Search Documents

By G. R. Speich

The interlarnmelm spacing, growth rate, and degree of segregation that accompany cellular precipitation in four Fe-Zn alloys containing 9.7, 15.2, 23.5, and 30.5 at. pct Zn have been determined in the temperature range 400" to 600°C. The chemical free-energy change for the reaction was calculated from the available thermodynamic data and the known compositions of the phases. The fraction of the chemical free-energy change for equilibrium segregation that is converted into interfacial free energy decreases from 0.43 to 0.08 as the magnitude of this free-energy change increases from 35 to 270 cal per mole. At constant temperature the cellular growth rate is proportional to the cube of the dissipated free energy. At 600°C newly 100 pct of the equilibrium segregation is achieved during cellulm precipitation whereas at 400°C only 85 pct of the equilibrium segregation is attained. During cellular growth, mass transport of zinc occurs by grain boundary diffusion; excess zinc remaining in the a! phase after the completion of growth is removed slowly by volume diffusion. A modified Cahn theory of cellular precipitation predicts the observed interlamellar spacing within a factor of two. In cellular precipitation reactions such as pearlite formation or discontinuous precipitation, the basic problem is to predict the variation of growth rate G, interlamellar spacing S, and degree of segregation P with composition and temperature. To accomplish this we need three independent equations relating these quantities. One of these equations comes from the diffusion solution. To obtain two additional independent equations, some assumptions must be made. cahnl has suggested recently that two plausible assumptions are 1) that growth rate is proportional to the dissipated free energy and 2) that the spacing which occurs is that which maximizes the dissipated free energy. According to the first assumption, this spacing also maximizes the growth rate and the rate of decrease of free energy per unit area of cell boundary. The present work was undertaken to test these assumptions. To test the first assumption it is necessary to study a cellular reaction over a wide range of supersatura-tions to establish a relationship between G and the dissipated free energy at constant temperature. This is possible only in discontinuous precipitation reactions since in pearlite reactions constituents other than pearlite form if the composition of the parent phase deviates even slightly from the eutectoid composition. The Fe-Zn system was chosen for study because 1) discontinuous precipitation proceeds to completion over a wide temperature and concentration range, 2) the degree of segregation within the cell can be measured by lattice parameter measurements,2 and 3) the thermodynamics of this system have recently been determined by Wriedt.3 In this system the cells consisting d alternate lamellae of a and r phases form from supercooled iron-rich a phase. The a phase within the cells is bcc as is the original a phase, cia, but has a different orientation and a slightly lower zinc content than the original a phase. The r phase has a zinc content of about 70 at. pct and a crystal structure isomor-phous with T brass. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Four Fe-Zn alloys with 9.7, 15.2, 23.5, and 30.5 at. pct Zn were prepared from carbonyl-iron powder (400 mesh, 99.8 wt pct Fe) and zinc powder (200 mesh, 99.99 wt pct Zn). The powders were ball-milled together and cold-pressed under 60,000 psi to discs $ in. thick by $ in. diam. The cold-pressed discs of the alloys with 9.7 and 15.2 at. pct Zn were sealed in evacuated silica capsules and heated slowly to 1100°C over a period of 1 week (3 days at 600°C, then 3 days at 80O°C, then 1 day at 1100°C). The alloys with 23.5 and 30.5 at. pct Zn were treated similarly except that the final homogenization temperatures were 1000" and 85O°C, respectively, to prevent melting. The alloys were quenched in iced brine from the final homogenization temperature. Specimens of each alloy were subsequently aged in salt pots at temperatures of 400°, 450°, 500°, 550°, 600°, and 650°C for times that varied from a few minutes to several hundred hours. At a late stage of this work, an alloy containing 11.2 at. pct Zn was prepared by vapor-impregnation of iron foil with zinc vapor at 890°C. This alloy proved useful for electron microscope studies because it was free of porosity. The homogenization and aging conditions were based on the recent Fe-Zn phase diagram of Stadelmaier and Bridgers4 rather than the earlier diagram of ansen.5 They consist of a homogenization heat treatment in the homogeneous a field followed by an aging treatment in the two-phase a + r field. The aged specimens were metallographically polished and etched in 2 pct nital and the radius of the largest cell in the microstructure determined. This radius plotted vs time gave a straight line whose slope is the boundary migration rate or growth rate G of the cell. To determine the interlamellar spacing, specimens were examined by surface-replica and thin-section electron microscope techniques. Because of the irregular nature of the lamellae within the cell, the average interlamellar spacing S .of the cell was measured by the method of Cahn and Hagel,6 where S is defined by:

