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By M. C. van Eeden, R. Vermeulen, K. B. Le Bron

This paper presents the lessons learnt during the transition from an open pit method to a sub-level open stoping method at the Koidu Limited kimberlite pipe. These learnings may assist other mines with planning, both from a practical implementation perspective (layout, charging up challenges), and a method for estimating potential dilution and stability challenges associated with the interaction between the surface and underground excavations. Predictive geotechnical stability modelling was successfully applied to highlight potential failure zones, which allowed modification and enhancement of the mining layouts and quantification of the potential dilution of the kimberlite from indicative instabilities.

Sep 1, 2025

These proceedings consist of papers presented at a Bureau of Mines Technology Transfer Seminar in September 1981 for the purpose of disseminating recent advances in mining technology in the area of premining research. The introduction and descriptive papers discuss techniques and instrumentation used in premining research for metal and nonmetal mining and shaft design and borehole control for premine planning.

Jan 1, 1982

By G. H. Anderson

H. R. HANLEY*—I have been asked to discuss briefly the development of rotating cathodes for the electrolytic deposition of cadmium. The earliest recorded use of rotating cathodes was by Hoepfner at Frufurt, Germany about sixty years ago. He elec-trolized zinc chloride solution using diaphragms to separate electrodes. In the early experimental work of the Bully Hill Copper Mining and Smelting Co., Shasta County, Calif., rotating aluminum cathodes 4 ft in diam were used in the electrolysis of an acid zinc sulphate solution. Finished cathodes weighing up to 400 lb were produced. Because of mechanical difficulties, this type of cathode was abandoned for zinc, but was later used for cadmium because of the relative smoothness of deposit in comparison with stationary plates with comparable current densities. Cadmium sponge which forms on the cathode at moderate current densities (without special treatment) is entirely eliminated by a slow rotation. The rate of rotation of the cathode has an effect on the mechanical nature of the deposit. A high rate of rotation concentrates the adhering electrolyte on the shaft; a moderate rate appears to concentrate on the cathode a short distance out from the shaft tending to corrode the deposit in the form of a ring. At a very slow rotation (2 to 3 rpm) the adhering electrolyte gravitates nearly vertically, thus avoiding the cutting ring referred to above. The true explanation for the smoother deposits obtained on rotating cathodes may not be given definitely as the numerous factors involved are not thoroughly understood. Smooth deposits are obtained when the orderly growth of the metal crystals in the cathode lattice are disorganized. Thus the crystals form and grow for a very short interval when they are arrested and a new crystal forms. The continued growth of the original crystals provides large crystals and a rough deposit. Also if the acidity of the electrolyte is low, hydrogen gas bubbles adhere to the deposit. As the cathode is rotated the gas surface is brought into the atmosphere where they burst; thus the deposit is made on a surface relatively gas-free. An aluminum hub distance piece was riveted to each aluminum disk 4 ft in diam, slipped on a 4 1/2 in. steel shaft and pressed tight to prevent acid electrolyte seeping through to the shaft. The 9-cathode assembly was supported on insulated bearings. Electrical contact to the shaft was made through what was equivalent to a copper pulley. Sufficiently high conductivity brushes were placed on the face of the pulley to lead the current to the cathode bus bar. The assembly was driven by a link belt contacting a sprocket insulated from the shaft. The lead anodes were semicircular and supported on porcelain insulators placed on the bottom of the cell. Two anodes were provided for each cathode to permit an 8-in. space between them without increasing the ohmic resistance. This ample spacing permitted easy stripping of deposit with the assembly in place. Cathode cadmium was melted under 650 W cylinder oil. After casting, the primary slabs were remelted under molten caustic soda and cast into pencils 1 1/32 in. in diam. Rotating cathodes for deposition of cadmium are used at Risdon, Tasmania, and at Magdeburg, Germany. W. G. WOOLF*—This paper is very-interesting to me because in our work at the Electrolytic Zinc Plant of the Sullivan Mining Co. we had an exactly similar problem—that is, a method of producing cadmium from our purification residue, the recovery of the contained copper as a copper precipitate which could be sent to a copper smelter and the production of merchantable cadmium. It is interesting to me, not knowing of the work of the Risdon people, how closely we approximate them in their main metallurgy, diverging at several interesting steps which I would like to discuss for just a moment. For example, at Risdon they oxidize their purification residue. In our practice we take the current residue as it is produced in the purification department of the zinc plant and process it in the cadmium plant. The only oxidation that it obtains is the oxidation in the presses, the dumping of the presses and the collection and transportation of the residue to the cadmium plant. We find that the leaching of that residue does not necessarily require the oxidation step that the Risdon people evidently find necessary. The discussion of oxidation comes in again in the matter of the treatment of the precipitated cadmium sponge with zinc dust which again at Risdon is oxidized but which we do not attempt to oxidize except as it oxidizes itself in the storage. There is a partial oxidation which cannot be avoided, as Mr. David-sou pointed out, but we make no attempt to attain a complete oxidation and we dissolve the cadmium sponge in the sul-

