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By A. W. Fahrenwald, Lewis S. Prater

BY taking advantage of the fundamental difference between screening and classification-namely, that specific gravity has no effect on screening but is one of the important factors in classification-a combination of the two may be used as a process of mineral concentration. Although this fact is not new, so far as is known it has had little or no commercial application. The scheme is not presented now as a process for producing finished products but rather as a preliminary operation rejecting part of the barren material from an ore before it is subjected to more costly treatment. That is largely the function of the new heavy-media concentration processes that have been widely accepted. Original installation costs for the present sink-float processes are relatively high, however, which confines their use to operations where large tonnages are handled. Sink-float has been successful on only the relatively coarse (approximately plus 10-mesh) portion of an ore, and it is in this same range that classification screening can function most satisfactorily. Theoretically, there is no upper limit to the size of particles that can be handled in a sink-float operation, but the degree of liberation in the very large pieces usually limits this. With classification screening, particles from 3/8 to 1/2 in. would be the largest that could be handled, but the lower range could be extended somewhat below 10 mesh. In order to take full advantage of the difference in specific gravities of the minerals being separated, sorting in the classifier should be under as extreme hindered-settling conditions as possible. Laboratory tests have been made on a galena ore and on an artificial mixture of quartz and magnesite to determine the separations that may be expected. Although more than one scheme may be followed, in these tests the separations were made by cutting the underflow from the classifier as a concentrate and then screening the overflow. The screen oversize was rejected as a tailing. Classification was done in a hindered-settling teeter column and screening was done by hand, using the standard [v2]series. The accompanying flowsheet gives the testing procedure followed. [ ]

Jan 1, 1945

By Nelson P. Hulst

To those who have had the happy privilege of friendship with George W. Goetz, the announcement of his death has brought great sadness. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, February 17, 1855, and died January 15, 1897. In his boyhood days, when I first came to know him, his frank, trustful manner; his eyes brimming with truthfulness; his eagerness, never obtrusive, to gain knowledge from all whom he met; and his equal readiness to give without ostentation of his store, constituted a personality which at once commanded confidence and won friendship. I am told that as a scholar of five years he was conspicuous for brightness, a show-pupil, who was called on to recite when visitors were present at school. Yet this in no way spoiled him. His modesty was too strong a trait in his character to be overcome by any attention which might, be expected to arouse vanity. In his simple-heartedness he was pleased then, as he always was in his maturer years, to give of his knowledge for the gratification of his listeners, with never a thought of himself. So strong was this characteristic that in a brief autobiography, in the form of a letter to his wife and children, found among his papers, he excuses himself to them for recounting what he had accomplished in his life-work. As a preface to this autobiography (which, it seems, was prepared on the eve of a sudden journey to California, taken February, 1895, for his health) he says: " I am writing this rather hastily, and I

Jan 1, 1898

By Oliver Bradley

THE utilization of casing-head gas in the manufacture of casing-head gasoline by both the absorption and the compression method is a most important factor in the conservation of our natural resources.. Any industry connected with the oil business, in general, possesses particular attraction for a large number of people not conversant with its basic principles, for the reason that the large fortunes made in the production and utilization of petroleum and its products have been given undue prominence. The general impression of the public that enormous profits are to be realized in the casing-head gas industry with minimum expenditures of both capital and effort has, in a large measure, accounted for the phenomenal expansion of the industry in recent years and, likewise, has resulted in many mistakes and loss of investment funds. It is true that many installations have been very profitable, but such instances are always the result of careful planning, experienced judgment and conservative estimates. The inception and subsequent activity in the manufacture of casing-head gasoline, enabling the business to assume an important position in the petroleum industry, are of, comparatively recent origin, as its greatest growth, particularly in Oklahoma, occurred during the years 1917 and 1918. Much information must yet be secured and systematized concerning the methods of manufacture of gascline from high-yield casing-head gas, and a large field is still open for the application of accumulated experience and good engineering practice in devising better methods of extracting gasoline from casing-head gas of the poorer grades. The absorption process is coming into general use as a most efficient system of treating casing-head gas, and even so-called dry gas. In fact, there is a decided tendency toward the universal adoption of the absorption process as against compression methods. However, a general discussion of the relative merits of these two systems is not within the scope of this article.

