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By T. V. Subrahmanyam, A. P. Rao

The adsorption behavior of chalcopyrite has been studied at different xanthate concentrations and flow rates in a column apparatus with potassium ethyl xanthate as the collector. Based upon the experiment results an equation of the type: 1/F = K3 + m3C + k2/t.Cm2.fm1 is proposed to account for the experimental data. Among copper minerals an early study on chalcocite by Gaudin and Schuman (Taggart, 1951) is well known for its research on the kinetics of the reaction by conventional method of mass balance between the products of reaction and xanthate consumed. The results were interpreted by the concept of ion exchange adsorption. Szeglowski (1977) conducted measurements on the adsorption of potassium ethyl xanthate on copper polarized to various potentials, the adsorption being measured by radio-tracer techniques. The adsorption in the range -1800 to 700 mv was found to be a reversible physical adsorption. The potential range in which the primary electrode process could lead to surface coverage with a minimum number of product layers was evaluated. The adsorption density of xanthate on sulfide surface was found to be related to the concentration of xanthate in solution and concentration of depressants as: [ ]

Jan 1, 1983

By Howard S. Strouth

SINCE the days of the Conquistadores, people have told exaggerated tales of the wealth and possibilities of Mexico and Central and South America, and the mining fraternity has never been known to exaggerate any less than any other professional group known to man or beast. However, during a short stay in Mexico one can probably hear more whoppers than at any other time, when dozens of mining propositions are thrust across the desk, and it is not necessary to remind anyone that a listing of the do's and don't's for Mexico requires special mention of the fact that most mining propositions offered south of the border eventually turn out to be a beautiful fairy tale. The following is not suposed to be either an exact description of Standard Mining Corp.'s operations in Mexico by its mining associate, the Corporacion Minera y Beneficiadora Anahuac, S.A., or the last word as to the most economical way to start such an operation. But rather it is the sum total of the recent experiences of the writer while commencing such an operation in 1951-52 with the help of many qualified gentlemen.

Jan 6, 1953

By P. H. Mell

CAN the auriferous slate deposits of the Southern mining region ever be successfully worked? is a question that has been often asked me by persons seeking investments in Southern mines. As the subject is one that has given me much thought during the past few years, I have decided to present my conclusions to the members of the Institute for their consideration. Those who have had the opportunity of exploring the region mentioned above, will readily recall to mind numerous localities, to which their attention was directed by would-be miners, as "rich and desirable properties," in which there were but few quartz seams running in every direction through fine-grained talcose slate. Most of the gold in sued formations was always found disseminated through the slate, and but a small percentage contained in the quartz. Such are the deposits I propose to discuss in this paper. Of course there are many excellent quartz mines in the South that are paying the owners good profits, and many more to my knowledge, that are not being worked for obvious reasons. But it is out of the question to suppose that these slate deposits can be practically

Jan 1, 1881

By J. Wayne Erickson

One of the major problems facing today's mining industry is how to manage people and control costs in the underground mine. It is a problem with a solution. Because of the concerted effort to find and mine minerals near the surface, open-pit mine opportunities for certain minerals are becoming more limited; the mining industry will eventually be forced to produce more and more from underground mines in order to obtain those resources necessary to sustain our civilization. Although much technical progress has been made towards solving problems associated with the underground mine, such as - mine design, ventilation, rock support, equipment, and blasting techniques, little has been written on managing mining personnel. Much of what is being taught and practiced today about human relations, motivation, incentives, etc., applies to the underground miner, but the uniqueness of his group dictates a different treatment from that associated with the typical construction worker or factory employee. The difference lies with the kind of man attracted to underground mining and his working environment. Anyone who has had the responsibility of managing an underground mine would agree it is a unique problem.

