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By Frederic Carter

THE gold, silver, copper alloys have been the subject of several fairly complete investigations by Jänecke, Sterner-Rainer1 and others, and indeed it would seem as if almost too much labor had been expended on them when one thinks of the numerous other ternary alloys calling for more light; however, the combinations of the three metals are actually so widely used in jewelry that they merit perhaps the work done on them. There are a few properties of importance and interest not treated by the authors mentioned which the writer investigated some little time ago, and therefore he has ventured to put on record the results of some of his tests made at that time. He has chosen, as being the two series of most importance to the jeweler, only the 14 and 18-kt. golds, so the subject is by no means so inclusive as that previously treated. As stated, this paper is merely a record of tests made in a practical manner on two useful series of alloys, and is not at all a critical study of their properties. 14-KARAT ALLOYS These alloys are important because they are the most generally used in 14-kt. jewelry; by changing the proportions of silver and copper there are obtained all shades of color from the green of the alloy containing gold and silver but no copper, to the red of the alloy containing gold and copper but no silver. Many 14-kt. gold alloys are made with the addition of zinc to the three metals mentioned here; the added metal does not appreciably alter the color of the alloy nor has it, in general, much effect on the working properties; it may, however, prove useful as part of the zinc added may act as a deoxidizer and render the alloy free of gas. It is not a necessary addition because with proper precautions all the 14-kt. gold alloys containing only silver and copper in addition to the gold can be made free of gas and capable of being cold rolled without cracking. The alloys in which approximately equal quantities of silver and-copper

Jan 1, 1928

By H. R. Tunnell

Every one connected with a mine knows that it is hard to keep down the costs of moving ore from the place where it is broken to the shaft or portal. Considered broadly, the subject of handling would cover all work done in a mine, but here it has been limited to handling ore in stopes and drifts, through chutes, and on levels. Good ventilation and a strict enforcement of rules for the prevention of dust safeguard the health of the men and lower transportation costs. Handling ORe in Stopes and Drifts The object of all stoping is to mine ore of good grade at low cost. In Butte, most of the ore is mined, from veins dipping from 60° to the horizontal to those which are vertical, by means of square-set, rill, timbered-rill, and back-filling stopes. When blasted, a part of the rock is carried by gravity to the grizzlies over the chutes, the rest is shoveled. Rock, when broken in a stope, may be deflected by inclined floors or slides toward the top of a chute leading to the level below. Ore broken clean enough to ship should be carried, by the force of its fall, into a chute or.as nearly into that chute as the safety of the stope and the men permits. Ore that requires sorting, about 80 per cent. of all ore mined, is caught on a grizzly and the waste picked out. Waste rock broken in a stope is used to fill that stope and should be blasted into the gob with as little handling as possible. About two-thirds of all the ore mined in Butte comes from square-set stopes; this method was used in nearly all cases until 1912, when the rill method of stoping was introduced in the Tramway mine, of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. The shoveling and timbering costs in square-set stopes are high when compared with the costs in the rill stopes. All the ore cannot be carried to the chute, in falling from place, unless the chutes are very close together or the distance from the back of the stope to the top of the chute is sufficient to slide all the ore broken. The number of chutes is limited by the tendency of the ground to cave; if carried too close together the stope is weakened. Small stopes, or blocks,

Jan 1, 1923

By G. Aertsen

THE CHAIRMAN (HENRY D. HIBBARD, Plainfield, N. J).-This excellent paper fills a gap in our Transactions and is most acceptable. In the early days another way of casting tire ingots, sometimes called cheeses, because of their shape, was to use a 22-gage sheet-iron cylindrical can for each ingot of the proper size to give the weight desired. These cans were bottom cast in groups, usually of four, each can being surrounded by a heavy iron ring somewhat taller than itself the top of the can being covered by a circular cast-iron plate having a small conical riser in the center, about 2 ½ in. in diameter at the bottom and 10 in. high. The top plate was clamped down to resist the upward pressure of the fluid metal and the space between the can and the outer ring, usually about 2 in. wide, was filled with dry sand. The riser permitted the escape of some of the air displaced by the steel and also increased the pressure in the steel when the mold was filled, and so diminished somewhat the tendency for gas holes to form. But little was known of segregation and pipe in those days, though the center of an ingot was understood to be the worst part, and it was separated in part in the disk which was punched out in perforating the ingot. This disk was about 8 in. in diameter and from ¾ to 2 in. thick, the variation in thickness being to rectify the weight. When an ingot was too -heavy, a thicker disk-was made by not driving the punch in quite as far as when the ingot-weight was right. Then the bloom was turned over and the punch driven in on the other side, which finished the punching and detached the disk. The tire bloom was then" becked" and later reheated and rolled as described in the paper. The forging was done with a 10-ton double-acting steam hammer. The steel generally speaking had lower carbon, from 0.45 to 0.55 per cent., than tires today have, and the tires were smaller, the most common size of ingot weighing 1,060 lb. each. BRADLEY STOUGHTON, New York, N. Y.-This paper was specially requested by the Iron and Steel Committee, because that Committee thought so important an industry should have its history written by one who was familiar with it, and before he had forgotten, or all the rest of the world had forgotten, its early stages. Mr. Aertsen has said that it is not an exhaustive research. I think it would not be any different if it were an exhaustive research, because our library made a careful attempt to find some written light on the history of these tires, but very little was found.

