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By S. G. Malghan

Steel consumption forms a significant part of the operating cost of a minerals processing plant. An estimated 250 kt (276, 000 tons) of steel in the US and over 500 kt (551, 000 tons) worldwide are consumed each year in wet grinding alone. The depletion of ore grades and the need for finer grinding of abrasive ores are expected to increase steel consumption even more. Through continued research and development by the mining industry and the suppliers of steel products, several methods to reduce steel consumption have evolved. This paper critically reviews the mechanisms involved in steel wear and the currently available methods, materials. and operating conditions for reducing steel consumption. Particular attention is given to liner design modifications and substitution of rubber liners for steel liners.

Jan 1, 1983

By Edgar Kendall

A KNOWLEDGE of the fundamental principles of locating, sampling, testing and evaluating materials is essential in prospecting for mineral aggregates. In this discussion, mineral aggregates will be considered sand, gravel, crushed stone and slag that are used as materials of con-struction. The quantity of mineral aggregates produced in the United States during the year 1935 for such purposes was roughly 165,000,000 tons, about 60 per cent of which was sand and gravel, 37 per cent crushed stone and 3 per cent crushed slag. The total value of this material was approximately $100,000,000. It is apparent therefore that the prospect-ing for suitable mineral aggregates is of considerable economic importance. In prospecting for mineral aggregates, the methods employed are the same whether the organization is large or small. In the large organiza-tion there may be available geologists for locating sources of supply, a land acquisition department to arrange for the necessary options or permits, engineers to do the sampling, a laboratory for testing, and a board of consulting materials engineers to make the final selection. Even small organizations must follow the same general procedure, though the respon-sibility for the selection of aggregates may rest with one man, who may or may not be an engineer, but who must depend entirely upon his own judgment.

Jan 1, 1939

By Edgar R. Kendall

A KNOWLEDGE of the fundamental principles of locating, sampling, testing and evaluating materials is essential in prospecting for mineral aggregates. In this discussion, mineral aggregates will be considered sand, gravel, crushed stone and slag that are used as materials of construction. The quantity of mineral aggregates produced in the United States during the year 1935 for such purposes was roughly 165,000,000 tons, about 60 per cent of which was sand and gravel, 37 per cent crushed stone and 3 per cent crushed slag. The total value of this material was approximately $100,000,000. It is apparent therefore that the prospecting for suitable mineral aggregates is of considerable economic importance. In prospecting for mineral aggregates, the methods employed are the same whether the organization is large or small. In the large organization there may be available geologists for locating sources of supply, a land acquisition department to arrange for the necessary options or permits, engineers to do the sampling, a laboratory for testing, and a board of consulting materials engineers to make the final selection. Even small organizations must follow the same general procedure, though the responsibility for the selection of aggregates may rest with one man, who may or may not be an engineer, but who must depend entirely upon his own judgment. LOCATING THE SUPPLY The initial step in prospecting for mineral aggregates is the locating of suitable, adequate and economic sources of supply for the project in mind. Commercial plants in the vicinity should be investigated and a survey made of the existing structures that have been built of aggregates from these sources. If the structures are rather old and show no signs of deterioration, it is fairly good evidence that the aggregate is satisfactory. If materials of the proper quality can be obtained from commercial sources in sufficient quantity, and delivered to the job economically, it

Jan 1, 1939

By James J. Norton, Lincoln R. Page

Effective methods for determining grade and reserves of pegmatites in advance of mining have been developed in recent years. When intensive work began on the economic geology of pegmatites during the early years of World War II, it was widely believed that grade and reserves could be estimated only in a most general way. The literature indicated that not all pegmatite deposits are unpredictable, but statements emphasizing unpredictability and irregularity seem to have been more widely accepted. Many standard references reflect the prevailing opinion that minerals are unsystematic in their occurrence in pegmatites. Pegmatites have been de- scribed as "notorious for their irregular structure," and minerals within pegmatites as "irregularly distributed," "irregularly disseminated,'' of "erratic occurrence," "proverbially erratic in distribution," "characterized by extreme irregularity in size and distribution of the essential minerals, and variety and proportion of the accessory minerals, and "spotty."

