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By Oliver Ralston

DURING experimental study on the separation of a zinc concentrate from the heavy sulfide ores of Jerome, Ariz., a great deal of attention has been given to proper activation of the sphalerite content of the ore. The sphalerite at Jerome contains enough iron to class it as a marmatite, as picked specimens have only about 60 per cent. zinc, whereas pure zinc sulfide contains 67 per cent, zinc. This marmatite in large pieces is black in color, but in dry powdered state is brown. A flotation froth made from it has a silvery black luster in comparison with a brassy luster caused by chalcopyrite which occurs in the same ores. The sample used in most of the experiments described below consisted of about 3000 lb. of diamond-drill core from the zinc-bearing orebodies of the United Verde mine, and had the following analysis: PER CENT. PER CENT. Oz. PER TON Cu 0.695 A1203 0.83 Ag 1.30 Zn 6.17 S...:: 43.35 Au 0.02 Fe 36.23 CaO 0.46 Si02 9.27 Mineralogically, this analysis is calculated to the following, which is in agreement with the microscopic examination: PER CENT. PER CENT. Chalcopyrite 2.0 Schist 3.2 Marmatite 10.32 Quartz 8.2 Pyrite 73.0 Calcite 0.9 All samples were ground in a laboratory ball mill in order to leave about 3 per cent. on a 200-mesh sieve, fine grinding being essential to liberate the minerals in the ore. Most of the Jerome ores are so intimately crystallized that reasonably complete unlocking by grinding does not take place until 800 mesh is approached. Therefore, the 200-mesh grind adopted contains a considerable amount of locked mineral grains, but not so much as. to render impossible the preparation of commercial grades of concentrate:

Jan 1, 1929

By Clarence E. Killebrew

The key to the successful use of any tool, more than anything else, depends upon proper application assignment. To achieve this, the individual having such machine responsibility must maintain fresh knowledge of technical improvements that broaden machine uses. 8.3-1. Tractor Shovel. This type machine is available in a wide range of sizes mounted either on crawler tracks or rubber-tired wheels, with both two-wheel and four-wheel drive. The original concept in both crawler and rubber mounting was that of an attachment to be added to a tractor already in existence. This served as an important expedient for the introduction of the tool, but the basic tractor proved to be inadequately designed for the additional loads. In spite of these structural inadequencies, customer acceptance generated sufficient revenue that further development could be financed for product improvement. The evolution of the product is continuing in many ways-including engines, drive line components, tires, hydraulic pumps, hydraulic valves, structural steel, etc. With each improvement, the operating capability of the machine is extended. This is resulting in the rubber-tired, four-wheel-drive concept making an invasion of the job applications that were formerly considered suitable only for crawler-track mounted machines. Both rubber- and crawler-mounted tractor shovels have invaded the market of small excavator shovels. Larger tractor shovels are challenging the larger size excavators. It is important that each job application be carefully considered so that the proper machine is put in operation. The performance varies widely in operating cost, production efficiency, and job flexibility. Factors to be considered in equipment selection are: 1. Nature of material to be moved 3. Distance material must be moved 2. Surface over which material must be moved 4. Quantity to be moved 5. Secondary or alternate use capability

Jan 1, 1968

By Francisco Cadena

The construction of Norris Dam, built by the Tennessee Valley Authority on the Clinch River, a tributary of the Tennessee River, involved the production of coarse and fine aggregate for approximately 1,000,000 cu. yd. of concrete. A hammer-mill plant for the manufacture of sand from quarried rock was indicated as the most economical method of providing this material. The abrasive character of the feed as compared to the average hammer-mill feed made it necessary to control operations rather closely, and this resulted in the accumulation of many data hearing on production and maintenance. This paper will deal only with three specific sets of data, accompanied by such general information as may be necessary to explain the conditions under which they were obtained and followed by discussions on the relation of silica content to hammer wear, comparative costs of slugger and stirrup hammers, and comparative costs of tool-steel and manganese-steel grate bars. Coarse Aggregate Aggregate for the concrete poured at Norris Dam came from a dolomite quarry within 2000 ft. of the west abutment of the dam. Geologically this rock is known as a Knox dolomite. A typical chemical analysis is given in Table 1. Table 1.—Typical Chemical Analysis Per Cent H2O, 110° F............................................. 0.02 lgnition loss.............................................. 43.56 MgO.................................................... 19.19 CaO ................................................... 29.07 Fe²O³.................................................... 0.39 Al2O³ .................................................. 1.94 SiO2..................................................... 5.75 SO2...................................................... Tr. Rock was carried by 12-yd, dump trucks to a 42-in. gyratory crusher set at 6 1/2in. The product of the primary crusher was taken by a belt conveyor to a double.-deck vibrating screen followed by a 5 1/2-ft. cone

