Search Documents

By Robert Forsyth

As the latest plant on a large scale, the new Bessemer works of the North Chicago Rolling Mill Company, at South Chicago, presents some features of interest to steel-makers, I have ventured to lay before the Institute a short description of that plant, and some* remarks upon the practice there. At the time the South Chicago works were designed the adoption of the basic process in this country seemed imminent. Experience in Europe had demonstrated the perfect success of the process technically, and the question of its commercial value was one which, for any particular works, would have to be settled by its special advantages for procuring the necessary ores and basic materials. Under the circumstances, it was thought best at South Chicago to so arrange the plant as to allow the introdnction of the basic whenever it became advisable, and to make such other changes from the standard type of Bessemer plant as the state of the art seemed to demand and to foreshadow. As the use of metal direct from the blast furnace, while generally condemned by experts here, was in such successful practice in Europe (particularly in connection with the basic process), there was no doubt about its feasibility, while its economy in fuel and labor made it especially attractive to the Western manufacturer. It was accordingly decided to build a direct-metal plant adapted to the basic process. The ingots made were to be rolled into rails at one heat, and were to be of such size (12 inches square and long enough for three and four rails) as to be readily and quickly handled by the rolling machinery proposed. This small size of ingots, and the large number cast from each heat of 10 tons, made it necessary to provide a good deal of room in the casting-pit—much more than in any previons plant—and to put down extra facilities for handling ingots. To meet the delays incident to the basic process—to insure that one vessel should be always blowing if necessary, and to provide opportunity for current repairs to linings, etc.—it was decided that three vessels should be used, and, to properly concentrate the work of

Jan 1, 1884

By R. G. Treuting, W. C. Ellis

D. Whitwham, M. Mouflard, and P. Lacombe (British Council Research Fellow, Labratoire du Professor Chaudron, Vitry-sur-Seine; Inqenieur de Recherches, Labratoire de Vitry; and Maitre de Recherches, Labratoire de Vitry, Professeur Adjoint de Metallurgie, Ecole des Mines, Paris)—The authors' work is of great interest in bringing out the geometrical relations existing between twinned lattices, and for the notion of a coincidence super lattice developed from this. We should like to point out that a similar idea was put forward by Friedel8 in his book on the subject of lattice merohedrism "merihedrie réticulaire:"—When two crystals A and B are twinned with respect to a mirror plane, there exists a common superlattice, "réseau periode," which is independent of the contact surface between the two crystals. The volume V of this superlattice is a simple multiple of the volume v of the lattice of crystals A, or B, (Fig. 5). This "multiple cell" is defined by the twin plane (p q r) and a row of atoms [h k l] normal to this plane, the base being taken as the smallest unit (two-dimensional) of this plane. Two cases must be considered. First when the multiple cell, as defined, has no atom site at its center nor at the center of its faces other than (p q r), v the twinning index is defined by —. In the second v case, when one of the two above conditions does not v apply, then the twinning index is V 2v A more intuitive definition of the twinning index would be the proportion of atoms of C, which would coincide with those of C1 when the C, lattice is imagined to extend on the other side of the contact surface. In the case of cubic crystals, the twinning index

Jan 1, 1952

By George I. Adams

A party, consisting of George I. Adams, of the United States Geological Survey, A. H. Purdue, of the University of Arkansas, and Ernest F. Burchard, was engaged, during the summer of 1902, in the study of the zinc- and lead-deposits of Northern Arkansas. An extensive report on this field is now in preparation. The following preliminary statement of results and conclusions is made in advance of the final publication, which will be accompanied by detailed geologic maps and other illustrations and a fuller treatment of the subject. Location.—The Northern Arkansas field embraces Marion county and adjacent portions of Boone, Baxter, Newton and Searcy counties. Outside of this area there are a few scat tered mines, notably in Sharp and Lawrence counties. The mining development lies north of the Boston mountains, in what is known as the Ozark Plateau. The country has a broken surface, as a result of dissection by streams, and there are numerous exposures of the mineral-bearing horizons in the valley slopes. This has greatly facilitated prospecting. History.—Lead-ore was discovered in Northern Arkansas by the early explorers and pioneers, and at first was utilized for rifle-ballets. Later, it attracted considerable attention, and in the '50's was smelted in the vicinity of Lead Hill. There was a revival of the industry during the "70's, but the cost of transportation was so great that it was practically abandoned. Zinc-ores at first attracted little attention, probably because they were not so well understood. Before the Civil War, however, some zinc was smelted. In the '80's, prospecting was carried on generally throughout the field, and resulted in finding zinc at so many places and so readily accessible that

