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By J. V. N. Dorr

THE Elko Prince mine is in the Gold Circle district, Nevada, about ½ miles(2. 4km.) from the town of Midas, 55 miles (88.5 km.) west of Battle Mountain and 50 miles (8.5 km.) northeast of Golconda. The district is described by Emmons in U. S. Geological Survey Bulletin 408, 1910. Little was said of the Elko Prince, however, as only a small amount of work had then been completed. The geological structure of the region is simple. The oldest exposed formation, covering most of the area, is rhyolite, which has a light-colored devitrified groundmass enclosing phenocrysts of feldspar, quartz, and magnetite. It has been somewhat weathered and partially stained with oxide of iron. There are several outcrops of andesite which cut the rhyolite. The ore deposits occur as fissure veins, replacement veins, and sheeted zones. The Elko Prince vein is of the first type. The rhyolite near the veins is silicified, stained with oxide of iron, and, at some localities, replaced by ore, or is so permeated by metals as to be classed as ore. The vein filling consists chiefly of quartz, and the values consist entirely of gold and silver. Part of the gold exists as the native metal and part is associated with pyrite. Silver occurs free and its argentite in handed streaks through the vein. These veins trend in a northwesterly direction, with dips varying from 65° to vertical.

Jan 8, 1918

By Thomas Clagett

THE Pocahontas coal field comprises the area in Tazewell County, Va., and Mercer and McDowell Counties, W. Va., in which Nos. 3 and 4 Pocahontas seams of bituminous coal are mined. It is a mountainous region with ridges rising 300 to 1000 ft. (91 to 305m.) above the very narrow valleys and, except for some poorly kept farms along the tops of the ridges and the area occupied by the mining and coking plants and villages, is wooded throughout. First shipments were made from Pocahontas in 1883. There are now, about 100 mines, 95 per cent. of which are drift mines. At the end of 1920, approximately 298,000,000 gross tons of coal had been produced and 35,000 acres of coal mined. No. 3 seam is from 4 to 10 ft. (1.2 to 3 m.) thick, but the change is gradual and the thickness fairly uniform in any particular locality. It has a streak of bone, about 2 in. (5 cm.) thick, io which the coal adheres on both sides. In parts of the field this bone is replaced by hard slate, usually from 2 to 4 in. thick. The seam has a slate or fireclay bottom and a draw-slate top. No. 4 seam is from 65 to 80 ft. (19.8 to 24 m.) above No. 3 seam, and of minable section only in the western part of the field. It is from 3 to 8 ft. thick and has two streaks off bone, each from 1 to 2 in. thick. It has a fireclay or slate bottom and is overlaid by from 4 to 24 in. of a laminated coal and slate, locally termed "black rash," which is separated from the coal seam by about 3 in. of slate. This "black rash" averages about 25 per cent. ash, but contains some clean coal. The coal in both seams is quite soft. Cleavage sufficiently well defined to exert an influence on the mining is rare. Overlying strata are slates, shales, and sandstones, the sandstones predominating, extending from .30 to 1000 ft. above No. 3 seam. The strata directly above the. draw slate of No. 3 seam, or "black rash" of No., 4 seam, and up to the first sandstone are usually slates or shales, about 10 ft. thick over the

Jan 5, 1922

By H. A. Kortmann, K. Koch, B. M. Grover, O. P. Burghardt

Addition of lime, especially when treating a hematite feed, sometimes results in swelling and a severe loss in strength during reduction in the temperature range 900° to 1100°C and in grain disintegration in the temperature range 400° to 600°C in a weakly reducing atmosphere. Swelling and/or grain disintegration of pellets is often the reason for trouble in blast furnace operation, resulting in a decrease in the rate of smelting. Following a brief description of the test procedures employed (measurements of swelling, pressure-reduction-softening and grain disintegration), some results are given which were arrived at when testing pellets from industrial plants. Results of systematic tests are presented, where the effect of the quantity and quality of the gangue upon the behavior during reduction of pellets is illustrated. Varying amounts of quartz and limestone were added to a high-grade hematite ore and, then, pellets produced in a pot grate. The relationships of the behavior of the fired pellets during reduction are presented, among others, in the ternary system CaO-FeOn-SiOP. Finally, an attempt is made to explain the reasons for swelling, loss in strength, and grain disintegration.

