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By Andrew Hyslop

IN our never ending search for new and better ways of underground mining, we find that transportation has had its share of new ideas in the past few years. The old and still effective method of track haulage has had some competition from rubber tired cars and belt conveyors, each of which has its own safety hazards which demand close scrutiny in any safety study. The use of shuttle cars, in particular, has introduced clearance hazards caused by the absence of the more or less positive guides formed by the rails of a track sys¬tem; likewise the requirement of greater clearance tends to increase roof hazards which we all know to be great enough with the best of methods. However, the subject of transportation hazards is too broad to be covered entirely in one paper, so I will confine myself to track methods which carry the preponderance of underground tonnage. I am quite sure that to this group it is an evident fact that haulage accidents are of major importance. However, to stress the point, it may be well to look at a few figures. Safety statistics can be quite boring and often are subject to question as to mathematical accuracy because of different

Jan 1, 1948

By John S. Brown

As a part of a symposium on the relations of structure to ore deposition, in February 1938, the writer presented some tentative opinions derived from his experience with a number of important lead-zinc replacement deposits. These ideas were set forth, as a basis for discussion and a stimulus to further inquiry, in a mimeographed leaflet that read as follows Intimate acquaintance with a number of lead and zinc deposits in metamorphosed limestones seems to indicate the existence of certain common features from which can be established some general principles governing the localization of ore in this type of formation. It is suspected that these principles can be applied, with modifications, to mineralization in unmetamorphosed limestone. In metamorphosed formations, some observed rules are as follows: 1. Bands or masses of pure limestone are very resistant to replacement by ore solutions, and are likely either to contain no ore or to resist replacement until near the end of mineralization. The reason for this apparently is physical, not chemical, since microscopic data indicate that when ore is deposited by far the greater part of it substitutes for carbonate. The chief factor is believed to be a lack of porosity in massive limestone that has undergone flowage and recrystallization. 2. Masses of intensely siliceous or silicated rock are likewise unfavorable ore receptacles. This seems to be accounted for by two factors: (a) chemical unsuitability or resistance to replacement, and (b) physical resistance to small-scale brecciation, which might facilitate the opening of effective channelways for solutions. Some low-grade ore may occur, however, and also sporadic fracture fillings. 3. The optimum condition for ore reception appears to be found in bands or areas containing carbonate and silicates (or quartz) intimately mingled in something like equal proportions. In this situation movement is likely to result in mixed flowage and fracture, producing a fine-textured porosity that admits solutions freely and provides access to an abundance of replaceable carbonate. Cleavage cracks in some minerals such as diopside are believed to facilitate the penetration of solutions. 4. Certain minerals or assemblages are regarded as favorable impurities in a limestone and others as unfavorable. Original quartz, and subsequently developed diopside, and perhaps garnet, are typical favorable pre-ore gangue; in general rather equidimensional, brittle minerals. Tremolite, biotite, and probably wollastonite, are typical unfavorable pre-ore gangue; in general highly elongated and somewhat flexible minerals likely to develop under strong shearing stresses. 5. Tentative opinion is that the ratio of lime and magnesia in a limestone is of little or no importance.

Jan 1, 1940

By Sherwin F. Kelly

The need for geophysicists to adopt a uniform mode of expressing the electrical resistivity of geological formations has been stressed by Dr. A. S. Eve.1 The present paper is to emphasize the point he raised, to bring the weight of disinterested authority to bear on the matter, and to urge the adoption henceforth, save in exceptional cases, of a standard expression for resistivity; all in the hope that the needed reform will thus actually be brought about. The general definition of the resistivity of a material is the resistance in ohms between two opposite faces of a unit cube of that material. No account need be taken here of the cases in which the unit volume is not a cube, and the units of length and cross-section are different, encountered principally when dealing with metallic conductors such as wires. The idea of the resistance of a unit volume of earth or rock has found expression in geophysical literature in a number of forms and with a variety of units. Fortunately, the metric system has been adhered to in most cases, so ordinarily the meter or the centimeter, usually the latter, has been the measure chosen. The resistivity is then the resistance of a cube of the given rock, or soil, one centimeter on an edge. This is far from always being the same thing, however, as the resistance of a cubic centimeter. A long thin wire could contain a cubic centimeter and have a high resistance, whereas the same volume formed into a flat plate would have an entirely different, and quite low, resistance between faces. Consequently, it is not proper to express resistivity in ohms per cubic centimeter, inch, etc., as has been done occasionally by some writers. In an effort to emphasize the idea of cubic volume, some geophysicists, the writer among them, have used the phrase, ohms per centimeter cubed. This is a graphic way of picturing the measure, but is not in favor among highly qualified authorities. In this connection, an appeal was made to the U. S. Bureau of Standards for advice, and the Director, George K. Burgess, kindly replied in detail as to the practice adopted by his Bureau: 'I.., such expressions as 'ohms per centimeter cubed' or any similar expressions are objectionable, because they certainly carry the implication that the resistivity is found by dividing ohms resistance by the volume in cubic centimeters." Actually, of course, resistivity is found

