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By Edgar Peek

Lixiviant regeneration is by definition a precondition for any hydrometallurgical process. In chloride hydrometallurgy either HCl or Cl2 has to be regenerated in order to establish an economically viable metallurgical process. One such regeneration process is widely used with steel pickling where HC1 is regenerated through the thermal decomposition of ferrous chloride in either spray roasters or fluid bed pyrohydrolyzers. This standard HC1 regeneration process deserves to be considered as a potential separation process, since thermodynamic calculations show that a fluid bed pyrohydrolyzer can function as a ferrous-nonferrous separator. Several nonferrous,metals such as zinc, lead and cadmium can be volatilized as a chloride under ferrous chloride pyrohydrolysis conditions. If such a nonferrous metal volatilization could be achieved in the case of slurry feeding of "contaminated" iron oxides, then this would increase the Fe/H2O ratio of the (process) feed and thus save on fuel per ton of iron, while yielding a marketable iron oxide product. Previous test work on synthetic materials revealed that the near-complete separation of zinc, lead and cadmium from iron oxide was possible in a pyrohydrolytic atmosphere, even if zinc was present as zinc ferrite (more than 99.5%). This investigation, which was carried out in a tube furnace at 1100 K has now been extended to treat synthetic zinc minerals and also franklinite ore. For the latter, it was found that 85% zinc volatilization could be achieved in 4 hours at 1300 K. It is postulated that complete zinc volatilization could not be attained due to the formation and/or presence of gahnite and hardystonite, which might be stable in HCl/H2O atmospheres at 1100 K. The effect of adding small amounts of calcium chloride to react with gahnite and hardystonite to give zinc chloride and both calcium aluminates and silicates is being discussed. Test work on slurry feeding of this complex ore in a recently constructed 4-inch diameter fluid bed pilot unit has been planned for the near future.

Jan 1, 1995

By R. Taggart, D. H. Polonis, J. C. McMillan

Thin foil electron microscopy techniques have been used to study the micros tructure of a Ti- 7.5 wt pct vanadium alloy in the quenched and aged cond_itions. Selected area diffraction has identified a (1011) twinning mode accompanying the martens ite t9.an.sfo?rn~ation. Precipitation of the 0 phase during the aging of quenched alloys has been obsevced to occuv in the form of plates and needles with preferential growth along the (1120) direction in the a' matrix. In the present work, the micro structures of quenched and aged alloys of the 0 isomorphous Ti-V system have been investigated by means of thin-foil electron-microscopy techniques. Most of the previous studies of martensitic phases in titanium-base alloys have utilized optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction techniques. The application of transmission electron microscopy is more recent, and only a few such studies have been reported.1-5 This paper is concerned particularly with the crystallographic nature of substructures formed in the martensitic a' plates. The early stages of aging or tempering have also been examined to determine the modes of precipitation from the martensitic solid solutions. Such information is essential in studying strengthening mechanisms and in determining the feasibility of high-strength rnartensitic alloys based on titanium. Liu and Margolin6 reported several types of substructures within the martensitic plates of quenched Ti-Mn alloys. It was later suggested by Liu7 that the structure of martensitic plates might be very complex and not single crystals as normally assumed. The sub-markings could not be identified with the two possible habit-plane orientations {334}ß and {344}ß, and it was not positively determined whether they are associated with mechanical twinning. The recent studies by Armitage5 on titanium martensites in a variety of commercial alloys have indicated that twinning does not generally accompany the transformation. This observation is in accordance with the Mackenzie and Bowles model for the transformation in pure titanium8 which suggests that twinning is not to be expected. However, a number of other recent investigators have reported twinlike substructures in the martensitic plates of several titanium systems including commercia1 titanium,2,3 Ti-Cu,5,9 Ti-Ta,1 and the commercial alloy Ti-8A1-1Mo-1V. Blackburn* has reported that the structure of quenched Ti-8A1-1Mo-1V depends on the prior solution temperature. He identified two types of martensitic structures, one of which is described as a heavily faulted hcp or twinned fcc structure and the other an hcp structure with a high internal dislocation density. The latter type exhibited some twinning with a (1011) twin plane. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES AND RESULTS The alloy used in the present work was a 7.5 wt pct V alloy that was prepared by conventional arc-melting techniques. This alloy composition was selected

