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By B. A. Cheadle, C. E. Ells

The ovienlalion of hexagonal a-zirconium crystals in cold-drawn Zircaloy-2 tubes and in both as-extruded and heat-treated Zr-2.5 wt pcl ND tubes has been rrleasured using the inverse Pole - figure technique. Uniaxial tensile tests hare shown the Zil-caloy-2 lubes to hare highly anisotropic delovmation behavior whereas heat-treated Zr-2.5 wt pet Nb tubes are nearly isotropic. The differences in deformation behavior are esbloilred from the observed textures of the tubes and the deformation systems known to oberate in Zircnloy,-3. Tlze vcsults lead to an explanation of the high effective strain observed fov the Zircaloy-2 tubes as colrzpared to heat-treated Zr-2.5 wt pet Nb tubes in restrained end burst tests at 280° to 300°C. THE Zr-2.5 wt pct Nb alloy. when heat-treated by quenching from temperatures slightly below the (a + p)/P phase boundary and subsequently aged at 500°C, has tensile strengths about 50 pct greater than those of 20 pct cold-worked Zircaloy-2.1 There is. therefore, considerable economic incentive to replace Zircaloy-2 with the heat-treated alloy in some in-reactor applications. notably for pressure tubes, where strength is a prime consideration. However, when tubes of Zr-2.5 wt pct Nb fabricated by extrusion and drawing prior to heat treatment were subjected to restrained end-burst tests at 300 °C. the circumferential expansion at failure1 was only 10 pct that of cold-drawn Zircaloy-2 tubes in similar tests,2 Table I. This result was not predicted from uniaxial tensile tests in which the ductilities of the two materials were quite similar.' The detailed requirement for ductility in pressure vessels has not yet been worked out. and comparison of the relative merits of cold-worked Zircaloy-2 and heat-treated Zr-2.5 wt pct Nb is further complicated by the irradiation-induced loss of ductility and hydrogen pickup each will undergo from reactor operation.1,2 Nevertheless. the lower circumferential expansion of the Zr-2.5 wt pct Nb tubes raised serious doubts on the advisability of their use as pressure vessels. For this reason, an investigation to determine the cause for different ductilities of the two types of tubes was initiated. From a study of uniaxial tensile properties and crystallographic orientation it has been found that the fracture ductilities observed in the burst tests can be related directly to the crystallographic ori-

Jan 1, 1965

By Frederick N. Rhines, Robert F. Mehl

IT has been shown elsewhere1 that the data on the rates of diffusion in solid metals are fragmentary and in many cases unacceptable. As a result, relatively little is known concerning the factors determining rates of diffusion and the variations in these rates with temperature. The first form of Fick's law (equation 1 below), ‡ in which the diffusion coefficient D is assumed invariant with composition, has been recognized for many years as only an approximation. The differential equation representing the second form of Fick's law (equation 4 below) has only recently been integrated by Matano,2 and unfortunately only in cases where a full diffusion-penetration curve (concentration-distance curve) has been obtained can the Matano solution be applied. The proper analysis of diffusion data is thus confined to the data of Grube and Zedele and of Zedele.§ These data are essentially for one temperature alone and do not furnish any information on the variation of the activation heat of diffusion, Q, with concentration: no information exists on the variation of Q with concentration within a singles olid solution field. 11 Much of the argument concerning the properties of metals that determine D and Q has been drawn from data in which variations of the quantities with concentration are unknown, for these data have been taken from experiments that could not furnish this information. Speculation concerning the properties of metals that may be effective in determining D and Q on the basis of data in which the chosen D and Q values are averages over wide concentration ranges of values at particular concentrations, ranges often of 100 per cent, is likely not to be fruitful.

Jan 1, 1938

By George R. Huebner

The present mine at White Pine has been extracting low grade copper ore by mechanized room-and-pillar methods for approximately eleven years. Increasing depth of mining is decreasing the extraction ratio. It is desirable to mine a higher grade product by extracting values only and increase recovery of the available natural resource. These factors led to the consideration of a caving method such as longwalling. GEOLOGY The White Pine orebody consists of two mineralized shale horizons separated by a relatively barren zone of shale and sandstone. These gently dipping sediments lie at the base of the Nonesuch shale formation and are of late Precambrian age.