Jan 1, 1974

By D. J. McAdam, G. W. Geil, D. H. Woodard, W. D. Jenkins

INTRODUCTION IN a series of papers, the authors and their associates have shown that the resistance of a metal to fracture is a function of all three principal stresses. 10-18,20,21,23,[1] Consequently since a technical cohesion limit is defined as the technically determinable resistance to fracture, under a specific stress system, the technical cohesive strength comprises an infinite number of technical cohesion limits corresponding to the infinite number of possible combinations of the principal stresses. As shown in the previous papers, the technical cohesive strength increases with plastic deformation, with decrease in temperature, and with increase in the strain rate. The technical cohesion limit, therefore, is affected by the same factors that affect the flow stress,§ namely, the stress system, plastic deformation, temperature, and the strain rate. The effect of each of these factors on the fracture stress is qualitatively the same as its effect on the flow stress. The effect of any of the factors may be represented by a curve of cohesion limits, although only one point on the curve may represent actual fracture. Since the term "fracture stress" has come into general use with the same significance as technical cohesion limit; the authors are here using the' shorter term with the understanding that it, does not always refer to actual fracture. In the general investigation described. in the previously-mentioned papers,10-18,20,21,23 the influence of the stress 'system on the fracture stress was studied by means, of tension tests of notched specimens. When a circumferentially notched cylindrical' specimen is subjected to longitudinal ten-, sion, the minimum cross section is under " transverse radial tension. The mean radial stress increases with the depth and sharpness of the notch, but is always less than the longitudinal stress. The greatest principal stress (S,), therefore, is longitudinal, and since the radial stress is effectively equal to the circumferential stress, the transverse principal stresses are equiaxial in that plane (S2 = S3). By the use of notched specimens in tension tests it was shown that the fracture stress increases with increase in the radial stress ratio (S3/SI). The evidence is based not only on the results of tests to fracture at various constant temperatures, but also on. results of two-stage tests, in which each specimen was plastically deformed a predetermined

Jan 1, 1948

By James M. Polatty

FOR structural as well as economic reasons, sanded grout rather than neat cement grout should be used wherever possible. The chief drawback in using sanded grout mixtures, however, is the tendency of the sand to settle out, causing problems in pumping. Manufactured sands have not been used in sanded grout because it has been assumed that their irregular particle shape would add to the pumping difficulties. The Concrete Division of the Waterways Experiment Station in Jackson, Miss., has conducted a comprehensive investigation of grouts containing both natural and manufactured sands. In the study of manufactured sand grouts an investigation was made of physical characteristics, ease of pumping, and the effects of adding certain mineral fines. The amount of material passing 100 mesh ranged from zero to 25 pct. Results were compared with test results for natural sand grouts.

