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By C. B. Jordan

LAVES and Wallbaum' have described TiRu and TiOs as having the same structure as TiFe; they had previously described the latter compound as having the CsCl structure. On the other hand, a careful investigation of the structure of TiFe by Duwez and Taylor- ailed to reveal the ordered CsCl structure, finding instead a random arrangement of titanium and iron atoms on the points of a body-centered-cubic space lattice. Consequently, it is not clear whether Laves and Wallbaum proposed the ordered or the disordered structure for TiRu and TiOs. In order to settle this question as to the structural type and to obtain values of the lattice para- meters (thereby completely determining the structures), the present investigation was undertaken. Samples having the compositions TiRu and TiOs were weighed out accurately from iodide titanium supplied by the New Jersey Zinc Co., ruthenium powder from Goldsmith Brothers Smelting & Refining Co., and osmium powder from Wildberg Brothers Smelting & Refining Co. No analysis was made of any of these metals. According to the respective analyses of the suppliers, total impurities amount to less than 0.03 pct in the titanium and to less than 0.5 pct in the osmium. The purity of the ruthenium is not known. The alloys were prepared by arc melting in a furnace of the type described by Schramm, Gordon, and Kaufmann.9 pecimens for X-ray diffraction were obtained by crushing the ingots and passing the resulting powders through a 200 mesh screen. Diffraction patterns were made with a powder

Jan 1, 1956

By Benjamin Gildersleeve

Uniquely colored, thin-bedded quartzite is quarried between Crossville and Crab Orchard in Cumberland County, Tenn. It is produced in all sizes up to the limits of transportation from beds usually ranging in thickness from less than Vi in. to 6 in. The stone is very resistant to wear and weathering and is marketed throughout the country for many different purposes in exterior and interior construction. The annual production exceeds 36,000 tons, valued at nearly $1,000,000. THE building stone of the Crab Orchard District is a fine-grained, thin-bedded sandstone which is so strongly cemented by silica that it may be classed as quartzite. As used in this paper the term building stone includes dimension stone, rubble, ashlar, flagstone, and rough broken stone. The Crab Orchard District is in the central portion of Cumberland County, Tenn. It is named from the town of Crab Orchard near which the stone was quarried first for industrial use. The heart of the district is an area of some 1200 acres from 1 to 3 miles east of Crossville which is 70 miles west of . Knoxville and 125 miles east of Nashville (fig. 1). At the present time, there are about 15 quarries worked by companies and individuals. Geology: The Crab Orchard District is on the Cumberland Plateau, or Cumberland Mountain as it is called frequently. Most of the area is characterized by a comparatively even surface from 1800 to 2000 ft in elevation and is drained by streams flowing into the Tennessee River. Included in the district are two quarries located 7 miles west of Cross-ville and this area is drained by tributaries of the Cumberland River. Most of the quarries are located near the 1800-ft contour which is just below the general upland surface. The surface rock over most of the district is the Rockcastle sandstone which has a thickness of about 260 ft.1 It is the topmost of the six formations of

Jan 1, 1951

By Benjamin Gildersleeve

Uniquely colored, thin-bedded quartzite is quarried between Crossville and Crab Orchard in Cumberland County, Tenn. It is produced in all sizes up to the limits of transportation from beds usually ranging in thickness from less than Vi in. to 6 in. The stone is very resistant to wear and weathering and is marketed throughout the country for many different purposes in exterior and interior construction. The annual production exceeds 36,000 tons, valued at nearly $1,000,000. THE building stone of the Crab Orchard District is a fine-grained, thin-bedded sandstone which is so strongly cemented by silica that it may be classed as quartzite. As used in this paper the term building stone includes dimension stone, rubble, ashlar, flagstone, and rough broken stone. The Crab Orchard District is in the central portion of Cumberland County, Tenn. It is named from the town of Crab Orchard near which the stone was quarried first for industrial use. The heart of the district is an area of some 1200 acres from 1 to 3 miles east of Crossville which is 70 miles west of . Knoxville and 125 miles east of Nashville (fig. 1). At the present time, there are about 15 quarries worked by companies and individuals. Geology: The Crab Orchard District is on the Cumberland Plateau, or Cumberland Mountain as it is called frequently. Most of the area is characterized by a comparatively even surface from 1800 to 2000 ft in elevation and is drained by streams flowing into the Tennessee River. Included in the district are two quarries located 7 miles west of Cross-ville and this area is drained by tributaries of the Cumberland River. Most of the quarries are located near the 1800-ft contour which is just below the general upland surface. The surface rock over most of the district is the Rockcastle sandstone which has a thickness of about 260 ft.1 It is the topmost of the six formations of