Jan 9, 1920

By Charles S. Larkey

Numerous papers have been published on the use of graphic methods for determining the best curve for estimating the production decline of oil wells but, as far as the writer has been able to ascertain, nothing has been published showing how curves may be worked out mathematically that will conform most closely to the production data under consideration in any given instance; hence the writer has endeavored to show just how such application can be made. Among the valuation engineers, two types of curves are in current use for the representation of the decline in production of oil wells. One may be represented by the equation, y = krx; this is sometimes known as a percentage curve, for the production for any period is multiplied by a constant rate or percentage to obtain the production for the succeeding period. It appears as a straight line on semilogarithmic cross-section paper. The other curve may be represented by the equation, y = kxn, and is shown as a straight line on logarithmic cross-section paper. In each equation, y represents the number of barrels produced in a given period of time, and x the successive periods of time. The other letters are constants to be determined for each well, or group of wells considered in arriving at the most probable curve to represent the rate of production for a given property. From this the underground reserves may be estimated by extrapolation, or by extending the curve beyond the last known period of production to show the most probable production values for the future. Application to the Burbank Pool Fig. 1 relates to a property in the Burbank Pool, Osage County, Okla. The production is shown as an average per well per month, is plotted to the vertical scale of barrels on the left-hand margin and to the horizontal scale of months at the bottom of the chart. In column y, the number of barrels is listed beginning with May, 1922, as the first month on which to base a decline curve. The type of curve used is of the form, y = krx, or, expressed in logarithms, log y = log k + x log r, in which log k and log r are constants to be determined so that the curve will most closely approximate the production data given.

Jan 1, 1925

By John M. Loveioy

EVERY producer of crude oil knows what is meant by the Rule or Law of Capture. It means that the ultimate ownership of a migratory substance such as oil is not determined until that substance is reduced to physical possession. Unless, therefore, the producer moves quickly to capture his share from the common pool, he may lose to any neighbor who is drilling and producing more rapidly than he a portion of the oil originally underlying his property. And there is no recourse open to him if his property is so drained. Under this rule it is obvious that the owner of an oil property, if he is to protect his' ownership, must be governed in his development and production policies by the activities of his neighbor rather than by his own business requirements. He must drill as densely and as fast as the other operators in the field or lose part of the oil to which he should be entitled.

Jan 1, 1936

By J. P. Savely, D. E. Nicholas, R. D. Call

Progress in the technology of slope design over the past 15 years now permits the selection of rational slope angles if suitable data on geology, hydrology, and rock properties are available for a specified project. Although a full-scale slope design study remains the best course of action, there are situations where an extensive study is not feasible due to time or budget constraints. Two typical examples are: (a) selecting pit slope angles for a preliminary feasibility study at the exploration stage; and (b) coping with a slope failure in an operating mine. In both instances, slope angles must often be chosen on the basis of data that are currently available or can be readily obtained. All too often during exploration programs, a feasibility study is initiated shortly before the decision deadline to drop the property or proceed to purchase. If the only existing data at this point are a few cross-sections at odd angles showing ore and waste contacts or a dog-eared map of the surface geology, there may not be time to collect and organize sufficient information for the design of slope angles. On the other hand, if during the drilling program geologic cross-sections were constructed and the structural data compiled in tabular form, rational slope angles could be computed within the allotted time.

