Search Documents

By R. W. Guard, W. R. Hibbard

As part of a program to determine the deformation characteristics of pure metals, the tensile creep properties of high purity aluminum (99.994 pct Al) have been determined using a constant stress loading. The effects of prior annealing temperature, stress, and temperature were studied. These data have been examined on the basis of present-day theories. None of the methods was found to give an accurate representation of the data over all conditions studied. The structures of several specimens after creep were examined by optical and X-ray metallography. Marked changes in the grain size were found and it was substantiated that the magnitude of these changes was greatly influenced by the applied stress (or creep strain). The changes in fiber texture which occur on creep deformation are shown to be consistent with those observed on deformation at lower temperatures. UNDERSTANDING the properties of new mate-*-J rials under different experimental conditions must be based on considerable knowledge of the mechanisms involved in plastic flow and how to control them. Tension and creep tests have been carried out on a number of pure metals in order to document their deformation characteristics. It is hoped that a comparison of these data with theory will indicate those areas where work on mechanisms and their relation to metallurgical variables may be most fruitful. Since aluminum has often been used for studying the qualitative aspects of creep behavior, it was chosen for detailed study. The effects of annealing temperature, stress, and test temperature on the constant stress creep behavior were studied. Although most of the tests were made above one half the absolute melting temperature, a few tests were made at lower temperatures to give qualitative comparisons. Some specimens were examined metallo-graphically and by X-ray diffraction techniques after creep. Since only a limited number of specimens could be made from the available material, no effort was made to study detailed changes in sub-grain structure or other metallographic features. Servi and Grant3 nd Dushman et al.' have previously published studies of high temperature creep of high purity aluminum. In both cases, a great deal of emphasis was placed on the minimum creep rate.

Jan 1, 1957

By Frank Tolonen

IRON-ORE beneficiation is becoming of vital importance to the Lake Superior region, since only a few decades will be needed to exhaust the direct shipping ores even if generous allowances are made for discoveries of new orebodies. If the region is to continue as the chief source of ore to the steel industry of the United States, it must concentrate or otherwise beneficiate the enormous tonnages of available iron formations. A beginning along this line has already been made. About one-fifth of the total shipment, even now, is the product of some sort of concentrating process, while another fifth is improved in physical structure by crushing, screening, drying, sintering, or some other similar method. The amount of material amenable to these processes is limited, however; and, in order to be able to utilize the billions of tons of iron formations that cannot be so beneficiated, an intensive study of their nature and concentration possi-bilities is necessary. As long as high-grade ores are available in ample quantities, ore dressing is economically impossible, but as soon, as the supply nears exhaustion it becomes necessary. At first the products of ore dressing must meet as nearly as possible the same specifications as the rich ores in order to be adapted to the reduction processes already established. The future requirements as to quality will depend on the one hand upon the ability of the ore dresser to eliminate undesired constituents and charac-teristics in the material, and on the other upon the adaptation of the reduction processes to the product that can be economically supplied. A better understanding of the blast furnace and other reduction reactions, and improvements in the preparation of raw materials, should enable the Michigan districts to continue to supply ore for a long time to come. The study and testing of the iron formations necessary to bring a utilization of the low-grade ores, though requiring time and effort on the part of all concerned, should not be postponed, especially since the economic situation forces the use of the highest grade ore in preference to the leaner material.

Jan 1, 1933

By B. W. Gandrud

WET-PROCESS coal-washing tables as we know them today have been in use in this country for approximately 25 years. The literature records only a few table installations worthy of note prior to adoption of the present-day differential-motion table. According to Phillips,' six Campbell bumping tables were being operated by the St. Bernard Coal Co., Earlington, Ky., in 11893. As late as 1923, according to Richardson, 2 72 such tables were in operation in the Rosedale washery of the Cambria Steel Co., at Johnstown, Pa. Bumping tables probably were not used to any considerable extent except in the plant at Earlington, and at two or three plants in Pennsylvania, but they may be considered as forerunners of the present-day coal-washing table. The transition from bumping tables to the type of tables now in use signalized a revolutionary change in table design. The advantages of the new design over the old were so outstanding as to make its adoption inevitable. BUMPING TABLES Bumping tables, as the name implies, utilized a bumping action for conveying the refuse and discharging it over the refuse end. The tables were hung from rods attached to overhead supporting beams. A shaft and cam arrangement at one end of the table served as the actuating mechanism and imparted to the table an endwise, back-and-forth, swinging motion. A bumping block was fixed in the proper position at the shaft end, so that the table would strike against it at the end of each backward swing. The hanger rods or stirrups were so adjusted as to give the table a slight uphill slope toward the refuse end; that is, the end next to the driving mechanism. The feed box was near the upper end, of the table and designed to spread the mixture of coal and water over the width of the table. Wash water was added a short distance below the feed box with the table in motion and coal mixed with water being fed to it through the feed box, a certain amount of stratification took place, depositing heavy refuse at the bottom of the bed in contact with the surface of the table. Constant bumping and a certain amount of

