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By M. Javier

"Mining makes civilization possible. It also creates socio-environmental liabilities forcing us to ask how much more of this mining can our planet support. It is clear that the future of mining differs from mining in the future. The laws of nature are being compromised by mining. This paper studies the problems at the core of the mining business which need to be addressed. What kind of mining will serve our existence with nature on this planet? What kind of mining perspectives are we able to formulate without having negative effects for future generations? Is mining technologically sustainable? The values of predictions, imagination, and creativity must be integrated to define what mining should be. Those values should be in the technologies necessary to restoring equilibrium of nature (Geomimic) as well as in complete extraction of metals, better utilization of the mineral reserves, and design the usage of metals to recycle. The purpose of this research is to examine many views and perspectives for future generations and to accelerate the pace of innovation of having mining without socio-environmental liabilities by design and by understanding nature. KEYWORDS: Geomimic, Sustainability, Waste mine Design, Management by Loss. INTRODUCTION The future of mining is being stifled by many antiquated and stagnant attitudes and policies by the industry and society as a whole. The time is now or never for real action and education against these attitudes and to upgrade them to meet the current needs of this planet if we are to survive. Doing this will prove that we understand and respect nature for us and our posterity. It will also show a positive assessment that the mining process can be reversed before the point of no return. And that is to say, only if reversibility is still an option. It may not be anymore but it’s worth a try. We need to use our imagination and engineering know-how to come up with new proposals to change the core of mining. It would entail re-engineering. There is a profound difference between the future of mining and mining in the future. The future of mining is the continuation and persistence of past practices in the industry and expecting new results. Mining in the future requires a paradigm shift for extraction through modern thinking about mining as it pertains nature. The new paradigm for mining in the future would restore equilibrium with nature. Always keep in mind the connection of mining to nature. What is the future of nature? To predict mining in the future we need to use past experiences in mining and our knowledge of modern science and engineering to formulate a prototype that will enhance mining while maintaining equilibrium with nature. Mining and protecting nature are not mutually exclusive. This new prototype has nothing to do with the level of bonding or insurance that the mining industry can legally provide. The goal of this paper is to contribute some new ideas to help transform the mining industry based on the laws of nature and its limitations. Using this new prototype we will develop the following 1. Extraction of minerals Reserves-Dimensions-Technologies 2. Usage of mineral resources-Manufacture’s products designed to be reused and recycled 3. Nature- Equilibrium (physical, chemical and biological)"

Jan 1, 2016

By E. L. Bohnet

The purpose of this paper is to translate a mining company's "Corporate Objectives" into usable and practical guidelines for long term mine design and production scheduling. These guidelines are required to ensure that both operating and development properties are designed and economically ranked on the same basis, and with the "current" Corporate Objectives in mind. Secondly, if both management and mining engineers have a better understanding of the cause and effect of corporate policies, then penalties and risks associated with various Corporate Objectives can be put into better perspective for management. Corporate Objectives, relative to usable guidelines for either short and/or long term mine planning, could be defined as one or more of the following four objectives: 1) Maximize the recovery of the economic portion of the defined geologic resources, and hence, maximize total non-discounted project cash flows and profits (most common approach in mine design), 2) Maximize the Net Present Value (NPV) of the after-tax cash flows from each existing or proposed project, either on an individual basis or in concert with other projects, including downstream processing facilities (primary method used to judge relative investment merit of a proposed development or operating concept), 3) Limit short and long term capital expenditures to a defined ceiling, 4) Maximize product output for the existing facilities in the short term, or conversely, keep commodity production at a constant level for a series of years.