Jan 1, 1969

Discussion of the paper of EDWARD G. NORTON, presented at the New York meeting, February, 1915, and printed in Bulletin No. 97, January, 1915, pp. 93 to 102. G. D. HARRIS, Ithaca, N. Y. (communication to the Secretary *).¬Since I have on several occasions1 expressed at length my general views on this interesting subject, it seems fitting that I endeavor here to comment as briefly as possible on a few points suggested by the paper. Doubtless you all know of the rather extensive publications of Lachmann on mid-European salines and his scarcely successful, attempt to make the phenomena presented by our domes fit. into his "Exzeme" theory based on studies of European phenomena. This paper is a most welcome indication that scientific America is very much alive to the difficulties that have been encountered in attempts already made to explain the origin of the salt domes in the lower Mississippi embayment region. Praiseworthy, too, is the attempt to explain these phenomena by agencies still in operation. I may, perhaps, be permitted to state here that a former student of mine, and co-worker in Louisiana, A. C. Veatch, is now interested in the Algerian region, where it would seem similar dome-phenomena are to be found, and hopes may well

Jan 5, 1915

By Henry D. Hibbard

Henry D. HibbaRd, Pittsburgh, Pa,: This is a most interesting and instructive paper, some of whose lessons should find immediate application. It points out how fuel-consumption is to be decreased in open-hearth practice, by changes in the plan of the furnace. To look first at the greatest item of loss, radiation, it is seen that thicker brick-work is advisable to lessen this. Especially is this true of the roof, made at present, almost universally, only 9 inches thick to prevent cutting. Now that high roofs, well above the course of the flame, are becoming general, and the average melter is better able to judge the temperature of his furnace, that reason has less force; and we may build roofs 18 inches thick, or perhaps better cover the usual 9 inches with an equivalent layer of sand, which has the advantage of following the arch as it rises and falls with the different degrees of heat. The side-walls of the hearth, usually 131/2 inches thick, may also he thickened up to 18 inches, and the door-linings to 7 inches; and the heat thereby saved will be valuable, while its absence from the working-platform will be much appreciated by the workmen.

Jan 1, 1892

By Morris A. Dodd

The nodulizing process described converts finely divided zinc calcine into a dense purified nodule. These zinc nodules are suitable for direct use in zinc reduction furnaces, especially the horizontal retort type, for the production of metal or American process zinc oxide furnaces for producing lead free zinc oxide. The basic reactions are carried out in a rotary kiln fired with fuel oil or natural gas. The combustion gases travel countercurrent to the flow of the zinc bearing material. Volatile impurities are carried out of the kiln with the combustion gases and a small portion of the finely divided feed material. The gases are cooled and the larger solid particles are separated from the stream before the resultant fume is collected in a conventional cloth filter baghouse. The fume collected can be further processed by conventional wet processes for the recovery of metallic values such as lead and cadmium. In order to nodulize the calcine properly it is elevated to a point of incipient fusion. The agglomerated material falling from the kiln is cooled and then sized by passing through a screening and crushing system consisting of a jaw crusher and a roll crusher in closed circuit with a vibrating screen.

