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By John Goheen

RECENTLY the head burner at a brick. plant with over 40 years' experience said that he had burned brick by guess for over half his lifetime and had used pyrometers for 2 1/2 years but hoped that he would never have to burn kilns without pyrometers again. The ceramic engineer in making a special study of the burning of clay ware and the effect the heat of the kiln has on color and vitrification is also rapidly placing the burning of clay on a twentieth-century basis. Clay ware may be divided into various groups, brick and drain tile; sewer pipe; firebrick; and pottery, which, in turn may be subdivided into special classes. As nearly as the analysis of the clay type of kiln, etc., will allow, there are practically the same problems to solve in burning in all of the processes or operations. The underlying objective is the same, namely the production of the best grade of ware under the most efficient and economical manufacturing system. The principal problem in the production of clay ware is the burning off of the kilns. The most modern steam shovel may dig the clay and the most advanced types of pug mills and wire cut machines or molds of various kinds may be installed, but unless the drying and burning of the ware is successful, all of the previous operations will be useless. On this final operation depends the entire result of the plant. In reality, burning of all. clay ware is purely a heating proposition. The kilns, or furnaces, should be so designed as to give equal distribution of heat. Consequently, the problems of design and construction of kilns to produce equal distribution of heat require serious consideration, as do also the questions of heat control and draft control. The three most important factors in the burning of practically all types of kilns may be

Jan 9, 1919

By James Gayley

The atmosphere, which plays such an important part in the manufacture of iron and steel, is the most variable element involved in its several processes; and particularly is this true of the blast-furnace process, which consumes air in large quantitiee. At no time since the blast-furnace became an important and widely used apparatus—even when it was operated in the most crude manner—have the variations in composition of the raw materials used been as frequent and as great as the variations in humidity of the atmosphere. Important improvements have been made in the blast-furnace and its accessories, such as the hot-blast stoves, the increase in size and change in the shape of the furnace, more efficient blowing-engines, the increased protection given to the bosh-walls, and the careful preparation of the raw material, all of which have exerted a pronounced influence on the furnace-operations from a metallurgical standpoint. But during the past eight years little advance has been made in this direction; the fuel-consumption has not diminished, nor has there been any material increase in production. Within that period, however, there has been witnessed the greatest development in appliances for the economical handling of material. So complete has been the work in this direction, that, except in isolated cases, in this country at least, a further extension does not hold out much promise of a satisfactory return on the investment required. It seemed that, with the exception of the gas-engine, we had about reached the limit, for like a strong wall, the atmosphere, with its humidity as variable to-day as when first blown into a primitive blast-furnace, appeared to stand as a barrier to

Jan 1, 1905

By M. E. Bell

The term "operational research" was probably first used to describe work started under E. C. Williams, now Director, SHAPE Air Defense Technical Center, late in 1937 or 1938, at the Bawdsey Research Station of the British Air Ministry, a laboratory center concerned with the development of radar equipment. After the practicability of the early techniques had been demonstrated, a large (for those days) program of development and installation was authorized. It was very soon realized, both by the Royal Air Force and by the scientists that almost as important as the gear itself was the way in which it should be used. Accordingly, it was decided that some scientists should cooperate to study the way in which the equipment should be deployed and operated in conjunction with the Royal Air Force. To distinguish this work from the normal work of a research and development establishment, the term "operational research" was coined. It merely meant at this time that this particular section of scientists was to be concerned with the use of the gear rather than with its technical development and it seemed natural to those concerned to adopt the word "operations" which has a specific connotation in the armed forces.' This method was later extended to peacetime business enterprise, government operations and other human activities. Operations research appears to have penetrated the extractive industries more slowly and less completely than other industries, the military, or the government. This may be due (1) to a difference in the attitude of management towards operations research, or towards research of any kind, for that matter; (2) to unsuitability of the extractive industries for application of the operations research method; (3) to inaccessibility of the data; (4) or to a lack of trained personnel who are interested in applying operations research to the mineral industries.

