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By O. B. Harden Harden

IN working out the geological structure of a complicated district, where the problems are difficult to solve by the ordinary methods in use, a model, upon which all the geological and topographical data may be put, will be found of great value, bringing, as it does, all the facts in their proper relationship at once under the eye. In the teaching of structural geology, also, a model is of great value, since the student can thus have before him, in miniature, a representation of the rocks, as he would see them in place. Topographical models-may often be useful in suits at law for damages in rail-road accidents, or for trespass against mining companies, etc., in order

Jan 1, 1882

By David Baker

Devices for saving labor in immediate connection with the operation of the iron blast-furnace have received comparatively little attention. Machines for hoisting and blowing, always employed in some form, have been improved; but charging, tapping, casting and handling the pig-iron in the beds are still performed chiefly by manual labor. At almost all furnaces, filling is done with the handbarrow of twenty-five years ago; and it is only recently that, here and there, chills have been employed in the cast-house instead of the usual sand-beds, to lessen the labor of handling the pig, as well as to secure its greater purity. The manual labor of opening and closing the tapping-hole has

Jan 1, 1893

By R. A. McClelland

In the development of the Sirosmelt tin smelting process the need has arisen to understand and predict the problems likely to be encountered in optimal furnace operation on larger scales and over wide ranges of operating parameters. To study these parameters in detail with existing pilot plants and production scale plants is prohibitive in terms of cost, time and limitations of furnace design. The Sirosmelt computer model, SMELT, has been developed to simulate the process and to study a range of metallurgical parameters. The model's robust basic form has allowed adaption to a variety of needs. It is now being used to generate data on optimum operating conditions for a commercial scale plant and for operator training.

Jan 1, 1984

By Wm. Wallace Mein

IN March 1949 the Calaveras Cement Co. was sued by five landowners whose properties are located in the vicinity of the plant. These landowners-all of them cattle ranchers-sued for dust damages of $120,338 and for an injunction preventing the company from casting dust upon their properties in injurious quantities. The issue was split, the jury deciding the amount of damages and the court handling the injunction features. The action came to trial before a jury in April of that year and resulted in damages being awarded in the amount of $7,508. A month later the court issued its injunction requiring recovery of stack dust to an 87 pct minimum.

Jan 6, 1951

By Augustus Locke

THERE are three matters related to ore-hunting which I wish especially to discuss here: first, the paucity of the special writings applying to it; second, the failure of scientists to concern them-selves importantly with it; and, third, resting on these conditions, certain possible activities for economic geologists. First, as to the writings. Geological papers. are being produced in the United States alone at the rate of 10 to 12 shelf-feet per year.1 But papers specifically for the ore-hunter would go in a slim, annual pamphlet; all that have ever been written would go in a briefcase. The art of technical ore-hunting-geology conceived as a guide to ore-has only a scant literature.

Jan 4, 1922

By M. R. Moharam

The well-known formulae of screening efficiency and circulating load calculations in closed crushing circuits were exploited to achieve graphical estimation of these parameters. Three basic charts were proposed and constructed. The first one is for the regular closed circuits where the new feed goes to the crusher. The second is for the reverse closed circuits in which the new feed reported to the screen is free of screen undersize particles. The third chart controls the reverse circuits when they are receiving new incoming feeds containing undersize material. Compound circuits were also reanalyzed and a concept of equivalent simple circuit was introduced to enable graphical manipulation of these complex circuits with the help of the aforementioned charts

Jan 1, 1982

By Ying-Chu Hoh, Renato G. Bautista

The chemically based models previously developed to describe and predict the distribution coefficients and separation factors for several different single and multicomponent metal extraction systems are presented in a more general form in this paper. The degree of formation of the aqueous phase inorganic metal complexes, the extraction mechanism of the complexes, and the equilibrium constant for the extraction reaction are used in the development of the models. The concept has been successfully applied to extraction systems where the organic solvent extracts an ionic species and where the organic solvent extracts only the neutral species. In addition, a model to describe a system where the organic solvent is extracting several extractable species has been derived on the same basis

Jan 1, 1981

By A. B. Bowman

Banner Mining Co. became interested in this Tucson area early in 1950, and after several months of reconnaissance work, a lease-option purchase agreement was concluded on the Mineral Hill property which allowed time for considerable exploration and development work. Unwatering of the mine began in August 1951 after electric power lines were extended from nearby Tucson. The unwatering and rehabilitation work was done under a Defense Minerals Exploration Administration project and was completed in December 1952 after about 15 months of tedious work. The mine had been under water for more than 30 years with resulting cave-ins and timber deterioration. In some badly caved areas spiling was necessary to reopen the old drifts and crosscuts.

