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By Arthur T. Ward

DESPITE the intense preoccupation of most of those members connected with the mining, concentration, and reduction of iron ores, the luncheon and subsequent technical session of the Eastern Magnetite Committee were exceedingly well attended. Many of the older faces were absent, but new ones took their places. More than sixty, all told, took in the technical session. Chairman Crockett opened the session by calling upon Meredith E. Johnson, whose paper, with its accompanying graph, was in reality a comprehensive historical review of iron mining from colonial days to the end of 1941. with some notes on current expansion which indicates that New Jersey is destined to become a still more important. factor in the production of magnetite ores.

Jan 1, 1942

By Thunaes, Arvid

Pilot plant test work in 1942 and 1943 showed that by a combination of desliming, fine-size classification, and Sullivan deck concentration it is possible to recover heavy minerals such as cassiterite at least as fine as 10 microns in size. This appreciable improvement in gravity concentration practice has been substantiated by several full-sized plants.

Jan 1, 1950

By James Quigley

As the outcrop mines in the West developed into underground operations, systems of ground sup- port were gradually evolved. In the early coal mines there was little need for support except near the dirt line in portals, where stone masonry was common. Where the top was shaley or broken, native pine props with light cross bars and legs furnished enough support even in Utah's 25-ft coal seams. As depth of workings increased, roofs and backs of the same general nature as those near the surface became more and more unstable and required more and more support. Some coal airways show this tendency very clearly. From the surface down the same type of roof shows deterioration which an experienced eye can translate into a measure of depth under surface rather than change in rock characteristics. Rock bolts, developed by various companies and by the U. S. Bureau of Mines, have become an effective substitute for timber in sections of some metal and nonmetal mines formerly requiring excessive timber support, and further use of war surplus landing mats, chain link fencing, and a new punched channel developed by one of the steel companies has enabled other mines to operate deposits where costs of timber and lack of clearance for timber support would have prohibited mining. The block caving mines have made extensive use of reinforced concrete underground to achieve similar ends under difficult conditions. Steel sets are standard in many Bureau of Reclamation projects, although these are usually covered in with concrete to make the permanent structures the Bureau's reclamation projects require. But the use of steel in mining operations is limited and has been confined principally to the iron ore mines of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. Some mines have installed used rail as posts, caps, and crossbars, but a rail section is not suited for load carrying, and used rails are generally brittle, having a tendency to fail without warning when overloaded.

Jan 7, 1959

By George T. Hansen

WHY try to find oil in Utah? Why try to find oil anywhere? Isn't there too much oil already? Answers to these questions involve general oil conditions but are pertinent to my subject. In the first place oil produced in Utah up to the total amount of local consumption would not be subject to nor concerned with the national oil situation. An oil field in this State capable of producing up to 15,000 bbl. per day would have a large value and prompt realization. In the sec¬ond place, there is not too much oil nationally although the markets have been upset temporarily from time to time. Petroleum is so necessary and is in such general demand that an oil field anywhere, anytime, is a valuable and live asset. The oil business in general shows the best condition of any major industry. It has never been hit as hard as most industries and 1932 was a large improvement over its low spot of 1931. It can be and probably will be the one to lead the country back into business stability. Consumption of its products has been reduced less than that of any other important commodity. There are good and valid reasons why it should have been making a normal profit continuously. It has the oil and the processes and the facilities and the policies and the consumption of its products. There is only one reason why it has not been profitable recently and that is the lack of intelligence of from five to ten per cent of the producers. An op¬erator lacks intelligence when he cannot see that it is better for him to sell one barrel of oil at $1 than two or three barrels at 25 or 35c. per bbl.

Jan 1, 1933

During the year 1915 the Committee received 161 manuscripts, which were treated as follows: 3 accepted for. New York Meeting (110th) . 64 accepted for San Francisco Meeting (111th) 49 accepted for New York Meeting (112th) 3 accepted for Arizona Meeting (113th) 29 rejected 4 returned to authors for revision and not yet accepted 9 in committee. 161 Every paper which was presented at the San Francisco Meeting was published in advance in the Bulletin with one exception. The work of the Committee has been systematized and. the Executive Committee of the Committee on Papers and Publications has given prompt attention to all manuscripts, with the result that every paper received by the Committee on Papers and Publications is in the hands of the, printer within 30 days thereafter, unless delays occur owing to questions as to acceptability, in obtaining from the author permission for revision, or other like causes.

