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By J. R. Cain

ROLE OF GASES IN FERROUS -METALLURGICAL PROCESSES IN every process for making steel there are one or more stages where the metal is exposed to gas of one kind or another. Thus, in the open-hearth furnace, the carbon dioxide and water vapor in the products of combustion are oxidizing toward the ferrous and manganous oxides in the slag, tending to convert these to higher oxides; the higher oxides then oxidize the steel, so that indirectly the products of combustion are oxidizing toward the steel. In the Bessemer process, there is direct contact of air and steel; also, the water vapor in the air blown into the converter is continually decomposed by the molten steel, yielding hydrogen and ferrous oxide, both of which are in part taken up by the metal. In the electric-furnace processes, there is always more or less air in contact with the slag covering the metal, and this air and the gaseous reaction products from it are dissolved in the slag to some extent and thus transmitted in part to the steel. In the crucible processes, there is always entrapped air in the charges and the crucibles are more or less permeable to the gaseous products of combustion from the furnace. In all the processes of manufacture, the molten metal is exposed to air while tapping into ladles and ingot molds and has an opportunity to saturate itself with air or with gaseous or solid products generated by chemical reactions between air and steel. Sieverts1 has shown that molten metals require but a few seconds to saturate themselves with a surrounding gas. No one familiar with the operations at a steel plant needs to be reminded of the important role that gases play at all stages. The familiar "boil" of open-hearth furnaces, due to evolution of carbon monoxide when iron ore is added to the molten steel; the spectacular operation of the Bessemer converter brought about entirely by a gaseous reagent; the almost magic effect of small quantities of silicon manganese or

Jan 8, 1919

By W. R. Hicks, J. E. Pollock, E. Camp

In the oil-refining industry, steel comprises by far the greatest proportion of the materials used in construction work, but with an enormous number of alloy steels and nonferrous alloys available, and a greater knowledge of their properties and corrosion resistance, a substitution first in the "hot spots" and then in locations of moderately severe corrosive conditions will be made as the greater expense can be justified. In new construction work, advantage is taken of the experience already gained and appropriate materials used, whether for high temperatures and pressures demanding additional strength or for corrosive conditions. The locations, however, where equipment in operation constantly requires replacement will soon become evident, as will the necessity for replacement in more resistant materials, if considerable down-time is to be avoided. In what direction and how far to go in the matter of alloys then becomes a question of the highest importance. Obviously, any replacement with more costly material must be justified economically by the promise of longer life, thereby saving both material and installation costs besides the reduction of loss of production. Where the equipment is overcapacity and a regular schedule of cleaning periods is in force, the last item frequently must be ruled out and justification made on the basis of the first two only. Installation of material that will outlast the remainder of the equipment and have no recovery value must also be avoided; this is particularly important in temporary construction or in old equipment that will soon become obsolete. Test Methods Either one of two methods or a combination of both, in the absence of reliable data in similar services, may be adopted to determine to what extent replacement with other, and perhaps more expensive, materials is justified. A unit may be constructed incorporating different metals or alloys so that comparative service may be obtained under the same service conditions; this has been applied in many instances, such as condenser and tank construction, but the opportunities for inspection may be few and

