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By X. W. Zhang

Mica plate is broadly used in electric industry, production of man-made mica paper plate is in-creasing. The problem coming with is that large quantities of leftover materials unable to be re-cycled are produced during cutting and molding of mica plate productions. The leftover materials are always abandoned as crabs, which not only pollute the environment but also waste our resources. The study intends to find a new measure to decompose and to reuse the mica plate leftover materials so as to create a new production process of mica plate, which is clean and does not produce crabs.

Jan 1, 2014

By Andy Davis

The evolution of pit lake water quality depends on the lithology and hydrologic characteristics of the ultimate pit surface, the availability of buffering capacity in the wall rock vs. oxidizable sulfide content, the alkalinity of recharging groundwater and the evapoconcentrative characteristics of the system. This paper assesses the geochemistry of 11 existing pit lakes, ranging from the acid Red Hill and Berkeley pit lakes (pH 2.6 to 2.8) to the alkaline Yerington pit lake (pH 8.45). Predicted pit lake chemistry is similar to that in existing pits, with long-term chemistry lying on a geochemical continuum between end members that consist of influent calcium bicarbonate groundwater and naturally occurring sulfate-rich evaporate playa lakes.

Jan 1, 1997

By J. -P. Tshibangu, M. Ramos da Silva, F. Descamps, C. Schroeder, J. -C. Verbrugge

"The mechanical behaviour of rock materials is largely influenced by the stress state and pore pressure; this needs to be considered in many applications, such as petroleum engineering, tunnelling or stability of underground excavations.Conventional triaxial tests (d2 = d 3) are generally used to assess the influence of confining and pore pressure. In this work, those tests are performed on a porous rock named Sorcy limestone, along with more advanced stress paths like triaxial extension (d 2 = d 1) and purely deviatoric tests with independent pore pressure control. Those tests are combined to a true triaxial study on the dry rock in order to investigate the effect of true triaxial stresses and, hence, build three-dimensional limiting envelopes accounting for the influence of pore pressure.Three-dimensional limiting envelopes of dry Sorcy limestone are built in meridian and octahedral planes. The shape of the octahedral sections changes with the mean stress from triangular to hexagonal and then quasi circular. At even higher mean stresses, the evolution continues towards a triangle with apexes oriented in the direction of triaxial extension stress states. In meridian sections, the deviatoric stress first increases with the mean stress. The transition between this deviatoric mechanism and the cap surface occurs at different mean pressures depending on the Lode angle.Terzaghi’s effective stress is found to govern the yield and plastic behaviour of saturated Sorcy limestone. Triaxial tests show that the limiting envelope does not depend on the loading path (conventional compression and purely deviatoric stress paths). In triaxial extension, the brittle-ductile transition is observed for a higher mean pressure than in triaxial compression, as previously found for true triaxial tests on the dry rock.Finally, it is shown that upon appropriate normalisation, the dry and saturated yield envelopes come very close one to each other. This suggests that only the size of the yield envelope changes between dry and saturated state (pore pressure = 5 MPa); its shape does not seem to evolve."

Jan 1, 2015

By Lynn C. Fister

"Coal is rapidly becoming a major alternative to oil. According to the World Coal Study Final Report, total world coal trade could approach one billion tons annually by the year 2000. To facilitate the increased production and export market potential of the coal producing countries, advancements must be made to improve the transportation systems. Coal slurry pipeline systems could play a significant role in achieving these market forecasts.There are three major components to a coal slurry system the preparation plant, the pipeline and the dewatering plant. The experience and expertise gained from the Consolidation Coal Company system in Ohio, the Black Mesa system in Arizona and ETSI's Coal Evaluation Plant demonstrate that slurry pipeline technology is proven and available to meet the coal transport challenge.The costs of transporting coal by slurry pipeline can offer significant savings, as about 70 per cent of its costs are fixed. The reverse is true for railroads, where 75 to 80 per cent of the costs vary with inflation. All forms of transport-rail, barge and pipeline-will be required to move the massive volumes of coal. Coal slurry systems can provide a viable transport alternative.IntroductionThe importance of coal as a major alternative to oil is now well known and accepted throughout the world. Increasing oil prices over the last eight years have had a serious effect on national economics, particularly in those countries that are heavily dependent on oil. Coal can replace oil as the principal fuel source which could support world economic growth over the next two decades. This is the main conclusion of the World Coal Study (WOCOL) Final Report, published in May 1980.The product of that report was a result of considerable deliberation by key industry leader s and energy experts. The underlying message of the World Coal Study is that our energy and economic problems can be faced with confidence if coal use doubles by the early 1990s and triples by 2000, and if steam coal trade expand s considerably."

