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By F. R. Hutto Jr., F. L. Kady Jr., L. E. Weymouth

The behavior of particulate non-metallic materials in moving contact with smooth surfaces is of interest and concern to manufacturers and users of abrasives, of fillers, and of pigments alike. The theoretical aspects of the subject have been treated to considerable extent in the literature, and correlatic,ns are available that attempt to relate various methods of hardness determination." 2 The particle size and friability are characteristics of the abrasive that are not related to the smooth surface. The hardness, on the other hand, may be visualized as relative to that of the smooth surface. In a study of abrasive action, the role that hardness, per se, plays is a complicated one. For it is necessary to compare the "hardness" of the abrasive, usually a non-metallic, with that of the smooth surface, generally a metal. Hardness of non-metallics is defined as resistance to scratch and is almost universally described with respect to the Mohs scale.3 Minerals have been rated by Mohs numerically from the softest (talc = 1) to the hardest (diamond = 10). By definition, a mineral has a designated hardness when it is scratched by the standard that is numerically just above it on the scale; and conversely, when it scratches the standard that is just below it. Hardness of metals. however.. implies resistance to indentation, a property that has been measured by a number of methods. In fact, the indentation hardnesses of the standard minerals on the hlohs scale have been determined by the Rockwell tester. Reproduced below are two versions of this correlation. 'A conversion chart, prepared by Wilson Mechanical Instruments Division of American Chain and Cable Co., merely gives the conversion from Rockwell to Knoop hardness. The relation between Knoop indentation hardness and Mohs scale has been reported by G. S. Smith — A New Scale of Hardness, The Engineer, Aug. 26. 1949. G. F. Kinney in Engineerin Properties and Aplications of Plastics reports the Rockwell hardness of the minerals directly in the Mohs scale. The question immediately arises as to whether this relation is valid when applied in reverse; namely,

Jan 1, 1961

At the meeting of the Board of Directors held on October 25, the reports of the Treasurer and the Nominating and Finance Committees were received. Thirty-five members, seven associates, and six junior associates were elected; one change of status front junior associate to member was granted; six members were reinstated; and one resignation was accepted. An extension of' time was granted to fourteen members. The dues of forty-seven members were suspended on account of their being in active service. The application for formation of a Houghton Section was granted and the president was authorized to appoint a committee on organization. The courtesies of the Institute were extended to visiting engineers of France, Great Britain and Italy who are at present in the country on war missions. Votes of thanks were extended to the Committees of the .Milwaukee meeting. The proposed Survey of Engineering Organizations by Engineering. Foundation was approved. The Secretary was authorized to publish in the Bulletin an appeal from the American Ouvroir Funds. A petition signed by 110 members of the-Institute to change the name of the Institute was presented. Treasurer George C. Stone resigned on account of contemplated absence from the city, and George D. Barron was elected Treasurer in his place. Mr. Alexandre Gouvy, a distinguished French engineer, then addressed the Board.

Jan 12, 1918

THE following nominations for officers in the, Petroleum Division have been made by the nominating committee, of which Alfred G. Heggem was chairman: Chairman, John M. Lovejoy, Vice-pres., Amerada Petroleum Co., Tulsa, Okla.; vice-chairman for Refinery Engineering, Walter Miller, Vice-pres., Marland Refining Co., Ponca City, Okla.; vice-chairman for Production En-gineering, M. E. Lombardi, Vice-pres., Pacific Oil Co., San Francisco, Cal.; associate vice-chairmen for Produc-tion Engineering, T. E. Swigart, Prod. Engr., Shell Co. of Cal., Los Angeles, Cal.; Joseph B. Umpleby, Vice-pres., Goldelline Oil Corp., Oklahoma City, Okla.; vice-chairman for Production, W. E. Wrather, Cons. Geol., Dallas, Texas; associate vice-chairman for Production, Joseph Jensen, Associated Oil Co., Los Angeles, Cal.; vice-chairman for Transportation Engineering, E. P. Bly, Engr., Pipe Line Dept., Standard of California, San Francisco, Cal..; vice-chairman for Economics., Joseph E. Pogue, Cons. Geol., New York City. The election will take place, at the annual meeting of the Division in New York in February. Any independent nominations received before Jan. 20 and endorsed by ten members, will be announced in MINING AND METALLURGY for February and placed before the meeting for considera-tion. Extensive plans are being made for the meeting and a large number of excellent technical papers have already been received.

