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By E. Gybbon Spilsbury

In the course of the persistent and rapid advance of our country towards the goal she has set for herself, of commercial and manufacturing supremacy, there stand out certain periods or cycles of prosperity or depression, succeeding one another with a comparative regularity as to their ultimate trend, but of varying lengths and intensities. I might compare this course to that of a railroad between two points at different levels, with intervening mountain ranges and valleys, the up-grades climbing towards the final upper terminal of prosperity, while the down-grades retard the ascent, and tend to return to the valleys below. Just at the present time we are evidently at the bottom of one of these valleys, and, before starting to climb the next divide, it may be prudent for us to look into the condition of our rolling-stock, and especially into that of our brakes, and see what the experience of our downward journey has taught us, and whether we are properly equipped for the new upward advance which now lies before us. Probably no previous period of the same duration has produced in all branches of mining and metallurgy improvements SO many and so various as have the last ten or twelve years. Not that they have brought forth any such startling and revo-

Jan 1, 1898

By H. H. Stoek

Among the mining and metallurgical achievements of the latter part of the nineteenth century, not the least is the incep tion and successful prosecution by mining men of a technical educational movement which in magnitude surpasses any similar movement ever before set on foot. The following account of this undertaking has been prepared at the request of the Secretary of the Institute :*

Jan 1, 1899

By F. C. Wagner, E. P. Klier, D. E. Nulk

The presence or absence of plastic strain at a cleavarage surface is a question of much importance, and upon its answer depends future possible theoretical work. To investigate this question back-reflectinn X ray patterns were obained on the cleavage facets of ferrite grains. The test set-up consisting of FeK colli- mated radiation, single grain material and stationary cassette and specimen will not lead to a diffraction pattern, in general, but is an ideal arrangement for the exami-nation of surface effects. A pattern taken on hydrogen purified

Jan 1, 1949

By John F. Slonaker, Joseph W. Leonard

This note is a review of current research intended to increase the utilization of coal ash. Due to the magnitude of the fly-ash research program, some projects may be inadvertently omitted. Field research on fly-ash for use as an agricultural fertilizer is being monitored at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. This research is directed at determining the plant nutrients that are available in fly ash as well as the quantities of fly ash that can be applied to agricultural soil.

Jan 1, 1975

By E. J. Schmitz

Coming from San Antonio, Texas, and following the Galveston, Harrisburg and San Antonio Railroad westwards, one enters soon the Cretaceous formation, which forms a belt of several hundred miles, extending westwards to the boundary of Arizona and across the Rio Grande into the State of Coahuila, Mexico. The members of this formation are very numerous and in petrographical character very diverse—from a whitish or bluish, slaty, impure limestone to a hard, beautiful blue-and-red striped, and a compact heavy-bedded,

Jan 1, 1885

By T. A. Rickard

Our Transactions contain two notable papers descriptive of the stamp-milling practice of the Black Hills and of Grass Valley, namely, the elaborate and complete treatise of Prof. H. 0. Hofman, on " Gold-Milling in the Black Hills,"" and the paper describing the North Star mill, by E. R. Abadie, its superintendent. Having visited and examined the stampmills of both localities, I venture to offer here such comment as more recent information or a different point of view has suggested.†

Jan 1, 1896

By Joseph W. Leonard

Evidence is presented to show that certain coals can be super-cleaned, using present coal preparation processes, to reduce sulfur below levels that are commonly believed to be possible. The evidence points to the need to develop continuous sorting methods by which coal coming from a mine can be segregated so that different raw coal types can be processed separately to produce a super-clean coal in addition to coals cleaned to more common levels of sulfur. Evidence is presented and techniques discussed that may be applicable for making the method feasible.

Jan 1, 1976

By K. H. Nimerick, G. P. Laflin

Laboratory data and field tests indicate that substantial losses of valuable coal can be caused by wind erosion. Wind tunnel tests show the effects of wind velocity and particle sizing on the amount of coal lost while in transit. Different coals were evaluated to determine the variables associated with wind erosion. The erosion losses can be substantially reduced by using a binder, or crusting agent, to consolidate the surfaces of the coal into a solid mass which resists erosion. This not only reduces economic loss but minimizes polllution.

Jan 1, 1980

By Harold E. Thomas, Samuel S. M. Chan, Nicholas Bada

The U.S. Bureau of Mines has developed a technique for locating and evaluating bedding plane cracks in mine roof by an air-injection and hot-film flow logging technique. It is ultrasensitive to cracks and is especially useful for detecting the early stage of crack development. Potential applications include: (1) correlation with roof sag measurements, (2) locating cracks for grouting, (3) comparison of mechanical and resin roof bolt effectiveness, and (4) possible delineation of the fracture zone to confirm the arch hypothesis. The required equipment is inexpensive and simple to operate.