Jan 1, 1982

By C. R. Copeland

Water sprays are a common method used to reduce particulate matter (PM) emissions. Various factors such as wettability, surface area coverage, fine particle engulfment rates, interparticle adhesion forces, suppressant penetration and suppressant longevity have all been suggested as critical factors in achieving effective PM control. However, it has not been established which of these factors are the most important. Experimental work indicated that suppressant penetration is the most critical of these factors. The length of time after application that suppressants were effective was also improved by using hygroscopic reagents that retained moisture to prevent evaporation. Maximizing suppressant penetration and improving suppressant longevity led to an average 86% reduction in PM10 concentrations in laboratory dust tower tests.

Jan 1, 2008

By Giannini L. M

A method using dynamic programming for solving the optimum pit limit problem was presented in an earlier paper. A recent issue of this journal contained some contributed discussion on the implementation of this technique. In this paper we provide some additional ideas and possible options one can incorporate into the method. In particular, an efficient procedure for obtaining further optimum pit outlines on extensions of the original block model is described.

Jan 1, 1987

Gangue-cemented paste backfill (GCPB), is a well-established green mining technology and significantly improves the recovery rate of mineral resources, prevents mine dynamic disasters, reduces surface subsidence, and consumes a considerable amount of solid waste. The addition of an early strength agent as an additive in cement-based materials provides several security, technical, and economic advantages. In this study, the early strength agent on the early age (3, 7 and 28 days) strength of GCPB is evaluated experimentally. The GCPB specimens have an initial sodium sulfate early strength agent concentration of 0%, 1%, 2%, 3%, and 4%, and the obtained samples were analyzed by testing for uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The test results show that the UCS of the GCPB specimens with sodium sulfate is much higher than that of the blank specimens. When cured for 3 days and 7 days, the strength of GCPB with 2% sodium sulfate increased the most, by 131% and 116% respectively. When cured for 28 days, the strength of GCPB with 1% sodium sulfate increased by 135%. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results showed that the GCPB with 1% and 2% sodium sulfate had better internal structure compactness, thicker acicular crystals, and more flocs. As a kind of early strength agent, sodium sulfate can react with calcium hydroxide to generate calcium dihydrate sulfate and then react with calcium aluminate; the hydration product (C3A) quickly generates calcium sulfoaluminate hydrate (AFt) needle-shaped crystals, forming an early skeleton and improving the early strength.

Jan 7, 2020

By K. M. Goldman, Lo-Ching Chang

The kinetics and mechanism of transfer of a constituent across a slag-metal interface are fundamentally important because many metallurgical processes involve the existence of a slag phase and a metal phase. Industrial processes seldom proceed to equilibrium, and information of the rates and modes of reactions are therefore often of greater practical importance than equilibrium data. A study of the kinetics of sulphur transfer across a slag-metal interface under reducing conditions will contribute a great deal toward a better understanding of desulphurization in the blast furnace process. The general principles existing in the transfer of a constituent, such as sulphur, across a slag-metal interface can be extended to similar transfer phenomena in other metallurgical processes. The present paper will demonstrate how such studies will lead to fruitful results from both the practical and theoretical standpoints. EXPERIMENTAL METHOD The apparatus used was, simple. A graphite crucible 15/8-in. id, a wall 1/8-in. thick, and a depth of 4 in., was packed in an outer fused silica tube with powdered magnesia. The crucible assembly was rotated at a speed of 235 rpm inside an in- duction coil. A charge of 250 g of Armco ingot iron was introduced into the graphite crucible and melted by induction heating. The melt was held at a desired temperature for 3-5 "'in., aftcr which 7.5 g of granular ferrous sulphide was added and the bath was held for another 3-5 mi11. A metal sample was then taken by means of a fused silica tube and a rubber suction bulb. Immediately after the metal sample was taken, 30 g of a prefused and crushed slag were introduced. The slag reached the ternperature of the furnace in 1 to 1 1/2 min. Slag

