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By Boris J. Kochanowsky

In a mobile crushing unit system trucks are replaced by a conveyor, which results in a continuous, almost fully automated operation with all its attendant advantages. Because of new designs for large mobile crushing units that have been placed on the market, the use of these plants has increased significantly during the last three years. Gains in productivity and reductions in costs are vital to every mine operator, and the shovel-crusher-conveyor system is a powerful tool with which to achieve this goal. New Designs Increase Throughput While Reducing Size The basic concept of the shovel-crusher-conveyor scheme of operations is simple and sound, with the result that domestic operators are showing a growing interest in its application. A number of operators have been using small mobile crushing plants for several years, but large operators, in spite of considerable interest, have not been able to use this system because no mobile crusher capable of crushing 1000-2000 tph of rock loaded by a large shovel (6-12 cu yd) has been available. A suitable crusher must accept rock of the size handled by these large shovels, be simple in design, easily maneuverable, remotely controllable, and have price and maintenance costs not much higher than those for stationary crusher installations.

Jan 9, 1968

By L. H. Dushak

DURING the war period of quicksilver activity there were a number of departures from what may be termed the classical quicksilver metallurgy. Attempts were made to beneficiate low-grade ores by gravity concentration and flotation; mechanical furnaces began to replace the Scott furnace and the vertical coarse-ore furnaces, and condensers of sewer tile and redwood tanks were used in place of the older brick and stone condensing chambers. Other developments that have occurred during the current period of quicksilver activity are mainly in the nature of improvement and further refinement of those started during the war period. Each period of quicksilver activity has been accompanied by the proposal of various new processes, including wet methods for the treatment of quicksilver ores and innovations in furnaces, retorts and condenser equipment. As far as the author knows, nothing of economic significance in the way of "new processes" has been developed. There is in fact no real need for any essentially new process for the treatment of quicksilver ores; the direct furnace treatment is simple and inexpensive. Moreover, with rare exceptions, the quicksilver industry has no complex or refractory ore problems corresponding to those which are receiving more and more attention from metallurgists in other branches of the nonferrous field. Under these conditions improvements in quicksilver metallurgy must be looked for through the adaptation of current developments in engineering and metallurgy generally to the particular needs of quicksilver practice rather than through the invention of new processes.

Jan 1, 1930

By John B. Knaebel

The annual Jackling Award Lecture, sponsored by the Society of Mining Engineers of AIME, is intended to honor and commemorate one of the greatest mine-makers of all time, an innovator whose vision and determination made ore out of waste rock. He ushered in a new philosophy of mining which revolutionized some segments of the industry and notably affected our economy generally. To have been asked to given the Jackling Lecture this year is an honor that I scarcely deserve, but which I have accepted in humble gratitude. Although it is true that "many a mine has made the man," it is also true that while ore bodies are found, mines are made. That statement has been hammered into my skull many times by a man whose own career exemplifies its truth, a man who has been first and last a steadfast friend, who for a while was my boss and mentor, and who as one of this country's great mining geologists has laid his hand to the making of many a mine. I will doubly cherish the memory of the honor bestowed upon me because the presentation of the Jackling Award was made by this man. After the Lord made Dick Hunt he threw away the mold. Metals and other mineral products are essential ingredients of the social economy of the modern world. No well informed and thoughtful person can doubt that they will be indispensable to mankind as long as the fabric of civilization as we know it today can be held together. They are mined from ore bodies, which, unlike some other kinds of bodies, are physically inorganic and wholly incapable of reproducing themselves. Since in time they become mined out, an endless procession of new producers must be made by someone if the fundamental needs, to say nothing of the not so fundamental whims of an affluent society, are to be gratified. In saying that these mines must be made, I mean exactly that. It is my purpose to comment upon some of the problems we must cope with in making them. I shall try to avoid dwelling needlessly upon aspects of new mine development with which most people in this business are thoroughly familiar, and will attempt to discuss in a useful way some of the newer and more significant features of the economic climate in which these endeavors must be conducted. To begin with, an Almighty force put the ore into the ground, and selected the places in which to put it. Mankind was not consulted. Beyond that stage, however, mankind must find the ore deposits and contrive to extract their contents and put them into useful service. In doing this, he must use tools and techniques devised by man to overcome obstacles created in part by nature, but also in part by man himself. And most importantly of all, in making the tools and applying the techniques, he must use people. In the whole process the most pliable ingredient at hand-and also the most unpredictable-is people. Mines play out, and men die. As time goes on, we will have new mines, and they must be made by new men. The Environmental Dilemma It is perhaps timely to touch first upon the newest and in many ways the most potent consideration affecting the feasibility of developing new mines-the problems related to protection of the environment and to the

