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By H. Ries

In the marketing of mineral products, it is always highly desirable for both the producer and the consumer to be able to discuss things in a common language, and this can only be done if there are standard methods for expressing the properties of the raw materials. Having developed such a form of expression, the next step would be the making of specifications, which may serve as a basis for selecting raw materials. Considering the large number of non-metallic minerals that are used, there are not a few for which there are no standard laboratory tests to be used in determining their properties, or even standard specifications on which grades or market price may be based. Indeed in many cases the consumer simply requests the producer to submit samples, and rejects or accepts them without any explanation. Could the producer know in advance just what the consumer needed, time and money might often be saved. It appears to the writer that it is of the highest importance to devise standard laboratory tests wherever possible, as this enables the consumer to state definitely what he needs, and is of great assistance to the producer. It should also work to reduce misunderstandings and disputes. In the case of sands, we find that they show a wide variation in their character, ranging from those that are so coarse as to be of gravelly nature to those that are so fine that they might be classed as silt; and from very clayey ones to those that are practically free from clay. For this wide range of sands, we have a corresponding variety of uses, which are based mainly on the physical properties of the sand, although these are not always very definitely stated. The chemical composition need rarely be considered, if the sand is of siliceous nature. To determine and express these properties there should be standard tests, which are to be followed in all cases where the material is tested in the laboratory. The use of sands for foundry work (making molds or cores) is old, and it has been recognized for some time that the important properties to be

Jan 1, 1926

By Nigel B. Pearson

INTRODUCTION Chingola Division of Nchanga Consolidated Copper Mines Limited is situated in the Copper- belt of Zambia, approximately 30 kilometres south of the border with Zaire. It is the country's leading producer of copper and its principal foreign exchange earner, and has been, in its time, the largest single copper producer in the British Commonwealth and the second largest in the world. There are two 'primary' copper sources at the Division, namely Underground producing approximately 100 000 tonnes of contained copper annually, and the Open Pits, producing approximately 200 000 tonnes annually. Following the commissioning of the Tailings Leach Plant in 1974, treating final tailings, metallurgical recovery increased from approximately 70% to in excess of 80%. Extensive deposits of cobalt are present and following the rise in the market price in 1979 and 1980, plans were made to extract this separately. Cobalt production commenced in 1980 from Underground and will increase substantially when the Open Pit cobalt reserves become available in approximately 2 years time. This paper covers the development of the production method of the principal Underground Orebody, known as the Lower Orebody, and the control systems applied to it. HISTORY The Lower Orebody, formerly known as the Nchanga West Orebody, was discovered by extensive Diamond Drilling operations in the late 1920's. Development of the Shaft complex and the orebody commenced and continued until 1931 when flooding from development on the 480 foot horizon necessitated closure. The mine remained closed until 1937 and production commenced from the Lower Orebody in 1939. Various expansion schemes of the Metallurgical Plants and the Underground workings were completed over the years with the result that Underground production increased steadily to in excess of 150 000 tonnes copper annually in the 1960's. In recent years production has levelled out at slightly less than 100 000 tonnes annually. This decrease is as a result of producing from a lower grade reserve, available within a more limited production front, and the application of production constraints in the light of experience gained. GEOLOGY Within the Nchanga Mining Licence Area of Chingola Division, there are a total of 14 known copper orebodies in the basal part of a thick succession of sediments of Pre-Cambrian age. The sediments rest on a Basement Complex of granites, gneisses and schists. Three superimposed stratiform orebodies, known locally as the Lower, Intermediate and Upper Orebodies, occur over a vertical interval of approximately 150m. Current annual copper production is approximately 300 000 tonnes. The ore originates from four different mining operations, one Underground mine and three Open Pits. Approximately 9 million tonnes of ore grading between 3 and 3.5% copper are milled annually. The two largest sources of ore, the Under- ground mine and the Nchanga Open Pit are on the gently dipping south limb of the Nchanga Syncline (Figure 1). In the Nchanga Open Pit the major source of ore is the Upper Orebody with lesser tonnages from the Intermediate and Lower Orebodies. In the Underground mine the Lower Orebody is the only orebody being mined, underground mining of the Upper Orebody being suspended for economic reasons in 1978. The typical stratigraphic column is illust- rated in the legend on Figure 1. The footwall rocks comprise either Nchanga Red Granite or the Arkose formation, both of which are hard competent rocks, offering generally good mining conditions for footwall development. Copper mineralisation of the Lower Orebody extends from the upper part of the Arkose to the top of the Lower Banded Shales. Overlying the Arkose is the Transition zone (0-18111 in thickness). The Transition zone comprise a lower member, Transitional Arkose, consisting of incoherent kaolinised sandstone, and an upper member, Transitional Lower Banded Shales consisting of normally soft bleached and silicified shale. The soft nature of the Transitional rocks is

