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By Will Mitchell, T. G. Kirkland, C. L. Sollenberger

BENEFICIATION of a Korean scheelite ore has been studied during the past year in the Basic Industries Laboratory at Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Co. A flowsheet has been recommended including flotation, gravity separation, and a final cleaning by a magnetic separator. The investigation was continued in the field of flotation in order to establish the effect of certain variables on recovery and grade of rougher concentrates. The results of this investigation are recorded here. Mineralogy The scheelite ore was obtained from Korea and was mined from the Sang Dong deposit. This deposit is described as lying in gently dipping metamorphosed sedimentary beds of Cambrian age.' The metamorphism was probably either metasomatic replacement or recrystallization, or both, with subsequent hydrothermal deposition. Igneous bodies in the form of granite porphyry have been found within 7 km of the main shaft and are considered to be a possible source of the mineralizing solutions. The Myobong formation, the host for the Sang Dong deposit, was laid down in middle Cambrian times and consists of series of mudstone, siltstone, shale, and marl, with local stratification of mica schists, hornfels, and tactites. The scheelite is found in quartz bands in the tactites. Although there are six of these bands, only one, the "main bed" averaging 1.75 pct WOs, has been mined to any extent. The ore sample as received in the laboratory was the product of a cone crusher and was all —2 in. The rock appeared to be even textured, medium to fine grained, and gray green in color. No scheelite could be recognized by the unaided eye. However, under ultraviolet light of 2537 A, the scheelite fluoresced and could be distinguished from the gangue. Under the black light, the scheelite showed no definite vein structure but was disseminated throughout the specimen. The raw ore had a specific gravity of 2.96 and weighed about 125 lb per cu ft at —20-mesh Tyler. The —2-in. material was stage crushed through 20-mesh, and samples were cut for mineralogical, chemical, and spectrochemical analyses. Several polished sections were cut from hand specimens. Figs. 1 and 2 show quartz to be the matrix for scheelite. It was reported by Kim2 that the greatest scheelite concentration in the mine is found with a high concentration of quartz and a decrease in the abundance of garnet. Diameters of scheelite particles ranged from 1.2 mm down to less than 50 microns. Spectrochemical analysis showed the ore to be high in aluminum, bismuth, calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, silicon, tungsten, and with lesser amounts of beryllium, chromium, lithium, sodium, and titanium. Chemical assays showed the —20-

Jan 1, 1952

By M. E. Wadsworth, I. B. Cutler

Coprecipitation of anionic and cationic polyelectrolytes has been applied to floccula-tion of several mineral systems. Results obtained in a study of the flocculation of kaolinite and hematite suspensions of polycationic and polyanionic electrolytes are presented. Greatly increased settling rates were observed following precipitation of positive and negative polyelectrolytes on the surface of finely divided minerals in aqueous suspension. The ratios of polycationic to polyanionic electrolytes required to produce maximum sedimentation have been shown to correspond closely with the equivalence points obtained by light scattering studies of systems containing the positive and negative polyelectrolytes by themselves. DISPERSION of colloids has been of interest to surface chemists for many years. Flocculation studies have been employed to evaluate the limits of colloid stability. In water suspensions, colloids become unstable and flocculate when the ( potential, the potential of the kinetic solvation sheath, falls to a value at which van der Waals forces may act to draw the particles together. This may happen through an adjustment of the pH of the suspension or by addition of a salt. Optimum conditions for rapid formation of large flocs are found in the region of minimum ( potential. In addition to these well known considerations, colloids in water suspensions are known to be flocculated by certain large organic macromolecules. These polyelectrolytes in some cases minimize the i potential and in other instances increase the attractive forces by supplying sites for hydrogen bonding.' Use of organic polyelectrolytes in flocculation of mineral colloids has increased rapidly in recent years. These materials are now recognized as indispensable aids to fluid-solid separations in many extractive metallurgical operations. They have been found to increase both the settling rate in thickeners and the filtration rate of filters. In the elucidation of the characteristics of these organic reagents as floc-culants in this laboratory, it was discovered that interaction of certain polyelectrolytes had a surprisingly good effect on flocculation of mineral colloids. Experimental Procedure: The anionic flocculants used in this study were Lytron 886 and 887, produced by Monsanto Chemical Co. Both reagents are copolymers of vinyl acetate and maleic anhydride. Lime is added to Lytron 886, whereas Lytron 887 is all organic. These reagents possess two carboxyl groups for each acetate group and are therefore anionic in character. The cationic reagents used were the Peter Cooper Co. 1-X and 2-X glues. The structures are not definitely known, but the re- agents are amines and are cationic in character. The glues were prepared in the chrome-alum form. Both types of reagents may be classified as polyelectrolytes in that they are high molecular weight polymers and ionize in water. All data presented are in terms of sedimentation rate, measured in 250-ml glass-stoppered graduated cylinders. With suitable precautions such measurements are fairly reproducible and provide a sensitive means for selecting important parameters such as pH, reagent concentration, and floc size and density.2 Agitation was standardized with five complete end over end cycles of the suspensions in the stoppered graduated cylinders.

