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AlFred JamEs," London, Eug.:—I thank you, gentlemen, for Sour kind invitation to address you. It is a very great pleasure for me to be here at your annual meeting, and, although I have been a member since 1894, this is the first opportunity I have

Jan 1, 1909

By B. H. Bergstrom, C. L. Stevenson

In any process wherein materials must be pelletized, a crucial period exists during the interval between the manufacture of the green pellets and their subsequent heat treatment. The pellets must possess sufficient strength and plasticity to withstand conveying and sizing. Also, they must be neither excessively brittle nor excessively plastic when placed in a bed on a traveling grate for heat treatment. An acceptable pellet, in the event sufficient forces are applied to cause its fracture, will merely split into two or three large fragments which would not drastically alter the permeability of the pellet bed. However, when brittle pellets are broken, they shatter so that the resultant fine particles either decrease the perimeability of the bed or become entrained in the gas stream and thereby cause dust problems. On the other hand, excessively plastic pellets may not break at all but may merely flatten. This would seriously hamper bed permeability. In the past, pellet evaluation has usually been left to the creative and artistic talents of the balling operators. A multitude of techniques have evolved, of which the most common is the simple compression test. For this test a hand-operated device loads single pellets to fracture, but reliability is strictly operator- dependent. Probably the next most common test is the drop test, which is conducted according to several different procedures. This is an important quantitative test for estimating the amount of handling a pellet will withstand. There are many other tests, such as pinching a pellet between the thumb and index finger, but none are capable of producing reproducible results.

Jan 4, 1962

By Clarence G. Merritt

Stainless iron, as mild stainless steel is usually called, an alloy ranging from 11.50 to 15.00 per cent chromium with carbon under 0.12 per cent, has been considered to be not appreciably affected in respect to corrosion resistance by heat treatment. This metal, while one of the most widely used of the "straight" chromium stainless alloys, has failed in many applications because of insufficient information regarding heat treatment. These failures have been attributed to many possible causes from an inherent lack of resistance to corrosion and misapplication to mlysterious electrolytic effects or comparatively minute non metallic inclusions. Many uses for a steel with such excellent physical properties as are latent in this alloy have been lost on account of corrosion failures which could have been avoided by applying proper heat treatment. The alloy has not received the recognition or attention it should because of the fact that the details of its metallurgical behavior were not thoroughly understood. Response to heat treatment of the steel is well known as regards tensile properties,1-2 but its application has been for improvement in tensile characteristics or on account of machining considerations rather than for corrosion prevention. The potential user of this steel has not been clearly advised in papers, either technical or commercial, that have been written about it in the last 10 years or more, of particular features that are of prime importance in developing the excellent properties of this metal. The data to be presented in this paper are concerned mainly with the effect of heat treatment on the corrosion resistance, but a study has also been made of the concurrent microstructural changes and an explanation developed for the phenomena revealed, as well as a correlation to the other physical properties—hardness, tensile characteristics and impact strength. Stainless steel, largely used for cutlery purposes, an alloy of approximately 13.00 per cent Cr with 0.30 per cent C;, must be hardened and the surface prepared by polishing or pickling for best resistance to staining and corrosion. Monypenny reports that a loss of hardness is

Jan 1, 1932

By Max Y. Seaton

THE scope of this paper will be limited to finished materials that contain a large preponderance (around 80 per cent or more) of magnesium oxide. The large and commercially important production of refractory dolomite and modified dolomites is not discussed here, and the production of magnesium basic carbonate for use as a heat insulator is barely mentioned. The discussion is confined mainly to magnesias produced in comparatively great quantity by direct processing of naturally occurring raw materials and hence excludes secondary or highly purified products such as pharmaceutical products or U.S.P. light and heavy calcined magnesias of commerce. NOMENCLATURE The nomenclature of the magnesia products that will be discussed is somewhat confusing, in that it is customary in the trade to designate as "calcined magnesite" the materials that result from the calcining of magnesite to temperatures that remove the contained carbon dioxide. The finished product, therefore, is not magnesite at all but simply a more or less pure magnesium oxide or magnesia. Furthermore, partly for statistical and partly for commercial reasons, it has been customary, during recent years, to classify as "calcined magnesite" products that result from the heat-treatment of magnesium hydroxide precipitated from magnesium-containing brines; products that, obviously, have no relationship whatever to magnesite. In the listing of magnesia-containing materials, tonnages of which are regularly reported by the Bureau of Mines, reports ordinarily are made under two headings: "caustic calcined" magnesite, in which all of the varieties of products treated at relatively low temperatures are lumped; and "dead-burned" magnesite, in which are included both high-purity and low-purity, and particularly both high-iron and low-iron, materials that have been so heat-treated that the magnesium oxide occurs predominantly as crystalline periclase-materials used almost entirely for refractory purposes. In 1940 the apparent domestic consumption of "caustic calcined" magnesite was approximately 17,000 tons, about 95 per cent of which was produced in this country. The apparent consumption of "dead-burned" magnesite was approximately 172,000 tons, some 82 per cent of which was domestically produced. In both total quantity and percentage of material produced within the United States, these figures are record highs for many years past. UTILIZATION As indicated by these figures, the major tonnage outlet for magnesia is the refractories industry, in which magnesia is employed principally in three ways: (I) as dead-burned grain magnesite for the construction and maintenance of the hearths or bottoms of basic open-hearth furnaces; (2) in the form of refractory magnesite bricks and shapes; and (3) as a chemical

