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By T. G. Joseph, G. W. Hansen

"This paper considers the duty cycle of an electric cable shovel and correlations with measured passive seismic responses of the underfoot oil sands material in-pit. It has been observed that the cyclic activity during operation of any shovel in the oil sands environment causes the material to deteriorate and provide a less than ideal footing for this large item of equipment, whose dead weight approaches 1500 tons with a footprint of merely 75 sq. yd. Consequences are manifested in the form of carbody and side frame cracks, and associated downtime, maintenance activity, cost, and subsequent loss of availability.The objective of these considerations, as part of the Oil sands-Equipment Interaction Program (OsEIP), currently a joint venture between Syncrude Canada Ltd., James Progithin International (JPi) Ltd., Caterpillar Inc., P&H MinePro and the University of Alberta, is to identify and provide feedback to the manufacturer and end user of adverse shovel-ground conditions. This would enable the manufacturer to incorporate greater knowledge into the design process and the end user to direct operations in an enhanced proactive maintenance stance."

Jan 1, 2002

Jan 1, 1920

Portable crushing at Duval Corporation's Sierrita open pit mine has proven both the economics and operability of large, hardrock, portable systems. In-house expertise was utilized to create a system incorporating both operational and maintenance features requested by operating personnel. The monitor/control system involves over 400 channels of information and is based on a DEC 1SI 11/2 microprocessor communicating with seven microprocessor-based data acquisition systems over a 4-wire, multidrop link. The year and one-half successful operation affirms the design philosophy and the hardware/software implementation.

Jan 1, 1985

By Alva L. Kuestermeyer

This paper presents the results of an economic analysis in the production opportunities of various co-product and minor metals in the base metals smelting 'industry. Pro forma cash flow statements were prepared for each co-product and/or minor metal analyzed utilizing US tax laws for items such as depreciation and taxes. The generated cash flows are based on anticipated revenues, estimated capital and operating costs (where applicable), and nominal production data for the respective co-products and minor metals. The economic analysis includes consideration of items such as metal payfors and bonus metals ,payments per current smelting terms. Sensitivity analysis to market prices is also ,addressed.

Jan 1, 1995

By Robert T. Beckman

Education of inspection and operating personnel is essential to protection from radiation hazards in the mining industry. For over 10 years, MSHA has presented the only formal course on radiation measurements and control available to the mining community. Course objectives and content are described in this paper.

Jan 1, 1981

By T. A. Lazier, C. S. Longley

"Paymaster Consolidated Mines, Limited, owns several groups of claims in various parts of the Porcupine district. The area in which mining has been carried on includes parts of lots 5, 6, and 7, con. 1, Tisdale township, and twelve adjoining claims in Deloro township to the south. Highway No. 67A between South Porcupine and Timmins crosses the property.The discovery of the Dome mine in 1909 caused a rush of prospectors to the district and in a few weeks practically all territory adjacent to the Dome was staked. At that time work was started on the West Dome, West Dome Lake, Apex, and Standard properties. These were consolidated in 1930 to form the present Company. Gold was produced from the West Dome Lake from 1915 to 1930, and from the Standard-Paymaster from 1922 to 1928. The total production of the previous and present companies from 1915 to November 30, 1946, has been 487,170 oz. gold and 149,342 oz. silver from 2,337,554 tons of ore."