Jan 12, 1964

By J. K. Stanley

IT has been known for many years that the magnetic properties of a ferromagnetic material are very sensitive to internal strain. Any structure-sensitive property such as ferromagnetism, which is a-function of the regularity of the atomic arrangement, and discontinuities such as grain boundaries must show deviations from an equilibrium state when the regularity of the lattice is disturbed. Experience has shown that such distortions have a marked effect on the magnetic properties of a ferromagnetic material. The purpose of this paper is to show the feasibility of using magnetic methods in detecting internal strains. More specifically, it will be shown how such properties as permeability, remanence, and coercive force change on cold- working of aluminum iron and how these magnetic properties change during the annealing below the recrystallization temperatures. This work was conducted for two reasons. One was the desire to see in what manner strains are relieved in aluminum iron at low temperatures-a subject of practical importance in soft magnetic materials-and the other was the feeling that a study of cold-working and strain relief might shed some light honour understanding of what takes place in the deformation of metals DEFINITION IN TERMS It is necessary to define the terminology used in this paper because magnetic nomenclature is usually unfamiliar to the metallurgist, and certain other terms, such as recovery, have been used ambiguously by metallurgists and others. Magnetic terms are best explained by reference to the common hysteresis loop of ferromagnetic materials (Fig. I). In Fig. I the coordinates are magnetic induction, B, (ordinate) and magnetizing force, H, (abscissa). The c.g.s. unit for the magnetic induction is the gauss, the number of flux lines per square centimeter, and the unit for the magnetizing force is the oersted, the number of lines of force per centimeter in air or vacuum. If one starts with a completely de- magnetized specimen and magnetizes it, a typical virgin magnetization curve beginning at the origin is obtained. This curve is also the locus of tips of a family of smaller hysteresis loops. From this curve it is to be noted that the induction is not proportional to the magnetizing force, and that it appears to approach a limiting induction called the saturation value, and does so for values of H of 1000 oersteds. The ratio of the magnetic induction (gauss) to the magnetizing force (oersteds) is called permeability, p. Thus µ = B/H and if the magnetizing force H (oersteds) is specified as 10 or IOO oersteds, the permeability is written as µ10 or µ100. This is the accepted notation, and will be used in this paper. The values of permeability for H = 10 or 100 are chosen as indices for

Jan 1, 1945

By Nathan C. Rockwood

LIME is a very general term applied to products of limestone, in popular treatises often incorrectly, including ground or pulverized limestone used in agriculture. When used without qualifying adjective, the term usually means burned or calcined limestone, or quicklime, or calcia. The corresponding calcined product of magnesite is magnesia. If the calcined rock is relatively pure calcium carbonate, the resulting lime is a "high-calcium" lime; if the rock is dolomite, or a combination of calcium and magnesium carbonates, the lime is a "dolomitic" or a "high- magnesium" lime. There are various grades in between, depending on the percentage of magnesium carbonate and other ingredients in the raw rock. For some industrial purposes only high-calcium limes are suitable; in other processing-as, for example, neutralizing acid wastes -the relative percentages of magnesium and calcium carbonates in the raw material are not important. Limestone is burned (roasted or calcined) in furnaces known as lime kilns by direct exposure to the hot gases and flames. When heated to incandescence, the carbon dioxide content of the rock is expelled, leaving calcium and magnesium oxides, according to the formula usually written: [ ] This thermal reaction is reversible, which requires that the lime be withdrawn from the "calcining zone" of the kiln about as fast as made. Pure calcium carbonate would lose 44 pct of its weight in the calcining process; dolomite, 48 pct. Generally, the lime will retain the approximate size and shape of the piece of rock from which it is made but some few limestones tend to break down into granules or dust. Hence lime (quicklime) comes from the kilns in lumps or granules and normally is packed in water- tight containers in these forms, or is pulverized after calcination.

