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By C. R. Boyd

The region to which I have the pleasure of calling your attention, though limited in area, is remarkable for the quantity and purity of its mineral deposits, and in these respects it would be difficult to find its equal anywhere. IRON ORES. The red and brown hematites, pipe ore, and semi-magnetites, from which is made in charcoal furnaces the highest quality of iron for car-wheels, extend through the counties of Giles, Montgomery, Pulaski, Wythe, Smyth, Washington, Bland, Tazewell, Russell, Scott, Lee, Floyd, Carroll, and Grayson, Virginia, and run over into Ashe County, North Carolina. One locality of semi-magnetite, in the centre of the great Giles County basin, has in sight, by actual measurement, 50,000 tons of ore, which, according to Prof. Fesquet, contains 69.74 per cent. of iron and no phosphorus. In the great brown-ore belt, which passes through the counties of Montgomery, Pulaski, Wythe, Smyth, and Washington, there is an extraordinary deposit of more than a million tons. A small section of this very long vein, on Cripple Creek, in the County of Wythe, yields an ore which, analyzed by Mr. James Aumann, gave the following results: Metallic iron,........58.15 Water,.........12 96 Alumina,........2.32 Silica,.........1.09 Phosphorus,.. none. At one point towards the western end of Red Land Mountain, in Pulaski County, New River section, I measured a body of ore in this belt which will yield, to a depth of 150 feet, over 8,000,000 tons, and the deposit extends far below the 150 feet measured at the upper part. Again, at Rich Hill, near the mouth of Reed Island Creek, these veins show extraordinary surface development, giving an ore of very great purity. At numerous places, also, in the counties of Giles, Bland, Tazewell, Russell, Scott, Wise, and Lee, these brown and red iron ores are exposed in such vast quantities as to baffle both description and measurement. That of Chestnut Flat, in Giles County, back or west of the Angel's Rest Mountain, is an easily reducible ore, blood-red when crushed, of which there are fully 300,000 tons in sight. Its analysis is as follows :

Jan 1, 1880

By David C. Yang

INTRODUCTION Over the world, and especially in the United States, there is increasing dependence upon progressively lower grade ore deposits. These lower grade ores are frequently difficult or impossible to process due to complex mineral assemblages being very finely disseminated. Thus, many of the conventional mineral concentration methods are not applicable to these ores. For the last few decades, research in the more exotic mineral processing techniques has been conducted, both in universities and in governmental and industrial laboratories. Since its inception, the Institute of Mineral Research of Michigan Technological University (MTU) has devoted much of its attention to the problems of processing refractory, low grade ores. Recently a new flotation system was developed which shows promise of being applicable to a broad range of ore types. This process has been the subject of two allowed patent applications. This paper describes the details of such a flotation system which is potentially useful for treating ultrafine minerals. Some highlights of the testing program on a variety of iron ores and a group of lithium-bearing ores will be presented. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES Both iron and lithium ore flotation treatments followed the same general procedures, with minor differences in pH and in reagent dosages. The method is rather simple, efficient and economical from the standpoint of recovery and the cost of reagents consumed.

Jan 1, 1979

By Arthur Redfield

THE year 1923 was marked by slight progress in exploring and developing the petroleum resources assumed to exist in Central America. Actual drilling for oil took place only in Costa Rica and Panama. The Sinclair Consolidated Oil Corpn., through its subsidiary the Costa Rica Oil Corpn., drilled in southeastern Costa Rica.. Its, Panaman subsidiary is reported to have abandoned drilling in Bocas del Toro. The Texas Co. drilled in Chiriqui, and the Panama Gulf Co. in Garachiné, Province of Darién. No oil was obtained in any of these wells;' shows of gas were met in Costa Rica. Concession hunting continued during the year. A number of concessions, several of which appear to be purely speculative, were submitted for ratification. Some confusion has been caused by overlapping concessions and claims to oil lands, caused partly by the imperfection of existing maps. A conflict between the Sinclair, and Gulf companies in Panama has been compromised. The Amory concession in central Costa Rica, held by the British Controlled Oilfields, Ltd., was voided by decision of the arbitrator, Chief -Justice Taft. Geologic exploration took-place in Guatemala and in Panama. The chief contribution of the year to Central American geology was a description by Katherine Van Winkle Palmer of Lower Miocene foraminifera and mollusks from southeastern Costa Rica. A new petroleum law was promulgated in Panama.