Jan 4, 1977

By R. H. B. Jones

This paper reviews pertinent geology of the Biwabik iron formation, Mesabi Range, Minnesota. This iron formation is divisible into four members. Each member is distinctive and contains marker horizons, which are recog nizable throughout all phases of alteration from lean, fresh rock to high-grade iron ore. Some beds have a larger magnetite content than others. During the process of ore genesis, which is essentially an oxidation process, the magnetite content is lowered. Alteration from iron formation to ore includes both oxidation of iron minerals and silica removal by leaching and these distinct processes progress at variable rates for different locations and structures. Magnetic intensities, of each horizon of the iron formation are dependent chiefly upon its preoxidation magnetite content, upon the subsequent degree of oxidation, upon the character of the enclosing rocks, and on the extent of fracturing, folding, or faulting. The results of a number of magnetic surveys are described and are correlated with results of drill-hole and mine exploration and developmerit. The magnetic anomalies obtained are discussed in relation to phases of formation of ore within the iron formation. General Information One hundred years ago a party of surveyors, applying the principles of geophysical prospecting, discovered iron ore in the state of Michigan in the Lake Superior district. This event was officially reported as follows:' On Sept. 19 (1844) while running the east line of Town 47 North, Range 27 West, they observed by means of the solar compass remarkable variations in the direction of the needle, amounting to 87" from the normal. Ascribing this phenomenon to iron ore, they sought and found it in ledges or outcrops at several points. The solar compass referred to was invented by William A. Burt, deputy surveyor in charge of this party.2 It is used for determining the true meridian by an observation on the sun. Eight years later, on July 7, 1852, the first iron 're, consisting of 6 bbl. of Ore, was shipped from Marquette, Michigan. It was another 40 years before the first or> shipment left the Mesabi Range in Minnesota, in October 1892. It totaled 4245 tons. Fifty years later, 90 years after the original shipment, during 1942 the Lake Superior district shipped 93,495,392 gross tons of iron ore. Production came from Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ontario, Canada. Throughout the 90-Year period it was known that magnetic properties of most of the ore bodies, and of the iron formations in which they occur, affected the compass. This phenomenon, later to be made use of to outline areas of ground favorable for exploration, was at first a

Jan 1, 1949

By R. H. B. Jones

This paper reviews pertinent geology of the Biwabik iron formation, Mesabi Range, Minnesota. This iron formation is divisible into four members. Each member is distinctive and contains marker horizons, which are recog nizable throughout all phases of alteration from lean, fresh rock to high-grade iron ore. Some beds have a larger magnetite content than others. During the process of ore genesis, which is essentially an oxidation process, the magnetite content is lowered. Alteration from iron formation to ore includes both oxidation of iron minerals and silica removal by leaching and these distinct processes progress at variable rates for different locations and structures. Magnetic intensities, of each horizon of the iron formation are dependent chiefly upon its preoxidation magnetite content, upon the subsequent degree of oxidation, upon the character of the enclosing rocks, and on the extent of fracturing, folding, or faulting. The results of a number of magnetic surveys are described and are correlated with results of drill-hole and mine exploration and developmerit. The magnetic anomalies obtained are discussed in relation to phases of formation of ore within the iron formation. General Information One hundred years ago a party of surveyors, applying the principles of geophysical prospecting, discovered iron ore in the state of Michigan in the Lake Superior district. This event was officially reported as follows:' On Sept. 19 (1844) while running the east line of Town 47 North, Range 27 West, they observed by means of the solar compass remarkable variations in the direction of the needle, amounting to 87" from the normal. Ascribing this phenomenon to iron ore, they sought and found it in ledges or outcrops at several points. The solar compass referred to was invented by William A. Burt, deputy surveyor in charge of this party.2 It is used for determining the true meridian by an observation on the sun. Eight years later, on July 7, 1852, the first iron 're, consisting of 6 bbl. of Ore, was shipped from Marquette, Michigan. It was another 40 years before the first or> shipment left the Mesabi Range in Minnesota, in October 1892. It totaled 4245 tons. Fifty years later, 90 years after the original shipment, during 1942 the Lake Superior district shipped 93,495,392 gross tons of iron ore. Production came from Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ontario, Canada. Throughout the 90-Year period it was known that magnetic properties of most of the ore bodies, and of the iron formations in which they occur, affected the compass. This phenomenon, later to be made use of to outline areas of ground favorable for exploration, was at first a

