Search Documents

By Walter C. Smith

THE Cerro de Pasco Copper Corp. began to produce bismuth at the Oroya smelter in 1929, at which time the only important consumption of that metal was in the manufacture, of pharmaceutical compounds, and the normal supply of metal exceeded the demand. With a new and major producer entering the field, additional uses for bismuth had to be developed. A survey indicated that the most promising opportunity lay in fusible alloys containing bismuth. A large number of bismuth alloys were known and a few of them were being used in the manufacture of automatic sprinkler heads and safety plugs. The literature cover in,- the- alloys was found to be sketchy and contradictory. Research, development, and educational work carrried on by the Corporation during the past fifteen years has resulted in greatly enlarged uses for the metal. In general the low-melting bismuth alloys are of high specific gravity, relatively soft, of low tensile strength, brittle to shock, yet subject to plastic

Jan 1, 1945

By J. MURRAY RIDDLELL

AN increase of 18 per cent in the production and consumption of all metals last year was readily met by the mines, but more than an average amount of development work was made necessary. Mining methods were improved appreciably; open-pit operations ad¬vanced more than underground practice: and the transportation phase of mining progressed to a greater extent than the other related functions. A new belt-conveyor system of mining was placed in operation at the Spruce open-pit iron ore mine at Eveleth, Minn. The gathering portion of the belt system was installed beneath the surface of the open pit, following closely the bottom rock, in especially provided drifts; beyond it inclined upward to the surface and finally discharged into a 500-ton shipping pocket. Length of the belt was 4500 ft. net vertical lift 386 ft. and capacity 750 long tons per hour. The mined ore found its way to the belt through one of three vertical raises, whose horizontal section was 10 by 10 ft. Each raise was equipped with a grizzly, crusher, pan-type feeder, and auxiliary equipment. Transportation of the ore from the working faces of the pit was accomplished as follows: (1) Two raises were equipped with tower and anchor stations, 3-cu.yd. drag scrapers, and related power units; (2) the remaining raise was provided with electrically driven power shovels and 20-ton trucks mounted on pneumatic tires. This installation has entirely replaced railway pit haulage and partly eliminated power shovels. In a similar

Jan 1, 1938

By Basil B. Zavoico

ALTHOUGH the American petroleum industry was affected by the Second World War from its early beginning it was not until Dec. 7, 1941- that the industry was placed on full war footing. Even throughout most of 1942 the American overseas operations were limited and not until late in the year did expansion of military activities, more particularly the offensive in North Africa, affect the domestic supplies to such an extent that critical deficiencies developed locally in this country, particularly along the East Coast. The definite outlook for greatly expanded offensive operations by the United States on both Atlantic and Pacific fronts makes certain that during 1943 the domestic situation will. not be alleviated; rather it may become even more critical even though additional transportation facilities, now being built and planned. will be completed from the southwestern producing states to the East Coast.

Jan 1, 1943

By AIME AIME

In taking account of stock, on the occasion of the recent removal of the office of the Institute, it was found that pamphlet copies of the papers named in the list given below were on hand, in excess of the average number deemed adequate for future casual demand. Special reduced rates will be made for these surplus copies to members applying promptly. "First come; first Served." Author. Title. Ref. No. ASHBURNER, C. A. " Petroleum and Natural Gas in New York State." 273 MARTENS, A. "The Microstructure of Ingot¬ Iron and Cast Ingots." 626

Jan 1, 1907

AFRICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE ON TUNNELLING In 1970, the South African Institution of Civil Engineers, the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, the South African Institute of Mechanical Engineers, and the Geological Society of South Africa held an international conference on tunnelling, known as Tuncon 1970. SUID-AFRIKAANSE NASIONALE TONNELBOUKOMITEE In 1970 het die Suid-Afrikaanse Instituut van Siviele Ingenieurs, die Suid-Afrikaanse Instituut vir Mynbou en Metallurgie, die Suid-Afrikaanse Instituut van Meganiese Ingenieurs en Die Geologiese Vereniging van Suid-Afrika 'n internasionale konferensie in verband met tonnelbou gehou, wat bekend gestaan het as Tonkon 1970.

