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By J. D. Miller, P. J. McDonough, H. Q. Portillo

Previous investigations have demonstrated the catalytic effect of silver additions in the ferric sulfate leaching of chalcopyrite [ ] The enhanced rate of leaching was found to be due to the formation of an intermediate Ag S film which forms on the Cures2 surface by an exchange reaction Under these conditions, unlike the uncatalysed ferric sulfate leach, the elemental sulfur forms a nonprotective reaction product on the Ag S crystallites As a result, the rate appears to become limited by an intermediate electrochemical reaction in {he Ag2S film rather than by transport through the elemental sulfur reaction product [ ] The reaction rate was found to have a complex dependence on the Ag+, Fe++ and Fe+3 concentrations, but independent of the Cu concentration Electrochemical measurements with a Ag,S-coated chalcopyrite electrode provide further information regarding the nature of the reaction mechanism The kinetics of the rate limiting, intermediate electrochemical reaction are analyzed in terms of the Butler-Volmer equation

Jan 1, 1981

By Howard Lee

I. GEOLOGY AND ORE OCCURRENCE IN central Colorado is a great belt of intrusive porphyry nearly 100 miles long (160 km.), extending from the Clear Creek district on the north to Aspen on the south, which includes many of the well known mining camps of the State. Near the southern end of this belt, at Leadville, the occurrence of these intrusives is most marked, resulting in intensive mineralization and the formation of a great variety of large orebodies. During the past 40 years, Leadville has been a steady producer of gold, silver, lead, zinc, manganese, iron, and bismuth, in the forms of sulfid, carbonate and oxide ores. It is the purpose of this paper to discuss pyrite alone, which, under present economic conditions, is valuable chiefly for its sulphur contents. The ore-bearing formation of the Leadville district consists of two beds of limestone separated by a layer of quartzite. The upper limestone is carbonaceous, and is known locally as the blue limestone. It varies in thickness from 50 to 300 ft. (15 to 91 m.). The lower limestone is Silurian, known locally as white limestone, and is about the same thickness as the upper bed. Underneath the Silurian limestone is a layer of Cambrian quartzite front 100 to 250 ft. (30 to 76 in.) thick resting on Archean granite, which forms the limit of ore deposition. As a rule, there is a sheet of white porphyry above the upper, or blue limestone; a sheet of gray porphyry is associated with the blue limestone, either in or below it, but the porphyries are not so regular as the quartzites and limestones and are not always found in their expected positions. Throughout the district there is an elaborate system of faults and intrusive porphyry dikes, which have all important bearing on ore deposits. The writer has seen two or three orebodies which were not closely associated with either a fault or a porphyry dike, but if the minor fractures and water courses are considered as part of the fault system it is safe to say that all orebodies are directly traceable to one or both of these causes.

Jan 8, 1918

By Luckie. Peter T., Deurbouck. A. W., Harold L. Lovell, E. R. Palowitch, James K. Kindig

PART 1: DENSE MEDIUM SEPARATION by E. R. PALOWITCH and A. W. DEURBROUK INTRODUCTION During 1974, 43.9% of the 603,406,000 tons (549,099,000 mt) of bituminous coal and lignite produced was cleaned mechanically, of which 82,280,000 tons (74,875,000 mt) was cleaned by dense medium processes.l The percentage of bituminous coal and lignite cleaned mechanically by dense medium processes increased from 7 to 31 % between 1938 and 1974. Dense medium separations include those coal preparation processes which clean raw coal by immersing it in a fluid having a density inter- mediate between clean coal and reject. As there is a general correlation between ash content and specific gravity, it is possible to achieve the required degree of removal of ash-forming impurities from a raw coal by regulating the specific gravity of the separating fluid. Dense medium processes offer the following advantages over other coal cleaning processes: 1) Ability to make sharp separations at any specific gravity within the range normally required even in the presence of high percentages of the feed in the range of 2 0.1 sp gr units. 2) Ability to maintain a separating gravity that can be controlled with ± 0.005 sp gr units.