Jan 1, 1927

(The following list contains the names of those members of the Institute of whose connection with military service we have only recently become acquainted; it also includes the names of a few who have recently been promoted or transferred, indicated by a *. A complete list was published in the Year Book, issued as a supplement of the Bulletin for March, 1918.) ANDERSON, AMIL A., Co. A, 309th Regiment Engineers, 84th Div., American E. F., Care Postmaster, New York. ARMSTRONG, HAROLD K., Pilot, Naval Aviation, U. S. Naval Air Station, Miami, Fla. BASSETT, ARTHUR F., Co. 6, -E. 0. T. S., Camp Humphreys, Va. BEDDALL, THOMAS H., Adjutant, 1st Battalion, 1st Gas Regiment, American E. F. BERNARD, CLINTON P., Candidate, 12th Observation Battery, F. A. C. 0. T. S., Camp Taylor, Ky. BROOKE, LIONEL, 50th Co., 13th Battalion, 5th Replacement Engineers, Camp Gordon, Ga. BROWNING, EDWARD, Corp., 1st Regiment Engineers, Co. D, American E. F. BUGBEE, EDWARD E., S. A. T. C. Headquarters, Raleigh N. C. BUTTERFIELD, G. BRUCE, CO. C, 605th Engineers, American E. F. CADOT, J. J., 1st Lieut., U. S. Air Service, American E. F., Care Post- master, New York. CARLOCK, J. B., Major, 2d Battalion, 1st Gas Regiment, American E. F., France.

Jan 12, 1918

By K. E. Brown, J. P. Brill, T. C. Doerr

A wide range of intermittent gas-lift tests way conducted in a 1,500-ft experimental well through 11/4- and 11/2-in, nominal size tubing. The well was equipped with two gas-lift valves, four Maihak electronic pressure transmitters and surface facilities to measure casing and tubing pressures, temperature, liquid production and the rate and volume of gas injected. For each tubing size, tests were conducted varying the slug length, gas volume injected and liquid viscosity and surface tension. From these tests, an empirical "fallback" or liquid loss correlation has been developed. No general fallback correlation could be obtained, and the correlation is presented in the form of one curve for each slug length of a given liquid and lubing size. A conceptual model has been developed which combines the fallback correlation with equarions which govern liquid slug pow. A mathematical simulation of the model in the form of a digital computer program is used to calculate total recovery, gas volume used and clearance time for a given test. Tubing pressures at the gas-lift valve and at the gm-slug interface are calculated as a function of time. Tubing pressures at the surface during slug clearance ore also calculated. The results compare favorably with the test data and verify the conceptual model. The extent to which the model can be used for other tubing sizes, depths, liquids and gas-lift valves can only be determined with additional experimental data. Data are also necessary so that a fallback curve can be constructed for the particular test conditions studied. INTRODUCTION The flow of liquid slugs in vertical conduits has long been an established production method in the petroleum industry. Under the name "intermittent gas lift", many advances have been made in engineering design. However, the unsteady-state nature of liquid slug flow has discouraged attempts to describe the problem analytically. The result has been that intermittent gas lift is dominated by rules-of-thumb engineering practices developed over many years. The advent of slim-hole completions has increased the demand for a more rigorous solution to the intermittent problem. Small-diameter conduits offer more frictional per intermittent cycle. Small-diameter conduits are defined to be 1%-in. nominal size tubing or smaller. When oil is produced from the reservoir in which it is found, and transported to surface tanks by intermittent gas lift, three separate flow stages are encountered: flow of the fluids to the wellbore through a porous medium, vertical flow of a liquid slug from the point of gas injection to the surface, and horizontal flow of the liquid slug through the surface flowlines from the wellhead to the surface tanks. The three stages are depicted schematically in Fig. 1. The present study deals with liquid slug flow in both the vertical and horizontal conduits, ending when the bottom of the liquid slug reaches the surface. Due to the large number of variables involved, the analytical study of intermittent gas lift is extremely complex. The possibility of flow regimes other than slug type, the nature of the force fields acting on the system, the interfacial instabilities involved, the varying operational principles of existing gas-lift valves and the complete unsteady-state nature of the physical phenomena occurring in an intermittent gas-lift cycle relate some of the difficulties encountered.

