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By J. W. Robinson

The Jersey mine, owned by Canadian Exploration Ltd., has produced nearly five million tons of lead- zinc ore from a flat-lying replacement orebody. A room and pillar method of trackless mining has been used, leaving a checkerboard pattern of 40-ft wide panels, with the hanging wall supported by pillars from 20 to 40 ft in diameter. About 35% of the remaining ore reserve is tied up in pillars. The pillars in the north end of the mine are smaller than the pillars in the south end and each contains about 500 to 1000 tons of ore. The larger pillars in the south end contain from 2000 to 8000 tons of ore each. The pillars vary from 15 to 60 ft high, depending on the thickness of the orebody at any given point. They are irregularly shaped, and from 20 to 40 ft in diameter.

Jan 12, 1963

The design and selection of components for belt conveyors is a well known procedure and many handbooks, catalogues and design manuals offer a wide range of detailed information which can be applied to most of the known conveyor problems. The aim of this paper, however, is to investigate the various methods of conveyor drive configurations, and incorporate the latest technical achievements in the control systems, particularly for high capacity conveyor systems carrying ore from pit to processing plants where the lowest maintenance, operating and initial costs are of major importance. Past experience has proven that multi pulley drives can reduce initial capital cost of a conveyor; this leads to the need for better torque control during startup, running, stopping and load sharing. Many methods of torque control are available and have been used in the past. All types have their advantages and disadvantages and must be considered when designing a conveyor or conveyor system. However the recently developed solid state electronic soft start controls utilising AC squirrel cage induction motors are gaining acceptance, especially for a conveyor system where the same control and logic system can be used to transmit startup commands to more than one

Jan 1, 1978

By J. H. Russell

As part of its efforts to maximize resource recovery, the Bureau of Mines conducted studies to recover valuable byproducts from Western phosphate beneficiation tailings. Potential byproducts include phosphorus, vanadium, and uranium. The objective was to determine roasting and leaching conditions for maximum dissolution of vanadium from tailings containing approximately 13 pct P205 and 0.23 pct V. Sulfuric acid leaching tests were conducted with the tailings either as a dilute suspension dried, or in a roasted condition with or without NaCl added during roasting. More than 90 pct of the vanadium was dissolved by roasting at 850° C for 120 min with 8-pct NaCl and leaching at 75°C for 120 min with an excess of 2N H2S04, By roasting without NaCl and avoiding the difficulties of the chloride impurity, nearly 80-pct vanadium dissolution was achieved with an 800° C roast for 180 min. Quadratic regression equations were derived to relate vanadium dissolution to roasting and leaching conditions.

Jan 1, 1982

By Roderick G. Eggert, John E. Tilton

During much of the 1970s and 1980s, world metal consumption grew more slowly than during the 19505 and 1960s. The slowdown contributed to surplus capacity and low real prices because actual consumption was consistently less than expected as new mining and mineral processing capacity came on stream. Over the last year or so, however, world metal consumption has picked up noticeably, raising the question, Has metal demand returned to the long-run growth rates more typical of the 1950s and 1960s than of the 1970s and 1980s? This paper examines this possibility and, more generally, assesses the factors that will shape demand for the major metals over the longer term. TRENDS IN METAL CONSUMPTION The extent to which metal consumption has recaptured the brisk growth rates typical of the 1950s, 1960s, and early 1970s is shown in Figure 1. This figure traces the consumption of crude steel, primary aluminum, refined copper, refined lead, and refined zinc between 1960 and 1987 for the western world, consisting of the OECD countries (including the United States), and the developing countries. Consumption increased in 1987 for all five metals, and preliminary data for the first six months of 1988 suggest even more substantial increases, at least for the United States (U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1988). However, Figure 1 also shows that the recent increases in consumption are not untypical of similar surges during earlier periods of economic expansion and thus may reflect only cyclical or temporary factors. In short, the available data are unable to provide a clear indication of whether recent increases in metal consumption reflect the beginning of a new era of faster growth or simply a cyclical and temporary upturn associated with the expansionary phase of the business cycle. Consequently, to pursue this issue, we are forced to examine the underlying forces that will shape metal demand trends over the next decade. The approach we have taken involves two steps. The first examines the prospects for overall economic growth. The expectation is, the faster the economy expands, the faster the production of metal-containing goods grows.2

