Search Documents

By A. M. Crawford

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

Jan 1, 1984

By J. E. Tobey, David R. Mitchell, J. H. Kerrick

DETAILED knowledge of purchase specifications established by coal consumers is essential to the successful design and operation of a coal preparation plant. ANTHRACITE Specifications should be considered by both the consumer and the producer as guide posts outlining a certain path for both to follow. Plants differ, therefore specifications must differ to meet the varied requirements. Specifications are not of themselves a "cureall" or an assurance of complete satisfaction in fuel utilization. Specifications should not be regarded as a license to engage in an orgy of buying any and all coals that may happen to fall within their limits. This would lead to the indiscriminate mixing of coals which may vary in their burning characteristics. Different coals of equal grade tend to be individualistic in their burning characteristics. Rather, specifications should be used to help simplify coal selection, to reduce the actual number of coals used over a given period; in other words, to have a stabilizing influence on coal or customer turnover. In the final analysis, the use of too many coals per year in a plant is costly to both the consumer and the producer. Too many sources usually result in higher operating and maintenance costs for the consumer and higher sales costs for the producer. Finally, the statement included in the report accompanying the comprehensive Coal Selection Charts prepared by the Coal Committee of the National Association of Purchasing Agents, and released in 1938, is significant. This Committee worked diligently for a period of 15 years seeking to find a scientific and reliable method for selecting coals. The two following paragraphs are quoted from its report: More important is the fact that no ready-made classification or set of specifications can possibly replace the judgment and resourcefulness of an experienced combustion engineer or fuel technologist, nor the usual need for full scale plant tests under the exact conditions of use before a final decision is made.

Jan 1, 1950

By H. F. Yancey

PHYSICAL properties have been used for a long time in characterizing different kinds of coal, and physical properties, such as friability and slacking, have been included with chemical properties in grouping coals according to the widely used system of classification adopted by the U. S. Geological Survey. Nevertheless, the usefulness of physical properties for classifying the different ranks or kinds of coal has been limited because it has not been possible to express these properties in definite form as numerical values. Because of the present wide interest in the formulation and adoption of a satisfactory system of coal classification, the Northwest Experiment Station of the U. S. Bureau of Mines, in cooperation with the College of Mines of the University of Washington, has recently completed a study of the physical and chemical properties of approximately 100 different coals ranging from lignite to, anthracite. PURPOSE AND SCOPE For this investigation samples were collected in approximately 45 mines and prospects in Washington and 23 mines in other states. The following studies, in addition to proximate and ultimate analyses, were made of the samples: Determination of (1) friability, (2) slacking or weathering characteristics, (3) yield of products by low-temperature carbonization in a laboratory retort, and (4) agglutinating value. Most of the coals examined were subjected to each of the tests enumerated, but with coal of some ranks this was unnecessary in some instances, and in others it was not feasible to do the work involved.

Jan 1, 1932

NEW MEMBERS. The following list comprises the names of those persons who became members during the month of June, 1913: Members. ANGERER, VICTOR, Vice-Prest. and Genl. Mgr., Wm. Wharton, Jr. & Co., Inc., 25th St. and Washington Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. BULLOCK, ALLYN, Min. Engr Hazleton, Pa. CUNNINGHAM, NOEL, Met. Engr., Hollinger Gold Mines, Ltd., Timmins, Ont., Canada. ESTABROOK, EDWARD L., Supt. of Colliery 436 Center St., Ashland, Pa. GATES, A. 0., Instructor Purdue Univ., La Fayette, Ind. LUDLUM, ALBERT C., Prest., New York Engrg. Co., 2 Rector St., New York, N. Y. MILLER, HERBERT F., Met. Engr P. 0. Box 142, Verona, Pa MORTON, ELMER T., Min. Engr Clifton, Ariz. MURFIT, RICHARD H.. Fdv. Asst Hess Steel Castings Co., Bridgeton, N. J. QUAYLE, THEODORE W., Chief Sampler, Metcalf Mines, Arizona Copper Co., Metcalf, Ariz.