Jan 1, 1957

By George D. Roberts

INTRODUCTION CIVIL engineers are primarily interested in maximum core recovery. This is even more important in foundation work than in mining investigations where sludge samples are of some value. The soft materials, such as clay, gouge, or partially decomposed seams that are most readily ground up or washed away, are the materials that usually have the greatest influence on foundation and leakage conditions. Undisturbed samples of such materials should be obtained for detailed geological examination and laboratory tests. Therefore the attainable goal of sampling in connection with foundation investigations is the recovery of 99.9 pct of undisturbed core. FACTORS CAUSING CORE LOSSES The principal factors contributing to core losses are: (I) coring badly fractured or very soft material; (2) use of improperly designed coring equipment, including the use of bits of too small a diameter; (3) lack of the proper training and attitude on the part of the drillers and pertinent technical information on the part of the supervising personnel. Little can be done about the character of the material being cored but the other two factors contributing to unsatisfactory performance can be corrected. Although the title of this paper is the improvement and standardization of core barrels, it is believed that the drillers' shortcomings and the lack of pertinent technical literature are more detrimental to good core recovery than either of the other factors. USES FOR LARGE DIAMETER CORE BARRELS It is well known that the use of larger diameter bits and core barrels generally produce better cores, particularly when sampling soft or broken material. The use of larger and larger bit diameters and the insistence on better core recovery is well demonstrated by the change in practices of the various districts of the Corps of Engineers. Today NX core is the smallest diameter commonly permitted for investigational work and the more active districts are using coring bits up to 6 in. in diameter, as well as 36 and 40-in. calyx rigs. The latter size has proved to be just as economical because it provides more room for core removal and cleanup operations. The use of large diameter cores to replace the driving and jacking methods of obtaining soil samples is also increasing. The 5 7/8-in. Denison sampler, developed by H. L. Johnson to obtain samples from soft formations, is one example. The principal uses for bits larger than NX are: sampling soils and semi-consolidated rock; sampling decomposed rock or rock with soft seams; sampling concrete; obtaining samples for laboratory tests; drilling drainage holes, and other miscellaneous work. CORE DRILLING PRACTICES OF SEVERAL ENGINEER DISTRICTS Little Rock District The writer was employed in the Little Rock District from 1938 until 1942. Prior

Jan 1, 1947

By R. Schumann

THE expression "unit process " comes up with increasing frequency in discussions among metallurgists and mineral engineers, especially among those concerned with training the next generation. The unit process approach characterizes a significant advance along the road from metallurgy as an empirical art to metallurgy as a branch of engineering. The purposes of this paper are to define and list the unit processes in specific terms, to indicate the scientific and engineering principles basic to all the unit processes, and finally to show how these ideas have been applied to a reorganization of instruction in chemical metallurgy. UNIT OPERATIONS AND UNIT PROCESSES Metals are extracted from ores and other raw materials by stepwise procedures. In general, each metallic element is extracted by a different procedure. For many of the metals there is a choice of several flowsheets. However, the procedures all have steps in common. In fact, the many different flowsheets are all made up of a relatively small number of steps which are combined in different groups and sequences. For example, crushing, screening, roasting, sintering, melting, and gaseous reduction are steps which each appear in the flowsheets for extracting the majority of the metals. The individual steps or flowsheet units can be designated as unit operations or unit processes. These terms are well established in the field of chemical engineering, as the American Institute of Chemical Engineers' definition of chemical engineering shows: " Chemical engineering is that branch of engineering concerned with the development and application of manufacturing processes in which chemical or certain physical changes of materials are involved. These processes may usually be resolved into a coordinated series of unit physical operations and unit chemical processes. The work of the chemical engineer is concerned primarily with the design, construction, and operation of equipment and plants in which these unit operations and processes are applied. Chemistry, physics, and mathematics are the underlying sciences of chemical engineering, and economics its guide in practice."1a In this definition, the distinction between unit operations and unit processes is that the unit operations are physical while the unit processes are chemical. Table I gives a list of the principal unit operations and unit processes of chemical engineering, taken from Shreve. lb Table 2 lists the principal unit operations and unit processes used for metal extraction. The division between unit operations and unit processes is similar to the chemical engineers' distinction and also corresponds approximately to the division of labor between mineral dressing and chemical metallurgy which has been customary in the past. Furthermore, it will be noted that in the proposed classification the unit processes primarily involve chemical reactions and/or changes in state of aggregation; the unit operations, primarily do not involve either bulk

