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By N. Mohan, A. K. Biswas, V. Y. Sampat Kumar

At low sodium-oleate concentration, calcite flotation is substantially improved by the use of CO2 instead of air. Electrophoretic mobility measurements indicate that carbonation results in the accumulation o f positive charge on the calcite particles. This heightens adsorption of oleate anion, an effect confirmed by tracer-technique measurements. Fundamental insight is obtained as to how CO2 serves better as an activator than some mineral and organic acids, how oxalic acid acts as a depressor, and why the influence of Ca++ ions, liberated during carbonation, on flotation behavior of calcite is insignificant and sometimes adverse.

Jan 1, 1972

A novel method of reconditioning vertical rock openings which are on the verge of collapse has been developed, ant1 a world patent applied for, by LKAB, the Swedish iron ore mining company. Without anyone descending into the dangerous opening, workers can place concrete reinforcement in the unstable section using sand-filled canvas tubes which LKAR development engineers are calling "stockings." First application of the new technique was in several inclined ore pockets which form part of the underground crushing and loading station at LKAB's Kiirunavaara mine in Swedish Lapland. LKAB experience demonstrated that with other methods it took about three months to repair a pocket, and neighboring pockets had to be closed while repairs were underway. With the new stocking method, the work was completed in three weeks with no disruption of nearby activities. Production losses amounted to 10% over the three-week period, as opposed to 30% with other methods. The simplified technique could save millions of dollars in underground maintenance, according to LKAB.

Jan 11, 1978

By R. A. Turpin

Bethlehem Steel's Research Department is developing a set of computer programs as mine-planning tools for Bethlehem's coal mines. Several of these computer programs have been completed and have been in routine use by Bethlehem Mines personnel since early 1975. The production scheduling and ventilation planning programs have been installed on an interactive time-sharing computer. The use of time sharing allows mines in remote locations to access these planning tools through standard phone lines and low-cost computer terminals. The capabilities of the interactive production scheduling and ventilation planning programs are briefly described. The advantages of implementing them using time sharing are discussed. A case study illustrates some of the benefits that planning based on the use of these programs has already provided.

Jan 1, 1977

Bellows Connector Fabricated of chemically inert Teflon, the new bellows type connector has many pipe line applications where vibration, expansion and electrolysis exist in the handling of corrosive liquids or gases and solvents. The new connector is electrically non-conductive, flexible even at 94°F and as strong as 480°F as at 70°F, according to the manufacturer. This bellows connector serves as a [ ] vibration dampener as well as an expansion joint and connects misaligned couplings and insulates flanges electrically. End flanges of the joint are French-type envelope gaskets made integral with the joint for easy assembly between companion flanges and a tight, leak-proof seal on installation. Circle No. 1

Jan 1, 1952

By Alexandre Mussard

How do you make a mine out of 500 000 kg (1.1 million lb) of uranium oxide contained in a low-grade deposit with high clay content? Confronted with these limited reserves and mineralogical problems at France's St. Pierre du Cantal uranium deposit, engineers adopted a rather unusual mill process to keep capital costs to a minimum. Crushing and grinding were eliminated by using a high pressure monitor to slurry ore directly from stockpiles. After mechanical separation of the high-grade fines from low-grade sand, the sand fraction is washed of clay to increase permeability and then it is heap leached. Fines are sent to agitated vessels for acid leaching, and the pulp from this operation is diluted by pregnant solution from the heap leaching.

Jan 10, 1979

By D. Hugh Trollope, L. A. Fekete

L.A. Fekete (Project Engineer, Johnson B & Assoc. Engineers, Houston.) - The author tries to classify rock slopes in: a) homogeneous monolith, b) random, c) block-jointed systems. This may be practical at a specific mine, but it does not describe the mechanical behavior of the slopes in general. The difficulty with the problems of earth mechanics is the same, as with other structural problems: To

Jan 1, 1963

The following are excerpts from the report of the Treasurer of the United Engineering Society, for the year ending Dec. 31, 1915. Finances Due to the growth of the activities of the United Engineering Society, it was found desirable early in the year to consolidate the various accounts and financial records of the Society and of the Library, heretofore kept separately, and to have all the data pertaining to the building and its operation in the charge of one individual. An assistant secretary especially assigned to this work has been appointed, and a separate office has been established. The Finance Committee has had all of the records brought fully to date and has prepared a new set of account books to meet the new conditions. The Real Estate Account now includes the following items: Land $ 540,000.00 Building 1,050,000.00 Equipment 33,171.16 Founder Societies, Preliminary expenses 24,000.00 Total $1,647,171.16

