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By Tim O’Neil

Until about three years ago, Asarco's copper business consisted predomi¬nantly of custom smelting of ores and concentrates produced by other mining companies. Since then, the company has been transforming itself into a fully integrated producer in copper mining, smelting, and refining. In doing this, Asarco has lowered its costs and restructured its operations and finances. Now, Asarco hopes to complete this process by spending $260 million over the next three years, to expand and modernize its copper facilities and boost production by some 40%. The capital spending program includes: • $130 million at the Ray mine about 113 km (70 miles) north of Tucson, AZ, to expand mining capacity and install an in-pit ore crusher, mill, and concentrator; • $100 million, to expand the mining capacity at the Mission Complex located south of Tucson, AZ, and refurbish the adjacent, idle Pima mill and concentrator. (Asarco had earlier exercised an option to purchase the Pima mill for about $6 million); and • $30 million, to modernize the copper smelter in El Paso, TX, with a new flash smelting process. The new program is in addition to a recently completed first-phase expansion of the Mission mine, mill, and concentrator. This $13 million debottlenecking of existing operations in¬creased production capacity by 46% or 24.5 kt/a (27,000 stpy), to 79 kt/a (87,000 stpy) of copper in concentrates. In addition, a previously an¬nounced $12 million expansion program at the Ray mine is scheduled for completion in early 1990. It will expand mill capacity, to offset the anticipated effects of increasing ore hardness as the pit deepens. Ray produces 68 kt/a (75,000 stpy) of copper in concen¬trates and an additional 36 kt/a (40,000 stpy) of electrowon copper. By 1992, when Asarco's expanded and modernized copper facilities are operating at capacity, the company's mine output will have increased by 67 kt/a (74,000 stpy), to 263 kt/a (290,000 stpy) of contained copper. That will be enough to provide all of the feed required for Asarco's two copper smelters - by then, both of them modern, state-of-the-art facilities. Asarco's expansion and modernization program will further reduce costs and provide added assurance that the company's copper business will be profitable at the bottom of the cycle, according to Chairman Richard de J. Osborne The Ray mine portion of the new program will include construction at the mine of a new mill and concentrator, with a capacity of 18 kt/d (20,000 stpd) of ore. These new semiautogenous grinding mills and large capacity flotation cells will augment the present 27.2 kt/d (30,000 stpd) concentrator located 29 km (18 miles) away, in Hayden, AZ. A 29 km (18 mile) pipeline will be built to carry tailings in slurry form from the new Ray mill to the present tailings pond. Concentrates from the new facility will be shipped by rail to Asarco's Hayden copper smelter. Ray's present 27.2 kt/d (30,000 stpd) crusher, adjacent to the open-pit, will be replaced by a 54.4 kt/d (60,000 stpd), portable in-pit crusher and conveying system. This will reduce the more expensive ore haulage by truck. The Ray project is scheduled for completion by 1992. It will increase the mine's annual output of copper in concentrates by an additional 33.5 kt/a (37,000 st), to 102 kt (112,000 st). And the project could mean an additional 400 jobs at the 730 employee Ray operation. Work at the Mission Complex involves reactivation of the Pima mill and concentrator and expansion of mine output sufficient to provide ore to both the Pima mill and the present Mission mill. In 1985, Asarco purchased the Pima mine, which occupies one end of the Mission pit. The work at Mission will increase its annual capacity by 33.5 kt (37,000 st), to 112 kt/a (124,000 st) of contained

Jan 1, 1989

During a mineral exploration program in an environmentally sensitive area nearMount Painter in South Australia, a helicopter was used to position, construct and service drilling rigs in order to avoid the need to create new access tracks. The drilling program was designed to optimise the advantages of natural landforms in order to minimise the environmental impact of site construction and drilling activities. This minimisation of land disturbance reduced the required amount of rehabilitation measures to the extent where all impacts of the helicopter-supported programme had disappeared within 12 months of completion of work.