Jan 1, 1968

By Georgette Smits

The gun-sprayed refractory lining of electrothermal furnaces used for the manufacture of carbon disulphide from liquid sulphur and charcoal at between 800 and l000°C are severely attacked during the process. A mineralogical study of samples of eroded refractory material disclosed that carbon disulphide had penetrated the lining, causing the precipitation of sulphides and carbon, and the decomposition of mullite, a major constituent of the lining, to corundum and amorphous silica. Calcium, iron, titanium, and chromium are undesirable cations in a refractory that is used in furnaces for the production of carbon disulphide, since they react readily with this substance. A series of tests, in which samples were exposed to different amounts of carbon disulphide for various residence times and at different temperatures, was carried out with eight types of aluminosilicate-based castable and brick refractory materials, to compare their resistance to attack by carbon disulphide. Mineralogical investigation of the test cores showed that castable refractory materials are unsuitable for this type of process because of the presence of calcium aluminates and other impurities in the cement. Of all the refractories that were tested, a mullite brick of low porosity, containing a minimum amount of impurities, appeared to be the most suitable for use in this type of operation.

Jan 1, 1989

By W. R. Ingalls

IN THE years immediately preceding 1914, the American people earned an aggregate income of 33 to 34 billion dollars, of which they saved about five billion, the annual saving being expressed mainly in the form of houses and railway extensions; to a less extent in public utilities, public improvements, factories and mines; and to a very small extent in foreign investments. It appeared needful that we should save and invest annually in these ways about 15 per cent. of our aggregate income in order to keep the development of our plant, so to speak, ahead of our steadily growing needs. The common knowledge that at present our housing and railway facilities are inadequate suggests immedi-ately that we have been running behind the pre-war ratio of reinvestment. Since 1919, we have not had any carefully prepared, authoritative estimates of the national annual income. However, with some experience in this subject, I have ventured to make rough estimates, which rest on solid foundations, although some rather empirical develop-ments are involved. Such estimates would be consid-ered good work in this field if they fell within limits of 10 per cent., plus or minus. Even so, these data are more useful when quickly available than more accurate data that are belated; for recognizing that there is a margin of error we can at least get a reasonable and approximate idea of how things are going.

Jan 2, 1923

By C. J. Rockingham

"A comparative study of sulphide textures has been carried out on samples from four Archean copper-zinc massive base metal sulphide deposits: Kidd Creek, Ontario; Lake Dufault -Norbec, Quebec; Hood River-41, N. W. T.; and Geco, Ontario. These deposits have undergone metamorphic recrystallization under a range of conditions, and results of this study indicate that certain sulphide textures may be used as qualitative indicators of metamorphic grade, whereas other cannot.The sulphide textures of most value in this regard are sulphide grain sizes, which increase with increasing metamorphic grade, and the presence or absence of sedimentary/diagenetic textures, which are destroyed at the lower amphibolite facies of metamorphism. Chalcopyrite and pyrrhotite intergrowths in sphalerite increase in size, in degree of coalescence and in the ratio of unmixed pyrrhotite to chalcopyrite inclusions with increasing metamorphic rank. With increased metamorphic grade, the pyrrhotite intergrowths change from rounded inclusions on grain boundaries to rod-like shapes along sphalerite twin planes. There is also a general increase in the relative proportion of pyrrhotite in the deposits. Textures that appear to have little value as indicators of metamorphic grade are sulphide deformation textures, and triple junction point angles and their standard deviations, which show little variation from the lower greenschist to the upper amphibolite facies of metamorphism. The presence or absence of myrmekite-like magnetite also has little value in determining the relative metamorphic history of these deposits, as it is a product of local contact metamorphism."

