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By William Y. Holland, Roger H. Cook

Dexter H. Reynolds (Chapman and Wood, Mining Engineers and Consulting Geologists, Albuquerque, N. M.)—A number of questions are raised by conclusions and inferences made in the above-mentioned paper. The more troublesome of these concern use of the various pozzolans to combat the deleterious effects of the alkali-aggregate reaction. The most alkali-reactive materials listed are opal and rocks containing opaline silica. The pozzolans mentioned specifically for use as amelioratives are opaline shales and cherts. These are stated to retard the expansion caused by the alkali-aggregate reaction. Another well-recognized pozzolan is diatomaceous earth, which consists principally of opaline silica. A pozzolan presumably owes its effectiveness to its high reactivity with the alkaline liquid phase of the concrete mix. It appears reasonable to expect that finely divided opaline silica added as a pozzolan would be more susceptible to reaction with the alkalies present than would larger particles of the same material. The authors report that work with high and low alkali cements indicates that in the presence of alkali-reactive materials, deleterious expansion depends upon the alkali content of the cement. The total effect, therefore, should be more or less independent of the amount of reactive aggregate present, and still more independent of its state of subdivision. The deleterious effects should, if anything, be aggravated by the addition of a finely divided, highly reactive pozzolan. Further, if the alkali-aggregate reaction is of great importance in the long-term soundness of concrete structures, the addition of a pozzolan to a concrete made with aggregate free from known deleterious materials would be a questionable procedure. The benefits reportedly accruing from such use of pozzolans are greater ultimate strength for a given cement content, increased resistance to deterioration by exposure to sulphate solutions and other mineral waters, and greater resistance to damage by wetting and drying and freezing and thawing. In view of the deleterious effects of highly reactive materials are these benefits ephemeral? The same considerations apply to another alkali-reactive material, chalcedony, which appears to consist of ultrafine-grained quartz, with opal absent in detectable amounts. Quartz flour is notably reactive chemically and physiologically (cf. Ref. 11 of Holland and Cook's paper), a fact borne out by its effectiveness as a pozzolan, which presumably might be expected to offset the deleterious effects of the presence of chalcedony in the aggregate. A second question of some importance concerns the reportedly highly deleterious reactivity of acidic and intermediate volcanic glasses, such as rhyolite, perlite, and pumice. Air entrainment is listed as one of the ameliorative measures to combat the deleterious effects of the alkali-aggregate reaction. The alkalic-silica gel formed by the reaction may expand into air bubbles and thus not cause appreciable expansion of the concrete mass. It would appear then that pumice and perlite, particularly perlites of the pumiceous types and other types after expansion, would also tend to counteract the expansion, since these materials consist largely of voids and air bubbles. Certainly this would be expected of structural concrete in which pumice or perlite is used as total aggregate. Finely ground pumice, perlite, and volcanic ash have been demonstrated to be active pozzolans (cf. Pumice as Aggregate for Lightweight Structural Concrete by Wagner, Gay, and Reynolds, Univ. of New Mexico Publications in Engineering No. 5, Albuquerque, 1950). In fact, the term pozzolan was first associated with finely divided pumice or volcanic ash. Such materials were used with hydrated lime as the sole cementitious agent in constructing public buildings, roads, and aqueducts by the ancient Romans. The deleterious alkali reactivity of the volcanic glass, itself containing several percent of the alkalies, apparently did not contribute to the remarkable state of preservation of those ancient structures, as exemplified by the Appian Way and the Pantheon Dome. Still a third question involves .the reactivity of constituents of concrete when exposed to various salt solutions. Resistance to. deleterious expansion and cracking as a result of contact with mineral waters and its relationship to the mineral content of the aggregate are not mentioned by the authors. Yet the phenomena pictured in Fig. 1, and especially in Fig. 2, appear very much like those caused by exposure to mineral waters. The deterioration of concretes exposed to sulphate waters is generally considered related to the chemical constituency of the cement itself, particularly to the relative amount of tricalcium alum-inate contained. Could not many of the ill effects presently blamed on alkali-aggregate reaction really have been caused by contact with sulphate or other salt-containing mineral waters? Or perhaps their use as mixing waters? May not the deleterious expansion be as much a function of the chemical makeup of the cement as it is of the mineral constituency of the aggregate? Would it not be just as important to use alkali-free mixing water as it is to use a low-alkali cement? It appears obvious that resistance of cements and concretes to sulphate and other salt solutions cannot be left out of account in discussion of deterioration of concrete structures with time. This factor may be of equal or even greater importance than the alkali-aggregate reaction, particularly for concrete subjected to wetting and drying cycles, such as airstrip paving, water-retaining dams, and highway structures. Another very important factor is called to attention on page 1022 of the article in Mining Engineering, October 1953, in that failure of concrete structures may result from poor construction practices and use of too high water-cement ratios. Both of these can contribute remarkably to decreased resistance to attack by sulphate waters, and presumably could have an equally remarkable effect upon extent of damage resulting from the alkali-aggregate reaction. From the above remarks it appears that while alkali-aggregate reaction may be an important factor in decreasing the useful. life of a concrete structure, it is not the only factor involved, and it may not be even a controlling factor. Likewise, many of the phenomena apparently associated with the alkali-aggregate reaction may have resulted from cond'itions which had little relationship to the alkali-reactivity of a constituent of the aggregate. Certainly if alkali-aggregate reactivity is a major factor in bringing about early failure, one cannot help feeling anxiety concerning the future of the many concrete structures in this country and abroad in which pumice and perlite were used as total or partial aggregates. This anxiety can only be dispelled by calling to mind that among the best-preserved relics coming down to us from ancient times are structures made with mortars containing highly alkali-reactive aggregates.

