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By K. K. Clark, W. H. Somerton

The feasibility of reducing pressures needed to fracture formations by heating the borehole intensively has been investigated on a laboratory scale. Reductions in fracture pressures of heated Bandera, Berea and Boise sandstone cores were observed at various confining pressures, simulating reservoir stress conditions to a depth of 5,000 ft. Both permeable and impermeable borehole boundary conditions were tested. Three heating conditions were used in the tests. One group of samples was heated in a furnace to a temperature of 600C, cooled to room temperature., and then tested for fracture pressures. Two other groups of samples were heated with a borehole heater to maximum borehole wall temperatures of 625 and 792C, then cooled and tested. In all cases, heated samples showed substantial reductions in fracture pressures compared to unheated samples. The higher temperature borehole heated samples showed the greatest reduction, amounting to 70 per cent in the extreme case. In actual application to wells, it was concluded that fracture pressures may be reduced by 20 to 50 per cent by intensive borehole heating before fracturing. INTRODUCTION Hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas wells is an accepted and effective technique for increasing well productivity in many areas, but is notoriously unsuccessful in other areas. The technique becomes less interesting for production stimulation purposes when excessive fracture pressures are necessary. Formations which do fracture but require high pressures, probably form horizontal fractures. There is good evidence to indicate that some formations do not fracture at all, but yield plastically under high pressure. Thus, any technique which will make formations easier to fracture or will reduce fracture pressures is potentially interesting to petroleum producers. Horizontal fractures generally occur in planes of weakness, such as bedding planes, and at pressures equaling or exceeding the effective overburden stress. In the unusual case where planes of weakness do not exist, a slightly higher pressure must be applied to overcome the tensile strength of the rock. In general, high fluid-loss fracturing fluids are conducive to the formation of horizontal fractures.1 Vertical fractures, when they do occur, are initiated at pressures generally lower than overburden pressure and are favored by low fluid-loss fracturing fluids or impermeable boreholes. The pressure necessary to create a vertical fracture in an impermeable, elastic medium can be predicted from the so-called "thick-walled cylinder" equation: Pf = 2 or+ st.............(1) where pf = fracture pressure or = radial stress st = tensile strength of medium. This equation indicates that to fracture it is necessary to overcome a tangential compressive stress, induced by and equal to two times the radial confining stress, plus the tensile strength of the medium. If the above equation held strictly true for rocks, very little could be done to reduce fracture pressure. The tensile strength of the rock might be reduced somewhat, but any change in st would be small compared to the magnitude of the tangential stress at reasonable subsurface depths. Laboratory tests have shown that actual fracture pressures exceed values predicted from Eq. 1 by factors of 1.4 to 28.6.1,2 Eq. 1 thus does not properly describe the

Jan 1, 1966

By E. M. Kawenski, J. K. Richmond, M. J. Sapko, G. C. Price

This Bureau of Mines publication presents investigators' reports of all major coal mine explosion disasters that occurred in the United States from 1959 through November 1981, along with a brief analysis of common factors in these disasters, The report reviews the Federal mine health and safety acts of 1969 and 1977, and discusses how implementation of these acts has reduced the number of both fatalities and disasters, Current Bureau health and safety research is summarized, and an appendix lists most of the ignitions and explosions in the period of record,

Jan 1, 1983

The addition of a thallous salt to the cyanide leach of a calcined pyritic concentrate causes a marked increase in the"rate of extraction of gold. This probably is due to the activation of passive gold by.th,e. thallous ions'.''Lea'd, bismuth, and mercury salts, which should produce ' a, similai effect, fail to do so. It is postulated that'this latter result, together with'the reprecipitation of silver at low cyanide levels, is due to the presence of soluble sulphide. The use of thallous salts to reduce leaching time is discussed briefly.

