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By Elham Najafi, Sina Ghassa, Ata Akcil, Hadi Abdollahi, Sandeep Panda, Zohreh Boroumand

The present study investigates the influence of ferrous iron (as FeSO4) and ferric iron (as Fe2 (SO4)3), and pyrite (FeS2) on the ability of bacterial leaching of a high-grade sulfide Zn–Pb ore. In this regard, shake flask experiments were carried out at 5% (w/v) pulp density of the ore sample (having 40.7% Zn and 12.4% Pb initial metal content) using a consortium of mesophilic iron and sulfur-oxidizing acidophiles. A concentration of 0.04 mol/L of ferric iron in the leaching media was found to be optimum for zinc extraction without affecting growth of the microorganisms. Under this concentration, the dissolution of Zn, Pb, Cd, and As was found to be 57%, 0.2%, 0.03%, and 9.9% in 25 days. Using ferrous iron in the media, 0.16 mol/L of Fe2+ was found to be the optimum concentration for efficient bacterial growth and metal dissolution (54.6% Zn, 0.08% Pb, 0.03% Cd, and 10.2% As) from the sample in 25 days. On the other hand, using pyrite as the source of energy for bacterial growth, an initial 12-day lag period was observed when compared to the effect of ferrous iron in the media. Under the optimum concentration (test with 0.24 mol/L iron in the form of pyrite), the dissolution of Zn, Pb, Cd, and As was found to be 39.8%, 0.1%, 0.03%, and 10% in 25 days. The surface chemistry analysis indicated formation of a sulfur layer over the particle surface that hindered reagent diffusion and affected metal recovery through bioleaching.

By D Davis

The prediction of ground-borne noise levels from tunnel construction activities requires knowledge of the input vibration forces from the vibration source(s) into the cutting face, knowledge of the vibration transmissibility through the surrounding medium, and knowledge of the receiver building’s vibro-acoustic response. The conversion of this vibration energy into sound pressure within the receiver building depends upon the vibration coupling of the soil and the building’s foundations, the structure’s response including floor-to-floor attenuation and amplifi cation due to resonance, the radiation effi ciencies of the internal structural elements, and the room’s acoustical properties. Beginning with a known input vibration spectrum at the cutting face, it is possible to predict the resultant ground-borne noise levels within a receiver building using either analytical and/or empirical techniques, or by numerical modelling. This paper presents an overview of the various methods available to estimate ground-borne noise levels from tunnel construction activities and discusses the advantages and limitations of each.

Mar 8, 2011

By Forrester P. I, Richardson W

Methane in coal mines is an ever present hazard resulting in loss of lives and serious economic consequences. For effective control of methane, ventilation alone may not be totally adequate in some situations. In order to deal with such cases, new methods for the control of methane are being researched. One such method based on biotechnology has been investigated in Canada in the past several years. This method involves bringing methane oxidizing micro- organisms into contact with coal to oxidize the methane released to non-flammable products.

Jan 1, 1988

Convential smelting of copper - cobalt - iron sulphide concentrates result in th eoxidation of cobalt and iron, which are subsequently lost into the slag. The emission of SO2 bearing gas from smelting causes serious health and environmentsl problems. In this investigation, three different types of copper - cobalt - iron sulphide concentrates, derived from froth flotation, were investigated, the concentrates, each containing more than 40 wt % percent gangue material, were directly reduced in the presence of lime and corbonin the temperature rnage of 1073 K - 1573 K, fo rthe production of an alloy containing copper, cobalt and iron. We demonstrate the basic principles of process physical chemistry for the recovery of alloy by carrying out a detailed process analysis utilising the predictions from thermodynamic equilibrium and results from the kinetics of reduction reaction. The effect of temperature on the reduction kinetics and alloy formation were determinedand analyzed in detail.

