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By R. W. Stahl

Burning coal-mine refuse banks were surveyed in 15 States. The following characteristics were tabulated for 495 hanks: County; name, population, and distance of nearest town; size and status of bank; status and stage of fire; and topography. Ways of controlling fires were reviewed, the compacting and sealing method proving most satisfactory. Means for preventing refuse-bank fires by proper construction of banks are described.

Jan 1, 1964

By Xavier B. Starnes

"INTRODUCTION The Krausse Estate property was the site of the first lead silver mining in western Kentucky, which began with the sinking of the Andrew Jackson shaft in 1835 3/. The earliest miners considered fluorspar of no value and threw it upon the waste dump, but Crittenden County later became an important part of the western Kentucky and southern Illinois fluorspar district 4/, which has produced about 90 percent of the fluorspar mined in the United States. By 1945, approximately 35,000 tons of fluordpar ore had been produced from the Estate property.This property can be reached by traveling west from Marion on Highway 60 from 2.5 miles, than northward 3 miles. The road from the paved highway to the mines is very rough but not impassable even in bad weather. Ore is hauled 5 1/2 miles by truck to custom mills at Marion, a town of 2, 000 population, where the Illinois Central Railway was a freight station.Hurricane Creek runs through the eastern part of the property. The surface slopes steeply upward to west from the creek, and the topography is rough. The top of the hill is about 150 feet above the creek.The climate permits working throughout the year, but spring rains cause surface water to enter mine and water apparently drains southward along the fractured fault zones, so that when no water is being pumped at properties north of the Krausse Estate a heavy flow comes on the Krausse."

Sep 1, 1946

horizontal-type classifier prior to charging into a blastfurnace.

Apr 1, 1995

By J. Chae, D. Pecha, R. Andrews

The Henderson/ML King CSO Project is a major combined sewer overflow (CSO)reduction project for the Department of Natural Resources and Parks of King County, Washington. The central element of the project is the 3100 lineal feet long, 14'-8"diameter 42nd Ave S Storage/Treatment Tunnel. During the course of the project, the owner and consultants evaluated numerous elements of the tunnel including the alignment, geotechnical conditions, tunnel liner, and settlement monitoring requirements. The contractor utilized innovative shaft construction methods for the tunnel portals, and adhered to strict contract requirements in successfully constructing the tunnel. This paper provides an overview of the design and construction elements of the 42nd Ave S Storage/Treatment Tunnel that led to the successful completion of the project.

Jan 1, 2005

This Bureau of Mines report is a reference manual of procedures used by the Bureau's Twin Cities Mining Research Center for obtaining rock properties. Included in the report are discussions on the usage of each property, descriptions of the general test methods for obtaining the properties, and instructions for performing the tests. The Instructions embrace details of the specimen configuration, test apparatus, test procedure, test conditions, and calculations needed to achieve satisfactory results. Although the procedures presented in this reference manual generally conform to recommendations of the ASTM Administrative Committee on Standards, they are not purported to be standards.

