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By J. H. Zimmerman

JET-PIERCING experiments were first conducted over ten years ago underground at the Soudan mine of the Oliver Iron Mining Co. Results were successful enough to encourage further research. The next field tests were made on the Reserve Mining Co. property at Babbitt in 1941. These tests showed that blastholes could be produced in taconite ore by the use of a flame and proper fluxing agents. The war put a stop to the experimental program shortly after these tests. Extensive field tests were resumed at Babbitt in 1946. In these tests nominal 6-in. blastholes were produced at an average rate of 10 ft per hour. Rates as high as 17 ft per hour were obtained for short periods. The experimental equipment used resembles a portable rotary-drill rig mounted on a truck. The standard steel mast has been extended to 46 ft to accommodate a blowpipe capable of producing holes over 30 ft deep. All auxiliary equipment including winch for raising and lowering the blowpipe, drive motor for the rotary table, pumps and tanks for process fluids, electric power plant, and control instruments are mounted on the truck. The jet-piercing process consists of

Jan 1, 1948

By Gilbert Soler

THIS year's Chairman of the Iron and Steel Division is a noted member of a small and select group of practical scientists now working in this country and in Canada to improve the production and properties and to reduce the cost of super-quality carbon and alloy steels; he is one of those all-important leavening agents-a man with his feet always on the ground but capable of putting his head into the clouds on occasion-that are so necessary in applying science sensibly to the practical problems of steel production. He is equally at home in a discussion of the free energy of deoxidizing reactions or the entropy of the formation of stable sulphides, and in a consideration of the relative advantages of the basic-electric and the open-hearth furnace for the production of rimming steels in the Detroit area. Gilbert Soler was born of American parents in Havana, Cuba, just forty years ago. He graduated as a ceramic engineer from Ohio State University in 1930 and received a Master of Science degree a year later. In 1940 he received the degree of metallurgical engineer from the same institution.

Jan 1, 1948

By Clyde Evarts Weed

SOME one once affirmed his great belief in luck, adding that he had found that the harder he worked the more luck he had. Clyde Weed is a firm believer in this method of courting the fugitive lady. He is at work early and late, often leaving his staff at Anaconda's offices at 25 Broadway breathless trying to keep up with the ideas teeming from a fertile brain and the actions those ideas entail. Miles ahead of his assistants much of the time, he still manages to be an agreeable fellow to work with, no small accomplishment as many can testify. Mr. Weed arrived in the world at Moorestown, Mich., on Aug. 8, 1890. Sixteen years later he entered Michigan Agricultural College, a lowly freshman. The following year, with the experience and wisdom expected of a sophomore, he transferred his studies from the reaping of a harvest on the surface of the earth to delving into the deeper, unpredictable bowels of the earth, his studies now shifted to the Michigan College of Mines. Last June his alma mater conferred upon him the degree of Doctor of Engineering.

Jan 1, 1947

B. F. TILLSON,* Franklin, N. J.-A preliminary study of this paper did not, in my case, succeed in checking with the shovel dimensions of one of the large shovel manufacturers. I therefore raise a question as to there being some difference in standards used by different manufacturers in regard to the dimensions of the shovels for similar sizes and styles, so it may be rather confusing to some of us when we attempt to use the table in this paper and classify the capacity of the shovels as given here with some that are on the market.

Jan 4, 1919

COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES On February 21, 1918, the students of the Colorado School of Mines who are members or have applied for membership in the Institute re-organized the "Scientific Society of The Colorado School of Mines,? which has for its .purpose the study and discussion of mining problems. Its meetings will be held on the first and third Wednesdays of each month, in Guggenheim Hall. Following are the officers R. W. GIBSON, President, W. A. CONLEY, Vice-president, F. L. SERVISS, Sec'y.-Treas. At present there are 62 members, seven of whom are Faculty members. F. L. SERVISS, Secretary.

Jan 5, 1918

By Frank Firmstone

The material described below was made at Furnace No. 2, Longdale, Va., Oct. 28, 1907, during a sudden derangement of working, in the course of which the furnace became entirely bridged over and for some time no solid material whatever descended into the hearth. This caused the hearth to become so completely emptied that, at the tuyere-level, a pricker put in at one tuyere could be seen by looking in at the opposite one. The tap-hole was opened and the iron got out with some difficulty. It ran sluggishly, throwing many sparks, but was not

Jan 1, 1909

J. S. UNDER, Pittsburgh, Pa. (communication to the Secretary*).¬In discussing Mr. Wysor's paper, I said that we were investigating the deposits around furnaces working on certain ferro alloys. Since the meeting, we have made a number of investigations, and have found that the deposits in the second and third passes of the hot-blast stoves, and near the stack at the boilers of furnaces working on spiegel and ferromanganese, contain about 15 per cent. total potash, of which 10 per cent. is water-soluble. The potash occurs mostly as potassium sulphate, a very small amount being present as potassium carbonate.

