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By Burk, Hugh A.

AT THE inception of the cyanide process and its adaptation to the practice of gold and silver metallurgy much difficulty was experienced in applying it to auro-cupriferous ores, both in economy of treatment and recovery of the gold from solution. The presence of copper in the ore effected a high chemical consumption of cyanide during treatment, and in the solvent solution, it retarded the precipitation of the gold on zinc shavings. The coating of the copper on the zinc shavings presented even worse difficulties than the increased cyanide consumption as most ores contain a small amount of copper. This interference of copper led to the use of other precipitating methods and attempts to recover the cyanide which was consumed during ore treatment. Of the other methods used, electrolytic precipitation was the most practical until a better understanding of the application of zinc shavings and zinc dust developed. In September, 1905, a patent entitled, "Method for Recovering Precious Metals from Solution," was granted to Isaac Anderson and Michael Scanton. This method is adaptable to precious metal ores containing a small percentage of copper but has never been extensively used or perfected. The process has

Jan 1, 1925

By James E. Lawver, James L. Wright

This paper describes the design of a cell used to measure the electrical conductivity, or the reciprocal resistivity, of granular materials. It also establishes a quantitative relationship between the electrical conductivity and the electrical separation of selected mineral samples. It is estimated' that the free world produces about 13 million tons of mineral concentrates a year by electrostatic or electrodynamic methods. At least 95% of these concentrates are produced by corona discharge type machines that separate minerals by exploiting the differences in their electrical conductivity. But, what is meant by the electrical conductivity of a mineral? How large a difference in the electrical conductivity of two mineral species is necessary to effect a separation? Just what is the role of conductivity in electrical separations with regard to capacity and selectivity? There is a considerable amount of information in the literature on both the mechanisms of conduction and the values of the electrical conductivity of pure single-crystal mineral specimens. In addition, some insight into the role of mineral conductivity can be obtained by referring to a Bureau of Mines publication' in which 95 minerals have been grouped as conductors or insulators as a function of temperature. The classification was made on the basis of the percent of weight that reported as "conductors" in an electrical separator. But, as is often the case in the mineral industry, practical application leads theory — and there is little useful information in the literature giving any kind of quantitative relationship between electrical conductivity and electrical separations. The problem is a bit complex because electrical conductivity per se — which can be rather easily measured on large, single grains — is not sufficiently informative to permit quantitative predictions of the separability of the mineral system. Practical "high-tension"* separations are made at such feed rates that the band of minerals on the rotor is multilayered in thickness. Thus, the effective conductivities of minerals as seen by a high-tension machine include particle-to-particle contact resistance, which is often a controlling factor in making a separation. This is particularly true when the mineral grains are coated with slime or with a dielectric surface film. From a high-tension separation viewpoint, one is actually concerned with the time required for corona-charged grains to lose enough charge so that the centrifugal force acting on the particles exceeds the image force holding the grains to the rotor. This calculation requires a knowledge of the effective mineral conductivity s. (The conductivity of the metal rotor is sufficiently greater than that of the minerals so that it need not be considered in charge decay calculations.) The charge density at time t can be approximated by the relaxation equation.3 where t 5 charge density at time t r, - charge density when t = 0 cr e total electrical conductivity £ = permittivity The time required for the charge density to fall to l/e of its initial value is called the relaxation time and is numerically equal to €/n. AS defined here, u is the conductivity of an element of homogeneous grains making contact with each other and with a grounded rotor. This paper deals with the design of a conductivity cell used to measure a, or its reciprocal p, the electrical resistivity. CELL DESIGN Initial test work was performed with a cell recommended by ASTM.4 Since the reproducibility with the ASTM cell was not satisfactory, it was decided to

Jan 1, 1970

By Robert Anderson Cook

The subject of refractory materials occupies such an important position in all metallurgical works, and particularly in those of iron and steel, that any data concerning it must be of interest to the metallurgist. No apology is needed, therefore, for this attempt to describe the mining of fire-clay and the manufacture of fire-brick at one of the largest establishments in this country. Mount Savage is a small village situated in the northwestern part of the Cumberland coal basin, on the Cumberland & Pennsylvania Railroad, and at the foot of Savage Mountain, from which the village takes its name. Fire-brick have been manufactured here almost, if not quite, as long as in any place in America; and as the brick are still shipped to nearly half the States in the Union every month, the manufactory is probably the most generally known. In the year 1837, a company was formed called the Maryland & New York Coal & Iron Company. It built two blast-fiirnaces, the ruins of which still remain. It was in the construction of these filmaces that the first fire-brick made here were used ; and though the iron works ran but spasmodically, the brick works have been in constant operation ever since. From 1837 until 1846, the Maryland Coal & Iron Company, from then until 1548, the Lochiel Iron Co., and from 1848 until 1861, the Mount Savage Iron Co., ran the brick-works, and in

