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By Wing L. Lew

LEAD, silver, and zinc, in quantities of economic importance are found in the Aguilar ore. The lead occurs as galena and the zinc as sphalerite and marmatite. The silver occurrence is more complex. Pyrargyrite and proustite have been identified only occasionally. Galena is silver-bearing and so are the various other sulphides, though to a lesser degree. The principal nonsulphide gangue minerals include calcite, quartz, wollastonite, rhodonite, and various calcium, aluminum, and iron silicates. A typical analysis of, the ore is: Pb, 11.2; Zn, 12.3; Fe, 4.4; Mn, 2.2; Cu, 0.15; S, 11.2; CaO. 7.6; "Insoluble," 50.1 percent; and Ag 263 g per ton. Crushing is done in three stages. The primary crusher at the mine is set to deliver about a 5-in. product. The crushed ore is then transported to the secondary crushing plant by a 3-km cableway where the general practice is to hold the product of the first Symons to about 1 in., and of the second Symons to about 1/2 in. When the ore is soft and rich the product of the first Symons is by-passed directly to the ball-mill bins. Dust control in the secondary crushing plant is effected by enclosing the dust-emanating sources and exhausting the enclosures with a Clarage No. 18 fan driven at 1300 rpm by a 20-hp motor. Use is also made of spray water at one or two critical places. Every effort is made to keep the air free from visible dust. Dust counts taken at the working places show dust concentrations of less than six million particles ner cu ft. The composition

Jan 1, 1947

By H. D. Outmans

The mechanics of filtration are described by a theoretical-empirical nonlinear diffusion equation which, under certain circumstances, may,be linearized and then solved explicitly. For filtration under static conditions linearization leads to a boundary value problem analogous to a heat flow problem with a known explicit solution. The corresponding solution for static filtration is compared with published experimental data. Under dynamic conditions filtration takes place in three successive stages. During each of these the rate of filtration and/or the thickness of the filter cake are different functions of the filtration time. The proposed mechanism explains the observed high resistance of dynamically deposited filter cakes against erosion and also the connection between filtration rate and viscosity of the drilling fluid. Several of the quantities governing dynamic filtration have no counterpart in the static filtration mechanism. The static filtration rate is, therefore, not a reliable measure for the dynamic rate and vice versa. INTRODUCTION Filtration under simulated borehole conditions, i.e.. either from a static suspension or from a suspension flowing parallel to the filter cake (dynamic filtration), has been the subject of several laboratory studies.1-7 This experimental and theoretical work showed that many aspects of the filtration mechanism cannot be explained by an elementary filtration theory based on the assumption that the filter cake is incompressible. For a more satisfactory theory compressibility should be taken into account. This has been done. at least to some extent, in the filtration theory developed for the chemical industry. Surveying the literature (see Ref. 8 for a bibliography) it becomes apparent that, although several properties of filter cakes deposited from many different suspensions have been measured, including compressibility, the filtration equations are essentially empirical in nature. No attempt has been made, for instance, to develop filtration theory along the lines of consolidation theory.12 This theory, upon which a highly successful development in soil mechanics rests, would appear to be an excellent starting point for a filtration theory since the compressibility concept is an essential part of it. As we will use this theory in the following development it is well to state the four assumptions on which it is based: 1. The fluid flow through a compressible porous medium is governed by Darcy's law. 2. The rate of change in fluid content of an element of the porous medium is proportional to the rate of change of solid pressure between the particles. 3. The solid particles are incompressible within the range of pressures considered. 4. The total pressure on a surface normal to the line of flow is equal to the sum of the fluid pressure and the pressure between the particles (solid pressure) at that surface. To calculate the rate of filtration and other quantities of interest it is necessary to know the filter cake compressibility and the permeability as a function of the solid pressure. It has not been possible to calculate these functions from theoretical considerations and they will therefore be introduced in this paper as empirical expressions. Both are determined in a compression cell where the cake is subjected to a mechanical load. Permeability and compressibility are measured after the solid pressure has stabilized, i.e., after the excess fluid pressure has been dissipated and the uniform pressure is transmitted entirely by the solids. The permeability and compressibility thus determined are not the same as during filtration in the borehole, under either static or dynamic conditions, because then, due to frictional drag, the solid pressure and hence also the permeability and compressibility vary along a line normal to the direction of the mean flow and can only be defined locally. DERIVATION OF THE FILTRATION EQUATION FOR COMPRESSIBLE FILTER CAKES As the filter cake in the borehole is thin compared to the radius of the hole the filtration may be considered as linear. Taking the x-axis normal to the wall, with its origin at the formation, we have, according to Darcy's law,

