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Electrical requirements in surface mining can be divided into three categories: main substation, plant power, and pit distribution. A main substation may vary from a 500-kva transformer supplying 480-v power to motor-driven pumps and conveyors, to a 50,000-kva substation serving a large beneficiation plant or a large strip mining operation. Regard- less of size, it should be designed with the realization that a failure of the main substation will totally shut down the operation. Location of a main substation usually is a compromise between expense of running the incoming high-voltage transmission lines and the voltage drop of long secondary runs. Based on a geological survey for immediate and future areas of excavation, the main substation should be located as near to the center of load as possible.

Jan 10, 1967

By Charles Kirchhoff

For twenty years it has been my work to watch and record progress in both the technical and the commercial branches of mining engineering in the wide sense in which it is represented by our Institute. While you who have been actively engaged in our profession have made history, a few of us have attempted to be the historians and have been kept keenly on the qui vive to follow the developments of so broad a field. One so employed may be pardoned if he ask you to pause for the unusual purpose of looking backward, that you may measure what you and others have done, and that the younger men may gather inspiration from the work accomplished by their elders and their predecessors. It is not so long since that the commercial management dominated our industries. Bred in the school of science, which seeks its reward in establishing the truth, our engineers were sometimes indifferent to trade conditions and requirements. Much of that feeling has disappeared, and the engineer recognizes that it is his mission to apply the achievements of science to a useful commercial end. On the other hand, business men now understand that the utilization of our natural resources and the production of articles for consumption is impossible without the intervention of the engineer. They must co-operate, unless, indeed, the two functions are combined in one man —a rare but powerful combination. Now the final measure of success of both is the cost sheet on the one hand and the expansion of markets on the other, so closely interwoven, so mutually interdependent. There is one cardinal feature, however, which characterizes the engineer's work—namely, the permanence of his achievements. Every improvement, particularly when it has been recorded in such lasting form as a paper in the Transactions of our societies—

Jan 1, 1900

By Guillermo Hileman

In March the President approved the new oil bill, .which became effective as Law No. 12161, providing among other things a contribution or tax on all producers varying from 8 to 12 per cent payable monthly. The new regulations, for chapter VI bearing on the tax feature, of this

Jan 1, 1936

By Guillermo Hileman

In March the President approved the new oil bill, .which became effective as Law No. 12161, providing among other things a contribution or tax on all producers varying from 8 to 12 per cent payable monthly. The new regulations, for chapter VI bearing on the tax feature, of this

Jan 1, 1936

By John F. Havard, Armine F. Banfield

Sooner or later, we all get involved in the economic study and valuation of a mineral deposit. To communicate clearly the necessary information, we must scrupulously use various terms with specific meaning. All these terms-such as ore, exploration, development, production, reserves, proven ore, probable ore, possible reserves, resources, as well as similar terms applying to coal-are continually on the lips of anyone who reports on the economic aspects of a mineral deposit at the exploration, development, and production stages. The meaning of these terms is even more important in feasibility studies to determine whether a deposit should be put into production. Finally, careless use of these terms in reports published for public financing may, and sometimes does, lead to prosecution of the writer for misleading information.