Jan 1, 1994

By J. P. Carson

The works of the Tula Iron Company are in the Republic of Mexico, State of Jalisco, twenty-eight leagues southwest of Guadalajara, ten leagues northwest of the town of Sayula, through which passes the projected line of the Mexican National Railroad. Its geographical position would be about: latitude, 20' 10' N., longitude, 40 35' w. of Mexico City. The surrounding country is a rolling plateau, 6000 feet above the sea, enjoying the most magnificent climate in the world, the average temperature being about '70'. The works were commenced in 1850 by a company with very small capital, having not the least idea of the undertaking. They soon fell into the hands of the money-lenders, and after changing

Jan 1, 1879

By P. Sharma, J. C. W. Fowler

This paper discusses the wind blast / air blast phenomenon, how it is managed in coal mines and how it might best be managed in other underground mines. L'article qui suit a pour objets de décrire le phénomène de tir a l'air comprimé et les méthodes de modération de celui-ci dans les mines de houille, et d'indiquer de quelle manière il pourrait être surmonté dans d'autres mines souterraines. Dieses Seminararbeit diskutiert die Windexplosion / Luftexplosion Phänomen, wie es in Kohlenberg-werken geleitet wird, und wie es am besten in anderen untertage Bergwerken geleitet werden könnte.

Jan 1, 2003

By J. R. Cole-Baker

An independent technical audit by a consultant is part of the accountability process of publicly owned or publicly quoted companies when raising finance through share issues or loans or the sale of equity, and of banks or development funds when granting loans. Africa is undergoing a renaissance in investment in its mining industry. It is forecast that capital investment, in major mining projects in Africa, will be over US$ 4.4 billion, in the next few years. Most, if not all, of the capital to be raised will require an independent technical audit. The aim of this paper is to assist the management of mining companies seeking finance in appreciating the role of such technical audits. The reasons for such audits, especially to attract international investment, are listed. The role of the audit is explained in assessing the underlying robustness of the company as ?a going concern? and the viability of any ?expansion plans?. Its use is emphasised in establishing the underlying value of the company based on the mine life as supported by the mineral reserves. The independent consultant role is stressed as a representative of the parties in a finance deal who cannot, in practice, carry out their own detailed and specialized technical due diligence. The various components of a typical audit are examined with examples of critical matters which may require resolution. The definitions, which are used commonly in audits, in respect of competence and reserves and resources, as stated by various regulatory bodies, are compared.

Jan 1, 1998

By K. Best, D. Conn

The US Army Corps of Engineers KY Lock Project in western Kentucky presented the blasters and vibration consultants with a set of unique challenges. The blasters on this project were faced with difficult geology and joint set orientation and sequencing of blasts opposite from what the explosive engineer/blasting specialist had recommended. Combining these issues with strict vibration and air overpressure specifications, blasting as close as 7 feet (2.1 meters) from a new lock wall, site topography that influenced the air overpressure, limitations on seismograph geophone placement that led to anomalies in seismograph recordings; surprising lessons were learned by everyone involved in the project and it is the authors’ goal to share this valuable information with everyone in the blasting industry.

Jan 1, 2024

By Kennedy JT

This is a question that will be asked many times and by many individuals during the various evaluation stages of any new project. However, the question itself will often have different connotations to the different groups invariably involved in such an exercise. As examples, consider just three of the several different groups involved in the development of a new mining project - Financiers, Consulting Engineers and the Sponsors of the project (potential borrowers). To the Financiers, a 'bankable project' will be one against which they will be prepared to lend funds (but not necessarily all of the funds requested by the Sponsors). This usually means that in the first instance the technical information presented to the bank has satisfactorily covered all of the requisite areas to the levels of accuracy required. More importantly, the financial evaluation of the projected economic performance of the mine, as a whole, is considered sound and a set of arrangements under which the bank is prepared to advance loan funds have been structured which fully satisfy the bank's credit criteria. To Consulting Engineers preparing a feasibility study (or a part thereof), on behalf of the project Sponsors, the term 'bankable' invariably only refers to the technical completeness and the level of detail contained in the report which they are preparing. Their scope of work will not necessarily have been broad enough to fully satisfy a bank's requirements. It is unusual to see any specific references to overall project viability or profitability in Consulting Engineers' feasibility reports, other than those which are automatically associated with the use of the term 'ore'.

Jan 1, 1990

By By the staff of Gold Fields of South Africa

A diamond-drilling programme conducted from 1971 to 1973 by the Phelps Dodge Corporation revealed three complex sulphide ore-bodies in the highly folded Namaqualand mobile belt on the farm Aggeneys, some 65 km west of the small town of Pofadder on the road to Springbok in the northwestern Cape. Of these, the Broken Hill occurrence is the most promising.