Jan 1, 1995

By Emmanuel P. Papadakis

Ultrasonic velocity measurements have been made to study the preferred orientation in cube-textured copper. Methods applicable to thin specimens were employed since the specimens were necessarily of sheet material. The measured velocities in various directions in the sheet differed from the corresponding values in single-crystal copper by 1 to 6 pet. The distribution of the deviations indicated that the align-ment of the (001) planes with the rolling plane was better than the alignment of the [100]and [010] directions with the rolling and transverse directions. Ultrasonic pole figures (velocity us orientation) are shown to be useful in the study of preferred orientation. THIS paper describes one set of experiments in a continuing study of preferred orientation in worked metals. This study has been undertaken to investigate the fundamental properties of metals when used as propagation media for ultrasonic waves. Many such materials are of current or potential use in ultrasonic delay lines. Fundamental studies on ultrasonic propagation parameters such as velocity, attenuation, and diffraction (beam spreading) are of importance in the design of delay lines, in the development of nondestructive testing methods, and in the study of materials themselves. Preferred orientation in worked poly-crystalline metals influences all three above-mentioned parameters, and hence is of particular importance. When polycrystalline metals are subjected to mechanical working, they develop textures dependent upon their crystal structure and the symmetry of the working operation.' The texture consists in the alignment of the crystallographic axes of the grains in preferred directions with respect to the symmetry axes of the working operation. Since the grains are elastically anisotropic, the elastic moduli of worked metals are anisotropic. Hence the velocities of elastic waves in worked metals depend on the directions of propagation and polarization. The worked metal may be thought of as taking on the elastic symmetry of a single crystal: so it possesses the same number of independent elastic moduli as the crystal class it simulates. In general, a worked metal does not adopt the crystalline symmetry of its own grains. For instance, most rolled sheet becomes effectively orthorhombic while all bar stock and wire develop hexagonal symmetry. However, certain metals with cubic crystal structure develop a cube texture upon rolling and annealing.= Nearly perfect alignment of [100]-type directions with the rolling direction, transverse direction, and rolling-plane norma1 can be achieved in certain fcc metals and alloys. These cube-textured rolled metals provide an excellent opportunity to test preferred orientation by means of elastic waves, since a worked metal with 100 pct cube texture would have elastic moduli identical to the moduli of its constituent metal. It is the purpose of this paper to present the results of an investigation upon cube-textured copper. Ultrasonic waves were used. The methods of measurement and the experimental results on the effective moduli will be given. The ultrasonic measurements will be shown to complement X-ray pole figures for the determination of preferred orientation in worked metals. EXPERIMENT To study cube - textured material, it was necessary to use thin-sheet material since a severe reduction in gage (95 to 99 pct) is necessary to produce cube texture. Special ultrasonic methods were needed to investigate the thin material at megacycle frequencies. A) Materials. The cube-textured material tested was a copper alloy containing 1 pct Zn. Specimens already measured for Young's modulus4 by Alers were kindly supplied by him. The specimens were slabs 3.00 by 0.25 in. cut from sheet 0.047 in. thick. The orientations of the long axes of the specimens with respect to the rolling direction were taken in 15-deg steps from 0 to 90 deg. B) Measurements. Two distinct experiments were performed to measure the phase velocity in these specimens. One measured the shear wave velocity for propagation in the 0.25-in. direction and polarization in the 3.00-in. direction. The other measured the velocity of both shear and longitudinal waves propagating in the thickness direction in the sheet. 1) Plate-Mode Measurements. The velocity of the zeroth-order shear mode5 was measured in the 0.25-in. direction in each strip. The specimens were ground thinner over half their length to assure that the first-order shear mode would be cut off below 6 Mc per sec, leaving the zeroth-order nondispersive shear mode as the only propagating mode. Piezoelectric ceramic transducers of 5 Mc per sec resonant frequency poled in their long direction were solder-bonded to the edges of the thin part of the slabs as in Fig. 1 after these edges had been made flat and parallel by fine grinding. These transducers produced waves polarized in the 3.00-in. direction and propa-

Jan 1, 1967

By M. Shelef, A. W. Fletcher

The effect of alkali sulfates in promoting the sul-fation of nickel and copper in a bulk sulfide flota -tion concentrate by fluidized bed roasting has been studied in the laboratory, and it was shown that the various alkali sulfates promote sulfation to approximately the same extent. The sulfation of a mixture of synthetically prepared iron and nickel oxide and of nickel ferrite has also been studied. Nickel sulfation was promoted by high ratios of Fe:Ni and by the presence of sodium sulfate. THE work described in this paper was a continuation of earlier studies into the role of alkali sulfates in promoting the sulfation roasting of nickel sulfides1,2 in an endeavor to determine how the system was affected by the presence of compounds of iron and copper. The earlier work1 showed that, in the sulfation of NiO at 680°C, the reaction was limited by the formation of an impermeable film of nickel sulfate on the oxide surface. The relative effect of the various alkali sulfates in promoting nickel sulfation varied in the order: Li > Na >Cs > Rb > K A study of alkali sulfate/ nickel sulfate interactions at high temperatures showed that the promoting action was due to the fact that the nickel sulfate product layer sintered and agglomerated only when the more active additives were present. This resulted in the formation of discontinuities in the nickel sulfate layer so that diffusion of the sulfating gases to the NiO surface was no longer impeded and the reaction could proceed to completion. A similar explanation was used for the observation that sodium and lithium sulfates promote the oxidation of NiS to NiO at temperatures below 750°C since small amounts of nickel sulfate were formed during oxidation.2 It was of interest to study the effect of alkali sulfates on the sulfate roasting of a sulfide flotation concentrate which is typical of material treated commercially. In order to control temperature it is essential to roast sulfides in a fluidized bed and this technique was therefore used, although the batchwise operation of a small-scale laboratory reactor does not reproduce all conditions which prevail in full-scale continuous plant. The results obtained are therefore only comparative, and cannot be used for predicting the optimum conditions for metal extraction. The sulfation of synthetically prepared mixed oxides of nickel + copper and nickel + iron and of nickel ferrite was also studied to evaluate the relative effects of alkali sulfates with more complex systems. SULFATION ROASTING OF A SULFIDE FLOTATION CONCENTRATE The bulk sulfide flotation concentrate used in this work contained 7.92 pct Ni, 1.74 pct Cu, 35.66 pct Fe, and 31.28 pct S. The sulfide minerals present in order of abundance were pyrrhotite FeS, pyrite FeS2, pentlandite (FeNi)S, and chalcopyrite CuFeS2. Two samples described as coarse and fine were used. The coarse sample, which was a flotation concentrate (58 pct plus 300 mesh), was ground to 100 pct minus 350 mesh to produce the fine sample. Before roasting, the sample of sulfide concentrate was agglomerated by wetting witli a solution of the alkali sulfate (or water), thoroughly mixing, and drying at 110°C. This gave a cake which was gently crushed and screened, the -18 +100 mesh fraction being used for fluidized bed roasting. A similar-size fraction had been used by the authors in pilot plant work with a 4-in.-diam fluidized bed reactor.' In this work it was found that the molar ratio of additive to the total iron + nickel + copper content of the sulfide sample should be adjusted to a value of approximately 0.06, as this was the optimum amount necessary for nickel sulfation. Experimental. The fluidized bed reactor consisted of a quartz tube approximately 60 cm long and 30 mm in diameter resting in a vertical tube furnace. The sulfide bed (30 g) was supported on a bed of -4 +12 mesh quartz particles 3 cm high, which rested on a sintered quartz disc welded to the tube. The temperature of the furnace was controlled with a variable transformer to give a final bed temperature of 680°C. The bed was fluidized with air or mixtures of air + 10 pct v/v SO2, at a total apparent gas velocity of 60 to 65 cm per sec at 680°C. The SO2 was introduced into the fluidizing air stream only when the oxidation of the sulfides was completed. At the end of the roasting period the calcine was leached with boiling water and the

