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By L. Kilburn

A survey of 281 mineral exploration agreements examines the ratios among three ways that may be used to purchase an interest in a mineral property, viz: pay cash, pay shams and make future expenditures on the property. The dollar value of the future expenditures exceeds that of cash or shams by about nine times in most of the 110 agreements that contain cash-expenditure or share-expenditure components. Results suggest that cash and shams are treated about the same in terms of value. Buyers and sellers haw opposing priorities for the way that they prefer to purchase a mineral property. These opposing priorities should give rise to a perceived 50:50 balance between cash/share payment and future expenditures to satisfy the idealized situation described by most definitions of fair market value (FMV). This balance between cash/share payments and future expenditures appears to be rationalized in negotiations to a FMV when expenditures are nine times greater than cash and/or payments. On this basis, it is proposed that the FMV of a property may be determined by aggregating the dollar amount of the cash/share payments plus one-ninth the dollar value of future expenditures, as set forth in the respective purchase agreement, and proportionately applying such aggregate to full property value.

Nov 1, 2005

By A. Lyndon

Combined loading tests are described to three 1.2m diameter cast-in-place bored piles, 12m long, formed through cohesionless material into stiff sandy clay. The maximum loading conditions imposed at the pile head were 2400 kN vertical, 160 kN lateral and 3120 kNm in bending, corresponding to twice the working load. Settlements, deflections and rotations of the piles were measured during the tests. An interesting finding which the test results suggest is that, in the short term, vertical movement had apparently no marked effect on lateral performance for piles working at design loadings.

Jan 1, 1989

By Luis Alva Florián

El presente trabajo resume los logros obtenidos en la unidad minera San Rafael de Minsur, señala los parámetros actuales de perforación y voladura en tajeos y frentes, así como el carguío en el transporte a través de un estudio comparativo entre rendimientos y costos con los sistemas operacionales.

Nov 24, 1993

By R. E. Reed-Hill, W. H. Hartt

The "(3034) " twin lamellae in magnesium have been reexamined using electron microscope replicas. The double twinning sequence (1011)- (1012) for these lamellae has been reconfirmed. Evidence is presented showing that the irrational habit of these twins is probably the direct result of a need to accommodate the second-order twinning shear. This accommodation vesults in both an external shear in the matrix and an internal shear in the lamella. A model is presented which accounts for the experimental obseruations. HCP metals are generally characterized by strong textures in which the basal planes of the grains tend to be aligned parallel to the rolling direction in sheet or plate and to the axis of wires and rods. Since these directions are normally those in which finished products may be subjected to uniaxial tensile stress, these textures effectively place the crystals of magnesium objects in orientations unfavorable to both basal slip and {1012) twinning, the easily activated deformation systems of this metal. However, when magnesium crystals are deformed near room temperature by a tensile stress nearly parallel to the basal plane, another mode of deformation can occur.',2 This is _a double twin which forms first by twinning on {loll), followed by retwinning on (1012). The resulting twin lamellae are of considerable interest. First, they can be responsible for "brittle fracture''; when a tensile stress axis lies in the basal plane, because the reoriented crystal structure of a lamella is well-aligned for slip while the parent crystal is not. Extensive internal deformation may thus occur while the matrix is still almost undeformed. This deformation can produce a ductile rupture running the length of the twin.3 Complete failure of the specimen may then oc-cure by the spreading of cracks from one twin lamella to another, or by the movement of a crack into a grain boundary and then along grain boundaries. Since the the volume fraction of these doubly twinned elements is normally very small, the fracture may be classed as brittle, although the fracture mechanism is, of itself, essentially ductile. It is quite probable that the ductility transition, normally observed4 in magnesium at or slightly Obove room temperature, is closely associated with these second-order twins. The detailed relationship of these twins to fracture in single crystals will be the topic of another paper. The present paper is concerned with a second important aspect: the irrational habit of these double twins that falls close to {3034), or approximately 7 deg away from the primary (10il) twin habit. There is good reason to believe that this habit results directly

Jan 1, 1968

By Braden Lusk

Vibrations as a result of blasting practices in mining engineering are a complex phenomenon controlled by many variables. Mine blast vibration modeling and prediction is becoming more important as a consequence of the general negative perception of mining activity by the public. Many communities (all over the world) close to mining activity often complain about airblast and vibrations produced from blasting activity. It is important for the mining industry to have tools and understandable methodologies to model and predict blast vibration. These tools can then be used to control vibration at neighboring structures.