Jan 1, 1935

By Arthur Knapp

No oil territory in the world has been so rich in large producing wells, in a comparatively small area, as the Baku field. Particularly is this true of the Bibi Eibat field, which formerly produced millions of "poods," of " gusher," or as it is called in Russia, " fountain " oil. The Bibi Eibat and Balachany fields have been exhausted of gas and ruined by water, but the Surachany and Benegadi fields are still fountain territories and many outlying districts that have only been prospected produce rich fountains. The method of controlling fountains, or gushers, is the result of growth, along with the Russian system of drilling, where large diameters and riveted casing have been in vogue. The screw casing is seldom used except to exclude water. Formerly the method of finishing wells and the condition of the casing at the top of the well would not permit the use of gates, manifolds, and connections as is standard elsewhere. The life of the flowing wells is very short, particularly those 10 in. (25 cm.) or more in diameter, which produce large quantities of sand and often flow for but a few days and are then a complete loss. More than 1,000,000 poods in 24 hr. have been claimed in several instances, but in no case was the flow for more than a few days. The oil sands of this district are free uncemented sands and vary in thickness from paper thin to a maximum of 10 ft. (3 m.). The sands are interlaid with strata of soft clay. In spite of this, the practice has been to drill into such sands and produce from the open hole without screen or liners. Sometimes the casing is set below the oil sand but in this case holes from 2 ½ to 3 in. in diameter are drilled opposite the oil sand, which would not have the effect of a screen.

Jan 1, 1920

By J. E. Pollock, W. R. Hicks, E. Camp

In the oil-refining industry, steel comprises by far the greatest proportion of the materials used in construction work, but with an enormous number of alloy steels and nonferrous alloys available, and a greater knowledge of their properties and corrosion resistance, a substitution first in the "hot spots" and then in locations of moderately severe corrosive conditions will be made as the greater expense can be justified. In new construction work, advantage is taken of the experience already gained and appropriate materials used, whether for high temperatures and pressures demanding additional strength or for corrosive conditions. The locations, however, where equipment in operation constantly requires replacement will soon become evident, as will the necessity for replacement in more resistant materials, if considerable down-time is to be avoided. In what direction and how far to go in the matter of alloys then becomes a question of the highest importance. Obviously, any replacement with more costly material must be justified economically by the promise of longer life, thereby saving both material and installation costs besides the reduction of loss of production. Where the equipment is overcapacity and a regular schedule of cleaning periods is in force, the last item frequently must be ruled out and justification made on the basis of the first two only. Installation of material that will outlast the remainder of the equipment and have no recovery value must also be avoided; this is particularly important in temporary construction or in old equipment that will soon become obsolete. Test Methods Either one of two methods or a combination of both, in the absence of reliable data in similar services, may be adopted to determine to what extent replacement with other, and perhaps more expensive, materials is justified. A unit may be constructed incorporating different metals or alloys so that comparative service may be obtained under the same service conditions; this has been applied in many instances, such as condenser and tank construction, but the opportunities for inspection may be few and

Jan 1, 1935

By Irwin Roman

In addition to projects such as those reported in parts I and II above, the Section of Geo-physics of the Federal Government has undertaken a considerable amount of fundamental research. Two such field-projects may be mentioned, one a magnetometric study in the Comstock Dis-trict of Nevada, and the other a resistivity-study of snow and ice. In addition to the field-problems, there have been two classes of research of a mathematical type. One of these has been the preparation of tables, scales, and charts for the important geophysical functions already known; the other has been the extension of the relations involved in the resistivity-problem. The magnetometric study at Spring Valley, in the Comstock District, was made for the pur-pose of determining the value of the magnetometer in extending the knowledge of a region, as ob-tained by purely geological means. The variations in the vertical magnetic intensity were mea-sured with an Askania balance at intervals of 20 feet, along lines as shown in Figure I.. These lines were 100 or 500 feet apart over an area approximately a rectangle 6000 by 7500 feet. In addition to the lines shown, two areas were selected for more intensive study. In one, short

