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By Irving A. Palmer

During the past 15 years in this country there have been few additions to the literature of lead smelting. After the consolidation of the principal smelting companies at the beginning of this period it became the policy of the larger company not to permit the publication of details in regard to many of its metallurgical processes. This led to similar action on the part of some of its competitors. The result, of course, was a decided decrease in the number of papers written upon the practical side of the subject. Even upon the theoretical side the contributions have been few. It would seem that the industry as a whole has suffered from this general unwillingness to exchange information. While it is true that a given company is entitled to the reward that may come from its own development of a new process, it is also true that a still greater reward might be the result of a free exchange of ideas with other plants. This principle has been recognized for a long time in other metallurgical industries, notably those engaged in the smelting of iron and the manufacture of steel. It is pleasing to note that the leading lead-smelting company has very recently decided to modify its policy of secrecy, and to permit the publication of papers covering some details of its metallurgical methods. The statement has been made that there has been but little progress in lead smelting during the period just referred to. This impression is due in part, no doubt, to the scarcity of papers written on the subject. 'There has been, it is true, some discussion of the new sintering processes, but with little reference to detail, and to the effect that blast roasting has had upon the industry as a whole. In spite of the prevailing belief, it may be said that lead smelting, in common with other metallurgical industries, has made steady and substantial progress. It is the purpose of the present paper to discuss briefly some features of the industry as it is now conducted, with special reference to the blast-furnace practice in the larger silver-lead smelting plants of the United States and Mexico.

Jan 1, 1915

By George Steintveit

Det Norske Zinkicompani A/S was established in 1924, on the initiative of the Compagnie Royale Asturienne des Mines. Experimental electrothermic zinc production was carried out on industrial scale for a two-year period, but the problems of electrothermic smelting were not solved. A license for the electrolytic zinc production process was then obtained from the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. A plant for electrolytic zinc production was built, near the small fjord town of Odda in Hardanger, West Norway, The production was based on zinc ore from Spain, and cheap local hydro-electric power. The plant came into operation in 1929. Annual capacity, 36,000 tons. In 1964 a long-term agreement was concluded with Boliden AB by which Det Norske Zinkkompani is secured the raw materials basis for an expansion of the annual capacity to 100,000 tons of zinc, Since World War II, the company has been pursuing extensive research and development programs. As a result, various sections have been rebuilt: nev unloading and storage facilities, a 250 ton per day Fluid Bed Roaster with contact plant, new continuous leaching system, integrating the Jarosite Residue Process, new solution purification section - upgrading the solution quality for a 600 Amp/m2 current density Tank Room operation -, installation of induction furnaces for cathode melting with casting machines and automatic stacking of slabs. Simultaneously, instrumentation, and methods of automatic control have been developed and introduced, providing conditions for optimal plant operations.

Jan 1, 1970

By AIME AIME

IN ORDER to carry on its work most effectively, the Committee on Industrial Organization (now known as the Committee on Industrial Relations) consists, of .a number of sub-committees, each composed of a chairman and members who are especially fitted to carry out the work designated by its title. With only one or two exceptions, all of these committees made reports at the New York meeting of the Institute, in February of this year, abstracts of which follow.