Jan 4, 1917

WE vote this month without knowledge of either major presidential candidates' position on mineral problems. Too long have we kept our own counsel, turned our backs on the public. Certainly we must formulate policies upon which we may unite in industry council, but implementation of these by legislative bodies requires popular understanding, if not support. The earth and its resources are the province of the miner and the farmer but beyond this, and the basic need of the economy for both, the similarity ends. In this election year the disparity between the poll strength of these two fundamental callings is apparent. While both candidates have found it essential to incorporate a farm plank in their platforms, mining has been neglected as not being a basic issue. If this gives the mining fraternity the advantage of voting objectively, it also leaves the general public in the dark as to the attitude of the candidate on a basic issue. It is an issue on which depends the future of the nation, but, unfortunately, the public is not aware of its own vital stake in mining. Thus election time brings with it a fresh example of the evils of automatic lawn sprinkling-a long standing peeve of ours. Back in the days of the hand-held sprinkling hose in the intimacy of the twilight the mining man had the opportunity to unburden himself on the problems of mining to his neighbor who might be a doctor, lawyer, or accountant. With the encroachment of mechanized sprinkling, yet another forum for the indoctrination of the layman into the significance of mining has disappeared. Familiarizing your neighbors with mining in the lawn sprinkling societies of yesteryear was the individual's contribution to public relations for mining. The corporations can use educational advertising in popular magazines as is practiced by such companies as Kennecott. The AIME can play an important part by providing career guidance information on the mineral industries. We offer the suggestion to the American Min¬ing Congress, that the splendid exhibitions of mining machinery featured in alternate years for metal and coal mining, respectively, might be opened to the general public one night during the week of the show. Newspaper publicity would add greatly to the public's interest in such an opportunity. Power for the public is considered a vote-getter and no candidate has neglected to make his stand on this subject. Is the price of the kilowatt in the home of greater importance to the voter than the price of the metal durable goods which he purchases every year? Not really, but the voter thinks so. Mining has as much sales appeal as 'potatoes or kilowatts if presented in the proper way. We suggest that a little hand lawn sprinkling by the right people in the right places would produce an abundance of publicity which would give Mr. and Mrs. American something new to expect from their representatives-a vigilance over the flowering of their mining industry.

Jan 1, 1952

By John L. Lamont, Walter Crafts

AN investigation has been made of the multiplying factors for some of the more common alloying and deoxidizing elements for use in calculating hardenability of steel according to Grossmann's method.1 The factors for manganese, silicon, and aluminum that were reported in an earlier communication2 have been confirmed by microscopic determination of the half-martensite structure rather than on the basis of an empirically determined hardness corresponding to a half-martensite structure. Measurement of ideal critical diameter by microscopic examination was found to he necessary for other alloying elements, and multiplying factors for nickel, chromium, molybdenum, zirconium, vanadium, titanium, and boron have been determined. The nature and order of magnitude of the multiplying factors reflect the effect of the alloying elements on the structural character of the steel. Except for nickel and vanadium, the multiplying factors agree fairly well with previously published results. Good correlation between actual and calculated ideal critical diameters has been found in developing the multiplying factors and in checking the results against fairly simple steels. However, some discrepancies have suggested the need for a more thorough study of low-carbon and complex steels. TESTING PROCEDURE The investigation was conducted principally on steels made at the Union Carbide and Carbon Research Laboratories, Inc., in high-frequency induction furnaces using Armco iron and standard alloying materials. However, a few open-hearth steels were used in establishing the effect of nickel, and the hardenability factor for boron was based primarily on open-hearth steels. All bars were normalized prior to the machining of Jominy hardenability specimens. The Jominy test was carried out under conditions standard for the test.3 Austenitizing temperatures judged to-be-appropriate for the composi¬tions of the steels were used., Chemical analysis was determined on a sample taken adjacent to the Jominy specimen. Residual amounts of phosphorus, sulphur, nickel, chromium, molybdenum, and copper were determined on only one heat of each group made with the same materials during the same period. "Acid-soluble" aluminum and zirconium rather than total amounts were determined, as it is considered probable that the acid-soluble amount is more representative of the effective alloy. As tin was present to the extent of only 0.002 per cent, its effect was neglected. The method used to determine boron in the steels shown in Table 9* was developed by Galen Porter, Vincent Napoleon, and Thomas R. Cunningham,of the Union Carbide and Carbon Research Laboratories, Inc., and is. a modification of J. Naftel's procedure for boron in soils