Jan 8, 1963

E. R. JETTE*—The way this ternary was developed there are two directly determined points on each of the iso-thermals except the 700° isothermal, where I believe there is only one. How were the end points determined, and what was the basis for it? Whose work formed the basis for the silver copper line ? M. B. BEVER †—At most temperatures the authors determined three points of the isothermal line. For example it can be seen from Fig 3 and 4 how three points for the 600°C contour line were obtained. The authors took two additional points for each temperature from the copper-silver binary diagram contained in Hansen's volume on constitution diagrams. It is correct that the 700°C contour line is based only on one point in the ternary field which was found by a slight extrapolation of Fig 4. R. I. JAFFEE*—Are the tie lines representing phases in equilibrium parallel to the silver-copper boundary ? M. B. BEVER—Are you asking that as a matter of principle ? R. I. JAFFEE—I assumed that would follow from principle. I wonder if that is in accordance with the authors' ideas too. M. B. BEVER—I do not believe the authors obtained any information on the tie lines in the two-phase field. Of course, in the limiting case of very low gold contents the tie-lines approach to the silver-copper boundary, but generally in the two-phase field I do not think that the tie-lines have to be parallel to the boundary. E. R. JETTE—1 am quite sure they do not have to be parallel. You cannot tell from this work in which direction they go. E. A. GULBRANSEN*—Were any pycnometric measurements made to check the lattice parameters of the alloys ? M. B. BEVER—I did not hear any-

Jan 1, 1950

By C. E. Lundin

The Ce-H system was investigated in the temperature range, 573° to 1023°K, and the pressure range, 10-3 to 630 Torr, as a function of 'composition up to 72 at. pct H. Families of isothermal arid isopleth curves were plotted from the pressure-terr~perature-composition relationships. From these curves the solubility relationships were determined for the system. The isopleths are analytically represented by equilibrium dissociation pressure equations. The relative partial molal enthalpzes and entropies of solution of hydvogen in the systerrz were calculated fronz the dissociation pressure equulions and are tabulated. The integral free energies, enthalpies, and entropies of mixing in the Ce-H system were determined from the relative partial quantities and are also tabulated. The standard free energy, enthelpy, and entvopy of reaction of the dihydride phase at kcal per kcal per mole H2, and ?S° = -34. 1 cal per deg mole H2, respectively. The equilibrium dissociation pressure equation in the two-phase region is: UNTIL recently very little was known of the detailed solubility and thermodynamic relationships of the Ce-H system. Two previous investigations1,2 are noteworthy. However, significant discrepancies and omissions exist on analyzing them. The work of Mulford and Holley1 on cerium did not clearly delineate the boundaries of the two-phase region, Cess - CeH2-x. The plateau partial pressures were not thoroughly defined and were considerably displaced in pressure compared to those from the work of Warf and Korst.2 These latter authors concentrated their studies primarily from 823° to 1023°K in the pressure range of 1 to 760 Torr. No data were determined to outline the regions of primary solid solubility and the hydride phase. Also the establishment of the plateau partial pressures was rather limited in scope. In neither work was a treatment conducted of the relative partial molal enthalpies and entropies of solution of hydrogen in the single-phase regions and the integral thermodynamic quantities of mixing throughout the system. Therefore, it was the objective of this research to determine the complete equilibrium solubility relationships and thermodynamic data for the system by pressure-temperature-composition studies. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The cerium metal for this study was donated by the Reno Metallurgy Research Center of the Bureau of Mines. Total impurity content was 0.13 pct with only 60 ppm O. The metal was checked metallographically and contained only minor amounts of second phase compared to cerium from other sources. Specimen preparation was done in a dry box flushed with argon gas. The surface of a small rectangular piece of cerium (about 0.2 g) was filed with a clean, mill file. Final weighing was done in a tared enclosed vial containing argon gas. The specimen was then loaded quickly into the reaction chamber which was purged several times with high-purity hydrogen gas and then allowed to pump to about 10-6 Torr. The furnace was heated to the reaction temperature and the run started. The equipment used to conduct the hydriding was a Sievert's-type apparatus. Basically it consisted of a source for pure hydrogen, a precision gas-measuring burette, a heated reaction chamber, a McLeod gage, and a mercury manometer. Pure hydrogen was supplied by the thermal decomposition of uranium hydride. The 100-ml precision gas burette was graduated to 0.1-ml divisions and was used to measure the quantity of gas and admit it to the chamber. The reaction chamber was a quartz tube. Prior to each run, the cerium specimen was wrapped in a tungsten foil capsule to prevent reaction of the cerium with the quartz. Control of the temperature was achieved within ±1°K. Pressures in the manometer range were measured to ±0.5 Torr and in the McLeod range (10-3 to 5 Torr) to ±3 pct. The compositions of hydrogen in cerium were calculated in terms of hydrogen to cerium atomic ratio. These compositions were estimated to be ±0.01 H/Ce ratio. The technique used to study the equilibrium pressure-temperature-composition relationships of the Ce-H system was to develop experimentally a family of isothermal curves of composition vs pressure. The range of pressure through which each isotherm was developed was from 10-9 to about 630 Torr in the temperature interval, 573° to 1023°K. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The hydriding characteristics of cerium are iso-morphous with those of the elements of the light-rare-earth group (lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, and neodymium) wherein the region from the dihydride to trihydride is continuously single phase.' The structure of this phase is fcc.3 The heavy rare earths form a trihydride,2 which is hcp, separated by a two-phase region from the fcc dihydride phase. The Ce-H system is represented by the family of experimental isotherms in Fig. 1. Due to the small scale required to draw the curves, the experimental points are omitted; however, a total of 240 experimental data points were taken to prepare these curves. The solubility relationships can be deduced therefrom. Three distinct regions of partial pressure and composition can be seen. The region of cerium solid solution is represented by the rapidly rising isotherms in the dilute composition range. In accordance with Gibbs Phase Rule only one solid phase, the cerium solid so-