Jan 1, 1981

By S. Luszcz, R. W. Vook, Fred Witt

In situ X-ray investigations were made on polycrys-talline silver films deposited by vacuum evaporation on (111) CaF2 and (100) NaCl single-crystal substrates at 80°K. The films were evaporated and annealed in an X-ray diffractometer attachment having a residual gas pressure of 2 x lo-' Torr. All measurements were made without exposing the films to the atmosphere. Measurements were made on the films in the as-deposited state and after various annealing treatments. The intrinsic stacking and twin fault densities, the magnitudes of the uniform and nonuniform strains, and the crystallite sizes were determined. In addition the textures in the films were measured qualitatively. The results obtained for the as-deposited films on single-crystal substrates are in substantial agreement with previously reported results for silver films deposited on glass. Intrinsic stacking and twin faults, as well as uniform and nonuniform strains, were present in these films. During the various annealing treatments (up to 350°C) the faults and nonuniform strains annealed out. Considerable grain growth and texture changes occurred also. The effects were much greater for the NaCl substrate than for the CaFz substrate. The relative magnitudes of the grain growth in the variously oriented grains could be explained qualitatively in terms of the thermal strains and strain energies introduced into the differently oriented grains during the initial, irreversible anneal. These strains were due to the different thermal expansion coefficients of the film and substrate. X-RAY diffraction measurements on evaporated films deposited on substrates at low temperature have the advantage that many of the imperfections introduced into the film during deposition are "frozen in". Thus, the influence of a very important experimental variable, substrate temperature, on the imperfection structure of evaporated metal films may be studied. Moreover, the effects of annealing such films makes possible the study of thermally activated recovery processes in these films. The present study was designed to determine the influence of single-crystal substrates on the resultant film structure relative to the previous results obtained using glass substrates.' To this end great care was taken to keep the experimental variables the same in the two cases. Different experimental conditions would, of course, result in films having different physical properties. Again the initial substrate temperature was in the neighborhood of 80°K and the films were subsequently annealed to 350°C. The pure metal silver was chosen for evaporation, primarily because of its relatively low stacking fault energy and consequent high fault density in the as-deposited state. The silver films were formed by evaporation onto air-cleaved {ill} CaF, and (100) NaCl surfaces cooled to 80°K in an X-ray diffractometer attachment2 having a base residual gas pressure of 2 X l0-' Torr. The films were not exposed to the atmosphere until all of the X-ray data had been recorded. In this way one of the most important experimental variables, environment, could be well-controlled and reproduced. X-ray measurements were made at the temperature of deposition and included determinations of the diffraction line peak positions, line shapes, and integrated intensities. The peak position measurements were used to determine the intrinsic stacking fault densities and the average uniform strain in the film. The shapes of the diffraction lines provided information on the twin fault density, true crystallite size, and average nonuniform strain. The preferred orientation in the film was determined qualitatively from the integrated intensities. I) EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The evaporator attachmentZ was charged with 99.999 pct Ag pellets positioned in a tantalum filament which had been outgassed previously at l0-8 Torr. The CaFz and NaCl single crystals were cleaved in air and then placed in position in the chamber so that their cleavage surfaces were on the diffractometer axis. The chamber was prepumped using a sorption pump, sealed off, and then baked at 150°C for 24 hr. The ion pump operated during the bakeout cycle. The substrate was then heated to 500° C by means of an auxiliary heater and kept hot until the rest of the chamber was cooled slowly to room temperature. This bakeout procedure consistently resulted in an ultimate pressure in the low lo-' Torr range. The substrate was then cooled down on 80°K. Its temperature was monitored by a thermocouple wedged into the rear of the copper substrate holder. The diffracted intensity and peak position of the 111, 222, and 333 CaF, lines were measured prior to evaporation. Nickel-filtered, pulse-height-discriminated copper radiation was used. Similar measurements were made for the 200 and 400 lines from NaC1. These measurements were used as a lattice parameter check and to determine the thickness of the evaporated silver films from the attenuation of the substrate lines. The evaporation rates were approximately 3A per sec for both films while the maximum pressures during evaporation were 3 x lo- ' and 7 x 10"8 Torr for the CaF, and NaCl cases, respectively. The film thickness was measured by the attenuation of the CaF, and NaCl substrate lines and by at optical interference method. Values of 1700 and 1500A, respectively, were obtained for the silver

Jan 1, 1969

By Stephen H. Stow

A relationship exists between the color and the chemical composition of the pebbles from the Bone Valley Phosphate Formation. Darker-colored pebbles are relatively high in iron oxide and relatively low in calcium phosphate when compared to lighter-colored samples; the brown color of the phosphate pebbles can be correlated with their iron content and the black and gray colors with their organic carbon content.1,3 It was anticipated that the darkness of a phosphate sample might be quantitatively measured by a simple reflectivity test and that the amount of reflected light could be correlated with the chemical composition of the rock, especially with the elements which cause the color and darkness of the Florida phosphates. Twenty-one samples of production grade phosphate rock from Hillsboro County, Fla., were studied. All samples were ground to -200 mesh for reflectivity tests and analyses. All analyses are accurate to well within ±2% of the reported value, except for aluminum and organic carbon, which are accurate to only ±15% of the reported amount. Reflectivity measurements were taken with a model 610 Photovoltmeter for tri-stimulus amber, blue and green, and white lights. Experimental procedures and data are available upon request. Results Table 1 contains linear correlation coefficients (LCC) for the element-reflectance relationships for the samples. The top portion of the table refers to the LCC between the percent of light reflected off the samples and the percent of a given element (or its oxide) as analyzed. In the lower portion of the table the LCC refers to the relationship between the same reflectance data and the chemical analyses which have been corrected on the basis of 0% acid insoluble material (chiefly quartz) in the phosphate rock. Each LCC presented in Table I is computed for the 14 coarser samples exclusive of the seven concentrates since the concentrate samples appear to have anomalous reflectivities upon comparison with the coarser grades. Only the most significant LCC for each element is presented in graphical form. Discussion of Data Iron: [Fig. 1] is a graph of the relationship between iron and reflectivity (LCC = - 0.98). A good correlation with Fe2O3, is expected due to the relationship between the tan (or brown) color and the abundance of iron oxide, the principal mode of occurrence of iron in Florida phosphates.8 Note the location of the seven triangles which repre-

