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By William P. Blake

The attention of travellers, upon the desert bordering the Great Colorado of the West, is often arrested by broad stretches of pebble-covered plains, or mesas, glittering in the sunlight from the myriads of polished surfaces, giving, at a distance, the appearance of a sheet of water. It is not alone the well-rounded, polished surface of these pebbles which commands attention, but, in addition, their nearly black or darkbrown color; and, above all, their uniform distribution in a level sheet, covering the plain in a continuous layer or pavement like a vast mosaic without sand or soil. Hundreds of square miles along the lower Colorado, especially in Yuma county, Arizona, and on the borders of the Colorado Desert in California, are thus covered. It is evident that the former cxtent of such pebbly plains was much greater than now, for the continuity of the mesa is broken into by the numerous dry arroyos or " washes " formed during exceptional showers or deluging rains. In some places there is an underlying bed of pebbly conglomerate, a mixture of pebbles and sand; in others the pebbles rest on a sandy, earthy foundation. The rounded pebbles are distinctly alluvial in origin, and pertain to the ancient Colorado drainage system; but it is not comprehensible that such regular layers of polished pebbles could have been left by subsiding floods or river action. Attention was early directed by me to these remarkable plains, first examined in 1853, when exploring for the United States and seeking a practicable route for a railway to the Pacific coast.* The cut and polished surface of the pebbles

Jan 1, 1904

This excellent, concise paper by Dr. Iwasaki on the principles of selective flocculation for iron ores discusses many of the principles and problems which have occurred in our bench and pilot plant test-work. The use of sodium tripolyphosphate in combination with sodium silicate as a dispersant is very effective. However, this may cause a problem with the environmental groups as phosphorous is a nutrient. We have also established that the lower the Ca level in the pulp solutions the greater the dispersion. We have found that ores from the same geological strata, having the same general mineralogy and iron content will sometimes have widely different degrees of dispersion. There was-no difference in the gross mineralogy but the solubility of the Ca and SO ions was much less in the ores most easily dispersed. Research efforts should be directed towards a more practical means which would more easily enable one to predict the amount of dispersant required for the various ores. With regard to water quality we have found that waters having higher contents of SO4 and C1 ions hinder dispersion. This could be a method of controlling too much dispersion by the addition of sulfate or chloride ions. This would require further investigation. We have had no trouble with agitation speeds of up to 925 rpm in conditioning starch with the dispersed pulp prior to selective flocculation. We have found about 0.3Lb/LT of starch to be sufficient for selective flocculation on our ores. The increasing of the starch to 1.25Lb/LT has had no effect on the metallurgy of the selective floccula-

Jan 1, 1979

By J. Broadhurst

"A number of metal supplying industries have in recent years seen the compilation of life cycle inventories (LCIs) and life cycle assessments (LCAs). The activity has largely been driven by the interest of ultimate metal users, such as the automotive industry, in the interest of designing more sustainable products. Often, the compilation of such inventories has been little more than an auditing exercise. However, the process of conducting an LCA can have more value, guiding designers and operators to points within the technology train where significant emissions and impacts originate. The LCA product can thus be used to inform on-site environmental management, and, where process data is used to construct dynamic operational models, to support strategic decision making in the realm of project planning and technology selection. LCA thus serves as a valuable tool to support the industry’s drive to support the sustainable development of the societies in which it operates.This paper reviews and compares the priorities of environmental and closure planning in the design phase, with environmental management and auditing during operation, and with green procurement of minerals and metals products. It shows how life cycle assessments of various complexities can be used to reconcile these various objectives, ensuring that the latter, critical to business success, can be addressed from the outset in a new project. The paper then reviews a case study of the use of LCA in the base & precious metals industry, where the complexity of the operation disallowed the simpler auditing process so that a detailed process understanding had to be built up in order to compile a meaningful life cycle inventory."

