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Jan 1, 1918

By John T. Norton, Robert J. Anderson

The purpose of this paper is to report evidence, regarding metal structures, that is contradictory to the amorphous-metal hypothesis of Beilby, and particularly evidence that is opposed to the proposition that a vitreous amorphous layer is produced by polishing a piece of metal. According to the theory of Beilby, which has been developed by Rosenhain and others, polishing a piece of metal greatly affects the condition of the metal at or near the surface polished, making that surface entirely different in character from the metal beneath. A vitreous amorphous surface film is said to be formed. The polishing process, on the basis of Beilby's explanation, is well known and does not require discussion here, but it is advisable to seek the precise meaning of the term "amorphous." According to Beilby, "amorphous means non-crystalline in the most intimate sense of the word; the molecules arc not marshalled in crystalline order and orientation." According to Rosenhain, the amorphous condition is that assumed by a metal when the crystalline arrangement is completely broken up so that the atoms exist in a state of disorderly arrangement similar to that which exists in the liquid state. Thus, from the point of view of the phase rule, the "amorphous phase" is regarded as being identical with the liquid phase. Amorphous metal is often likened to an undercooled liquid. A crystalline substance is one in which the atoms are arranged in space according to some definite repeating geometrical pattern. The existence of amorphous metal has not been definitely proved. The evidence offered here that amorphous metal probably does not exist is of a direct nature and is afforded by x-ray diffraction effects given by a number of metals and alloys when polished, cold-worked, and annealed. Considerable of the experimental work was carried out with substantially pure aluminum and the aluminum alloy duralumin, but many of the observations made on these materials were checked by similar observations on copper, iron, tin, zinc, lead, mild steels, and

Jan 1, 1925

THE illustration below shows the design of the face of the clock to be erected as a memorial to the American engineers who gave their lives overseas in the World War. It will be placed in the tower of the library at Louvain, which has been rebuilt through contributions from America. Large clocks seldom have figures on their faces, and each hour on this one will be marked by a gold star, the four faces containing 48 stars, one for each State of the Union. Contributions toward the memorial have been received from every one of the States, and from Alaska and Hawaii as well, but additional subscriptions are invited by the Com-mittee which is arranging for the memorial.

Jan 3, 1928

ALABAMA Anniston.-Bretz, J A Carnngton, F G Gerber, A B Ashland -Barton J Sturdevant, J C Bessemer -Abbott, C E Ball, T L Ferguson, V Salmon, H S Schaber, C F Thompson, N E Whatley, W J Birmingham.-Adams, J H -Aldrich, T H Aldrich, T H , Jr ALASKA Anchorage -Dyer, B W. Parker, H C Smith, S S Chichagof.-Baumann, H N , Jr Copper River.-Douglass, W C Cordova.-Hazelet, G C Fairbanks -Davis, J A Hyder -Pitt, D L Juneau -Jackson, G. T Murphy, R E R..11 ti At i