Jan 1, 1951

Located 19 km (12 miles) north of the Carlin gold mine and 43 km (27 miles) north of Carlin, Nevada, is Carlin Gold Mining Company's Bootstrap mine. This deposit is similar in character to the Carlin ore, except it occurs in the upper plate formation of the Roberts thrust fault rather than in the lower plate rocks. The deposit was discovered over 50 years ago and operated on a small scale in the early 1960s using vat cyanide leaching. Newmont Mining Corporation acquired the property in 1967, and from an open pit mined 650,000 mt (717,000 st) of ore which was trucked to the Carlin conventional cyanide plant. (See Gold and Silver Cyanidation Plant Practice by F. W. McQuiston, Jr. and R. S. Shoemaker, Society of Mining Engineers, AIME, 1975. ) With the same grade of ore, the gold recovery by conventional methods is somewhat lower than that of the Carlin ore, even with a finer grind. Leaching tests were first conducted by the United States Bureau of Mines in 1968; and in 1971, ‘72, Carlin conducted extensive cyanidation investigations by bottle testing, simulated heap leaching in tall columns, and small scale pad heap leaches. Gold extractions ranged from 55% to 95% with low reagent consumptions. In 1974, a 545 mt (600 st) heap leach test was made at Carlin on pit-run low-grade material assaying 1.37 g per mt (0.04 oz per st). In a six week period the extraction of gold was 47.57'0. Carlin uses atomic absorption analyses on cyanide leach liquors to determine potential leach ore grade rather than fire assaying because it gives a more practical assessment of leach recovery than does fire assaying, which accounts for the total gold content. Before open-pit mining was started, plans were made to heap leach, the ore at Bootstrap which was too low grade for transport to Carlin. The topsoil outside of the designed pit area overlaid ancient lakebed clays which were found suitable for compaction to form an impervious base on which the dumps to be leached could be placed. By using the cost of truck haulage and milling at the Carlin plant and the price of gold 'at that time, a cutoff grade was established which resulted in the gold content of the first 150,000 mt (165,000 st) of the heap leaching ore being 1.51 g per mt (0.044 oz per st). An additional 500,000 mt (552,000 st) of lower grade material, assaying 0.96 g per mt (0.028 oz per st), is available for leaching as economics permit.

Jan 1, 1981

G. W. TRAER (author's reply to discussion*).-Prof. Parr's discussion develops two points, upon which it seems desirable to comment. First, as to putting through a large enough tonnage to secure economic operation. At each manipulation of each oven 1500 1b. (680 kg.) of coal will be charged and the resultant coke discharged from a like amount of coal. . Sixteen slabs will be discharged at each manipulation, each approximately 5 ½ in. by 11 in. by 6 ft. (14 cm. by 28 cm. by 1.8 m.). The operating schedule of a commercial plant, based upon our observations and calculations, indicates a "through put" of at least 12 tons of coal per day for each oven. We have made these figures conservatively and feel confident of materially exceeding them in a fully developed operating system. Our oven plant, with containers, will not cost as much as high-temperature plants of the same capacity. They do not require container equipment; but this is much more than offset by the cost of the great basal heat regenerative flues. Our operating requirements are quite susceptible to the application of mechanical devices and we believe our labor cost will be well within the necessary limit. Second, as to Fig. 1 in my paper, showing the specific gravity' of the tar. It Was not intended to show that the specific- gravity of -the tar rises With decreasing heat, since of course the contrary is the fact. One of the curves shows the relation between temperature and specific gravity and the other the relation between temperature and- yield. Our consulting engineer prepared the chart according to his customary method for showing two dimensions.

