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By T Weaver, R Dick, R Sivakumar, C T. Aimone

A series of small-scale crater tests were performed in concrete and sand in an effort to understand the cratering process in large-scale field blasts. The surface orientation of these tests varied from flat to a 30° slope. In comparison to previous crater experiments in competent oil shale, the crater tests in concrete produced craters similar to those in oil shale after scaling the measurements for differences in the mass of explosives among the experiments. Material strengths and the degree of brittleness had a significant effect on the size and shape of the crater. The small-scale sand tests resulted in some crater features that were similar to large explosive tests in alluvium and soil.

Jan 1, 1986

Mining in Guyana dates back into antiquity and a brief history of gold and diamond mining and of the small-scale miner, the pork-knocker, is given. The gold and diamond deposits found on the beds and in the flats of old and present rivers and the current methods of investiga- ting these deposits are briefly described. Methods of mining these deposits including the small-scale hand methods of pitting and diving with or without helmets are also briefly described. 'The small-scale method of dredging using a suction dredge in conjunction with a diver is described in more detail, from its develop- ment to current practice, without giving too much mechanical and technical details. The organisation of the industry and the mining titles, laws and policy relating thereto are reviewed. A brief account is given of the socio- economic role of the industry. Conclusions are made regarding the need for improvements in existing equipment and financing and for incentives to stimulate production. The future outlook of the industry is con- sidered.

Jan 1, 1986

By International geochemical

During the production of the Geochemical Atlas of Finland till samples were collected throughout Finland at a density of one sample per 300 km2. The material studied was the fine fraction of till (less than 0.06 mm). The geochemical mapping has shown that elements that are locally enriched in bedrock in the form of ore mineralisation are also enriched in a wide area of the surrounding till. These anomalous enrichments of ore elements take the form of rectangular or curvilinear zones that are some tens of kilometres wide and hundreds of kilometres long. The mineralised zones host ore deposits of different genetic types and can be termed "ore provinces". They stand out prominently on the geochemical maps and can be divided into sub-units of different chemical composition.

Jan 12, 1992

By P. Trudel, É. Cabot, L. Cabot

"A modular gold processing unit (MGPU) was designed, installed and operated over an eight-month period by RSW-Béroma at the Granada mine located near Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec. A description of the project geology, plant set up, as well as exploitation results, including productivity and profitability curves, are given for a small-scale mining operation in comparison with larger ones. IntroductionSmall-scale mining (SSM) is a widespread activity in Africa, Mexico, Central America and South America, where numerous small mineral deposits are exploited manually or by semimechanized methods. On the other hand, SSM is almost absent in Canada, where the mining industry traditionally exploits large deposits, using concentration plants with capacities of many thousands of tonnes per day. However, many small gold (and other metallic or industrial mineral) deposits are known in Canada. Their reserves are too small to justify the cost related to the construction of a standard mill and, if they are remote from a custom milling facility, they remain unexploited. With this in mind, RSW-Béroma has developed the modular gold processing unit (MGPU) that allows the profitable exploitation of small mineral deposits. The MGPU is the perfect tool for SSM and its main advantages are a much lower capital cost than a standard mill and its portability, which makes it easy to transport and reinstall on another site, once the exploitation of a small deposit is terminated. The denomination MGPU will be used hereafter in the text as it was primarily designed for gold deposits, although it must be kept in mind that this portable plant can be adapted to other mineral substances."

Jan 1, 2003

The results of small-scale resin-in-pulp pilot-plant investigations at Grootvlei Proprietary Mines Ltd, President Brand Gold Mining Co. Ltd, and Western Areas Gold Mine Co. Ltd are reported. At each mine, a pulp was fed simultaneously to a carbon-in-pulp plant, allowing a direct comparison of the metallurgical performance of the two processes. With the Grootvlei pulp, gold was extracted more efficiently by resin than by carbon owing to the Iow concentration of competing base-metal cyanide complexes in solution. With the Western Areas pulp, the reverse was true because of the high concentrations of copper and nickel in solution. Finally, with the President Brand pulp, resin-inpulp was significantly superior to carbon-in-pulp owing mainly to the inherently slow rate of gold extraction from calcine by activated carbon. Results are presented that show the efficiency of the elution of gold and other elements with a variety of reagents from the loaded resins arising from these three campaigns. At Western Areas, a detailed investigation enabled a preliminary cost evaluation to be made of three techniques for the elution of strong-base resins.

