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Scores of visitors who had never in their lives seen a piece of rough-and-ready mining machinery flocked around the display of Russian equipment presented as part of the Soviet Exhibition at New York's Coliseum. The Russian show, which ran from June 30 to August 10, presented an impressive view of an emerging technology. The exhibitors, however, made little attempt to appeal to the visitor who came only to be amused. In the mining show, as well as elsewhere throughout the exposition, the exhibits were devastatingly highbrow. If a coal mine's hydraulic roof support were "designed to support the prop- , free face front in longwall faces of flat seams, from 1.0 to 1.6 m thick, with medium-stable side rock," the visitors were told just that.

Jan 9, 1959

By Ben B. Cox

Oil produced in Iraq for export during 1938 was 31,354,090 bbl., or a daily average of 85,901 bbl; This is an increase of 182,614 bbl., or 0.5 per cent over 1937. All oil exported was produced from the Kirkuk field. The Khanaqin Oil Company, Ltd., a subsidiary of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, Ltd., continued to supply local market requirements from its Naft Khaneh field in the Transferred Territories. Slightly more than 32,000,000 bbl. was produced in Iraq, a small part of which was used in field operations. During the year 12 wells were completed and 9 wells were drilling at the end of the year. Of the completions, 5 were producers and 1 was an oil-water level observation well in proved fields, and 6 were listed as failures. Basrah Concession The outstanding event of the year was the granting, by the Kingdom of Iraq, of a 75-year concession embracing approximately 89,000 sq. miles to the Basrah Petroleum Company, Ltd., a British company with French and American participation. The concession covers all parts of the Kingdom, its territorial waters, islands, submerged lands, and its interest in the Neutral Zone separating Iraq and Saudi Arabia that

Jan 1, 1939

By Ben B. Cox

Oil produced in Iraq for export during 1938 was 31,354,090 bbl., or a daily average of 85,901 bbl; This is an increase of 182,614 bbl., or 0.5 per cent over 1937. All oil exported was produced from the Kirkuk field. The Khanaqin Oil Company, Ltd., a subsidiary of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, Ltd., continued to supply local market requirements from its Naft Khaneh field in the Transferred Territories. Slightly more than 32,000,000 bbl. was produced in Iraq, a small part of which was used in field operations. During the year 12 wells were completed and 9 wells were drilling at the end of the year. Of the completions, 5 were producers and 1 was an oil-water level observation well in proved fields, and 6 were listed as failures. Basrah Concession The outstanding event of the year was the granting, by the Kingdom of Iraq, of a 75-year concession embracing approximately 89,000 sq. miles to the Basrah Petroleum Company, Ltd., a British company with French and American participation. The concession covers all parts of the Kingdom, its territorial waters, islands, submerged lands, and its interest in the Neutral Zone separating Iraq and Saudi Arabia that

Jan 1, 1939

By AIME AIME

INSTITUTE members attending the Annual Meeting in New York who want to see one of the mining engineers' newest aids, photoelastic stress analysis, are due for an interesting afternoon on Thursday, Feb. 15, when open house: will be held at the Columbia University mining laboratory. Information as to the direction and distribution off stresses in mine structures, which has been developed by Professor Bucky, associate professor at the Columbia School of Mines, and David Sinclair, research assistant, is useful in the design of pillars and in the placing of openings relative to working places such as gangways and haulage levels.: This work has been sponsored during the last ten years by the Engineering Foundation.. It is fully reported in T. P. No. 1140.

