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By A. B. Calhoun

These mines, which belong to the Burma Corporation, Ltd., formerly a London company now incorporated in Rangoon, Burma, are situated in the semi-independent state of Tawng-Peng, one of the small divisions comprising the northern Shan states and erroneously known as part of Upper Burma. Bawdwin is approximately 23' 6' N. latitude and 97" 20' E. longitude, 450 miles north of Rangoon, 169 miles northcast of Mandalay and 50 miles south and west of the Province of Yunnan, China (see Fig. 1). Although the mines were worked by the Chinese during the Ming Dynasty, 1412 A. D., the most extensive operations took place between 1796 and 1851, when the mines contributed largely to the silver market of China. During the reign of Tung Chik, 1868 A. D., they were abandoned partly because of the Mohammedan rebellion in Yunnan, which made life and property insecure, but largely because of the difficulty of operating the mines on account of water and poor ventilation. Since that time practically nothing was done, although the Burmese kings are said to have made several sporadic attempts to work the mines, until 1891 when Europeans were attracted by the great slag dumps (assaying about 40 per cent. lead) which the Chinese had left after extracting the silver. After a railroad and smelter had been built and 200,000 to 300,000 tons of slag smelted for lead, exploration work was started and old workings cleaned out in order to locate the remnants of the orebody that it was supposed the Chinese had left. After two years of most discouraging work, the remains of a large orebody was discovered by the Dead Chinaman Tunnel or what is the 171-ft., or No. 2 level adit. From then on the development was rapid and today the Chinaman is considered one of

Jan 1, 1923

By Max Kraut

UNTIL VERY RECENTLY the flotation process has not found much application in the treatment of gold ores. No appreciable improvement has been made lately in the technology of this application; but the possibilities of flotation have been more fully appreciated. Excellent results were obtained long ago, but few operators paid much attention to them. For instance, in 1915 extensive experiments were carried out by Mr. Beauchamp and Minerals Separation on ores from the Dutch-Sweeney mine near Jimtown, Calif. The ore contained gold-bearing pyrite and laboratory tests indicated a 10c. tailing on a $6 head. In 1918 a 300-ton flotation mill using Minerals Separation machines was built based on the results obtained. However, when the mill began full-scale operation, mill heads did not come up to expectation, being only $4; also the-tonnage was considerably less than had been expected. Flotation mill tailing assayed 15c., indicating a recovery of over 96 per cent, so that excellent metallurgical results were obtained. The operation was a success but the patient died.

Jan 1, 1932

The officers and staff of the Petroleum Division are the servants of the members, and to the extent that the wishes of the members are made known and are practicable they will be carried out. The tentative plans outlined here are in general accord with previous custom, but modified by suggestions received recently from various members. The advice of all members is solicited, and it is hoped that the general expression on matters of policy can soon be facilitated by circulation of a questionnaire. Plans for two mid-year meetings of the Petroleum Division and for participation in the annual meeting at New York were inaugurated at the last annual meeting and are being carried forward as rapidly as possible in the belief that an early start will increase the possibility of finding the best available program material and permit the careful preparation, review, editing, and advance discussion of papers. While a number of papers have already been solicited, both members and nonmembers are hereby invited to submit additional papers, with the assurance that such papers will be given just as favorable consideration as the papers that have been requested. Mid-year meetings will be held at about the same time both in the Mid-Continent and California. The time will be selected if possible to coincide with the visits of President Lovejoy, who expects to be in California the last of September and in Texas early in October. Fort Worth, Dallas and Austin have been suggested for the Mid-Continent meeting. The Pacific Coast meeting will be held at Los Angeles. It is to be noted particularly that a Pacific Coast meeting was waived last year in favor of the annual meeting of the American Petroleum Institute, which was held at Los Angeles for the first time in nine years. It is hoped, and it was the understanding at the time among a number of individuals interested in both organizations, that in view of this action of the Petroleum Division the industry will give more than the usual support to the A.I.M.E. meeting this year. Ultimate Recovery is being considered as the keynote topic for the mid-year meetings. In view of trying financial conditions combined with an exceptionally high current potential rate of production, it is natural that the attention of the industry should be focused upon means of controlling production and reducing cost of operation. It seems that the Petroleum Division of the A.I.M.E., as a professional group, might

