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By D. Govender

Theoretical flotation models suggest that there is a positive relationship between bubble-particle collision rates and turbulent kinetic energy dissipation. Fine particle flotation performance is generally enhanced by increased collision frequency and hence higher energy dissipation. Contrarily, increased turbulence in the rotor-stator region is related to higher detachment frequency of the coarser size range. Therefore, the optimal modes of recovery for the ?fine? and ?coarse? size classes are diametrically opposed. Industrial applications have previously confirmed that applying greater power to flotation slurries yields significant improvements in fine particle recovery. However, recovery of the coarser size class favors a different flotation environment. An improvement in the kinetics of the fine and coarse size classes, provided there is no adverse metallurgical influence on the intermediate size ranges, is obviously beneficial to the overall recovery response. Managing the local turbulent kinetic energy dissipation, and hence the power imparted to the slurry, offers the benefit of targeting the particle size ranges exhibiting slower kinetics. FLSmidth recently introduced the practical implementation of this concept. In principle, it decouples flotation regimes where fine and coarse particles exhibit preferential recovery. In the case of naturally aspirated machines (Wemco®), it is referred to as Hybrid Energy Flotation? and incorporates at least three phases: ? Standard flotation machines (standard energy input, rpm, rotor size/type) at the beginning of the row, where flotation is typically froth phase limited and operational, and set-up parameters have a limited influence on the recovery. ? Higher-powered flotation machines (high rpm, high power rotor size/type) at the end of the row to improve fine particle recovery. ? Lower-powered flotation machines (low rpm, low power rotor size/type) to enhance coarse particle recovery. In evaluating the effect of turbulent kinetic energy on flotation performance, the spatial distribution and its effect on size denominated recovery needs to be evaluated. The mean energy dissipation rate is a measure of the bulk energy input, but CFD-based models offer a more introspective view of flotation sub-processes. A CFD-based flotation model is used to highlight the effect of turbulent dissipation energy on attachment and detachment rates. Preferential collection zones for ?fine? and ?coarse? particles are predicted for both forced air and naturally aspirated machines. Keywords: CFD-based model, attachment, detachment, energy dissipation, hybrid energy flotation?, forced air, naturally aspirated

Sep 1, 2012

By Ronald Thomas

The scope of this paper is to examine the growth of safety in an individual and offer new goals in that development. The paper will examine the individual's natural growth and show how it parallels the individual in a safety environment. An individual's new goals for safety include more than the standard accident-free conditions. The new goal strives for a safer working environment where unsafe acts are eliminated through independent knowledge and an individual's growth of interdependency in safety related areas of concern. It will explain how this goal cannot be reached unless driven from the top down in an organization but empowered from the bottom up. Various reference or support organizations will be covered. These organizations deal with safety in mining and explosive use of manufacturing. Other support organizations exist but since this paper is "Back to Basics" only a few major groups will be covered.

Jan 1, 2001

By R. R. Rollins

Field data combined with theoretical derivations were used to design a surface mining operation using explosive casting. Calculated casting results varied from 44% to 65% depending on bench height. The field tests were performed at an Eastern, contour, coal stripping operation. Results from five experimental casting shots, using a shovel and trucks, are summarized and compared to conventional mining methods. The overburden material removed by casting ranged from 35% to 65%, with an average of 50%. Fragmentation was improved, and it was demonstrated that this procedure is economically attractive, with a resultant cost savings of $0.59/m3 or $5.93/t of clean coal.

Jan 1, 1988

By E. O. Abrokwah

Directionally solidified (DS) Rene 80 Superalloy was tested in thermo-mechanical fatigue (TMF) over the temperature range 500-900°C and plastic strain levels from 0.2 to 0.8% using a DSI Gleeble thermal simulator. Thermo-mechanical testing was carried out on the parent material in the conventional solution treated and aged condition (STA), as well as gas tungsten arc welded with an IN-738 filler, followed by solution treatment and ageing. Comparison of the base TMF unwelded alloy with that of the welded and heat treated alloy showed that varying crack initiation mechanisms, notably oxidation either by stress assisted grain boundary oxidation, or associated with grain boundary MC carbides fatigue crack propagation along grain boundaries and creep deformation were operating, leading to different "weakest link" failure initiation points.