Jan 7, 1975

By M. I. Jacobson, A. S. Yue, A. E. Vidoz, F. W. Crossman

An equation governing the concept of constitutional supercooling under the combined effect of concentration and temperature gradients was used to produce platelike Al-CuAl2 eutectic composites for mechanical properties studies. Compression specimens were prepared from a single-colony Al-CuA12 eutectic composite ingot, 2 in. in diam and 12 in. long. The specirrzens were cut such that the platelets were oriented parallel, 45 deg, and perpendicular to the compression direction. Since the ingot was of eutectic composition, The aluminum-rich matrix could dissolve 5. 7 wt pct Cu in solid solution, and therefore could be strengthened by precipitation hardening. Specimens were tested at room temperature and elevated temperatures in the unidirectionally solidified, solution-treated, and solution-treated plus aged conditions. The results were compared with those for the conventionally cast and extruded specimens. For the controlled material, the highest strengths were obtained with platelets oriented parallel to the compression axis. In the unidirectionally solidified condition, 0.2 pct offset yield strength was 32,000 psi; however, this was increased to 59,000 psi by solution treatment, and further increased to 90,500 psi by solution treatment and aging. The attainment of high compressive strengths in the Al-CuAl2 eutectic composites was interpreted in terms of the buckling of elastic CuAl2 platelets in the plastically deformed a aluminum matrix. SINCE the discovery of high-strength whiskers,' scientists and engineers have made significant progress toward incorporating these whiskers into metallic matrices, forming composites for basic studies and structural application. The general procedure is to produce the whiskers first and then to bind them together with a ductile matrix. The production of whisker-reinforced composites requires tedious handling techniques,, particularly when it is desired to align the whiskers unidirectionally. Furthermore, the interfacial bond between the whisker and the matrix is frequently poor3 so that the resulting composite has strengths lower than expected. These disadvantages are generally true for any metallic composite produced by physically mixing the components. It is possible to eliminate these shortcomings by growing whiskers directly in the matrix material by eutectic solidification.4-8 In eutectic solidification, the matrix phase and a whisker phase are grown approximately simultaneously from a liquid of the same overall composition at the eutectic temperature. If the solidification process is controlled by varying the freezing rate, the temperature gradient, and the impurity content, platelike or filamentlike whiskers are produced parallel to the growth direction. The morphology of the grown-in reinforcement, i.e.. plates or rods, generally depends on the volume fraction9 of the dispersed phase present in the eutectic mixture. Since the unidirectional eutectic solidification is a one-step process, i.e., the liquid-solid transformation process, an excellent interfacial bond between the matrix and whisker is obtained. An additional advantage is that no special handling technique for whiskers is needed. In recent years, many investigators10-13 have studied the effects of growth variables on the micromorpholo-gies of binary eutectic alloys produced by controlled solidification. The study of their mechanical properties was initiated by Kraft and coworkers14-16 who found that the strength of cast A1-CuA12 eutectic alloy can be increased threefold by unidirectional solidification. In the A1-AL3Ni system, a strength of 50,000 lb per sq in, was reported for the unidirectionally solidified eutectic alloy, a value five times higher than for conventionally cast material. Thus, the unidirectionally solidified eutectics can be used as fiber-reinforced composite materials. In this paper, we shall first use an equation17 as a guide for the production of eutectic composites in general and the Al-33 wt pct Cu eutectic in particular. Experimental data supporting the theoretical prediction are given. Second, the compressive properties of the grown A1-33 wt pct Cu eutectic were thoroughly investigated in terms of platelet orientations, thermo-mechanical treatment, and temperature. The experimental data are interpreted in terms of a buckling model of fibers in elastic fiber-plastic matrix metallic composites. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Crystal Growth. The following experimental procedure was adopted for the production of controlled microstructures in the A1-33 wt pct Cu eutectic alloy. The controlled solidification was accomplished with a movable resistance-wound radiation furnace. Fig. 1 is a schematic drawing of the solidification apparatus. A water-cooled chiller was placed into a degassed high-purity graphite crucible containing the charge. Rubber stoppers wrapped with aluminum foil were used to seal both ends of the quartz tube through which a dried argon atmosphere was passed under a slight positive pressure. At both ends of the quartz tube, radiation shields were used to minimize heat loss. The quartz tube was held in place by two steel clamps and the furnace was drawn vertically by means of a steel cable against the steel truss which permits the furnace to move without touching the tube. The drive mechanism consisted of two pulleys, a counter weight.

