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By T. W. Flemal

Good afternoon gentlemen. To begin, may I say ?thank you? to the AIME for the invitation to be here today to talk about my company's experience with shovel, truck, pocket, to car loading. The other author of this paper is here today. (Introduce John Sweet). Before we get to the details of this paper I want to tell you a little about Erie Mining Company. Erie Mining Company is located on the east end of the Mesabi Range in northern Minnesota and is engaged in the business of processing taconite rock into iron ore pellets. In 1970, the twelfth year of production, Erie will produce its rated capacity of 10.3 million tons of high grade iron ore pellets. The plant is the first of five iron ore pelletizing operations managed by Pickands Mather & Co. with a combined annual production capacity of 21 million tons. This plant began producing high grade iron ore pellets in 1957 placing it among the earliest of taconite production facilities in North America. Historically Pickands Mather & Co. had been a leading natural ore mine managing firm in the Great Lakes region for more than 70 years. Pickands Mather & Co. moved into the new field of taconite mining and processing with management and operational experience from the open pits and underground mines. We were to learn much of volume taconite handling requiring new equipment and new procedures. A trial and error period through the early years of taconite processing developed through the operation of an experimental sized preliminary plant near the present Erie Mining Company site.

Jan 1, 1970

When a thin film of volatile matter is deposited under vacuum on a polished coal surface, and the coated surface is examined microscopically in plane-polarized reflected light, colour changes are observed which are characteristic of the various macerals present. The colour changes appear to be mainly due to interference between light reflected at the upper surface of the film and at the film!coal interface. A variety of source materials for the volatile matter required have been tested, including powdered bituminous coal, coal tars, boron oxide, and certain resins. Bituminous coal gave the best results.

Jan 1, 1970

By D. E. Hilts, R. P. Miller

A large coal-fired power plant is to be built jointly by Pacific Power & Light Co. of Portland, Ore., and by The Washington Water Power Co. of Spokane, Wash., at a site about six miles northeast of Centralia, Wash. (Fig. 1 inset). Coal will be mined from nearby open-pit strip mines that will require cut slopes up to 250 ft in height. Coal will be removed from a seam approximately 50 ft thick, located at the bottom of the mine slopes. The coal fields are located in a geologically complex area that has been subjected to intense folding and faulting. As a result, the soils and rock comprising the overburden are highly fractured, jointed, and faulted. Classical approaches to slope stability based solely on the physical proper- ties of the overburden appeared to offer little assurance that theoretically stable slopes would remain stable. Further, the scope of the exploration program that would be required to provide a reasonable evaluation of the primary and secondary structural features from which a statistical evaluation could be developed was considered impractical. As part of the development of an overall mining plan, an experimental Pilot mine excavation, about 225 ft high and about 400 ft long at the base, was made within the coal field. This experimental cut was to provide firsthand knowledge of cut slope behavior. Our purpose at the Pilot mine was to observe the cut slopes as the excavation proceeded. To accomplish this purpose, the highwall of the experimental cut was instrumented to measure face movements and movement at depth behind the face. In addition, a detailed geologic map of the soil and rock conditions exposed in the highwall was prepared, and continual visual observations of the mine were made, noting significant events as they occurred.

Jan 1, 1970

The importance of reducing the moisture content of fine coal, the nature of the retained water, and the means of its removal are discussed. A statistical technique, using a balanced block design, was used to isolate the significant factors determining water content of a coal filter cake. The most significant factor was particle size distribution. A simplex evolutionary operation (evop) was used to determine the optimal quantities of additives required to produce the lowest moisture content for a selected coal size. For this optimum condition (18·6 Ib H20 per lOO Ib dry coal), additions of 0·045 Ib magnesium ion, 0·0026 lb Separan AP30, and 0·098 Ib Aerosol OT, per lOO Ib dry coal were required. The work illustrated the uses of a statistical evop technique for the determination of optimal conditions in industrial research projects.