Jan 1, 1967

By Brahm Prakash, R. Schuhmann

Chemical conditions for flotation and nonflotation of cassiterite and fluorite with oleic acid as collector and with alizarin dyes as modifying agents were studied by means of small-scale, vacuum-flotation tests. Artificial cassiterite was prepared for these tests by high-temperature methods, especially by crystallization from borax melts.

Jan 1, 1950

By C. S. Finney, John Mitchell

On December 31, 1959, there existed in the United States 15,993 slot-type coke ovens capable of producing 81,447,700 net tons of coke. These ovens were concentrated in 74 coke plants in 21 different states. As of the same date, there were 7448 beehive ovens in existence at 45 plants in the states of Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky. Total annual capacity of the existing beehive ovens was 4,368,800 net tons, but only 5148 ovens with a capacity of 3,131,600 tons were in operating condition. It is interesting to compare the average dimensions of slot-type ovens built during recent years with the 30 ft x 5 ½ ft x 16 ½ in. ovens erected at Syracuse, N. Y. in 1892. A composite oven built according to the average dimensions of all those erected between 1954 and 1958, for instance, would be 39 ft long. 12 ft high, and 18 in. in width. The coal capacity would be 16 tons as against the 4.4 tons which could be charged to the Syracuse ovens. Of the 15.993 slot- type ovens in existence at the end of 1959, by far the greater number were built by the Koppers Co. whose total of 11,280 ovens included 7891 Koppers- Becker and 3389 Koppers ovens. Of the remainder, there were 3260 Wilputte, 1350 Semet-Solvay, 63 Otto, and 40 Simon Carves ovens. By-product coke oven plants are usually classified either as furnace or merchant plants. According to the definitions used by the US Bureau of Mines, the former are "those that are owned by or financially affiliated with iron and steel companies whose main business is producing coke for use in their own blast furnaces. All other coke plants are classified as merchant. They include those that manufacture metallurgical, industrial, and residential heating grades of coke for sale on the open market; coke plants associated with chemical companies or gas utilities; and those affiliated with local iron works, where only a small part (less than 50 pct of their output) is used in affiliated blast furnaces." The annual coke capacity of the merchant plants during 1959 was 10,393,000 tons. However, the by-product oven of today is essentially an appurtenance of the iron and steel industry, rather more than 87 pct of total by- product coking capacity being concentrated at furnace plants. This was not always so. There was a time when the merchant plants played a much greater part in meeting the US demand for coke and gas. High noon for the merchant plants was reached during the early 1930's. By 1932 there were as many by- product oven installations being operated by the merchant sector of the industry as by the coke divisions of the iron and steel industry (44 of each), and in the same year the merchant plants produced 46.5 pct of all by-product coke made in the country. Since that time their contribution has drastically declined. In 1940 merchant plants were responsible for only 23.2 pct of total US production, and by 1950 their number had decreased to 30 plants which turned out 18.5 pct of the total by-product coke made. At the end of 1959 only 20 of the 74 existing by-product oven installations were merchant plants. They ac- counted for 12.5 pct of the year's production, or 6,849,786 net tons. This percentage has remained fairly constant since 1954. There are several reasons for the decline of the merchant coking industry. For example. On the grounds of economy, quality control, continuity of supply, and so on, the iron and steel industry usually prefers to control its own mines and carbonize its own coal at or near to the blast furnace rather than rely on independent operators for metallurgical coke. As the steel companies have enlarged their own coking facilities, so has the need for coke obtained from other sources declined. Furthermore, not only has the steel industry increased in self-sufficiency by building mare coke ovens during recent years, but it has also progressively improved the fuel efficiency of its blast furnaces. During the years 1947-49 the average coke consumption per ton of pig iron was 1892.8 lb. During 1958 the corresponding figure was 1613.4 lb. There are many individual furnaces where still better results are being obtained, and further reductions in the average may be expected. Perhaps the greatest threat to the merchant coking plant has been the fantastic increase in the use of natural gas and petroleum products for purposes which manufactured gas once served. So deadly has the com- petition from natural gas and oil been that it has almost eliminated by-product oven installations owned by public utilities. In the peak years of the early 1930's there were 23 such public utility plants. In 1960 only two were left. One of these, owned by the Citizens Gas and Coke Utility, was at Indianapolis, Ind.; the other was the plant operated by the Philadelphia Electric Co. at Chester, Pa. The non-utility merchant plants have also been sorely hit. With gas sales revenues reduced, domestic

Jan 1, 1961

By R. H. Frank

IN the investigation of the effect of the time of heat on slag volume, no attempt was made to vary the usual practice at the Bonney-Floyd Co., such as selecting special-purchase scrap or cleaning foundry returns. The data were collected from seven normal heats, including four medium carbon, two medium manganese-molybdenum and one nickel-chrome-molybdenum. These heats were made with our normal practice and no special instructions were given the melters except to make sure that all slag-making materials were weighed and that no slag was lost during the melting, refining or tapping. After the stopper was set in the ladle, it was carefully weighed and the heat was tapped. As soon as the heat was slagged on the pouring floor, the nozzle was plugged with mud, to preclude the possibility of losing any slag while the ladle was being conveyed to the scales. The ladle, containing all of the slag, was weighed and the difference between this weight and the original weight was taken as the slag weight.

Jan 1, 1947

By J. W. Ristori, V. R. Garfias

ONE of the most serious problems now confronting Gel- many-and one that will affect Italy even more seriously if she goes to war against England and France -is that of supplying her navy, mechanized army, and air force as well as her industrial and other needs with the necessary and related products. This problem, serious even now, will become vital should hostilities on a large scale develop.

