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By Strathmore R. B. Cooke, Robert E. Brandt

EARLIER work1,2 has shown that the strength developed by fired magnetite pellets containing silica or silicates is due to three separate effects. Two of these are associated with the formation of slag in the interior of each pellet at temperatures above 1000°C, where the atmosphere is substantially though temporarily neutral. The third is independent of the silica content and is responsible for the development of a hard shell around the pellet during the initial stages of firing, a condition which permits the pellet to assume the increasing load of the overlying burden and prevents extrusion of the slagged and semi-liquid interior. Pellets made from hematite concentrates do not show these effects unless specific additives are incorporated, and it is these differences in behavior which in large part account for the difficulty in producing satisfactory pellets from such concentrates. Elsewhere it has been stated that "the most important factor responsible for the development of strength in fired magnetite pellets containing no additive is the oxidation of magnetite to hematite and the subsequent recrystallization and grain growth of this constituent."1 The object of the investigation reported in the present paper was to study in detail the mechanism described above and to evaluate its contribution to the strength of the fired pellet compared with other possible mechanisms, excluding slag bonding. This was effected by placing together polished faces of two cubes prepared from specific minerals and then heating them under constant pressure at different temperatures both in air and in nitrogen.

Jan 4, 1954

By Samuel Lasky

THE writer has been interested in determining the mineralogic dis-tribution of silver in the base-metal ore of the Ground Hog mine of the Asarco Mining Co. in the Central mining district of New Mexico.1 This ore consists of a varitextured mixture of sphalerite, chalcopyrite, galena and pyrite in a quartz gangue. The average ore contains 14 per, cent of zinc, 9.5 per cent of lead, 5 per cent of copper, and 10 oz. of silver per ton. Generally it is accepted that the silver in ores of this type, in which no definite silver minerals can be recognized, is contained in the base-metal minerals. Published assays of pure mineral specimens from many dis-tricts show that each of the base-metal minerals contributes in some degree to the total silver content of the ores, and to determine the pro-portionate amount contributed by each mineral in any specific ore it has been the practice to assay selected specimens of each mineral, the purity of which has been determined microscopically. There being no such assays available for the Ground Hog ore, and it being impract cable to have enough of them made to give average results, the writer resorted to a mathematical attack upon composite assays of large quantities of ore and concentrates. Surprising results were obtained, and it is the threefold purpose of this paper to present these results, to describe the mathe-matical method used, and to point out the value of using this method even when assays of pure specimens are available.

Jan 1, 1934

By Malcolm V. Lowry

At Balmat in northern New York State, the St. Joseph Lead Co.'s 2100-tpd zinc mining and milling operation is utilizing a unique thickener in conjunction with conventional crushing, grinding and flotation methods. From 1930 through 1962, zinc concentrates went directly from flotation to the filtering, drying and loading facilities, all of which had to operate 24 hr per day. Wide fluctuations in tonnage also had to be accommodated due to variations in the grade of ore. Many problems were thus encountered in filtering and drying, but the cost of installing a conventional, large diameter thickener could never be justified. In 1963, after thorough investigation, an unconventional thickener that is unusual in several respects was installed at Balmat. The tank depth is 16 ft instead of the normal 8 ft. The rakes are raised and lowered by having the main drive gear located on a movable platform. Automatic controls are programmed to raise the drive platform and rakes during one shift of storage. During the next two shifts of withdrawal, the controls are programmed to lower the drive platform and rakes.

Jan 5, 1966

By Ripu Daman Lama

The size of coal pillars in mines until recently has been determined by experience without being based upon scientific investigations. As a consequence, the size of pillars had invariably been larger than could be accounted for because of the number of unknown factors involved which influence the strength, dictating the use of large safety factors. With the mining going deeper, the size of the pillars greatly increases and sometimes a considerable portion of the mineral property are blocked in the mine pillars required to support the superincumbent strata. With the advances in the field of Rock Mechanics, attention of mine planning engineers has been focused upon the design of mine pillars for safe and efficient working as well as decrease losses of coal. The problem involves the study of three factors: (1) Presence of stresses in the area and their distribution on pillars in the course of extraction. (2) The influence of external factors on the strength of coal. (3) The inherent mechanical properties of coal. These aspects have been studied by a large number of investigators, the first by in-situ stress measurements and photoelastic studies and the second and third aspect by studies conducted in the laboratory on small size specimens (Bunting, 1911; Evens & Pomeroy, 1961; Gaddy, 1956; Greenland et al, 1941; Steart 1954). The size of the specimens tested in the laboratory has been limited to a few inches and the results obtained have been extrapolated by large factors, sometimes several hundred times the largest specimen tested. In these tests much consideration has not been given to