Jan 1, 1940

By C. D. Hunter, J. B. Browning

During the year 1934, Kentucky oil and gas operators have partly overcome their past depression fears and in the oil industry, with possibly more abandonments of old oil producers than the completion of new oil wells, produced 4,814,904 bbl. of oil in 1934 against 4,501,511 bbl. in 1933. In the gas industry of eastern Kentucky, 115 gas wells were completed during 1934. This production is delivered through two 20-in., one 16-in., one 12-in., one 10-in., and two 8-in. pipe lines to supply both domestic and industrial markets in Cincinnati, Ohio; Louisville, Lexington, Frankfort, Winchester, Ashland, Covington and other Kentucky towns; Washington, D.C., and other eastern cities. The largest percentage of these gas wells and production are from the Devonian black shale area of Floyd, Pike, Knott, Martin and Magoffin counties, Kentucky. In this area the largest percentage of 1889 wells, developing 421,-215 acres, has been completed in the past 10 years, of which 55.3 per cent produce from the 400 to 550 ft. of Carbonaceous Devonian black shales. The successful results obtained from these Devonian shales are due to the physical effects of the 5000 to 6000 lb. of gelatinated nitroglycerin with which the entire 400 to 550 ft. of shale is shot. A very small number of the shale wells are natural producers and do not require shooting. Other than the Devonian shale gas production, the remaining 44.5 per cent of the gas in this field is encountered throughout the entire strati-graphic section above this horizon; namely, salt sands of Pennsylvanian age and Maxon, Big Lime and Weir of Mississippian Age. A very small percentage is encountered in the Corniferous Devonian lime and the Silurian Big 6 below the black shales. In western Kentucky, in the counties of Henderson, Webster, Hopkins, McLean, Christian, Muhlenburg, Ohio, Daviess, Hancock, Brecken-ridge, Hart, Barren and Warren, many gas wells have been completed, but, because of insufficient market, activity has been somewhat desultory. The area is served by the pipe lilies of the Kentucky Natural Gas Corporation, with headquarters at Owensboro. Their market is increasing and the gas is delivered to Owensboro, Henderson, Madisonville, and many

Jan 1, 1935

By W. H. Eatock

In its infancy, the potash refining industry in Saskatchewan was heavily influenced by practices developed in Carlsbad, NM, resulting in modern, highly productive plants. The first 15 years has been a period of reduced production, due to excessive capacity, when improvements tended to be emphasized in the mining rather than the refining functions. However, some innovations have been developed and applied in Saskatchewan and the industry is entering a period of massive expansion which will produce further advances. This paper discusses, in general terms, some of the different approaches and recent trends.

Jan 1, 1983

By Frank Firmstone

IN the early decades of the past century the method of starting iron blast-furnaces by "scaffolding-down" seems to have been in universal use for coke-furnaces and, at least in this country, for charcoal-furnaces also. It was likewise used at some of the early anthracite-furnaces, as is stated in the important "Reminiscences" printed by the late Samuel Thomas. I It had been generally superseded in Great Britain as early as 1850, by some variations of the plan now used, and was rarely used when Percy wrote.' On the Continent it was still followed in the 60's,3 and was elaborately described by Valerius in 1852. I have never read any statement as to when and by whom '4 scaffolding" was first dispensed with, but the following extracts from journals of my father seem to fix an authentic date for an instance in this country:

Mar 1, 1907

By B. C. Craft

Oil and gas development in Mississippi during the year 1933 was rather active and a number of important wildcat wells were drilled throughout the state. Mississippi showed an increase in drilling operations during 1933. There were 58 completions from 22 counties during this period, compared with 53 completions in 10 counties during 1932. The Jackson gas field in Hinds and Rankin counties continued to be the most active area with 26 completions, resulting in 17 gas wells, 2 oil wells, and 7 dry holes, compared with 38 gas wells, 1 oil well and 5 dry holes during 1932. A further attempt to extend the producing limits of the Amory gas field resulted in a dry hole. Extensive exploration in south Mississippi has proved the existence of ample source beds and presence of an extensive sandbody near the top of Cockfield. Core tests, supplemented by extensive geophysical work, have been carried on in Jackson, George, Harrison, Pearl River and Stone counties. Exploration will be continued in 1934. The most important deep test drilled in 1933, and the deepest well ever drilled in a southeastern state, was the Eastman Gardner et al., Bank of Seminary No. 1, sec. 26-8N.-15W., Covington County. This well went through about 1300 ft. of Selma chalk, and was abandoned in the Eutaw at 8004 ft. Another interesting operation during the past year was the Foster Creek Oil Corporation's Foster Creek Lumber Co. No. 1, sec. 14-2N.-2W., in the "Eastern Conroe Trend." This test is shut down at 3687 ft. in the Catahoula sandstone and has not encountered any important shows of oil or gas. A total of 107 of the 117 gas wells completed in the Jackson gas field since its discovery in 1930 are still producing, and have a combined open flow of approximately 3,724,896,000 cu. ft. It is reasonable to assume that this area will be rather inactive during 1934 as the maximum daily production during 1933 was 3,476,000 cu. ft. The 10 wells that have gone dead were edge wells. The water level is now between the sub-sea depths of 2190 and 2195 ft. The Gulf Refining Company's Rainey No. 1, sec. 13-5N.-lE., one of the early wells in the field, had gas and water at —2225 ft. That the field is under hydraulic control is