Jan 1, 1989

By C. F. Hews, P. N. Calder

"MIROC and The Mining Industry The Mining Industry Research Organization of Canada (MIROC), incorporated in 1975, is a non-profit organization sponsored by member companies from within the Canadian mining industry. The Canadian mining industry is a world leader in technological development and in organizational and human resources development. A prime objective within the industry is to retain this leadership and also improve its competitive position worldwide.MIROC is dedicated to support the objectives of its member companies and their common interest, and the objectives of the industry. In this context: MIROC's mission is to encourage the formulation of ideas to improve mining technology and methods by any source, and to foster the development and testing of promising initiatives in progressive steps from the early stages of conceptual and feasibility research through manufacture to delivery of new technology to the mining industry. In so doing MIROC plays an important role in the development of individuals skilled in mining research. Management ApproachMIROC's research program is driven by member companies who have interests throughout Canada. The board of directors approve projects that are acceptable to its members. While MIROC's basic research funding is provided by its member companies, about 30% of its annual research budget is now derived from royalties generated from previous research activities."

Jan 1, 1994

By Rossiter Raymond

(Butte Meeting, August, 1913.) ON Mar. 28, 1913, the Board of Directors of the American Institute of Mining Engineers unanimously adopted the following Minute: JOHN FRITZ, one of the most distinguished of American mechanical and metallurgical engineers, won that position by the force of innate genius, indomitable industry, unstained integrity and unfailing sympathy, and generosity towards his fellow-men. Self-educated in the hard school of practice, he appreciated nevertheless the advantages of technical instruction and discussion, and evinced this appreciation both by his membership and lively interest in this and other similar societies, and by his munificent gifts to engineering education at Lehigh University, and his long and faithful service us a Trustee of that institution. . As one of the foremost of those American engineers who, through their brilliant inventions and practical skill. developed here -the modern iron blast-furnace -and rolling-mill, and introduced and perfected the Bessemer process and other improvements in the manufacture of steel, Mr. Fritz contributed mightily to the chief departments of that industrial progress which characterized the Nineteenth Century. Proud of his great achievements, we cannot but rejoice over his long and fruitful life, crowned with a peaceful death ; but our praise and thanks are mingled with sorrow, as we recall the kindly face which we shall see no more on earth, and the loyal friendship and spontaneous good-will which led the love of his generation, and the reverence of the generation which followed, to regard him universally as " Uncle John Fritz." That. summary, though only an outline, is a good portrait ; and in the present sketch, we shall do no more than supply some details of the likeness, and some elements of the background.

Jan 6, 1913

By R. L. Wilcox, M. L. Fuller

MOST commercial alloys undergo changes in phase composition after casting. This is a natural result of the fact that the alloys are not in a state of phase equilibrium as cast and phase changes will therefore take place, with more or less rapidity, in an attempt to attain equilibrium. The practical aspect of aging in zinc-alloy die castings concerns the changes in physical properties and in dimensions that may accompany aging phase changes. Harmful alterations have been reduced to a minimum and zinc-alloy die castings are being produced today that are so stable with respect to dimensions and physical properties that they are entirely suitable for most practical purposes1. In the first paper2 of this series, and in this paper, aging phase changes of zinc alloy die castings have been investigated and the possible influence of these changes on dimensional changes of the castings has been evaluated and compared with the dimensional changes actually experienced. The change of dimensions has been selected for practical comparison in these papers because the effect of phase changes on the dimensions of a casting is directly calculable from X-ray crystal-analysis data of the phase structure. The die-casting alloys considered contain, in addition to zinc, 4 per cent of aluminum, about 0.03 per cent magnesium, and from 0 to 3 per cent of copper. It was shown in the former paper that the eutectoidal decomposition of the beta aluminum-zinc phase, while intrinsically capable of causing a considerable shrinkage, can have very little effect on the observed shrinkage of die castings because it takes place within a few days of aging, whereas the observed shrinkage continues for five weeks. It was therefore concluded that the other existing phase change,

Jan 1, 1935

By KeBler H-W, Seeliger A

Vibration analysis for diagnosis of machines is a powerful instrument for condition monitoring. Especially for diagnosis of antifriction bearings various equipment and techniques have been developed and are available. The envelope analysis is the most reliable method for bearing diagnosis. Different bearing failures lead to different patterns of the envelope spectrum. Checking the amplitudes of characteristic bearing frequencies is mostly not sufficient for a reliable diagnosis. Therefore human experts compare the pattern of the spectrum with typical patterns of bearing defects. In this paper a diagnosis system is presented which imitates this action of human experts. Using a neural net the system not only distinguishes typical bearing defects but also detects unbalance, beating of disengaged machine parts and other kinds of machine failures.

