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By C E. Loayza, R M. Pinto, J G. G=mez

The Yanacocha District is located 20 km north of the city of Cajamarca, in the Northern Andean Orogenic belt of northern Peru.Gold production may have occurred as early as Incan times (Paverd, 2000), but modern exploration that began in the 1960s targeted only copper and silver. Newmont Mining Corporation, BRGM and Compa±fa de Minas Buenaventura began exploring for gold in 1983, with Newmont as operator.Initial drilling took place in 1985. By 1992 a reserve of 1.28 million ounces was reported (Teal et al, 2002).Production began at the Carachugo deposit in 1993.Current reserves are 31.7 million ounces at $US 325 per ounce at a grade of 1.03 ppm (Newmont Annual Report, 2003).The operating company, Mineral Yanacocha SRL (Newmont 51 per cent, Buenaventura 44 per cent and International Finance Corporation five per cent) produced 2.85 million ounces in 2003, making Yanacocha one of the largest gold mining operations in the world. The district is made up of a series of epithermal, high sulfidation style gold deposits and one gold-rich gravel deposit (La Quinua), aligned in a NE trend.La Quinua is not discussed in detail in this paper. The bedrock deposits are hosted in a Miocene volcanic package, the Yanacocha Volcanic Complex that also trends NE.Re gional NW striking Andean faults intersect the NE striking Trans-Andean Chicama-Yanacocha structural corridor (Turner, 1997), localising the district mineralisation. These two structural orientations dominate the district, controlling breccia and intrusion locations, and gold mineralisation. Discontinuous EW oriented fracture zones are interpreted as extensional and locally are important in controlling gold mineralisation.

Jan 1, 2004

By M. K. Larson

The U.S. Bureau of Mines and Cyprus Shoshone Coal Corp. conducted a study of deformation mechanisms in strata around a longwall gate road system at two sites in an underground coal mine near Ham, WY. Of particular interest was timedependent (on the order of several months) roof deformation. Strata above and below the coal seam are very weak, carbonaceous mudstones that have cohesionless planes of weakness oriented along bedding, which dips approximately 8° to 16° at N 49° E. An extensive array of instrumented roof bolts, roof extensometers, and biaxial stressmeters were installed during development mining at these two sites under variable depth of cover [I83 to 335 m (600 to 1,100 ft)], seam dip (10° to 16°), and top coal thickness [estimated to be 0.30 to 0.61 m (1 to 2 ft) on the downdip side of the entry]. Bolt load and roof deformation histories during the entry development periods were compared. Bolt loads at site 2 were less than those at site 1, which is consistent with the amount of overburden. Deformation magnitudes at site 2 were similar to those at site 1, but deformation rates were approximately 44% greater and nearly constant over time, whereas the deformation rates at site 1 decreased exponentially over time. Also, most deformation occurred above the bolt horizon at site two, but extensometer measurements at site 1 showed that a significant amount of deformation occurred within the bolt horizon. The most significant factor that influenced bolt tension and timedependent strata deformation was strength and Young's modulus of the strata. Finite-difference models support this conclusion.

Jan 1, 1996

By Claude Deveau

"With ever decreasing feed grades, finer mineralogy and increased demand for product, it became obvious that a major step in equipment performance was required to reduce operating costs and increase production. Offsite testwork indicated that a Centrifugal separator was capable of recovering fine tantalum and that the newly developed C Series Falcon concentrator would be capable of replacing many pieces of aging equipment and provide improved performance. Further investigation led to the rental and the purchase of a Falcon C20 concentrator followed by a C10 to maximize circuit performance.Falcon Concentrators Inc’ s practice of working with the customer mirrors Tantalum Mining Corporation of Canada’s (Tanco) philosophy of continuous product development. This synergy honed valve design for continuous operation in a highly abrasive ore environment.Tanco has recently purchased two more Falcon concentrators for the recovery of additional tantalum from its spodumene circuit. These new units have additional user friendly operating features partially based on developments made at Tanco.The Falcon C Series units have enabled Tanco to maximize recovery of tantalum that was otherwise lost while using the original conventional gravity circuit."

