Search Documents

This overview serves as an introduction to the succeeding paper in this issue, that entitled 'The design of backfill as a support for Polish coal mines' by Professor J. Palarski. As such, it briefly describes the coal-mining methods, production, and mining education in Poland. It ends with a brief account of Professor Palarski's qualifications and experience in the fields of backfilling and hydro transport.

Jan 1, 1994

Mr Philipus Albertus von Wieligh, a former President of the Chamber of Mines and Executive Director of Johannesburg Consolidated Investment Company, died in Johannesburg on Thursday, 28th December, 1989. He is survived by his widow, a daughter, and two grandchildren. Mr Von Wieligh served the mining industry for 45 years. The P.A. von Wieligh Park in Hilshaven on the West Rand is named after him.

Jan 1, 1990

By J. B. Parry

Three types of high-strength cold-rolled steels are discussed. Two are currently being developed at Iscor: rephos phorized steel and niobium microalloyed steel. Heat treatment after cold rolling is carried out in batch annealing furnaces. A third type, dual-phase steel, which requires a continuous annealing treatment for economic production, is also described. The properties, strengthening mechanisms, and applications of these three steels are examined.

Jan 1, 1983

By T. V. Thoms, T. R. Twidle, J. W. Crous

This note describes an investigation into the most cost-effective material for mil-shell liners in large-diameter pebble mils with lifter bars. This is part of a project being conducted at the gold plant of East Driefontein near Carletonvile in the Transvaal. It was found that manganese-steel and chromium-steel liners are more cost-effective than liners of cast mild steel or white iron.

Jan 1, 1990

By E. B. Viljoen

I. R. M. Chaston* As a gravity concentration man in the midst of so many eminent flotation experts I feel like Daniel. However, I would respectifully disagree with the opening remarks by Mr Viljoen. First, he suggested that gravity concentration of cassiterite was not effective in sizes below 30 microns. In a paper to the Institution of Mining and Metallurgy in 19621, I gave some figures for gravity concentration of deslimed material both for cassiterite and for wolfram which indicated that careful shaking table concentration of fine deslimed material could give recoveries of 75 to 90 percent in the size ranges above 13 micron. These were figures obtained from normal plant operation. It would be interesting to know if any tests were carried out on gravity concentration of the efficiently deslimed feed to this flotation plant to see what the recovery would be. Secondly, Mr Viljoen suggested that gravity concentration plants were expensive. He gives the cost of a flotation plant at R300 000 to treat a feed of 400 t.p.d. to the desliming section or 160 t.p.d. to the flotation cells. From his operating cost figures it would appear that the flotation cost is approximately R2 to R4 per ton of feed to flotation and the total operating cost about R2 per ton of feed. A table plant to treat this tonnage of deslimed feed would consist of about 30 tables and should cost considerably less to install and very much less to operate than the flotation plant. Third, Mr. Viljoen suggests that the concentrate grade from a gravity concentration operation would be unacceptably low. The paper quoted abovel showed that once a primary fine concentrate had been made, giving a suitably deslimed material, further gravity concentration could give concentrates of over 40 per cent Sn with high recoveries. Tailing from this dressing stage was naturally returned to the feed. To give these high grades, sulphides had been removed by flotation but this necessary flotation step is simple and cheap to operate and could be restricted to the final stage when the quantities involved are small. I would agree that flotation has a part to play in fine tin recovery but this role would only seem to become fully effective at sizes below 10 micron and would seem to require, as Mr. Viljoen has suggested, a mechanism for sizing which is effective down to, say, 1 micron. In the meantime it would be interesting to try tabling the flotation tailing to see if it was possible to recover the plus 20 micron cassiterite which is not recovered well by flotation. One point which has been made during discussion is the suggestion that cassiterite particles have a fully hydrated surface at normal pH. I wonder if this layer could materially affect the overall specific gravity of a very small cassiterite particle and, if so, whether gravity concentration of the very fine cassiterite would be improved if carried out in acid conditions, which would inhibit the formation of this hydrated surface. REFERENCES 1. CHASTON, I. R. M. 'Gravity concentration of fine cassiterite'. Trans. Inst. Min. and Met. Vol. 71, p. 4, 1961 and 1962, and discussion of this paper. Dr. R. P. King Mr Viljoen has drawn attention to the difficulties associated with the presence of very fine particles in the flotation pulp and he has indicated that, on the Union Tin plant, they must sacrifice 30 percent of the cassiterite in the minus 7 /Lm material which they separate and lose. He has also indicated that the rate of flotation of cassiterite remained high at these small sizes. The problem arises because the very small particles stabilize the froth making it impossible to handle. These stable froths cannot be easily broken and therefore cannot be pumped and processed. It seems that further fundamental research work on the properties of stabilized froths is urgently required. We have found another difficulty associated with the presence of very fine particles in phoscorite slurries; these particles can be easily floated but with very poor selectivity. We believe that it is possible that a purely physical mechanism such as entrainment is responsible for the collection of fine particles in the froth. We have also demonstrated that the presence of fine particles in the pulp adversely affects the rate of flotation of the larger particles. For esample, we have found an increase in recovery of + 100 um material from 2 percent to 17 percent in a standard laboratory batch flotation test on phoscorite when the - 37 um was removed from the feed. Such interactions between particles are not universally recognised as an important aspect of the complex flotation mechanism. They should appear in any quantitative formulation of the flotation rate process.

