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By L. N. Brown

The use of sheet and strip metal has increascd rapidly during the last few years and manufacturers have been called upon for an ever-increasing tonnage, better drawing quality, and better surface. The automobile industry is probably the most insistent in striving for a better product and a desire to reduce costs. Confronted by these demands, the mills have directed their efforts toward the delivery of material. Their personnel has been occupied largely with the problems incident to production, as any increase forced the use of new sources of raw material with their problems. These problems, combined with those met in the daily routine, have demanded immediate attention, with the result that the standardizing of heat treatments, quality, or temper, etc., have been neglected. Considerable work in standardizing has been done by many companies, but no acceptable method has been developed. The following method, therefore, is given with the hope that some method that can be accepted by the manufacturers and users may be developed. The problem of selecting a material with such properties that the losses in processing are a minimum is interesting and difficult. A description of the properties required is likewise difficult, largely because of loose terms. Another handicap is the number of methods of testing which have not been standardized and concerning which little information is available. In the selection of drawing or forming stock, it is advisable to eliminate as many variables as possible; consequently the method of testing the material is of the utmost importance. The method should be rapid and comparatively easy of application, as it is more important that a large percentage of the stock be tested with reasonable accuracy than that

Jan 1, 1923

By L. N. Brown

The use of sheet and strip metal has increascd rapidly during the last few years and manufacturers have been called upon for an ever-increasing tonnage, better drawing quality, and better surface. The automobile industry is probably the most insistent in striving for a better product and a desire to reduce costs. Confronted by these demands, the mills have directed their efforts toward the delivery of material. Their personnel has been occupied largely with the problems incident to production, as any increase forced the use of new sources of raw material with their problems. These problems, combined with those met in the daily routine, have demanded immediate attention, with the result that the standardizing of heat treatments, quality, or temper, etc., have been neglected. Considerable work in standardizing has been done by many companies, but no acceptable method has been developed. The following method, therefore, is given with the hope that some method that can be accepted by the manufacturers and users may be developed. The problem of selecting a material with such properties that the losses in processing are a minimum is interesting and difficult. A description of the properties required is likewise difficult, largely because of loose terms. Another handicap is the number of methods of testing which have not been standardized and concerning which little information is available. In the selection of drawing or forming stock, it is advisable to eliminate as many variables as possible; consequently the method of testing the material is of the utmost importance. The method should be rapid and comparatively easy of application, as it is more important that a large percentage of the stock be tested with reasonable accuracy than that

Jan 1, 1923

By George A. Packard

The experiments here described were made under my supervision while temporarily acting as head of the Department of Metallurgy at the Missouri School of Mines, at Rolla. The work was done by Messrs. W. E. Brown, W. C. Richards, and F. L. L. Wilson, and the description of the results forms a portion of a thesis presented for the degree of Bachelor of Science. These results are submitted because I have seen no description of the application of pot-roasting to the treatment of a copper-concentrate. This work followed that already described in the discussion of the Lime-Roasting of a Galena-Concentrate,' and was similarly occasioned by the lack of a furnace of the reverberatory type in which the copper-concentrates could be smelted. The material for the tests was a mixture of three lots available. The first consisted of 8-mm. ,jig-concentrates and the second of 0.5-mm. table-concentrates, from the San Juan district, Colo. Both contained pyrite, chalcopyrite, and galena. The third was a lot of copper-ore, found in the laboratory, which had been crushed through 8-mm. screen, and had at some previous time, before the laboratory roasting-furnace was torn down, received a partial roasting. The analyses of these ores are given in Table I. In order to determine the applicability of pot-roasting as to each lot of ore, and the effect of varying proportions of lime, six preliminary tests were made in a " size N " Battersea crucible, 9 in. high by 6 in. in diameter at top, with a 5/8-in. hole bored through the bottom. The crucible was set in the upturned elbow of a 2-in. pipe, the joint being luted with clay; and air was obtained from a receiver supplied by a compressor. The