Jan 1, 1995

By Richard Switalski, Mark R. Kritzer, Boro J. Lukajic, Robert Pintabona

Ground freezing was chosen as an initial support method during construction of two deep shafts at the Mill Creek project. The Mill Creek, Phase 2 tunnel (MCT-2) is utilized to convey and store combined storm and sanitary sewage collected from the member communities in the greater Cleveland area. The main objective of groundfreezing was to provide a strong support structure to resist soil and groundwater pressures. This was achieved by creating a watertight, frozen-ground barrier around the shaft perimeter. The paper will provide an overview of ground freezing techniques applied during the construction of two shafts, each 250-feet deep.

Jan 1, 2003

By H. M. Bannerman

IN the past few years the mineral raw materials problem has risen from comparatively obscurity to great national significance. The transition has come so rapidly that the nature of the problem and what it portends have not yet been clearly defined. Consequently there are wide differences of opinion among the experts as to what can, or should be done to insure a continuing, adequate supply. On one hand, it is said that depletion of known domestic deposits and lagging discovery of new ones will bring about an imminent decline in mineral production and that in future U. S. mineral-using industries will have to depend on foreign sources for more and more of the major mineral raw materials. On the other hand, it is argued that domestic mineral resources are virtually inexhaustible if there were only legislation against competition from low-cost foreign producers. Still another school of thought contends that within the past decade the country has entered a period of unprecedented mineral discovery that is rapidly solving the problem of depletion. Only time will tell which of these widely divergent views is nearer the truth, for mineral resources are, after all, the result of research and adaptation, and resources of the future, as of the past, will depend largely on human response to circumstances. Of 18 substances now termed reactive metals, only 8 (boron, thorium, potassium, sodium, lithium, uranium, molybdenum, and tungsten) were considered of commercial significance at the turn of the century. Except for hafnium and rhenium, the other ten were well known to chemists and mineralogists before this, but none had found use commercially, whereas some, like titanium, were looked upon as nuisances in the ores of other metals. Of these ten elements, several were considered of minor commercial significance, and others were of little more than academic interest as recently as 15 years ago. Before World War II only a few of the better informed spoke of uranium or thorium as possible sources of power. Still fewer talked of converting boron into a super- fuel, and the time had not yet arrived when hafnium, rhenium and even zirconium were thought of as critical to U. S. welfare and safety.

Jan 10, 1957

By H. C. Otis

DURING the past year or two considerable time and money have been spent in developing equipment for tubing large-volume high-pressure oil and gas wells without loss of production. That the efforts have met with success is proved by the fact that any properly cased well, regardless of its production or regardless of its rock pressure or working pressure, can now be safely tubed with no appreciable loss of production, provided experienced crews handle the new equipment. It is conceded that a far better gas-oil ratio can be secured by flowing a well through tubing of a proper diameter-the diameter of the tubing depending, of course, upon the volume of fluid and gas and the depth of the well-than by the more usual method of installing a choke at the mouth of the well. Where possible it is becoming the practice to bring wells in through tubing, though in the majority of instances this is not feasible. In many instances it has developed, after a well has been brought in through tubing, that the tubing installed is either too large or too small for the most efficient operation or that the well had not been drilled deep enough. The equipment described in this paper, in the hands of experienced men, permits the tubing of these wells after they have been brought in, with the size of tubing then determined by actual observation to be best suited for each particular well, and with no danger of the well getting out of control, of catching fire, of drilling itself deeper, or of any loss of production. The deeper the flowing production with the consequent future higher lifting costs, the more essential it is that the size of tubing used be such as to give the best possible gas-oil ratio. The ability to bring in these deep wells through the casing and then, immediately after their completion, regardless of volume or pressure, to tube them with the size of tubing that permits the most efficient use of the gas present will doubtless save many dollars.

