Search Documents

Discussion of a paper of S. S. Rummy and W. F. SCHWEDES, presented at the Pittsburgh meeting, October, 1914, and printed in Bulletin No. 94, October, 1914, pp. 2613 to 2635. K. A. PAULY, Schenectady, N. Y.-I have seen this installation and I wish all those interested in the question of electricity as a mine pumping agent could see it. It is not only a model for mine installation, but might well serve as a model for any electrically driven pumping plant. I think I am correct in saying that the pumps are the largest electrically operated centrifugal pumps in mine service in America. I talked with Mr. Rumsey in Duluth just before coming here, and he told me that the actual tests of the equipment as installed checked very closely with the shop tests; that the water delivered by the pumps was slightly in excess of the guarantee, something like 3 or 4 per cent., and that no troubles except of a very minor nature had been experienced with the installation from the start. One point which has been brought out by Mr. Rumsey, and by others who have looked into this question, is the marked saving which' can be made by the application of electricity to pumps, especially to the main sump pumps. The pumps are always located a long distance from the boiler plant and the losses in the steam mains are large. While many of the steam pumps are of a very high grade, yet the tests seemed to indicate that the steam consumption is extremely large. The reduction in operating cost of one small installation which I. have in mind pumping against a head of approximately 2,000 ft.-which by the way was a reciprocating pump-reduced the pumping cost to the neighborhood of one-fifth of the previous steam cost. . The high steam cost was probably due to leakage in the engine and the loss in transmission in the mine, the pumps being located almost half a, mile from the boiler plant.

Jan 4, 1915

By Fred E. Wright

In a recent paper1 a detailed discussion is given of the possibilities of using polarized light in the examination of opaque substances. The factors underlying the problem are there treated from the viewpoint of the electromagnetic theory of light and the presentation is necessarily mathematical in form. The practical methods resulting from the discussion are, however, relatively simple and promise to be of value in the determination of certain ores and metals when studied in reflected light under the microscope. The results of the theoretical investigation referred to may be summarized by stating that in general the optical constants, such as refractive indices and absorption indices, cannot be satisfactorily ascertained on small, random, polished sections; that the use of polarized light enables the observer ordinarily to determine whether the crystal plate is iso-tropic or anisotropic, and also to ascertain the degree of anisotropism; that for this purpose methods based either on the contrast in intensity between the two reflected components of non-polarized light, or on the amount of rotation of the plane of polarization, on reflection, of vertically incident, plane-polarized light, may be employed; that methods based on the phase difference between the two reflected components are in general of little value because of the small differences in phase which ordinarily result for a relatively large change in birefringence or biabsorption. The measurement of the optical properties of transparent minerals, even in minute irregular grains, is a simple task with modern petrographic microscope methods and is accomplished by petrologists as part of their ordinary routine work. But the determination of the optical constants of opaque substances is difficult and is rarely attempted; all observations are necessarily made in reflected light and are restricted commonly to the determination of color, of hardness, of the character of crystallization, and of the behavior of the mineral or metal plate toward reagents and abrasives. With practice, the observer becomes expert in recognizing details of this kind and determines with a high degree of certainty the different

Jan 1, 1920

By Anson G. Betts

A solution of lead-fluosilicate, containing an excess of fluosilicic acid, has been found to work very satisfactorily as an electrolyte for refining lead. It conducts the current well, iseasily handled and stored, non-volatile and stable under electrolysis, may be made to contain a considerable amount of dissolved lead, and is easily prepared from inexpensive materials. It possesses, however, in common with other lead electrolytes, the defect of yielding a deposit of lead lacking in solidity, which grows in crystalline branches toward the anodes, causing short circuits. But if a reducing-action (practically accomplished by the addition of gelatine or glue) be given to the solution, a perfectly solid and dense deposit is obtained, having very nearly the same structure as electrolytically-deposited copper, and a specific gravity of about 11.36—that of cast-lead. Lead-fluosilicate may be crystallized in very soluble, brilliant crystals, resembling those of lead-nitrate and containing four molecules of water of crystallization, with the formula PbSiF,,4H20. This salt dissolves at 150 C. in 28 per cent. of its weight of water, making a sirupy solution of 2.38 sp. gr. Heated to 60° C., it melts in its water of crystallization. A neutral solution of lead-fluosilicate is partially decomposed on heating, with the formation of a basic insoluble salt and free fluosilicic acid, which keeps the rest of the salt in solution. This decomposition ends when the solution contains, perhaps, 2 per cent. of free acid; and the solution may then be evaporated without further decomposition. The solutioi~s desired for refining are not liable to this decomposition, since they contain much more than 2 per cent. of free acid. The electrical conductivity depends mainly on the acidity of the solution. My first experiments were carried out without the addition of gelatine to the fluosilicate solution. The lead-deposit con-

