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By AIME AIME

ON the morning of Monday, Nov. 9, 1936, two motorcycles, with sirens screeching, - escorted a procession of 70 automobiles from the Colonia Railway Station in Mexico City to the Hotel Geneve. Riding in' the cars were just over 200 visitors- members of the A.I.M.E. and their guests. They had come, via St. Louis, in two special trains from 24 different states for the 146th General Meeting of the Institute. During the morning they and 200 others, who had come from the United States by automobile or from various cities and mining camps in Mexico, duly registered with !efficient Mme. Irma Ordoiiez de Obregon and her assistants. Then started a week of strenuous but delightful activity that will never be forgotten by the participants. They were to cover more than 500 miles by automobile, always with a motor escort, and often

Jan 1, 1937

By A P. Wilkinson

This paper reports on the implementation of the critical control concept to manage material risks in the mining and metals industries. The critical control management (CCM) approach assumes it is better to identify weaknesses in risk controls before an incident happens as opposed to discovering weaknesses from an investigation after an incident occurs. The first is sometimes referred to as active monitoring and the second as reactive monitoring (Health and Safety Executive and Chemical Industries Association, 2006). Both are needed. However, whilst methods for both active and reactive monitoring of risk controls are well established in many high hazard industries, such as oil and gas, petroleum and chemical industries, until the publication in 2015 of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) guides, (Good Practice Guide and the subsequent Implementation Guide) (ICMM, 2015), there was no specific mining and metals industry guidance on critical control management. This paper reports on progress in implementing the ICMM guidance drawing on two main sources. First, a benchmarking survey of a representative sample of coal and metalliferous mines, both underground and open cut/pit), sponsored jointly by the Queensland Resources Council and the Queensland Commissioner for Resources Safety and Health in the context of a recommendation that the Queensland mining industry adopts high reliability organisation (HRO) principals (Queensland Resources Council and Commissioner for Resources Safety and Health, 2022). Second, it draws on Noetic’s experience of implementing critical control management in mining and other high hazard industries in Australia, Africa, China and North America (Wilkinson, 2018). The paper describes good practices found and where significant improvements can be made, providing specific and actionable examples of both. From this it also identifies how future guidance on this topic could be improved.

Apr 16, 2024

By Donald A. Ranta

Every mineral project or mine is based on a geologic entity-an ore (mineral) deposit. A well-defined mineral deposit and its associated geologic characteristics are the only aspects of a project that cannot be altered. Mine plans can be modified to exploit the deposit using alternative approaches and yielding similar results. A variety of processing methods also are often available producing generally comparable results. Major modifications can be made to other aspects of the project without substantially changing project economics. However, all engineering and metallurgical aspects of a mine must be accommodated to the spe¬cific location and geologic characteristics of the deposit. Geologic data and interpretations form the foundation for both mine evaluation and mine production by providing esti¬mates of reserves and essential information for mine planning and process design or control. Proper geologic work requires a keen awareness of and an ability to anticipate the technical requirements of geotechnical engineers, hydrologists, mining engineers, metallurgists, and other specialists. Geologists are inte-

Jan 1, 2008

By Brad McBain

Agenda ? Accurassay Laboratories and Automation ? History and experience ? Features and benefits of automation in the lab ? Tata Steel Minerals Canada (TSMC) Iron Ore Laboratory ? State-of-the art systems and design ? The integration of fusion systems and XRF units ? Meeting deliverables: quality, reliability, safety

Aug 1, 2013

By K. C. Lahiri, H. P. Das, G. G. Sarkar

"The petrographic components of any particular rank of coal often show some distinct physical and chemical characteristics. Therefore, their pro-portionate distribution in a coal greatly influences the technological behaviour of the coal.In any size or gravity separation of a coal, the petrographic constituents become segregated to different degrees in some preferred size or specific gravity range. Therefore, a knowledge of the petrographic nature of the washed and/or screened fractions is often considered essential in selecting the most efficient method for coal preparation and in exploring the proper evenues for its utilization.A graphical method is described in this paper to indicate the mineral-matter content and the petrographic components of the washed fractions of a coal at different ash levels of separation in the form of a new washability diagram. This diagram can be conveniently used to assess or predict the petrographic composition of clean coal or sinks corresponding to any desired ash level in the cleans. With the help of this diagram, it is also possible to locate the yield level of cleans at which maximum enrichment of vitrinites and exinites occurs with the least amount of mineral-matter content."

