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By M Fishwick Tapia

This paper was prepared and translated from the final report of the investigation into the Codelco Chile Salvador DivisionÆs air blast which occurred in the Inca-West area. In this section of the block cave mine, a stable arch formed covering an area of approximately 15 000 m2 . This zone subsequently collapsed producing a massive air blast. The collapse followed a series of planned extraction activities and occurred on 5 December 1999. This paper discusses the cave back arching event and the measures that were taken in order to induce the controlled collapse. This was to minimise risk to personnel, equipment and installations. The results obtained to date are presented.

Jan 1, 2000

By Z. Yang, M. J. Collins, N. E. Tuffrey, R. J. Kalanchey, I. M. Masters

The high elevation of China Western Mining Company (WMC)' s Ganhe refinery, and the high iron content of concentrates produced by the WMC mines, were key factors in the selection of pressure leaching by WMC for their new zinc refinery. This paper describes the results of pressure leaching test work conducted by Sherritt in Fort Saskatchewan with a sample of WMC concentrate from Qinghai Province in China. Results from batch pressure leach tests and a four-day pilot plant campaign are reported. The pilot plant campaign included continuous operation of a two-stage pressure leach circuit, as well as neutralization and iron removal steps, resulting in the production of iron-free zinc sulphate solution. Greater than 98% zinc extraction was achieved in pressure leaching, while producing solution containing about 9 g/L H2SO4 and 2 g/L Fe. Following neutralization and iron removal, the solution contained about 170 g/L Zn and less than 10 mg/L Fe. Overall recovery of sulphur in the zinc concentrate feed to elemental sulphur byproduct was about 85%, while 75 to 80% of the indium in the feed was recoverable from the neutralization residue. The test results highlighted the technical and economic advantages offered by the Sherritt Zinc Pressure Leach Process and provided the required data for the engineering design.

Jan 1, 2008

By F. H. Wilson, M. L. Kronberg

The low temperature recrystalliza-tion of very heavily rolled copper produces a fine grained structure with a high degree of preferred orientation. Additional heating to within a few hundred degrees of the melting point may induce an abrupt and pronounced increase in the grain size, with the resulting crystals having new orientations. This behavior at high temperatures is commonly termed "secondary recrystallization." Several investigations have dealt with the phenomenon arid have served to bare many features of the beha~ior.1-4 In general,observations have been made on the sizes and shapes of the grains, and data have been presented showing the existence of an induction period in isothermal experiments. Although it has been well established that the orientation before the change is statistically (100) 10011, the so-called "cubically aligned" texture, there is no such agreement on the orientation after the change. For example, Dahl and Pawlek1 describe it as being equivalent to an approximately 30" rotation about the [l00] axis of the ideal cubic texture which is parallel to the rolling direction, the resulting orientation being near (210)[001]; and Cook and Richards2 find an orientation of approximately (110)[L12]. Since the completion of most of the work to be reported in this paper, Rowles and Boas3 have published their ver] illuminating paper on "secondary recrystallization," in which they present convincing evidence for a third orientation and show that their esperiments give no evidence for either of the other two orientations. The orientation is described as equivalent to an approximately 30° rotation about a [ 111] pole of the ideal cubic orientation. The existence of a variety of reported orientations is not unique for copper, for a similar state of affairs exists for other systems that have been studied— aluminum, nickel, nickel-iron alloys, and others. It seems therefore that the existence of this variety does not necessarily constitute a contradiction, but rather indicates that different experimental conditions yield different results. The fundamental nature of the phenomenon has not been elucidated. However, it has been generally recognized that the large grains could be the end product of growth of a few select grains already existing in the sample in minor amounts—too small to allow detection—or that entirely new ones could be formed by a process of nu-cleation and growth. Existing experimental evidence does not distinguish between these two most apparent possibilities. Nevertheless, the former has been more generally favored largely because our current understanding of the state of an annealed metal has not made it seem reasonable to expect a nucleation event to occur at temperatures above those required for the primary recrystallization. Observations on the Preparation and Heating of Twin-bearing Cubically Aligned Copper The starting material used throughout. the investigation was a bar of OFHC copper, forged and annealed at 950°C. Visual inspection showed the grain size to be around 0.5 mm, and did not disclose any preferred orientation. A chemical analysis showed the following composition: Cu + Ag— 99.99 Pct S — 0.005 pct 0 — <0.005 pct For the preparation of cubically aligned copper, ¾ in. thick slabs were cut from the bar, heavily pickled in concentrated HNO3 and cold rolled to sheets about 0.012 in. thick. The reduction in thickness was approximately 98.5 pct. Standardized annealing techniques were followed. Samples to be heated were lightly dusted with alumina in order to prevent sticking and then sandwiched between 1/16 in. copper plates. The resulting sandwich was heavily wrapped with copper sheet, and then annealed in air. The protection was such that only very thin films of oxide were formed. That the associated light oxidation of the samples had no specific effect on the recrystallization behavior was shown by the similar results that could be obtained on annealing in highly purified and dried hydrogen. Two methods were used in bringing samples to temperature: (1) by placing the package directly in the furnace at temperature and (2) by placing the package in the furnace at room temperature, and then slowly increasing the temperature. The corresponding heating rates are illustrated in Fig 1, and will be referred to as "rapid" and "slow," respectively. Unless specified otherwise, all anneals will be of the former type. Metallographic examination was made on samples prepared by electrolytic polishing and etching as described in the Metals Handhook.* STRUCTURES FOUND BEFORE "SECONDARY RECRYSTALLIZATION" OCCURS Annealing the rolled material for 1 hr at 400°C produced a heavily twinned, cubically aligned structure, the grain size being of the order of 0.03

