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By Samuel M. Cassidy, John A. Garcia

In some districts of the bituminous coal field the problem of constructing bulkheads to seal off water under pressure is becoming increasingly important. Recently this matter has been brought very much to the front by the loss of a large Illinois mine due to failure of a bulkhead that separated it from several old, flooded mines. As this great misfortune has provoked much inquiry about proper bulkhead design, it is felt that a description of the successful and extensive water-sealing practice at three mines that have different natural conditions will be of considerable interest to those connected with properties having a present or future water problem and to engineers that may have to design safe bulkheads of economical construction. These three mines are the Saxton and Dresser, near Terre Haute, Ind., and the Hegeler, near Danville, Ill. All three have water conditions that make it necessary to regularly seal off all worked-out sections of the mine, and there are considerably over a hundred bulkheads in each. AS far as the writers know, these three mines are the only ones in the bituminous coal fields of the United States with anything like so large a number of water seals and experience, although a number of other mines are known to have a few bulkheads. More detail will be included herein on the Saxton mine than on the others, as the writers are more familiar with it. General Mining System All three of the mines use the same general panel room-and-pillar system, which consists of rooms turned both ways off room entries and a solid block of coal left on all sides of the completed panel except on the cross-entry side, where a heavier pillar is pierced by two entries for haulage and air. On completion of the panel the two entries arc sealed and the panel is then isolated from the rest of the mine. Owing to water conditions, no pillars are pulled; recovery inside the panel barrier pillars is approximately 65 per cent.

Jan 1, 1938

By Samuel M. Cassidy, John A. Garcia

In some districts of the bituminous coal field the problem of constructing bulkheads to seal off water under pressure is becoming increasingly important. Recently this matter has been brought very much to the front by the loss of a large Illinois mine due to failure of a bulkhead that separated it from several old, flooded mines. As this great misfortune has provoked much inquiry about proper bulkhead design, it is felt that a description of the successful and extensive water-sealing practice at three mines that have different natural conditions will be of considerable interest to those connected with properties having a present or future water problem and to engineers that may have to design safe bulkheads of economical construction. These three mines are the Saxton and Dresser, near Terre Haute, Ind., and the Hegeler, near Danville, Ill. All three have water conditions that make it necessary to regularly seal off all worked-out sections of the mine, and there are considerably over a hundred bulkheads in each. AS far as the writers know, these three mines are the only ones in the bituminous coal fields of the United States with anything like so large a number of water seals and experience, although a number of other mines are known to have a few bulkheads. More detail will be included herein on the Saxton mine than on the others, as the writers are more familiar with it. General Mining System All three of the mines use the same general panel room-and-pillar system, which consists of rooms turned both ways off room entries and a solid block of coal left on all sides of the completed panel except on the cross-entry side, where a heavier pillar is pierced by two entries for haulage and air. On completion of the panel the two entries arc sealed and the panel is then isolated from the rest of the mine. Owing to water conditions, no pillars are pulled; recovery inside the panel barrier pillars is approximately 65 per cent.

Jan 1, 1938

By A. L. Holley

THERE are regularly manufactured in the eleven Bessemer steel rail mills of the United States, 119 patterns* of steel rails, of 27 different weights per yard. This list does not include patterns which, although still largely inn use, are regarded by experts as obsolete, and which would swell the number to nearly 300; nor does it include all, the patterns for which rolls are kept on hand to fill a possible demand; nor does it include extra pattern,- rolled in one finishing groove by opening or closing the rolls so as to get different weights with the same contours. The list embraces only those separate patterns which are subject to current orders. How thoroughly modern these patterns are, is shown by the fact that of the whole 119, there are but five patterns of conspicuously bad shape; all the rest more or less completely illustrate the standard features,-a heavy bead,. light web and flanges, and a good angle :to hold the fish-plate. Sixty-two per cent. of the patterns have the "Chanute" head, which was not designed until 1874.† Sixty-four per cent. of the 119 patterns are embraced under five weights per yard,; three only of these vary from standard type; there am thus 76 patterns, all of them modern and standard, to represent five different weights, for which five patterns would perfectly answer. Of the 60-lb. rails, there is only one of the pear-head type, while a dozen of the bevelled head templets cannot be distinguished from each other * From all the works 188 patterns were sent to me as standard. Of these I found 119 different shapes and 69 duplicates. † Since this paper was read I have seen at the Bethlehem Iron. Works the templet of a 68-pound Lehigh Valley rail, with the bevelled head, usually called the "Chanute" head, and marked "Templet of 1872." This is shown on Plate II. I learn that iron rails, with bevelled heads, were rolled at Bethlehem prior to 1870.