Jan 1, 1970

By R. B. Tippin

To study continuous operation of the heavy liquid separation (HLS) of minerals, the Bureau of Mines concentrated spodumene from a typical ore. The studies included heavy liquid concentration, removal of the heavy liquid from the mineral products, and recovery of the heavy liquid for reuse. The research program examined the influence of feed moisture, steam consumption, stripping time, and condition of steam. Operation of multiple cyclones in series resulted in spodumene concentrates assaying 92 to 95 percent spodumene and indicated mineral recoveries of 86 to 89 percent. Continuous filtration and steam stripping produced mineral products containing less than I pound of heavy liquid tetrabromoethane (TBE) per ton of material. Problems unique to this process are discussed, including heavy liquid properties and viscosity, toxicity, material handling hazards, and safety precautions.

Jan 1, 1970

By Victor L. Stevens

The Oso tunnel is one of three tunnels located on the San Juan-Chama Project in south-central Colorado. The purpose of the tunnel is to carry water from the upper San Juan watershed through the Continental Divide into the Rio Grande watershed. The Oso tunnel contract was awarded by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to a joint venture of Boyles Brothers Drilling Co., Gibbons & Reed Co., and Cimco in February 1966. The Oso tunnel is 26,660 ft long and has a rock section of 10 ft, 2 in. with a lined diameter of 8 ft circular. The main portion of the rock formation was in the Lewis shale. This formation is quite consistent in hardness and texture with exception of localized limestone concretions and sandy siltstone inclusions. The job was bid on the basis of using a James S. Robbins mole of the P221 series. The decision for using a mole was predicated on the geology and the experience of the same joint venture on the adjoining Azotea tunnel where a mole was successfully used. The Robbins P221 series mole is capable of cutting from 9 ft, 11 in. to a 10 ft, 7 in. diam without any major change. It is 40 ft long and weighs 60 tons. The cutting head has 22 disk-type cutters and one center pilot (standard 9 7/8 -in.) tricone bit. The head is powered by four 75 hp electric motors. Gripper pads at about the midway point on each side of the machine are pushed into the tunnel ribs and thrust-cylinders in front of each gripper apply pressure to the face as the head rotates. The regripping cycle is 3 ft and then the grippers are retracted and advanced. Each cutter on the perimeter of the head is followed by a bucket which scoops up the cut material, almost in the same manner as a water wheel, and dumps it into a conveyor situated along the top of the mole. The muck from the mole conveyor is dumped into a gantry-type conveyor. The gantry conveyor is 350 ft long and is pulled

Jan 1, 1970

By Fewings JH

When the mining and milling of 1100 Copper Orebody commenced, difficulties were experienced in producing a satisfactory grade of copper concentrate. The major concentrate contaminants were fine pyrite and silica, particularly in the minus 10 microns fraction. Studies of the 1100 Orebody showed that much of the fine grained pyrite and a proportion of the silica present in the ore contained carbonaceous matter in the form of complete or partial rims and as internal carbon films disseminated throughout grains. The hydrophobic surface property of the carbonaceous material resulted in an inherently flotable fine pyrite and silica fraction. The addition of a 60:40 mixture of nigrosine and dextrine, initially to a prefloat concentrate of the inherently flotable carbonaceous material and finally to'the total copper flotation feed, successfully controlled the flotation rates of the carbonaceous pyrite and silica. The objective of a 25 per cent Cu concentrate grade was then achieved without decreasing copper recovery.

