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By N. Brown, R. Kossowsky

Plain carbon steels with 0.48 and 0.95 pct C were quenched and tempered at 705°C to produce carbide dispersions with spacings on the order of 1 p. The morphology of the structure consisted of a carbide-dislocation network. The strengthening due to the dispersion was found to vary linearly with M-½ where M is the mean free-ferrite path determined by the entire network. No preyield microstrain preceded the upper yield point. After prestraining, the lowest stress at which dislocation movement could be detected was 104 psi; this frictional stress was independent of the dispersion and prestrains up to 6.5 pct. The Cottrell-Petch equation for grain-size strengthening was used to discuss the dispersion strengthening in this investigation. The results support an impurity mechanism for the upper yield point rather than one based on the Johns ton- Gilman theory. IT was pointed out by Gensamerl that the mean free path in the matrix is the important variable which controls the degree of dispersion strengthening. Gensamer's data on steels showed a linear relationship between the yield point and the logarithm of the mean free-ferrite path. The first theory was by Orowan,2 who suggested the mechanism of dislocations bowing between particles, with the resulting relationship that where a is the yield point, P is the distance between particles, and G is the shear modulus. The Orowan equation applies to that range of dispersion where P is large compared to the particle size and the particles are not coherent, so that the matrix is essentially free of internal stresses. As was pointed out by Orowan, there are different degrees of dispersion which, in turn, will influence the strength-controlling mechanism. However, in this investigation, we wish to confine ourselves to the region of coarse dispersion, where the Orowan mechanism should, intuitively, be applicable. It was soon evident that the data, which existed at about the time that the Orowan theory was proposed, did not agree with the Orowan equation in that the actual strengthening was always greater than the theoretical predictions. Thus, Fisher, Hart, and pry3 modified the Orowan theory by suggesting that the Orowan process took place in the microstrain region preceding macroscopic yielding and the subsequent, rapid work hardening in the form of residual dislocation loops around the particles largely determined the observed macroscopic yield point. The F-H-P theory stated that the increment of strengthening due to the work-hardening mechanism was proportional to f3/2 where f is the volume fraction of the precipitate. F-H-P used data by Shaw, Shepard, Starr, and Dorn4 on A1 3-5 pct Cu to support their theory. Roberts, Carruthers, and Averbach5 were the first to make a microstrain study of dispersion strengthening, and they found that for steel the Gensamer relationship was obeyed. Hayman and Nutting6 suggested that in the case of tempered steel 1) the ferrite grain boundary was the primary obstacle and 2) the carbide particles simply formed part of the grain boundary obstacles. They found that the strength varied as G"" where G is the ferrite grain size. Turkalo and LOW' determined the structure of quenched and tempered plain carbon steel using a replica technique; they concluded that the carbide particles did not necessarily lie in the ferrite grain boundaries. When they defined the mean free-ferrite path as being determined by both particles and the ferrite path boundaries, their data obeyed the Gensamer relationship. Meiklejohn and skoda8 showed that the strengthening from iron particles in mercury was a function of the particle size and the distance between particles. Dew-Hughes9 explained the Meiklejohn and Skoda results by the following theory: 1) grown-in dislocations which surrounded the particles were produced by the thermal stresses during the time the material was cooled to the testing temperature, and 2) the observed strengthening was associated with the cutting of the grown-in dislocations by the glide dislocations. Ansell and Lenel10 proposed a theory in which the glide dislocations pile-up or surround the particle until the number of dislocations in the pile-up is sufficient to yield or fracture the particle. The resulting theory says that the yield point varies as p-1/2, where P is the distance between particles. The Ansell-Lenel theory is almost identical to the