Jan 1, 1980

By Paul Lenchuk

The concrete block industry can trace its beginnings to the early 18th century when most of the experimental work was being carried out in England. In America, the concrete masonry industry got started shortly after the Civil War and has had sometimes a spectacular, but always a steady growth since then. From a few hundred thousand concrete masonry units made in the late 19th century, the industry today produces approximately 3.3 billion concrete masonry units making it the largest industry in the United States for masonry wall materials. There were 3500 concrete masonry plants manufacturing these units after World War II. This nwnber decreased to 1500 by 1970 although the production of concrete masonry units increased by over 100% in the last 25 years. One of the reasons for this increase in production by less than half of the plants which once existed, is the tremendous strides made in automation of production machinery. The concrete masonry plant of today is probably one of the most automated small businesses in existence. Within a few years it will be possible to push a button and the entire manufacturing process will begin with no human hands touching the units until they are laid up in a wall at the manufacturing plant and are trans-ported to the job site. No other concrete product has reached this state of manufacturing sophistication and it is one of the reasons why the price of a concrete masonry unit is not much different than it was 2S years ago. Because of automation, it is safe to say that concrete masonry will remain a highly competitive building material for many years to come. The problems that beset the continued use of this material are not related to the cost of manufacturing and delivering the product. What are some of the problems as well as some of the opportunities and is the golden age of opportunity knocking rather than a wolf in disguise? The use of concrete masonry has grown each year because a larger unit was provided at less cost than other competitive materials. Concrete masonry has had severe competition from the clay products industry as well as masons who laid the product in the wall and who resisted concrete masonry for many years. Even today

Jan 1, 1971

By S. Ajima

The Naoshima Smelter and Refinery is the most important copper operation of Mitsubishi Materials Corporation. There are a Mitsubishi Continuous smelter and a conventional type of copper tankhouse. The continuous smelter with 240,000 mtpy of anode production was commissioned in May 19914 replacing two existing smelters, i.e an original Mitsubishi Process line and a conventional reverberatory furnace line. In July 1992, the copper tankhouae was expanded for the purpose to close the gap of production capacity between the smelter and the tankhouse. The cathode production capacity was increased from 13,800 to 15,800 mtpm. By these plant modifications, the distribution of minor elements was significantly changed and the impurities load is getting on increase reflecting recent shortage of clean copper concentrates supply. The paper discusses the distribution of minor elements and the impurity control strategy at the smelter end the refinery.

Jan 1, 1995

By J. C. White

"This paper was prepared for and presented at a lecture series on ""Materials Randling"" at McGill University. The development of trackless mining at Gaspe Copper Mines, Limited is described, showing the changes in mining method and the part played by the mobile equipment in the evolution of this highly mechanized underground operation. Comparisons of loading and hauling machines are given and an attempt is made to predict some possible future developments.INTRODUCTIONTHE PROPERTY OF GASPE COPPER MINES LIMITED is located in the Gaspe Peninsula of the Province of Quebec, 60 miles west of the village of Gaspe and 25 miles south of the St. Lawrence River. The original discovery of low-grade ore was made at Copper Mountain in 1921. Subsequent exploration revealed the richer Needle Mountain orebodies, and eventually in 1951 the decision was made by Noranda Mines to build the mining, concentrating and smelting complex (Figure 1). Construction and development of the mine was commenced in 1952 and production started in 1955."