Jan 1, 1940

By David R. Mitchell, Ernest M. Spokes

MINING ENGINEERING, page 373, March 1958, vol. 211) S. C. Sun: This article by Spokes and Mitchell deserves high commendation. For many years mineral dressers have been at a loss to explain the variation in magnetic susceptibility of the same mineral species obtained from different localities. In fact, they do not even have a list of accurately measured data on the specific magnetic susceptibility of weakly magnetic minerals to consult. Experience as a university teacher has firmly convinced me that the average student has more difficulty in acquiring a satisfactory knowledge of magnetism than of any other branch of mineral dressing. This is almost entirely because the subject has been treated far too much from a strict practical standpoint and far too little from a fundamental one. It is no exaggeration to state that almost all the published theoretical discussions are based on the experimental results of manufactured chemicals and alloys, but not of naturally occurring minerals. In an attempt to remedy this state of affairs, the author of this article not only set up a new magnetic balance in the Department of Mineral Preparation of The Pennsylvania State University, but also performed work of fundamental value, thus pointing the way to further research. This is evidenced by the fact that an investigation of the magnetic susceptibilities of manganese minerals was recently completed by S. G. Watt under the direction of David R. Mitchell, now acting dean of the College of Mineral Industries of the Pennsylvania State University. D. J. Cook is studying the magnetic susceptibility of titanium minerals under my supervision. It is hoped that our research program can be continued for several years and that similar investigations will be initiated at other universities and research institutions. Ernest M. Spokes (author's reply): The discusser has touched the heart of a pedagogical problem in the field of minerals beneficiation—students do not understand magnetism and, as a result, neither do the graduate engineers. Only recently has the average course in engineering physics started teaching the fundamentals of magnetism, as they are understood in modern physics, in addition to the classical treatment of the mathematical aspects of magnetic phenomena. It is to be hoped that this increasing instruction in fundamentals will improve our understanding and inspire research to determine more of the basic magnetic data that are essential if we are to see improved methods of separation by magnetism.

Jan 1, 1959

By J. F. Peters

The term solution loss is discussed and defined. Examples are given showing that solution loss may either have a favorable or unfavorable effect on blast furnace performance. A theory is advanced explaining the contradictions encountered during earlier studies of the problem. MANY papers have been written and numerous theories advanced concerning the chemical reactions in the iron blast furnace. Richards, discussing the utilization of fuel in the blast furnace, said: "All the carbon burnt in the furnace should be first oxidized at the tuyeres to CO and all the reduction of oxides above the tuyeres should be caused by CO, which thus becomes CO,. This dictum is not Gruner's own words, but expresses their sense, and from the point of view of the present discussion, it is the correct principle upon which to obtain the maximum generation of heat in the furnace from a given weight of fuel." Richards also said the cubic feet of wind per pound of coke does not express how efficiently a furnace is running, but it will be shown later where Howland paid much attention to this figure. Richards pointed out a shortcoming of Grun-er's discussion in that Richards claimed there is not enough CO generated in a good working blast furnace to possibly combine with the oxygen of the ore, so some of it must be reduced by solid carbon. Mathesius2 made two important contributions. First, he wrote the direct and indirect reduction equations showing the heats of formation in each case and stressed that the indirect reduction reaction produces heat while direct reduction absorbs heat. Secondly, he substantiated Richards' conclusion that there may be a deficiency of CO gas and that some direct reduction is required, but he pointed out that "direct reduction in the hearth has often been confused with direct reduction in the stack, which more correctly should be termed 'premature combustion'." Then he said that "as this carbon is consumed partly by economical (direct reduction in the hearth) and partly by wasteful reactions in ever varying proportions, it is evident that the relation of this total carbon gasified above the tuyeres to the fuel consumption of a furnace cannot possibly have a direct bearing on the economy of furnace operation. The premature combustion of carbon (CO2+C?2CO) must therefore in all cases be considered a detrimental reaction." Johnson3 discussed this whole problem. Through experience Johnson found that when departure from Gruner's ideal working is considerable, the fuel economy is poor, and when the quantity of blast goes up, the fuel economy goes up in the same proportion. Johnson said that the wind per pound of coke is a measure of fuel economy, which will be shown to be wrong. Howland4 established the fact from operating data that there was no relationship between the coke consumption of a furnace and the percentage of coke burned at the tuyeres. But some of his calculations have led to questionable conclusions, such as "it is practically impossible to obtain low coke consumption unless we keep our wind low." Howland made an important contribution when, in his concluding paragraphs, he reached certain negative decisions as to why one coke works better than another. He said the reason one coke works better than another in a blast furnace is not because: 1—there is any difference in the percentage gasified at the tuyeres, or 2—there is any difference of wind required per pound of coke. Korevaar5 propounded a new theory on combustion which disagrees with Gruner because "as far as we can see, this is sufficient proof for the invalidity of Gruner's ideal, for if it was valid, the Low coke consumption should always be accompanied by a higher percentage of carbon burned at the tuyeres. This not being the case, we must deliberately give up our belief in Gruner's ideal." The part in italics will be proved to be wrong. Martin" contended that there was not enough reducing capacity in the blast furnace unless solution loss occurs. He came to a series of conclusions, such as: 1—The greatest efficiency of the blast furnace may not be attained when the reduction is performed entirely by carbon monoxide as demanded by Gruner's definition of the ideally perfect working of the blast furnace. 2—The so-called solution loss reactions, which should more properly be termed direct reduction reactions, promote furnace efficiency. 3—In modern blast furnace practice, the carbon consumption of the process is determined primarily by the carbon needed for reduction purposes, any thermal deficiency created by the reduction process being balanced in practice by the use of blast heat. From a practical standpoint further discussion of the theory of chemical reactions is of little moment. There is however one phase of the general theory of chemical reactions which is very important and that is the combustion of coke in the blast furnace. The purpose of this paper is to show that the reaction