Jan 1, 2003

Specifile compendium' 80. Mining and engineering. (Obtainable from Specifile, P.O. Box 7870, Johannesburg 2000.) Reviewer: J. D. Austin SKF Steel. Plasmasrnelt information brochure. Hofors (Sweden), SKF Steel, 1980. Reviewer: N. A. Barcza POTENTIAL VALUE OF COLLIERY DISCARD MATERIAL By R B MacGillivray, Pr Eng, BSc(Eng) Rand, C Eng (Fellow) Preprints of perhaps the most thought-provoking of the papers delivered at the Witbank Coal Colloquium - 'Potential value of colliery discard material' by Roy MacGillivray of Rand Mines - are available on request from the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Mr MacGillivray outlines an imaginative plan to utilize the annual nine million tons of colliery discard in the WitbankBethal areas. Two SAIMM colloquia The South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM) is organizing two one-day colloquia in the State Pavilion, Milner Park showgrounds, Johannesburg, to coincide with the Electra Mining Exhibition on 16th and 17th September. Over a million rands worth of equipment will be on display, the Electra Mining Exhibition being rated among the four or five largest in the world. The 1978 Electra Mining Exhibition was attended by 24 000 visitors. "Project Management in the Metallurgical Industry", "Mine Fires" APCOM International Conference by H. W. GLEN The 17th APCOM Conference (under the auspices of the Council for the Application of Computers and Mathematics in the Mineral Industries) was to have been held in Moscow during the last week in October. South Africans have always given enthusiastic support to the APCOM series of meetings, since their inception in 1961. The conference was held in the Republic in 1972.

Jan 1, 1980

By Jack Fox

It is some time since these columns have contained a report to the members on just what is doing in the Society of Mining Engineers. Accordingly, even though it is now a month and a half after the Annual Meeting in Denver, it seems that a report on what transpired at the SME Board Meeting there is in order. First off, I'd like to say that the Members of the Society of Mining Engineers can be justly proud of their representatives on the SME Board of Directors. Of 21 members and officers on the "Old" Board of Directors, 19 were present. President Brower Dellinger chaired the "Old" Board Meeting. Of the 21 members on the "New" Board of Directors, every single one was present. James Boyd, the outgoing AIME President, attended and expressed his appreciation of the support that the Society of Mining Engineers had given him during his year as President of AIME. Members Multiply Robert S. Shoemaker, Chairman of the SME Membership Committee, pointed out that based on figures available, the Society of Mining Engineers had a net gain of 523 members during 1969 while SPE had a 490 net gain and The Metallurgical Society a net loss of 159. This is probably the first time in the last 20 years that anyone has exceeded the SPE net gain in membership. While SME still has a way to go to surpass the Society of Petroleum Engineers in number of members, we did have, on December 1, 1969, 16,369 members. However, 419 were dropped at the end of that month leaving us with a net for the year of 15,950.

Jan 1, 1970

THE LIFE and works of Alexander Agassiz, first president of the Calumet & Hecla Mining Co., were recalled to memory when a monument bearing his statue was unveiled in Agassiz Park, at Calumet, Mich., on Sept. 26, The statue is the work of Paul W. Bartlett, of New York, and was erected by George R. Agassiz, eldest son of Alexander Agassiz. We are indebted to Rodolphe L. Agassiz, now president of the Calumet & Hecla Consolidated, for the accompanying photograph of the statue. The principal address at the unveiling ceremony was delivered by Allen F. Rees, of Houghton, who said, in part: To the world at large Alexander Agassiz was preeminently the man of science. With all his devotion to the industrial life of this district, he found the time to devote to the con-tinuation of his work of scientific research which had been the life work of his fa-ther, Louis Agassiz. Not only did he acquire eminence for his scientific at-tainments and learn-ing, but he was recognized and hon-ored throughout the civilized world for his achievements and accomplishments in the realm of original research. His work in the fields of nat-ural science, in oceanography, in marine zoology, and in other similar lines of research, has added much to our knowledge of the world's mysteries. His life was one of accomplishment also in the industrial world. The union in one life of acknowledged achievement as a scientist and the accomplishment of great results in the prac-tical industrial world is a rare thing, and its possibility has never been exemplified in greater measure than in his life and its results.