Jan 1, 1950

By Mohammad Reza Khalesi, Ruhollah Rezazadeh, Mohsen Izadi Yazdan Abadi, Mahmoud Abdollahy

"The rotary vacuum drum filter (RVDF) is widely used for dewatering in mining industrial. In general, different parameters have influence in the solid-liquid separation such as: solid percent, level of vacuum, particle size distribution, filter cloth and chemical additives. These parameters can influence on some variables such as cake moisture, throughput and filter cloth life time. The aim of this study is to propose some chemical additives to improve the rate of filtration and decrease cake moisture of Gol-E Gohar iron ore concentrate by using laboratory scale bottom feed vacuum filter and suggest a filter cloth with long life time (more than 400 hours). Effect of particle size distribution on filtration investigated in large scale by measuring the thickness of cake and cake moisture.Increasing molecular weight of anionic flocculant lead to increases throughput but cake moisture increases too; While the filter aid increases throughput and decreases cake moisture simultaneously; the combination of them show different behavior. TSS and filter cloth life time have directly relation with material and type of filter cloth weave. Depending to type of feed, two polyester and polypropylene filter cloth are suggested. More over twill and satin weave have the best results. To prove the laboratory results some industrial tests performed in Gol-E Gohar hematite iron ore concentrate plant.INTRODUCTION“The process of grinding and classification involves the use of large quantities of water. The separation of solids from liquids is usually achieved by gravity sedimentation in thickeners. For fine particles this is a slow process. In general, 75–80% of the water can be separated and removed by thickeners. For further water removal, filters are used where in excess of 90% of the water can be removed” (Gupta, 2006).“Many types of filters are available, which are broadly classified here as vacuum, pressure, precoat and depth filters. Each classification contains a number of sub-processes. A category of filter that uses vacuum induced driving forces and semipermeable media to facilitate the separation of solids from suspension. While pressure differences across the filter are limited to less than 85 KPa (usually 75 KPa), most units are capable of processing a wide range of feed materials in a continuous manner” (Rushton, 2008)."

Jan 1, 2016

By Carlton E. Brown

This report contains information on the relation between and precision or reproducibility of counts (light-and dark-field) of the dust in liquid from simultaneous impinger, midget-impinger, electric-precipitator, and filter-paper samples. The impinger was the main sampler used from about 1922 to 1939 by industrial hygienists in the United States for collecting samples of unhygienic dust from the atmospheric environment of workers. The midget-impinger, a small modification of the preceding impinger described in 1937, has been the sampler used most since about 1939. Electric precipitators5/6/ have been used to a limited extent, mainly by the Bureau of Mines in the laboratory, for obtaining results comparable to impinger results. A filter-paper sampler for obtaining results comparable to impinger results has been described by Brown. All these samplers have a high collecting efficiency for particles larger than 1 micron in diameter revealed by the usual light-field counting procedure. However, their collecting efficiencies are quite variable for the smaller particles revealed by the dark-field counting procedure used in this study. Published information on the relation between the results of these samplers is limited and scattered. Summaries of some of this information are given in this report along with some previously unpublished information.

