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By N. Lilienberg

During the past fen- years, the requirements for steel have been raised so high that soundness is more important than ever before. The old practice mas to make steel ingots of suffciently large sections to permit a considerable reduction of area in rolling and hammering to a given size, relying on the fact that by such rolling and hammering all cavities will be squeezed together and practically eliminated. The finished sizes, if found by inspection of the surface to be faultless, were therefore pronounced to be sound. But when such steel is " worked up," the manufacturer is surprised and disappointed to find that it splits, or that streaks and seams make the product unmarketable. Large sections, such as rails, beams or heavy forgings, may, within certain limits, be sufficiently strong, even if the sides of the cavities are only squeezed, and not welded, together. But it is well known that, in the interior of heavy articles, under certain conditions, forging may develop small streaks into large cavities. Small sections, steel for ordnauce and tubes, and numberless articles in the tool-trade, always show up the defects. It may be doubted whether cavities in steel ingots can ever be completely welded. The old theory is, that the silver-clear blow-holes, without the blue oxide, can be welded by suffcient working. They are, however, not empty, but are filled with carbonic oxide. It is admitted that the " blue " cavities, resulting from air mechanically drawn down into the mold during the casting, can never be welded, because the oxide does not melt, and there would be no escape for it if it did. The only way in which steel can be made satisfactory for the above-named particular purposes is by having it " dead molten." But then the trouble of piping is encountered. As is well known, a pipe is the result of the contraction of the liquid interior after the surface of the ingot has become solid by contact with the mold. When this contraction is partly

Jan 1, 1907

By J. J. Reed

The mines of southeast Missouri's Lead Belt have been in operation since 1864, almost 100 years. During this period about 10 pct of the total ore available has been left in place as pillars, and this now represents the best ore reserve left to the older mines. St. Joseph Lead Co. has been investigating various plans of pillar recovery for several years. The example to be described is only one possible approach under a specific set of conditions. Conditions vary greatly in the different areas within the Lead Belt, and the same approach would be entirely inadequate in certain other areas, but there are important sections where this system is clearly applicable. Horizon mining is practiced in the Lead Belt, and stopes may vary from 10 ft to well over 100 ft high. Fig. 1 is a plan view of 6100 stope, the area to be discussed. For these mines this is a small stope, only 10 to 12 ft high. Before any plans were drawn up for pillar recovery, three independent estimates of the pillar grades were made by the mine superintendent, the mine captain, and the mine geologist. After these results were averaged, pillars indicated to be of economic grade were marked for removal as shown. At this stage several alternatives were considered: 1) retreat with caving, 2) concrete replacement pillars, and 3) systematic bolting and retreat. A retreating system with caving was not chosen because the roof was known to be too bad even to permit loading a blasted pillar before caving would begin. Concrete replacement pillars would have been too costly and would have required a large crew, bulky materials, and unwieldy equipment. Systematic bolting was chosen as being most acceptable for the following reasons: 1) Limited area and spans were involved. 2) Only minor modifications to the jumbo would be required for bolting. 3) Only a two-man bolting crew would be needed. 4) Only compact bolting materials would be required. 5) The bolting plan could be modified to allow

Jan 1, 1960

C. W. GENNET, JR.,* Chicago, 111. (written discussion?).-Since the Lehigh Valley accident, transverse fissures have become a source of constant anxiety to railroad officials, because such defects, only infrequently detected by the trackmen, may appear under a moving train entirely without warning. The number of actual accidents resulting from rails containing fissures is no doubt a small proportion of the total, but the serious losses that have been directly attributable to fissures, coupled with the continual possibility of repetition, creates an alarming situation which demands a full investigation of the cause of fissures; apart from other types of rail failures. Mr. Howard's position gives him a field for action and an opportunity for laboratory examination and research that are unsurpassed, and the results. of his investigations must be received with the utmost attention and respect. His admirable paper, summarizing his previously published studies and analyses of the transverse fissure problem, constitutes a convincing treatment of the subject chiefly from the standpoint of stress and strain to which rails are subjected. The intricacies of the problem are so great that seemingly any theory advanced for the cause of fissures may be attacked from some angle; and although Mr. Howard's deductions are logical in the direction followed, it is apparently necessary for considerable work to be done along other lines before his theories can be fully accepted. It is generally conceded that fissures, whether fundamentally clue to fatigue or something else, are of a progressive character, their ultimate size' being the result of growth from an originating nucleus or point of rupture. Abundant proof of this lies in the variable sizes of the fissures found, and there can be no doubt that their development or growth is the result of the strains to which rails are subjected in the track. Obviously, therefore, the most important factor in investigating the cause for fissures lies in determining the conditions that exist at the point or

