Search Documents

At the annual meeting of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Dec. 4 to 7, 1917, a great many matters were discussed and acted upon in which nearly all engineers are equally interested. Of the numerous sessions of the meeting, only a few of the most important can be referred too here. The Committee on Gages held an open meeting for the discussion of this important matter. Representatives from a large number of manufacturing plants and from several departments of the Federal Government were present. The question of gages and standardization of mechanical details is of course of paramount interest just now in connection with the manufacture of ordnance and ammunition. After discussion, the following recommendation was adopted by the meeting, for inclusion in all Government contracts for the manufacture of these materials. The maste and reference gages and standards of measurements, with which Ore

Jan 1, 1918

1. Any society of undergraduates at a technical school, comprising students in any branch of engineering, metallurgy, chemistry, geology, etc., may be recognized by the Board of Directors in its discretion as an Affiliated Student Society, and its name, together with the names of its President and its Secretary, may be published in the Bulletin or the Year Book of the Institute. The individual members of such a society will not be catalogued as individual members or associates of the Institute, but may at any time be proposed for election as members or associates of the Institute, in the usual way. 2. Membership in an Affiliated Student Society, certified by the official representative thereof, and accompanied with suitable testimony as to character and qualifications, will have special ,weight with the Membership Committee of the Institute, in its consideration of the proposal of a candidate for membership or for Junior membership.

Jan 1, 1923

By W. E. Hess

At the Vesta mines of Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp. on the Monongahela River, 35 miles south of Pittsburgh, JCM Joy continuous miners and 6-SC shuttle cars are used for pillar extraction in the Pittsburgh seam. The entire output of the mine goes into coke production for blast furnace operation. Because this coal, which has high metallurgical qualities, is close to the place where it is ultimately used and because supplies with these properties are being rapidly depleted, complete recovery is essential wherever possible. With the introduction of the continuous miner into the Vesta mines, therefore, it was necessary to plan a project which would facilitate development and provide for future total recovery. Use of continuous miners under varying conditions has necessitated changes with regard to roof action, method of development, method of pillar attack, and innovations in mining. In the following pages these changes will be discussed.

Jan 2, 1955

By Owen F. Jensen

CONSTRUCTION of a ground-water supply includes many operations, which do not end with completion of facilities. Evaluations must be made of the quality of water in various areas and the history of production. Following an analysis of geologic, hydrologic, and chemical data there must be an exploratory drilling program and a study of resulting information. When the well is completed a continuous survey of operating records and basic data is necessary, since designs for future wells are varied as more data becomes available for those already completed. As the following discussion must be limited to a single undertaking, the customary procedure will be outlined for development and construction of a ground-water supply in which more than three wells are involved. Parts of this procedure are applicable for all ground-water supplies. Three possible sites were selected for construction of a paper mill. The problem was that the industry daily required approximately 15 million gallons of water of the best quality available; however, if water of the best quality were not available in the desired amount, water of a poorer quality could be used up to half the required amount, about 7 million gallons. In the preliminary survey approximately 1500 to 2000 square miles were covered for each site. Collected data consisted of several hundred electric logs of oil and gas wells; reports by the U. S. Geological Survey on ground-water resources of localities in and near the area; unpublished records of several hundred water wells including chemical analyses of the water produced and drillers' logs of the wells; records of periodic water-level measurements made in observation wells by the USGS; topographic maps drawn up by USGS and by army engineers; and highway and county road maps. A preliminary report based on study and evaluation of these data was presented to the client, recommending the site with the most favorable and economical ground-water conditions. The study indicated that water of the quality and quantity desired could be developed. In this particular area there were indications that the aquifer could be separated into two zones con- taining water of different chemical character. This chemical character varied somewhat with area, but principally with depth, a factor which later proved an economic advantage in design of the well field. After studying the preliminary report, the client weighed other economic factors as well as ground-water advantages and selected a plant site. Authority was given to proceed with detailed study of the chosen area. Evaluation of preliminary data concerning the area indicated that it should be supplemented with additional information derived from actual exploratory drilling and testing. A flexible plan of exploratory drilling was devised so that data obtained as each test hole was drilled could be correlated with existing data and additional test holes could be located and drilled accordingly. Specific data to be obtained from each test hole were: samples of all formations penetrated; the driller's descriptive log of formations; electric logging surveys; one or more samples of water from selected water-bearing formations; temperature; and water levels and their recovery after periods of production. The area studied in such detail was approximately 400 square miles. Choice of location for the original test holes was based on the preliminary study. The pattern for these test holes was designed to require a minimum number of holes and to allow for interpolation of data between two, three, and four holes. Geologic, hydrologic, and chemical data gathered after completion of the first four test holes showed that the north section was the most desirable in the area, which was then reduced from the original 400 square miles to about 150 square miles for more detailed and intensive study. On the basis of findings from the current test a tentative well field was laid out and a drilling program devised. One test hole was located on the actual plant site and later developed into a small pilot production well equipped with a deep well turbine pump. Water from this well was used for general construction requirements. Another test hole drilled near the pilot production well and adjacent to the proposed route of the well-collection system was used during the pumping test of the pilot production well to determine the degree of interference. From the data thus obtained, calculations were made to determine the coefficients of transmissibility and storage. Three additional holes