Jan 1, 1969

By R. M. Jorda

The mechanism of parafin deposition and prevention has been studied in the laboratory using an apparatus which provides a quantitative means of studying parafin deposition on metal and plastic surfaces. The amount, hardness, adhesion, per cent wax and mean molecular weight of parafin deposits appear to be governed by surface roughness alone, all other conditions being constant. Tests of various plastic coatings indicate that most smooth, nonparafinic plastics are capable of reducing parafin deposits in oil wells, but flexible, highly polar, nonparafinic plastics are more suitable for providing long term resistance to parafin deposition in oil wells if the flow stream contains abrasive materials. INTRODUCTION The problem of paraffin deposition is one of long standing in the oil industry.' Crude oils often contain paraffins which precipitate and adhere to the liner, tubing, sucker rods and surface equipment as the temperature of the producing stream decreases in the normal course of flowing, gas lifting or pumping. Heavy paraffin deposits are undesirable because they reduce the effective size of the flow conduits and restrict the production rate from the well. Where severe paraffin deposition occurs, removal of the deposits by mechanical, thermal or other means is required, resulting in costly down time and increased operating costs. The troublesome paraffins are normal hydrocarbons ranging from approximately C15H38 to C38H78 mixed with small amounts of branched paraffins, monocyclic paraffins, polycyclic paraffins and aromatics.' The amount of paraffins found in crude oils varies from less than 1 to more than 30 per cent. Many publications are available which deal with this problem, and perhaps the most significant findings in recent literature are contained in a publication by Hunt3 ho developed the "cold spot tester", a really useful means of investigating paraffin deposition. Hunt's observations led to many generalized conclusions concerning the effect of surface roughness on paraffin deposits. He ascertained that there was an observable qualitative correlation between the severity of paraffin deposition and the roughness of the surfaces which he tested (cold rolled steel, stainless steel and several plastics). Because of the number of meaningful observations made by Hunt, his cold spot tester was modified somewhat and extensive tests were per- formed to study the quantitative relationship between surface roughness and the physical and chemical nature of paraffin deposits. LABORATORY TEST PROCEDURES The cold spot test apparatus consists of a flat circular plate mounted on a curved tube and positioned in a vessel containing a wax-oil solution (Fig. 1). The apparatus is arranged so that the temperature of the central portion of the circular plate can be varied by means of a circulating liquid stream; the test equipment includes provisions for maintaining a constant wax-oil solution temperature and stirring speed. In the paraffin deposition studies, the modified cold spot tester was used as follows. The cold spot probe consisted of a flat circular plat 2 in. in diameter and 1/8-in. thick positioned in the wax-oil solution kept at constant temperature. As in Hunt's earlier experiments," a cold liquid was circulated through a tube connected to the circular plate so that the liquid impinged on one side of the plate cooling the plate from the center outward, causing paraffin to deposit on the side of the plate exposed to the wax-oil solution.

Jan 1, 1967

By R. M. Rose, D. P. Ferriss, J. Wulff

Single crystals of tantalum, tungsten, and the binary alloys thereof were grown by electron-beam zone melting and tested in tension between 77° and 373°K. The ductile-to-brittle transition temperature increased sharply with solute concentration, for both tungsten-rich and tantalum-rich alloys; apparently, the maximum transition temperature exists near the 50 pet concentration. Twinning was observed to be a consequence of cleavage-crack propagation. Cleavage occurred on(100)planes, and extensive tearing and "river markings" were present. The onset of brittleness could not be associated with any change in deformation mode, the yield point phenomenon, or the large rise in yield stress with decreasing temperature. Cleavage was observed to initiate at either the specimen surface, or subgrain boundaries. The observation was made that the grain boundaries of Polycrystalline materials are probably even better as nucleation sites for fracture, and are responsible for brittleness at high temperatures and lower solute concentrations than those of the corresponding single crystals. TUNGSTEN and tantalum, the two high-melting neighbors in the third transition period of the periodic table, present striking contrasts. Although both are bee, tungsten has far higher elastic moduli, and the highest ductile-to-brittle transition (DBT) of all the pure metals.' Tantalum, however, is ductile at liquid helium temperatures. Large strain aging and yield point phenomena are observed in tantalum,2,3 but only to a lesser extent in tungsten.4 Tungsten work-hardens at a high rate,5 whereas this effect is negligible in tantalum.' Since the mutual solid solubility of these two metals is complete,7 and no ordering has yet been reported in the binary system, the possibility of depressing tungsten's DBT by tantalum additions was considered. Also, tungsten additions to tantalum could produce hard, high-melting alloys which might be ductile at room temperature. Such alloys offered excellent bases for complex alloy development, particularly with regard to the effect of rhenium on Group VI metals.8"10 In addition, there was the opportunity to examine flow and fracture modes in the vicinity of the DBT, with particular emphasis on the correlation between brittleness and fundamental deformation mechanisms. Myers11 has reported that recrystallized alloys with up to 10 pet W in tantalum are ductile at room temperature, but alloys with 20 pct W could not be swaged at temperatures as high as 500°C. The whole spectrum of Ta-W alloys has been surveyed by Braun, Sedlatschek, and Kiefferl2 using sintered powder compacts. In addition to some physical properties they reported a maximum hardness at about 50 at. pet W, dropping to much lower hardness levels for the pure components. They were able to cold work tantalum-base alloys with as much as 30 pet W and to warm work tungsten-base alloys with up to 20 pet Ta by procedures similar to those used for pure tungsten. EXPERIMENTAL In order to study deformation modes and to keep the impurity concentrations at a minimum, electron-beam zone melting was used to prepare single crystals of high purity. The electron-beam zone melting apparatus is similar to that described by Calverley, Davis, and ever" and incorporates a grid control rectifier to maintain control of emission current. Pure metals were refined by making three zone passes at 4 mm per min up the rod. Alloys were prepared by melting together wire of one constituent on a previously melted rod of the major constituent. Subsequently, two zone passes were made in opposite directions to level the composition after the manner suggested by pfann.14 Purification of the starting materials was accomplished by evaporation of the several impurities, and the degree to which this was accomplished is indicated in the chemical analyses of Table I. The uniformity of composition along a zone levelled rod was within the i 1 pet accuracy of the fluorescent X-ray technique used to determine composition. Crystallographic orientation of the