Jan 1, 1904

By Henry F. Hebley

INTRODUCTION How often has the thoughtful observer pondered the apparent contradictions experienced in the weather? One can take records of two days, one in the winter and one in the summer. The "degree days" indicate that space heating and domestic load were present in one case and not in the other. The Business Index may be about the same, indicating that the industrial activity of the area and its concomitant use of fuel were about the same. Thus the volume of the products of combustion released to the atmosphere varied only as related to the space heating demand. Yet on one day in winter the atmosphere may be clear and bracing, while on a summer's day the air is thick and murky and the visibility sharply reduced. The situation may be reversed. What are some of the factors that contribute to the creation of these conditions? These few notes have been prepared to indicate some of the influences that are exerted on the problem. THE SOURCES OF ATMOSPHERIC POLLUTION The industrial area of Pittsburgh, Pa., has been a dominant center for the production of iron and steel for over one hundred years. In fact, with the growth of the numerous auxiliary processes Allegheny County which contains Pittsburgh is probably the most industrialized county in the world. In addition, the type of manufacture carried out in this area is predominant dependent on thermal energy (heat). That energy is supplied from coke and coal produced in the vicinity of Pittsburgh. Indicative of the stupendous quantities of fuel that are employed in this industrial area's economy, the following (Table No. taken from the U. S. Census (1940) may I of interest. An influence that has never been fully appreciated by many individuals is the fact that no matter what adventures the gases of combustion experience as they pass through the various processes, ulti¬mately the spent gases are discharged through chimneys to the atmosphere.

Jan 1, 1948

By J. Gordon Parr, A. J. Goldak

OgdEN et al.1 and Bumps et al.2 suggested that the solubility of aluminum in a titanium extended to 30 pct.* Sagcl,3 Clark and Terry,4 Anderko et al.,5 Ence and Margolin6 and Saulnier and croutzelles,7 subsequently proposed the existence of an intermetallic compound in the region of 25 pct Al. Although Anderko et al.5 suggested that the structure of this phase, Ti3Al, was of the DO,, (Ni3Sn) type, their conclusion was based only upon the results of a powder photograph that included reflections from ? = 0 to ?= 27° (CuK),some of which were reported to be indistinct. Ence and Margolin,6 referring to a 25 pct alloy (but without indicating whether the figure referred to weight or atomic pct) stated: "The structure of Ti2Al is isomorphous with Ti3Sn DO19, as pointed out by Pietrokowsky". But the point was not proven, because Ence and Margolin did not report values of calculated intensities of Ti2Al with the DO,, structure. In fact, the observed intensities they reported are in poor agreement with the values we calculate for DO19 (see Table I). Saulnier and croutzelle7 concluded, on the basis of electron micrography and microdiffraction studies, that the structure of the 25 pct A1 alloy was ordered hexagonal. Our purpose has been to unequivocally determine the Ti3Al structure. Alloys containing 25 pct Al were prepared from iodide titanium and spectrographic standard aluminum by levitation melting. The levitation chamber was evacuated to 10-6 mm Hg before filling with 99.999 + pct A. After casting, the alloy was chilled to liquid air temperature and crushed to -200 mesh in a percussion mortar. The powder, wrapped in molybdenum foil, was annealed (by induction heating) at 1000 "C for 2 hr in the argon atmosphere of the levitation chamber. No sublimate was seen on the foil or elsewhere, and therefore the assumption is