Jan 1, 1936

The officers and staff of the Petroleum Division are the servants of the members, and to the extent that the wishes of the members are made known and are practicable they will be carried out. The tentative plans outlined here are in general accord with previous custom, but modified by suggestions received recently from various members. The advice of all members is solicited, and it is hoped that the general expression on matters of policy can soon be facilitated by circulation of a questionnaire. Plans for two mid-year meetings of the Petroleum Division and for participation in the annual meeting at New York were inaugurated at the last annual meeting and are being carried forward as rapidly as possible in the belief that an early start will increase the possibility of finding the best available program material and permit the careful preparation, review, editing, and advance discussion of papers. While a number of papers have already been solicited, both members and nonmembers are hereby invited to submit additional papers, with the assurance that such papers will be given just as favorable consideration as the papers that have been requested. Mid-year meetings will be held at about the same time both in the Mid-Continent and California. The time will be selected if possible to coincide with the visits of President Lovejoy, who expects to be in California the last of September and in Texas early in October. Fort Worth, Dallas and Austin have been suggested for the Mid-Continent meeting. The Pacific Coast meeting will be held at Los Angeles. It is to be noted particularly that a Pacific Coast meeting was waived last year in favor of the annual meeting of the American Petroleum Institute, which was held at Los Angeles for the first time in nine years. It is hoped, and it was the understanding at the time among a number of individuals interested in both organizations, that in view of this action of the Petroleum Division the industry will give more than the usual support to the A.I.M.E. meeting this year. Ultimate Recovery is being considered as the keynote topic for the mid-year meetings. In view of trying financial conditions combined with an exceptionally high current potential rate of production, it is natural that the attention of the industry should be focused upon means of controlling production and reducing cost of operation. It seems that the Petroleum Division of the A.I.M.E., as a professional group, might

Jan 1, 1936

By F. Z. Schellenberg

A recent visit with the engineering students of the Western University of Pennsylvania to the Keeling coal-mine on the south side of Pittsburgh furnished interesting matter to communicate, as may be the case, however, with regard to the striking features of any of our well-arranged larger collieries; for every mine surely appears unique as a whole, though description fails to give that impression, except in particulars.

Jan 1, 1900

By Charles Hardy

ACTIVATED alumina is an aluminous material which may be 1 classified chemically as a partially dehydrated aluminum trihydrate having a high porosity and a perma¬nent physical structure. In general, it may be employed effectively and economically for the complete removal of water vapor from gases and vapors; for the selective adsorption of certain as especially those of the higher boiling points, and as a catalyst or catalyst carrier. Other forms of alumna are available and may be employed similarly but not so effectively nor can reactivation be accomplished with uniformity over many cycles without deterioration. The adsorption-reactivation cycle of activated alumina can be repeated many times without any apparent depreciation ill

Jan 1, 1934

By William F. Boericke

CONSIDERABLE waste of oil and grease in lubricating motors and other machinery results from the use of bearings that are not totally enclosed. There is also the likelihood of damage to the bearing through the accidental introduction of grit or dust both in the oiling process and after, unless the cover is entirely dustproof. With the ordinary sleeve bearing that is only partly enclosed, it is generally easier for a careless attendant to cause trouble through neglect than with the ball bearing type, which from its design, must be totally enclosed to give effective service, and needs a minimum of attention. At one of the large mining companies which has taken a leading part in reducing unit costs and pioneering new developments in mining machinery, ball bearings have been gradually supplanting the conventional type of sleeve bearings on many of their motors, centrifugal pumps, and other machines in the mines. This innovation is not recent, as substitution of ball bearings on mine motors was first tried out by this company in 1909. Since then an increasing number of such bearings have been put in. They are now favored because of increased operating efficiency and reduction in lubrication costs.