Apr 1, 1956

By Eugene Guccione

Evidence that the United States is gradually converting to the metric system of measurement can be perceived today even by housewives in a supermarket. The question is no longer whether but when the country will have completed the conversion. To the extent that any bickering about metrication still exists, the debate now centers on such issues as finding agreement on details of implementation, and whether federal legislation should speed up the metric-conversion process or allow it to proceed along its present evolutionary and voluntary course. Apparently, the voluntary or "make-haste-slowly" approach is gaining widespread support. According to The Research Institute of America, Inc., if and when federal legislation is enacted it will likely include the following national ground rules: (1) A National Metric Conversion Board will develop and submit to the President and Congress a comprehensive plan to achieve a coordinated, minimum-cost changeover. (2) The change- over will be completed 8 to 10 years after the board's plan goes into effect, and by that time the US will be predominantly, though not exclusively, metric. (3) Costs will "lie where they fall"; subsidies, special tax concessions, and antitrust exemptions will not be authorized by the legislation. (4) The changeover will be voluntary because of the recognition that while some firms can "go metric" in a matter of weeks, others may require 15 years or more, and a few might never convert. (5) In determining whether or not to convert, on an individual company basis, adherence will be to the "rule of reason-that is, ". . . do not convert unless the engineering, economic, or other benefits outweigh any metric-related disadvantages. No one is talking about rip- ping up our railroad tracks or rewiring our homes just to conform to the practice of metric nations in Europe." (6) Government is to be part of the solution, not part of the problem; in effect, says The Research Institute of America, the leverage of federal procurement will not be exerted to force-feed the metric changeover but will be coordinated with the sector-by-sector conversion of the economy.*

Jan 12, 1975

Jan 1, 1902

Jan 1, 1902

By Stirling Huntley, L. G. Huntley

THE controversy regarding the ,'probable future of the Mexican oil fields, and its relation to the oil industry of the United States, has led to the preparation of this paper. As has been predicted by several writers in recent papers, certain of the producing areas in the so-called "southern fields" in the Tampico Embayment have only a limited oil reserve. These areas are being pulled on by every pipe line in that region, and the length of time that they will continue to produce is a direct factor of the daily oil shipments of these companies. However, this is not the whole story, and in the following paragraphs an attempt will be made to show that the life of Mexican oil production will be a long one, and Mexican oil will continue to be a large factor n the market for an indefinite time after the areas mentioned above have been drained. The past and present producing fields will be discussed separately, in order-to establish a basis for comparison, the ,only method by which underground reserves 'can be estimated in these fields.

Jan 1, 1921

By Valentin Garfias

ALTHOUGH Mexico still ranks second in importance as produce for petroleum, the output in 1924 was 7 ½ per cent. less than in 1923 and 30 per cent. less than the peak production of 1921. The decrease may be partly accounted for by labor troubles and revolutionary activities early in the year, although undoubtedly the main factor was the continuous rise of the salt-water level in the South Fields, causing a decline of 24,000,000 bbl. in the production of light oil. Since the middle of 1923, the production of heavy crude has been greater than that of the lighter grade and, in 1924, the output of heavy crude was 2 ½ times that-of the light oil. DEVELOPMENT Drilling operations in the Mexican fields were probably more active in 1924 than in any other year, the greatest activity taking place in the Cacalilao and neighboring fields; toward the end of the year there was an added number of wells drilling in wildcat areas. The number of wells drilled in proved territory was almost twice that of the previous year, the increase taking place in the heavy-oil fields north of Panuco, as only 78 of the 710 wells completed were drilled in the Southern Fields. The percentage of successful completions decreased from 45 per cent., during 1923, to about 38 per cent., during 1924; there was also a noticeable decrease in the average flush production of the new wells. It is interesting to note that notwithstanding the increased drilling activity, the total production declined over 10,000,000 barrels. In the heavy-oil district, 632 wells were completed but only 231, or 36 ½ per cent., were commercially productive. The develop-ment in the Cacalilao area reached its peak in April and May, or about the time the first serious salt-water encroachments took place. Development in the old Panuco and Topila fields was more active than during the previous year, although the salt-water level continued to rise, the high price of crude making such development advisable especially for companies having to protect large-investments.