Jan 1, 1948

By R. R. Hoffman

The name L'brush,l as applied to the parts to be briefly considered in this paper, is not clearly descriptive of the design and function of those parts when the usual definition of the word is applied. In a general way, the brushes to be considered here are the parts employed on certain types of electrical equipment to facilitate the transfer of electrical current between a rotating or moving element and a stationary element. These machines are generally motors and generators of both the slip-ring and commutator types, rotary converters, battery charges, etc. Parts that serve a similar purpose on relatively slow or intermittently moving devices such as rheostats, switches, controllers, etc., are generally referred to as contacts. A few special applications involve the use of current-carrying washers, rollers, bushings, etc. As may be inferred, therefore, the design of these brushes and allied parts is dictated by both electrical and mechanical considerations. In most cases these factors are closely interrelated, and unfortunately many of them are not subject to exact scientific or mathematical analysis. Special Advantages Since brushes operating on direct-current machines must carry the load current, resist destructive action from voltage induced in imperfectly compensated armature coils, and in addition act as a bearing material, maintaining intimate contact with the commutator at peripheral speed, which may be as high as 70 miles per hour it is difficult to obtain in one brush the ideal properties necessary for perfect functioning under all operating conditions. The engineer-designer, therefore, when selecting a brush for a specific application, must choose a grade that possesses the characteristics most adequate to meet the conditions involved. In many cases a characteristic that makes a specific grade of brush the ideal selection for one type of machine may be of secondary importance to some other property when the brush is applied on another machine. Frequently different grades of brushes must be applied to the same type of machines when they operate under different or unusual atmospheric conditions. Completely satisfactory brush operation depends on freedom from appreciable sparking, minimum electrical and mechanical losses, negligible commutator or slip-ring wear, uniform film over the commutator or slip ring, quiet operation and good brush life. The ability to produce special structures, and to combine in widely varying proportions materials that are incompatible, through conventional melting and alloying procedures has been the basic contribution of powder metallurgy to the solution of problems involving brushes and allied parts. This is especially true where current-carrying capacity is a major factor, owing to the limitations of all carbon or all graphite brushes in that respect. Metal-graphite Brushes With very few exceptions, friction between moving elements. across which

Jan 1, 1945

By Ronald R. McNaughton

The most recent group of papers on the general subject of lead smelting were published in AIME Transactions, vol. 121, in 1936. The lecture deals with changes which have taken place in the Past 30 years in this industry. The subject matter covers the essential steps of charge preparation, sintering, blast furnacing, dross treatment, refining, and slag fuming together with the subsidiary or associated activities of analytical procedures, dust and fume collection, maintenance, and hygiene. IN 1936 the AIME published Transactions, vol. 121, entitled "Metallurgy of Lead and Zinc". In the preface to this volume the chairman of the Committee on the Reduction and Refining of Lead and Zinc, Carle R. Hay ward, said in part: ... since the World War few papers of major significance have appeared on the production and refining of lead and zinc, although many improvements in technique have been made, which have attracted little attention because they were merely developments of existing practice. Other changes of a more radical nature have also been made, but... they have been given little publicity. It seems appropriate, therefore, at this time that the AIME should sponsor a volume on lead and zinc metallurgy... . That the publication of this compilation was timely is attested by the rapidity with which the surplus stock was depleted. It has now become a collector's item. Although a comprehensive monograph on the occurrence, extraction, refining, and uses of zinc was published by the American Chemical Society in 1959,' one could almost repeat Professor Hayward's words to describe the present situation in the literature of lead reduction and refining. So it is my intention today to discuss briefly some of the changes and improvements which have taken place in the metallurgy of lead in the interval since the publication of vol. 121. The lead blast furnace, which made its appearance in America about 1870, is still dominant in the reduction field. However there are other reduction methods in use today in special situations. In those rare circumstances where the material to be treated is very high grade, consideration might be given to the Bolidens electric furnace method2 or the Lurgi self-fluxing process3 or possibly to the rotary ore hearth. Each of these latter three processes makes use of the roast-reduction reactions with the result that fuel require-

Jan 1, 1969

By H. Q. Golder

With the development of open-pit mines of ever increasing depth, the stability of the pit slopes in soil and rock is of growing economic importance. How is it, considering the newness of the problem that we know anything at all about the stability of man-made slopes? How much do we know and how did it all begin? We can make a reasonable estimate of the stability of a slope in soil, but we know as yet woefully little about slopes in rock because the problem is much more complex. It is only with the development of the capacity of the computer to handle wearisome calculations that any but the simplest of stability problems in rock have become possible of solution. But what we do know is a guide of immense value in the design of slopes in rock. But remember that the computer is a great elevator; it takes everyone's feet off the ground! So our study began with soils and what is now known as "Soil Mechanics", which is a translation of the German term "Bodenmechanik". It is a pity that the title of Terzaghi's book "Erdbaumechanik" was not used instead. But here the task of the translator is difficult because English lacks the facility of German to string together several words and make a new one whose meaning is unequivocal. Thus, we have the three German words 'Erde' 'Bau' and 'Mechanik'. 'Erde' means "earth" in almost all the English senses including "soil". 'Bau' and 'bauen' convey the meaning of building and construction, and 'Mechanik' means "mechanics" which includes statics and dynamics and the 'mechanics of materials', etc. So that a correct translation of the German is a phrase like "the mechanics of construction with, in or on, earth or soil." However we are stuck with 'Soil Mechanics' and that is where it all began. Now this study or subject did not begin with 'Terzaghi' although his contribution to the subject is unquestionably greater than that of any other single person. Every scientific discipline has its 'classical problem' and that of soil mechanics is 'the earth pressure problem' and it began in the 17th century. In fact, it probably began before this with the introduction of gunpowder to Western Europe in about the 15th century, but the first known reference to the problem was by Vauban, a distinguished French military engineer who lived from 1633 to 1707 and who gave rules for the dimensions of retaining walls from 6 to 80 ft. in height. The soil properties were not mentioned by Vauban probably because the rules were intended to be applied to fortifications only, but Poncelet (1840) claimed that Vauban's rules were based on a theory, and not simply on military and practical

