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By C. W. Hancher, B. D. Patton, W. W. Pitt

"There are a number of nitrate-containing wastewater sources, as concentrated as 30 wt % NO3 and as large as 2000 m3/day, in the nuclear fuel cycle. The biological reduction of nitrate in waste water to gaseous nitrogen, accompanied by the oxidation of a nutrient carbon source to gaseous carbon dioxide, is an ecologically sound and cost-effective method of nitrate waste disposal. These nitrate-containing wastewater sources can be successfully biologically denitrified to meet discharge standards in the range of 10 to 20 g N(NO3-)/m3 by the use of a fluidized bed bioreactor. The denitrification bacteria are a mixed culture derived from garden soil; the major strain is Pseudomonas. In the fluidized-bed bioreactor, the bacteria are allowed to attach to 0.25- to 0.50-mm-diam. coal fluidization particles, which are then fluidized by the upward flow of influent wastewater. Maintaining the bacteria-to-coal weight ratio at approximately 1:10 results in a bioreactor bacteria loading of greater than 20,000 g/m3,This paper describes the results of a bio denitrification R&D program based on the use of fluidized bioreactors capable of operating at nitrate levels of up to 7000 g/m3 and achieving denitrification rates as high as 80 g N(N03-) per day per litre of empty bioreactor volume. IntroductionThe discharge of wastewater containing nitrate at concentrations greater than stipulated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) creates an environmental hazard and constitutes a civil and/ or criminal legal liability.(I.2) At present, we have three options: (1) recycle and reuse of nitrate streams the total economic and technical balance should be Closely examined; (2) use of an alternative acid, which may pose an entirely different set of problems ; or (3) disposal of nonreusable nitrate sources by an environmentally acceptable procedure."

Jan 1, 1980

By T. P. Mucho

Over the past several years, two types of roof control problems have been en- countered at Beth Energy's Eighty Four Complex mine in Southwestern Pennsylvania. These problems have been (1) poor roof conditions encountered while advancing submain entries and longwall panel entries and (2) deterioration and failure of long- wall gateroads, principally the tailgate entry. This paper discusses the efforts by mine personnel to analyze the origins of the various attempts to-deal with the problems, and the success (or failure) of these efforts. Highlighted are the use of various common roof Control materials, variations in mining techniques, cementatious pillars, and changes in pillar design using yield and abutment pillars to address these problems.

Jan 1, 1986

By Todd Smith

AGENDA Newalta overview Dewatering underground slimes: current technique & challenges Why centrifugation? Process improvements & advantages How centrifuge technology works Implementation: first step Summary of benefits

May 1, 2013

By Anderson Dana

THIS PAPER describing methods and costs of mining and preparing gravel and sand for market at the Port Jefferson plant of the Seaboard Sand and Gravel Corporation, is one of a series of articles on gravel and sand mining, prepared for and published by the U. S. Bureau of Mines, which is designed to disseminate technical information regarding the methods used. The cost tabulations represent operating expenditures only and not total costs, It is recognized that publication of total costs might in many instances cause embarrassment to individual producers, as well as to the industry as a whole. On the other hand, operating costs are essential to the technical [ ]