Jan 1, 1973

By David K. Hylbert

This study investigated roof falls in room-and-pillar drift coal mines in eastern Kentucky and utilized geologic methods for Predicting roof conditions in advance of mining. In the Highsplint mine, the roof was classified in four categories or conditions: Condition A and B (Laminated Shale); Condition C (Rolling Sandstone with Shale in Pockets); and Condition D (Zone of Major Sandstone Roll(s)). Structure contour and isopach maps of the Darby coal bed and associated immediate roof rocks were used to project axial trends of the sandstone roof. Trend mapping in the mine and on outcrop provided more detailed control for roof projections.

Jan 1, 1979

By John C. Smock

While I was engaged in the preparation of a catalogue or list of mineral localities of the United States, east of the one hundredth meridian, for the U. S. Geological Survey, the thought occurred to me that an arrangement or classification of the iron-ore districts of the eastern part of our country according to their geological horizons would be an interesting topic for a paper, and would furnish a basis upon which to arrange many facts brought out by the constant development of our iron-mining districts. Our text-books of mineralogy, geology, and ore-deposits describe the iron-ores and the

Jan 1, 1884

By David K. Hylbert

This study investigated roof falls in room-and-pillar drift coal mines in eastern Kentucky and utilized geologic methods for predicting roof conditions in advance of mining. In the Highsplint mine, the roof was classified in four categories or conditions: Condition A and B (Laminated Shale); Condition C (Rolling Sandstone with Shale in Pockets); and Condition D (Zone of Major Sandstone Roll(s)). Structure contour and isopach maps of the Darby coal bed and associated immediate roof rocks were wed to project axial trends of the sandstone roof. Trend mapping in the mine and on outcrop provided more detailed control for roof projections.

Jan 12, 1978

By E. T. Cox

The peninsula of Florida is remarkable for the uniform character and simplicity of its geological structure. Major Henry Whiting, of the U. S. Army, was one of the first to give an account of the physical features and rocks of Florida, in an article published in 1839, in the American Journal of Science (vol. xxxv., p. 47). He says: " The rocks found in situ are all calcareous, though siliceous boulders are occasionally seen, and nodules of hornstone are here and there mingled with the limestone, which elicit sparks and are sometimes used by the Indians for flints."

Jan 1, 1896

By Carl Keuffel

THE manufacture of optical glass is a new industry in this country. In 1914, after the war started, the supply of optical glass from Europe was cut off, but as there was a fairly large stock of glass on hand, it was not until the end of 1915 that the optical instrument makers made serious efforts to produce their own glass. These early attempts were generally made by practical glass men and, due primarily to the fact that very little scientific help was used, the first attempts were unsuccessful. It was not until the whole problem was attacked by technically trained men who used advanced methods of research that good results were obtained. These researches proved that the accurate control of the temperature was a most important factor in the manufacture of optical glass. The early glass maker judged temperatures with his eyes; later, Seger cones were introduced into the furnace at various stages of the melt. Then radiation, indicating and recording pyrometers with rare-metal thermocouples were introduced. Now, in addition to these, an optical pyrometer every hour or so is sighted right into the pot and on the molten glass. Figs. 1 and 2 show how pyrometers are used to control the melt. InFig. 2, Y is the clay pot in which the batch is melted to glass within the furnace X. The rare-metal thermocouple S, protected by a clay tube, extends through the wall and about 4 in. into the furnace. This couple is connected to an indicator T and a recorder U so that a complete record of the furnace temperatures is obtained. The section of the curve ABCD, Fig. 1, shows how gradually and carefully the clay pot must be heated to get rid of moisture AB and during the calcining at CD. The stem of an expansion pyrometer R is extended through a hole in the door Z of the furnace and into the pot in order to more closely follow the temperatures of the clay pot itself during the burning process, that is from A to D. After the pot is calcined, the temperature can be rapidly raised to E (about 1430° C.); from E to F this temperature is much higher