Jan 1, 1919

By Stanley J. LeFond, Neal Davis

Drilling an oil well or most other types of drilling or coring is no longer a simple and uncomplicated operation. Drilling today at depths which exceed 30,000 ft is hazardous and requires personnel with long and varied experience in drilling. It also requires extensive experience and knowledge in the use of materials which are added to the drilling fluid or "mud," more often than not materials utilizing an industrial mineral. The drilling fluid can vary from a simple mixture of water and "mud" to a very sophisticated, scientifically compounded drilling fluid. Industrial Minerals Used in Drilling Fluids Industrial minerals which are commonly used in oilwell drilling and completion are listed on [Table 1]. The most important minerals, determined by sales, are bentonite and barite. The other minerals listed are either used to achieve a specific purpose or are used regularly but in limited quantities. The main suppliers of drilling fluids internationally are Magcobar Div., Dresser Industries, Inc.; Baroid Div., National Lead Co.; IMC Drilling Mud Co., (a subsidiary of International Minerals and Chemicals Corp. and Halliburton Co.) ; and Milchem, a division of Baker Industries. Most of the industrial minerals are found in North America, with barite mines and processing plants located in Nevada, Arkansas, Missouri, and Arizona, and bentonite mines near Graybull, Wyo. Other mines, such as those in Nova Scotia, are capable of shipping to South America and to the European and Middle East countries. Most of the materials processed by any of the suppliers must conform to specifications set by the American Petroleum Institute (API) or the Oil Companies Material Organization (OCMA). These specifications provide for uniform physical and chemical properties of the materials to be sold on the open market.

Jan 1, 1975

By L. S. Pratt

In 1910 the author was engaged in a qualitative study of the radioactivity of several chemical substances and a few minerals. In the course of the work he studied the mineral allanite (obtained from granite ledges at Topsham, Maine), and found it to be appreciably radio-active. Recently the fact was brought to his attention that the radio-activity of allanite is not well known, although Hon. R. J. Strutt in 1905 published a list of radio-active minerals with their analyses, including allanite from Amherst County, Virginia.' In the work done, a standard type of electroscope was used, and the readings were made with a telescope, fitted with a scale, by means of which the rate of discharge could be readily determined. The natural "leak" of the instrument was carefully determined, and all results corrected accordingly. The method of study was as follows: The material to be tested was finely powdered, and spread over the bottom of a small, inactive pan. The electroscope was then charged, and the pan placed in position. The door of the instrument was closed, and the rate of discharge carefully determined. All results were reduced to common form to permit of comparison. It is to be noted that the materials tested were not used in strictly comparable quantities, such as if 1 g. of each had been used, but about the same quantity of powder was used (in the cases of the solid substances), so that the results are qualitatively accurate. The results obtained were the following, reduced to common form and corrected for the natural "leak" of the instrument used: Mm. in 6 Min. (on Scale) "Leak1'...................................... 1 Radium residue (in pan)....................... 720 Thorianite.................................... 62 Nernst mantle................................ 17 Uranium nitrate............................... 11 Allanite ...................................... 3

Jan 1, 1917

ARTHUR PHILLIPS,* Bridgeport, Conn. (written discussion?).-It is to, be regretted that the very valuable paper by Messrs. Bassett and Davis did not appear in the early war period. The data presented would have been of inestimable service to inspectors, of cartridge brass who, admittedly, had little or no knowledge regarding the relation of grain size to temperature of anneal, and no real appreciation of, the significance of the Brinell hardness test. The paper is of considerable interest to, metallurgists also. WALTER R. HIBBARD, ? Bridgeport. Conn. (written discussion§).-The writer has carefully studied Messrs. Bassett and Davis's paper with considerable interest, inasmuch as our laboratory has tested cartridge brass by means of a Brinell machine. In March, 1917, at the suggestion of the Technical Department of the American Brass Co., we started a comparison of grain-size measurements and Brinell hardness of-cartridge brass with a gage of 0.1 in. or greater. This was continued until March, 1918, when we adopted the Brinell hardness test as standard for brass 0.1 in. gage or greater, and discontinued grain-size measurements upon this metal. The data collected during the test showed that the Brinell hardness indicated more accurately how the metal acted in actual working operations. It was also more reliable because two manipulators check themselves closer by the Brinell test than by the grain-size measurements. It also consumed less time in making the tests. Alfred V. de Forest, formerly assistant research engineer of our laboratories, has described the apparatus and some of the checking results in a paper read June, 1918, before the American Society for Testing Materials.1 The writer hopes that a more satisfactory. method for testing cartridge brass and gilding in gages thinner than 0.1 in. may be devised than the present method of grain-size measurements.