Jan 1, 1932

By Sherwin Kelly

THE need for geophysicists to adopt a uniform mode of expressing the electrical resistivity of geological formations has been stressed by Dr. A. S. Eve.1 The present paper is to emphasize the point he raised, to bring the weight of disinterested authority to bear on the matter, and to urge the adoption henceforth, save in exceptional cases, of a standard expression for resistivity; all in the hope that the needed reform will thus actually be brought about. The general definition of the resistivity of a material is the resistance in ohms between two opposite faces of a unit cube of that, material. No account need be taken here of the cases in which the unit volume is not a cube, and the units of length and cross-section are different, encountered principally when dealing with metallic conductors such as wires. The idea of the resistance of a unit volume of earth or rock has found expres-sion in geophysical literature in a number of forms and with a variety of units. Fortunately, the metric system has been adhered to in most cases, so ordinarily the meter or the centimeter, usually the latter, has been the measure chosen. The resistivity is then the resistance of a cube of the given rock, or soil, one centimeter on, an edge. This is far from always being the same thing, however, as the resistance of a cubic centimeter. A long thin wire could contain a cubic centimeter and have a high resistance, whereas the same volume formed into a flat plate would have an entirely different, and quite low, resistance between faces. Con-sequently, it is not proper to express resistivity in ohms per cubic centi-meter, inch, etc., as has been done occasionally by .some writers. In an effort to emphasize the idea of cubic volume, some geophysicists, the writer among them, have used the phrase, ohms per centimeter cubed. This is a graphic way of picturing the measure, but is not in favor among highly qualified authorities. In this connection, an appeal was made to the U. S. Bureau of Standards for advice, and the Director, George K. Burgess, kindly replied in detail as to the practice adopted by his Bureau: ." . .' such expressions as ohms per centimeter cubed' or any similar expressions are objectionable, because they certainly carry the implica-tion that the resistivity is found by dividing ohms resistance by the volume in cubic centimeters." Actually, of course, resistivity is found

Jan 1, 1932

By Andrews Allen

WE all remember when, a few years ago the preparation of coal was nothing but a matter of having somebody at the face or somebody in the railroad car pick out the impurities; also the sizes were generally' made" over a bar screen. Anything that was black was coal; and the only matecia1 picked out was the slate or rock-impurities that could be distinguished by eye or by hefting. This was all right as long. & coal could be sold at. a good price. After all, we are all in business to -make the most money honestly out of a certain acreage of coal and a certain plant. For this purpose what is required is the greatest possible recovery of marketable coal and the highest market price.

Jan 1, 1929

By Leon W. Dupuy

Many articles have been written describing peculiar and particular types of drilling. Little correlation has been made between the character of ground to be drilled and sampled and the type of drilling most desirable for procuring satisfactory samples. In development work, the engineer and metallurgist often desire the recovery of a sample in as physically natural a condition as possible, particularly when the sample must provide material for process tests as well as chemical and physical analyses. This paper describes the results of experimentation in drilling unconsolidated materials carrying titanium minerals in the Magnet Cove area, Ark. The drilling was most difficult in that the ground varied much in consistency, and it was vitally necessary to recover a physically natural sample. Ordinary churn drilling recovered a sample that could be analyzed chemically, but the sample was not in its natural state. The problem was successfully solved by utilizing and further developing methods used in the oil and clay industries.