Jan 1, 1964

By T. L. Joseph

IT is a distinct privilege to participate in this meeting convened to honor the memory of Henry Marion Howe, a distinguished scientist and metallurgist. Many have added to our rapidly growing fund of metallurgical knowledge but few have made the unique contribution of formulating basic concepts essential to an over-all comprehensive view of the subject of metallography. Of those previously selected to deliver this lecture, several have added a personal touch to their discourse because they were able to refer to their associations with Dr. Howe. It was not my good fortune to know him or to enjoy his inspiring influence. Like most of you, my contact has been with his published works, which are outstanding in that they provide lucid, detailed expositions of the nature and behavior of metals and alloys. His deep understanding and clarity of expression have greatly accelerated our progress in metallography and in the use of metals. The degree to which a man's thinking, experimentation and writing contribute toward an understanding of basic laws and phenomena determines whether his life's work is of transitory or permanent value. This occasion appropriately recognizes the fundamental importance of Dr. Howe's pioneer work in the field of metallurgy. On two former occasions, gray iron was selected as a subject for discussion. The fact that the production of pig iron has not been discussed before does not reflect any lack of interest on the part of Dr. Howe or former lecturers in the process that under- lies the production of steel. Although Dr. Howe's work in his later years centered around metallography, his earlier publications show a considerable interest in the production of iron and steel. He recognized that in the ascending spiral of metallurgical advancement we are not winding a single thread but are weaving a complex fabric. Specific evidence of his interest in the production of pig iron may be found in his book1 on The Metallography of Cast Iron and Steel. In explaining why blast furnaces have been in constant use for about 600 years, he says: "The process is economical because it utilizes with extraordinary completeness the calorific power of the coke due to the thorough transfer of heat from the gaseous products of combustion to the charge." This emphasis on heat transfer, overlooked in many more extended and more recent discussions of the blast-furnace process, illustrates Professor Howe's ability to see the essentials. Other distinct advantages of the blast furnace, such as the removal of much of the sulphur and practically all of the oxygen, were mentioned. It was also stated that although the blast- furnace process is complex in nature, its outward form is comparatively simple, thus permitting large-scale production at small labor costs. All who contemplate the production of metallic iron from its ores by any other process might well consider the

Jan 1, 1946

By J. R. Finlay

The Cæur d'Alene silver-lead mining district of northern Idaho is probably best known to the general public as a seat of labor-troubles. So far as the writer is aware, little has been written and little is known about its geology and resources. People interested in lead-smelting are, of course, cognizant of the economic importance of the region, but they have not communicated much of their knowledge to the public. Exact figures as to the total output of the district are not obtainable, but the following estimates, covering the entire output of the 15 years during which the mines have been operated, are believed to be approximately correct: Group of Mines. Product. Wardner Group, including the Bunker Hill and Sul livan, Empire State-Idaho, Last Chance, Sierra Nevada, bur d'Alene Development Co... . $17,500,000 Cafion Creek Group, including the Gem, Frisco Con solidated, Granite, Standard, Mammoth, Hecla, Tiger-Poorman, Custer and Bell,.... 35,000,000 Mullan Group, including the Morning, You Like and Gold Hunter,........7,500,000 $60,000,000 This output covers the period of discovery and early struggles, and several periods of stagnation caused by strikes and other serious labor-troubles. In 1900 the output of the district was fully $10,000,000, and this figure would have been considerably increased in 1901 had not a curtailment of production been forced by the condition of the lead-market. In 1901 the product was about 150,000 tons of concentrates, with a gross. value of $8,250,000.