Jan 1, 1944

By David R. Mitchell, R. B. Hewes

MANY processes for cleaning coal that are in use depend primarily on physical properties of coal and refuse other than specific gravity and surface conditions relating to froth flotation. These properties are shape, coefficient of sliding friction, resilience, friability, magnetic susceptibility, and electrical conductivity. In many of these processes specific gravity does have some effect and many separators are designed to utilize more than one of the physical properties cited. Although the processes described herein do not have a widespread application, yet for specific coals and specific conditions, they are economically important. A problem confronting many coal-mining districts is the marketing of the slacks or screenings and dust passing the final sizing screens. Processes in commercial use installed primarily to increase the form value, and hence the market value, of these slacks and dusts include briquetting, packaging, and low-temperature carborization. MECHANICAL PICKERS Machines utilizing shape, fictional resistance, and differences in resilience of coal and impurities are usually called mechanical pickers. They require a closely sized feed, therefore their use is confined to the pea, nut, and egg sizes. Various types of these devices are described by Berrisford, 1, 2 Taggart, 3 and Peele. 4 Shape In general, coal differs in shape from its accompanying dirt throughout the range of commercial sizes. Coal, breaking into roughly, cubical particles, contains a greater number of axes that are approximately the same length than does the dirt. The latter, consisting of pieces of slate and shale and lenses of pyrite, is flatter in nature. Further, flat coal often has a dirty, slaty appearance, even though of high quality. Mechanical pickers known as flat pickers, or "flatters," are widely used in the Pennsylvania anthracite region to remove flat coal from the final clean coal. This practice greatly improves the appearance of the final market product.

Jan 1, 1943

By W. E. Curran

For years the geographical isolation of the Southern iron-ore district from the great producing centers in the North and East enabled it to meet its conditions and solve its own problems without regard to the practices and policies of other districts, but during the past few years distances have been shortened, practices and wages are being standardized, and these changing conditions have brought new problems to the South. Development of Pig Iron in the South The development of the pig-iron business in the South was very slow during its early years, gained speed rapidly in the latter part of the nineteenth century, reached its peak in 1918 and was on the decline before the depression that began in the latter part of 1929. The first blast furnace in Alabama was built at Cedar Creek in 1818, the year before the state was admitted to the union. In 1830, Daniel Hillman was sent from Tuscaloosa to found an iron works in Roupes Valley, where rich pockets of brown ore were numerous. He built a forge on the site of what later became Tannehill furnace and called it the Roupes Valley Iron Works. There pots, pans, plows, and horseshoes were made of metal from his Catalon forge; shaped by a large hammer operated by water power. Daniel Hillman died in 1832 and the ironworks lay idle until 1836, when Col. Ninion Tannehill bought the property, rebuilt the forge and, using slave labor from his plantation, operated and enlarged the works. By 1845 he had built two crude furnaces and did a flourishing business in ovens, skillets and kettles, which found a good market all over the South. In 1855, the plant was sold by Colonel Tannehill to Moses Stroup, an experienced ironmaster from Pennsylvania. He tore down the old furnaces and built a new plant, the ruins of which stand today (Fig. l). This furnace plant operated continuously until it was destroyed by Northern troops in 1865. It was never rebuilt, so that the shell in the picture is the same furnace that made many tons of guns and shells for the Confederacy during the war period.

Jan 1, 1938

By B. Woyski

Many writers, in discussing defects caused by oxidation and gassing of bronzes and red brasses advocate substantially the same cure for both. But from its nature, oxidation cannot take place if there is an excess of fuel in the furnace, while the gases absorbed by some alloys are products of incomplete combustion of the fuel. Hence the metal can be either oxidized or gassed, but it is doubtful whether these actions can take place simultaneously. Oxidation can be easily overcome by the use of deosidizers or it may be avoided by protecting the molten metal with suitable fluxes. Absorption of gascs is more difficult to overcome: the regulation of the air and fuel, so as to produce complete combustion, and the protection of the bath by mineral fluxes arc the most important factors. Gas expulsion, resulting in gas holes, porosity, unsoundness, and swollen or cauliflower-headed risers, is said to have several causes. One writer1 lists the most common causes in the order of their importance, as follows: Superheated metal, dirty or slaggy furnace conditions, using metals low in quality or those previously subjected to bad melting practice, poor grade of fuel, use of newly lined or damp ladles, indiscriminate mixing of scrap or illogical combinations of metal. Superheating the metal usually occurs when the heat is ready to be poured but for some reason must be held in the furnace. In this case, a careful furnace tender tries to avoid overheating the metal by keeping a mild fire; that is, a reducing fire which, unfortunately, results in gassing the metal. A dirty, slaggy furnace may result in gassing the metal by retarding the heating and prolonging the time necessary to bring the metal to the proper temperature, thereby increasing the chances of gassing in uncertain furnace atmosphere. It is doubtful whether rnetals of low quality have anything to do with gassing molten metal, except, possibly in the case of metals containing