Jan 1, 1955

By T. K. Perkins, L. R. Kern

A study of fluid mechanics, rupture of brittle materials and the theory of elastic deformation of rocks shows that, for a given formation, crack width is essentially controlled by fluid pressure drop in the fracture. Operating conditions which cause high pressure drop along the crack (such as high injection rate and viscous fluids) will result in relatively wide cracks. Conversely, operating conditions which cause low pressure drop (low injection rates and thin fluids) will result in relatively narrow cracks. Charts and equations have been derived which permit the estimation of fracture widths for a variety of flow conditions and for both horizontal and vertical fractures. INTRODUCTION There has been considerable speculation concerning the geometry of hydraulically created fractures in the earth's crust. One of the questions of practical importance is the width of fractures under dynamic conditions, i.e., while the fracture is being created and extended. Such width information could be used, for instance, to help estimate the area of a fracture generated under various conditions. Also, there has been a recent trend toward the use of large propping partiles.13, 15 Therefore is is desirable to know what factors can be varied in order to assure entry of the large particles into the fracture. There has been some work on fracture widths reported in the literature. In particular, there have been several Russian publications dealing with this sub-jeCt.1.31,3 These papers have dealt principally with the elastic theory and the application of this theory to hydraulic fractures. These studies have not led to an engineering method for estimating fracture widths under dynamic conditions. A recent paper3 has reviewed and summarized the Russian concepts. An earlier paper- from our laboratories also discussed the application of the elastic theory to hydraulic fractures. This first approach, based largely on photoelastic studies, has proved to be too simplified to accurately describe the fracturing process. However, these early thoughts have served as a guide during the development of more exact concepts. We would like to present in this paper our current concepts regarding fracture widths and some estimates of hydraulic fracture widths for several conditions. We believe that it is now possible to predict with fair accuracy the factors influencing fracture widths. Furthermore, the method of prediction has been reduced to a simple and convenient graphical or numerical calculation. CRACKS IN A BRITTLE, ELASTIC MATERIAL Many investigators2, 4, 30 have shown that competent rocks behave elastically over some range of stresses. Of course, if the tensile stress imposed upon a rock exceeds some limiting value, then the rock will fail in tension. In similar manner, there are some limiting shear stresses that can be imposed upon rocks. Hubbert and Willis11 have discussed the shear conditions which will lead to failure. Under moderate stress conditions (such as those likely to be encountered when hydraulically fracturing) and when stresses are rapidly applied, relatively, most rocks will fail in a brittle manner. Hence, for this discussion of hydraulic fractures in the earth's crust, we assume the rocks behave as brittle, elastic materials. Let us develop the discussion in the following way. (The following thoughts are applicable only to brittle materials.) 1. First we consider a brittle, elastic system. An energy balance will show the minimum pressure necessary to fracture rock, and from this pressure we calculate the minimum crack width resulting from extension of a hydraulic fracture. 2. Then we will show that, under ordinary fracturing conditions, fracture widths are appreciably greater than the minimum widths of extending fractures. In fact, we will find that crack width is controlled by fluid pressure drop in the fracture. 3. We will discuss pressure drops in fractures and resulting crack widths for various operating conditions and both vertical and horizontal fractures. 4. Finally, we will discuss the significance of these concepts, their relationship to fracturing pressures, etc. First, consider minimum fracture extension pressures. We can shed some light on this question by considering the theory proposed by Griffith7, 8 Yo explain the rupture of brittle, elastic materials. Griffith recognized that solid materials exhibit a surface energy8 (similar to surface tension in a liquid). The fundamental concept of the Griffith theory is that, when cracks spread without the application of external work (in the interior of an elastic medium which is stressed

By T. B. Counselman

AN iron blast furnace of 1000 tons daily capacity will produce about 100,000 cu; ft. per minute of blast-furnace gas. This contains about 25 per cent of carbon monoxide, and has a B.t.u. value of about 95. This gas-is used primarily for heating the stoves of the blast furnace, and secondarily, under boilers, for steam production. Occasionally it is also used in gas engines. The raw gas coming out of the furnace carries about 10 grains of flue dust per cubic foot of gas, under best operating conditions. With the furnace "rolling" or slipping, this quantity may temporarily be greatly increased. This dust would, of course, deposit on the checkers of the stoves, or plug the burners under the boilers; therefore the gas must be cleaned.