Jan 2, 1916

By R. G. Robins

The processing of gold bearing sulphide minerals which contain arsenopyrite and various complex arsenic sulphides results in arsenic containing emissions and effluents which are suspect in relation to clean air and clean water standards. Removal of arsenic from gaseous emissions is briefly reviewed. The use of lime to stabilise aqueous residues as either calcium arsenate or calcium arsenite is shown to be inadequate for long term disposal since both compounds are converted into calcium carbonate due to the influence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Mixed calcium arsenate-phosphate residues are similarly unstable, but present better stability than the straight calcium compounds. Alternative disposal methods are reviewed whereby the arsenic is converted to more stable compounds, such as barium arsenate, titanium (IV) arsenate, and arsenic sulphide.

Jan 1, 1984

By Arthur Notman

DESPITE the tremendous drop in the volume of domestic production of metals, their prices, and profits, the world as a whole has managed to produce and consume nearly as much as in 1937. Measured by production, 1937 was the record year for copper, lead, and zinc. The Copper Institute figures for 1938 (estimating December as equal to November) show that although apparent domestic consumption declined 309,422 tons, foreign consumption increased 133.035 tons. The total for 1938 was 1,971,790 tons compared with 2,148,177 tons for 1937. The domestic decline was 38.5 per cent, the foreign increase 9.9 per cent, and the total decline 8.2 per cent.

Jan 1, 1939

By Cyril S., Smith

THE phenomenon of air-hardening is well known in connection with special steels. It occurs when the rate of decomposition of austenite to marten- site is so retarded that it takes place on free cooling in air rather than on more rapid cooling in a quenching bath. If an air-hardening steel is quenched sufficiently rapidly it will remain in the soft austenitic state, while if it is cooled very slowly it will again become soft owing to growth of the carbide particles. It depends on a critical adjustment of the decomposition velocity and diffusion rate, and such alloys are rather rare, especially in the non-ferrous field. In carrying out some experiments on some copper- rich copper-cobalt alloys, the author found that these possess very marked air-hardening properties. The alloys are covered by a patent issued to M. G. Corson (1,723,022-1919), which states that an alloy containing between 2 and 5 per cent cobalt is hardened by simple quenching from above 850° C.

Jan 1, 1930

By W. J. Taylor

FURNACE-MEN who have not taken advantage of the use of dynamite in certain blast-furnace troubles, as explained by Mr. Witherbee in his valuable papers read before the Institute some years since, cannot appreciate the quick relief and great advantage that may be derived at times from its judicious employment. Before giving my experience in the use of high explosives in blastfurnace troubles of certain kinds, I will record a method I have used with marked success in " blowing down." Had I not understood, however, the use of powder, I would have " salamandered " effectually the first time I tried it. Early in my straight-furnace experiments, last summer, at the Chester, N. J., Furnace, I wanted to blow down to within 3 or 4 feet of the tuyeres. To do this with a down-comer not lined, and without putting in any limestone to keep the gases cool enough to do no harm, was not an easy task. We could keep the bell and hopper cool by filling them with water, say 12 inches deep; but before we got the stock down 15 or 20 feet the pyrometer in the gas-flue on top mas up to 1300°, and the clowncomer was red-hot, with the heat still rising. In this emergency my assistant, Mr. N. M. Langdon, urged the trial of a plan lie had often advocated, viz., the introduction of water in some way under the bell in the proper quantity, in order that its evaporation might absorb and reduce the heat of the escaping gases to a point where it would not do any harm. He thought the bell

Jan 1, 1885

By Herbert Hoover

THERE is one problem of the new administration that has received the attention and thought of the organized engineers of America for many years past. This is the problem of the reorganization of the Federal Government. The, inadequacy, the wastefulness, and the inefficiency of our federal organization was evident, enough under pre-war conditions. These inadequacies, these inefficiencies, these wastes were exhibited to the country during the war at the cost of millions. Congress has placed the problem in the hands of a very able Congressional Joint Committee, but if this Joint Committee succeeds in securing the imminently necessary results it will only be by full insistent support to it by public opinion. Many attempts have been made at reorganization before but all, of them have gone to the same crematory-the interminable differences in opinion among the executive and legislative officials over details.