Jan 3, 1919

By H. H. Campbell

In the extending employment of open-hearth steel for structural purposes, it is a matter of prime importance that the test-piece shall represent with practical accuracy the characteristics of every portion of the heat from which it comes. In ordinary practice this homogeneity is assumed; but inasmuch as leading exponents of the revolving-hearth system have claimed that a reasonable uniformity could be obtained by their method alone, it may be pertinent to offer a few facts on the subject. The following heats made by the Pennsylvania Steel Company, for bridge-work, were tested by casting two four-inch ingots, one being taken during the first third and the other during the last third of the cast. Test-pieces obtained from these small ingots usually give results inferior to those obtained from larger sizes; but for purposes of cornparison they are equally conclusive. Many of the tests were made for experimental purposes within a few hours of the time of rolling, and before sufficient time had elapsed for the usual molecular redistribution necessary for the best results. All the tests were made on 3/4-inch rounds just as they left the rolls and without annealing; the results, therefore, are subject to the errors caused by variations in the diameter, and in the temperature at which the bar was finished. The tests from any one heat, however, were always nude as nearly as possible under the same conditions; and inasmuch as these data include the results of every heat so tested, and inasmuch as the errors could not by any chance always support any single theory, we may be certain that the unanimons testimony of the experiments indicates a valid conclusion.

Jan 1, 1886

By E. E. McGinley, L. D. Woodworth

DURING the past several years has occurred what, in the light of future events, may aptly be called the rebirth of the acid Bessemer process. The increased attention given to the technical and metallurgical details involved in the production of Bessemer steels has been exceedingly fruitful, and indicates the value of further research and plant development. In times like these, when the steelmaking capacity of the country is operating at a maximum rate to supply materials for the national defense program, it behooves the Bessemer operator not only to strive to increase production but also to maintain a high standard of quality. The opportunity is ripe, it seems, to recapture fields of application once considered the birthright of Bessemer steels, but supplanted in recent years by open-hearth grades. This involves cooperation all along the line, from the blast-furnace operator to the metallurgical contact man and salesman. The metallurgist's part in this program involves the study of the many steelmaking variables and the measures necessary to ensure constancy in the finished product. It is equally important that the knowledge gained be disseminated widely to ensure the wise application of Bessemer steels in new fields. The merits of Bessemer steels for certain work are well understood. The combined properties of good weldability, machinability and stiffness are unique and fully explain the strong entrenchment of Bessemer steels in certain fields; e.g., skelp for small butt-weld conduit, screw steels machined in automatics, and certain tinplate applications. It is the purpose of this paper to review briefly the physical properties of Bessemer steels as contrasted with those of open-hearth steels, to discuss control measures now employed in the making of Bessemer steel, and to consider the advantages derived from the use of these control measures. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF BESSEMER VS. OPEN-HEARTH STEELS A number of Bessemer blows and open-hearth heats were tested for tensile strength, ductility and impact strength. The steels selected were confined to sections from ¾ to 1 ¼ -in. diameter, inclusive, and the carbon content covered was sufficient to yield parallel ranges in ultimate strength for the comparison. Other factors, such as the extent of deoxidation of the steel and variations in chemistry, were kept as comparable as possible. Machined test pieces of 0.505-in. diameter with an 8-in. gauge length were pulled. The data obtained are shown in Fig. 1, ultimate strength being plotted against carbon content. This graph shows that for equivalent carbon content Bessemer steel has on the average 15,000 lb. per sq. in. greater tensile strength and, conversely, for the same tensile strength Bessemer steel requires on the average 0.14 per cent less carbon. The average phosphorus content for the Bessemer steel was 0.090 per cent,

