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The current status of the US lead and zinc industries was reviewed by J. G. McCullough, president of Amax Lead and Zinc Inc. He reported that in the US, lead and zinc are separate industries because of the nature of mineralization. The large Mississippi-type zinc deposits are practically lead-free, and while the new lead belt in Missouri has some zinc content, it does not have the same favorable economic impact as in the complex massive sulfide ore bodies being developed elsewhere.

Jan 11, 1977

MANY members of the National Societies died in service overseas during the World War. No memorial to these engineers has been set up but a unique and interesting suggestion has been made. While Edward Dean Adams, Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers, and Associate of the Ameri-can Institute of Electrical Engineers, ,vas in Belgium last June as delegate of the National Societies, En-gineering Foundation, and Engineering Societies

Jan 12, 1927

By Robert C. Weed

Leaching in place at Cananea began in the 1920's on a limited scale. The first plants were small wooden boxes located underground in the Capote and Oversight mines, and output was low. Scrap iron was used as precipitant. Later several other small plants were started up. Leaching was limited entirely to underground areas, and production remained low. The Veta precipitating plant, the first on a larger scale, was put into operation in the late 1920's. After a period of intermittent service it was rebuilt in 1946 and has since been running continuously.

Jul 1, 1956

By Frank R. Milliken

Before the rather sudden economic downturn in recent months, shortages of materials were painfully felt throughout the US. The current recession has provided a temporary relief here and there-but energy fuels and a number of staples such as sugar are still in short supply. This is an unsolved and fundamental problem that will haunt us again as the economy turns up. There is an awareness that the nation faces a widening supply gap in many of its most basic materials-from asbestos to tungsten-as evidenced by recent studies and government reports, and by the Secretary of the Interior's annual warnings about the mounting seriousness of the problem.

Jan 3, 1975

By Bernard K. Asdell

Georgia, a state seldom considered to be an important mineral producer, has one surprising feature-it is the nation's largest producer of kaolin. Kaolin is a highly important raw material in the paper, rubber, ceramic whiteware, paint and chemical industries. In 1965, more than 2.7 million tons of kaolin were produced in this state, a 150,000-ton increase over the preceding year, and production continues to climb. Strictly defined, the term "kaolin" applies to a group of hydrous aluminum silicates in which kaolinite is the predominant mineral. Kaolinite is inherently white, non-abrasive, chemically inert, and of a very fine particle size, ranging from sub-micron to 40-microns equivalent spherical diameter. An electron-micrograph of kaolinite is shown in Fig. 1. The particles finer than about 2 microns are thin, elongated plates, hexagonal in outline. The larger particles, coarser than 2 microns, are predominantly vermicular in outline with a foliated structure. Table I shows a typical chemical analysis of commercial, wet-processed kaolin compared to pure kaolinite.

Jan 11, 1967

By C. S. Herzig

Some time ago, in Mexico, our signal-bells in a 700-foot shaft caused us considerable annoyance by continually getting out of order, each time so delaying our hoisting operations that we naturally desired to remedy this evil. There were two mays open: either to patch up the old bell, which was of the ordinary pattern, every time it failed to work, or else to devise some new arrangement.. On consultation with our foreman we designed a signal-device which, during the number of months I watched its operation, worked satisfactorily, without once getting out of order. We sought to produce a simple device, in which no greater pull on the lever would be necessary from one level than from another; to counterbalance independently the weight of the pendant bell-rope, so that there would be no direct weight on the working-parts of the bell itself, and likewise to arrange it so as to necessitate only a light pull on the lever in signaling; and, finally, to make some sort of trip-arrangement, so that whenever the signaling-lever underground passed through a certain arc the signal would be given in the engine-room. By this means we wished to obviate the ill effects of sudden heavy pulls and rough usage in general, such as all signaling