Jan 1, 1962

By S. R. Rao, J. Leja, K. S. Moon

A prolonged grinding of sulphide ores in steel mills appears harmful to flotation recovery and selectivity whenever xanthates are used as collectors. Particles finer than about 10µm show a pronounced decrease in floatability. A supposition was made that the cause of the reduction in floatability of ground sulphides is the presence of metallic iron abraded during grinding and deposited on the ground particles. Electro- chemical measurements were made of mixed potentials developed by different sulphide-mineral electrodes (galena, chalcopyrite, pyrite, marmatite, pyrrhotite) in xanthate solutions, without a direct con- tact or in contact with a metallic iron electrode. These measurements showed that without a galvanic contact between the sulphide and the iron, the values of mixed potentials were in the vicinity of the xanthate/dixanthogen redox potential. When contact with iron was established, the mixed potentials shifted towards the more negative reducing or cathodic values. The shift was greater the higher was the ratio of the surface areas: iron electrode to sulphide electrode. Further, the shift in mixed potentials was greater the more reducing were the conditions on the sulphide electrode. Chemical analysis of reaction products produced on the surfaces of sulphides and in the bulk solution showed that less thiosulphate was formed in all of the sulphide-xanthate systems and that more elemental sulphur was detectable on the pyrite and marmatite surfaces. Adsorption of xanthate parallels the amount of thiosulphate formed with which xanthate is exchanged by metathesis. If the supply of oxygen is limited, the demand for oxygen by the abraded metallic iron competes with that by the valuable sulphide, resulting ultimately in poorer hydrophobicity. If excessive amounts of pyrite or pyrrhotite are present as well, the conditions are so reducing that there is little adsorption of xanthate ions on the valuable sulphides to make them hydrophobic and floatable. The presence of increased quantities of sulphur on pyrite or marmatite is responsible for a non-selective flotation. Flotation tests on synthetic mixtures with and without metallic iron powder in the feed confirmed the above conclusions from electrochemical and chemical measurements.

Jan 1, 1976

By H. R. Hanley

IT is a well-known fact that the solubility of zinc compounds decreases when these compounds are roasted in contact with iron compounds, but descriptions of tests to quantitatively express the fact have not appeared in the literature. Possibly such an expression cannot be uniformly and exactly duplicated by different operators because of the variation in the personal equation. In a general way, however, the reactions between zinc compounds and iron compounds under roasting conditions will show a certain trend with changing conditions and the approximate quantitative expression of this trend appears reasonably well established by experimental work conducted for this purpose. Ferrites and Marmatites The name "ferrite" has been given to the compound of zinc and iron which has the formula Zn0.Fe203. Among the questions pertinent to this subject are those involving inherent or natural ferrite, and also the synthetic or artificial variety. The inherent or natural product is formed when the mineral containing iron and zinc sulfides isomorphously crystallized is subjected to oxidation at roasting temperature. These isomorphously crystallized minerals are known, mineralogically, as marmatites, and contain ZnS and FeS in ratios of 2 to 1 up to 5 to 1 respectively. The zinc and iron sulfides form a definite mineral. They are firmly attached to each other and form common contact planes through which diffusion of the entities occurs during the roasting process. This diffusion of the molecularly intimate entities produces, during roasting, the compound referred to as ferrite, in proportion to the amount of iron originally present in the marmatite. For example, a marmatite from British Columbia containing 9.739 per cent. Fe and 56.87 per cent. Zn corresponds with the mineral having the formula 5ZnS.FeS. The ferrite produced in roasting, which has the formula ZnO.Fe203, contains 27.07 per cent. Zn and 46.40