Jan 1, 1971

By Walter I. Enderlin

To economically extract ore from great depths in the earth while sustaining an acceptable working environment will require the development of new technology and equipment, involving large capital expenditures. Moreover, careful analysis and advance planning will be required. But, the literature is lacking in data pertaining; to the thermal properties of various host rocks and to quantities of heat generated by various underground heat sources. This types, of data is required to forecast nine heat loads during advanced planning and design. This thesis sets forth a practical method for evaluating underground sources of heat in deep mines and provides an improved information base. Moreover, seven topics for further research are recommended. The heat sources considered are: wall-rock, ground water, adiabatic compression, equipment, service lines, blasting, metabolism, curing of cement, and oxidation of sulfides and timber. Seven deep metal mines with high production rates and high heat loads were visited to obtain data necessary to assess their thermal environments. Mine records were examined, wall-roc:, temperatures were measured and a survey of the mine ventilating air and mine drainage was performed. Also, the thermal conductivity of wet and dry specimens of the host rock were measured in the laboratory. Data analysis disclosed that rock heat and adiabatic compression account for stout 60 per cent of the mine heat load at depth. Equipment currently contributes approximately 20 per cent; however, to offset increasing costs with depth, increased mechanization is anticipated. The treat from ground water averages 19 per cent and the contribution from blasting, metabolism and cement is negligible. Also, approximately [0] per cent of the increase in the enthalpy of the ventilation air is in the form of latent heat. Moisture, however, did not significantly affect the thermal conductivity of the rock specimens measured in the laboratory. Also, from the data, it is evident that a negative correlation exists between the thermal conductivity of the host rocks and the per cent of the heat load derived from the wail-rock. Furthemore, steady state heat flow renditions may be assumed in airways where there has been no major changes in the ventilation system for a period of two years or more. Under these conditions, the author found it more convenient and reliable to compute heat influx using the steady state equation for heat flow into a cylinder, rather than Carrier's method for transient heat flow, which is so often used.

Jan 1, 1973

By Shirley F. Colby

The past 40 years have seen the sand and gravel industry grow from small roadside pits and holes in farmers' back yards to giant corporations selling millions of tons of sand and gravel each year and owning plants representing huge capital investments in land and equipment. The days hen a man could "work out" his taxes by providing the materials for nearby roads are gone forever. In addition to the hundreds of privately owned and operated plants, Government agencies operate sand and gravel pits and plants to supply aggregates for the tremendous road-building and public-works programs in progress during the past few years. EXPANDING PRODUCTION In 1940 the send and gravel industry produced almost a quarter of a billion short tons valued at more than 110 million dollars. This compares with less than 2 million short tons worth 1 1/2 million dollars produced in 1902. The practice of screening sand and throwing away the gravel in the early days of the industry's growth has stopped, and in 1940 gravel constituted two-thirds of the total production. In 1906, the first year in which sand and gravel were reported separately gravel accounted for only one-

Jan 1, 1942

By Mackenzie Burnett

This program was initiated by USBM to quantify the respirable dust problem caused by the use .of roadheaders in underground metal/nonmetal mines with special emphasis on this problem in uranium mines. The contract called for the development of methods or equipment to alleviate the respirable dust and to implement the solution in a mine. Attempts to quantify the dust problem were made in the following way: survey of MSHA records, survey of state mine enforcement agencies, survey of mine records, dust measurements taken at two mines using roadheaders. The results of this study are not conclusive due to very limited and sometimes less than useful data; however, the study does indicate that a serious dust problem could and may exist. If and when roadheader use becomes more popular, it is almost certain that development of dust control procedures and equipment will be necessary. This contract was concluded without developing this equipment since only one roadheader is currently in use in an American uranium mine and the mine prefers not to participate in the program at this time. This report discusses the available data concerning respirable dust problems and presents a solution which can potentially help to solve the problem. The solution requires the use of blowing ventilation, on-board dust extraction at the source, and filtration, as well as continued use of water sprays. The on-site tuning of such a system is necessary to demonstrate the degree of improvement possible.