Jan 3, 1924

By Carl Henrich

A.. S. DWIGHT, New York, N. Y.-Mr. Henrich's paper is rather inconclusive as to the role that alumina really plays in slags. He gives a number of interesting instances of high alumina, with conclusions that he draws from the analyses, in the light of what he knows of the accompanying conditions, but the information given is hardly sufficient to permit intelligent criticism of these conclusions, for it is well known that the slag composition is not the only factor that can produce some of the furnace results favorable or disastrous, as the case may be, which he records. As a matter of fact, most metallurgists who have wrestled with this problem in connection with the smelting of lead and copper ores, usually arrived at some sort of a working hypothesis which met the local conditions fairly well, and then, being busy men, were inclined 'to leave the theoretical question very much as Mr: Henrich leaves it when he says: "A question with which I purpose dealing at some future time." It is unfortunate that in the Golden Age of the smelting industry in the West, when we were all dealing with large tonnages of complex ores, often containing large percentages of alumina in combination with other. refractory elements, the smelting companies were not generally equipped for research as they are today, and much experience that might have been,

Jan 4, 1917

By V. N. Antaki

ELEMENTAL phosphorus (referred to as P,) is a true mineral product that has developed, in the relatively brief span of a century, from a laboratory curiosity to a heavy chemical. Annual production now exceeds 300,000 short tons. Continued rise in production has been predicted, consistent with new applications for P, derivatives and the expected population increase. In itself elemental P, is valuable chiefly as an 'intermediate chemical. The principal end uses at present are in inorganic phosphates, both simple and complex, of sodium and potassium, used in water treatment and detergent compounds, leavening agents, food supplements, and dentifrices. Organic P, compounds are important as plasticizers, oil additives, flotation agents, and more recently as gasoline additives (TCP being the outstanding example). The increasing use of high-analysis water-soluble and liquid solution fertilizers, as well as the direct application of phosphoric acid to the soil, will probably be the most significant factors in P, production growth rate. Coke oven plants now using sulfuric acid to fix byproduct ammonia values will gradually switch to phosphoric acid in order to market a fertilizer with completely available values. Recently sponsored experiments show that phosphoric acid can be directly admixed with cattle and poultry feed to produce rapid growth. Both P, compounds and modifiers for oil well drilling mud show increasingly promising significance.

Jan 3, 1957

By Mark L. Requa

During the past two years California has developed a new and important oil-field: I refer to Midway. This field produced the famous Lake View gusher, which is credited with a total production in excess of 8,000,000 barrels. Fortunately for the oil industry of the State, this well is now a thing of the past, and nothing, save a great crater-like opening marks its location. The pipe is entirely worn away and gone; and it is a matter of serious doubt if there can be anything done that will cause the well to produce again. Fortunately, also, there have been no other wells in that field or elsewhere throughout the State that in any may compared with the Lake View. Midway is noted for large wells, of from 500 to 2,000 barrels production; but the decline is rapid, and a few months serve to bring the output down to a few hundred barrels. In the oil-territory heretofore blocked out as proved and probable, there have been, during the year, many changes. Some areas which were expected to be fairly productive have apparently failed; others, more strictly "wild-cat," have come in; while in some of the older fields there are properties which are beginning to shorn evident signs of exhaustion. The total area of proved territory will therefore probably suffer but small

Jan 1, 1912

By R. F. Pilgrim

A digital computer program to mathematically simulate the effect of limited changes in feed rate in the range of 80 to 95 tph on a plant-scale wet grinding circuit has been developed and tested. The circuit studied included an 8-ft-diam X 12-ft rod mill operating in open circuit and feeding two parallel 12-ft-diam x 10-ft pebble mills, each one operating in closed circuit with an 8 X 32-ft rake classifier. The simulation is an empirical one based on two sets of data collected manually from the operating circuit under what was said to be steady-state feed rates of 80 and 95 tph with all other operating variables also at steady state. The procedure is a combination of several published approaches to the modeling of grinding mills and classifiers and it is applicable to a wide range of circuits. The program permits the computing of the size distributions of all feeds and discharges of all grinding units and classifiers in the circuit for a specified feed rate. The data used in this report for demonstrating the program are unsatisfactory since the circuit was not operating under steady-state conditions when it was sampled. Consequently the circuit model parameters could not be accurately estimated. The predictive power would be greatly improved if new data were obtained under true steady-state conditions.

