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By A. E. Back, K. E. Tame, W. F. Wyman, S. F. Ravitz

IN 1940, when it appeared that the United States soon might be cut off from foreign sources of high-grade manganese ore, the Bureau of Mines began an extensive series of investigations on the production of ferrgrade products from low-grade domestic ores by ore-dressing, pyrometallurgical, and hydrometallurgical methods. Among the hydrometallurgical processes for oxide ores investigated was a sulphur dioxide process in which the manganese was recovered from solution by precipitation with lime;1 this process is essentially as follows: The ground ore is suspended in water and leached with SO2 gas to extract the manganese as manganese sulphate. Calcium chloride is then added to the slurry to precipitate calcium sulphate and form manganous chloride solution, and the resultant slurry is filtered to remove the calcium sulphate together with the in- soluble portion of the ore. Calcium hydroxide is added to the filtrate and the mixture is agitated with air to precipitate hydrated oxides of manganese and regenerate calcium chloride. The precipitate is calcined, and the calcium chloride is recycled. To determine manganese extraction, reagent consumption, grade of product, and similar data for this process, a laboratory investigation was started. Two minor modifications in the process were soon made: (I) the ore was suspended in calcium chloride solution instead of in water in order to extract the manganese and precipitate the calcium sulphate in one step, and (2) the agitation with air after the addition of slaked lime to the filtrate was omitted because manganese hydroxide is readily precipitated without air agitation and can be nodulized or sintered to a satisfactory product. When the process was carried through a series of cyclic tests, it was noted that the concentration of dithionate ion (which is one of the products of oxidation of SO2 by MnOz) in the cycled solution gradually increased; at the same time the chloride content of the solution gradually decreased, owing to soluble losses in the leach residue and in the precipitate. After a number of cycles, the calcium chloride became virtually completely replaced by calcium dithionate, the quantity of dithionate ion formed during the leach being more than enough to make up for the losses of dithionate in filtering. The calcium chloride process thus developed into a calcium dithionate process. Since the latter eliminated the need for make-up calcium chloride, and the dithionate solutions appeared much less corrosive than the chloride solutions, work on the calcium chloride process was dropped in favor of the calcium dithionate process. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The dithionate process was developed by the Bureau of Mines as part of a

Jan 1, 1946

By A. K. Knickerbocker

Practically all underground work on the Minnesota iron ranges is done by miners working on a so-called contract wage system. This system, while it has certain advantages over the straight day's pay or company-account method of wage payment, has serious and vital defects. In view of the scarcity and demands of labor, it is important that employers of labor scrutinize their systems of wage payments carefully, not only to save losses and trouble, due to labor disturbances, but also to secure the greatest efficiency of their workmen and reduce their operating costs. It is admitted that an adequate, just, and equitable wage is the prime factor in bringing about these benefits. The wage of labor and its method of application and payment have been, and always will be, the main factors in the unrest and dissatis. faction of labor. Not only does labor want and need an adequate wage, assuming that work is adequately performed, but it wants and is entitled to a just and equitable wage. Labor must have respect for the fairness of the wage and for the fairness of the management in the application of the wage It is conceded that the Minnesota iron miners are now, and have been, in the main paid adequately, but the inherent defects of the so-called contract system prevent any just or equitable application of this wage to the various units of the labor body. The defects of the contract system, with its obvious inequalities, favoritisms, and injustices, are cancers in the brain of labor. Every thinking miner realizes these defects and knows just what they are; the unthinking do not realize the details of the subject, but each month they are forcibly reminded of these defects through the pay envelope. As practiced on the iron ranges, however, the so-called "contract " system is not a contract and the name is a misnomer. No true contractual obligation exists. As usually practised, the contract system involves the setting of a price per foot in development work, or per foot or per car, usually the latter, in slicing or stoping, by the mining captain, and assumes its acceptance, though often under protest, by the men. A price is set for each working place, in which there are usually two men per shift. This price includes labor and supplies, such as explosives, fuse and caps, shovels, carbide, etc., and the men divide the total earnings less the amount expended for supplies. The cost of the supplies charged to the men varies