Jan 1, 1881

By A. G. Rozner

TRANSVERSE rupture tests have been commonly used in mechanical investigations of brittle materials. The specimens are simple, easy to prepare, and loading presents no difficulty. Owing to the complexity of stress distribution in bending1 one can determine stresses rigorously only for the elastic range. The bend-test results, however, are at times converted into tensile-strength data, determined as maximum fiber stress. The assumption is made that for small plastic deformations the linear stress-strain relation applies. This problem was experimentally investigated by Bach3 who tested cast iron in bending and in tension and found that the maximum fiber strength obtained in bending exceeded the experimental tensile strength by a factor depending on the geometry of the tested piece. The factor varied from 1.57 for a rectangular cross section to 2.12 for a circular cross section of the tested beam. Since this work was carried out 60 years ago, the cast iron used could be expected to have been highly brittle, thus the extent of plastic deformation prior to fracture very small. We have therefore carried out a number of tests on magnesium-modified cast iron with an average elongation of -5 pct. It was hoped that the data obtained from the tests would serve as a guideline for comparing data obtained in tension and bending for brittle materials. Mechanical properties were measured at room temperature on an Instron tensile machine at a crosshead speed of 0.05 in. per min. The three-point bend test employed cylindrical bars 0.20 in. in diameter with a 1.0-in. span. For the tensile test, cylindrical tensile specimens with a gage length of 0.85 in. and a diameter of 0.160 in. were used. Results are summarized in Table I. From Table I one can see that fracture strength

Jan 1, 1965

By Verne E. Hooker, Robert M. Becker

The evaluation of in-situ rock stresses from measurements of the change in diameter of a borehole that is stress-relieved by overcoring has become a common practice. Generally the stress evaluation has been based on isotropic relations whereas rock in varying degrees is aniso tropic. A plane elasticity solution fora circular hole along one axis of an orthotropic medium has been adapted to evaluation of in situ stress. The necessary elastic parameters for this evaluation may conveniently be obtained from static tests on the overcore in conjunction with a consistent orthotropic thick-wall cylinder solution. The method and equations for the laboratory and field evaluations are summarized and illustrated. The determination of in-situ rock stresses from boreholc deformation measurements has gained widespread acceptance. Hastl measured the change in diameter of a borehole that was stress-relieved by drilling a larger concentric core; this overcoring method has produced a major portion of the field data for recent stress evaluations in rock. These evaluations are based on the elastic properties of the rock, which are conveniently determined by testing the overcore.6-8 The stress evaluation and the overcore testing procedures generally assume isotropic relations whereas rock is anisotropic in varying degrees. Recently, an anisotropic plane stress solution was adapted for evaluation of in-situ stress9 and a related plane strain solution was developed for the testing of stress-relief core. 10 The present paper unifies the stress evaluation and overcore testing procedures for a general class of anisotropic rock. Equations are presented for calculating the state of stress in a plane normal to the borehole, and a consistent thick-wall cylinder solution is given for determining the necessary elastic properties. In addition, a complete example of stress evaluation from laboratory and field data is presented, and the order of error in computing the state of stress from isotropic relations is illustrated. Several limitations of the results should be emphasized. All results assume small linearly elastic deformations of a homogeneous medium. Rock characterized by orthotropic, transversely isotropic, and isotropic elasticity is considered; however, the anisotropic results assume a special relation among certain elastic constants in addition to geometric orientation with respect to a plane of elastic symmetry. For some stress determinations in rock, these may be severe limitations. On the other hand, the anisotropic evaluation procedure involves little additional effort and is much more flexible than the corresponding isotropic evaluation procedure. The collection of field data is identical. The laboratory determination of elastic parameters is no more difficult and time-consuming for the anisotropic than for the isotropic model. Only the calculations require some additional effort for the anisotropic evaluation, and this additional effort is eliminated by use of a small computer. The flexibility of the anisotropic procedure is greater because more than two independent elastic constants are available in fitting rock data. For the special relationship assumed among orthotropic constants, five independent elastic constants are available for the determination of in-situ secondary principal stresses as compared with two independent elastic constants for the isotropic model. Much of the material presented is either directly from the literature or adapted from the literature through superposition or the usual transformations. Consequently, only enough detail for clarity of presentation is included. RELATIONS FROM ANISOTROPIC ELASTICITY Materials that have three mutually orthogonal planes of elastic symmetry are called orthotropic. By directing the axes of the coordinates perpendicular to these planes, Hooke's law for an orthotropic solid 11 is

Jan 1, 1970

By V. D. Perry

Carlisle: Reno, let's start off by asking "When was the first day that you began working in your profession?" Sales: I began in Butte, Montana, on August 22, 1900 as an assistant engineer for the Boston & Montana Consolidated Copper and Silver Mining Co., and continued at that job for about a year. The general manager was C. S. Batterman, and the mines- Mountain View, Pennsylvania, Leonard, East Colusa, and one or two others-were part of Boston & Montana.

