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By F. C. Blare

THE best method for the estimation of copper in ores and secondary products is that proposed by Dr. Steinbeck* for the award offered by the Mansfeld'schen Ober-Berg-und Hutten-Direction. It is based upon the decolorization of the blue ammonia solution of copper by potassic cyanide,† It is necessary for the accurate estimation of copper in arsenides that the arsenic be separated from the copper before the ammonia solution is made. The presence of a notable amount of arsenic renders the titration by potassic cyanide inaccurate, the end reaction being obscured by the appearance of a yellowish-green tint towards the end of the titration. The change of the color of the ammonia solution from blue to the tint caused by the presence of arsenic cannot be used for an end reaction, for the intensity and quick appearance of the latter-color depend upon the amount of arsenic present in the solution. In the analysis of speise, the method of separating the copper by an oxidizing and reducing treatment in the muffle, to volatilize the arsenic, gives poor results, and there may easily be some loss of the weighed sample. The separation of the precipitated sulphides of arsenic and copper by treating with sodic sulphide, gives good results, but the process is tedious. I have used the two following methods, which are simpler and more expeditious than those mentioned, with good results. * Fresenius, Zeitschrift Air Anal. Chemie., viii, 1. †First noted by Parkes in the Mining Journal for 1861.

Jan 1, 1881

The income of the Institute is derived from dues, subscriptions to MINING AND METALLURGY and sale of publications. These sources are fortunately supplemented by the interest from invested funds now amounting to over $500,000, a considerable portion constituting endowments for especial purposes. Aside from the medal funds the principal endowments are the James Douglas Fund for support of the Library, the Rocky Mountain Fund and the Seeley W. Mudd M.emoria1 Fund. The income from the two last named is available for the support of research and a variety of other purposes. It is allocated by the Board of Directors upon recommendation of standing committees in each case. An active effort is being made to increase the endowments of the Institute, it being felt that unusual opportunities exist for research and public and professional service through the organization and at a minimum of expense.

Jan 1, 1932

By F. H. Buchella

When Duval Sulphur & Potash Co. awarded pre- mining stripping and early mining at Esperanza to an independent contractor, it was agreed that monthly payments for excavation were to be made on a truck count. At six-month intervals, however, adjustments must be made on the basis of actual excavation or cut from the pit area. It was estimated that it would be three times more expensive to have the pit sectioned by chain and transit survey than to use photogrammetry, since it would take two crews of three men approximately two weeks to do the field work, another two weeks to plot the sections, and additional time to establish a control network. Therefore it was agreed to have the mine area mapped by photogrammetry for both the premined surface and for semi-annual check surveys necessary for intermediate settlements. A triangulation net was established with a maximum distance of 900 ft between control points. In about 30 working days a two-man survey crew, using a theodolite, set up and triangulated 30 stations and calculated their results. For ease in spotting on the photographs, control stations were marked on the ground with white-painted tires centered over the survey pins.

Jan 6, 1960

By Malcolm C. Bridges

A review of the application of geomechanics to open stope mining in Australia was recently undertaken for the Australian Mineral Industries Research Association (AMIRA). It compiled the current state of geomechanics and its application to open stope mining, and recommended avenues of research which should be supported by the industry. Information was compiled for eleven mines which use the method. This included their geological setting, the performance of the mining and evolution of the method, properties and behaviour of rock and backfill, and techniques for measurement and analysis. Open stoping accounts for about two-thirds of production from underground mines in Australia. In the future this proportion will progressively increase and the method will become more complex. Overall, the method is being sucessfully applied, but its full potential is not being achieved because a range of problems and limitations are evident within the mines. Many of these are common to several or more mines. These include: zones of poor ground conditions that delay access and stope development; crown pillars that are irrecoverable; substantial overbreak from the walls and backs of stopes; and lack of a widely accepted method to design systems of stopes. Generally, geotechnical information and techniques for applying it to mining are well-developed. However, it nee