Jan 11, 1923

The Institute conducts jointly with the American Society of Civil Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers and American Institute of Electrical Engineers, certain activities as listed below, and is joint owner with them of certain properties. United Engineering Trustees, Inc. When Mr. Carnegie made his gift which made possible a home for the engineering societies, a separate corporation was organized to act as a holding company and to manage the common property. This was long known as the United Engineering Society, but the name has now been changed to one which more nearly reflects the real function of the corporation. It holds title to the Engineering Societies Building and to various funds placed in its charge and is managed by a Board of Trustees, of which three are chosen by each of the four societies, American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Institute of Electrical Engineers and American Society of Civil Engineers, which have equal and undivided interests in the property. The land and building cost two million dollars. During the year 1934, the Constitution and Bylaws of The United Engineering Trustees, Inc., were thoroughly revised and a better organization of its functions was effected: The Engineering Foundation and the Engineering Societies Library were made "departments" of the United Engineering Trustees. The Founders Societies share in the property which it holds, and estimated at the present time, as follows: Real estate, $1,993,793; Depreciation and Renewal Fund, $415,225. The U.E.T. has endowment funds amounting to $1,203,740. The A.I.M.E. trustees are W. D. B. Motter, Jr., A. L. Queneau and Albert Roberts.

Jan 1, 1940

By Howard Drullard

To OBTAIN the best results from hammer drills, close attention must be paid to two factors in drill maintenance, which are of equal importance; one is lubrication, the other is the shank. With the exception of stoping drills, most modern rock drills require both oil and grease. The oil ports are in the lubricator, on or behind the hammer cylinder; the grease port for the lubrication of the 'chuck sleeve and rotating mechanism is on the chuck end. Ordinary machine oil is not, adapted to rock drills; a heavier more gelatinous oil such as castor machine oil or liquid-grease should be used. The lubricators should be filled-once for every 12 or 14 ft. (3.5 to 4m.), of hole drilled. Grease-guns should be used to fill the port in the chuck end once a shift; a medium ( No. 3) grease is well adapted to this purpose. Hard grease must not be put into- the lubricators, as it will not flow through that part. Contrary to the popular belief, oiling a machine once or twice a shift does not provide sufficient lubrication; the drills should be oiled once for every 12 or 14 ft. of, hole drilled. The rotating handle of a stoping drill -is an oil reservoir and is provided with a port for oiling. The rotating handle is packed with wicking, or similar material, which causes the oil to feed slowly from the handle to the other parts of the machine. Stoping drills require oil at. least twice a shift; lighter oils than castor, such as Arctic Ammonia may be used.

Jan 8, 1920

The Institute conducts jointly with the American Society of Civil Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers and American Institute of Electrical Engineers, certain activities as listed below, and is joint owner with them of certain properties. United Engineering Trustees, Inc. When Mr. Carnegie made his gift which made possible a home for the engineering societies, a separate corporation was organized to act as a holding company and to manage the common property. This was long known as the United Engineering Society, but the name has now been changed to one which more nearly reflects the real function of the corporation. It holds title to . the Engineering Societies Building and to various funds placed in its charge and is managed by a Board of Trustees, of which three are chosen by each of the four societies, American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Institute of Electrical Engineers and American Society of Civil Engineers, which have equal and undivided interests in the property. The land and building cost two million dollars. During the year 1934, the Constitution and Bylaws of The United Engineering Trustees, Inc., were thoroughly revised and a better organization of its functions was affected: The Engineering Foundation and the Engineering Societies Library were made "departments" of the United Engineering Trustees. The Founders Societies share in the property which it holds, and estimated at the present time, as follows: Real estate, $1,987,793; Depreciation and Renewal Fund, $336,992. The U.E.T. has endowment funds-' amounting to $1,107,677. The A.I.M.E. trustees are W. D. B. Motter, Jr., A. L. .Queneau and Albert Roberts.

