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By John R. Keith

Keith, John R. 1968. Relationships of lead and zinc contents of trees and soils, Upper Mississippi Valley District. Preprint, Fall 1968 Meeting, Soc. Mining Engineers of AIME. Lead and zinc contents of elm, maple, and oak trees and of soils in which the trees grew were determined in samples from the Upper Mississippi Valley mining district, and from an area outside but contiguous to the district. The lead and zinc analyses of plant materials served to differentiate the mineralized and non-mineralized areas. Stems contained about two times as much lead and about 2-5 times as much zinc as did leaves taken from the same stems. Lead and zinc analyses of all soil horizons could be used to differentiate between the two areas. Soils at most sample sites in the mineralized district seemed to be more reliable than plants for geochemical prospecting and are a more practical sampling medium. Soil samples from areas with thick loess cover, however, failed to indicate the presence of mineralized bodies whereas tree samples from the same sites contained anomalous amounts of lead and zinc. It is suggested that in areas of thick loess cover plant samples could be used in prospecting for lead and zinc.

Jan 1, 1968

By John Dodd

Corrosion studies in laboratory ball mills and grinding environment simulations produce corrosion rates and total metal removal rates much lower than those recorded in operating production ball mills. The corrosion component of ball metal loss in commercial mills represents less than 10% of the total loss expressed as micrometers/hour of exposure in recent USBM tests. Such small absolute losses are consistent with ball metal loss measured in production ball mill marked ball wear tests to determine effects of corrosion and abrasion resisting properties of alloys in operating mills which indicate that metal hardness and microstructure determine relative metal loss rates of a given situation. The combination of ore characteristics and grinding process dynamics determine metal loss severity. Alloying for corrosion resistance and modification of the milling corrosion environment yield relatively small metal loss reductions. Alloying and heat treatment to produce high hardness and microstructures of high carbon martensite and for cast irons, M7C3 carbides produces the lowest metal losses in typical wet grinding applications.

Jan 1, 1984

By P. D. Rao, D. E. Walsh, W. W. McClintock

A column flotation system was designed to conduct release analyses on a very finely disseminated, stratiform copper ore from the Denali Copper Prospect in Alaska. Chalcopyrite is finely disseminated in a carbonate matrix, and pyrite is disseminated in both the chalcopyrite and the gangue. Grinding to -20 µm is required for adequate liberation. A 25-mm x 2.4-m glass flotation column was designed. The ore and its flotation tailings were repeatedly floated to obtain a rougher concentrate. The rougher concentrate was then repeatedly floated to produce release fractions. These fractions were analyzed for copper, iron, calcium and magnesium, and release curves were plotted. The procedure was replicated at each of two grinds, i.e., 99% and 88% passing 37 µm (400 mesh). The procedure should find application for flotation characterization and process selection. Bond grindability testing was also conducted.

Jan 1, 1996

By H. K. Lin

Deepwater discharges of sulfide flotation tailings have been practiced for several decades. Oxygen penetration and organic matter content in such environments are the two major factors that determine their reduction-oxidation condition and hence the rate of sulfide mineral dissolution under such discharge environments. In this study, the effects of solution redox potential and pH on the dissolution of some heavy metals from sulfide flotation tailings were examined. Zn, Pb and Cu concentrations in solution were all higher at a higher redox potential and lower pH. Dissolved Zn concentrations reached 100 ppm even at a low redox potential of 105 mV and near neutral pH after 33 days. Pb concentrations were below 2 ppm at 105 mV and near neutral pH after 165 days. At 105 mV, the Cu concentrations were below 0.2 ppm at near neutral pH after 165 days. At pH 2.3, the Fe concentrations were higher at 420 mV than at 105 mV. But at pH 6.8, the Fe concentrations were lower at 420 mV than at 105 mV, due to the oxidation of Fe2+ to Fe3+ and the subsequent precipitation of ferric hydroxide. Arsenic concentrations in solution were all less than 0.002 ppm. For Zn, Cu and Fe, no significant differences were observed between the tests in solutions prepared using seawater and those using distilled water. However, Pb concentrations reached higher levels in solutions prepared using seawater.