Jan 1, 1954

By Milnor Roberts

The Nicola Valley coal-field is small, but it seems likely to become important because of its commanding position in a rich region that is developing rapidly. Bituminous coking-coal in workable quantity has not been found at any other point between the Crow's Nest Pass region, about 400 miles to the east, and Vancouver island, 250 miles westward. The Canadian Pacific railway reached the Nicola valley two years ago ; two other lines, the Canadian Northern and the Great Northern, are building towards the valley. The vast region between the Rocky mountains and the Pacific coast, extending northward for several hundred miles from the international boundary, which has been the scene of extensive mining- and smelting-operations for many years, is filling up with settlers, who are attracted by the wealth of minerals and timber, the rich soil of the valleys, and the fine climate. The Nicola river, flowing westward through the valley of that name in the Yale district, discharges into the Thompson river, which is the eastern branch of the Fraser. The transcontinental line of the Canadian Pacific railway crosses the mouth of the Nicola river at Spence's bridge, 178 miles from Vancouver. From Spence's bridge the Nicola branch line ascends the valley for 40 miles to Merritt, the coal-center, and continues 7 miles farther to the town of Nicola. Thus the haul from the mines at an elevatioiz of 2,000 ft. to salt water is 218 miles down river-grades. The Nicola branch will be continued about 150 miles farther eastward to Penticton, where it will connect with an extension of the line through the rich Kootenay and Boundary districts. The Canadian government has granted a subsidy of $6,000 per mile, to which the provincial government is planning to add $5,000 per mile, to assist in the construction of the Nicola extension. Upon the

Jan 1, 1910

By E. Morrice

Solubility of yttrium oxide (Y203) in fluoride melts was experimentally measured in the temperature range of 998 to 1273 K and, YF3 composition in LiF.YF3 melts varying from 20 to 50 mole pct using a graphite crucible in an argon atmosphere. Solubility of oxide in the melt was found to increase with increasing temperature and YF3 composition in the melt. An expression for in XY2O3 as a function of temperature for several melts was deduced. The calculated activity coefficients of Y2O3 in the melts exhibited a negative deviation from Raoult's law.

Jan 1, 1989

The Northern Mariana archipelago in the W.Pacific forms a classic intra-oceanic island arc system far from the influences of continental crust. As such it offers an ideal location in which to study many of the problems of subduction-related volcanism. Radiogenic (Sr, Pb, Nd and Hf) and stable (0, S and H) isotope systems have been applied to the question of the possible involvement of components from the subducting slab in arc magmagenesis. The results contrast with earlier studies based upon limited sample suites and suggest that fluids, derived from the slab and enriched in mobile elements, substantially modify the composition of the mantle wedge and contribute to the characteristic geochemistry of arc magmas. Trace element data, including the occurrence of negative Ce-anomalies in the lavas seem consistent with this conclusion. Major and trace element variations within the arc lavas can be modelled in terms of crystal fractionation of a gabbroic mineral assemblage and mixing calculations indicate that this has the approximate composition of PLAG:CPX:MAG:OLIV = 60:25:10:5. This observation is compatible with the widespread occurrence of gabbroic nodules in lavas throughout the arc. Consideration of Rare Earth Element and phenocryst data leads to the conclusion that many of the more basic lavas may be the products of cumulus enrichment. The results of this study constitute a model for magmatic processes occurring in simple island arc systems, and may be generally applicable to other, more complex settings. The recognition of a return flux of material with 'continental' affinity to the mantle, via sediments on the subducting slab, also places strong constraints on geochemical models of crust-mantle evolution.

Jan 1, 1987

By Maya Kamenetsky, Khoi Nguyen, Natalee Bonnici, Steve Walters, Claire McMahon, Julie Hunt, Ron Berry

"The analysis of meso- and micro-scale textural attributes has been undertaken on ore samples from the Ernest Henry iron oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) deposit in NW QLD. Quantified textural data including grain size, shape and mineral association have been extracted from classified images of core with the aim to better predict potential mineral processing behaviours such as comminution, liberation and flotation. Data have been extracted from images of intact core at meso- and micro-scales using high resolution continuous images collected using automated core-logger technology, SEM-based and optical microscopy platforms.The results of this study will show examples of quantified size, shape and mineral association data from meso- and micro-scale classified images. Analysis of the data shows that there are domains of variable grain size and mineral association that can potentially be related to crushing and liberation behaviour. The trends that are observed at the drill-core (meso-) scale are consistent with those at the micro-scale. The results from the micro-scale analysis show that the domains defined at the core-scale have clearly different chalcopyrite sizes and shapes as well as variable bulk mineralogy.INTRODUCTIONInnovations in technology have allowed automated extraction of information about mineral shape, grain size and mineral association, i.e., texture, from meso- and micro-scale images of intact rocks. The overall aim of this research is to investigate trends in quantified textural data that can potentially give an early view of processing parameters such as predicted grind size and liberation behaviour."

