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By B. H. Cody

THE Morenci concentrator of the Phelps Dodge Corporation is a part of the project that was completed after five years had been spent in development of the open-pit mine, equipment and process testing in the former No. 6 concentrator, and construction of the reduction works. The reduction works, of which the concentrator is a part, is about a mile and a quarter southeast of Morenci, on the highway that leads up Morenci Canyon. The concentrator has a nominal capacity for the treatment of 45,000 tons of ore daily. The original plant, which has a rated capacity of 25,000 tons of ore daily and is now in its fifth year of operation, began production on Jan. 30, 1942. The addition, to increase the capacity 8o pct, began operation on Dec. 1, 1943. The equipment of the original plant has been described in MINING AND METALLURGY (May 1942). No changes in equipment were recommended for installation in the concentrator extension and only one major change, forced by a shortage of maintenance labor, has since been made. Metallurgical treatment has been altered in some ways as experiments progressed and as labor and economic conditions dictated. No complete description of the operation of the concentrator has been published, so this paper will record such operating and equipment changes as have been necessary, the operating methods that have been developed and the metallurgical results that have been obtained. Descriptions are given in the order of the processes with a flowsheet and an equipment list of each process for convenient reference. The questions asked by engineer visitors have guided the detail in which operation and maintenance are described. During the period Jan. 30, 1942 to Sept. 1, 1946, ore milled has totaled 43,595,253 dry tons, from which 1,643,885 tons of concentrate have been made, containing an indicated production of 783,164,809 lb of copper. The principal results obtained in operation of the concentrator during the years 1942 to 1945, inclusive, and to Sept. 1, 1946 are shown in Table 1. A graphic general flowsheet of the plant is given in Fig I. ORE The Morenci ore that is now being treated is a medium-hard monzonite porphyry in which the principal sulphide minerals are chalcocite and pyrite. A minor amount of covellite is present. Chalcopyrite and bornite have been observed under the microscope. The chalcocite occurs mainly as a coating on pyrite. Some of the coatings are so thick that the pyrite presents the appearance of being an inclusion in chalcocite. Some are less than one micron thick and are barely visible at 500 diameters magnification of a polished cross section. Some chalcocite is present as a dissemination in the gangue. Various oxidized copper minerals are present as a result of oxidation in place but they represent a minor proportion of the copper minerals of the ore body. Oxidation

Jan 1, 1947

By William Newnam

WHEN Hugh Lee Pattinson discovered, in 1829, that the crystals formed during the slow cooling of molten lead were poorer, and the remaining liquid richer in silver, than the original lead, an important step was made in the metallurgy of this metal. Being the first process applicable to the desilverization of low-grade lead bullion, it soon found its way into all European countries having such a product to treat, thereby effecting the saving of many ounces of silver annually which previously had been thrown away. The old hand process was expensive, as viewed from the standpoint of more modern methods; the labor was great anti the tonnage was small, but on the other hand the results were fairly, satisfactory. This process flourished for some time after the introduction of the cheaper Parkes process in 1852 and it is still in use in a few European smelteries. Only one notable improvement was made on the original process, that of Luce and Roan at Marseilles, France. It consisted in the application of steam for stirring and the tapping of one-third of the liquid lead, through perforated plates covering the tap holes flush with the bottom of the kettle, thus leaving two-thirds in the form of crystals in the original kettle. This modification considerably lowered the operating costs as it permitted of much larger kettles, an increased tonnage and eliminated much of the slow, hard labor of the hand process.. The Luce and Rozan process has persisted in its original form to the present clay. Stephen Tredinnick, English born, spent most of his years around the Luce and Rozan plants at Marseilles and elsewhere in Europe, coming later to Eureka, Nev., in 1878, to operate the Luce and Rozan plant at that point. Mr. Tredinnick was a competent Luce and Rozan operator and being devoted to the process he firmly believed that with modifications the costs could be so lowered as eventually to supplant the Parkes process.