Jan 1, 1970

By J. Kucera, J. Vreštál

DIFFERENT authors1 ' have been engaged in meas-uring the vapor pressure of pure cobalt. The results of their measurements satisfy the expected temperature dependence of vapor pressure and are in mutual agreement, with the exception of the results by De Dyk Man and ~esmejanov.~ The latter authors, by using the effusion method, have achieved considerably higher values than other workers. By using the isotope exchange method they obtained much lower values than other authors. The determination of thermodynamic functions of the binary Ni-Co system was carried out, as far as we know, only by De Dyk Man and Nesmejanov.4 This determination was based on extremely low values of vapor pressure over pure cobalt obtained by the isotope exchange method. Therefore we considered it useful to repeat these measurements. Furthermore, the reliable values of thermodynamic functions should complement the migration characteristics, the inner magnetic field data obtained by Miissbauer effect measurements, specific heat data, and the K effect and positron annihilation characteristics that have been achieved for the Ni-Co system in the Institute of Metallurgy of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences in Brno.5-9 The measurements in this paper were performed by the isotope exchange method. In this method, as has been shown by analysis,10-'3 the vaporization rate, w, can be calculated from the relation w = k/1oSw [1] i0Sw) [1] where L, is the activity per unit mass of the source, S is the area of evaporation, k is the tangent at the point t = 0 to the curve giving the radioactivity de-pendence of the target vs annealing time, t, and wis the probability for the tracer atom condensation on the target surface. The value for cc. can be obtained from the equation w = a + 2P(l-a) [2] where P is Clausing's coefficient and a is the condensation coefficient. In the present work the cylinder shaped containers for annealing the samples were used, characterized by the ratio 1:d = 1.06. Here 1 is the length and d the diameter of the container. For this ratio P = 0.514 and w =0.5, and w is independent of the condensation coefficient. The vaporization rate is related to the vapor pressure p by the relation where R is the gas constant, T is the absolute temperature, and M is the molecular weight of the component investigated. Measurements of the vapor pressure of the i component over the pure metal, p!, and the alloy, pi, at the given temperature and composition enable one to calculate the thermodynamic activity of this component from the equation ai=pi/pi [4] is and the activity coefficient ri=ai/xi [5] xi where xi is the molar fraction of the investigated alloy component. EXPERIMENTAL Evaporization rate measurements were carried out with pure cobalt and eight different Ni-Co alloys, which were kindly delivered by the Centre National de Recherches Me'tallurgiques Liege, Belgium. The composition of the alloys is given in Table I. The cobalt used in these alloys contained the following impurities: 0.016 wt pct Fe, 0.014 wt pct Cu, 0.01 wt pct Mn. Other elements were present in much lower concentrations. From the melts, samples in the form of small cylinders of 12 mm in diam were ma-chined. The thickness of the targets and sources was 2.5 and 1.2 mm, respectively. The lower thickness of the sources was chosen to make their over-all ac-tivity as low as possible. Sources were activated in

Jan 1, 1970

By E. J. Freech

In this part of the two-part paper we discuss briefly the adaptation of the comminution model to describe the observed behavior of an industrial grinding circuit. Although reported verification of comminution models for continuous systems is limited, some interesting work has been reported 1,2 recently. The data acquisition and modeling efforts are described first, followed by discussion of some of the simulation results. Observations pertinent to steady-state operation are presented followed by a description of the application of a dynamic model of the grinding circuit for synthesis and evaluation of grinding-circuit control. The pilot-scale work indicated the comminution model should be capable of describing an industrial size-reduction process. Recognizing the broad utility of a process model based on first- principles, the Industrial Nucleonics Corporation of Columbus, Ohio, embarked on a joint program with the Duval Corporation of Tucson, Arizona, to evaluate the industrial applicability of the models described in Part I. This program was conducted in a grinding circuit, which included a rod mill 12.5 feet in diameter and 16 feet long and a ball mill 12.5 feet in diameter and 14 feet long, at Duval Corporation's Esperanza property3. The rod mill was operated in open circuit and the ball mill in closed circuit with cyclone classifiers.

Jan 1, 1970

By Andrew Matyas

"During the summer of 1968, the author was employed in the Research Department of Dominion Foundries and Steel, Limited, Hamilton, Ontario. Over the years, Dofasco has been conducting a program for developing more efficient control of its basic oxygen steelmaking process. The author was thus able to obtain a variety of viewpoints from both research engineers and furnace operators. He also had access to extensive literature dealing with BOF control schemes underway at other major steel producers. This paper describes the present state of developments in BOF steelmaking control.The necessity for efficient BOF control is pointed out. To appreciate the variables to be controlled, a brief outline of process fundamentals is included. Technical aspects of present methods of practical control are examined in detail; the relative merits of dynamic over static control models are emphasized. Finally, it is shown how an effective dymic-optimizing control scheme serves as the basis for closed-loop computer control of the process."