Jan 6, 1917

POSITIONS VACANT No. 157. Superintendent for roasting. and magnetic separating plant working on zinc concentrates. Must have mechanical experience and a working knowledge of electricity. Salary will depend on experience and results obtained. Location Canada. No. 155. Metallurgical chemist familiar with copper and steel for company just starting. Must have had technical education and practical experience with both metals. Salary moderate at beginning, but will be increased as business grows. No. 159. An experienced, up-to-date coal-mining engineer to open up and manage soft-coal mines in Spitzbergen, preferably a Scandinavian capable of handling Norwegian laborers. Employment beginning January.

Jan 12, 1916

By A. L. Holley

IN order to put sufficient work on steel ingots for rails, they must be reduced from about 12 inches square. As this cannot be done at one heat, they are first drawn down to about 7 inches square, and then reheated and rolled into rails. This first reduction or " blooming," is usually done in this country in a 30-inch 3-high rolling-mill, with movable rolls, so as to get several reductions in each set of grooves. The first of these mills has been running at the Troy Steel-works above a year, with great success. Another at the Cambria Iron-

Jan 1, 1873

By W. Laird

For years, the coal industry has been confronted with face ventilation problems, ignitions, dust, and their effect on productivity. To improve face ventilation, minimize face ignitions, and control dust in the face areas, studies have been conducted over the past 30 odd years by coal companies, federal government research programs and others. These studies included brattice curtains, water spray nozzles, water pressures, highly efficient water filtration systems, auxiliary fans, differ fans, various dust collection systems and the recently developed "Spray Fan" ventilation system. This system consists of spray banks strategically placed on continuous miners to ventilate immediate face area.

Jan 1, 1984

By G. Don Sullivan

Surface mine operators have organized a voluntary group known as the Mined-Land Conservation Conference for the specific purpose of developing and expanding reclamation programs on mined land. As a part of the Conference program, a Voluntary Industry Program was adopted and subscribed to by its membership. This program stated: "The basic approach to a sound conservation program is the restoration of mined land to its most practical and productive use within the shortest possible time . . . reclamation of mined lands, including planting to grasses or tress, should be done on a planned basis, under technical guidance by personnel trained in this field."

Jan 7, 1965

By E. J. Haug, M. M. Fine

For several years work has been carried on by the U.S. Bureau of Mines at Rolla, Mo., to develop improved methods of concentrating the oxidized ores of lead and zinc. Various samples have been investigated, and results on some have been published. Details of the progress to date are given in a mineral dressing study now being conducted for an extensive oxidized lead-bearing tract in southeast Missouri, property of St. Joseph Lead Co. These oxidized ores present problems typical of many encountered in modern mineral dressing research in that recovery of very fine particles is of

Jan 4, 1955

By Thomas M. Drown

IN a communication to this Institute at the Baltimore meeting, February, 1879,* on the "Determination of Silicon in Pig Iron and Steel," the method recommended was the treatment of the metal with nitric acid until action had ceased, and then evaporating with sulphuric acid until the nitric acid was nearly or quite driven off After filtration of the siliceous and carbonaceous residue, and washing with hot water and hydrochloric acid, a silica was obtained, on ignition, which was quite pure. Since this paper was read before the Institute, we have had large experience with the method, and * Transactions, vol. vii, p. 346.

Jan 1, 1880

One of the engineering proposals in the last Congress which was of interest to engineers was the soldiers' land settlement plan proposed by Secretary Lane, under which returned soldiers, sailors and marines would be employed on construction work in the reclamation of swamp and arid lands and would thereafter be given preference in the selection and settlement of those lands. This bill failed in the fillibuster at the end of the session. It is likely that some sort of a plan for soldiers' settlement will come before the next Congress. A new bill has been written up for introduction at the next session which proposes an "infiltration method" of buying improved farms in established communities for' the soldiers' settlement purpose, under the authority and direction of the Farm Loan Board. The contrast of this bill to the one recommended by Secretary Lane is of vital importance to engineers at this time; first, because of the broad engineering improvement program that the latter bill proposes as against no engineering improvement under the infiltration plan; secondly, the community settlement plan of Secretary Lane means improvement of waste lands requiring much engineering work.

Jan 7, 1919

By P. R. Hanes

A description of the methods used in driving two tunnels, 2 miles long each, one a 9-ft. and the other a 19-ft. diameter section, for the Owyhee Irrigation Project, Oregon. One heading of the smaller tunnel was driven 1315 ft. in 73 shifts in one month and 10,966 ft. of this section completed in ll½ months using two shifts for eight months and three shifts the rest of the time. This is a good illustration of the proper use of a mechanical shovel and the importance of careful selection of supplernentary equipment to secure best results. Large cars, speedier and heavier locomotives, 36-in. gage track of 45-lb. rail, and a good switching method increased actual shoveling time and cut down muck removal period about 45 minutes from average. The larger tunnel, after trying out standard electric revolving shovels of both the rail mounting and caterpillar tread types, was excavated with a mechanical mucker. This is the first time that a tunnel of so large a section has been handled this way. This record work was accomplished without drill carriages.