Jan 1, 1908

Discussion of the paper of W. A. Forbes, presented at the New York Meeting, October, 1913, and printed in Bulletin No. 82, October, 1913, pp. 2477 to 2514.. SAMUEL K. VARNES,* Steelton, Pa.:-We have a gas-cleaning plant consisting of a, centrifugal dry dust catcher, and two rain-type wet scrubbing towers, 25 by 60 ft. each, for rough cleaning of blast-furnace gas. This plant was put in early in 1910, with the intention of cleaning gas for use in hot blast stoves and under boilers, and was so used for several months. Soon after it went into service, the blast-furnace men complained that they could not get as high blast temperatures as they had obtained when using dirty gas. It was decided to run a series of careful tests to determine if this were true and to what degree the apparent results might be affected by other conditions. About 60 tests were run, covering a period of five months, and at the end we came to the conclusion that it did not pay us to scrub the gas for stoves and boilers. The tests were all run upon a single stove, no boiler tests being made, but the conclusions of the stove tests being applied to the boilers. The furnace burden was practically the same for all the tests and averaged: Per Cent. Daquari and other hard ores 57 Nodules 13 Raw Mayari ore 25 Mill cinder and scale 5

Jan 12, 1913

By H. O. Hofman

(Canal Zone Meeting, November, 1910.) I. INTRODUCTION. IN a previous paper,1 The Behavior of Calcium Sulphate at Elevated Temperatures with Some Fluxes, we published the results of our investigation, into the behavior of calcium sul-phate in air; that, is, under oxidizing conditions. The results as a whole hold good for a neutral atmosphere, or one which has no chemical effect upon calcium sulphate. The present paper deals with the behavior of calcium sulphate under reducing conditions, the reducing-agents employed being carbon monoxide and carbon, and the changes the calcium sulphide formed undergoes when it is subjected to an oxidizing-roast. Technical literature deals very sparingly with the subject. The information furnished by the recent leading chemical manuals is general. Thus Dammer,2 Moissan,3 and Abbegg,4 quote Berthier as having reduced, in 1823, calcium sulphate with carbon, and Stammer as having done the same in 1851 with carbon monoxide; Gmelin Kraut 5 add Leplay and Laurent (1848) as third investigators. Metallurgical authorities confine their statements to the known fact of reduction by carbon. II. PREPARATION OF RAW MATERIALS. 1. Calcium Sulphate.-This salt was prepared in the same manner as described in our previous paper,6 and was found to be chemically pure. * Professor of Metallurgy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology. + Metallurgical Instructor, Imperial Technological Institute. 1 Trans, xxxix., 628 to 653 (1909). 2 Handbuch der anorganischen. Chemie, vol. ii., part 2, p. 309 (1894). 3 Traité de Chimic Minérale, 1904, vol. iii., p. 543. 4 Handbuch der anorganischen Chemie, vol. ii., part ii., p. 116 (1905). 5 Handbuch der anorganischen Chemie, vol. ii., part 2, p. 233 (1909). 6 Trans., xxxix., 630 (1909).

Nov 1, 1910

By George A. Miller

OIL, the abundance of it in the hands of the Allies and the lack of it in the hands of the Axis, played a major role in winning World War II. It bids fair to implement the winning of the peace. In fact the signing of the revised agreement on petroleum between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Government of the United States of America on Sept. 24, 1945, may be considered as the first step in establishing a new pattern in foreign relations by our Government. The significance of this agreement on petroleum is that it was arrived at on the part of the United States of America through the advice and consent of the most interested parties, the leaders of the petroleum industry and the Government, distinctly a first step toward unifying the power of business and the strength of the Government, which places us on a par with the British Crown which has always had the advice and counsel of its business leaders in formulating its foreign trade policies. And what is the thing so patently discernible in this new first step toward winning the peace? It is that the petroleum agreement, the first draft of which, signed in Washington on Aug. 8, 1944, almost caused an epidemic of apoplexy among the leaders of the oil industry, represents the desire of the people most concerned with the problems of petroleum both at home and abroad. This new agreement, which will come up before the Senate for ratification this month-hearings will commence in January - derives its "power from the consent of the governed," something about which our forefathers were vitally concerned once upon a time.