Jan 1, 1942

By J. W. Snavely

THE high tension belt conveyor is introducing a new and tremendously expanded era of low cost bulk material handling. High tension belt conveyors are generally those installations involving very long centers, high lifts, or drops, in which the belts are stressed up to their maximum tension values, and further, where the belt construction provides tension capacity far beyond what is possible with conventional belt constructions. With these high tension installations, the magnitude of the forces involved demands careful refinement of accepted design practice in order to achieve optimum balance of all factors. No attempt will be made to evaluate the relative merits of belt conveyor haulage with other means of transportation. For present purposes, it is assumed this has already been done in favor of belt conveyor. Neither will any attempt be made to evaluate the various conveyor belt constructions now available or to balance the advantages of various types of mechanical equipment. It is also assumed that the basic haulage information on which the conveyor design is based is accurate and complete. A sustained maximum, uniform load on the belt at all times must be achieved through proper feed control and the use of adequate surge storage to level the peaks and valleys of any varying demand for the material being handled. General Belt Capacity Considerations The belt conveyor capacity tables published by various belting and conveyor equipment manufacturers vary to a considerable degree, and the ratings given are quite conservative. Of necessity, these published ratings are based on the handling of average materials under average conditions. In applying a high tension belt, all possible capacity from the belt must be obtained in order to hold its width to a minimum and thereby limit the initial cost. Two factors are involved, loading to maximum cross section area and traveling at a maximum practical speed. Belt Loading: Proper treatment of the loading of the belt will result in maximum cross section to the load, and published capacity ratings can be exceeded, sometimes by appreciable margins. On the 10-mile conveyor haul used in the construction of Shasta Dam, California, although the rated capacity of the belt line was 1100 tons per hr, at times the system handled peak loads of 1400 tons per hr, almost 25 pct better than the rated capacity. One of the large coal companies has been able to exceed rated capacity by as much as 50 pct. Loading conditions which must be controlled are: 1. Large lumps must be scalped off and rejected or the load must be primary crushed before being placed on the belt. 2. The material weight per cubic foot must be accurate, must be known for all the materials being handled, and must be known for the complete range of conditions of the individual material being handled. Long centers and high lifts magnify small differences into serious proportions. 3. Uniform feeding to the belt is most important. Various types of feeders are available, which can be used to place a constant predetermined volume of material on the belt, or, where an appreciable range of material weight exists, through electrical control actuated by current demand, to place a predetermined uniform tonnage on the belt. One long slope belt in a coal mine in Pennsylvania is being fed at three separate stations with the controls so arranged that whenever the maximum load is going onto the belt from the first station, the other two stations automatically cut out. Whenever the load from the first station drops back, the other two stations again automatically cut in. 4. Careful design of the chutes and skirts is necessary to get the load centered on the belt with a minimum of free margin along each edge. Some free margin at the edge of the belt is necessary to prevent spillage, but if the load can be kept accurately centered, this free margin area can be reduced, and more material can be carried on the belt. What can be accomplished in this respect will vary widely, depending on the nature of the material being hauled. The chute and skirt design must also protect the belt. 5. The design of chutes and skirts should also get the load traveling in the same direction and close to belt speed, so that the load comes to rest on the belt as quickly as possible. The design of the chutes and skirts is worthy of careful study, and after a system is put into operation it should be experimented with to get the best results. Belt Speed: High belt speeds should be used in high tension work. Obviously, high belt speeds enable haulage on a narrower belt, reducing initial cost. The major portion of belt wear takes place at the loading point and around the terminal pulleys. The

