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ARTHUR CROWFOOT, Morenci, Ariz. (communication to the Secretary*).-In order to set at rest any doubts in regard to the reasons for selecting the Callow pneumatic flotation process for use in the concentrators of the Arizona Copper Co., Ltd., at Clifton and Morenci, I am presenting the following facts gained from the results of test work carried out on the Callow and Cole-Bergman types of flotation machines at Morenci. Prior to the comparative test of merit between the Callow and Cole-Bergman machines, many months' time and a large amount of money had been expended in the development and testing of the Cole-Bergman machine, and it was necessary to decide quickly what make of machine was best to install. The Callow pneumatic flotation process was recommended for installation in our concentrators for the following reasons: The results indicated: 1. That the Callow system made the highest extraction of copper values from the feed treated. 2. That the Callow system was simpler to operate and could he operated it a lower cost. 3. That the Callow system operated with a lower air pressure. (The question of the actual power consumption of the two types of machines was not definitely settled at this time.) During the official test period the Callow flotation apparatus showed an additional recovery of from 1 to 1.5 lb. of copper per ton more than the Cole-Bergman machine, this difference being maintained by further treatment of the tailing from both machines. The simplicity of the operation of the Callow flotation system is one of its notable features, two operators per shift being able to handle 90 standard cells and blower equipment.

Jan 7, 1917

By D. S. Cahn, D. W. Fuerstenau

Specimens of glass, plexiglass, and naturally occurring minerals were irradiated by a 15-joule ruby laser pulse to determine criteria for the fracture of nonmetallic solids by internal thermal stresses. Fracture did not occur in those specimens with either a very high or very low internal absorptance or with a high spectral reflectance. If significant amounts of melting and vaporization do not occur at the surface of irradiation, the specimen will fracture if a derived 11fracture stress" exceeds the ultimate tensile strength of the specimen. The purpose of this investigation was to determine criteria for the fracture of nonmetallic solids by internal thermal stresses which are caused by absorption of laser irradiation. A laser produces a very short pulse of light which has a high energy density distributed over a very narrow part of the visible spectrum. The laser system used in this investigation had an energy output of 15 0 joules at a wavelength of 6940 A. Fracture in a non-metallic solid, then, would be caused by the absorption of light energy by that solid, and subsequent conversion of this energy to heat or mechanical energy. Fracture is caused by internal stresses that result from rapidly imposed nonequilibrium thermal gradients. ANALYSIS OF CONDITIONS FOR FRACTURE BY LASER IRRADIATION For this analysis, the laser beam is assumed to be circular and centered on the junction of the major and minor axes of a rectangular specimen. The laser beam forms a cylinder of radius rb extending through the specimen width. The beam cylinder may be then thought of as a heated mass constrained by a surrounding unheated mass. The instantaneously heated cylinder will at-

Jan 1, 1968

By Howard L. Hartman

Probably no aspect of underground excavation is as important or as neglected as the environment. The Committee on Rapid Excavation, formed by the National Academy of Engineering to study the technological needs for "rapid" underground excavation in tunnels, shafts, and mines of the future, encountered a blank wall in attempting to evaluate environmental needs. In fact, so little quantitative information on the extent of present-day hazards is available that projection of future environmental-control demands must await more adequate assessment of current hazard levels. Further, there are not even accepted tolerance standards for many environmental conditions, such as heat, noise, and illumination. Only certain atmospheric contaminants have been satisfactorily catalogued. Any technical study, therefore, which purports to examine the state-of- the-art on underground environmental control must, in reality, settle for a cursory survey of a rather nebulous subject. ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS To contend adequately with hazards in the underground environment requires some knowledge of their nature and characteristics. In this regard, it is helpful first to identify our concern: when, where, and to whom or what may environmental conditions constitute "hazards"? Table 1 summarizes considerations that are important in this regard. For the purposes of this Conference (and book), primarily directed toward the excavation process itself, the hazards of consequence occur during excavation (item A) and primarily within the excavation (item B). However, some attention must be given to external hazards as well, since these may affect excavation. The object of concern (item C) is mainly human safety, although property security is also important. Hazards occur in a variety of forms. If one is to devise suitable control

