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By Gerhard Derge

The rapidity of oxygen steelmaking has created renewed interesl in the mechanisms and kinetics of the various processes involved. These studies can now be approached with increased confidence because of the more adequate thermodynamics, physical chernislry, and relevant engineering infornzation available. These combine to offer promise of useful control and automation if the details of each specific problem can be sufficiently well-defined. The hot filament microscope provides new insig-hi into many of these problems by direct observation at temperature, allowing the appraisal of the relative importance of thermal gradients, convection, and intermediate phases. All of these have a direct bearing on the overall rates and control of most pyrometallurgical processes. It is one of the special privileges of the Howe Lecturer to become better acquainted with this distinguished man. All of us interested in the metallurgy of iron and steel have developed some sense of his widespread influence by the annual reference to his work in these Memorial Lectures. Each lecturer since 1923 has been able to identify his personal specialty with the broad interests of Professor Howe. This has become even more rewarding with the background information from Professor Gensamer's monograph, "Henry Marion Howe's Contributions to Metallurgy, which brings out his happy combination of intellectual and professional activities. Beyond this, I found my personal bond with Professor Howe in his book on The Metallurgy of Sleel first published in 1891.' After a detailed discussion of the dephosphorizing action of slags, he relates the mineral species identified in the frozen sample to the chemistry of the fused slag with the question, "Is it not most philosophic to hold that these independent entities were wholly integrated in the initial magma; that their presence in it was wholly

Jan 1, 1968

By W. T. Turrall, M. J. Cook

A discussion of modern developments in beneficiation of fine sizes of anthracite, this paper includes a description of the plant flowsheet, an analysis of operating results, and a summary of fundamentals of mineral separation relative to plant operation.

Jan 9, 1953

By Ernst A. Hauser

A few years ago an Indian native of British Columbia drew the attention of white men,' to a deposit of a claylike material on King Island, at the mouth of Dean River just opposite Hunter Island in the Pacific Ocean (Fig 1 ) . The native claimed that this natural product, which is found not in solid form but either as a paste or as a thick, viscous liquid, exhibited exceptional healing properties not only for various types of skin irritation but also for internal ailments. He pointed out that the natives had been using this material very successfully for generations. Since then, systematic surveys have revealed that the deposit, covered by a humus layer of varying thickness, is far more extensive than had originally been assumed. The product as mined today is of puttylike consistency and of greenish color. If exposed to air it dries rapidly, forming a slightly gray, rather brittle product, which does not permit redispersion to its original consistency. When the natural product is rubbed on the skin, however, the presence of coarse, sandy material is revealed.

Jan 1, 1952

By Robert Glass Cleland

UPON the death of its founder, Phelps, Dodge & Co. entered upon a new chapter in its long and varied history. Thereafter, for nearly a decade, William E. Dodge largely determined and executed the policies of the company. The old firm, dissolved automatically by Phelps's death, was succeeded by a new partnership consisting of Anson G. Phelps, Jr., William E. Dodge, Daniel James, James Stokes, William E. Dodge, Jr., and D. Willis James, one of the three sons of Daniel James. Each of the first three partners owned a twenty-five-per-cent interest in the company, Stokes had a fifteen-per-cent interest, and the two younger partners each held five per cent. The new company bought Anson Phelps's holdings in the old firm from Olivia Phelps, his widow and executrix, for approximately seven hundred thousand dollars; but the new partnership, designed by agreement to last the usual five-year period, was brought to an end shortly before that time by the death of the younger Anson Phelps from small- pox. Perhaps because of poor health, the son had never been as deeply concerned with business as his father, but found