Jan 1, 1974

By P. O. Metz, E. L. Wiehe, J. S. Foster

BASED on their analyses of growth kinetics, ibbs' and Harris et al.' have recently proposed that the rate of subcritical graphitization of steel is controlled by the rate of diffusion of carbon in ferrite. illert has concluded that this is the rate controlling growth mechanism when the growing graphite particles are relatively large. Harris et al.' also propose that the matrix surrounding a growing graphite particle is plastically deformed to make room for the growing particle. If this plastic deformation does occur, then preferred recrystallization may be observed around the larger particles. If diffusion of carbon in ferrite is rate controlling, then a graphite particle growing in a matrix of, say, tempered martensite or pearlite, should be surrounded by a carbide depleted zone. Thus, the simple metallographic experiments reported here are sufficient to determine whether or not diffusion of carbon in ferrite is the dominant mechanism for the growth of graphite in steel. The present investigation considers graphitization in five alloys. The compositions are given in Table I. Graphitization was carried out at three temperatures: 900°K (627"C), 950°K (677"C), and 990°K ('717°C). Samples were reacted in both the martensitic and the pearlitic initial conditions. In the hypoeutectoid steels, Sets 7 and 8, .and in the hypereutectoid Fe-C binary, Set 6, graphitization was very limited after 1000 hr at temperature. In these samples graphite particles observed were less than 10 p in diam. In the hypereutectoid commercial steels, Sets 1 and 3, large graphite particles (100 p) did not appear until after 250 hr at temperature. The limited number of graphite particles observed and the range of sizes obtained prohibited measurement of growth rates in this investigation. However, in all samples showing graphitization, neithe a carbide depleted zone nor recrystallization was observed. illert's model predicts that diffusion of carbon in ferrite should become dominant for graphite particles larger than about 300 p in diam. The largest graphite particle observed in this investigation was approximately 450 p in diam. No evidence of carbide depletion was noted. Fig. 1 shows a typical graphite particle. This nodule is from an initially pearlitic sample from Set 3 after

Jan 1, 1970

By F. A. Penning

Improved skips, with lightweight cylindrical bodies, have made a significant contribution to advancing mine hoisting technology. New concept skips of aluminum bodies with rubber lining; fiberglas bodies with polyurethane liners have been designed and fabricated for field testing at an operating mine. New design, adjustable guide rollers have shown improved ride characteristics with noticeably less wear. Major reductions have been made in stress levels and stress concentrations. Field experience has shown the practicality of the approach. Guide alignment has been measured using the Guide Alignment Measuring System (GAMS). Analysis has been applied to interpret the data. Field measurements in an operating shaft and a test tower have shown the agreement in data from GAMS and plumb wires. Reproducibility has been demonstrated. The data are useful to realign shafts, to use as s maintenance tool, and to evaluate the maximum safe hoisting speeds. The surveys are made at several hundred feet per minute and the system is self-contained. Dynamics of skip-guide interaction has been analyzed using the computer program SKIP II. The effects of speed, weight, type of guides, kind of misalignment have been studied. Resonance has been demonstrated and factors that eliminate resonance have been identified. Data from the GAMS surveys are applicable to the SKIP II program. Interaction between the hoist rope and the mine conveyance has also been studied. Computer programs and closed-form solutions are presented. Economic impact of lightweight skips is presented for an existing mine and for a new mine. Reduction in rope size has a profound effect when using a lightweight skip for the same capacity. Increased productivity can be realized by keeping maximum rope pull the same while increasing skip capacity. Examples and charts project the significant savings in capital expenditure for new installations.

Jan 1, 1985

By Thomas E. Finch

This report is an engineering-economic evaluation of alternate methods of handling the parting between two coal seams. It consists of evaluations of parting stowing techniques applicable in a representative, thick seam western United States mine. Methods are examined for their potential implementation, and an estimated operating cost per yard of material moved is developed. The methods are of two categories castback or haulback. Haulback methods use truck haulage except With scrapers, and the castback methods are a direct stowage with no intermediate haulage equipment. Possible equipment combinations include draglines, shovels, hydraulic backhoes, bucket wheel excavators, scrapers, and front end loaders. The purpose of this report is to evaluate the effective competetiveness of the various alternatives.

Jan 1, 1975

By R Soong

The Wharekirauponga (WKP) epithermal gold-silver deposit is located about 10 km north of Waihi in the Hauraki Goldfield east of Auckland. WKP is notable for its sheeted to stockwork quartz veins hosted in rhyolitic rocks, that have attracted exploration interest as a low grade, bulk tonnage exploration target. Exploration between 1978 and 1993 included 23 diamond drill holes totalling 5505 m. The mineralisation occurs in a rhyolite dome complex (Miocene), consisting of flow-banded rhyolite and rhyolitic pyroclastic rocks, with minor andesite. Fifty four drill core samples were collected from six exploration drill holes and analysed by semiquantitative XRD techniques. Hydrothermal alteration of the rhyolitic and andesitic rocks has developed secondary mineral assemblages of quartz, adularia, albite, chlorite, illite, sericite, interlayered illite-smectite, carbonate, halloysite and pyrite. The main zone of mineralisation is characterised by quartzadularia alteration, which grades oiItward to quartz-clay (illite, local halloysite and/or interlayered illite-smectite) alteration. Propylitic alteration is present at the southern end of the drilled area of the prospect. Depth-related changes in mineralogy include a decrease in illite and appearance and increase in quantity of chlorite with increasing depth, and the localisation of halloysite and interlayered illite-smectite in the shallow parts of some drill holes.

