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By Robert L. Zerga

Mining equipment and systems have been incorporated into the San Manuel mine to meet the requirements of ore development and extraction. A general discussion of the existing equipment as it relates to the specific methods is presented. A comparison is made between original and present equipment, and future equipment needs. The problems, successes and failures of mining equipment adaptation for the San Manuel mining system are highlighted.

Jan 1, 1981

John Edward Stead, a past-president of the British Iron and Steel Institute, and an Honorary Member of this Institute since 1906, died at his home at Redcar, Yorkshire, on Oct. 31, 1923, after a long illness. For many years, Mr. Stead had been recognized as a leading authority in chemical and metallurgical matters, particularly those relating to iron; he gave freely of his experience by the contribution of papers to the twenty-eight technical societies in which he retained his membership as recently as 1920. He had been honored with the Doctor's degree by three English universities, and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society 1219

Jan 1, 1924

By L. J. Cabri

The calculation of metallurgical balances for precious metals is very dependent on a precise mineralogical understanding of the distribution of each element. Determination whether the precious metals occur as dilute solid solutions in major minerals is not always easy because of the relatively high levels of detection (9200-500 ppm) of the precious metals by the most common methods of in-situ analysis (e.g. electron microprobe). Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) analysis of sulfides from Izok Lake, N.W.T., Canada and from the Hilton mine, Mount Isa, Australia with a proton beam (proton microprobe) confirms solid solution of Ag in chalcopyrite from both deposits. In addition, chalcopyrite and sphalerite from Izok Lake both contain indium.

Jan 1, 1984

By James E. Hoffmann, John A. Bonucci, Peter D. Parker

A hydrometallurgical process has been developed for the recovery of high-purity silver from sulfated residues. The process eliminates the high temperature operations ordinarily associated with silver recovery and refining. The crux of the process is a metathetical leach which maintains the sulfate ion concentration at a level which both allows silver nitrate to be freely soluble and simultaneously depresses the solubility of lead nitrate. The subsequent hydrolytic purification of the silver nitrate solution, the recovery of high-purity silver by electrowinning in a diaphragm cell, and the final product purity are discussed.

Jan 1, 1981

By E. W. Felegy

THE need for improved mine communication to increase efficiency and to insure greater safety has long been recognized. General and unrestricted communication between all points underground, and between the surface and all points underground, is probably the least advanced phase of the mining industry. An ideal system of mine communication must re- quire no fixed wire installations. The equipment must be small, lightweight, and readily portable, and the power requirements low. A system that can be used not only under normal circumstances but also in an emergency, when the continuity of wires, tracks, and pipelines may be disrupted, must function independently of any aid furnished by standard installations.

Jan 5, 1953

By Robert A. Bauer

This study showed that diametral point-load testing performed parallel to the bedding planes of highly anisotropic sedimentary rocks produced inconsistent results that cannot be used to accurately estimate uniaxial compressive strength. Axial point-load values from tests performed normal to bedding planes and evaluated by the T500 index produce good correlations with the uniaxial compressive strength values obtained for five different rock types. A strong correlation also existed between the moisture content and the uniaxial compressive strength of the tested lithologies. A combination of axial point-load and moisture content indices produces the best correlation with the uniaxial compressive strength test results.

Jan 1, 1984

By E. P. Pfleider

THE history of fundamental research in mining is not one of which the profession can be particularly proud. It has been one of the slowest industries in applying the fundamental sciences to the solution of many of its more difficult problems. True, many of the processes are not adaptable to laboratory techniques, and much of the work must, of necessity, be done in the field. It is for this reason that the mining executive seldom has been conscious of the value of research on a laboratory scale on problems pertaining strictly to mining. Most of them, however, fostered much testing in the allied fields of ore dressing and metallurgy.

Jan 7, 1951

Prior to World War I, zinc was universally made by the distillation process. Small plants were operated at Cockle Creek, N.S.W., and Port Pirie, S.A. Then the electrolytic process was developed at Great Falls, Mont., in 1915 and at Trail. B.C. encouraging the Broken Hill companies to investigate the process. England's war-time need for zinc gave impetus to the development, and the site at Risdon, Tasmania, coincided with the developing hydro-electric power there. Experimental work was begun in 1917 by a proprietary company formed and owned by Broken Hill interests. Then in 1920, the principal features of the process having been established, a public company. Electrolytic Zinc Company of Australasia Ltd. was formed, now known as E.Z. Industries Ltd.