Jan 3, 1958

By C. R. Barker, D. A. Summers, H. D. Keith

Introduction Historically, the presence of methane has been a problem, mainly in and around the working areas of active coal mines, and only in these areas has drainage been considered. Drainage, where practical, has been achieved through the drilling of holes forward into the coal and the surrounding strata from the working area. These holes generaly have been short in length, although where methane drainage operations around a longwall face have been undertaken, the holes have had to be longer in order to adequately drain from the center of the face into the access gate roads. In recent years, attempts have been made to degasify the coal seams in advance of mining, without disruption of the mining cycle. This is done by drilling much longer horizontal holes through the coal in advance of the working area. Under the aegis of the federal government, methods have also been developed for draining coal seams of their methane content in advance of mining, but from shafts sunk from the surface, without using the active area of the mine as the location for the drill holes. Development of methane drainage has recently been encouraged by the potential use of the drained methane as a commercial energy source, with a need, therefore, to adequately organize a collection system, separate from mining the seam for coal. This has already been successfully accomplished, for example, in the Federal No. 2 mine of Eastern Associated Coal Corp. starting in 1975 (Johns). However, whether the system gains access to the coal through horizontal drilling from a pre- existing mine or via access through a separate shaft from the surface, long horizontal holes are required to adequately tap the methane reserve. It is to this regard-the actual drilling of the horizontal holes-that this paper is directed. It will examine potential benefits that may accrue, both in conventional horizontal hole drilling from a mine site underground, and also in drilling from the surface if a high pressure water jet drill is used to drill the degasification holes. Long Hole Drilling from an Underground Site Personnel from the Bureau of Mines have recently examined methods for conventional drilling of long horizontal holes to gain access for methane drainage. They have shown that it is possible (Cervik, Fields, and Aul) to drill out some 610 m using a conventional drilling system. Three types of bit were used in the program and by alternating between a drag bit, tricone bit, and plug bit, advance rates of between 0.6-3.6 m/min were achieved. Hole diameters varied from 7.6-9.2 cm in surface tests at bit thrusts of 1360 kg. A hole was then drilled and maintained in relative alignment within the coal seam for a distance of 640 m. Thrust levels had to be lowered to between 363-680 kg across the bit. Because the loads were smaller than those used in the surface trial, advance rates in the hole were of the order of 10-38 cm/min. The thrust level was lowered since it was found that the level of the thrust controlled the inclination of the drill so that, for example, a thrust of 363 kg caused the hole to incline downward, while at greater than 544 kg the hole inclined upward with the 9-cm-diam bit. Thrust levels increased 227 kg when the hole diameter was raised to 9.2 cm, although in such a case penetration rates in excess of 56 cm/min could be achieved. Horizontal Water Jet Drilling of Coal The University of Missouri-Rolla has recently undertaken research for Sandia Laboratories on the use of high pressure water jets as a means of drilling through coal. The initial experiment in this program called for drilling a hole horizontally into a coal seam from the side of a strip pit using water jets as the cutting mechanism. A very simple setup [(Fig. 1)] was used in this program and a 15-m hole was drilled at an approximate drilling speed of 1.2 m/min. The nozzle was designed so that the hole dimension was approximately 15 cm across [(Fig 2)] and the thrust was maintained at levels below 91 kg in moving the drill into the coal face. The system used was very crude and comprised a high pressure water jet drill enclosed within a 5.7-cm outer diameter galvanized water pipe to provide rigidity to the drilling system. This pipe sufficed to maintain hole alignment over the 15-m increment. While it is premature to make long-term predictions on ultimate applicability of this sytem to long hole drilling, certain inherent advantages of water jets can be delineated from research results and suggest considerable advantage to further research in development of this application. High pressure water was supplied at approximately 62 046 kPa from a 112-kW high pressure pump, with a 83 L/m flow through the supply line to the nozzle. The drilling system consisted of a nozzle rigidly attached to the front end of the galvanized piping. High pressure fluid was supplied to this nozzle through a flexible high pressure hose that fed from the nozzle back through the galvanized pipe to a rotary coupling attached

Jan 1, 1981

By W. D. Robertson

THE effect of a tensile stress in accelerating the corrosion-cracking of certain alloys of aluminum, magnesium and iron is widely recognized. The literature is extensive and it is only necessary to cite the recent ASTM-AIME Symposium.1 There are, however, no experimental data conclusively showing the effect of an applied compressive stress. It has been inferred, from the generally accepted mechanism postulated for the acceleration of corrosion by an applied tensile stress, that a compressive stress would inhibit corrosion. Furthermore, it is observed that corrosion cracks invariably start on the tension side of a specimen bent as a simple beam. This observation has led to the suggestion that shot-peening of the surface would inhibit or eliminate stress-corrosion cracking in magnesium alloys, and aluminum alloys.3 However, the degree of inhibition produced by shot-peening does not appear in the literature except for the above qualitative references which are unsupported by experimental data. Moreover, while peening undoubtedly imposes a surface compressive stress, the alteration of the surface by the severe cold-working involved complicates the interpretation of the results with respect to the effect of a compressive stress alone. If corrosion proceeds along preferential paths produced by precipitation from solid solution, it is easily understood how a component of tensile stress normal to these paths will accelerate the corrosion and lead to ultimate failure. On the other hand, if the metallurgical conditions are such as to create preferential corrosion paths, then it is difficult to understand how a compressive stress, produced by shot-peening or any other method, can inhibit corrosion except in the sense that the accelerating factor is removed. Thus, if the basic corrosion mechanism remains unaltered, there should be little or no inhibition resulting from the application of a compressive stress if in¬hibition is defined as the reduction of the degree of corrosion below that experienced in the unstressed state. The experiment described below was performed to isolate and evaluate the effect of a compressive stress on the corrosion and stress-corrosion cracking of a high strength aluminum alloy (24-S); and, by a comparison of the corrosion rate of specimens subjected to an applied tensile stress, compressive stress and in the unstressed state, to clarify the role of stress in intergranular corrosion. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The experiment was conducted with the aluminum-copper-magnesium alloy known as Duralumin 24-S.* Specimens, 0.064 in. thick, in the form of I in. wide strips sheared parallel to the rolling direction,