Jan 3, 1925

By Andrew A. Blair

It is now well known that certain pig-irons give a considerably smaller percentage of sulphur when determined by evolution-methods than when determined by oxidation-methods. The most striking examplcs of such irons are those made either wholly or in large part from New Jersey magnetites containing more or less titanium. It is never safe to use an evolution-method on such iron; for it is quite common that the sulphur result by evolution is only one-half or even one-third as great as that obtained by oxidation. For this reason, evolution-methods should be discarded, except in the analysis of pig-irons known to contain the sulphur in a state of combination from which it is evolved as sulphuretted hydrogen on treatment with hydrochloric acid. A good example of an iron containing, in the residue, sulphur insoluble in hydrochloric acid having come to our attention, it was determined to try to isolate a suspected insoluble sulphide. A large piece of high-silicon gray-forge iron was accordingly selected as the most promising material to work on. This piece was dissolved slowly, through several months, in dilute hydrochloric acid, aided by the electric current, yielding a soft graphitic residue. The object of dissolving a mass of iron, instead of drillings, was to prevent the crushing, by the drill, of any insoluble crystalline compound that might be present. The first step in the preparation was to break up the graphitic material and put it through bolting-cloth of 157 meshes to the linear inch. This was done by crushing the mass under the fingers on the bolting-cloth fastened over the top of a beaker, while a stream of water from a wash-bottle washed the finer portions through the cloth. The suspended matter was allowed to settle. It was then transferred to a platinum

Jan 1, 1902

By Miguel Bustamente

In 1890 I mas manager of a mining enterprise in the State of Michoacan. The ores were composed principally of iron pyrites (much decomposed), in a quartz matrix, with native gold in very irregular grains. Some portions, however, carried their metallic value in a matrix of calcite arid siderite. The mill in which the ores were treated consisted of two 800-lb. stamps, two amalgamating-plates, four pans, two automatic washers, two Frue vanners, and the necessary accessories for assaying, retorting and refining gold. The plant, originally erected with American capital, and directed by competent Americans, passed in 1890 into the hands of Mexican owners. On taking charge of the business I found on hand a large amount of ore assaying 35 grammes of gold per metric ton (about 1 oz. Troy per ton of 2000 lbs.); but the company was losing money, and was about to abandon the business. Obviously, the difficulty lay in the treatment of the ore. The extraction of gold scarcely reached one-tenth of the assayvalue ; the loss of mercury was considerable; and high freight; charges excluded the alternative of exporting the ores. This situation naturally suggested that amalgamation was not applicable to these ores, and that a more appropriate method must be adopted. The cyanide- and chlorination-methods had been tried already, without practically satisfactory results. For the first few months I employed a combined system, extracting a part of the gold by direct amalgamation, and cyaniding the concentrates. This saved 32 per cent. of the assay-value, but the cost of milling still exceeded the proceeds. Meanwhile I observed