Jan 1, 1938

By Francisco Cadena

The construction of Norris Dam, built by the Tennessee Valley Authority on the Clinch River, a tributary of the Tennessee River, involved the production of coarse and fine aggregate for approximately 1,000,000 cu. yd. of concrete. A hammer-mill plant for the manufacture of sand from quarried rock was indicated as the most economical method of providing this material. The abrasive character of the feed as compared to the average hammer-mill feed made it necessary to control operations rather closely, and this resulted in the accumulation of many data hearing on production and maintenance. This paper will deal only with three specific sets of data, accompanied by such general information as may be necessary to explain the conditions under which they were obtained and followed by discussions on the relation of silica content to hammer wear, comparative costs of slugger and stirrup hammers, and comparative costs of tool-steel and manganese-steel grate bars. Coarse Aggregate Aggregate for the concrete poured at Norris Dam came from a dolomite quarry within 2000 ft. of the west abutment of the dam. Geologically this rock is known as a Knox dolomite. A typical chemical analysis is given in Table 1. Table 1.—Typical Chemical Analysis Per Cent H2O, 110° F............................................. 0.02 lgnition loss.............................................. 43.56 MgO.................................................... 19.19 CaO ................................................... 29.07 Fe²O³.................................................... 0.39 Al2O³ .................................................. 1.94 SiO2..................................................... 5.75 SO2...................................................... Tr. Rock was carried by 12-yd, dump trucks to a 42-in. gyratory crusher set at 6 1/2in. The product of the primary crusher was taken by a belt conveyor to a double.-deck vibrating screen followed by a 5 1/2-ft. cone

Jan 1, 1938

By Eric Jette

IN thermodynamic studies of gas mixtures and liquid solutions, the respective problems have been greatly simplified by the use of two general limiting laws; Dalton's law of partial pressures and Raoult's law. It is generally recognized that these two laws have a common physical and chemical basis which may be stated as follows: The law may be expected to be strictly valid only for systems in which the different molecular species are so nearly the same in their physical and chemical properties that a molecule is unable to recognize whether its neighbor is one of its own kind or not. Positive and negative deviations from both laws are frequently encountered. The occurrence of negative deviations in both gases and liquids is ascribed to attractive forces which, in the more extreme cases, may be so large in magnitude and so highly specific in character as to lead to the formation of definite chemical compounds. Positive deviations in gases develop only at higher pressures where the intermolecular distances are so decreased that factors such as molecular size and shape, which ultimately become concerned with the repulsive forces, come into play. In liquid mixtures, positive deviations are generally considered as due to differences in the symmetrical (nonpolar) fields of force which surround the various molecular species and which are supposed to give rise to a tendency for each species to associate with its own kind and thus to "squeeze out" the other variety. Fundamentally this also involves the existence of repulsive forces between unlike molecules. If the fields of force are unsymmetrical (polar) a tendency towards compound formation results. Stated in more exact terms, strict adherence to the law means that the "activity" (or any adequate measure of this quantity) of a component in a mixture is a linear function of the molecular (or atomic)