Jan 1, 2009

By Drew A. Meyer

Magnetic metals are the granddaddy of products which may be recovered from municipal waste. Aside from hand-picking of newsprint and corrugated boxes, magnetic metals are usually the first items a resource recovery facility considers extracting from the solid waste stream. Magnetic metals from incinerator residues and from municipally mandated source segregation programs were first used in significant quantities by the Copper Industry. The ability of the Copper Industry to consume metals from the municipal solid waste stream raised everyone's hopes that there would be more markets for municipal scrap when more of it became available. Somehow something has gone wrong. It is widely acclaimed that scrap is an environmentally sound and economical source of iron. It is greatly in demand for Its contained energy. The prices that the steel industry has been willing to pay for the scrap during the past year are all the proof anyone should need that scrap Is desirable and sought after. But the very fact that I'm speaking today on the markets for magnetic metals recovered from municipal waste indicates that something Is wrong. Clearly the problem is not that we do not need the scrap. The problem is we have not produced the kind of scrap that consumers are willing to buy - either through ignorance of what the consumers wanted or through a conviction that ferrous scrap is so obviously a good thing somebody will surely want it no matter what. Dr. Harvey Alter of the National Center for Resource Recovery has said "You can't sell garbage". In a sense that is only partly true. It really should be "You can't sell garbage for very long". The Steel Companies, in an effort to prove that steel is an environmentally desirable packaging medium, have bought some scrap that can only be described as garbage. They are to be commended for doing so. The fault lies not with the Steel Company for taking and paying for "garbage" but with the producer of that poorly prepared scrap. Far every instance where the steel industry has purchased the often undesirable product from resource recovery facility there are several magnetic installations sitting Idle because someone forgot the most essential part of producing the magnetic product - selling it to someone.

Jan 1, 1975

By C. F. Tolman

In February 1913, Prof. L. C. Graton and Dr. Joseph Murdochl presented to the American Institute of Mining Engineers a notable contribution to economic geology under the title The Sulphide Ores of Copper. The value of the work was recognized by mine operators, and Mr. Graton was assisted in his plan to extend his investigations, by the organization of a commission to undertake a "secondary enrichment investigation." In this work he secured the cooperation of the Geophysical Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution of Washington. The report2 on the chemical phascs of the investigation has just been published. Incidental to investigations3 carried on in our laboratory of Economic

Jan 1, 1916

By Lawrence A. Garfield

From the bottom of a shallow fissure the near-naked man-animal hacked out a hand-sized chunk of the red rock-like material which, when beaten between other rocks, could be drawn out to the thinness of a flint edge. Unlike flint, however, it did not shatter when, as the point for a spear or arrow, it went wide of its mark and fell amongst the rocks or tree branches. For this reason and others, the red rock- like material was specially sought and much time was spent in trying to break it from the real-rock in which it grew. Only infrequently was a chunk broken free and in this area many hours had been spent to win but a few fragments. What luck then, to remove so large a piece where before nothing but real-rock dust formed whenever the stone hammer hit. Why did this happen? Did yesterday's food-fire, burning on top the red rock, loosen its hold on the real-rock and cause it to break free when struck with the stone hammer? It is not a matter of recorded history that the first heat assisted extraction of native copper from country rock occurred under the circumstances or in the manner related but it is known that crude mining operations using these techniques were conducted by primitive man. In this way the first mineral production may have been achieved and the original example of rapid excavation unknowingly given to the world. Rapid excavation is not a method of removing rock or ore from an insitu condition nor does the term refer to a type of equipment which is specifically employed in mining and underground construction. It is, rather, the nomenclature currently popular in industry-primarily in underground construction- relating to a comparative rate of performance.