Jan 1, 1901

By J. E. Forciea, O. E. Palasvirta, L. G. Hendrickson

All pilot and commercial plants working with Mesabi Range taconite employ wet magnetic separation. Progress is being made with a dry magnetic process,9-11 but this has not yet been applied to taconite except in the laboratory and pilot plants. Flowsheets in all five plants are similar, including multiple stages of grinding, each followed by magnetic separation, which rejects a finished tailing. The flowsheet in Fig. 1 is used in the preliminary and commercial plants of the Erie and Reserve mining companies and in Unit C of Oliver's Pilotac plant. At Erie the desliming operation is omitted. In the Reserve plants two ball mills are used with each rod mill. Pilotac uses flowsheet 2 in Unit A-B and has also tested flowsheet 3. Principal differences in the three flowsheets are the number of grinding stages and the type of roughing. The terms open- circuit roughing and closed-circuit roughing are best defined by the diagrams.

Jan 12, 1958

By J. W. Snavely

WITH all the advantages of handling bulk materials by means of belt conveyor also go some problems, one of the most persistent being that of cleaning. When sticky materials are being carried; the build-up of material on the return idler rolls results in difficulty of belt training. Much attention has been given to the problem of cleaning conveyor belts, and a great variety of cleaning devices have been developed. Even the best involve troublesome maintenance, and none can completely remove the fine particles imbedded in the belt cover, which cause rapid wear of the return idler rolls, and at the same time, of the belt cover as well.

Jan 12, 1951

By R. H. Thorpe

Longwall working in Britain developed to overcome problems arising from depth of seams causing roof and ventilation difficulties. This system became very widespread particularly in the thicker seams, where faces of up to one mile in length were not uncommon. In the thinner sections, in order to remain competitive, the longwall undercutting machine was developed. Following the development of the coal cutter, every other aspect of the face operation was examined and mechanized as it became a bottleneck to output and efficiency. The face system itself was modified and workings concentrated with the same objectives.

Jan 1, 1977

By B. K. Miller, George E. Moore

THE Missouri fire clays are here divided into plastic and semiplastic clays occurring as widespread bedded deposits in east central Missouri and flint and diaspore clays occurring as isolated "sink-hole" deposits in the north central Ozark region. Visual inspection was the first method used in clay prospecting. Thin overburden, hard sandstone "rimrocks," and the occurrence of diaspore float made this method particularly applicable in the flint and diaspore fields. The first drilling tool used was a hand auger. One man can drill 25 to 50 ft. per day at a cost of about 35 cents per foot. Holes can be drilled to a depth of 150 feet. Spud drills are often used where the over burden is hard. This drill uses a slotted earth socket bit. A two-man crew can drill about 100 ft. per day at a cost of about 35 cents per foot. Mechanically powered auger drills have been used extensively in wildcat drilling in the past few years. This type of drill furnishes a continuous set of cuttings. The practical depth limit with this drill is 50 to 60 ft. Two men can drill 300 ft. per day at a cost of about 20 cents per foot. Core drilling is used mainly to prove a known clay deposit. A two-man crew with a No. 22 Sullivan drill can drill about 30 to 40 ft. per day in soft clay, at a cost of about $1.25 per foot.

Jan 1, 1947

By Donald H. McLaughlin

THE activity and enthusiasm of pioneers still prevail among workers in applied geophysics1.- Within the year, new devices have .been tried out, instruments and technique have been improved and the methods of application to commercial problems have been increased in many ingenious ways. There is still great need for more skillful interpretation of results in terms of geology, but oil the whole geophysical prospecting is making encouraging progress toward finding its proper place and function in engineering and geological practice. Spectacular successes continue to be reported, particularly .from the Gulf Coast, where the race for salt domes has not slackened, and encouraging results have been giined elsewhere in the mapping of structures in the search for oil. In the mining field, however, it can hardly be claimed that the same measure of success has been obtained, for brilliant efforts worthy of wide recognition have been overshadowed to some eatent by the unfortunate outcome of surveys undertaken unwisely without recognition of the limitations of the work. Consequently, hopes were aroused that could not be fulfilled, and it must be admitted in an impartial survey that there are a few regions, chiefly in the far north, where the standing of geophysical prospecting is somewhat doubtful and where the course of public opinion regarding it shows a certain similarity to the history of the market during the past few months. Reliable work, however, is steadily going 011 and it can confidently be expected that the methods will eventually be regarded in many regions as an essential part of the technique of securing geologic data needed for intelligent exploration.