Jan 5, 1974

By H. C. Babbitt

The Effect of Arsenic.—A question involving the temperature of precipitation of ammonium phospho-molybdate, which was brought to my attention some time ago, led to the following experiment :*

Jan 1, 1893

By John L. White

The vibro driver/extractor is a machine that grips to a pile and vibrates it up and down. When the vibrating pile is lowered into the ground, all soil around the pile begins to vibrate. A vibrating pile breaks the friction between the pile and the soil, thus allowing it to penetrate the ground. A vibro is usually operated by hoisting it into the air with a crane and then placing it onto the pile. The vibro has hydraulic gripping jaws that are controlled from the ground. Once the operator has successfully lowered the vibro onto the pile, the jaws are closed and locked onto the pile and operations can begin. Please see the drawing below: [ ]

Jan 1, 1990

By Vladimir Lobanov, Vladimir Skorohodov, Andrew Evdokimov, Ural State Technical University 19, Boris Radionov

"The bulk of raw materials in metallurgy of secondary platinum metals are the wastes such as multilayered ceramic-metal systems, e.g. the spent catalysts of the chemical and petrochemical industry, automobile catalysts, etc. Due high chemical resistance of a ceramic basis the extraction of platinum metals by leaching even at very fine crushing is poor. The study of sorption leaching of platinum and a palladium from the spent automobile catalysts are carried out. The average content of PGM is 0.5%. A few methods of raw materials sampling were compared: 1) direct hydrometallurgical leaching of platinum metals from the fine-grained catalyst and atomic absorption analysis of the obtained solutions; 2) fusion to a metal or sulphidic collector of precious metals with the alloy analysis by direct spectrometry; 3) fusion with dissolution of a precious metals collector and atomic absorption analysis of PGM in solutions. Leaching allows detecting out no more than 90% of a palladium and 80% of platinum. Fusion to a collector gives the best results at the chemical ending. Researches on sorption leaching are executed. Under optimum conditions the extraction of platinum metals to concentrates is comparable with similar indicators of collector fusion.The large part of raw materials in metallurgy of secondary platinum metals are the multilayered or tridimensional ceramic-metal systems, in particular the spent catalysts of the chemical and petrochemical industry, automobile catalysts, ceramic-metal condensers, etc. The content of the sum of PGMs can be from hundreds grams per ton to several percent. For processing of such materials the hydrometallurgical methods of platinum metals leaching by various reagents are used commonly. High chemical resistance of the ceramic basis covering the metal particles causes low recovery even at very fine grinding. Other fundamentally different method of catalysts opening includes dissolution of the ceramic basis in the solutions of hydrofluoric acid and the subsequent recovery of platinum metals from insoluble residue. Application of this method is associated to use of corrosive medias and appropriate equipment. Fusion of the specified materials with collecting of PGM by copper, nickel or lead at the specialized enterprises provides higher extraction in semiproduct. At the same time, complexity and duration of the subsequent extraction of platinum metals concentrates causes high total cost per unit. Thereby this method is economically acceptable only for rather poor raw materials (no more than 0,1%). Undoubtedly, that the raw materials with the high content of PGM are reasonable to process by individual technology. In the present work the processing of some kinds of ceramic-metal raw materials, particularly automobile catalysts (neutralizers) with various collectors at the conditions of a target fusion are investigated."

Jan 1, 2008

By Pratt Rogers, Aaron Young

This paper considers the mining industry’s need for digital transformation (DT) and presents a three-part review of the foundational components of the DT process: ubiquitous data, connectivity and decision-making. It also provides a discussion on the future of DT in mining as well as a research direction, which identifies the need of academia to provide support for mining companies in the form of both research and the education of digitally literate, dynamically capable mining engineers into the coming decades.