Jan 1, 1984

By J. H. Potgieter

This paper describes an investigation to separate and selectively recover silver, gold and platinum from jewellery and laboratory wastes, and produce technical grade material suitable for training purposes. Nitric acid was employed to dissolve and separate silver and other impurities from gold and platinum, which were then dissolved in aqua regia and precipitated selectively. The current work quantified the effects of temperature, stirring rate, leaching agent concentration and solid: liquid ratio on the recovery of the various noble metals and in summary yielded the optimum treatment conditions in each case. It was found that increased leaching reagent concentration (in the case of Ag), temperatures and stirring rates enhanced the recovery kinetics and optimum yield of the three noble metals. An increased liquid to solid ratio also enhanced the recovery of the silver. Recovery yields 97.1%, 99.9%and 99.4% for silver, gold and platinum, respectively, were obtained. The recovered silver, gold and platinum had purities of, respectively, 98.3%, 99.1% and 99.0%. A cost saving of approximately R10 000 per kilogram of scrap refined could be achieved by the in-house treatment of the waste, not to mention the time-saving benefit.

Jan 1, 2004

By Stephen Darmawan, Mahdi M. Disfani, Arul Arulrajah, Alireza Mohammadinia

Deep mixing using cementitious compounds is an in-situ method of ground improvement for improving the strength, compressibility of loose sand. Artificial light cementation can increase the stiffness of loose sands significantly and reduce the settlement of loose deposits. The increase in contact area between the particles with a thin layer of cementitious agent depends on the confinement and void ratio of the soil mass. Hence, the stiffening effect of cementation not only depends on the type and amount of cementing agent and inter-particular force chain of loose deposit but also depends on the stress level at the time of cementation. In addition, the cementation effect in loose deposits can be deteriorated at relatively low strain levels. Decementation softening can cause detrimental and irreversible impacts on the soil deposit. This study investigates the effect of initial confinement and subsequently the initial void ratio at the time of cementation on small strain behaviour and decementation softening of cemented loose sand under ko loading. The effect of inter-particular contact of sand particles based on the specific surface area and also soil density was also investigated by means of shear wave propagation. This study present insightful information on effect of primary consolidation stress levels, density of soil and cementation level on softening and collapse of loose deposits improved using deep soil mixing technique. Better understanding of soil-cement interaction by optimization of binder content for deep mixing activation can lead to increasing the level of confidence in using this technique in ground improvement applications.

Jan 1, 1900

Background Chronology 2008 Positions May 8, 2010 Summit Going Forward Say one thing and do another ??Genuine passion to see our customers succeed?, ?A passion for exceeding our customer?s expectations? Self serving actions to gain competitive advantage at the expense of the customer No single supplier or technology can manage the overall mine and its integrated operation - April 2005: Informal meeting at Toronto CIM 2004 -Unanimous interest - July 2005: Formal Calgary Meeting, developed: - Scope and vision statement , - OEM/OTM communication plan, - industry communication plan - Aug?Nov 2005: Aligned with SMART - Nov 2005?May 2006: Direct OEM, OTM communication - May ?Sept 2006: Developed baseline standards - Sept -April 2007: Developed SMART document - Sept 2007: Document distribution and request OEM OTM response - Jan ?May 2008: Acquired OEM OTM feedback and positions May 2008: Results presented to SMART and discussions on next steps

May 1, 2010

By Max Friedemann, Franziska Günther, Helmut Mischo

Ensuring adequate ventilation is a critical aspect of safety in underground mining operations. In small-scale mines in particular, key ventilation parameters such as temperature, humidity, and air velocity are often measured manually and only at infrequent intervals, typically using analog instruments. As a result, real-time monitoring of environmental changes, timely detection of hazardous situations, and demand-driven ventilation control are not feasible. This presentation discusses the selection and evaluation of modern digital ventilation measurement devices, including handheld instruments with digital data logging capabilities and continuously operating sensors with potential for real-time data transmission. The investigations focus on the challenges posed by underground environments with extremely high humidity levels, which can adversely affect sensor performance and electronic components. The results are based on testing conducted at the Research and Teaching Mine of TU Bergakademie Freiberg—an underground ore mine characterized by humidity levels exceeding 95%. Findings include assessments of measurement accuracy, reliability, and practical applicability under these demanding conditions.