Jan 1, 2011

By David J. Mack, A. H. Kasberg

The transformation characteristics are found to resemble a similar binary alloy. The differences are due to the alpha iron particles. While strength properties of the isothermally transformed alloys are high, ductility is low, resulting in high notch sensitivity. The elastic modulus can be varied widely and correlates with strength. Abnormal grain growth sometimes occurs. A CONSIDERABLE amount of work has been done on the isothermal transformation of high purity aluminum bronzes using the methods pioneered by Davenport and Bain.' The first isothermal study of these alloys was made by Smith and Lind-lief,' but more recently Mack", " and Klier and Grymko5 have continued the work. In commercial aluminum bronzes, one or more elements are always added to refine the ß grain size and to improve the mechanical properties. The effect of these elements on the isothermal transformation has not been reported in the literature. No systematic study of the properties of isother-mally transformed aluminum bronzes has apparently been reported, although adequate information is available on their properties after more conventional heat treatments. The fact that a eutectoid alloy will reject face-centered cubic a during isothermal transformation at appropriate temperatures2'" warrants investigation of the properties of such structures. Another cogent reason for determination of properties is the fact that the modulus of elasticity of the eutectoid alloy varies widely with the nature of the heat treatment." Preliminary experiments7 indicated that a high purity eutectoid alloy would not give reproducible results in property determinations because of ex- cessive ß grain growth during heat treatment, a single ß grain frequently occupying the entire cross-section of a standard test bar. For this reason a commercial aluminum bronze containing iron as a grain growth inhibitor was used. The isothermal transformation diagram of the alloy was first determined. On this basis, the heat treatments necessary to produce representative structures were selected and the properties determined. Material A commercial alloy (Ampco Grade 20) of the following composition was used: Cu, 83.68 pct; Al, 12.31 pct; Fe, 3.68 pct; Ni, 0.28 pct; and Mn, 0.03 pct. This alloy proved to be very close to the eutectoid composition and may be compared with the accepted value of 11.8 pct A1 in the binary Cu-A1 system. Comparison is valid only because of the "negative replacement effect" of the iron? Since traces of excess y² are present, the alloy is slightly hyper-eutectoid. The material was received in the form of 3/4 in. round, hot extruded bars. Specimens of approximately ? in. thickness were cut from this stock and drilled to allow suspension in the salt bath. The structure of the as-received material varied from 5 to 40 pct a + y2* in a matrix of ß. The amount of a + y² present was dependent upon the ß grain size of the extruded material. The coarse grained portions did not form as much a + Y, as did

Jan 1, 1952

By H. Tomlinson

"PURPOSE OF REPORTThe purpose of this report, which is the third of a. series on the coal mines of the Western States, is to give the findings of a study of the causes and methods of prevention of accidents from falls of root and coal in the mines of Lincoln County, Wyo. The three mines covered in this report, referred to as A. B. and C, account- for 9 per cent of the coal production in the county and nearly 9 per cent of the State's total production. For comparative purposes some statistical data are presented bearing upon the relation of injuries to their causes, to tonnage produced, to men employed, to days worked, and to days lost as the result of injuries.FATALITIES IN WYOMINGTo show the necessity for this study, Table 1 given the fatalities that occurred during 1928 in the bituminous—coal mines of the United States, of the State of Wyoming of Lincoln County, and in Mines A, B, and C, followed by a brief description of the Kemmerer coal dis-trict, its coal beds and immediate roof, thickness of cover, dip of coal beds, methods of mining timbering for roof support, roof testing, and supervision. All of these factors must be considered in any plan outlined to prevent accidents resulting from falls of roof and coal.ACKNOWLEDGMENTAcknowledgment is made to the officials of the operating companies for their cooperation and assistance during the study and collection of data to complete this report.GENERAL INFORMATIONLocation and Ownership The mines included in this report are within 18 miles north and south of Kemmerer, Lincoln County, Wyo. (fig. 1), and are owned and operated by various coal companies to supply the domestic, smelter and railroad markets. They are severed by branch lines of the Oregon Shorty Line Railroad Coal production and men employed underground in the three mines are indicated in essential detail in Table 2."