Jan 1, 1962

By H. J. Ward

RUM Jungle uranium field lies in the subtropical portion of the Northern Territory on the Finniss River, East Branch. It takes its name from a railway siding about 2 ½ miles to the southwest and 52 miles from Darwin. The field can be reached from Darwin by a bituminized road. Monsoonal rains of the wet season, October to April, provide an annual rainfall of about 60 in. Vegetation is of the open forest type with denser tree growth along the watercourses and scattered throughout the area are isolated dense patches of jungle growth which are always found on ironstone cappings overlying limestones. The name, Rum Jungle, is thought to have been derived from this unusual occurrence of jungle growth. The wet season prevents the movement of motor vehicles and personnel. It is not until March, when the grass which ranges up to 15 ft in height is burned and the alluvial flats dry out, that field work can be undertaken.

Jan 12, 1954

By E. C. Harder

INTRODUCTION FEW mineral deposits have in recent years attracted such general and Widespread attention as the Brazilian iron-ore deposits, due mainly to the quantities of rich ore occurring here, in contrast to the ever-decreasing grade of ores shipped from many large producing iron-ore districts of the world. The general average grade of the iron ores shipped from the Lake Superior district' has decreased to approximately 50 per cent., natural, in recent years. The Rubio ore of Bilbao, Spain,2 in 1890 averaged 55.5 per cent. metallic iron, dried; in 1902, 52.8 per cent., While at the present time a large proportion of the ores shipped from Bilbao are obtained by reworking the old dumps. In northern Sweden, where large magnetite deposits have only in recent years been extensively developed, selective mining is even now necessary in order to obtain high-grade Bessemer ores. During the last two years the iron ores of Chile have attracted much attention on account of the activities of the Bethlehem Steel Co. and others in the Chilean iron-ore region. Many of these ores are of good grade, yielding 67 and even 68 per cent. metallic iron, but judging from the Writer's observations in this region a large proportion of them Will be found to he of non-Bessemer grade. The most important variety of iron ore in Brazil is hard, dense to specular hematite, occurring in Minas Geraes. A large number (89) of analyses of this type of ore have been averaged, 3 giving the following composition: Per Cent. Iron 69.65 Phosphorus 0.0125 Silica 0.24 Combined H,0 0.38

