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By Kenneth Cottingham

The number of completions in 1944 in Ohio was only slightly greater than completions in the preceding year, but the initial daily volumes both of oil wells and gas wells declined considerably. The dry-hole ratio was a little lower than in 1943, even though in the year under review considerable effort was made to find new production. No new areas of consequence were discovered. Thirteen new gas pools, the largest of which was 1000 acres and the average 565 acres, were opened during the year. Eleven of these pools were in the Clinton sand, one was in the Oriskany, and one was in the Berea. Approximately 15 small pools might also be rated as discoveries, but because only one or two wells have thus far been completed in each, they cannot at present be properly evaluated. The latter pools average about 120 acres each. Some extensions were made to existing gas pools. The number of oil wells drilled was only one less than in 1943, yet compared with the year 1941, when twice as many oil wells were drilled, the difference is startling. Effective Aug. I, 1944, a blanket subsidy was granted of 35¢ per barrel on all Cleveland-Chatham, Coming, and Lima grades of oil, and 75¢ per barrel on Pennsylvania grade crude. The subsidy was authorized by the Office of Price Administration, with reimbursement to purchasers of the various grades made through the Defense Supplies Corporation, a branch of Reconstruction Finance Corporation. For several years the small operator, particularly the owner of stripper wells, was in a serious position. The subsidy has been a means of real help and, in addition to aiding the operator, it has prolonged the life of many small wells that otherwise would have been abandoned, with consequent loss of daily production and unre-covered reserves. It is questionable whether the price increase is sufficient to revive production of Corning grade, which has

Jan 1, 1945

By V. Lessels, D. J. Buckwalter, D. H. Rose

A cyanide leaching process developed at Michigan Technological University was tested in a 12 to 24 tpd pilot plant. Flowsheet layout and equipment are described. Cyclic operation of leaching, copper precipitation by acidification, and regeneration of the cyanide leaching solution are discussed. Copper extraction and reagent consumption were as predicted by laboratory tests, and the process was proven to be technically feasible. The White Pine Copper Co., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Copper Range Co., produces copper in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Production in 1965 amounted to 138 million pounds of metal. An expansion program now under way will increase this by approximately one half. The highly mechanized room and pillar mine produces 18,000 tons of ore per day, which is treated in a flotation plant. The concentrate is smelted in a reverberatory furnace, the matte is blown in converters to blister copper, and the blister copper is further refined to a uniformly high-quality Lake copper, which is 100% conductive and has a silver content of 25 to 40 oz per ton. The run of the mine ore averages 22.5 lbs of copper per ton with the ore mineral occurring in the form of chalcocite. The nature of the mineralization is such that the sand tailings average a little over 4 lbs of copper per ton. Intensive research has improved copper recovery in the flotation operation to some extent, but at the scale of present operation about 12,000 tons of sands containing over 48,000 lbs of copper go to the tailings pond daily. When the plant expansion is completed, the loss of copper will be somewhat greater. In 1959, the White Pine Copper CO, initiated a study of the recovery of copper in the sand tailings. Inasmuch as the flotation operation was considered to be optimized, a logical approach seemed to be leaching. For various reasons ammonia, ferric chloride, acid, and biological leaching were ruled out as impracticable. This led to a consideration of cyanide leach-