Jan 1, 1929

By Peter N. Calder, Alan Bauer

INTRODUCTION One of the most important decisions involved in the design of an open pit mine is the selection of a slope angle. Despite this fact, engineering procedures have developed slowly in this field. Only recently have the instruments and know-how become available to undertake a design based on sound engineering principles. The effect of blasting on open pit slope stability is one aspect in which the state of the art has not developed fully. These effects include: a) the effects of the ground motion associated with blast waves on slope stability, and b) the fracturing of rock in the vicinity of slopes caused by blast waves. Natural rock jointing plays an important role in both of these. SUMMARY OF BLASTING EFFECTS In recent years there has been a trend to larger sizes of blast holes in open pits to the extent that today 9% in. and 12% in. diam. holes are the most common. The reasons for this have been economic. Larger machines are more efficient and produce at a lower overall cost per ton. As the size of blast holes have increased, so have the other factors associated with blasting. Bench heights have increased, the tons/ft. of hole yield has risen significantly and the explosive load per hole has increased. Quite naturally the rupture radius for a single blast hole has increased along with the vibration level produced per blast hole. Open pit blasting operations can result in two types of unwanted damage: 1. Damage to structures, such as buildings, dams and slopes by ground vibrations initiated by the blast. 2. Fracturing of ground beyond the planned excavation limits. Let us first consider item one. Vibration effects are determined by the type of blast which is fired and the type of medium through which the blast wave is being transmitted. They are strongly influenced by the weight of charge per hole, the number of holes per delay, the distance from the shot point, the mode of initiation, the point of interest relative to the blast, etc.

Jan 1, 1971

By A. M. Gaudin

Of the various reagents employed in the flotation of zinc-bearing ores none have attained the wide popularity that is enjoyed at present by xanthates, copper sulfate and cyanides. This situation suggests the existence of an unusual dependence in the reactions of these chemicals and of sphalerite. A study of the flotative characteristics of sphalerite when using xanthates as collectors, as related to the chemical properties of copper salts and cyanides, has therefore been conducted at the University of Utah by the writer and his associates1 during the period of 1926 to 1929. In perusing the technical literature concerning the flotation of zinc ores and of zinc-bearing lead and copper ores, a striking and general lack of agreement as to the floatability of sphalerite was observed. The underlying cause for the erratic behavior of sphalerite has not been definitely ascertained but the presence in various proportions of iron sulfide in solid solution in the sphalerite has frequently been implicitly regarded as a major factor in this respect. Although the effect of iron sulfide in solid solution in sphalerite has not been investigated in relation to the behavior of sphalerite in flotation, it is likely that it is not as important a factor as was thought at one time. The variable float-ability of sphalerite has led to the use of fairly large amounts of cyanide to prevent its flotation in the case of certain ores, whereas mere fractions of that amount of cyanide, or even none at all, have been sufficient to achieve the same result for other ores2 Similarly, the amount of copper sulfate used to promote the flotation of sphalerite has been found to vary widely. Effect of Copper Salts in Distilled Water on Sphalerite In the work at the University of Utah, over a year was spent in futile attempts at duplicating experiments until it was discovered that the

Jan 1, 1930

By George H. Rupp

THE Sunrise iron mine of The Colorado Fuel and Iron Corporation is in Platte County, Wyoming, about 110 miles north of Cheyenne. It is served by the company-owned Colorado and Wyoming Railway, which connects with the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy and the Colorado and Southern railways at Guernsey, Wyoming, a distance of 6 miles from the mine. The original Sunrise claims were staked mainly by United States Army officers and soldiers stationed at old Fort Laramie, because of small showings of copper in the Carboniferous limestones that form a horizontal capping overlying the Huronian iron ore. A small copper smelter was operated for about three years at Fairbanks, now an abandoned town on the North Platte River. As many of the copper shafts and test pits near the present Sunrise mine were deepened, they penetrated the capping and encountered iron ore or gray sericitic schist, and were abandoned. Evidence of an early interest in iron ore was found when the Chicago claim was stripped for mining. A narrow, winding crevice was discovered, which led downward 20 ft. through the capping to the underlying soft red hematite, in which a room 10 by 14 by 7 ft. had been excavated. Stone hammers and wedges and a few rusted pieces of iron were found on the floor, and the evidence is conclusive that the excavation was used up to rather recent times by Sioux Indian medicine men, to provide war paint. GEOLOGY AND ORE The Sunrise district is in the Hartville uplift, an anticlinal area in which pre-Cambrian rocks similar to those of the Black Hills and the Laramie Mountains are brought to the surface. The lowest part of the pre-Cambrian series exposed is a great thickness of pink, crystalline, Huronian dolomites with thin unstratified beds of schist and quartzite. The upper part of the series consists mostly of gray or green schists but includes a few lenticular beds of jasper and a banded iron formation con-

