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By John L. Ham, Robert M. Parke

THE melting point of molybdenum is 2625° ± 50°C. Heretofore the metal has been considered too refractory to be melted in commercial quantities; hence, it has been formed into rod, wire, and sheet by the methods of powder metallurgy, wherein the temperatures do not exceed 90 per cent of the melting temperature. The manipulation of liquid metals at temperatures of about 2000°C. and above presents some difficult problems in heat transfer, in purification, and in container materials. For metals melting at such high temperatures, it is generally regarded as expedient to circumvent the more common melting and casting process by resorting to powder metallurgy. This circumvention is not accomplished without some penalties, the more notable of which are the relatively high cost of the powder metallurgy method and particularly the size limitations of its product. In an effort to overcome the inherent disadvantages of the powder metallurgy method, especially in respect to the limit of size, a project was begun in 1943 at the Climax Molybdenum Co. laboratory to develop a method of melting and casting molybdenum capable of producing larger bodies of molybdenum than were then obtainable. Later, from Feb. 1, 1944, to Aug. 31, 1945, the project was under the supervision of the National Defense Research Committee, Division One. In peacetime, too, there are needs for molybdenum, which make consideration of another process desirable; for example, large parts for heat engines generally, the omnipresent demand for metal of higher quality and lower cost, and the development of molybdenum-base alloys. This paper describes methods for melting and casting molybdenum, with details of the special process needed to make molybdenum castings ductile, and reports some of the properties of what may be regarded as a new, or at least modified, form of the metal. FIRST PROCESS FOR MELTING AND CASTING MOLYBDENUM The maintenance of a temperature greater than 2625°C. in a space large enough to melt several pounds of molybdenum may involve the loss of heat at a very considerable rate. For melting molybdenum, therefore, the source of heat must be of high potential and of fairly high power. Evidently, also, the source of heat must not impair the purity of the product. The electric arc operating in vacuum appeared to meet these requirements and was accordingly the first choice as a source of energy. A number of arc devices for melting molybdenum were examined, and several were tried. In the first experiment, a 20-kw., 60-cycle-per-second alternating-current arc was operated between two horizontal and opposed electrodes of molybdenum. In this arrangement the falling droplets of molybdenum solidified below the arc in an irregular mass. This experiment did not produce a useful casting, but the data obtained indicated that

Jan 1, 1946

By John L. Ham, Robert M. Parke

The melting point of molybdenum is 2625° + 50°C. Heretofore the metal has been considered too refractory to be melted in commercial quantities; hence, it has been formed into rod, wire, and sheet by the methods of powder metallurgy, wherein the temperatures do not exceed 90 per cent of the melting temperature. The manipulation of liquid metals at temperatures of about 2000°C. and above presents some difficult problems in heat transfer, in purification, and in container materials. For metals melting at such high temperatures, it is generally regarded as expedient to circumvent the more common melting and casting process by resorting to powder metallurgy. This circumvention is not accomplished without some penalties, the more notable of which are the relatively high cost of the powder metallurgy method and particularly the size limitations of its product. In an effort to overcome the inherent disadvantages of the powder metallurgy method, especially in respect to the limit of size, a project was begun in 1943 at the Climax Molybdenum Co. laboratory to develop a method of melting and casting molybdenum capable of producing larger bodies of molybdenum than were then obtainable. Later, from Feb. I, 1944, to Aug. 31, 1945, the project was under the supervision of the National Research Committee, Division One. In peacetime, too, there are needs for molybdenurn, which make consideration of another process desirable; for example, large parts for heat engines generally, the omnipresent demand for metal of higher quality and lower cost, and the development of molybdenum-base alloys. This paper describes methods for melting and casting molybdenum, with details of the special process needed to make molybdenum castings ductile, and reports some of the properties of what may be regarded as a new, or at least modified, form of the metal. First Process for Melting and Casting Molybdenum The maintenance of a temperature greater than 2625°C. in a 'pace large enough to melt several pounds of molybdenum may involve the loss of heat at a Very considerable rate. For melting molybdenum, therefore, the source of heat must be of high potential and of fairly high power. Evidently, also, the source of heat must not impair the purity of the product. The electric arc operating in vacuum appeared to meet these requirements and was accordingly the first choice as a source of energy. A number of arc devices for melting molybdenum were examined, and several were tried. In the first experiment, a 20-kw., 60-cycle-per-second alternating-current arc was operated between two horizontal and opposed electrodes of molybdenum- In this arrangement the falling droplets of molybdenum solidified below the arc in an irregular mass. This experiment did not produce a useful casting, but the data obtained indicated that