Jan 4, 1918

By Walter Crafts

ALTHOUGH many elements reduce the tendency to porosity in steel castings, manganese, silicon, aluminum, calcium, titanium and zirconium appear to be most generally suitable for the purpose. The manganese and silicon contents are usually maintained in a fairly constant range. Sili-con-killed castings often are made to be sound with little or no addition of the stronger degasifiers. In many cases, however, it is more practical to utilize the stronger degasifying elements, aluminum, calcium, titanium and zirconium. Since they greatly modify the composition, shape, and distribution of the nonmetallic inclusions, and thereby the ductility, the strong deoxidizers must be used in such a way as to form the least harmful types of inclusions. As the reasons for failure always to obtain good results have not been obvious, an effort has been made to determine the mechanism of solidification of steels deoxidized to produce certain types of inclusions. Diagrams representing the mechanism of their formation have been constructed from the appearance of the nonmetallic con-stituents and have not only illustrated the limiting features of specific deoxidizing treatments with respect to inclusion formation and ductility, but have also indicated a relation between inclusions and resistance to hot tearing. Three different types of deoxidation treatment have been used for obtaining sound castings with relatively high ductility. The first method is to make and cast the steel under such conditions that deoxidation with silicon and a small addition of a strong deoxidizer assures soundness. The effective addition that will promote soundness without causing the formation of intergranular inclusions varies with the furnace practice and composition, but may be limited to about 0.025 per cent Al, Zr or Ti. Up to 0.10 per cent Ca and 0.15 per cent V are also used for this purpose. The inclusions in these steels are characteristically glassy silicates and round or irregular sulphides. As pointed out by Sims and Lillieqvist,1

Jan 1, 1940

By A. C. Stevenson

THE hoisting equipment selected for use at the Hecla mine in 1907 was one of the first Ilgner type Ward-Leonard controlled hoists put into ser- vice. Development of the Hecla below the 2000-ft. level, which is the ultimate depth of the old equipment, and the additional service required by the "Star," necessitated additional hoisting capacity. It will be our endeavor to give j70u a brief summary of the engineering which determined the selection of the new equipment. The engineer in making his decision as to size, speed, etc., must .make a duty study approximating as closely &s possible the actual opePating conditions which will eventually result. Primarily, it is necessary to know what work must be done. The amount of material which must be hoisted under the maximum condition, as well as its distribution from the various levels of the mine was carefully studied by the mining engineering department, as the ore reserves, their relative-position and the probable method of working them had to be considered. The final figures reached, taking into consideration four different operating conditions, were, in tons per day, as follows:

Jan 1, 1930

By W. J. Keep

Those who have observed the influence of various elements upon cast-iron will be interested in the methods used by us to form the several series of test-bars, which form the basis of the conclusions presented in this paper. We found that we could not, by adding ordinary white stickphosphorus to molten iron, produce bars which would exhibit to the eye the peculiar influence of phosphorus. By melting wrought-iron drillings with red phosphorus, Mr. H. S. Fleming produced in his laboratory 10 pounds of phosphide of iron, containing 10.22 per cent. of phosphorus. With this we made two series of test-bars, the first with our white-base iron, and the second with our FLM gray-base iron. Before the time of making these bars we had been unable to procure regularly made pig-iron which contained enough phosphorus to permit of the production of

Jan 1, 1890

By Elmer A. Jones

Like the caboose on the end of a long freight train L made up of mineral and metal processing and consuming industries, the mining industry progresses according to the movement of the train to which it is coupled. Sometimes the caboose rolls smoothly; occasionally it bumps along on the ties; almost always it is under criticism from someone for being too small, too large, too expensive, foolishly progressive, or hopelessly out of date. We who ride in the caboose are used to the rough by now, but it is nice now and then to have a bit of the smooth. Last year the train of industrial production rolled ahead swiftly and smoothly, and, except for a hot-box caused by strikes in copper mines, so did the caboose. As is brought out elsewhere in this issue, the outlook for 1956 is for more of the same.

