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By F. Tailoka, G. Zhao

Pb is an unwanted impurity in Al for which there is no established method of removal. As it interacts strongly with alkali metals, separation was achieved by adding Na or K to molten Al at 953-1 003 K. Direct Na addition led to considerable evaporative loss but in-situ addition by electrochemical titration from a eutectic NaCl-KCl or KCl-BaCl2 mixture was found far more effective, in some cases reducing Pb content below detection levels within 2 h of titration. K appeared more effective than Na at low Pb concentrations but the use of Na was preferred as it is less toxic and explosive. Na removal from Al-Na and Na-Pb alloys was also carried out electrochemically, the use of these two alloys rather than the eutectic salt as a source of Na avoiding liberation of Cl2 at the anode

Apr 1, 1995

By A. Ersoy, M. D. Waller

The principal factors which require consideration in predicting drilling rates are the bit-type, the bit operating parameters and the characteristics of the penetrated rock. A single index is not a sufficient basis for predicting performance. A variety of rock types were drilled in the laboratory with polycrystalline diamond compact (PDC) and impregnated diamond core bits using a fully instrumented drilling rig at different rotational speeds and with a range of weights on the bit. Quantitative determinations of a wide range of textural, mechanical and intact rock properties were also made. Multi-variable linear regression analysis was then used to develop predictive models of rates of penetration from the operating and rock property data. The models have been verified by statistical tests. The analysis indicated that the models for the pin and hybrid PDC bits have potential for practical application. However, although the model for the impregnated diamond bit appears to be reasonable from a purely statistical point of view, it may not be satisfactory for drilling uses as it is based on two measures of rock hardness alone. The application of multiple regression analysis to PDC drilling performance is novel and the technique shows promise for the prediction of rock drillability with PDC bits. The ability of the technique to provide a mathematical characterisation of the performance of new drill bits in specific rocks may prove to be of value to drill manufacturers and users

Aug 1, 1995

By T. Yalcin

In the Box-Wilson method, the correlation between dependent and independent variables is represented by a polynomial response function, whose constant and coefficients are determined by applying regression analysis to the experimental data collected. The five levels used for each variable consist of a minimum, a maximum and three intermediate values. A study was carried out using Ni-Cu ore from Sudbury, Ontario, in which 15 experiments designed according to the Box-Wilson method were carried out in random order and in duplicate. The two sets of replicate data showed close similarity, with an overall variance of 0.311 for the five parameters studied. The response functions were used to optimise frother dosage, collector concentration and air flow rate and an experiment was then carried out under the optimised conditions; the results agreed closely with those predicted by the response functions

Jun 21, 1905

By S. V. Shiraishi, H. B. Bell

Report of discussion at February, 1971, IMM general meeting (Chairman: M. J. Cahalan, President) of a paper published in Transactions/Section C (Mineral Processing & Extractive Metallurgy), vol. 79, June, 1970, pp. C120-C127, with a contribution by Wright P.A. on the miscibility gap

Dec 1, 1971

The Aredor mine employs conventional dragline methods to exploit alluvial diamond deposits. Production began in 1984 with the policy of mining in the terrraces during the wet season and in the river flats during the dry season. Early production failed to meet predicted grades. A major geological programme to re-evaluate existing reserves was undertaken. This resulted in considerable increases in reserves in the river flats. Many of the reserve blocks included flats on both banks of the Baoule river. Methods of access into the river flats, normally flooded in the wet season, were developed to allow mining throughout the year. River diversions have been the main method used to provide access into the reserve blocks and, most importantly, to remove the risk of flooding. Aredor has carried out six main river diversions with a total length of 12 km. The diversions allowed production planning to be made on the basis of the economic evaluation of the reserve blocks, without undue regard to natural ground conditions or to seasonal factors. The Manning equation was used for the calculation of channel dimensions and gave satisfactory results. The practical aspects of the diversion preparations and flooding prevention are described

Sep 1, 1991

By R. Allington, G. Walton

The approach has been applied with success to the restoration of chalk workings in southern England, and research and trials relating to restoration blasting and the replication of limestone dale landforms have been undertaken. An essential prerequisite for application of the technique is rigorous geomorphological analysis of the locality to ensure that final quarry landforms are consistent with the local geomorphological and landscape setting. It is always important to ensure compatibility of the final landform with the intended after-use, and to achieve this it is also essential that such restoration schemes have a sound geotechnical basis. A disadvantage of the approach is that final slopes tend to be flatter, especially in weaker strata where natural slopes are not steep; the implications for reserves may be unacceptable, particularly in quarry extensions

Aug 1, 1994

By NA NA

Listing safety award winners, £I43M has been added to proceeds from coal privatisation in the year to March 1997, bringing total revenues to over £1.3bn, some company news in brief.