Jan 1, 2013

IN the western mines, the boss, engineer, geologist, or nipper in making rounds have a password which usually guarantees safe entrance to a working place from below the working miner. Most men won't climb a raise or enter a stope from below where a miner is working until they have shouted "nothin' down" and heard those words shouted back by the miners above. "Nothin' down" is a safety pledge as necessary and as binding as the truce flag to the soldier. It implies mutual confidence that work will be suspended until the person below has come abreast of the workers; and also confidence that the miner who replies "nothin' down" is reasonably sure the place is safe to enter. Like truce flags which are not infallible, so is this password subject to human errors or unexpected falls of rock, tools, or timber. Everyone knows these unavoidable hazards, but what is important to the exposed man is that in that precise moment of time when he has heard the reassurance of "nothin' down," he knows that safety is uppermost in the minds of the men above him. With such assurance we would go anywhere and so would most mining men. If that period of safety consciousness, procured by the utterance of two words, could be multiplied to equal the hours in the working day, there would not be any accidents but those by "the act of God." It is the aim of every safety program to make safety as natural as breathing. That is the reason for the posters, the conferences, instruction periods, safety engineers, and the inspections. But none of these are as effective as one accident, which keeps men on their toes for weeks to come. This is not the price we want to pay for safety consciousness. This Annual Review number of Mining Engineering is full of talk about production. Production for defense, production for profit. In this tremendous surge of industrial might . to make this nation and our very families safe S from the predatory forces abroad in the world today; let us not lose sight of the fact that the . safety of our manpower is more precious than any commodity. Production without safety is detrimental to the national interest, to that of the company, and to the individual. If the words "nothin' down" can give us the best human guarantee of safety, for however brief a time, let us adopt them at least in principle as our slogan in 1952. Production for preservation in '52 - but NOTHIN' DOWN!

Jan 1, 1952

By A. V. Peake

Continuous Mining presents an opportunity to extract reef in the stope ?continuously? by integrating the drill and blast activity using propellants or low energy charges. To date, the majority of effort spent on Continuous Mining systems has focused on developing an effective rock breaking process (micro breaking process), and to some extent, eliminating fumes and dust. The perceived benefits of applying low energy charges have been identified as: ?Concentrated mining yielding face advances of 40 to 60 m per month ?Lower stoping widths through better-controlled breaking ?Increase in the advance per blast ?Increase in labour productivity ?The potential to mine reefs where specific conditions make conventional mining uneconomic e.g. reefs with shales in the immediate hangingwall. However, the ability to successfully use low energy charges to create a ?Continuous or Semi-Continuous? mining method is dependent on overcoming the following challenges. ?Improving reliability of rock breaking. This is dependent upon achieving:? Improved drilling accuracy, and? Successful stemming or gas confinement, particularly in fractured rock ?Reducing gas and dust levels ?Reducing high costs. Through the research carried out in Future Mine, many different low energy rock breaking methods and systems were investigated. Whilst detailed results cannot be published here, the guidelines for overcoming low energy rock breaking challenges are discussed.

Jan 1, 2003

By E. J. Lintner

This paper is one of a series being prepared by the United States Bureau of Mines describing clay mining and crushing methods and costs at various operations throughout the United States. These papers are designed to disseminate technical information regarding methods used. The cost tabulations represent local operating expenditures only and not total production costs. It is recognized that publication of total production costs might perhaps, in many instances, cause embarrassment to the individual operator as well as to the industry as a whole. On the other hand, operating costs are essential to the technical discussion and study of the methods employed. The attention of the reader is specifically called to this distinction in order that no misunderstanding of the scope of the cost tabulation shall ensue. The following report deals specifically with the methods employed by the Camp Brothers Company, Mogadore, Summit County, Ohio.

Jan 1, 1936

By A. E. Himebaugh

A SEMI-AUTOMATIC hoist has been installed at the 2966 station of the Copper Queen mine, since neither the bulk of supplies handled nor the number of men engaged in developing the 3100 level justifies the constant attendance of two cagers and two hoist operators. The connecting service shaft between the 2966 and 3100 levels is actually a two-compartment raise. Below the 2966 level the shaft is 7x13 ft-slightly oversize to permit downcast ventilation and provide space for the 16-conductor flexible control cable. The raise extends 52 ft above the 2966 level for a 3-ft diam head sheave. Another 3-ft sheave is mounted as an idler between the hoist and head sheave, eliminating the need for an inclined cableway. The main compartment serves as a cageway; the other compartment provides a manway and space for service lines. Since vertical travel is limited, rope speed is of minor importance.

