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By G. W. Josephson

SINCE the earliest years of recorded history the durability and protective qualities of asphalt and tar have been known and utilized. The mummies of early Egyptian kings were coated with asphaltic materials, and asphalt mastics were common in Babylon. However, according to various authorities, it was not until 1780 that the first forerunner of present-day composition roofing was discovered,1 and the large-scale expansion of the industry has taken place since 1900. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Development was stimulated by the growing popularity of manufactured gas. The by-product tars from these operations accumulated in large waste piles that had no commercial value and were a source of annoyance and expense to the gas companies. These tars were offered at very attractive terms to anyone who would take them away, and the infant "composition" roofing industry benefited accordingly. At first the process consisted simply of dipping sheets of burlap or other fabric in a tank of molten tar or asphalt. The long strip of roofing was rolled up for convenient handling, and the early experimenters soon found that it was necessary to dust the surface of their new "roll roofing" with some kind of material that would prevent the tarred surfaces from sticking together. Any finely divided, low priced local material like sand or fine gravel served this purpose and from its application the roofing-granule industry grew. As time went on other characteristics of a properly applied mineral surfacing were recognized. As with wooden shingles, tar and asphalt can be ignited by flying embers from near-by fires. It was found that by increasing the largest particle size to the maximum that could be successfully embedded, and by properly controlling the amount of smaller fractions retained in the grade so as to cover the asphalt completely a Nigh degree of resistance to fire was attained. Needless to say, in this early period asphaltic roofing needed such selling points to gain acceptance in a field dominated by wood, slate, and tile. When asphalt is protected from the sun's rays it is extremely durable, but when exposed to sunlight its surface is comparatively rapidly decomposed. Completely covering asphalt roofing with mineral surfacing protects the asphalt and adds materially to the life of the roof-conservatively, 500 per cent. Slate Granules In the production of split slate shingles a large quantity of waste slate is accumulated, as 60 to go per cent of the rock quarried is discarded. This waste was a continuing burden on the industry. Some was marketed as ground slate flour for filler in paint and linoleum, and there is a record that as early as 1906 two carloads of coarse screenings from slate flour were marketed as granules for surfacing roofing. This new field appeared to the slate pro-

Jan 1, 1944

By Carl Scholz

During November and December, 1907, four serious mine-explosions occurred in the Appalachian coal-field, which resulted in the loss of nearly a thousand lives and caused an eliormous damage to propcrty. These accidents attracted more than the usual attention; coal-trade and engineering papers contained many comments and suggestions on the cause and prevention of accidents; the daily press in many instances condemned the coal-operators and charged these accidents to their negligence, or their anxiety to make money without adopting precautionary measures. Immediately after cach accident the respective State authorities ordered close investigations to be made, with the view of establishing the cause and suggesting remedies to prevent recurrence. Representatives of the Technologic Branch of the IT. S. Geological Survey, to whom the investigation of mine-accidents had recently been delegated by the Secretary of the Interior, visited the mines and co-operated with the local authorities in their determinations. It may be safe to say here that an investigation of a mine after an explosion has occurred discloses but little, because the causes hare been removed and conditions have been entirely changed. On Jan. 8, 1908, the coal-operators of West Virginia organized an association at qTashington for the purpose of making extensive investigations, and sufficient funds were pledged to carry out this work. At this organization meeting, the representatives of the Geological Survey present had no suggestions to offer as to the cause of these accidents. An examinatiou of the various reports concerning these accidents indicates that the explosions were caused by the ignition of gas or dust; they show the point of origin and the direction in which the force was expended, and give a detailed description of the damage done. Very little has bee11 said as to what

Jan 1, 1909

By A. H. Tousley, L. H. Gee

Until comparatively recently, the gypsum industry has been slow to change, often clinging to old processing methods developed a generation ago. Now, however, a highly competitive market has forced gypsum companies to concentrate on devising methods to reduce material and operating costs and improve product quality. In one such effort, Kaiser Engineers recently designed and constructed two modern gypsum plants for Kaiser Gypsum Co., Inc., incorporating centralized control, automatic sequence starting, mill amperage control of the roller milling systems, automatic calcining in kettles, and rapid mechanical stucco cooling. Fig. 1 shows the control panel for the calcining departments at wallboard plants located in Jacksonville, Fla., and Delanco, N. J. In each instance the calcining department (commonly known as the "mill") sets the basis for the quality control for the entire gypsum plant.