Jan 1, 1968

By T. E. Leontis

Several publications1-7 during the past few years have demonstrated the markedly greater effect of cerium, as compared to all other alloying elements, in enhancing the strength and creep resistance of magnesium at elevated temperature either with or without the presence of other elements. In the work reported in Ref. 1-6, the cerium was added in the form of Mischmetal, which contains all the rare earth elements in essentially the same proportions as they occur in monazite sand, the principal ore of these metals. Mellor and Ridley7 have presented the creep characteristics at 200°C of magnesium alloys prepared both with pure cerium and with Mischmetal. Up to the present time, however, no comprehensive study of the effect of the various component elements of Mischmetal on the properties of sand-cast magnesium has been made. This hiatus in magnesium technology undoubtedly is associated with the difficulty in obtaining the rare earth metals separately. This investigation provides such a survey, the object of which was to determine which of the elements present in Mischmetal contributes the greatest effect in developing high strength and high resistance to creep at elevated temperatures. Toward this end the compositional variation of these properties has been determined as a function of temperature in the following alloy systems: 1. Magnesium-Mischmetal 2. Magnesium-cerium-free Misch- metal 3. Magnesium-didymiuin 4. Magnesium-praseodymium- lanthanum 5. Magnesium-cerium 6. Magnesium-lanthanum This designation, based on the names of the metals as furnished by the producer, is used throughout the paper in order to avoid the complicated system of listing all the elements present in the more complex alloys. The composition of the metals and the alloys is discussed in detail below. Preparation of Alloys ALLOYING INGREDIENTS The chemical composition of each of the six alloying ingredients used to prepare the alloys reported in this paper is given in Table 1. In each case, the percent total rare earths, percent cerium, percent neodymium, percent praseodymium, and percent thorium were determined in addition to the listed impurities. The percent lanthanum was determined by difference from the total rare earth content and consequently includes the other elements (samarium, terbium, yttrium, etc.) present in Mischmetal. These additional elements, however, seldom amount to more than 1 to 2 pet of the total rare earth content of Mischmetal. The iron content of the Mischmetal is considerably lower than that of the other metals. This grade of Mischmetal is now readily available. The metals are listed in the order of decreasing complexity. Elimination of the cerium from Mischmetal results in what the trade calls "Cerium-free Mischmetal." Carrying the separation a step further by eliminating the lantha-

Jan 1, 1950

From statistics on general and electrical fatalities in the Australian mineral industry, it could be said that the present approach to industrial safety is irrational. Deaths are few and decreasing in number, yet spend- ing on occupational safety is large and increasing. State mine safety inspec- torates are being expanded and a National Occupational Health and Safety Commission was recently established. Recent data are analysed in the paper and mining industry fatalities placed in perspective with deaths in other areas. Cost effectiveness of different strategies is discussed along with social implications. Strategies found successful are described and others suggested.,

Jan 1, 1988

By Zhengdong Liu, Kaizhong Zhang, Zhaonan Jiang, Yuanping Cheng, Biao Hu, Qingquan Liu, Ranpeng Wang

"Major coal mining areas in eastern China have entered into the deep mining state. Gas pre-drainage, which has been successful at shallower depths, is not suitable at greater depths because of complex conditions. Coal permeability, which is closely related to the damage behavior of coal, is the most important parameter in determining gas migration and gas drainage in a coal seam. To achieve an optimal gas drainage design in a deep mining state, the damage and permeability evolutions of coal should be further studied. The progressive failure process of coal has been analyzed by conducting a series of triaxial loading and unloading tests. The development of coal fractures has been successfully quantified, and the corresponding characteristic stress points have been obtained by using Martin’s fracture model and the stress-strain curve. Coal will produce plastic deformation, and its permeability will rapidly increase when the stress level reaches damage expansion stress. INTRODUCTION Coal mine methane (CMM) is a general term for all methane released during and after mining operations. CMM is both a potentially valuable energy and a serious hazard in active coal mines. Degassing coal seams is important for mitigating this hazard and results in the beneficial recovery of a cleanburning, low-carbon fuel resource (Karacan, Ruiz, Cotè, and Phipps, 2011). The permeability of coal is a key parameter in determining CMM production, coalbed methane (CBM) production, CO2-enhanced coalbed methane (CO2-ECBM) production, and CO2 storage in coal seam reservoirs (Connell, Lu, and Pan, 2010; Chen et al., 2011; Perera, Ranjith, and Choi, 2013). Significant research has been condcuted to the study of the evolution of coal permeability. These studies revealed that coal permeability evolution is controlled by the competing influences of effective stress and sorption-induced coal deformation. Chen et al. (2011) investigated the influence of an effective stress coefficient and sorption-induced strain on the evolution of coal permeability. Robertson and his team (Robertson, 2005; Robertson and Christiansen, 2005) measured sorption-induced matrix strain and permeability changes with regard to CO2, CH4, and N2. They found that the compressibility is not constant in a natural coal sample. Karacan (2007) conducted a series of experimental tests to study the swelling-induced volumetric strains internal to a stressed coal associated with CO2 sorption. Liu et al. (2016) investigated the effects of matrix swelling area propagation on the permeability evolution by using both natural and reconstituted samples. Many coal permeability models have been developed to describe the permeability evolution under uniaxial loading, biaxial strain, hydrostatic confining pressure, triaxial strain, and triaxial stress. Recently, some analytical permeability models have been developed to describe the anisotropic permeability behavior (Palmer, 2009; Pan and Connell, 2011; Robertson and Christiansen, 2005; Wang, Zang, Wang, and Zhou, 2014; Chen, Pan, Liu, and Connell, 2012)."