Nov 1, 1955

By S. N. Dixon

Sampling and assaying procedures were developed to obtain unbiased and reasonably accurate Au grade estimates in drill samples fm a coarse gold deposit. Gold grade comparisons were made by assaying 3 (1 assay ton) splits from each drill interval, then processing the entire reject thru a pilot plant for a blocked out zone. The result comparing the assay splits to the pilot plant results gave a ratio of 1 to 1.07. Another technique was developed to detect drill samples which has a coarse gold content by monitoring the varience. Testwork could be done on a 1 kg sample to improve the accuracy of the grade estimation if the variance was high for a drill interval.

Jan 1, 1984

By W. L. Zeigler

THE gravity concentrator of the Hecla Mining Co. was originally constructed in 1888 by the Milwaukee Mining Co., which was operating the Gem of the Mountains mine. It was purchased by the Hecla Mining Co. in 1900, and placed in operation 2 years later. At that time [ ] the capacity was only about 200 tons a day, but many additions and changes in equipment have been made so that the present capacity is about 800 tons. One of the outstanding improvements made was the substitution of Callow flotation cells for vanners, which occurred in 1915. The recent building of a flotation plant for treating jig tailings, and the construction of a modern surface plant at the mine, following the

Jan 1, 1928

By Ta M. Li, John D. Wiebmer

Record high prices, burgeoning exploration programs, mine-mill openings, and plant expansions have all characterized a dramatic: resurgence of the US uranium industry in recent years. But while the bull is leading the way on the production side of the nuclear fuel cycle, there is reason for caution from the end-users' viewpoint. How fast will electrical demand grow in the years to come, and what portion of that will nuclear generators supply? How do utilities play their cards when the government holds two of the largest jokers in the deck-a policy on spent fuel reprocessing and a timetable for the fast breeder reactor? Is there a shortfall in domestic uranium supplies on the horizon?

Jan 10, 1978

By P. J. Conners, H. Colijn

Belt conveyors have proven themselves for many years as a dependable and low cost method of moving bulk materials at high flow rates. The success of a belt conveyor system greatly depends on the initial loading of the material on the belt. If the material is loaded on the belt at the center, at the same speed and without impact, then about 90% of all belt conveyor problems would disappear. Proper belt loading is primarily determined by the engineering and design of the conveyor transfer point. Some general design criteria required for proper transfer of materials from one conveyor to another are established and discussed. Specific attention is given to loading chutes and skirting.

Jan 1, 1973

By Adrian C. Dorenfeld, John T. Oleksy

Fuel problems of two lesser developed countries (LDC 's) are presented. In particular, the paper reviews cement technology and the fuel-intensive cement industries of the Philippines and South Korea. Based on current financial and cost data, analyses are presented of the proposed substitution of high-sulfur and slow-sulfur American coal in place of fuel oil. The analyses show that economic substitution of coal for oil is not only based on relative prices for coal and oil, as expected, but also to be an inverse function of degree of intensity of energy use, and a direct function of financial incentives such as accelerated depreciation, taxes on the savings made by the use of coal, and cost of capital.

Jan 4, 1979

By Ned Kuenhold

AN equipment manufacturer swallows a bitter pill when he sees his machinery improperly in- stalled and not used to the full potential. This frequently happens with vibrating screens. Screens can be classified according to the path of vibration imparted to the screen surface. On this basis there are: 1) vertical circle or modified circle throw, 2) horizontal circle or modified circle throw, 3) vertical linear reciprocation, 4) tilted linear reciprocation, and 5) horizontal linear reciprocation. The most versatile vibration for medium to coarse sizing is generally conceded to be the vertical circle produced by an eccentric or unbalanced shaft, but other types of vibration may be more suitable for certain screening operations, particularly in the finer sizes.