Jan 1, 1932

By D. A. Stout

The Rouse Mine, belonging to the Colorado Fuel & Iron Company, earlier known as the Santa Clara Mine, is located at Rouse, Huerfano County, Colorado. Operations at this property started about the year 1899, after the old Rouse mine had been drowned out by a large flow of water coming from the strata underlying the Cameron seam. The present new Rouse mine was opened by a slope on what is familiarly known as the Walsen seam in the Walsenburg district. This slope has an average grade of 12 per cent bearing approximately, south 45 degrees west, and having at the present time a total length of 6300 feet. This seam has an average thickness at that property of five and one-half feet; however, there are sections of the mine where the thickness is from seven to eight feet. The mine has been developed. since the time it was opened on what is known as the Room and Pillar system ; water level entries have been driven right and left off the slope, and in some cases the rooms are driven directly up the pitch; and in other cases entries have been driven with rooms turned on water level courses. The first flow of water of which we have ally record was encountered in 1901 in what was called the "Second West Entry." This flow, however, was small, and did not require the installation of any large pump unit. From 1901 up until 1909 the flow increased normally as the field was developed. In January, 1909, the first large inflow occurred, coming from a break in the seventh west entry, making a total flow at that time of about 500 gallons per minute. This necessitated putting in larger pumps, and the first pump to be installed of the centrifugal type was a 600 gallon Worthington. By the year 1911 the water had increased, due to additional development, until it was found necessary to install an additional 600 gallon Worthington centrifugal type pump. In December, 1912, a break occurred in the eighth west entry, between the fourth and sixth cross entries, making 2000 gallons per minute. This flow decreased after a period of three weeks some 500 gallons, but on account of the quantity of water then being handled at the mine, and in view of the fact that we needed some reserve pumping equipment to take care of these flows, and additional 600-gallon Worthington centrifugal type pump was installed in June, 1913. An the latter part of 1914 a 250 gallon Reese roturbo was installed to take care of the water, which was being made in the lower workings of the slope. We found after the installation of the centrifugal pumps that the water decreased to a certain degree in the uppermost workings. This led us to believe that the field was being drained, more or less, and the head reduced ; however, our ideas in regard to this were again upset in December, 1915, when we encountered a flow in room 6 off the first cross entry on the ninth east entry. This flow was not as large as previous flows had been, but made 200 gallons per minute.

Jan 1, 1921

By R. J. Sweigard

Differential settlement on reclaimed land presents a particular problem when the land is to be used for row crops. The poorly drained depressions caused by differential settlement restrict crop yield resulting in additional costs to alleviate the problem. Potentially more serious is the threat of failing to meet target yields due to settlement: related reductions. Because the mechanism by which the problem occurs is not well understood, a physical model study was conducted to investigate the importance of several factors. Although the importance of such factors as the relative amounts of rock and unconsolidated overburden in the undisturbed condition and the size distribution of rock fragments were considered, the analysis concentrated on the causes of settlement in the reconstructed soil layer above the rock spoil.

Jan 1, 1989

The current quantity of rejects from coal beneficiation in Australia represents 20 to 25% of raw black coal production. Approximately 80% of the rejects are derived from coarse processing for particles in the 200mm to 0.5mm size range. The safe and enviornmentally acceptable storage of coarse coal rejects is of interest to coal mining companies. Additional public benefit would be derived from the utilisation of a waste product as a source of fill material for civil and mining engineering applications. BHP Engineering has taken a leading role in the design for storage and utilisation of coarse rejects from two mines associated with the Broken Hill Proprietary Conipany Ltd. The tailings dam at Stockton Borehole Colliery (N.S.W.) is to be raised and a study by BHP Engineering has shown that coarse rejects are suitable for the formation of the supporting embankment surrounding a compacted clay core. Transportation and storage of coarse rejects at the Thiess Dampier Mitsui Riverside Mine (Moranbah, Qld) is achieved by a conveyor leading directly from the coal preparation plant to a discharge stacker on the crest of the rejects stockpile. Production of coarse rejects was higher than anticipated for the initial dump design. BHP Engineering has completed a review of dump design with emphasis on safe operating conditions for the conveyors and stacker system. Data on the geotechnical properties of coarse rejects from Australian coal mines are presented. Coarse coal rejects are a material which should not be considered as waste, but as a potentially valuable resource for many future applications. Appropriate engineering design for the storage and utilisation of coarse rejects would result in an improved environment and economic benefits for the Community.

