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By S. A. Falconer

Much attention and publicity has been given, during recent years, to grinding, classification, flotation, and thickening. The various technical papers, and symposiums held to discuss these important phases of milling, have contributed to a better understanding of the fundamental principles and operating variables involved. Another important part of milling— to the flotation operator—is a treatment step to which frequently too little attention is given—"conditioning," or the treatment the ground mineral pulp receives before it enters the flotation machines. "Conditioning" is a hackneyed and frequently misused term, commonly employed to describe the pretreatment of surfaces of minerals in ore pulps or mill products prior to froth flotation. In general, such pretreatment is for the purpose of changing the flotation characteristics of these mineral sur- faces to enable them to respond in some desired predetermined manner when subjected to flotation. Taggartl states that the function of conditioning is "either to insure selective collector coating of one mineral species while another species is not; or to take such steps as will compensate for departure therefrom." As 0. C. Ralston has stated? ... we are still faced with the fact that some mineral particles are water-avid, others air-avid, and that by properly modifying them they may be enhanced or diminished in desirable or undesirable avidity. Coatings on minerals must still be assumed to fall into three classes: (1) a coating of immiscible oil, (2) a layer of adsorbed substance, (3) a chemically produced coating. It is submitted that the process of preparing mineral surfaces for subsequent flotation treatment should take into consideration physical as well as chemical means for altering the normal flotation response of the mineral surfaces. A more descriptive word than "conditioning" is needed to designate broadly these procedures. The minerals in many ores cannot be made to respond in a normal manner to usual methods of "conditioning" with selectivity modifying reagents, until they have been cleansed, or interfering slimes and soluble salts have been removed from the ore. Therefore, it appears important to include under the general subject of "conditioning" a discussion of the purposes, methods used, and some of the advantages of these pretreatment steps. This is dealt with under the subject heading " Initial Treatment of Mineral Surfaces and Ore Pulps." Under this broader interpretation, the methods employed for treating mineral surfaces to alter their flotation characteristics may be divided into three general classes: 1. Physical methods.

Jan 1, 1950

By F. W. Gordon

Since the waste gases of the blast-furnace came to be generally utilized in heating the blast and raising steam, the gradual improvement in the economy of fuel, mainly through the nse of higher temperature in the blast, has impoverished the gases. The increased output per unit of measurement of the furnace, and the increased height of the furnace, have markedly increased the resistance to the blast, thus enormously increasing the duty required from the gases. In other words, a gas reduced in heating power by a further dilution of CO, is required to raise the temperature of the blast to 1800' Fahr., where formerly 600' was a good temperature, and at the same time to raise steam enough to drive the air into the furnace at a pressure of from four to eight pounds in coke practice, and from eight to twelve pounds in anthracite practice, and also pump at least double the water formerly used at furnaces. Hence the necessity for the employment of the best scheme for thoroughly consuming these gases with the least dilution of air, and the use of the best device for absorbing the heat prodnced for the purposes above mentioned. In a former paper before this Society the writer called attention to such improvements as had been made by his firm, by which it was claimed 1400' Fahr. could be maintained in the blast by a less consumption of gas than was required to maintain 900' when using pipe-ovens; and it would not be too much to say that 1600' Fahr. might now be written in place of the 1-400. The object of this paper is to give the practice of our firm in the

Jan 1, 1884

By Harold S. Davis

SURROUNDING the nuclear core of an atomic energy plant there are usually one or more thick walls of concrete, as required to protect instruments and personnel from the harmful effects of nuclear radiations. Sometimes these massive walls are of ordinary concrete weighing about 150 pcf. To reduce wall thicknesses, concrete weighing 200 to 350 pcf may be used. Such high densities are obtained by using natural aggregate processed from heavy ore, or by using steel slugs or iron shot in concrete. Mix data for a number of high-density concretes are summarized in Table I.1 High density at low cost is of prime importance in shields designed to absorb gamma rays. On the other hand, biological shields located near the reactor core must attenuate neutrons as well as gamma rays. In general, a biological shield should contain: 1) heavy elements to slow down high energy neutrons and to absorb gamma rays, 2) either light elements or hydrogenous materials to moderate neutrons of intermediate energy, and 3) materials to absorb neutrons once they have been slowed down to thermal energies. Some shield materials, iron and water for example, are effective in one or more of the above ways. On the other hand, some otherwise excellent shield materials have certain undesirable radiation properties that limit the ways or number of places they can be used. For example, when iron absorbs neutrons it emits secondary gamma rays of high energy. On the other hand, boron absorbs neutrons avidly without producing high energy gamma rays. In spite of its high cost, boron is sometimes used in concrete to minimize production of secondary gamma rays. In some shielding applications it is necessary to avoid materials that become radioactive when subjected to neutron bombardment, continuing to give off high energy gamma rays for long periods after being removed from a neutron field.

