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By A. P., Svenningsen

ECONOMICAL handling of a minimum of 25,000 tons of minus 3/4-in. ore per day, grinding it to 2 per cent on 65 mesh, and effecting a high recovery of the copper at the lowest possible cost were the principal aims in the design of the new Morenci concentrating plant. Dealing with a tonnage of this magnitude, it is obvious that lost motion cannot be tolerated. When ore is carried on a conveyor an unnecessarily long distance or elevated to a greater height than necessary, or when pulp flows in a launder by a circuitous route thereby losing elevation and distance, we have lost motion which is always costly both from the standpoint of construction and operation. In addition to the 25,000 tons of ore which must be handled, 100,000 tons of water per day has to be carried through the plant in the treatment of the ore. Though water is not so difficult to handle as the ore, the combined tonnage represents a figure which could easily run into a considerable monetary loss per day if all phases of the design were not carefully followed with the idea of eliminating any unnessary handing of materials.

Jan 1, 1942

In 1846 a bill was pending in Congress to reduce, or eliminate, the tariff on coal; the debate caused the same writer to visit the mines on the north side of the James River and to write a letter about them to the same paper.' Omitting the political arguments, his account follows: "July 13, 1846. "Early in the morning we rose, washed, combed, and ate a first-rate breakfast, and then went to the Tuckahoe, mined by Messrs. Sneed and Dietrock. Coal was first discovered here sixty years ago, and mined by Colonel Thomas Randolph, the proprietor of the land. They were worked by him for his smith-shops. Since which time they have been worked periodically, up to the war of 1812, when they were abandoned; and recommenced in 1837 under the management of Dr. W. T.- Scott. Subsequently a Company was formed called Tuckahoe Coal Mining Company, which purchased the whole track at a cost of $30,000. They commenced the sinking of a shaft and went as far as 412 feet, and then pitched the fat all into the fire by hauling off altogether in despair. In 1843 Major Sneed went to work at it, and succeeded. I may here remark that Major Sneed has been the pioneer in this business on the North side of the River, and has sunk more shafts than any other man who has pursued this vocation in Eastern Virginia. The difficulties and expense in sinking these shafts are sometimes immense. The coal on the outcrop or surface is not always a guide to where it may be found imbedded many hundred feet under earth and rock. "The Tuckahoe Pits are on the Eastern end of the coal field, within twelve hundred yards of the Canal, and about twelve miles from Richmond. They employ fifty hands and raise some three hundred thousand bushels of coal per year. It is highly bituminous and excellent for the manufacture of iron. The Tredegar and Belle Isle Rolling Mills are supplied with it. It must be good and of the right kind', or they would not use it. These pits are the only. ones on this side troubled-with gas-of course ventillation is necessary. There is not as much water in this Pit as I have found generally in many others, although they have extended their operations to a considerable distance under ground. I have observed in examining the coal mines, that, where they are sunk over four or five hundred feet, they are annoyed by gas, and where there is a less depth they are troubled with water. It is evident, therefore, that water, in the region of these coal fields, does not run through the earth to any extent, even five hundred feet deep, and the farther you go below that the greater the increase of gas. "We next visited William Cottrell's Pits, situated one mile and a half north of this. He employs some thirty hands, and raises from 4 to 500 bushels per day. "T. & R. Crouch's Pits are one hundred yards north of Cottrell's. This firm employ from 80 to 90 hands, and raise from 8 to 900 bushels per day. They are now