By A. W. Schlechten, R. P. Abendroth

Jan 1, 1960

By Arnold K. Reese

It is not the purpose of the writer to set forth in these notes anything new or surprising in blast-furnace practice, but simply to lay before the Institute the somewhat unusual results obtained during a period of six consecutive months, ending April 30, 1896, at the Dover furnace of the Penn Iron and Coal Co., and to give, with these results, the conditions under which they were obtained, and all figures pertaining to that period. This plant was entirely rebuilt, on thoroughly modern and improved plans, in the spring of 1895, by Frank C. Roberts & Co., of Philadelphia.

Jan 1, 1898

By G. B. Gould

FROM the very inception of the price-control experiment in the bituminous-coal industry, the problem of price differentials was of major importance. In fact, assuming that there will be no legal or Govern- mental obstacles to price control, the successful maintenance of the present or any other method designed to control bituminous-coal prices will depend upon the discovery of some satisfactory way to determine these differentials in price, among: individual mines and groups of mines. Being of organic origin, bituminous coal is a commodity that presents an almost infinite variety of qualities. It is inevitable, therefore, that a work- able price-control system must attempt

Jan 1, 1935

Report of the Secretary TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND THE MEMBERS OF THE AMERICAN INSTI¬TUTE OF MINING AND METALLURGICAL ENGINEERS GENTLEMEN As will be shown by the special reports of the Finance, Membership, Library, Papers and Publications, Increase of Membership, and other standing Committees, together with that of the Treasurer, the year 1927 was one in which the Institute made very satisfactory progress in a number of directions. In total numbers the membership is no larger but in revenue from dues there has been a marked increase. This has been due to the promotion to full membership of Junior Associates of earlier years, to the larger proportion that come in originally as members rather than juniors, and to the keener interest in the work of the Institute reflected in prompter payment of dues. The latter is important, since experience shows that of those who fall behind a large number must ultimately be dropped for non-payment. Conditions in the mining in¬dustries have been healthy though not booming. It has been much easier for members to find employment and meet their financial obligations but there has not been that flow of young men into mining, and hence in part into the Institute, that characterized certain earlier years. Rather the tendency toward centralization and larger industrial units has re¬stricted the number, though not the scope, of opportunities for technical men in the mineral industries. The Institute is constantly receiving resignations from members crowded out of mining into other lines of activity. On the other hand, those who remain in mining and metal¬lurgy have a greatly increased necessity for information and contacts with technology. A few years ago many superintendents and most foremen were non-technical men. Today the reverse rule obtains and shift bosses and men who occupy even lower positions in industrial units are called upon to know and to apply such an amount of technical knowl¬edge that graduate engineers are the rule rather than the exception. The curious situation has obtained that with a much smaller enrollment of students in the schools of mining and metallurgy there has been at times an actual shortage of young engineers for beginners' jobs. The young men retort that the conditions of employment and pay offered in mining are not equal to those in other lines and, while it is undoubtedly true that the young engineer beginning in mining is able to start under conditions markedly better as to pay, living, and responsibility than did the men who are now leaders, they are required to know much more and have usually spent more in time and money to qualify for their jobs. The whole matter is one which warrants much more attention than has been given to it. For the Institute it is important since the young men

Jan 1, 1923

By F. F. Aplan

Pollution control will be of utmost importance in the 1970's. In this area, the mineral process engineer has a special competence to understand and remedy many pollution situations. There is an old adage that goes, "Build a better mouse- trap and the world will beat a path to your door." Would that it were so, but the reality of the situation is such that, just as a supplier must sell his machine, a professional man must sell his competence. It is a sad but true fact that mineral processing engineers have not done a very good job in selling their extensive competence in the control of a broad range of pollution problems. Recently one of our students visited a paper pulp mill where he was shown a foam fractionator used to remove paper pulp fibers from plant discharge waters. "Foam fractionator hell, that's a flotation cell!'' was his comment. Ah so, it would appear that large numbers of technical people consider themselves experts on "foam fractionation" Or is it that we have been very remiss in demonstrating the usefulness of our equipment and processes and our professional competence to solve, these pollution problems?

