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By C. H. G. Bushell, James E. Lawver, William Barbarowicz

Proper use of automatic controls in the process industries is a combination of art and science. Although many phases of automatic control theory can be expressed by precise mathematical relationships, the final control arrangement usually requires considerable effort by trial and error before the optimum control circuit is found. The failure of flotation operators to recognize that control circuits require study and plant experimentation before satisfactory operation occurs has led to a popular misconception that flotation plants simply do not lend themselves to automation. This widespread belief has been overcome to some degree in recent years by the numerous installations of automatic controls that have paid their way by increasing profits in terms of increased recoveries, lowered costs, or higher grade concentrates. WHY CONTROL ? Any form of automation must be justified in terms of ultimate return on in- vestment by improving quality, by increasing plant throughput, or by reducing the total operating costs. Generally speaking, automatic controls rarely re- place a mill operator. They assist the operator in holding important variables within predetermined limits. Large tonnage operations usually can justify a great deal of automation because an increase in one or two units of recovery results in enormous savings compared to the capital and operating costs of controls. DETERMINATION OF CONTROL The first questions in considering plant automation are: 1) What variables must be controlled? 2) What are the optimum levels of the variables? The optimum operating conditions for any process are those which maximize profits. Many of the variables active in flotation processing can be determined by experimentation in the laboratory or pilot plant 10. Although laboratory experiments can pinpoint variables, the true optimum conditions existing at plant level usually must be determined by plant scale experiments. In recent years, the concepts of detailed experimental designs in the laboratory, followed by plant experiments, have reached the stage of maturity where

Jan 1, 1962

By Y. C. Kim

Although the first published optimum pit limit design algorithm by Lerchs-Grossmann dates back to 1965, the majority of the open-pit mines in the U.S. has not as yet adopted such a rigorous optimization algorithm. Instead, the floating cone approach initially developed by Kennecott Copper in 1961 is still used today for various reasons. However, shortcomings with the floating cone algorithm, particularly for precious metal deposits with erratic mineral distributions, have provided a renewed interest in optimizing algorithms.

Jan 1, 1988

By Natalie Caciagli

Catchment basin sampling allows for rapid assessment of large areas. Stream sediment surveys are a common tool used in regional exploration. The difficulty in detecting geochemical anomalies in stream sediment data from large regional datasets lies in finding the background values of pathfinder elements due to variable lithologies that could be sampled within a single basin. An alternative data driven method to discover anomalies in complex environments, without a priori knowledge of background concentrations, is presented here

May 10, 2023

By Anthony W. Wakefield

The paper is intended merely as an introduction to methane hydrates, what they are and why they are important. It does not claim to be a cutting-edge research report, but may be useful for those to whom the subject is unfamiliar.

Jan 1, 2008

FRIENDS of the late Charles F. Rand presented in 1930 a sum of money from which the income is available to support various phases of the work of the Institute in which Mr. Rand was so deeply interested. At present the fund amounts to $10,900. The specific terms of the deed of gift are as follows: "The fund collected to establish a memorial to the late Charles F. Rand shall be placed in the custody of the Board of Directors of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers, to be set up as a trust to be known as the `Charles F. Rand Foundation,' the income of which shall each year be applied to a distinct purpose to be decided upon in that year by vote of the Board of Directors. This purpose shall be such as to promote the general welfare of the Institute and to constitute a permanent memorial of the usefulness of Mr. Rand, who for many years gave unstintingly of his time and talents in its service. "It shall be within the discretion of the Board of Directors to establish a medal to be known as the Charles F. Rand Memorial Medal to be awarded at such a time and under such rules as may be determined by the Board of Directors, for Distinguished Achievement in Mining Administration." The establishment of this medal was announced at the annual meeting in February, 1932, the term "mining" being defined in its broad sense to include metallurgy and petroleum. Robert Linton is chairman of the Charles F. Rand Foundation Award Committee.

Jan 1, 1942

By Alan Morris

In a previous paper1 the results of cutting tests on free-cutting brass rod were reported. Investigation was made of the effects of variation in lead content, microstructure and cold drawing. The author's reply to the discussion of that paper includes a study of the directional cutting properties of drawn and annealed rod. The present paper records the results of tests made on series of samples in which the tin, iron and copper contents have been varied. The apparatus used and method of testing are described in detail in the previous paper. The machine is of the pendulum-operated milling type used and described by Airey and Oxford.2 Angular readings of the height to which the pendulum rises after falling from a fixed position, both when a cut is made and when the pendulum swings freely, give the basis for calculation of the energy consumed in making a cut. Careful weighing of the sample before and after cutting gives a measure of the amount of metal removed. The results are expressed in footpoiinds per cubic inch of metal removed, and have been called "unit cutting energy." In the course of the discussion of the author's earlier paper, W. B. Price reported large-scale tests involving some 50,000 lb. of material. These tests indicated that the addition of as much as 0.6 per cent of iron and 0.25 per cent of tin had apparently no adverse effect on the highspeed cutting characteristics of the rod. The rod also contained a small amount of nickel. The test results reported here tend to confirm his observations. Effect of Variation in Tin Content The castings for this series were made 2 by 1 by 9 in. and were processed as follows: 1. Castings were annealed at 500" C. for 7 hr. 2. Cold-rolled to 0.700 in.

