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By E. O. Wagner, V. F. Parry, J. B. Goodman

C. P. HEINER*—If you take out 35 pct of the total weight of the coal in the form of moisture, would that be about what it was in the case of North Dakota lignites ? V. F. PARRY (authors' reply)—That is about it. C. P. HEINER—That will be about a 35 pct loss and the final product will be about 11,000 Btu? V. F. PARRY—That is right. The heating value of the dried lignite is 10,000 to 11,000 Btu. C. P. HEINER—And the thought is not, then, to produce a commercial coal with that heavy loss, but to make other products—that is, synthetic fuel base, is that it? V. F. PARRY—The principal thought is to upgrade the coal, making it a more favorable raw material for industrial purposes, both for shipment and direct use. You see, the trouble in these lignites is that their moisture penalizes their

Jan 1, 1950

By A. M. Gaudin

MANY studies of comminution have been made to ascertain the size distribution of the product and to evaluate the work of comminution in the light of the size distributions of the feed and product. Up to now, these studies have been essentially statistical in character, that is, a certain lot of feed was subjected to comminution in some specified way, and the aggregate product was fractionated into sizes, thereby losing all knowledge of individual relationship of feed to product pieces. Radioactive tracers offer a means to do something in this respect which could not be done before, namely, to follow the rupturing of some particular piece in its normal environment of other pieces. That is, it permits going beyond the usual statistical limitations of size distribution studies to what may be termed a personalized or individualized study. The purpose of this paper is to present some preliminary experiments conducted with this tool.

Jan 11, 1951

GWILLIAM H. CLAMER (Philadelphia, Pa.).-About 16,000 tons of tin is used annually in the production of white metals. The real reason for using the so-called genuine babbitt, which is a high-tin base babbitt, perhaps in the majority of cases, is that tin has always been. a high-priced metal and people naturally believe that what they pay a high price for must be good. Mr. Jones has shown that the common metal, lead, is a superior base for most purposes for Which babbitt metal is used. The addition of lead is often looked upon as adulterant to genuine babbitt, and specifications for this reason rigidly restrict the lead content. A sub-committee of the Society for Testing Materials, at the meeting in June, presented tentative specifications on babbitt metal, in which were included twelve formulas, containing from zero to: 20, per cent. of tin, and several containing from 65 and 92 per cent. Babbitts. containing

Jan 1, 1919

The Howe Memorial Lecture, in memory of Henry Marion Howe, Past President of the Institute, was authorized in April, 1923, as an annual address to be delivered by invitation under the auspices of the Institute by an individual of recognized and out- standing attainment in the science and practice of iron and steel metallurgy or metallography, chosen by the Board of Directors upon recommendation of the Iron and Steel Division. The follow- ing were the Howe lectures and lecturers for the years indicated: 1924 What is Steel? By Albert Sauveur. 1925 Austenite and Austenitic Steels. By John A. Mathems. 1926 Twenty-five Years of Metallography. By William Campbell. 1927 Alloy Steels. By Bradley Stoughton. 1928 Significance of the Simple Steel Analysis. By Henry D. Hibbard. 1929 Studies of Hadfield's Manganese Steel with the High-power Microscopa By John Howe Hall. 1930 The Future of the American Iron and Steel Industry. By Zay Jeffries. 1931 On the Art of Metallography. By Francis F. Lucas.

Jan 1, 1937

By Ferron A. Olson

Occasionally it is good to consider the past, assess the present and project the future. Curriculum, enrollment, matriculation of graduates and changes in industry which influence mineral education are all relevant for determining what changes will be needed in educational institutions to support growth and development in the United States. It would appear likely that with environmental pressures, energy needs with present stress in fossil fuels and general societal needs for metals and minerals that mining and metallurgical engineering faces a period of growth and may be on the threshold of a new era with a vitality that has not been enjoyed for several decades. The following information is based on material obtained through questionnaires received from twelve schools accredited in mining or mineral engineering (out of 18 in the U.S.), 2 not accredited and 5 which no longer have mineral engineering disciplines. The schools presented do not include the smaller nor larges of the undergraduate programs in mining engineering.