Jan 1, 1942

By G. S. Scott, G. W. Jones

ECONOMIC waste caused by mine fires may become considerable,15 especially if a fire is allowed to spread or temporarily to get beyond control. It is important, therefore, to act promptly whenever a fire is suspected and to make every action count. To contribute toward its extinction effectively it is necessary to know at the earliest possible moment, and continuously thereafter, what is happening at the seat of the fire, which may be in a remote or inaccessible area, and also to recognize what may be expected as a result of any proposed combative measure. In combatting a fire the mining engineer and the chemist should cooperate, first deciding upon the course of action to be taken and then drawing upon the mining engineer's intimate knowledge of the physical structure of the fire area, the cost and time required to carry out proposed operations, and the probable efficiency with which these operations could be performed, and upon the chemist's knowledge for the results to be expected therefrom. After the initial steps to be taken have been decided, it devolves upon the mining engineer to see that they are carried out and upon the chemist to evaluate the results and to keep the mining engineer continuously informed in regard to a variety of matters-such as the composition and toxic or asphyxiating properties of the atmosphere in which the men may be working, whether the fire is increasing or decreasing in intensity and its probable temperature, the quantity of air leakage and the explosion hazards of the fire area. The purpose of this paper is to discuss what the chemist can and cannot contribute as a member of the fire-fighting personnel. The technical literature contains several hundred papers relating directly and indirectly to mine fires, and this fact alone is testimony to the complex nature of the phenomena involved in the birth, life, and final demise of a fire. A fire may be stopped (I) by preventing oxygen from reaching the coal or (2) by removing the conditions necessary for the rapid reaction of coal with oxygen; i.e., decreasing the temperature. All methods of prevention or control. necessarily must be based upon one or the other, or both, of these two principles. . The chemistry of a fire may be understood readily if the low-temperature oxidation of coal is considered as a starting point; then oxidation at higher temperatures (or combustion) ; and with these, the composition of the solid and gaseous products resulting from the oxidation or from the effects of the heat liberated. This discussion refers particularly to Pennsylvania anthracite, although much of the material applies equally well to coals of lower rank. OXIDATION OF COAL Oxidation of coal fundamentally is confined to the surface; that is, the rate at which oxygen penetrates into the interior of a solid block of coal is so slow that it may be ignored.6,16 Oxidation starts when a fresh surface is exposed, and the rate is

Jan 1, 1942

By George F. Comstock

IT has been reported recently1 that the hardenability and toughness of forging steels may be improved appreciably by the use of complex deoxidizers containing titanium, aluminum, and vanadium. In the light of these results, an investigation of similar deoxidizers containing various hardening and grain-refining elements was proposed. These deoxidizers included three manganese-silicon-aluminum-titanium al- [ ] loys with and without boron and calcium, three titanium-aluminum ferroalloys with vanadium, molybdenum and zirconium, respectively, an aluminum-zirconium ferro-alloy, and plain ferroboron. Their approximate compositions are given in Table I, and the results obtained so far in the investigation of their effects on steel are presented in the later parts of this paper. METHOD OF USING DEOXIDIZERS The deoxidizers listed in Table I were used in three series of 0.40 per cent carbon steels, which were melted in a small basic-lined induction furnace and cast in the form of I7-lb. ingots about 2.75 in. square. The basic charge for each heat was 10 lb. Armco iron and 6 lb. of clean low-carbon sheet-steel scrap. When melted, this charge was deoxidized with 15 grams of ferrosilicon, then about 500 grams of pig iron was added to give the desired carbon content. After the pig iron was dissolved, nickel [ ] shot and high-carbon ferrochromium were added if required, and additions of 80 per cent high-carbon ferromanganese and 50 per cent ferrosilicon were made to provide the proper amounts of those elements. Aluminum was added to every heat 2 min. after the silicon, for grain-size control and preliminary deoxidation. One minute later the special deoxidizer was added to the clean bare surface of the molten steel, and 2 min. afterward the steel was poured into the ingot mold, using a hot-top and pipe-preventing compound after pouring to decrease the depth of the shrinkage cavity. The special deoxidizers were used mostly in the form of about ½ to ¾ -in. lumps,

Jan 1, 1942

The Institute conducts jointly with the American Society of Civil Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers and American Institute of Electrical Engineers, certain activities as listed below, and is joint owner with them of certain properties. United Engineering Trustees, Inc. When Mr. Carnegie made. his gift ?for the erection of a suitable home? for the engineering societies,