Jan 1, 1926

Allan Gibb, Mount Perry, Queensland, Australia (communication to the Secretary):—In drawing conclusions from his observations, Mr. Van Liew has apparently overlooked the reduction in weight that takes place in the content of the converter. The percentage-compositions of the matte, etc., are not directly comparable for determining the rate of elimination of the impurities; and, in the absence of exact weights (which in such an operation could not be obtained), it is necessary to determine the relation between the impurities and the copper with which they are combined at various stages, in order to get data that are comparable. Owing to a portion of the copper being removed in the slag, etc., the weight of copper in the converter is not a fixed quantity, but.it is sufficiently approximate to permit very reasonable comparison. The analytical data given by Mr. Van Liew, reduced to this basis (a ratio between the impurities and the copper with which they are combined), are shown in the table on page 958. From this table it will be evident that Mr. Van Liea's conclusions as to the source of heat at digerent stages are not quite correct. During the first 10 minutes, no iron is scorified, the heat being derived from the oxidation of the sulphur, of which 7 per cent. of the total is removed in this time. Prom

Jan 1, 1904

By C. Richard Tinsley

INTRODUCTION Documentary complications arise from the risk apportionment in project financing which generally means that once the project is up and running and has satisfied the lender's completion test, the loan agreement specifically limits the lender's recourse to the project and its assets. It is the purpose of this paper to describe the special considerations which apply to industrial minerals projects and explore the reasons why so few project financings are negotiated in this industry. SIZE Small projects do not warrant the relatively high costs of negotiating and documenting project financing. The extent of the documentation is directly proportionate to either (a) the degree of risk apportionment, or (b) the amount of control given to lawyers to negotiate the documents. Although one would like to believe that project-finance documentation could be off-the-shelf, it is almost always necessary to tailor the documents to the mine development itself and the individual desires of the borrower. Accordingly, the documentation costs and initial expenses are seldom less than $40,000, and for complex projects can reach $400,000. In addition, banks often charge an up-front fee to partly compensate them for their staff time and partly to increase their yield on what is deemed to be a "riskier" loan asset. Another factor is the generally lower debt:equity ratio when bankers are uncertain of the accuracy of the cash flow projections. The ratio of the amount of cash flow left over after debt service to debt service itself is a key tool for project finance (debt service coverage). Bankers will require a higher coverage ratio for industrial minerals projects because of the relatively higher uncertainties in the following categories: Prices Markets Geology/Quality Transportation Environmental This, in turn, means that lower debt:equity ratios are the norm for new industrial minerals projects. INDUSTRY STRUCTURE It is hardly worthwhile to generalise about a field as diverse as industrial minerals, but there are four other structural reasons why project financing has not been widely applied. 1. The most obvious example is the predominance of small-sized operations, largely a function of transportation economics. Geological conditions also contribute to their dispersion. 2. Often, the product is only a small part of a company's business in contrast to many petroleum, metals, or coal companies whose sole business is the production of the raw material. The construction industry is a good example here for cement, gypsum, crushed stone, sand and gravel, and the drilling-mud services business for barite and bentonite. A company is unlikely to jeopardise its main business through the failure of a project financing on one of its key inputs. The corrollary is that the mined input is often regarded as a cost centre and not run on the sort of economic basis suitable for project financing. 3. There may be a reluctance to reveal key aspects of an industrial minerals venture to an outsider for purely competitive reasons. Unlike the other minerals industries which readily share technical information at plant visits and