Jan 1, 1968

By Reuben B. Ellestad, Fremont F. Clarke

In the early days of the lithium industry most of the production was from lepidolite, zinnwaldite, and amblygonite. Nearly all the early extraction processes described in the literature involve heating the finely ground mineral with sulphuric or hydrochloric acid. On subsequent water leaching most of the bases present in the mineral (especially aluminum) are dissolved as sulphates. As a result, the leach solution required extensive chemical purification before the lithium could be precipitated as carbonate. Following the remarkable growth of the lithium industry to its present size, zinnwaldite and amblygonite ores must be considered of minor importance only. Attention is now focused on spodumene, abundant enough in North America to be a major source of supply, and there are important supplies of lepidolite and petalite in Africa. The extraction processes described below all apply to spodumene, although several will also operate on other lithium minerals, such as petalite. Base Exchange with Alkali Sulphates: A distinct advance was made with the disclosures of Wadman and von Girsewalt. In these methods the finely ground silicate ore (spodumene or lepidolite) is intimately mixed with an excess of alkali sulphate (usually K2S04) in at least a 1 to 1 proportion, and the mixture was heated to a relatively high temperature. Base exchange results, with the formation of lithium sulphate. A water leach dissolves the lithium sulphate, together with the excess potassium sulphate. Successful operation of this type of process requires very thorough grinding and mixing, as well as careful temperature control. The use of K,SO, is objectionable from cost considerations since purification of lithium carbonate re- quires the use of potassium carbonate, if the K2S04 is to be recovered and recycled. The lower solubility of K,SO, as compared with Na,SO, is also objectionable, since it limits the concentration of the Li,SO, solution to be precipitated by K,CO,. Early laboratory-scale investigation of this process by Lithium Corp. was not encouraging

Nov 1, 1955

By F. E. Marcy

It is not my purpose to write a lengthy article or to attempt the solution of the problem I am presenting, but to call attention to what I believe an important issue, hoping that it may arouse in some one, or in some company, a sense of responsibility. I am referring particularly to modern up-to-date milling plants discharging tailings which under existing conditions cannot be further treated or from which a recovery cannot be made at a profit, but where a quantitative and qualitative analysis shows that a portion of these tailings might profitably be treated at some future time when our metallurgical knowledge has advanced, when we have cheaper power, chemicals, labor or other advantageous conditions. Early Methods In our early milling methods very little attention was given to the care of tailings. It was thought that if the mill could be located by a stream or a river where the final disposal of the tailings could be forever lost sight of, it was highly desirable. We can now see and estimate what was lost in these rich tailings, not recoverable from the streams and the great rivers. Fortunately for many, the depositing of tailings in these streams and rivers was objected to by the farmers and finally prohibited by the State Legislatures. In looking back over our past milling methods, it seems that the first endeavor was to make the maximum amount of money for a particular period, or year, regardless of the future, the depletion of the mine, or the conservation of the total mineral content. The dumping and sluicing of 3000 tons per day, for a period of many years, of a copper tailing carrying 12 lb. of recoverable copper together with its portion of precious metals, the thousands of tons of valuable metal contained in the tailings that have been carried away by Silver Bow Creek, the streams of the Coeur d'Alene, the Flat River and Colorado districts, the enormous quantities

Jan 1, 1918

J. S. UNGER,* Pittsburg, Pa, . (written discussion?).-The author of the paper has given an excellent description of the appliances used to cool parts of an open-hearth furnace, and some of the reasons why the refractories fail in service. Personally, I favor water-cooling, but to a limited degree. At one time I advocated more universal cooling than is now practised, but believe I must change my mind. Water-cooled, thin-lined blast furnaces have not proved as satisfactory as anticipated. While this may retard the building of many such furnaces, it will not prevent the use of regular tuyere- and bosh-cooling appliances. Water-cooling any furnace may be easily carried to the extreme. In an open-hearth furnace, excessive port or roof cooling, or cooling the working floors may preserve the lines of the furnace, lower the cost of refractories, acid to the comfort of the workmen, and necessitate fewer shutdowns for repairs, but it may not be good economy on account of the high first cost, the cost of cooling water, maintenance of cooling appliances, and the immediate reflection in a higher fuel cost. The question becomes a financial one, and is answered by using water-cooling devices up to the point at which they cease to show true economies. Open-hearth furnace bulkheads, roofs, and ports fail rapidly in about the order named. If they could be made to last indefinitely by water-cooling, the furnace would still have to be shut clown periodically for cleaning the slag pockets, regenerator chambers, and flues. Extra, or spare, pockets and regenerator chambers have been advocated to permit of continuous operation, but the space required, the cost of installation, and the fuel required to initially heat such cold chambers will largely prevent their adoption. Some particular fuels, as high-ash powdered coal, require frequent stoppages for cleaning, but for this particular fuel a special provision can' be made.