Jan 1, 1972

By C. M. Kleeman

All mines have a finite life and the time comes when the ore is depleted, or it has become uneconomical, or for some other reason which may be peculiar to that particular mine, it must be shut down. The operation at that point of time still has some assets such as mining and milling equipment, workshops, and in the case of a gold mine, an unknown quantity of gold which has been trapped in the treatment plant. Recovering this gold can be done at small cost and can be extremely profitable. Recovery of these hidden assets requires a good knowledge of the treatment plant, i. e. , as say values of heads, tails, and of the products produced; and if mercury for amalgamation was used, where? A careful study of available plant records can be extremely valuable in forming a working plan for adequate recovery. In the following paragraphs the various unit operations and equipment where gold can collect are described and suggestions made for its recovery. Subsequently, a case history will be given for dismantling a gold plant which had a complex flowsheet and which had been in operation for many years. Looking for trapped gold in a crushing section would invariably not be worthwhile since crushing is normally a dry process and there would be few areas where free gold could collect. In the milling section, however, many areas can literally become small gold mines in themselves. Material in the bottoms of grinding mill scoop boxes can be high-grade, and even the scale on the sides of the boxes should be scraped off and collected. Mill liners should be removed and all scale, rust, and residue collected. Residue in the bottoms of rake or spiral classifiers, if they have been used, should be removed as should the scale and rust on the sides of pump sumps, launders, etc. The following procedures should be used to extract gold from these collected materials. All steel (ball scats) should be removed, screened out, and reserved. Fine material should be placed in an amalgam barrel, water added and ground with the amalgamation tailings being sampled and assayed. If high-grade, tails should be reserved; if not, discarded. The coarse material that was screened out should be placed in a heap, regularly sprayed with water and allowed to rust. After several months this material should be screened again and the fines amalgamated.

Jan 1, 1981

By John A. Dunn

Continued increase in electric power requirements for mining, brought on by higher capacity mining machines and total mechanization, emphasizes the importance of proper power system design and planning. How effective a mine operates to produce quality coal at low cost depends to a great extent on how well its power system is planned and how well it is maintained. To be planned well it must be adequate to serve all the needs of the mine, it should be safe, there should be a margin for expansion, and it should be easily maintained. In planning a power system for mining coal it is helpful to establish a reliable base for estimating loads. Since most mines are served electric power by utility, power bills for similar mine loads are useful in setting up a base for estimates.

Jan 12, 1964

By J. J. Pye, J. B. Drew

Mzasurements of the surface diffusion coefficients of metals have been made. Diffusion profiles for the Ag-Ag system were obtained by means of a radioactive point source and a precision auto-radiographic technique. The activation energy for silver self diffusion (=8.1 kcal per mole) is lower than that previously reported (-10 kcal per mole) on poly crystalline wire by Nickerson and Parker. The bresent data indicate an effect due to parasitic volume diffusion at temperatures above 500°C. RELATIVELY few measurements have been made of the surface self-diffusion coefficients of metals. Nickerson and arker' measured the diffusion of silver over the surface of poly crystalline wires and estimated that the activation energy was 10.3 kcal per mole. Winegard and chalmers2 carried out measurements on both polycrystalline and single crystal surfaces but did not report a value of the activation energy. They found, however, that at temperatures between 250" and 400°C the diffusion coefficients were on the order of lo-' sq cm per sec and that there was an acceleration of the migration of silver on the polycrystalline sample when a change of surface shape occurred. Winegard and Chalmers used an autoradiographic technique, hereafter designated ARG, and Nickerson and Parker used a surface scanning geiger counter in order to determine the diffusion profiles. More recently, Hackerman and simpson3 measured the surface self-diffusion coefficient of copper at a single temperature (750°C), and the value of the diffusivity (- 10-5 sq cm per sec) is in agreement with that given by jostein from his thermal grooving measurements. This paper reports the results of an investigation of the surface self-diffusion coefficients of silver over a large temperature range and describes the adaptation of autoradiographic (ARG) techniques for the determination of diffusion profiles obtained from a radioactive point source. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The experimental procedure is a modification of the method employed by Hackerman and simpson3 in their measurements on copper. A brief description of their technique is as follows: A radioactive needle which sinters to the surface during the diffusion an- neal serves as the source of diffusing atoms. After the diffusion run the needle is removed and the surface is scanned with a shielded counting arrangement. The diffusion profiles reported in this paper were obtained by a modification of the above procedure which employs a precision ARG technique. Previous investigations in this laboratory and elsewhere51B have shown that under carefully controlled developing conditions and by the use of calibration sources a linear relation exists between the concentration of the isotope and the photographic density for values below unity. The use of ARG under these conditions has advantages over the counter scanning method in that cumbersome shielding and requirements for great mechanical precision of the scanner are eliminated. Also the ARG gives a complete picture of the surface which is advantageous in studies of anisotropic diffusion. A recording microdensitometer having a 0.1 p wide slit was employed. At low temperatures the disturbing effects of subsurface radiations are negligible. The diffusion anneals are carried out in the cell shown in Fig. 1. The needle is formed by grinding down a 1.0 mm rod of high-purity silver until a tip of 0.2 mm radius or smaller is formed. This tip is plated withA"' which becomes the source of the diffusing atoms that are detected by ARG. The needle carrier and the crystal holder, Fig. 1 are constructed of quartz and ports are provided in the holder pedestal which allow free vapor circulation ((2.0 oz) and the carrier apron fits snugly over the crystal holder cap, insuring that the needle does not move and scratch the surface. Temperatures are provided by a stabilized tubular furnace which can be quickly positioned around the cell, thus bringing the crystal up to temperature in a time that is short compared to the diffusing times. The diffusion anneals range from 2 hr for the high-temperature samples to about 25 hr for those at the lowest temperature. The possibility of vapor transport of the radioactive metal as a contributing factor in the diffusion profile was investigated in two ways. One method was to suspend the needle directly over a dummy sample, raise the temperature, for periods of time equal to the diffusion times, and then take an auto-radiograph of the surface. Negligible radioactivity appeared. In the second method a thin slot in the crystal face on one side of the source provided a "cong path" for surface diffusion. If evaporation was the primary source of surface atoms the region of radioactivity around the source would be symmetrical. This was not the case. The profile dipped abruptly at the edge of the slot but on the other side of the source the usual diffusion profile appeared.