By R. E. Pollard

The National Bureau of Standards received, in August 1940, a number of samples of bridge wire taken from the cables of the General U. S. Grant suspension bridge over the Ohio River at Ports- mouth, Ohio. These cables were 7% in. in diameter under the wrapping and each was made up of 1458 ungalvanized wires of No. 8 gage in 3 parallel-wire strands. The choice of ungalvanized wire was based on the previous satisfactory performance of similar wires in other bridges over periods of 20 to 50 yr. of service(1).2 After about 12 yr. of service a number of breaks were discovered in the Portsmouth bridge cables, most of them at the anchor- age shoes, and they were replaced by cables made up of galvanized wire(2).

Jan 1, 1945

By R. B. G. Yeo

The effects of alloy additions on the M, and A, temperatures of an Fe-22.5 pct Ni alloy have been determined. Increasing amounts of titanium, colum-bium, vanadium, and silicon raise and then lower M,while raising A, cmtinuously. Cobalt raises both M, and A,. Aluminum has little effect on Ms but raises A,. Chromium md nickel lower M, and A,. It is proposed that elements raise M, in accordance with their effect on the Ae3 temperature of iron until the lattice becomes stiffened against the shear transformation so that M, is then lowered. An anomaly, first pointed out by Zener,1 arises in steels when the addition of elements, such as molybdenum and tungsten, which raise the Ae3 temperature, also lower the M, temperature.2'3 During the development of a series of martensitic precipitation-hardening (maraging) steels, the effect of several elements on the transformation of austenite to martensite was studied. The results show that under suitable conditions several elements which raise Ae3 also raise the M, and A, temperatures. PREPARATION OF MATERIALS STUDIED A series of alloys was made in which cobalt, titanium, columbium, vanadium, silicon, aluminum, molybdenum, chromium, and nickel were added to an iron base containing 22.5 pct Ni. The compositions of the alloys prepared are given in Table I. The residual manganese contents of the heats were in the range of 0.030 to 0.35 pct, silicon 0.05 to 0.1 pct, carbon 0.0008 to 0.009 pct, and nitrogen from 0 to 0.004 uct. The allois were made as 50-lb induction heats starting with electro-iron and electro-nickel, melted in air to oxidize impurities. Additions of silico-manganese and ferro-silicon were made after which the power was turned off to allow the products of deoxidation to rise and be skimmed from the surface of the melt. The furnace chamber was pumped down to a pressure of 5 p and the charge was heated to 2900°F for the addition of other alloying elements. The heats were poured into five 10-lb ingots, making successive alloy additions to each. The ingots were soaked for 2 hr at 2300°F and hot-worked to 3/4-in.-diam bars. This stock was heated to 1500°F for 1

Jan 1, 1963

Jan 1, 1885

Discussion of the paper of B. H. Dunshee, presented at the Butte meeting, August, 1913, and printed in Bulletin No. 30, August, 1913, pp. 1511 to 1531. GEORGE E. MOULTHROP, Butte, Mont.:-The recording for the first time by Mr. Dunshee, in a readily usable form, of the various systems of square-set framing applied in the Butte district is a valuable contribution to mining information. The many different methods of framing employed, due to the individual ideas of superintendents and foremen of segregated companies, have given full opportunity to determine the best framing for the conditions as found in these mines, and the final adoption of a system uniform for all the mines has come about through a study of these various methods and an experience covering a period of many years. The sawed 10 by 10 in. and 12 by 12 in. timbers undoubtedly give the best satisfaction; and the style of framing the sawed timber that under all conditions has given the best practical results is that used in the Anaconda group and other mines, described and recommended by Mr. Dunshee. In this framing the posts have a horn 2 in. high and 6 in. square, the cap end having dimensions of 3 by 6 in. Instead of the framed girt shown in the drawings of the Anaconda group, the 6 by 10 in. girt adopted at some other mines, which fits into the cap and post framing with no other preparation than cutting the timber to the necessary length, fills all the necessary requirements for strength and affects a material saving in timber and labor. This, as Mr. Dunshee states, is without doubt the type of framing which would be adopted as a standard for 10 by 10 in. sawed timbers if sawed timber sets were to be used in the future generally. But saw-timber for the mines was becoming scarce and expensive, and round timber for the square sets furnished an alternative which provided, at greatly reduced cost, material which in every way supplied the requirements of the mining conditions. The use of the round timber with a satisfactory framing makes available a conveniently located and large source of supply which up to this time has served no useful industrial purpose. Particularly is this true of small timber, which is still standing in great quantities in the forests where the trees more desirable for commercial purposes have already been cut and marketed.