Jan 1, 1970

Problems discussed and research opportunities identified during the workshop in the major areas of 1) flocculation, 2) flotation, 3) leaching and magnetic separation are summarized below. I. FLOCCULATION Problems Practical problems caused by unintentional flocculation or dispersion were described in the papers that dealt with iron ore processing, selective flocculation, fine coal processing, phosphate processing and potash processing. Ideas generated during the discussions ranged from the very practical suggestion that a conscious effort be made to transfer knowhow from the experienced clay industry to the metals and fuels-from-slimes industry. . . , to the familiar appeals for omnipotent theoretical developments. There was surprising recurrence of some questions in many contexts. Recurring questions are emphasized here rather than commodity-specific problems because their answers would serve a wider clientele usage. There is indeed no objection and some advantage to commodity-specific research, however, provided the proposed project is planned with full cognizance of transferable knowledge in other commodities, and of the possible usefulness of these results in other areas. Research Needs Most of the questions or research opportunities can be classified into three groups: a) water chemistry, b) dewatering, and c) flocculation theory. Other classifications are possible and probably useful. In each group there is a clear need for outwardly esoteric theoretical research a clear application of that work to current practical problems. Higher priority should be given to proposals for theoretical research which explicitly show the expected ultimate usefulness of the result. Likewise, proposals for applied research should demonstrate cognizance of applicable theory. Both of these types of projects could profit from collaboration among industrial, university and government personnel.

Jan 1, 1979

By M. T. Abasov

Among a host of challenges dictated by the explosively developing scientific and technical revolution, the improvement of control and management is one of the most essential problems. This problem is also of far-reaching importance for the oil and gas industries. An oil and gas extracting complex is an involved multilink system characterized by a great number of elements and by intricate interconnections between these elements. Of paramount importance for these systems is the quality of control. Any deviation of the control from the optimum reduces the effectiveness of the system and deteriorates its basic technical and economic factors. In case of large systems, even a relatively small deviation from the optimum may result in considerable material and power losses. Optimization of control of large production systems is therefore one of the basic means to enhance their effectiveness. The present paper discusses a development control problem for a multilayer gas deposit using the method of simultaneous exploitation of several strata by means of a single well. The optimum control is achieved by determining the dynamics of changes in the number of producing wells in a reservoir with regard to the depth of occurrence of these reservoirs as well as the difference in the time of introduction of the wells from drilling and their transfer to another reservoir. A mathematical model was constructed for the problem under consideration and a method was given to solve this problem. The problem was dealt with under the assumption that either each of the reservoirs or a part of them have vertically overlying areas and that there is no hydrodynamic interference between the horizons. It was

Jan 1, 1977

By C. H. Noren

For some years the Du Pont Company has utilized computer calculations to study the various theoretical properties of explosives. These studies have yielded valuable information on the effects of density changes or formulation changes on detonation rate, detonation pressure, explosion pressure, heat of explosion and numerous other properties, and have aided in evaluating the theoretical potential of explosives. In addition, a multitude of laboratory tests have been utilized for the evaluation of explosives. When comparing the computer data and the voluminous test data it became evident that numerous anomalies existed. Tests in rock were required to study explosives under borehole confinement. This fact was further emphasized after numerous field measurements showed that the borehole velocity of commercial explosives did not match the theoretical value but was dependent on conditions of field use. Since we are interested in the practical aspects of blasting, a program was initiated to evaluate explosives as used in commercial blasting. INSTRUMENTATION Most of you are familiar with the extensive work that has been done by the U. S. Bureau of Mines in their studies of strain measurements in rock. Early in our work we adopted procedures similar to those used by the Bureau of Mines. Strain pulses were measured by gages cemented in boreholes. Since we were primarily interested in the effect of explosives in the zone where fracture might occur, this system offered several disadvantages for Du Pont: 1. Cemented gages were expensive and not reusable. 2. When gage holes were used for several shots, there was considerable question as to the condition of the rock after the first shot.

Jan 1, 1968

By R. G. Stickney

INTRODUCTION The Basalt Waste Isolation Project, conducted by Rockwell Hanford Operations under contract to the U.S. Department of Energy, is assessing the feasibility of the disposal of commercial radioactive spent fuel/high-level waste in deep geologic formations in basalts beneath and within the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State. The Basalt Waste Isolation Project mission is to identify and characterize a potential geologic repository site in basalt and to develop associated facilities and technology required for the potential permanent isolation of radioactive wastes in basalt formations. In support of the Basalt Waste Isolation Project, a laboratory testing program was conducted to evaluate the performance of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research's "Doorstopper" biaxial strain cell. To support site characterization studies and the design of repository openings, in situ stress measurements will be conducted within the reference repository horizon (~970 m). The Doorstopper is one of the instruments being considered for use in these measurements. It was selected because it requires only a small volume of work to achieve stress relief, which is important in a closely jointed basalt. Also, test durations are short, permitting a large number of measurements to be made within a given time to increase confidence in the results. Within the reference repository horizon, temperatures are expected in the range of 40º to 60°C with a humidity of up to 100%. For this testing program, test conditions were selected to closely resemble those expected within the repository horizon. The Doorstopper test, mainly developed by Leeman (1964), is a strain rosette relief method of measuring rock stress in situ. The Doorstopper consists of a four element, 45º strain gage rosette