Jan 1, 1921

Prior to any detailed discussion, I'd like to say that Dr. Aplan has made direct hits on two important considerations: 1) The most demanding need in Fine Coal research is to develop improved methods of sulfur reduction. 2) The areas of particle (impurity) liberation and froth flotation hold real near-term promise as techniques for improved sulfur removal. Digressing for a moment, I thin kwe can all remember the time when the biggest problem facing coal research was simply defined - "No money!" In the mid 70's we suddenly found ourselves dealing with a product worth five to seven times the value it carried in the mid60's. All of a sudden, we're talking about a high-profile, high- value commodity. The coal industry still hasn't made the complete psychological adjustment - especially in the operating areas (prep plants included). We have a valuable material at hand which is, in' many cases still being processed as though it were a two or three dollar per ton item. Simply put, I think that while the industry has made some major strides during this transition, a stronger commitment of attitude (and finances) needs to be made toward deeper definition of beneficiation work. Back to specifics - Dr. Aplan has really highlighted three areas where strong research efforts are needed. 1) Liberation processes - not limited to mechanical comminution - must be more fully studied.The industry certainly needs a better handle on value returned (improved ability to beneficiate) for dollars spent on improved liberation. 2) Flotation processes probably hold the most promise for near- term improvement in fine coal beneficiation technology. Dr. Aplan’s.

Jan 1, 1979

By F. O. Garrabrant

Power is furnished to the Climax Molybdenum Co. by the Public Service Co. of Colorado over two 100,000-volt lines to a bank of three 3333-kva. transformers 100/13.8 kv. These transformers are so designed that with the addition of forced cooling their capacity may be increased 331/3 Per cent at 12,000-ft. altitude. Under present conditions, these transformers are operated at 140 per cent of their rating with forced air cooling. On the secondary side of this bank there is a 15-kv., 1200-amp. Westinghouse oil circuit breaker provided with automatic reclosing relays allowing three successive short circuits before lockout. From this breaker 13.8-kv. power is transmitted to a central switching station (Fig. I) where all circuits radiate to the different operations of the property. Each circuit is protected by a 23-kv., 600-amp. oil circuit breaker with by-pass and isolating disconnecting switches.

Jan 1, 1947

By W. C. PAGE

AS the pioneer operation treating the mixed lead- zinc-iron ores from the district tributary to the Salt Lake Valley, the International Smelting Co.'s plant has offered an extremely interesting and instructive opportunity to study some phases of this problem. Basically, there were two main reason for our attempting to work out a successful operation for the separation and concentration of the values contained in the rather widespread deposits of these so- called lead-zinc ores. In the first place, the time was ripe and demanded some method of curtailing the economic waste resulting from the costs of past and present practice of smelting ores of this character, or rather, those ores which could stand the charges inherent with smelting them. Secondly, but rather primarily with us, we believe that such a solution would greatly in- crease in general the production of lead in the district tributary to the Salt Lake Valley. It is generally known that there were and are three relatively large lead smelting plants in the Salt Lake Valley and the decreasing production of correspondingly clean lead ores was not efficient to justify the existence of all three. We could not hope for better lead smelting metallurgy nor more efficient business management than was being practised, so the only prospect was to at- tempt to work out some way to increase the primary production and thus widen the scope of operations.