Jan 1, 1981

By G. M. Hughes, R. W. Dunn

"AbstractCurrently installed an analogue instrumentation devices at Sherritt 's Ruttan Concentrator control. and/ or measure mill tonnages, grind, pH, density , some reagent and slurry flows, and cell levels. On-stream analysis is used to assay the main process streams. The history of development of process control is reviewed from startup to the present stage of selection of a process control computer. A pragmatic approach has been taken to process control to ensure compatibility with the needs and resources of Ruttan. Emphasis is made of the need to have the mill performing well from a mechanical and instrumentation point of view and to have opera tor acceptance of the computer through training. Plans for the computer phase to achieve these objectives are outlined.IntroductionTHE COPPER-ZINC OREBODY at Ruttan Lake was discovered by Sherritt exploration personnel in 1969 and by mid-1973 a 10,000-tpd mine and concentrator were in operation. After a typical startup period , the major mechanical problems in the crusher and concentrator have been resolved. Metallurgical performance is now up to standards forecast in the feasibility study.The cost of the original instrumentation installations, including an on- stream analyzer, was about one million dollars or 4% of the cost of the milling complex. Although there was no intention of using a process control computer until the plant was operating smoothly, it was understood that all instrumentation was compatible with .a computer, but this did not prove to be correct. This paper cover s the development of the instrumentation loops to date and the control strategies that will eventually be implemented through a process control computer."

Jan 1, 1977

In 2009 Newmont Mining Corporation?s annual global spend on grinding media reached $94M USD, having doubled in the five years since 2004. The major contributing factor to the spend escalation during this period was unit consumable price, with total media consumption also rising as a function of annual ore tonnes milled. In an effort to better understand and manage the growth of this expenditure a significant supply chain management program was implemented. This was complemented by a series of technical initiatives focussed on grinding media specifications, quality management and the prediction of grinding media wear rate as a function of physical ore characteristics. This paper discusses the methodology and outcomes of these activities.

Jan 1, 2012

By R. B. Elver

The St Lawrence Seaway, a deep-water canal system between Montreal and Lake Ontario, was opened for navigation on April 25, 1959. Prior to the opening of the new Seaway, small boats known as canalers and a few deep-sea carriers, primarily from Norway since World War II, were the only ships able to journey past Montreal into Lake Ontario through the old Canadian St. Lawrence canal system. Thus it was necessary for many tons of bulk and general cargo to be shipped all-rail to and from Atlantic ports or to be transhipped to and from canalers. With the opening of the new Seaway, large Great Lakes bulk carriers and a much larger percentage of the world's shipping fleet are now able to sail directly from the sea to the heart of industrial North America. In this paper, the historical events leading up to the construction of the Seaway and the physical nature of the Great Lakes transportation system are briefly reviewed. Following this, an attempt is made to evaluate the effects of the new Seaway on Canada's mineral industry. Because the Seaway has been in operation for only one season, this paper must be considered only an interim report. Because of the importance of the Seaway to iron ore, this commodity will be dealt with in detail, although the effect on other mineral commodities such as coal, petroleum, nonferrous ores, iron and steel will be mentioned. At this time the author wishes to thank the various company and government officials who provided both factual information and critical opinions.

Jan 1, 1960

By Ben E. Lindsly

The recovery or partial recovery of the oil remaining in oil sands after the usual methods of production have become unprofitable is perhaps the greatest problem in the petroleum industry today. The amount of this oil remaining in the sand is variously estimated by those familiar with the subject to be 25 to 90 per cent of the original content.2 Lewis3 states, "The estimate of 80 to 90 per cent of the oil left underground does not seem incredible."