Jan 1, 1929

Leichhardt Colliery is developed for underground mining of coal seams at depths exceeding 280 m. Investigations of the area were conducted in phases, each designed to delineate seam characteristics more accurately and to indicate with increasing precision the nature of local geological features and the ranges of those coal properties susceptible to variation. The investigational campaign is described phase by phase summarizing evaluation of the area at the conclusion of each phase. Predictions of geological conditions likely to influence engineering planning are contrasted with actual conditions observed during trial mining.

Jan 1, 1974

By W. N. Lacey, B. H. Sage

In recent years there has been an increase of interest in the flow of gases at relatively high pressures. Hydrodynamic calculation of the energy losses in the flow of gases in conduits, as well as through the porous solid materials constituting natural petroleum reservoirs, requires a knowledge of the viscosity of the fluid at the pressure and temperature involved. Although there are numerous publications concerning the absolute viscosity † of hydrocarbon gases at atmospheric pressure, there appears to be little information available relating to the effect of pressure upon the viscosity of these gases. Voge133 determined the viscosity of methane at 32° F. and atmospheric pressure. His measurements at 32° F. were later substantiated by the measurements of Rankine and Smith20 at 63° and 212° F. Ishida14 also reported values for the viscosity of methane at atmospheric pressure. Trautz and Kurz30 measured the viscosity of propane at atmospheric pressure, from 83° to 530°F., by the use of a short capillary tube. Rap-penecker2' determined the viscosity of gaseous isopentane at elevated temperatures. Day6 made an accurate investigation of the effect of pressure upon the viscosity of n-pentane and isopentane at pressures from 2 lb. per sq. in.‡ to the vapor pressure at 77° F. (approximately 9.8 and 13.3 lb. per sq. in., respectively). Earhart7 reported data upon the viscosity of several natural gases measured by the long capillary-tube method. The viscosity of air, at atmospheric pressure and 73.4° F., was measured by Harrington9 by the rotating-cylinder method. Kellstrom15 has rec,ently made an elaborate investigation of the viscosity of air at atmospheric pressure. The latter work is perhaps the most accurate investigation of the viscosity of a gas that has been made.

Jan 1, 1938

By William M. Brewer

History.—The history of gold-mining in Georgia and Alabama antedates the discovery of gold in California. A very large proportion of the gold used in the United States previous to 1849 was produced by these States. A great deal of this history is merely tradition, and no reliable statistics can be obtained ; yet a personal examination of the gold-fields of Georgia and Alabama indicates that tradition is as fairly reliable, with regard to the history of these gold-regions, as it is in any similar cases throughout the world. In Georgia, the history of gold-mining dates back to 1829, when the first gold-mining excitement in the United States occurred. In Alabama, the discovery of gold was made some years later through the work of prospectors, incited by the rich finds in the Georgia mining camps. The greatest product of gold in these States was between the years 1840 and 1849. In Lumpkin county, Ga., and Cleburne county, Ala., the districts from which the most of this gold was taken, the tailing-dumps are silent witnesses of the extensive operations which were carried on by the primitive and crude methods then known. It is no rare thing to see trees 12 to 15 inches in diameter, and even

Jan 1, 1896

Copper entering a lead ,smelter in concentrate or from other sources is recoVered as matte and speiss which contain appreciable quantities of lead. The matte and speiss are usually sold to copper smelters to recover the copper content and also any gold and silver in these products, but the value of the lead is largely lost. Some copper plants pay for portion of the lead content, but regarded as a means of recovering lead it is more costly and less efficient than if the lead were recovered at the lead smelter.Because of the value of this lead loss, the metallurgy of copper recovery has assumed greater importance in recent years owing to the rise on the price of lead.Two processes are in use today to produce matte and speiss, namely the iron matte process and the soda matte process developed by the American Smelting and Refining Co. 1 in D.S.A. The latter process is characterised by a higher copper to lead ratio than the older iron matting process.The following analyses are typical of matte and speiss produced at Broken Hill Associated Smelters, by both processes, although the soda matte process is still in a developmental stage and experience indicates that matte and speiss of lower lead tenor can be produced under favourable conditions.