Jan 1, 2000

By Wm. I. Weisman, C. W. Tandy

Consumption of fluorspar in the United States in the last ten years has doubled to 1.34 million tons. One main, reason for the increase has been the use of the basic oxygen furnace to produce steel which requires considerably more fluorspar than the open hearth. The increasing consumption of aluminum and fluorocarbon chemicals will require more fluorspar, Since 1964 domestic fluorspar prices have advanced over 70%. Maximum prices were attained in 1971 and remain stable. These higher prices have brought about the expansion of production capacity at many of the present mines and mills. Exploration has been intensified, resulting in new discoveries, which are being brought into production. Many deposits, heretofore considered uneconomical, are being reappraised for possible development. Companies who have not previously mined fluorspar are actively seeking and acquiring new properties. The outlook for the continued health of the domestic fluorspar industries is favorable at present prices; however, it is doubtful that production will be greatly increased. New production will have to come from presently inaccessible areas of much greater distance from consuming centers. Prices will have to be higher to support this production. Domestic fluorspar production meets only 20% of domestic consumption. Thus, reliance on imports on fluorspar in the future will become increasingly more critical.

Jan 1, 1975

By R. A. Gee, G. B. Ashton, S. T. Warren, P. N. Groves

Northside Storage Tunnel provides 500 megalitres (Ml) (130 million gallons) of storage capacity to capture stormwater/sewage overflows into Sydney Harbour. The6.6 m diameter TBM driven tunnel traverses Middle Harbour 85 m (280 ft) below sea level and through a sandstone/shale rock mass, highly disturbed by stress relief, 20 m(65 ft) beneath the base of the sediment filled palaeochannel. Target limits for inflow, groundwater drawdown and settlement of the valley beaches were achieved by systematic forward grouting from the TBM. Support included rockbolts, sets and shotcrete to carry rock loads, control block instability and spalling and to provide durability and serviceability. This paper describes the tunnelling and grouting works and their effectiveness.

Jan 1, 2001

By M Hourn, D Turner, P Voigt, D Mallah

The GPM Gold Project is located in Armenia, and consists of an open cut mine at Zod, near the Azerbaijan border, and a CIL processing plant at Ararat near the Turkish border. Mining at Zod commenced in 1976, and focused on near surface oxide ores, which overlay deeper refractory sulphides. Historical mining has now almost depleted the oxide ores, and the sulphide content of ore delivered to the processing plant at Ararat is increasing. Gold and silver recoveries through the Ararat plant were declining steadily.GeoProMining, the owners of the project, have expanded the Ararat facility to deal with the increasing sulphide content in the ore. In 2014, GeoProMining refurbished an existing concentrator on site to recover a sulphide concentrate from the ore, and have constructed an Albion ProcessTM plant to oxidize the refractory concentrate. Glencore Technology (GT) provided the Albion ProcessTM plant as a technology package.In July 2014, the progress of the GPM Gold Project Albion ProcessTM Plant was reported (Hourn, Voigt and Turner, 2014). At the time of writing, the construction of the plant was nearly complete. This paper presents an update of project progress, covering commissioning and ramp up of the GPM Gold Project.The commissioning phase occurred over June to August 2014, which included an M3,000 IsaMillTM fine grinding plant, a 6 tph limestone milling plant, a 60 tpd vacuum pressure swing adsorption oxygen plant, a 10 m residue thickener and a 12 tph Albion ProcessTM oxidative leach plant. Since commissioning was completed, ramp up occurred over the following three months with downstream gold recoveries from cyanide leaching reaching over 98%.CITATION:Voigt, P, Hourn, M, Mallah, D and Turner, D, 2015. Commissioning and ramp-up of the Albion Process at the GPM Gold Project, in Proceedings MetPlant 2015, pp 207–219 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 7, 2015