Jan 1, 1952

By F. A. Crossley

The additions: o, Sn, Zr, Cb, Mo, and V were studied for their effects on the a/a + Ti3A1 boundary of Ti-A1 base ternary alloys. These additions were chosen because of their importance to commercial titanium alloy practice—oxygen as the major impurity (in terms of influence on mechanical properties) and the others as major alloying additions. The composition and temperature ranges of investigation varied according to the system as shown in Table I. The principal means of investigation was light-microscopy. The basis of the ternary studies was the recently determined titanium-rich end of the Ti-A1 system.' MATERIALS, METHODS, AND PROCEDURES Ingots were prepared in 15 g size for all alloys except those of the Ti-Al-Mo and Ti-A1-V systems which were prepared in 20 g size. These alloys were prepared from high-purity, electrolytically refined titanium obtained from the Bureau of Mines, Boulder City Metallurgical Laboratory, Boulder City, Col., and Chicago Development Corp., Riverdale, Md., for the 15 g and 20 g ingots, respectively. The alloying additions were obtained from commercial sources, and were at least of 99.9 pct purity, except the V-15 wt pct A1 master alloy for vanadium additions. This alloy was of 98.2 pct purity; the major impurities were 0.37 wt pct Fe and 0.38 wt pct Si. The ingots were prepared by multiple melting in a nonconsum-able-electrode arc furnace. The ingots were covered with Markal coating "CR-T22" (Markal Co., Chicago) to protect them from scaling. Markal coating is applied as a slurry of solids in a volatile carrier liquid. The coated article is air dried. Upon heating to the hot working temperature the coating fuses to form a glassy, protective film. The ingots were heated to 1000°C and rolled to 0.16 in. thickness, reheating after each pass. The glassy film was removed by sand blasting. Ten mils were removed from all surfaces by grinding and/or pickling (3 pct HF, 30 pct HN03, balance water). Grinding was always followed by pickling to remove traces of the grindmg medium. Hydrogen removal was accomplished by vacuum annealing at 1000°C for 2 hr to a final pressure of about 0.02 µ Hg. This was followed by annealing in evacuated Vycor bulbs (800°C, 2 hr, ice brine quenched (IBQ)) in order to maximize ductility. The materials were then lightly pickled and cold rolled to 0.12 in. thickness or cracking, whichever occurred first. After rolling, 1/2 by 1/4 in. specimens were cut for the equilibration anneals given in Table 11 and carried out as previously described.1 Final polishing of the specimens for metallographic examination was done by electrolytic means. Specimens were first examined without etching under bright field and polarized light illumination, for this is the only means of detecting the "two-phase" phenomenon.1,2 The term "two-phase syndrome" refers to Ti-A1 al-loys which appear on the bases of their chemical, phys-ical, and mechanical properties, to be two-phase, but are actually single phase and inhomogeneous in composition. Since processing and heat treatment of the alloys of the first group were completed before the two-phase syndrome was discovered, a number of the specimens were found to exhibit this phenomenon—80 pct of those of the Ti-Al-Zr system, 5 pct of those of the Ti-Al-Sn system, 30 pct of those of the Ti-Al-Zr system. The affected specimens were homogenized by heating above the ß transus temperature and quenching. The heat treatment and working schedules to accomplish this are given in Table 111. After rolling, specimens were pickled (3 pctHF, 30 pct HNO3 in water) to remove 1 to 2 mils from the