Jan 1, 1979

By Robert Hunt

ONE of the most serious and important economic administrative problems facing American railway authorities to-day is that of their rails, and it is one to which much thought, is being given, not only by the executive officers of the railways and the manufacturers of the steel rails, but also by State and National commissions. It is realized by many and admitted by some that the present situation is one which cannot continue. The roadways of railways must be made more secure, or the weight of rolling stock and the speed of trains must be lessened; and the desired result must be attained with the minimum outlay of money, both in expenditure on plant and in cost of operation. If the investment per mile is too large, or through the lessening of tonnage and efficiency of equipment the cost of operation is too great, the desired and demanded cheap service cannot he rendered to the public. Therefore, the weight of equipment cannot be greatly reduced, and lessening the rapidity of service would be far from satisfactory; consequently, the safety of the roadway must be secured with the least practical outlay. It is imperative that the roadbed should be properly graded, with the fewest practically possible curves; that it should have good ballast, be well drained, have good ties properly spaced, and be laid with sound rails of suitable weight, efficiently joined together, and that the whole property be carefully and intelligently cared for. My province is to treat of the sound rails. During the last few years there has been renewed interest in and discussion of that question, and I know that many rail makers not only have been and are desirous of maintaining the highest standards of manufacture which they may have attained, but have been and are seeking to better their product, in several instances devoting much time and money to that end. At the same time, they realize that the cost of any improvement in quality which they may accomplish must be kept within certain commercial bounds; and that fact is as fully understood by their patrons as by themselves, and it should be kept in mind by all who discuss the question.

Jan 2, 1914

By H. D. Kynor

By the term mechanical mining is meant that operation, or series of operations, that replace the hand methods of mining. The first undercutting machine to operate in anthracite was placed in the Butler mine of the Hillside Coal and Iron Co., Dec. 23, 1910, by the Sullivan Machinery Co. The first Jackhamer used in the anthracite field was installed at the Wadesville colliery of the Philadelphia & Reading Coal and Iron Co. in Oct., 1912, by the Ingersoll-Rand Co. The first longwall conveyor was installed at the Dodge mines of the Delaware, Lackawanna, & Western Coal Co. in March, 1912. The first mechanical scraper equipment was installed in the Seneca mines of the Lehigh Valley Coal Co. in January, 1914. The amount of anthracite mechanically mined since the first mining machine was installed in 1910" is as follows: Penna. Coal Co. D. L. & W.. ScRanton Temple Hudson YeaR and Hill- Tons Coal Co., Coal Co., Coal Co., Total, side Coal Tons Tons Tons Tons and Iron. Tons 1920................ 372,737b 367,000d 322,892 74,127 371,878 1,508,634 1919................ 950,786 no record 306,616 81,575 319,356 1,658,333 1918................ 917,778 744,966 24,880 44,756 288,781 2,021,161 1917................ 757,940 838,800 5,050 57,279 164,180 1,823,249 1916................ 286,780 860,663 13,960 114,173 101,475 1,377,051 1915................ 428,819 592,169 8,253 1,029,241 1914................ 219,188 153,896 373,084 1913................ 171,505 1912................ 124,267 124,267 1911................ 40,319 40,319 1910................ 1,184 1,184 a A slightly greater production was obtained than here indicated, as the tonnage from individual operations is not shown. b Decrease due to strike conditions in 1920. c Does not include tonnage of D., L., & W. d D., L., & W. decrease in 1920 due to having fewer mining machines in operation. There are about 150 undercutters in use in the anthracite region, 80 mechanical loaders, and 10 longwall conveyors.