Jan 1, 1965

"The greatest mining center in the state of Utah is the incorporated town of Bingham about twenty-five miles southwest of Salt Lake City. The principal industry of this vicinity, prior to the early fall of 1 863, was lumbering and the first saw-mill in the state was built near the mouth of Bingham Canyon. Early in the fall of that year, George B. Ogilvie discovered gold and shortly afterward the first mining district in the state was organized. Some writers place the discovery of gold in the canyon in the late fifties. If this be so, however, the matter was kept extremely quiet because no mining was engaged in until after Ogilvie's discovery.Bingham was a placer mining camp, producing about one million dollars' worth of dust and nuggets from placers up and down the canyon and in Bear Gulch until early in the seventies, or about ten years after the discovery of gold, when a large body of argentiferous lead ore was discovered and soon after heavy shipments were made from a half dozen or more properties.In 1 8 74, A. H. and George L. Bemis erected the first concentrating plant in the state for the treatment of sulphide lead ores.The history of the camp as a producer of copper begins in the summer of 1 88 7, when Enos A. Wall noticed, in observing prospecting drifts and inclines driven some years before, the discoloration caused by the coppery solution. As a large part of the adjacent ground had been abandoned, he located two claims, which he called the ""Dick Mackintosh"" and the ""Charles Reid,"" after two of his friends.Late in 1896, the Highland Boy Mine produced sulphide ore rich in copper, causing a revival of interest in the copper potentialities of the camp, and during the next seven years a number of new claims were located ."

Jan 1, 1925

By Irwin H. Cornell

BRIEFLY stated, the history of the St. Joseph Lead Co. is the story of how a group of men, working for ten years as officers without salaries and stockholders without dividends, developed a small mine in Missouri into what became a large and prosperous corporation. Their courage and faith in the scattered surface deposits of lead coupled with the management's engineering vision and sound financial judgment should prove an inspiration to present-day mining operators and investors. In 1717, John Law's company, known as "The Company of the West," was formed in France and letters patent were granted, for a period of 25 years by Louis XV, for exploration in the Mississippi River Valley. One of the underlying purposes of the expedition, headed by Mr. Renault and Mr. La Motte, a French metallurgist, was development of the lead mines in the area now known as Southeast Missouri.

Jan 1, 1947

By G. F. Sager, B. J. Nelson

Magnesium alloy forgings offer higher and more uniform mechanical properties than heat treated magnesium alloy castings and are used principally for light weight parts that may be stressed in fatigue or subject to impact loads, or where space limitations do not permit the use of the necessarily bulkier magnesium alloy castings. Compositions and Properties of Magnesium Forging Alloys The nominal compositions and properties of the principal commercial magnesium forging alloys are given in Table 1. The two that are most commonly used are AMC58S and AM65S. The former has the highest strength and is, therefore, employed for heavy duty applications. However, the forging of this alloy and of AMC57S ordinarily requires the use of slow speed hydraulic presses. The forging alloy AM65S combines good, although somewhat lower, mechanical properties with excellent forging characteristics. This alloy can be forged on hammers, upsetters, rolls, and mechanical presses, as well as on hydraulic presses. These characteristics make it particularly useful for many applications. Manganese Segregation in AM65S The alloy AM65S contains 5 pct tin, 3 1/2 pct aluminum, and a small amount of manganese, the manganese being added to insure satisfactory resistance to corrosion. Some manganese segregation was occasionally encountered in this alloy. In many applications, such segregation is of no particular consequence, but when forgings are acid dipped prior to the application of various chemical coatings, the segregated particles of manganese constituent may stand in relief. The resultant surface roughening may impair appearance and is undesirable in forgings employed in the textile industry, where very smooth surfaces are essential to avoid the catching and breaking of fine threads. An effort was therefore made to determine the cause of manganese segregation in this alloy and find a method for its elimination. Radiographic examination of a series of cast ingot sections and extruded samples of the AM65S type having manganese contents ranging from zero to about 0.7 pct revealed no appreciable manganese segregation when the manganese was less than about 0.4 pct. A small amount was observed with a manganese content of 0.46 pct and considerable with manganese contents of 0.6 pct or higher. Attempts to eliminate the manganese segregation by variations in the melting and casting conditions were unsuccessful and it soon became apparent that the trouble was attributable to the fact that the manganese contents that caused segregation were in excess of the amounts that would remain in solution at temperatures encountered in the melting and/or casting operations prior to the complete solidification of the ingots. A knowledge of the amounts of manganese that would be soluble in molten alloys of the AM65S type at various temperatures was obviously desirable. The liquid solubilities of manganese in binary Mg-Mn alloys and in Mg-Al-Mn and Mg-Zn-Mn alloys have been determined by Tiner and others,* but no data on the solubility of manganese in molten magnesium alloys containing tin and aluminum are given in the literature. For this reason, an investigation to determine the solubility of manganese in a magnesium alloy containing 5 pct tin and 3.5 pct aluminum (AM65S type) was undertaken.

