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By Stanley B. Roboff

Throughout the world nuclear power re- actors are being designed and constructed as the energy source for stationary power plants. They are built to power submarines, surface ships, and long-range aircraft and to provide small package power plants that can be set up with relative ease in outlying areas. Regardless of type, most of these plants are designed to operate at the highest permissible temperatures and with the greatest possible burn-up of fuel. On paper it is now possible to design a nuclear power plant that will out-perform all existing types of power-generating plants, and at costs which are attractive. Such plants, however, are not now being built, nor will they ever be built, unless major engineering advances are made in the realm of reactor materials. The reason for this is straight- forward enough. Although it is known that huge quantities of energy can be generated in nuclear fuels within short periods of time, as yet there are no construction materials capable of withstanding the severe conditions that would exist within a power reactor operating with ultrahigh output.

Sep 1, 1956

By Andrew B. Crichton

The oft repeated statements of the United States Geological Survey and the Bureau of Mines that the coal reserves in the United States are sufficient for 3000 yr have given us all a sense of security hard to disturb. If we discount that statement 66 pct, which to the uninformed seems drastic, we would still have 1000 yr supply, and why should mortal man worry about the difference between 1000 and 3000 yr supply of coal. That is exactly the attitude which many who should be better informed have taken toward the problem. A recent brochure "How Strong is America," by the New York Herald Tribune, states there is "no end to coal * * The truth is staggering * * U. S. has enough coal to last 4000 years." What the statement actually means is that the calculator got as high as 4000 yr and decided it was pointless to go on. The President's ERP Committee on Natural Resources and others in high places continue to assure the country of our superabundance of coal. In the past few days the "Wall Street Journal" carried an item from Director Boyd of the Bureau of Mines saying that within a hundred years we would need to triple our annual coal production of 600,000,000 tons, making it 1,800,000,000 tons annually, and at that rate we had coal reserves sufficient for 1000 yr. In my humble opinion, we cannot now or ever produce 1,800,000,000 tons annually, because we do not have the reserves in the producing districts to do it. Past reckoning in geology may be, as in the Psalms, a thousand years are as yesterday, but the future must be considered more realistically, and " a thousand years" is really a "heck" of a long time. In most developed areas, mining engineers can count the coal reserves in terms of a hundred years or less, and in some important areas now producing large annual tonnages in much under fifty years. They think when they hear of thousands of years coal reserves, reference is made to distant fields and "the fields are always green far away." The estimates of our coal reserves upon which we are relying were made in 1907 under the direction of Marius R. Campbell, Director of the United States Geological Survey. It is apparent this work was not well done. It was necessarily based on rather meager data because of the little development and prospecting as of that date. There were mistakes in the correlation of seams, and they assumed the continuity of thick seams throughout large coal bearing areas where coal often did not exist. The overstatement of coal bearing areas in the Campbell figures are common. The 1907 survey includes all coals over 14 in. in thickness to a depth of 3000 it. The total coal reserves according to Campbell were 3157.2 billion tons. The production and mining losses that year would amount to 570 million tons and

