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By J. N. Van der Merwe

Following the Coalbrook disaster in 1960, research into coal pillar strength resulted in the adoption of the concept of a safety factor for the design of stable pillars in South African coal mining. At the time when the original statistical analysis was performed by Salamon and Munro in the early 1960s, 27 cases of failed pillar workings were considered suitable for inclusion in the database of failed pillars. Pillar failure did not stop after the introduction of the safety factor formula by Salamon and Munro (1967). In the ensuing years, pillars that were created before the application of the formula deteriorated and later failed, as did ones that were created after the introduction of the formula. This means that over time, the database of failed pillar cases increased in size, allowing ever more reliable analyses to be performed. The number of failed cases in the database had grown from the original 27 in the 1960s to 86 by 2011. All the failed cases are contained in the updated database. The database of stable pillars, which is also used in the derivation of strength formulae, has now been extended from 125 to 337 cases. The new database of intact pillar cases is more complete as it bridges the time gap between the Salamon and Munro (1967) and the Van der Merwe (2006) databases. The original requirements for inclusion into the database were satisfied in the compilation of this latest collection. The characteristics of the original database of intact pillars did not change in a meaningful way. The mining depth and pillar dimensions of the new database are largely as they were in the original database. Time-related trends with regard to pillar dimensions and depth of mining could not be found, indicating that the geometrical parameters of coal mining in South Africa have not changed meaningfully in approximately a century of mining. The characteristics of cases in the updated database of failed pillars does not differ substantially from the one published by Van der Merwe (2006). The same difference between that database and the original Salamon and Munro database, namely that the average safety factor of the failed cases had increased dramatically, from 1.0 to 1.5, is still apparent. This may be due to the inclusion of more failures from specific areas that exhibit a disproportionate number of failures at higher safety factors. These areas are the Vaal Basin, Klip River, and Free State coalfields. The new database confirms yet again that there is no correlation between the safety factors of failed pillars and their time of failure. The safety factor on its own is thus not a reliable predictor of longterm stability of pillars. Keywords coal pillar, stable pillar cases, pillar collapse, pillar data base.

Nov 1, 2013

By E. Mpoloka

Debswana together with ADP as their design partner have embarked on an RDP project at Jwaneng Mine. The objective of the project is to install a 2 million ton per annum mineral processing plant that will fast track the recovery of diamonds from the Debswana tailings resource to ensure maximum return on investment for the company. Due to the prevailing economic conditions Debswana has had to review the way they used to build plants in the past and consider simple, fast and effective ways of doing things. The rapid deployment plant concept is therefore the most suitable means of achieving this objective. Debswana is also considering an operating partner who will operate far more efficiently and cheaply compared to the larger more cumbersome and less agile Debswana.

Jan 1, 2010

By C. Chingwaru, W. Chingwaru, J. Vidmar

"Zimbabwe is endowed with rich deposits of minerals such as diamonds, platinum, coal, uranium, lithium, gold, antimony, iron, and chrome. Bioleaching has been implemented as an efficient and low-cost method to extract metals such as copper, cobalt, and gold from sulphide and/or ironcontaining ores and mineral concentrates in a number of countries around the globe. Zimbabwe, despite being a world leader in mineral wealth, has gone through years of economic stagnation which have brought with them energy shortages. Bioleaching is an innovative way to recover minerals from ores using relatively low-capital-cost and non-polluting technology. Principally, iron- and sulphur-oxidizing bacteria can be used to oxidize iron and sulphide to ferric iron and sulphuric acid, respectively, and the ferric iron oxidizes the insoluble metal sulphides to soluble metal sulphates that can be readily recovered from solution. Although some minerals such as gold are inert to biological reactions, they can be liberated using bacteria that act on certain types of ores and other minerals that co-occur with these minerals. The geology of the mineralized areas in Zimbabwe, rich in chalcopyrite / pyrite, allows a number of microorganisms to be used for the extraction of minerals by bio-oxidation. This paper reviews the potential of bioleaching in the country. IntroductionZimbabwe has rich deposits of minerals including diamonds, platinum, coal, uranium, lithium, gold, antimony, iron, and chrome. Bioleaching is defined as the use of microorganisms to facilitate the extraction of metals from sulphide or iron-containing ores or concentrates (Rawlings, 2004, 1997). Bioleaching has been shown to be an efficient (Blowes, Ptacek, and Jurjovec, 2003; Nordstrom and Southam, 1997; Schippers, 2004) and low-cost (Schippers et al., 2010) method to extract minerals in many countries around the globe. For example, aerobic Fe(II)- and sulphur-oxidizing bacteria have been shown to be up to two orders of magnitude more efficient in the oxidation of pyrite than the chemical processes (Blowes, Ptacek, and Jurjovec, 2003; Nordstrom and Southam, 1997; Schippers, 2004). Additionally, bioleaching can be used to extract minerals from low-grade ores, sulphidic waste rock dumps, and tailings efficiently (Schippers et al., 2010)."