Jan 1, 1946

By J. M. Locke

BRÜCKNER's revolving cylinders for roasting ores, etc., are now used at a number of the mills in Colorado and New Mexico, for the purpose of roasting and chloridizing silver ores, with highly satisfactory results, even from those cylinders of small size, erected before the many improvements of recent date. As examples of the larger improved cylinders, reference can be made to those erected at the Tennessee Reduction Works, Silver City, Grant County, New Mexico, and those which were built, in 1871, at the celebrated Caribou Silver Mill and Mines, Colorado, a mining enterprise which has proved so satisfactory as to have been lately sold to a Holland company for an enormous amount. These cylinders, as now constructed by Messrs. Lane & Bodley, of Cincinnati,, Ohio, are shown in Plate III, in which Fig. 1 is an elevation in perspective, Fig. 2 a longitudinal, and Fig. 3 a trans¬verse section. Fig. 4 is a sketch of a mill, with Brückner's cylinder. The exterior of the cylinder is a shell of boiler iron, 12 feet long by 5 feet 6 inches in diameter. The ends are partially closed with similar material, leaving in the centre a circular opening about 2 feet in diameter, bounded by a flange projecting several inches.. Upon one side is placed an opening closed by a hinged door. Upon the outside of the cylinder are bolted three bands, as shown in Fig. 1, in which the section of the first is square, and that of the third semi¬circular; the second, or middle band, is a strong spur gear. Passing through the cylinder are six pipes parallel to one another, in a plane at an angle of 15° to the axis of the cylinder; these pipes also lie in this plane at an angle of from 30° to 35° to the longitudinal, axis of the plane, as shown in Fig. 2, where the internal arrangement of the cylinder is seen, a perforated diaphragm being formed through part of the cylinder by means of perforated plates placed between

Jan 1, 1874

By William R. Chedsey

IN the last two years the E.C.P.D. committees having to do with the inspection of engineering schools for possible accrediting have been concerned with the engineering content of some of the mineral industries courses. Originally the discussion arose with regard to engineering geology, or geological engineering, afterward broadening to metallurgical engineering, ceramic engineering, agricultural engineering, and other branches not pertinent to this discussion. Some members of visiting committees took the attitude that they probably would have to accredit these types of training as included in the engineering group if they met the average standard set by the mining schools, though they questioned -whether they were really engineering.

Jan 1, 1939

By W. M. Peirce, R. K. Waring

Zinc of high purity offers definite advantages in certain fields. A process by which zinc of 99.99 + per cent purity is produced by pyro-metallurgical methods is described in this paper. The process consists of a fractional distillation following the primary reduction; this fractional distillation employs the principles of rectification for the separation of lead and other high-boiling impurities and cadmium and other low-boiling impurities. Theoretical Considerations Involved in Production of High-purity Zinc by Distillation Fractional distillation, fractional condensation, and rectification are recognized methods of separating mixtures of liquids. In the field of organic liquids these methods are widely used but not commonly to effect as complete a separation of liquids as is done in the problem under consideration. Zinc boils at 905" C., cadmium at 778" C. and lead at about 1620" C. Zinc may contain from several hundredths of one per cent to over one per cent each of cadmium and lead, and the problem is to reduce these impurities to a few thousandths of one per cent. For lead and zinc, the spread in boiling points is substantial, 715° C., while for zinc and cadmium it is only 127" C. The basic limitation of any separation by distillation may be found from the relation between the equilibrium composition of the vapor and the liquid for all mixtures of the two substances involved. If a mixture of constant boiling point is found, or if a stable compound that vaporizes without dissociation occurs, there is a definite theoretical limit to the degree of separation that is possible when operating at atmospheric pressure with respect to that mixture. Otherwise, any degree of separation is theoretically possible. The equilibrium composition of vapor in contact with liquid mixtures of zinc and cadmiurn at the boiling point has been determined experi-

