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By Yu-ki Taninouchi, Toru H. Okabe

Among platinum group metals (PGMs), Pt, Pd, and Rh are the essential constituents of automotive catalysts. Recovery of PGMs from catalyst scrap is important, but it is difficult because PGMs are chemically stable and are present as minor components in the scrap. A vapor treatment method using FeCl2 vapor to alloy PGMs with iron, enabling subsequent magnetic separation, is developed and tested on Pt, Pd, and Rh wires.

Mar 1, 2017

By E. G. Hoover

In the mid-I 970s the rallying cry sent out by the aggregate trade associations to aggregate operators was to come to Washington and help design national legislation mandating reclamation of pits and quarries. This collective effort paid off in that aggregate operators were able to assist in the design of "livable" legislation; however, the coal mining industry took some very hard hits. A principal argument used by the aggregate industry was that relatively small parcels of land are impacted, the operations are located in or near urban areas to serve in the development of that immediate area, and are of many years duration; whereas, coal strip mines disturb many acres, are of short duration, and whose products may have world or nationwide utilization. Historically, developments in reclamation are tied closely to the regulatory systems that have been created to control environmental effects of mining. Since reclamation generally results in a cost incurred after the stone, sand and gravel has been mined and does not add to the inherent value of the mineral, there was little incentive in the past for mine operators to reclaim the land. In 1977, the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) became the law for coal mine operators. The law states that, among other provisions, reclamation must "restore the land affected to a condition capable of supporting the uses which it was capable of supporting prior to any mining, or higher or better uses". It is of interest to note that years before the initiation of legislation leading to SMCRA twenty-eight states already had reclamation regulations that covered virtually all minerals. The scope of performance standards found in the state reclamation regulations included slope stabilization, grading, revegetation, neutralization of toxic materials, visual screening, waste disposal, control of drainage, and other sources of pollution and erosion. Environmental legislation and the consequent regulations came about because the public perceived that private industry did not properly value environmental quality and as a result the government became the policeman.

Jan 1, 1998

By C. Flores, R. Y. Wan, M. C. Fuerstenau, T. S. Jordan

Most oxidized manganiferous silver ores contain manganese associated with silver and are not amenable to conventional silver extraction methods, including direct standard cyanidation techniques. However, it is known that dissolution of the manganese might yield a suitable material from which silver can be recovered by conventional methods. In the segregation process, which involves heating the ore with a small quantity of salt and with a source of reducing agent to 680°C - 800°C, the silver is volatilized, migrates and is reduced to metallic silver particles. Conventional cyanide leaching is applied to the resulting calcine. Laboratory investigations have been conducted on a manganiferous silver ore analyzing 0.02 % Cu, 0.09 % Pb, 0.33 % Zn, 12.55 % Mn and 187 g/ton Ag to study the influence of roasting temperature and time, quantity of salt and quantity of coke on silver extraction by the application of segregation roasting followed by cyanidation. Cyanide leaching tests were carried out at room temperature on the segregated calcines produced by using an alkaline cyanide solution containing 2.0 lb/ton of NaCN at pH 11 for 72 hours. The results indicated that 97.8 % of silver extraction can be attained at 850°C, with 2.0 % salt, 1.0 % Coke and 30 minutes of roasting time.