Jan 1, 1926

By W. R. Hansen, F. W. Boulger

Twenty-nine laboratory steels were studied to determine the effects of composition and ferrite grain size on drop-weight and Charpy V-notch transition temperatures. The experimental steels covered the following ranges in composition.. 0.10 to 0.32 pct C, 0.30 to 1.31 pct Mn, 0.02 to 0.43 pct Si, md nil to 0.136 pct acid-soluble Al. Although most of the data were obtained on hot-rolled samples, some plates were heat-treated in order to cover a wider range in ferrite grain size. The experimental data were used for a multiple-correlation analysis conducted with the aid of an electronic computer. The study showed that carbon raises and that manganese, silicon, aluminum, and finer ferrite grains lower both drop-weight and Charpy transition temperatures. Quantitatively, variations in composition and grain size have a more marked effect on V15 Charpy transition temperatures than on the drop-weight transition temperature. Useful correlations were found between transition temperatures in drop-weight tests and those defined by seven different criteria for Charpy tests. Evidence was accumulated that the conditions ordinarily used for drop-weight tests are more severe for 1-1/4-in. -thick plate than for 5/8- to 1-in. -thickplate. PROJECT SR-151, to study quantitatively the effects of metallurgical variables on performance in the drop-weight test, was established by the Ship Structure Committee late in 1958 on recommendation of the National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council. This project was initiated as a result of the increasing use of the drop-weight (nil-ductility) test in predicting the ductile-to-brittle behavior of steel. Qualitative data indicated the drop-weight was not as sensitive to metallurgical variables as the Charpy V-notch test. Furthermore, the available information indicated that the drop-weight test did not show the superiority of killed steels over semikilled steels reflected by Charpy tests. This difference in sensitivity to brittle fracture is considered important because the drop-weight transition temperature has been reported1 to correlate better with service-temperature failures than the V-notch test does at a constant energy level. Therefore, this project was concerned with establishing quantitatively the effects of metallurgical variables in the drop-weight test. For comparison, Charpy V-notch data were obtained for the steels investigated. This paper summarizes the results of the investigation. Most of the steels used for the study were made and processed in the laboratory. However, some tests were also made on commercial killed steels available from Project SR-139 (SSC-141). During the course of the investigation, data were obtained on the effects of carbon, silicon, manganese, and aluminum on transition temperatures of drop-weight and Charpy specimens. In addition, the effects of heat treatment which changed the ferrite grain size and the transition temperatures were also investigated. Finally a few exploratory studies were made on commercial killed steels to evaluate the effects of plate thickness, grain size, and heat treatment on the performance of drop-weight specimens. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES Preparation of Materials. A total of twenty-nine 500-lb induction-furnace heats were made and processed in the laboratory for the investigation. Carbon, manganese, silicon, and aluminum contents were systematically varied. Melting and rolling techniques proven satisfactory in a previous project2 were used as a guide for the current investigation. Composition. The composition of the twenty-nine laboratory heats made for this project are given in Table I. The steels are divided into three groups. The first group consists of ten aluminum-killed steels similar in composition to Class C ship-plate steel. The second group consists of ten semikilled or Class B type steels. In both of these groups the carbon and manganese contents were intentionally varied over a wide range. This wide range in composition was helpful in obtaining quantitative data from a limited number of steels. The primary purposes of these two groups of steels was to determine the effects of carbon, manganese, and deoxidation practice. In addition, one steel in each group (Steels 2-2 and 9-2) were made about 1 year after the start of the program in order to check consistency of melting practice. The third group of nine steels listed in Table I was intended for studies on the effects of silicon and aluminum. In eight of these steels carbon and manganese were held relatively constant at levels of about 0.2 and 0.8 pct, respectively, while silicon and

Jan 1, 1963

By John M. Dale

As much as half of the world's known reserves of elemental sulfur occur at or near the earth's surface in natural or native sulfur deposits of volcanic or sedimentary origin. Yet these reserves constitute only a small percentage of the world's supply. Looked on as marginal materials, they remain relatively untouched despite the current demand and improved prices for sulfur. There are two main reasons for this. The first is the nature and occurrence of the deposits. They are generally small and widely scattered in remote and often arid locations, and the gangue constituents of the ore are apt to vary considerably-not only between deposits but also within deposits. The second reason is the lack of workable and economically feasible processes for recovering sulfur from the ores in such deposits. Historically, the older thermal processes in which the sulfur is vaporized away from the gangue were probably the most successful, but they were inefficient and created pollution problems. A few of the historical processes remain in operation today. Recently, however, an improved thermal process to handle all sulfur-containing surface ores has been designed under sponsorship of the Pan American Sulfur Co. A schematic diagram of this process is shown in Fig. 1. The process equipment consists of a paddle trough conveyor retort which is operated as a closed unit to prevent any air or oxygen from entering the system. Ground surface sulfur ore and heated pebbles are fed to this unit simultaneously. The ore and heated pebbles are slowly conveyed and continuously mixed down the conveyor retort. Heat from the pebbles and heat supplied to the outside walls of the trough conveyor retort raise the ore temperature above the boiling point of sulfur. Sulfur vapors and steam originating from moisture in the ore are ducted to a condenser, and the sulfur is recovered as a liquid. The gangue and the pebbles are discharged from the trough conveyor and separated-the gangue being discarded, and the pebbles being conveyed to a direct-fired rotary pebble heater where they are reheated before they are again charged into the rotary trough conveyor retort. The hot gases which pass countercurrent to the pebbles are ducted to the outside of the rotary trough conveyor where they pass countercurrent to the flow of the ore in order to maximize heat recovery and utilization.