Jan 1, 2009

"Longwall shearers are widely employed in underground coal mines. The reliability of such machine has significant importance for successful mining operations. This paper aims at studying reliability of a longwall shearer using failure data recorded for a year. Data was pre-processed, sorted and selected for analysis. Selected data is then examined using statistical models. Distribution fitting of time-between-failure (TBF) and time-to-repair (TTR) are accomplished using three different models. Goodness-of-fit criteria is used to ascertain the best fitting model. Reliability in terms of mean-time-between-failure (MTBF), and mean-time-to-repair (MTTR) are calculated using the model which best represents the failure data. Exponential distribution best represents the time between failure and lognormal distribution the time to repair data. A well-known risk management technique Failure Mode Effect and Criticality Analysis is used to evaluate the critical breakdowns. Critical system/parts, experiencing regular failures is delineated based on this analysis. INTRODUCTION Mining is a capital intensive process, and huge monetary investment is required to develop and operate a mining project. Heavy and expensive equipment’s are employed in development and operation of these projects. In order to ensure timely completion of set milestones, it is mandatory that equipment’s perform their required task productively. Delays are not unusual owing to breakdown of these equipment’s. Breakdown or failure experienced by any of the equipment pose heavy financial burden. Moreover, frequent times, companies have to employ and dedicate additional resources to make up for such delays. Delays in project is not only detrimental to company’s image in market, but it also interrupts customer commitments. Mines having history of not fulfilling their promise usually get lower commodity price. Penalties are also imposed on the companies defaulting its obligations. Especially, in today’s world where competition among the companies are growing, success means keeping up the commitments in a timely manner. Heavy machinery and equipment are instrumental in success of any project. These machinery and equipment’s have to reliable in a sense that they can perform the set task in given time period. Reliability of these equipment plays a pivotal role in success of any project. The reliability analysis of mining equipment has long history. Many researchers have applied different statistical models for analyzing the reliability of mining machines (Samanta, Sarkar [1]. Kumar and Klefsjö [2] demonstrated the use of the power law process model for reliability assessments of repairable mining machines. Barabady and Kumar [3] performed the reliability analysis from failure data of the crushing plants."

Jan 1, 2018

By E. Siami-Irdemoosa, S. R. Dindarloo

"Pareto analysis was used to investigate the failures database of a Hitachi EX1900 hydraulic shovel over one year of continuous operation. The hydraulic system and hydraulic links, hoses and piping were identified as the most critical system and subsystem, respectively. A three-parameter gamma distribution function was identified as the best fit for a probabilistic modeling of the time between failures (TBFs). This distribution was used in a Monte Carlo reliability analysis of the hydraulic system. Autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA), within the context of a time series analysis of the TBFs, was proposed as a viable alternative to the traditional technique of distribution fitting. The mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) metric was used to compare the two models. The MAPE value that resulted from the ARIMA was 66 percent smaller than that from the traditional technique in predicting the TBFs. Resumen ¦ Se usó análisis Pareto para investigar la base de datos de fallas de una pala hidráulica Hitachi EX1900 durante un periodo de un año de operación continua. Se identificó al sistema hidráulico y a los enlaces hidráulicos, mangueras y tuberías como el sistema y subsistema más importantes, respectivamente. Se identificó una función de distribución de tres parámetros gamma como el más apto para un modelado de probabilidades del tiempo transcurrido entre las fallas (Tabes por sus siglas en inglés). Esta distribución fue usada en un análisis de confiabilidad Monte Carlo para un sistema hidráulico. El promedio de movimiento integrado auto-regresivo (ARIMA por sus siglas en inglés), dentro del contexto de análisis de serie temporal de los TBFs, fue propuesto como una alternativa viable a la tradicional técnica de ajuste de distribución. Se usó el porcentaje de la media absoluta de error (MAPE) para comparar los dos modelos. El valor MAPE que resultó de la ARIMA fue 66 por ciento menor que el resultado obtenido con la técnica tradicional de predicción de TBFs."