Jan 1, 1902

By Richard E. Chism

Jan 1, 1902

By John Gross

The building of reverberatory furnaces (Fortschaufelungsofen) where ordinary brick, fire-brick and iron are comparatively cheap, is quite a different matter from the building of such furnaces in isolated camps, where proper material is only to be obtained at high cost and with long delays. Time is always a large factor in metallurgical operations, and the metallurgist may find himself in a position where it becomes necessary to erect apparatus and have it running in less time than it would take to obtain material from outside. It is here that he must make use of makeshifts. In Mexico, one of the most important of these is the alluseful adobe. Employed from prehistoric times, it still has its sphere of application in a surprisingly large number of instances requiring an article that can be quickly and cheaply produced. It is quite possible to erect serviceable reverberatory furnaces with no other materials than adobes, stone and wood. The old Mexican smelting shaft-furnace was an example of what can be done with adobes, and the large number of ruins of this class of furnace scattered through the mining districts of Mexico are silent testimony to the genius of a people who demonstrated their capability of adapting material at hand to their needs. The present paper will describe briefly the construction of an adobe reverberatory furnace which is giving good results, can be quickly erected at a low cost, and, if properly built and handled, will last a long time. The material being simply sun-dried, it naturally follows that the construction must be quite heavy. The adobes should be evenly made, with just sufficient straw to hold them together, and not too large in size (9 in. wide, 18 in. long and 4 in. thick

Jan 1, 1902

By H. M. Howe

One of the little electric-resistance magnesia crucible-furnaces which I designed for the metallurgical laboratory of the School of Mines of Columbia University is shown, in vertical section, of full natural size, in Fig. 1. The furnace itself consists of two semi-cylinders of magnesia, A A, with a cover of magnesia, B B, and a stopper, C, also of magnesia, which is perforated to admit the leads x, y, of a thermo-electric couple. The furnace is heated by the spiral of platinum wire, D D (entering and departing by the openings I and K), through which a current of any desired strength is passed, bringing it to incandescence, and to ally temperature, not above the melting-point of platinum, which may be desired. The crucible E, actually used in this furnace, is also of magnesia. I have heard of some unsuccessful attempts with furuaces of this general class, and have attributed these failures to the use of siliceous materials for the furnace-walls. Of course such a result is what we should expect, since the silica mould readily be electrolysed by the current, and the resultant silicon would alloy with platinum ; but the little magnesia furnace here clescribed seems to be wholly free from this objection. It has been used in my laboratory for some months, and temperatures, up to 1100° C, hare been developed in it over considerable periods of time—indeed, it has been held near 1400" C. for about two hours—without indication, thus far, of any deterioration of the platinum. In the section shown, F F are a pair of steel disks, bound together, but separated by the inverted thermo-junction, N, of the thermo-electric pyrometer. This arrangement permits the observation and record of retardations in the heating and cooling of F F—in other words, the determinations of the cooling curves of steel—a purpose for which the furnace has been used, thus far, more frequently than in the determination of meltingpoints. For the latter operation, however, it is also suitable.

Jan 1, 1902

By H. D. Hoskold

This paper is presented in fulfillment of the promise made in my paper, " Remarks upon Surveying-Instruments,"" etc., and much of the material which would constitute an appropriate introductioil here is omitted, because it has been already published by the Institute, in connection with my own contributions- or those of Mr. Scott and others, in vols. xxviii. to xxxi. of the Transactions, and in the special Institute volume on Mine-Surveying Instruments. In these preceding publications will be found, for instance, descriptions of the writer's " miner's transit-theodolite" of 1863,† and his later " angleometer,"‡ both of which were steps of the progress in engineering instruments and methods which originated in the work of Bourns, before 1842, on the " BoxTunnel " of the Great Western railway in England, in which he had to make connections by direct telescopic sights down the shafts. About 1870 the writer devised a practical and much superior plan, and made detailed drawings for an instrument to meet all the conditions he had proposed prior to that year. The detailed plans were communicated to a celebrated optical firm in London; but, owing to their loss (in Paris or Germany, it is believed) and to other reasons, the matter was, for the time, allowed to lapse. Following upon Bourns's idea, my friend, the late Mr. Beansland, introduced, in 1856, a new system and a portable astronomical instrument.§ Such instruments, however, were neither common nor convenient, and did not come into general use among engineers.