Jan 7, 1913

By R. V. Ramani, T. V. Falkie, T. E. Wilson

In order to increase the efficiency of underground coal operations, it is necessary to understand not only the operating system in detail, but the interrelationships between system components and the operating environment. With such an understanding comes more exact application of simulation and other operations-research techniques to plan and operate mining systems. One aspect of the coal-winning system in need of better definition, namely, the performance of continuous miners, is dealt with in this paper. Detailed discussion of this research will be found in a report by the authors. Mining Rate The performance of continuous miners-that is, the rate at which miners can deliver coal from an underground face to the outby transportation system-is dependent upon the geometric and geological conditions of mining, the characteristics of the mining machinery, and the skill of the machine operators. In order to predict mining performance, it is necessary first to identify these factors, secondly to devise a data-collection technique, and lastly, to select a method of data analysis for drawing meaningful conclusions. Factors Affecting Mining Rate: The factors that affect the mining rate can be conveniently grouped in the following four categories: Geological Factors-The natural conditions such as seam thickness, hardness, and cleavage. Geometrical Factors-The height and width of the entries and the angle of drivage with respect to the main entries. Machine Factors-The mechanical characteristics and physical dimensions of the machine, condition of the machine, condition of the bits, and related items. Other Factors-Operator efficiency, size consist of cutter product, etc. A classification such as given here is not rigid; some of the factors can be included in more than one of the categories and some can be combined as ratios. Data Collection The empirical nature of this investigation required measurements of variables under operating conditions in underground coal mines. A majority of the variables measured were continuous over a specific range of values; for example, the "width ratio" varied in practice from 0.25 to 1.00. "Dummy" values were assigned to certain operational variables in order that the variables would have numerical expression, i.e.: [ ] Data Analysis The method of analysis was to test a large model containing potentially significant variables and then reduce the model to one containing only the essential significant variables. The procedure of "scanning" a large proposed model and subsequently condensing the model consisted of two cycles of the same series of computational procedures. Correlation analysis, factor analysis, and regression analysis were the three statistical procedures that were used to derive the rate-generating equation. Correlation and Regression Analysis: Multiple linear correlation coefficients between all of the variables were calculated using the Pearson product moment formula along with the statistical significance of the correlation

Jan 1, 1975

IN order to make his work easier, every master of any art whatever keeps always to the road that he has learned or that his skill or good judgment has shown him to be the best. Although there are various methods used in making moulds for guns, depending on whether they are large or small, nevertheless almost the same road is traveled in all. You must first know that it is necessary to make a pattern of wood or clay exactly as the gun is to be, with those ornaments of cornices and rings that you wish to be in the bronze. Let us suppose that you wish this pattern to be of wood. You must try to have for this a piece of fir as long and thick as you wish, dry, solid, and well seasoned, with few or no knots if possible. This should be longer than the gun by the length of the head and foot rests where it is pivoted [83v] so that it can be turned as on a lathe. On the end where the mouth is to be it should project out enough so that you can attach a feeding head at the top of the casting. You can make or have this pattern made round, fluted, spiral, or half fluted, as you like best, making the measurements exactly correct with all care and attention. Then two bearing trestles must be fixed firmly in the ground, one at the head and one at the foot, as is usually done with roasting spits and as you see drawn here. This done, if it is fluted, put the cornice pieces at the place where you wish the mouth to be and at the foot where the fire is applied. These are

Jan 1, 1942

By Noel Stearn

WHEN the Age of Machinery was suddenly thrust upon civilization about the beginning of the nineteenth century, an unprecedented demand for mineral resources sprang up. This demand brought about the rapid development of the known ore deposits and the discovery of such other deposits as could be encountered by energetic and canny pros-pectors. Thus in the countries now reasonably ac-cessible nearly all orebodies have been located except those which are totally concealed even from the eyes and "senses" of experienced and expert prospectors. The high rate of exhaustion of known ore deposits and the necessity of looking farther and farther ahead for raw materials as a matter of insurance on the stu-pendous capital outlays involved in mining, develop-ment, and conversion operations, have resulted in excep-tional activity in three different fields of effort. The first is purely geographic. Prospectors are now pene-trating the few hitherto inaccessible regions in the hope of stumbling upon exposed ore deposits or locating visible indications of their presence. The second is chemical. Industrial chemists and metallurgists are seeking to facilitate the exploitation of lower grade ores to find methods of recovering valuable metals from common substances. In the third field of effort. lie the activities of the economic geologist and the mining engineer, who en-deavor to locate concealed ore deposits, which would remain hidden from the prospector, no matter. how expert or conscientious he might be. Obviously the task which such a man must face is both exacting and indefinite, and the tools which he has heretofore been permitted to bring to it are, for the most part, abstract-a knowledge of certain fundamental princi-ples and processes involved in the origin, occurrence, structure, and distribution of deposits. of natural re-sources and of the rocks which form the environments of those deposits, and a process-of reasoning by analogy supplemented by the .use of the diamond drill, or such artificial exposure as the test pit, trench, shaft or tunnel. His primary efforts are usually bent on acquiring a knowledge of the distribution of the rocks-as accurate -is possible-which is a natural prerequisite to any conclusion as to how they became so distributed. Over very extensive areas, however, he meets. the extreme difficulty of being unable to see the rocks, except at rare intervals, since .they have been concealed by an overburden of glacial material, of alluvium, of soil, or of other rocks.