Jan 1, 1949

By R. F. Domagala, D. J. McPherson

Iodide zirconium was combined with calculated amounts of ZrO2 or master alloys and arc-melted. Annealing treatments were carried out at 21 temperature levels. Metallographic examination of the heat treated specimens permitted construction of the binary phase diagram from zirconium to ZrO2. Oxygen additions to zirconium raise the transformation temperature as well as the melting point. Features of the diagram include the peritectic formation of beta, the formation of alpha directly from the melt, an intermediate phase ZrOB with a' range of homogeneity, and a eutectic between alpha and Zr02. PHASE relationships in the Zr-0 system were determined in the range 0 to 66. 7 atomic pct 0 (ZrO,). Arc-melted alloys were annealed at temperature levels between 600" and 2000°C. Determination of the phase boundaries was accomplished by metallographic evaluation of specimens quenched from the various temperatures. Incipient melting techniques were used to determine solidus curves, and X-ray diffraction work was employed to study the lattice parameters of the a solid solution and the phase ZrO,. Experimental Procedures Westinghouse "Grade 1" iodide zirconium crystal bar (approximately 99.8 pct pure) was employed for the investigation. This material is substantially free of the impurity inclusions characteristic of most zirconium metal. Previous work has shown it to be the most satisfactory grade for phase diagram studies. The zirconium crystal bar, as-received, was coated with corrosion product from autoclave tests by which its grade designation is determined. The bars were sand blasted lightly, pickled for 1 min in a 20 pct HN0,-5 pct HF aqueous solution, rinsed in water and acetone, and dried. The bars were rolled to about 1/32 in. strip, cut into 10 in. lengths, and pickled again. The material was sheared to approximately Y4 in. squares, cleaned with acetone, and stored for use. Two pounds of specially prepared "chemically pure," and 100 grams of spectrographic grade ZrO, were obtained for the preparation of alloys. The "Specpure" ZrO, was obtained from Johnson, Mat-they Co.. Ltd.. and Titanium Alloy Manufacturing Div. of National Lead Co. supplied the other grade of oxide. The "chemically pure" material (henceforth referred to as C.P. ZrO,) was used for the preparation of all alloys employed in the determination of phase relationships. A limited number of alloys were prepared with the "Specpure" oxide to recheck certain phase boundaries. Analyses of the two grades of oxide are given in Table I. The C.P. ZrOI was received in powder form, not suitable for arc melting. Therefore, this material was compressed to wafers 1 in. in diameter and about Vn in. thick. These were segmented and stored for use. The "Specpure" material, in the form of small granules, was suitable for use in the as-received condition. A nonconsumable electrode arc-melting furnace was used to prepare alloys. A water-cooled copper crucible and tungsten-tipped electrode were employed. The material was placed in the crucible and rapidly melted under a protective atmosphere of helium gas by striking the arc on a tungsten stud and directing it upon the charge material. Details of operation, including drawings of this type furnace, have been published.'

Jan 1, 1955

By H. U. Schutt, J. M. Toguri

REGARDLESS of the degree of purification effected during the electrorefining of copper, a danger of re-introducing impurities exists in the operation of melting and casting of the refined copper. Logically only a combination of the purification and casting operation would remedy the situation. A well-known method of metal purification is the "Gross"-type process, whereby a volatile halide is produced, purified, and decomposed.' In the present case, this concept was used to remove the impurities rather than to form possible volatile copper halides. The object was to produce volatile halides of the impurities present and distill these away, leaving high-purity copper. It is interesting to note that such techniques are used in spectrographic procedures in order to shorten exposure time and enhance the density of impurity lines.' In the present investigation, copper hydroxy fluoride was used, since the temperature of decomposition of copper hydroxy fluoride and the melting point of copper nearly coincide. The fluorine released by the thermal decomposition of copper hydroxy fluoride purges the molten copper. Copper hydroxy fluoride was prepared by dissolving high-purity copper in nitric acid and adding hydrofluoric acid and ammonium hydroxide in the required proportions. The melt was made in a high-purity graphite crucible heated by an induction furnace. Trial experiments showed that impurities can be introduced from the crucible material. Therefore, preceding each cast, the crucible itself was cleaned by decomposing copper hydroxy fluoride and discarding the residual copper. Best experimental conditions were obtained by adding 30 g of copper hydroxy fluoride to 500 g of nor-