Jan 1, 1964

By J. C. Fisher, J. H. Hollomon

The fundamental problem concerning the fracture of both crystalline and noncrystalline solids is the divergence between the actua1 and the theorcticallY computed fracture stresses; the stress required for fracture, computed from the forces between atoms, is many times that actually observed with commcrcinlly available materials. Computatiolls have been made,,2 indicating that the theoretical fracture stress should be from 100 to 1000 times that actually observed. There are other incidental problems that have arisen, perhaps the most importallt of which is the problem of size effect often observed in the measurement of the fracture stress of non-metallic solids, such as glass. Another effect conccrns the relation between deformation and the stress required for fracture, Experiments recently made with pearlitic steels indicate that the tensile fracture stress increases with increasing tensile deformation and decreases with increasing prior com-pressive deformation, This marked ani-sotropy of the effect of deformation on the fracture stress is in contrast with the essential isotropy of the flow stress. Early experiments on rock salt crystals by Joffe, et al.3 have illustrated the effect of tensile strain in increasing the tensile stress required for fracture. A consistent theory must be constructed that will explain not only the divergence, of the measured fracture stress from the theoretical value, the size effect, and the ergence of deformation; but will also explain and predict the effects of combined stress, of temperature, of strain rate, and of metallurgical structure. With respect to this last variable, it has now been relatively well established that the carbide particle is the clement of structure controlling the fracture of steels. In steels carbide particles vary in shape from plates to spheroids. It has been found that not only docs the magnitude Of the Fracture stress depend upon the size and shape of these particles. but also its dcpendencc upon strain is affected by changes in 'hap' an' size Or the particles. The precipitate resulting from the age hardening Of duralumin also modifies the fracture stress of this alloy. Nonmetallic inclusions greatly lower the fracture stress of all metals. The magnitude of the lowering depends 0' the size and shape of the included particles. In glass, the major source of the low fracture stress has been fairly conclusively demonstrate' by Griffith4 '0 arise from real flaws or cracks present in the material. He showed that the stress concentration at the end of a defect was of suficient magnitude to raise the stress at this location to a value comparable with the theoretical strength Of the material. If the cracks were reduced in size, Griffith showed that the observed fracture slrength the by virtue Of the decrease in stress concentration. He also pointed out that cracks disposed perpendicularly to the applied tensile stress would be more effective in lowering the fracture

Jan 1, 1947

By J. H. Hollomon, J. C. Fisher

THE fundamental problem concerning the fracture of both crystalline and noncrystalline solids is the divergence between the actual and the theoretically computed fracture stresses; the stress required for fracture, computed from the forces between atoms, is many times that actually observed with commercially available materials. Computations have been made1, 2 indicating that the theoretical fracture stress should be from 100 to 1000 times that actually observed. There are other incidental problems that have arisen, perhaps the most important of which is the problem of size effect often observed in the measurement of the fracture stress of non-metallic solids, such as glass. Another effect concerns the relation between deformation and the stress required for fracture. Experiments recently made with pearlitic steels indicate that the tensile fracture stress increases with increasing tensile deformation and decreases with increasing prior compressive deformation. This marked anisotropy of the effect of deformation on the fracture stress is in contrast with the essential isotropy of the flow stress. Early experiments on rock salt crystals by Joffé, et a13 have illustrated the effect of tensile strain in increasing the tensile stress required for fracture. A consistent theory must be constructed that will explain not only the divergence of the measured fracture stress from the theoretical value, the size effect, and the effect of deformation; but will also explain and predict the effects of combined stress, of temperature, of strain rate, and of metallurgical structure. With respect to this last variable, it has now been relatively well established that the carbide particle is the element of structure controlling the fracture of steels. In steels carbide particles vary in shape from plates to spheroids. It has been found that not only does the magnitude of the fracture stress depend upon the size and shape of these particles, but also its dependence upon strain is affected by changes in shape and size of the particles. The precipitate resulting from the age hardening of duralumin also modifies the fracture stress of this alloy. Nonmetallic inclusions greatly lower the fracture stress of all metals. The magnitude of the lowering depends on the size and shape of the included particles. In glass, the major source of the low fracture stress has been fairly conclusively demonstrated by Griffith4 to arise from real flaws or cracks present in the material. He showed that the stress concentration at the end of a defect was of sufficient magnitude to raise the stress at this location to a value comparable with the theoretical strength of the material. If the cracks were reduced in size, Griffith showed that the observed fracture strength increased by virtue of the decrease in stress concentration. He also pointed out that cracks disposed perpendicularly to the applied tensile stress would be more effective in lowering the fracture