Jan 1, 1949

By Herbert Clark Hoover, Lou Henry Hoover

As stated in the preface, the nomenclature to be adopted for weights and measures has presented great difficulty. Agricola uses, throughout, the Roman and the Romanized Greek scales, but in many cases he uses these terms merely as lingual equivalents for the .German quantities of his day. Moreover the classic language sometimes failed him, whereupon he coined new Latin terms adapted from the Roman scale, and thus added further confusion. We can, perhaps, make the matter dearer by an illustration of a case in weights. The Roman centumpondium, composed of zoo librae, the old German ceniner of 100 pfundt, and the English hundredweight of 1112 pounds can be called lingual equivalents. The first weighs about 494,600 Troy grains, the second 721,900, and the third 784,000. While the divisions of the centumpondium and the centner are the same, the Libra is divided into 12 unciae and the pfundt into 16 unizen, and in most places a summation of the units given proves that the author had in mind the Roman ratios. However, on p. 509 he makes the direct statement that the centumpondium weighs 146 librae, which would be about the correct weight if the centumpondium referred to was a ceniner. If we take an example such as " each centumpondium of lead contains one uncia of silver", and reduce it according to purely lingual equivalents, we should find that it runs 24.3 Troy ounces per short ton, on the basis of Roman values, and 18.25 ounces per short ton, on the basis of old German. If we were to translate these into English lingual equivalents of one ounce per hundredweight, then the value would be 17.9 ounces per short ton. [ ]

Jan 1, 1950

By J. R. Rau

While refuge chambers are common place in most underground mining projects, there are different philosophies as to what life support systems are to be considered and how these systems are to be applied. Case studies in the underground mining industry have examples of emergencies where the external compressed air and power supply to the refuge chamber were compromised due to proximity of services to the fire location. In 2005, The Department of Industry and Resources, Western Australia, drafted guidelines that listed specific requirements for refuge chambers which included a secondary life support system that would operate independently of external sources. The objective of this document is to examine what critical life support systems are essential for safe entrapment in the event of an emergency and to examine considerations for their application.

Aug 1, 2013

Classification within the Inferred Resource category is based on geological judgement and the balance of extrapolation versus interpolation that the Competent Person is prepared to accept. These resources are typically drilled at spacings well in excess of the geostatistical range and at a density that is non-uniform. In many cases, a substantial proportion of the available data will be historical, and should be considered with more recent data sources. The provision of a robust geological model will increase the confidence in any resource estimate, and should be viewed as a critical component. The definition of Inferred Resources is of great importance to vein gold projects, since Indicated and Measured Resources generally require costly underground development for delineation. Indeed, many gold vein operations possess substantial quantities of Inferred Resources (>75 per cent) in their resource inventory both at project start-up and during production. This contribution explores a number of the key issues when using the Inferred Resource category and presents four recent case studies.

Jan 1, 2006

By J Dwyer, M Hill

Downer’s mining division has made an operational and financial commitment to developing engineered solutions that mitigate the risks associated with operator proximity to uncontrolled development drill boom movements, and unguarded rotating drill steels.With the potential for serious injury or fatality, these identified risks are categorised as critical. Previous attempts by the industry to engineer them out have produced limited success, with numerous incidents still occurring year on year. Ultimately, the industry (as a whole) remains reliant on procedural prevention for operator safety.Downer understood the success of such an initiative would largely depend on the effective collaboration between operational experience, technology experts and automation. With so many variables requiring consideration; such as physical operator movement, machine boom movements, variable machine positions, and underground environmental impacts – challenging traditional technologies was necessary to deliver an optimal solution.For that reason, discrete detection (similar to laser curtains or beams) was considered not fit for purpose. The use of situational mapping, using rotating lasers, however, provided the optimal solution. The lasers collect data that is then processed using a custom software application.The software application is specifically programmed for tracking and classifying objects within detection zones, using advanced algorithms and filtering. Recognition and removal of non-positive disturbances are possible without losing personnel detection capability. The detection of relevant classified objects (humans) is determined by analysis of object size, age, movement, and speed etc. When the relevant object is detected, an alarm and inhibit function is applied preventing drilling functions.Any breach of the safety zone (forward of the front jacks) will automatically disable the hydraulic boom function. This can only be reset in the cabin once the person or persons have returned past the front jacks of the development drill into the safety zone.Downer, in collaboration with partner YUMARR Automation, has successfully developed this reliable boom isolation system, and is called JumboGuard. The system has now been commissioned and installed across all Downer Mining development drill fleets, operating in Australia.CITATION:Hill, M and Dwyer, J, 2017. JumboGuard – automatic boom isolation system, in Proceedings 13th AusIMM Underground Operators’ Conference 2017, pp 287–294 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Oct 16, 2017

