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By Zoltan F. Oszter

The design of belt conveyors is a well-known procedure and related formulae can be found in any handbook dealing with materials handling. Belting and conveying equipment manufacturer's catalogues and design manuals offer a wide range of detailed information which can be applied to most of our conveying problems. The aim of this paper, however, is to investigate the design of a specific type of belt conveyor, namely the long horizontal, or nearly horizontal, type. (The undulating type, with moderate lifts and drops, can also be included in this category.) Most of the long overland conveyors carrying ore from pit to processing plant, or those carrying over-burden to the disposal area, fit this description. A critical appraisal will show that reasonably accurate results can be obtained when tl1e familiar horse-power formulae are applied to this type of conveyor. The progress and new developments in the design of belt conveyors, which have resulted from the extensive research done in the past decade, will also be explored.

Jan 1, 1962

By W. L. Dare

This publication is one of a series prepared by the Federal Bureau of Mines on methods and costs of producing uranium ore on the Colorado Plateau. The information it contains was gathered in 1955-58 and applies to eight small operations. (See fig. 1.) Mining costs have increased since the data were I collected, but the information should be helpful in estimating future costs I at similar deposits. The Bureau of Mines had early experience in the production of carnotite-type ores on the Colorado Plateau.3 4/ Under a cooperative agreement with the National Radium Institute in 1914-16, the Bureau mined and concentrated carnotite ore for recovery of radium, uranium, and vanadium. The ore was taken from claims in or near Long Park Montrose County, Colo., about 3 mi. south of La Salle Mining Co.'s La Salle mine, which is one of the mines described in this report. The Bureau leased the claims from Crucible Steel Mining & Milling Co., a subsidiary of Crucible Steel Co. of America, and from 1914 to 1916 produced 990 tons of high-grade ore, containing 2.6 pct. U308, and about 2,000 tons of mill-grade ore, containing 0.85 pct. U308. The high-grade ore was shipped directly to a radium-recovery plant built in Denver in 1914 under the cooperative agreement. There, commercial methods of extracting uranium, vanadium, and radium from carnotite ores were developed by Bureau personnel. The lower grade ore was concentrated at a small mill in Long Park before being shipped to Denver. The final recovery was 69,000 lb. of U308 and 8.8 g. of radium. The direct mining cost of producing the high-grade ore, including the labor to hand sort and sack it, was $35.96 per ton. Freighting the ore 58 miles to Placerville, Colo., the nearest rail point on the Rio Grande Southern Railway, cost $25.28 per ton, which included $4.55 per ton for ore bags and twine. Four-or six-horse teams pulled two wagons in tandem and made the

Jan 1, 1961

By L. F. Pett

ALTHOUGH Kennecott's orebody has long been outlined, it is still necessary to define further its limits. This mine, long an advocate of churn drill methods, recently supplemented its practice by using a diamond drill. So far, the diamond drill holes have been along the main canyon floor which traverses the mine area. This zone, highly fractured, is cut by numerous friable quartz veinlets encountered within the porphyry. These veinlets, formed by filling contracted porphyry fractures with hot, siliceous, mineral-bearing solutions, are often more highly mineralized than adjacent porphyry. They pulverize on contact, yielding only slight amounts of core.

Jan 7, 1951

By A. T. Sweet, G. Douglas Gardner

"INTRODUCTION In the ammonium sulfate process for the production of alumina from clay,,3/ the clay is baked with amonium sulfate at about 400ºC. to form anhydrous ammonium alum and free ammonia or ammonium carbonate. The alum is leached from the baked product with water and circulating liquors and is purified by recrystallization. Aluminum hydroxide is precipitated by treating thus alum the alum the ammonia or ammonium carbonate from the baking step. Ammonium sulfate is recovered from the filtrate for reuse, and the aluminum hydroxide precipitate is calcined to produce high-purity alumina. In this process, as in other acid processes for the production of alumina, 4/ a large part of the iron in the clay is extracted. The iron tends to build up in the leach liquors and contaminate the crystals, so that its elimination is one of the most important problems in the process. A number of large clay deposits occur in the Western States. Those that have boon explored most extensively 5/contain an average of 24 to 30 percent available A12O3 and 2 to 8 percent available Fe2O3. 6/ The available Fe2O3 content of various other clays ranges from less than I percent to more than 20 percent. The available Al2O3 or Fe2O3 is usually 90 to 98 percent of the total but may be much less. In generals the iron content bears no fixed relation to the alumina content and may vary widely within a given deposit."