Jan 1, 1902

By R. W. Raymond

Jan 1, 1902

By S. B. Christy

Jan 1, 1902

By R. W. Raymond

Richard Pennefather Rothwell, was born May 1, 1836, at Oxford, Upper Canada (now the province of Ontario). His father, Rev. John Rothwell, was a native of County Meath, Ireland, where the family (originally, no doubt, a Scottish one) still holds large estates, under a grant from William and Mary. John Rothwell was graduated at Trinity College, Dublin, and became a clergyman of the Established Church. He married Elizabeth Garnett, of Athearn Castle, Ireland, and subsequently came to Canada. It is said that he was a man of liberal views combined with sterling piety, an enthusiastic sportsman and yachtsman, and a pastor who refused for many years to accept any remuneration from his parishioners. After preliminary education, the subject of this sketch entered Trinity College, Toronto, with the intention of studying law; but a year later he resolved to become a civil engineer, and entered the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at Troy, N. Y., where he was graduated, with high standing, as civil engineer, in 1858. He then went to Paris, and entered the Imperial School of Mines, where, by reason of the proficiency he had already acquired in civil engineering, he was able to finish in two years and a half the full three-year course, and to take the degree of Engineer of Mines. In 1861 he took the "practical courses" in mining and ore-dressing at the Mining Academy of Freiberg, Saxony. After traveling in Italy, etc., he went in 1862 to London, where, for the purpose of familiarizing himself with business methods, he entered the offices of W. T. Henley, a manufacturer of wire

Jan 1, 1902

By Charles R. Keyes

During the past decade the genesis of the lead- and zincdeposits of the Mississippi valley has received special attention from many distinguished observers. But their united egorts, instead of settling all disputed questions, have, in many respects, involl-ed the general problem in greater uncertainty than would be thought possible under the circumstances. In place of the harmony of opinion that might be expected, there is unexpected disagreement, largely due to the fact that, instead of giving attention to a possible multiplicity of ore-producing conditions among the different deposits, the attempt has been made to bring all deposits under a single genetic head. To a new observer of the lead- and zinc-deposits of the Mississippi valley, it appears at the outset that all the deposits cannot possibly have had the same genesis. In fact, different modes of origin have been often asserted for the ore-bodies, but the difficulty has been that each writer has referred them either all to one category or all to another, and no intermediate ground has been considered possible. Such a position now appears to be clearly untenable. The opinion that, in the deposits of the region under consideration, the ore-materials represent original depositions, made at the time the rocks themselves were formed, is no longer held by any authority, and therefore need not be considered here. Of late years, a number of writers have attempted to account for the presence of the lead- and zinc-ores on the hypothesis that the metallic materials arose in heated solutions from the

Jan 1, 1902

By S. H. Brockunier

During the examination of a gold-property in Georgia, last summer, I had occasion to study the effect of different chemicals upon the ore; the object being to find a more economical method of extraction than chlorination, as practiced there, had proved to be. Some of my notes and results may be of interest to others. The country-rock consists of mica-schist, hornblende-schist and black slate. The vein-matter is quartzite and schist, containing some stringers of quartz, the whole forming a body from 20 to 50 ft. wide. All of the rocks in the vicinity have become disintegrated to a depth of from 50 to 75 ft., forming the so-called saprolite. I found the workings to represent two distinct classes : I. Open-cut surface-ore: very soft,oxidized and disintegrated; containing much alumina, silica and iron. Average value, $4 per ton. 11. Ore from lower levels : quartzites and schist; very hard ; containing much silica and manganese, some alumina, and from 2 to 10 per cent. of pyrites. Average value, $8 per ton. Class I. was soon dismissed. The only way to make it pay would have been by the use of steam-shovels and a large crushing-plant. The tendency to slime would be the principal difficulty.

Jan 1, 1902