By H. Foster Bain

THIS subject is one that has attracted my attention for a good many years. All of us have had occa-sion to think of the waste that comes from the poor organization of our methods of finding mines and of looking after prospects. Probably all of us, in, examination work, have made a long and difficult journey to see some prospect, in a far country, or often in the mountains, have found the prospect one that never could be developed, and have learned for the first time that it had been previously examined by from two to six of our professional associates, who, each in turn, condemned the property as worthless. I know properties, as all of you do, that have been repeatedly examined by first-class engineers. Perhaps it would not be safe or wise to have an invariable rule that, each prospect should be entitled to only one examination by one engineer; and yet, it seems to me that somewhere there is a middle ground to take; it is hardly necessary that each little prospect should be examined so many times that the walls get greasy from the climbing of mining engineers, or the stopes get filled up with cigarette stumps. 'This mining engineering profession ought to have brains enough to find some way of making this unnecessary, and of making the benefit of an examination, in some cases at least, and in a much larger number of cases than at present, avail-able to the industry as a whole. If we would save the amount of money that is spent unnecessarily on reexamination of properties, and let that money flow into the actual development of )properties, I believe that, in the long run, we would be better off. Just how to do that is another problem. In 1916, while in London, Edgar Rickard and I attempted to do something of that kind. We started to organize a plan whereby mining engineers might, with the consent of their class, turn over to a central organization their reports on properties they had examined, whereby men who had occasion to look up these same properties might, on payment of a fee (which should go back to the original client, if you desire, or might be devoted to some other purpose for the benefit of the industry), have access to these earlier reports. We found, in the short time we considered this matter, that a good many British engineers, and a good many of the companies, were willing to consider this. In other words, they were willing to pool their information, as a matter of practical experience. We all know the enormous value of pooling information. I think it is a problem that may well be considered from the point of view of the industry as a whole, which the Society might attempt' to work out on a businesslike basis. Assuming, however, that it is possible to work out a plan whereby we get the minimum number of examina-tions that are necessary and we make some saving in money, we reach another stage-the problem of the examination itself.

Jan 3, 1922

Portfolio management tends to separate the functions of Asset Allocation and Stock Selection, so the person responsible for reviewing an expert's report on a company would typically be choosing between companies rather than between a company and cash or bonds. How these choices are made depends on the investment time horizon, philosophy and style. Two styles, momentum investing and value investing are contrasted and the role of valuation methods within the framework of each style is evaluated. Finally, pricing is distinguished from valuation.

Jan 1, 1994

By M. J. Miller, N. Ripepi, M. Karmis, J. M. Conrad

Unmineable coal seams present an opportunity to sequester carbon dioxide emissions from power plants, while enhancing the recovery of coalbed methane. Injected carbon dioxide is adsorbed and stored on the coal surface while releasing methane that can be commercially recovered. Carbon sequestration, therefore, allows the utilization of unexploited mineral resources while reducing “greenhouse” gas emissions. This paper presents the feasibility, efficiency and enhanced recovery potential of coalbed methane production using carbon dioxide sequestration in the Central Appalachian Basin. The focus of research is on geological characterization of unmineable coal seams in Central Appalachia and the corresponding carbon dioxide storage capacity. Virginia Tech and Marshall Miller & Associates, Inc. conducted this research under the Department of Energy’s Southeast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership program.

Jan 1, 2006

By Albert Sauveur

MY FIRST paper dealing with the theories of the hardening of steel by rapid cooling was published in the Transactions of this Institute in 1896-30 years ago-under the title "The Microstructure of Steel and the Current Theories of Hardening;" hence, also, the title of the present paper. It was extensively discussed and was, I believe, one of the starting points of many subsequent papers and discussions of the same subject, discusssions which at times became almost violent and which led to the formation of different schools such as the "Carbonists" and the "Allotropists." Some of the older members of the Institute, who took part in the debate or who were interested observers, will, I am sure, have kept a vivid remembrance of it. The controversy gradually quieted down, apparently for lack of ammunition, without any side acknowledging defeat. Recently, however, interest in it has been revived through the claims of some that these vexed questions had at last been solved. In an effort to ascertain if possible the prevailing view of those best qualified to express an opinion a questionnaire was submitted to the following gentlemen: J. 0. Arnold Sir Robert Hadfield Edgar C. Bain W. H. Hatfield Carl Benedicks Samuel L. Hoyt N. Belaiew Kotaro Honda H. M. Boylston Zay Jeffries Harry Brearley H. Le Chatelier G. K. Burgess H. H. Lester William Campbell Francis F. Lucas H. C. H. Carpenter John A. Mathews Pierre Chevenard A. McCance P. Dejean Albert Portevin C. A. Edwards Walter Rosenhain F. Giolliti Bradley Stoughton G. Grenet F. C. Thompson Leon Guillet