Jan 1, 1947

By John L. Ham, Robert M. Parke

The melting point of molybdenum is 2625° + 50°C. Heretofore the metal has been considered too refractory to be melted in commercial quantities; hence, it has been formed into rod, wire, and sheet by the methods of powder metallurgy, wherein the temperatures do not exceed 90 per cent of the melting temperature. The manipulation of liquid metals at temperatures of about 2000°C. and above presents some difficult problems in heat transfer, in purification, and in container materials. For metals melting at such high temperatures, it is generally regarded as expedient to circumvent the more common melting and casting process by resorting to powder metallurgy. This circumvention is not accomplished without some penalties, the more notable of which are the relatively high cost of the powder metallurgy method and particularly the size limitations of its product. In an effort to overcome the inherent disadvantages of the powder metallurgy method, especially in respect to the limit of size, a project was begun in 1943 at the Climax Molybdenum Co. laboratory to develop a method of melting and casting molybdenum capable of producing larger bodies of molybdenum than were then obtainable. Later, from Feb. I, 1944, to Aug. 31, 1945, the project was under the supervision of the National Research Committee, Division One. In peacetime, too, there are needs for molybdenurn, which make consideration of another process desirable; for example, large parts for heat engines generally, the omnipresent demand for metal of higher quality and lower cost, and the development of molybdenum-base alloys. This paper describes methods for melting and casting molybdenum, with details of the special process needed to make molybdenum castings ductile, and reports some of the properties of what may be regarded as a new, or at least modified, form of the metal. First Process for Melting and Casting Molybdenum The maintenance of a temperature greater than 2625°C. in a 'pace large enough to melt several pounds of molybdenum may involve the loss of heat at a Very considerable rate. For melting molybdenum, therefore, the source of heat must be of high potential and of fairly high power. Evidently, also, the source of heat must not impair the purity of the product. The electric arc operating in vacuum appeared to meet these requirements and was accordingly the first choice as a source of energy. A number of arc devices for melting molybdenum were examined, and several were tried. In the first experiment, a 20-kw., 60-cycle-per-second alternating-current arc was operated between two horizontal and opposed electrodes of molybdenum- In this arrangement the falling droplets of molybdenum solidified below the arc in an irregular mass. This experiment did not produce a useful casting, but the data obtained indicated that

Jan 1, 1947

By J. W. Downey, A. E. Dwight, M. H. Mueller, H. Knott, R. A. Conner

Sixty new ternary equiatomic compounds are reported with a hexagonal crystal structure that is isostructural with or very similar to Fe2P, D3h-P62m. HoNiAl is a typical example, with a, = 6.9893 ± 0.0003Å, C, = 3.8204 ± 0.003Å, and c/a = 0.54 7. Three holmium atoms occupy (g): x,0,1/2 three aluminum atoms occupy (f): x,0,0; one nickel atom occupies (b): 0,0,1/2; and two nickel atoms occupy (c): 4, + , 0. The nonequivalent 1(b) and 2(c) sites give rise to two sets of unequal interatornic distances (i.e., Ho-Ni and Al-NL in the case above), which account for the prevalence of Fe2P-type tertmry compounds and the scarcity of binary examples. Unit-cell constants are presented for the sixty compounds and density measurements on the compounds HoNiAl and UFeGa confirm that three formula weights are present per unit cell. Neutron and X-ray powder diffraction intensity measurements were made on CeNiAl and HoNiAl, respectively. The atomic posiLiotml parameters in CeNiAl were determined from neutron data to be x = 0.580 5 0.001 for cerium and 0.219 5 0.001 for aluminum. An investigation of the quasibinary section between the binary compounds CeNi2 and CeA12 revealed a new ternary compound CeNiAl. The compound has a hexagonal structure and is isostructural with the prototype compound Fe2P. Additional examples discovered or confirmed in this investigation provide a total of sixty ternary compounds that are isostructural with or closely related to Fe2P. Previous investigators1'2 reported the unit-cell constants for the hexagonal compounds UFeA1, UCoAl, UIrA1, ZrNiAl, ZrNiGa, HfNiAl, and HfNiGa and the present investigation has confirmed that the compounds are isostructural with Fe2P. Independently, Steeb and petzow3 reported the same structure type for UCoAl, UIrA1, and UNiA1. However, the present results suggest a different atomic site occupancy for the component atoms in the three compounds. A detailed investigation of the relative positions of the three kinds of atoms in the compounds CeNiAl and HoNiAl will be discussed. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The equiatomic alloys were prepared from elements of 99.9+ pct purity by arc melting under a helium-argon atmosphere. After homogenization at temperatures from 700" to 900' C, a metallographic examination was performed by conventional methods, and density measurements were carried out by the immersion method in CCl4. A powder sample was prepared for diffraction studies by crushing a portion of the annealed button. X-ray diffraction patterns were obtained with a Debye-Scherrer camera, in which the annealed powder was glued to a quartz filament, and indexed with the aid of a Bunn chart. Unit-cell constants were calculated from the computer program of Mueller, Heaton, and Miller4 and d spacings were obtained by the program of Mueller, Meyer, and Simonsen.5 The intensity values were calculated from the relation I, ~ (m)(L.P.)F2 by a computer program written by Busing, Martin, and Levy.6 The absorption and temperature correction factors were neglected. An X-ray study of HoNiAl was carried out to take advantage of: large differences in atomic scattering factors for holmium and aluminum, X-ray patters free of background darkening, negligible oxidation at room temperature, and negligible weight loss in the preparation of this alloy. The neutron diffraction studies were made on a powder sample of CeNiAl contained in a -in. diam V tube and a pattern was obtained with neutrons of wavelength The neutron scattering factors employed (x 10-12 cm). In contrast to the scattering amplitude for X-rays, cesium does not have the largest cross section, however, there is a sufficient difference in the neutron scattering amplitudes to distinguish between the atomic species. The neutron transmission was high, 86 pct; therefore, absorption corrections were not necessary for the cylindrical sample. Most reflections could not be observed individually, because of the relatively large unit cell (a = 6.9756 and c = 4.0206Å) and relatively short neutron wavelength; therefore, the intensity of grouped reflections was considered. The Kennicott modification7 of the Busing-Martin-Levy program6 was employed to determine the identity of the atoms at the various lattice sites and the positional parameters. RESULTS A structure for the prototype compound Fe2P was first reported by Hendricks and Kosting;8 however, the structure was in error. The correct structure, as reported by Rundqvist and Jellinek,9 is as follows. The unit-cell constants and volumes per formula weight (V/M) are given in Table I for the sixty compounds examined in this investigation and classified as Fe2P-type compounds. The structure type was determined initially from a comparison of the unit-cell constants of HoNiAl with other known examples of this structure type1' and from the density of HoNiAl, given in Table 11. The density indicated that three formula weights comprised a unit cell, as in the prototype compound Fe2P. The assignment of the three species to lattice sites was made initially on the basis of atomic size. The large holmium atoms were assigned to the 3(g) sites that have a relatively large interatomic distance to nearest neighbor positions, the small nickel