Jan 5, 1917

By Marcel Daly

(A contribution to the study of the conditions of equilibrium of the "free surface" of a water body inclosed in a porous medium.) IN a recent paper, on Geologic Structure in the Cushing Oil and Gas Field, Oklahoma,1 Carl H. Beal has pointed out some interesting peculiarities in the distribution of the hydrocarbons and the disposition of the "planes of separation" between the oil and the water (water surfaces). Mr. Beal's principal statements on this matter may be summarized as follows: I. In every important dome in the Cushing field, which has not been complicated by folding along its sides, the oil area in each, of the three oil and gas sands studied (Layton, Wheeler and Bartlesville) apparently extends farther down on the long axis. of the dome than it does on the steeper sides. The result is that water is encountered at a lesser depth below datum plane (sea level) on the steep sides of the dome than along the ends where the beds are more gently tilted. II. In the Layton and Wheeler sands (to which the detailed study of water surfaces has been almost entirely confined), the water surface is not level, but dips at a gentle angle (maximum dip 100 ft. to the mile) away from the center of the structure. This inclination existed prior to development, and it has been rendered greater by the rapid extraction .of oil and gas. To these statements, the following observations are added. The dominant structural feature in the Cushing field is a broad north and south anticlinal fold, along whose, axis the domes are distributed (Fig. 1, p. 1104), and the more important oil areas in each sand lie on the west side of the field. In many cases, gas has been forced to the east side of the structure, sometimes as far as the water line. From the distribution of the oil and gas bodies, Mr. Beal concludes that the hydrocarbons in this region probably migrated from the west or the northwest.

Jan 1, 1918

By Robert M. Rudio

Montana is leading the way in the field of mined-land reclamation with new laws and new ideas. The Montana Department of State Lands is combining new legislation and practical application techniques to all mining operations in the state. Road building, stream relocations, or settling systems can be designed to meet the environmental problems. Mineral exploration now requires a new and closer look at drill site locations, road gradients, and exploration tools. The problems and costs of land rehabilitation must be thoroughly understood by the exploration geologist in order to satisfactorily conduct exploration in Montana.

Jan 1, 1975

By James T. Kemp

SOME interesting and, to American eyes, rather unusual processes for refining impure aluminum derived from scraps were found by American and British investigators who went into Germany in 1945 for the Technical Industrial Intelligence Committee Of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. What was found was recorded in a series of reports (see page 14), many of which have been released for general reading. This paper gathers under one title and summarizes the German work in refining light metal scrap. Reference must be made to the original reports for greater detail. Basically, the occasion and stimulus for the German developments in treating light metal scrap were hard necessity. Germany needed the metal for a rapacious war industry. Adequate supplies of new aluminum from reduction works were not assured. Great quantities of airplane and other light metal war scraps were forecast. It was evident that the scrap metal would have to be reabsorbed by the producing industry and would have to be kept of good quality. The normal current production of manufacturing scrap was being and could be consumed as generated. It offered no technical problem. The mixed scraps, especially those arising from crashed and decommissioned airplanes, however, presented problems of another kind. AIRPLANE SCRAP The recovery of usable aluminum alloy from the mixed assemblies that made up the piles of airplane scrap was attacked in different ways by different groups and with differing degrees of success. Three procedures actually were used On a commercial scale, one was in pilot-plant stage and another had come to a halt in the laboratory a year before Germany collapsed. Four of these five processes actually involved "refining"; that is, some measure of purification of the metal after melting. SORTING AND SEPARATION ON A SLOPING HEARTH The simplest procedure for utilizing airplane scrap involved no refining in the strict sense of the word. This was the practice adopted by two representative plants visited by the author, the Leipziger Leichtmetalle Werke, Rackwitz, Saxony, and the Vereinigte Leichtmetalle Werke, Hanover. These firms did essentially the same thing that was done in England but not with equal success, to judge by their shorter experience, the smaller tonnage handled and by the number and quality of alloys produced. The two German firms named rough-sorted scraps by their easily recognizable alloys, essentially by part and shape. They used hand labor to chop and hack and tear apart. The easily separated heavy metal and nonmetallic scraps were discarded as they were found. Steel and the higher-melting-point metal parts riveted to aluminum or built into