Jan 5, 1957

By W. C. Weslow

AN extended program devoted to the development of a matrix for holding diamonds of a size and. kind not heretofore generally used is being carried on by the Carboloy Company, and this paper describes the part of the development that affects mining and its allied industries. Labora-tory and field work so far has indicated the following: 1. Tungsten carbide and cobalt form the most desirable known matrix material for the holding of diamonds for drilling work. 2. Industrial bort diamonds in sizes and of a class not generally heretofore acceptable and therefore less expensive can be successfully held in this cemented carbide matrix. 3. In exploratory drilling, the combination of bort diamonds, impreg-nated throughout a matrix of tungsten carbide and cobalt, when fabri-cated onto drilling crowns, is an indicated economic substitute for drilling crowns in which the diamonds are set by hand, mechanically or by casting. 4. This impregnated type of drilling crown or bit has definite possi-bilites of revolutionizing the drilling of blast holes, particularly in the harder formations. This will be brought about by the development of high-speed light-weight rotary equipment using an impregnated diamond bit to replace the percussion drill now in general use. (The development of this rotary equipment is well past the laboratory stage at this time.) 5. That the use of a rotary bit is a preventive measure in the fight against silicosis. The development of this product was started by G. F. Taylor at the Research Laboratories of the General Electric Co. It was early recog-nized that it had possibilities in the drilling field and the present product is the result of considerable experimental work with other powdered metals as well as with tungsten carbide and cobalt.

Jan 1, 1940

By A. C. Dorenfeld

CHANGES in circuits are often made in milling operations. At the same time that these changes are being evaluated the ores are changing. Even from the same mine, the ore is usually variable as to amount and type of mineral content, degree of association of valuable and gangue minerals, amount and types of soluble salts, hardness, etc. The question then arises whether any small differences in results, after changes have been made in the various circuits, are really due to these changes or whether the variability of the ore can account for those differences. Statistical evaluation provides one method of answering the question that arises so often in beneficiation studies: Did changed results come about because of changed process, or did ore variation cause the change? In this case, data were available for statistical analysis from an operating period of 42 months, representing treatment of approximately 1 million tons of ore. During this period there had been two flowsheet changes: 1) regrind of the zinc circuit middlings was introduced, and 2) alcohol- pine oil frother mixture was substituted for cresylic acid-pine oil frother mixture. Findings are in Table I.

Jan 10, 1954

By E. V. Howard

During the recent expansion of precipitate copper production at the Chino Mines Division of Kennecott Copper Corp., Santa Rita, N. Mex., local studies of the dump leaching process were intensified. As these studies progressed, it became apparent that a reliable method for locating leach solutions within the dump was required, since the contact between the leach solutions and the copper-bearing ma.teria1 determines recovery. In the past, the problem of determining leach solution contact has been attacked by various methods, including destructive testing (dump dissection), indirect observation (such as chloride or dye tracers) and mathematical or laboratory model studies, but they have not proved completely satisfactory. The investigation of methods for in situ observation of leach solutions led to consideration of radiation logging in drillholes, which are subsurface techniques used in petroleum exploration and development for locating fluids and measuring porosity. A significant advantage of radiation logging is that, unlike other types of logging, measurements may be made in cased holes, since gamma rays and neutrons will penetrate steel and cement. Three techniques are currently used at Chino: Natural gamma ray logging; neutron-neutron, or moisture logging; and gamma-gamma, or bulk density logging.

Jan 4, 1968

By Heinrich A. Kortmann

Specifications on the chemical, physical and metallurgical properties of the blast furnace burden are steadily becoming more stringent, especially in those countries where higher raw material and energy costs can be overcome only by improved technology. This paper describes the test methods for the relative predetermination of the criteria where the effects of temperature, gas composition and physical load in the blast furnace are duly considered. Data are presented to show the correlations between burden material tests and blast furnace results. Possible test methods for the direct reduction process are also discussed.

