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By C. K. Stoddard, R. G. Knickerbocker, E. T. Leidigh, R. R. Lloyd, K. L. Mattingly

DURING July 1941, a study was initiated at the Boulder City Experiment Station of the Bureau of Mines on proposed methods for the production of magnesium metal. The major emphasis was placed upon development of a process that required minimum reliance upon the sale or utilization of by-products to meet economic competition from processes already in operation. It was felt that only through the development of such a process could the nation's vast resources of dolomite and low-grade magnesite that are contiguous to large blocks of firm power be properly utilized. During the course of exploratory tests on electrolytic and electrothermic processes, it was noted that fused magnesium chloride would dissolve appreciable quantities of magnesium oxide in the presence of small amounts of boric oxide. The use of such a solution in an electrolytic cell employing a graphite anode and a steel cathode caused the deposition of magnesium at the cathode and the evolution of carbon oxides at the anode with minimal amounts of chlorine The original results were sufficiently encouraging to justify further investigation on an enlarged scale, since the process seemed to present advantages over other proposed processes 1.2 for the direct use of magnesium oxide in a fused chloride electrolyte. When work on a larger scale was initiated it was found that the addition of boric oxide to the electrolyte resulted in dispersion of metal and constantly decreasing current efficiency. However, by this time solubility studies had shown that magnesium oxide was sufficiently soluble in magnesium chloride melts containing no boric oxide to effect the same anode reactions, and development work was continued. Over two years of development work have been carried out, and considerable work remains to be done. It is desired to emphasize the fact that many of the difficulties met require a long period of continuous operation before they become serious enough to affect operation of the cell. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This paper is one of many reporting on various aspects of the Bureau of Mines' program initiated in August 1939 by passage of the Strategic Minerals Act the scope of which was greatly expanded by subsequent legislation. Some of these papers are published as war minerals reports. others as bulletins, technical papers, reports of investigations

Jan 1, 1945

By Thomas M. Barczak

This paper describes a computerized simulation system developed by KETRON, Inc., in cooperation with the US Bureau of Mines. The system is designed for use by mine managers and engineers rather than computer specialists and allows the novice user to arbitrarily create room-and-pillar mine plans, with the computer illustrating the simulation of face activities on a video screen. Extensive visibility of the simulation is provided by visual display of the machine elements and their movement in the section to accommodate the extraction, roof control, place changing, and haulage operations. Performance statistics are also generated to analyze the operations. Both conventional and continuous mining methods can be simulated. In addition to simulating arbitrary scenarios, the system can also be used to display actual time-studied operations and maintain a file of these activities. Practical applications and case studies are provided in the paper to demonstrate the usefulness of the system. The system is designed to operate on a desk-top mini computer and is currently installed on a Hewlett-Packard 9854B system with 450 K bytes of memory.

Jan 1, 1983

By AIME AIME

ON April 7 the twentieth national Open-hearth Conference of the A.I.M.E. will be held in Birming¬ham, Ala., in conjunction with a meeting of the Committee on Blast Furnaces and Raw Materials. At least 300 engineers and operators are expected to attend. Birmingham, the industrial city and iron, and steel center of the South, has been called the "Magic City." Men actively engaged in business in Birmingham today have seen practically every building in the business district erected, have witnessed the establishment of every existing industry, and have hunted birds cm the site now one of the busiest corners of the business district. Incorporated as a town in 1871, the city today has a population of more than 380,000 in its metropolitan area. It is