Jan 6, 1957

By H. J. Modi, P. L. De Bruyn

In recent years interest has been aroused in flotation rate studies both from a technical and a more practical aspect. With increasing fineness of grind becoming a necessity in treatment of low grade ores, differences in flotation rates of various size ranges will assume importance in the evaluation of overall recovery results. Theoretical analysis of flotation kinetics was initiated by Schuhmann, who sought to define flotation rate of a given mineral and specified size range in terms of certain physical variables of the flotation system. Using as a basis for his analysis the bubble- particle encounter hypothesis previously advanced by Gaudin, Schuhmann writes for the rate of flotation (R,) of particles of average size x, [ ]

Apr 1, 1956

DR. E. E. SOUTHARD,* Boston, Mass.-As Director of a Psychopathic Hospital, I am a sort of "voice in the wilderness" speaking to mining engineers. I suppose that I am here because Major Gilbreth had prevailed upon me to speak on a kindred topic before the mechanical engineers at the annual meeting of their Institute. You might wonder why a psychopathic hospital, a state institution for the first care of mental cases and especially for incipient, acute and curable cases, should have any part or lot in the industrial problem. We have obvious contacts in our institution with the retarded and exceptional children of the schools, with the defective and non-defective

Jan 4, 1918

By D. Brion, J. J. Prédali, J. Hayer

The need to grind volcanic-sedimentary ores very finely (d80 < 20 µm) so as to liberate Pb, Zn, and Cu sulfides from their pyritic gangue causes difficulties in selective flotation. The pyrite, which accounts for 70-80% of the mineral content, is insufficiently depressed by the usual pH and NaCN techniques. To determine better depressing methods, the surface evolution of pyrite during flotation was followed by ESCA spectroscopy to compare the stability range in the Eh-pH diagram. Surface iron hydroxide was formed, which is the main pyrite-depressing factor. NaCN appears to play a more restrictive part, since no ferricyanides were detected, except for very small amounts at pH 7.

Jan 1, 1980

The Anglovaal Group has released details concerning its new processes for recovering platinum group metals, stating that the Group&apos;s system, which involves batch processing and precipitation methods for these metals (PGM&apos;s), leads to faster recovery times, increased recoveries, and higher purities than the conventional process. Insofar as South Africa&apos;s Merensky Reef is concerned, the Anglovaal method of recovering palladium first (as opposed to platinum in the conventional process) enables it to use a much simpler process in the subsequent recovery of platinum and other metals. Because the processes give cleaner separations, the volume of material to be recirculated -and therefore the total volume of material in the recovery circuits- is reduced substantially.

Jan 3, 1976

By G. E. Karantzavelos

Although jigging has been the subject of extensive studies, evaluation of the effect of various jigging factors on the efficiency of separation has been less comprehensive. The basic factors that affect jigging separation are reviewed, a mathematical model describing jigging kinetics is presented, and attention is focussed on the mechanisms of the stratification process. The parameters of the kinetic model (the Wei- bull distribution function) are redefined in a gravity concentration technological sense, and their values are estimated for a wide range of jigging conditions. Several mathematical relationships (regression models) are also formulated which express the dependence of total time required for the complete stratifaction of mineral particles on the operating jigging variables.

Jan 1, 1984

By Frank Somogyi, Donald H. Gray

Techniques for in-situ dewatering of tailings and slimes include evaporation, decantation, drainage under self weight, drainage by surcharging, and electro-osmosis. A promising technique for increasing drainage efficiency is a vertical, wall-drain system, which can be constructed in an impoundment concurrently with deposition of slurried tailings. The vertical drains, which can be constructed from sand or from the coarse fraction of a tailings stream, greatly speed the rate of consolidation of the fine tailings or slimes. The performance of a wall drain system and the semitidy of consolidation efficiency to certain variables or system parameters are examined. These parameters include the slime deposition rate, ratio of drain to slime permeability, drain width, and drain spacing.

Jan 1, 1979