Jan 5, 1919

By R. B. Tippin, J. S. Browning

The feasibility of multistage heavy liquid cyclone beneficiation of spodumene was successfully demonstrated in this investigation. The indicated recovery for the multistage circuits was mathematically estimated as continuous test runs would be necessary to determine the true influence of a middlings recycle. In the three-stage circuit, both the concentrate analysis and spodumene recovery exceeded 90%. The two-stage circuits were unable to simultaneously yield an acceptable produce with a satisfactory recovery. With the Nation's growing industrial mineral requirements, the U.S. Bureau of Mines has undertaken the task of investigating new mineral dressing techniques and improving the existing concentrating methods of ore beneficiation. One such project is the gravity concentration of minerals using heavy liquid separation (HLS).1-3 Heavy liquid separation is based on the simple principle that a material, whose specific gravity is less than the density of a solution, will float on top of the liquid and a material with a greater specific gravity will sink. Heavy liquid separation techniques were developed in the laboratory over half a century ago but the process has yet to be commercially adopted. In the past, commercial operations have failed because of numerous problems.4 Industrial interest has recently been reactivated because of engineering advances. The number and quality of the heavy liquids suitable for mineral processing has increased while the cost has sharply dropped. New and improved liquid recovery systems5,6 are under consideration with present emphasis on 1) solvent extraction, 2) thermo-evaporation, and 3) water washing. The toxicity of the heavy liquids7 presents a problem, but throughout the chemical and mining industries, many similar hazardous materials are safely handled. A distinct advantage of using heavy liquids is its ability to provide a near perfect separation of fine-sized mineral particles even when the specific gravities are close. Effective separations have been made on minerals down to 200 mesh and with a density

Jan 1, 1968

By W. H. Meyer

During the seventeen years Fairchild has been making aerial surveys and aerial photographic equipment many changes and improvements have been made in the equipment and in the technique of using it. Aerial photographic operations have been developed from the crude methods and apparatus of wartime to a science upon which exact engineering calculations can be based. In the early days there was no airplane specially designed to meet aerial photographic requirements. One type of camera was used in all types of operations. Projects were made to conform to the products we could make and deliver. Obviously this entailed definite limitations. We now have airplanes designed specially for aerial photographic operations in accordance with the conditions encountered in actual service experience. We have cameras for every photographic purpose and our laboratory technique and equipment have been developed to the point where it is possible to make contour maps from vertical aerial photographs with contour intervals as close as five feet. Therefore, the selection of equipment now can be made in accordance with the time at our disposal, the justifiable cost, the scale desired, and the general requirements of the client. This does not mean, however, that arbitrary deliveries can be set for aerial photographic products. The factors in each project vary and each job must be considered in accordance with the factors involved. This accounts for the fact that products of aerial surveys may readily vary from $1.25 to $200 a square mile. Sherman M. Fairchild became interested in the design of a radically different aerial camera during the war. At its close he was about ready to demonstrate his design to the War Department. By 1920, he was able to bring out his first completed model. It had a number of radical features, one of which was the first dependable high-speed between-the-lens shutter, which makes for accuracy in aerial photographic work. Another feature was the use of metal throughout, eliminating the wooden parts that had been employed in wartime cameras. Another feature was the interchangeability of parts.