Jan 1, 1971

By Glenn C. Waterman

The use of stream sediment and soil sampling as an aid in exploration has markedly increased in recent years as more and more attention has been directed to areas that are generally geologically favorable for mineralization but show little outcrop. Numerous ore deposits and many hundreds of mineral deposits that have no surface exposure have been found associated with anomalous geochemical patterns. Sophisticated techniques have been developed to "wring out" of geochemical data subtle information that is pertinent in defining areas of exploration interest. Variations in metal patterns in soils and sediments as they are affected by pH, Eh, weather, topography, etc., are pretty well known. Field studies have determined the variations and controls of metal ion distribution in the several soil horizons and the contributions to metal concentrations made by different types of vegetation. Less well known is how to interpret geochemical data since thickness of soils over bedrock varies in an unknown fashion and, particularly, where glacial debris of unknown thickness is piled on top of soils or scoured bedrock.

Jan 7, 1975

By V. T. Stringfield

ONE of the earliest investigations of ground water in Florida was made in 1513 when Ponce de Leon arrived at St. Augustine in search of the Fountain of Youth. The history of the development of the water resources of the State shows that the large artesian reservoir that underlies Florida was discovered in the latter part of the last century. Part of that history is given by L. C. Johnson1 who states that the first successful artesian well in Florida was drilled at St. Augustine between 1880 and 1882. After the City of Jacksonville failed to obtain a flow of artesian water at a depth of nearly 400 ft and abandoned the drilling, R. N. Ellis, City Engineer, and L. C. Johnson, using Johnson's knowledge of the geologic structure of the artesian reservoir, estimated correctly that artesian water could be obtained at a depth of about 500 ft. Thus began the development of the large artesian system in the northeastern part of the State. In 1908, the Florida Geological Survey issued its first report on the ground water of central Florida.

Jan 6, 1951

By George Holderer

THE Enos Coal Mining Co. owns an area underlaid by coal, of approximately 5000 acres. This property is situated 9 miles from Oakland City, in the southern part of Indiana. The mine has been in operation 5 years, during which time some 350 acres have been stripped, and stripping is now proceeding at the rate of about 100 acres per year. TOPOGRAPHY These coal lands consist of gently-rolling agricultural fields which in times past were farmed for wheat. There is no timber and but very little brush to contend with. The overburden varies from 10 to 60 ft. in depth. A thin bed of slate overlies the coal, followed by limestone, which varies from 3 to 15 ft.; this, in turn, is followed by sandstone, slate, shale and clay. There is a very wide variation in the thickness of all of these beds. The coal has an average thickness of 5 ft., and is a good grade of high-volatile bituminous. MINING OPERATIONS Briefly, the sequence of operations is: drilling holes with churn drills; blasting with L. 0. X.; stripping overburden to, uncover coal and, finally taking up the coal, which is sent to a tipple for cleaning and sizing. In order to show what is being accomplished by the use of L. 0. X., results will be shown from May to November, 1926, inclusive, and compared to the same period in 1925. No work was done in No. 1 pit during May, 1925, hence all figures are unduly low for this month.

Jan 2, 1927

By C. Baldwin Sawyer

During the last half century, much time has been devoted to investigations of the effect of nitrogen on the physical properties of steel, but in all discussions of results there is considerable doubt as to the accuracy and interpretation of analyses. No conclusions concerning the effects of nitrogen on the physical properties of steel can be more reliable than the methods used for determining the quantities of nitrogen present. The work described in this paper endeavors to establish some additional conditions required by the customary distillation method for reliable and nccurate determinations. Results by a combustion method of analysis for total nitrogen content are presented; these indicate that all of the nitrogen in steel, exclusive of that contained in blowholes, may be determined by the distillation method. Based on these more sound and more reliable analyses, results havc been obtained that bear on the following divisions of the general subject, nitrogen in steel: Nitrification of steel by melting in nitrogen, nitrification of steel by heating in ammonia, decomposition of nitrified steel by heating, and thermal analysis of nitrified steel. Consideration of Two Methods of Analysis and Some Results The details of the distillation and combustion methods are chemical in character and of little interest to most readers. They are therefore described in an appendix. The distillation method is essentially that described by Hurum and Fay1 and was generally used throughout this work. It is capable of the greatest accuracy and all results given are significant to the last, figure. Where analyses do not check, the samples