Jan 8, 1972

By G. C. Mudd, E. J. Myers

Within the last 15 years David Brown Gear Industries has manufactured approximately 200 large mill gears over 6m diam., 58 of them over 9 m and up to 12 m diam. The experience has not been without problems, due to a lack of clear understanding of the loads and stresses imposed on large gear wheels. American Gear Manufacturers Association (AGMA) practices suggest that a service factor be used for mill gears. But what is meant by "service factor"? The layman might be forgiven for believing that the term is synonymous with "safety factor," but this is certainly not true. The service factor is an aggregate of the following in some proportion: -An application factor, i.e., an allowance for the fact that systems do not run smoothly with uniform torque. -An ignorance factor covering the imperfections in the basic gear calculation. -Possibly a safety factor. In the following sections some of the ways in which the limits of applicability can be overstepped are discussed.

Jan 1, 1983

By J. E. Castle

THE title of this article is descriptive, but not complete, for psychological evaluation is almost as important as rigid economic evaluation. This refers to those human traits that cause people to be too optimistic about the projects they are sponsoring, to overlook obvious weaknesses, to base decisions on incomplete and inaccurate data, and to gloss over embarrassing problems. Investment of capital in a new industrial mineral project is warranted only after rigorous economic analyses based on unquestionable facts. A plunge into production cannot be justified solely because these minerals have been deposited in the ground and are therefore free. There are no specially favorable economic laws that make the business of industrial minerals more attractive than any other. The factors of supply and demand, marketing, technological changes, taxes, competition, and fluctuating prices apply as much to industrial minerals as to other business enterprises. What is more, industrial minerals are subject to the higher risks that all mining enterprises face.

Jan 6, 1958

Discussion of the paper of Robert Franke, presented at the Butte meeting, August, 1913, and printed in Bulletin No. 79, July, 1913, pp. 1201 to 1205. ARTHUR 0. GATES, Lafayette, Ind. (communication to the Secretary*) :-In connection with the comparison of mechanical crushing efficiencies in Tables I and II of Mr. Franke's paper, I wish to suggest a somewhat simpler way of making this' comparison, based upon what the writer has called the "crushing-surface diagram," as published by him in the Engineering and Mining Journal for May 24, 1913. Such a diagram, based on the data given in Table II, is submitted herewith, Fig. 1, cumulative percentages being plotted as abscissas and reciprocals of diameters (theoretical mesh per inch). plotted as ordinates.. Such a diagram averages the diameters without calculation, and areas upon it are proportional to surface produced, and, in accordance with Rittinger's law, to energy spent on crushing alone.

Jan 11, 1913

By John D. Ridge, Betty S. Moriwaki

The significant chromite producers listed in Table I11 are not major steel producers, with the exception of the USSR. After manganese, chromium is the most important alloying metal in steel. It would not be surprising to find a direct relationship between steel production and chromite imports. The precise connection is concealed by the other uses of chromite and the grades of steel produced by the various countries involved. In addition, the amount of ferrochromium made for export must figure in any calculation. Norway, a producer of considerable amounts of ferromanganese, imports significant quantities of chromite for ferrochromium manufacture. Most of the ferrochromium is exported to European steel- producing nations. Sweden imports only half as much chromite as Norway but makes far more chromium-bearing steel. Thus Sweden has far less ferro-chromium for export, although it supplies about 2000 tons per year to the U.S. and probably some- what more to such chromite-poor steel producers as Germany and Belgium-Luxemburg.

Jun 1, 1955

By T. P. Meloy

Recently, Gilvarry1 has criticized the Gaudin-Meloy2 derivation of the size distribution equation for impact grinding. The criticism states that as the derivation stands it is good for only a long, thin wire being fractured. This paper contains a second derivation in reply to the criticism. Consider a homogeneous solid particle. This particle is broken into fragments by impact. It is assumed that the material resembles galena and that the particles were broken into chunky parallelepipedes which may be treated as cubes. The fragments are now reassembled — as seen in Fig. 1 — and a line is passed through the fractured solid perpendicular to one of its faces. For simplicity, the length of the line segment in the cube is considered to be 1. Fig. 2 represents the line segment in the cube showing the locations of the crack surfaces cutting the line and one point, P, chosen at random on it. The question arises as to what is the probability of the point, P,