Jan 1, 1987

By J. A. Bossert

"In 1957, the Department of Mines and Technical Surveys (now Energy, Mines and Resources Canada) issued their first certificate for a fire-resistant conveyor belt. The testing procedure used was a combination of those used in the U.S.A. and the U.K. Subsequently, certification was granted to fire resistant electric cables (1974), fire-resistant mine duct material (1976) and fire-resistant hydraulic fluids (1978).Until recently, the testing procedures were copied from either the U.S. or the U.K. However, since the founding of the new Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Steering Committee for Electrical/Mechanical Mine Safety in 1981, these requirements have come under the close scrutiny of new CSA technical committees who will attempt to adopt or change the existing procedures to meet Canadian needs. This paper outlines the existing test requirements and attempts to predict how they will appear after ""Canadianization"" by the CSA committees.IntroductionFires in underground mines have always been considered more serious than in other locations because of the confined space and limited atmosphere. A fire can make escape difficult or impossible if it is blocking all of the routes to the surface. Also, the products of combustion from an underground fire can asphyxiate anyone not having self-contained breathing apparatus.In an underground coal mine, the consequences of a fire can be even more serious because of the presence of methane and coal dust in the atmosphere (which can explode) and because the coal itself is combustible.For these reasons, the inspection authorities having jurisdiction over underground mine s in Canada are quite concerned about the flammability of any materials that are used in quantity in the underground environmentAs early as 1957, the Canadian Explosive Atmospheres Laboratory (CEAL) was asked to certify conveyor belting as fire-resistant. This is because many miles of this material are used in underground mines in Canada and, as it generally travels through the mine, it is a perfect vehicle for spreading a fire."

Jan 1, 1982

By Stanley J. LeFond, Langtry E. Lynd

Elemental titanium has become famous as a space age metal, because of its high strength/ weight ratio and resistance to corrosion. However, the major use is in the form of titanium dioxide pigment, which because of its whiteness, high refractive index, and resulting light-scattering ability, is unequaled for whitening paints, paper, rubber, plastics, and other materials. A relatively minor use is in welding rod coatings, in the form of the mineral, rutile. United States consumption of titanium dioxide for these applications in 1973 was as follows: pigments, 891,000 st; titanium metal, 40,000 st (=24,000 st metal) ; and welding rod coatings, 10,000 st. The only commercially important titanium ore minerals at the present time are ilmenite, and its alteration products, and rutile. Titanium was discovered by Gregor in 1790, as a white oxide which he recovered from menaccanite, a variety of ilmenite occurring as a black sand near Falmouth, Cornwall. Barksdale (1966) states that the fundamental chemical reactions on which the present day titanium industry is based were known before 1800, although it was not until 1918 that these pigments were available commercially on the American market. Pings (1972) outlines the early history of the titanium industry in the United States, referring to the work of Guise (1964) and others: "Mining of titanium minerals in the United States began sometime between 1880 and 1900, in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Small quantities of rutile were also produced during the time in North Carolina and Georgia. In 1901 rutile was mined from a deposit near Roseland, Va., and was used in making titanium chemicals and for coloring ceramics. Ilmenite in the deposit was produced as a separate item in 1913, and rutile and ilmenite were obtained from this deposit through 1921. The mining of titanium bearing beach sands began in 1916 near Mineral City and Pablo Beach, Fla., for the purpose of making titanium tetrachloride to be used in tracer bullets, flares, and smokescreens. The titanium pigment industry was founded in 1918. By 1928 a large part of the domestic production of rutile, ilmenite, and zircon came from Florida. However production ceased in 1929 in Florida with the mining of newly discovered deposits in Virginia which were mined until 1968. The discovery of new deposits in Florida, and the development of better mining and concentrating methods for lowgrade sands, led to a return of activities in this area. The large deposits near Tahawus, N.Y., were brought into production in 1942 by National Lead Co. (now N L Industries Inc.), and by 1949 this company was the lead¬ing producer of ilmenite in the world. In 1948 the extensive deposits of ilmenite and ilmenite-bearing iron ores were discovered in eastern Quebec." The beginning of the modern titanium metal industry was in 1948, when E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co. produced the first metal. U.S. Bureau of Mines reports, which gave details of the Kroll process, together with the attractive properties of the metal for