Jan 1, 1949

By J. J. Gilvarry, B. H. Bergstorm

The first part of this paper describes a new approach to the problem of energy relationships in fracture and comminution. The basic theoretical method used (as contrasted to previous empirical or semi-empirical approaches) is an attempt to verify or disprove the hypothesis of von Rittinger, In the second part of the paper, theoretical conclusions for the three headings of single fracture, plural fracture, and comminution are tested. Agreement between theory and experimental results is demonstrated. The classical hypotheses on the energy relationship in brittle fracture are those of von Rittinger-that the energy required is proportional to the new surface formed— and the alternative one of Kick.' Over the years, repeated attempts have been made to discriminate experimentally between the two assumptions, or to replace both of them, as has been done by Bond? However, no semblance of agreement seems to exist among different investigators. This paper is the first in a series essaying a new approach to the entire problem of energy relationships in fracture and comminution. The purpose of this program of research is to verify (or disprove) the hypothesis of von Rittinger. In contrast to previous empirical or semi-empirical approaches to the problem, the basic method adopted is theoretical. The prime aim is to determine the distribution function for fragment size theoretically and to verify the predicted distribution experimentally. This approach should make possible determination of the total surface of the particles by integration over the corresponding distribution function; one may hope that this direct procedure will yield more definitive results than use of gas adsorption or other methods. The surface area so obtained can then be compared with experimental energies, as obtained by Bergstrom, Sollenberger, and Mitchell,4 for example. It is convenient to distinguish between single fratture, plural fracture, and comminution. Single fracture of a brittle solid is defined as fracture by an external stress system which is removed instantly and permanently when fracture is initiated. Plural fracture consists of single fracture of the original specimen, followed by a sequence of only a few secondary fractures; comminution differs in that the sequence of secondary fractures consists of a large number of repetitive steps. For single fracture, Gilvarrys has given a rigorous derivation of the proper distribution function for fragment size, based on a closely defined physical model and deduced strictly by the laws of probability. Gilvarry and Bergstrome have compared the predictions of the theory with experiment, and have found excellent agreement. The prior work of Gilvarry and of Gilvarry and Bergstrom considers only single and plural fracture. The purpose of the present paper is to extend the discussion to the case of comminution. For prefatory purposes, the theory of Gilvarry for single fracture will be outlined. The considerations will then be applied to the cases of plural fracture and comminution. SINGLE FRACTURE The derivation is based on the Poisson law.7 For Points distributed with mean density y over a domain, this law states that the probability p(t)dt of one point lying in the range t to t + dt with none in the interval 0 to Ms p(t)dt = ye-yt dt. For this distribution to be valid, it is necessary and sufficient that the points be distributed at random, individually and collectively in the sense of ~~~.7 The former qualification requires that the position of One Point be independent of another, and the latter implies that the probability of a region containing a

Jan 1, 1961

By B. R. Berger

The Getchell area in the northern Osgood Range, Humboldt County, Nevada, was first prospected in the late 1800s for silver, copper, and gold; the first recorded mention of mining activity concerned a silver discovery. The September 17, 1874 edition of the Winnemucca Silver State notes that the Crystal Mining District was newly organized in the Fremont Range (as the Osgood Range was then called) to include discoveries of silver, lead, and antimony made on the Louisa claim. The name Crystal was derived from the plentiful quartz crystals found in-cavities near the prospects. This same area, occurring on the northwestern margin of the Osgood granodiorite stock, was later mined as the Richmond tungsten property, and crystals may still be found there in cavities in a massive garnet tactite. By 1878, how-ever, the name Crystal had been abandoned in favor of Potosi. The next flurry of activity in the Osgood Range was reported in 1899 when a copper strike on Granite Creek in the southern portion of the range received attention. The copper occukences were in a granite contact zone on the southeastern edge of the Osgood stock and, in 1916, the first tungsten in the district was discovered in the same deposit. During the last part of the nineteenth century, cattle and sheep were brought into the Kelly Creek Valley east of the Osgood Mountains by various ranchers. Alphonso and Adrian Bernard were among these ranchers, and in the first decade of the twentieth century, one of them recognized the altered rock where the Getchell Center it is now located. A 3-m (10-ft) deep prospect pit was dug on the outcrop, but the highest assay ran about $11/t ($10 per st). No further work was done on the gold-bearing rock. In 1934, Emmet Chase of Battle Mountain and Ed Knight of Golconda prospected in the area of the Bernard prospect pit and located several lode claims. At this time, Noble H. Getchell, a state senator, was looking for new mining opportunities to develop. He held interests in the Gold Circle Consolidated at Midas, which was becoming a losing venture. Chase and Knight brought their discovery to his attention, and he grubstaked them to prospect further in the area. In need of financial backing, Getchell solicited the help of George Wingfield, Sr., who held a minor interest in the Gold Circle. Wingfield was a successful banker and mine operator during the heyday of Tonopah and Goldfield, and he had become good friends with Henry C. Frick and Bernard Baruch. Wingfield let Baruch in on several very successful mining ventures in Goldfield, and Baruch returned the favor by underwriting the financing of the Getchell mine. Eleanor Roosevelt and Jack Dempsey were early stockholders in the Getchell operation. George Wingfield brought his brother-in-law, Roy A. Hardy, a consulting engineer who had constructed the American Flat mill near Virginia City, to look at the property. Upon inspecting the Chase-Knight claims, Hardy declared the whole area to be mineralized. A crosscut was driven to check the extent of the ore, and the results were better than anticipated. The locators were reportedly given $50,000 for the claims. The Getchell Mine, Inc., was organized on November 5, 1936. A small railroad that ran from Battle Mountain to Austin was purchased, and the ties and rails were moved to Getchell to be used in underground exploration. Enough reserves were found in the Center and South pit areas to construct a 40 t/d (44 stpd) mill. The financial and engineering help for the mill was provided by the Newmont Mining Co. for a 17 1/2% interest in the corporation. Newmont set about trying to solve the metallurgical problems with the sulfide ore, and also directed the early development work. Newmont wanted to grind the sulfide ore underground and oxidize it in the atmosphere by spreading salt on it. Detrital Flat in Arizona was purchased to provide salt for