Jan 10, 1964

WM. A. COWAN, Brooklyn, N. Y. (written discussion*). -This is evidently an excellent continuation of the work described in the article "An Investigation of Fusible Tin Boiler Plugs" by Messrs. Burgess and Merica.1 The present paper gives information of much value in con-nection with the manufacture and inspection of fusible boiler plugs, and the investigation of the cooling curves of tin with various other metals close to the tin side of the diagram is very interesting. These curves corroborate in all cases, except that of antimony, the diagrams given by other investigators. However, only the liquidus curves of the thermal equilibrium diagrams are given, except for copper-tin alloys where one branch only of the solidus (representing the freezing, of the eutectic)

Jan 11, 1919

By Rebecca Mae Summer

Increasing urbanization and industrial activity require increased supplies of sand and gravel. This means expanded surface mining and despoiled land near population centers. Highly competitive land use demands justify serious consideration of premining planning for multiple land use and reclamation concurrent with mining, 1-5 Formulating solutions to environmentally and economically sound uses requires a comprehensive approach based on properties of the natural resource base--geology, soils, and water. A study of sand and gravel mining within Pleistocene-Holocene fluvial deposits in Colorado County, Texas (Fig. I) illustrates how physical limitations imposed by the resource base are determined.6,7 Data from drillers logs of water wells, test boreholes, field observations, and laboratory analyses are used to evaluate these physical controls.

Jan 1, 1978

(Members are urged to send in for this column any notes of interest concerning themselves or their. fellow-members.) Members and guests who registered at Institute headquarters during the period Nov. 10 to Dec. 10, 1914: H. F. Grondijs, Oruro, Bolivia. E. B. Kirby, St. Louis, Mo. R. W. Shumway, Denver, Colo. W. R. Webster, Philadelphia, Pa. J. N. Houser, Mascot, Tenn. F. S.. Titsworth, Denver, Colo. F. L. Clerc, Denver, Colo. Frank R. Wicks, Butte, Mont. Robert Sticht, Queenstown, Tasmania. C. Q. Schlereth, Denver, Colo. Francis C. Phillips, Pittsburgh, Pa. Robert Hallowell Richards was given a dinner on December 7 at Boston by the corporation, faculty and alumni of Massachusetts Institute of Technology in recognition of his 50 years as a devoted alumnus and teacher and as an expression of the respect and affection in which he is held.

Jan 1, 1915

By W. E. Wickerman

The Magnetic Storm Monitor is an instrument that continuously records variations in the earth's total magnetic field at a fixed location. It is intended for use in conjunction with airborne magnetometer surveys. There are stormy periods when changes in the earth's magnetic field are so violent that data obtained with airborne equipment would be of little value. The Monitor provides this information so that flights may be cancelled or terminated, thus eliminating useless flying. Moreover, when some unpredictable change in the earth's field occurs during an airborne survey, the Monitor record, showing a similar event, may serve to salvage the data.

Oct 1, 1955

By Ray W. Amstutz

The shaft was drilled on US government land m the Piceance Creek basin and was funded by the US Bureau of Mines (USBM). It was drilled to 723 m to provide access to rich deposits of oil shale, nahcolite, and dawsonite for geotechnical test work and environmental mining research. Rotary drilling and dual-string, reverse-air, jet-assist circulation methods were used. Drilling required eight months. Site preparation, running, and cementing the casing required another four months. A 2.44-m ID steel welded casing, 508 mm thick was installed and 2.7 kt of cement were slurried and pumped into the annulus.

Jan 1, 1982

By Immo H. Redeker

Abstract-North Carolina is the leading state in the US in lithium mineral production. Spodumene is mined in open Pits and concentrated by flotation by the two companies, Lithium Corp. of America and Foote Mineral Co. North Carolina State University has a mineral research laboratory in Asheville, N. C., with trained personnel, batch and pilot plant facilities to assist in the state's mineral development. The NCSU Minerals Research Laboratory assisted both lithium-producing companies with spodumene concentration problems and has lately worked closely with Lithium Corp. of America to develop the best flowsheet for spodumene and byproduct recovery. The concentration of North Carolina spodumene and byproducts from pegmatites is presented and illustrated with figures.