Jan 1, 1943

By F. A. Forward, J. Halpern

A new process for extracting uranium from ores with carbonate solutions is described. Leaching is carried out under oxygen pressure to ensure that all the uranium is converted to the soluble hexavalent state. By this method), alkaline leaching can be used successfully to treat a greater variety of ores, including pitchblende ores, than has been possible in the past. The advantages of carbonate leaching over conventional acid leaching processes are enhanced further by a new method which has been developed for recovering uranium from basic leach solutions. This is achieved by reducing the uranium to the tetravalent state with hydrogen in the presence of a suitable catalyst. A high grade uranium oxide product is precipitated directly from the leach solutions. Vanadium oxide also can be precipitated by this method. The chemistry of the leaching and precipitation reactions are discussed, and laboratory results are presented which illustrate the applicability of the process and describe the variables affecting leaching and precipitation rates, recoveries, and reagent consumption. THE extractive metallurgy of uranium is influenced by a number of special considerations which generally do not arise in connection with the treatment of the more common base metal ores. Perhaps foremost among these is the very low uranium content of most of the ores which are encountered today, usually only a few tenths of one percent. A further difficulty is presented by the fact that the uranium often occurs in such a form that it cannot be concentrated efficiently by gravity or flotation methods. In these and other important respects, there is evident some degree of parallelism between the extractive metallurgy of uranium and that of gold and, as in the latter case, it has generally been found that uranium ores can best be treated directly by selective leaching methods. It is readily evident that this parallel does not extend to the chemical properties of the two metals. Unlike gold, which is easily reduced to metallic form, uranium is highly reactive. It tends to occur as oxides, silicates, or salts. Two ores are of predominant importance as commercial sources of this metal: pitchblende which contains uranium as the oxide, U3O51 and carnotite in which the uranium is present as a complex salt with vanadium, K2O-2UCV3V2O5-3H2O. These ores may vary widely in respect to the nature of their gangue constituents. Some are largely siliceous in composition, while others consist mainly of calcite. Sometimes substantial amounts of pyrite or of organic materials are present and these may lead to specific problems in treating the ore. Further complications may be introduced by the presence of other metal values such as gold, copper, cobalt, or vanadium whose re- covery has to be considered along with that of the uranium, or whose separation from uranium presents particular difficulty. In general, there are two main processes for recovering uranium in common use today.'.2 One of these employs an acid solution such as dilute sulphuric acid to extract the uranium from the ore. A suitable oxidizing agent such as MnO, or NaNO, is sometimes added if the uranium in the ore is in a partially reduced state. The uranium dissolves as a uranyl sulphate salt and can be precipitated subsequently by neutralization or other suitable treatment of the solution. The second process employs an alkaline leaching solution, usually containing sodium carbonate. The uranium, which must be in the hexavalent state, is dissolved as a complex uranyl tricarbonate salt, and then is precipitated either by neutralizing the solution with acid or by adding an excess of sodium hydroxide. The latter method has the advantage of permitting the solutions to be recycled, since the carbonate is not destroyed. This is essential if the process is to be economical, particularly with low grade ores. With each of these processes, there are associated a number of advantages and disadvantages and the choice between using acid or carbonate leaching is generally determined by the nature of the ore to be treated. In the past, more ores appear to have been amenable to acid leaching than to carbonate leaching and the former process correspondingly has found wider application. With most ores, acid leaching has been found to operate fairly efficiently and to yield high recoveries. One of the main disadvantages has been that large amounts of impurities, such as iron and aluminum, sometimes are taken into solution along with the uranium. This may give rise to a high reagent consumption and to difficulties in separating a pure uranium product. Excessive reagent consumption in the acid leach process also may result

Jan 1, 1955

By J. D. Hunt, D. T. J. Hurle

A uariety of eutectic structures are formed in faceted/nonfaceted eutectics. The various structures are explained in terms of the absence or presence of small facets in the liquid groove. Regular structures are produced when, for purely geometric reasons facels cannot form. The presence of a facet in the liquid groove leads to the formation of an irregular or a cell-like complex regular structure, due to the relative immobility of the groove. A classification of eutectics was proposed by Hunt and jackson, based on the presence or absence of facets on the primary phases (the absence of facets may be predicted from the dimensionless entropy of melting2). Eutectics were divided into three groups: 1) eutectics in which both phases grow in a nonfaceted manner; 2) eutectics in which one phase grows faceted, the other nonfaceted; 3) eutectics in which both phases grow faceted. It was suggested that regular1 rodlike or lamellar structures1 should be formed in the first group, that irregular or complex regular structures1 should be formed in the' second, and that irregular structures1 should be formed in the third. Recently it has been shown that the structural classification is incomplete. Regular rodlike structures (InSb-NiSb eutectic3), or broken lamellar structure (Bi-Zn eutectic, Fig. 8), are formed in alloys of the second group when the faceted phase has a large volume fraction. Hunt and jackson' argued that regular structures could form in faceted/nonfaceted systems, but that such structures would be unstable in the presence of microfacets on the lamella of the faceting phase, because the growth rate at a point on such a facet would depend on the kinetic undercooling at the point of nu-cleation on the facet, and not on the local kinetic undercooling. In these circumstances it would not be possible to consistently balance the compositional and kinetic undercooling over a lamellar structure and thus obtain a stable isothermal interface. In this paper we discuss in detail the origin of the various structures formed in faceted/nonfaceted systems, pointing out that the most important factor promoting the formation of a regular structure is the absence of a facet in the liquid groove. 1) FACET FORMATION IN SINGLE-PHASE MATERIALS Facets form when there is an energy barrier for the addition of a new solid layer on an existing solid. When a barrier is present,2 growth proceeds by the lateral movement of steps across a crystallographic plane. The rate-controlling stage of the process occurs when the step is first formed. Hulme and Mullin6 have shown that faceting in single-phase materials can only occur when both interface curvatures are convex with respect to the solid and when the surface is tangential to the facet plane. When even one of the curvatures is concave a facet does not form because new layers of solid from adjacent regions can always feed the facet plane, Fig. 1. Growth under these conditions is then as easy as elsewhere. Similar considerations will apply to eutectic growth; consequently the shape of the faceted phase is extremely important. 2) LAMELLAR SPACING CHANGES IN EUTECTICS Jackson and Hunt7 have shown that the interface undercooling AT of a growing lamellar interface (neglecting kinetic undercooling) is related to the lamellar spacing, A, and growth velocity, v, by an expression of the form: where m, Ql, and nL are constants of the system given in Ref. 7. Eq. [I] is plotted for fixed v in Fig. 2. Jackson and Hunt postulate that a regular eutectic grows near, but to the right of the minimum in the AT vs A curve. They argue that the spacing cannot be to the left of the minimum because the interface is then unstable to fluctuations in A. It cannot grow too far to the right, because when the spacing becomes too wide an isothermal interface can no longer be maintained over the large-volume-fraction phase.7 It is argued that during any change in growth rate the lamellar spacing remains in the permitted range by the movement of lamellar faults. When the spacing is too wide, the fault, shown in Fig. 3, moves to the left; when the spacing is too narrow it moves to the right. The faults, however, have to be formed. heir formation has been shown to occur when local regions deviate considerably from the spacing defined by the lamellar When the spacing is locally too narrow (it passes to the left of the minimum, Fig. 2), pinching off of the narrow phase occurs. When the spacing is locally too wide, the interface on the large volume-fraction phase can no longer be maintained as an iso-