Jan 1, 1923

By C. Baldwin Sawyer

During the last half century, much time has been devoted to investigations of the effect of nitrogen on the physical properties of steel, but in all discussions of results there is considerable doubt as to the accuracy and interpretation of analyses. No conclusions concerning the effects of nitrogen on the physical properties of steel can be more reliable than the methods used for determining the quantities of nitrogen present. The work described in this paper endeavors to establish some additional conditions required by the customary distillation method for reliable and nccurate determinations. Results by a combustion method of analysis for total nitrogen content are presented; these indicate that all of the nitrogen in steel, exclusive of that contained in blowholes, may be determined by the distillation method. Based on these more sound and more reliable analyses, results havc been obtained that bear on the following divisions of the general subject, nitrogen in steel: Nitrification of steel by melting in nitrogen, nitrification of steel by heating in ammonia, decomposition of nitrified steel by heating, and thermal analysis of nitrified steel. Consideration of Two Methods of Analysis and Some Results The details of the distillation and combustion methods are chemical in character and of little interest to most readers. They are therefore described in an appendix. The distillation method is essentially that described by Hurum and Fay1 and was generally used throughout this work. It is capable of the greatest accuracy and all results given are significant to the last, figure. Where analyses do not check, the samples

Jan 1, 1923

By R. S. McClellan

DURING the last year or so, with higher prices for gold and silver, many old properties in the West have come back to life. Almost every profitable producer in the old days has been considered, and the reasons for its shut-down investigated. If it seems likely that modern ore-finding, mining, and metallurgical methods, and S35 gold can again put the property on a profitable basis, someone can usually be found to back the venture. Methods of rejuvenation vary with the property, of course, but the following outline of what has been done with one group of mines in Idaho is fairly typical and may be suggestive to others. The Golden Chariot gold-silver properties, near Silver City, consist of seven old mines, working a vein system striking north and south, which had a productive length of some 3500 ft. The vein is a quartz-filled fissure with granite walls. Gold occurs in native, and with silver in the form of electrum which is the natural alloy of the two metals. Silver also occurs in a variety of sulfides. From 1064 to 1876, these old properties were worked intensively to an average depth of about 700 ft., through seven shafts which range in

Jan 1, 1934

By John Fritz

THE John Fritz Medal was presented to Ambrose Swasey of Cleveland, Ohio, in the Auditorium of the Engineering Societies Building, in New York, on April 23. Charles F. Rand, Chairman of the Board of Award, presided and, after speaking very briefly of Mr. Swasey, whose friend he has been for a great many years, ,introduced Gen. William Crozier, formerly Chief of Ordnance, U. S. Army, who spoke most entertainingly of, Mr. Swasey's accomplishments in designing and manufacturing instruments of precision, particularly for the use of artillery in range finding: Dr. William Wallace Campbell, Director of the Lick Observatory, and President of the University of California, described Mr. Swasey's, contribution to astronomical advancement by his notable development of the largest telescopes in this country.