Jan 1, 1903

By John W. Brauns

18.1-RAILROAD JOHN W. BRAUNS Conventional railroad haulage can be employed at both open-pit or strip and underground mines-in the latter case, largely for transfer of ore from distant openings to processing plants, or processed material to loading points or docks, using standard hopper cars for bottom unloading or gondolas for rotary dumping. The major application, however, is in surface mining for moving ore and/or waste out of the pit to a crushing plant or dump. Consequently, the following will deal largely with this phase of railroad operation, though the conclusions apply equally, for the most part, to other rail-type surface haulage. In surface mining, trains consisting of a locomotive and gondola or side-dump cars suitable for loading by power shovels are used. Gondolas are restricted to hauling ore as a rotary dumper is required. Side-dump cars are more versatile, carrying both ore and waste, but because of their additional dumping mechanism they are likely to be more expensive to maintain.' Also they weigh up to twice a flat-bottom car of the same capacity and. therefore, fewer" cars can be hauled per train. Standard-gage track is most commonly used. Track systems incorporate low-quality temporary track where moves are frequent and permanent high-quality track on main lines. Rail haulage can be used alone, or in combination with other surface haulage methods, thus permitting a selection best adapted to the peculiar requirements of each mining project. 18.1.1---GENERAL APPLICABILITY, CONTROLLING PHYSICAL CONDITIONS For handling rough rock, the shovel-train system is unexcelled.' The ideal applica¬tion is in a large, but not excessively deep, open pit mine from which the coarsely blasted ore and waste must be transported over 3 mi. If. in addition, a high production rate is to he maintained, railroad haulage probably will afford a lower cost per ton transported. Grade must he relatively gentle-usually 3% uphill and 4% downhill. The greater the differences in elevation involved, the greater are the track grade space requirements; for example, a 3 c ramp out of a pit only 300 ft deep is almost 2 mi long. Main-line track locations should he selected carefully so that the number of moves during the life of the mining operation can he kept to a minimum. This applies both to the ore haulageway and that for waste. Such moves are not only expensive, but are difficult to execute without adversely affecting production rates. The large mine affords greater opportunities for judicious location of semipermanent trackage. Figs. 18-1 and 18-2 illustrate typical track layouts. The effect of terrain in considering railroad haulage is confined chiefly to the initial cost of the installation. Grade construction in mountainous territory is ap¬preciably more expensive. However, if that expense can be borne, the subsequent maintenance cost of trackage will not he much higher than in areas of low relief.

Jan 1, 1973

By P. S. Miller, S. H. Ash

EXTENSIVE and diversified resources justify large populations and great industries. To carry on the business of commerce and meet the demands of large populations, the utilization of tunnels in some form for transportation purposes constitutes an important link in modern civilization. The driving of tunnels has been appropriated by the tunneling branch of the heavy-construction industry, and the progressive steps taken by modern tunnel builders were not even dreamed of 50 years ago. Great strides have been made toward more rapid progress in tunneling in the United States during the past 10 years. Tunneling consists of a definite cycle of operations developed from ideas that are crystallized and translated into action programs through various engineering phases that begin with the first preliminary survey and do not end until the job is completed. Once the line of the bore is established and a time set for the completion of the work, the face must advance according to estimates prepared before the work commences. This schedule must be followed in regular sequence from the moment the drills start against a new face of rock until they are ready again to drill the succeeding face, constituting a round.1 Mining is largely tunneling carried on under conditions often more inherently hazardous than actual tunnel construction, but for various reasons1 tunneling is more hazardous than mining in any branch of the mineral industry, On the other hand, obstacles are sometimes encountered in heavy-construction tunneling projects that when met in mining enterprises do not offer comparable tasks to avoid or overcome them. One of these is the existence of water under high pressures. In mining enterprises, various alternatives offer a solution in driving a tunnel, even to the extent of its discontinuance or the abandonment of the mine, but a "construction" tunnel usually must go forward because some important project depends largely if not entirely upon it. This paper describes an unusual method of driving a water-supply tunnel through rock carrying water under pressures and conditions that did not permit the use of ordinary tunneling methods. THE DELAWARE AQUEDUCT The new Delaware aqueduct is a Manhattan project of some magnitude; when completed, it will contain what probably will be, for some time to come, the longest tunnel in the world. Various features in its construction are currently described in the trade journals of the construction industry, and informative engineering details are given in the Delaware Water Supply News, published twice a month by the Board of Water Supply of the City of New York. Work was begun on this project on March 24, 1937. The tunnel will convey water from reservoirs at the headwaters of the Delaware River to the City of New York.