Jan 11, 1913

By R. L. Stephenson

The effect of fabrication variables on the creep-rupture properties of TZM (Mo-0.5 pct Ti-0.08 pct Zr-0.03 pct C), Cb-TZM [columbium-modified TZM (7140-1.5 pct Nb-0.5 pct Ti-0.8 pct Zr-0.05 pct C)], and TZC (Mo-1.2 pct Ti-0.25 pct Zr-0.15 pct C) has been studied at 982º. 1093º, 1204º, and 1315°C for rupture times up to 1000 hr. The creep tests were performed in vacuum creep furnaces, employing cold-trapped oil-diffusion pumps, operating at pressures 2 X 10-7 tory. After-test chemical analyses showed no significant changes in interstitial content. The creep-rupture properties of TZM, fabricated according to current mill practice, were determined in the stress-relieved and in the re crystallized conditions to provide control data. Specimens of TZM, Cb-TZM, and TZC fabricated according to each of two experimental fabrication schedules were then tested. The schedules differed in terms of in-process annealing temperatures and warm -working temperatures. The data make several conclusions evident. Fabrication variables do indeed have a profound effect on the long-time creep-rupture properties of molybdenum alloys. Strengths of these alloys compare very favorably with those of other refractory metal alloys in the temperature range studied. FOR several years we have been engaged in the evaluation of the creep-rupture properties of promising refractory metal alloys. We consider the determination of these properties to 1000 hr at several temperatures necessary for a valid comparison. Such an evaluation indicated that the creep strengths of Mo-0.5 pct Ti and TZM (Mo-0.5 pct Ti-0.08 pct Zr-0.03 pct C) compare favorably with those of other refractory metal alloys. Tensile and recrystallization data of other investigators1,2 show an effect of fabrication variables. More specifically, those fabrication schedules which produce high strength through work hardening exhibit the least thermal stability. A similar conclusion was reported by perkins3 for Cb-TZM. This would lead one to expect that, in terms of creep, those materials showing higher strength at short times and low temperatures would exhibit lower strength at long times and high temperatures. If these expectations were fact, a substantial improvement could be made in these alloys by optimizing their fabrication schedule in terms of their anticipated service temperature. We therefore undertook a study of the effect of fabrication variables on the long-time creep properties of TZM, Cb-TZM (Mo-1.5 pct Cb-0.5 pct Ti-0.08 pct Zr-0.05pct C) and TZC (Mo-1.2 pct Ti-0.25 pct Zr-0.15 pct C). MATERIALS All materials used were supplied by the Climax Molybdenum Co. of Mich. Our original intention was to test the same heat of each alloy in different conditions. Fabrication difficulties prevented this; however, heats with nearly identical analysis were selected. The compositions of the materials used are listed in Table I. All materials were supplied in the

Jan 1, 1970

By H. Rosenthal, A. L. Jamieson

The action of mercury on stressed brass to produce cracks was known before Moore, Beckinsale and Mallinson1 showed that actual season cracking did not occur spontaneously but could be induced by ammonia. These investigators studied other substances, including diphenylamine, without finding that anything other than ammonia could cause season cracking Grimston2 reported season cracking in cartridge cases stored in wooden boxes wetted with dilute sulphuric acid pickling solution. Season cracking associated with sulphur dioxide, water vapor and air has been reported by Johnston,3 although he reported that trimethylamine and pyridine did not cause cracking. Jevons4 has ascribed season cracking of brass in certain instances to trimethylamine, "aldehyde amine," "ketone amine" and pyridine, but no experimental work was done evidently to prove this definitely. Pyridine was investigated by Morris,5 who found it to have considerable cracking power. In the present investigation, the object was a qualitative evaluation of a number of representative amines with respect to their ability to cause season cracking. Thus it was desired only that an appreciable vapor pressure of each amine be obtained in order to make the test as severe as possible, without attempting to test equivalent concentrations for comparative purposes. MEthods Specimens TWO types of specimen were used: 1. Unannealed 70-30 brass CUPs formed from 0.040-in. thick sheet. Height of cup Was 13/8 in. and diameter was 17/8 inches. 2. First draw pieces of caliber .50 cartridge cases in the unannealed condition (70-30 brass)- The cups were representative of a thin wall and thin base specimen, whereas the draw pieces have a thick base (1/4 in.) and a thick wall (approximately 3/32 in.). Both types of specimens contained high residual stress and cracked in less than one minute in a solution of I per cent mercurous nitrate and I per cent nitric acid provided that this was receded by a 30-sec. pickle in 40 per cent nitric acid. Specimens were prepared as follows: (1) degreased in trichlorethylene, (2) rinsed in H2O, (3) pickled 5 min. in 10 per cent by volume H2SO4 (1.84 SP. gr.), (4) rinsed in H2O, and (5) dried. Amirtes Tested In selecting the amines, representatives of the three series of amines, and one series of substituted amines were chosen. The aliphatic series was represented by the methyl and ethyl primary, secondary and tertiary amines. These are the simplest aliphatic amines. For the aromatic series, the phenyl primary, secondary and tertiary amines were selected as being the simplest. The heterocyclic series was represented by pyridine, which is a simple heterocyclic base (tertiary amine).