Jan 1, 1981

A very successful banquet was held in the Ballroom of the Carlton Hotel on 7th March, 1986. The Institute thanks the Organizing Committee and the sponsors (listed on this page), without whose generous support the banquet would not have been possible.

Jan 1, 1986

By D. J. Adams, R. G. Gürtunca

CONTRIBUTION BYJ.F. CURTlS The paper, which in an exemplary manner records the monitoring of backfill behaviour, falls short in the 'rock engineering' stated in the title. Just what the objective of the rock engineering was is obscure.

Jan 1, 1992

Gerhardus Paulus Badenhorst passed away on 2nd December, 1989. Badie, as he was known to all, will be missed by his many friends and colleagues, and will be remembered by al who knew him as a warm-hearted person who was totally dedicated to the safety and health of the workers in the mining industry.

Jan 1, 1990

By J. A. Drummond

The duties and efficiencies of a number of main and auxiliary fans were determined by standard and thermal methods. Some observations on the effect of water and dirt accumulation on fan performance were made.

By N. Gibson

The application of oxygen in a copper smelter by N. GIBSON* (Visitor) This paper describes how the problem of increasing the capacity of the Rokana copper smelter was handled, and how oxygen was found to be technically and economically the best solution. The first phase of its implementation is outlined.

Jan 3, 1974

By M. J. Nicol

On page 51, the equation numbered.... On page 52, the equation numbered .... On page 53, the arrangement of the equation.... Canadian reports Asbestos by G.O. Vagt.l0 pp. Chromium by D. G. Law-West. 6 pp. Iron and Steel by T. R. Mclnnis. 15 pp. Titanium and Titanium Dioxide by M. A. Boucher. 7 pp. Vanadium by D. Shaw. 7 pp.

Jan 1, 1984

By H. J. de Klerk

The metallurgical phenomena in the design and manufacture of high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steels are reviewed, and some aspects of the production of Supraform TM (thermo-mechanically processed) steel are discussed. . The weldability of Supraform TM is related to changes in the microstructure of its heat-affected zone.

Jan 1, 1984

The 93rd Annual General Meeting of The South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy was held in the Highveld Room of the Carlton Hotel in Johannesburg on Wednesday, 15th August, 1990. Obituaries The President announced the deaths of the following Members of the Institute:

Jan 1, 1990

By M. J. Robinson, G. E. Blight, J. A. C. Diering

The mechanism of the flow of tailings slurry is examined, and a mathematical model is derived to describe the flow. Predictions based on the model are then compared with the flow that actually occurred near the shaft at Bafokeng after the No. I tailings dam had failed. The predictions are found to be of acceptable accuracy.

Jan 1, 1981

By G. Coetzer, J. C. Davidtz

The substitution of functional groups in covalent trithiocarbonate collector molecules influences the selective and non-selective bonding of collector molecules to mineral surfaces, as well as flotation efficiency in a mixed sulphide ore. These effects were concluded to be related to the metal-sulphide solubility products and electron densities on the sulphur atoms in the collector

Jan 1, 1989

By J. A. Drummond

The duties and efficiencies of a number of main and auxiliary fans were determined by standard and thermal methods. Some observations on the effect of water and dirt accumulation on fan performance were made.

By M. G. Adamson, B. D. H. Phillips

This paper describes a procedure that has been found successful in the planning and execution of practical trials of mechanized-mining equipment. The procedure is illustrated by reference to development trials of a rockslotting machine with pneumatic or hydraulic drills that were conducted on South African gold mines.

Jan 1, 1978

By O. Korhonen, T. Leskinen

The use of large OK-16 flotation machines at the concentrators of Outokumpu Oy by o. KORHONEN and T. LESKINEN(Visitors) The development ofthe OK-16 flotation machine is described briefly, and an account is given of its use at various concentration plants in Finland. The benefits arising from the use of larger flotation machines are listed, and the technical specification of the OK-16 machine is detailed in an appendix.

Jan 6, 1976

By E. H. van Niekerk

The production of high-strength Iow-alloy (HSLA) steels containing either niobium or vanadium as the principal micro-alloying element is discussed, including recent developments in steelmaking practice that have had a great effect on the development of HSLA steels; strengthening mechanisms, as well as the principles of thermomechanical treatment during controlled rolling on a hot-strip mill; and the results of production heats with various amounts of micro-alloying elements.

Jan 1, 1984