Jan 1, 1985

By James A. Barr

THE writer's first experience with flotation was during World War I, in the beneficiation of Alabama graphite schist ores. One plant used a cone with a peripheral overflow; dried ore was distributed by a rotating disk onto the surface of the water. No reagents were added. The flake-graphite film floated along with some fine silica. Dewatering screens separated the flake. Naturally unit capacities were low but results were satisfactory. Minerals Separation mechanical flotation machines were used in another graphite mill. Pine oil was added directly to the head cells, with very good results. All the graphite concentrates from both types of flotation were carefully refined after drying by passing through burr mills, followed by very close sizing on sifters. In March 1927, the writer ran a very successful flotation test on minus 28-mesh, deslimed, Tennessee brown phosphate "sand,"[t] using a mechanical laboratory machine built in the shops of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co., through the courtesy of Ernest Klepetko. The machine was soon converted to a subaeration type, with improved results. This phosphate research program was greatly enlarged and led to the formation of the Phosphate Recovery Corporation. The development of nonmetallic flotation followed rapidly. The first flotation machine for beneficiation of phosphate was installed in January 1928, in a pilot mill, by International Minerals and Chemical Corporation, at Mulberry, Florida. These machines were Minerals Separation, 24-in., subaeration types, with weir control of pulp between cells. The sand bleeders were very small-about 1 ¼ -in. diameter. As the feed contained 15 to 25 per cent plus 28-mesh material, the cells choked up frequently. This was corrected by cutting a 2 by 6-in. bleeder opening above the impellers, at grid level, which short-circuited the coarse fractions directly into the feed of the next cell. The matter of size classification and grinding was a considerable problem, which does not come within the scope of this article. Because of the troubles noted above, cascade-type roughers were installed in the second flotation plant, built about 1930. Experimental cells had been tried in 1928. General plant layout is shown in Fig. I and details of the cascade construction in Fig. 2. The cascade installation in plant No. 2 gave good results and eliminated troubles due to choke-ups and coarse feed. The capacities and metallurgical results equaled those of the modified 24-in. Minerals Separation flotation machines in plant No. I The objections to the cascade installation are the floor space and mill height required. In 1939 an improved Minerals Separation machine was tested in parallel with the cascades. Extensive tests indicated

Jan 1, 1945

By Frank Wilder

THE most important process in a gypsum mill is calcining the crude mineral. There seems, however, to be little progress or change in calcining methods. This would not be surprising if the industry was not, in other ways, developing. The demand for gypsum in its various forms, however, is growing rapidly. The output has more than doubled in six years, while the value of gypsum products, through the introduction of higher priced specialties like wall board, has nearly trebled in the same period. In other industries, under somewhat similar conditions, calcining in rotating cylinders, either by direct or indirect heat, has replaced the method that still prevails in gypsum mills. Efforts were made to use rotary calciners in manufacturing plaster of Paris in the early days of the industry in America; 25 years ago rotary calciners were in use in Germany. At that time there was great diversity of opinion in regard to their merit. In 1923, the output of calcined gypsum in the United States was 3,101,378 tons. About nine-tenths of this material was calcined in kettles, the remainder in rotary calciners. The ratio was about the same 10 years ago. During these 10 years, rotary calcining made rela-tively no gains, and there were no important changes in the construction of kettles. In their manipulation, the only change of consequence was in connection with the length of time that the gypsum is left in the kettle. For wall-plaster purposes, all producers who had not previously done so changed from second-settled to first-settled calcined gypsum, thereby reducing production costs and improving the plasticity and sand-carrying capacity of their plaster. Nevertheless, in the few mills in which they were installed, rotary calciners continue to operate, with possibly one or two exceptions, and to be highly successful. In these 10 years, the Cummer type of rotary calciner has disappeared. All rotaries now used are of the cement-mill type with a diameter of 6 or 7 ft. and length of 80 to 120 feet.

