Search Documents

By N. de Koker, Y Jooste, J. Gerber

This paper presents a novel application of the boundary element method for numerical modelling of the seismic activity and hazard that is associated with the shaft pillar extraction at Bambanani mine in South Africa. In the numerical model, the tabular mining excavations are represented by displacement discontinuity elements, and to accommodate crush, shear, and fault slip seismic events, the numerical model is populated with additional displacement discontinuity elements that represent modelled crush- and shear-type failures in the rockmass. Crush-type failures are evaluated by applying the limit equilibrium method and a Hoek-Brown strength criterion, and shear-type failures are evaluated by applying a Coulomb-friction strength criteria to Ortleppshear and geological features. In this paper, the modelling results are presented as time history analyses of modelled potency from 1 January 2010 to 30 June 2022 and normalised exceedance rates for different mining periods using an upper-truncated power law. The normalised exceedance rates of seismic events that have moment magnitude Mw ≥ 1.0 are lowest for the initial mining period (26 events per year) and highest for the final mining period (218 events per year). The relative errors of the modelled potency and normalised exceedance rates are typically less than 10% or 15%, which suggests that the modelling methodology is appropriate for medium- and longer-term forecasting of seismic activity and hazard, as presented in this paper. Shorter-term forecasting is not considered in this paper.

Nov 24, 2025

An independent contractor is defined by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) as ?any person, partnership, corporation, subsidiary of a corporation, firm, association or other organization that contracts to perform services or construction at a mine.? Contractors that perform specific types of work are required to report the number of employees who work at coal mines and noncoal mines.

Aug 1, 2009

By Sergey Ulianov, Arkady Senchenko, Alexey Shvets, Arkady Bakotin

"This paper contains description of research results of technology development for copper recovery from weathered tails of iron processing plant. The predominant host mineral that contains valuable component is chalcopyrite occurring in its free form and in associations with ore and rock-forming minerals. Copper grade is 0.26-0.30%. Emulsion inclusions of chalcopyrite in pyrite and sphalerite were noted. Major problem is low copper recovery (30-35%) by flotation. When studying chalcopyrite in primary concentrate it was determined that the surfaces of many chalcopyrite grains are covered with oxide films which prevented collector attachment onto them. Second issue was deep association of chalcopyrite with pyrite and sphalerite. Sulfidizing reagent addition did not help to reach the required level of copper recovery to concentrate. In the result of research performed the technological flowsheet was developed including preliminary treatment of head material in a special unit aiming at oxide films removal, followed by copper rougher flotation on head size tails, crude concentrate regrinding and a number of cleaner flotation operations. After the treatment of weathered tails according to the flowsheet developed, copper recovery to flotation concentrate became 71.53%, at 23.46% copper grade. The suggested technology allows one to solve the issue with treatment of technology-related copper-containing stockpile material, as well as to include the ores where copper is represented by sulfide minerals covered with oxide films into processing."