Jan 1, 1949

By P. Wynblatt, J. E. Dorn

The effect of strain rate, temperature, and interstitial impurity concentration on the flow stress was investigated in a poly crystalline Fe-2 pct Mn alloy. The temperature dependence of the flow stress was found to be independent of the interstitial impurity concentration, removal of interstitials merely decreasing the atherma1 stress level. Below 160%, the large temperature dependence of the flow stress was interpreted in terms of the Dorn-Rajnak theory of the Peierls mechanism of plastic deformation. Above 160"K, some other thermally activated intrinsic meckanisln seems to be operating. The strong temperature dependence of the flow stress of bcc iron at low temperatures has been studied by numerous investigators and interpreted in terms of several different thermally activated dislocation mechanisms. The following mechanisms have been proposed: a) interaction of dislocations with interstitial impurity atoms1 or with solute atoms in general; b) interaction of dislocations with clusters of impurity atoms;3 c) resistance to the motion of dislocations due to jogs on screw dislocations;* d) resistance to the motion of dislocations due to the Snoeck effect;' and e) interaction of dislocations with the intrinsic resistance of the bcc lattice or Peierls "hills". In previous work: it was found that the plastic behavior of polycrystalline iron containing 2 wt pct Mn (and 100 ppm C + N) is in good agreement with predictions based on the Peierls mechanismlo from 77" to 160°K whereas from 160" to about 370°K another as yet unidentified thermally activated mechanism is operative. The purpose of the present investigation was to determine the effect of interstitial impurities on the temperature dependence of the flow stress, by purifying the previously investigated alloy with respect to interstitial impurities. The investigation revealed that removal of the interstitial impurities to a level that eliminated Cottrell locking and the Portevin-LeChatelier effect (i.e., serrations in the stress-strain curve due to dynamic strain aging) affects neither the strong temperature dependence of the flow stress at low temperatures nor the general characteristics of the higher-temperature behavior. Such purification, however, lowered the athermal yield stress. I) EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE AND RESULTS The material used in this investigation consisted of an Fe-2 wt pct Mn alloy having the following additional elements present: 0.004 pct C, 0.006 pct N, 0.05 pct 0, 0.004 pct S, 0.003 pct P, and 0.001 pct Si. This was the same material as that studied in the previous investigation and will henceforth be referred to as the "impure material". The as received -jr by 2 in. hot-rolled bars were cold-rolled to 0.08-in. thickness, recrys-tallized under argon for 30 min at 80O0C, and further cold-rolled to 0.053-in. thickness. Flat tensile specimens 3 in. wide having a 1.625-in.-long gage section were machined from the sheet and then purified. The first stage of purification consisted of holding the specimens at 850°C for 24 hr in a stream of hydrogen saturated with water vapor at room temperature. Material prepared in this fashion will subsequently be referred to as "wet hydrogen purified material". It has been estimated that this type of treatment reduces the carbon content of iron to less than 5 ppm.' The second stage of purification consisted of holding the specimens in a closed system through which hydrogen was circulated past the heated specimens as well as a zirconium hydride getter. The specimens were held at 850°C and the getter at 800°C. The process was continued for 212 hr. The starting material for this process was wet hydrogen purified material. Material prepared in this manner will be referred to as "ZrHz purified material". The technique used was substantially the same as that described by Stein et al.' who have shown that the carbon level at the end of the process is reduced to about 5 parts per billion. The mean grain size of the three materials was found to be -60 C( for the impure material and -160p for the wet hydrogen and ZrHz purified materials. All tensile testing was carried out on an Instron Testing Machine either in controlled-temperature baths or at fixed-point baths such as boiling liquid nitrogen, and so forth. When fixed points were used the temperature was kept constant to better than *1°C whereas in all other tests the temperature variation was less than *2°C. Test of Purity. It was not possible to determine the purity achieved at each stage of the purification because the resulting level of interstitial impurities was near or below the limit of sensitivity of standard analytical techniques. It was possible, however, to obtain a qualitative measure of the extent of purification from the appearance of the stress-strain curves for the three materials. Fig. 1 shows the stress-strain curves for the three different materials tested at 300°K. It can be seen that the effect of wet hydrogen