Jan 1, 1920

By V. Leroy, A. G. Guy

Serious disagreements are often found between experimentally determined intrinsic diffusion coefficients and those calculated employing the usual form of the vacancy theory. In the new theory it is proposed that the total intrinsic flux, Ji, of component i, is the sum of a part, f, due to the usual random exclzanges of component i with the vacancies, and a second part, Ji, due to exchanges with the uacancies composing the net vacancy flux. The present treatment, while less powerful than that of Manning, has the advantage of easy uisualization and of facilitating the application of the vacancy-flux effect to complex systems. IT is becoming increasingly evident that there are serious deficiencies in the version of the vacancy theory of diffusion that has been widely used for the past 20 years. One type of evidence is the frequent lack of agreement between intrinsic diffusion coefficients and tracer diffusion coefficients, even taking account of the thermodynamic factor. A second kind of evidence is the observation of a Kirkendall shift larger than theoretically possible, that is, larger than can be accounted for without assigning a negative value to one of the two intrinsic diffusion coefficient.'- The thermodynamic factor could conceivably make both coefficients negative, but not just one. It is clear that a cause of these anomalies, apart from any inadequacy of the usual vacancy theory, might lie in an oversimplified treatment of the data. Adequate experimental techniques, including the use of moderate pressure during the diffusion anneal, are now available to insure that porosity, lateral expansion, and so forth, can be kept negligibly small in most cases. The effect of differences in atomic volume can be of major importance, and it is essential that one of the available methods4 be used to account for this factor. In the present treatment this is accomplished by the consistent use of moles per cubic centimeter as the unit of concentration. Of the various possible inadequacies of the vacancy theory, attention will be given here only to effects of the net vacancy flux. annin' has previously considered this question, beginning with an analysis of atomic jumping of tracer atoms. When he added the effect of a concentration gradient, new terms arose that could be associated with the flow of vacancies. The present treatment uses quite a different approach. The usual vacancy flux, J,, is introduced explicitly, and a simple analysis predicts major changes in the intrinsic diffusion coefficients from this cause. The usual assumptions are made that only a vacancy mechanism is operative, that the formation of voids can be neglected, and that changes in the partial molal volumes, vl and v2, are negligible. The significant diffusion coefficients for the present topic are Dl and D,, the intrinsic coefficients, which enter in the equations, where the flux Ji, moles per sq cm per sec, is that crossing the Kirkendall interface. The concentration, ci, is in units of moles per cu cm, and the concentration gradient, aci/ax, is evaluated at the Kirkendall interface. It will be recalled' that the calculation of Dl and D2 involves the measurement of areas on the diffusion curve with respect to the positions of the Kirkendall and Matano interfaces. In the case of the anomalies mentioned earlier, the Kirkendall shift is too large to be accounted for by the diiferetzce in fluxes (J2 -J1), given by Eqs. [I] and [2]. The logical inference is that the flux of the solvent atoms, J1, is actually in the same direction as the flux of the solute atoms, Jz. In terms of Eq. [I] this requires that Dl have a negative value. However, it would be somewhat misleading to state that the solvent atoms are diffusing up their own concentration gradient. The explanation that will be advanced here pictures competing processes producing the net flux of solvent atoms: 1) diffusion of the solvent atoms down their own gradient by random exchanges with vacancies; and 2) diffusion of solvent atoms in the opposite direction by exchanges with the net vacancy flux. ACTION OF THE NET VACANCY FLUX Theories of vacancy diffusion can be formulated with varying degrees of refinement, and the present theory has purposely been kept as simple as appeared adequate to explain the phenomenon in question. In particular the following aspects have been neglected: 1) the gradient of vacancy concentration in comparison to the gradient of the atomic species; 2) departure of vacancy concentration from the local equilibrium value; 3) variation of the jump frequency, LO, with the specific surroundings of the atom-vacancy pair being considered; 4) correlation effects. These and other refinements can be considered once the essential mechanism has been established. The essential idea of the present analysis is to calculate the total intrinsic flux, Ji, of component i as the sum, JlJ?±j{ [3] where J; is attributable to the usual random atomic jumping, and J{ is a contribution arising from the net vacancy flux, J,. The latter quantity, of course,

Jan 1, 1967

The Palabora ore consists of two types, a carbonatite containing a low titanium magnetite, and a foskorite containing high titanium magnetite. The latter type also contains substantial quantities of phosphate. These two ore types are separately crushed and are kept separate through copper flotation and magnetic separation, for recovery of magnetite, with the low Ti magnetite being shipped as iron ore. High phosphate tailings are pumped to Foskor, a government-owned phosphate plant nearby. The Palabora plant was originally designed in 1966 for 33, 000 tpd using two 54 in. by 74 in. Allis -Chalmers gyratories; two 7 ft (2. 13 m) standards; four 7 ft shortheads; and six grinding lines, each using one 1,200 hp rod mill and two 1,200 hp ball mills. A fifth short- head and one more grinding line were added later; and with flowsheet improvements, the capacity of the plant was increased to 59, 500 stpd. A further plant expansion involving a third 54 in. primary and two 32 ft by 15 ft (9.75 by 4.6 m) 9,000 hp autogenous mills and another flotation section will bring its capacity to 87,500 stpd in 1977. These two fully autogenous mills are constructed entirely out of doors near the primary crusher, and the ground ore will be pumped a mile to the concentrator by a five-stage pumping system. The Palabora ore is mined with 6, 10, and 12 7d (4.6, 7.6, and 9. 2 cu m) shovels and hauled to the crushers in 110 and 165 st trucks. Sixty-five ton trucks were originally used, but the crusher dump pockets were designed for larger units. Dump pockets, crushers, feeders, and take- away belts are offset in order to keep the two ore types separate. Centerlines of the crushers are only 43 ft (13. 1 m) apart; but, because of their being offset, maintenance room is ample. Initially, more carbonatite ore than foskorite was mined; but as the pit has deepened, this ratio has been reversed. The Palabora ore breaks in the pit with a large amount of oversize boulders; and, with the use of larger trucks, a splitter has been installed on one side of each dump pocket to protect the crusher spider. Smaller trucks dump on the opposite side. To accomodate the splitter, the pocket edge has been raised one meter and moved back one meter. Dust is collected through a special vent shaft between the crushers and the mantle relining area; but even so, two high-pressure water spray headers with nozzles are installed under the edge of the pocket at each dumping position. While only one truck dumps at a time, sprays from all four headers are used to suppress dust. Any leakage of water through the seal around the upper bowl of the crusher is caught by a circular trough under the seal and directed to a sump pump. At this point, there

