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By A. J. Lynch

There are two factors which are important in the development of automatic control systems for mineral preparation and concentrating processes. They are the availability of accurate and reliable on-line measuring instruments and an understanding of the effects of important variables on process behaviour. The state of automatic control for the different processes depends on the progress which has been made in these areas and this varies considerably. This is illustrated by discussion of four processes, wet ball milling and hydraulic classification, wet autogenous milling, sulphide flotation and dense medium separation in coal preparation plants. In each case the process characteristics, current control practice and future developments are discussed. Particular problems which have delayed progress are discussed.

Jan 1, 1984

By Harry Roe

THE power drag scrapers and the slackline cableway excavator have been called "long-range excavators." Broadly, their field of usefulness is restricted to work in which their long range of action permits them to operate economically, and which other, possibly more conventional, excavating units cannot do. Both of these machines dig or lift material and transport it to a clumping point. They combine these two functions in a single machine, nearly always in a single straight-line motion. FIG. I.-SIMPLE FORM OF POWER DRAG SCRAPER. The purpose of this paper is to examine the important features that distinguish the machines in this group from each other, as well as from other groups.

Jan 1, 1937

By A. C. Noble, D. E. Ranta

Orebodies with intricate three- dimensional shapes (such as porphyry molybdenum deposits) are difficult to model using geostatistics or other computer- assisted methods. 'The strong trends in their spatial grade distributions occur as mathematically complex shapes and prevent the customary assumption of local stationarity that is required for accurate ore reserve estimation. "Zoned Kriging", a new method developed by AMAX, solves this problem directly by using the geologist's interpretation of the ore zones as a parameter in the kriging equations. The geological basis and methods used in the Climax ore zoning technique are reviewed and discussed relative to their application in zoned geostatistical modeling. The Zoned Kriging technique is described and demonstrated using data typical of mineral de- posits.

Jan 1, 1984

By F. Lynwood Garrison

The enormous growth of the manufacture of Bessemer steel in this country within the last few years, due to the almost constant large demand for steel rails, renders it very desirable that our knowledge of the physical and chemical properties of a material upon which we place so much dependence should be increaqed by every possible means. It was with this end in view, and also in hopes of learning something of the causes affecting the regularity of the Bessemer product, that I took up the subject of this paper a short time ago. The lise of the microscope as an instrument of research in the metallurgy of iron and steel is now fairly well established;

Jan 1, 1887

By M. E. Wadsworth

The Michigan State College of Mines was established ten years ago last September as the fourth and last of the iustitutions of Michigan which are devoted to higher education. From the moment of its inception its single object has been to send out men who are qualified to take active part in the development of the mineral wealth of our State and nation, and any study which is essential to this end will not be found wanting in its courses of instruction. The institution has been singularly happy in its location. It is an axiom of modern education that any school which is to obtain the greatest return for the money and energy spent in

Jan 1, 1898

By H. B. C. Nitze

In view of the extensive use of vanning-machines in this country, a brief comparison of the results obtained by the plain belt generally employed, and the corrugated belt which was introduced a few years ago, may be of interest. The data given below have been abstracted from a working-journal, and hence lack the precision, and also, in several desirable particulars, the detail, which would naturally have been secured in special experiments ; but they have the advantage of being working-figures, and are sufficient as the basis of a fair comparison between the two kinds of belt working on similar ores. The conditions under which the work was done were the following :

Jan 1, 1893

By L. A. Jr. Norman

ANOTHER chapter in the history of Mother Lode mining is being written by operations in the Old Eureka mine near Sutter Creek, Amador County, California. During a two-year period (1938-1939), 85,517 tons of ore averaging 0.62 oz. gold per ton were mined and milled, as compared to the production of approximately 210,000 tons of 0.315-oz. gold ore during the preceding seven years. This is a repetition of mining history in the Mother Lode, where a period of prosperity has followed a long period of lean production. The location of this new ore in the hitherto unproductive hanging-wall greenstones and its mining and geological developments are most interesting.