Jan 1, 1967

By John Gross

THE deductions drawn in crushing and grinding operations have heretofore been based on a separation of the products into various sizes. A crushed product may be sized by sieving, by elutriation, and by aid of the microscope. To estimate the surface of each size the relation of the surface to the estimated average diameter must be assumed. Such a relation, owing to the irregularity of the particles, may involve two assumptions: First, a factor to convert average diameter to surface for one particular size; and second, a variation in the factor as the diameter of the particle changes. Obviously a surface measurement in which such assumptions and estimates are involved is questionable. In the first paper of this series1 a method has been given by which an accurate measure of surface of quartz can be obtained from its dissolution rate. By the use of this method, surface measurements have been made on a series of sieve sizes of crushed quartz, the results of which are given and discussed in this paper.

Jan 1, 1928

By Lyle D. Randen

With the environmental movement beginning in the late 1960's came a deluge of permit requirements for the mining industry. Coal mining has been one of, if not the most, severely impacted of the mineral industries as a result of the passage of the Federal Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977. Numerous provisions of this Act and numerous regulations developed under authority of the Act are being challenged in differing levels of the judicial system across the United States. Such court cases have had varied success. Numerous other regulatory programs that are not quite as dramatic as the SMCRA have presented an unending regulatory problem for mining operators. My comments in this presentation relate primarily to the major Federal and State agencies and their legal responsibilities which we in the coal mining industry must address in order to receive authority to construct and operate surface coal mines in the State of Wyoming. A list of the Federal and State agencies one could deal with in an application is as follows: 1. Bureau of Land Management (BLM). BLM is responsible for deciding where and when to lease federally owned coal and for establishing terms and conditions for leases. BLM also has some control over surface reclamation on federal land, i.e. regrading to eliminate highwalls, covering of spoils, maximum extraction of coal to limit future disturbance, contemporaneous reclamation, etc. BLM is also responsible for designation of federal lands unsuitable for all or certain types of surface coal mining operations. 2. Geological Survey (USGS). USGS coal mining responsibilities apply only to Federal and Indian lands and concern compliance with production requirements including diligent development, minimum production levels, royalty payments and resource protection, and

Jan 1, 1983

By John R. M. Hill, Gerald Zink, Fun-Den Wang

The work described in this paper is sponsored by the Bureau of Mines for the purpose of accelerating the drilling of roof bolt holes and reducing the quantity of materials needed to fill each hole. A high-speed, small-hole drill has been fabricated and tested in the laboratory. High Priority has been given to safety, reliability, and compatibility with underground coal mining practice. The combination of drag bits and erosion jets is designed for high penetration rate, long wear life, and uniform hole size in a variety of sedimentary strata. A reliable high-pressure, high-speed swivel feeds water to the bit at about 4 L/min (1 gpm). The duplex hydraulic intensifier which drives the jets has a 40-kW (30-hp) capacity. Results of recent full-scale laboratory testing (Now. 1977) are presented.

Jan 12, 1979

Each spring most secondary schools select their best student science exhibits, prepared during the preceding academic year, and send them to regional "Science Fairs", which now number over 220. Winner-finalists of these regional contests are then sent to the annual National Science Fair, conducted by Science Service, a non- profit institution for the popularization of science, for final judging. (The Fair is now known as the "National Science Fair-International" because of participation by finalists from Japan, Thailand, Germany, France, Sweden and Canada.) For the first time since the Fair was started in 1950, AIME participated in the awards presentation. Held this year in Baltimore, Md., from May 5 to 9, five members of AIME's Washington, D.C., Section consented to represent the Institute as judges. They were: Marlin J. Ankeny-Director, Bureau of Mines, U.S. Department of the Interior. Kenneth N. Weaver-Director, Maryland Department of Geology, Mines, and Water Resources. William Harper-American Petroleum Institute. Vice-Chairman, Washington Section, AIME.