Jan 1, 1947

By F. B. Speaker

MUCH of White Pine's success is due to the mechanization of mining operations and the development of an efficient beneficiation process to extract usable copper from the low-grade ore (averaging slightly more than 1 pct copper content). When the mine was first opened, all ore was trucked to a conveyor system installed in the slope leading out of the mine. But as new mining areas have been opened up at increasing distances from the slope, conveyors have replaced the trucks for much of the haulage. This conveyor program is expected to continue as mining progresses. Here is how the present underground system functions: Run-of-mine ore is dumped into two truck hoppers and withdrawn from the bottom of each hopper by a 60-in. apron feeder 22 ft long (see diagram). Collecting conveyors 54 in. wide and 44 ft long receive the material from the apron feeders and discharge to two main-line 54-in. conveyors, one 2000 ft and the other 2600 ft long. Operating at 312 fpm and handling 1200 tph, the main-line conveyors converge near the bottom of the tunnel leading out of the mine and discharge into two 72x168-in. Vibrex screens. Ore under 8 in. goes directly to the bin beneath. The oversize is fed to two 32x40-in. jaw crushers and after crushing joins the 8-in. material in the bin.

Jan 12, 1957

By Lee Morris, Charles E. Lawall

This paper represents the results of a study to determine the source, mode of occurrence and conditions influencing the flow and liberation of large volumes of inflammable gas in the Pocahontas No. 4 coal bed in southern West Virginia. A study of this kind is of interest in connection with mine ventilation, because in the removal of gases from coal mines it is very important to know the origin, the occurrence and laws of gas flow. The study was started in April, 1931, and the data and observations were obtained throughout a period of 15 months of field work. Geology The country where this study was made is mountainous and rugged; great cliffs, precipitous slopes and deep narrow gorges are found throughout the area. The outcropping rocks consist of stratified layers of sandstone, shale, limestone and deposits of coal of Carboniferous age. The Pottsville series of the Pennsylvanian, lying at the base of this period, cover the greater portion of the area. A stratigraphic section of the Pocahontas group of the Pottsville series is shown in Fig. 3. The older rocks outcrop in the extreme southeastern part of the area, but are under drainage in the central and northern parts due to the gradual northwest dip of the strata. The structure has a general northeast-southwest trend (Fig. 1). North of Dry Fork anticline the strata have been only slightly disturbed by movements of the earth's crust; it is now a long monocline. Southeast1 of Dry Fork anticline the strata are warped into great arches and deep troughs and are broken by overthrust faults. All of this folding is probably the result of the intense folding associated with the formation of the Appalachian Mountains. Pocahontas No. 4 Coal Bed The Pocahontas No. 4 bed, lying approximately 550 ft. above the base of the Pottsville series, is one of the thickest and most gassy coal beds in

Jan 1, 1934

By W. N. Logan

THE petroleum industry in Indiana made no extraordinary progress during the year 1924. The surplus stock of crude, brought about by the production of 732,407,000 bbl. in the United States in 1923, as against a production of 557,531,000 bbl. in 1922, had its effect on prices though there were slight advances. These advances were more than offset by the continued high prices of labor and materials. TRENTON OIL DEVELOPMENT The principal development of the year occurred in the Hotmire pool of the Ridgeville district in northeastern Indiana. This pool lies partly in the southern part of Jay County and partly in the northern part of Randolph County. The oil is obtained from the upper horizon of the Trenton. During the past year, about 30 wells were drilled, 21 of which were productive. An attempt to extend the Hotmire pool to the northeast resulted in the discovery of a gas-producing area near the center of Pike township in Jay County; 10 wells have been drilled 4 of which produced oil. The Harvey Orr No. 1 produced 900,000 cu. ft. of gas per day.