Jan 1, 1975

By Stanley J. LeFond, Langtry E. Lynd

Elemental titanium has become famous as a space age metal, because of its high strength/ weight ratio and resistance to corrosion. However, the major use is in the form of titanium dioxide pigment, which because of its whiteness, high refractive index, and resulting light-scattering ability, is unequaled for whitening paints, paper, rubber, plastics, and other materials. A relatively minor use is in welding rod coatings, in the form of the mineral rutile. United States consumption of titanium dioxide in concentrates for these applications in 1982 was as follows: pigments, 630,000 st; titanium metal, 31,000 st; and welding rod coatings, 5,000 st. The only commercially important titanium ore minerals at the present time are ilmenite and its alteration products, and rutile. Titanium was discovered by Gregor in 1790, as a white oxide which he recovered from menaccanite, a variety of ilmenite occurring as a black sand near Falmouth, Cornwall. Barksdale (1966) stated that the fundamental chemical reactions on which the present day titanium industry is based were known before 1800, although it was not until 1918 that these pigments were available commercially on the American market. Pings (1972) outlined the early history of the titanium industry in the United States, referring to the work of Guise (1964) and others: Mining of titanium minerals in the United States began sometime between 1880 and 1900, in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Small quantities of rutile were also produced during that time in North Carolina and Georgia. In 1901 rutile was mined from a deposit near Roseland, VA, and was used in making titanium chemicals and for coloring ceramics. Ilmenite in the deposit was produced as a separate item in 1913, and rutile and ilmenite were obtained from this deposit through 1921. The mining of titanium bearing beach sands began in 1916 near Mineral City and Pablo Beach, FL, for the purpose of making titanium tetrachloride to be used in tracer bullets, flares, and smokescreens. The titanium pigment industry was founded in 1918. By 1928 a large part of the domestic production of rutile, ilmenite, and zircon came from Florida. However production ceased in 1929 in Florida with the mining of newly discovered deposits in Virginia which were mined until 1968. The discovery of new deposits in Florida, and the development of better mining and concentrating methods for low-grade sands, led to a return of activities in this area. The large deposits near Tahawus, NY. were brought into production in 1942 by National Lead Co. (now NL Industries, Inc.), and by 1949 this company was the leading producer of ilmenite in the world. In 1948 the extensive deposits of ilmenite and ilmenite-bearing iron ores were discovered in eastern Quebec. The large Trail Ridge sand deposit in Florida was discovered by E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc. geologists in cooperation with the US

Jan 1, 1983

By W. W. Staley

This paper discusses the design of small head frames that will fill the needs of prospectors and small operators whose operations are conducted through shafts. The head frames considered were designed to handle relatively small tonnages. It was assumed that the shafts in which buckets are used would not exceed 300 feet in depth and that not over 60 tons of rock would be hoisted, in, 14 hours. In the design of the larger head frames, a hoisting capacity of about 250 tons per 6 hours from a depth of 300 to 500 feet was assumed. Under these conditions, hoisting speed, rate of acceleration, and weight of rope have a negligible effect on the head frame design and, therefore, have been ignored in the following, discussion. Because timber is relatively cheap and easily obtained in most mining areas, the discussion has been confined to timber construction.

Jan 1, 1937

By Niles E. Grosvenor

One of the most important considerations in the efficient operation of an under¬ground mine is the haulage system. Often the determining factor between profit or loss is the quick removal of ore and waste from the working places to secondary and main-line haulage areas, and so on to the outside. Important, too, is moving supplies from the surface to the working faces so that the loading process can continue with little interruption. Men must he transported in a rapid but safe manner. It has been through the efficient use and generally the combination of mine cars, track, belt conveyors and rubber-tired haulage equipment that underground operations have been able to compete with the more popular strip or surface mining. As near-surface ore bodies are exhausted, underground haulage will play an expanding part in economically furnishing the world's needs for all types of minerals. The choice of underground haulage equipment, wherever possible, should be one that will give the smallest overall cost of ore removal during the life of the mine while meeting necessary safety requirements. The reader is referred to Sec. 12 for equipment such as scrapers and load-dump-¬haul units that perform loading as well as haulage duties. 14.1-MINE CARS AND TRACK NILES E. GROSVENOR Main-Line and Secondary Haulage-Many mines today use a combination of belt and rail haulage. Even if a- belt system is used to carry the product from the face to the surface, track is used to transport workmen and supplies. A track system, when properly installed, will provide interruption-free and safe haulage. Schrecengost 2 lists the following as major advantages of track haulage: 1. Safety in transporting men in and out of the mine in personnel cars. 2. Easy and rapid transportation of supervisory personnel. 3. A temporary shutdown occasioned by a roof fall or power failure along the haulage system will not shut down the production areas. 4. Quick availability of repair parts and supplies. 5. Large pieces of coal or rock can be handled without damage to the haulage equipment. 6. In areas where quality fluctuates noticeably, different cars may be separated out for special preparation. 7. Rock or equipment may be loaded and moved out of the mine without interference with the production or preparation of the coal. 14.1.1-MINE CARS Mine cars with steel bodies are used in all types of present-day mining. Wooden cars usually are more bulky and less resistant to wear and damage, but are more easily repaired. Regardless of the type of mine car selected, it is most practical to standardize on one type or make to simplify repairs and limit the amount of spare parts necessary to stock. Rigid-body flat-bottomed cars are simpler and usually lower than others of equal capacity. Advantages are: ease of loading because of the low sides, simplicity, cheapness and high ratio of capacity to weight. The disadvantages include the

