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By W. V. McKnight

The paper discusses the equipment and methods used to establish some of the characteristics of a braking system. Some typical tests are described and an explanation of the approach used to derive information from the recorder charts is given.

Jan 1, 1966

?Bank Lending to the Mining Sector affected by 2 broad factors since Mid 2008: 1. Economic Downturn (?the Real Economy?) for mining companies directly reflected in lower metal prices (current and forecasted). In the case of gold companies, minimal effect. 2. Financial Crisis (?the Credit Crunch?) as it has affected the lending activities of those banks active in the mining sector.

May 1, 2009

By A. R. Kinkel JR.

"The Buffalo Ankerite mine is in the southern part of the Porcupine gold district of northern Ontario. The mine has a history of exploration and development reaching back to 1911, and has been operated continuously since 1932. From 1932 to 1942 a total of 510,874 oz. gold was produced from the mine. In 1941 the production was 71,654 oz. from 448,621 tons of ore.With few exceptions, the ore-bearing veins did not crop out. They were discovered during the prospecting of the prominent outcrops of barren or low-grade quartz-carbonate breccia near the veins.GEOLOGICAL SETTINGThe Porcupine gold district lies in an area of folded and sheared Precambrian lavas, sediments, and intrusives. The Buffalo Ankerite mine is in the southern part of a large fold. The structure appears to be a continuation of the Vipond cross anticline and accompanying syncline described in earlier papers (1, 2). The orebodies lie along both flanks of the synclinal part of the fold, and are known as the north and south vein systems, respectively. No mineable veins have been found on the axis of the syncline (Fig. 1).The rocks found in the mine area are pillow lava, dacite, conglomerate, quartz porphyry, tuff, and fragmental lava. The tuff and fragmental lava are now largely altered to chlorite schist. Productive veins have been found only in pillow lava, dacite, and conglomerate, but a minor amount of gold occurs in some of the quartz porphyry. The Porcupine Creek fault, a zone of intense shearing over 1,000 feet in width, lies immediately south of the mine. A spur fault branches to the northwest from the Porcupine Creek fault, separating the north from the south vein systems ( Fig. 1) ."

Jan 1, 1954

By D. S. Hines

The purchase of mechanical equipment for mines is not unlike the purchase of other materials or supplies in general principle, but on account of the major part such equipment plays in the operations, and of the fact that life and valuable property are at stake, the matter demands the most careful attention on the part of the purchaser. The problems and difficulties encountered are dealt with below in their sequence in the purchasing procedure. Requisiting Although it is quite a common practice to submit a tentative specification of requirements to recognized manufacturers of equipment- soliciting alternative propositions or recommendations for study in the selection of certain equipment-as a rule the first step in purchasing procedure is the requisition. Primarily, it is the form that carries to the purchasing department the record of equipment wanted. A full and complete description or specification, and accuracy of record, are the important points to be insisted on in a requisition. Too much attention cannot be given to this detail, as this is one of 'the most important phases of purchasing work. Incomplete information, either in specification or detail, leads to delay in handling the requisition, and, if not detected in the purchasing department, may mean receipt of material which cannot be used for the purpose intended. In addition to description of material or equipment to be ordered, the requisition should also show where or what the equipment is for, whether for operating or new work. If for capital account, the number of the authority for expenditure should be given for record and distribution purposes.

Jan 1, 1930

By David Penswick

Despite anecdotal evidence to the contrary, the mining industry is not in decline. Rather, the world?s largest mining companies are among the most consistently profitable companies in any industry. In many cases, profitable mining companies have been built around a few large scale, long life mines. These criteria for success ? size and long life ? have led to the current preference for deposits that can be exploited using open pit methods. However, developments in the science of block caving have resulted in this mining method achieving costs and productivities that are competitive with the largest open pits, while achieving widespread applicability. One implication of the low costs and widespread applicability of block caving is that some current open pits are possibly too deep.