Jan 1, 1983

By C. D. Rubert, W. J. Parton

LARGE quantities of fine anthracite with associated impurities are discharged with the waste water from the coal-cleaning plants in the Pennsylvania anthracite region. Furthermore, for many years this fine material has accumulated and formed silt banks. The difficulty of removing the impurities from the fine material and the lack of adequate markets are responsible for the waste of this material. In view of a larger demand for fine coal, mainly for pulverized fuel, the Lehigh Navigation Coal Co. Inc. decided to investigate the froth flotation process for recovery of fine coal from these waste solids. A test plant was constructed and operated for six months during 1942 in order to determine the practicability of recovering coal from the waste water of a cleaning plant (breaker) by froth flotation, and to obtain operating data for designing a commercial plant if the results were favorable. PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION Before the pilot plant was constructed information was obtained by field and small-scale laboratory tests to serve as a guide in the design and operation of the pilot plant. Size and ash analyses of a representative sample of the material discharged in the wash water from a cleaning plant are given in Table I. [ ] The refuse content increases progressively as the size of the particles decreases. The larger particles (+35 m.) are low in ash content and could be marketed without cleaning. Since these solids are discharged from the breakers with 90 to 95 per cent water by weight, the first step in the recovery of the coal was that of reducing the quantity of water so that water in excess will not have to be handled. Furthermore, it was found that the removal of most of the minus 200 mesh high-ash material was desirable to permit the most efficient flotation of the coal. Classification tests were run and showed that a hydroseparator overflow rate of 12 ft. per hour was sufficient to eliminate much of the minus 200-mesh material while allowing the coarser material to settle and be thickened.

Jan 1, 1944

By G. S. Hume

The production of petroleum in Canada is relatively small in proportion to the amount of oil consumed. Production figures are given in Tables 1 and 2, which show that the production in Alberta for 1934 was more than for the whole of Canada in 1933. The production of natural gas for Canada is shown in Table 3, In Turner Valley, the largest producing gas and oil field in Alberta, seven naphtha wells from the Paleozoic limestone and one crude oil well from Lower Cretaceous strata were completed during the year. Six-

Jan 1, 1935

By David H. Y. Tang

The reinforcement mechanism of suspension effect is analyzed based on beam-column theory. The equations of the maximum bending stress, deflection and transferred bolt load for the bolted roof strata are derived. In the analysis, the bolt load is assumed to be point load and the horizontal stress is uniformly applied to each stratum. The reinforcement mechanism of friction effect is also analyzed. The major function of roof bolting in this case is to create the friction- al resistance by tensioning the roof bolts, thereby the individual thin strata are "welded" into one single thick stratum. Based on the results, equal spacing of roof bolts is used in the suspension effect while for friction effect, the bolts should be spaced based on equal shear force concept. The design nomographs for the proper bolting pattern and bolt tension of mechanical roof bolting systems are presented for practical applications.

Jan 1, 1984

At its meeting on February 21, 1933, the Board of Directors passed the following resolution defining and expressing the policy of the Institute with respect to official participation or action in controversial matters: WHEREAS, the Board of Directors at its last meeting passed the following resolution: "The Board of Directors, having been appealed to by several Local Sections for advice concerning the attitude and policy of the Institute relating to the endorsement of candidates for public office, the following statement of policy is formulated: "Whereas, the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers is organized for purely professional and scientific purposes, and whereas diversity of opinion among its members on partisan or political questions is inevitable, it is the expressed policy of the Institute to refrain from official participation or action, in political and semi-political matters." AND WHEREAS, appeals for additional advice have been received: NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS RE¬SOLVED: (1) That the policy of the Institute is to refrain from official participation or action in controversial non-technical economic subjects; further (2) That if any Local Section is in doubt as to the application of this policy to any particular subject, it should communicate with the Secretary of the Institute for advice.

