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By John J. Van den Broek

As the established tailings disposal techniques do not meet the requirements of today, alternative methods of disposal are explored. McIntyre Mines Ltd., Coal Div. found a solution in the construction and operation of a tailings dewatering plant. The solids are recovered from the tailings slurry by means of mechanical dewatering equipment and are then dried in a unique drying system to provide an excellent thermal fuel for a power generating station.

Jan 1, 1983

By W. Julian Parton

General Crushed Stone Co. operates a dozen quarries in such rock types as gabbro, basalt, granite and limestone. Drilling characteristics and problems vary from one operation to another so that a variety of equipment and methods must be employed. In addition, it has been found that equipment improvements make it advisable to continuously look for and experiment with new machines and accessories. This article discusses drilling progress at some of the Company's more interesting operations.

Jan 1, 1963

By L. L. McDaniel

DURING the past few years a number of improvements in smelting and power equipment have been made at the Douglas smelter of the FIG. 1.-GENERAL PLAN OF SMELTER. Phelps Dodge Corporation at Douglas, Ariz. In the summer of 1935 work was started on the first unit of a new reverberatory waste-heat boiler plant which ultimately was to furnish steam for a modern high-pressure power plant. A second reverberatory waste-heat boiler unit

Jan 1, 1939

Jan 1, 1959

By George Tryon, E. A. Barnard

The importance of the conservation of the waste heat contained in copper reverberatory furnace gases was realized very early by those in charge of operation at Anaconda. The first attempt to utilize it was in preheating the air used for combustion of the coal. This was done by forcing the air through ducts surrounding the flue-gas downtake and continued down beneath the furnace hearth to the firebox. Any small advantage gained by the heat transferred from the flue gases was more than offset by the losses sustained in cooling the hearth, therefore this process, after several trials, was soon discarded. It was first used at the Old Works as early as 1893 and again for a comparatively short time on the original furnaces at the Washoe smelter, or present works. Water-tube boilers came into general use very rapidly after 1890. Their adaptability for waste-heat steam generation, as well as the saving to be effected by the production of cheap steam from this source, was soon recognized. The first waste-heat boiler to be used in connection with a matte furnace at Anaconda was installed in September, 1900, at the "Old Lower Works." It consisted of a 100-hp. "Cook," vertical water-tube boiler. This boiler had 65 small perpendicular tubes arranged in concentric circles around a 10-in. tube in the center. These tubes were expanded into 4 ft. 4 in. inside diameter cylindrical steel top and bottom drums which served as the steam and mud drums respectively. This boiler was set in a cylindrical brick housing into which the furnace gases entered just above the mud drum and thence circulated upward around the tubes and steam drum to the stack. This installation proved unsatisfactory, presumably on account of difficulty with dust, and was soon abandoned. However, the possibilities for steam generation were undoubtedly encouraging for shortly afterwards (December, 1900) a 300-hp. Stirling boiler was installed, to be followed by two more in the spring of 1901. The choice of the Stirling type of boiler for application to copper reverberatory furnaces was particularly fortunate, as the arrangement of the tubes appears to combine to a great extent the maximum contact of the gases with the heating surfaces of the boiler and at the same time