Jan 1, 1949

Notwithstanding full concurrence with the dictum of a famous scientist that &quot;definitions are the most accursed of all things on the face of the earth,&quot; in view of the considerable confusion which exists in jigging nomenclature, it is considered advisable to commence this paper with the following explanations of the terms which will be used throughout the text.Jig Bed. The whole layer of material lying on top of the jig screen.Ragging. The layer of denser material lying immediately above the jig screen, which is too coarse to pass through this screen and is confined horizontally by the cells of the top grid.Ore Column. The layer of ore pulp between the ragging and the top-water.Top Water. The water, carrying fine material in suspension, which flOiWS over the surface of the jig bed.Hutch Water. The water added to the jig below the screen. (Except for the water discharged with the hutch concentrate, the &quot;hutch-water&quot; eventually becomes &quot;top-water.&quot;)Feed Water. The water in the ore pulp fed to the jig.(This water becomes part of the &quot;top-water.&quot;)Pulsion. The period of the jigging cycle during which the water is moving upwards relative to the particles in the jig bed.

Jan 1, 1937

By B. Pesic

The recovery of silver and gallium from flue dust with acidified thiourea solutions was examined. The studied parameters were temperature, particle size, thiourea concentration, acid concentration, and the presence of oxidants. The study of the extraction of these two metals was undertaken in sulfuric acid medium. Silver dissolution was dependent on all examined parameters, whereas gallium extraction was only dependent on the initial acid concentration. The experimental results suggest a new very efficient method for recovery of both silver and gallium. Almost complete recovery of silver and gallium can be accomplished within 90 minutes. A technological scheme for recovery of both metals is also proposed.

Jan 1, 1986

Federal regulations require the use of methane monitors on all mining machines. All machine-mounted methane monitors currently used in underground coal mines rely on catalytic heat of combustion sensors. As a comparison, although not currently approved for use on underground mining equipment, instruments with infrared sensors are evaluated in this study. Potential advantages of using infrared sensors include faster response time, long-term stability, and reduced maintenance needs. Tests conducted in the laboratory and at a full-scale model mine compare the performance of catalytic heat of combustion and infrared sensors operating under test conditions designed to simulate airflow conditions underground.

Jan 1, 2009

By Rintaro Hayashi

The enrichment of useful components from ores and/or wastes has become important with increasing recent worldwide resources demand and the amount of wastes generated from the urban mines, in order to establish real ?sound resource-cycle society? including the activity of resource exploitation. The first stage of the treatment in the process must be comminution and it is important to make good liberation among compositional phases in the targeted resources. Electrical disintegration (ED) is well known to make a selective breakage at phase boundary. However, the detailed mechanism of the phenomena is not clarified yet, in especial, on the influence of electrical properties of compositional materials on the liberation. This paper made a comparison between the liberation degrees of ED products and the results of electromagnetic field analysis using finite element method (FEM). In the experiments, we used several synthetic cement paste based samples in which mineral particles were dispersed to apply the ED, and in the electromagnetic field analysis, we calculated the charge density accumulated and the Maxwell stress at phase boundary. It was found, for highly insulating mineral samples, that higher breakdown voltage was necessary because electric charge was not easily accumulated at phase boundary but that higher liberation degree was obtained after the breakdown (ED). It was also found the tendency that higher liberation was observed for the samples which had higher maximum Maxwell stress calculated by the electromagnetic field analysis. From the results, the electrical charge and Maxwell stress induced at phase boundary could be driving forces of selective breakage. In addition, we also applied the ED to the printed circuit boards (PCBs) in order to concentrate miner rare metals, which were essential for producing electronic devices. It could be demonstrated that the devices installed on the PCB were easily detached from the board and that most of metal elements in the devices was exposed and liberated from the insulating plastic covers, which were broken in the ED, then, it is considered that the subsequent solid phase separation could be effective for concentrating such metal elements. Keywords: liberation, electromagnetic field analysis, printed circuit board, miner rare metal

