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By J. E. Nelson, R. J. Bonnis

Recent completion of Cyprus Bagdad's $240-million modernization and expansion program has registered a 700% increase in ore production with only a 50% increase in labor. Elements of this remarkable achievement include the application of large-scale mining equipment as well as the selection of the latest in processing hardware. Most important, however, was the early recognition that Bagdad's labor personnel is its most important asset.

Jan 4, 1978

By Lawrence A. Soltis

Senior engineering or executive management positions are filled by engineers who are evaluated on their performance, knowledge, skill, and maturity. Not only is technical expertise required but a knowledge of sales and marketing, finance, law, industrial relations, and public affairs is necessary. The University of Wisconsin-Extension offers an innovative post-baccalaureate degree program blending technical and professional subjects the Professional Development Degree in engineering (PDD)-designed to bring various opportunities for learn-

Jan 4, 1978

By John Bonar

A switch to refractory-type slurry pump linings has significantly reduced maintenance costs arising from liner failure at a Missouri lead mill. The pumps routinely handle a slurry consisting of 79 to 81% solids with occasional tramp iron, and are subjected to intense abrasion which previously wore out rubber liners in anywhere from three days to two months. Average liner life at the 1.5-million-t/y (1.6-million-stpy) operation was 30 days. Experimentation with mild steel liners and even manganese steel liners failed to extend liner life beyond two months.

Jan 3, 1978

By Robert N. McIndoo

A good tire program must begin at the top; management must have an awareness of the tremendous potential for cost saving that tires represent. At Reserve Mining Co., tires account for 33% of the cost of maintaining its 44 tractor-trailer side-dump haulers and 22% of its 32 rear-dump trucks. In comparison, engine overhauls account for only 6% of the maintenance dollar. Doubling the present engine life would save only 3%. The open-pit mine, located near Babbitt, Minn., moves about 46 million t/y with its off highway fleet. Mine roadways total in excess of 160 km (100 miles) and about 1200 tires are in active use at any given time.

Jan 3, 1978

In high-volume mining operations, preventive maintenance programs that include standardized replacement wear parts can boost equipment availability and lower unit costs. Meeting the daily production targets depends heavily on keeping equipment working as close to full time as possible. This is the case at one medium-sized western surface coal operation producing approximately 2.7 million t/y (3 million stpy). The mine, located in western Wyoming, removes in excess of 8 million m3 (10.5 million cu yd) of highly abrasive overburden each year. According to the mine superintendent, "Abrasion at this mine is some of the worst I've ever seen. Shovel points can wear out in little more than one shift. Dozer blades some- times last two weeks, but can wear out sooner. And ripper points really take a beating. If we can replace this fast-wearing iron with small pieces that go on quickly, we think that's the way to go."

Jan 3, 1978

Belting worth thousands of dollars can be ruined in a few minutes because of careless maintenance or lack of maintenance. Proper belt conveyor maintenance means having a clean conveyor system at all times. The belt line should be visually inspected during each shift. Equipped with proper maintenance instructions, one belt man can patrol a belt line of 2 to 3 km (1.5 to 2 miles). His duties would be to lubricate drives and idlers (except sealed-for- life type), maintain belt and conveyor frame alignment, detect sticking idlers, and maintain an unobstructed right-of-way.

Jan 3, 1978

By Donald W. Gentry, John F. Abel

This paper presents some of the results of a rock mechanics instrumentation program designed for, and implemented at, longwall panel 4N at the York Canyon Mine near Raton, New Mexico. The objective of this particular instrumentation program was to determine the response of the rock mass to longwall mining of a thick coal seam utilizing shield-type supports. Measurements were made in the rock along the ground surface, above the coal seam, in the coal seam, and immediately below the coal seam. Longwall test panel 4N had a total developed length of 762 m (2500 ft) and a face width of 168 m (550 ft), Fig. 1. The seam mining height in the panel area was approximately 3 m (10 ft). The average depth of overburden above the panel is 107 m (350 ft) although it ranges from 73-134 m (240-440 ft). Roof support at the face was provided by 116 Hemscheidt 320 HSL shields. These shield-type supports weigh 11.4 metric tons each.