Jan 1, 1969

By E. DeGolyer

WAR has wrought sharp and sudden changes in the pattern of the oil industry. The most obvious and most striking of such changes have been in the fields of transportation and refining. A third of the world's total oil production formerly started to market, tanker-borne, over the waters of the Gulf and Caribbean. Most of this oil went to our North Atlantic ports, supply points for the world's greatest consuming center. This tremendous traffic, disrupted by the loss of tankers as a result of requisition for military purposes and by the activity of enemy submarines, has had to be substituted largely by such lines of supply as could be improvised without loss of too much time. No single solution for this gigantic problem has been found nor is it likely to be entirely solved for some time to come. It has been solved in part, however, by rearrangement, reversals, and patching up of existing pipe-line systems; by overland transport of crude and products in tank cars on a scale never before attempted; by barging over inland waterways; and through the construction at long last of the "big-inch" line, the first leg of which is just being put into operation as far as Norris City, III. The tank-car traffic alone, reaching a peak of deliveries of 856,710 barrels per day into District 1 during the week ending Sept. 19, 1942, and accomplished at an expense of millions of dollars in extraordinary transportation costs, defrayed by the Defense Supply Corp. and by the mobilization of tank cars from all over the nation, is a story worth the telling but by some of those who directed it.

Jan 1, 1943

By William B. Heroy

LOOKING back over the industrial and commercial progress of the United States during the last half century the outstanding influence has been the growth of the use of the fluid fuels, petroleum and natural gas. At the turn of the century these fuels supplied only 8 per cent of the energy requirements of the nation. Last year nearly 45 per cent of our heat and power supply were derived from these fuels. These figures are merely statistical reflections of the fundamental change in our national economy which has affected, in so many amazing ways, the life of this generation. The factors which have caused this change are still operative. The trend which has thus been established still continues and growth in the use of these fuels is, in all probability, still well below the peak, both for this country and for other parts of the world. Two great wars have not essentially changed this basic trend; if anything they have served to accelerate it. World War II did not alone increase our requirements for liquid fuels; it demonstrated the absolute essentially of petroleum resources to our national security. Petroleum is no longer just an important factor in our national standard of living; it is the most important single element in our national defence-

Jan 1, 1946

By Joseph W. Leonard

The purpose of this paper is to review and discuss some of the less evident and sometimes neglected opportunities for progressive developments in coal research. While a great deal of both promotional and technical information flows from some areas of coal research, output deficiencies in other areas of activity have reached a magnitude where important developments have been, and will increasingly be, unfavorably affected. These areas mainly involve coal mining and preparation. Some recommendations for the intensification of effort in these areas follow: Coal Mining While a huge tonnage of in-the-ground coal is assured, the location and distribution of these tonnages are becoming less favorable. The easy-to-mine coal which is located in or near population centers has been, or is being, mined. The vigor with which the less accessible reserves are recovered by the mining industry depends largely on the condition of the coal market at the time of mining. Hence, during a buyer's market, the commercially oriented mining industry is compelled to mine the easier and less costly reserves. Conversely, during a seller's market, the need to rapidly expand production results in more difficult mining and higher cost coal as few obstacles are encountered in finding markets. Hence, a seller's market tends to enhance the recovery of reserves while a buyer's market does not. One reason for today's fuel supply problems is that the Nation has recently emerged from a long-term coal buyer's market which lasted from about 1950 to 1968. During that period, national policy caused severe production cutbacks which regretably drove the industry to mining only the more accessible and better quality reserves. Often in order to remain in business, many hundreds of millions of tons of more difficult to mine reserves were abandoned and lost behind caved areas. Many of these reserves are close to population areas and would not have been lost in a more stable economic climate. It is difficult to fully account for all the impacts that were caused by the great buyer's market of the 1950s and 1960s. Besides the obvious loss of reserves that were once considered national wealth, the mining of better reserves tended to produce a generation of technically optimistic mining people. Mining people frequently became accustomed to looking at nothing less than outstanding mining conditions as a result of the declining market. Many are now and have long since received a re-education in the other half of mining. Going from many years of mining accessible, select and easy-to-win reserves, to the crash-driving of development entries in reserves that were considered unworthy of mining during 50s and 60s, frequently results in a much higher rate of encounter with in-seam and out-of-seam rock as well as with coal-deficient areas or "washouts." Intensive entry driving activity and compulsory non-selective mining in sometimes lean reserves were brought on by the need to rapidly open up new supplies of coal. Working under these requirements presents a continuing reminder that much more needs to be known about the relatively esoteric art of planning the best direction for driving entries in order to insure that a more consistent and greater supply of coal is available during early mine development. All of the preceding discussion tends to point to a need for a better estimate of those reserves of coal that are likely to be mined in the future. Such estimates should not be limited to the compilation of the amount of coal in the ground; but, where possible, should also include information concerning the capability for producing this coal. After all, a coal seam of ample thickness may have a degree of thickness variability, undulation, bad roof or floor, so as to make what would otherwise appear to be an attractive mining condition untenable. Underlying the problem involving the feasibility of producing known reserves is the need to develop better methods for the characterization of coal seams and associated lithotypes, based on drill core data, once at area is selected for mining. Reserves and their characterization involve aspects of exploration technology that are frequently considered mature. The resulting technological deficiencies may be the main reason why coal exploration frequently does not end with core drilling of a property, as it should, but extends into the mining operation during the driving of development entries. When exploration is extended to the driving of development entries, the near absence of integrated decision-making theory involving mining, geology, mathematics, and economics becomes, once again, all too painfully apparent and frequently results in very costly rationalizations. Hence, by the formal initiation of a concentrated program to combine the cyclical effects of economics with geology and mining, more relevant estimates of reserve distribution, tonnages, and production capability should be forthcoming. Moreover, a similar formal effort is needed to develop a combination of the most advanced concepts of mathematics, geology, and mining to better "see" coal seams as a means to favorably implement many long-range decisions involving mine safety and productivity. Much more applied research needs to be done on coal mining systems for mining in thin seams and/or under bad roof. Current difficulties in both of these areas at recently opened coal mines should provide a sobering glimpse into the future. Full-scale applied research, sponsored by appropriate federal agencies, is urgently needed on a scheme involving a new combination of established mining and preparation elements. The scheme may include: (1) a continuous mining machine remotely operated by a miner stationed at some distance behind the machine using a cord attached control box; (2) hydraulic transport of coal through pipes from the mining machine to a coarse refuse removal grid, crusher, and then on to portable concentrating equipment; (3) the hydraulic transport of clean coal out of the mine in pipes to the surface for thermal dewatering, if neces-