Jan 1, 1934

By Leroy W. Weeks, Peter B. Nalle

The rapid growth of the modern electronic computer industry during the past 15 years is, perhaps, the greatest phenomenon that has occurred in American business in this century. This growth is due in part to the new, and in some instances, revolutionary applications of computers instigated and developed by both the manufacturers of such equipment and their customers who search for easier, faster, more accurate methods of conducting their business operations. As in other industries, modern computers are becoming more common in the field of mining. The adaptation of computer analysis to the unique problems of mining companies is undergoing research and development by both electronic and mining companies. However, for those of us in mining who are interested in the possibilities of computer analysis and control, the basic question is Where can a computer system be of use in a mining operation today? Some ideas of such applications follow, as well as a specific example of computer control at the Riverside Cement Co.

Jan 9, 1960

By Clyde E. Williams

MODERN steelmaking has gradually evolved from an inefficient small-scale operation, utilizing tiny units, to a highly efficient one utilizing large units almost completely mechanized. The leading position of the United States in the steel industry is due to the possession of easily assembled high-grade raw materials and large-scale highly developed plants. Modern integrated steel operation is largely one of material handling. Mining and transportation of iron ore, coal, and fluxes, coking the coal in by-product ovens, smelting the ore with coke and limestone in blast furnaces, converting the resulting pig iron into steel in the Bessemer, or in the open hearth when supplemented with scrap, and fabricating the resulting steel ingots in the shapes of commerce all are done on a huge scale, mostly by machinery, most of the labor being employed either in operating the machine or keeping it in repair. At the same time the quality and uniformity of the product have been greatly increased by the development of scientific knowledge and operating skills. Thus, the steel industry in this country is highly developed both mechanically and technically.