Jan 1, 1939

By L. C. McCabe

This paper is a progress report on a study of the distribution of the banded ingredients (Figs. 1 and 2) in Illinois screenings and the method of determining their distribution. Proximate analyses and screen tests1 have been reported and a further report on the washability characteristics of the screenings is in preparation. The microscopic study of the screenings is not yet far enough advanced to permit a conclusive report on the effect of mining, screening and washing on the distribution of the banded ingredients in the coals of Illinois. However, considerable fundamental data have been collected as a background for the screenings investigation and for a proposed study of fuels composed of known quantities of vitrain, clarain and fusain, the three common banded ingredients of Illinois coals. These fundamental data and the preliminary information now available from the microscopic study of screenings are broadly indicative of the reaction of the coals to the physical processes affecting them in mining and preparation. Proximate analyses of samples of vitrain, clarain, and fusain from several Illinois mines have been published2, but those given in Table 1 serve to show the differences that are apparent in proximate analyses. The vitrain samples are consistently low in ash, and the unit-coal value is uniformly lower than in clarain. The average fuel ratio (F.C./V.M.) of the vitrain samples in the table is 1.57 whereas the clarain average is 1.42. The fusain analyses vary considerably in ash and moisture. In the two samples from this mine the moisture values range from 8.99 to 22.80 and the ash from 4.86 to 16.91 per cent. Fusain has higher fixed carbon than either vitrain or clarain but the percentage is erratic from sample to sample. The relative proportions of the banded ingredients in the Herrin (No. 6) coal in Illinois is reasonably well known but detailed information

Jan 1, 1936

By V. F. Parry, S. P. Burke

The presence of gas in coal mines necessitates the use of costly ventilation arrangements and the use of expensive mining methods. On the other hand, the gas itself in many instances is of considerable intrinsic value, and its separate recovery might conceivably be a profitable undertaking. This paper is concerned with a study of the movement of gas in coal strata with the object of determining the laws governing gas movement and thus making at least a preliminary step toward the solution of the more practical problem of its control or recovery. Naturally, so important a subject has received much attention from scientists and engineers. In most cases, however, the studies have been concerned with the origin1$, the amount" the composition3 and the method of retention4 of the gas in coal; or, from the more practical side, have been concerned with the phenonlena and conditions associated with outbursts5 or explosions and their control. Numerous studies also have been made of the permeability of coal to gas" of gas pressures measured in coal seams, etc. The authors are unaware, however, of any attempt to present a consistent or complete picture of the laws governing the movement of gas through the coal. Study in West Virginia A recent study conducted at this University7 gives the first presentation of the distribution of pressures in a small section of a coal seam. Holes were drilled into the coal rib to various depths and at various distances from the coal face. The location selected for study was as remote as possible from disturbing influences of mining operations, faults, "wants," etc. The pipes extending into the coal that were used to determine pressures were grouted into the borehole for the entire depth of the hole, and great precaution was taken to insure accurate pressure readings. A map of the geology of the region, a map of the probable boundary and extent of the coal seam, a current map of the mine and a