Jan 1, 1924

By Charles Legrand

In many iron, coal and copper mines where large tonnages are known before starting operation and proper provisions can be made, the problems of electric traction by trolley locomotives are not very different from those of surface plants. In such installations the gauge of the track, the radius of curves, and the clearances, both vertical and horizontal, can be made to suit the conditions of the traffic. It is more difficult to install electric traction in mines which were started with hand tramming and where no consideration was given to the possibility of mechanical traction being used. The writer having had some experience in the installation of electric traction in copper mines, the following remarks apply more particularly to these mines. With the gauge of track usually 18 or 20 in., the weight limit of locomotives obtainable from manufacturers in this country varies from 3 to 6 tons. The full-load speed varies from 49 to 6 miles per hour. These locomotives, being made to run on very small radius curves, have a short wheel base and a long overhang from axle to coupling, which necessitates a coupling' with a good deal of lateral motion to avoid derailing the cars on sharp curves, especially if couplings are of the standard railroad automatic type. Although 3-ton locomotives will run on 12- or 16-lb. rails, it has been found more satisfactory to use 25-lb. rails, as the track keeps in much better shape, it is easier to maintain the bonding in good order, and fewer derailments from dirt on the track occur with the larger rails. Where 6-ton locomotives are used the 25-lb. rails are satisfactory, but 40-lb. rails have proved cheaper where the traffic is heavy and the ground is soft, as the track maintenance is considerably lower with the heavy rails. The locomotives will run on 15-ft. radius curves, but on through runs it is advisable not to go below 40-ft. radius. The voltage used should not exceed 250 to 275 volts, and the trolley wire should be protected, to prevent accidental contacts, in front of chutes and at all points where it is low. With the air lacking somewhat in oxygen and the heat and high humidity prevalent in many mines, this

Jan 1, 1915

By J. Richard Lucas

The coal industry, one of the great basic industries in the nation, plays a major role in the American economy. Coal is the principal fuel used in generating tremendous quantities of low-cost power so necessary to the nation. Two-thirds of the electrical energy and one-fourth of all energy consumed in the nation is produced from coal. Large-scale production of steel, cement, and chemicals is vitally dependent upon this natural resource. Because of extensive reserves and low mining cost, it is one of the few natural resources in which the United States is a significant exporter. During 1965 in excess of 500 million tons of coal were produced, almost 10% over the previous year; more than 50 million tons were shipped to foreign markets. The utility market gained approximately 8% during the year for a total of 242 million tons.

Jan 2, 1966

MELTING in a crucible is the customary method for small things. It is done in two ways: with the blast of bellows and with an air furnace. The one with bellows, which I wish to show you now, is the common method most in use. It melts quickly and is very well known to goldsmiths and to all melters. I could continue without telling you of it, but I shall tell you its method in order to caution you about what you might perhaps not notice. In order to do this, first make a little forge with a pair of bellows that can be worked with one hand or in some other way. A crucible of the size needed is then taken and filled with the material that you wish to melt. Then, on the forge in front of the place where the wind issues from the bellows, kindle as much charcoal as you think will well cover your crucible and put your crucible full of material in the midst of this burning charcoal above the place where the blast strikes the fire, two or three dita distant from the place where the blast issues-or as much more or less as the size of the crucible or the force of the bellows requires. It is allowed

Jan 1, 1942

By Roscoe Bell

An economic appraisal of the western phosphate industrial potentials made between 1945 and 1948 revealed possibilities for a considerable expansion in the production of high analysis phosphate fertilizer. The most significant facts are: (1) a rapidly increasing and a much larger potential market which might be reached from the western deposits, (2) the existence of large undeveloped deposits of phosphate rock, (3) potential energy from sulphuric acid, coal, or hydroelectric power in the general vicinity of the deposits. The challenge to the mining and metallurgical engineering profession is in the economical development of phosphate mines and in improving processes for utilization of the western ores and the recovery of byproducts to make the expanded western industry satisfactorily compete with the industry in the East and South in meeting the fertilizer needs of the Midwest and Far West.

Jan 4, 1950

By Luis E. Vallejo

Experimental and theoretical analyses are presented to study the mechanics of growth and interaction for three inclined left-stepping, three inclined right-stepping and two inclined non-stepping cracks in a brittle material subjected to uniaxial compression. It was found that the non-stepping cracks did not interact and they propagated individually in a direction parallel to the uniaxial compressive stress. The propagating cracks formed in regions where tensile stresses developed. The left-stepping cracks interacted and formed branching cracks as a result of failure in tension of the material between them. Also, they propagated from their tips in a direction parallel to the uniaxial compressive stress. The right stepping cracks did not interact, but extended themselves from their tips following a direction parallel to the uniaxial compressive stress. The extended cracks formed in areas of compressive stresses.