Jan 1, 1970

By B. C. Allen

Surface free energy and surface self-diffusion of solid molybdenum were studied in the temperature range 1600" to 2400°C using pressure-sintered bi-crystals. Comparison of groove angles formed in various surfaces perpendicular to the grain boundary indicate a maximum of 1 pct variation in surface free energy with crystallographic mientation. This anisotropy tends to decrease with increasing temperature. The surface diffusion of the bicrystals is equivalent to that of sheet with a mild (100) Preferred orientation. Anomalously low values found for bi-crystals with surface orientations of (OOl), (012), and (011) are rationalized in terms of anisotropy in surface free energy. THE effect of crystallographic orientation on surface free energy1,' and surface self-diffusion3,4 has been primarily studied in fcc metals. The object of this work was to study the effect of orientation on surface diffusion and surface free energy of bcc molybdenum using pressure-sintered bicrystals. EXPERIMENTAL WORK Materials and Crystal Preparation. Arc-melted molybdenum rod was obtained commercially and electron beam zone refined at 50 cm per hr at 10- 5 torr to form single crystals about 8 cm long and 0.65 cm diam. Three crystals were prepared with axial orientations about 1 deg from [001.], [011], and. [111]. To reduce the carbon content, the crystals were annealed 2 hr in 1.4 atm flowing wet hydrogen at 2050°C. Then the oxygen content was reduced by annealing for 2 hr in -30°C dewpoint hydrogen at 2020°C. The resulting impurity analysis is given in Table I. Bicrystal Preparation. The single crystal rods were cut into transverse slices with a thin silicon carbide abrasive wheel to produce specimens about 0.6 cm long. They were mounted in epoxy and surrounded by stainless steel washers. Cutting in half was done longitudinally at various angles to known crystallographic planes containing the cylinder axis according to Fig. 1. To reduce surface deformation resulting from the cutoff wheel and thus reduce parasitic grain boundary formation on subsequent annealing, about 0.003 cm was manually ground off each cut surface with 600 grit paper. Care was taken to keep the surface flat. After removal from the mounts, one half was generally ro-tated 180 deg with respect to the other to give a po- tential symmetrical tilt grain boundary between the two halves. In the other cases when low misorienta-tion angles were desired, the crystals were not rotated. On the basis of symmetry, sufficient bicrystals were prepared to cover the entire range of misorientations for symmetrical tilt boundaries. The misorientations, +, ranged from 0 to 45, 0 to 90, and 0 to 60 deg for [001], [011], and [111] bicrystals, respectively. One [Ill] twist bicrystal was prepared from 2 single crystal discs rotated 17 deg relative to each other. Each specimen consisted of two pieces which were placed in a cylindrical tantalum can. Sharp edges were rounded and the fit was made as snug as possible to reduce subsequent deformation during bonding. The assembly and crystals generally were vicuum outgassed at 900" or 1700°C and then electron beam welded in the can at l x 10-4 torr. After being leak checked, the samples were placed in an autoclave and hydrostatically gas-pressure bonded5 in four batches under helium at 10,000 to 18,000 psi at 1650°C for 3 hr. Satisfactory bonds were obtained in many cases, and most of the crystals bonded after two exposures. The results did not appear to be affected by the various pressures used, preannealing conditions, crystal orientation, or time-pressure-temperature route taken to the final bonding condition. After bonding, the tantalum cans were selectively removed in cold concentrated HF. Measurements indicated overall deformation was under 1 pct. The bicrystals were metallographically ground and polished flat and perpendicular to the axis. Examination showed the boundaries were straight and almost free of parasitic grains caused by extraneous local deformation. Annealing. In preparation for thermal grooving, the bicrystals were cleaned and annealed by outgassing at 10-5 torr at 1900°C and heating at 2300°C under 1 atm 99.996 Ar for 0.5 hr. The crystals were held in a closed 4-deck box made of molybdenum sheet, and were heated in a Ta-1OW resistance furnace. The ar-