Jan 1, 2017

By Colin Rae

THE absence of paraffin and other oil hydrocarbons in the soil, although they are concentrated in extensive deposits in some localities, the common distribution of plant remains through many formations that .are not productive for oil, and many other factors, seem to indicate the existence of an intermediate organic compound between the complex plant compounds and the petroleum hydrocarbons; and much evidence points to the humus acids or associated organic compounds, which are probably collected by surface waters and concentrated in certain areas by means of precipitation by electrolytes, which would be contained in sea water or possibly in various inland seas or lakes. PRESENT-DAY EVIDENCE There are many present-day evidences of the association of petroleum with humus acids. Binney, in 1912, made observations without explanations on the peat mosses of Down Holland, England, where he found petroleum being formed by decomposition, in the presence of an infiltration of sea water. The analysis of a typical peat will show its relationship to the humus acids under consideration. SAMPLE 'No. 1, SAMPLE NO. 2, PER CENT. PER CENT. Water : 20.0 29.5 Ash 3.0 3.05 Fiber 47.0 54.95 Humus acids 30:0 12.50 J. D. Haseman and others have noted the association of asphalt and hydrocarbons with the swampy, boggy areas, particularly adjacent to the sea.

Jan 2, 1922

By S. Lipson, H. W. Antes, H. Rosenthal

A study was made of the effect of ingot structure on the strength and ductility of high-strength wrought-aluminum alloys. It was found that a fine-cast structure facilitated complete homogenization which, in turn, resulted in significant increases in ductility and strength. A completely homogenized 7075-T6 alloy developed tensile properties of 85,000 psi UTS, 75,000 psi YS, with 40 pct RA. Completely homogenized 7001-T6 alloy tensile properties were 102,000 psi UTS, 99,000 psi YS, with 19 pct Ra. A method was devised for making small ingots having secondary dendrite arm spacing of less than 10 u. This method involved multiple-pass arc melting of commercial rolled plate with a tungsten electvode. This material could be completely homogenized after 3 hr at 900°F; homogenization of the original plate material was not complete after 120 hv at 900°F. Degree of homogeneity was determined by use of metallographic and electron-microprobe analyses. The electron-micro-probe study also showed the preferential segregation of solutes in the microstructure. HIGH-strength aluminum alloys, such as those of the 7000 series, usually freeze by the formation and growth of dendrites. The dendrite arm spacing (DAS) depends on the rate of solidification.' Commercial ingots are usually direct chill-cast to promote more rapid solidification, but, due to the large mass of the ingot, localized solidification times are long and a large DAS results. During solidification, solute elements are rejected by the solid as it forms, causing enrichment of the liquid and ultimately solute-rich interdendritic regions. In order to attain a homogeneous ingot, the segregated solutes must diffuse across the dendrite arms. The larger the DM, the longer the time for complete homogenization. In the case of commercial ingots, the DAS is so large that the time for complete homogenization is prohibitively long and, therefore, second phases or compounds are always present. These un-dissolved phases are carried over to the wrought material during processing, resulting in an impairment of strength and ductility. In addition, the mechanical fibering of the undissolved second phases or compounds during working results in mechanical property anisotropy. If complete homogenization could be attained, higher ductility could be expected. The realization of higher ductility at current strength levels is a desirable objective; however, if higher-strength alloys were wanted, it might be possible to sacrifice some of this ductility