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By J. Drelich, J. D. Miller

The wetting behavior of liquid polymers at solid surfaces and the adhesion forces involved at polymer-filler interfaces should always be considered in the preparation of high-quality polymer composites, including those made with mineral fillers. Spontaneous polymer spreading over the filler surface is a basic condition for the design of polymer-mineral composites. In this regard, the wetting and adhesion characteristics of polymer-mineral systems are reviewed. Based on this review it is clear that several aspects of wetting phenomena at mineral filler surfaces require further systematic study. Specifically, efforts should be made to determine the wetting characteristics of molten polymers at mineral-filler surfaces in greater detail. Also, the effects of mineral-surface contamination (including surface hydration) on wetting and adhesion phenomena need specific investigation. It is expected that an improved fundamental understanding of wetting and adhesion phenomena for polymer-mineral composites will provide the basis for further technological development.

Jan 1, 1996

By Vladimir S. Zharov, Vyacheslav A. Tsukerman

"Conceptual imitative dynamic model of developing enterprises for medium and long-term period permitting to ensure coordination of interests of the enterprise and territorial environmental authorities has been developed to enable the process of the prognostication and management of a concentrating mill development, in which a symbol language and terminology familiar to the manager of the company are applied. An algorithm of practical application of this model of company development was elaborated as well as a general methodological approach to the prognostication of the development and procedures of its implementation. The general methodological approach to the implementation of the model has been defined. Within the framework of system approach, a concentrating mill is considered as a subsystem of an ore mining and processing company or a mining and smelting one. A concentrating technology is considered in dynamics, its change is determined by the task of making the company operation profitable. Technological indicators are secondary relative to financial and economical indexes. At the same time, technological and economical indexes are determined in their interrelation with ecological parameters. The elaborated model allows us to estimate all necessary economic, financial and technological indexes in their interrelation both for the company as a whole and as separately redistributed estimating the basic prognostication documents - accounting balance-sheet, profit and loss report, as well as the funds flow statement. When varying the managing parameters, all necessary result-producing financial and economical indexes are estimated and a need in and a possibility of an external funding by various sources are considered.The implementation of the model enables one to determine the required scale of production capacity, as well as the amount of raw-material resources needed. In case of shortages of the latter, there should be considered various scenarios of the production capacity enhancement or the possibility of commissioning of new sites or deposits and introduction of improved technologies."

Jan 1, 2003

By Carl R. Christiansen

Since the first pay hole in Missouri's "New Lead Belt" was drilled in 1955, this district has become one of the world's leading sources of lead. The belt extends from north of Viburnum in a southerly direction to near Eminence, a distance of about 35 miles. The St. Joseph Lead Company was the discoverer and first to develop new mines in the Viburnum area. Since the discovery of the New Lead Belt, many companies have engaged in exploration programs and several major companies have become active in development of new mines. These include Cominco American, Inc., which operates a joint venture with Dresser Industries; Ozark Lead Company, a subsidiary of Kennecott Copper Company; and Missouri Lead Operating Company, a joint venture of Arnax and Homestake. St. Joseph Lead Company, with over 100 years of experience in the Old Lead Belt, has served as a leader in development of equipment and mining techniques, making its properties some of the most efficient mining operations in the world. The new producers give the district the benefit of fresh viewpoints, as their engineers are mostly from outside of Missouri and their previous experience has been considerably different from conventional lead belt practices. While all operations are similar in that they are room-and-pillar, the diverse experience of the operators has produced a group of mines that employ a variety of equipment and mining techniques to give increased efficiency

Jan 1, 1970

By C. Sunderman, J. Johnson, S. Signer

Researchers at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health have developed a miniature data acquisition system (MIDAS) that can measure resistance changes and temperature, store data for later retrieval, and illuminate LED lights. This instrument can be used with strain-gaged bolts, cable bolts, CSIRO stress-measuring gages, string pots, and any other instrument that uses single-ended, resistance-type gages. MIDAS has the capability to measure up to 16 gages at preset time intervals and store more than 2000 scans, yet is small enough to fit in a 35-mm hole. Because the MIDAS consumes little power, a 9-V alkaline battery will operate the system for 6 months. Data from the MIDAS can be sent to a PC via an RS232/RS485/IRdA port. A software program was written to set operation parameters, graph data, and store all information directly to a spreadsheet. Three LED lights change from green to yellow then red based on reading levels and/or rates of change. This feature can be used with different types of gages to warn miners of possible rock instabilities. The MIDAS has received MSHA experimental permissibility approval and is currently being tested at several mines.