Jan 1, 1930

By H. R. Coles, S. P. Chong

Test work conducted in the 6.4 and 10.5 m (21 and 34 ft) Aerofall mills at the Iron Ore Co. of Canada Carol project showed that conventionally used "deflector" type liners, which form the basic principle of Aerofall Mill grinding, did not necessarily provide the best grinding performance. A new design, using low profile liners incorporating radial ribs of proper height, actually improved the mill throughput 9-20% without sacrificing grinding efficiency. In addition, the new design reduced liner weight and scrap losses, resulting in a 25% reduction in liner consumption. It provided better protection to the mill shell and reduced the overall maintenance cost for the mills.

Jan 1, 1984

"WELFARE…Welfare endeavor in connection with both the metal and the coal mines of Utah has shown gratifying progress during recent years and both the operators and their employees are deserving of much credit for the efforts put forth to better living, working, educational and receational conditions in most of the mining camps of the state.In the older metal mining camps of Utah, where the towns are incorporated and independent of the mining properties operating in the vicinity, less opportunity is pre¬sented for the companies to exercise efforts looking towards improved welfare conditions than is the case of camps located on company ground and under the full control of operators.Even in such camps, however, as illustrated in Bingham, the companies can do much to better welfare conditions. In this camp the Utah Copper Company has spent $800,000 since 1 920 in the erection of modern brick cottages, apartment houses and the Gemmell Memorial Club. The cottages and apartments have every convenience to be found in up-to-date city homes. The Gemmell Memorial Club, erected and equipped at a cost of $1 75,000, was provided by the company for the benefit of the Utah Copper Company employees living in the canyon and has been made the recreational center for the camp."

Jan 1, 1925

By Yu A. Chernegov

Building up the USSR's economic strength was the result of all the achievements and successes of our economy. The Soviet Union was the first to begin planned guidance of the economy. The mining industry of the USSR, which holds the first place in the world output of mining production, has always been considered as the main raw materials basis of the country's economy. High and stable development rates are a feature of planned economic management, based on the social ownership of the means of production. During the past ten years from 1965 to 1875 the national income used for consumption and accumulation increased practically by 1.9 times. There has been no inflation, no unemployment in the Soviet Union for about forty years already. High and stable growth rates of the production of mining industries and that of the branches, which are their direct consumers are characterized by the data in table I. The achievements and successes of the economy's development are to a great extent determined by the three planning components, which are as follows:

Jan 1, 1977

By William M. Sheehan

TRANSPORTATION is one of the most important problems of the mine operator and the possibilities of cost reduction in this field should not be overlooked. In the railroad industry, cars and locomotives have been improved greatly, and the progress there made is well worthy of study by the mine operator looking for maximum efficiency in every branch of his activities. One of the outstanding developments in the construction of railroad equipment in recent years has been the wide-spread adoption of large one-piece steel castings for the framework of locomotives, passenger and freight cars. Some of the advantages and applications of this type of construction will be outlined in this paper, with particular thought of the needs of the mining industry. The inherent qualities of cast steel: homogeneity, unrestricted size and shape, high tensile strength, flexibility of metal distribution, resistance to corrosion, and gracefulness of outline, make it the most versatile member of the ferrous group. Not only is it a strength-giving element, but it is corrosion resistant, a combination that makes for large economies in equipment maintenance. Flexibility of metal distribution allows the integral foundation to be in the shape best suited for the purpose. These cast structures are really assembled in the mold in liquid form and the metal can be placed in the right pro¬portion exactly where it is needed, thus securing weight economy and uniformity of fibre stress. Such a process permits the incorporation, with ease, of necessary brackets, utilizing them to provide not only greater strength for the derail part itself, but often to add to the value of the entire unit. Laps, seams, and joints, which are necessary in all fabricated forms, are eliminated.