Jan 1, 1950

By Paul Meadows

This Bureau of Mines report presents operating practices and results of pressure maintenance and secondary recovery by water injection or by water injection supplemented by gas injection. Particular emphasis is placed on the results of water injection, which is the principal oil-recovery method employed in projects covered by this report. No attempt is made to study gas-injection projects or operations that are considered water-disposal projects. Also, this report does not include water-injection projects that have not been in operation long enough to evaluate results. Figure 1 is a map of north Louisiana showing the geographical locations of the projects included in this report. Most of the data used in this study were supplied by unit operators, operating companies, and the Louisiana Department of Conservation. Reservoir information and recovery data are generally those supplied by the operators, but include revisions where deemed necessary.

Jan 1, 1962

By A. S. Geldenhuys, L. S. Leal Filho, D. A. Deglon, T. C. Souza Pinto

The Brucutu iron ore mine (Minas Gerais, Brazil), is Vale`s largest iron producing operation achieving around 21 million tons by flotation of iron ore pellet feed per annum. The run of mine is mainly composed of hematite (70%) and quartz (30%). After preparation (comminution and sizing), the slurry is submitted to reverse cationic flotation of quartz under basic conditions (pH=10.5). Corn starch (500g/t) is used to depress Fe-bearing minerals and alkyl (C10) ether amine is the collector for quartz. The flotation circuit is arranged in a “coarse” section utilizing dated 28m3 square Wemco cells, and a “fine” section utilizing modern 160m3 tank cells. The “coarse” flotation circuit treats material from the deslime cyclone underflow while the “fine” circuit treats material from the deslime cyclone overflow and the pulp product from the “coarse” circuit scavenger 2 bank. Evaluation of process performance is of high importance as even small gains can lead to large improvements for this high throughput plant. Cell-by-cell samples of the froth products, selected feed and pulp-products were analyzed for flow-rate, overall chemical composition, and particle size distribution. Bank-by-bank samples of the feed, froth and pulp products were analyzed on an assay-by-size basis. In addition, the flotation cells were hydrodynamically characterized and gas dispersion parameters assessed. The detailed experimental program resulted in a thorough characterization of the process and enough information to produce a calibrated floatability component model. Longer mainline residence time results in significant Fe2O3 losses while yielding little benefit in terms of SiO2 grade. Scavenger 2 has twice the residence time of scavenger 1 while having to treat only 10% of the SiO2; resulting in high Fe2O3 recoveries to the froth and poor separation. In addition, it is shown that the Fe2O3 exhibits true flotation behavior resulting in increased Fe2O3 losses. The detailed data collection campaign coupled with in depth data analysis and modelling gives unprecedented information and highlights avenues for optimization that was previously unknown. Keywords: Froth Flotation, Process modelling, Process evaluation, Metallurgical survey

Jan 1, 2020

By J. Hurdley, J. A. Plant, H. Robotham, P. R. Simpson, G. C. Lalor

Paper presented at the 28th International Geological Congress held in Washington DC, July 1989 (International geochemical mapping sessions). The results of orientation studies for a regional geochemical survey of Jamaica and the CARICOM countries of the Caribbean region are described. The survey is designed to provide systematic geochemical information for a wide variety of applications and, especially, to form a basis for agricultural development in the region