Jan 2, 1925

By C. F. Hardy, D. R. Mitchell

Bolts held up roofs as mining machines went on to set new records, but rising labor costs still plagued operators.

Jan 2, 1951

By William L. Russell

A new instrument for measuring bulk and grain vol-urnes is described, and compared in accuracy with two modifications of Nutting's method, All three methods are reasonably fast, and in all three the probable error in the determinations of bulk volume can be kept down to about 0.1 to 0.2 per cent. INTRODUCTION The new pycnometer described in this paper is designed to give speed without sacrificing accuracy. Some time ago Russell1 described a somewhat similar appa-ratus; however, the instrument described in the present paper is more accurate. Nutting' designed the pycnom-eter shown in Fig. 1 (A and B), and Pirson3 has shown points like those of Fig. 1-D. The procedure described in this paper for using Nutting's pycnometer has been modified from that used by Nutting. CHOICE OF LIQUIDS The best liquids for measuring grain volumes are hydrocarbons or chlorinated hydrocarbons which evaporate slowly. Trimethylbenzene or mesitylene, triethylben-zene, carbon tetrachloride, and tertalin have been used for this purpose. Any of these liquids or mercury may be used for measuring bulk volume. PREVENTING ERRORS DUE TO INVASION OF LIQUID Errors due to the invasion of the porous, permeable bulk samples by the liquid of measurement may be prevented or greatly reduced by using mercury, by applying an impervious coating, or by soaking the bulk samples in the liquid of measurement until bubbles cease issuing from them. Errors are produced only by the invasion of the samples which occurs between movement when the samples are weighed in air and the moment the weight of liquid displaced by the sample in the pycnometer is determined. No error is produced by varying degrees of filling of the pore space of the samples by the liquid of measurement. The excess liquid should be wiped from the samples immediately before the weight in air W1, is determined, and they should be placed in the pycnometers immediately. OPERATION OF NEW INSTRUMENT The new pycnometer is shown in Fig. 2. It consists of two glass parts which fit together at a ground glass joint. The spaces J and D are connected by fine glass tubes E, and the space J must be larger than the space D by at least the volume of the largest sample to be tested. The projections H afford a grip for twisting when the two parts tend to stick together. The position of the sample in mercury is shown by I, and in other liquids by M. F is a permanent mark on the glass, and G is a tem-Some marker. In order to determine the position at which G should be placed, invert the instrument so that A is at the bottom, and fill space D. Place the cub K

Jan 1, 1958

By D. H. Yardley

ENGINEERS and geologists find the magnetic compass unreliable in many mineral bearing areas because of local magnetic attraction. This is the case in the vicinity of many contact deposits, and particularly true in the Lake Superior district where iron formation is wide spread and causes wide fluctuations of the magnetic needle. One of the most useful instruments for geologic traversing or running grid and claim lines under these conditions is the dial compass which does not depend upon magnetism. Difficulties encountered in the field because of local attraction can be overcome through transit observation of Polaris or the sun, or use of the solar attachment. However, a field party often lacks the equipment or time for work of such accuracy and it is here that the dial compass finds its use.