Jan 1, 1973

By John Reynders

Our entry into the World War suddenly brought home to us in a startling way the vital importance of manganese. Since the war, much has been written and said upon the subject of manganese and a great deal of time and money have been spent in attempts to find an adequate substitute for this metal in the manufacture of steel; none has been found. It is true that ways are known by which it is possible to make small amounts of good steel without manganese; but taking into consideration the diminishing quality of iron ores and fuels. as' well as the increasing exaction of specifications for finished products, it may safely be assumed that high-grade manganese ore will be more and. more a necessity in the production of steel as time goes on. Taking world resources as a whole it may be well to point out that the problem of obtaining needed supplies of manganese from a strictly commercial viewpoint is now less serious than it was before the war. Formerly it was feared that world resources of high-grade manganese ore might be exhausted in a relatively short time, but, largely as a result of the stress laid upon the importance of manganese during the war, the world's available supply of high-grade manganese ore has been greatly augmented by new discoveries and fuller development of previously known deposits.

Jan 5, 1927

By P. de Vitry, Oliver Bowles

The conventional wire saw, introduced in the slate district of Pennsylvania by the Bureau of Mines in 1927, and used thereafter with remarkable success, consists of a three-strand steel cable having a diameter of 93/16 or 54 in. The equipment, methods used, and accomplishments have been described in previous reports.'-I Similar wire saws have been used extensively in Europe, in quarries and in shaping blocks and slabs. During the period 1932-1937, competition in European marble quarries was keen, prices were declining, and orders were not abundant. When orders were received, there was generally an urgent call for speedy delivery. Because of the diversification of demands, it was impossible to maintain in stock marbles of the color, size, and thickness called for, therefore the material generally had to be fabricated after the order was received. The wire saw enabled stone mills to fill such orders promptly. With skillful handling, 7/8-in. slabs could be cut accurately and rapidly with this equipment. It was found, however, that, as the three-strand wire became worn, the cutting speed dropped rapidly and the cut became less accurate. To overcome these difficulties the junior author of this paper, after much experimentation, developed a new type of wire consisting of a single ribbon-shaped strand, twisted as shown in Fig. I. To ensure straight sawing, the twist of the ribbon is reversed from right to left and vice versa every 25 ft. The reversal of the twist is shown in Fig. 2. This is not a new feature; it has been used to advantage with the three-strand wire both in Europe and America for several years. However, some difficulties arise in splicing the three-strand reverse-twist wire, and the claim is made that cutting is less accurate as the wire becomes worn. To make an endless belt, the ends of the single-strand wire are brazed together with Pyrophyllite is a hydrous aluminum silicate (A1²Si4O10(OH)²)1 that, occurs in both the foliated and the massive forms. The foliated variety resembles talc in that it has a greasy feel, a pearly luster, perfect basal cleavage, and usually is white, although in some deposits apple green, gray, brown, russet, and nearly black specimens may be found. The massive deposits of pyrophyllite yield pearl gray to light tan aggregates, some of which are so friable that they may be crushed with the hands into a fine gritty powder. Frequently specimens of the massive variety are studded with crystals of radial structure. The mineral has a specific gravity of about 2.7 and a hardness of 1 on Mohs' scale.' The chemical composition of commercial pyrophyllite reflects the mineralogy of the deposits, which, according to Stuckey12 contain pyrophyllite and quartz, together with chloritoid, sericite, and a few other minerals of negligible importance. The latter, he says, ('are noticed in but small quantities to the extent they might occur as accessory constituents of an igneous rock or as products of regional metamorphism or weathering. . . . Quartz is abundant everywhere except in the very best grades of pyrophyllite." Analyses of specimens from several deposits are listed in Table 1, showing that the silica content varies from 57 to 73 per cent and the alumina from 22 to 33 per cent. Oxides of iron and the alkaline metals are collectively present, with one exception, to an extent of about 1 to 1.5 per cent. Sources At present, North Carolina is the only commercial source of pyrophyllite, although the mineral has been found in small quantities in many parts of the world. The North Carolina deposits are in the "Carolina Slate Belt," which traverses the center of the state in a southwesterly direction. This belt varies from 8 to 50 miles in width. Two major deposits of pyrophyllite lie along its eastern boundary, in what is known as the Deep