Jan 1, 1946

By Riki Kobayashi, Donald L. Katz

The dew point of natural gas which has been in equilibrium with gas hydrates has been reported to be lower than that obtained for natural gas in equilibrium with water1,? Hammerschmidt' reports a lowering of the dew point of 13 F for a natural gas in equilibrium with hydrate at 380 F and 525 psi. Records and Seely2 likewise show that the dew point of gas leaving hydrate separators' is as much as 150 F below the separator temperature. This paper presents the reasons for the observed differences between the equilibrium temperatures and the dew point temperatures. Descriptions of the dew point determination by the Bureau of Mines and ASTM tester3 indicate that the dew point is taken as the temperature at which liquid water droplets first begin to appear on the cooled mirror surface even though the temperatures involved are below that required for the formation of gas hydrates or ice. PRESSURE-TEMPERATURE DIAGRAM FOR METHANE-WATEK SYSTEM Fig. 1 presents a schematic pressure-temperature diagram for the methane-water system" for some constant pressure between the critical pressures of pure methane and pure water i.e., pressures frequently encountered in pipeline operations. The possible equilibrium relations are shown by the heavy solid lines. Curve AE represents the saturated water content or dew point of gas in equilibrium with a water-rich liquid solution while curve EF represents the dew point of gas in equilibrium with hydrates. In addition the dotted line DE labelled "metastable dew point" is introduced to explain the apparent discrepancy betwceen the dew point determination and gas-hydrate equilibria. Thermodynamics place certain restrictions on the location of line DE6, namely, that (1) the concentration of water along the line DE be greater than the concentration of water along EF or that the metastable line split the angle formed by the intersection of line GE and EF

Jan 1, 1956

By C. A. Siebert, O. S. Duffendack, A. W. Herbenar

IN metallurgical problems involving the study of equilibrium in binary systems, the ,existence of an additional vapor phase, due to the presence of a volatile component in the alloy, has often been neglected. This is well indicated by the modified form of the phase rule, usually accepted in condensed systems in which pressure is not considered as a degree of freedom. In many cases the vapor pressure of the volatile component is exceedingly small and for all purposes can be considered negligible, in which case this form of the phase rule is applicable. However, alloys containing Hg, Cd, Zn, or Mg, tend to show very marked equilibrium vapor pressure, even in the solid state, and therefore present cases where the modified form of the phase rule no longer holds true. A quantitative determination of the vapor pressure of zinc in alpha brasses is not only of practical interest because of the loss of zinc in the processing of these alloys, but also of theoretical interest in that such measurements provide a means of applying the principles of theoretical physics and physical chemistry to problems of applied metallurgy. A number of investigators have reported vapor pressure measurements of zinc in alpha brasses. Hargreaves1 made extensive measurements which were used by Birchenall and Mehl² and Guttman³ for the determination of activity coefficients of zinc in alpha brasses. Hargreaves1 used a differentially heated quartz tube and measured the condensation temperature at one end corresponding to the temperature of the heated brass at the other end. Birchenall and Cheng outlined the condensation method of obtaining vapor pressure of zinc and Cd over some of their silver alloys." The primary object of the present investigation was to increase the range and accuracy of the vapor pressure data for the alpha brasses. Preparation of Alloys: Six alloys were prepared from Bunkerhill zinc and O.F.H.C. copper, both of 99.99 pct purity. The cast ingots were annealed for 24 hr at 550°C, scalped, cold rolled 40 pct and annealed for 50 hr at 550°C. The annealed bars were then surface ground and degasified for 30 min at approximately 550°C in an induction heated vacuum furnace. The surface of the bars was removed before milling the bars into relatively fine chips for chemical analysis and samples for the equilibrium cell. The analyses of the six alloys are given in table I. Experimental Method: The vapor pressure of zinc over the various alloys at a number of temperatures was determined from absorption spectra data. The spark source was produced by means of a high tension discharge between two electrodes of pure zinc. The design of the absorption vessel is shown in fig. 1. The vessel was constructed of transparent quartz which transmits the whole of the visible spectrum and the ultraviolet down to a wave length of 2000 A. The thickness of the vapor space was set at 0.8 mm so as to permit a relatively wide range of measurements without altering the vapor space, and thereby necessitating recalibration of the vessel. The furnace used for heating the absorption vessel consisted of a split wound furnace as shown in fig. 2. The spectrograph used in obtaining the transmitted zinc spectra was a double prism type especially designed for a region of 2500-3500 A. A step diaphragm used in conjunction with a tungsten filament provided the necessary intensity patterns required for calibration of the photographic plates.

