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By R. C. Dalzell, A. E. Wells

In 1866, Thomas Graham1 called attention to the volume of gases, three times the volume of the sample, evolved from a meteoric iron heated in an evacuated porcelain tube. From that time to this the occurrence and significance of gases in metals have been the subject of investigation by many workers, among whom Sieverts,2 Iwasé3 and 0. W. Ellis4 stand preeminent. Sieverts and Iwasé concerned themselves with the solubility of a number of gases in metals in the liquid and solid states. They determined the absorption coefficients of these gases, and in all cases found a sharp change in solubility at the melting point of the metals. Ellis analyzed the gases evolved by solidifying copper and those occluded by the solidified metal. Lobley and Jepson5 endeavored to determine the effects of hydrogen, carbon monoxide and nitrogen on the porosity of copper that was allowed to solidify in the presence of each gas after 30 min. exposure to it in the

Jan 1, 1930

By R. E. Head

UNDER existing economic conditions, the treatment of gold ores occupies an outstanding position in metallurgical activity. The increased price of gold has automatically brought about a reclassification of old dumps and low-grade orebodies, and many that formerly were considered valueless are now being vigorously investigated and worked. This situation has developed problems that have taxed the ingenuity and ability of metallurgists to the utmost. Some gold ores give a high extraction of gold by standardized methods of treatment; other ores of apparently similar character yield but a relatively small percentage of their gold when treated by the same processes.

Jan 1, 1936

By Donald Cummings

CERTAIN dusts are dangerous when inhaled, but most hazardous of all dusts are quartz or other forms of pure crystalline silica. The inhalation of dusts containing silica in combination with other elements gives rise to changes in the lung which differ from those produced by pure silica. As a generality, silicates are less dangerous than pure crystalline silica and vary greatly among themselves in harmfulness. Repeated analyses have shown that approximately 70 per cent of the total number of particles involved in any dust-producing operation are below 1 to 2 microns in diameter. (A micron is. approximately 1/25,000 in.) Similar studies of dusts recovered from silicotic lungs post mortem have demonstrated essentially the same size frequency distribu-tion, except that the upper limit of size retained in the air sacs is approxi-mately 10 microns. Experiments carried on by Gardner and the author have further demonstrated that greater changes were produced by a fixed weight of very fine quartz particles (2 to 3 microns and smaller) than by the same weight of slightly larger particles (8 to 10 microns). Any attempt to control a dust hazard should therefore be directed toward the removal from the working atmosphere of particles less than 10 microns in size, and particularly those below 3 microns. All industrial hygienists agree on this matter, but there remains considerable dispute as to the lower limit of particle size capable of causing injury. It has been gen-erally conceded, however, that particles of harmful dusts smaller than ¼ to ½ micron are not essentially concerned in the development of pulmonary fibrosis. This opinion is partly substantiated by the existence of large numbers of these small particles in practically all atmospheres that are, not associated with any known hazard. Such particles are so small that they have very little mass, fail to settle even in quiet air, and probably are not easily retained in the lung. Until further research proves that they are involved in the dangers provoked by the inhalation of certain dusts, engineers will generally agree that it is better to dis-regard them.

Jan 1, 1935

By John Skelton, E. J. Harvey

Seepage runs (stream flow measurements in a short time at many points in a basin,) and stream flow records are used to locate losing areas in stream basins in the Missouri Ozarks. The terrane consists of dolomitic limestone and sandstone of Ordovician and Cambrian age. Side-looking radar imagery emphasizes variations in topography and reveals two types of drainage basin topography, rough and smooth (deeply dissected and slightly dissected basins). In the deeply dissected basins (rough ones), main streams and tributaries generally gain. In the slightly dissected basins (smooth ones), the streams lose a part or all of their flow. Logan Creek, a tributary of Black River in the southeastern Ozarks, loses much of its storm runoff and all of its dry weather flow. East and West Forks of the Black River, north of Logan Creek, gain water through most of their main stems. On radar imagery Logan Creek basin has a light uniform tone and smooth texture in contrast to the darker tone and rough texture of the East and West Forks. The contrast is due to the difference in degree of dissection. Therefore, radar imagery may be useful in suggesting gaining or losing streams (or reaches of streams).