Jan 1, 1942

By P. de Vitry, Oliver Bowles

The conventional wire saw, introduced in the slate district of Pennsylvania by the Bureau of Mines in 1927, and used thereafter with remarkable success, consists of a three-strand steel cable having a diameter of 93/16 or 54 in. The equipment, methods used, and accomplishments have been described in previous reports.'-I Similar wire saws have been used extensively in Europe, in quarries and in shaping blocks and slabs. During the period 1932-1937, competition in European marble quarries was keen, prices were declining, and orders were not abundant. When orders were received, there was generally an urgent call for speedy delivery. Because of the diversification of demands, it was impossible to maintain in stock marbles of the color, size, and thickness called for, therefore the material generally had to be fabricated after the order was received. The wire saw enabled stone mills to fill such orders promptly. With skillful handling, 7/8-in. slabs could be cut accurately and rapidly with this equipment. It was found, however, that, as the three-strand wire became worn, the cutting speed dropped rapidly and the cut became less accurate. To overcome these difficulties the junior author of this paper, after much experimentation, developed a new type of wire consisting of a single ribbon-shaped strand, twisted as shown in Fig. I. To ensure straight sawing, the twist of the ribbon is reversed from right to left and vice versa every 25 ft. The reversal of the twist is shown in Fig. 2. This is not a new feature; it has been used to advantage with the three-strand wire both in Europe and America for several years. However, some difficulties arise in splicing the three-strand reverse-twist wire, and the claim is made that cutting is less accurate as the wire becomes worn. To make an endless belt, the ends of the single-strand wire are brazed together with Pyrophyllite is a hydrous aluminum silicate (A1²Si4O10(OH)²)1 that, occurs in both the foliated and the massive forms. The foliated variety resembles talc in that it has a greasy feel, a pearly luster, perfect basal cleavage, and usually is white, although in some deposits apple green, gray, brown, russet, and nearly black specimens may be found. The massive deposits of pyrophyllite yield pearl gray to light tan aggregates, some of which are so friable that they may be crushed with the hands into a fine gritty powder. Frequently specimens of the massive variety are studded with crystals of radial structure. The mineral has a specific gravity of about 2.7 and a hardness of 1 on Mohs' scale.' The chemical composition of commercial pyrophyllite reflects the mineralogy of the deposits, which, according to Stuckey12 contain pyrophyllite and quartz, together with chloritoid, sericite, and a few other minerals of negligible importance. The latter, he says, ('are noticed in but small quantities to the extent they might occur as accessory constituents of an igneous rock or as products of regional metamorphism or weathering. . . . Quartz is abundant everywhere except in the very best grades of pyrophyllite." Analyses of specimens from several deposits are listed in Table 1, showing that the silica content varies from 57 to 73 per cent and the alumina from 22 to 33 per cent. Oxides of iron and the alkaline metals are collectively present, with one exception, to an extent of about 1 to 1.5 per cent. Sources At present, North Carolina is the only commercial source of pyrophyllite, although the mineral has been found in small quantities in many parts of the world. The North Carolina deposits are in the "Carolina Slate Belt," which traverses the center of the state in a southwesterly direction. This belt varies from 8 to 50 miles in width. Two major deposits of pyrophyllite lie along its eastern boundary, in what is known as the Deep

Jan 1, 1942

By Benj. F. Tillson

To most mine operators, it seems evident that there is a drill-steel problem, although under certain conditions the amount of drill-steel breakage does not appear serious. What is at fault? It may be one or a combination of circumstances. The development of rock drills to the hammer-drill type in place of the old reciprocating piston drill, probably is one important cause for the greater steel breakage. Perhaps the manufacturers of drill steel have failed to realize what alloys are needed for this new service or have overlooked the changes in the art of rock drilling. Although suitable alloys are provided, they may not be SO handled in the manufacturing process as to be in the best condition to withstand the demands of rock drilling. The mine operator may be at fault in desiring to use the smallest possible drill-steel section in order that the gage of the drill bits may be correspondingly small and the amount of footage drilled per unit of labor may be greater; or the black-smithshop practice at the mines may need improvement. The miner who uses the drill steel may also require more intensive supervision and education. Again, the manufacturer of rock drills may have failed to study the types of blows the steel alloys will withstand satisfactorily and which their tools are delivering and so he may not know whether or not a different design of rock drill would equal or excel their present drilling speeds without treating the drill steel so severely. All of these hypotheses probably have their supporters. On the other hand, perhaps we are seeking too much service from drill steel and we need a fuller realization of the fatigue strains developed and should prepare to relieve these by a periodic heat treatment of the steels. However, we do not find any proof that any of these suppositions may be held responsible for the drill-steel breakage attendant to mining. The proposed investigation of this matter by the U. S. Bureau of Mines is fully warranted in the promotion of the conservation of labor and material, and the safety of the workmen. The great range of field conditions, as well as the scope of the research, requires the energetic cooperative support of many interests. Various manufacturers of steel,