Jan 1, 1970

By J. M. W. Mackenzie

A microelectrophoresis technique has been used to measure the zeta potential of quartz over a range of pH and ferric iron concentration. The results have been discussed in terms of the adsorption of ferric cations and ferric hydroxide to the quartz surface. Possible relationships between the experimental results and the flotation of quartz have been examined. The adsorption of multivalent cations at the surface of quartz has been studied by many investigators who have used a variety of experimental techniques ranging from streaming potential 1 to radiometric2 measurements. Two possible mechanisms of cation activation of quartz have emerged from the results of these investigations viz: the adsorption of the cation to the negatively charged quartz surface, followed by adsorption of the collector anion to the adsorbed cation site, or: formation of a cation-collector complex which is then adsorbed to the quartz surface. In many natural and industrial systems one of the most prevalent activating species for quartz is ferric iron, this is especially so in the acid-circuit, anionic flotation of iron ore. The adsorption of ferric iron to the quartz surface is complicated by the ability of ferric iron to form complexes with anions, a phenomena which is of minor importance in one of the most widely studied quartz activation processes, ca ++ activation.* *The pK value for [ca(oH)+]/ [ca2+] [oh-] is 1.46 indicating that the influence of Ca (OH)+ ions will be minor in all but strongly alkaline solutions. In order to obtain a better understanding of quartz activation by ferric iron the zeta potential of quartz in the presence of ferric iron has been measured over a range of pH and ferric iron concentration. EXPERIMENTAL METHODS Materials: Selected samples of "rock clystal" quartz from New England, N.S.W., were ground in a pebble mill, washed for three hours in boiling concentrated hydrochloric acid, washed in hot chromic acid and then washed repeatedly with distilled water until the washing water gave no trace of chloride ion.

Jan 1, 1967

By A. B. Parsons

Not so many years ago the interest of the average mining engineer in money matters-aside from his pay check or his consulting fees-was confined to the per-ton cost of mining and beneficiating ore and to the amount of capital that would be required to erect the plant necessary to carry out such operations on a prescribed scale. The so-called "business men" assumed that questions of marketing the products, of profits, and of dividends were in their exclusive sphere-matters too intricate or, perhaps, too practical for the mere engineer! In the case of a new enterprise, the promoter shouldered the entire responsibility for raising the necessary funds, and incidentally he got the lion's share of profits. In fact, he frequently profited handsomely even though the mine earned little or nothing. Occasionally the engineer turned promoter or entrepreneur--conspicuous examples are Herbert Hoover, D. C. Jackling, William Braden and F. W. Bradley- but by and large he remained in a sphere of his own. To what extent this condition of affairs has changed is difficult to say. It might be argued that it were better that it be not changed; and yet I cannot help feeling that in mine promotion lies a distinct opportunity for the

Jan 1, 1932

Philip Argall, Denver Col. (communication to the Secretary): Dr. Raymond claims (Trans., xxiii., 560)) that my statement (p. 557) regarding the crystallization of iron "is beyond question incorrect." He says: "It is not even settled that vibration will crystallize iron under any conditions." While admitting that authorities differ on the possibility of cold crystallization of iron, I believe it is a settled and undisputed fact that vibration in the presence of heat will crystallize iron. Bloxam and Huntington say :* " Vibration assists 'in converting fibrous metal (iron) back into a crystalline state when heated, a lower temperature sufficing than in the absence of vibration." Mr. A. F. Hill, summing up a very exhaustive review upon the crystallization of iron and steel, pronounces against crystallization, but only at temperatures below 900' F. Mr. Howe, discussing ,the breakage of a 20-foot porter-bar with a crystalline fracture, suggests that it was attributable to heat, jointly with the jar. We see, then, that vibration of heated iron bars will induce crystallization and consequent change of structure. Referring to my statement, I wish to point out, that I was discussing the vibration of stamps arid should have said, "vibration under all such conditions," etc. That is, vibration attended with sharp blows, such as a stamp-stem is subjected to, will crystallize iron; yet I believe that intense vibration under any condition will

Jan 1, 1895

By Fred Porter

Pollution problems from smelters may be unique in industry since the pollutants cover the wide range of SOx, particulates, carcinogens (arsenic), plus a number of heavy metals, the health implications of which are not clearly understood. In addition to this wide range of pollutants, many of the plants are extremely old; and fugitive emissions may, in fact, be the most significant air pollution problem. The Environmental Protection Agency, both in an in-house and contract effort, has assessed the quantity of pollutants emitted and evaluated the health impact. This paper will review the status of EPA's regulatory efforts in both new and existing smelters in light of these pollutant assessment studies.