Jan 1, 1970

By ELTCENE A. WHITE

WE are all interested in our ou7n lines of endeavor and consider ourselves the center of the universe. The farmer thinks he is the most important man because he feeds us. The doctor knows he is the real center because he keeps us well. The lawyer says that he is indispensable because he keeps the peace. The banker furnishes us a place to keep our money and tells us how to make proper use of it. The miner sags that without metals there would be no civilization. I think that my branch has sufficient interest and exhilaration. of accomplishment to fully occupy any man's mind and attention. Mining and metallurgy are as old as the human race. It did not have much, if any, importance in the stone age as there are not found remains of iron and copper, but in the bronze age, which was co-existent with the stone age, it came to the front. Iron and copper were the most important metals. Copper, as bronze, was known in ancient Egypt, I\~:IS important in Rome and other parts of Europe and in Asia; in South America among the Aztecs and farther North were the Mound Builders and the early inhabitants of Lake Superior. At a very early date the Egyptians conquered the Sinai peninsula for the sake of the copper produced there. The history of copper metallurgy can be compared to that of a flower. The seed is sown in darkness and in the Dark Ages the crude metallurgy of copper began. As the shoot comes up from the seed it may be compared to the age of alchemy; the branches of the plant can be compared to the Middle Ages; the flowering shoots to the 17th century, the budding to the 19th and the blossom to our own time from 1870 on.

Jan 1, 1930

Capital, as represented by mineral resources, is being exhausted rapidly without possibility of identical replacement. The public must be discouraged from thinking-why worry about the bank balance so long as there are plenty of blank checks? Instead of each man, woman, and child being owners of a mineral capital of $89,000 as former Secretary Ickes once stated, they are really the guardians of a mineral reserve which, when harvested, cannot be reproduced. The proper use of this material is the basis of modern civilization and military power. The best American institutions cannot be maintained or transmitted to our children unless this trust is guarded. It is unfortunate that more attention has not been focused on the fact that this country is headed for a have-not status in the family of great nations if some- thing is not done to preserve its mineral heritage. It is the privilege of the United States now to champion and implement democracy because it is industrialized and can get at its raw materials. A high price is being paid every day in mineral depletion for the privilege. No one can eat his cake and have it too. The United States still must face world-wide economic competition and, perhaps, World War III. In the final analysis all wealth comes from the ground, whether plant, animal, or mineral. Value is in-

Jan 1, 1950

By Arthur T. Word

STANDING room only seemed to be the order at the annual session and luncheon of the Eastern magnetite committee. Gatehouse check at the former indicated at least 80, with 33 attending the luncheon - all the crowded facilities could handle. Chairman Crockett opened the meeting by calling upon Meredith E. Johnson, who presented his illustrated paper on "Prospecting for Iron Ore in New Jersey in 1943." This "wartime" brief was discussed by Lucien Eaton, P. W. Henry, and Chairman Crockett. H. E. Hawkes, Jr., of the U. S. Geological Survey, then presented his unscheduled paper on the "Magnetite Deposits of the Jersey Highlands." Discussion was by A. W. Pinger and Chairman Crockett. Fred E. Stiefel then described shaft sinking at the Fisher Hill mine of the Republic Steel Corp., giving a detailed description of how modern

Jan 1, 1944

By W. B. Tucker

UNUSUAL interest has recently centered in the Mojave mining district of California, owing to new discoveries of gold ore at the Silver Queen mine, and subsequently at other neighboring proper- ties. These finds have proved that opportunities exist for the prospector even in old mining districts, where careful search may still be rewarded. The Mojave district is characterized by a group of small hills centering around Soledad Butte, four to six miles southwest of Mojave, in Kern County. This butte is 1250 ft. higher than the surrounding desert and 4000 ft. above sea level. Four miles west of Soledad Mountain are the so-called Middle Buttes, a group of flat-topped hills. Gold was first discovered in the district in 1894, and the following productive mines developed: Queen