Jan 1, 2014

By C. S. Barrett, A. Smigelskas

There have been no publications of the deformation and recrystallization orientations of the metal beryllium, yet pronounced textures would certainly be anticipated since it is close-packed hexagonal in structure. Having an axial ratio approximately that of magnesium, beryllium probably deforms by nearly the same slip and twinning mechanisms that operate in magnesium, and the textures are likely to be similar or but slightly different from the magnesium textures. In the tests reported below this is found to be the case; the textures are found to differ from those of magnesium only in the details of the scatter from the average orientation. This report covers not only samples rolled at room temperature, but some rolled at elevated temperatures. Since magnesium has been suspected by some investigators of altering its crystallo-graphic deformation mechanism at elevated temperatures, it was considered possible that beryllium might do so and alter its textures accordingly. No pronounced alterations were found, however. Unfortunately, the theory of deformation textures is not in a state of development that permits one to deduce the deformation mechanism from a knowledge of the textures, which means that the similarity of textures at different rolling temperatures, reported here, cannot be taken as definite evidence that the deformation mechanism is actually the same at all temperatures. The general similarity of the deformation textures of magnesium and beryllium also extend to the recrystallization textures of the two metals, judging by the pole figures for recrystallized sheet presented in this report. Samples were prepared in the form of composite sheets made up of small pieces stacked in a pile. Each piece was trimmed with scissors so that an edge was parallel to the rolling direction, dipped in paraffin, and assembled into the pack by aligning it under the cross hair of a microscope. As the desired orientation was obtained on each piece it was secured in place by touching with a hot wire to melt the paraffin. A stack of ten or fifteen pieces was built up in this way, then trimmed to the shape of a T; the portion to be X rayed was then etched to the shape of a wire about 0.045 in. diam with 6N HCl. This method of shaping the sample is a modification of that used by Bakarian on magnesium.' The absorption of the rays in the sample was so slight that it caused no difficulty in interpreting the films. Exposures were made with a 0.030 in. diam pinhole, using molybdenum radiation (40 kv, 25 ma, Type A film at 5 cm, 2 to 3 hr exposures). With the recrystallized specimens it was found necessary to oscillate the specimen so as to reduce the spottiness of the lines. A range of oscillation of 5" was SUB- cient to produce reasonably satisfactory patterns, though the quality was somewhat inferior to that of the deformation texture patterns, and only two degrees of intensity were read from the arcs on the films. Typical photo-grams for each of the deformation textures and the recrystallization texture are assembled in Fig 1. The pole figures were plotted in the usual way with the intensity of the various portions of the diffraction rings estimated by eye. Seven to nine films were made of each sample and each was carefully read in plotting the pole figures. Typical series included exposures with the beam normal to the rolling direction and at 11, 26, 41, 56 and 71" to the cross direction, plus two exposures with the beam normal to the cross direction, and at 11 and 79" respectively to the rolling direction. The rolling was in each case considered sufficient to develop the final texture: the reduction by cold rolling was 84 pct (from 0.0045 to 0.0007 in. thickness), following prior hot rolling in longitudinal and transverse directions and recrystallization; the reduction by hot rolling at 800°C was 90 pct (0.010 to 0.001 in.), following similar prior treatment; the reduction by rolling at 350°C was 88 pct (from 0.005 to 0.0006 in.) after similar prior treatment. The recrystallization texture was determined on a sample rolled at 350" to a reduction of 88 pct (0.0165 to 0.002 in.) after similar prior treatment, then mounted between steel strips to keep it flat and annealed at 700" in an atmosphere of argon. Discussion of Results The results of the X ray determinations are assembled in the pole figures of Fig 2, 3, 4 and 5 for rolling at

Jan 1, 1950

Miners and mineral explorers are concerned at the increasingly hostile environment being generated towards their industry and their profession. There is little official or public recognition that the mining industry is essential for the maintenance of the country's standard of living; a large part of this hostile feeling is caused by the assumption that mining destroys large tracts of our attractive countryside. This paper presents a historic review of the impact on the countryside of the major land using groups commencing with the Polynesian migration. European farming practices, subsequent expansion of the urban dweller and the land management practices of the two Government Departments, Lands and Survey and New Zealand Forest Service who between them control half of the total land area, are discussed. Estimates of total land area to date, directly and indirectly affected by mining have been calculated and a broad estimate of 18 000 ha or 1/1500 of total land area is indicated; current annual mineral production requires some 240 ha. These gross areas take no account of subsequent land rehabilitation, its improvement upon the original in some cases and the recreational, historic and aesthetic areas gained. Comparisons are then drawn with some current land practices in New Zealand.

Jan 1, 1977

By A Parry, C Fitzmaurice

After conducting laboratory ore sorting testwork on samples of a low grade nickel ore stockpile at Western Areas’ Flying Fox nickel mine, a mobile crushing, screening and ore sorting plant was located adjacent to the stockpile. An initial two month trial of the ore sorter program proved successful and was extended to process the entire Flying Fox low grade stockpile in a further four month campaign. A total of 167 660 t of low grade ore was processed, providing highly upgraded feed trucked 26 km to the Cosmic Boy concentrator. A more than three-fold grade increase was achieved on ore sorter accepts. The moderately upgraded fines that by-passed the mobile ore sorter were also subsequently blended into plant feed. This paper describes the mineralogy of the Flying Fox low grade ore, the mobile ore sorting campaign and provides some commentary on the economic and environmental benefits achieved in the ore sorting campaign. The ore sorting campaign demonstrated the benefits of being able to utilise mobile ore sorting equipment temporarily located adjacent to sub-economic low grade stockpiles in order to effectively treat these stockpiles and produce viable plant feed.CITATION:Parry, A and Fitzmaurice, C, 2018. The upgrading of low-grade nickel ore stockpiles at Western Areas Ltd Forrestania operations, using a mobile ore sorting plant, in Proceedings 14th AusIMM Mill Operators' Conference 2018, pp 541–550 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 29, 2018

