Search Documents

By D. A. Singer

A procedure whereby the completeness of search is calculated by using the area of influence of exploratory drill holes or samples is extended to allow for errors of recognition. The size, shape, and orientation of potential targets are mapped in a probabilistic sense on the array of drill holes or samples. The method can be used either to determine how well explored are the subregions within a previously drilled or sampled area, or to test proposed alternative search strategies. Examples of the use of the method demonstrate the complexity of sequential search when the areas of influence of drill holes or samples overlap.

Jan 1, 1976

W. H. PORTH, New York, N.Y.-I would like to ask what effect segregation of lead would have upon the corrosion of sheet zinc; also what effect would abnormal percentages of iron have upon the ductility of Sheet zinc? One of our difficulties seemed to be that the cells, when standing on the shelf, corroded. We have attributed this to local action in the zinc sheet. We would like to know whether the segregation of, these impurities in this sheet zinc will have any effect on the local action occur-ring in sheet zinc. Lately we have had difficulty in punching some sheet zinc, in that the sheets split in the die. The section that split seemed to have an abnormallly high percentage of cadmium and iron; would that cause it to become brittle? C. H. MATHEWSON.-Iron is one of the most unwelcome impurities when high ductility is the principal requirement in rolled zinc. High

Jan 12, 1919

By Clarence F. Zeuch

Mr. Shaw's work showed the dodecyl mercaptan as a very good collector compared with other collectors on Cu-Mo ores, Mo ores, and for Au and Au-Ag ores plus Pt ores. However, as one who has had extensive experience on Cu-Mo ores, the work is not complete in making only a rougher concentrate with a collector; the work must be carried on in making a Cu-Mo separation. Did Mr. Shaw do any of this work? Before trying the dodecyl mercaptan as a Cu-Mo collector for the Cu-Mo ore it would be well to have any new work conducted knowing how the reagent acts on the Mo. Will it allow a good separation? The use of the collector at Palabora was also mentioned. From some earlier literature I thought that the reagent has been used as an oxide Cu collector after the sulfide mineral was floated out. I thought the pH at this point was about 1.5-3.0. I would like to have this point clarified.

Jan 1, 1982

Mrs. W. Y. Westervelt, Director of the New York Section, reports an interesting meeting at her house- on May 12. Dr. Cecile Griel, special worker of the division for work among foreign-born women of the National Board of the Y. W. C. A., spoke. As the Americanization Committee under Mrs. Scobey is planning an energetic campaign, Dr. Griel's stirring appeal was timely and suggestive. While Dr. Griel cited the usual avenues of approach to our alien population through the school children, the needs of the baby, sewing classes, English classes, etc., her especial appeal was for correct psychology on the part of the workers. She deplored the condescension, implied or expressed, so often manifest in persons attempting Americanism, work and emphasized many times the importance of an understanding heart and mind. At the close Mrs. Scobey brought forward plans for practical work to be done by the New York women, of which I hope to give some details next month.

Jan 7, 1919

By R. S. Shrode, R. F. Bunting

Transportation is one of several important increments in the total market cost of most commodities. On a national average it has been reported that transportation accounts for about 25% of the total cost of a product at the market place. And industrial minerals are no exception. In fact, the proportionate cost frequently exceeds the 25% average. Further, it may actually determine the economic value of a deposit. Transportation possibly may be thought of as a specialized subject, of concern only to a traffic manager and of only nominal interest to the mining engineer, the geologist or other technically oriented member of a mineral producers' staff. However, in the industrial minerals field, interest is not commonly confined to exploration, development, production or marketing, but is in contrast an overlapping one. In a very real sense this broad area of interest in the total economics of the business is the specialty of the industrial minerals man. And transportation is a vital part of the total picture.

Jan 1, 1970

By Augustus Locke

THERE are three matters related to ore-hunting which I wish especially to discuss here: first, the paucity of the special writings applying to it; second, the failure of scientists to concern them-selves importantly with it; and, third, resting on these conditions, certain possible activities for economic geologists. First, as to the writings. Geological papers. are being produced in the United States alone at the rate of 10 to 12 shelf-feet per year.1 But papers specifically for the ore-hunter would go in a slim, annual pamphlet; all that have ever been written would go in a briefcase. The art of technical ore-hunting-geology conceived as a guide to ore-has only a scant literature.