Jan 9, 1976

By Nick Barton, Stavros Bandis

The descriptive term "rock mass" encompasses individual block dimensions ranging from centimeters to many tens of meters. Strength and deformability vary both qualitatively and quantitatively as a result of this size range. A key issue is therefore the appropriate size of the test sample. A large body of test data was reviewed to determine the influence of block size on the displacement required to mobilize peak strength. It is shown that the shear strength and shear stiffness reduce with increased block size due to reduced effective joint roughness, and due to reduced asperity strength. Both are a function of the delayed mobilization of roughness with increasing block size. A method of scaling shear strength and shear displacement from laboratory to in situ block sizes is suggested. It is based on the assumption that size effects disappear when the natural block size is exceeded. This simplification appears to be justified over a significant range of block sizes, but is invalidated when shearing along individual joints is replaced by rotational or kink-band deformation, as seen in more heavily jointed rock masses. Recent laboratory tests on model block assemblies illustrate some important effects of block size on deformability and Poisson's ratio.

Jan 1, 1982

Carlisle: This is April 19, 1961. My good friend Dave Irwin is sitting on the other side of the tape recorder. We are at Rose Dhu Island, Savannah, Ga. Now, let's begin with your first job, where and what was that? Irwin: I started out to Arizona, looking for a job and wound up in Morenci. The next morning I applied at the mine office and was put on as a sampler. I worked as a sampler and as an assistant to Frank Pelton, the geologist, for a year, after which I went back to New Haven to take my last year of postgraduate work. After getting my degree, I went back to the Southwest with W. Rowland Cox and Staff, supposedly as a geologist. Q: But that was not when he was with Spurr? Irwin: That was after he had left Spurr. Henry Smith was with the Spurr end of the outfit and I happened to drop into the W. Rowland Cox end. My first job with him was to do some work on a prospect above Metcalf, Ariz., and from there I would go out on short reconnaissance trips in Arizona, New Mexico and old Mexico.

Jan 6, 1964

Visitors frequently put the question to Kalgoorlie gold miners; "Why don't you concentrate your mining operations?" A mine may be drawing ore from over a hundred different working places which are spread out over several thousand feet of strike and on many different levels. The answer to this question is that "finished" can rarely be written for a section of the mine. The intricate web of mineralization in faults, shears and fractures is an endless puzzle, each solution opens up new avenues to be explored. After the last ore is taken from a stope, a program of drilling may continue for several weeks on different possibilities. Perhaps no ore is discovered and drilling is abandoned, but it is not unusual for another search to begin later in that same area on a new theory with successful results. Wherever a slightly richer mineralization is found, it is needed to "sweeten" the mill heads. Over seventy years ago gold was discovered in the dry wastes of Western Australia. Rich deposits of alluvial gold were found at first and as these were worked out they led to the discovery of the lode ores, which were leaner and harder to extract.

Jan 10, 1964

By H. C. Boynton, Albert Sauveur

In the course of some experiments conducted in the Metallographical Laboratory of Harvard University, some interesting facts were brought to light which appear to be worth recording in advance of a more elaborate and exhaustive paper which the authors hope to present to the Institute in the near future. Fig. 1 shows, under a magnification of 100 diameters, the microstructure of the cross-section of a steel bar 1/2-inch square, containing 0.52 per cent. carbon, heated to 1100 degrees C. and cooled slowly with the furnace. Fig. 2 illustrates the structure of the same steel, heated to the same temperature but cooled more rapidly in the air. Both samples were cut from the same bar and heated side by side in the furnace. When a temperature of 1100 degrees C. had been reached, one sample was taken out of the furnace and allowed to cool in the air, while the other was cooled with the furnace. The only difference, therefore, in the treatment of both samples will be found in their respective rate of cooling. This variation in the rate of cooling resulted, as shown

Jan 1, 1904

By E. P. Mathewson

W. W. (Pop) Adams' contribution is short and to the point. "I went to Pueblo about March, 1881, and started working for the Pueblo Smelting & Refining Co. in the sampling room, going from there to the assay and chemical departments, and ending in charge of the lead refinery on the night shift. I was there about two years, returning to California in 1883. The plant was under the management of Mather and Geist, plus Charley Ballard; Herman Schlapp was the metallurgist. Herman Schlapp's name remains prominently in my recollection of Pueblo for his never-failing kindness and charity to the young men who were trying to learn the Pb. game. John Allen, Walter Koehler, George Westcott, Charley Molson, and Alfred de Ropp were there with me. Schlapp and Koehler I have never seen since I left Pueblo; the others I have met often. , Alfred de Ropp I have often met-here, as he was manager of the Selby Smelting & Lead Co. of San Francisco, for years. 'He tells me that I gave him the rudiments. of American profanity at Pueblo; an apt pupil, for since then, by his own efforts, he has added largely to his vocabulary..