By R. J. Tocher

Uniaxial testing was performed on coal specimens to determine the time-dependent response. The testing was carried out on coal from six mine sites throughout the Western United States and Pennsylvania. Testing configurations were varied to allow analysis of moisture dependency, stress level and specimen orientation. Several theories were presented for the behavior of coal due to moisture diffusion. Experimental results showed the correlation between the theories and the actual material response. Coal deformation was found to be highly dependent on the moisture level of the testing environment. Moisture migration causes drying and shrinkage which lead to progressive degradation of the material. The coal tested experienced a rebound if saturated after a period of drying. This type of time-dependent behavior overshadows the dependence on the applied stress level, which, however, still produces a noticeable creep behavior. Analysis of one series of creep test results was performed. A relationship was developed on the basis of a simplified rheological model to describe the coal response to uniaxial stress. Previous empirical formulations in the form of power laws were compared and their deficiencies pointed out.

Jan 1, 1980

By Benjamin W. Haynes

Cement kiln dust (CKD) produced in the contiguous United States and Hawaii was characterized as part of the Bureau of Mines' program in minerals environmental technology. The mineralogical and chemical composition was determined for 113 CKD samples from 102 plants that normally send CKD waste to landfill. Characterization included the determination of 28 elements, 7 anion species, carbon dioxide, noncarbonate carbon, and chemically bound water. Mercury was determined in 15 samples. Interelement correlation coefficients were determined for 23 elements, 5 anions, CO2, noncarbonate carbon, and chemically bound water. To assess the hazardous waste potential of CKD, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Extraction Procedure (EP) toxicity test was performed on all 113 CKD samples. All but one sample were in compliance with the test; the noncomplying sample slightly exceeded the EP toxicity test criterion for lead.

Jan 1, 1982

By Cameron Harris

With the consolidation of the copper industry in the second half of the 20th century resulting in fewer plants treating ever increasing quantities and qualities of feed, the enormous flexibility of the Noranda Process gives it significant advantages over many competing technologies for the production of matte. Toll smelting, recycling, and secondaries treatment will become the cornerstone of profitable operations for all but the lucky few who have large captive mines associated with the smelter. Consequently, the ability to respond to changing market conditions without significant metallurgical or operational upsets will be of considerable commercial advantage. The inherent stability of this bath-smelting process leads to tight matte grade control, while the bath turbulence leads to rapid consumption of feeds with widely varying physical characteristics. Low capital and operating costs combined with a layout suitable for retrofit into existing converter aisles makes it a sensible choice for parts of the world still experiencing the aforementioned consolidation, which is essentially complete in fully developed economies such as the United States of America and the European Union. This paper will discuss features of the Noranda process compared with other technologies and its place in the future global copper production industry, which is set to become increasingly competitive and aggressive.

Jan 1, 2002

By C. W. Washburne

FORMER studies of sedimentary strata have been based upon the mineralogical and mechanical characters of the solid components, rather than upon the open spaces between them. For present purposes let us take another point of view, and consider not the rock material, but rather its cavities, the pores and the fissures or cleaved joints which connect with them. Let us think of the geologic column not as a series of rocks, but as a mass of irregular connecting capillaries. Different parts of the column may be distinguished by the absolute size and by the relative amount of its open spaces. Porosity Each stratum of the column is characterized by a certain porosity, which would be independent of the size of the rock grains if all were of the same shape. Slichter has shown that the percentage of open space in a pile of equal spheres is practically constant regardless of the diameter of the spheres. This is approximately true of clean, assorted sand or gravel, but it is far from being the case with most natural sediments which have a widely variable porosity, the magnitude of which is determined mainly by the amount of fine and of secondary material between the larger grains. The shape of the grains materially affects porosity, round grains leaving more open space than angular or flat grains. The thin plates of kaolin and the fine plastic matter of clay fit quite perfectly when pressed together, and it is probably this close fit, determined by shape of grain, rather than the small size of a grain, that causes the low porosity of ordinary clay shale.