Jan 1, 1937

By P. A. Harvey

Previous studies have reported that inorganic electrolytes can enhance floatability of coal. The research has shown that the enhancement, if any, is highly dependent on changes in solution pH, type of electrolyte, and electrolyte concentration. The reasons for this are still not clear. In this study the floatability of coal particles in mono and divalent salt solutions was investigated. The zeta potential and hydrophobicity of the coal was measured experimentally, and a modified Hallimond tube was used to determine the floatability of coal particles by single bubbles, where the collision efficiency was equal to unity. The experimental information was used in conjunction with the Hogg-Healy-Fuerstenau equation to quantify the electrical double layer interaction. It was found that for low electrolyte concentration (less than 0.1 M) solutions the flotation recovery of coal particles was less than that for distilled water, and decreased with increase in concentration. Conversely, at electrolyte concentrations above 0.1 M, flotation recovery increased with increasing concentration (Figure 1). Both of these results are consistent with previous observations, but are inconsistent with expectations when considering the possible influence of electrical double layer interaction. Modelling of the system indicates that the electrical double layer is compressed with increasing electrolyte concentration, resulting in an increase in flotation recovery due to a diminishing of the (electrical double layer) repulsion between the bubble and the coal particles. Moreover, for electrolyte concentrations above about 0.1 M the electrical double layer is completely depressed and would have little further influence, if any, on the flotation process. Therefore, the electrical double layer interaction is not the principal determining factor for the flotation of coal in electrolyte solutions.

Jan 1, 2003

By Zdzislaw Specht

This paper discusses elementary laws pertaining to seismic reflection methods and presents a general and simple criterion for determining the direction of dipping of a reflection horizon from observational data of distance and time. The important development of practical geophysics and the successful results obtained in America, Germany, and other countries, caused introduction of geophysical methods of prospecting in Poland. Of all methods, seismic prospecting has proved most successful in the area of the Carpathian foreland, where new oil reserves are to be expected. Because of the great depth of the sedimentary column in that area, ranging sometimes over 2000 meters, it was obvious that only the seismic reflection method could give reliable information regarding the structural features of these strata at such a depth. During the experimental surveys it appeared that the complicated geological conditions of that area do not always allow prediction of the depth and the angle of dipping of reflecting horizons, and for that reason information about the inclination of a given horizon has great importance in the determination of subsurface structure. Therefore the problem arises of obtaining from seismic reflection data reliable information as to the direction of dipping of reflecting strata, without any previous knowledge of the average velocity and depth of geologic horizons under consideration. Reflection Seismograms The earth, being a nonhomogeneous medium, is composed of a series of layers, which differ from each other in their physical properties, particularly in their elastic coefficients. These variations in elasticity are the cause of refraction and reflection of a seismic wave. Under the simple but only approximately correct assumption of the straight-line path or an elementary elastic disturbance, the phenomena mentioned

Jan 1, 1940

By Zdzislaw Specht

This paper discusses elementary laws pertaining to seismic reflection methods and presents a general and simple criterion for determining the direction of dipping of a reflection horizon from observational data of distance and time. The important development of practical geophysics and the successful results obtained in America, Germany, and other countries, caused introduction of geophysical methods of prospecting in Poland. Of all methods, seismic prospecting has proved most successful in the area of the Carpathian foreland, where new oil reserves are to be expected. Because of the great depth of the sedimentary column in that area, ranging sometimes over 2000 meters, it was obvious that only the seismic reflection method could give reliable information regarding the structural features of these strata at such a depth. During the experimental surveys it appeared that the complicated geological conditions of that area do not always allow prediction of the depth and the angle of dipping of reflecting horizons, and for that reason information about the inclination of a given horizon has great importance in the determination of subsurface structure. Therefore the problem arises of obtaining from seismic reflection data reliable information as to the direction of dipping of reflecting strata, without any previous knowledge of the average velocity and depth of geologic horizons under consideration. Reflection Seismograms The earth, being a nonhomogeneous medium, is composed of a series of layers, which differ from each other in their physical properties, particularly in their elastic coefficients. These variations in elasticity are the cause of refraction and reflection of a seismic wave. Under the simple but only approximately correct assumption of the straight-line path or an elementary elastic disturbance, the phenomena mentioned