Jan 1, 1949

By ELLSIVOKTH DAGGETT

THE Berlin gold quartz mine is situated in Nye county, Nevada, on the west flank of the Shoshone range, about 40 miles south and 30 miles west from the town of Austin, the county-seat of Lander county. The distance from Austin is about 60 miles by stage-road. The outcrop of the vein, at the top of the incline-shaft, is situated just at the base of the mountain proper, almost exactly at the intersection of the mountain-side with the gravelly bench that slopes for about three-quarters of a mile to the flatter sage-brush plain, or desert valley, below. The -vein itself consists almost entirely of quartz, with perhaps 2 per cent. of sulphide of iron, copper, lead, zinc and antimony, and perhaps a trace of some of the compounds of tellurium with gold and silver, although none of the latter have been as yet positively identified. The relative proportion, by weight, of silver and gold in the ores, varies in different parts of the vein, from 12 silver for 1 of gold, to 7 silver for 1 of gold. The quartz vein-filling is usually frozen fast to the walls, and is very hard and compact, seldom showing the friable, fissured, or shelly structure often to be found in quartz veins. Comparatively little evidence of relative motion of one wall of the vein upon the other is to be found-a fact indicating that during the formation of the vein, and prior to the extensive movements herein described, little disturbance had taken place. No evidence whatever of metasomatic origin has been observed. On the other hand, occasional occurrences of comby structure, in which the axes of the quartz crystals are at right angles to the plane of the vein, rather indicate deposition from solution in a pre-existing fissure. Spurs, or branches, and small parallel veins, while not en-\

Mar 1, 1907

By Carl Scholz

DURING November And December, 1907, Four Serious Mine-explosions Occurred In The Appalachian Coal-Field, Which Resulted In The Loss Of Nearly A Thousand Lives And Caused An Enormous . Damage To Property. These Accidents Attracted More Than The Usual Attention; Coal-Trade And Engineering Papers Contained Many Comments And Suggestions On The Cause And Prevention Of Accidents; The Daily Press In Many Instances Condemned The Coal-Operators And Charged These Accidents To Their Negligence, Or Their Anxiety To Make Money Without Adopting Precautionary Measures. Immediately After Each Accident The Respective State ..Authorities Ordered Close Investigations To Be Made, With The View Of Establishing The Cause And Suggesting Remedies To Prevent Recurrence. Representatives Of The Technologic Branch Of The U. S. Geological Survey, To Whom The Investigation Of Mine-Accidents Had Recently Been Delegated By The Secretary Of The Interior,. Visited The Mines And Co-Operated With The Local Authorities In Their Determinations. It May Be Safe To Say Here That An Investigation Of A Mine After An Explosion Has Occurred Discloses But Little, Because. The Causes Have Been Removed And Conditions Have Been Entirely Changed. On Jan. 8, 1905, The Coal-Operators Of West Virginia Organized An Association At Washington For The Purpose Of Making Extensive Investigations, And Sufficient Funds Were Pledged To Carry Out This Work. At This Organization Meeting, The Representatives Of The Geological Survey Present Had No Suggestions To Offer As To The Cause Of These Accidents. An Examination Of The Various Reports Concerning These Accidents Indicates That The Explosions Were Caused By The Ignition Of Gas Or Dust; They Show The Point Of Origin And The Direction In Which The Force Was Expended, And Give A Detailed Description Of The Damage Done. Very Little Has Been Said As To What

Jan 7, 1908

By R. Maddin, S. K. Tung

SUCCESS of the dislocation theory in formulating the transitional lattice theory proposed by Har-greaves and Hill in 1929' is well established for low angle grain boundaries. The theoretical work of Burgersa and Read and Shockley,3 together with the experimental observations of Aust and Chalmers4 and Parker and colleagues,6 leaves little doubt as to the structure of grain boundaries with differences of orientations up to between 15" and 20". Beyond these angles, the structure of the boundary is not so clear, and is still a matter for conjecture. There have been notable experiments devised from which the data could be used to calculate energetics for possible arrangements of atoms in forming a large angle boundary.6 Most of these experiments deal with diffusion through and along the grain boundary. The recent work of Rhines and Cochart7 and Rhines, Bond, and Kissel18 was concerned with the relative movement of grains in aluminum bicrystals under constant tensile loads with their boundaries aligned at 45 " to the tension axis. The gliding along the grain boundary was cyclic and began after an incubation period. The velocity of gliding increased with the sum of the angular difference, 8, between the operative slip direction in the conjugate crystals and the angular difference between the active slip planes as measured between their traces upon the grain boundary. The initial gliding rate varied with temperature, and the logarithm of the average gliding taken over a considerable period was a linear function of the reciprocal of the absolute temperature: the slope gave an activation energy of 11,000 ±1,000 cal per mole. Since the rate of grain boundary shear is sensitive to the misorientation of the grains themselves, as shown by several workers,7,8 it is suggested that further work of this type might be fruitful in adding information regarding the behavior of boundaries under stress. The techniques devised by Chalmers" added impetus to the facility for observing grain boundary behavior, in that they provided a simple means for producing bicrystals of predetermined orientation so that the angle of the boundary could be controlled,