Jan 1, 1971

By R. L. Skaggs, R. A. Molsberger

DARKEN1 has pointed out that in most binary liquid metal systems the thermodynamic behavior is relatively simple in the terminal regions. Between the terminal regions. the thermodynamic behavior is more complex. To describe this behavior. he has defined the stability and the excess stability as shown: Qualitatively, an inflection in the free energy of mixing curve results in a change in sign, from positive to negative, of the stability function and is associated with a phase separation. Conversely, a large, positive stability over a narrow composition range is indicative of compound formation. Darken has shown a number of binary systems where the excess stability is constant in the terminal regions and varies sharply in between. The work described in this communication was undertaken to study the variation of stability and excess stability in a binary system as a function of temperature. In addition, this work provides means for the direct comparison of previously existing equilibrium (activity) and calorimetric (molar heat of mixing) data on the Hg-Sn system. Hildebrand2 measured the vapor pressure of mercury over Hg-Sn alloys at 595°K. Calorimetric studies were made by Kawakami3 at 523°K and by Kleppa4 at 423°K. In this work, the equilibrium vapor pressure of mercury was measured over a series of Hg-Sn alloys at 453" and 503°K by use of fused salt manometer with one arm exposed to mercury vapor. Deflections of the fused salt manometer were balanced by argon pressure on the other arm. Argon pressure was subsequently measured with a dibutyl phthalate manometer. Tin activities were determined by graphical integration of the Gibbs-Duhem equation making use of the familiar Darken5 a function. The activities of mercury and tin showed positive deviation from Raoult's law at 453 and 503°K as Hildebrand observed at 595 K. In Fig. 1 are plotted log activity of mercury and tin vs reciprocal temperature. The plot contains activities obtained from calorimetric studies. Hult-gren6 has calculated activities from Kleppa's4 data, and Kubaschewski7 has similarly treated Kawakami's7 data. Presumably. in each case a regular solution was assumed. For regions where a two-phase field

Jan 1, 1970

Investigation on Sheelite Floatability by Particle Size Fraction

Sep 13, 2010

By T. W. Lippert

CUBA fancies herself the "pearl of the Antilles" and, by many, Jamaica is called "blessed." But far to the southward lies what is seemingly the Caribbean's most glittering jewel, the sparsely-settled, Spanish-speaking United States of Venezuela, indeed blessed by nature to a lavish degree. Not a large country, Venezuela is leaping from the donkey to the airplane under the impact of its natural wonders. Angel Falls, dwarfing Niagara and seldom seen by man, is hidden in the cold, primitive and unexplored Guiana highlands along the southeast border. A few hundred miles northwest are the low and torrid coastal plains from which gush unlimited black-gold streams of oil. About midway are the Llanos-low-lying, savanna-type grasslands, beneath which large deposits of bauxite are as yet barely touched by the explorer's diamond drill. And jutting starkly upward 2000 ft from a surrounding expanse of savanna is a small mountain (see front cover), 11 miles long and 1 mile wide. It is, or was, La Parida.

Jan 2, 1950

By Cosmin Carpinisan, Erich J. Hofmann, Stephen J. Hall

"Since presenting a technical paper regarding their unique capabilities in Forged Steel Mill Gearing at the SAG-2006 Conference, Australian heavy engineering company Hofmann Engineering has pioneered a number of new manufacturing processes and design concepts for components of large comminution equipment. These include: 1. Novel design improvements for HPGR Rolls with forged steel tyres and a unique patented tungsten carbide insert designed to improve wear life, enhance autogenous layer build-up, and to reduce breakage & chipping under load. 2. Development of forged fabricated Mill Heads using rolled & welded high-tensile steel plate as alternatives to cast conical mill heads. 3. Insitu Girth Gear measurements for profile and wear via portable 6-axis CMM. 4. Gear and Pinion designs to AGMA-6114 for SAG mills of 38’-40’ diameter to 24MW and for Ball Mills of 26’ diameter to 18MW. The paper presents case studies from the Australian heavy manufacturing facilities of Hofmann Engineering, combined with news of their new gear manufacturing and gearbox overhaul facility in Canada."