Sep 1, 1932

By Walter Camahuali A

A partir de la década del 50, el ANFO como elemento de voladura seco y producto de mezcla de nitrato de amonio en prills y petróleo diesel, fue utilizado en el campo de los explosivos. Posteriormente, su uso se mantiene en países occidentales, Europa y Perú, dado que para obtener un ANFO es necesario el nitrato de amonio como agente antioxidante. En este sentido, el presente trabajo describe la técnica denominado ANFO aplicado en diferentes minas de tajo abierto subterráneo, así como refiere la norma técnica que fue aprobada para el ámbito nacional y sus requisitos.

Nov 8, 1984

By R. W. Shoenberger, J. E. McNulty, B. R. Kuchta, William Spackman, A. A. Terchick, M. E. Hopkins, Norman Schapiro, R. J. Gray, A. F. Duzy, M. P. Corriveau

INTRODUCTION * The United States is fortunate in having abundant reserves of metallurgical-grade coals. Although these coals are better in quality and more accessible than most metallurgical-grade coals found throughout the rest of the world, the best grades of these coals are being depleted. Consequently, more efficient exploration tools and techniques, such as advanced methods of core drilling and logging, correlation by petrography, paleontology, palynology, † physical stratigraphy, and geophysical methods are being used to help assess the extent and quality of the remaining coal reserves. Exploration and assessment of new and existing coal properties become of utmost importance in determining ( 1 ) the economic justification for mining the coal, (2) the optimum design of the preparation plant, and (3) the most effective use of the coal. Recent progress has been made in relating mineral matter, especially pyrite, in coal to geologic conditions and paleogeographic trends. l * Editor's note: Because of the numerous and varied contributions of the associate authors of this chapter, the text does not differentiate between sections prepared by each individual as has been done in other chapters. † Palynology is the science concerned with plant microfossils, especially spores. pollen. and other fossils of microscopic size.

Jan 1, 1979

By J. A. Organiscak

Two types of airflow splitting methods for improving longwall dust control were investigated by NIOSH's Pittsburgh Research Laboratory. These methods included a translucent mesh barrier and a staged spray barrier system to confine the shearer-generated dust to the coal extraction side of the longwall face while maintaining a cleaner split of airflow on the opposing worker walkway side of the longwall face. The translucent mesh barrier was shown to provide notable dust control effectiveness up to 60 m downstream of the shearer in both the laboratory experiments and a longwall field evaluation, provided the mesh barrier remains relatively parallel to the airflow. The staged spray barrier system showed marginal dust control effectiveness in the laboratory and subsequently was not field tested.

New York Meets first Wednesday after first Tuesday of each month. DAVID 11. BROWNE, Chairman. JOHN H. JANEWAY, Vice-Chairman. F. E. PIERCE, Secretary, 35 Nassau St., New York, N. Y. P. A. MOSMAN, Treasurer. LEWIS W. FRANCIS. BENJAMIN B. LAWRENCE. Boston Meets first Monday of each winter month. HENRY L. SMYTH, Chairman. ALFRED C. LANE, Vice-Chairman. HENRY A. WENTWORTH, Secretary-Treasurer, 60 India St., Boston, Mass. A. H. EUSTIS, F. G. STANTIAL. Columbia Holds four sessions during year. Annual meeting in September or October. STANLY A. EASTON, Chairman. FREDERIC KEFFER, Vice-Chairman. LYNDON K. ARMSTRONG, Secretary-Treasurer, P. O. Drawer 2154, Spokane. Wash. D. C. LIVINGSTON. FRANK A. ROSS.