Jan 1, 1948

By Ward M

The current and future requirements for an underground mine information management system are being met with a flexible, value-engineered approach to mine information/communication infrastructures. El-Equip has developed and delivered to over fifty mines around the world an integrated, high capacity, radio-based leaky feeder communication system called MultiCOM. To meet the requirements of recently developed advanced information management technologies, such as production and ventilation management, the system has evolved to support simultaneous mobile and fixed information delivery services over an integrated single cable system. The following paper will review how MultiCOM is enabling information/communications technology to cost-effectively implement mine monitoring and control applications. Applications described in this paper include mobile vehicle production tracking, vehicle location, ventilation system monitoring and control with integrated ventilation system simulation. The techniques described are leading the world in terms of flexible and value-engineered applications of technology in the underground mine.

Jan 1, 1995

By Perry G. Cotter

As a portion of a general program for the synthesis of hard materials, a method was sought by which the hardness and density of tungsten carbide (WC)-cobalt compacts could be increased. It was demonstrated by Cotter that these improvements in quality could be made by employing an electric-resistance sintering process in which heat and pressure are applied simultaneously to presintered compacts composed of powdered tungsten carbide and cobalt. This conclusion was based on tests of material prepared by Cotter on welding equipment in use at the U. S. Naval Engineering Experiment Station, Annapolis, Md., and at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, N. Y. Rockwell-hardness tests made at Norris and core-drilling tests made at the Mount Weather Station of the Bureau of Mines indicated that, for some purposes, carbide material made by this process might be superior to the chemically analogous commercial products prepared by ordinary sintering methods. A program to develop optimum conditions for the electric-resistance sintering of tungsten carbide-cobalt compacts was initiated. The program was followed by a systematic evaluation of the hardness and density of compacts prepared by this method along with a series of carbide compacts furnished by various manufacturers. This paper presents a description of the electric-resistance sintering of tungsten carbide-cobalt compacts and the results of comparative physical tests.

Jan 1, 1955

By Mayo D. Hersey

This problem was taken up by the Bureau of Mines as a result of the oxygen explosion at the Jefferson Physical Laboratory of Harvard University , and other similar explosions , in order to supply technical information which would serve as a basis for safety precautions in the future . At the Harvard inquiry the fact was emphasized by the Massachusetts State Chemist , Mr. Walter M. Wedger , that we do not know the limiting pressures and temperatures above which compressed oxygen and lubricating oil are capable of spontaneous explosion . The problem is also of importance to the Army and Navy and to the Bureau of Mines in connection with the hazards incurred in the use of compressed and liquified gases in the repurification of helium. In fact , the risk of fires and explosions due to traces of lubricating oil coming into contact with high pressure oxygen is of serious interest to all concerned with the manufacture and use of oxygen , a commodity which is now being produced and distributed on a rapidly increasing scale . Part of the money expended on this investigation was from Army and Navy funds . The problem was undertaken by the Bureau of Mines at the suggestion of Dr. Charles E. Munroe , Chairman of the Committee on Explosives Investigations of the National Research Council , and referred to the Pittsburgh experiment station of the bureau.

Jul 1, 1923

By Graham W. Marks, Betsy M. Jones

"Recently4/ it was shown that the total energy method5/ of spectrochemical analysis is suitable for the quantitative estimation of many of the elements of which ores are composed. It was shown how this method can be applied to the determination of germanium, tin, and lead. Continuing this work, the present report deals with analyses for beryllium, zinc, cadmium, and indium.There are three basic problems in these investigations. The first is to study the influence of those elements that make up the greater part of an ore sample on the spectral-line intensities of the elements for which analyses are being made, the latter generally being the minor constituents. The second is to develop proper methods for the preparation of standard spectrographic curves. Finally, we are concerned with improvement in equipment and procedure, so that greater accuracy can be achieved.As discussed previously, it is better to study as groups those elements that belong to the same group in the periodic table because their spectra are similar. Beryllium, zinc, and cadmium are thus related. Indium was included in this work because it is associated with zinc and cadmium in zinc ores.The authors wish to acknowledge the valuable assistance of the staff of the Bureau of Mines Analytical Laboratory who made the chemical analyses and supplied the ore samples used in this work.A brief description of the procedures followed in making the standard curves and analyses is given below; a detailed discussion will be found in an earlier paper.6/Basically, the procedure for determining a standard curve consists of two parts: (1) Choosing a suitable line in the spectrum of the element to be determined and (2) determining the variation in the intensity of this line with the amount of the element burned in the arc."