Jul 1, 1991

By V. T. Stringfield, H. H. Cooper

ONE of the earliest investigations of ground water in Florida was made in 1513 when Ponce de Leon arrived at St. Augustine in search of the Fountain of Youth. The history of the development of the water resources of the State shows that the large artesian reservoir that underlies Florida was discovered in the latter part of the last century. Part of that history is given by L. C. Johnson' who states that the first successful artesian well in Florida was drilled at St. Augustine between 1880 and 1882. After the City of Jacksonville failed to obtain a flow of artesian water at a depth of nearly 400 ft and abandoned the drilling, R. N. Ellis, City Engineer, and L. C. Johnson, using Johnson's knowledge of the geologic structure of the artesian reservoir, estimated correctly that artesian water could be obtained at a depth of about 500 ft. Thus began the development of the large artesian system in the northeastern part of the State. In 1908, the Florida Geological Survey issued its first report on the ground water of central Florida. More recent reports give the results of investigations that have been in progress in cooperation between the Florida Geological Survey and the U. S. Geological Survey since 1930. As a result, the ground-water geology and hydrology of Florida are now so well known that ground-water problems such as confronted early investigators no longer exist. However, new problems arise and new discoveries are made as the demand for more ground water increases with the development of the State. Water-Bearing Formations Descriptions of the geologic formations and a map showing their distribution at the surface are given in a recent report by Cooke.' The geologic formations that yield the ground-water supplies in Florida represent only a small part (about 1000 ft) of the total thickness of the sedimentary rocks (more than 15,000 ft) that underlie Florida. The water-bearing rocks that yield fresh water include more than two dozen formations that range in age from Eocene to recent. The Eocene formations, which consist chiefly of limestone, are the oldest and the deepest of the formations in Florida that yield fresh water to wells. In 1944, on the basis of a study of the foraminifera, the Applins -ivided the limestone of Eocene age into six formations, which are as follows, from top to bottom: Age or group Formation Jackson Ocala limestone icAvon Park limestone Claiborne -j Tallahassee limestone aLake City limestone Wilcox Salt Mountain limestone xOldsmar limestone The Ocala limestone and the underlying formations of Claiborne age, along with some of the overlying limestone of Oligocene and Miocene age, constitute the principal source of water in Florida and southeastern Georgia and generally may be regarded as forming one artesian aquifer or water-bearing unit. This aquifer is referred to in this paper as the Floridan aquifer, a name proposed by Parker.' In part of Seminole County alone more than 1000 flowing wells yield water from the Floridan aquifer. A yield of 6500 gpm, or about 9.5 million gal per day, by natural flow from a well penetrating the aquifer at Jacksonville, Florida, was observed in 1942. A yield of about 7000 gpm by natural flow was reported for a well 1390 ft deep at St. Augustine in 1887. The largest yield reported from a pumped well penetrating the aquifer is 7500 gpm, or about 10.5 million gal per day. The aquifer is also the source of some of the large springs, such as Silver Springs, whose discharge, according to measurements made by the U. S. Geological Survey, has ranged from 526 to 1350 sec-ft, or from 340 to 872 million gal per day. The top of the Ocala limestone, as represented by contours in Fig. 1, indicates in a general way the geologic structure of the formations that comprise the Floridan aquifer. The Ocala is at or near the surface in the areas represented by shading in the northwestern part of the peninsula and also in an area in western Florida adjacent to Alabama and

Jan 1, 1952

By W. W. Weller

Heat-capacity measurements of sodium dimolybdate (Na2Mo207) and sodium ditungstate (Na2W207) were conducted over the temperature range from 51° to 298° K. The entropies of the two compounds at 298.15° K were calculated from the heat-capacity values and were used, in conjunction with other entropy data, to evaluate the entropies of formation of the compounds from their constituent elements and oxides.