Jan 4, 1916

By H. DeWitt Smith

THE disastrous effect of two major wars on foreign economic health is giving American capital opportunities which might have not otherwise developed. At a time when discovery of major orebodies in the United States awaits fuller application of new geophysical tools and technical methods, U. S. investors must seek other fields where investment may be put to work. The unsettling effects of war have made it almost impossible for foreign nationals to develop mineral wealth, permitting Americans to enter at a time when U. S. mining, with a few exceptions, is in the process of expanding known orebodies and developing only a few new ones. Available capital, however, is not the only pre- requisite for entering the foreign mineral development field. The capital must be able to work in favorable economic atmosphere, a condition not easily satisfied in a world constantly in a state of political and social flux. In many countries, the political theory changes as often as the wind direction in March. Thus, the political stability of the form of government is of prime importance to the investor. In addition, a balanced budget and a moderate tax structure are important. Because in making foreign investment it is inevitable that one will have dealings with government officials, it is basic that they must be of high integrity. In countries filling the requirements, it will usually be found that the economic initiative of the individual is respected. Newmont Mining Corp.'s three major investments in the last 15 years have been in Canada and the

Jan 1, 1952

By Stephen Hardcastle

Supplying ventilation in underground metal mines can be one of the most energy demanding services required to support production activities. Consequently, as energy, in the form of electricity or combustible fuels can be expensive and their unit cost is expected to increase, there is significant interest in reducing the overall demands of a mine?s ventilation system through such initiatives as controlling ventilation based upon demand and exploring other power alternatives to the current usage of the diesel engine in mobile mine vehicles. However, determining the benefit of any energy saving technology is complex and not universal applicable across the industry, consequently they have not been widely adopted. For these technologies to succeed they must be strategically applied based upon sound business cases. The intent of this paper is to provide information on some of the prospective control strategies and their potential impact on the power consumption related to supplying ventilation.

May 1, 2007

By Francis L. Vinton

THE eccentric theodolite I exhibit is one constructed by the Stack poles of New York, from drawings, considerably modified, of Combes's theodolite. The telescope is on one side of the horizontal limb, and the vertical circle is opposite to the telescope ; thus they nearly balance each other, making already the construction lighter than in the instrument of Combes, where the telescope and vertical circle are together on the same side, and are both balanced by a considerable weight. The instrument stands upon three levelling screws or feet, an improvement upon the old or general style of mounting a transit on four feet for indeed the instrument is easier levelled, and, moreover, stands more stable on three than on four points of support. The general advantage of an eccentric theodolite is evident, namely, that it can measure Any and all vertical angles, from 0 to 360, without being interfered with by the horizontal limb as is the transit; besides this advantage, it needs no preparatory adjustment or correction for eccentricity; on the other hand, however, that correction

By E. S. Moore

The Kolar gold field has been for a long time the most important gold-producing area of India. It is situated in the Skate of Mysore, southern India, and not far from the City of Bangalore. The productive field is about 3 miles long and in it a gold-bearing quartz vein varying in width from 1 in. to over 10 ft. is worked. The vein carries high values to great depths and many of the mines have paid large dividends. Geological Formations In KolaR Region The rocks of the Kolar region are pre-Cambrian in age and bear a close resemblance to some of the pre-Cambrian formations of America. The oldest rocks seen are basic lavas, now mostly altered to hornblende-schists, with which is associated some banded iron-formation; these rocks are similar to the Keewatin schists and iron-formation in the Lake Superior region. The schist is cut by the gold-bearing quartz vein. In certain parts of the area there is also a conglomerate containing pebbles of granite, jasper, and schist. The matrix resembles a hornblende-schist and is intruded by small granite dikes, which in some cases have been pinched off by squeezing of the rock. This has led Dr. W. I?. Smeeth, Chief Inspector of Mines of Mysore, to whom the writer is greatly indebted for information regarding this area and for his hospitality while visiting the field, to regard this conglomerate as a breccia due to crushing of granite dikes in the schist. Dr. J. W. Evans has regarded the conglomerate as probably a squeezed glacial boulder clay. From analogy with pre-Cambrian conglomerates in America, the writer regards it as a metamorphosed rock similar to our basal Huronian conglomerate. However, the main bearing which it has upon the problem under discussion is the apparent fact that it is younger than the schist and that it indicates the presence of a syncline in the rocks cut by the quartz vein. Surrounding the area of schist and conglomerate is a large mass of granite-gneiss resembling the Laurentian gneiss of the Lake Superior region. Still later than the rocks mentioned above are basic intrusions which cut the quartz and schists; in the mines these are known as trap. One dike of this type is 50 to 60 yd. wide.

