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By Graham J. Morgan

The following material is excerpted from a presentation Mr. Morgan gave recently to representatives of the financial community. Introduction 1982 was a period of challenge for United States Gypsum Company because of reduced market opportunity. Housing starts for the first 10 months averaged a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1 million units, 9% below the comparable 1981 period when housing starts were the lowest in 35 years. Industry gypsum board shipments declined 9% from the already low levels of the same period in 1981. US Gypsum met the challenge with stringent cost reduction programs and aggressive action in the marketplace. In late 1981, anticipating market deterioration, the company's management adopted strategies to focus on two shortterm objectives: • Adjust operations to perform profitably in view of limited opportunities through more efficient operations and asset management. • Continue to strengthen U.S.G.'s resources and ability to take advantage of important market opportunities as the economy improves through selective expansion of production capacity in key growth markets. Concentration on these two objectives resulted in a nine month performance in 1982 that, while certainly not satisfactory by company standards, compared very favorably with that of principal competitors in terms of net earnings, margin on sales, and return on average stockholders' equity. To counteract limited market opportunities, U.S.G. focused on productivity improvement, cost reduction, expense control, and maximization of market penetration. Energy Use Improving performance encompassed all segments of operations. For example, efficient use of energy was a significant factor despite lower operating rates at most plants. Overall, in the third quarter of 1982 versus 1972, the company used 27% less energy per unit of production, a savings of $15 million in that quarter alone. These continuing improvements helped to partially offset constantly rising energy costs. A number of operations achieved superior results in the first nine months of the year compared with the same period in 1981. For example, gypsum board plants in Jacksonville, FL, and Sweetwater, TX, recorded 8% and 7% reductions, respectively, in energy use per unit of production. Paper mills in Oakfield, NY, Galena Park, TX, and Kansas City, MO, each reduced energy use more than 12%, while the Greenville, MS, ceiling products facility achieved a 16%o reduction. Safety Safety is another important element that received increased attention. U.S.G.'s safety performance over the past five years has consistently improved. In 1981 it was five times better than that of the gypsum industry; nearly 10 times better than all industry as measured by the National Safety Council; and almost 20 times better than all US manufacturing as recorded by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In addition to human concerns, this excellent record results in significant dollar savings that directly affect company results. In 1981, U.S.G.'s pre-tax savings in claims, premiums, and related expenses were about $20 million compared to the industries in which it competes. For the first half of 1982 performance improved further, with a cumulative lost workday incidence rate per 200,000 man-hours worked of only 0.27, an all-time record. Expense Control Careful control of inventories and receivables also received special attention. As of Sept. 30, 1982, inventories were 29%, or $44 million, below the level of Sept. 30,

Jan 2, 1983

By Gerald G. Griswold, Allan G. Provost

INTRODUCTION The Norad Expansion Project was located 10 miles southwest of Colorado Springs, Colorado, within Cheyenne Mountain. The expansion areas to be excavated would be adjacent to the existing underground Norad complex, which would remain in operation during the work on the expansion. The original complex had been constructed approximately eight years earlier and had been in full operation for approximately five years. Phase I, Excavation was awarded the Tiro Construction Corporation, a subsidiary of Harrison Western Corporation, Denver, Colorado, in the fall of 1970. Notice to Proceed was given to Tiro on 28 December 1970. The project owner was the U. S. Air Force, design was performed by the U. S. Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, who would also serve as the construction agency. [ ]