Jan 1, 1947

By Will H. Coghill

FLOTATION has been so closely allied with the sulfide minerals and their early and associated oily reagents that the term "oil flotation" has erroneously been applied to the entire flotation process. Today, the term "chemical flotation" might be used to advantage. Flotation literature has dealt primarily with the removal of sulfides. from non-sulfide gangues, and the separation of one sulfide from another.. Now, the application of the process to the separation of nonsulfide minerals is coming to the fore; and from the standpoint of the number of commercial minerals involved, the flotation of nonsulfides offers the larger field. Here, soap or soap-forming substances, such as the fatty acids and their derivatives, are used; hence there may well be a subdivision of the chemical flotation process called "soap flotation." Early experimenters learned that it was easy to form a froth or foam that would carry a part or all of the ore charge over the lip of the flotation machine; but this could not be regarded as flotation because of the lack of selectivity. Doubtless soap was one of the first reagents tried, and doubtless it was rejected on account of its gangue-carrying properties. Now this same gangue-carrying ability makes soap an acceptable reagent, for we are dealing with that, which among sulfides, is considered "gangue." As in the flotation of sulfides, so in the flotation of nonsulfides, the selective flocculation of the mineral and the dispersion of the gangue are the first objectives. In fact, these two phenomena epitomize flotation. They depend upon the unlike surface properties of the respective minerals; and, as long as the components of an ore have unlike surface properties, a separation is possible, at least in theory. Often in nonsulfide flotation it makes little difference which mineral floats and which is depressed; generally only a separation is sought.

Jan 1, 1932

By Kenneth Cottingham

The number of wells drilled in Ohio in 1943 was slightly in excess of the number drilled in 1942. Compared with the average annual completions for the five years preceding, the year 1943 was short 11 per cent, hut the average initial volume of gas wells was considerably improved. In 1942 the average initial open flow per gas well was 668 M cu. ft., whereas in 1943 the average was 913 M cu. ft. Although no large gas-producing areas were discovered during the year under review, some 30 small pools were found in 17 of the counties of eastern Ohio. These new pools averaged about 300 acres each, and most of them were not extensions but were separate pools adjacent to older production. The Clinton sand furnished most of these discoveries, although six were from the Berea, one was Newburg, and three were shallow sands. No discoveries were made outside former producing counties, and there was no new development the Trenton area of western Ohio. The number of oil wells decreased from 181 drilled in 1942, to 170 in the year 1943. The production of Pennsylvania-grade oil increased 7644 bbl. The total Corning production, however, decreased 91,325 bbl. The present price of Corning-grade oil, $1.31 per bbl., is too low, in the opinion of the operator, to justify exploration. Until something is done in correcting the price level of Corning grade, the production probably will continue to decline. The oil industry in Ohio is making a concentrated effort toward increased production and improved methods of recovering Pennsylvania-grade oil, and a.s this report is written a research and engineering program is being formulated for the benefit and information of the various producers of that grade in Ohio.

Jan 1, 1944

By Kenneth Cottingham

The number of wells drilled in Ohio in 1943 was slightly in excess of the number drilled in 1942. Compared with the average annual completions for the five years preceding, the year 1943 was short 11 per cent, hut the average initial volume of gas wells was considerably improved. In 1942 the average initial open flow per gas well was 668 M cu. ft., whereas in 1943 the average was 913 M cu. ft. Although no large gas-producing areas were discovered during the year under review, some 30 small pools were found in 17 of the counties of eastern Ohio. These new pools averaged about 300 acres each, and most of them were not extensions but were separate pools adjacent to older production. The Clinton sand furnished most of these discoveries, although six were from the Berea, one was Newburg, and three were shallow sands. No discoveries were made outside former producing counties, and there was no new development the Trenton area of western Ohio. The number of oil wells decreased from 181 drilled in 1942, to 170 in the year 1943. The production of Pennsylvania-grade oil increased 7644 bbl. The total Corning production, however, decreased 91,325 bbl. The present price of Corning-grade oil, $1.31 per bbl., is too low, in the opinion of the operator, to justify exploration. Until something is done in correcting the price level of Corning grade, the production probably will continue to decline. The oil industry in Ohio is making a concentrated effort toward increased production and improved methods of recovering Pennsylvania-grade oil, and a.s this report is written a research and engineering program is being formulated for the benefit and information of the various producers of that grade in Ohio.