Jan 1, 1936

By GUY C. RIDDELL

ZINC, manganese, and aluminum received attention at the two nonferrous metallurgy sessions at the Annual Meeting. L.P. Davidson, general superintendent of the rebuilt Monsanto zinc plant, described its operation, which reflects Polish practice and is really a combination of electrolytic, Waelz, and retort procedure. Briefly, it embraces leaching of roasted concentrate with sulphuric acid, electrolysis of sulphate solution using Tainton lead-silver anodes with ?goulac? added to the electrolyte, treatment of tailing in Waelz kilns, and retorting of the recovered zinc oxide, casting furnace dross and residues. Recovery is good, equipment and maintenance costs low. Ferrate zinc that might be lost in the electrolytic process appears to be recovered as oxide in the Waelz treatment.

Jan 1, 1942

By E. D. Gardner

FIFTY years ago the Utah Copper enterprise at Bingham was just getting under way. An epic in metal mining was in the making. Throughout the West the bonanza deposits were approaching exhaustion and most ore still went direct to smelter. But concentrators were shortly to be constructed for treating milling grade ores, and most important, the pilot plant for the Utah Copper enterprise was being built that year at the mouth of Bingham Canyon. The same decade was to see development at the Inspiration mine in Arizona of the most important new mining method for 50 years to come—undercut block caving. Although the average grade of ore being mined has been declining for 50 years, and wage rates and prices of supplies have been greatly increased, the mining industry has continued to grow and to prosper. Technology has advanced to a point where minerals can be mined under the most severe conditions. The hardest rock can be drilled and broken and the heaviest ground handled. Large or small, an ore-body can be mined successfully, at any desired rate of production. It is possible to pump great volumes of water and to ventilate the most extensive workings; air conditioning has made practicable the mining of ore where the rock temperatures are beyond those that can be borne by man. Mining today in the U. S. is a huge earth-moving operation. In 1953 nearly 2 billion tons of material were mined for direct use or for processing. Stripping at open-cut mines totaled about 1.7 billion cu yd. Table I gives relative tonnages of the branches of the mineral industry in 1953. In addition to the solid materials moved, 350 million tons of petroleum and 340,000 tons of gas were produced in 1953. Fifteen million tons of salt and 5 million tons of liquid sulphur were pumped from wells. An appreciable amount of copper was recovered by leaching old mine workings and dumps. Total value of minerals produced in 1953 was $14.4 billion: oil and gas $7.6 billion, coal $2.6 billion, nonmetallics $2.4 billion, and metals $1.8 billion. Formidable problems face some branches of the industry today, especially pertaining to increased output tons per manshift. The time has come when these problems should be reappraised. With current wage rates, the industry no longer can afford to pay men to do manual labor. It should be recognized, also, that the miner is a skilled worker; efforts to promote the dignity of his calling and his pride of accomplishment have yielded beneficial results. Mineral deposits occur under widely varying conditions. In most instances the degree of support needed by the roof and walls is the deciding factor in selection of an underground mining method. The degree of support needed, in turn, is governed by natural physical characteristics of the ore and its enclosing rocks. Mine operators, of course, learn to judge ground by observation, and an experienced mine boss generally can anticipate what will happen following any given mining operation. A more scientific approach, however, would be advantageous in most cases. More should be known about the strength of the ore and the enclosing rocks, more about stresses set up in the ground when ore is removed, and more about the mechanics of moving ground. Better understanding would work both ways: first, favorable rock conditions could be fully utilized for more efficient mining, and second, hazards of rock falls could be minimized, loss of ore in mining reduced, and expenses caused by ground pressures and subsidence lowered. In general, mining comprises breaking the ore or rock in place, supporting the mine workings, and transporting the ore to the surface. This latter is a materials handling problem. Ventilation, of course, must be provided, and the mines must be kept free of water. Development work at some places is the most important cost item in extracting ore. Drilling and blasting remain the usual practice for breaking ore or rock from place except, of course, at block-caving mines. The drilling and blasting practice at a mine must fit the mining method. In laying out mining procedures attention is being given to