Jan 9, 1919

The resignation of Herbert Hoover, Director General of Relief in Europe, from his post as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Food Administration Grain Corporation, in which capacity he had served for nearly two years; and the reorganization of the corporation under the name of the United States Grain Corporation, with Julius Barnes, United States Wheat Director, as its new head, took place at the annual meeting of the stockholders, held in New York, July 1. This action on the hart of Mr. Hoover is believed to be one of the first steps in his intended withdrawal from public service upon the conclusion of the war service of the various departments of the Food Administration, or as soon as they shall have been absorbed by other agencies. The Grain Corporation has been, for the past two years, a vast collection and distribution agency. Its function has been to assist in supplying to the Allies and the American Army and Navy large quantities of wheat, wheat flout, and other foods, with very little disturbance of American prices, and with such an even control of American distribution that reserves from one crop to another have been brought down to the lowest possible compass and without the dvelopment of actual scarcity anywhere in the United States. In the year just past, it carried on all the buying and the shipping for, the Belgian Relief Commission, until the commission retired on May 1 and the Belgian Government itself undertook its own overseas supplies. During the twenty-two months of its existence the corporation had disbursed $3,500,000,000 and collected an equal amount, selling for over-seas shipments commodities valued at $1,800,000,000, at an operating expense of about $3,250,000, or one-sixth of 1 per cent. During this time it has not lost a single dollar through fire loss.

Jan 8, 1919

By AIME AIME

THE World. Engineering Congress closed as it opened, with a brilliant and dignified ceremony. On Oct. 29, 1929, there were hearty speeches of welcome and of hope for the successful issue of this international gathering; on Nov. 7, the farewells were even more heartfelt expressions, and anticipation gave place to, realization. H. I. H. Prince Yasuhito of Chichibu, who had graciously opened the Congress; was unavoidably absent at the closing ceremony, being on duty with his command at the Army maneuvers, so that the principal speech was made by the President of the Congress, Baron Furuichi. The outstanding statistics of the meetings were: an over-all attendance, delegates and members, of 800 from overseas and 2800 Japanese 83 sectional meetings, all. meetings having practically capacity attendance, this being especially true of Section 11, mining and metal¬lurgy, where standing room only was commonly the rule; and 780 papers were presented, in full or in abstract or by title. H. I. H. Prince Chichibu attended each section on Oct. 31. The large attendance of Japanese students was notable at most sections.

Jan 1, 1929

By Raymond Mancha

The use of blower fans and tubina- for auxiliary face ventilation is a somewhat controversial subject. Most authorities agree upon the advantages of this system over the maintenance of line brattice for dead-end ventilation. They also recognize the system's disadvantages. However, there is considerable disagreement as to the proper relation of the advantages to the disadvantages. It is the purpose of this report to present the opinions of four authorities of diversified occupation and permit the reader to form his own opinions on the subject. ORsErvers Carel Robinson is a mining engineer consultant of wide repute, who has a background of operating experience. Thomas G. Fear is a mine operator whose present position is that of chief engineer for the Hanna Coal Co. at St. Clairsville, Ohio. E. H. Denny is chief of the Coal Mine Inspection Division of the U. S. Bureau of Mines, and is a very able engineer whose past experience well qualifies him to appraise this problem. Cloyd M. Smith, editor of the periodical Mechanization, is a ventilation consultant. For a number of years he was a member of the Mining Department of the University of Illinois and has studied mine ventilation for many years. It is Mr. Robinson,s opinion that closely spaced breakthroughs, although conducive to low gas accumulation past the last open crosscut during the driving of entries, are difficult to maintain and are constant Sources of fugitive air. Jute or canvas brattice is suitable for entry driving with