Jan 1, 1886

By Ivor Jenkins

PROCESSES employing controlled atmospheres in the heat-treatment of metals and alloys are now well established on an industrial scale, and the general principles involved and the advantages to be gained in the use of the technique have received considerable publicity over a period of years. During this time the greatest emphasis has been on the establishment of the process in industry, the main effort being devoted to development work on various types of atmospheres, their useful fields of application and the design of suitable heat-treatment furnaces in which they are to be used. The various types of controlled atmospheres are fairly well standardized, but there still remains a considerable field for the investigation of related problems, in connection with both the gas-generating equipment and the surface chemistry of the heat-treatment of metals, especially in complex controlled atmospheres. This paper describes certain investigations of this nature that were carried out in England up to 1939. The development of processes employing controlled atmospheres has been associated to a very large extent with the heat-treatment of steels, both because of the major importance of steel in industry and the many diverse and difficult problems of surface chemistry involved when steels of such a wide range of composition are heated in the presence of active gases Controlled atmospheres such as dissociated and burnt ammonia or charcoal gas are used in the heat-treatment of low-carbon and high-carbon steels, but from certain points of view a suitable atmosphere generated by the partial combustion of city gas is to be preferred. Both the ammonia derivatives are comparatively expensive, and even if the burnt ammonia is regenerated, thereby reducing operating costs, the capital expenditure of the gas plant may make it prohibitive for the smaller type of furnace installation. Charcoal-gas generators are not without their operating difficulties: especially those associated with the quality of the charcoal, clinker formation and the removal of carbon dust from the generated gas. City gas has the advantage of being comparatively cheap and "on tap" in most if not all industrial centers. The use of raw city gas as a protective atmosphere in the heat-treatment of steels has been described,1 but it presents certain difficulties because of its complex composition and its explosive nature when mixed with air. These factors, together with the tendency toward sooting at elevated temperatures, arising mainly from the hydrocarbon gases present, all militate against its use as a protective atmosphere in industrial furnaces. The following analysis, based on the analyses of city gas in different localities in Great Britain, indicates the wide limits existing

Jan 1, 1947

By A. J. M. Ross

Backfilling of stopes and other underground openings in the Homestake mine with sand tailings was undertaken primarily to reduce surface subsidence, which was wrecking much of the surface plant and a substantial part of the town, and to make possible maintenance of openings into the top of pillar stopes as mining progressed. The progress of this type of filling has been rapid and the results very satisfactory. Sand is now used in filling timbered stopes, shrinkage stopes, and abandoned drifts and crosscuts. A permanent pipe-line system for transporting sand tailings into the mine by gravity has been installed. The close filling of all stopes has resulted in important benefits other than the two major ones. The ore bodies in the Homestake mine occur as replacements in one distinctive layer of the metamorphosed pre-Cambrian sediments along a group of minor folds that together form a complex anticline that pitches at 35" to 40' to the southeast. The ore bodies are extraordinary for their magnitude. Widths of over 300 ft. have been mined and continuous ore has been followed for over 1200 ft. along the strike on some of the upper levels. Mining has been by shrinkage stoping with square-set mining of crowns and pillars. In the standard plan, shrinkage stopes 60 ft. in the direction of strike and the full width of the ore have been taken up to within 25 ft. of the level above. After filling, the crown has been mined by square-set methods, as have also the 40-ft. pillars between shrinkage stopes. In former days, when the supply of ore seemed inexhaustible, the mining of pillars was allowed to lag far behind because of the high cost. Many pillars were rather badly fractured on the level and in some places between levels. Coarse waste was used for backfilling all stopes, but in pillars it became increasingly difficult to maintain haulageways for the transportation of this fill over the top of the stopes as mining progressed. The cost of maintaining these crosscuts was excessive and in many pillars practically impossible. Therefore it became the practice to fill pillar stopes by tapping the back and sides of the stopes.

