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By V. S. Swaminathan

This year, Great Britain is looking back over a century to August 14, 1850, the day when the first "Act for the Inspection of Coal Mines" was passed in that country, an act which signaled the end of over two hundred years of hitherto uncontrolled and dangerous mining practices. It was back in the time of Queen Elizabeth that . thousands of pounds were invested in mining, particularly coal mining in England and Scot- land. By 1640 there were collieries producing 10,000 to 25,000 tons of coal per year. In the seventeenth century the Tyne district coal industry was organized into powerful partnerships, and coal took an even larger part in industry, as a source of power and as fuel for the iron industry. In the early 19th century a "phenomenal, almost devastating expansion" characterized Britain's coal industry, and it was sparked by a 111 pct in- crease in the population of England and Wales in the first half of the century. Coal production for those 50 years increased 470 pct and pig iron production was up 946 pct for the period 1801-51.

Jan 1, 1950

Jan 1, 1894

By Charles L. Mantell, B. G. Shah

SINCE the beginning of the industry, commercial electrolytic manganese has followed the Shelton patent' among others, which called for the addition of sulfur dioxide in controlled amounts, to a purified manganese sulfate-ammonium sulfate at a controlled pH. Every attempt to eliminate sulfur dioxide additions has resulted in operating difficulties, chiefly solution of the deposited metal and lowered current efficiencies. Many replacements for sulfur dioxide have been proposed and studied, chiefly sulfur compounds, urea, thiourea, and proteins similar to those employed successfully in copper refining. It has been suggested that sulfur dioxide is a re-ductant for higher-valence manganese compounds, or that it is reduced by manganese metal in the deposit to hyposulfites or its compounds, and that these might affect the cathode film or the deposition potential, or the overvoltage of manganese. The additives were studied following the method of Mantel1 and Ferment2 who determined the feasibility of current-potential curves as an analytical tool for monitoring manganese elec trowinning solutions for metallic impurities: nickel, cobalt, silver, copper, zinc, molybdenum, cadmium, magnesium, and sodium. The individual effect of each on the standard polarization was determined for a range of concentrations. Not all affected the polarization curve; cadmium, magnesium, and sodium had no effect. Nickel, cobalt, silver, copper, and zinc yielded a correlation between transition current and concentration of impurity.

Jan 1, 1968

By M. F. Goudge

Production of many industrial minerals reached all-time records in 1965. In keeping with the high level of industrial activity throughout the nation, producers of many industrial minerals operated at capacity or near capacity, notably the producers of phosphate, potash and sulfur. In the case of sulfur, the demand exceeded production and orders were filled, in part, from stocks accumulated in previous years. Industrial minerals as a group continued to increase both in value and quantity at a faster percentage rate than metallic minerals and fuels, The U.S. Bureau of Mines estimated that the value of industrial minerals produced in 1963 was $4318 million vs. $2006 million for metals. Preliminary estimates for 1965 indicate that current value of production was again more than 2% times that of metals, thus making apparent their importance to the industrial life of the nation.

Jan 2, 1966

By R. Pakalnis, J. P. Savely, R. D. Call

A simple and inexpensive clay imprint core orienting device has been developed by Dr. R. D. Call. It has a minimum of moving parts, is durable and easily used by drillers, and adds only 15 minutes to a core run. Conventional wire-line drilling and a drill hole inclined 30° to 60° from the horizontal plane are required. The device will not operate in a vertical hole. The orientor is an eccentrically weighted downhole device which can be constructed in a mine shop from an old inner core barrel and lead. Modeling clay is packed in the core lifter case, which is screwed on the downhole end of the orientor. A clay imprint of the bottom of the hole is taken after each coring run. This imprint is matched to the top of the succeeding core run, the drill core is pieced together, and a reference line representing the drill hole is scribed on each core. Fracture attitudes are measured relative to the reference line and the core axis. On recent drilling projects, tests for imprint reproducibility were conducted. The results of these tests show an average variation of f3" in location of the scribed reference line between imprints. Comparisons of surface mapping data with oriented core data are good. It is rare that the entire length of drill core in intensely fractured zones can be oriented because it is impossible to piece the core together. However, if a triple tube set-up is used, a modification in the scribing procedure can result in a good statistical sampling of the fracture population. Attitudes of major structures have been oriented with this technique.