Jan 2, 1926

By R. Asamoah, K. B. Owusu, G. Abaka-Wood, W. Skinner

The hostile nature of industrial autogenous (AG)/semi-autogenous (SAG) mill operation necessitates the need for robust and reliable online measurements. Mill slurry density is regarded as a critical variable and requires a suitable range for grinding efficiency. In this work, mill acoustic sensing of five different slurry densities (50, 60, 70, 80 and 90 wt.% solids) was investigated using a laboratory-based AG/SAG mill. The results showed that slurry density of 70-80 wt.% solids gave the highest mass of -75μm particles and similar acoustic intensity. The mill acoustical level increased continuously coupled with energy reduction as a function of increasing slurry density, an indication of potential realtime measurement.

Mar 2, 2022

By E. C. Felton

At the Pennsylvania Steel Works, Steelton, Pa., a series of trials has been made with oil as fuel in steel-heating and open-hearth steel-furnaces with the following results : First Trial.—Hot 14-inch ingots, six to a charge, were heated in two Siemens' heating furnaces in the blooming mill, the oil being put in first in March, 1888. The oil used had been partly refined, so that the paraffine and some of the naphtha were removed. During a run of six weeks the consumption of oil was about 61/2 gallons per ton of blooms, including the oil required to keep the furnace hot over Sunday.

Jan 1, 1889

By Harry M. Conger

Good afternoon, fellow members of the international mining community. I appreciate the opportunity to participate in this special three-day, international gathering, and to join with you in honoring one of my very good friends, Doug Fuerstenau. It couldn't be more fitting to have this kind of event to mark Doug's 60th birthday. You know, in addition to his faculty position at the University of California in Berkeley, Doug is a member of the Board of Directors of our Homestake Mining Company. So it is a double pleasure for me to help pay tribute to one of the outstanding academicians of the mining industry as well as a man with whom I work closely in running Homestake. I have been asked to talk about "The Future of Precious Metals," but I will concentrate my remarks on gold. Since the theme of this Symposium is "Challenges in Mineral Processing," what I'm going to talk about is a challenge that relates especially to a major problem faced by those of us who process ores to recover gold. I noted that in the Scope of this Symposium, it stated: "the mineral industry is currently facing many challenges to improve the economics, operating efficiencies and environmental concerns of the mineral processing system." I couldn't agree more with that statement. I think that a need exists for us to address this situation as it involves gold. And who better to consider this than the worldwide leaders of mineral processing research here assembled. I start with the premise that we need a new method for cyanide use or a chemical to replace sodium cyanide entirely. In the case of using cyanide differently, I see a continuing difficulty in getting general public acceptance regardless of how