Jan 1, 1944

By Richard W. Markley

A centralized online data acquisition system has been developed by the U.S. Bureau of Mines Pittsburgh Mining and Safety Research Center for rapidly digitizing, storing, and processing experimental signals originating up to 1100 feet away from a central computer. This system, which services seven laboratories, is currently based on a CDC System 17 1/- computer with 56K of semiconductor memory, four disk drives (one shared online with a CDC 1700), two magnetic tape drives, high-speed A/D hardware, and other input/output peripherals. The laboratories are linked to the central computer by 15-pair cables and signal conditioners and to the computer's communications controller by modems and current loops. The A/D throughput rate is approximately 30,000 samples per second (9 bit plus sign resolution) and permits scanning about 30 instruments once every millisecond for up to 100 seconds, being limited only by disk capacity. The laboratories serviced by this facility conduct explosions research and include such facilities as an Experimental Coal Mine Explosion Facility (45 channels), a Constant Volume Combustion Laboratory (4 channels), and a Simulated Coal Mine Laboratory (15 channels). Personnel support includes one systems analyst, two applications analysts, one operator, and a hardware technician. The system has performed adequately for burst-type data acquisition, but due to a lack of long-term reliability (24 hours) of the real-time multiprogramming operating system and unpredictable power failures, slow phenomena signals are generally digitized and stored offline. This latter data is input to the computer through peripherals such as a high-speed paper tape reader, or high-speed asynchronous communications ports. Processing of data is done either in real-time (as soon as data is collected) or in batch mode. Smaller batch jobs are run on this computer, and all others are transmitted by means of the system's high-speed UT 200 terminal simulator to a CDC-6000 series computer.

Jan 1, 1977

By AUDLEY H. STOW

I. INTRODUCTION. THE general drift of the discussion as to the relative merits of pressure- and exhaust-fans has resulted, if we may judge from the prevailing practice, largely in favor of the latter. The subject has been hitherto treated, however, with special reference to highly gaseous mines, the effect of the form of ventilation upon dust-explosions having been too little considered. Even in mines containing practically no gas, dust-explosions may occur; and if, as I believe, pressure-fans are to be preferred for their effect upon dust, it may be worth while to reopen the debate, and to challenge the advisability of exhaust-ventilation under certain conditions. There are several forms of colliery-ventilation, which may be described as follows: Plain or simple pressure-ventilation, in which the fan acts as a pressure-fan, and the movement of coal is unobstructed at the surface by doors or equivalent devices in drifts or shafts, the traveling and haulage thus being in the return-current. Plain exhaust-ventilation, in which the fan acts as an exhaust-fan, the movement of coal being likewise unobstructed at the surface, and the traveling and haulage being in the intake. Obstructed pressure-ventilation, in which the movement of coal is obstructed at the surface, in order that the traveling and haulage may be in the intake. Obstructed exhaust-ventilation, in which the movement of coal is obstructed at the surface, in order that the traveling and haulage may be in the return. The apparent advantages in running a fan "pressure" during working-hours, and " exhaust" between shifts, seem to justify the recognition of this combination as a standard form of ven-

