Search Documents

By Hugh Spence

THE use of natural feldspathic rocks, as opposed to straight feldspar, for ceramic purposes is not new. "Cornwall stone," a semi-kaolinized granite containing fluorite, has long been used by the English pottery trade instead of feldspar, and "Carolina stone," a similar rock, is now being offered to the American trade. A recent report of the U. S. Bureau of Mines states that trachyte, a glassy volcanic rock, is being used in California instead of feldspar in ceramic bodies. In Germany, phonolite and basalt have been investigated, and possibly also used, as ceramic raw materials, and extensive research has been conducted in Russia in recent years looking to the utilization of the immense bodies of nepheline syenite of the Kola Peninsula, which is the host rock of the apatite deposits now being exploited on a large scale in the Murmansk region; the nepheline is recovered as a by-product of the concentration of the apatite. Long used principally as a raw material for the pottery and allied industries, where, in bodies, glazes, enamels, etc., it serves as a fluxing ingredient and forms, on firing, a glassy bond with the more refractory clay, flint and coloring particles, feldspar has been finding ever increasing employment in glass. In 1936, over half of the nearly quarter of a million tons of feldspar sold in the United States went to the glass trade. Its usefulness for this purpose is due to the resistance to thermal shock which it imparts to glass products, particularly bottles, containers and tableware, because of its alumina content, which averages from 16 to 20 per cent. Active search has been made on the American continent during the past few years for other minerals of feldspathoid type, with comparable or higher alumina content, that may be suitable for glass and other ceramic purposes. One of the most important results of this work has been the delimiting in central Ontario of large bodies of nepheline syenite of excellent ceramic grade.

Jan 1, 1938

INSTITUTE MEDALS AND PRIZES ASIDE from the John Fritz Medal, in which the Institute participates through its representation on the John Fritz Medal Board, the Institute itself has five major awards to make annually for excellence in technical papers, as follows The Robert W Hunt Medal, The Hadfield Prize, The J E Johnson Jr , Award, The Lewisohn Platinum Prize to senior members, and the President's Prize to junior members ROBERT W HUNT MEDAL The partners of Robert W Hunt established a fund which was presented to the Institute at a fitting ceremony on May 27, 1920, to establish an annual medal and a sum of money to be awarded under the following rules, 1 The award shall consist of two prizes, first of a gold medal, second of a sum of money, a certificate to accompany each prize The money prize shall not be awarded to a member over 40 years of age, but under unusual circumstances, both prizes may be allotted to one person provided that he is not over 40 years of age In general it will be understood that the Committee shall award the money prize to, the younger men, rather than the medal 2 The awards shall be made not oftener than once a year to that person or persons contributing to the Institute the best original paper or papers on iron and steel The scope of the term "iron and steel" shall be determined by the sub-committee consider¬ing the awards In general, papers dealing with the practical side of the subject have preference over those dealing with the theoretical side in recognition of the fact that Captain Hunt's main contributions to the industry have been in the improve¬ment of production and quality of material 3 A sub-committee of three to five, including the Chairman of the Iron and Steel Committee, shall be appointed by the Iron and Steel Committee annually to adjudge the award subject to approval 4 The awarding committee shall submit its report to the Iron and Steel Committee at its October Meeting, and the award be certified to the Secretary of the Institute in time to permit the presentation to be made at the Annual Meeting of the Institute 5 The recipient of the award shall be designated "The Hunt Medallist "

Jan 1, 1923

By F. Milton Lewis, Edward S. Frohling

The information which is required for' a preliminary feasibility study and the additional information which is required for the final feasibility study on a new mineral deposit are discussed. The preliminary feasibility study is made from very little information and at a minimum cost to the owner. However, the outline for the preliminary report is similar to the one used in the final report. In this manuscript, it is assumed that the results from the preliminary study are favorable and the owner authorizes a final feasibility study by an outside engineering company. The type of organization for completing this final feasibility study is described. The final reports includes all information and data relative to this new mineral deposit. This information is presented so that it may be understood by financial people as well as by technical people.

