Search Documents

Remarks of Mr. Robert W. Hunt, General, Superintendent, Albany and Rensselaer Iron and Steel Company., Troy N. Y.—In discussing Dr. Dudley's two most interesting papers, I feel a natural hesitancy in disagreeing with conclusions formed after such careful and conscientious work. But I think he has made his deductions from too meagre premises. The analyses of but twenty-five samples are entirely too few to justify the establishment of so important a formula. When we consider that he indirectly proposes to regulate an interest amounting, even at the present low prices, to over $20,000,000 per annum, we may well hesitate before accepting a formula based upon the chemical and physical analyses of but twenty-five steel rails. Dr. Dudley touches the keynote in referring to the proposed labors of the Government Test Commission. They based their hopes of attaining success upon the chemical and physical analyses of a very large number of samples, and in the only branch of investigation which the short-sighted policy of Congress has allowed them to complete, i.e., chain cables, we find that a dozen, twenty-five or one hundred tests gave no satisfactory results. It was only after many hundreds that they were enabled to' draw conclusions. There are so many circumstances hearing upon the life of a rail, that the task of extracting a correct result seems herculean. I presume I am right in stating that in our Northern latitudes early winter and spring months witness the breaking of the greatest number of rails, thus seeming to prove that an unstable road-bed has much to answer for. Then, again, broken and flattened wheels must be taken into account, but I am convinced that more rails have been broken by the treatment which they received before leaving the rolling-mill

Jan 1, 1879

By S. F. Emmons

There is, in the southern part of the State of Illinois, a series of deposits of fluorspar and galena in which the former mineral occurs on a scale of magnitude unequalled, so far as I know, in any other part of the world. In June, 1891, 1 had an opportunity of visiting the region of their principal development, near Rosiclare, Hardin county, Ill., and examined such of the mines in the vicinity as were accessible at that time. A very large proportion of the mining shafts that had been sunk in this region were unfortunately abandoned for the time being, and full of water. Moreover, detailed maps of the region are unattainable, no surveys having been made there, apparently, since the original land-surveys' of the early part of the century. In spite of these disadvantages I was enabled, in the few days at my disposal, to ascertain with sufficient accuracy certain facts not hitherto published with regard to these deposits, which seem worthy the attention of the members of the Institute. Before proceeding to a description of the deposits in question, I will give a brief abstract of the little historical and geological information hearing directly or indirectly upon them, which I have been able to find in existing publications. Historical. That the mineral was known to the Indians, is proved by the discovery, in some of the pre-historic mounds of the region,* of fluorspar, shaped into ornaments. The earliest scientific mention of its occurrence is found in the first volume of the American Journal of Science (1818+), which describes specimens obtained in the vicinity of Shawneetown by Mr. Joseph Baldwin. Similar notices appear in the same journal in 1820 and 1821, but without mention of the exact locality. They remark on the fetid odor which characterizes the mineral and its association with galena. Schoolcraft, as early as 1819, note: the occurrence of fluate of

Jan 1, 1893

By R. M. Daelen

Mechanical science is severely tested by the demands of the iron manufacture for the varied apparatus needed to transport and to treat raw materials and products. Water has long been a favorite means of transmitting pressure for such purposes, because of its own incompressibility. Further advances in its use are the more to be expected, since mechanical improvements have steadily tended to overcome the difficulties formerly encountered in the employment of great hydraulic pressures. So long as the pressure is not higher than that which requires for plungers, etc., only ordinary stuffing-boxes, with hemp or other similar packing, the necessary arrangements for the production and transmission of the water-pressure without leakage are very simple. But when this limit (which is, for most purposes, 50 kilos to the square centimeter) is exceeded, new conditions of construction arise, which are met in various ways, and which justify a primary division of hydraulic presses into low-pressure and high-pressure respectively. The former are used in lifting and moving weights, and employ pressures as high (in extreme cases) as 100 kilos per square centimeter; but at this point the friction between piston and hemp-packing is so great that the use of cup-leathers is already preferable. Beyond 100 kilos it becomes a necessity. The range of practicable tight packing which follows is considerable, extending to about 1000 kilos; but "high pressure" in practice is from 100 to 600 kilos, and it is to this that the present paper applies. General Classes and Types. Hydraulic transmission at high pressure usually claims consideration in case the solid mechanism, such as levers, cams, screws, and gear-wheels, would have to be too large, would involve too much friction, or could not be suitably adapted to the speed-requirements of the working-tools. Since steam is mostly the primary carrier of