by adding more solute elements and produce even higher-strength alloys than are currently available. Further, if complete homogenization leads to more efficient utilization of solute elements, then more dilute alloys should have relatively high strengths with very high ductility. In all instances, it would be expected that the degree of mechanical property anisotropy due to mechanical fibering would be reduced. Therefore, it was the purpose of this investigation to produce cast structures that would facilitate homogenization and to determine the effect of homogenization on the properties of high-strength, wrought-aluminum alloys. MATERIAL CLASSIFICATION Commercial Alloys. In order to illustrate the non-homogeneous condition that exists in commercial high-strength, wrought-aluminum alloys, typical micro-structures of 7001, 7075, and 7178 are shown in Fig. 1. The chemical compositional specifications of these alloys are given in Table I. It can be seen in Fig. 1 that a considerable amount of undissolved second-phase material is present in each of these alloys. The solute elements associated with the undissolved phases were identified by electron microanalyses. Back-scattered electron images and characteristic X-ray images of the three commercial alloys are shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4. These data indicate that the second phases are regions of high copper and high iron-copper concentrations. The second-phase material also was analyzed for magnesium, zinc, manganese, chromium, and silicon, but no significant enrichment above that of the matrix was found. Therefore, the problem of homogenization resolved itself into one of dissolving the copper-rich and the iron-copper-rich second phases. In order to accomplish this objective, two approaches were made. The first was to reduce the iron as low as possible since this element has a maximum solid solubility of 0.03 pct in aluminum. The second was to produce cast structures with finer DAS to facilitate dissolving the second phases. Commercially Produced High-Purity Alloys. A special high-purity, 2000-lb ingot of 7075 alloy was made by a commercial producer. This alloy contained the following weight percentages of solutes: 5.63 Zn, 2.48 Mg, 1.49 Cu, and 0.21 Cr. All other elements combined were less than 0.02 pct by wt including iron and silicon at less than 0.01 pct each. The ingot was cast and processed into rolled plate using standard commercial techniques. Microstructures of standard commercial 7075 and the special high-purity 7075 are shown in Fig. 5. It can be seen from this figure that the high-purity alloy has less undissolved second-phase material, but a significant amount was still present. The second phase in the high-purity material did not contain iron but it was found to be enriched with copper. The slight effects of the increased purity and de-

Jan 1, 1968

By J. Stachurski, N. A. Abdel-Khalek

The objective of this investigation was to compare the results of countercurrent, column cell flotation vs. conventional (mechanical) cell flotation for the cleaning of a sulfur ore (-0.5 mm, 27.43% S) and its discrete size fractions. The tests were carried out using diesel oil as a collector and alcohol as a frother. Generally, column flotation produced concentrates of higher grade. For example, column cell flotation produced a nonwashed concentrate of 65.3% S with a recovery of 84.1%. However, conventional cell flotation produced a rougher concentrate of lower grade (57.0% S) and higher recovery (92.5%). At a superficial-wash water velocity of 0.265 cm/sec, the column product grade increased to 76.4% S, with a slightly lower recovery (80.3%). However, a concentrate with a similar recovery but a lower grade (74% S) than that of the washed product was obtained after three cleaning stages with the conventional cell. The column gave superior results for the flotation of fine and ultrafine particles.