Jan 1, 1926

By N. S. Spence

INTRODUCTION WHILE TITANIUM, the element, has been known for over 150 years, titanium, the metal, is a relative newcomer to the metallurgical and industrial scene. The reasons for this chiefly lie in the refract1Hy nature of titanium compounds; the high melting point of the metal; the great activity of elemental titanium, particularly at temperatures close to .and above the melting point; and the pronounced deleterious influence of certain impurities on its mechanical proper-ties. Early efforts at production of the metal were, consequently, either unsuccessful or resulted in products having sub-metallic properties. With the considerable improvement in equipment, materials, and skills that have developed within the past twenty-five years, later investigators have had a better opportunity to overcome some of the inherent practical obstacles and to come to grips with the essential technical problems. NATURAL ABUNDANCE OF TITANIUM Titanium is one of the most abundant metallic elements. It has been estimated (1) that titanium comp-rises about 0.65 per cent of the earth's crust, and therefore ranks fourth among the structurally useful metals in the order: aluminum, iron, magnesium, titanium. It must be appreciated that the relative abundance of the element is only a crude indication of its potential availability, since a very substantial proportion is present as a minor constituent in practically all igneous rocks. By comparison, present-day ores of titanium are relatively few and are but a minor fraction of the estimated total titanium contained in the earth' s crust.

Jan 1, 1951

By J. Drimmer

The past several decades have seen the rapid expansion of multinational mining companies? exploration and production activities around the globe. This trend has resulted from a number of factors, including increased demand for resources as a result of worldwide economic growth, the diminishment of known and proven reserves, rising commodity prices, technology improvements, and the liberalization of investment regimes in developing countries with significant natural resources. With those opportunities, however, come associated risks and significantly increased legal compliance obligations that may be imposed by various bodies. That includes domestic regulations, as well as foreign civil and criminal laws with extraterritorial reach. A failure to adhere to those laws can have dire consequences, including substantial monetary fines and penalties, severe damage to a company?s reputation, and even jail time for individual company employees.

Jan 1, 2010

Jan 1, 1998

By Daniel G. DiCanio

This report describes a computer-based model for estimating the tangible costs of injuries and deaths from work-related accidents in underground coal mines. The study undertook to identify and quantify the elements of accident costs, including field visits to coal mines, insurance carriers, and public agencies. The mathematical models developed for each tangible element of accident cost are presented in Volume I -of the report. A listing of the computer programs which comprise the model and instructions for using the programs are presented in Volume II. Statistical distributions of mining family characteristics, data on 95 miners killed in underground accidents, and other basic data used to develop the model are presented in Volume III. Application of the model to a data base of 9,286 accidents which occured in underground bituminous coal mines during 1974 yielded a total of $56,900,000 in tangible costs to industry, mining families, and public agencies. Loss of income to the families of miners injured or killed in these accidents accounted for 47 percent of the total.

Jan 1, 1976

By D. C. Oliver

Paper written on project work carried out in partial fulfilment of B.Sc. (Eng.) (Metallurgy and Materials) degree Corrosion in exhaust systems can occur on both the interior and exterior surfaces. Chloride-containing de-icing salts on the roads in colder countries greatly increases the rate of corrosion on the exterior surfaces. This paper investigates the relative exterior corrosion resistance of three alloys?two ferritic stainless steels( AISI Types 409 and 441) and an aluminized mild steel. The exhaust system is split into two categories?the hot end and the cold end. A test for each of these ends was designed?the standard ASTM G85test was modified to create a simulated driving cycle. The cold end test samples were exposed to ten driving cycles, and the hot end test samples were exposed to five driving cycles. A driving cycle constitutes the car being started from cold, driven until the operating temperatures are reached, and switched off and allowed to cool. Pitting corrosion is the primary corrosion mechanism occurring at the cold end of the exhaust system. The aluminized mild steel was the most resistant alloy in this test, and Type 409 the least. However, once the protective aluminium layer degrades, corrosion will occur rapidly. At the hot end of the exhaust system, spalling of the surface oxide layer is the primary corrosion mechanism occurring. Type 441 was the most resistant in this test, and the aluminized mild steel the least resistant. Potentiodynamic tests were performed on the alloys?the results agreed with the results obtained in the exposure tests.