Jan 1, 1942

By H. M. Morse

This report on oil and gas development in Mississippi covers the period from Jan. I, 1944, to Dec. 31, 1944: Salt Domes During the year six salt domes were drilled for sulphur, but no commercial sulphur deposits were found. One salt dome, the Bruinsburg, in Claiborne County, has produced gas- at 935 to 940 ft' in Moody's Branch marl. The Stringer salt dome in Smith County and the Ruth salt dome in Lincoln County both had a slight showing of heavy oil. Other salt domes have been dry. In addition to the Bruinsburg dome, the Allen salt dome, in Copiah County, and the Richton salt dome, in Perry County, were discovered in 1944; also the Sumrall dome, in Covington County. New Oil Fields Baxtemille Oil Field.—The Baxterville oil field was discoveredby the Gulf Refining Co, in sec. 7, T. I N., R. 16 W., Lamar County. At the end of the year this field had one oil well, with two active operations. Production for 1944 was 1047 bbl. of oil. GwinvilLe Field.—Gwinville field was discovered by S. W. Richardson, in sec. 24, T. 9 N., R. 19 W., Jefferson Davis County. This discovery well was a gas-distillate well, the oil being crystal clear. At the end of 1944 there were two gas wells and one oil well in the field. The oil well is approximately 2 1/2-miles from the gas- distillate wells. Gas production was 55,801 M cu. ft. and the distillate production was 2644 barrels. Heidelberg Oil Field.— The Gulf Refining Co. discovered the Heidelberg field in sec. 30, T. I N., R. 13 E., Jasper County, in January 1944. This field has by far exceeded the other 1943 and 1944 discoveries, having approximately 56 oil wells, 7 dry holes, and 10 active wells at the end of the year. Production to Jan. I, 1945 was 1,441,192 bbl. of oil. Mallalieu Oil Field.—The california Company discovered the Mallalieu oil field in set. 10, T. 7 N., R. 8 E,, Licoln. County. At the end of the year there was one well in the field with three active operations. Production was 32,303 bbl. of oil. Old Oil Fields Brookhaven Oil Field, in Lincoln County, has one oil well, which produced 2590 bbl. of oil during 1944. CarY Oil Field, Sharkey County1 has only one producing well, which produced 11,818 bbl- of oil during the Year- In Cranfield Oil Field, dams County, II oil wells and two gas-distillate wells were drilled in 1944 and there were five active wells on Dee. 31, 1944- The total production for the Year was 5251422 bbl-of oil. The gravity of the oil is 40" to 54.9'- In Eucutta Oil Field1 Wayne County1 34 oil wells were completed during 1944. There were five dry holes and six active wells at the end of the year.. The field produced 454,332 bbl. of all d the average gravity is 25" Flora Oil Field, Madison County, pro-

Jan 1, 1945

By H. M. St. John

THE melting department is the heart of the foundry. From it clean metal flows to the molding floor, in the right quantity, at the right time and at a sufficiently low cost-or, if not, the foundry fails to thrive. Since it is our purpose here to discuss present-day melting practice in the foundry, it may be well at the start to emphasize the wide differences in foundries and the conditions under which they must operate in order to reach the goal stated in the first paragraph. In every foundry, large or small, jobbing or captive, the same factors must be dealt with but they are of varying consequence and must be dealt with in varying ways in different foundries. Particularly in the nonferrous industry, there is so wide a variation in the composition of alloys used and in the character of castings made that no one type of furnace, nor any one method of operation, can be expected to produce the best results at all times. The present discussion will not attempt to include all nonferrous metals. It is intended to cover only the copper-base alloys in which copper is the dominant element, most of which are commonly known as brass or bronze. The discussion is further limited to the melting of these copper-base alloys for use in sand-casting foundries. Die-casting plants, the brass-rolling mills and certain other metal industries have melting problems peculiar to those industries, which will not be considered here. The following considerations are elemental in all foundries and are listed in what is believed to be the relative order of their present-day importance: I. The melting department must meet the foundry's requirement for dean, fluid metal, of specified composition and purity, at a temperature suitable for the work the foundry has in hand. This is the prime consideration in any foundry, at any time, anywhere. 2. Working conditions surrounding the melting furnaces and attending their use must be good. 3. The cost of molten metal at the mold must be as low as possible. 4. The operating characteristics of the furnaces must be sufficiently flexible, to meet normal variations in foundry requirements. 5. The operation and maintenance of the melting equipment must not require more skill and experience than is available in the particular foundry in question. METAL QUALITY It is not a function of the melting furnace to refine or improve the quality of the metal but simply to melt it without impairing its quality. Good practice requires, therefore, that care must be taken to supply the melting department with metal of inherently good quality, assured by specification or otherwise, having all the properties necessary to produce the castings desired. An alloy contains a number of primary elements, which must be present in definite proportions if the castings made from it are to have the desired properties. If the castings are made to a customer's specification, this will state the range within which these principal elements (for example, copper, tin, lead and zinc) are permitted to vary.