Jan 1, 1951

By S. B. Lement

THE nature of the carbides that form during the tempering of martensite is a subject of continuing controversy. The only direct methods of identification available are X-ray and electron diffraction. These methods are subject to several difficulties. Only a relatively few diffraction lines of appreciable intensity emanate from carbide phases that are formed at low tempering temperatures. Furthermore, some overlapping of carbide and matrix lines occurs. There is also the problem that numerous lines in the patterns of possible carbide phases that may be present have about the same d-spacings. Increasing the number of carbide lines and eliminating the matrix lines can be accomplished by extraction techniques. However, there is always the possibility that a change in carbide structure will occur as a result of removal from the parent matrix. Therefore, such techniques as electrolytic extraction and making extraction replicas should be checked by other methods. For identifying small amounts of carbide in a tempered martensitic matrix, electron diffraction carried out in reflection is more advantageous than X-ray diffraction. To properly prepare a specimen for reflection electron diffraction, an etchant that will selectively attack the matrix and thereby cause the carbide particles to stand in relief should be used. With an electron beam directed at a grazing angle to the specimen surface, the major contribution

Jan 1, 1960

By H. J. Sloman

"INTRODUCTION Industry, including coal mining, has come to realize that to prevent accidents the human element must be given more consideration than was customary in the past. In formulating safety rules and regulations and in the enactment of laws governing mining, too often enforcement is emphasized rather than the means of gaining willing compliance.' The purpose of this paper is to call attention to the human side of accident prevention, and the approach to this important and much-discussed subject will deviate somewhat from the usual discussions.The human being is a complex mechanism, both physically and mentally. It is difficult to establish a common denominator for the actions of humans, except in general. In establishing mining laws, rules, regulations, and standards, the ultimate objective should be to gain the best possible response of workmen, so that optimum results in accident prevention may be obtained. The complexity of human beings is apparent when the many ways 1n which they differ are considered. Some of these differences are manifested in emotional and phlegmatic types, degrees of intellect or native intelligence; and in hopes, desires, aspirations, and philosophies of life. How much simpler ac¬cident prevention would be if the response to laws, rules, regulations, or standards were equivalent to the definite movements of puppets responding to pulls on strings. Each time, the strings are pulled in exactly the same way, the puppets will respond in exactly the same manner. Human beings, although having many similar characteristics, do not respond uniformly to identical ""string-pulling""; therefore, much study is necessary before the desired re¬sponses can be obtained. To achieve the ultimate in accident prevention, it must be ""worked at"" constantly. Regardless of the adequacy of safety laws, rules, regulations, or standards, good accident records will not ""roll in"" if dude consideration is not given to the personal traits of those most likely to be involved in accidents."

May 1, 1948

By Houchin MR, Jenkins DH

This paper examines the importance of processing to the properties and performance of high purity zirconia ceramics. Many of the principles discussed, however, apply to ceramic processing in general. For fabricated ceramic articles to display their wide range of high performance properties, they must be made fully dense. The precursor powder and postpowder processing requirements necessary to achieve full density in the fabricated body are discussed. Brittleness, the anathema of ceramics, can be overcome in zirconia by incorporation of toughening mechanisms. Transformation toughening and microcrack toughening and their origins in partially stabilized zirconia are reviewed.

Jan 1, 1989

By J. Litsenberger, T. E. Marshall, P. R. Coyle, L. J. Prosser, A. T. Iannacchione

For the first time in an underground stone mine, the relationship between roof movement and microseismic emissions was examined in conjunction with two distinct roof fall areas. As roof monitoring increases in acceptance and monitoring technology advances, the goal of providing reliable roof fall detection systems to enhance the safety of underground mine workers moves closer to reality. Instrumental to reaching that goal is the ability to interpret accurately and completely roof movement and microseismic emissions, which can serve as precursors to roof falls. This paper examines the capabilities of convergence and microseismic monitoring systems to better understand roof rock failure mechanics and to anticipate roof falls. An understanding of how these techniques are used and how they interact with each other is critical in developing the most effective ground control strategy for our nation’s mines.

Jan 1, 2004

By Lauren A. Wright

The principal talc deposits in California are in a 200-mile belt paralleling the state's eastern border. The southernmost deposits represent selective alteration of early pre-Cambrian (?) carbonate strata, and are associated with granitic rocks. Deposits in the Death Valley area are at or near contacts between late pre-Cambrian carbonate rocks and diabase sills. Those in the Inyo Range area are chiefly alterations of Paleozoic carbonate rocks and silica rocks. Most of the state's talc output is used in ceramics.

Jan 1, 1950