Jan 1, 1972

FOLLOWING the presentation of the papers by Messrs. Mahan and Butler, the discussion printed below ensued. A. C. LANE* With particular reference to the New England con-sumer, I entirely agree with Mr. Mahan that intelli-gent marketing methods will do a good deal, but there is more than one way of improving them. For instance, coal can be shipped best to New England about this time of year-after the storms of the winter and before the movement of crops in the summer. For that reason there ought to be seasonal freight rates. This will be agreed to by most coal men if you will ask them, especially those who are connected with large concerns like the Metropolitan Coal Co., and yet they do not get seasonal freight rates partly because the railroads are afraid if they once reduce them they will never have a chance to get them back again. But it would be an improvement to have seasonal freight rates. Another thing: When we are buying in New England we want really a certain amount of heat value in our coal. There is no great advantage in our buying ash, nor is there any particular advantage in the railroad shipping ash and clogging the circulatory system of the body politic any more than clogging the circulatory system of the physical body. It would be desirable if the wholesaler, and to some extent the retailer, could guarantee the amount of ash or sell their coal on heating value. If you are interested in that you will find some interesting charts, in "Anthracite Coal Costs Analyzed," a pamphlet issued by the Anthracite Coal Consumers Association, Inc., New York City, as to rates from various and sundry points for bituminous and anthra-cite coal from the field to New York, Buffalo and Chi-cago. Here in New England they are both up against the competition of oil. About 3 or 3 1/2 bbl. oil will do the work of a ton of coal. One of my millionaire friends who is well posted on the situation is putting oil in his Commonwealth Avenue house because it is the most economical. Moreover, we can get Welsh coal from across the water (and help equalize this matter of exchange with Europe) in close competition with Penn-sylvania coal.

Jan 4, 1928

By George A. Roberts, Arthur H. Grobe

Tensile, hardness and density properties are presented for a new 18-8 stainless steel powder for the —50, —100, and —140 mesh cuts and also for a prepared blend containing 62 pct —325 mesh powder. The data were obtained for sintering temperatures of 2100° to 2350°F and for compacting pressures of 30 to 50 tons per sq in. A NEED has existed for a stainless steel powder of uniform composition from particle to particle, which could be readily molded and sintered, and which would yield moderate to high strength and ductility when processed into parts by standard powder metallurgy techniques. The literature reveals that previously available powders have been lacking in one or several of these desirable characteristics. Originally attempts to produce stainless steel powder by blending and diffusing elemental metal powders were unsuccessfu1.l A truly alloyed stainless steel powder reported by Dale in 1947 yielded reasonable mechanical properties but required an exceptionally high sintering temperature of 2400°F in pure dry hydrogen.' A later development reported in 1950 by Stern provided a stainless type powder of excellent molding properties' but this powder likewise required sintering at temperatures over 2350 °F and did not yield properties as high as those previously reported. The powder was not truly alloyed prior to sintering. A prealloyed stainless steel powder has been developed that is readily moldable at 30 to 50 tons per sq in., can be sintered at low temperatures (2100" to 2300°F), and which yields compacts with both high strength and ductility. The powder is prepared by the liquid disintegration method," direct from molten metal. Early attempts to make 18 pct Cr, 8 pct Ni stainless steel powder by this method did not produce a usable powder for pressing and sintering because of a preponderance of spherical particles with relatively high, surface oxide content. It was learned that silicon additions to iron alloys, powdered by this process, gave bright powder of low-oxide content and such additions were made to 18-8 stainless with similar results. An attendant change in particle shape occurred reducing the number of spheroids materially. The optimum composition which has been studied and is reported here contains approximately 2.5 pct Si. Silicon additions to stainless steel of the 18-8 type improve the resistance to high-temperature oxidation and promote the formation of ferrite. Corrosion resistance is, however, controlled by chromium content and even though ferrite may exist the corrosion resistance is not generally impaired.4 Experimental Procedure A detailed study of the 18-8, 2.5 pct Si powder has been made in accordance with the following outline: 1. Four blends a. — 50 mesh b. —100 mesh

Jan 1, 1952

By A. J. Shaler, J. Prieto Isaza, J. Wulff

Tantalum metal has a number of unique properties which give it widespread application in modern technology and in research. In electronic apparatus involwing high temperatures in vacuo some of the refractory metals 6ecome brittle. Tantalum retains its ductility at elevated temperatures, and this property, together with its low vapor pressure and its ability to absorb gases, make it important in this field. Its chemical inertness in the presence of acids, halogens, and other corrosive media, makes it useful in chemical apparatus and in neuro and orthopedic surgical applications. As an addition to tungsten carbide in steel-cutting grades of cemented-carbide tools, the carbides of tantalum and of its sister element colum-bium have found considerable use. The present-day method1 of manufacturing tantalum is to sinter a powder compact of the metal in vacuo. Because tantalum-columbium alloys are difficult to work and since tantalum ores almost always contain columbium, the two metals must be separated chemically, the products of the separation being generally in the form of potassium tantalum fluoride and potassium columbium oxyfluoride. These salts are used in fused-salt electrolytic baths from which coarse metallic powder is deposited as a sponge at the cathode. Finer powder can be made from the coarse product or from tantalum scrap by first submitting it to an embrittling heat treatment in hydrogen and then crushing it. The fine hydrogen-containing powder may subsequently be degassed in vacuo at a high temperature. Prompted by the success of others2,3 in the magnesium reduction of titanium and zirconium halides; one of the authors undertook4 an investigation of the thermochemistry of the reaction between solid magnesium and gaseous tantalum penta-chloride, a subject which had not previously been studied. He found that the heat of formation of tantalum pentachloride is approximately 364,250 cal per mol at temperatures lower than the melting point of magnesium. A value of 83 units was found for the standard entropy at these temperatures. With these values, it was shown that magnesium and tantalum pentachloride are capable of reacting exo-thermically at temperatures less than the melting point of magnesium, and that no great violence is to be expected when these substances are heated together. The exothermic nature of the reaction indicated that the Drocess should be efficient and should not require much externally applied energy. Tantalum pentachloride is not commonly made commercially, and any process using it therefore involves the subsidiary problem of producing and handling this substance. A series of experiments was carried out in which dried chlorine saturated with carbon tetrachloride was passed over heated tanta-