Jan 1, 1946

By Paul M. Tyler

YEAR after year, the kaolin industry of the United States has been setting new production records and making better products. High-grade paper, pottery, and rubber clays are produced in this country mostly in the South. Georgia alone contributes over 70 pct and South Carolina almost 20 pct of the total domestic output. Residual kaolin is mined in North Carolina, highly plastic but naturally sandy Tertiary (Eocene) potting clays are worked in north central Florida, and good white clays are produced in several other states, but the main sources of kaolin or china clay have been numerous deposits in the Tuscaloosa (Upper Cretaceous) formation. This formation of generally sandy sediments is called the Middendorf member in older geologic reports and corresponds in age with some of the New Jersey clays. As shown in fig. 1, it crops out almost continuously in a generally southwesterly direction across South Carolina and Georgia and into Alabama. Clay is mined from this formation in all three states but the principal producing centers lie within about 10 miles of a straight line drawn between Aiken, S. C., and a point about 10 miles south of Macon, Ga. The white kaolins of the South were recognized and used prior to the Civil War but suitable treatment processes were not introduced until World War I when imports, chiefly from England, were curtailed. Although imports of high-grade clays were resumed after 1918, the domestic industry managed to treble its prewar production record during the early 1920's and has continued to grow. Whereas the 1909 to 1913 average total production in the United States was only 132,104 short tons valued at $705,352 f.O.b. mines, the output in 1948 was 1,-568,848 tons worth $19,756,738. Paradoxically, it seems in retrospect that the early failure of the American industry to meet foreign competition was due to the superior quality of our sedimentary clays in their natural state. Kaolin, of course, is the principal decomposition product of feldspars which originate in acidic igneous rocks such as granite, aplite, alaskite, granodiorite, quartz porphyry, etc. English china clays occur in residual deposits and before they can be marketed they have to be treated to remove accompanying quartz, mica, and other impurities. Notwithstanding the relatively crude methods employed, the final product is a beneficiated clay which is subject to a certain amount of technical control as to quality and uniformity. Although the naturally concentrated deposits in Georgia and South Carolina contain some of the finest crude white kaolin in the world, even it can be made better by suitable treatment. In recent years well over half of the high-grade china clay produced in the United States has been used in making paper. Some qualities of paper clays are still produced by the dry process, or air flotation, but the paper industry's specifications have grown so exacting that wet processing was adopted and more refined methods had to be perfected. Notwithstanding notable advances in clay-preparation technology during the past decade, or possibly because these advances have implemented and encouraged technologic changes in consuming industries, demand has grown for products of higher uniform quality than can be obtained from even the best natural deposits without rigidly controlled fractionation. Largely as a result of the wide adoption of machine coating for paper, the clay industry has been obliged not merely to eliminate virtually all mineral impurities but also to segregate the clay substance itself into narrow particle-size ranges. By extraordinary coordination of sales effort and production technology, several Georgia companies manage to market a wide variety of specialized joint products but the commercial success of many producers depends upon their mining only the best parts of their deposits and then skimming the cream of this almost pure clay in order to obtain a maximum yield of kaolinite finer than about 2 microns in maximum particle size and possessing low viscosity as well as the more familiar attributes of suitable color and brightness, or reflectance. To the casual visitor from another mineral industry, the kaolin mines and plants may appear to be