Jan 1, 1920

By D. A. J. Swinkels

The problem of determining oxygen levels in liquid steel to aid in deoxidation control has received general attention for a number of years. Work in this direction started at the B.H.P. Central Research Laboratories early in 1967 with an evaluation of sampling techniques followed by vacuum fusion analysis to determine the oxygen content of the samples (1). It was found that these techniques had a number of drawbacks if they were to be used for deoxidation control. The method of analysis was rather too slow to allow effective control and measured total oxygen level rather than dissolved oxygen. Furthermore, the results were found to be very variable due to slag entrainment in the samples. Attention therefore turned to the galvanic cell method using a solid oxygen ion conductive electrolyte such as cubic stabilised zirconia. The ionic conductivity properties of electrolytes such as (ZrO2) 85 (CaO).15 had been studied by a number of investigators and had already been applied to the measurement of oxygen activity in gases, in lower melting metals such as copper, lead, tin, silver, alkali metals and indeed the first studies in steel had been made (2,3). Since then the results of a number of studies in the development of an expendable oxygen probe for steel have been reported (4-9).

Jan 1, 1972

Over half of the molten aluminium produced at the 52,000 tons/ year eapacity plant operated by Comalco Aluminium (Bell Bay) Limited in Tasmania is cast into saleable produets by the direct chill process. Considering the importance of direct chill casting to the aluminium industry it is surprising that so little published literature on the subject is available, although Easton (1947), Smart (1954), and Uppert (1940, 1944, 1945) have contributed much toward lifting the veil of secrecy surrounding the process.The direct chill, or D.C. process as it is commonly called when related to aluminium, consists basically of feeding molten aluminium or its alloys into; water-cooled mould from the bottom of which solid aluminium is continuously extracted. Although the casting procedure is continuous in principle, the equipment is normally operated in an intermittent manner. Castings up to 20 ft long are formed during a cycle. At the end of the cycle casting is stopped and the pit into which thc castings are dropped is cleared before a new cycle commences. Depending on the size of the casting in relation to the cross sectional area of the pit and the support mechanism (commonly a hydraulic ram), 'drops' of up to 15 tons are not uncommon. This method of D.C. casting IS termed vertical D.C. casting and is the one most commonly employed in the aluminium industry.Horizontal casting has come more to the fore in recent years with the casting being extracted from the mould in the horizontal plane and is a truly continuous casting method since flying saws can be simply used to cut the continuously cast shape into required lengths as it emerges from the mould...

Jan 1, 1967

By Urs Peuker, Thomas Mütze, Thomas Leißner, Inga Osbahr

"Mining in the Ore Mountains (Germany) has taken place for hundreds of years and in several stages. Each stage produced its typical tailing. According to the former state of the art of the processing much valuables could not be extracted. This was caused by complex interlocking of the minerals, low grades, or by upgrading processes not sensitive enough for small particle sizes. Thus the processing of these fractions was uneconomically. Modern technical possibilities and rising metal prices bring these tailings disposals into focus for the processing of strategic metals. Mining disposals can be classified in heaps with coarse, low grade rock, which did not undergo a processing, slags and fly ash from smelting, and tailing disposals from mineral processing. The latter is under investigation to integrate them into a geographic information system. The mineral processing of the material will be part of the database besides information about geographic location, structure, amount of valuables, and details of ownership of the heap. The tailings disposals are composed of coarse, low grade, interlocked particles from density separation processes, medium size particles, which are tailings from flotation, and fines with liberated valuables, which did not undergo flotation. Therefore mineral processing of these disposals comprises the separation of liberated gangue by classification, beneficiation of locked valuables with density separation, liberation of valuables by grinding, and beneficiation of liberated valuables with flotation. The presented work shows the results concerning the composition of one exemplary heap and results of the classification as well as of the preconcentration tests achieved with material from this heap."