Jan 1, 1989

By J. L. Gregg

A study of copper-base and silver-base alloys was made with the object of finding, if possible, useful alloys subject to dispersion hardening. These studies led to the discovery of several alloys showing considerable dispersion hardening, the most important of which, the alloys of copper with iron, nickel, cobalt and chromium silicides, have since been very ably reported by M. G. Corson.l This paper is offered as a few notes covering alloys other than those described by Corson and some further data on the silicide alloys. Copper Alloys For the purpose of making a rapid survey of copper alloys that might show useful dispersion-hardening phenomena, various alloys were prepared containing 3 per cent. of additional elements added in such proportion that possible compounds could be formed without an excess of either added element. These alloys in the form of rolled or forged pieces were quenched in water from a temperature of 871" C. (1800" F.) and subsequently aged at various lower temperatures for l-hr. periods. The comparison of the Rockwell hardness of the quenched alloys with the maximum hardness of the alloys after aging was used as a measure of the dispersion hardening. Table 1 shows the Rockwell "E" hardness 1/8-in. ball, 100-kg. load) of the quenched alloys, together with the maximum hardness resulting from aging. The reheating temperature given in this table is the aging temperature at which maximum hardness resulted from a l-hr. sojourn. From this table it may be observed that only the silicide alloys showed significant dispersion hardening. Of these, the only one not described by Corson is the Cu-Be-Si alloy. This alloy contained 1.35 per cent. beryllium and 1.78 per cent. silicon, which is approximately equivalent to 3 per cent. Be2Si. It had a yellow color and scaled much less than the other silicide alloys upon heating. It could be worked easily either hot or cold but hardened very rapidly on cold working. The annealed alloy upon drawing from a diameter

Jan 1, 1929

By J. L. Gregg

A study of copper-base and silver-base alloys was made with the object of finding, if possible, useful alloys subject to dispersion hardening. These studies led to the discovery of several alloys showing considerable dispersion hardening, the most important of which, the alloys of copper with iron, nickel, cobalt and chromium silicides, have since been very ably reported by M. G. Corson.l This paper is offered as a few notes covering alloys other than those described by Corson and some further data on the silicide alloys. Copper Alloys For the purpose of making a rapid survey of copper alloys that might show useful dispersion-hardening phenomena, various alloys were prepared containing 3 per cent. of additional elements added in such proportion that possible compounds could be formed without an excess of either added element. These alloys in the form of rolled or forged pieces were quenched in water from a temperature of 871" C. (1800" F.) and subsequently aged at various lower temperatures for l-hr. periods. The comparison of the Rockwell hardness of the quenched alloys with the maximum hardness of the alloys after aging was used as a measure of the dispersion hardening. Table 1 shows the Rockwell "E" hardness 1/8-in. ball, 100-kg. load) of the quenched alloys, together with the maximum hardness resulting from aging. The reheating temperature given in this table is the aging temperature at which maximum hardness resulted from a l-hr. sojourn. From this table it may be observed that only the silicide alloys showed significant dispersion hardening. Of these, the only one not described by Corson is the Cu-Be-Si alloy. This alloy contained 1.35 per cent. beryllium and 1.78 per cent. silicon, which is approximately equivalent to 3 per cent. Be2Si. It had a yellow color and scaled much less than the other silicide alloys upon heating. It could be worked easily either hot or cold but hardened very rapidly on cold working. The annealed alloy upon drawing from a diameter

Jan 1, 1929

By Sandro Moro, Giuseppe Tiberti, Giovanni Plizzari, Antonio Conforti

"During TBM operations, thrust jacks apply high-concentrated forces to the last installed precast segment. These loads generate a disturbed region in the precast segment under the thrust jacks, in which significant tensile stresses (defined as splitting or bursting stresses) occur perpendicular to the load direction. In addition, due to the demand of compatibility, the combined effect of TBM high-concentrated loads determines tensile spalling stresses in the area far from the loads. Therefore, local rebars or fiber reinforcement are required in these areas. This paper focuses on the study of the effects generated by high-concentrated loads exerted by TBM hydraulic jacks, mainly in terms of both spalling and splitting phenomena. Experimental tests on small-scale specimens showed that polypropylene fiber reinforcement significantly enhances both the bearing capacity and the ductility. Moreover, polypropylene fibers resulted in very effective control of compatibility cracks.INTRODUCTIONTunnel segments are generally reinforced by conventional rebars (RC segments) in order to resist the tensile stresses both at Serviceability (SLS) and Ultimate Limit States (ULS).In the two last decades, Fiber Reinforced Concrete (FRC) has been used in many precast tunnel segments (sometimes also in combination with conventional rebars). Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete (SFRC) is generally used for these applications even though there is a growing industry interest on macro-synthetic fibers for structural applications. Conforti et al. (2015) showed that polypropylene (PP) macro fibers can be used as shear reinforcement in both wide shallow and deep beams. Referring to precast tunnel linings, very few early experiences are reported in literature. Bonalumi et al. (2015) developed full-scale tests on tunnel elements reinforced by PP fiber reinforcement and conventional rebars (hybrid solution). The design process of segmental concrete tunnel linings generally models the standard load cases of demolding, storage, transportation, positioning and embedded ground condition. In all these stages the ring can be modelled as simple curved beam elements (having a height equal to the lining thickness and a width equal to the segment length). During these loading conditions, flexural demand is generally limited; thus, in case of conventional RC elements, a rather low ratio of longitudinal curved rebars is usually adopted (?s of about 0.2-0.3%)."