Jan 1, 1947

By J. M. Seeman, R. A. Dodd

If some solution-quenched supersaturated aluminum solid solutions, e.g.., Al(Cu), are plastically deformed at room temperature and then aged at 200oC, the hardness may first decrease before increasing in the usual manner ' A similar transient softening is observed, even in the absence of plastic deformation, when a thin foil or small-diameter wire Al(Cu) specimen is rapidly quenched from the solution-treatment temperature and then aged.' Also, some solution-quenched and neutron-irradiated alloys undergo an initial hardness decrease during subsequent aging.3 The usual explanation of the transient softening in the above examples involves the effect of vacancies introduced by plastic deformation, rapid quenching, and neutron irradiation, respectively However, the mechanism of softening is not unequivo-cably established. In the first-noted case, Gane and parkins' observed that the softening was approximately proportional to the difference in the atomic diameters of solute and solvent, and it was argued that, if a large relative difference in atomic diameter promoted vacancy-assisted room-temperature solute diffusion to dislocations, dislocation climb occurring during subsequent aging at 200°C could cause transient softening. Some substantiation of this theory was offered by the additional observation that discontinuous yielding of solution-quenched polycrystalline Al(Cu) tensile specimens was suppressed by interrupting the test for a short aging treatment at 200°C. Of course, reversion (resolution of GPI) at 200°C would also cause softening, and Sil-cock4 expressed the opinion that the softening in the case of Al(Cu) must be partly associated with reversion. Also, Hirsch5 commented on the possibility that, if jogs cause hardening, an anneal at 200°C should straighten the jogged dislocations and result in softening. However, parkins' has re-expressed his belief that these mechanisms are not entirely consistent with the observed serrated stress-strain curves. Experimental. New data has now been obtained for Al(Cu), Al(Ge), Al(Mg), and Al(Zn) primary solid-solution alloys. These alloys were prepared from metals exceeding 99.99 pct purity, and specimens 4 by 4 in. diam were solution-treated, quenched, deformed 10 pct in compression at room temperature, and aged at 200'C in a cottonseed oil bath for various times. Generally, these operations could not be carried out in rapid succession, so the alloys were stored in a freezer between treatments to minimize aging. The variation in hardness with aging time, Figs. 1 to 4, was determined by microhardness testing with a 3.0-kg load. At least five readings were averaged to obtain each data point, and all measurements were taken about the center circumference of each cylinder (region of maximum deformation). Each specimen was used to obtain only one data point, i.e., specimens were not replaced in the aging bath after measurements were made. In

Jan 1, 1968

By J. H. Hollomon, J. C. Fisher

The fundamental problem concerning the fracture of both crystalline and noncrystalline solids is the divergence between the actua1 and the theorcticallY computed fracture stresses; the stress required for fracture, computed from the forces between atoms, is many times that actually observed with commcrcinlly available materials. Computatiolls have been made,,2 indicating that the theoretical fracture stress should be from 100 to 1000 times that actually observed. There are other incidental problems that have arisen, perhaps the most importallt of which is the problem of size effect often observed in the measurement of the fracture stress of non-metallic solids, such as glass. Another effect conccrns the relation between deformation and the stress required for fracture, Experiments recently made with pearlitic steels indicate that the tensile fracture stress increases with increasing tensile deformation and decreases with increasing prior com-pressive deformation, This marked ani-sotropy of the effect of deformation on the fracture stress is in contrast with the essential isotropy of the flow stress. Early experiments on rock salt crystals by Joffe, et al.3 have illustrated the effect of tensile strain in increasing the tensile stress required for fracture. A consistent theory must be constructed that will explain not only the divergence, of the measured fracture stress from the theoretical value, the size effect, and the ergence of deformation; but will also explain and predict the effects of combined stress, of temperature, of strain rate, and of metallurgical structure. With respect to this last variable, it has now been relatively well established that the carbide particle is the clement of structure controlling the fracture of steels. In steels carbide particles vary in shape from plates to spheroids. It has been found that not only docs the magnitude Of the Fracture stress depend upon the size and shape of these particles. but also its dcpendencc upon strain is affected by changes in 'hap' an' size Or the particles. The precipitate resulting from the age hardening Of duralumin also modifies the fracture stress of this alloy. Nonmetallic inclusions greatly lower the fracture stress of all metals. The magnitude of the lowering depends 0' the size and shape of the included particles. In glass, the major source of the low fracture stress has been fairly conclusively demonstrate' by Griffith4 '0 arise from real flaws or cracks present in the material. He showed that the stress concentration at the end of a defect was of suficient magnitude to raise the stress at this location to a value comparable with the theoretical strength Of the material. If the cracks were reduced in size, Griffith showed that the observed fracture slrength the by virtue Of the decrease in stress concentration. He also pointed out that cracks disposed perpendicularly to the applied tensile stress would be more effective in lowering the fracture