Jan 10, 1914

By Howard Eavenson

THE mines of the United States Coal & Coke Co. are located in the Pocahontas coal field, in McDowell County, West Virginia. Twelve plants have been opened and equipped, of which, by reason of the present business depression, only nine are now in operation. These twelve plants serve eighteen mines; some of the plants having several openings, in either the same seam or in different seams, tributary to the same tipple. Only nine of these mines are now being worked at the plants in operation. Construction work was begun in 1902, and coal from the first three plants started was shipped in December of that year. An additional plant was opened in 1903, two in 1904, two in 1905, two in 1907 and the last two in 1908. On Jan. 1, 1915, the plants have been in operation an average period of 8.8 years. The rules of the company, which have been in operation since work was first begun, are similar to those in use by the H. C. Frick Coke Co. at its mines in Pennsylvania, in which "Safety First" was incorporated as early as 1907; and it has always been the policy of both companies to look carefully after the safety of their employees. Although the field is an extension of the old Pocahontas field, the mines, located upon a new branch railroad, are away by themselves, and, as is usual in such cases, the class of labor attracted at first was temporary in character. The rapid development of the mines required the employment of many new men and officials each year; and, while the accident record from 1904 to 1909 was as good as the average of the field, it was felt to be not as good as it could be made, and a determined campaign was inaugurated for preventing accidents of all kinds. Fig. .1 shows the tonnage of coal produced per fatality, both total and for inside accidents only, at our mines; the tonnage per fatality of all West Virginia mines, and of those in the Pocahontas field.

Jan 2, 1915

By Arno C. Fieldner

PROBABLY no large industry in the United States is in greater need of technologic research leading to economic improvement than the coal industry. It has suffered severely from increasing substitution of petroleum and natural gas for coal and its products in the fuel markets. Part of this substitution is due to the greater convenience and suitability of liquid and gaseous fuels for special purposes, and part of it has been due to the extensive research programs conducted or sponsored by the petroleum and allied industries in the past 2 decades. A recent estimate1 places these expenditures at $100,000,000 a year.

Jan 7, 1951

By J. J. Rutledge

The United States Bureau of Mines established at Bruceton, Pa., in 1909, an experimental mine, for the purpose of testing the means of preventing and limiting mine explosions. During the last ten years numerous explosions have been caused to originate in this mine for investigative purposes and the rate of propagation of the explosion wave, the pressure developed per unit of area by the explosions, and the general results of the explosions have been carefully recorded and studied. Means of preventing mine explosions or of limiting them to the areas in which they originate have been developed. A great deal of valuable information has been derived from the work in this mine and much more useful and Valuable information will be obtained in the future. The writer would plead, not for the opening of experimental mines in all the important coal-producing fields in the United States, but for the opening of demonstration mines, or mines in which experiments could be made with the various details of coal mining. The United States Department of Agriculture has established, in nearly every state, stations that undertake experimental work for the benefit of the agricultural interests. In addition, small demonstration plats are set aside, in suitable locations in the farming districts, where various crops are grown under scientific direction, so that the faimers in the neighborhood can note the results obtained and profit thereby. Something like this should be done for the coal-mining induatry. If experimental or demonstration mines were established, methods of working adapted to local conditions could be worked out. Owing to competition in the same markets, small capitalization, or low profits, it may be an utter impossibility for any one company to try a new method of mining. Labor conditions may prevent the trial of a new method of working. It may be impossible or inadvisable to disturb existing working conditions for fear of causing trouble among the miners through real or fancied changes in the scale of wages. The first and most important investigation to be undertaken in these demonstration mines would be the trial of various methods of working coal mines until a satisfactory plan had been demonstrated for each

Jan 1, 1920

By F. J. Smit

The Tintic Division of Kennecott Copper Corporation operates the Burgin Mine in the East Tintic District near Eureka, Utah, approximately 75 miles south of Salt Lake City. The Division was organized in 1963 to develop concealed replacement orebodies in the area located by Bear Creek Mining Company, Kennecott's domestic exploration subsidiary. Several accounts of the discovery of these orebodies and the general geology of the area have been given (1, 2). The ore is very complex and of varying degrees of oxidation and alteration. The principal metal values are lead, zinc, silver, and cadmium. The Burgin No. 2 shaft was sunk in 1963 to provide access for mining the orebodies. Much of the ore mined after this shaft was sunk was high grade and shipped directly to smelters, but concurrently it was recognized that concentration would be required to upgrade the lower grade ore in the deposits. Accordingly, in January 1967, authorization was received to construct a 500 tpd concentrator. From the beginning it was expected that the characteristics of the mill feed would vary widely and unpredictably as mining progressed. This paper summarizes the characteristics of the ore, the test work upon which the plant design was based, the engineering and construction, and the present operation of the facility eighteen months after startup. ORE CHARACTERISTICS The Burgin ore is a complex assemblage of minerals from replacement of limestone. The replacement and alteration occurred in at