Jan 1, 1934

By Darwin Soler

This chapter will outline the operating procedures at Freeport Kaolin Co.5 kaolin mining operations in Georgia, with emphasis on explaining new techniques recently introduced to reclaim mined-out areas for reforestation. Kaolin is found in the central Georgia area (See Fig. 1) in lenticular, sedimentary deposits of high purity. The beds are Cretaceous in age and vary from 4 to 60 ft in thickness, under a cover of sedimentary overburden ranging from 5 to 150 ft. The kaolin beds contain the mineral kaolinite (a hydrous aluminum silicate) and have a particle-size distribution ranging from about 20µ to the submicron level and averaging about 60% below 2µ. The only contaminants in the deposits are coarse mica, quartz particles, and minor amounts of iron and titanium oxides. These kaolin deposits vary widely in quality from deposit to deposit and also vary within individual deposits. Some of the controlling quality specifications which are determined during exploration are viscosity in water suspension, optical brightness index as measured by reflectance, amenability to bleaching, and particle-size distribution. For this reason, only a small portion of the total kaolin reserves in the Georgia belt are suitable for wet processing for the present markets being served. Kaolin clays are selectively mined by different mechanical methods and are beneficiated by both wet and dry processing to produce a number of products used as fillers and coatings in the paper industry; fillers or additives in the paint, plastic, and rubber industries; and as basic raw materials for the ceramic industry. The State of Georgia is the largest kaolin producer in the United States, with 3,206,454 tons produced in 1966, according to U.S. Bureau of Mines statistics. Freeport Kaolin Co’s processing plant is located in Gordon, Ga., about 20 miles east of Macon, Ga.

Jan 1, 1969

By N. V. Melnikov, L. N. Marchenko

The latest theoretical and experimental study of physical processes initiated by explosions in solid media have made it possible to obtain a deeper insight into the mechanism of the energy transfer to ambient rock from char es of explosives interspersed with various air gaps. As shown in (17, high explosive action causes excessive fragmentation of medium in the vicinity of the charge, while expansion of the process into the massif is negligible. A theoretical outline of a more rational application of explosion energy was given with a view of obtaining more uniform fragmentation of rock convenient for loading and transportation. The proposed idea proven by experimental study consisted of the possibility of explosion control based on redistribution of explosion energy. Practical realization of the above idea was proposed (1) involving charges with air gaps for rock fragmentation. Since the Rolla Symposium on Mining Research (USA, 1961) (2), borehole charges with air gaps have become common practice. This method of rock blasting is applied in open cast and underground mines working the hardest and viscous, hard, medium hard and soft rocks (ore, quartzites, granites, 1 imes tones, sandstones, coals, etc.) as well as at enterprises for extraction of building materials and raw chemical minerals of any strength. Application of charges with air gaps results in an increase of the degree and uniformity of fragmentation (up to 94 percent of the blasted rock mass consists of fragments not exceeding 400 mm), the average fragment size decreases by 1.5-2 times and the amount of lumps is reduced by 2-10 times (in some cases there are no lumps at all ). Besides, the amount of operation for filling boreholes with tamping material is reduced, the specific consumption of explosives

Jan 1, 1971

By George Rice

VENTILATION of underground workings to fur-nish air of good quality to workers is now the accepted practice for all kinds of mining; but in coal mining it is also a requirement vital for safety to have systematic coursing of the air to all parts of a mine so that fire damp can be diluted and carried away. These two basic needs are recognized in the codes of every country or State where coal is mined, and each has its own system of ventilation requirements. With the same fundamental requirements, varying in degree but not in kind, the surprising thing is that these and other features of regulatory codes should vary so-wide-ly that their provisions on the same subject bear hardly any resemblance to one another. This was strikingly brought out in the paper given before this institute in 1926, on "State Coal-Mining Laws Concerning Ventila-tion1. The explanation ordinarily is that the geologic forma-tions and the mining conditions and methods differ in the various coal fields. Although that is true, in most countries and States the variations in the differ-ent mining districts within each country or state vary widely, and the respective codes must be made to apply by special provisions to meet the variations in thickness of coal, depth,. dip, character of roof, and presence or absence of gas. Evidently the great diversity in codes is due to the method of formulating them. Some are prepared by political commissions in which partisan interests are a factor; others originated in the early days of mining with meager outlines and were so amended by legisla-tive acts or administrative orders from year to year as to become complicated and ambiguous, and pro-visions in different parts of a single law are often contradictory. Such laws have therefore been difficult to interpret and to enforce adequately.