Jan 1, 1944

By Raymond Mancha

The use of blower fans and tubina- for auxiliary face ventilation is a somewhat controversial subject. Most authorities agree upon the advantages of this system over the maintenance of line brattice for dead-end ventilation. They also recognize the system's disadvantages. However, there is considerable disagreement as to the proper relation of the advantages to the disadvantages. It is the purpose of this report to present the opinions of four authorities of diversified occupation and permit the reader to form his own opinions on the subject. ORsErvers Carel Robinson is a mining engineer consultant of wide repute, who has a background of operating experience. Thomas G. Fear is a mine operator whose present position is that of chief engineer for the Hanna Coal Co. at St. Clairsville, Ohio. E. H. Denny is chief of the Coal Mine Inspection Division of the U. S. Bureau of Mines, and is a very able engineer whose past experience well qualifies him to appraise this problem. Cloyd M. Smith, editor of the periodical Mechanization, is a ventilation consultant. For a number of years he was a member of the Mining Department of the University of Illinois and has studied mine ventilation for many years. It is Mr. Robinson,s opinion that closely spaced breakthroughs, although conducive to low gas accumulation past the last open crosscut during the driving of entries, are difficult to maintain and are constant Sources of fugitive air. Jute or canvas brattice is suitable for entry driving with

Jan 1, 1944

In December, 1927, the Institute published two papers on the Brad-ford pool, which were presented at the New York meeting in 1928. Pamphlet copics may be obtained by writing to the Secretary's office for: Oil-field Waters of the Bradford Pool, by Paul D. Torrey. Technical Publicalion No. 38. Some Factors Influencing Production of Oil by Flooding in the Bradford and Allegany Fields, by Paul D. Torrey. Technical Publicaliol No. 39.

Jan 1, 1928

By A. P. Svenningsen

IN the early stages of design it was not considered necessary that separate crushing plants be built for the new sulphide concentrator and smelter until sometime in the future. The plan was to use the existing crushing facilities for both oxide and sulphide ore. A few additions were contemplated for the existing plants, such as increased bin capacity, and possibly two new secondary crushing units. The more the problem was studied and discussed with the plant operators, the more it became evident that it was complex. It involved the classification of different kinds of ore from the open pit mine -sulphide, oxide and mixed-and how best to separate them so that each kind of ore was given the proper processing and treatment. It also involved the problem of keeping the different ores from being contaminated in bins, hoppers and chutes. Added to these, transportation became complicated and would involve additional handling and loading of ore from crushing plants to conveyors, to bins, and finally to railroad cars which were to be hauled to the concentrator and dumped into the fine ore bin. General In the early part of 1951 it was decided that the concentrator be constructed with ten grinding units instead of seven as originally authorized. The smelter was to be increased proportionally and naturally also the overall tonnages of ore to be handled by the new sulphide plant. Due to this increase in plant capacity and the larger tonnages involved, the difficulties which would arise by using the existing crushing plants were increased to a point where it became evident that the building of new crushing plants for sulphide ore exclusively was technically, as well as economically, advantageous. Authorization was, therefore, given by the company to construct new crushing plants to handle 30,000 tons of ore per day, and capable of reducing the run-of-open-pit ore to the proper size feed for the 10x14-ft rod mills in the concentrator. The ore, mined in the open pit, sometimes comes in pieces as large as 6 to 7 ft diam. The rod mills may call for ore crushed to 3/4 in. The large .size of ore delivered from the open pit determined that a 60-in. gyratory crusher be used as primary breaker. Such a crusher will have a capacity considerably in excess of 30,000 tons per day. The crusher will be a single discharge unit driven by a 500-hp electric motor through a tear coupling and a floating shaft. This type of drive has proven successful at a number of other crusher installations which our company has operating in the United States, Mexico and South America. The tear coupling will protect both the crusher and motor against damage in case of overload. No new features are incorporated in the design of the crusher itself, except that the, discharge chute is made the full width of the crusher with parallel sides instead of the usual converging sides. This change in detail should eliminate, a feature which has been a bottleneck in some of the operating plants and has caused loss of production due to ore hanging up and blocking the chute. The secondary crushing plants will have three 7-ft standard Symons cone crushers and six 7-ft short head Symons crushers. Between the primary and secondary crushing plants a coarse ore bin will be constructed with a nominal draw-off capacity of 30,000 tons of ore. The standard Symons and the short head Symons will be in separate buildings. All the crushing plants and the coarse ore bin are interconnected with conveyor belts for transporting the ore to the crushers at the tonnage rate desired. The final product of the new crushing plants is produced by the short head crushers. It will be delivered onto a conveyor belt leading to the top of the fines ore bin in the concentrator. A separate conveyor belt running the full length of the fines ore bin and provided with a movable tripper of rugged design will discharge the sulphide ore into the bin. The concentrator bin is planned and designed so that the installation of this additional conveyor will not interfere with the operation of the two railroad tracks on which crushed ore is brought from the existing oxide plant. Thus when completed the bin can be filled simultaneously by ore from the new crushing plant and by ore from the existing leaching plant.

