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By Wang Yongjia, Steven L. Crouch

This paper describes a numerical method for computing time- dependent displacements and stresses in linear viscoelastic media. For such materials, the correspondence principle can be used to obtain the time-dependent solution directly from the solution to an associated elastic problem in Laplace transform space. The elastic solution, in turn, can easily be obtained by boundary element methods. The work presented in this paper is based on the displacement discontinuity method, adapted for the case in which the region of interest consists of two half-planes bonded together. A practical example of the method is given for a problem involving a panel of rooms and pillars in a thick layer of salt that is overlain by limestone. Viscoelastic behavior of the salt causes time-dependent displacements and stresses in both rock types.

Jan 1, 1982

Successful longwall gate entry design requires control of vertical and horizontal stresses. Vertical, or overburden, stresses are most severe in the tailgate where they are concentrated by longwall panel extraction. Horizontal stresses can also be highly destructive but they are less well understood. This paper discusses measurements of in situ horizontal stress fields in the eastern United States, experience with horizontal stress in longwall mines and methods for predicting and controlling horizontal stresses. The information presented was collected through site investigations at 45 US longwalls and an international literature review.

Jan 1, 1992

Jan 1, 1900

By Richard L. Sanford

This paper summarizes the results of the development of a Directory of Computer Programs Applicable to U.S. Mining Practices and Problems. The Directory is funded by the U.S. Bureau of Mines and includes a sampling of computer usage in operating and manufacturing companies, consulting firms, computer companies, research organizations, universities, and various U.S. government agencies. General references to computer applications throughout the mining industry are discussed as well as the availability of programs to interested organizations or individuals.

Jan 1, 1978

By Orr Hamilton

VALUATION of a mine is an approximation of its true cash value which requires the application of fundamental principles of economics. Mines are valued from necessity, for the following reasons: (a) Transfers of titles. (b) Dissolutions of partnerships or corporations. (c) Mergers of mining companies. (d) Appraisals for the purpose of State and Federal taxation. (e) Establishment of the fact of worth as a basis of loans. (f) Determination of values as frequently required in litigation. (g) Listing of stock for sale by a reputable stock exchange. For the majority of purposes a valuation is required as at the present time, but for some purposes valuations as of bygone times may more nearly reflect the intrinsic worth of a mine because its subsequent history can never be, entirely ignored, but valuations made as at the present time are better indicators of cash values. Many mines with great intrinsic worth have been sold for small cash prices. The object of legitimate mine valuations is to deter-mine salable value, or that price in cash at which a transfer of the property from a willing seller to a willing buyer might be consummated, assuming that both vendor and vendee have knowledge of all pertinent data and that the owner, is not forced to sell at a sacri-fice-the definitions of fair market value precluding a forced sale.

Jan 11, 1923

By Daniel S. Lyons

Jan 1, 1946

By S. Makni, A. Faucher, F. Robichaud, A. Bouajila

"Optimizing the ball charge in a grinding mill may be needed to maximise throughput or alternatively, to achieve proper product size in more challenging situations. Efforts to optimise the ball charge however are essentially empirical and suffer from the lack of appropriate, accessible and reliable tools. To address these limitations, a new model-based technology was developed that relies on 3D Discrete Element Method and population balance techniques: it takes on the form of a simulator that aims to significantly decrease the time required to optimise the size distribution and the grinding media load within a ball mill. This paper summarizes the research work related to the development of this simulator. The calibration of the different constituting sub-models will be highlighted. The successful use of the simulator to predict the effect of ball make-up on the grinding product size distribution in one plant is also reported.INTRODUCTION Adjusting the characteristics of the grinding media charge in grinding mills holds significant potential for optimisation of mill performance. For example, properly adjusting the ball size distribution in a ball mill can help achieving specified targets for final product size distribution and/or throughput capacity. However, several problems appear when reviewing the process and the available tools to optimise ball mill load: • The current empirical simulation tools are lacking with regard to the ability to predict the performance of grinding when changes to mill ball make-up are made; • Generally, these tools estimate the top size of the charge so it is difficult to predict the effect of mixed ball make-up; • As the quality of prediction of these tools is low, the operators try to optimise the ball charge by a ""trial and error"" method and proceeding with conservative changes. The influence of these changes on grinding performance is often less than the measurement precision and the improvements then remain imperceptible; • A change in ball make-up may require an average of about 6 months waiting period before reaching the stationary state of mill ball load. This exercise is due to be costly if applied change decreases the mill performance. In its effort towards the comminution process optimisation, COREM R&D portfolio had addressed the herein described opportunity during the last five years This paper describes the technology already developed for the optimisation of ball charge. It takes on the form of a simulator that aims to predict the evolution of the grinding media load, the grinding energy available in the ball mill and the final product size distribution. The simulator was first validated in a pilot scale ball mill and then applied in an industrial case."