Jan 1, 1940

By Raymond B. Ladoo, C. A. Stokes

Bruce C. Netschert—It is unfortunate that the authors of this paper consider it necessary to begin with an expression of concern over possible false interpretations of the word "economics." In their preoccupation with the definition of economics, they have adopted a definition of mineral economics which is, to say the least, unduly narrow. Just as the broad field of economics is not confined to a study of the profitability of business concerns, but includes the problems of production, distribution, and consumption as they pertain to society as a whole; so an inclusive definition of mineral economics should not be confined to the determination of the profitability of mineral-producing and processing enterprises, but should include the significance of the unique characteristics of mineral resources as raw materials for the use of society. Such features as the exhaustibility and localized, haphazard occurrence of deposits, the existence of a secondary (scrap) supply, and the increasing cost of operation during the life of a mining enterprise are obviously factors which concern those businesses which are producing mineral raw materials, since they partially determine the profitability of such enterprises. They are also of concern to society as a whole, however, as characteristics of one of the basic elements of the economic system. In the last analysis, the contribution which mineral economics can make as a means of determining and guiding social policy with respect to the production and utilization of mineral resources is perhaps more important than its use as a basis for determining the cost accounting procedure of individual firms. The list of "economic factors peculiar to the industrial minerals" which the authors present is in reality an application of such a broad definition of mineral economics. An inconsistency appears, however, in the inclusion of items 8 and 9 in the list. As this writer sees it, the point in question is: What influences do the characteristics of industrial minerals have on the characteristics and operating procedures of industrial mineral enterprises which are not present in the metallic mineral field? In answering this question with items 8 and 9, Messrs. Ladoo and Stokes do not recognize that there are two distinct types of differences between the two fields of enterprise. There are, on the one hand, important basic economic distinctions due to inherent economic characteristics of industrial minerals which do not pertain to metallic minerals. On the other hand are those characteristics of the industrial mineral enterprises peculiar to them alone, but which are superficial and temporary, in that they may be changed or eliminated at the discretion of the managers of those enterprises. The lack of adequate research and development in industrial mineral production, processing, and marketing (item 8) is not due to an inherent characteristic of industrial minerals. It is true that one may perhaps describe the field of industrial mineral enterprise in terms of such a deficiency, just as one could, until recently, point to a similar lack of research and development in the coal industry; but unless it can be shown that the deficiency has been wholly or partially due to the very nature of industrial minerals themselves it is not an "economic factor peculiar to the industrial minerals" but a temporary characteristic peculiar to the industry. In the writer's opinion, the authors have not demonstrated that the former relationship exists. Similarly, item 9, the "influence of technologic developments," is also not inherently peculiar to industrial minerals. Nowhere in the discussion of this item do the authors mention anything that is not equally applicable to the field of metallic minerals. This is not meant to imply that the specific technologic developments which the authors list are of equal significance in both fields. It does mean that such a statement as, "technological advances together with new consuming areas to provide markets make deposits commercially valuable which once were of no interest" cannot be considered as an argument that technological developments have significance in the field of industrial minerals alone. In considering the problem of stockpiling, the authors note that the stockpiling of nonstrategic materials might be desirable if future wartime needs could exceed domestic production capacity, but dismiss this as hardly adequate to justify such stockpiling. The problem, however, can be stated in broader economic terms, i.e., the real costs (as distinguished from the money costs) of prewar versus wartime production. In other words, it might well be that the labor and capital required to produce a given amount of a certain mineral raw material could be used more efficiently in another industry. In such a case it is obviously advantageous to stockpile the material in prewar times rather than forego the benefits of additional production in another line of endeavor during wartime under conditions which demand the optimum use of all resources, including manpower and capital. To the writer's knowl-

Jan 1, 1951

By Raymond B. Ladoo, C. A. Stokes

Bruce C. Netschert—It is unfortunate that the authors of this paper consider it necessary to begin with an expression of concern over possible false interpretations of the word "economics." In their preoccupation with the definition of economics, they have adopted a definition of mineral economics which is, to say the least, unduly narrow. Just as the broad field of economics is not confined to a study of the profitability of business concerns, but includes the problems of production, distribution, and consumption as they pertain to society as a whole; so an inclusive definition of mineral economics should not be confined to the determination of the profitability of mineral-producing and processing enterprises, but should include the significance of the unique characteristics of mineral resources as raw materials for the use of society. Such features as the exhaustibility and localized, haphazard occurrence of deposits, the existence of a secondary (scrap) supply, and the increasing cost of operation during the life of a mining enterprise are obviously factors which concern those businesses which are producing mineral raw materials, since they partially determine the profitability of such enterprises. They are also of concern to society as a whole, however, as characteristics of one of the basic elements of the economic system. In the last analysis, the contribution which mineral economics can make as a means of determining and guiding social policy with respect to the production and utilization of mineral resources is perhaps more important than its use as a basis for determining the cost accounting procedure of individual firms. The list of "economic factors peculiar to the industrial minerals" which the authors present is in reality an application of such a broad definition of mineral economics. An inconsistency appears, however, in the inclusion of items 8 and 9 in the list. As this writer sees it, the point in question is: What influences do the characteristics of industrial minerals have on the characteristics and operating procedures of industrial mineral enterprises which are not present in the metallic mineral field? In answering this question with items 8 and 9, Messrs. Ladoo and Stokes do not recognize that there are two distinct types of differences between the two fields of enterprise. There are, on the one hand, important basic economic distinctions due to inherent economic characteristics of industrial minerals which do not pertain to metallic minerals. On the other hand are those characteristics of the industrial mineral enterprises peculiar to them alone, but which are superficial and temporary, in that they may be changed or eliminated at the discretion of the managers of those enterprises. The lack of adequate research and development in industrial mineral production, processing, and marketing (item 8) is not due to an inherent characteristic of industrial minerals. It is true that one may perhaps describe the field of industrial mineral enterprise in terms of such a deficiency, just as one could, until recently, point to a similar lack of research and development in the coal industry; but unless it can be shown that the deficiency has been wholly or partially due to the very nature of industrial minerals themselves it is not an "economic factor peculiar to the industrial minerals" but a temporary characteristic peculiar to the industry. In the writer's opinion, the authors have not demonstrated that the former relationship exists. Similarly, item 9, the "influence of technologic developments," is also not inherently peculiar to industrial minerals. Nowhere in the discussion of this item do the authors mention anything that is not equally applicable to the field of metallic minerals. This is not meant to imply that the specific technologic developments which the authors list are of equal significance in both fields. It does mean that such a statement as, "technological advances together with new consuming areas to provide markets make deposits commercially valuable which once were of no interest" cannot be considered as an argument that technological developments have significance in the field of industrial minerals alone. In considering the problem of stockpiling, the authors note that the stockpiling of nonstrategic materials might be desirable if future wartime needs could exceed domestic production capacity, but dismiss this as hardly adequate to justify such stockpiling. The problem, however, can be stated in broader economic terms, i.e., the real costs (as distinguished from the money costs) of prewar versus wartime production. In other words, it might well be that the labor and capital required to produce a given amount of a certain mineral raw material could be used more efficiently in another industry. In such a case it is obviously advantageous to stockpile the material in prewar times rather than forego the benefits of additional production in another line of endeavor during wartime under conditions which demand the optimum use of all resources, including manpower and capital. To the writer's knowl-