Jan 8, 1997

By L. T. Isaacs, W. H. Traves

A numerical model for analysing the drainage of fill in mine stopes has been described. The model can be used to analyse the process of fill drainage in existing and proposed mine stopes. The validity and potential value of the model have been established by experience with a simpler, 2-dimensional numerical model and by testing the new model against the earlier model. The new model is more useful than the 2-dimensional model because it allows for heterogeneity of fill material within the stope - a factor that has been demonstrated to affect drainage characteristics significantly. The 3-dimensional model is also capable of predicting pore pressures and drainage rates at specific locations in the stope without the need to resort to 2-dimensional generalisations. Such information, integrated with relevant field data as they become available, will provide valuable mine planning information for the scheduling of filling operations and design of fill mixes

May 1, 1991

By A. G. Royle

Sampling formulae for in-situ material, hard rock sampling and alluvial sampling are briefly discussed

May 1, 1991

By A. P. Gize, J. F. W. Bowles, D. J. Vaughan, S. J. Norris

Paper presented at the IAGOD international symposium on mineralization related to mafic and ultramafic rocks held in Orleans, France, 1-3 September 1993. Geological evidence from tropical laterites indicates clearly that platinum group metals are taken into solution and precipitated to form grains larger than those in the source rocks. Platinum and palladium move differentially in the surface environment, with Pt partitioning into soils and eluvial or alluvial deposits while Pd remains more mobile in natural waters. Natural organic acids, particularly humic acid, can interact with platinum-group elements and concentrate them even in areas where their content in rocks is very low. Experimental work has confirmed that Pt and Pd can be taken into solution by humic acid at room temperature and in geologically short time-spans. Solubility and deposition may be controlled by physicochemical conditions, reaction kinetics or an adsorption effect, or there may be two competing reactions, solubilisation assisted by organic matter and a kinetically slower metal precipitation

Apr 1, 1994

By R. Sweennen, A. Vervoort, J. Caers

A case study is presented of the mechanical behaviour of fractures in the Westphalian A and B siliciclastic succession of mud-, silt- and sandstones with intercalating coal layers in the Campine basin of northeast Belgium. Mining ceased in the area in 1992 and a pilot well was drilled to assess the feasibility of methane extraction by hydraulic fracturing. Work was carried out to study the influence of types of cement fill in fractures on the shear behaviour of the rocks by comparison with that of the coal seams. X-ray computerised tomography was used for visual appraisal and selection of jointed rocks before destructive shear testing was carried out. Two major type of veins were found to be present, one cemented with carbonate and the other with kaolinite or kaolinite/carbonate. Uniaxial compressive strength and shear tests showed that differentiation of the two types of veins was vital in evaluating the strength of the sandstones, as cementing of the fractures by rigid carbonate minerals can reinstate the strength of the rock masses to that of the intact material. Kaolinite was more susceptible to plastic deformation than carbonates

Jun 19, 1905

By S. P. Godby, S. P. Sharples

Wind-tunnel tests were carried out of the conditions under which nuisance dust particles (100-1 000 micrometres) become entrained by wind. A laser entrainment monitoring system (LEMS) was used, and was found to provide an accurate means of assessing nuisance dust emissions from a surface. Accurate determination of the threshold entrainment velocity of dusts using the LEMS gives a baseline against which the performance of dust control techniques can be evaluated. Minerals tested included coal, petroleum coke, limestone, sand and pulverised fuel ash. Pilot field trials of a portable wind tunnel equipped with the LEMS have been successfully completed, providing a means of validating laboratory results in the field

Jun 19, 1905

By S. C. Tennant, G. M. Steed

Paper presented at Mineralisation in the Caledonides, the Mike Gallagher memorial meeting held in Edinburgh, 27-28 June 1996. Immobile-element lithogeochemistry is providing a detailed chemostratigraphy of the submarine Ordo-Silurian volcano-sedimentary sequence. Primary lithologies and magmatic affinities of the sericitised and silicified volcanics are determined from binary plots of Nb, Zr, Y, TiO2 and Al2O3, while mass-change calculations using immobile-element anchors can identify and quantify zones of significant hydrothermal alteration. Stratiform polymetallic mineralisation at the western margin of Parys Mountain, around the Penymynydd fault zone, has been shown to have a distinct hanging-wall and footwall stratigraphy. These ore zones are probably part of a homoclinal, north-younging volcano-sedimentary sequence. The apparent stratigraphic complexity results from primary lithofacies variations and pervasive alteration, with the modifying role of the Caledonian orogeny much less than previously suggested

Jun 19, 1905

By R. A. Halatchev

A risk model for assessment of the uncertainty in the forecasts of the planned profit is developed. It is based on the selling price of the metal recovered from the ore and the production per shift of the excavators. These two critical variables characterise the economic and technical aspects of the mining venture. Time-series methodology is used to describe the behaviour of the economic variable, which improves the adequacy of the modelling. A hypothetical open-pit gold mine is used to illustrate the application of the model. Results obtained show that the model is a good alternative to sensitivity analysis in taking account of the stochastic character of the price of the metal recovered from the excavated ore and the production per shift of the excavators used. The model can be extended by the inclusion of new variables that have a probabilistic nature