Jan 5, 1958

By Jim Hazzard

A numerical investigation is presented to examine fluid flow in fractured rock slopes. In mining geomechanics, different numerical modelling approaches are used to estimate fluid pressures in open pit mines. The most common technique is the Equivalent Porous Medium (EPM) approach in which the fractured rock is assumed to behave as a porous continuum. Depending on the geometry and properties of the problem, this may not always be the best approach. The paper presents a parametric study to examine the effect of fracture spacing, fracture and matrix diffusivity and excavation rate on the fluid behaviour in rock slopes. Based on the model results, guidelines are provided as to when EPM models can be used and when different modelling approaches (e.g., discrete fracture flow) may be necessary.

Jun 1, 2012

By W. J. Przybylowicz, V. M. Prozesky, D. de Bruin

"The common style of gold mineralization in the Basal Reef and other auriferous conglomerates of the Witwatersrand Supergroup comprises clusters of gold grains occurring interstitially to quartz and pyrite pebbles as well as gold accumulations attached to the surface of and infilling hairline cracks and fractures in round, compact, detrital pyrite. The latter textural association is generally interpreted as a result of remobilization of originally detrital gold during regional metamorphism and related hydrothermal fluid circulation. There is general agreement that, although gold solubility was low, ore modification occurred during the metahydrothermal event, but uncertainty exists about the magnitude and scale of gold remobilization.Micro-textural and chemical investigation of compact round pyrite and associated gold accumulation has established that gold is preferentially deposited on chemically heterogeneous pyrite surfaces. Combinations of alternating high- and low-As zones in pyrite result in mixed np-type conductivity accompanied by electron exchange and the reduction-driven deposition of gold at the cathode. This model does not explain gold accumulations which are not immediately linked to chemical heterogeneities and it is inferred that an additional control on the deposition of gold was exerted by physical defects which lead to zones of increased charge density and/or areas of focussed conductivity. The inferred precipitation mechanisms suggest that submicrocopic physical and chemical controls are the important factors that determined the sites of gold nucleation and that precipitation mechanisms based on physicochemical changes of the hydrothermal system were not involved. The Basal Reef contains on average close to 5OJo of round, detrital, chemically zoned pyrite which provides a large number of electrochemically active pyrite surfaces. The extremely effective electrochemical precipi- . tation mechanism together with the low solubility of gold in Witwatersrand fluids is the main reason for the spatially restricted remobilization of gold in the conglomerate reefs."

Jan 1, 1994

By M. Roy

Coke combustion during sintering process is significantly governed by coke breeze size distribution, which in turn affect sinter quality i.e. sinter granulometry, Tumbler index, Reduction Degradation Index and Reducibility Index of sinter. To know the effect of microfines of coke breeze on sintering process parameters, pot sintering tests were conducted and it was found that when microfines are eliminated and optimum coke size (1-3mm) is used yield of sinter increased by more than 7%. Similarly productivity increased by 9%, the strength of sinter i.e. ISO Tumbler Index increased by 2.3% and +10mm sinter size increased by 5.5%. Controlling of microfines during crushing and by improving crushing index will result in improved quality and productivity of sinter with lesser amount of coke breeze. This paper describes that how to optimize solid fuel i.e. coke breeze consumption in sintering process through granulometry control. Keywords: iron ore sintering, coke breeze granulometry, productivity of sinter, quality of sinter

Sep 1, 2012

By William J. Campbell

These investigations were undertaken as part of a program to determine the optimum X-ray spectral lines to use for analyzing the wide variety of samples received by the X-ray Laboratory. Theoretical calculations and experimental data derived from these investigations show that longer wavelength spectral lines, > 2A, are very useful for many analytical problems. Because of the low fluorescence yield of the elements of atomic numbers 13-22 and the small depth of penetration of their X-ray spectral lines, these elements were originally considered to be insensitive; however, these studies show that the wide dispersion of their spectral lines, coupled with their weak beta lines, permits the use of wide collimation, thus increasing the line intensity. More importantly, the background due to scattered primary radiation is very low in the long-wavelength region.