Sep 1, 2012

By R. J. Brison, W. C. Bleimeister

The International Salt Company has long been interested in finding an efficient process for the removal of impurities from rock salt, and particularly from the rock salt produced at the Detroit mine. Methods which have been used previously at the Detroit mine included both hand sorting and differential crushing in a Bradford breaker with rejection of the oversize. Neither of these methods was adequately effective. The development of a new process for removal of impurities from rock salt has been described in the preceding article." Basically, the process consists of exposure of crude rock salt to radiant heating which selectively heats the impure particles. Subsequently the heated particles are removed by adhesion to a heat sensitive-coating on a conveyor belt. This method was found to be effective in improving both the quality and appearance of rock salt by the rejection of the dark, impure particles. The first commercial unit employing the new thermoadhesive method of dry separation of minerals was installed at the Detroit mine of International Salt Company in Detroit, Mich. (Fig. l). This unit was first put into operation in March 1957. The purpose of the Detroit installation was 1) to serve as a pilot plant for evaluating the process on a commercial scale and 2) to produce marketable quantities of rock salt of improved quality and ap- pearance. The design of this plant was based on the results and information obtained from a 1-tph pilot plant at Battelle Memorial Institute. DESCRIPTION OF PLANT Location: The separation plant was installed underground near the crushing and screening plant, for this was the most suitable location from the standpoint of material handling. Furthermore, ample space was availabe at this location. Because the process requires a relatively constant temperature, the uniform year-around temperature of the mine (57°F) gave an added advantage to an underground operation. Feeding: The rock salt is conveyed to a surge bin, from which it is fed to the heating unit by a conveyor. The feed-rate control consists simply of an adjustable gate at the bottom of the surge bin. The plant may be fed either No. 1 grade of rock salt (0.279 to 0.375 in.) or No. 2 grade (0.375 to 0.500 in.) with a maximum input capacity of 500 tons per 15-hour day. Heating Unit: The heating unit (Fig. 2) consists of a panel of infrared lamps suspended inside a low-speed revolving screen. The radiant-heat panel, which is curved for most effective utilization of the heat, holds 240 infrared lamps of standard industrial type, each rated at 500 watts. The position of the panel is adjustable so that it can be placed centrally over and to within 6 in. of the salt bed on the screen. The entire heat panel is suspended by rollers in ¦ R. J. Brison and O. F. Tangel: Development of a Thermo-adhesive Method for Dry Separation of Minerals.

Jan 1, 1961

By R J. Romañach

The theory of sampling (TOS) is now followed in the development of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopic methods for the pharmaceutical industry. TOS has been the guiding light for a two-step approach for spectroscopic composite sampling available for the development of real-time analytical methods for particulate-based industrial processes. The two-step spectroscopic sample composite has been used in the development of process analytical technology (PAT), an important regulatory initiative to improve the quality of pharmaceutical products. The two-step sample composite approach overcomes the low sample volume analysed by PAT methods; one of the key limitations to PAT implementation in the industrial production of particulate-based materials.PAT methods need to be validated demonstrating their accuracy, precision, specificity and robustness. TOS provides a deeper understanding of these validation studies which involve discrete particulate material. The validation of PAT methods is now being performed considering both sampling and analytical errors, while practically all previous method validations only addressed the total analytical error (TAE) of these methods. This has been a crucial impediment for the field of chemometrics as well.PAT is a key element of continuous manufacturing (CM) processes, which are considered an emerging technology capable of increasing the flexibility, agility and robustness of pharmaceutical processes while reducing their costs. The outflow of the continuous process is a 1D lot, and variographic analysis has been shown to discern process variation from sampling and analytical errors in pharmaceutical CM processes. Thus, variographic analysis is a process improvement tool with significant potential for improving CM processes. The possibilities for improving pharmaceutical manufacturing are enormous.CITATION:Romañach, R J, 2017. Theory of Sampling – from missing link to key enabler for process analytical technology, in Proceedings Eighth World Conference on Sampling and Blending , pp 63–68 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

May 9, 2017

By R. W. Ballmer

Prior to initiating construction of a new mineral development project, sponsoring organizations must be convinced that the operation will be viable. Proof is typically provided by the feasibility study. Considerable man hours will be spent in assessing and evaluating data on the deposit, its environment, and the means of development. Impact studies must be made for various scales of operation, inclusion of by-products, new methods of treatment, deferent levels of integration, and infrastructure configuration. Examples of current materials handling cost estimates are provided from the ongoing investigation in which Amoco is a participant at Ok Tedi in Papua New Guinea and Gag Island in Indonesia.