May 1, 2003

Some examples of the results of research projects, conducted in the KOMAG Institute of Mining Technology are presented. Special attention is paid to mining machines and equipment, and improving work safety and comfort of miners in underground workings. From numerous scientific and technical achievements of the KOMAG Institute within the last 2 years, a few design solutions have been selected for a presentation. Some results of European projects on innovative solutions are described as well, highlighting KOMAG?s role in the national and international research area.

Aug 1, 2013

By E. S. Moore

"The Michipicoten-Goudreau area, bordering on the northeast corner of lake Suferior, has had a tectonic history related to that of the geosyncline occupied by this lake. This basin has been a major structural feature in the Canadian Shield since at least late-Precambrian time. It has been extensively faulted and was the centre of great igneous activity in the Keweenawan feriod . Many of the faults, folds, dykes, and sills in the surrounding regions tend to head directly or indirectly into this basin. Some of the faults in the Michipicoten-Goudreau area appear to run under the eastern part of lake Superior just as the large Keweenaw fault in Michigan extends into the lake on the south side. Some of these faults may even be extensions of or counterparts of the faults on the south side of the lake. Another set of faults in the Michipicoten-Goudreau area runs nearly transverse to some of these major faults, and it is evident that in some places movement has recurred at a later time on faults formed in an early period.STRATIGRAPHYThe rocks of this area, with the exception of Pleistocene and Recent formations, are all Precambrian:"

Jan 1, 1954

By Etienne Roy Grégoire

Since the early 1990s, the Canadian mining industry has been increasingly defined by the signing of Impact and Benefit Agreements (IBAs) between mining companies and Aboriginal peoples. While these agreements are intended to complement the legal system, they also serve to establish the legitimacy of mining projects and to encourage the harmonious integration of these projects into their social and environmental contexts. Beyond their practical implications, what are the effects of such agreements on the ability of Aboriginal communities to access the institutional space where the authorization of mining projects and the conditions of their implementation are decided? Can we view IBAs as a preliminary step towards the operationalization of the principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent? This paper aims to explore the potential of IBAs as a sustainable solution to the legitimacy issues that result from the implementation of the formal regulatory framework governing mining activities in this jurisdiction. We highlight what constraints and opportunities the James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement (JBNQA) engenders for local communities and draw attention to the ways in which the negotiation of the Raglan IBA and the environmental evaluation processes act upon each other. We find that certain structural problems - and problems of legitimacy ? related to mining in Northern Quebec cannot be solved by the sole signature of an IBA, which suggests the need for caution when considering such agreements as a panacea. The Raglan case demonstrates that IBAs, like other modes of regulation relying on the direct interface between companies and communities, would benefit from a stricter framework and more explicit ties with official regulation channels.

Aug 1, 2013

By G. Issid, J. McGinty, C. Lee, Y. Pepin

For more than a decade, Hatch has used process and logistics models to assist Rio Tinto Fer et Titane (RTFT) with capacity planning, debottlenecking, and optimization to help ensure design capability, capital effectiveness, and operational efficiency of the integrated production chain. Process models are used to optimize the physics-based aspects of the system, such as mass and energy balances, flow rates, yields, and equipment specifications. Dynamic logistics models are used to optimize how the various plant areas work together to achieve the desired ends and deal with such things as plant scheduling and synchronization strategies, sizing of buffers between processes, defining the required number of process and material handling units, and designing a plant layout that minimizes plant interferences and inefficiencies. The combined use of process models and logistics models enables the overall plant to be optimized from both a productivity and quality point of view, with each plant area working in harmony with one another to achieve targeted capacities and efficiencies. This paper describes the many benefits derived from such modeling efforts over the past 15 years for each of the major plant areas at RTFT: Beneficiation Plant, Smelter Plant, Steel Plant, UGS Plant, and Powder Plant (RTMP).