Jan 1, 1949

By John L. Boardman

The Anaconda company has never indulged in any employee activities at Butte which might be termed paternalistic, but it has exerted a vast amount of effort in care of its employees during working hours. The reason for this policy is not lack of interest or that the company does not feel the effect of employees' activities while they are "off the job"; it is that the company and the city of Butte have grown up together and each has been adequate in its own sphere, the company in providing employment at the highest possible wage and the city in providing housing, sanitation, commercial services, medical services, schools, churches, amusements and entertainments. The one exception to this independence between the company and the community is the Butte Water Co., which is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. Mention of this relationship is made here because the water supply of such a city as Butte is one of the principal factors in determining the health of the people. Very early in the development of the Anaconda company an adequate and dependable water supply for the operations became necessary, therefore the company took over this important community function. So well has this activity worked out that during the whole period of time covered, in which the company has expanded to become practically the sole mine operator and the community has grown from a small mining camp to the status of a modern city, there has been no shortage of water or any outbreak of water-borne, epidemic disease. Conditions Leading to Organized Safety Effort A brief sketch of conditions in Butte prior to 1912 is necessary to an understanding of the reasons for placing accident prevention on an organized basis. As early as the year 1884 there were a large number of small independent mining operations depending principally upon the production of silver, although even then copper was becoming prominent in the value of total production for the district. The Butte camp was then just emerging from the log cabin stage to that of a modern city.

Jan 1, 1940

By Louis A. Panek

The purpose of this paper is to present a method of designing safe and economical arch structures that are to be constructed of concrete or directly of original earth materials. The experimental data used to illustrate the design method are taken from Bucky and Fen tress,1,2 and the application of the ideas presented by them is extended by obtaining an additional set of curves from which arch structures may be designed. This design method is based upon the following principles of similitude: A scalar model made of the same material as that of the full sized structure will behave similarly to its prototype if the density of the model is increased in the same proportion as its linear scale is decreased. Let R represent the scale or model ratio, namely, the ratio of a prototype linear dimension to the corresponding model linear dimension. The effect of increased density may be obtained by rotating the model in a centrifuge at a speed such that the centrifugal held exerts on the model an accelerative force R times the accelerative force of gravity. Under these conditions; (I) model unit stresses are equal to corresponding prototype unit stresses, (2) the ratio of the prototype deformation at a given point to the model deformation at a similar point is equal to the scale ratio, R, and (3) the model and the prototype will behave similarly within and beyond the elastic limits of strain. According to the above relations, such models can be used to solve the following problems: I. The dimensions of the most economical safe arch structure for a given load. 2. The miaximum safe roof span underground for given geologic conditions. The procedure is described briefly as follows. Tests are made by rotating in a centrifuge a number of models that repiesent a variety of prototype loads and dimensions. From the experimental data, curves are plotted to show the relations between these loads and dimensions. The curves are used to solve directly the problems stated above. Structural design is based upon the working (safe) stress of the material of construction, which is established by applying a factor of safety to the experimentally determined ultimate strength of the material. In conformity with this principle, each model is gradually loaded until failure occurs. A safety factor is then applied to the results. If a safety factor of 4 is used, a given model at failure represents a safe prototype, the linear dimensions of which are equal to one-fourth the model ratio at failure times the corresponding model dimensions. The safe model ratio is computed from the following formula: Safe R =(1/4)4p2n2r/g=p2n2r/g [I] in which: n = centrifuge revolutions per second at model failure; r = radius of rotation of the model in feet; g = 32.2 ft/sec2.