Jan 1, 1963

By J. J. Kim

In a study of buildup in a green-feed reverberatory furnace, it was determined that approximately half of the crucible area has a moderate buildup of 25 in. or less, and that the area extending 45 f t from the burner end of the furnace has only a slight buildup. The false bottom, averaging 6 in. in thickness, was found to cover the entire crucible area. The stratification of Cr2O3, A12O3, and SiO2 occurs throughout the slag layer; this phenomenon is the principal reason for the formation of the false bottom in the green-feed reverberatory furnace. The false bottom is caused primarily by the settling of FeO*(A1,Cr),03 aggregates, which are derived mainly from returned converter slag. The false bottom can be transformed to a solid permanent buildup in the furnace, particularly when the matte is completely withdrawn. From the material balance of Al2O3 and Cr2O3 around the furnace, It is estimated that the average rate of aluminum chromite accumulation is approximately 0.3 ton per day or less.

Jan 1, 1976

By C. L. Jiang

The role of iron ions (Fe2+ and Fe3+) in the flotation of both ore-and coal-pyrite with ethyl xanthate was comparatively investigated. The complete/partial depression of ore-and coal-pyrite in neutral to weakly alkaline solution is due to the formation of ferric dihydroxy ethyl xanthate between xanthate and the oxidation products of pyrite, ferric and ferrous ions. With xanthate as collector, coal-pyrite was found to be nonfloatable above pH6. In the presence of iron ions and between pH6-9.5, the flotation of ore-pyrite was significantly depressed. Ferrous ions have a stronger effect on pyrite flotation than ferric ions in neutral to weakly alkaline solutions.

Jan 1, 1996

By Enver Alan

In this study of applied explosives engineering the blasting applications are evaluated, which were carried out for research and development purposes at Yenisahra Station tunnels in Kartal Formation which was built with the aim of solving İstanbul's transportation problem within the framework of the Kadıköy-Kartal Metro Project. Twenty-four shots were made by using explosives in 60 blastholes that were drilled in the tunnel faces, which were located between and outside of two different faults. S

Feb 1, 2020

The first record of coal anywhere in the Appalachian regions of which we now know is along the north fork of the Potomac River, above the mouth of Savage River, on a map entitled, A Plan of the upper Part of Potomack River call Cohongorooto Survey'd in the Year 1736. Benj. Winslow1 two "Cole-mines" are shown, one just above Green Island and the other just below Hopwood Run. Winslow was in charge of a surveying party to "Lay out the Bounds of the Northern Neck of Virginia," or Lord Fairfax's Grant, his party locating the liver above the mouth of the Shenandoah, while another party located it below that point, and then around Chesapeake Bay and up the Rappahannock River. The results of the two surveys were combined in a map called, The Courses of the Rivers Rappahannock and Potowmack, in Virginia, as surveyed according to Order in the Years 1736 & 1737, made by Wm. Mayo, which does not show the "cole-mines;" this map was used with the report of the boundary commission which was sent to London in the case before the Privy Council. The boundary line decided upon was surveyed on the ground in 1746, just ten years after the original one. The results of this work were shown on A Map of the Northern Neck in Virginia, According to an Actual Survey begun in the Year MDCCXXXVI, and ended in the Year MDCCXLVI, Drawn by Peter Jefferson And Robert Brooke, Surveyors, which is now in the Colonial Office in London. This map shows the "cole-mines" in the same location as on Winslow's map, and taken from his record, of course, as that part of the survey was not retraced. Faulkner, who examined all of these records in his review of the case in 1832, refers to the notes of the original survey as "No. 10. The original field notes of the survey of the Potomac River, and the mouth of the Shenandoah to the head spring of said Poto¬mac River, by Mr. Benjamin Winslow." While the notes of the 1746 survey are in the London records and photographic copies of them are in several libraries in this county, the notes of the 1736 survey cannot be found anywhere. (For Chas. J. Faulkner's report, dated Nov. 6, 1832, see Kercheval's History of the Valley of Virginia, pp. 160-173. Jas. W. Foster's Maps of the First Survey of the Potomac River, 1736-37, in Wm. and Mary College Quarterly History Mag., April, 1938, gives a complete history