Jan 1, 1980

By R. L. Virta

Four companies mined ball call in four states in 2009, H.C. Spinks Clay Co. Inc. (owned by Lhoist Group), Kentucky-Tennessee Clay Co. (owned by Imerys Group), Old Hickory Clay Co. and Unimin Corp. Production, on the basis of preliminary data, was 820 kt (904,000 st) with an estimated value of $39.4 million. That was a 15-percent decrease in tonnage from 967 Mt (1.1 mil-lion st) with a value of $44.3 million that was produced in 2008. Tennessee was the top producing state with 59 percent of domestic production, followed by Texas, Mississippi and Kentucky. About 71 percent of production was airfloat, 18 perc

Jun 1, 2010

By Howard S. Avery

The wear resistance of an alloy in heavy mill liner sections may be quite different from that of the same alloy in small balls and other light sections. This fact was established by means of a well standardized laboratory test that was validated for ball mill service. The salient properties of mill liner alloys, including austenitic manganese steels, medium alloy hardenable steels, and abrasion resistance cast irons are described, critically compared, and quantitatively ranked in terms of mill liner service. Where they are tough enough the high-chromium and other martensitic cast irons (e.g. Ni-Hard) promise maximum economy, but their section sensitivity is a limitation. To overcome this an extensive research program studied over a hundred experimental alloys, ranking them for heavy section abrasion resistance by means of the laboratory test. Computer analysis of the results provided a parabolic formula in terms of composition, the apexes of the parabolas providing optimum wear resistance. From the extensive family of parabolas one apex was selected for intensive study in experimental liners, pilot plant production, development of quality controls, and finally full scale production. This is a 19% chromium iron critically alloyed with nickel and molybdenum and hardened by heat treatment. It has excellent resistance to various types of abrasion, but its chief advantage is in heavy mill liner sections, where it has about 25% better abrasion resistance than the best of the quality controlled chilled Ni-Hards. It is also tougher. After production problems were solved, a number of ball and rod mill tests were arranged on a guaranteed performance basis. Two of these, representing about 138,000 pounds of mill liner castings, have recently confirmed in service the superiority that was predicted by the laboratory tests.

Jan 1, 1969

By Frank Ruskey

Many problem associated with potential hazards in a proposed mining area may not be adequately appraised because of the complexity of trying to evaluate them in terms of production requirements. Frequently, encountered hazards have to be dealt with by day-to-day operational schemes that require the miner to either force a way through them or avoid them by blocking off the area in which the hazards are known to exist. These considerations, after the mine is in full production, can be costly to the mine operator and can increase the danger to the miners. A hazard-evasion computer program for mine planning that will appraise proposed mine layouts on the basis of existing or potential hazards has therefore been developed. The program is intended for use during the planning phase of a mine, where it should assist the mining engineer in making decisions in mine design. With the output from this program, the mining engineer should be able either to corroborate his judgments made on the basis of mining experience or to find unanticipated solutions to design problem. The program tests hundreds of possible solutions to a mining layout, and by sorting out the 10 best (based on a criteria of minimum-abandoned-coal) limits the number of choices that need to be considered and appraised for applicability to a given mine scheme.