Jan 1, 1920

By R. Crnojevich, J. L. Blanco, C. Nikolic, W. G. Sherwood

This paper describes the process used for cobalt purification and recovery at the AMAX Nickel Refining Co. plant In Port Nickel, Louisiana In the first stage, cobaltic precipitate produced in the Outokumpu electrolytic nickel cobalt separation process is dissolved using methanol and sulfuric acid liquor produced in this step is converted to an ammoniacal complex, and sufficient ammonium sulfate is added to facilitate cobalt oxidation to cobaltic pentammine Nickel is then selectively precipitated as nickel-ammonium sulfate double salt at pH 2 5 Final purification of the pentammine liquor is effected by pH adjustment with ammonia and removal of divalent nickel by ion exchange Purified liquor is then advanced to hydrogen reduction to produce cobalt metal Although similar to other cobalt refining processes used in the nickel industry, the Port Nickel process is unique because of a single point chemistry adjustment for a number of unit operations that occur in succession.

Jan 1, 1981

By Paul H. Lu

This report by the Bureau of Mines, U.S. Department of the Interior, presents several practical and inexpensive types of rock mechanics instrumentation for ground control around longwall panels. Application of these critical parameters, determined by this instrumentation, to the design and modification of rational longwall-mining systems is also discussed. In order to design or select an optimum mine structure or system, realistic and precise values of the design parameters must be determined in operating mines by measuring (1) existing ground stresses, (2) mining induced load transfer, and (3) strata movements as well as deformation moduli and rock strengths. Based on these parameters, rational and realistic criteria for mine design can be established by conducting case studies. It was found that several basic design parameters can be easily measured or determined in situ with simple, inexpensive, and practical instruments such as hydraulic borehole pressure cells, automatic recording convergence meters, automatic recording multiple-anchor-point extensometers, and hydraulic pressure recorders.

Jan 1, 1982

By Richard Birk

Rf sputtered quartz has been successfully used in multilayer interconnects for MOS devices. The target potential was 2000 v peak to peak with a frequency of 13.56 Mc per sec. The sputtering rate was approximately 60A per min with an operating pressure of argon gas at 10 to 15 p. The dielectric strength is 8.0 x 10' v per cm and the pinhole density is less than 2 x 10-2 per sq mm. Infrared absorption peaks for the Si-O vibrational bands we at 9.4, 12.4, and at 22.5 p. The etch rate of the sputtered SiO2 is 1200A per min. MOS devices have been fabricated using multilayer interconnects with no degradation of electrical characteristics. MULTILAYER interconnects require an insdating film between the metal layers which can be deposited below any potential eutectic temperature. Sputtered Si4, which can be deposited with substrate temperatures below 200°C, satisfactorily meets the multilayer insulation requirements and has been used to prepare MOS circuits with multilayer interconnects. The physical and electrical properties of rf sput-

Jan 1, 1969

By J. V. Richards

The Altar district, State of Sonora, Mexico, is for the most part a desert with but little rain-fall and few running streams. On account of this scarcity of water it is necessary for the natives to " dry-wash" the placer-gravel, and the object of the present gaper is to describe some of the more commoil Mexican dry-mashing devices. My observations were confined to a property known as Las Palomas placers, 15 miles from the Gulf of California and about 150 miles south of the United States border; a brief description of which property may be of interest as illustrating what is, perhaps, a typical Sonora dry placer. It is said that as long as a century ago the Yaqui Indians discovered rich cement-gravel, known as argo masa, at Las Palomas, and that there has been a more or less steady production of gold from the property ever since. The argo masa, is a fairly-coarse gravel, the pebbles being quite firmly held together with a lime cement. Gold is scattered through this cement in particles ranging from fine specks to pieces several grams in weight, and occasional large nuggets are encountered. The contents vary so widely that it is difficult to estimate the average value, but returns of from $10 to $50 per cubic yard are common, and it is doubtful if the Indians considered anything less than from $4 to $5 a yard as "pay dirt.'' This ar-90 masa, occurs in channels varying in thickness from a few inches to several feet, and in width up to 300 ft. These channels are continuous and are probably ancient stream-beds. They are for the most part covered with an over-burden of a more recent gravel, varying from 30 to 50 ft. thick, and the fact that this over-burden contains values as high as $1.50 per cubic yard, and yet was not worked by the Indians, shows that their idea of what constituted mas high.

