Search Documents

By Hal McVey

The logic and importance of marketing in the industrial minerals industry is generally recognized by those of us intimately involved in this industry. The illogical instances where marketing is ignored in evaluating projects or poorly implemented in operations are also well known. The interplay between these two extremes is interesting territory and is explored commencing with a logical progression of a metal mine that became an industrial minerals mine and ending with the most illogical and failure-prone decision common to the minerals industry today. This paper will demonstrate how: 1. A logical progression of marketing expertise can result in previously unseen benefits to a minerals venture. 2. Logic can turn to illogic due to market conditions and price fluctuations. 3. How operations can turn marketing logic into illogical results. 4. Short term "logic" is often illogical.

Jan 1, 1981

By W. N. Hamilton

British Columbia is geologically favourable for a rich variety of industrial mineral occurrences. Some have been produced for years, others overlooked until recently. Major production occurs for asbestos, gypsum, limestone, magnesite, silica and sulfur; lesser production for a dozen others. For several of the minerals, potential is much greater than existing production. New production opportunities exist also for diamonds, niobium and REE minerals, fluorspar, kyanite, nepheline syenite, talc, and several others. Alberta, though geologically less diverse, also has many industrial minerals. Limestone, salt and sulfur have the major production; clay and shale, silica, sodium sulfate and a few others lesser production. Opportunities exist for expanded production, and for new production in heavy (Ti -Zr) minerals, formation brines (Ca-Mg-I-Li), and gypsum.

Jan 1, 1987

Industrial Minerals production in New Zealand is limited in both quantity and range, but imported in quantities that make New Zealand the world's biggest consumer per head of population. The use of industrial minerals is assured as both population and standard of living increase regularly. But to develop these minerals in the New Zealand environment requires the mineral, or its market (both local and export), to have characteristics that negate the remote geographical location. Volume and/or uniqueness can achieve this.

Jan 1, 1997

By J. S. Rapp

This report is based on existing reports and recently gathered field data. It discusses mineral resource potential of Tertiary playas in the Fort Irwin region. An estimated 1.3 million tons of measured salt "reserves", and 20 million tons of indicated salt resources, have been identified north of the fort. Other indicated resources include 300,000 tons of celestite, 800,000 tons of gypsum, and 10 million tons of selenite. Zeolitic tuff was mined south of Fort Irwin from 1978 to 1984, and unexplored occurrences are widespread. Calcium-bentonite is mined near Barstow, and more may exist, including valuable sodium-and lithium-based bentonites.

Jan 1, 1992

By F. G. Heivilin

There will be 3 billion people moving into cities by 2050. Permitting is both the biggest obstacle and the biggest opportunity for mining. The problem is not if we have the right minerals, but how we can permit and produce it in a ?Sustainable? manner. A ?Permit? and a ?Sustainable Development Plan? may soon be the same thing. How do we produce the minerals we need with: 1. The lowest possible carbon footprint. 2. Social license from community outreach by being a catalyst and not a problem in a ?Green World.? 3. Enhanced water supply during all stages of production. 4. Meeting requirements of our customers for service, quality, & cost. How important is it to have a complete ?Sustainable Development Program?? First, no plan is complete!!! It is a work in progress subject to continuous improvement. We need to work together to get the results we want. The goal of the world communities is to become carbon neutral by 2050. What is the mining community?s goal? Do we have one???? When a Clorox, Colgate Palmolive, Wal-Mart, Toyota, or Caterpillar buys a product, what are your chances of getting an order without a good program in place? The answer is it will be difficult or impossible shortly and you will be requiring the same thing with your suppliers. This is an opportunity if you are in the lead and it soon will be a necessity for most mining and processing companies requiring much extra effort to catch up. For some mines it was a necessity to get most of the SD plan to get permitted. The number of companies in the extractive industries with a full Sustainable Development Programs is expanding rapidly as shareholder demands for transparency continue to grow.

Feb 27, 2013

By Ian Campbell

THE year 1952 was marked by several new alltime highs in industrial mineral production; by an easing of the critical situation with respect such minerals as fluorspar and sulphur; by important production of asbestos, lithium, and rare earths; by the perfecting of new products which will place new demands upon industrial mineral supplies, such as "Fiberfrax", and the finding of new uses for old minerals, such as wollastonite; by continuation of basic and applied research; and publication of a notable study of the national mineral economy, viz., the "Paley Report".