Jan 12, 1966

Agnico-Eagle Mines Ltd. comprises a Gold Division at Joutel, Quebec, and a Silver Division at Cobalt, Ontario. In 1979 the Silver Division milled 41,700 mt (46,000 st) of ore at a recovered grade of 139 g per mt (4.06 oz per st) for a production of 5,816 kg (187,000 oz) of silver. The 100 -year -old mining, camp of Cobalt has long been noted for its high-grade silver ores, and now seems to be on the threshold of being revived with several companies operating in the area. In 1979, the Gold Division milled at the rate of 27,200 mt per month (30,000 st) and processed 333,000 mt (367,000 st) at a grade of 6.58 g per mt (0.192 oz per st) with a mill recovery of 91.670 to produce 2,013 kg (64,700 oz) of gold. The average total cost per ton milled was $22.10 per mt ($20.05 per st) which was $3.66 per g ($1 13.90 per 0s). These figures make Agnico-Eagle one of the lowest cost producers in North America. Gold occurrence in the Joutel ore is fine-grained and contained within sulfide facies composed mainly of pyrite with minor pyrrhotite. Two underground mining methods are employed with long hole stoping accounting for about 75% of the ore mined and shrinkage stoping the remainder. Ore from underground is hoisted into a 545 mt (600 st) coarse ore bin from where it is conveyed to a 45 mt (50 st) surge bin ahead of the 10-51 Hydrocone crusher. Crushed ore is then screened to make a 13 mm (112 in.) product with the oversize being recrushed in a 7-60 Hydrocone. Mill feed is conveyed to two 900 mt (1,000 st) fine ore bins. The Hydrocones were installed as part of a new crushing plant in March of 1980 and have contributed substantially to an increase in mill capacity. Space has been left to install a third crusher in the future. The fine ore bins discharge to a 2.75 m by 3.66 m (9 ft by 12 ft) rod mill, followed by a 3. 7 m by 5.5 m (12 ft by 18 ft) ball mill in closed circuit with a Krebs 380 mm (15 in.) cyclone to produce a 7070 minus 37 micron (400 mesh) .flotation feed. This pulp is first treated in a 34 cu m (1, 200 cu ft) Maxwell flotation cell and then in an additional twelve 2.8 cu m (100 cu ft) cells. Combined flotation concentrates are reground to 9070 minus 37 microns (400 mesh) in a 1.8 m by 4.9 m (6 ft by 16 ft) ball mill in closed circuit with a single Krebs 254 mrn (10 in.) cyclone. Flotation tailings are sent to the tailings dam. Reground concentrates are then aerated with lime to a single Pachuca and thickened in a 16.75 m (55 ft) diameter thickener with the addition of diesel fuel to render any activated graphite inert to adsorption of

Jan 1, 1981

By Lawrence Addicks

SOME three years ago the smelter connected with the Chrome, N. J., refinery of the United States Metals Refining Co. found itself embarrassed y constantly increasing piles of unsmelted blast-furnace flue dust. The charge was fine and 10 to 15 per cent. of it was blown over into the flue. Sulphur was at that time too scarce to make the sintering of the finer part of the charge attractive, and raw-ore smelting in a reverberatory with a partly oxidized charge. was not to be thought of. A great many schemes were considered, including leaching, blowing into the converters, and briquetting, the problem finally narrowing down to blast roasting and nodulizing. It was found by experiment that blast roasting would not yield a satisfactory sinter without the addition of coke dust or sulphide fines to augment the fuel value of the flue dust, and on this account, together with the low first cost of a kiln, the latter was decided upon. A couple of tons of flue dust Were tried out in the experimental kiln in the laboratory at Yorktown, Va., of J. H. Payne, who acted as consulting engineer in this connection. This kiln was approximately 2 ft. in diameter and 20 ft. long and Was fired with fuel oil. A run of several hours yielded excellent nodules. The kiln showed no tendency to build in and form "nose rings" and gave a fuel consumption of 50 gal. of oil per ton of flue dust. There was no indication of any stack loss. The roasting was strongly oxidizing. A study of what full-size kilns were doing on cement clinker and on nodulizing pyrites cinder indicated that a 60 by 6 ft. kiln would certainly not consume over half of the oil per. ton of flue dust shown on the test and as fuel oil at that time Was selling around 2 1/2 c. per gallon it was decided to let it go at that.

Jan 7, 1914

By John E. Hagni, Richard D. Hagni

ORE.ID, a microcomputer program, rapidly searches a database of the principal properties for 573 ore minerals. Searches may be performed on any or all of the following properties: mean Vickers hardness, Talmage hardness, mean reflectance, strength of anisotropism, and colors and tints of the mineral and its internal reflections. Data from the International Mineralogical Association - Commission on Ore Microscopy data card file have been used when available. The program displays the number and type of data matches for each mineral found, displays their chemical components, and allows the range to be narrowed or widened for each of the identification properties for repeated searches, if desired. ORE.ID is much more rapid, allows for the use of more identification properties, and involves more ore minerals than any previous identification system.