Jan 1, 1959

The paper covers the history and develop- ment of electrical and diesel-powered hydrau- lic percussion rock drills. It examines main design aspects and problems encountered in pro- ducing an efficient and reliable machine to fully cover the nominal hole sizes required for underground development, production drill- ing and for general quarry work. The main design features and advantages of a hydraulic rock drill are relatively low input power requirement to energy per blow (this being achieved by the use of an electric or diesel- powered hydraulic system) and a specially con- structed piston using a powered damper cylinder to absorb the recoil forces from the drill steel and reduce stresses on the drill, feed and hydraulic boom. A further important design feature is the anti-jamming device which controls the drill both during manual and automatic operation. This anti-jam device works on feed and rotation press and prevents the drill bit becoming jammed in broken or soft ground. These features and many other mechanical and environmental benefits are highlighted when comparing hydraulic percussion rock drills with current pneumatic machines. The hydraulic rock drill gives an overall high penetration and production rate, with an added bonus for ergonomy and environmental conditions such as lower noise level, no fogging from air and oil exhaust (which naturally gives better air for breathing),plus improved vision when in under- ground situations. Hydraulic rock drills and systems have been fully tested in many mines, quarries and contract sites during the past years. They h6! been improved and modified and are now provi~ to be very reliable and economical piece drilling equipment whò in mines and quarries.

Jan 1, 1978

By K. R. Janowski, A. B. Chase, E. J. Stofel

Ruby crystals of exceptional optical quality have been grown from fluxes composed of Bi2O3 + PbF2 or Bi2O3 + BiF3. Careful control of growth conditions was required to minimize the number of growth defects consisting primarily of dislocations, occluded flux, and growth twins. Slow growth rates coupled with the addition of small amounts of La2O3 as a flux dopant were helpful in producing nearly perfect crystals. Chromium concentrations up to 1 pet were incorporated into these crystals without adversely affecting their perfection. Crystals up to 10 mm in diameter having as few as one to ten dislocations per crystal were typical of those produced under optimum growth conditions. Under these same conditions the occlusions were eliminated, and growth twins were either eliminated or reduced to one to three twin boundaries per crystal. INTEREST in the nature of lattice imperfections produced during the growth of ruby crystals (Al2O3-corundum structure) has been stimulated recently by the need for ruby lasers of good optical uniformity. As a result, ruby crystals grown by the flame-fusion (Verneuil) process have been studied in detail and have been found to contain high densities of dislocations (106 to 107 dislocations per sq cm) and mosaic structures that impair their optical quality.'-3 Attempts to improve the quality of Verneuil-grown crystals by controlling the growth variables have not been entirely successful. On the other hand, rubies grown by the flux process have received little attention even though their more nearly equilibrium growth conditions suggest that they would have fewer growth defects. Nelson and Remeika have shown recently that small flux-grown rubies can indeed be made into very low-loss lasers. However, they did not report information on crystalline imperfections in these crystals.4 Stephens and Alford have reported briefly on defects found in a flux-grown corundum crystal but they neither described these defects in detail nor related them to the method of growth.5 The present investigation was undertaken to establish the relationship between growth conditions and crystalline perfection of flux-grown rubies, sapphires, and other crystals of the corundum family. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE The corundum crystals used in this study were grown by slowly cooling solutions of A12O3 in molten-salt solvents of PbO + PbF2, Bi2O3 + PbF2 or Bi2O3 + BiF3. The materials employed were Linde A (a Al2O3 powder) with reagent-grade chemicals as solvents. Some of the solutions also contained small additions (1 pet or less) of one or more of the transition metal elements chromium, manganese, iron, and titanium as crystal dopants. La2O3 was added to some of the solutions to alter the growth habit of the crystals. The La2O3 promoted the occurrence of growth facets parallel to (0112) and {1011} planes, where the indexing system is the morphological system described in detail by Kron-berg6 and used throughout this paper. The melts from which the crystals were grown were prepared by mechanically mixing the various constituents and placing them in platinum crucibles. The covered 50- and 100-ml platinum crucibles were heated in muffle furnaces at 1250°C for short periods of time (1 to 4 hr) and then program-cooled at either 2° or 4°C per hr to 1000°C. At this lower

Jan 1, 1965

By N. N. Moebs

The Bureau of Mines air-sealed a 77-acre) above-drainage coal mine to evaluate sealing as a means of reducing the acid and metallic salt contents in drainage from abandoned mines. An approximate reduction in acidity of 150 ppm (equivalent to 193 pounds per day) and in iron of 98 ppm were directly attributed to sealing. The topographical, hydrological, and other factors involved in air-sealing are discussed, and the construction used to seal the mine is described.