Jan 2, 1953

In introducing last year's Industrial Minerals Review, Stan Lefond accurately predicted that the 1974- 75 period would be quite difficult and frustrating. Although 1974 demand and prices for most industrial minerals were exceptionally strong, operating costs also rose rapidly-while shortages of supplies and equipment, symptomatic of an overheated economy, occurred from coast to coast. Thus, at the end of 1974 recessionary forces were accelerating-and the minerals industry will soon be facing falling demand as a consequence of sharp declines in auto production, housing, appliances, and other consumer goods. Moreover, when sales weaken, the high-volume, low-prices industrial minerals will incur sharply increased unit costs. To maintain adequate profit margins under these conditions will require cautious and perceptive management.

Jan 2, 1975

By G. A. Brown

A colloquium on industrial minerals entitled' A Strategy for Growth in the Industrial Minerals Sector' was held at Mintek on 5th November, 1991, under the auspices of the Extractive Metallurgy Sub-Committee of the SAIMM. The SAIMM had not been previously active in the field of industrial minerals, and the programme was designed to appeal to the middle management of mining and manufacturing companies in the industrial-minerals field. A total of 86 registered for the Colloquium, a predominance of the delegates (65 per cent) being non-members of the SAIMM. Two overseas delegates were registered after announcements

Jan 1, 1992

By Mason K. Banks

A process has been developed which produces spodumene concentrates assaying 6.0 pct Li2O and 0.45 pct Fe2O3, with 70 to 75 pct recovery of spodumene. Two flotation separations are required: the simultaneous removal of mica, feldspar, and quartz as a froth product using a cationic collector, and the subsequent removal of iron-bearing minerals as a froth product while spodumene is depressed as a tailing. SINCE the close of World War II there have been numerous developments resulting in the increased use of lithium by industry. Notable among these has been the development of an industrial lubricant, based on lithium stearate, which is fluid at low temperatures, stable at high temperature, and insoluble in water. A new bleaching agent, lithium hypo-chlorite, has also been developed recently.' Other well-known uses are listed below: 1—Lithium oxide in ceramics reduces firing time, lowers melting temperatures, lowers thermal expansion, raises refractive index, and improves chemical resistivity. 2—Lithium carbonate and lithium strontium nitrate are used in pyrotechnics for their brilliant red color.' 3—Lithium chlorides and fluorides are used as fluxes for welding aluminum and magnesium.' 4—The affinity of lithium for nitrogen is the basis for a process used in purifying helium." 5— Lithium chlorides and bromides are used in air conditioning for their powers to absorb organic amines, ammonia, and smoke.6-—Lithium hydride has been used as a source of hydrogen to inflate life rafts and balloons used by the Air Forces and Navy.' 7— Lithium metal and lithium hydride are useful in the atomic energy program in connection with the production of the isotopes of hydrogen." During the 1942-45 period of World War 11, Solvay Process Co. operated a flotation plant with a daily capacity of 300 tons of ore for the production of spodumene concentrate near Kings Mountain, North Carolina. The operation was shut down upon reduction of wartime demand for lithium chemicals, and until recently there has been no production from the Carolinas. In April 1950 an investigation of the problem of spodumene flotation from North Carolina ores was begun at North Carolina State College Minerals Research Laboratory at Asheville, N. C. This laboratory, operating under the combined auspices of North Carolina State College, North Carolina Department of Conservation and Development, and the Tennessee Valley Authority, undertook the spodumene project at the request of Foote Mineral Co. of Philadelphia. The work, involving a period of 15 months of intensive batch and pilot plant investigation, was completed in June 1951 and resulted in development of a process for concentration of spodumene by flotation which has been hereto unrecorded in the literature. A similar approach has been used before on iron, ilmenite, and other minerals, but the literature shows no record of its having been applied to spodumene. Parts of the process are now being used on a commercial scale at the Foote Mineral Co. plant near Kings Mountain, N. C., which has been in production since July 1951. It is the purpose of this paper to describe some of the results of the investigation. The Orebodies Spodumene-bearing pegmatites occur in a narrow belt 24.5 miles long and 1.8 miles wide extending southwestward from Lincolnton to Grover, N. C. According to statements judged to be conservative, the tin-spodumene belt of the Carolinas contains an estimated 4,300,000 tons of pegmatite ore averaging 15 pct spodumene. This amounts to "a reserve of at least 650,000 tons of spodumene (more than 20,000 tons of metallic lithium) to a depth of 100 ft."' This figure includes only bodies having an average thickness of 35 ft and length of 550 ft. There are hundreds of pegmatites in the belt, many of which are less than 10 ft wide. The largest pegmatite in the area has a maximum thickness of 395 ft and maximum length of 3250 ft.' These larger pegmatites are composed principally