Jan 1, 1985

By M. W. BERNEWITZ

ALL live producers and manufacturers of metals and alloys are investigating new uses for their products. The tin and tin-plate industry is no exception. One-third of all the new tin mined and refined is consumed in making tin plate. Several billions of cans are each year made from tin plate for the preservation of nearly 200 kinds of food. There are more than 500 tin-plate mills or individual stacks in the United States, which country makes more tin plate than all other countries combined and exports large quantities. As much as 1,800,000 tons of till plate has been made in a year in this country, and 28.000 tons of tin has been used in this period for this purpose. In sonic years a third of the till is so consumed; in 1933 it was half of the supply.

Jan 1, 1935

By W. N. Poundstone, P. C. Thakur

Introduction Horizontal drilling in coal mines is a relatively new technology. The earliest recorded drilling in the United States was done in 1958 at the Humphrey mine of Consolidation Coal Co. for degasification of coal seams. Spindler and Poundstone experimented with vertical and horizontal holes for several years. They concluded in 1960 that horizontal drilling in advance of underground mining appeared to offer the most promising prospect (for degasification) but effective and extensive application would be dependent upon the ability to drill long holes, possibly 300 to 600 m, with reasonably precise directional control and within practical cost limits (Spindler and Poundstone, 1960). Mining Research Division of Conoco Inc., the parent company of Consolidation Coal Co., began a research program in the early 1970s to achieve the above objective. The technology needed to drill nearly 300 m in advance of working faces was developed by 1975 and experiments on advance degasification with such deep holes began in 1976. Preliminary results of this research have already been published (Thakur and Davis, 1977). To date nearly 4.5 km of horizontal holes have been drilled for advance degasification and earlier results were reconfirmed. In summary, these are: • The greatest impact of these boreholes was felt in the face area where methane concentrations were reduced to nearly 0.3% in course of two to three months from original values of nearly 0.95%. • The methane concentration in the section return reduced to 50% of its original value immediately after the boreholes were completed, indicating a capture ratio of 50%. • The total methane emission in the section (rib and face emission plus the borehole production) did not increase but rather gradually declined with time. • Initial production from 300 m deep boreholes in the Pittsburgh seam varied from 3 m3/min to 6 m3/min but then slowly declined as workings advanced inby of the drill site (well head) exposing a larger surface area parallel to the borehole. Encouraged by these results, it was decided to design a horizontal drilling system that would be mobile and compatible with other face equipment. A mobile horizontal drill can be divided into three subsystems: the drill rig, the drill bit guidance system, and borehole surveying instruments. The drill rig provides the thrust and torque necessary to drill 75- to 100-mm diam holes up to 600 m deep and contains the mud circulation and gas cuttings separation systems. The drill bit guidance system guides the bit up, down, left, or right as desired. Borehole surveying instruments measure the pitch, roll, and azimuth of the borehole assembly. Additionally, it also indicates the thickness of coal between the borehole and the roof or floor of the coal seam. Thus, it becomes a powerful tool for locating the presence of faults, clay veins, sand channels, and the thickness of coal seam in advance of mining. In recent years, many other potential uses of horizontal boreholes have come to light, such as in situ gasification, longwall blasting, improved auger mining, and oil and gas production from shallow deposits. The purpose of this paper is to describe the hardware and procedure for drilling deep horizontal holes. The Drilling Rig [Figures 1 and 2] show the two components of the mobile drilling rig: the drill unit and the auxiliary unit. The equipment (except for the chassis) was designed by Conoco Inc. and fabricated by J. H. Fletcher and Co. of Huntington, WV. The drill unit. It is mounted on a four-wheel drive chassis driven by two Staffa hydraulic motors with chains. The tires are 369 X 457 mm in size and provide a ground clearance of 305 mm. The prime mover is a 30-kw explosion-proof electric motor which is used only for tramming. Once the unit is Crammed to the drill site, electric power is disconnected and hydraulic power from the auxiliary unit is turned on. Four floor jacks are used to level the machine and raise the drill head to the desired level. Two 5-t telescopic hydraulic props, one on each side, anchor the drill unit to the roof. The drill unit houses the feed carriage, the drilling console, 300 m of 3-m-long NQ, drill rods, and the electric cable reel for instruments. The feed carriage is mounted more or less centrally, has a feed of 3.3 m, and can swing laterally by ± 17°. It can also sump forward by 1.2 m. The drill head has a "through" chuck such that drill pipes can be fed from the side or back end. General specifications of the feed carriage are: [ ] The auxiliary unit. The chassis for the auxiliary unit is identical to the drill unit but the prime movers are two 30-kW explosion proof electric motors. It is equipped with a methane detector- activated switch so that power will be cut off at a preset methane concentration in the air. No anchoring props are needed for this unit. The auxiliary unit houses the hydraulic power pack, the water (mud) circulating pump, control boxes for electric motors, a trailing cable spool, and a steel tank which serves for water storage and closed-loop separation of drill cuttings and gas.

