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By Hobart M. Kraner

THE mineralogy of blast furnace sinter is of interest because its mineral content is one of the important factors contributing to its character. There are so many other factors affecting the properties of the sinter, however, that it is well to mention them here. The proportion and character of the raw materials, that is, raw ores, concentrates, returns, and fuel, as well as the mixing and the water content, all have a marked effect on the physical properties of the product and the degree to which sintering action can be carried on. The process of sintering is a relatively fast operation. In as much as appreciable time is required to carry on processes of fusion in such masses of low thermal conductivity, large lumps of hematite ore frequently remain unfused and partly unchanged in state of oxidation in the sintering process. The kind, the grain size, and the amount of fuel used affect both the completeness of the fluxing reaction and the prevailing atmosphere. The rate of reduction in laboratory tests is not only dependent upon the state of oxidation of the sinter but also upon the sizing and porosity.

Jan 11, 1953

Melbourne, capital of sedate Victoria, is oddly enough the home of a game known as "Australian Rules." Euphemistically described by devotees of the game as a cross between Rugby and Soccer, it appears to the novice to be more akin to organized mayhem. They don't even play it in some parts of Australia, but in Melbourne 60,000 to 80,000 whooping spectators throng the Cricket club of a Saturday afternoon to see a match. Actually, the game is fast and grueling but the victory laurels always go to the skillful team, the one that plays the ball rather than the man. Australians also play the ball in their ground rules affecting those interested in mineral exploration and mining. Prospecting Rights: Throughout the island continent, nearly all mineral rights are reserved to the Crown, administered by the individual states and, in the case of the territories by the Commonwealth government. The owner of the surface rights cannot sit on his minerals, and the term minerals even includes sand and gravel. Prospectors are protected by mining codes or ordinances of the various governments, which are quite similar from state to state.

Jan 10, 1964

By James P. Kimball

The object of the present memoir is to pot on record some practical experiments by the writer in smelting a silicions native magnetite with no other flux than the silicates of its own gangue.' This work was undertaken in the spring of 1878 for Messrs. Naylor & Co., of' Boston, to whom I am indebted for the privilege of here communicating its results, these having hitherto only been simply announced.* So far as I am aware these are the first instances of the kind ill this country that non-calcareous; or rather non-carbonatbed, magnetite have successfully been used strictly alone as self-fluxing ores in the blast furnace; that is, without the addition of' calcareous flux in the form either of limestone, quicklime, calcareous ore, or basic (calcareous) slag. Previous to the spring of 1878, when the Chateaugay magnetic ore was first brought to illy notice. its use had been limited to Catalan forges, after " separation " at the ore bed. The blooms and billets made from it in the several forges of Messrs. Weed $ Williams, and of Mr. Williams, were well known in the trade as among the best in the market. Tile Chateaugay ore beds proving of great magnitude, and the ore exceptionally low in phosphoric acid, it commended itself for blast-furnace purposes to Messrs. Naylor & Co., who employed me to blow-in the charcoal furnace at Pittsford, Vt., on this ore in the spring of 1878, a previous trial of this ore in the same furnace in the fall of 1877 having proved abortive. This was therefore the first time that Chateaugay ore was successfully smelted in a blast furnace, although since well known as a blast-furnace ore possessing superior and exceptional qualities. The Pittsford furnace, although rebuilt in 1844, and subsequently improved by the former owner, the late J. Prichard, is one of the few furnaces of the old type with open breast (Sumpfofen) still active in this country, Its improvements 011 furnaces of the period,