Jan 1, 1942

By P Rubie, B Morgan, J Russell, C Stewart

The relationship between efficient liner exchange, concentrator availability and concentrator profitability is well documented. Russell Mineral Equipment’s (RME) relationship with OZ Minerals’ Prominent Hill site personnel enabled sound collaboration between the two parties. Both parties worked together to identify the sources of productivity and efficiency loss and developed solutions to reverse them.This paper chronicles the identification of production inefficiencies and the resulting removal of mill relining from the critical path through the materialisation of mill relining optimisation strategies. Furthermore, this paper outlines other recent mill relining optimisation strategies developed by RME and tested at Prominent Hill, to demonstrate and achieve further productivity, efficiency and safety improvements.CITATION:Rubie, P, Russell, J, Morgan, B and Stewart, C, 2017. Mill relining optimisation – a story of collaboration, in Proceedings MetPlant 2017, pp 335–345 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 11, 2017

By Walter C. Woodmansee

The only reported mineral production in 1977 was small output of alluvial gold, valued at an estimated $54,320.2 In addition, marine shells are gathered for use in lime manufacture, although output was not reported. Proposed development of a bauxite mine and smelter, involving Rennell and Vaghena Islands, was deferred in June. Conzinc Riotinto of Australia Ltd. (CRA), in partnership with Mitsui Mining & Smelting Co. Ltd., and the Solomon Government, with- drew from the project, and Mitsui, which conducted a feasibility study and metallurgical testing of the bauxite, decided to defer further work because of slack demand for aluminum in Japan and difficulties in arranging financing. The Mitsui feasibility studies reportedly indicated that the project could be viable despite technical difficulties and relatively high initial investment costs. The project was to produce 1.5 million tons of bauxite and 600,000 tons of alumina per year from reserves totaling 60 million tans at 45% to 50% A1203.

Jan 1, 1981

Rheological Behaviour of Clay-Rich Gangue Mineral Dispersions During Hydrometallurgical Treatment Alumino-silicate minerals invariable may present an intractable challenge in hydrometallurgical operations employed in low grade nickel, copper and gold ore leaching or high level nuclear waste (HLNW) processing. The interactions and reactivity of alumino-silicate clay gangue minerals such as muscovite/sericite, chlorite, kaolinite and smectite under acidic (eg pH <3) or alkaline (pH >13) conditions can have a striking impact on the particle interactions. These may manifest in undesirable pulp rheology, poor extraction rates and challenges in the subsequent "handleability" and solid-liquid separation processes (eg dewatering). In the present work, a review of investigations involving the interfacial chemistry, interactions and rheological behaviour of aqueous dispersions of mica-group, layered alumino-silicate clay (muscovite / sericite) and chalcocite minerals as a function of pH in the range 2 - 9 and time at 25¦C, is presented. Particle zeta potential, reflecting interfacial chemistry, indicated a strong pH-history and particle volume fraction dependency. Pristine particles' zeta potentials measured from high to low pH indicated mineral-specific isoelectric point (iep) at pH range 2 - 5. Subsequent measurements from low to high pH showed pH-history dependency with iep shift to higher pH values, the extent of which also depended upon particle volume fraction and aging time. Pulp pH-mediated particle interactions revealed by shear yield stress analysis displayed a bifurcation behaviour and good compliance with DLVO theory. The maximum pulp yield values occurred at the iep whilst weak rheology was observed where the magnitude of the particle zeta potential was greatest. The pivotal role played by both pulp chemistry and suspension conditions in regulating the particle interactions and concomitant rheological behaviour is highlighted. The implications of the findings with regards to clay-base pulps' handleability and its control during aqueous processing are discussed.  