Jan 1, 1893

By John Stewart

The market at present supplied by shipments from the phosphate districts of Quebec, Ontario, and New York State requires high-grade ore, carrying from 75 per cent. to 90 per cent. of phosphate of lime. In sorting out such material by hand, much valuable phosphate is necessarily left in the "culls" or refuse, besides which, much phosphate-rock of low-grade is not now mined at all, because it cannot be made available by the crude method of cobbing and hand-sorting. The utilization of such material, which would, of course, greatly benefit this industry, requires either a mechanical separation or a chemical process which would concentrate the phosphate in a form suitable for agriculture. Considering the rich phosphate now shipped as the first class, we may arrange the lower grades in three classes, as follows: Second Class.—Cull-ore from the first class, and the mass of deposits having, as gangue, pyroxene or hornblende. The following table gives the hardness and specific gravity of the minerals concerned: Hardness Spec. gravity. Apatite,....... . 5 3.1 to 3.25 Crystalline limestone (pink calcite),. 3 to 4 2.5 to 2.9 Pyroxene,..5 to 6 3.23 to 3.5 Hornblende,.5 to 6 2.9 to 3.4 Feldspar (orthoclase),. .. . 6 to 6.5 2.5 to 2.6 It is evident that when pyroxene and hornblende are present in large proportions, this ore cannot be successfully concentrated by crushing and jigging. It may be reduced to fine powder by successive treatment in a rock-breaker and a Sturtevant or Frisbee-Lucop mill, or other suitable apparatus, and in this condition it could be largely used by applying it freely upon exhausted clay soils, such as occur in Quebec and Ontario. The occupants of these once fertile river-lands are, however, hard to move in the direction of such improvements. When water-power is at hand, the cost of crushing

Jan 1, 1893

By Walter B. M. Davidson

Phosphorus is one of the elements having the widest distribu tion, and phosphoric acid plays an important part in the composition of the crust of the earth. It is allied in various chemical combina- tions with many bases, of which lime, alumina and iron are the most common. It is difficult to state in what chemical combination phosphoric acid predominates in the crust of the earth, for while phosphate of lime, as the mineral which is sought for and found in deposits of economic value is the most familiar, it is probable that the phosphates of alumina and iron are the most usual forms in which phosphoric acid exists in all soils not essentially calcareous. It has been shown by thousands of analyses that all fertile soils contain from a trace to 0.5 per cent. of phosphoric acid. All limestones, dolomites and chalks contain it in proportions which, though usually small, are large enough to make careful analysis necessary in the selection of limestone as flux for iron-smelting. It is generally Trenton limestones that are found best for this purpose, the more recent strata being more phosphatic. In some places phosphoric acid replaces carbonic acid, and the limestone or chalk becomes phos phatic to a large degree, or sometimes pure phosphate of lime. The waters of the ocean, from very early periods, have contained phosphoric acid. Different analyses show varying contents; it is asserted that some portions of the Gulf Stream are more phos phatic than the surrounding waters of the Atlantic. Many springs, usually from limestone regions, contain soluble phosphates in vary ing quantities. I think it safe to assert that phosphorus is nearly the most widely and evenly distributed element on the surface of the earth, and probably the most subdivided. This can be readily understood when the important part which phosphoric acid plays and has played in the vital cosmos is taken into consideration. Phosphorus was on the earth in gaseous, liquid or solid form before the dawn of life, and since then all animal and vegetable creation have combined with the

Jan 1, 1893

By Fred W. Gordon

Apart from the character of pig-iron to be manufactured, other than that it shall be well reduced and open-grained, the selection of the materials should be such as to produce it at the lowest cost. As a rule, the sources of fuels and limestones are not so extensively varied as those of the ores. Many Eastern furnaces are now using Lake Superior ores, and but recently a part of the supply came from foreign ports. It is, however, of the highest importance that the character of fuels and limestones, as well as ores, should be carefully considered in determining their value and making judicious selection among those available. The formulas here offered are based upon the assumption that the heat-requirements for a given mixture are measured by a constant required by the oxide of iron, added to that required for a unit of slag, multiplied by the weight of that slag per unit of iron. The heat-requirements for oxide of iron per unit of pig-iron made are assumed to be 2854 centigrade units. This is taken from the careful analysis of Sir Lowthian Bell, and, so far as the writer is able to determine, is very nearly correct. Dividing this by the quantity of heat that may be evolved and utilized within the furnace per unit of carbon, determines the quantity of carbon required per unit of pigiron ; and if to this be added the quantity of carbon absorbed by the pig-iron, the total requirements in carbon are determined, on the assumption that pure oxide of iron is reduced with pure carbon by the ordinary process of the blast-furnace. Calculating the quantity of slag that would be made from a given mixture of ores, smelted with a given impure fuel and fluxed with a given impure limestone, multiplying this weight of slag by the heat-requirements of its unit (taken at 1050 C. H. U.), and dividing the product by the heat-units evolved and utilized within the furnace per unit of carbon, will determine the quantity of carbon required per unit of pig-iron for the slag.