Jan 1, 1970

By S. F. Frederick, G. F. Pittinato

The deformation mechanisms operating in Ti-5Al-2.5Sn at 20°K under uniaxial and biaxial stress fields were determined by using both optical and electron microscopy. In the uniaxially stressed specimens, de-fu~rnation twins were found only in the immediate vicinity of the fracture. Twinning was, however, established as a deformation mechanism under biaxial stress conditions. The same slip systems were opera-tiz,e under both uniaxial and biaxial stress. Prismatic slip was identified as the major slip syslem; however, basal and first-order pyramidal slip also occurred, but to a lesser degree. The interaction of moving dis-locations on intersecting slip planes resulted in the formation of jogs and dipoles. Hexagonal dislocation networks were formed only under biaxial stress conditions. A discussion is given on the formation of hexagonal dislocation networks. IT has been shown that titanium alloys can exhibit unusually high strengths when tested in a biaxial stress field.'-" The high biaxial strengths are a consequence of a strong basal plane sheet texture which results in distinctly anisotropic flow properties. This texture strengthening appears to decrease with decreasing temperature2 and would seem to indicate a change in deformation modes. For example, in a uniaxial tensile test, Ti-5A1-2.5Sn yields isotropically at 20°K but is strongly anisotropic at room temperature. The increase in biaxial ultimate over uniaxial strength at 20°K is also much less than at room temperature. It is known that titanium car] form deformation twins more readily at cryogenic temperatures than at room temperature.4 Since the formation of deformation twins will reduce the degree of basal texture in sheet material,' an accompanying decrease in texture strengthening would be expected. To investigate more fully the nature of texture strengthening at cryogenic temperatures, the deformation modes of Ti-5A1-2.5Sn tested in uniaxial and 1:1 biaxial tension at 20°K were studied by optical and electron transmission microscopy. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The uniaxial and biaxial stress test specimens were prepared from 0.020-in. thick sheets of Ti-5A1-2.5Sn ELI having the composition shown in Table I. Uniaxial stress conditions were obtained by using flat tensile specimens machined from the sheet material. The longitudinal axis of the tensile specimens was aligned perpendicular to the rolling direction of the sheet. Tile biaxial test specimens were prepared by rolling precut, 19-in.-lengths of sheet into 4-in.-diam cyl- inders. Following longitudinal butt welding, the cylinders were stress relieved at 1000°F for 4 hr. A 9-in. sq "window" was then chemically milled into each cylinder's surface reducing the wall thickness in the milled area to approximately 0.006 in. The testing procedure consisted of pressurizing the cylinders while simultaneously applying a tensile load. Using this technique, a 1:l axial to hoop stress was obtained. Complete details of the specimen and testing procedures are given in Refs. 1 and 2. The biaxial and uniaxial stress specimens were all tested in liquid hydrogen. Specimens for electron transmission microscopy were prepared by first chemically milling to a thickness of about 0.001 in. followed by electrolytic polishing to electron transmission thickness. The chemical milling solution, consisting of 800 ml of water,

Jan 1, 1970

The mining. operations of Bougainville Copper Pty Limited are located at Panguna on the Island of Bougainville which is part of the Territory of Papua and New Guinea. Mineralisation in the Panguna area was first established by C.R.A. Exploration Pty Ltd in 1964. Exploration work since then has established ore reserves estimated to be 760,000,000 tons of.0.47% copper and 0.4 dwt./ton gold. An economic feasibility study completed in July of this year has enabled a decision to be made to proceed with a major mining operation. The ore will be mined by open cut methods and will be treated in a conventional concentrator with a nominal capacity of 90,000 short tons per day. The concentrate will be pumped as a slurry through a 15 mile long pipeline to a port established on the east coast where it will be filtered and dried ready for export. Other supporting facilities for the mine include two towns, a 135 megawatt steam power station, and access roads.

Jan 1, 1970

By Bunting HR

Developments since 1959 in major excavators to meet the high outputs of overburden and coal under the changing nature of the Morwell Coal Deposits of the Latrobe Valley are described. Particular reference is made to investigations of designs of the bucket wheel head configurations for the digging of flat batters on high faces, and examples are given of the wide use ofmodelsin these studies.An explanation is given of considerations leading to selection of the Long Boom or the Compact type of bucket wheel excavator for various applications. The past decade has seen increasing manufacture in Australia of components for excavators and similar machines. The measures undertaken to integrate these components with those from overseas (Germany) are described. A section of the paper deals with advances in Electrical Engineering for large excavators in Australia and its interdependenee with mechanical design and construction. Finally, as an example of the versatility of the bucket wheel excavator a description is given of a recent application for the mining of mineral sands in Northern N.S.W.