Sep 13, 2010

By C. M. Haight

The mines of the New Jersey Zinc Co. in New Jersey, are situated in the northern part of Sussex County, at Franklin, formerly Franklin Furnace, and also at Ogdensburg. The mine at Ogdensburg is still in the development stage, but the, mine at Franklin, with which this paper deals chiefly, has been a steady producer of high-grade zinc ores for many years. The town is about 50 miles from New York City, among the foothills -of the Kittatinny Mountains. It is equipped with water supply (filtered and chemically treated), good roads, electric lights, efficient police protection and excellent schools, including a new vocational high school. For a mining community, the conditions and location are far above the average. Franklin Furnace Folio, No. 161 of the U. S. Geological Survey, describes the geology and mineralogy of the district in detail, so that merely an, outline of the main characteristics of the orebody need be given. The

Jan 10, 1917

By R. I. Lahring, C. G. Inks

A surfactant waterflood, using a block copolymer of ethylene and propylene oxide (PLURONIC L64*), wa., started in 1956 in Kansas to determine the commercial feasibility of such a process. The production formation was the Bartlesville sand at a depth of 1,400 ft. Leares in the test area had attained both primary and secondary production peaks, and were on a normal decline when the tests were initiated. The injection wells were taking water at a reasonable pressure and none of the operating conditions were particularly unusual. The leases were selected primarily because of normal operating conditions, and not because of any serious problems demanding remedie>,. Oil production and water injection data were recorded during the 10-year test period, and their compilation indicates that the surfactant resulted in an increase of about 9 percent in secondary oil production. Other benefits derived from the surfactant injection were lower injection pressure that resulted in reduced power consumption and reduced erosion of the pumps; and lower calcium scale buildup. These fringe benefits more than offset the cost of the surfactant used. Introduction During the past several decades, considerable research has been carried out on secondary recovery of crude oil that remains in the producing formation despite the most efficient, current primary production practices. Methods are constantly sought of increasing recovery of oil, while at the same time improving the economic efficiency of operations. One method that has received intensive study over the years is the use of a surfactant as a waterflood additive. Laboratory tests show conclusively that dilute solutions of surfactants remove considerably more oil from uncon-solidated sand cores than does water alone.'- The loss of surfactant by adsorption at solid-liquid interfaces has caused serious doubt that surfactants can be used economically as waterflooding additives. This is especially true with anionic and cationic surfactants, and to a lesser extent with nonionic surfactants. This work was undertaken to determine the effectiveness in increasing oil production by injecting water containing small quantities of a nonionic surfactant. The surfactant selected was PLURONIC L64*, a block copolymer based on ethylene and propylene oxide, having the following structure The selection of the test site, a typical shoe-string sandstone type of field located at Batesville pool, Toronto District of Woodson County, Kans., was made because of its normal primary and secondary recovery operating conditions, and not because of any serious operating problems. When the tests were begun, the field was experiencing the customary post-peak production decline of a waterflood. Using for the tests a field that was on a normal production decline, while maintaining constant all variables other than the addition of the surfactant. was of varamount importance if success or failure was to be attributed to a particular cause. It was reasoned that if a surfactant was added to the injection waters and nothing else was done to influence the oil production or injection of water, the effects of the surfactant on the flood could be determined precisely. Production History The first well in the tested field was drilled in 1935. Gas repressurization began immediately, but it was not until Aug., 1938, that the major portion of the field was developed. During the period of repressurization, 1,700 MMcf of gas was injected. As can be seen from the curves of Fig. 1, the production peak from gas injection was attained in 1937 and a normal production decline followed. Early in 1942, water injection wells were drilled and injection of water Was initiated. The amount of water injected increased as more injection wells were drilled until a peak injection rate of 2,700 BID was reached in