Jan 1, 1942

By T. J. Woods

This paper deals with the origin, definition and prevention of scabs on semifinished rolled-steel product. Mold coatings, which are considered essential in scab prevention, were found to be effective only in relation to the ingot surface of semikilled and killed steels and not necessary for the rolled product. That is to say, the scabs on ingots caused by having been cast in uncoated molds are eliminated in the soaking and rolling operations, therefore are not present on the rolled product. This fact, which is contrary to the average opinion, was established after extensive and thorough experiments had proved the ordinary conception of the origin of scabs to be incorrect. This subject may be of little or no concern to steel plants producing small ingots for the manufacture of small billets and bars, except as it may be of interest in showing why their surface troubles with scabs do not exist on the product of heats with normal pouring practice. But to the producer of large ingots to be rolled into slabs for large plates used in shipbuilding, it is a very important subject. Definition of a Scab The generally accepted opinion is that the individual scabs present on rolled products (as shown by Fig. I) are considered to have been individual splashes on the ingot surface. This opinion was found to be incorrect. Experiments showed that there were no individual scabs on the product that had appeared as individuals on the ingot surface. The single scabs seen are either pieces of a shell that is present near the bottom of all top-cast ingots, or a veneer that may be present on any part of an ingot improperly poured, as when the stream strikes the mold wall. This definition is based on a detailed study of scabs and their characteristics in which the following have been found true: Location.—On the product of heats poured without trouble, scabs, if present, are always on the product that corresponds to the bottom end of the ingot, and usually occur in clusters. This is true whether molds are coated or not. Shape.—There is no regularity as to shape, size or thickness. It is sometimes possible to separate a few pieces and place them together, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, indicating that at one time they had been united as one piece. If individual splashes were the origin of scabs, the foregoing would not be true. Instead, the splashes, which occur throughout the pouring of the ingots, would be present uniformly over the entire product and there would be considerable similarity in the shape and thickness of the scabs. Experimental Work Our experimental work was conducted on 200-ton heats of semikilled plate steel tapped into an oval ladle 15 ft. high. All ingots were top-cast direct into 24 by 54 by 82-in. molds, straight-sided, set on flat stools. Two separate studies were made about one year apart, each study extending

Jan 1, 1943

By T. J. Woods

This paper deals with the origin, definition and prevention of scabs on semifinished rolled-steel product. Mold coatings, which are considered essential in scab prevention, were found to be effective only in relation to the ingot surface of semikilled and killed steels and not necessary for the rolled product. That is to say, the scabs on ingots caused by having been cast in uncoated molds are eliminated in the soaking and rolling operations, therefore are not present on the rolled product. This fact, which is contrary to the average opinion, was established after extensive and thorough experiments had proved the ordinary conception of the origin of scabs to be incorrect. This subject may be of little or no concern to steel plants producing small ingots for the manufacture of small billets and bars, except as it may be of interest in showing why their surface troubles with scabs do not exist on the product of heats with normal pouring practice. But to the producer of large ingots to be rolled into slabs for large plates used in shipbuilding, it is a very important subject. Definition of a Scab The generally accepted opinion is that the individual scabs present on rolled products (as shown by Fig. I) are considered to have been individual splashes on the ingot surface. This opinion was found to be incorrect. Experiments showed that there were no individual scabs on the product that had appeared as individuals on the ingot surface. The single scabs seen are either pieces of a shell that is present near the bottom of all top-cast ingots, or a veneer that may be present on any part of an ingot improperly poured, as when the stream strikes the mold wall. This definition is based on a detailed study of scabs and their characteristics in which the following have been found true: Location.—On the product of heats poured without trouble, scabs, if present, are always on the product that corresponds to the bottom end of the ingot, and usually occur in clusters. This is true whether molds are coated or not. Shape.—There is no regularity as to shape, size or thickness. It is sometimes possible to separate a few pieces and place them together, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, indicating that at one time they had been united as one piece. If individual splashes were the origin of scabs, the foregoing would not be true. Instead, the splashes, which occur throughout the pouring of the ingots, would be present uniformly over the entire product and there would be considerable similarity in the shape and thickness of the scabs. Experimental Work Our experimental work was conducted on 200-ton heats of semikilled plate steel tapped into an oval ladle 15 ft. high. All ingots were top-cast direct into 24 by 54 by 82-in. molds, straight-sided, set on flat stools. Two separate studies were made about one year apart, each study extending