Jan 5, 1966

By R. J. Brison, W. C. Bleimeister

The International Salt Company has long been interested in finding an efficient process for the removal of impurities from rock salt, and particularly from the rock salt produced at the Detroit mine. Methods which have been used previously at the Detroit mine included both hand sorting and differential crushing in a Bradford breaker with rejection of the oversize. Neither of these methods was adequately effective. The development of a new process for removal of impurities from rock salt has been described in the preceding article." Basically, the process consists of exposure of crude rock salt to radiant heating which selectively heats the impure particles. Subsequently the heated particles are removed by adhesion to a heat sensitive-coating on a conveyor belt. This method was found to be effective in improving both the quality and appearance of rock salt by the rejection of the dark, impure particles. The first commercial unit employing the new thermoadhesive method of dry separation of minerals was installed at the Detroit mine of International Salt Company in Detroit, Mich. (Fig. l). This unit was first put into operation in March 1957. The purpose of the Detroit installation was 1) to serve as a pilot plant for evaluating the process on a commercial scale and 2) to produce marketable quantities of rock salt of improved quality and ap- pearance. The design of this plant was based on the results and information obtained from a 1-tph pilot plant at Battelle Memorial Institute. DESCRIPTION OF PLANT Location: The separation plant was installed underground near the crushing and screening plant, for this was the most suitable location from the standpoint of material handling. Furthermore, ample space was availabe at this location. Because the process requires a relatively constant temperature, the uniform year-around temperature of the mine (57°F) gave an added advantage to an underground operation. Feeding: The rock salt is conveyed to a surge bin, from which it is fed to the heating unit by a conveyor. The feed-rate control consists simply of an adjustable gate at the bottom of the surge bin. The plant may be fed either No. 1 grade of rock salt (0.279 to 0.375 in.) or No. 2 grade (0.375 to 0.500 in.) with a maximum input capacity of 500 tons per 15-hour day. Heating Unit: The heating unit (Fig. 2) consists of a panel of infrared lamps suspended inside a low-speed revolving screen. The radiant-heat panel, which is curved for most effective utilization of the heat, holds 240 infrared lamps of standard industrial type, each rated at 500 watts. The position of the panel is adjustable so that it can be placed centrally over and to within 6 in. of the salt bed on the screen. The entire heat panel is suspended by rollers in ¦ R. J. Brison and O. F. Tangel: Development of a Thermo-adhesive Method for Dry Separation of Minerals.

Jan 1, 1961

By C. O. Dale, W. J. Rundle

THE upper Mississippi Valley zinc-lead area was the first major lead producing section in the United States. The lead ore, found near the surface in crevices, was relatively pure galena that could be smelted directly into lead, at first in log hearth furnaces and later in more efficient blast type furnaces. French Canadian fur traders encouraged the Indians to mine the lead ore and showed them how to smelt it into lead that had a high value for bullets.1 Nicholas Perrot found lead ore on the Mississippi River bluffs near the junction of Wisconsin and Illinois and in 1690 established a trading post on the Wisconsin side of the river opposite the present site of Dubuque, Iowa.2 Shortly after 1720 discovery of Mine La Mott in Missouri diverted considerable attention from the Upper Mississippi area. Mining continued on a desultory basis with operations concentrated in the Galena, Illinois-Dubuque, area. In 1740 at least 20 miners were at work in the Fever River area around Galena and are reported to have shipped 2500 70-lb pigs of lead to Kaskaskia in 1741.3 Julien Dubuque established a mining and smelting operation in 1790 near the city that bears his name 'and was granted sole right to exploit the mining operations on the lands of the Sauk and the Fox Indians. He is reported to have produced 30,000 70-lb pigs of lead in 1805. Following the death of Dubuque in 1810 the Indians refused to let the white miners enter their lands, and little was done on the Iowa side of the river until the Indians were removed by treaty with the United States government in 1832.4 Early mining was entirely for lead but as the crevices were followed down, increasing percentages of zinc sulphide and zinc carbonate were encountered and at first discarded. Later a market became available for the zinc ores, and hand jigging devices were made to separate the lead," the zinc, and the rock or waste materials. The first record of zinc production from -the area is for 1860. Production of zinc passed that of lead before 1900, reached a peak of 64,000 short tons' in 1917, fell off rapidly and continually to about 2000 short tons in 1938, and since 1940 has ranged from 11,000 to 19,000 short tons. Lead has been of considerably less importance since 1900, and at present only about 10 pct as much lead as zinc is produced. Practically all of the zinc ore has come from orebodies that are rather flat and wide with, considerable length as compared to width. Most of the early lead came from the crevice type deposit, but present production is from the predominately flat zinc orebodies. The Graham-Snyder orebody, scene of Eagle Picher operations, is practically all zinc with little or no lead being recovered. Marcasite, present in varying amounts, makes production of finished concentrates by gravity separation impractical. Satisfactory lead and zinc concentrates have been produced since flotation was introduced in the area in 1927. An acid recovery plant was operated for about 20 years after World War I, but it has been dismantled, and no recovery of the iron sulphides in the ores of the district is being made at the present time. In June 1950 there were three companies operating mines and mills, Tri-State Zinc Co., Calumet & Hecla Consolidated Copper Co., and Eagle Picher Mining and Smelting Co. The Vinegar Hill Zinc Co. had completed a shaft at a new orebody and had started to develop the mine which will supply the Cuba City mill. The Cuba Mining Co. was holding the Andrews Mine inactive. The Dodgeville Mining Co. was not operating but was exploring for additional reserves. Several small mines were selling ore to the Eagle Picher mill. A general area map is given in Fig. 1. The Eagle Picher Mining and Smelting Co. entered the area in 1946 with an active exploration campaign. Leases on a block basis were secured for the area south from the Wisconsin-Illinois line near