Jan 1, 1993

By H Bruyn, K Ehrig, V Liebezeit, A Robertson, M Smith, D Grant

"The Olympic Dam geometallurgy program has generated a large quantity of data that has been used to create a geometallurgically enabled block model. An ongoing challenge is to convert data into usable information and embed geometallurgical practices into resource model development and mine planning to assist with the identification of opportunities to maximise value.This paper will discuss the methods used to disseminate geometallurgical information throughout the planning life cycle including data extraction methods from the geometallurgy acQuire database, and the inclusion of a geometallurgy module in the Olympic Dam Stope Reserves database. The use of geometallurgical information in short-, medium- and long-term mine design and scheduling, including its use in grade descriptor development and stope value assessment tools will also be presented. The detail of development of specific geometallurgical models is outside the scope of this paper.At Olympic Dam, the incorporation of geometallurgical capability within the long-term planning team, traditionally the domain of mining engineers, has proved essential in broadening the base of geometallurgical knowledge as well as focusing geometallurgy resources on value-adding areas while providing a holistic risk based long-term plan.CITATION:Liebezeit, V, Ehrig, K, Robertson, A, Grant, D, Smith, M and Bruyn, H, 2016. Embedding Geometallurgy into Mine Planning Practices – Practical Examples at Olympic Dam, in Proceedings The Third AusIMM International Geometallurgy Conference (GeoMet) 2016, pp 135–144 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Jun 15, 2016

By John M. Devine

Hydrogen sulphide associated with natural gas was noted as early as 1892, at Point Albino, Canada.4 The presence of this impurity was recognized also in other of the earlier oil and gas fields, although the occurrence urea by no means common. However, in recent years, with the development of the producing zones of west Texas and the Texas Panhandle, the production of "sour" crude has increased greatly and hydrogen sulphide has proved a generally troublesome factor--frequently a major problem--in the drilling and operation of many wells in those areas. The problems arising from the drilling and producing of oil or gas wells in hydrogen-sulphide areas, fall under two general divisions: safety problems and corrosion problems. Mention is mane of a third division which is closely related to the other two, that of treating--or the development of processes for the removal of hydrogen sulphide. From the standpoint of safety end health hazards, hydrogen sulphide in the petroleum industry has been discussed in a number of publications. 5 Likewise, the problem of hydrogen-sulphide

Jan 1, 1931

By XUEWEN WANG, Changda Zhang, Huaguang Wang, Mingyu Wang, Bin Hu

The copper smelting process produces plenty of copper slag every year, which is a hazardous solid waste, but a secondary resource. In the present study, the extraction of copper, nickel, and cobalt from copper slag was investigated through the process of sulfation roasting–water leaching and the process of sulfation roasting–sulfate decomposition roasting–water leaching respectively. Compared with the process of sulfation roasting–water leaching, the process of sulfation roasting–sulfate decomposition roasting–water leaching is a better choice, which could not only get almost the same leaching of copper, nickel, and cobalt as the former process, but has a lower leaching of iron and aluminum. For the process of sulfation roasting–sulfate decomposition roasting–water leaching, the leaching of Cu, Ni, and Co reached up to 74.2%, 71.1%, and 69.6% respectively, under the optimal conditions including sulfation roasted with 80 wt% sulfuric acid addition at 200 °C for 60 min and sulfate decomposition roasted at 650 °C for 60 min, followed by water leached at 90 °C for 30min with a liquid–solid ratio of 2 ml/g. The leaching of Fe and Al was only 4.9% and 17.6%.