Jan 1, 1969

By Fred S. Mulock

THE principal operating and producing properties covered by the Western Operations of the United States Smelting Refining and Mining Company are the U. S. and Lark mine in the Bingham district of Utah, the Bayard department in the Central mining district of New Mexico, the Midvale mill and smelter near Salt Lake City, the lead refinery of its subsidiary, U. S. S. Lead Refinery, Inc., at East Chicago, Ind., and the coal operations of its subsidiary, United States Fuel Company, at Hiawatha, Utah. Operations of lesser importance at this time are conducted either on company account or by lessees in the Centennial, Bullion Beck, and Eagle and Blue Bell mines in the Tintic district of Utah, the Hidden Treasure and Ophir mines in the Ophir district of Utah, and the White Knob mine in Custer County, Idaho. The Richmond-Eureka Mining Company, in which the Company owns a controlling interest, has leased its properties near Eureka, Nev., to the Eureka Corporation Limited. The Gold-road property at Goldroad, Ariz., has been shut down since 1942, and due to high costs of labor and supplies, consideration is now being given to removal of all surface and underground improvements. The mine and mill im¬provements at the Sunnyside property in Colorado, recently purchased by the Sunbank Corporation, a subsidiary of the Company, are now being dismantled.

Jan 1, 1948

By S. G. Lasky

EVENTS during and since the war indicate that the nations of the world are trying to initiate an era of international co-operation. Definitions and objectives include social, economic, and human considerations no less than political considerations. The mineral resources of the world and the absolute and relative position of each nation enter into this situation. The possible use of armed might, the application of sanctions, the international flow of commerce, the ways in which this flow may encourage or hamper international well-being, and the influence of international and domestic well-being upon one another are all matters that must take mineral resources into account. If the United States is to act wisely and forthrightly in such matters we must be thoroughly informed as to our position with respect to mineral resources. What is the mineral position of the United States? A variety of widely conflicting opinions are held in authoritative and intelligent quarters: (1) For practical purposes our mineral resources are already exhausted.

Jan 1, 1946

By U. C. Tainton

IN reviewing progress in zinc metallurgy during the last year or so one is reminded of the premise on which H. G. Wells based his "Food. of the Gods," namely that growth does not and cannot take place smoothly and steadily, but occurs in a series of bursts and intermissions: "It is as if every living thing has to accumulate force to grow, grows with vigor only for a time, and then has to wait for a space before it can go on growing again."

Jan 1, 1937

By Paul M. Tyler

YEAR after year, the kaolin industry of the United States has been setting new production records and making better products. High-grade paper, pottery, and rubber clays are produced in this country mostly in the South. Georgia alone contributes over 70 pct and South Carolina almost 20 pct of the total domestic output. Residual kaolin is mined in North Carolina, highly plastic but naturally sandy Tertiary (Eocene) potting clays are worked in north central Florida, and good white clays are produced in several other states, but the main sources of kaolin or china clay have been numerous deposits in the Tuscaloosa (Upper Cretaceous) formation. This formation of generally sandy sediments is called the Middendorf member in older geologic reports and corresponds in age with some of the New Jersey clays. As shown in fig. 1, it crops out almost continuously in a generally southwesterly direction across South Carolina and Georgia and into Alabama. Clay is mined from this formation in all three states but the principal producing centers lie within about 10 miles of a straight line drawn between Aiken, S. C., and a point about 10 miles south of Macon, Ga. The white kaolins of the South were recognized and used prior to the Civil War but suitable treatment processes were not introduced until World War I when imports, chiefly from England, were curtailed. Although imports of high-grade clays were resumed after 1918, the domestic industry managed to treble its prewar production record during the early 1920's and has continued to grow. Whereas the 1909 to 1913 average total production in the United States was only 132,104 short tons valued at $705,352 f.O.b. mines, the output in 1948 was 1,-568,848 tons worth $19,756,738. Paradoxically, it seems in retrospect that the early failure of the American industry to meet foreign competition was due to the superior quality of our sedimentary clays in their natural state. Kaolin, of course, is the principal decomposition product of feldspars which originate in acidic igneous rocks such as granite, aplite, alaskite, granodiorite, quartz porphyry, etc. English china clays occur in residual deposits and before they can be marketed they have to be treated to remove accompanying quartz, mica, and other impurities. Notwithstanding the relatively crude methods employed, the final product is a beneficiated clay which is subject to a certain amount of technical control as to quality and uniformity. Although the naturally concentrated deposits in Georgia and South Carolina contain some of the finest crude white kaolin in the world, even it can be made better by suitable treatment. In recent years well over half of the high-grade china clay produced in the United States has been used in making paper. Some qualities of paper clays are still produced by the dry process, or air flotation, but the paper industry's specifications have grown so exacting that wet processing was adopted and more refined methods had to be perfected. Notwithstanding notable advances in clay-preparation technology during the past decade, or possibly because these advances have implemented and encouraged technologic changes in consuming industries, demand has grown for products of higher uniform quality than can be obtained from even the best natural deposits without rigidly controlled fractionation. Largely as a result of the wide adoption of machine coating for paper, the clay industry has been obliged not merely to eliminate virtually all mineral impurities but also to segregate the clay substance itself into narrow particle-size ranges. By extraordinary coordination of sales effort and production technology, several Georgia companies manage to market a wide variety of specialized joint products but the commercial success of many producers depends upon their mining only the best parts of their deposits and then skimming the cream of this almost pure clay in order to obtain a maximum yield of kaolinite finer than about 2 microns in maximum particle size and possessing low viscosity as well as the more familiar attributes of suitable color and brightness, or reflectance. To the casual visitor from another mineral industry, the kaolin mines and plants may appear to be