Jan 1, 1936

By E. N. Pennebaker

A PRESENT, a comprehensive account of the geology and ore deposits of the Robinson mining district, in eastern Nevada, is not warranted. Though several years' work has been done, the district is so large that it will be some time before the investigation nears completion. In this paper I purpose merely to discuss methods of study and the application of geologic data to the search for ore. In the first place, the purpose of a geological depart¬ment in a mining organization is to collect and correlate all geologic and engineering data likely to be useful. In an extensive and well developed mining camp this involves a detailed study of the structure and stratigraphy of the district as a whole, as well as careful analysis of the orebodies exposed. The problem then is to find continuations or similar ore environments in other parts of the district in which like phenomena have been active, and to explore these for new orebodies. Experience gained in other similar mining districts is useful but one must always remember that a great many mining districts are unique and that exploration rules and procedure applying to one cannot always be transferred to another of apparently similar character and be made to work. One also has to be careful in moving from one to another part of the same district. The geologist must first examine the region critically to determine its individual characteristics. .

Jan 1, 1932

By Edward H. Bzirdick

THE territory under particular consideration in this article comprises portions of La Plata and Montezuma Counties, situated in the southwestern corner of Colorado, and around the base of the La Plata Mountains. (See Fig. 1.) In southeastern Utah and northeastern Arizona there are several mountain systems whose origin and structure are practically identical with the La Platas so that ore occurrences found in the latter can be hopefully looked for in the former. With this assumption, there is an area around the laccolithic ranges which offers promise for a successful exploration for gold ores. Ore occurrences of the Silverton, Telluride, Rico, or Ouray Districts will not be discussed, although in these areas the Mesozoic sediments are more or less involved within the ore-bearing complex. These have been intensively studied and developed. The idea is to set forth what my mining experience has been within the largely unaltered . Mesozoic horizon which remains around the extreme bases of the La Plazas. This, until recent years, has been almost entirely neglected by prospectors and operators and, so far as similar territory in Utah and Arizona is concerned, so remains.

Jan 1, 1934

By AIME AIME

THE initial meeting on Mining Methods* opened at 10 o'clock Monday morning with Scott Turner as chairman and W. Spencer Hutchinson as vice- chairman; about 60 attending. After preliminary announcements Theodore Marvin was called on for his paper,, entitled "Rock Tunnel Methods," which has been appearing serially in The Explosives Engineer. Marvin read the introduction and called attention to the account of one or' two particularly' interesting projects, such as the. Brooklyn water supply tunnel. E. D. 'Gardner, Char1e.s S. Hurter, L. D. Lamont and Spencer P. Howell took part in the discussion, Howell commenting on the fact that, in one case cited, misfires had occurred through detonator wires 'coming in contact with the case of an unapproved flashlight, .,: and that all flashlights should be approved.