Jan 1, 1949

By Keith Leonard Sutherland

THIS paper is a study of the differential flotation of the sulphide minerals in the presence of salts of silver, lead and zinc. In practice, accidental activation due to these salts is more important than their use as reagents to replace copper sulphate. The general method of investigation has been based upon contact tests, the temperature of 35°C. being chosen in conformity with earlier work. Potassium ethyl xanthate and potassium amyl xanthate were selected as collectors and pure sulphide minerals were used. The experimental procedure has been outlined in earlier papers and all solutions were kept carbonate-free.'' Contact, or spreading of an air bubble, at a mineral surface indicates the presence of an adsorbed collector film. PURITY OF REAGENTS The xanthates were purified in the usual manner.1 Neither the cyanide nor the sodium hydroxide solutions contained sufficient carbonate to give a precipitate with barium chloride solution. The silver sulphate was prepared from pure silver nitrate by evaporation with concentrated sulphuric acid until there was no evidence of brown fumes. This solution was diluted and the difficultly soluble sulphate washed with water so that unchanged nitrate was dissolved. The resultant crystal-line powder was pure white. The lead and zinc salts were prepared by dissolving especially pure lead and zinc in C.P. nitric and sulphuric acid solution and the crystals drained. The standard solutions were checked by titration. It was felt desirable to use the sulphate radical wherever possible, but since lead sulphate was insufficiently soluble for the purpose of the experiments, it was necessary to use some other lead salt. A.R. copper sulphate was used without further purification. RESULTS The results are presented in the accompanying figures; the areas of noncontact (nonflotation) are shaded in Figs. 8, 9, 10 and 11; in the remainder they lie to the right of the curve. Zinc Sulphate The curves in Fig. I are to be compared with those for Fig. 2, for which zinc sulphate is absent. This comparison shows that the influence of the zinc ion is usually small. Its influence is more marked, however, for chalcopyrite in the absence of cyanide. The influence of zinc sulphate is also marked for copper-activated sphalerite, for which tests were made only in the absence of cyanide. The results are of importance in the separation of pyrite from copper-activated sphalerite when zinc sulphate is added in the lead flotation section (p. 204 of ref. I). Sphalerite does not adsorb the collector (i.e., become floatable) under the conditions chosen.

Jan 1, 1942

By B. M. Larsen, T. E. Brower

THIS discussion is based on statistical manipulation and evaluation of operating data from several commercial blast furnaces which include rather wide variations in practice. We are concerned here mainly with the effect of manganese on sulphur elimination under operating conditions in commercial blast furnaces, but this effect can be outlined more clearly by including certain other variables such as silicon in iron and slag basicity, which are all in part interrelated. Real progress in understanding all of the smelting-zone reactions in this process requires more laboratory studies of slag-metal melts similar to those in the blast furnace, with careful control of oxygen pressure. Such experimental work is very difficult, however, and in the meantime, with the present scarcity of more fundamental data, such statistical trends and correlations as can be obtained from commercial furnace operating records may help in choosing laboratory test conditions as well as adding to our knowledge of operating procedures. We do not know just why the furnace data are apparently so irregular that statistical treatment of large numbers is needed to obtain accurate trends. It is partly caused, no doubt, by the many simultaneous variables present, but there are perhaps also such factors as: (I) the con- tinual swings up and down so characteristic of the process; (2) difficulty of accurate sampling of co-existing phases, as well as (3) the presence of both equilibrium and rate factors as a result of the fast driving of the process. In desulphurization, for example, the flow of thin layers of slag and metal over solid coke surfaces, plus the contact between droplets of iron falling through the slag layer in the hearth, would lead one to expect a close approach to equilibrium. On the other hand, most of the critical part of sulphur removal may occur in a short time and distance below the tuyeres with perhaps an accompanying decrease in oxygen pressure and the concurrent reduction of much of the silicon and manganese, so its degree of approach to equilibrium may be quite variable. Probable Chemistry of Desulphurization Since there is little evidence that sulphur atoms in the iron solution are aasociated to any appreciable extent in molecules such as MnS, the transfer from slag to metal and back again can be written:* (FeS) ? [FeS], [I] hence the following reactions seem most probable in the slag phase, (FeS) + (CaO) ? (CaS) + (FeO), [2] and, (FeS) + (MnO) ? (MnS) + (FeO). 131

Jan 1, 1949

By Arthur C. Simmons

Production of oil within the state of Pennsylvania in 1940 was slightly more than the 1939 total, and this increase was due entirely to the new flush Music Mountain field south and west of the main Bradford pool. The influence and magnitude of Music Mountain production will be separately described, inasmuch as it is an important producing unit within the state. Production Bradford Field The production listed herein for Bradford field includes only the part of the field that is within the state of Pennsylvania. Approximately 4000 bbl. per day, or 10 per cent of the total Production of Bradford field comes from Cattaraugus County, New York, and should properly be attributed to production obtained within the New York state area, although locally and economically the Bradford field, situated both in New York State and Pennsylvania, is included as a single statistical unit. The 1940 average production in the Bradford field was 34,831 bbl. per day, as compared with a daily average in 1939 of 35,340 bbl., or a decrease from 1939 of 509 bbl. per day. The decrease in production from the Pennsylvania portion of the Bradford field would have been more pronounced if a portion of the crude from the Music Mountain field were not included with the statistics for Bradford field. The decline can be attributed largely to the fact that more properties of lower average recovery were being drilled in 1939 and 1940 than in previous years, and apparently a subnormal amount of drilling occurred in 1938 and 1939, when about 2100 wells were drilled each year. The full effect of the 1940 drilling is not felt immediately and undoubtedly will affect the producing period of 1941. It appears probable that the water-flood area in the Bradford field has reached a definite peak unless some unusual economic condition should cause abnormal prices and an excessive rate of development such as occurred in 1936 and 1937. Virtually all of the production in the Bradford field was obtained by water-flooding methods, as natural or stripper wells are uneconomical and air and gas repressuring have not proved so efficient as water-flooding as a secondary recovery method. Central and Southern Pennsylvania Central and southern Pennsylvania produced a total of 4,604,763 bbl. of oil during the calendar year of 1940; that is, an increase over the 1939 total of 166,728 bbl. The daily average production was 12,581 bbl., or an increase over 1939 of 422 bbl. per day. Table I includes the total oil production for the state of Pennsylvania for the years 1937 to 1940, inclusive, and the daily average for each of these years. It is impractical to make a complete subdivision by districts, consequently the only segregation is the production from the Bradford field (within the state of Penn-