Jan 1, 1939

By Joseph G. Wargo

A meteoric rise in selling price has revived gold exploration activity throughout the world. In the United States the effort is, in large measure, channeled toward discovery of disseminated gold deposits such as the Carlin-type, i.e., with size and grade characteristics similar to Newmont's Carlin mine in Nevada. The subtle surface indications characteristic of Carlin-type gold mineralization have been examined by a number of geologists, and the more obvious prospects have been tested by surface sampling and drilling. It is likely that most of these readily recognizable deposits have already been found and, as a consequence, prospectors are now entering a new, second stage of exploration for Carlin-type and related disseminated gold deposits.

Jan 9, 1979

By E. R. Borcherdt

IT is notable that the first large-scale mine operation equipped entirely with detachable bits was the Badger State mine of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. in Butte, Montana, just 30 years ago. This mine in 1922 was producing approximately 1200 tons of ore per day. Much of the data presented in C. L. Berrien's article1 describing the development and installation of the Hawkesworth detachable drill bit were obtained from these operations. As in any pioneering effort, no precedent existed and many difficult problems required solution, so that the changeover to detachable bits at all Butte hill mines was not completed for 6 years. There was widespread disbelief as to the probable efficiency of the new installation.

Jan 2, 1953

By Charles A. Ashburner

[The statistics contained in this paper were collected for the United States Geological Survey and communicated to the Institute, by permission, prior to their publication in the report on the Mineral Statistics of the United States for 1887.1 The total coal-production of Alabama in 1887 was about 1,950,000 short tons, the spot-value of which, at the mines, was $2,535,000. The coal-regions of the State lie in the extreme southern part of the Appalachian coal-field, the northern part of which lies along the western New York-Pennsylvania State line; between these limits, New York on the north and Alabama on the south, portions of the

Jan 1, 1889

By R. H. Raring, F. E. Martin

A high speed gas quenching dilatometer useful in studying phase transformations in low alloy steels is described. Changes in specimen length are measured by means of an electrical micrometer tube. The maximum instantaneous cooling rate is approximately 5000°F per sec; the maximum average cooling rate from 1650' to 950°F is approximately 2900°F per sec. Data for steels of 0.11 pct and 0.67 pct C content are included. KNOWLEDGE of phase transformations as they occur in an alloy under conditions of continuous cooling affords valuable insight into its properties. The transformation characteristics during continuous cooling of steels of high hardenability, which decompose entirely to martensite at fairly slow cool-

Jan 1, 1957

By M. S. Smani, P. Blazy, J. M. Cases

Investigations on the beneficiation of sedimentary Moroccan phosphate ores are reported in four separate parts. The first discusses electrochemical phenomena at the solid-aqueous solution interface for minerals of the apatite group. In the second part, the electrochemical properties of the calcareous gangue associated with the phosphate ore are investigated. The flotation of calcite and phosphate oölites, using both anionic and cationic collectors, is discussed in the third part. It is shown that selective recovery could be obtained for precise concentrations of collectors and pH ranges. Results of work aimed at optimizing depression of phosphate oölites during inverse flotation of the carbonate gangue with sodium oleate are reported in Part 4.

Jan 1, 1976

By Carl Swartz

IN the course of a recent investigation1 to develop a more satisfactory white-metal. bearing alloy, a number of alloy systems were studied. The cadmium-nickel system showed characteristics desirable in a bearing alloy, and the system was therefore studied in some detail. EXPERIMENTAL METHOD Alloying cadmium with nickel offered no serious difficulty. After melting the cadmium, clean sheet nickel was added while the temperature was maintained at 500° to 600° C: A few crystals of ammonium chloride2 served to clean the nickel when the latter did not "wet" readily. In preparing the individual alloys for thermal and microscopic investigation, a "hardener" containing about 10 per cent nickel was used.

Jan 1, 1933

By J. H. Fletcher

AIR has been cooled, heated, washed; humidified and dehumidified for many purposes and in many industries. At a number of metal mines air is conditioned to reduce the high humidity and unbearable heat found in deep workings, and at some mines air is washed to allay siliceous dust. Steam is introduced into the intake air at many coal mines, particularly in winter, for the purpose of keeping loose coal dust so moistened that the hazard of an explosion is lessened. This paper will describe a further successful application of air conditioning in a coal mine, where, for over three years, all intake air has been cooled to a constant temperature for the sole purpose of preventing roof falls.

