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By Oliver Bowles

Wire saws have been used for many years in European travertine, marble, and slate quarries. This method of sawing found very limited use in America until 1927 when it was accepted as standard equipment in elate quarries in Pennsylvania where it has been remarkably successful. Details of its operation in slate have been published in a recent bureau report.3 The very limited extent to which the wire saw has been employed in limestone and marble quarries in the United States and the seeming lack of interest even in experimental work to determine its advantages are difficult to explain in vied of its wide use in cutting similar rocks in Europe and its unquestionable advantages in sewing slate in America. In order to encourage improvement in quarry practice the United States Bureau of Mines has endeavored to obtain information as to the extent to which wire saws are used in Europe together with data on the rate and cost of sawing. The information at hand is by no means complete either in territory covered or in details of operation; it nevertheless brings out certain significant features that may be of interest and advantage to quarrymen in the United States.

Jan 1, 1931

By H. Kenworthy

The objective of this research was to develop methods and determine conditions under which metallic sulfides with lower boiling points than sphalerite may be removed from zinc sulfide concentrates by volatilization. A higher percentage of extraction of lead, cadmium, and germanium than is common in current practice was sought. The investigation, conducted by the Metallurgical Branch of the Minerals Technology Division, Region VI, showed that, under proper conditions, it is possible to remove over 90 percent of the lead, cadmium and germanium as an enriched sublimate. The uses of lead, and cadmium to a lesser extent, are well-known. Although germanium was discovered in 1886 by C. Winkler, commercial use has been achieved only in recent years. The amount consumed per manufacturer unit is so small that the price of germanium may still be quoted by the gram. The electronic industries have been the chief consumer of this semiconductor. Germanium is sold largely to the fabricator as a dioxide for reduction to metal and subsequent processing into wafers for use in diode and triode electronic tubes. Extensive research at Purdue University during World War II led to the first practical use of germanium.

Jan 1, 1952

By Débora Guimarães da Silva

Este trabalho trata da deposição de um nanofilme de sílica através do processo sol-gel na superfície de um substrato vítreo para sua aplicação em usinas térmicas de energia solar. Os filmes foram confeccionados pelo processo de revestimento por imersão utilizando-se um equipamento dip-coating e passaram por um tratamento térmico à 425°C durante 30 minutos. Na etapa de caracterização foram feitos ensaios de espectroscopia de fluorescência de raios-X, refletância difusa no UV-Vis, microscopia eletrônica de varredura e medidas de molhabilidade. As propriedades mecânicas foram avaliadas por teste de adesão da fita e dureza a lápis. Resultados dos ensaios de espectroscopia de fluorescência de raios-X confirmaram haver a deposição de sílica sobre o substrato. Foi obtida uma refletância difusa de 2,72% para o filme antirreflexivo. Imagens no MEV revelaram uma superfície lisa, uniforme e isenta de trincas. Medidas de molhabilidade mostraram que houve o molhamento dos filmes pela água, caracterizando-os como hidrofílicos. Os filmes apresentaram uma adesão de 4B e dureza de 3H. Os nanofilmes de sílica confeccionados apresentaram propriedades ópticas e mecânicas satisfatórias para a aplicação solar.