Jan 1, 1951

By Alexander L. Field

The Bureau of Mines is investigating the problem of slag viscosity, its variation with the temperature and with the composition of the slag, and its effect upon the distribution of the sulphur between molten iron and slag, as introductory to a series of contributions to the theory of the metallurgical processes. The method of measurement, viscosity apparatus, furnace and other accessories mentioned in this paper have been described fully in s Bureau of Mines report.1 The Literature on Slag Viscosity The viscosity of blast-furnace slag had not been measured previous to the investigation described in this report. A number of investigators have determined the "fusibility," or softening temperature, of slags by means of the cone method .or other deformation method, but these methods supply only limited information regarding the temperature-viscosity relations of the slag in question. Any deformation method that may be employed indicates only the temperature at which the slag attains a more or less definite viscosity., the magnitude of the value obtained depending on the method used. For details of the various methods used by different investigators, see the Bureau of Mines paper already referred to. An isolated measurement by Doelter on a single mixture at 1,300" C. represents the highest temperature reached in the various viscosity investigations previous to those described in this report, in which results have been referred to absolute units. Arbitrary deformation tests have of course been made at much higher temperatures.

Jan 1, 1917

By B. F. Fackenthal

One of the practical questions presented to the blast-furnace manager, with regard to which little help can be obtained from existing technical literature, is the manner of filling and blowing-in. This operation is often performed according, more or less, to traditions which have come down from earlier practice, and which, if not positively detrimental when followed with the large modern furnace, may at least be greatly improved, just as the running of the furnace itself, while in blast, has been improved. It is not necessary, as many of the old furnace-men believed, to make a lot of white or silver-gray iron at the start, or to spend many weeks, or months even, in bringing the furnace to its normal burden. It has seemed to me that the publication of carefully-recorded data of practice on this point may be interesting to the members of the Institute engaged in the management of blast-furnaces. The enlarged blast-furnace at the Durham Iron Works, Riegelsville, Pa., owned by Messrs. Cooper & Hewitt, of New York City, was first put in blast February 21, 1876, since which time it has made seven blasts, and is now running on the eighth. A description of the furnace-plant, together with a record of the fifth blast, was given in my paper read at the Chattanooga meeting, May, 1885 (Transactions, xiv., 130). After some of the early blasts the furnace-lines underwent considerable change, and I have thought best to accompany this paper with drawings showing the lines and the tuyere-arrangement (see Plates I. and II.), and to give also the following summary of the conditions and results of each blast. During the first and second blasts no coke was used, and the furnace ran very irregularly, showing a constant tendency to scaffold, which was attributed, in great part, to the small hearth and other defective lines. The large proportion of air required at this furnace is accounted for by the fact that the engines are defective, and do not deliver into the furnace the amount of air indicated by the pistondisplacement.

Jan 1, 1890

By A. J. M. Ross

BACKFILLING of stopes and other underground openings in the Homestake mine with sand tailings was undertaken primarily to reduce surface subsidence, which was wrecking much of the surface plant and a substantial part of the town, and to make possible maintenance of openings into the top of pillar stopes as mining progressed. The progress of this type of filling has been rapid and the results very satisfactory. Sand is now used in filling timbered stopes, shrinkage stopes, and abandoned drifts and crosscuts. A permanent pipe-line system for transporting sand tailings into the mine by gravity has been installed. The close filling of all stopes has resulted in important benefits other than the two major ones. The ore bodies in the Homestake mine occur as replacements in one distinctive layer of the metamorphosed pre-Cambrian sediments along a group of minor folds that together form a complex anticline that pitches at 35º to 40º to the southeast. The ore bodies are extraordinary for their magnitude. Widths of over 300 ft. have been mined and continuous ore has been followed for over 1200 ft. along the strike on some of the upper levels. Mining has been by shrinkage stoping with square-set mining of crowns and pillars. In the standard plan, shrinkage stopes 60 ft. in the direction of strike and the full width of the ore have been taken up to within 25 ft. of the level above. After filling, the crown has been mined by square-set methods, as have also the 40-ft. pillars between shrinkage stopes. In former days, when the supply of ore seemed inexhaustible, the mining of pillars was allowed to lag far behind because of the high cost. Many pillars were rather badly fractured on the level and in some places between levels. Coarse waste was used for backfilling all stopes, but in pillars it became increasingly difficult to maintain haulageways for the transportation of this fill over the top of the stopes as mining progressed The cost of maintaining these crosscuts was excessive and in many pillars practically impossible. Therefore it became the practice to fill pillar stopes by tapping the back and sides of the stopes.