Jan 1, 1923

By J. W. Stewart

The aim of this paper is to point out the various ways in which design is taught in standard four-year mining engineering curricula in American colleges and universities; to discuss the reasons apparently justifying the great diversity of procedure that exists along this line; and to indicate possible solutions to the difficulties now attending the teaching of design. A study was made of typical four-year mining engineering curricula in 15 colleges and universities of the United States (Table I). Great diversity in content of the various design courses, if taught as described, became apparent immediately. It appeared that it might be both interesting and instructive if the cause for this colorful variety could be found. Was the cause local mining conditions, departmental individuality, or actual necessity? Study of the school catalogues revealed that the various design courses could be classified into two fairly distinct types; namely, (I) those dealing with mine equipment or structures, and (2) those dealing with underground layout of mine workings. It seemed reasonable to label the first type of course "mining design" and the second type "mine design." Some such distinction must have been in the minds of mining educators, for we find both names (i.e., mine design and mining design) used to designate the design courses included in the various mining curricula Unhappily, the name and the apparent content of such courses do not, in all instances, conform to the classification made here, although in most instances such conformation does obtain (Table I). It is possible that in the exceptional case the method of teaching a design course, and consequently the content of it, may have been changed at some time without change in the name of the course. Apparently only 3 of the 15 schools made an effort to cover both types of design in their curricula (Table I). Two other schools did not list or describe any course of study that could with certainty be taken as a design course. Of the remaining 10 schools, 9 gave a mining-design type of course and one gave a strictly mine-design type. Obviously, the preponderance of design courses afforded are of the mining-design type. Why? To answer this question, it is necessary to make a study of the prerequisites for the two types of design courses taught. In all schools the design courses were taught in the senior year; in eight, design was taught throughout both semesters; in two, it was taught during the first semester only; and in three it was taught during the second semester only. Consequently, excepting the last three cases noted, it is obvious that all prerequisites for a design course should be completed by the end of the junior year PREREQUISITES What are the probable prerequisites for the different kinds of design courses as they appear to be taught? Let us take first the case of the mine-design type of course, having to do with layout of underground workings. Here it would seem that logical

Jan 1, 1943

By John Lamont, Walter Crafts

The principle formulated by Grossmannl for calculating hardenability of steel by multiplying the ideal diameter of "pure" iron-carbon alloys by factors for grain size and alloying elements has been confirmed on many steels and has proved useful in designing substitute alloy steels. Grossmann found that the typical behavior of the multiplying factors was to increase directly in proportion to the amount of the alloy present in a steel. However, the multiplying factor for the effect of silicon on hardenability was found by Grossmann to increase to a lesser degree as the amount of silicon was increased. In view of the increasing use of silicon in heat-treating steels, the effect of silicon on hardenability is becoming more important. Calculation of the hardenability of high-silicon steels made at the Union Carbide and Carbon Research Laboratories, Inc., indicated that the multiplying factor for silicon increased directly in proportion to the amount of silicon present. A more extended study of high-silicon steels covering fairly wide ranges of grain size, carbon, manganese, and aluminum has confirmed that up to 2 per cent silicon the multiplying factor is directly proportional to the silicon content. Manganese and aluminum factors have also been! determined. The results of the study offer strong confirmation of the general validity of Grossmann's multiplying principle. Testing Procedure Steels on which the study of the effect of silicon on hardenability was based were made in high-frequency induction furnaces using Armco iron and standard alloying materials. The ingots were forged to bars, and sections were normalized prior to machining Jominy hardenability test specimens. The Jominy test was carried out under standard conditions.2 The depth of hardness penetration for determination of ideal diameter at "half hardness" was taken at the hardness level indicated in Fig. 29 in Grossmann's paper by the solid line for 50 per cent martensite in plain carbon steel. The depth of penetration of hardness on the Jominy specimen was converted to ideal diameter by the relation given in Fig. 28 of Grossmann's paper. Chemical analysis was determined on a sample taken adjacent to the Jominy specimen. Aluminum was determined as "acid-soluble aluminum" rather than as total aluminum, as it is probably more representative of the aluminum that is effective as an alloying agent. In addition to the elements nominally present in the steels, analyses were made for residual phosphorus, sulphur, nickel, copper, molybdenum and chromium on one heat of those made with the same materials during the same period. Actual grain size was determined by microscopic examination of small samples quenched in water after receiving the same thermal cycle as the Jominy hardenability specimens. Chemical analyses, heat-treatment, grain size, and hardenability are shown in Table I representing three ranges of composition.

Jan 1, 1943

By L. P. Davidson

ThE new electrolytic zinc plant of the American Zinc Company of Illinois commenced operation in April 1941. The simple flowsheet using the standard current density and the economic reasons that dictated it are given herewith. The Evans-Wallower Zinc Co. built an electrolytic zinc plant at Monsanto, Ill., in 1929 and operated it for about two years. The plant stood idle from 1932 and was purchased by the American Zinc Co. in 1940. Because of the condition of the equipment, excepting the motor generator set, a complete rebuilding was necessary. The Fairmont City plant of the American Zinc Co. could treat the leach residues, the purification cake and the skimmings from the melting furnace in its various plants. This possibility permitted a simple flowsheet with good economic results. The flowsheet is shown in Fig. I. The calcined concentrates are leached in mechanically agitated tanks with spent electrolyte and such ferric iron solution as necessary. When the acid has been neutralized and the iron coagulated, the fluid is discharged to settling tanks. The underflow from these thickeners is filtered on a Moore filter; the filter cake leaves the plant for retreatment and the filtrate joins the thickener overflow. Zinc dust is added to this solution until the copper and cadmium are precipitated. The pulp is filtered through Shriver presses, which deliver the purified solution to stor- age tanks, and the copper-cadmium-zinc cake is shipped for retreatment and recovery of these three metals. The purified solution is electrolyzed; the regenerated acid is returned for use in the leaching plant and the cathode zinc, after stripping, goes to the melting furnace, from which it is cast in slabs. The skimmings from the melting furnace are shipped to the Fairmont City plant for reduction to metal in the retort furnaces. The choice of this simple flowsheet was made possible only because of the facilities of the Fairmont City plant. The long leaching pried, with high acid content and high temperature which characterize the high-density process, gives a higher zinc extraction but also dissolves more impurities, which must be removed. The same is true to a lesser degree of the multi-step leaching of the western low-density plants. By the sacrifice of some initial extraction, solutions can be obtained that are relatively easy to purify and give good ampere efficiency. This loss in initial extraction is made up in the retreatment of the residues in the Waelz plant. The impurities that accompany the zinc thus extracted are inconsequential when the Waelz product is treated in a distillation plant. It was recognized that this flowsheet would require a somewhat greater amount of sulphuric acid—-eithcr as acid or as sulphate sulphur in the calcine—because of poorer washing. The sulphuric acid plant at Fairmont City could deliver 60" Bè. acid to compensate for the sulphate loss and the cost would be less than the cost of more intensive washing.