Jan 1, 1947

By Baozhong Ma, Yonglu Zhang, Yongqiang Yang, Chengyan Wang, Yongqiang Chen

During the past decades, slurry electrolysis (SE) has been implemented commercially for the processing of bismuthinite and complex Pb-Cu bearing gold concentrates. Recently, SE was proven effective for the treatment of As-rich antimonic gold concentrates. Laboratory test results suggest over 98% of the antimony was extracted, while the extraction of arsenic and gold was less than 0.5%, and that of iron was less than 6%. Moreover, the cathode antimony contained over 98% antimony and less than 0.3% arsenic. Considering the disadvantages of traditional 3 kA slurry electrolysis baths, such as smaller electrode area, reduced capacity, and greater electrode deterioration, the authors have developed an innovative 12 kA slurry electrolysis bath equipped with mesh and fence type titanium alloy electrodes. Furthermore, the technique was successfully used within a pilot scale plant yielding results similar to those observed in the laboratory. The technique yielded ametallic antimony ingot of 99.9% purity after arsenic removal via the addition of Na2CO3.

Jan 1, 2014

To be able to continuously monitor the noise to which underground workers are exposed as a better way to help prevent hearing damage. The Approach: The Bureau of Mines has developed a Time-Resolved Audio Dosimeter which can be worn by miners to record noise level every 30 seconds and store It in a miniature solid state memory. Figure 1 is a photo of the dosimeter. [ ] How It Works: Acoustical noise is picked up by a micro-phone and fed to a sound level meter which produces a d-c voltage proportional to the A-weighted sound pressure level. (As specified by federal regulations, the A-weighted sound pres-sure level approximates the response of the ear by discounting the higher and lower frequency components of the noise.) This d-c voltage controls an oscillator which, together with related circuitry, produces a pulse train having a frequency that's proportional to the noise level.

Jan 1, 1975

By Fred W. Gordon

The heading of this paper was prompted by the knowledge that experience, up to this time, seemed to indicate that smaller furnaces were preferable for smelting the material of this section. Since the reasonable success thus far achieved by the first furnace of this plant tends to change the above opinion, and unsettle the generally-accepted views of furnace-men as to "weak " coke, a few words as to the design of the plant and the mode of operation adopted may prove interesting.

Jan 1, 1889

By Matthew Janes

The RC Harris Filtration Plant, which treats the majority of the fresh water for over 2.5 million Torontonians, is a Canadian Architectural Heritage site demonstrating a classic example of Art Deco Architecture. The facility is undergoing an expansion to install an underground sludge treatment capability. Perched atop a bluff on the North shore of Lake Ontario the structure enjoys a commanding presence on the Lake Ontario shoreline. A series of underground tanks were proposed for the hillside below the structure, which when covered would preserve the building?s architectural presence. However, the plan required two, stepped excavations 12 m and 10m deep into compact, wet sands over stiff clays and clayey silts. Concerns regarding the original structure influenced designers to set the lateral deflection limit for the front footing of the existing structure at 4 mm, (0.03% excavation depth). The design-build team indicated at the time of tender that the movement criteria was unattainable using the tender design. Analysis indicated installation effects and overall elastic movement of the soil mass beneath the building would result in movements of 7 to 9 mm at the structure. Through extensive FLAC analysis and a novel construction geometry the design-build team crafted an alternative that produced significant savings over the original concept. Based upon the analysis the design-build team negotiated a new deflection criteria dictating a maximum of 2.0 mm of movement across the critical expansion joint between the Filter Building front footing and the tank slab beyond. The contractor invested in additional pre tender soils investigation to support the refined design process. The FLAC analyses indicated the Filter Building movements would be elastic and distributed up to 50 m back beneath the front footing of the structure. An extensive precision monitoring program proved construction related movements of 6 to 10 mm horizontal at the front footing. Extensometers placed at two locations over the critical interior tank expansion joint showed no measurable movements. The overall monitoring program, including inclinometers, tilt meters, tie back extensometers (smart cables) and tie back load cells indicated a good match between recorded movements and loads and those predicted by FLAC Analysis.