Jan 1, 1974

By RICHARD L. HUMPHREY

IT IS proper that there should be a brief accounting of the stewardship which was entrusted to the Joint Conference Committee by resolution adopted by the. Organizing Conference on June 4, 1920, in part as follows: RESOLVED, that it is the sense of this Organizing Conference that the Joint Conference Committee should be entrusted with making provision for putting the conclusions of this Conference of engineers into effect, etc. Pursuant to this authority, the Joint Conference, Committee has acted as an Ad-interim Committee has- prepared, a synopsis of the proceedings of the Organizing .Conference, has edited and published the Constitution and By-Laws adopted by this Conference, and. has issued an invitation to become Charter Members of The Federated, American Engineering Societies; to the list of organizations to whom invitations had been extended to attend 'the Organizing., Conference. The Committee in connection with this invitation offered to the extent of its ability, such assistance as might be-desired; and arranged in many cases for one or more of its members to be present when the matter of membership in The Federated American Engineering Societies was considered. . .

Jan 1, 1920

By Charles C. Towle, Irving Rapaport

URANIUM mineralization along the north flank of the Zuni Uplift, in the vicinity of Haystack Butte, was discovered by Paddy Martinez, a Navajo Indian, in the spring of 1950. The find was reported to the Santa Fe Railway Co., which initiated a program of exploration upon its holdings in the district in December of 1950. The Anaconda Copper Mining Co. secured numerous leases in January and February, 1951, and began an intensive exploration and development program in March 1951. The district was extended into the Lucero Uplift in August of 1951 by the discovery of uranium mineralization in Todilto limestone by Joy Sinyella, a Supai Indian living on the Laguna Reservation. Initial reconnaissance was performed in the district by the Atomic Energy Commission in November 1950. A field office under the direction of the Denver Exploration Branch of the AEC was established at Prewitt, N. Mex. in January 1951 to study regional and detailed guides to ore, to evaluate the ore deposits, and to promote the development of the district by providing geologic services for the companies and individuals engaged in exploration. With the development of sufficient ore to warrant construction of a mill, the Grants area of New Mexico has come of age as a full fledged uranium mining district. The carnotite-type deposits of Grants, the first of major economic importance found in limestone, have extended the Colorado Plateau carnotite field into the more complex structure of the Basin and Range Province. General Geology The Grants uranium district is in northwestern New Mexico, along the southern flank of the San Juan Basin, between the cities of Gallup and Albuquerque. The region is at a mean altitude of about 6800 ft, vegetation is sparse, and outcrops are excellent. Mt. Taylor volcanic peak, at an elevation of 11,400 ft dominates the surrounding area. The overlying cliff-forming Dakota sandstone is the most resistant formation in the Grants District and characteristically erodes into dissected mesas as much as five miles wide. The principle uranium ore-bearing horizons are found in the underlying Morrison formation, and the Todilto limestone of the San Rafael group. The Morrison weathers into. a series of steep slopes and precipitous cliffs near the lower part of the Dakota-capped rims, while in contrast, the relatively resistant underlying. Todilto [ ] limestone forms broad benches extending out from the base of these Dakota rims as much as five miles wide. The Todilto benches are covered with overburden to an average depth of about 5 ft in the first thousand ft away from the Dakota rim, but increases to about 200 ft at the base of the rim. In many places however, a thick mantle of upper Cretaceous sediments and Tertiary volcanics "obscures the ore-bearing Jurassic, and precludes exploration. . The known uranium deposits of the Grants District are distributed throughout a zone 85 miles long and about 10 miles wide. Stratigraphy Rocks from pre-Cambrian through Tertiary are exposed in the uplifted areas, but uranium appears to be restricted chiefly to two zones in Jurassic sediments. The Jurassic sediments of the Colorado Plateau have been subdivided into three units, in ascending order: (1) Glen Canyon group, (2) San Rafael group, (3) Morrison formation. The Todilto limestone zone within the San Rafael group has produced the bulk of ore to date, but the promise of the Morrison zone is rapidly increasing. The Todilto formation extends about 300 miles east-west and about 100 miles in a north-south direction. It is composed of a lower, extensive, limestone member and a central, more restricted, thick, pure gypsum member. The Todilto is believed to be of lacustrine origin. The Morrison formation in this area is subdivided, rather arbitrarily, into three members: Recapture Creek, Westwater Canyon, and Brushy Basin. Ore