Jan 1, 1923

By J. W. Byrkit

Design features and operating methods at the new Ajo smelter are described in detail. Successful operation of a novel method of handling and charging wet concentrates to a deep bath type reverberatory furnace contribute to the daily production of 200 tons of anodes with good results from the standpoint of both metallurgy and economy. THE New Cornelia Branch of the Phelps Dodge Corp. is located at Ajo, Ariz. Large scale mining operations were started at Ajo in 1917, when a 5000 ton leaching plant was put in service to treat the copper carbonate ore that overlaid the sulphide ore-body. In 1924 a 5000 ton flotation plant was built to treat the sulphide ore and the leaching operation was abandoned a few years later. Changes in practice and additions to plant facilities have resulted in a gradual increase in the milling rate which now approaches 30,000 tons daily. Prior to the erection of the Ajo smelter, flotation concentrate was shipped by rail to Douglas, Ariz, where it was treated in the Phelps Dodge smelter. Construction of a one reverberatory furnace smelter to produce an average of about 200 tons per day of copper anodes at Ajo was started early in 1949. Initial heating of the reverberatory furnace was begun on June 21, 1950. Charging the furnace was started on july 8, and the first anodes were cast on July 14. Neither the anode furnace nor the reverberatory furnace has cooled since the initial firing. Fig. 1 is a photograph of the new smelter. Built primarily to eliminate the '300 mile haul of concentrate to the Douglas plant, the new smelter was designed to treat the Ajo concentrate, with a minimum of capital investment. A novel, and relatively simple, method of concentrate handling and furnace charging made unnecessary the installation and operation of expensive storage facilities and reclaiming equipment, and obviated the necessity of holding in storage large quantities of copper-bearing materials. (Patents are pending in the United States and abroad on the Ajo process.) In the selection and arrangement of equipment, consideration was given to the full utilization of all smelting facilities, reducing the amount of idle equipment to a minimum. The layout of the smelter is shown in Fig. 2. The important problem of internal transportation was minimized by arranging the reverberatory furnace, converters, and anode furnace in a compact group and providing storage bins inside the smelter building, within reach of overhead cranes, for fluxing materials and other supplies needed in the daily operation. This can be seen in the sectional view of the smelter given in Fig. 3. Incorporated in the design were many innovations in smelting equipment intended to facilitate operations and effect economies in maintenance expense and manpower requirements. Table I gives operating data of the entire plant. Metallurgy The metallurgical practice at Ajo is based essentially upon the use of a single, deep bath reverberatory furnace for smelting wet concentrate, without concentrate storage facilities. The large reservoir of slag and matte maintained in the furnace serves to equalize, to some extent, the day to day variations in the nature and grade of concentrate and permits

Jan 1, 1954

By G. Van Esbroeck

THE copper mines of the Katanga region in the Belgian Congo lie along the same mineralized belt as those of Northern Rhodesia. There are two distinct types of deposits in that belt, the dolomitic and the quartzitic. In the dolomitic type the metallic minerals are found in a dolomitic limestone country rock. Through oxidation and enrichment, large deposits of high-grade oxidized copper ores were formed, some of which are being worked by the Union Miniere du Haut Katanga. Such deposits are all in Katanga. The quartzitic deposits are found in Katanga and Northern Rhodesia. Here the primary mineralization occurred in sandstones and quartzites, in horizons stratigraphically lower than the dolomites. These rocks are not favorable to secondary enrichment and the oxidized zone is poorer than the sulphide zone, which alone contains the ore. There are also in Katanga a few ore-bearing veins. One of them is being worked in the Prince Leopold mine at Kipushi.