Jan 1, 1970

By K. R. Weller

The Ardlethan Tin Ltd. concentrator typically recovers 55% of the tin in a gravity concentrate at 51% grade from fresh ore assaying 0.5% Sn. Coarse gravity concentration is performed in a complex circuit involving Reichert cones, spirals, shaking tables and two regrind mills. The paper describes how flow and size-by-size sample data from a steady-state survey were used to construct a computer model of the plant involving 46 process streams. The data reduction involved a computer- aided mass balancing technique, recovery-size modelling of gravity concentrators and the use of a mineral dressing flowsheet simulator. The model was used to simulate possible rearrangements of the available equipment. Early simulations indicated that improved performance could be obtained by using spirals to-treat cone middlings or tailings rather than cone concentrates. A test spiral rig was used at Ardlethan to determine typical performances for all cone product streams and the results were incorporated in new simulations. A revised circuit was recommended and implemented by Ardlethan Tin as far as physical restraints within the plant would allow. Production figures show that a substantial increase in tin recovery and 10-15% increase in milling rate were achieved following the circuit changes, and these improvements were sustained over a six month period.

Jan 1, 1984

By F. R. Zacher

Unmined blocks in the Sewickley seam, surrounded by worked out areas, have been found to transmit overburden oads through the interval strata to the Pittsburgh seam workings 90 ft below. Operating experiences under these conditions are described in this paper. IT has always been understood, in northern West Virginia where both the Pittsburgh and Sewickley seams are mined, that pillaring or splitting in the lower Pittsburgh seam could break the interval strata and make mining in the overlying Sewickley difficult or impossible. In some instances, however, mining methods practiced in the overlying Sewickley have reversed the problem, resulting in a shifting of the intermediate layer and destroying valuable acreages of the Pittsburgh seam below. The Pittsburgh seam in this area is, on the average, 102 in. thick. About 18 in. of low-quality head coal are left for roof protection as it is mined. Immediately over the coal are two draw slates, two rider seams, and a good hard black shale, locally called black rock, which serves as a permanent roof where draw slates and riders are taken down on certain main haulroads. In most areas mined in this seam in the past the bottom has been satisfactory but soft. However, in areas now being mined by the Christopher Coal Co. in Monongalia County the bottom is very hard and unyielding. The Sewickley seam, lying 85 ft above the Pittsburgh, will average nearly 70 in. in thickness and is overlain by massive shales and sandstones. Much of the seam is mined only down to the "sheep skin," a hard band about 4 in. above the bottom, which is composed of relatively hard shale. Fig. 1 shows a typical cross-section through the Pittsburgh and Sewickley seams in the area being discussed. The thin Redstone seam is not deep-mined but is stripped in some locations where it outcrops. Most of the Sewickley seam in the Morgantown areas has been mined out from 10 to 30 years. There are at present only two large mines and five or six others of small production operating in that seam. Mining systems in the past were generally of the room and pillar type with some full pillar extraction. This seam in the Scott's Run area was operated by as many as thirty or forty different companies at one time, during an era beset with strikes, market failures, and depressions. Most of the barrier pillars along the many main haulroads were abandoned, and blocks of Sewickley coal that would be fully recovered with today's machinery were left unmined when conditions became anything less than favorable. Consequently the mined-out Sewickley is spotted throughout with solid blocks varying in size from 100x100 ft to 200x400 ft and larger. It is these unmined Sewickley blocks surrounded by worked-out portions that have caused transmissions of roof stresses to underlying Pittsburgh mining areas, see Fig. 2, resulting in untold difficulty. As the Christopher Coal Co. operates both the Pittsburgh and Sewickley seams, accurate maps of workings in both seams are readily available and are regularly consulted. The first Pittsburgh squeeze attributed to overlying Sewickley blocks occurred in the Arkwright mine, where a shuttle car crew was developing a section consisting of seven panel headings. These entries were being driven in solid coal 3400 ft from the nearest worked-out Pittsburgh area. As mining advanced it was noticed that certain ribs began to slough and certain areas to show signs