Jan 1, 2011

PROFIL D'ENTREPRISE Léandre Gervais & Associé(e)s est une société d'experts-conseils en ingénierie de la structure, de la mécanique & de la tuyauterie, et de l'électricité et de l'instrumentation. Nous offrons des services hautement spécialisés à notre clientèle des secteurs industriels des mines et de la métallurgie, au Québec, au Canada ainsi que dans plusieurs autres pays du monde. Notre mission est d'assurer à nos clients un ensemble de services d'ingénierie de haute qualité contribuant à la mise en oeuvre et à la réalisation de leurs projets d'affaires. Léandre Gervais & Associé(e)s emploie 36 employés à temps pleins et opère à partir de Val-d'Or, province de Québec. SERVICES OFFERTS Nous avons réalisé de multiples mandats pour notre clientèle de différent pays du monde dans les domaines d'expertise les plus variés : ?Études de faisabilité ; ?Ingénierie conceptuelle ; ?Ingénierie de détail ; ?Gestion de projets ; ?Ré-ingénierie de la maintenance.

May 1, 2001

By Nick Vayenas

This paper discusses the application of a commercially available state-of-the-art PC discrete-event simulation modeling software, called Promodel, for simulating a typical underground mine hoist system in the Sudbury mining region, in the province of Ontario in Canada. The reasons for using Promodel as a two-dimensional simulation development tool is its simplicity in use and its capabilities to provide enough flexibility to meet the modeling requirements of a mine hoist system. General information of a mine hoist system was collected for building the model. Example of the model?s output is also presented. The application of Promodel in underground mining offers a powerful, two-dimensional simulation environment in an affordable price for mining engineers to analyze and study operational problems. This hoist simulation model is an intuitive demonstration of the mine hoisting elements and the operational logic of the hoist, based on which optimization of the entire mine system materials flow can be considered as part of a mine cycle management feasibility study.

Oct 1, 2009

By Ahmad Hemami

A working code is developed to simulate the forces that are involved in the process of penetration of a bucket into bulk media during loading and excavation. The result of this work can be integrated with the simulation software that many manufacturers of heavy earthmoving machines introduce for training purposes. The simulator programs for machines such as backhoes, loaders, LHDs and the like, used for operator training, are usually only based on the kinematics of the machine. As a result, there is no indication of the effect of the medium when the cutting tool of such a machine touches the excavation material. This is like moving the machine in the air. Feeling the resistance force of medium to cutting by a bucket or blade during loading and excavation is more realistic, both mentally (by vision) and physically (feeling resistance in pedals and levers). The results from force simulation can be used by feedback in creating simulated resistance in these training gears, similar to what is done in flight simulators for aircrafts. In addition to serving for the above purpose, the results of this work can be used as a tool for examination and verification of the effect of a control policy for automation of loading and excavation of bulk media. So far no commercial product has been introduced that has such a capability, despite some extensive research on the subject.

Aug 1, 2013

By Carol E. Jones

?Reclaiming the land? in the Athabasca Oil Sands is becoming a household phrase in Canada. Advances in soil salvage and placement, increasing biodiversity of forest ecosystems and improved design of the landforms are beginning to change the trajectory of the ?reclaimed land? towards a boreal forest. The boreal forest is much more than just a forest; in the area of Fort McMurray AB, roughly one half of the boreal forest is composed of organic wetlands, often called muskeg. How important is muskeg to the boreal forest ecosystem and to the local aboriginal people? Should muskeg be reclaimed? Can muskeg be reclaimed? Ten years ago it was broadly accepted that organic wetlands could not be re-established; in fact this was so well accepted that reclamation of organic wetlands had not been attempted. Over the past decade this conclusion has been re-evaluated and research projects have been undertaken to examine the potential to create organic wetlands in a reclaimed oil sands landscape. This paper examines these questions and the research initiatives necessary to reclaim the other half of the Athabasca Oil Sands.