Jan 1, 1955

By Peter F. Weiss

INTRODUCTION Austro-American Magnesite Co. of Radenthein, Carinthia, Austria, is a wholly owned subsidiary of General Refractories Company, Bala Cynwyd, USA, and has been incorporated since 1908. The raw material basis is the magnesite mine on Millstatt Alp, located in the mountains near Radenthein at an altitude of 1500 m above sea level. The mined crude magnesite is crushed in a surface crushing plant to minus 35 mm and consequently hauled to the processing plant in the valley by means of a cable conveyor of 7.5 km length. The annual production of 350,000 mt is accomplished with 20 supervisors and 122 workers (of those 60 are in the mine). The labor requirement for block caving is 0.2 man hr/mt, corresponding to an output of 40 mt/man/ shift. GEOLOGY The rock in this area mainly consists of crystalline type schist. There are mostly coarse crystalline garnet mica schists with varying mineral concentrations, and to a lesser degree, some deposits of amphibolite and marble. This petrographically rather homogeneous rock is divided into numerous different tectonic units (covers and scales). The magnesite deposit itself is a foreign body that also has been tectonically inserted. The ore body has a length of 600 m, is 450 m deep, and has a thickness of 60 m on average, varying substantially however, The contact with the accessory rock is very precise. The deposit 1 = ore body, 2 = previous open pit, 3 = caved in area, 4 = block under excavation, 5 = land slide consists of coarse crystalline magnesite in excess of 90 per cent. The few impurities consist of dolomite and talc. The lower part of the deposit is inclined parallel with the schists at approx. 40 degrees. In profile it can be seen, however, that the upper part of the deposit has been tilted over. This is a result of a post-glacial land slide reaching from the bottom of the valley at 1400 m above sea level to the peak of the mountain at 2100 m above sea level. Due to this land slide, with horizontal movements of up to 100 meters, as well as older tectonic events, the rock was crushed to a vast extent. Through mining, the land slide was reactivated; about 40 million cubic meters of rock slowly flow downhill almost like a plasticized mass. Near the surface, the rock is completely crushed and resembles a glacier rupture zone. This renders the originally impermeable rock completely water permeable so that practically all of the annual quantity of 1000 to 1100 mm of precipitation permeates the rock and flows down into the mine. The carbonate rock turns into the preferred aquifer. From 1700 to 2600 cubic meters of water have to be pumped from the mine daily. On one hand, additional problems are caused by the water in the mine, on the other hand we have learned to make use of the down- hill pressure forces to improve the crushing process during block caving. The boundary of the downhill shearing zone moves downward as mining goes deeper.