Jan 1, 1881

By Klaus Schwerdtfeger

Activities of lead in Pt-Pb and Pd-Pb melts in the temperature range of 800° to 1200°C have been detev-mined from electromotive-. force measurements 202th the cells Both systems display strong negative deviations from Raoult's law. The data obtained with cell [1] were combined with available data on the activity of PbO in silica-satuvaterl PbO-SbO2 melts to calculate the standard free cnergy of formation 01- liquid PbO. FREE energies of formation of oxides and activities of components in metal and oxide melts can be determined with galvanic cells consisting of a metal phase, an electrolyte containing the oxide of one of the components of the metal phase, and an oxygen electrode. This technique has been used previously to measure the standard free energy of formation of solid sio2, 1 and activities in Fe-si, CO-si,2 Ni-Si,2 and CaO-P2O5 3 melts. The present paper reports activities in Pt-Pb and Pd-Pb melts as measured with the same experimental technique. EXPERIMENTAL METHOD General Considerations. The following cells were used: Pbl (PbO-SiO2)liquid, SiO2 Pt-Pb 1 (PbO-SiOz)liquid, SiO2solidO2 [2] Pd-Pb (PbO-SiOz)liquid, SiO2solid O2 [3] Liquid alloy and' oxide melt were contained together in a silica glass crucible of essentially the same design as described previously.1'2 The PbO-SiO2 melts are ionic conductors.' During the experiment, the silica glass crystalizes in a layer adjacent to the electrolyte. The electrolyte equilibrates with solid silica and hence attains the composition of the Si02-liquidus curve in the system PbO-SiO2 at any particular temperature. Molybdenum wires were used to establish contact with the liquid metal. The oxygen electrode, which reaches the surface of the PbO-SiO, electrolyte from above, consists of a platinum wire inserted into a ceramic tube and provided with a 2-mm-diam platinum bead at its end. Gas of known oxygen partial pressure (pure oxygen of 1 atm: air, or N2 with 1.04 pct 0,) is blown through the ceramic tube onto the surface of the electrolyte. The cell reaction is Pb (metal) + 1/2O2 (gas) = PbO (electrolyte) [4] No oxidation of platinum or palladium ("displacement reaction") occurs. This is to be expected from the noble character of platinum and palladium, but was also shown experimentally, as described in the next section. The galvanic electromotive force of the cell is given by where AG is the change in free energy for Reaction [4], E(=2) is the number of electrical equivalents necessary to form 1 mole of PbO, and F is the Faraday constant. Formula [5] is valid only if no junction potential exists within the electrolyte. Junction potentials occur only when the compositions of the electrolyte are markedly different at the electrodes. Such differences are negligible in the PbO-SiO, electrolyte, as shown in the next section. Since molybdenum contact leads are used, appropriate corrections were made on the measured electromotive forces to account for the thermoelectric effect of the Mo-Pt couple. The thermoelec-tromotive forces were measured separately with a Mo-Pt couple, and were found to vary linearly from 19 mv at 740°C to 40 mv at 1310°C with molybdenum being positive and platinum negative (cold junction at 25°C). Extrapolation of these values to higher temperatures yields values which are in satisfactory agreement with those obtained previously in the temperature range 1440° to 1630°c.1,2 The change in free energy for Reaction [4] is expressed as where chemical potentials of the species. The value of constant for a given temperature because the slag composition is fixed. Inserting [6] into [5] and using appropriate expressions for upb and uO2 the relation