Jan 1, 2012

By A Smith

Rock masses usually exhibit scale dependent mechanical properties primarily due to presence of discontinuities and their inhomogeneous nature. One of the essential preconditions for selection of appropriate strength and deformation parameters of a rock mass in relation to tunnel design is assessment of the scale of the joint network relative to the scale of excavation. In tunnel design practice, scale effects are estimated indirectly using small-scale unconfined compressive strength (UCS) tests and rock mass classification based empirical correlations. Large-scale UCS tests have the benefit of direct assessment of anisotropic and scale dependent properties of a rock mass.This paper presents results of a large-scale UCS test on a jointed siltstone. A 450 mm diameter sample with inclined bedding planes was cored and tested in uniaxial compression until failure with load and displacement measurements. The aim of the test is to determine strength and deformation parameters and correlate them with results of small-scale UCS tests of the same sample. The relationships between the small-scale and large-scale rock mass parameters were validated against published correlations from the literature.

Mar 8, 2011

By G Turner-Saad

An improvement to cut-off grade optimisation theory based on geometallurgy has been completed. The improvement fundamentally consisted of taking into account mineralogical and textural characteristics instead of grades. These characteristics are related to the spatial variability of mineral abundance, association, particle size and liberation properties. Additionally, the improve- ment considered the spatial variability of mineral processing liberation and selectivity properties associated with mineralogy and texture. The enhanced optimisation enables estimation of the economic value of mining operations based on an optimum cut-off policy attributed to liberated and selected ore minerals.The enhanced optimisation was developed as an essential component of a joint cut-and-fill mining and mineral processing methodology based on mixed integer mathematical programming. The formulation considers static and dynamic modifying factors that vary over the projected life of mining. The objective function of the mathematical formulation consists of maximising the realistic expected economic value of concentrates or products of liberated and selected ore minerals, whilst minimises liberated and selected gangue minerals. The optimal solution is obtained when the objective function is subject to geological, mining, processing, marketing, smelting, refining, environmental and financial constraints. The methodology accesses geometallurgical multivariate resource models, which integrate the spatial variability of mineralogical and textural characteristics and mineral processing liberation and selectivity properties.The geometallurgical process concurrently optimises stope geometries, ore reserves, mining sequences, and mining and mineral processing production based on the enhanced cut-off of liberated and selected ore minerals. In addition, the process considers additive and non-additive transfer functions associated to mutually exclusive geometallurgical spatial domains. The transfer functions also take into consideration the blending of mineralogical and textural characteristics with mineral processing liberation and selectivity properties.This contribution presents an example of cut-off grade optimisation via mineralogical and textural characteristic, and liberation and selectivity processing parameter optimisation for a spatially variable orebody.

Sep 5, 2011

By M Danišík

Two drill core samples of haematite/goethite from the Robe River (Western Australia) channel iron ore deposits (CID) were dated using (U-Th)/He methods in order to constrain the timing of iron oxide formation and thereby provide a temporal context for CID genesis. (U-Th)/He ages (He ages) from these samples range from the late Oligocene to Late Miocene and despite a high degree of scatter, they corroborate relationships expected from the internal ooidal stratigraphy: For individual ooids, the ages from haematitic core are older than or indistinguishable from the ages of the surrounding goethitic cortex. The goethitic cortices are, in turn, older than the ferruginised wood fragments recovered from the cementing goethitic matrix.The data suggest the following succession of ore formation phases:• Haematitic cores in ooids of both samples formed in the Early to Middle Miocene.• Goethitic cortices of both samples formed in the late Middle to early Late Miocene. This appears to be the age of goethite cortex formation regardless of depth in the core, which does not support the top-down infill model, genetic model proposed by Heim et al (2006).• Wood fragments form a prominent component of the matrix and were ferruginised during the Late Miocene. Thus the data suggest that the unique environmental conditions for the CID formation existed during the Miocene.A methodological implication of this study is that the temperature utilised for He-extraction from iron oxides has a critical impact on the mobility of parent nuclides. The typical ~1100°C laser heating used for crystalline minerals like apatite or zircon induces loss of U and Th and results in erroneously old ages.