Jan 1, 1939

By W. W. Gorr, R. Smith, E. H. Wyche

THE combination of high strength and corrosion resistance of cold-worked 18 Cr, 8 Ni steel has been advantageously utilized for some time, particularly in aircraft and rail car structures. There are, however, certain limitations on the use of such materials because the high strengths can be obtained only by cold-working, limiting the available products to sheets, strip, wire and tubes. The authors sought to overcome these limitations by resorting to precipitation-hardening, which has been used so successfully in nonferrous metallurgy but only to a limited extent in iron-base alloys. Accomplishment of this objective not only overcame the limitations, but also effected certain improvements in mechanical and other properties. This paper is an account of the development by Carnegie-Illinois Steel Corporation of a precipitation-hardening 18-8 stainless steel (called Stainless W? and tentatively identified as type 322). A description is given of its composition and metallurgical characteristics, heat-treatment, physical and mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW STEEL For a considerable length of time the authors were unable to determine the mechanism of the precipitation-hardening process that had been noted by Ffield 18,19 in 18-8 Ti or 18-8 Cb after cold-working and reheating to moderately elevated temperatures. All known variables were exhaustively studied, but with little success. However, results began to indicate that chemical composition was the most important variable, particularly the ratio of austenite-forming to ferrite-forming elements. The investigators 'then focused their attention upon the composition, and, in particular, upon the element titanium and its mode of alloying in the presence of other elements. A heat was obtained that could not be brought to the softness level of annealed 18-8. The response to cold-straining and aging* was very marked by previous standards, and, more important, cold-straining was found to be entirely unnecessary to produce the precipitation-hardening effect. The chemical composition of this heat was: C, 0.06 per cent; Mn, 0.54; P, 0.016; S, 0.016; Si, o.58; Ni, 7.28; Cr, 17.6o; Ti, 0.90; Al, 0.17. For some time the development work, particularly on composition, was carried

Jan 1, 1946

F A. THOMSON, president of the Montana School of Mines, gave an interesting talk on mining schools of the past, present and his ideas of the future before a recent meeting of the Montana Section of the A. I. M. E. He covered the history .of the various mining schools and com- pared the three main types of schools; those attached to or forming part of an endowed college or university such, for example, as' the Columbia School of Mines, the Mining Department of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Mining Department of Stanford University. These resemble in a general way the second class, those attached to the state universities and colleges. The schools of this general type have had varied success.

Jan 1, 1928

By Thomas M. Drown, P. W. Shimer

THE precipitation of phosphoric with titanic acid, by boiling an iron solution which had been reduced to the ferrous condition by sulphuretted hydrogen or sulphurous acid, was first noticed by E. H. Bogardus in 1874.* Since that time, as far as we are aware, not much has been published on the relation- of these two acids to each other, and to silicic acid, in the ordinary course of analysis of iron ores. The following investigation may perhaps aid in clearing up some of the obscure points in the analysis of titaniferous ores. THE DETERMINATION OP PHOSPHORUS. From two to five grams of the finely powdered ore are weighed into a beaker and treated with about 50 c.c. of hydrochloric acid (sp. gr. 1.12), evaporated to dryness, and heated in an air-bath for * American Journal of Science, III, 8, p. 334.