Jan 1, 1954

By Louis Moyd

In the preparation of illustrations to accompany reports of investigations concerning particle shapes of various natural and manufactured materials proposed for use as he aggretates in concrete structures, it was found that stereoscopic views of such materials presented the information much more effectively than the usual two-dimensional photographs. With the whole-hearted cooperation of the Photographic Section, a technique was developed in the petro-graphic laboratory of the Concrete Research Division, U.S. Corps of Engineers, at Clinton, Miss., for simple and rapid preparation of paired stereoscopic photographs and micrographs. The method requires only equipment which is usually part of the general stock of any laboratory, and it is adaptable for all purposes in which three-dimensional views would be found superior to ordinary photographs. Stereoscopic Photographs Where the subject or subjects to be photographed are small but not of microscopic size, an ordinary camera having a ground-glass focusing screen is set up vertically over the field. The material to be photographed is placed on a card, the surface of which is suitable as a background. The card is mounted so that it can be tilted about 5' above and below the horizontal plane, on an axis that coincides with the north-south diameter of the viewing screen. A simple way of achieving this is to mount the card on an object having a convex lower surface. In our laboratory, a watch-glass has been used, with plasticene as the mounting medium. The convex surface should be mounted on a support having a round opening on top and a flat bottom. A roll of tape, a petri dish, a beaker, or any other piece of equipment having the proper shape to give stability to the setup will be satisfactory. The arrangement of the required equipment is shown in Fig 1. For the best results, the subject to be photographed should be mounted in the plane of the axis of rotation. To achieve this effect, the depth of the mass of plasticene between the background and the watch-glass is varied so that when the watch-glass is tilted back and forth on the axis, the subject to be photographed does not appear to move back and forth across the viewing screen. A permanent piece of equipment, embodying an adjustable vertical screw, with lock-nuts, could be made for this purpose. The subject may be illuminated in any manner desired. It was found that the presence of shadows intensifies the effect of depth. In taking the photographs, the concave surface is mounted so that one side of the background card is about 5' below the horizontal, while the axis remains in the horizontal plane. The subject is focused carefully on the ground glass and a picture is taken. The card is then tilted so that the opposite side is about 5' below the horizontal, while the axis still remains in the horizontal plane. The subject is again put in focus and another picture is taken. After both pictures are developed and printed, they are placed side by side in the same orientation and examined with a stereoscopic viewer. If depressions appear where there ought

Jan 1, 1950

By T. N. McVay, E. E. Creitz

Rather large amounts of titanium minerals and some zircon and monazite are being recovered from dune sands about I. miles west of Jacksonville Beach, Fla. The Mining Branch of the Bureau of Mines, Southern Experiment station, has been interested in developing additional large deposits of similar sands in other areas of Florida. The results of a field study have been published1 concerning the sands occurring on Trail Ridge which runs north and south about 30 miles southwest of Jacksonville. This investigation was undertaken in order to identify the opaque titanium minerals occurring in Trail Ridge and because of the economic importance of Florida titanium minerals. Nature of the Problem The minerals present in the heavy fractions (sp gr > 2.94) of the sands are principally opaque minerals; staurolite, zircon, sillimanite, tourmaline, kyanite, rutile, a small amount of corundum, traces of the zinc spinel gahnite and garnet. Epidote, monazite, hornblende and ti-tanite are present in other dune sands but these minerals were not noted in the samples collected on Trail Ridge. All of the minerals except those which are opaque can be readily identified by the usual petrographic methods. However, Opaque minerals cannot be examined satisfactorily by transmitted light. Polished sections of the opaque-mineral grains were examined but these sections did not furnish useful information. Consequently, it was necessary to use means other than the usual petrographic methods to identify them. Previous Investigations of Heavy Minerals in Florida Sands Martens2 has described the heavy minerals in the Florida beach sands and has classified the opaque minerals as ilmenite with minor amounts of leucoxene. Miller3 studied a number of sands collected by Ross and Mertie in Florida. He states that the material from the Florida beach and dune sands that commonly has been called ilmenite has essentially the chemical composition of the material that has been called arizonite.4 The x ray diffraction patterns of several samples indicated that the supposed ilmenite is essentially amorphous, with only weak lines corresponding to ilmenite, and hence the material is unlike the type of arizonite from Arizona. Opaque Titanium Minerals Rutile is essentially titanium dioxide. However, as pointed out by Dana,5 important amounts of Fe+2 and Fe+3 as well as Cb and Ta are reported in some analyses.