Jan 1, 1985

By Dilip K. Das, Douglas T. Pitman

ONE of the major uses of barium in metallic form is as a getter material in vacuum tubes. Because of the high chemical reactivity of the metal, Ba-Al alloys are extensively used. Numerous methods for the preparation of Ba-Al alloys have been published, a few of which1-4 are cited here. Most of these methods were found to be quite elaborate, involving the reduction of BaO, and not too well adapted for the close control of the final composition of small amounts of alloys prepared for laboratory use. A simple laboratory method for the preparation of Ba-A1 alloys in small batches starting from pure metals was devised, so that it was possible to control the desired compositions to within 1 pct. The pertinent features of the alloy system Ba-Al5 are 1) an intermediate compound BaAl, with the melting point of 1050°C, and 2) a eutectic between aluminum and BaAl4 at 98 pct Al. The accompanying sketch shows the experimental arrangement for the preparation of the alloys. Weighed amounts of aluminum and barium were placed in an alumina and a stainless steel crucible, respectively. According to the supplier's specification, the purity of the metals used in the alloys is as follows: a) aluminum rods—99.9 pct Al, and b) barium rods—99.5 pct Ba. The stainless steel crucible, tapered at the bottom and having a 1/16 in. diam hole, rested on top of the alumina crucible. The assembly was placed inside a graphite sleeve which rested on a refractory platform. The platform moved the assembly up and down through the field of a radio frequency coil. A glass bell jar was placed between the crucible assembly and the radio frequency coil to maintain a steady flow of helium around the melt. A small window was cut out on the wall of the alumina crucible to observe the progress of the re- action and to record the temperature with an optical pyrometer. The platform was first raised high enough to move the barium out of the radio frequency coil field in order to allow only the aluminum to melt. The assembly was then lowered so that the barium began to melt and flow out through the small orifice into the molten aluminum. In order to keep the violence of the exothermic reaction under control, the rate of flow of barium was carefully regulated by raising or lowering the crucible assembly. All the samples prepared by this technique were examined by a Norelco X-ray diffractometer using CuKa radiation, The diffraction specimens were prepared by placing the finely powdered samples in flat specimen holders. The Ba-Al alloys prepared with a high barium content were found to consist mainly of BaAl4. The structure of BaAl4 has previously been reported by Alberti and Andress.8 They found that BaAl4 was body-centered-tetragonal with an a0 = b0 = 4.530Å and c0 = 11.14Å. An alloy whose composition was found by chemical analysis to be almost 100 pct BaA1, was used to determine the relative intensities. The d-spacings were obtained from the same alloy to which a small amount of tungsten had been added as a calibrating material. Accurate values for a, and c, were calculated according to the method proposed by Taylor and Floyd.' The calculated values are: a, = b, = 4.566Å and c0 = 11.250Å. The measured d-values for BaAl4 are shown in Table I along with relative peak intensities above background and hkl indices. Acknowledgment The authors are grateful to L. J. Cronin, the head of the Techniques Dept., for suggesting the problem and for his constant interest. References 1Froges and Camargue: German Patent No. 809107, 1951. French Patent No. 935324, 1949. 2E. Bonnier: Annales de physique, 1953, vol. 8, pp. 259-312. 3M. Orman and E. Zemhela: Prac Institute of Metals; 1952, vol. 4, pp. 437-445. 4E. Fujita and H. Yokomizo: Reports Gov. Chemical Industrial Research Institute, Tokyo, 1952, vol. 47, pp. 291-297. 5E. Alberti: Ztsch. fur Metallkunde, 1934, vol. 26, p. 6. 6E Alberti and K. R. Andress: Ztsch. fur Metallkunde, 1935, vol. 27, p. 126. 7 A. Tnslor and R. W. Floyd: Acta Crystallographica, 1950, vol. 3, p. 285.