Jan 1, 1882

By Jack L. Taylor

Single crystals of tungsten grown from powder -metallurgy swaged rod by high-temperative annealing were deformed in tetzsion at temperatures from 2500 to 5000 OF. Orientation of specittzen tensile axis, strained ratrix, and defortnation bands was determined optically by reflections from {110} etch pits. Slip traces meve analyzed and slip directiorz determined. Results indicate that {110}(111) , {112){111}. and {123}{111} type slip occur in tungsten over the terpe,atuve rutge investigated. Slip is orientation-dependent occuvring on tCuzt cowzbitzation oj slip plane and direction which has the highest critical resolved shear stvess. Overshooting appears to be a general occurrence between 2500' and 5000°F. Dejornatiotz bands show rotation in a directiorz opposite to the yotation of tire tensile axis. DEFORMATION in bcc metals has been reviewed by Maddin and Chen,' Keh and eissman,' and most recently by Nabarro, Basinski, and olt. From these reviews it is apparent that some disagreement exists concerning the crystallography of plastic deformation in bcc metals. There is evidence of noncrystallo-graphic slip, the crystal slipping on or near a noncrys-tallographic plane in the (111) zone for which the resolved shear stress is greatest. There is also evidence to indicate that crystallographic slip occurs in the planes of the same zone. On the other hand, there is agreement that the close-packed direction ( 111) is the slip direction in bcc metals. Further, in pure bcc metals4 and alloys the operative crystallographic slip systems are strongly dependent on temperature. Both crystallographic and noncrystallographic slip have been reportede8 in tungsten, a group VIA bcc metal. The number of slip families which operate in the case of crystallographic slip, however, has been in question. The earliest study by oucher' of single-crystal tungsten tested at temperatures of 1800 to 5000°F led to the conclusion that only {112)( 111) type slip operated. Raymond and eumann recently reached the same conclusion studying deformation by rolling of plasma-flame single crystals at 1800°F; however, only [loo] and [110] orientations were studied. Work at high temperatures by Leber and Pughs on tungsten and Chen and Maddin9 on molybdenum suggests that conjugate slip on nonparallel (110) planes may account for the slip on (112) and (123) planes found by others working with bcc metals. The present paper presents evidence of three families or modes of slip in tungsten in the temperature EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Material. Standard microtensile specimens, 0.160 in. diam by 0.640 in. gage length, were ground from commercial powder-metallurgy swaged tungsten rod, type MK. Specimens were heated for 10 min at 5150°F or 6 hr at 5400°F in vacuum of 1 x 105 Torr or less to produce single crystals. At the lower temperature an average of two out of seven specimens heated in a group developed single crystals throughout the specimen length as shown in Fig. 1, the rest remaining wholly poly crystalline. At the higher temperature, three or four out of seven specimens became single crystal. Other than to note that Laue X-ray photographs generally showed sharp, well-defined spots, no attempt was made to assess crystal perfection or measure dislocation density. Two tungsten single crystals grown from the melt by the plasma-arc process were also used for this study.

Jan 1, 1967

By Myers, J. F.

The purpose of the mill tests reported herein, was to determine the relative power efficiency of fast and slow rod mill speeds on the ores of the Tennessee Copper Co. The tests were carried out at the lsabella Mill of the Tennessee Copper Co. under normal operating conditions. Every effort was made to keep the ore supply and other conditions constant, but it will be noted that some slight variation did occur. The open circuit 6 by 9 rod mill, and ore, used in these tests have been previously described.' Four motor drive pinions were available and the tests were performed in the following manner: each pinion was used to drive the mill for a period of one week. Constant sampling prevailed during the test run, and a composite sample for each speed test was made. Realizing that some slight liner wear took place during the four-week test-run, and that some slight variation of the ore may have taken place, a second and then a third series of four-week test- runs were made with the four different pinions. The screen analysis of each of the thee-week run samples at the various speeds were composited and the results are shown in Table 1. The authors feel that the 12 weeks of operation consumed during these test-runs would represent fairly the effect of each mill speed. The data of line 37 show that within the error of sampling and plant operation, the tons of minus 65-mesh material generated per horsepower hour was the same at all four speeds.

Jan 1, 1949

By Graham Bright

THE rapid increase in reliability, the low cost f operation, the ready application of safety devices, and the growing availability of central-station power have made the question of installing a hoist of the electric type no longer debatable. Where adequate electric power is available, there are few cases where it would be advisable to install a steam or air hoist. The type of electrical equipment depends largely on the nature of the power supply, its capacity, and the form of the power contract under which power is purchased. In a large majority of cases, the available electric power is alternating current, three phase, 60 cycles. There is, however, considerable 25-cycle power in use; and in a few instances constant voltage direct current is the only power available for a small or an occasional medium-size hoist. Where a new hoist is to be installed, the designer of the mechanical parts can readily take care of the maximum stresses likely to be imposed by the' motor. Where the hoist is already installed and operated by steam or air and it is desired to substitute an electric motor for the engine, a careful check should be made to determine the advisability of using the old mechanical parts. In most cases it is better to install a complete new hoist than to attempt to use old mechanical parts. A steam engine has a definite maximum torque, which the hoist has been designed to withstand, while a motor may be able to deliver momentary torques beyond the strength of the mechanical parts of the hoist. The selection of the proper type of electrical equipment can only be made after complete information is obtained and certain calculations made to determine the capacities required. There are several methods used in making hoist calculations, but no matter what method is utilized a fair degree of familiarity with hoists and hoisting conditions is necessary before an intelligent analysis and proper selection can be made.