Jan 1, 1958

By Wm. C. Coffin

THE refractory linings of open-hearth steel furnaces above the bath line are subject to severe wear not only from the heat caused by the combustion of the fuel and the reactions of the bath, but also from the melting action of the gases when not controlled and directed, and from the scouring of the oxides, etc. with which the products of combustion are charged. The framework that encases or binds the furnace is made up primarily of an iron or steel pan in which the furnace proper is built, side and end buckstays, and tie-rods. The expansion and contraction are so great and variable that the bindings may be subjected to severe stresses unless the tie-rods are carefully adjusted in heating up the furnace, but they are most affected by direct heat and usually become deformed from that cause when the lining is worn thin and, sometimes, when sections of the lining fall in and expose some of the framework. A deformed framework displaces the skewback of the roof arch and tends to distort or crush the roof. Bent buckstays deform the front wall, causing the door frames to stand away from the lining so that the gases burn between the lining and the frames, destroying both of them. Frequently the frames are attached to the buckstays; then when the latter bend the frames usually break. Preventing the distortion of the framework and maintaining the economy of the refractories are real factors in the cost of steel making. Not only does the cost of general repairs and reconstruction add directly to the cost of steel produced, but the time lost in making repairs cuts clown the steel production and increases the overhead expense of both the furnace shop and its allied foundry or mills. Many years ago water-cooled equipment applied to iron blast furnaces made it possible to increase greatly not only the size and production of the furnaces but also the life of the lining. It also cut down the loss from frequent repairs. The open-hearth furnace is a much later invention, especially as a commercial factor; for though it dates from the Fred Siemens patent of 1856, much more progress was made in the Bes-

Jan 2, 1919

Mr. John J. Porter, Chicago Ill. (communication to the Secretary†):—Mr. Baker's account of his experiences with stock-distribution has been particularly interesting to me, as it

Jan 1, 1905

By R. A. Esmonde

This paper describes the building and testing of a prototype welded aluminum truck body to a new design concept. The results of these tests are given along with an outline of further developments in the design and field application of aluminum bodies. The results of field service history are recorded with special reference to types of mining operations, service performance, wear, maintenance and economics of operation. Mention is made of current U.S. usage and predictions given as to future development of aluminum bodies in the mining industry. The use of aluminum for off-highway truck bodies in hauling rock for the mining and construction industries is by no means the novelty that it may seem. In 1932 an aluminum unit proved very satisfactory in service on the Hoover Dam project but at that time the only high strength aluminum alloys available were not weldable and with the high cost of construction, a sound economic case for an aluminum body could not be made. After World War I1 great advances in aluminum welding techniques, using the inert gas shield, combined with the development of high strength alloys with good welded properties and welding characteristics changed the whole picture. Welded aluminum bodies were rapidly developed and by 1958 attention was again focused on the use of aluminum for off-highway truck bodies. EARLY DEVELOPMENT WORK In 1959 Alcan, the Aluminum Co. of Canada, embarked on an extensive development program to prove the durability and economics of aluminum truck bodies for the mining and construction industries. The first step was to design a prototype aluminum body which took particular advantage of the fact that the modulus of aluminum is only one third that of steel. This means that within the elastic range, aluminum moves three times as much as steel which makes it more flexible and capable of absorbing much greater impact shocks. A body was built and mounted on a 22-ton truck and taken to the Jeffery Mine of Canadian Johns Manville Company at Asbestos, P.Q., Canada. Very little information was available as to the order of stresses that were set up in off-highway truck bodies and so it was therefore decided to carry out a test program to find out this information.