Jan 1, 1973

By A. G. Starliper, H. Kenworthy, A. Ollar

Vapor pressure determinations were made on synthesized germanium sulfides. Germanium and cadmium were removed from sphalerite concentrates by fuming. The fume was retreated to separate some of the cadmium from the germanium and, at the same time, upgrade the germanium to more than 5 pet content. MANY sphalerite concentrates contain certain impurities which have economic value as byproducts. These may include the volatile sulfides of germanium, cadmium, and lead. The objectives of the research reported in this paper were to study the fundamental volatility characteristics of germanium sulfides, to increase the recoveries of ger-

Jan 1, 1957

By Edward Walsh

In the early history of the production of metallic iron from the native oxides or ores, success attended the labors of the workman according to the care he devoted to his work, and according to the degree of skill he possessed in furnishing the required amounts of fuel and ores to be acted upon by the blast propelled by the bellows, trompe, or wooden tub, and delivered into the hearths of the Persian, bloomery, or Catalan forges. The same skill may also have been of avail in the use of the lower forms of the ".Stück," "Blue,"or" Wolf"

Jan 1, 1887

By R. L. Smith, J. L. Rutherford

ALTHOUGH considerable effort has been devoted toward the determination of the mechanical properties of pure metals, it is extremely difficult to compare the results of such work. This is because of differences in method and type of test, grain size, heat treatment, and purity of material. There is very little information on the properties of most of the high melting point reactive metals with purities greater than 99.9 pct. Previous evidence concerning the tensile properties of unalloyed metals show that: body-centered-cubic metals are brittle at low temperatures; face-centered-cubic metals remain ductile; some hexagonal metals remain ductile, others become brittle. It may be that traces of impurities decrease the low temperature ductility of the body-centered-cubic lattice. This would suppose that a body-centered-cubic lattice free from impurities would exhibit nearly the same ductility as a face-centered-cubic structure. The present investigation has been an evaluation of the tensile properties of zone refined iron in order to determine whether higher purity material than that previously evaluated behaves differently. Experimental Procedure In this investigation, high purity iron was zone purified using the floating zone method.' The starting stock was obtained from two sources. The first,

Jan 1, 1958

By J. Groyecki, M. Markuszewicz, J. Lassota, A. Zawada

The ratio of stable to unstable inclusions was found to ploy an essential role in the process of sccorldar-y recrystatlizalion in Si-Fe. The analysis of the free energy of inclusions in the range of heat-treatment of individual inclusions to be predicted. The effects MnS. ns inslable inclusions. were investigated. TO secure a high induction, the secondary recryslulliztt-lion associated wilh the texture is necessary. To obtain a low core loss an additional refiuing in the solid state is required. It has been found that sulfur can be more easily removed in racunm than in hydrogen and thai this process was hindered by the prescrzce of INCLUSIONS play an essential role in the development of cube-on-edge texture in Si-Fe. Their function consists in restraining the growth of primary grains up to about 900°C and in passing subsequently into solution at higher temperatures. This process is accompanied by the selective growth of secondary grains with (110)[001] orientation. The general effect of inclusions depends on such factors as the type of impurities, their amount. dispersion and stability, the conditions of diffusion in the space of lattice of metal, and the reactions at the metal/gas interface. In recent years, some of these factors were the subject of a special investigation. A positive influence of Mns, siN,' and vN3 has been established. The quantity of impurities4 and their dispersion5 have been found to be of major importance. Attention was called to the vital importance of diffusion and the conditions under which the impurities are removed from metal., It has also been demonstrated that in Fe-Si alloys by the techniques of powder metallurgy a special opportunity exists to obtain the (110)[001] type texture. 6 The aim of this work was to conduct qualitative investigations on the influence of inclusion stability on the development of cube-on-edge texture in a metal containing approximately 3 pct Si. Experiments were carried out on cast alloys and on those manufactured by powder-metallurgy techniques. The results obtained from these experiments were utilized to explain the phenomena involved and to analyze the relationships between stable and unstable inclusions and the magnetic properties of alloys. EXPERIMENTS AND RESULTS The raw materials used in these experiments were the powder of carbonyl iron with the analysis (in pct) 0.044 C, 0.01 Mn, 0.005 Si, 0.009 P, 0.002 S, traces of Cu, 0.06 Ni, 0.0015 Al, 0.03 Cr, 0.02 Mo, 0.01 Ti, 0.002 Co, traces of Pb, and the powder of silicon containing 94.14 Si, 0.003 S, 0.048 C. The powders were ground and mechanically mixed in 100-g batches. and then pressed at 9 tons per sq cm into 74 by 24 by 8 mm blocks. Sintering was carried out at 1100°C for 12 hr in vacuum (2 x lo-' Tr) or in hydrogen. In this instance the material was heated slowly and subjected to prolonged soaking at 350°, 650°, and 750 2C, respectively, to secure reduction of ferro-oxides. This was checked by making measurements of the dew point, which was found to change from -15" to -35°C after reduction. The compacts after sintering were hot-rolled to 2.4 mm, annealed at 800 C, and finally cold-reduced to 0.35 mm with intermediate annealing at 800°C at a gage of about 0.8 mm. Impurities were added in the powdered form and mixed with iron and silicon powders. Sulfur in the elemental state, electrolytic manganese, and pure aluminum oxide were employed. Besides, to obtain a material with low contents of impurities, especially