By D. A. Norrgran

The term "secondary recovery" has recently brought on a new meaning in view of the depletion of natural resources, energy conservation, plant optimization, and the environmental consciousness that has led to hazardous waste management, recycling, and secondary processing. Many secondary recovery processes are being developed applying mineral processing technology. Gravity separation, magnetic separation, and flotation have all emerged as implicit methods for recovering residual values from various process streams and hazardous constituents from waste streams. Recently, a technique for concentrating metallics has been successfully reintroduced. Although the concept of the eddy-current separator was developed over a century ago, (Patent 400317 issued to Thomas Edison on March 26, 1889) it was not until this last decade that it gained prominent acceptance. The evolution of permanent magnets has provided a cost effective alternative for the generation of high intensity magnetic fields. High energy permanent magnets have substantially reduced the capital and operating costs over the electromagnetic circuits employed in antecedent eddy-current separators. Specifically, in recent years, the strength of permanent magnets has increased several fold with neodymiun-boron-iron rare earth magnets now providing an energy product of 35 million gauss-oersted. Figure 1 shows the evolution in the strength of permanent magnets. The development of these rare earth magnets has led to the design of circuits possessing a magnetic force an order of magnitude greater than that of conventional permanent magnetic circuits.

Jan 1, 1991

By Z Li, Z Yan, T Htet, S Zhang

During the pyrometallurgical processes, a substantial quantity of high-temperature ironmaking and steelmaking slags, generated at temperatures ranging from 1400 to 1600°C, is wasted, as the heat contained in these slags is released into the environment during the tapping process without effective utilisation. On the other hand, a significant amount of energy is required to reheat the cold materials for the manufacturing of glass and mineral-wool, often necessitating the addition of high-silica materials to facilitate the production process. In this study, an innovative approach is presented to harness the heat present in molten metallurgical slags to directly produce new raw materials for glass and mineral-wool manufacturing while simultaneously reducing energy consumption and mitigating CO2 emissions. The theoretical amount of waste glass that can be effectively added in the process has been estimated via thermodynamic calculation. Experimental assessments were conducted to examine the impact of high-silica waste materials on the dissolution, melting and fluidity. Potential recipes for glass and mineral-wool manufacturing were suggested and an assessment of the energy savings, and reduction in CO2 emissions with manufacturing of glass and mineral-wool using this innovative approach were included. It was determined that the processes could lead to a reduction of over 26 kg of CO2 emissions per 100 kg of new material used, primarily due to the utilisation of heat from slag and the accelerated smelting process.