Jan 1, 1911

By D’Arcy A. Shock

In this year's review, the concept of solution mining has been expanded to include total solution as well as the technology of leaching, or partial solution methods. Leaching methods continue to make strides in the processing of metallic minerals, particularly in copper and uranium production. No quantitative data are available on the increase of leach operations; however, it is known that there were more systems installed in 1969 and that the estimated 15% of U.S. domestic production of copper produced in 1968 was by leach methods.1 While the number of publications appearing during the year were few,2,3 there were special sessions in this field at the AIME Annual Meeting and SME Fall Meeting in 1969 and more scheduled for these meetings in 1970. Significant areas that should be mentioned are: the continuing interest in bacteria to convert sulfide sulfur to acid thus reducing reagent costs in both copper and uranium sulfide ores, the exploration of leaching agents other than common mineral acids or alkaline solutions,4,5 kinetic studies of leach mechanisms and the development of microfractures for increased leach solution penetration by use of chemical or atomic explosives.6,7

Jan 1, 1970

By Bruce A. Kennedy

SME hopes to publish its first separate volume of Mining Exploration Transactions later this year. The reason for this separate publication was stated in "Rock in the BOX," December 1969 [ ], p. 14, as follows: "Because of the great upsurge in mineral exploration (during) the last few years and the fragmentation and narrow specialization of the earth sciences into a great many fields not directly related to exploration, many explorationists feel that a need for a special journal devoted to mineral exploration now exists." To summarize the history behind this change in publication policy of the Mining and Exploration Division, we go back to 1968 when a small group of M&E Division members advocated the establishment of an entirely separate journal devoted specifically to exploration. S. Parker Gay Jr. was appointed chairman of an ad hoc committee to investigate the feelings of the other Division members toward such a journal. Approximately one thousand questionnaires were sent out and the returns showed an extremely favorable reaction. Gay reported the results of his survey to the M&E Division Executive Committee Meeting in Salt Lake City in September 1969. These results were also published in the December 1969 issue of [ ].

Jan 1, 1970

By H. J. Levinstein, W. H. Robinson

A method of chemically polishing silver for metal-lographic examination has been developed. The samples are prepared by polishing on 0, 2/0, and 3/0 paper. They are then polished on 600 micro-cut paper, followed by a final mechanical polish on a cloth containing 5µ diamond paste. The samples are then chemically polished in a solution of 100 cc of saturated chromic acid and 5 cc of a 5 pct HC1 solution. The chemical polishing is performed by swabbing with a cotton ball saturated with the solution. During the chemical polishing, the sample is rinsed frequently in running water. Polishing in this manner for 5 min is sufficient to remove the strained material from the previous polishing operations. The amount of material removed is approximately 4µ/min. The surface obtained is flat and free of pits. Fig. 1 is an interference micrograph of a silver surface polished by this technique. If the solution employed is of improper HC1 content, an interference color film will form on the sample. This film can be removed either by swabbing with a cotton ball saturated with ortho-

Jan 1, 1962

By Donald L. Birkimer

GENERAL INTRODUCTION To paraphrase comments made by Black and Hoek(1) on the status of rock mechanics, the general methods of applied science related to rock mechanics are: a. Observe the phenomena of nature as they occur and, wherever possible, quantify the observations. b. Propound a model or theory to explain the phenomena observed. c. Test and develop the theory by further experimentation in the laboratory and in the field. d. Use the theory developed to predict behavior in similar or extended circumstances. e. Insure by measured experiment and observation that the predictions made are valid, or that deviations from the predicted behavior can be accounted for. f. Modify the theory and practice as necessary, and continue the process until more general laws can be formulated and applied, with a useful degree of confidence, to practical problems. This paper will present an infant concept. It will, in fact, propound a possibly useful theory to help explain commonly observed phenomena. It will test and develop the theory for a material similar in nature to some rocks. It will be used to predict behavior in the extended circumstances of a