Jan 1, 2001

By R. D. Eash

The purpose of this research contract was to develop and test a Saran latex modified portland cement concrete lagging to be used as a replacement for wood lagging. The scope of work performed was divided into four phases: Phase I - Engineering Criteria; Phase-! I1 - Design Study; Phase III - Fabrication of Lagging; and Phase IV - Prototype Demonstration Project. Each phase of work was completed and is described in detail in this report. The prototype latex modified concrete lagging developed in this program weighed 52 pounds. When tested in flexure, it supported center point loading of 4500 pounds and under 1/4 point loading it supported loadings of 7000 pounds. Deflections at maximum loading ranged from 1/2 to 1 inch. Maximum deflections exceed 2 inches. The lagging does not exhibit catastrophic failure. Two hundred and twenty of the LMC lagging were produced and shipped to the Bunker Hill Company in Kellogg, Idaho for installation in their mine at the 17 level. The lagging are performing satisfactory after 22 months exposure in the mine.

Jan 1, 1980

By David F. Gearhart

The Burrell Can1 is a thin, steel, tubular shell filled with aerated concrete that is used as a roof support in coal mines. The Can height is always shorter than the mining entry, so it is capped with wooden timbers and wedges when it is installed. This combination of the Can and the wooden header is a standing support system that is designed to yield in a controlled manner and exhibit a constant yield, or elastic-plastic behavior. The Burrell Can is capable of withstanding 20 in or more of vertical convergence and 15 in or more of horizontal displacement. Because of this exceptional ability to sustain load through extended convergence and displacement, it is one of the most robust standing supports in use today. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) conducted testing on seventeen Burrell Cans in 1995, during development of the support where the ratio of the height to the diameter, or the aspect ratio, was between 2:1 and 4:1. Based on the results of that testing, it was suggested that the standard aspect ratio of the Can be less than 5:1. This suggestion is intended to preserve the overall stability of the Can, which will help to maintain the initial stiffness and prevent load shedding. Recently, the necessity of the aspect ratio has been questioned, and this issue will be addressed in this paper. Since the initial development and introduction, more than 130 tests of the Can have been conducted at the NIOSH Mine Roof Simulator (MRS), and 25 of those specimens had aspect ratios greater than 5:1. The 18-in-diameter by 10-ft-tall specimens had the largest aspect ratio, 6.67:1.However, the aspect ratio is not the only parameter that affects the performance characteristics of the Can. Multiple factors, such as the use of different wood species, the use of different header or footer configurations, and the use of pedestals, as well as biaxial loading conditions can also decrease the stiffness and capacity of the Can. Data from full-scale tests that include these other factors are analyzed to show that the initial stiffness is primarily affected by the roof and floor contact configurations. Furthermore, load shedding is more likely to occur or begin earlier when the aspect ratio is greater than 5:1 and one or more of the other factors are present.