Jan 1, 1956

"Coulter's Rainbow and Crooked Falls are situated about five miles below the City of Great Falls. Coulter's, the first of the series in the course of the river, is unimportant and has been submerged by the Rainbow dam. Next below Coulter's is the Rainbow Falls, 47 feet in height. Following Rainbow Falls is the Crooked Falls, 21 feet in height. The power developed at this point is such that the one clam, power house and tail-race utilize the power from all three of the above falls.The development at Rainbow was started October, 1908, and completed July, 1910. It has a total capacity of 21,000 k-w. in generators, and 36,000 h-p. in waterwheels, and operates at 105 foot head. The general scheme of development is typical of what may be called standard practice in the west for plants of medium head, and consists of a low diverting clam, a double pipe line feeding into a balancing reservoir near the plant, and individual pen-stocks supplying the turbines from this reservoir.The dam is a rock-filled crib structure 1,146 feet long and 29 feet high, the up-stream side of which slopes at such an angle that the stability of the clam is assured even under the greatest floods, the weight of the water acting to hold it down, so that the higher the flood the greater the stability. The down-stream side is also sloping and tapers off into a long apron so designed as to take care of any overflow which may occur without shock or commotion. The clam is founded on solid rock throughout its entire length."

Jan 1, 1913

By John K. Hammes

INTRODUCTION From the point of view of the consumer, the cost of mineral commodities might be viewed as the total price industry pays for mine output. Similarly, the mining company engaged in the ongoing business of finding, developing and operating new mines is concerned very much today with the distribution of all the revenue paid for mine output and not just with its direct or controllable cash costs. In other words, what will the labor force, the supplier of energy, explosives, and reagents, and the supplier of government services, management, capital, and the ore reserves receive for their contribution to production? A significant amount might be categorized as what economic theory classifies as economic rent. Mining companies are finding it increasingly difficult to negotiate concession or work contracts to develop ore reserves in lesser developed countries, just as they find themselves accused of taking excess profits in their own countries. The principal difficulty in reaching mutually satisfactory agreements in many cases is the difficulty in establishing an acceptable distribution of income, in particular the distribution of economic rent. (See Chapter 7). Further, it is logical that the decisions and policies of the interested parties be they government or industry should be and will be influenced by their competitive position relative to determining the distribution of economic rent. The raising of finance for a mining project today may be inhibited by too biased an extraction of economic rent by entities other than the risk takers, the mining companies. ECONOMIC RENT A British economist (Ricardo D. McGraw-Hill, 1955) first proposed the concept of economic rent (See Drechsler, H.D. earlier in this Chapter.) Ricardo pointed out that no rent would be paid until land became scarce. Ricardo also stressed the distinction that the price of farm produce was not higher because of the rent paid on farm land but that the rent or price of more fertile farm land was higher because the price of produce is higher. This led to the concept that economic rent is not a cost and that it is therefore not price determining, but is itself price determined. Economic rent may be viewed as a cost if cost is equated with the concept of payment or distribution of income to any factor used in production. However, if it is a criterion that a payment must be made to the supplier of the factor of production, then economic rent is not truly a cost because it is not necessarily distributed or "paid" to the supplier. Consider the commodity A which occurs in three grades: Al, A2, and A3. Any grade may be used as a substitute for another grade in all of the industrial uses of A. However, in industries X and Y the different grades have different productivities. Table 1 shows the relative productivities of each grade in industries X and Y, and in all other industries [~]. [ ]

Jan 1, 1985

By G. F. Loughlin

The subject of this lecture might well have been assigned to an economist or banker rather than to a geologist, but, as it was deliberately assigned to me, it is to be treated from a geologist's viewpoint. The term precious metals ordinarily includes the platinum group as well as gold and silver. Platinum, like silver, has had a great decline in price during the last few years, but has not been a medium of exchange and therefore has aroused comparatively little comment. Its relation to price level is like that of commodities in general, and will be dismissed without further comment. Of the two precious metals used as mediums of exchange gold, because of its adoption as the basis of most monetary systems and because of its threatened shortage in the near future; has been a subject of general concern to governments, financiers, and economists; silver, on the other hand, which has flooded the market of late has brought forth cries for help, direct or indirect, from producers and to a less extent from the largest users, especially China, whose purchasing power has been greatly curtailed, but it fails to arouse the interest that gold does. Many predictions have been made by economists, bankers, and others regarding future supply of gold and its effect on prices but the differences among these predictions are about as many as the number of prophets. Since gold is the standard by which the value of commodities as a whole is to be measured, it would seem that the greater the ratio of gold supply to commodities the higher the price level and vice