Jan 1, 1952

By C. V. Millikan

New developments in air-gas lift practices in the Mid-Continent area since our Pall meeting in Fort Worth have done much to increase the efficiency of installations, and thus bring within economic limit of air-gas lift many wells which could not have been flowed profitably before. After the gas-lift had so thoroughly demonstrated its value in the Seminole field, its use spread to other areas and many installations were made of which the economy could be questioned. In the Seminole area, when production began to decline it was necessary either to increase the efficiency of the air or gas-lift or to put the wells on the pump, and pumping was not a process of lifting oil to which any operator looked forward with confidence. These conditions have resulted in the development of many practices which increase the efficiency and permit wells to be flowed with air or gas which earlier could not have been flowed economically, and wells which have been flowing to continue to a lower rate of production. The practices which have come into more common usage in the Mid-Continent area recently are mostly revivals of and improvements on practices which have been known in air-lift work for several years. Many arc peculiar to the individual well on which they are used. Intermittent Flowing Some interesting results are being obtained in Seminole and other districts by intermittent injection of gas. Gas is introduced during per-iods iods of 3 to 5 min. at a rate considerably over that necessary to acquire the production at a steady rate of injection, and is then cut off for a period of 3 to 15 min. Two to five wells are run from the same group of conlpressors. The total volume of gas required is sometimes reduced as much as one-third of that required when it is introduced at a constant rate, without changing the amount of oil production. The maximum pressure required is usually higher, but the average equal to or lower than that required for constant rate of flow. The effect on the wells is usually an irregular rate of flowing which may cause inconvenience where recycling is practiced. It would seem that this increase in efficiency is due to less slippage when the gas is introduced intermittently than when it is intro-

Jan 1, 1928

By Benj. F. Tillson

To most mine operators, it seems evident that there is a drill-steel problem, although under certain conditions the amount of drill-steel breakage does not appear serious. What is at fault? It may be one or a combination of circumstances. The development of rock drills to the hammer-drill type in place of the old reciprocating piston drill, probably is one important cause for the greater steel breakage. Perhaps the manufacturers of drill steel have failed to realize what alloys are needed for this new service or have overlooked the changes in the art of rock drilling. Although suitable alloys are provided, they may not be SO handled in the manufacturing process as to be in the best condition to withstand the demands of rock drilling. The mine operator may be at fault in desiring to use the smallest possible drill-steel section in order that the gage of the drill bits may be correspondingly small and the amount of footage drilled per unit of labor may be greater; or the black-smithshop practice at the mines may need improvement. The miner who uses the drill steel may also require more intensive supervision and education. Again, the manufacturer of rock drills may have failed to study the types of blows the steel alloys will withstand satisfactorily and which their tools are delivering and so he may not know whether or not a different design of rock drill would equal or excel their present drilling speeds without treating the drill steel so severely. All of these hypotheses probably have their supporters. On the other hand, perhaps we are seeking too much service from drill steel and we need a fuller realization of the fatigue strains developed and should prepare to relieve these by a periodic heat treatment of the steels. However, we do not find any proof that any of these suppositions may be held responsible for the drill-steel breakage attendant to mining. The proposed investigation of this matter by the U. S. Bureau of Mines is fully warranted in the promotion of the conservation of labor and material, and the safety of the workmen. The great range of field conditions, as well as the scope of the research, requires the energetic cooperative support of many interests. Various manufacturers of steel,

Jan 1, 1922

By Leonard L. Melton, Calvin D. Saunders

The design and performance of many operations common to the petroleum industry depend upon the unique properties of a class of materials known as non-Newtonian fluids. The art of measuring and describing these properties, called rheology, has fallen far behind the field applica-tion of these fluids in this industry. Empirical methods are still employed although theoretically sound methods of analysis are now available. This paper illustrates a completely general method of analysis of the rheological properties of non-Newtonian fluids which id independent of the type of viscometer employed and also the rheological type of fluid encountered except those of a thixo-tropic or rheopectic nature. Values of the rheological properties of a fluid obtained using this method of analysis are based upon an absolute scale of measurement, eliminating the necessity of employ-jng arbitrary concepts of the flow properties of non-Newtonian fluids, The fundamental nature of this method of analysis is further demonstrated by evaluating the precision with which measurements have been made of these rheological properties by employing a dimensionless criteric: —the Fanning friction factor-Reynolds number correlation. INTRODUCTION Non-Newtonian fluids are not new in the petroleum industry. Particular properties of non-Newtonian materials have been recognized and used to advantage in drilling fluids and have found excellent application in the hydraulic fracturing process.'.' While usage of these fluids is not new in this industry, the art of measuring and describing their rheological properties is still in its infancy. This is reflected in the accepted method of evaluating drilling fluids, API RP 29, (1950), which recommends a one point "viscosity" measurement. These shortcomings are recognized by various groups in the industry and more adequate methods have been prposed.3,4 The efforts Of these people are to be commended; but, at the same time, the limitations of their method of analysis and viscometer must be appreciated. This method Of analysis is applicable Only to Bingham plastic fluids as is pointed out early in their articles. The consistency of a Bingham plastic fluid must also lie within the range of the viscometer which is also well defined by the author. It is believed that the apparent simplicity of this method of analysis and the utility Of Operation Of their viscometer will soon make the terms non-Newtonian fluid and Bingham plastic fluid synonymous as used in this industry; a tendency which has already been encountered. Application of this method of analysis to a non-Newtonian fluid other than a Bingham plastic can lead to erroneous results. The field of rheology has long been hampered by the adherence to arbitrary concepts of Of of the flow properties Of non-Newtonian fluids. This has resulted in the design and operation of viscometers so as to fulfill these concepts rather than following the more logical method of analyzing experimental data so as to yield a fundamental truth. completely Bingham proposed the concept Of plastic flow and yield asu rement. data presented by Buckingham could hardly be interpreted so as to substantiate this theory; but rather succeeded in establishing the fact that compliance with this flow concept could never be realized in the capillary tube vis-cometer.5 Bingham, in reply, sug-gested "Rather than complicate our formula, it would seem to me a much better plan to so change the conditions of flow that the formula will be linear... Reiner0 stated .This plan has been followed by me in collaboration with Miss Riwlin. . . . From the present paper (Reiner and Riwlin, 1929) it will be seen that it is possible to choose the conditions of flow so that the formula based on Bingham's law of plastic flow remains linear. This is realized in the rotation viscometer," Thus, a viscometer, with design and operation based on the Reiner and Riwlin equation for plastic flow, is restricted to a specific range of flow