Jan 1, 1981

By R. A. L. Black

13.8-1. Introduction. Table 13.8-1 shows that production from the African continent is an important part of total world mineral production. In three of the major particular resources listed, diamonds, gold, and cobalt, African production accounts for considerably more than half the world output. Overall, South Africa including South West Africa plays a dominant role in the mineral economy of Africa, other than in petroleum production. Table 13.81 also shows that much of the production is won by surface mining methods. In addition to the minerals listed in Table 13.8-1, Africa is a main world source for the following minerals: [Beryl 33% of total world production Columbium-tantalum 50%" " 1' Platinum group metals 20% l' " 11 Corundum 55%" " " 11 Vermiculite 30% (' " (6 Uranium oxide 15 0/, of free world production] South Africa and Rhodesia together account for nearly all of this production, except for columbium (niobium) of which Nigeria is the main producer. Thus the importance of southern Africa as a major mineral province can readily be appreciated. The consequences of serious political or military conflict between white-dominated southern Africa and the rest of the continent would be grave indeed, particularly for the West whose financial and economic interest in Africa as a whole is very large. The development of mineral resources in Africa involves the same basic elements as are involved anywhere else in the world: exploration, drilling and sampling, metallurgical assessment, and economic evaluation before, if it is justified, a prospect is brought to the productive stage. The same range of factors controls the economic viability of a project in Africa as elsewhere, of which the most important are:

Jan 1, 1968

By George B. Clark

7.1-1. Introduction. The fundamentals of blasting involve both the properties of explosives and of the rock being blasted. While the knowledge of property correlation between rocks and explosives for most effective blasting is far more complete, many quantitative evaluations have been made. Four of the most important explosive properties appear to be energy density, bulk density, rate of energy release, and the pressure-time history of the gases produced. Important rock properties are density and porosity strength, and energy absorption properties, including the effective moduli of elasticity. Rock structure also has a marked effect on its breaking properties, i.e., joints, bedding, fractures, alteration, etc. Several mechanisms enter into rock fragmentation by blasting. These include slabbing, radial fracturing, crushing, and bursting by the gas bubble. All of these factors are closely related to properties of both explosives and rock. Slabbing depends upon the character of the first generated stress wave, whose shape and magnitude are a result of the pressure generated by the explosive, its time history, and the resultant response of the rock, including its ability to sustain the stress wave. Actual slabbing, in turn, is a function of the magnitude and shape of the pressure pulse and the tensile strength of rock. Further fragmentation depends to a great extent upon the amount of gas in the bubble and its energy and pressure. Blasting rounds are best designed by taking the above factors into consideration. This is effectively accomplished by use of cratering curves which relate breakage- parameters to the explosive energy. Optimum depths from single charge cratering curves must be adjusted to changes in shot geometry and related to multiple hole blasting. Blasting damage may occur from either air blast or ground waves, and in the latter ease may be due to direct vibration or to settlement caused by vibration. Technical information indicates that blasting damage is often