Jan 1, 1939

By G. A. Vissac, R. G. Minet, N. E. Sylvander

R. G. Minet—The authors' description of the remarkable progress made in the last few years in applying the fluidized solids technique to the problem of lignite drying and carbonization clearly demonstrates that engineering techniques available today may make many processes practical and profitable which a few years ago were considered otherwise. As pointed out in the article, the future of the carbonization step hinges on the value and utilization of low temperature tar. On paper, at any rate, this tar looks like a valuable raw material for the chemical industry to use. Some 50 to 60 pct may be converted to pitch for electrodes, roofing, road tars, and other valuable products; the 25 to 30 pct tar acids could conceivably form a basis for a new low cost resin or plastic of the phenolformalde-hyde type. Yet these materials are so new and dissimilar from available sources that much work must be undertaken by the chemical industry before they will be accepted. Now that the work of Dr. Perry and his colleagues has made a large supply of low temperature tar a real possibility, I would expect the chemical industry to accelerate its work in this field. On the basis of certain data available in the literature it appears possible to produce a more aromatic tar, although in smaller yield, by operating at temperatures in the range of 1300" to 1500°F. Operating a fluidized bed process for lignite at these conditions should be technically possible, at least, and could produce a tar having more familiar characteristics. I wonder if Dr. Parry would care to comment on such a possibility. Incidentally, in our own work on carbonizing coking coals in fluidized beds, using Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia high volatile bituminous coals, we have obtained yields which agree with the correlation given for tar yields vs moisture and ash-free volatile Btu. Our data are slightly under the line, but certainly in the range of the correlation. We have also obtained evidence in support of the authors' statement as to the effect of air on the process. In our pilot plant all the heat required for carbonizing is released by internal combustion of char in the fluidized bed in normal operation. We are also equipped to obtain all carbonization heat by external electric heaters on the shell of the carbonizer while introducing only an inert gas to the process. We note no difference in tar yield or characteristics between the two operations. In the case of the gas, however, it appears that some hydrogen is consumed by the air combustion. We would be interested in hearing in a little more detail about the hot dust and char handling problems at Sandow. Have the authors found char subject to spontaneous combustion? Have they ever tried a coking coal in their pilot plant? V. F. Parry (author's reply)—Production of a more aromatic tar by operation of the carbonizer at 1300" to 1500°F does not appear to be economical. 1) The capacity of a reactor operating at 1500°F would be 30 to 50 pct less than the capacity at 932 °F and the cost of processing would increase materially. 2) The cracking of tar vapors in a reactor requires appreciable time to complete the reactions and it is doubtful that considering the very short time of residence of tar vapors within the reactor (4 to 10 sec after evolution) the basic character of the tar would be changed significantly. This is indicated from the data reported in Table XIV. 3) General studies have shown that it is advisable to operate at the minimum temperature to produce the maximum tar and minimum gas. 4) Operating problems and the maintenance of vessels and reactors, and the hazards of handling hot char, increase with the temperature of carbonization. It is technically possible to operate at temperatures as high as 1500°F, but in my opinion it is not economical or desirable. We believe that the primary tar must be won in the simplest way and then processed alone to change its character for production of desired products. It is interesting to have confirmation of our observations on the reaction of air with the products of carbonization. The major reaction is with the char, fol-

Jan 1, 1957

By Robert J. McKay, F. P. Huston, WILLIAM G. HUMPTON

THE manufacture of nickel-clad steel plate and the fabrication of articles from it has progressed far enough to permit a general description of the working methods used. The manufacture of sheets made up of layers of nickel and steel is not new as a sheet of this character was patented in Germany in 1893. Present development differs mainly in the size and finish of the product. The earlier light-gage highly finished products have been limited in their application due to their similarity, in certain respects, to electro-plated and highly finished alloy sheets. The new product is a relatively heavy plate 1/4 or 3/s in. thick and heavier, with one side coated with nickel, the weight of nickel being of the order of 10 per cent of the whole. The finish is that of hot-rolled steel plate.

Jan 1, 1931

By Philip B. Bucky

THE Mining Methods sessions, one of which was run jointly with the Industrial Minerals Division, were fortunate in having a number of exceptionally fine papers. At the Tuesday session R. P. Smith presented the results of six years' experience with prepaid medical care for the employees of the Hollinger mine. It was felt that this paper was a real contribution to the cross field of mining-medicine, and the presentation was exceptionally well done. Olof V. Lindqvist acquainted us with the consider- able progress made in blast-hole diamond drilling in recent times, especially in Canada. The opening of a mine is always a matter of considerable interest and the description of the procedure and problems encountered in opening the Mather mine of Cleveland Cliffs Iron was presented by L. C. Moore.

Jan 1, 1944

By AIME AIME

MEXICO embraces one of the great metal and petroleum producing provinces of the world. In this respect its history dates back to the overthrow of the Aztec empire by a Spanish force under Hernando Cortes between 1519 and 1.521. Even before then, its richness in silver and other minerals was not unknown. But it was a treasure house for the Spanish conquerors until the country became independent in 1821. It has been computed that in the 400 years following 1521, Mexico yielded 1.55,000 metric tons of silver, worth $3,000,000,000, two-thirds of the entire world production. In 1935 the country accounted for 36 per cent of the world's silver output, 14 per cent of its antimony (in 1934), 13 per cent of its lead, 3 per cent of its zinc and copper, and 21/2 per cent of its petroleum. Contrary to the impression of some, its gold output is now comparatively small, though important in the past. Its oil, as well, formerly hulked much larger than now, in 1921 being one-fourth of the world output.