Jan 1, 1937

By C. D. Woodward

The Anaconda Copper Mining Co. purchases 25,000 kw. of electric power for its mining operations at Butte, Mont. This power is delivered, over duplicate feeders, in the form of 60-cycle, 2400-volt, three-phase current, to five compressor plants, where most of the energy is used for driving air compressors. At the compressor plants are located the switching apparatus for controlling the 2400-volt power and distributing it to the various mines. At these points, also, there are a number of motor-generator sets for converting the alternating current to 275-volt direct current for the haulage systems. Pole lines convey the powcr from the compressor plants to outdoor transformer substations at most of the mines. When it is not economical to distribute the power at the lower voltages in the mines, transformers and motor-generator sets are placed at strategic points underground. All power is purchased on a maximum-demand basis; therefore there is installed at one of the compressor plants an eight-element totalizing graphic wattmeter. This instrument records simultaneously the value of all power taken at the numerous points of delivery, which not only climinates the diversity factor but permits load dispatching between compressor and pumping plants, and thus materially reduces the maximum demand from the power system. As most of the mine hoisting is done by 90-lb. compressed-air winding engines, the air-compressor equipment for the winding engines and mining operations is quite extensive. The standard air compressor has a rating of 7500 cu. ft. per min. of free air, and most of the compressors are directly connected to synchronous motors. The synchronous motors are designed for 80 per cent. loading power factor, thus facilitating power-factor correction of total mine load. Consequently by cooperation with the power company, the voltage of the power received at the compressor plants is constant. In the mines there are installed an induction motor load of approxi-mately 10,000 hp., and 4500 kv.-a,, in transformer capacity. It is the practice to install 2200-volt motors in the mincs, except those rated below 50 hp, hence there are in operation underground about 5000 hp., in the

Jan 1, 1923

By C. D. Woodward

The Anaconda Copper Mining Co. purchases 25,000 kw. of electric power for its mining operations at Butte, Mont. This power is delivered, over duplicate feeders, in the form of 60-cycle, 2400-volt, three-phase current, to five compressor plants, where most of the energy is used for driving air compressors. At the compressor plants are located the switching apparatus for controlling the 2400-volt power and distributing it to the various mines. At these points, also, there are a number of motor-generator sets for converting the alternating current to 275-volt direct current for the haulage systems. Pole lines convey the powcr from the compressor plants to outdoor transformer substations at most of the mines. When it is not economical to distribute the power at the lower voltages in the mines, transformers and motor-generator sets are placed at strategic points underground. All power is purchased on a maximum-demand basis; therefore there is installed at one of the compressor plants an eight-element totalizing graphic wattmeter. This instrument records simultaneously the value of all power taken at the numerous points of delivery, which not only climinates the diversity factor but permits load dispatching between compressor and pumping plants, and thus materially reduces the maximum demand from the power system. As most of the mine hoisting is done by 90-lb. compressed-air winding engines, the air-compressor equipment for the winding engines and mining operations is quite extensive. The standard air compressor has a rating of 7500 cu. ft. per min. of free air, and most of the compressors are directly connected to synchronous motors. The synchronous motors are designed for 80 per cent. loading power factor, thus facilitating power-factor correction of total mine load. Consequently by cooperation with the power company, the voltage of the power received at the compressor plants is constant. In the mines there are installed an induction motor load of approxi-mately 10,000 hp., and 4500 kv.-a,, in transformer capacity. It is the practice to install 2200-volt motors in the mincs, except those rated below 50 hp, hence there are in operation underground about 5000 hp., in the

Jan 1, 1923

By Raymond S. Weimer

OF the several characteristics of a coal that influence its suitability for use in a given piece of burning equipment, the clinkering and slagging characteristics of the ash of the coal are highly important. They determine the maximum rate at which the coal may be burned on a stoker or in pulverized form without difficulty from damage to metal parts, from erosion of refractory walls, or from stoppage of gas passages by accumulation on the tubes. They also determine the minimum rate at which a slag-tap furnace may be operated without difficulty in removal of the ash in fluid form. NEED FOR A BETTER CRITERION In common with other producers and users of coal, the Northern Illinois Coal Corporation has long used the available methods for the measurement of the clinkering characteristics of coal ash, chemical composition and fusion temperature of the ash, as criteria for the selection of coal that would suit the particular requirements of its customers. These two available criteria have greatly helped in the problem of selection but it is unnecessary to dwell upon the fact that they are not completely adequate for the purpose. The composition of the ash and its clinkering tendency vary widely over the company's mining area. In a certain period, some years ago, an unusual amount of severe clinkering of the ash of coal shipped made extremely acute the need for a better criterion of the clinkering that might be expected. It was also desirable that the criterion result from a reasonably rapid method, so that the clinkering characteristics of the coal would be known before shipment. Complaints on the severe clinkering of the ash came from only a fraction of the output of the mine but the occurrence of the clinkering seemed quite unpredictable. Attempts to relate the chemical composition of the ash and the fusion temperatures to the clinkering were unsuccessful. Coal from the area of the mine in which the fusion temperature of the ash was the lowest gave the least trouble from clinkering. Chemical analysis of the ash from that section giving the most trouble showed high contents of iron and low contents of silica, but frequently these were not greatly different from those of coals that gave little trouble from clinker. Aside from the clinkering difficulty, the coal was quite satisfactory. The ash content was normal and high rates of burning could be obtained, but again and again such severe clinkering would occur that the furnace would be shut down because of the accumulation of clinker. Examination of the clinker from the customers' plants showed that the clinkers that adhered to the grates and fouled the fuel beds were hard, flat, dense, and usually dark in color. Coal that was satisfactory gave clinkers that were softer, bulky rather than flat, of low density, and usually lighter in color.

