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By L. Alan Weakly

Abstract-The Bureau of Mines has pursued a program of research on mine illumination that has defined the coal miner's illumination needs. St. Joe Minerals Corporation, recognizing the need for improving the illumination of the working places in their mines, entered into a cooperative research agreement with the Bureau of Mines to utilize the Bureau's expertise in this field. Some similarity in the environment, in which coal and hard rock miners work, has allowed the application of developed coal mine illumination technology and equipment to be utilized in hard rock, room and pillar mines.

Jan 6, 1978

FIGURES covering appropriations recommended by the Budget Bureau for the Bureau of Mines at Washington for next year are now available and are as quoted below. APPROPRIATION BUDGET APPROPRIATION 1928 1929 General Expenses $ 86,000` $ 86,000 Investigating Mine Accidents 386,470 399,470 Mining Investigations in Alaska.. 10,860 10,860 Operating Mine Rescue Cars and Stations 327,630 342,630 Testing Fuel 154,000 158,500 Mineral Mining Investigations.... 99,570 125,000 Oil, Gas and Oil-Shale Investiga- tions 198,260 198,260 Oil-Shale Investigations 5,000 80,000 Expenses Mining Experiment Sta- tions 173,000 173,000 Care, etc., Buildings and Grounds, Pittsburgh, Pa 71,360 76,360 Maintenance and Operation, Fuel Yards Balance Balance Helium Investigations :.... 75,000 75,000 Helium Production and Conserva- tion 1,063,000 462.000 Potash Investigations 100,000 100,000 Economics of Mineral Industries. . 225,000 275,000 Totals $2,975,150 $2,562,080

Jan 1, 1928

By Finn Ouchterlony

A simple bilinear R-curve description of crack extension resistance is applied to the testing of sub-size rock core specimens. The K-curve consists of a linear sub-critical part and a flat post-critical part. Formulas for the apparent energy rate resistance quantities Gm, Jm, and [R] are developed. Experiments on notched cores of Ekeberg marble, Bohus granite, and Stripa granite are compared with these predictions. The R-curve model gives reasonable results for Gm -data but fails essentially to describe the Jm and [R]-data. Another model with a sharply increasing linear post-critical part could possibly account for the [R]-data, but direct R-curve measurements seem a better approach.

Jan 1, 1982

SHORTLY after Ambrose Swasey suggested the creation of the Engineering Foundation in 1914, the World War broke. upon the scene. Consequently all eyes were soon turned to national security problems. In 1916 the newly-organized Engineering Foundation and the four National Societies joined with the National Academy of Sciences in establishing the National Research Council. From then until 1923 the Engineering Foundation devoted the greater part of its resources to the support of the Research Council and the Council's division of engineering. Since 1923, how-ever, it has turned to the original intention for which it was created, of cooperating with the national societies in proj-ects affecting engineering at large, though it still retains a connection with the Research Council. Mere enumeration and tabulation of work undertaken can of course lend but a vague idea of actual accomplish-ments. The reports of the Foundation give information of its widespread activities.

Jan 2, 1928

By John E. Miller

The Miller Number System is a well established method of measuring the relative abrasivity-friability of slurries, resulting in data that can be used in the selection of pump type and in forecasting wear-life of pumps and pipelines in slurry service. 1,2 Then after the pump type is selected, a Flow Analysis is determined by computer using pump design and operating parameters. This is used to determine pulsation control, suction requirements and stabilization, etc.

Jan 1, 1977

By Charles E. Mauk, H. William Prengle, Robert W. Legan

A process breakthrough was needed for the complete destruction of total cyanide influent as high as 100,000 mg per 1, or below 1 mg per 1, to produce an influent with total cyanide below the limit of detection. The process uses ozone for the total destruction of cyanide and metal cyanide complexes. It was found that while ozone alone reacted with the iron cyanide complexes too slowly for practical application, ozone at slightly elevated temperature became more effective, and ozone with ultraviolet light became effective enough to permit the design of a successful system.

Jan 1, 1977

IT is not very necessary for those who work ores to return the litharge to lead, because they use litharge in place of lead ore and they use it the more willingly when it still contains some trace of silver. For the cupeling hearth can never be so well made or so cleanly operated that some little bit of silver does not remain in it, and some particle of it is also necessary by its very nature. But for one who has to use very much lead at one time, like someone who smelts sweepings or cements, or for someone who wishes to bring his operations to a conclusion and withdraw his investment, it is possible to have the lead again. In order to do this, the litharge is taken and ground. Cupeling hearths are washed in addition to being ground. Then these powders are made into a paste by wetting them with salt water, and they are made into large