Jan 3, 1954

By B. C. Craft

Louisiana experienced deeper and increased drilling during 1934, resulting in the discovery of five new fields: Bosco, Acadia and St. Landry Parishes; Lake Hermitage, Plaquemines Parish; Roanoke, Jefferson Davis Parish; Gillis, Calcasieu Parish; and Four Isle, Terrebonnc Parish. New sands were discovered at New Iberia, Iberia Parish; Lake Washington, Plaquemines Parish; Sligo, Bossier Parish; and in the Rodessa gas field, Caddo Parish. Other miscellaneous events worthy of mention are the continued leasing of prospective oil and gas lands in North and South Louisiana, extensive geophysical work in the Gulf Coastal area, and increased interest in the development of flank production on piercement type domes, resulting in the acquisition of flank acreage and the leasing of several shallow domes in the Gulf Coast and Interior salt-dome areas. The total oil production for Louisiana during 1934 was 32,529,082 bbl., an increase of 6,929,280 bbl. over 1933. The total daily production at the end of the year from 2421 wells was 102,752 barrels. North Louisiana During the year, 144 oil wells and 68 gas wells were completed in North Louisiana as compared with 111 oil wells and 47 gas wells during 1933. The North Louisiana oil production was 9,274,050 bbl. as compared with 10,023,580 bbl. during 1933, a decline of 749,530 bbl. The normal decline in the old fields and especially in the Zwolle area was partly offset by increased production in the Converse field, Sabine Parish, and by acid treatment of wells in the Zwolle, Converse and Caddo fields. There were no new fields discovered during 1934. During the year R. W. Norton enlarged the boundaries and reserves of the Rodessa gas field. A series of gas-bearing sands, was discovered in J. B. French, No. 1-B, sec. 34, 23 N. 16 W., below the oolitic lime found at 5500 ft. in which formation all previous wells had been completed. The total depth of this well was 5825 ft. Subsequent drilling has resulted in

Jan 1, 1935

By B. H. Bergstrom, Will Mitchell, T. G. Kirkland, C. L. Sollenberger

IN a previous article' the authors outlined a study of the variables in rod milling and also reported data from a series of open circuit grinding tests on a massive limestone in a 30-in. x 4-ft end peripheral discharge rod mill. As a second part of the experimental program, an analysis is now presented for the 30-in. x 4-ft overflow rod mill grinding under identical conditions, except that discharge ports on the periphery of the mill shell have been sealed so that the products from the present series overflowed through a 9-in. diam .opening in the center of the end plate. A variance analysis has been made of the combined data for the two experiments, and performances of the two mills are compared here. Included in the first report' were descriptions of feed preparation, rod mill circuit, instrumentation and controls, and techniques used to evaluate data. Dependent and independent variables were defined, and variance analyses were made to test the relative significance of variables and to establish magnitude of error for the experiment. Significant data were plotted in various combinations, and conclusions were drawn from the graphs. The procedure and analysis in this series of tests follows the first tests and is not repeated. Data from the second series are recorded in Table I. Listed in the first three columns are the independent variables of feed rate (1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, and 5000 1b per hr), mill speed (50, 60, 70, 80, and 90 pct of critical), and pulp density (50, 60, 70, and 80 pct). The dependent variables, Pso, P100, reduction ratio, slope of the log-log sieve analysis curve, power demand, and Bond work index follow. Of these, only the reduction ratio and the Bond work index were analyzed for significance. Production of new surface as calculated from sieve analyses has not been included for this series because of the questionable assumptions that have to be made to satisfy the formulas involved. The large number of products obtained during the runs precluded the use of surface measurement techniques by the gas adsorption methods at this time; however, samples of all products have been stored for future reference. To test the consistency of the reporting of the sieved products, an averaged sieve analysis was calculated from the wet-dry plots obtained from the three product samples of each run. The resulting averaged analysis was plotted and the P80, selected. The relative deviations of the P80's from each of the three product samples with respect to the P80 of the averaged analysis were then calculated. In only two sets were the relative deviations (6.2 and 9.9 pct) considered excessive. In each of these two sets, one sieve analysis was obviously out of line; hence that analysis was ignored and new averages were computed. This reduced the relative deviations to 1.2 and 2.7 pct respectively. The relative deviations of the product analyses with respect to their averages ranged from 0.1 to 1.4 pct at 1000 lb per hr, 0.0 to 1.1 pct at 2000 lb per hr, 0.2 to 3.0 pct at 3000 lb per hr, 0.3 to 4.3 pct at 4000 lb per hr, and 0.5 to 5.2 pct at 5000 lb per hr. The relative deviation of the 80 pct passing point for 96 dry sieve analyses of the feed with respect to that of the averaged analysis was 7.6 pct. This slightly higher percentage can probably be attributed to a greater proportion of tramp oversize in a crusher product than is ordinarily found in a rod mill product. The last column on Table I lists the adjusted work index, which has been used as the measure of efficiency for the various combinations of operating conditions investigated. Efficiency increases as the index becomes lower. It was reported in the previous paper that the work indexes for the Waukesha limestone used in these experiments decreased as the product size decreased (as calculated from Bond grindabilities). That is, this limestone becomes easier to grind as the material becomes finer. This is unusual, because the work index for most materials as calculated from the Bond grindability has remained constant as the product size decreased or has increased slightly. Table II lists the results of Bond grindability tests at all mesh sizes from 3 to 200 and the work indexes calculated from them. To remove this variation of work index with product size from the data so that results would apply to any material of constant work index, the work index values shown in Table II were plotted against product size on log-log paper. From this curve (a straight line function in this case), the expected work index for the product size for each of the runs of the experiment was obtained. The work indexes as calculated from the reduction ratio and energy consumption were then divided by the corresponding expected work index. The results obtained are reported in percentages on Table I as adjusted work index and are actually percentages of the work index for the Waukesha limestone at the size in question. Multiplication of the work index value for a material of constant index by these percentages should allow the application of the adjusted work index curves to the material. Only the adjusted work index values, not the actual experimental values, were used for the variance analyses and for the graphs.