Jan 1, 1949

By R. J. McNally

THERE are three primary plant nutrients—nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium—expressed in any fertilizer compound as percent N, percent P 2 O 5, and percent K 2 O, in that order. This article will be concerned with the first two. The chief source of P 2 O 5 is phosphate rock. As found in the western states phosphate rock is essentially tricalcium phosphate-calcium fluoride (fluor-patite). As such, it is quite water insoluble.

Jan 1, 1957

By J. H. Wernick

IN a study of the rate of decomposition of %-in. cubes of limestone, dolomitic limestone, and dolomite in a sweeping nitrogen atmosphere, Joseph, Beatty, and Bitsianes' found that the zone of calcination advanced at substantially a constant rate at a given temperature. The purpose of this paper is to show that their data indicate at least two processes occurring when the above carbonates decompose. It is suggested that there are two processes occurring consecutively, one the limiting process in a given temperature range and the other the limiting process over another temperature range. The data of Joseph and co-workers have been extended by use of the Arrhenius equation, Eq. 1, a relation beween the velocity constant k of a reaction and the absolute temperature T. d In k A ' dT Rr2 A is the activation energy in calories per mol (additional energy that must be added for an average molecule to react), and R is equal to 1.986 cal

Jan 1, 1955

By F. P. Nichols, F. A. Renninger

At one time, mineral aggregates were considered physically and chemically inert substances whose junction was that of an inex-pensive, easily obtainable source of bulk. This philosophy applied regardless of the use to which the aggregate was put. Research approaches dealing only with such gross physical properties as hardness, toughness, impact resistance, etc., dominated the early growth years of the industry and influenced specifications to a large extent. The accelerated pace of highway construction, which began toward the end of the depression years, focused attention on the need for extensive aggregate research. The realization in the early 1940's that aggregates interacted chemically as well as physically with their environment provided the stimulus necessary to translate the drab, systematic aggregate technology of the early 20th century into the changing, dynamic, challenging field it is today. Current research problems are discussed in detail. These efforts being pursued by contract research organizations, universities, governmental agencies, and industry transcend many fields. The mineral aggregate industry is the world's largest mining and processing endeavor, yet it is graced with little of the romance or public awareness that accompanies mention of gold, silver, iron, copper, uranium, or aluminum mining efforts. Much of this reaction is undoubtedly due to the fact that the uses to which crushed stone and sand and gravel are normally put are not fully recognized or appreciated by the general public. Almost 2 billion tons of mineral aggregates are quarried or mined, processed, and sold yearly in the United States alone.= The largest uses to which this vast tonnage is subjected are as ingredients of portland-cement concrete, bituminous concrete, and dense-graded aggregate-base course mixtures in the highway and building construction fields, two industries closely related to the expenditure of public funds. It is for these uses, partially in justification for the expenditures of vast sums of public funds, that mineral aggregate research truly finds its emphasis. The research efforts expended relative to the highway and building construction uses to which mineral aggregates are subjected are those of primary concern to the industry. These efforts, while of direct consequence to the industry due to the volume market represented, are of interest as well to public agencies, universities, and contract research firms. All actively conduct research, exchange information, and make contributions to the overall knowledge relative to aggregate usage and limitations. The research efforts of the mineral aggregate industry is the subject to be discussed throughout this paper. It covers all aspects of highway and building design, construction, and technology. The effects of research pertaining to quarrying and mining methods, blasting and processing techniques, storage and handling facilities, and equipment employment and development have left their mark on the crushed stone and sand and gravel industries. Such specialized efforts have resulted in dramatically increased production rates which in turn have served to keep costs, and hence prices, down. Despite the many inflationary pressures over the years, the cost of a ton of aggregate today is little more than it was 25 or 30 years ago. Mention is made of these efforts simply to emphasize the diversity of research in the mineral aggregate field. The remainder of this paper focuses on the complexity of what might be termed "product knowledge" research.