Jan 1, 1978

By Frank Hall

THE needs of the World War showed the necessity of a metal stronger than cast iron which would supplement the supply of steel. So patriotic metallurgists were spurred to new efforts to improve the status of that half-breed of the metal world that had been, more or less erroneously, christened semisteel. As a result, it was developed that for certain purposes semisteel was superior to steel in the manufacture of shells. Steel, because of its greater strength and toughness, is able to carry a greater charge of explosive, weight for weight; consequently, a steel shell can be expected to cause greater destruction when used against fortifications or other inanimate objects, while semisteel, because of its comparative brittleness and its resulting greater fragmentation, is capable of inflicting more serious loss of life when used against opposing forces of men. Therefore, each has its proper place in the economy of war. For the present purpose, steel may be defined as a comparatively pure iron whose physical nature is modified by small amounts of carbon, silicon, sulfur, phosphorus, manganese, and possibly other rarer elements; while cast iron generally is limited to approximately 93 per cent. of iron, the remainder consisting of larger percentages of carbon, silicon, sulfur, phosphorus, and manganese. Semisteel may be defined as cast iron in which the carbon and silicon have been reduced to as low a point as is consistent with maintaining the nature of gray iron, and in which the remaining elements are manipulated so as to give the greatest strength.

Jan 1, 1920

By Herbert A. Wendel

Reaching the miner with safety education" is R the ultimate goal, the main objective, of every safety program in the mining industry. If we can get safety education to every worker, and it is properly learned, enforced and obeyed, we should eliminate at least 85% of all potential accidents. We should then have very few accidents as a result of unsafe behavior, which, in turn, would allow us to concentrate most of our future efforts on preventing the types of accidents which are caused by faulty or defective machinery, equipment, tools and materials. An uninformed or uninitiated person would think that it should be a rather simple process to reach the miner with a safety education. Theoretically he would be right because here we get involved in a matter of semantics. When we say "reaching the miner with safety education" we actually mean that this education must also be accepted and learned by the miner; we intend to mean that safety must be observed and followed at all times. But in order to realize our complete meaning of the phrase, we must find the solution for a number of problems and obstacles which are well known to management and safety personnel.

Jan 1, 1965

By U. Paakkinen, P. Eerola

In connection with theoretical studies of the dynamics and control of the flotation process, flotation cells and circuits at the Pyha- computer control of selective Cu - Zn - Fe sulfide flotation in the latter half of 1969. In this paper, the practical conclusions of these studies, conducted through simulation techniques, are summarized. The application of these results for control purposes implies a knowledge of the dependence of the flotation rate coefficients and the grade of concentrate on several factors, including aeration rate, froth depth, and reagent consumption. The relationships found in laboratory and plant scale tests are described. Off-line optimization studies, based on the relation- ships, are also described. The proposed steps in executing the computer control schedule are presented. In the first stage, a stabilizing control will be carried out using feed-back loops. A feed-forward control system which utilizes simple process models will also be tested. After these elementary stages, a proposed mathematical model of the circuit will be checked out and implemented with computer- run, plant-scale process tests. Off-line simulation will be continued in advance development of the control system. As a final step in the program optimal control of the process will be carried out through this model.