Jan 1, 1922

By C. B. Foraker

THE Magma mine, of the Magma Copper Co., at Superior, Pinal County, Arizona, is 68 miles east of Phoenix and 21 miles west of Miami, Arizona, on highway U. S. 180. Temperatures and Underground Waters Surface Temperatures.—The average surface dry-bulb temperature at Superior is 72.4°; wet-bulb, 57.4°; with an indicated relative humidity of 38 per cent. The average yearly rainfall from 1921 to 1936, inclusive, was 18.74 in. The maximum condition of the atmosphere is in June, July and August, and the minimum is in January and February. The surface temperatures, of course, influence the temperatures of the downcast shafts; however, the variation between winter and summer causes a difference of only 2" to 3" in the stopes and working places that are not close to the intake shafts. Average atmospheric conditions are shown in Fig. 1. Rock Temperatures.—Rock temperatures on the deeper levels of the mine are as follows:

Jan 1, 1940

By C. B. Foraker

THE Magma mine, of the Magma Copper Co., at Superior, Pinal County, Arizona, is 68 miles east of Phoenix and 21 miles west of Miami, Arizona, on highway U. S. 180. Temperatures and Underground Waters Surface Temperatures.—The average surface dry-bulb temperature at Superior is 72.4°; wet-bulb, 57.4°; with an indicated relative humidity of 38 per cent. The average yearly rainfall from 1921 to 1936, inclusive, was 18.74 in. The maximum condition of the atmosphere is in June, July and August, and the minimum is in January and February. The surface temperatures, of course, influence the temperatures of the downcast shafts; however, the variation between winter and summer causes a difference of only 2" to 3" in the stopes and working places that are not close to the intake shafts. Average atmospheric conditions are shown in Fig. 1. Rock Temperatures.—Rock temperatures on the deeper levels of the mine are as follows:

Jan 1, 1940

By Charles H. Jacoby, Leo E. Read

IN diamond coring salt beds to evaluate deposits, special techniques are applied to standard slim hole drilling to obtain a representative sample of the water soluble sodium chloride. Industrial consumers generally require a run-of-the-mine material of 98.0 pct sodium chloride. Since no commercial beneficiation has yet been devised to upgrade the lower quality salt beds, the only processing is crushing and screening to the size required by the customer. Coring salt sections has recently become important not only in dry mining, but also in the development of brine cavities by hydraulic fracturing and the formation of jugs for storing liquid petroleum products. Drilling Fluid: The fluid used in coring salt beds in New York, Ohio, and Michigan is a thoroughly saturated brine made from 3.0 lb rock salt per gal of make-up water. This mined rock salt, -4 mesh +10 mesh, is dissolved in a lixator, a double-bottomed cone hopper that turns fresh water to fully saturated brine.

Jan 5, 1957

By Franz Wever

The importance of the Widmanstätten structure to structure theory in metallography has been recognized by many writers.l It is a structure produced by the precipitation of a, new phase from a solid solution upon cooling as a result of changing solid solubility, and displays a characteristic appearance indicating a crystallographic relationship between the new phase and the original solid solution (Fig. 1). First discovered in 1808 by Alois de Widmanstätten2, the structure has been traced by analogy through many alloy systems. Particularly is this true of the steels. Sorby's classic work3 on the microstructure of iron and steel was in essence an attempt to explain the origin of this characteristic structure in meteoric iron. He observed in a Ressemer steel and in a cast-steel ingot structures which we now recognize as typical Widmanstatten figures.4 Osmond Observed structures in a steel ingot analog-ous to those found in meteorites. Arnold and Mc William6 obtained (and recognized) a

Jan 1, 1931

By F. R. Hensel

The present study was made to determine the laws governing the formation of the primary? crystal structure during solidification. Most of the experiments were carried out on chill castings, but from the resiilts it will be possible to draw certain conclusions as far as sand castings are concerned. It is necessary to discuss first a number of theories, which are generally adopted for explaining the structure of an ingot. Usually, the structure of an ingot consists of the following three zones (Fig. 1): (1) a chill layer of small at-random oriented crystals; (2) a layer of columnar crystals; (3) a zone of equiaxed crystals. The tensile properties of the chill layer and the equiaxed range are usually much better than in the columnar range, particularly the planes that are formed by the columnar crystals growing from two sides at right angles have low tensile properties. This is one of the reasons why columnar crystals in ingot structures are undesirable.