Jan 1, 2017

By G. C. Smith

Process control applications in the minerals processing industry have grown extensively over the years due to the many benefits derived, both financially and operation-wise. Although control theory is widely known, conventional control does not address many of the problems posed by minerals processing circuits. Some of these problems include interactions between process units, large dead times, few and sometimes unreliable measurements of process variables, non-linear systems, disturbances entering the process, processes with varying dynamics, and many more. For the past 26 years Mintek has been active in the field of providing specific, customized solutions for the minerals processing industry. This paper focuses specifically on applications in milling and flotation control. The underlying control principles have been applied to a wide range of other processes including submerged arc furnaces. Advanced control application is implemented on a common advanced control platform, called the PlantStar. Much innovation has been brought to the fore in terms of adapting theoretical techniques and developing new methods to resolve specific milling and flotation circuit issues by using process control. The general approach adopted by Mintek when implementing advanced control is to enforce stabilization of the process as a solid foundation for optimization strategies to be built upon. In doing this, a robust control solution is presented, and the end result is flow and level stability, better product quality regulation, increase in throughput and a stable feed to downstream processes. The MillStar advanced milling control system ensures that the milling circuit is at all times easy to operate while achieving optimum product quality and throughput. Stabilization should include product size regulation and sump level control. Another important aspect of stabilization control is the handling of milling circuit constraints without introducing cyclical behaviour and with minimal disturbance to the final product quality. Process constraints may include factors such as process water limitations, cyclone feed density, and cyclone underflow angle. An optimization strategy should be developed to increase the mill throughput without affecting product quality or introducing mill overloads. The relationship between solids feed and power draw is examined and manipulated for optimization. The interactive nature of flotation circuits and the presence of recirculating streams tend to make satisfactory control almost impossible with conventional techniques such as PI (Proportional plus Integral) or PID (Proportional, Integral and Derivative) control. The FloatStar Level Stabilizer simultaneously considers all the flotation levels in a circuit by use of a multivariable algorithm, and takes compensating action in anticipation of disturbances. The FloatStar Flow Optimizer is an optimization strategy that controls the concentrate flow rate between various sections of a flotation circuit (e.g. Rougher ?Cleaner; Cleaner ?Recleaner). By controlling the concentrate flow between the sections, the mass pull, circulating loads and residence times of the circuit can be stabilized, thereby enhancing the performance of the flotation process. Optimizing grade and recovery are coupled with the dynamic optimization of circulating flows. The FloatStar Grade-Recovery Optimizer will maximize the grade in a section, whilst ensuring that recovery or any other process specific limits remain within predefined limits. With successful applications on several milling and flotation plants worldwide processing amongst others PGMs, gold, copper and nickel, Mintek has shown that it is a leader in milling and flotation control innovation

Jan 1, 2004

By N. Mphathiwa

When slope angles are designed during open pit optimization, there is a risk factor applied in steepening the slopes. The steepening of slope angles has implications for the safety and economics of the mining operation. The steeper the slope angles, the greater the probability of slope failure. Although a slope failure will result in added costs, the challenge is to compile an accurate cost-benefit exercise optimizing the economic benefits of the project without exposing mine workers and equipment to unacceptable risk of rockfalls. A balance between the safety of the operation and the economics of the investment is therefore required. The ideal situation is to have a slope monitoring system that will predict slope failure by detecting any ground movement before the actual failure occurs. This early warning will allow the risk factor to be applied with a high degree of confidence, knowing that the risk will be adequately mitigated. The objective of this paper is to provide guidelines on how to design an optimal survey slope monitoring system. It is the authors? view that for a survey monitoring system to yield desirable results, it should adhere to survey principles such as working from the whole to part and consistently cross-checking. The case study used is Jwaneng Mine, and the design strategy outlined can be used as a guideline for developing a new slope monitoring system or to optimize an existing one.