Jan 1, 1973

By Christopher Mark, Anthony T. Iannacchione

Falls of ground continue to be one of the most serious causes of injury to U.S. miners. Of the 256 fatal injuries that occurred in mining between 1996 and 1998, 52 (20%) were caused by falls of ground (Table I). Falls of ground affect some sectors of the mining industry more severely than others. For instance, nearly 40% of the 98 coal mine fatalities between 1996 and 1998 were caused by falls of ground. Underground miners are at much greater risk than surface miners. Nearly half (45 out of 101) of underground mine fatalities were attributed to roof, rib and face falls, while less than 5% of the 155 surface fatalities were caused by falls of highwalls or slopes. Sources of Data All of the injury data examined in this study were derived from MSHA’s Fatal Investigation Reports (www.msha.gov)and the MSHA accident database. Because falls of ground often result in serious injury, MSHA Fatal Alert Bulletins and Fatal Investigation Reports provide a useful snapshot of ground control issues in the mining industry. MSHA requires that mines file a report on every reportable accident that occurs, containing information on the accident’s location, severity, classification, activity, and nature of injury, etc. A short narrative is generally included as well. Accident reports can be searched by many of the above fields. From 1996 to 1998, miners suffered a total of 55,096 injuries, which ranged in severity from death (degree 1) to injuries with no days away from work nor restricted duty (degree 6). Six percent of the total injuries were from falls of ground, including machine accidents where caving rock was coded as the source. As the data in Table II indicate, 98% of all non-fatal fall of ground injuries occurred in underground mines, with underground coal mines accounting for 83% of the total. Table II also shows the distribution non-fatal fall of ground injuries by severity and commodity. The injuries are classified into Lost Time Injuries that resulted in permanent disability (degree 2) or days off work (degrees 3-4), and Injuries Without Lost Time that resulted in no more than restricted duty (degree 5-6). Overall, groundfall injuries appear to be more serious than other types of mining injuries. 65% of all ground fall injuries resulted in lost time compared to 54% of all types of mining injuries.

By Ron Hatch, M. K. Witte

"INTRODUCTIONThe proper selection of carbon for a gold carbon in pulp (CIP) circuit involves careful evaluation of several physical, chemical and economic factors. A series of evaluations are required to maximize gold recovery at the lowest capital and operating costs, whether the carbon is selected for an existing gold mill circuit or a new mill under design.Although evaluation may proceed through various stages, it is the intent of this paper to outline some of the preliminary testwork that should be carried out to screen potential carbons for a particular application.An examination of the specification sheets supplied by the various carbon manufacturers may indicate some desirable properties on which to make cursory selection. This exercise by itself will not provide the basic data needed for selecting the best carbon for a particular ore pulp and metallurgical circuit. The necessity of further metallurgical evaluation is indicated by the fact that different carbons perform differently depending on the physical and chemical nature of the leach pulp. In the case of an existing mill, actual leach slurries using mill water are available and should be used for testwork. In the case of new mills, leach pulps must be prepared to simulate the proposed circuit.Five coconut shell activated carbons were obtained from various suppliers, all reported to be 6 x 16 mesh carbons recommended for CIP circuits. A metallurgical evaluation was made utilizing two leach pulps with significantly different characteristics. This paper describes the test procedures utilized and the results obtained from the testwork."

Jan 1, 1985

Ground and air vibrations induced by large surface blasts have been monitored. These field results, as well as a large number of published results, have been used to assess the performance of existing predictors and for the development of improved prediction methods. Field monitoring has been performed, with four seismographs giving complete wave records, at limestone quarries, coal strip mines and an open pit copper mine. Conventional analysis includes least square fitting of peak particle velocities and peak air overpressures with scaled distance formulations. Frequency content has been analyzed, and correlated with blast design (detonation sequence). Two new methods have been developed for predicting ground vibrations induced by blasting. The proposed analytical predictor accounts explicitly for inelastic attenuation and geometrical spreading, and calculates the peak particle velocity as a function of charge weight and distance. Statistical analysis of case studies confirms the consistent improvement over conventional scaled distance predictors. The second new predictor is a computer program simulating blasts, including blast geometry, charge distribution and detonation sequence, and simulating propagation of individual pulses to any point of interest, where effects are summed. A complete blast vibration results, allowing prediction of frequency content and duration as well as peak velocities.