Jan 1, 1936

By K. D. Jacob

MONTANA Phosphate Produucts Co., a subsidiary of The Consolidated Mining and Smelting Co. of Canada Ltd., operates three properties near Garrison, Mont., known as the Anderson, Graveley, and Luke mines. All three are underground operations, mining the same narrow bed at points several miles apart. The Anderson, the oldest and largest of the three, has produced about 700,000 long tons since 1929. The Graveley has produced slightly over 100,000 long tons since 1940, and the Luke, acquired in 1943, is still in an early stage of development. The great bulk of the output has been shipped to the Trail, B. C., plant of Consolidated Mining and Smelting Co. for use in the manufacture of fertilizers. The phosphate seam is the basal member of the Permian Phosphoria formation. In all three mines it has a uniform thickness of 3 to 4 ft. of oulitic phosphate, with a few shaly partings. The overlying part of the formation comprises about 50 ft. of chert and the immediate footwall consists of a few feet of shale and sandstone. underlain by the Quadrant quartzite.

Jan 1, 1944

By Don Masson

MUCH has been written and many prophecies made on the subject of plastics as a replacement for metal, and the extent to which these materials will compete with each other for peace- time markets. (Metal is used in a broad sense to include all types.) But although certain synthetic resin materials have made considerable headway in war production, this change to plastics can hardly be regarded as a serious threat to the mining and metallurgical industries. Even today, the total yearly tonnage of plastic materials is approximately only 1 per cent of that of steel, and only a small fraction of this might be considered as actually replacing steel. However, these figures must not be taken as indicating that the importance of plastics in fields hitherto considered exclusively the territory of metals is negligible-far from it. Considering the comparatively minute tonnage of plastics now being produced in comparison to the output of metals, the number of applications where plastics have augmented or aided the sale of metals is considerable.

Jan 1, 1944

By R. Schuhmann Jr., P. J. Ensio

John Chipman (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass.)—The activity of FeO in silica-saturated slags shown in Table V is about 0.40 in the temperature range 1260" to 1350°C. Recent measurements by N. A. Gokeen at 1600" lead to about the same value. He finds the oxygen content of liquid iron in equilibrium with silica and ferrous silicate slags to be 0.088 pct. Under pure iron oxide slags at the same temperature, it is 0.225 pct. The ratio places the activity at 0.39.

Jan 1, 1952

By William E. Ford, Edward Salisbury Dana

274. The PHYSICAL CHARACTERS of minerals fall under the following heads : I. Characters depending upon Cohesion and Elasticity - viz., cleavage, fracture, tenacity, hardness, elasticity, etc. 11. Specijic Gravity, or the Density compared with that of water. 111. Characters depending upon Light - viz., color, luster, degree of trans- parency, special optical properties, etc. IV. Characters depending upon Heat -viz., heat-conductivity, change of form and of optical characters with change of temperature, fusibility, etc. V. Characters depending upon Electricity and Magnetism. VI. Characters depending upon the action of the senses-viz., taste, odor, feel.

Jan 1, 1922

CHARLES KIRCHHOFF, Chairman. ALBERT SAUVEUR, Vice-Chair-man. A. A. STEVENSON, Vice-Chair-man. HERBERT M. BOYLSTON, Secretary, Abbot Bldg., Cambridge, Mass. John Birkinbine, J. Esrey Johnson, Jr., Felix A. Vogel, William H. Blauvelt, William Kelly, Leonard Waldo, James Gayley, Richard Moldenke, William R. Walker, Henry D. Hibbard, Joseph W. Richards, William R. Webster. Henry M. Howe, E. Gybbon Spilsbury, Frederick \V. Wood. Robert W. Hunt, A. A. Stevenson is appointed an additional Vice-Chairman of the Committee. He will serve as Acting Chairman during the absence abroad of Professor Sauveur.