Jan 1, 1976

By Milton Williams

It is generally recognized that fluid is lost from rotary drilling muds to permeable strata during normal drilling operations;1,2-3 but that this fluid is the filtrate from the mud, rather than the mud itself, has been shown by various workers.1,4,5 The presence of this filtrate in oil-bearing or gas-bearing strata is undesirable and harmful. The decreased permeability of the stratum to oil effected by the presence of water has been pointed out by several investigators,6,7 and since, in the production of the reservoir fluid, the greatest pressure drop occurs immediately adjacent to the borehole, it follows that infiltered water is particularly objectionable in this region. Again, this filtrate tends to make electrical logs less reliable, since oil in the proximity of the borehole is probably flushed out to an appreciable extent by the water.8 Observation of side wall cores may be misleading for the same reason. Drill-stem tests in low-pressure areas may be of doubtful value where no oil is recovered, unless sufficient time is allowed for production of water lost from the mud. The infiltered water may hinder drilling operations by softening shales and causing sloughing; the ['tight hole" occasioned by excessive deposition of filter cake in the hole is a common occurrence. The filter cake remaining on the face of the producing formation may itself sometimes be detrimental to production.9 In view of these implications of the importance of filtration of mud, an investigation was undertaken to determine the factors involved in the infiltration process, and to correlate these in such a manner that the values obtained in routine filter tests employing a conventional filter of the "wall-building tester" type,10 together with data on size of hole, drill pipe, and rate of mud circulation, could be used to estimate water loss and distance of penetration of the filtrate into strata. Quantitative relations of filter-cake permeability, filtrate viscosity, and rate of filtration have been developed for filtration in the simple laboratory filter.4a,11,12,13 It is obvious, however, that the conditions

Jan 1, 1940

By Milton Williams

It is generally recognized that fluid is lost from rotary drilling muds to permeable strata during normal drilling operations;1,2-3 but that this fluid is the filtrate from the mud, rather than the mud itself, has been shown by various workers.1,4,5 The presence of this filtrate in oil-bearing or gas-bearing strata is undesirable and harmful. The decreased permeability of the stratum to oil effected by the presence of water has been pointed out by several investigators,6,7 and since, in the production of the reservoir fluid, the greatest pressure drop occurs immediately adjacent to the borehole, it follows that infiltered water is particularly objectionable in this region. Again, this filtrate tends to make electrical logs less reliable, since oil in the proximity of the borehole is probably flushed out to an appreciable extent by the water.8 Observation of side wall cores may be misleading for the same reason. Drill-stem tests in low-pressure areas may be of doubtful value where no oil is recovered, unless sufficient time is allowed for production of water lost from the mud. The infiltered water may hinder drilling operations by softening shales and causing sloughing; the ['tight hole" occasioned by excessive deposition of filter cake in the hole is a common occurrence. The filter cake remaining on the face of the producing formation may itself sometimes be detrimental to production.9 In view of these implications of the importance of filtration of mud, an investigation was undertaken to determine the factors involved in the infiltration process, and to correlate these in such a manner that the values obtained in routine filter tests employing a conventional filter of the "wall-building tester" type,10 together with data on size of hole, drill pipe, and rate of mud circulation, could be used to estimate water loss and distance of penetration of the filtrate into strata. Quantitative relations of filter-cake permeability, filtrate viscosity, and rate of filtration have been developed for filtration in the simple laboratory filter.4a,11,12,13 It is obvious, however, that the conditions

Jan 1, 1940

By A. G. Taylor, H. P. Ehrlinger, U. C. Tainton

FOR the last 15 years lead has been the standard material for anodes in electrolytic zinc production and it has been generally accepted that this lead should be as free as possible from impurities. Laistl says, "Next in importance to the purity of solution is the purity of the electrodes and tank lining material. The purest lead obtainable should be used for anodes." The same conclusion is expressed by Ingalls2 and by two German investigators who say that experiments have demonstrated that the purer the lead, the greater is its resistance to corrosion during electrolysis.3 Pure lead, however, while the best material hitherto available for anodes, is not entirely free from objection. The plain lead anode gradually disintegrates under electrolysis, so that the life of an anode, say 1/4 in. thick, is frequently not more than two years. Part of the lead from the anode finds its way to the cathode, lowering the purity of the deposited zinc and decreasing the hydrogen overvoltage. The rest of the lead that comes from the disintegration of the anode goes into the manganese dioxide which is precipitated in the cells, rendering unsaleable what might otherwise be a valuable by-product. Yet a further disadvantage of plain lead anodes comes from their tendency to bend or buckle during electrolysis, as a result of intercrystalline oxidation. This makes it necessary to use a fairly aide spacing between anode and cathode to avoid short circuits, and thus leads to a higher power consurnption than would otherwise be necessary. The power consumption is also affected by the high decomposition voltage at a lead peroxide surface.

