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Various factors influence the exploration geologist or geochemist in his choice of.an analytical method for gold and other elements which may help him find the elusive gold deposit. One of the first decisions the geologist must make is the nature of sample media to collect for his survey. Needless to say there are many media available depending on the situation. These include rocks, soils, heavy mineral concentrates (from overburden drilling and panned concentrates), humus, vegetation, water, lake bottom sediments, stream sediments, etc. The choice of the sample media will depend to a large degree on the state of development of the particular project from grassroots to mine feasibility. The nature of the geological information required will affect which media and which analytical technique should be chosen for the analysis. Valid sampling from the initial sample collection, preparation and subsampling aspects may also help to determine which analytical procedure is best. Cost and turnaround time are of prime. importance to the explorationist, as it should be, however, these aspects should not be detached from receiving accurate and reliable results.

Jan 1, 1987

By Greg Barfoot, Kurt Keskimaki

The Henderson Mine is located approximately 50 miles west of Denver, Colorado. A project is underway to replace the existing rail system which transports molybdenum ore 15 miles from the mine to the mill using three flight conveyor system. The first conveyor is a 1 mile, high lift conveyor which transports the ore from an underground crushing station to the end of the existing rail tunnel. The second conveyor is 10 miles in length and utilizes the existing rail tunnel to transport the ore from the mine, which is on the east side of the Continental Divide, to the mill located on the west side. The third conveyor takes ore from the tunnel portal to the mill through a series of 7 horizontal curves and inclines up to 15 degrees. The project applies advanced conveyor design to tackle the installation of the system in an operating mine and achieve the highest possible level of reliability. This paper outlines the design process for this system, discusses the options which were evaluated and how the current design evolved.

Jan 1, 1998

By Eugene Guccione

FOREWORD-In an interview published in the May 1975 issue of MINING ENGINEERING, one of the world's most respected scientists, nuclear physicist Hans Bethe discussed the reliability of nuclear power plants and their unmatched safety record. The Nobel laureate also refuted the anti-nuclear lobby's claims that nuclear plants emit harmful radioactive effluents. When asked whether the US has sufficient uranium resources, Dr. Bethe replied that "it depends on the time of introduction of the commercial and advanced breeder reactors which, in effect, can generate more nuclear fuel than they consume." The United States has enough U3O8 to last until the breeders can take over in 1995, said Dr. Bethe. But lie warned that extensive environmental damage would be caused if "environmentalists" succeed in delaying the development of the breeder. Any such delays, he noted, would vastly increase the demand for U3O8 in conventional reactors; this, in turn, would impose an immense burden on the US uranium mining industry, which would then have no alternative but to mine the low-grade Chattanooga deposits.

Jan 4, 1977

By S. F. Cheng

Among the many extraordinary features of the rare earths are their magnetic and magnetoelastic properties. The rare earths, e.g. Tb, Dy, Nd, Sm, are known worldwide for their large magnetocrystalline anisotropy and magnetization, which has led to the importance of magnetic rare earths as vital ingredients of modem permanent magnets. In this paper, we focus on the strain dependence of these giant effects which gives rise to huge magnetostrictions, magnetomechanical couplings, and ?E effects. Magnetostrictions greater than 10-3 have been measured at temperatures as high as 500 K. At low temperatures magnetostrictions reaches -1%. ?E effects - 10. No other solid state material has matched these values. A proper balance of magnetic anisotropy and magnetostriction, plus a proper choice of crystal axes lead to alloys which can switch large quantities of energy between the internal (magnetic) and external (mechanical) states with the application of small triggering magnetic fields. In addition to the traditional use of these materials in transduction, they are particularly valuable for smart systems where reliability and robustness are needed such as active structure stiffening and active vibration control.