Jan 1, 1958

By K. E. Nelson

The effect of thorium and zinc variations on the strength and 100-hr creep characteristics of Mg-Th-Zn-Zr alloys was investigated. Optimum resistance to creep at 650° and 700°F are attainable within a certain range of thorium and zinc contents. This range does not conform to that which develops maximum tensile properties. RAPID advances have been made during the last few years in the development of magnesium alloys for elevated temperature applications demanding high resistance to creep. The beneficial effect of rare-earth metals on the creep resistance of magnesium alloys has been emphasized by a number of publications1-13 and such alloys are now in commercial production. The use of thorium as an alloying ingredient in magnesium was mentioned by McDonald and also in two Alien Property Custodian patent applications.10,17 The initial observation of Sauerwald that thorium contributes still higher creep resistance to magnesium than is attainable with rare-earth metals has recently been substantiated.'" " In fact, it has been demonstrated that the useful temperature range of magnesium alloys is appreciably extended by the use of thorium. In all cases, it was observed that zirconium must be included in the alloys in order to render them fine grained and more readily castable. Several recent publications:2-27 indicate that a still further improvement in creep resistance and a further extension of the useful temperature range can be realized by the addition of zinc to alloys. The primary purpose of this paper is to present the results of a comprehensive study of the effect of zinc on the strength and creep characteristics of Mg-Th-Zr alloys. Compositions covering the range of thorium content from M to 6 pct and zinc content from 0 to 5 pct have been investigated. The creep characteristics at 650" and 700°F reported in this paper are based on results of tests of 100-hr duration. It is appreciated that creep tests of 100-hr duration might not yield adequate data for design purposes for parts with much longer expected life. However, for the purposes of the present discussion, it is felt that the combination of stresses and temperatures used in the 100-hr creep tests have yielded a clear representation of the compositional variation of creep resistance at the temperatures investigated. Creep tests of 1000-hr duration are now in progress on a few of the most promising alloys. Preparation and Testing of Alloys The alloys studied in this intensive investigation were prepared in 25 lb capacity mild steel crucibles. The thorium, zinc, and zirconium were alloyed and poured as described in earlier publications The thorium was introduced into the melt in the form of a Mg-Th hardener," the zinc added in the metallic form, and the zirconium alloyed in the form of the commercial hardener containing magnesium and 30 to 50 pct Zr.10, 26 Fluxing practices for melting and refining were the same as for magnesium-rare-earth metal-zirconium alloys. The melts were sampled for analytical determinations and poured into separately cast 1/2 in. diameter standard tensile bars. The test bars were given a precipitation treatment of 16 hr at 600°F in laboratory furnaces. It has been shown by other tests that a high temperature solution treatment followed by an aging treatment is unnecessary for the development of optimum properties in Mg-Th-Zn-Zr alloys. The selection of 600°F as the aging temperature was based on an attempt to achieve metallurgical stability without coalescence of the undissolved phases and the attendant loss in strength. The thorium, zinc, and zirconium contents of each melt were determined chemically. The zirconium contents are reported in two parts, "soluble" and "insoluble," referring, respectively, to the portions present in the alloy which are soluble and insoluble in dilute HCl acid. Distinction is being made between these two components of the zirconium content in the alloys because it has been found that only that portion of the zirconium content which is soluble in dilute inorganic acids affects the structure and properties of the alloys. The usual impurities consisting of copper, iron, manganese, and nickel were determined spectroscopically. The analysis for each melt is listed in Table I. A description of the methods of tension and creep testing has been detailed in earlier papers. The tests were performed with the cast skin re-