Jan 3, 1978

By Thomas L. Kesler

Lithium raw materials usable with present technology consist of pegmatite ore and shallow evaporite brine. Deposits of these materials occur in many parts of the world. Those advantageously located supply the present lithium industry. Less favorably located deposits will come into production as markets expand and present sources are depleted. In this discussion, materials listed as reserves include fully explored and partly explored deposits. For those closely drilled and assayed, the data provide measurements rather than estimates, and such reserve tonnages are "proved." For deposits partly explored, the data support reserve estimates of "probable" tonnages. Materials lacking exploratory data are classed as resources, and their "possible" tonnages are inferred mostly from indirect evidence and are essentially objectives for exploration. All figures for pegmatite ore apply to total materials in the ground.

Jan 3, 1978

By Sam F. Harrison

The National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors again sends out this recommendation: If you have an air compressor that is mounted directly on the air tank, get it off. Characteristically, small- to intermediate-sized air receivers are thin-walled vessels, and as such are prone to failure when subjected to external loading. Many of these vessels, if not a great majority, are bought by a distributor of air compressor systems, who provides the compressor, motor, switchgear and other accoutrements-all of which are very frequently mounted on a base which is then welded to the shell of the receiver. These welds at the points of attachment transmit external loading to the tank in the form of weight and vibration, frequently resulting in stress-induced cracks.

Jan 3, 1978

There's a right way and a wrong way to store diesel electric systems and similar equipment for generating on-site power, according to James Frankow, service manager for Allis-Chalmers Corp's Engine Division. In any event, the less storage the better. Many generating sets are stored before installation, especially when new construction is underway. Improper storage, or mothballing, can create initial reliability problems. Therefore; arrange for inside storage with no drastic extremes in temperature or humidity. If engines and alternators are stored in areas other than inside a dirt-free and temperature-controlled building, the unit or engine should be completely covered and protected against the environment. Before covering it with a canvas or with plastic, the unit should first be sealed at the following critical engine openings:

Jan 3, 1978

By John W. Rushton

What role does maintenance play in the design of a new mineral processing facility? Consider the fact that most new plants never reach design capacity the first year-or the second, third, or fourth years. The fact is, according to data collected from several plants which have started up in the last ten years, mill throughput and equipment availability doesn't peak, on the average, until the fifth year.

Jan 3, 1978

By Sam F. Harrison

Most hydraulic system malfunctions make their presence known by sending out warnings that are loud and clear to the initiated mechanic, according to Aeroquip Corp. service engineers. To detect problems in many systems, they suggest that the use of four senses-sight, smell, hearing and touch-and a knowledge of how to interpret the information gathered are all that's needed to identify hydraulic malfunctions.

Jan 3, 1978

The Mining Enforcement and Safety Administration has called attention to the increasing frequency of accidents occurring during mine maintenance and repair tasks in a recent publication. Data from the agency's Health and Safety Analysis Center have been compiled and presented in a report titled "Analysis of Injuries Associated with Maintenance and Repair in Metal and Nonmetal Mines,"* a booklet aimed at answering four questions: (1) Which pieces of operating equipment are most frequently involved in maintenance accidents; (2) Which maintenance functions are the most hazardous; (3) Which tools are most often associated with injuries; and (4) What is the comparative hazard of welding or flame cutting vs. mechanical or electrical maintenance functions.