Jan 1, 1978

By G. Stuart Jenkins

CONDITIONS at the properties of the Consolidated Coal Co. had reached a point where improvements were almost impractical. The mines, sunk years ago, had shafts and entries so small as to preclude the use of large mine cars. A radical change was necessary in the type of mining and also in the type of mine to accommodate such haulage units. After due consideration, the company decided to enter the field of trackless mining, utilizing belt conveyors and chain-flight conveyors, the belt conveyors to take the long haul, and the chain-flight conveyors to be used for gathering. It was decided not to sink a shaft, but to drive a slope on an inclination of 17 1/2°, which the company believes to be about the limit on which coal can be carried on a belt without rolling back unduly.

Jan 1, 1939

By Nelson Severinghaus

FOLLOWING the end of hostilities of World War II, a resurgence of industrial and home building has given impetus to the use of many products of the stone industry. Shortage and high prices of some building materials such as lumber have aided wider acceptance of materials such as concrete products which have been relatively plentiful and which have not risen so rapidly in price. Ingredients for many of these substituting materials come from the stone industries, often from by-products of stone operations. Most of the tonnage of the stone industry in the State of Georgia comes from granite and marble. There are extensive dimension stone operations in granite in the Elberton and in the Lithonia areas. Building and monumental marble from the Tate area has been used throughout the country. Cutting operations in both types of stone have their by-products in faulty blocks and in spalls. In the State there are three large crushed-stone plants utilizing granite, one near Camak, one near Lithonia and one at Stockbridge. All have had excess fines or screenings in the past but this excess is largely disappearing with development of new uses. At times this "waste" has amounted to as much as 20 pct of the stone quarried. Handling of this large tonnage from point of screening out to storage piles presented a costly problem and large areas were taken up by the piles. Crushed stone is generally sold with a relatively narrow margin of price over cost, so any elimination of disposal cost or increase of income by marketing of by-products is highly desirable. BY-PRODUCTS OF GRANITE DIMENSION STONE It sometimes becomes difficult to differentiate between main product and by-product. In the cutting of granite dimension stone in the Lithonia district of Georgia, a considerable quantity of remnants of uneven shape and size is produced. The larger of these pieces have long found use as building rubble, particularly for retaining walls and building foundations (Fig I). They are broken down to one man size by plug drilling and wedging and by hammer. In recent times, demand for this former by-product has grown so that quarries have been opened for the production of rubble as a main product. Local masons have attained skill in using these irregular shapes to form economical and attractive walls. Areas such as Elberton, Georgia, which do not have a large building market nearby, tend to accumulate piles of large pieces of reject stone. When a road job or other local construction offers a quantity market for crushed stone, a portable crusher works this material down to crushed aggregate. Spalls and finer chips from granite stone-cutting operations have generally found their way into crushers and thence to the many uses for crushed aggregate. One company near Lithonia started marketing the smaller by-product crushed sizes for chicken grit about ten years ago. This use has grown to nation-wide distribution and the tonnage is now so great that they have opened a large quarry with