Jan 1, 1950

By L. L. Handy

The development of a theory for miscible liquid displacement requires evaluation of the variables which affect growth of the mixing zone between solvent and displaced oil. Factors which appear to be important are individual fluid viscosities, viscosity ratios, flood rate, fluid densities, flow characteristics of the porous medium and molecular diffusion coefficients of the fluid components. The primary purpose of this paper is to evaluate diffusion effects. Theoretical treatments to date have been limited to floods for which the viscosity ratio is one. Two principal theories have been proposed. Von Rosenberg adapted for porous media a theory derived for capillary tubes by G. Taylor.' ,' In this theory molecular diffusion perpendicular to the direction of flow is a primary factor in sharpening the flood front. Slow floods give sharper fronts for a given distance traveled than fast floods. An alternative theory considers miscible liquid displacement as a statistical problem.3,4,5 Diffusion is not an important factor in this theory, but it leads to the same general type of equation as von Rosenberg's. Both theories predict S-shaped concentration profiles with the same dependence on distance traveled. The statistical or "dispersion" theory predicts rate independence, however. To supplement rate studies a direct measurement of a diffusion effect would be helpful in evaluating which of the two proposed mechanisms best describes miscible liquid displacement for one-to-one viscosity ratio systems. No quantitative theory has been proposed for floods in which a low-viscosity fluid displaces a high-viscosity fluid. It might be anticipated, however, that the extensive fingering observed in floods with adverse viscosity ratios would increase opportunities for an exchange of components between displaced and displacing liquids by a diffusional process. Even if molecular diffusion were not an important mixing mechanism for one-to-one viscosity ratio systems, it could be significant in systems with adverse viscosity ratios. METHOD FOR EVALUATING DIFFUSIONAL MIXING In solvent flooding the displacing liquid can become mixed with the displaced liquid by a number of processes; in general, either mechanical or diffusional in character. To evaluate the contribution of diffusion, a method was sought that would distinguish diffusional mixing from mechanical mixing. Suppose two soluble tracers are added to the displacing liquid and that one tracer has a diffusion coefficient much greater than the other. Then, if diffusion is important during miscible liquid displacement and if diffusional transport is primarily transverse to the direction of flow, substances with high diffusion coefficients will have sharper concentration profiles than those with comparatively low molecular diffusion coefficients. In order to have material balance the profiles for the two tracers must intersect. For one-to-one viscosity ratios the intersection would occur at the 50 per cent concentration point. It is generally assumed that diffusion in the direction of flow is negligible. This assumption appears reasonable because flow velocities are ordinarily orders of magnitude greater than diffusional velocities. If this is not a valid assumption, however, the shapes of the fronts will be further degraded by longitudinal diffusion. The effects of rate and molecular diffusion coefficients are the opposite for longitudinal diffusion to those for lateral diffusion. Higher rates or lower diffusion coefficients would tend to give sharper fronts. The double tracer method offers several unique advantages in evaluating effect of molecular diffusion. First, the method gives a direct measure of the effect of diffusion on mixing zone size. Second, the effect of a difference in diffusion coefficients is determined from a single experiment. Comparison of several experiments at different rates is not required. Third, the method is applicable for any viscosity ratio. Fourth, the method is unaffected by density differences between the two fluids which might result in rate dependent gravity effects. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Suitable tracers are substances whose diffusion coefficients differ as widely as possible, but whose adsorptions on rock surfaces is negligible. The two tracers selected were methanol and sucrose in water solutions. The approximate diffusion coefficients for methanol and sucrose, as given in the International Critical Tables, are 1.3 X 10-5 and 0.3 X 10-5 m2/sec, respectively. Concentrations in the water solutions were 200 gm/liter of solution for both methanol and sucrose. These high