Jul 11, 2011

By L Nienaber

Mines, after becoming operational, often retain the same support and reinforcement designs developed in the feasibility study. These designs are conceived from limited drilling data and regional experience, thus having an empirical flavour. Empirical designs are perceived to be conservative, catering for a variety of failure mechanisms, which are not always present in mine development drives.This begs the question: If you were to invest in the necessary resources to obtain sufficient data and complete the required analyses for the different development drives in the mine, to engineer a support and reinforcement scheme with the capacity to match the demand of the rock mass, what is the difference in cost when comparing an empirical design to an engineered design?To answer this question, mine tunnels with different geometries and orientations, where detailed structural data was available, were selected for a comparative design exercise. Material cost, development cost, cycle time and professional fees for engineered and empirical designs were estimated. The outcome is summarised in the following paper that discusses the process followed and the results of the design comparison.

Mar 8, 2011

By E McLean

The decision making check-list and hierarchy of information for process and plant design is generally wide-ranging and complex. The nature of grades, mineralisation and ore types in an ore body, its mine development sequence, and the body of results from metallurgical and physical test work present complex and competing influences on flowsheet development, values for design, equipment selection, plant efficiencies and operating strategy. The challenge is how to manage all these variables, to understand their impacts on performance, and how best to provide a cost-effective plant design and robust process that meets daily/weekly/monthly operating objectives. Throughput, production and grade or product specifications need to be met. The ore body is not average; its range of metallurgical and physical characteristics may be moderately to highly variable. This paper assesses some of the key competing influences and conflicting issues in design and equipment selection, and their effect on production and performance expectations.

Aug 8, 2011

By P Kittler

In the spectrum of mining-related disciplines, geometallurgy sits between resource geology and metallurgical engineering. Unlike its neighbours, it is a relatively young discipline and its concepts, procedures and techniques are still evolving. Relevant geometallurgical issues differ from one deposit to the next so there is no single template that can be used in all situations, meaning that geometallurgy programs are nearly always customised and tailored to the deposit and the situation.Over time, a number of key mistakes are seen to emerge regularly. The eventual impact of these mistakes can vary from suboptimal performance of mine and plant to complete failure of the operation. For instance, poor characterisation of ore lithologies and their spatial distribution can have negative impacts on processing plant throughput. However, when combined with failure to identify critical blending constraints it can result in a totally inoperable plant.A number of common mistakes committed during geometallurgical programs are discussed and some preferred alternative approaches are suggested

Sep 5, 2011

By K Schonert, K Eichas

Electrostatic separation of non-conductive materials can be accomplished by triboelectric charging. The efficiency of convential separators becomes worse in the size range below about 100 ¦m. These problems are solved by developing a new double-drum-separator. The investigations have shown the possibility of separating very fine mineral mixtures (eg quartz/calcite) in a strong electric field after tribo-charging in a special dust-feeder. The paper reports about the influence of particle size and field intensity on the separation and deals furthermore with the problem of desagglomeration.

Jan 1, 1993

By Dennis Travagini Cremonese

In the early stage of front end studies of an Iron Ore Project, the sizing of surge capacities and stockpiles are normally assumed based on the experience of the study team. Understanding and sizing of these capacities at the early stages of the project are important for future stages of the project as drastic changes in sizes will impact the economics of the project at that stage. An innovative user configurable high level dynamic modeling tool has been developed to assist in speedy evaluation of assumptions made by the study team. This model incorporates systems or facilities that are commonly used iron ore project from mine to port. This model includes subsystems that will simulate all the logistical components, major process plant systems required for an Iron ore project. The output data provided by this high level dynamic simulation tool will enhance the confidence level of engineering carried out during the early stage of the project. This paper discusses the innovative tool capabilities and a test case comparing various techniques used in iron ore project front end studies.