Jan 7, 1913

By L. R. van Wert

CAREFUL research into the nature of the metallic state has yet to discover, with any certainty, its essential quality. We do riot yet know, for sure, what it is that makes the metallic elements different from, if not actually unique among, all created things. We do know, of course, that metals have certain more or less characteristic properties-they are hard, strong, and tough, and good conductors of heat and electricity, and these so-called metallic properties provide a definition of a sort. How- ever, it is the structure rather than the behavior of the metals which gives the really fundamental information necessary to the understanding of metallicity. But this information is not easily obtained. Nature has a way of keeping secrets. But happily we do possess some knowledge of how a metal is built up, and it is this matter, rather than the presentation of a formal definition, that will be discussed here.

Jan 1, 1937

For handling rough rock, the shovel-train system is unexcelled. The ideal application is a physically large, but not excessively deep, open-pit mine from which the coarsely blasted ore and waste must be transported distances in excess of three miles. If, in addition, a high production rate is to be maintained, railroad haulage will probably afford a lower cost per ton transportation than will any other haulage method. Relatively gentle grades must be employed- usually 3% for uphill hauls and 4% for downhill hauls. The greater the differences in elevation the greater are the railroad track grade space requirements. By way of illustration, a 3% ramp out of a pit only 300 ft deep must be almost two miles long. Mainline track locations should be selected carefully so that the frequency of movements during the life of the mining operation is minimized. This applies both to ore and to waste haulageways. Such moves are not only expensive but difficult to execute without adversely affecting production rates. The large mine affords greater opportunities for judicious location of semi-permanent trackage.

Jan 10, 1967

By Oliver Bowles

WAR necessities have spurred inventive genius in many fields. A grinding mill without any moving grinding parts stirs the imagination. Among the new and striking accomplishments in the heterogeneous group of nonmetallic industrial minerals is the use of an electric arc to speed up manyfold the difficult and delicate task of drilling a microscopic hole in a diamond, the hardest of all known substances. Outstanding in the field of optical research is the ability that man has developed to improve upon nature by making in the laboratory optical crystals many times larger than those usually found in rocky crevices. These are merely samples of numerous events and circumstances of noteworthy import, many of which are recorded in this review. Termination of the second World War in 1945 permits an appraisal of the effects of the conflict and the probable effects of the coming restoration of a peacetime economy on the nonmetallic mineral industries. Some industries were stimulated greatly by the war, notably mica, quartz crystal, graphite, spinning asbestos, potash, fluorspar, barite, and refractories. The large-tonnage industries connected with the building trades, however, were forced to curtail their activities, except where their products were needed for wartime construction. Their reconversion to peacetime production will not be difficult.

Jan 1, 1946

By George H. K. Schenck

Diminishing returns in management's fight to lower manufacturing expenses have added luster to savings that can be achieved in delivered costs through creative management of the distribution function. This is especially true for companies engaged in the production of bulk commodities, for which transport costs may represent 25 to 50% or more of total delivered price, A. E. Cascino, vice president of International Minerals and Chemical Corporation, recently gave an example of why top management in his firm is concerned with distribution: "The price of a ton of phosphate rock, f.o.b. mine, is about $7. The cost of warehousing, freight, and handling frequently totals an additional $11 . . . . If one of our competitors . . . discovers a way in which he can cut his distribution costs by $3, we're dead! Even if we wanted to offset our competitor's more efficient means of shipping with reduced f.o.b. price for our product-we don't have that much profit margin . . . ." In a special report on the revolution now occurring in transportation of goods, Business Week stated in its September 24 issue: "Moving and storing goods on their way from mine and mill through various sub-assemblies to their final markets costs anywhere from $50 billion to $75 billion a year- $100 billion if paperwork costs are included.

Jan 1, 1967

By Henry M. Howe

My attention has been drawn within a few days to a series of articles in Volume XVIII of the Engineering and Mining Journal, 1874, by Mr. J. A. Church, in which it is stated, among other