Jan 1, 1952

By Robert P. Burrows

Discussion of the paper of R. P. Burrows, presented `at the New York meeting, February, 1916, and printed in Bulletin No. 107, November, 1915, pp. 2237 to 2245. EDWIN M. CHANCE, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.-I have been very much interested in the comprehensive and able discussion of the important topic of mine lighting just given by Mr. Burrows, especially as I know by common report Mr. Burrows' ability and his close touch with the development of the electric mine lamp, and its use in mines in connection with a portable electric lamp. It is regrettable that Mr: Burrows was not able to acquaint himself more closely with the cost of mine illumination, the actual cost, as produced by a portable light as carried by miners, whether a flame safety lamp or an open light. Had he been able to acquaint himself more closely with these data, he perhaps would not have arrived at some of the conclusions which he has presented to us in his paper. For example, we find Mr. Burrows advises that the open torch is by far the cheapest source of illumination, as produced by a portable light. I am very sure that is not the fact. The cost of miners' oil varies from about 25.c. a gallon to 90b. a gallon. The various States have passed laws from time to time rendering it mandatory that the miner shall use, whether he is willing or not, a so-called better or higher grade of burning oil. These laws have entailed the use of an oil so expensive that the use of the oil torch has become practically impossible, and the acetylene or carbide miners' lamp has largely taken its place. I have evolved a few figures showing the relative efficiency and usefulness of the open oil torch and the acetylene miners' lamp. For example, the acetylene miners' lamp consumes or burns 4 liters of acetylene per hour, or 0.14 cu. ft.; the oxygen consumed is 10 liters, or 0.35 cu. ft. per hour; air consumed, 50 liters, or 1.76 cu. ft. per hour; black-damp produced, 40 liters, or 1.41 cu. ft. per hour; air rendered extinctive to the acetylene flame, 112 liters, or 3.95 cu. ft. per hour; carbide con- sumed, 13 g. per hour. The open oil torch, on the other hand, burns about 20 g. of oil per hour; the oxygen consumed is 48 liters, or 1.69 cu. ft. per. hour; air consumed, 240 liters, or 8.47 cu. ft. per hour; blackdamp produced, 191 liters, or 6.73 cu. ft. per hour; air rendered extinctive to oil flame is 1,413 liters, or 49.92 cu. ft. per hour.

Jan 5, 1916

On April 17, the John Fritz Medal, the award of which the presiding officer, Col. John J. Carty, characterized as "the highest honor which can be conferred on an engineer in America," was presented to. J. Waldo Smith "for his most distinguished services in civil engineering, and particularly in connection with the work on the great aqueduct, which has just been completed." Col. Carty spoke very briefly of the origin of the Medal and the method of awarding it, mentioning the names of the twelve men to whom it has been awarded in former years, and then introduced Mr. Nelson P. Lewis, Vice-president of the American Society of Civil Engineers, and for many years Chief Engineer of the Board of Estimate of the City of New York, who is an old colleague and fellow-engineer of Mr. Smith. Mr. Lewis said, in part: Mr. Smith is so well known that an extended review of his professional activities will be unnecessary, but a brief outline of the development of a conspicuously successful hydraulic engineer may not be out of place. It would be difficult to find a better instance of the success which is quite sure to result from persistent devotion to all phases of a particular line of engineering work. It began in his boyhood, when, as a lad of 15, he eagerly availed himself of such opportunities as were afforded to help in the construction of a waterworks system for his home town in New England. It was a very modest plant, consisting of a small reservoir and pumping station, and about 4 miles of pipe. Probably it was the most important improvement the town