Jan 1, 1955

The preparation of the General Index, covering volumes of the TRANSACTIONS from XXXVI to LV, inclusive, which has been in preparation for some time, has been delayed on account of pressure of Government work at our printers. The composition of the Index will probably be, finished by the end of this year, which means that the volume will be ready for distribution about the end of February, 1918.

Jan 1, 1918

The American Steel Treaters Society, which meets at the Seventh Regiment Armory, Chicago, Ill., on Sept. 23-27, has provided an especially interesting program of thirty-five papers. They deal with "Heat Treatment of Steels for Cutting Purposes," "Heat Treatment of Miscellaneous Products," Heat Treatment of Steel for Intermittent Cutting Purposes, "Results of Investigation Pertaining to Heat Treatment," "Heat Treating Equipment," "Solution of Modern `demands on Heat Treating."

Jan 9, 1919

By Edward Hart

THE specimen of glazy iron used for analysis was highly characteristic in appearance. It was made at one of the furnaces of the Glendon Iron Works, working a light burden of ore with a highly silicious cinder. There are very few records of analyses of this variety of iron. I have been able to find but the two given by Bell, and I add these to my analysis for comparison.

Jan 1, 1877

By AIME AIME

This volume, an octavo of 626 pages, is now ready for delivery. By its aid, any subject treated or alluded to in the Transactions can be instantly tracked. The names of persons, mines, works, towns, etc., have been included; and abundant cross-references and classified sub-headings have been added to facilitate rapid consultation. Thus, the student remembering the name but not the locality, or the locality but not the name, or neither the name nor the precise locality of a gold-mine, can find it under ?Gold-mines," or under either of the other heads. For a more extended statement of the nature and use of this Index, which is intended specially for the benefit of those who do not possess complete sets of the Transactions, and who consult the Library by correspondence, see the Bi-Monthly Bulletin for September, 1907. The price of the Index bound in cloth is $5, delivery charges prepaid. Half-morocco binding costs $1 extra. Buy at once a copy of this Index, and also as many back-volumes of the Transactions as you can afford. Every such purchase from the stock on hand is so much added to the income of the Institute. As far as possible, the money thus received will be devoted to maintaining and perfecting the Library, and making it useful to members in all parts of the world.

Jan 11, 1907

By ERNEST W. ELLIS

MORE or less contradictory findings as to the most satisfactory feed for concentration tables of the Wilfley type is shown by the diversity of opinion among experimenters. Prof. R. H. Richards,l as a result of his work, favors classification. On the other hand the work of Messrs. Cox, Gibbins, and Porter,' of McGill University, points in general to the desirability of screen-sized feed The ore used was obtained from the West mill of the Bunker Hill and Sullivan Mining and Concentrating Co., Kellogg, Idaho, and consisted of argentiferous galena in a gangue of quartzite and siderite. The natural feed was taken from the launder supplying the Fahrenwald classifier. Classified feed was collected from each of the ten spigots of this same classifier. From the natural feed the screen-sized feed was pre- pared in the laboratory. All three types of table feed were therefore derived from the actual mill circuit of a large plant.

