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By Albert H. Fay, Herbert M. Wilson

The national mine-safety demonstration at Pittsburgh, Pa., was projected and undertaken in the hope that it would aid the increase of safety in the mining industry. That the national mine-safety demonstration was warranted and has served a useful purpose was evidenced by the attendance, not only at the public demonstration in Forbes Field, but also at the more special exhibit of the work of the Bureau of Mines at the arsenal grounds and at the experimsntal. mine. Nearly 2,000 persons witnessed the demonstrations and exhibits of the Bureau of Mines at the arsenal grounds on the morning of October 30, 1911. The spectators were all mine operators, miners, or persons interested in mining, and represented operations in all parts of the United States. Nearly 1,200 of these persons visited the bureau's experimental mine at Bruceton to witness ~th~explosion of coal dust. Had the weather, which was exceptionally inclement, been more favorable, there would doubtless have been a much larger attendance. At the public demonstration in Forbes Field, which· was witnessed by President Taft, from 12,000 to 15,000 persons, chiefly mining men, were present and attested their interest and enthusiasm in the minesafety exhibits by remaining throughout the proceedings, regardless of the rain which fell all the morning .. Sincethis demonstration, the organization of first-aid corps and of rescue corps has been undertaken at mines where there had previously been no such organizations. The bureau has received letters of commendation attesting the value of the demonstration in drawing· attention to the dangers and to possible means of greater safety in mining. Many of these letters have urged that the results of the demonstration be published for the guidance and instruction of those who were present. In response to these reauests the following account of the mine- BlIIeLY demonstration lias been prepared. IIi its preparation various division and section chiefs of the Bureau of Mines have cooperated. The authors acknowledge the assistance they have received from those section chiefs and other members of the bureau who contributed detailed descriptions of apparatus exhibited at the demonstration or of investigations represented.

Jan 1, 1912

By K. Thuro, L. Wilfing, H. Kasling

"In mechanized tunneling, performance prediction is a crucial issue for estimating excavation costs and construction time of a tunnel project. The aim of this work is to compare the calculated parameters by penetration prediction models with the results of penetration tests during excavation by a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) at actual tunnel projects. This comparison helps to improve the existing prediction models (Gehring, 1995 and Rostami (Colorado School of Mines), 1997.) and to develop a new, so-called “Alpine Model” (research group ABROCK; Schneider et al., 2012).On-site penetration tests are a common tool to determine performance of a TBM in certain geological environments. During a test, the TBM is operated under defined conditions that allow comparing the results of different projects and machine types. There are two different types of penetration tests in use. The more common type, described by Bruland (1998a), is based on test drives at different thrust levels. The tests in this study are performed as start-stop-tests, meaning that the TBM starts from zero to the maximum possible thrust and reverse with slowly increasing respectively decreasing steps (Frenzel et al., 2012). To gain information about the interaction between TBM and rock mass, a detailed geological documentation including an analysis of the discontinuity pattern and laboratory testing for rock strength characterization are mandatory.Within the last year 16 penetration tests have been performed. The results are thrust- penetration curves (Figure 2) showing that up to a certain penetration rate only crushing occurs (subcritical penetration). From there the desired rock fragmentation process called chipping takes place (Frenzel et al., 2012). These two different fragmentation processes can be described best by a bilinear function as seen in Figure 3. Both, CSM- and Gehring-model, do not fit to the trend of the penetration rates determined during the excavation process as they are using potential or simple linear functions.Another parameter that has to be implemented into the new prediction model is the influence of discontinuities. In case of favorable orientation and spacing, discontinuities reduce the required thrust at same penetration rates. In contrast, unfavorable discontinuity systems can cause blocky faces and hence worse performance than predicted. Besides discontinuities, the toughness of rocks has to be taken into account when predicting the penetration as tough rocks need more energy to obtain complete failure than brittle rocks.Key advantage of these tests in comparison to existing are more data points in less time. By improving respectively extending the existing penetration prediction models with the stated parameters, the penetration prediction for TBMs can be more accurate and also wear calculation can benefit from this approach."