Jan 1, 1904

By H. H. Stoek

Danville, the county seat of Montour county, Pa., was one of the earliest and best-known centers of the iron intlustry in the State. It is situated on the north bank of the north branch of the Sosquehanna river, twelve miles east of the confluence of the north and west branches of that river at Northurnberlttnd. The ore-belt, extending for a distance of twelve miles along the north bank, has been developed in a number of places, but nowhere so extensively as in the immediate vicinity of Danville. Hence, a description of the mines in that locality will suffice, as typical of the workings of the entire section. Geology. The Montour ridge consists of an anticlinal fold extending from the source of Wapwollopen creek on the east to the west branch of the Susquehanna, which it reaches at the mouth of Chilisquaque creek. According to the reports of the First Geological Survey of Pennsylvania, the length of the ridge is nearly twenty-seven miles, with an average breadth of three-fourths of a mile, and a maximum elevation of six hundred feet in the vicinity of Danville, where it also attains its greatest width. Just north of Danville the Mahoning creek cuts through it, exposing the iron-ore on the hill-side, where advantage has been taken of this to work the beds on the southern slope of the ridge by means of drifts. The sections given in Fig. 1 are taken from the reports of the First Geological Survey of Pennsylvania, made in 1858, by H. D Rogers, whose description of the Moatour ridge was so complete and accurate that the entire report was reprinted as an appendix to Vol. G 7 of the Second Geological Survey. The approximate crosssection shows that near Danville the top of the ridge is of Clinton vol, xx.—24

Jan 1, 1892

By Morgan Walker

Intermittent injection of gas in gas-lift pumping is a variation of the common practice in that the gas is delivered to the well for a short period, called the "on time," followed by a period during which none is admitted, called the "off time," instead of being admitted continuously at a constant rate or by intermittent flowing in which it is occasionally delivered to the well in just sufficient quantity to flow off the accumulated head of fluid. The term "gas" is used throughout this discussion but it should be remembered that in so far as the operation is concerned either air or natural gas may be used. The equipment at the well is the same as commonly used in gas-lift installations and gas may be admitted to either the tubing or the casing. It seldom occurs that all the wells on a lease can be pumped economically by intermittent injection from one header. Wells that have flow characteristics which permit their being handled together have their intake lines grouped at a central compressor station. Well groups may consist of two or more wells. The total volume of gas delivered by each group of compressors goes to one well at a time through a quick opening valve, each well connected to the header receiving its charge of gas in turn. Special cases may require a deviation from this arrangement. The distribution of the gas to the different wells is effected by an automatic timing device which operates quick-opening valves on the intake lines. The timing mechanism may be actuated by electricity, liquid or gas pressure, The essential factor in the operation of the timing mechanism is that as one intake valve is closed another must be opened. Water-operated Timing Device Timing devices operate the intake valves either directly, or indirectly by pilot valves. Of the former type one that is operated by water and has given satisfactory service is shown in Fig. 1 and can be made on the lease. The horizontal cylinder is a piece of 10-in. casing about 7 ft. long, closed at each end and free to oscillate about a fulcrum at the center.