Jan 1, 1947

By David R. Mitchell, R. M. Fleming

MANY trends were evident in the coal industry during 1951. Some were favorable for the industry; others were not. Probably those having the most far-reaching consequences are those affecting coal's markets. The rapid dieselization of many railroads and the continued trend toward oil and natural gas for home heating has caused serious dislocations in various mining districts. Mines have been forced to close down or to work on a reduced time basis. Conversely the increased activity in the metallurgical industries has increased the demand for coking and special purpose coals, and the growing production of electric energy has increased the demand in certain areas for steam coals. The increased demand for metallurgical coal and for steam raising by the large utilities is more than equal tonnage-wise to the loss of coal to railroad dieselization and conversions to oil and gas in the domestic market. Since much of the expansion is at captive mines of large corporations, many commercial operators supplying railroad and domestic users have had their markets curtailed without any compensating demand from other sources. Feverish activity was in evidence in many areas by commercial operators attempting to find new markets. The Norfolk and Western Railway is the, only major American railroad committed to the burning of coal. It has an exceptionally good cost record. During 1951, fifteen additional modern coal-burning steam switching locomotives were authorized for construction in the company's Roanoke shops at a cost of about $1,450,000. When the new order is completed the road will own a total of sixty locomotives of the modern-switcher type, including thirty acquired by purchase last year. The Norfolk and Western today is the only American railroad building its own motive power. All of these locomotives burn coal. Production Coal production in the year 1951 will approximate 570 million tons of anthracite, bituminous coal, and lignite. Of this, approximately 7 pet is anthracite. Total production is approximately 30 million tons more than in 1950 and reflects the increase in general industrial activity. Exports are expected to be close to 50 million tons. The industrial stockpile is close to 75 million tons, the highest it has been since 1943. With the exception of the usual local stoppages the year 1951 was unmarked by labor disputes. It was a year of good labor-management relations with a negotiated wage increase unmarred by a work stoppage. This may be the beginning. of an era of sensible negotiations to find agreeable settlements of disputes without the usual protracted bickering and industry-wide strike. The United Mine Workers of America has condemned wildcat strikes, stating that in nearly every, instance proper grievance procedures have not been instituted. Government defense organizations, perhaps profiting by their experiences during World War II, are pursuing a more enlightened program with regard to the fuel requirements of the nation. Many prominent officials have stated that wherever possible coal should be considered the primary source of fuel in all defense expansion. With the increased consumption of steel by defense projects, approval of transportation facilities for liquid and gaseous fuels have been refused where these fuels would enter a coal producing area. Liquid and gaseous fuel producers also have failed to provide satisfactory evidence that they have sufficient reserves and are capable of supplying their product in adequate amounts for the periods of time required. Realization has at last become prevalent that the hydro-electric power installations in several areas are insufficient to handle increased demands.' Steam generating plants are being constructed in these areas and equipped to burn coal. Most notable of these, is the TWA area whose supplemental steam power plants are expected to consume 10 million tons of coal per year when completed. The Pacific Northwest is another area which is expected to follow the same pattern. Nearly all new steam-power generating plants are being equipped to burn coal either as a primary fuel or as an emergency measure. Metallurgical Coal The steel and other metallurgical industries are expanding rapidly to meet increased industrial demands and defense orders. Since these industries are dependent on coke, coke has had a year of high production and can be expected to break all existing records when steel-plant expansions are completed. Most notable of the expansion projects is that of the Delaware River area where the iron ore will be received by ship from Canada and South America. U. S. Steel is only one of several steel corporations that are planning on putting integrated steel producing units in this area. The Defense Solids Fuels Administration announced in December that through. November 30, 1951. 29 projects in eight states, with a total cost of

Jan 1, 1952

By E. Hein, R. A. Dodd

The fatigue softening of prior strain-hardened poly crystalline copper has been determined by measuring changes inflow stress resulting from fatigue treatments. Tensile fatigue does not soften the metal, while the softening due to reversed stress fatigue depends on the extent to which fully reversed stressing is approached. True tensile fatigue is shown to be possible only in the case of long wire specimens. Annealing following fatiguing of strain-hardened metal shows that tensile fatigue is very effective in modifying normal recovery and recrys-tallization. OBSERVATIONS by Ludwik and Scheu,' Kenyon,' Polakowski and Palchoudhuri, Kemsley, and Broom and Ham,596 have shown beyond doubt that strain-hardened metals are softened by reversed-stress fatigue. To some extent the softening might be associated with a rearrangement of dislocations, but the results of Broom and Ham5 on the temperature dependency of the fatigue hardening of annealed copper, and those of McCammon and Rosenberg7 on the partial recovery at 100'C of fatigue-hardened copper suggest that point defects may be involved. Since lattice vacancies are the only species of point defect present in appreciable quantities in thermody-namic equilibrium, most attention has been accorded them in the various theories advanced to explain hardening and softening effects resulting from fatigue. Precise mechanisms remain uncertain, and while some effects may be due to single vacancies, defects arising from vacancy clusters may also contribute to the changes in properties. All types of plastic deformation result in point-defect formation, one frequently invoked formation mechanism involving the nonconservative motion of jogs formed by the intersection of, for example, mixed dislocations. But since fatigue deformation is thought to be a particularly effective way of forming point defects, additional mechanisms peculiar to fatigue must be sought. One possibility is that jogged loops contract during the unloading cycle to give rows of vacancies. A local high-vacancy concentration could conceivably promote polygonization and recovery by climb, and, therefore, could explain the fatigue softening of strain-hardened metals under appropriate conditions of temperature. Conversely, the experiments by Broom and Ham6 on the fatigue hardening of copper single crystals involving subsequent tensile testing of previously fatigued specimens, resulted in the observation of distinctly lowered yield points. This could be due to vacancy atmospheres associated with dislocations, possibly augmented by jogs on dislocations. In addition to the yield-point phenomenon, a post-yield hardening was observed, with a temperature-dependence resembling the friction-hardening of irradiated metals,9 this again suggesting a point-defect mechanism. An important development in this field has been the observation,10 by transmission electron microscopy, of high concentrations of prismatic loops in fatigued aluminum. By analogy with quenched aluminum filmso11 it seems certain that these loops originate in the collapse of vacancy clusters formed during deformation. Metals, such as copper, having a relatively low-stacking fault energy would tend to produce Frank sessile loops (in practice tetrahedral defects with stacking faults on all (111) planes) rather than the glissile prismatic loops observed in aluminum. The manner in which these various defects affect the different aspects of fatigue behavior has not yet been fully investigated. The present work was designed principally to indicate whether tensile fatigue gives rise to hardening and softening effects similar to those associated with reversed stress fatigue, and with the hope of providing additional information on the contribution of point defects to fatigue deformation. Despite the uncertain ty often associated with the interpretation of resistivity data, i.e., the relative contribution of stacking faults and other defects, such measurements are conveniently employed to study point defect pheno-