Jan 1, 1939

By A. J. M. Ross

Backfilling of stopes and other underground openings in the Homestake mine with sand tailings was undertaken primarily to reduce surface subsidence, which was wrecking much of the surface plant and a substantial part of the town, and to make possible maintenance of openings into the top of pillar stopes as mining progressed. The progress of this type of filling has been rapid and the results very satisfactory. Sand is now used in filling timbered stopes, shrinkage stopes, and abandoned drifts and crosscuts. A permanent pipe-line system for transporting sand tailings into the mine by gravity has been installed. The close filling of all stopes has resulted in important benefits other than the two major ones. The ore bodies in the Homestake mine occur as replacements in one distinctive layer of the metamorphosed pre-Cambrian sediments along a group of minor folds that together form a complex anticline that pitches at 35" to 40' to the southeast. The ore bodies are extraordinary for their magnitude. Widths of over 300 ft. have been mined and continuous ore has been followed for over 1200 ft. along the strike on some of the upper levels. Mining has been by shrinkage stoping with square-set mining of crowns and pillars. In the standard plan, shrinkage stopes 60 ft. in the direction of strike and the full width of the ore have been taken up to within 25 ft. of the level above. After filling, the crown has been mined by square-set methods, as have also the 40-ft. pillars between shrinkage stopes. In former days, when the supply of ore seemed inexhaustible, the mining of pillars was allowed to lag far behind because of the high cost. Many pillars were rather badly fractured on the level and in some places between levels. Coarse waste was used for backfilling all stopes, but in pillars it became increasingly difficult to maintain haulageways for the transportation of this fill over the top of the stopes as mining progressed. The cost of maintaining these crosscuts was excessive and in many pillars practically impossible. Therefore it became the practice to fill pillar stopes by tapping the back and sides of the stopes.

Jan 1, 1940

By E. J. MCOAUSTLAND

THE behavior of steel after overstrain and at moderate temperatures is fairly well known. It has been made the subject of much investigation, and our knowledge is clear and definite on many points. The ultimate raising of the elastic limit, after moderate overstrain, and the consequent lowering of the ductility, seem to be well established. It is also well understood that the immediate effect of overstrain is to lower the elastic limit, possibly to zero, but that if not interfered with, this limit will subsequently rise higher than before. The "tests after moderate temperature," reported in this paper, were undertaken to verify the above statements for the particular steel under investigation, and also to determine, if possible, the total time required for complete recovery from this state of overstrain. The behavior of overstrained steel at temperatures at or below 32° F. is not so well known. Tests made by Prof E. G. Coker, at McGill University,' show that steel, overstrained and subjected to cold, will remain in a state of overstrain for an indefinite period. I am not aware of any other published results of tests along this particular line. The effect of time and temperature on the recovery of steel from overstrain was made in 1902-3 the subject of sortie investigation in the laboratories of the College of Civil Engineering of Cornell University. A general plan was outlined in connection with the regular courses of instruction in testing of materials; but the press of routine work and the demands of the schedules on the time of the students were so great as to presage long delay in the completion of the work. Not much had been accomplished up to 1904-05, when Messrs. E. C.

May 1, 1906

By Henry S. Washington

Introduction. It Still Rains On The Choco ! I Well Remember One Evening A Dozen Years Ago, While. Traveling Toward The Town Of Negua In A Small Champa Or Dug-Out Canoe, The Rain Fell So Heavily That I Had To Work My Hardest To Bail Out The Water With A Large Totuma Or Gourd In Order To Keep The Canoe Afloat, The Senegambian Meanwhile Plying His Paddle In The Stern. If Any One Thinks Bailing Is Easy Work, Let Him Scoop Out A Quart Or More At A Stroke, 40 Times A Minute For Half An Hour, And I Venture That He Will Change His Opinion. These Small Canoes Required Only One Paddler, To Make The 3 Miles An Hour Which Is The Standard Rate Of Aquatic Progress On The Choco. Another Time, On The Atrato River, About Six O'clock In The Afternoon, The Rain Fell So Heavily Than An Empty Gourd, 9 In. In Diameter And 4.5 Deep, Was Filled To The Brim In 90 Sec., Timed By A Watch. Such Downpours Are Typical, But Unless Caught In One It Is Not Specially Noticed. These Downpours Seldom Last More Than An Hour, And Frequently Cover Only A Limited Area, Occasionally Falling On One Bank Of A River And Not On The Other. During The Night-Time,' The Rain, If Gentle, Will Usually Last Until Dawn, And Sometimes An Intermittent Drizzle Will Keep Up All Day As Well, Although, As A Rule, It Rarely Rains During The Day. The Rise Of The Rivers, Due To The Rain-Fall, Varies From A Few Inches To Several Feet. One Night In August, 1899, The Spuds Of The Dredge Margaret, Operating On The Atrato River, Showed A, Rise Of 16 Ft., And For 3 Days Thereafter Occurred The Greatest Flood Known In That District For 32 Years. The Dredge Had All Three Spuds Clown, And The 2-Yd. Shovel Dragging On The Bottom. A 0.75-In. Cable Fast To A Stout Tree, 700 Ft. Away, Stretched Tight