Jan 1, 1929

Continued Discussion of the papers of Van Hise, Emmons, Weed and Lindgren, Bans., xxx., 27, 177, 424, 578. See also the papers of Vogt, Kemp, Rickard, Blake and Lindgren, at pp. 125, 169, 198, 220, 226, and also the final contribution of Prof. Van Hise, p. 284 of the present volume. All the foregoing, together with the discussion here following, are included in the special volume, "The Genesis of Ore-Deposits," issued this year by the Institute. H. Foster Bain, Des Moines, Iowa (communication to the Secretary):* The zinc- and lead-deposits of the Mississippi valley, which it has been my fortune to study, give particularly good examples of many of the principles of ore-deposition formulated by Prof. Van Hise. Perhaps there is nowhere clearer evidence supporting his fundamental tenet., that ore-bodies are to be regarded as a result, and as merely one of the phases, of the work of underground waters. The facts regarding the mines of the upper Mississippi valley have been given in some detail for Wisconsin by Prof. Chamberlint and, more recently, for the mines west. of the Mississippi by the Iowa Geological Survey.‡ Fortunately, also, the processes of underground water-circulation have been studied in some detail in connection with the investigation of artesian waters throughout the region.$ In Missouri and Arkansas the mines and ore-bodies have been much studied ; but the general problems of the circulation of underground waters have been neglected. During the season just closed the writer has been engaged in a re-study for the United States Geological Survey of the zinc- and lead-deposits of the Ozark region, with special reference to those of the . Joplin area; and his full report is now in preparation. It has been interesting to note how fully the statement that the orebodies result from the general action of underground waters is

Jan 1, 1902

By Walter E. Lewis

Myriad problems face all of us in the next decade. Vietnam, poverty, and pollution are perhaps the most pres- sing. A lesser one but still vital to us as a Nation is the slow hut apparently relentless extinction of the mining, metallurgical. geological and petroleum engineer. Are we doomed to take our place in the crossword puzzle with the moa. to be defined like it as an "extinct bird"? Or can we reverse the trend perhaps, in the next decade? The plain fact is we are an endangered species, and must resign ourselves to virtual extinction in the 1970's unless the trend is reversed. Probably, many of us have felt the problem will solve itself if left in the in-basket long enough, believing, that the trend will reverse solely on the basis of demand for these disciplines. This approach has not worked up to now, it gives no promise of working in the future, and furthermore, the problem has been in the in-basket much too long. The point is simply this: What can each of us do as an individual, or as part of a company, a State agency, a Federal agency, a university, or an organization such as AIME?

Jan 1, 1970

By Dr. Hans Von Höfer

APART from the hypothesis of a .cosmic origin (which failed of acceptance because it was not adequately supported by facts), the only important controversy concerning the origin of petroleum has been, for a long time, between the advocates of inorganic and of organic origin respectively. Each of these theories has had a long history of development, and is still being perfected, under the influence of two causes: (1) the increasingly extensive and thorough study of the oil-fields (of which new examples are periodically discovered and opened); and (2) the progress of synthetic experiments devoted to this question. Moreover, the advance in our physical and chemical knowledge of the properties of this peculiar natural product has necessarily modified all criticism of conflicting views. I. THE HYPOTHESIS OF INORGANIC ORIGIN That the notion of an inorganic origin of petroleum, first set forth by Berthelot in 1866, and afterward ingeniously developed and formulated by Mendelejeff, should thus have proceeded chiefly from chemists, is quite natural; for the question was one of possible chemical processes in the earth's interior, and of imagined chemical reactions to be, verified by experiment. Hypotheses of this kind were suggested by many chemists, of whom two, P. Sabatier and J. H. Senderens, may be specially named by reason of their highly interesting chemical experiments. Among geologists, Mendelejeff's hypothesis was received at first with much interest and favor; for it rested on the assumption of a central terrestrial mass of iron carbide, and the geologists had good reasons for adopting that assumption. Yet comparatively few of them attempted to furnish geological proofs of the hypothesis: the majority either silently believed in it, or for one or another reason rejected it altogether.

Jan 5, 1914

By A. E. H. Bergmann

INTRODUCTION The Sachtleben Chemie GmbH in Duisburg, a subsidiary of the Metallgesellschaft AG, operates a new sulfuric acid plant that employs fluid bed roasting of pyrite concentrates. The plant produces about 300,000 tons per year of pyrite cinders from the fluid bed roasting unit. The cinder product consists of 58 percent iron and is about 80 percent by weight smaller than 50 microns. This cinder product was found to be a competitive source material for the cement industry as the iron-containing additive. However, the extreme fineness of the cinder and its dusting tendency were undesirable and an agglomerating technique became necessary. In order to keep the price of agglomerated pyrite-cinders at a competitive level, the agglomerating method must be chosen such a way the capital and operating costs are low. Initial experiments were carried out on a laboratory scale to make an appropriate choice of the agglomerating method. Major goals of agglomerating the cinders were to improve the transportation, storage, and proportioning and metering properties. Minimum specifications are put on the size, size distribution and shape of the product. Criterion for handling is that a minimum of minus one mm. fines are produced after several handlings, while for storage, it is also desirable for the agglomerated product to survive several months in open air. Thermal agglomeration processes such as sintering one known to produce excellent products, but are by far too expensive for our application. For the same reason, granulation, balling, and pelletizing tests with addition of organic binding agents, such as tylose, starch, sulfite wash, molasses, etc. were not continued. The costs for the binding agent was considerable, which is probably due to the high pore volume of our cinders (35 %). Furthermore, the pellets or granules

