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Stripping of the Exotica open-pit mine, which is proceeding at about 120,000 tpd, is dwarfed by its proximity to the 500-million-ton Chuquicamata tailing pile. The excavating work is being carried on smoothly and efficiently and, as of the end of October, accounts for the removal of 77 million tons of total material of which some 200,000 tons is stockpiled ore. Diamond drilling has outlined an orebody 5900 ft long and 3400 ft wide containing an estimated 153 million tons of ore at 1.35% recoverable copper based on 80 % extraction.

Jan 11, 1969

By Peter (Yunqing) Zhang

Longwall recovery under weak roof conditions could have considerable delay if the immediate roof is weak and deteriorates during screening. A pre-driven longwall recovery room is a feasible solution to minimize the impact of longwall move on production. In this longwall recovery project, a 16-ft recovery room was pre-driven to cover screening, and the shearer cut another 16 ft outby to reach the final recovery line. The pre-driven recovery room was carefully monitored as the face was approaching it. The longwall face operated very well as it cut into the recovery room. The recovery process took about 13 days, and considerable time was saved compared with the previous panel. The support in pre-driven recovery room was designed to handle both front abutment pressure and weak immediate roof conditions. Pumpable standing support was used to support the cantilevered roof as the fender pillar narrowed and collapsed when the face cut into the recovery room. To ensure the stability of the recovery room, 3-D computer modeling was used to evaluate the support system. Abutment pressure, critical fender pillar width, bolting system, pumpable cribs and shield support were considered in the model. The recovery room was carefully monitored during longwall recovery. Roof-to-floor convergence and crib convergence were recorded every shift as the longwall face was approaching the recovery room. Roof, floor and pillar activities and crib performance were also observed as the face cut into the recovery room. This paper presents the support design for the recovery room, evaluation of the support system through computer modeling, and details of the monitoring results.

Jan 1, 2006

The use of angled shot holes can be extremely effective in blasting faces that either have a great deal of toe burden or where it is difficult to give a drill access to a face due to backbreak and face erosion. However many quarry operators are wary of using angled holes because of the perceived possibility of increased flyrock and uncertainty of the driller's abilities to drill at the designed angle.

Jan 1, 1994

By J. Trcková

This paper describes the method of modelling rock mechanical problems on experimental models. Based on an actual experiment used as an example, assessment of the surface deformation due to undermining, the extensive possibilities of using a 3-D physical model and application results in practice are demonstrated. A special method of modelling the underground mine progress by using paraffin melting is presented. Keywords: undermining, subsidence of surface, 3-D experimental model

Jan 1, 2009

By F. J. Darnell

SINGLE crystals of a-titanium are difficult to obtain because of the phase transformation at 882 °C in which the structure changes from the high-temperature body-centered structure ß to the low-temperature hexagonal close-packed structure a. Preparation of single crystals of a-titanium has previously been accomplished by a strain-anneal method which takes several days and is not generally reproducible. Single crystals as large as 5 mm

Jan 1, 1959

By Distin P. A

The extraction of platinum and rhodium from scrapped honeycomb autocatalyst into hydrochloric acid/aluminum chloride/nitric acid solutions is described. Results are given for the effects of leachant composition, temperature and catalyst pre-reduction using hydrogen. Data are also presented for the recovery, by hydrogen reduction, of platinum and rhodium dissolved in the leach solution. Parameters studied include solution composition and temperature, hydrogen pressure, and platinum seed addition.

Jan 1, 1992

By Zieg GA

The Sheep Creek Project lies 30 km north of White Sulphur Springs in the Little Belt Mountains of central Montana. Homestake Mining Co. discovered base metal anomalous pyrite beds downdip from gossans in 1974. Cominco American began exploration in 1976, consolidated adjacent properties, and joint ventured with BHP-Utah International in 1985. High . grade Cu and Cu/Co mineralization intersected in a 1985 drill hole led to discovery of two separate deposits. The project area now covers over 175 km2 and is being actively explored for Cu, Co and Zn in a shale hosted bedded sulphide system.Proterozoic Belt Supergroup sediments host the Sullivan Pb/Zn deposit, stratabound Ag/Cu ores of the Revett Formation at Troy and Rock Creek, and base metal rich pyrite beds at Sheep Creek.