Jan 9, 1928

By W. C. Weslow

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

Jan 1, 1940

By D. H. Yardley

Diversion of the American Falls of Niagara to permit investigation of ways and means to stabilize the falls while retaining or improving its natrual attractiveness is the geoengineering work that has received greatest public attention this year. The falls are re- treating slowly as rock falls occur while talus de- posits at the base have increased in size. One of the noteworthy questions is whether the talus should be removed-i.e. is it providing support to the base, and so what will happen if it is removed? Certainly the appearance would be improved if the talus were taken away. Geoengineering studies involve mapping of joints, stress measurements, core work and rock sampling and testing, Present work will provide data and interpretation for design of a long term stabilization system, Once basic information is obtained, water will be returned to the normal channel until such time as the detailed design is decided upon. The falls will then be diverted a second time while necessary work is performed. A number of site-environmental studies were carried out for the location of nuclear power plants. These projects involve geology, foundation engineering, hydrology, seismology, meteorlogy, marine geology (in some cases), rock mechanics and occasionally blast monitoring. In one case (investigated by Dames & Moore) the site area was underlain by caverns in limestones at shallow depths but with no surface expression. The geotechnical problems consisted of determining proper spacing of drill holes to locate caverns. Spacing was dependent on the smallest size of cavity that could constitute a support-stability problem for the plant. The finite element method of analysis was used to determine stress conditions around cavities of various size and depths, to assist in determining critical parameters.

Jan 1, 1970

By Theodore Nagel

Fuel-oil, natural gas and coke oven gas, producing the higher temperatures of open-hearth current practice, have been gradually displacing producer gas the lowest cost fuel for open hearth operations. The lower temperatures of combusts on products from producer gas is caused by nitrogen dilution. Practical Application of Combustion Thermochemistry One pound of carbon burned to CO produces 3,960 B.T.U. and one pound of carbon burned to C02 produces 14,140 B.T.U. The second unit of oxygen uniting with gasified carbon (CO) produces (14,140 - 3,960) 10,180 B.T.U. which is (10,180 - 3,960) 6,220 B.T.U. more heat than produced by the first unit of oxygen forming CO by uniting with solid carbon. A review of the relative combustion heating values of commercial gaseous fuels reveals CO requires a minimum of air for combustion and because of minimum nitrogen dilution and the high thermal release from CO higher temperature combustion products are produced from CO than from natural gas or from coke-oven gas under similar combustion conditions. Inert nitrogen diluent lowers the calorific value of fuel gas and its diluting effect is cumulative in lowering the temperature of the products of total combustion. It is not only logical but practical in partial combustion, converting bituminous coal to gas, to generate the gas with reduced nitrogen dilution.

Jan 1, 1936

By AIME AIME

A separate room in the suite occupied by the American Institute of Mining Engineers on the ninth floor of the United Engineering Society Building, has been equipped with furniture and telephone extension for the temporary use of members of the Institute or of sister societies, or visitors suitably accredited. In addition to this general accommodation, another room has been similarly furnished as a business headquarters for a single person, and for a limited period. For the conditions of this privilege, inquiry should be made at the office of the Institute. In order that the benefit of this arrangement shall not be restricted to a few members only, the period of continued occupancy will be limited, and applications will be considered in the order of their receipt. A small fee will be required for the use of the facilities furnished.