Jan 1, 1970

By James J. Scott

INTRODUCTION This paper presents the basic principles which must be followed to create a truly inherently safe mining system. The need to relate the support mechanism to be employed to the ground reaction curve and basic rock mechanics principles will be pointed out. The support system must function in concert with the deformations that are inherent in the selected mining system. Following the support selection, the mechanics for installing support must be developed. This is best done through a cooperative effort between mine engineers, mine operators, safety personnel, equipment sup- pliers, and government inspectors both state and federal. Accident statistics, near miss statistics, review of equipment used by others, geologic features, etc. will necessarily have to be studied. The goal of equipment development and selection should be to develop inherent safety by removing the miner from the hazard area or by providing absolute protection for the miner if he must work in close proximity to the potential fall of ground. The role of good productivity in reducing the numbers of men exposed to hazards is emphasized as a good safety measure ROCK MECHANICS PRINCIPLES A thorough understanding of the ground reaction curve surrounding openings to be created is essential in the

Jan 1, 1982

By H. H. Einstein

Swelling ground is one of the most feared problems in tunneling. Although usually not causing sudden failures during construction, the very large and longlasting deformations give contractors and designers the impression of facing an inevitable phenomenon against which there is no technical defense. Examples are concrete liners up to 1 m (3 ft) thickness that have been cracked or crushed, tunnel inverts that are heaving at 0.1 m (0.3 ft) per week during construction and continue to heave during decades. This paper summarizes essential components of design construction procedures where tunnels in swelling rock can be built to perform satisfactorily. It is important to point out that design and construction cannot and should not be separated. The way the tunnel will be built has to be an integral part of the design. Swelling can be defined as time dependent volume increase and is distinguished from squeezing, another time dependent phenomenon occurring in tunneling. Squeezing involves exceeding the shearing resistance while swelling usually does not. Swelling of rock masses can occur as swelling of the intact rock, swelling of wall rock, of gouge and of filler in the discontinuities of a rock mass, and as a combination of the above. Swelling mechanisms have been discussed elsewhere (ISRM 1983).

Jan 1, 1984

By Jan M. Mutmansky

The primary purpose of this presentation is to analyze the strategies available to an operator using either stripping or stripping and subsequent punch mining on a given coal property. The initial concern is the formulation of a mathematical model, which allows an operator to determine and utilize the particular highwall height, which will maximize : (1) Total profit or (2) Profit per unit of operating time. The analysis centers on the relative costs and recoveries involved in a typical coal seam amenable to stripping, augering, and punch mining. The model defines the point to which the high-recovery stripping operation with increasing overburden removal and reclamation costs should proceed before the low-recovery augering and punch mining methods are employed so that the desired objective is achieved. Examples are presented, which exhibit the use of the model on typical operations. Present mining methods as practiced in the Eastern United States are examined in the light of the results. Recommendations for improving present strategies are made and the resulting economic ramifications are analyzed. Particular attention is given to the stripping ratios presently used and recommendations for improving present mining practice are presented. Implications of these recommendations to the design of strip mining equipment are discussed.