Jan 1, 1942

By A. M. Gaudin

OLEIC acid, a standard flotation reagent, has generally been preferred to other fatty acids. Because oleic acid differs from saturated fatty acids by the presence of one carbon-to-carbon double bond and because the flotation operation is one in which extremely intimate exposure of the reagent to oxygen is obtained, it appeared possible that the value of oleic acid as a flotation collector was related to the oxidizability of its double bond. To test this hypothesis, the floated mineral, fluorite, was leached with a solvent capable of extracting the adsorbed reagent and the extract was analyzed.' Results show that oleic acid is not oxidized during flotation, although some oxidation can be obtained if the flotation operation is repeated many times and if oxygen in place of air is employed as the gas during flotation. Incidentally, it was found that linoleic acid which has two nonconjugated double bonds is not affected appreciably more than oleic acid. Linolenic acid which has three nonconjugated double bonds is measurably altered even during one flotation step, using air.

Jan 4, 1953

By A. F. Crawley

THIS communication reports measurements of the densities of dilute liquid alloys of 0.1 and 0.5 pct Ag in Sn over temperature ranges of 170" and 210°C, respectively, above the melting point of pure tin (232°C). The work was earried out to provide accurate density data for some liquid diffusion studies performed by Davis.1 Densities were measured using a pycnometric technique established in this laboratory. Earlier papers2, 4 attest to the accuracy of ±0.05 pct and the reliability of the method. Tin, 99.999 pct pure, and silver 99.99 pct pure, were melted in a graphite crucible in a vacuum furnace and held at temperature for 10 hr to ensure homogenization. Ingots suitable for machining

Jan 1, 1970

By D. P. Seraphim

Single crystals of bee Li-Mg solid solution were grown and their internal friction was measured as a function of temperature, A peak of the Zener type was found in the damping spectrum. The activation energy for the relaxation process is 21.5 ± 1 kcal per mole and the frequency factor is 1015.7 ± 0.7 sec-1. ZENER internal-friction peaks which are observed for a wide range of solid solutions are attributed to stress-induced changes in local order.' In the present work a Zener internal-friction peak, the first reported for a solid solution of an alkali metal, is

Jan 1, 1961

By L. W. Pommier, L. R. Plitt, F. B. Brien

L. R. Plitt (Assistant Professor of Mining and Metallurgy, University of Alberta, Canada.) — It is indeed encouraging to see rheological studies being carried out in a mineral engineering school. The bulk of the work being done today in applied rheology seems to be concerned with the behavior of polymeric solutions and thus has limited application to the solid-liquid systems encountered in mineral beneficiation. The authors have approached the problem by carrying out a dimensional analysis which showed that for power law fluids the drag coefficient, Ds, must be some function of a generalized Reynolds number which has the form: If the power law adequately describes the behavior of a fluid, the dimensional analyses predicts that the Ds - RN function should hold for all values of n' or any other dependent variable. The experimental evi-

Jan 1, 1968

By Freeman Bishop

President Allende says he will expropriate all American investments in Chile and he's already well on the way to accomplishing this objective. What the average observer doesn't realize is that this has not only created big lossess for the copper companies. It could also take a chunk out of the U.S. taxpayers' pockets. Premier Castro expropriated the U.S. taxpayers' investment of over $100 million in the Nicaro (Cuba) nickel and cobalt operations-and U.S. Government protest over the loss was never heard above a whisper. Where the taxpayer comes in today is through the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, which was set up to guarantee U.S. companies' foreign investments against losses due to political changes. As of now, metals firms hold more than $300 million worth of obligations against this U.S. Government agency. The agency itself may not be able to raise more than $85 million, and a supplemental appropriation may be needed to meet its guarantees.

Jan 1, 1971

By A. F. Peterson

MUCH has been said and written about the engineer shortage. The mining branch in engineering has lagged during the past several decades. I can think of two institutions, formerly prominent in that field, that have discontinued this department and another that has branched from a purely mining school into various forms of engineering. Conversely, I do not recall any institutions that have added mining to their curricula. I believe that this action is in direct response to the demands of incoming students. But I also believe that while there is a specific demand for civil, mechanical, and electrical engineers in the highly complicated mining operations of today, our need for mining engineers capable of assuming top responsibility for mining operations is unchanged.

Jan 3, 1957

ENGINEERS AVAILABLE (Under this heading will be published notes sent to the Secretary of the Institute by members or other persons introduced by members.) Member, technical graduate, five years' experience as mining engineer and chemist. Actual experience in underground work, surveying, mapping, foreman, etc. Will accept very moderate salary to start with reliable company. Willing to go anywhere. No. 184. Member, technical graduate, with experience as engineer and metallurgist for various copper companies, is open for similar positions. No. 185. Member, specializing in cyanide treatment and cyanide plant construction, with 10 years' experience in Mexico and in the West, desires position. No. 186. Member, technical graduate, first in mining engineering and then in chemistry and metallurgy, Lafayette College; Fellow, School of Mines, Columbia University; special work Royal School of Mines, Freiberg, Saxony, Germany; ten years' experience teaching mining, chemistry, assaying, and metallurgy, desires position as Director of School of Mines or Professor of Metallurgy. No. 187.