Jan 1, 1933

By McConachie W. J

Introduction.Ore Bodies.Lead.Copper.Ground.Main Haulage Levels.Stope Preparation.Stoping Practice.General.Longitudinal Stopes-Ring Drilled.Parallel Hole Drilled.Transverse Stopes -Ring Drilled.Parallel Hole Drilled.Charging and Wiring.Fragmentation.Pillar Recovery.Special Applications of Blast Holes.General Drilling Data.Future Trends.Acknowledgements.INTRODUCTIONThe purpose of this paper is to present a detailed account of current blast hole stoping practice at Mount Isa. Details of blast hole machines, types of diamond bits and performances are covered in B. E. Logan's paper "Diamond Drills and Bits".ORE BODIESThis brief description is limited to an outline of the salient features of the Black Star lead and copper bodies.

Jan 1, 1953

By R. U. Jackson

Belt conveying is a method of transportation that requires proper servicing and maintenance if completely economical results are to be obtained from the system. With a trucking system, it is common practice to deliver the trucks to a servicing station each day or at the end of each shift. With railroad transportation there is a similar procedure. Sufficient credit is seldom given to this periodic inspection and maintenance procedure, yet it is the key to the successful operation of trucking and rail haulage systems. How about the belt conveyor transportation system? Here is a system that requires no operator for each individual unit. It requires only a main switch and an adequate sequence interlocking system, and the system is so simple to operate that maintenance is considered as only a casual requirement-nothing is done about it until after trouble has developed.

Jan 1, 1956

By J. E. Pahlman

As part of its goal to minimize the requirements for mineral commodities through conservation and substitution, the Bureau of Mines is conducting research to determine the resistance of alumina refractories to corrosion by alkali-containing slags that could result from burning of the abundant Western lignites in metallurgical operations. Static corrosion tests were performed at 1,000° to 1,350° C and dynamic tests were performed at 1,400° to 1,600° C to investigate the stability of refractory specimens in slag environments. In general, the degree of refractory attack increased with decreasing alumina content in the refractory and with increasing alkali content of the lignite ash. The parabolic kinetics observed in static tests suggested that a reaction product layer is formed through which ionic diffusion must occur to sustain the reaction with the refractory material. The linear kinetics observed in dynamic tests in high-viscosity slags indicated a shearing of the reaction product layer by viscous slags. The observed lesser attack of refractories by low-viscosity slags can be explained on this basis. Two 99-percent-alumina refractories and two 90-percent-alumina refractories formed an expanded protective layer with the more viscous slags but not with the less viscous slags. Corrosion of 90-percent-alumina refractories increased exponentially with temperature. In refractories with the same nominal alumina content, those that contain a combination of a-Al203 and mullite (3A1203?2Si02) have better corrosion resistance than those containing a combination of a-Al203, cristobalite (Si02 mineral), and mullite. In alkali environments (1,300 to 1,400° C), 90-to 99-percent-alumina refractories are recommended for use as furnace linings.

Jan 1, 1980

By Vincent P. Gianella

THE most intense earthquake on the Pacific coast in the last several years, and probably the second most intense shock to occur in Nevada since it was settled, was felt in many Western States shortly after 10 p.m. on Dec. 20, 1932. Be- cause the rifted area contered about the northern end of Cedar Mountain it is referred to as the Cedar Mountain, Nevada, earthquake. An idea of the intensity of the shock may be gathered from the distance at which it was felt: in Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Nevada, Washing- ton, Oregon, California and Arizona. It is the strongest quake centering in Nevada since the Pleasant Valley earthquake on Oct. 2, 1915. Despite the strength of the vibrations and the large area over which they were felt, relatively little damage was done. The extent of the damage consisted of a few old stone buildings demolished as shown in Fig. 1, much cracked and fallen plaster, many chimneys shaken down and considerable cracking of brick walls. There were no deaths and four people were but slightly injured. The small amount of damage was due, largely, to the scarcity of structures within the area of strong vibrations, but an important factor was the aridity of the region (see Fig. 2) and the shallowness of soil cover so that there was but little water-saturated loose material in which strong secondary vibrations could be formed. Had this earthquake occurred in a region of heavy precipitation and dense population the damage to property and loss of life would undoubtedly have been large, with consequently much more newspaper publicity.