Jan 1, 1969

By W.G. Woolnough

There has been no noteworthy increase in production during 1935; but, on the other hand, there have been ample manifestations of a considerable increase in interest and activity in connection with petroleum prospecting. The Lakes Entrance field, in the State of Victoria, on the coast some 120 miles east of Melbourne, remains the only actual producer; and this production, consisting of lubricating stock devoid of light fractions, is very small in amount. Arrangements have been completed under which a series of "scout bores" for structure testing in the region of Lakes Entrance will be sunk by the Government of the State of Victoria, assisted by a subsidy from the Federal Government. Prospecting In the State of New South Wales, brilliant geological research in very difficult country, carried out by geologists of Oil Search Ltd., has revealed several previously unsuspected domal structures in the Sydney-Newcastle coal basin. These have been mapped in detail, and a test well is being sunk at Kulnura, 10 miles west of Wyong and 40 miles north of Sydney. At the date of writing this well has reached a depth of 1250 ft., 10-in. casing having been set at 1248 feet. Superficial formations consist of the Hawkesbury sandstone and Narrabeen beds of the Hawkes-bury system (fresh-water Triassic). It is anticipated that the upper coal measures of the Kamilaroi (Permo-Carboniferous) will be entered almost immediately. The objectives of the drilling are the upper and lower marine beds of the Kamilaroi system, which are regarded as promising as potential source—and reservoir—beds for oil. At Mulgoa, 30 miles west of Sydney, a bore is being sunk by the same company, Oil Search Ltd., to test for natural gas on a well defined structure located by the company's geologists. Noteworthy flows of gas have been encountered, but nothing approaching a commercial supply has been struck. It is considered probable that the gas has been derived

Jan 1, 1936

By W. G. Woolnough

There has been no noteworthy increase in production during 1935; but, on the other hand, there have been ample manifestations of a considerable increase in interest and activity in connection with petroleum prospecting. The Lakes Entrance field, in the State of Victoria, on the coast some 120 miles east of Melbourne, remains the only actual producer; and this production, consisting of lubricating stock devoid of light fractions, is very small in amount. Arrangements have been completed under which a series of "scout bores" for structure testing in the region of Lakes Entrance will be sunk by the Government of the State of Victoria, assisted by a subsidy from the Federal Government. Prospecting In the State of New South Wales, brilliant geological research in very difficult country, carried out by geologists of Oil Search Ltd., has revealed several previously unsuspected domal structures in the Sydney-Newcastle coal basin. These have been mapped in detail, and a test well is being sunk at Kulnura, 10 miles west of Wyong and 40 miles north of Sydney. At the date of writing this well has reached a depth of 1250 ft., 10-in. casing having been set at 1248 feet. Superficial formations consist of the Hawkesbury sandstone and Narrabeen beds of the Hawkes-bury system (fresh-water Triassic). It is anticipated that the upper coal measures of the Kamilaroi (Permo-Carboniferous) will be entered almost immediately. The objectives of the drilling are the upper and lower marine beds of the Kamilaroi system, which are regarded as promising as potential source—and reservoir—beds for oil. At Mulgoa, 30 miles west of Sydney, a bore is being sunk by the same company, Oil Search Ltd., to test for natural gas on a well defined structure located by the company's geologists. Noteworthy flows of gas have been encountered, but nothing approaching a commercial supply has been struck. It is considered probable that the gas has been derived

Jan 1, 1936

By Lewis M. Haupt

IT has given me great pleasure to read, in the papers recently published by this Society, the discussions on the subject of Technical Education, which were developed at the joint meeting held at the Franklin Institute in June, 1876; and since it was impossible for me to be present, I desire to improve this my first opportunity of adding the weight of my testimony and experience to what has been so ably presented by others. It is a subject about which the people need to be kept agitated, that their views may expand with the demands made for a higher and more thorough education. It is the public at large, the capitalist, the manufacturer, and the laborer, who are to be benefited more or less by this elevation of the standard of our professional schools, and it is but just, therefore, that the schools should look to them for the means with which to accomplish so desirable an object. It is no doubt to the interest of a metallurgist to employ a skilled laborer who will prevent waste by properly proportioning his materials ; by regulating the supplies of air and fuel ; by arranging his plant in the most economical manner, and by disposing of his products to the greatest advantage. The engineer is benefited by selecting for an assistant a person able to determine the values of his factors of safety for the same materials in different forms and positions, avoiding expensive suits for damages and cost of reconstruction; he should be able to so locate a road as best to fulfil the requirements of a through traffic, and yet develop local industries. But I need not multiply instances to show what all will readily concede, viz.: the advantages of a theoretical education ; that was fully demonstrated at the previous special meeting, but it is still an open question whether the practical instruction should precede, accompany, or follow the theory.