Aug 21, 2024

By S. G. Cupschalk, J. J. Wert, R. A. Buchanan

The uniaxial deformation of thermally ordered and disordered polycrystalline Cu3Pt was studied by means of the X-ray line - broadening analysis according to Warren and Averbach and the extension of this analysis to ordered fcc materials by Mikkola and Cohen. Because of the heat treatment history, extinction had a pronounced effect on the X-ray spectra of ordered and disordered C%Pt at small plastic strains. After an appropriate correction for extinction, the long-range order in thermally ordered ChPt was found to decrease at a slow constant rate with plastic strain. Furthermore, the antiphase domain probability increased at a constant rate to 17.5 pct strain. The effective particle size behavior indicated that the stacking fault energy is lower in ordered than in disordered Cu3Pt. Analysis of the stress-strain curves shouled that ordered Cuzt has a slightly lower yield Point but a much higher work-hardening rate than disordered Cu3Pt. THE presence of long-range order in a solid-solution alloy has a marked effect on its mechanical properties. While this effect has been known qualitatively for many years, it was not until recently that detailed investigations have been performed to determine the exact role long-range order plays in this strengthening mechanism. The development of an advanced, quantitative. X-ray diffraction analysis by Warren and Averbachl and the extension of this analysis to the L1, type super lattice by Mikkola and cohen2 have greatly accelerated research in this field. The research reported in this paper consisted of two primary phases. The first phase was to determine the effect of long-range order on the tensile properties of polycrystalline Cu3Pt. This objective was accomplished by comparing the stress-strain behavior of thermally ordered CusPt to that of thermally disordered CusPt. The second phase of the research was to determine the difference between the atomic arrangements in thermally ordered and thermally disordered Cu3Pt as a function of uniaxial deformation and thereby gain a deeper insight into the mechanism by which long-range order affects the tensile properties. This second objective was accomplished by applying the Warren-Averbach method of peak profile analysis to the X-ray diffraction patterns obtained from ordered and disordered Cu3Pt after given amounts of uniaxial deformation. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The Cu3Pt was prepared by vacuum melting and casting. After a homogenization anneal, the ingot was cold-rolled to sheet form. Two tensile specimens with gage sections of 2.50 by 0.500 by 0.115 in. were carefully machined from the sheet. The specimens were polished with a final step of 600-grit paper to insure smooth diffracting surfaces. Finally, one specimen was heat-treated to yield an average grain diameter of 0.016 mm and an initial degree of long-range order, S, of 0.825. The other specimen was water-quenched from above the critical temperature, 645"C, to yield an average grain diameter of 0.017 mm and zero long-range order. The heat treatment history of each specimen is shown in Table I. The tensile tests were performed utilizing a Research Incorporated Model 900.95 Materials Testing System. This unit employs a closed-loop feedback system which maintains a constant strain rate through an extensometer clipped to the gage section of the tensile specimen. A strain rate of 1.32 i0.02 x 10"4 sec-' was employed in testing both specimens. In the X-ray diffraction analysis, a General Electric XRD-5 diffractometer equipped with a pulse-height analyzer set for 90 pct efficiency was employed. The goniometer speed selected was 0.2 deg, 20, per min. Filtered Cu radiation was used for all peaks and all peaks were chart-recorded. Because of nonuni-form grain size. it was necessary to spin the specimens during X-ray analysis in order to obtain reproducible integrated intensities. The spinning rate was 2000 i100 rpm. The application of the Warren-Averbach method of peak broadening analysis to a diffraction pattern is very time consuming if done manually. In this research, the calculations involved were performed with the aid of a computer program by wagner.3 As reported by Wagner, the program is written in Fortran TV computer language. It was modified to Fortran I1 so as to be handled by the IBM 7072 computer at Van-derbilt University. In the X-ray diffraction analysis of uniaxially deformed Cu3Pt, the 100, 200. 400. 111, and 222 reflections were recorded from the initially ordered sample after 'plastic strains of 3.0, 6.0, 9.0, 12.0,

Jan 1, 1970

By D. Atkinson, C. Bodsworth, I. M. Davidson

A geometric model of interstitial solid solutions, which has been used previously as a basis for the prediction of carbon activities in Fe-C austenite, is shown to serve also for the calculation of nitrogen activities in Fe-N austenite. The model has been developed to enable predictions to be made of the activities of an interstitial element in the presence of two host atom species. The activities calculated via the model are shown to be in satisfactory agreement with the measured values in the austenite phase for carbon in Fe-C-Co, Fe-C-Cr, Fe-C-Ni, Fe-C-~n, Fe-C-Si, and Fe-C-V alloys and for nitrogen in Fe-N-Ni alloys. The effect of the second substitu-tional solute on the logarithm of the activity of the interstitial element is expressed as the product of a constant mad the atomic concentration of that solute. The constants so derived we related to the thermo-dynamic interaction coefficients which describe the effect on the activity coefficient of carbon of an added solute element. In recent years the thermodynamic activities of carbon and nitrogen in the single-phase austenite field have been determined for iron binary alloys and for several iron-base ternary alloys. In order to extend the use of these measurements, it is desirable to be able to predict with reasonable accuracy the activities of the interstitials at compositions and temperatures other than those which have been measured experimentally. In all the systems studied to date, the interstitial elements do not conform to ideal behavior. Hence, the available data cannot be extrapolated or interpolated using the simple thermodynamic concepts of solutions. Several models have, therefore, been formulated for the purpose of predicting the activity of an interstitial element in the presence of one species of host atom. These models can be divided into the geometric1"5 and energetic6-' types. The former group is based on the assumption that at low concentrations the activity of the interstitial species is determined by a composition-dependent configurational entropy term and an excess free-energy term which is temperature-dependent but independent of composition. The purpose of this paper is to show that the treatment, based on a geometric model, can be extended to enable predictions to be made of interstitial activities in the presence of two substitutional host atom species. THE CONFIGURATIONAL ENTROPY OF MIXING ICaufman5 has shown that the configurational entropy, S,, for a binary solution comprising of a host atom species, A, and an interstitial species, I, can be expressed as: where NI is the atom fraction of the interstitial species, R is the gas constant, and (2 - 1) is the number of interstitial sites excluded from occupancy by the strain field around each added interstitial atom. The number of interstitial sites per host atom, p, is unityg for the fcc austenite solutions considered here. The configurational entropy of mixing for a ternary solution comprising two substitutional atom species, A and B, and one interstitial species, I, can be derived similarly. Let the number of atoms per mole of each of these species in the solution be represented by «a, ng, and nI. From geometric considerations, it is improbable that the addition of a few atom percent of a second host atom species will change the type of sites (i.e., octahedral) in which the interstitial atom can be accommodated in the austenite lattice. At higher concentrations (determined largely by the relative atomic radii of the atomic species present and any tendency to nonrandom occupancy of the host lattice sites) other types of interstitial sites may become energetically favorable. Restricting consideration to compositions below this limit, for 1 = 1 the number of suitable interstitial sites is given by (n + nB). However, if each interstitial atom excludes from occupancy (Z - 1) additional sites, the total number of sites available for occupation is reduced to (n + ng)/Z. The number of vacant interstitial sites is given by: The total number of recognizable permutations of the atoms must include the recognizable, different configurations of the A and B atoms on the host lattice. Assuming that these arrangements are purely random, and are not affected by the presence of the interstitial species, the total number of recognizable permutations in the ternary alloy is given by: The configurational entropy is obtained by expanding, using Stirling's approximation, and collecting like items, as:

Jan 1, 1969

By Sheldon P. Wimpfen

Back in 1970 Congress passed the National Mining and Minerals policy Act, which had as one of its basic tenets to rely on a strong and stable private minerals industry for the development and production of our mineral resources. Since then, a substantial amount of legislation has been introduced that impacts on the minerals industry. Although most of the bills proposed are not passed into law, each bill affecting minerals and mining is given careful review by the Bureau of Mines. Comment is forwarded with the object of being helpful to legislators by providing our assessment of the probable impact of each bill proposed along with suggestions to improve them. Actually few bills introduced become law. For example, in the 93rd Congress 4,260 bills were introduced in the Senate and 17,690 in the House. In the final accounting there were passed 123 private laws and 649 public, 3 percent of the bills introduced. There would be little merit here in attempting to analyze each mineral-related bill that was proposed. Many are similar and aim at making a certain aspect of our minerals activity fit needs. So, to simplify the task the many bills have been grouped by subjects. Slide 1 shows the principal topics and the number of related bills introduced. Putting it altogether, there are 26 principal subjects and almost 200 bills. And these numbers are probably off somewhat, as this accounting was made early in December.

Jan 1, 1976

By A. Boulton

Low molecular weight synthetic polymers substituted with hydroxyl, carboxyl or sulfonate functional groups were used to improve the flotation separation of zinc or copper sulfide minerals from iron sulfide gangue minerals in three massive sulfide ores of different mineral composition. These polymers produced significant improvements in zinc or copper grades as a result of a selective depression of iron sulfide minerals. It was shown that this selectivity was the result of preferential adsorption of the polymer on the surface of the iron sulfide minerals. The different types of interaction between the functional group on the polymers and the sulfide mineral surfaces could explain the trends observed in the flotation results.

Jan 1, 2003

By Jay Black

In the thiosulfate gold leaching process gold is oxidized to Au+ by a copper(II) ammine catalyst and complexed by thiosulfate. Copper(I) complexes, formed during gold oxidation, are reoxidised to Cu(II) complexes by oxygen. In this study, we present the results of a spectrophotometric study of the Cu(I)-NH3-Cl system, which follows on from our recent investigations of speciation in the Cu(I)-Cl and Cu(I)-S2O3-Cl systems and is part of a detailed study of copper(I) speciation associated with the gold leaching process. Formation constants for Cu(I)-NH3-Cl complexes have been determined by modeling the systematic changes in the UV spectra that occur as the concentration of the components is varied. The analysis of the data indicates that three Cu(I)-ammonia complexes are present, i.e., [Cu(NH3)2]+, [Cu(NH3)Cl2]- and [Cu(NH3)2Cl] and their respective log Kf values are 11.13, 8.33 and 10.79 at 25°C. Investigations of the oxidation of Cu(I)-NH3-Cl solutions by oxygen in the atmosphere are also presented. These experiments indicate that the reaction of copper(I) complexes progresses through various intermediates. The presence of many copper(I) and copper(II) complexes in ammonia thiosulfate solutions complicates the task of determining optimal conditions for gold leaching. Further studies are needed to identify the complexes and chemical processes that are important in the Cu(I)-NH3-S2O3-Cl system.