Jan 1, 1977

By E. H. Bronson

PROPERTY of Malartic Gold Fields Ltd. is situa-ated in the great clay belt in the northern part of the Province of Quebec. This belt represents the floor of the glacial lake Barlow-Ojibway. The clay blanket has a gently rolling, almost flat surface, with here and there projecting knobs and ridges that outline the large irregularities of the surface on which the clay was deposited. At irregular intervals glacial eskers dominate the landscape. The ore-bearing country rock is covered by strata of clay, sand, and silt to a depth varying to 40 ft. There are serious structural problems when it is necessary to place loads of unequal intensities on this surface to support buildings and machinery for a modern mining plant. Earlier mining companies and their engineers paid little attention to the science of soil mechanics, partly because they believed it unnecessary and partly because they knew little of the subject. The results are evident in some of the tottering structures in older camps. Careful analysis of soil problems is well worth-while, since cost of foundations may vary from 20 to 50 pct of the final cost of a structure. Low operating and maintenance costs can be achieved only in this way. If it is definitely established that a plant will be in operation for only a few months, this limited time factor will probably influence the design of the foundation, and rightly so. If sensitive and complickted equipment is to be mounted on these foundations and the plant is to operate for several years, there should be a thorough study of foundations and a very careful design. A familiar problem is presented by the difficulty of operating a permanent plant originally designed for a few months' work. The engineer must beware of these hazards and disassociate himself from them if he cannot prevail on the promoter to spend the proper amount for a thorough foundation study. Laws of certain provinces and states hold the engineer equally responsible with the contractor for any 'damage that may be caused to building through inadequate study-ignordnce of the facts is no excuse in the eyes of the law. Types of Soil: The engineer should be familiar with such terms as silt, clay, peat, and varved clay, as well as perpafrost, especially if he is to work in the far northern reaches of the country. He should also be familiar with soil attributes such as porosity, texture, consistency, permeability, compressibility, consolidation, and shearing resistance. The design of any foundation requires an accurate knowledge of the physical properties and location of the soils involved. Older textbooks on the subject outline various empirical methods to determine the carrying power of soil. Tables are given in reference books. The modern ehgineer should be wary of these modes of thinking. He should analyze his problem carefully, calculate to what depth of soil the loads may be transmitted, and then check the bearing value of all soils to that or greater depths. If the strata are water-carrying, he must determine the possibility of this water being accidentally re-

Jan 1, 1958

By R. H. Swallow, George Hess

C. G. BALL*—These maps are obvi-~,usly quite helpful in many types of mining engineering, but I want to find out if the prints which you obtain in the first step toward making any aerial contour map have already been corrected for tilt. Is that done afterwards only if you are going into the process of making a contour map ? GEORGE HESS (authors' reply)— The tilt correction is the first step in either compiling the mosaic or compiling the total map. They must be corrected. C. G. BALL—But are the contact prints themselves corrected for tilt? GEORGE HESS—They are not corrected. E. R. KAISER†—I enjoyed this paper very much, and am glad to learn that the methods have a high degree of accuracy and are in use in the coal industry. Accuracy in dimensions is understandable from the paper. Would you tell us how accuracy can be obtained in the vertical dimensions by means of the photographs so as to permit drawing contour lines? GEORGE HESS—To explain our process, even in a limited way, is quite a large order. However, the basic principle involved is the measurement of parallax by viewing two overlapping photographs stereoscopically. It would almost be necessary to have the various instruments here on view to adequately explain their operation. E. R. KAISER—Are the elevations for reference obtained at more than four points ? GEORGE HESS—The pattern of control is four points obtained in the corners. Primarily. that is to restitute the picture and horizontalize it. The vertical control points are read ill on the stereometer and a direct comparison is made while draw- ing the contour lines. You do have to have those four points. But one stereoscopic pair of 5 ft contours has some 340 acres on it, consequently for every four points picked up 340 acres are contoured. E. R. KAISER—How does your method compare with that used by the military reconnaissance during World War II? GEORGE HESS—The Army did not get into this refined mapping. Most of their work has been reconnaissance mapping by taking one vertical and two oblique views. Basically, the same principle is used. Our maps are for engineering purposes. The Army was primarily interested in reconnaissance. E. R. KAISER—You could take more than 48 pictures in one flight? GEORGE HESS—Yes, the Brock camera accomodates 48 pictures per magazine. We are limited by the hours of greatest light, though, 2 hr before high noon, and 2 hr after high noon. Shadows do affect the picture. The shadows can-