Jan 1, 1977

Discussion of the paper of DAVID COLE, presented at the New York meeting, February, 1915, and printed in Bulletin No. 9S, February, 191.5, pp. 431 to 444. R. H. RICHARDS, Boston, Mass.-The Butchart riffle seems to violate, according to our preconceived notions, some of the very essential principles of the Wilfley riffle, and therefore ought not to succeed, but it does. On this account it must conform to other very important principles, or it would not succeed. It would beinteresting to know what these principles are which enable it to succeed. E. P. MATHEWSON, Butte, Mont.-I cannot, explain the principles on which this riffle acts, because I have not given it personal attention. All I can say is that I first saw the riffle in operation several years ago at the Steptoe Valley mill in Nevada, and I was told that a man had been around there guaranteeing that these riffles would make the table do twice as much work and do it better than with the ordinary Wilfley riffles. I heard nothing further about it for a long time. I heard about a year ago, from David Cole, the author of this paper, that the riffles were a success, and that he was using them at Morenci, and if, we were interested he would send the inventor to show us how they worked. As we knew of David Cole's reputation, we invited Mr. Butchart to come up and show us how his riffles worked. We did not have sufficient confidence in the invention to guarantee Mr. Butchart his traveling expenses, but lie came up entirely at his own expense and put in a set of the riffles on one table. It was known as a roughing table in our No.

Jan 5, 1915

By C. H. Mathewson, M. R. Pickus

The study of the plastic deformation and recrystallization of metals has been the subject of many investigations. In regard to the simple deformational processes, such as tension and compression, the early knowledge gained from studies of polycrystalline material has been supplemented by many significant researches on the behavior of single crystals. Unfortunately, this has not been true for more complicated deformational processes. As far back as 1927, G. I. Taylor1 wrote: It is impossible in the present state of knowledge to do more than give a possible reason why (face-centered cubic) crystals set themselves with a (110) direction in the plane of rolling, and at right angles to the direction of rolling. The explanation of why the orientation of the crystal axes round the transverse direction is what it is, must be left till the distortion of metals, and particularly single crystals of metals in the process of rolling, has been studied in greater detail. That this gap in the systematic study of deformation and recrystallization has not yet been filled was indicated by C. H. Samans, who wrote in 1934 that "only four investigations upon cold-rolled single crystals of any of the face-centered cubic metals have been reported in the literature." Of these four studies, only those of S. Tanaka3 and T. Sakaoj4 both of whom worked with aluminum crystals, had quantitative significance. The other two, carried out by F. Wever5 and W. G. Burgers16 were of a qualitative nature. It is our hope that the present investigation may contribute something to the knowledge necessary for a rationalization of the origin of rolling textures in terms of the known behavior of single crystals, and may add pertinent information concerning the recrystallization characteristics of deformed single crystals.