Jan 9, 1921

By Theodore Simons

The rapid and comparatively recent development of flotation has opened so fascinating a field for study and research that the older processes of gravity concentration no longer receive the attention they deserve. The early work of Munroel and Richards12 and the more recent contributions by Clevenger and Coe,3 Laist and Wiggin,4 Ammon,5 Bardwell,6 Crowfoot,' and Hayden8 (to mention only some which have appeared in our own Transactions) and by Schu1z,9 have furnished so much data that to offer something new seems a difficult task. It is still possible, however, to present known facts from a different point of view, and, with this in mind, the writer has undertaken to express basic principles of gravity concentration in terms of simple mathematics and mechanics; the conclusions thus reached will be found to correspond, in general, with those obtained by experimental methods. Rittinger, in his classic Aufbereitungskunde (1867)) reached analogous conclusions by way of intricate higher mathematics, for which reason his interesting investigations have remained a sealed book to most of us. The writer hopes that a more elementary treatment of the subject, based in part on Rittinger's metheds, may arouse new interest in the study of basic principles.

Jan 1, 1923

By Theodore Simons

The rapid and comparatively recent development of flotation has opened so fascinating a field for study and research that the older processes of gravity concentration no longer receive the attention they deserve. The early work of Munroel and Richards12 and the more recent contributions by Clevenger and Coe,3 Laist and Wiggin,4 Ammon,5 Bardwell,6 Crowfoot,' and Hayden8 (to mention only some which have appeared in our own Transactions) and by Schu1z,9 have furnished so much data that to offer something new seems a difficult task. It is still possible, however, to present known facts from a different point of view, and, with this in mind, the writer has undertaken to express basic principles of gravity concentration in terms of simple mathematics and mechanics; the conclusions thus reached will be found to correspond, in general, with those obtained by experimental methods. Rittinger, in his classic Aufbereitungskunde (1867)) reached analogous conclusions by way of intricate higher mathematics, for which reason his interesting investigations have remained a sealed book to most of us. The writer hopes that a more elementary treatment of the subject, based in part on Rittinger's metheds, may arouse new interest in the study of basic principles.

Jan 1, 1923

By Sir Robert A. Hadfield

The Hadfield method of producing sound steel ingots has been the subject of a paper read before the Iron and Steel Institute, so that it will be unnecessary to describe it fully here. The object of the method is to make poseible the production of steel ingots in which the pipe is almost entirely obliterated, and it is applicable particularly to the production of sound ingots, from which good rails could be rolled. The method in brief consists in casting the ingots on cars, usually with the small end down. Each ingot mold is provided with a sand top, rammed up in the well-known manner. After the mold is filled to the desired height with steel, a layer of slag about 0.5 in. thick is placed upon it and the balance of the mold is then filled with charcoal. Then, through suitable piping, an air blast is directed in numerous jets upon the charcoal, which is burned thereby, the combustion supplying addi, tional heat to the top of the ingot, which helps to keep the top fluid and to retard its solidification, while the lower parts are rapidly losing heat by its transfer to the mold. By one plan the ingots are cast in molds placed upon bogies, movable trucks, or platforms, in the position A, Fig. 1. The ingots are cast vertically on bogies, say four or more ingots on each bogie, as may be found most convenient, and the upper surface of the steel is maintained in a molten condition during the transit of the ingots from the casting pit to the stripper. This is effected by a series of air pipes, for example, three in number, with jets or holes on the under surface of such pipes, placed preferably horizontally, arranged in such a manner as to cause jets of air to impinge on the upper surface of the ingots. These holes or jets are made throughout the entire length of the overhead pipes, the length of such pipes being