Jan 1, 1967

By G. B. Misra

While investigating on the aerodynamic resistance of airways supported with peripheral timber sets, at regular intervals, the following theoretical equations were developed by the author to estimate the resistance coefficient of such airways: [ ] for S < 1, where f is Darcy-Weisbach resistance coefficient of the airway, C is modified drag coefficient of the supporting member, D is equivalent diameter of the bare airway, 8 is ratio of the approach velocity over the sets to the average velocity of the bare airway, A is cross-sectional area of the bare airway, a is projected frontal area of the sets, A., is cross-sectional area of the air stream at the vena contracta inside the set, S is spacing of the sets, f, is resistance coefficient of the bare airway, l is length of aerodynamic influence of sets, p is perimeter of the bare airway, p, is setted portion of the perimeter of the bare airway, pe is unsetted portion of the perimeter of the bare airway, and P shielding factor. The equations were verified experimentally in a model rectangular airway supported with one- (bars), three-, and four-piece sets of square-section timber of three different sizes and were found to hold true. The work has been further extended to one-, three-, and four-piece sets of round timber of 2.6, 3.2, and 3.8 cm diam with the same experimental set up. Tests have been carried out for spacings of 25, 50, 75, 100, 150, and 200 cm over a regime of flow defined by the Reynolds number (with respect to the equivalent diameter of the bare duct) ranging from about 1.5 X 106 to 5 X 106 using the same experimental techniques. The values of f are calculated in the manner indicated in [Ref. 1]. Unlike with square-section timber, the resistance coefficient f of the airway setted with round timber shows a distinct variation with the Reynolds number of flow. This conforms to observations made by Sales and Hinsley.2 In order to have a comparable value of f for all types of sets with all sizes of timber, it was necessary to select the value of f at a fixed Reynolds number of flow. Since f is chiefly a function of the drag coefficient of the sets, the appropriate Reynolds number RE is that with respect to the diameter of timber in the set. Considering the diameters of timber used and the regime of flow over which measurements were made, f was chosen at a value of RE = 20,000 in all cases. The f vs. S curves are maximal in nature and in conformity with theory, the f vs. 1/S curves are straight lines up to a value of S = 1 beyond which they show a distinct flexure. The observed values of 1, the length of aerodynamic influence of sets, agree with the relation 1 = 42 e, developed for square-section timber sets, thus suggesting that the shape of timber has little influence on the length of aerodynamic influence. The value of the modified drag coefficient CD for round timber was calculated in the same way as for square timber in Ref. 1, taking the contraction factor Z = 1.5 for round-edged constrictions. CD has an average value of 0.96 with a standard deviation of 6.08% as compared to the free stream drag coefficient of 1.2 at RE = 20,000 for long cylindrical obstructions The shielding factor [ ] is plotted against S/1 in [Fig. 1]. The curves are more or less independent of the size of timber, but are different for the different types of sets, possibly due to their different degree of symmetry. Values of f calculated by the author&apos;s [Eqs. 1 and 2], using experimental values of CD&apos; and [ ] and taking I = 42 e, are plotted in [Fig. 2] against experimentally measured values of f for different types of sets with different sizes of round timber. The values agree closely with a standard deviation of only 5%, thus establishing the veracity of the theoretical equations developed by the author for round timber as well. A comparison was made between the Xenofontowa4 equations (the only other reasonable relations available for the estimation of the resistance coefficient of supported airways) and the author&apos;s [Eqs. 1 and 2] by comparing in [Fig. 3] the values of the resistance coefficient f computed by the Xenofontowa relations with those experimentally measured by the author. In order to make

Jan 1, 1975

By H. S. Bell

IT SEEMS unnecessary to dwell upon the advantages of the modern pipe still as compared with the older type of distillation equipment used by oil refiners. The relatively low installation cost, coupled with remarkable operating efficiencies of pipe stills, precludes the consideration of other types except in rare instances where some peculiarity of product or plant may have an influence. The question of the actual heat required to distil petroleum is quite involved. We have extensive data on the latent heats of the various hydrocarbons under different conditions of pressure. We also have information regarding the specific heats of various oils and the effect of temperature thereon. Because of the complexity of petroleum and of each fraction, it seems impossible to theoretically analyze the partial-pressure effect of the great number of hydrocarbons upon one another during distillation. If a distillation curve and percentage analysis of any crude or product are available, it is possible to construct a curve with ordinates representing per cent. distilled and B. t. u. per pound or per gallon, or other desired unit. To do so the crude is split into fractions, of 5 or 10 per cent. The boiling point and gravity of each fraction being determined, it is possible to evaluate the heat required. As each fraction is removed, the residue must be raised to a higher temperature and latent heat supplied for the successive fraction. As the calculations progress, the latent heats decrease while the specific heats increase. Such a curve is illustrated by Fig. 1 for a typical 39.9 B° North Texas crude.