Jan 1, 1937

By W. R. Crane

MINING of the red iron ores of the Birmingham district has been carried on energetically during the past 50, years, and their development has created a large iron and steel manufacturing, center, the only important one in the South. The district produces approximately 10 per cent. of all the iron ore of the United States (80 per cent. of the Alabama ore mined is red ore) ; also, 43 of the 419 blast furnaces of the country are in the district tributary to Birmingham. The rapid growth of the district has been made possible through investigations that resulted in radical changes in furnace practice, and a still greater impetus will come from the study of the low-grade, high-silica ores, as a result of which they will be made amenable to treatment by concentration. Mining practice in this district has been comparatively simple because of the occurrence of the ore; but with the-rapid extension of the work-ings and the disturbed condition of the ore bed at some distance from the outcrop, more difficult conditions are encountered and the tendency is toward worse rather than better conditions. Should the high-silica ores of the lower bench of the Big Seam become available through beneficiation, mining practice will have to be modified to meet the new conditions, which will be rendered more difficult by the increased weight of cover that will exist at considerable distances from the outcrop. Support of workings will require greater attention and the efficient and economical operation of the mines will depend largely on the successful solution of the problems of working-and handling the ore.

Jan 9, 1924

By T. D. Yensen

IN the investigation of the magnetic properties of iron-nickel alloys,1 it was found necessary in order to make the alloys forgeable, or malleable, to add small quantities of some other element. Iron-nickel alloys have been known for nearly a century, but have been made in commercial quantities only since 1885. Their remarkable mechanical properties were disclosed by Riley in 1889 and from that time on a large amount of research work has been done both to discover new properties and to correlate the results obtained.2 Lately the Bureau of Standards has collected the published data in a special circular3 giving in compact form an account of the properties of the iron-nickel alloys. It also contains a clear historical sketch of the development as well as a selected bibliography. The chief difficulty with the development of iron-nickel alloys was that the "pure" alloys do not forge readily. The addition of small amounts of manganese, however, made the alloys forgeable, and manganese has therefore come to be regarded as a necessary constituent of nickel steels. The present paper shows to what extent manganese is needed for various nickel contents and also what is the effect of other alloying elements on the forgeability. It also touches upon the cause of forgeability but refers to other sources for more exhaustive treatises, on the subject. The alloys were prepared by melting electrolytic iron and electrolytic nickel with of without other alloying elements in the desired proportions in a magnesia crucible in a vacuum furnace under a. pressure of 1 mm. mercury. The ingots weighing about 2 kg. were allowed to cool in vacuo. If pipes or blowholes were present, the ingots were cut in such

Jan 1, 1920

By William P. Blake

In another paper I have described in general the close association of zinc-blende and iron pyrites in the ore-deposits of southwest Wis consin. These two minerals generally occur together at the same horizon, a sheet of one being overlain by a sheet of the other; and also the pyrites is disseminated through the blende to such a degree that the latter is rendered comparatively worthless for the produc tion of spelter. Ordinarily the pyrites, which is mostly the trimetric marcasite variety, occurs in about equal quantity with the blende and is separated by hand-culliug and chipping; but there are large de posits where the ores are so closely mixed that they can neither be separated by culling nor by any mechanical method. The specific gravity of the two minerals is so nearly the same that attempts often made to effect even a partial separation by jigging have proved un. successful. The smelters of zinc-ores in the Mississippi valley will not take ores which carry more than 7 per cent. of iron; and it is therefore necessary to cull the massive ('jack" with great care and at consid erable expense, in order to bring it up to the market-standard of purity. The results of trials to effect a separation of blende and pyrites in other regions have been equally unsatisfactory. The literature of this branch of metallurgy abounds in examples. In Wisconsin efforts have been made in the past to " burn " the mixed ores in heaps, in order to soften or destroy the pyrites, and facilitate its separation from the massive blende. The same method has also been resorted to when galenite is mixed through the substance of the blende, for the purpose of disintegrating the ore, so that it could be separated by jigging. The custom was to pile the ore and the fuel together. As might have been expected, the results were far from satisfactory. As is usual in heap-roast ing, some portions of the ore were overheated and decomposed; zinc was lost by volatilization; the galenite in some portions was