Jan 1, 1975

By J. Jr. Hudy

The objective of this investigation of the Cendrex was to determine the applicability of the X-ray instrument for the measurement of the ash content of coal. Developed by the Dutch State Mines, this instrument is designed to provide ash analysis of any desired coal product with only a 5-minute lag between sample collection and analytical result. The unit could, with limit controls, be used to feed back signals to preset the separating gravity of coal washers, control the ratio of various coals needed to produce an acceptable blend, and permit the sorting of a washed product into two qualities, one which is below and the other which is above a prescribed ash content. This unit can also be used discontinuously for rapid determination of samples of coals taken in the usual manner.

Jan 7, 1968

By A. Wahab Khair

This paper presents an analysis of fracture mechanisms in coal subjected to bi-axial state of stresses, indentation of laterally con- fined coal specimen. Coal specimens were loaded to failure by the straight wedge indenters at various lateral confinement pressures. Strain distribution and acoustic emission characteristics of coal specimens under stress were recorded. The influence lines of vertical forces acting on the horizontal straight boundary of the coal specimen for each type of wedge indenter have been established using holographic interferometry technique. The effects of wedge indenter angle, confinement pressure, and coal anisotropy on fracture types, failure modes, and post-failure conditions were studied. The results indicated that combined application of holographic interferometry and acoustic emission monitoring techniques is not only suitable for studying deformability of heterogeneous and microscopically discontinuous material under stress but it also enhances the mode of fracture during the post failure stage.

Jan 1, 1984

By A. E. Moss, J. K. Gustafson

MEASURED in terms of ore tonnage, the New Quebec and Labrador iron ore fields promise to rank with the greatest iron ore districts of the world. Over 400 million tons of high-grade ore for direct shipping have been discovered to date. Much greater amounts of lower-grade beneficiating ores are indicated by outcrops. Many hundreds of square miles of iron formation await testing. By 1954 iron ore will begin to move towards American blast furnaces, and shortly thereafter the annual rate of production is expected to reach 10 . million tons. To bring this vast project into being over $200,000,000 will have been spent for exploration and development, mining equipment, hydro plants, townsites, the building and the equipping of . a 360-mile railroad, and the construction of docks and ore-handling facilities. The most important iron ore deposits are located over 300 miles from tide water, see frontispiece and also Fig. 1. The frontispiece shows principal sources of iron ores and manganiferous iron ores for the U. S. and Canadian steel industry, and the major smelting districts are shaded on the map. No navi- gable rivers lead into the interior. When work was . commenced on this project there were no roads, no railroads, no communication ,system, no inhabitants, and no adequate maps either topographical or geological. The geological field season was limited to approximately 100 days per season. The obstacles facing this enterprise were many and varied. Its success will be due to the integrated team work of people of diverse skills. Explorers, Indian guides, prospectors, geologists, surveyors, mechanical, civil, electrical, and mining engineers,

Jan 1, 1954

Jan 1, 1910

By Charles F. King

THE only investigations on record of the reactions occurring during the Bessemer blow are of charges containing a large percentage of manganese, with the exception of two partial analyses by Snelus and Barker of the. English method, where a low percentage of manganese was used. They do not give the analysis of the spiegel, nor do they report any graphitic carbon after the first stage of the process. Both report only traces of manganese after the first stage until the addition of spiegel. The slags corresponding to the samples of metal were not analyzed.

Jan 1, 1881

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Jan 1, 1942

By H. B. Fuqua, B. E. Thompson

The area discussed herein, commonly known as the North Texas district, embraces the following 10 counties: Archer, Baylor, Clay, Cooke, Foard, Hardeman, Knox, Montague, Wichita and Wilbarger. It is undcrlain by two major structural features. The northernmost portion of the district, including Cooke, Montague, northern Clay, Wichita, Wilbarger, Foard and Hardeman Counties, is underlain by the system of buried mountains known as the Red River uplift, which is parallel to and closely related to the Wichita-Amarillo uplift of Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle. While the presence of a great majority of the numerous oil fields of the area is traceable to this feature, the production

Jan 1, 1938

By Ossi V. I. Hintikka, Andrew Balint

Sorting tests on limestone at the Lohjan Kalkkitehdas Oy Ojamo mine, Finland, are described. The tests, conducted to evaluate a Sortex 811MW optical separator, were successful, and upon completion, the sorting machine was put into production. Optical separation characteristics of the limestone, used for cement manufacturing, are described. Problems of winter operation are discussed. Operating costs are given.