Jan 1, 1970

By V. Yahorava

Efficient recovery of precious metals from process solutions is essential for improving process economics. Traditionally, precious metals are relatively effectively recovered from waste streams via precipitation or cementation. However, these approaches have a number of drawbacks, including poor water balance, creation of environmentally unfriendly waste streams, and losses of precious metals. Ion exchange technology is an alternative for the recovery of precious metals from waste or low-grade streams. This technology allows the recovery of the precious metals to extremely low levels (micrograms per litre) with relatively high upgrade ratios from the solution onto the resin without major water balance concerns, while the impact on the environment could be minimized or avoided. Research was conducted on the recovery of platinum group metals and gold from different low-grade and waste streams from one of the precious metals refineries in South Africa by means of ion exchange. Various functionalities and matrices (granular and fibrous) of ion exchange materials were evaluated. The results from these studies indicated that in some cases ion exchange could be very effective for the recovery of precious metals, and that the PGM concentration could be reduced to < 1 mg/L. The upgrading ratios of the various PGMs onto the specific fibres were relatively high for the specific streams evaluated, which might in some cases justify incineration of the loaded material instead of stripping and recycling the adsorbent. The cost of direct incineration for one of the waste streams tested would be less than 1% of the value of the PGMs recovered. However, the adsorbent has to be carefully selected and the process design optimized for each specific stream.

Jan 1, 2014

By Robert Blair, David L. Fey, Stanley E. Church

Determination of the pre-mining geochemical baseline in bed sediments in watersheds impacted by historical mining activity is important in establishing watershed restoration goals. We have developed methods to solve this problem in the Animas River watershed, southwestern Colorado, using geomorphologic mapping to identify terraces that contain pre-mining sediments. Following a systematic evaluation of possible sites, we collected samples of pre-mining sediments in gravel deposits from 21 sites throughout the watershed. Geochemical analysis of individual layers has produced a chemical stratigraphy that can be tied to the historical record through geochronological and dendochronological studies. Analysis of geochemical data, when coupled with the historical record, clearly shows that there has been a major impact on the geochemistry in bed sediments in the active stream channel by past mining activities. Historical mining has resulted in a substantial increase in metals in the very fine sand to clay-sized component of the bed sediment of the upper Animas River, and Cement and Mineral Creeks, which are the major tributaries of the Animas River. Enrichment factors for metals in modem bed sediments, relative to the pre-mining sediments, range from 1 to 6 for arsenic, 1 to more than 10 for cadmium, 1 to about 15 for copper, 1 to more than 25 for lead, 1 to more than 10 for silver, and 1.6 to more than 12 for zinc. The pre-mining bed sediment geochemical baseline is high relative to average crustal abundance values of many metals. The Animas River watershed above Silverton, Colorado would be readily identified as a highly mineralized area suitable for mineral exploration if it were not disturbed by mining.

Jan 1, 2000

By C. Camurri

Results from the Metallurgical Department of Universidad de Conception showed that fire-refined copper could be rolled without previous remelting for deoxidation. The goal of this work is to determine the rheology of fire-refined copper from tensile tests at different temperatures and strain rates, and Ford plane compression tests. All that in order to simulate and calculate rolling process variables. For rheology hardness coefficients, n variables between 0.28 at 600°C and 0.46 at ambient temperature are obtained. The sensibility coefficient for strain rate m varies between 0.056 at 600°C and 0.006 at ambient temperature. The activation energy for plastic flow Q in the considered temperature range is 1436 cal/mol.

Jan 1, 1999

By Marcel0 Mondring

Transportation and the logistic requirements are set very high for the German coal mining industry. Short transportation resources, crowded quarters, and long transportation distances to destinations are some basic conditions that logistic employees of the mines have to deal with. Therefore, in the context of these processes, human effort and technology are faced with great challenges. There can be a total of 300 transport units, depending on the size of the mine. Every day, they are moved through a nearby 150-km-long transportation network of floor and monorail tracks. Of these transport units, 150 are new, and the other 150 units are split into cross traffic units that are moved only in the underground and return travel units. Beside track-bounded transports, all material transports take place in the shaft. As a result, many involuntary transports and changes in the means of transportation make the daily work more difficult. Typical transports in the shaft include the supply of new materials from above to below, as well as returnable goods from below to above. Cross traffics throughout several levels, which are rather rare, would have to be handled above the shaft. Due to limited shaft capacity, these cross traffics should be avoided when possible. Based on the gas resources in coalmine slopes, track-bounded transports using monorails (powered by diesel or rechargeable means) are preferred. This depends on the road degree, the depth, and track cross section of the shaft/slope. The variety of the material spectrum includes more than 100,000 different types of material.

Jan 1, 2014