Jan 1, 1893

By Edgar C. Moxham

THE paper of Mr. W. H. Adams, read at the Cleveland Meeting, June, 1891 (Trans., xx., 196), on "The First Iron Blast-Furnaces in America," establishes the interesting fact that the earliest operations on this continent in the manufacture of pig-iron were based upon a deposit which, after many years of neglect, has now become again the object of active exploitation. In addition to the remarks of Messrs. Pechin and Raymond in discussions of the paper above cited,

Jan 1, 1893

By Charles A. Ashburner

The Bradford Oil District lies in the northern part of McKean County, Pa., and the southern part of Cattaraugus County, N. Y. Although petroleum was first found in the producing sand in 1871, it was not until the early part of the year 1875 that a productive horizon was acknowledged to exist, even by those most largely interested in the production of the crude oil. It has been reported to me that the first well drilled in the valley of the Tuneangewant Creek (commonly called Tuna Creek) was drilled by F. E. Dean and brothers in 1865. This well was located on the Shepherd farm, near the present site of Custer City. One hundred and sixty feet of drive pipe was used, and the hole was drilled to the depth of 900 feet. The producing sand at Custer City is found about 1130 feet below the level of the railroad track. The Shepherd farm well was therefore abandoned over 200 feet above the top of the oil sand. The next well was drilled by the Dean brothers on the Clark farm at Tarport. Drilling was stopped at a depth of 605 feet, or over 400 feet above the top of the oil sand. In the year 1862 the old Bradford well, since known as the Barnsdall well, was drilled to a depth of 200 feet with a spring pole, and then abandoned. In the spring of 1866 the citizens of the village of Bradford concluded to club together and sink the Barnsdall well deeper. It was drilled to a total depth of 875 feet, or to within 150 feet of the Bradford producing sand. All of these wells were drilled with the expectation of finding the Venango County oil, and at

Jan 1, 1879

By T. Sterry Hunt

It is now five years since I called the attention of the Institute to the industrial importance of the coal and the iron ores of the Hocking Valley in Southeastern Ohio, and in a pamphlet on the region published soon after, in 1874, endeavored to resume the principal facts then known respecting it, including the observations of the geological survey of Ohio, made and published up to the time by Professors Andrews and Wormley, together with an estimate of the probable future of the region, and its relations to the coal and iron markets of the country. Since that time the labors of the Geological Survey have included a further study of the coal by Prof. Edward Orton, the results of which will be awaited with much interest. I may say from my knowledge of them, that while confirming the general conclusions of his predecessors, he has been enabled to add much to our knowledge as regards the correlation of the various members in different parts of the coal-field; and to show more clearly the positions and the importance of the ore-beds in the Hocking Valley region. The only ore mined in that vicinity previous to 1874, was below what is called the Great Vein or No. VI coal, and to the west of what is known as the Hocking Valley coal-field, and although experiments in a few furnaces in the State had shown that this coal could be used with advantage in iron-smelting there was not a single blast furnace within the field. My observations at that time, however, impressed me with the abundance of iron ore, not only below but above this important coal seam, and I then ventured to express the opinion that this region, from its cheap and easily mined smelting-coal, its native ores and limestones, and its geographical position and relations to the great markets of the West, and to the supply of rich iron-ores from Lake Superior, was destined at no distant time to become a great metallurgical centre, where iron could be made more cheaply than at any other equally accessible point in the country. The object of the present communication is to report progress, and to state how far my observations made in the region 1st month have justified the predictions of 1874. The five years which have elapsed have been, as all know, most unfavorable to the iron trade, and especially to new enterprises in untried regions, yet they have not passed without important industrial developments in the Hocking Valley, where not less than thirteen blast furnaces have been erected