Jan 1, 1971

By Robert B. Fulton

Commercially, celestite (SrSO4) is the predominant strontium mineral. Among other strontium-bearing minerals, only strontianite (SrCO3) occurs commonly; however, it is rarely an item of commerce. Production of celestite is principally in Mexico, Spain, and Turkey. An attempt to produce celestite in Canada was unsuccessful. The United States, which is wholly dependent on imports, chiefly from Mexico (99%), is the largest consumer of strontium. Lesser quantities are consumed in Japan and Europe. The Federal Republic of Germany is the principal source of strontium compounds imported to the US. Uses The principal uses of strontium are for the manufacture of strontium carbonate and nitrate. Carbonate is used in glass for TV tube face plates and in ceramic ferrites for magnets. Nitrate is used in pyrotechnics, mainly in safety flares, to which it imparts a characteristic brilliant red color. Minor amounts of strontium compounds are used in electrolytic zinc manufacturing where the carbonate is used to remove unwanted lead. Small quantities are consumed in greases, ceramics, soaps, alloys, and pharmaceuticals. Specifications Typical celestite specifications for the carbonate and nitrate markets are shown in Table 1. Specifications of manufactured carbonate, sold in two grades, one to the glass industry and the other for ceramic ferrites, are shown in Table 2. Both grades of carbonate are shipped in palletized 50-lb bags. Glass grade material is shipped in bulk by rail. [ ] Manufacturing Processes The following description is adapted from Anon. (1980) . The manufacturing process for strontium carbonate and strontium nitrate chemicals is conceptually simple. Strontium nitrate is made from strontium carbonate in two additional steps. The production process begins with celestite, the natural form of strontium sulfate. In the first step the ore is crushed, ground, and mixed with coke. This mixture is then fed into a kiln where the ore is reduced at high temperatures to strontium sulfide; the coke is added to the ore as a source of energy and carbon. The carbon combines with the oxygen [ ]

Jan 1, 1983

By Folke H. Kihlstedt

Geophysical prospecting for ore has been more or less at a standstill during the present crisis owing to the lack of interest in base-metal exploration. A notable exception is the increased use of electrical and magnetic methods in prospecting for gold, the former in Canada, United States, Sumatra, Africa and Western Australia, and the latter on the Rand. This application to gold prospecting marks a forward step in ore prospecting because it is based upon mapping the geology instead of a direct location of the ore in question, as the amount of gold in an average gold ore is far too small to have any influence upon the physical properties of the rock in which it occurs. The development has thus gone in the same direction as geophysical prospecting for oil; that is, to find geological conditions that are genetically connected with the gold ore as exemplified by known occurrences. Naturally the success of this indirect prospecting depends upon two things: (1) the soundness of the geological conclusions upon which is based the hope of discovering new deposits, because a great many geological "set-ups" are barren, and (2) the ability of geophysical methods to help the geologist to collect the pertinent geological data within reasonable cost, after which favorable structures may be drilled or trenched. The first point is one to be considered by the mining geologist. In the vicinity of producing mines or promising prospects, the chances of finding ore in quartz veins and shear zones are great, and a survey giving the location of these features will materially guide both surface and underground exploration. Even in outside exploration the chances are sometimes favorable. As an example may be taken the Northeastern Ontario-Western Quebec gold zone. Large areas are here covered with glacial and post-glacial deposits and a simple study of available maps reveals the fact that less than 30 per cent of the area can ever be even preliminarily prospected by cominonly used prospecting methods, of which the pick and shovel are the main tools. Considering the number of deposits found, it is evident that many deposits remain hidden below the overburden. The knowledge of gold geology gives a starting point

Jan 1, 1934

By J. C. Bowling

Factors governing the choice of building types, materials, and the details of construction for mineral processing plants in remote locations with cold climates are discussed. Alternative types of building insulation in common use are described and a comparison is made of their suitability under various conditions.