Jan 12, 1923

By Peter H. Fletcher

THE ECONOMIC THEORY It will assist in the understanding of the Resource Rent Tax ("RRT") proposals in Australia if the economic theory behind the tax is briefly explained. The idea goes back to the concept of rent put forward by the nineteenth century economist David Ricardo. His analysis was broadly as follows: A tenant who farms land which is just on the margin of economic viability cannot afford to pay his landlord any rent, because the value of the crop produced by such marginal land is equal to the cost of producing the crop, plus the cost of keeping the tenant alive. There is nothing left out of which to pay rent to landlord. A tenant who farms good land can afford to pay his landlord rent -- but the maximum amount of rent that he can be asked to pay is the excess of the value of the crop produced by the good land over the cost of producing the crop and of keeping the tenant alive. Adapting this theory to the taxation of mining projects, modern economists who favour this system of taxation say that a profitable mining (or resource) project produces rent in the Ricardian sense. The amount of the rent is the excess of the profits by the project over the amount of profit which is required to attract the taxpayer to invest in the project in the first place. This explains why the tax is called "Resource Rent Tax". PAPUA NEW GUINEA PRECEDENT Although Papua New Guinea ("PNG") is now independent of Australia, there are still close links between the two countries, and strong similarities between their respective tax regimes. PNG introduced an Additional Profits Tax ("APT") in 1978. In many respects, Australia's RRT proposals follow the precedent set by PNG1s APT. However, in practical terms, not a great deal can be learned at this stage from PNG's experiences since, according to the writer's understanding, no PNG mining project has yet paid any APT. The Bougainville mine is not liable to APT, being subject to tax under its own separate Act, which contains a different formula. Outline of PNG Additional Profits Tax. PNG has two versions of Additional Profits Tax ("APT) - one applying to general mining, the other to petroleum mining. The two versions are very similar. The general mining version is described below. The tax applies on a licence by licence basis. This means that losses on Licence A cannot be offset against profits on Licence B. Expenditure relating to two or more licences, is apportioned "in such manner as the Chief Controller thinks reasonable". Tax is levied on the "accumulated value of net cash receipts" at the rate of (70 - n)% where n=the rate of income tax. The accumulated value of net cash receipts ("av") is calculated as follows: Calculations commence from the first year in which substantial expenditure was incurred on the construction of facilities for the carrying out of mining operations on the licence. For that year the av consists of the total allowable expenditure to date on that lease. For the second year, the av is the av at the end of year one indexed in accordance with the statutory formula set out below, plus the total allowable expenditure in year 2. For year 3, the av is the av at the end of year 2 adjusted by the index factors, plus the total allowable expenditure in year 3. This process is repeated year after year. When the licence starts to earn revenue, the revenue is deducted from total allowable expenditure for that year. If revenue exceeds total allowable

Jan 1, 1985

The Canadian Mining Institute has accepted the proffered arrangement as to price of the Bulletin to members and will furnish its Bulletin to members of the A. I. M. E. at $1 per year.

Jan 5, 1919

By Conrad E. Hesse

To increase the durability of paint exposed to the weather, it is necessary to protect the oil with a substance that is itself unaffected by the elements. The so-called " metallic " paints, containing ochre,

Jan 1, 1891

By A. Eilers

(Butte Meeting, August, 1913.) A NUMBER of the copper refineries in this country have lately separated some of the rarer metals from the slimes in the refinery tanks One of these has furnished me the following table of recoveries from given amounts of blister. I publish . this to show the proportions, to gold and silver and to each other, in which these rarer metals may be expected to occur in copper from certain localities.