Jan 1, 1953

By F. R. Zacher

Unmined blocks in the Sewickley seam, surrounded by worked out areas, have been found to transmit overburden oads through the interval strata to the Pittsburgh seam workings 90 ft below. Operating experiences under these conditions are described in this paper. IT has always been understood, in northern West Virginia where both the Pittsburgh and Sewickley seams are mined, that pillaring or splitting in the lower Pittsburgh seam could break the interval strata and make mining in the overlying Sewickley difficult or impossible. In some instances, however, mining methods practiced in the overlying Sewickley have reversed the problem, resulting in a shifting of the intermediate layer and destroying valuable acreages of the Pittsburgh seam below. The Pittsburgh seam in this area is, on the average, 102 in. thick. About 18 in. of low-quality head coal are left for roof protection as it is mined. Immediately over the coal are two draw slates, two rider seams, and a good hard black shale, locally called black rock, which serves as a permanent roof where draw slates and riders are taken down on certain main haulroads. In most areas mined in this seam in the past the bottom has been satisfactory but soft. However, in areas now being mined by the Christopher Coal Co. in Monongalia County the bottom is very hard and unyielding. The Sewickley seam, lying 85 ft above the Pittsburgh, will average nearly 70 in. in thickness and is overlain by massive shales and sandstones. Much of the seam is mined only down to the "sheep skin," a hard band about 4 in. above the bottom, which is composed of relatively hard shale. Fig. 1 shows a typical cross-section through the Pittsburgh and Sewickley seams in the area being discussed. The thin Redstone seam is not deep-mined but is stripped in some locations where it outcrops. Most of the Sewickley seam in the Morgantown areas has been mined out from 10 to 30 years. There are at present only two large mines and five or six others of small production operating in that seam. Mining systems in the past were generally of the room and pillar type with some full pillar extraction. This seam in the Scott's Run area was operated by as many as thirty or forty different companies at one time, during an era beset with strikes, market failures, and depressions. Most of the barrier pillars along the many main haulroads were abandoned, and blocks of Sewickley coal that would be fully recovered with today's machinery were left unmined when conditions became anything less than favorable. Consequently the mined-out Sewickley is spotted throughout with solid blocks varying in size from 100x100 ft to 200x400 ft and larger. It is these unmined Sewickley blocks surrounded by worked-out portions that have caused transmissions of roof stresses to underlying Pittsburgh mining areas, see Fig. 2, resulting in untold difficulty. As the Christopher Coal Co. operates both the Pittsburgh and Sewickley seams, accurate maps of workings in both seams are readily available and are regularly consulted. The first Pittsburgh squeeze attributed to overlying Sewickley blocks occurred in the Arkwright mine, where a shuttle car crew was developing a section consisting of seven panel headings. These entries were being driven in solid coal 3400 ft from the nearest worked-out Pittsburgh area. As mining advanced it was noticed that certain ribs began to slough and certain areas to show signs

Jan 1, 1953

By Edwin A. Sperry

In 1892 I tested an ore, which was peculiarly difficult to treat, on several concentrators then in general use, including t,he Frue-vanner, the Luhrig table and the Cornish buddle. Owing to the character of the ore it had to be crushed- to a very fine state of division, and the results obtained were far from satisfactory; a large proportion of the values was lost in the slimes, which indicated the necessity of a very careful sizing before dressing. Even after reworking some of the slime-tailings, the results, in my opinion, were not as good aa those which might be obtained on a table designed more especially for the handling of slime. Although the subject of slime-concentration has occupied the attention of many engineers who have threshed the field quite thoroughly, the results obtained in my work led to a careful