Jan 1, 2003

By R. Frank Chiappetta

A new blasting technique has been developed by International Technologies, LLC. to eliminate subgrade drilling, lower ground vibrations, improve fragmentation and reduce explosive consumption. The new technique utilizes a uniquely designed borehole plug, with a bottom hole air deck and a predetermined stemming mass on top of the plug. This combination is referred to as the Power Deck?. Single holes and full scale tests were conducted by Blasting Analysis International, Inc. (BAI) to determine how the system works, the mechanisms behind its success and the best design parameters to use for the given rock conditions. Results have shown reduced or eliminated subgrade drilling, ground vibration reductions of up to 33%, reduced explosive consumption by 16 to 25%, and improved fragmentation by up to 25%. This paper summarizes the methodology, field test setups, analyzes procedures and results for one series of single hole and full-scale tests which were performed in a Pennsylvania, USA quarry.

Jan 1, 2004

"Tell us how you got involved in mining?I was first exposed to mining at a young age, as a consequence of my dad and his passion for the industry and rock collecting. Even though he graduated with a degree in mining engineering from Washington State University, my dad spent most of his career working as a structural engineer for the Boeing Company. At the time, Boeing supported a range of employee activities and clubs, including one devoted to mineral prospecting, small-scale dredging and rock hounding. My dad was extremely active in the Prospectors Club, where as a family, we spent a good part of my youth tramping around the Pacific Northwest digging for mineral specimens and panning for gemstones and gold. On my mother’s side of the family, I had relatives that mined in Dawson City and Fairbanks, AK which left a family legacy of sorts. I loved the stories that my dad and a close buddy of his, who was a geologist, would tell about various operations and towns, as well as the wild times at the annual Northwest Mining Association (NWMA) meeting in Spokane, WA. My first recollection of ever being at a commercial operation was during a tour of the Bunker Hill Mine with my dad when I was 7 or 8 years old; this had to have been shortly before the May 1972 fire at Sunshine. That visit of the mine and processing facilities made a permanent impression on me. While I always knew there was something special about the Silver Valley, I began to understand why. To this day, I still get the same feeling when I visit historic mining districts like Leadville, Morenci, Virginia City, Butte, Silverton and Barkerville. During our summer excursions to Helena, MT to dig sapphires, we would usually make visits to Butte and watch mine operations inside the Berkley Pit and surface activities at the Kelly and Mountain Con. In high school, I did well in math and science and began entertaining thoughts of pursuing a degree in engineering. Above all, I wanted to go to a college in the West that had a good academic reputation, where I could also play football. As a 6-ft, 190-lb nose guard, my options for a Division I scholarship were pretty slim, and there weren’t that many technical schools in the Northwest that were Division II that offered athletic scholarships. As fate would have it, I was unexpectedly contacted by Marv Kay, a legendary coach at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM), and was recruited to play ball. Fortunately, I had a couple of high school friends who were already attending CSM, and I had just secured a summer internship with Asamera Minerals in Wenatchee, WA. It was as if all the stars had aligned, and, with the support of my parents, I made the decision to attend Mines. Despite the stress of getting through CSM during a period when the mining industry was in freefall, it was a great decision to attend Mines, and I’m thankful for all the opportunities, friendships, and faculty mentoring I received as a student"

Mar 1, 2019

By Earl T. Hayes

[This work represent a continuation of the efforts of the Metallurgical Division of the Bureau of Mines to ascertain and apply knowledge of miner physics to processes metallurgy.]

Jan 1, 1941