Jan 1, 1951

By Paul M. Tyler

YEAR after year, the kaolin industry of the United States has been setting new production records and making better products. High-grade paper, pottery, and rubber clays are produced in this country mostly in the South. Georgia alone contributes over 70 pct and South Carolina almost 20 pct of the total domestic output. Residual kaolin is mined in North Carolina, highly plastic but naturally sandy Tertiary (Eocene) potting clays are worked in north central Florida, and good white clays are produced in several other states, but the main sources of kaolin or china clay have been numerous deposits in the Tuscaloosa (Upper Cretaceous) formation. This formation of generally sandy sediments is called the Middendorf member in older geologic reports and corresponds in age with some of the New Jersey clays. As shown in fig. 1, it crops out almost continuously in a generally southwesterly direction across South Carolina and Georgia and into Alabama. Clay is mined from this formation in all three states but the principal producing centers lie within about 10 miles of a straight line drawn between Aiken, S. C., and a point about 10 miles south of Macon, Ga. The white kaolins of the South were recognized and used prior to the Civil War but suitable treatment processes were not introduced until World War I when imports, chiefly from England, were curtailed. Although imports of high-grade clays were resumed after 1918, the domestic industry managed to treble its prewar production record during the early 1920's and has continued to grow. Whereas the 1909 to 1913 average total production in the United States was only 132,104 short tons valued at $705,352 f.O.b. mines, the output in 1948 was 1,-568,848 tons worth $19,756,738. Paradoxically, it seems in retrospect that the early failure of the American industry to meet foreign competition was due to the superior quality of our sedimentary clays in their natural state. Kaolin, of course, is the principal decomposition product of feldspars which originate in acidic igneous rocks such as granite, aplite, alaskite, granodiorite, quartz porphyry, etc. English china clays occur in residual deposits and before they can be marketed they have to be treated to remove accompanying quartz, mica, and other impurities. Notwithstanding the relatively crude methods employed, the final product is a beneficiated clay which is subject to a certain amount of technical control as to quality and uniformity. Although the naturally concentrated deposits in Georgia and South Carolina contain some of the finest crude white kaolin in the world, even it can be made better by suitable treatment. In recent years well over half of the high-grade china clay produced in the United States has been used in making paper. Some qualities of paper clays are still produced by the dry process, or air flotation, but the paper industry's specifications have grown so exacting that wet processing was adopted and more refined methods had to be perfected. Notwithstanding notable advances in clay-preparation technology during the past decade, or possibly because these advances have implemented and encouraged technologic changes in consuming industries, demand has grown for products of higher uniform quality than can be obtained from even the best natural deposits without rigidly controlled fractionation. Largely as a result of the wide adoption of machine coating for paper, the clay industry has been obliged not merely to eliminate virtually all mineral impurities but also to segregate the clay substance itself into narrow particle-size ranges. By extraordinary coordination of sales effort and production technology, several Georgia companies manage to market a wide variety of specialized joint products but the commercial success of many producers depends upon their mining only the best parts of their deposits and then skimming the cream of this almost pure clay in order to obtain a maximum yield of kaolinite finer than about 2 microns in maximum particle size and possessing low viscosity as well as the more familiar attributes of suitable color and brightness, or reflectance. To the casual visitor from another mineral industry, the kaolin mines and plants may appear to be

Jan 1, 1951

By Thomas T. Read

It is natural, in reviewing the progress that has been made in mineral industry education during the three quarters of a century that has elapsed since the American Institute of Mining Engineers was organized in 1871, to seek to establish some significant correlation. Earnest endeavor along such lines, however, produces nothing more in the way of fundamental relationship than a technical economic interest in mineral production and utilization in the United States, which had been steadily increasing since 1800. This is a sound correlation, since it is unquestionable that organized and systematic mineral industry education had its origin in Germany, more than 150 years before 1871, in an economic interest in producing minerals for use with the maximum of recovery at a minimum of cost. Mineral industry became the originator* and creator of systematic technical education because of the political and economic fact that in all European (and most other) countries, prior to 1800, precious metals belonged to the ruling power, no matter upon whose land they were discovered. The practical way of working under this system was to grant to a discoverer the right to work the deposit on payment

Jan 1, 1947

By Horace C. Knerr

It has been shown that the resistance to corrosion of duralumin sheet is greatly influenced by the quenching medium used in heat treatment, or, more specifically, by the rate of cooling during quenching. The severity of corrosive attack after exposure to salt-water spray increases in .the following order: The tensile strength, yield point and elongation are only slightly affected by the quenching medium, as shown in Table 1. Tensile test requirements: yield stress, 25,000 lb. per sq. in. minimum; ultimate stress, 55,000 lb. per sq. in. minimum; elongation in 2 in., 18 per cent. minimum.