Jan 1, 1929

By John D. Roach

DURING an investigation of the yttrium-hydrogen system aimed at producing solid yttrium hydride specimens containing various amounts of hydrogen, it was observed that yttrium containing approximately 2 wt pct H exhibited a tendency to crack and crumble to a powder on standing in air at room temperature. It was also observed that longer hydriding times, at a given temperature, increased this susceptibility to powdering without an increase in hydrogen content, also that moisture in the air is necessary for the observed effects to occur. Even if cracking did not occur, there was a continual formation of a light gray powder on the as-treated surface of the hydrided yttrium and this reaction continues until the entire hydrided piece has been reduced to a powder. Storing the hydrided specimens in the absence of air or removing the surface either by machining or grinding were effective means of preventing this disintegration of hydrided yttrium. In an attempt to determine the reason for this powdering phenomenon, the surfaces of a number of as-hydrided yttrium specimens were examined by X-ray techniques. In all cases the X-ray pattern obtained showed the major phase to be yttrium hydride (YH2) as would be expected since the specimens contained 2 to 2.2 wt pct H. In some cases a trace of yttrium oxide was observed. There was also a third phase present on the surface of these hydrided specimens which could not immediately be identified. This unknown phase was a face-centered cubic material, NaC1-type structure, with a lattice parameter of 4.855 and a calculated density of 5.914 g per cc. Very slight hand polishing of the surface of the hydrided yttrium specimens completely removed both the unknown phase and the traces of oxide so that only the yttrium hydride pattern remained. Based on the X-ray patterns the quantity of the unknown phase on the surface of the hydrided yttrium appeared to be directly related to the susceptibility of the material to powdering. Work at the Denver Research Institute on the yttrium-nitrogen binary system showed that yttrium nitride (YN) is a face-centered cubic material with a lattice parameter of 4.878A and a density of 5.890 g per cc. They also noted that this compound rapidly disintegrated to a powder on standing in air. The unknown pattern observed in the above specimens corresponds very closely to that of the nitride—fcc structure, 4.885 parameter, and density of 5.914 g per cc. The presence of this thin film of nitride on the surface of the hydrided specimens probably accounts for the observed powder formation and crumbling. The nitride reacts with the water vapor in the air (verified by private communication from Dr. C. Huffine, General Electric Co.) to yield yttrium oxide and ammonia. Ammonia is readily detected when hydrided yttrium specimens were allowed to stand in bottled moist air. The powder formed on the surface of the hydrided specimens was shown by X-ray analysis to be yttrium oxide. This reaction appears to occur primarily at the grain boundaries since discrete particles of yttrium hydride separate from the specimens during this powdering process. The reaction of yttrium nitride with water vapor is believed to be as follows: 2YN + 3H2O - Y203 + 2NH3. Despite the fact that this nitride is present only as an extremely thin surface film, if the above reaction is not prevented by removing this film from the surface either by machining or grinding, the reaction continues until the entire hydrided piece has been reduced to a powder. To account for this continuation of the reaction, it is believed that the following reactionalsooccurs: 2YH2 + 2NH3 -2YN + 5H2. The nitride produced by the latter reaction reacts in turn with water vapor. The reaction therefore becomes autocatalytic and continues until the hydride has been consumed and the entire piece reduced to oxide powder. The amount of nitride required to initiate this reaction is quite small and this nitrogen contamination can occur from a number of sources—hydrogen gas employed, minute leak in the hydriding apparatus or even from degassing of the reaction vessel itself. Longer hydriding times increase the possibility of nitrogen contamination and this is especially true when a dynamic gas system is employed in the hydriding process. The production of stable, solid hydrided yttrium is dependent on the complete absence of nitrogen contamination during processing. If such contamination does occur, powdering of the hydrided product can be prevented by removing the nitride from the surface e.g. grinding or by preventing access of air to the pieces e.g. sealing in wax or plastic. The author wishes to express his appreciation to General Electric Co. for sponsoring this research and for permission to publish the results of work under Subcontract AT-93.