Jan 1, 1928

By Ronald Gibala

THE Au-Ni alloy system is one of many binary systems in which the supersaturated solid solutions may exhibit a multistaged precipitation behavior during aging. In addition to the equilibrium phase separation, which was studied extensively years ago in the range 400" to 600",&apos; there exists at least one earlier stage of precipitation, i.e., preprecipitation, which occurs below 300°C in quenched alls.-This note reports on some effects of composition on the preprecipitation in Au-Ni alloys as determined from resistivity measurements. The kinetics of the preprecipitation were studied in alloys of 15 to 85 at. pct Ni which were water- were found in alloys which after various quenching-and-aging treatments were slowly heated and cooled (1Z"C per hr) between room temperature and about 300°C. Two such heating-cooling curves for a 40 pct Ni alloy are shown in Fig. 2. Similar effects were observed in other 15 to 50 pct Ni alloys. These curves are characterized upon heating by two changes in slope indicated by A and B in the figure and upon cooling by a resistivity hysteresis of approximately the size of the original decrease in resistivity after the aging treatment. The inflection at B generally falls at about the same temperature for all heating curves for a given alloy and appears to be a critical temperature (T,) for the preprecipitation for that alloy. The values of T, for most of the 15 to 50 pct Ni alloys fall in the range 200" to 220°C. The position of the inflection at A depends upon the heat treatment prior to the heating-cooling run and perhaps the heating rate, which was held constant in these runs. The preprecipitates grown in by the appropriate aging treatments seem to decrease in size as the alloys are heated from A to T,, dissolve at T,, and do not reappear after cooling below T,. When similar heating-cooling treatments were performed on 60 to 85 pct Ni alloys, an entirely different behavior was observed. Typical results are shown in Fig. 3 for an 85 pct Ni alloy. In these

Jan 1, 1964

By M. Marciano, K. Kreider

Silicon carbide coated boron fiber (Borsic) reinforced aluminum composites were made which exhibit strength and modulus values predicted by the rule of mixtures. A successful technique for fabricating these composites consists of plasma spraying of monolayer filament reinforced tapes and subsequent diffusion bonding of these tapes into composites. The elastic properties of the composites were given by the rule of mixtures in reinforced directions. (The modulus parallel to the fibers was 32 x 106 psi for a composite with 50 pct by volume fibers. The other elastic properties for a composite with 50 pct fiber were transverse modulus = 14 to 16 X 10 psi, G = 9.5 x 106psi, and v,, = 0.23. Tensile strengths of over 190,000 psi were measured for the composites with 50 pct fiber and the average strength for these composites was 162,000 psi. These same composites had interlaminar shear strengths of 12 to 15,000 psi. Multidirectionally reinforced composites demonstrated the same reinforcement efficiency in strength and modulus as the uni-directimlly reinforced composites. Comrpessive strengths of composites with 50 pct by volume fiber were found to be greater than 250,000 psi. STRUCTURAL filamentary composite materials are being considered for use where high strength, high modulus, and lightweight materials are required. Metal matrix composites have been considered for use at temperatures ranging from cryogenic (aluminum stainless steel) to 6000°F (plasma sprayed tungsten plus tungsten fiber) and other requirements have been similarly diverse. Metal matrix composites offer high modulus and high strength in unreinforced directions, the ability to be joined by brazing or welding, and greater fracture toughness compared with the more easily fabricated resin matrix composites. This paper deals with the mechanical properties of aluminum boron composites, a system which is being considered for applications where lightweight, high modulus, and high strength are required at temperatures including those above the normal operating temperatures of resin composites. The boron fiber used in this investigation had an average room temperature strength of greater than 400,000 psi, a modulus of 58 x 106 psi, and a density of 0.09 lb per cu in. (2.6 g per cu cm).&apos; The fiber used in the composites had a coating of silicon carbide to retard degrading reactions with the matrix at elevated temperatures. The coated fiber, which is sold commercially as Borsic: has been reported to have excellent resistance to degradation at temperatures up to 600°C in air and in aluminum2 and the same mechanical properties as the standard bare boron fiber. Fabrication of Composites. The composites were diffusion bonded from plasma sprayed monolayer tapes. These tapes were fabricated on a substrate of aluminum alloy foil which is incorporated in the composite matrix. The technique consists of winding a layer of fiber on the foil, and plasma spraying the balance of the matrix alloy over the windings which bonds all of the components together. Advantages of this process include the ability to achieve good fiber spacing, Fig. 1, the formation of a good bond between fiber and matrix (achieved during the plasma spraying), and the adaptability of the process for forming large and complex parts. This is particularly true when used with brazing foil backing which alloys low pressure bonding of the structural shape. PROPERTY EVALUATION TECHNIQUES Tensile test specimens, 5 to 7 in. long with a reduced gage section and ,030 to ,040 in. thick, were cut from composite sheets with a diamond saw. The gage section was .200 in. wide, while the gripped section was .240 in. wide and over 2 in. long in each grip. The standard gage length used was 1 in., however, transverse specimens (i.e., specimens with the fibers oriented 90 deg to the loading axis) were tested without a reduced section. Twelve specimens were also made with a 3-in. gage length but no significant effect of gage length was measured. The tensile test specimens were mounted in a fixture and aligned in friction grips using a 10X microscope. Unbonded foil doublers (0.010-in.-thick aluminum) were used to insure firm gripping with a minimum of damage to the fibers. The test specimens were transferred to the testing machine in a rigid fixture and mounted in the self aligning loading train. Testing was performed using a Tinius Olsen four screw testing machine with a torsion bar LVDT load