Jan 9, 1914

The introduction of gravimetric sampling of respirable dust in the mining industry ne- cessitated the standardisation of techniques. The paper reviews the legislation con- trolling respirable dust monitoring for risk assessment purposes, it discusses the actions taken to introduce gravimetric sampling in collieries and it summarises the proposed guidelines. In conclusion, some of the results of dust surveys conducted in accordance with the proposed strategy are discussed.

Jan 1, 1988

By Rashid Bashir

Shaft sinking through solid rock, which contains little or no water, poses little difficulty. However, when loose, water-bearing strata have to be contended with, water control measures, and pumping facilities are needed. Shaft sinking in Athabasca Basin requires sinking through water bearing sandstone which can be highly fractured. Intersection of local zones of extensive fracturing results in the potential for high water inflows with pressures up to 5 Mpa. Grouting is carried out ahead of each shaft sinking interval as water control strategy. In the grouting method, liquid cement is forced into the water-bearing earth under very high pressure. Shaft sinking performance which can be quantified in terms of rate of advance is highly dependent on the days spent at each interval grouting before sinking can advance to the next interval. This paper presents the shaft sinking experience in Athabasca basin and how some of this is translated into Geoscientific Investigations for Future Shafts. A comparison of Geoscientific data collected from future shafts at McArthur River and Millennium Mines is compared to historical data collected from pilot holes, where shafts have already been sunk. The paper concludes with the strategies for better integration of hydrogeological, geotechnical and geophysical data.

Aug 1, 2010

By L. H. McGuire, L. B. Berger

"During the period October 31 to November 4, 1944, tests were conducted by the Bureau of Mines in the Cascade Tunnel of the Great Northern Railway Cc. to determine the effects upon the tunnel atmosphere of the use of a Diesel freight locomotive through the tunnel. These tests were conducted at the request of the company to ascertain whether undesirable conditions might be caused by the discharge of Diesel engine exhaust gas in the tunnel, which was constructed for an electric haulage system and is not provided with equipment for mechanical ventilation. The use of Diesel locomotives on the division that includes the Cascade Tunnel was under consideration as a means of augmenting haulage facilities for the abnormal freight tonnage that must be handled during wartime.As the Bureau of Mines has received requests for information on the extent of contamination of the air of railroad tunnels by Diesel locomotives, this report was prepared to make available for general information the data obtained during the tests in the Cascade Tunnel. As the test locomotive is of a type used on other railroads, and as the bore and grade of the tunnel and the tonnages moved are comparable to such factors on other roads, the data should be sufficiently representative to be of general interest. The exceptional length of the Cascade Tunnel made it an excellent location for obtaining information on the composition of the tunnel air and on the movement of air induced in the tunnel by the passage of trains.The writers are indebted to C. O. Jenks, vice president of the Great Northern Railway Co., who arranged for the tests, and to the following personnel of the railroad who cooperated in the conduct of the tests: I. E. Clary, superintendent, Spokane Division, J. L. Robson, superintendent of motive power, oil and gas equipment, J. F. N. Gaynor, superintendent of electric operations, William Lowney, master mechanic, Spokane Division, and D. F. Marston and Verne Nelson, assistant superintendents of electric operations.The Cascade Tunnel is on the Spokane Division of the Great Northern Railway and pierces the Cascade Mountains some 49 miles west of Wenatchee, Wash. The west end of this division is electrified from Appleyard Station, 2 miles east of Wenatchee, to Skykomish, Wash., a distance of 73 miles. Until the described tests, only electric haulage had been employed through the tunnel since it was first opened to traffic in January 1929.The Cascade is the longest railroad tunnel in the United States - 7.79 miles. The tunnel is single-track, perfectly straight, concrete-lined, and is on an essentially uniform grade of 1.56 percent, ascending from west to east. The cross-sectional area of the tunnel is 314 square feet, the dimensions being shown in figure 1. Elevation of the east portal is 2,880 feet and of the west portal, 2,240 feet."

Jun 1, 1946

By Larry Howe

Second, or retreat mhng with Mobile Roof Supports (MRS) has now been part of coal mining in the United States for a decade Their utilization has evolved into mining applications which vary in seam heights from 38 inches to 170 inches, and overburden depths from outcrop to beyond 1200 feet This paper will detail the pillaring plans, lift sequences, and mnchky utilized in these operations and the rational for the plans A comparison of the current productivities achieved will be outlined

Jan 1, 1998