Jan 1, 1969

By Jerome Alexander

It is an outstanding fact of Nature that many of the practical properties of substances are dependent, not on their ultimate chemical composition, but on the kind and degree of aggregation of their constituent particles. Thus, a granite boulder is unmoved by wind or water, but if reduced to a fine dust it will be blown about by the wind and washed away by the rain. Carbon in one crystalline state of aggregation (diamond) is the hardest known substance, whereas in another crystalline state (graphite) it is so soft that it is used as a lubricant. Laying too much stress on the mere chemical analysis of substances is apt to obscure the fact that the nature of the aggregation of their particles is always a factor of importance, and sometimes the most important factor. Colloid chemistry deals with matter in a very fine state of subdivision; its sphere begins with particles just a little smaller than a wave length of light and extends down until they blend into molecular dimensions. With particles of this size, such phenomena as surface tension and adsorption, which depend on the development of free surface, become enormously magnified. Thus a cube of 1 cm. edge has a surface of only 6 sq. cm.; but if it is reduced to colloidal dimensions by being cut up into cubes each having an edge of 0.01 µ (0.00003 mm.), it will yield one million, million, million (1,000,000,000,000,000,O~) such cubes, having a combined area of 600 sq. m., or 21,274 sq. ft. The tiny force with which a drop of rain clings to the window pane becomes a factor to be reckoned with, if the surface involved is increased millions of times. From the colloid-chemical viewpoint, metals and alloys may be regarded as jellies or sponge-like structures,. the viscosity or stiffness of which at ordinary temperatures is exceedingly great; and like all jellies their properties are dependent on the composition and degree of dispersion of their constituent phases. These, in turn, depend on chemical composition, mutual solubility, speed of chilling, subsequent mechanical and heat treatment, etc. In fact, in preparing metals and alloys for practical use, we remove undesirable constituents (as in the conversion of pig iron into steel), add desirable constituents (as in

Jan 1, 1919

By Leonard D. Jaffe, Donald C. Buffum

THE importance of temper brittleness in alloy steels has long been realized in Europe, In the United States recognition of its importance has developed within the last several years. Many brittle failures encountered in parts made of alloy steel are undoubtedly attributable, wholly or in part, to temper brittleness. These failures have occurred particularly at low temperatures, under shock loading, and in the presence of notches, restraints and combined stresses. It has been almost universally accepted that plain carbon steels are not susceptible to temper brittleness. As a result, considerable effort has been expended in attempts to discover the manner in which alloying elements introduce temper brittleness. It is desired to raise the possibility that plain carbon steels are not only susceptible to temper brittleness, but are much more susceptible than alloy steels, in the sense that they embrittle much more rapidly. It is suggested that previous views, (that plain carbon steels are not susceptible), are based upon an erroneous interpretation of the experimental results. INTERPRETATION OF PREVIOUS DATA For many years the standard criterion for susceptibility of a steel to temper brittleness consisted of comparison of the energy absorption, in a notched-bar impact test at room temperature, of specimens that had received two heat treatments.1 One specimen (or group of specimens) was quenched, tempered, and quenched from the temper. The other specimen (or group) differed only in having received an embrittlement treatment, which might consist of a slow cool from the tempering temperature, or of an isothermal hold in the range 450-550°C subsequent to quenching from the temper. If the energy absorption of the specimen receiving the embrittlement treatment was lower than that of the specimen not given this treatment, it was said that the steel was susceptible to temper brittleness, If the energy absorptions were the same, it was said that the steel was not susceptible. Several investigators2,3 found that plain carbon steels showed negligible difference in energy absorption in such tests (at least when their manganese content was below 0.60 pct), and concluded that plain carbon steels are not susceptible to temper brittleness. Recently the deficiencies of the criterion mentioned above have been pointed out.4-6 The criterion now generally used for susceptibility to temper brittleness retains the heat treatments used in the earlier scheme, but instead of the notched-bar impact tests being made only at room temperature, they are made over a range of temperatures, covering the transition from ductile to brittle fracture, If the transition temperature of the specimens receiving the embrittlement treatment is higher than those