Jan 1, 1877

Discussion of the paper of G. Howell Clevenger and Bhupendranath Ray, presented at the New York Meeting, October, 1913, and printed in Bulletin No. 82, October, 1913, pp. 2437 to 2475. ALLERTON S. CUSHMAN,* Washington, D. C.:-I am very much interested in the subject matter of this paper. I have had occasion to speak to this question before. There has recently been so much written and said and claimed about the effect produced by the addition of small quantities of copper to steel that there is certainly an impression abroad that a new and wonderful cure-all has been discovered. Are we facing a method of alchemy by which, at the expenditure of very little trouble and only a few cents' worth of copper per ton, the well-known characteristics of steel with respect to some features are so marvelously changed as in effect to produce a new metal ? I am a great believer in the future of the iron and steel alloy field. I do not think that with all the advances we have made in metallurgy we have begun to scratch the possibilities of usefulness to mankind in the exploration of the alloy field, and I include in that alloy field even what might be designated as the dilute alloy field; that is to say, where a very small quantity of a metal alloyed with iron and steel confers upon it some new or extraordinary qualities. With respect to many of the physical characteristics of the copper-iron or copper-steel alloys I am not particularly competent to speak. With respect, however, to the investigation of corrosion problems and with respect to claims made with regard to resistance to corrosion, I am competent to speak insofar as I have specialized to some extent in that field and have given up a great deal of my time for a great many years to a study of it. Some years ago, being particularly interested in the study of corrosion problems, I received the very generous permission of a large manufacturing concern to use their large open-hearth furnaces any way I saw fit for exploring this particular field. There is not a metallurgist in this room who will not realize the generosity of a manufacturing company who would permit a man to pursue a theory and give him as his material to work with 60 tons of molten metal. At all events, I threw copper into the open-hearth furnace. I explored this alloy field, not in a ittle crucible in which I had to take out portions and have them

Jan 12, 1913

By P. H. G. Durville

ANY metal which contains even a small percentage of aluminum possesses certain peculiarities of appearance and properties which are exhibited both when the metal is melted and after it solidifies. Pure aluminum, or an alloy containing a small proportion of aluminum, can be melted without flux-except for a layer of charcoal-because a film of aluminum oxide and metal forms at the surface of melted aluminum. Although very thin, this film is air-proof, and it prevents the metal underneath from oxidizing. This oxidized film does not move easily on account of its toughness and high surface tension. One very important point in connection with this process of still casting has not been strongly enough stressed, namely, that the same kind of surface film with the same peculiarities forms over the surface of all melted alloys that contain even a small proportion of aluminum. Experienced foundrymen know how desirable it is to cast aluminum under its "skin" or under the surface of the film which tends to remain still. In the case of red copper, when in fusion, the surface shows pure copper only. This is due to the fact that liquid copper constantly absorbs the copper oxide which forms on the surface. By closely examining melting copper the oxide can be seen dissolving in the bath, and going into solution just as pulverized sugar dissolves in water. When copper is cast in the open, either in wire bars or cakes, the surface of metal exposed to the air is covered by a film of black, oxide that cannot be absorbed by the metal.