Jan 1, 1954

By W. A. Tiller, W. C. Johnston

A high-temperature electromagnetic stirrer is described in which heating and stirring are accomplished by independently controlled power sources. The appavatus is suitable lor use at temperatures up to 1700°C in a variety of ambient atmospheres. Some typical examples of the homogenizatimz capabilities of the system are given. THERE are few processes in solidification that are not markedly affected by motion in the melt during freezing. In many instances, the mechanisms are diffusion-controlled, and the transport in the melt may be greatly accelerated by deliberately stirring the melt. In zone-refining, stirring1 assists the removal of rejected impurities from the interface, so the process proceeds at a faster rate. The transition from a planar to a cellular interface is caused by constitutional undercooling in the melt ahead of the interface: and stirring delays its onset. Stirring is valuable for homogenization of melts: and chemical reaction with sluggish kinetics may be accelerated. Finally, it has been observed that grain refinement is related to motion in the melt. Fine grain castings are usually produced by the addition of catalysts to the -melt,' catalysts which are thought to act simply as hetereogeneous nucleation centers. Even here motion is important. Richards and Rostoker 5 applied ultrasonic vibration to a solidifying A1-Cu alloy which had been innoculated with a catalyst and found that the grain diameter fell linearly with the amplitude, the peak acceleration and the power input to the melt from the transducer. Finally, mechanical and electrical stirring alone have been used to generate a fine-grained structure.6,7 Johnston ef a1.' have carried out a series of systematic investigations of grain refinement by electromagnetic stirring in a number of low melting point alloys. They found, for example, that the number of grains per unit volume in Pb-Sn alloys could be increased several orders of magnitude by stirring an undercooled melt at the moment of recalescence. In general, a relation AT .H = constant prevailed for a given grain size, where AT was the undercooling of the melt and H the field strength. In more recent work, deliberate homogeneous nucleation of slightly undercooled melts established that the mechanism of refinement must be one involving crystal fragmentation and subsequent multiplication, rather than a "shower" of nuclei effect.9 It is the purpose of this note to describe a stirring device suitable for use up to 1700°C. At low temperatures mechanical stirring and direct-current methods are feasible, but at high temperatures the problem of a protective atmosphere and of electrode corrosion rules out such procedures. The most convenient method for high temperatures is to use externally generated ac fields for both stirring and heating. With rf induction heating alone, considerable stirring and agitation can be achieved, but in general the penetration of field into the melt is small, and the stirring cannot be controlled independently of the heating. In the present experiments, separate power sources of different frequencies for heating and for stirring were used. A susceptor design was chosen so that the 450 kc rf heating field was completely absorbed in the susceptor. The stirring frequency, 400 cps, hereafter called the af field, was chosen so that a high penetration of the melt proper was achieved. EXPERIMENTAL APPARATUS The apparatus, Fig. 1, consists of a quartz tube and end plates, surrounded by an rf induction coil and six equally spaced af stirring coils, four of which are shown in full and a fifth in section. Each af stirring coil is a transformer of which the secondary is a single-turn water-cooled copper loop and the primary is composed of two 10 amp-117 v Variac cores as shown. These cores are cooled by forced air, as each of the six pairs will carry maximum currents of 15 amp for short periods. Each set of Variac windings are connected in series, but opposite sets are connected in parallel with a three-phase 400 cps 400-v source. By properly phasing the coils in this way, a rotating field is produced. Capacitors C1, C2, and C3 in Fig. 2 are used to match this inductive load to the generator. Fig. 3 shows a cutaway view of the quartz tube. The sample (1 in. diam by 1 in. high) is placed in a tapered alumina crucible. An axial W-26 pct Re thermocouple, enclosed by a protection tube, is provided. The cruci-

Jan 1, 1968

A price list of publications of the Geological Survey, complete to May, 1931, and with separate monthly notices of publications to (late, will be sent upon application to The Director, United States Geological Survey, Washington, D. C. A leaflet is issued each month listing new publications; it will be sent upon application to the Director, as well as Circulars containing information about topographic maps. Book publications of the Survey include (1) Annual Reports, (2) Monographs, (3) Professional Papers, (4) Bulletins, (5) Water Supply Papers, (6) chapters and volumes of Mineral Resources of the United States, (7) Folios of the Geologic Atlas of the United States and the World Atlas of Commercial Geology, (8) Topographic Folios and Topographic Maps that bear descriptive texts. Monographs, Folios of the Geologic Atlas of the United States and the World Atlas of Commercial Geology, and Topographic Folios and Topographic Maps, are not distributed free. A publication of one of the other classes can be distributed free only until the end of the fiscal year following that in which it was issued. No person can obtain more than one free copy of the same publication, and general requests for free publications, such as all of any series or all on any subject, can not be granted. In ordering publications one is requested to give both the series designation, as Bulletin 738 or Professional Paper 122, and the title. Give full address, plainly written, including county. Prepayment is required and may he made by postal, or express money order payable to the official charged with the sale of the publications. requested, as indicated in the discussion of each classification following; or it may be made in cash-exact amount -at sender's risk. Postage stamps are not accepted in payment for publications.