Jan 1, 1981

By M. C. Cheney

The active development of the vast East Texas oil field, the attendant effects of the rapidly increasing flow from its prolific wells and the efforts to bring order out of chaos precluded or dwarfed other oil development in Texas during 1931. In a paper by Dr. F. H. Lahee1 presented at the October, 1931, meeting, the early history of the East Texas oil field is described and the sequence of events in connection with its development and efforts to control its production up to Sept. 25 is narrated. At that time the Railroad Commission of the state reduced the production of the field to a maximum of 400,000 bbl. per day by restricting the allowable daily production per well to 185 bbl. By further reduction in the daily production per well to 100 bbl., the field was held below that maximum figure during the remainder of the year. Meanwhile, as a result of an injunction against the Railroad Commission, its authority in the field was superseded on Oct. 13 by the Governor of the state, and after that date production was controlled directly by his orders issued under authority of martial law. Suits to contest this authority were brought in the Federal courts and were pending at the close of the year. On March 5, 1931, as a result of the East Texas production, posted prices for Mid-Continent 40' A.P.I. crude slumped from $1.07 to $0.67. As East Texas production continued to mount, posted prices in East Texas were reduced to $0.37 on June 3 and $0.22 on July 8, although in that field most of the oil was sold for much less, bringing the producer and royalty owner as low as $0.025 per barrel. Northeast Texas To the information contained in Dr. Lahee's paper, it can now be added that the East Texas field has produced over 105,000,000 bbl. and registered about 3700 successful completions during 1931. There may be some merit to the recent prediction that a large part of the field will have passed its flowing period by the middle of 1932 unless

Jan 1, 1932

By E. E. Thurlow

The Geology Div. of Northern Pacific Railway Co. has adapted to its exploration efforts field procedures for geochemical sampling and semi-quantitative analysis which have been developed through research by the U. S. Geological Survey. The sampling is done in conjunction with reconnaissance geologic mapping on aerial photographs or during field checking of maps which have been prepared largely by photo-geologic interpretation. Stream sediment or soil samples are taken and readily soluble combined heavy metals are extracted with ammonium citrate followed by colorimetric titration with dithizone at the sample site. The effectiveness of this approach has been demonstrated both in positive and negative results, thereby assisting in the elimination of large areas of land from further immediate attention and in providing targets for followup exploration. An occa sional sample is submitted for spectrographic analysis as a check on the possible presence of other elements of economic significance. Field laboratory procedures are also being implemented for determining molybdenum, mercury, and other metals which may be valuable in themselves or useful as pathfinder elements in outlining mineralized areas. A lead-zinc occurrence in Oregon and a copper deposit in Montana were readily detected and outlined by stream sediment and soil sampling and a heavy metal anomaly that lacks obvious interpretation has been found in northwestern Montana. Detailed mapping and additional sampling are followed by other exploration techniques if warranted. Northern Pacific's program of reconnaissance mineral evaluation of company-owned lands and adjoining areas was outlined in a paper presented at the American Mining Congress meeting in Las Vegas four years ago. That report included policies and procedures with respect to mineral development on Railway Co. lands and may be referred to for information on these matters.1 In a sense this paper is a progress report on the use of geochemical prospecting in Northern Pacific's continuing mineral evaluation program. At this time there are positive results but as yet there is no real success story in the form of a minable ore body. GEOCHEMICAL PROSPECTING PROCEDURES The decision to use geochemistry as a reconnaissance exploration tool must be followed by research into sampling and analytical methods and into the interpretation of results. Various analytical methods were tried and evaluated by the Geology Div., including hot and cold acid extraction with and without fusion of the sample, panning and magnetic separation followed by dithizone testing of the magnetite, and cold aqueous extraction of metallic ions followed by indicator tests. Samples were first sent to the laboratory for analysis; later field laboratories were established and now virtually all testing is done at the sample site. It was concluded that, where applicable, the quickest dependable methods for reconnaissance use are the dithizone field tests for readily extractable heavy metals. This involves the simultaneous treatment of a sample, usually of soil or stream sediment, with two immiscible liquids; one a cold aqueous extractant (ammonium citrate) and the other a solution of dithizone in toluene or xylene.2 Dithizone is a colorimetric indicator that reacts quantitatively with copper, lead, zinc, and several other metals to form colored complexes in organic solvents. Results may be expressed in ml of 0.001 pct dithizone that are required to reach the blue end point, or calibration of the test results can be carried out with standard solutions of zinc; conversion factors would then be expressed in ppm, zinc equivalent. Calibration of dithizone solution with zinc standards indicates that 1 ml of 0.001 pct dithizone is equivalent to approximately 0.25 ppm of zinc. An authoritative report on dithizone field tests authored by H. E. Hawkes in the June-July 1963 issue of Economic Geology* states "The appeal of these techniques has been the simplicity and speed of the determinations as compared with more tedious laboratory determinations of trace metals in weathered rocks, soils, or plant materials. This obvious appeal, however, has often been more than matched by misuse of the method in such a manner that the results are