Jan 1, 1944

By Augustus Locke

The paper has two parts: the field argument and the microscopic argument. The field argument indicates that either the deep chalcocite has replacea sulfide of extraordinarily easy replaceability or it is hypogene. The microscopic argumentindicates that this sulfide, if it existed, must have been hypogene bornite; that this bornite must so excel known bornite in replaceability as to constitute a new variety; that the existence of this new variety is wholly unsupported by evidence; and that the deep Butte chalcocite is therefore hypogene. IN 1900, when the public first heard of "secondary enrichment" the Butte chalcocite seemed clearly supergene. Mining, through successive regions of leached capping, bonanza sulfide, and sulfide less rich, had paused at lean bottom levels which, though chalcocite-bearing, suggested the waning of copper. The deepest chalcocite, at 1500 ft., was yet too shallow to disturb the supergene hypothesis. But, with deeper mining, lean levels yielded to fat ones. Here and there they showed, within the same vein, an inverted distribution, chalcopyrite above and chalcocite below. To the miners' astonishment, they carried chalcocite, unaffected by cross faults, on an independent course to the depth of 2500 ft. The pattern of ore distribution, hitherto revealed only in fragments, was now appearing in perspective, and, in the depth of the chalcocite, was beginning to make Butte differ from all districts where the chalcocite is indubitably supergene. The idea of hypogene origin at length came into favor; by 1913, when Sales1 advocated this origin, the argument had become a powerful one. This argument rested on field evidence; but, already, there was beginning to emerge microscopic evidence not included in this arugment. Especially pertinent was the proof that (1) The deep chalcocite lies in-mixed with bornite, often microscopic; (2) the deep chalcocite often replaces bornite; and (3) replacement of bornite by chalcocite is accom-

Jan 3, 1924

By T. Kusakawa

In Japan, natural gypsum is rarely mined for industrial use and almost all gypsum is synthetic, that is desulphogypsum, produced from waste sulphur dioxide gas from metal smelters and power plants and other industrial waste sources. The amount of synthetic gypsum production (1979) reached more than 6 Mt/a (6.6 million stpy). Major uses are for cement and building materials. Other uses include soil conditioner, investment casting molds, and organic composite materials. Sulphur recovery by gypsum decomposition is being examined. This paper summarizes present Japanese production and uses of synthetic gypsum produced from industrial wastes.

Jan 1, 1984

By William Fink

ZINC is one of the effective elements introduced to enhance the strength of aluminum. This strengthening is principally attributable to the high solid solubility of zinc in aluminum and the pronounced variation of solubility with temperature. Consequently an accurate determination of the solid solubility curve is desirable. The solid solubility relations have been studied by numerous investigators. Shepherd' first established the existence of a solid solution region at the aluminum end of the diagram (y phase) by specific volume and microscopic determinations. Bauer and Vogel2 published a constitutional diagram which showed the limits of solid solubility as determined by thermal and microscopic methods. Hanson and Gayler3 presented the aluminum-zinc diagram which is now most generally accepted (Fig. 1). Chill-cast samples were given thermal treatments designed to obtain equilibrium conditions, quenched, and microscopically examined.. The solubility was placed between 15 to 20 per cent at 600 C., 20 to 22 per cent at 140° C. and 36 to 38 per cent at 270° C. Sander and Meissner4 decidedly modified the limits of they phase field of Hanson and Gayler's diagram by using similar methods on chill-cast specimens annealed for a shorter period of time. Tanabe,5 utilizing dynamic hardness, electrical conductivity and dilatometric measurements of specimens at temperature, obtained values comparable to Hanson and Gayler's at room temperature, but appreciably lower at higher temperatures. Nishimura6 concluded from age-hardening results of aluminum-zinc alloy chill castings, which had been quenched from 400° to 500° C., that the solubility of zinc in aluminum at room temperature is less than 5

Jan 1, 1932

By Frederick Sharpless

THE term "segregation," as here used, means the separation of certain natural resources into groups, consisting of one or more members, with the idea that when thus segregated, each group may be more easily and effectively administrated. We may, for example, consider surface rights as distinct from underground rights, and stop there; or we may go further, and deal separately with timber, water, and agricultural rights, or, going underground, we might deal separately with such groups as precious and base metals, clay, oil, gas, etc. The present paper contemplates only the separation so far as practicable, for administrative purposes, of surface from mineral rights. "Classification," in this paper, has reference to the groups into which the government has divided, is dividing, or will hereafter divide its natural resources; first, into the broad classes of mineral and agricultural lands; and, second, into coal, oil, phosphate, brine lands, etc., the central idea being the separation into natural groups for the purpose of simplifying administration and for the purpose of encouraging maximum development and minimum waste. The two subjects are in some respects quite distinct, but as my argument develops, I think it will be obvious why they are discussed in the same paper.