Jan 1, 2015

By E. Siami-Irdemoosa, S. R. Dindarloo

"Pareto analysis was used to investigate the failures database of a Hitachi EX1900 hydraulic shovel over one year of continuous operation. The hydraulic system and hydraulic links, hoses and piping were identified as the most critical system and subsystem, respectively. A three-parameter gamma distribution function was identified as the best fit for a probabilistic modeling of the time between failures (TBFs). This distribution was used in a Monte Carlo reliability analysis of the hydraulic system. Autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA), within the context of a time series analysis of the TBFs, was proposed as a viable alternative to the traditional technique of distribution fitting. The mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) metric was used to compare the two models. The MAPE value that resulted from the ARIMA was 66 percent smaller than that from the traditional technique in predicting the TBFs.Resumen ¦ Se usó análisis Pareto para investigar la base de datos de fallas de una pala hidráulica Hitachi EX1900 durante un periodo de un año de operación continua. Se identificó al sistema hidráulico y a los enlaces hidráulicos, mangueras y tuberías como el sistema y subsistema más importantes, respectivamente. Se identificó una función de distribución de tres parámetros gamma como el más apto para un modelado de probabilidades del tiempo transcurrido entre las fallas (Tabes por sus siglas en inglés). Esta distribución fue usada en un análisis de confiabilidad Monte Carlo para un sistema hidráulico. El promedio de movimiento integrado auto-regresivo (ARIMA por sus siglas en inglés), dentro del contexto de análisis de serie temporal de los TBFs, fue propuesto como una alternativa viable a la tradicional técnica de ajuste de distribución. Se usó el porcentaje de la media absoluta de error (MAPE) para comparar los dos modelos. El valor MAPE que resultó de la ARIMA fue 66 por ciento menor que el resultado obtenido con la técnica tradicional de predicción de TBFs."

Jan 1, 2015

By E. K. H. Goh

A reliability-based engineering design approach for the effective design of reshaped spoil dumps was developed with the aim of obtaining structurally reliable spoil dumps at optimum reshaping costs. The aim was also to satisfy environmental erosion standards and community expectations. This approach encompasses the linking up of three major components: erosion appraisal of spoil dump designs, reliability-based engineering design of spoil dumps and costing of spoil dump reshaping practices. This paper addresses the application of the reliability-based engineering- design approach to the assessment of spoil dump designs for erosion control. Included are various types of erosion prediction models and reliability-based engineering-design analytical techniques. Also included is a case study that demonstrates the application of this approach.

Jan 1, 2000

By W. -C. Huang

In this paper, a methodology for the reliability assessment of geogrid-reinforced unpaved roadways is presented, by taking into account the variability of the subgrade?s undrained shear strength. Analyses are performed using the Point Estimate Method and the Monte Carlo simulations technique. The undrained shear strength is represented by its correlation with the California Bearing Ratio and it is modeled as a random variable following a long-normal distribution. Analyses are performed for different types of reinforcement. The study provides a quantitative assessment of the variation of the system?s probability of failure with this parameter. Overall, the approach suggested in this study may be considered as a complementary approach on the traditional concepts of global or partial safety factors.

Jan 1, 2008

By Davorin Kolic, Harald Wagner

Conventional ground support in accordance with latest state-of-the-art considers proper preparation of geotechnical investigation, structural design, observation during construction and fair risk sharing documents. Depending on the ground, there are different means and methods, reflecting different experiences. The paper is presenting ground support concepts, as mostly used in Europe during the past three decades. It discusses the use of anchors as well as the use of steel arches respectively combinations. It also discusses different applications of plain shotcrete, respectively fibre reinforced shotcrete. As excavation sequence is a major input to create the ground arch, the paper discusses also criteria to create closed ring conditions. Finally deformation criteria will be presented with case histories in order to control stability of the structure.

Jan 1, 2001

By Konstantinos Komnitsas, Evangelos Petrakis, Emmanouil Varouchakis

The paper discusses the limitations of population balance modeling (PBM) in predicting particle size distribution in grinding systems. It introduces a nonlinear framework that transforms the batch grinding equation into the Rosin-Rammler distribution, providing more accurate analysis under different operating conditions. The study uses marble as test material and investigates the adaptability of the nonlinear model with different media sizes.

Oct 1, 2023

By Bjørn Nilsen

"INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND Weakness zones or faults containing clay-rich gouge represent one of the most challenging rock mass conditions to be encountered during tunneling. In Norway, such conditions count for a large part of the rock support costs, and in cases where the rock support has been insufficient, serious instability and cave-in have in many cases been the result. Most commonly, such cave-in has occurred after water filling of hydropower tunnels, but in some cases it has also occurred in tunnels under excavation and in completed “dry” tunnels. To avoid instability, two important requirements have to be fulfilled: 1) The location of the weakness zone and its character have to be identified in time. 2) The rock support has to be sufficient to withstand the loading caused by the zone. An incident which really brought the problems related to swelling clay into focus was the cave-in at the Hanekleiv road tunnel in 2006. Here, rock fall from the roof as shown in Figure 1 occurred unexpectedly about 10 years after the tunnel was completed. Fortunately this happened at a time with very little traffic, and nobody was injured. This incident emphasized the significance of the issue of swelling clay, although it was found to be caused also by gravitational collapse of the clay-rich gouge material of the weakness zone, and not related to swelling only (Nilsen et al. 2007).In this paper, main focus will be on discussing the characteristic features of swelling clay, test procedures which are being used for characterizing swelling clay, and the reliability of the results from testing for use in support evaluation and design in conditions with swelling clay. It is generally well known that swelling clay may cause considerable pressure on support elements, but quantifying this pressure for reliable analysis and design of rock support is still a great challenge."