Feb 22, 2026

By Thomas Schanz

Current steel market conditions require small investments only to lower operational cost. SMS Concast has developed new products which optimize continuous casting process cost for long product steel production. This paper describes a selection of three products. All three systems are patented (patent pending for CONDRIVE). CONSAFE, a non-radioactive mould level measurement system for reliable mould level measuring on open stream casting CCM’s; CONSTIR-MWS, an improved control software for electromagnetic stirrers which lowers energy cost by 35%; CONDRIVE, a brand new oscillation drive system which provides the features of a hydraulic oscillator, however with a cost efficient electric drive.

Aug 17, 2017

By Yehia El-Ibiary, M. P. Evans

One way of increasing conveyor systems productivity is by monitoring the key parameters in the systems. In this paper, a new line of smart bearings will be presented and discussed. The new bearings are capable of monitoring temperature, vibrations, and belt speed for early detection of potentially serious problems. The new smart bearings have built in sensors that are carefully integrated and protected for long life service. These bearings are going to be the key to increasing the up time of belt conveyors in the future.

Jan 1, 1996

By Márcio Zamboti Fortes

A alguns anos os setores residencial e industrial tem se deparado com mudanças de paradigmas que tangem a necessidade de melhorias em suas atividades, com o intuito de desenvolver processos com menor impacto ambiental, sustentáveis e com eficiência energética, objetivando reduzir o consumo de energia elétrica. O uso de tecnologias baseadas em fontes renováveis para a geração de energia elétrica, tais como a solar e a eólica, tem apresentado-se como uma alternativa a ser implementada por estes setores para atender às exigências do mercado, se beneficiando da difusão da tecnologia e uso destes equipamentos, para a consciente utilização da energia elétrica. A instalação e avaliação de novas fontes de geração de eletricidade estão sendo desenvolvidas pelo projeto Cidade Inteligente de Búzios através da implantação de painéis fotovoltaicos e aerogeradores de pequeno porte em unidades consumidoras residenciais, comerciais e industriais e alguns resultados estão apresentados neste texto.

Sep 25, 2017

By Fausto Zavala, Kelly Zavala, Richard Vergaray

El Smart Display LE100 es un producto innovador que nace a partir de la falta de tecnologías para digitalizar el Control de Velocidad en Retardo-RSC de los camiones marca Komatsu para modelos anteriores al 930E-4 (49% de la flota peruana Komatsu cuenta con modelos de mayor a dos décadas de antigüedad). Como elemento diferenciador, además de permitir visualizar el RSC, adiciona los parámetros de velocidad, nivel de combustible, horómetro e identificación del camión en tiempo real en una sola pantalla instalada a una altura ergonómica en la cabina del equipo, brindando al operador la información precisa para la toma de decisiones en el desempeño de las unidades.

Sep 29, 2023

By J. P. De Carvalho, R. Dimitrakopoulos

This paper presents an actor-critic reinforcement learning (RL) method to allocate trucks and shovels in open-pit mines, while defining short-term production scheduling of an industrial mining complex, given new information collected during operations. This new data obtained from sensors update the uncertainty of the orebody models. The RL agents interact with the mining complex environment; exploring the solution space, learning actions to improve metal production and equipment utilisation. A case study is presented at a copper mining complex, highlighting the method’s ability to adapt and make informed decisions while collecting new information.