Jan 1, 1952

By G. Abowitz, R. B. Gordon

The velocity of sound, mass density, and thermal expansion coefficient were measured in dilute lead, tin, zinc, bismuth, cadmium, indium, and potassium amalgams as a function of composition. Measurements in the Hg-TI system extended ovev the wider range of composition, 0 to 40 at. pct TI. The sonic velocity was measured as a function of temperature. The calculuted adiabatic compressibility in all cases was found to decrease much more rapidly than would be expected on the basis of a linear variation with composition. An interpretation of the results is given in terms of changes in the Debye characteris -tic temperature of mercury on alloying and a possible change in the bonding of mercury itself. If a liquid is considered as an isotropic elastic medium, the phase velocity of a longitudinal elastic wave traveling in the liquid is given by where K is the bulk modulus, G the shear modulus, and d the mass density. G can be neglected for liquids of ordinary viscosity, i.e., approximately 1CT2 poise, because the shear stress component is relaxed essentially at once. That is, for liquids of ordinary viscosity and at frequencies of the applied stress up to several hundred megacycles, the relaxation time of the shearing process is much shorter than the period of the applied stress. Eq. [I] then reduces to The adiabatic rather than the isothermal compressibility is measured at the megacycle frequencies used in ordinary ultrasonic velocity measurements. The sonic velocity and compressibility have been determined for many organic liquids and aqueous eletroltes,' and the results have been interpreted in terms of existing theories for these fluids. The velocity of sound and compressibility are important parameters in theories of the liquid state. For example, equations of state have been proposed relating the free volume of liquids to the acoustic velocity.3 Comparatively very little work has been done on the acoustic properties of liquid metals and alloys. leppa,' orddon, and several other investigators

Jan 1, 1963

By Joseph Singewald

INTRODUCTION FOR a number of years Russia, India and Brazil have outranked .all other countries as producers of manganese ores. During the 5 years immediately preceding the European war, the average annual production of Russia was 844,000, of India 694,000 and of Brazil 200,000 long tons. Since the outbreak of the war there has been a considerable falling off in the Russian and Indian production, particularly in the former, whereas the production of Brazilian ores has been greatly increased, amounting in 1914 to over 250,000 tons and in 1915 to nearly 350,000, with conditions favorable for a still larger production in 1916. Manganese is one of the few industrially important metals that are not produced in the United States in quantity commensurate with our needs, so that we have been compelled to import annually about 300,000 tons, having a value of over $2,000,000, and these ores have been obtained from the three countries mentioned above. Their rank as contributors to our imports of manganese ores was India, Russia, Brazil; and in 1913, Brazil contributed only one-fifth. During the past 2 years Brazil has furnished rapidly increasing quantities to this country, and, with the falling off of imports from India and Russia, has become our principal foreign source. In 1914, Brazil furnished two-fifths of the imports and more than India or Russia, and in 1915 over nine-tenths. The manganese ores of Brazil are consequently of more than usual interest to us at this time.