By SUMANT KUMAR SAMAL, BHAGIRATHA MISHRA, MANOJA KUMAR MOHANTY, SUBASH CHANDRA MISHRA

Steelmaking consumes the majority of chromium and manganese ferroalloys for purposes such as to impart various properties to steel. The quality of ore governs the process kinetics as well as the process economy of the ferroalloy industry. The present study demonstrates the thermal transformation behavior of chromite and manganese ores with varying compositions. Simultaneous thermal analysis (differential thermal analysis/thermogravimetry, DTA/TG) was conducted on these ore samples, where the transformation of mineral phases was correlated with the thermogram characteristics and quantified. Phase, microstructure and compositional analysis results of individual ores corroborated with thermal analysis are in good agreement. Chromite samples are ferruginous with goethite and gibbsite contents, whereas manganese ores vary in composition and also exhibit multiple and/or overlapping transformations.

By BUREAU OF MINES

LIST OF PUBLICATIONS ON CERAMIC INVESTIGATIONS U.S. BUREAT OF MINES .

Jan 1, 1923

By L. C. IlsLey

It is most unfortunate that a few must often suffer , and perhaps die , that many may benefit from a fuller appreciation of the dangers surrounding mining operations , and the proper use of safeguards designed to offset these dangers . This has been the case during the last few months in the anthracite field , where several explosions , resulting in burnings and fatalities , were undoubtedly caused by the use of defective or improperly assembled flame safety lamps . Had this same lack of understanding regarding the proper assembly of this safety device , and had the same indifference on the part of the user in keeping the lamps locked at all times and in proper condition , been permitted in a region where the coal dust was explosive , a terrible disaster would surely have resulted . In nearly every coal -mining country , including the United States , the Davy and Clanny type of lamp has been superseded , and rightly so , by some kind of bonneted lamp . Bonneted lamps , especially of the naphtha type , while much safer than the unbonneted , have more parts and need more care in assembling . For this reason the burden of responsibility for their being properly assembled rests with the lamp man ; therefore , it is extremely important that only competent , conscientious men be given this work .

Dec 1, 1921

By Weiguo Xie, MARK LAPUTKA

The pyrometallurgical industry plays a vital role in producing metals for our modern life. With growing demand for metals and declining grade of mineable ore, innovations become critical for many mining companies. This has given rise to the need for a review of recent improvements to the pyrometallurgical industry in terms of analytical measurement techniques, process and equipment improvements, and computer-based modeling/simulations. Because many of these innovations tend to be applied to a wider scope of metals, not restricted to a specific metal, we studied the broad applications of many improvements to a wide range of metals. We found that the challenge of a lack of robust measurement techniques under high-temperature conditions within a furnace hinders optimization of a pyrometallurgical process. Some future opportunities in the pyrometallurgical industry on analytical measurement techniques, computer modeling, and processes and equipment were also outlined and discussed.

By Andrea Brickey, JUDITH BUABA, RICHARD AMOAKO

This study applies a machine-learning technique known as multiclass logistic regression on a 10-year injury dataset from the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to determine miners’ susceptibility to injury and to help identify significant risk factors associated with different classes of injury. The analysis identifies specific risk factors that influence a mineworker’s susceptibility to a given class of injury: nonfatal with no days lost or restricted activity; nonfatal with days lost and/or days of restricted work activity; and fatal and total permanent or partial permanent disability. These factors include miner’s age, mine type (coal versus noncoal), experience on the current job (years), shift start time, employment type (operator versus contractor), mining district and type of accident. The results of the analysis indicate that a miner’s experience on the job (the number of years worked in a current job) is a significant risk to injury occurrence, even for those with decades of total mining experience.

By Eugie Kabwe

The velocity of detonation (VOD) is a significant property considered when rating an explosive, and it is quantified as a confined or unconfined velocity. The confined velocity is more significant as explosives are usually used under a definite degree of confinement. This study evaluates the stepwise increment of the air-deck volume from 10 to 30 percent, and its effect on the VOD. The VOD estimation in the 172-mm-diameter explosive column was conducted using the Dáutriche technique. The air-deck volume increment has an attenuation effect on the steady-state VOD, and detonation failure is high at 30 percent air-deck volume. This attenuation effect is directly linked to the explosive’s rating and efficacy. The air-decking approach in this study is different from conventional air-decking techniques in that it does not employ the fixed blasthole parameters, air-deck volume and specific VOD. 