Jan 1, 1967

By John D. Roach

DURING an investigation of the yttrium-hydrogen system aimed at producing solid yttrium hydride specimens containing various amounts of hydrogen, it was observed that yttrium containing approximately 2 wt pct H exhibited a tendency to crack and crumble to a powder on standing in air at room temperature. It was also observed that longer hydriding times, at a given temperature, increased this susceptibility to powdering without an increase in hydrogen content, also that moisture in the air is necessary for the observed effects to occur. Even if cracking did not occur, there was a continual formation of a light gray powder on the as-treated surface of the hydrided yttrium and this reaction continues until the entire hydrided piece has been reduced to a powder. Storing the hydrided specimens in the absence of air or removing the surface either by machining or grinding were effective means of preventing this disintegration of hydrided yttrium. In an attempt to determine the reason for this powdering phenomenon, the surfaces of a number of as-hydrided yttrium specimens were examined by X-ray techniques. In all cases the X-ray pattern obtained showed the major phase to be yttrium hydride (YH2) as would be expected since the specimens contained 2 to 2.2 wt pct H. In some cases a trace of yttrium oxide was observed. There was also a third phase present on the surface of these hydrided specimens which could not immediately be identified. This unknown phase was a face-centered cubic material, NaC1-type structure, with a lattice parameter of 4.855 and a calculated density of 5.914 g per cc. Very slight hand polishing of the surface of the hydrided yttrium specimens completely removed both the unknown phase and the traces of oxide so that only the yttrium hydride pattern remained. Based on the X-ray patterns the quantity of the unknown phase on the surface of the hydrided yttrium appeared to be directly related to the susceptibility of the material to powdering. Work at the Denver Research Institute on the yttrium-nitrogen binary system showed that yttrium nitride (YN) is a face-centered cubic material with a lattice parameter of 4.878A and a density of 5.890 g per cc. They also noted that this compound rapidly disintegrated to a powder on standing in air. The unknown pattern observed in the above specimens corresponds very closely to that of the nitride—fcc structure, 4.885 parameter, and density of 5.914 g per cc. The presence of this thin film of nitride on the surface of the hydrided specimens probably accounts for the observed powder formation and crumbling. The nitride reacts with the water vapor in the air (verified by private communication from Dr. C. Huffine, General Electric Co.) to yield yttrium oxide and ammonia. Ammonia is readily detected when hydrided yttrium specimens were allowed to stand in bottled moist air. The powder formed on the surface of the hydrided specimens was shown by X-ray analysis to be yttrium oxide. This reaction appears to occur primarily at the grain boundaries since discrete particles of yttrium hydride separate from the specimens during this powdering process. The reaction of yttrium nitride with water vapor is believed to be as follows: 2YN + 3H2O - Y203 + 2NH3. Despite the fact that this nitride is present only as an extremely thin surface film, if the above reaction is not prevented by removing this film from the surface either by machining or grinding, the reaction continues until the entire hydrided piece has been reduced to a powder. To account for this continuation of the reaction, it is believed that the following reactionalsooccurs: 2YH2 + 2NH3 -2YN + 5H2. The nitride produced by the latter reaction reacts in turn with water vapor. The reaction therefore becomes autocatalytic and continues until the hydride has been consumed and the entire piece reduced to oxide powder. The amount of nitride required to initiate this reaction is quite small and this nitrogen contamination can occur from a number of sources—hydrogen gas employed, minute leak in the hydriding apparatus or even from degassing of the reaction vessel itself. Longer hydriding times increase the possibility of nitrogen contamination and this is especially true when a dynamic gas system is employed in the hydriding process. The production of stable, solid hydrided yttrium is dependent on the complete absence of nitrogen contamination during processing. If such contamination does occur, powdering of the hydrided product can be prevented by removing the nitride from the surface e.g. grinding or by preventing access of air to the pieces e.g. sealing in wax or plastic. The author wishes to express his appreciation to General Electric Co. for sponsoring this research and for permission to publish the results of work under Subcontract AT-93.

Jan 1, 1962

By W.C Ellis, Earle E. Schumacher

Nonferrous alloys upon which desirable properties can be conferred by heat treatment are becoming of increasing industrial importance. The alloys of copper with a constituent which has a solubility varying with temperature are materials of this character. Some of the constituents which are effective in producing a change in the mechanical properties of these alloys upon heat treatment are, according to Corson,' nickel and silicon, iron and silicon, cobalt and silicon, and chromium and silicon. In addition to these elements, Gregg2 states that the combination of beryllium and silicon is effective in producing age-hardening characteristics in copper. The effect of these elements, however, as dispersion-hardening constituents in the copper alpha solid solutions does not seem to have been studied in any considerable detail. This paper deals with the heat treatment and properties of three alpha brasses containing 3 per cent. of nickel plus silicon in the proportion necessary to form the compound nickel silicide, Ni2Si. Some information of a preliminary nature in regard to the hardening by heat treatment of phosphor bronze containing the same percentages of nickel and silicon is included. The method of hardening the alloys, which is effective in increasing the tensile strength and proportional limit, is similar to that used in the case of duralumin type aluminum alloys. It consists of a quench from a temperature at which the hardening constituent is in solid solution, followed by an aging at a lower temperature to precipitate the dissolved constituent in a dispersed condition. This results in an increased resistance of the alloy to deformation with an attendant improvement in the tensile properties.

Jan 1, 1929

By Earle E. Schumacher, W. C. Ellis

Nonferrous alloys upon which desirable properties can be conferred by heat treatment are becoming of increasing industrial importance. The alloys of copper with a constituent which has a solubility varying with temperature are materials of this character. Some of the constituents which are effective in producing a change in the mechanical properties of these alloys upon heat treatment are, according to Corson,' nickel and silicon, iron and silicon, cobalt and silicon, and chromium and silicon. In addition to these elements, Gregg2 states that the combination of beryllium and silicon is effective in producing age-hardening characteristics in copper. The effect of these elements, however, as dispersion-hardening constituents in the copper alpha solid solutions does not seem to have been studied in any considerable detail. This paper deals with the heat treatment and properties of three alpha brasses containing 3 per cent. of nickel plus silicon in the proportion necessary to form the compound nickel silicide, Ni2Si. Some information of a preliminary nature in regard to the hardening by heat treatment of phosphor bronze containing the same percentages of nickel and silicon is included. The method of hardening the alloys, which is effective in increasing the tensile strength and proportional limit, is similar to that used in the case of duralumin type aluminum alloys. It consists of a quench from a temperature at which the hardening constituent is in solid solution, followed by an aging at a lower temperature to precipitate the dissolved constituent in a dispersed condition. This results in an increased resistance of the alloy to deformation with an attendant improvement in the tensile properties.