Jan 1, 1940

By S. F. Shaw

THE principles involved in lifting oil in wells flowing naturally are identical with those underlying the flowing of wells by means of the air-gas lift, and information of a dependable nature obtained in the study of the air-lift can be applied to wells with natural flow. A well flowing naturally is one in which the lifting is done by means of the gas-lift, for which the gas is supplied entirely by the formation from which the oil is derived. In air-gas lift operations, there is insufficient gas supplied by the formation to lift the oil to the surface in an efficient manner, therefore additional gas for this purpose must be furnished from an outside source. There may, at times, be conditions obtaining in natural flowing wells different from those in wells flowed by gas-lift, but these differences do not at all conflict with the main principles of gas-lift work. One such condition is met with in wells in which the gas supplied by the formation is in considerable excess of that required to lift the oil to surface; this excess may be so great as to reduce the quantity of oil that can be lifted through the particular diameter of casing or tubing that has been lowered into the well. This same condition can be brought about, however, by supplying a large excess of gas from an outside source to an artificial gas-lift well, and a study of the effects obtained from injecting a large excess into the well can be applied directly to handling wells flowing naturally which have a large excess of gas supplied by the underground reservoir.

Jan 1, 1929

By L. A. Romo, J. A. Ferrer

INTRODUCTION The principle line of the Caracas Metro is located generally along the most important east-west traffic corridor of the city from the yards and shops in Propatria at the western extremity to Petare, and eventually beyond to Palo Verde at the eastern end, a route distance of 21 kilometers. There will be 23 stations along the alignment, underground, at grade and elevated, and the line is forecast to handle 1,209,100 passengers daily by the year 2000 with a travel time of 29 minutes between Propatria and Petare. This principle line was divided into three sections for design purposes: Propatria-Fuerzas Armadas, Section I, Fuerzas Armadas-Chacaito, Section II and Chacaito-Petare, Section III. These sections were further subdivided into subsections for construction purposes. The Venezuelan Government, through its Caracas Metro Office in the Ministry of Public Works, awarded design contracts in sections to PARSONS BRINCKERHOFF-TUDOR-BECHTEL for Propatria-Fuerzas Armadas, Section I, OCOIDESA-GRID-APM for Fuerzas Armadas-Chacaito, Section II and OCOIDESA GRID-APM for Chacaito-Petare, Section III. Construction contracts were awarded by international bidding and work is now underway, by joint venture organizations of Venezuelan and foreign firms. The first two sections are under the administration of a company of Engineer/Inspectors in each section. The construction supervision of contracts in the first section is under the administration of the Venezuelan firm, Gómez-Celis-Herrera, (GCH) Engineers, acting under contract to the new C.A. Metro de Caracas that replaced ' the former Office of the Metro. The Propatria-Fuerzas Armadas section, approximately seven kilometers long, consists in part of the 2,951 linear meters of twin-bore