Jan 1, 1908

By Noel Stearn

WHEN the Age of Machinery was suddenly thrust upon civilization about the beginning of the 19th century, an unprecedented demand for mineral resources sprang up. This demand brought about the rapid development of the known ore deposits and the discovery of such other deposits as could be encountered by energetic and canny prospectors. Thus in the countries now reasonably accessible nearly all orebodies have been located except those which are totally concealed even from the eyes and "senses" of experienced and expert prospectors. The high rate of exhaustion of known ore deposits and the necessity of looking farther and farther ahead for raw materials as a matter of insurance on the stupendous capital outlays involved in mining, development, and conversion operations, have resulted in exceptional activity in three different fields of effort. The first is purely geographic. Prospectors are now penetrating the few hitherto inaccessible regions in the hope of stumbling upon exposed ore deposits or locating visible indications of their presence. The second is chemical. Industrial chemists and metallurgists are seeking to facilitate the exploitation of lower grade ores or to find methods of recovering valuable metals from common substances. In the third field of effort lie the activities of the economic geologist and the mining engineer, who endeavor to locate concealed ore deposits which would remain hidden from the prospector no matter how expert or conscientious he might be. Obviously the task which such a man must face is both exacting and indefinite, and the tools which he has heretofore been permitted to bring to it are, for the most part, abstract-a knowledge of certain fundamental principles and processes involved in the origin, occurrence, structure, and distribution of deposits of natural resources and of the rocks which form the environments of those deposits; and a process. of reasoning by analogy supplemented by the use of the diamond drill, or such artificial exposure as -the test pit, trench, shaft, or tunnel.

Jan 1, 1928

By Frank Soulé

Secretary E. H. Benjamin, of the California Miners' Association, has proposed and begun, in co-operation with the testing laboratory of the University of California, at Berkeley, a series of tests which should prove of great interest and practical use to all persons making extensive application of steel wire cables, and especially to miners who run them in deep mines. Mr. Benjamin is endeavoring to obtain pieces of cable both new, and old and worn, from every deep mine of importance on the Pacific Coast, together with all the data obtainable concerning their manufacture and particular use. Pieces from each sample will be broken ill the laboratory before mentioned: and as far as possible the effects of winding around drums or pulleys ; of sudden starting and stopping when loaded; of heavy shocks, and of the general wear and tear of the cables, will be ascertained by these tests. The Olsen testing-machine of 200,000 pounds capacity will be used to break the cables, and the rupturing force, in different instances, will be applied slowly and also rapidly, in order to make the tests comparable as far as possible with the practical use of the cables themselves. All information and data available should be obtained for each specimen sent to the laboratory, the name of the manufacturer, the date of making, strength of cable when new and unrusted, as well as the circumstances and conditions of the practical use of the cable. Having this information before us, we shall be able to tell, approximately at least, the effects of age, rust, wear and tear, shocks, etc.; and perhaps be enabled to draw the line of limitation beyond which it would be no longer safe to use a cable of known manufacture. Moreover, by means of such tests we may, perhaps, he able to recommend worn cables for other uses, less severe in character, thereby prolonging the life of their effective usefulness. When we consider the great number of miles of steel cable now in use, and of the greater number constantly being manu-

Jan 1, 1900

By Andrew Mayer

EARLY in 1942 National Lead Co. was requested by the War Production Board to construct and operate a plant for the Government to produce magnesium by the ferrosilicon process which had been developed by Dr. L. M. Pidgeon in the laboratories of the Canadian National Research Council. A contract with the Defense Plant Corporation was concluded in May 1942 and Magnesium Reduction Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of National Lead Co., was formed to carry out this project. The capacity of the plant was rated at 10,000,000 lb. of magnesium per year, equivalent to an average production of about 14 tons per day. THE PROCESS The process, in brief, is as follows: The raw materials are dolomite and ferrosilicon, 75 per cent grade. The dolomite is calcined, the calcine and ferrosilicon are ground and mixed and the mixture is briquetted. The briquets are charged into tubular retorts of chrome-nickel steel set horizontally in a furnace with the open ends projecting outside the front wall. The retorts are then closed and evacuated. Magnesium is liberated according to the reaction 2(MgO, CaO) + Si = 2Mg + 2CaO, SiO2 It is distilled from the charge and condensed on a removable sleeve in the throat of the retort. Sodium and potassium, if present, are also liberated, distilled and condensed on a "sodium condenser" in the end of the retort. At the expiration of the distillation period the retorts are discharged and the cycle of operations is repeated. For the rated daily capacity of ±. tons of magnesium there are required approximately 170 tons of dolomite, equivalent to about 85 tons of calcine, and 16.5 tons of ferrosilicon. The retort residue, a bulky powder which at present is waste, amounts to about 87 tons. CHOOSING THE SITE The investigation to select the location of the plant was conducted by the Research Laboratories of National Lead Co. This work included geologic and economic surveys of a number of districts, examination of dolomite samples by chemical, spectrographic and petrographic methods and large-scale tests of dolomite from several of the more promising localities. In the last-named tests 2-ton samples were put through the ferrosilicon process in the pilot plant of the Canadian National Research Council, under the guidance of Dr. Pidgeon. The conclusions drawn from the investigation, in regard to the quality of dolomite to be used in the ferrosilicon process, were: First, the dolomite should contain not less than 21 per cent MgO