Jan 1, 1990

By Clifford C. Hanninen, Allan H. Caverson

Within the past nine years a means for measuring the distance between mine roof and floor was developed at the White Pine mine which yields relevant information utilized in the mining operation. The technique known as "convergence" is an efficient, low cost way for obtaining large quantities of data for predicting roof falls, caving activity and overall mine stability. Since 1964 the activity of convergence measurements has expanded to become a production tool found in all sections of the mine. The program involves four types of activity: 1) monthly measurements in areas known to be active and in sample blocks scattered throughout the mine for a long-term stability study; 2) semi- monthly measurements along vital travel roads, belt drifts and compressor sites; 3) weekly measurements in areas where men are working; 4) daily measurements in pillar-recovery and caving operations.

Jan 5, 1973

By K. Robert Dorman, F. Michael Jenkins

The occurrence of rock bursts in deep metal/nonmetal mines presents a major hazard to their safe and economical operation. As part of a Bureau of Mines program to reduce rock bursts in deep vein mining, a project was conducted in the Coeur d'Alene Mining District of Idaho to evaluate and demonstrate the mining of a destressed sill pillar using undercut-and-fill methods. A 50-ft sill pillar in a burst-prone area was preconditioned by drilling and blasting vertical holes in the ore. After raises were driven through the destressed pillar to the level above, it was mined by the undercut-and-fill method. The conclusion from this demonstration is that the combination of ore preconditioning and underhand mining resulted in greatly improved rock burst and ground control, allowing safe and efficient mining of a potentially hazardous, burst-prone pillar.

Jan 1, 1984

The Shamrock Gold Mine has been brought from exploration to production within three years. Mining of the openpit is scheduled for June 1990 with commissioning in April of the 180 000 TPA carbon-in-pulp mill on old tailings and rock dumps. The development of a small openpit containing 344 000 tonnes at 3.6 g/t Au in a complex sulphide ore has required extensive metallurgical testwork to optimise recovery, and ensure profitability. The project has been undertaken in a changing economic climate, with increasing restrictive legislation. The decision to mine was further complicated by the escalating cost of installing a heap leach operation in South East Queensland. Decreasing costs of consumables, in particular sodium cyanide, and the opportunity to purchase a suitable transportable mill at a reasonable price made the project robustly viable as a CIP operation.

Jan 1, 1990

By H. Kalsi

"IntroductionRoyal Oak Mines Inc. is currently operating the Parnour No.1 mine located 10.5 miles east of Tinunins, adjacent to Highway No. 101. The operation produces gold ore at a rate of 3300 tpd. A variety of mining methods including bulk open stopes with ITH drilling, narrow vein panel, longhole and open pits contribute to produce 1.2 rnillion ore tons annually. The milling process requires water at an average rate of 1 rnillion gallons per day (700 U.S. gpm). The Pamour No.1 mine has historically had two major problems with regard to water control. The flfSt is the underground pumping system's inability to handle excess inflows of water generated from spring thaws. When the thaw takes place over a short period of time, large inflows of water are created which quickly migrate underground and sometimes result in the loss of the lower loading pocket. During the spring runoff the pumps at Parnour No.1 work continuously for 24 hours at a rate of 1200 U.S. gpm. The system was further taxed in 1991 when the Hoyle mine was connected to the Parnour No. 1 mine and whatever excess capacity the pumping system had for the spring runoff was taken up handling the inflow of mine water generated by the Hoyle.The second problem facing the mine was the lack of water for the mill during the severe cold winter months and dry summer months. At those periods inflows of water into the mine decline and the underground water normally pumped to the mill is severely decreased. In times of dry spells mill personnel increase the water diversion from the Three Nations Lake in order to meet water demands and maintain tonnage throughout. In essence, the mine was going through an annual ""feast or famine"" situation and a solution was needed.A number of options were considered but were narrowed down to the two most practical. The first was to modify the existing pumping system and increase its capacity in order to handle the excessive runoff during spring thaw. This involved a heavy capital expenditure and would have caused additional operating costs (i.e. increased hydro). The option chosen by the management was to divert the spring runoff into an unused section of the mine called The West End. A bulkhead placed at the 2400 level would provide an ultimate underground water storage potential of 150 million gallons. This would also cut down the load on the existing pumping system, save electric consumption in pumping and provide water storage which could be used for milling during the two dry spells. Pumping stored water from the mine could be scheduled for off peak hours to take advantage of lower power rates. To meet these objectives an underground bulkhead capable of withstanding high water pressure up to 2000 ft head (866 psi) was constructed in the spring of 1992. The bulkhead site was at the 2400 level at the Pamour No.1 mine. A major consideration was the requirement to construct a safe bulkhead and to minimize water leakage from the bulkhead.Figure 1 shows the bulkhead location."