Jan 7, 1918

By Mahesh C. Jha

Arsenical gold ores occur in many parts of the world, including numerous mines in Canada and the western United States. Free gold is often finely disseminated in the grains of sulfide minerals, arsenopyrite, pyrite, orpiment and realgar. Generally a sulfide concentrate is produced by flotation. Arsenical ores or concentrates are not amenable to direct cyanidation and therefore are considered refractory. A wide variety of roasting equipment and conditions have been used by the mills to remove arsenic and sulfur from these concentrates. The resulting calcine is easy to cyanide and gold is recovered from the cyanide solution by zinc dust cementation. Room-temperature potential-pH diagrams and high-temperature phasestability diagrams are presented to discuss the chemistry of the gold cyanidation, cementation, and roasting steps in the presence of arsenic. The environmental aspects of arsenic discharge are also included.

Jan 1, 1984

By A. R. Troiano, W. J. Barnett

The existence of a grain size stabilization effect on martensitic type reactions as shown by Scheill in an iron-29 pct nickel alloy and by Troiano and Tokich2 in cobalt prompted a review of other martensitic reactions to determine if this stabilization effect is characteristic of all martensite type reactions. Preliminary work has shown this effect to be present both in the gamma —+ epsilon transformation in an iron-20 pct manganese alloy and the martensite transformation of SAE 4140 and 3 pct Cr-O.40 pct steels. No appreciable effect was found in an SAE 2340 steel. The M, temperature for the gamma —+ epsilon transformation was lowered from 380°F to about room temperature by varying the annealing treatment following cold work as shown in Table I. The effect of austenitic grain size on the M, of three steels is shown in Table 2. M, was deter- mined by the conventional quench-temper method of Greninger and Troiano. In a single crystal the change in external shape concomitant with the homogeneous shear mechanism of the martensite transformation can take place unhindered. In a polycrystalline specimen a restraint of these changes must occur at the grain boundaries. Therefore, the smaller the grain size the greater the shear strain energy necessary for the formation of a martensite crystal. The degree of lowering of M, due to the reduction of grain size is much greater when the change in crystal structure involves only a small energy change, such as face-centered cubic —+ close packed hexagonal (that is, CO and Fe-20 pct manganese alloy). The maximum lowering of M, observed in the steels investigated was 50°F with a change in the ASTM austenitic grain size of 1-2 to 8-9. In comparison, the crystal structure change face-centered cubic —+ body-centered tetragonal involves a considerable energy change. There is little doubt that with much finer grain sizes the increased grain boundary restraint would greatly enhance this stabilization effect. The implications of this phenomenon are multifold. Undoubtedly. under certain conditions it offers a method of stabilizing high temperature phases for room temperature

Jan 1, 1949

By W. A. Tiller, J. P. McHugh

THE phase diagram of the Ge-Te system was first investigated by Klemm and Frischmuth.' They arrived at the phase diagram shown in Fig. 1 indicating the presence of a peritectic phase boundary at the 50 at. pct Ge composition. Later, Schubert and Fricke2 obtained data which suggested to them the possible existence of a eutectic at about 55 at. pct Ge. In order to resolve these differences, we have carefully studied this system in the region 40 to 60 at. pct Ge using both the conventional thermal analysis technique and a new solidification technique.3y4 The alloys were prepared from semiconductor grade germanium and 99.999+ Te by reacting the elements in evacuated, graphite coated, vycor tubes. The samples were placed in a thermal analysis apparatus described elsewhere4 and cooling curves were taken of each alloy to determine the liquidus surface. The cooling curve for a 50 at. pct alloy shows two distinct arrests about 1°C apart which

Jan 1, 1961

We would like to thank Mr. Mandolesi for his informative paper on rails from strand cast steel. The chemical and structural properties of the strand cast steel were of particular interest to us. We would like to supplement his excellent report with some of Inland's findings from our Caster with submerged nozzles and strands reduced in line from 7" x 7" to 5-5/8" square cross section. Inland has conducted extensive segregation studies on AISI 1049 steel - Fine Grain 0.50% carbon and 0.75% manganese. Based on approximately 80 heats, our normal segregation pattern results in analyses of .49% carbon in the center, and 0.50% carbon at the midway and edge position. The sulfur analysis averages .025% in the center, .027% midway, and .026% at the edge. Note the slight negative segregation between the center and midway position. This steel, being lower carbon and probably cast nearer the liquidus, resulted in less segregation than the 0.80% carbon rail steel.