Jan 1, 1879

By William H. Morris

At the Glen Summit meeting, the question of controlling the silicon in pig-iron WAS raised; and as this has been deemed by most furnace-men for years past a matter of special difficulty, an account of our experience in the matter may be of interest. When running on mill-iron, some years ago, we aimed to keep

Jan 1, 1893

By Ellis Clark

During the winter of 1877-78 the Glendon Iron Company, by the advice of the superintendent, Mr. Frank Firmstone, decided to make the experiment of exploding a heavy blast of gunpowder in their limestone quarry at Cedar Hill, Palmer Township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania. The amount of limestone used in the five furnaces of the company is about 60,000 tons per annum, and it was thought that with successful results? this entire amount or more would be thrown down at a single operation, disintegrating the mass to a greater or less extent, and obviating the necessity of blasting and boring the rock from the face of the cliff, both of which operations are slow, and therefore, costly. The rock at the quarry is Auroral limestoue, or No. 2 of the old Survey. No fossils have ever been found in the quarry, nor in the immediate vicinity. The nature of the rock varies considerably in

Jan 1, 1879

By J. F. Blandy

In October last, I was call upon to examine a copper deposit in the South Mountain, near the Pennsylvania and Maryland boundary. The specimens shown me contained oxides and carbonates with native copper, and were similar to some that had been described to me some years ago as existing at the Luray Gap in Virginia. An examination of Rogers's Report on the Geology of Pennsylvania, led me to expect to see his so-called "Primal Formation," such as exists throughout the southeastern district of the State. I was therefore much surprised on arriving at the summit of the Western Maryland Railroad to find myself on familiar ground. Instead of the "Primal" as I had known it in Southeastern Pennsylvania, I soon decided that the rocks were identical with the ('Lake Superior Copper Formation." My visit was unfortunately a short one, —part of two days, and in that time I had to pass over a good many miles,—but I saw sufficient to convince me that instead of the Lake Superior Copper Formation being a local geological feature, it would have to be considered as a widely extended series of rocks. I was unable to even approximately estimate the thickness either of the trap zone or other members, schists and slates, of the series. In an article on the Copper 'Range of Michigan, prepared by C. P. Williams and myself in 1862, and published. in vol. xxxiv of the American Journal of Arts and Sciences, we endeavored to divide that range into zones, according to the character of the traps. The limited nature of the explorations at that time made this work very imperfect. Subsequent explorations have confirmed my notes then

Jan 1, 1879

By Carl Henrich

Jan 1, 1893

By Axel J. Pollak

Since the late 1960's the Interstate Division for Baltimore City (IDBC) has been planning and developing the Interstate Highway System for the city to meet regional planning goals. The principal goals are to provide convenient access to the central business district and the port while diverting through traffic away from these congested areas. Interstate Route 95, an eight-lane highway carrying north-south traffic, has headed the city's priority list; during the 1970's its construction proceeded steadily from both east and west towards the harbor. Closing the final 8800-ft (2670-m) gap under the harbor will complete Interstate 95's construction. This final portion, known as the Ft. McHenry Tunnel project, will be built in nine construction contracts. Construction costs of the complete project are expected to exceed $700 million, making it the costliest single project in the Interstate Highway System. Full funding is being provided initially by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the Maryland Department of Transportation will re-pay the 10 percent local share from toll receipts within the first three years of operation.

Jan 1, 1989

By Sauer P

The features of Banana screens have been known for some considerable time and recently considerable interest has been generated in the performance of these units. This paper reviews screening principles on Banana and conventional units and demonstrates the capacity and effic- iency of these units. Furthermore, the behaviour of modern Banana screens and modem screens in general, are examined with respect to life, vibration isolation, noise emission and maintenance requirements.

Jan 1, 1978

Este trabalho teve como objetivo estudar as possíveis transformações microestruturais ocorridas em um aço de alta dureza submetido a altas taxas de deformação induzida por impacto balístico de um projetil 7,62x51 mm perfurante (Pf). Este aço, produzido por siderúrgicas nacionais, compõe o quadro de materiais nacionais usados como blindagens para proteção veicular. Após o ensaio balístico, a microestrutura do material “como recebido” e da região adjacente ao impacto, foi analisada por meio de microscopia eletrônica de varredura. Os resultados comprovaram o surgimento da microestrutura conhecida por banda de cisalhamento adiabático nos impactos que produziram perfuração, ou seja, penetração completa do projetil, de acordo com o critério da Marinha.