Jan 1, 1994

By J. M. Harrison

FIELD PARTIES of the Geological Survey of Canada have, in recent years, mapped several areas east and northeast of Flin Flon (9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 118) (1). In all these areas the mineral deposits show a close geographical relation to faults although the immediate control of most of the known ore deposits appears to be folded structures in the rocks (8, 11, 18, 19). Air photographs and published geological maps were studied in order to ascertain whether or not the mineral deposits in the Flin Flon-Snow Lake mineral belt as a whole show any spatial relationship to faults. It was found that most of them do show a distinct geographical association with faults, or with topographic features that may be faults. It is further apparent on air photographs that a major lineament, for composite of lineaments, follows approximately the contact between gneisses and schists of the Kisseynew complex on the north, and Amisk volcanic rocks on the south. However, this Kisseynew lineament is not continuous and, especially in the eastern half of the district, it is exceedingly irregular in plan. Parts of this lineament have been mapped as faults (9, 10, 12, 14), other parts have been shown as stratigraphic contacts (1, 2, 21, 27), and still other parts have not been studied except by reconnaissance methods. It is suggested that the Kisseynew lineament may be due to a deformed fault that extends easterly from a point about 25 miles west-northwest of Flin Flon to a point at least 10 miles northeast of Wekusko lake and that the mineral deposits.

Jan 1, 1951

By A. G. B. Hayes, C. L. Renzoni

"AbstractThis paper provides a rough outline of economic expectations for the near future and then goes on to discuss their effect on the expected demand for metals, using zinc, copper, nickel and aluminum as detailed examples.IntroductionMINING, as you are all painfully aware, is a cyclical business. We believe that it will remain so as long as there are economic cycles.The fortunes of the industry are tied to those sectors of the economy where decisions can be postponed until more favourable times: automobiles, housing, appliances, inventory building and capital spending. Over the past two years, while U.S. GNP fell by 3.8%, automobile production declined by 31 %, from 9.7 million units in 1973 to 6.7 million in 1975. Housing starts plummeted some 43% from 2.1 million units in 1973 to 1.2 million in 1975. Little wonder that U.S. copper consumption fell by 37% and zinc consumption by 38% over the same period.With the rest of the world's economies moving in unison with that of the United States, it is also not surprising that times have been tough for mining.Arthur Burns, chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve, contends that each recession sows the seeds of its own recovery. The worse the recession, the better the subsequent recovery. If this is true, then the lot of the mining industry should improve significantly over the next two to three years."

Jan 1, 1977

LOCATIONThe property of the Mount Isa Mines Ltd. is situated in Western Queensland, 603 miles by rail west of Townsville, the nearest seaport. All supplies and the bullion are railed between Mt. Isa and Townsville. The climate is semiarid, and operations are conducted throughout the year without difficulty.WATER SUPPLYThe mill make-up water is obtained from the mine, and also from Rifle Creek reservoir, which is situated 20 miles from Mount Isa. The domestic supply of water is obtained from a series of bores on the company's leases.POWER SUPPLYElectric power at 3300 volts, 3-phase, 50 cycles, is supplied from the company's steam power plant, consisting of two units, each unit comprising one Babcock & Wilcox boiler, supplying steam at 300 lb. pressure per sq: in. to one 5000 kW. turbo-alternator. Pulverized coal is used as fuel, and power is being generated at a cost of 0.45d. per kilowatt hour. The coal used is supplied from the State Coal Mine, Bowen, costing 42/- per ton delivered at Mt. Isa.