Jan 1, 2012

By P. Hadzeriga

Ion exchange techniques have been growing fast and spectacularly in all phases of Science for the last two decades, but still its acceptance as a unit operation in Metallurgy is resisted. Mainly this is because ion exchange procedures are thought of as glamorous techniques by which only relatively expensive metals are to be recovered. Perhaps this concept comes from the early and basic marriage of uranium and other high price metals and ion exchange procedures. The general trend is that ion exchange technique requires equipment and materials which are too expensive to economically perform a chemical step whenever "cheap" commodities are produced. However, we are here presenting a means of utilization of waste hydrochloric acid by an ion exchange technique. We have studied this from the engineering and economic standpoint in a number of variations of the main procedure discussed here and we-conclude that under proper economic circumstances, the cost of the ion exchange material as well as the equipment and labor involved in the ion exchange section, is by no means unreasonable.

Jan 1, 1964

By R. Karl Zipf, David Newman

The objective of this is paper is to review the current state of knowledge and practice in highwall mining (HWM). HWM has become a widely-applied method in surface mining, commonly used alone or in conjunction with contour or slot mining. It provides 800-feet to 1,200-feet of additional recovery when the economic stripping ratio is reached in contour mining or in slot mining when surface access to a reserve is limited. A significant attribute of the highwall miner is its versatility. HWM has been used successfully to mine abandoned pre-reclamation law highwalls, points or ridges uneconomic to mine by underground or other surface methods, outcrop barriers left adjacent to underground mines, separate benches of the same seam where the parting thickness or quality differences between benches render complete extraction uneconomic, previously augered areas containing otherwise inaccessible additional reserves and close or widely spaced multiple seams. The theory and design methods to assess roof, pillar, and floor stability are presented followed by three case histories. Simple design charts for sizing HWM web and barrier pillars are also presented. A recommended web pillar width may be obtained from the design charts given the overburden depth, the HWM cut width, and the mining height. Given the depth and panel width for a set of HWM cuts, another set of charts gives a suggested barrier pillar width. The case histories, from Northern and Southern Appalachia are used to illustrate the application of rock mechanics to quantify the stability of the highwall, roof, web pillars, and floor. The case histories involve 1) mining through a previously augered highwall, 2) mining under back-stacked spoil and 3) selective mining of closely spaced benches of the same seam. Because each site is unique, the appropriate pre-mining geotechnical analyses range from the calculation of roof, web pillar, and floor bearing capacity stability factors to detailed numerical modeling of the auger and underground mine workings. When operating in the vicinity of existing underground mine or auger workings, the determination of ground deformation and strains resulting from highwall mining is a necessary facet of a ground control investigation.

By Robert Stefanko

This report abstracts project work performed for the USBM Grant No. GO-133077 during the period 19 June 1973 to 15 October 1974. Five reports have been separately produced and are as follows: 1. Mine Electrical Systems Evaluation - Cable Splicing, 2. Mine Electrical Systems Evaluation - Explosion-Proofing of Mine Containers, 3. Mine Electrical Systems Evaluation - Transient Analysis, 4. Mine Electrical Systems Evaluation - Mine Power System Performance, and 5. Mine Electrical Systems Evaluation - Model Coal Mine Electrical System Specifications. Abstracts of each comprise the balance of this executive summary, and 50 copies of each volume have been forwarded to the USBM under the terms of the grant agreement.