Jan 1, 1933

By Allen V. Reicks

This paper reviews the impact of the idler set on the performance of belt conveyors. Idler rolls as part of the load support system and their interaction with the conveyor system will be discussed. in particular, the rotating performance of the individual idler roll concentrating on the rotating resistance and life of the bearing and seal design are addressed in detail. A basis for the development of performance specifications for use in conveyor design that takes advantage of the idler manufacturers design and manufacturing expertise is discussed.

Jan 1, 2008

VERSLAG- REPORT No. 1365 STUDIES OF INCIPIENT FUSION IN THE SYSTEM CHROMITE- MgO- Al2O3-SiO2-C 5th January, 1972 Investigator: N. A. Barcza SYNOPSIS A fundamental study was made of twelve chromite ores by use of a thermobalance under atmospheric and reducing conditions. It was found that their thermal behaviour under atmospheric conditions can be related to the mineralogical composition of the chromite spinel and the gangue. The overall mechanism of reduction with solid carbon over the temperature range of 1 200 to 1 500°C was shown to be diffusion of carbon through the reaction product. The effects of additions of fluxes and variations in particle size on the kinetics and mechanism of reduction were determined. It was shown that carbon monoxide does not reduce chromite ore up to temperatures of 1 550 °C, and it can therefore be eliminated as the diffusing reducing species. However, the reaction product of reduction, namely a mixed carbide of iron and chromium, was shown to be an effective reducing agent for chromitc ore, while also facilitating the transport of carbon. VERSLAG - REPORT No. 1380 AN ELECTROCHEMICAL MODEL FOR THE LEACHING OF URANIUM DIOXIDE 10th January, 1972 Investigators: C. R. S. Needes, M. J. Nicol SYNOPSIS A correlation between the rate of leaching of UO2 and the electrochemical properties of the oxidant concerned has been derived. This correlation is found to be borne out by experimental results. Certain effects observed in UO2 leaching and hitherto unexplained have been clarified in terms of an electrochemical mechanism. Experiments have shown that the mixed potential of a UO2 electrode gives a measure of the rate of dissolution of UO2. Its significance to commercial practice is discussed. CONCLUSIONS (I) The dissolution of UO2 in the presence of a number of oxidants can be explained in terms of an electrochemical mechanism. (2) The mixed potential of the UO2 electrode is a measure of the rate of UO2 leaching. This principle could be used in the control of industrial leaching operations. (3) A simple treatment has provided a mathematical basis for a fundamental correlation between the rate of U02 dissolution and the chemical properties of the oxidants concerned. This relation has been found to agree well with experimental results. (4) A number of phenomena occurring during the leaching of UO2, hitherto not explained in a satisfactory manner, have now been clarified in terms of an electrochemical mechanism.

By Barry H. G. Brady

A state of stable equilibrium is required in a mine structure to ensure that small increases in the mined void are accompanied by only small displacements of the rock mass. Methods of determining the stability of equilibrium in a rock mass currently require a geometrically regular stoping layout, and introduce a number of simplifying assumptions. The method reported in this paper models the mine near-field using Finite Elements, and the far-field using Boundary Elements. The stability of equilibrium in the modelled structure can be assessed directly from the value of selected principal minors of the global stiffness matrix.

Jan 1, 1981

By Victor Rakowsky

A CLEAR understanding of the factors that deter-mine the consumption of zinc metal is essential to a proper survey of the future of the industry and the relation of the several producing districts. With a view of explaining a sound basis for the consider-ation of some of the problems facing the zinc-mining industry of the Oklahoma-Kansas and Missouri district some of these factors are here set out. The zinc industry of the United States furnishes metal for three major uses, viz.: (1) zinking iron and steel (galvanizing); (2) brass making; (3) sheet rolling. Other important uses are for lead desilverization, the manufacture of castings, including die castings, and the manufacture of zinc oxide by the French process, which consists in burning spelter. The use of zinc for galvanizing comprises the coating of sheets, tubes, wire and shaped products, the latter ranging from chains to buckets. The brass-making industry may be sub-divided into manufacture of red brass, yellow brass and white brass, the percentage of zinc in these products being roughly 30, 40 and 80 respectively. The use of white brass is relatively a new thing and it may attain considerable proportions as a substitute for yellow brass. Ingalls estimated the percentage of total metal consumed for the above purposes in pre-war times as follows: HIGH PRODUCTION RECORD, SHORT TONS USES PERCENTAGE OF METAL Galvanizing 60-65 210,000 in 1912 Brass making 17-20 175,000 in 1916 Rolled sheets 10-12 57,000 in 1917 Other uses 5- 7