Jan 1, 1943

By Walter H. Bucher

This symposium is designed to lay the basis for a general discussion of the place of geophysics in the training of geologists. As there is danger that in the ensuing debate individual interests may be given emphasis out of proportion to their place, we shall do well to view the whole field of geological inquiry in order to see the problem in true perspective. The Nature of Geological Inquiry "Basic" and "Complex" Sciences It is convenient to divide all science into two major divisions, the basic and the complex sciences. The basic sciences separate out from reality such entities as "substances" and "movements," describe their behavior in terms of arbitrary units of measurement and derive from them by progressive abstractions concepts and patterns of behavior that exist between them, so-called general "laws" and "properties" of nature. The complex sciences, on the other hand, deal, with little or no abstraction, with those objects of reality that are accessible to man in the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the lithosphere and the biosphere. Their work comprises two types of inquiry. One is concerned with abstractions to the extent of dealing with types rather than individuals—that is, with such things as plants, animals, protoplasm; clouds, streams, gla- ciers; volcanoes and mountain ranges. It comprises the search for general properties and patterns of behavior or "laws" that characterize the objects and their reactions to each other. These properties and laws apply always, everywhere. They are independent of the stream of time. We may call the results of this sort of inquiry timeless knowledge. The other type of inquiry is concerned with the objects themselves—that is, with this animal and that plant; this river system and that mountain chain; this glacier and that valley. Like all concrete objects in nature, they are subject to change with the passage of time, especially when it is measured in years, centuries, eons. The characteristics by which we recognize them —indeed, their very existence—are dependent on their position at this point in the stream of time. This we may call time-bound kntowledge. The so-called descriptive sciences are all bound to the past of which the objects of their study are the product and through which alone their present properties call be understood. They are historical sciences. This obvious fact is easily overlooked, which leads to serious misunderstanding, as we shall see later. Dynamic Geology With this broad picture in mind, let us now examine the nature of geological inquiry, defining, for the purposes of this discussion, geology as the science of rocks. Air is not a rock; water is. Meteorology and climatology are, correspondingly, gen-

Jan 1, 1946

By Sherman L. Pease

An inexpensive and relatively rapid method that can be used by field crews is described. Fluid movement is determined by releasing a tracer (dye) in the well at a predetermined level and, after an interval of time, sampling the well fluid at another level. The testing equipment consists of a combined crusher and sampler unit that is run into the well on a wire line. The rate of movement can be calculated from time-volume relationships. Description of Method It is often desirable to determine whether there is occurring any transfer of fluid from point to point in a shut-in well, and, if so, to measure the rate of movement. When it is desired to examine a large number of wells for possible "thief" sands, the time and expense will be considerable unless the method used is inexpensive and rapid. After experimentation with several possible solutions to the problem, the Production Department of the Shell Oil Co., Inc., developed the apparatus described herein, which has proved satisfactory. Routine operations with it can be carried out by field production crews with a minimum of technical supervision and with negligible investment in equipment. The method is based upon releasing a suitable tracer in the well fluid at a known level, and recovering a sample of well fluid at another level after a measured interval of time. Repetition of this process with different time intervals between release and sampling gives the necessary data. For purposes of illustration, the setup for measuring migration of fluid in an upward direction is described in the following paragraphs. The arrangement of equipment is shown diagrammatically on Fig. I. The elements of the combination unit are the tailpiece, the crushing device, the spacer and the sampling device. The lengths of the tailpiece and spacer are varied to place the crushing and sampling devices in the desired positions in relation to the sands being tested. The crushing device breaks the glass bottle containing the tracer when the tailpiece strikes the bottom of the well and the tension on the sand line is slackened. Because of the open construction of the crushing device, the tracer is quickly and completely disseminated in the well fluid. The sampling device is a suction bailer, which obtains a sample of the fluid surrounding the perforated nipple just before the unit is picked up off bottom. The sample is retained in the barrel by the ball valve for examination at the surface. Normally, on the first run into a well, the sample is obtained near the releasing point of the tracer, and thereafter samples are taken near the base of the upper sand if migration is indicated by the dilution or absence of the tracer in the initial sample. The length of the time interval between the releasing of the tracer and the sampling of the well fluid is varied for successive runs, attempting first to establish the rate within limits and then to define it more accurately by additional runs if necessary.