Jan 7, 1964

By Nicholas J. Grant, Bill C. Giessen

The phase diagram Ta-Ni has been treated repeatedly; investigations up to 1958 are summed up in Ref. 1. Since then, an equilibrium diagram has been presented by Kornilov and Pylaeva.2 They found the following intermediate phases: Ta2N; (CuA12 type),3 "TaNi" (p phase, Mo8Co7 type), TaNiz, and TaNi3 (Ticus type).5 Of these, the crystal structure of TaNin remained unknown, and no further literature reference was found. According to Kornilov and pylaeva,&apos; TaNil melts peri-tectically at 1420°C. A 5-g alloy of Ta + 66.7 at. pct Ni was prepared by inert-gas arc melting using 99.95 pct Ta rod (NRC-MG) and 99.9 pct Ni shot (Fisher). The weight loss after three melts was <2 mg; a microscopically homogeneous ingot resulted. As shown in Ref. 6, no oxygen or impurity pickup needed to be considered under these conditions. Specimens were annealed for 15 hr at 1350°C, 15 hr at 1205oC, and 15 hr at 875°C with subsequent powdering and stress relief for 10 min at 1350°C, 15 min at 1205oC, and 1 hr at 875oC, respectively. Micrographs and X-ray analysis (114.6 mm Norelco camera, filtered CuK, radiation) showed homogeneous one-phase alloys in the as-cast state and at all three temperatures, all having the same powder pattern except for broad lines in the as-cast state. From this it is concluded that either TaNi, melts congruently or its melting behavior is a transition between the eutectic and peritectic cases. Since it was found that very slight surface contamination on stress relieving can considerably alter the structure of similar phases (e.g.,TaPt3),7 patterns before and after stress relief were also compared; they were identical except for line broadening in the non-stressrelieved condition, and two faint impurity lines in the stress-relieved samples. The powder pattern is presented in Table I. All lines were accounted for by indexing with a tetragonal lattice, 0Yh- I4/mmm , with a, = 3.154 ± 0.001A, co = 7.905 * 0.002i and c/a = 2.506. The atomic positions are: 1000; 1/2, 1/2, 1/2] + 2Ta(a): 000; + 4Ni(e): *(002); z = 0.333 * 0.002 This proves TaNi2 to be a representative of the MoSiz (Cllb) type. The variable parameter was determined by grouping the visually estimated intensi- ties according to their 2 indices, plotting their F values, and varying z for best fit, which was obtained at z = 0.333= 1/3. Since absorption was not considered, only the relative intensities with similar 28 can be expected to agree. The interatomic distances are presented in Table 11; the standard error is *o.o2A, resulting chiefly from the uncertainty in z. These distances indicate a coordination number 10 for both kinds of atoms and show that the pseudohexagonal layers along (110) are rather un-distorted. The mean atomic volume of 13.1A3 is close to the Vegard&apos;s law value of 13.3A3, showing

Jan 1, 1964

By AIME AIME

I N JUNE, 1918, at a meeting of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in Worcester, Mass;, a resolution was adopted for a committee to investigate the aims and organization of that society. This was followed subsequently by similar independent action on the part of the Society of Civil Engineers. The other two Founder Societies were approached and requested to appoint similar committees, the four committees to combine as a .Joint Development Committee, later called the Joint Conference Committee, to investigate what might be done in the way of coordinating those activities of the Founder Societies which ape of common interest, and which were then being pursued separately. The Joint Conference committee worked diligently -for almost. two years and. brought forth a tentative as outlined in its report which was published in full in MINING AND. METALLURGY, December, 1919. It recommended the formation of a nation-wide organization to be composed of representatives&apos; of all of -the engineering societies, local, state, regional, or national, the object to be to further the interest of the public through the use of technical knowledge and engineering experience, and to consider and act upon matters common to the engineering and allied technical professions. Whereas the technical societies have large fields of endeavor in welfare work, and their prime. efforts are &apos;still in technical lines, this new organization was to be devoted entirely to service, looking to the welfare of the nation and the engineering profession, and to service for the public in local and state affairs.