Jan 1, 2014

By M. F. Handley

This paper covers in situ stresses in the Earth?s crust prior to any man-made disturbances, such as mining. It introduces the Southern African Stress Database, which contains primitive stress measurements obtained from locations spread all over southern Africa. The measured stress data shows large variability without any visible trends, except a relationship with increasing depth. The stress database is reviewed briefly, establishing means to measure the variability or dispersion in the measurements, and showing that the dispersion is not as much a result of experimental error as it is a feature of primitive stress. The paper demonstrates from the beginning that the state of stress in rock is highly variable, but that there are well-defined maximum and minimum limits to all the stress components in rock. Formal error analysis is introduced to check the consistency of the database and to separate out a database of consistent stress measurements for use in a primitive stress model. The aim is to provide a picture of primitive crustal stress based on objective stress measurements together with interpretations of how the primitive stress can be affected by the five main influences; namely, depth, rock mass properties, tectonism, isostacy, and erosion. Four elementary models for primitive stress are introduced and compared with the measured data. It is quite clear that none of the elementary models is sufficient to describe the data. In the absence of a better model, this paper suggests a generic model based on the Hoek-Brown failure criterion and the consistent stress database, since it incorporates the variability in the stress tensor that is likely to be encountered underground all over southern Africa. Rock engineers should take every opportunity to obtain local primitive stress data at every mining operation and civil engineering project, and to adjust the proposed model accordingly Keywords primitive stress, Southern African Stress Database, error analysis, generic primitive stress model.

Jun 1, 2013

By N. O. Lotter

Evaluation errors and value frequency distribution models of the gold ore bodies in the Witwatersrand and Free State systems are reviewed. It is found that the low-grade sections of the data are prone to the largest evaluation errors, and that an understanding of the shape of the value frequency distribution is essential to the calculation of mean grade. The evaluation of a mineral process for a particular ore requires attention to mil-feed sampling, sample processing, and monitoring. In particular, the calculation of a representative mass of mill-feed sample (Ms) should take account of size-by-size value variance. Alternative Ms models are discussed.

Jan 1, 1995

By A. J. Feltenstein

A theoretical model for prediction of dissolved gold loss from a rotary vacuum filter was developed as part of a program to implement optimizing control on gold plants The filter was modelled using a modification of the Hagen-Poiseuille equation and the Choudhury and Dahlstrom washing equation. The model has three parameters which must be determined from accumulated data before predictions can be made. These are the cake and cloth resistances and the filter washing efficiency. The model predicts with a fair degree of accuracy the response of the filter to changes in the independent variables and will therefore be a useful tool in the plant optimization study.

Jan 1, 1987

By D. J. Shields

The U.S. Bureau of Mines has developed a microcomputer-based mineral modelling system that enhances analytical capabilities of the agency. It draws upon the extensive data base previously developed for the Bureau's Availability studies. The model is first formulated as a generalized network flow optimization problem, the optimal flows from which are fed into a transportation algorithm. The goal of the modelling system is first to fulfill prespecified demand at the minimum opportunity cost and second to identify feasible, optimal trade patterns. The system facilitates the analysis of policy issues on a real-time basis and supports the Bureau's mission to assess mineral resources.

Jan 1, 1987

By R. Armstrong, C. Ware, P. Sudan, G. Whitmore

The northern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) coastal dune cordon, South Africa, extends from north of Durban into Mozambique. The Quaternary dune cordon, which can be up to 2 km wide, comprises a series of stacked, unconsolidated dunes that in places attain a height of over 100 m. Mining of the dunes produces much of the world’s supply of ilmenite, rutile and zircon. This paper documents the age of zircon grains separated from dune units, identifies likely source rocks and presents an evolutionary history for the dune cordon. Between 30 and 60 detrital zircon grains from three distinct units from the northern KZN coastal dunes were analysed for U/Pb isotopic ages using the SHRIMP II at the Australian National University. The samples represent units from the base (ca. 250 ka; luminescence age1),middle (ca. 190 ka2) and upper (ca. 20 ka2) portions of the coastal dune cordon. Zircon grain ages identify three source populations: (1) a 1 000 to 1 200 Ma group correlated to the Natal Metamorphic Province, (2) a 500 to 650 Ma group representing a Pan-African belt, which may correlate to the Mozambique Belt and (3) a ca. 650 to 800 Ma group of unknown provenance. Surprisingly, the presently exposed basement, comprising the Kaapvaal Craton and Archaean volcano-sedimentary sequences, has not supplied a significant amount of zircon grains (< 5%).This suggests that unroofing of basement rocks in the region has only occurred during the last 20ka. In addition, the absence of zircon grains younger than 500 Ma indicates that the bulk of zirconis not reworked from the Karoo Supergroup cover succession, but may be sourced by reworking of the Natal Group sandstones.