Jan 1, 1944

By O. Bergmann, R. E. Lueders, R. R. Ellefson, H. M. Brennecke, D. S. Davies

A new hydrometallurgical process has been developed to recover copper from sulfide ores. Copper is leached in a staged reactor system utilizing nitric and sulfuric acids at 105OC. Iron is removed from the pregnant liquor as a jarosite, and cathode copper is electrowon directly from the purified pregnant liquor. The spent electrolyte is recycled. Nitrogen oxides evolved from the leach are reconverted to nitric acid and are also recycled. Sulfur is rejected as So, jarosite, and gypsum. The process is highly versatile and can recover precious metals, molybdenum, and zinc when these elements are present. Continuous, integrated, semi-pilot plant operations using chalcopyrite ores demonstrated 99% copper leaching and production of cathode grade copper. Economic evaluation shows that the process is competitive with pyrometallurgical and other hydrometallurgical processes.

Jan 1, 1982

By G. W. Preckshot, N. G. DeLisle, C. E. Cottrell, D. L. Katz

MOST crude oils contain asphaltic substances that may be naturally or artificially precipitated. In the Greeley field, California, this asphaltic bitumen is precipitated during the flow of the oil from the reservoir to the stock tank. The mechanism of such precipitation is not well understood. This paper presents the progress that has been made by using the electron microscope as a new tool and by observing the effects of the streaming potential on the formation of bitumen particles. Crude oils at atmospheric pressure viewed in the electron microscope in very thin films under a vacuum showed no asphaltic particles. A technique of preparing slides of thin films by dilution of the oil with benzene and washing in petroleum ether was used at first, and these observations showed that the solvents caused the formation of the particles, varying from 0.01 to 0.2 micron in diameter. The electrical effects of fluids flowing through porous solid were studied, with emphasis on the formation of colloidal particles by the streaming potential. The streaming potential of crude oil flowing through sand was measured and was shown to be responsible for the formation of bitumen particles. These results bring out a new phenomenon, which may occur when crude oil flows through the porous oil reservoir.

Jan 1, 1942

By Z. T. Bieniawski, E. Unal, H. Reginald Hardy

INTRODUCTION Rock bolts are a major means of support in underground coal mines in the United States. However, two of the most crucial problems facing the mining engineer today are that of finding a well defined and standard method for testing the anchoring ability of rock bolts, and of selecting the most suitable type of rock bolt and bolting pattern for a particular mine or specific mine section (Anon., 1982). Such selection requires not only an understanding of the behavior of the rock mass and the rock-bolt unit itself, but also a knowledge of the basic mechanisms by which rock bolts provide support while they interact with the rock mass during various field loading conditions. A recent study in this area has shown the inadequacy of present methods used in selecting and testing of rock bolts and the lack of clearly defined guidelines for safe and economical design of bolting patterns (Bieniawski, et al., 1980). The present paper describes a research study aimed at developing laboratory instrumentation and associated techniques for the evaluation of bolt-rock interaction. The instrumentation system developed, procedures followed during various experiments, and typical results from a series of studies carried out on mechanical bolts are presented. DEVELOPMENT OF THE ROCK BOLT TESTING FACILITY General A block diagram of the experimental facilities are shown in Fig. 1. The system consists of three main sections. The first