Jan 1, 1971

By William Y. Holland, Roger M. Cook

In view of the increasingly widespread deterioration of concrete structures as the result of the interaction of the alkalies sodium and potassium released by hydration of portland cement and susceptible rocks and minerals in aggregates, it is believed that a paper summarizing the geographic distribution of these aggregates will be of interest to producers and users of concrete, concrete products, and concrete-making materials. THIS paper reviews the problem of alkali-aggre-gate reaction in concrete and describes the geologic and geographic occurrence and distribution of alkali-reactive sand and gravel in western United States. It includes no discussion of crushed stone or synthetic aggregates. Most deposits of sand and gravel are accumulations of particles of rocks and minerals from a variety of sources, and it is not unusual for at least one or two varieties of the rocks to contain some form of reactive material. Examination by petro-graphic methods of many sands and gravels, as well as manufactured aggregates, has shown that a comparatively high proportion of the deposits does contain, in greater or lesser degree, rocks and minerals known to be deleteriously reactive with the alkalies of cement. Fortunately the amount of reactive materials is commonly less than that necessary to cause deleterious effects in concrete. As investigation of unsound concrete structures progresses, it becomes evident that the alkali-aggre-gate reaction is even more widespread than supposed, Figs. 1 and 2. Even though some parts of the country appear at present to be immune, further investigations will probably show that the effects of alkali-aggregate reaction can be seen in many structures in these areas, although only on a small scale in most of them. Many concrete structures will, of course, have lived their useful life before disintegration from this cause is serious, and in others the alkali-aggregate reaction may never become significant even though the microscopic evidence of reaction is present. The alkali-aggregate reaction first was reported to be a cause of deterioration of concrete in 1940 when Stanton1 described expansion of concrete pavements in California. Similar expansion and deterioration of concrete was recognized during succeeding years in concrete structures located in many parts of the country, but particularly in the western states. A number of concrete laboratories2 became interested in the problem. It was soon determined that only certain combinations of aggregate and cement caused the alkali-aggregate reaction to take place, and moreover that the reaction progresses only in the presence of water. Further research proved that cements containing more than 0.60 pct total alkalies (pct Na,O + 0.658 x pct K2O), when used with aggregates containing appreciable amounts of reactive ingredients, caused the reaction to take place, usually with subsequent deterioration of the concrete. During the last few years this limitation has been adhered to in both government and private construction as the maximum allowable alkali content of cement to be used with aggregates of known alkali reactivity. Because of this limitation, it appears that deleterious reaction either has been reduced or eliminated in many recently built structures in which it probably would otherwise have occurred. Recent tests have shown that the degree of expansion obtained with any particular cement-aggre-gate combination depends not only on the alkali content of the cement but also upon the relation of this alkali content to the amount and degree of reactivity of reactive constituents in the aggregate.' In laboratory mortar bars, opal and cements with alkali content of as low as 0.2 pct (as equivalent of Na2O) have produced deleterious expansion as the result of alkali-aggregate reaction. These experiments demonstrate that aggregates containing even 0.1 pct of opal are deleteriously reactive. It was soon determined that alkali-silica gels were formed by the interaction of the alkalies of the cement and the reactive aggregate, Figs. 3 and 4. Osmotic or swelling pressures produced by the continued hydration of these gels cause expansion of the concrete with resulting cracking, warping, and dislocation. Evidence of the alkali-aggregate reaction can be seen by a petrographic study of the deteriorated concrete. Among the first structures studied by this method was Parker Dam on the Colorado River, California-Arizona. In the concrete from this dam pebbles of rhyolite, andesite, siliceous limestone, and chalcedonic chert were found to be reactive.