Jan 1, 1984

By John D. Kalasky

The success in providing adequate ventilation to the active faces of a coal mine for all methods of mining depends upon good face control and the air distribution and control system. A good system provides overcasts, air locks, regulators and bleeders so that an adequate flow of air will be confined to the working places with least opportunity for interruption, and that a flow of air is maintained, however small, across the worked out area to the bleeder and away from men and equipment at all times. In gaseous mines, it is just as important to satisfy effective bleeding as it is to satisfy the air volume requirements in the operating splits. The two requirements go hand in hand. Although not complicated, ventilation and methane drainage in longwall mining in a gaseous mine require careful forethought and adequate facilities to make them safe.

Jan 8, 1966

By A. J. Lanza

THE prevention of illness among the employees of the mining industry is especially important in view of the importance of the industry, the unsettled conditions of labor, which emphasize the economic necessity for conservation of labor, and for humanitarian reasons. The burden of chronic illness is altogether unwarranted and unnecessary. If the industry is to maintain its labor supply in an efficient manner and keep the standard high, it is essential that it make every effort to keep its labor in good physical condition. The basic principles underlying health conservation are the same for any industry, but they are here applied especially to the mining industry, and more particularly, perhaps, to metal mining, as it is with this phase of the industry that the writer is most familiar, and as it is conceded that metal mining presents more health hazards than coal mining. The first step in the prevention of illness lies in securing employees who are in sound health and free from organic disease. I do not mean that all men who go underground should be physically perfect, but they should be free from organic defects of the heart, lungs, and other organs, or from anatomical defects that would- markedly increase their liability to accident. The number of men working underground in mines in this country whose physical, condition totally unfits them for such work presents-a situation that should not be allowed to continue, and which I believe is 'not equalled in any other, industry in the country. There is but one way to secure men who come up to the required standard, . and that is by a thorough physical examination before employment. I am fully aware of the objections felt toward such a procedure by many employers and employees. There is much to he said on both sides, but to any one who is at all familiar with the mining industry as it is today in this country, and who approaches the matter with an unbiased mind, there can be absolutely no doubt as to the necessity for physical examination. As a purely logical proposition this is self-evident, but there remains the further necessity of placing physical examinations on such a

Jan 2, 1919

By B. M. Larsen

IN endeavoring to put the art of the steelmaker on a more scientific basis, as a means of securing closer control of the product, we must be severely critical of the basis of any theory we use. In particular, we must be careful to distinguish between factors that are primary and those of only secondary importance. The concentration relations that determine the slag-metal equilibria, which are usually more or less closely attained, are of course of primary significance, but a clear picture of the whole process requires that the actual rates of the several reactions be taken properly into account. At the high temperature of the steelmaking furnace, all reactions might be thought to be very rapid, but some of them in fact are not; the essential causes of this condition are important to a proper understanding of the process. This paper aims to present, and to justify, the viewpoint that the most significant reaction is the oxidation of carbon in the metal, the progress of which determines the oxygen pressure levels in slag and metal and produces stirring effects, all of which influence the course of the process as a whole. REACTION RATES AT STEELMAKING TEMPERATURES General experience in reaction rates makes it almost certain that at steelmaking temperatures equilibrium is attained practically instantaneously when the reactants are well distributed in a single liquid phase -that is, in the so-called homogeneous reactions. The actual slowness of some of the reactions in the open-hearth furnace must therefore be attributed to a relatively slow rate of diffusion within the slag or metal phase, which limits the rate at which the reactants can meet each other in the liquid steel or at its surface. That the reactions can be made to go with great rapidity, by proper mixing and stirring of the reacting phases, is indicated by the following illustrations: I. In the Bessemer process there is intimate contact between air and the whole mass of metal, and the reactions are complete in a few minutes. 2. Perrin1 has demonstrated that by pouring liquid steel into slag contained in a deep ladle, and thereby producing almost a slag-metal emulsion, the phosphorus or oxygen content of the steel is adjusted immediately. 3. Barret, Holbrook and Woods observed a quite rapid rate of desulphurization when powdered calcium carbide was stirred vigorously into liquid iron. 4. When a spoonful of liquid steel is poured into a mold containing aluminum wire, the formation and precipitation of alumina occurs in the fraction of a second required to freeze the surface layer of the tiny ingot. The first three examples all show that any means of increasing the effective surface between slag and metal and promoting intimate mixture of the reacting phases, thereby obviating the limitation imposed by diffusion, will enhance the speed of the steelmaking process.