Feb 1, 1909

By Cloyd M. Smith

B. F. TiLLson*— The manifold difficulties of accurate anemometry in irregular sections of mine passageways, the irregular distributions of velocities in cross sections of the same, and the disturbing influence of the observer upon the air flow, all indicate an undesirable inaccuracy of results obtainable by any standardized method of traversing the section by an anemometer. It seems obvious that another, and simpler, method should be used to determine the volume of air flow in mine passages, namely: 1. At appropriate locations cement or calked framework rings should be installed permanently to equalize the irregularities of sectional contour and provide a place and means of attachment for a temporary cloth brattice which bears a rigid orifice. 2. The measurement of the velocity of air flow through the orifice may then be by anemometer or, preferably, by Pitot tube measurements of the differential pressures on both sides of the orifice in accordance with the standard practices available in engineering 1iterature. † The constants may be determined for various measuring positions in relation to the resulting "vena contracta." 3. The position of the person who makes the measurements is behind the brattice out of the air stream. The Pitot tube does not offer as disturbing an obstruction as the anemometer. A recording gauge may be employed to integrate fluctuations in air flow through that portion of the mine. No traverses are required because the reading may be at a single central point. An anemometer can be used with an orifice flow. The orifice will increase the air velocity at the measuring point, with correspondingly more accurate measurements where the normal air velocity through the passageway is low. Portable brattices might be devised with the cushioning rims which would seal against irregular rock surfaces where permanent rings were not available or feasible. The development by the Ventilation Committee of standard procedures and devices for the orifice measurement of the flow of mine ventilating air might be a desirable project for this coming year. C. M. Smith (author's reply)—Thank you for your discussion of my paper on underground anemometry. Your suggested method of measuring underground air flow is a novel one which might be applicable in some situations. It should be tested along with other suggested methods in any investigation of this subject. G. E. McElroy*—In spite of the adverse publicity that vane-anemometer methods of air measurement have had in the past and that contributed by the present paper, I endorse Mr. Erickovic's statement that anemometer traversing "has proved to be widely applicable, expeditious and simple" and add that available methods are accurate enough for the purposes for which they may be used. The fact that the great majority of minor mine officials assess relative changes in rates of air flow by comparison of crude vane-anemometer measurements, known to average 20 to 30 pct high, has no important bearing on this subject, because state inspection standards were based originally on such methods of air measurement. Federal inspection standards are based on actual rates of flow as determined by traversing, and interest in traversing methods is rapidly increasing. In considering traversing methods, three aspects are of major importance: (1) the absolute accuracy of calibrations; (2) the degree of interference with normal flow conditions introduced by traversing methods designed for accurate measurement by shaft-mounted instruments; and (3) the proper "method" factor to use for approximate measurements by hand-held instruments. With respect to absolute accuracy of calibrations, we have always placed reliance on calibrations made by the National Bureau of Standards, with which manufacturers' calibrations have usually agreed very closely. It is therefore particularly disturbing to find7 that calibrations made previous to June 1947 are presumably about 5 pct in error because of excessive registry caused by the thin flat plates on which anemometers were mounted for calibration. Velocities corrected for calibration have therefore averaged about 5 pct low in all probability. In this connection, it is interesting to note that an anemometer calibrated against Pitot-tube measurement by a single-point method in the Bureau of Mines experimental coal nine in 1923 indicated this same difference of about 5 pct and that the same instrument calibrated by a traversing method in a metal mine some months later indicated a difference in the same direction of about 4 pct. These results are reported by the Bureau of Mines.8 Regarding the degree of interference, or changes in velocity distribution, caused by the position of the observer's body in traversing operations, misconceptions seem to be especially prevalent, resulting in increasing advocacy of methods, such as the "clear section" method outlined in this paper, that cause just the type of interferences that they are designed to avoid. The degree of interference for any method may be gauged easily by a few experiments with a velocity-pressure gauge connected to a Pitot tube or with an indicating velocity meter such as the Velometer. In an experiment cited by McElroy and Richardson,# a decrease of 5 pct was noted at ten widths upstream from a 6-in. plank, whereas an observer's body at about the maximum practical distance of 6 ft downstream from the instrument is only about four widths away. In the Bureau of Standards paper previously mentioned, it is recommended that supports used in calibrations be at least 16 widths downstream. In practice, therefore, a downstream position of the observer is ruled out as far as accurate measurement is concerned. Operation of the anemometer by rigid shaft support from a point outside the section is seldom practicable; however, accurate results can be obtained, with the anemometer rigidly attached to a short shaft and held at arm's length, by an observer advancing across the traversed section while he faces the opposite wall and stands sideways to the current, provided that he keeps the instrument at least 3 ft away from his body at all times and traverses the entire section with it. If the traverse can be started with the observer in a side recess, the entire section can be covered in one operation. Normally, it would be covered in two half-sections. The presence of the observer's body does not, as is commonly supposed, increase the average velocity throughout the remaining part of the section. Rather, the velocities 1 to 2 ft on either side of his body are increased, but the distribution of velocities throughout the rest of the cross section remains normal, and a traverse made as stated gives a true average velocity for normal-flow conditions. Regarding the proper "method" factor for accounting for interference in the approximate methods of traversing with hand-held instruments, here again confusion prevails, for which the writer must assume some of the blame. Comparison of consecutive traverses made by shaft-held and hand-held 4-in. anemometers in field work after the tests reported by McElroy and Richardson' gave method factors