Jan 1, 1977

By Orville R. Lyons, A. C. Richardson

THE Coal Division of Battelle Memorial Institute, during the course of an investigation conducted for a coal producer, carried out extensive sampling of the fine-coal section of a preparation plant. The information obtained during the testing period was used to evaluate the overall plant operation and provided the basis for. recommended changes in the plant flowsheet. Included in the information were data for the results obtained when using a Bird centrifuge to dewater the particular coal being treated. At the completion of the investigation, the coal producer gave Battelle permission to publish the operating data for the Bird centrifuge in order to make this information available to the coal industry. The authors wish to take this opportunity to express their appreciation to this company and its officials for their willing cooperation in the matter of publication. Description of Preparation Plant: The preparation plant on which the data were obtained is primarily a jig plant. The coal being washed is a low inherent moisture, friable, Pocahontus-type. The washed coal from the jig is dewatered and sized at 1/4 in. by a Parrish-type dewatering and sizing screen. The minus 1/4-in. coal and the underflow water from the shaker screen flow to a sludge tank where, after the coal settles, the coal is conveyed by a flight conveyor into a pump sump. The pump, a 300-gpm sand pump, delivers a mixture of fine coal and water to a Bird centrifuge which produces a dewatered cake and an effluent. At the time when the investigation was made, the centrifuge effluent was returned to the sludge tank and the cake product was mixed with a coarser size of coal prior to loading into railroad cars. The semiclarified water from the sludge tank overflowed into a pump sump from which it was pumped to the jig. As originally designed, the preparation plant was intended to operate with a closed water system but it was found, soon after operations started, that for various reasons this could not be done. In order to provide for removal of excess water from the system and to aid in maintaining the desired minimum percentage of solids in the circulating water, the plant was operated to provide from the sludge tank a continuous overflow of water and fine solids that was sent to waste. The centrifuge feed represents approximately 35 tons per hour of minus 1/4-in. coal in the form of a pulp averaging 38 pct solids. Sampling Procedure: In order to obtain basic data for determining the relationships existing in the fine-coal section of the preparation plant, samples were obtained for: (1) the centrifuge feed, (2) the centrifuge cake, (3) the centrifuge effluent, and (4) the circulating water. The sampling was arranged to start on a Monday, in order to begin operations with a sludge tank full of fresh water, and was continued long enough to allow sufficient time for fine solids to build up within the water system or for a two-day, four-shift operating period. All samples were taken at half-hour intervals except when plant stoppages occurred. After a stoppage the plant was

Jan 1, 1951

By Orville R. Lyons, A. C. Richardson

THE Coal Division of Battelle Memorial Institute, during the course of an investigation conducted for a coal producer, carried out extensive sampling of the fine-coal section of a preparation plant. The information obtained during the testing period was used to evaluate the overall plant operation and provided the basis for. recommended changes in the plant flowsheet. Included in the information were data for the results obtained when using a Bird centrifuge to dewater the particular coal being treated. At the completion of the investigation, the coal producer gave Battelle permission to publish the operating data for the Bird centrifuge in order to make this information available to the coal industry. The authors wish to take this opportunity to express their appreciation to this company and its officials for their willing cooperation in the matter of publication. Description of Preparation Plant: The preparation plant on which the data were obtained is primarily a jig plant. The coal being washed is a low inherent moisture, friable, Pocahontus-type. The washed coal from the jig is dewatered and sized at 1/4 in. by a Parrish-type dewatering and sizing screen. The minus 1/4-in. coal and the underflow water from the shaker screen flow to a sludge tank where, after the coal settles, the coal is conveyed by a flight conveyor into a pump sump. The pump, a 300-gpm sand pump, delivers a mixture of fine coal and water to a Bird centrifuge which produces a dewatered cake and an effluent. At the time when the investigation was made, the centrifuge effluent was returned to the sludge tank and the cake product was mixed with a coarser size of coal prior to loading into railroad cars. The semiclarified water from the sludge tank overflowed into a pump sump from which it was pumped to the jig. As originally designed, the preparation plant was intended to operate with a closed water system but it was found, soon after operations started, that for various reasons this could not be done. In order to provide for removal of excess water from the system and to aid in maintaining the desired minimum percentage of solids in the circulating water, the plant was operated to provide from the sludge tank a continuous overflow of water and fine solids that was sent to waste. The centrifuge feed represents approximately 35 tons per hour of minus 1/4-in. coal in the form of a pulp averaging 38 pct solids. Sampling Procedure: In order to obtain basic data for determining the relationships existing in the fine-coal section of the preparation plant, samples were obtained for: (1) the centrifuge feed, (2) the centrifuge cake, (3) the centrifuge effluent, and (4) the circulating water. The sampling was arranged to start on a Monday, in order to begin operations with a sludge tank full of fresh water, and was continued long enough to allow sufficient time for fine solids to build up within the water system or for a two-day, four-shift operating period. All samples were taken at half-hour intervals except when plant stoppages occurred. After a stoppage the plant was