Jan 6, 1913

PHILIP D. WILSON,* Warren, Ariz. (written discussiont).-Mr. Tovote's idea of attempting to classify according to their broad geologic relations the ore deposits and prospects of the Southwest is an admirable one. Attempts have been made to evolve some comprehensive scheme of classification that would be of practical assistance in determining the possible value of prospects, but the ore deposits are too varied in type, form, genesis, and distribution to lend themselves readily to any definite, scientific pigeon-holing. The classification Mr. Tovote recommends, combining the age of the mineralization with the type of the rock supposed to be its source, is open to criticism even on the evidence he presents. The age of many deposits is not nor can be definitely determined because of the absence of sedimentary rocks in their vicinity. Furthermore, the character of the mineralizing solutions has, in a large majority of cases, no relation to the composition of the associated igneous rock. While the solutions may have originated in the same magma, they were usually a much later manifestation of it, often appearing after the intrusive rock had completely solidified and been subsequently crushed and fractured, and in many cases the chemical difference is very marked. It is true that igneous activity in the Southwest is definitely related to-certain geologic periods. The statement, however, that no ore deposits can unmistakably be referred to periods earlier than late Cretaceous is not supported by fact. The bonanza copper orebodies of the Jerome District are definitely pre-Cambrian. As suggested by J. R. Finlay,1 they are probably post-Beltian or late Algonkian in age, perhaps related to the same great mountain-making period as the copper deposits in the Keweenawan series of Lake Superior and the Sudbury, Porcupine, and Cobalt deposits of Ontario. The proof that they are pre-Paleozoic may be summarized as follows: 1. The pre-Cambrian complex in which they occur is overlaid by a great thickness of Paleozoic sediments with the Tonto or Tapeats sandstone at their base. The only primary mineralization in these sediments is an economically unimportant one connected with very recent basalt. 2. In the United Verde Extension mine, the gossan over the great orebody extends to the old pre-Cambrian surface where it is directly

Jan 2, 1919

By Ellen H. Richards

It is of importance to analysts to have a ready means of detecting the presence of small quantities of titaninm in iron ores and in certain fluxes and slags. The method given in Elderhorst's Blowpipe Analysis (fusion with potassium hydrogen sulphate) requires considerable practice, in order so to regulate the heat that the titanium oxide shall become soluble. In Brash's Determinative Mineralogy is found a method which, at least in inexperienced hands, has given better results, i. e., fusion of the substance to be tested with sodium carbonate on charcoal in the reducing flame. The solution in hydrochloric acid of the bead thus obtained, boiled with tin or zinc, gives the characteristic violet color; but when the mineral contains less than four per cent. of titanium oxide, long boiling and consequent concentration is necessary. In fact the test would seem to be much less delicate than is generally supposed. In the course of some analyses I quite accidentally found that a peculiar color is given to turmeric paper by solutions of titanium chloride. This color is hard to describe, being modified by the quantity of ferric chloride present in the solution ; but it is neither the orange of zirconia nor the red of' boron. It is rather a dull shade of purple, arid is easily recognized when the paper is dried, although the color fades in a few hours. By this means a solution containing .015 per cent. of titanium oxide can easily be tested. The same solution, treated with tin, required to be concentrated to one-tenth its bulk before a decided color could be obtained. The color given to turmeric paper is intensified after the solution has been treated with tin. This and some other indications show that the best shade of color is given by the titanons chloride rather than by the titanic chloride, and no other salt of titanium than the chloride has been found to give the color. Another peculiar property of titanium salts has come tinder my observation. When titaniferous minerals are soluble in nitric acid, and the solution is subjected to the action of the battery, the soluble titanium salt is converted into the insoluble oxide and appears on the electrode, in some cases, as a white coating; this