Jan 1, 1979

By W. P. Diamond, B. M. Bench, C. M. McCulloch

Coalbeds exhibit a directional permeability, with the maximum permeability oriented parallel to the face cleat. Thus, the most efficient pattern of vertical degasification holes for a coalbed is dependent upon cleat orientation. Surface joints, infrared photolinears, and Ronchi grating photolinears were investigated as potential estimators of subsurface cleat orientation. Cleat orientations were masured in 18 mines, in the Pittsburgh coalbed in southwestern Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia to be used as a standard against which prediction techniques would be evaluated. Two cleat systems with a strong geographic segregation were measured in the study area: N 67° W - N 28° E (95° separation) for the north, and N 76° W - N 17° E (93° separation) for the south. Directional data obtained from the three techniques investigated yielded satisfactory regional predictions of cleat orientation. Analysis of surface joints was the only technique considered sufficiently reliable on a local basis. Prediction of cleat orientation is based on the pairing of the principal directional sets into all reasonable combinations of fundamental systems. The system or systems composed of the most dominant sets nearest to 90° separation are likely to be a reliable prediction of cleat orientation. The most dominant set of the system selected is likely to be the face cleat.

Jan 1, 1976

By Gabriel Gonzalez, Paulo Couceiro, Luis Manriquez, Alejandro Gutierrez, Juan Navarro

A high-stakes blasting campaign was successfully executed at a major open pit copper mine in northern Chile. This operation posed a significant technical challenge due to its immediate proximity to the tailings dam - a critical infrastructure whose structural integrity depends on strict control of blast-induced seismic vibrations. The geological complexity of the area, characterized by upper andesite interbedded with caliche (carbonate), further complicated the operation. This lithological composition, known for its high tenacity and cohesion, posed additional challenges for achieving effective fragmentation, necessitating a highly customized blast design and loading strategy. The campaign included four production blasts and one secondary blast, all executed under the constraint of not exceeding the Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA) threshold of 0.64g, as defined by the Maximum Credible Earthquake (MCE) scenario. To ensure compliance, geophones were strategically installed at three monitoring points (P1, P2, and P3) on the dam to capture real-time acceleration data. The use of specialized blast patterns, precise stemming control, and electronically sequenced detonations ensured that all recorded accelerations remained well below the critical threshold. A total of 496,163 tonnes of material were safely blasted, with 8,452 meters drilled and powder factors ranging from 419 to 594 g/ton. Therefore, this case study exemplifies operational excellence in controlled blasting, demonstrating the feasibility of safe mining near geotechnically sensitive zones through predictive modeling, rigorous QA/QC, and post-blast analysis.

Jan 26, 2026

By M. J. R. Morris

THE year 1939 has seen the iron and steel industry driving for efficiency with unabated zeal. "Efficiency" is here used in the sense of enabling the customer to do more with less, either supplying him with more economically priced steels or with higher priced steels that will do a job more economically. The plain carbon steels have been improved tremendously in quality be- cause of recent control tests. All steel companies have been urged to hold to .closer chemical control, closer standards, soundness, and more control on grain size, and now attention is being directed to closer control of hardening properties. Better control of open- hearth operations undoubtedly will result in an increase in the application of special carbon steel. Further, with a better understanding of quenching, the present trend to study the quenching of this class of steels will be ex- tended. These steels will then be used for purposes to which they are best suited. Utilization of special carbon bars and large shapes seems to be developing less slowly than special car- bon in the form of strip. There are many reasons for this and the future development of this trend will be important. Continued development of the manufacture of parts from strip and sheet to replace forgings, and of formed; structural members such as channels or welded pipe, is notable. Special carbon sheets with nonaging properties have been produced during the year; they maintain a higher degree of ductility over a longer time and are less sensitive to the changes which took place in the former product when stocked.

Jan 1, 1940

By P. C. Beuria

Iron ore concentrate contains different mineral phases viz. hematite, magnetite, goethite, kaolinite, and gibbsite. Presence of some of these phases like goethite, kaolinite, and gibbsite contribute to the loss on ignition (LOI) content of the sample. Iron ore fines (pellet feed) are pelletized for utilization in DRI & BF processes. In the present pelletization technology i.e., straight grate and grate kiln processes, the LOI in the ore should be within the range of 2.0-2.5%. LOI content in the iron ore concentrate is found to be more than 4% after beneficiation of low-grade iron ore. It is therefore difficult to produce good quality pellet because of high LOI content. The LOI content of the sample is a detrimental factor in the pellet making. For effective pelletization, the LOI content in iron ore fines needs to be reduced before pelletization. It can be reduced by fluidized bed roasting. The objective of present work is to understand the kinetics of removal of LOI from iron ore fines. The effects of bed depth, temperature, and residence time on reduction of LOI content in iron ore fines were studied using muffle furnace. The process of roasting was carried out at four different temperatures varying from 400 to 950 °C with a variable residence time of 30, 45, 60 & 75 minutes and at bed depths of 16, 32, 48 & 64 mm. In all instance of experiments carried out, one of the parameters was kept constant. It was observed that at 850 °C and 30 minutes of residence time, there was sufficient removal of LOI in static bed condition even at a high bed depth of 64 mm. Keywords: LOI, pellet feed, fluidized bed roasting, goethite