Jan 1, 1948

By R. Bakish, W. D. Robertson

IN the course of a study of stress corrosion cracking of AuCu,, it was necessary to develop new electropolishing and metallographic etching methods. The techniques are generally useful for Cu-Au alloys, including the AuCu composition in which transformation markings are well delineated. For electropolishing, the only satisfactory electrolyte and procedure that has been found1 has the composition given in Table I. The solution must be vigorously stirred while polishing and the temperature maintained in the range of 55" to 62°C. The electrolyte is very unstable and can be used only for 10 to 15 min after which its color changes and a dark-brown precipitate forms. The polishing time is between 1 and 4 min depending on the initial surface preparation. The use of a hood is recommended to avoid the danger of cyanide gas which may form at one of the electrodes even though the solution is alkaline. The optimum current and voltage conditions for vertical anode and platinum cathode are on the plateau shown in Fig. 1, in which voltage is measured across the cell terminals. At voltages below the plateau, etching of grain boundaries occurs and under some conditions, which have not been clearly defined, octahedral etch figures are observed. For general purpose grain-size determination in polycrystalline alloys, a 3 pct solution of iodine in methyl alcohol is used with excellent results. However, when it is necessary to reveal small orientation differences or concentration gradients in an alloy, the iodine etch is not satisfactory. For this purpose, a highly satisfactory etching procedure was developed during this investigation. It involves the use of the vapor given off by freshly prepared aqua regia. The solution employed is 3HC1 to lHNO, which decomposes in accordance with the reaction HNO, + 3HC1 = NOCl + 2H,O + Cl,. The polished specimen surface is held about 1 to 2 cm above an aqua regia solution for 2 to 10 sec depending on the intensity of the contrast required and the surface is not subsequently washed. The results obtained with a coarse grained cast structure are shown in Fig. 2. Subgrain boundaries in a single crystal and concentration gradients within the boundaries are developed by the same treatment with the results shown in Fig. 3. Obviously, any conclusions regarding structure-dependent properties will be modified by the pronounced heterogeneity, which is not clearly evident when more conventional methods are used. Interesting structural details are also revealed by treatment for 4 hr at 850°C in unpurified tank argon. Fig. 4 shows a pattern characteristic of orientation-dependent oxidation.

Jan 1, 1956

By Paul M. Tyler

DOES mining pay? Inasmuch as the whining of minerals from Nature is one of the world's principal sources of new wealth, this question is of general economic interest but it is obviously of even more vital concern to investors and those engaged in mining. In a previous article on "Wage Costs in the Mineral Industries,' published in the November issue, I attempted to show that wages paid workers on the job accounted for, roughly, 50 per cent of the mine dollar. Salaries normally range over 5 per cent - lower for large metal mines but higher in stone quarries and minor nonmetallic min. in, industries. Purchases of supplies, materials. fuel, and power generally aggregate within the range of 15 to 25 per cent of total receipts, with the average well under 20 per cent. The total of all such specified expenditures which may he loosely described as

Jan 1, 1934

By Francis H. Crockard

DURING the past five years we have probably witnessed greater technological advances than in any similar period. Industry and science have steadily marched ahead. The makers of iron and steel products have watched with great interest the development of stream-lined trains, faster and safer airplanes, the entirely new science of air-conditioning and the widespread use of stainless steels. Since 1930, we have witnessed the erection of the world's largest suspension bridge, the largest and fastest ocean liner and the spectacular Boulder Dam, while even greater things are planned in these particular fields. Other industries, too, have been moving ahead rapidly. This advance in a few years has been caused primarily by the fierce competition of the depression. Now, more than ever, is the emphasis placed upon quality and service. Makers of southern merchant pig iron have been no exception and have been confronted with increasingly strict chemical specifications and with much greater stress on physical characteristics than ever before. For example, sulfur in the iron must be held very low, competition demanding that it be in the 0.020's and low 0.030's; silicon content must be held within a very narrow range, and definite requirements of phosphorus and manganese are an essential part of the specifications. Physical characteristics are becoming of increasingly greater importance. The introduction of triple-skimmed, slow-cooled iron several years ago was the first step in this direction. Now there are a few customers who buy iron by chemical analysis and physical appearance, having found that the analysis alone is an insufficient guide to their requirements.