Jan 1, 1932

By Robert Hunt

ONE of the most serious and important economic administrative problems facing American railway authorities to-day is that of their rails, and it is one to which much thought, is being given, not only by the executive officers of the railways and the manufacturers of the steel rails, but also by State and National commissions. It is realized by many and admitted by some that the present situation is one which cannot continue. The roadways of railways must be made more secure, or the weight of rolling stock and the speed of trains must be lessened; and the desired result must be attained with the minimum outlay of money, both in expenditure on plant and in cost of operation. If the investment per mile is too large, or through the lessening of tonnage and efficiency of equipment the cost of operation is too great, the desired and demanded cheap service cannot he rendered to the public. Therefore, the weight of equipment cannot be greatly reduced, and lessening the rapidity of service would be far from satisfactory; consequently, the safety of the roadway must be secured with the least practical outlay. It is imperative that the roadbed should be properly graded, with the fewest practically possible curves; that it should have good ballast, be well drained, have good ties properly spaced, and be laid with sound rails of suitable weight, efficiently joined together, and that the whole property be carefully and intelligently cared for. My province is to treat of the sound rails. During the last few years there has been renewed interest in and discussion of that question, and I know that many rail makers not only have been and are desirous of maintaining the highest standards of manufacture which they may have attained, but have been and are seeking to better their product, in several instances devoting much time and money to that end. At the same time, they realize that the cost of any improvement in quality which they may accomplish must be kept within certain commercial bounds; and that fact is as fully understood by their patrons as by themselves, and it should be kept in mind by all who discuss the question.

Jan 2, 1914

By A. S. Adams

A glance at the list of papers1 that have been published since 1920 on the general subject of flotation suggests the variety of ideas that exist regarding the underlying cause of the phenomenon. Among these ideas, we find several coherent theories, but none that adequately and completely explain the phenomenon. Ralston2 and Bains3 suggested an electrical theory which has to do with the attachment of mineral particles to a bubble by the attraction of unlike electrical charges. This theory has its root in the fact that a bubble of air in pure water is electrified in such a way that the surfacc is negatively charged while the body of the water is positively charged. This result, which was first discussed by Helmholtz, also obtains when the water contains anything except a high concentration of hydrogen ions, or ions which are trivalent or tetravalent. The theory also holds that the mineral particles have positive charges on their surfaces, and so there is attachment between bubble surface and mineral particles by the old law of electrostatics, which states that unlike charges attract. Contact Angle and Oil Attraction The contact angle—the angle formed by a fluid-fluid boundary when both are in contact with a solid-—has been indicted several times for complicity in the phenomenon of flotation. This angle is supposed to indirectly measure the surface energy of a solid. Thus if we have two fluids in contact with a solid, we may express the difference between the two fluid-solid tensions as equal to the fluid-fluid tension times the cosine of the angle between the two fluids.4 If the two fluids are in contact with the solid, this is, no doubt, an excellent way of establishing relative surface energies. However, in flotation, we deal with substances which are not wetted by water. What assurance have we, then, that the angle

Jan 1, 1928

By D. W. Smith

The beta solid solution phases of the systems copper-zinc, copper-aluminum, copper-tin and silver-zinc are structurally analogous.' R. F. Mehl and 0. T. Marzke2 have shown that the a phase upon segregating from the 6 phase in the system copper-zinc takes the form of needles lying parallel to a [Ill] direction or some similar direction, such as [556], of the parent solid solution, and that the a phase upon segregating from the ß phase in the system copper-aluminum also takes the form of needles. By analogy they assume that in this case also the segregate needles lie parallel to the [ill] or [556] direction in the ß lattice. The purpose of this investigation is to determine whether the structures resulting from segregation of the a phases from the respective ß phases of the systems copper-tin and silver-zinc are analogous to those obtained by Mehl and Marzke in the systems copper-zinc and copper-aluminum. Segregation of the a Phase from the ß Phase in the Copper-tin System Preparation of the Alloy.—An alloy containing 74.92 per cent (by weight) of copper and the balance tin was chosen for this investigation. This alloy, as can be seen from a portion of the constitutional diagram, Fig. 1, of the system copper-tin by Hamasumi and Nishigori,3 with the proper heat treatment should segregate the « phase out of the a parent, solid solution phase. The alloy was prepared from high purity cathode copper (analyzing 99.98 per cent Cu) and Straits tin (analyzing 99.94

Jan 1, 1933

By A. Dorsey Lyon

INTRODUCTION A GREAT DEAL of attention has recently been given to the metallurgy of zinc, and much of that which has been said and written on this subject has been in the nature of a criticism. For instance, we are quite accustomed to hearing it said that the metallurgy of zinc has stood still, that it is antiquated, out of date, etc. We are, however, inclined to agree With George C. Stone1 When he says that, although there have been no such spectacular and radical changes as Were worked in the metallurgy of copper and iron by the introduction of converters, there has nevertheless been a decided and marked progress in the metallurgy of zinc, and especially during recent years. However, it must be admitted that, due to the fact that the chemistry of zinc is so different from that of the other metals, the retort process is the only process by which zinc is produced commercially; and, moreover, that losses which occur in the zinc industry-that is, in the mining, milling, and smelting of zinc ore-are very great, for it is stated' that probably less than 50 per cent. of the zinc mined, even