Jan 1, 1936

By William E. Brewster

Dating back some five years ago, various foundries made inquiries as to the probable total carbon content in a given specification and grade of pig iron. Up to that time we had no data, and except for a few occasional determinations of total carbon, no attempt had ever been made to set up routine determinations of total carbon. In fact, at that time, a cast analysis was considered sufficient, without examining at further length into possible variations of analysis between ladles of the same cast. In view of the various inquiries as to total carbon, we sampled all piles of all grades of pig iron, making complete analyses. Finding some variation in carbon content, we secured more samples and plotted the carbon content with respect to silicon in each grade of iron except for the higher phosphorus foundry iron, where it was necessary to divide the group into twenty-point phosphorus ranges. This is easily understood, owing to the falling off of carbon content with the increase in phosphorus content, silicon in each case being the same. In addition, these curves clearly demonstrate the lowering of the carbon content as the silicon is increased. In order to insure accuracy and reliable determinations the following method of sampling and analysis was employed: Two pigs selected from each end of the car, each car containing iron from one 50-ton ladle, are drilled with a 5/6-in. drill all the way through from top to bottom in the center of one section of the pig. The drillings are collected and transferred to an 80-mesh sieve; the portion passing through and the portion retained are placed in separate envelopes and labeled accordingly. The amount of sample in each envelope is weighed to obtain the proportionate amount of coarse and fine drillings, then a 1/2 factor weight of sample (1.3636 grams) made up of proportionate

Jan 1, 1936

By B. Woyski

Many writers, in discussing defects caused by oxidation and gassing of bronzes and red brasses advocate substantially the same cure for both. But from its nature, oxidation cannot take place if there is an excess of fuel in the furnace, while the gases absorbed by some alloys are products of incomplete combustion of the fuel. Hence the metal can be either oxidized or gassed, but it is doubtful whether these actions can take place simultaneously. Oxidation can be easily overcome by the use of deosidizers or it may be avoided by protecting the molten metal with suitable fluxes. Absorption of gascs is more difficult to overcome: the regulation of the air and fuel, so as to produce complete combustion, and the protection of the bath by mineral fluxes arc the most important factors. Gas expulsion, resulting in gas holes, porosity, unsoundness, and swollen or cauliflower-headed risers, is said to have several causes. One writer1 lists the most common causes in the order of their importance, as follows: Superheated metal, dirty or slaggy furnace conditions, using metals low in quality or those previously subjected to bad melting practice, poor grade of fuel, use of newly lined or damp ladles, indiscriminate mixing of scrap or illogical combinations of metal. Superheating the metal usually occurs when the heat is ready to be poured but for some reason must be held in the furnace. In this case, a careful furnace tender tries to avoid overheating the metal by keeping a mild fire; that is, a reducing fire which, unfortunately, results in gassing the metal. A dirty, slaggy furnace may result in gassing the metal by retarding the heating and prolonging the time necessary to bring the metal to the proper temperature, thereby increasing the chances of gassing in uncertain furnace atmosphere. It is doubtful whether rnetals of low quality have anything to do with gassing molten metal, except, possibly in the case of metals containing

Jan 1, 1923

By John T. Norton

In recent years, the damping capacity of metals has come to be recognized as an important index of certain types of structural change. In a number of instances, this property has proved to be particularly sensitive, but insufficient work has been done to permit a general interpretation. There is considerable question at the present time as to just what factors are responsible for the internal dissipation of energy when a metal is carried through a cycle of stress, and these factors must be ascertained if the value of the damping method as a metallurgical tool is to be determined. Since internal stresses are among the chief causes of dissipation of internal energy, or damping capacity, it was thought that a study of the changes in damping during the recovery and recrystalliza-tion of a cold-worked metal might throw some light upon the subject, particularly if the damping changes were correlated with other properties that are better understood. Probably more work has been done on the recrystallization phenomena of alpha brass than on any other metal, so this was chosen as the material for the present investigation. Damping measurements on brass have been made by Förster and Köster.1 They showed that the annealing of a brass that had been cold-drawn to 50 per cent reduction produced a rapid fall in the damping, a flat minimum occurring at approximately the temperature of recrystallization. The damping remained at a low value until grain growth was well under way and then it increased rapidly with increasing grain size. Köster and Rosenthal2 continued the work in greater detail. They pointed out that the damping decrease does not correspond to the hardness drop but occurs at a lower temperature, suggesting that the relief or redistribution of internal stresses has a large effect while the actual recrystallization effect is small. They also show the increase in damping at the higher annealing temperatures. Their curves are reproduced in Fig. 1.