Jan 1, 1973

By Marilyn Biviano

(l)The direct economic costs to this nation resulting from a decision to embargo South African strategic and critical minerals imports are estimated at $1.85 billion per year.2,3 About 94 percent of these estimated costs are for two platinum-group metals (PGM's), platinum and rhodium. The estimated costs of a 5-year embargo beginning in 1988 for the strategic and critical minerals analyzed are presented in Table 1.4 (2)There are sufficient alternative world sources to South Africa for manganese, chromium, palladium, titanium, and vanadium to meet U.S. industrial demand in the event of an embargo. (3)Alternative world sources to South Africa for platinum and rhodium cannot meet U.S. industrial demand. Non-South African world supply sources can meet about 40 percent of domestic platinum consumption requirements and 50 percent of rhodium requirements. (4)As a result of the increase in prices for platinum and rhodium during the embargo, expansion of domestic platinum-group metals mining and secondary production is expected. During a five year embargo, domestic primary and secondary production expand and together satisfy about one-third of U.S. platinum requirements, one-third of U.S. rhodium requirements, and over one-half of domestic palladium requirements.

Jan 1, 1988

By C. E. Schmidt

Condensate waters from the Bureau of Mines Synthane process for coal gasification have been investigated by mass spectrometric methods to determine the organic contaminants. Waters from the gasification of six coals were extracted with methylene chloride, yielding 0.6 to 2.4 weight-percent extractable material. Using high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS), combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and low-voltage mass spectrometry, 60 to 80 percent of the extract was found to be phenolic. About 20 organic contaminants have been identified and are present in the condensate waters from each coal gasified. The relative distribution of contaminants in the condensate water was nearly the same for the six coals gasified under various conditions; phenolic compounds were the most abundant in all cases.