Jan 1, 1933

By M Darvall And R Fare, D Dormer

The Argo Archaean lode gold deposit is hosted within a structurally complex shear zone system, 70 km south of Kalgoorlie, and 3 km west of the crustal-scale Boulder û Lefroy Fault. Argo is an active underground mine currently producing at a rate of 120 koz pa with a Probable and Proven Reserve as at December 2005 of 2.19 Mt at 5.94 g/t Au (419 koz), a reduction on the December 2004 Probable and Proven Reserve of 4.58 Mt at 5.74 g/t Au (845 koz). This Reserve is hosted in six separate gold bearing lodes within the Argo shear system. Presently, a further six subeconomic shears are recognised. The 2005 Reserve figure represents a reduction of 426 koz compared to the 2004 Reserve as a result of a thorough review of the geological interpretation/resource model, and engineering factors applied to the Resource/Reserve, and depletion due to mining. Year on year Resource/Reserve figures at Argo had gradually increased as additional information on the system became available and mining methods were increasingly resolved with early production. The portal for Argo underground mine was cut in June 2002 within the highly profitable Argo open pit. The proposed æAvocaÆ bottom-up mining method required extensive lead time between development and the commencement of stoping in April 2004. During development considerable additional complexity in the Resource was encountered. Additional structures were identified, and complex splay interactions affecting the geology impacted on development. Intensive concurrent exploration in the footwall to the main lode during this period was the main cause of the increase in the Resource/Reserve figures during early development. As development progressed, lower grade continuity was observed than was previously interpreted. At the same time, drilling of deeper portions of the deposit and subsequent reinterpretation of the geological model significantly reduced strike lengths of economic mineralisation. Radical changes to the mining methods were required to improve productivities and to satisfy geotechnical considerations. The changes altered the engineering factors applied, which resulted in a reduction in the Reserve figures.

Jan 1, 2006

By Allen Rogers

TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS for nothing at all except a sheepskin. That to me is the effect of the New York State law for registration of engineers and the same may be said of any of the state licensing laws. Of course, if one has to practice in more than one state, he must pay a more or less equal amount for every state he works in; and yet there has been little effective protest against these laws. It would seem that the spirit which animated the Boston Tea Party is non-existent amongst engineers. Undoubtedly a good many consider, through their failure to understand the law, that the matter does not affect them. In New York State it is provided that "any person practicing or offering to practice profes-sional engineering or land surveying . . . shall be licensed as hereinafter provided." To quote further from the law: "A person practices professional engi-neering . . . who holds himself out as able to do, or who does, the work that an engineer does . . . " The cunning of the wording of this article can only be appreciated by considering that anyone calling himself an engineer falls within the definition; its liberal inter-pretation (I have not quoted the whole of it) would embrace many who do not consider themselves engi-neers. The state authorities may not construe it to include such individuals; indeed, they may possibly consider it inexpedient to extend it to include engineers of subordinate grade, but the possibility is always there and, even though an engineer be of the grade of assis-tant, he may at any time be called upon to substitute for his principal in responsible charge of the work. It is therefore clear that anyone calling himself engineer and practicing engineering must, for his own protection, apply for registration or run the risk of violating the law. Now, what is the sense of all this? We have done very well without such restrictions on the means of gaining our livelihood. If one only stops to think, there is hardly a minute of his modern existence when he is not dependent for his safety on the engineering by engineers of yesterday or today. How often is one in jeopardy through failure of engineering works, work done under the supervision of those same engineers? If all of us had to wait for our ends by such means, our average life would probably be some thousands of years. Where, then, is the point to the object declared in all these laws that the need for licensing is "to safeguard life, health and property?" Bosh!

Jan 4, 1923

By Donald C. Clark

The Blasting Contractor as an Insurance Risk involves a discussion of changing times in the insurance market and changing methods of operation in the construction industry. Since the advent of Internal Revenue Service~1 and Occupational Safety and Health Act~2 regulations by the Federal Government in the early 1970's, operations have changed. Many small users of explosives have discontinued any use in favor of subcontracting the drilling and blasting to specialists. This change in operations along with the change in the insurance market has created coverage problems which is the subject of discussion of this paper. Although no definite conclusions are reached, it is an attempt to promote understanding and further the efforts toward equitable solutions.

Jan 1, 1977