Jan 1, 1941

By C. R. Barker, D. A. Summers, H. D. Keith

Introduction Historically, the presence of methane has been a problem, mainly in and around the working areas of active coal mines, and only in these areas has drainage been considered. Drainage, where practical, has been achieved through the drilling of holes forward into the coal and the surrounding strata from the working area. These holes generaly have been short in length, although where methane drainage operations around a longwall face have been undertaken, the holes have had to be longer in order to adequately drain from the center of the face into the access gate roads. In recent years, attempts have been made to degasify the coal seams in advance of mining, without disruption of the mining cycle. This is done by drilling much longer horizontal holes through the coal in advance of the working area. Under the aegis of the federal government, methods have also been developed for draining coal seams of their methane content in advance of mining, but from shafts sunk from the surface, without using the active area of the mine as the location for the drill holes. Development of methane drainage has recently been encouraged by the potential use of the drained methane as a commercial energy source, with a need, therefore, to adequately organize a collection system, separate from mining the seam for coal. This has already been successfully accomplished, for example, in the Federal No. 2 mine of Eastern Associated Coal Corp. starting in 1975 (Johns). However, whether the system gains access to the coal through horizontal drilling from a pre- existing mine or via access through a separate shaft from the surface, long horizontal holes are required to adequately tap the methane reserve. It is to this regard-the actual drilling of the horizontal holes-that this paper is directed. It will examine potential benefits that may accrue, both in conventional horizontal hole drilling from a mine site underground, and also in drilling from the surface if a high pressure water jet drill is used to drill the degasification holes. Long Hole Drilling from an Underground Site Personnel from the Bureau of Mines have recently examined methods for conventional drilling of long horizontal holes to gain access for methane drainage. They have shown that it is possible (Cervik, Fields, and Aul) to drill out some 610 m using a conventional drilling system. Three types of bit were used in the program and by alternating between a drag bit, tricone bit, and plug bit, advance rates of between 0.6-3.6 m/min were achieved. Hole diameters varied from 7.6-9.2 cm in surface tests at bit thrusts of 1360 kg. A hole was then drilled and maintained in relative alignment within the coal seam for a distance of 640 m. Thrust levels had to be lowered to between 363-680 kg across the bit. Because the loads were smaller than those used in the surface trial, advance rates in the hole were of the order of 10-38 cm/min. The thrust level was lowered since it was found that the level of the thrust controlled the inclination of the drill so that, for example, a thrust of 363 kg caused the hole to incline downward, while at greater than 544 kg the hole inclined upward with the 9-cm-diam bit. Thrust levels increased 227 kg when the hole diameter was raised to 9.2 cm, although in such a case penetration rates in excess of 56 cm/min could be achieved. Horizontal Water Jet Drilling of Coal The University of Missouri-Rolla has recently undertaken research for Sandia Laboratories on the use of high pressure water jets as a means of drilling through coal. The initial experiment in this program called for drilling a hole horizontally into a coal seam from the side of a strip pit using water jets as the cutting mechanism. A very simple setup [(Fig. 1)] was used in this program and a 15-m hole was drilled at an approximate drilling speed of 1.2 m/min. The nozzle was designed so that the hole dimension was approximately 15 cm across [(Fig 2)] and the thrust was maintained at levels below 91 kg in moving the drill into the coal face. The system used was very crude and comprised a high pressure water jet drill enclosed within a 5.7-cm outer diameter galvanized water pipe to provide rigidity to the drilling system. This pipe sufficed to maintain hole alignment over the 15-m increment. While it is premature to make long-term predictions on ultimate applicability of this sytem to long hole drilling, certain inherent advantages of water jets can be delineated from research results and suggest considerable advantage to further research in development of this application. High pressure water was supplied at approximately 62 046 kPa from a 112-kW high pressure pump, with a 83 L/m flow through the supply line to the nozzle. The drilling system consisted of a nozzle rigidly attached to the front end of the galvanized piping. High pressure fluid was supplied to this nozzle through a flexible high pressure hose that fed from the nozzle back through the galvanized pipe to a rotary coupling attached

Jan 1, 1981