Aug 17, 2017

By L. Seigle, R. Resnick

An inert-marker movement experiment indicates that the ratio of the intrinsic diffusion coefficients DC:DTa = 80:l in TaC at 2500°C. Measurements of the diffmion coefficient of carbon in nonstoichiometric TaC at temperatures from 1700° to 2700°C reveal that Dc increases with decreasing carbon content, but much less than expected from the probable change in vacancy concentration with carbon content. A diffusion process involving two simultaneously operating mechanisms is postulated, and shown to be theoretically feasible. The average value of the carbon diffusion coefficient is given by DC = 0.18 exp[(-85,000 ± 3000)/RT] sq cm per sec over the composition range 46 to 49.5 at. pct C. BECAUSE of their high melting points and hardness, the carbides of the IV, V, and VI group transition metals, along with those of uranium, have attracted considerable interest for applications at high temperatures. In these applications the reactivity of the materials is important, and, since rates of diffusion within the compounds influence reactivity, a knowledge of diffusion kinetics and mechanisms is desirable. While many investigations of the mechanical and electrical properties of these compounds have been made, only two fundamental investigations of diffusion in the carbides are known. Chubb, Getz, and Townleyl measured the diffusivity of carbon and uranium in UC, and Gel'd and Liubimov2 measured the diffusivity of carbon and niobium in NbC. This paper describes an investigation of the diffusion of carbon in tantalum monocarbide and, in particular, the influence of carbon deficiency on this process. Tantalum carbide melts at approximately 3800°C, which makes it one of the highest melting materials known. The compound exists over a rather wide range of carbon Content.3-7 At the peritectic temperature, 3240°C, the phase extends from about 36 to 50 at. pct C. Although the compound can exist with a substantial carbon deficiency, the high carbon phase boundary remains near the stoichiometric composition over the entire temperature range; i.e., no carbon excess is observed. The structure of TaC is the NaCl type wherein carbon atoms normally occupy the octahedral sites in a somewhat expanded fcc lattice of tantalum. Decrease of the lattice parameter with decreasing carbon suggests that the removal of carbon introduces octahedral vacancies into the lattice. I) EXPERIMENTAL DETAILS AND RESULTS Inert-Marker Experiments. In a compound such as TaC the interstitial element would be expected to diffuse more rapidly than the metal. This was confirmed by an inert-marker experiment, following Srnigelskas and irkeendall.8 Ideally, the markers should be placed at the interface between a slab of low-carbon TaC and graphite, and their movement during subsequent inter-diffusion measured. Unfortunately, no solid could be found which is unreactive in contact with carbon at the high temperatures employed in these experiments. In order to circumvent this problem, a specimen was designed in which the markers consisted of several small canals running just below the surface of a tantalum slab. This specimen was prepared by machining grooves on the surface of the tantalum slab and then diffusion-bonding a thin plate of tantalum to the slab over the grooves. The surface of the plate was then ground down until the distance between the canals and surface was as small as possible (about 0.01 cm). Thus, the canals would lie entirely within the TaC phase after a short period of diffusion. The diffusion anneal consisted of immersing the metal sample in high-purity graphite powder and heating for approximately 10 hr at 2500°C under vacuum. At this temperature, the vapor pressure is sufficiently high and the transfer of carbon from graphite sufficiently rapid to allow the surface of the diffusion sample to attain the stoichiometric carbon concentration very quickly. Conclusions regarding the relative diffusion rates of carbon and tantalum in the compound layers (TaC and Ta2C) can be drawn from the location of the canals after the diffusion anneals. If the growth of the layers is governed mainly by the diffusion of carbon, as expected, the canals should remain close to the sample surface. If the diffusion of tantalum contributes appreciably to formation of the compound layers, the distance from the markers (canals) to the surface should increase. Fig. 1 shows, diagrammatically, the appearance of the specimens after diffusion, and Table I presents the depth below the surface at which the

Jan 1, 1967

By E. Matinde

Poor phase separation and fine dissemination of the desired components within congruous slag phases are key challenges limiting the recoverability of values from slags by conventional beneficiation methods. Slag microstructure conditioning is a pragmatic approach to increasing themvalue-in-use of discard slags, especially when integrated with the broader smelter infrastructure. Although not yet tested on oxide slag systems, this paper explores the potential application of magnetohydrodynamic principles to the crystallization behaviour of bulk slags. Integrating the slag microstructure conditioning infrastructure to the existing smelter infrastructure is key to unlocking the economic value of slags because it is most economic to condition the properties of molten slag directly after tapping. A new business model that integrates smelting units to transversalmeconomic activities, such as cement production and suppliers of construction aggregates, canmsignificantly increase the circularity of metallurgical slags.