By W. C. Lilliendahl, G. Meister

Uranium metal with a purity of about 99.9 pct was produced on a large scale by fused salt electrolysis with a material efficiency of about 90 pct. The material efficiency depends mainly on bath composition, electrolysis temperature, electrode smothering, and elutriation during washing of the powder. RESEARCH and development work on fused salt electrolysis carried on by the Westinghouse Lamp Div. Bloomfield, N. J., was done under the Manhattan District Corps of Engineers and later under the Atomic Energy Commission for the commercialization of uranium production for the first atomic pile at the University of Chicago in 1942. From the conception of the atomic bomb project it was recognized that metals with impurity levels having little metallurgical significance would be required. Permissible impurity levels were based on neutron absorption. Of particular significance was boron, which could not be present in amounts exceeding 1 ppm. The electrolytic method as developed in 1930 by Driggs and Lilliendahl,1,2 and later improved, yielded uranium of very low boron and other deleterious impurity content. No other method was capable at that time of producing uranium metal of the required purity.' The low boron content of uranium produced by the electrolytic process resulted from the availability of the reactants which were low in boron content, and from the inherent elimination of boron in the fused salt bath. Since the heart of any electrolytic process is the electrolysis cell, this paper will deal with the development of the original bath composition for the efficient production of uranium from a batch process to one of continuous operation. Emphasis also will be placed on other factors which will affect the material efficiency of the process. With the laboratory cell the material efficiency of uranium powder recovery in the early electrolysis was relatively low, about 35 pct based on the ratio of uranium recovered to uranium added. This early process also had other defects. The electro- lytic bath could not be used continuously. After three runs from a freshly charged crucible, the deposit showed a tendency to slip off the electrode as it was raised from the bath. This condition necessitated pouring the charge every fourth run and preparing a new bath. It was assumed at that time that this condition was caused by the increasing fluoride concentration with each addition of uranium salt, which adected the mobility of the uranium ions. Experimental The electrolysis cells differed in size only. They were of the floating cathode type. The laboratory cells were 21/2 in. ID and 6 in. deep and operated at 30 amp and 5 volts. Production was about 150 g metal powder per 8 hr. The plant cells (5 units) were 9 in. ID x 21 in. deep and operated at 1800 amp at 12 volts. The total production unit was designed to produce 250 lb of uranium powder per 8 hr day. Because of the tendency of uranium fines toward spontaneous combustion, material efficiencies were based only on the recovery of useful coarser metal which could be safely handled. The reported efficiencies are of particular significance only as related to the same group of experimental procedures. At the start of the project no changes were contemplated until previous data could be definitely confirmed. Therefore, the first experiments were with the 50 pct CaCl2-50 pct NaCl mixture. The material efficiency of uranium deposition as a function of the number of electrolyses is shown in Table I. In Table I, the decrease in efficiency at 800°C with number of runs is apparent and confirmed the earlier data. Operating at 900°C enabled the number of runs to be doubled, but before pouring the charge the efficiency of recovery became poor. This test indicated that the improved efficiency might have been caused by an increase in the fluidity of the bath.

Jan 1, 1958

By C. David Mann

Metal prices continued to improve in 1964, resulting in the opening of new mines and re- activation of old ones. Larger and deeper shafts are being bored. At the AEC's Nevada Test Site, a 72-in. diam shaft is being bored to 3200 ft. In New Mexico a 1650-ft shaft was bored with a 48-in. bit, then reamed to 124 in. to 935 ft, and 102 in. to 1650 ft. Deviation was only 26 in. In California a shaft sinking machine has been developed which combines drilling and mucking equipment into one mobile, integral unit.

Jan 2, 1965

By Burk, Hugh A.

AT THE inception of the cyanide process and its adaptation to the practice of gold and silver metallurgy much difficulty was experienced in applying it to auro-cupriferous ores, both in economy of treatment and recovery of the gold from solution. The presence of copper in the ore effected a high chemical consumption of cyanide during treatment, and in the solvent solution, it retarded the precipitation of the gold on zinc shavings. The coating of the copper on the zinc shavings presented even worse difficulties than the increased cyanide consumption as most ores contain a small amount of copper. This interference of copper led to the use of other precipitating methods and attempts to recover the cyanide which was consumed during ore treatment. Of the other methods used, electrolytic precipitation was the most practical until a better understanding of the application of zinc shavings and zinc dust developed. In September, 1905, a patent entitled, "Method for Recovering Precious Metals from Solution," was granted to Isaac Anderson and Michael Scanton. This method is adaptable to precious metal ores containing a small percentage of copper but has never been extensively used or perfected. The process has

Jan 1, 1925

"Located at Canyon Ferry on the Missouri River, 17 miles from Helena and 63 miles from Butte. River drainage area 15,570 sq. miles. Built in 1898.DAM: Rock-filled, wooden crib, 490' long and 39' feet at maximum head; also masonry core, earth bulk-head 300' long and granite masonry abutments.SPILLWAY: 473' long, crest elevation 3660.5; steel flashboard system 10' high.PENSTOCKS: 10 main penstocks, 12' diam., about 40' long, leading from canal to turbines, each supplying 1 pair turbines.WHEELS: 4 main center discharge, horizontal units, each 1 pr. of 42"" wheels made by Dayton Globe Iron Works, and 6 main units, each 1 pr. of 45"" wheels made by S. Morgan Smith Co., all 157 r. p. m., normal head 34', and direct coupled to generators.GENERATORS: 10 W. E. & M. Co., Kodak Type, revolving armature, 750 k-w., 157 r. p. m., 550 v., 3 phase, 60 cycle alternators.OPERATION: The plant has large water storage and can carry peak loads to 12,000 h-p. It is the central control station for the system."