Jan 1, 1970

By R. Kerby, T. R. lngraham

The rates of cadmiuln cementation from buffered solutions were studied on both the cylindrical and circular faces of a rotating zinc disk. The activation energies are equivalent on both surfaces, but the rate is more rapid on the cylindrical face. At higher temperatures and at pH values above 6.4, the rate of deposition increases because of an increase in the cathodic area of the deposit. The rate may also be increased by decreasing the thickness of the diffusion layer by rapid stirring. The presence of small amounts of copper, cadmium, lead, iron, or aluminum in the zinc does not affect the cementation rate, but when srnall amounts of copper, cobalt, and arsenic were present in the solution cadmium deposition ceased shortly after it started. Small amounts of copper in solution become cemented with the cadmium to form a coarse deposit of Cd3Cu. When zinc ores containing cadmium are processed for electrolysis, the cadmium appears with the zinc in the leach liquors. Because of the discharge potential of the cadmium ion and the hydrogen overvoltage on metallic cadmium, the cadmium ion must be removed prior to zinc electrolysis to prevent its codeposition. Cadmium is usually removed from acidic zinc sulfate solutions by cementation on zinc. When zinc sheets are used with the appropriate conditions of pH and temperature, a finely divided, high-purity cadmium powder is obtained; it floats to the surface with attached hydrogen bubbles and, after careful washing, may be processed directly to a marketable product.' The reaction on zinc sheets is relatively slow because of the limited amount of exposed cathodic area on the sheets. A much more rapid reaction is obtained when zinc powders are stirred into the solution, but this procedure does have a potential disadvantage: some unreacted zinc may be trapped in the cemented cadmium and thus lower its grade.1 The equilibrium constant at 25°C for the displacement of cadmium by zinc is of the order of lo", which indicates that at equilibrium the displacement would be essentially quantitative and no back reaction need be considered. This indication is not entirely true, however, because in the presence of oxygen any loose cadmium which is out of contact with metallic zinc tends to redissolve after cementation.' The overall effect is much the same as that to be expected if the equilibrium constant were much smaller. Previous experimental work on cementation reac- tions3 is in general agreement that the rates of cementation usually follow first-order kinetics. The metal on which cementation occurs is considered to consist of anodic areas from which metal dissolves and cathodic areas onto which the reactive metal is cemented. For the reaction to continue, the cemented deposit must remain open and porous for the removal of ions. Usually, the deposited metal influences the rate of cementation; when it blocks the pores in the deposit, the rate of cementation will be decreased. Alternatively, when the cemented metal grows as den-drites or as coarse powder the cathodic area is correspondingly increased and the rate of cementation increases,3 Thus, it is only during the initial stages of cementation, prior to the development of deposit effects, that the kinetic behavior of the reaction may be studied without ambiguity. In this paper, experiments will be described for cementation of cadmium from dilute solutions onto the surface of a rapidly spinning zinc cylinder. The effects of ionic concentration, disk rotation speed, temperature, and impurities will be described. APPARATUS AND PROCEDURE The apparatus used for the experiments was described in a previous paper.4 It consisted of a 2-liter vessel in which the contents were protected, against oxidation, by a stream of prepurified nitrogen. The vessel was immersed in a water bath which controlled

Jan 1, 1970

Thermodynamic properties of the solutions of hydrogen in metals and carbon in austenite were investigated and it is possible to predict the interstitial solubility in these systems over relatively wide ranges of temperature and solute activity. Monte Carlo methods were used to compute the arrangements of interstitial atoms on the tetrahedral sites in body centred cubic metals and the octahedral sites in face centred cubic metals. It was shown that the non-configurational entropies of solution of hydrogen in metals can be interpreted as being principally vibrational and on this basis the potential value of the isotopic solubility ratio theory in indicating the compositional variation of these non-configurational entropies was discussed. The need for future work along these lines is pointed out.