Jan 1, 1974

By M. King Hubbert

THE theme of this paper is that one of the greatest retarding factors in progress of geologic science is the inadequate training given to students of geology in schools and universities. Students of geology are still taught as though geology were an independent, sovereign domain of science. Consequently, only in exceptional cases do geology students acquire more than the most elementary introductory college courses in mathematics, physics and chemistry, and frequently not even so much. Furthermore, students with such training receive Ph. D. degrees in geology, and often they become professors of geology in our universities. The phenomena of geology are also phenomena of physics, of astron-omy, of chemistry, and to a lesser extent, of biology; and to properly deal with them a knowledge of mathematics, physics and chemistry considerably beyond the elementary level is necessary. Already many of the physical and chemical problems of the earth, such as earthquakes, gravity, hydrology, meteorology, and the physical chemistry of rocks and minerals, are being attacked with considerable success by the employment of the methods of physics and chemistry, and being written almost exclusively in the language of advanced mathematical physics and chemistry. Geophysics is not just a "borderland field" between two sciences; on the contrary, it is the process whereby the knowledge and techniques of the more fundamental science, physics, are borrowed and employed in solving the problems of the more dependent science-geology. Geo-physics therefore embraces a large part of the two sciences taken together. The institution of work in geophysics, in its true sense, in depart-ments of geology would go far toward correcting the present inadequate training of students of geology and bringing the members of that profes-sion more uniformly abreast of the advances being made in earth science by people whose training has been primarily in the fundamental sciences of physics and chemistry rather than in geology. If something of this sort is not done, the geological profession may contemplate being left farther and farther behind as the scientific procession moves onward.

Jan 1, 1938

By M. K. Larson, J. K. Whyatt, R. B. Langston, J. C. Johnson, H. Kirsten, T. M. Brady

An experiment is described in which hollow inclusion cells (HICells) were used to measure stress in a jointed rock mass during drift development at the Stillwater Mine, Nye, MT, USA. Two HICells were installed in the footwall approximately two drift widths ahead of the face. One HICell was over cored and then immediately tested in a biaxial chamber. The other HICell was left in place and monitored as the drift was excavated in three advances, each one-half the width of the drift. Strains were recorded hourly by a datalogger. Results show that there was little stress change during the first and second drift advances, but that a large stress change occurred after the third advance. The measurements also showed that the in situ principal stress directions lined up with regional geologic structures. Stress changes during face advance were likely caused by deformation along localized joint sets and inelastic deformation near the face.

By Jon C. Yingling

Lean manufacturing, pioneered by Toyota, has been credited with the most significant improvements in production efficiency and product quality since the transformation from craft manufacturing to mass production in the early 20th century. It represents a comprehensive philosophy for structuring, operation, control, and management of production systems that is believed to have wide applicability. This paper outlines major lean manufacturing principles and discusses their potential for application in the mining industry.

Jan 1, 1999

By Alfred H. Bell

Illinois produced 5 per cent more crude oil in 1934 than in 1933, because there was less curtailment, and. the value of the year's production at the wells was 35 per cent more than that of the previous year. The average price of Illinois crude oil in 1934 was $1.13 as compared with $0.87 in 1933, an increase of 30 per cent. The quotas of allowable production for Illinois during 1934, as authorized by Oil Administrator Harold L. Ickes, were as follows: January, February, March, 12,000 bbl. per day; April, May, 12,500; June, July, 12,600; August, 12,500; September, October, November, 12,000; December, 11,700. No other restrictions on production were in effect during the year until Oct. 11, when it was found necessary to prorate the fields to 75 per cent, a curtailment of 25 per cent below the quota fixed by the Federal Administrator. On Dec. 1 the curtailment was reduced to 18 per cent and on Dec. 18, to 15 per cent. Production in Illinois by months during 1934 was as follows: Barrels Barrels January...................... 393,000 July........................ 394,000 February.................... 337,000 August..................... 402,000 March....................... 394,000 September.................. 378,000 April......................... 373,000 October.................... 352,000 May......................... 411,000 November.................. 305,000 June......................... 392,000 December................... 321,000 Total ................... 4,452,000 In spite of higher prices for crude oil, fewer wells were drilled in Illinois in 1934 than in 1933 (Tables 1 and 2). Of the 26 wells drilled, 10 were oil producers, 8 were in proved fields and 2 were in a new pool in Wabash County, l½ miles south of the nearest production, one was a small gas well on the Stubblefield anticline in Bond County, one was an input well for repressuring in the Colmar-Plymouth field, McDonough County, and 14 were dry holes, mostly scattered wildcat tests.