Jan 1, 1962

By B. Trafton, H. L. Hartman

An earlier paper1 introduced a rapid solution for mine ventilation network problems, employing the digital computer. In this paper, refinements and additions to the computer program which expand its scope of application and a solution to a ventilation network having a coal-mine configuration are presented. The revised program-written in FORTRAN for the IBM 7074 computer in Penn State's Computation Center-is applicable to any mine ventilation network employing natural splitting and having its fan located externally. It accomplishes the following: 1) Distributes an assumed total quantity of air flow among all airways of the network, performing iterations until an acceptable level of error is attained and the flow in each airway is known. 2) Computes the pressure drop (head loss) in all airways and the overall network and mine head losses. 3) Determines the operating point for the mine and a given fan, adjusting all air flows and head losses to the actual values. The basis of analysis used is the Hardy Cross method of successive approximation for solution of any fluid network, explained in detail in the earlier article. In brief, corrections to assumed air flows are computed for all the loops of a network; following distribution to the airways of each loop, the process is repeated until acceptable accuracy is attained. When a hand or desk-calculator solution is used, there is advantage to close approximation of the actual flows in the original assumption of air-flow distribution in the network. Since publication of the previous paper, in which assumption of initial quantities was also necessary in the computer solution, the program has been modified to make the first distribution itself, assigning the total quantity to one specified path in a split and then proceeding to correct the flows. The number of iterations required for a high-accuracy solution is little affected, at least in networks of few loops, 10 to 15 being sufficient to reduce the error to 1 pct or less. The principal limitation of the original program was that it contained no provision for handling a fan. Further, it did not determine the overall head loss in the network and was not designed for multiple parallel openings, such as occur in coal mines. The revised program was written to overcome these disadvantages and also to print out the adjusted flows for all airways, corrected for the system operating point. At the present time, the program can handle only an external fan. The procedure employed in solving a ventilation network is now as follows: 1) Input data consisting of airway characteristics and loop designation along with assumed direction of flow, for each branch of the network and any trunk airways, are fed into the computer. 2) Employing the resistance relationship, where R is resistance, K is friction factor, P is perimeter, L is length, A is area, and n is number of airways (where multiple intakes and returns are employed); values are computed for all airways. 3) An arbitrary, continuous route of flow through the circuit—from beginning to end—is selected and the path identified by airway numbers and read in. 4) Based on a total assumed quantity of flow Q (usually 100,000 cfm.) the computer employs the procedure described in the previous article in distributing quantities of flow among all the airways until a satisfactory level of accuracy has been attained (in the current program, the machine is turned off when the cumulative corrective error in cfm, is reduced to five times the number of airways). 5) Airway head losses H are calculated by the relation H = R Q2 and cumulated along the original designated flow route to find the overall head loss for the network. Trunk airways are then included to obtain the mine head.

Jan 1, 1964

By Albert R. Ledoux

I AM indebted to The Kaolin Co. of West Cornwall, Conn., and particularly to its engineer, Mr. M. Wanner, for permission to make public, through the Transactions of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, the interesting results of his experiments, having in view the winning of kaolin from deep deposits without shaft-sinking or removing of the overburden. So far as I am aware, nothing like it has been accomplished heretofore, although it reminds one of the methods successfully employed in Louisiana for the winning of sulphur from deep beds by the sinking of pipes one within another, injecting superheated steam under pressure through one pipe, the heat of the steam liquefying the sulphur and the pressure forcing it up through the other pipe to bins at the surface. The kaolin-deposit at Nest Cornwall is an alteration in situ-that is, it is not sedimentary. A series of clay-veins dipping about 500 from the vertical, lie between a foot-wall of limonite and a hanging-wall of gneiss and hornblende schist. The clay-veins alternate with veins or seams of more or less broken quartz, and unaltered feldspar. The deposit, which occurs at a point about 600 ft. above the Housatonic river, was opened five years ago, and about 5,000 tons of a superior grade of washed kaolin has been extracted from open pits and sold. It soon became evident that this node of extracting the product would prove unremunerative, by reason of the dip of the vein and the intercalary strata and lenses of -quartz, and a more satisfactory method of working the deposit was sought. It is well understood, that, in the preparation of all clays for market, especially residuary kaolin, the most important as well as the most difficult step is the washing of the crude product. The difficulties increase with the percentage of foreign matter, especially quartz and mica, contained in the product, hence a sys-