By Walter E. Lewis, Robert L. Marovelli

Underground support has a long history as evidenced by Agricola's general description in Dc Re Metallica:1 "The timbering of these openings is done as follows: stulls are set at intervals into hitches in the hanging and footwall, and upon them smooth poles are laid continuously; and that they may be able to bear the weight, the stulls are generally a foot and a half thick. After the ore has been taken out and the mining of the vein is being done elsewhere, the rock then broken, especially if it cannot be taken away without great difficulty, is thrown into these openings among the timbers, and the carriers of the ore are saved toil, and the owners save half the expense. This, then, generally speaking, is the method by which everything related to the timbering of shafts, tunnels, and drifts is carried out."

Jan 1, 1971

By Heinz W. Duddeck, Hans-Konstantin Nipp

The design of storage space or deep mining in rock salt should take into account not only time dependency of the rock salt behavior but also temperature effects. For deep mining of potassium salt the natural increase of temperature with depth may no longer be negligible. For the storage of cryogenic liquid gas in salt caverns more knowledge is nezded about the propagation of deep temperatures and their effects on the stress-strain-creep behavior of the surrounding salt. High temperature problems arise for nuclear waste storages in caverns or drill holes emitting radiation. A numerical model is proposed for the analysis of displacements and stresses including their time and temperature induced change. For the material behavior of salt constitutive equations are chosen composed of a combination of Hooke-Kelvin-Bingham-Newton-model based on experimental results (excluding at present deep cooling), Langer 1980. The parameters involved are depending on the stress level and the temperature. The finite-element-method is applied to rotationally symmetrical three-dimensional problems. The non-linear calculation method is based on an implicit method with respect to time. A modified Newton-Raphson-method and the initial strain approach are employed. Along with some experiences on suitable numerical procedures, examples are shown for the characteristical effects of time-temperature dependency. Having achieved convergency and reliability a method is now available for practical design and parametric sensibility studies.

Jan 1, 1982

By C. R. Stephan, N. B. Greninger, W. A. Slivensky

The U.S. Bureau of Mines and the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) are participating jointly in a research program to evaluate strength characteristics and air-leakage resistance of various proposed seal designs for use in underground coal mines. Over 20 full-scale seals were constructed in the Bureau's experimental mine at the Lake Lynn Laboratory, air-leakage tested, then subjected to pressure pulses of 0.14 MPa or greater. A discussion on the experimental procedure, construction techniques, and the explosion and air-leakage test results is presented. Four types of construction material were used during this seal testing program: solid-concrete-blocks, low-density foam blocks, cementitious foam, and wood blocks. Only one of the solid-concrete block designs using a mortared thick wall survived the explosion and air-leakage tests. Most of the low-density foam block and cementitious foam seal designs were judged to meet the requirements to be considered a coal mine seal. One of the wood block convergence seal designs failed explosion testing. Based, in part, on these research findings, several alternative seal design constructions using low-density foam blocks, cementitious foam, or wood have been approved by MSHA for use in coal mines.

Jan 1, 1993

By M. L. Brashears, R. G. Slayback

The host dolomite of the Pine Point lead-zinc ore is a prolific ground-water aquifer that occurs locally under watertable and artesian conditions. Mining schedules and severe climate require rapid and thorough dewatering of open pits. Pumping-test methods, common to ground-water supply studies, were applied to dewatering design for a model ore pit in 1968. Procedures for testing and design at other ore bodies were established and have been carried out successfully by mine personnel. At the inception of ground-water studies, parts of ore bodies were below prevailing ground-water levels by 35 to more than 150 ft. Movement of ground water through the coarsely recrystallized dolomite occurs largely through fractures and solution openings. Because the overburden deposits consist mainly of glacial till, it is estimated that the recharge to the aquifer is about 25% of the 13-in. annual precipitation. Natural groundwater flow is northeastward toward Great Slave Lake. Background data included extensive diamond drill hole logs and cores and static level data for a number of ore pits. An ore pit, known as N-42, that required 40 ft of dewatering was selected for the initial application of the pumping-test method. Production wells, cased with 14in. pipe, were drilled to a depth of 300 ft on the rim of the ore pit. A suitable pattern of observation wells was obtained by lining 21/8-in. diamond drill holes with perforated electrical conduit. A two-stage pumping test