Jan 1, 1970

By R. M. Hays

At the present time, oxidized taconite and semitaconite are not processed on the Mesabi Range except in vely limited tonnages. However, it is estimated that by 1990 shipments from the Range will approach 75 million tons of iron ore per year. To achieve this and future production, either additional magnetic taconite reserves must be proven or oxidized taconite and semitaconite must be processed. One beneficiation process which uses high-intensity magnetic separation and flotation for concentrating oxidized taconite and semitaconite is described. Detailed metallurgical results are given and an economic evaluation of the process is presented with comparison to other processes. The results of the present study indicate that the high-intensity magnetic separation and flotation process appears nearer commercialization for the processing of Mesabi Range semitaconite. The disadvantages of the process are nearer solution and are being solved by well-defined programs. During the twentieth century, the Mesabi Range in northeastern Minnesota has been the main source of iron ore for American steel mills. The Mesabi Range, which is about 120 miles long and up to 3 miles wide, is the pre-glacial outcrop of a group of sedimentary iron-bearing rocks known as the Biwabik formation. The formation, which is 200 to 650 ft thick and dips 50 to 10° to the southeast, is divided into four stratigraphic units. From top to bottom, these are the Upper Slaty, Upper Cherty, Lower Slaty, and Lower Cherty. Since its deposition in Precambrian time, most of the original Biwabik formation has been subject to alteration. Thus, although the iron content of the original formation was quite uniform, major variations in mineral composition now occur both laterally along the length of the formation and vertically within its units. Details of the mineralogical variations in the Biwabik formation have been described by Wolff,' Gruner, 2 and White.3 The unaltered portion of the Biwabik formation includes the magnetite taconites which are being commercially processed by Reserve Mining, Erie Mining, Eveleth Taconite, National Steel, Butler Taconite, and U.S. Steel. These six operations have a capacity of 32 million tons of iron ore pellets per year and have produced approximately 170milion tons of pellets since 1956. Capacity for another 30 million tons of pellets per year is being considered by the industry for the next ten years. This increase will be obtained by constructing new plants and by expanding present operations. Thus, by ! 978, it is estimated that approximately 60 million tons of iron ore vellets will be produced each vear from the magnetite taconites of the Biwabik formation. The portions of the Biwabik formation subjected to intense alteration resulted in direct shipping, wash, and heavy-media ores. Since 1892, 1.8 billion tons of direct shipping ore have been shipped from the Mesabi Range. This ore has been the major source of iron ore for American steel mills. In 1967, about 11 million tons of direct shipping ore and 13 million tons of wash, jig, heavy-media, and other gravity concentrates were shipped from the Mesabi Range.4 These products generally have poorer physical and chemical properties than the iron pellets produced from magnetic taconite. It is predicted that the shipment of these materials will decrease from 24 million tons in 1967 to 6 to 8 million tons in 1975.' This decrease will