Jan 1, 1929

By C. G. Dunn

It is well known that plastic deformation alters many of the properties of a metal and subsequent heat-treatment partially or completely restores these properties.l In the deformed or strained state, the metal is unstable and tends to change toward a condition called a "strain-free state." The transformation occurs through recovery, recrystallization, and grain growth—processes that may take place singly or in combination. The distortion of the lattice of an individual grain of a metal in a state of strain may be rather complex in nature, because plastic deformation produces: (I) dislocations within mosaic blocks; (2) elastic variations of the lattice spacings; and (3) gross alterations throughout the lattice, especially along slip planes, along composition planes between a grain and its mechanical twins, and along boundaries of deformation bands. These gross alterations are of the nature of bent planes or rotated regions of the crystal lattice and are revealed by a spread in the orientation of the grain. Although we cannot describe these strains and their formation accurately because of insuffcient knowledge, we can, nevertheless, use the information as well as possible to obtain a better understanding of recovery processes. In recovery, the lattice of a grain is not made anew as it is in recrystallization, but is improved or mended in such a way that the basic structure remains unaltered: Until recatly observations were .that recovery produced no marked changes in the shapes of spots in Laue diffraction patterns, whereas recrystallization did, but now it is known for silicon ferrite2 that Laue spots may become quite sharp entirely through recovery. Consequently, the shape of Laue spots alone would not be a suitable test to distinguish between recovery and recrystallization. There is considerable evidence that the micro-structure usually does not change visibly during recovery. Absence of a visible change in the microstructure, therefore, provides a sufficient test of recovery in many cases. However, including this observation in a definition of recovery as a necessary condition (this is usually done) is unfortunate, because recovery may, as will become evident later, produce new grain boundaries that are visible not only in the microstructure but also in the macrostructure. For the present, therefore, let us say that a necessary condition for a process to be one of recovery is that the principal orientation or orientations of a deformed grain be essentially unchanged throughout the transformation toward the strain-free state. Several transformations may occur that fulfill this condition, and the nature of the distortion in a grain indicates what these must be if the lattice is to be mended in part or fully. Consequently, it will be convenient as well as

Jan 1, 1947

By C. G. Dunn

It is well known that plastic deformation alters many of the properties of a metal and subsequent heat-treatment partially or completely restores these properties.l In the deformed or strained state, the metal is unstable and tends to change toward a condition called a "strain-free state." The transformation occurs through recovery, recrystallization, and grain growth—processes that may take place singly or in combination. The distortion of the lattice of an individual grain of a metal in a state of strain may be rather complex in nature, because plastic deformation produces: (I) dislocations within mosaic blocks; (2) elastic variations of the lattice spacings; and (3) gross alterations throughout the lattice, especially along slip planes, along composition planes between a grain and its mechanical twins, and along boundaries of deformation bands. These gross alterations are of the nature of bent planes or rotated regions of the crystal lattice and are revealed by a spread in the orientation of the grain. Although we cannot describe these strains and their formation accurately because of insuffcient knowledge, we can, nevertheless, use the information as well as possible to obtain a better understanding of recovery processes. In recovery, the lattice of a grain is not made anew as it is in recrystallization, but is improved or mended in such a way that the basic structure remains unaltered: Until recatly observations were .that recovery produced no marked changes in the shapes of spots in Laue diffraction patterns, whereas recrystallization did, but now it is known for silicon ferrite2 that Laue spots may become quite sharp entirely through recovery. Consequently, the shape of Laue spots alone would not be a suitable test to distinguish between recovery and recrystallization. There is considerable evidence that the micro-structure usually does not change visibly during recovery. Absence of a visible change in the microstructure, therefore, provides a sufficient test of recovery in many cases. However, including this observation in a definition of recovery as a necessary condition (this is usually done) is unfortunate, because recovery may, as will become evident later, produce new grain boundaries that are visible not only in the microstructure but also in the macrostructure. For the present, therefore, let us say that a necessary condition for a process to be one of recovery is that the principal orientation or orientations of a deformed grain be essentially unchanged throughout the transformation toward the strain-free state. Several transformations may occur that fulfill this condition, and the nature of the distortion in a grain indicates what these must be if the lattice is to be mended in part or fully. Consequently, it will be convenient as well as