By MANZOOR ALI BROHI, IZHAR MITHAL JISKANI, Atta Ur Rehman, SHUAI HAN, MUHAMMAD TARIQ, NIAZ MUHAMMAD SHAHANI

The analysis of mine safety indicators using a scientific method can improve mine safety and assist management in making informed decisions. This research establishes a mine safety evaluation index and proposes an integrative evaluation model based on the entropy weight and grey clustering methods. The index consists of 27 indicators classified into seven criteria: working environment (A), miners’ attributes (B), safety policies and education (E), prevention and control (F), and monitoring and supervision system (G). Using Pakistan’s mine safety situation as a case study, the proposed model categorized the indicators into five safety levels (very low, low, medium, high, very high) for the present situation and for their relevance in terms of future safety improvement. The results show all of the criteria falling into the very low level for the current mine safety situation. Three of the criteria — C, E and G — are identified as having very high levels of significance for future safety improvements.

By AMIT SHARMA, BIBHUTI BHUSAN MANDAL

This paper describes the vibration transmissibility characteristics of mining vehicle seats under dynamic conditions in an opencast iron ore mine. Magnitude and frequency contents of vibration signals on the seat floor as well as on top of the seats were measured to record the change during transmission. The conventional rigid seats were found to resonate at about 4 Hz, which coincides with the resonance of the human spine. The pneumatic suspension seats also proved to be more efficient in attenuating the overall vibration energy transmitted from the vehicle chassis to the human body.

By Yi Luo, FENGLIANG WU

Mine gob has long been a safety concern in the coal industry due to the air flowing through the gob area. Therefore, knowledge of the airflow distribution and locations of hazard zones in longwall gob is important to prevent and control these hazards. Due to the inaccessibility of mine gob, many numerical studies have been performed to simulate gob air leakage using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) programs, but most of the studies isolated the gob from the mine ventilation network (MVN) with only predefined pressure boundary conditions. The MVN is, in fact, not static in a dynamic longwall mining process, and it consequently changes the boundary conditions and the gob flow field (GFF). Therefore, the MVN should be incorporated in the CFD model to prescribe the transient boundaries. However, it is very challenging to couple the 1D MVN and the 2D/3D GFF to make the mine ventilation simulation realistic. This research uses a proposed novel finite tube method (FTM) to couple the MVN and GFF. In the FTM, the GFF is discretized into a finite number of flow tubes, each of which is formed by two adjacent streamlines. These tubes connect the MVN into a new coupling network. Based on the FTM, a model for gas migration in gob is established for delineating the hazard zones of explosive methane concentration and spontaneous combustion.

By Liming Yuan, James Rowland, Lihong Zhou, RICK THOMAS, DAVOOD BAHRAMI

Continuous monitoring of carbon monoxide and other fire-related parameters by means of an atmospheric monitoring system (AMS) is used in the mining industry for early fire detection. Researchers at the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have developed a direct method to calculate the fire heat release rate (HRR) when a mine fire is close to the AMS sensors, but this method is only applicable to the case where a fire occurs in AMS-monitored airways. This paper presents an improved method for determining the fire HRR using AMS sensor data at any location downstream of the fire. The method was validated using a full-scale diesel fire test conducted in the Safety Research Coal Mine at NIOSH’s Pittsburgh Mining Research Division.

By Anand Kumar, Debasis Deb, A. K. Mishra, M V. N. S. PRASAD.

In the Adriyala project, shield-leg pressure data from all shields and shearer location with time stamp from a mechanized longwall face are monitored and recorded in a surface computer. The data contain random noise due to power failure, leakage of legs, bad sensor readings, and other maintenance or geomechanical problems. An algorithm has been developed to detect mining cycle parameters such as setting and final pressures and duration of the cycle from these data for the analysis of periodic roof weighting phenomena. The intensities and persistence of periodic roof weighting are vital information for mine management to make judicious decisions on longwall operation.