Jan 1, 1970

By M. R. Lorenz

Efficient visible light emission from p-n junctions in semiconductors is currently achieved in the four materials, Sic, GaP, ]Ga1-xAs and GaAs1-x,. Recent advances in materials preparation and p-n junction formation are briefly reviewed. The radiative recombination processes in the different materials depend largely on the band structure and the impurity states of each material. The spectral distribution of the emission ranges from the blue in Sic, to green in Gap, yellow in Sic and red in Gap, Ga1-x AlxAs and GaAs1-x Px. The origin of the various processes are discussed. The conversion of the electrical power into optical power and the measurement of the conversion efficiency are reviewed. The currently maximum quantum efficiencies at 300°K are: 3 pct in GaP(red), 1 pct in SiC(yellow), 0.1 pct in GaP(green), 0.2 pct in Ga1-x AlxAs at 66001, and 0.1 pct in GaAs1-x Px at 6800. The brightness and the interplay of the quantum efficiency and the luminous efficiency are given detailed consideration. VISIBLE light generated by the application of a direct current to a semiconductor crystal was first observed by Lossev1 in 1923. Light emission came from naturally occurring junctions in Sic crystals but little was known then with regard to the mechanism of charge transport and light emission. Some nearly 30 years later and with a vastly increased understanding of semiconductors the phenomenon of electroluminescence was studied in more detail, for example in p-n junctions of germanium.2 In these early studies, the efficiency of converting the electron current into a photon current was very low and therefore aroused little interest toward practical application. More recently it became apparent that in certain materials, for instance GaAs, and under certain conditions, the conversion efficiency was not low at all.3 The subsequent discovery of the p-n junction laser4-6 provided the impetus for increased studies of electroluminescence. Light emitted from GaAs occurs in the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum and is not visible to the eye. At nearly the same time the use of GaAs1-xPx led to laser action at low temperatures which was visible to the eye.7 Later a red light emitting diode, made from Gap, was reportedS which emitted incoherent radiation at 300°K with an external quantum efficiency of about 1.5 pct. The fact that such efficient devices were obtainable led to a more concentrated effort in the search for highly efficient room-temperature semiconductor light sources. It is some of this later work on p-n junction luminescence with which we will be concerned here. Since our aim is centered on visible light, with hv =1.8 ev ( ?=7000?), only the wider band gap semiconductors are of interest, i.e., Eg 1 1.8 ev. Although many compounds meet this criterion, only a limited number of those are also good semiconductors, i.e. contain low resistance n and p regions. Some of the more promising candidates are listed in Table I. We will only be concerned with light generation from a p-n junction. This limitation excludes essentially the group II-VI binary compounds, although we will briefly review the case of ZnTe and the solid solution ZnTe1-xSex. As we will show they may contain a p-n junction but only of a special kind. Most of the discussion will deal with the four materials, Sic, Gap, Gal-xAlxAs, and GaAs1-xPx. These appear to be at the present time the best visible light emitting semiconductors. In the following sections we will briefly consider: 1) the electrical properties of p-n junctions; 2) some recent advances in materials preparation; 3) the formation of p-n junctions; and then in somewhat greater detail we will consider: 4) the various radiative recombination processes; 5) the measurement and observation of the external quantum efficiency; 6) the luminous efficiency; 7) the brightness of light emitting diodes (LED'S). THE P-N JUNCTION The p-n junction in a semiconductor crystal is the interface between two differently doped regions. More specifically the p region is doped predominantly with acceptor impurities and the n region contains predominantly donor impurities. The energy band structure of a degenerate p-n junction at thermal equilibrium is shown in Fig. l(a). The excess electrons on the n side of the junction are confined to this region by the barrier potential Eg. Similarly the excess holes on the p-side of the junction are confined to the p-region by a similar potential barrier. If we now apply a dc voltage V such that the p region is made positive and the n region negative, the barrier potential EB is reduced by the applied voltage, V and the junction is said to be forward biased. With the barrier potential lowered, electrons and holes can drift toward the p region and n region, respectively, see Fig. l(b). The current voltage characteristics of p-n junctions in most wide band gap materials can be described by the relation: J = Joexp(eV/BkT) [1] where the functional form of Jo is determined by the recombination mechanism. Jo is generally a complicated parameter which depends on a number of different factors including temperature, junction width, bias voltage, and carrier lifetimes. The parameter B also depends on the recombination mechanism but

Jan 1, 1970

By J. L. Wright

When management is confronted with the risk of constructing a waste disposal well, these are some of the questions which may arise. Should the company expand the present waste treatment plant? More lagoons will cut into valuable acreage which might be needed later, and yet the pollution engineer says he can guarantee results. On the other hand, does the formation being used for those successful disposal wells off to the west extend over far enough to be used for the company's own well? Will the formation be thick enough? Will it be too deep? Will it be porous and permeable enough? Apart from needing to make a profit on the products made at the plant, plant officials must sometimes act under pressure to comply with pollution standards. The manager must build the cost of the pollution control system into the price of the products made by the company.

Jan 1, 1970

By Marcus Digre

The autogenous grinding method has been progressively employed in mineral dressing plants during the last 15 years. The term has been used with somewhat different meanings (1), (2), (3). In this paper the author will use it in the most restricted way, for processes where run-of-mine ore (rock) in one step is reduced to a grind product by the action of the ore itself without any other grinding media present. The pebble grinding process where the major part of the ore enters the mill as finely crushed product which is ground further with selected coarse ore pieces acting as grinding media, is not considered autogenous grinding. Processes where a minor amount extraneous media as steel-balls is added to supplement an autogenous mill charge will be called semiautogenous. Other terms need also to be defined. "Mill charge" will be used about the active part of the mill content which performs the grinding, that is the steel balls in ball grinding and the coarse ore pieces in pebble and autogenous grinding. The interstitial nearly finished material is not included in the term "mill charge", and for the wet grinding operations is called the "mill pulp' The term "pebble" will be used for any rounded ore or rock piece in the mill charge whether it is an autogenous or a pebble grinding operation.

Jan 1, 1970