Jan 1, 1941

By Jules E. Jenkins

IN the past quarter century the seismograph has played an increasingly important role in evaluating vibratory effects transmitted to adjacent communities by industrial blasting operations. In this period research has advanced through two major phases—from falling pin seismometers to three-component recording seismographs. The initial phase of this research is now regarded as the era of recording, during which the seismograph merely recorded occasional events. It has emerged from this stage into the era of control and analysis and in this later period has been recognized as a full-fledged industrial tool. Although the falling pin machines of earlier years indicated probable amplitudes of industrial blasting vibrations, they gave no reliable measure of such displacements, nor did they provide essential information concerning direction or frequency of motion. The first contribution of the three-component recording seismograph was the weight-for-distance formula developed by the U. S. Bureau of Mines. This empirical formula enabled users of commercial explosives to determine beforehand the probable vibratory effects of a blast when the weight of the explosives charge and the distance from the shot point were known. This formula has withstood the test of time and is still applicable for blasts detonated by instantaneous methods. The second major contribution of the three-component recording seismograph followed the introduction in 1945 of short period or millisecond delay detonation. This might be described as a two-stage contribution, the first of which revealed a 50 pct reduction in the vibration magnitude when millisecond detonation was used rather than instantaneous discharge. This second part of this double contribution led to the discovery of the vibration dip phenomena, see Fig. 1. In Fig. 1 the horizontal coordinates indicate the displacements amplitude in inches, and the vertical coordinates, the explosive weight in pounds. The top curve is that of the U. S. Bureau of Mines for instantaneous detonation. Its curvature conforms to the two-thirds power of the explosive weight as provided in the weight-for-distance formula; hence the vibratory effects increase in proportion to an increase in the explosive charge. If the other curves shown below are temporarily disregarded, it may be considered that the entire area below this top curve represents both useful and waste energy. As mentioned previously, when millisecond delay detonation was first investigated it was found that in general the U. S. Bureau of Mines curve could be decreased by about 50 pct, or to the position of the middle curve. At the outset it was assumed that this curve would likewise increase in some proportion to the explosive charge, as did the top curve, that is, the curve would indicate a continuous upswing. As seismographic data accumulated this assumption was found to be erroneous in part. It was discovered that

Jan 1, 1957

REORGANIZING AMERICAN ENGINEERS There are in America approximately 500 engineers' organizations of various kinds, and yet it is estimated in many communities that 30 to 50. per cent. of the resident engineers are not members of any society of engineers. There is no enumeration of the engineers of the country, but estimates range from 100,000 to 300,000, the latter number probably including assistants, such as instrumentmen, draftsmen and inspectors, together with professional engineers. These local, state, regional and national organizations are for the most part independent and have no means for cooperation. Steps toward the improvement of these conditions are being taken in a number of localities and have already been taken in others. Many engineers are giving the matter serious attention. American Society of Civil-Engineers took an important action at the June meeting of its Board of Direction, by, authorizing the creation of a Committee on Development of Am. Soc. C. E. This action is now well known to all representatives on Engineering Council. Other Founder Societies axe reported to be considering similar action. Engineering Foundation, at its meeting on Sept. 12, adopted the following resolutions: Survey of Engineering Organizations BE IT RESOLVED: that the Engineering. Foundation is prepared, the four Founder Societies concurring, to devote its strength and its' income, so far as this may he required, to a study of existing engineering organizations, and from information thus developed to formulate a series of constructive recommendations which may he serviceable in guiding the further development of local and national engineering organizations in their relations to the profession of engineering, to the public and to each other, to the end that a foundation may he laid upon which to establish a broadly planned procedure, which, while recognizing and preserving all that has already been accomplished, shall increase the power of American engineers in upbuilding their profession and in the service they render to society; and RESOLVED: that in accepting the responsibility for such an undertaking, it will be the purpose of the Engineering Foundation to organize the proposed research along the broadest possible lines, to call to its aid highly qualified experts, and to avail itself of the help of agencies which may be willing to cooperate; and RESOLVED: that in proposing this research the Engineering Foundation has no desire or purpose to intrude upon the domain of individual organizations; that it does not propose to control the action of any individual or organization; nor to ask the acceptance of its conclusions; but that its purpose shall he to develop a possible procedure, or a series of such procedures, of such evident, merit that they will appeal to those who are likely to be most interested; it will do this in the belief that in so far as its work may justify the confidence of engineers and of engineering organizations, it will bear its own fruitage.