Jan 1, 1950

By W. A. Hoyer, G. A. Lock

Laboratory and field tests have shown that it is feasible to log for copper in a qualitative way using the techniques of neutron activation analysis. Laboratory tests showed that the 0.51 and 1.04 mev gamma rays of 62Cu and 66Cu, respectively, could be diagnostic. However, in the core holes, the detection of copper was limited to 0.3% concentration because of interferences from the 18Si and Al gamma rays. Both stationary and continuous logs were made, but only the stationary data yielded a recognizable copper response. This response consists of a combination of two effects-the direct response from copper at 0.51 mev and an increase in low energy gamma ray absorption due to mineralization. Both low energy chemical (PuBe) and high energy accelerator neutron sources were used for the laboratory and field tests, while the same 2 X 5 in. Nal scintillation detector served for all the tests. Potential improvements in copper detection might be possible with solid state gamma-ray detectors which have better gamma ray resolution but much less detection efficiency. This type of activation logging requires complex equipment and trained personnel to conduct field operations and may find application where coring is difficult or prohibitive.

Jan 1, 1973

J. S. UNGER,* Pittsburg, Pa, . (written discussion?).-The author of the paper has given an excellent description of the appliances used to cool parts of an open-hearth furnace, and some of the reasons why the refractories fail in service. Personally, I favor water-cooling, but to a limited degree. At one time I advocated more universal cooling than is now practised, but believe I must change my mind. Water-cooled, thin-lined blast furnaces have not proved as satisfactory as anticipated. While this may retard the building of many such furnaces, it will not prevent the use of regular tuyere- and bosh-cooling appliances. Water-cooling any furnace may be easily carried to the extreme. In an open-hearth furnace, excessive port or roof cooling, or cooling the working floors may preserve the lines of the furnace, lower the cost of refractories, acid to the comfort of the workmen, and necessitate fewer shutdowns for repairs, but it may not be good economy on account of the high first cost, the cost of cooling water, maintenance of cooling appliances, and the immediate reflection in a higher fuel cost. The question becomes a financial one, and is answered by using water-cooling devices up to the point at which they cease to show true economies. Open-hearth furnace bulkheads, roofs, and ports fail rapidly in about the order named. If they could be made to last indefinitely by water-cooling, the furnace would still have to be shut clown periodically for cleaning the slag pockets, regenerator chambers, and flues. Extra, or spare, pockets and regenerator chambers have been advocated to permit of continuous operation, but the space required, the cost of installation, and the fuel required to initially heat such cold chambers will largely prevent their adoption. Some particular fuels, as high-ash powdered coal, require frequent stoppages for cleaning, but for this particular fuel a special provision can' be made.

Jan 5, 1919

By Robert O. Davis, Phillip A. Abbott

The response of geologic materials subject to nuclear weapon effects is of considerable interest in the design of buried protective construction. Recently, more consideration has been given to placing such structures in rock rather than in soil. Although rock has the obvious advantages of high strength and low deformability, discontinuities such as joints and fault planes severely complicate any response analysis. Nevertheless, some knowledge of the effects of these discontinuities must be developed, even if that knowledge remains largely qualitative in nature. In this paper, we present a constitutive description of cracked rock subject to uniaxial shock loading. The constitutive equations are based on certain average response characteristics of a particular cracked rock model. Rather than attempt to represent each material discontinuity individually, we have incorporated the discontinuity effects into constitutive relationships for a continuous medium. The resulting equations are suitable for use in hydrodynamic computer codes presently used for ground motion calculations. APPROACH The continuum description which will be presented below is based on a detailed analysis of a particular cracked rock model. This model can be visualized as a sequence of plates (representing the intact rock) separated by gaps (representing the discontinuities). This so-called "plate-gap" model was first used by Thouvenin (1) in an effort to explain the behavior of porous materials at high