Jan 1, 1952

By A. E. Back, S. F. Ravitz

When manganese ores are leached with sulphur dioxide, a large part of any zinc in the ore usually is extracted with the manganese.1 In the dithionate process,2,3 in which the manganese ore is leached with dilute sulphur dioxide gas and the manganese is subsequently precipitated by adding lime to the pregnant solution, the zinc is precipitated with the manganese. These facts suggested the possibility of applying the dithionate process to the recovery of zinc from oxidized ores or calcined sulphide concentrates. Accordingly, an investigation was begun, and preliminary tests were made on several ores and concentrates. The results were encouraging, but the need to devote available funds and personnel to other projects made it necessary to drop the work before the various factors involved in the process could be studied in detail. A brief mention of the process,4 however, elicited a number of inquiries, so that it appeared desirable to report the results of the preliminary work. The dithionate process as applied to zinc may be summarized briefly as follows: The ore or calcined concentrate is leached with dilute SO2 gas to dissolve the zinc, largely as zinc sulphate, in accordance with the following equation in which [ZnO] represents the "oxide zinc" in the ore or calcine: [ZnO] + SO2(g) + 1/2 O2 = Zn++SO4— [1] If, in the leaching step, the ore or calcine is suspended in calcium dithionate solution, the sulphate ion, as it is formed, is precipitated immediately as calcium sulphate, which is subsequently filtered off with the insoluble ore residue: Zn++SO4— + Ca++S2O6— = CaSO4(s) + Zn++S2O6- [2] An alternative procedure is to suspend the ore in water, filter off the insoluble ore residue after leaching, add calcium dithionate to the resulting zinc sulphate solution, and then filter off the calcium sulphate precipitate. In either event the zinc is obtained in the form of a pregnant solution of zinc dithionate, from which it can be precipitated as relatively pure zinc hydroxide by adding milk of lime: Zn++S2O6— + Ca(OH), = Zn(OH)2(s) + Ca++S2O6- [3] The zinc hydroxide precipitate is calcined to form the final zinc oxide product: Zn(OH)2 = ZnO(s) + H2O(g) [4] Theoretically the process is completely cyclic with respect to dithionate ion, the calcium dithionate required for reaction 2 being replaced by that formed in reaction 3. In practice, of course, small amounts of dithionate would be lost in the various filter cakes, depending on the economic washing limits. In the leaching step, however, some of the SO2 is oxidized to dithionale instead of sulphate, accord- ing to the following overall reaction: ZnO + 2SO2(g) + 1/2 O2(g) = Zn++S2O6-, [5] so that the dithionate losses are made up, at least in part. Ores and Concentrates Tested The analyses of the ores and concentrates tested are summarized in Table 1, which also includes the analyses of the calcines produced from the concentrates. The concentrates were roasted in a laboratory muffle furnace at the temperatures indicated until evolution of SO2 could no longer be detected; shallow clay dishes ordinarily were used; but calcines 2a and 2c were prepared in iron dishes, with the result that these two calcines were badly contaminated with iron scale. The "complex" concentrate, sample 1, consisted essentially of sphalerite grains containing inclusions of pyrite and other sulphide minerals too minute to be liberated by grinding within economic limits. In the " marmatitic" concentrate, sample 2, the iron was present largely as marmatite (that is, as iron sulphide in solid solution in zinc sulphide) rather than as pyrite inclusions. The zinc was present largely as the carbonate in the two "oxidized" ores, samples 3 and 4, and as the silicate in the "willemite" ore, sample 5. Leaching Tests The leaching cell was a 3-liter glass beaker placed in an electrically heated water bath manually controlled to maintain a temperature of 35°C in the leach slurry. The slurry was agitated by means of a flat paddle-type stirrer