Oct 9, 2024

By Douglas R. Simms

O & G Industries, Inc. owns and operates a number of rock quarries within the State of Connecticut. These rock quarries are surrounded by residences and commercial neighbors who have concerns related to blasting. In addition, local commissions which issue the mining permits to O & G are required to hold public hearings, prior to issuing the annual permits each year.

Jan 1, 1994

Stawell Gold Mines Pty Ltd operates two underground decline mines within the township of Stawell. An active exploration program and commitment by owners to improving the ore reserves has led to an improved mine life and reduced operating costs since the purchase of the operation by Mining Project Investors and Pittston Mineral Ventures in late-1992. Over the past six years of operation a cumulative 1 150 000 ounces of gold have been added to the mineral inventory. An improved geological understanding of the orebody has evolved over time increasing the ore reserves and allowing the development of long-term plans for the mines future. This has enabled important capital decisions to be made providing the impetus for improved productivity and thereby reduced operating costs. Co-operative mine planning and mine geology utilising best practice geological systems have enabled the effective extraction of a structurally complex and mineralogically varied deposit within a rural Victorian township. Detailed metallurgical research has improved the function of an aged and poorly designed circuit to boost the mill capacity whilst also improving the metallurgical recovery. The combination of metallurgical expertise and an understanding of the geological setting enable an effective control of metallurgical recovery.

Jan 1, 2000

By Ihsan Berk Tulu, Keith A. Heasley, Chris Mark

"The Analysis of Retreat l\.fining Pillar Stability (ARJ\1PS) and the Lal\.fodel programs have been used successfully in the U.S. for designing safe pillar recovery operations for many years. However, the recent Crandall Canyon l\.fine collapse showed that further research is required to improve the pillar design for recovery under deep cover. To this end, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the West Virginia University (WVU) l\.fining Engineering Department have been working together to improve both the ARJ\1PS and the Lal\.fodel programs.This paper compares and analyzes the overburden loads calculated by ARJ\1PS 2002, the new ARJ\1PS 2010, and the Lal\.fodel program with regard to the retreat pillar line, the gob, and the barrier pillars. The analysis shows a number of distinct differences between the ARJ\1PS and Lal\.fodel loading distributions. Ultimately, the programs, with their distinctive load distributions, are used to analyze a database of 52 deep cover pillar retreat case studies, and the ability of each program to discriminate between successful and unsuccessful retreat pillar plans is evaluated.INTRODUCTIONThe Analysis of Retreat l\.fining Pillar Stability (ARJ\.f PS) and the Lal\.fodel programs have been used successfully in the U.S. for designing safe pillar recovery operations for many years. However, the recent Crandall Canyon l\.fine collapse showed that further research is required to improve the pillar design for recovery under deep cover.Pillar recovery accounts for less than 10% of the coal produced from underground coal mines; however, in the period between 1989 and 1996, it accounted for more than 25% of all ground fatalities (l\.fark et al., 2003). In the past 15 years, the safety of retreat mining operations has greatly improved. l\.fark (2009) explains three steps promoted by l\1SHA and NIOSH for safer pillar recovery:1) Global stability through proper pillar design2) Local stability through proper roof support3) Worker safety through proper section managementThe ARJ\1PS and Lal\.fodel (Heasley, 1998) programs have been playing an important role in guiding mine operators in designing pillars to ensure the global stability of a retreat panel."

Jan 1, 2010

By John T. Crawford

Open pit limit analysis techniques of various types have been utilized for many years to design ultimate pit surfaces. In the last 15 years there have been many advances in the development of sophisticated computer methods to aid this process. The extensive capability of the computer has led to multiple alternative approaches to problem solving. Computerized open pit limit analysis methods can be applied to a broad scope of long-range and intermediate-range mine planning and design questions. A single computer run develops a pit design from a set of data. A set of nonsequential runs is used to evaluate changes in pit slopes, property restraints, and mineral model variables. Ore reserve economic sensitivity and intermediate-range mining plans can be developed using sequential computer runs. Present value methods are incorporated by using iterative sequential techniques. Multiple ore processes, dump leaching credits, and the trade-off between open pit and underground mining can also be handled. Many of the applications described are representative of current practice. The remainder are suggested extensions.