Nov 1, 1948

By David E. Nicholas

Design of underground openings is becoming more critical as the mine deposits become lower in grade, initial investments increase, ore depth increases, additional safety regulations come into law, and increased ore recovery is required for conservation of minerals. Stability of these openings is dependent on the strength of the rock mass and the pre-mine stress field. The rock mass is composed of solid blocks of rock (rock sub- stance) and structural features (faults, joints, bedding, etc.). Methods of testing the rock mass strength are improving and be- coming more common, however it is difficult to justify the high cost of large scale testing for an initial mine design. An alternative to testing the rock mass is to measure the rock substance and the structural features separately, and then combine them to estimate the rock mass strength. The rock mass strength will vary depending on the orientation of the opening with respect to the structural features. The other factor affecting the stability of underground open- ings is the pre-mine stress field. Methods are available to measure "directly" the pre-mine stress in competent and relatively massive rock. These methods are costly to employ, therefore, they may not be justified in an initial study. The pre-mine stress field can be estimated based on the structural relationships formed from past tectonic events.

Jan 1, 1976

By Aline Silva Magalhães

Os aços rápidos são assim chamados por sua capacidade de reter elevadas durezas mesmo quando submetidos a altas temperaturas, em geral decorrentes de elevadas velocidades de corte no processo de usinagem. No entanto, para que esses aços apresentem as propriedades mencionadas, faz-se necessária a combinação adequada da composição química e dos parâmetros dos tratamentos térmicos. Dentro deste contexto, o objetivo do trabalho é avaliar os efeitos da temperatura de austenitização e do tempo de encharque na têmpera na microestrutura e na dureza do aço rápido AISI M2, ligado ao tungstênio e ao molibdênio. As análises foram conduzidas através de testes de dureza e microscopias óptica e eletrônica de varredura, além de difração por raios-x, considerando três temperaturas e três tempos de austenitização. Foi observado que, de maneira geral, os valores de dureza aumentaram com a elevação da temperatura de austenitização para os três diferentes tempos de encharque utilizados, de forma concomitante com a redução na quantidade de carbonetos dispersos na matriz martensítica.

Aug 8, 2018

By O. C. Blade

The use of Diesel fuel as a source of power is continuing to increase in the United States. The latest available figures indicate that refineries are delivering in excess of 10,000,000 barrels of this type of fuel per month. Factors contributing to this increased consumption are conversions by a number of railroads from steam to Diesel locomotives and the growing use of Diesel engines in buses, trucks, tractors, earth-moving machinery, water craft, and stationary power plants. The increasing importance of Diesel fuel has led to a need for more information on its characteristics, particularly on the grades and qualities currently being marketed. To supply this information the American Petroleum Institute and the Bureau of Mines, United States Department of the Interior, under a cooperative agreement, are conducting annual surveys of Diesel fuels produced in refineries in this country. Samples of Diesel fuel were analyzed by the manufacturers in accordance with instructions from the Motor-Fuels Survey Panel of the Automotive Research Committee of the American Petroleum Institute. Results of the analyses were transmitted to the Bureau of Mines where the data were studied am compiled as shown in the tables of this report. The first survey was made in 1950 and was published as a Bureau of Mines report. The present report shows the results of a similar survey made during 1951.

Jan 1, 1951

By Alexandre Rodizio Bento

Os acidentes de trabalho estão cada vez mais presentes em indústrias de vários segmentos, inclusive no setor automotivo. Devido ao trabalho no chão de fábrica deste setor utilizar interferência humana em alguns processos e operações, onde o trabalhador compartilha o ambiente produtivo com máquinas automatizadas. Estas máquinas podem causar graves lesões temporárias ou permanentes no trabalhador, podendo chegar até a morte. Neste cenário, este trabalho apresenta um estudo da implantação da pirâmide de Heinrich como forma de informar e prevenir acidentes na indústria automotiva. É detalhado o processo de implantação da pirâmide na linha de produção. Esta implantação contribui na prevenção de acidentes, gera alertas de possíveis riscos, comportamentos inseguros e incidentes. Os resultados desta implementação acabam aumentando a segurança no ambiente de trabalho, reduz custo com acidentes dentro da indústria, que permite investir cada vez mais em métodos para prevenir e gerar um ambiente de trabalho livre de acidentes no setor automotivo.