Jan 3, 1925

By R. K. Govila, E. H. Parkison

THE interplanar angles for hcp metals vary with c/a ratio, and therefore must be computed separately for each particular metal or alloy. Manual computation of these angles is laborious and time consuming, and for this reason computer programs have been developed to accomplish this task.1"3 However, these programs have certain disadvantages. For example, they require prior knowledge and understanding of ALGOL or FORTRAN languages. Further, they will not print out specific angles but instead give all angles between given limits—thus program2 prints out a total of 26,649 angles between planes with indices and in the range from (4 4 4) to (4 4 4) for any given c/a ratio. The purpose of this note is to present a simple and inexpensive computer program for accomplishing this task. This program is written in BASIC language4 which does not require any prior knowledge of computer programming, and is ideally suited for nonprofessional programmers. It also provides flexibility for the user by allowing him to select any indices for as many or few planes as desired for any given c/a ratio. The computer program proposed below is based on the relationship in which + is the angle between any two planes and . TO illustrate use of the program, consider the problem of calculating the interplanar an-

Jan 1, 1970

By H. K. Livingston

THE first person to investigate intensively the vast field of surface phenomena and capillary effects was the eminent English scientist, Lord Rayleigh (1842-1919), who laid down most of the fundamentals of this subject. This work was greatly amplified by Irving Langmuir,1 who, in connection with research for the General Electric Co., spent 25 years on the study of the surface chemistry of films, finally receiving the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 1932 in recognition of his work. At present, William Harkins,2 of the University of Chicago, is the world's foremost authority on surface-tension measurement and his independent work, when combined with that of Langmuir, resulted in the orientation con-cept of solubility and surface activity, which is now an important funda-mental in chemistry. The theory laid down by these men was first applied to practical considerations regarding petroleum reservoirs by F. E. Bartell,3 of the University of Michigan, in connection with an American Petroleum Institute research grant. The latest and most advanced application of Bartell's work is contained in an article published in 1935 by Allen Garrison,4 of Rice Institute, in which he relates Bartell's measurements to the ratio of oil to water produced by wells and shows the types of petroleum reservoirs where the effects studied by Bartell are significant. This article is intended as a minor extension of such work.

Jan 1, 1938

By J. L. Gregg

A STUDY of copper and silver base alloys was made with the object of finding, if possible, useful alloys subject to dispersion hardening. These studies led to the discovery of several alloys showing considerable dispersion hardening, the most important of which, the alloys of copper with iron, nickel, cobalt and chromium silicides, have since been very ably reported by M. G. Corson.1 This paper is offered as a few notes covering alloys other than those described by Corson and some further data on the silicide alloys.

Jan 1, 1929

By W. J. Keep

We have shown in former papers the influence which aluminum exerts when added to cast-iron, and we have presented in another paper, accompanying this one, the physical properties of the metal aluminum and of some of its alloys. The present paper continues the investigation. The reader will find, in our paper on "Aluminum and Other Metals Compared,"* explanations not here repeated, which will render the diagrams in this paper intelligible. The scale of stresses is laid off on the ordinate which rises from the zero-point of the diagram. The scale of deflections is laid off on the abscissa which runs horizontally through this zero-point. By applying a given amount of stress, then running back to zero, and again applying the same stress, we describe a spring-line, in which the deflections are proportional to the stresses. Generally the deflections exceed this proportion during the original application of stress; and the excess is the permanent set. By laying off from the zero-point a line parallel to the springline, we shall generally find that this new spring-line and the diagram coincide for some distance; that is, that the test-bar is

Jan 1, 1890

On Jan. 1, Harvard opened its reorganized School of Engineering and will continue the work during the summer to enable the entrants to complete a full year's work by the opening of the next academic year in September. Some time ago Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology agreed to combine effort in engineering instruction, making use of funds provided under the will of the late Gordon McKay. The agreement was objected to and the Massachusetts Supreme Court held that the arrangement was not in accord with the provisions of the will. The new arrangement has been approved both by the trustees of the McKay estate and by the governing boards of the university. Instruction will be offered in the following subjects; mechanical engineering, civil engineering, sanitary engineering, electrical engineering, mining and metallurgy, and industrial chemistry. Henry Lloyd Smyth has been appointed professor of mining and metallurgy, Albert Sauveur, professor of metallurgy and metallography, and Louis C. Graton, professor of economic geology.