Jan 11, 1918

By J. V. Emmons

THE processes of hardening and tempering steel tools within the past 15 or 20 years have been so developed that the forward strides of the industry can scarcely be followed by the average observer. No small part of the credit for this phenomenal advancement is due to the improved methods of measuring the high temperatures necessary. Pyrometry has made possible the discovery and use of the many special alloy steels the wonderful properties of which are revolutionizing the industrial world. So sensitive are these steels to changes of temperature that often a variation of only 10° F. at a critical point of the heat treatment will cause the failure of the tool. In the tool-manufacturing industry today, accurate control of the many heating operations is imperative. The principal processes in the manufacture of tools that require accurate high-temperature measurements are annealing, carburizing, hardening, tempering, and laboratory research. Several other operations, such as forging and straightening, use rougher and correspondingly less accurate methods. These operations are usually performed in the following approximate ranges of temperature: DEGREES F. DEGREES F. Annealing 1000 to 1700 Tempering 200 to 1200 Carburizing 1400 to 1000 Forging 1400 to 1800 Hardening 1400 to 2500 Straightening 300 to 1300 Laboratory research covers the entire range. Annealing and carburizing are usually done in muffle or semi-muffle furnaces, heated with coal, coke, oil, gas, or electricity. Many of them are of large size, holding several tons of steel at one charge. Both indicating and recording pyrometers are used. The recording instruments are generally of the thermoelectric type, while for the indicating, both optical and thermoelectric are used.

Jan 9, 1919

By J. L. Leland Myer

Some of the early experiments on the oxidation temperature of coal1 were undertaken in England in connection with a study of self-heating, or spontaneous combustion. It was then suspected that coals with low oxidation temperature were most likely to ignite by self-heating, but further experiments showed that many additional factors were involved. The oxidation temperature has importance as a physical property or characteristic of the coal. While only a few of the physical properties have been studied, they appear to have basic significance2 in the ultimate classification of all coals. When reliable data become available on the oxidation temperatures, as determined by standard and adequate methods, it should provide an additional basis for classification and comparative evaluation. Oxidation Temperature Defined For such a heterogeneous substance as coal is known to be, no simple definition of oxidation temperature can be established on a theoretical basis. If coals were homogeneous and of simpler structure, the accepted definition of "ignition temperature " as applied to simple gaseous mixtures might be adopted; that is, the temperature at which self-heating of the mixture sets in. But most coals self-heat slightly even at storage temperature, as evidenced by spontaneous combustion, and the definition for gases cannot be applied to coals with any exactness. By subjecting coals to suitable experimental conditions various oxidation characteristics can be obtained and examined for critical or significant stages of the oxidation process. Oxidation temperature itself must then be defined on the basis of such experimental results. Experimental Methods Attempts to determine critical points in the temperature functions of coal undergoing oxidation have resulted in the following experimental methods:

Jan 1, 1932

By N. Mao

This paper presents the results of a research effort to develop a technique for estimating in situ stresses by measuring stress-induced velocity anisotropy around a borehole. Relevant parameters required to make the estimate were identified and measured in the laboratory on a 35.6 cm (14.0 in) cube of Nugget sandstone with a 10.2 cm (4.0 in) diameter hole, under biaxial loading. Two pairs each of radially and tangentially polarized transducers were placed inside the hole with displacement directions either parallel or perpendicular to the principal stress directions. With this configuration, relative travel times were measured by both a pulsed phaselocked loop technique and a cross correlation of digitized waveforms. The biaxial velocity data were used to back-calculate the applied stress. The standard deviation of the differences between the calculated and applied stresses is 0.62 MPa (90 psi) for a stress level up to 8.63 MPa (1250 psi).