Jan 1, 2003

By C. N. Eze, C. K. Ezeh, O. Nnabuife, N. M. Ugwoju, S. C. Enemuor, V. Okechukwu

In this study, the efficacy of Providencia vermicola KUBT-1 in the leaching and beneficiation of Agbaja iron ore was evaluated under varying conditions of temperature, ore particle size, and pH. Agbaja iron ore is a Nigerian low-grade ore containing about 43%–52% iron and a high amount of gangue materials, including phosphorus (1.4%–2.0%) and sulphur (0.12%). The study was organised in triplicate in shake flasks with 48 samples. One millilitre of washed cells of Providencia vermicola KUBT-1 suspended in normal saline at 0.5 McFarland standard (108 cells ml-1) was introduced into each flask containing 50 g of sterilised ore in 100 ml of bioleaching medium, and the samples incubated at room temperature for eight weeks. The levels of upgraded iron, mobilised sulphur, and phosphorus were determined by atomic absorption and ultraviolet spectrophotometric analyses, respectively. Results showed that a particle size of 0.8 mm was optimal for iron upgrading and sulphur mobilisation while 1.0 mm ore size was optimal for phosphorus mobilisation. Up to 89.60% of the iron was upgraded while phosphorus and sulphur were mobilised, leaving residual values of 0.223% and 0.02%, in the ore, respectively. The organism produced best beneficiation results at a pH of 2.5 and a temperature of 3ºC. Correlation analysis with the Pearson’s correlation model showed a positive correlation between iron upgrading and sulphur-phosphorus removal (r =1.000, and r =0.967), respectively. These results present Providencia vermicola KUBT-1 as a promising candidate for large scale leaching and beneficiation of Agbaja iron ore.

Dec 15, 2025

By O. Tranbarger

In aging tunnels, wall and roof deterioration can eventually result in defects that must be detected and repaired to maintain safe structural conditions. In investigating tunnel defect conditions, a specialized FM radar system was developed with a programmable VHF and UHF operating sweep range for optimizing the penetration and measurement capabilities. The new FM radar technology was tested in two aging brick-lined tunnels in New York City. Test results showed that FM radar signals could penetrate eight courses of water-saturated brick and that the original steel liner outside the tunnel walls was intact.

Jan 1, 1985

By P Revell, B Adair, D King, L Keeney

Grade Engineering®, integrated across the mine value chain, has a pivotal role to play in achieving step change reductions in energy and water usage in mine operations. High levels of gangue rejection in the mine can significantly improve mineral head grades and overall productivity. A highly successful example is described at the Minera San Cristóbal (MSC) operation. The nature of the mineralisation in their “intrusive” ore domains in particular has facilitated high rejection rates (75 % of the mass), with significant upgrading of metal to the “accepts” streams (equating to a 2.6 times upgrade in the intrinsic Nett Smelter Return). Results from a series of production trials have confirmed these strong upgrades, resulting in the transformation of mineralised “marginal wastes” to high grade ore feedstocks. If new approaches to more energy and water efficient comminution and separation technologies can also realise gangue rejection at finer sizes in the concentrator, then preconcentration strategies across the value chain also offer the promise of no wet tailings treatment facilities and greatly reduced volumes of waste streams. This “No Tails” strategy is discussed, along with the integrated technologies needed to realise its effect. The work suggests a pathway and insights of a sustainable future for the Minerals Industry, unconstrained by Energy and Water, along with no requirement to produce problematic disposal streams. This strategy has the potential to significantly reposition the social, environmental, financial, and regulatory context of existing and new mining opportunities.