Jan 1, 1904

By O. R. Morris, G. L. Hawkes

A galvanic cell, using as electrolyte a fused salt solution of calcium carbide and as electrodes carbon and a Fe-C alloy of known composition, has been set up to study the thermodynamics of Fe-C alloys in the temperature rmzge 800" to 1000°C. Time independence and reproducibility of the cell electromotive force were taken as evidence of the reversible behavior of the cell. Carbon was believed to be present in the electrolyte as the so-called acetylide ion, C;-. The plots of the cell electromotive force us temperature for a specific alloy composition were straight lines within the limits of experimental error. The average Partial molar enthalpy of carbon in iron relative to pure carbon was found to be +10,610 i 93 cal per g-atom C. Thermodynamic analysis of the data has led to the following equation for the carbon activity, ac, based upon pure carbon as the standard state: In ac = In Zc + 10,560/RT + (10.02 + 77O/T)ZC - 2.350 where ZC is the lattice ratio [nC/(nF, - nc )] and T is the absolute temperature. This equalion gives carbon activity values generally slightly lower than those from gas equilibration studies reported in the literature. METAL LOGRAPHIC examination of a polished cross section of the steel anode used in the electrolysis studies of fused salt solutions of calcium carbide by Morris and Harry revealed extensive carburization of the steel by the electrodeposited carbon. This carburization was reflected in the variability, with time, of the applied potential to the electrolysis cell, necessary to maintain a constant current density at the electrodes. This observation suggested the setting up of a galvanic cell of the "alloy concentration" type to study the thermodynamics of some metal-carbon alloys. Cells of this general type have been widely used for the study of alloy systems.2 In view of the availability of published data in respect of the austenite phase of the Fe-C system, it was decided to carry out measurements upon these alloys before proceeding to studies of less well documented systems. The galvanic cell may be written: where [C] is carbon dissolved in iron. The electrolyte was a fused salt solution of calcium carbide, containing some 5 to 10 mol pct of carbide. The cell reaction is believed to be: C(s)-[CI [I1 Carbon forms an interstitial solid solution in iron, with the atoms located in the octahedral interstices. In the fcc crystal structure of austenite there is one octahedral interstice per iron atom. Thus, the lattice ratio, ZC, shown by Gurney3 to be the fundamental concentration parameter in the context of interstitial solutions, is given by: where nc and nFe are the number of carbon and iron atoms, respectively. chipman4 has recently shown empirically the advantages of using this concentration parameter instead of the more usual atom ratio or atom fraction. The cell electromotive force, E, assuming reversible behavior, is related to the carbon potential or the partial molar free energy of carbon in the solid solution relative to pure carbon at the same temperature and pressure, GP at the composition ZC, by the equation: where z is the carbide ion valency and F is the Faraday constant. An activity of carbon, ac, in the solution relative to the value of unity assigned to pure carbon, and an activity coefficient, qC , are defined such that: where R is the gas constant and T the absolute temperature. GF is further related to the relative partial molar enthalpy Hm, and the temperature coefficient of the cell electromotive force, (aE/aT)Zc, by the equations: Measurement of the cell electromotive force thus enables calculation of the relative partial molar thermodynamic properties of carbon in iron, if z is known. At E = 0, the solid solution is in equilibrium with pure carbon. More convenient for many purposes is the standard state based upon the infinitely dilute solution, Henry's law. The relationship between the activity coefficient of carbon based upon this standard state, and that based upon the pure carbon standard state, qC , may be obtained by considering the free energy of transfer of carbon from the latter standard state to the former. The relationship is: where +:H is the activity coefficient of carbon in the hypothetical standard state based on a reference of

Jan 1, 1969

By J. Leland Myer

IN a precise study of Pennsylvania anthracites, the research on European. anthracites is of little value to us because of their different physical and chemical nature. Likewise, there can be little correlation with the physical properties of bituminous and lower rank coals. Although all high-rank coals are thought to have had a common origin, microscopic examination revealing essentially the same kinds of organisms in similar .states of preservation, the different physical properties apparently arise from the degree or kinds of metamorphism of these coals. Representative samples from the Pennsylvania deposits have been selected for analysis, together with graphitic anthracite, bituminous coal, and some of the common forms of carbon. A complete list, with descriptions, is shown in Table 1.

Jan 1, 1932