Jan 1, 1962

By Walter E. Duncan

THE ores treated at the concentrating plant largely come from the blanket replacement deposits of the northeastern part of Hardin County, Illinois, and consist of complex mixtures of galena, sphalerite and fluorspar in a gangue of quartz, limestone and sandstone. The several minerals are so intimately intergrown that they are not liberated at the sizes usually treated by gravity concentration in the usual fluorspar plant. For this reason, an all-flotation method of concentration was developed in cooperation with the station of the U. S. Bureau of Mines at Rolla, Mo.1 This flotation separation made possible the commercial production of four concentrates: (I) lead concentrates, (2) zinc concentrates, (3) acid-grade fluorspar concentrates and (4) metallurgical-grade fluorspar concentrates.2,3 Although fluorspar had been floated in Canada in 1921 4 and a plant at Rosiclare had been floating fluorspar since March 1929, fluorspar flotation was given considerable impetus by the Mahoning developments, since some features of the separation were quickly adopted by other fluorspar companies. The Bureau of Mines5 reports that in the 10 years preceding 1938 only 50,552 tons of fluorspar flotation concentrates were produced in the United States. The rise from this almost nominal figure to 153,750 tons (largely acid grade) in one year (1944)6 is indicative of the activity in fluorspar flotation occasioned by the war. The industry thus proved to be in a position to expand and keep up reasonably well with the requirements imposed upon it by such developments as occurred in high octane aviation gasoline alkylation, in the use of Freon as a refrigerant and as carrier in the Aerosol "bug bomb," and in the atomic bomb project as well as in the expansion of other activities requiring hydrofluoric acid; such as, for example, the aluminum industry. Despite the fact that the greater portion of acid-grade fluorspar produced in the last few years went directly into war uses, the future of the acid-grade field still appears bright. As a result of the activity in fluorine chemistry during the war, it seems likely that in the relatively near future almost every phase of human endeavor will find some fluorine compound involved. The other three concentrates produced deserve some attention in these introductory remarks. The lead concentrates first produced contained both zinc and fluorspar but these did not interfere with their marketing. As will be pointed out later, the quality has steadily improved until today it is a relatively high-grade product. Although some zinc smelters accept concentrates containing limited quantities of fluorspar, it is a very objectionable impurity. Since flotation methods fail in the complete removal of the fluorspar, chemical methods were developed for

Jan 1, 1946

By G. A. Koenig, Moritz Stockder

Locality and Geological Occurrence. The Alpine region of Southwest Colorado, comprising the San Juan and Uncompaghre Mountains, is composed of a deeply eroded sheet of acid eruptive rocks, overlying in part gneissic sehists, and in part limestones and sandstones, including portions of the Silurian, Devonian, and Carboniferous systems. The section is clearly and beautifully exposed along the Uncompaghre River from its headwaters to its exit from the mountains. The river's course from the town of Ouray towards the Los Pinos agency is due north, and four miles from Ouray, in this direction, the Uncompaghre receives from the east the Red Cafion Creek. Following up the narrow caftan we find the section through white.. sandstone in strata dipping to the north and west, and belonging either to the lower or middle Devonian system. Presently the steep cafion-liko character of the ravine gives place to more gentle slopes, and we have entered crystalline rock-porphyry. The contact is well marked, for the sandstone, to a depth of from six to ten feet, resembles quartzite, i. e., is semifused. Ascending still higher, a small

Jan 1, 1881

THE transformation, in a sample of levitation melted iodide titanium, has been studied with a Leitz hot-stage microscope. The specimen was etched in HF:HNO3: glycerine, (1:1:2) giving a structure shown in Fig. 1, and was then heated at approximately 5OC per min. At 870°C (±5OC) the etching product disappeared, the a-grain boundaries showed in relief, and some new grain boundaries (presumably of ß) appeared (Fig. 2, see arrow). Some evidence of ß-grain growth is indicated by the apparent longitudinal movement of a ß-grain boundary shown in Figs. 2 and 3 (see arrows). The specimen was later heated to 1000°C and then cooled at 2°C per min. At 845°C rumpling of the surface was first noticed, Fig. 4, and continued at constant temperature. The photomicrograph reproduced in Fig. 5 was taken 6 sec after Fig. 4, at 845°C. Fig. 6 shows the structure after cooling to room temperature. The room-temperature structure, showing a rumpled surface has been observed by previous investigators.' These structures presumably indicate a sheer transformation ß - a, athermally nucleated, but capable of isothermal progression.