Jan 1, 1922

By R. C. Mahon

Operators concerned with the destruction of their piping by acid mine waters will be interested in the method by which this problem was solved at the Cardiff mine of the Homer group. Rubber lined, or acid resisting metal pipes were found too expensive. Casting concrete lining in pipe would have required a minimum thickness of one inch, thus excessively reducing the pipe's diameter, as well as taking twenty four hours per length of pipe. The Naylor Pipe Co. of Chicago, having experimented with centrifugal lining of pipe with concrete, provided information which eventually solved the problem. An experimental plant was constructed as shown, and the following procedure developed : (1) Kerosene is used to remove the interior oil coating of new pipe. Closed with blank flanges, the pipe is revolved for eight minutes at varying speeds. Stopping and starting the motor achieves a good washing action. The kerosene is then drained off, and similar washing action with caustic soda removes any excess. Swabbing in done with burlap fastened to a 1/2-in. pipe. (2) The aggregate, made of one. part quick-setting cement and two

Jan 1, 1949

By C. D. Gilpin, Franklin Moeller

The application of electric power for driving mine hoists handling heavy loads at high speeds has recently been extended by the installation of what is probably the largest electrically driven hoist in this country at the Granite Mountain shaft of the North Butte Mining Co., Butte, Mont. While the weight of rock which is hoisted by this machine is not the largest now being handled by electric mine hoists, the speed of hoisting is so, and the combination of the high speed with the heavy load has resulted in a machine of considerable interest to all those actively engaged in mining. Aside from mere considcration of size, this installation deserves attention because of the careful attention given, not only to the question of economy of operation, but to the details of construction and installation of the entire equipment. The conditions to be met in this installation were as follows: Weight of rock to be raised per trip, 7 gross tons........... 15,680 1b. Weight of skip.......................................... 8,000 1b. Weight of cage.......................................... 1,800 1b. Maximum depth of hoisting.............................. 4,000 ft. Diameter of rope.......................................... 15/8 Total weight suspended on one rope from drum............. 42,000 1b. Normal hoisting speed.................................... 2,700 ft. per minute. Maximum hoisting speed.................................. 3,000 ft. per minute. Desired capacity-200 tons per hour from 4,000 ft. depth. The ore is mined in several levels and hoisting is carried on from the 800-ft. level down to the 2,700-ft., which is at present the maximum depth from which the ore is raised regularly. Development is proceeding and a depth of 2,900 ft. has already been reached. The rock is handled underground in cars holding % ton, and about 10 cars are the usual load for a skip. All of the ore is dumped into underground bins, which are of diffcrent capacities varying up to 250 tons. From the bins the ore is fed into the skips without passing into measuring pockets. At the surface the

Jan 1, 1916

By Ferid Kromer

Geography: The Tagtepe district of the Vilayet of Eskigehir is about 20 miles northeast of the city of Eskigehir (approximately midway between Ankara and Istanbul) in western Anatolia. The area is a mountainous one, the highest peak being Tagtepe Mountain (5200 ft) which is approximately in the center of the district. The mountains drop off to the deep valley of the Sakarya River on the north and to the plain of Eskigehir on the south. FERID KROMER, Junior Member AZME, is a Consulting Mining Engineer and General Manager, Bagtag Turk Maadin Ltd., Istanbul, Turkey. New York Meeting, February 1950. TP 2629 H. Discussion of this paper (2 copies) may be sent to Transactions AIME before Feb. 28, 1950. Manuscript received Dec. 29, 1948. For the most part, the watershed is on the northern side of the mountain barrier, draining into the Sakarya River, which in turn empties into the Black Sea midway between Zonguldak and the mouth of the Bosphorus. The approximate area covered by the Tagtepe district is shown in fig. 1. Transportation to shipping points is available via the Istanbul-Ankara railroad. The station on this line nearest the mining district is Alpikoy station, about 20 miles by road southwest of Tagtepe Mountain. Interior roads within the district are poor. Being of dirt, the winter rains and snows render them almost impassable for trucks from about the middle of December until the end of March, thus presenting a considerable transportation problem. However, the roads from the Bagoren and Tagtepe chromite mines to the railroad shipping point at Alpikoy station have recently been repaired and will be maintained for all-weather truck transportation. Detailed climatic data are not available. However, in general the spring, summer, and early autumn months are dry, and good weather may be expected from May until early November. Then the winter rains commence, and heavy snow is usual during January and February. Geology: The mountainous structure of Tagtepe belongs to basic rocks of serpentine (Variscan Orogeny) which is in contact with Paleozoic schists at west, and an Oligocene outcrop of red clays in Margi-Sepetci region (see fig. 1) at southeast. The northwest and southwest borders of Tagtepe district are, respectively, surrounded by Paleozoic schists and pebbly gray and yellow Neogene clays. More recent formations of alluviums overlay the plain of Eskigehir. Dark basic rocks of trachytes with hornblende are visible on Turkmenbaba Mountain, at the west of Tagtepe. Mineral Occurrences: Chromite: the most important mineral found in any quantity in the Tagtepe district. The alignment of the deposits of chromite is in general along the line Bagoren-Tagtepe (see fig. 1). The first mines in the area were those of Tagtepe and Bagoren, which were developed over 20 years ago with Swedish capital. Other deposits of chromite, more recently discovered and so far of less importance, are being worked at Kurucor, Komurcu, Gelinmezari, and Lacin (see fig. 1). Deposits average generally between 46 and 48 pct chromic oxide, with the exception of the Bagoren mine which averages 44 pct. However, a new lode, very recently plotted, in the Tagtepe mine averages 50 pct Cr,O,, 4.6 pct SOz, and 7 pct FeO. Geological character of the chromite occurrences in the Tagtepe mine may be considered typical of most chromite lodes in this area. The indications are that the formations of ore lenses are developed by the segregation of chromite crystals intruded into the serpentinized rock, and exposed later to tectonic movement within the zone of crystallization. All lenticular masses are more or less regular in shape and follow each other in southeast-northwest direction and dip generally 70" NE. Ore lenses do not seem to persist in depth, average depth of two lenses is 60 ft below surface. Three lodes .have been mined as open-pit. The average dimensions of individual lenses are as follows: pitch length, 100 ft; breadth, 27 ft; and width, 20 ft. The lenses and their enclosing rocks are broken by parallel fractures in approximately east-west direction. These joints are filled, except in one lode, with cementing material, which gives to the ore a