Jan 1, 1973

By Oberlin Smith

The use of cast-iron tools, with chilled cutting-edges, for lathes, planers, boring-mills, etc., is not, as Gar as I can learn, very extensive in the United States, or perhaps in England and other parts of Europe. I have, however, no data to guide me in regard to foreign

Jan 1, 1891

THE man who forgot to mail the letters his wife gave him was for once justified at Tulsa, for envelopes, scratch paper and tablecloths were all in demand and through the two days of the meeting of the Petroleum Division, pencils were busy everywhere sketching out diagrams, drawing curves, figuring, or just taking notes. Those attending took the serious papers seriously, and discussion was wide-ranging but pointed. Despite the highly technical character of the papers presented, the chairmen had never to call for discussion; it was only necessary to say the paper was open for it. Both days the meetings lasted until after five in the afternoon, and it was enthusiastically voted to advance the meeting hour on Friday, in order to give more time. In all, ten papers, abstracts of which appeared in MINING AND METALLURGY for October, and copies of all but two of which were available in print, were presented in the two days, and no more could have been handled to advantage in that time. All but one of these dealt with problems of production engineering. That, the opening paper, was a general review of demand, supply and price in 1928, by Campbell Osborn, in which he argued for the price control of production and showed how the economic conditions determined development. J. Elmer Thomas presented a carefully prepared review of the same data, but came to somewhat different conclusions as to trend, and J. E. Pogue pointed out that in recent years it has been the manufacturing rather than the producing industries that have been notably profitable. These and other discussions were too long to be reported here, but will be printed in full later.

Jan 1, 1928

By Reynold Q. Shotts

Data are presented which show that fractions of varying densities from the same coals are oxidized at different rates by nitric acid. From oxidation data, the approximate quantity of "bright" and "dull" components may be calculated. Definite relationships between oxidation rate and rank are shown for density fractions from at least two bituminous coals.

Jan 8, 1950

By Arthur B. Foote

The cams at present universally used in stamp mills lift the tappets with an involute form of curve, to which the surface of the tappet is always tangent; moreover, the line of contact between tappet and cam, if produced, would pass through the center of the stem. This is no doubt a desirable feature, but the writer has long believed that it would be much more desirable if the cam were to pick up the stamp without shock, and gradually increase the upward velocity of the stamp throughout its upward movement. The involute form of cam attempts to impart instantly a considerable upward velocity to the stamp, starting it from a state of rest, and the result is a destructive blow, a great deal of noise, and much wear and vibration. The writer has developed a form of cam which will lift the stamp pith a motion similar to that of the piston of an engine between the end and middle of its stroke; in other words, harmonic motion, from the woint of zero to maximum velocity. The curve will give this ideal motion only when the stamp is set for the exact drop for which the cam was designed, but the improved cam will not be as bad as the involute cam until the drop is reduced one-half. In other words, if a cam is designed for a 6-in. drop, it will be some improvement over the usual form of cam until the drop is only 3 in. Any cam, whatever its form, must of course lift the stamp in the same number of degrees of revolution; therefore, with this new form, since the stamp starts more slowly on its upward course, it must end up by going faster, the average speed being the same as with the involute cam. The stamp, after it is no longer in contact with the cam, keeps on going up a certain distance, which is easily calculated. It is therefore possible to hang up a stamp without a cam stick, if the fingers are not more than + in. longer than necessary to hold the tappet above, the cam. With this design of cam the surface of the tappet is not tangent to the surface of the cam throughout the lift. The possible consequences of this were studied with a full-size model, and did not seem serious, as