Jan 1, 1974

By W. M. Baldwin, J. T. Brown

The effect of hydrogen on the ductility, c, of SAE 1020 steel at strain rates, i, from 0.05 in. per in. per rnin to 19,000 in. per in. per rnin and at temperature, T, from +150° to —320°F was determined. The ductility surface of the embrittled steel reveals two domains: one in which and the other in which The usual "explanations" of hydrogen embrittlement are in accord with the first of these domains only. THE purpose of this investigation was a fuller A characterization of this of the investigation effects of varying temperature and strain rate on the fracture strain of hydrogen-charged steel. To be sure, it is known that low and high temperatures remove the embrittlement that hydrogen confers upon steels at room temperature,1 * see Fig. la and b, and that high strain rates have a similar effect,'-' see Fig. 2a, b, and c. However, the general effect of these two testing conditions on the fracture ductility of hydrogen-charged steels is not known, i.e., the three-dimensional graphical representation of fracture ductility as a function of temperature and strain rate is not known—only two traverses of the graph are available. The need for such a graph is not pedantic. To demonstrate this point, Fig. 3a, b, and c shows three of many three-dimensional graphs, all possible on the basis of the two traverses at hand. The important point (as will be developed in the Discussion) is that each of them would indicate a different basic mechanism for hydrogen embrittlement. It will be noted that the four types of ductility surfaces in Fig. 3a, b, and c may be characterized as follows: Material and Procedure Tensile tests were made at various temperatures and strain rates on a commercial grade of % in. round SAE 1020 steel in both a virgin state and as charged with hydrogen. The steel was spheroidized at 1250°F for 168 hr to give the unembrittled steel the lowest possible transition temperature. The steel was charged cathodically with hydrogen as follows: The specimen was attached to a 6 in. steel wire, degreased for 5 min in trichlorethylene, rinsed with water, and fixed in a plastic top in the center of a cylindrical platinum mesh anode. The assembly was placed in a 1000 milliliter beaker containing an electrolyte of 900 milliliters of 4 pct sulphuric acid and 10 milliliters of poison (2 grams of yellow phosphorous dissolved in 40 milliliters of carbon disulphide). A current density of 1 amp per sq in. was used which developed a 4 v drop across the two electrodes. All electrolysis was carried on at room temperature. Temperatures for tensile tests were obtained by immersing the specimens in baths of water (+70° to + 150°F), mixtures of liquid nitrogen and isopen-tane (+70° to —24O°F), and boiling nitrogen (-240" to-320°F). Specimens were tested in tension at strain rates of 0.05, 10, 100, 5000, and 19,000 in. per in. per min. The 0.05 and 10 in. per in. per rnin strain rates were obtained on a 10,000 lb Riehle tensile testing machine, the 100 in. per in. per rnin rate on a hydraulic-type draw bench with a special fixture, and the 500 and 19,000 in. per in. per rnin rates on a drop hammer. The fracture ductility of hydrogen-charged steel at room temperature and normal testing strain rates (-0.05 in. per in. per min) is a function of electro-lyzing time, dropping to a value that remains constant after a critical time.'* Under the conditions of • The hydrogen content of the steel continues to increase with charging time even after the ductility has leveled off to its saturated value.' this research the saturated loss in ductility occurred at approximately 30 min, see Fig. 4, and a 60 min charging time was taken as standard for all subsequent tests. After charging the steel with hydrogen, the surface was covered with blisters. These have been described by Seabrook, Grant, and Carney.' The original diameter of the specimen was not reduced by acid attack, even after 91 hr. Results The ductility of both uncharged and charged specimens is given as a function of strain rate in Fig. 5, and as a function of temperature at four different strain rates in Fig. 6. These results are assembled into a three-dimensional graph in Fig. 7. It is seen that the locus of the minima in the ductility curves of the charged steels divides the ductility surface into two domains. At temperatures below the minima,

Jan 1, 1955

Performance of Outotec FloatForce« Flotation Mechanism - A Study in Both Computational Fluid Dynamics and Industrial Scale Measurement

Sep 13, 2010

By Jens Classen, Martino Gatti

"GENERAL PROJECT DATAThe Sparvo Tunnel is part of the “Variante di Valico” project, a new 65km (40mi) highway link between Bologna and Florence, designed to renew the existing A1 route which connects Bologna and Florence. It is composed of 2 x 2,5km (1,55mi) twin tunnels excavated inside a complex geological context, characterized by the presence of a series of surface landslides and methane gas.The inclination is 2,6 % and the minimum radius is 1.400m (4.600ft). The two tunnel tubes were excavated by a 15,6m (51ft) diameter EPB-TBM from summer 2011 to summer 2013. The internal diameter of the concrete lining is 13,6m (44,5ft), made up of precast concrete segments 2m (6,5ft) long and 70cm (28”) thick, being the largest and heaviest segments ever produced. Excavation went smooth apart from initial problems concerning clogging problems and a main bearing damage of the TBM, which are discussed in a further paper during the congress. No structural damage was observed until the end of the TBM drives.SITE OBSERVATIONS DURING THE POST-EXCAVATION PHASEThe first evidence of the stress state of the segmental lining appeared on November 20, 2013 inside the northern tube (1st drive). Ring No. 884 showed obvious signs of overstress, resulting in spalling and crushing of the concrete, and the subsequent bending of the reinforcement, as visible in figure 1.At this time the tunnel invert was already partially backfilled, and construction traffic was running through the tunnel. First safety measures included closing of the tunnel, and initial measurements of the displacements."