Jan 1, 1994

By N. J. Keys, B. Barlin

Operating properties of Bancroft Mines Ltd. are in the Western Province of Northern Rhodesia, just south of the Katanga border and at the north- western end of the Rhodesian Copperbelt. The concentrator, above, was commissioned in January 1957 to treat 150,000 tons per month of ore derived from the nearby Kirila Bomwe South orebody, and the Konkola orebody eight miles away. The Konkola orebody is comparatively low grade and mining was discontinued there in early 1958. Development work on the new mine at the Kirila Bomwe North orebody commenced in 1959. Today, the plant treats approximately 150,000 tons of ore per month from the Kirila Bomwe South orebody and development ore from the north orebody. Ultimately, 100,000 tons of ore per month will be produced from the north orebody.

Jan 9, 1963

The traditional concept of optimum drill and blast is that it is achieved when ore is produced at the lowest unit cost and, because of the complexities of most mining operations, represents a band which extends either side of an overall cost m

Jan 1, 1998

By Sathit Tandanand

Geological differences among various coalfields restrain the applicability of subsidence prediction using existing European methods. To modify these methods for domestic conditions, the Bureau of Mines, U.S. Department of the Interior, developed a method of assessment to evaluate the lithological effects on subsidence in the Northern Appalachian basin by examining data collected from 16 longwall panels in the coalfield. The assessment is partially completed, and the results to date show that the ratio of maximum subsidence to the extraction thickness, known as the subsidence factor, can be expressed in terms of the width-to-depth ratio by a simple exponential equation which has a coefficient tentatively considered as the subsidence index. This index varies with the lithology of a particular site and can be expressed in terms of the percent distribution of weak and strong rocks in the overburden.

Jan 1, 1982

By J. Steenkamp, A. L. Hannaford, A. N. Jones

O’Okiep Copper Co. Ltd.’s 45-kt/month (49,600-stpm) concentrator at the Spektakel mine in South Africa is comprised largely of reconditioned equipment from the old O’Okiep mill, which operated from 1940-1975. When combined with modern approaches to layout, crushing, classification, and flotation, a simple-to-operate plant was constructed at a cost of only $3.2 million.

Jan 11, 1982

By L. V. Wade

US Bureau of Mines efforts under longwall research programs to develop the capability to predict support requirements for longwall/shortwall support systems are discussed. Ground control studies are being conducted in conjunction with several longwall/shortwall demonstration projects. Geologic, support performance, and strata behavior are being documented on these projects. A hypothesis is presented for the prediction of support requirements.

Jan 1, 1979

By Mackenzie JMW, Virnig MJ, Kotze MH

A new range of solid and liquid ion exchange extractants for gold based on the guanidine functionality is described. These extractants have pH versus gold extraction isotherms which lie between those of the conventional weak base and strong base resins which have previously been studied as aurocyanide extractants. Possible applications of these new extractants in gold recovery are discussed.

Jan 1, 1993

By Lewis V. Wade

U.S. Bureau of Mines efforts under longwall research programs to develop the capability to predict support requirements for longwall/ shortwall support systems are discussed. Ground control studies are being conducted in conjunction with several longwall/shortwall demonstration projects. Geologic, support performance, and strata behavior are being documented on these projects. A hypothesis is presented for the prediction of support requirements.

Jan 1, 1978

Comminution Kinetics equations are developed to take into account difference of grindability of mineral components. The equations describing both batch and closed circuit grinding or crushing processes are given. These equations are applied to industrial data to derive comminution kinetic and classification characteristics of the component minerals in a multi-mineral ore. Control strategy based on these concepts is presented.

Jan 1, 1985

By Syd S. Peng

A total of 209 cases of subsidence data over longwall panels in 16 US coal seems have been collected and built into a subsidence database. The database is developed under MS Windows environment. It uses a very user-friendly menu driven system. The empirical formulae for a number of commonly used subsidence parameters have been derived from those collected subsidence data.

Jan 1, 1995