Jan 1, 1997

By A. Uribe-Salas, J. A. Finch, B. J. Huls

Gas holdup profiles in the collection zones of a pilot flotation column (0.91 m x 13.5 m) and a laboratory flotation column (0.057 m x 9.5 m) operated with air and water only were determined from pressure measurements. The profiles were determined discretely and continuously. For the pilot column, a minimum distance between pressure measurements was necessary to give reliable results. For the laboratory column, a third-degree polynomial fit to the pressure vs. height data was required. Water manometers proved to be less sensitive to sensor and process noise than pressure transducers. The profiles showed that gas holdup approximately doubled over a height of 8 to 10 m. The profiles were not linear, and the gradient increased towards the top of the column, especially for gas rates greater than 1 cm/s. The profiles cannot be predicted by a simple bubble expansion model. The implications of this new finding of a significant gas holdup increase with height in the collection zone on various aspects of flotation column design and operation are discussed.

Jan 1, 1996

By Eldon C. Pattee

Variations of a very reliable geochemical field test for beryllium developed by Patten and Ward, have been adapted by the U.S. Bureau of Mines to facilitate rapid testing of reconnaissance samples and to aid in rapid examination of known occurrences. Although several qualitative tests for detecting beryllium have been described in the literature,1,2,3, the Patten-Ward4 morin geochemical field method has the advantages of being rapid and being quantitative for minute amounts of beryllium. In addition to the morin field method, Patten, in cooperation with Griffitts, have developed a contact- print method for determining beryllium in hand specimens.5 The semiquantitative method can be used for rapid screening of samples in exploration or reconnaissance work. The use of beads for fusing samples provides a more rapid test, but gives less accurate results than the method developed by Patten and Ward. The semiquantitative method, however, requires less equipment and combines three stock solutions into one reagent for easy application. Estimates of samples in the range from 3 to 1000 ppm varied from about 0.25 to 5 times the actual beryllium content.

Jan 5, 1965

Optimising a mining or a quarrying operation about the overall cost is quite a challenge as there never is a situation where we have exactly the same conditions regarding rock properties, explosives' performance, mining equipment or evironmental restrictions. The amount of endless influencing parameters and variables make the evaluation process difficult. The enormous progress we have seen during the recent two decades in computing has however significantly increased our ability to evaluate and process the information gathered, and refine our existing prediction models. Refined models demand an increasing volume of good quality information to show reliable conformity with reality. There is a great need for co-operative work in the mining and quarrying society if we shall be able to screen all available data, systematically find the key-parameters influencing the results and to build robust scientific models. No organisations today have all the skilled people needed or can afford to hire the necessary specialists in all the overlapping branches. This paper highlights some on-going work where the Dyno Explosives Group is adding some new pieces to the giant jigsaw puzzle representing the ultimate model of the mining and quarrying operations we all of this society would like to see completed.

Jan 1, 1995

By R E. Hobbs, O Grabandt, C Das

Mine hoisting is carried out from depths of up to 4 km. At extreme depths, the ropes are so heavy that a large part of their capacity is employed in lifting themselves. Consequently, deep mines have an intermediate winding station. Even at lesser depths, the weight of steel wire rope reduces the possible payload. Of course, steel wire ropes have, over the years, demonstrated exceptional reliability and acceptable lifetimes. The use of steel is supported by well established operating rules and sound NDT methods. However, lightweight ropes made from synthetic fibres could be of great benefit to the industry, with the prospect of eliminating two-stage winding and substantially increasing the payload. Initial tests, in cycling over sheaves, have demonstrated that an aramid co-polymer fibre, Technora« is a potential candidate for this type of service. This paper presents results of testing carried out on aramid co-polymer and other synthetic fibre ropes. These results hold out the prospect of exceptionally long lives. Possible NDT methods are explored including optical fibres with optical time domain reflectometry or with Brillouin scattering, plus a method based on carbon fibre continuity. The introduction of aramid co-polymer ropes will require extensive testing and a program is proposed in the format of a Joint Industry Project.