Jan 1, 2003

Like it or not, CPD is upon us. As from 1 January 2006, all registered engineering professionals, i.e. professional engineers, professional engineering technologists, professional certificated engineers and professional engineering technicians, were required to undertake CPD in order to keep their professional registration current. The rules regarding CPD have been gazetted under Government Gazette No. 28328, Board Notice 131 on 23 December 2005, and they also appear on the ECSA website?www.ecsa.co.za. For the convenience of our members they are reproduced in full in this issue of the SAIMM Journal.

Jan 1, 2006

Good blasting practices based on the careful application of explosive energy lead to significantly safer mining operations. Case studies demonstrate how the selection of the correct charge mass, explosive type and round design are vital for extracting the exact amount of rock required and preventing spurious damage to the remaining rock mass. In other cases the explosives are applied to precondition the rock mass, design rockburst resistant support, prevent damage to important excavations and reduce the exposure of miners to unsafe conditions. The Hybrid Stress Blasting Model is used to understand the explosive rock interaction and to illustrate and contrast good and bad blasting practices. In all cases, good supervision is required to continue safe mining according to the design. Keywords Blasting, safety, production, preconditioning, explosives, numerical modelling, drop raising, vibrations, and presplitting.

Jan 1, 2011

By N. Ogbonna

A mathematical model for bioleaching at the agglomerate scale is developed. The agglomerate is defined as a unit volume of a heap which contains a solid phase (a size distribution of ore particles), a liquid phase (stagnant and flowing leaching solution) and a gas phase (flowing air and air pockets). Leaching at the level of an ore particle is modelled using a diffusion-reaction equation, and oxidation by attached and detached microbes is treated separately. With the aid of the mathematical model, the effect of particle size distribution on the bioleaching of an ore containing a mixture of chalcocite and pyrite, and a culture of iron oxidizers, is investigated.

Jan 1, 2006

By Pierre Marcotte

Jackleg rock drills expose their operators to high hand-arm vibration levels. To address this problem, an antivibration handle has been developed. The antivibration properties of the handle were achieved through a suspension based on a hinge design, achieved with a torsion spring and o-rings. To provide some bench marking for this new handle and to follow the evolution of its performance over time, a test bench was developed to characterize the vibration emission values of jackleg drills under controlled operating conditions. Testing of four antivibration handles on the test bench have shown reductions of the overall weighted acceleration level in the order of 54 % to 60 %, with most of the attenuation occurring in the zh-axis at the rock drill percussion frequency.