Jan 3, 1978

Surface mine operators often gamble that the savings gained from elimination of haul-road subbase preparation will offset any potential loss in production due to deteriorating roads. According to the authors of a manual on haul-road construction, this practice yields results that are almost always undesirable. The lack of suitable weight-bearing material under the road surface permits extensive rutting, sinkage, and overall deterioration of the roadway, and a great deal of maintenance work will be needed to keep the road usable. In addition, say Walter W. Kaufman of Skelly and Loy, and James C. Ault, USBM Pittsburgh Mining and Safety Research Center, adverse road conditions pose a serious threat to vehicular controllability and create unsafe haulage road segments.

Jan 3, 1978

Briefly, can you relate how you got into the minerals industry and some of your experiences as an executive, engineer, and administrator? Also would you tell ME about your affiliation with the Society of Mining Engineers of AIME? Roseburg, Ore., was where I was born and raised. It was, and still is a lumbering town; it couldn't have been any farther from mining. Upon graduation from high school, I turned 18 and, having already signed up with the Army Corps of Engineers, I was in the service eight days after my birthday. Four months later I was in New Guinea. As an amphibious engineer, I saw many of the Pacific and Philippine Islands, and ended up in Japan just a few days after the war was over. In later years, my work took me back to several of the places I had been during the war.

Jan 3, 1978

By Robert G. Woolery, S. Ramachandran, James A. Weber, Donald J. Hansen

Union Carbide began looking seriously at heap leaching in 1971. At that time some 1.6 million tons of mineral averaging 0.40 kg U308 /t) (0.80 lb U308) were stockpiled at various sites around the Gas Hills, Wyoming, uranium facility. Several alternatives for economically exploiting these reserves were considered and heap leaching seemed the most attractive. At the time, Western Nuclear Inc. was operating a heap leaching project nearby in which the low-grade ore was leached with sulfuric acid, the product liquor treated in an on site solvent extraction circuit, and the stripped product liquor re-acidified and recycled. The operators were most generous in allowing us to visit their site and in answering our questions. They were also helpful in discussing the problems associated with heap leaching. Their experience confirmed our belief that it was possible to operate a heap leach profitably on material too low grade for conventional milling.

Jan 3, 1978

By Donald C. Myntti

Modern open-pit mining can be described as a capital-, labor-and energy-intensive, large-scale, mechanized, and highly repetitive bulk material preparation and handling operation, with emphasis on the word "mechanized." In hard rock, this generally means shovels loading blasted materials into haulage units for transport to processing plants, stockpiles, or waste dumps. Mine management deals with several primary concerns on a daily basis; e.g.: Will any serious accidents and labor problems occur today, and will the tonnage targets be met considering the physical condition of the equipment? The latter subject will be discussed from a maintenance perspective. A successful, progressive heavy equipment maintenance program that protects company assets involves many elements. They include: •Proper equipment selection and procurement •Well-trained and motivated workforce •Good shop facilities •Preventive maintenance (PM) program •Warehouse support •Operations-maintenance department cooperation •Meaningful paperwork

Jan 3, 1978

By D. K. Bose, C. K. Gupta, K. U. Nair

A new approach to processing an indigenously available low made molysulfide concentrate by chlorination with elemental chlorine in presence of oxygen is reported. Recovery of nickel and copper values associated with the sulfide concentrate by suitably treating the residue obtained after chlorination is also reported.

Jan 3, 1978

By J. B. Rasmussen, M. A. Anderson

Mine maintenance department organization varies widely among companies. The four concentrator maintenance departments shown here illustrate specific practice. In order to indicate the relationship of the maintenance department to operations and to higher-level management, many subordinate functions have been omitted or abbreviated. Where possible, the number of supervisory, technical, and craft personnel are included.

Jan 3, 1978

A recent study estimates that a 10% improvement in the performance of wire rope used on draglines could save the US coal industry $2 million annually in rope costs. In addition, such an improvement could boost annual coal production by allowing the industry's draglines to remove an extra 1.5 million m3 (2 million cu yd) of solid overburden each year. These findings, although admittedly preliminary, suggest the magnitude of benefits that can be derived from a well-planned wire rope maintenance program.

Jan 3, 1978