Jan 1, 1939

By M. R. Pickus, C. H. Mathewson

The study of the plastic deformation and recrystallization of metals has been the subject of many investigations. In regard to the simple deformational processes, such as tension and compression, the early knowledge gained from studies of polycrystalline material has been supplemented by many significant researches on the behavior of single crystals. Unfortunately, this has not been true for more complicated deformational processes. As far back as 1927, G. I. Taylor1 wrote: It is impossible in the present state of knowledge to do more than give a possible reason why (face-centered cubic) crystals set themselves with a (110) direction in the plane of rolling, and at right angles to the direction of rolling. The explanation of why the orientation of the crystal axes round the transverse direction is what it is, must be left till the distortion of metals, and particularly single crystals of metals in the process of rolling, has been studied in greater detail. That this gap in the systematic study of deformation and recrystallization has not yet been filled was indicated by C. H. Samans, who wrote in 1934 that "only four investigations upon cold-rolled single crystals of any of the face-centered cubic metals have been reported in the literature." Of these four studies, only those of S. Tanaka3 and T. Sakaoj4 both of whom worked with aluminum crystals, had quantitative significance. The other two, carried out by F. Wever5 and W. G. Burgers16 were of a qualitative nature. It is our hope that the present investigation may contribute something to the knowledge necessary for a rationalization of the origin of rolling textures in terms of the known behavior of single crystals, and may add pertinent information concerning the recrystallization characteristics of deformed single crystals.

Jan 1, 1939

By Arthur Gates

INTRODUCTION RITTINGER'S law of the energy expended in crushing is, as roughly stated by Professor Richards,1 that the work of crushing is proportional to the reduction in diameter; or, as I have more fully expressed it: "The work done in crushing is proportional to the surface exposed by the operation; or, better expressed for this purpose, the work done on a given mass of rock is proportional to the reciprocal of the diameter of the final product-assuming that all the mass has been reduced to one exact size, which is only theoretically possible.?2 Kick's law is stated by H. Stadler as follows:3 "The energy required for producing analogous changes of configuration of geometrically similar bodies of equal -technological state varies as the volumes or weights, of these bodies." In other words, the energy expended is porportional to the volume reduction, instead of the diameter reduction. That these two laws would give widely different results may be shown by a simple imaginary case. A ton of 16-in. cubes is broken to 1 -in. cubes at the first operation, and these are broken to 1/16 -in, cubes at a second operation. Since the first operation produces only one-sixteenth as much new surface as the second, the ratio of energy expended in the two operations would be by Rittinger's law as 1 to 16. By Kick's law, since the volume-reduction ratio is the same in both cases, the ratio of energy would be 1 to 1. This discrepancy is great enough to challenge a test by actual experiment, of which there has been, hitherto, but little compared with the amount of argument. The present paper is the record

Jan 9, 1915

By R. C. de Lange

An improved replica technique is developed for a nondestructive study of the nucleation and growth of fatigue cracks. Three different growth stages of a fatigue crack were observed. An initial stage of high growth rate is followed by a long period of very slow growth, until finally a third period of high growth rate leads to fracture. THE metal-fatigue process is of a very complex nature. The experimental approach towards fatigue is susceptible to many minor influences which, together with the unavoidable scatter in testing results, makes the interpretation a matter of extreme care. The generally accepted fact that, in a homogeneous material, the fatigue cracks start at a free surface indicates that surface studies may contri-but in an essential way to a better understanding of the fatigue mechanisms. Indeed metallographic observations of the fatigue phenomena have been very fruitful in the last decade. The study of extrusions, intrusions, and persistent slip bands has contributed much to the present knowledge of the early processes in fatigue.' The drawback of the current metallographic techniques lies in the fact, however, that either observations of fatigue phenomena had to be made in a destructive way after an only partly executed test or a sequence of observations on the same test bar was only possible on notched specimens.2 4 In both cases an uncertainty exists as to the nucleation and growth of the fatigue crack in an unnotched test bar, where the crack can start at any place of a large area and develops in a test bar, which is macroscopically