Jan 1, 1963

By Raphael D. Schilz, Michael F. Dunn, Edward D. Thimons, Francis S. Kendorski

During a mine fire or other emergency, it may be desirable to reverse the air flow in order to provide an escapeway or to control a fire. Also, in colder areas, the air flow may be reversed to prevent ice build-ups. When reversing main mine fans, the operator usually does not know what operating characteristics of flow and pressure to expect. Laboratory testing of vane axial main mine fans has been completed in order to establish forward and reverse performance characteristics under controlled conditions, with the results presented here. Preliminary tests under field conditions have also been conducted. The data obtained suggest that reverse performance characteristics are dependent upon the blade angle and the hub to tip ratio. There is also evidence that reverse performance can he predicted for a family of blade angles in a given hub to tip ratio. In general, the air quantity delivered by the fan is 30% to 60% less in reverse than when operating in the normal forward mode.

Jan 1, 1982

By Ralph Sherman

IN these days of intense competition for the domestic fuel market much is heard of the low efficiencies with which solid fuels, and most particularly bituminous coal, are burned in domestic heating equipment. In contrast to the every-day operating efficiencies of 85 and 90 per cent in large, central, electric-generating stations, efficiencies of 50 per cent and lower are cited for the hand-fired home furnace. Just as the miles per gallon of gasoline is only one of the factors that determine the cost of operation of an automobile, so the thermal efficiency is only one factor in the cost of domestic or other heating. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the total costs of domestic heating by various fuels and types of equipment, to determine the relative importance of efficiency and other factors, and to discuss what this signifies relative to the future of the use of fuels in the home.

Jan 1, 1933

INTRODUCTION TO PROBABILITY THEORY The mathematical theory of probability provides the foundation for the interpretations and inferences that can be made from statistical techniques. Probability theory is a broad field of study in itself, and can only be touched on here in order to provide the necessary back- ground for a more complete understanding of statistical analysis. Probability is concerned with the outcome of random events. It had its beginnings in the theory of games of chance which were of great interest to European mathematicians during the last half of the 17th century. The outcome of a random process or experiment is defined as an event. The collection of all mathematical points associated with each event is called the sample space for an experiment. Consider a random experiment having a finite number, n, of possible outcomes, some of which have a characteristic A. What is the probability that A will result from a single

Jan 1, 1980

Scientific elite of the Minerals Beneficiation Div. assembled in Denver, Colo., September 17 to 20 to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Froth Flotation in the United States of America. In his warm address of welcome at the opening luncheon, John W. Vanderwilt, President, Colorado School of Mines, recalled his experience in Bonanza which coincided with the early days of flotation. In those years the scientific and engineering aspects of the process which we know today were little understood and operating the flotation circuit was considered an "art." Luncheon Chairman H. L. McNeill caught the flavor of the old days in an anecdote which recalled the mill nightmares to many present with the agonized words, "Oh God, what's happened to the concentrate now!" It was an appropriate gesture when he called the names of some of the flotation greats for presentation to the assembly; and many an "artist" there was among them!

Jan 10, 1961

A 2-year moratorium on accreditation of curricula bearing new designations has been declared by Engineers' Council for Professional Development at its Executive Committee meeting on July 29, 1952. Reason: a more definitive description of what the contents of a curriculum should include to be appropriately designated as "engineering" is needed. This action was brought on by the Committee of Evaluation of the American Society of Engineering Education which had become perturbed over the extension of the name "engineering" to numerous fringe curricula. The 2-year period will permit time for the Committee on Evaluation to study the question and make a recommendation for further action by ECPD. ECPD action also provided that the following curricula should only be given provisional accreditation for one year upon either inspection or reinspection; such provisional accreditation to be extended annually for not more than two successive years pending the report: Engineering Physics, Engineering Mechanics, Geological Engineering, Geophysical Engineering, and Textile Engineering. There are 22 such curricula now accredited.