Jan 1, 1964

By W. L. Eaton, S. H. Ash

A barrier pillar in the anthracite region of Pennsylvania is a portion of the bed that is left unmined along the property line or lines of adjoining mining properties, or between mines, or between parts of mines. Barrier pillars perform important functions in anthracite-mining operations. Their principal function is to act as dams to prevent water that accumulates in a mine from suddenly breaking into an adjacent mine or into adjacent mine workings and causing loss of life, property, or both. More than 83 billion gal of water is impounded in II; underground water pools in anthracite mines.1,2 These pools are confined by a system of barrier pillars which separate adjacent mines. The principal factor that threatens to cut short the life of the anthracite industry, to curtail production, and to affect the economic structure of the people and business dependent on anthracite for their livelihood is the inundation of anthracite mines.l,2,4,13,29 To obtain a clear picture of the anthracite mine-water problem, it is necessary to understand the part played by the barrier pillars that separate adjoining mines. Purpose of Report The purpose of this report is to show the methods of determining the size of barrier pillars in the anthracite region, to present the hazards that exist because of the lack of sound engineering being applied to the size of many existent barrier pillars, and to suggest a method whereby barrier pillars can perform the function for which they are intended. The Barrier-pillar Problem Article 111, section '10, of the Anthracite Mining Laws of Pennsylvania reads thus: It shall be obligatory on the owners of adjoining coal properties to leave, or cause to be left, a pillar of coal in each seam or vein of coal worked by them, along the line of adjoining property, of such width that, taken in connection with the pillar to be left by the adjoining property owner, will be a sufficient barrier for the safety of the employees of either mine in case the other should be abandoned and allowed to fill with water; such width of pillar to be determined by the engineers of the adjoining property owners together with the inspector of the district in which the mine is situated, and the surveys of the face of the workings along such pillar shall be made in duplicate and must practically agree. A copy of such duplicate surveys, certified to, must be filed with the owners of the adjoining properties and with the inspector of the district in which the mine or property is situated. Mining practices with regard to barrier pillars have varied greatly since mining began. In many anthracite mines the barrier pillars have been weakened or punctured. As a consequence, the condition

Jan 1, 1949

INTRODUCTION The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is affiliated with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (World Bank) but operates with a separate staff and funding. It supplements the activities of the Bank by providing, to private business, equity and loans without government guarantees in whatever form and combination most suited to the project. IFC frequently complements the Bank's activities by utilizing, for example, the Bank's public sector infrastructure activities to support IFC's private sector projects. In the case of local financial institutions especially, IFC collaborates with the Bank by providing technical and financial assistance. IFC is the world's largest multilateral organization which finances private sector business in developing countries. IFC's fundamental purpose is to promote the economic development of its developing member countries through the support of the private sector. Of the 124 member countries of IFC, more than 100 are developing countries. Since it began operations in 1956, IFC has been associated with more than 2,000 companies and financial institutions in supporting over 700 business ventures in more than 80 countries. The total capital costs of these projects exceeds $26,000 million. In the 1984 fiscal year, IFC approved 62 projects in 37 countries with a total project cost of $2,473 million. IFC will make investments only if sufficient capital cannot be obtained on reasonable terms from other sources. IFC often serves as the catalyst for a project by encouraging other investors--from inside and outside the host country--to make their own equity investments along with the local sponsor for a particular project. IFC'S SPECIAL ROLE The significance of IFC's role extends beyond just its financing and technical assistance: IFC's capability to raise investor confidence in a project and to help all the participants to arrive at mutually satisfactory investment arrangements is its distinctive character. Direct Investments IFC invests in all types of projects both large and small. Heavy industrial ventures not only supply essential materials and equipment for other domestic enterprises, but also earn foreign exchange through exports. In recent years, increased emphasis has been placed on agriculture and agribusiness products, aquaculture, food and food processing, and other renewable and nonrenewable resources such as metals and energy. [ ] An overall objective of IFC is to assist entrepreneurs and others in the private sector raise the needed capital for business ventures. IFC does not compete with, nor seek to replace private initiative and capital. Rather, IFC helps to raise funds in order to undertake projects that would otherwise be held back by the lack of adequate funding. IFC can do this in several ways: IFC can invest in equity and make loans for its own account. But beyond that, IFC can reach out into the international capital markets in search of additional capital. Because of IFC's 25 years experience and record, outside investors who might otherwise be