Jan 1, 1972

By N. A. Gokcen, J. Chipman

Aluminum and oxygen dissolved in liquid iron were brought into equilibrium with pure alumina crucibles and atmospheres of known H2O and H2 contents to study the reactions: 1—Al2O3(s) = 2 Al + 3 0; 2—Al2o3(s) + 3H2(g) = 2Al+ 3H2o(g); and 3—H2(9) +O = H2O(g). Aluminum strongly reduces the activity coefficient of oxygen and similarly oxygen reduces that of aluminum. Values of the product [% All" • [% O]3 are much smaller than those found in previous experimental studies and are of the order of magnitude of the calculated values. ALUMINUM is the strongest deoxidizer commonly A used in steelmaking, but the extent to which it removes dissolved oxygen has been debatable. The relationship between aluminum and oxygen has not been determined reliably not only on account of the usual experimental difficulties at high temperatures but also because of uncertainties in the analyses of very small concentrations of oxygen and aluminum. The earliest experimental attempt of Herty and coworkers' was followed by a more systematic study of Wentrup and Hieber.' These authors added aluminum to liquid iron of high oxygen content in an induction furnace and considered that 10 min was sufficient to remove the deoxidation products from the melt. Parts of the melts thus obtained were poured into a copper mold and analyzed for total aluminum and oxygen (soluble plus insoluble forms), assuming that the insoluble parts were in solution at the temperatures from which samples were taken. It is conceivable that the furnace atmosphere in their experiments, consisting of mainly air at 20 mm Hg pressure, was a serious source of continuous oxidation and therefore that their oxygen concentrations were correspondingly high. Scattering of their data was explained to be well within the maximum inaccuracy of 10°C in the temperature measurements and errors of ±0.002 pct each in the oxygen and total aluminum analyses. Maximum and minimum deoxidation values, i.e., values of the product [% All' . [% O] differed by factors of 10 to 15; mean values of 9x10-11 and 7.5x10-9 ere reported at 1600" and 1700°C, respectively. Hilty and Craftsv determined the solubility of oxygen in liquid iron containing aluminum, using a rotating induction furnace. Pure alumina crucibles used in their experiments contained the liquid iron which in turn acted as a container for slags of varying compositions consisting mainly of Al2O3, Fe2O3, and FeO. The furnace was continuously flushed with argon, and additions of aluminum and Fe2O3 were made in the course of each experimental heat. The inner surfaces of their alumina crucibles were covered with a substance other than pure Al2O3, containing both iron oxide and alumina. Although frequent slag additions can change the composition of slag in the liquid iron cup formed by rotation, the inner surface of the crucible must depend upon the transfer of oxygen or aluminum through the liquid iron for any adjustment in composition. It is not clear that their metal was in equilibrium with the crucible wall, but it is clear that it was not in equilibrium with Al2O3. Their deoxidation product, [% A].]" • [% O]3, varied by a factor of more than 50; the average values of 2.8x10- and 1.0x10-7 were selected for temperatures of 1600" and 1700°C, respectively. Aside from the experimental determinations, attempts have been made to calculate the deoxidation constant for aluminum indirectly from thermody-namic data. Schenck4 combined the thermodynamic data for Al2O3 and dissolved oxygen in liquid iron by assuming an ideal solution. His calculated values are 2.0x10-15 and 3.2x10-13 at 1600" and 1700°C, respectively. Later, Chipman5 attempted to correct for the deviation from ideality and derived an expression which led to deoxidation values of 2.0x10-14 and 1.1x10-12 at 1600" and 1700°C, respectively. The errors in these treatments originate mainly from inaccuracies of thermal data and uncertainties regarding the activity coefficients of dissolved oxygen and aluminum. The purpose of this investigation was to study the equilibria represented in the following reactions in the presence of pure alumina: Al2O3(s) = 2Al + 3O K = aAl2.ao3 [1] Al2O3(s) + 3H2(g) = 2Al + 3H2O(g) H2O K2 = aAl2(H2O/H2 ) [2] H2(g) +O = H2O(g) K3 = 1/ao (H2) [3] The experimental method consisted of melting pure electrolytic iron, usually with an initial charge of aluminum, in pure dense alumina crucibles under a controlled atmosphere of H,O and H2 and holding