Jan 1, 1937

By Dale E. Walker

The Captain mine came into being under the following circumstances: 1) Commonwealth Edison had need for fuel for the generation of electricity in their Chicago service area. 2) Southwestern Illinois Coal Corp. had an ample supply of coal in the Illinois No. 6 and No. 5 seams. 3) The Gulf, Mobile & Ohio R.R. had a one-line transportation system with the capability of transporting coal from the Captain mine to Commonwealth Edison. These fortuitous conditions permitted an effective three-way partner- ship to develop. Commonwealth Edison had built a new generating station at Joliet, Ill., across the Illinois River from the existing station, to supplement their power-generating capacity for the Chicago area (Fig. 1). The annual requirement of the Joliet station is approximately 4.5 million tons of coal. From large reserves of coal in the No. 6 and No. 5 seams, Southwestern Illinois Coal Corp. contracted to supply Commonwealth Edison with approximately 6 million tons annually from its Captain mine. The logical carrier was Gulf, Mobile & Ohio, whose mainline travels through this coal field and also passes by the Joliet station on its way to Chicago. This railroad has been moving Southwestern's coal from the Streamline mine for more than 30 years. The basic ingredients of timing, scheduling, moving, and handling were adopted by the three parties, the precise details being worked out jointly. To do this, each group had to know its requirements exactly. The initial schedule was drawn up and tentatively approved, with each party taking a hard look at its own requirements and commitments to make certain that the schedule could be met on a normal daily basis. With only minor changes, the final schedule was adopted, each participant feeling that it had a sufficient factor of safety to maintain steady operation. Each party agreed to help the other in time of emergency. When a delay occurs in any part of the operation, the other

Jan 1, 1969

By William Meyer

DURING the seventeen years Fairchild has been making aerial surveys and aerial photographic equipment many changes and improvements have been made in the equipment and in the technique of using it. Aerial photographic operations have, been developed from the crude methods and apparatus of wartime to a science upon which exact engineer-ing calculations can be based. In the early days there was no airplane specially designed to meet aerial photographic requirements. One type of camera was used in all types of operations. Projects were made to conform to the products we could make and deliver. Obviously this entailed definite limitations. We now have airplanes designed specially for aerial photographic operations in accordance with the conditions encountered in actual service experience. We have cameras for every photographic purpose and our laboratory technique and equipment have been developed to the point where it is possible to make contour maps from vertical aerial photographs with contour intervals as close as five feet. Therefore, the selection of equipment now can be made in accordance with the time at our disposal, the justifiable cost, the scale desired, and the general requirements of the client. This does not mean, however, that arbitrary deliveries can be set for aerial photographic products. The factors in each project vary and each job must be considered in accordance with the factors involved. This accounts for the fact that products of aerial surveys may readily vary from $1.25 to $200 a square mile. Sherman M. Fairchild became interested in the design of a radically different aerial camera during the war. At its close he was about ready to demonstrate his design to the War Department. By 1920, he was able to bring out his first completed model. It had a number of radical features, one of which was the first dependable high-speed between-the-lens shutter, which makes for accuracy in aerial photographic work. Another feature was the use of metal throughout, eliminating the wooden parts that had been employed in wartime cameras. Another feature was the interchangeability of parts.

Jan 1, 1936

By A. B. Kinzel

A PREVIOUS study1 of the relations of impact strength to inclusions showed that the dynamic strength of steel is lowered by the presence of visible counted inclusions, but that other factors comprised in the term "body" have a marked influence. The previous work was carried out on selected steels from a single source, so that the body factor was purposely minimized, but even under these conditions it was found that inclusion counting or the use of the commercial inclusion rating is not satisfactory. The tensile-impact test, however, was indicated as a satisfactory measure of dynamic strength. It was further suggested that the tensile-impact test should be so standardized as to be suitable for use in specifications, and that the hardness factor should be worked out over a sufficient range to admit ready commercial use of the tensile-impact test. In accordance with these suggestions, and in view of the fact that the steels reported in the previous paper were selected and treated so as to have a minimum variation in body, hardness and structure, further work has been performed on a variety of steels which are not limited by these conditions. The word "body" is used here for want of a better term. It is simply a convenient expression which comprises the effect of the various unknown factors that modify the dynamic strength of the steel. Thus at our present state of knowledge, the writers have chosen to consider hardness, structure and counted inclusion content as factors not comprised in the term "body," and such factors as raw materials, process of melting, fabricating, etc. as comprised in the term "body." Numerous grades of steels made in several ways have been taken from different sources and have been heat-treated to varying hardness by normalizing and by quenching and drawing. The results, therefore, may be considered to be generally applicable to current engineering steels. A certain limitation with respect to the hardness at which steel should be