Jan 1, 2016

By Allan J. Clark, W. J. Sharwood

When the cyanide process came into general use, late in the nineteenth century, chlorination was quickly supplanted, but amalgamation yielded place more slowly, being still the major process at many plants, where it is followed by cyanidation of the tailings. The research work of the Denny brothers in South Africa' was probably the most important contribution of its time to the metallurgy of gold. By grading analyses of mill products, they pointed to the necessity of fine grinding to accomplish maximum extraction by cyanide. The work here described is merely an extension of the Dennys' method. Developing the fine-grinding principle, the steps of "crushing in solution" and of "all-sliming" were logical sequels, though both had been attempted early in the history of the cyanide process. Crushing in solution introduced certain complications in amalgamation; when "all-sliming " was adopted it was observed that the omission of amalgamation did not materially affect the total recovery. Thus the field of the older process has become much restricted, being at present confined to ores which, yielding freely to amalgamation, either are too low in grade to show an economic advantage in "all-sliming," or present chemical or other difficulties making the use of cyanide solution unadvisable during the crushing and preparation of the ore. South African ores are typical of the former class; Homestake ores are of both classes, but even in these instances the amalgamation work is being curtailed and greater burdens thrown on the cyanide plants. It is obvious that the time required for the dissolution of gold depends on the size of its particles. In an effort to determine the critical size, the following laboratory method was evolved. A standard amalgamation test2 had already been established, which involves the agitation of about 100 gm. of ore with 20 gm. of pure mercury, the latter then being separated and its gold contents determined. This method was applied directly to certain mill products with interesting results, a few of which may be noted here. The column "Free Gold" gives the value per ton thus amalgamated, as against the " Total Gold " determined by fire assay.

Jan 1, 1923

By Allan J. Clark, W. J. Sharwood

When the cyanide process came into general use, late in the nineteenth century, chlorination was quickly supplanted, but amalgamation yielded place more slowly, being still the major process at many plants, where it is followed by cyanidation of the tailings. The research work of the Denny brothers in South Africa' was probably the most important contribution of its time to the metallurgy of gold. By grading analyses of mill products, they pointed to the necessity of fine grinding to accomplish maximum extraction by cyanide. The work here described is merely an extension of the Dennys' method. Developing the fine-grinding principle, the steps of "crushing in solution" and of "all-sliming" were logical sequels, though both had been attempted early in the history of the cyanide process. Crushing in solution introduced certain complications in amalgamation; when "all-sliming " was adopted it was observed that the omission of amalgamation did not materially affect the total recovery. Thus the field of the older process has become much restricted, being at present confined to ores which, yielding freely to amalgamation, either are too low in grade to show an economic advantage in "all-sliming," or present chemical or other difficulties making the use of cyanide solution unadvisable during the crushing and preparation of the ore. South African ores are typical of the former class; Homestake ores are of both classes, but even in these instances the amalgamation work is being curtailed and greater burdens thrown on the cyanide plants. It is obvious that the time required for the dissolution of gold depends on the size of its particles. In an effort to determine the critical size, the following laboratory method was evolved. A standard amalgamation test2 had already been established, which involves the agitation of about 100 gm. of ore with 20 gm. of pure mercury, the latter then being separated and its gold contents determined. This method was applied directly to certain mill products with interesting results, a few of which may be noted here. The column "Free Gold" gives the value per ton thus amalgamated, as against the " Total Gold " determined by fire assay.

Jan 1, 1923

By John P. Dunford

Ground support continues to be the most important safety consideration in underground mining. The Bureau of Mines has developed a yielding steel post with a capacity of 45 tons and b c1osure allowance of 24 inches in a 6 to 7 foot seam height. The post mechanism in a three piece unit consisting of a top and bottom leg made from standard steel pipe and a separate foot bracket. It develops its load carrying ability when the lower pipe, with an attached interference ring, is forced into the larger top leg. The walls of the top leg are deformed radially and along the axis. Yield continues until the unit bottoms out. Other advantages of the post is that due to its simplicity it can be made at the mine shop level and its cost should be about one-hundred dollars. Prototype units were tested in the laboratory. Based on these results, modifications were made that would make the post perform better as a mine support. Two field tests were conducted. The first test used the units as supplemental support for the wood crib rows in a longwall tailgate. The second and larger field teat had 84 posts placed on salvaged track rails. They were installed on two foot centers in the middle of the entry. Overall the supports functioned well during use in the headgate entry, but problems with the quality of some of the pipe caused localized failures. However, these problems can be attributed to one manufacturer of pipe and through tighter specifications can be eliminated. The use of the posts with the rails is showing additional benefits as a ground support system. By providing continuous support between the posts a beam is created that has much more load bearing. The additional support can reduce floor heave and in some cases eliminate the need for the rib side crib line.

Jan 1, 1986