Jan 1, 1972

By Richard R. Zupp, David A. Stevenson

An experimental method to determine the carbon activity in various solid solutions was developed. Samples of the solid solutions and an Fe-C reference sample were equilibrated with respect to carbon content by annealing them in a Hz-CHI gas mixture in a closed cell. The carbon content of each sample was determined, and the carbon activity was obtained from the carbon content of' the reference sample and well-established data for the dependence of the carbon activity on the carbon content in Fe-C alloys. The influence of vanadium on the activity of carbon in austenitic Fe-C-V alloys at 1000°C was determined by this technique. A general semiempirical correlation was developed to describe the dependence of the activity coefficient of- carbon on the composition of ternary austenitic iron-base alloys containing interstitial carbon and a substitutional solute. The correlation is particularly useful in predicting the partitioning of- carbon between various alloys. THE influence of substitutional solutes on the activity of interstitial solutes in metallic solid solutions is important in the theory of alloy phases. Solid solutions of particular interest are the fcc austenite phases of ternary Fe-C-Z systems, in which carbon is the interstitial solute and Z represents any substitutional solute. Carbon-activity data are also needed in these solid solutions to solve practical problems; the quantitative treatment of diffusion-controlled transformations' is an examvle. Experimental information is available for ternary austenitic solid solutions containing Mn,2 Si,2 and A16 as the substitutional solute. Because qualitative preliminary studies indicated that vanadium appreciably decreases the carbon activity,14 the present investigation was undertaken to determine the influence of vanadium on the activity of carbon in austenite. Although Flender and ever" measured carbon activity over a range of compositions in the Fe-C-V system, they were primarily interested in determining phase boundaries in the ternary system, so most of their measurements were outside the composition range for stability of single-phase austenite. Petrova and Shvartsman' also made limited measurements of the carbon activity in Fe-C-V alloys. The dependence of the carbon activity on the carbon content of an alloy may be determined by passing COCOz or H2-CH4 gas mixtures of carefully measured composition over the alloys, determining their equilibrium carbon content, and utilizing the relevant equilibrium relationships. smith16 used this technique with both CO-COZ and HZ-CH4 gas mixtures to determine the dependence of carbon activity on carbon content in pure Fe-C alloys. His data, which are in good agreement with those of some previous and subsequent investigators,6'17 but not with those of others,lfl'ao are usually considered to be the most reliable. Although the same method can be applied to Fe-C-Z alloys, it is difficult experimentally, because the appropriate gas mixtures are almost pure CO or Hz. A simpler technique is to simultaneously equilibrate the Fe-C-Z alloys and pure Fe-C alloys with the gas mixtures, and then use Smith's data to determine the carbon activity in the pure Fe-C alloy. A number of investigators have employed this technique. others Have used the partitioning of carbon at the interface of a diffusion couple prepared from an Fe-C alloy and a Fe-C-Z alloy. In the present study, a closed-cell method was developed by which carbon was selectively transferred via a gas medium between pure Fe-C alloys and Fe-C-V alloys which were not in physical contact. A similar method was developed independently by Heckler and winchel14 and used to study the Fe-C-Ni system. EXPERIMENTAL METHOD A schematic diagram of the experimental arrangement is shown in Fig. 1. In a typical experiment, a 5-g Fe-C sample was placed in one compartment of a quartz cell, and a 5-g Fe-V sample was placed in each of the other compartments. The cell was evacuated, outgassed, backfilled with approximately 125 Torr of hydrogen, and sealed. After being placed in a fur-

Jan 1, 1967

By A. Eilers

ALTHOUGH the process to which I refer in this paper has been in successful operation for nearly five years, during which time it has been introduced, superseding all other processes having in view the same end, in almost every lead refinery in the country, no description of it, giving economical data, has ever appeared in print, nor has the process been known in its details to any considerable number of engineers beside those conducting it at their works. A discussion of this subject at the present time becomes especially interesting in view of a late publication in the Prussian ministerial organ for Mining and Metallurgy, by Dr. Wedding, in which the method of treating the zinc-silver-lead alloy by distillation, as finally settled upon at Tarnowitz, is very minutely and fully described. It is the more interesting, because in that article reference is made to the American method in an unfavorable light, while, at the same time, it is clear from the article itself, that the most important details of the process, besides the one that it is conducted in black-lead retorts, were not at all understood. In publishing herewith the details of our American method, one of my objects is to invite comparisons between our simple and direct process and the elaborate one at Tarnowitz. In extracting the silver from work-lead by means of zinc, it is always the intention, in this country, to obtain a zinc-crust so rich in silver that the rich lead resulting from subsequent distillation

Jan 1, 1875

By Arthur F. TQggQrt

THE approximate status of education in ore dressing in 1871 is reflected by Rossiter W. Raymond in an article written at that time presenting the curricula and descriptions of the laboratories at the various mining schools in the United States. For the most part, the curricula in which ore dressing was taught were for mining engineering. They comprised courses in geology, mining, and pyrometallurgy about equal in point or credit weights; a short course in ore dressing, and a somewhat longer course in assaying; and courses in surveying, hydraulics, power, and strength of materials-all superimposed on a broad foundation of physics, chemistry, and mathematics. Some curricula contained a fair content of the humanities. Then, as now, the emphasis on fundamentals was greater in the older colleges and universities. The report on the Columbia School of Mines, then relatively young, emphasized that a large percentage of its students were college graduates. As technical and scientific knowledge grew, first metallurgy and then geology were set up as separate curricula. So far as curriculum designation is con-

Jan 1, 1947