Jan 1, 1956

By V. C. Smith

Reliable and detailed statistical data available for Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia are the most meager and unsatisfactory of any of the producing states. Detailed histories and statistics are available for only a few pools. The antiquity of these pools, loose nomenclature, particularly where several names are applied to the same pool or various parts of the pool or a new namsed when the pool was rediscovered, made the collection of accurat historical and statistical data almost impossible. So many of the data reported are unreliable that a breakdown by pools or even by counties, until more accurate information is available, would lead to gross errors. Rather than perpetuate inaccuracies, we have endeavored to go to original sources wherever possible, sift these and provide data that may serve as an incentive and basis for future work. The necessity for accurate information is thoroughly recognized by the operators, particularly because of the effect of recent government regulations and request? for data in connection with the preparation of the various codes a pending legislation. Producers, both major operating companies and individuals, . freely given their time and assistance in the compilation of these data. Valuable information was obtained from tax records, rate cases, statistics published by the oil and gas publications and the Bureau of Mines. So many individuals cooperated in the preparation of these data that individual credit cannot be given. Undoubtedly many errors will be found. Some of the data are open to controversy, and many have been omitted in the hope that new information of a more reliable character may become available. Other omissions are due to an inability to contact the proper individuals, many of whom are no longer connected with this industry. Pennsylvania grade crude sold in 1933 for the lowest price since 1895. Gas production could not find sufficient new markets to fill the void left by industrial stagnation. In the gas industry, where the market price is fixed by contract, uncertainty persisted because of impending legislative action affecting both taxes and utility rates. As a result of these factors and a lack of new money, drilling was restricted to a new low. The lifting of proration toward the end of the year in the Pennsylvania

Jan 1, 1934

By John Garcia

IN some districts of the bituminous coal field the problem of construct-ing bulkheads to seal off water under pressure is becoming increasingly important. Recently this matter has been brought very much to the front by the loss of a large. Illinois mine due to failure of a bulkhead that separated it from several old, flooded mines. As this great misfortune has provoked much inquiry about proper bulkhead design, it is felt that a description of the successful and extensive water-sealing practice at three mines that have different natural conditions will be of considerable interest to those connected with properties having a present or future water problem and to engineers that may have to design safe bulkheads of economical construction. These three mines are the Saxton acid Dresser, near Terre Haute, Ind., and the Hegeler, near Danville, 111. All three have water conditions that make it necessary to regularly seal off till worked-out sections of the mine, and there are considerably over a hundred bulkheads in each. As far as the writers know, these three mines are the only ones in the bitu-minous coal fields of the United States with anything like so large a number of water seals and experience, although a number of other mines are known to have a few bulkheads. More detail will he included herein on the Saxton mine than on the others, as the writers are more familiar with it.