May 1, 2011

By Horace Freeman

Introduction In the aggregate, directly and ?indirectly, the pulp and paper industry ? consumes very large quantities of a variety of minerals, or compounds prepared from minerals. This is especially true in the manufacture of news-print, but fine papers, also, account for some of this consumption, in the processes of loading, coating, and otherwise improving the finish. The more important of the minerals used in the industry in Canada are briefly dealt with in the following pages. The list is by no means exhaustive, however. Thus, barite, lithopone, zinc oxide, zinc sulphide, and titanium oxide are used in small quantities in Canada in filling and coating paper. Up to the present time, however, the quantities of these materials used in the paper industry have not sufficed to encourage their manufacture in Canada. In the case of barite (barium sulphate)-or of witherite (barium carbonate)-it may be said that, should deposits of commercial size be discovered in Canada, the ore would have considerable export value, for use in the paper and other industries. China-Clay (Kaolin) Considerable quantities of china-clay are used for brightening and improving the finish of paper, and there is a growing tendency to use larger amounts of this material in newsprint manufacture. No china-clay suitable for paper manufacture is at present produced in Canada, but samples have been forthcoming recently from a deposit near St. Remi d'Amherst, Labelle county, Que., about thirty miles north of the Ottawa river and approximately midway between Montreal and Ottawa, and plans are under way to conduct large-scale tests with this material. Present sources of supply are the United States, England, and Russia.

Jan 1, 1934

By C. Graham

Mechanisation has been a predominant theme of the past 50 years in the mining industry, particularly underground mining. As the level of technology employed has increased, the anticipated productivity gains have not been realised and the differences are not explained by the demand for higher standards of safety and security. Now, mining costs are so high and productivity so low that the resultant return on investment for many Canadian operations has fallen to levels considered unacceptable in a competitive capital market. Simply continuing technological development cannot reverse this trend and its financial implications. The focus on technological development has distracted us from some basic truths. Systems that are more complex are more likely to fail and cost-effective processes depend on the continuity of productive activity and the flow of material. When putting these facts together, it becomes clear that in a system that has fixed external conditions, the single most crucial issue is the effective management of the operational cycle. By its nature, technology focuses our attention on what gets done and how it gets done, while the crucial issue is the increasingly longer periods in the operational cycle when nothing productive is being done. What is required is to match the level of technological complexity to the fixed system conditions, which are virtually unchangeable. This paper looks at the overall system and objectives and attempts to present an appropriate level of technology for the Canadian mining industry, now and in the foreseeable future.

May 1, 2004

By Manouchehr Oliazadeh

Talc is used as a gelating, diluting, antimould and softening agent in the pharmaceutical industries. This article reviews efforts made for producing pharmaceutical grade talc from a mine located in the west of Iran, called Masoud Abad. Reaching to the pharmaceutical standards, was the principal goal of the talc beneficiation. Methods such as flotation and leaching were applied to eliminate the impurities. Considering to the negligible Fe content of the ore, the major impurity was calcium carbonate and to some extent dolomite. Depressants used in froth flotation were dextrine, quebraco and sodium silicate. Variation of collectors such as oil petroleum, paraffin, stearic acid were also used. After optimization of the effective parameters, followed by two stages of flotation (rougher and cleaner) acid leaching process was also applied as a complementary step to remove the impurities. CaO impurities in the sample was 11.63% which reduced to 1.03% after two stages of flotation, and finally reached to 0.03% CaO by leaching process. This figure is more lower than the world pharmaceutical standards (i.e. <0.6 % CaO). The highest recovery was 55% at the best conditions. Other impurities (i.e.As, lead, heavy metals ,?) which were at standard levels, confirmed by the authorized health organizations.

May 1, 2001

By George Hope, Dave Green, Jacques McMullen

The Est Malartic mill has been treating massive sulphide, copper/gold ore from the Bousquet 2 mine since 1989. The need to minimize copper content in flotation tails which are leached for gold recovery and to produce a saleable copper concentrate led to the evaluation of Conventional, Column and HG flotation methods. The HG method was preferred and two full-scale cells were installed and operated over a two-year span. In 1992, it was decided to expand the mill capacity from 1500 tpd to 2500 tpd. A total of nine additional HG Tank Cells were installed to provide additional roughing and cleaning capacity. The expanded plant has been operating since June 1993.