Jan 1, 1934

By C. Fairhurst, A. M. Starfield

As a practicing mining engineer, I face many rock mechanics' problems daily and would like to mention one or two examples to illustrate the current gap between laboratory investigations and actual field problems. I would like to endorse Dr. Obert's suggestion that more field measurements and observations should be undertaken. There is an ever-increasing body of data beginning with Hast's results in Sweden,l then measurements at Elliot Lake, Canada, and so on, including our own measurements at White Pine, which clearly indicate that the horizontal stresses underground are often at least as large as the vertical stresses. Visual obsenation of the deformation of roof and pillars (including failure due to horizontal compression) also demonstrates that the horizontal stresses are often most important. Yet almost every laboratory investigation begins with the assumption that the only stresses acting are vertical. Roof spans in layered formations. for example, are calculated on the assumption that the rock behaves as a gravity loaded beam. This is all too often unrealistic. Roof bolts are also often considered to be simply means of suspending the gravity loaded beams. As Dr. Reed has mentioned they are probably, in fact, acting to restrain a beam which is attempting to buckle due to lateral pressure. The fact that moisture can reduce the strengths of some rocks as much as 50 percent has been known for many years. In the mine me are almost always faced with wet rock, yet no one has investigated ways in which this wakening effect can be overcome. as, for example, by waterproofing the rock. C. Fairhurst, University of Minnesota I would like to mention that we have found,2 from stress-relief determinations, that appreciable (over 1000 lb per sq in.) horizontal pressures occur also at the surface in granites quarried in central Minnesota. Whilst I agree that more field measurements are desirable, it is important to point out that most university research is undertaken by graduate students who must attend classes daily. Their research is therefore restricted to the laboratory. A.M. Starfield, University of Minnesota No one denies the importance of obtaining: data from field measurements. It is equally important, however, that field measurements be guided by theory. Much time and money can be wasted by indiscriminate measurement. An example of the value of theory in interpreting measurements is given in Dr. Obert's comments on the time dependent strain observed in a salt mine. He anticipated that the stress at the wall of the opening would change with time because salt is viscoelastic rather than elastic. It can be shown from theory that if an excavation in a viscoelastic medium is unsupported, then the stress at the wall does

Jan 1, 1967

Boiler-Room Economy "Establishing and Maintaining Boiler-room Economy" is the title of a paper presented before the Ohio Society of Mechanical Electrical and Steam Engineers by Geo. H. Gibson, of which the following is an excerpt: Boiler-room economy depends less upon equipment than upon operation, i.e., it depends largely upon the condition in which the apparatus is maintained and how it is used. A given boiler may operate this week with an efficiency of 78 per cent., and next week with an efficiency of 65 per cent., while using the same fuel and developing the same rating. If there are variations ii; character of fuel and in load and other factors, the falling-off may be even greater, possibly to less than 60 per cent. The steam produced may cost twice as much per 1,000 lb. at one time as at another. Most steam plant managers know from their own experience that these statements are not exaggerated. It does not take much of a plant to run up a coal bill of $5,000 per year, many "spend $10,000 for coal, and fuel bills of $50,000, $100,000, or $200,000 per annum are not uncommon. As it call be shown in the majority of these plants that 10 per cent. of this amount may be saved, and in large numbers of them 25 per cent., while in some the expenditure can be cut in half, there is no disputing that we have here a subject worthy of attention. In the production of steam the greatest variable is the human factor. Before we can pass judgment, however, we must first have standards. This implies accurate quantitative knowledge of fuel consumption and steam production. We must measure the output and know how much the steam costs per thousand pounds, and how many pounds of steam are obtained from a pound of coal. We can then begin to analyze the problem, and find where and how methods and conditions can be improved, and how much. Many favor buying coal on a B. t. u. basis. This is advisable where the amount purchased warrants the considerable expense involved in systematically gathering samples that: are. truly representative and in having analyses made, of every carload. Coal analyses, combined with. an honest endeavor on the part of the miner to ship good coal, should insure the receipt of the heat units paid for. , It often happens, however, that the coal which is cheapest on a B.t.u. basis is not the cheapest or most suitable for producing steam, because of peculiarities of the plant in which it is to be burned, or conversely, the fuel which furnishes cheap B.t.u. may require special methods or equipment for its economic utilization.