Jan 4, 1969

By Ilmar Stöckel, Gösta Harlin, Agne Rustan

INTRODUCTION This chapter is a continuation of the studies by Rustan and Stockel (1979, 1980) on techniques for automating ventilation in Swedish mines and construction works. The studies have been financed by the Swedish Board of Technical Development. As a result of the studies it has been recommended that a good solution to diesel exhaust emission would be automatic, step by step control of the fans near the working place. Diesel vehicles are the major polluters underground in the mines. Therefore, we have suggested that diesel vehicles regulate the fans The goal of the continued study has been to find a way for active diesel vehicles to start and stop gallery fans at both intake and return air. In this paper different methods for activating fans are discussed. The best methods are chosen and tested in the mine. In this study we have found that change of temperature is an inexpensive and effective way to start and stop crosscut fans in sublevel caving and radio signals seem to be an attractive system for starting and stopping gallery fans . This work has been done in close collaboration between LKAB in Kiruna and the University of Luleå, Divisions of Electronics and of Mining and Rock Excavation. An advisory group for the project has been established with ventilation experts from the mines, representatives of the local mine workers' unions, and authorities from the local offices of Governmental Inspection of the Workers Safety. VENTILATION SYSTEM STUDIED In the project the ventilation system at LKAB in Kiruna was studied. The mining method used is sublevel caving with 9-13 m slice height. The air above ground is heated in winter by hot water and the main fans push the air down to a main distribution level along the 4000 m long and about 100 m wide ore body. From the distribution level, air is taken through shafts down to the sublevels, where it is pushed through the levels by local gallery fans on both the intake and return sides, Fig. 1.

Jan 1, 1981

By R. V. Ramani, G. W. Luxbacher

The approach proposed in this paper is, as stated by the authors, an update of methods well discussed in the literature. The authors are to be congratulated for their excellent effort in quantifying a difficult problem with realistic cost data. Economic analysis of the components of a mine ventilation system is complicated by both the dynamic nature of the system and the uncertainty as to the time when system changes occur. We wish to address three specific areas of this paper which require further consideration: shaft designed air capacity, shaft location, and economic criteria used within the analysis. With regard to ventilation shaft size optimization, the system complexities are illustrated in the quantity flow through the shaft. Obviously, the capacity chosen by the designer is a static parameter while the utilized capacity is usually a dynamic variable over the life of the shaft. The designed capacity may be used for a short or a long period, and this may occur during the beginning, middle, or near the end of the shaft life, leading to different operating costs at different times. Operating costs, as shown by the authors' Eq. 8 are more dependent on air quantity than any other single factor (quantity cubed as compared with other factors to the single power); hence, extreme accuracy in the assessment of some of the other factors discussed by the authors may be secondary to the quantity estimation. Incorporation of a variable usage factor for air quantity over the life of the shaft in this optimization problem deserves some consideration. Although the authors have chosen to examine optimum ventilation shaft sizing, it must be remembered that optimization of the whole system-is the primary objective of any optimization process; unit optimization of such items as shafts may not complement the overall process. We have discussed this subject in some detail in another paper in this Transactions volume (Luxbacher and Ramani, 1979). While the recommended process by Wang, et al. can be used in shaft sizing, the shaft operating conditions (pressure head and air quantity) are intertwined with the shaft location within the mine infrastructure:

Jan 1, 1980

By A. C. Losekamp, R. M. Fincel, J. B. Conway

TANTALUM like several other metals exhibits a great affinity for or reactivity with certain gases. Tested in atmospheres which are not completely pure this metal becomes contaminated by certain impurities (notably nitrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen) with a resultant change in various properties. Well-known are the drastic changes in hardness, ductility, and electrical resistivity. Also previously recorded are the distortions of the lattice1,2 accompanying the increased content of oxygen and nitrogen in tantalum. This pronounced affinity for certain gases along with the significant property variations thereby produced makes it necessary to observe additional experimental precautions in making various property determinations with tantalum. Some recent measurements of the linear thermal-expansion characteristics of tantalum have made this point quite emphatically. Failure to observe the greatest precautions in reducing the contaminating influence has led to some extremely distorted results. Not only does such operation lead to different heating and cooling curves during the thermal-expansion measurements, but upon cooling to room temperature the sample is found to have suffered a permanent (actually semipermanent since the specimen can be returned to its original length by a 3-hr degassing treatment in vacuum at 2300°C) elongation. In addition, subsequent heatings will not follow the initial heating curve unless the expansion measurements are based on the actual specimen length at the beginning of the heating cycle. These thermal-expansion measurements were made by positioning the specimen horizontally at the longitudinal midpoint of a 20-in.-long, 4-in.-diam resistively heated tungsten tube furnace. The specimens were in the form of 20-mil sheet formed into a sharp U-shape about 0.3 in. in width and 0.3 in. in depth. Fiducial marks in the form of 0.010-in. holes drilled at either end of the 2.5-in.-long sheet specimens were viewed by a paired filar micrometer telescope system mounted on an Invar bar on the top of the furnace. Tests were made in helium with temperatures measured by a Pt/Pt-lORh thermocouple to 1000°C; above 1000°C temperature was measured by means of an optical pyrometer sighted into a black-body hole drilled into the specimen-holding fixture in the vicinity of the specimen. Previous tests with black-body holes drilled in a 0.25-in.-diam rod specimen had confirmed the temperature uniformity between specimens and specimen-holding fixture in this furnace. A typical thermal-expansion curve for arc-cast tantalum in helium is shown in Fig. 1 for the case where no attempt is made to remove all the impurities from the cover-gas atmosphere. The initial heating curve appears smooth and has a shape characteristic of all metals. However, it is known that the sample begins absorbing impurities at temperatures above 1000°C which are sufficient to distort the lattice and lead to specimen lengths which are somewhat larger than would be obtained in the absence of contamination. During the cooling cycle the expansion curve is seen to be significantly different from the heating curve. This is due to the impurity content causing a semipermanent (i.e., permanent until the impurities are removed by vacuum degassing) deformation which will not allow the speci-

Jan 1, 1965

By A. Poll, J. E. Stantan, L. J. Jolley

THE basic problem in the generation of water gas from carbonaceous fuels and steam is the supply of the heat of reaction, and in general the source of this heat is the combustion of a further quantity of carbon with oxygen. Existing and proposed processes for complete gasification differ in the methods employed for transferring this heat to the fuel, and involve one or other of the following alternatives: 1. Use of a steam-oxygen mixture as the gasifying medium, so that the combustion and gasification reactions are combined. 2. Alternate passage of air and steam through a fixed bed, as in conventional water-gas production. 3. Cyclic passage of fluidized fuel through combustion and gasification zones. 4. Intense preheating of steam and of a portion of the gas made, and recirculation of this mixture through the fuel bed. 5. Supply of heat to the fuel bed through an externally heated wall. Except for the conventional water-gas process using large coke or low- volatile coal, only processes in the first group, operating with steam and oxygen, have proved practicable with fuels other than brown coals and lignites. A possible exception, which has not so far reached a commercial scale, is the moving-burden process developed by Imperial Chemical Indus- tries, Ltd. The cost of industrial oxygen is so high that its use can probably be justified only if it is attended by substantial savings in other directions; for instance, the use of cheap fuel. In the United Kingdom, no very cheap solid fuels are available, and it is unlikely that an oxygen-gasification process could compete economically with conventional production of blue water gas from coke. Hence particular interest attaches to all possibilities of making water gas without using oxygen, if any possible saving in fuel or other costs is involved. The cheapest and most abundant coals in the United Kingdom are the low-rank noncaking bituminous coals in small and ungraded sizes, typically those from the East Midlands coal field, and-fines of high ash content produced in coal-cleaning operations. A process capable of gasifying

Jan 1, 1953

By G. L. Spencer

There is no question as to the importance of the part played by the retort in modern zinc smelting. A satisfactory retort should have properties that will result in resistance to slagging action and fire cracks, and have no tendency, or at least only a small tendency, to soften and bend under furnace heat. The life and cost of a retort also are extremely important factors. The trend in zinc smelting during the past few years has been toward longer retorts and .higher charge density. This is caused by the fact that the diameter is limited to 9 or 10 in. because of heat penetration difficulties in larger sizes. Consequently, increasing the length of the retort and density of charge offers the only practical means of increasing the amount of zinc produced per retort. The stiff-ness of a retort perhaps is the most important factor, as slag accumulates in the bottom of a retort which has sagged and very quickly cuts through, often ruining the retorts below. The development of the high-silica retort is a result of the demands made by the trend toward heavy charges. Materials Used for High-silica Retorts The materials used in the manufacture of high-silica retorts at East St. Louis are fireclay, grog and silica flour. Analyses are given in Table 1. The fireclay comes from the St. Louis district. The grog consists of clean firebrick culls, and the silica flour, a very high-grade material, is purchased in the form of a flour that has been ground through 140 mesh.

Jan 1, 1931