Jan 4, 1922

CHARLES H. FULTON (author's reply to discussion*).-Mr. E. E. Thum is kind enough to point out an apparent discrepancy between the conclusions drawn from experiments and the results of those experiments. It is stated on page 1383 that carbon dioxide in excess of 1 per cent. is not found in the gases above the carbon reduction temperature (of zinc oxide). This statement refers to such temperatures as occur in ordinary zinc distillation and is not meant to include temperatures above 1350° C., and it should have been so stated in the original paper. When the temperature of the distilling chamber reached 1400° and above, it was noted that the amount of carbon dioxide in the gases increased. This cannot be explained by the equilibrium of the reaction 2CO?CO2 + C, and in seeking reasons for the discrepancy, the experiments of Meyer

Jan 1, 1919

By T. Kusakawa

In Japan, natural gypsum is rarely mined for industrial use and almost all gypsum is synthetic, that is desulphogypsum, produced from waste sulphur dioxide gas from metal smelters and power plants and other industrial waste sources. The amount of synthetic gypsum production (1979) reached more than 6 Mt/a (6.6 million stpy). Major uses are for cement and building materials. Other uses include soil conditioner, investment casting molds, and organic composite materials. Sulphur recovery by gypsum decomposition is being examined. This paper summarizes present Japanese production and uses of synthetic gypsum produced from industrial wastes.

Jan 1, 1984

By L. C. Noakes

In 1947, only a year after its own establishment, the Australian Bureau of Mineral Resources, Geology and Geophysics formed a Mineral Economics Section. Originally, this Section consisted of a mineral economist, four geologists and three auxiliary employees. Then, in 1954, it was reorganized into a professional body of six members, all mineral economists, one of whom was the chief mineral economist. At this time, a mining statistical officer from the Bureau of Census and Statistics was attached to the Section to bring about a closer liaison between these two agencies. The addition of another mineral economist in 1961 brought the Section's professional staff to its present strength of seven. In recent years, the Mineral Economics Section has gained considerable support by becoming part of the Mineral Resources Branch of the Bureau of Mineral Resources. This Branch, which has the general role of monitoring the performance of the mineral industry in Australia, has two other specialized sections- Mining Engineering and Petroleum Technology-which bolster and complement the Mineral Economics Section.

Jan 1, 1970

CAMBRIDGE, MASS., May 22, 1913. TO THE PRESIDENT, American Institute of Mining Engineers. Dear Sir: Referring to Mr. J. WV. Finch's letter printed in the Institute Forum of the May Bulletin, I am very much in sympathy with his suggestion that the Transactions be printed in several volumes devoted separately to the various subjects covered by the Institute papers, such as " Iron and Steel," "Mining Geology," " Precious and Base Metals," etc. The advantages of this plan appear to me so great and so obvious as to far outweigh any possible objections. At a meeting of the Iron and Steel Division Committee held on June 28, 1912, I moved that the Committee recommend to the Council that papers on Iron and Steel be published in separate annual volumes. The motion was seconded and passed. Since then I have never failed to repeat my request whenever an occasion presented itself, and I welcome the opportunity offered by Mr. Finch's communication to again call the attention of those interested to an innovation which appears to me so highly desirable. ALBERT SAUVEUR.

Jan 6, 1913

By John F. Abel

The following quotation is from "Guidelines for evaluation of undergraduate curricula in geological engineering, mineral processing, and mining engineering" prepared by the Committee on Education of SME of AIME. "The objectives of the Engineers' Council for Professional Development (ECPD), as delineated in its constitution, are: (a) To promote and advance all phases of engineering education with a view to the promotion of the public welfare through the development of the better educated engineer and engineering technician." (Italics added.) The problem is that no one has as yet seriously developed a method of supplying engineering technicians. There were great hopes that the expansion of junior colleges would help satisfy this need. Sadly, they have not; and it appears they are unwilling or unable to supply the need for mineral engineering technologists. Apparently, the junior colleges cannot afford staff for such courses, even when the colleges are located in mining districts.

Jan 1, 1971

By V. D. Perry

AS the traveler approaches Chuquicamata from the seaport of Antofagasta, crossing in a northeasterly direction the 150 miles of coast range and completely barren pampa with its low, rolling hills and broad depressions, the gradual rise to an elevation of 9000 ft is imperceptible, and it is hard to realize that the smoothly contoured hills east and west of the mine are from 10,000 to 11,000 ft above the level of the sea. The deceptive monotony of the scene is relieved only by the background of an unbroken line of lofty volcanic peaks, part of the Andean Cordillera, which rise, snow covered, against the eastern skyline. The drab geographical foreground is matched by the geological monotony of unaltered, gray rock

Jan 1, 1952

By J. D. Cannon

SLAGS studied in this investigation were from 0.25 to 0.35 pct plain carbon steels and were melted in a 3-ton acid-lined Lectromelt furnace with a 2500-kva transformer. The melting process employs a short, violent boil, which is partially blocked, and the desired carbon content is adjusted by pig iron or iron ore, depending on the preliminary carbon. A relatively small volume of slag is used in refinement. Bottom is here defined as that portion of the furnace that comes in contact with the molten metal, or all the surface below the slag line. Bottom trouble-i.e., holes in the bottom lining-is very seldom experienced at our plant. We have been watching the bottom lining over a period of some boo heats in the hope of having holes large enough to supply data for this report, but none occurred during that period. The bottom is eroded uniformly, occasionally with slightly deeper depressions around the taphole.