Jan 2, 1919

This brief resume of events, transpiring in Mexico, culled front the daily New York newspapers, since the last Bulletin-went to press, does not indicate any degree of improvement in the situation. RECORDS OF 217 MEXICO KILLINGS SUBMITTED BY AMBASSADOR FLETCHER Henry P. Fletcher, the American Ambassador to Mexico, called as the first witness before the Rules Committee of the House which has begun a preliminary inquiry into conditions in Mexico, which, it, is believed, will lead to a thorough and far-reaching investigation by a joint Senate and House Committee of the entire Mexican problem, submitted a list of the names of Americans officially known to have been killed in Mexico, a majority of them murdered in cold blood, since the overthrow of Porfirio Diaz by Maderoin 1911. The list contains 217 names and in comparatively few instances do the records show that arrests were made by the particular Mexican faction that happened to be in power where the crime was committed. In only one instance, that of John B. McManus, who was killed in March, 1915, was reparation made. It is significant that McManus was killed by Zapatistas, and Zapata officials apologized for the crime and paid to Mrs. McManus a voluntary indemnity of $20,000 in gold. Of the 217 persons listed as victims of the Mexicans, .137 perished since Carranza came into power. The list, it was admitted, is not complete. It was evident, says the New York Times, that the Ambassador considered the situation very serious.

Jan 9, 1919

By B. H. Dunshee

THIS paper is not intended to be a technical discussion of square-set framing as used in mines, but merely a short description of the different kinds of framing that have been used in the Butte mines, and what has been decided upon, after years of practical experience, as being the best, taking into consideration the physical condition of the veins and country rock, and. also the supply of timber available for mining purposes. Butte is, essentially, a square-set district. Virginia City, Nev., was the first mining camp to use this method of timbering, and to Philip Deidesheimer, who went to the Ophir mine in 1860, is given the credit of solving the problem of square-set framing, where large bodies of ore were stoped and the timbers were supposed to hold the ground from caving without any filling. That he did his work well is shown by the fact that the main features of his framing are in use to-day. In the Butte mines the conditions are such that this method of timbering is generally used. We do not, of course, depend upon the timbers any more than is necessary. The worked-out stopes are filled with waste rock as close behind the miners as possible and not interfere with mining operations. The waste rock is obtained from development work on the different levels or from the surface. In the earlier days of mining in Butte there were numerous independent companies and naturally there were different ideas as to the best way to frame the square sets, although the general features were the same.

Jan 8, 1913

By R. E. Shinkosk

This paper outlines the development of a program for increasing the life of woolen bags used for filtering Dwight-Lloyd gases by treating the bags and gases with hydrated lime. Methods and apparatus are described for determining alkalinity of dusts, acidity and breaking strength of bag cloth. Procedure and results, based on several years of operation, are presented. DURING 1939, additional facilities were constructed in the Dwight-Lloyd Blast Furnace and Baghouse departments at the Selby, California, Plant of the American Smelting and Refining Co. In order to handle adequately the increased volume of gases from the resultant increase in production, it was necessary to increase gradually the amount of water used for cooling gases ahead of the sinter machine baghouse. As a result of this increased water cooling, the average bag life dropped from 27 months in 1939 to 14 months in 1941. (Table I). This drop in life meant an increased. bag cost, as well as lower recovery of dust and some curtailment of operation. During 1941, it was found new bags showed as high as 0.3 pct acidity* after two weeks of opera- tion and as much as 2.0 pct acidity after some months of operation. This high acidity was present in spite of the fact that free oxide or relative alkalinity of the unburned dust ran from 5 to 6 pct. In view of these circumstances, a twofold program was started in Nov. 1941.t Part one of this program consisted of vigorously dipping all new bags in a weak lime solution, containing 50 lb of hydrated lime per 50 gal of water. Part two consisted of feeding fine, dry, hydrated lime into the gas stream intake of the sinter baghouse fan. Apparatus for feeding this lime is shown in fig. 1. All baghouse chambers are shaken in rotation about once each hour. On alternate hours, the baghouse operator places 50 lb of hydrated lime (one sack) into the lime feeder, starts feeder and immediately starts the bag shaking machinery. The rate at which lime is fed is set to coincide with the approximate time necessary to shake all sinter bag-house chambers, or about 15 min. It is felt this method of lime addition is most effective for getting lime into the woolen bag fabric. The amount of lime so fed averages about 600 lb per day. The amount of lime fed per day is varied to keep a minimum relative alkalinity of 9 pct in the unburned sinter dust. A daily dust sample is taken for alkalinity by allowing dust to accumulate in a sample pipe over a 24-hr period. This sample pipe, placed in any chamber cellar, is 2 in. in diam, 4 ft long, is sealed on the inner end, and capped on the outer end. It has a 1/2 in. slot cut for 18 in. along the tip end. This slot faces upward and allows the pipe to fill gradually with dust as bags are shaken. Breaking strength of bags has, in most cases, been the deciding factor in bag replacement. Bags that normally test 100 psi breaking strength when new are replaced when they test under 35 lb. The method for determining breaking strength is shown in the description accompanying fig. 2. Since the start of the liming program in 1941, bag life has increased from 14 months to an average of over 23 months, with a consequent material decrease in bag cost per year. Acidity, as per cent sulphuric acid, may be determined by means of a Beckman pH meter as follows: From a piece of bag cloth. which has been thoroughly cleaned of dust, a 5 g sample is weighed on a balance. Cut the sample into fine pieces and place in a 400 cc beaker. Add 100 cc (measured) of distilled water and stir vigorously. Filter on suction funnel, holding cloth pulp in beaker with a stirring rod. Wash cloth sample and filter wash water four additional times, each time with 20 cc distilled water, the last time squeezing cloth pulp over funnel. Discard pulp and rinse funnel and filter paper. Pour wash solution jnto measuring graduate and make up to exactly 300 cc with distilled water. Place into clean 600 cc beaker and measure the pH on meter. The per cent acid in bag cloth is read from the following table:—