Jan 1, 1920

By Paul Weir

BLEACHING clays have been used extensively in the oil-refining industries for a number of years. Their use in water purification is relatively recent and less extensive. They are frequently classified as (1) those naturally active and (2) those active after artificial activation with acid. Fuller&apos;s earths fall within the general group of bleaching clays and gradually the commercial term "fuller&apos;s earth" has been applied to natural clays originating, for the most part, in the south- eastern section of the United States. Bentonitic clays are usually classed as activable and are prevalent in the southwestern section of the United States. Bleaching clays vary considerably in chemical and physical properties throughout the country, or even in different parts of one deposit (Table 1). [ ] The fuller&apos;s earth type of clay is characterized by a lack of plasticity, relatively adsorbent, foliated structure, and does not swell to form a

Jan 1, 1939

By R. W. Heckel, H. W. Paxton

The growth of grain boundary films and Widmanstiitten plates of proeutectoid cementite in hypereutectoid steels ulas considered quantitatively in three plain carbon steels and one "pure" iron-carbon alloy. Growth was found to take place at a slower rate than would be predicted on the basis of a model invoking rate control by long range diffusion of carbon. The films in the pure alloy grew faster than those in the plain carbon steels. A possible explanation is suggested. In 1904, Nernsst&apos; and Brunner2 postulated that ionic crystals growing in supersaturated aqueous solutions grew at rates determined by diffusion through the solution to the growing crystal interface. The gradient down which the diffusion took place was assumed to be fixed by the supersaturated bulk solution concentration, the concentration dt the crystal surface and some arbitrary distance. The flux of material to the crystal was described as Flux where D is the diffusion coefficient, A the crystal surface area, Ci the bulk solution concentration, Co the saturated solution concentration, and 6 the thickness of the diffusion zone. It is obvious that the expression is an adaptation of F+ick&apos;s3 first law of diffusion (steady state). This was the initial formulation of what will be defined here as "diffusion controlled growth," i.e., growth limited by the long range diffusion of a component either to or from the advancing interface assuming both phases at the interface to be in equilibrium. This idea of equilibrium interface concentration implies an infinite reaction rate at the interface. Volmer, Zener,&apos; and 11schner6 have derived expressions for the diffusion controlled growth of spherical precipitates in metallic systems. These analyses agree that the growth in a given direction should be parabolic with time. Brown and Hawkes7 observed that graphite, formed both from the decomposition of cementite and from the decomposition of eutectoid austenite in cast irons, grew according to a parabolic relationship and, therefore, concluded that the laws of diffusion controlled growth, as defined above, were obeyed. They, among others, failed to consider, however, that parabolic growth is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for diffusion controlled growth. Mehl and Dube"&apos; have pointed out that equilibrium may not be realized because the concentration at the interface cannot change instantaneously from that of the bulk to the saturation value. Furthermore, they propose that an equilibrium solute concentration in the parent phase adjacent to the precipitate would remove the thermodynamic activity gradient across the interface and, thus, stop the growth process. Frisch" has also emphasized the importance of interface concentrations that vary throughout the growth of a new phase. The variation in activity across an interface, as discussed by Onol&apos; and Cahn and Hilliard,12 is of fundamental importance to this question. Ham13 considered the data of Turnbull14 on the growth of barium sulfate in aqueous solutions. He concluded that the data could be analyzed in terms of a radiation-type boundary condition. Flux across interface = K (c, - C,) [21 where C, is the concentration in the solution at the interface, Co the saturated solution concentration, and K the proportionality constant. The edgewise growth of Widmanstlitten plates, frequently referred to as the rate of lengthening, was first considered by Zener.&apos;&apos; Basing a mathematical analysis on steady-state (constant velocity) growth he concluded that where G is the growth rate, D the solute diffusivity, Ci the concentration in the bulk, Co the equilibrium interface concentration, C, the concentration in the precipitate, a a constant, Y the radius of curvature of the edge of the plate, and rC the critical radius, i.e., the radius which would increase the activity of solute at the interface at equilibrium under the influence of capillarity to that of the bulk. Zener1&apos;