Jan 1, 1935

By G. Montes-Atenas

Throughout the years, research studies have reached a consensus in acknowledging the relevancy of surface chemistry phenomena on minerals separation and metals extraction. Many techniques, and notably, scanning electron microscope-based technologies have revolutionised the entire mineral processing industry. Nevertheless, the comprehensive understanding on how surface chemistry properties influence the performance of many processes involving ores is still a challenge, a matter of controversy. The latter is mainly due to the fact that all interfacial processes do not necessarily require stoichiometric and well defined atomic structures. This is particularly true in the case of sulphide minerals which are well known to be superficially unstable in aerated media. When trying to measure any variable related to mineral-mineral or mineral-aqueous solution interfaces, there are too many unknowns regarding how sensitive the interface is when facing sampling protocols and sample handling. The aim of this research work is to make a case for improving future concentrators? survey protocols. It suggests a methodology to study effectively chemical changes at the outmost mineral surface layer at different stages of a mineral processing operation. The sampling protocol and sample handling is presented in details and it is applied to the regrinding stage of an industrial plant.

Feb 27, 2013

By R. V. Lundquist

This report describes results of tests on the desilication of solutions resulting from the leaching of lime-soda sinters. Desilication was accomplished by heating the solutions in an autoclave. A liquor relatively free of silica was obtained after 30 minutes of heating at 200 p.s.i.g. in the presence of lime. The addition of lime improved desilication, but the rate and efficiency of desilication was effected by the quality of lime used. The optimum quantity of lime for effective desilication was about 6 grams per liter. A lesser quantity gave poorer desilication, and a greater quantity increased the alumina loss without improving desilication. The alumina loss was approximately proportional to the lime added. A complex structure, called artificial noselite in this report, was the only silica bearing compound detected in the desilication precipitate. Other compounds present were Ca(OH)2 (calcium hydroxide), CaCO3 (calcium carbonate), and Ca [A1(OH)6]2 (hydrated tricalcium aluminate). Sodium carbonate in the leach liquor retarded the formation of the calcium aluminate; hence it decreased the alumina lost to the precipitate. The extraction of alumina from aluminum silicate materials by the limestone soda-sinter process has been investigated by the Bureau of Mines for many years. The process consists of the following major operations: Blending the aluminum silicate with limestone and soda ash in such proportions that dicalcium silicate and sodium aluminate are formed on sintering; leaching the sinter in a carbonated caustic solution to extract the soluble alumina; purifying the leach liquor by the precipitation of soluble silica (this precipitate is designated desilication precipitate in this paper); precipitating alumina trihydrate from the purified liquors by carbonating with carbon dioxide gas; and calcining the trihydrate to alumina. Commercial grades of

Jan 1, 1962

The state-owned Swedish company LKAB is one of the world's largest producers of iron ore. LKAB mines the greater part of its ore underground, and very high efficiency is vital if it is to compete successfully with open pit mines. Consequently, computers and OR are essential parts of the company's operations. This paper gives some examples of success- ful computer and OR applications at LKAB, coupled with some remarks on the costs and benefits of OR.