Jan 1, 2014

By C. Zener

HE present paper has its origin in an attempt A by the author, extending over the last several years, to understand the influence of the magnetic properties of the constituent atoms upon the various properties of metals and alloys. During this study the author has been impressed by the important role which magnetism plays in the many facets of metallurgy. In writing this paper he has attempted to convey to his colleagues some concept as to the role magnetism will play in the future development of metallurgy. In some of the subjects herein discussed, such as the influence of magnetism upon phase boundaries and upon mechanical properties, only general thermodynamical properties associated with ferromagnetism are introduced. For these subjects, it is not anticipated that any serious differences of opinion will be encountered. A discussion of the other subjects requires the adoption of a quite specific model of the magnetic structure of the metal. This model is discussed under "Magnetic Shells and Their Interactions." The simple model adopted in this paper has been criticized' as being mathematically inconsistent. This criticism has been ably silenced by Dr. W. J. Carr' of this laboratory. The simple model adopted in this paper has been criticized as being inconsistent with observations on magnetic structure using neutron diffraction. This apparent discrepancy has been resolved by Bader3 who has shown that the finite velocity of neutrons prevents neutron beams from detecting the anti-ferromagnetic structure of the type predicted by the simple model adopted in this paper. Magnetic Shells and Their Interactions An electronic shell of an atom is specified by two symbols.' The first symbol is a number and denotes the total quantum number of the shell. The second symbol is a letter and denotes the orbital angular momentum of each electron within the shell. The letters s, p, d, f are used to denote an orbital angular momentum of 0, 1, 2, 3, respectively, in units of h/2a, where h is Planck's constant. As we pass from scandium to nickel in the first transition period, we eraduallv fill the 3d shell. This shell is responsible for ferromagnetism and hence may be called the magnetic shell. The component of the orbital angular momentum along some specified direction must be an integral multiple of h/2~. Thus, for a d electron this component can have any one of the values —2, —1, 0, 1, 2 times h/2a. In addition to its orbital angular momentum, each electron has an intrinsic angular momentum, hereafter called spin, due to a rotation about its own axis. This spin can have either of two components + Yz (h/2a) or — Yz (h/2~) along the specified direction. A fundamental principle of atomic structure, known as Pauli's exclusion principle, is that no two electrons in a given shell may have identical components of orbital angular momentum simultaneous with identical components of spin. The 3d shell thus may have at most ten electrons. Since an intrinsic angular momentum of a charged particle is necessarily associated with a magnetic moment, the spin of an electron may be thought of as referring to either this angular momentum or to the associated magnetic moment. The electron configuration of the ground state of the isolated atoms in the first transition row is reproduced in Table I. The superscript represents the number of electrons in each shell. For the purpose of this paper, the most important principle of atomic structure relates to the manner in which electrons are added to a shell as the atomic number is increased. This principle, commonly known as the principle of highest multiplicity or more simply as Hund's rule, states that within a given shell the maximum number of electrons have spins pointing in the same direction as is consistent with Pauli's exclusion principle. An application of this principle to the d shell is illustrated in Fig. 1, where the spin structure is given for shells containing from 1 to 10 electrons. The physical basis of Hund's rule is the exchange energy discussed first by Heisenberg in 1928. This is a coupling between electrons with parallel spins (spins pointing in the same direction), the coupling