Jan 1, 2006

By Adrianus Halim, Jenni Hooli, Bartłomiej Skawina, Fredrik Sundqvist

Transitioning from diesel-powered loading and hauling machinery to battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) responds to the need for deepening underground mines as regulations become tighter. When using BEVs, exhaust gases and diesel particulate matter (DPM) emissions can be eliminated, and the energy required for the machines is used more effectively. Unlike their diesel counterparts, which are refueled, BEV loading and hauling machines — specifically, load haul dump (LHD) machines — can use battery swapping. This brings additional aspects to the operation that need to be considered, which have not yet been studied extensively. This study used discrete event simulation (DES) to analyze how the different numbers of BEV LHDs affect queueing and productivity when using different numbers of batteries and different swapping times in an underground block cave mine. The results identified the formation of working groups, where the machines swapped their batteries concurrently within each group, and their relation to the queueing time. Additionally, the minimum number of batteries per machine was identified to maximize productivity while minimizing queueing time. This study demonstrates DES as a powerful tool to assess and analyze conceptual systems and identify their underlying structures, which can enhance the deployment of BEV LHDs in underground block cave mine operations.

Apr 1, 2025

By Ernest A. Kaarsberg

This paper presents the results of studies of the elasticity of some isotropic and anisotropic rock samples based on longitudinal- and shear-wave pulse velocity measurements. Experimental evidence from velocity measurements on isotropic steel samples is also presented to show, within error limits, that any two of the elastic constants required to completely describe the elasticity of an isotropic solid can be obtained from any two of the following four velocity measurements: longitudinal "rod,' "plate," extended medium (infinite medium equivalent), or shear wave. Measurements of three of these velocities in an approximately isotropic basaltic rock sample are used to illustrate this application to this type of rock. For the anisotropic study, a suite of Colorado oil shale samples is used. These rocks exhibited transverse isotropy. The five elastic constants required to completely specify this type of anisotropy are obtained from longitudinal- and shear-wave pulse velocity measurements made in directions parallel, perpen-dicular, and at 45° to the bedding plane. Density, velocity, and elastic modulus relationships among these shales are also given. Duvall 1 has described a method for determining the elastic constants of isotropic and, in two cases, anisotropic rock samples. This method is based on ultrasonic pulse techniques and on resonance-frequency measurements of rock samples in the shape of rods (diamond drill cores). Rock samples, however, are not always available in rod form. When this is the case, other methods can be used to study their

Jan 1, 1969

By Frank E. Cash

"INTRODUCTION The producing iron-ore ranges in the Lake Superior district are the Marquette and Menominee in Michigan, the Gogebic in Michigan and Wisconsin, and the Cuyuna, Mesabi, and Vermilion in Minnesota. These ranges produce about 85 percent of the iron ore mined in the United States. The accident experience in connection with this production is better than that of the regions producing the remaining 15 percent. Production and shipments vary slightly from year to year owing to stockpiling underground ore during the winter, or nonshipping, season but closely approximate each other over a period of years. This information circular supplements, combines, and continues the data contained in Information Circulars 7321 3/ and 7410 4/, including statistics for 1946 and 1947.Whereas the title ""Accident Experience"" is used for uniformity and logical indexing throughout this report, ""injury"" will be used as a general term to apply to disabilities of all degrees.During the 8-year period 1940 to 1947, inclusive, 619,054,023 long tons of iron ore was shipped from the Lake Superior district. 5/ Michigan and Wisconsin shipped 117,828,939 tons, or 19.03 percent of the total, and employed approximately 9,260 men. Minnesota shipped 501,225,084 tons, or 80.97 percent of the total, and employed an approximate annual average of 12,260 men. The tons produced and shipped per man employed in Minnesota is much greater than in Michigan and Wisconsin, owing to the large open-cut production in Minnesota."

Jun 1, 1949

By E. H. Edwards, J. Washburn, E. R. Parker

The mechanism of strain hardening was discussed in connection with some recent observations on the stress-induced motion of dislocation boundaries and on the simple shear deformation of zinc, cadmium, and copper crystals. THE nature of work hardening accompanying plastic deformation of metals has long been the subject of speculation. As early as 1925, Becker' suggested a thermodynamic process to explain slip based on the statistical probability for the occurrence of local glide steps. The theory that plastic glide was due to the presence of lattice defects known as dislocations was first introduced in 1934 by Taylor: and Orowan, and Polanyi.4 Taylor presented a rather complete analysis of the behavior and interaction of dislocations. He assumed a certain type of stress field to be associated with a single dislocation, and postulated that work hardening would result from plastic flow in two ways. First, dislocations following one another across a slip plane might encounter a barrier which would impede their movement, thereby gradually diminishing and eventually stopping plastic flow on that plane. The second mechanism involved the concept of dislocations traveling in opposite directions on nearby planes attracting one another to form a meta-stable lattice. The interaction of dislocations in such an array was shown to be large enough to require an increase in stress before plastic flow would continue. Kochendorfer5,6 extended the concept of work hardening involving a back stress due to an accumulation of like dislocations on a slip plane. He suggested that the formation of a new dislocation is hindered by those dislocations already present. The hardening resulting from the interaction of newly forming dislocations with bound dislocations was designated as "formative hardening," and indicated to be the only type of hardening necessarily connected with the slip process. In another detailed picture of work hardening, Mott and Nabarro7 assumed that sufficient dislocations are primarily present in the crystal as a consequence of growth irregularities (mosaic structure) to initiate slip. Work hardening resulted from the interaction of migrating dislocations with localized internal stresses produced during deformation. More recently, however, Mott8 as modified his treatment to include the generation of dislocations at Frank-Read sources and he accounts for the hardening by the formation of sessile dislocations. It has been widely accepted that metals of hexagonal structure, usually possessing only one set of glide planes, exhibit mechanical behavior markedly different from those having cubic structures. However, the differences in behavior of the two classes may be less fundamental than suggested. Rohm and Kochendorfer9 have shown that a single crystal of aluminum subjected to approximately simple shear gives the type of stress-strain curve associated with the hexagonal metals. Similar behavior has been demonstrated for gold and silver crystals by Andrade and Henderson.'" Thus when glide in cubic metals is restricted to one plane, the strain hardening characteristics closely resemble those of the hexagonal metals. It would appear, therefore, that an investigation of some of the strain hardening properties of single crystals sheared in simple glide might provide a more complete understanding of the phenomenon of work hardening. This report relates a number of recent observations made on single crystals of copper, zinc, and cadmium tested in simple shear. In addition, pertinent observations of effects accompanying stress-induced movement of dislocation boundaries are reported. Experimental Procedure and Results Details of the production and advantages of the type of single-crystal shear specimen employed for the following tests have been presented in a previous publication.n The method of testing makes