Jan 1, 1979

By Neil White

South Africa (SA), a country in which all three commercially important asbestos minerals have been mined and milled, has retained proven cases of mesothelioma linked with environmental exposure to asbestos. This study illustrates the importance of fiber type in the occurrence of environmental mesothelioma. Four studies have reviewed the source of occupational or environmental asbestos exposure in 504 histologically proven cases of mesothelioma in South Africa. One hundred and eighteen cases (23%) were thought to be related to environmental exposure to asbestos. In the vast majority of these cases, exposure was linked to crocidolite mining activities in the Northern Cape Province. Two cases were thought to have occurred in relation to amosite and Transvaal crocidolite exposure in the Limpopo Province. In the balance of cases there was some uncertainty. No cases were reported with exposure to South African chrysotile. Consequently, in the vast majority of cases of mesothelioma, environmental exposure to asbestos occurred in the Northern Cape Province, in proximity to mines, mills and dumps where crocidolite was processed. Crocidolite appears to be far more mesotheliomagenic than amosite, and chrysotile has not been implicated in the disease. This is true for both occupationally and environmentally exposed individuals. ©2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Keywords: Crocidolite; Mesothelioma; Chrysotile; Amosite; South Africa

Jan 1, 2007

The Coeur Rochester Mine is one of the largest and lowest cost primary silver mines in the United States. In January, the mine surpassed 3.1 kt (100 million oz) of historic silver production. Rochester is owned and operated by Coeur d’Alene Mines, the world’s largest primary silver producer. Rochester is the world’s seventh largest silver mine. It also produces gold — more than 31.1 t (1 million oz) in historic production. Cash operating costs have averaged 8 cents/g ($2.58/oz) of silver since operations began in 1986.

Jan 1, 2004

By N. Cruickshank

Gas outbursts occur as sudden eruptions of gas and minerals from the face of a mine heading as the heading approaches potentially burst-prone (or anomalous) zones of rock. Such outbursts have resulted in considerable damage to equipment and in some cases lives have been lost. Characterizing these anomalous zones and detecting their presence is therefore vital to safe mining. Certain significant characteristics associated with the outburst-prone zones are: (1) the presence of fluid inclusions, (2) unstable stress conditions, (3) characteristic geologic structures, (4) certain physical properties of the rock, and (5) micro-seismic activity. Geophysical and engineering methods for detecting these characterisitcs are discussed and are considered with respect to their past success and future potential for predicting gas outbursts.

Jan 1, 1985

By Roberto J. Guardia, Ted Lewtas, Peter Rasmussen, Klaus Winkler

As part of the Lake Fort Smith Water Supply Dam Enlargement project, located in northwest Arkansas, microtunneling methods were used to install two side-by-side,1.53m (60-in) inside-diameter steel pipes between the intake structure shaft and the lake. The 46.6 m- (153 ft-) and 41.7 m- (137 ft-) long tunnels were excavated in Pennsylvanian sedimentary bedrock ranging from coarse sandstone to siltstone and shale-like claystone. The intake tunnels were constructed 18.3 m (60 ft) below lake level from the dry shaft. Special installation methods and procedures described herein were used to complete the lake taps. Installation difficulties that caused minor delays are also reviewed. After the excavation of the Intake shaft was completed, the two lake taps were installed in approximately ten weeks with the same microtunneling machine.

Jan 1, 2005

By V. L. Franzen, Z. J. Hladysz, C. A. Kliche

The Wharf Resources mine, located in the Bald Mountain Mining District approximately 6.4 km (4miles) west of Lead, South Dakota, has operated a surface gold and silver mine and heap leaching processing facility since 1983. Wharf Resources intends to mine and process gold and silver ore from the Wharf Expansion area which is located on the eastern flank of the currently permitted Foley Ridge Mine. The Trojan Pit for the Wharf Expansion area was initially designed with an overall highwall slope angle of 45o. During mine permit presubmission meetings with personnel from the SD Department of Environment and Natural Resources (SD DENR), the question arose as to whether a detailed slope stability analysis of the proposed Trojan Pit highwalls was completed to justify the 45o slope. Wharf’s response was that the highwall design was based, in part, upon studies completed in1987 on the Annie Creek and Foley Ridge Mines; and, in part, upon subsequent slope stability analyses conducted by Wharf mine personnel through 1996. It was suggested by the SD DENR that the stability study be updated to reflect structural geological conditions in the Wharf Expansion area.