Jan 5, 1928

By Francisco Cadena

THE construction of Norris Dam, built by the Tennessee Valley Authority on the Clinch River, a tributary of the Tennessee River, involved the production of coarse and fine aggregate for approximately 1,000,000 cu. yd. of concrete. A hammer-mill plant for the manufacture of sand from quarried rock was indicated as the most economical method of providing this material. The abrasive character of the feed as compared to the average hammer-mill feed made it necessary to control operations rather closely, and this resulted in the accumulation of many data bearing on production and maintenance. This paper will deal only with three specific sets of data, accompanied by such general information as may be necessary to explain the conditions under which they were obtained and followed by discussions on the relation of silica content to hammer wear, comparative costs of slugger and stirrup hammers, and comparative costs of tool-steel and manganese-steel grate bars. Coarse Aggregate Aggregate for the concrete poured at Norris Dam came from a dolomite quarry within 2000 ft. of the west abutment of the dam. Geologically this rock is known as a Knox dolomite. A typical chemical analysis is given in Table 1. TABLE 1 .-Typica.1 Chemica1 Analysis [PER CENT H20,1100F ............................................ 0.0'2 Ignitionloss ............................................. 43.56 MgO .................................................. 19.19 CaO .................................................... 29.07 FezO .................................................... 0.39 A1203 .................................................... 1.94 FezO .................................................... 0.39 A1203 .................................................... 1.94 ..................................................... 5.75 SO2.. .................................................. Tr.] Rock was carried by 12-yd. dump trucks to a 42-in. gyratory crusher set at 6 1/2 in. The product of the primary crusher was taken by a belt conveyor to a double-deck vibrating screen followed by a 5 1/2-ft. cone

Jan 1, 1937

By James Finlay

(New York Meeting, February, 1913) AT first blush one is tempted to say that iron-mines are like any other mines, and that principles governing mining-property in general will apply to them. But there are certain considerations which seem to repay reflection. Gold and copper are more or less independent of transportation. The proof of this is that those metals are profitably mined and shipped from the remotest corners of the earth. Their value is determined by the cost of production on the ground. This is quite true of gold, not quite so true of copper, not at all true of iron. If New York were a fishing-village and Chicago' a swamp, Calumet & Hecla might still be a bonanza. The main element of its value is the 60 lb. of fine copper per ton which it produced for years. But the Mesabi Range is absolutely dependent upon the industrial activity in the United States. Iron-manufacture in Europe would give it no value whatever. If Chicago and New York had a population of Peruvians or Hindus, the Hull-Rust mine would be as worthless a bit of landscape as any tundra in Alaska. I have discussed these facts more or less casually and dimly in my book on the cost of mining and in my report to the Tax Commissioners of Michigan1 I shall try here to bring them out in more detail. I have already referred to some differences in the problem of mining as between the more precious metals, e.g., gold, and the less precious and more abundant minerals, like iron and coal; but it is interesting to note that the literature of the eco-

Jan 3, 1913

By Frederic P. Dewey

It is common to blame irregular assay results upon volatilization and much has been written upon the subject, but there is no real evidence that, in a properly conducted assay, the loss of either gold or silver by volatilization is sufficient to affect appreciably the result, even when arsenic or antimony may be present. Bulk assays of flue dust from assay muffles have been published, but the data given are totally insufficient to even approximate the volatilization from a single assay; and such figures as we have indicate the volatilization to be extremely small. Diligent search in the literature and wide inquiry among assayers and instructors have failed to produce a single case where the litharge volatilized in making an assay has been collected and assayed for gold and silver. Having attempted to do this, with most indifferent success, I am not surprised that this has not been done. While various textbooks give volatilization as a cause of loss in cupella-tion, it may safely be said that in the rare cases where this volatilization is sufficient to affect appreciably the result it is due to excessive temperature. Percy' says "The loss of silver by volatilization during cupellation is very slight (unless the temperature has been much too high), and may be disregarded." This statement is repeated by the Beringers2 and Smith,3 who includes gold with silver. Mitchell4 says the litharge fume rarely contains over one ten-thousandth of silver. Campredon5 ays that at a proper temperature no silver is lost by volatilization. Primarily, excessive temperature may be due to too high general temperature in the muffle; but it may often be due to temperature localized within the bead by oxidation of the metals and this may be influenced by other causes than the general temperature. I have shown an ex-