Jan 1, 1937

The objective of the mission was basically to study the utilization of engineers and engineering technicians and their interrelationship in the Soviet Union. Beginning with their graduation from the engineering institutes and technicums, we hoped to learn how the graduates started out in industry, what their training on the job was, what sort of work they did, and how they worked themselves up within their profession. However, it turned out that, as our host was the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Education, most of our visits were to educational establishments. Our itinerary covered Moscow, Leningrad, Kharkov, Rostov, Baku, and Tashkent, with a side trip to Samarkand. In all, we visited 13 technical institutes, three technicums, and five industrial plants or enterprises, as they are called there. Our trip was one of only four weeks. Our observations were limited by the few cities and enterprises we were permitted to visit. Nevertheless, we did come back with some definite impressions and conclusions which we feel should be of interest to engineers, educators, and those concerned with the relative economic and technical power of the USSR and the U.S.

Jan 9, 1960

By F. C. Stanford

The work of an engineer is to direct natural forces so that the: bring about the results that he wishes to secure. Heretofore he ha concerned himself chiefly with physical forces and inanimate objects until he has secured a truly marvelous degree of control over them The great problem of the present age is to secure a like degree of know1 edge and control of the human factor. Progress has already been made along this line, but it is only a beginning. Wilhelm Ostwald says tha scientific knowledge enables a man to be a true prophet; but it must be remembered that a good many people do not seem to be able to main tain a high average in prophecy. In short, 'the average of knowledge is not equal to the average needs of the present time, but continually fails to keep pace with it. It has been aptly said that the really essentia need of the period is for more brains; if we only had sufficient knowledg and sagacity we could not only solve all difficulties, but prevent then from arising. This generalization holds good for an industrial organization. Th most vital need of the management is for more brains. The logica course for an engineer in charge of an industrial organization is, therefore to direct whatever forces may be at his command toward the development training, and guiding of all the brains in his organization. This is easie said than done, for it involves the carrying on toward two objective: the maximum of productive work, and the development of the individual who perform it. This is essentially like the rebuilding and enlarging of plant, keeping it in full operation the while. On the other hand, if th aim is merely for maximum production from an organization, withou offering opportunity for development, the final outcome will necessari be like that of a plant that is driven at full capacity without stoppin for repairs or improvements; it eventually becomes so run down th either a complete rebuilding is necessary or else it has to be abandone

Jan 1, 1918

By L. A. Walker

DURING the past twelve years the underground shaft of the United States mine at Bingham has been sunk an additional 2000 ft. with stations and pockets cut every 200 ft. without interrupting the mining of 600 tons of ore per day and the advancing of 1500 ft. of development per month. Following is a brief description of the way the joint work is conducted. The vertical underground shaft is a three-compartment shaft with outside dimensions of 6 ft. 4 in. by 15 ft. 6 in., and inside dimensions for each compartment of 4 ft. 2 in. by 4 ft. 8 in. The manway compartment of the main shaft is used as the hoisting compartment in sinking operations; it is partially lined with 2 by 12-in, lagging and a bucket is used without guides or crosshead. Preparatory work includes the placing of a bulkhead in the manway compartment, 60 ft. above the lowest station or level, the installation of a hoist, a head sheave, a fleet sheave, a-signal system, air and water lines, and a trap door for handling waste.