Jan 1, 1982

By C. H. Jr. Herty

FEW subjects have attracted the attention of metallurgists more than ,oxygen in steel. From the days of Mushet and Ledebur interest in this subject has been increasing, and as additional knowledge has become available, the problem has naturally grown more complex. Instead of using the simple term "oxygen" we now distinguish between iron oxide, silicates of various kinds, oxysulfides, oxygen as gas and oxygen in solid solution in steel. There are five general methods for determining oxides in steel: hydrogen reduction;, vacuum fusion; various wet-extraction methods, including electrolytic methods; methods depending on volatilization of the iron away from the oxides; and metallographic methods. For oxygen in solid steel each of these methods has both advantages and disadvantages. The hydrogen-reduction method is of no use on steels above about 0.20 per cent. carbon;1 furthermore, it gives only FeO and possibly some MnO. The vacuum-fusion method2 is expensive and gives total oxygen, with the exception of some A1203, and does not differentiate between the various oxides in which the oxygen exists. Most of the wet-extraction methods' give only the more insoluble oxides Si02 and A1203, though the iodine method gives MnO to an uncertain degree (information that may be more misleading then no information

Jan 1, 1930

By Alfonso W. Ovalle

INTRODUCTION The block-caving mining method is one of the most economical ways existing today to extract ore from nature. It is undoubtedly the least costly of the underground systems and moreover it compares favorably to open-pit mining. In addition to its low cost characteristic, the block-caving mining method permits a great extraction volume as can be exemplified by El Teniente's output capacity of over 22 million tons of ore per year. These characteristics of block-caving give assurance that, even though it is a very old mining system, it will be a good answer to the many future large massive low ore grade deposits to come and a1 so to rep1 ace open-pi t mining as such operations get deeper with higher stripping ratios. These are the reasons that induce further study of block-caving. In this paper block-caving at El Teniente is analyzed with due consideration to the major problems that this mine will encounter. Emphasis is given to the factors influencing the mining of soft ore which accounts for most of the ore to be extracted in the next ten years. A separate paper is devoted to a major modification introduced to block-caving hard primary ore at El Teniente by means of LHD equipment extraction. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT MINING Ore Production and Flow Over 62.000 tons per day of ore are extracted 359 days per year at the El Teniente Mine. The Teniente 8 train haulage level at 1.983 m takes 29.000 tons daily to the Col6n Concentrator. Two trains make the 8 km haul with 16 cars per train. Car capacity is 90 tons. The Teniente 5 train haulage level 298 m above takes 33.000 t per day to the old Sewell Concentrator. Ore is produced from three production areas in two different levels. The so called North Mine produces 42.000 tons daily from the Teniente 4 level 65 m above the Teniente 5 haulage level. The Central Mine produces 1.000 tons from the first hard rock block caved at the Te- niente 4 level. The combined 43.000 tons per day production is sent through inclined 2 m dia- meter raises to the Teniente 5 haul age level , where 33.000 tons are taken 2.5 km to the Sewell Concentrator and 9.000 tons are hauled 0.5 km to a 5 m diameter vertical ore pass which sends ore to Teniente 8. The haulage is by 7 trains, 15 gabble-bottom cars per train. Car capacity is 20 tons. The so called South Mine produces 19.000 tons per day from the Teniente 1 level 645 m above the Teniente 8 haulage level. Ore is transferred by 2 m diameter inclined raises to the Ten 1 Retram level 22 m below, where 5 trains with 20 Sandfor Day cars per train, 8 tons capacity per car, haul the ore 1.5 km to two vertical 5 m diameter ore passes which connect to Ten 8. Starting in 1982 the Central Mine will in- crease production to 6.000 tons per day. An in- dependent loop haulage system will start operat- ing at the Teniente 5 level to feed a new under- ground 1.372 mm (54 in.) gyratory crusher which will send minus 152 mm ore (9 in.) to Teniente 8. In two or three years time the North Mine will only feed the 33.000 tons to the Sewel 1 Concentrator with its old Teniente 5 haulage system. The Col6n Concentrator will be fed from the Central and South Mines. Figure 1 shows the transfer systems and ore flows. The Ore Body In plan view at the Teniente 4 level the ore body has a kidney shape 1.800 m long and between 400 to 700 m wide. The north-eastern section of the ore body was washed away by the Teniente River. At the Sub 5 Level, 125 m below Teniente 4, the mineralization completely surrounds the circular 1.000 m diameter steep-sided barren breccia pipe (Braden pipe) . The ore body rock is 73% andesite, 14% diori te, 13% dacite and 6% mineralized breccia. Most of this ore is secondary enrichment sulfides which apart from the dacite is strongly fractured being chal cocite, cove1ine , bornite and