Jan 1, 2016

By L. W. Saperstein

P.J. Ehret By and large, I agree with many of the precepts discussed in the Saperstein paper. I believe there is much more that can be done on the local level to involve both government and planning in the mine permit review process. Admittedly, much can be done to improve discussion between the state regulatory authority, local authorities, and mine operators. However, I strongly disagree, as suggested in the paper's conclusion, that such a system, as outlined in Saperstein's paper, could result in a reduction of review time or a lowering in the cost of permitting. The implementation of such a system by its very nature would only add a new level of bureaucracy to an already cumbersome process. This system, in my opinion, would only add to the cost of permitting and the time necessary to obtain a permit. Admittedly, it would achieve the result of adding local influence into the permitting process, but at what off-setting cost? It has been my professional first-hand experience and observation in the permitting and lands unsuitable processes to note that under the present system, local governments that do feel they have a stake in local mines and actively ad¬vocate their position (not simply comment), have had significant input into the conduct of mining and reclamation plans in their areas. Mining companies that mine in these areas are aware of local interests and attitudes, and do consider them in their plans. Simply put, local governments that want to get involved and want to play significant roles can and do. Those that do not advocate a position or have no input to offer do not. Although the present system is not as direct in effect in regard to local control as Saperstein's, it does work. It does so without the red tape that would result from developing miniature regulatory authorities in every county in which mining occurs. Although local input is important, there are many more sections of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (SMCRA) than Sections 508(a)(8) and 522(a)(3)(A) that also are important. It appears Saperstein's paper may overindulge these sections. An additional specific comment is made in regard to the statement that while local areas benefit from mining (wages, salaries, and purchases), they also endure environmental deterioration caused by mining affects. It is believed that the whole purpose for which SMCRA and its resulting regulations were enacted and developed was so mining would not be permitted if significant environmental deterioration could occur. Therefore, it could be argued that this point under current law is moot. Reply by L.W. Saperstein P.J. Ehret writes in a reasoned and rational way and makes some good points. The arguments in favor of central control of the designation process reflect all of the benefits associated with central environmental control: consistency of enforcement, efficiency of operation, ease of communication among enforcing agency, etc. Nonetheless, the decision to mine or not to mine is a landuse decision which, in substance, is similar to the decision to build a shopping mall, a new highway, or a housing subdivision. Although, state and federal governments' interests in the protection of public welfare are real and are expressed properly in mining laws and mining enforcement agencies (OSM, Illinois Department of Mines and Minerals, etc). I continue to maintain that the permitting and designation processes should originate with local government, which is in keeping with the American tradition of delegation of the land-use decision to local or regional government.