Jan 1, 1921

By Ray W. Arms

DRY cleaning, or pneumatic separation, is not, strictly speaking, a recent discovery. Among the archives of the Patent Office may be found many patents dating back as far as 1850 which cover early attempts to separate materials of varying specific gravity or of different shape by means of air. Hundreds of patents covering this art have been issued, which may be roughly classified into four general groups, as follows: 1. Stationary devices with pulsating air currents. The separating surface is usually riffled and air is supplied by bellows or compressors. This group also includes air jigs, which have been used rather extensively. 2. Stationary devices with continuous air currents. These submitted the material to a continuous current of air, either horizontal or vertical. Chaff is blown from wheat by such a device. 3. Reciprocating or vibrating devices with pulsating air. A small group in which the pulsating air is supplied by bellows and some motion provided in the separating surface to move the stratified material to various discharge points. 4. Reciprocating or vibrating devices with continuous air supply. This is by far the most important group and all recent developments have been along this line. All of the above groups involve the stratification of material by air and include none of the dry methods that use other principles, such as coefficient of friction, magnetism, etc. Air Stratification In all of the above groups of air separating devices, the same phenomena are found as exist in water concentrators; that is, free settling will be found in some and hindered settling in others, with a complex action on the reciprocating tables similar to the wet tables. The experimental value of the settling ratios of particles in air has never been determined but, following the formulas given in Richards'

Jan 1, 1924

By O. C. Ralston, William C. Hunter

DUring experimental study on the separation of a zinc concentrate from the heavy sulfide ores of Jerome, Ariz., a great deal of attention has been given to proper activation of the sphalerite content of the ore. The sphalerite at Jerome contains enough iron to class it as a marmatite, as picked specimens have only about 60 per cent. zinc, whereas pure zinc sulfide contains 67 per cent. zinc. This marmatite in large pieces is black in color, but in dry powdered state is brown. A flotation froth made from it has a silvery black luster in comparison with a brassy luster caused by chalcopyrite which occurs in the same ores. The sample used in most of the experiments described below consisted of about 3000 Ib. of diamond-drill core from the zinc-bearing orebodies of the United Verde mine, and had the following analysis: Per Cent. Per Cent. Oz. peR Ton Cu............... 0.695 Al2O3............ 0.83 Ag................. 1.30 Zn............... 6.17 S................ 43.35 Au................ 0.02 Fe...............36.23 CaO............. 0.46 SiO2............. 9.27 Mineralogically, this analysis is calculated to the following, which is in agreement with the microscopic examination: Per Cent. Per Cent. Chalcopyrite................... 2.0 Schist........................... 3.2 Marmatite..................... 10.32 Quartz........................... 8.2 Pyrite........................ 73.0 Calcite.......................... 0.9 All samples were ground in a laboratory ball mill in order to leave about 3 per cent. on a 200-mesh sieve, fine grinding being essential to liberate the minerals in the ore. Most of the Jerome ores are so intimately crystallized that reasonably complete unlocking by grinding does not take place until 800 mesh is approached. Therefore, the 200-mesh grind adopted contains a considerable amount of locked mineral grains, but not so much as to render impossible the preparation of commercial grades of concentrate.

Jan 1, 1930

By R. M. Raymond

The Mining Section of The National Safety Council recently sent out a questionnaire to operators, regarding the class of rope used, specifications required or obtained, factors of safety observed, methods of fastening ropes, lubrication, inspection, and points observed when rope is to be discarded. The answers received from this questionnaire, largely from metal mines, give interesting information, from which recommendations for safety practice on hoisting ropes are drawn. Depth of Mine The depth in the majority of cases noted is from 1000 ft. to 1500 ft. (304 to 457 m.) and records come from a number hoisting from depths of 2000 to 3000 ft. Hoisting is generally done in balance, with a few companies using counterweights. Seldom, more than two shifts are occupied in hoisting. A number of large operators limit the shift for engineers to 6 hr. A few of the larger operators have separate hoists for men and supplies, with a higher class rope for men. The range of loads varies from 7 to 17 tons and greater in a few cases, with a balanced weight of 4 to 7 tons. Size or Drums and Sheaves The size of drums and size of sheaves are generally in accordance with recommendations of rope manufacturers. Only one-half of the operators use grooved drums; one, The Sulphide Corpn., New South Wales, uses wood-lagged drums. Very few operators have drums capable of holding all the rope in a single wrap. Cone drums or cone and cylinder drums, in the mines heard from, are very rare. A few mines of shallow depth use a small drum and large-sized sheave. While this may be allowed, and in some cases is all right, the size of drum and sheave should be fully equal to that recommended by the rope manufacturers and should be at least 60 to 100 times the diameter of the