May 4, 2020

By Chas. A. R. Lambly

In the extreme northeast corner of the State of Washington, on the Canadian border, lies the Metaline mining district. This district is old in history, but young in production. Geology The Metaline district is a zinc-lead area of the replacement type in dolomite and limestone. The ore bodies of the Josephine horizon are in many ways similar to the ore bodies of the famous Tri-State zinc fields. The beds are faulted and folded and have varying low dips in varying directions, and underlie large areas of the district. History Production started in 1927 on a very limited basis. The property is now mining and milling 700 tons per day. The mine is opened by adit tunnels and a vertical shaft. As the ore horizons gained depth, it was necessary to sink inclines to follow the ore horizon (see Fig 1). From 1927 to date, approximately 600,000 ft of diamond drill was put down This work indicated that suficient tonnage existed to justify a redesigning of the whole operation, surface and underground. After four years of general study, the following program was planned: 1. A new mine entrance, which would be an incline, that could follow the ore body down at whatever pitch was necessary. The incline will be equipped with conveyors for the moving of ore and waste to the surface and with tractor-type locomotives for man and supply transportation. 2. The new incline also required a new type of mining which was developed and is now in use. It is called contour mining and will be described in a future paper. 3. The new incline exit would necessitate the moving of the mill and mine shops across the Pend Oreille River. This part of the program is now underway. The Incline The sinking of the incline was to start as soon as World War II ended and was as follows: The first leg of the incline was to be sunk from the surface 1600 ft on a 17" slope. The collar and first level at elevation 2180 ft, the second level at elevation 2000 ft, the third level at elevation 1875 ft, and the fourth level at elevation 1700 feet. From the 1700 ft elevation the incline was to flatten out to 12" for 400 ft to give the necessary depth for the ore pockets below the 1700 ft level and the necessary clearance for future sinking (see Fig 1 and 2). Due to lack of manpower in 1946, the program was changed and was as follows: A drift was driven from the old mine workings on the 1700 ft elevation in an easterly direction. At 1300 ft the drift was turned N 50" E and at this point a raise was driven 180 ft on a 50" slope. This raise intersected the Josephine horizon and commercial ore was encountered. At the 2000 ft mark, a main raise was driven, 245 ft on a 50" slope, and the 1875 ft elevation was cut. Exploration drifts were started on this level and production followed on a limited basis. The main drift at the 2500 ft point was turned N 35" E and ran parallel to and 10 ft east of and under the proposed incline line. At the proposed intersection of the drift and incline on the 1700 ft elevation, it was planned to raise the incline to intersect the 245 ft raise and to continue on to the surface, a distance of 1600 ft. When this proposed intersection point was reached, a heavy flow of water, approximately 800 gpm, was encountered and all work on the main drift face was stopped. This water flow flooded the main pump station in the old mine and the two lower levels with approximately 20,000,000 gal of water. The water was controlled and finally drained from the cave areas and lower levels after six months of pumping. After the heavy flow of water was encountered in the main heading, it was decided that the incline would have to be started from the surface, as originally planned, so that too much time would not be lost. The surface overburden had to be removed, a total of 6000 yards. A temporary dry house for 6 men was built. An 8 in. churn drill hole was intersected in the first raise driven from the 1700 foot elevation tunnel. Air and water lines were placed in this hole, and air and water were delivered to the collar of the incline from the mine working. The incline started down at 15 ft wide and 7 ft high through the Leadbetter slates. After sinking 4 sets, it was

Jan 1, 1950

By N. J. Grant, K. M. Zwilsky

A series of copper-alumina dispersion strengthened alloys were prepared using three different copper and two different alumina powder sizes. Improvements in strength of up to ten times that of pure copper were found in room-temperature as well as elevated-temperature stress-rupture tests. Conductivity values remained from 70 to 90 pct that of pure copper. The best alloys were based on the finest metal powder (1 p) and contained from 7.5 to 10-0 vol pet of 0.018 or 0,033 p alumina. DISPERSION strengthening of metals consists of strengthening a metal matrix by the addition of oxides or other refractory constituents, followed by strain hardening, in order to reinforce the base material and extend its temperature range of application. Since the discovery of SAP by lrmannl and Von zeerleder2 in 1949, many investigators have reported data obtained on a variety of metal-inert oxide alloys.3-7 The present work deals with the mechanical mixing of copper and alumina powders. While several techniques of introducing the second phase have been investigated to date, mechanical mixing so far has been recognized as the simplest, least expensive, and most universally applicable technique that can be used to obtain an ultrafine dispersion of inert particles. In the present case, the effects of changing the metal particle size, the oxide particle size and the volume percent of oxide were investigated. This work is an extension of a previous study.6 EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The starting materials were three different grades of copper powder and two different alumina powders. The three metallic powders were -74 µ(- 200 mesh) electrolytic copper powder consisting of irregular equiaxed particles having a normal screen distribution and analyzing 99.5 pct Cu, and two powders having a 5-µ and 1-µ particle size, average, respectively. The latter powders were produced by the hydrogen reduction of purified sulfate solutions at elevated temperature and pressure and were furnished by the Sherritt Gordon Mines, Ltd. The alumina used was obtained from Godfrey L. Cabot Co., under the trade name of Alon C, one batch of powder having a particle size of 0.018 µ, the other a particle size of 0.033 µ. The crystal structure of these alumina powders was found to be cubic gamma. Each batch of powder was mixed in a Waring Blendor for a total of 15 min, followed by a low-temperature reduction in hydrogen and vacuum compacting in cylinders which were hydrostatically pressed at 35,000 psi to give a compact that could be handled conveniently. Six of the compacts were hydrogen sintered at 900°C while the remaining four were sintered at 1000°C. Subsequently, all compacts were hot extruded at 760°C with a reduction of area ratio of approximately 20 to 1. Evaluation of alloys included density and resistivity measurements, room-temperature tensile tests, stress-rupture tests at 450°C plus one other temperature per alloy, hardness tests, microstruc-tural examination, X-ray analysis of the dispersed phase after dissolving the metal phase, and oxidation studies on two of the alloys. A vacuum-melted, wrought copper rod was tested together with these alloys for comparison purposes. RESULTS Table I is a summary of the compositions, sintering temperatures, densities and conductivity values of the ten alloys prepared. All alumina additions are given in volume percent, and will be referred to as