Jan 7, 1914

By Sidney W. Poole

THE control of deoxidation, together with other factors involved in electric-furnace melting practice, to consistently produce heats of high-quality alloy steel to stringent specifications as to nonmetallic inclusion content is a problem of considerable magnitude. Steel melting as an industrial process is subject to many variables that can influence the quality of the product made. In order to modify the size, amount and distribution of inclusions and to promote their elimination, deoxidation, among other practices, plays a major part. The primary purpose of deoxidation in the production of electric-furnace alloy steels is the removal of dissolved oxygen present as FeO in the bath, which is produced as a result of prior oxidizing conditions. The elements usually added to effect this removal of soluble oxygen are those that will, upon addition, cause the formation of an oxide compound insoluble in the molten steel bath as silica, alumina or silicate combinations.

Jan 1, 1947

By J. S. Johnson, W. C. McCulloch

All phases of plant operation must be synchronized so that the A number of interruptions in the flow of material may be reduced to a minimum. In the majority of plants operating under a labor agreement, time lost during the operating shift cannot be made up with overtime. With the work week restricted to 35 hr., the ratio of productive time to total time justifies extra effort in keeping the plant operating at capacity during the productive shift. This does not apply when central plants with adequate storage are operated by multiple shifts. In such installations the problems become similar to those of any factory or mill where added units, parallel circuits, or excess capacity serve to maintain the average production during intervals of maintenance shut- down. These plants, by special agreement, may run continuously, barring mechanical interruptions. The control of plant operation is in those procedures that are practiced to obtain from the run-of-mine product a high recovery of clean coal products to meet adopted trade standards and consumer specifications at the lowest possible cost. Correlation of all factors for continuous operation requires more than mechanical perfection in the plant. The run-of-mine coal must be delivered to the preparation plant without delays and the clean coal and refuse products taken away. Power supply and water requirements must be adequate. Signal systems must be established for emergency stops and to facilitate resumption of coal flow.

Jan 1, 1943

By J. J. Frawley, W. J. Childs

Experiments were carried out to induce grain refinement during solidification by applying vibrational energy (freq 20 kc) to small specimens of bismuth, tin, and bismuth-tin alloys. The results show that if the intensity of the applied sound -field is not great enough to fragment the growing dendrites of a pure metal, no grain refinement is observed and the pain size of the dynamically nucleated specimens is the same as the grain size of a specimen statically supercooled the same amount. Bismuth specimens did not show any grain refinement; whereas, the tin specimens did show grain refinement. This phenomenon is the result of the difference in growth habit between the bismuth and tin dendrites. The bismuth-tin alloys showed grain refinement and, in addition, the segregation pattern was changed. THE solidification process is a change in phase requiring the nucleation of the solid phase from the liquid and the growth of this solid phase at the expense of the liquid phase. Since many physical properties and also the integrity of a casting are dependent on the solidification process, understanding and controlling this process are very important.' A good example in the controlling of a cast structure using heterogeneous nucleation theory is the reduction of grain size in aluminum castings by nucleation catalysis.2 This mechanism of nucleation catalysis has been explained by Turnbull.3 Another technique for grain refinement, which has received much attention but the mechanism has not been fully understood, is to vibrate the solidifying melt. Vibrations can be applied to the melt either by vibrating the mold directly or by introducing a vibrating rod into the melt.4-13 Three mechanisms have been proposed to explain this phenomenon: 1) The mechanical fragmentation of the original dendrites that grew into the melt. These crystals or fragmented dendrites act as new growth sites. 2) The nucleation of new grains in the liquid by the generation of very high pressure pulses caused by cavitation in the liquid. 3) The remelting of the dendrite arms during the solidification process. This mechanism is operative only in alloy systems and would be enhanced by stirring or mechanical vibration. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the mechanism that will increase the number of grains when mechanical energy is introduced into a solidifying melt. APPARATUS The unit used to generate the ultrasonic vibrations was manufactured by the Redford Co., and is similar to the one used in ultrasonic soldering. Fig. 1 is a sketch of the major components used for generating ultrasonic vibrations. The crystal transducer assembly consisted of four lead zirconate ti-tanate piezoelectric crystals in an aluminum holder. An acoustical horn, which was fabricated from stainless steel, was attached to the holder by a set screw. The resonant frequency of this unit was 20,000 cycles per sec. A Pyrex crucible, 4 in. in diam and 4 in. high, was contained in a hole in the top of the horn. The piezoelectric crystals changed volume when excited by an electric signal, thereby generating a sound signal which passed through the horn. The crucible was coupled to the horn by a liquid silicone oil. The purpose of the couplant was to transmit the soundwaves from the horn to the crucible. Without the couplant, much of the sound energy would be lost. The energy transmitted was sufficient at the resonant frequency used, so that acoustical cavitation always occurred in the molten metal. The presence of acoustical cavitation was detected by the characteristic hissing sound emitted from the liquid. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The influence of ultrasonic vibration on the grain refinement of bismuth, tin, and bismuth-tin alloys was studied. These metals were chosen because of their low melting temperature and the relative ease with which they can be thermally supercooled. The following procedure was used for obtaining large amounts of supercooling. Pure bismuth (99.999+), which was received in bar form, was mechanically broken into pieces small enough to be accommodated in a 50 ml beaker. About 200 to 300 g of bismuth and a few grams of SnCl2 as a flux were placed in the 50 ml beaker and melted by induction heating. The melt was held for 20 min at