Jan 1, 1941

By G. M. Wiles

The increasing number of problems of the modem mine manager has led the author to discuss the art of management. He lists the principles concerning selection of personnel, exploitation and development, new equipment, process improvements, new processes, maintenance, operating cost data and public relations. Application of the principles to problems of mine startup, operation and rehabilitation are described. Since D. C. Jackling was famous for his adeptness at organizing and training teams of operating personnel, the subject of mine management is particularly appropriate for a Jackling Lecture. In fact, it is doubly appropriate because in very basic ways Jackling's career changed the nature of the tasks and challenges facing a mine manager. Management of mines, of course, is the art of finding and winning minerals economically from the earth's crust, and it involves the use of all the engineering sciences. But also of prime importance is a skill which is not yet a science - the area of management often referred to as human engineering. Since expenditures on staff and labor may well involve more than 50% of the direct costs of operating a mine, ability at human engineering is just as important as the ability to plan and put into effect the most efficient operating procedures. In addition to his ability to select and train operating personnel, Jackling possessed, to a degree unmatched by many of his contemporaries, broad, analytical powers covering both the economics and operating phases of large scale mineral extraction. His breadth of vision found its greatest expression at the time he analyzed the Utah copper deposit. Fortunately, Messrs. Penrose and Gemmell had enough faith in his analyses to furnish the capital needed to begin operations. The result, as is well known to all of you, was Kennecott's lucrative Utah copper mine — and the beginning of the open pit porphyry copper era. The Utah copper mine, and Jackling's subsequent similar successes in Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada, had one thing in common —all of these large porphyry deposits were worthless until open pit, large daily tonnage schemes were developed for their exploitation. The successful development of such schemes made vast new mineral resources available for economic exploitation. But at the same time, the trend away from smaller high grade operations in favor of the far more complicated operations required to handle large deposits of low grade ore have greatly altered a mine manager's problems. We are all familiar with the saying "mines make managers." There is still some truth in this statement, but far less than there used to be in the days when high grade properties were the rule rather than the exception. When high grade orebodies prevailed, many managers, superficially at least, could not make a mistake because the profits of their mines

Jan 1, 1962

By V. A. Zanadvoroff

The mine and concentrator of the Howe Sound Co., Chelan Division, are at Holden, in a remote section of the Cascade Mountains of northwestern Washington. Holden is at an elevation of 3200 ft., in the narrow valley of Railroad Creek. This creek drains into Lake Chelan, at a point some 40 miles up the lake from the town of Chelan. The concentrator treats 2000 to 2500 tons of low-grade copper-gold-zinc ore per day. Concentration is achieved by the differential flotation process, with recovery of 94 per cent copper and 82 per cent gold in the copper concentrate, followed by the recovery of 65 to 70 per cent zinc in the zinc flotation circuit. The final flotation tailing is deslimed, and coarse . sands, representing 60 to 70 percent of the total, are cyanided. The tonnage of tailing material amounts to 1900 to 2370 tons per day. General Considerations The property is within the Chelan National Forest. Railroad Creek is a fishing stream, being stocked regularly with trout from State hatcheries. Consequently, in planning a milling operation, the Howe Sound Co. was obliged to avoid any pollution of the stream by tailing material, and also destruction of valuable stands of timber. Moreover, the selected tailing- disposal sites should not mar the natural beauty of the valley. In addition to these requirements, the problem of tailing disposal at Holden was complicated by topography and climatic conditions. The valley is long and narrow, averaging 1200 to 1500 ft. in width. Its walls are flaring at a steep angle. There are no extensive flat areas suitable for deposition of tailing. All valleys tributary to Railroad Creek, also the well-marked paths of snowslides, must be avoided. Finally, the direction of prevailing winds and possible dust hazard arising therefrom dictated the necessity of selecting the tailing-disposal sites downstream from the mill building and two campsites. Heavy snowfall during the winter months of November to March, inclusive, impedes building of the retaining dike, making it necessary to prepare the needed storage space during the summer months. It is inadvisable, also, to do any dike building during the freezing weather, because the dike becomes unstable with the spring thaws, producing inevitable "sloughing" of the built-up borders. Tailing-disposal Sues The existing tailing-disposal areas are near the south wall of the valley. They were developed, and put to use in the following sequence: No. I. Area.—Covers approximately 10 acres. Built up to the height of 60 ft. and abandoned. Total length of dike border is 1900 feet.