Jan 1, 2015

By Alan A. Campoli

OD March 20, 1989, a meeting was held at the U.S. Bureau of Mines Pittsburgh Research Center at the request of Senator Pete V. Domenici of New Mexico. The purpose of the meeting was to engender a technical relationship between the National Laboratories and the minerals industry. During the meeting, the Director of the Bureau of Mines, T S Ary, suggested that since the Bureau is the focal point for mining research in the United States, it would be appropriate for the agency to act as the liaison between the National Laboratories and the minerals industry. As the first step in this process, the author was selected to perform a 6-month investigation to better define the proper role of the Bureau in this area. As part of the investigation, the mining and mineral-related technology available at 21 major U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Research Laboratories was reviewed. It was assumed that the broad range of scientific and technical areas covered DOE research would provide fertile ground for mining-related technologies. It was hoped that the applicability of DOE research to this liaison effort would be indicative of Federal laboratories in general.

Jan 1, 2011

By S. Norman Kesten

The Galena mine is located astride the Polaris fault in the Coeur d'Alene district of northern Idaho. The surface installations are about a mile up Lake Gulch, the mouth of which is about 2.4 km (1 112 miles) west of the old town of Wallace. The mine had its beginnings when the first claims were located in the early boom days of the district in the 1880s and when the first underground ore bodies were opened up in 1917. During the ensuing 14 years, ore was mined from which were recovered 5.4 Mkg (12 million lb) of lead and almost 14.2 Mg (112 million oz) of silver. Workings consisted principally of a vertical shaft from surface to the 800 level and an offset underground shaft to the 1600 level, together with extensive lateral openings. High-grade silver-copper ore was discovered near the Silver Standard fault in the Sunshine mine, a few miles to the west, on the 1700 level in 1930. By 1937, the Sunshine and adjacent mines were producing silver-copper ore on a regular basis. In 1943 additional ore of a similar type was found along the Chester fault, to the east of the principal Sunshine workings. The interest of American Smelting and Refining Co. (renamed ASARCO in 1975) was aroused and the company's geologists determined that the Galena mine, idle since 1931, provided a geological environment in which similar ore might be found. After negotiations were initiated with the owners of the property, Callahan Zinc-Lead Co., the property in question was deeded to Callahan's wholly owned subsidiary, Vulcan Silver-Lead.

Jan 1, 1990

By M. Rudolph, J. Sygusch

Froth flotation is well-established and efficient in the selective separation of valuable particles from unwanted material with sizes ranging from 10 μm to 200 μm. However, when it comes to the separation of ultrafine particles (< 10 μm) there are still some challenges, or rather opportunities. This research aims at developing a method for the separation of ultrafine particles based on multiple particle properties. Amongst such properties are wettability, morphology (shape or roughness) and size with applications not only in mineral processing but in general chemical engineering. In this study, three differently shaped fractions are used as valuables for testing: spherical particles, elongated particles and irregularly shaped particle fragments; together with ultrafine magnetite as the gangue material, in order to investigate the effect of particle morphology on ultrafine particle flotation, as well as wettability, which is varied by esterification using alcohols. Flotation tests are carried out using a novel flotation device that was designed especially for the flotation of ultrafine particles, combining advantages from machine-type froth flotation and column flotation. The results showed that, in contrast to previous studies, recoveries for ultrafine spheres were higher than for ultrafine fragments for all wettability conditions, and hydrophobisation generally increased particle recoveries for said morphologies. Tests using fibres showed different behaviour as hydrophobisation had negative effects on their recovery, despite increased selectivities and kinetics. These findings suggest that apart from influences of particle properties within the suspension zone, their effects on the froth characteristics should be studied in more depth. Keywords: Ultrafine particles, Flotation, Particle shape, Wettability, Esterification of glass, Hydrophobisation

Jan 1, 2020

By W. A. STERLING

IN the opencut iron mines of the Mesabi Range in Minnesota, the trend in mining is in the development of mining equipment and mining methods which will move surface overburden and ore-bearing materials with less labor and at a cheaper cost. This is a must for most of the independent operators. Their reserves of direct-shipping ore are extremely small and their operations are being conducted in small, or intermediate pits, with a high stripping ratio in the outer fringes, or shore lines of older pits. and in ore bodies passing from direct shipping to the washing and the intermediate, or retreat ore state. The trend is toward deeper stripping, longer and steeper hauls, and the necessity of moving a total of from three to five or six tons of overburden and ore material for each ton of shipping-grade ore produced. This naturally calls for greater production, with larger shovels, or draglines. cheaper drilling and blasting costs through the drilling of larger-diameter blastholes, and cheaper haulage through the use of trucks of larger capacity and more extensive use of belt-conveyor systems. This trend is notable both in stripping and mining.