Jan 1, 1940

By L. C. McCabe

This paper is a progress report on a study of the distribution of the banded ingredients (Figs. 1 and 2) in Illinois screenings and the method of determining their distribution. Proximate analyses and screen tests1 have been reported and a further report on the washability characteristics of the screenings is in preparation. The microscopic study of the screenings is not yet far enough advanced to permit a conclusive report on the effect of mining, screening and washing on the distribution of the banded ingredients in the coals of Illinois. However, considerable fundamental data have been collected as a background for the screenings investigation and for a proposed study of fuels composed of known quantities of vitrain, clarain and fusain, the three common banded ingredients of Illinois coals. These fundamental data and the preliminary information now available from the microscopic study of screenings are broadly indicative of the reaction of the coals to the physical processes affecting them in mining and preparation. Proximate analyses of samples of vitrain, clarain, and fusain from several Illinois mines have been published2, but those given in Table 1 serve to show the differences that are apparent in proximate analyses. The vitrain samples are consistently low in ash, and the unit-coal value is uniformly lower than in clarain. The average fuel ratio (F.C./V.M.) of the vitrain samples in the table is 1.57 whereas the clarain average is 1.42. The fusain analyses vary considerably in ash and moisture. In the two samples from this mine the moisture values range from 8.99 to 22.80 and the ash from 4.86 to 16.91 per cent. Fusain has higher fixed carbon than either vitrain or clarain but the percentage is erratic from sample to sample. The relative proportions of the banded ingredients in the Herrin (No. 6) coal in Illinois is reasonably well known but detailed information

Jan 1, 1936

By W. S. Weeks

In coursing the ventilating air through a mine it is often necessary to restrict a comparatively open split in order that it may carry exactly the desired quantity of air. Such a restriction is known as a regulator, and usually takes the form of a partition with a hole in it. The quantity of air circulating is controlled by the size of the hole or orifice. For example, it is desired to force a quantity q I cu. ft, per min. through split a (Fig. 1) and the quantity q2 through split b. It requires a pressure of 2 in. water to force the desired quantity through a, and a pressure of 1 in. to force the desired amount through b. The pressure drop between points A and B must be 2 in and a pressure of 1 in. must be destroyed in split b. This is done by inserting a regulator in b, which causes the velocity to increase in the orifice and results in a change from pressure-head to velocity-head. If the air, after passing the orifice, is slowed down in a turbulent manner, all of the velocity-head does not change back into pressure-head, so a permanent loss of static pressure results. A classic formula for computing the area of an orifice to destroy a certain amount of static pressure has been handed down from early days: 0.0004Q a =2 This formula is based on the assumption that all velocity-head in the orifice is "destroyed;" that is, does not reappear again as either velocity-pressure or static pressure. The derivation of the formula is as follows: h = head lost in regulator in fect of air. v = velocity in regulator in fect per second. q = quantity circulating in cubic feet per second. Q = quantity circulating in cubic feet pcr minute. a = area of orifice in square feet.