Jan 1, 1944

By F. G. Miller, J. M. Podgursky

Laboratory and pilot plant work on tabling of 14-mesh X 0 hydrocyclone under flow are summarized. Included are: operating principles of hydrocyclones and tables; performance of these two devices, separately as well as in combination; comparison of the combination hydrocyclone-table system with other fine-coal processing systems; and application of the hydrocyclone-table system in fine-coal circuits. The data show that the table actually compensates for the shortcomings of hydrocyclone and makes a combination table-hydrocyclone system attractive, particularly in those cases where fine pyrite is one of the major contaminants.

Jan 1, 1973

By J. F. Myers, F. M. Lewis

IN the mining and handling of sulphide ores, some degree of oxidation takes place on the sulphide surfaces, which are exposed to the atmosphere. It is, moreover, well known that the oxidation compounds formed are a factor when such ores are subsequently treated by flotation. Modern operating technique and reagents are capable of contending with this condition to a major degree, provided that the proportions of the reagents used are varied correctly. This is particularly true at the Tennessee Copper Co., where the ore treated contains pyrrhotite in addition to other sulphides. A number of soluble salts, some of which are unstable, can be formed during the oxidation of the sulphide ores. Those unstable salts, whose oxygen requirements are unsatisfied, are constantly changing to more stable forms because oxygen reacts with them during the crushing, grinding and other operations of ore preparation. We add no chemicals of any kind to the ore pulp in its preparation for flotation feed. Consequently the only compounds that are present in the flotation feed are those produced by the natural oxidation of the ore in the presence of air and water. The Tennessee Copper Co. ore is composed of from 60 to 70 per cent sulphides and from 40 to 30 per cent nonsulphide material. It is not the purpose of this paper to discuss the nature of these various oxygensulphur compounds nor their effect on flotation, but to describe a method for [ ] correcting the effect. Suffice it to say that we have found that the reducing sulphur and oxygen salts have a depressing action on our bulk flotation process.1 From long experience we find that the best means of correcting for this variation in our work is to increase or decrease the quantity of xanthate, the promoting agent, as the quantity of the reducing salts increases or decreases. It was, therefore, very desirable to provide the operators with some quick and

Jan 1, 1946

By M. King Hubert

The growth of human knowledge is an evolutionary process. Historically our separate sciences came into existence as people became interested in various apparently unrelated domains of phenomena, and in this manner we acquired the sciences of physics, chemistry, astronomy, biology and geology. As various of these sciences became established, cognizance of them came to be taken by the universities and in this manner there arose the traditional departments of physics, astronomy, chemistry, biology and geology of our American universities. As there was no particular rationality in the boundaries separating the various sciences, in the university departments the jurisdiction of each has assumed quite arbitrary limits. In the domain of earth phenomena the first science to grow up was that of geology, which arose originally from the activities of the collectors of rocks, minerals and fossils. Thus geology evolved as a descriptive science dealing with directly observable terrestrial phenomena for which elementary rational explanations were offered. The traditional treatment of phenomena by the science of geology has rarely been with more than an elementary regard for the fact that these phenomena were also phenomena of physics and chemistry. Since the latter part of the nineteenth century, a new approach to terrestrial phenomena has been emerging and becoming of so great a significance that it can no longer be ignored. This approach has been made by people trained primarily in the sciences of physics and chemistry, who have investigated terrestrial phenomena as constituting phenomena of their respective sciences. In this manner we have acquired the so-called "borderland sciences" of geophysics, the physics of the earth, and of geochemistry, the chemistry of the earth. Neither of these fields is new, having arisen chiefly at the hands of European investigators during the latter part of the nineteenth century. The European universities have long since given official recognition at least to geophysics, by the establishment of departments or institutes of geophysics, which are on a par with the university departments of the other sciences.