Jan 1, 1948

By Andrew McGrath, Geraldine Lyons, Sarah Barcelona

In the dynamic and challenging modern industry landscape, understanding and unleashing the true role and contribution of technical teams is crucial to business success. The cyclical nature of industries has led to shifts in the technical professional’s place within the organization and the technical skills that are desired most. This paper reframes the pivotal role that technical professionals play within complex operating assets to maximize value and realize full potential. This investigation focuses on the Rio Tinto Kennecott Technical group’s cultural journey, which is underpinned by an investment in its people. The conflict between legacy industry beliefs and the necessity for cultural change emerges. This is illustrated by a deep dive into the evolving case study of Kennecott’s Bingham Canyon Open Pit Mine Technical team. Here, a multi-faceted approach to cultural change is helping to unlock the team’s contribution to the life extension of an aging asset. Guided by a vision and strategic roadmap, this approach is part way through a 5-year implementation period and is yielding encouraging business outcomes.

Feb 1, 2024

By Ann G. Kim

The U.S. Bureau of Mines applied its mine fire diagnostic method to an abandoned anthracite mine fire site in Carbondale, Lackawanna County, P A. The technique to locate fires in abandoned coal mines and coal refuse piles includes the determination of hydrocarbon concentrations in mine gases, the imposition of an underground gas flow direction, and use of a surface mapping method, to define heated and cold zones in underground coal strata. The heated zones at Carbondale were characterized by elevated methane concentrations. The results of 25 communication tests were analyzed to define 2 large (approximately 100 by 250 ft) and 5 small, isolated heated zones. An approximate correlation existed between the location of the heated zones and areas of anomalous snow melt. The correlation between the results of the diagnostic? test and subsurface temperatures was not significant.

Jan 1, 2010

By G. V. Henderson

The San Gabriel Valley contains some of the richest and most extensive sand and gravel deposits in California. Operating quarries within the San Gabriel area mine more than 15 million tons of high quality aggregate per year. This represents about 45 percent of the total mined in the greater Los Angeles area, one of the nation&apos;s largest aggregate markets and producing regions. Popular opposition to continued aggregate production in the San Gabriel Valley is high, especially in the city of Irwindale where 40 per-cent of the city&apos;s property is made up of "excavated holes," some 150-200 feet deep. Reclamation of 70 years of mining is now an almost impossible task. Zoning regulations have the effect of depleting these vast reserves rapidly by changing the definition of total reserves to include only "legally minable reserves." All but two or three of the aggregate mines now operating will be depleted or zoned out of business by the year 2000. Some studies indicate that there will be no aggregate mining operations by 1995. Recent studies show a drastic change in land use patterns within this valuable mineral resource area over the past 20 years. The San Gabriel Valley is a classic example of the lack of adequate regional planning with regard to urban development in MRA&apos;s and represents a "too little, too late" effort by local government and industry.

Jan 1, 1978

By J. Kretschmann

Mining heritage can be of outstanding value for many regions around the world, because mining has been done for thousands of years for the benefit of mankind and its development. This paper presents an ongoing project creating a general guideline for the handling of mining heritage on the basis of experiences made in Germany. Interactions of stakeholders in the ?heritage network? as well as strategies for the technical proceeding will be described. An action plan for the sustainable handling of mining heritage has already been developed in part, which includes necessary measures. Best-practice recommendations will be derived. Keywords: m ining heritage / preservation / guidelines / action plan / Sustainability

Feb 27, 2013

By Paul F. Ziemkiewicz, Aaron Noble, Christopher R. Vass

Many modern industries rely on rare earth elements (REEs) to produce products that are essential to both civil and defense applications. In a prior study (Vass et al., 2019), the authors showed that REE grades in acid mine drainage (AMD) and associated byproduct precipitates from AMD treatment (AMDp) warrant evaluation as a feedstock for REE production. The current work extends that effort through a broad survey of 141 AMD treatment sites in Northern and Central Appalachia. In this study, 185 raw AMD and 623 AMDp field samples were obtained and analyzed to assess the REE and major metal concentrations. Results show that an average of 282 μg/L and 724 g/tonne of REEs occur in AMD and AMDp respectively. Additionally, both basins contained similar distributions of REEs, and these distributions tended to favor heavy and critical REEs when compared with traditional REE ore deposits. Geospatial analysis identified a total resource of 340 tonnes stored at the 141 sites sampled in this study. While this analysis did not quantify the basin-wide REE inventory, it does indicate the impact that processing cut-off grades will have on the overall AMDp resource base.