Jan 1, 2012

By Noel N. Moebs

Valley Camp No. 3 mine was the scene of an experimental shortwall introduced in 1973 in an attempt to improve the recovery from the Pittsburgh coalbed in the Ohio Valley area where adverse ground conditions have imposed partial extraction methods with only 40 to 55 percent recovery of the valuable resource. The Bureau of Mines, under a cooperative agreement with Valley Camp Coal Co., monitored ground pressures and caving in the shortwall section in an effort to determine whether the roof strata, notably the limestone main roof, will cave to the extent that roof pressures at the face are relieved and whether the powered roof supports can sustain the roof load. The Bureau's efforts included mapping of clay veins, instrumentation of chain pillars and shortwall panels with encapsulated pressure cells, recording hydraulic pressures in the legs of the shortwall chocks, and core drilling underground and from the :surface. The experimental shortwall was a qualified success. Recovery increased 5.4 percent compared with partial extraction. Pressures in chain pillars and the abutment zone were not excessive. Hydraulic pressures in the chock legs did not approach the yielding pressure. Apparently, the limestone strata caved and the roof pressure at the face was relieved.

Jan 1, 1976

By Bruno Lemelin

Falconbridge Ltd Raglan Mine has been in production since 1998 and has produced annually some 900 000T of ore grading 3.1% nickel, 0.9% copper and 0.06% cobalt. The mine is located in Nunavik, Northern Quebec. The current mine life is estimated at approximately 20 years. Reserves are composed of numerous small ore bodies situated across a 65 km strike length. Planning the extraction of the ten small mineralized zones represents a great challenge to optimize. The overall objective is to maximize the company?s return on net assets. Actual planning uses computerized technology tools like Automod and Mine2-4D, and a conventional discounted cash flow method (DCF) of calculating net present value (NPV). The complex setting of Raglan could benefit from advance valuation techniques such as the real options method (RO). This paper will present the characteristics if the mines that make it a good candidate to use RO to gain further insight.

May 1, 2004

By Y. Nien Wang, Moe Amini, Heiner Sander, Max John

INTRODUCTION As the population increased along the coast route (California Route 1), and the people’s need to have guaranteed access increased, the landslides and related road closures began to have serious adverse economic impacts. Landslides were causing major long-term road closures about every 10 years on average. In 1983, ground movement at Devil’s Slide caused Highway 1 to be closed for an extended period of time which caused significant economic loss to the surrounding coastal communities. A number of options for bypassing the slide area were considered, and the Martini Creek inland bypass was selected for design. Subsequent litigation led to the creation of the Devil’s Slide Tunnel Study in 1996. The results of this study indicated that a tunnel alternative would be competitive with the inland bypass. The final decision was left to the citizens of San Mateo County, who approved the tunnel alternative in the November, 1996 election After completion of environmental studies and the processing of legal challenges, the final environmental document was finished in 2001. The preferred tunnel alternative was designated to proceed for final design and construction. PROJECT DESCRIPTION The Devil’s Slide Tunnels consists of a separated two-lane road, one lane in each direction, which passes through twin tunnels and over twin bridges and then connects with the existing non-separated, two-lane road at each end. The total length of the project is approximately 1900 meters consisting of four main project divisions, which are described below, going from south to north. 1.Operations and Maintenance Center (OMC) area, 2.Southern approach roadways to the South Portals (250 meters), including the South Rock Cut,

Jan 1, 2005

By Marco Muñoz

La mina Porvenir, perteneciente al Grupo Milpo, está ubicada en Cerro de Pasco, destacándose por la corporación de equipos de alta tecnología minera adecuada a sus operaciones. En ese sentido, el presente texto señala el sistema de gestión operativa aplicado en la mina Porvenir con el objetivo de apoyar las operaciones, ya que la tecnología de información permite manejar complejidad y mejorar la calidad de las decisiones.