Jan 1, 1954

By John F. Elliott

STAFF: Editor, Gerhard Derge Acting Editor, Poul G. Shewmon Carnegie lnstitute of Technology Schenley Pork Pittsburgh 13, PO. Editorial Assistant, M. A. Redmerski Production Editor, Otto T. Johnson THE METALLURGICAL SOCIETY: Rich-ard C. Cole, President; Karl L. Fetters, Past-President; J. H. Scoff, Vice President; R. L. Henneboch, Treasurer, R. W. Shearman, Secretary. PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE OF THE METALLURGICAL SOCIETY: R. E. Lund, Chairmon; T. E. Dancy, P. R. Gouwens, W. A. Krivsky, F. C. Longenberg, E. R. Morgan, R.R. Nosh, Poul Queneou, W.O. Philbrook, J. H. Scoff, L. L. Seigle, and M. E. Wadsworth. Review and selection of manuscripts is under the supervision of the following Publications Committees: Extractive Metallurgy Division: M. E. Wadsworth, Chairmon; R. E. Grace, Vice Chairman; D. H. Baker, Jr., G. M. Bell, D. H. Bridges, J. M. Cigon, G. W. Healy, R. A. Lewis, C. E. O'Neill, A. W. Schlechten, R. E. Shinkoskey, and W. W. Stephens. Iron and Steel Division: T. E. Dancy, Chairman; A. Muan, D.W. Murphy, R. D. Pehlke, J. M. Uys, J. 5. Wagstoff, and R. G. Word. lnstitute of Metals Division: R. R. Nash, Chairman, H. H. Johnson, Jr., Vice Chairman; M. R. Achter, P. A. Beck, J. J. Becker, G. F. Bolling, J. 0. Brittain, J. 8. Clark, R. 5. Davis, A. E. Dwight, R. W. Fountain, L. A. Girifalco, E. L. Harmon, J. J. Heger, A. A. Hendrickson, L. Himmel, J. P. Hirth, R. H. Richmao, H.C.Rogers, W. Rostoker, 0. D. Sherby. E. A. Steigawald, R. Steinitz, H. C. Stumpf, R. A. Swalin, W. A. Tiller, W. R. Upthegrove, D. Walton, H.W. Weart, and D. Wilsdorf. Published bimonthly by the American lnstitute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers, Inc 345 East 47th Street, New York 17. N. Y. Telephone PLaza 2-6800. Subscription $30 per year for non-AIME members in United States and North, South, and Central America; $32, foreign;$30per $7 50 for AlME members. Single copies, $6.00, single copies foreign, $6.50. The AlME is not responsible for any statement made or opinion expressed in its publications ... Copyright 1963 by the American lnstitute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers, Inc....Registered cable address, AlME New York . .. Indexed in Engineering Index, Industrial Arts Index, and Chemical Abstracts . . Second class postage paid ot New York, N. Y., and Ann Arbor, Mich. Volume 227, Number 4.