Jan 2, 1916

By Z. E. Arlin, R. D. Lynn

A deep well injection system is used by The Anaconda Co. for the disposal of uranium mill tailing water near Grants, N. M. A 2511-ft hole was cored and tested through Triassic, Permian, and Pennsylvanian (?) sediments and bottomed in Precambrian granite gneiss. The disposal well was plugged back to 1830 ft and completed in 563 ft of sandstones in the Yeso formation. The reservoir sandstones contain water similar to the injected waste water, and are isolated from overlying fresh-water aquifers by an evaporite barrier zone. Mill tailing water is decanted, filtered, and introduced into the well by gravity at an average rate of 400 gpm. The reservoir has a life expectancy of 10 years. The Anaconda Co. began uranium milling operations near Grants, N. M. in 1953 with a small mill that processed limestone ores. A larger second mill was built in 1955 to treat sandstone ores. In 1956 it became apparent that a large tailing pond would be required to contain the increased discharge of mill waste water. Research was begun on supplementary methods of disposal by which a minimal pond size could be maintained to avert excessive seepage losses. An intensive sampling program was begun to monitor the fresh-water wells in the area. The original limestone mill ceased operation in 1959. The present mill treats sandstone ores by sulfuric acid leach and a resin-in-pulp ion exchange recovery circuit that uses chloride elution. Process waste water is discharged to a tailing pond where, after evaporation losses, an annual average of about 400 gpm are available for injection into the disposal well. The waste water is a mildly acid solution that contains large amounts of manganese, iron, and the sulfate and chloride salts of sodium, calcium, and magnesium. It is a low-level radioactive fluid that contains small amounts of Uranium-natural, Thorium-230, and Radium-226. The average chemical and radioactive analyses of the waste water injected into the disposal well are shown in Column B of Table I. Disposal of the excess mill waste water by deep well injection was investigated after extensive research had proved that alternate methods were not satisfactory. A study of the regional geology and hydrology indicated that a disposal well was feasible, and a test well to basement rock was planned. Tentative plans for the test well and the results of the geologic and hydrologic studies were submitted to the New Mexico Dept. of Public Health, the New Mexico State Engineer's Office, the U.S. Atomic

Jan 1, 1962

Jan 1, 1971

By John G. Simmons

A tutorial account of the tunnel effect between metal electrodes separated by a thin insulating film is presented. Energy diagrams of metal-insulator -metal sandwiches are briefly discussed, and the isothermal and thermal J-V characteristics for symmetric and asymmetric tunnel junctions are derived from a generalized expression. Experimental data from tunnel junctions are presented, and it is shown how, correlation between theory and experiment permits a determination of some of the oxide properties. Finally, the barrier heights in AT-Al2O3-A1 junctions determined by various inr3estigators are discussed. The object of this paper is to give a tutorial account of the electric-tunnel effect between metal electrodes separated by a thin insulating film and to illustrate its utility in the study of metal-oxide interfaces. This paper will emphasize the theoretical aspects of the electric-tunnel effect: however, a brief account of the more recent experimental work will be presented. A more comprehensive experimental study of the tunnel effect will be presented in the following paper by Drs. Pollack and Morris, see p. 497. We will open with a discussion of the energy diagrams for metal-insulator-metal junctions and what we mean by the electric-tunnel effect. Following this is an account of the theoretical studies of Sommerfeld and Bethe, and Holm, and the recently reported calculations on symmetric and asymmetric junctions using the generalized formula. The theoretical presentation is concluded with calculations on the temperature dependence of the tunnel J-V characteristic. In the experimental section, it is shown how barrier heights and thicknesses are determined by comparing the experimental data with the theory. Finally, the results of various investigators on the determination of the barrier heights in Al-Al2O,-A1 systems are discussed. I) POTENTIAL BARRIERS BETWEEN CLOSELY SPACED ELECTRODES Since it is necessary to supply energy to a metal in order to observe electron emission from its surface, it is evident that the potential energy of an electron within a metal is lower than that of an electron at rest outside the metal. It follows, then, that the electron must undergo a change in potential as it crosses the metal-vacuum interface. In the Sommerfeld1 free-electron theory of metals it is assumed that the free electrons, the electrons responsible for the electrical characteristics of metals, move in a constant potential environment in the metal, and are contained within the metal by a potential barrier at the metal-vacuum interface. It will be evident that the idea of a constant potential environment is a very idealized model, since the potential energy of an electron is influenced by all of the atoms and the other electrons within the metal; however, its use is justified by the many excellent results it gives.2 Fig. l (a) is the energy diagram of the model envisaged by Sommerfeld; the metal is represented by a potential-energy well of depth V,; the vacuum level represents the energy of an electron at rest outside the metal. At 0°K the electrons, which exist in pairs in discrete energy levels, fill up the well to an energy ?, the Fermi level. The distance, Vo - ?, from the Fermi level to the vacuum level is known as the work function of the metal, and represents the minimum energy required to free electrons from the interior of the metal at 0°K.