Jan 1, 1943

By Ancel St. John

During a session on coal and coke at the February, 1926, meeting of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, the writer called attention to the important work on the X-ray analysis of coal1,2 being carried on in England by C. Norman Kemp and his associates. This aroused so much interest that a paper on the subject was requested for the October meeting. It has seemed advisable to make this paper a preliminary survey of the present status in the application of X-ray methods to coal problems and to follow it from time to time with further articles as the art develops. A survey of this sort naturally divides itself into two parts, radio-scopic analysis of the distribution of constituents through the body of the coal, and diffraction analysis of the state of association of the elementary components. In this article the subject matter concerning radioscopic analysis has been drawn almost entirely from the writings of Kemp and his associates and the illustrations have been sptcially furnished by him. It is a pleasure to record here a great indebtedness for this courtesy and cooperation. The subject matter and illustrations concerning diffraction analysis are taken from the author's unpublished researches. Nature and Properties of X-rays Before proceeding it is well to recall the nature and some of the properties of X-rays, as well as our present conception of atomic structure According to the accepted theory atoms are composed of electrically-charged particles. A positively-charged center, called the nucleus,

Jan 1, 1927

By James L. Parks, David M. Kjos

"Designs, installation procedures and performance characteristics of martensitic cast steel concaves are reviewed. Longer wear life, fewer pieces to install and eliminating the need to scarf joints are the principal benefits of using martensitic steel to replace austenitic12% Mn (Hadfield's) steel, the traditional concave material for large gyratory crushers. Installation procedures that reduce the risk of breakage are described. Operating practices that affect concave performance are also discussed.IntroductionThe crushing machine considered to be the forerunner of the modem gyratory crusher was patented in 1878 by Charles M. Brown of the Gates Iron Works(1). The earliest gyratory crushers with receiving openings of 6 to 12 inches were fed by hand, and the crushing capacity of a mine was increased simply by installing more small crushers. The introduction of the steam shovel to open pit mining around the tum of the century provided an incentive for much larger primary crushers, and gyratory crushers with a 48 in. receiving opening were being built by 1910, followed not long afterward by machines with 54 in. and 60 in. openings to . Fortunately for the crusher maintenance people of that era, an austenitic 12% Mn steel with exceptional toughness was already available, having been discovered by Robert Abbot Hadfieldoi in 1882. Although small gyratory crushers working soft- to medium-hard rock reportedly used chilled cast iron (white iron) wear parts, these newer and much larger machines were fitted with ""Hadfield's manganese steel"" concaves and mantles to withstand the impact associated with handling large rocks .M E International first challenged the long-standing convention of using 12% Mn steel concaves in large gyratory crushers in the late 1960s when they supplied upper row concaves in martensitic cast steel for a 60-109 primary crusher at a taconite plant on the Iron Range. Since then, martensitic steels have been successfully substituted for 12010 Mn steel in concaves for more than seventy primary gyratory crushers processing iron, copper and precious metals ores, industrial minerals and crushed stone.This paper reviews materials, designs and performance characteristics of martensitic steel concaves in large gyratory crushers. The principal benefits include significantly longer wear life, fewer pieces to install and the elimination of scarfing. Obtaining the full measure of these benefits and minimizing the risk of breakage is strongly dependent on installation procedures, which are described in some detail. Operating practices that can affect performance are also discussed."