Jan 1, 1985

By Ray Schmidt

When your committee approached me for a talk on "Mechanics of Secondary Metals Collection," I replied that this subject would probably not be very interesting to a group of engineers and requested permission to dwell on the Westinghouse Salvage Setup. I will attempt to avoid duplicating the points covered by Mr. Bliven. The Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co. has main manufacturing Divisions in 25 cities and 9 different states, scattered throughout the country, as well as Naval Ordnance Plants in two midwest cities, and a Merchant Marine Turbine Plant, and two special War Production Plants in Eastern cities. You can, therefore, see that we must have a well rounded pro- gram with the entire respect and sponsorship of the various Division Managements. That was not so easy to get. Management has been a great deal like the general public in the past. I am sure most of you can remember the not very ancient day when each town had a ragman who had a horse and wagon and went through the streets of the town, from door to door, picking up what scrap he could accumulate. He was known as a junk man, and indeed, with the exception of the very last few years, the attitude of manufacturing management was: "We have a job to do. We have a product to manufacture. We don't have time to bother with the junk business."

Jan 1, 1943

C.A. MITKE, *Bisbee, Ariz. (written-discussion-? ).--The advantages of the incline-slicing system have' been ably pointed out by Mr. Scott in his paper in the November, 1917, Bulletin, and also by Mr. P. B. Scotland in the Engineering & Mining Journal, Apr. 7, 1917. From the standpoint of efficiency and economy this method is far superior to the top-slice system as generally practised. However, as regards ventilation, and the danger of mine fires, it is just as necessary to use a mechanical ventilating system in mines worked by this method as it is in those worked by the horizontal top-slice system. Mechanical ventilation not only improves working conditions in top-slice stopes but, if properly designed for the particular mine in question, permits an immediate attack to he made in the event of a mine fire with a greater degree of safety to the men. In the course of time, incline top-slicing will probably take the place of the horizontal top-slicing system just as the incline cut-and-fill has superseded the horizontal cut-and-fill stoping method. While incline top-slicing has been tried in several districts on a very limited scale with inconclusive results, the Coronado is the-only large mine at which it has yet been thoroughly tested, and there it proved to be a complete success. As Mr. Scott's figures show, the tonnage has been more than doubled, with a simultaneous reduction in costs. As has been the history with all other innovations in mining, considerable hesitation will probably be shown in introducing this method in other mines. For example, when the incline cut-and-fill system was put forward as a substitute for the horizontal cut-and-fill stoping method many mining men of good repute were doubtful of its success and post-poned its introduction as long as possible, giving as their reason certain geologic conditions which would make the incline cut-and-fill impracticable. At the present time, most of the mining companies in the South-west, who in the past had used the horizontal cut-and-fill system, have already changed over, or are in the process of changing, and have proved that in the majority of cases horizontal cut-and-fill stopes can be successfully operated under the incline cut-and-fill system. Large horizontal cut-and-fill stopes can now be found in only a few exceptional cases, and

Jan 3, 1918

By P. Somasundaran

INTRODUCTION Large amounts of mineral values are discarded today as fines and ultrafines, because of inadequate technology to process them economically. Most conventional mineral processing techniques fail in the sub-sieve range. Fines respond poorly to processes such as flotation either due to change in mineralogy and surface composition or even simply due to the direct effect of their smallness in size on collision and adhesion rates between them and air bubbles. Indeed if the poor flotation is due to the smallness in size, a solution must rest in aggregating the fines. Inorganic electrolytes as well as polymers have been successfully used as flocculants in the past for obtaining increased flotation of colloidal material from waste water effluents. In mineral beneficiation, this technique can be profitably used if the process of flocculation can be made to take place selectively. The power of the selective flocculation technique has already been proven, with the successful application of it in the case of beneficiation of low grade iron ore by the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Ore Company and potash ore by Cominco. The process holds tremendous potential when it is followed by flotation, elutriation, etc. Today its application is, however, limited to the above two cases and it has become clear that a full understanding of the process will prove helpful for developing solutions to various problems that exist both at the basic and applied levels. In this paper, principles that are known to govern selective aggregation processes such as selective flocculation, carrier flotation and spherical agglomeration will be examined and areas of uncertainties will be identified.