Jan 1, 1954

By L. C. Aycock, J. Hunter, P. M. Lyons

In view of the unfavorable discovery trend that has set in during the past few years, it seems permissible to infer that the large, more easily found crude reserves in Louisiana are now known. Without doubt, many new producing areas will be located, but in the light of development during the past few years the majority of new areas probably will be found at greater depths and from relatively poorer sands. f Although sufficient reserves exist in Louisiana to last at the present rate of production for a considerable period, additional reserves must be found in more intensive development of the presently known structures. In order to ensure the greatest ultimate recovery from such structures, the most advanced technical methods must be employed in their exploitation. Wherever possible, cycling and repressuring plants should be installed. 'here are presently in Louisiana, especially in south Louisiana, a great many fields that contain gas-condensate reservoirs. These reservoirs cannot be produced for their liquid hydrocarbon content under present conditions without wasting an enormous quantity of gas and creating underground waste. Although some of these reservoirs are being produced, such production must be considered in the nature of a salvage operation rather than as a sound economic proposition. Such reservoirs, however, can become profitable ven- tures through the use of cycling and repressuring plants. Cycling operations now operating in Louisiana have increased the ultimate recovery from gas-condensate reservoirs anywhere from 10 to 30 per cent. Cycling operations will also provide a considerable reserve of gas, without which Louisiana cannot hope to develop any program of industrialization. During the past year, Louisiana attained the rank of third among the oil-producing states of this country. With a proper program of exploitation and development, and with emphasis on conservation, Louisiana can maintain this position for a great many years. Production On Dec. 31, 1943, oil and/or gas were being. produced in 52 parishes, or 81 per cent of all the parishes in the state. Thirty-three of the parishes produced oil and gas, 14 produced oil, and 5 produced solely gas. Tensas Parish in north Louisiana and Assumption Parish in south Louisiana formerly contained no producing fields but during 1943 joined the ranks of the producing parishes. Twenty-three new fields, including one rediscovery, were found during 1943-—a rate of discovery almost comparable to that of the preceding year. Eleven of these new discoveries were either gas or gas-condensate fields. Thus, the trend of development in finding new reserves was also comparable to that of 1942. Many reasons of considerable merit have been advanced to account for the discouraging lack of crude-oil reserves found during the past year. None are, however, completely satisfactory.

Jan 1, 1944

By J. Hunter, P. M. Lyons, L. C. Aycock

In view of the unfavorable discovery trend that has set in during the past few years, it seems permissible to infer that the large, more easily found crude reserves in Louisiana are now known. Without doubt, many new producing areas will be located, but in the light of development during the past few years the majority of new areas probably will be found at greater depths and from relatively poorer sands. f Although sufficient reserves exist in Louisiana to last at the present rate of production for a considerable period, additional reserves must be found in more intensive development of the presently known structures. In order to ensure the greatest ultimate recovery from such structures, the most advanced technical methods must be employed in their exploitation. Wherever possible, cycling and repressuring plants should be installed. 'here are presently in Louisiana, especially in south Louisiana, a great many fields that contain gas-condensate reservoirs. These reservoirs cannot be produced for their liquid hydrocarbon content under present conditions without wasting an enormous quantity of gas and creating underground waste. Although some of these reservoirs are being produced, such production must be considered in the nature of a salvage operation rather than as a sound economic proposition. Such reservoirs, however, can become profitable ven- tures through the use of cycling and repressuring plants. Cycling operations now operating in Louisiana have increased the ultimate recovery from gas-condensate reservoirs anywhere from 10 to 30 per cent. Cycling operations will also provide a considerable reserve of gas, without which Louisiana cannot hope to develop any program of industrialization. During the past year, Louisiana attained the rank of third among the oil-producing states of this country. With a proper program of exploitation and development, and with emphasis on conservation, Louisiana can maintain this position for a great many years. Production On Dec. 31, 1943, oil and/or gas were being. produced in 52 parishes, or 81 per cent of all the parishes in the state. Thirty-three of the parishes produced oil and gas, 14 produced oil, and 5 produced solely gas. Tensas Parish in north Louisiana and Assumption Parish in south Louisiana formerly contained no producing fields but during 1943 joined the ranks of the producing parishes. Twenty-three new fields, including one rediscovery, were found during 1943-—a rate of discovery almost comparable to that of the preceding year. Eleven of these new discoveries were either gas or gas-condensate fields. Thus, the trend of development in finding new reserves was also comparable to that of 1942. Many reasons of considerable merit have been advanced to account for the discouraging lack of crude-oil reserves found during the past year. None are, however, completely satisfactory.

Jan 1, 1944

A professional and special section of the United States Employment Service, Department of Labor, has been created for the purpose of aiding officers and men who have been discharged from military service, but who, for various reasons, cannot resume their former positions, to place themselves in industry without loss of time. Its work is carried out in conjunction with the Engineering Societies Employment Bureau. The machinery of this new professional section is being set up as rapidly as possible, and an office is already in operation at 16 East 42c1 St., New York. The work in the New York State district is under the direction of Mr. Henry Bruere, formerly City Chamberlain of New York City. Dr. Thomas T. Read, Chairman of the A. I. M. E. Committee on Industrial Organization, has charge of the clearance between the State offices of the Eastern States. This service is designed for the purpose of placing not only men in the engineering professions, but for all other kinds of professional and highly trained, skilled men. Full details regarding the qualifications desired in a man should be given, so that employers may be put in touch only with such available men as will fully qualify for the positions.