Jan 1, 1971

By Horace Porter

MOST of the bituminous and semibituminous coals of this country Will coke, and all of them yield, on carbonizing, more or less marketable gas and byproducts. We need, however, a finer distinction as between various grades of coking coals and between coals of different degrees of byproduct and gas-making possibilities. There is required by the consumer or the coal producer a dependable test to show whether a certain coal or mixture of coals will make coke of good commercial value for blast, furnace, foundry, water-gas, or domestic use; whether any difficulties in operation may arise from properties inherent in the coal; and whether gas and byproducts may be expected of good quality and in profitable quantity. For determining coke quality, the most dependable test is in actual run in an oven, but for byproducts a coal may better and more accurately be tested in the laboratory or in a miniature oven or retort. As to what are the most desirable qualities in blast-furnace coke, the furnace men themselves are not in complete agreement. Soiree desire a hard, well-burned, "hot" coke, and others get better results from a "greener," less hardened product that burns somewhat more readily in the furnace. But certain qualities of cell structure and porosity are commonly agreed upon as desirable. Information as to what kind of coke a certain coal may be made to yield is valuable in advance, whatever may be the consumer's ideas as to the particular kind most suitable to his needs. The question arises, Can we predict coking quality with any degree of satisfaction from a small-scale test? It used to be said that coals could not be tested satisfactorily on a laboratory scale either for the coke they would yield or-the byproducts. On account of the mystery with which the coking quality of -coal has been shrouded and the large determining influences that many believe are exerted by mass, pressure, and the passage of carbonaceous volatile matter through the coking material, it has seemed difficult to reproduce in the laboratory the exact conditions of commercial practice. Great progress, however, has been made in recent years

Jan 9, 1919

By A. M. Crawford

INTRODUCTION Grouting is an engineering operation which has been practiced for many years and a considerable amount of experience and skill has been developed in this field. However, a review of the current literature (Houlsby, 1982) reveals that the theoretical background and experimental observations that are necessary to adequately predict or describe the performance of a particulate grout (e.g. cement based) in a jointed geologic media are somewhat inadequate. In the near future it is envisaged that the use of grout and grouting techiques will be used to tackle even more difficult problems than have been considered in the past. One problem that is currently being faced by the rock mechanics engineer is the development of geologic repositories for the disposal and containment of high level radioactive waste. In such structures there will be only one opportunity to ensure the success of the containment system. This success will depend to a large extent on the adequate and successful performance of the grout curtains to be utilized around the shafts and shaft liners. Regrouting will not be possible. There are other problems in rock mechanics in which it is frequently necessary to inject particulate media into passages of small dimensions, and where typically the size of fracture being injected is of the same order of magnitude as the particle dimension. For example, in the oil industry in hydraulic fracturing the enhancement of fracture conductivity is maintained by means of proppants introduced into the fracture.

Jan 1, 1984

By R. T. Mishler

I WISH to express my keen appreciation of the article on the above subject by Coe and Clevenger.1 It has been doubly interesting to me, for the reason that the experience recorded and the principles evolved practically parallel the results of similar investigations made by myself and others at The Lucky Tiger Mine, El Tigre, Sonora, Mex. An outline of the work at El Tigre may aid in confirming the principles expressed by Coe and Clevenger. El Tigre has the unenviable distinction of possessing a slime with a much lower settling rate than any recorded in the article discussed. Under most favorable conditions the settling rate is about one-third that reported for the Liberty Bell mill, and one-tenth that reported for the Nipissing, Golden Cycle, and Presidio mills. This slow settling characteristic of Tigre ore has necessitated careful investigation of settling phenomena throughout the various evolutions of the plant. PREVIOUS SETTLING INVESTIGATION AT TIGRE During construction work at the mill, the Metallurgical Engineer in charge, D. L. H. Forbes, ran a series of experiments on settling. His tests proved that deep settling tanks were not ordinarily necessary. The use of tanks 2 or 3 ft. in depth was suggested.2 Later experiments demonstrated that the following principles of settling applied to Tigre pulp.3 1. In settling dilute pulp, settling rates are independent of pulp depth. 2. In settling thick pulp, settling rates are approximately proportional to pulp depth.4

Jan 3, 1917

By J. K. Furst

The reasons for manufacturing steel by the deplex process are, briefly…

Jan 1, 1915

By AIME AIME

H OWEVER extensively water-lines may be laid in the mine for fire fighting purposes, there are still, usually, points being worked temporarily, development, stoping or other work of a temporary or incidental nature where it is considered that the expense of laying fire-lines is not warranted. While the laying of water-lines in some sections of the mine may not be warranted, in most metal mines it is necessary to lay an air-line to all working places. In the mine of the United Verde Extension Mining Co., at Jerome, Ariz., advantage has been taken of this fact by providing a means of by-passing the water at the end of the water-line into the air-line in case an emergency arises. By this means the 2-in. air-line can be quickly converted into a water-line for fighting fire which might otherwise be beyond the reach of the water-lines.