Jan 10, 1916

By E. P. Pfleider, Rolland L. Blake

IT is generally believed that the amount of diamond drilling will increase appreciably in the next decade, as the seaarch for minerals throughout the world becomes more difficult and intense. An attendant problem may be one of short diamond supply, resulting in higher bit and drilling cost. With this background, the U. S. Bureau of Mines' and the School of Mines at the University of Minnesota' have established comprehensive research programs in diamond drilling. One of the several aims is the design of a more efficient bit, which would lower diamond consumption and increase rate of advance, both essential in reducing drilling costs. The objective of the specific research problem" discussed in this paper was an investigation of the cutting action of the cliamonds set in a diamond drill bit, cutting action meaning the manner in which the diamonds cut or. loosen the minerals in the rocks being drilled. In the literature on cutting action such descriptive terms are used .as: grinding, wearing, cutting, breaking, shearing, scraping, melting, and chipping. These actions were seldom described or defined. Grodzinski describes the cutting action of a single diamond in the shaping of certain types of material as "breaking out chips of the material." Brittle mate-. rials break as small separate chips, and tough materials, because of heat generated, give a continuous chip. Deeby said about diamond drills: "When diamonds are forced into the formation and rotated, they either break the bond holding the rock particles together, or they cause conchoidal fracture of the rock itself. The former action occurs when drilling in sandstones, siltstones, shales, etc. and the latter action when drilling in chert, flint, or quartz." He said that diamonds cut on the "grinding principle" but he does not define or elaborate on this action. The cutting action of diamonds on glass was first investigated about 1816 by Dr. W. H. Wol-laston, an English physicist. The best glass-cutting diamonds have a natural or artificially rounded cutting edge. This edge first indents the glass and then slightly separates the particles, forming a shallow and nearly invisible fissure. Since none of the material is removed, this action is one of splitting rather than cutting. No other reports of research work on the cutting action of the diamond were found, and further work was considered justified and advisable. It is impractical, even if possible, to observe directly the cutting action of a diamond drill bit in rock; therefore it was necessary to devise an indirect method. It was believed that a study of the following three observations would lead to a better understanding of the cutting action: 1—the appearance of the minerals or rock surface in the bottom of the hole, 2—the size, shape, and other characteristics of the drill cuttings, and 3—the condition of the diamonds in the bit. The cutting action in a particular rock probably varies with bit pressure and speed. If the bit were slowly lifted off the rock, the effect of decreasing pressure might obliterate those bottom hole characteristics that are specific at the test pressure. Likewise, if the drill were stopped with the bit still in contact with the bottom of the hole, then decreasing speed effects would tend to obliterate the characteristics at the set test conditions. Therefore, in order to preserve those cutting effects impressed on the rock at test conditions, it seemed necessary to lift the bit off the bottom of the hole almost instantaneously once drilling conditions, i.e., revolutions per minute, pressure, and water flow became constant. In addition to observing the cuttings, the bit, and the bottom of hole, it seemed desirable to collect some quantitative data for purposes of correlation with the observations and for a record of bit performance. Consequently such data as revolutions per minute, force applied, and rate of advance of the bit were recorded. Six rock types, listed in Table I, were chosen for the tests. It was felt that these rocks had most of the variable characteristics of texture, bonding, and mineral hardness met in the common rocks generally being drilled. The sandstone was so poorly cemented as to be friable, even though most of the cement was silica. The limestone, though well cemented, was quite porous. Originally it was planned to conduct the tesk work with a full-scale drill unit, using EX bits, 7/8-in. core, 11/4-in. OD. The drill worked well, but was too cumbersome for rapid, accurate drilling of many short holes (1 ½-in.) in varied rock types. A new

Jan 1, 1954

By Adrian C. Dorenfeld

Factorial design is a mathematical method of drawing valid conclusions from a series of tests made in a predetermined pattern. It is applied to flotation ore testing using, in this case, five variables, each varied twice, requiring a total of 32 tests. Representative conclusions are checked by repeat testing.

Jan 12, 1951

By E. P., Mathewson

THE most important improvements in copper metallurgy today are the advances in the art of leaching and electrical precipitation of copper from solution; the development of flotation processes; improvements in crushing and pulverizing machinery; the enlarged units of both reverberatory and .blast furnaces, together with the application of pulverized coal to both styles .of furnaces; the enlargement of' units for converting copper and the improving of the mechanical design of converter shells and equipment; the electrical precipitation of flue dust and fume from escaping gases.

Jan 1, 1921

By FREDERICK LAISY

A NUMBER of new plants for the treatment of copper ores were completed or under construction during the year. Among these may be mentioned the plants of the International Nickel Co., those of the Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Co. and of the Roan Antelope Copper Co. Three copper re- fineries have been constructed, one at El Paso, Tex., and the other two in Canada. Two more are projected, one in France and one in England. The International Nickel Co.'s plant consists of an 8000-ton concentrator and a smelting plant containing thirty 10-hearth Herreshoff roasting furnaces, five reverberatory furnaces, and eight Smith-Pierce converter5 . The smelting plant is estimated to have a capacity of 5000 tons of ore or concentrate per day. The roasters are superimposed on the reverbratory furnace plant. As a consequence of this arrangement, the furnace building is unusually high. being 183 ft. from yard level to highest roof elevation.