Jan 1, 1913

By J. C. Bokros

At temperatures above 950°F, zirconium which has been strained a critical amount will experience critical recrystalli-zation. The large grain size thus formed can result in a reduction in the fatigue life by a factor of 2 to a factor of 9 at both high and low temperatures. The critical strains for zirconium vary from 15 pct at 900°F to about 2 pct at 1125°F, while those for zircaloy III vary from 15 pct at 1050°F to 5 pct at 1200°F. Zircaloy II ,experiences no critical recrystallization up to 1200°F. ZIRCONIUM has become increasingly important for nuclear applications and is being employed in reactors at temperatures where recrystallization can occur. Recent work' on the fatigue properties of zirconium has shown that coarse-grained structures developed in zirconium during recrystallization have much lower fatigue lives than fine-grained material. The development of these large grain sizes under such conditions is well known to be the result of critical recrystallization.2-4 Briefly, critical recrystallization occurs when a metal is strained a critical amount and annealed in the recrystallization range. The critical strain is defined as that minimum strain necessary to promote nucleation in the time unit and temperature considered. The maximum grain size occurs at the critical strain, since at this strain the fewest stable nuclei per unit volume grow into new grains. Recrystallization is not evident below this; strain since the nucleation rate is vanishingly lolw, and metal strained more than the critical amount has a higher nucleation rate per unit volume which results in a finer grained structure. This paper describes the critical recrystallization observed in reactor-grade zirconium, zircaloy 11, and zircaloy I11 as a function of annealing temperature and temperature of strain. EXPERIMENTAL The zirconium used was hafnium-free, double arc-melted sponge obtained from the Bureau of Mines. The ingots were forged and hot reduced to 0.08 to 0.10-in. sheet and subsequently cold reduced to 0.035-in. sheet with intermediate and final anneals at 1200 OF for 15 min. The zircaloy II and zircaloy III used were 0.035-in. sheets in the annealed condition. Compositions of these materials as tested are given in Table I. To determine the critical strain at a given temperature, tensile specimens having a0.065-in. taper in a 2-in. gage length were machined from the sheets parallel to the rolling direction. The specimens were polished, etched, and examined metallographically to ensure that all of them were strain-free, initially. Tukon indentations were made every half millimeter along the gage length of each specimen. These served as fiducial marks enabling the plastic strain to be measured with a microscope and micrometer stage. The specimens were pulled to failure at a rate of 0.002 in. per min in an Instron tensile-testing machine. Three temperatures were used for straining: room temperature, 500 ºF, and 900 ºF. The 500º and 900 ºF tests were run in an argon atmosphere. Since the rate of work hardening changes with temperature, a different critical strain was obtained for each temperature of strain. Specimens, prepared in the manner described, were annealed in vacuunl at various temperatures ranging from 900" to 1200 F for up to 1000 hr, after which they were examined metallographically. The critical strain and the recrystallized grain size as a function of strain were determined for each specimen. Results for the same temperature and time indicated that the critical strain measured was reproducible to within 5 pct of each other. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Since increasing the time of anneal increases the probability of the nucleation of a new grain, the critical strain decreases with time at a decreasing