Jan 1, 1970

By James R. Finlay

SOMETIMES the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers appears to be a strictly technical society, and if so my paper should deal with the technical operations of finding and producing gold. But I have not been engaged in practical gold mining since 1910. What I have been doing mainly for the last 25 years is to try to figure out what the income of a mine-gold, or any other-would be worth to an investor. So I have been in contact with gold mining, in one way or another, for some 42 years. I say that with a purpose. In that time the industry has been through one of its cycles. The value of gold mines is very dif¬ferent at different points in one of these cycles. For this reason the cycle of gold mining is a highly practical study. The cycle of gold is a more or less rhythmical change in its value or purchasing power measured in the grand average of other commodities, which is the same thing as its price. Taking the price of gold in 1897 as a stand¬ard, a dollar at that time declined to 55c. in 1913, to 26.8c. in 1920, and since then it has risen to 47.4c. in 1930 and to about 64c. in 1932. It is worth about 21/ times as much now as it was in 1920, but less than two¬thirds as much as in 1897. When this change is applied to the value of a gold mine still greater differences are evident. The cost of producing gold is of course measured in labor and other commodities, and as that cost goes down the margin of profit measured in the gold itself increases. Thus a mine which might make only 10 per cent profit in 1920 on its gross output may easily make 25 per cent now. The stockholder gets 2 ½ times more gold that is worth 2 1/2 times as much in purchasing power, therefore the real value of his holding has risen by the one factor multiplied by the other, giving him 61/4 times as much goods or services as he had in 1920.

Jan 1, 1933

By Marcus A. Grossmann

This paper offers for consideration certain somewhat radical modifications in the iron-carbon diagram, these modifications being the result of the presence of notable amounts of alloying elements. When only small amounts of alloys are present, the standard iron-carbon diagram (Fig. 1) can be used with but insignificant changes; when larger amounts of alloys are present, however, it assumes a distinctly altered appearance. No comment is offered for the present except to call attention to the delta area, A4BM, which represents a region of mixtures of austenite and delta iron, just as area A3SP represents mixtures of austenite and alpha iron. Absence of Carbon We may turn at once to the effect of the presence of alloys. It has been found that in the complete absence of carbon, the gamma change will sometimes disappear entirely when sufficient alloying element is

Jan 1, 1927

By Frank H. Probert

The mining laws relating to winding-ropes in some of the German provinces are very strict, and severe tests have to be periodically made to see that the ropes in use come up to the prescribed standard. A few notes on the method of testing the ropes and the results obtained may be of interest to the members of the Institute. Permission must be given by the Inspector of Mines to put up a winding-plant; and previous to installation a full report made by the manager, clearly setting forth all details of the shaft, the pit-head, engines and appliances appertaining thereto has to be sent to the mining officials. Accompanying each subsequent report, further details, such as the name of the firm supplying the rope, construction, quality of steel, date of installment, weight per meter, length, particulars of the safetycatches, cages, etc., must be given. At least one spare rope must be kept at ever? shaft ready for use in case of emergency. The rope must hang in the shaft, with cage attached, not less than twenty-four hours before it is used for winding; and it must have undergone a severe test in the manner hereafter described. The laws prescribe that when a rope is continually in use it must be tested every three months; but if the rope is only used every few days it must be tested at least every six months, in the presence of the superior officer; and notification of the date of testing has to be sent to the Bergrath two days before the test is made, in order that he can personally superintend the operation if he chooses. Should winding have been stopped for a long time, it is not necessary to test every six months; but before the rope can be used again it must be tested.