Jan 1, 1968

By G. W. P. Rengstorff, R. B. Fischer

A study was made of the effect of impurities on the bend ductility of cast molybdenum. High purity molybdenum was repared by re-melting under high vacuum. The ductility of "transverse-grain" specimens indicated that intergranular brittleness decreased with an increase in purity of the metal. THE production of as-cast molybdenum with high ductility at room temperature would make working of the metal easier and increase the usefulness of the as-cast metal. Furthermore, a .knowledge of the factors that influence the ductility of as-cast molybdenum might be applied to the problem of making fusion weldments having satisfactory room-temperature ductility. Individual grains of commercial as-cast molybdenum are slightly ductile at room temperature. However, the presence of carbides at the grain boundaries may cause the metal to fracture in a brittle manner. This behavior has been discussed.' The amount and distribution of the impurities in as-cast molybdenum would be expected, from previous research on the metal, to have considerable influence on its ductility. Some effects of oxygen and carbon on the mechanical behavior of the metal were discussed by Parke and Ham,2 Woodside,3 and Zappfe. Landgraf, and Worden.4 Parke and Ham2 found that, if a sufficient number of molybdenum oxide particles were present at the grain boundaries, the intergranular cohesion was reduced to the extent that arc-melted molybdenum would rupture intergranularly during hot forging. They also found that if the oxygen content was less than 0.003 pct, the cast molybdenum was hot forgeable. It is suspected, however, that forgeable molybdenum may contain a small amount of oxide that could reduce the ductility of the as-cast metal at room temperature. Also, there is the possibility of the unfavorable distribution of other impurities having a detrimental effect on the ductility of cast molybdenum. The results of a study of the influence of purity on the room-temperature ductility of cast molybdenum are presented here. Vacuum Arc-Melting to Produce High Purity Mo One way of determining the effect of impurities on the ductility of molybdenum is to prepare and test metal as free of all impurities as possible. Accordingly, the present investigation was undertaken with this in view. Arc melting in high vacuum (less than 0.1 micron of mercury) was chosen as the method for reducing the impurities below the concentrations occurring in commercial molybdenum. Commercial arc melting of molybdenum is carried out at about 50 microns pressure. During the arc melting, carbon and oxygen in the metal react to form carbon monoxide. By virtue of the vacuum process, the partial pressure of carbon monoxide is maintained at such a low value that the reaction greatly lowers oxygen and carbon contents. An excess of at least 0.03 pct C is used in commercial arc melting to insure that the oxygen content will be below 0.003 pct. The excess carbon remaining after the deoxidation step forms carbides on freezing. Some of the carbides precipitate at the grain boundaries and, as will be shown, have an unfavorable effect on the room-temperature ductility. In the present work, only the small amount of carbon (0.003 pct) contained in the commercial powder-metallurgy molybdenum used for melting stock was present. Partial removal of oxygen from the melt probably occurred as the result of the volatilization of molybdenum oxides, or by distillation of oxygen at the high melting tem-

Jan 1, 1953

By James F. Kemp

In earlier gears, the custom prevailed of regarding the anthracite basins as cases of folding with slight development of faulting. Folding is so pronounced and, in the eastern and western Middle Fields, at times so violent, that the inference was a natural one and led to the widespread impression that practically all the disturbances of the seams could be explained in this way. The cross-sections and maps prepared forty or more years ago for the Second Geological Survey of P ennsylvania, by Mr. Ashburner under Prof. J. P. Lesley, exhibit little else than folds.' So far as I can discover faults fail in the charts, except in one small case in the Henry colliery near Plainsville on the outskirts of Wilkes-Barre. Some years ago, while spending a day or two in Wilkes-Barr, under the guidance of R. V. Norris, I looked over some recent and accurate cross-sections of a numbcr of the large collieries and was deeply impressed with the peculiar behavior of some of the seams and the intervening shales. Thus, a seam might present a small, more or less overturned fold, rising 30 to 50 ft. (9 to 15m.) above its general course, and yet the movement would be taken up in the overlying shales, so as hardly to be noticeable in the seams next above or below. These and similar anomalies, especially when shown with the accuracy of engineer's surveys, possess great scientific and practical interest, bearing as they do, not alone on coal mining, but on theoretical geology and the actual behavior of strata under great compressive stresses. In preparation for the semicentennial meeting of the Institute, an effort was therefore made to secure some of the most interesting sections for presentation to the members. The collection of illustrations here shown is mainly due to Douglas Bunting of the local committee, to whom and to the contributing companies acknowledgments are due. The illustrations are taken from all four of the main basins, but are chiefly from the portions nearest Wilkes-Barre. The first are in the