Jan 1, 1931

By F. W. Bloecher, A. M. Gaudin

H. H. Kellogg—There is one point that the author has failed to emphasize sufficiently in his paper. What is commonly called the equilibrium contact-angle (the author's "maximum contact-angle") can have only one value on a smooth, flat, homogeneous surface under a given set of conditions. The equilibrium contact-angle is defined, for such a system, as the angle between the solid-liquid and liquid-gas interfaces, measured through the liquid. The value of the equilibrium contact-angle is uniquely determined by the value of the interfacial energies of the three intersecting interfaces and is independent of other forces in the system. When the liquid-gas interface intersects the solid at an edge—as was the case for all the experiments reported in this paper—the orientation of the solid-liquid interface is indeterminate or varies through 90" for a right-angle edge. Mr. Morris has called the angle between the horizontal and the liquid-gas interface for this edge condition a "static contact-angle." I feel that this term is unnecessarily misleading. In the first place, "static contact-angle" sounds too much like "equilibrium contact-angle." In the second place, the magnitude of the "static contact-angle," which I would prefer to call the "supporting angle," is determined by the forces in the system other than those derived from the interfacial energies, hence "contact angle" is misleading. If Mr. Morris had said that the "supporting-angle" is variable and depends on the weight of the particle and size of the bubble and that it has a maximum possible value equal to the equilibrium contact-angle, his discussion would have been more accurate. T. M. Morris (author's reply)—Mr. Kellogg puts forth a reasonable criticism of some of the terminology used in the paper. I agree that the term "static contact angle" may be misleading. Substitution of the term "supporting angle" or "vector angle" may be more suitable. F. X. Tartaron—In this paper the author presents a very interesting mathematical development of the forces present when a mineral particle adheres to an air bubble. Excellent concordance is obtained between mathematical formulation and experimental results. It is the writer's understanding that when the mineral surface presented to an air bubble is greater than the area of contact, the maximum contact angle is obtained. However, this contact angle represents distortion of the bubble, the normal shape of which is spherical or in cross-section, circular. This distortion produces a force that acts in opposition to the force of adhesion between the bubble and particle. Hence, at maximum contact angle, the force of adhesion between bubble and particle is at a minimum for static conditions. However, when the size of bubble is increased, the size of particle remaining the same (and all other conditions remaining the same), the contact angle decreases, the distortion of the bubble decreases and the force in opposition to adherence of bubble and particle also decreases. Thus, there is stronger attachment between bubble and particle. When this situation is applied to actual flotation conditions, it is doubtful that it has any significance. The reason is that the bubbles are normally so much larger than the particles, that in substantially all cases, it is probable that negligible distortion of the bubble takes place. In table IV, the author makes computations for bubbles from 0.50 to 2 mm diam. This is from 0.02 in. to 0.08 in. Certainly the bubbles generated in a flotation machine are far larger than this. The surfaces of the author's bubbles range from 0.79 to 12.6 sq mm. The area of contact of the glass rod (0.15 mm diam) is 0.017 sq mm. Thus, ratio of bubble surface to mineral area of contact ranges from 47 to 741 in round numbers. If we take a %-in. diam bubble and a 65-mesh (0.208 mm) particle of cubical shape, the ratio of bubble surface to mineral area of contact is 2931. Mineral particles do not readily become attached to air bubbles. Taggart has shown that in pneumatic flotation machines collector-coated particles are only temporarily attached to bubbles. They keep falling off and down in the froth but at a delayed rate as compared with gangue. Spedden and Hannan's motion pictures confirm the difficulty of attaching particles to air bubbles. In the agitation froth process, according to Taggart, air is precipitated from the water selectively on to the collector-coated particles and these