Jan 1, 1937

By R. B. Lincoln

THE function of a pyrometer protecting tube is to maintain an atmosphere about the thermocouple most favorable to its continued accuracy and long life, and at the same time permit the weld of the couple to attain the full temperature of the area or object being measured. In addition to protecting the thermocouple from the chemical or alloying effects of the products of combustion or bath being measured, the tube must also protect the couple from mechanical injury. The conditions met in practice vary so much that no one material is suitable for all applications. The usefulness as well as the expense of maintenance of a pyrometer system are influenced greatly by a choice of the most suitable protecting tube. The tube must protect the couple without itself becoming too great an expense item. The protecting tube should have the following qualities: (1) A melting point well above the highest temperature to be encountered. (2) Sufficient strength through the entire range of temperatures to hold up its own weight and resist such shock and jar as are unavoidable. (3) It must be impervious to the atmosphere or bath to which it will be subject. (4) It must not give off any vapor injurious to the couple. (5) It must not form any oxides fusible below the highest temperature to be measured. The proper location of the tube in the furnace is almost as important as the choice of material. The tube must be placed as near to the work to be heated .as possible. It must be kept out of the direct path of flame, both because that would give too high temperature readings and because partly burned fuel will destroy the tube faster than the quiet products of combustion.

Jan 9, 1919

By Joseph J. Yancik, Leonard L. Felts, George B. Clark

LITTLE information has been published concerning the actual or useful amount of energy obtained from explosives when they are used for blasting. To provide more data on this subject, 8-in. neet cement cubes were blasted in a steel plate box and the breakage energy evaluated by comparison with drop crusher results using Rittinger's,1,2 Kick's: and Bond's' theories. Theories by Bond and Wang," Lineau," Hatch,' Roller,' and others0-11 were not considered applicable. Those used in this investigation may be expressed mathematically as follows: Rittinger Theory E = KrS2, pet,—--------------- [1] 40 d1 d0 Kick Theory TV 1 1 E = =K, [S pct. log1/d+ 100 log d0] [2] 40 d1 L. L. FELTS, Junior Member AIME, was formerly a Graduate Assistant, University of Illinois. G. B. CLARK, Member AIME, was formerly Professor of Mining Engineering, University of Illinois, and is now Chairman, Dept. of Mining Engineering, Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy. J. YANCIK, Junior Member AIME, is a Graduate Assistant, Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy. This paper, TP 4213A. is revised from a thesis submitted by L. L. Felts in partial fulfillment of the M.S. degree in Mining Engineering, University of Illinois, 1954. Discussion may be sent (2 copies) to AIME before May 31, 1956. Manuscript, Dec. 27, 1954. Bond's Third Theory E = Kb [S pct. log1/d1+ 100 log d0] where E — energy used in breakage, d, = average diameters of screen fractions of broken cement particles, pct, = percent weight of diameter d;, and 2 pct, = 100 pct. The above equations were employed to determine values of Kr, Kk, Kb for particle size distributions similar to those obtained from the blasting curves. These values were in turn used as a means of approximating the specific energy of the blasted material. The efficiency of crushing by blasting was then determined by dividing this specific energy by the maximum available work of the explosive per gram of cement. Knowledge of the failure of solids under static loads is developing very rapidly. Their failure under impact loads has been investigated and reported in the literature only to a limited extent. Theories of failure' hnder static loading include 1) the maximum stress theory, 2) the maximum strain theory, 3) the theory of constant elastic strain, 4) theory of maximum shearing stress, and 5) Mohr's theory of strength. All of these have elements of usefulness in establishing an applicable theory for blasting. For highly strained and compressed material such as that surrounding a detonating charge of high explosive, the Mohr theory and its implications appear to be the

Jan 1, 1957

The program for the Annual Meeting to be held in New York, Feb.17 to 20, 1919, inclusive, has been nearly completed. Besides the usual meetings for the reading of technical papers, the social features are being given special attention. They will probably embody the following: On Monday evening, a lecture by one of our fighting airplane pilots, to be illustrated by lantern slides and moving pictures. To this entertainment the ladies will be invited, as well as members. On Tuesday evening, a Smoker at which some very startling features are promised for the entertainment of members. On Wednesday evening, the usual banquet, at which it is hoped to have some very interesting speakers. The usual luncheons will be served in the Engineering Building and other features will be offered for the entertainment of the ladies during the day. No definite plans for the Thursday excursion have yet been formulated, though it is probable that something interesting will be offered the members.