Jan 1, 1970

Under the joint auspices of the Illuminating Engineering Society and the University of Pennsylvania there will be given about 20 lectures covering the general principles of illumination and the aspects of lighting practice. They will be held at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, from Sept. 21 to 28, 1916, inclusive. The subject of illumination of mines will be included in this series, which will be delivered by men selected on account of their qualifications to deal authoritatively with the several phases of the subject. In connection with the lectures there will be an exhibition of the latest developments in illuminating appliances, including lamps, accessories, photometers, together with novel applications of light. There will also be an inspection tour which will include visits to manufacturing establishments, laboratories, lighting companies and notable lighting installations. For further particulars apply to the Illuminating Engineering Society, 29 West 39th Street, New York City.

Jan 6, 1916

By A. B. Young

In the original design of the flue system, the flues from the roasters delivered their gases to a large brick dust chamber which discharged into another flue with stack connection, as shown in Fig. 1. The treater is so situated that the gases are taken by it directly from the chamber and discharged again into the flue. The complete installation comprises two treater units, only one of which has been installed at present. The treater is essentially a flue 1.0 ft. high, 12 ft. wide, and 61 ft. long. (3 by 3.6 by 18.5 m.). Suspended inside, vertically and running lengthwise, are four banks of No. 20 corrugated iron plates; each bank is 10 ft. long, making an effective treater length of 40 ft. The spacing from center to center of the rows of plat,es is 9 1/8 in. (23 cm.) giving six-

Jan 1, 1921

By J Price, M. R. Geer, H. F. Yancey

COAL mine operators recognize coal as an abrasive material, because the wear of drilling, cutting, and conveying equipment is reflected as a cost item for replacement of parts. Similarly, industrial consumers of coal experience abrasive wear on all coal-handling equipment. Operators of pulverized fuel plants are doubtless most keenly aware of the abrasiveness of coal, because under the high contact pressures developed between coal and metal in pulverizers, abrasive wear is increased many fold. Moreover, experience in operating pulverized fuel plants has demonstrated that some coals are much more abrasive than others. Hardgrove&apos; stated that maintenance costs entailed by the wear of grinding elements is often a more important variable than the cost of the power required to pulverize different coals. Craig2 also reports that one coal may cause pulverizer parts to wear several times faster than another. It is apparent, therefore, that those concerned with pulverizing coal could profitably employ a method for estimating the abrasiveness of different coals, just as they utilize standard tests for thermal value, grindability, and ash-fusion temperature to assist in selecting the most suitable and economical coal to use in a particular plant. The objective of this investigation was to develop a test procedure that would be suitable for general use in estimating the abrasiveness of coals. However, few, if any, of the standard tests now used for evaluating the properties of coal are the product of a single investigation or the result of a single investigator&apos;s efforts. Rather, in each case, a testing procedure was devised by one investigator, used by others on a wider variety of coals, and finally refined completely as the result of the joint efforts of a number of interested people. Thus, the test procedure for estimating abrasiveness developed in the course of this work may not be refined sufficiently in its present form for general use, but it may serve as the starting point from which an acceptable test procedure can be developed. The method has been used thus far on only about a dozen coals, and there has been no opportunity to attempt a correlation between experimental results and actual plant experience. Only wider use of the procedure by other investigators and correlation with plant experience can determine to what extent the method will have to be modified to render it suitable for general application. Test Method Although the literature contains no record of an attempt to devise a method for estimating the abrasiveness of coal that could be used industrially, several investigators have tested properties of coal that are closely related to its abrasiveness. The abrasiveness of a material generally is considered to be related to its hardness, and hardness tests for coal have been employed by Heywood,&apos; O&apos;Neill," and Mathes. Also, the resistance of coal to abrasion, a property that presumably is related to the abrasiveness of coal, was measured by Heywooda and by Simek, Pulkrabek, and Coufalik.2 11 these investigators tested only individual pieces of coal. Since coal is a heterogeneous material having components of varying properties, tests of this type can yield results having little more than academic interest. Only a test method that utilizes a representative sample of coal can give results that are useful industrially. The abrasion tests used for various other materials have been considered for adaptation to testing the abrasiveness of coal. The tests used for metals,7-9 paving and flooring,&apos;" and rubber," cannot be used because coal is not sufficiently abrasive.~ The present experimental work was begun before World War II and was conducted by three research fellows"&apos;" working under a joint agreement between the University of Washington and the Bureau of Mines. After a great deal of preliminary work with a variety of apparatus and materials, a test procedure was developed which consisted of rotating a test disk 2Yz in. diam in a steel mortar containing the coal sample. The shaft carrying the test disk at the lower end and a 100-lb load on the upper end was free to move vertically. The bed of coal in the mortar was kept fluid by low-pressure air admitted through a port near the bottom of the mortar. Measurable wear on an Armco iron disk could be obtained in this test procedure, but, despite extensive efforts to eliminate them, several major disadvantages remained in this test method. First, with most coals the amount of wear on the iron disk did not exceed a few milligrams. Second, a single type of disk was not applicable for all coals. A smooth iron disk gave satisfactory results with both bituminous and sub-bituminous coals, but hardly any wear with anthracite or coke. A disk having studs or projections gave more satisfactory abrasion losses with anthracite and coke and presented no operating difficulties with free-burning bituminous and sub-bituminous coals. It could not, however, be used with caking coals because these coals formed a