Jan 1, 1947

By O. A. E. Jackson

Pebble milling has been practiced in the reduction works of South Africa gold mines for well over 50 years. Originally flint pebbles were imported from Denmark to grind stamp-mill amalgamation-process tailing, which contained a good deal of extractable gold, but local operators soon found that large pieces of ore could be used for the same purpose. The ore is a hard, tough conglomerate in which quartz pebbles are cemented together by a matrix of redeposited silica interspersed with pyrite crystals. The gold, rarely visible, occurs as fine particles mostly segregated at the interface of the pebble and matrix, although a small fraction occurs within the pyrite crystals. There is seldom any gold in the pebbles themselves. Following the usual South African practice in pebble milling, Union Corp. grinds the ore wet in two or three milling stages incorporating classification. The sized broken ore used as grinding media is separated from the main ore stream in the crushing section that prepares the ore for milling. Where the ore channel, or reef, is narrow there is a shortage of large pebbles. In this case primary grinding may be done in ball mills or, more recently, in rod mills, which cost less per ton to operate. The trend, however, is to prepare finer feed for the milling section. This makes it possible to use smaller primary pebbles and eliminates the need for steel. REDUCTION WORKS OF UNION CORP. LTD. Union Corp. Ltd. exercises financial and technical control over a group of seven gold mines in the Transvaal and Orange Free State. In the Transvaal, with one exception. the mines lie 20 to 40 miles east of Johannesburg, in flat or gently rolling countryside. Winkelhaak, the first of several new mines that will be developed by Union Corp., is located in similar terrain in an entirely new gold mining district about 80 miles east of Johannesburg. Table I gives details of milling units for six of the Union Corp. mines, together with the tonnage milled in 1957. Winkelhaak Mines Ltd. is not included, as it did not begin milling until 1958. This reduction plant has no crushing section; ore is ground directly from the mine (autogenously) in 12x16-ft mills. Because these operations are still in development, they are not described in this article. It will be noted that certain reduction works have mills of more than one size in the same milling stage. This came about when plant extensions in- corporated larger units. In the case of Geduld Propty. Mines Ltd., which began milling operations 50 years ago, the primary stage is stamp milling. The reduction works follow a uniform pattern and are usually joined to the main ore shaft. Ore from other shafts is brought by standard-gage railway and dumped into a common transfer bin. The trend is to increase surface storage capacity to enable the crushing and milling sections to operate at a steady rate, independent of fluctuating ore deliveries from mine. Milling and cyanide extraction divisions of new mines are always designed to allow for extensions as mine production increases. The conveying, washing, and screening system of the crushing section is usually laid out in final form, with additional space for more crushing equipment. The crushing sections operate on one shift during early years of mine production; a second shift is introduced when the mining rate warrants it. Ample surge capacity is provided. Crushing and milling is done only on weekdays, as the law does not allow these operations to take place on Sunday in any plants constructed since 1911. The cyanide extraction sections, however, operate continuously seven days a week, drawing on mill pulp gradually built up in the thickeners during the week. Construction and equipment of milling plants follow standard practice. Dilution water is drawn from a large, high-level tank to obtain constant pressure, but gland service water for the pulp pumps is reticulated from high-pressure, two-stage pumps. The mills are equipped with the most up-to-date machinery and are designed to save labor. They compare favorably with milling plants in countries where native labor does not exist, and automatic controls are being installed wherever feasible. Hydrocyclone classifiers have replaced mechanical classifiers in modern milling plants, chiefly because of the saving in capital outlay, maintenance, and building space. The hydroclones are fed from steady head boxes rather than directly from pumps, and dilution water is introduced into these boxes. Tests have shown that in steadiness of operation and separating efficiency cyclones are comparable to mechanical classifiers. but protective stationarv screens are needed to keep the spigots clear. Rubber-lined pumps are used for pulp of about 3 mesh or finer and metal-lined pumps for coarser material. None of the Union Corp. milling plants practices gravity concentration of coarse gold by amalgamation or the use of corduroy blankets. Studies have proved that no economic case can be made for these methods, which complicate the milling process and demand extra precautions against theft.

Jan 1, 1960

By M. R. Geer, J. D. Davis, H. F. Yancey

ALTHOUGH the mechanical cleaning of coal is carried out at plants on the surface, preparation is actually begun at the face in the mine. Here the character of the coal and the amount, character, and distribution of the impurities within the bed may be seen. Blasting methods, dust-allaying procedures, location of mining cut with respect to bands of impurity, and the practice of discarding segregated impurities underground, all have an important bearing on the successful operation of surface cleaning units. The most important single characteristic of both coal and its associated impurities from the standpoint of cleaning is specific gravity. Other characteristics related in one way or another to the preparation , of coal are rank, petrographic composition, structure and hardness, and friability. These and still other coal properties are discussed in the first section of this chapter and impurity characteristics in the second. COAL CHARACTERISTICS RELATED TO PREPARATION Rank As a result of work done over a period of several years by committees of the American Society for Testing Materials and the American Standards Association, standard specifications are now available showing the 'classification of coals according to rank and quality of grade.' The term "rank" expresses the degree to which the original coal-forming material has been changed by metamorphism through successive stages from peat to anthracite. Table 1 shows the classification of coals according to rank as devised by the committees of the organizations mentioned. The basic scheme of classification for the higher-rank coals is according to