Aug 8, 2018

By Marcos Antonio da Cunha

A carga de laminação é um dos principais fatores que provocam o desgaste dos cilindros. Identificar quanto e como é o desgaste ocorrido durante o processo é um problema que a indústria de produtos laminados enfrenta há muitos anos, sendo motivo de muitos estudos nessa área. Esse desgaste, além de gerar custo para o fabricante, gera uma deformação no perfil no passe do laminador, fazendo com que a qualidade do produto final seja afetada. Deseja-se, com este trabalho, detectar e identificar o desgaste ocorrido nos cilindros de um laminador a quente de produtos não-planos na sequência de passe de seção redonda-oval-redonda, durante a produção, ou seja, online. Utilizando-se métodos de cálculo semi-experimentais e ferramentas baseadas em redes neurais, desenvolveu-se um sistema híbrido capaz de prever o desgaste dos canais dos cilindros. Foram realizadas inúmeras leituras dos valores de algumas das principais variáveis durante o processo de fabricação desses produtos laminados de uma grande empresa do ramo. Os resultados medidos foram analisados e foi gerada uma base de dados para a criação do modelo de previsão do desgaste nos canais, baseado em redes neurais artificiais e modelos semi-empíricos de cálculo do perfil de desgaste. O modelo foi testado na planta e os resultados foram bastante precisos.

Aug 16, 2017

By Amélia de Santana Cartaxo

O objetivo desta pesquisa é caracterizar matérias-primas, massas e produto final, de indústrias da cerâmica vermelha presentes na região do cariri – CE, e que ainda não tenha suporte técnico para melhorar seus produtos ou até adequá-los as Normas Técnicas vigentes. Inicialmente, foram utilizados quatro tipos de argilas provenientes da Indústria Cerâmica Pé Seco, localizada na cidade do Crato na Região do Cariri- Ceará. Estas argilas foram submetidas aos ensaios de plasticidade pelo Método Atterberg, em seguida foram queimadas em três temperaturas diferentes (700ºC, 850ºC e 1.050ºC) e avaliadas o comportamento de absorção de água, retração linear, perda ao fogo e a tensão de ruptura à flexão.Todas as amostras de argila obtiveram um aumento da perda ao fogo, tensão de ruptura e retração linear com o aumento da temperatura, entretanto houve redução da absorção de água. De acordo com o teste de plasticidade, apenas as amostras AV, AB1e BP apresentaram plasticidade dentro do recomendado.

Aug 16, 2017

By Alexandre de Souza Rios

Neste estudo, caracterizações morfológicas e mecânicas foram utilizadas em fibras de coco brasileiras na condição como recebida e tratadas superficialmente (por NaOH, aquecidas e por NaOH seguido de aquecimento) e em mantas de fibras de coco fabricadas por compressão. Para a análise morfológica foi utilizada a Microscopia Eletrônica de Varredura (MEV) e para a análise mecânica foi utilizado o ensaio de tração uniaxial. As análises por MEV apresentaram que as fibras tratadas por NaOH possuem paredes celulares externas mais nítidas e partículas circulares com diâmetros de aproximadamente 10 µm. O tratamento químico alterou a parede externa das fibras de coco; em uma das amostras foram vistas microtrincas da ordem de 7 a 60 µm em virtude do tratamento seguido de aquecimento. O módulo inicial (módulo de elasticidade) e a tensão de ruptura diminuíram com o aumento de diâmetro nas quatro condições de fibras de coco estudadas. A geometria e a massa da manta de fibra de coco influenciaram no seu comportamento mecânico.

Aug 16, 2017

By M. R. Yenchek

The U.S. Bureau of Mines designed and constructed sensitive and coordination-free ground-fault relays (GFR's) for use on mine power systems. First, a list of GFR attributes for mine ac utilization applications was compiled. These practical guidelines specified design, construction, transient immunity, reliability, and operating criteria. The time-current characteristics of the ac and dc units, subsequently fabricated, were designed to be below the human electrocution threshold. The significant and highly variable capacitance of high-voltage distribution cables was found to preclude the sensing of ground currents in the milliampere range. However, the coordination-free system developed for high-voltage distribution should enhance safety by significantly decreasing response time to ground faults. Implementation of the sensitive GFR technology in the mining industry has the potential to eliminate the majority of injuries and nearly all the deaths resulting from contact with energized components.