Jan 1, 1967

By George S. Rice

The subject of violent bumps in coal mines has been again brought to attention by a recent succession of such occurrences in the coal mines of the Cumberland field of eastern Kentucky and southern Virginia, which have caused fatalities and injuries to underground employees, a report on which is being issued by the United States Bureau of Mines1. The A.I.M.E. has had two valuable papers on bumps in the No. 2 Mine, Springhill, Nova Scotia, each followed by general discussion on bumps and their causes2. This paper gives a brief review of suggested causes and remedial measures given in English, Canadian and United States reports on blimps in coal mines, and then presents suggestions arising from the writer's recent investigation of the bumps in the Cumberland mines, made at the request of the mine operators, to determine the causes and remedies. These bumps, which occur under the simplest natural conditions, provide better opportunity for analysis of causes and effects than afforded under more complex conditions. The simple conditions in this field consist of relatively thin and level coal beds and uniform roof strata free from folding and faulting. Definition of Bumps Bumps in coal mines, as defined in this paper, are sudden violent bursts of coal that usually occur without warning in the extraction of pillars and may or may not be accompanied incidentally by falls of draw slate, upheaval of bottom and smashing of timbers. They are not known to occur where the advancing longwall method of mining, accompanied by

Jan 1, 1936

By A. J. Hendron, D. U. Deere, F. D. Patton, E. J. Cording

In the design of structures founded in the near-surface rock, a distinction may be made between those problems that are related to the strength of the rock mass, and those that are related primarily to the compressibility of the rock mass. The mining engineer deals almost exclusively with problems involving strength in the design of open-pit slopes and underground openings. The civil engineer is similarly concerned with strength problems in the design of vehicular and water tunnels; underground power plants; cut slopes in rock for highways, canals, and spillways; and in the study of the sliding resistance of the foundations of gravity dams and the abutments of arch dams. Moreover, the civil engineer encounters problems in which the compressibility of the rock becomes the key element in the design. These problems include settlement of heavy structures supported on rock, deformation of the abutments of arch dams, and deflection of pressure tunnel linings. The design problems listed above are still solved largely on the basis of experience and rule-of-thumb. However, recent developments in rock mechanics give promise of providing more realistic approaches to certain aspects of the design. This paper, presents some of the more important recent developments which contribute to an understanding of rock behavior and which aid in design of rock structures. Typically, four steps are involved in the design of a structure, whether it be a machine element, a structural member of a building, or a structure in rock. These steps are listed below:

Jan 1, 1967

By George S. Rice

The subject of violent bumps in coal mines has been again brought to attention by a recent succession of such occurrences in the coal mines of the Cumberland field of eastern Kentucky and southern Virginia, which have caused fatalities and injuries to underground employees, a report on which is being issued by the United States Bureau of Mines1. The A.I.M.E. has had two valuable papers on bumps in the No. 2 Mine, Springhill, Nova Scotia, each followed by general discussion on bumps and their causes2. This paper gives a brief review of suggested causes and remedial measures given in English, Canadian and United States reports on blimps in coal mines, and then presents suggestions arising from the writer's recent investigation of the bumps in the Cumberland mines, made at the request of the mine operators, to determine the causes and remedies. These bumps, which occur under the simplest natural conditions, provide better opportunity for analysis of causes and effects than afforded under more complex conditions. The simple conditions in this field consist of relatively thin and level coal beds and uniform roof strata free from folding and faulting. Definition of Bumps Bumps in coal mines, as defined in this paper, are sudden violent bursts of coal that usually occur without warning in the extraction of pillars and may or may not be accompanied incidentally by falls of draw slate, upheaval of bottom and smashing of timbers. They are not known to occur where the advancing longwall method of mining, accompanied by