Jan 1, 1931

By Frank A. Wilder

The most important process in a gypsum mill is calcining the crude mineral. There seems, however, to be little progress or change in calcining methods. This would not be surprising if the industry was not, in other ways, developing. The demand for gypsum in its various forms, however, is growing rapidly. The output has more than doubled in six years, while the value of gypsum products, through the introduction of higher priced. specialties like wall board, has nearly trebled in the same period. In other industries, under somewhat similar conditions, calcining in rotating cylinders, either by direct or indirect heat, has replaced the method that still prevails in gypsum mills. Efforts were made to use rotary calciners in manufacturing plaster of Paris in the early days of the industry in America; 25 years ago rotary calciners were in use in Germany. At that time there was great diversity of opinion in regard to their merit. In 1923, the output of calcined gypsum in the United States was 3,101,378 tons. About nine-tenths of this material was calcined in kettles, the remainder in rotary calciners. The ratio was about the same 10 years ago. During these 10 years, rotary calcining made relatively no gains, and there were no important changes in the construction of kettles. In their manipulation, the only change of consequence was in connection with the length of time that the gypsum is left in the kettle. For wall-plaster purposes, all producers who had not previously done so changed from second-settled to first-settled calcined gypsum, thereby reducing production costs and improving the plasticity and sand-carrying capacity of their plaster. Nevertheless, in the few mills in which they were installed, rotary calciners continue to operate, with possibly one or two exceptions, and to be highly successful. In these 10 years, the Cummer type of rotary calciner has disappeared. All rotaries now used are of the cement-mill type with a diameter of 6 or 7 ft. and length of 80 to 120 feet.

Jan 1, 1925

By Frank Wilder

THE most important process in a gypsum mill is calcining the crude mineral. There seems, however, to be little progress or change in calcining methods. This would not be surprising if the industry was not, in other ways, developing. The demand for gypsum in its various forms, however, is growing rapidly. The output has more than doubled in six years, while the value of gypsum products, through the introduction of higher priced specialties like wall board, has nearly trebled in the same period. In other industries, under somewhat similar conditions, calcining in rotating cylinders, either by direct or indirect heat, has replaced the method that still prevails in gypsum mills. Efforts were made to use rotary calciners in manufacturing plaster of Paris in the early days of the industry in America; 25 years ago rotary calciners were in use in Germany. At that time there was great diversity of opinion in regard to their merit. In 1923, the output of calcined gypsum in the United States was 3,101,378 tons. About nine-tenths of this material was calcined in kettles, the remainder in rotary calciners. The ratio was about the same 10 years ago. During these 10 years, rotary calcining made rela-tively no gains, and there were no important changes in the construction of kettles. In their manipulation, the only change of consequence was in connection with the length of time that the gypsum is left in the kettle. For wall-plaster purposes, all producers who had not previously done so changed from second-settled to first-settled calcined gypsum, thereby reducing production costs and improving the plasticity and sand-carrying capacity of their plaster. Nevertheless, in the few mills in which they were installed, rotary calciners continue to operate, with possibly one or two exceptions, and to be highly successful. In these 10 years, the Cummer type of rotary calciner has disappeared. All rotaries now used are of the cement-mill type with a diameter of 6 or 7 ft. and length of 80 to 120 feet.

Jan 2, 1925

By Frank Haas

Many articles on the physical properties of fire damp have appeared in the Transactions and elsewhere but practically nothing has been written in regard to its occurrence or fluctuation in quantity in an ordinary mine. After the Monongah explosion in 1907, with the loss of 361 lives, the Consolidation Coal Co. sought a method by which such catastrophes could be prevented. While the cause of this particular explosion was attributed to coal dust, some of those acquainted with the mine thought that fire damp was involved, if it was not the initial cause. So the literature on the subject was studied and mines where similar conditions prevailed in this country and Europe, were visited, with the view of establishing some system by which gas could be more easily detected and controlled. The results of this study were disappointing for no method was found other than the time-honored fire boss with his safety lamp, with some variations in the rules and regulations governing his inspections and reports. Duties of the Fire Boss Pending the development of a better method, it was decided to standardize and perfect the duties of the fire boss and the reports based on his observations. Those who were then in service were closely examined, various lamps were experimented with and the lamps and individuals tested under known conditions. It was found that a fire boss could tell whether gas was present but his estimate of quantity was not even an approximation; therefore, while the services of fire bosses were indispen-sible there was need of additional information by which the quantity of gas could be estimated with some precision in order to determine its variation from time to time. Chemical Process for Determination of Methane After considering all methods known at that time a chemical process was adopted. The principles involved in the process are that in an enclosed receptacle, in the presence of excess air, methane will be completely burned by means of a hot platinum wire to carbon dioxide and