Sep 1, 1908

By Garth M. Crosby, F. McIntosh Galbraith, Bronson Stringham

THE Hercules mine is located in the northeastern section of the Coeur d'Alene district, approximately 1 1/2 miles north of the town of Burke, Idaho. Surface indications of the ore deposit were first discovered in 1886, but regular mine production was not started until 1902 and was continuous until April 1925, when the known ore had been extracted. Incomplete records show that from 1912 until operations were suspended the mine produced 2 1/2 million tons of ore containing 9.4 pct lead and 7.7 oz of silver per ton, together with an estimated 2 pct zinc, 0.3 pct copper, and 20 pct iron. This operation was the first in. a series of mining enterprises culminating in October 1947 with the consolidation of Day Mines, Inc. In the same year it was decided to unwater the levels below the collar of the Hercules shaft in the hope of finding some indication of a recurrence of ore. The unwatering operation has been described in a. previous paper.' The initial exploration, following recapture of the workings, showed sufficient promise to warrant a detailed study of the mineralogy with modern techniques. The general geo1ogy of the Coeur d'Alene district, including a detailed description of the rock types encountered, has been comprehensively treated by Ransome and Calkins' in their classic paper, and only local background description, therefore, is felt to be appropriate here. The Hercules deposit transects a portion of the trough of a broad south-trending synclinorium which has been greatly complicated by faulting. More locally, it lies within a block of ground bounded on the east; by the O'Neil Gulch fault, a steep north-south overthrust of considerable magnitude, and on the west by a monzonite stock, the outcrop of which is 1/2 mile or more wide and 5 miles long. The country rock is composed of thin to medium-bedded argillites and argillaceous quartz-ites of the Prichard and Burke formations, the oldest members of the Pre-cambrian Belt Series of sediments in the area, believed to be of Algonkian age. The contact between them is a conformable gradation. The argillite is colored gray to tannish-gray and is fine-grained, compact, and generally massive in structure. Under the microscope the unaltered argillite is seen to be composed principally of anhedral quartz and a few feldspar grains which were at one time presumably partly rounded sand grains, but as a result of recrystallization and cementation by silica, the interstices are now almost obliterated and quartz grains show crenulate boundaries. The sizes of these crystals vary from 0.5 mm down to 0.1 mm in greatest dimension. In all specimens sericite comprises 10 to 20 pct of the rock and is present abundantly between most of the grains as flakes or shreds which vary considerably in size. Sometimes they form a fine felt-like mat or aggregate, and sometimes flakes are seen which appear to be good muscovite. In some specimens, separated rhombic-shaped carbonate grains are abundant, and in some instances these have been changed to sericite. Mining operations to date have explored the Hercules vein to a maximum vertical depth of 3600 ft below its outcrop, and along a maximum strike-length of 3600 ft on certain of the lower mine levels. The main orebody is irregular in outline, extending over a variable strike-length of 400 to 1500 ft; and it is intersected by a strong transverse fault that has been traced from the surface to the bottom level. This has been named the Hercules fault, and apart from the vein itself, it is the most prominent structural feature in the mine. There is good evidence that it existed prior to the introduction of ore solutions and may have influenced ore deposition, but it was also the locus of important post-ore displacement and shows a progressive right-handed horizontal component reaching 200 ft on the deeper levels. Its vertical component is not definitely known but may be considerably greater. The fault strikes 20° N to 50° E and dips westerly at angles of 70" to 45", flattening in dip where it crosses the original orebody from east to west between 1000 and 1600 ft below the surface. At about 3000 ft in depth the Hercules fault is joined by a vertical fault of similar strike, and the major post-ore dis-placement below their junction is taken up along this vertical branch of the structure, now called the Mercury fault. Recent work has been concentrated in this vicinity. Another structural feature of special geologic interest, though of little economic importance, is the occurrence of a porphyritic dike in this area. This lies a short distance above the Hercules fault, essentially parallel to it, and is 5 to 15 ft in thickness. It appears at first glance to cut the mineralization, suggesting push-apart relationship, but small stringers of the vein minerals have been observed to penetrate the dike for a matter of inches at several points. The dike is thought to be related to the monzonite intrusion. A vertical longitudinal projection of the mine is shown in Fig. 1, which illustrates most of the features discussed above. The Hercules vein was deposited along the course of a strong, persistent shear zone that now appears as a braided network of gouge seams running through more or less crushed and shattered country rock. It strikes 70° N to 80° W and dips southerly at an average of 75". Barren parts of the structure vary in width from less than 1 ft to more than 15 ft. The width of mineralized segments may be double that. Although the evidence is not conclusive, pre-mineral, normal movement along the zone may be 1000 or 1500 ft. The horizontal component is unknown. Post-ore movement appears to have been

Jan 1, 1954

By Albert E. Greene

Processes for the removal of phosphorus from iron or steel are steadily assuming greater importance in view of the abundance of high-phosphorus iron-ore and the diminishing supply of pure ore. In the present methods of removing phosphorus by the basic open-hearth or basic Bessemer process, or even by electric processes, complete control over the metallurgical conditions is either impossible or has not yet been realized. The removal of phosphorus has so long been accomplished along certain well-defined lines, that when the electric furnace made its appearance metallurgists adhered to the same old reactions used in the older processes and failed to appreciate and take advantage of the new forces at their disposal. One object of the present paper is to set forth more clearly the metallurgical reactions by which phosphorus can be removed from iron, and to show the necessity of controlling the conditions, and particularly the temperature, by means other than combustion in the furnace-chamber. Invariably, the commercial removal of phosphorus has been accomplished by oxidation. The reactions involved in oxidation of phosphorus in general consist, first, of the formation of P2O5 and second, the combination of this oxide with lime, forming calcium phosphate, which latter is held in a slag high in iron oxide. In the present-used processes, the phosphorus is never removed without the assistance or presence of considerable quantities of iron oxide. The oxygen for removal of phosphorus in the basic open-hearth process comes largely through the medium of iron oxide and furnace-gases, but not