Aug 1, 2018

By Cristian Deiner Dutra

O desgaste dos metais afetam diretamente os componentes de um eixo de transmissão cardan. Este estudo analisou o desgaste apresentado pelo eixo cardan em contato com a luva interna e externa, até o momento da fratura. A análise da região fraturada se deu por imagens metalográfica geradas pelo Microscópio Eletrônico de Varredura (MEV); e a análise química pelo sistema Espectrometria de Energia Dispersiva de Raios-X (EDS), contida também no MEV. Observou-se pela micrografia, uma fratura caracterizada pelo desgaste, agravada pelo esforço em fadiga. A análise química detectou ausência de importantes elementos químicos em aços com aplicações em desgaste.

Oct 30, 2017

By Claudio Cesar da Costar

O Alto Forno 1 da ArcelorMittal Tubarão, operou entre 30 de novembro de 1983 e 18 de abril de 2012, produzindo 93.915 Mt. Durante esta campanha, inúmeras melhorias foram implementadas para aumentar sua longevidade mantendo o volume e custo de produção. O Alto Forno 1 da AMT é reconhecido como recordista tanto em volume de produção quanto em tempo de operação para uma única campanha. Durante sua reforma, foram empregadas as técnicas de reforma em grandes blocos, as quais foram trocados todo o cadinho, corpo e topo do Alto Forno, trazendo recursos tecnológicos possibilitando obter melhores resultados durante a segunda campanha. Após a reforma, o Alto Forno 1 continua apresentando bons resultados em termos de produtividade, consumo de combustíveis e índices de trabalho, colocando-o entre um dos Altos Fornos com melhores resultados do grupo ArcelorMittal.

Aug 16, 2017

By Rodolfo Arnaldo Montecinos de Almeida

As escórias de forno elétrico a arco (FEA) têm diversas funções, entre elas a melhoria da eficiência energética através do fenômeno da espumação. Por isso o estudo das escórias é de suma importância nos FEA’s. Um dos fatores que determina a qualidade da espumação e a sua eficácia é presença de partículas sólidas na escória. A saturação de MgO é extremamente importante, pois além de garantir partículas sólidas garante também a compatibilidade química para minimizar o consumo do refratário. Neste trabalho, foi feito o estudo da saturação de MgO para escórias no sistema CaO-SiO2-FeO-MgO-Al2O3, onde avaliou-se a influência que a basicidade binária, os teores de FeO e do Al2O3 tem sobre o mesmo. Foram feitos diagramas ternários, onde viu-se as diferenças que os teores de Al2O3 tem sobre os campos líquidos e as demais fases presentes. Foram feitos os diagramas de saturação isotérmicos (ISD’s) encontrando os mesmos pontos de dupla saturação quando comparados com os diagramas ternários. Fez-se uma validação dos ISD comparando a posição de diferentes corridas com a energia elétrica consumida. Quanto mais próxima a corrida está da linha de saturação menor será seu consumo energético.

Aug 16, 2017

By Claudio Pereira Diogo

Bobinas de aço laminadas a frio galvanizadas com recobrimento do cromo foram empregadas para a produção de telhas e calhas d’água. Entretanto, o fabricante destes produtos teve problemas com as superfícies obtidas, que mostraram sinais de marcas de deformação/estiramento. O problema é que, na aplicação desejada, uma aparência superficial que não seja brilhante e lisa é muito indesejável. Este trabalho foi feito a fim de descrever as condições que levaram o material para se comportar como visto pelo usuário (fabricante de telhados e calhas de chuva) com base em sua aparência e comportamento mecânico. Foram empregadas observações em microscópio estéreo e curvas tensão-deformação, obtidas a partir de ensaios de tração. Com base nos resultados, são apresentadas algumas opções para minimizar a ocorrência de marcas citadas durante a utilização do que as bobinas.