Jan 1, 1931

By J. B. NEALEY

THE common method of shale mining, drilling, shooting and steam-shovel loading, is fast giving place to a comparatively new method which is purely mechanical. This machine is known as the shale planer and takes a cut from a very large face, 50 ft. or more in height. As shale deposits are usually stratified, the quality varying with the stratification, a very uniform product is obtained with this planer, for its "cut" is across the entire face, vertically. This planer was designed and built some 15 years ago by J. M. Powell, president of the Indiana Drain Tile Co., Brooklyn, Ind. Unevenness in mixing the material from the different layers in the shale deposit of this company was causing considerable fluctuation in the firing- shrinkage and color of the ware produced, thus lowering the quality. Some method of maintaining a uniform proportion was vital and this planer was therefore devised. Its capacity was approximately 175 tons daily: cut, mixed and loaded.

Jan 1, 1929

By G. S. Anderson

PRIOR to 1912 the only rail outlets for a large part of the coal regions of Carbon and Emery Counties. Utah, were over single-track lines of the Southern Utah R.R. and Castle Valley Ry. Companies, forming a route extending from Mohrland and Hiawatha, Utah, to a point of connection at Price, Utah, with what is now The Denver and Rio Grande Western R.R. Co. These two tap lines were poorly and inadequately constructed, with impracticable grades, lacking in equipment, and incapable of being put into condition to serve this region and handle the output of the mines, to say nothing of making possible increased production and new development. Any plans for the new development and increased output necessarily involved new and adequate railroad service. It was essential, not only that additional facilities be provided but that these facilities be in the form of an efficient and up-to-date railroad providing an independent through operation from the coal mines to a point of direct connection with the lines over which the product would be distributed to consumers. For this purpose, the Utah Railway Co. was incorporated in

Jan 1, 1948

By Frederic P. Dewey

(New York Meeting, February, 1912.) By the old method of determining platinum in ores and bullion, the silver-alloy first obtained in the regular course of assay is parted in strong sulphuric acid and the residual metal weighed. This is re-alloyed with silver by a second cupellation and parted in nitric acid, the residual metal being again weighed. Any difference shown between the two weighings is assumed to be, and is called; platinum. Sometimes it is so, and if any considerable amount of platinum be present, there will be a decided difference between the two weighings; but a slight difference is no real evidence whatever of the presence of platinum. On the other hand, the second weight may equal or possibly exceed the first, even when traces of platinum are present. Again, other members of the platinum group may go into solution in nitric acid more or less. If present, these would be called platinum and escape detection. The method does not provide any direct tests whatever as to the presence or absence of platinum. It is often indecisive, and sometimes jives erroneous results. It is, therefore, quite unsatisfactory. Being called upon many times to determine platinum in a wide variety of materials, particularly when present in very small amounts, I have realized the disadvantages and defects of this old method. In an article on the solubility of gold in nitric acid, 1 I have briefly outlined a method of gathering a little gold out of a solution containing much silver, which furnishes the basis of