Jan 1, 1951

By George B. Clark

THE geological data emphasized so successfully in prospecting for new deposits, that is, structural controls, strength of solutions, and type of mineralization, are basically those required for successful exploitation. In the mining of newly discovered deposits the most economical methods should be employed as early as possible to keep the overall cost per unit produced at a minimum and to permit maximum extraction of valuable minerals. A crucial question is: How can geological data be translated into useful quantitative results which will aid in achieving this end? H. E. McKinistry1 has suggested that a solution may be reached in one of two ways: 1-the usual approach, use of judgment based on experience; or 2-mathematical calculations and tests on models, both subject to certain limitations. He also suggests that in addition to better use of geology more case data and theoretical data are needed on which to base sound judgment. Further research, therefore, is necessary. Perhaps in this field the emphasis should be on more specialization in mining methods and ground movement by men with thorough training in physics, engineering, geology, and underground mining. These specialists would be equipped to point out the most economical and scientific methods of exploitation.

Jan 8, 1954

By W. O. Philbrook, R. H. Spitzer, F. S. Manning

The steady-state operation of an isothermal, counter-current reactor in which a mouing bed of hematite particles is reduced by hydrogen has been modeled mathematically using a generalized single-particle kinetic formulation for topochemical reduction with formation of the intermediate oxides, wustite and magnetite. Reduction prof iles have been generated for various oper- REDUCTION of iron ore, as practiced industrially, approaches counter current, granular-bed operation. The total process is extremely complex. Quite under- ating conditions selected to demonstrate the influence of major variables such as gas and solid flow rates, bed length, and particle size. These profiles illustrate , among other things, that the reducing-gas requirement in a countercurrent bed hinges upon the iron-wüstite equilibrium or 'pinch-point" in much the same way as in a staged reactor. standably, nearly all research has been focused on reduction of single particles of oxide under controlled conditions. While this approach simplifies the problem by eliminating interparticle interactions, the remaining intraparticle transport and kinetic processes still constitute a most formidable challenge. Only within the last few years has knowledge of single-particle reactions been developed sufficiently to make modeling of counter current-bed reduction a realistic and useful study of process behavior. The authors have analyzed1"3 extensive laboratory

Jan 1, 1969

By J. F. Lewis

Believing that one of the essential points in mining, as in all other business, is to know the expense incurred in each particular department, I have carefully kept an account with each department for the past three years; and, as it may be of interest to some of our members, I herewith present it to the Institute, reduced to per centages of the total yearly expense, showing the cost for materials, repairs, expenses, tools, team accounts, powder, oil, and fuel, also for labor under its several heads: 1875—Materials. 1875—Labor, Repairs,...040 Expenses,....016 Team,. .. .. .017 Machinery,. .. .055 Tools,..006 Repairs,. .. .027 Improvements,.....030 Washer,. .. .076 Oil ..008 Pit,.. 178 Powder,..,043 Dirt,.. 130 Fuel,. .325 Superintendence,. ..050 .485 .516 100.1 1876—-Materials. 1876-Labor. Repairs,. . • .. .043 Expenses,......012 Team,.011 Machinery,. .. .090 Tools,..005 Repairs,... 027 Improvements,.....007 Washer,. .. .085 I,. ...,015 Pit,.. 139 Powder,. .. .. .030 Dirt,.. 160 Fuel,...321 Superintendence,. ..078 .444 .559 100.3 1877—Materials. 1877—Labor. Repairs,......102 Expenses,......019 Team,..031 Machinery,. .. .050 Tools,..030 Rrpairs,. .. .046 Improvements,....,031 Washer,. .. .057 I,...009 Pit,.....179 Powder,...035 Dirt,.. 162 Fuel,...200 Superintendence,. ..054 .457 .548 100.5 Average for the three years 1875, '76, and '77. Materials. Labor. Repairs,...062 Expenses,...016 Team,..016 Machinery,. .. .065