Jan 1, 1981

By J. W. Fuller

During the last 20 years, experimenters have sought to utilize pulverized coal in boiler plants, but refractory and slag troubles have usually overbalanced any gains in efficiency that were obtained. These troubles were caused largely by lack of knowledge of the proper methods of coal preparation and lack of a furnace design that would be adaptable to pulverized-coal firing. When this information was obtained the results were so much more satisfactory that within the last 5 years approximately 80,000 boiler hp. have been installed in plants ranging from 1000 to 20,000 boiler hp. rated capacity, which are operating at an average of 174 per cent. of rating. The first commercial installation for burning pulverized coal under boilers was made at the Parsons shops of the M. K. & T. railroad in 1916. Of eight 250-hp. water-tube boilers thus fitted, six were operated continuously for 3 yr., when oil was obtained at such a low price as to warrant its use. Since then, this plant has been operating alternately on pulverized coal and oil, depending on prevailing prices. Recently gas has been discovered within 20 mi. of this plant, so that this fuel may also be used. No change in furnace design was made when changing from pulverized coal to oil or gas firing. One of the principal advantages of this method of firing is its ability to utilize, with maximum efficiency, all kinds of coal, irrespective of quality or physical characteristics. In fact, quite a number of the present pulverized-coal installations were made for the purpose of utilizing coal that could not be marketed or used in any other way. The Pacific Coast Coal Co., at Black Diamond, Wash., formerly hand fired the boilers, using approximately 125 tons of prepared steam-size coal daily. The Black Diamond steam coal is the best quality of coal for steaming purposes mined in that section of the country, and there is a market for all that can be produced. By installing a pulverizing plant, it was possible to substitute coal of a size and quality that had no commercial value, so that 125 tons daily of the best steam coal formerly used at the mines is now marketed. This company made a similar installation, at its New Castle, Wash., mine with approximately similar results. Each of these two plants has a

Jan 1, 1922

By W. D. Lowry

As most of the industrial activity of Oregon is centered in the Portland area, the foundries there consume the bulk of the foundry sand produced in Oregon. Although a number of the larger towns scattered throughout the state have gray-iron foundries, the sand used by most of them is of local origin. The yearly consumption of foundry sand of all types for the past few war years in Oregon is estimated to have been approximately 40,000 tons valued at about $285,000, of which an estimated 18,000 tons was shipped in from the Ottawa, Ill., district for use largely by the steel foundries. Until 1945 much of the silica sand consumed by the steel foundries in the Pacific Northwest, approximately 50,000 tons in 1944, came from Ottawa, Ill. and surrounding regions. Although some silica sand was shipped in from Belgium in the past, none is known to have been imported in recent years. Early in 1945, a very promising high-grade silica sand being produced near Eugene, Oregon, was introduced, and all but two of the Portland steel foundries are using this new sand. Until a few years ago, the search for good local (Oregon) foundry sands was carried on largely by the foundry supply houses. Recently the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries has investigated a number of deposits and has carried on and fostered research on the most bromising deposit near Eugene, about 120 miles south of Portland. High-grade silica foundry sand from this deposit is now being marketed in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. The Eugene sand is one of the very few outstanding western steel-foundry sands. Field investigations by the Oregon Department show that there are relatively few deposits of sand in Oregon suitable for foundry use. A knowledge of the geology of the state makes this readily understandable. The only major primary sources of the quartz present in sandstones in Oregon are the intrusive masses of granite, granodiorite, and quartz diorite of late Jurassic or early Cretaceous age found in the Siskiyou Mountains of southwestern Oregon, a part of the old Klamath Mountain highland, and in the Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon. Transportation militates against the development of any possible deposits of foundry sand found east of the Cascade Mountains in central and eastern Oregon because few railroads traverse that area. East of the Cascades, which separate western from eastern Oregon, many of the older sediments of Paleozoic and Mesozoic age have either been metamorphosed or contain much volcanic eruptive material, and even if some of the Mesozoic sediments are highly quartzose in places, they are in relatively inaccessible areas. All the Tertiary sediments there are of continental origin and contain much ash and other volcanic debris, for there was great volcanic activity during much of that period. In western Oregon much the same is true of the Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks

Jan 1, 1948

By W. D. Lowry

As most of the industrial activity of Oregon is centered in the Portland area, the foundries there consume the bulk of the foundry sand produced in Oregon. Although a number of the larger towns scattered throughout the state have gray-iron foundries, the sand used by most of them is of local origin. The yearly consumption of foundry sand of all types for the past few war years in Oregon is estimated to have been approximately 40,000 tons valued at about $285,000, of which an estimated 18,000 tons was shipped in from the Ottawa, Ill., district for use largely by the steel foundries. Until 1945 much of the silica sand consumed by the steel foundries in the Pacific Northwest, approximately 50,000 tons in 1944, came from Ottawa, Ill. and surrounding regions. Although some silica sand was shipped in from Belgium in the past, none is known to have been imported in recent years. Early in 1945, a very promising high-grade silica sand being produced near Eugene, Oregon, was introduced, and all but two of the Portland steel foundries are using this new sand. Until a few years ago, the search for good local (Oregon) foundry sands was carried on largely by the foundry supply houses. Recently the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries has investigated a number of deposits and has carried on and fostered research on the most bromising deposit near Eugene, about 120 miles south of Portland. High-grade silica foundry sand from this deposit is now being marketed in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. The Eugene sand is one of the very few outstanding western steel-foundry sands. Field investigations by the Oregon Department show that there are relatively few deposits of sand in Oregon suitable for foundry use. A knowledge of the geology of the state makes this readily understandable. The only major primary sources of the quartz present in sandstones in Oregon are the intrusive masses of granite, granodiorite, and quartz diorite of late Jurassic or early Cretaceous age found in the Siskiyou Mountains of southwestern Oregon, a part of the old Klamath Mountain highland, and in the Blue Mountains of northeastern Oregon. Transportation militates against the development of any possible deposits of foundry sand found east of the Cascade Mountains in central and eastern Oregon because few railroads traverse that area. East of the Cascades, which separate western from eastern Oregon, many of the older sediments of Paleozoic and Mesozoic age have either been metamorphosed or contain much volcanic eruptive material, and even if some of the Mesozoic sediments are highly quartzose in places, they are in relatively inaccessible areas. All the Tertiary sediments there are of continental origin and contain much ash and other volcanic debris, for there was great volcanic activity during much of that period. In western Oregon much the same is true of the Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks

Jan 1, 1948

By John Brownson

Ge-Si N-N heterodiodes hare been built recently which show promise as high-speed logic devices. Low-resistivity germanium is deposited on silicon substrates held at temperatures above the germanium melting point and an alloyed heterojunction formed. The diodes are fabricated from this material using conventional mesa techniques. Over-all device qualify has been greatly improved by the use of epitaxial silicon substrates, that is, a subsirale consisting of a film of thin, high -resistivity silicon on a thicker Piece of low-resistirily silicon crystal. A semimpirical device design equation has been devised which predicts switching performance fairly well within the range of resistivitics and geometries employed. Switching times 01 0.9 ns and PIV 's of —20 v are typical of the better 10-ma diodes. Switching times as low as 0.5 ns have been observed for 10-ma diodes and as low as 2.8 ns for 200-ma diodes. With further development it should be possible to improve switching speed by a factor of four. IN our laboratory, Ge-Si heterodiodes have been built recently which show promise as high-speed logic devices. The diodes have been built using a process reported in some detail in an earlier publication.' The process in short involves alloying a thin film of low-resistivity germanium into a silicon substrate. the germanium having been transported and deposited by the well-known Theuerer halide reduction process.2 This process contrasts with that reported earlier by Oldham who used an essentially conventional direct epitaxial deposition technique.3 Oldham's process, unlike ours, requires cleavage of the silicon sample inside the reactor furnace the instant prior to deposition. Our process has the advantage of yielding large-area macro-scopically plane heterojunctions. Heterodiodes in general have several interesting properties. Without attempting to summarize the theory of heterojunctions.4 two of these properties which have direct relevance should be mentioned. First, N-.V and P-P heterojunction diodes rectify alternating current. Provided that either the band gap or the electron affinity of the two materials is different (which in general is the case), electronic barriers will exist in the junction band structure. When the device is sufficiently forward-biased, the barriers shift so as to permit current flow, and when it is reverse-biased. the barriers block current flow. Second, for N-N and P-P heterodiodes. the foward-conduction process involves majority carriers only. Consequently. when such a device is turned off. there is no minority-carrier storage and hence the diodes switch on and off quite rapidly. As we have reported earlier. N-P and N-N Ge-Si heterodiodes have been built in this laboratory. As one would predict from theory, the N-P heterodiodes were rather slow in turning off while the N-N's were quite fast. Similarly, the turn-off time of the N-P's increased rapidly with forward current while that of the N-N's was independent of forward current. Both N-N's and N-P's were moderately photosensitive. Photocurrents resulting from normal room illumination were as high as 1 µa at 1 v for small-area devices. The most disappointing parameter of the early N-N devices was reverse leakage.' The reverse characteristic was invariably "soft" and leakage at only several volts reverse bias was intolerable. The reverse characteristic was greatly improved by using higher-resistivity silicon substrates. Leakage becomes large at voltages about one third of the avalanche voltage one would expect of a P-N homo-junction formed on silicon of the same resistivity. Thus leakage could be reduced to reasonable limits by using unconventionally high-resistivity silicon. Medium-power diodes formed on 30 ohm-cm substrates leaked typically 15 to 50 µa at 100 v reverse bias. The use of high-resistivity silicon substrate material, however, created a new problem. In order to have an acceptable forward-conductance characteristic. the area of the diodes had to be increased. With this increase in area, the capacitance increased. Switching time for N-N heterodiodes is essentially a linear function of capacitance. Thus when the resistivity was raised. so was the switching time. A SEMIEMPIRICAL HETERODIODE DESIGN EQUATION As a result of our experiments with a limited range of diode geometries and resistivities. a semi-

Jan 1, 1965

By John C. F. Randolph

This establishment being now in full working order, it has seemed of considerable professional interest to collect together, in a concise form, the various points as to its plan, method of dressing, and equipment. The data contained in this paper have been largely drawn from the able paper of E. Kutscher, constrnoting engineer of the works, contained in the Zeitschrift fur Berg-HÜtten-und Salinenwesen im Preussischen Staate, 1873, supplemented by some personal memoranda made while the works were under construction and by memoranda on the works appearing in various German technical papers from their completion up to date. This is probably the largest dressing works in the world devoted to the beneficiation of argentiferous lead ores, and it is doubtful if any establishment for the concentration of mineral of any description can compare with it in size. As showing the final practice adopted in an old and very conservative mining region, in which the concentration of ores has been a matter of constant practice and experiment for a very long period, these works are of peculiar interest. The fact that the Clausthal ores strongly resemble a very large and abundant class of ores found in the United States has always attracted the attention of American mining engineers and mine owners to the methods employed in dressing and smelting them. The study of their methods of concentration of ores has, however, always been full of difficulty,