Jan 1, 1984

By J. E. Willson, N. K. Bohidar

An evaluation of internal stress distribution based on photoelastic studies and destructive testing of simulation models shows that pillar failure is a function of the internal stress distribution, and that stability can be changed by altering the internal stress pattern. Induced stresses in three-dimensional epoxy disks subjected to uniaxial forces were evaluated by photoelastic studies. Stress profiles across different sections perpendicular to the loading direction revealed two maxima for each profile. Based on the stress distribution for the entire column, an attempt was made to explain pillar spalling and the hour glass pattern of failure in a mine pillar. For maximum stability and optimum design of mine pillars, it is necessary to consider the external forces, the nature and distribution of induced stresses and the characteristics of the pillar material as determined in the laboratory. This paper summarizes the research done by N. K. Bohidarl and Ben L. seegrniller2 as partial fulfilment of the requirement for Master of Science degree in Mining Engineering, University of Utah. It is an evaluation of a study to determine the stress distribution in short columns in order that regions of high stress concentration in mine pillars may be found and their effect on pillar failure be ascertained. The ratios of the dimensions of the columns studied are representative of those found in mines located in flat-bedded deposits. The weight of the overburden generally constitutes the major external force. This force is calculated by taking into account specific weight and thickness of the cover. Determination of the distribution of this force on pillars may often require a complex analytical study. There have been many investigations of the strength

Jan 1, 1968

By Frederick Laist

IT IS obviously impossible to design a copper smelting plant which could be considered, ideal under all conditions. For example, a plant properly designed to smelt the concentrates resulting from the treatment of porphyry ores by flotation would not be the kind of plant that one would design for the treatment of a coarse pyritous copper ore. The smelting of flotation or other fine concentrates is generally accomplished in a reverberatory plant, although occasionally the concentrates are sintered and then smelted in blast furnaces. On the other hand, coarse self-fluxing ores, whether pyritic or semi-pyritic, are generally smelted in a blast-furnace plant. Even this statement is only- approximately true, since the choice will be influenced by many factors; for example, the kind of fuel available (coal, oil or coke), the value of power (electric or steam), the uses to which waste steam may be put (heating, drying, etc.), the cost of refractories (silica and fire brick), the permanence and continuity of the ore supply and the relative first costs of the two types of plant (the reverberatory plant is generally more expensive to construct and to shut down), the contour of the site on which the plant is to be built (rugged, rolling or flat), the intelligence and character of the labor avail-able, and many other factors. From these remarks, it is evident that no copper smelter can be ideal for all conditions of ore and locality, and inasmuch as most of the copper now being pro-duced comes from fine or flotation concentrates and these are generally smelted in reverberatory furnaces, I shall confine my remarks to this type of smelt-ing plant.

Jan 5, 1923

By M. Gensamer

THE stresses which initiate deformation processes in metals are funda-mentally important in the study of the mechanical properties of metals. A point of inflection in the load-elongation curves obtained for single crystals1 has been rather too readily interpreted as a true yield point, and the critical resolved shearing stress on the plane of slip taken as a material constant. Even early work showed that the stress at this point varies with rate of loading, but it has not been generally appreciated that creep tests under static loads alone are suited for determining the existence or nonexistence of a yield point.2 It has now been shown by Miller that single crystals of zinc3 when loaded statically begin to yield at loads too small to measure; as a result there is no case now known, apart from that cited in the present paper, in which a true critical stress for yielding has been demonstrated for single crystals of metals. The case of iron has especial interest: the existence of an upper and lower yield point and of an elongation at the yield point in ordinary iron and steel marks this substance as unusual, though the effects have been found to a very minor degree in other metals and alloys. ? Most alloys do not show such marked phenomena when appreciable yielding begins, and accordingly modern practice is to speak of the yield strength of such materials, a stress read from the load-elongation curve after elongation has begun, rather than yield point. The special behavior of iron suggests that it is more likely that single crystals of iron should have a true yield point than other metals.