Jan 1, 2012

By Germán Mallén

Como parte de los estudios línea base realizados por MWH Perú S.A. para el proyecto aurífero Chucapaca de las Canteras del Hallazgo en el distrito de Ichuña de la región Moquegua, Perú, se investigó el origen de boro, alta salinidad y otros componentes que perjudican la aptitud de los ríos Ichuña y Tambo para irrigación y otros usos. En este sentido, se encontró que la calidad de agua es perjudicada principalmente por altas concentraciones de sodio, entre otros, precipitándose como hidróxidos de estos metales debido al pH neutro en el río. En ese sentido, el presente texto describe la relación de este impacto químico con los manantiales entre el Cerro Chucapaca y el cañón del Río Ichuña/ Alto Tambo, ubicados al Norte de Moquegua, donde presentan la característica distribución de diferentes tipos de aguas volcanogénicas sobre un sistema de convección hidrotermal de agua meteórica profunda reciclada, calentada y movida por una cámara magmática andesítica que aporta calor y gases.

Sep 21, 2013

By B. J. du Plessis

Automation of the conventional grinding circuits of Palabora Mining Company (PMC) required that adequate instrumentation and a control system had to be put in place, after which extensive testing had to be done to evaluate different grinding control strategies. The objective was either to optimize the particle size from the grinding circuit, or to increase milling circuit throughput while maintaining particle size at existing levels. Prior to automation of the process as described below the circuits were controlled manually. No on-line information on cyclone feed densities, cyclone feed flow or cyclone overflow particle size was available. This type of control relied heavily on interpretation of the process parameters by the operator and on his ability to make informed decisions on what the set points should be. An integral component of the automation process was the installation of a SCADA package (SysCad SDX) for implementing the on-line control strategy. A self-correcting model for prediction of cyclone particle size was developed and implemented on the SDX. The model is calibrated using values from the particle size analysers while they are operational. If the particle size analysers choke or fail for any reason, the model continues to provide a good estimate of the particle size. This technique ensures that a continuous particle size indication is available compared to the intermittent reading from the instrument. The continuous signal allows particle size to be used as a process variable for control purposes. A strategy was developed and implemented which allows for the production of a controlled grind size from the conventional milling circuit to the flotation circuit. The grinding control strategy allows for the control of particle size from the individual cyclone overflows. This strategy allows the operator of the process to increase or decrease production rate by specifying a coarser or finer grind size required for flotation.

Jan 1, 2001

By R. M. Jacobs

Can your company afford to issue a check today for $100,000, $500,000, $2,000,000, or $22,000,000? This is what it might cost your company if it is on the losing end of a product liability suit. During the past 10 to 15 years, the number of product liability actions has grown from a handful per year level to a hundreds of thousands per year level. Settlements and awards in the tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars are not unusual in these days. The largest award that the authors haw heard about is a case involving a private airplane and the death of four men, which was awarded over $22,000,000. In the materials handling field, a fork lift truck, ordered with an overhead guard, was delivered without a guard because one was not available at the time. An accident with serious personal injury followed. Wouldn't it have been better to have waited until the guard was available before delivering the unit? Answer: a quarter of a million dollars better -- the cost of the settlement. Hoisting devices are also not without their liability precedents. In a 1960 case, an employee was injured when a load abruptly fell from a hoist. It was determined that the operator could not possibly have caused such a fall had the hoist been functioning properly. The case was compounded when the manufacturer of the hoist contended that the load had been improperly connected to the device, since the same hoist was used to remove the weight from the injured man without another malfunction.

Jan 1, 1973