Jan 1, 1930

By H. J. Rose

SIXTY-FIVE million net tons of coal were carbonized in the by-product and beehive coke ovens1 of the United States during 1924. This tonnage represented 13.4 per cent. of the bituminous coal which was mined in that year. Table 1 shows production and disposition.2 TABLE 1.-Production and Disposition of Oven Coke in 1924 BY-PRODUCT BEEHIVE TOTAL Coal charged into ovens, tons 49,061,339 15,914,310 64,975,649 Coke produced (exclusive of screenings and breeze), tons 33,983,568 10,286;037 44,269,605 Average yield of coke, per cent 69.3 61.6 68.1 Disposition of coke: PER PER PER CENT. CENT. CENT. Blast furnace 82.5 82.8 82.6 Foundry 4.6 13.3 6.6 Domestic 8.3 1.4 6.7 Water gas manufacture and all other uses 4.6 2.5 4.1 Cokes having somewhat different combinations of chemical and physical properties are desired for the various uses listed above, and these properties depend primarily upon the types of coal used. American coals have a wide range of purity and coking quality, and the chief subject of this paper will be the selection of coals for the manufacture of blast furnace, foundry, domestic, and water-gas coke, in by-product coke ovens. It will obviously be necessary to include a discussion of those physical and chemical characteristics that are generally considered essential or desirable for each type of coke.

Jan 7, 1926

By A. W. Schlechten

The proposition is advanced that edutcation specifically for exlractive metallurgy is desirable not because the course content is cmique but rather as a means of indoctrinating the student with a backgrocmd that will give him an interest and pride in the profession. Factors that have caused the decline in enrollment in metallurgical engineering courses emphasizing extractive processes are being overcome. There is a need to distinguish between the sciences of metallurgy and the engineering applications to avoid confusion both in and out of the profession. AS a first step in preparing the 1967 EMD Lecture I searched the literature to determine what my predecessors had done hoping thereby to gain some clues for my own performance. The Transactions of the Metallurgical Society show that the first EMD Lec- turer in 1959 was Dr. W. J. Kroll, known chiefly today for his pioneering work on the production of titanium and zirconium, but equally respected by an earlier generation for his contributions to lead refining. He has been followed by a series of well-known and competent metallurgists all possessing specialized knowledge that has served as a basis for their lectures. The EMD Lectures have in general been a review of the development of a certain aspect of the extractive metallurgical industry or a preview of a particular area of science or technology that has applications in extractive metallurgy. The usual format is to describe developments of the past, summarize the present state of knowledge, and make predictions for the future. There has been great variation in the relative amount of time devoted to these three subdivisions, the past, the present, and the future. For example, Professor Gaudin, the 1961 EMD Lecturer, in speaking of Separation Engineering on the Moon, did not have too many examples of past practice and so had to emphasize the future. It is cheering to observe that all of these authorities were optimistic in their predictions. Despite the fact that four of the previous EMD Lecturers have been educators, Professors Gaudin, Pidgeon, Schuhmann, and Kellogg, none of them discussed the subject of education for extractive metallurgists. I might say parenthetically that lecturers in other divisions, such as B. M. Larsen, J. B. Austin, F. D. Richardson, John Chipman, and R. F. Mehl, have commented with concern on the present state of training for extractive metallurgy. What can you say that is new about extractive metallurgy education? Certainly nothing new can be said about the educational process itself. Professional educators do have new approaches to teaching and learn-

Jan 1, 1968

By J. E. Lawver

On the basis of both laboratory and pilot-scale tests, a newly developed high-tension electrostatic process is technically and economically feasible for the production of iron ore superconcentrates containing 0.02 to 0.20% silica at iron recoveries of 85 to 90%. The process can be used to recover both a superconcentrate and a pellet-grade concentrate, from a feed containing middlings, and the system is not unduly upset from changes in feed structure and composition. The adverse affect of excess quantities of material finer than 30 microns, i.e., above 10% in quantity can be avoided by a desliming step. Finally, because of the cost of drying, the best feed for the process appears to be dry-ground ores as well as spiral, flotation, or magnetic concentrates.

Jan 1, 1970