Jan 1, 1923

By W. M. Bertholf

To establish the minimum or break-even efficiency of a preparation plant it is necessary to determine the ratio of production costs per ton of run-of-mine coal to sale price per ton of clean coal. This ratio is then divided by the percentage of plant recovery. Assume, for example, that washability data indicate that 80 pct of the run-of-mine coal may be recovered as clean coal selling for $5.50 per ton. If the same plant incurs $4.00 per ton mining costs and $0.25 per ton preparation costs, the cost to sale price ratio would be 4.25/5.50, or 77.3 pct. Since the plant is capable of recovering 80 pct of the run-of-mine coal the minimum plant efficiency would be 77.3/80, or 96.6 pct. If the plant efficiency were increased to 100 pct the limit on preparation costs would be increased to $0.40. Therefore, the washing operation must be accomplished at a cost of $0.25 to $0.40 per ton and the efficiency must be 96.6 pct or higher. By plotting a curve of efficiency vs preparation costs and taking into consideration the plant cost, feed rate, operating costs, and yields of the various flowsheets it is possible to select a financially sound process. Table I classifies preparation processes according to their nature of separation. It must be remembered that what is thought to be ideal does not always prove practical under actual operation. An outstanding example is the work done on the plunger-type jig. It was determined by the law of equivalence that this unit could treat satisfactorily only sizes differing by no more than a ratio of 2. Yet these same plunger-type jigs are successfully treating sizes considerably greater than this ratio.

Jan 12, 1957

By R. M. Raymond

The Mining Section of The National Safety Council recently sent out a questionnaire to operators, regarding the class of rope used, specifications required or obtained, factors of safety observed, methods of fastening ropes, lubrication, inspection, and points observed when rope is to be discarded. The answers received from this questionnaire, largely from metal mines, give interesting information, from which recommendations for safety practice on hoisting ropes are drawn. Depth of Mine The depth in the majority of cases noted is from 1000 ft. to 1500 ft. (304 to 457 m.) and records come from a number hoisting from depths of 2000 to 3000 ft. Hoisting is generally done in balance, with a few companies using counterweights. Seldom, more than two shifts are occupied in hoisting. A number of large operators limit the shift for engineers to 6 hr. A few of the larger operators have separate hoists for men and supplies, with a higher class rope for men. The range of loads varies from 7 to 17 tons and greater in a few cases, with a balanced weight of 4 to 7 tons. Size or Drums and Sheaves The size of drums and size of sheaves are generally in accordance with recommendations of rope manufacturers. Only one-half of the operators use grooved drums; one, The Sulphide Corpn., New South Wales, uses wood-lagged drums. Very few operators have drums capable of holding all the rope in a single wrap. Cone drums or cone and cylinder drums, in the mines heard from, are very rare. A few mines of shallow depth use a small drum and large-sized sheave. While this may be allowed, and in some cases is all right, the size of drum and sheave should be fully equal to that recommended by the rope manufacturers and should be at least 60 to 100 times the diameter of the

Jan 1, 1923

By Keith G. Kirk, Lawrence E. Welborn, Patrick A. Ley

Over the past two years the Office of Surface Mining in conjunction with Energy & Minerals Technology Assessment, ENCORE Systems Inc., and Boeing Computer Services has developed the Economic Coal and Ore Reserve Estimation (ENCORE) Coal Seam Modeling System. This system is being used by OSM, certain states, and industry for mine planning and mine plan permit review. The ENCORE system enables the mining engineer to start at the reserve estimation stage of surface mine planning and continue through the entire mine planning process and into the permit preparation process. The ENCORE system enables the state and federal regulatory authorities to assess a given mining and reclamation plan permit application in a rapid and efficient manner and greatly speeds up the mine plan review and permitting process. The ENCORE system is user friendly and menu driven thereby permitting the engineer with minimal computer training to rapidly learn and utilize the system. Data are input both through digitized map files and bore hole information files and stored in a data base that is an integral part of the ENCORE system. The system performs reserve estimation through standard polygon methods, least square methods, and geostatistical (kriging) techniques. Geostatistical routines permit rapid evaluation of coal and overburden quality and quantity. System outputs include drill hole sumnary and resource summary reports, cross sections, isopach maps, structure contour maps, premining topography maps, postmining topography maps, and three-dimensional perspective views. The maps can be displayed on a high-resolution, color graphics terminal or generated by a high quality plotter and are suitable for direct inclusion in the mining and reclamation pl an permit application. This paper gives detailed examples of ENCORE'S use together with example outputs.