Jan 1, 1950

Sailing westward from the Society Islands in the fall of 1774, England's noted explorer Captain James Cook discovered New Caledonia-that long, linear island that has played such an important and varied role in the history of nickel. Upon his return to England the following year, Cook's announcement of this uncharted island generated governmental interest, but its distance from the Island Empire, the troubles in the colonies, and the difficulties with France combined to keep English interest indirect and in the background of the then-current events.

Jan 10, 1968

By I. D. Shah

A roasting procedure for synthetic copper sulfide which results in a reproducible transient melting at 450° and 470°C is described in this paper. Possible causes for this melting phenomenon are suggested, and also a procedure to avoid it during the roasting. This melting is believed to be responsible for the occasional occurrence of stickiness in the commercial roasting of copper sulfide concentrate. Many workers have studied the roasting of copper sulfides, but only Lewis et al. have reported that fusion and, in some cases, fusion with "boiling" occurred in the neighborhood of 450°C. The DTA and TGA apparatus, the materials used in this investigation, and the discussion of chemical reactions occurring during the CuS roasting are described in an earlier publication. CuS, in the form of either pellet or powder, was heated at 280° to 330°C in a flowing air or 30% 02: 70% N2 atmosphere. Heating was continued at this temperature until no further weight increase due to sulfates formation was observed on the TGA thermogram. This is believed to be due to the inability of SO, to diffuse out from the sulfate layer on the surface of the pellet, thus halting the sulfate-forming reactions. Hereafter, the sample oxidized in this manner will be referred to as "partially oxidized CuS." X-ray analysis and microscopic examination of a polished cross section of a partially oxidized CuS pellet showed the following order of layers starting from the center of the pellet: Cu2S, Cu2O, CuO • CUSO4, and CuSO4. A bare thermocouple inserted in the center of a partially oxidized CuS pellet (2.5 g) did not indicate any noticeable change in the temperature of the pellet when melted at 450° to 470°C in an inert or oxidizing atmosphere. During the preparation of a partially oxidized pellet, the temperature of a CuS pellet increased by 50°C due to the exothermic formation of sulfates in air at 320°C. The endothermic peak associated with the melting phenomenon at 450°C is shown in [Fig. 1.] A CuS pellet (0.2 g) was oxidized in flowing air (150 cc per min) at 10°C per min up to 320°C and held there for about 2 hr. Then, N2 replaced air and heating was continued up to 500°C. The exothermic peak at 320°C represents an overall formation of sulfates, and an endothermic peak at 450° to 470°C represents the melting phenomenon. To observe the melting visually, a small (50 mg), partially oxidized CuS pellet was heated (in static air) in a hot-stage microscope. The melting phenomenon was observed on an auxiliary TV screen. The sample

Jan 1, 1976

By Tom Learmont

The emergence of the dragline as the dominant stripping tool is described and reasons for this are noted. Brief comparisons are made with stripping shovels and wheel excavators. Representative output and machine availability figures for draglines are presented. The effect of changes in machine parameters such as boom length, swing power, and hoist power on machine productivity are discussed. An analysis of machine availability and the causes of machine downtime is made. Measures which are being taken to improve machine availability are discussed in detail. These include (1) improved methods of structural analysis, standardization of welded joints and welding methods to increase structural reliability and to develop more efficient structural designs, (2) standardization of gearing and mechanical componentry to permit the use of proven designs, (3) review of fairlead design and bucket hardware to improve rope life and reduce downtime, and (4) modifications to reduce maintenance time. The General Electric Data Logging system is described and consideration given to its use as a tool for improving productivity. Areas for future improvements in productivity are discussed.

Jan 1, 1976

By AIME AIME

INSTITUTE members attending the Annual Meeting in New York who want to see one of the mining engineers' newest aids, photoelastic stress analysis, are due for an interesting afternoon on Thursday, Feb. 15, when open house: will be held at the Columbia University mining laboratory. Information as to the direction and distribution off stresses in mine structures, which has been developed by Professor Bucky, associate professor at the Columbia School of Mines, and David Sinclair, research assistant, is useful in the design of pillars and in the placing of openings relative to working places such as gangways and haulage levels.: This work has been sponsored during the last ten years by the Engineering Foundation.. It is fully reported in T. P. No. 1140.