Jan 1, 1901

By C. A. Meissner

The; following is a further discussion of the paper of James Qayley, " The Application of Dry-Air Blast to the Manufacture of Iron " (Trans., xxxv., 746), with special reference to his supplementary paper (Bi-Monthly Bulletin, No. 4, July, 1905, pp. 797 to 819), and to the paper of J. E. Johnson, Jr., " Notes on the Physical Action of the Blast Furnace " (Bi-Monthly Bulletin, No. 5, September, 1905, pp. 1111 to 1146). Mr. Gayley's paper has been discussed also by E. Windsor Richards, R. w. Raymond, E. H. Saniter, W. J. Poster, H. M. Howe, V, Pendred, B. H. Thwaite, James Gayley and Alexander Pourcel (Trans., xxxv., pp. 1022 to 1042), Joseph W. Richards (Bi-Monthly Bulletin, No. 4, July, 1905, pp. '703 to 718); T. W. Robinson (Bi-Monthly Bulletin, No. 4, July, 1905, pp. 788 to 796); C. B. Dudley, R. W. Raymond, J. E. Johnson, Jr., W. F. Mattes, James Gayley, David Baker, John Birkin-bine and F. E. Bachman (Bi-Monthly Bulletin, No. 5, Septem-

Jan 1, 1907

By J. L. Kenty, J. P. Hirth

The concept of a critical super saturation, below which the nucleation rate is essentially zero and above which it is essentially infinite, is discussed with reference to vapor-solid nucleation. The necessary and sufficient conditions deduced for observations of this type of behavior are: 1) the nucleation rate must exhibit a sharp dependence on super saturation, 2) the growth rate must be sufficiently large that nuclei become observable in the time period of the experiment, and 3) the number of highly preferred nucleation sites must be small. Experiments reveal that the nucleation of silver on sodium chloride is visually detectable at all experimentally accessible super saturations and does not exhibit critical nucleation behavior. Failure to observe a critical super saturation is attributed to the insensitivity of nucleation rate to supersaturation as a consequence of the particular values of the contact angle and the surface free energy for this system. THE concept of a critical supersaturation, below which the nucleation rate is essentially zero and above which it is essentially infinite, arises naturally in homogeneous nucleation theory. Experimentally this type of behavior has been found by Volmer1 and others for water and other low surface tension liquids, as reviewed by several authors.2'3 The same type of behavior has been predicted and observed for heterogeneous nucleation of solids by Yang et al.4 and others,596 as also recently reviewed.2,7,8 In the work reported here on the heterogeneous nucleation of silver on NaC1, however, no critical super-saturation was found. Similar observations have been made recently for other systems.9-11 These results led to a reexamination of nucleation theory which revealed that there are conditions for which critical behavior is not predicted, either for homogeneous or heterogeneous nucleation. Although heterogeneous nucleation is of primary importance in this paper, some insight into critical behavior for such a case can be gained by considering homogeneous nucleation. Accordingly both types of nucleation theory are reviewed briefly. The requisite conditions for critical supersaturation behavior are then considered. The experimental results for the nucleation of silver on NaCl are presented and interpreted in terms of the theoretical presentation. REVIEW OF NUCLEATION THEORY There are essentially two approaches to nucleation theory, the so-called classical theory involving the concepts of bulk thermodynamics, and the statistical mechanical theory in which nuclei are regarded as macromolecules. The classical theory is based on the work of Volmer and Weber12,13 and Becker and. Doring14 and has been extended by Pound et al.15 The crucial assumption in the classical theory is that the small clusters or nuclei can be characterized by the same thermodynamic properties as those of the stable bulk phase. Thus, the nuclei are assumed to have a surface free energy, y, and a volume free energy of formation (relative to the vapor phase), ,, identical to that of the bulk. For deposition under low super-saturation conditions, the nuclei are large and this assumption is satisfactory. However, in many cases of interest, the nuclei contain only a few atoms and this assumption is highly questionable. The statistical mechanical models originated, for the specific case of a dimer as the critical nucleus, with the work of Frenkel16 and were extended later to larger sizes by Walton,17,18 Hirth19 and, more recently, Ht Zinsmeister. These models describe the nucleus in terms of a partition function, the estimation of which is tractable for clusters of 2 to 10 atoms, but extremely difficult for clusters larger than 10 atoms. Although the classical and statistical mechanical models are expected to apply for the limiting cases of large and small nuclei, both are uncertain for intermediate sizes. In this paper we shall treat only the classical model, recognizing that it is exact only for large nucleus sizes and regarding it as a phenom-enological description for small nucleus sizes. When analyses of experimental data using bulk properties show the nucleus size to be small, the resulting parameters should be regarded as largely empirical parameters describing the relative nucleation potency of the system. Considerable justification for the continued use of classical theory is provided by its general success in predicting nucleation behavior as a function of supersaturation and temperature. We emphasize that the qualitative features of the statistical mechanical models, particularly the critical super-saturation behavior that is central to the present work, are the same as those of the classical model. Of course, potential energy terms and surface partition functions replace the volume and surface energy terms of the latter model. The most recent versions of classical nucleation theory have been extensively reviewed.2,3,7 so that only the results are presented here. For homogeneous nucleation of a condensed phase from the vapor phase, the volume free energy change is ?Gv=vrT = =^ln£ [1] where v is the molecular volume of the condensing species. The supersaturation ratio,

Jan 1, 1970