Jan 1, 1963

By E. William Heinrich

With the mounting emphasis on unconventional energy sources, total consumption of lithium minerals will increase significantly in the next decade. The recent development of the lithium battery, for example, may greatly boost the demand for lithium metal. At the same time, the growth in the ceramic, glass, and chemical industries is bound to increase the demand for lithium minerals. In fact, the entire consumption or utilization breakdown of lithium minerals will change considerably from its current pattern. Briefly, today's market for lithium minerals' can be grouped into three categories: (1) Lithium concentrates. Accounting for 57% of market use, these concentrates are beneficiated Li-A1 silicates for ceramic, glass, and glass-ceramic raw materials. The concentrates are chiefly spodumene; inverted iron-depleted beta-spodumene; and petalite or its isochemical decomposition product spodumene + quartz intergrowth ("squi"). In the past, lepidolite has also been used.

Jan 9, 1974

By R. P. Aikman, F. G. Miller, J. M. Podgursky

In response to the growing demand for low-sulfur coking coal for iron-making, the coal industry is continually striving to perfect methods for cleaning coal to acceptable ash and sulfur levels while maintaining maximum product yield. By present standards the industry has adequate processes for cleaning coarse coal, (i.e., +28 mesh) at almost any desired specific gravity. However, in the case of fine coal (i.e., -28 mesh) neither of the two existing processes-froth flotation and hydrocycloning-in its present state of development yields products that are comparable in ash and/or sulfur content to products normally obtained from coarse coal processes. The work outlined in this article is part of a larger study directed toward maximum exploitation of froth flotation for fine coal processing. The concepts and data presented are now serving as a basis for designing fine-coal circuits in which improved efficiency is obtained by optimum use of froth flotation with other fine-coal processing methods.