Jan 1, 1927

By Charles E. Carlsen

Underground construction involves all the legal problems common to the construction industry and adds a nice little group of its own. Elements which will ultimately affect contractor-owner relationship commence to form almost as soon as the owner conceives of the project. A few of these with emphasis on their application to underground construction will be mentioned. (1) During the design stage, determination must be made as to whether the specifications will be general or restrictive. To what extent will the operations of the contractor be controlled? Can he proceed to use any method of tunnel excavation that he desires and only be responsible for the end result or will specific excavation procedures be required? Can explosives be used? Under what restrictions? Are tunnel supports required? How long can the crown behind the heading remain unsupported? What kind of supports are required? What restrictions on the placement of tunnel-lining concrete will be required? Each of you could extend this list for many pages but these illustrations are indicative of decisions that must be made in advance of bidding, and the ultimate decision on each question can have a significant effect on the legal relationships that exist between the contractor and the owner. The owner wants a good job at a fair price. On the other hand, nothing is worse than having a tunnel collapse during the construction period, with its extra costs, loss of life, and delay to the entire project. If the specifications are too restrictive, increased costs of performance are bound to occur. Owners save tremendous amounts of money by obtaining a contractor who has been ingenious in devising the most economical construction procedure. Care must be taken in drafting the specifications so that the benefits of such ingenuity will not be lost. (2) HOW is the contract to be awarded? Will there be open bidding, a restricted list of bidders, or will there be negotiations with a comparatively few contractors? If it is a government project, whether Federal, state, or

Jan 1, 1970

By H. B. Menardi

The history, geology, ore deposits and current mining operations of the Huitzuco district have been described by C. W. Vaupelll and the current mill operations by David Segura.2 This paper completes the story of Huitzuco with a description of the reduction of the flotation concentrates. The predominant ore mineral in the Huitzuco deposit is livingstonite, a rare, mercury-antimony sulphide (HgS.2Sb2S3). Other associated minerals include cinnabar, stibnite and elemental sulphur. The gangue is largely limestone and gypsum. Former operators mined a selected grade of ore, from which the mercury was recovered by an expensive, inefficient operation. A considerable tonnage of rejects and fills, carrying mercury and antimony, was left in the mine. In order to recover both mercury and antimony from these fills and also from newly developed ore, a combination method has been developed, by means of which the livingstonite is concentrated by flotation and the flotation concentrates subsequently reduced to metallic mercury and antimony. An essential part of the flotation treatment, as developed by Segura, is the use of copper sulphate as an activating agent. A typical analysis of concentrates now being produced at the property is as follows: Hg, 7.73 per cent; Sb, 26.40; Fe, 1.20; S, 29.68; CaO, 11.50; MgO, 7.25; SiOz, 1.63; A1203, 0.65. PRocess foR Treatment op Concentrates In the development of a process for treatment of these concentrates, three different methods were investigated: (1) roasting in a Dwight-Lloyd sintering machine with an excess of air; (2) separation of mercury and antimony by distillation in a reducing atmosphere; (3) a third method, which ultimately developed into the present process. The third method involved a slow calcination at a closely regulated temperature with a limited admission of air, which separated the mercury and antimony, the raeroury passing out of the kiln with the furnace gases and the antimony remaining in the calcine or "sinter."