Jan 1, 1926

The Sixty-fifth Congress was a "War Congress." Perhaps nothing else than war work should have been expected of it, but it had time and opportunity to do much more. Engineers have good reason for sorrow over the engineering legislation that died merely because there was no opportunity for a vote. The mineral resources of the public lands of the United States are, except the precious metals, locked away from development. For more than eight years there has been an attempt by both the executive and legislative departments of the nation to secure legislation which, under proper conditions and without detriment to the public interest, will open up these lands for development. After eight years of study, argument, conciliation, and compromise, Congress agreed in conference of the two Houses upon a measure satisfactory to it and to the Executive Department and the final draft was passed by the House of Representatives, but in the Senate it was talked to death by Senator LaFollette of Wisconsin. Some of its proponents plan to, reintroduce the bill identically as agreed to in conference into the 66th Congress, where it is hoped that by reason of its peculiar fate in the 65th Congress it will be regarded in the nature of unfinished business and thus receive early consideration and passage.

Jan 5, 1919

By P. K. Guerrero, Nathaniel Arbiter

The correlation of power consumed by a tumbling mill with the dimensions, speed, and load has been attempted by three principal methods. One of these, the torque formula, has been reviewed critically elsewhere. This approach, while analytical, disregards the individual motion and speed of the tumbling bodies and assumes that the gross geometry of the entire load is sufficient to establish the power requirement. A more general approach, using dimensional analysis, has been applied in this laboratory by the present authors, and more recently by Rose. This disregards the internal conditions within the mill entirely and in effect is an empirical procedure for correlating data. Finally, the complete analysis of tumbling mill dynamics as first made by Davis attempts to develop the power requirement from individual ball and rod paths and velocities. Although Davis' result is applicable only at a single speed for a given size and load it could be useful, since his optimum speed is at the upper limits of conventional tumbling mill practice. Where power values predicted by the Davis equation were compared with actual mill requirements, they were found too low for small mills and much too high for the largest mills. This suggested that the agreement with actual intermediate range requirements might be fortuitous, and the development of the equation was examined critically.

Jan 5, 1960

By H. R. Hanley

ONE of the most important contributions to the art of electrolytic zinc production-has been the aluminum cathode. This has been used in all major production: since its commercial development in 1916. The literature is replete with important contributions, some of which may have been replaced by better ones, but thus far there appears no other metal to take the place of aluminum as cathode material. Credit for this innovation goes to Sherard Cowper Coles, of England. When experi-menting on the extraction of-zinc from Broken Hill ore at Hayle, Cornwall, in 1893, he introduced the aluminum cathode, and in 1895 obtained British Patent-No. 20073. The reason for this dominant position of aluminum as cathode mate-rial in zinc sulphate electrolytes is its unique surface, to which electro-deposited metals usually do not tightly adhere. The metal must be of high purity for best results. It is possible to develop a starting-sheet method by which thin electro-deposited sheets of cathode zinc are made and stripped from a smooth aluminum plate. Such thin sheets of cathode zinc may be used as arc tine copper sheets in standard electrolytic copper-refinery practice. However, complications arise because of extreme warping of the zinc starting sheet after a .few hours of deposition, and thus special arrangements must be made to compensate for this abnormality.

Jan 1, 1938

By L. W. Bahney

FREQUENTLY in using a thermo-electric pyrometer for measuring the temperature of a furnace, a hole is drilled at the back or side of the furnace, through which is introduced the tube containing the thermo-couple. At times the couple is left almost where it drops, for the reason that it soon becomes too hot to be handled easily, and the space at the back or side of the furnace may be so small and uncomfortably hot that an easy and accurate adjustment is nearly impossible. In order to overcome this clumsy and unscientific method of using the thermo-electric pyrometer, I designed an adjustable stand, to hold the clay or quartz tube unclosing the platinum and plati-num-rhodium leads that constitute the couple of the Le Chatelier thermo-electric pyrometer. This stand also allows an easy and rapid adjustment of position to varying heights and angles, as may be desired for special reading. This stand is illustrated in Fig. 1. The couple in the tube might be of better service if the tube were held a little higher above the charge in a roasting-dish, changing the height and angle if desired. The stand, made of 1.5-in, water-pipe and mounted on casters, is heavy enough so it cannot be tipped over easily. It is adjusted to any position, and has a universal clamp which holds the clay or quartz protecting-tube. To avoid disturbing the wires of the couple at the cold junction each time the tube is moved, the cooling-bottle sets in a wire basket so placed that it moves forward or back with the couple. To overcome the necessity of leveling and adjusting a galvanometer at each furnace, a switch-board is used to connect

Jan 1, 1910

By Sterling G. Valentine

The annual .use of large quantities of sulphurous iron-ores (over 1,500,000 tons in the United States) has led to a search for the best methods of desulphurization, in order to make this material more available for the manufacture of a good quality of pig-iron. Although such ores can be used raw in small amounts, they must be previously roasted if they are to constitute the entire ore-charge of a furnace.