Jan 1, 1979

By Gabriella Mendez

Worthy of note in Miss Bailey's paper are her comments on the attitudes of mining companies and their managers where women were employed, she says, "..another possible pitfall is reverse discrimination where in an effort to avoid being branded as having shown a person favouritism, supervisors end up treating the person in a manner much less than they deserve. This is manifested in denying an employee such things as challenging work, educational opportunities, promotions, or in the case of staff, fair merit increases." and further she says, "It has been observed that the treatment of women in non-traditional roles such as mining is different than for men in the same environment. There are people who treat women worse and some who treat them better simply because they are of the other sex." These statements may sound unjustified to today's audience, and whilst we need to credit pioneering women with having tolerated, understood and worked towards improving the mining culture, the move towards total inclusion of women in the workplace is still growing.

Jan 1, 1995

By Brahm Prakash, R. Schuhmann

Chemical conditions for flotation and nonflotation of quartz with oleic acid as collector and barium, calcium, aluminum, iron, and tin as activators were studied using a simple vacuum-flotation technique in glass-stoppered graduates. The detailed study of barium activation led to an interpretation based on ideal Langmuirian chemisorption.

Jan 1, 1950

By Michael Brittan

Diagnostic regression analysis has been used as a tool to improve the recovery efficiencies of numerous gold mills, yielding significant revenue increases. In the course of the analyses it has generally been found that ore head grade is a statistically dominant variable affecting the overall gold recovery. Higher grades invariably generate higher recoveries. Examples are given from several operations in the world's two largest gold producing countries, South Africa and the United States. The plants considered cover the treatment of both oxide and refractory ores. A simple generalized model is presented relating tails to head grade. Since ore grade variations are beyond operational control, operators should not be held accountable for decreases in recovery caused by lower head grades. Conversely, the ore must take credit for many a recovery increase. Rigorous metallurgical test work, feasibility analysis, production planning and budgeting should allow for recovery variations due to grade fluctuations. Since the phenomenon is a reflection of ore geology and mineralogy, which are ore specific, comparison of recoveries at different times or sites is not meaningful without a detailed understanding of the mineralogical constraints on gold liberation.

Jan 1, 1997

Selective leach analytical techniques applied to surface geochemical samples in the search for deeply buried mineral resources gained popularity in the late 1990s. Several commercial assay laboratories introduced their own selective leach methods, adding to the few established commercial methods at that time. Many of these laboratories promoted their methods with orientation data showing favorable responses to both precious and base metal mineralisation, concealed beneath extensive thicknesses of overburden. However, many explorationists remain confused about the utility of these geochemical methods. This confusion is due primarily to the lack of objective orientation surveys over significant mineralisation, comparing all commercially available selective leach methods and to the lack of a creditable theory explaining the formation of these selective leach anomalies. An EXTENDED ABSTRACT is available for download. A full-length paper was not prepared for this presentation. An orientation survey was designed to fill the first void û an objective survey over significant mineralisation. With the help of 17 mining companies and assay laboratories, an orientation survey was conducted over five significant covered gold deposits in Nevada, USA , representing over ten million ounces of gold. Hopefully the results of this survey will help provide fuel for those working on the second void û a theory to adequately explain the formation of these selective leach anomalies.

Jan 1, 2008

By J. Borlee, F. Sorrentino, A. Fleischanderl, M. Gimenez, W. Gebert, U. Gennari

Large quantities of solid by-products are generated by the steel industry and other important activity sectors in Europe (power plants, car dismantling companies, urban incinerators) with no or very limited potential for direct recovery. In the frame of a multi¬national project supported by the European Union, a consortium has been created to develop a treatment process able to turn these by-products into valuable metallic and mineral products. VAI has been responsible for the design, erection and start-up of the pilot plant for the new metallurgical process and for the execution of the test campaigns, with the targets defined together with the partners. Up to now, 9 campaigns comprising 60 heats have been performed successfully. By-products from C-Steel and stainless steel plants, as well as fly ash and auto shredder residues, have been used and defined products such as hydraulic binders for cement, metallurgical powders for De-S practice and recycled metal phase have been produced. The mineral products were positively assessed under industrial conditions. Results from cement tests and secondary metallurgy are reported, as well as a detailed characterization. The economic value of the products, credits from avoiding dumping and significant savings on CO2 emissions make the new process economically very attractive.