Jan 1, 1952

By Samuel Hoyt

SOME of the more important properties of finished materials are strength, ductility, toughness, resistance to alternating and repeated stresses, etc: Of these, the property that appears to have received the least consideration, at least in this country, is toughness, which is clue, possibly, to our regarding toughness as a qualitative property or, at any rate, as one that, parallels ductility. This arises out of our greater experience with the simple carbon steels in the rolled or forged (non-heat-treated) condition which, qualitatively, are tough if ductile and are not tough if brittle. In this way we have erroneously become, accustomed to judging the toughness of a material from its behavior in the tensile or similar test. The point of view presented in the present paper is that toughness, like hardness or tensile strength, should be regarded as an independent property and of sufficient importance to require, in so far as that may be possible, quantitative determinations. If such be true, it becomes at once necessary to devise experimental means for measuring, or valuating toughness, and the notched-bar impact test (the Charpy test) is advanced as the most logical test that has so far been developed for this purpose. It is further advanced, with particular emphasis, that we have two kinds of toughness to deal with and, accordingly, they will be dealt with independently. CLASSIFICATION OF MATERIALS ACCORDING TO TOUGHNESS Toughness has been defined somewhat as follows: Tough materials are those that offer considerable resistance to permanent deformation but which, once such resistance has been overcome, may&apos; be deformed plastically, but only by the expenditure of considerable energy. In other words; tough materials may be deformed plastically but they absorb a considerable amount of work in the process. This kind of toughness may be called "static" toughness when the rate of loading is reasonably slow or "dynamic" toughness when the rate of loading is

Jan 2, 1919

The United States Geological Survey recently published Bulletin 690, which contains those papers dealing with zinc and copper. ores at Ophir, Utah; gravel deposits in Arkansas, with special&apos; reference to their possible utilization as a source of hard pebbles for grinding mills; phosphate deposits in the Uinta Mountains, Utah; quicksilver deposits in the Phoenix Mountains, Ariz.; and manganese deposits near Butte and in Madison County, Mont. This bulletin is completely descriptive and contains important illustrations and maps.

Jan 9, 1919

By Harold Powers

THIS paper presents geophysical and subsurface data observed in the vicinity of Shafts No. 1 and and 5 of the National Lead Co. lead mines at Fredericktown, Madison County, Missouri, see Fig. 1. The area selected is an excellent example to illustrate the close correlation between geophysical data and geological facts as revealed by drilling and mining. Such close correlations make geophysical applications appropriate to the development of known ore-bodies as well as the exploration for new orebodies.