Jan 1, 1951

By Paul M. Tyler

YEAR after year, the kaolin industry of the United States has been setting new production records and making better products. High-grade paper, pottery, and rubber clays are produced in this country mostly in the South. Georgia alone contributes over 70 pct and South Carolina almost 20 pct of the total domestic output. Residual kaolin is mined in North Carolina, highly plastic but naturally sandy Tertiary (Eocene) potting clays are worked in north central Florida, and good white clays are produced in several other states, but the main sources of kaolin or china clay have been numerous deposits in the Tuscaloosa (Upper Cretaceous) formation. This formation of generally sandy sediments is called the Middendorf member in older geologic reports and corresponds in age with some of the New Jersey clays. As shown in fig. 1, it crops out almost continuously in a generally southwesterly direction across South Carolina and Georgia and into Alabama. Clay is mined from this formation in all three states but the principal producing centers lie within about 10 miles of a straight line drawn between Aiken, S. C., and a point about 10 miles south of Macon, Ga. The white kaolins of the South were recognized and used prior to the Civil War but suitable treatment processes were not introduced until World War I when imports, chiefly from England, were curtailed. Although imports of high-grade clays were resumed after 1918, the domestic industry managed to treble its prewar production record during the early 1920's and has continued to grow. Whereas the 1909 to 1913 average total production in the United States was only 132,104 short tons valued at $705,352 f.O.b. mines, the output in 1948 was 1,-568,848 tons worth $19,756,738. Paradoxically, it seems in retrospect that the early failure of the American industry to meet foreign competition was due to the superior quality of our sedimentary clays in their natural state. Kaolin, of course, is the principal decomposition product of feldspars which originate in acidic igneous rocks such as granite, aplite, alaskite, granodiorite, quartz porphyry, etc. English china clays occur in residual deposits and before they can be marketed they have to be treated to remove accompanying quartz, mica, and other impurities. Notwithstanding the relatively crude methods employed, the final product is a beneficiated clay which is subject to a certain amount of technical control as to quality and uniformity. Although the naturally concentrated deposits in Georgia and South Carolina contain some of the finest crude white kaolin in the world, even it can be made better by suitable treatment. In recent years well over half of the high-grade china clay produced in the United States has been used in making paper. Some qualities of paper clays are still produced by the dry process, or air flotation, but the paper industry's specifications have grown so exacting that wet processing was adopted and more refined methods had to be perfected. Notwithstanding notable advances in clay-preparation technology during the past decade, or possibly because these advances have implemented and encouraged technologic changes in consuming industries, demand has grown for products of higher uniform quality than can be obtained from even the best natural deposits without rigidly controlled fractionation. Largely as a result of the wide adoption of machine coating for paper, the clay industry has been obliged not merely to eliminate virtually all mineral impurities but also to segregate the clay substance itself into narrow particle-size ranges. By extraordinary coordination of sales effort and production technology, several Georgia companies manage to market a wide variety of specialized joint products but the commercial success of many producers depends upon their mining only the best parts of their deposits and then skimming the cream of this almost pure clay in order to obtain a maximum yield of kaolinite finer than about 2 microns in maximum particle size and possessing low viscosity as well as the more familiar attributes of suitable color and brightness, or reflectance. To the casual visitor from another mineral industry, the kaolin mines and plants may appear to be