Jan 1, 1965

By John L. Baum

Tests show that 50 times the earth's normal field can exist near stacked drill rods. Protection against the effect of these strong fields can be obtained by means of a removable sleeve of common iron pipe. GEOLOGISTS and engineers working around a diamond drill rig have often had the opportunity to observe the magnetic attraction of drill rods pulled out of the hole for core removal. This is sometimes an amusing pastime, but this same magnetic force inadvertently applied to a compass needle can cause it to lose its polarity entirely or to become reverse polarized when placed in the immediate vicinity of stacked rods. The first recommendation, of course, would be to avoid the rods, but in surveying an operating drillhole this is not always possible; therefore steps must be taken to neutralize the magnetic effect of the drill rods. Early in the summer of 1949 the geological department of the New Jersey Zinc Co. undertook at Franklin, N. J., an extensive program of surveying the course of deep diamond drillholes. The majority of the holes were surveyed while in the process of being drilled, and considerable difficulty was encountered. A pattern for the deviation of drillholes had been established for the district from surveys in holes from which the drill rig had been removed. It was observed that a certain operating deep drillhole being surveyed did not fit this pattern. In the resulting confusion of repeated surveys and cementing a plug for wedging operations, the lower 1800 ft of the hole was lost. Because of this incident studies were initiated to determine the source of the difficulties and to develop safeguards against recurrence of faulty surveys. Using a hand magnet easily shows that the polarity of a compass needle can be reversed if rotation of the needle is hindered through tilting of the compass or clamping of the mechanism. Such experiments are not recommended, especially in the case of the clockwork type of instruments. A magnetized hairspring in a clockwork instrument will cause the compass card to assume a periodic motion which will not stop until the clockwork runs down. Routine check readings of instrument north before and after each survey are not always sufficient to catch instances of reversed polarity of the compass needle. Although the majority of instances probably take place while the instrument is being removed from the hole with needle in fixed position, it is demonstrable that a 'luggish needle, weakened during a previous test, can be reverse polarized

Jan 1, 1955

By M. G. Cheney

THE production record of the Sinclair-Moren pool, in southeast Young County, Texas, demonstrates that under efficient operating methods a single well may obtain normal oil recovery from an area of 100 acres or more. This record is the more surprising in view of relatively adverse reservoir conditions such as lack of water drive, moderate initial reservoir pressures and a consolidated sandstone reservoir with original permeability greatly reduced by processes of lithification. This case history is considered worthy of special study in view of the ever present problem of proper spacing of wells. Cupidity, abetted by the unrestrained law of capture, has in too many instances guided development and production methods without regard for sound economic and engineering principles. Largely as a result of ill advised spacing of wells, many oil fields have brought financial losses instead of deserved profit to those using capital, time and energy in this important business of adequately meeting the petroleum requirements of what is known as our modern civilization. In March 1923, the Sinclair Oil and Gas Co. obtained initial daily production of about 12,000,000 cu. ft. of gas and 1100 bbl. of oil in its first well near the center of a 372-acre lease on the L. P. Moren land, James Rose survey, Abstract 245. This exploratory test was drilled as a geological prospect of average promise, on a plunging anticline with possibly 10 ft. of closure as mapped on the outcropping limestone of upper Canyon (Pennsylvanian) age. In subsurface, the top of the producing res-ervoir is 16 ft. lower in this well than in the highest wells but probably 25 ft. above lowest closing contour. Wells No. 2 and 3 were drilled about 1/4 mile west and southwest near a normal fault with some 30 ft. of downthrow to the southwest. The producing sand was reached at a depth of 2512 ft. and drilled to 2529 ft. in the first well. This sandstone reservoir is of Millsap Lake (middle Strawn, upper Cherokee) age. It was absent in the second and third wells, which were abandoned at the depths of 3725 or more. In April 1925, a fourth well was drilled 600 ft. east and 24 ft. lower for top of sand than No. I. Production of about 100 bbl. daily was reported from 2521 to 2562 after an 80-quart shot. This well was drilled to 4560 ft., plugged back to 2575 and shot again; but was abandoned soon thereafter because of small production.