Feb 1, 1956

By Francis T. Havard

A Reply to the Discussion by Mr. Francis T. Havard of the Paper by Mr. Henry W. Edwards, which was read at the Atlantic City Meeting, February, 1.904. (Annual Meeting, February, 1905.) MR. HENRY W. EDWARDS, Grand Junction, Colo. (communication to the Secretary) :* Effect of Heat. It should be remembered that the coefficient of expansion of concrete is nearly that of iron; therefore in constructing flues the design must take account of this important detail. The cracking of flues, mentioned by Mr. Havard as having occurred at a temperature of 100° C. and above, . were possibly caused by neglecting to appreciate the extent of the expansion and contraction of the concrete. Effect of Atmospheric Moisture.-The moisture present in the atmosphere is exceedingly injurious to flues of any material, and those made of concrete are no more susceptible than of brick. My experience with flues of the Monier construction, having walls from 1.5 to 2.5 in. thick plastered upon a net-work of iron rods, was unsatisfactory from the standpoint of dura¬bility.

Mar 1, 1905

By Eugene Guccione

Evidence that the United States is gradually converting to the metric system of measurement can be perceived today even by housewives in a supermarket. The question is no longer whether but when the country will have completed the conversion. To the extent that any bickering about metrication still exists, the debate now centers on such issues as finding agreement on details of implementation, and whether federal legislation should speed up the metric-conversion process or allow it to proceed along its present evolutionary and voluntary course. Apparently, the voluntary or "make-haste-slowly" approach is gaining widespread support. According to The Research Institute of America, Inc., if and when federal legislation is enacted it will likely include the following national ground rules: (1) A National Metric Conversion Board will develop and submit to the President and Congress a comprehensive plan to achieve a coordinated, minimum-cost changeover. (2) The change- over will be completed 8 to 10 years after the board's plan goes into effect, and by that time the US will be predominantly, though not exclusively, metric. (3) Costs will "lie where they fall"; subsidies, special tax concessions, and antitrust exemptions will not be authorized by the legislation. (4) The changeover will be voluntary because of the recognition that while some firms can "go metric" in a matter of weeks, others may require 15 years or more, and a few might never convert. (5) In determining whether or not to convert, on an individual company basis, adherence will be to the "rule of reason-that is, ". . . do not convert unless the engineering, economic, or other benefits outweigh any metric-related disadvantages. No one is talking about rip- ping up our railroad tracks or rewiring our homes just to conform to the practice of metric nations in Europe." (6) Government is to be part of the solution, not part of the problem; in effect, says The Research Institute of America, the leverage of federal procurement will not be exerted to force-feed the metric changeover but will be coordinated with the sector-by-sector conversion of the economy.*

Jan 12, 1975

By T. Krauthammer

A combined numerical approach is proposed for the analysis of rock-liner interact ion in tunnels under the effects of severe dynamic loads. The method is based on employing finite element formulations which describe the linear behavior and incorporating it into a finite difference code which can describe the behavior of a jointed rock medium. This method can be applied for the analysis of tunnel systems in rock, and for studying the requirements for adequate support of the tunnel.

Jan 1, 1984

By D. F. Coolbaugh

Asia, the largest and most populous continent, has had little political influence on world affairs until very recently. The picture is rapidly changing. Although the cultures of various Asian countries differ widely, today they are united in their desire to industrialize. This desire is the key for expansion of Asian mineral production. The following discussion deals primarily with the situation in the south and southeast Asian countries -India, Pakistan, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, South Vietnam, Malaya, and Indonesia.

