces, not used; blast-furnace flue, 900 ft.; area 245 sq. ft.; blast-furnace stack, 150 ft.; above furnace floor, 190 ft. When smelting a 500-ton charge per day, the gases approximate 63,700 cu. ft. per minute and travel at a speed of 260 ft. per minute. The slag is hauled by a 10-ton electric locomotive; the slag shells and settler refuse are elevated to a bin on the feed floor by an electric hoist. The matte is tapped in 1,600-lb. cakes and loaded into cars

Jan 1, 1916

By M. E. Wadsworth, I. B. Cutler

Coprecipitation of anionic and cationic polyelectrolytes has been applied to floccula-tion of several mineral systems. Results obtained in a study of the flocculation of kaolinite and hematite suspensions of polycationic and polyanionic electrolytes are presented. Greatly increased settling rates were observed following precipitation of positive and negative polyelectrolytes on the surface of finely divided minerals in aqueous suspension. The ratios of polycationic to polyanionic electrolytes required to produce maximum sedimentation have been shown to correspond closely with the equivalence points obtained by light scattering studies of systems containing the positive and negative polyelectrolytes by themselves. DISPERSION of colloids has been of interest to surface chemists for many years. Flocculation studies have been employed to evaluate the limits of colloid stability. In water suspensions, colloids become unstable and flocculate when the ( potential, the potential of the kinetic solvation sheath, falls to a value at which van der Waals forces may act to draw the particles together. This may happen through an adjustment of the pH of the suspension or by addition of a salt. Optimum conditions for rapid formation of large flocs are found in the region of minimum ( potential. In addition to these well known considerations, colloids in water suspensions are known to be flocculated by certain large organic macromolecules. These polyelectrolytes in some cases minimize the i potential and in other instances increase the attractive forces by supplying sites for hydrogen bonding.' Use of organic polyelectrolytes in flocculation of mineral colloids has increased rapidly in recent years. These materials are now recognized as indispensable aids to fluid-solid separations in many extractive metallurgical operations. They have been found to increase both the settling rate in thickeners and the filtration rate of filters. In the elucidation of the characteristics of these organic reagents as floc-culants in this laboratory, it was discovered that interaction of certain polyelectrolytes had a surprisingly good effect on flocculation of mineral colloids. Experimental Procedure: The anionic flocculants used in this study were Lytron 886 and 887, produced by Monsanto Chemical Co. Both reagents are copolymers of vinyl acetate and maleic anhydride. Lime is added to Lytron 886, whereas Lytron 887 is all organic. These reagents possess two carboxyl groups for each acetate group and are therefore anionic in character. The cationic reagents used were the Peter Cooper Co. 1-X and 2-X glues. The structures are not definitely known, but the re- agents are amines and are cationic in character. The glues were prepared in the chrome-alum form. Both types of reagents may be classified as polyelectrolytes in that they are high molecular weight polymers and ionize in water. All data presented are in terms of sedimentation rate, measured in 250-ml glass-stoppered graduated cylinders. With suitable precautions such measurements are fairly reproducible and provide a sensitive means for selecting important parameters such as pH, reagent concentration, and floc size and density.2 Agitation was standardized with five complete end over end cycles of the suspensions in the stoppered graduated cylinders.

Jan 1, 1957