Jan 1, 1933

By George S. Rice

GROUND movement from mining, whether it be for coal, metal, industrial minerals, or .oil, will always present many difficult problems. These are especially serious when valuable surface improvements may be badly damaged. The mine itself, if mining methods are not suitable to the formation, is subject to heavy falls of the main roof in the working places; and with certain structural conditions the movements may cause in coal mines disastrous bumps and outbursts of gas, and in deep metal mines rock bursts. In open-cut work rock and earth slides may result. Absolute prevention of ground movement from mining is impossible unless large pillars are left unmined,

Jan 1, 1937

By E. W. Felegy

THE need for improved mine communication to increase efficiency and to insure greater safety has long been recognized. General and unrestricted communication between all points underground, and between the surface and all points underground, is probably the least advanced phase of the mining industry. An ideal system of mine communication must re- quire no fixed wire installations. The equipment must be small, lightweight, and readily portable, and the power requirements low. A system that can be used not only under normal circumstances but also in an emergency, when the continuity of wires, tracks, and pipelines may be disrupted, must function independently of any aid furnished by standard installations.

Jan 5, 1953

By G. C. McLachlan

Two papers dealing with Noranda's milling operations have already been presented. The first1 of these covered the initial metallurgical problems connected with the treatment of the ore, while the second2 described the development of the mill from a 500-ton unit in 1928 to one with a daily capacity of 3000 tons less than six years later. At the time the second paper was written the equipment whirh had been installed to bring the mill capacity up to 3000 tons was being tuned into production and for this reason, though each step had previously been tested by a large-scale pilot operation, it was thought advisable to withhold metallurgical data until any starting-up difficulties had been overcome and anticipated requirements fulfilled. These requirements called for an improvement in gold recovery without any lowering of the previous ratio of concentration, and the pages that follow deal with the methods by which this result was obtained. An idea of the character of Noranda concentrating ore will be gained from an inspection of the following mineralogical analysis of the ore treated by the mill during 1933: MineRal Content Mineral ConteNt Chalcopyrite, per cent..... 6.8 Silica and silicates, per cent............ 18.3 Pyrite, per cent........... 22.1 Gold, native and as telluride, oz. per ton 0.15 Pyrrhotite, per cent....... 51.5 Silver, probably as argentite, oz. per tou 0.35 Magnetite, per cent....... 0.5 Thesr figures, which are typical, show that over 73 per cent of the ore treated consists of pyrite and pyrrhotite. Determirnation of the proportion of unrecovered gold associated with each of these minerals was therefore of primary importance in developing a suitable method for improving gold recovery. As pyrrhotite is magnetic, this information was obtained by making magnetic sorting tests on samples of the mill tailing and screening the material thus segregated. This showed that the magnebtic material finer

Jan 1, 1935

Low metal prices prevailing at the beginning of 1950 stimulated the search for improved mining methods. More experience was gained during the year with such new developments as the jackleg drill, millisecond delays as applied underground, trackless mining, and Diesel powered equipment. One of the outstanding innovations in mining practice was the starting of the Round Mountain "dry land gold dredging operation." The Government is now inviting the mining industry to open up every available source of new metal supply and this circumstance will undoubtedly speed the development of new machines. New methods will also result but it is doubtful if economic efficiency will be at its peak.

Jan 2, 1951

By C. H. Johnson

THE year 1952 has seen the continuance of the trend pointed out by Tell Ertl in this magazine a year ago, toward mechanization in metal and mineral mines. Outstanding progress has been made in the adoption of rock bolting in situations where, a short time ago it would have seemed inapplicable. New devices, better equipment, and improved practices are in part responsible for shifting fashions in mine development, stoping methods, and transportation systems. Only new mines, of course, can take the advantage of the new ideas that are being tested and demonstrated throughout the industry, but the old mines often show a surprising adaptability

Jan 2, 1953