Jan 1, 1933

By William M. Sheehan

TRANSPORTATION is one of the most important problems of the mine operator and the possibilities of cost reduction in this field should not be overlooked. In the railroad industry, cars and locomotives have been improved greatly, and the progress there made is well worthy of study by the mine operator looking for maximum efficiency in every branch of his activities. One of the outstanding developments in the construction of railroad equipment in recent years has been the wide-spread adoption of large one-piece steel castings for the framework of locomotives, passenger and freight cars. Some of the advantages and applications of this type of construction will be outlined in this paper, with particular thought of the needs of the mining industry. The inherent qualities of cast steel: homogeneity, unrestricted size and shape, high tensile strength, flexibility of metal distribution, resistance to corrosion, and gracefulness of outline, make it the most versatile member of the ferrous group. Not only is it a strength-giving element, but it is corrosion resistant, a combination that makes for large economies in equipment maintenance. Flexibility of metal distribution allows the integral foundation to be in the shape best suited for the purpose. These cast structures are really assembled in the mold in liquid form and the metal can be placed in the right pro¬portion exactly where it is needed, thus securing weight economy and uniformity of fibre stress. Such a process permits the incorporation, with ease, of necessary brackets, utilizing them to provide not only greater strength for the derail part itself, but often to add to the value of the entire unit. Laps, seams, and joints, which are necessary in all fabricated forms, are eliminated.

Jan 1, 1933

By Oliver Bowles

TO keep pace with technical progress is an important function of any industry. All branches of mining may learn important lessons by observing progress made in other branches. The non-metallic mineral industries may learn much from each other as well as from the metal miner and the metallurgist. Recent technical advances which have come to the attention of the Committee on Non-metallic Minerals are presented herewith for consideration and comment. It is planned to present this review for open discussion at the February, 1931, meeting of the Institute. Comments will be welcomed either in the form of written or oral discussion. It is desired that new developments not covered in this paper be brought up at that time. Some notable advances have been made in cement technology. Recognition is now being given to the advantages of closed-circuit grinding of cement raw materials in wet-process plants, with stage removal of the fine materials, It increases mill capacity, reduces the wear of grinding media, and also reduces the power requirement. The method is well known in metallurgical plants, and its acceptance by cement companies is another illustration of the lessons the non-metallic industries may learn from the metal industries. Closed-circuit dry grinding has also proved advantageous for both raw materials and clinker.

Jan 1, 1931

By Howard N. Eavenson

DURING the past year, as in the preceding ones, prices continued to fall, production to decrease, and more mines were closed. Much attention is being given by the industry to suggested plans for betterment of its position, and if the scheme recently brought out for consolidation of sales agencies into district agencies is loyally carried out, it cannot but help to improve conditions. The progress in the anthracite industry is shown in the report of its chairman, E. H. Suender; changes in coal preparation are outlined in the report of J. B. Morrow, chairman of Committee on Coal Preparation, while increased mechanization of the western mines is described by Eugene McAuliffe, chairman of the Committee on Machine and Strip Mining. In spite of the depression, interest in the Coal Division has been increasing, its meetings have been well attended, and its committees are active and have been doing excellent work.