Jan 1, 1940

By M. King Hubert

The growth of human knowledge is an evolutionary process. Historically our separate sciences came into existence as people became interested in various apparently unrelated domains of phenomena, and in this manner we acquired the sciences of physics, chemistry, astronomy, biology and geology. As various of these sciences became established, cognizance of them came to be taken by the universities and in this manner there arose the traditional departments of physics, astronomy, chemistry, biology and geology of our American universities. As there was no particular rationality in the boundaries separating the various sciences, in the university departments the jurisdiction of each has assumed quite arbitrary limits. In the domain of earth phenomena the first science to grow up was that of geology, which arose originally from the activities of the collectors of rocks, minerals and fossils. Thus geology evolved as a descriptive science dealing with directly observable terrestrial phenomena for which elementary rational explanations were offered. The traditional treatment of phenomena by the science of geology has rarely been with more than an elementary regard for the fact that these phenomena were also phenomena of physics and chemistry. Since the latter part of the nineteenth century, a new approach to terrestrial phenomena has been emerging and becoming of so great a significance that it can no longer be ignored. This approach has been made by people trained primarily in the sciences of physics and chemistry, who have investigated terrestrial phenomena as constituting phenomena of their respective sciences. In this manner we have acquired the so-called "borderland sciences" of geophysics, the physics of the earth, and of geochemistry, the chemistry of the earth. Neither of these fields is new, having arisen chiefly at the hands of European investigators during the latter part of the nineteenth century. The European universities have long since given official recognition at least to geophysics, by the establishment of departments or institutes of geophysics, which are on a par with the university departments of the other sciences.

Jan 1, 1940

By J. M. Pilcher

The application of oil to coal for-the reduction of dust has greatly increased the consumers' satisfaction with solid fuels, especially those for domestic use. The combination of oil-treated coal and automatic firing by a small stoker has made possible clean, automatic heating with bituminous coal. This, with the added pressure of competition by other fuels, has caused a rapid development of oil treating practice. A variety of materials derived" from petroleum oils is available from which one may choose for treating a par-ticular coal. Until recently, however, little information had been published to guide the choice. It is most im-portant that the proper type and amount of oil be used in order that all coals marketed as "dustless" will be reason-ably dustless, and thereby maintain a good reputation for oil-treatment. During the past two and one-half years, an investigation of a number of the problems related to the treatment of coal with oil has been conducted at Battelle Memorial Institute. This project was jointly sponsored by Bituminous Coal Research. Inc., Standard Oil Company of New Jersey, Sun Oil Company, and Viking Manufacturing Company. A progress report giving the principal results of the work of the first year was presented before the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in December 1937.1 The present paper is a summary of the entire inves-tigation.

Jan 1, 1939

By LeRoy Scharon, P. Uhley

TEST gravity surveys were made in the Washington County barite district of Missouri on properly owned by the Baroid Sales Division of the National Lead Co. This property is located just northeast of Richwoods in the northeastern corner of Washington County, Fig. 1. The area to which the surveys were confined comprised approximately 5000 acres, of which some 525 acres were surveyed gravitationally. Gravity observations were made at 2600 points within the area, observations being confined to relatively clear and gently sloping ground. Part of the area was heavily wooded, and the terrain too rugged for either the occurrence of a commercial barite deposit or a feasible gravity survey. The relief along the central drainage, Ditch Creek, was about 140 ft, the maximum difference in elevation being 400 ft in a distance of 3½ miles. The purpose of the test gravity survey was to determine whether the gravity method of geophysical prospecting might be applied in the exploration for barite deposits in the Washington County barite district, since a satisfactory systematic procedure had not been devised to explore and ultimately determine barite ore reserves with desired accuracy. No previous geophysical work with respect to barite is known to have been done in this area. Stratigraphy: The formations over which the barite deposits occur' are Paleozoic in age, representing rocks involving sandstones and dolomites unconformably underlain by pre-Cambrain granites and rhyolite porphyries. The areas covered by the granite survey were directly underlain by almost

Jan 1, 1955