Jan 1, 1950

NOW continuing with the preparation of the moulds I say that it is necessary to give the greatest attention to the differences of the clays as well as to the differences of those things that you wish to mould; and to know that every concavity in the mould produces a convexity and every convexity a hollow following the shape of the original pattern that you have. The pattern should be a body of a harder mated than the thing [78] you wish to mould with and of a substance that is not swollen or disintegrated by moisture. Its archetype may be of marble, bronze, lead, or any other metal, or also of wood, wax, tallow, gypsum, sulphur, or other plaster compositions-in short, of whatever you may have or whatever succeeds best for you, depending on whether the works are large or small and easy or &cult to mould. If you wish to cast them in bronze, you must mould them with loam, covering them with it and then drying it. There are some things in which it is enough to form only one part, such as half- or bas-reliefs. These are easy if they have no undercuts. Some other patterns that are easily handled are formed in two halves, or in three or four pieces, if they are of a hard material. There are also moulds for large statues, which, if one desires to make them of bronze, are first made of wax according to the ordinary procedure. I have in mind to describe every one of these processes in their own place. There are like- wise some moulds that are difficult to make, like scenes on a plane to which figures in full relief are attached, or twisted ornaments or other detached things that cannot be withdrawn from the mould without break-

Jan 1, 1942

By Arthur T. Ward

DESPITE the intense preoccupation of most of those members connected with the mining, concentration, and reduction of iron ores, the luncheon and subsequent technical session of the Eastern Magnetite Committee were exceedingly well attended. Many of the older faces were absent, but new ones took their places. More than sixty, all told, took in the technical session. Chairman Crockett opened the session by calling upon Meredith E. Johnson, whose paper, with its accompanying graph, was in reality a comprehensive historical review of iron mining from colonial days to the end of 1941. with some notes on current expansion which indicates that New Jersey is destined to become a still more important. factor in the production of magnetite ores.

Jan 1, 1942

By J. D. Audley Smith

Heine's " blue test" for copper, as described by the authorities generally, calls for a set of standard colors; and there has been some discussion concerning the relative superiority, for this purpose, of sulphate and nitrate solutions. The whole matter evidently hinges on the preservation of the standard colors in well-stoppered bottles. The apparatus described by Q. L. Heath* cannot be much improved, when very accurate readings are required. The following method was devised for the purpose of doing away with preserved sets of standard colors, by making a fresh standard for each batch of assays. The solutions are prepared in the usual way, each ammoniacal solution being filtered into its separate bottle, and then filled up to the containing-mark and thoroughly mixed. A similar color-bottle, with an " S " etched upon it, to distinguish it from the other bottles, which are numbered to correspond with the samples, is kept to run the standard. About 150 C.C. of water is put into it, and then the amount of acid (sulphuric or nitric) present in each determination, followed by 30 C.C. of ammonia (s. g. 0.90), which should make the mixture strongly ammoniacal. The liquid is now made up almost to the containing-mark (200 c.c.), say within 1 C.C. The lowest assay is selected first and placed alongside the standard, which, at the beginning, contains no copper. A copper-solution is then dropped into the standard from a burette ; and after each addition the bottle is well shaken and compared with the assay-sample. This operation is repeated until the two shades match exactly, when the burette is read and the assay-result is calculated. The assay next in order of depth of color is now taken and treated in the same way, and so on, until the batch is completed. It