Jan 1, 1993

Coal mass strength properties must be estimated to obtain realistic estimates of coal pillar strength. The limitations of existing techniques for approximating these properties are discussed. The coal mass is anisotropic. The Hoek and Brown approach to rock mass property estimation is modified to allow for this. This approach requires the Rock Mass Rating (RMR) for the strata. In the normal case where bedding is sub-horizontal, these major planes of weakness have little effect on the strength of pillars. As a result of this the RMR must be measured parallel to bedding. This means that a significantly higher rating than that usually obtained for coal is observed. The use of mass strength property estimates in extant empirical relationships is outlined. At high width to height ratios, an acceleration in the rate of increase in pillar strength with increasing width to height ratio has been observed. The empirical relationship developed by Salamon (the so called squat pillar formula) takes account of this. This relationship was found to have significant limitations with respect to its universal application. Modifications arc made to Bieniawski's empirical formula to extend its use to large width to height ratio (squat) pillars. This new squat pillar formula has none of the disadvantages associated with Salamon's relationship. Strain softening was incorporated into non-linear finite difference numerical modelling to estimate pillar strengths. The technique outlined above is used to obtain peak coal mass properties. Modelled pillar strength was found to be sensitive to both peak and post peak mass strength properties. Post peak properties were found to be difficult to obtain and required some back analysis. Modelling results were used to estimate both the strength of squat pillars and parameters for use in a now squat pillar empirical strength relationship.

Jan 1, 1992

To provide coal operators with an easy-to-use stress control design procedure to minimize coal mine bumps during room-and-pillar retreat mining conducted with available continuous mining machine technology. Approach The goal of this U.S. Bureau of Mines (USBM) re¬search was to facilitate safe and efficient room-and-pillar retreat mining of bump-prone coalbeds by limiting coalbed stress adjacent to expanding gob areas through variation of section layouts. The first step was design of total-extraction pillars and their associated pillar-extraction plans. The second step was development of a coalbed strength model. The third step was development of stress limit design criteria. The fourth and final step was development of a methodology to estimate the magnitude and distribution of development and abutment loads apllied to the pillar line. The linear geometry of unlimited-width sections allowed for the accomplishment of step four with the tributary-area and linear shear-angle concepts. Increasing overburden depths required limited-width sections separated by barrier pillars to control stress within total-extraction panels. The accomplishment of step four with limited-width section designs required prediction of abutment load distributions for rectangular gobs and apportionment of these loads over mixed pillar sizes. A parametric study of the complicated interaction of various combinations of overburden depths, total-extraction panel widths, and abutment pillar widths was conducted with the USBM-developed boundary-element program MULSIM/NL.

Jan 1, 1995

By J. R. Boldt, C. M. Kleemann, V. N. Mackiw, B. Meddings, J. A. MacLellan, E. J. Maney, D. E. Halter, D. J. I. Evans, J. Honkasalo, M. F. Dufour

The technology employed in the processing of nickel- and cobalt¬bearing ores is a continually developing process for utilizing the natu¬ral resources available at a given time. Most of the nickel-bearing ores of commercial importance fall under the category of sulfide or lateritic ores. While the occurrences of both types of ore have been known for over a century, until 1960 sulfide ores largely from Cana¬dian mines have constituted the chief source of production for com¬mercial nickel in the Free World. Sulfide ores are readily amenable to some physical means of concentration, but the lateritic ores are not readily concentrated, and to compete economically with the sulfide ores only the high-grade garnierite ores (a type of lateritic ore) found in New Caledonia were processed to any great extent up to the time of World War II. Around 1960, a gradual shift in emphasis towards latetitic ores as a commercial source of nickel became evident. See Fig. 1. New discoveries of sulfide ores, usually located underground, had not kept pace with the steadily increasing demand for nickel. The lateritic ores, found near the surface of the earth, could be readily surveyed and mined. Lower cost processes were being developed for the extrac¬tion of nickel from lateritic ores and for a time it appeared that, based on pre-OPEC economics, the lower grade lateritic ores-down to 1.2% nickel-could satisfy an increasing share of the world demand for nickel. The sharp increase in the price of crude oil in the 1970s, however, slapped an economic damper on the lateritic ores. Processes for treat¬ing lateritic ores consume large amounts of energy; as the nickel industry entered its deep recessionary period in 1981-83, nickel pro¬duction from lateritic ores became less and less profitable than from sulfide ores. At the same time, new sulfide ores were discovered and brought into production, notably in Australia and South Africa. The chapters in Section 17 were prepared in 1973. Recent improvements in mineral dressing techniques since then include Inco's pyrrhotite separation process which can remove additional pyrrhotite from nickel concentrates, resulting in reduced sulfur dioxide emission from the Sudbury smelter, by some 25%. The chapters in this section dealing with nickel are grouped in line with the two broad categories of nickel ores. Starting with the description of nickel and cobalt ores in Chapter 2, Chapter 3 deals with the processing of sulfide ores, and Chapter 4 deals largely with lateritic ores. The intermediate steps to produce a suitable feed for extraction plants and refineries are similar in principle within the same categories, although dissimilar between sulfide and lateritic ores. Thus Inco in Canada employs flotation and so does Western Mining Corp. in Australia, although Inco's plants were started before World War II, and that of Western Mining only recently in the late 1960s. Treatment subsequent to the ore dressing step, however, shows some interesting differences. The earlier parts deal mostly with established and conventional practices, leaning heavily on pyrometallurgy in both