Jan 1, 1961

By D. W. Fuerstenau

Measurement of zeta potentials is a useful tool to study the surface chemistry of minerals under flotation conditions. Because there is continued interest in this approach, the apparatus for obtaining zeta potentials of nonconducting solids by the streaming potential method is outlined here. Fig. 1 illustrates the streaming potential apparatus. The streaming potential cell or plug consists of two 24/40 standard ground joints (4) joined with a piece of pyrex tubing 60 mm long and 12 mm in diam (5). The electrodes are made of bright platinum disks 19 mm in diam and 1 mm thick through which 0.5-mm holes have been drilled (6). To the surface of each is welded a piece of 80-mesh platinum gauze. Each electrode is permanently mounted on the ends of the inner parts of the two standard joints by means of a platinum wire (7) which connects it to the tungsten seal at the end of the cell (8). For ease in cleaning and handling the apparatus, the streaming cell is fastened to the 500-ml reservoir flasks (1) by means of two 18/9 ball and socket joints (2). This particular arrangement permits passage of the solution in either direction through the plug of particles. Flow of solution can be stopped by a stopcock (3). One of the reservoir flasks has a large opening to permit insertion of either a thermometer or a pair of electrodes for measuring pH of solutions within the system. In making the experiments, the plug is filled with 48 to 65-mesh particles, but a layer of 28 to 35-mesh particles is placed at each electrode to prevent any of the finer particles from passing through holes in the electrodes.

Aug 1, 1956

By Kenneth M. Ritchie

Mineral wool is a term applied to man-made fibers of silicate glass with useful properties resulting from their fibrous nature. In contrast with crystalline fibrous minerals such as asbestos, mineral wool fibers are amorphous, solid filaments produced by drawing from molten liquid and subsequent cooling. Chemically they are silicate glass with varying percentages of metallic oxides, especially those of aluminum, calcium, magnesium, iron, and in glass wool, sodium, potassium and boron. Other elements such as manganese, titanium, sulfur, etc., result from their presence in the raw materials used and are not purposely added. In the United States, mineral wool is a generic term and may be applied to rock, slag or glass wool. In Europe, glass silk and silicate cotton are products in the same category, but the term mineral wool is less commonly used. Current usage is to ignore the actual source and to differentiate products on a composition basis; thus rock and slag wools have about 35-45 pct of silica, while glass wool has 54 to 60 pct. Much mineral wool of slag origin is called "rock wool," and this practice is increasing, although wool made of slag from lead or copper refining is often referred to as "lead slag wool." Its greenish-gray to greenish-black dark color, due to 5-25 pct Fe (reported as FeO), distinguishes it from "white" wools made from iron, blast furnace slag containing only 1-2 pct FeO or Fe203. Most mineral wool is used for thermal insulation against heat and cold; sound absorption and isolation are probably the next most important uses. Both its thermal and acoustic values result primarily from the physical structure of the heterogeneous mixture of fibers and air which is the form in which the fibers are first obtained and handled. For this reason, within fairly wide limits, differences in chemical composition are relatively unimportant, and for most conventional applications all types are competitive in properties and value. Mineral wool intended for extreme conditions of high temperature, acid resistance and special purposes must have a chemical composition which will insure the desired properties. This may differ greatly from that of ordinary wools; for example one product approximately 98 pct Si02 and another consisting of 50 pct A1203 and 50 pct Si02 are produced and sold for high temperature service up to 2000°F or more. These are considerably more expensive to manufacture and their cost limits their use. Historical The manufacture of mineral wool consists fundamentally of a process which subjects molten material to shear and/or tensile forces that draw them into fibers. The liquids are cooled at a rate which solidifies them quickly. As a solid glass they are technically super-cooled liquids since they have no true melting point. The drawing out of glass into thin rods, filaments and tubes was known from very early times, and present day continuous production of glass filament for textiles was evolved gradually by adapting hand methods to automatic machinery. Rock and slag wool manufacture had a somewhat different development. Early explorers reported finding filamentous material

Jan 1, 1960

By D. B. Crouch, D. A. Poulter

The engineering and metallurgical assessment of the McLaughlin Project ore body concluded that an open-pit mine and cyanide leach mill process would be feasible, producing both waste rock and residual mill tailings. As a part of the planning and permitting process, site selection studies were conducted for the tailings and waste rock disposal. The site selection process began with a regional identification of potential disposal sites and proceeded through 1) regional screening, 2) elimination of sites with obvious fatal flaws, 3) qualitative ranking of site evaluation criteria, 4) quantitative ranking of sites, 5) field investigation, 6) evaluations of field data, and 7) selection of preferred sites. Based on this approach of site rankings and field evaluations, tailings and waste rock disposal sites were selected and recommended for the preliminary design phase of the permitting and project development process. The site selection study provided the documentation necessary to justify the use of these sites for waste disposal and enabled Homestake Mining Co. to anticipate and integrate environmental concerns with agency requirements into the planning process.