Jan 1, 1944

By Walter Miller

During no similar period in the development of petroleum refining technology has so much progress been made in methods and equipment for the economical utilization of heat. Drastically severe commercial and economical conditions controlling the refining industry during 1927 gave a great impetus to improved efficiency and more economical operation in all departments. I think it is fair to say, however, that more progress has been made in the department of heat utilization than in other branches. I use the word utilization advisedly in the dual sense of better primary generation and application of heat and of saving by recovery methods. It was because of this trend that the subject, "Economical Application of Heat," was made the keynote of the refinery engineering sessions just completed. No new, outstanding elemental discoveries can be claimed for the year along this line. Some of the progress made has been in the development of better furnaces and distilling equipment embodying the more modern principles of boiler practice in obtaining complete combustion of the fuel, low excess air requirements and high transfer rates through the heating surface. Transfer rates of 3000 to 6000 B. t. u. per sq. ft. per hr. were considered good some time ago in the older type of equipment. Today a transfer rate of 25,000 to 35,000 B. t. u. is an actual accomplishment in commercial installations and engineers are talking of the feasibility of 50,000, 75,000, even 100,000 R. t. u. per sq. ft. per hr. Contributing most to bringing this about have been the rational use of the velocity factor on both the oil and firing side of the heating surface, and the study and application of the principles of radiant heat in furnace design. Vapor Heat Economy The principle of heat exchange, especially against oil vapors, has been applied to a greater extent than ever before. The recovery of heat from oil vapors is not new. This was practiced 20 years ago or more in Europe,

Jan 1, 1928

By J. J. Sense

10.2-1. Equipment Scheduling. In any earth-moving operation, more profit may be earned or lost by equipment scheduling than by any other single facet of the project. Many now-defunct earth movers would have survived the cost-profit squeeze had they followed an efficient, cost saving, equipment scheduling program. The ideal program would have every item of the equipment fleet working all of the time. In practice for many obvious reasons, principally mechanical conditions, operating conditions, and human nature-this ideal situation is not possible. The cost-conscious organization strives to keep as many pieces of equipment of the fleet working efficiently as much of the work day as possible. Operating efficiency requires the minimum equipment to move the predetermined tonnages in the prescribed period of time. In the case of a shovel-truck operation this would mean the scheduling of the minimum shovel and truck shifts to excavate and transport the necessary tonnage to the processing plant or waste dump. To accomplish this goal, the operator must work from the predetermined production established by the requirements of the plant, stripping ratio, mine plan, etc. This production schedule may be in terms of tons or yards per year, per month, or per hour, but must eventually be translated into tons or yards per ma- chine per unit of time. In this regard, the reader is referred to Sections 8.0, Excavation and Loading, and 9.0, Haulage and Transportation. The trend to larger and faster, and as a result more costly, equipment requires that the operator consider every possibility to keep the equipment operating around the clock, seven days per week. In some areas seven day operation may not be feasible economically, because of premium pay for Sunday work. Mine labor agreements are generally written without premium pay penalties for weekend work, and such scheduling is possible and most often desirable.

Jan 1, 1968

By Karl S. Kurtenacker

In attempting to find a rapid and economical means for solving many of the subsurface problems that confront the highway engineer, the author for the past two years has utilized a Megger Ground Tester on resistivity surveys in conjunction with highway construction. Electrical surveys in connection with highway work are largely shallow depth surveys, thus differing from most other types of resistivity work. Consequently, the readings are affected by a great many qualifying factors such as the density and moisture content of the media under observation and the amount of weathering and leaching. In most cases the surface layer is decidedly heterogeneous in character, and, because of the great number of side hill cuts, the second layer, which in most cases is rock overlain by some sort of surface soil, silt, or debris, seldom lies in a horizontal position. Shallow strata, lacking homogeneity and not lying in a horizontal position, do not lend themselves readily to accurate theoretical interpretations, therefore the author has used empirical rules to a large extent in interpreting depth soundings. The following empirical rules of interpretation are surprisingly adequate for highway work, since much of the work is in the nature of reconnaissance surveying and the results are construed to be approximations. The writer is careful not to risk interpretation on some special feature of the curve, since such features are usually due to random errors or lack of homogeneity among the subsurface strata. Effect of Surface Medium A resistivity depth sounding taken to a depth of 200 or 300 ft. is not much affected by superficial conditions, but these conditions have a great effect in depth soundings to 25 or 30 ft. In shallow soundings the character of the surface medium has a very marked effect on the entire resistivity graph. Fig. 1 illustrates a very striking example. Graphs A and B are depth soundings taken in approximately the same place. The surface stratum is a clay loam but at the place where graph B was taken