Jan 1, 1937

By R. D. Carnahan

The authors are to be complimented on their timely study of solution-hardening effects in a bcc metal. Unfortunately there are some misleading aspects of the paper that should be discussed and clarified which is the purpose of this letter. In particular the writer is concerned about the allusions to rate theory of deformation that are inferred by the authors. This position is taken on the basis first of the "weaker" temperature dependence of the yield and flow stresses of the alloy relative to pure niobium and second of the strong temperature dependence of the Young's modulus of elasticity. It is by now well-recognized that any collection of data points used to determine a flow-stress temperature-dependence relationship must be established under isostructural conditions, i.e., similar or identical sessile and mobile dislocation densities and arrangements. Admittedly this is a formidable experimental undertaking and not what would be expected in an exploratory investigation of the present kind. As an alternative to the former one can consider, however, the temperature dependence of flow stresses at comparable strains. In the present study the authors have elected to use the lower yield stress and ultimate strengths to exhibit the temperature dependence of their alloys except for the data points taken at liquid nitrogen temperature. Here they have used the proportional limit for the yield stress and the fracture stress for the ultimate strength. This seems to be an unrealistic choice particularly in view of the fact that this temperature is below the duc tile-brittle transition region for the alloy and no supporting data points were obtained between -55" and -196°C. If the authors' data in Fig. 2 are extrapolated and data points selected at a constant strain, for example a strain of 0.01, the reader can quickly verify that a temperature dependence exactly paralleling that of pure niobium is obtained.

Jan 1, 1967

By W. Spencer Hutchinson

The experiments described in this paper were undertaken primarily for the purpose of measuring the quality of work done in screening and sorting in American concentrating-mills for Prof. Richards' work on Ore-Dressiag. For this purpose a series of samples of screened and sorted products was obtained from four different mills, and a plan was devised for sizing these products, and for tabular and graphic representation of the results. The results, together with discussions as to their significance, so far as they serve to interpret the quality of mill-work, have already been published in the above-mentioned work, and it is not the purpose of this paper to duplicate the work, except so far as is necessary to explain and illustrate methods and appliances. The sizing of coarse products was clone by sifting on screens of sheet-metal with round punched holes. These holes ranged in size from 64 mm. to 0.5 mm. in diameter. Below the smaller limit, punched metal, suitable for this work, was not obtainable, and the sizing was carried on by sifting on woven wire-sieves. The finest woven wire-cloth obtainable gave a hole 0.073 mm. square, and the finest silk bolting-cloth pave a pentagonal hole with an average diameter of 0.069 mm. Even these very fine screens served no useful purpose in sifting certain of the very fine classifier-products, of which all, or nearly all, passed through the finest screen. A new adaptation of a method of settling and decantation with water in beakers was therefore worked out, and by this means the sizing mas carried down to grains of a diameter as small as 0.012 mm. Description of Apparatus and Manipu1ntion.—Sieves of sheet-metal with round punched holes were used as far as practicable, chiefly because, as already explained, the primary object of the experiments was to test mill-work, and the mills had all used