Jan 1, 1932

"NAME…""Utah"" is derived from the name of the Indian tribe, variously spelled ""Yuta, “Ute"" ""Youta,"" ""Uta,"" ""Eutaw,"" and finally ""Utah."" It means ""in the tops of the mountains,"" or ""on the heights."" The state emblem is the ""Beehive,"" typical of industry. State nickname is ""Beehive State.""AREA…Utah is the tenth state in area. It contains 84,990 square miles, of which 2,806 miles are water. When admitted as a territory in 1850, Utah included all the area from the east line of California to the summit of the Rocky Mountains between the 37th and 42nd parallels, which embraced practically all of the present state of Nevada, all of western Colorado, part of Idaho and part of Wyoming, in addition to the present area of Utah.TOPOGRAPHY…Utah is generally mountainous, with several main ranges and also detached groups of mountains. The valleys are broad and level. The mean altitude of the state is 6,100 feet above sea level, which makes the state the third highest of the Union. The highest point in Utah is King's Peak (13,498) in the Uinta range. The lowest point is Beaverdam Creek (2,000) in Washington county.CLIMATE…The climate is diversified between mild temperate in the northern portion to semitropical in the southern portion. There are four distinct seasons. Snowfall is heavy at the greater altitudes and rare in the southern portion. Rainfall is moderate throughout the state. Extremes of heat and cold are unusual."

Jan 1, 1925

By C. C. Whittier

PLANS are well matured for the joint meeting of the Coal Division and the Ohio Section of the Institute at Columbus, Ohio, Oct. 27 and 28, at which a large attendance is expected. The proceedings for a day and a half will be devoted largely to the uses of coal, the program providing for two technical sessions in the auditorium of Battelle Memorial Institute (505 King Ave.) on Friday, and various plant inspec¬tions on Saturday morning. By way of diversion on Saturday afternoon arrangements have been made for attendance en bloc at the football game between Ohio State and Northwestern, 100 seats having been reserved for the game at $2.40 each-as long as they last. An inventory of the high lights of the meeting would be incomplete without reference to the informal banquet at the Deshler-Wallick hotel on Friday evening, for which Eli T. Conner, Chairman of the Coal Division, is down for a talk, and Howard N. Eavenson, Vice-president of the Institute, will be the principal speaker. The program in detail is as follows:

Jan 1, 1933

Between July 10 and August 15, 1918, the Secretary of United Engineering Society, of Engineering Foundation, and of Engineering Council visited 17 cities which are headquarters for large numbers of engineers. His mission was to tell men in all branches of the profession about "Centralized Activities of National Engineering Societies." Stops were made at Denver, Salt Lake City, Reno, San Francisco, Sacramento, Portland, Seattle, Spokane, Anaconda, Butte, Duluth,

Jan 10, 1918

By R. S. Archer

SILICON is one of the most important elements in the metallurgy of aluminum. It is always present in small amounts in the ordinary grades of "pure" aluminum, and hence in all alloys made therefrom. Within the last few years binary alloys containing up to 13. per cent, of silicon have come into extensive use for castings. Silicon is also added, beyond the amount present as an impurity, in alloys containing one or more other elements such as copper, manganese, magnesium and nickel. The binary aluminum-silicon alloys are not yet heat treated to any extent in commercial practice, although, as will be shown, their properties are affected to a very considerable degree by heat treatment. There are other aluminum alloys that develop higher strength, but the special characteristics of the silicon alloys may well lead to the application of heat-treating processes on a commercial scale. The role of silicon in the heat treatment of aluminum alloys is more important than would be indicated by consideration of the binary alloys alone, because many of the alloys that are heat treated in regular commercial practice contain some silicon in addition to that derived from the aluminum ingot as an impurity. Among these may be mentioned the heat-treated 195 alloy castings, and the wrought alloys 258, Special 178 and 51S of the Aluminum Co. of America, and the German wrought alloy, Lautal. It is the purpose of this paper to present the results of experimental work and the conclusions derived therefrom regarding the heat treatment of the binary aluminum-silicon alloys. The products heat treated included forgings, chill castings and both "normal" and "modified" sand castings.

Jan 1, 1927