Apr 1, 1912

By H. F. Moore

Jan 1, 1936

By F. M. Lewis, J. F. Myers

The selection of the proper type of flotation machine involves the consideration of a wide variety of factors. Under any condition, all types of machines will promote some kind of separation. Obviously, the correct way of deciding which type of machine is best suited for a particular problem would be to set up all types of machines and test them out in a competitive manner, but the vast number of small concentrating plants are unable to make such complete and exhaustive tests. The experience of the authors of this paper indicates that if all the factors involved in any particular problem can be determined, and if all the flotation-machine characteristics are understood, some basis for selection could be arrived at other than actual comparison. This paper is presented to show how the process factors and machine characteristics have been combined at the mills of the Tennessee Copper Co. from studies of several types of flotation machines. At the two mills of the Tennessee Copper Co. in the Ducktown Basin of Tennessee, four distinct flotation separations are made on the complex sulphide ore. Three different concentrates are produced from the ore—in the order of their importance: iron concentrate, copper concentrate, and zinc concentrate. Four different types of flotation machines are used. The selection of these four machines, for the plant operation, was based upon the study and operating experience of the machine units shown in the following list: Fagergren machine; square cell, size 56 inches Fagergren machine; level type, size 56 inches Denver machine; conical disk impeller, size 24 inches Denver machine; receded disk impeller, size 24 inches Minerals Separation Sub-A, size 24 inches Munro-Pearse deep cell, pneumatic Southwestern air machine, Hunt principle To date the study of flotation machines has been confined almost entirely to the rougher circuits. The various cleaning operations, being relatively a much simpler matter, have not been investigated so thoroughly. Table I shows a typical analysis of the two ores as well as of the mineral content.

Jan 1, 1947

By P. A. Larssen, P. R. Gage, R. W. Bartlett

The kinetics of formation of intermediate sili-cide compounds from MoSi2/Mo and WSi2/W couples were studied using a cylindrical sample configuration. Concentration profiles of the constituent metals were deter mined from electron-microprobe analysis of cross-sectioned samples after isotlzernzal diffusion annealing. These data also yielded hand widths of phases. Growth of intermediate phases depends on diffusionin them and obeys a parabolic rate law. The rates of formation of the intermediate phases decrease in the order Mo5Si3 > W5Si3 > Mo3Si. Crowth rates. for the isomorphous phases Mo5Si3 and W5Si3 had the same activation energy. 43 kcal per mole. SILICIDE coatings employed to protect refractory metals from high-temperature oxidation are usually formed by a diffusion process requiring concurrent transfer of silicon to the refractory metal surface. For a simple binary system and a coating thickness of one or two mils, the coatings on molybdenum and tungsten are primarily the disilicides WSi2 and MoSi2, respectively. During use of the coated re- fractory-metal system at high temperatures, in the absence of the silicon source, further diffusion causes growth of lower silicide compounds and depletion of the disilicides. Recent investigations have shown that the lower silicides are less effective than the disilicides in forming a glassy oxide film which impedes oxidation.' Consequently, failure of coatings at high temperatures may coincide with complete conversion of the disilicide phase. The purpose of this part of the study is to investigate the growth kinetics of the intermediate compounds in the W-Si and Mo-Si systems. There are three intermetallic compounds in the Mo-Si system: MoSi2 with a tetragonal structure

Jan 1, 1964

By G. D. Boozer, W. H. Somerton

RESEARCH CORP., LA HABRA, CALIF. Thermal diffusivities of some typical sedimentary rocks have been measured by a rapid unsteady-state technique. Thermal data including diffusivity and conductivity are presented for the temperature range of 200" to 1,800°F. Diffusivities calculated from steady-state conductivity rneasurernents compared favorably with unsteady-state data at the lower temperatures. Unsteady-state data are less reliable at higher temperatures; reported values may be as much as 20 per cent high at temperatures in excess of 1,500°F. This is caused partly by the simplified method used in calculating diffusivity from experimental data and partly by the many thermal reactions which occur at the higher temperatures. The marked decrease in thermal diffusivity and conductivity at elevated temperatures indicates the importance of considering the temperature dependence of thermal properties in subsurface heat-transfer calculntions. Knowledge of the effects of liquid saturation, overburden and pore pressures, and heats of reaction of reservoir materials will be required before complete subsurface thermal analyses may be made. INTRODUCTION Heat-transfer calculations are becoming increasingly important in the analysis of in situ combustion and underground nuclear explosions. Thermal data for natural rock materials at elevated temperatures are generally unavailable. Calculations at high temperatures may be grossly inaccurate if temperature-dependent thermal properties of rocks are not considered. It is known that the heat capacities of rocks increase with temperature. Heat capacities may be calculated from chemical or mineralogica1 analyses of the rock system. Thermal bulk expansion of rocks is believed to be small, although few data are available. Thermal conductivities of most natural rock materials decrease with increased temperature. Thermal diffusivity, defined as the thermal conductivity divided by the product of the heat capacity and the bulk density of the material, is used in unsteadv-state heat-transfer calculations. It is apparent that thermal diffusivity decreases markedly with increased temperature. A new method, which gives a nearly continuous record of thermal diffusivity within the temperature range of 200° to 1,800°F and requires less than 1.5 hours for the run,' was used to measure the diffusivity of several sedimentary rocks. Thermal conductivities were calculated from measured bulk densities, heat capacities calculated from chemical analysis and the measured diffusivity values. Thermal conductivities were measured at lower temperatures by a steady-state technique1 to test the agreement of data obtained by the two methods.