Jan 1, 1879

By C. Jackson, J. J. Harrington

The pH control system at Kennecott Copper Corporation's Nevada Mines Division concentrator consists of two independent systems, lime dilution and lime addition. Lime dilution is accomplished in a mixing tank where slaked lime and water are introduced proportionately. The desired dilution of the milk of lime is determined by the electrical inputs provided by eight pH probes, one per grinding section. The inputs are averaged and applied to a time base generator. The summation output of the time base generator determines the proportion of lime and water that are to be mixed and applies this input to a voltage sensitive switching device. The switching device provides a signal to one of two relays which will add either slaked lime or water, dependent upon the summation output. The entire cycle is based on a 2-min repetition rate to allow for sufficient mix time. Responsivity is controlled by maintaing a limited maximum solution level in the mix tank. Lime addition is controlled independently within each grinding section. The electrical input from the pH probe in a given section controls the solenoid valves which provide lime to each of the ball mills. The valves remain open within a time range capable of maintaining the pH of flotation feed at a given set point.

Jan 1, 1978

By J. Murray Riddell

The method of treating hazards wherein value is decreased, is cited by R. D. Parks. Quite properly, the theory of probabilities is made use of when multiple hazards are under consideration. E. F. Fitzhugh, Jr. $ deals with the enhancement phase graphically and uses percentage of expectancy as derived by a study of conditions and the selection of a chance factor. It is believed that both of the authors referred to fully recognize the part which human judgment plays, and as coupled with experience, training, and the application of the theory of probabilities; in that respect the composer of this paper is in accord. Within the past year, the task of arriving at a mathematical method for handling the enhancement phase, and, additionally, coupling the negative and positive phases, was explored. In citing the hazard, or negative phase, reference is made to the text by Parks. Types of Items far Consideration On the hazard, or negative, side some of the common items to be considered are: 1. Subsidence and resulting damage. 2. Flo wage of water above that anticipated. 3. Geological. (a) Decline in quality of probable ore, and/or (b) Decline in quantity of probable ore. 4. Depressed economic conditions. 5. Litigation. Similarly, on the enhancement, or positive, side common items to be considered are: 1. Flo wage of water below that estimated. 2. Geological. (a) Increase in quality of probable ore, and/or (b) Increase in quantity of probable ore. 3. Elevated economic conditions. 4. Litigation. 5. Technological advance in the art. Tn all of the above items no consideration is given to placing a value on, or giving consideration to, possibilities. For example, referring to Table 1, the estimated normal present value (Vp) of a property, exclusive of risk consideration, is taken as $100,000. If subsidence affects the usefulness of the shaft, the present value of the property will decrease to $60,000, and it is judged that there is a 1 in 4 chance that the shaft will be impaired;, consequent.ly, if subsidence took place, the present value would be reduced ($100,000-$60,000) $40,000, but since the chance is 1 in 4, the allowable reduction would be only one-fourth of $40,000, or $10,000, or a discount of 10 pct (hazard factor) of the original value; the related safety factor is taken as unity minus 0.10, or 0.90. Thus, the original Vp, $100,000, multiplied by the safety factor ($100,000 X 0.90) gives $90,000, which is the adjusted present value of the property in this single instance. Additionally, there is a water hazard, which, if encountered, will reduce the present value to $85,000. The chance is 1 in 3. Following through with the same reasoning as shown above, the derived safety factor will be 0.95. To arrive at a single multiplying factor which will express the combined risks, the two safety factors are multiplied together, 0.90 X 0.95 = 0.855. That factor when multiplied by the origirial Vp will give the adjusted, and