Jan 1, 2000

By D. He

In China, the total reserves of vanadium, reported as V2O5, in stone coal is 118 Mt (130 million st). Recovering vanadium from such a large resource is very important to China?s vanadium industry. The technology now being used to recover vanadium from stone coal has the following two problems in the leaching process: a low recovery of vanadium and high acid consumption. To resolve these problems, a new leaching technology is proposed. The effects of factors such as H2SO4 concentration, liquid-solid ratio, temperature and time, and the types and additions of additives were studied. By adding 1.5% (by weight) CaF2 and leaching the roasted residue of stone coal with 5.4% (by weight) sulfuric acid at 90°C for 12 hours at a liquid-solid ratio of 2 mL/g, the leaching degree of vanadium reached 83.10%. This proposed leaching technology gives a feasible alternative for the processing of roasting residue of stone coal and can be applied in the comprehensive utilization of stone coal ores in China.

Jan 1, 2008

By Paul M. Godlewski, Joseph P. Gildner, David S. McAllister

With construction underway on the 22.5 km (14 mile) Initial Segment of the Link Light Rail transit system in Seattle (including the one-mile EPB-driven running tunnels and mined station at Beacon Hill), the Sound Transit Board on May 20, 2004 voted on selection of a preferred route for an approximately eight-mile extension northwards from the central business district to Northgate, and authorized immediate start of advanced conceptual/preliminary engineering and geotechnical exploration programs scheduled to be completed in Spring 2005. The extension includes approximately914 m (30,000) route-feet of bored running tunnels, a mined station with platform level approximately 60 m (200 ft) below grade, three (possibly four) cut-and-cover stations and a cut-and-cover cross-over structure, as well as an aerial terminal station at Northgate and other line-section below-grade and aerial structures. All tunneling will be in glacial soils.

Jan 1, 2005

By Louis W. Cope

Mongolia is known in western countries as the location of rich dinosaur fossil fields. However, the country is even richer in mineral resources. The Ministry of Industry and Trade reports 6,000 mineral occurrences of 80 metals and minerals. Mongolia has already attracted much foreign investment in the mining sector. Mining is the country’s largest industry. It is responsible for 17 percent of the gross domestic product, 65 percent of industrial output and 57 percent of export earnings.

Jan 1, 2006

By N. Arbiter, C. C. Harris

The economic advantages of large diameter ball mills can be compromised by unexpected capacity limiting conditions. These arise because media rotational flow to ore axial flow ratios, and the number of mill revolutions that ore is subjected to during residence, are both inversely proportional to mill diameter. Because of this, mixing efficiency and grinding kinetics may decrease and become capacity limiting when mill diameters reach a critical range. There are two possible scale-up problems involved in the design and use of mineral processing machinery: • Selecting the size and operating conditions for available larger equipment, to insure that operating results will match those obtained with smaller units; or •Extending the size ranges of equipment beyond existing limits. Previous research at Columbia University into flotation machine hydrodynamics has demonstrated the importance in scale-up of internal flow relationships; these perform a similar role in grinding (Arbiter and Harris, 1980).

Jan 1, 1982

By K. Freytag

The extraction of lignite in open-cast mines has a severe impact on the landscape. Proper landscaping after the shut-down of the mines has always been the statutory responsibility of the mine operator. The large area of the land used for open-cast lignite mining requires special regional planning procedures well in advance of the permitting procedure stipulated in the mining law. The lignite plan determines, among other things, the objectives of land reclamation. These objectives will then be outlined in more detail in the mine operation plans and implemented accordingly. Apart from the actual mining laws and regulations, a large number of environmental laws also determine the process of land reclamation. The success achieved in the field of land reclamation in all mining regions during the recent decades has shown that the lignite mining industry creates new landscapes that do not leave any scars in the countryside and merge very well with it.