Jan 1, 1938

By K. Kim

INTRODUCTION A thorough evaluation of the geologic material being considered must be conducted to determine the feasibility of constructing a large-scale underground facility in a deep geologic formation. The design and construction of a nuclear waste repository in basalt, due to the unprecedented nature of the project, adds significantly to the need for thoroughness of this evaluation and mandates that geoengineering data and analysis be of the highest quality. The investigations required to collect the data encompass in situ measurements and observations, as well as laboratory and field tests. Mathematical (numerical) models, which are required to predict the long-term performance of the repository structure, must be developed to evaluate rock mass behavior at canister, room, and repository scale and eventual 1 y must be validated through in situ tests and monitoring. The information generated from these geo- mechanics investigations is essential for assessing site suitability and will be utilized in the development of the repository design, the engineered barrier design, and the evaluation of repository performance. The Hanford Site near Richland, Washington is one of nine sites throughout the nation being investigated by the U .S. Department of Energy as a possible location for the first high-level nuclear waste repository in deep geologic formations. The process of site characterization is currently in progress. If the site is nominated by the U.S. Department of Energy, an extensive program will be undertaken, the culmination of which will be a decision on the suitability of the site for waste disposal. There are a mu1titude of elements to the proposed site characterization

Jan 1, 1984

By John W. Padan, Thomas E. Howard

Most of what has been written during the past few years on marine mineral resources has emphasized the vast potential of the ocean, and its floor, as a source of the vital mineral raw materials upon which our modern technological society depends. Computations have been made to demonstrate that the sea contains sufficient minerals to support any reasonable world population indefinitely. The importance of these resources from the standpoint of strengthening the national mineral resource base has been pointed out. And though the information upon which these conclusions are based is sketchy, essentially qualitative, and often conflicting, there can be no doubt that the mineral potential of the sea is tremendous and that there are compelling reasons for working toward its exploitation. Unfortunately, there has been little emphasis on the problems that must be overcome, from the perspective of the economics of mineral production. Some of these problems have been noted, and some authors have appraised them realistically. However, many proposed solutions have been more romantic than practical, from the standpoint of both technology and economics. As a result the general impression has been given, particularly to those uninitiated in the realities of mineral production, that the mineral wealth of the sea is there for the taking-requiring only a good modicum of courage and technologic innovation to place it within easy grasp. But developing the capability necessary for substantial, profitable production of sea bottom minerals will be far from easy. It will be accomplished much more quickly if the problems are faced squarely, defined properly, and attacked in an orderly, logical sequence. While this approach may lack glamour, it offers the highest probability for success.

Jan 6, 1966

By Joseph Hodgson

IN 1880, mining operations were commenced at the Copper Queen mine. The famous Queen orebody, which extended to the surface, was first quarried from a large open cut in the outcrop. The orebody was followed down to the 300 level with the Queen incline, and stoped. This, we believe, marks the introduction of square setting in the Bisbee district, which is still the method most generally used. Orebodies The orebodies in the Copper Queen mine occur in the limestones, and the main portion of the ore has been mined from the Abrigo, Martin, and. Escabrosa limestones. While the orebodies outcrop in the extreme western end of the mine, the general dip is to the east and south, at an angle of about 20°, although this dip is not by any means regular, being, in fact, very irregular locally. The ore is remarkable for its variableness in character, some of it being very soft, requiring a large amount of timber, and other portions consisting of extremely hard sulphides. The orebodies, in general, While remarkable for their continuity, are very irregular, both as to shape and size. The mine having been in operation so many years, and mining having been prosecuted over such a large area, the operations have caused the shrinkage of the overburden, and there is a constant movement, which is shown y large cracks and interstices in the surface rocks, which largely contribute to the very high deadwork or maintenance cost of the mine. It is surprising that for year 1913 it cost almost $400,000 just for the one item of repairs and deadwork in this property.

Jan 8, 1914

By C. R. McClure

The objective of this papef is to summarize briefly the practical use of rock mechanics in design and construction of various types of structures. These range from foundation for industrial facilities, nuclear power plants, bridges and dams to tunnels and underground caverns. The use of rock mechanics has varied from performing a few laboratory unconfined compressive tests on core samples to complete field and laboratory tests for underground power caverns. The primary difference between the rock mechanics studies we hare for construction projects and those most commonly found in the literature is that our tests must provide immediate answers to specific questions facing a design or construction engineer. For example, when we make a plate-bearing test we arrive at a load-deformation relationship. We realize that this is not a true modulus of elasticity. Yet, when considering the resistance the rock will provide against forces occurring in a pressure tunnel it is a far more useful value than the true modulus of elasticity of the rock. Another example of this difference in interest is in the use of flat jacks. Many people criticize the use of flat jacks because they measure the stresses in the disturbed zone very near the surface and do not represent the undisturbed stress condition in the rock. However, in actual construction it is frequently those near-surface stresses with which we must cope. We are interested in both the stress conditions present prior to excavation and those as modified by construction of an exploratory adit or drift. Fundamentally, we are interested in the practical application of rock mechanics in the solution of problems of design and construction of civil engineering works.