By Arthur W. Gray

The thermal analysis of a metal or an alloy is ordinarily made with the aid of heating and cooling curves in which transitions are indicated by the rapid changes in curvature that accompany changes in the rate of heat absorption or evolution. Analysis by the method that depends on the change in thermal expansivity is not customary, partly, at least, because of the difficulties involved in making the necessary measurements. However, under certain circumstances, the dilatometric method of analysis may possess advantages over the thermometric method that will justify the additional trouble required. The addition of 1 per cent. of zinc to an alloy has been found to produce upon the volume changes that take place during transition effects that suggest the possibility of using the dilatometric method of thermal analysis as a rather sensitive means of obtaining chemical information. Although the illustrations presented in this paper are drawn from data obtained during an investigation of dental amalgams, similar phenomena can doubtless be observed with other alloys. Some of the results found during an investigation made in 1917l have been confirmed by data on the thermal expansivity of amalgams published by Souder and Peters of the Bureau of Standards in reporting tests of dental materials.2 Although the Bureau of Standards made experiments for the purpose of discovering effects of including zinc as one of the constituents of a dental alloy—a matter much discussed in dental literature but without the presentation of reliable experimental evidencae to support the views of either side—the reports of the tests made by the Bureau give the impression that certain striking phenomena associated with the presence of zinc were not noticed. Among such phenomena arc those connceted with the conditions that determine whether or riot a specimen of amalgam becomes covered with droplets from which crystals develop.

Jan 1, 1921

By G. Purcell, S. C. Sun

The objective of the present study was to detennine the role played by double bonds in the flotation of a very pure mineral using 18-carbon unsaturated fatty acids as collectors. Streaming potential measurements were made on a plug of pure synthetic rutile in solutions of inorganic electrolytes and unsaturated 18-carbon fatty acid soaps. Experimental results from these tests are detailed in the paper. The collector effectiveness of oleic acid with one double bond, linoleic acid with two double bonds, and linolenic acid with three double bonds has been a matter of speculation for many years, and conflic- ting experimental evidence1-8 has not clarified the issue. The overall objective of the present study was to determine the role played by double bonds in the flotation of a very pure mineral using 18-carbon un-saturated fatty acids as collectors. Since zeta potential is dependent on adsorption and orientation of ions at the solid-liquid interface, its variation under different conditions of pH and collector concentration should throw some light on the behavior of unsatu-rated fatty acids in flotation pulps. Titanium dioxide, in the form of rutile, was chosen for the investigation because it is now available in a very pure, synthetic, crystalline state, and despite the fact that it is one of the most important synthetic inorganic chemicals in commercial use, its electro-kinetic properties have not been closely studied. Electrokinetic properties of rutile in various aqueous solutions are discussed in this paper. Adsorption information gained from the streaming potential measurements enabled the flotation resultsg to be explained in a qualitative way, thus providing a clearer

Jan 1, 1963

By H. F. Moore

Jan 1, 1936