Jan 7, 1967

By R. I. Garrod, R. A. Coyle

The shapes and positions of X-ray reflections from specimens of copper, steel, and aluminum alloy haue been examined in the elastic and plastic ranges both while the specimen was under stress and in the unloaded condition. For the aluminum alloy the shape was unaltered by the application of stress either within the elastic limit or in the plastic range provided that no additional plastic strain was induced. In copper the broadening accompanying plastic deformation was very slightly reduced when the specimen was unloaded. A similay but more marked elastic component of broadening was also found for steel, but in this case below the yield stress. Line profiles corrected for instrumental and particle-size broadening indicate very large internal stresses in local regions of the plastically deformed metals. The results are discussed in terms of a recent suggestion that the heterogeneous dislocation distribution between the cells and their boundary walls plays a major role in the peak shifts and broadening of the X-ray reflections. STUDIES of the X-ray line profiles from strained polycrystalline aggregates concentrate usually on one or the other of two main parameters: a) the displacement of the peak of the intensity contour from its position for a strain-free aggregate, or b) the shape of the profile. From peak shifts data can be obtained either on the relation in both the elastic and plastic ranges between applied external stress and average lattice strains in a given (hkl) direction, or, alternatively, on the residual lattice strains which are present after a plastically deformed specimen is unloaded.' On the other hand, the shapes of the broadened profiles from cold-worked metals can be analyzed to separate the broadening produced by small particle size and by heterogeneous lattice strains.' In this paper the terms "size broadening" and "strain broadening'' are used in the general sense adopted by warren.' In the past, apart from two early qualitative observation, it has been customary to examine only the movements of the peaks of the profiles while the specimen is actually under load, since the line broadening induced by plastic strain remains after removal of the external stress. Consideration of the implications of existing data of this type suggests, however, that fruitful additional information on a number of fundamental aspects might be gained by careful examination of whether the X-ray line profile is in fact different in the loaded and unloaded states of the specimen. By taking advantage of the sensitivity and convenience of modern diffractometer techniques it is possible to explore with relative ease the magnitude and importance of any elastic effects which may be superimposed upon the well-known permanent changes in profile. The main aim of the work to be described was thus to investigate this point for typical metals and alloys. For this purpose annealed specimens were extended first elastically and then plastically and the positions and shapes of X-ray reflections were recorded. Initially it was anticipated that prime interest would center on observations within the plastic range; it has been found, however, that small changes in profile sometimes occur both before and after the nominal elastic limit of the material is reached. It is shown that the results obtained have important implications in relation to the structural changes and processes associated with deformation. I) EXPERIMENTAL To enable the diffraction lines to be recorded while the specimen was under uniaxial-tensile stress, a small hydraulic testing machine was designed and constructed for direct attachment to the goniometer of a Philips diffractometer. The specimens, which were machined from 1/2-in.-diam rod and had a central rectangular section 3/8 by 1/16 in. over a gage length of 1 in., were held in the machine by split collets mounted in grooves in the cylindrical ends of each specimen. No special precautions were taken to ensure precise axiality of loading. Constant oil pressure was maintained by a lever and weights system and transmitted to the loading rig by flexible pipe. The actual load on the specimen was measured by a load cell in the machine to an accuracy of * 1 pct. To enable smooth X-ray profiles to be obtained the specimen and machine were oscillated continuously during recording through *7-1/2 deg about the normal half-angle position of the goniometer. The three materials chosen for the investigations were high-purity copper as representative of a ductile fcc metal, a low-carbon steel for a bcc metal, and an aluminum alloy as a material in which the proof stress/ultimate strength ratio is high. Details are as follows. a) Copper. 99.999 pct purity. After machining the specimen surface was polished mechanically and

Jan 1, 1964

By W. N. Best

This paper is not intended as a scientific discussion of the combustion of oil but is written from the standpoint of an operator who has the experience and qualifications necessary to guide others in producing the most economical results in the use of liquid fuels. Oil, in this paper, usually means petroleum or its products but incidental reference is made to other liquid and gaseous fuels, so that the term may be considered as referring to all liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons in comparison with solid fuels, as coal and wood. However, only a few of the principal factors in the use of oil as a fuel can be given. The present, and prospective, high price of coal is causing users of fuel to renew inquiry as to the merits of other forms of fuel for industrial purposes. Crude oil (petroleum) is proving to be one of the world's most valuable mineral resources. The recent discovery that oil underlies a considerable area of the United States, Mexico, and other parts of the world to a greater extent than was formerly believed and the large production of some of the wells in these areas shows the probable quantity of fuel oil that may now be available. Through the energy of Lord Cowdrey, who was one of the pioneers of the oil industry in Mexico, oil has been discovered in England; some prominent geologists believe that it may be found in quantity in Great Britain. For years, oil has been known to be of great value in the manufneture of metals. It has proved incomparable in forge shops, steel foundries, heat-treating furnaces, and wherever accuracy of temperatures is essential, or where a maximum output is desired as well as quality of metal. In some types of equipment, the output produced with oil as fuel is double that obtained with coal and at a reduction of 50 per cent. in the cost of the fuel. For example, in drop-forging plants, the metal is always waiting for the man when oil is used as fuel, whereas with coal, the man must wait for the metal to become sufficiently heated. It has only been since January, 1919, that the oil supply could be relied on for boiler service, owing to the war conditions and the inability to get oil tankers for the delivery of the oil from Mexico to Atlantic ports; but now a constant supply is assured, and many manufacturers are installing it in their power plants. The cost varies with the size of the

Jan 1, 1921

By Howard C. Dunkle

Various factors can affect the quality of B1112 and B1113 steel as produced in a bessemer plant; among them: vessel-charging practice, blowing practice, ingot-pouring practice, ingot delivery-time practice, pit-heating practices, and ingot-rolling practice. Evaluation of the influence of ingot delivery time on quality has been chosen as the subject for this paper because this time is completely within the control of the operator, and on this particular factor there is a tremendous amount of information in the dusty archives of the average steel plant. In order to know how much improvement can be made and when attention should be directed to other factors that influence quality, in the continual struggle for improvement, the effect of ingot delivery time must be accurately evaluated. Once this is done, the importance of other variables can be accurately obtained, thus eliminating the necessity of resorting to opinions that are of doubtful value at best. In the study described herein, extensive use was made of the statistical card system as a method of determining the effect of ingot delivery time as a quality factor in bessemer screw-stock grades by simple direct correlation. The value of this statistical method as a means of accurately determining the influence of various factors has been amply demonstrated by Work1 for the bessemer process and by Hand and Gould2 and Fetters and Chipman3 for the open-hearth process. The quality records of 300,000 tons of bessemer screw-stock billets were used in this study of the effect of ingot delivery time on the rejections for breaks, pipe, check and seams. The reduction in the number of rejections for poor quality reduces the costs and increases the productivity per man-hour. The operator today, more than ever before, must know how to keep costs down, how to do it most quickly and in the best way, and how to obtain the highest quality in line with the ever increasing demands of the customer. It is necessary for him to know the individual relations and interrelations between various factors affecting the quality of the manufactured product if he is to produce material that will meet competitively the cost, performance, and quality demands of the trade. SIGNIFICANCE OF STEEL MANGANESE, MIXER SILICON AND STEEL SULPHUR AS QUALITY FACTORS In order to obtain the highest grade of material it is necessary to control many factors-not just one or two, as operators