Jan 1, 1962

The First Conference of the Powder Metallurgy Committee convened in the East Foyer of the Hotel Waldorf-Astoria, New York City, at 9:45 a.m., on Feb. 21, 1944, Mr. John Wulff, General Chairman, presiding. THE CHAIRMAN.-In behalf of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers I welcome all members and guests to this conference on Powder Metallurgy. We hope that this meeting will give expert and novice in the field a chance for discussion. Unfortunately, the subject has been overemphasized by some, and, of late, severely criticized by others. We have here today powder producers, fabricators, and engineers of different viewpoints, who can make the meeting a success. Such success depends not only on the caliber of the papers presented but more so on the discussion. To give you time for a free exchange of views, the papers have been shortened purposely. With the hope that you will all benefit by this conference, I shall turn the meeting over to the Chairmen of the morning session, Mr. Roland P. Koehring, of Moraine Products Division of General Motors, and Dr. R. K. Waring, of the New Jersey Zinc Company. SESSION ON DESIGN FACTORS IN POWDER METALLURGY R. P. Koehring and R. K. Waring presiding The opening paper of the session was presented by Mr. Fred P. Peters, as follows:

Jan 1, 1945

By William J. Robinson

What is the cummulative rate of recovery of copper from a sulfide leach dump? This is one of the most frequently asked questions today. We, in the industry, ask it of each other when we meet; however, the technical answers may vary from "I don't know" to 'quite good" from people within the same company. Management also poses this question because it plays a vital role in our planning for future production. The answer is difficult because of the many variables between different operations such as physical construction of the dump, topography of the original site, characteristics of dump material, mineralization, water application, etc. Each has a bearing on the rate of recovery. OPERATIONAL DATA Our method of water distribution is unique in that each dump is drilled to allow physical injection of water into the dump. The in¬jection holes are drilled vertically, on 251 centers, from the surface of the dump. Normally, the holes are drilled 40' deep and cased with 4" PVC perforated pipe.. The pipe is perforated at one-foot intervals with four V diameter holes at 901 spacing on the pipe circumference. We formerly alternated shallow holes (20'-40') with deep holes (80'-l80') in an effort to cover the entire dump and hasten oxidation. The shallow hole depth varied according to the compaction thickness. The deep hole depth varied according to the height of the dump and the original ground profile, We prefer to have the deep holes end 20'-30' above the original ground level. This generally allows us to penetrate the coarse material at the bottom of the dump. We had to discontinue the deep holes_ in order to cover more dump area in a shorter period of time to meet increased production requirements.