Jan 1, 1940

By Zay Jeffries

From the title of this chapter the reader could expect an attempt to outline the anticipated shape of things to come, mineralwise. We have no crystal ball and if we possessed one we could claim no expertness in its use. In the first place no one can tell the future status of man. No one has any way of knowing to what extent peace will prevail, nor to what extent changes may occur in national sovereignties or forms of government or in international relationships. So future man is an uncertainty. Nor can we predict new developments that may result in significant changes in man's status or in the mineral industry or both. If, for example, this chapter had been written in the middle 1930's, nearly everything that has happened since in the field of atomic energy would have been missed. Yet what a vast change this has made in the status of man! Also the changes in the mineral industry have been important. A writer would have been bold indeed had he prophesied that uranium would play such an important role. But we need not confine our foggy vision to the atomic energy field. The steep rise in the use of aluminum, titanium, and germanium reflects the unpredictable in what may be thought of as the more normal pursuits. This should not discourage one from using the past and currently observable trends as bases for limited predictions. To do this, however, it is desirable to make certain assumptions about man's status without even a pretense that these assumptions have a high probability of fulfillment: 1. Only minor changes will occur in the geographical boundaries of the nations of the world. 2. World War III will not take place in the near future. 3. As a consequence of (2), man will not destroy himself by wanton use of atomic weapons. 4. Disarmament will take place, if at all, gradually rather than all at one time. Under the above assumptions the world will enjoy a period of relative peace even though the status may be one of an armed truce. The assump-

Jan 1, 1959

By Royal Preston Jarvis

minerals of different specific gravities. It is simple in construction, easily operated, capable of treating large quantities in a short time, and highly efficient under various conditions. The question, whether the material to be jigged has first been sized, determines the two principal methods of jigging. Jigging preceded by close sizing, generally known as the Continental or German system, involves a more or less elaborate series of screens or trommels, with attendant cost for installation, operation, and repairs. Jigging without sizing, known as the English system, is, according to Munroe,1 a development of the hand-jigging formerly employed in Cornwall . and introduced by English miners to this country." In its simplest form, the method consists in jigging an ore-mixture previously crushed to some maximum size (although, in some cases, even this preliminary is omitted) oil a relatively coarse sieve, and then jigging again on a filler sieve, the material passing through the first sieve and bedding. While many modifications have been necessary to adapt it for use in mills of large capacity, where hand-work was necessarily, replaced by machines, the principle remains the same; the fact that the English system has been successfully employed, both in this country and abroad, is well known; and arguments have been made for its efficiency and applicability in a wider sphere than it has occupied hitherto. II. REVIEW OF PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS. The fact that treating a mixture of minerals under jigging conditions increased the amount of mineral saved, or, as Professor Richards aptly terms it, 1 ?the extra jig-catch," has long been known. To account for this fact a number of theories have been proposed. The work of Rittinger2 in this field has, for many years, been a classic in the literature of ore-dressing. For the purposes of my present paper, however, the work of two American investigators, Prof. H. S. Munroe and Prof. R. H. Richards, is chiefly concerned. Professor Munroe has given the results of an elaborate series of experiments,3 and his deductions, based largely oil theoretical grounds, of this work. After reviewing briefly the two systems of jigging, followed by a discussion of Rittinger's formulas and