Jan 1, 1942

By Fred W. Stiefel

THIS paper covers the operation and maintenance of Diesel locomotives underground on a portion of the Delaware River Aqueduct.[t] This part of the tunnel is 15 miles long, with shafts 14 ft. in diameter spaced about 5 miles apart. These shafts (2, 2a and 3) are 825 ft., 1551 and 840 ft. deep, respectively. The grade of the tunnel is almost level, except for the 12,100 ft. north of shaft 2, which has a grade of 2.31 per cent. The tunnel is circular, 17 to 19 ft. in diameter. It lies at a depth of 400 ft. below sea level, with a maximum over-burden of 2400 feet. The tunnel driving was carried on in six headings, using 15 storage-battery locomotives, each of 13 gross tons and having a maximum speed of 8 miles per hour. The longest haul was 3 miles, which proved to be the maximum distance for which storage-battery locomotives could be employed economically for the amount of material to be moved. One locomotive was used for switching cars at each heading, one for switching cars at the bottom of each shaft and one on the main-line haul from the heading to the shaft. The maximum amount of material hoisted in one shaft from two headings when 104 ft. of tunnel was driven in 24 hr. was 1000 cu. yd., or about 2000 tons of rock in place. The total quantity excavated was 750,000 cu. yd. (1,500,000 tons of rock). The tunnel-lining operations using concrete presented a problem of hauling a maximum distance of 5 miles in the tunnel. The concrete-placing equipment had a capacity of about 2000 cu. yd., or 4000 tons in 24 hours. Experience had shown that storage-battery equipment could not handle this quantity of material within the time required at the distance of 5 miles. Trolley-locomotive haulage was considered dangerous and expensive, and would cause interference because transmission equipment would be required. Therefore the performance of Diesel locomotives of 160 hp., with a speed of 18 miles per hour, in comparison with that of other types of locomotives, was studied. CHOICE OF LOCOMOTIVES In deciding upon the type of locomotive to be used for the 5-mile haul, four alternatives were considered, as follows: I. To purchase additional storage-battery locomotives with the necessary batteries over the 6 locomotives and 12 batteries available. 2. To convert the existing battery locomotives to the trolley type. 3. To purchase new trolley locomotives. 4. To purchase Diesel locomotives. PROPOSITION No. I The 90-hp. storage-battery locomotives available (each weighing about 12 tons), when hauling a load of 64 tons, with a drawbar pull of about 1900 lb. on a level track, developed a speed of 8 miles per hour and could make five round trips in 8 hr. with a

Jan 1, 1942

By Keith Leonard Sutherland

THIS paper is a study of the differential flotation of the sulphide minerals in the presence of salts of silver, lead and zinc. In practice, accidental activation due to these salts is more important than their use as reagents to replace copper sulphate. The general method of investigation has been based upon contact tests, the temperature of 35°C. being chosen in conformity with earlier work. Potassium ethyl xanthate and potassium amyl xanthate were selected as collectors and pure sulphide minerals were used. The experimental procedure has been outlined in earlier papers and all solutions were kept carbonate -free.1,4 Contact, or spreading of an air bubble, at a mineral surface indicates the presence of an adsorbed collector film. PURITY OF REAGENTS The xanthates were purified in the usual manner.1 Neither the cyanide nor the sodium hydroxide solutions contained sufficient carbonate to give a precipitate with barium chloride solution. The silver sulphate was prepared from pure silver nitrate by evaporation with concentrated sulphuric acid until there was no evidence of brown fumes. This solution was diluted and the difficultly soluble sulphate washed with water so that unchanged nitrate was dissolved. The resultant crystalline powder was pure white. The lead and zinc salts were prepared by dissolving especially pure lead and zinc in C.P. nitric and sulphuric acid solution and the crystals drained. The standard solutions were checked by titration. It was felt desirable to use the sulphate radical wherever possible, but since lead sulphate was insufficiently soluble for the purpose of the experiments, it was necessary to use some other lead salt. A.R. copper sulphate was used without further purification. RESULTS The results are presented in the accompanying figures; the areas of noncontact (nonflotation) are shaded in Figs. 8, 9, 10 and 11; in the remainder they lie to the right of the curve. Zinc Sulphate The curves in Fig. I are to be compared with those for Fig. 2, for which zinc sulphate is absent. This comparison shows that the influence of the zinc ion is usually small. Its influence is more marked, however, for chalcopyrite in the absence of cyanide. The influence of zinc sulphate is also marked for copper-activated sphalerite, for which tests were made only in the absence of cyanide. The results are of importance in the separation of pyrite from copper-activated sphalerite when, zinc sulphate is added in the lead flotation section (p. 204 of ref. I). Sphalerite does not adsorb the collector (i.e., become floatable) under the conditions chosen.