Jan 1, 1990

By Marcelo Sousa de Carvalho

Os aços inoxidáveis possuem uma alta aplicabilidade nas indústrias de petróleo e gás, química e de papel e celulose, principalmente, devido à suas características de alta resistência à corrosão e alta resistência mecânica. Neste trabalho, estudos baseadas na técnica dos cinco punções foram realizados para avaliar as características de conformação do aço inoxidável UNS S32304. A metodologia baseia-se na caracterização mecânica do material para mensurar suas propriedades, como limite de escoamento e índice de anisotropia. Seguiu-se com uma análise teórica da estampabilidade do material através da simulação computacional do ensaio de cinco punções. Esta técnica analisa tipos de deformações desde o estiramento biaxial até o embutimento profundo. Esse trabalho apresenta uma análise computacional do comportamento desse material com relação à estampagem para os diversos punções. É apresentado o gráfico da Razão Limite de Estampagem teórica para o UNS S32304 em relação aos cinco punções utilizados e a influência do coeficiente de anisotropia normal nos resultados.

Aug 16, 2017

By Luciano Almeida de Freitas

Este artigo tem como objetivo verificar os resultados da aplicação de ações que almejam a excelência no processo de carga, descarga e transporte de minério ferro de uma empresa situada na Região do Médio Piracicaba em Minas Gerais. Esta pesquisa é um estudo de caso de natureza exploratória e documental. No desenvolvimento deste estudo foram analisados os documentos da empresa, que referem-se às atas de reunião e relatórios gerenciais. As reuniões foram realizadas pelos gestores e supervisores do processo de carga, descarga e transporte de minério para identificar falhas e apresentar ações que almejassem a excelência no processo produtivo. Por fim, os resultados foram verificados e identificou um aumento no índice da utilização física dos caminhões de 11,46%, aumento da produtividade horária de 27,5% e um crescimento da movimentação total de produção dos caminhões de 23,92%. Com isso, pode-se verificar os ganhos com a aplicação das ações implementadas, que almejam a excelência nas operações.

Oct 30, 2017

By Fabio Schusterschitz da Silva Araújo

A unidade do Grupo SIMEC em Pindamonhangaba tem capacidade de produção de 560 mil toneladas/ano de produtos destinados à construção civil. Para abastecer a planta, é utilizada água de poço com pH, condutividade e alcalinidade altas, além de restrições quanto à disponibilidade. Isto gera desafios para o seu uso, e para a água de reposição do sistema de resfriamento dos moldes a água passa por um sistema de osmose reversa. No primeiro semestre de 2016, houve contaminação da água de molde, com a formação de uma incrustação de coloração branca, de aspecto oleoso e diferente das incrustações normalmente encontradas. Este fenômeno reduziu significativamente a vida dos moldes, o que levou à necessidade de paradas constantes para a troca e aumento significativos dos custos. Foi montado um grupo de trabalho de todas as áreas envolvidas, operação, manutenção e condicionamento químico para descobrir as causas e corrigir o problema. Este trabalho mostra as causas, as ações tomadas e os resultados obtidos.

Oct 30, 2017

By João Domingos Guimarães de Athayde Junior, Luiz Fernando Andrade de Castro, Willian Facundes, Marlon José dos Anjos Silva

O aumento da demanda por aços com baixos teores de enxofre tem levado algumas indústrias siderúrgicas a estudar formas de otimizar o tratamento de dessulfuração no aço, visando reduzir o consumo de agentes dessulfurantes, o teor de enxofre e o tempo de tratamento no refino secundário. Neste trabalho, foi analisada a evolução do enxofre durante o tratamento de dessulfuração de duas classes de aço no forno panela, nas 30 corridas experimentais utilizou-se uma mistura micropulverizada contendo cal e fluorita. Após avaliação dos resultados e das condições termodinâmicas e cinéticas, foram desenvolvidas equações para cálculo da mistura a ser injetada em função do teor de enxofre inicial e objetivado. O uso da mistura proposta no processo resultou na redução de 1,1 kg/t de mistura micropulverizada, 0,22 kg/t de alumínio, 3,3 kWh/t de energia, 0,034 kg/t de eletrodo e 2 minutos de tratamento.

Oct 1, 2019