Jan 4, 1916

By Michael G. Schill, Mark C. Fischer

Since its introduction several years ago in the United States, the high pressure belt filter press has proven to be a highly cost-effective dewatering device in a number of mining and industrial applications. To evaluate the process and economic factors associated with the dewatering of coal refuse, a comprehensive program of laboratory and on-site pilot studies has been conducted. This paper will summarize findings of this study and discuss advantages of the belt filter press over conventional dewatering methods. The conventional means of dewatering thickened coal refuse involves the use of vacuum disc filters or centrifuges. Due to the high amount of energy used to dewater refuse with these devices it was a logical course of action to apply belt filter press technology to this application, since a belt filter press will require less than 3.7 kW (connected).

Jan 1, 1982

By C. L. Sollenberger, R. B. Greenwalt

PERHAPS the most widely used dispersants or gangue depressants in nonmetallic flotation are sodium silicates, which vary in silica-to-soda ratio from 1 to 3.75. Typical manufactured silicates in order of decreasing solubility and increasing amounts of silica are Metso, silica-to-soda ratio of 1.00; D, 2.00; RU, 2.40; K, 2.90; N, 3.22; and S-35, 3.75.* References in flotation literature's to the use of sodium silicates are often weak because they fail to mention the type of silicate used. Metso and silicate N have occasionally been mentioned, but when the type of silicate is not mentioned, it is usually assumed to be N, the cheapest of the soluble silicates and the one recommended by sodium silicate manufacturers as a flotation agent.

Jan 6, 1958

By G. H. Jardine

In future years, decision makers in the coal industry will make more and more decisions based on information from computer-based models. Whilst the use of such techniques will provide many advantages for coal companies, particularly in terms of efficient utilisation of their human resources, it is equally important for the decision makers to have an awareness of the limitations inherent in each particular computer-based model being used to provide information for the decision making process. A recommended procedure for identifying such limitations - by analysing the 3 major elements of the model - is presented. The human aspects of increased use of computer-based techniques are emphasised throughout the paper.

Jan 1, 1983

By Alan C. Noble

INTRODUCTION Forecasting of metal and mineral prices is a complex and hazardous undertaking. In order to accurately forecast prices, the complexities of both marketing and production must be modeled for each commodity. Even with the most detailed model, the economy may change unexpectedly, invalidating the forecast. Because of these factors, this chapter will not attempt to present specific methods for price estimation. It will, however, review the fundamentals of price forecasting as applied to planning and design of the final pit shell. Recognizing that no price estimate can be exact, sensitivity analysis will be reviewed as an approach to coping with these unknown variations.

Jan 1, 1979

By C. W. Merrill

The cyanide process in the United States, notwithstanding numerous failures made under the direction of the owners of the patent-rights, and others, has now passed its experimeiital stage, and can, undoubtedly, be made successful when intelligently applied to suitable material. Much, however, remains to be known as to the exact conditions under which this process is applicable to the treatment of gold-bearing ores. If the owners of the patent-rights in this country have ever scientifically investigated the matter, they have never published any valuable informatioil on the subject. Other parties who are now using the process (often independently of the patentees), have nothing to gain by publishing their experience; and, moreover, many of the chemical reactions described in the text-books refer to the use of solutions of potassium cyanide many times stronger than are used in the metallurgical process.

Jan 1, 1896

By N. L. Ananthanarayanan, J. F. Libsch

A LITERATURE survey1-' of sintering metal pow-A ders and powder compacts indicates that studies have so far been confined primarily to the latter stages of sintering in relatively coarse powders. Presumably this is due to the difficult techniques associated with studies of the early stages of sintering. Recent experimental and theoretical investigationsL-" on the preparation and the magnetic properties of ultrafine ferromagnetic powders suggest the possi- bility of following the sintering process from a very much earlier stage than has previously been considered. It is now well-known that ferromagnetic powder particles which are below a critical size behave as single domains and exhibit permanent magnet qualities characterized by a very high coercive force. When the same particles are fully sintered, the coercive force decreases to very low values corresponding to those of the solid metal. Thus the coercive force appears as a sensitive parameter which may be measured to study the early stages of sintering. To determine the feasibility of this technique, experi-

Jan 1, 1954

By Irvin Mayes, Maher E. Tadros

The effects of particle properties and dispersion on the filtration behavior of magnesiumhydroxide, silica, and polystyrene suspensions in aqueous media were examined. It was found that effective separation of particles can be achieved using filter media with larger pore diameters than the size of the particles. The addition of electrolytes, at concentrations lower than the critical coagulation concentration, to suspensions of polystyrene or silica resulted in an increase of the cake resistance. This result was interpreted in terms of a decrease in the effective particle size due to the increase in ionic strength. For magnesium hydroxide, an increase in the absolute value of the surface charge was associated with an increase in cake resistance and a decrease in cake compressibility. Low cake resistance values were obtained with suspensions of large particles with low surface charge and blocky morphology.