Jan 1, 1972

By George E. Beavers

Under the title used for this paper, the converter practice of the Tennessee Copper Co. is described in the TRansactions of the Institute.l That article contains the following statement: "The limit in capacity of the Peirce-Smith converter in terms of concentrate has not been reached but approximately as high as one ton of concentrate has been handled for each ton of liquid matte charged and good working conditions have been maintained." It is not the intention of the writer to review the conditions leading up to the introduction of a Peirce-Smith converter at Copperhill, but, instead, to offer later data to show how satisfactory the installation has been. Converter Campaign, June 15, 1930 to August 23, 1931 Blowing time (converter days)............... 349.90 Number of blows........................... 427.00 Tons matte charged........................ 38,335.00 Copper assay of matte, per cent.............. 13.67 Tons blister copper made.................... 9,246.00 Time to blow one ton of copper, minutes...... 54.50 Air used per minute, cu. ft................... 12,500.00 Blast pressure, lb........................... 12.80 Air per ton copper, cu. ft.................... 681,330.00 Air per ton iron, cu. ft....................... 199,040.00 Tons flux used............................. 11,845.00 Tons flux per ton matte..................... 0.31 Tons flux per ton copper.................... 1.28 Tons flux per ton iron....................... 0.37 Tons concentrate treated.................... 28,960.00 Copper assay of concentrate, per cent......... 17.13 Tons concentrate per ton matte.............. 0.76 Tons material charged per converter day...... 235.70

Jan 1, 1934

By G. R. Strimbeck

The Federal Bureau of Mines has been developing processes for producing synthesis gas directly from coal, oxygen, and superheated steam. An atmospheric-pressure pilot plant was constructed and operated to: 1. Determine the operability of the plant for gasifying coals of different ranks under various operating conditions. Listed in decreasing order of rank, these coals included a Pennsylvania anthracite, a bituminous A coal from the Sewickley bed, West Virginia, and a subbituminous C coal mined in the Lake de Smet region of Wyoming. 2. Determine the effect of varying operating conditions on: (a) Standard cubic feet (std.c.f.) of oxygen and pounds of coal of different rank required to make M std.c.f. of product gas (carbon monoxide plus hydrogen); (b) carbon gasified, percent; (c) exit-gas temperature, degrees F.; and (d) heat loss, B.t.u. per pound coal. 3. Compare the gasification characteristics, indicated in item 2, of coals of different rank: Bituminous A, anthracite, and subbiturninous C. 4. Determine the concentration of dust in the gases produced and the efficiency of dust removal, and investigate the relation between the sulfur content in the coals gasified and the gases produced.

Jan 1, 1960

By J. P. Carson

(Read at the Wilkes-Barre Meeting, May, 1877.) THE works of the Tula Iron Company are in the Republic of Mexico, State of Jalisco, twenty-eight leagues southwest of Guadal¬ajara, ten leagues northwest of the town of Sayula, through which passes the projected line of the Mexican National Railroad. Its geographical position would be about: latitude, 20° 10' N., longi¬tude, 4° 35' W. of Mexico City. The surrounding country is a roll¬ing plateau, 6000 feet above the sea, enjoying the most magnificent climate in the world, the average temperature being about 70°. The works were commenced in 1850 by a company with very small capital, having not the least idea of the undertaking. They soon fell into the hands of the money-lenders, and after changing

Jan 1, 1878

By M. A. Mekicha, M. B. de Rooij, C. Pelletier, D. T. A. Matthews

One of the main factors that reduce strip cleanliness are iron fines, which are formed due to the abrasive interactions of the roll surface and the strip in the roll bite during cold rolling. They can cause a problem in fouling of the cold rolling mill as well as downstream processes. It has been repeatedly observed that chrome plating the work roll improves strip cleanliness. In the present work, scratch tests and reciprocating sliding tests were carried out under lubricated conditions to explore the influence of chrome plating on iron fines formation. Scratch tests were conducted to study the influence of chrome plating on iron fines formation at single asperity scale due to its intrinsic property. Reciprocating sliding tests were performed to study the influence of chrome plating a rough surface on iron fines formation, taking into account the initial roughness. The scratches made using chrome plated pins showed lower friction, generated less iron fines and exhibited lower material transfer. Reciprocating sliding tests done using the uncoated pins showed galling at different sliding distances depending on the roughness of the pin. On the contrary, reciprocating sliding tests with the chrome plated pins exhibited no galling irrespective of the roughness.