Jan 1, 1942

By Jr. Baldwin. William M

WELL known to every metallurgist is the fact that different production schedules will profoundly affect the character of annealed metal strip. Yet the number of conditions [ ] that may be wrought by different combinations of rolling and annealing schedules is so myriad that despite the continual research that is being applied to this subject, the complete picture is not yet known. Copper, like all other metals, during the process of rolling or annealing, develops certain crystallographic configurations which should not be dismissed as being too impractical, for the crystallographic condition existing within the metal is a principal influence upon both the external mechanical properties and the behavior of the material [ ] when it is subjected to such operations as bending, flanging, drawing, and so forth. EFFECT OF ROLLING AND ANNEALING UPON THE CRYSTALLOGRAPHY OF COPPER STRIP The most salient points in the crystallographic reactions of polycrystalline copper to rolling and annealing may be best represented graphically by a "map" such as that given in Fig. I. I. As copper strip is cold-rolled from a randomly oriented structure (pole figure I),

Jan 1, 1942

By Edwin T. Myskowski, Alfred H. Hesse

THE development by the U. S. Bureau of Mines of a process for purifying manganese by electrolysis has stimulated interest in manganese alloys. While recent publications have shown some alloys of manganese and copper to possess rather unusual properties, none have included information on tensile properties, which have an important bearing on the usefulness of the alloys. Manganese-copper alloys can be heat-treated, since the single phases that exist at high temperatures may be retained by quenching. According to Persson,1 when quenched alloys containing from about 30 to nearly i00 per cent manganese are reheated, alpha manganese is precipitated (Fig. I). Calculations based on Persson's X-ray data indicate that this decomposi¬tion is accompanied by a change in volume of as much as S per cent. The reason that this large volume change has not been noted probably is the slow rate at which equilibrium is reached by these alloys. In an investigation on hardening by cold-work and heat-treatment, Dean and Anderson3 found that quenched alloys increase in hardness with manganese content and that high-manganese alloys harden very slowly with cold-work, while high-copper alloys harden much more rapidly. Heat-treatment has little effect on manganese-copper alloys containing less than 40 per cent Mn, and affects those alloys containing more than 40 per cent in accordance with their manganese content and heat-treating temperature. Dean and Anderson4 also found that cold-work increased electrical resistance of alloys containing from 50 to 80 per cent Mn, and that heat-treatment of alloys containing from 40 to 96 per cent Mn altered the electrical resistance considerably. Dean, Anderson and Potters have shown that the high vibration damping capacity that characterizes manganese-copper alloys containing 40 to g0 per cent Mn. is affected by cold-work and heat-treatments. Highest vibration damping capacity at low stresses was obtained by heating for 2 hr. at 450°C. (842°F.) after quenching from solution temperatures. Preparation of Alloys.-The alloys for these tests were melted in a 17-lb. basic-lined high-frequency induction furnace using electrolytic manganese, grade A ingot copper and a 70-30 Cu-Mn master alloy (69.80 per cent Cu, 0.12 Fe, 0.04 Si, 0.006 S, 0.07 C, balance Mn). The manganese was heated slowly to expel excess dissolved gases and melted before the addition of copper. No fluxes or covers were used. The melts were cast in tapered iron molds and the ingots were reduced go per cent when forged to ½ in. rounds. These rods were given 2-hr. solution treatments at temperatures that depended upon the composition (Table I). Tensile Tests.-The tensile specimens, 0.313-in. diameter (1.25-in. gauge length), which were enclosed in evacuated Pyrex

Jan 1, 1942

By C. H. Hopper

THE gold orebodies of the Matachewan Consolidated mine are of particular interest geologically because of their odd shapes, their apparent lack of connection one with another, and the fact that they occur in a number of different formations. All of the orebodies exhibit a similar fracture pattern and the areas of fracturing appear related to the local folding. However, the lack of either horizontal or vertical continuity suggests additional controls not yet discovered. The question of origin, so ably discussed by H. C. Cooke in 1919, will be reviewed in the light of the additional evidence uncovered since his examination of surface trenches twenty-four years ago. The Matachewan Consolidated mine, with its neighbour, the Young-Davidson mine, is in Powell township, 25 miles by road northwest from Elk Lake, 30 miles west of Kirkland Lake, and 45 miles southeast of Porcupine. It may be considered as being on the westerly extension of the Kirk-land Lake sedimentary belt, where the rock column is markedly similar. There is no similarity in structure, however, for great ore-bearing shears and faults simply do not occur at Matachewan. Rather may it be said that the region, under stress, failed in isolated brecciated patches, some of which make up today's orebodies. The mine currently treats 1,000 tons a day of porphyry ore averaging 0.10 oz. gold per ton. It started operations in 1934 on greenstone ore, and the mill then treated 150 tons a day of ore averaging 0.23 oz. gold per ton. Total production to the end of 1941 has been 929,484 .tons averaging 0.160 oz. gold per ton.