Jan 1, 1943

Carlisle: An old friend and good friend, Alan Bateman, is the Silliman Professor of Geology Emeritus at Yale and editor of the Journal of Economic Geology. Now, Alan, let's start off by telling us something about how you became interested in copper. Bateman: Well, after I left Yale in 1913, I was appointed one of the field members of the Secondary Enrichment Investigation. We spent three years in the field studying all the copper deposits of North America, trying to find out how secondary copper enrichment took place. As part of this investigation, I went up to Kennecott, Alaska, in 1916. After the trip I was asked by the president of the company to become consulting geologist to them. I accepted his offer, and to this day I'm still consulting geologist to the Kennecott Copper Corp. Up at Kennecott, there were both Henry Krumb and my good friend Henry DeWitt Smith, who was general superintendent. He and I had been together at Yale, and I had ushered at his wedding. Interestingly enough, Henry took his bride to Alaska and I took mine there two months later. My assistant was Don McLaughlin, and I think that was his first experience in a mining camp. We published a paper on Kennecott together and cemented a friendship lasting to this day.

Jan 11, 1964

By S. S. Solomons, V. H. Tillmann, L. Smaniotto

INTRODUCTION The Zinc Corporation, Limited and New Broken Hill Consolidated Limited (ZC/NBHC) mines are situated at Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia (refer Fig. 1). Both companies are wholly owned subsidiaries of Australian Mining and Smelting Limited (AM&S). Annual production from both mines is 2.3 million tonnes of lead, silver and zinc ore mined by a variety of underground methods. From 1911 to 1968, conventional overhand cut and fill stoping (both open and square set timber) was used almost exclusively, though some trials with shrinkage and sublevel stoping were undertaken. The trial stopes used short holes in conparison with today's sublevel open stopes. Mechanised cut and fill methods with regular rockbolt support were introduced in the early 1960's and undercut and fill stoping replaced square set timber stoping for pillar extraction in the late 1960's. Since 1968, increasing emphasis has been placed on longhole open stoping (LHOS) although some areas of the orebodies are comrnrnitted to the abovemehtioned methods since existing stope development makes it impracticable to change. In 1979, approximately half the total production was mined by LHDS and it is expected that the LHOS proportion will increase in the future. A vertical crater retreat method of longhole mining has also been successfully introduced to replace the undercut and fill stoping of some pillars and it is expected that this stoping method will be used in some future primary ore extraction. This paper reviews the progress of LHOS technology at ZC/NBHC with emphasis on the stope planning and design process and the importance of rock mechanics applications. The objective has been to maximise the primary extraction of the orebody giving due consideration to stability and safety. This has led to the design of a novel sloped wall longhole stoping method which should eliminate the formation of pillars by mining the orebody in a "continuous" manner incorporating a sloped sand interface between the blocks of ore being mined and the previously mined sandfilled stope. The expected results include the complete extract of the orebody without the formation of pillars and with minimal dilution of ore with sandfill. The evolution of the method can be best illustrated by following the mining progress of the relatively new Southern 'B1 Lode orebody at the NBHC mine. GEOLOGY Southern '8' Lode is the southern extension of the 'Bt Lode orebody, which is currently being mined further to the north in ZC/NBHC (refer Fig. 2). The ore block being developed and stoped extends for a vertical height of 90 metres from No. 17 level down to approximately ten metres above No. 19 level. The ore minerals are sphalerite and galena with the zinc:lead ratio averaging approximately 3:l with a minor amount of silver associated with the galena. There is a sharp contact between the ore and the country rock on the footwall and keel, while the hanging wall gradates into medium and low grade material. The gangue is primarily quartz together with garnet, biotite, feldspar, gahnite, sericite and minor apatite. In various horizons within the orebody, grey feldspar, quartz and garnet pegmatites occur as stratiform layers. The ore and country rock are competent with some inconpetent boundaries.