Jan 1, 1945

By Charles Willis

MANY of the failures in vocational education are due to the fact that the educational methods were not designed to the capabilities, habits, and environments of those to be trained; rather they were based on the policy that education is education and lessons are lessons, whether for youngsters of fifteen or for men of forty. Vocational education among miners involves, first, a study of the men themselves, their habits, and the use of their leisure time; second, a study of the differences between the methods of teaching required for men and for children. Certain fundamental requirements of training methods for miners are reasonably universal and may be applied with success to any ordinary mining community. The rate of labor turnover is another consideration; it would be useless to design a four-year course for men who remain in one place only a few months.

Jan 7, 1919

By O. P. Chisholm

The most noticeable change in lead smelting over the past few years has been the increase in the smelting rate of lead blast furnaces. For several years a great deal of attention has been paid to the preparation of the blast-furnace sinter charge but more recently the plan has been to incorporate- almost the entire makeup of the blast-furnace charge, excepting coke and scrap iron, at the sintering machines. Formerly, sintering machines were used primarily for removing, sulphur and for agglomerating finely divided material both sulphide and oxide in character. Limestone flux usually was so proportioned that a relatively large amount was added to the furnace charge direct. This procedure was also followed with oxidized ores, which were purposely crushed coarse' so that they would be adaptable for direct smelting on the furnace charge. In later years it has been the tendency in western smelters to include practically all of the limestone and oxidized ores in the sinter charge. This has been somewhat more costly because fine crushing is required for sintering purposes and because these oxidized materials were given additional processing through the sinter plant. The addition of such oxidized materials to the usual charge to be sintered, brought about, in certain instances, a deficiency in heat ordinarily supplied by the sulphide constituents of the charge. This heat deficiency has been remedied by the addition of carbonaceous fuel, in the form of finely crushed coke breeze, or in a few instances by the addition of zinc retort-plant residues. The enhanced gold price has stimulated the mining of crude siliceous ores throughout the Western States and in the smelting of such ores more limestone is required for fluxing. Shipments of gold-bearing pyritic concentrates to Western smelters have increased, and the combination of increased silica, limestone and pyrite has increased the percentage of slag, which, in itself, is an aid in .securing smoother and more rapid smelting in the blast furnace. By the addition of these substances, the percentage of zinc in the slag has been appreciably lowered. at many plants, with resultant benefit to smelting speed at the blast furnace. This increase in slag formation with lowered zinc content has caused also perceptible lessening of the amount of lead on the charge and this has benefited the blast-furnace smelting. Although a satisfactory sinter is fundamental in increased rate of bullion production per furnace, there has been a trend over the list four or five years to decrease the percentage of coke and increase the percentage of scrap iron and limestone on the blast-furnace charge. As a result of these changes in practice certain blast furnaces, without any mechanical change, have doubled or tripled their tonnages. For furnaces whore the volume of air is recorded, records show decidedly larger air volumes with a comparatively small increase in air, pressure, or, none at all.

Jan 1, 1941

By S. S. Hartranft

FuRnace-men of the present day agree very nearly as to the best cooling-devices for the protection of blast-furnace hearths and boshes, and the best location of the cooling-system in the brick-work for the maintenance of favorable furnacelines throughout the blast. The replaceable bronze and copper plates are practically faultless; and there seems to be no reason why a furnace-hearth and bosh should not be held in good condition, by intelligent management and the use of replaceable plates, for a period several times the length of the average blast of to-day. While furnace-men have taken these .precautions to protect the hearth and bosh beyond the life of the lining, the portion of the lining above the mantle has been partly protected by some and wholly neglected by others. Some would not construct a furnace without mantle-plates, and others would not construct a furnace with them. In most cases, furnace-men have either trusted to Providence or to the bosh-plates for the continuance of favorable working-conditions above the mantle, and the prolongation of the life of the lining; consequently furnaces are constantly blown out for repairs to the lining, or for relining, when the hearth and bosh are in good enough condition to last through another blast. The following extract from one of Mr. James Gayley's con-

Jan 1, 1901

By Morton Macartney

FOR many years the developers or owners of worthy mining ventures in need of financing have found it almost impossible to obtain such financing under the conditions existing in most other lines of business. High rates of interest and unfair participation in profits have robbed the developers of much of their holdings, and have resulted in over-capitalization and many other like evils. When the general financial condition of the country is bad, this difficulty increases to a point where many operations must cease and hen are thrown out of employment. In 1.934 this situation had developed to such a point that Congress attempted to aid the mining industry. It first authorized the RFC to make loans to recognized and established corporations, individuals, and partnerships engaged in the business of mining, milling, or smelting of ores in June, 1934, limiting such authority to loans adequately secured, the security to consist of mineral acreage. The requirements of the law were stringent and of the 252 requests for loans received up to June 1, 1935, 35 were authorized.