Jan 1, 1958

By C. L. Thornburg

FLANKING the Valley of Mexico on the northeast is a mountain range known as the Sierra de Pachuca. This northwesterly-trending range is about 30 miles long and 5 miles wide, its summit attaining an elevation of more than 10,000 feet above sea level, or 2000 feet above the valley floor. Pachuca, a town of 50,000 inhabitants, lies nestled at the southwest base of the range, 60 miles northeast of Mexico City. Three miles to the east, just over the summit and on the northeasterly slope, is the mountain town of Real del Monte with a population of about 20,000. These are the two principal towns in a 40-sq mile area whose yield has brought the district to its high rank among the world's silver producers. Total production probably exceeds 1.25 billion ounces of silver and 4.5 million ounces of gold. Exploitation by the Spanish was under way by 1530. As the mines were deepened operations became handicapped by the inadequate method of handling water with horse whims and bull skins. To offset this disadvantage a two-mile drainage tunnel was started in 1749 and completed ten years later. John Taylor of London acquired the mines from the third Count of Regla in 1824 and formed the Compania de Real del Monte y Pachuca. Two years later Cornish pumps were brought from England. A Mexican company purchased the British interest in 1848 and within a few years resumed an old project of driving a second, lower three-mile drainage tunnel, completing it in 1857. After Americzn interests acquired control of the property in 1906 operations expanded to an unprecedented scale, despite periods of political strife, unstable prices, labor problems, and a growing burden of taxation. An idea of the scale of operations may be gained from records of the last two decades prior to 1947, the last year for which production information is at hand, during which time production ranged from 1.4 million to 1.1 million tons per year, and the combined development and exploration, exclusive of diamond drilling, amounted to about 18 miles annually. Pachuca differs from Zacatecas and some other Mexican silver vein districts that flourished and de- clined in earlier centuries in that a substantial part of its total production was made after 1900. While the district's accelerated activity in this century was largely due to the successful application of the cyanide process to the treatment of the ores, improved pumping methods, and new mechanical equipment, it was at the same time stimulated by the opening up of important new orebodies as a result of active and extensive exploration of the vein system. Some of these orebodies were found on veins which terminate upward far below the surface, and though these particular veins do not crop out, they show relationship with a type of alteration which may be their surface expression. The district has been studied by many able geologists, and a large store of information has been accumulated, much of which is recorded in published as well as private papers. Wall Rocks Extrusive Rocks: The Sierra de Pachuca is a thick accumulation of Tertiary eruptive rocks consisting mainly of flows, breccias, and tuffs. Numerous recognizable volcanic vents within the range itself manifest that the range was built up by material ejected from these vents. The maximum thickness of the volcanic pile is not known, but from deep exploration and from relationship with Mesozoic sediments to the north and east it is inferred that the average thickness in the main part of the district may be at least 6000 ft. The extrusive rocks comprise four general types, which in ascending order of age are: andesite, rhyolite, dacite, and basalt. The veins are confined largely to the andesite, the dominant rock of the region. Characteristically this rock is augite andesite, but it includes comparatively acidic as well as basic layers, the acidic strata being