Jan 1, 1951

By Ferid Kromer

Geography: The Tagtepe district of the Vilayet of Eskigehir is about 20 miles northeast of the city of Eskigehir (approximately midway between Ankara and Istanbul) in western Anatolia. The area is a mountainous one, the highest peak being Tagtepe Mountain (5200 ft) which is approximately in the center of the district. The mountains drop off to the deep valley of the Sakarya River on the north and to the plain of Eskigehir on the south. FERID KROMER, Junior Member AZME, is a Consulting Mining Engineer and General Manager, Bagtag Turk Maadin Ltd., Istanbul, Turkey. New York Meeting, February 1950. TP 2629 H. Discussion of this paper (2 copies) may be sent to Transactions AIME before Feb. 28, 1950. Manuscript received Dec. 29, 1948. For the most part, the watershed is on the northern side of the mountain barrier, draining into the Sakarya River, which in turn empties into the Black Sea midway between Zonguldak and the mouth of the Bosphorus. The approximate area covered by the Tagtepe district is shown in fig. 1. Transportation to shipping points is available via the Istanbul-Ankara railroad. The station on this line nearest the mining district is Alpikoy station, about 20 miles by road southwest of Tagtepe Mountain. Interior roads within the district are poor. Being of dirt, the winter rains and snows render them almost impassable for trucks from about the middle of December until the end of March, thus presenting a considerable transportation problem. However, the roads from the Bagoren and Tagtepe chromite mines to the railroad shipping point at Alpikoy station have recently been repaired and will be maintained for all-weather truck transportation. Detailed climatic data are not available. However, in general the spring, summer, and early autumn months are dry, and good weather may be expected from May until early November. Then the winter rains commence, and heavy snow is usual during January and February. Geology: The mountainous structure of Tagtepe belongs to basic rocks of serpentine (Variscan Orogeny) which is in contact with Paleozoic schists at west, and an Oligocene outcrop of red clays in Margi-Sepetci region (see fig. 1) at southeast. The northwest and southwest borders of Tagtepe district are, respectively, surrounded by Paleozoic schists and pebbly gray and yellow Neogene clays. More recent formations of alluviums overlay the plain of Eskigehir. Dark basic rocks of trachytes with hornblende are visible on Turkmenbaba Mountain, at the west of Tagtepe. Mineral Occurrences: Chromite: the most important mineral found in any quantity in the Tagtepe district. The alignment of the deposits of chromite is in general along the line Bagoren-Tagtepe (see fig. 1). The first mines in the area were those of Tagtepe and Bagoren, which were developed over 20 years ago with Swedish capital. Other deposits of chromite, more recently discovered and so far of less importance, are being worked at Kurucor, Komurcu, Gelinmezari, and Lacin (see fig. 1). Deposits average generally between 46 and 48 pct chromic oxide, with the exception of the Bagoren mine which averages 44 pct. However, a new lode, very recently plotted, in the Tagtepe mine averages 50 pct Cr,O,, 4.6 pct SOz, and 7 pct FeO. Geological character of the chromite occurrences in the Tagtepe mine may be considered typical of most chromite lodes in this area. The indications are that the formations of ore lenses are developed by the segregation of chromite crystals intruded into the serpentinized rock, and exposed later to tectonic movement within the zone of crystallization. All lenticular masses are more or less regular in shape and follow each other in southeast-northwest direction and dip generally 70" NE. Ore lenses do not seem to persist in depth, average depth of two lenses is 60 ft below surface. Three lodes .have been mined as open-pit. The average dimensions of individual lenses are as follows: pitch length, 100 ft; breadth, 27 ft; and width, 20 ft. The lenses and their enclosing rocks are broken by parallel fractures in approximately east-west direction. These joints are filled, except in one lode, with cementing material, which gives to the ore a