Jan 1, 1946

By G. G. Gunther, C. L. Boeke

(Any discussion resulting from presentation at the Los Angeles Extractive Metallurgy Division Meeting will appear in the November 1953 issue.) I. M. Symonds (Cia Minera de Penoles, Monterrey, N. L., Mexico)—This is a most interesting paper describing zinc deleading operations. Mr. Gunther was kind enough to show me his operation last fall. Outside of the excellent results, I was most impressed by the ease of control. I had expected a difficult operation requiring careful control and supervision, but found one requiring little attention. The only disappointing fact of the separation is the poor copper recovery in the concentrate of the deleading float. The final zinc concentrate still has about 3 pct chalcopyrite (assuming the copper is chalcopy-rite) which adversely affects the zinc grade. If the copper mineral is free, the poor recovery is probably due to the high cyanide concentration. Fortunately, about 75 pct of the copper is recovered before the pulp goes to the zinc circuit. Mr. Gunther's remarks about proper cyanide to zinc sulphate ratios cannot be overemphasized. Although our experience has been mostly confined to the conventional Pb-Zn separation, we have found these ratios most important, and more important in the mill than in the laboratory. The laboratory appears to give optimum results over a wider range of reagent control than the mill, especially in regard to the effect of cyanide. In the mill in handling relatively high grade ores, we usually find that ratios of cyanide to zinc sulphate of 1 to 10 or 20 or higher work best. Where there is a substantial amount of chalcopyrite present, it has been noted that cyanide in the range of 0.02 to 0.10 lb per ton of ore is often beneficial in zinc rejection and possibly in copper recovery in the lead concentrate, while larger amounts, say 0.20 to 0.25 lb per ton, will float more zinc and cause a serious rejection of chalcopyrite. On an ore with 15 to 20 pct Zn content, we have had to use 0.8 to 1.2 lb of zinc sulphate per ton of ore with the above cyanide to obtain optimum results. Sometime ago we made a laboratory study following Parral and Santa Barbara practice on an ore which never had a very satisfactory rejection of zinc in the lead concentrate. The results were not encouraging and a mill test was not run. Since then the study has been reopened using fresh zinc concentrate from the mill in the laboratory instead of one made in the laboratory. A reasonably clean lead float from the zinc concentrate was obtained. It has been checked several times and each time the zinc concentrate made in the mill responds and the one made in the laboratory does not. Although undoubtedly some reasonable explanations can be given, it is presented here only

Jan 1, 1953

By J. S. Osoba, J. G. Richardson, F. M. Perkins

Laboratory experiments have shown profound diffcrences in the behavior of so-called "fresh cores" from the East Texes field and of the same cores after ex~ractio~l with organic solvents. The residual oil satura/ion remaining after waterflooding fresh cores was appreciably lower than the corresponding saturations after flooding extracted cores. This behavior was also reflected in the water-oil relative permeability-saturatiorl relations, which were more favorable for high oil recovery from the fresh cores. These differences were evident not only in the amount of residual oil left after wafer flooding, but also in the saturation water remaining in the core after displacernent by oil. Residual water saturation after displacernetzt of water by oil was higher in the fresh cores than in the extracved core,. Capillary pressure-saturation relations were also different for the fresh crnd extracted cores. Imbibition experiments indicated that both fresh and extracted Bast Texas cores imbibed water spontarteOLISIY, but- the rate of imbibition of water was higher for samp1es after. extraction than it was for fresh core. material. INTRODUCTION Several years ago a series of waterflooding tests was made in the laboratory on a number of Woodbine core samples from the East Texas field. These samples had been stored in containers open to the air and were extracted with organic solvents before they were subjected to the laboratory tests. After water flooding, the residual saturation of kerosene, which was the oil used in the tests, was found to average about 30 per cent. This saturation was higher than expected. In investigating the circumstances which might have been responsible for such a high residual oil saturation, attention was given to possible changes in wetting properties of the rock brought about by the procedure employed in extracting the cores. Preliminary results indicated that the explanation for the high residual oil saturation lay in the wetting behavior of the cores, though what effect extraction had on this behavior was not clear. In consequence, the work described in this report was undertaken in an attempt to investigate the mechanism responsible, and to ascertain the actual residual oil saturation to be expected in the reservoir after water flooding. It was soon found that there were profound differcnces in the behavior of so-called "fresh cores" from the East Texas field and of the same cores after extraction with organic solvents. These differences were evident not only in the amount of residual oil left after water flooding, but also in the saturation of watet remaining in the core after displacement by oil. The complete explanation of this behavior is not yet apparent. The description of work and results described in following sections, therefore, must be considered as an interim report presenting facts which must await additional information before they can be fully interpreted.