Jan 1, 2008

By S. Pathak, B. Nilsen

Abstract: In recent years, probabilistic approach with the calculation of probability of failure instead of a factor of safety against failure is emerging in practice. The main objective of the paper is to discuss a probabilistic approach in rock slope stability analysis for Himalayan conditions. Due to the fragile geology brought about by the tectonic movements along the hill slopes, dramatic variations of the topography and intensive surface runoff during every monsoon season, serious slope failures occur frequently in Himalayan region. Slope failures have also been triggered by seismic activities. The probabilistic approach is applied to stability analysis for a road cut along the Desander back slope of the Kali Gandaki hydropower project in Nepal. It is concluded that the probability approach offers a more accurate grasp of the actual condition than any factor of safety. Zusammenfassung: In den letzten Jahren ist es mehr gewöhnlich geworden, ein stochastisches Verfahren und eine Berechnung von der Wahrscheinlichkeit eines Zusammenbruchs statt einer Berechnung von Sicherheitsfaktoren zu verwenden. Das Hauptziel dieses Artikels ist das stochastische Verfahren in Stabilitätsanalyse von Gebirghängen, welches an Himalayische Verhältnisse angewandt worden ist, zu diskutieren. Wegen der spröden Geologie die durch tektonische Bewegungen entstanden ist und den dramatischen topographischen Variationen sowie viel Oberflächenwasser während des Monsuns, kommen in der Region des Himalayas oft mehrere erhebliche Abhangszusammenbrüche vor. Abhangszusammenbruche ist auch von seismische Aktivität ausgelöst worden. Das stochastisches Verfahren ist auch benutzt worden, um die Stabilität von einem Wegschnitt in dem Desander Gebiet von dem Kali Gandaki Wasserwerk-Projekt zu analysieren. Die schlussfolgerung ist, dass die Ergebnisse eines stochastisches Verfahren die wirkliche Verhältnisse eines Abhangs besser beschreibt als der Sicherheitsfaktor. Résumé:- Ces dernières années, une approche probabiliste basée sur le calcul d’une probabilité de cassure au lieu d’un facteur de sécurité préventif d’une cassure est de plus en plus utilisée. L’objectif principal de ce papier est de discuter une approche probabiliste de la stabilité de versants rocheux en himalaya. Due à la fragile géologie causée par les mouvements tectoniques sur les versants de collines, aux dramatiques variations de topographie, ainsi qu’au lessivage intense du relief à chaque mousson, de sérieux glissements de terrains se produisent fréquemment en Himalaya. Les glissements de terrain sont aussi déclenchés par l’activité sismique. Cette approche probabiliste est appliquée aux analyses de stabilité d’une section de route le long du versant arrière Desander du projet « hydropower » du Kali Gandaki au Népal. On en conclut que l’approche probabiliste offre une estimation plus précise des conditions actuelles que n’importe quel facteur de sécurité.

Jan 1, 2003

By P. Otto, G. Borm, Th. Dickmann, F. Amberg, R. Giese

Based on many years experience, the well proven Swiss Tunnel Seismic Prediction System TSP has been substantially augmented for online geological prognosis in underground construction. In its latest version, the Integrated Seismic Imaging System ISIS provides high resolution seismic images of the rock mass around a tunnel face via an array of standard anchor rods. These rods contain 3D-geophones at their tips and can be readily installed during excavation work. A further innovative component of the system is the newly developed high-power repetitive source for application in hard rock: a pneumatic hammer with laser triggering to be mounted on construction machinery. A user-friendly software package permits online data acquisition and processing, 3D-visualization, and a first geological interpretation. Tomographic images of compressional and shear wave velocity fields at fault zones in metamorphic rock of the Gotthard Base Tunnel in the Central Alps are presented. Das langjährig bewährte Schweizer Tunnelseismische Vorauserkundungssystem TSP wurde inzwischen wesentlich weiterentwickelt. In seiner neuen Version, dem Integrierten Seismischen Imaging System ISIS, ermöglicht es hochauflösende seismische Abbildungen des Gebirges im Vorfeld und Umfeld einer Tunnelauffahrung mit Hilfe einer Anordnung von Felsankern, die an ihren Spitzen 3-Komponenten-Geophone enthalten. Eine weitere Neuerung von ISIS ist die pneumatische Hochleistungs-Impulsquelle mit Laser-Triggering. Eine benutzerfreundliche, interaktive Software ermöglicht die online Datenerfassung und -auswertung, 3D-Visualisierung und eine erste geologische Interpretation. Tomografische Abbildungen von Kompressions- und Scherwellengeschwindigkeitsfeldern an Störungszonen in metamorphem Gestein des Gotthard-Basistunnels werden gezeigt. Basé sur de nombreuses années d’expérience, le système suisse, bien établit, de reconnaissance sismique à l’avancement des tunnels (système TSP), a été sensiblement amélioré pour obtenir une prévision géologique en temps réel durant l’avancement de travaux souterrains. Sa dernière version, le Système Intégré d’Imagerie Sismique (ISIS), fournit des images sismiques haute-résolution du massif rocheux à l’avant d’un tunnel grâce à un réseau de tiges d’ancrage standard. Ces tiges, équipées à leur extrémité de géophones 3 composantes, s’installent très aisément durant les travaux d’excavation habituels. Le élément d’innovation récente concern le nouvelle source très répétitive et de forte puissance pour les applications aux roches dures: un marteau pneumatique déclenché par un système à laser. Un ensemble de programmes informatiques convivial permet l’acquisition et le traitement en temps réel des signaux et produit une vue 3D ainsi qu’une première interprétation géologique. Nous présenterons des images de réflexion d’ondes de compression et de cisaillement ainsi que des inversions tomographiques de zones de faille dans des terrains métamorphiques obtenues à l’occasion du creusement du tunnel de base du Gothard, dans les alpes centrales.