Jan 1, 1942

IT may perhaps seem to you that I have deviated from sequence by having entered into the narration of this arrangement of the bellows, but, although they are not furnaces or vessels for containing the melts, they are essential agents for bringing to port the bark of your labors. Returning to our regular pathway, and supposing that, besides making the moulds, you have melted and cast not only statues and bells but also guns, it is true that a certain procedure is required in order to finish them. For this you should have the moulds full, and they should have come out very well, for in truth reason does not allow that they turn out otherwise for one who uses precaution. [II2V] Then you have taken your casting from the pit and have freed it of clay. Since I have told you nothing beyond this, do not be dismayed if you see the castings so rough and in a form that scarcely shows what they really are, for I wish to open up part of the way into the great labor of finishing them so that it may seem to you that you have been somewhat helped by me. Therefore, when it is a gun, first see that the iron spindle that has been placed in the middle of the core is taken out. You can do this easily by striking the heel of the core, especially if the spindle had first been covered with ashes, hemp, or a little rope. Then saw off the feeding head above the mouth, using either a dun steel saw with tiny straight teeth that has been tempered with oil or some other fat, or a hay sickle whose edge is gently hit by a little hammer. Then have the clay that is attached to the curls or other bronze parts lifted away with a chisel. Then with a scouring brush and water uncover the emblems, coats of arms, borders, and cornices that you made as ornaments. Striking it with a hammer, push inwards every superfluous bit of bronze. Finally, having cleaned the bronze by washing, scraping, and cutting away every bit of clay, strike its surfaces gently with a large hammer and thus make it very smooth. Likewise finish the mouth and all its cornices as exactly and completely as possible with files and any other instrument that serves best. Then take a long, powerful tool that has some steel on the point, made like a chisel and somewhat bent, or with three points like the iron blade

Jan 1, 1942

By A. W. Gauger

It is with some trepidation that I approach my subject, for I know that I shall at once incur the suspicion of the mechanical engineer, with his concern for boiler tests and efficiencies; of the mining engineer, with his mechanization problems; and of the chemical engineer with his unit processes. Nevertheless, it must be recognized that the technology of fuels, the systematic body of knowledge relating to the production, processing and utilization of mineral fuels, has grown to such proportions and involves so many widely diverse applications of fundamental science and engineering that it behooves us to stop and consider just what its status is in relation to other technologies, as well as in relation to the present and future needs of the social order. The time has come when technologists, applied scientists and engineers must consider the possible effects that their achievements may have on Society. The development of a machine to - -replace -several hundred men is a fine achievement when considered solely from the point of view of creative endeavor. But what of the men who are displaced by the machine! Does not the responsibility for the development of this machine embrace as well the consequences of obsolescence and technological unemployment resulting from such development? I believe that it does and that we must recognize this fact in our practice of engineering and tech- nology as well as in the training of future engineers and technologists. Magnitude of the Fuels Industry Fuel technology is the body of knowledge that relates to the mineral fuels. The fuels industry is by far the most important of all Our mineral industries. The chart in Fig. I, reprinted from U. S. Bureau of Mines Information Circular No. 6643, indicates the compartive values of metals, fuels and other nonmetallic minerals for the year 1929. Of the grand total of 13¼ billions of dollars in value of minerals at the mines, the mineral fuels contributed 48 per cent. Coal, with 34.4 Per cent, exceeded the value of any other single mineral. In fact, the value of the production of the Pennsylvania anthracite mines alone anand exceeds the value of the gold production of the entire world. Petroleum and natural gas in 1929 contributed 14.3 per cent and 3.3 per cent, respectively, of the total value of world mineral production. So much for the world picture; let us now look at the situation in the United States. Over the 60-year period 1880 to '939, $46,409,727,000 of metal1ic products, $80,788,852,000 of fuels (coal, petroleum, natural gas, natural gasoline) and $27,871,-ooo,ooo of nonmetallic minerals other than fuels were produced. The mineral fuels have contributed 52.7 per cent of the entire mineral wealth produced over this period that has seen such tremendous industrial development in our Our As a matter of fact, our present industrial civilization has been made possible through the use of the

Jan 1, 1942

Very few data are available about production in this county. The amount mined was used locally, or shipped by river, until 1839 when the canal was completed to Dunnsburg. Only partial records for four years remain of canal shipments. Considerable coal was used locally by the iron works at Farrandsville for some years. Rail shipments started in 1861 and those shown are the estimated shipments of these mines as compared with the mines in other counties served by the Philadelphia and Erie Railroad, the total tonnages being given in the annual reports to the Auditor General. It is not likely that any coal used by the railroad is included in these figures. (Table 40.)