By Paul F. Ziemkiewicz, Aaron Noble, Christopher R. Vass

Many modern industries rely on rare earth elements (REEs) to produce products that are essential to both civil and defense applications. In a prior study (Vass et al., 2019), the authors showed that REE grades in acid mine drainage (AMD) and associated byproduct precipitates from AMD treatment (AMDp) warrant evaluation as a feedstock for REE production. The current work extends that effort through a broad survey of 141 AMD treatment sites in Northern and Central Appalachia. In this study, 185 raw AMD and 623 AMDp field samples were obtained and analyzed to assess the REE and major metal concentrations. Results show that an average of 282 μg/L and 724 g/tonne of REEs occur in AMD and AMDp respectively. Additionally, both basins contained similar distributions of REEs, and these distributions tended to favor heavy and critical REEs when compared with traditional REE ore deposits. Geospatial analysis identified a total resource of 340 tonnes stored at the 141 sites sampled in this study. While this analysis did not quantify the basin-wide REE inventory, it does indicate the impact that processing cut-off grades will have on the overall AMDp resource base.

Jan 1, 1986

By J. R. Thoenen

Up to 1914 almost all of the world&apos;s supply of potash came from Germany and Alsace. With the cessation of shipments from Germany during the World War the importance of a domestic suppler was evident. During the past 15 years the United States has been working toward the establishment of a domestic potash industry which would end foreign dominance in this commodity. The Federal government has taken an active part in this program. As its share in the work, the Bureau of Lines has ascertained the potash resources in certain district&apos;s through core drilling and has engaged in a comprehensive program of research on the extraction of potash from its various minerals. Until the passage of the Winter bill (H. R. 496) by Congress in 1928 the Bureau of Mines had not been able to give any consideration to the western ores, wyomingite (leucite) and alunite. With the massage of this bill, however, the ray was opened for the extension of the potash studies to cover these materials.

Jan 1, 1932

By J. R. Thoenen

Up to 1914 almost all of the world&apos;s supply of potash came from Germany and Alsace. With the cessation of shipments from Germany during the World War the importance of a domestic supply was evident, During the past 15 years the United States has been working toward the establishment of a domestic potash industry which would end foreign dominance in this commodity. The Federal government has taken an active part in this program. As its share in the work, the Bureau of Mines has ascertained the potash resources in certain districts through core drilling and has engaged in a comprehensive program of research on the extraction of potash from its various minerals. Until the passage of the Winter bill (H. R. 496) by Congress in 1928 the Bureau of Mines had not been able to give any consideration to the western ores, wyomingite (leucite) and alunite. With the Passage of this bill, however, the ray was opened for the extension of the potash studies to cover these materials.

Jan 1, 1932

By James J. Holmes

ACCIDENT prevention as we know and understand it today is of comparatively recent origin. As a matter of fact, the Industrial Accident Prevention Association of Ontario, which is the oldest organization of its kind in the Dominion, celebrated its thirtieth anniversary only this year. On the other hand, one could say that the history of accident prevention is almost the history of mankind itself. In a general sense, every forward step that man has made throughout the centuries has been largely due to two things: (1) a desire for increased comfort, and (2) the need for safety; and, always, the need for safety has taken precedence over the desire for comfort. While it is true that hundreds of volumes have been published, dealing with the many aspects of accident prevention work, you cannot go to a library and pick out a book that has all the answers in it. Such a book has never been published-we are still looking for some of the answers. However, a good deal of real progress has been made.

Jan 1, 1945

By H. C. Fowler

Technical developments in the American petroleum industry as regards exploration, drilling, production, and transportation were characterized by many anomalous conditions during the half decade 1914-19. A review of the literature of that period discloses the striking fact that individual geologists, engineers, and other technologists were surprisingly well versed concerning the occurrence of natural hydrocarbons and methods of extracting them and were acquainted with many of the physical and chemical characteristics that influence the behavior of fluids in natural reservoirs. However, the industry as a whole knew little of the correct application of recognized fundamentals; indeed, judged by present standards certain expediencies of self-styled "practical&apos; operators seem cumbersome, if not evidences of ignorance.