Jan 1, 1894

By Paul Foote

SEEBECK discovered, in 1821, that if, in a closed circuit of two metals the two junctions are at different temperatures, an electric current will flow in the circuit. In the case of an iron and a copper wire, for example, current will flow from copper to iron at the hot junction, or from iron to copper at the cold junction. Two factors combine to cause the current. An electromotive force exists between the two metals, the magnitude of which, depends upon the temperature and upon the metals; this is called the Peltier e.m.f. If a single wire of homogeneous material is heated at one end, an electromotive force is developed between the ends of the wire, the magnitude of which depends upon the metal and upon the difference in temperature; this is known as the Thomson e.m.f: The total e.m.f. acting in the circuit is the sum of the Peltier e.m.f. at the two junctions and the Thomson e.m.f. in each wire, consideration being given, of course, to the algebraic signs of the four e.m.f.'s. The total electromotive force thus depends upon the difference in temperature of the two

Jan 9, 1919

By A. F. Lucas

EACH day, the fact becomes more evident that the ever-growing demand for oil is farther outstripping production, regardless of the increase in output throughout the past twenty years. The development of known oil fields and the prospecting for new ones along present lines are not resulting, in, and cannot bring forth, supplies large enough adequately to meet the oil needs of the country. The usual methods of prospecting-for new supplies are insufficient to meet the exigencies of the situation which threatens, in the not distant future, to reach a critical stage. Were it not that within the last two years new and prolific oil fields have been discovered in northern Louisiana, central Texas, and California, this crisis would undoubtedly be now at our door. Stocks are being exhausted in spite of the rapid growth of imports. The time is therefore fast approaching when some radical departures must be made in the method of prospecting and developing old and new fields in order to increase our oil supplies. Methods and chances, that have seemed unwarranted will not only be given serious consideration, but, according to the results promised, will be put to the test. Meanwhile, however, nearly all the oil fields are responding to the stimulus of higher prices, whereby enormously growing capital is attracted to this important industry, both here and abroad; the increase in our petroleum production at the present time is due to this circumstance. Yet, although a most active search is being made for possible sources of additional supply, one section of our country is not yielding the results that, in my opinion, it is capable of producing: I allude to the coastal dome belt of Texas, Louisiana, and Mexico. The United States Geological Survey has estimated that three-fourths of a billion barrels are available in the ground in the Coastal Plain of the two states just mentioned. Numerous papers have been written on the subject of the salt domes of the Coastal Plain and more or less attractive theories have been advocated by leading geologists to account for their origin and the presence of the oil, sulfur, and salt associated in them. However, owing in part to the generally monotonously level country in which the coastal