Jan 1, 1956

By Warren E. Wilson

The transportation of solids in pipe lines is a matter of deep concern in many fields of engineering. Much experimental and theoretical work has been done in an effort to devise means of designing pipe lines that will satisfactorily transport given solid loads, but there remain many unanswered questions in this field. The present discussion will be confined to a rather narrow portion of this field and will endeavor to point out certain factors that may well be considered when comparing the relative economy of various installations. The data have been presented previously but a new interpretation was prompted by a suggestion in a paper by Professor O'Brien,1 of the University of California, that the friction work per pound of dry material should be considered in determining the relative efficiency of various installations. This method of considering relative economy in various pipe lines leads to some rather unexpected conclusions, especially with reference to the economy of large pipe sizes. A previous suggestion by the writer3 concerning the economy of a rather peculiar type of installation is strengthened. It is not believed that the considerations set forth herein apply directly in the case of dredge lines, where economy is largely a matter of a high rate of pumping in order to reduce the unit overhead charge. However, it is believed that some value may be gained from these considerations in cases involving the disposal of a fixed amount of solids per unit time with a minimum expenditure of energy and at a low cost for replacement of worn pipes. Such situations are not uncommon in the disposal of mill tailings and the disposal of solids deposited from irrigation waters. It was found that data leading to general conclusions for various pipe sizes were not available but certain definite trends are indicated and methods of analyzing available data are presented in the hope that they may be of assistance in preparing engineering estimates on designs of pipe lines of the type described above. Energy Requirements Carrying out the idea contained in ' Professor O'Brien's paper concerning the method of computing energy required to transport solids, the following analysis leads to some rather interesting conclusions. Let us represent: Solids load in term of mass per unit time by W Ratio of mass of suspended solids to total mass of mixture flowing by p Volume rate of flow of mixture by Q Length of pipe by L slope of energy grade line by s Mass per unit volume of solids by m. Mass Per unit volume of liquid by mi Mass per unit volume of mixture by mm We then have as an expression for the solids load: W = pQmm The work done per unit mass, P, on the mixture to move it along the pipe the

Jan 1, 1948

By Herbert H. Kellogg

Deposits of high-silica kaolinite clays occur at many places in central Pennsylvania. These white clays were formed apparently by weathering of argillaceous quartzite and limestone. Their geology, distribution and use have been reported by Leighton.1 The larger deposits have been mined from time to time, and the clay, after washing to remove coarse sand, has found use as rubber filler, foundry clay, and in white cements. In general, the clay from these deposits contains too much grit (quartz) to be useful as paper filler, and the silica content is too high to make it useful as china clay for ceramic ware. Gravity methods for the separation of quartz from these clays have failed because of the extremely fine size of the quartz grains, but by the methods of froth flotation described in this paper these sandy kaolins can be made to yield a purified kaolinite that has a chemical composition close to that of good-grade Georgia kaolins, and is free enough from grit to be used as a paper filler. As by-products of the separation, a fine ( — 325-mesh) sand assaying 95.5 per cent SiO2, and a very fine (—3-micron) clay are produced. The possible ceramic uses of these products are being investigated at The Pennsylvania State College. Experimental Procedure The Sample.—The clay sample used in these tests was obtained from a small mine near Tyrone, Pa. It had already been washed to remove coarse sand, and represented the finished product of this small mine and washery. Microscopic examination showed that the clay was composed almost entirely of the minerals quartz and kaolinite, and that the quartz was present mostly in particles larger than one micron, while the kaolinite particles generally were less than 20 microns in size. The kaolinite and quartz particles were physically separable by blunging the clay in water with a suitable dispersant. Preparation of Flotalion Feed.—By the addition of NaOH in an amount equal to 3 lb. per ton of solids, the clay was completely dispersed in water. Flotation feed was prepared by allowing a dispersed suspension (10 per cent solids) of the clay to stand for the period of time required for a 2.5-micron particle of quartz to settle from the top of the container to the bottom. After this settling period the suspension was decanted from the settled solids. The settled solids were redispersed in water and the separation was repeated once. The two fine fractions were then combined. Thus the clay was divided into a fine and a coarse fraction by size separation at approximately 2.5 microns.* The fine frac- . tion was found to have a considerably lower sand content than the raw clay (Table I), and was not treated further. The coarse fraction formed the flotation feed for all the tests described in this paper. A size separation of this type can be

Jan 1, 1948

By D. C. Jones

The term "coal-mine mechanization" is definable in several ways. In its general application it can mean the use of machines instead of manpower in each of the various mining activities necessary for the production of coal—so that under this definition a mine that uses mechanical coal cutters could be classed as a mechanized mine. Common usage, however, insists that a mechanized mine is one in which machines are used for the entire process of mining or extraction and transportation of the coal. For the purpose of this paper, then, the second definition of "coal-mine mechanization" will be used, and practices employed in mines where the greater part of the production is obtained through the use of mechanical loaders and conveyors will form the basis for this discussion. Physical Contact Hazards If we were to group all the hazards that accompany the use of mechanized equipment in a mine, the predominant class would be that which, for want of a better name, might be termed the "physical contact" hazards; that is, all the sources of danger that lead to accidents through physical contact of workmen with machines. A survey of accidents in a group of mechanized mines indicated that this class of hazards may be responsible for more than half the number of accidents in mechanized mining. For example, of 21 mining-machine accidents at one mine, 14 were of the physical contact type; of 14 loading-machine accidents at the same mine, 8 were the result of physical contact. Certain of these hazards are controllable through the use of guards— a guard over the cutting-machine bits when the machine is being trammed from place to place, or a chain or some similar locking device around the cutter chain, so that an accidental blow or push against the bit control will not cause the cutter chain to move. Other hazards, such as the possibility of a loader operator having his foot crushed by a crawler tread, or a brakeman being hit by a loader boom swung too far to one side while a car is being loaded, might be subject to control through the use of guard devices, but the reduction or elimination of all physical contact hazards by such methods does not appear feasible. Every accident of the physical contact type should he investigated to discover whether guards could have prevented it, but often the only way in which to combat these hazards will be through the awakened consciousness of each workman as to the danger that exists if he indulges in unsafe practices. A good approach to control of accidents in any mine is the establishment of a set of safety rules or operating rules. The intent of such rules is to provide guides far the workmen to follow in the operation of equipment. Frequently the workmen have no regard for such rules, and observance is obtained only through compulsion on the part of management. An interesting development in connection with-the formation of safety rules occurred during a training program for employees in the