Jan 1, 1913

By R. G. Jones, W. L. Kinney, R. E. Schilson, R. S. Wilson, G. A. Clark, H. Suralo

This paper describes the field opeturluns at the Fry in situ combustion project in Crawford County, 111. Field operations may be divided into three phases—-preliminary engineering studies of 1960 and 1961, ignition, and, finally, operation of the test. The Fry combustion project was a pilot test of cocur-rent in situ combustion on a 3.3-acre inverted five-spot. In the summer of 1960, air injection tests were conducted using old wells in the area and a new air injection well drilled especially for the test. In the summer of 1961, four new oil wells were drilled on a 3.3-acre pattern for the pilot test. All old wells in the near vicinity of the pilot test were abandoned to preclude any possibility of gas escaping to adjacent formations. A compressor plant was also installed at the test site in 1961. Air injection tests and other engineering studies were made. At the conclusion of these tests, ignition was accomplished with a 40 kw electrical igniter. Operation of the Fry combustion test was little different from the usual oilfield operation with the exception of the high rate of air injection. No difficulty was found with the openhole completion. There were no unusual corrosion or emulsion problems until bottom-hole temperatures exceeded 150F. Four cores were drilled into the burned-out portion of the reservoir with no mechanical difficulties. INTRODUCTION A cocurrent or conventional in situ combustion test was conducted on the Fry unit of the Marathon Oil Co., in Crawford County, Ill. Besides testing combustion in the Fry type of reservoir, the test was intended to evaluate various operating procedures. This paper presents a discussion of the Fry combustion test field operations. The geology of the reservoir and the test performance are discussed in other papers.'.' HISTORY OF THE FRY UNIT The Fry unit consists of 11 leases totaling 337 acres in an area in which oil was originally discovered in 1906. Production from this reservoir, as from all Robinson sand reservoirs in the area, was very high during the first few years. As the dissolved-gas energy was dissipated, early attempts to retard the decline consisted of vacuum, air, and gas repressuring, and recently, most of the area has been subjected to water flooding. Following early air repressuring, the Fry waterflood unit was formed and water flooding initiated in July, 1952. In the area in which the Fry combustion test was conducted, a peripheral water flood of a 160-acre area was developed as shown in Fig. 1. Between 1956 and 1960, it became apparent that the water flood was unsuccessfd. In looking for a suitable site for an in situ combustion test, the Marathon Oil Co. selected the Fry unit as possessing those features most desirable for such a research project. Field operations associated with the Fry combustion test began in the spring of 1960.

Jan 1, 1966

By A. W. Allen

The technological study of the treatment of gold and silver ores has been largely responsible for the phenomenal strides which have marked the progress in this branch of metallurgy during recent years. In no other application of science to industry is system more imperative at every stage; correct formulation of result is only second in importance to efficiency of operation. Progress in method, on the other hand, is mainly due to individua1 initiative aided by the work of technical journals and metallurgical societies. There still remains a field for profitable discussion, and it is my intention to deal with some inconsistencies of expression common to a number of writers on the subject; and also to draw attention to the false impressions created by a statement which may, possibly, be only unintentionally misleading. I also take the opportunity of tracing the source of both metallurgical and economic result; and would question the desirability of the methods usually employed in arriving at a final statement. In the first place, I wish to deal with the question of extraction. This term may mean anything or nothing, and it is often used to mislead. In a report of a mining engineer as to the result of operations subsequent to the remodeling of a treatment plant prominence was given to the statement that the extraction had amounted to 91 per cent. On examination it was found that only a small percentage of the so-called extraction was calculated on actual bullion return, a proportion being figured from the gold left in the zinc boxes, and not recovered. In addition to this, a proportion of the extraction was said to be due to gold in concentrate. As there was no conrcentrating apparatus on the property and as concentration did not form a part of the scheme of treatment the matter was investigated, with the result that the concentrate, of lower gold content that the original ore, was found to be the result of an inegcient pumping system which failed to provide for the whole of the battery product delivered to it. The balance was stacked and, although itself of no marketable value, the gold content was allowed to form a basis of extraction figures. The illustration may be extreme, but it will serve to show to what lengths an engineer may go in the mutilation of the most vital term in metallurgical technology.