Jan 1, 1935

By Francis Crockard

DURING the past five years we have probably witnessed greater technological advances than in any similar period. Industry and science have steadily marched ahead. The makers of iron and steel products have watched with great interest the development of stream-lined trains, faster and safer airplanes, the entirely new science of air-conditioning and the widespread use of stainless steels. Since 1930, we have witnessed the erection of the world's largest suspension bridge, the largest and fastest ocean liner and the spectacular Boulder Dam, while even greater things are planned in these particular fields. Other indus-tries, too, have been moving ahead rapidly. This advance in a few years has been caused primarily by the fierce competition of the depression. Now, more than ever, is the emphasis placed upon quality and service. Makers of southern merchant pig iron have been no exception and have been confronted with increasingly strict chemical specifications and with much greater stress on physical characteristics than ever before. For example, sulfur in the iron must be held very low, competition demanding that it be in the 0.020's and low 0.030's; silicon content must be held within a very narrow range, and definite requirements of phos-phorus and manganese are an essential part of the specifications. Physical characteristics are becoming of increasingly greater impor-tance. The introduction of triple-skimmed, slow-cooled iron several years ago was the first step in this direction. Now there are a few customers who buy iron by chemical analysis and physical appear-ance, having found that the analysis alone is an insufficient guide to their requirements.

Jan 1, 1936

By E. R. Borcherdt

RECENT years have seen great progress in drilling practices. The partial change from heavy drills and stopers to lightweight airleg machines has had great impact on stoping and drifting methods. The change was sparked, of course, when the Germans applied tungsten carbide to drill bits during World War II. This invention made it possible to drill nearly cylindrical blastholes, with a very mini- mum of drill steel changes, so that small fast-cutting bits* could be used without sacrifice of powder-loading density at the bottom of the hole. This is one of the few instances of increased efficiency through reduction in size. Usually the opposite is true. Application of these lightweight drills and small bits has lessened the vibratory stresses set up in the drill steel rod, and rod breakage has been greatly reduced. During the past several years phenomenal reduction in drill steel breakage has resulted from the use of carburized rods. These rods are now supplied by several manufacturers, with carburization of both the exterior and interior surfaces of the hollow drill steel. The rods are heat-treated over their entire length after the completion of bit connections, collars, or lugs (in the case of 7/8 Hex and round steel). This eliminates breakage from the usual metallurgical notch existing in conventional rods-there are instances of more than 2000 ft of drilling in hard ground before breakage. Steel rod failure results from fatigue checks, at right angles to the rod axis, progressing to a point where parting or breaking of the rod occurs. There are many of these checks in a used rod. Only the most advanced check causes the break, but with a small additional amount of drilling another check advances to the breakage point, and most of the value of reconditioning is lost. Since the development of carburized rods, the practice of discarding drill rods after the first break may be economically justified.

Jan 4, 1957

By W. H. Newhouse

DURING the past few years the writer has been impressed by the close relation of many epigenetic orebodies with anticlinal structures. In the literature on ore deposits there is occasional mention that an oreshoot or district is on an anticline, but in most of the descriptions no weight or significance is attached to the relation, and usually the fact is concealed in a mass of structural detail. A few writers have stressed the relationship in a few districts or on a certain type of deposit. Church, Spurr, Butler, Stahl and Schuette have called attention to certain features, but the general extent of such a correlation has not been made known in any publication that the author has seen. A recent article1 on the localization of ore deposits, by well-known geologists, does not consider this common association. The author has seen in the field a number of the structural features described, and in addition has made a fairly complete review of the literature. This paper presents enough of the examples found to show the frequency of the relation to anticlines, and since only a few deposits on synclines are known, all of these of any importance of which the writer knows are mentioned. With certain qualifications which are discussed later, epigenetic ore deposits of replacement or vein type are mostly found where local upwarps of the earth's crust have taken place. Where formations antedating the ore deposits are present in the proper attitude to demonstrate vertical warping (i. e., more or less horizontal beds) the structural feature on which a mineral district, or mineralized area is located is almost always anticlinal, or domelike in nature. Some or even most of the ore deposits in a given district may be on the flanks of the upwarp, but few major districts are located definitely on downwarped areas. Synclinal basins within certain limits of size appear to be unfavorable to the type of fracturing that admits ore-bearing solutions.

Jan 1, 1931