Jan 1, 1942

By A. C. Fieldner

In the course of its investigations on the properties of coal and in rendering fuel-inspection service to other agencies of the Government, the Bureau of Mines has accumulated a comprehensive file of coal analyses that includes data on virtually every coal field of commercial importance in the United States. As knowledge of the composition of coal is potentially valuable to every user of coal, the Bureau publishes its analytical records. Before 1921 such publications contained analyses of coal from all parts of the United States; individual analyses or average analyses of a series of shipments of coal were given with the name and location of the mine producing the coal. Beginning in 1921 the analyses were published by separate States because the quantity of data had become so great. The separate papers published to date, with Bureau of Mines Technical Paper numbers, are as follows: Alabama, 347; Arkansas, 416; Colorado, 574; Illinois, 634 and 641; Indiana, 417; Iowa, 269; Kansas, 455; Kentucky, 30S; Maryland, 465; Missouri, 366; Montana, 529; New Mexico, 569; Ohio, 344; Oklahoma, 411 ; Pennsylvania (bituminous), 590; Tennessee, 356; Utah, 345; Virginia, 365; Washington, 491 and 618 (618, published in 1941, supplements 491); West Virginia, 405 and 626; and Wyoming, 484. From time to time the various papers will be revised to include later analyses and other data. The Bureau of Mines annually receives many inquiries as to the composition of coals obtained from specific localities or, conversely, as to the localities from which a given kind of coal may be obtained. This paper presents a summary, in tabular form, of the composition of commercial coal resources of the country. Specimen analyses are given exemplifying the analysis of coal mined in each coal-producing county, or, where it was feasible, coal from each bed in each county; also, ranges of analyses, within which the composition of most of the coal represented will fall, are given where there were enough analyses to permit satisfactory determination of the ranges. In addition, the degree of metamorphism from lignite toward anthracite of much of the coal is indicated by the classification by rank. This classification reveals to more experienced users of coal some of the general properties of coal, that is, whether the flame will be long or short, whether the coal will cake in the fire, and how it is likely to behave on exposure and in storage.

Jan 1, 1942

By Joseph C. Kieffer

THE Duquesne property of the Callahan Zinc-Lead Co. is about 20 miles east of Nogales, in southern Arizona. One mine is near the mill, but most of the mill feed is hauled in by truck from a number of small mines. The same sulphides are found in all the ores, in general, but the amounts vary considerably. All ores contain silver, copper, lead and zinc minerals but one mine ships ore high in silver and lead and low in copper and zinc; while another mine ships ore high in copper and zinc, and low in silver and lead. The common sulphides are galena, carrying most of the silver; chalcopyrite; sphalerite, carrying iron in solid solution; and pyrite, in a gangue consisting of limestone, quartz and garnet. Mineralization, is fairly coarse. At the present grind of about 66 per cent minus 200 mesh most of the sulphides are liberated. A small amount of chalcopyrite is locked up with the sphalerite and cannot be liberated at an economic grind, and the copper carried into the zinc concentrate with the sphalerite accounts for the comparatively poor recovery of copper in the copper-lead concentrate. PRODUCTION OF TWO CONCENTRATES The milling problem, which was complicated by the extreme variation in the grade of the feed, was first attacked with the idea of producing a silver-copper-lead concentrate and a zinc concentrate, both with satisfactory grades and recoveries. By February 194I, it was felt that these objectives had been attained, when the grades of the various products and the recoveries were as shown in Table I. [ ] A rough outline of the flowsheet and reagents used is as follows: Minus ¾ -in. feed to a 7-ft. by 36-in. Hardinge ball mill working in closed circuit with a 36-in. Wemco classifier. The classifier overflow passes to the second cell of an 8-cell bank of No. I8 Special Denver Sub-A flotation machines (volume, 22.5 cu. ft. per cell). A rougher concentrate is removed from the second to the fifth cells inclusive, and returned to the first cell, which is the cleaner. A scavenger concentrate is removed from the sixth, seventh, and eighth cells, and returned to the third cell. Consump-

Jan 1, 1942

By Layson, W. C.