Jan 1, 1901

By Morris Cohen

This paper deals with the calculation of the composition of the infinitesimal trace of alloy that transfers from the liquid to the solid state at each temperature during the equilibrium solidification of a binary solid solution, and which thereby enables the compositions of the coexisting liquid and solid phases to follow along the liquidus and solidus lines respectively during the cooling. A general expression for the composition (S) of the liquid-to-solid transfer at each temperature has been derived S - ZLXL(XL - P) + Zsxs(P - XS) ZL(xL - P) + Zs(P - XS) where ZL and Zs are the slopes of the liquidus and solidus lines at the given temperature, XL and xs are the composi-tions of the stable liquid and solid phases at the same temperature, and P is the composition of the alloy under considera-tion. The S equation is valid for the process of equilibrium heating as well as cooling, and may be applied to vapor-to-liquid, vapor-to-solid, liquid-to-liquid, and solid-to-solid transfers if the corresponding equilibrium diagrams are known.

Jan 1, 1940

By L. E. Snow, L. F. Pett

AT the Utah Copper Pit of Kennecott Copper Corp. a versatile mobile drill unit has been developed and tested. Through increased drilling speed and additional available drilling time, an improvement of 233 pct in drill performance has been realized. Operators using drill power can quickly and easily convert the unit from a vertical to a toe hole drill. Drilling is done with the machine in line with the unit or at right angles to it. Table I covers the 1950 drill record at the mine, showing the types of machines used and the footage obtained. Development of the new units was prompted by a desire for solution of the following problems: 1—The ever-expanding operations within the Utah Pit, requiring some 65 miles of transmission pipe lines radiating from a central compressed air plant, have now taxed this compressor plant beyond capacity. While 100 lb per sq in. pressure is maintained at compressors, transmission losses from innumerable small leaks result in low terminal pressure at the drills. Fig. 1 illustrates that while terminal pressure varies according to size of air hose and fittings used, the average drill is operating on air pressures within the 60 to 70-lb range. The compressor plant is operated primarily for air rock drills. All drilling is done on day shift, but it is necessary to run two of the three 3720 cu ft capacity compressors during night shift in order to prevent drastic loss of pressure through leaks. On day shift all three compressor units are operated at capacity, so that there is no reserve safeguard available for extensive repairs to any compressor. The calculated volume of compressed air required for operation of 25 drills is but 33 pct of three day-shift compressors. While compressed air is being used to a minor extent for purposes other than drilling, it is felt that satisfactory substitute facilities could be pro- vided in the event that air lines were no longer available. 2—Drill performance has increased beyond the capacity of present 3-in. drifter machines. 3—The installation, maintenance, and moving of air lines in routine mining is a growing problem. The 2-in. level lines are placed outside electrification towers and must be moved to new location upon completion of each shovel cut. In addition to these moves it is often necessary to dismantle level lines so that excessive shovel spillage, or material covering track following a blast, can be pushed in the clear with bulldozers. Where level room is limited, it is often necessary to remove air lines in giving bulldozers room to prepare grades for wagon drills. In spite of precautions taken, many level lines become buried, twisted, and constricted, with excessive air loss resulting. Excessive back break in blasting often leaves several sections of air line suspended in mid-air. Occasionally air lines come in contact with defective electric transmission towers, so that holes are burned through pipe. 4—Rail-handling of drilling equipment such as wagon drills from one location to another requires considerable locomotive crane crew time. Any new unit developed should travel under its own power. 5—Present practice requires accessory material including hose, water pressure tanks, water barrels, drill steel, and bits to be transported by means of push cars when drill locations are changed on any level. 6—In order to supply numerous drill locations with material, many stock piles of new drill rods, drill bits, and other essentials must be left at strategic points, usually in the vicinity of powder magazines. This practice makes for poor housekeeping and contributes to the loss of supplies. Planning the Unit It was felt that a mobile drill unit which would rectify the foregoing problems should meet certain demands: 1—It must furnish compressed air to operate a 4-in. rock drill at a pressure of 90 to 100 lb.

Jan 1, 1953