Jan 4, 1984

By D. T. Peters, J. C. Bisseliches, J. W. Spretnak

The pain boundary relaxation phenomenon in high-purity copper, 0FHC copper, and a precipitation-hardenable alloy o-fCu-2 uit pct Co has been studied by internal ,friction and elastic aftereffect techniques. The data were analyzed by assuming the broad distribution of relaxation times observed obeys a lognormal distribution law which enables calculation of the relaxation strength. Grain size had no effect on relaxation strength, although the peak width increased with increasing grain size and decreasing temperature. A double grain boundary peak was produced in high-purity copper by annealing to produce secondary recrystallization. The activation energy measured for 99.999 pct Cu is 37.5 * 3 kcal per mol and 46.5 kcal per mole for OFHC copper. A small peak in the Cu-Co alloy at about 220°C at 1 cps was deduced to be the grain boundary peak. Its height increased and its activation energy decreased with increasing aging time. Except for erratic peak positions the observations were consistent with the theory of pain boundary sliding. BEFORE the mechanism of the grain boundary internal friction peak in metals can be satisfactorily explained, the detailed characteristics of the relaxation process must be documented. Of interest are the effect of grain size on relaxation strength, the high-temperature background, and peak width and position. The effect on the grain boundary peak of a precipitate at grain boundaries and of the change in distribution of the particles with aging time must also be explained by any existing or forthcoming theory. The model which has received the most attention was proposed by KG' and zener2 and proposes that the anelastic strain results from sliding of adjacent crystals at grain boundaries. The sliding is limited by the interlocking of grain corners. It follows, according to this model, that the relaxation strength is independent of and the relaxation time is proportional to the grain size. The proportionality between grain size, D, and relaxation time, t, has been confirmed by K&' and Bisseliches . In this case, the internal-friction peaks of various specimens can be superimposed by plotting Q-' as a function of the parameter vD exp H/RT where v is the frequency and H the activation energy. However, the data of Starr et 01.' and Leak6 fit better to a parameter containing D to an exponent near two. A meaningful relationship is not always deducible from the shift of peak temperature with grain size. KG7 demonstrated that a twofold variation in grain size obtained by varying the amount of cold work followed by identical recrystallization anneals will cause a peak shift that is too large to be accounted for even by an exponent of two. Since the decreased grain boundary area existing with a larger grain size is exactly compensated for by an increased sliding distance, the relaxation strength should not decrease with increasing grain size. The height of the internal-friction peak has generally been observed to be rather insensitive to grain size as long as the average grain diameter does not approach the specimen diameter. Exceptions have been reported by Koster, Bangert, and Lang8 for copper, and by Leak6 for iron. The observations for copper could well have been confused by the presence df 0.3 pct0. The possibility that the peaks may simply be increasing in width with increasing grain size and that the relaxation strength, which is proportional to the area under the peak, may remain constant was not examined. his point has been checked in this investigation using high-purity copper. Atomic mechanisms to account for damping by sliding at grain boundaries have been proposed by KG7 and Mott. KG predicts the activation energy to be identical to that for self-diffusion. Mott's "island" model suggests the activation energy is nL where n is the number of atoms in an island and L is the latent heat of fusion per atom. Other authors have felt that a value equal to the activa-

Jan 1, 1964

By Gago P. Oliver

El origen del sostenimiento con pernos para roca se remonta al inicio de la década del 70, donde el uso inicial fue a través de varillas "L"de diámetro de ranura a un extremo introducido a una cuña. El requisito para el desempeño del perno fue contar con un hueco de perforación a la medida y una roca competente para este fin. Posteirormente se realizaron otras pruebas para determinar la capacidad de anclaje de la roca encajonante como de las vetas de l/8" de diámetro con "mariposas" a un extremo como medio de anclamiento. En este sentido, el texto señala que el uso de tubos para el yacimiento de Quiruvilca es favorable, en comparación a los pernos, puesto que mejora el rendimiento y seguridad de la mina, aunque su adquisición sea costosa. Mientras que desde la perspectiva de la mecánica de rocas, el método de reforzamiento es el más efectivo ya que actúa contra la totalidad de la superficie del hueco.