Nov 10, 2020

By AIME AIME

A LUSTY baby of the Institute, the Coal Division, showed that it had acquired a full set of teeth and was capable of man's work at the Division meeting at Fairmont, W. Va., on March 26 and 27. At this second of a series of field meetings, the first of which was held in Pittsburgh last fall, the industry in the East was represented from top to bottom and good humor and enthusiasm were the predominant notes. West Virginians are always good hosts and this meeting would have proved the statement to any inclined to doubt it. The spacious auditorium of the Fairmont Hotel was arranged for the technical sessions, the hotel being headquarters for the meeting. About a hundred and twenty-five representatives were registered and in attendance when Thomas G. Fear, chairman, opened the morning session at 10 o'clock Mr. Fear first introduced Howard Eavenson, vice-chairman of the morning program, who, as chairman of the Coal Division, had labored long and cheerfully to make the meeting successful. Mr. Eavenson talked briefly on what the organization was doing, pointing out that these field meetings were designed to bring the members into closer touch with the parent Institute and give the younger engineers in the field a better opportunity to participate in the work the Institute is doing. He congratulated the various committees for their work in promoting the meeting.

Jan 1, 1931

By Osvaldo A. Bascur

One of the most vigorous of the continuous improvement methodologies is Six Sigma. While usually associated with improving manufacturing and product quality, leading manufacturers are using it to improve their extended supply chain and logistics capabilities. At the same time they are improving reliability, some companies have cut hundreds of millions of dollars of fat out of their supply chain. Mine to Mill optimization is a transformation of culture from processing tons to processing a quality feed size distribution which reduces the overall operational costs and add the highest value to the mine. This is not a constant endeavor. As such, a dynamic performance monitoring and diagnosis is necessary. We will review a systemic way to performance improvements and avoiding metal losses from the blast to the metals. We show the requirements of using raw data to analysis the data to define operational maps which provide assistance to run the mine and mill. A case study is provided with the mine and mill data was integrated combining process control and quality information resulting in reduction of water and energy consumption while improving the overall value of the mine. The results of reengineering the current system with this SIX SIGMA Strategy had the following results: an increase of ore milling: 4.6% decrease of mil power: 3.9%, decrease of fresh water consumption: 6.8%, with a total of net profits: US$ 31.8 million, the PI System infrastructure contribution: US$ 7.95 million. These estimates were for the period 2009/04/04 to 2009/12/31.

Sep 1, 2012

By William C. Miller

This report describes investigations by the Bureau of Mines designed to establish the noise level and spectrum of various types of pneumatic rock drills and to furnish information that would be useful in conducting sound measurements in mining environments and in reducing the noise generated in pneumatic drilling. These investigations show that (1) the noise generated by the drills in the frequencies below 100 cps is caused by the impact of the piston and drill steel, in the frequency range between 100 and 2,000 cps by the exhausting of air from the ports, and in the frequencies above 2,000 cps by the resonant frequencies of steel drill parts and of drill steel; (2) satisfactory instruments and instrumentation systems are available for field and laboratory measurements; (3) reliable sound measurements can be made in mining environments; and (4) devices can be developed that will abate the noise.

Jan 1, 1963

By The DY125-33(Leg 2) Science Parties, Chuanshun Li, Xuefa Shi, Bing Li

"The slow-spreading Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR), with a length of ~1.26*104km (Bird, 2003), is the longest mid-ocean ridge on this plant. Separated by the large, left-stepping Equatorial fracture zones, it then be divided into two approximately equal-length parts: Northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge (NMAR, ~6292km) with an average spreading rate of 24mm/yr, and Southern Mid-Atlantic Ridge (SMAR, ~6332km) of 33mm/yr (calculated from PB2002 model, Bird, 2003). Previous works (e.g. Fouquet 1997, Hannington et al., 2011) suggest that slow-spreading ridge could support hydrothermal activities and further favorable for the development of extensive seafloor massive sulfide deposits (SMS). Unlike the NMAR for which large part has been explored for SMS (Hannington et al., 2011; Beaulieu et al., 2015), the SMAR is amongst the least hydrothermal explored spreading ridges until now (Haase et al., 2005, Beaulieu et al., 2015), though both of them show significant similarities in terms of spreading rate, ridge morphology, segmentation, etc. (Macdonald et al., 2001, Sandwell et al., 2014, Tucholke et al., 2008).Before this work, several hydrothermal cruises had been to SMAR since British and German programs starting in 2002, some hydrothermal fields, along with systematic geophysical data, were newly investigated, and types of geologic setting that can host hydrothermal activity were firstly identified (e.g. German et al., 2008; Haase et al.,2005; Haase et al.,2009; Devey et al.,2010; Schmidt et al.,2011).."

Jan 1, 2017