Jan 1, 1953

By C. L. Thornburg

FLANKING the Valley of Mexico on the northeast is a mountain range known as the Sierra de Pachuca. This northwesterly-trending range is about 30 miles long and 5 miles wide, its summit attaining an elevation of more than 10,000 feet above sea level, or 2000 feet above the valley floor. Pachuca, a town of 50,000 inhabitants, lies nestled at the southwest base of the range, 60 miles northeast of Mexico City. Three miles to the east, just over the summit and on the northeasterly slope, is the mountain town of Real del Monte with a population of about 20,000. These are the two principal towns in a 40-sq mile area whose yield has brought the district to its high rank among the world's silver producers. Total production probably exceeds 1.25 billion ounces of silver and 4.5 million ounces of gold. Exploitation by the Spanish was under way by 1530. As the mines were deepened operations became handicapped by the inadequate method of handling water with horse whims and bull skins. To offset this disadvantage a two-mile drainage tunnel was started in 1749 and completed ten years later. John Taylor of London acquired the mines from the third Count of Regla in 1824 and formed the Compania de Real del Monte y Pachuca. Two years later Cornish pumps were brought from England. A Mexican company purchased the British interest in 1848 and within a few years resumed an old project of driving a second, lower three-mile drainage tunnel, completing it in 1857. After American interests acquired control of the property in 1906 operations expanded to an unprecedented scale, despite periods of political strife, unstable prices, labor problems, and a growing burden of taxation. An idea of the scale of operations may be gained from records of the last two decades prior to 1947, the last year for which production information is at hand, during which time production ranged from 1.4 million to 1.1 million tons per year, and the combined development and exploration, exclusive of diamond drilling, amounted to about 18 miles annually. Pachuca differs from Zacatecas and some other Mexican silver vein districts that flourished and declined in earlier centuries in that a substantial part of its total production was made after 1900. While the district's accelerated activity in this century was largely due to the successful application of the cyanide process to the treatment of the ores, improved pumping methods, and new mechanical equipment, it was at the same time stimulated by the opening up of important new orebodies as a result of active and extensive exploration of the vein system. Some of these orebodies were found on veins which terminate upward far below the surface, and though these particular veins do not crop out, they show relationship with a type of alteration which may be their surface expression. The district has been studied by many able geologists, and a large store of information has been accumulated, much of which is recorded in published as well as private papers. Wall Rocks Extrusive Rocks: The Sierra de Pachuca is a thick accumulation of Tertiary eruptive rocks consisting mainly of flows, breccias, and tuffs. Numerous recognizable volcanic vents within the range itself manifest that the range was built up by material ejected from these vents. The maximum thickness of the volcanic pile is not known, but from deep exploration and from relationship with Mesozoic sediments to the north and east it is inferred that the average thickness in the main part of the district may be at least 6000 ft. The extrusive rocks comprise four general types, which in ascending order of age are: andesite, rhyolite, dacite, and basalt. The veins are confined largely to the andesite, the dominant rock of the region. Characteristically this rock is augite andesite, but it includes comparatively acidic as well as basic layers, the acidic strata being

Jan 1, 1952

By C. L. Thornburg

FLANKING the Valley of Mexico on the northeast is a mountain range known as the Sierra de Pachuca. This northwesterly-trending range is about 30 miles long and 5 miles wide, its summit attaining an elevation of more than 10,000 feet above sea level, or 2000 feet above the valley floor. Pachuca, a town of 50,000 inhabitants, lies nestled at the southwest base of the range, 60 miles northeast of Mexico City. Three miles to the east, just over the summit and on the northeasterly slope, is the mountain town of Real del Monte with a population of about 20,000. These are the two principal towns in a 40-sq mile area whose yield has brought the district to its high rank among the world's silver producers. Total production probably exceeds 1.25 billion ounces of silver and 4.5 million ounces of gold. Exploitation by the Spanish was under way by 1530. As the mines were deepened operations became handicapped by the inadequate method of handling water with horse whims and bull skins. To offset this disadvantage a two-mile drainage tunnel was started in 1749 and completed ten years later. John Taylor of London acquired the mines from the third Count of Regla in 1824 and formed the Compania de Real del Monte y Pachuca. Two years later Cornish pumps were brought from England. A Mexican company purchased the British interest in 1848 and within a few years resumed an old project of driving a second, lower three-mile drainage tunnel, completing it in 1857. After Americzn interests acquired control of the property in 1906 operations expanded to an unprecedented scale, despite periods of political strife, unstable prices, labor problems, and a growing burden of taxation. An idea of the scale of operations may be gained from records of the last two decades prior to 1947, the last year for which production information is at hand, during which time production ranged from 1.4 million to 1.1 million tons per year, and the combined development and exploration, exclusive of diamond drilling, amounted to about 18 miles annually. Pachuca differs from Zacatecas and some other Mexican silver vein districts that flourished and de- clined in earlier centuries in that a substantial part of its total production was made after 1900. While the district's accelerated activity in this century was largely due to the successful application of the cyanide process to the treatment of the ores, improved pumping methods, and new mechanical equipment, it was at the same time stimulated by the opening up of important new orebodies as a result of active and extensive exploration of the vein system. Some of these orebodies were found on veins which terminate upward far below the surface, and though these particular veins do not crop out, they show relationship with a type of alteration which may be their surface expression. The district has been studied by many able geologists, and a large store of information has been accumulated, much of which is recorded in published as well as private papers. Wall Rocks Extrusive Rocks: The Sierra de Pachuca is a thick accumulation of Tertiary eruptive rocks consisting mainly of flows, breccias, and tuffs. Numerous recognizable volcanic vents within the range itself manifest that the range was built up by material ejected from these vents. The maximum thickness of the volcanic pile is not known, but from deep exploration and from relationship with Mesozoic sediments to the north and east it is inferred that the average thickness in the main part of the district may be at least 6000 ft. The extrusive rocks comprise four general types, which in ascending order of age are: andesite, rhyolite, dacite, and basalt. The veins are confined largely to the andesite, the dominant rock of the region. Characteristically this rock is augite andesite, but it includes comparatively acidic as well as basic layers, the acidic strata being