Jan 1, 1985

By Rocky Wu

Rock bursts are one of the greatest challenges to ground control in the mining industry. With increasing mining depth and mining scale, there are more and more industry requirements on yielding rock support. Since 2008, Jennmar has been conducting large scale research and development works to develop a technically reliable and cost-effective yielding rock bolt. This paper introduces a new yielding rock support: the Yield-Lok bolt. The bolt is characterized by the designed yielding ability to produce 150?250 mm (6?10 in) of deflection at 8?10 metric tons (MT) (7.9?9.8 t) loads for every 16.4kJ (12,096 ft lb) energy input. The bolt?s performance characteristics are consistent through multiple and varying amplitude of impacts. In this paper, the design criteria of the bolt and the principle of performance are described; the dynamic testing results are discussed; and the features and application of the bolt are presented.

Jan 1, 2011

By Charles L. Kimbell

Some comment on data availability must be an integral part of a study such as this. For many years, the centrally planned economy nations of the world regarded as state secrets much of their mineral commodity production information, as well as a considerable body of the foreign trade information on these commodities, and virtually all reporting on their consumption. Within the past 5 years, this pattern has undergone some evolution, and although these countries still fall short of market economy countries in their willingness to publish, there has been measurable improvement. Fit, China, and then subsequently the former CMEA member countries of Eastern Europe have released in print an increasing amount of information in organized, coherent formats, although in a number of cases it is not clear that the information provided is in perfect definitional accord with market economy country practices. Thus, these recently available statistics must be carefully studied to ensure that they are provided in terms of conventional market economy definitions. At the same time that heretofore unpublished information is becoming available for the centrally planned (or formally centrally planned) economy countries, there has been a slow but steady disquieting erosion of availability of production, trade, and consumption data for market economy countries. There are evident reasons for some of these losses in information. The foremost of these relates to corporate mergers. As the number of producing or consuming firms of a given commodity in a given political jurisdiction declines, it is increasingly difficult for government agencies to protect proprietary company data. In past years, this protection was afforded by aggregating data for the several companies operating in the area, but as the number of operators diminishes this is no longer always possible. Hopefully, given this situation, companies will at least authorize release of data after a period of time, when its publication will not provide competitors with unfair access, but will make possible longer term studies.

Jan 1, 1992

By S. Jeon, T. H. Kim

"Understanding the frictional properties of discontinuities is crucial to ensure the stability of underground structures. In particular, the frictional behavior at depth depends on the complex interaction among mechanical, hydrological, thermal and chemical characteristics and their coupled effects. In this study, a series of triaxial compression tests were carried out to investigate the behavior of rough shear surface of synthetic rocks. The frictional behavior showed little variation at different confining and water pressures. The test results were analyzed using Coulomb’s failure criterion. In addition, numerical analysis was carried out using PFC2D to simulate the test.INTRODUCTIONUnderstanding coupled behavior of rock at depth is of great importance in design, construction and operation of underground structures such as a disposal facility of radioactive waste, hot dry rock geothermal system and oil reservoir. In particular, many uncertainties are involved in characterizing deep rock mass deformation in the designing process and interactions among fluid flow of groundwater, high temperature and stress disturbance should be considered. Many independent studies have been carried out to investigate the thermal, hydro, mechanical and chemical coupled effects in numerical and experimental methods. They include the researches by Lockner, Summers, Moore and Byerlee (1982), Jafari, Amini Hosseini, Pellet, Boulon and Buzzi (2003), Tembe, Lockner and Wong (2010), Lee, Lee and Jeon (2012), Indraratna, Premadasa, Brown, Gens and Heitor (2014)."