Jan 1, 2005

By P. Massacci, F. La Marca, G. Bonifazi

Certain deposits of incoherent materials which are near the surface and exploitable by open-pit mining may be characterized in real time before they are mined through an analysis of ground-surface imagery. If the slice to be stripped is not overly thick, in fact, surface texture and color properties may be extrapolated to its entire thickness. Image analysis techniques to process ground surface images acquired in situ(or in the laboratory shortly after their acquisition) which yield pattern vectors representative of RGB color component distributions and HSB texture parameters have been developed. The techniques were applied to a mineral sandy ore deposit containing three different lithotypes. Geostatistical analyses showed that the data used to characterize the lithotypes were reliable. The correct recognition of the lithotypes was carried out using a multi-barycenter classification algorithm. Such in situ image-analysis procedures open the way to the proper selection of the ore to be mined, or the proper way for run of mine (r.o.m).processing, or the appropriate blend to be processed before or at the same time as the mining process itself is enacted.

Jan 1, 1999

By W. David Tyler

Any mining or engineering-construction excavation that extends below the water table must be dewatered. In many situations, the ground is of low permeability or the workings extend only a short distance below the water table. So water removal can be handled easily and economically by using mobile centrifugal pumps. However, there is an increasing number of mines that have a continuous high flow of water into the workings. Controlling this flow can significantly increase the cost of ore production. Successful implementation of any major dewatering scheme will ultimately rely on a clear understanding of the local geology. This understanding is necessary before an interpretation of ground water conditions can be made. It will dictate which dewatering methods are feasible. Once the geology and the ground water system are known, the scope and timing of the dewatering measures can be varied with the mine plan. Ground water modeling can assist in optimizing the dewatering system, though the precise objective of each model should be clearly defined. Production wells must be sited and drilled so that individual well efficiencies are high. Any lost efficiencies will translate into higher operating costs. Each well must be designed for maximum long-term control of the water table, and pumps sized to operate under continually changing heads. Finally, the investment in each production well must be protected during the mining process.

Jan 1, 1991

By Christopher J. Bambridge, Lee Seng Hoor

The Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel (SMART) Tunnel is a world first in the use of tunnel space transmitting both road and water through the same spatial envelope. The unique aspect of the SMART project is that the highway decks are used periodically for the conveyance of water. This aspect of the project has posed its own technical challenges that have been overcome in the design stage of the work allowing the project to be taken forward to construction with confidence in the systems to be Installed in the tunnel.

Jan 1, 2005

By Jose A. Delgadillo

The hydrocyclone problem has been a challenging task for the last 30 years. In the 80’s and 90’s Computational Fluid Dynamics solution to this problem began to appear. These were unsuccessful due to over simplification. In the past 3 dimensional solution with ?-e model and Reynolds Stress Model have been published. In this paper RSM and ?-e models are compared with velocity profiles measured in 75 mm and 250 mm diameter hydrocyclones. It is shown that results are not satisfactory with RSM or ?-e and that a model called Large Eddy Simulation is needed to describe velocity profile evolution and size classification.

Jan 1, 2005

By Thomas D. Kelly

In 1900, the average U.S. citizen’s average life span was 47 years. He traveled about 1,900 km (1,200miles) in a lifetime and resided in a home with an ice-box for food storage and oil or gas for lighting. He communicated by mail, telegraph and crude telephones with limited availability and range. By 2000, the average citizen’s life span was 77 years. He traveled an average of 19,000 km/a (12,000 miles/year) by automobile alone. He resided in a home with many electrical appliances, including refrigerators and electric lights. And he communicated almost instantaneously with any other part of the globe by several widely available means, including portable phones and e-mail.

Jan 1, 2002

By F. Segobia, M. Portal, F. Ysla, A. Mujica, L. Goicochea

The “Building Our Future” project is a collaborative initiative between the UNC SME Student Chapter and the Water and Earth Museum (MAT) of Asociación Los Andes Cajamarca (ALAC), both corporate entities of Newmont Yanacocha. Its mission is to promote responsible and sustainable mining among new generations while fostering a culture of equality and respect. This comprehensive educational program integrates sustainable development goals and includes workshops led professionals and external experts who share their personal stories to inspire students from rural and urban educational institutions to follow their dreams. Additionally, for this year 2024, the project development and implemented an interactive mobile application that educates users about the use of minerals in everyday life through four levels: Minerals in the Home, Minerals in Medicine, Minerals in Transportation, and Minerals in Agriculture. This multi-faceted approach seeks to raise awareness about the importance of mining in Peru’s economic, environmental, and social development, ultimately fostering a new generation of informed and engaged citizens who understand the vital role of mining in a sustainable future.