Jan 1, 1922

S. F. EMMONS, Washington, D. C.: Papers of Collins, Vogt, DeLaunay, etc.-Mr. Collins tells us about facts in the veins of Cornwall that suggest secondary sulphide-enrichment is highly interesting; and I am free to confess that I have not studied the literature of that region as fully as I should have done. Nevertheless, even if it had been as familiar to me as it is to Mr. Collins, I should probably have hesitated to draw theoretical conclusions without having seen the mines myself; for the personal equation and the point of view of the observer play, perhaps, a larger part in the study of ore-deposits than in that of any other natural phenomena. One important purpose of my paper, and its publication at the time of the Washington meeting, was to call forth remarks from other geologists upon deposits with which they were personally familiar, or to lead them to re-examine such deposits with the idea of secondary enrichment in mind. Mr. Collins's remarks on Rio Tinto, which he has the advantage of personally knowing, are also interesting. With regard, however, to his suggestion-advanced as an apparent argument against our theory-that the re-precipitation of copper from cupric sulphate solution by pyrite can hardly take place there, since it would upset the commercial process, I would remark that, while he is undoubtedly right as to the fact, it does not militate against the reduction and re-precipitation of cupric sulphate in veins; since on the surface, as at Rio Tinto, there is free access of air, and consequently an excess of ferric sulphate, whereas in depth the ferric sulphate would have been mostly reduced to ferrous sulphate, and (there being no excess of acid to hold it in solution) the small amount of copper in the presence of an excess of iron sulphide would be precipitated either as sulphide or as native copper. To Professor Vogt's analogous remarks, that in his experience sulphuric acid is formed only in subordinate amount in the attack of sulphides by ferric sulphate, I would say that Dr.

Jan 1, 1902

By Charles E. W. Bateson

The Mojave mining district is situated in a group of small hills centering around Soledad peak, in the Mojave desert, Kern county, Cal. These hills are about 4.5 miles SSW. of Mojave, a railroad town at the junction of the Santa Fé and Southern Pacific railroads. The town of Mojave is about 50 miles north of Los Angeles, to which it is connected both by telegraph and by rail. The distance on the Southern Pacific railroad is 102 miles, covered in 3 hr. and 45 min. by express train. A sketch-map of this region is shown in Fig. 1. The Mojave district is relatively isolated. The only other mining towns in this section of California are Randsburg and Johannesburg, in a district (containing the well-known Yellow Aster mine) at the northern end of a low range of hills, which begins about 20 miles NE. of Mojave, runs nearly N. for 35 miles, and varies in width between 3 and 6 miles. As will be seen later, the origin and formation of these hills are not the same as those of Soledad peak. II. Climate and VEgetation. The climate and vegetation of the Mojave district are typical of the arid regions of the southwestern United States. During the winter and spring there is some rainfall, and the tempera ture is generally from 60" to 70" F. in the day-time. The rainfall in the spring is often very considerable for short spaces of time, and cloud-bursts are not infrequent. In summer there is continual sunshine, with temperatures, as a rule, exceeding 100" F. in the day-time, while 115" F. in the shade of a house is not at all unusual; but at night the temperature falls considerably. No rain falls during the summer. The vegetation

Jan 1, 1907

COLUMBIA SECTION S. S. FOWLER, Chairman., J. C. HAAS, Vice-chairman, LYNDON K. ARMSTRONG, Secretary-Treasurer, 720 Peyton Bldg., Spokane, Wash. W. H. LINNEY. J. F. MCCARTHY. On July 15, 16, and 17, 1918, through the good offices of Secretary Stoughton, and the courtesy of War Department officials, Columbia Section was able to secure a series of moving pictures which were presented under the auspices of the Spokane Engineering and Technical Association.. The title was "The Way Out," representing the activities of individuals who had lost an arm, a leg, or both, yet whose apparent misfortunes were made the stepping stones to advancement in various human activities. The exhibitions were given at Natatorium Park in the evening, each of the three performances being attended by 1000 per-sons. Later the films were shipped to Kellogg, Idaho, where they were shown in the principal playhouse one evening to a full house. On July 31, 1918, the Columbia Section participated in the luncheon and other entertainment in honor of Alfred D. Flinn, Secretary of the Engineering Council, who made a trip through the country to meet different classes of engineers, members of the National Societies, for whom he had a message. The entertainment was under the auspices of the Spokane Engineering and Technical Association, Mr. Peter Mogensen presiding. The luncheon was held in the Elizabethan Room, Davenport Hotel, at noon, 35 engineers being present, of whom about one-third were our members.