Jan 1, 1956

By Eti Purwaningsih, Widi Astuti, Erik Prasetyo

Selective-reductive leaching of manganese from low-grade manganese ore using tannic acid as a reductant in acidic media was demonstrated by XRD, SEM-EDX characterization, and batch leaching studies at room temperature. The pH change in the liquid phase before and after leaching revealed that selectivity of manganese over iron was due to the hydrolysis of iron. The acidity in the liquid phase during leaching was dictated by two mechanisms: proton-consuming reaction (manganese oxide reduction by tannic acid) and proton-producing reaction (ferric ion reduction by tannic acid to produce ferrous ion). Based on the leaching studies, the more prevalent reaction between these two was determined by initial leaching conditions: tannic acid concentration, sulfuric acid concentration, liquid-solid ratio, temperatures, and agitation time. Kinetic studies revealed that maximum recovery was attained within 6-h agitation, which indicated a product layer diffusion process.

By L. H. Robinson

Triaxial compression tests on Indiana limestone indicate that chemical additives in the pore fluids can increase or decrease the strength in plastic failure but not in brittle failure. Tests using a series of the sodium salts of dicarboxylic acids show that odd-number carbon-atom chains decrease the yield strength as much as 3.0 x 10 3 psi, and even-number carbon-atom chains increase the yield strength as much as 9.0 x 102 psi. ,The most effective chemical (sodium citrate) decreased the yield strength of Indiana limestone from 16.0 x 103 to 12.0 x 103 psi. The chemical additives investigated have no influence on microbit drilling rate when drilling with zero differential pressure. However, when drilling at a 2.0 x 103-psi pressure differeniial and using an odd-number carbon chain compound as the circulating fluid, the roller bit drilling rates were slower than with water whereas the drag bit drilling rates were faster. One even-number carbon chain compound added to the circulating fluid produces the opposite effect: the roller bit drilling rate is slightly faster than with water and the drag bit slower than with water. INTRODUCTION A Russian book by Rehbinderl published in 1944 generated much interest in the possibility of aiding and accelerating the destruction of solids by the action of a liquid in which the solids are deformed. This book describes a process in which microcracks are generated during elastic deformation. To describe this process, the rock is divided into three zones: (1) the zone in which the destruction takes place, (2) the predestruc-tion zone (an affected area immediately below the destroyed zone) and (3) the undisturbed specimen. Consider a load applied normally to a surface of an infinite slab of rock. Immediately below the point of application of the load, the rock is destroyed by compression or shear forces. Below this area of destruction, because of a great number of discontinuities ranging from defects to weak points in crystals of discontinuities in crystal latices, very small cracks are created in or between the crystals (often referred to as microcracks). Upon removing the load, the broken rock in the destroyed zone could be removed. In the lower predestruction zone, however, the microcracks in and between the crystals could disappear by the process of rehealing, i.e., the molecular attraction from one side of the crack to the other side being sufficient to completely eliminate the crack. Thus, a large number of these microcracks possibly exist only for a relatively short period of time. The concept of small cracks being generated within the crystals of a rock is not unreasonable. If the rock matrix is deformed below the yield point, some of the defects present within the crystalline structure could start small cracks through the interior of the grains. Upon removal of the load, these microcracks reheal (or the newly generated surfaces come back together) so that all evidence of cracks completely disappears. Under various types of loading, and in various types of fluids, the rehealing of these cracks would be time dependent. If a liquid adhered to the surface of a rock, it could penetrate into the microcracks and thus delay or prevent the rehealing process. This suggests that the prevention of healing of the microcracks may be dependent upon the wetting characteristics of the solid. Thus, rocks which are water-wet should be more easily destroyed in water than in nonpolar hydrocarbon liquid. Adsorption of a liquid could also reduce the free surface energy which could explain the decrease in strengths of materials under nonrepetitive-type loading. Rehbinder's work prompted Boozer, Hiller and Serdengecti 2 to examine the effects of pore fluids on the deformation of rocks subjected to triaxial compression over a range of confining pressures, temperatures and strain rates. Fluids which strongly adsorbed on the rock grain surfaces decreased the strength of sandstone and limestone, which deformed plastically. For certain strain