Jan 1, 2016

By Konstantinos Komnitsas, Evangelos Petrakis, Emmanouil Varouchakis

During the modeling of grinding systems, population balance modeling (PBM) which considers a constant breakage rate has been widely used over the past years. However, in some cases, PBM exhibited some limitations, and time-dependent approaches have been developed. Recently, a non-linear framework which considers the traditional linear theory of the PBM as a partial case was introduced, thus allowing the estimation of product particle size distribution in relation to grinding time or the specific energy input to the mill. In the proposed model the simplified form of the fundamental batch grinding equation was transformed into the well-known Rosin–Rammler (RR) distribution. Besides, the adaptability and reliability of the prediction model are among others dependent upon the operating conditions of the mill and the adjustment of the RR distribution to the experimental data. In this study, a series of grinding tests were performed using marble as test material, and the adaptability of the non-linear model was investigated using three loads of single size media, i.e., 40, 25.4, and 12.7 mm. The results indicate that the proposed model enables a more accurate analysis of grinding, compared to PBM, for different operating conditions.

Jun 24, 2023

By Y. Xi, T. M. Yegulalp

An availability approach for determining the capacity of a major Bucket Wheel Excavator (BWE) system to be used in the Yuabaoshan Surface Coal Mine in China is presented in this paper. Based on previous studies on other BWE systems for delay times due to internal and external causes and a four-level maintenance and repair schedule, a model was developed, taking into account all random failures, to present a fast and simple solution to this highly complex problem. A procedure employing the Markov renewal theory for determination of the distribution of random failure times and failure rate of the whole system, as well as some other factors useful for calculation of the overall system capacity, are discussed.

Jan 1, 1994

By Y. Xi

In this paper we present an availability approach for determining the capacity of a major bucket wheel excavator (BWE) system to be used in Yuabaoshan surface coal mine in China. Based on previous time studies on other BWE systems for delay times due to internal and external causes, and a four-level maintenance and repair schedule, we develop a model taking into account all random failures and present a fast and simple solution to this highly complex problem. A procedure employing the Markov renewal theory for determination of the distribution of random failure times and failure rate of the whole system, as well as some other factors useful for calculation of the overall system capacity are discussed in the paper.

Jan 1, 1993

By Snehamoy Chatterjee, Sanjay Kumar Palei, Smarak Das

Machine manufacturers’ recommendations on maintenance strategies of capital-intensive draglines are not always based on real data and therefore lead to losses from downtime. This paper proposes a preventive maintenance strategy for a dragline deployed in an opencast coal mine based on reliability-centered maintenance and failure-mode-effects analysis using real operational data. Reliability-centered maintenance replaced a cluster of critical failure components of the dragline while satisfying two specific conditions: (i) the components should be replaced at the earliest mean time to failure (MTTF) within the group and (ii) the time taken to replace all the parts should be equivalent to the maximum downtime within the group. Estimated threshold weightage factor identified twenty-six critical failure components for the preventive maintenance strategy, and clustering of components divided them into nine groups. In a group, the loss that is expected to occur by replacing some of the components before their failure, and the gain by reducing the overall maintenance downtime, has been explained through a cost-benefit analysis. The total net profit generated is calculated as US$200,178. This clustering activity also led to a reduction of annual downtime by 231 h, whose approximate market price as equivalent coal production costs $295,365.

May 28, 2020

By R. V. Ramani

In this paper, the application of the concepts of reliability engineering to the evaluation of longwall system performance is illustrated with data from an operating longwall face. A number of cases are analyzed to highlight the impacts of longwall equipment, geological conditions and outby haulage on systems reliability and availability.