Jan 1, 2004

The word "engineering" should not be considered as all-inclusive. Perhaps it should be redefined at this time. Various fields of learning that are indispensable to the locating, beneficiating, processing and using of minerals cannot be classified properly as engineering. For example, in locating deposits, the sciences of paleontology, stratigraphy, mineralogy, petrology, petrography, geo- chemistry, economic geography, and mineral economics might be involved. Beneficiating, processing, and using go beyond the normal scope of engineering to include fuel technology, physical and organic chemistry, physical and atomic metallurgy, and ceramics. Fifty-eight institutions of higher learning in the United States offer curricula in one or more subject-matter fields of the mineral arts and sciences. Thirty-four curricula are offered in mining; 42 in metallurgy; 17 in petroleum and natural gas; 13 in ceramics; 1 in fuel technology; 23 in geological engineering; 8 in geology; 4 in geophysics; 2 in mineral preparation; and l in mineral economics.1 Under given conditions, some of these curricula probably could be eliminated without the slightest retardation in the rate of advancement of knowledge concerning the science of mineral discovery, extraction and utilization, but it is no credit to mineral industries colleges that five departments of mining per-

Jan 1, 1950

By Hansheinz Portisch, Harold Margolin

A surface expansion was found to occur sometime after etching in Ti-A1 alloys containing 9.5 to 12.5 wt pct Al. The structure formed, grew, and disappeared with tzrrze. The surface expansion was followed by microscope observations and interferometric and lattice parameter measurements. Activation energy measurements for the growth of the "expansion structure" and chemical analysis indicated that the phenomenon occurred as a result of hydrogen pzckup during etching. It is proposed that hydrogen initially enters octahedral sites of Ti3Al coherent with a Ti and later shifts to the tetrahedral sites. It is postulated that expansion occurs when hydrogen enters the tetrahedral sites. The expansion structure disappeared, it is proposed, because of diffusion of hydrogen from the surface into the body of the alloy and because of loss of coherency of Ti3Al. In examining Ti-A1 alloys, Ence and arolinl observed markings on the surface of specimens. These markings did not appear after electropolishing only, but rather appeared only after etching. The markings appeared to grow as a function of time after etching and later seemed to disappear. Although the markings had some similarity to precipitates, showing, frequently, a Widmanstatten type of arrangement, the observation that other microstructural markings continue to be seen within the new structure suggested that it was actually not a precipitate. The source of this structure was unknown and an attempt was made in the present investigation to develop some understanding of its nature. It has been labeled expansion structure. 1) EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE A) Alloys. Alloys in the range 6.5 to 14.5 wt. pct A1 were studied. Bars, 4 in. sq, forged from Bureau of Mines (73 Bhn) titanium consumably arc-melted 4-lb ingots,' as well as 50-g arc-melted buttons of desired aluminum contents were used. The 50-g buttons also used Bureau of Mines titanium (73 Bhn) and aluminum of 99.99 pct purity. Buttons containing up to 8.5 wt pct A1 were hot-rolled from a furnace at 900' . Those with higher aluminum contents were hand-forged on a titanium anvil, and heated with an oxygen-hydrogen torch in the region of 1200" to 1300°c. Frequent reheating kept the samples at the desired temperature range. After a reduction of about 30 pct, the samples were water-quenched. To eliminate any contamination picked up either during hot rolling or forging, at least 1 mil of the surface of the sample was taken off. B) Heat Treatment. Prior to heat treatment all alloys were vacuum-annealed to remove hydrogen. Samples were annealed at 900' until a vacuum of 10'5 mm Hg was established. After this treatment, the samples were wrapped in molybdenum sheet and heat-treated in argon-filled quartz capsules, which were broken under water or iced brine at the conclusion of the heat treatment. All heat treatments under dynamic vacuum were performed in a rapid-quench furnace. This consisted of a molybdenum-lined quartz tube attached to a vacuum system and through a stopcock to a beaker of water. At the completion of the heat treatment the vacuum stopcock was closed, the furnace shut off, and dropped below the quartz tube. Then immediately the inlet stopcock was opened and water admitted until the tube was filled. The steam formed was allowed to escape through the inlet stopcock. This method was used in heat treatments up to