Jan 1, 2005

By Andrew Pontecorvo, Steven Lowe, David Sposito

Buildings with large height-to-width ratios require foundations with significant uplift resistance. This paper presents a case study of the permanent rock tiedowns installed for One Manhattan West, a sixty-seven-story office building in midtown Manhattan. Site access and schedule dictated the size of the equipment for installing the tiedowns would be limited to drilling a 16 inch (406 mm) diameter hole. A three bar configuration of 3 inch (76 mm) diameter high strength threaded bars was chosen to develop an allowable capacity of 923 tons (4060 kN) per tiedown. Although the quality of the rock at the site was generally high, a challenging geologic condition emerged during the installation of one of the tiedowns requiring a creative installation procedure. Although the three bar configuration performed relatively well there are challenges with loading and testing this bar arrangement. Unlike single bar tiedowns that are typically tested with a high success rate, testing of a multiple bar system can result in some unsatisfactory results. This may be attributed to the installation challenges, difficulty loading each bar uniformly and/or the method of monitoring the test. Understanding the complexities is necessary to improve the testing results and achieve similar reliabilities of single bar systems.

By W. Baguley

There are many carbon-in-pulp and resin-in-pulp screening devices which are at present in use in the South African mining industry. Each one of these screens has been an improvement, from the very basic air cleaned and 'EPAC' types which were either circumferential or · diametrical launder screens, which were developed for C I P in the early 1980's, through to the more sophisticated LAP and Kambalda Screens. Each one of these screens not only increased the performance or throughput per square metre than its predecessor, but also addressed maintenance problems, wear, reliability and the ability to handle surge conditions, thereby preventing tank overflow. However, very little theory has been presented concerning, the flow of pulp through internal screens, carbon loss and screen wear rates. Almost all this information is based on empirical data. The NKM screen continued this trend and was able to offer flow rates in excess of 180 cubic metres per square metre of screen per hour and an average screen life of approximately six months. However, with increasing sophistication of the screen and the use of wedge wire as opposed to the normal woven wire, the mass was significantly increased and costs began to mount. Therefore, Mixtec undertook to develop a radically different screen, which incorporated many of the advantages of .the existing equipment and combined a few of its own.

Jan 1, 1992

By V. R. Garrias, R. V. Whetsel, J. W. Ristori

World consumption of petroleum and its substitutes in 1940, which, except for the United States, does not include consumption for military purposes even in peacetime, is estimated at 2,006,000,000 bbl., or approximately 21,000,000 bbl. less than in 1939. As consumption figures for belligerent countries and those affected by the war are unavailable, in order to arrive at a gross approximation the assumption has been made that the rate of civil consumption in these countries has declined 80 per cent since the German occupation or the effect of the war made itself felt. In 1940 the total consumption in the United States increased 94,000,000 bbl. over the previous year, while the civil consumption in the countries directly affected by the war—some of them occupied during the last half of the year—decreased 126,000,000 bbl. In the rest of the world consumption increased II,000,000 bbl., resulting in an over-all decrease in world civil consumption grossly estimated at 21,000,-000 barrels. Although no reliable information is available regarding military consumption in foreign countries before or during the war, military consumption and/or addition to stocks in foreign countries in 1940, as

Jan 1, 1941

By J. W. Ristori, R. V. Whetsel, V. R. Garrias

World consumption of petroleum and its substitutes in 1940, which, except for the United States, does not include consumption for military purposes even in peacetime, is estimated at 2,006,000,000 bbl., or approximately 21,000,000 bbl. less than in 1939. As consumption figures for belligerent countries and those affected by the war are unavailable, in order to arrive at a gross approximation the assumption has been made that the rate of civil consumption in these countries has declined 80 per cent since the German occupation or the effect of the war made itself felt. In 1940 the total consumption in the United States increased 94,000,000 bbl. over the previous year, while the civil consumption in the countries directly affected by the war—some of them occupied during the last half of the year—decreased 126,000,000 bbl. In the rest of the world consumption increased II,000,000 bbl., resulting in an over-all decrease in world civil consumption grossly estimated at 21,000,-000 barrels. Although no reliable information is available regarding military consumption in foreign countries before or during the war, military consumption and/or addition to stocks in foreign countries in 1940, as