Jan 1, 1979

The Institute conducts jointly with the American Society of Civil Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers and American Institute of Electrical Engineers, certain activities as listed below, and is joint owner with them of certain properties. United Engineering Trustees, Inc. When Mr. Carnegie made. his gift which made possible a home for the engineering societies, a separate corporation was organized to act as a holding company and to manage the common property. This was long known as the United Engineering Society, but the name has now been changed to one which more nearly reflects the real function of the corporation. It holds title to the Engineering Societies Building and to various funds placed in its charge and is managed by a Board of Trustees, of which three are chosen by each of the four societies, American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, American Institute of Electrical Engineers and American Society of Civil Engineers, which have equal and undivided interests in the property. The land and building cost two million dollars. During the year 1934, the Constitution and Bylaws of The United Engineering Trustees, Inc., were thoroughly revised and a better organization of its functions was effected: The Engineering Foundation and the Engineering Societies Library were made "departments" of the United Engineering Trustees. The Founders Societies share in the property which it holds, and estimated at the present time, as follows: Real estate,. $1,993,793; Depreciation and Renewal Fund, $401,000. The U.E.T. has endowment funds amounting to $1,086,893. The A.I.M.E. trustees are W. D. B. Matter, Jr., A. L. Queneau and Albert Roberts.

Jan 1, 1939

By Hsun Hu

Based on Kurdjumoiv-Sachs orientation relationship for the fee bee transformation in metals, the jirzal crystal orientation resulting from successive transformations of bee-fee-bee has been analyzed mathematically. There are 528 different variants; many of ther are crystallograpyically equirvalent. Specific examples show that, for equal probability of all the variants, the principal crystallographic axes [100 ], [110], and [111] of the initial bcc crystal can be transformed into vairous axes in the fina1 crystal However, fur each of these principal crystallographic axes, a continuous range of orientation within certain regions of the unit triangle is completely avoided by the finctl Crystals. For uses of higher indices, the final orientations are more uniformly distributed throughout the unit triangle. Results from the PI-esent analysis are in good agreement with preferred Oientations Observed in a zone-meltecl iron bar. THE allotropic forms of iron are characterized by the unusual fact that at both high and low temperatures a bcc structure is stable, whereas at intermediate temperatures (1400" to 910°C) the metal is fcc. Hence, during cooling from its melting temperature, iron undergoes successive phase transformations ofd—? —a with corresponding changes in the crystal structure of bcc — fcc -bcc. while numerous studies have been made in the past of the 1 — a transformation in iron and in various iron-base alloys, no information is available in the literature as to the mechanism of 6 — l transformation and the lattice orientation relationship between these two phases. Experimental difficulties have apparently prevented researchers from undertaking these studies. The laltice orientation relationship between the parent and the new phases of iron resulting from

Jan 1, 1965

By Charles R. Garrett

The American Borate Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Owens Corning Fiberglas Company under a management contract to the Hanna Mining Company, owns and operates an underground borate mine in Death Valley, California. The mine, named the Billie Mine, is located 24 km (15 miles) southeast of Furnace Creek along Highway 190. The ore body is under Death Valley National Monument with the major portion of the surface facilities located just outside the monument boundary. (See Figure 1.) The Billie Mine produces approximately 227 000 metric tons of crude ore per year. About 65% of finished product is supplied to Owens-Corning, the remainder is sold to other fiberglass producers. Geology The borate minerals in the Billie ore body were deposited in the lower main member of the Furnace Creek Formation, which is Pliocene in age. The ore body is thought to have formed from volcanic springs in or near a small lake basin. The deposit is essentially a limestone breccia that is permeated with borate minerals and surrounded with limey lake bed mudstones and shales. The ore body is mineralized with two main borate ores, colemanite and probertite. A third borate ore, ulexite, mainly occurs in the upper part of the ore body. The original mineral of deposition is thought to have been ulexite. Ulexite is a sodium-calcium borate hydrated with eight molecular waters. Due to heat and pressure from burial by later sediments, the ulexite had water forced out of its structure and recrystallized as probertite. Probertite is another sodium-calcium borate, with five molecular waters. Colemanite formed when surface water seeped into the prober-