Jan 3, 1953

By Percy Gillie

THE Tralee preparation plant, owned and operated by the Semet-Solvay division of Allied Chemical and Dye Corp., is located on the Virginian rail- way, near Mullens, Wyoming County, W. Va., and the mine, which is in the Winding Gulf district, produces coal exclusively from Pocahontas No. 3 seam. The property, comprising 4900 acres, is leased from the Pocahontas Land Corp. Prior to 1930 four separate mines were operated in this tract, some having been started about 1916.

Jan 11, 1953

By William F. Boericke

THERE was a time when the selection of fire brick was .left to the judgment of the head bricklayer of the plant, whose choice was not unaffected by a box of Christmas cigars from a friendly salesman. But the days are past when it was generally believed, with complacent philosophy, that bricks were bricks without much distinction, and should be bought on a price basis alone. Gone, too, is the belief that in certain types of industrial work the eventual failure of refractories was assured. Modern metallurgical practice, with its trend toward handling larger tonnages at higher temperatures, demands the use of refractories that cannot be supplied by random guess. The logical development is to inquire into the properties of the brick to be purchased, and this resolves itself into the use of specifications. In 1925, the General Refractories Co., with the active support and hearty cooperation of some of its larger customers, established a laboratory, at its Baltimore plant, for testing and research in refractories. This was the outgrowth of a growing appreciation of the value of research in the refractory field. Since then the work has become more involved&apos; and the aims more ambitious, so that the present laboratory now employs a staff of 11 men working, under the direction of trained refractory technologists, on problems of research as well as the routine control of manufacture. It is believed s that `this type of laboratory is a comparative novelty among refractory manufacturing plants. It handles the testing and research work for all the 15 plants of the organization. Being at one of the works has the advantage of making it possible to carry on large scale plant tests on new products after the preliminary laboratory tests have been successfully completed.

Jan 1, 1929

By C. McDermid

At the request of Mr. C. McDermid, Secretary of the Institution of Mining and Metallurgy, Salisbury House, London, E. C., England, the following reports of standardization committees are here republished. Mr. McDermid invites members of-the American Institute of Mining Engineers to write him and express their opinion of the various proposals made by the committees. COPY OF THE REPORT OF THE WEIGHTS AND MEASURES STANDARDIZATION COMMITTEE OF THE INSTITUTION OF MINING AND METALLURGY, as adopted by the Central Standardization Committee; Dec. 20, 1906, and submitted to the Council, Jan. 16, 1907.

Mar 1, 1907

Jan 1, 1965

By G. W. Thomas

Jan 1, 1967

Mr. A. Bement, Chicago, Ill. (communication to the Secretary*) :—Mr. Campbell, in proposing his method of sampling coal-seams, has rendered an important service in insisting on the presentation of an adequate history of the sample; and it is to be hoped that his suggestion will meet with further recommendation. In my opinion it is fully as important that a complete description of the sample and the conditions surrounding its taking be given, as the results of the analysis itself; and if such should become standard practice, coal-analysis would assume greater value. As it is, the published data are very confusing, and only to an extremely small extent are they really useful. The method suggested by Mr. Campbell, however, cannot have a general application; for example, in the Eastern Interior coal-basin, particularly at the present time, the output consists largely in grades other than mine-run, which in Illinois, for the year 1905, was only about 24 per cent. of the total product; and inasmuch as Mr. Campbell&apos;s method of sampling cannot give values for any other grade than mine-run, my contention that, at best, it can have but a limited application, is apparent. To illustrate the argument, there are two coal-seams, with the characteristics of which I am particularly familiar; each seam, as it lies in the ground, contains almost exactly 10 per cent. of ash; the lump coal from one of these seams ranges from 10 to 11 per cent. of ash, but from the other seam it does not average more than 6 per cent., although, as before mentioned, the average percentage of ash in the full seam is the same for each case. A careful and proper sampling of coal-seams, to be followed by analyeis, is to be commended in connection with all investigation; in fact, it should precede any careful study. A serious error, however, may be made in attempting to use such results to set values on the product as shipped or received. The only

Jan 1, 1906