Jan 1, 1951

By V. T. Stringfield, H. H. Cooper

ONE of the earliest investigations of ground water in Florida was made in 1513 when Ponce de Leon arrived at St. Augustine in search of the Fountain of Youth. The history of the development of the water resources of the State shows that the large artesian reservoir that underlies Florida was discovered in the latter part of the last century. Part of that history is given by L. C. Johnson' who states that the first successful artesian well in Florida was drilled at St. Augustine between 1880 and 1882. After the City of Jacksonville failed to obtain a flow of artesian water at a depth of nearly 400 ft and abandoned the drilling, R. N. Ellis, City Engineer, and L. C. Johnson, using Johnson's knowledge of the geologic structure of the artesian reservoir, estimated correctly that artesian water could be obtained at a depth of about 500 ft. Thus began the development of the large artesian system in the northeastern part of the State. In 1908, the Florida Geological Survey issued its first report on the ground water of central Florida. More recent reports give the results of investigations that have been in progress in cooperation between the Florida Geological Survey and the U. S. Geological Survey since 1930. As a result, the ground-water geology and hydrology of Florida are now so well known that ground-water problems such as confronted early investigators no longer exist. However, new problems arise and new discoveries are made as the demand for more ground water increases with the development of the State. Water-Bearing Formations Descriptions of the geologic formations and a map showing their distribution at the surface are given in a recent report by Cooke.' The geologic formations that yield the ground-water supplies in Florida represent only a small part (about 1000 ft) of the total thickness of the sedimentary rocks (more than 15,000 ft) that underlie Florida. The water-bearing rocks that yield fresh water include more than two dozen formations that range in age from Eocene to recent. The Eocene formations, which consist chiefly of limestone, are the oldest and the deepest of the formations in Florida that yield fresh water to wells. In 1944, on the basis of a study of the foraminifera, the Applins -ivided the limestone of Eocene age into six formations, which are as follows, from top to bottom: Age or group Formation Jackson Ocala limestone icAvon Park limestone Claiborne -j Tallahassee limestone aLake City limestone Wilcox Salt Mountain limestone xOldsmar limestone The Ocala limestone and the underlying formations of Claiborne age, along with some of the overlying limestone of Oligocene and Miocene age, constitute the principal source of water in Florida and southeastern Georgia and generally may be regarded as forming one artesian aquifer or water-bearing unit. This aquifer is referred to in this paper as the Floridan aquifer, a name proposed by Parker.' In part of Seminole County alone more than 1000 flowing wells yield water from the Floridan aquifer. A yield of 6500 gpm, or about 9.5 million gal per day, by natural flow from a well penetrating the aquifer at Jacksonville, Florida, was observed in 1942. A yield of about 7000 gpm by natural flow was reported for a well 1390 ft deep at St. Augustine in 1887. The largest yield reported from a pumped well penetrating the aquifer is 7500 gpm, or about 10.5 million gal per day. The aquifer is also the source of some of the large springs, such as Silver Springs, whose discharge, according to measurements made by the U. S. Geological Survey, has ranged from 526 to 1350 sec-ft, or from 340 to 872 million gal per day. The top of the Ocala limestone, as represented by contours in Fig. 1, indicates in a general way the geologic structure of the formations that comprise the Floridan aquifer. The Ocala is at or near the surface in the areas represented by shading in the northwestern part of the peninsula and also in an area in western Florida adjacent to Alabama and

Jan 1, 1952

By R. J. Charles, G. Agar

Experiments on single particles show that the amount of material created during impact that is finer than any chosen size is proportional to the energy of the impact. As the underlying principle of comminution, it might be stated that each unit of energy input to a given comminution system tends to add to the system an identical assembly of new particles and subtract an equivalent volume of larger particles. Thus, two of the consequences of the fact that each unit of energy tends to add identical assemblies of new particles to the system are: 1) on continued application of energy the total charge in any batch comminution system tends to assume the characteristics of this assembly, and 2) the process of comminution may be described by a relationship such as E = Ak-a. Recently Schuhmannl presented a theory of comminution which puts rational perspective on the extensive controversy surrounding most of the existent theories of comminution. With hindsight the origin of controversy can be ascribed to a relatively simple circumstance. In general, a progressive shift of a size distribution curve towards finer sizes is observed as energy is added to a comminution system. It is also observed that, with continued grinding, the size distribution curves usually change and appear to approach some constant shape. Inves-tigators generally felt that an appropriate method of relating and generalizing such data would be to consider the hypothetical case where particles in the system were uniformly subjected to comminution such that each of these particles, receiving its proportion of input energy, was transformed into a number of smaller particles of uniform size. Since the changes in shape of the size distribution curves during size reduction were clearly associated with the coarse particles in the system, it was also assumed that these changes accounted for little of the input energy and one could deal solely with the equilibrium shape towards which the size distribution curves tended. Although the unrealistic nature of the foregoing points of view was realized some justification was felt for such treatments since, in most cases, the resulting mathematical formulae could, by the adjustment of at most two parameters, satisfactorily describe experimental observation. Difficulties arose, however, in that the formulae required a specific influence of the feed size on the comminution process. In actual fact, the application of a feed size term in fitting experimental data was often found to be unnecessary or contrary to the above formulae. Secondarily, much discussion arose concerning the appropriate energy number that would relate the size change of one particle to the amount of comminution energy it received. As has been previously shown3 all the above theories that treat comminution as a continuous process of size reduction may be related to a proposition of the following form: dE = -Cfn [1] where dE is the increment of energy, dx is the size change, x is the particle size, and C and n are constants. It is now clear, as pointed out by Schuhmann, that Eq. 1 is inapplicable to comminution processes, since comminution cannot be considered other than as a discontinuous mixing process in which the overall size distribution of the product results from mixing, in various proportions, finished material with unfinished, and sometimes untouched, material. A striking illustration of this mixing phenomena may be obtained by comparing the size distributions of grinds in a typical batch ball mill with size distributions calculated on the basis of mixing various proportions of feed material with a ground material which obeys a power law size distribution relationship. Figs. la and lb illustrate such a comparison and the similarity of these figures indicates that mixing plays an important role in determining the overall shape of the product size distributions. Figs. la and lb illustrate, additionally, the underlying basis of the comminution theory presented by Schuhmann.' In the preliminary grinding of relatively close sized feed particles in a batch ball mill, one may visualize that, when a successful encounter of a ball with a feed particle occurs, then the particle undergoes severe size reduction and the size range in which the resultant particles reside is far removed from the size of the feed particles. After a number of feed particles are reduced by independent but similar impacts and one examines the size dis-