Oct 1, 2019

By R. Kossowsky

USING etch-pit techniques, Johnston and Gilman' have shown that the stress dependence of dislocation velocity can be represented by the expression where r, is the dislocation velocity, a is the applied stress, and oa, is the stress to produce a unit velocity. Noble and Hul12 showed that the exponent m is strain-dependent and increases rapidly in the work-hardening region. This was explained by arguing that in the work-hardened material the applied stress required for any given velocity will be greater than in the annealed material by an amount equal to a back stress due to work hardening. schadler3 has stressed the importance of substructure as a possible source of error in dislocation velocity measurements, and took care to make velocity measurements in which dislocations moved such short distances that interactions with boundaries were avoided. schadler3 also pointed out that, if standard testing equipment is used, measurements of m from flow stress data could be seriously in error in materials with a high initial work-hardening rate. Noble and Hu112 have further argued that, due to the strain dependence of m , the extrapolation to zero strain4 to obtain the true value of m can be justified only in the preyield region. Microstrain experiments in high-purity iron5,6 have led to the conclusion that aiA (Ref. 5) (defined as the stress to first produce a permanent set of 10-6 in. per in.) and oflow are not controlled by the same deformation mechanism. It has been proposed5,6 that aA is governed by the lattice resistance to the motion of screw dislocations in a given slip plane and that oflow is controlled by the lattice resistance to a full-scale cross slip. The purpose of this note is to extend Noble and Hull's argument further and to show that measurements of m from flow stress data can be in error due to the rapid increase in stress in the microstrain region6 when stress is increased beyond aA. Double z-one-refined single crystals of molybdenum (with the (101)[ 111] slip system operating and a Schmidt factor of 0.475) were used in an experimen-

Jan 1, 1968

By Jean Igor Margem

Nestes dias materiais ecológicos como compósitos com fibras naturais em matriz polimérica estão chamando a atenção de pesquisadores científicos, devido ao seu bom desempenho na substituição de materiais como madeira, polímeros à base de petróleo e outros. Neste trabalho foram avaliadas as propriedades de tração de compósitos de matriz epóxi reforçados com diferentes espécimes de fibras lignocelulósicas. Compósitos reforçados com até 30% em volume de fibras longas, contínuas e alinhadas de malva, sisal e bambu foram testados em uma máquina Instron a temperatura ambiente. A fratura foi analisada por SEM. Os resultados mostraram alterações significativas nas propriedades mecânicas com a quantidade dessas fibras. Estas propriedades mecânicas foram comparados com outros resultados em compósitos testados em ensaio de tração. A análise da fratura revelou uma fraca interação da interface fibra / matriz, o que poderia ser responsável por um maior desempenho de algumas propriedades.

Aug 17, 2017

By Evan Smart, Andrew Palangio, David Klingspor, Blessing Taiwo

This study presents a DMAIC-based approach to optimize blasting performance and achieve crusher-compatible fragmentation at the Walker-Severn Quarry in Ontario, Canada. By applying the Six Sigma DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) framework, the study aims to enhance the integration between blasting and primary crushing operations. Several representative blasts will be simulated and evaluated using both aerial and terrestrial image analysis technologies to assess fragmentation characteristics. The investigation was guided by quarry-specific Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), ensuring that blast design modifications were both practical and operationally relevant. Through structured analysis and data-driven refinement of blast parameters, the study reveals how this framework was used to address the quarry production demand for increased crusher throughput, and reduced processing costs. The existing quarry blast design was assessed as a baseline and compared against the crusher's inlet requirements and the acceptable fines level specified by the quarry. This evaluation aimed to identify and implement modifications to enhance blast performance. A drone (UAV) was employed to capture post-blast images and monitor blast pile displacement. These UAV images were used to generate an orthomosaic image, which was analyzed to assess fragmentation. The orthomosaic was overlaid onto a GIS platform using a 10m-by-10m grid to evaluate fragmentation distribution across the bench and identify areas requiring optimization. Additionally, drone imagery was utilized to monitor the impact of each blast on the subsequent blast's free face and to assess energy utilization for optimizing front-row holes to achieve improved fragmentation. The outcomes of this research offer a replicable methodology for continuous improvement in quarry blasting practices, with a focus on producing fragmentation that aligns with primary crusher requirements.