Jan 1, 1983

By R. A. L. Black

Rock mechanics is a very new science. It has been accepted as a recognized discipline for some two decades, but it is only within the last five to ten years that it has been common to include the teaching of rock mechanics as a separate subject in undergraduate curricula at universities. Thus, few senior mining engineers practicing in industry, either men in charge of production or those engaged in mine planning and design, are familiar with the subject. That this unfamiliarity has continued so long is also due in part to the fact that the results of rock mechanics investigations have been published in a large number of different periodicals covering subjects ranging from experimental stress analysis to obscure branches of applied earth sciences. The first really useful textbook ' in the English language was published only in 1965, in Canada. It made available to students and to practicing engineers, for the first time in concise form, the essential body of accepted knowledge about rock mechanics and developed the theories on which it is based in a simple, clear and logical manner. Another factor which has resulted in rock mechanics science being slow to be accepted by the mining industry is that research work has often appeared to be esoteric and unpractical. Senior engineers have been reluctant to spend money on the application of new knowledge when the process of application seemed uncertain and ill-defined, and where the cost of field investigations (which is necessarily high) appeared to offer no certainty of economic reward. This is a reasonable attitude on the part of mining engineers; they are responsible to skeptical boards of directors whose chief concern is, very properly, the net return on capital invested. The application of rock mechanics science has not in the past,

Jan 1, 1968

By Howard J. Smith

At the meeting of this Institute in February 1933,I presented a paper on potash development in southeastern New Mexico1, which contained a brief review of the Geological Survey's 20-year search for commercial sources of soluble potash minerals and of the events that led to the discovery, exploration, and first development of the deposits in that state. AS a more comprehensive review of the subject was published in December2, the present paper is intended only to discuss recent developments in the domestic potash industry, particularly in New Mexico. A summary of the findings of potash in the Permian Basin, by G. R. Mansfield and W. B. Lang, geologists of the United States Geological Survey, is now in process of publication by the University of Texas and will be omitted from this paper. In New Mexico prospecting for potassium salts during the past two years has increased materially the known area of commercial deposits; development has resulted in an increase from one to three in the number of shafts and the starting of a fourth; an increase of annual productive capacity to 1,000,000 tons of crude salts, or 250,000 tons of K2O; and an increase in annual refining capacity to 140,000 tons of muriate of 62.5 per cent grade. Construction has been completed to increase still further the production of high-grade salts. In California the American Potash & Chemical Co., operating on Searles Lake brines, has increased its plant capacity from about 100,000 tons to 180,000 tons of muriate a year and is now producing soda ash and salt cake in addition to potash and borax. Potash production from cement-plant and industrial-alcohol wastes remains unimportant.

Jan 1, 1938

By Howard J. Smith

At the meeting of this Institute in February 1933,I presented a paper on potash development in southeastern New Mexico1, which contained a brief review of the Geological Survey's 20-year search for commercial sources of soluble potash minerals and of the events that led to the discovery, exploration, and first development of the deposits in that state. AS a more comprehensive review of the subject was published in December2, the present paper is intended only to discuss recent developments in the domestic potash industry, particularly in New Mexico. A summary of the findings of potash in the Permian Basin, by G. R. Mansfield and W. B. Lang, geologists of the United States Geological Survey, is now in process of publication by the University of Texas and will be omitted from this paper. In New Mexico prospecting for potassium salts during the past two years has increased materially the known area of commercial deposits; development has resulted in an increase from one to three in the number of shafts and the starting of a fourth; an increase of annual productive capacity to 1,000,000 tons of crude salts, or 250,000 tons of K2O; and an increase in annual refining capacity to 140,000 tons of muriate of 62.5 per cent grade. Construction has been completed to increase still further the production of high-grade salts. In California the American Potash & Chemical Co., operating on Searles Lake brines, has increased its plant capacity from about 100,000 tons to 180,000 tons of muriate a year and is now producing soda ash and salt cake in addition to potash and borax. Potash production from cement-plant and industrial-alcohol wastes remains unimportant.

Jan 1, 1938