Jan 1, 1941

By T. Wennberg

An elevated location of a paste thickener on a ridge close to the disposal area is considered at a Swedish iron ore mine. About 0.7 M tonnes of thickened tailings are planned to be layered as paste in the vicinity of the thickener over several years with pipeline lengths of up to 900 m after about 20 years. In order to clarify the pipeline pumping characteristics of the tailings product for volumetric solids concentration from 40 to 50%, experiments in loop systems with pipeline inner diameters from 0.063 to 0.152 m have been carried out with various types of pumps. The results and comparisons carried out here showed that the performance of centrifugal pumps cannot simply be related to the rheology, but factors related to pump design and build-up tendencies of material within the pump and other particle properties may be of equal importance. During the first years of operation only one thickener underflow pump is required. The reliability and performance for various pump configurations are planned to be investigated systematically in order to meet the most effective long-term solution for paste thickener operation, pipeline distribution and placement in the disposal area as the discharge point advances over the life of the project.

Jan 1, 2007

By L. Russell Payne

The use of shock tube in the blasting industry is relatively well characterized and understood within the realms to which it is used. Non-conventional uses of shock tube within the EOD and the Aerospace Industry however has not been as widely researched and published. Characteristics of shock tube such as its reliability, simplicity and its non-electric nature make it ideal for functioning or driving mechanical mechanisms, detonators, and timing devices. Outlined in the text are the performance characteristics of shock tube in an array of atmospheric environments including pressures ranging from ambient to 100,000 ft equivalent atmosphere. In addition the useful exit work energy or impulse of the shock tube for driving these various EOD and Aerospace mechanisms is published as a function of tube lengths and atmospheric pressures. Of particular interest to these devices is the required length of shock tube needed to produce the steady state detonation energies and the accompanying properties of the shock tube at these lengths. Various sources publish an arbitrary run distance for steady state detonation and output some where between 20 cm and 1.0 meter. Statistical and experimental evidence with in the text show these numbers to be low and provides an updated reference for shock tubes usage in nonconventional situations.

Jan 1, 2008

By C. B. E. Douglas

In an interesting article on evaluation of the water problem at Eureka, Nev., W. T. Stuart describes how a difficult water problem, or one phase of it, may be evaluated by means of a small scale test. Test data are plotted by a method rendering, under certain conditions, a straight-line graph that can be projected to show how much the water table will be lowered by pumping at any specified rate for a given time. A formula is then used to determine the size of opening, or extent of workings, necessary to provide sufficient inflow to enable pumping to be maintained at that rate. At first glance this might seem the answer to a miner's prayer, but a word of caution is in order. It may not be the whole answer. Moreover, results obtained by the method described are reliable only for conditions approximating those assumed. Even where conditions do not meet this requirement, however, it may be possible to draw helpful inferences from the results, perhaps enough to facilitate another approach to evaluation of a problem.

Nov 1, 1955

Infrastructure is defined as all those parts of a mining development which are not directly concerned with mining and mineral processing. Infrastructure is of significant and growing importance in the overall develop- ment of mines, and the costs could be critical in determining the viability of a project. Prior to_project authorisation, feasibility studies are required, often in considerable detail, to determine costs with adequate reliability. It is necessary that the Engineer should be adequately briefed for carrying out these studies and that good liaison and communication with the Owner be maintained. Methods, costs, order of accuracy, and some special requirements of these studies are discussed. After project authorisation, rapid im- plementation of the proposals is generally desired. A suggested organisation and method for this implementation is presented and dis- cussed. Comments on fees, and particular points in the relationship between Owner and Consulting Engineer are given. Particular reference is made to differences in conditions compared with public works projects. Realistic attitudes of mind towards environmental matters, industrial relations, and contractual relationships are advocated.