Jan 1, 1940

By P. H. Delano, Will H. Coghill, G. D. Coe

Data concerning the actual net energy required for pulverizing coal are lacking from the literature on coal pulverization. Power data given in the literature concern gross power and frequently include the power expended on the air blast or product-conveyor system, as well as power lost through friction in the pulverizer itself. Consequently, such data supply no information regarding the net energy consumed in pulverizing or the relative grinding resistance of various coals. In the study of coal pulverizing much work has been done on what is known as " grindability-index numbers," but grind-ability tests have seldom considered the energy input (that is, the "cause" part of the system "cause and effect"). There are many records of the effect, but even these have questionable value because the "grindability" tests did not make a pull'erized product by a method comparabLe with- commercial pulverizers. In many of the tests, only a selected part of the coal was ground, and the remainder continued to be an unknown factor. Furthermore, none of the grindability tests provide the balanced circulating load common to all modern commercial pulverizing. In order to obtain better understanding of the fundamental principles of coal pulvcrizing, the Bureau of Mines is investigating the "cause" phase; that is, the net energy input or net power excluding friction between the moving parts of the machine. As a first step in the investigation,it was necessary to design and construct a laboratory machine in which no friction-loss corrections are involved, which could grind and finish a minus-¾-inch feed, which could be emptied rapidly and completely, which could operate with a continuous feed and finish in an air separator; and, most essential of all, which would be equipped with a measuring device for recording only that portion of the total power consumed in actual pulverizing, hereafter referred to as "net energy input" or "net horsepower-hours." The channel-roller pulverizer hereinafter described is believed to meet these requirements. History oF the Machine The, work started when Ralph W. smith, engineer, St. Genevieve Lime Co., St. Cenevieve, Mo., was appointed one of the consultants of the Bureau of Mines, United States Department of the Interior, in cooperation with the University of Alabama, to develop a machine for testing the abrasiveness of coal. Smith had already developed a machine for testing the abrasive-ness of dentifrices,1 and it was thought the same principles might be applied to coal, Smith's machine had a revolving disk with an annular channel in which the sample was placed. Riding in the channel was a small block or runner of selected soft metal held

Jan 1, 1942

By Will H. Coghill, P. H. Delano, G. D. Coe

Data concerning the actual net energy required for pulverizing coal are lacking from the literature on coal pulverization. Power data given in the literature concern gross power and frequently include the power expended on the air blast or product-conveyor system, as well as power lost through friction in the pulverizer itself. Consequently, such data supply no information regarding the net energy consumed in pulverizing or the relative grinding resistance of various coals. In the study of coal pulverizing much work has been done on what is known as " grindability-index numbers," but grind-ability tests have seldom considered the energy input (that is, the "cause" part of the system "cause and effect"). There are many records of the effect, but even these have questionable value because the "grindability" tests did not make a pull'erized product by a method comparabLe with- commercial pulverizers. In many of the tests, only a selected part of the coal was ground, and the remainder continued to be an unknown factor. Furthermore, none of the grindability tests provide the balanced circulating load common to all modern commercial pulverizing. In order to obtain better understanding of the fundamental principles of coal pulvcrizing, the Bureau of Mines is investigating the "cause" phase; that is, the net energy input or net power excluding friction between the moving parts of the machine. As a first step in the investigation,it was necessary to design and construct a laboratory machine in which no friction-loss corrections are involved, which could grind and finish a minus-¾-inch feed, which could be emptied rapidly and completely, which could operate with a continuous feed and finish in an air separator; and, most essential of all, which would be equipped with a measuring device for recording only that portion of the total power consumed in actual pulverizing, hereafter referred to as "net energy input" or "net horsepower-hours." The channel-roller pulverizer hereinafter described is believed to meet these requirements. History oF the Machine The, work started when Ralph W. smith, engineer, St. Genevieve Lime Co., St. Cenevieve, Mo., was appointed one of the consultants of the Bureau of Mines, United States Department of the Interior, in cooperation with the University of Alabama, to develop a machine for testing the abrasiveness of coal. Smith had already developed a machine for testing the abrasive-ness of dentifrices,1 and it was thought the same principles might be applied to coal, Smith's machine had a revolving disk with an annular channel in which the sample was placed. Riding in the channel was a small block or runner of selected soft metal held