Jan 1, 1905

By David E. Jones, Dean K. Hunt, C. Y. Chen

INTRODUCTION Of all the numerous geological hazards that threaten the well-being of urban areas in the United States, probably none is so widespread, persistent, and diversified as surface subsidence (HRB-Singer, Inc., 1977). Simply defined, subsidence is the vertical displacement or sinking of the ground surface caused by either natural phenomena or man's activities. The downward movement, however, can be accompanied by horizontal movement, strain, tilt and even by a locally upward movement. Damage to structures and the environment can result from any of these movements. Extracting subsurface materials, fluids and solids, accounts for most man-induced subsidence in the United States. Among all the mining-related subsidences, the collapse of voids created by underground coal mining has been the major cause in inflicting surface damage (Comptroller General of the United States, 1979). Subsidence from coal mining may occur within a few weeks or be delayed for years, depending upon the mineral layer's depth below the surface, the overlying rock strata's characteristics, the extent and methods of mining that were employed, and the time deterioration of pillar and mine structure. Unless underground resources are not mined or control measures are implemented to prevent or minimize damage, some degree of surface subsidence and its accompanied deleterious effects are often inevitable. The ways to control the subsidence and minimize surface damage may include: 1. Precautionary measures built into new structures or surface features. 2. Preventive works applied to existing structures or surface features. 3. Mine design incorporating special underground layouts. 4. Any combination of the above measures. Upon the enactment of Public Law 95-87, the Secretary of the Interior, through the recently created Office of Surface Mining (OSM), was authorized to promulgate rules to regulate mining reclamation including subsidence control. Proposed on September 18, 1978, these rules were finalized, following public comment and hearings, on March 13, 1979, as part of the permanent regulatory program for the regulation of surface mining and reclamation operations which include the surface effects of underground mining. On January 28, 1981, Secretary Watt of the Department of the Interior issued an order to re- quire all agencies to identify with recommendations all regulations which are believed to be excessive, burdensome or counterproductive. Also on February 17, 1981. President Reagan issued Executive Order No. 12291 requiring all Federal agencies to conduct a regulatory review to make a determination that each promulgation of a regulation is clearly within the authority delegated by law and consistent with Congressional intent (Federal Register, 1981). As a result, OSM initiated the regulatory reform to revise the permanent regulatory program. Following a brief discussion of the technical aspects and the effects of subsidence on man and his environment, this paper presents a historical overview of how rules and regulations are used to govern the subsidence related problems. The development of the regulation of subsidence under Public Law 95-87, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA or the Act) are also discussed, including the new regulations being developed under the regulatory reform program. SOME TECHNICAL ASPECTS Am EFFECTS OF FINE SUBSIDENCE An extensive historical review of mining subsidence is given by Zwartendyk (1971) and Shadbolt (1978). Comprehensive technical presentations have been given by Henry (1956), King and Whetton (1957), Hall and Orchard (1963). Muller, et al. (1968). Grard (1969), Voight and Pariseau (1970). Kapp and Williams (1972), Cummins and Given (1973), Brauner (1973) , and NCB (1975). A theory of surface subsidence due to underground mining was perhaps first fundamentally stated by a French engineer, Toillez, in 1838, and formulated by a Belgian engineer, Gonot, in 1839 (Goldreich, 1913, cited by Zwartendyk, 1971). Since that time,

Jan 1, 1982

By H. W. Turner

Lying to the east of the Rio Grande, in central New Mexico, is a long N. and S. mountain range, broken into separate ridges at several points. These have received separate names; the mountains at the south end, near El Paso, being known as the Franklin mountains, and then, following successively, to the north, the San Andreas range, Sierra Oscura, Manzano and Sandia mountains. At the eastern base of the Sierra Oscura there are several low ridges, remarkable for their red color. All of these red ridges contain reefs of copper-ore. The eastern flanks of the Sierra Oscura are composed of limestone. Some fossils in the limestone were examined by Prof. J. P. Smith of Stanford University, who says they are Fusulina and indicate an Tipper Carboniferous age. The sandstones and shales containing the copper-reefs directly overlie this limestone (Fig. I), and are very likely of Permian age, like the similar beds in Texas, described by Mr. W. F. Cummins.* Overlying the copper-beds are red sandstones and shales in which very little copper has been found. The cupriferous zone and the red sandstones and shales are everywhere associated, and as one stands on a high point, he will see that these rocks form three main belts or lines of hills. These may be referred to as the northern, middle and southern belts. The northern belt was not visited by me, but is known to contain copper-deposits. The middle belt has a trend of N. of W. and S. of E. The copper-reefs have been traced for a distance of more than 2 miles. The southern belt has a trend of about N. 30' W. and S. 30°

Jan 1, 1903

By H. G. Doll

A new logging method, called induction logging, is described; it measures the conductivity, or resistivity, of the strata traversed by a bore hole. The apparatus, which is briefly described, comprises a coil system coupled with the ground by induction, so that there is no need for direct contact with the mud, or with the formations. For that reason, the method is particularly useful in oil base mud, and it was first applied to that case. A discussion concerning the respective contribution of each region of ground in the vicinity of the coil system is given. Through the concept of a geometrical factor, it is demonstrated that the total signal, which measures the apparent conductivity, is the summation of the partial products — geometrical factor by conductivity — for the different regions of the ground under consideration. It is thus possible to establish, for each type of coil arangement, investigation characteristic as well as departure curves and correction charts for beds of various thicknesses. This should greatly facilitate the quantative interpretation of the field logs, even in cases where such interpretation would have been difficult on electric logs taken with electrodes. It is also shown that focussing combinations of coils can be used, which give, directly on the recorded log, a value close to the true conductivity, even for fairly thin beds, thus eliminating in most cases the need for corrections. These focussing systems also give a sharper definition of the boundaries between successive strain.