Jan 1, 1961

By Scott Turner

IT has been considered that the training of an engineer is too often vocational training; that it is a pity all engineers cannot have had a period of liberal training before taking up&apos; pure engineering. Offhand, the so-called liberal courses should bring more ready adaptability to deal with the unexpected, to face with assurance situations which have had no parallel in one&apos;s experience, and to move without hesitation under conditions which were heretofore unknown to one, than the specialized course in mining engineering. We hear increasing talk as to the necessity of making the engineer articulate and bringing him into public life. The social implications, and responsibilities of engineering are pointed out, as of equal importance with the prodigious marvels of engineering ingenuity. You often read of this as the logical result of the in¬creasing consciousness of the engineer as to his rela¬tive position in our modern industrial civilization. , Some wag has noted that man is the noblest work of God, but that man is the only one who has said so. Perhaps engineers are the only claimants as to the necessity of their going in for public life and service; at any rate, some liberal educators&apos; still maintain that a well-rounded general education is the better training.

Jan 1, 1930

By Gene D. Clayton, Robert R. Dimock

A time-consuming and expensive preshearing program to minimize the adverse effects of blasting on slope stability at Kennecott Copper Corp.&apos;s Ruth Pit in east-central Nevada has been eliminated in favor of down-the-hole, nonelectric delayed blasting which can produce a smooth wall effect and improve blast fragmentation. The new blasting approach resulted from a Kennecott engineering investigation aimed at improving the stability of the extremely variable rock conditions found throughout the pit by reducing the vibrational energy imparted to the walls with conventional bench blasts.

Jan 4, 1977

By T. C. King

AT the new Graham-Central Mill of Eagle-Picher, near Galena, Ill., material is simultaneously dewatered and introduced into the ball-mill scoop boxes by the use of variable-speed, 24-in. spiral classifiers. This arrangement has proved satisfactory in that the moisture content of the wet feed is reduced, thus allowing maintenance of density within the mills, and a constant feed at any desired rate to the mills is provided. In this mill the primary feed is wet crushed to minus 1/2 in. and preconcentrated by jigs to produce a bulk lead-zinc-iron concentrate and a waste tailing. The jig concentrate is then dewatered by a conventional dewatering classifier and stored in bins ahead of the ball mills. Even though this material is well dewatered, the discharge at the bin bottom is sloppy because of the gradual drainage of the water from the surface of the particles. Conventional belt feeders with vertical cutoff gates are unsatisfactory because of the flushing characteristic of the wet sand. The new installation employs 24 in. x 10 ft, 9-in. Simplex double-pitch spiral classifiers for feeders from the bin bottoms to the ball mill scoop boxes (fig. 1). These units are arranged with straight tanks and are driven by 5 hp motors through a U. S. Vari-Drive to provide a 4 to 1 speed ratio. Each bin discharges through a chute into the rising side of the spiral. The flushing characteristic of the material from the bottom of the bin is utilized to maintain a steady feed. A small amount of water tapped into the bottom of the bin insures uniform feed to the classifier. Excess clear water drains over the weirs. Feed rate to the mills is controlled by the variable-speed drives. The feed delivered by the spiral at a given speed setting is relatively dry, uniform, and steady, and as such is easily controlled by the operator. The classifiers are set on a pitch of 5 in. per ft and have a sand-raking capacity of from 8 to 32 tons per hr. It is believed that the solution of this problem offers possibilities for the storage of deslimed rod-mill sands and other similar products of the industry.

Jan 1, 1951