Jan 1, 1951

By F. W. Bloecher, A. M. Gaudin

H. H. Kellogg—There is one point that the author has failed to emphasize sufficiently in his paper. What is commonly called the equilibrium contact-angle (the author's "maximum contact-angle") can have only one value on a smooth, flat, homogeneous surface under a given set of conditions. The equilibrium contact-angle is defined, for such a system, as the angle between the solid-liquid and liquid-gas interfaces, measured through the liquid. The value of the equilibrium contact-angle is uniquely determined by the value of the interfacial energies of the three intersecting interfaces and is independent of other forces in the system. When the liquid-gas interface intersects the solid at an edge—as was the case for all the experiments reported in this paper—the orientation of the solid-liquid interface is indeterminate or varies through 90" for a right-angle edge. Mr. Morris has called the angle between the horizontal and the liquid-gas interface for this edge condition a "static contact-angle." I feel that this term is unnecessarily misleading. In the first place, "static contact-angle" sounds too much like "equilibrium contact-angle." In the second place, the magnitude of the "static contact-angle," which I would prefer to call the "supporting angle," is determined by the forces in the system other than those derived from the interfacial energies, hence "contact angle" is misleading. If Mr. Morris had said that the "supporting-angle" is variable and depends on the weight of the particle and size of the bubble and that it has a maximum possible value equal to the equilibrium contact-angle, his discussion would have been more accurate. T. M. Morris (author's reply)—Mr. Kellogg puts forth a reasonable criticism of some of the terminology used in the paper. I agree that the term "static contact angle" may be misleading. Substitution of the term "supporting angle" or "vector angle" may be more suitable. F. X. Tartaron—In this paper the author presents a very interesting mathematical development of the forces present when a mineral particle adheres to an air bubble. Excellent concordance is obtained between mathematical formulation and experimental results. It is the writer's understanding that when the mineral surface presented to an air bubble is greater than the area of contact, the maximum contact angle is obtained. However, this contact angle represents distortion of the bubble, the normal shape of which is spherical or in cross-section, circular. This distortion produces a force that acts in opposition to the force of adhesion between the bubble and particle. Hence, at maximum contact angle, the force of adhesion between bubble and particle is at a minimum for static conditions. However, when the size of bubble is increased, the size of particle remaining the same (and all other conditions remaining the same), the contact angle decreases, the distortion of the bubble decreases and the force in opposition to adherence of bubble and particle also decreases. Thus, there is stronger attachment between bubble and particle. When this situation is applied to actual flotation conditions, it is doubtful that it has any significance. The reason is that the bubbles are normally so much larger than the particles, that in substantially all cases, it is probable that negligible distortion of the bubble takes place. In table IV, the author makes computations for bubbles from 0.50 to 2 mm diam. This is from 0.02 in. to 0.08 in. Certainly the bubbles generated in a flotation machine are far larger than this. The surfaces of the author's bubbles range from 0.79 to 12.6 sq mm. The area of contact of the glass rod (0.15 mm diam) is 0.017 sq mm. Thus, ratio of bubble surface to mineral area of contact ranges from 47 to 741 in round numbers. If we take a %-in. diam bubble and a 65-mesh (0.208 mm) particle of cubical shape, the ratio of bubble surface to mineral area of contact is 2931. Mineral particles do not readily become attached to air bubbles. Taggart has shown that in pneumatic flotation machines collector-coated particles are only temporarily attached to bubbles. They keep falling off and down in the froth but at a delayed rate as compared with gangue. Spedden and Hannan's motion pictures confirm the difficulty of attaching particles to air bubbles. In the agitation froth process, according to Taggart, air is precipitated from the water selectively on to the collector-coated particles and these

Jan 1, 1951

By V. J. Parks, Leonard Obert, A. J. Durelli

The state of stress in the region where core discing initiates has been investigated through the use of three-dimensional photoelastic models and the results of this study have been compared with those of a previous investigation of rock models. This comparison showed that discing initiates at a point of maximum shear stress, but that the magnitude of the shear stress, as determined photoelastically, is much larger than the shear strength of the rock as deter-mined from conventional triaxial testing. Moreover the shear stress required to produce discing is not constant, but depends on the applied stress field. Possible explanations for these effects are included in this article. In both exploration core drilling and overcore drilling to determine the stress in rock, occasional sections of the core obtained are broken into a series of discs.I* This discing phenomenon has been investigated in the laboratory to ascertain the state of stress required to produce it. The objective of the study was to obtain information that would make it possible to approximate the state of stress in subsurface rock from which disced cores are obtained. Referred to as the discing test, this laboratory study was conducted to determine the applied axial and radial loads required to produce discing in cylinders of rock from several sources. The dimensions of these cylinders are given in Fig. 1. Discing was produced by first applying an axial load to the cylinder and then diamond drilling the core along its axis. The radial load was then incrementally increased until discing initiated. The discs fractured or ruptured* on surfaces approximately normal to the axis of the core (planes A, B, C, D, E, Fig. 2). In many instances, the bottommost disc fractured before the drill had advanced past the points F and F', cre- ating a mush room-shaped fracture surface FEF'. Alternatively, it was also found that the same shaped fracture surface could be created by first drilling in an unloaded core to some point, say F and F', and then triaxially loading the core until fracture occurred on the plane FEF'. Jaeger and cook4 produced similar fracture surfaces in specimens subjected only to a radial biaxial load. From these laboratory studies and observations made in the field, it can be inferred that fracture or rupture initiates in the proximity of the lowest point in the kerf area, (at F and F', Fig. 2) and that the fracture or rupture surface progresses inward from this point. The experiments described above, however, do not provide any information as to the state of stress at the point at which fracture or rupture initiates. In the investigation discussed in the following sections, a three-dimensional photoelastic analysis was conducted to determine the stress distribution in the proximity of the kerf area of a triaxially loaded plastic (epoxy) cylinder containing a short section of core.

Jan 1, 1969