Jul 17, 2000

By Charles Jones

IN the winter of 1902, while occupying the position of mining and examining engineer for the Mountain Copper Co., Ltd., of Keswick, Cal., I had occasion to discuss with the General Manager, among other things, the question of the enormous waste of sulphur in smelting cupriferous, pyrite ore, and to cast about for means to utilize this waste or to render the fumes innocuous to vegetation. The decreasing rate of production of California farms, the consequent need of fertilizers, and the opportunity thus offered to utilize large quantities of sulphuric acid in the manufacture of superphosphates naturally brought the subject to the practical and commercial side of phosphates. I was informed that the company had made efforts to find phosphates in the West, without success. I advised as a start placing inquiries for phosphate deposits on the Pacific coast in the current mining ,journals. This was done, with the result that in January, 1903, from an advertisement in the Mining and Scientific Press we got track of a deposit in Rich county, Utah, through T.J . Wilson, of the Southern Pacific railroad in San Francisco. As soon as snow in the mountains would permit, in May, 1903, I undertook an examination of the property, with the result of recognizing the importance of the find, in spite of its lack of facilities for transportation at a commercial figure. On June 15, 1903, I concluded my report by saying, "This may be one of the world's deposits of phosphates." On Nov. 17, 1903, I concluded my report for the season in the following words : " I have now no hesitation in saying that I believe the Carboniferous formation so largely developed in the Wasatch mountains of Utah and the mountains of the Great Basin will prove to be one of the greatest storehouses of phosphoric acid in the world."

Jan 10, 1913

The Physical Basis of Non-Random Breakage in an Iron-Oxide Ore Hosted Copper Gold Ore

Sep 13, 2010

By G. Wozniak, R. Rostanski, H. Pfanz, G. Aschan, E. Sierka

"Industrial wasteland is a typical element of the landscape of all the industrialised regions in Europe. There are many examples from Poland as well as from other European countries that post-industrial sites have been undergone natural colonisation and succession to establish in some cases ecosystems of greater biological diversity than the original ecosystems. The post-industry sites regardless of any reclamation carried out, undergo natural successional processes. The respective biological diversity (number of species, and number of plant assemblages) reflects the micro-variety of the specific habitat. This paper summarizes the results of investigations, which have been carried out since 1989 on coal mine water sedimentation pools in the Upper Silesia Industry Region. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the diversity of spontaneous plant communities recorded on post-industrial waste sites. In the course of the long time fieldwork, plant assemblages representing nine phytosociological groups have been identified."

Jan 1, 2005

By R. E. McElvain

"Hydraulic transportation of solids in suspension with water or other carriers, such as oil is becoming more practical as economic situations develop with respect to the railroads and other carriers. Of significant importance, is also the increased size of the major operations and the total impact of larg- er tonnages and more critical sources of supply.There are several means of imparting energy into the solids and directing the material down a pipeline, but the centrifugal pump is emerging as the most practical piece of equipment when considering relatively large flows and recent development. We can now handle relatively high densities without interruptions. This provides the mining and transportation fields a more economical means of lifting and transporting coal and other mineral products.Equipment & MethodsWarman International has developed several methods of alternate PDP against high heads. We have, at least for the present time, shelved our pump which uses clear water to slurry method and have placed our major emphasis on the full development of the centrifugal pump. I personally see several similarities on the alternate reciprocating devices as compared with the steam piston type engine versus steam turbines. The centrifugal pump comes into its most advantageous position at about 2000 GPM and can also show advantages by means of increased mobility, when driving tunnels and in other difficult operations when considering the total economic results. We now have some interesting d<:ta on one 5 mile raw silica sand line designed for pumping at 200-400 tons per h:mr. This is a separate subject on a ""simplified approach to slurry transport"" and paper has been prepared for the Hydrotransport 5 proceedings in Germany this Spring. Reference 1 may be of interest to those who want to delve into the subject further, and I also have some advance copies of this paper."

Jan 1, 1978

By Z. van Zyl

The southern African coal industry is facing the reality that coal reserves are becoming deeper and harder to mine than before. Alternative visions need to be considered to offset the impact of these challenges on productivity, cost, and profitability. One of the main challenges is to maintain current production levels under more difficult conditions, and improve productivity where conditions allow. There is a need to move from the reactive event-based management system towards the more adaptable and flexible process-based management system. This paper focuses on underground coal mining, but the principles are also applicable to other commodities and mining methods. This paper is based on research undertaken by the personnel from Mining Consultancy Services Pty Ltd (MCS) on trends in the underground coal mining sector, as well as practical experience over a period of 16 years in the field of electronic monitoring of mining machinery and productivity optimization.

Jan 1, 2015