Jan 2, 1919

By John W. Cloud

IN 1877 the Pennsylvania Railroad Company removed an old bridge from its line at Duncannon, Pa., built intermediate piers and erected shorter spans of the Pratt truss type, which had previously been in use on another portion of the road. The design of this truss would not admit of diagonals larger than 1 5/8 inches diameter, and in order to stiffen the bridge somewhat steel rods were introduced for the main diagonals in the first and second panels, 1 5/8 inches and 1 3/8 inches diameter respectively. These rods were threaded without upsetting, and by the ordinary formulae the strains were of the same intensity upon both, viz., 16,000 pounds per square inch with the maximum loading. The other main diagonals in the truss are 1 5/8 inches diameter, and of iron. It was specified for the steel rods : Elastic limit, - 45,000 lbs. Tensile strength, - 80,000 lbs. Elongation, - 20 per cent. The steel was procured without difficulty, and it allowed a factor of safety of 2 3/4 at elastic limit, while a similar factor of 2 1/2 had for a long time been successfully used for iron. In the course of three years, from time to time, six of these steel rods broke, three of them being 1 3/8 inches in diameter, and three 1 5/8 inches in. diameter. The broken rods were tested, and three of them. analyzed at Altoona to ascertain the cause of failure, and what modi¬fications should be made in the steel for such service. Examination showed that all the rods were broken in detail close under the nut. The threads were well cut and properly rounded at the root. In testing the rods micrometer screws,. reading to .0001" with electric bell to signal the contact, were attached to the test pieces, and by this means the modulus of elasticity and elastic limit accurately obtained.

Jan 1, 1881

By Tomek Ulatowski

This presentation discusses the necessary ingredients for the creation of an acceptable credit structure, i.e., the structure that enables the borrower to attract the funding from different groups of lenders. As the amount of debt in the capitalization of new projects increases, it becomes quite critical that the mining venture sponsors obtain funding in a manner which maximizes the project economics. Attention normally is focused on the inherent operating cost characteristics of a venture such as the cost of mining, milling, transportation, smelting, and refining. The projected costs are derived from lengthy feasibility studies often taking millions of dollars and years to prepare. For a variety of reasons as the amount of equity directly provided by the sponsors declines, the balance must be made up from external credit sources. As a result, once the project becomes operational, debt service requirements assume crucial importance. For most new ventures, in the early years of production, the total amount of periodic debt amortization charges together with the projected interest expenses equals or exceeds the total operating cost. Utmost care must be taken, therefore, to reducing these costs which will then increase the chances for the implementation of the project. Project sponsors must carefully evaluate different funding sources in terms of their potential economic impact and, concurrently, evaluate alternative credit structures in order to be able to attract the selected funding vehicles. In this presentation I will discuss credit sources in the order of their relative appeal; i.e., from the standpoint of maximizing rates of return to the project owners. The tenor of the credit, that is the period from signing a loan agreement to the time of last repayment under the loan agreement, is undoubtedly the most important variable in evaluating the attractiveness of debt sources. Therefore, I will begin by discussing debt sources with the longest maturities and will end with a description of credits with relatively shorter tenors. The availability of different funding possibilities will naturally depend on the geographic location of the proposed venture, the creditworthiness of the borrower and the sponsors, the project economics, and finally the actual liquidity conditions in the capital markets at the time that the funds are committed. U.S. LONG-TERM DEBT MARKET - PUBLIC OFFERINGS AND PRIVATE PLACEMENTS The long-lived nature of most mining projects dictates that the majority of the mine financing be raised from long-term sources. In today's world capital markets U.S. debt issues probably carry the longest maturities available. The maturities can range from 5 to 40 years. Various types of long-term corporate debt instruments can be differentiated from one another by their terms, seniority as to claims against the assets of the issuer, legal form, and whether issued privately or through a public offering. The terms of these debt issues vary widely. For example, the interest rate which is typically fixed at the time of issuance, is determined by the credit quality of the issuer, the maturity, the average life, the seniority of the debt, the quality of control covenants or type of assets pledged as security, and other exogenous factors such as: economic policy, general level of interest rates and cur-rent level of financing activity. The entire principal amount of the debt may be due and payable at maturity (known as a "bullet" maturity) or, more typically, through periodic repayments in equal or staggered amounts. Almost all such debt issues allow for prepayment at the option of the issuer, but require varying amounts of repayment penalties. Disbursements are made over a relatively short period after signing of the debt documentation which may not coincide with the actual funding needs of the project. Financial covenants can be quite stringent, covering areas such as the issuer's financial leverage, working capital, payment of dividends and other distributions, merger and acquisition activities, and limitations on the disposition of property. Long-term debt issues may also be distinguished by the seniority of their claims against

Jan 1, 1985