Jan 1, 1890

By J. A. Reeves

The unit-train for moving mineral raw materials is considered by many railroad men as the most significant contribution toward reducing rail freight costs since the introduction of the diesel locomotive. The idea, which involves assigning railroad equipment to only one haul and keeping the equipment rolling, results in the maximum utilization of equipment. For example, before the unit train was placed in service on coal hauled to one of Mid-Continent Coal and Coke Company's customers, about 900 cars and 9 locomotives were needed to move its coal requirements, compared with 250 cars and 6 locomotives currently used. If unit-train economics are to be achieved, coal companies cannot use railroad cars as small storage bins on wheels to accumulate their coal in train-load shipments, instead, these companies must build large bins which incorporate facilities for the rapid loading of railroad cars in a minimum length of time.

Jan 1, 1970

One of our members, in Colombia, has written the following interesting account of his experience in trying to remit his dues to the Institute. "Last year I was away at the end of the year and on my return I was unable to obtain a draft in Honda until April, I believe. To avoid delay this year I remitted cash, early in January, to a friend in Bogota who I imagined could sell or procure for me various small drafts to cover my annual subscriptions. After many weeks' delay, I was informed that he could not get them for me and was remitting the cash to Honda where they were obtainable. After another long delay, I was informed that no one in Honda would sell drafts or checks for small amounts. Eventually I found a friend who was willing to oblige me in the matter and at once forwarded the amount."

Jan 8, 1919

1. Any society of undergraduates at a technical school, comprising students in any branch of engineering, metallurgy, chemistry, geology, etc., may be recognized by the Board of Directors in its discretion as an Affiliated Student Society, and its name, together with the names of its President and its Secretary, may be published in the Bulletin or the Year Book of the Institute. The individual members of such a society will not be catalogued as individual members or associates of the Institute, but may at any time be proposed for election as members or associates of the Institute, in the usual way. 2. Membership in an Affiliated Student Society, certified by the official representative thereof, and accompanied with suitable testimony as to character and qualifications, will have special, weight with the Membership Committee of the Institute, in its consideration of the proposal of a candidate for membership or for Junior membership.

Jan 1, 1923

1. Any society of undergraduates at a technical school, comprising students in any branch of engineering, metallurgy, chemistry, geology, etc., may be recognized by the Board of Directors in its discretion as an Affiliated Student Society, and its name, together with the names of its President and its Secretary, may be published in the Bulletin or the Year Book of the Institute. The individual members of such a society will not be catalogued as individual members or associates of the Institute, but may at any time be proposed for election as members or associates of the Institute, in the usual way. 2. Membership in an Affiliated Student Society, certified by the official representative thereof, and accompanied with suitable testimony as to character and qualifications, will have special ,weight with the Membership Committee of the Institute, in its consideration of the proposal of a candidate for membership or for Junior membership.

Jan 1, 1917

1. Any society of undergraduates at a technical school, comprising students in any branch of engineering, metallurgy, chemistry, geology, etc., may be recognized by the Board of Directors in its discretion as an Affiliated Student Society, and its name, together with the names of its President and its Secretary, may be published in the MINING AND METALLURGY of the Directory of the Institute. The members of such a society will not be named individually on the membership list of the Institute, but may at any time be proposed for election as associates or junior associates of the Institute, in the usual way. 2. Membership in an Affiliated Student Society, certified by the official representative thereof, and accompanied with suitable testimony as to character and qualifications, will have special, weight with the Membership Committee of the Institute, in its consideration of the proposal of a candidate for membership or for Junior membership.

Jan 1, 1923

By W. E. Glenn

The years immediately ahead-1961, 1962, 1963- will be critical years from every standpoint for the young engineer. In the next few years, he must learn to grow professionally. Most often, the rate and extent of this growth will be governed by his own initiative and perseverance. Habits and attitudes acquired during these early professional years relate very closely to, and even foreshadow, future accomplishments. The future goal of the young engineer is a moving target. It will change with professional growth, family requirements, changes in predominant interest, general economic and business conditions and geographic location. However ambitious and stead-fast in his goal he may be, the young engineer should not hesitate to adjust or change-for he really does not know initially what he is best fitted for and will not know until he has tried a number of things patiently and persistently.

Jan 1, 1961