Jan 1, 1928

By A. L. Holley

THERE are regularly manufactured in the eleven Bessemer steel rail mills of the United States, 119 patterns* of steel rails, of 27 different weights per yard. This list does not include patterns which, although still largely inn use, are regarded by experts as obsolete, and which would swell the number to nearly 300; nor does it include all, the patterns for which rolls are kept on hand to fill a possible demand; nor does it include extra pattern,- rolled in one finishing groove by opening or closing the rolls so as to get different weights with the same contours. The list embraces only those separate patterns which are subject to current orders. How thoroughly modern these patterns are, is shown by the fact that of the whole 119, there are but five patterns of conspicuously bad shape; all the rest more or less completely illustrate the standard features,-a heavy bead,. light web and flanges, and a good angle :to hold the fish-plate. Sixty-two per cent. of the patterns have the "Chanute" head, which was not designed until 1874.† Sixty-four per cent. of the 119 patterns are embraced under five weights per yard,; three only of these vary from standard type; there am thus 76 patterns, all of them modern and standard, to represent five different weights, for which five patterns would perfectly answer. Of the 60-lb. rails, there is only one of the pear-head type, while a dozen of the bevelled head templets cannot be distinguished from each other * From all the works 188 patterns were sent to me as standard. Of these I found 119 different shapes and 69 duplicates. † Since this paper was read I have seen at the Bethlehem Iron. Works the templet of a 68-pound Lehigh Valley rail, with the bevelled head, usually called the "Chanute" head, and marked "Templet of 1872." This is shown on Plate II. I learn that iron rails, with bevelled heads, were rolled at Bethlehem prior to 1870.

Jan 1, 1881

By G. E. Steudel

THE study of the possibility of effecting a lower cost in the manu-facture of pig iron reveals the importance of the ever present question of slag chemistry and volume. Factors that determine slag chemistry and volume are the impurities in the ore available, the ash-sulphur content of the coke, and a flux material necessary to promote removal of sulphur. Of these, the ores present by far the major source of impurities and what may prove to be the lowest practical slag volume with desired chemistry in one locality may be considered low or high in some other center of iron manufacture. The Chicago district is not only blessed with ores of high quality, but with excellent coke and flux materials as well. It is the intent of this paper to discuss slag problems at the South Works only, where burdens consist of Mesabi ores, Michigan stone, and coke ranging from 7 to 9 per cent ash and containing an average of 0.57 per cent sulphur. Early in the development of modern blast-furnace practice, the con-sideration of slags was secondary to the many adjustments of mechanical difficulties, such as furnace lines, stock distribution, stove design for obtaining higher blast temperatures, improved chemical segregation and size of raw materials. Furnace operators, after making these improve-ments, turned their attention to the study of other refinements in practice, of which slag chemistry appeared to be the most important. It is only within the last two decades that operators have become familiar with the various aspects of slag compositions. The industry, while rather slow in its recognition, is indebted to such investigators as Rankin,1 Wright,1 Feild,2 Royster,2 McCaffery,3 Kinney,4 Holbrook,5 and Joseph5, whose researches concerning the elimination of sulphur within the blast furnace and the effect of slag composition upon melting point, viscosity, and desulphurizing power have established criteria for the selection of slags of the requisite quality.

Jan 1, 1939

By C. H. Herty, J. L. Keats

In the literature on the elimination of metalloids in basic open-hearth practice, there are a great many heats recorded in which excellent data on changes in slag and metal composition during refining are given, but in almost all of these heats either temperature data or weights and analysis of charge are unrecorded and observations on the physical characteristics of the slag are almost always lacking. With these points in mind, a test heat was made in which as complete data as possible on all the factors that affect the elimination of metalloids were obtained. The Test Heat The test heat was made in a standard 100-ton stationary furnace at the Lackawanna Steel Co., Lackawanna, N. Y., on January 17, 1922. The Charge—Scrap.—The scrap consisted entirely of rail-heat butts, selected from a number of heats made the week before the test. The average analysis of the scrap was calculated from the analysis of these heats and from the weight of scrap from each heat. Pig Iron.—Two ladles of pig iron were used in the charge and two samples were taken from each ladle as it was poured into the furnace. These four samples were composited for the average pig-iron sample. Other Materials.—Weights of dolomite, ore and spar were obtained by weighing a quantity of each just before the test and weighing the amount of each left after the heat was completed. The limestone. was weighed on the charging pans. Coal for recarburizing, ferromanganese, ferro-silicon and aluminum were weighed out as used. All these materials were carefully sampled before the test was begun. Coal consumption at the producers was obtained by getting the average capacity of the hoppers that fed the producers, and then counting the number of hoppers of coal used during the course of the heat. Products Steel.—The steel made was rolled into billets, the rolling properties being very satisfactory. The weight of steel was obtained by taking a

Jan 1, 1926