Jan 26, 2026

By B. Stimpson, K. Kosar, K. Barron

"A number of high wall failures have occurred in some of the Alberta coal strip mines of a type called by the authors ""Multiple block plane shear slope failure "". They cause rapid deterioration of the dragline bench, reduced productivity and maintenance costs.The failures are invariably associated with the presence of almost horizontal (± 5 degrees) bentonitic clay bands in the overburden, often immediately above the coal seam, and regress behind the slope as a series of tension cracks which isolate detached blocks. As many as 17 sets of cracks have been observed, at lateral distances in excess of five times the slope height from the toe.The theory of this mode of failure is presented and a limiting equilibrium computer program which will produce deterministic or probabilistic (Monte Carlo) solutions is briefly described. A case history of one such failure is documented. It is shown that the extent of the regressive failure is exceedingly sensitive to the water table elevation, leading to the conclusion that drainage, if practical, represents the best control strategy. IntroductionA number of high wall slope failures are occurring in some of the coal strip mines in Alberta of a type called by the authors ""Multiple block plane shear slope failure""(I). These failures cause a rapid deterioration of the bench from which the dragline operates, reduced productivity, and necessitate conregresses into the slope as a series of tension cracks and detached blocks. As many as 17 prominent cracks or crack zones have been observed, the last being in excess of five times the slope height distant from the toe.The block between each pair of cracks must be at limiting equilibrium, i.e. the factor of safety equals one. This condition can be used to determine the locations of the cracks which develop in sequence behind the face."

Jan 1, 1986

By Michael D. Justason

...a global perspective... In March of 2000, the Japanese Geotechnical Society added "Rapid Load Testing" to their national standard for pile testing. In the year 2000. it is estimated that there will be more than 500 "Rapid Load Tests" on foundations around the world. ...so what is a "Rapid Load Test", and why is it gaining acceptance and popularity?

Jan 1, 2001

By Eugene Stephenson

CRITICAL analyses of the work expended in producing oil by the utilization of gas energy have appeared in the publications of Shaw,1 Pierce and Lewis,2 and Herold,3 authors who have ably discussed the factors which must be taken into consideration in comparing energy consumed per barrel in various wells which are flowed by means of gas-lift. However, two distinct phases of oil production are concerned with the ratio of gas energy consumed to oil produced. One of these phases is the gas-lift, which utilizes the differential gas pressures for the purpose of flowing oil, whether these pressures be natural reservoir pressures or be induced by artificial compression of gas or air. The other phase has to do with prorating oil production in pools which are operated either as units, or are subject to such restrictions as those imposed at Oklahoma City by the Corporation Commission, or, by similar controlling groups in other fields. An abundance of literature is available relative to the problems of flowing wells by gas-lift, but the first suggestion that the energy of the gas within the oil and gas pool might serve as a basis for proration, appeared in the timely article by McWilliams.4 Much of the. dissatisfaction with proration in certain fields is because some operators feel that besides the hazard to the wells which accompanies the test, the method of allocating production on the basis of the "potential" gage is inequitable and gives some operators a distinct advantage over others.5 The most severe penalty may be exacted from the most progressive operators or those who attempt to produce their oil with a minimum quantity of reservoir gas. If :no difficulties ever

Jan 1, 1931