Jan 1, 1950

By John Goheen

CONSIDERABLE work has been done in developing a pyrometer to measure the temperature of molten brasses, bronzes, and aluminum in the crucible. On account of the high melting points and the amount of zinc and sulfurous fumes given off from molten brasses, the conditions are somewhat severe for a thermocouple of standard design; but satisfactory results are obtained with a portable pyrometer, 3 ft. (0.9 m.) of connecting lead wire, and a special 5-ft. nickel-nickel chromium thermocouple, composed of rods ¼ in. (6.35 mm.) in diameter. The lower 12 or 24 in., as desired, may be made detachable so that new tips may be connected at little trouble or expense. The portable instrument need not be of the extreme high-resistance type, as the movable parts of the galvanometer of a lower resistance instrument may be better constructed to withstand the continuous handling such an instrument receives. Platinum-platinum rhodium thermocouples, protected with porcelain and graphite tubes, have been used, but the lag in registering the temperature is too great. It has been found that the range of temperature for various brasses is as follows: Red brasses 2200-2250° F. (1205-1234° C.) Yellow brasses 2250-2400° F. (1234-1318° C.) Bronzes 2300-2550° F. (1260-1400° C.)

Jan 11, 1921

By Edward Steidle

THAT veterans are crowding the colleges is no longer news; 78 per cent of the 1916-47 enrollment in mineral industries curricula in the United States were veterans, but the rapid comeback from an estimated 1262 total mineral industries students in 1944-45 to 11,422 in 1946-47 is almost astonishing. The figure, which includes 1008 graduate students, is a substantial increase over the previous top record of 9619 in 1938-39. A small part of the increase is caused by the larger number of women entering the field, of whom there were c 9 in 1916-47. Petroleum leads the curricula with 34.5 % of the enrollment, metallurgy is second with 28%, and mining is third with 18%. Table 1. shows all curricula offered and those accredited by ECPD. Using the Mississippi River as a dividing line, 31 colleges in the East and 27 in the West offer curricula in the mineral industries.

Jan 1, 1948

By Joseph Cervik

INTRODUCTION Common methods of controlling gob gas in U.S. mines are by means of ventilation of gob areas and gas drainage through surface boreholes. Costs of drilling surface gob holes increase as deeper coal- beds are mined. Where gob holes cannot be drilled because of topography, ventilation is the only means of control. Even then, sufficient air may not be available to dilute methane in the bleeder entries to acceptable levels. Thus, new methods of gob gas control need to be developed that are independent of surface topography, and of the mine ventilation system, and less costly than present systems. Except for slight variations in procedures and equipment, Great Britain, West Germany, France, Belguim, Poland, and Czechoslovakia use a common methane control method that is different from the system generally used in the United States. This Bureau of Mines paper reviews European mining methods, mining conditions, and methane control technology and discusses their applicability to U.S. mines.

Jan 1, 1981

By C. S. Cole

CO-CHAIRMAN CARTER S. Cole l-The stimulus of war definitely increases interest in the subject we are discussing at this Symposium. There have been, in the past, other symposia on this subject and there probably will be still others in the future, but I feel sure that this one will go down as one of the most important that have ever been held on the subject. In 1918 A.S.T.M. held a Symposium on Stress- Corrosion Cracking that was confined entirely to brass, because at that time few people were interested in the phenomenon as it applied to other metals. Again under the stimulus of war, we are gathered to discuss the subject, but this time brass alone is but part of our interest. It is interesting to note more papers on brass will be presented than there were in the 1918 session, but these brass papers, you will also note, comprise less than half our program. Aluminum, magnesium and