Jan 1, 1968

By Dr. O’Neil Thomas J., Donald W. Gentry

It was a western truism that more money was made from selling mines than from buying them, just as it was accepted that many a good mine had been spoiled by working it. from R. E. White, "The Mining Town," Alta California August 18,1873 INTRODUCTION One of the most important aspects of mineral enterprises of US corporations is the influence of the depletion allowance on cash flow. This allowance permits mineral producers to claim sizable federal income tax deductions not available to other industries, and these deductions significantly increase cash flows in mining. In the past several years the minerals depletion allowance has come under increasingly heavy fire from many sectors as a tax loophole that deprives the federal government of large amounts of revenue. One estimate of the loss of tax dollars in 1968 was $2.25 billion due to depletion deductions and intangible expenses in the oil industry. Largely on the basis of such arguments, the Tax Reform Act of 1969 reduced percentage depletion rates for a number of minerals, and the Tax Reduction Act of 1975 totally eliminated statutory depletion for most oil and gas. In regard to percentage depletion for hard minerals, the federal government has estimated its resulting loss of revenue at $1.75 billion for 1980. The TEFRA legislation of 1982 further reduced the statutory depletion allowance available to iron ore, coal, and lignite beginning in 1984. Thus, it is clear that minerals engineers and managers should have a thorough knowledge of the origin, evolution, justification, and computational procedures relating to the depletion allowance. ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF THE DEPLETION ALLOWANCE

Jan 1, 1984

By Shiou-Chuan Sun

THE effects of oxidation on the flotation behavior of sulphide minerals have been extensively studied 1-3 but no similar study has been made of coals. Coals of bituminous and lower rank undergo atmospheric oxidation during mining and storage, and their degree of oxidizing increases with temperature, 4,5 and time of exposure." The problem of recovering fine oxidized coal from culm piles, rivers, and streams by froth flotation has become increasingly important to the coal industry as well as to those concerned with air and stream pollution. This paper describes the flotation behavior of oxidized and unoxidized coals and carbons in the presence of oily collectors and presents the reagents found effective in the flotation of oxidized coals and carbons. Except where otherwise stated, flotation tests were performed in a 50-g Denver flotation cell. Solid feed for each test was 30 g, and the pulp dilution was kept at 8.5. The —65 mesh coal sample was wetted by agitation with water in the flotation cell for 6 min, then conditioned with a predetermined amount of collector for 2 min, and finally floated with pine oil as frother for 3 min. The oxidation of coals and carbons was performed in a vertical, electrically heated glass tube, shown in Fig. 1. One hundred grams of —65 mesh coal were fed into the glass tube and heated to 10° to 20 °C below the predetermined temperature of oxidation. Compressed air was admitted to the tube at a rate of 0.05 cu ft per min and the temperature was controlled by a variable voltage regulator. The oxi-

Jan 1, 1955

By H. A. Doerner

PROPOSALS to use hydrocarbon or natural gases for the reduction of zinc from oxide materials may be traced back through Patent Office files to the early years of the present century. Natural gas at rates cheap enough to compete with solid fuels has been available at or near one major zinc district for more than a decade. That the seemingly meritorious and economically interesting applications of these proposals have not devel-oped into workable processes for direct production of zinc by natural gas cannot be completely ascribed to the proverbial conservatism of the zinc industry. It is possible to produce spelter commercially in normal times from zinc oxide and carbonaceous reducing agents without having a very precise understanding of the chemistry of the process. The reduc-tion by hydrocarbons is not, however, in this class, and the technical complexity of this reduction metallurgy and chemistry prohibits solution of the inherent difficulties by the "hit and miss" methods that are some-times thought to be practical. In a thermodynamic study of the chemistry of zinc smelting, Maier1 made a preliminary study of the chemistry of the use of methane for reducing zinc oxide by thermodynamic means, pointing out that the following reactions, the limits of which could be theoretically predicted, were important: ZnO + CH4 = Zn(gas) + CO + 2H2 [1] CH4 = C -I- 2H2 [2] ZnO + CO = Zn(gas) + CO2 [3] ZnO + H2 = Zn(gas) + H2O [4] Other possible reactions, not discussed in the reference quoted, are: CO2 + CH4 = 2CO + 2H2 [5] H2O + CH4 = CO + 3H2 [6]