Jan 1, 1964

By Hsun Hu

NOT much data are available in the literature on textures in cross-rolled metal sheets. Among the body-centered-cubic metals, a few investigators have studied the preferred orientations developed in cross-rolled and in subsequently annealed molybdenum specimens.1-4 Semchyshen and Timmons5 onstructed complete pole figures for the cross-rolled and subsequently annealed arc-cast molybdenum. They used the conventional photographic method. Similar data on cross-rolled iron are still lacking. In view of the fundamental importance of iron as a basic metal for magnetic alloys and many industrial steels, the present investigation was undertaken in an attempt to understand more about its properties. The material selected for the present work was of high purity, and the textures were determined by the Geiger counter spectrometer technique, which permits the construction of quantitative pole figures. Experimental Procedure The material used for this investigation was NRC (National Research Corp.) high-purity, gas-free iron. The total gas content (N2 + O2 + H2) given was less than 0.026 pct, and the carbon content, less than 0.005 pct. Spectrographic analysis of a 2 in. cast ingot showed the percentage of metallic impurities as 0.0004 pct Cu, 0.0002 pct Mg, 0.001 pct Mn, 0.01 pct Ni, and 0.006 pct Si. A 1 in. thick slice was cut off from the 2 in. cast ingot. It was hot-forged at 850 °C to destroy most of the cast structure. Surface scale was removed by milling the forged piece to a size 2 in. long, 1½ in. wide, and ¾ in. thick. After normalizing at 915 °C for 15 min, the piece was alternately cold-rolled 40 pct and annealed at 750°C in hydrogen to a final thickness of 0.165 in., with a resulting uniform grain size of 0.1 mm.

Jan 1, 1958

By R. J. Wysor

MORE than two years ago, in making efficiency tests on our hot-blast stoves, I was surprised to discover a marked difference in temperature as indicated by a pyrometer inserted near a stove on blast, and the regular recording instrument situated near the bustle pipe. A special hole was then provided at the junction of the hot-blast main and the bustle pipe, and portable pyrometers with bare fire ends were used, both at this point and in the stove necks. I had occasion to make a number of such tests on various stoves on the same furnace, the difference in temperature as shown by the two pyrometers varying chiefly with the temperature of the blast, and the distance of the stove from the furnace. However, this difference was always great, often averaging above 100° F., for the entire period of a stove on blast. Later, experiments were made with similar results on another group of stoves. The pyrometers used were properly standardized and checked against each other before and after each test. However, there was still a slight doubt as to the accuracy of the results obtained, as subsequently explained. But I have obtained corroboration of the magnitude of heat losses from blast-furnace hot-blast mains from two independent sources. I have learned from H. A. Brassert, Superintendent of Blast Furnaces, South Works, Illinois Steel Co., that he has recently clone some experimental work similar to my own, and found temperature drops of the same order of magnitude. Also, C. R.. Lyle, of the Armstrong Cork Co., has made some interesting theoretical calculations, based oil the thermal conductivity of fire brick, for the particular conditions of several of our tests; and his theoretical interpolations, all facts being considered, check our actual observations fairly well. I understand that Mr. Lyle expects to publish the results of his investigations.

Jan 10, 1915

By Orson Shepard

THE leaching method that was first widely used with the cyanide process consisted of percolation leaching of crushed ore in vats or leaching tanks. It was frequently necessary to separate the sand for cyanide treatment and discard the slimes, because only granular material allows the necessary amount of solution to percolate through it in a reasonable time. Later a slime process consisting of agitation followed by thick-ening and filtration was developed, and is extensively used to the pres-ent day. Even though the agitation-leaching slime process is considered satis-factory, the cost of plant and of operation are both greater than for a percolation-leaching plant of equal capacity. This situation has been recognized in the hydrometallurgical treatment of copper-bearing slimes; and a considerable amount of j work has been done at the Southwest Experiment Station of the U. S. Bureau of Mines in an effort to develop a percolation method of treating slimes. Experimental work on the copper-leaching problem was started by H. E. Keyes1, and later tests were made by J. D. Sullivan and A. P. Towne2. The Bureau of Mines work resulted in the development of a process by which slimes were moisture-agglomerated with sand and crushed ore, to form a permeable mass through which solution could be trickled without breaking clown the glomerules. The agglomeration trickle-leaching method was devel-oped on a small scale and finally tried out in a 12-ton vat. Successful results were obtained as long is the leach solution was added slowly, so that the agglomerated charge was never flooded. If the leach solu-tion flooded the charge, the glomerules broke down and, the charge became impervious. There are two important difficulties in the application of the agglom-eration trickle-leaching-method to the cyanide process for gold and silver ores:

Jan 1, 1937

IN this survey of the progressive development of education for the mineral industries throughout the United States, the review of the history of each school has usually been completed wherever it is first mentioned, but the history of the schools in the cities of the eastern seaboard was not carried beyond 1870. It is necessary now to cover what happened during the period of approximately the last quarter of the nineteenth century in several of the schools in the east. PHILADELPHIA Of Philadelphia, it has been related in chapter 4 that the Polytechnic College of Pennsylvania began offering a curriculum leading to the B.S. in mining in 1853; that the school did not prosper, and finally closed about 1890. The establishment of a Department of Mining, Arts, and Manufactures at the University of Pennsylvania in 1855-56 was also mentioned, but its history was not carried beyond 1860. In 1859 J. Peter Lesley was appointed professor of mining in the University of Pennsylvania. The son of a cabinetmaker, born in Philadelphia Sept. 17, 1819, he had taken his A.B. degree at the University of Pennsylvania in 1838 and then secured a position on the Geological Survey of Pennsylvania under H. D. Rogers. When the Survey was discontinued, in 1841, he went to Princeton to study theology, was ordained a Presbyterian minister and followed that career until 1853, when the Pennsylvania Geological Survey was again started and he rejoined its staff. He published "A Manual of Coal and its Topography" in 1856, and studied at the École des Mines, Paris, in 1850-57. He published an 800-page "Iron Manufactures Guide" the year that he was appointed to the staff at the University of Pennsylvania. In 1863-64 a College of Agriculture, Mines, Arts and the Mechanic Arts was established, but it was not a separate school

Jan 1, 1941

Prof. H. O. Hofman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, Mass. (communication to the Secretary): When Mr. Stetefeldt quotes me as saying that " silver-assays are uniformly made by scorification," he has evidently not understood that I was referring solely to the practice of silver-lead smelting-works. Everybody knows that silver-mills do not employ the scorification-assay for regular work ; and it is equally certain that in very few, if any, silver-lead smelting-works will the crucible-assay be found in use for determining silver. The second part of the quotation, "as it is adapted to all kinds of ores and gives excellent results unless organic matter is present," although, of course, also intended in a restricted sense, might very well be extended to a general one. Mr. Furman, in his Manual of Practical Assaying,* says, on page 123: "We believe that the Colorado practice is preferable, as most ores will yield higher silver-results by scorification." The fact that the scorification-assay is the accepted one in Colorado is strong presumptive evidence for its accuracy, as exactness would nowhere else be more jealously demanded. Mr. Stetefeldt cites Albert Arents- as a supporter of his preference for the crucible-assay, although I had already done so in favor of scorification. Looking up again the reference, I find that I was justified in quoting him, as, while Mr. Arents advocates the crucibleassay for low-grade gold ores, not on account of the greater accuracy of its results, but because it is quicker and less expensive, he condemns it§ for the assay of silver-ores, and prefers the scorifier for rich goldores, and for coppery ores, and in general for ores containing both silver and gold. As I, like Mr. Stetefeldt, have kept no detailed

Jan 1, 1895

By I. Iwasaki

The interaction of starch and calcium ions in soap flotation of activated silica from iron ores was investigated using the response surface method. The results were correlated with adsorption studies and into pilot plant tests. It was reported previously1,2 that in soap flotation of activated silica from iron ores there existed an optimum combination of the amounts of starch and calcium chloride addition, and that corn starch as a depressant for iron oxides became effective when a critical amount of starch was added, beyond which excess starch appeared in measurable quantities in the aqueous phase. Further, adsorption studies2,3 with various starch products on hematite or quartz showed that the adsorption of starch at a given pH was markedly enhanced by the presence of calcium ion in solution. From these observations it becomes of interest to investigate the interaction of starch and calcium added to the ore pulp, and their influence on the selectivity of flotation separations. This paper describes an empirical relation between such dependent variables as the grade and recovery of iron in the concentrate and the residual concentrations of starch and calcium ion in solution as a function of two independent variables, namely the amounts of starch and calcium chloride addition, as determined by using the general technique of response surface methodology. The results thus obtained are correlated with the adsorption studies on hematite and quartz, and with a typical pilot plant operation. MATERIALS AND METHODS The ore sample used in the batch flotation studies was the fine fraction of a Mesabi gravity concentrate produced by pilot plant grinding and classification. The sample analyzed 55.21% iron and 14.70% insol, and consisted of 85.81% minus 325 mesh (corresponding to Ore C). 2

Jan 1, 1965