Jan 1, 1942

By Parke A. Dickey, R. Fettke

Drilling activity during 1944 increased considerably in the oil fields and slightly in the shallow gas fields of western Pennsylvania. The number of deep tests (middle Devonian or deeper) completed during 1944 was the same as in 1943 and did not result in discoveries of additional reserves of natural gas or oil. Thus far no commercial oil production has been obtained from sands below the Upper Devonian in Pennsylvania. As a result of the lack of new discoveries, oil production in nearly all of the producing areas in the entire Pennsylvania grade region declined 10 to 11 per cent. Stocks of Pennsylvania Oil The Peilnsylvania grade crude-oil stocks in storage on January 1943 were 2,479,000 bbl. In January 1944 crude stocks totaled 1,846,000 bbl., and during 1944 the stocks of Pennsylvania grade crude declined to a year-ending balance of 1,617,000 bbl. Nearly all of this oil is "unavailable for use," representing pipe-line fill, tank bottoms and limited working inventories at the refineries. The storage of Pennsylvania oil has declined to a point where little or no available crude oil is currently in storage. Prices The posted price of Pennsylvania oil remained constant during 1944; however, on Rug. I, 1944, the wartime Government subsidy was instituted at a rate of 75¢ per barrel. The average price in the Bradford area, including the subsidy, was $3.31 per barrel. New Technical Developments The Pennsylvania Grade Crude Oil Association started a rather ambitious program of research in production fundamentals and technology during 1944. Several well-qualified engineers have been employed and a laboratory is to be equipped at Bradford. The group will investigate, in cooperation with the American Petroleum Institute, the possibilities of bacteria as agents in oil recovery, and undertake other studies of both a fundamental and an applied nature. In cooperation with the Pennsylvania State College, the Research Group worked out a method of measuring water-intake rates in different strata. The method involves injecting salt water down a string of tubing and fresh water down the annulus, determining the location of the interface electrically, and measuring the input rates above and below the interface. The United States Bureau of Mines, in cooperation with oil companies of the Venango district, developed a simple gas-lift tubing string, which is operating successfully in some 20 wells. This device uses the air-gas mixture produced with the oil to lift it by the usual gas-lift principles. The Northern Ordnance Co. is experimenting with a chamber lift device that expels the oil in an unbroken column. These devices hold considerable promise

Jan 1, 1945

By W. A. Griffith

The fundamental principles and modern techniques of experimental planning and data analysis, applicable to any type of research, are particularly important in flotation experimentation. Since they constitute the modern science of experimentation, they should be among the working tools of any scientist, research engineer, or plant operator engaged in flotation investigates. This chapter is a review of these principles and techniques. Equipment and procedures for the actual conduct of experiments will not be discussed here since these subjects are well covered elsewhere in this volume. Neither will any attempt be made to impart a working knowledge of statistical methods of data analysis since this would be impossible in the space allotted, and many excellent texts are available to the diligent inestigator.1-4 The objective here is simply to interest the reader in the application of statistical techniques to flotation experimentation by illustrating their utility in situations frequently encountered, and to point out the principles of experimental planning necessary for their proper use. Any conscientious metallurgist engaged in flotation experimentation or operations is well aware of the inherent complexity of the flotation process, and of the often frustrating difficulties this introduces into experimentation. The raw materials normally treated by the process are complex both physi- cally and chemically, and often highly variable even when from the same source. The flotation process itself is characterized by a very large number of potentially important process variables. Many of these are beyond the con- trol of the metallurgist, and some cannot even be measured quantitatively with available instruments. Those which can be measured and controlled with reasonable precision often produce effects which are intricately interrelated. Not only are the variables many, but the physical and chemical mechanisms by which they function are imperfectly under stood. To compound the difficulty, experimental techniques are relatively crude. Controls are not very precise, and the human factor looms large in most flotation experiments. These situations lead inevitably to experimental data of a relatively low degree of precision or reproducibility. Some are inclined to think that these conditions are unique to flotation experimentation. They are not. The experimental problems met by the agronomist, the biologist, the social scientist, and others are equally complex. Investigators in these fields pioneered in the development of methods for handling just such situations by proper experimental planning and the application of statistical methods in the analysis of data. Their pioneering work has grown into a well established modern science of experimentation which has spread into every field of science. This science is based upon statistical