Jan 1, 1960

By Kendall E. Born

Production of crude oil in Tennessee during 1944 was slightly more than 9500 bbl., about 1300 bbl. more than 1943. Approximately 8000 bbl. was produced from the "Mississippi lime" in Scott and Morgan Counties. Some half dozen wells in Clay, Pickett, and Fentress Counties, pumped intermittently, produced about 1500 bbl. This production is from rocks of Ordovician age ranging in depth from less than 500 ft. to approximately 1000 ft. Natural gas was marketed from wells in Morgan and Fentress Counties for consumption in the Sunbright and Jamestown areas, respectively. The production of oil by counties is shown in Table I. Developments There were 20 completions during 1944 totaling 19,615 ft., nearly twice as much as in 1943. One well was drilling on Dec. 31, 1944. Of the 20 completions, one was a small oil well soon abandoned. Three gas wells were completed which are used locally. The completions are listed in Table 2. The distribution of tests according to physiographic divisions is given in Table 3. Cumberland Plateau There were five completions in the northern part of Cumberland Plateau. One was a small gas well in the Cooper pool 3 miles west of Oneida, but an attempt to extend the pool to the south resulted in a dry hole. The most active area in the state during 1944 was the northern Cumherland Plateau, especially in Cumberland, Morgan, and Scott Counties. Several blocks, aggregating more than 500,000 acres, were assembled and leasing was continuing in the early part of 1945. Surface work has been, or is being, carried on by at least four companies. While in an area of past oil and gas production from the "Mississippi lime," the principal interest appears to be in the essentially unexplored pre-Mississippian possibilities. The Knox dolomite group of Cambro-Ordovician age is receiving some attention as a possible reservoir. As the year closed one well was drilling on a surface structure near Lantana, 6 miles southwest of Cross-ville. This test will be drilled into the upper part of the Knox. Late in 1944, it was planned to lay a gas line from northern Morgan County to Oneida in Scott County, a distance of approximately 20 miles. Middle Tennessee Fifteen wells were drilled in Middle Tennessee. In the northeastern Highland Rim area there were 11 completions, one

Jan 1, 1945

By L. A. Roe

Magnetic separation of iron ores is one of the fastest-growing segments of the minerals beneficiation industry. The tonnage of taconite ores processed annually by magnetic separation will, in a few years, reach 100 million. Magnetic separation occupies an attractive position in the field of ore beneficiation. It is a simple yet effective method, used for some 150 years and steadily growing more important. This type of beneficiation orginated in 1792, when William Ful-larton was issued a British patent covering the separation of iron ore by magnetic attraction. What is magnetism, and why are some materials capable of being magnetized and others not The study involves many unknowns, and even a partial answer to these questions would be a dissertation in solid state physics and perhaps other fields of science. But the last two decades have revealed basic facts as to why certain materials are magnetic and what happens to them when they are magnetized. Some of the newer studies in solid state physics have developed a theory that can be applied to studies of magnetism. It is claimed that magnetism stems fundamentally from the spin of electrons in atoms that tend to go in pairs, spinning in opposite directions. The atom as a whole can act as a magnet only when there is an imbalance of electronic spin. Whenever an atom has an odd number of electrons, therefore, this imbalance exists. This neutralizing effect explains why a piece of material that contains atomic magnets is not necessarily magnetic. The physicists tell us that iron is composed of many small magnetized regions called domains, which consist individually of millions of atoms. The piece of iron becomes magnetized when an external force lines up these domains in the same direction. Fundamental data developed by physicists working in fields far removed from minerals beneficiation are now available for developing better magnetic separators for ore processing. More Data Needed on Magnetic Properties of Minerals: There is less information on magnetic properties of minerals than there is for certain aspects of magnetic separator design. When the data on magnetic properties is available, it is often directed toward the study of powders for tape recorders and other highly scientific endeavors that are of little use to the beneficiation engineer. W. R. Crane's table of tractive forces, published in 1902, is still a guide in the study of magnetic minerals. Bits of other information regarding electrostatic conductivity, dielectric constant values, and permeability of various minerals have also appeared but are of small practical value in magnetic separation of ore. It is extremely important to obtain pure mineral specimens for making investigations and to record results that may be of use in studies of magnetic processes. Reference to the large volume of data developed by those concerned with analysis and design of permanent magnets soon reveals that these people have extensively evaluated the effect of various impurities on magnetic properties. Much of the science of the ferrite industry is based upon spinel-type structures which are varied by substitution of selected elements or even subtraction of elements, leaving vacant sites in the space lattice. Magnetic separators are used to beneficiate a wide variety of industrial minerals. In this application the relatively large volumes of nonmagnetics are usually the commercial products. The amount of mag-