Jan 2, 1915

A development which could prove significant was the announcement on September 18 by Lone Star Industries, Inc., Greenwich, Conn., that the Snyder process which utilizes shock phenomena to break down ore in seconds, is operational. J. R. Kringel, chairman and president of Lone Star, says this about the process: "This new approach to the comminution of ores not only provides better mineral liberation at lower capital and operating costs, but it also makes a significant contribution toward the more efficient utilization of the country's rapidly depleting mineral reserves." The Snyder process consists of loading the material into a chamber, introducing a compressible working fluid such as steam under 300-500 psi, or as low as 80 psi, and then opening a millisecond-action discharge valve, causing the material to become entrained in the expanding fluid. The mixed fluid moves through a duct toward a discharge zone at near-sonic velocity, and is subject to a variety of extreme shock phenomena which accomplish the desired size reduction and mineral liberation.

Jan 11, 1972

By A. K. Burton

This paper reviews transportation trends in large base metal open-pit mines in recent years. Particular attention is paid to the unprecedented increases in the cost of oil and its effect on operating costs. Fuel conservation and measures to improve trucking efficiency are considered. The paper also discusses viable alternatives for reducing or eliminating the use of trucks. Various advantages and disadvantages of using conveyors to transport shot rock from the mine are reviewed. The paper concludes with some observations on current policies and trends primarily aimed at mitigating the high cost of energy.

Jan 1, 1983

H. D. HIBBARD, Plainfield, N. J. (written discussion *).-While this valuable and timely paper may not go to the root of the matter, it deals with many of the elements and factors involved. It might be taken as the engineer's solution of the case, starting with the assumption that steel is steel, while the tendency for a rail to have transverse fissures may, and probably does, depend, in part at least, on conditions met before it reaches the track. Admitting with the author that "brittleness of fracture in all grades of steel is characteristic of fatigue tests" we may yet look farther back to find out, if possible, why some rails and some steels are more prone to have transverse fissures than others, for it has been found that rails from certain heats of steel developed these fissures under a service which

Jan 3, 1918

The following communication has just reached the Institute, from the office of the Provincial Geologist, Department of Lands,-Forests and Mines, Ontario, Canada: During the autumn of 1917 gold was discovered in unsurveyed territory south of Lake Abitibi in northeastern Ontario. This area lies about 70 miles almost directly east of the well known Porcupine area. During the coming summer, the Ontario Bureau of Mines is to make a geological survey of this new gold area. Following the custom of Ontario, this area is being divided into townships, 6 miles square. These townships have recently been given the following names in honor of men well known in the mining and geological world. In alphabetical order the names are as follows: Frecheville-Prof. Wm. Frecheville, Professor of Mining in the Royal School of Mines, London; Past President of the Institution of Mining and Metallurgy. Garrison-Mr. F. Lynwood Garrison, Mining Engineer, Philadelphia, Pa. Harker-Dr. Alfred Harker, F. R. S., immediate Past President of the Geological Society of London.

Jan 6, 1918

By John W. Cabot

In the manufacture by the Bessemer process of soft steel suitable for rolling into fine sheets, tubes and 60 forth, a difficulty is sometimes met with, in the tendency of this kind of metal to rise violently and boil in the moulds while being cast; this results in hollow-topped ingots, and consequently in an undue amount of scrap in the subsequent rolling. It has been noticed that this peculiarity does not pertain to all pig-irons, some grades producing a blown metal which pours quietly, while others, in whatever way the blow may have been conducted, give a metal which rises in the moulds, accompanied by the evolution of large quantities of hydrogen and carbonic oxide gases, and requiring a long time to solidify. This difference in behavior has been some-

Jan 1, 1891

By U. Max, P. R. Geoffroy, J. A. Lawrence

When shaft sinking was begun on the Vendome Mines property in the Barraute area of north-western Quebec, there was no indication of the flat mud seam that was later encountered, and no special precautions were taken in applying conventional methods of grouting. Failure of the first cementing attempt emphasized the important fact that mud is an adverse condition in grouting. A method was then devised that would remove the clay from those portions of the seam adjacent to the shaft, replacing it by a bulky mixture of cement and sawdust. Tests were carried out to insure that the seam had been properly sealed and that excavation could be resumed without endangering the shaft.

Nov 1, 1955