Jan 1, 1933

By Alfred Wandke

The problem of vein formation has been of particular interest to the writer for years. As his work for a long time was confined largely to districts showing large deposits of copper ore, it was natural that the efficiency of replacement, as one if not the chief control of the emplacement of the ore, seemed a particularly attractive hypothesis. Of late years, in almost daily underground work in the Guanajuato district, he has collected evidence which makes it certain that in a number of cases the ore solutions were under sufficient pressure to force the rock walls apart and to hold them apart, thus offering an open space for the deposition of vein and ore-bearing material. This paper will concern itself with conditions frequently met with in hypogene ore deposits of the vein type, and will deal in particular with ore occurrence in precious-metal veins of the type classified by Lindgrenl as epithermal deposits, or metalliferous deposits formed near the surface by ascending thermal waters2 and in genetic connection with igneous rocks. To account for the emplacement of this type of ore deposit various writers have suggested the following agencies: 1. Shattering of the wall rocks. 2. Pressure of growing crystals. 3. Magmation, as treated at length by Spurr3. 4. Replacement. 5. Openings produced by folding. 6. Shearing due to gravity. 7. Shrinkage produced by the passage of pre-ore solutions. 8. Contraction joints produced by lateral secretion. To this list there may be added another agency, a discussion of which forms the basis of this paper: 9. Pressure of the ore-bearing solutions.

Jan 1, 1931

By E. Stansfield, J. W. Sutherland

It is well known that the ash left when coal is burned is not the same either in chemical composition or in weight as the mineral matter originally present in the coal. This mineral matter has been referred to as "mineral impurity," "ash-forming constituents" and "corrected ash." The authors prefer the simple name used in the title and throughout this paper. The mineral matter in a sample of coal cannot be isolated unchanged and then weighed; but if the relation between the weight of mineral matter in the coal and the weight of ash remaining when the coal is burned can be ascertained, the weight of mineral matter in the sample can be calculated from the determined weight of ash. When the weight of mineral matter in the sample is known, the weight of pure coal can be found by subtraction. This pure coal must be the basis of accurate coal classification. W. F. Wheeler,l,3 W. Brinsmaid,2 S. W. Parr, and many subsequent workers have studied the relation between mineral matter and ash. Wheeler and Parr and others have deduced formulas for calculating this ratio, and used heavy-solution separations for checking the accuracy of their formulas. Brinsmaid hand-picked and analyzed two separate samples (and mixtures of these) and based thereon a graphical method of deducing the ratio. In the Fuel Testing Laboratories of the Scientific and Industrial Research Council of Alberta, a graphical method, based on heavy-solution fractionation of coal samples, has been used with marked success for the past 7¼ years for determining the mineral matter-ash ratio. This method resembles that employed by Brinsmaid in 1907.

Jan 1, 1930

By C. W. Drury, E. J. Hall

The iron-nail method of assaying has been used for a number of years, but has not met with the approval of all assayers. The method possesses advantages which may be given as follows: (1) no preliminary treatment is required; (2) a lead button of proper size can be obtained; (3) it is economical. On the other hand, it has its disadvantages, which may be summed up as follows: (1) it is not applicable to ores containing large amounts of impurities other than sulphur, as practically all the base metals will contaminate the lead button ; (2) the slag is unsatisfactory in the larger number of fusions; (3) the method was known to give low silver results under certain conditions and the gold results were questionable. It was with the idea of determining the extent of this latter disadvantage that the following investigation was undertaken. It is well known that the fusion obtained in the lead assay is far more satisfactory than that in the " nails method" for gold and silver. The principal difference in the charges as a class is the presence of considerable reducing agent in the lead charge, and a limited oxidizing action in the nails charge, dud to PbO. The possibility of improving the nails fusion by simulating the lead charge was the reason for using argol in some tests, even though there were reasons for expecting this would have an objectionable effect on the results. Preparation of the Gold-Bearing Material. The materials containing gold and silver used in the following experiments were prepared rather than selected, in order to have a definite working product excluding undesirable elements. A high-

Jan 1, 1914