Jan 1, 1951

By Thomas M. Plouf

Flotation, as we know it today, is a physiochemical method of concentrating finely ground ores. The process involves chemical treatment of an ore pulp to create conditions favorable for the attachment of certain mineral particles to air bubbles which are carried to the surface of the ore pulp for removal. Frother reagents, combined with air and the agitation mechanism, produce the effective bubbles in a flotation cell. A method of analysis is presented to evaluate the effect of frother reductions and additions on a bank of flotation cells, and to economically determine if and to what extent frother reductions and additions are justified. Comparative evaluations of different frother systems, as well as the amount of frother used in a given flotation machine, cannot be made on the frother cost alone. An indepth study must be made to evaluate any given frother as applied to a particular ore body. The recovery of a given mineral is as dependent on the amount of frother as on the type of frother used. An actual case study follows in which the amount of frother required by two different flotation machines was used to make a decision as to which unit performed more efficiently based on costs. This same method may be used to evaluate new frothers as well as to determine if a larger frother addition is advisable.

Jan 11, 1975

By J. C. Mertz

ACCURATE knowledge of the solid solubilities of the elements that dissolve in the important base metals is needed for guidance in the preparation and heat-treatment of the alloys derived from these compo-nents. While there is still difference of opinion concerning the merits of the X-ray and microscopic methods of determining such solubilities, it is certainly true that the recent extensive use of X-ray diffraction to review the existing constitutional data has revealed many glaring inaccu-racies and has brought about a much improved knowledge of phase-boundary locations, which will inevitably come to include all of the important alloy systems. When the work is done with all necessary precautions it appears that in the majority of cases where the solubilities extend beyond a few tenths of a per cent the X-ray back-reflection technique is capable of furnishing the best of information in this field. For the most prolonged and thorough studies it is obviously advisable to combine the results of several methods, in particular, to obtain an agreement between X-ray and microscopic data. This paper reviews the work previously done on the solubilities of phosphorus, arsenic, antimony and bismuth in copper and, in considera-tion of the uncertainties thus made apparent, presents, new X-ray data obtained with the first three members of this group.

Jan 1, 1936

By AIME AIME

MORE than thirty members of the Coal Division attended the Coal Land Valuations Round Table on Monday morning. Chairman Dilworth stated that the Committee had been appointed to take up the question and, after reading the list of members of the Committee, pointed out that the object of the meeting was to formulate a plan of action rather than to discuss any phases of valuation, per se. To this end he presented a tentative outline of points to be considered in the future by the Committee. After a lively discussion on the desirability of inclusion of some questions in the agenda of the Committee, the following outline was adopted :