Jan 1, 1961

By A. F. Bertuzzi, M. R. Tek, F. H. Poettmann

A method is presented for predicting pressure drop for two-phase fluid flow in horizontal pipes. A set of 267 experimental measurements randomly sampled from approximately 1,000 measurements from various literature sources was used. Pressure gradients calculated by the procedure developed and compared with the experimental values showed a bias of +0.82 per cent and a standard deviation of 20.8 per cent. The advantatges of this method over other available methods of predicting two-phase flow pressure drop are (a) its comparative simplicity of application, (b) its relative independence of flow patterns, (c) its accuracy, which on the basis of a statistical evaluation predicts pressure drop closer than other available methods, and, (d) its ability to satisfactorily correlate laboratory data from various sources while the correlations from these sources do not appear to agree with one another. The method has been reduced to a simplified graphical procedure, suitable for field use. A two-phase f factor is defined and correlated with parameters involving the flowing gas-liquid mass ratio, a Reynolds number for the gas phase, and a Reynolds number for the liquid phase. The choice of parameters allows the correlation to reduce to the usual f factor plot for the limiting conditions of (111 gas or all liquid. INTRODUCTION The mechanics and characteristics of two-phase flow systems have been of interest throughout the industry for some time. In numerous engineering installations such as pipe lines, chemical reactors, and heat exchangers, two-phase flow conditions are of every day occurrence. In oil production operations it has been desirable, in some cases, to consider transporting gas and oil together in a common pipe from oil field to process plant. The trend toward centrally located stock tank batteries in oil fields has resulted in longer gathering pipelines in which more than one fluid phase is flowing. The increase in the producing capacity of oil wells due to new production tech- niques has created the need for review and re-design of many surface gathering lines for properly handling the increased production. Optimum pipe size for the situations described above has become an important factor. The problem which is of interest here involves the ability to predict the relationship between pressure drop, fluid properties, fluid rates, pipe diameter, and pipe length. Although the literature1,5,10,13,18,19 contains various articles dealing with specific cases of the problem, Lock-hart and Martinelli17 proposed the most general solution. Their method has been later modified by Baker:1 Alves2 demonstrated that different flow patterns are possible for a flow mechanism defined by Martinelli such as gas turbulent, liquid turbulent. Baker explained deviations experienced with Martinelli's correlations on the basis that different flow patterns could exist for the same flow mechanism. Using Martinelli's method of correlatioil, Baker correlated data for each flow pattern for the turbulent-turbulent flow mechanism. Bergelin and Gazley6,7 presented a correlation for predicting gas phase

Jan 1, 1957

By GUY C. RIDDELL, Donald M. Liddell

THE electronic arts today constitute the outstanding development in the field of rare metals, if not indeed in the arena of scientific progress at large. The year 1930 may become known as the year in which the electronic tube took hold of the wheels of industry; it is the year in which the tube's emancipation from the art of communication was proclaimed. The little tube which made a $500,000,000 industry out of a vacuum has now been applied to mining, manufacturing, transportation, chemistry, and other industries. Not many appreciate the extensive utility that e1ectroni.t tubes have already found in transportation, where they control the speed and security of express trains, as well as operate traffic lights on important highways-in the case of the Detroit-Windsor bridge counting the traffic and instantly turning the reports into the superintendent's office some distance away. In an Ohio steel mill, ten-ton ingnts 'rash back and forth through the rolls, reversed by their own shadows. The vacuum tube also starts, stops, and levels, fast passenger elevators.

Jan 1, 1931

By J. W. Furness

THE utilization and collection of waste materials have gone on for centuries, and have become a habit of the human race. The degree to which the salvaging of waste plays a part in a nation's industry depends largely on the availability of raw materials within the political confines of the country itself, or its ability to purchase such material from outside. When purchase is necessary careful economical use of the raw materials results. These economies, as a rule, are represented by lengthening the life of the given article as well as much re-use. For many years the steel industry of Italy and Japan has depended largely on importations of scrap, yet both are important. As long as the expenses incident to the conditioning and marketing of materials manufactured from salvaged waste are less than the cost of virgin material, the salvaged material will be re-fabricated and in many cases will compete with primary materials. One of the most obvious methods for furthering the efficient utilization of our limited mineral resources is the salvaging of mineral wastes. This method, moreover, in¬creases the available supply of a given material. If the price depends on a balance of supply and demand and the recovery from wastes enlarges. the supply, there can be no question but that it influences the sales price of primary.

Jan 1, 1931

By Stanley M. Moos, Richard Addison

Introduction The Pueblo Viejo gold-silver mine, located in the Dominican Republic, started production in early 1974 processing ores averaging 4 g/t gold and 20 g/t silver at a rate of 7.25 kt/d. The ore milled is a silicified siltstone with average work index of about 8 that occurs as an extensive oxide capping of a primary sulfide ore body. The sulfide ores are refractory to conventional treatment process and extensive research work is now in progress to develop a treatment process for them. The ore deposit has a long history, having been mined by the indigenous Arawak Indians for some time in the early sixteenth century prior to the arrival of the Spanish, and then by the Spaniards. In the early 1950s, Italian engineers attempted to process the sulfide ores. Mining by the Indians and Spanish was abandoned because of low grade and little coarse gold in the oxide ores and by the Italians because of the refractory nature of the sulfide ore. In 1969, Rosario Resources geologists discovered that there existed sufficient reserves of oxide ore for a viable mining operation and the plant was designed, built, and brought into production.