Sep 1, 2012

By Kouichi Nakano

Austenitic stainless steel, which includes nickel for stabilizing austenitic structure, is used for various purposes, for example, for structural material, corrosion-resistant material, biomaterial etc. Nickel is set as one of the rare metals and economizing on nickel as the natural resources is required. On the other hand, nickel is one of the metals that cause metallic allergy frequently. Therefore, high nitrogen stainless steel, where nitrogen stabilizes austenitic structure instead of nickel, has been developed in Japan and some of the foreign countries for the above reason. When high nitrogen stainless steel is fused and bonded, dissolved nitrogen is released to the atmospheric area, and some of the material properties will change. In this study, we bonded high nitrogen stainless steel by stud welding process, which is able to bond at short time, and we evaluate joint performance. We have got some interesting results from the other tests and examinations.

Jan 1, 2016

By Niander A. Cerqueira, Afonso G. Azevedo, Mairyanne S. Souza, Victor B. Souza, Victor T. Bartolazzi, Igor W. D. C. Pereira, Rondinelli C. Ribeiro

The common glass machining process used in the market of Brazil’s civil construction generates tons of waste through the folder of that waste disposal out by the water used during machining. After drying the product is intended for landfill representing a great environmental liabilities since these deposited glass waste in the environment have a decomposition time greater than four thousand years due to its high chemical and mechanical resistance. Aiming to give a destination that addresses this waste disposal problem in the environment, much has been studied in an attempt to incorporate them into the mix cement to partially replace the sand. In this work it was decided to carry out specific studies using common traits comparing the stroke with sand with a dash with partial replacement of 30% of the sand for the glass machining residue was analyzed resistance compressive resulting in a potential good product.

Mar 1, 2017

By Dan A. Brown

This paper describes a method of conducting rapid lateral loading tests of deep foundations in which the load is applied to the foundation with a time duration of less than one second. For purposes of this paper the loading is applied using a pyrotechnic loading system commonly referred to as Statnamic. However, the method should apply to any lateral loading system which produces a force time history with a loading duration of 20 msec to 1 second. The test provides a measure of the dynamic and static response of the soil/foundation system and must be evaluated as a dynamic loading. Interpretation of the test includes a simple single degree of freedom (SDOF) model which can account for the inertial effects of foundation mass, system damping, and static foundation stiffness. The results of the test measurements are compared with four case histories in which comparative static load test data are available, including pile group foundations and large diameter drilled shaft foundations.

Jan 1, 2007

By N Petropoulos and M J Thurley, E Righetti, M Wimmer

Fragmentation in sublevel caving (SLC) is vitally important. Both gravity flow and any downstream processes are affected. Reasonably coarse fragmentation may lead to larger draw bodies (isolated extraction zones) and hence potentially higher primary ore recovery and depressed/delayed waste rock inflow from above. Fewer flow disturbances are expected by mitigating oversize. In addition, it requires less boulder handling and reduces wear and possible hang-up problems in orepasses. To assess the present-day functionality of large-scale SLC, a multiyear, comprehensive measurement program was initiated. It covers the main elements for SLC, namely blast function, fragmentation and gravity flow. The present paper focuses on fragmentation measurements. An image acquisition system was used to document the drawpoint and the load-haul-dump (LHD) bucket for each mucking cycle. At the beginning, four buckets (about 70 t total) were sieved to validate the results of both 2D and 3D image analysis techniques. The fundamental and specific problems are discussed herein. At the moment, fragmentation of the SLC rings is evaluated using a quick rating system and a 2D fragment delineation software. The results enable a description of fragmentation and its variation during mucking but also – combined with the gravity flow measurements – conclusions on the fragmentation for different parts of the SLC ring. Possible influences on flow disturbances and ore recovery/dilution are investigated. The recent findings allow a better understanding of breakage and flow and support future process improvements.CITATION:Wimmer, M, Nordqvist, A, Righetti, E, Petropoulos, N and Thurley, M J, 2015. Analysis of rock fragmentation and its effect on gravity flow at the Kiruna sublevel caving mine, in Proceedings 11th International Symposium on Rock Fragmentation by Blasting, pp 775–792 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 24, 2015