Sep 1, 1908

By H. W. Meyer, H. N. Lander, F. D. Delve

A method of calculating the changes in blast-furnace performance brought about by burden and/or blast modifications is presented. Essentially the method consists of three simultaneous equutions derived from materials and heat balances. These equations can be used not only to evaluate quantitatively the effect of changes in process operating variables on furnace performance, but also to provide a useful means of evaluating changes in process variables which cannot be measured directly. It has been customary for a number of years to use simple heat and materials balances as a basis for assessing blast-furnace practice. A good example of the method used to set up these balances is that proposed by Joseph and Neustatter.1 This approach to process assessment has limited utility, however, in that it cannot be used to predict the furnace coke rate or production under new operating conditions. Using an approach based on multiple correlation of blast-furnace variables, R V. Flint2 has developed an equation which may be used to predict the change in coke rate that will result from some changes in operating conditions with a reasonable degree of accuracy. Although this equation has useful applications in production planning, it cannot be used to study the relationships between the operating variables and the fundamental thermochemi-cal characteristics of the process. In attempting to analyze the blast-furnace process quantitatively, the idea of dividing the furnace into zones3 may at first appear attractive. In our present state of knowledge, however, it is not possible to define with any accuracy the physical limits of such zones in relationship to their temperatures or to the reactions which may occur in them. Although its application is restricted, the zonal approach to blast-furnace analysis is useful in some instances. For example, the change in the calculated flame temperature in the "combustion zone" caused by injecting steam constitutes information which is helpful in understanding why the addition of steam to the blast is best accompanied by an increase in blast temperature. The zonal approach cannot, at the present time, be used to establish the relationships between process variables and process performance if the whole process rather than part of it is to be considered. One of the earliest approaches to the problem of relating blast-furnace operating variables to pro- duction and coke rate was that developed by Marshall.4 Essentially Marshall's work showed that it was possible to estimate the performance of a furnace by solving three simultaneous equations which consisted of rudimentary carbon and heat balances plus a further equation relating the production, wind rate, and the carbon burned at the tuyeres. Although these equations did not include all of the chemical and thermal variables of the process, their derivation and application seems to be the earliest attempt which achieved any success in relating prior furnace operating data to the calculation of furnace performance under different blast conditions. Work carried out in Germany has been directed mainly towards prediction of coke rates using material and thermal balances rather than statistical methods. wesemann5 used prior furnace operating data as part of the basis for predicting the change in coke rate accompanying a change in burden composition. This author employed a method of successive approximations to estimate the secondary changes in slag volume and stone rate brought about by the change in coke rate. The most recent analysis, which seems to have been developed concurrently with the thermochemical model presented in this paper, has been described by Georgen.6 This author has succeeded in improving on Wesemann's approach by expressing the total changes in the slag volume and stone rate in terms of the change in coke rate itself. This is accomplished in a manner similar to that used in the thermochemical model described in this paper. Although Georgen makes use of a calculated furnace heat loss, he does not relate the heat loss per unit of hot metal to the production rate as is done in the present work. Georgen's approach may be used to calculate the changes in materials requirements accompanying changes in furnace operation; it cannot be used to assess the resulting changes in production. The fact that blast-furnace behavior can be interpreted by consideration of the heat requirements of the process was demonstrated by Dancy, Sadler, and Lander.7 In the analysis of blast-furnace operation with oxygen and steam injection these authors showed that it was possible to account for the changes in production and coke rate

Jan 1, 1962

By Zay Jeffries

From the title of this chapter the reader could expect an attempt to out- line the anticipated shape of things to come, mineralwise. We have no crystal ball and if we possessed one we could claim no expertness in its use. In the first place no one can tell the future status of man. No one has any way of knowing to what extent peace will prevail, nor to what extent changes may occur in national sovereignties or forms of government or in international relationships. So future man is an uncertainty. Nor can we predict new developments that may result in significant changes in man's status or in the mineral industry or both. If, for example, this chapter had been written in the middle 1930's, nearly everything that has happened since in the fields of atomic energy and space technology would have been missed. Yet what vast changes these I have made in the status of man! Also the changes in the mineral industry have been important. A writer would have been bold indeed had he prophesied that uranium would play such an important role. But we need not confine our foggy vision to these fields. The steep rise in the use of aluminum, titanium, and germanium reflects the unpredictable in what may be thought of as the more normal pursuits. This should not discourage one from using the past and currently observable trends as bases for limited predictions. To do this, however, it is desirable to make certain assumptions about man's status without pretense that these assumptions have a high probability of fulfillment: 1. Only minor changes will occur in the geographical boundaries of the nations of the world. 2. World War III will not take place in the near future. 3. As a consequence of (2), man will not destroy himself by wanton use of atomic weapons. 4. Disarmament will take place, if at all, gradually rather than all at one time. Under the above assumptions the world will enjoy a period of relative peace even though the status may be one of an armed truce. The assump-

Jan 1, 1964

By Fortunato Pereira Gamba

The Department of Narino (formerly included in the Department of Cauca) is a narrow band about 170 km. (100 miles) wide in the southern part of the Republic of Colombia, near the boundary of Ecuador, as showu in the sketch-map, Fig. 1. Its capital is Pasto, a small city of 25,000 inhabitants; the pri~icipal towns are T?querres, Cumbal, Ypiales, Barbacoas, and Tumaco. The port on the Pacific ocean is Tumaco, and traffic in the interior is carried partly on the Patia river (steam navigation to the fluvial port of Barbacoas), and afterwards overland over poor roads by human bearers or on mule-back.

Jan 1, 1913