Jan 1, 1973

By John V. Beall

Probably the only hotel in the world with near 100% occupancy at all times is the modern Hotel Indonesia in Djakarta. However, there is little gaiety among the scores of business men who occupy the hotel because they fret as days grow into weeks in seemingly interminable negotiations with government officials. As one man put it, "time is a dimension that they [Indonesians] have never grasped." But the visitors still come in droves to investigate business opportunities in this sprawling nation of tropical islands which is, with 120 million people, the fifth largest nation in the world. Approximately $300 million is being spent each year in Indonesia by foreign companies and governments. Aid grants from the latter are derived about one third from the United States, one third from Japan and the remainder from many nations. Djakarta is a far cry from pleasant colonial Batavia, as the city was called under the Dutch. The orderly colony of prewar days was managed as an agricultural and trading dependency of Holland. The Dutch did little about educating the people. The islands were controlled by the Japanese during World War II and afterwards there was a war for independence--which was attained in 1949. In the ensuing years, President Sukarno devastated the economy by squandering money on a gigantic scale. A Communist-attempted coup in 1965 resulted in a military takeover and the extermination of Communists. The new government under Suharto, which took over all power in March 1966, found itself in a situation where bare survival was the first consideration.

Jan 1, 1970

By S Pfaff, R Rajic

In the case when the number of independent variables is greater, a careful design for carrying out tests has to be made in order to obtain, with the smallest possible number of tests, as much as possible neutral information about the influence of independent variables on the dependent ones. Only on the basis of such design and its statistical analysis it is possible to come to right conclusions about the function of the whole system. The influence of pressure, temperature, humidity and granulation of the coal upon the resistance to pressure and the water absorption of the briquettes has been tested, with the aim to examine how each of the two dependent variables changes depending on the values assumed by any of the four independent variables and which of the mentioned independent variables significantly influences the dependent ones. The full factorial design with 16 experiments and the central composite design with 27 experiments have been applied. The influence of the independent variables upon the dependent ones has been examined by applying the analysis of variance. The influence values of individual factors and their interaction upon the dependent variables have been stated as well as coefficients of curvilinear equation.

Jan 1, 2003

By J. Parke Channing

IT IS most appropriate for mining engineers and in fact for all engineers to perfect themselves in leader-ship, because in the last ten years there has been a growing realization on the part of capital that there is no man who by capacity and training is better fitted to manage industrial production than the engineer. In high places the engineer and particularly the mining engineer is coming into his own. We have Mr. Hoover as Secretary of Commerce, Mr. Hammond as the head of the Federal Fact-finding Coal Commission, and Prince Caetani as Royal Italian Ambassador, all mining engineers. More and more in all industries is the manager more likely to be an engineer than he was five, ten, fifteen or twenty years ago, and the feeling is that the man who has had a technical training, whether from going to a school or from burning the midnight oil, makes a better manager than the man who has not. We find in mining that the best man for a manager is one who has had engineering, training. The manager who comes up from the office, from the purchasing department or from the transportation department may make a fairly good manager but he is never so good as the man who has had a technical training. He cannot speak the language of his staff.

Jan 5, 1923

By William D. Carter

When the first Earth Resources Technology satellite (ERTS-A) is orbited by NASA next year, mineral exploration is expected to take a giant leap forward. There are many inherent advantages in going to space to study large regions of the earth, as existing space data have shown. A preview of what can be expected has already been provided by Gemini and Apollo color photographs taken over many parts of the world in the equatorial belt to 30ºN and S latitude. These comprehensive views cover some 100 sq mi, depicting prominent geologic features in a regional context. Placed side by side with mosaics of aerial photographs covering identical areas, the space pictures point up many inadequacies in the present airborne methods of data acquisition. To obtain a regional picture from aircraft, one must piece together many bits of data, and the final result suffers from variations in lighting and photographic reproduction that may obscure features important to the mineral explorer. By contrast, space photographs provide unsegmented synoptic views of large areas as they appear in a single instant under uniform lighting conditions.