Jan 1, 1915

Discussion of the paper of DWIGHT T. FARNHAM, presented at the Pittsburgh meeting, October, 1914, and printed in Bulletin No. 93, September, 1914, pp. 2357 to 2364. DAVID T. DAY, Washington, D. C.-Do you know anything about the character of that clay as to organic matter? H. RIES, Ithaca, N. Y.-No; it is a dark brownish clay, sandy in its nature. The brownish coloring is probably due to organic matter. Some lignite is also present. DONALD W. Ross.*-I have worked at the plant under consideration. I have not seen Mr. Farnham's paper; but in answering the question as to the organic matter, I might say there is practically no organic material scattered through the shale. There are, however, several layers of carbonaceous shale and rather low-grade coal interbedded with the formation. There are two very serious drawbacks-one which threatens to shut down the plant and another which merely means the expenditure of money. The first is taking care of the sediment from the washing away of the overburden. The government is doing extensive work at different points about Lake Washington with a view to creating a fresh-water harbor for Seattle. I understand that they keep at the Denny-Renton people to keep the channel of Cedar River clear. The Denny-Renton Co. can hardly help filling up the channel so long as they continue their hydraulic work, so this is probably one of their most serious problems. The other is this: There is a large percentage of what I should call micaceous shale or sandstone-a sandstone which contains a large amount of light-colored mica. Of course only a limited amount of this can be used in the manufacture of paving brick. As they shoot down the bank after the overburden of gravel and loam is washed away, these large boulders of micaceous sandstone come down. The strata have apparently been crushed where the clay pit is located so that the exact formation cannot be readily determined. These pieces of sandstone, 5 or 6 ft. in diameter, have to be blasted and removed from the shale. They bother both in the open pit and in the tunnel mining. In the tunnel mining of the shale blocks frequently cover the holes in the roof of the tunnel through which the shale is loaded into cars.

Jan 4, 1915

By Strathmore R. B. Cooke, Marcus Digre

That calcium will activate quartz for flotation with anionic collectors such as soaps has been known for a number of years,12'3 and the method has been applied to the concentration of various iron ores4 5 6 as well as to other materials. Clemmer gives the permissible pH range for the activation of quartz by calcium as between 9.5 and 12.5 with an optimum value of 11.0, and Hertzog7 has determined the calcium abstraction of iron ores and of Ottawa sand, but otherwise little quantitative data are available. The purpose of the present investigation was to determine those conditions under which dilute solutions of calcium chloride will activate quartz for anionic flotation and to determine the amount of calcium ion adsorbed by quartz. Those variables, the influence of which was primary, such as calcium, sodium, and hydrogen ion concentrations, were studied. Other factors which influenced the results are discussed in the description of the experiments. Three different experimental methods were used to determine the activation of the quartz. The first method was to treat a sample of ground, deslimed quartz with solutions of calcium chloride and sodium hydroxide, and to determine the calcium adsorbed by chemical analysis of the solution. Advantages are that a direct value for the amount of calcium adsorbed is obtained, and introduction of a collector which may affect the adsorption is avoided. The difficulty is to determine the extremely small differences in the calcium concentrations before and after the abstraction. The second method was to determine the activation of the quartz by observing the contact angle obtained on pressing an air bubble against the polished surface of a piece of quartz immersed in a solution of calcium chloride, sodium hydroxide, and sodium oleate. This is the well-known "contact angle" method. The third method was to determine those conditions under which an air bubble will pick up quartz particles immersed in a solution of the desired reagents. Disadvantages common to the sec- ond and third methods are that introduction of a collector is necessary to obtain bubble contact with the mineral; very small quantities of contaminant can give erroneous results; and no information is obtainable concerning the amount of calcium adsorbed. Advantages are that tedious analyses, which at best give approximate results, are avoided, and the conditions, especially for the third method, closely simulate those of actual flotation. Although the most consistent results were obtained with the third method, this paper describes the techniques used and the results obtained from each of the three methods. Distilled water and analytical grade reagents were used throughout except where otherwise stated. Between tests all glass articles were cleaned with a chromic-sulphuric acid mixture and sodium hydroxide. Abstraction Method The raw material for the tests was Ottawa sand sized between 14 and 28 mesh. Batches of 500 g of this sand were dry ground for 1 hr in an Abbe porcelain mill with 2700 g of quartz pebbles. The batches were split down to samples weighing approximately 30 g, and the weight of each sample was adjusted to exactly this value.

Jan 1, 1950

By Earl S. Bardwell

The structural relations existing between cuprous oxide and copper were first systematically studied by Heynl; who suggested that a study of the microstructure of refined copper might be substituted for the analytical methods in vogue for determining the oxygen content of copper coming from the refining furnace. Hofman, Green and Yerxa,2 in their paper A Laboratory Study of the Stages in the Refining of Copper, working along the lines suggested by Heyn, showed that a study of the microstructure could be made to yield a correct estimate of the oxygen content of refined copper. In order to determine the oxygen content of the specimen of refined copper under examination a photomicrograph was first made. From the relative areas of copper and eutectic, the percentage of cuprous oxide and the corresponding percentage of oxygen were then readily calculated. It was found that the values for oxygen thus obtained corresponded closely with the analytical results. With the idea of utilizing this method of determining the oxygen content of each charge dipped from the refining furnaces at the Boston & Montana Reduction Plant, the physical testing laboratory was equipped with suitable apparatus for carrying out the work. It may be of interest to describe certain of the methods which have been worked out in this connection and give such data as have been obtained bearing on the effect of the oxygen content of refined copper upon its conductivity. Apparatus.—For the benefit of those who may be unfamiliar with metallographical apparatus and methods and may be interested to know what equipment is required, a few words with regard to the apparatus are in place at this point.

Jan 1, 1914