Jan 10, 1960

By Tom Learmont

The emergence of the dragline as the dominant stripping tool is described and reasons for this are noted. Brief comparisons are made with stripping shovels and wheel excavators. Representative output and machine availability figures for draglines are presented. The effect of changes in machine parameters such as boom length, swing power, and hoist power on machine productivity are discussed. An analysis of machine availability and the causes of machine downtime is made. Measures which are being taken to improve machine availability are discussed in detail. These include (1) improved methods of structural analysis, standardization of welded joints and welding methods to increase structural reliability and to develop more efficient structural designs, (2) standardization of gearing and mechanical componentry to permit the use of proven designs, (3) review of fairlead design and bucket hardware to improve rope life and reduce downtime, and (4) modifications to reduce maintenance time. The General Electric Data Logging system is described and consideration given to its use as a tool for improving productivity. Areas for future improvements in productivity are discussed.

Jan 1, 1976

By J. V. Emmons

THE processes of hardening and tempering steel tools within the past 15 or 20 years have been so developed that the forward strides of the industry can scarcely be followed by the average observer. No small part of the credit for this phenomenal advancement is due to the improved methods of measuring the high temperatures necessary. Pyrometry has made possible the discovery and use of the many special alloy steels the wonderful properties of which are revolutionizing the industrial world. So sensitive are these steels to changes of temperature that often a variation of only 10° F. at a critical point of the heat treatment will cause the failure of the tool. In the tool-manufacturing industry today, accurate control of the many heating operations is imperative. The principal processes in the manufacture of tools that require accurate high-temperature measurements are annealing, carburizing, hardening, tempering, and laboratory research. Several other operations, such as forging and straightening, use rougher and correspondingly less accurate methods. These operations are usually performed in the following approximate ranges of temperature: DEGREES F. DEGREES F. Annealing 1000 to 1700 Tempering 200 to 1200 Carburizing 1400 to 1000 Forging 1400 to 1800 Hardening 1400 to 2500 Straightening 300 to 1300 Laboratory research covers the entire range. Annealing and carburizing are usually done in muffle or semi-muffle furnaces, heated with coal, coke, oil, gas, or electricity. Many of them are of large size, holding several tons of steel at one charge. Both indicating and recording pyrometers are used. The recording instruments are generally of the thermoelectric type, while for the indicating, both optical and thermoelectric are used.

Jan 9, 1919

By Theodore Marvin

USE of airplanes to facilitate mining and petroleum operations has definitely left the "doubting Thomas" stage. As a matter of fact, front pages no longer record the novelty of this efficient arm of the mineral industry. We are now down to the facts basis. The recent aviation issue of Engineering and Mining Journal added - to our fund of knowledge on applications which the A.I.M.E. Aviation Committee is extensively adding to through its world-wide compilation of specific data. Another indication of the advance of flying in our. industries is the addition of regular aviation specialists to the staffs of various mining and petroleum companies, who function in the organization the same as do the metal

Jan 1, 1936

By C. D. Woodward

THE subject of electric signals for the despatching off mining cages through shafts has received cousiderable attention recently from various mining companies. The Anaconda Copper Mining Co. has found it necessary to develop a system that is reliable, safe and simple in operation, and easy to repair. The movement of all mine cages or skips is under the direction of a station tender, who rides on the cages when men or supplies are being lowered or raised. When ore is hoisted, he is stationed at a skip pocket for loading and despatching the skips. For the station tender's use, two signal systems are installed in each hoisting compartment, and he is the only employee authorized to use them. One system is known as the "AC" or Station bells, as it is operated from the 110-volt, 60-cycle, power service; the other system, called the "DC" or shafts bells, takes its energy from closed-circuit primary batteries. As a supplement to the two main signals, a buzzer system is installed. The general arrangement is similar to "the main signal, except that there is a mine buzzer at each station. When a signal switch connected into the buzzer system is pulled down, all buzzers are operated, thus notifying the station tender that he is wanted at some particular level. Placed on the station posts, and within easy reach of the men on the cages, are the signal pull switches for the main signals. The station, or "AC," pull switches are furnished with a short rope as shown in Fig. 1, while the shaft, or "DC," pull switches are equipped with ropes that extend down the shaft past the next station. To avoid all confusion in the use of the three signal systems, a standard arrangement has been adopted in all mines for the location of the pull switches. Fig. 2 illustrates the position of the pull switch at the various mine stations for the main signal systems, but it does not show the buzzer pull switch; this is fixed to the roof timbers about 25 ft. back from the shaft. If the skip pockets are a considerable distance below the station, a pull switch for each main shaft compartment is connected to the "AC" system and placed at this point. However, if the distance is short, a light cord is attached to the station pull switches and dropped down to the skip pocket.