Jan 4, 1914

By A. M. STROKG

Discussion of the paper of Charles R. Keyes, presented at the Spokane meeting. Bulletin o. 34, October, 1909, pp. 867 to 903. A. M. STRONG, Bishop, Cal: (communication to the Secretary*) The paper of Mr. Keyes gives us the most complete account of the geology of the borax-deposits in the Death Valley region that has yet been published, and is a valuable addition to the geological literature of a very interesting though little-known territory. During the past ten years I have been over much of the northern part of the country described by Mr. Keyes and the region immediately north of it. Mr. Keyes seems to give the impression that Furnace creek is the northern end of these borate-bearing deposits, but such is not the case. Of the seven principal marsh-deposits which for years furnished the greater part of the borax supply in the manner described by him, four are north of the boundary-line as given on his map. The entire territory immediately east of the Sierra Nevada is composed of a series of sinks, each with a well-defined drainage-area.. Of these, Death valley is the deepest, and its drainage-area one of the greatest. The section given in the paper is typical of any line drawn eastward from the Sierra Nevada. At the lowest point of each of these sinks is a marsh, which, in times of heavy rain-fall in the mountains, is converted into a lake. These marshes always contain borax, which is now considered to have been derived from the washing of the Tertiary lake-beds in the surrounding mountains, of which they form a considerable part. Additional territory which I have studied shows that the boundaries given on Mr. Keyes's map should be considerably extended to the north. Just how far these borate-beds extend I am not prepared to say. J. E. Spurr says of them : 1

Feb 1, 1910

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Jan 1, 1938

By F. A. Hill

Coal mining in the State of Washington offers many interesting problems for the mining engineer, due to the varied physical conditions occurring in different fields, and often in the same mine. The different coal seams worked in the same mine commonly require different mining and transportation methods for economical operation. The coal measures have inclinations ranging from 5' to vertical, and in the same mine the dip of the coal may vary from 30' to 50 . In all fields, the seams are extensively faulted, folded, and sheared. The quality of the coal produced ranges from brown lignite to bituminous coking coal, the following being typical analyses: Very little of the coal contains as much as 0.75 per cent. sulfur. The brown lignites occur mostly in Lewis and Thurston Counties, and as a rule are very cheaply mined. This coal has been successfully used in locomotives of the Oregon & Washington Railroad, after equipping them with specially designed fireboxes. The sub-bituminous coals occur in all the coal-mining counties. Their cost of production varies widely, according to the character of the formations, the pitch, and the wall conditions. This makes a fairly good steam coal, but the lump is used mostly for domestic trade, after grading into lump, nut, and pea. The coking coal is used for making coke, and for locomotive and other boiler fuel. It yields a strong metallurgical coke, quite high in ash, though seldom exceeding 18 per cent. ash. Most of it is susceptible to

Jan 1, 1920

By C. M. Means

CONSIDERING the hazard involved in mining operations, statistics show, that a very small percentage of accidents is chargeable to electricity. These accidents do represent quite a large percentage of those that are preventable and they are the direct result of the introduction, for purely economical reasons, of a dangerous element. The introduction of electricity in mines should decrease the hazard, and in no case should electricity be applied to the mechanical operation of equipment if by so doing the dangers incidental to mining are increased. The greater number of accidents are the result of persons coming in contact with exposed conductors at potentials varying from 250 to 500 volts direct current. The use of alternating current at higher potentials than these is quite common in large mines, but it is very rare that an accident happens from this source. This is explained by the fact that where these high voltages are warranted, proper precautions are taken, and the installations are directed by those who fully appreciate the dangers incidental to the work. Direct current is in much more general use than alternating current because of its adaptability to haulage locomotives and the low cost of installation in small operations. We are, however, coming to a more extended application of alternating current for the operation of mechanical devices used in connection with mining. Our underground direct-current wiring system is an evolution from the surface trolley and feeder systems. This is probably due to the fact that our earlier successful applications were electric locomotives, which required the use of a trolley wire. The trolley current has been almost banished from industrial establishments on the surface because of the hazard involved, yet we use it indiscriminately underground, where the dangers from accidental contact or fire are infinitely greater. This does not mean that the underground trolley systems should be eliminated, but it does imply the proper safeguarding of such equipment as is necessarily a part of the trolley systems.