Jan 1, 1934

By J. H. Frye, D. L. McElroy, E. E. Stansbury

The rates of growth of pearlite in high-purity Fe-C alloys have been measured as a function of the transformation temperature. These and other data have been correlated in terms of a derived rate equation. Activation energies for the growth were found to be 24,200 cal per mol of austenite for the 0.78 pct C alloy and 27,600 cal per mol for the 0.93 pct C alloy. Theoretical implications are discussed. AN excellent review of the the theoretical and experimental studies on the mechanism and kinetics of the eutectoid reaction has been presented recently by Mehl and Dube.' They have pointed out that these investigations have followed two lines of approach: 1—experimental studies and derivations of expressions for the overall transformation characteristics, and 2—derivation of expressions for the nucleation and growth rates in terms of fundamental processes. Investigations of the latter type have been concerned for the most part with the nature of the growth at the austenite-pearlite interface in plain carbon and alloy eutectoid steels. They discuss two theories of the rate of growth of pearlite from aus-tenite—those of Brandt and of Zener. Both derive rate equations which are based on the assumption that carbon diffusion is the controlling mechanism. Mehl and Dube,' Zener,2 and Brandts. " have attempted to calculate growth rates by use of these equations together with thermodynamic and diffusion data. The results are encouraging, but agreement is not so good as to constitute verification of the theories. Furthermore, it Is not clear how these equations are to be used to study the effect of alloying elements which apparently exert little influence on carbon diffusion, but markedly decrease growth rates. It is not clear whether or not the addition to iron of an alloying element which does not diffuse during transformation can alter the rate of growth of body-centered from face-centered cubic iron. That it can greatly decrease the overall transformation rate has

Jan 1, 1954

Book Notices CATALYSIS IN INDUSTRIAL CHEMISTRY. By G. G. Henderson. Lond. and N. Y., Longmans, Green and Co., 1919. 202 pp., cloth, 9 X 6 in., $3.25. This, the latest volume of the series of Monographs on Industrial Chemistry which is being published under the editorship of Sir Edward Thorpe, is intended to present broadly, our present knowledge of the phenomenon of which it treats. The hook reviews the existing literature on catalysis, paying particular attention to the many applications now used in industry. COMMERCIAL OILS-VEGETABLE AND ANIMAL. With special reference to Oriental Oils. By I. F. Laucks. 1st edition. N. Y., John Wiley and Sons, Inc.;, Lond. Chapman and Hall, Ltd., 1919. 138 pp., cloth, 8 X 5 in., $1.25. Intended to give to men in the oil trade, who have not had technical training, the technical data and information required in every-day dealings, in concise form. The various commercial oils are listed, together with their sources, uses, and phys-ical and chemical characteristics. The values have been collected from the standard texts, supplemented, particularly in regard to oriental oils, by the results obtained in the author's laboratory. FIFTY YEARS OF IRON AND STEEL. By Joseph G. Butler, Jr. Cleveland, The Penton Press, 1919. 145 pp., por., 10 X 6 in., leather. (Gift of author.) This volume is one of a special edition, of 100 copies, of an address delivered before the American Iron and Steel Institute in 1917, in which the author gives his personal reminiscences of the development in iron and steel making, as observed during an active participation in the industry in eastern Ohio, which began in 1857. To this are added some brief data on the early history of iron and steel, and a chapter on the activities of the American iron manufactures during the great war. The volume is profusely illustrated with portraits of men of note in the industry.

Jan 12, 1919