Jan 1, 1914

By Cheri Eby, William R. Eby

INTRODUCTION Pneumatic conveyance systems provide for material placement at high compaction rates in confined spaces. This method of conveyance provides proper roof support and ground stabilization important to underground mining activities. Today underground mining activities are conducted far differently than those of our ancestors, in that the reclamation process is the final step in any mining activity. Responsible mine owners are constantly seeking innovative methods to assist them in their reclamation procedures. During the last few years, particular attention has been paid to previously mined areas, as many of these abandoned areas lay open, imposing a constant threat to humans and animals. Considerable attention is being directed to applying proper methods for the filling and sealing of underground slopes, drifts, tunnels, and adits, because today we are experiencing the effects of past mining activities such as subsidence, acid mine water run-off, buring refuse piles, and underground mine fires. Furthermore humans and animals who have ventured into abandoned mine openings have died from exposure, suffocating gases, and mine collapse. This paper explains the method of pneumatically filling and sealing these openings and underground works by means of employing pneumatic equipment and proper backfill material together, thus achieving high material compaction and thereby providing the complete filling of the voids and alleviation of the mentioned dangers. NEUMATIC SYSTEMS The use of air to transport material is widely used; however, conveying abrasive material (e., rock, earth, and cement) requires certain pneumatic transport systems designed to handle the abrasiveness as well as the size of these materials. The Eby pneumatic transport sys tem, known as a Mobile Stower, in mounted on a 42-foot trailer pulled by a Kenwor th tractor. This arrangement allows for quick mobilization and project set-up. The pneumatic system, composed of several components assembled together, produces the volume and pressure of air required to transport the material. Knowledge of elevation, ambient temperature, and material composition at the locations to be backfilled play a big part in the design and useage of the pneumatic system. In this particular system design, material is placed by a front-end loader into an eight (8)-yard hopper which is located over a belt conveyor. The conveyor transports the material up to an air lock feeder, which is the metering devise used to feed the material into the Tee Injector located directly below. Air is supplied by a positive displacement blower which, in this instance, delivers up to 4400 CFM's of air at 8 to 12 PSI. Horse power requirements to drive the blower are met with the useage of either a diesel engine or an electric motor. A diesel engine enables the Mobile Stower to operate in remote areas. As the air flows through the upstream air piping, it passes through the Tee Injector and picks up the material and conveys it through the material conveyance pipe, (referred to as down-stream pipe), and out the placement nozzle. Depending upon material composition and the amount of tonnage to be moved, either mild carbon steel pipe or specially heat- treated hardened pipe is used for the material conveyance line. The entire pneumatic system is controlled from the operator's console. With the aid of instrumentation, only one person is required to operate the system. Tonnage rates vary in accordance with horse power and air supply, as well as

Jan 1, 1982

By C. A. Heiland

NOT only has the demonstration of progress in all fields of science been characteristic of the Chicago "Century of Progress," but the manner in which the fundamentals of these sciences have been displayed captivated the visitor's eye and ear at the same time. The average individual is interested most in progress which concerns his every-day life. He is fairly well educated in medicine, biology and certain aspects of physics. But how raw materials and chiefly minerals occur, how they are located, taken out of the ground and refined, is something which appears to be more remote from the every-day line of interest, and about which, therefore, the public knows comparatively little. This is particularly true of the oil industry, although it ranks in size second only to agriculture in the United States. In appreciation of the tremendous educational value which a complete exhibit on all phases of the mineral industries would have, both mining and metallurgical as well as oil inter¬ests took steps early to make these exhibits at Chicago a reality. The board of directors of the A. I. M. E. authorized an advisory committee to the Museum of Science and Industry early in 1932. It is divided into four subcommittees - for geology and petroleum, for metal mining, for coal mining, and for metallurgy respectively. The entire committee held its first meeting in Chicago on April 11 and 12, 1932, to advise with the Museum's officials and experts about the most advantageous arrangement of the minerals industries' and geology exhibits.

Jan 1, 1933