Jan 1, 1981

By J. D. Forrester

SINCE the introduction of the first percussion rock drill in about 1850, drilling equipment has undergone a progressive evolution so that a wide range of special classes of machines now are marketed by several manufacturers. Essentially all of the drilling machines presently employed for blasthole drilling are of the hammer-drill type. They are classified as hand-held hammers (jackhammers, sinkers, etc.), drifters (light or heavy), and stopers and are of many sizes; varying in weight and rotative and blowing power. Most makes of drill machines fundamentally are the same in principle of operation as they are designed to strike a blow on the end of a drill rod in the manner of early-day hand drilling. However, beyond this common characteristic, the similarity among different makes ceases. In choosing between similar machines of one make or another, it is important to remember that rock drill manufacturers have not attempted to standardize drill parts, the result being that a mine operator must approach, because of replacement parts, standardization by limiting the makes of machines used. The present-day selection of any particular drilling machine is dependent fundamentally on its inherent ability to make a hole, or series of holes, as speedily and as cheaply as is possible. Two categories of controlling elements become apparent in any analysis devoted to making the choice of a drill, namely: 1-Conditions under which the equipment is to be used, such as mining method practiced, type of labor available, character of rock material. 2-Physical characteristics or features of the given drilling machine. Regardless of the controls of class 1, above, the elements of this category are fixed by several factors. All of them are interrelated and, though some often are more important in one case than in another, an unfavorable variation of any-others being essentially equal-is sufficient to discredit the optimum applicability of the particular drill machine. The relative factors in the selection of a machine are as follows: First cost-This is not generally an important item on a comparative basis as the marketing of drill machines is highly competitive and most makes are priced closely.

Jan 1, 1952

By P. R. Bradley

NO thought had been given to deep level mining at the Alaska Juneau mine prior to 1930, but in that year a prospect winze was started and continued for 1000 ft. vertically below the main haulage or adit level. The point at which this winze was started was selected entirely by the prevailing physical conditions, such as proximity to established workings, convenience, and the presence overhead of a substantial pillar of dimensions sufficient to lo¬cate the sheave wheel and loading pocket. It was, therefore, with some surprise that the unusually high-grade ore found just below the collar of the winze persisted, with certain vari¬ations, to a full depth of 1000 ft. vertically. Likewise this unusually high-grade ore was found to persist on the various crosscuts driven on levels at 200-ft. vertical intervals. To be brief, this deep level work found richer ore than any yet found in the mine over like areas, and inasmuch as the area was sufficient to plan for extensive deep level mining, plans for such work were given extended consideration.

Jan 1, 1936

By Philip H. Nelson, Richard Lingle

Vibrating wire stressmeters (VWS's) and borehole deformation gages (BDG) were deployed in two in-situ heater experiments at Stripa, Sweden to determine the thermally induced stress changes in the rock mass. The heater experiments ran for 18 months, including a six- month cool-down period after the heaters were turned off. Gages were installed in both horizontal and vertical boreholes and were subjected to temperatures ranging from 10°C to 120°C, depending upon the distance of a gage from the central heater. Most gages operated in a moist environment because groundwater flowed into many of the instrument boreholes during the experiments Of the 36 VWS's installed, six failed. Failures were attributed to corrosion of the vibrating wire due to moisture entering the gage body. Of the 30 BDG's installed at the beginning of the experiments, 22 failed, also as the result of water entering the gage body. Modification and reinstallation of the gages eliminated the problem of water infiltration, but much data from early stages of the experiments was lost due to gage failures. Calibration of the VWS in blocks of Stripa granite showed a lack of repeatability. Variability in calibration results are attributed to seating effects, to variations in the elastic modulus of the rock, and to changes in temperature. These three effects combined to produce an error judged to be approximately ±33% of the stress changes measured at Stripa. In contrast, the major source of error in determining stress with the BDG appears to be the uncertainty in rock modulus and thermal expansion coefficient. Sample calculations based on data acquired near the end of the experiments (during cool-down)

Jan 1, 1982

By M. R. Geer, J. D. Davis, H. F. Yancey

ALTHOUGH the mechanical cleaning of coal is carried out at plants on the surface, preparation is actually begun at the face in the mine. Here the character of the coal and the amount, character, and distribution of the impurities within the bed may be seen. Blasting methods, dust-allaying procedures, location of mining cut with respect to bands of impurity, and the practice of discarding segregated impurities underground, all have an important bearing on the successful operation of surface cleaning units. The most important single characteristic of both coal and its asso¬ciated impurities from the standpoint of cleaning is specific gravity. Other characteristics related in one way or another to the preparation of coal are rank, petrographic composition, structure and hardness, and friability. These and still other coal properties are discussed in the first section of this chapter and impurity characteristics in the second. COAL CHARACTERISTICS RELATED TO PREPARATION Rank As a result of work done over a period of several years by committees of the American Society for Testing Materials and the American Standards Association, standard specifications are now available showing the classification of coals according to rank and quality of grade.' The term "rank" expresses the degree to which the original coal-forming material has been changed by metamorphism through successive stages from peat to anthracite. Table 1 shows the classification of coals according to rank as devised by the committees of the organizations mentioned. The basic scheme of classification for the higher-rank coals is according to

Jan 1, 1943