Jan 1, 1981

By Charles E. Locke

IN gathering material for this review the aid of the individual members of the Milling Committee was invoked and the assistance received is hereby most grate- fully acknowledged. The replies were much alike; almost everyone stated that in 1932 his operations had been cur- tailed or stopped entirely, that the only activity and progress were in milling gold ores, and that the Hadsel mill' looked like a coming machine in the crushing and grinding field. However, further inquiry and search have shown that the year was not quite so barren of developments as the foregoing statement would indicate.

Jan 1, 1933

By V. Leroy, A. G. Guy

Serious disagreements are often found between experimentally determined intrinsic diffusion coefficients and those calculated employing the usual form of the vacancy theory. In the new theory it is proposed that the total intrinsic flux, Ji, of component i, is the sum of a part, f, due to the usual random exclzanges of component i with the vacancies, and a second part, Ji, due to exchanges with the uacancies composing the net vacancy flux. The present treatment, while less powerful than that of Manning, has the advantage of easy uisualization and of facilitating the application of the vacancy-flux effect to complex systems. IT is becoming increasingly evident that there are serious deficiencies in the version of the vacancy theory of diffusion that has been widely used for the past 20 years. One type of evidence is the frequent lack of agreement between intrinsic diffusion coefficients and tracer diffusion coefficients, even taking account of the thermodynamic factor. A second kind of evidence is the observation of a Kirkendall shift larger than theoretically possible, that is, larger than can be accounted for without assigning a negative value to one of the two intrinsic diffusion coefficient.'- The thermodynamic factor could conceivably make both coefficients negative, but not just one. It is clear that a cause of these anomalies, apart from any inadequacy of the usual vacancy theory, might lie in an oversimplified treatment of the data. Adequate experimental techniques, including the use of moderate pressure during the diffusion anneal, are now available to insure that porosity, lateral expansion, and so forth, can be kept negligibly small in most cases. The effect of differences in atomic volume can be of major importance, and it is essential that one of the available methods4 be used to account for this factor. In the present treatment this is accomplished by the consistent use of moles per cubic centimeter as the unit of concentration. Of the various possible inadequacies of the vacancy theory, attention will be given here only to effects of the net vacancy flux. annin' has previously considered this question, beginning with an analysis of atomic jumping of tracer atoms. When he added the effect of a concentration gradient, new terms arose that could be associated with the flow of vacancies. The present treatment uses quite a different approach. The usual vacancy flux, J,, is introduced explicitly, and a simple analysis predicts major changes in the intrinsic diffusion coefficients from this cause. The usual assumptions are made that only a vacancy mechanism is operative, that the formation of voids can be neglected, and that changes in the partial molal volumes, vl and v2, are negligible. The significant diffusion coefficients for the present topic are Dl and D,, the intrinsic coefficients, which enter in the equations, where the flux Ji, moles per sq cm per sec, is that crossing the Kirkendall interface. The concentration, ci, is in units of moles per cu cm, and the concentration gradient, aci/ax, is evaluated at the Kirkendall interface. It will be recalled' that the calculation of Dl and D2 involves the measurement of areas on the diffusion curve with respect to the positions of the Kirkendall and Matano interfaces. In the case of the anomalies mentioned earlier, the Kirkendall shift is too large to be accounted for by the diiferetzce in fluxes (J2 -J1), given by Eqs. [I] and [2]. The logical inference is that the flux of the solvent atoms, J1, is actually in the same direction as the flux of the solute atoms, Jz. In terms of Eq. [I] this requires that Dl have a negative value. However, it would be somewhat misleading to state that the solvent atoms are diffusing up their own concentration gradient. The explanation that will be advanced here pictures competing processes producing the net flux of solvent atoms: 1) diffusion of the solvent atoms down their own gradient by random exchanges with vacancies; and 2) diffusion of solvent atoms in the opposite direction by exchanges with the net vacancy flux. ACTION OF THE NET VACANCY FLUX Theories of vacancy diffusion can be formulated with varying degrees of refinement, and the present theory has purposely been kept as simple as appeared adequate to explain the phenomenon in question. In particular the following aspects have been neglected: 1) the gradient of vacancy concentration in comparison to the gradient of the atomic species; 2) departure of vacancy concentration from the local equilibrium value; 3) variation of the jump frequency, LO, with the specific surroundings of the atom-vacancy pair being considered; 4) correlation effects. These and other refinements can be considered once the essential mechanism has been established. The essential idea of the present analysis is to calculate the total intrinsic flux, Ji, of component i as the sum, JlJ?±j{ [3] where J; is attributable to the usual random atomic jumping, and J{ is a contribution arising from the net vacancy flux, J,. The latter quantity, of course,