Jan 1, 1974

By Fairhurst RM

High pressure abrasive water jets have been shown capable of cutting a wide range of materials including steel, stone, rock and concrete. Acceptable performance can be achieved using relatively low pressures and expendable abrasives. The cutting head can be made small and abrasive feed systems have been developed that allow reliable pumping of slurries over long distances to supply such cutting heads. These features make abrasive water jets ideally suited to automated control in remote areas.Another major advantage of abrasive entraining water jet cutting heads is that they may be operated safely in potentially explosive environments due to their cold cutting ability. Therefore there are many possible applications for such equipment in mining.This paper gives an introduction to the abrasive water jet process and includes results of trials carried out at BHRA on a range of hard materials. Work is also described which investigated the operational safety of abrasive water jets in explosive environ-ments. In a special environmental chamber, cuts were made on steel and sandstone with atmospheres of methane/air and hydrogen/air, without caypsing ignition.

Jan 1, 1985

By E. V. Howard

During the recent expansion of precipitate copper production at the Chino Mines Division of Kennecott Copper Corp., Santa Rita, N. Mex., local studies of the dump leaching process were intensified. As these studies progressed, it became apparent that a reliable method for locating leach solutions within the dump was required, since the contact between the leach solutions and the copper-bearing ma.teria1 determines recovery. In the past, the problem of determining leach solution contact has been attacked by various methods, including destructive testing (dump dissection), indirect observation (such as chloride or dye tracers) and mathematical or laboratory model studies, but they have not proved completely satisfactory. The investigation of methods for in situ observation of leach solutions led to consideration of radiation logging in drillholes, which are subsurface techniques used in petroleum exploration and development for locating fluids and measuring porosity. A significant advantage of radiation logging is that, unlike other types of logging, measurements may be made in cased holes, since gamma rays and neutrons will penetrate steel and cement. Three techniques are currently used at Chino: Natural gamma ray logging; neutron-neutron, or moisture logging; and gamma-gamma, or bulk density logging.

Jan 4, 1968

By E. A. Stevens

IT has been ascertained in recent years that certain rocktypes, geological formations and structural conditions may be used as fairly reliable guides, when prospecting in recognized mineral belts or mining districts, with a reasonable certainty of discovering "pay-ore;" and that such is considered as a practically established conclusion may be inferred from a perusal of the recent reports of the U. S. Geological Survey and the literature of the several scientific societies discussing minim, geology, and kindred subjects. Cripple Creek is no exception to this conclusion, and the rock-type or association, rather than the structural condition, is the most infallible guide.† These guides consist of four, possibly five, dike-rocks, three of which are extremely basic, while the fourth is an acid rock of an entirely dissimilar character. The basic rocks are nepheline-basalt, limburgite, feldspar-basalt and tephrite. There are grounds, however, for believing that the two latter are subdivisions of one type, and therefore will be described under one head. The acid rock is quartz-porphyry. Nepheline-basalt is-a rock encountered in but few localities elsewhere on this continent, and occurs in narrow dikes cutting various formations. When typical‡ it is composed of

Jan 1, 1913

By H. M. Chance

Asst. Geologist, Pennsylvania Geological Survey THE following tables have been compiled from the annual reports of the Inspectors of Mines, to determine the percentages of fatal and non-fatal casualties from roof-falls and explosions of fire-damp. As we cannot assume that every accident has been recorded by the inspectors; as many casualties terminating fatally after the lapse of a considerable period, are inevitably recorded as "non-fatal;" and as clerical errors may have crept into the compilation,* the figures of these tables cannot be considered absolutely correct, but the summary is sufficiently reliable to show the features I wish to differentiate. Under the heading a Miscellaneous" are included all accidents not directly attributable to explosions of fire-damp, roof-falls or falls of coal. Prominent among the numerous causes included under this head are premature or delayed explosion of blasts, accidental explosion of powder or cartridges, accidents from mine cars, falls in shafts, machine accidents, sliding of loose coal in pitching breasts, sltffouration by choke-damp, etc., comprising in all 48 per cent of the total number of casualties. * Compiled by Mr. Maxwell Chapman

Jan 1, 1882