Jan 1, 1983

Jan 9, 1950

By WALTER M. DAKE

GENERALY speaking, the bituminous coal mines of the country are being operated at a loss. To purchasers of the necessary commodity, a statement of this character may have the sound of a far fetched propagandist cry; but to the coal producer who lives in the hope of an up-turn in the almost stationary market price of his product, while inking in red his monthly operating balances, it carries the ringing sound of truth.

Jan 1, 1925

By Rudolph G. Wuerker

WITH the growing complexity of ore dressing processes and the diversity of equipment, efficiency control has become increasingly important in beneficiation. In the case of iron ore dressing, there have been sporadic attempts'-3 to establish the optimum separation for various ores so that grade and recovery would be readily predictable. But no rigorous statistical analysis and graphical presenta- tion of such tests could be found in the literature of this country. Tests Made with Iron Ores Expanding upon existing methods of plant supervision and efficiency control, an investigation was started in the ore dressing laboratory at the University of Illinois on the applicability of distribution analysis to iron ores. A sample of crude ore was obtained from the Ohio mine of Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Co. at Ishpeming, Mich., consisting mostly of alternating bands of hematite and siliceous gangue, both about 1/4 in. wide. The ore was heavily coated with limonite, which often filled the cracks.

Jan 1, 1959

By E. Goldin, H. J. Juretschke

THE electrical properties of porous conductors have been studied ever since such materials, usually prepared by pressing and sintering of metallic powders, obtained practical importance. In most cases, however, the results have not been easy to interpret because of the great number of independent variables such as powder size, pressure, pressing rate and temperature, subsequent thermal history, porosity, and so on, which enter into the fabrication of industrially desirable materials. In recent years an interpretation of these properties has become of interest because the electrical properties of many new substances, prepared as fine powders by crystallization from the vapor phase or by reactions in the solid state at high temperatures, have to be determined on porous samples formed from the powder. Since theoretically significant information must refer to the fully dense state of the material, it is important to relate the electrical properties measured on such porous samples to those expected for a sample of 100 per cent density. A simple theory for the porosity dependence of the electrical conductivity and the Hall effect was recently proposed by Juretschke, Landauer, and Swanson.' Their model, assuming a distribution of pores of equal size and shape, sufficiently far apart so that each pore is embedded in a region of uni-

Jan 1, 1959

By Frederick Prime

IN this supplementary list no titles to which an * is prefixed have been seen by the compiler; and he will be most thankful to have any omissions or inaccuracies in the list sent to him to be published as a second supplement in the next volume of the Transactions. The author is indebted to Messrs. Robert Clarke, of Cincinnati ; Thomas Macfarland, of Towanda; Professor F. W. Simouds, of Chapel Hill; and Professor J. J. Stevenson, of New York, for valuable assistance. CEDAR POINT IRON COMPANY, BALTIMORE, July 31st, 1880. ALABAMA. Geological Survey of Alabama. Report of Progress for 1877 and 1878 ; by Eugene A. Smith, State Geologist. Montgomery, 1879. 8vo., 139 pp., and 4 maps.

Jan 1, 1880

Jan 4, 1953

Jan 1, 1896

Jan 1, 1932

By G. Kimmel, A. Bar-Or

The rate of nucleation and the rates of both lateral and longitudinal growth of martensite plates (needles) in b—a transformation were determined as a function of temperature, in various U-Cr alloys. The activation energies for nucleation and both modes of growth were calculated from the experimental results. The identical values for lateral and longitudinal growth clearly indicate that both are controlled by the WHITE,' Mott and Hines and Holdeen3 showed that characteristic martensite plates (needles) appear in U-Cr alloys during the transformation 8 —0 in the lower temperature range (up to -300°C). Holden pointed out that the rate of growth of the individual martensite plates under isothermal conditions is same mechanism. Lomer's suggestion that single-atom movement over subatomic distances controls the specially slow growth of martensite receives further support from the present kinetic study, which shows that the growth rate can be described quantitatively by known formulas for the growth rate in processes involving single-atom movement. very slow, and suggested that this is due to the slowness of the relief of the stresses engendered during the growth of the individual plates. lomer4 attributed the slow growth to the complexity of the atomic adjustment at the growing interface b/(u. In the present work the rates of nucleation and growth of martensite plates in U-Cr alloys were studied by direct observation, in order to elucidate the mechanism which controls their characteristic slow growth.