Jan 1, 1988

By W. R. Bruce, R. W. Wittkopp, R. L. Parratt

Introduction The Relief Canyon gold deposit is about 24 km (15 miles) east of Lovelock at the south end of the Humboldt Range in northwestern Nevada. The deposit, is in the Relief-Antelope Springs mining district, which has historically produced silver, antimony, and mercury. There is, however, no mention in the literature of commercial gold production. Fluorite prospects at the gold deposit site have had no reported production. At Relief Canyon, the Late Triassic Grass Valley formation overlies and is in fault contact with the Late Triassic Natchez Pass formation. Epithermal disseminated gold mineralization is found within the various types of fault breccia between these two formations. Geology The Natchez Pass formation of Late Middle to Late Triassic age is composed of more than 300 m (985 ft) of massive gray to dark gray locally carbonaceous dolomitic limestone. Some minor beds of shale and siltstone up to 1 m (3 ft) thick are found in the project area. The limestone is locally silty or sandy. The color of this formation below the oxidation base ranges from gray to black and appears to be a function of carbon content. The Grass Valley formation of Late Triassic age is composed of more than 200 m (655 ft) of interbedded units of thinly parted argillite, hard gray to brown quartzite, siltstone, and shale. Within the oxidation zone, these units are olive gray. A few beds within this formation are slightly calcareous and a number of sections, especially those containing shale, are dolomitic. Below the oxidation zone, the quartzite beds are often slightly carbonaceous and the argillite, siltstone, and shale beds are often highly carbonaceous, giving them a black color. Two types of intrusive rocks have been recognized at the Relief Canyon deposit. Both appear to predate mineralization. Fine to moderately fine grained quartz monzonite dikes, up to 3 m (10 ft) thick, were encountered in several drill holes. In a number of intervals, these dikes have undergone either propylitic or argillic alteration. The age of these types of dikes is not known. It appears, however, that they are either Jurassic or Cretaceous. No gold mineralization has been found in this type of dike. Diabase dikes were also encountered in a number of drill holes. These dikes have almost always been propylitically altered. Although the exact age of the diabase dikes is not known, they are probably equivalent in age to the quartz monzonite dikes. Quaternary alluvium is found forming fans at the base of steep slopes and as recent fill in present day drainages. The alluvium is composed of either Natchez Pass limestone or Grass Valley quartzite and siltstone, depending on which unit served as the bedrock source. A significant portion of the Relief Canyon deposit is covered by Quaternary alluvium. Figure 1 shows a generalized geologic map of the Relief Canyon area. At the deposit's site, the Grass Valley formation appears to have been thrust over the Natchez Pass formation. The age of the thrust is probably correlatable with the Nevadan Orogeny, which gives it a Jurassic-Cretaceous age. The general strike of the thrust, referred to as the Relief Fault, is in a northwest direction. The strike of the bedding of both the Natchez Pass and Grass Valley formations roughly parallel the strike of the Relief Fault. The general dip of both the Natchez Pass and Grass Valley formations is in a southwest direction. The general dip of the Relief Fault, in the area of the Relief Canyon gold deposit, varies and has the appearance of a northeast-southeast striking anticline that plunges in a southwest direction. A small fold perpendicular to the plunge of this anticline forms a dome over the southerly portion of the Relief Canyon deposit. A number of northeast and northwest trending normal faults slightly offset the Relief Fault. Because of their small displacement, they are not shown on the generalized map. Gold Mineralization Gold mineralization occurs along the highly brecciated fault contact between the Natchez Pass and Grass Valley formations. Weak gold mineralization often occurs up to 2 m (6.5 ft) above the thrust in the Grass Valley formation. Most of the ore grade mineralization, however, is present below the Grass

Jan 11, 1984

By Nora M. Hutt, Kevin A. Morin

One technique for controlling ongoing acidic drainage is to relocate and submerge net-acid-generating waste rock in a lake or water-retaining impoundment. This can lead to the overall improvement of water quality and the reduction In short-term environmental liabilities. A case study of this technique is the Eskay Creek Mine in northern British Columbia. Some findings of the study are: (1) the addition of lime to each truckload of rock, based on its rinse pH, neutralized the accumulated acidity and suppressed the accumulated-metal release, (2) only 10-20% of the dump's neutralization potential had been consumed when acidic drainage appeared, (3) water chemistry in the watershed recovered roughly three years after relocation, and (4) environmental liability was reduced due to the cessation of on-land acidic drainage with no degradation of lake chemistry.

Jan 1, 2000

By Mark L. Matthews

In 1978, Congress enacted Public Law 95-604, the "Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978." The Act authorizes the Department of Energy to stabilize and control the tailings from designated inactive uranium mill tailings sites in a safe and environmentally acceptable manner. DOE has established the Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Actions (UMTRA) Project Office to implement, in cooperation with the affected States, Indian tribes and owners of the sites, remedial actions at the sites. The UMTRA Project Office has initiated efforts to perform remedial actions in accordance with EPA cleanup standards.

Jan 1, 1981