Jan 1, 1953

By Milton E. Wadsworth, W. Martin Fassell, William H. Dresher

A study of the rate of dissolution of molybdenite (MoS2) in alkaline solution was carried out under carefully controlled conditions. Effects of temperature, oxygen over-pressure, and KOH concentration were evaluated. Studies were made in the temperature range 100°C to 175°C and in the pressure range 0 to 700 psia of oxygen. Under these conditions molybdenite was found to leach according to a linear mechanism. Both oxygen over-pressure and KOH concentration were found to control the rate of leaching. The mechanism has been explained in terms of adsorption of oxygen at the molybdenite surface followed by configurational rearrangement of the adsorbed molecules. The hydroxyl ion dependency is believed to be diffusion-controlled. Laboratory batch studies have shown that molybdenite can be readily dissolved in alkaline solutions under moderate conditions of temperature and pressure. Commercial application of this process to the production of ferro-molybdenum and molybdenum chemicals is promising in view of the ease of dissolution of molybdenite and the relatively noncorrosive conditions involved in the process. HIGH temperature-high pressure techniques have long been used to great advantage in the organic chemical industry, the petroleum industry, and the paper industry. Only recently, however, have these methods been used to extract metals from their ores on a commercial scale. The Chemical Construction Corp., together with interested producers of nickel and cobalt, has done much to develop methods of producing nickel and cobalt powders by the use of high temperature-high pressure techniques.' The Howe Sound Co. is currently operating a plant near Salt Lake City in which the new Chemical Construction Corp. technique is applied to cobalt-arsenic sulfide concentrates. In this method the concentrates are leached in a dilute solution of sulfuric acid under air pressure at a high temperature. Near Edmonton, in Alberta, Canada, the Sherritt Gordon Co. is also using the new method in conjunction with its ammoniacal leach process.' National Lead Co., at Fredricktown, Mo., is operating a process similar to that of Howe Sound. In spite of the rapid growth of high temperature-high pressure hydrometallurgical processes, there has been very little work done on fundamental principles involved in this type of process. Conse- quently the literature lacks any significant data in this field. Oxidation of pyrite,3 phalerite,4 galena,5 and recently molybdenite" in alkaline solutions has been reported to some extent. This investigation was initiated, therefore, to broaden the application of high temperature-high pressure hydrometallurgy and also to contribute some insight into the basic mechanisms of oxidation in an aqueous medium under these conditions. In addition to the immediate consequences of these processes much valuable information remains to be learned about fundamental reactions when they are carried out at temperatures and pressures slightly higher than those normally encountered. Leaching of molybdenite by alkaline solutions under oxygen pressure has recently been reported in the Russian literature by E. S. Usataya,8 who found that leaching rate increased with an increase in the pH of the solution—the strongest effects being observed at a pH of 10—and also with an increase in temperature. Usataya also has reported the formation of a protective film on the surface of the molybdenite when the leaching solution was weakly alkaline, neutral, or acidic. He believes that this oxidation process explains the migration of Mo+ + in the oxidation zones of molybdenite ore deposits and the subsequent impoverishment of the ores. Equipment: The high temperature-high pressure reaction unit used in this work was especially designed for kinetic studies of this nature, emphasis being placed on accuracy of measurement and precision of control. As details of the unit's construction and operation have been discussed elsewhere,7 Only basic features and principles of operation will be discussed at this point.

Jan 1, 1957

By AIME AIME

ARGUMENTS and discussions were not lacking either Wednesday or Thursday mornings, when the geophysicists got together. The first session, under the chairmanship of Paul Weaver, was devoted largely to theoretical papers, except for the first one by F. W. Lee, which was a progress report. This speaker mentioned some of the high lights of geophysical exploration during the last year, such as the recently announced extension of the Rand gold fields through magnetic exploration, and the continued activity in the oil fields of this country. Even this brought forth some disagreements, Paul Weaver feeling that credit was being given geophysics where it was not due for the discovery of certain oil fields. In this criticism Everette DeGolyer concurred, and both agreed that geophysicists must lean over backward when it comes to taking credit for discoveries. The troublesome question of interpreting resistivity curves is always being aired, and Lynn G. Howell's paper, presented briefly by the chairman, served to clear up a moot point raised last year by M. King Hubbert's work. By use of Maxwell's theory of images the author calculated that the effect of a thin, conductive sheet placed perpendicularly across the middle of a four electrode system should bring the resistivity curve up to a figure equivalent to the resistivity of the surrounding medium, but no higher. Variations from this he explained as being due to dirt on the surface of the sheet. The difficult question of interpreting three-layer curves was tackled bravely in Thomas Manhart's paper, presented in abstract by S. F. Kelly. The author seems to be attaining some success through dividing three-layer curves into two approximation curves of the two-layer type.

Jan 1, 1933

JOINT convention week has become a feature of the year with western mining men. The first was held at Denver in 1926, the second at Salt Lake City in 1927, and the third is about to take place at Los Angeles. Holding in the same city in one week the meetings of a number of related organizations has been .found to permit the development of a well-rounded program at the same time that it economizes time and money for the members, many of whom belong to several of the participating organizations. For the third time, the American Mining Congress, represented by its Western Division, of which Philip Wiseman is chairman, is taking the lead and assuming the main responsibility. The A.I.M.E. is furnishing the papers for two sessions and the California Development Association for one. The Southern California Section, Robert R. Boyd, chairman, is host for the Institute, but the Northern California, Nevada and Arizona sections have each contributed papers to the program, and will be represented at the meeting. It will be a real reunion of the mining men of the Southwest.

Sep 1, 1928

By Waldemar Lindgren

IN spite of a world production of lead amounting to 1,300,000 tons, of which the United States produces slightly less than one-half, it appears that the mines at present are hardly able to supply the demand. For this there are several reasons. The lead deposits, geologically speaking, were formed comparatively near the surface under conditions of lower temperatures, with the richer deposits often residuary; that is, enriched by surface water, and consequently soon exhausted. Lead is practically absent from a great part of the world. The great Canadian shield, the eastern part of the Dominion, contains practically none. Scandinavia contains no lead. It is absent from geo- logical formations of great age, but does occur in large quantities in the deposits in the Rocky Mountain region. These deposits are, more or less directly, of igneous origin, but here, too, there is a tendency of the lead shoots to concentrate in the upper part, and when they go down the deposits turn to zinc-copper and some other metals. This is one of the best established facts of economic geology. The deposits of the Mississippi Valley district, from Kansas-Oklahoma, to Canada, are in comparatively accessible limestone beds, at a depth seldom more than 500 ft. Therefore, the lead is easily mined but more easily exhausted.

Jan 1, 1926