Jan 1, 1931

By James E. Little

Of the several extensive deposits of brown iron-ore in Cuba, including those of Mayari and Moa, that of Mayari was the first to be systematically explored, and was selected as the scene of the first operations in the development of this class of ore. Construction-work, begun in the spring of 1907, involved the building of 16 miles of stantlard-gauge railroad and two large double-track inelines, the installation of milling-machinery, a nodulizing-plant, power-plant, shops and shipping-facilities, and the dredging of an extensive basin for deep-draught vessels. Unusual weather-conditions delayed the completion of portions of this work so that the entire plant was not in operation until December, 1900.

Jan 1, 1912

By L. O. Millard

Stockpiles in the minerals industries serve a wide variety of purposes. Usually they are for surge between stages of processing, for a dependable plant feed in anticipation of delays, or to provide for single or double shift mining in conjunction with round-the-clock milling. Often surge piles are necessary to insure a uniform feed to continuous process equipment where the material is received as an intermittent or variable flow. Extensive use is made of stockpiling for the primary purpose of blending. The significant fact about all stockpiling of bulk materials is that storing and reclaiming are two separate and distinct operations and they may present widely different problems in the selection of methods and tools.

Jan 10, 1959

By Stephen Krickovic

THERE is today no proven continuous mining machine that can be used under all the varying conditions found in most bituminous coal mines. During the last five years, however, both the machines and methods of using them have been improved. Coal operators can now exercise a fair degree of selectivity, except those who must struggle with thick and hard partings and operate in seams less than 40 in. thick. It must be realized, then, that more than one type of continuous miner may be used advantageously in the same coal mine. Although this appears to violate the standardization generally sought after, the gain can more than offset added maintenance and, to a lesser degree, operating problems.

Jan 12, 1957

By Henry Tobelmann

THE location, mode of occurrence of ore, and preliminary tests leading to the development of the present leaching process and the building of the present plant on the property of the New Cornelia Copper Co. at Ajo, have been described in previous papers presented to the Institute and in the, discussions thereof.1 It is sufficient to say that these tests began early in July, 1912, and were continued to the close of January, 1916; that small tests at Douglas were followed by the construction of a 1-ton plant at the mine; and this was followed by the operation of a 40-ton plant for 14 mo. In all about 15,000 T. of ore were treated experiment-.

Jan 2, 1919

The Climax design is for the human being and his needs. Climax President Arthur Bunker has likened the high mountain operation to a giant, 250 million tons in weight, and 12 thousand feet high. No matter how huge or complicated the plant, the design must assure efficient operation by its human operators. By the same token, living and playing facilities must be designed for fullest satisfaction in use-else the capital investment is not justified. Even the product, molybdenum, finds its application through the ever growing demands of a highly industrialized society of humans. Research in Climax Laboratories, in tune with our technical age, helps guide molybdenum to its maximum use for society.