Jan 1, 1952

By Alan K. Burton

Along with tires and transmission systems, engines have been a limiting factor in the growth of large off- highway trucks. The problem, primarily, has been the development of reliable, high-performance engines that are not prohibitively heavy or expensive. For many years, horsepower to overall truck weight ratios have been in the vicinity of 300 lb per hp for rear dump units up to 50 tons capacity. This ratio is obviously very poor when compared to the much lighter and smaller highway trucks, which frequently have a performance ratio of 100 lb per hp. Unfortunately, the larger mining trucks have not been able to match even the 50-ton trucks, and in some cases, ratios have dropped as low as 450 lb per hp. This results in a performance of only 67% of that achieved by the older smaller trucks. Thus, the message is clear: what is needed is more horsepower and less weight.

Jan 10, 1975

By B. M. O Harra, George M. Fowler, R.E. Illidge

The Tri-State district comprises an area of about 2000 square miles in southwestern Missouri, southeastern Kansas, and north- eastern Oklahoma. The part that is in and contiguous to Missouri is still sometimes designated as the Joplin district (Fig. I). Early Operations Mining operations in what is now the Tri-State district date from about 1848 and have been continuous to the present. Apparently the first discoveries of ore were made about the same time near the present sites of Joplin, Oronogo, and Granby. Lead minerals were found at grass roots, probably in shattered rock in shallow excavations, then these minerals were followed in shear zones to deeper horizons. The mining of zinc followed. Before 1874, zinc ore was worthless and discarded as waste. According to published records, the total production of lead to that date was 49,000 tons of metal from 70,000 tons of concentrates. Production The a.ggregate ore production from the Tri-State district was recorded at intervals

Jan 1, 1943

By George M. Fowler, B. M. O Harra, R. E. Illidge

The Tri-State district comprises an area of about 2000 square miles in southwestern Missouri, southeastern Kansas, and north- eastern Oklahoma. The part that is in and contiguous to Missouri is still sometimes designated as the Joplin district (Fig. I). Early Operations Mining operations in what is now the Tri-State district date from about 1848 and have been continuous to the present. Apparently the first discoveries of ore were made about the same time near the present sites of Joplin, Oronogo, and Granby. Lead minerals were found at grass roots, probably in shattered rock in shallow excavations, then these minerals were followed in shear zones to deeper horizons. The mining of zinc followed. Before 1874, zinc ore was worthless and discarded as waste. According to published records, the total production of lead to that date was 49,000 tons of metal from 70,000 tons of concentrates. Production The a.ggregate ore production from the Tri-State district was recorded at intervals

Jan 1, 1943

By John Gross

A SURVEY of the status of ore dressing in 19231 placed particular stress on the need of research in the crushing and grinding of ore, especially on the need for a method of measuring the surface of the products obtained in crushing and grinding, and for fundamental data on the law of crushing, in order that intelligent conclusions may be drawn from actual crushing or grinding experiments. There has been no satisfactory means of determining the surface of crushed products. The results have been judged entirely by the amount of the various sizes produced, based on sieve sizing for particles above 74 microns in size and on microscopic measurement or elutriation for particles below 74 microns, a method which could give only a general idea of what had been accomplished. The fact that the long controversy between the followers of Kick and of Rittinger has resulted in no accepted conclusion is evidence of the need for fundamental data on the crushing law.

Jan 1, 1928

By P. R. Bradley

This paper gives a brief history of the mining and milling operations in the Juneau gold belt, and a general description of the geology of the district, followed by a suggestive discussion of the general problem of sampling gold ores and a detailed description of the mining methods used in the Alaska Juneau mine. The paper indicates that variations in assaying ore similar to that from the gold belt are unavoidable on account of the erratic distribution of the gold. A caving system that accepts dilution was adopted for the Alaska Juneau mine; the ore is sorted and the final mill feed has nearly twice the assay value of the ore trammed. THE property of the Alaska Juneau Gold Mining Co., covering the Juneau gold belt for over a mile in length, consists of 136 claims and 24 mill sites; these are near Juneau, Alaska, in what is known as the Harris mining district.

Jan 3, 1924