Jan 9, 1918

By C. M. Nickerson

IT is apparent that repressuring of the oil measures is becoming increasingly important to the oil industry, and is a matter that warrants the best efforts of the petroleum engineer charged with applying this method of operation to a producing property. Considerable attention has. been directed to repressuring in various California oil fields, such as Dominguez and Seal Beach, which have served to sell the more progressive operator on this idea and also to keep him sold. The projects that have received most attention are in comparatively young fields where the fluid levels are high, the wells, perhaps, still flowing, where the wet gas production is of considerable volume, and where there is vital need of immediate conservation of gas, which otherwise would be blown to the air. The new State of California Gas Law, which prohibits the waste of gas, has served to interest the oil industry in -means of conserving the gas that is now being blown to the air because of lack of markets. This vitally affects the operator in the older, well-depleted oil fields of the state, because in many cases he has a limited market for gas, on account of the flush production from the more active oil fields. While the waste of gas is relatively small in these older fields, such as the Midway-Sunset area, it now attains considerable importance, since under the new State Gas Law it must be put to some beneficial use. Repressuring in the older fields of California has not received the attention of the petroleum engineers that is warranted by the present situation. This paper was prepared with the view of presenting the salient features connected with repressuring in the well-depleted oil measures of the older fields, and to show what results have already been obtained in these fields by injecting the unmarketable. gas into the sands, particularly in the Midway-Sunset field in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Other projects in the older fields of the state offer some supporting data in this connection, such as the Shields Canyon and the Brea Canyon fields.

Jan 1, 1929

By R. E. Lund

Josephtown Smelter employs the St. Joe-developed electrothermic process for producing zinc metal and zinc oxide. The process uses resistance-type electric furnaces. Flow of current through the sintered ore and coke charge develops the energy required for smelting at the reaction sites. To produce zinc metal, the furnace off-Gases bubble through a large "U"-tube filled with molten zinc which condenses the zinc to liquid; the metal is then mechanically cast into slabs. To produce zinc oxide, the furnace vapors burn in air and the resultant powders are collected. The smelter comprises three distinct circuits. One circuit produces American Process zinc oxide and high grade metal; another circuit produces tailor-made alloys of controlled lead and cadmium content; the third circuit produces prime western zinc metal and feedstock which is refined into special High grade metal and French Process zinc oxide. The roasting circuit utilizes multiple-hearth furnaces for deleading the zinc concentrates; fluid bed and suspension roasters are employed for desulfurization. Sintering produces a hard, porous furnace feed. The flexible smelting process is adaptable to consuming various kinds of secondary material. Extensive residue treatment accomplishes high overall zinc recovery. Smelter by-products include sulfuric acid, cadmium, and mercury.

Jan 1, 1970

By Theodore Simons

The rapid and comparatively recent development of flotation has opened so fascinating a field for study and research that the older processes of gravity concentration no longer receive the attention they deserve. The early work of Munroel and Richards12 and the more recent contributions by Clevenger and Coe,3 Laist and Wiggin,4 Ammon,5 Bardwell,6 Crowfoot,' and Hayden8 (to mention only some which have appeared in our own Transactions) and by Schu1z,9 have furnished so much data that to offer something new seems a difficult task. It is still possible, however, to present known facts from a different point of view, and, with this in mind, the writer has undertaken to express basic principles of gravity concentration in terms of simple mathematics and mechanics; the conclusions thus reached will be found to correspond, in general, with those obtained by experimental methods. Rittinger, in his classic Aufbereitungskunde (1867)) reached analogous conclusions by way of intricate higher mathematics, for which reason his interesting investigations have remained a sealed book to most of us. The writer hopes that a more elementary treatment of the subject, based in part on Rittinger's metheds, may arouse new interest in the study of basic principles.

Jan 1, 1923

By Theodore Simons

The rapid and comparatively recent development of flotation has opened so fascinating a field for study and research that the older processes of gravity concentration no longer receive the attention they deserve. The early work of Munroel and Richards12 and the more recent contributions by Clevenger and Coe,3 Laist and Wiggin,4 Ammon,5 Bardwell,6 Crowfoot,' and Hayden8 (to mention only some which have appeared in our own Transactions) and by Schu1z,9 have furnished so much data that to offer something new seems a difficult task. It is still possible, however, to present known facts from a different point of view, and, with this in mind, the writer has undertaken to express basic principles of gravity concentration in terms of simple mathematics and mechanics; the conclusions thus reached will be found to correspond, in general, with those obtained by experimental methods. Rittinger, in his classic Aufbereitungskunde (1867)) reached analogous conclusions by way of intricate higher mathematics, for which reason his interesting investigations have remained a sealed book to most of us. The writer hopes that a more elementary treatment of the subject, based in part on Rittinger's metheds, may arouse new interest in the study of basic principles.