Oct 30, 2017

By T Harding, T Riggs, D Taylor

High-grade hematite ores in the Hamersley Province of Western Australia are associated with hydrothermal magnetite-apatite and magnetite-hematite-carbonate-apatite proto ores below the modern weathering surface. In addition, hydrothermal alteration of country rocks, once believed to be absent, is now recognised widely in shales and dolerites up to several hundreds of metres away from the ores. Both observations appear to exclude a simple supergene model for ugrading the host iron formations to high-grade hematite ore. Similar hydrothermal proto ores and country rock alteration are now being recognised in other high-grade hematite deposits worldwide, or have been recognised in the past.

Jan 1, 2002

By Reinis Sipols

AGENDA ? Introduction ? Definitions and Key features ? PEA - Preliminary Economic Assessments ? PFS ? Preliminary Fesibility Studies ? FS ? Feasibility Studies ? Costs and Risks ? Cash Flow, Economic Analysis and Reporting ? Recommendations for Improved FS accuracy INTRODUCTION ? The reporting of material information on mineral deposits has been governed by NI 43-101 legislation for almost a decade. ? The investment sector depends on the independent, professional QP to provide objective observations, comments and recommendations through all levels of geological, engineering and financial evaluation until a mine construction decision has been made.

May 1, 2013

By I. Benning

Since the dismal performance of the Rand Mines management was called to account by its shareholders in 1994, the waves of change have continued to ripple across the South African mining industry .The number of listings on the gold board of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, that once numbered 40 or 50-odd, have now dwindled to no more than a handful as unprecedented restructuring has taken place. The redefining of the industry has not been limited to the gold sector, but across the base metal, coal, diamond, platinum and industrial mineral sectors as well. At the same time the Mining Houses began to reconsider their funding strategies. Originally established in the early part of the century to ensure the long-term sustainability of their group mining operations by providing substantial financial muscle and technical support, the Mining Houses were faced with a rapidly changing political environment, which proved to be a critical catalyst in giving momentum to the change. Furthermore, the significant development costs and increasing risk profile for new projects, coupled with pressure from shareholders demanding respectable returns, opened the door to opportunities for banks to begin providing external debt by the way of project finance. However, the provision of long-term debt to the South African mining industry had generally not been common since mining companies had financed new projects with equity, or with the cash flows from existing operations. Those banks that had the appetite for exposure to the perceived high risks of the mining sector rapidly built up specialist resource banking divisions capable of addressing the increasing demands of the industry. The application of project finance, the principles of which were developed in the 1970s specifically for infrastructure projects and privatization, is now commonly applied in the financing of greenfield and brownfield mining projects. This paper outlines the approach that lending banks would typically adopt when arranging or providing mining project finance, their usual areas of concern and the way in which the finance is structured to mitigate the many inherent risks.

Jan 1, 2000

By A. F. Matheson

"Bankfield Consolidated Mines, Limited, and Tombill Gold Mines, Limited, in the Little Long Lac area, Ontario, mined an orebody that was common to both. The discovery' of this orebody was made by surface prospecting in May, 1932, on Bankfield ground, following an original discovery made in the same manner on the same property on a small reef in Magnet lake in October, 1931. The production from the two mines between 1937 and 1942 was approximately 135,000 oz. gold from about 420,000 tons of ore, an average grade of 0.32 oz. a ton. Production was nearly equally divided between the two properties. Both mines are now closed, the ore exhausted.""The ore is mainly sheared and fractured greywacke and porphyry impregnated by silica and small amounts of metallic minerals. To a lesser extent there are definite quartz veins in the ore zone""(l). The metallic minerals present were principally pyrite, arsenopyrite, pyrrhotite, and native gold .As at other mines in the Little Long Lac area, an elongated, broad, deep trough of folded, steeply dipping volcanic and sedimentary rocks, striking roughly east-west and surrounded by younger granite, is host to the orebodies of the Bankfield and Tombill. In the immediate area of the two mines iron formation and conglomerate bands occur nearby both north and south of an intrusion of porphyry-Cliorite, suggesting repetition of beds and folding. Although considerable drag folding is in evidence, folding on the above scale has neither been proved nor disproved."

Jan 1, 1954