Jan 1, 1979

By J. T. Norton, N. J. Grant, A. R. Chaudhuri

MOST of the recent work to establish the mech-anism of creep in metals at high temperatures has utilized aluminum as the experimental material. It was thought desirable to initiate an investigation of a hexagonal close-packed metal, because of the relatively simple slip system, and compare the observed deformation characteristics with those that have been observed for the face-centerd cubic metals. High-purity magnesium was chosen for this purpose, first, because its strength and other mechanical properties are similar to those of aluminum in the same temperature range, and second, because the existing equipment was ideally suited to observe magnesium during creep. It is proposed in this paper to present a pictorial and qualitative account of the changes that high-purity magnesium undergoes during creep at 500°F. The characteristics of deformation of aluminum described below have been observed by various workers and accounts of these may be obtained from the papers of Chang and Grant.'- These characteristics are: slip, subgrain formation, grain boundary sliding and migration, fold formation, deformation bands, and kink bands. It is well known that in a flat magnesium specimen, slip on the basal plane (0001) in the [1120] direction results in the formation of straight bands on the surface of the specimen. Schmid and co-workers' have shown that this system is operative in the temperature range of -185" to 300°C (-300° to 572°F). They have also shown that a second system, slip on the pyramidal planes {1071} or {1012} in the [1120] direction, is operative at temperatures higher than 225°C (437°F). Between 225° and 300°C (437" to 572°F), therefore, deformation by both these systems is expected. Bakarian and Mathewson5 confirmed the occurrence of pyramidal slip on the {1011} plane and found that it resulted in irregular markings on the surfaces of their specimens. Burke and Hibbard6 obtained evidence of pyramidal slip in single crystals of magnesium deformed at room temperature. Bakarian and Mathewson5 suggested that the irregular appearance of these bands was due to slip on both of the pyramidal planes occurring simultaneously but in the same direction, the close angular relationship between the planes making this process possible. Furthermore, since neither of these planes is close enough to the basal plane, slip on the latter does not exhibit the irregular appearance of slip bands resulting from pyramidal slip. Experimental Procedure High-purity magnesium, supplied by the Dow Chemical Co., was used in these experiments. The analysis was as follows: Al, 0.0002 pct; Mn, 0.0018; Fe, 0.0024; Cu, 0.0002; Sn, 0.001; Ca, 0.01; Ni, 0.0003; Zn, 0.01; Pb, 0.0005; Si, 0.001; and Mg, 99.972. The magnesium was supplied in the form of 1/2 in. diam rods. The specimens had an overall length of 21/4 in., the round ends being threaded to fit the specimen holders. The previously round 3/16 in. diam gage section of the specimen had two parallel flats machined on opposite sides for microscopic observation, yielding a test zone having the dimensions of lx3/16x7/64 in. The specimens were electrolytically polished (without prior mechanical polishing of the machined flats), in a solution composed of 375 ml of ortho-phosphoric acid and 625 ml of ethyl alcohol.' The cathode was a stainless steel sheet bent so that the specimen was completely surrounded. The voltage for successful polishing was 1.5 v at 100 to 300 milli-amp current. Electropolishing for about 45 min sufficed to obtain a good metallographic surface on the specimens after they had been machined. The creep tests were performed under constant load, and two types of equipment were used. In the first, designed by Servi and Grant,V he specimens were beam-loaded, and a furnace could be lowered to surround the specimen. As the microstructural changes could not be observed during the course of the test, the tests had to be interrupted periodically by removing the specimen for microscopic examination. The second unit was a high temperature microscopy furnace designed by Chang and Grant.' The furnace was fitted with an optically flat quartz window having area dimensions 1.25x0.5 in., so that the whole test portion could be viewed through it at magnifications up to x240. The metallurgical microscope had three mutually perpendicular axes of motion, and, in addition, it was possible to measure angular displacements by rotation of the eyepiece. It was thus possible to make precise observations of the specimen during creep, and micrographs could be taken by attaching a camera to the eyepiece of the microscope. The average grain size of the specimens that were tested was about 1 to 3 mm. This grain size could

Jan 1, 1954

By W. B. HILLHOUSE

AN excerpt from the Alabama State Mining Law, pertaining to, transporting men' into and out of the mines, reads as follows: "A trip of empty cars may be operated for the purpose of taking employees into and out of the mine, where the distance to and from their work exceeds one mile." The State Mining Department of Alabama includes in its inspection the transportation of men into and out of the mines, also studying and noting improvements, or progress made, that would tend to create a greater assurance of safety in this practice. Everyone is familiar with the original safety methods employed in man-trip transportation, such as passing a rope around the trip of cars, or through the cars, fastened in the conventional manner, and with the usual "clog," commonly called a drag, on the rear end. Also there is a more advanced method of transporting men, such as the double-rope system, which is feasible on slopes used exclusively for this purpose, and is very satisfactory. However, for the past eighteen months; the Republic Steel Corp. and the Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad Co. have adopted a practice that shows