Jan 1, 1983

By Roxanne Scott

Outline ? Overview of Community Investment in the Mining Sector ? Emerging Good Practice: ?Strategic Integrated Community Investment? ? Assessing Local Context: ? Institutional Assessment ? Partnership Assessment Approaches to Community Investment Isolation: No proactive engagement in community development Ad hoc philanthropy: small infrastructure, sponsorships, donations Strategic philanthropy: Community proposes options for development Company decides what to do and carries it out, e.g. building schools, health posts, roads Strategic integrated community investment: ? Aligned with government/community development goals and priorities ? Communities and government involved in decisions and execution ? Focused on training and capacity building ? Partnerships ? Continuation in absence of company support Measured returns on investment

May 1, 2010

By James McMahon

Although doubt has been expressed many times as to who first brought self-contained breathing apparatus to this side of the Atlantic, there is none whatever that the first organized station was established at Glace Bay, N .S., by the Dominion Coal Company, in 1907. This station was started with 20 sets of 1907 "Draeger" apparatus and all necessary station equipment and supplies. After the fire at No. 1 pit, Sydney Mines, in 1908, the Nova Scotia Steel Company installed 15 sets of "Draeger" and sup-plies, which were housed in a rescue car (a converted pull-man.) In 1909 or '10 a fire occurred at the Back Pit, Stellarton, where the apparatus from Glace Bay was used, and subsequently the Acadia Company erected a station and in-stalled 10 sets of "Securitas" apparatus. In 1912 the station at New Waterford was opened and equipped with "Draeger," and the same year the station at Springhill was built and equipped with the same type. Sometime during past years the Nova Scotia Steel Company acquired a couple of "Proto" machines, and after the explosion at the Allan shaft in 1918 the Acadia Coal Company added some "Gibbs" to their station. From this it will be seen that when the coal-fields were organized under the British Empire Steel Corporation the equipment was rather mixed, therefore steps were taken by the executive to stanardize the whole of the rescue and recovery work.

Jan 1, 1924

By S. A. Lolon, J. F. Brune

"INTRODUCTION In underground longwall coal mining, the mined-out areas or gobs frequently contain methane which can form explosive methane-air mixtures. Historically, there have been many events of mine fires and explosions recorded in the United States and other countries that have demonstrated the existence of such explosive mixtures, herein referred to as Explosive Gas Zones (EGZs), inside and around the perimeter of bleeder-ventilated longwall gobs (Loane et al., 1975; Lynn et al., 1986; Elkins, et al., 2001; McKinney et al., 2001; Dziurzynski and Wasilewski, 2012; Brune, 2013). The risk of mine explosions can increase if the EGZs migrate out from the gob into the surrounding mine entries. Several factors can induce EGZs outflowing from the gob, but the most common cause is the fluctuating barometric pressure. Atmospheric pressures change regularly every day but can fluctuate abruptly and become increasingly hazardous in adverse weather conditions. Other sudden pressure changes can result from roof falls, failing ventilation controls and fan outages. Any such fluctuation of mine ventilation pressure will disturb the pressure differential between the gob and the surrounding mine workings and may cause EGZs to outgas from the gob. The correlation between major mine explosions and abrupt barometric pressure changes has been studied and confirmed for explosions in coal mining countries including the United States, South Africa, Australia, and Poland (Hosler, 1948; Boyer, 1964; Kissell et al., 1973; Fauconnier, 1992; Hemp, 1994; Wasilewski, 2014; Belle, 2014; and Lolon, 2017). Disastrous mine explosions appear to happen more frequently during stormy weather, which, in the United States, typically occurs during the late fall and winter seasons. ROOT CAUSE AND EFFECT OF GOB BREATHING Gob breathing is the result of the pressure differential between gob internal and external pressures caused by external atmospheric pressure fluctuations that occur naturally as a result of gravitational and thermal forces in the atmosphere (Lindzen and Chapman, 1969). Other major and sudden pressure changes may be caused by fan failures, failures of ventilation controls or roof falls can also cause an unexpected gob breathing. Normal barometric fluctuations occur every day but usually do not pose an explosion risk as they occur gradually so gob pressures have sufficient time to equilibrate. More extreme fluctuations associated with cyclonic weather systems and storms often result in more rapid and larger drops or rises in barometric pressure (Hosler, 1948; Fauconnier, 1992). A study by Lolon (2017) found that the timing of historical mine explosions showed consistency with the occurrence of abrupt and intense barometric variations."