Jan 1, 1969

By E. F. Thomas

THE late George S. Rice was active in the inves--I- tigation of bumps, particularly in the last ten years of his career as chief mining engineer of the U. S. Bureau of Mines. Since most of his investigation was carried out in Great Britain, continental Europe, and—to a lesser extent—Canada, his thinking on prevention was influenced considerably by the experience of those countries. It is not surprising, therefore, that when he was called upon a few years before his retirement to investigate bumps in the U. S. and suggest ways to prevent them, he turned to longwall mining. A longwall method had been most successful in combating the bump hazard in mining coal under deep cover, especially in Great Britain, but the prevailing method there at the time was advancing longwall mining, which he knew was uneconomical under U. S. mining conditions. For this reason he proposed a modified retreating longwall system that he believed included the best features of the advancing method. As brought out by Rice,' if the cover is 2000 ft and 50 pct of the coal is extracted, the static load on the remaining pillars will be about 4000 psi, which exceeds the ultimate crushing strength in most instances. If the pillar coal is overloaded before a pillar line is established, then the abutment zone preceding a line of extraction is no place to split pillars or extract them by any method other than an open-end system. Rice therefore advocated open-end mining, preferably by longwall, but he was willing to compromise with long-face mining if the longwall method was not acceptable. Rice's system was put into operation in a mine in Harlan County, Kentucky,3 but subsequent experience has shown that it did not take into account two important factors—avoidance of pillar-line points and maintenance of adequate development in advance of the pillar-line abutment area. For ten years after Rice's retirement the USBM did little investigation and research on bumps, chiefly because so few were occurring that there was not much cause for alarm. But in 1951 there were three occurrences involving fatal injuries, and the Bureau began a statistical survey in that year. C. T. Holland, head of the department of mines at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, was retained as a consultant. The resulting study' of 117 case histories brought out these important conclusions: 1) Almost invariably the bump occurred in a locality affected by the abutment zones of one or more pillar lines. 2) In most cases the locality of the bump was influenced by the abutment zones of more than one pillar line. The term pillar-line point has been used for many years in the Appalachian region for such a situation. Point is used in the geographical rather than the mathematical sense. 3) In pillar-line extraction the following practices are safest in preventing bumps: a. The mine layout should provide for pillars of uniform size and shape along the extraction line. b. The mine layout should be planned so that no development need be done in the abutment zone of a pillar line. c. The layout should permit open-end extraction of pillar lines from the next goaf, so that it will not be necessary to resort to pocket mining, splitting pillars, or any practice that will involve driving in the direction of the goaf within the abutment zone. d. Pillars should be large enough to support area without undue roof and floor convergence before establishment of a pillar line. These are, of course, generalities, and while they are useful in laying out areas where bumps can be expected, they are of limited help in many mines that were committed to a system of mining before it was realized that they were subject to bumps. Under such conditions it becomes necessary to choose between the following alternatives: 1) Abandon the territory, except for pillars that offer no extraction problems. 2) Through experience select the pillars that are most heavily loaded, and, by augering, induce bumps from a safe vantage point so that impinged loads are relieved. This method was first developed at the Gary, W. Va. mines of U. S. Steel Corp. and later adapted to mining thick coal beds at Kaiser Steel's Sunnyside mine in Utah. No scientific method is available to determine where to drill within a loaded pillar. Although this method of unloading has worked very successfully at Gary—with one exception—

Jan 1, 1959

Rinker Materials Corporation (Rinker) operates construction aggregate operations in 15 states across the US. Thirteen of those operations are located in Florida, where Rinker produced approximately 40 million tons of aggregates in 2002. Because the deposits being mined in Florida are shallow sedimentary deposits of limestone and natural sand, with the deepest being approximately 75 feet deep, abundant acreage is mined annually. Rinker mines about 300 acres/year in Florida alone, and because there are so many wetlands and complete avoidance is nearly impossible, there are also wetland impacts. Thus, there is ample need for reclamation and mitigation, which presents an opportunity to involve local school groups with the planting and monitoring of these various projects. Rinker has successfully worked with a half dozen or so schools on these projects, involving students from grade school through college, with surprising success and outstanding results.

Jan 1, 2004

By L. M. English, K. A. El-Nagdy

The mine characteristic curve represents the relation between the airflow in a system and the pressure drop across the system. In a single fan system, this relation can be easily drawn by assuming different values of the airflow and calculating the corresponding pressure drop according to Atkinson’s law. In a multiple-fan system this cannot be done for each fan simultaneously. However, an alternative mathematical method for plotting subsystem characteristic curves on subsystem quantity coordinates is outlined here that achieves this objective. The Hardy Cross algorithm has been combined with a switching-parameters technique and has been used to trace subsystem characteristic curves. An example using four fans in a complex network is presented here. This example illustrates the nature of the problem and the difficulty of detecting unstable conditions in this type of network.

Jan 1, 2001