Jan 1, 1985

By C. F. Riisness, E. R. Parker

THAT grain size has a great effect on the mechanical properties of metals has been recognized for a long time. Bassett and Davis1 in 1919 did excellent work in [ ] determining the effect of grain size on the hardness of brass. About the same time Jeffries2 and Sykes3 ascertained the effect of grain size on the strength and ductility of several metals at temperatures ranging from 80°K. to their melting points. When creep was recognized as an important property of metals, those engaged in the study of this property tried to determine the effect of grain size 4-9 on creep rates. Unfortunately, most of the investigations were conducted on only two grain sizes, often designated simply as "fine" and "coarse." It is well known that at high temperatures coarse-grained test bars creep less than fine-grained bars. The relation between grain size and size of test bar, [ ] however, has been frequently overlooked. In his early work, Jeffries2 showed that the number of grains in the cross section has a more important influence on the properties of the material than the actual grain size. More recently Hanson and Sandford10 and Pell-Walpole,11 in their measurements of the creep and tensile properties of tin, tested a wide range of grain sizes and correlated the grain size with the strength. Hanson9 later established the relation between the number of grains in the cross section and the. creep rate: At high temperatures, generally a coarse-grained structure is considered superior in creep to a fine-grained structure, but it is evident that for a given bar size continuously increasing the grain size will

Jan 1, 1944

By J. E. Willson, N. K. Bohidar

An evaluation of internal stress distribution based on photoelastic studies and destructive testing of simulation models shows that pillar failure is a function of the internal stress distribution, and that stability can be changed by altering the internal stress pattern. Induced stresses in three-dimensional epoxy disks subjected to uniaxial forces were evaluated by photoelastic studies. Stress profiles across different sections perpendicular to the loading direction revealed two maxima for each profile. Based on the stress distribution for the entire column, an attempt was made to explain pillar spalling and the hour glass pattern of failure in a mine pillar. For maximum stability and optimum design of mine pillars, it is necessary to consider the external forces, the nature and distribution of induced stresses and the characteristics of the pillar material as determined in the laboratory. This paper summarizes the research done by N. K. Bohidarl and Ben L. seegrniller2 as partial fulfilment of the requirement for Master of Science degree in Mining Engineering, University of Utah. It is an evaluation of a study to determine the stress distribution in short columns in order that regions of high stress concentration in mine pillars may be found and their effect on pillar failure be ascertained. The ratios of the dimensions of the columns studied are representative of those found in mines located in flat-bedded deposits. The weight of the overburden generally constitutes the major external force. This force is calculated by taking into account specific weight and thickness of the cover. Determination of the distribution of this force on pillars may often require a complex analytical study. There have been many investigations of the strength

Jan 1, 1968

By W. L. Austin

The only essential difference among the three methods of collecting the precious metals from their low-grade ores by fusion is comprised in the nature of the vehicle in which those metals are concentrated. If lead- or coppper-ores are used, the processes are respectively lead- or copper-smelting; but when the sulphide of iron forms the matrix in which the gold and silver are collected, the process is known as pyritic smelting. The latter method presents rarely any advantages when lead- or copper-ores are available at rates which permit profitable treatment. Pyritic silver-smelting, defined by Percy as " the smelting of silver-ores, which are either free from lead or do not contain it in sufficient quantity to collect the silver, in conjunction with pyrites, in order to produce a regulus in which the silver may be concentrated," is not, as the name would imply, confined to ores of this metal alone, but embraces auriferous silver-ores, or even gold-ores simple. This method of collecting the precious metals from lowgrade dry ores, employed at Freiberg by Barthel Kohler in 1585, does not appear, up to the present, to have been introduced into this country on a working scale. And yet the possibility of getting rid in a single operation of all the earthy or siliceous gangue of a lowgrade ore and concentrating the precious metals in a matte without loss of lead (which includes gold and silver) by slagging, or volatilization, at the same time producing a highly siliceous slag, very nearly if not quite as clean as is usual in lead-smelting, certainly commends itself. In some parts of the country, owing to the com-

Jan 1, 1888