Jan 1, 1986

By Boris J. Kochanowsky, Burke O. Trafton

Because of the strict requirements on the quality of limestone that are dictated by the users, the operator was compelled to find new approaches to produce a product of uniform and acceptable quality. The raw material is controlled and monitored every two minutes by a special computer in order to ensure its quality. The required minimum and maximum quality constraint had an adverse effect on performance and consequently cost. In order to improve this performance, a Monte Carlo simulation model was developed and tested for the optimal truck allocation. The input data is based upon the distribution of equipment performances and costs.

Jan 1, 1969

By Gerard C. Gambs

The electric utility industry is the largest customer of the U.S. coal industry, consuming nearly 50% of present coal production. By 1980, the electric utilities are expected to burn over 500 million tpy of coal or 75% of total coal production. When coal is burned in electric utility plants, ash is produced in one of several forms. These include fly ash, bottom ash and bottom slag. At the present time, approximately 20 million tons of these ashes are produced and must be disposed of by the utilities at a cost of 50[c] to $2 per ton. In 15 years, more than double this quantity will be produced. Only a small quantity of this ash is put to any practical use. Much remains to be done about expanding uses for fly ash and bottom slag.

Jan 1, 1967

By G. B. WATERHOUSE

THE year 1929 was exceedingly busy and prosperous for the iron and steel industry in the United States. The lake shipments of ore were approximately 65,000,000 tons, steel ingots produced were about 57,000,000 tons. Plants were very active. operating for many months well over their rated capacity, slowing down during the last quarter following the severe break in the stock market. The ore tonnage mentioned above was the greatest ever shipped by lake from the Lake Superior region. The trend at the ore mines has been to supplement manual labor by mechanical appliances as much as possible. Mining methods have been greatly improved along the lines of safety as well as to increase the percentage of ore recovery. Crushing and grading of iron ores continued to gain in popularity inasmuch as remarkable blast-furnace operations and records were obtained with sizing and uniformity of raw materials. Progress was made along other lines. The Bradley process for the separation of manganese osicle and iron oside from siliceous manganiferous iron ore was cleuelopecl; also considerable work was clone on a process for the beneficiation of the Cuban laterite ores. Sintering of ores and concentrates increased in popularity. A new analytical method for the deter- mination of sulfur in iron ore was worked out which reduced the time required appreciably. The ore re- serves of the Lake Superior district continued to receive considerable attention and played an important part in the recent mergers which have taken place in the iron ancl steel industry.

Jan 1, 1930

By R. P. Thomas

Secondary fertilizer minerals are the mineral materials used to supply directly and indirectly the secondary and trace plant food nutrient needs of a fertilizer. Since few soils contain sufficient availability of all plant nutrients for their proper growth, man has prepared mixtures of plant food materials to correct these nutrient deficiencies. These mixtures or fertilizers, when added correctly to a soil, make it possible for abundant and economic crop growth. Many kinds of materials are used as sources of these needed nutrients. They come from natural and synthetic materials and minerals including many beneficiated byproduct compounds. A fertilizer consists largely of carriers of one or more of the three major plant foods, namely nitrogen (N), phosphorus-phosphorus pentoxide (P2O5) and potassium-potash (K2O). Many other nutrients are just as essential for plant growth as the three major plant foods. In fact, the efficient use of fertilizers today depends upon an adequate supply of all these other nutrients. Since these additional materials are usually removed from the soil by plants and supplied in fertilizer in less quantities than the major nutrients, they are called secondary and minor nutrients. In the early days these special nutrients were contained as impurities in the primary nutrient carriers. Today, fertilizers are made primarily from concentrated and synthetic materials which carry very few of these other essential nutrients. Consequently, many secondary and trace nutrient carriers, as salts, byproduct compounds and even minerals have to be added to fertilizers. Secondary Nutrient Carriers The secondary plant foods in fertilizer are next to the major nutrients in abundance. They are calcium, magnesium, sulfur, chlorine, silicon and sodium. Although many of these elements are added to a fertilizer as part of the major nutrient carriers, they are also added in special carriers. The large tonnage of these secondary nutrient carriers used in fertilizers represents only a small percentage of the total production of these materials. A fertilizer producer thinks in terms of materials which supply nutrients instead of minerals. Therefore, these materials will be discussed by elements. CALCIUM Soils need calcium to supply the nutrient needs of plants and maintain the desired physical and biological conditions in the soil. The available calcium is usually 40 to 80 pct of the exchangeable bases. (These bases are ones which can be displaced by other cations and determined quantitatively. They are then expressed as milliequivalents per hundred grams of soil-me.) Direct applications of lime materials such as burnt, ground or hydrated limes are the important sources of calcium for the soil. Most crops, especially legumes, have a high requirement for calcium. The average farmer does not use enough lime to maintain the proper level of available calcium. Hence, it is necessary for many fertilizers to contain soluble calcium materials for efficient use of the major nutrients. The following major nutrient carriers supply some calcium: calcium nitrate, ammonium nitrate mixtures and cyanamid, and many of the phosphates. Both synthetic and natural gypsum are used in fertilizer production. Some crops such as peanuts require a large amount of soluble calcium. Gypsum is the important supplier of this soluble calcium. It is not applied with the fertilizer