Jan 1, 1936

A. Blainey (Ministry of Supply, Atomic Energy Research Establishment. Hnrtoell. England)—With ref- erence to the published work of Hausner et al. on the powder metallurgy of zirconium, it will be of interest to summarize briefly the results of preliminary work we have carried out on this subject at A.E.R.E., Harwell. For the early experiments we used zirconium

Jan 1, 1953

Jan 1, 1896

By N. A. Elmslie

This subject covers much ground, therefore it must be treated in a general way rather than in detail in this paper. Personnel To approach the measure of a mine, it is, of course, essential that the personnel be measured, and this measuring must be done in a circumspect manner and conclusions must be reached slowly. There may be one unit in the personnel of an organization that may be out of step with the remainder of the organization, not always because of lack of ability, but because of misplacement or lack of proper measurement of his capabilities. Too much time can scarcely be spent in the study or measure of the personnel ; in fact, a manager or a superintendent of a mine never completes his work along this line. Mine or Plant Just as no two men are alike, so no two mines or plants are alike; and yet there are many similarities. Find out what the similarities are, and this will help to make clear the dissimilarities. Try to visualize details of the difficulties, not because you will have to deal with them yourself, but to consider them in later studies of general problems. To outline all the steps to be taken in familiarizing oneself with a plant or operation would be impossible, but the following points may be of interest in any investigation. The study of a mine is generally made backwards-—that is to say, one sees the finished product first-—-but this is immaterial, because each step must be considered separately in any event. As a rule, there are certain heads under which the different features of mining can be placed, as follows: Ventilation.—Ventilation is usually the most important item in power cost and safety, especially in gassy mines. Quantity of air, water gage and power consumption, and finally analysis of the return air in full return and separate splits should be considered. Type of fan and type of power unit should enter into this study because it is important to view expenditures which are going on 24 hr. a day and 36.5 days in the

Jan 1, 1931

By W. T. Thom

Interest naturally attaches to fissuring and subsidence of the earth's surface, whatever the cause may be, and the induced movement and fissuring of the impervious strata overlying an oil sand is of even greater practical importance because of its bearing upon the recoverability of the portion of the oil not already extracted or extractable by ordinary production methods. It is probably true that significant ground movement induced by oil production occurs only in oil fields in relatively young formations, where the oil comes from incoherent or only slightly cemented sands and oil-soaked clays, but inasmuch as a great proportion of our "gusher" wells produce from "running" sands and yield a large part of the total oil output, it seems worth while to make an effort to inspire the collection and recording of data indicating the nature and magnitude of oil-field subsidence, both surface and subsurface. Goose Creek Field The single known instance in which the nature and magnitude of the surface subsidence incident to petroleum withdrawal has been accurately ascertained is that in the Goose Creek oil field of Texas, described by Pratt and Johnson.' There subsidence caused the submergence of a considerable area within the oil field, and, because the title to the naturally submerged lands of Texas rests in the State, it became necessary to determine whether the submergence was due to natural or artificial causes. A detailed study revealed that the sunken area conformed very closely to the limits of the productive oil field and that the cumulative depression over an eight-year period ranged from zero at the margin to 3.25 ft. at the center. This depression was accompanied by the development of local marginal surface fractures along which the subsiding ares

Jan 1, 1927

By George Langford

THE McIntyre mine is in the Pearl Lake section of the Porcupine gold area. The rocks are Keewatin lavas intruded by quartz porphyries and albitite dikes of Algoman age. Gold-bearing quartz veins are found in the Keewatin rocks near the porphyry stocks. The whole area has been highly compressed by forces acting along a N. 20°W. line. These forces folded the Keewatin rocks before the intrusion of the Algoman rocks, and later schisted both the Keewatin and Algoman rocks. Vein fractures were developed after the folding but before the development of the schist by the compres-sive forces being locally broken up into couples. These couples were set up by the differential resistance to deformation of porphyries and basalts, and also by the competency of the dacites and incompetency of the tuffs and fragmental rocks. During the important period of vein formation, two zones were developed-an inner productive zone in which the quartz veins are ankerite-bearing and an outer barren zone in which the quartz veins are calcite-bearing. The vein solutions originated in the same magma that supplied the albitite dikes.