Jan 1, 1971

By Camillo Premoli

Namibia is one of Africa's newest nations. A German colony until 1915, it then became a South African protectorate until 1990, when it gained independence after an armed struggle that lasted more than two decades. However, no trace of past bitterness can be found today in the capital, Windhoek, or in the countryside. Namibia is now one of the safest parts of Africa. Namibia's industrial base and infrastructure have been untouched by war. Swapo, the ruling party, has embarked on a successful policy of reconciliation and economic development. The GNP per capita is a surprising $1500 (from the World Bank), one of the highest in Africa. Namibia's population stands at 1.3 million, including about 100,000 whites. Namibia is a very sparsely populated country (1.7 inhabitants per km2). About 70% of the people are farmers. Namibia has a surface area of 824,232 km2 (318,261 sq miles), about the size of France and Germany combined. The semi-arid climate and generally flat morphology make the country well suited to mineral exploration. About 40% of the country presents abundant rock outcrops. The rest is buried under the Kalahari sands. However, this cover in most of the country hardly exceeds 200 m (655 ft), and Australian technology has shown that large mineral deposits (Roxby Downs) can nowadays be found at even greater depths. Mining is Namibia's largest industry. In 1991, it accounted for 22% of the country's GDP, about 70% to 80% of its exports by value and 25% of internally generated government revenues. The Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME) is responsible for formulating and implementing national mineral policies. This agency has recently introduced legislation aimed at encouraging new and long-term investment in the mineral sector. The variety of Namibian mineral resources, both metallic and nonmetallic, is rivaled by few countries worldwide.

Jan 1, 1994

By M. A. Quader, D. Kuhlmann-Wilsdorf, R. A. Dodd

STACKING fault tetrahedra were first observed in quenched and aged pure gold by Silcox and Hirsch1 and identified as defects originating in the collapse of vacancy discs on {111} planes. It was supposed that sessile loops are the first product of the collapse, and that by a dislocation dissociation/glide sequence these are converted into tetrahedra. Although the tetrahedra can be mechanistically accounted for in this way, recent investigations indicate that their growth occurs by the absorption of individual vacancies on small nuclei involving perhaps as few as six vacancies.2-7 Besides stacking fault tetrahedra, triangular and crystallographic shaped Frank loops, although fewer in number, have always been observed in quenched and aged gold.19798 It is not known definitely whether these loops form from collapsed tetrahedra. The fact that the Frank loops are usually larger than the accompanying tetrahedra might indicate that the loops grow independently by absorbing vacancies, but this does not rule out the possibility of the collapse of tetrahedra into loops under all circumstances. Silcox and Hirsch1 have actually observed under the electron microscope tetrahedra collapsing into loops, probably due to stresses set up by the heating of the specimen by the electron beam. The energy residing in the stacking faults of a tetrahedron is proportional to the square of the edge length, while the energy of a triangular perfect dislocation loop depends on its edge length, L, as const L ln(L/ro). Therefore, beyond some critical size tetrahedra must become unstable with respect to collapse into triangular loops.1,3,8-11 However, it seems that in the absence of strong stresses tetrahedra usually decay by the

Jan 1, 1969

By Paul Hett

The much-heralded Deep Ruth operation of Kennecott Copper Corp., at Ruth, Nev., is scheduled to become a producer by 1957. Inaugurated as a project in 1951, production was originally scheduled to start in 1953, but excessive water hindered shaft sinking. A revised schedule called for output by 1955, but again plans had to be changed. This time the change was to permit mining of an orebody that would have otherwise been lost because of block caving methods planned for the main deposit. The new ore is within the cave limits of the larger orebody, above the first production level. Ore will start coming from this new source in 1956, a year ahead of the principal operation. (See NEWS, page 344.) There is little doubt that current economic conditions and unforeseen expenditures for early shaft development will make the Deep Ruth a high-cost producer. Yet, some of the drawbacks of the Kennecott operation may be mitigated by the possibility that additional exploration will increase the already assured 25 million tons of 0.83 pet copper ore. While Kennecott is missing out on the current high copper market and is thus left with a potentially narrowed profit, the predicted demand for copper has created an optimistic feeling. Its development is certain to enlarge known U. S. copper reserves and significantly extend the life of Kennecott's Nevada operations.

Jan 4, 1955

By A. Mayton, A. Brien, W. Porter, O&apos

In 2004, management at Unimin's Gleason, TN operation began implementing ergonomic interventions specifically targeted to reduce risk of musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs). Together with corporate and site management, Unimin identified work site hazards and began to modify work practices/equipment. Some interventions were relatively simple and were implemented immediately. Others, like improvements to a mobile shredder, were more complex but were eventually resolved through a participatory approach with employees, management, manufacturers and NIOSH. This paper discusses ergonomic interventions that were successfully implemented using a bottom-up approach to reducing the risk of injury.