Jan 1, 1935

By J. W. Leonard, B. A. Donahue

A method is described for incorporating coal petrography into mining and preparation plant quality control based on conventional analyses. Complete analyses are made of each of the uniform and relatively distinct petrographic bands in a coal face. With this information it is possible to develop petrographic standardization curves. These curves permit diverse coal characteristics to be rapidly monitored by application of a few standard coal tests. Single seam quality control is discussed in this paper. Inquiries continue to be made about coal petrography, and specifically, about whether coal petrography should be applied more extensively in the coal industry. Coal petrography is the study of the distinct physical, optical, and chemical increments which make up the organic rock mixture which we know as coal. Petrography can be applied by any coal company or at any coal mine where conventional coal analytical facilities are available and where additional resources can be allocated for an increased number of determinations. This first paper of a two part series includes (1) a proposed conventional approach to single seam petrography based on the development of petrographic standardization graphs and (2) some informative and supplemental interrelationships involving coal characteristics developed as a result of this research. In the second part of this series, to be published at a later date, those petrographic characteristics of bands taken from many different coal seams located over wide geographic areas which can be closely related to each other will be considered. These findings will be examined looking toward the development of a comprehensive, conventional approach to coal petrography which can be used as a common basis for multi-rank petrographic standardization graphs. Implicit to the understanding of coal petrography is the well established fact1,2 that the individual analyses of distinct petrographic bands often differ widely from the average analysis which is used to characterize a whole coal seam. In fact, a distinct and minor banded increment of coal in a high volatile seam may actually be a medium or low volatile coal with an analysis similar to the average analyses of seams located in distant coal fields. During the mining of coal, much degradation is caused which tends to randomly scatter coal bands. The degraded, scattered, and physically separated constituents of distinct petrographic bands are processed side by side in the coal preparation plant as distinct petrographic fractions with particles grouped according to a narrow size range (which derives in part from common hardness), specific gravity, and-or surface chemistry. Tile data obtained from numerous analyses made on each of the bands of any given coal seam, although diverse, can be readily interrelated. Indeed, these interrelationships can be developed into a series of nomographs or petrographic standardization graphs to serve as a basis for developing a conventional petrographic* program. Thus, by analyzing one property (for example, ash) of a selected petrographic fraction collected or separated from the flow of coal in a preparation plant, it should be possible to estimate the other physical, chemical, and thermal properties of this fraction by referring to the petrographic standardization graphs. It follows that any or all petrographic fractions in the total coal flow originating from a single coal seam can be rapidly monitored for many properties on the basis of a single analysis run on each fraction. In recent years coal petrographic research has concentrated heavily on that phase of this work which involves microscopic reflectance measurements made at many minute and selected points on a coal briquette surface.3,4 Thus, the percentage of the total number of reflectance measurements that fall into each of a consecutive series of arbitrarily chosen reflectance classes are used to characterize coal. This procedure is analagous to using the face of a coal briquette to represent the reflectance characteristics present at the face of a coal seam. Moreover, by analyzing petrographic fractions of known and uniform optical properties it is possible to closely relate reflectance to other coal characteristics. For example, reflectance has long been known to be related to such

Jan 1, 1968

By George F. Comstock

It seems a common opinion among metallographists that all light-gray inclusions seen with the microscope in polished sections of steel are manganese sulphide. Examples of this belief are continually appearing, as for instance in the paper by Dr. Henry Fay on manganese sulphide as a source of danger in steel railsll and in Lieutenant-Commander Cook's paper on Metallography of Steel for U. S. Naval Ordnance.² Slate- colored inclusions are considered to be silicates, and dove-gray inclusions, manganese sulphide. To show the danger in the latter unqualified assumption, it should be sufficient to examine the edge of any piece of steel that is covered with a fairly thick scale, and that has been polished in such a way as to prevent the scale from breaking away entirely below the polished surface. This can be done by protecting the scaled edge of

Jan 1, 1917

"The method of conveying ore from the ore-pocket at the shaft collar to the railroad ore bins, whence it is transported to the reduction works, is by cars with electric haulage.The cut shows the car coupled to the electric locomotive at the moment of dumping into the railroad ore bins.The locomotives used are of several makes, usually having two 12 ½ h-p. motors of a rated draw-bar pull of about 1,200 lbs., using 500 volts D. C. Track gauge is 30 inches, and speed is six miles per hour.The car holds two skip loads-10 tons—and has sides opening outwards the full length of the car, for rapid side-dumping. One man operates car and motor, and loads and unloads the car. The trolley pole runs in both directions without reversing.Loading is clone by operating a valve connected to a compressed air lift, which raises and lowers a gate in the ore-pocket chute, the ore running by gravity into the ore car spotted under the gate of the chute. Dogs hold the sides of the car in place at the bottom, the tops of the sides being hinged, and a hand lever releases the dogs, permitting the sides by the pressure of the ore against them to open at the bottom.With little manual effort one man does the work which was formerly done, when hoisting ore with cars and cage, by 10 men under laborious conditions."

Jan 1, 1913