Jan 1, 1915

By T. Egleston

THE direct process for the manufacture of iron which is principally used in the United States, in New York and New Jersey, is called the Jersey forge, the Champlain forge, the Catalan forge, the Bloomary forge or fire, and sometimes a Forge fire. Dr. T. Sterry Hunt, who has discussed the process as applied to the beach sands of Canada as well as to ores, in the Report of the Canadian Geological Survey for 1867-69, has shown that the name of Catalan forge is incorrect, as this process in no way resembles the Catalan, but is really the old German bloomary modified by long use in this country. Dr. Hunt gives the probable history of the introduction of the process into the United States, and a series of historic citations of great interest relating to it. Not¬withstanding the improvements which have been made in the construction of the furnace and its greater output, the process to-day, in all its essential features, is carried out as Karsten described it. It should now be known as the American Bloomary. The name of Jersey or Champlain forge or fire is not sufficiently distinctive. The name of Bloomary, by which the process is usually distinguished, is objectionable, not because it is incorrect but because it is indefinite, as the Knobbling fires, which are a very slight modification of the Walloon process, for making blooms either from pig iron or by sinking scrap, are also called Bloomaries, and although Knobbling fires are only used in a few localities where charcoal pig is made, and special grades of charcoal-refined blooms are required, one does not, without an explanation, know whether the blooms are being manufactured from ore or pig. The name Forge fire is equally indefinite, as it might just as well apply to any of the five direct methods of making blooms which have been in use in Europe, but which have now mostly gone out of date. The Dame of American Bloomary, however, is the one which most completely describes it, and is the one least open to objection. The names of German, Jersey, and Champlain bloomary are too local, and these adjectives are thought unnecessary by those who use the process, and we shall not therefore describe it under any of these names, but as the American Bloomary process. * Read at the Montreal meeting, September, 1879.

Jan 1, 1880

By William I. Rau

This presentation will examine the role commercial banks will be expected to assume in financing international minerals projects, including a discussion of various financing techniques such as project loans, production loans, and production payments. A discussion of the necessity for completion guarantees, finalized sales contracts, reserve evaluations, management contracts, and marketing undertakings in conjunction with financing availability are also included.

Jan 1, 1981

By C. A. Hartnagel

In 1939 the production of crude oil in New York totaled 5,105,000 bbl. This marks the third consecutive year production of crude oil has exceeded 5,000,000 bbl. and only once has this total been surpassed—in the year 1882, three years after the discovery of oil in Allegany County, when the annual production was more than 6,000,000 barrels. The most gratifying feature of the industry was the increased demand for lubricants, which resulted in advanced prices for crude. From a price at the beginning of the year of $1.68 per barrel, six advances totaling 82c brought the year's closing to $2.50 per barrel. A further increase in price on Jan. 1, 1940, to $2.75 per barrel places the local industry in a strong position for the year's operations. Most of the oil production of the state is now obtained by water-flooding, and the industry is practically stabilized. No new pools have been discovered in over 25 years, and border drilling indicates little prospect of extending the boundaries of the fields beyond their present limits. Deep drilling to the Oriskany sandstone in and close to the present oil fields hay failed to find oil in substantial amounts. Altogether, the oil pools of New York have produced during the 60 years that they have been exploited approximately 125,000,000 bbl. of oil. Following the flush production of 1882, the annual production gradually dccrcased and the year 1912 marked an all-time low of only 782,000 bbl. In 1919, as a result of flooding operations, a definite upward trend in oil production was recorded. During that year also the production of oil by water-flooding methods as approved by Legislative action. In the 21-yr. period beginning with 1919, oil production in the state ha.: totaled 60,338,000 bbl. Thus it will be seen that by the aid of flooding methods nearly as much oil has been produced in the last 21 yr. as in the preceding 40 yr., although the Iatter period included the flush production in 1882. As there is little hope of extending the area of the present producing oil fields of the state, producers and refiners are concerned regarding the future life of the fields. It is encouraging to observe that earlier esti- Published by permission of Director of New York State Museum, Albany, N. P. Summarized at meeting; manuscript received at the office of the Institute March 20. 1940.

Jan 1, 1940