Jan 1, 1949

By H. G. Doll

A new logging method, called induction logging, is described; it measures the conductivity, or resistivity, of the strata traversed by a bore hole. The apparatus, which is briefly described, comprises a coil system coupled with the ground by induction, so that there is no need for direct contact with the mud, or with the formations. For that reason, the method is particularly useful in oil base mud, and it was first applied to that case. A discussion concerning the respective contribution of each region of ground in the vicinity of the coil system is given. Through the concept of a geometrical factor, it is demonstrated that the total signal, which measures the apparent conductivity, is the summation of the partial products — geometrical factor by conductivity — for the different regions of the ground under consideration. It is thus possible to establish, for each type of coil arangement, investigation characteristic as well as departure curves and correction charts for beds of various thicknesses. This should greatly facilitate the quantative interpretation of the field logs, even in cases where such interpretation would have been difficult on electric logs taken with electrodes. It is also shown that focussing combinations of coils can be used, which give, directly on the recorded log, a value close to the true conductivity, even for fairly thin beds, thus eliminating in most cases the need for corrections. These focussing systems also give a sharper definition of the boundaries between successive strain.

Jan 1, 1949

By J. A. Herbst

During the last decade it has been established that conventional mineral-processing control strategies based on classical control theory result in significant increases in plant throughput and operating-cost savings. It has, however, also been recognized that conventional strategies have important limitations for complex multivariable mineral-processing systems. These limitations center around the fact that single-input/single- output control linkings often result in highly undesirable interactions between controllers. During the last few years new and promising approaches to solving this problem have emerged. These approaches are based on the use of on-line dynamic models to make predictions which are useful for control decision-making. This paper presents a brief summary of the state-of-the-art for mineral-processing control in 1984. This summary is followed by a review of recent developments in model-based control strategies including those in optimal control, self- tuning regulators and decoupling control. Expected trends for the future in the control of mineral-processing operations are discussed.

Jan 1, 1984

By Dr. O’Neil Thomas J., Donald W. Gentry

The greatest of all gifts is the power to estimate things at their true worth. LaRockefoucauld INTRODUCTION The primary reason for performing a feasibility study on a proposed mining venture is to investigate all phases of the proposal in as much detail as necessary to justify either dropping the project or continuing expenditures through the next stage. The economic evaluation component of the feasibility study, therefore, must ultimately be based on information which provides an answer to the question, "What is it going to cost?" Unfortunately engineers preparing feasibility studies never have all the engineering or economic information they would like or need. Consequently, the economic portion of the analysis can only be performed if estimates of the various costs associated with the project are made. Project cost estimates, in turn, require estimates of all the physical factors affecting cost components, including anticipated performance of plant and equipment as well as all pertinent geologic, mineralogic, and metallurgical variables. Before useful cost estimating procedures can be applied considerable data must be collected, compiled, and organized. Preparatory work typically includes organization of cost data available for estimating purposes, development of techniques for updating historical costs, and establishing methods of forecasting prices and costs over the duration of the project. Cost estimates for mining and mineral processing projects involve so many features and variables that it is absolutely essential to have some means by which the vast amount of detail can be organized. It is very important to identify, in as much detail as possible, all the cost data available (historical and developed) to the estimator. These costs, after being properly identified in detail, should be com- piled, stored, updated regularly, and made readily available for use in developing new cost estimates Accessing files of current cost information requires a standardized numerical system of classifying cost data. When uniform definitions and procedures are used, every project record contributes to the common store of estimating data.

Jan 1, 1984