Feb 1, 2025

The US Constitution provides for regulation by the states for protecting the public's safety, health, and welfare. Hence, in the eyes of the law of all states today, this is the sole justification for registration of professional engineers. Wyoming was the first state to register professional engineers in 1907, to correct abuses of incompetent or fraudulent practices in surveying and real estate. Public safety and health are most directly affected by civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering. Other branches of engineering have a profound effect on the public welfare, including investors, and safety and health of employees. No arguments, pro or con, are valid except in relation to the registration laws of various states. Code of Ethics Few would argue the desirability of requiring conformance with a code of ethics. A major problem lies in enforcing compliance, since protecting the public demands a high standard of competence, yet assessing competence gets confused with restraint of trade. Bidding engineering work on price competition can lead to pressure to cut corners on engineering quality, and was therefore discouraged by codes of ethics. The Supreme Court, in a suit against the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), barred any engineering society from such bidding restriction. It has, however, upheld the right of states to impose codes of acceptable practice as part of registration laws. For example, Texas Canon I reads, "The engineer's paramount professional responsibility should be the safety, health, and welfare of the general public." Anything less makes the code practically meaningless, but there are potential conflicts of interest in many engineering organizations. How can conflicts be handled? Any corporation could improve its public image by adopting a policy that each employed PE should, without fear of recrimination, record in writing over his seal any problem or flaw in any design that comes to his attention. The policy should further require that his superior provide him a written reply pointing out that the "flaw" is accepted as requiring correction or as a calculated risk, or overruled as erroneous or as a difference of opinion. Errors in calculation of judgment are inevitable. Despite this, there are limits to how much time and money should be spent to eliminate them. It is difficult, however, to see any excuse for failure to conscientiously evaluate the opinion of a PE. This may be an impossible ideal, but how else can the profession or the industry have credibility? The National Council of Engineering Examiners (NCEE) has a code of ethics one presumably subscribes to by signing an application to write a Principles and Practices examination. However, NCEE has none of the power of enforcement that is available through state boards of registration. Registration Qualifications Qualifications are set by the laws of the states. In general, they require passage of an eight-hour examination in fundamentals, preferably at graduation, and, later, one in principles and practices. The examinations are compiled and distributed by NCEE. This system provides for a high degree of uniformity and reciprocity. States set the education and experience levels (typically four years after graduation) required by those desiring to write the principles and practices examination. Examinations The principles and practices examination calls for answering eight of 20 equal weight questions; one on engineering economics, 19 on engineering. Economics may enter into engineering questions, but only provided the question is not answerable by an economist without engineering training. In preparing examinations, NCEE strives to use questions that require some judgment and can be more effectively answered by someone with four years experience beyond college. The aim is to assess entry-level professional

Jan 2, 1984

By B. Caro Vargas

The Toulon Tunnel project is a key component of the highway corridor on the French Riviera between Marseille and Nice and is a fundamental transportation infrastructure for the region. The first design studies started in the 1960s. The tunnel project is comprised of two separate tunnels: south and north. The north tunnel was built between 1992 and 2002 after 10 years of difficult construction. On March 15, 1996, for example, a collapse of the tunnel in the Marchand area generated a sinkhole in the city center, causing a 20-month delay. The south tunnel alignment runs parallel to the north tunnel below Toulon?s historical downtown at a depth of 20 to 40 m (65 to 131 ft) with some areas with less than 10 m (32 ft) of cover. The risk management program was studied to be a state of the art program in urban tunneling construction.

Jan 1, 2012