Jan 1, 1954

By M. L. Leonardi

THE Searles Lake orebody is located in the north- west corner of San Bernardlno County. It is a dry lake bed with an exposed salt surface covering an area of 12 square miles. Recoverable mineral values are contained in the mother liquor below the surface of the lake. Stratification in the lake bed has separated the brine into two bodies which dlffer in composition. Although liquor is processed from both bodies, this paper will discuss only the upper structure brine. Fig. 1 illustrates a typical cross-section of the two commercial orebodies. The orebody is composed of a porous salt deposit 70 to 90 ft deep. The upper structure is separated from the lower orebody by a 12 to 16-ft thick impervious mud seam, as shown in Fig. 1. These salt structures are composed of 55 pct solid-phase salts and 45 pct voids which are filled with the original mother liquor. The brine wells are drilled to the separating mud seam and cased to wlthin 10 ft of the bottom. This is done to draw the brine horizontally from the bottom of the structure. It is pumped with multistage centrifugal pumps Into the plant at the rate of 3 milllon gal per day. The first process that was successful was developed by Charles P. Grimwood for the recovery of potash. The first evaporator unit was built in 1916. In the early twenties, Dr. Morse worked out a process for the recovery of borax. This made the cycle more efficient, as the end liquor could be sent back to the evaporators rather than being sewered. In 1926 the American Potash & Chemical Corp. was formed as a new company, and the entire plant was remodeled. The plant at that time produced only potash, borax, and boric acid. Since then the American Potash & Chemical Corp. has added processes for the production of USP boric acid, refined potash, sulphate of potash, soda ash, salt cake, lithium concentrates, Pyrobor (Na2B4O7) bromine, phosphoric acid, and lithium carbonate. The main plant cycle may be depicted as a closed cycle, see Fig. 2. The raw material, brine, enters the cycle to be mixed with the end liquor, known as ML2, from the pentahydrate borax crystallizers. The mixture of these two forms evaporator feed. Evaporator feed is pumped to the evaporators where it is concentrated, with respect to potash and borax. In the same operation water vapor, sodium chloride, salt trap salt, and clarifier salt are removed from the cycle, see Fig. 3 for potash plant product. The evaporators produce a concentrated liquor which contains approximately 19.5 pct KCI. This liquor is diluted as it enters the potash plant to keep all salts, except potash (KCI, 97.0 pct) in solution. Here the moist potash leaves the cycle at 100°F. The end liquor, known as ML1, is pumped to the borax pentahydrate crystallizers, where crude borax pentahydrate is crystallized and removed as solid phase. The ML2 is sent back to pan feed to be reconcen-trated, see page 207. Note that the only water to leave the cycle is in the form of vapor and moisture in the solid phase products crystallized. Thus there is a constantly cycling volume of liquor to which brine is added. Since the volume of liquor cycled does not increase, the brine is, in effect, evaporated to dryness. This would be true if there were no liquor losses. But, as in all processes, there are always unavoidable and accidental losses which reduce the volume of cycling liquors. The losses must be made up with brine. The concentration process is the beginning and the end of the cycling liquors. In this process there are three evaporator units of the triple effect counter-current type, that is, there are three pans in each unit and the heat flows in one direction while the liquor flows the other way through the evaporator pans, see Fig. 4. During the evaporation process a great deal of sodium chloride, burkeite, some sodium carbonate monohydrate, and a little lithium-sodium phosphate are crystallized. The volume of these salts is so great that they must be removed as they are formed or the process would come to a standstill. Brine and recycled mother liquor No. 2 enter the third effect evaporator pan from the evaporator feed storage tanks, see Fig. 5. A steady flow of liquor is removed from the bottom of the No. 3 pan and is pumped through the No. 3 cone of the salt trap, a clear liquor being returned to the NO. 3 pan. A portion of this clear liquor is pumped to the second effect pan. This process is repeated in each pan. The liquor from the No. 2 pan is pumped through the No. 2 salt trap cone and returned to the No. 2 pan.