Dec 1, 1996

By S. Babendererde

The twenty-ninth Sir Julius Wernher memorial lecture of the IMM, presented at Tunnelling '97, London, 2-4 September 1997. The tunnelling industry is well prepared to face the challenge from the population explosion in urban areas in the near future. Many well-established yet redundant concepts are still impeding progress, however, including the prediction of excessive surface ground settlements. The correct selection of TBM can minimise these, and ground deformations can be avoided completely if the appropriate techniques are applied. Advanced techniques have been used in the Tokyo Bay Crossing, where the tunnel lining was installed by robots. Other advanced techniques include the use of a sliding slip form to give temporary support to an extruded tunnel lining, the chemical processing of ground by polymers during earth-pressure balanced tunnelling and the use of electronic monitoring and steering devices in TBMs. There will be challenges to tunnelling in urban environments, as open cut techniques will no longer be tolerated. Two examples of mined stations are briefly discussed

Jun 19, 1905

By S. Henley

Paper presented at a meeting on: Artificial intelligence in the minerals sector, held in Nottingham, UK, 20 April 1993 (original title: The database: a pre-requisite for large-scale use of AI in mining). Artificial intelligence is a term which has been widely applied to different techniques including rule-based systems using inductive and deductive logic algorithms, neural networks, learning systems and genetic algorithms. In principle it should be applied to adaptive statistical techniques. Some of these applications have been coded in languages which are specifically suited to the novel requirements of AI but are not easy to integrate with more traditional computing methods. Efforts have been made to bridge the gaps, particularly with database management systems and such efforts at integration should provide the key to future success in the application of AI. A field which has been termed "knowledge engineering" cannot be credible as such if it fails to provide easy access to raw materials of "knowledge" i.e. the data residing in databases. In the mining industry there are a number of significant areas in which AI could usefully be applied throughout the industry, but its advance is slow because of the lack or inefficiency of such database links. Current development of object-oriented database systems for geology and mining holds out hope for such integration in the foreseeable future

Apr 1, 1994

By K. Nielsen, J. Kristiansen

A series of laboratory blasting and grinding tests on three types of hard and competent rock (coarse-grained monzonite, fine-grained granite and very fine-grained gabbro) showed that a higher level of applied explosive energy enhanced grindability and produced a larger amount of fine (-0.106 mm) material. This confirmed reported industrial experience and the results of previous investigations. However, the results did not provide any information on the quantitative relationship between the energy applied in primary blasting and that required in subsequent comminution. Only about 1% of energy consumed in conventional grinding is used to create new surfaces, while power efficencies in cone crushers have been estimated at 70-80%. In blasting, up to 20% of explosive energy may be transmitted to the surrounding rock as elastic strain energy, leading to both primary rock breakage and the generation of microcracks

Dec 1, 1995

By M. M. Cole

An assessment of the combined application of remotely sensed satellite imagery, geobotany and biogeochemistry reveals the complementary value of these techniques in the Thalanga area. The SPOT imagery yields useful information on features of the terrain and discriminates the gossan over the ore zone. Geobotany differentiates geological units and the anomalous vegetation provides visual expression of the surface presence of the ore zone, while biogeochemistry effectively locates its concealed extension below Tertiary sediments and ferricrete

Jan 1, 1991

By D. C. Bailey, D. I. Hodson

Paper presented at the annual joint meeting of the IMM and IMinE held in Harrogate, 31 January 1991. The Neves-Corvo copper-tin mine is the highest-grade large-tonnage copper operation in the world and is now arguably the most significant producing base-metal mine in Europe, rating in the top ten world producers of both copper and tin. A description is given of the initial exploration work and the development of the project from the orebody discovery in the Iberian Pyrite Belt of southern Portugal in 1977 to full operating capacity in 1990. The chronological account includes discussion of the main organisational, financial, technical and environmental decisions and of the various difficulties encountered, and the challenges of the future are identified. The project was brought in on schedule and within budget

Jan 1, 1991

By J. A. Hudson, X. D. Pan

A rock mass responds to excavation according to the properties of the intact rock, the network of contained discontinuities and the susceptibility of the rock mass to weathering. Large deformation often occurs when one of these components causes the rock mass to have a low strength relative to the stress conditions. Analysis of such large deformations forms a significant feature of current numerical modelling in rock mechanics. A practical large deformation problem of roadways in a coal mine is described, demonstrating the requirements for improving numerical techniques. The development of a numerical model is then summarised with particular attention to several concepts pertinent to large deformation analysis in geomechanics. A numerical case study is presented in which the developed finite-element model is used and the results are compared with the in-situ measurements. Conclusions are drawn for rock engineering that are also relevant to both civil engineering and mining engineering projects

Sep 1, 1991