llOO°C. C) Metallography. Specimens for metallographic examination were ground, then electropolished using a Disa Electropol machine with a perchloric acid electr01te. Specimens were etched with R-etch.3 A standard etching time of 3 min was used, with the specimen being agitated during immersion. D) Sample Preparation for X-ray Analysis. Samples 0.2 to 0.5 mm in diam were produced from heat-treated rods which were turned to 2 mm diam on a lathe and then rotation-etched. An etchant consisting of 1 pt HF, 7 pt HN03, and 12 pt HzO was satisfactory. With the rod rotating in a vertical position at 50 to 100 rpm, a needle with uniform dimensions could be obtained. Care had to be taken to insure that the rod was at the center of rotation, otherwise cavitation developed. If a small unevenness developed, it was possible to grind it off with a fine emery paper. E) X-ray Diffraction. All X-ray work was done on a North American Phillips X-ray diffraction apparatus and a Jarrell Ash microfocus X-ray unit. The Phillips unit was used with a copper target and nickel filter. The Jarrell Ash unit was fitted with a cobalt target and iron filter. For the Phillips unit 35 kva and 20 ma were used, whereas for the microfocus unit with the 100-p fixed-focus gun 40 kv and 1.5 ma were used. It was found that alignment of cameras on the Jarre11 Ash unit was very critical. The X-ray beam contains an intense area which is not the beam center. The cameras were aligned with the intense region by monitoring the beam coming out of the camera with a Geiger counter. Adjustments were made until a maximum intensity was obtained. A Phillips diffractometer with a Brown chart recorder furnished some of the lattice parameter data. The divergence slit up to 80 deg 28 was I deg; above 80 deg, a 4-deg opening was used, while the scatter slit was1 deg and the receiving slit had a 0.003-in. opening. The general scanning rate was 1 deg per min, while peaks of special interest were rescanned at -j deg per min. For elevated-temperature X-ray diffraction a Uni-cam High Temperature Camera with a film diameter

Jan 1, 1969

By R. L. Loofbourow

R. L. LOOFBOUROW 26.1-WATER FLOW, USE, EFFECTS, CONTROL Sec. 4 discusses ground water as a mineral resource. This section deals wits its control. 26.1.1-IMPORTANCE Flows of water have an important effect on the cost and progress of many deep excavations. The existence of water limits the methods which can be used in some and presents hazards in others. Lowering the water table may reduce the flow of springs and wells, with legal liability. Some mine water is used directly, some must he treated before discharge, and some contains dissolved solids which can be recovered profitably. Loss of life, property and production from flooding is grim, yet scores of mines have worked safely for generations under ground-water reservoirs, lakes and even the sea. The need for better control of mine water is measured by the severity of recent floodings, concern with the quality of the effluent, and direct and indirect costs of working wet ground. There are improvements in freezing in shaft sinking. pumps and their controls, treatment of mine water before it is pumped, bulkhead construction and certain efforts to reduce inflow. 26.1.2-PUMPING COST VS. COST OF WET WORK Direct operating and capital costs of pumping are more evident than indirect items, such as provision of extra standby power and maintenance facilities, The total of all these items is the cost of pumping water from an excavation. This is only a part of the extra cost of working wet as compared to dry ground. Less productive methods, less efficient equipment and more expensive explosives may have to he used in wet work. Wet rock plugs certain equipment. Maintenance is higher and labor less efficient. The cost of any means of keeping work drier should he weighed against the higher cost of working wet. The true difference in the cost of working wet ground, compared with dry, probably is known at only a few places (see checklist of cost items. Sec. 26.4.13). An extreme comparison of mining wet and dry ore is available from Ambrosia Lake, N.M. (Fig. 26-1). Between 1963 and 1967, a wet and a dry mine were worked by the same company under conditions otherwise comparable. Average operating cost at the wet mine, pumping 1,600 to 1,800 gpm. was $16.06 per ton of ore. The comparable figure for the dry mine was $7.50. Principal differences included the fact that the wet mine was worked from drainage levels below the, ore with rail haulage, the dry mine in the ore with off-track equipment loading and hauling to the shaft. In the wet mine, ore packed in chutes, cars and skips and froze in surface bins, stockpiles and trucks. Wet-mine costs included drilling drain holes, building and maintaining ditches and pumping water containing abrasive solids.