Jan 3, 1923

By Robert S. MacPhail, Bret G. Cousins

Many copper-bearing ores with associated gold use Sodium Isopropyl Xanthate (SIPX) as a flotation agent. In general, SIPX will float to some extent other minerals that may not be desirable, such as pyrite. FLEX 31 is a chemically enhanced SIPX product with many of the same properties as SIPX. But FLEX 31 has the ability to reject more pyrite from concentrates and improves copper recovery when using up to 50% less FLEX 31 than is required if using SIPX. Copper activated minerals such as sphalerite and arsenopyrite show increased recoveries as well using FLEX 31. Tests have been performed on copper/zinc ores and an arsenopyrite/pyrite ore.

Jan 1, 1995

By L. Munsamy, B. J. Madden

OpenRisk, an open cast risk rating system, takes into account relative differences in the importance of hazards, as experienced on each mine as a result of different combinations of geotechnical factors and mining conditions. The system is based on critical geotechnical and operational parameters that have been identified by mining personnel and rock engineers. The primary advantage of this risk rating system is that all the strip mines would use an identical system, which enables the user to compare their risk to the risk at neighbouring mines and/or other open cast mines. The system can be adjusted to meet local, mine specific requirements. This system has been made practical and easy to use. Therefore, this tool can be used by personnel from other disciplines not directly related to rock engineering. OpenRisk system has been in operation at nine Anglo Coal and other open cast mines. It adequately detects areas of high risk and generates adequate remedial solutions to reduce the risks. Awareness of the personnel has been higher at the sites that use OpenRisk. The proactive approach of OpenRisk ensures that all personnel are aware of risks in the pits and how to deal with potential risky areas.

Jan 1, 2006

By R DeLon Hunsaker

In the past, quarrying and other small operations have not been able to take advantage of the lower cost, convenience and better performance of bulk slurries. However, with the introduction of repumpable emulsion slurries and their ability to be stored in containers as blasting agents, bulk slurries are now available for small operations with small diameter boreholes and are producing excellent results. This same concept is being used successfully in larger underground operations.

Jan 1, 1984

By Curtis Clement

Williamson & Associates, Inc. has developed a marine mineral exploration tool using an induced polarization technology (IP) under license from the US Geological Survey. Developed by Jeff Wynn at the USGS, this method has gone through several prototyping stages and is now in commercial use to map offshore ilmenite deposits. Preliminary results of a recent resource mapping program are discussed as well as potential applications in the detection and quantification of other minerals in marine sediments.

By R. W. Raymond

Alexander Brinton Coxe was born in Philadelphia, Pa., Jan. 19, 1838, the second of five sons of Hon. Charles Sidney Coxe and Ann Maria Brinton. A more extended history of his family and its important relations to the development of the United States will be found in my Biographical Notice of his younger brother, Eckley B. Coxe, published in 1895. It is therefore sufficient to say here that Dr. Daniel Coxe, a clis-

Jan 1, 1907

By Walter R. Hibbard

BACKOFEN' reported recently that "the deformation texture of cold-drawn OFHC copper wire, after a reduction in area of 97.3 pct, may still be described as a composite of [lll.] and [loo] directions aligned parallel to the wire axis." In the introduction, he indicated that this was in contrast to the work of Hibbard,' who reported a single [111] texture after a reduction of 96.4 pct. Unfortunately Backofen stated that this was a reduction in area when actually it was a reduction in diameter, as is clearly stated in the reference. Moreover, the results of Backofen are in complete agreement with the results of Hibbard. Backofen's 97.3 pct reduction in area is an 83.3 pct reduction in diameter, after which he foundadouble [ll11 and[l001texture with the former predominating. Similarly, Hibbard; after an 86 pct reduction in diameter found a double [Ill] and [I001 texture with the former predom- inating. Hibbard, however, when he drew the wire further to 96.4 pct reduction in diameter, found primarily a single [Ill1 texture as illustrated by Fig. 2 of ref. 3. Here also, Hibbard- reported evidences of the [loo] recrystallization texture found by Backofen. It might also be pointed out that Backofen not only drew his wire 97.3 pct reduction in area but also etched them over 99 pct reduction in area from 0.125 to 0.01 in. diam. Hibbard's wires were drawn directly to size. In summary, the deformation texture of cold-drawn copper wire still may be described as primarily a single Clll] texture after a sufficient amount of drawing, such as 96.4 pct reduction in diameter." a

Jan 1, 1952