Jan 1, 1883

By H. W. Imholz

Active interest in the North Central Texas area centered in the development of the Palo Pinto limestone-producing zone, near the town of Avoca, in the northeast part of Jones County. This producing horizon was discovered in 1937, in the Iron Mountain Oil Company's well No. 1 Olander, in sec. 196, B.B.B. & C. survey, at 3238 to 3250 ft. During the development of this pool, it was generally referred to as the Avoca pool. As a second pool has been discovered in the same producing zone, also near the town of Avoca, the writer has taken the liberty of changing the name of the original Avoca pool to Avoca-Olander pool. Forty producers had been drilled in the Avoca-Olander pool by the end of 1938; their initial ranged from 28 to 300 bbl. per hour. Stimulus was given to the interest in the development of the Palo Pinto limestone when the Ungren-Frazier No. 1 Griffin, in sec. 199, B.B.B. & C. survey, Jones County, found the limestone from 3225 to 3250 ft., with an initial production of 931 bbl. per day. (This new pool has been given the name of Avoca-Griffin pool, by the writer.) The best well to be completed, up to the present time, is the Bert Fields No. 1 Taylor in sec. 199, B.B.B. & C. survey, which had an initial production of 748 bbl. in 3 hours. The Owen-Snebold No. 1 McKeever in sec. 158, B.B.B. & C. survey, in northwest Shackelford County, added to the interest in the Palo Pinto limestone when it extended the Ivy pool with a well in the Palo Pinto limestone from 3145 to 3183 ft., and was estimated good for 6,000,000 cu. ft. of gas and 6000 bbl. of oil per day. During 1938, Stonewall County obtained its first commercial producer when the Stonewall Oil Co. in No. 1 Parriott discovered the Palo Pinto limestone saturated from 5169 to 5176 ft. and tested 371 bbl. per day. Two new producing horizons were discovered about 2 miles east of the old Noddle Creek pool, Jones County; the first, the Humble Oil & Refining Co. No. 1 Irvin, in sec. 48, block 18, T. & P. R. R. Co. survey, which had saturated limestone from 2550 to 2567 ft. and was good for 100 bbl. per day; the second, in the Humble No. 1 Horton, sec. 40, which

Jan 1, 1939

By H. W. Imholz

Active interest in the North Central Texas area centered in the development of the Palo Pinto limestone-producing zone, near the town of Avoca, in the northeast part of Jones County. This producing horizon was discovered in 1937, in the Iron Mountain Oil Company's well No. 1 Olander, in sec. 196, B.B.B. & C. survey, at 3238 to 3250 ft. During the development of this pool, it was generally referred to as the Avoca pool. As a second pool has been discovered in the same producing zone, also near the town of Avoca, the writer has taken the liberty of changing the name of the original Avoca pool to Avoca-Olander pool. Forty producers had been drilled in the Avoca-Olander pool by the end of 1938; their initial ranged from 28 to 300 bbl. per hour. Stimulus was given to the interest in the development of the Palo Pinto limestone when the Ungren-Frazier No. 1 Griffin, in sec. 199, B.B.B. & C. survey, Jones County, found the limestone from 3225 to 3250 ft., with an initial production of 931 bbl. per day. (This new pool has been given the name of Avoca-Griffin pool, by the writer.) The best well to be completed, up to the present time, is the Bert Fields No. 1 Taylor in sec. 199, B.B.B. & C. survey, which had an initial production of 748 bbl. in 3 hours. The Owen-Snebold No. 1 McKeever in sec. 158, B.B.B. & C. survey, in northwest Shackelford County, added to the interest in the Palo Pinto limestone when it extended the Ivy pool with a well in the Palo Pinto limestone from 3145 to 3183 ft., and was estimated good for 6,000,000 cu. ft. of gas and 6000 bbl. of oil per day. During 1938, Stonewall County obtained its first commercial producer when the Stonewall Oil Co. in No. 1 Parriott discovered the Palo Pinto limestone saturated from 5169 to 5176 ft. and tested 371 bbl. per day. Two new producing horizons were discovered about 2 miles east of the old Noddle Creek pool, Jones County; the first, the Humble Oil & Refining Co. No. 1 Irvin, in sec. 48, block 18, T. & P. R. R. Co. survey, which had saturated limestone from 2550 to 2567 ft. and was good for 100 bbl. per day; the second, in the Humble No. 1 Horton, sec. 40, which