Jan 1, 1923

By William L. Langdon

PRELIMINARY COMMENTS Recent years have been difficult for the mining industry, as reported in the most recently published Minerals Yearbook (Volume III), the estimated value of world crude mineral production has been generally declining since an historical peak in 1979 (16).* The costs of mineral extraction have, however, been rising rapidly. Individual project costs are, in general, exceeding the growth rate of mining companies, while operating and technical risks continue to increase (16). Risks resulting from currency flotation and political actions in the host country are also on the increase. Labor difficulties (such as those experienced by Phelps Dodge) and the Reagan Administration's recent rejection of a proposal by the International Trade Commission for higher tariffs and/or quotas on copper imports have also contributed to the mining industry's difficulties. The net result of these factors has been financial difficulties for mining companies with respect to paying for their current financial obligations as well as trouble finding new financing. It may be that one of the main factors in determining the future of the mining industry will be centered upon capital structure, i.e. how its assets are financed. Historical Perspective on Capital Structure In The Mining Industry As discussed by Isreal Borenstein in (4) and Thomas Navin in (7), mining firms typically have used a financial model based upon high financial leverage, i.e. large amounts of debt relative to equity. This has been especially true for American firms developing orebodies discovered overseas. Problems sometimes occurred for those who were forced to commit themselves to completion guarantees in order to obtain bank loans. Mines under these circumstances must be brought into operation regardless of market conditions. Politicians in overseas countries also may use the high profits required by these high risk ventures to argue for nationalization of mines. Coupled with the frequent use of high leverage, mining companies traditionally have paid out a higher percentage of earnings in the form of dividends than manufacturing firms. This is significant, in that such funds paid out in dividends are not available for other uses. Hence, a greater reliance upon debt and/or additional stock issues than would ordinarily be the case for manufacturing firms. Thomas Navin has stated in (7), that the theory behind the high dividend payout was that, "most mining investors thought of themselves as investing in a wasting asset, one that would gradually deplete over time until it ultimately became valueless." Investors, therefore, required a receipt, in the form of dividends, of a percentage of current earnings and a return on original capital. This view of reality, apparently, has not changed in some quarters, even though modern mine management ordinarily replaces depleted mines with new ones. It may be that this practice of high dividend payout coupled with relatively high financial leverage should be reexamined. Current capital structure theory could prove interesting and useful for those concerned with current conditions. Capital structure patterns and related practices in this industry are not, in many cases, congruent with those thought by some to be theoretically optimal. Prelude to Capital Structure Discussion With a few notable exceptions (such as the Guggenheims and Anaconda's chief operating,. officer in 1971) mining companies' chief executives and boards of directors have not been persons with financial backgrounds. This, one could conjecture, might have accounted for the relatively nonsophisticated nature of capital structures of mining companies. In order to appreciate the possibilities with respect to alternative influence on a firm's performance, one must be acquainted with the basics of financial theory. This paper is an attempt to familiarize the reader with (1) capital structure in general, (2) the usual components of this structure, (3) the general theory behind the use of financial leverage, and

Jan 1, 1985

By J. Nutting, J. W. Cahn

WITH the development of thin film techniques for the direct examination of metals in the electron microscope some new problems in quantitative metallography have become apparent. In order to obtain certain contrast effects in the electron optical image when examining thin films from alloys containing dispersed phases, it is essential to use films of a thickness at least two or three times greater than that of the mean particle diameter of the dispersed phase. From micrographs of such specimens it may be desired to obtain the volume fraction of the dispersed phase and the number of particles of the phase in a unit volume of the matrix. Under these conditions the particles sectioned by

Jan 1, 1960