Jan 1, 1927

By Richard P. Rothwell

The device to which I desire to call the attention of the members of the Institute consists of a water-tight caisson, which is connected By a stuffing-box with the tube to be laid, and the caisson is pushed forward with hydraulic jacks set against the end of the tube. The tube is of hard white iron, cast in chills in segments. These segments are carried from shore through the tube itself, in which a track is laid as the work progresses, and the segments are bolted together in the caisson, where there is ample room to work and proper appliances for handling heavy weights. As each segment is bolted on, the jacks are set against its forward end, and when the whole ring is complete, the caisson is pushed forward by the jacks, a trench having been dredged out in front of it, or, in very loose ground, jets of water under a heavy pressure can be thrown out to loosen the ground in front of the caisson. The direction in which the caisson is pushed is completely under control, and both the caisson and the tube are loaded to the amount necessary to overcome their buoyancy. I understand that Mr. H. H. Hall, of New York, the inventor, is negotiating for the construction of a 16-foot tunnel of this kind across the Straits of' Northumberland, between Prince Edward Island and the main-land, and for tunnels in several other places. 4 One of the most interesting uses of this system is in laying water mains out into lakes. The work can be carried on without inter-

Jan 1, 1886

By Lester Strauss

The fact that the loss of silver in the slag of the smeltingprocess increases with the amount of silica in the furnacecharge, was probably the ground of a general opinion that the silver is present in the slag as a silicate. Dr. Iles, in his inter-

Jan 1, 1901

By G. S. Hume

IN THE autumn of 1922, British Petroleums Ltd. found oil of 14° Baume in a sand 17 ft. thick in its No. 2 well at Wainwright, 120 miles southeast of Edmonton. This greatly encouraged drilling in the Wainwright-Irma area and this past summer several wells were started, three of which are now completed' and the others still being drilled. Of the three completed, No. 4 British Petroleums contains oil; No. 3 British Petroleums gave a show of oil but so far has not given much hope of becoming a commercial producer; and No. 1 Maple Leaf Co., as now finished, is a gas well with a daily flow of gas of about 2,500,000 cu. ft. at a closed pressure of 700 lb. An oil sand is reported . to have been encountered below the producing gas horizon, in the Maple Leaf well but has not been tested. Operations on this well have been suspended for the winter. The Geological Survey of Canada this past summer undertook a geological investigation of this area with the object of defining the structures with which the oil and gas are associated. The 'structure underlying this portion of the plains was supposed to-be a terrace with the western edge dipping into the Alberta syncline and with a monoclinal structure to the east. By accurate leveling on known geological horizons on this terrace, a number of gentle folds were located and it is in these folds that the oil land gas are found. At the British Petroleums Nos. 2-and- 4 oil wells, the western flank of the fold has a gentle dip of only a few feet to the mile to the southwest whereas the strata on the eastern flank dip to the northeast about 40 ft. in 1/2 mile, the strike of the fold being northwest and southeast. How far oil will be found down the gentle southwest dip is unknown but probably the productive part of the fold will not exceed 1 mile in width, and possibly less. No. 3 British Petroleums well is on the strike of the fold 1 mile southeast of the two oil wells. The sand that was productive in Nos. 2-and 4 wells was not present in this well or, if present, was very thin and unproductive. Two other sand horizons, however, were encountered. The upper of these

Jan 3, 1925

By D. A. Dahlstrom

(A. C. Richardson and Charles C. Boley, presiding) W. E. BROWN*—In the operation of the cyclone, what factors have you found that will affect its results as far as efficiency goes; for example, if you have coming through the cyclone a pulp of 20 gpm, that has, say, 25 or 30 pct solids, and then from operational characteristics this pulp changes to 35 pct solids but it is still maintaining the same ratio of flow. HOW does that affect the cyclone;) D. A. DAHLSTHOM (author's reply) —It has a definite effect, as you know from Mr. Sutherland's paper,l3 in that as you increase the solid concerltration of your inlet slurry, you will naturally have an according effect on the overflow concell-

Jan 1, 1950

MINING METHODS W. J. COULTER, Chairman P. B. BUCKY, Vice-Chairman CLYDE E. WEED, Vice-Chairman ROBERT S. PALMER, Secretary Alluvial Mining CLINTON BERNARD O. B. PERRY NORMAN CLEAVELAND C. M. ROMANOWITZ R. B. EARLING J. B. STAPLER BENERE H. GRANTCHARLES THURMAN Open-Cut Mining Iron. A. D. CHISHOLM EARL E. RUNNER G. E. DIEHL G. E. LEVEQUE P. G. HARRISON SIMPSON RICHEY W. A. STERLING