Jan 1, 1941

By G Malherbe, J Gonzalez, D C. Franklin, J Bassan, C T. Farrelly

To respond to ever-increasing challenges, mining companies have been experimenting with new business models and technologies in order to speed mine development, production, processing and transport. The various experiments involve mobile access to data, intelligent sensors, advanced analytics, virtual collaboration, virtual reality, automated equipment, remote operations centres and strategic partnerships. A synthesis of all these components creates a ænetwork effectÆ that can dramatically improve the overall effectiveness the entire operation. The concept of the Network Centric Mine borrows from a variety of industries, including defence, aerospace, aviation, petroleum, utilities and manufacturing. Central to the concept are improvements to the way we connect people, process, information and technology, resulting in a more highly collaborative business model, with roles and processes designed to take advantage of new technology. The components of the mining operation act as a connected network aimed at a common goal, regardless of the boundaries of organisation and location.The design of this new organisational ecosystem needs to take into account the recent advances that enable the æplug and playÆ integrated collaborative environment, including cloud computing, mobile devices and social networking, as well as advances in augmented reality, robotics, geo-location, digital labelling, simulation and analytics. However, the most consistent lesson from other industries is the need to properly enable the behaviour and process changes necessary for success.Benefits from adopting a network centric approach include the more effective use of scarce expertise, improved data and information analysis, reduced process variance, and more informed and faster decision-making. The future of mining will see more technology savvy workers who will drive the adoption of new processes. The operations will shift from a relatively static and disparate set of functions, to a digitally aware, dynamic, automated, integrated and interactive environment, with increased agility, lower operating costs, higher productivity and improved safety.CITATION:Farrelly, C T, Malherbe, G, Gonzalez, J, Bassan, J and Franklin, D C, 2012. The network centric mine, in Proceedings International Mine Management 2012, pp 143-160 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Nov 20, 2012

By Xin Wang, He Shao, Wenpu Li, Yiyi Zheng, Xi Chen, Yurong Gao

This study utilized experimental and numerical simulation methods to investigate and analyze the atomization characteristics of three internal air–water mixed atomizers under different operating conditions. By comparing the research results, the effective dust control working parameters for the application of the selected atomizer in the engineering field were determined. Firstly, the atomization characteristics of the three atomizers were studied using a customized experimental system. The results indicated that nozzle 2 had a wide atomization range, a small atomization distance, and small droplet size; nozzle 3 had a narrow atomization range, large droplet size, and fast atomization speed; and nozzle 1 not only had a large atomization range but also could produce droplets of dry mist size with fast atomization speed, meeting the dust reduction requirements of the Majiliang Coal Preparation Plant. Secondly, Fluent software was used to simulate the atomization process and particle size distribution of the three internal mixed atomizers, determining the working conditions of the atomizers, the required number of atomizers, and the application angle of the atomizers in the internal mixed dust removal system. Finally, the atomized dust control system was applied on-site, achieving a total dust removal efficiency of 90.72% and a respirable dust removal efficiency of 89.75%.

Mar 9, 2024

By J L. Stacey

The diverse priorities, drivers and concerns of multiple stakeholders in the minerals industry complicate the integration of sustainable development considerations into mine design, as well as operational and strategic decisions. The ability of the industry to address all role-playersÆ needs, or indeed, to achieve consensus among all role players on the plethora of sustainable development issues seems a noble yet unattainable goal. One of the difficulties in assessing the relative importance of sustainable development issues across many stakeholders is the inevitable lack of impartiality in valuing these issues. Starting from a premise that transparency and fairness of the process are absolute prerequisites for progress, but that consensus is not, an approach has been developed in which all stakeholders are asked to assess the importance of all other stakeholdersÆ priorities, excluding their own. The approach recognises that stakeholders have different levels of contribution, understanding, vested interests, and perceptions of legitimacy and entitlement, across the diversity of sustainable development issues and decision criteria. Using Triangular Value Analysis, the relative weightings of each of the stakeholderÆs priorities are determined through a regression-like technique. The uniqueness of this approach is the manner in which self-assessment bias and overemphasis of stakeholdersÆ own priorities are avoided. The methodology can be used for both internal and external stakeholders, and in conjunction with other group decision making techniques, such as the nominal group or Delphi techniques. This paper will illustrate how Triangular Value Analysis may be applied in the minerals industry to determine priorities in various decisions relating to potentially conflicting sustainable development priorities within the industry.

Jan 1, 2009