Jan 1, 1963

By John K. Berry

The handling and disposal of mine water is a much larger problem than is apparent at first glance. Many more tons of water are removed from underground coal mines in the United States each year than tons of coal. In the old anthracite region of Pennsylvania the average was around 36 tons of water for each ton of coal produced, while bituminous mines average about 5 or 6 tons. Water encountered in the mines may come from several different sources. In mines with light cover and without a firm solid roof, rain may seep directly into the workings. This is also true of deeper mines where pillar falls have broken the roof to the surface. The top under creek beds is generally faulty and broken and water comes through the roof at this point. Deeper mines are frequently overlain by water-bearing strata and pillar breaks and faulty top can admit water, while places running to the dip often accumulate water which comes up through the bottom. In all cases, except where passing under a year-round stream, the amount of water made is usually pretty closely connected with the weather-more water during the rainy season, less in the dry, although the deeper a mine is, the longer it is before changes in rainfall are felt. Another source of water, not connected with seasonal changes, is old water, accumulated over a period of time in abandoned workings of the mine, or from flooded adjacent mines. Here the water filters through the coal, the parting, or comes up through cracks in the bottom. Similarly, core holes, drilled to prospect the property, can be a source of unexpected water and modern safety requirements for dust-allaying water at the working faces can turn a pleasant working area into a soggy mess over the weekend if the system is not properly maintained and operated. Why water must be disposed is obvious. If allowed to accumulate, sooner or later the mine will fill up, or at least it will become "roofed" in low places, blocking ventilation and traffic. But it must also be controlled long before it reaches this stage. Water standing in the working faces is unpleasant for the men who have to work there and also cuts down on the amount of work they can do, as they must watch where they step all the time. It is especially unpleasant in low coal.

Jan 1, 1973

By Ratnakar Singh, Raj Kishore, Kisor Kumar Sahu, Ranjeet Kumar Singh, Ganesh Chalavadi

The Falcon concentrator is capable of separating minerals in fine size classes based on their differential density. Separation of mineral particles depends upon the fluid flow characteristics and relative movement of particles in a fluid. In the present study, a fluid flow characteristic inside the Falcon concentrator was established through experimentation and modeling. The Falcon concentrator has two fluid entry points: (a) Fluid entering through gravity assisted feeding system and (b) Fluid entering through the fluidized hole on the concentrator wall. In order to identify the role of fluid entering the concentrator, a tracer was injected into the system. As per the tracer based experimentation, it was established that fluid entering through the gravity based feeding system is responsible for thin flowing film formation in the stratification zone where particles are stratified based on their relative density. The momentum balance and continuity equations were simplified for a high centrifugal force field, and the fluid velocity profile was estimated inside the thin flowing film. Estimated fluid flow profiles will help to simulate the particle trajectories inside the Falcon concentrator. The influence of rotational speed, fluid flow rate, and cone angle on the fluid velocity profile were investigated. Fluid thickness over the concentrator wall is also estimated, and it is typically of the order of ~150–200 μm.

By B. B. Kunkle

The history of this refinery has been one of expansion. It now has the capacity to produce 240,000 tons of cathodes annually. A general flowsheet and descriptions of the plant layout, operations involved, and equipment used at one of the world's largest and most modern electrolytic copper refineries are presented. THE El Paso copper refinery of Phelps Dodge Refining Corp. was originally constructed by the Nichols Copper Co., in association with Phelps Dodge Corp. and the Calumet & Arizona Mining Co., in order to refine anode copper produced at the smelters of the two latter companies. Initial production was obtained from the plant in January 1930 and its annual refining capacity was 100,000 tons of anodes. In order to keep pace with Phelps Dodge Corp.'s increasing copper production in the Southwest, it became necessary in 1937 to increase the El Paso plant's refining capacity to 160,000 tons of cathodes annually. This was accomplished by adding two sections to the electrolytic tank house, increasing the number of anodes placed in each commercial electrolytic tank from 33 to 37, and making changes in the dc circuits which made it possible to put three generators on each of the two circuits instead of two, thus increasing the amperage on each circuit from 10,000 to 14,800 amp. The capacity of the two furnaces from which refined shapes were cast was increased by raising the sidedoor bays on the furnaces 6 in. An increase of 70 pct in the productive capacity of Phelps Dodge Corp.s Morenci Branch in 1942 again made it necessary to expand refining capacity. In order to accomplish this, Defense Plant Corp. set up a project to increase the capacity of the El Paso plant to 240,000 tons of cathodes annually. This project consisted of enlarging the tank house approximately 50 pct, the construction of another wire- bar furnace, and corresponding increases in other departments where necessary. The engineering work on this expansion was begun in March 1942. Actual construction was under way by August 1942, and the work was completed by March 1944. These additional facilities were purchased from Defense Plant Corp. by Phelps Dodge Refining Corp. in August 1949. The plant is in El Paso about eight miies east of the center of the city and near Highway 80 and the main lines of the Southern Pacific and Texas & New Orleans railroads. The plant site covers approximately 494 acres of company-owned land that is ideally adapted for its use, being well-drained sandy soil and having enough slope so that a minimum amount of excavation was required when the plant was constructed. There is still ample room on the plant site for any future plant expansion. The plant is constructed on four different ground levels and so arranged that the unrefined copper is unloaded on the highest level at the north side of the plant and the refined copper is shipped out from the lowest level on the south side of the plant. The receiving or unloading platform, weighing and sampling rooms, main floor of the tank house, acid and condensate storage tanks, and the slimes and copper sulphate plants are on the first or highest level. The tank house basement, yard scales, charging and furnace bays, balloon flue and stack, brick-storage building, substation and power house, boiler feedwater treating plant and pump house, water storage tanks, and change houses are on the second level. This second level also contains ample yard area for setting-up furnace charges, and for storage of custom scrap, cathodes, scrap anodes, blister, coke, and poles. The casting wheels, inspection conveyors, cathode shears, wire-bar scalping machine, slag

Jan 1, 1952