Sep 1, 2021

By Matthew D. Meyer

SMART, an association of surface mining companies formed in 1995 to develop a coordinated approach to technology development for the mining industry, has recognized the need for the establishment of a worldwide database that continuously collects mining equipment data and provides metrics related to productivity and cost. Under the auspices of SMART, Syncrude Canada, Suncor Energy and Albian Sands Energy (three oil sands mining operations located in northern Alberta) have established a pilot project for mine benchmarking. This presentation will include a review of the pilot progress including: ???Data gathering techniques: means of collection and storage, proposed practice for data control and normalization, access to data/reports and format for data. ???Reports/analyses for individuals, across groups, within the total industry pool and publicly. ???Security and confidentiality of information belonging to identified parties. ???Sharing of best practices among members. SMART has identified two key deliverables to ensure success of the project. First, data supplied from surface mines must be validated and normalized to common definitions and then analyzed to provide participating companies with regular reports that allow them to understand their position and resultant opportunities to achieve world-class performance. This model maintains granularity of the data for each operation that can then be recombined into standard comparisons or specific indices as required. The general categories of: operating delays, maintenance downtime, standby, and scheduled downtime, have been used to frame comparisons. Second, participating companies are looking to go behind the indices to identify and share best practices that distinguish particular operations. The spirit of cooperation between the companies involved in the pilot project is meant to be a model for future expansion of the benchmarking project.

Apr 1, 2005

By C. J. Pritchard, R. D. Jacksha, K. V. Raj, C. Sunderman

"In underground metal/nonmetal mines, repeated short-term exposure to high levels of airborne contaminants can become a serious health issue. Currently there are no common mechanisms to control or mitigate these localized short-term high exposures to contaminants. To improve miners’ health and safety, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Spokane Mining Research Division (SMRD) is developing a Smart Monitoring and Control (SMAC) system for real-time monitoring of mine air quality, with integrated countermeasures to reduce these high concentrations of airborne contaminants in localized sections of mines. To develop and test a SMAC system that could be implemented in an underground mine, researchers at SMRD built a test apparatus incorporating a fan, louver, ducting, and sensors combined with atmospheric monitoring and control software. This system will institute effective countermeasures to reduce contaminant levels, improving miner safety and health. INTRODUCTION Underground metal/nonmetal mines continue to expand production by employing large equipment in greater numbers and by mining into hotter and more challenging environments which are typically further away from fresh air sources. This challenges the ventilation system to provide adequate quantities of fresh air to the workplace and increases the potential for air contamination that could result in immediate and long-term health and safety issues to miners. Currently, airflow and contaminant concentration in mines are typically based on full-shift sampling which may not identify repeated short-term exposures to high levels of airborne contaminants such as NO2, CO, diesel particulate matter (DPM), and dust with high silica contents. Repeated short-term exposure to these high levels of airborne contaminants over long periods can lead to serious health issues which are documented in several studies [1-3]. Based on data from ventilation surveys and contaminant measurements, mines often attempt to minimize exposures by sending more fresh air to the working areas where contaminant concentrations are found to be high. Real-time monitoring and control allows mines the option to monitor contaminants and implement controls in real-time. Real-time monitoring and control of the underground mine atmosphere has been a subject of research since its beginning in Finland at Outokumpu’s Pyhäsalmi Mine in 1969 [4]. More recently, the real-time monitoring and control problem has been addressed using ventilation on demand (VOD) systems [5, 6]. A VOD system attempts to deal with this issue on a global level by controlling fans, louvers, and doors to increase airflow to active work areas and reduce contamination. However, a VOD system only controls the distribution of airflow and may not be helpful in mines where the airflow is at maximum capacity. Researchers at SMRD are developing a SMAC system for real-time monitoring of mine air quality with an integrated ability to trigger countermeasures to reduce high concentrations of airborne contaminants in localized sections of mines. The SMAC system will be designed, tested, and refined in the laboratory environment before being demonstrated in an underground mine. This system will not only try to minimize the gaseous contaminants by regulating the airflow locally, but will also potentially employ a filtration system to reduce the airborne contaminants in case the maximum airflow capacity is reached. This paper presents development of the test apparatus for the SMAC system."

Jan 1, 2017

By C. J. Pritchard, R. D. Jacksha, K. V. Raj, C. B. Sunderman

In underground metal/nonmetal mines, repeated localized short-term exposure to high levels of airborne contaminants can become a serious health issue. Currently, there are no common mechanisms to control or mitigate these short-term high exposures to contaminants. To improve miners’ health and safety, the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s Spokane Mining Research Division (SMRD) is developing a smart monitoring and control (SMAC) system for the real-time monitoring of mine air quality, with integrated countermeasures to reduce high concentrations of airborne contaminants in localized sections of mines. To develop and test a SMAC system capable of being implemented in an underground mine, SMRD researchers built a test apparatus incorporating a fan, louver, ducting and sensors combined with atmospheric monitoring and control software. This system will institute effective countermeasures to reduce contaminant levels, improving miner safety and health.