Jan 1, 1938

By J. B. Fisken

(Butte Meeting, August, 1913.) BEFORE touching upon the immediate subject of this paper a few facts of a historical nature as to the general application of electricity to mining might be of interest. As to what was actually the first application of electricity to mining, opinions will no doubt always differ. My experience does not go back far enough, nor are the records to which I have had access of any value as covering this point. Sydney F. Walker, a man whose pioneer experience in the application of electricity to mining purposes dates back as far as 1876, ,gave an interesting resume of the subject in an address before the South Wales branch of the Association of Mining Electrical Engineers at its 1.913 session, and, unless his statements are shown to be wrong, they should be accepted as facts. According to Mr. Walker, the ignition of charges of blasting powder was the first operation in mining to be accomplished with the aid of electricity. Very frequently this energy was furnished by a static machine and occasionally by a magneto generator. Later, this was followed by the application of electricity to bell signals, and we are told that this application was looked upon skeptically and regarded as an expensive experiment by the mining managers of those early days. At the Paris Exposition of 1878, there was exhibited an electric lamp, which suggested future possibilities to the mining engineers of those days. The first successful application of electric lighting to underground excavations that I have been able to find any record of is that of M. Blavier. In the year 1879' he installed two Serrin lamps and successfully illuminated one of the large underground chambers in the Angers slate quarries. Another early application of electricity to the lighting of mines is that in the large chambers in the salt mines of Maros-Ujvár, in Hungary; these have been regularly and successfully lighted elec-

Jan 6, 1913

By Yang Tsang Woo

The method of making coke that has been adopted at the Kaiping and other collieries in northern China resembles, to some extent, the familiar bee-hive oven process of the United States, except that a kiln with permanent sides is used instead of a closed oven, and the products of combustion are drawn off at the bottom. In building coke-kilns in China, two circular holes, 8 ft. 6 in. in diameter at the bottom and 13 ft. in diameter at the top, are excavated in the ground, and connected at the bottom by a flue, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The sides and bottom of the kiln are lined with fire-bricks, and covered with a lager of fireclay, and a rectangular opening, 6 in. by 8 in., connects the bottom of each kiln with the main flue. Around the edge of the hole, and overlapping the lining, is a wall of fire-brick extending 2 ft. 6 in. above the level of the ground. An open space 5 ft. wide is left in this wall, through which the coal is carried into the kiln and the resultant coke removed. This space, of course, is bricked up during the time that the coking-operation is being carried on. The wall is pierced with nine flue-openings uniformly placed around the circumference, each interverliilg space in the wall being strengthened with a brick buttress, as is shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The floor of the kiln, as well as the main flue, is lined with fire-brick. Before charging the coal, it is first placed in shallow bamboo sieves, 2 ft. in diameter, and immersed in a trough 10 ft. long, and 3 ft. wide, fed with pit-water, in which it is washed by hand. Fig. 3 shows the manner in which the washing is done. From 25 tons of good "dust" coal, 22.5 tons of washed coal are obtained. When ready to charge the coal into the kiln, a temporary cone-shaped flue of fire-wood and lump coal is first built to a

Jan 1, 1906

Secondary minerals are the result of a process of concentration and enrichment and are commonly richer than the primary minerals of the same deposit. Secondary ores that contain abundant sulphides are commonly distinguishable in the field from primary ores; this distinction is more difficult with ores that carry a small quantity only of sulphide minerals, and microscopical examination of the ore in thin section is advisable in all doubtful cases. It is frequently difficult, and in some cases impossible, to determine the primary or secondary character of quartzose gold ores. The safest guide is the presence or absence of gaseous or fluid inclusions in association with the ore minerals; such primary association coupled with a lack of traces of oxidation is indicative of primary origin. Any ore that carries traces of oxidation, such as iron stains, endritic oxides of manganese, kaolin and so forth must be considered to have been acted upon by surface agencies, and secondary enrichment must be suspected. Further examination, however, may indicate that the contained value is primary, and, therefore, persistent in its vertical distribution. The manner of occurrence of secondary minerals is frequently characteristic; secondary minerals, being due to the action of surface waters, are commonly found in cracks through earlier minerals, or as crusts lining vugs or surrounding nucleal masses, or in general, in some distribution later than and not conforming to the arrangement of the primary minerals. Secondary sulphides are often found as soft black pulverulent masses or coatings, although they frequently occur well crystallized or as

Jan 1, 1932