Jan 1, 1945

By AIME AIME

On Nov. 11, 1909, M. Alexandre Pourcel, of Paris, France, upon the proposal of a large number of distinguished members, and the unanimous recommendation of the Council, was elected by the Board of Directors an Honorary Member of the Institute. M. Pourcel has devoted forty-three years to the metallurgy of iron and steel ; and the work which he did between thirty and forty years ago constitutes an important part of the founda¬tion of the practice of to-day. Among his striking contribu¬tions are : (1) his perfection, in 1869, of the manufacture of high-grade ferro-manganese in a carbon-lined open-hearth furnace, instead of the costly crucibles previously used; (2) his discovery, in 1874, of the method of making solid steel cast¬ings; (3) his manufacture, in 1875, of ferro-manganese and silico-spiegel in the blast-furnace; and (4) his anticipation, in 1875, of modern American blast-furnace practice, by the pro¬duction, in a very small furnace, of Bessemer pig containing 2.5 per cent. of silicon, from a burden yielding only 46 per cent. of iron, and with a consumption, per ton of pig, of only 1,8401b. of coke, containing 15 per cent. of ash. These brilliant pioneer achievements, together with his contributions to cur¬rent technical literature, won for him the Bessemer gold medal of the Iron and Steel Institute ; the great" medal of honor," which is the highest award of the French Society of Mineral Industry, and other gold medals, as well as the distinction of honorary membership of the Comité des Forges de France, which was conferred upon him in 1891. In recent years, M. Pourcel has been instrumental, as consulting engineer of the Société de Commentry-Fourchambault, at Decazeville, France, in an extraordinary development of the manufacture of special steels. The Invar plant, of this company, is said to make a greater variety of such steels (includ-

Dec 1, 1909

By Randolph C. Specht

A two year study was made of the waste disposal of the pebble rock phosphate industry. Solid slimes are impounded in large settling areas and the process water is re-used. Clear effluent was not found to be toxic to fish or animal life in field tests or in controlled experiments. Survey: The pebble rock phosphate mining and washing operations in Florida (fig. 1) are along the river basins of the Alafia to the west and the Peace to the east. The elevation of the area varies between 40 and 170 ft above sea level. Effluents from the operations find their way into one of the two river systems (fig. 2), the Peace River which flows into Charlotte Harbor and the Alafia into Tampa Bay, both along the Gulf of Mexico. There are no major industries along these rivers below the phosphate operations. On the Peace River, the town of Arcadia, approximately 50 miles below the phosphate operations, obtains its water from the river. No other communities along the rivers use them as a source of water supply. Small communities, farms, and ranches are located along the rivers and both rivers drain vast swamp areas. Complaints had been received at the office of the Chief Sanitary Engineer, of the Florida State Board of Health,' that both rivers were turbid at various times and that fishing in the Alafia River was "not as good as it used to be." Tests made by another agency on the dissolved oxygen content of the Alafia River revealed that the oxygen content, at times, was comparatively low.= However, it was not shown that the phosphate wastes had any effect upon the oxygen content of the stream. The river waters are normally brown in color due to drainage from vast swamp areas and are very shallow, from 2 to 6 ft in depth. Turbid waters have been noted in streams coming from the present phosphate operations and also from streams along which there are no operations at the present time. It was learned from "old timers" that, when many more companies than at present were operating along both the Alafia and Peace Rivers forty or fifty years ago, no attention was paid to prohibiting the disposal of slimes along the river basins. During dry periods now in some of the river swamps where drainage ditches have been dug, it is indicated clearly that phosphate slimes were disposed of directly into the river swamps for many years past. Places have been observed where there were alternating strata of phosphate mud, leaf mold, and quartz sand. The former practice of indiscriminate disposal of wastes accounts for some turbidity, particularly after heavy rains and washouts and during clearing of land and digging of drainage ditches. During a six months' period in which a large tract of land was being cleared and drainage ditches dug, a small stream (Six Mile Creek), which previously had been clear, showed a turbidity of 600 ppm and remained turbid until the clearing was completed; after which the stream again flowed clear. An interview with the operator of the municipal water plant, which is about 50 miles below the phosphate operations on the Peace River and which used this river as a source of supply, revealed that there had been no taste in the water for the past ten years, other than that occasionally encountered from increased growth of algae. The operations of each of the cooperating com-

Jan 1, 1951