Jan 12, 1918

By T. W. Guy

THE increased moisture due to water¬spraying for coal dust control is of interest even for mines from which the coal is to be wet-washed before screening, because in many cases wet coal dust materially decreases the loading efficiency of men an equipment at the faces. It also causes serious increase in the normal wear and deterioration of all equipment with which it comes in contact. It is important to the consumer if it increases his as-receive moisture. No attempt will be made in this paper t cover the entire subject of water-spraying of coal for dust control. It will be confine to discussion and data on (r) percentages c dust in bituminous coals, (2) moisture increases due to spraying for dust control in mines or plants by methods which have proven satisfactory for periods of one to five or more years, and (3) a few suggestions for research. SIZE AND PERCENTAGE OF COAL DUST The U. S. Bureau of Mines1 classifies a coal dust all bituminous coal passing 20-mesh sieve (0.0328 in. square opening; The percentage of such dust to be found is ROM coal, of course, varies widely wit. the characteristics of the seam, and with the methods used in the mining and in the preparation of the coal. ROM screen analyses of 12 U. S. coals selected at random from personal files given in Table I show: A few other screen analyses examined indicating 40 pct or more of 2o-mesh X o dust in 3/8 in. X o-sizes were not included because of uncertainty that they were representative. The number of results in Table I is not sufficient to give a reliable estimate of the average, or of the range to be expected, but it indicates that in every case the coal dust is a relatively large percentage of the total ROM coal, and, of course, a progressively larger percentage of resultants as the larger sizes are separated for marketing.

Jan 1, 1948

By Frank Riddle

THE life of thermocouples is governed, to a large extent, by the protection they receive when in use; particularly when the temperatures being measured are high and the products of combustion are reducing in character. Several types of protection tubes are being used for this work; they are made of ordinary and aluminous porcelain, fused quartz, carborundum, fused alumina, fireclay, and some kinds of metal. All of them may render good service under certain conditions but they must be used for the purpose for which they are intended. For example, fused-quartz tubes are very good when excessive changes in temperature occur, but under certain conditions they will crystallize and lose their strength. Porcelain is used in several ways in connection with the use of thermocouples: for insulating the two wires of the couple and to. prevent short circuits; for protecting the entire couple in a refractory gas-tight tube, which is ordinarily fastened to and is considered part of a properly equipped thermocouple; and for protecting the complete thermocouple from the possibility of physical injury and to support it. This tube is made porous and strong and is ordinarily built right into the wall or crown of the furnace, as the case may be. The insulating tubes must be small and sufficiently refractory to withstand the temperatures at which they are to be used. The length of the tubes, porosity of the material from which they are made, etc. does not particularly matter. The tubes are sometimes made with two or even four holes, the latter being used where it is desirable to have two couples as close together as possible for calibration work. The thermocouple protection tube must be of proper size to permit the thermoelements and insulating tubes to be inserted or taken out easily. It must be porous enough to withstand sudden changes in temperature and yet gas-tight, as well as refractory enough to withstand the furnace temperature, even if the tube protrudes into the furnace in a horizontal position without support for a reasonable distance. If the

Jan 9, 1919

[PRESIDENT SAMUEL A. TAYLOR, . . . . District 3 . . . . PITTSBURGH, PA. PAST PRESIDENTS WILLIAM KELLY, District 5 . IRON MOUNTAIN, MICH. J. V. W. REYNDERS District 3., NEW YORK, N. Y. FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT E. DEGOLYER, NEW YORK, N. Y. TREASURER CHARLES F. RAND, NEW YORK, N. Y. SECRETARY H. FOSTER BAIN, NEW YORK, N. Y. ASSISTANT SECRETARY THOMAS T, READ, NEW YORK, N. Y.]

Jan 1, 1928

By Paul A. Bailly

Around 4500 B.C., the Pharaoh of Egypt ordered a military campaign to the Sinai Peninsula and the shores of the Red Sea, to search for copper deposits which Egypt needed for jewelry, vases and weapons.5 To my knowledge, this is the first recorded expedition aimed at the discovery of minerals. The diligent Egyptian soldier-prospectors made discoveries through visual detection and manual effort, the approach which has given us the bulk of our mines to date. In the Rio Tinto District of Spain where Roman miners followed the Phoenician traders, we find the first evidence of discovery of hidden ore bodies in the absence of mineralized outcrops. This is how Joralemon 13 describes these Roman discoveries to the southwest of the Rio Tinto hills, under the flat plain of Seville:

Jan 6, 1979