Jan 1, 2015

By James E. Bell

Quartz crystals occur on a farm in the vicinity of Laurel Fork, Carroll County, Va., in abundance over a large area, This has been known for several years, but no work had been clone, up to the Bureau of Mines examination in 1943, to determine the amount of crystalline quartz of usable quality. Field exploration was undertaken throughout the month of June 1943.

Jan 1, 1950

By W. R. Reed

Drilling with water has the potential to significantly reduce the respirable dust concentrations generated from small-diameter rotary drills when drilling blastholes on surface mining operations. However, water adverseky affects tri- cone drill bits commonly used in surface drilling operations, causing excessive wear and premature replacement. Consequently, dry drilling with a dust collector system has the most widespread use in the industry. Tests have been conducted by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NOSH), Pittsburgh Research Laboratory (PRL) on a newly designed device for smaller diameter drills that separates the water from the bailing air before it reaches the bit and thus provides the cost benefit of dry drilling while providing the benefit of wet drilling for dust suppression. The water that is delivered to the hole with the bailing air is separated from the air by a proprietary mechanical device that is encased in a drill sub (short section of drill rod/pipe) located immediately behind the cutting bit. A cascade cyclone and a real-time dust monitor were used to sample dust emissions from the holes. Dust concentrations and silica content were measured when drilling dry versus drilling wet. The tests show that drilling with this water separating sub can reduce both measured dust emissions from the boreholes and visible dust around the drill rig.

By Yve Potvin, Fabien Miller, Deni Jacob

"The potential benefits of measuring the volume of excavated open stope are enormous. By comparing the actual excavation of the orebody contour, it is possible to determine the “real"" amount of mining dilution, as well as the ore left in place. Noranda Technology Centre (NTC) has developed a stope survey system that allows for rapid and efficency measurement of underground excavation volumes. The system comprises a commercial laser (EDM), a set of lightweight rigid rods, an automated scanning device, a hand-held data logger and Autocad-based software for volume calculation and drawing manipulations. This system is an invaluable tool for the optimization of mining practices and could also be used for the delineation of caving areas. IntroductionDilution is the most common and devastating mine disease. In some instance s it could systematically cripple the profitability of an operation, and in more extreme cases, it could become a terminal disease. The Northern Miner Journal (1988) reported that many operations have closed because of uncontrolled dilution, before they even completed their first year of production. Other studies (Pakalnis, 1986) have shown that approximately 40% of all underground operations have more than 20% dilution. Considering that every ton of dilution costs in the neighbourhood of $25, the total direct cost of dilution to the Canadian mining industry may easily exceed one hundred million dollars per year.The dilution problem has been a major concern to Noranda Minerals for some time and in 1984 a comprehensive geomechanics research program was created at the Noranda Technology Centre (NTC) in Pointe-Claire, Quebec. New empirical stope dimensioning techniques, improved cable bolting techniques and sophisticated ground control instrumentation projects (among others) contributed to improve the situation at Noranda.A new tool which can have a very significant impact on the ""war"" against dilution is being developed by the Noranda Technology Centre. The laser stope survey system allows for a rapid, precise and efficient measurement of underground excavation volumes. By comparing the excavation planned with the volume excavated, it becomes possible to determine the ""real"" amount of mining dilution as well as the amount of ore left in place. This system may also allow for early detection of a dilution problem. As with other diseases, early detection provides the best chance for a fast and total recovery."

Jan 1, 1992