Jan 1, 1879

By A Allen, J. A. Garcia

The large increase in the wages of mine workers makes it imperative that all factors tending to limit production per miner be eliminated, if possible. The trolley and storage-battery locomotive, mining machine, hoisting engine, mining system, etc., have increased the possible output per man. But this output is still limited by the capacity of the hoisting engine and cable and by the size of the mine car. The superiority of skip hoisting in metal mining is shown by its almost universal adoption. By varying the size of skip and the rope speed, any desired tonnage can be secured and, since frequently only one kind of material is handled and breakage is unimportant, the loading of the skips can be easily and cheaply effected from bins into which the cars are dumped. The cars may then be designed to fit the conditions in the mine instead of being a compromise between hoisting and mining conditions, very likely suiting neither. In coal mines, the usual practice has been to hoist the car to the surface, either on platform or self-dumping cages. Of late years the number of skip-hoisting plants in coal mines has been rapidly increasing, but there is more or less inertia to overcome in establishing so radical a change in practice; also the earlier skip operations were not uniformly successful. As a result, it became evident that metal-mining practice would require radical modification before skip hoisting could be successfully used in coal mining. Objections to Skip Hoisting Breakage Except where coal is used for coking, or for other purposes whcre breakage is unimportant, breakage of the coal is vitally important all the way from the face to the railroad car. The average selling price is seriously reduced when the percentage of screenings is increased. Following metal-mining practice exactly, the coal would be dumped into a deep pocket, cut off into a skip load by a measuring hopper or other means, dumped into a deep, narrow skip, and dropped into a bin at the top, all of which would contribute to excessive breakage.

Jan 1, 1922

By David M. Cregger

The performance of the nation's first geologic repository for Commercial High Level Waste will be evaluated in a variety of ways which will involve the use of the state-of-the-art thermomechanical computer codes. Elastic properties of the host rock and the materials surrounding the repository are required for this numerical modeling effort to assess both near- and far-field effects. Only limited laboratory testing is possible, however, making it extremely beneficial to expand the data base by calculating dynamic elastic properties from available geophysical well logs. Elastic theory dictates that for an isotropic solid there are only two independent variables in addition to mass density, namely the compressional velocity, the shear velocity, and Poisson's Ratio. Compressional velocity and density are readily measured by geophysical well logs or in the lab; the crux of the solution requires measuring or determining either the shear velocity or Poisson's Ratio. Examination of acoustic propagated shear waves measured during confined compression testing demonstrates that Poisson's Ratio is a fundamental lithology-dependent parameter. Once a rock mass is appropriately classified, application of the laboratory derived dynamic Poisson's Ratio will yield a continuous and reasonable in situ modulus from acoustic and density logs. For preliminary characterization and assessment of the mechanical properties of rocks within the subsurface, and for studies of rock quality, this method is sufficiently accurate. The general availability of acoustic and density logs from wells logged for other purposes has made the application of this method desirable.

Jan 1, 1984

By Rudolf Gahl

Some time ago the Detroit Copper Mining Co. had to decide the question whether it would pay to re-treat slime-tailings, and several machines were tested in order to ascertain the type of construction which would give the greatest saving. In previous tests on the ore of this company, several tables proved far inferior to the Frue vanner, and for this reason they did not receive any serious consideration. In the late tests, however, one table was found to surpass the vanner in the percentage of saving made. The Frue vanner used in these tests had been adjusted approximately to the slope which the slime-vanners in the concentrator of the Detroit Copper Co. had at that time, about 2 in. between the inside of the wooden posts, or 0.272 in. per ft. It had not been determined, however, if this slope was the most economical one for treating the slime-feed in the mill, or for re-treating the tailings from the slime-vanners, and I was instructed to ascertain by test-runs, under different conditions, the best adjustments for the work to be done. In order to determine if a change in the adjustments of the machines would improve the results, it seemed sufficient to continue running the tests between the vanner and the table before mentioned, keeping the feed and all other conditions the same, but varying the adjustments of the vanner from run to run. I employed a vanner-man of long experience to operate these machines, who expressed the opinion that a slope between 28 and 2.5 in. between the posts (0.323 and 0.340 in. per ft.) would give the best results. Some runs made this way gave a considerable improvement. While for a slope of 2 in. (0.272 in. per ft.) the saving had been only 40.5 per cent. of that of the table, it was 49.2 per cent. for 2.5 in. (0.340 in. per ft.) slope. A decrease of

Jan 1, 1910

By Roy R. Weil, John A. Dziubek

This paper discusses the use of computer modeling, data manipulation, and mapping of three multi-seam coal properties in the Appalachian coal basin. Each case history represents a slightly different application of computer usage for estimation of reserves and planning surface mine sequencing. This practical use of computers demonstrates the suitability of data processing for normal evaluation of coal properties.

Jan 1, 1983