Jan 1, 1931

By Alexander Bowie

In many places throughout the Western mountain plateau regions of the United States coal beds in place have been burned over very extensive areas, the fire evidently originating on the nakedly exposed outcrop of the coal bed and gradually burning its way into the bed for considerable distances under very heavy cover. The surface evidences of the burned-out coal beds are seen in the calcined and discolored rocks overlying the places of the outcrops. The greater the mass of the burned coal the higher the results of its combustion can be seen in the overlying strata. I have noted many instances of this condition in the States of South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexipo, and Arizona. In the lignite fields of Dakota and Wyoming I noted stretches of level country many square miles in extent where the surface rooks were roasted and vitrified by the burning of a great bed of lignite lying nearly level and with a light cover; this is probably the most favorable natural condition for the burning out of a coal bed. The less the depth of the rock covering overlying the coal bed, the better the chance for a continuous supply of air to the fire; but when the coal bed dips heavily into the ground, or even if level, if it passes under a hill or mountain which gives the bed a heavy covering of strata, the fire has more chances of being extinguished from natural causes than in the first condition described. The distance which a crop fire may extend into a coal field is very much influenced by the dip, the thickness of the coal bed, and the nature of the rock covering immediately overlying it. In reasoning on this subject, it would seem logical to assume in the case of a coal-bed cropping at the base of a hill and dipping into it, with an extensive drainage surface above the crop line, that a crop fire would be promptly extinguished by the caving in of the overlying strata and the precipitation of the rainfall from the drainage surface above the outcrop through the breaks formed in the caving strata. This consideration would be more or less effective according to the climate of the location and the nature of the overlying strata. In a humid climate where the rainfall was heavy the water from the natural precipitation alone would probably extinguish a crop fire before it could work its way very far under cover, but in an arid climate this preventive does not seem to be effective.

Jan 1, 1915

By Alex Boozenny

The results of potential measurements between 1) a titaniurn electrode in NaCl-TiCl, melts and a graphite-cizlorine reference electrode and 2) a titanium electrode in NaC1-Nu "melts and a graphite-chlorine reference electrode show that the following relationship expresses the equilibrium relationship between the TiCl, and the dissolved metallic sodium concentrations, expressed in mole fraction units, in dilute NaCl welts at 850°C. The results of potential measurenments between a graphite electrode in NaCl-TiCl, melts that were saturated with TiCl, and a graphite-chlorine reference electrode, when combined with the standard free energy data given in literature, gave the following expression for the equilibrium relationship between the TiCl, and TiCl, concentrations, expressed in mole fraction units, in dilute NaCl melts at 850°C. These relationships are for melts in equilibrium with pure titanium. In impure systems, less sodiurn and more TiCI, can be copresent with a given concentration of TiCl,. AFTER 10 years of existence, the titanium metal industry still relies on the original Kroll and the sodium reduction processes for the only important means of converting titanium-bearing ores to titanium metal via production of titanium tetrachloride as an intermediate. Through years of modification and development these two processes have evolved to a point where any further major economic advances in the field of titanium metal production must be achieved through implementation of processes which are distinct departures from simple magnesium or sodium reduction of titanium tetrachloride. Concurrently with the refinement of the Kroll and sodium reduction processes, industries and government have sponsored research and development in the field of producing titanium by electrolysis of oxides,' carbides,' and halides3'4 in fused salt media. However, the incomplete understanding of the physical chemistry of fused salt systems has in many cases hindered the development of promising new titanium production processes to the point where they will have a clear advantage over the processes presently employed. Fortunately the volume of information on fused salt physical and electrochemistry is increasing at an accelerating pace. The first approaches tbward investigating the electrochemical behavior of fused salt systems have been the measurements of equilibrium potentials of metals immersed in melts containing their halides.' Some work on the kinetics of fused salt electrochemical processes has been reported.'09" Some descriptions of the structural composition of fused salt systems are also available. The work described herein is a continuation of the study of metal electrode potentials in fused salts. Specifically, this contribution to the growing store of fused salt chemistry information presents a description of the equilibrium relationships between the concentrations of titanium dichloride, titanium trichloride, and metallic sodium in fused sodium chloride. The investigation of the titanium dichloride-titanium trichloride equilibrium relationships is not completely new. Kellog and Krye and Melgren and opie15 have presented the results of chemical analysis of salts containing titanium chlorides. Flengas and lngrahaml' have published the results of an investigation of these equilibrium relationships obtained by measurement of electrode potentials in a fused NaCl-KC1 mixture. The investigation described herein differed from that of Flengas and Ingraham principally in the use of straight NaCl as the solvent in place of the more costly and more difficult to purify mixture. This investigation was conducted in three parts. First, the equilibrium potentials of titanium in sodium chloride containing known concentrations of titanium dichloride were measured. A graphite-chlorine electrode was employed as reference. Second, the equilibrium potentials of titanium immersed in sodium chloride containing known concentrations of elemental sodium were measured. Third, the equilibrium potentials of graphite immersed in titanium tetrachloride-saturated sodium chloride containing known concentrations of titanium trichloride were measured. The results of these three related investigations are presented in the above order. The results are combined with the thermodynamic properties of titanium chlorides and sodium chloride, obtained from literature, to give the titanium dichloride-titanium trichloride-elemental sodium equilibrium concentration relationships. In the test, whenever a melt contains titanium chlorides in predominantly divalent form, the melt

Jan 1, 1962