Silica-Kaolin Sand Wet Sizing The Bulgarian deposits of silica-kaolin sand are localised in the eastern part of the Danube plain. After wet separation the raw material yields two products - washed kaolin (different grades) and silica sand (different grades). The water washing technology includes: disintegration; spiral classification; hydrocyclone classification and dewatering of kaolin grades; hydroclassification; sizing using drum screens and dewatering of silica sand grades. Research and development program has started to improve the silica-kaolin sand separation in processing plants. Based on the raw material and tails characterisation data and the preliminary experiments using Derrick Stacksizer screening machines a silica-kaolin sand wet sizing technology was developed. The full-scale pilot flowsheet includes the following units: Derrick Stacksizer equipped with 0.43 mm opening Derrick Urethane Panel; 500 mm Flat bottom Hydrocyclone; Derrick Stacksizer equipped with 0.150 mm opening Derrick Urethane Panel; 100 mm Hydrocyclone and Derrick Dual Motor Linear Motion Machine equipped with 0.064 mm opening Derrick Pyramid Panel. The pilot-test data clearly demonstrate that the new silica-kaolin sand wet sizing technology is suitable for Bulgarian silica-kaolin raw material. There are possibilities to increase the silica sand recovery increasing the production of silica sand grade PK 0.16 and starting the production a new grade PK 0.10.

Sep 13, 2010

By Penney B. K, Baghdadi A. A

An electron probe micro-analyser, controlled by a dedicated mini-computer,has been operating at Imperial College since 1970. The data assessment capability of the computer was limited and, in order to make better use of the information produced by the analyser, extra computing facilities were needed. Following the initiation of a Laboratory Automation Project at Imperial College involving the use of a central computer linked to laboratory type computers and to further more powerful systems,it became possible to carry out much more detailed and extensive mineralogical analyses by connecting the mini -computer to the Laboratory Automation Network. The paper describes the techniques employed including hardware, software, inter- connection, analysis and operating methods.

Jan 1, 1977

By J. T. Sitarski, R. C. Emmett, L. W. Luinstra, R. P. Klepper

A mining operation in Zimbabwe produces a pyritic gold concentrate that requires oxidative pretreatment prior to cyanidation in order to liberate 80 percent of the gold values. Bio- oxidation offered the potential of increased gold recovery and was considered to be an economically advantageous alternative to the existing practice of roasting the concentrate. Based on bench- scale test work, a small bio-oxidation plant, capable of processing approximately 50 percent of the concentrator production, was installed at the mine to evaluate this approach. The plant included two 57 m3 bioreactors in series and the ancillary equipment needed to prepare the feed concentrate, to wash the leached residue prior to cyanidation, and to neutralize the waste liquor. The plant was operated for a year-and-a-half, and the conditions needed to achieve a 90 percent liberation of gold values were determined. A number of critical technical problems were encountered, and many were resolved on-site. Others have been addressed since the pilot plant was moth-balled in June 1988. Valuable insight was gained from the operation of the pilot plant, which has provided useful guidance for continued process and equipment improvement.

Jan 1, 1990

By N. A. Ziegler

CONSIDERABLE work has been and is being done on the changes of physical properties that take place in alloys at elevated temperatures, and much information on this subject is published. Much less is known, as pointed out by Rickett and Wood,1 about reactions between the alloys and atmospheric gases and still less is known about changes within the alloy itself under the influence of heat and given atmosphere. Moreover, most of the work published has been done on the alloys of "heat-resist-ing" type, in which chromium is an essential ingredient, the behavior of all other alloys being quite unknown, except perhaps of decarburization produced at the surface by oxidizing atmospheres. It has been shown' that iron, with total amount of foreign ingredients not exceeding 0.01 per cent, if heated in an oxidizing atmosphere at above 900° C., may be saturated with oxygen to 0.1 per cent. It was suspected that something of a similar nature may take place in iron-silicon alloys (transformer material), the mechanism of such processes being either a direct diffusion of oxygen into the alloy, or oxygen combining with silicon to form Si02 or more complicated (silicate) inclusions. Another possi-bility to be considered was that during annealing in oxidizing atmos-pheres, when scale is being formed, silicon may oxidize preferentially at the surface, thus impoverishing the alloy in silicon. In collaboration with Dr. T. D. Yensen,3 the writer set out to investigate this problem about two years ago in order to settle these questions.

Jan 1, 1934