Jan 4, 1914

By W. E. Horst

During the past few years of operation at Kings Mountain, N. C., full-scale flotation has generally yielded poorer metallurgical results than those obtained in the laboratory or pilot plant. After 2 min in each size of Denver flotation machine in the spodumene rougher circuit, pilot recovery (41.7 pct) was almost three times that of the plant (13.6 pet) and about twice that of the laboratory (21.0 pet). Pilot and commercial plant data are based on continuous operation, and laboratory results on batch testing of rougher performance. The ore is a pegmatite containing spodumene, feldspar, quartz, mica, and amphibolite. Data were accumulated to evaluate the scale-up relationships between laboratory, pilot plant, and plant flotation cells. Flotation rate constants and dimensional analysis were used to define the relationship existing between flotation behavior and scale of operation.

Jan 11, 1958

By R. Simon

The sources of energy dissipation for concentrated loadings on rock are considered in an attempt to account for the experimentally measured magnitude of the work required to break out a unit volume of rock from the free surface of an essentially semi-infinite medium. It is concluded that most of this work probably represents the elastic strain energy developed by the loading in a much larger volume of rock beneath the loaded region than the volume of the rock fragment broken out to the side of the loaded region. This strain energy is largely dissipated in the form of stress waves generated by the high rate of unloading produced by the propagating cracks. The energies associated with the formation of the new surfaces of the cracks and with the stress waves generated directly by the loading process are computed to be negligibly small. Possibilities for improving the utilization of energy to drill rod. subject to the geometrical limitations imposed by down-hole operation, are discussed. It is pointed out that any such possible improvements would probably have to be differential ones, since each rock configuration of more favorabIe loading geometry that can be created down the hole is accompanied by a complementary configuration of less favorable loading geometry. INTRODUCTION Dislodging each cubic inch of rock from the bottom of the hole by the action of a bit requires the expenditure of an amount of energy that varies from approximately 5,000 in.-lb to approximately 100,000 in.-lb, depending on the hardness of the rock, or, more technically, upon its fragmentation strength.1 In this paper we will discuss (I) why the energy expended in drilling is so large, (2) what happens to this energy upon completion of the drilling process, and (3) what are the possibilities for reducing the magnitude of the energy required to drill rock. DETERMINATION OF ROCK DRILLING ENERGY The volume of rock removed per unit time from the bottom of a hole of diameter D is evidently (7/4)D2R, where R is the rate of penetration of the bit. If P is the rate at which work is done by the bit on the rock at the bottom of the hole, the energy required to break out a unit volume of rock is given by: Ev =(4/p) P/D2R............(i) For rotary drilling, of either the rolling-cone or drag-bit varicty, P = 2pLN, where L is the torque resistance to rotation at the bottom of the hole and N is the rate of rotation of the bit. L is essentially the same as the torque measured at the rotary table only when drilling in shallow holes. The energies expended in rotating the drill string against the frictional resistance of the walls of the hole and and against the viscous drag of the drilling fluid are extraneous to the subject under consideration, although these may be much greater in magnitude than E, when drilling in a deep hole. For percussion drilling, P = fE where f is the percussion frequency and E is the work done on the rock per impact. The latter quantity can be both computed and measured for a percussion drilling machine. 2 (Under satisfactory drilling conditions, defined in terms of ranges of numerical values of certain dimensionless parameters, E is only 30 to 50 per cent less than the impact energy of the striker.2) Alternatively, E, may be measured directly by dropping chisels shaped like bit edges, backed by rigid weights, onto the surfaces of laboratory rock samples of effectively semi-infinite extent. Under these circumstances, essentially all of the impact energy is converted to work done on the rock, and the relationships among volume of rock broken out, chisel shape, impact energy and indexing distances can be obtained.3 The values of the energy required to break out a unit volume of rock under favorable circumstances are substantially in agreement for rotary drilling, percussion drilling and drop testing at atmospheric pressure. The energy per unit volume is a quantity of the order of magnitude of roughly twice the com-pressive strength of the rock as measured by a uniaxial loading test. The phrase "order of magnitude" in this paper means from about 1/3 as much to 3 times as much; i.e., the energy per unit volume may range from roughly the same up to several times