Jan 1, 1934

As far as rapid determination of oxygen in liquid steel by means of a galvanic cell is concerned, I should like to summarize in a few words the activities of Centre de Recherches Metallurgigues (CRM) in Belgium. This work has been conducted both in a laboratory (Tammann and Induction furnaces) as well as on an industrial scale (converter and ladle). The galvanic cells developed by CRM are of two kinds: one with an air reference and one with a solid reference. As far as galvanic cells with air reference are concerned, we have tested numerous solid electrolytes (zirconia, spinel, and alumina). We finally chose zirconia sheathed with quartz. In order to be in a position to accurately determine the time when thermal equilibrium is reached, it was deemed useful to fit the galvanic cell with a Pt/Pt, Rh thermocouple, so as to follow the temperature variations at the interface of the solid electrolyte, until the temperature becomes equal to that of the bath. In actual fact the solution is highly interesting since it is possible to determine both the oxygen activity and the temperature of the bath with a single cell.

Jan 1, 1972

It is doubtful if the far-reaching sociological influence and effects of the last few years will be fully appreciated within the present generation, but there are certain lessons and morals already apparent from which we should profit immediately. One of these has been an insistent, though vague, feeling among engineers and men of technical training and experience, that their worth as political and economic factors is not recognized by society. This feeling has found expression first in a tendency on the part of these men to organize for the purpose of securing recognition, or to demand greater activity in their interest on the part of societies already organized. However it may be accomplished, the demand for some means of binding engineers together for purposes of self-interest and public good is in the air and will not be denied. In other words, the time is' propitious for two things: vastly increasing the membership of engineering societies, and serving that membership according to its desires. There are particular reasons why every mining and metallurgical engineer, in the United States at least, should hold membership in the

Jan 6, 1919

An appropriation of $4000 was made to the United Engineering Society for the support of the work of the Engineering Council. It was resolved that the proposed amendments to the Constitution, regarding requirements for membership, be sent to the membership without comment thereon by the Board of Directors. Forty-one members, and three associates were elected. The status of two junior members was changed to member. The resignation of one member was accepted. The dues of nineteen members who are engaged in active duty with the Allied armies were remitted. B. B. Thayer was elected a member of the Board of Trustees of the United Engineering Society for a period of three years, to succeed himself. John H. Janeway was elected a member of the Library Board for a period of four years, to succeed himself. George C. Stone was elected a member of the Library Board in place of E. F. Roeber, deceased. E. Gybbon Spilsbury was elected representative of this Institute on the John Fritz Medal Board of Award, to succeed himself. J. Parke Channing was elected a member of the Engineering Council for a period of three years, to succeed himself.

Jan 1, 1918

By Francis T. Christy

One aspect of ocean mining that is frequently overlooked in discussions is the problem of establishing some form of legal control over the seas. Much of the discussion centers on mining in territorial waters, which are controlled by the various countries according to the Geneva Convention on the Continental Shelf, and perhaps by political subdivisions of countries such as the individual states of the U.S. But as technology improves and the mining of deeper waters becomes feasible, the problem of rights outside the continental shelf and territorial waters becomes a significant factor for anyone expending the time and capital for development. Several schemes are possible for regulating ocean mining but as yet none have been instituted, except what might be termed the "wait and see" approach. Even some of the coastal states in the U.S. have no regulations governing mining in the territorial waters under their jurisdiction. Until some regulation is formulated, there may well be little development in ocean mining due to the high risk of capital involved, both with respect to companies wishing to invest their own funds and financial institutions funding a venture to develop offshore mineral deposits.

Jan 7, 1968

By Takao Kobayashi

Micro-crack formation zones developed near a crack tip in rocks and ceramics play a significant role in fracture behavior of these materials. In order to study micro- crack formation near a crack tip and its effects on crack behavior, a mica-epoxy composite material was developed. Multi-layer mica flakes were embedded in an epoxy matrix. Under high stress in the vicinity of a crack tip the mica delaminated, simulating the micro-cracking along grain boundaries or crystal planes in rocks and ceramics. A compact tension specimen was fabricated from mica-epoxy composite material. During the test the load and crack opening displacement were measured following the ASTM E561 (R-curve determination) procedure. Through the compliance calibration method the effective crack length and the KR were computed. The experiment clearly demonstrates the formation of micro-cracks and their effects on the overall behavior of the specimen. The paper discusses the significance of micro-crack formation on fracture toughness characterizations, and the advantages of the use of mica-epoxy composite for detailed studies of interaction between the micro-crack formation zone and the specimen geometry and size.

Jan 1, 1982