Nov 8, 1984

By George L. Wilhelm

Timber support of mine openings continues to be an effective system for ground support, due to its avail¬ability, flexibility, and ease of installation. Timber support of mine openings as a primary method to support loose rock has been replaced to a large extent by rockbolting and by filling systems. How¬ever, the many designs of square-set timber and varia¬tions of crib and stull support that have been developed to suit many stope configurations have proven reliable over many years of application. Integrated in modern excavation and stoping methods, timber remains an im¬portant ground support material for today's mines. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF TIMBER SYSTEMS Timber, when used as a part of the total support system, is recognized for its unique support properties. More than a cover to prevent minor falls of ground, timber systems have been carefully designed to provide adequate support with sufficient compressive qualities to achieve a safe working environment in extremely diffi¬cult ground conditions. In some cases, a timber support method is designed to yield while retaining its protec¬tive support qualities. Little or no initial investment in equipment or plant is required for incorporating timber into the mining support system. Low cost cutoff saws and portable chain saws are sufficient equipment for effective use of dimen¬sioned (sawed) or round (stull) timber support. Until recently, small sawmills of various complexity were com¬mon at mine surface plants. Sawmills at the mine sites have generally been replaced by timber vendors' mills. Suppliers have been able to use efficient cutting and lumber handling methods to reduce the cost of mine timbers. Most suppliers will package dimensioned mine timber into bundles that are suitable for handling down mine shafts and on level conveyances. The principal disadvantage of timber as a support method is higher material cost and labor cost associated with its labor-intensive installation. Furthermore, stand¬ing timber reserves of mine quality wood are in short supply in some areas, and heavy competition exists for alternative uses of the timber supplies. Vendors are reluctant to supply large cross section dimension tim¬bers relatively free of defects. Some mine operations require 4.8-m (16-ft) lengths of firm timber over 0.09 m2 (144 sq in.) in section and these are difficult to obtain in large quantities. APPLICATION OF TIMBER FOR MINE SUPPORTS Timber used in mine support has been cut from many species of trees. A firm hardwood with physical properties similar to western Douglas fir has been pre¬ferred in the US. Other harder and softer woods, how¬ever, have been used when readily available or where the specific strength or crushing quality of the wood is a desired specification of the support system design. Hard¬ wood, commonly oak, has been used where maximum crushing resistance is required. Mahogany and fir are widely used for shaft guide timber. Normally, timber is used with its core axis parallel to the long axis of the timber dimension. However, in some cases, it is placed normal to its core in a "butt" log position, so as to provide maximum resistance to abrasion of the ore passage adjacent to the cut end of the block. By selective placement of timber block¬ing, controlled resistance to ground closure can be achieved which will prevent early failure of primary sup¬port members of the timber structure. Timber is widely used in modern mining operations as a construction member for chute-lip support. These designs are tailored to each operation to conform to the dimensions of the haulage equipment being used. As a construction material, wood requires none of the spe¬cial equipment necessary for placement of concrete or steel support. Placement of these alternate support ma¬terials requires carefully dimensioned and engineered excavation for their installation. Wood can be easily sawed to fit on location. The successful use of timber in heavy ground de¬pends on the careful and accurate placement of block¬ing and bracing to achieve the controlled yielding re¬sistance needed to support the mine opening. Similarly, frequency, size, and placement of top and bottom block¬ing stulls in flat-bedded deposits are carefully determined to provide adequate support at the mining face. Con¬trolled caving through failure of the stulls may be required as the scope retreats from the earlier mined-out sections. The support program must achieve both of these dimensionless qualities by specification of stull frequency and size. The utility of the square set-system of ground sup¬port and timber support is described in Chap. 2, re¬printed from US Bureau of Mines Information Circular 6691. Four examples of effective use of timber for support of stoping and other mine openings are pre¬sented in other chapters in this section. The Gilman mine's use of Mitchell slice stoping described in Chap. 3 is an early modification of the square-set mining system. This application proved reli¬able for heavy ground and overcame some of the dis¬advantages of conventional square-set timber. Chap. 4 describes the Burgin mine's use of timber with other reinforcement material. This combination of materials achieved high strength and control with yielding com¬ponent members necessary for heavy, squeezing ground. Chap. 5 describes the Bunker Hill mine's use of square¬set timber in a new configuration that provides an effi¬cient and safe support for stoping using small load¬haul-dump (LHD) mobile equipment. Chap. 6 describes some considerations in placing the widely used stull in bedded ore deposits. Finally, in Chap. 7, cost calcula¬tions for

Jan 1, 1982