Jan 1, 1984

The Palabora ore consists of two types, a carbonatite containing a low titanium magnetite, and a foskorite containing high titanium magnetite. The latter type also contains substantial quantities of phosphate. These two ore types are separately crushed and are kept separate through copper flotation and magnetic separation, for recovery of magnetite, with the low Ti magnetite being shipped as iron ore. High phosphate tailings are pumped to Foskor, a government-owned phosphate plant nearby. The Palabora plant was originally designed in 1966 for 33, 000 tpd using two 54 in. by 74 in. Allis -Chalmers gyratories; two 7 ft (2. 13 m) standards; four 7 ft shortheads; and six grinding lines, each using one 1,200 hp rod mill and two 1,200 hp ball mills. A fifth short- head and one more grinding line were added later; and with flowsheet improvements, the capacity of the plant was increased to 59, 500 stpd. A further plant expansion involving a third 54 in. primary and two 32 ft by 15 ft (9.75 by 4.6 m) 9,000 hp autogenous mills and another flotation section will bring its capacity to 87,500 stpd in 1977. These two fully autogenous mills are constructed entirely out of doors near the primary crusher, and the ground ore will be pumped a mile to the concentrator by a five-stage pumping system. The Palabora ore is mined with 6, 10, and 12 7d (4.6, 7.6, and 9. 2 cu m) shovels and hauled to the crushers in 110 and 165 st trucks. Sixty-five ton trucks were originally used, but the crusher dump pockets were designed for larger units. Dump pockets, crushers, feeders, and take- away belts are offset in order to keep the two ore types separate. Centerlines of the crushers are only 43 ft (13. 1 m) apart; but, because of their being offset, maintenance room is ample. Initially, more carbonatite ore than foskorite was mined; but as the pit has deepened, this ratio has been reversed. The Palabora ore breaks in the pit with a large amount of oversize boulders; and, with the use of larger trucks, a splitter has been installed on one side of each dump pocket to protect the crusher spider. Smaller trucks dump on the opposite side. To accomodate the splitter, the pocket edge has been raised one meter and moved back one meter. Dust is collected through a special vent shaft between the crushers and the mantle relining area; but even so, two high-pressure water spray headers with nozzles are installed under the edge of the pocket at each dumping position. While only one truck dumps at a time, sprays from all four headers are used to suppress dust. Any leakage of water through the seal around the upper bowl of the crusher is caught by a circular trough under the seal and directed to a sump pump. At this point, there

Jan 1, 1978

By G. H. Matheson, J. M. W. Mackenzie

The coal concentrates studied contained clay slimes which would not flocculate on the addition of a polymer flocculent alone. The mechanism of the flocculation process is interpreted on the basis of the flocculation of lyophobic colloids. The filtration rate characteristics are shown to deviate slightly from certain basic filtration equations. Cake moisture was shown to decrease with cake drying time and vacuum, and increase with cake thickness. Filtration is a commonly accepted method of dewa-tering the fine coal concentrates produced in coal cleaning operations. Dewatering of these concentrates, using drum or disc vacuum filters, usually presents few technical difficulties and will result in the production of a filter cake containing some 20 to 25 pct moisture. In many coal cleaning operations it is common practice to add flocculants to the coal concentrates prior to filtration to increase the filtration rate. The mechanism whereby flocculation increases filtration rate has been summarized by Gaudin,4 while Geer, et a15 have compared the effectiveness of starch and synthetic flocculants as filter aids for a variety of coal concentrates. Coal concentrates, containing appreciable quantities of expanding lattice clays of the montmorillonite-illite group, sometimes prove impossible to filter without flocculation of the pulp prior to filtration. The fine coal concentrates produced at the Newcastle washery of The Broken Hill Proprietary Co. Ltd. fall into this group. Coals mined in this district contain appreciable quantities of expanding lattice clays which break down in the washery circuit waters and, by processes of mechanical inclusion, contaminate the coal concentrate thickener feed. Despite the classifying action of this thickener, the underflow which is pumped to the filters contains sufficient clay slimes to render filtration of the unflocculated pulp impossible. Filtration leaf and plant tests were carried out to develop effective and economic flocculant combinations and to determine the filtration characteristics of the flocculated coal concentrates. The determination, by leaf testing, of the filtration characteristics, and the analysis of these characteristics in the light of the equations of Brown2 resulted in the successful trial operation of the filters in the Newcastle washq. Although the filtration characteristics are not entirely in agreement with the theoretical treatment of Brown, the equations developed made it possible to predict, from leaf tests, the effect in the plant filters of pulp density, form vacuum, and form time on filtration rate and filtrate volume. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES The sample used for leaf testing was the coal concentrate thickener underflow, which in plant operations would form the feed to the two 12-disk Dorr-Oliver filters. The feed to the coal concentrate thickener comprises the undersize produced by dewatering the Diester table concentrate on 5-mm dewatering screens and the overflow produced by cycloning of the froth flotation concentrate. At the time of testing these filters were inoperative because of the difficulties in filtration, arising from contamination of the