Jan 1, 1931

By Henry J. Miller, Marcella Lindeman

DURING some experiments made by Henry J. Miller, partly in Germany and partly in the United States, in which it was found necessary to melt metals in quantities up to 60 kg. in a vacuum or under low pressures of hydrogen, molybdenum was tried as the resistor in the electric melting furnaces. Molybdenum ribbons 16 by 0.55 mm. and 18 by 0.45 mm. were used as resistors. The furnaces were of the type shown in Fig. 1. [ ] About the heating tube, Y, are wound parallel resistors of molybdenum ribbon from the water-cooled electrodes, E1, E2. The whole is within a copper container having outlets for the removal or introduction of gases and a window, W, for observation, the space about the heating tube and electrodes being filled with insulating material. The life of the molybdenum used as the resistor was found to depend very much on the manner of using it, its failure being due in some cases to thinning by evaporation or chemical reaction and in others to hardening, which prevented it from following the expansions and shrink¬ing of the heating tubing without cracking. As such failures are often rather expensive in commercial work, it was thought worth while to determine the causes. The factors influencing the behavior of molybdenum resistors used in this manner may be briefly stated as follows:

Jan 1, 1928

By C. O. Babcock

In this Bureau of Mines report, the authors present the results of laboratory tests on the burst proneness of coal. Many researchers have studied the violent breaking of large coal masses in underground mines, called bursts, but the causes remain uncertain. They have often assigned to geology and gas pressure the causative roles. The objective of this work is to show that stress can produce bursts in many coals if constraint is necessary for pillar survival and is suddenly lost. We tested coal samples from 15 mines, in 11 coal seams, in six states in the laboratory, and 13 were made to burst. These bursts were produced in several ways, but segmented steel platens were used in the tests reported. Two parameters analogous to the momentum and kinetic energy were used to rank the burst proneness of the coals tested. Tangential strains over the lower surface of the model coal pillar were measured to reveal a periodic slipping prior to the burst. High-speed motion pictures (350 frames per second) reveal the burst behavior in slow motion. We propose a modified Mohr-Coulomb stress-failure criterion to describe the burst behavior. When the horizontal constraint is suddenly lost with little change in the vertical stress, the Mohr stress circle increases in size dynamically, exceeding the static failure condition. When the inertia of the coal mass is overcome, a burst occurs. We conclude that most coals can be made to burst and that such bursts can be expected in mining at increasing depths.

Jan 1, 1984

By A. J. Hendron, D. U. Deere, F. D. Patton, E. J. Cording

In the design of structures founded in the near-surface rock, a distinction may be made between those problems that are related to the strength of the rock mass, and those that are related primarily to the compressibility of the rock mass. The mining engineer deals almost exclusively with problems involving strength in the design of open-pit slopes and underground openings. The civil engineer is similarly concerned with strength problems in the design of vehicular and water tunnels; underground power plants; cut slopes in rock for highways, canals, and spillways; and in the study of the sliding resistance of the foundations of gravity dams and the abutments of arch dams. Moreover, the civil engineer encounters problems in which the compressibility of the rock becomes the key element in the design. These problems include settlement of heavy structures supported on rock, deformation of the abutments of arch dams, and deflection of pressure tunnel linings. The design problems listed above are still solved largely on the basis of experience and rule-of-thumb. However, recent developments in rock mechanics give promise of providing more realistic approaches to certain aspects of the design. This paper, presents some of the more important recent developments which contribute to an understanding of rock behavior and which aid in design of rock structures. Typically, four steps are involved in the design of a structure, whether it be a machine element, a structural member of a building, or a structure in rock. These steps are listed below:

Jan 1, 1967