Jan 1, 1994

By Donald S. Cameron

By dispersing gold in high surface area form supported on metal oxides, its inert character can be transformed to make economical, effective catalysts. Gold has already been demonstrated in a number of fuel cell applications such as gas phase catalysts, electro-catalysts, and electrical connectors. In this paper, the various types of fuel cell systems are reviewed, and several opportunities for gold identified. Low temperature fuel cells, including alkaline and solid polymer electrolyte types rely on high surface area platinum group metal catalysts which are highly susceptible to poisoning by low concentrations of carbon monoxide in the fuel supply. Hydrogen is frequently obtained by steam reforming hydrocarbons, followed by the water gas shift (WGS) reaction. A promising initial use for supported gold catalysts is in catalysing this WGS reaction. Research has shown that gold supported on iron oxide (Au/a-Fe2O3 ) WGS catalysts are more active than the current commercial copper oxide / zinc oxide catalysts, and effective at temperatures as low as 120oC. Products from reformer/ water gas shift reactors can be further purified by removing traces of carbon monoxide. If a small proportion of oxygen is introduced into the fuel gas stream, carbon monoxide can be preferentially oxidized to carbon dioxide even in the presence of hydrogen. Gold nanoparticle catalysts on iron oxide support (Au/a-Fe2O3 ) have exhibited higher activity than commercially available platinum on alumina (Pt/?- Al2O3 ) preferential oxidation catalysts. The low temperature of this reaction may make it feasible to incorporate these catalysts within the fuel cell itself. Proton exchange fuel cells provide several possible applications for catalytically active gold and its alloys. Carbon supported platinum group metals would benefit greatly from improved electrical conductivity if gold replaced some or all of the carbon support material. As electrode current densities are raised, electrical resistance constitutes an increasing proportion of voltage losses within the fuel cell. Dramatic reductions in cell stack voltage losses have already been demonstrated by reducing inter-cell contact resistance using gold plating. The low temperature oxidation properties of gold catalysts have been investigated in controlling gaseous emissions from direct methanol fuel cells, and gold also provides essential catalysis in building direct borohydride oxidation fuel cells. The prospect of a range of other applications for gold in fuel cells to contribute useful improvements in corrosion resistance and conductivity is assessed. Globally, fuel cells have been developed for a wide range of applications including stationary generators, cars and buses, industrial vehicles and small portable power supplies, each of which represents a substantial market. Hence there are likely to be many and varied opportunities for gold catalysts to contribute to the performance and economics of the systems being commercialized.

Oct 1, 2003

By R. G. Bradburn

"Brenda Mines Limited is a low grade open pit mining and milling operation located near Peachland, British Columbia. The mill was brought into production in late 1969 at a rated capacity of 24,000 tons per day. Tt currently treats an average of 30,000 tons per day of an ore that has an average grade of 0.130% copper and 0.030% molybdenum.Description of Crushing and Grinding CircuitsRun of mine ore is delivered to a primary gyratory crusher. The minus seven inch product is separated into plus and minus one inch fractions on two parallel vibrating screens. The fine product is conveyed directly to the mill fine ore bins, while the coarse fraction is sent to a 45,000 ton stockpile.Material from the stockpile is fed to two standard cone crushers which operate in an open circuit with five secondary vibrating screens. The minus five-eighth inch product from these screens is conveyed to the mill fine ore bins while the coarse fraction is fed to four shorthead cone crushers. These crushers operate in closed circuit with the screens."

Jan 1, 1981

By Peter Rubie

"For many years, optimising the relining of hard rock grinding mills has been complicated by:?? the large number of variables;?? the low frequency of relines (slow feedback loop);?? the potential economic risk associated with some changesA technology that has its roots in the automotive manufacturing industry is being utilised to construct a statistically accurate, configurable, and dynamic simulation of the mill relining process. The effects of various mechanisation and process changes can be rapidly modelled and compared.This technology will provide mill maintenance managers and contract relining companies with the opportunity to benchmark current performance against world’s best practice. It will also provide an opportunity for concentrator plant designers and mill manufacturers to plan for maximum plant efficiency, by designing an infrastructure and equipment combination that maximises annual plant availability.This simulation tool and its associated data set, has been developed using recent grinding mill performance data from mills of varying dimensions, liner configurations, mill relining equipment, operator and tool variables.The simulation will provide an output that the various stakeholders can utilise to make optimal decisions within the given financial, physical and technological constraints of the individual concentrator plant."

Jan 1, 2012