Jan 1, 2003

By P. H. S. W. Kulatilake, B. Malama

To simulate brittle rocks, a mixture of glastone, sand and water was used as a model material. Thin galvanized sheets were used to create joints in blocks made out of the model material. To investigate the failure modes and strength, both the intact material blocks as well as jointed model material blocks of size 35.6 × 17.8 × 2.5 cm having different joint geometry configurations were subjected to uniaxial and biaxial compressive loadings. Results obtained from the intact model material blocks are used to validate a new intact rock failure criterion for biaxial loading. Results obtained from both the intact and jointed model material blocks are used to develop a strongly non-linear new rock mass failure criterion for biaxial loading. In this failure criterion, the fracture tensor component is used to incorporate the directional effect of fracture geometry system on jointed block strength. The failure criterion shows the important role the intermediate principal stress plays on rock mass strength. Zur Simulation spröder Gesteinsarten wurde ein Modellmaterial aus Dentalgips, Sand und Wasser hergestellt. Daraus wurden Blöcke gegossen, in denen mittels dünnen, galvanisierten Blechen Trennflächen erzeugt wurden. Die Blöcke mit Abmessungen von 35.6 × 17.8 × 2.5 cm wurden in einaxialen und biaxialen Druckversuchen belastet. Es wurde das Versagensverhalten und die Festigkeit von intakten Blöcken sowie durchtrennten Blöcken mit unterschiedlicher Trennflächengeometrie untersucht. Aus den Ergebnissen der Versuche an intaktem Material wurde ein neues Versagenskriterium für biaxiale Belastungen validiert. Die Ergebnisse der Versuche an intakten und durchtrennten Blöcken wurden verwendet, um ein neues stark nicht-lineares Versagenskriterium für geklüftetes Gebirge unter biaxialer Belastung abzuleiten. Darin wird der Bruchtensor verwendet, um den Einfluss der Trennflächengeometrie auf die Festigkeit zu erfassen. Das Versagenskriterium stellt heraus, welche Bedeutung die mittlere Hauptspannung für die Gebirgsfestigkeit hat. Un mélange de platre dentaire, de sable et d’eau a été utilisé pour développer un matériau analogue des roches fragiles. De fines feuilles galvanisées permettent de créer des discontinuités représentatives des discontinuités naturelles dans des bloques fabriqués avec ce matériau analogue. Les modes de rupture et la résistance, tant pour le matériau intact que pour le matériau avec ses discontinuités, ont été étudiés sur des blocs de 35.6 × 17.8 × 2.5 cm soumis à des efforts de compression uniaxiaux et biaxiaux. Différentes configurations de géométrie de discontinuités ont été considérées. Les résultats obtenus à partir des blocs intacts permettent de vérifier un nouveau critère de rupture pour les roches intactes soumises à des efforts biaxiaux. Les résultats obtenus, tant avec les blocs intacts qu’avec les blocs avec discontinuités, sont utilisés pour développer un nouveau critère de rupture, fortement non linéaire, pour les massifs rocheux soumis à des chargements biaxiaux. Dans ce critère de rupture, un tenseur de fractures est introduit pour caractériser les effets directionnels de la géométrie des systèmes de discontinuité sur la résistance des blocs avec discontinuités. Ce critère de rupture démontre le rôle important de la contrainte principale intermédiaire sur la résistance des massifs rocheux.

Jan 1, 2003

By J. Danoczi

Specially designed X-ray machines are used extensively on diamond mines for the recovery of diamonds from ores. These machines are extremely expensive and, at present, there are no reliable methods of determining if the equipment is performing efficiently. The objective of this work was to manufacture translucent X-ray diamond simulants, which would emit varying but known luminescence signals when exposed to X-rays. These X-ray diamond simulants could then be used to determine the efficiency of diamond recovery operations.