Jan 1, 1951

By Guido Del Giudice

THE term "slime-coating" is not new in the art of flotation; the phenomenon has been observed and described by Taggart;(1)? Taggart, Taylor, and Ince;(2) and by Ince.(3) Notwithstanding that flotation was introduced for the treatment of finely crushed ore, the adverse effects of slimes have been recognized since the earliest days of the process, and the Elmore, Delprat, Potter, and other processes actually specified desliming of the ore prior to treatment. The cause of this trouble has been studied and described by Taggart;(1) Taggart, Taylor, and Ince;(2) Ince; 3 Morrow and Griswold;(4) and by Gaudin and Malozemoff.(5) OLD THEORY OF SLIME-COATINGS At present, so far as published work shows, there seems to be but one theory for the mechanism of slime-coatings. Ince(3) states that they are due to attraction between electrostatic charges of opposite sign on the sulfide and, on the slime particles, supporting this theory by migration experiments in the Burton tube. He also used the microscope in conjunction with a glass cell employed by Beans and Eastlack(6) in studying migration, but met with interference from endosmosis. Several attempts have been made in the Department of Mineral Dressing at Columbia University to duplicate Ince's experiments with the Burton tube, but the results have never been convincing. Formation of precipitates which settled through the pulp levels, and evolution of gas at the electrodes, which disturbed the interface between the pulp and the distilled water above it, seriously interfered with observations. However, by use of the migration cell shown in Fig. 1, endosmosis effects and the disturbances due to precipitation and gas evolution were avoided, and distinct and reproducible migrations or absence of migration were observed.