Jan 1, 1977

By Q. G. Reynolds

DC arc furnaces are widely used for steel scrap melting, and are increasingly being used for smelting applications as well. The electrical resistivity of slags varies widely, from highly conductive slags in ilmenite smelting, to highly resistive slags in applications such as cobalt recovery from non-ferrous slags, and nickel laterite smelting. Models have been developed to predict the electrical behaviour of the DC open plasma arc and the molten slag bath. These models allow the voltage and current ranges of furnace power supplies to be specified.

Jan 1, 2004

By James R. Hein

Manganese nodules form at the sediment surface of abyssal plains throughout the global ocean at water depths of about 4000-6500 m. The nodules form a continuum from purely hydrogenetic (all metals from seawater) to purely diagenetic (all metals from sediment pore waters), which will determine which metals of potential economic interest are enriched in the nodules. Another important factor in metal enrichment is whether diagenesis in the bottom sediment is oxic or suboxic. There are several nodule fields in the deep ocean that have received much attention with regards to economic potential, the most important being the Clarion-Clipperton zone (CCZ) in the NE Pacific, where the International Seabed Authority (ISA) has signed 12 contracts for exploration areas, each spanning 75,000 square kilometers. Those nodules are rich in nickel (mean 1.3 wt. %), copper (mean 1.1 %), and manganese (28%), with moderate amounts of cobalt (mean 0.2%), molybdenum (587 g/t), and lithium (129 g/t). A conservative estimate is that there exists 21,100 million dry tonnes of nodules in the CCZ, yielding more manganese, twice the nickel, three times the cobalt, and four times the yttrium than the entire land-based reserve base (economic plus marginally economic plus subeconomic reserves) for each metal. Total rare-earth elements (REEs) as oxides average 0.09% in CCZ nodules, a potential byproduct even at that grade because the heavy REE complement averages 26%, compared to less than 1% for the large land-based carbonatite REE deposits. The price for HREEs is much greater than for the light REEs. For comparison, the REEs in deep-ocean ferromanganese crusts are 3 to 5 times greater than nodules and the HREE complement averages 18%. Of the 12 CCZ contracts, 7 are with States (China, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Russia, and a group of States (IOM); and 5 are with companies: G-Tec Sea Mineral Resources NV, Nauru Ocean Resources Inc. (NORI); Tonga Offshore Mining Ltd (TOML), UK Seabed Resources Ltd (Lockheed UK), and Marawa Research and Exploration Ltd. Three other nodule fields that have received attention are in the Peru Basin, which has nodules very rich in manganese (34%) and lithium (mean 311 g/t), the Penrhyn Basin (Cook Islands Exclusive Economic Zone), with nodules very rich in cobalt (mean 0.4%); and the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB), where India has an exploration contract with the ISA. CIPB nodules have mean nickel, copper, and manganese contents of 1.1%, 1.0%, and 24% respectively.

May 1, 2013

Geologists employed by Metals Exploration Pty. Ltd. discovered nickel enrichment at Greenvale, 180 kilometres West of Townsville, in 1967. Subsequent drilling proved an ore body containing 45 million dry tonnes of ore containing an average of 1.5% nickel and 0.11% cobalt. The Freeport Minerals Company, who had experience in treating lateritic nickel ore, were invited to participate in development of the ore body. This resulted in the formation of the operating company Queensland Nickel Pty. Ltd., jointly owned by Freeport Queensland Nickel Inc. and Metals Exploration Queensland Pty. Ltd. With the completion of successful pilot plant testing of Greenvale ore at the Freeport research facilities at Belle Chasse, Louisiana, a treatment plant was constructed at Yabulu, 24 kilometres North West of Townsville. A 225 kilometre railway line was built connecting the Greenvale Mine and Yabulu Treatment Plant. The ore reduction and ammonia/ammonium carbonate leaching flowsheet is similar to that constructed and operated by the Freeport Minerals Company during World War II at Nicaro, Cuba. Modifications to the Nicaro flowsheet implemented at Yabulu include facilities to recover cobalt in a mixed nickel/cobalt sulphide product and the reduction of nickel

Jan 1, 1978