May 1, 1906

By C. B. Dudley

In October, 1878, and again in February, 1881, I had the honor to make public, through the medium of the American Institute of Mining Engineers, the results of an extended study of steel rails which had been in service, and which mere taken for the purpose from the tracks of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. These studies appeared in three papers. In the first of these papers the question. what kind of steel is least liable to fracture or disintegration in the track, was the principal one considered. In the second paper the question discussed was, does the power of steel to resist wear increase with the hardness ? In the third paper the relation between wear and the chemical and physical properties of the metal was the principal point considered. The general results arrived at, or the cooclusions reached, were, as follows: 1. That a mild steel is less liable to fracture, and if properly made, less liable to crushing or disintegration in the track than a harder steel. 2. That the wearing-power of steel in rails not only does not increase as hardness increases, but, on the contrary, diminishes; or, in other words, that a mild steel gives less loss of metal under the same service than a hard steel. These conclusions may be briefly stated in a single sentence—namely, in rails mild steel is not only less liable to fracture and disintegration in the track, but it also gives longer life, or wears more slowly under the same traffic; than harder steel. It is perhaps hardly necessary to add that by mild steel is meant steel

Jan 1, 1891

By JOHN JANNEY

STABILIZATION of the adjustment of normal consumption to normal production of world commodities is quite different from reducing production until visible surpluses are consumed. The first means restoration and maintenance of prosperity, the second means merely a temporary alleviation of a condition with the prime cause remaining uncorrected. Overproduction of foodstuffs in some sections of the world while millions starve in other sections represents not so much overproduction of foodstuffs as mal-distribution of foodstuffs. The flour mills of Washington and Oregon normally ship quantities of flour to China. Now, the wheat that would make this flour goes East instead of West. Is this overproduction, or is there something wrong that calls for study, analysis and correction? Can the plan used by the ostrich of hiding its head in. the sand get us by this present world tragedy, or must the challenge to solve this problem be met, constructively? Can we not make out of this breakdown in the world's economic system an opportunity? And use it as the stimulus for remedying the basic cause of the trouble and not content ourselves with devising temporary expedients that aim at remedying this or that of the obvious conditions, in themselves not causes at all but rather the evidence of causes, or that are the symptoms of the real trouble.

Jan 1, 1931

By Tribhawan N. Srivastava

The Henderson Mine started production in 1976 utilizing a unique, push-pull, mine ventilation plan. As the mine expands in size, the mine ventilation requirements will increase and a more comprehensive system for maintaining ventilation will be needed. A computer simulation study was completed and has resulted in a revised, systematic, mine ventilation plan which is being implemented as mine development proceeds. Based on the computer simulation study, the new ventilation plan takes into account mining of the orebody simultaneously from both the 8100 and 7700 production levels. Present experience and empirical data indicate that volumes of air needed to adequately ventilate both production levels cannot be obtained utilizing the existing mine layout. The total volume of air needed for the mine excluding haulage tunnel will increase from 708 m3/s (1 500 000 cfm) to 1652 m3/s (3 500 000 cfm), thus a new No. 5 exhaust shaft and connecting drifts are being developed to expand the mine ventilation system to service both production levels. The original ventilation plan for the 7500 haulage level was to bring air from the No. 2 and No. 3 intake shafts and exhaust it through the 94X raise to the 8035 exhaust level and then through the No. 1 exhaust shaft to surface. Control of air volumes in loading drifts was initially planned to be achieved by air doors and air curtains. Air doors on the 7500 level require large cutouts, expensive installations and constant maintenance. The computer simulation study indicates that air- flow in the 7500-level production drifts can be con- trolled exclusively by air curtains which are less expensive to install and more effective in regulating airflows than air doors. Air from the 7500 level can be exhausted through a new raise to the new 7635 exhaust level and then through the new No. 5 exhaust shaft.

Jan 1, 1982

By AIME AIME

MOST recently elected to the limited group of Honorary Members in the A.I.M.E. is the distinguished Australian metallurgist, Guillaume Daniel Delprat. His citation reads: "in recognition of his distinguished achievement as metallurgist, engineer, and administrator in the production of ferrous and nonferrous metals," Mr. Delprat's ability and experience in both the ferrous and nonferrous fields at once distinguishes him from most of his professional brothers. Mr. Delprat's nativity was neither Australian nor English, for he was born in Delft, Holland, in 1856, and educated in Amsterdam. At the age of 22 he went to Spain, as metallurgist for the Tharsis Sulphur and Copper Co., Ltd. Afterwards he spent some time with the Bede Metal and Chemical Co., which had mines in both Spain and Norway, and of which company he became general manager. Other positions of responsibility held by Mr. Delprat before he went to Australia included the managing directorship of the Cordova Exploration Co., with properties in Spain and Canada; of the Rincon Silver-Lead Mining Co., in Spain; and of the Deloro Gold Mines, in Canada.

Jan 1, 1936