Jan 4, 1979

By R. K. Agarwal

Transforming from a mere novelty field of science to a well-recognized branch of engineering, the scientific discipline of rock mechanics continues to mature. The past decade has witnessed an unprecedented in- fusion of scientific research approach into mine design. In the preceding year alone, there were six national and international congresses which also indicated the increased interest, in rock mechanics and participation by scientific personnel with diversified backgrounds. It may be presumptuous to conclude that the time, effort and money spent thus far on procedures for mine structure design have necessarily resulted in the evolvement of design techniques; but certainly the prospects of evolving such techniques art: more promising at present than ever before.

Jan 1, 1970

By Adrian Brown

Over the last decade, a number of large slopes have been excavated in rock which contains families of joints or faults which dip steeply into the cut slope. Despite the absence of "adverse" structures, these slopes have exhibited alarming movement rates at very modest heights (as little as 100 meters) and slope angles (as little as 20º). Classical stability analysis suggests that such slopes should be unconditionally stable. This paper describes the toppling mechanism which has been found to be the cause of the observed movements and develops a general method for analysis of it. Simple cases are analyzed in order to provide charts which allow quick evaluation of the likelihood of this phenomenon occurring. The safety implications of such movements in slopes are also examined.

Jan 1, 1982

By A. Blake Caldwell

The continental margins and ocean basins represent by far the largest unexplored frontier for discovery and development of mineral values. In April 1971, Deepsea Ventures, Inc., at a press conference in its Gloucester Point, Va. headquarters, announced what may become the first commercial deepsea venture--15,000 ft below the ocean surface. During the presentation, Deepsea's president, John E. Flipse, announced that studies made by company personnel had proven the feasibility of mining, transporting, and milling L million tpy of manganese nodules taken from the ocean floor, and that, based on current conditions and prevailing construction costs, a venture of this magnitude would cost about $200 million split evenly between mining and processing facilities. A subsidiary of Tenneco, Deepsea has tentatively reserved 1976 as the year in which it plans to mine, process and market the nodules.

Jan 1, 1971

PERSONAL (Members are urged to send in for this column any notes of interest concerning themselves or their fellow-members.) Members and guests who registered at Institute headquarters during. the period May 10 to June 10, 1915: Robert M. Keeney, Somersville, Conn. C. A. Moffett, Birmingham, Ala. Emilio Mosonyi, San Salvador, C. A: A. W. G. Wilson, Ottawa, Canada. Junjiro Nagazumi, Fukuoka, Japan. G. H. Glover, Jr., Short Hills, N. J. Francis R. Pyne, Elizabeth, N. J. R. W. Brock, Vancouver, B. C. F. C. Alsdorf, Los Angeles, Cal. J. L. W. Birkinbine, Philadelphia, Pa. W. J. Loring, London, England. Roy H. Allen, Jamesburg, N. J. R. A. Bull, Granite City; 111. Francis Andrew Thomson received the degree of Master of Science from the Colorado School of Mines at the recent commencement exercises. The subject of his thesis was Stamp Milling and Cyaniding.

Jan 7, 1915

By K. J. Anusavice, R. T. DeHoff, H. Oikawa, J. J. Pinajian

STUDIES of nickel self-diffusion and impurity diffusion in pure metals and alloys have, for the past two decades, employed predominantly the nickel radio-However, because of the low energy of the emitted particle, careful and time-consuming techniques must be used to obtain reproducible measurements. In our studies of nickel diffusion into copper, we have recently used Ni66 [Td1/2: 55 hr; : 0.20 Mev (100 pet)] which decays to it much more suitable as a tracer because of the presence of the high-energy y radiation from the cu66 daughter. Although the half-life of Ni66 is appreciably shorter than that of Ni63, the useful working lifetime of a small quantity, " 10 mc, is about 1 month. preparation bf Ni66. he Nis6 radioisotope was produced at Oak Ridge National Laboratory by means of a double (n,y) reaction:

Jan 1, 1969

By H. L. Monroe

Meramec Mining Co., owned 50% by St. Joseph Lead Co. and 50% by Bethlehem Steel Corp., is engaged in mining, concentrating and pelletizing iron ore from the Pea Ridge Mine which is located about 75 miles southwest of St. Louis. The Pea Ridge orebody lies under some 1300 ft of limestone, dolomite, shale, and sandstone. It runs from east to west for about 1/2 mile and varies in width up to a maximum of around 600 ft. The orebody dips about 80" S. The ore is high grade magnetite with some local zones of specular hematite. The Precambrian country rock is rhyolite porphyry.

Jan 12, 1965