Jan 1, 1951

By E. A. Cisney

The formula for calculating the crystallographic angles of a tetragonal lattice is: C°S =where $ is the angle between planes (HKL) and (hkl). The angles in Table I have been calculated for indium

Jan 1, 1960

Oregon State Agricultural College, School of Mines, Corvallis, Ore Available publications of the old Bureau of Mines and Geology of Idaho have lately been distributed through the School of Mines of Oregon State College As the School of Mines was abolished in the summer of 1932, all of the bulletins and publications available have been turned over to the State College Library for distribution. At present plans have not been completed for further distribution For information on available publications, address: Director of Libraries, Oregon State College, Corvalhs, Oregon

Jan 1, 1933

By K. R. Crocker

PRIMARY blasting at the open pit of the Cananea Consolidated Copper Co. has been developed to meet several conditions peculiar to the operation. Mining at Cananea is not confined to the open pit but is in conjunction with the underground mine which has been in operation for many years. Several old stopes included in the pit area were filled with waste obtained in stripping for the pit. The main haulage tunnel for the underground ore passes directly under one section of the pit and at present is but 180 ft below the pit floor. The pit as originally laid out called for an overall final pit limit slope of 60°. However, the upper 275 ft - a fairly soft oxidized capping, was carried at a 50° slope and the lower benches, which constitute 750 ft in combined height, are being mined to an over-all final slope of 60°.

Jan 6, 1950

By J. L. Wyatt

THE strain sensitivity, K, a property of metals defined as the unit change in electrical resistance per unit strain, was measured for commercial purity titanium wire to determine its usefulness as a strain gage material. A Kelvin double bridge, accurate to 0.000001 ohm, was used to make measurements from 0 to 1 pct total strain. A positive value of 0.17 for K was found. This compares with 2.15 for constantan and 3.5 for cold-worked invar, two of the more common strain gage materials. The effect of temperature also was determined. It was found that a change in temperature of 30°F caused the same resistance change as 1 pct strain. It is therefore concluded that titanium would have utility as a strain gage only if the thermal fluctuations in the specimen could be controlled to a high degree and in applications of very large total strain.

Jan 1, 1953

By John F. Abel

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

Jan 1, 1971

At its meeting on February 21, 1933, the Board of Directors passed the following resolution defining and expressing the policy of the Institute with respect to official participation or action in controversial matters: WHEREAS, the Board of Directors at its last meeting passed the following resolution: "The Board of Directors, having been appealed to by several Local Sections for advice concerning the attitude and policy of the Institute relating to the endorsement of candidates for public office, the following statement of policy is formulated: "Whereas, the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers is organized for purely professional and scientific purposes, and whereas diversity of opinion among its members on partisan or political questions is inevitable, it is the expressed policy of the Institute to refrain from official participation or action in political and semi-political matters." AND WHEREAS, appeals for additional advice have been received: NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS RESOLVED: (1) That the policy of the Institute is to refrain from official participation or action in controversial non-technical economic subjects; further (2) That if any Local Section is in doubt as to the application of this policy to any particular subject, it should communicate with the Secretary of the Institute for advice.