ACCORDING to the records, Phelps Dodge made its original entry into the production of copper in the oldest copper mines of Arizona at Morenci in 1881. The ore body now being mined as the Morenci open-pit, as outlined by churn-drill holes, diamond-drill holes, and underground workings, is estimated to yield 230,000,000 tons of ore averaging 1.06 per cent copper. This development will add 2,500,000 tons of copper to the 900,000 tons already produced in the district. Some five years ago preliminary development of the ore body began, with big-scale production planned including the erection of a new treatment plant to be built near the mine. Inasmuch as the Morenci open-pit was an entirely new project this required the grading of roads, establishment of mining benches, construction of railroad grades, building of railroad tracks, erection of shops, as well as the purchase of the necessary equipment to satisfactorily and economically maintain the schedules of production forecast. Along with the preparation of the main ore body it was also desirable to mine and deliver to an experimental mill a relatively small daily tonnage of typical ore.

Jan 1, 1942

By M. Muskat, H. H. Evinger

A METHOD of calculating productivity factors for oil, gas, and water systems in the steady state is presented as an illustration of the quantitative application of the fundamental data on the flow properties of heterogeneous- fluid systems. While the numerical results of the calculations cannot be applied directly to field conditions, because they are based on permeability data for unconsolidated sands and involve specific assumptions regarding the nature of the reservoir fluids, the methods of analysis and interpretation should have significance in considering certain specific field situations when the necessary field and laboratory data become available. Moreover, it is felt that even under the idealized conditions to which the numerical calculations refer they should serve to give at least the orders of magnitude of the effects of gas-oil ratio and connate water on observed productivity factors. Within the indicated limitations, the computations imply that the foregoing factors can explain only a part of the apparent discrepancy between the homogeneous fluid productivity factors and those obtained recently in field measurements on the West Coast.

Jan 1, 1942

By A. H. Grobe, F. N. Rhines

AT elevated temperatures the oxide of silver is unstable in the air at atmospheric pressure, consequently no external oxide scale forms upon pure silver under conditions of high-temperature annealing When small quantities of certain alloying elements are present in the silver, the formation of a thin external scale is possible' and in addition there may form a subscale composed of the oxide of the solute element precipitated within the body of the silver Norbury2 and Leroux and Raub3 have reported internal oxidation (subscale formation) in alloys of silver with 2, 7 5, and 30 per cent of copper The presence of the subscale is believed to be responsible, at least in part, for the objectionable "fire mark" in Sterling silver' Several other alloys of silver, after oxidizing heat-treatments, are known to exhibit undesirable polishing characteristics that may be the result of internal oxidation Except for the absence of an external scale of silver oxide, it is to be anticipated that silver alloys will prove to be very similar in their oxidation behavior to the alloys of copper, the oxidation characteristics of which have been studied in some detail 5,6 The present research confirms this anticipation The oxidation of a series of 20 dilute alloys of silver has been studied metallographically, some types of subscale not encountered among the copper alloys have been found Instances of internal oxidation in alloys of most of the metals of the I-b and VIII groups of the periodic system are on record, but evidence of this type of oxidation in alloys of the metals of the intermediate groups is lacking A number of the metals of the intermediate group, among them cadmium, lead, tin, and zinc, appear to provide the conditions essential to subscale formation, i e , they form oxides with a relatively low negative free energy of formation, they dissolve other metals that form more stable oxides, and, presumably, oxygen will diffuse through them In a study of 4o alloys of these white metals only a few cases of internal oxidation have been found The probable reasons for this difference in behavior will be discussed presently EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Silver -The silver alloys employed in the oxidation studies were prepared in heats of 30 grams each from high-purity silver (99 993 per cent Ag)* and the purest avail-