Jan 1, 1934

By Willard C. Lacy

Rather than attempting to present a summary of the many and highly varied papers that have been presented at this symposium on sampling and grade control, I will attempt to extract the general philosophy of analysis and approach, and attempt to identify the trend of future developments. First, the term "sampling" is used with its broadest connotations. A sample consists of a representative portion of a larger mass, and must represent the mass not only in the grade of contained metals or minerals, but also in all other respects in terms of mineralogy and mineral quality (1, 5), deleterious materials, recoverability of economic components, physical behavior, geophysical response (I), and even archaeological and environmental aspects (7, 11). The sample must be taken from a locality and in such a manner and quantity that it is representative of the larger rock mass. This calls for complete and accurate geological control and an understanding of the nature and distribution of the contained chemical and physical elements and a record of the effectiveness of the different sampling methods. Second, value of a given mass of ore material is based upon its profitability - the difference between recoverable value and costs to achieve recovery, beneficiation and sale. There is a strong movement in mining geology control toward more complete analysis in determining cutoff grades and in grade control, as illustrated by the kriging of metallurgical recovery factors as well as grade at the Mercur Mine (8). To achieve a "profit- ability factor" as a guide for economic mining practice requires further integration of: 1) the value of contained metal or mineral, 2) percentage recovery of values, 3) dilution of ore with waste rock, 4) addition to, or loss of value as a consequence of by-product materials or deleterious components, 5) cost of producing a saleable product plus mini- mum profit to justify the effort (cutoff), and 6) cost of land restoration (7, 11). All these parameters vary with the rock type, rock structure, mineralogy, depth, geometry, mining and metallurgical methods, but they must be sampled and analyzed if sampling and grade control are to reflect profitability. A wide variety of deposits has been presented at this symposium; each deposit with its own problems and special solutions. Deposits containing high unit-value components, e.g. precious metals and diamonds, present special problems in the obtaining of accurate samples and generally require statistical analysis control methods or may disregard or modify occasional high or occasional low values, based upon experience (12 ) Grade control may be accurate for the long term but may vary for the short term. Bulk sampling is always essential. Deposits containing metals or minerals with low unit value are very sensitive to transport costs, and they are often very sensitive to small amounts of deleterious components or differences in physical or chemical behavior. Problems of sampling and grade control change with the genetic type of deposit, with the stage of deposit development and with the size of the information base. Precious metal epithermal deposits (2, 6, 8), because of rapid vertical zonation and erratic lateral distribution of values, have always been difficult to evaluate and maintain grade control and ore reserves. On the other hand, evaluation and grade control are relatively easy in bulk-low- grade deposits (4, 13). However, these deposits generally have a low margin of profit and are sensitive to mining and beneficiaton costs, price fluctuations and political costs. Industrial mineral deposits (5) often must be evaluated on the basis of their behavior, rather than by chemical analysis. Environmental impact generally increases with the scale of the operation, but certain elements or minerals have especially high impact effects (7, 11). In the exploration phase there is no production control of sampling procedures and careful geological observations are particularly essential. The greatest number of problems is related to the oxidized outcrop where the chemical environment of the ore body has changed and the contained values may have been enriched, depleted or values left unchanged (2, 6). Present evidence suggests that gold values may be very mobile under certain conditions (2, 6) and stable under others. Everything must be sampled in detail. Principal values and by-product or deleterious elements may vary dependent upon their position within the soil profile. Such factors as geomorphic position, erosion rate, vegetation, climate, etc., may affect the interpretation (1, 3). During the development phase it is equally easy to overtest, to have "paralysis by analysis," as to undertest (3, 6). Bulk samplng and testing are

Jan 1, 1985

By M. G. F. Söhnlein

In a Bolivian tin concentrator an appliance was needed to furnish a suitable product for fine jigging from a pulp of the following composition: Mesh Per Cent. + 20 8.0 40 36.5 + 60 9.0 + 80 10.5 + loo 5.5 4-150 1 4.5 -150 25.0 99.0 Loss 1.0 In the jigging process, particles of cassiterite as small as 0.1 mm. can be recovered, provided they are not present in excess, that is if the material treated on the jigs contains sufficient coarser sands to keep the interstices between the grains open. Removing the fine material from the pulp by screening, to prepare the jig feed, is impractical, because that means the use of an 80-mesh screen or finer, and is not as effective as hydraulic classification. A screen would eliminate mineral grains from the feed which can be recovered by jigging, and in addition would throw more gangue and low-grade middling on to the jig. Formerly a one-spigot Richards vortex classifier had been used to accomplish this separation, but the tangential openings through which the hydraulic water enters became clogged by fine vegetal matter with which the water was contaminated, and which it was impossible to remove from the water. Consequently the work of the classifier was imperfect and a good deal of slime was sent to the jig. When designing the plant referred to in this paper it was decided to use a hydraulic classifier as shown in Fig. 1. The essential features had been copied from the Anaconda classifier.' This remodeled classifier consists of a truncated pyramidal wooden hopper A with an attachment of cast iron

Jan 1, 1917