Jan 1, 1940

By Perry Harrison

THE increased use of sintering for the beneficiation of iron ores and the reclaiming of flue dust creates a lively interest in sintering costs and, economics. The character of material sintered and geographical location of plants so radically alter sintering costs and economics that it is well to understand at least the basic elements which control such changes. The following cost factors are believed to be roughly approximated for large-scale Dwight-Lloyd 'continuously operated sinter-machine installations located anywhere. PER CRUDE TON Labor, supplies and repairs 0.15 Power 6.5¢ X kw-hr. rate ? Plant overhead and administration 0.05 Depreciation per ton annual capacity 0.05 Fuel: 6 per cent coke breeze or equivalent minimum ? 1 per cent coke breeze additional for each 5 per cent free and combined water in ore or dust ? Ignition distillate at 0.6 gal. per ton ? PER SINTER TON Royalty on Ore 0.10 Royalty on Flue Dust 0.15 PER CRUDE TON "Winter expense"; i. z., the cost of the five months enforced idle . period for plants tied in to Great Lakes transportation season 0.03 Using the foregoing data, it is possible to roughly approximate the cost of efficient sintering at any location for. any ore, viz:

Jan 1, 1932

By Henry Kreisinger

IN evaluating coals as steaming fuel on the basis of chemical and physical properties of the coals, the only properties that can be used are those for which the methods of determination are well established and standardized, and those that affect all methods of burning the coals in the same way. The discussion is written from the standpoint of the coal consumer. The production of steam is the largest field for the use of coal. It includes stations for generating electric power, central heating plants, industrial power plants where steam is used for power generation, factory processes and heating. The field also includes steam locomotives. Small house-heating boilers are not included in this field because such small boilers generally burn specially prepared domestic fuel. The plants using the steam coal are equipped to burn the coal when fired by one of the three general methods: namely, hand, stoker, and pulverized coal. The hand firing is now restricted to small plants and to locomotives. Central stations and larger industrial plants use either stoker or pulverized-coal firing. Some locomotives also use stokers. Pulverized-coal firing has been tried in locomotives but so far its adapta-tion to this use has been handicapped by practical difficulties. The coals used for steaming purposes are generally of the bituminous and semibituminous classes, with volatile matter ranging from 15 to 35 per cent. Coals belonging to these classes are produced in many parts of the United States and form by far the largest part of the total coal production of the country. The value of any coal as fuel for steaming purposes depends on the following factors

Jan 1, 1935

By W. F. Holbrock

IN a previous paper1 a method for the measurement of the compara-tive desulphurizing power of slags was described and data, were presented covering the range of likely slags containing up to 10 per cent MgO. In the present work the range is extended to include Tags containing up to 20 per cent MgO, and the effect of temperature on 5 per cent and 15 per cent MgO sings over the range 147.5° to 1525° C. is included. The method used was that described in the previous paper except that some of the temperature measurements were made with a noble-metal thermocouple instead of a tungsten-graphite thermocouple. Twelve-gram charges of 0.S per cent sulphur-metal and 5-gram charges of slag were subjected to heating for 30 min. at a prescribed temperature. The charges were analyzed for sulphur content. For purposes of comparison, desulphuriz-ing power is defined as the ratio of the percentage of sulphur found in the slag to that found in the metal. Six slag and metal charges were made coincidentally in holes in a section of all electrode graphite rod. One slag and metal charge was used as a control by means of which adjustment in the desulphurization value could be made for small varia-tions in temperature and other factors. For convenient presentation of the data, the slags are arranged in groups -in each of which one of the four main slag components is constant. Thus, the 15 per cent MgO slags are presented separately from those containing 20 per cent MgO.

Jan 1, 1938

By Y. P. Chugh, Rajiv Singh

This paper presents the feasibility analyses of terrace pit mining a single seam for depths beyond 33 m (110 feet) in a hypothetical model mine and at an operating mine in southern Illinois. One or two shovel- truck benches near the surface and a large dragline for the last bench are considered for overburden stripping in the proposed mining scheme. Mining and reclamation operations are integrated and reclamation efforts are minimized by proper spoiling techniques. The proposed mining scheme was optimized using the OPMHS (Open Pit Material Handling Simulator) model developed by Penn State. Equipment selection and economic analyses were also conducted using the simulation model. The effect of pertinent variables such as thickness of the coal seam, annual production, initial capital requirements, size of haul trucks, selling price of coal and expected rate of return were analyzed on the feasibility of terrace pit mining. Sensitivity analysis charts for the effect of these variables are presented in the paper.

Jan 1, 1983