Jan 1, 1936

By George S. Ansell, Thomas E. Davidson

It has been known for a considerable period of time that the ductility of even quite brittle materials can be enhanced if they are deformed under a superposed hydrostatic pressure of sufficient magnitude. The response of ductility to pressure, however, has been shown to vary considerably between materials. Prior work has shown that the effects of pressure upon the tensile ductility of Fe-C materials depend upon the amount, shape and distribution of the brittle cementite phase. In this current investigation, the effects of pressure upon the fracture mechanisms in a series of annealed and spheroidized Fe-C materials were examined. It was observed that the principal effect of pressure is to suppress void growth and coalescence, retard cleavage fracture and to enhance the ductility of cementite platelets in pearlite. Based upon the observed effects of pressure upon the fracture mechanisms, a proposed explanation for the enhancement in ductility by pressure and for the structure sensitivity of the phenomena is presented and discussed. THE effect of superposed pressure upon the tensile ductility of a variety of metals has been well documented.'-'' Some of the results from several investigators are summarized in Fig. 1 where tensile ductility in terms of true strain to fracture (ef) is plotted as a function of the superposed pressure. As can be seen, a pressure of sufficient magnitude can significantly enhance the ductility of metals. However, Fig. 1 also demonstrates that the response of ductility to pressure and the form of the ductility-pressure relationship varies considerably between materials. Several explanations have been offered for the observed enhancement in ductility by a superposed pressure. Although no experimental evidence was provided, Bridgman13 and Bobrowsky10 proposed that the observed effect was due to the prevention or healing of microcracks or holes. Bulychev et a1.14 observed that cracks and voids in initially prestrained copper were healed in the necked region of a tensile specimen upon further straining while under a superposed pressure. Also, pugh5 observed that large cavities were suppressed in copper fractured in tension while under pressure. A second proposal has been forwarded by Beresnev et at al.6 This proposal is based upon the hypothesis that a material fails in a brittle manner because the normal tensile stress reaches a critical value before the shear stress is of sufficient magnitude to cause plastic flow. Since a superposed hydrostatic pressure will increase the ratio of shear to normal tensile stress, a sufficiently high hydrostatic pressure should favor plastic flow while retarding brittle fracture. Galli15 reported that a superposed pressure shifts the ductile-brittle transition temperature of molybdenum. This was explained based upon the reduction of the normal tensile stress by the superposed pressure. Pugh5 explained the occurrence of the observed pressure induced brittle-to-ductile transition in zinc in the same manner. Davidson et al.12 proposed an explanation for the enhancement of ductility by pressure based upon the effects of pressure upon the stress-state-sensitive stages of various fracture propagation mechanisms. Basically, they proposed that pressure will retard cleavage and intergranular fracture by counteracting the required normal tensile stress or will suppress void growth. They observed suppression of intergranular fracture and void growth in magnesium by pressure. Davidson and .Ansell16 reported ductility as a function of pressure for a series of annealed and spheroidized Fe-C alloys. Fig. 2, from this prior work, demonstrates that the effect of pressure upon ductility is structure sensitive in terms of the amount, shape and distribution of the brittle cementite phase. As shown in Fig. 2, in the absence of cementite or when the cementite is in isolated particle form (spheroidized), the ductility-pressure relationship is linear and the slope decreases with increasing carbon content. In the annealed carbon-bearing alloys wherein the cementite is in the form of closely spaced platelets (pearlite) or in the form of a continuous network along prior aus-tenite boundaries (1.1 pct C material), ductility as a function of pressure is nonlinear (polynomial relationship) in which the slope increases with increasing pressure. At the highest pressures studied (22.8 kbars), the slope of the curves for these materials tends to approach those for the spheroidized material of the same carbon content. In this current investigation the change in fracture mechanisms as a function of pressure for the materials shown in Fig. 2 has been examined. The possible connection between the observed effects of pressure upon the fracture mechanisms and the effect of pressure upon ductility is discussed.

Jan 1, 1970

G. R. DELAMATER,* Steelton, Pa. (written discussion t)..-Under the heading, "Preparation of Coal," Mr. Campbell discusses the ad-visability of sizing the coal for the jigs. While I fully realize that conditions alter cases, my method at all times is to do everything possible to avoid sizing. It would be unwise for anyone to say that greater ash and sulfur reduction is impossible by sizing. The thing that can be questioned is, will the greater reduction be sufficient to counterbalance the greater cost? The same thing is true of the proper size of crushing for each individual proposition. In past years many washeries have been built and equipped for wash-ing two or more sizes, but I know of few instances where these plants were operated more than a year before sizing was abandoned. Perhaps in some of these cases this was clue to lack of sufficient development of such scheme of operation; yet I have found that most men engaged in this work, including myself, started into the work with a pretty well-fixed idea that sizing would be beneficial. But trials and tests showed that the mixed size washing is necessary for coals requiring crushing to 1 in. or less. Coal is of low value, compared with other minerals segregated by washing or concentration, for which reason simplicity must be the watchword: simplicity in the machine used to attain the separations of impurities from the coal, in the accessory plant equipment, and in its arrangement.