Jan 1, 1959

By Frank Milliken

IN September 1937, the Ohio Copper Co. inaugurated the treatment of its copper-bearing mill tailings at Lark, Utah. These tailings had been accumulated during the regular operation of the Ohio Copper mine and mill over the period 1007 to 1019. Gravity concentration had been employed except for a comparatively short period in 1919, when flotation was used. The ore milled during that period assayed about I per cent Cu. The chief copper mineral, chalcocite, was dissemi-nated in a shattered quartzite, mainly along fracture or cleavage planes. The quartzite gangue was extremely hard and grinding to liberation resulted in excessive sliming of the "sooty" chalcocite, with consequent high tailings losses. Recovery on the seven million tons treated was prob-ably less than 6o per cent of the total copper content. As early as 1918, attempts had been made to sample the dump. In 1928, a com-plete sampling program was undertaken. The sampling consisted of seventy-four 5-in. post auger holes drilled to the full depth of the dump at regular intervals of 250 ft. Each 10-ft. portion thereof com-prised a sample for analysis. Each sample was screened, rolled, divided into three parts, dried and assayed. The reject was retained for testing purposes. From the depth of the auger holes a contour map of the dump was plotted, Fig. 1, which gives percentages of tonnage and copper content.

Jan 1, 1940

By Mark O. Halverson

In this paper, some applications of remote terminal computer time-sharing to mining geophysics are discussed. Examples are presented and evaluations are made. The evaluations are based largely upon one and one-half years experience with the General Electric Mark I and Mark II systems. In both systems, a terminal is placed at the user's location. The terminal consists of a teletypewriter and a paper tape system. Input is on paper tape or keyboard. The output is printed on paper and may also be placed on paper tape if desired. Available languages consist of BASIC, FORTRAN and ALGOL. The time-sharing system is considered very useful. In large part this is because the terminal is available for use as the need arises, much like a slide rule or calculator. Useage is varied. Geophysical field data can be put on paper tape and be computer reduced, for the most part by clerical personnel. Time-sharing is excellent for statistical studies. The system is adequate to generate geophysical parameter values derived from simple models of the subsurface and to make comparisons with field data.

Jan 1, 1969

By C. A. Fisher

THE discovery of petroleum in Pennsylvania in 1859 marked the birth of an industry of paramount importance. Spreading from - Oil Creek, this remarkable industry may be said to have embraced the earth in a little more than half a century. Those who made the discovery little realized its deep significance or far reaching influence on our national life. For over sixty years, during which time this nation has created and developed the oil industry to a high state of efficiency and' carried its activities to all parts of the world, we have' at all times been the leaders in the production of crude oil and in the development of its technology. During the unprecedented growth and expanse of the oil industry there has been an increasing dependency of our basic industries on, petroleum, until at present it has become essential to our national existence. To meet the ever increasing demand for petroleum and its products, we have explored, at one time or another, for their oil possibilities, practically all parts of the sedimentary rock area in the United States. Furthermore, detailed surface and, in many places, subsurface studies have been made of all the promising regions; over 640,000 jewells have 'been drilled for. oil since the beginning of the industry; $12,000,000,000 have been spent in this work; seventeen major fields exceeding 100,000 bbl. daily production and more than a thousand minor pools have been opened up, and 8,000,000,000 bbl. 'of oil have been produced, or an amount nearly equal to the estimated future reserves of the United States made in 1921.