Jan 1, 1947

Kaolin deposits in Georgia lie in a belt that stretches across the central part of the state from Alabama to South Carolina. In 1977 the state's kaolin production was an estimated 4.58 million tons (5.05 million st) or 77% of US production. While mining methods vary, stripping contractor W. F. (Billy) Jackson of Wrightsville, Ga., depends on a fleet of 18 twin-engine elevating scrapers to move the hulk of overburden and clay. Owner Billy Jackson explains that the soil in this part of the state is perfect for scraper operation; overburden ranges from Georgia red clay to a sandy gumbo material. Apart from some shale, very little rock is encountered, thus eliminating any blasting re¬quirement. Most of the material can be removed with cutting edge teeth or with drop center blades.

Jan 6, 1978

By O. Saeki

Dolomite-fluxed pellets have been produced at Kakogawa Works, Kobe Steel, Ltd., since August, 1975. The pellets contain 5.5 % dolomite and have a basicity (CaO/Si02) of 1.3. By charging 30-50 % of dolomite-fluxed pellets into the two large blast furnaces at Kakogawa, a low fuel rate of 450 kg per ton of pellets has been achieved with better furnace permeability and gas utilization. Laboratory studies show that dolomite-fluxed pellets have excellent high temperature properties, and that their softening and melting-down temperatures are about 50°C higher than those of lime-fluxed pellets, and that reducibility at 1250°C is increased from 25 to 70 %.

Jan 1, 1977

By T. M. Morris, R. M. Edwards

Digital and analog computers are being used at an accelerated rate for the control of processes. A digital computer can store information concerning a process and when it is fed certain information concerning the material to be processed it can rapidly scan its "memory" and put out information concerning the settings on the plant controls to be used to handle the feed material. An analog computer does not ordinarily store information. It uses an electronic analog to simulate part of a process and the electronic analog can detect changes in the process, and by actuating controls, it can keep the process operating under desired conditions. In order to utilize the speed at which these computers operate it is desirable to obtain information concerning the behavior of feed material as near the head of the process as possible so that changes in operation of the process can be made before the material has passed through the processing equipment.

Jan 8, 1964

For the first time in the history of shaft sinking, the concept of mid-shaft loading has been used. By making use of available hoisting capacity during drilling periods, development work on underground hoist chambers and ore-pass and ventilation by-pass systems at Vaal Reefs South gold mine is being done simultaneously with sinking. This factor, together with the unusual configuration and design of the twin-shaft system at Vaal Reefs South, and the use of raise borers in the installation of ore-pass and ventilation by-pass systems, will mean that the shaft will be commissioned at least a year earlier than would have been possible had conventional methods been used. The possibilities of mid-shaft loading in reducing the time normally taken by shaft service development were recognized by Anglo American Corp. consulting engineers and Shaft Sinkers Pty. Ltd., the company which is sinking both shafts at Vaal Reefs.

Jan 1, 1970

By P. K. Lucke

ONE of the interesting features connected with the great continental uplift, which formed the table land of Mexico, is the great depth to which oxidation and secondary enrichment of orebOdies occurred. This table land lies at altitudes ranging from 4000 to. 7000 ft. (1219 to 2133 m.) above sea level. Several cases could be cited of oxidized zones in copper and lead mines which reached depths of upward of 1500 ft. (457 m.) below the surface, and it is universally admitted that the oxidized zone in a mine is limited by the permanent water level. FIG. 1. Mexico, however, like many other countries in which deserts occur, is visited at rare intervals by tremendous floods, which sometimes cause variable water levels over long periods. The following cases bear out the idea, and lead to interesting conclusions of commercial value. My paper demonstrates that carbonates of ores may occur below water level and sulphides above, and I will endeavor to explain the causes of the phenomena in certain specific instances.

Jan 6, 1918

Canadian owned Lake are carriers will be used again this year in an attempt to make up the deficit caused by the two months steel-strike. Buffalo mills need between 5 million and 6 million tons of ore before the Lakes navigation season ends. Mutual Security Program aid will help reactivate Austria's largest iron ore mine. The Erzberg development is one of the moat important in Europe. MSA announced approval of $500,000 in supplemental financing of equipment. Following the war, the Russians stripped the Erzberg and Radmar deposits of equipment. The he Carborundum Corp. is going to build a $2.44 million plant at Akron, NO.. TOP near Niagara Falls for production of rare metals used by the Atomic Energy Commission. A subsidiary, the Carborundum Metals Co., Inc.,, will produce zirconium, hafnium sponge metals. The pyrochlore rich Sukulu Hills in Eastern Uganda will be mined under a pool arrangement including Tinto Mines, Monsanto Chemicals and Frobisher Mines. The combine will be known as the Uganda Development Corp., Pyrochlore is used in the manufacture of heat-resisting. alloys for Jet engines.

Jan 1, 1952

Jan 1, 1927