Jan 1, 1980

By Paul Levin

A coal preparation plant built with conventional materials only might be able to do an efficient job of preparing coal, but its maintenance costs would be high and emergency shutdowns frequent. To remedy this situation special materials are being used, either in original plant construction or for replacement of conventional materials. The special materials vary from high-strength and abrasion-resisting steels and stainless steel alloys to ceramics. They include hard surfacing welding rods, rubber refractories and some of the newer plastics, the merits of which are cited by the author. A coal preparation plant, limited strictly to the use of conventional materials-for example, mild steel, cast iron and ordinary rubber-could, no doubt, do an efficient job of preparing coal, but the high cost of maintenance and increasingly frequent emergency outages would soon force the operator to seek relief by introducing special materials such as alloyed steels, oil-resistant rubbers and hard-surfacing welding rods.

Jan 6, 1964

By L. J. Lorig, B. H. G. Brady

The Discrete Element Method is a numerical technique suitable for use in modeling the discontinuum behavior of jointed rock. The disadvantage of this method, in its application to analysis of underground excavations, is the necessity to discretize the complete problem domain. Since the far-field rock responds to the excavation as an elastic continuum, it may be appropriately represented by the Boundary Element Method. This exploits the inherent advantage of the Boundary Element Method in representing a quasi-infinite domain in terms of its internal surface geometry and associated boundary conditions. The procedures employed in developing a first-generation coupled Discrete Element-Boundary Element algorithm are described and the solution to a simple problem verifying the performance of the coupled code is presented. A procedure for numerical treatment of installed support systems is also presented.

Jan 1, 1982

By Frank Firmstone

In the Kaernthner Zeitschrift, No. 2, 1881, p. 53, et seq., Prof. Ledebur details some experiments on the power of various silicates of lime and alumina, magnesia and alumina, and lime, magnesia and alumina, to remove sulphur from pig-iron, from which it appears (as has long been recognized in practice) that the more basic the silicate the greater the quantity of sulphur it will take up; but also that for the same grade of silicate, this quantity is greatest for the lime-alumina silicate and least for the magnesia-alumina silicate, the lime-magnesia-alumina silicate occupying an intermediate position, and he concluded therefrom (p. 59) that, for the production of pig-iron low in sulphur, pure limestones are to be preferred to those containing magnesia. Much the same opinion has been published elsewhere on high authority, and lately (not to multiply references) by Sir Lowthian

Jan 1, 1895

Meeting of June 4, 1915.-The President announced the appointment of the following Committee on National Reserve Corps of Engineers: Dr. Henry S. Drinker, Chairman; Arthur S. Dwight, and Warren A. Wilbur; also, the appointment of Arthur F. L. Bell as Chairman of the Committee on Petroleum and Gas, and of James F. hemp as Chairman of the Committee on Mining Geology. All of these appointments were approved. It was voted that the following minute be, placed on record and a copy sent, by order of the Board of Directors, to the family of John Birkinbine: "The Board of Directors of the American Institute of Mining Engineers hereby records its sense of sorrow and loss in the death of John Birkinbine, a former President, and for many years an active member of the Institute, and contributor to its Transactions. "Mr. Birkinbine's eminence as an engineer, author and editor, intimately connected with the industrial progress of the United States, brought him into contact With the leaders of science and the captains of industry, among whom his genial and estimable personal character won for him many friends; and his departure in the prime of Strength and usefulness is mourned by a wide circle."

Jan 7, 1915

By W. R. Wardner

During 1928 low prices in the East greatly restricted the Atlantic market for California petroleum. The situation was made difficult by only partial control of production. The month of December is estimated in the figures presented here and it is hoped that the differences in the final figures will be immaterial. Daily averages are used throughout. Production Daily average crude production for 1928 was 633,942 bbl., very little more than 1927. Natural gasoline production was 35,453 bbl. daily and the supply (crude and natural gasoline) was 669,395 bbl. However, potential supply was 785,621 bbl. daily, 47,436 more than that of 1927. This is accounted for by more production being shut in so that 116,000 bbl. daily was conserved in 1928 which would otherwise have been produced. Fig. 1 shows production by months for 1928. It will be noticed that while crude production held fairly uniform from January to October, the

Jan 1, 1929