Jan 1, 1943

By John F. Abel

The following quotation is from "Guidelines for evaluation of undergraduate curricula in geological engineering, mineral processing, and mining engineering" prepared by the Committee on Education of SME of AIME. "The objectives of the Engineers' Council for Professional Development (ECPD), as delineated in its constitution, are: (a) To promote and advance all phases of engineering education with a view to the promotion of the public welfare through the development of the better educated engineer and engineering technician." (Italics added.) The problem is that no one has as yet seriously developed a method of supplying engineering technicians. There were great hopes that the expansion of junior colleges would help satisfy this need. Sadly, they have not; and it appears they are unwilling or unable to supply the need for mineral engineering technologists. Apparently, the junior colleges cannot afford staff for such courses, even when the colleges are located in mining districts.

Jan 1, 1971

By D. K. Crampton

THE object of this work was to obtain and correlate information on effect of internal stress in variously drawn tubes on several properties. Also, a simple approximate method of comparing types of stress distribution in such variously drawn tubes was sought. There is also included some work on comparison of single and polycrystalline materials and effect of different types of operation and preferred orientation. PREPARATION OF MATERIAL A series of tubes was drawn to study the effect of the type and degree of final reduction on various physical properties and the approximate distribution of stress intensity across the tube wall. The material used all came from a single heat of 70-30 brass melted in a regular production Ajax-Wyatt induction furnace. The analysis of the metal as cast was: copper, 70.36 per cent; lead, 0.04; iron, 0.02; zinc, balance. The material was cast in "shells" with 4 in. outside diameter and 3/4 in. wall thickness. It was drawn part way down according to the usual standard mill schedule and then by suitable individual schedules to finish by a variety of types and degrees of drawing to the same final cases in every instance; namely, 0.750 in. outside diameter by 0.080 in. wall thickness. The exact final draws, together with the percentage area reductions, diameter reductions and gage reductions are given in Table 1.

Jan 1, 1932

By Stefan Boshkov, Malcolm T. Wane

THE validity and accuracy of velocity measurements underground have been questioned repeatedly by those in mine ventilation work. The general disagreement on the subject is well illustrated in an AIME publication.' Although the presence of errors is readily admitted, their magnitudes are not known and often are described by practical operators merely as "great," "small," or "of no importance." The belief that errors are of academic interest only prevails because of a justifiable claim that actual volumes of air circulated are well in excess of those required by law and safe mining practices. Poor understanding of the source and nature of errors inherent in velocity measurements, coupled with questionable determination of cross-sectional area, result in faulty techniques for the purpose of expediting ventilation surveys and render doubtful the calculated volume. Often consistency of readings is confused with accuracy. A succession of check readings showing a maximum deviation of 5 pct in the measured value of velocity usually signifies nothing more than diligent application of technique in a stable ventilating current. This article discusses the errors involved in air measurements underground. Where instrument errors are presented, the treatment is confined solely to the rotating-vane anemometer, recognized as a most useful ventilation measurement tool because of its simple design and easy operation. In the following pages a positive deviation is defined as one which has to be added to the registered air velocity to obtain the true air velocity.

Jan 1, 1956

By O. Knacke, H. Barth, W. Gans

The rate of cementation was determined by measuring the time required to consume a thin electrodeposited layer of the cementating metal as indicated by a sudden increase in the electrical potential. The diffusion controlled cathodic current of the more positive metal was measured by conventional electrochemical techniques and compared with the cementation rate under the same experimental conditions. Micrographs revealed different types of crystal growth in different surroundings e.g. dendritic growth in acidic solutions.

Jan 1, 1973