Jan 9, 1920

By C. H. Mathewson

MicrOscopic metallography has been exploited quite well enough to bring about a very general understanding that the typical metal or alloy is composed of minute crystalline particles blended into a coherent rnicrostructural rnosaic. One does not have to be a specialist in metallography to realize that the properties of such an aggregate are essentially a summation in appropriate form of individual effects derived from the shape, size, placement or orientation and cohesive characteristics of the component particles. It is clearly of great importance to consider the various forms of discontinuity which may occur at the boundaries between these crystalline particles. When a number of particles each possessing the same orderly arrangement of atoms are brought together into a close-fitting system of purely haphazard contacts, not unlike a handful of snowflakes compacted into a snowball, the particles are said to possess random orientation. There are no generally accepted views concerning the arrangement of the atoms or the constitutional reaction between atoms where one crystal meets another, but these contact regions are characterized by strength rather than weakness and it is customary to require the presence of many rather than few boundaries in preparing metal for useful service. Under certain circumstances all of the particles in a metal may be nearly alike in orientation. Other general tendencies of orientation may be associated with particular forms of mechanical and thermal treatment. In contrast with these cases of fortuitous or statistical diversity of orientation, we often find adjacent particles united along a plane which possesses a grouping of atoms belonging equally well to both structures. This, of course, determines a fixed relationship between the two orientatjions and it is always possible to derive one from the other by some form of- rotation or reflection prescribed by the symmetry of the crystal structure under consideration. Particles united in this manner are known as twin crystals although the term refers to the form of association rather than the number of individuals concerned.

Jan 1, 1928

By J. T. Pardee

INTRODUCTION PLACER is a Spanish word, the definitions of which include "an extensive bank of sand or gravel" and "a place where currents of water deposit particles of gold."l The term, probably first used in the western hemisphere by Spanish or Mexican gold miners, is now generally applied to all detrital deposits that yield valuable minerals by washing. In the Western States placer products other than gold, including the silver alloyed with it, are chiefly sapphires, produced in Montana, and platinum alloys recovered in California and Oregon. During the war tungsten ore (scheelite) was obtained from placers in the Atolia district, California, and a number of diamonds have been found in the Sierra Nevada gold belt. Small amounts of stream tin have been produced in the Black Hills of South Dakota and a little monazite sand in the Boise Basin. Idaho. Magnetite, chromite, ilmenite, zircon, and other useful minerals are more or less abundant in the beach placers of the Pacific coast and in the heavy residues of placer mining elsewhere, but the problems of profitably separating and marketing them remain to be solved. Minerals of lead, quicksilver and other metals occur in many of the placers and although not plentiful enough as a rule to be worth recover-ng, their presence has, in several instances, led to the discovery of valuable lodes, notably at Leadville, Colorado. Historical summary.-In New Mesico, Arizona, and Southern California, placer gold was mined by Mexicans and Spanish priests in the first half of the 19th century or earlier. With these exceptions history of placer mining in the Western States begins with Marshall's discovery of gold in northern California in 1848. During the next twenty years placers were found in all of the principal mining districts that are known today. The richer deposits were soon mined out but a relatively large production was maintained from the leaner deposits chiefly by hydraulic

Jan 1, 1933

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Jan 1, 1938

By A. P. Svenningsen

DURING the work at the test mill in Morenci, it was determined that a suitable feed for the ball mills could be made by a single pass through a short-head cone crusher. These crushers did not require a closed circuit delivering only a screen product to the mills, such as is the practice in some concentrators. By no means does this mean that the practice in these other concentrators is wrong, but just that the Morenci ore can be most economically crushed and ground in this manner. Therefore, the design of the secondary crushing plant was simply a problem of taking 25,000 tons of ore per 16 hour day from the primary crusher, this ore ranging in size from fine particles to 10 or 12 in., and reducing it to minus 3/4 in. Inasmuch as outages must be contended with in any crushing plant, it was assumed that the crusher would operate at full capacity for approximately only twleve hours per day, which is three-quarter capacity for the 16-hour shift. With this in mind, it was necessary to design a crushing plant which would average approximately 1600 tones per hour for the 16-hour day, or 2000 tons per hour for slightly over 12 hours per day.

Jan 1, 1942

By F. W. Denton

Much has been written about the possibilities of the Vermilion and Mesabi ranges of northern Minnesota as producers of large quantities of high-grade iron-ore. The Mesabi range in particular has attracted considerable attention on account of the proximity of the ore-deposits to the surface, which has been as-

Jan 1, 1898