Jan 1, 2018

By A. M. Radigan, W. G. Prast

M.S. Azun The authors' paper did not explain the facts and reasons why state companies are established and what their role is in international industrial mineral trading. Also, I do not agree with the conclusion implying that the main goal for state companies is to capitilize natural resources. Almost all state companies are founded by certain laws and their activities are arranged by state regulations. Their only aim is to operate mineral deposits for their people and to protect the rights of the people. Although some ore deposits, such as nonstrategic or small, may be exploited by privately owned companies, the state has the right to control the operation and production. Activities of state companies may or may not be widened because of the character of the deposits and the importance of the mineral market involved. For some countries, although governments may occasionally change hands, the policy of the mineral trading system is not affected by this change. There is no doubt that any government desires to make more earnings to increase GNP, when it is involved in operating and trading mines. It wants to produce and sell the finished products, instead of unprocessed ones, if possible. When it is known that some mineral deposits are relatively rare, such as Turkish boron deposits, the government can nationalize the mines to control production and affect the market. If there is an abundance of a certain mineral in the market, the government can cut production and set a floor price, such as Canadian potash. Also, when production of a specific mineral is unique, such as Turkish chromite, the price of such mineral may be set by correspondant government. One may add that if some governments with their state companies produce a certain mineral in a larger amount, they may decide to establish a cartel to protect their production and price. These are the facts followed by government-owned state companies and partially government-owned companies. The reason being charge of many deposits by the state companies is always the same: "protect" the mineral rights of the people.

Jan 2, 1984

The mining industry has recognised for some time the importance of supporting programs which serve to educate the Australian public about the socio-economic benefits of mineral resource development. More recently, industry leaders have realised that the future development of the industry will depend on attracting sufficient young people to commit to a career in the industry. Apart from lending support to the traditional education institutions in Australia, the industry now has the opportunity to participate in the development of education programs in museums. Whilst historic, mining-related theme parks such as Sovereign Hill and Coal Creek in Victoria serve very effectively the objective of relating past mining activities to the socio-economic development of Australia, there still exists the need to provide a facility which, under the same roof, excites interest in geology, mining, mineral processing and the role of minerals and energy in modern society. The redeveloped Geological and Mining Museum (the "Mining Museum"), which is located in The Rocks area of Sydney, meets this objective. With the central themes of formation and transformation this new Museum, which aims to be the best of its type in the world, will use modern museum exhibit techniques and the resources of the Minerals and Energy Information Centre to educate the community including teachers and school children. In the best tradition of museums, outstanding mineral and other collections will complement a comprehensive range of interactive, high technology exhibits which will include a number of exploratory "hands on" facilities. Australian companies are joining with Government to fund this exciting new museum. There is still a need for industry professionals to realise that a modern "mining" museum is no longer just a repository for objects of mining heritage but is also an important centre which serves as an important educational and public relations interface. The Education Section of the new "Mining Museum", which is linked closely with the new Minerals and Energy Information Centre, will be working closely with appropriate mining-related Tertiary institutions to develop specific career programs aimed at secondary students who wish to pursue a career in the mineral resource industries.

Jan 1, 1989

By Márcio Nascimento Cunha

A presença de inclusões não metálicas em aços inoxidáveis é uma das possíveis fontes de defeitos superficiais, especialmente em produtos laminados a frio. Uma das alternativas para evitar as inclusões de óxido de alumínio em aços inoxidáveis é o rígido controle dos níveis de alumínio presentes nas matérias primas adicionadas ao aço. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo apresentar melhorias de qualidade superficial obtidas no aço ferrítico 430 estabilizado ao nióbio (0,20%Nb a 0,40%Nb) produzido pela Aperam através do uso de ferro-nióbio contendo menores teores de alumínio em relação ao produto padrão, desenvolvido especialmente para essa aplicação pela empresa fornecedora do material. Através de resultados industriais constatou-se uma evolução da qualidade com a redução no índice de desvios por esfoliação de 29%, enfatizando não só a importância do controle do teor de alumínio incorporado aos aços inoxidáveis como também um controle rigoroso de processo especialmente em aplicações de alto apelo estético, caso do uso em equipamentos da linha branca.

Jul 30, 2018