Jan 1, 1968

By S. R. Zimmerley, John Gross

A survey of the status of ore dressing in 19231 placed particular stress on the need of research in the crushing and grinding of ore, especially on the need for a method of measuring the surface of the products obtained in crushing and grinding and for fundamental data on the law of crushing, in order that intelligent conclusions may be drawn from actual crushing or grinding experiments. There has been no satisfactory means of determining the surface of crushed products. The results have been judged entirely by the amount of the various sizes produced, based on sieve sizing for particles above 74 microns in size and on microscopic measurement or elutriation for particles below 74 microns, a method which could give only a general idea of what had been accomplished. The fact that the long controversy between the followers of Kick and of Rittinger has resulted in no accepted conclusion is evidence of the need for fundamental data on the crushing law. Some Methods of Measuring Surface of Particles A dissolution method was used by Wolff to measure surfaces of glass powder. A mixture of sodium carbonate and sodium hydroxide was the solvent and the amount of glass dissolved in two hours from the powder was compared with that dissolved from a glass plate.2 Lately Herbert F. Kriege has used the dissolution method in determining surface of calcite and limestone.3 Dr. Geoffrey Martin and his coworkers in England have also used a dissolution method to determine surface on quartz. They compared the amount of quartz dissolved from the sample in one hour by a hydrofluoric acid solution with the amount dissolved from a measured quartz

Jan 1, 1930

By Wolfgang Pietsch

Pressure agglomeration using tableting machines, roll presses, punch presses, isostatic pressing equipment, extrusion presses, and other less common equipment, represents a large share among commercial applications of size enlargement by agglomeration. The paper attempts to classify and describe the equipment and technology, their development and state of the art, as well as their respective applications, advantages, and disadvantages.

Jan 1, 1977

Jan 1, 1940

Jan 1, 1940

By H. Sato, R. J. Lipp, I. Iwasaki, K. A. Smith

Selective desliming holds much promise for upgrading low-grade, finely disseminated iron ores that are not readily amenable to conventional flotation. The process is extremely sensitive to the presence of calcium and magnesium ions that are in process water or are released by constituent minerals. The effects of these two alkaline earth ions on quartz were compared through streaming potential measurements, flocculation and cationic flotation tests, abstraction tests and scanning electron microscope studies. Calcium ion, adsorbed as CaOH+, and magnesium ion, attached by heterocoagulation as Mg(OH)2 precipitate, were responsible for the flocculation of quartz suspension and for the depression in cationic flotation of silica in alkaline pulp solutions. Magnesium hydroxide coating could be removed, similarly to adsorbed calcium ion, by complexation with EDTA and polyphosphates.

Jan 1, 1980

By J. Norman Bulkley

As electrical power is used to a greater extent on the Rand than in any other mining center, it is thought that a short description of the methods used and results obtained may be of interest. In comparing Rand practice with that on other fields, several general factors should be borne in mind: First, the mines are all working on large tonnages of low-grade ore (average $6.50). The annual crushing rate is about 27,000,000 tons. Second, the mines are all grouped under the financial and engineering control of mining houses, so that the results of a group, rather than an individual mine, are open for study, and practice follows more uniform lines. Third, coal of fair quality (about 12,000 B.t.u.) can be obtained for $2 to $3 per ton. Good supplies of condensing water are, however, scarce, and have to be carefully stored. Power Supply Power is supplied by the Victoria Falls & Transvaal Power Co., Ltd., and its subsidiary, the Rand "Mincs Power Supply Co. Both companies, which are practically one from an engineering point of view, operate the following stations, all fecding into the same system. Capacity Installed Turbo Capacity Installed Steam-Tur- Station Alternators bine Dliven Centrifugal Compressors Brakpan............... Two 12,500-kw. sets Two 3,000-kw. sets Simmer Pan............... Six 3,000-kw. sets Rosherville................ Two 11,000-kw. sets Six 3,500-kw. machines Five 9,600-kw. sets Three 7,000-kw. machines Verckniging ............. Two 9,600-kw. sets Two 12,000-kw. sets 162,200-kw. sets Total steam-tkbine capacity installed, 204,200 kw. There are also at the Robinson Central air station six motor-driven centrifugal compressors, each of 3,500 kw., equal to 22,000 cu. ft. per minute at 120 Ib. capacity at 3,000 r.p.m. Power is supplied from these stations as 50-cycle, three-phase current generally at 40,000 volts,

Jan 1, 1916