Jan 1, 2008

By A. K. Singh, R. Singh, P. K. Mandal

On the basis of in situ study of pillar loading at different sites, an attempt is made in this paper to visualize the development of mining induced stress under varying geo-mining conditions. Field study demonstrated interesting interaction between size of pillar and nature of roof rock mass under the influence of increasing dimension of the excavation. Stiffness of pillars/overburden, extraction ratio and depth cover are observed to be the important parameters for the estimation of mining induced stress over the pillar. These parameters influence, both, the value of ultimate induced stress (vertical) and its range of influence ahead of the face line. Further, it is observed that the change in width/height (w/h) ratio of a pillar has got considerable influence over the nature of mining induced stress over it. Impact of highly dynamic nature of mining induced stress over the natural supports is observed to be the most serious factor for the safety of working under a hard and massive roof rock mass. On the basis of these observations, a conceptual model of interaction between the natural support and overlying strata is discussed in the paper. ZUSAMMENFASSUNG: Aufgrund ist in situ Studium von Säule Beladung an verschiedenen Stellen, ein Versuch in diesem Papier gemacht, die Entwicklung des Bergbaus vostellen sich, Spannung unter Änderung von Geo Bergbau von Bedingungen hat veranlaßt. Feld Studium hat interessante Wechselwirkung zwischen Größe von Säule und Natur von Dach Felsen Masse unter dem Einfluß von Vermehrung Dimension des excavation vorgeführt. Steifheit des Säulen Overburden, Herausziehung Verhältnisses und Tiefe sind beobachtet bedeckt, die wichtigen Parameter für die Schätzung des Bergbaus zu sein, Spannung über der Säule hat veranlaßt. Diese Parameter beeinflussen, beide, der Wert allerletzter veranlaßter Spannung (senkrecht) und sein Bereich des Einflusses voraus von der Gesicht Linie. Weiter ist, es beobachtet, daß die Änderung in Breite Höhe (W H) Verhältnis einer Säule beträchtlichen Einfluß über der Natur des Bergbaus erhalten hat, Spannung hat darüber veranlaßt. Schlag sehr dynamischer Natur des Bergbaus ist Spannung über den natürlichen Stützen beobachtet hat veranlaßt, der ernsteste Faktor für die Sicherheit des Arbeitens unter einer harten und massiven Dach Felsen Masse zu sein. Aufgrund dieser Beobachtungen, ein begriffliches Modell der Wechselwirkung zwischen der natürlichen Stütze und der überlagernde strata ist im Papier diskutiert. RESUME: En se basant sur dans l&apos;étude de situ de chargement de pilier aux sites différents, une tentative est faite dans ce papier pour envisager le développement de creuse la tension persuadée sous varier de conditions de geo creuse. L&apos;étude de champs a démontré l&apos;interaction intéressante entre la taille de pilier et la nature de masse de rocher de toit sous l&apos;influence d&apos;augmenter de dimension de l&apos;excavation. La raideur de piliers overburden, la proportion d&apos;extraction et la couverture de profondeur est observée pour être les paramètres importants pour le jugement de creuse la tension persuadée par-dessus le pilier. Ces paramètres influencent, les deux, la valeur de tension persuadée ultime (vertical) et sa gamme d&apos;influence en avant de la ligne de face. Plus, il est observé que le changement dans la largeur hauteur (le w h) la proportion d&apos;un pilier a reçu l&apos;influence considérable par-dessus la nature de creuse la tension persuadée par-dessus il. L&apos;impact de nature extrêmement dynamique de creuse la tension persuadée par-dessus les soutiens naturels est observé pour être le facteur le plus sérieux pour la sûreté de fonctionnement sous une masse de rocher de toit dure et massive. En se basant sur ces observations, un modèle conceptuel d&apos;interaction entre le soutien naturel et les couches recouvrant est discuté dans le papier.

Jan 1, 2003

By F. T. Cawood

One of the consequences of globalizing mine finance is a necessity to apply uniform accountancy and valuation standards that are clearly understood and consistently applied by the global investment community. However, each country has unique circumstances, which sometimes make it difficult to align domestic practice with international requirements. South Africa is no exception and issues such as its political history, a taxation regime enforcing different rules on different mineral producers and a unique mineral rights ownership distribution, are barriers to internationalization. The economy is in a transitional phase as a result of the many and diverse policy documents following the change in political dispensation in 1994. Many of these documents have recently been implemented through new legislation and, in the case of mining, negotiations are continuing in order to ensure an acceptable outcome. This paper discusses the challenges that the South African minerals industry faces in the field of mineral property valuation. It draws on international experience and includes a discussion on the unique considerations that the South African mineral property market must take into account in establishing a code for this purpose, as such a code could later be aligned with international practice.

Jan 1, 2004