Jan 2, 1922

By G. P. Boomsliter

IN previous discussions on stresses in hoisting ropes, little has "been said concerning the effect of the elasticity of the rope itself on the stresses due to acceleration. Laschinger1 has calculated acceleration stresses. for several cases but he has ignored the elasticity of the rope as a factor, except as it compresses the drum and stretches itself as it winds thereon. He also deals with steam plants and he shows the effect of the "jerky" start of the engine. This effect would actually be reduced by the elasticity of the cable. With the advent of the motor-driven hoist, new conditions have arisen. The jerk mentioned by Laschinger has been eliminated and smoother starting made possible. But the elastic properties of the rope seem to introduce considerable periodic acceleration stresses in the rope. The following discussion of acceleration stresses is based on the assumption of a constant acceleration at the drum. To be exact, the mathematical work is based upon the assumption that the top is moving upward with a constant acceleration, and ignores the fact that the cable is shortening as it winds. However, the effect of the shortening would be inconsiderable during the first part of the acceleration period. Most hoisting engineers make the assumption of constant acceleration at the drum. Under the older method of calculating acceleration stresses, this would be true with a constant torque motor. But if stresses vary, as this paper attempts to show that they do, constant torque would not give constant acceleration, although the velocity-time curves obtained in the full size test herein described showed that they approach rather closely to this condition, at least as nearly as could be measured.

Jan 2, 1927

By P. J. Connors, William J. McCormick, F. B. Olender, Jerome F. Sheldon, Donald T. Mylar, Edgar T. Gregory, Owen S. Roberts, H. Colijn

A quiet revolution has taken place in the conveyor belt industry. Man-made materials, improved production facilities, better splicing techniques and emphasis on repair and maintenance have all contributed substantially to lowering material handling costs for the mining industry. Formerly the rubber industry had only cotton for a belt carcass and tree grown rubber for the protective cover. Monofilament rayon, with desirable elongation and elastic properties, was the first synthetic fiber to be used in place of cotton. But wet strength and other limitations restricted its use, and the conveyor belt industry turned to nylon.

Jan 3, 1972

By T. S. Fuller

THE experiments described in this paper constitute the preliminary work of an investigation outlined to determine the combined effects of steam and temperature on the endurance properties of certain steels. Essentially of a fundamental nature, it was found necessary, in order to make the investigation comprehensive, to test materials treated to give a wide range of properties. The work reported deals chiefly with nickel steel with one series of tests including nitriding steel. Such a study involves numerous variables, and requires an endurance-testing machine of rather special design.

Jan 1, 1930

By Thomas T. Read

THE benefits derived from stabilization of industry that might possibly be attained through some scheme of centralized economic planning have been much discussed of recent months, and opinions on the subject range from those who believe that some agency like the War Industries Board would be practicable to create and wholly beneficial in effects, to those who are equally convinced that none of the suggestions so far advanced are at all practicable, or likely to be productive of more of good than of evil. The discussion has been on the general topic, but-many of those who have written or spoken on it have introduced economic problems of the pinera1 industry; for example, Newton D. Baker, who referred to the coal industry in his address on economic planning at the Williamstown Institute of Politics on July 31, and then went on to say, "Industrial progress is made by the development of new things, but new things upset the equilibrium of any plan. Who could have planned the industrial effects of the development of the railroads, or the economic changes which you have seen attend the development of the internal combustion engine. Obviously, unless we are prepared to put world economics in a strait-jacket and, like the encyclopedists, write its full history on the theory that further progress is impossible, no such plan could be made for nations which are forging ahead as is entirely rational for nations which are still catching up."

Jan 1, 1931

By J. A. Bownocker

THE production of oil in Ohio, in 1924, was characterized by no marked or surprising change. Low prices and the absence of promising territory made the year quiet. As is well known, Ohio has reached a state of "settled production," and the most that can be expected for the ensuing few years is to maintain the output at approximately the present figure 1921 7,335,000 1922 6,781,000 1923 7,085,000 Geographically, the Ohio fields may be divided into three areas, each of which gets its main supply of oil from a different stratigraphic horizon.

Jan 3, 1925