Jan 1, 1947

By Ernest L. Ohle

IN 1943 diamond drilling from the surface in an area 2 miles southwest of Leadwood, Mo., discovered a lead deposit of a markedly different character from the usual southeast Missouri type. Subsequent drilling of about 500 holes indicated several million tons of ore, and in 1950 a 701-ft vertical shaft was sunk into the orebody. This paper describes the geology, of this interesting occurrence insofar as it is known from the drilling and the small underground exposure at the bottom of the shaft. Geology The location of the Southeast. Missouri Lead Belt and of 'the Hayden Creek property are shown in Fig. 1. As shown here, there are two separate producing areas, one from which the larger tonnage has come, located near Bonne Terre, Flat River, Desloge, and Leadwood, and the other to the south around Fredericktown and including famous old Mine LaMotte. The best published description of Lead Belt geology is by Tarr.* In pre-Cambrian time in this cherty dolomites. Several of these formations may be found in direct contact with the pre-Cambrian as their deposition progressively overlapped the older rocks on the flanks of the igneous knobs and ridges. Immediately overlying the pre-Cambrian there is, not uncommonly, a thin basal conglomerate of granite or porphyry boulders, which is incorporated into the overlying sediments. Deposition of the lower part of the rock section was fairly continuous, and the Lamotte sometimes grades almost imperceptibly into the lower sandy Bonneterre. Since the sediments were deposited on an uneven floor, they tend to reflect the irregularities in that floor. Most of the steep dips found in the district, that is, dips in excess of 10°, are original dips and not caused by deformation. Such domelike structures in the sedimentary rocks around the igneous knobs have localized a considerable number of the orebodies in the district and particularly those in the Fredericktown area. Many of the larger orebodies, however, have no close relation to the pre-Cambrian topography. Most of the lead production has come from the lower 150 ft of the Bonneterre formation, where disseminated ore spreads laterally parallel to the bedding for great distances. Average stoping height is about 20 ft, but in a few places there are stopes over-175 ft high.

Jan 1, 1952

By L. G. Truby

This paper presents the results obtained after calculating matches of the observed pressure performance of five fields completed in a common aquifer. A general dejcription of the Central Basin Platform area in West Texas in which the five fields, Andector, Embear, Martin, TXL, and wheeler, are lo. cated is contained in the paper. The method of utilizing the electric analyzer to calculate simultaneously matches of the observed pressure performance of the five fields is outlined. The determination of boundaries of pressure communication is discussed and the extent of pressure interference between fields consistent with the configuration of the area aquifer is shown graphically. INTRODUCTION Anomalies in the pressure performance of the Andeector Ellenhurger Field resulted in an investigation of pressure interference between several Ellenburger fields located on the Central Basin Platform in West Texas. Four fields, Embar, Martin, TXL, and Wheeler, were found to contribute significantly to the pressure drawdown at Andector. An initial investigation of the pressure performance of the Andector Ellenburger Field revealed that the reservoir pressure could not be matched by the calculation technique usually applied to water drive reservoirs. In the past, many have advanced the opinion that fracturing in the Ellenburger was a local condition restricted to the immediate uplifted area around the field, in which case each field would in all probability be surrounded by its own relatively small aquifer. Following several unsuccessful attempts to account for the pressure performance at Andector, a system assuming a common aquifer involving several fields in the immediate vicinity of Andector was placed on the electric analyzer and the effect of lo. interference was noted. A refinement of the initial analyzer calculations involved the determination of the approximate boundaries of the aquifer, the calculation of detailed matches of the pressure performance of the interfering fields, and an evaluation of the degree of communication between fields. DISCUSSION Geology and Development The fields considered in this work are located in the Central Basin Platform, a north-south trending structural feature in West Texas lying between the Delaware Basin to the west and the Midland Basin to the east. The locations of various individual Ellenburger fields in this general are shown in Fig. 1 with the five major fields which appear to be definitely intercommunicating colored in black and located in the circled portion of the figure. Production from the five fields was first obtained from the Embar Field discovered in July 1942, followed by the Wheeler Field in 1943, the TXL Field in 1945, and the Martin and Andector Fields in 1946. The total reservoir fluid production from these fields is indicated in Fig. 2. As illllstrated in this figure, very little production was taken from these fields prior

Jan 1, 1952

By J. B. Dilworth

The word ".development," as used in connection with mining, is a rather general term and in most instances must be qualified or explained before the exact thought in the mind of the user is made clear. For instance, by the development of a mining district is often meant its entire facilities of mineral production, such as railroads, towns, mine plants, etc. In speaking of the development of a property its prospecting by test pits or diamond drill borings may be referred to; or it may be the mines, strip pits or quarries from which the coal, ore or rock is won. Rut, as a rule, when the development of an individual mine is spoken of the idea in mind is the system of underground workings by means of which the mineral is recovered and transported to the surface. It is this character of development that is considered here. The discussion will be confined to the ordinary room-and-pillar system of mining practically horizontal coal seams that is used in most bituminous coal mines in this country, and to only two phases of this subject; viz., what is properly included under the head of "Development" as it appears on the books of a coal company or the inventories of an examining engineer, and how its " value " should be determined by the accountant or engineer. No absolute rule or definite agreement covers these points, yet these questions are far more than academic. Development is often an important part of a mining company's assets, affecting the amount of its invested capital (and hence its rate of taxation under present Federal income tax laws) as well as the value of its total assets and the amounts chargeable to cost of coal and to depreciation. Mine Development Account Perhaps the majority of mine accountants will agree that the mine development account is that capital account which shows the extraordinary expenditures incurred in opening and expanding the underground workings of a mine until it has reached its normal production, the expenditures being those made for shafts, slopes, rock tunnels, drift mouths and such relatively permanent work; also payments over and above ordinary mining costs made for driving entries, air courses and break-through; for

Jan 1, 1922