Jan 1, 1939

By J. E. Norton

PRODUCTION statistics show that during the period of emergence from the depres¬sion the coal industry was becoming increasingly cognizant of the economic and competitive necessity for mechanizing. About 1935 many of its leaders were becoming aware also of the alarming scarcity of men properly trained to cope with the new problems of mechanization. In order to get a factual statement of this problem, a special AIME Coal Division Committee + was requested to survey the condition. Its investigation disclosed that graduates of mining schools going into coal mining numbered 16 in 1939 and 15 in 1938. With this as a background, Pittsburgh Coal Co. foresaw that a comprehensive program was necessary if it was to enlist the services of trained technical men, who were an indispensable part of a mechaniza¬tion program. The purpose of this paper is to review the program set up, to comment on the successes and failures and to outline the future course of action. SUMMER WORK An inescapable conclusion from the mechanization statistics was that the opportunities in coal mining were good. Not only was there a void in technical skill to fill from past years, but the ac¬celerating rate of mechanization indicated an increasing demand for technically trained men for the future. The remedy lay primarily in presenting facts con¬cerning the coal industry to the under¬graduate engineers before they made their professional occupational choice. Based on this idea, one of the key points in the program - was summer vacation work for the undergraduate, which, through the inducement of summer earnings, brought men into the mines to take a look at the prospects. This was more successful than statistics indicate because the war badly scrambled the orderly working of the program, but it could not obscure the value of a summer work program. A decided advantage was that it gave the company a preview of the graduate. An observation on this part of the program is that it is extremely hard to gauge lower classmen, and we found it wise to give them the benefit of the doubt, as the last two years in college bring about surprisingly rapid develop¬ment in some men. We could readily single out the men at the opposite ends of the scale of competence. COMPREHENSIVE TRAINING PROGRAM Having adopted summer work as a

Jan 1, 1946

By S. Wiederhorn

The energy and force of interaction between a crack and a slip band have been calculated. When the distance between the crack and the slip band is greater than the dislocation spacing of- the slip band, the force on the cgrack is perpendicular to the slip band. The energy needed to propagate a crack against this force can be lawe enough to pevmit crack propagation parallel to noncleavage planes. SEVERAL recent experiments have demonstrated the occurrence of crack-slip band interaction in ionic crystals having a NaC1-type structure. Stokes, Johnston, and Lil have studied the nucleation and growth of cracks in MgO. From their observations, they conclude that slip bands have the ability to halt and stabilize cleavage crack nuclei. Gilman2 has shown that a crack, propagating along a (100) cleavage plane in a previously deformed LiF crystal, tends, at certain points within the crystal, to switch to (110) planes. He reasons that plastic deformation reduces the cohesive energy of the (110) planes below that of the (1130) planes, making possible (110) crack propagation. Keh3 has demonstrated that when indentations are made in MgO, crkcks form along (110) planes at the indentations. Gilman2 attributes the formation of these cracks to plastic cieformation. There is some doubt as to the formation of cracks on (110) planes. Kuznetsov4 in his discussion of crack propagation in rock salt, shows that splitting along (110) planes requires 1.76 times as much energy as splitting along a stepped (100) surface. Therefore, the observed (110) cracking in LiF and

Jan 1, 1962

By Robert H. Richards

It has long been known to boiler makers and to the users of cylindrical pipes of many kinds that when a tube is exposed to internal fluid pressure the resolution of forces is such that the material of the walls of the tube is exposed to twice the stress in the direction tending to produce longitudinal rupture, as it is in the direction to produce circumferential fracture. By longitudinal fracture is meant the fracture by a rent parallel to the axis; by circumferential fracture is meant fracture by rents running round the cylinder. In consequence of this the makers of boilers always lay the fibre of their metal in direction round the boiler, and the same is true with the makers of gun-barrels. I have never seen any good and simple illustration of this law until I met with it in blowing glass. If a thin bubble of glass be blown out in a spherical form and then exploded it will be found that the particles tumble into totally irregular shapes, showing no special direction in the molecular structure of the material. If now a bubble of glass be blown out and so manipulated that it will take a cylindrical form (see accompanying illustration), and then be exploded, it will drop into ribbon-shaped pieces from end to end, and the only parts that will be found to differ from this form will be the two hemispherical ends which will remain whole, having a fringe of ribbons representing the line of their fracture from the cylinder. The main point of difference between this experiment and the

Jan 1, 1883