Aug 16, 2017

By Franciele de Almeida Silva

A escória utilizada no refino secundário deve possuir propriedades adequadas para que auxilie no controle inclusionário dos aços. Tendo isto em vista, há vários parâmetros que devem ser levados em conta para se obter uma escória ótima que irá auxiliar na limpeza dos aços. Como uma técnica de medição, o valor de oxigênio total no banho está diretamente relacionado com o número de inclusões óxidas presentes no aço líquido. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo geral o acompanhamento da limpeza inclusionária por meio dos teores de oxigênio total presentes nos aços, para variáveis selecionadas de escória e de processo. A partir das análises químicas de amostras de um aço alto carbono acalmado ao alumínio, foram gerados gráficos com os valores de oxigênio total em função dos parâmetros %CaO/%Al2O3, %FeO+%MnO, basicidade binária, tempo de flotação na torre do lingotamento contínuo e pick-up de nitrogênio; seguido da análise dos resultados obtidos e sua comparação com os dados da literatura. Pode-se então concluir que, para as análises anteriormente citadas, o aço apresentou resultados coerentes com a literatura para todas as análises.

Aug 8, 2018

By Luiz Alberto dos Santos

. In this work, samples of the alloy with composition of 50.9 % at. Ni were machined and were subjected to hot tensile test, after the machining all the samples were solubilized so that all were in the same condition during the hot tensile test. The hot tensile tests were performed between the temperatures 350-650°C and the yield stress were between 800 and 597.1 MPa and area reduction between 17 and 75% with respect to the initial area. The test at 350°C shows a fragile fracture characteristic while the hot tensile test above this temperature showed a predominantly ductile fracture. The fragile fracture is evidenced by the river marks that are characteristic of this type of fracture, because in this condition does not promote much plastic deformation. The higher temperatures present ductile fracture, because present the dimples that also characterize this type of fracture. This work shows the temperature relationship in the mechanical properties, more specifically the hot tensile test, in the NiTi alloy.

Oct 30, 2017

By Washington Martins da Silva Júnior

In stamping process, sliding between metal sheet and forming tool leads to wear of tool surface. Maintenance of stamping tools involves polishing the tool edge, or, in case of severe damage, replacement of the tool. Hard coatings have been applied on the stamping tool surfaces in order to reduce the maintenance cost causing a great economic impact in metal work industry. In this work, CrAlSiN coatings were applied by PVD onto SRV2W tool steel. The coating toughness was avaliated by the critical load in scratch tests. The following coating parameters were analyzed: 1- substrate surface finishing process; 2- coating architecture (multilayer or gradient); 3- chemical composition of the coating. AlSi concentration varied from the substrate/coating interface to the surface. Coatings were 3 µm thick. Scratch tests were carried out using a Vickers indenter. The applied normal load was varied from 0 to 13 N for a scratch length of 5 mm. In order to study the effect in the toughness, the substrate roughness was controlled by the finishing process before PVD coating. Samples subjected to polishing presented highest critical loads. Gradient coatings presented higher critical loads than those with a multilayer architecture. Coatings with higher concentration of AlSi near the surface supported higher loads before failure.

Jul 31, 2018

By Leticia Gabriela Winck

As escórias de aciaria, além de ser um coproduto da fabricação do aço, desempenham um papel importante na qualidade dos aços produzidos. Entender como elas se comportam durante o processo de refino é fundamental. Por exemplo, no refino secundário, a absorção de inclusões pela escória é umas das principais formas de se obter aços com maior limpeza inclusionária, e consequentemente, mais nobres. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo a caracterização de fases de escórias de refino secundário do sistema CMAS (CaO, MgO, Al2O3, SiO2), a fim de se obter informações a respeito de sua composição e fração líquida, além de prováveis fases sólidas. Para isso, quatro amostras de diferentes composições químicas foram fundidas em forno elétrico resistivo a altas temperaturas. As amostras também foram analisadas por diferentes técnicas como: microscopia eletrônica de varredura com sistema EDS acoplado (MEV/EDS), difração de raios X e simulação termodinâmica. Os resultados obtidos experimentalmente foram condizentes com as simulações termodinâmicas e com os resultados encontrados na literatura.

Aug 16, 2017