Jan 1, 1962

By Will H. Coghill, P. H. Delano, G. D. Coe

DATA concerning the actual net energy required for pulverizing coal are lacking from the literature on coal pulverization. Power data given in the literature concern gross power and frequently include the power expended on the air blast or product-conveyor system, as well as power lost through friction in the pulverizer itself. Consequently, such data supply no information regarding the net energy consumed in pulverizing or the relative grinding resistance of various coals. In the study of coal pulverizing much work has been done on what is known as "grindability-index numbers," but grindability tests have seldom considered the energy input (that is, the "cause" part of the system "cause and effect"). There are many records of the effect, but even these have questionable value because the "grindability" tests did not make a pulverized product by a method comparable with commercial pulverizers. In many of the tests, only a selected part of the coal was ground, and the remainder continued to be an unknown factor. Furthermore, none of the grindability tests provide the balanced circulating load common to all modern commercial pulverizing. In order to obtain better understanding of the fundamental principles of coal pulverizing, the Bureau of Mines is investigating the "cause" phase; that is, the net energy input or net power excluding friction between the moving parts of the machine. As a first step in the investigation, it was necessary to design and construct a laboratory machine in which no friction-loss corrections are involved, which could grind and finish a minus-3/4 -inch feed, which could be emptied rapidly and completely, which could operate with a continuous feed and finish in an air separator; and, most essential of all, which would be equipped with a measuring device for recording only that portion of the total power consumed in actual pulverizing, hereafter referred to as "net energy input" or "net horse-powerhours." The channel-roller pulverizer here-inafter described is believed to meet these requirements. HISTORY OF THE MACHINE The work started when Ralph W. Smith, engineer, St. Genevieve Lime Co., St. Genevieve, Mo., was appointed one of the consultants of the Bureau of Mines, United States Department of the Interior, in cooperation with the University of Alabama, to develop a machine for testing the abrasiveness of coal. Smith had already developed a machine for testing the abrasiveness of dentifrices,1 and it was thought the same principles might be applied to coal. Smith's machine had a revolving disk with an annular channel in which the sample was placed. Riding in the channel was a small block or runner of selected soft metal held

Jan 1, 1942

By R. E., Head

THE use of lime in flotation has become so general in recent years that its functions are familiar to plant operators. The conditions and phenomena described in this paper are of interest because they are directly associated with the use of lime as a reagent and the resulting formation of lime scale worth nearly $1 per pound for its gold content. It is not known to what extent lime scale is common in flotation plants where lime is used, but as several occurrences have been re- ported, its existence is not limited to one particular plant. In November, 1927, the author's attention was drawn to a lime scale that formed on the sides of Callow flotation cells in the Walker Mining Co. mill at Spring Gar- den, Cal. The scale was described as an accumulation of hard material that built up on the sides of both the rougher and cleaner cells and in some instances attained a thickness of 2 in. The lime scale builds up in the cleaner cell at the rate of about 1/10 in. per month, or slightly more than ?12 in. during six months' operation. The rate of growth in the rougher cells is slower, and about 3/s in. of scale forms in six months. Analyses' of typical lime scale samples are as follows:

Jan 1, 1928

By D. F. Kaufman, E. D. Levine, L. R. Aronin

The deformation of' impure beryllium crystals by basal glide at room temperature invariably tevminates by basal cleavage after a few percent strain. It is generally accepted that .fracture of this type is caused by the splitting of low) -angle boundaries, or bend planes, by obstacles that restrict the motion of the bed planes in the deforming crystal. The details of such a process have been developed by Stroh, who showed that the high tensile stress norrnal to the basal plane in the region where the bend plane is split results in the propagation of a basal cleavage crack, provided there is no available dejorvrlatzon mode having a shear component normal to the basal plane It has been postulated that puvification of beryllium might lead to increased basal ductility by the vemoval of barviers to bend plane motion and possibly by the activation of nonbasal defor~rlation systems. Large increases in the amount of basal glide that can he sustained prior to fracture have been observed in crystals purified by zone refining. In each case, eventudal fracture was by sharp basal cleavage, suggesting that the split bend plane model still applies to tile fracture of beryllium of rensonably high purity. In the present work, calculations are made to show to what extent basal duetilits can be increased by purification while the split bend plane .fracture process remains applicable. Experimentally observed ductilities are generally somewhat lower than those predicted by calculation because of premature failure due to defects introd~cced during specimen preparation and testing. SEVERAL investigators1-4 have studied the deformation characteristics of beryllium single crystals of commercial purity, and have related the strong anisotropy of plastic deformation in single crystals to the problem of brittleness in polycrystalline beryllium. For most orientations, the principal deformation mode is basal slip, which, at temperatures between 300" and 900°K, begins at a critical resolved shear stress of approximately 1500 g per sq mm and terminates after 3 to 6 pet glide strain by cleavage on the basal plane in the neighborhood of (1120) bend planes that are formed during the deformation. This type of fracture, which is also observed in zinc at low temperatures, has been interpreted by stroh5 to be caused by the splitting of bend planes by obstacles to their motion. In the Stroh model, a (11.20) dislocation wall, or bend plane, moving along the slip direction under the action of the applied stress, encounters obstacles which cause part of the bend plane to be held up, the other part continuing to move. Stress concentrations are built up in the region where the bend plane is split, with a high tensile component normal to the basal plane, resulting in a microcrack at the end of the split wall. Because no deformation mode having a shear component at an angle to the basal plane is available to relieve the stress at the crack tip, the crack can propagate under a sufficiently high applied stress. The Stroh criterion for crack propagation is given by

Jan 1, 1964

By E. H. Citron

CLEANING fine coal in jigs is not new in Europe, where the feldspar jig is being used almost exclusively for this purpose. A feldspar jig operates with an artificial bed made up generally of feldspar or other hard rock material. Dimensions and specific gravity of this material must be of suitable values for good bedding qualities. For good efficiency, the size should range between 1x2 in. and 2x2x½ in. thick. The disadvantage of an artificial bed is that it is not mobile and must be replaced every so often with new material to obtain good cleavage characteristics. A semi-mobile bed has been developed to retain only a part of the feldspar on the sieve screen— the other part is drawn off with the refuse material, from which it is reclaimed and returned to the jig feed. Recirculating this feldspar rock offers definite advantages. However, in time it will lose its original shape because of wear, and new bed material must be added to the jig feed. The latest feldspar jigs arc generally air-pulsated, Baum-type jigs, although more than 70 pct of the feldspar jigs operating in Continental Europe are still of the piston type. These jigs are very popular in Europe, but they do require a great deal of time and attention. New Theory to Eliminate Artificial Bedding: At the preparation plants of Pittsburg & Midway Coal Mining Co. it has always been the contention that a small piston-type jig could be developed to clean fine 1/4x0-in. coal down to 28 to 60 mesh efficiently by obtaining and admitting bedding material from the present plant refuse circuit to the jig feed. This eliminates use of artificial bedding materials. The jig should incorporate these essential adjustable features as follows: Adjustable Sieve Screen A screen that can be raised and lowered to increase or decrease washing compartment depth. The sieve screen also can be set on an incline level, or decline. Adjustable Plunger Eccentric Length of stroke can be adjusted to increase or decrease pulsion and suction. Variable Plunger Speed Variable speed reducer for decreasing and increasing the number of strokes per minute. Water Distribution Adjustable baffle plate separating the plunger and sieve compartment so the water can be distributed uniformly over the entire sieve screen area. Refuse Ejector Special unique rubber-type refuse ejector gate operated by air and electrically controlled (as a conventional jig). Automatic Control Conventional float that measures the specific gravity of the coal-water refuse medium in the jig is of the submerged type. The float is mounted on a vertical stem held in position by two parallel arms. A movable weight regulates the effective specific gravity of the float. The float stem can be raised and lowered, having a graduated scale to indicate the depth of bed for the setting of the float. Hutch Drawoff Hutch material is drawn from the cell compartment to the elevator compartment by gravity. The first one-cell experimental jig incorporating all these features was built in January 1955 by Ore

Jan 1, 1959