Jan 1, 1925

By David S. Bolin

INTRODUCTION This paper is directed toward those companies or individuals who may be considering the possibility of tin exploration or development projects in South America. Although tin deposits are known in many countries of Latin-America including Argentina, Peru, and Mexico, the majority of the deposits are located in Bolivia and Brazil. These two countries also account for virtually all the current production. Many factors affect the economic decisions related to mining and exploration projects in this region including the following: 1) Types of deposits 2) Anticipated size and grade of deposits 3) Deposit geometry and ore distribution as it affects the selection of a mining method 4) Metallurgical amenability 5) Governmental policies 6) Taxation 7) Anticipated capital and operating costs 8) Marketing costs This discussion will be directed toward each of these points. The majority of the presentation will be concentrated on Bolivia as this country is the principal producer in the region, however, the potential for further tin development in Brazil is excellent. Due to the remote and previously almost inaccessible location of the stanniferous districts of Brazil, little is known with respect to size and type of non-alluvial deposits which may exist in this vast country. TYPES OF DEPOSITS Two major types of deposits are currently being exploited in Bolivia; alluvial, and hard rock or lode deposits. Bolivia produces substantial tin from both types of deposit whereas virtually all Brazilian production to date has been from alluvial sources. Alluvial Deposits Brazil: The alluvial tin deposits of Brazil are located in river channels and flood plains adjacent to low mountain ranges. The terrain containing the tin placers is flat, marshy, and generally jungle covered. The major controls of alluvial cassiterite concentration are the ancient and present stream channels. The average tin concentration in the placers varies from 500 grams to approximately 1.0 kilograms per cubic meter. Tin reserves in the Rondonia field of Brazil have been estimated at 600,000 tons of fine tin. A bucketwheel suction dredge went into production in the Rondonia district in 1979, and four others have since been ordered. Several other gravel pump, and hand mining operations are also in production in this field. In addition to the Rondonia district, tin occurrences are known from Xingu, in Para state, and in the state of Minas Gerais. Bolivia: The alluvial deposits of Bolivia are somewhat more complex due to the variable geomorphology and abrupt topography. Conventional placer accumulations of cassiterite are found in many stream channels and intermontane basins surrounding the major lode tin producing regions. In addition to stream and valley placers, a group of deposits locally referred to as "Pallacos" or "Llamperas" which consist of colluvium, landslide debris and glacial moraine material, contain substantial tin reserves in some areas. The stream channel and intermontane basins contain the only deposits which are presently being exploited by mechanized methods. One dredge is working the stream channel below Cerro Rico de Potosi and another is operating in an intermontane basin southeast of the city of Oruro. Both of these dredges are operated by private companies. The average grade for these operations varies from 250 to 500 grams per cubic meter. The largest of the intermontane basin placers known at present is the Centenario deposit located adjacent to the Catavi lode deposit. This deposit contains approximately 170 million cubic meters of material with an average grade of about 150 grams per cubic meter. The "Pallacos" deposits are found on the slopes of mineralized areas and in glacial moraine. The mineralized material is generally completely unsorted, with tin and sometimes tungsten values distributed erratically throughout the entire mass. Most of these deposits are worked by small leasors or cooperatives; however, at least one mechanized washing plant is in operation southeast of Oruro. The size of these deposits may reach up to several million cubic yards. Grades are very erratic, but may range from 200 to 500 grams per cubic yard. In addition to the formal mining operations, virtually every drainage surrounding the major mines is being worked by independent' miners utilizing hand mining and jig or pan concentration. The aggregate production from these operations is substantial. The

Jan 1, 1982

E. Windsor Richards, London, England:—In reading this paper the most interesting point to me mas the question of the maximum percentage of phosphorus allowable in the steel rail. Mr. Colby said, and we will all agree with him, that the engineer knew, and even a steel-rail maker grants that phosphorus is the most undesirable constituent of steel. We in England have been for a long time considering a specification for the supply of steel rails. This matter has been taken up by the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Mechanical Engineers, the Iron and Steel Institute, the Institute of Naval Architects, and the Electrical Engineers. Committees have been formed,and the whole matter has received most careful attention. They arrived at last at an analysis which I will read: " The carbon is to be from 0.35 to 0.5 per cent.; the manganese from 0.7 to 1.0 per cent.; the silicon, not to exceed 0.10 per cent.; phosphorus, 0.07; and sulphur, 0.07 per cent." As to the phosphorus, which is the most important point of all in the analysis, we have for many years, and indeed until very lately, always agreed to supply steel which would not contain above 0.06 per cent. of phosphorus. Iron-ores are not quite as good now as they were formerly, and the manufacturers at the meetings of the committees referred to, tried to obtain an increase in the allowance of phosphorus. They asked the Sub-committee to agree to 0.08 per cent. of phosphorus. They tried all they possibly could to obtain that; but they failed. English engineers in Great George Street and all over England, representing the important Associa tions I have mentioned, would only agree to 0.07 per cent. and that is the maximum allowance of phosphorus. Mr. Colby is an able advocate, but with all his ability he would not have been able to persuade the English engineers to agree to 0.08 per cent.

Jan 1, 1907

By RAY LYMAN WILBUR

SINCE boyhood I have had a keen interest in mining engineering. To see the prospector with his pack outfit and his pan, followed by the assayer and the trained engineer, has always had -something of the lure of romance for me. It is appropriate that the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers should hold a general meeting in California, since this State has long been a home of mining engineering. Here, after the early open methods of mining, it has been necessary for the universities to train men in geology and mining, so that the earth could be penetrated and the rich ledges opened. In the eighty years in which the mines of California have been offering experience to the miners of the world, we have seen mining engineering evolve from a comparatively simple art, covered largely by rule of thumb, into a complex group of specialties, each utilizing the very latest discoveries in the various fields of physical sciences. Mining, too, has become a great business requiring large financial support and the most careful handling. Those mining engineers who have applied new processes in special fields have thus been able to give a wide-flung range to their activities in all parts of the world. The hand of nature in distributing minerals over the surface of the earth has compelled the mining engineer to become a modern pioneer, facing the heat of the tropics as well as the frozen regions of the north. There has been a marked cosmopolitan aspect to mining engineering, since the engineer had to go wherever the prospector discovered favorable leads. This has meant dealing with the harshest of conditions, the handling of labor of all sorts, the control of sanitary conditions, and relations to all forms of transportation. Naturally this has called on some of the very best minds in all countries to unlock the stores of hidden wealth. To make them available for civilization has been the job of the mining engineer.

Jan 1, 1929