Jan 1, 1973

By Ann G. Kim

Studies on the initiation and propagation of mine fires have dealt almost exclusively with coal. It has been assumed that the self-heating potential of carbonaceous shales and coal wastes is relatively low. However, in abandoned coal mines and waste banks, initiation and propagation of fires may be strongly dependent on the self-heating tendency of these materials. The purpose of this study was to compare the self-heating probability of carbonaceous shales and coal wastes to that of coals. This study utilized a modified differential thermal analysis method, in which the combustion furnace temperature was the reference to which the sample temperature was compared. Based on the distribution of the maximum temperature differential and the sample heating rate, a self-heating probability value (SHPV) was calculated that corresponded to observed self-heating behavior. In this study, several of the carbonaceous shales and one coal waste had relatively high SHPV. The SHPV did not correspond directly to heating values or to differences in sulfur concentration.

Jan 1, 2010

By David D. Spencer

As in many other areas of the Mexican economy, the legal rules applicable to mining in Mexico have been changing fast. Mexico's mining sector is opening up to levels of international participation that were unforeseeable just a few years ago. Over the last several years, Mexico has made dramatic changes in its trade and investment policies. Many of these changes have their roots in the administrations of Miguel de la Madrid and perhaps even Jose Lopez Portillo. However, the current administration of President Carlos Salinas must be given credit for articulating, advancing, promulgating and implementing these changes. Just a few short years ago, few people believed Mexico would repeal so many of its restrictions on foreign investment and lower its average tariff level from something around 100% to less than 10%, where it is today. NAFTA and mining The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is the most comprehensive international expression of Mexico's new policies. Except perhaps for the agreements establishing the European Union, NAFTA is the most detailed trade agreement ever written, consisting of about 2000 pages. The provisions of NAFTA with the greatest relevance to the mining industry include the chapters on investment and government procurement. Many mining companies may also find the temporary work provisions relevant. Finally, no discussion of NAFTA and the mining industry would be complete without some mention of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation, the so-called Environmental Side Agreement.

Jan 1, 1994

RECENTLY, we were asked to name the greatest contribution to progress in mining technology during the past 25 years. Immediately, the introduction of the pneumatic hammer for making blastholes came to mind because it can be credited with speeding the excavation of rock and the elimination of hand drilling. Possibly this answer was so spontaneous because we were working on this "drilling issue" Of MINING ENGINEERING. Present drilling tools have devel¬oped so rapidly, that a great deal of engineering is. required in the selection of bits, steel, and machines for the drilling conditions at each mine. Formerly a modicum of engineering was utilized in selection of equipment for it was purchased from manufacturer preference. With the development of alloy drill steels, tungsten-carbide bits, throwaway bits, and the jackleg drill, mining companies began doing more experimental work before making selections. It is unfortunately true, that each operator must begin at the beginning by doing his own test work before choosing his drilling method, and tools. Some of this work has been done very well-under controlled conditions and obtaining proper data on the variables. Such data should be accumulated from the various mines, tabulated, and published. Such a volume would be of tremendous help to the small operator in selecting equipment and would permit the research departments of the larger companies to formulate some measure of rock drillability and to undertake more specialized research on the different phases of drilling.

Jan 1, 1952