Jan 1, 1967

By E. R. Borcherdt

IT is notable that the first large-scale mine operation equipped entirely with detachable bits was the Badger State mine of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. in Butte, Montana, just 30 years ago. This mine in 1922 was producing approximately 1200 tons of ore per day. Much of the data presented in C. L. Berrien's article' describing the development and installation of the Hawkesworth detachable drill bit were obtained from these operations. As in any pioneering effort, no precedent existed and many difficult problems required solution, so that the changeover to detachable bits at all Butte hill mines was not completed for 6 years. There was widespread disbelief as to the probable efficiency of the new installation. Some attempts were made in 1931 by the owners of the Hawkesworth patents to interest Ontario gold mine operators in the bit. These efforts were not successful, but they undoubtedly stimulated thinking which resulted in the invention and patenting of several well-known Canadian detachable bits, one of which is now a widely used throwaway bit. The success of the Butte installation also led to the development of the threaded type of bit connections by several well-known manufacturers, and in 1935 these bits were introduced to the mining industry on a national scale. The original Hawkesworth bit was not provided with a water hole but, depended upon water passing through the clearance opening between the tongue in the bit and the groove in the rod to flush cuttings from the drill hole, see Fig. 1. In December 1935 it was found that this method of introducing drilling water to the bit face resulted in high dust counts. To correct this a water hole was drilled on the central axis of the bit, passing through the tongue. Unfortunately, quenching water would rise through the small water hole, spot-hardening the tongue to cause breakage, never completely eliminated. In the fall of 1936 large-scale tests indicated that savings would be effected by use of a threaded type of bit, which was therefore adopted as standard for all Butte mines. This type of bit was used until 1947, when it was superseded by a one-use slip-on type. Since the first use of the Hawkesworth bit every detachable bit of importance has been investigated, and where advantages which might reduce costs or increase efficiency were indicated, substantial tests of the bit were carried on in the Butte mines. When tests demonstrated the advisability of changing from one kind of detachable bit to another the change was made at one level or in one area each day until the new rod and bit equipment was used throughout the mine. This involved a minimum of cost and disruption of drilling. Intelligent selection of a detachable bit to obtain optimum results requires careful consideration to achieve a balance between the three principal types of equipment used in the drilling process: 1—drill bits, 2—drill steel, and 3—drilling machines. Optimum results imply maximum output and minimum cost per unit of output. Since every rock type differs in drillability and it is generally impractical to provide equipment for more than one or two types of rock which may occur in one operation, selection of equipment must encompass average drilling conditions. However, on exceptional occasions several widely differing conditions may make it mandatory to provide equipment best suited to each condition. The choice of rock-drilling equipment is a most controversial subject and one that is further complicated by unreliable and frequently misleading performance claims. Small operators without the means for making accurate evaluations of equipment frequently suffer from these over-enthusiastic claims. It is apparent from experience in rock drilling throughout the world that rock drillability is not alike in any two places, and that selection of proper equipment can only be made after conducting thorough trials of various types of equipment. Some recent drilling tests in tactite and hornstone at the Darwin, California mine of the Anaconda Co. present some interesting clues on rock drillability. Microscopic examination of thin sections of these rocks reveals that mineral composition and rock texture are equally important in governing drillability. The Darwin hornstone is at times so abrasive that the carbide bit cutting edges become flattened to 3/32 in. in 2 to 4 ft of drilling, and some carbide bits were dulled to this point after 9 to 10 in. of drilling. This wear was determined to be the proper point for resharpening to eliminate carbide insert breakage or breakage of the steel rod when drilling with 1½ to 1?-in. bits, with a drifter of 2 3/4-in. diam and 90 to 100 psi air pressure, see Supplement A. Before considering the merits of various bit designs it may be well to review the mechanics of drilling rock with percussion drills. A sharp bit cuts by penetration and chipping. The amount of penetration governs the amount of chipping and depends upon the contact area of the cutting edge, the foot-

Jan 1, 1954

By Richard Kunter

INTRODUCTION Additional work has been done on the CIP circuit at Creede, and a brief description of this work is presented in this paper. DREDGE The original dredge for the Bulldog was built by Al Hack, Inc. of Denver. The dredge cutter head is mounted on a boom made of 6-inch diameter pipe which is raised and lowered by a cable-pulley system. Maximum cutting depth is 8 feet. Slurry from the dredge flows through a floating 6-inch diameter pipe supported on 55-gallon drums which runs from the dredge to the shore and then to a trash screen and pumping system. See Figures 1 and 2. The cutter head, suction pump, winches for dredge movement, and all other operations are controlled from a small operations house located toward the rear of the dredge. All of the basic dredge equipment is mounted on a chassis about 8 ft x 16 ft in size. Additional buoyancy was originally provided by sealed 55-gallon drums supported along the sides of the chassis by a small wooden framework. Additional framework and barrels on the front of the chassis on either side of the cutter boom provided additional stability, particularly when digging in hard material. The dredge was quite stable, but two problems were apparent. For one, it could have been sunk by someone from the shore firing a rifle into all of the barrels. In prime deer-hunting and sportsman country

Jan 1, 1983

By John T. Ryan

DEFINITE improvement in its accident fatality rate in the coal-mining industry was recorded during 1941, based on preliminary figures for the period from January through October. Total production during this ten-month period was approximately 91 percent of the total production in all of 1940. The ten-month accident rate for both bituminous and anthracite mining in 1941 was 2.15 killed per million tons of coal mined, compared with a rate of 2.66 for the full year of 1940. The bituminous rate decreased from 2.55 in 1940 to 1.99 in ten months of 1941, and the anthracite rate from 3.62 to 3.53 in similar periods. The decrease is more apparent for the bituminous branch of the industry, as the high figure in 1940 was due to seven major disasters which brought death to 276 men. The same number of major explosions during ten months of 1941 caused only 64 lives to be lost. The severity of the explosions has been lower this year but a definite need still exists for reduction in this type of accident.

Jan 1, 1942