Jan 1, 1955

By I. F. Jackson, H. L. Hartman

Hard-metal inserts have received considerable attention in the mining industry recently for a variety of excavating and penetrating purposes. Their use in percussive drilling and in coal cutting machines is well known, but attempts to utilize them in cutting materials such as dimension stone have been discouraging because of excessive tool wear and failure. Particular attention is given to those properties of hard-metal inserts that affect their resistance to wear. A consideration of the actual wear mechanism shows the importance of correct mounting of the inserts and of the selection of suitably powered driving motor so as to achieve minimum tool wear and maximum tool life. Comparisons are made between the performances of types of hard-metal inserts, relating their inherent properties with results obtained in laboratory tests. As part of a broad program to improve the quarrying and processing of industrial minerals, The Pennsylvania State University has been investigating the machinability of slate under laboratory and field conditions. It should be emphasized that the results of the research presented in this paper are also applicable to other natural structural materials, and particularly to the more workable ones such as limestone and sandstone. Improvements which accrue in cutting and sawing should prove of benefit to all the dimension stone industry. Further, it may be pointed out that the results reported here are applicable to rotary drilling (with drag bits) as well as to cutting and sawing of rock. INVESTIGATIONS IN RELATED FIELDS The investigation was initiated with an extensive survey of available literature related to metal cutting and to rotary drilling. The following similar features between metal cutting and slate cutting became evident: 1) Hard-metal inserts are widely used as a cutting tool in both cases. 2) The forces acting on the tool may be resolved into normal and tangential components. 3) Rate of penetration and tool wear are important criteria in each case. On the other hand, important differences also exist: 1) Most metals, exhibit plastic behavior, while slate (and most rock) is a brittle material under normal conditions. 2) In metal cutting the component of force acting parallel to the surface of the workpiece is considerably greater than the force holding the tool against the workpiece. 111 slate cutting, this situation is reversed. Similarities between drag-bit rotary drilling and slate cutting are as follows: 1) In both casts, a tool, usually of the hard-metal insert type, is used to penetrate a brittle material. 2) The drilling forces and related variables, such as rotation speed, are similar. 3) Chip formation in each case is essentially the same. 4) The shape of the tool is similar in rotary drilling and slate cutting. Important differences are also apparent: 1) The objective of drilling is to produce a directed hole, while in cutting it is to form a kerf. In core drilling, however, a kerf is also produced. 2) The horizonta1 component of force in rotary drilling decreases from the center to the outside of the tool, whereas in slate cutting the component is almost uniformly distributed across the width of the tool. 3) The power absorbed in the drill rod is greater in rotary drilling. 4) The clogging action of chips, if excessive power is applied to the tool and if flushing is insufficient, is more serious in rotary drilling. Because of the striking similarities between metal cutting and slate cutting, and between rotary drilling and slate cutting, it was considered that the findings of investigators in those fields would serve as a guide for experimental studies of slate cutting. The following is thus devoted to a discussion of those aspects of metal cutting and rotary drilling pertinent to the present investigations.

Jan 1, 1962

By R. Q. Shotts

Data are presented which show that fractions of varying densities from the same coals are oxidized at different rates by nitric acid. From oxidation data, the approximate quantity of "bright" and "dull" components may be calculated. Definite relationships between oxidation rate and rank are shown for density fractions from at least two bituminous coals. IN 1945, the Alabama State Mine Experiment Station initiated a program on the determination of fusain in certain coals of the state.1 Because of the lack of equipment and personnel necessary for microscopic examination, the chemical method2 was used exclusively. During studies of the distribution of fusain in fractions of various sizes and densities on a medium volatile coal, the author noted a higher rate of oxidation of the nonfusain part of the coal in the lower density fractions and the difference in rate became more marked the shorter the oxidation period used. Since durain and other "dull" components of coal have been reported3,4,5 to have higher densities than vitrain and the bright components, it appeared probable that the observed differences in rates of oxidation in the different density fractions were due to variations in petro-graphic composition. Such effects have been noticed by other workers.2,3 In order to obtain further evidence on this point, several Alabama coals of different rank have been separated into three or more fractions on the basis of density and their rates of oxidation determined, using the procedure specified for the determination of fusain, except that measurements were made at short time intervals as well as for the longer periods specified in the regular procedure. Significant differences in the rates of oxidation of the nonfusain part of the various fractions have been observed, and it is believed that studies of this type may make possible the identification of individual petrographic components or lead to methods for their semiquan-titative estimation. Properties of the Coals: Analyses and some properties of the whole coals studied are given in table I. The range in rank of the coals is not the widest possible within the state, but samples of the low volatile coals that occur in thin beds in the northeastern part of the state, were unavailable. The Clements bed is not, at present, considered workable. The coal is of medium volatile rank, quite friable, and very strongly swelling. Analyses of different size fractions show that the larger sizes are of higher rank than the smaller ones. Material passing the No. 50 sieve (all sieve sizes refer to the U. S. Standard Series) is close to high volatile A in rank, except for the size passing a No. 200 sieve, in which fusain is partially concentrated. Because of the variation in rank of the sizes of Clements coal, oxidation studies were made of two widely different size ranges. The + 1-in. material was crushed on rolls to about 1/8 in. and separated into five fractions by float-and-sink treatment in a benzene-carbon tetrachloride mixture. The — No. 4 + No. 8 and the — No. 4 + No. 50 size ranges tested overlap but the latter size was studied last with the expectation that it would include more oxidizable material than the first size. This proved not to be the case. Yields and properties of the specific gravity fractions oxidized are shown in table II. Milldale bed coal probably represents, as nearly as it is possible to do so, the "average" coal of the state. The material passing a No. 4 sieve was the only size range oxidized. It was divided into four specific gravity fractions. As in every case the heaviest fraction, which was essentially rock, was discarded. The Black Creek is the most extensive in area of