Jan 1, 1942

By John Johnston

WHEN I was honored by being invited to give the Howe Memorial Lecture, I decided to read Howe's book, "The Metallography of Steel and Cast Iron," published in 1916-that is, about 25 years ago-in search of a text. I found the book written in fine, clear, attractive, yet precise style, as I expected, knowing that his father Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe, his mother Julia Ward Howe, and all of his four brothers and sisters had lived in a New England literary atmosphere and had written books. This leads me to suggest that many authors of metallurgical papers and books could well study Howe's writings with a view to the improvement of their own. I failed to find a specific text, but did find a subject, for in reading his book I was struck by the few instances in which time is considered explicitly as a factor in the phenomena examined, and by the fact that many of the hottest arguments would have been settled had time been taken properly into account. Indeed, Howe hardly mentions time except in a rather incidental way, as in a few references to lag; for instance: The lowering of temperature at which the transformation occurs by rapid cooling . . . is a phenomenon of undercooling or lag. It is in part explained by the fact that the transformation itself is a time-consuming reaction which, setting in during a rapid fall of temperature, is naturally protracted till the temperature has sunk far below that at which it is due. He does discuss, quite fully, the iron-carbon equilibrium diagram, as known at that time, introducing it by stating: As he is a reasonable man who is not deterred from using a hand' truck for moving his trunk by the consideration that he has thus to move a trunk plus a truck, so am I reasonable in putting into your hands this useful, indeed indispensable, tool for mastering the ABC of iron metallurgy. Somewhat later, in introducing a discussion of the phase rule, which "it would be hardly proper to pass ... by without an attempt to outline its meaning," for "a clear exposition of its applicability or jurisdiction is needed to restrain the half¬initiated from misusing it and the uninitiated from being misled by these misuses," he writes-and I quote his statement because we cannot properly discuss the influence of time on a process until we know the state of equilibrium which would ultimately be reached by the system under consideration: It is a most remarkable and valuable generalization, its conceptions help greatly toward getting a broad outlook on metallography, but its misconception has brought out a flood of obscuring writings. It tells us about the constitution towards which alloys tend, that which they reach when equilibrium is complete, when all tendencies have corrected themselves and have been complied with completely. Its application, in absence of true equilibrium, is like determining density with a telescope or even with a tuning fork; it is like the mad tea party at which the butter put into the works of the watch was the best butter. If the reader learns no more than to beware of attempts to decipher the conditions of inequilibrium by a law which touches only the conditions of exact

Jan 1, 1942

By John E. Conley

THE slate industry of the United States has shown a marked decline in value of products made annually since the peak year 1925, although there has been moderate improvement over the lean years 1932 to 1934. In 1940, the value of all slate products sold was approximately 5 3/4 million dollars for a total output of 473,450 short tons. The quantity sold was a little less and the value a great deal lower than the annual averages for the past two decades. Enormous quantities of waste materials result from the quarrying, splitting and milling of slate. Obviously, utilization of such waste material is desirable, not only from the viewpoint of economical operation but also for the purpose of conserving natural resources. One possible use is to produce expanded or puffed lightweight aggregate for use in concretes. Such concretes are strong enough for specific uses, and the advantage of lightness could be obtained in such structures as the walls and roofs of buildings, suspension-bridge roadways and various other applications where weight is a factor. Conceivably, these uses could consume an appreciable annual tonnage. USE OF WASTE SLATES FOR MAKING AGGREGATES The lightweight-aggregate industry has been discussed elsewhere4.5 and need not be covered in detail in this paper. The materials commonly utilized are naturally occurring aggregates such as volcanic cinder, tuff and pumice; by-product materials, such as ordinary cinders and air-cooled slags; and the specially manufactured products, including Haydite, Pottsco, Gravelite, Cel-seal, Superock and Waylite. Slates, however, have not been given the consideration they merit, especially in the United States. In the British Isles, some work has been done' on certain Welsh slates by the Building Research Station to stimulate the use of these wastes. REQUIREMENTS FOR RAW MATERIALS As pointed out by Hughes,4 the lightweight-aggregate industry is segregated in regions adjacent to large cities in order to localize the market and avoid the necessity of long freight haulage. Waste slate from the deposits of eastern Pennsylvania, northern Maryland, and Virginia would meet the basic requirement of any low-priced structural raw material. One apparent advantage is attained when slate waste, normally discarded, is utilized in the manufacture of a by-product. Mining or quarrying costs usually have been assessed against the main product. Some additional grinding might be desirable, but this operation would be relatively cheap, as most slates grind easily. It is believed that virtually all slates, when properly heated, will expand to some degree. However, types that will expand from 3 to 7 times their original volume are preferred. Fig. I illustrates the expansion of a Pennsylvania slate. The cube originally

Jan 1, 1942