Aug 1, 1955

By Victor A. Phillips

A series of strips of a Ni-12.7 at. pct A1 alloy were Prepared containing cubical y'(NisAl) precipitates with edge lengths from 60 to 500A. A particle-free solution-tveated strip was included for cornparison. They weve cold-rolled 95 pct and the effects of particle size on the isochronal (1/2 hr) annealing behavior between 300° and 950°C studied (by hardness and light and electron microscopy). It ulas inferred that the particles deformed with the lnatvix becoming lamellae which remained coherent. Comparison with published data fov pure nickel showed that aluminum greatly re-tavded softening and recrystallization, but it made little difference whether or not particles were present. The presence of pakticles led to a heterogeneous distribution of precipitates after annealing at 700" to 750°C. Recovery was not detected. Recrystallization occurred by the growth of new grains into unrecrys-tallized material. In a previous study by the author,' the growth of Ll2-type ordered yl(Ni3Al) precipitates was followed in Ni-12.7 at. pct A1 alloy as a function of aging at 600" and 700°C. The particles were showo to be cubical in shape in all sizes from 50 to 3000A and remained coherent. This work was used as a guide in preparing the starting structures for the present study of the effect of these particles on the annealing behavior of heavily cold-rolled strip. Another question of present interest was whether dislocation and particle hardening were additive, since the structures before rolling ranged from solution-treated to peak-aged to overaged. Also, precipitation might occur on annealing after cold-rolling. Reference may be made to other papers2"5 for previous work in this relatively unexplored field and only some recent work will be mentioned her:. phillips2 studied the effect of deformable 0 to 590A-diam cobalt particles on a Cu-3.23 pct Co alloy rolled 95 pct and found that the particles, which rolled out into thin lamellae, impeded softening and recrystallization. Tanner and servi3 likewise studied the annealing of cold-swaged Cu-2 pct Co alloy containing 150A-diam particles and found impeding effects. Haessner et a1.,4 on the other hand, found that incoherent 2-p-diam non-deformable particles of B4C (0.04 vol pct) tended to increase the rate of recrystallization of copper rolled up to 95 pct reduction. They attributed this to the formation of new grains at the particle interfaces. Humphreys and artin' found that nondeformable silica particles in copper rolled to 30 pct reduction accelerated recrystallization if the particle spacing was large and retarded it if the spacing was smaller. Haessner et a1 4 also studied a rolled Ni-Cr-A1 alloy; however, the particles of y'(Ni3Al)-type precipitate were not put in before rolling, but separated during the isothermal annealing at 750°C. No previous work appears to have been carried out on the effect of y' (Ni3A1) particles on the annealing of Ni-A1 alloy. Hornbogen and ICreye7 redetermined the solubility c of aluminum in nickel as a function of temperature T and showed that it was given by c = 32.6 exp(-1940/RT). This relation gives aluminum solubilities of 15.1, 14.2, 12.0, and 10.7 at. pct at 1000°, 900°, 700°, and 600°C, respectively. The phase precipitated from the nickel-rich solid solution is fcc y1 (Ni3A1) which has a Cu3Au -type ordered structure8 and remains ordered up to 1000°C.B EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The alloy used was identical with that used before. Chemical analysis showed 6.27 wt pct (12.71 at. pct) Al, the principle impurities being 0.065 pct Fe, 0.022 pct Co, 0.020 pct Cu, and 0.004 pct C. Bar stock of 1 in. diam was cold-swaged to % in. diam, cold-rolled to 0.300-in.-thick strip, and annealed at 900°C in dry hydrogen. It was cold-rolled to 0.100-in. thickness and solution-treated for 1 hr at 1000°C while sealed in a quartz tube in argon, quenching in iced brine with the aid of a device to snap off the nose of the tube. Lineal analysis gave an average grain size of 0.055 mm. Pieces of strip were aged at 700°C in vacuo for 30 min, 51/4 hr, and 1 week to produce nominal average particle widths of 60, 150, and 500A, respectively, as known from the previous work.' The average diamond pyramid hardness was determined. The heat-treated strips were rolled from 0.100 to 0.005 in., a reduction of 95 pct, and the rolled strips stored at about -5°C. Small pieces were annealed within 1 week for 30 min at temperatures from 300° to 950° ±2°C in a horizontal vacuum furnace. Strips were withdrawn into a cooling zone, giving an estimated initial cooling rate from 950°C of about 50°C per sec. Average diamond pyramid hardnesses were determined on a lightly electropolished spot on the surface of each strip using 300-g load. Each point on the softening curves represents a separate annealed specimen. Sections containing the rolling direction were examined by optical metallography. Selected specimens were electrothinned to the center plane' and examined by transmission at 100 kv in a Siemens Elmiskop I electron microscope. It is well-known that changes in the structure tend to occur when a deformed strip is electrothinned below a thickness of a few hundred angstroms, although this is less serious with a material such as nickel which has a high melting point, and also is apt to be less serious when particles are present. Observations were nevertheless confined to thicker regions of the foils with estimated thicknesses over 1000A. No changes were observed due to beam exposure.

Jan 1, 1968