Jan 1, 1962

DESPITE the very small number of engineers who can get away from their tasks to New York, a point so far from the Mid-Continent and Cali-fornia oil fields, where the real important, engineering progress in the industry is being made, the attendance was remarkably good, and it was generally remarked that all the sessions were "snappy," and there was no drag. This was largely because, under instructions from the chairman, very few papers were permitted to be read, and the "high lights" of each paper were pre-sented orally as an introduction to the large and varied discussions, many of which were prepared in advance. The round table discussion on petroleum engineering research problems, conducted by W. E. Wrather, proved a greater success than was anticipated, considering the difficulty in getting many of the men to discuss such problems. There has been no crystallization of opinion heretofore of what are important engineering research problems, as distinguished from pure science problems, and a digest of the discussion will be made available so as to present the results obtained. It is hoped that further round table discussions, as well as committee work, in the meantime summarizing problems appear-ing in papers published the last two to three years, will enable the oil industry to determine intelligently which of the problems are most important for immediate attack. The roundtable discussion on petroleum engineering educational problems, conducted by H. C. George of the University of Oklahoma, was equally fruitful, and since managers of companies, consulting engineers, and pro-fessors cooperated in these sessions, a cross-section of their opinions on improving the curricula for training the large number of petroleum engineers, which the industry can absorb in-the next few years, was obtained.

Jan 3, 1927

By A. W. Hahn

ALTHOUGH enormous tonnages of sulfide lead and lead-silver ores are treated by flotation, the products of flotation mills treating oxidized ores of lead and silver are almost negligible. However, each year there is a slight tonnage increase, and it is possible, should a sizeable oxidized lead ore tonnage be developed, the field will become an important one. In 1918, the Shattuck-Arizona Copper Co. erected a plant at Warren, Ariz., for the treatment of oxidized gold-silver-lead ores. Glenn L. Allen worked out the metallurgy for this plant, employing tabling, followed by flotation concentration. The Shattuck-Denn Mining Co., successors to the Shattuck-Arizona Co., now employs straight flotation in the same mill, treating about 200 tons daily. In 1922, the San Diego mill of the American Smelting & Refining Co., in the Parral district, Chihuahua, Mexico, started operating a 600-ton mill on a mixed sulfide-oxide gold-silver-lead ore. Tables and flotation are used here, and about 200 tons of oxidized slime treated by flotation. In 1923, the Eureka Holly Mining Co. started operating a 90-ton mill at Eureka, Nev., using tables and flotation, on an oxidized lead-silver ore. In 1924, the American Smelting & Refining Co. started a 250-ton mill in northern Peru, to treat a high grade oxidized gold-silver ore with very low lead values. In 1924, the Grand Central Mining Co. started a 200-ton flotation mill on old oxidized gold-silver-lead tailings at Fairbank, Ariz. In 1926, the Compania International Minera, a subsidiary of the Union Corporation of London, started a 250-ton flotation mill on oxidized lead-silver ores, and during April of this year, the Phelps-Dodge Corp. will probably start a 250-ton mill at Warren, Ariz., on oxidized lead-silver ores, similar to those being treated in the Shattuck-Denn mill.

Jan 1, 1927

By Paul Weir

DURING the past decade, methods of producing bituminous coal in the State of Illinois, which ranks third in production among the states in which bituminous coal is mined, have undergone great changes. From less than one million tons in 1923, the strip-mine production has gradually increased to a high of 11,725,870 tons in 1937. From a negligible amount prior to 1927, the amount of coal mechanically loaded underground had increased to a high of 28,374,362 tons in 1937. The amount manually loaded in 1937 reached a low of 12,332,023 tons. In this same year, this state ranked first in strip-mine production, also in mechanically loaded production. For this reason a study of the influence of mechanization on location of production in Illinois may be helpful in anticipating what may happen in other producing states. The reason for the changes in methods lies in the differences in costs of production. The Bureau of Research and Statistics of the National Bituminous Coal Commission has made public the following costs of pro-duction by various methods in the State of Illinois (district 10) for the last nine months of 1937: all mines, $1.7602 per ton; strip mines, $1.4319; mechanical loading mines, $1.7457; hand loading mines, $2.1793; all underground mines, $1.8703. These are weighted averages for the entire district. Inasmuch as production in 1937 was reported from 58 counties scattered over two-thirds of the area of the state and from five different seams varying in thickness from less than 3 ft. to as much as 12 ft., it is apparent that the location of production must be influenced by the extent of mechanization possible in the various producing counties.

Jan 1, 1939