Jan 12, 1919

By F. Wald, A. J. Rosenberg

The general features of the constitution of the B-Pt system were determined using standard rnetal-lograph~c, thermoanalytic, and X-ray diffraction techniques. Three compound were found. Two of these, Pt3B and Pt,B, are formed by peritectic reactions at 523° and 890°C, respectively. The third, Pt3B,, is congruently melting with a flat maximum at 940°C but decomposes eutectoidally in to Pt,B ant1 boron nt - 600° to 650°C. THE low-temperature allomorph of boron (red, simple rhombohedra1 a boron) is of scientific and technological interest as an elemental semiconductor.' However, the studies of this material have been hampered by its reported instability above 1200"~ which precludes crystal growth from the melt (mp - 2200°C). Crystallization from platinum solutions has been suggested as an alternative crystal-growth technique, but has met with only limited success.' The technique depends upon the existence of a significant difference between the eutectic temperature and the transformation temperature of boron. In order to clarify the conditions for further crystal-growth experiments, we found it desirable to redetermine the main features of the B-Pt phase diagram since previous reports on the system1'5'6'7 are in marked disagreement. EXPERIMENTAL The experimental methods used were thermal analysis, metallography, X-ray analysis, and, to a lesser extent, measurements of microhardness. Most of the alloys were prepared from spectrograph-ically standardized boron obtained from Johnson-Matthey &Co., Ltd. (212 ppm impurities, exclusive of carbon and oxygen) and platinum powder obtained from F. Bishop & Co. (200 ppm impurities, mainly of other platinum group metals). Some alloys were also prepared with very high-purity, float-zone refined boron (99.9999 pct obtained from "Wacker Chemie" and extrahigh-purity platinum (99.999 pct) obtained from Johnson-Matthey & Co., Ltd. The reported results did not depend on the choices of these starting materials. Five-gram alloy specimens containing 10, 20, 25, 27.5, 30, 33.3, 34, 35, 37, 37.5, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 45, 50, 55, 60, 70, and 80 at. pct B were made by melting the elements together in boron nitride crucibles using rf heating of a graphite susceptor, either in vacuum or under high-purity argon. All alloys were heated to at least 1800°C for -5 to 15 min. Most of the alloys did not wet the crucibles when the latter were outgassed by preheating under vacuum. In any event, no weight loss was detected after melting, and the nominal composition was assumed for all specimens. Thermal analysis on 2.5-g samples were carried out in boron-nitride crucibles under a vacuum of 5 x X torr. The apparatus was heated in a "Kan-thal A 1" wound furnace, which limited the maximum temperature to about 1100°C. The output of the indicator thermocouple was fed to a dc recorder with a 1-mv full-scale span and an adjustable zero. The apparatus was calibrated repeatedly, using the freezing points of high-purity aluminum, silver, and gold. The results justified the use of the NBS voltage vs temperature tables for Pt/Pt 10 pct Rh thermocouples. All thermal analyses were run at least twice and both the heating and cooling effects were recorded. Most of the alloys had a very strong tendency to supercool. However, the use of mechanical vibration permitted reproducibility within *5°C for all alloys, except in the region around 40 at. pct B. Only the cooling effects are plotted in Fig. 2, since they appear to be more reliable. For metallography, the alloys were cut with a diamond cutting wheel, cast in a polymethacrylate resin, ground and polished with diamond paste, and etched with dilute aqua regia, a common etch for platinum alloys. Both copper and molybdenum radiation were employed to obtain X-ray diffraction data using Debye-Scherrer cameras and a "Norelco" diffractometer Diffractometry with high scanning speeds (1 deg per min) using nickel filtered CuK, radiation was used to identify the main regions of the diagram. However, molybdenum radiation was used for the detection of boron, since the latter showed very strong absorption and fluorescence effects with CuK, radiation. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Three intermediate compounds, corresponding to the compositions Pt3B, Pt2B, and Pt3B2, were found in the system. Fig. 1 reproduces their X-ray diffraction spectra, together with those of pure boron and pure platinum. As can be seen from the thermal-analysis data in Fig. 2, Pt3B and Pt2B are formed by

Jan 1, 1965

By Gherman Pavlovich Nikonov

Results of preliminary research on the use of small diameter water jets at high pressure for cutting rocks has demonstrated the possibility of effective cutting of anthracite. Detailed research has, therefore, been conducted at the Skotchinsky Institute of Mining to study the dynamics and structure of the small water jets and the mechanism by which they cut coal. One of the objects of this research was to obtain data for the design of a machine for cutting rock, based on the same principles as that for cutting coal. The productivity of water jet mining machines depends on the hydro- dynamic parameters of the jet. Therefore, the research on small diameter water jets was directed, initially to a study of the nature of the variation of these parameters, and to obtain a profile of dynamic pressure distribution over the section of the jet. As has been confirmed previously, the required jet pressure (to cut coal) lies in the range of 100 to 500 atmospheres. These pressures were utilized for the research. The diameter of the nozzle was changed as ~follows; 0.97; 1.24; 1.5; 2.17; 2.87; and 3.57 mm. Graphs showing dynamic pressures for each nozzle diameter and varied axial dynamic pressure were obtained over distances ranging from 2 to 70 cm from the nozzle. One of the most important hydrodynamic parameters of a jet, closely related to the dynamics of jet disturbance in air, is the magnitude of the axial dynhmic pressure. A study of the variation in this pressure with increasing distance from the nozzle led to the separation of the jet into three specific parts, which differ from each other not only in the nature of the change in dynamic pressure, but also in structural properties.

Jan 1, 1971