Jan 1, 1951

By R. Q. Shotts

Data are presented which show that fractions of varying densities from the same coals are oxidized at different rates by nitric acid. From oxidation data, the approximate quantity of "bright" and "dull" components may be calculated. Definite relationships between oxidation rate and rank are shown for density fractions from at least two bituminous coals. IN 1945, the Alabama State Mine Experiment Station initiated a program on the determination of fusain in certain coals of the state.1 Because of the lack of equipment and personnel necessary for microscopic examination, the chemical method2 was used exclusively. During studies of the distribution of fusain in fractions of various sizes and densities on a medium volatile coal, the author noted a higher rate of oxidation of the nonfusain part of the coal in the lower density fractions and the difference in rate became more marked the shorter the oxidation period used. Since durain and other "dull" components of coal have been reported3,4,5 to have higher densities than vitrain and the bright components, it appeared probable that the observed differences in rates of oxidation in the different density fractions were due to variations in petro-graphic composition. Such effects have been noticed by other workers.2,3 In order to obtain further evidence on this point, several Alabama coals of different rank have been separated into three or more fractions on the basis of density and their rates of oxidation determined, using the procedure specified for the determination of fusain, except that measurements were made at short time intervals as well as for the longer periods specified in the regular procedure. Significant differences in the rates of oxidation of the nonfusain part of the various fractions have been observed, and it is believed that studies of this type may make possible the identification of individual petrographic components or lead to methods for their semiquan-titative estimation. Properties of the Coals: Analyses and some properties of the whole coals studied are given in table I. The range in rank of the coals is not the widest possible within the state, but samples of the low volatile coals that occur in thin beds in the northeastern part of the state, were unavailable. The Clements bed is not, at present, considered workable. The coal is of medium volatile rank, quite friable, and very strongly swelling. Analyses of different size fractions show that the larger sizes are of higher rank than the smaller ones. Material passing the No. 50 sieve (all sieve sizes refer to the U. S. Standard Series) is close to high volatile A in rank, except for the size passing a No. 200 sieve, in which fusain is partially concentrated. Because of the variation in rank of the sizes of Clements coal, oxidation studies were made of two widely different size ranges. The + 1-in. material was crushed on rolls to about 1/8 in. and separated into five fractions by float-and-sink treatment in a benzene-carbon tetrachloride mixture. The — No. 4 + No. 8 and the — No. 4 + No. 50 size ranges tested overlap but the latter size was studied last with the expectation that it would include more oxidizable material than the first size. This proved not to be the case. Yields and properties of the specific gravity fractions oxidized are shown in table II. Milldale bed coal probably represents, as nearly as it is possible to do so, the "average" coal of the state. The material passing a No. 4 sieve was the only size range oxidized. It was divided into four specific gravity fractions. As in every case the heaviest fraction, which was essentially rock, was discarded. The Black Creek is the most extensive in area of

Jan 1, 1951

By R. J. Caro

The Anaconda phosphate plant was put into operation in the fall of 1923. Its present daily operating capacity is approximately 170 tons of treble superphosphate and 16 tons of phosphoric acid analyzing 42 pct P2 O5 and 52 pct P2 Os, respectively. As a result of the continued increased demand for phosphates, Anaconda decided in 1947 to expand the plant's daily output to 270 tons of treble superphosphate and 54 tons of phosphoric acid. The present daily plant intake is 335 tons of wet (footwall) phosphate rock analyzing 31.7 pct P² O5 and 0.28 pct V² O5. The rock is shipped from Anaconda's mine at Conda, Idaho, in open railroad cars, having been crushed to pass 3/8 in. mesh at the mine.' The expansion program will require an increased intake of 300 tons of rock per day. The hanging-wall rock anaIj-ses approximately 30.5 pct P2 O5 and 0.11 pct V² O5, and will be beneficiated in a new washing plant under construction

Jan 1, 1950