Jan 1, 2018

By Federico Pagliacci, Claudio Asioli, Marco Chiarabelli

"""Rigid inclusions"" are a consolidation method that provides improvement of soft soils thanks to the installation of cylindrical columns made up of a material with significant and permanent cohesive properties, whose stiffness is 500÷5000 times greater than the surrounding natural soil’s. ""Rigid inclusions"" find their application in marginal areas (reclamations, polluted sites) to ensure stability of adjacent structures during construction of new buildings and to reduce the impact of natural disasters (liquefaction in the event of earthquakes, embankment collapse in the event of floods). This paper analyses the “rigid inclusion” construction method, related materials and equipment. Moreover, two performed projects will be illustrated. The first is the restoration of Lungarno Torrigiani Embankment in Florence, Italy. In May 2016, the Torrigiani embankment underwent a structural collapse causing a 3 m. displacement of the riverbank towards the Arno River. “Rigid inclusions” (with 300 mm diameter) have been used to re-compact the loose soil and create a stable working platform for the equipment. The second project illustrates the use of “rigid inclusions” (800 mm diameter and maximum depth of 36.6 m) to control the settlement of a new automatic cold store (30 m high with a 65 x 120 m foot print) for fresh frozen vegetables.RIGID INCLUSIONSIn general, the word ""inclusions"" means a type of consolidation that improves the strength of a soil mass through the inclusion of elements constituted by a material having better characteristics than those of the surrounding natural ground, to improve the overall mechanical characteristics of the treated soil. Inclusions are ""rigid"" when the material introduced into the ground has significant and permanent cohesive properties (concrete or cement mortar) and a significantly higher stiffness (500 ÷ 5000 times) than that of the surrounding natural ground.Typically, medium-small diameters (from 300 to 800mm) with low percentages of treatment (from 2% to 10% of the volume of soil) are employed, ensuring a high quality and consistency of the obtained product, both in terms of diameters and elastic modulus.According to the scope of the project and in urban areas, ""rigid inclusion"" columns can also be performed by means of small diameter drilling rigs (micropiles), weighing less than 20-25 tonnes."

Jan 1, 2017

By P J. Hawke

Within the Mesa J pisolitic iron ore mine, clay is distributed unevenly throughout the deposit and often forms as pods and channels less than 10 m in width. The mine resource model, based on 50 m + 50 m spaced drilling, has been unable to accurately delineate the clay for scheduling and mining purposes. Therefore, alternative methods for mapping the clay-contaminated ore were sought. Predictive clay mapping will significantly reduce production costs at Mesa J through improved selective mining practices, more accurate scheduling, reduced wear on mining equipment and minimising the need for maintenance of haul roads and ramps. High lateral resolution electromagnetic (EM) surveying using a Geonics EM31 instrument can quickly and inexpensively delineate the extent and orientation of the clays. Preliminary results indicate that a block model based on the interpretation of the EM data can accurately predict the distribution, volume and tonnage of ore and waste material. While rip-line mapping, infill drilling, ground penetrating radar and gravity can delineate clay with various degrees of success, none were as efficient as EM31.

Jan 1, 2002

By Tibor Horvath

Dust abatement is possible on bulk materials, whether conveyed or stockpiled. Minimum (ppm) quantities of chemical additives can efficiently and rapidly control dust of conveyed substrates with no effect on floatation chemistry. Top coating of large surface areas can control surface dust and wind erosion. Environmental and toxicity impact must be considered in any treatment, especially on areas with percolation runoff, leachates, or limited containment. The most effective dust control is preventing release of substrate fines rather than trapping and removing air borne dust. Techniques to prevent release of fines from conveyed substrates will be discussed. Dust control dynamics are a very complex combination of solid phase physical and chemical interactions between the substrate and the fines. ?Smart Technology? products permit dust abatement of stockpiled substrates and tailing fields with no environmental impact. Using ?Smart Technology?, the dust abatement products remain active and can re-seal damaged areas. Efficient, low environmental and toxicity impact, dust control will be demonstrated through case studies where these principals have been applied.

Oct 1, 2010