Jan 1, 1960

By William E. Greenawalt

IN these days of special legislation for the benefit of various industries one might well consider one branch of human endeavor intimately associated with engineering-that of patents and patent litigation. It is estimated that 85 per cent of all industries in the United States are based directly or indirectly on patents. Most inventors are engineers, and most patent litigation pertains to the engineering industries. It is fitting, therefore, that engineers should be vitally interested in discussing patent affairs, particularly as inventors are not a professional group, and invention is mostly a transitory phase incident to the development of specific industrial problems.

Jan 1, 1937

By H. J. Ramey, I. S. Bousaid

Experimental results on the oxidation reaction kinetics in the forward combustion oil recovery process are presented. A total of 48 runs were made wherein a stationary thin layer of coked, unconsoli-dated sand was burned isothermally in a combustion cell. Individual runs were made at various temperature levels to permit determination of the effect of temperature upon the reaction. An expression was obtained for the burning rate of carbon as a function of carbon concentration, combustion temperature and oxygen partial pressure. The carbon burning rate for two types of crude oil indicated a first order reaction with respect to both carbon concentration and oxygen partial pressure. The effect of combustion temperature on the reaction rate constant matched the Arrhenius equation. The activation energy was similar for the two crude oils examined. The activation energy decreased for a porous media containing clay. The rate of oxidation of crude oil at reservoir temperature was found to be significant. Other significant findings included information on hydrogen-carbon content of fuel residues, fuel reactivity and the products of combustion. INTRODUCTION The production of crude oil by underground combustion has been studied in the laboratory by many investigators.1-5 Results of laboratory and field experiments have been reported in the literature describing the forward combustion process. But as yet, no qualitative or quantitative study of the kinetics of fuel combustion involved in this process has been reported. The fuel concentration and the rate at which fuel is burned at the front are important factors governing the air requirement in a forward combustion operation. Although the fuel is essentially unrecoverable crude, the air required to burn the fuel is an important economic factor in this process. Because fuel is burned, the heat transport associated with forward combustion is a key and unique feature of this new oil recovery method. Many investiga-tors5-9 have presented information on the heat transmission and fluid mechanics involved in forward combustion. Berry and Parrish10 demonstrated the utility of considering reaction kinetics in reverse burning. From differential thermal analysis, Tadema11 presented a qualitative discussion of the nature of reactions between oil and oxygen in combustion oil recovery. Although little quantitative work has been done on the reaction kinetics involved in forward combustion oil recovery, an extensive literature does exist on combustion of carbons and oils, and carbonaceous residues from cracking catalyst pellets. Dart, et al., 12 studied the combustion rate for oxidation of carbonaceous residues on clay catalyst pellets, and found the reaction to be second-order with respect to carbon concentration, and first-order with respect to oxygen partial pressure for carbon concentrations less than 2 weight percent of the catalyst weight. The reaction appeared to be first-order with respect to carbon concentration for concentrations greater than 2 percent. Metcalfe13 noted that other workers had found that aging of the fuel during the combustion process was responsible for changing coke properties, and it accounted for the apparent second-order carbon concentration effect found by Dart, et al. It appears that burning of residues from cracking pellets is first-order with respect to both carbon concentration and oxygen partial pressure. Dart, et al., also observed that hydrogen in the hydrocarbon residue appeared to react faster than the carbon. Lewis, et al.,14 studied oxidation of charcoal, coke and graphite in a fluidized bed. Gas velocities were high enough to partially lift and circulate the carbon particles. Their results indicated first-order reaction dependency with respect to both carbon concentration and oxygen partial pressure. One

Jan 1, 1969

By Albert Sauveur

Jan 1, 1924