Jan 1, 1947

By W. E. Curran

For years the geographical isolation of the Southern iron-ore district from the great producing centers in the North and East enabled it to meet its conditions and solve its own problems without regard to the practices and policies of other districts, but during the past few years distances have been shortened, practices and wages are being standardized, and these changing conditions have brought new problems to the South. Development of Pig Iron in the South The development of the pig-iron business in the South was very slow during its early years, gained speed rapidly in the latter part of the nineteenth century, reached its peak in 1918 and was on the decline before the depression that began in the latter part of 1929. The first blast furnace in Alabama was built at Cedar Creek in 1818, the year before the state was admitted to the union. In 1830, Daniel Hillman was sent from Tuscaloosa to found an iron works in Roupes Valley, where rich pockets of brown ore were numerous. He built a forge on the site of what later became Tannehill furnace and called it the Roupes Valley Iron Works. There pots, pans, plows, and horseshoes were made of metal from his Catalon forge; shaped by a large hammer operated by water power. Daniel Hillman died in 1832 and the ironworks lay idle until 1836, when Col. Ninion Tannehill bought the property, rebuilt the forge and, using slave labor from his plantation, operated and enlarged the works. By 1845 he had built two crude furnaces and did a flourishing business in ovens, skillets and kettles, which found a good market all over the South. In 1855, the plant was sold by Colonel Tannehill to Moses Stroup, an experienced ironmaster from Pennsylvania. He tore down the old furnaces and built a new plant, the ruins of which stand today (Fig. l). This furnace plant operated continuously until it was destroyed by Northern troops in 1865. It was never rebuilt, so that the shell in the picture is the same furnace that made many tons of guns and shells for the Confederacy during the war period.

Jan 1, 1938

By L. P. Davidson

ThE new electrolytic zinc plant of the American Zinc Company of Illinois commenced operation in April 1941. The simple flowsheet using the standard current density and the economic reasons that dictated it are given herewith. The Evans-Wallower Zinc Co. built an electrolytic zinc plant at Monsanto, Ill., in 1929 and operated it for about two years. The plant stood idle from 1932 and was purchased by the American Zinc Co. in 1940. Because of the condition of the equipment, excepting the motor generator set, a complete rebuilding was necessary. The Fairmont City plant of the American Zinc Co. could treat the leach residues, the purification cake and the skimmings from the melting furnace in its various plants. This possibility permitted a simple flowsheet with good economic results. The flowsheet is shown in Fig. I. The calcined concentrates are leached in mechanically agitated tanks with spent electrolyte and such ferric iron solution as necessary. When the acid has been neutralized and the iron coagulated, the fluid is discharged to settling tanks. The underflow from these thickeners is filtered on a Moore filter; the filter cake leaves the plant for retreatment and the filtrate joins the thickener overflow. Zinc dust is added to this solution until the copper and cadmium are precipitated. The pulp is filtered through Shriver presses, which deliver the purified solution to stor- age tanks, and the copper-cadmium-zinc cake is shipped for retreatment and recovery of these three metals. The purified solution is electrolyzed; the regenerated acid is returned for use in the leaching plant and the cathode zinc, after stripping, goes to the melting furnace, from which it is cast in slabs. The skimmings from the melting furnace are shipped to the Fairmont City plant for reduction to metal in the retort furnaces. The choice of this simple flowsheet was made possible only because of the facilities of the Fairmont City plant. The long leaching pried, with high acid content and high temperature which characterize the high-density process, gives a higher zinc extraction but also dissolves more impurities, which must be removed. The same is true to a lesser degree of the multi-step leaching of the western low-density plants. By the sacrifice of some initial extraction, solutions can be obtained that are relatively easy to purify and give good ampere efficiency. This loss in initial extraction is made up in the retreatment of the residues in the Waelz plant. The impurities that accompany the zinc thus extracted are inconsequential when the Waelz product is treated in a distillation plant. It was recognized that this flowsheet would require a somewhat greater amount of sulphuric acid—-eithcr as acid or as sulphate sulphur in the calcine—because of poorer washing. The sulphuric acid plant at Fairmont City could deliver 60" Bè. acid to compensate for the sulphate loss and the cost would be less than the cost of more intensive washing.

Jan 1, 1943