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By T. Negeri, A. O. Orumwense

Microwave pretreatment is one of the emerging technologies which have been reported as having potential economic benefits for the processing of amenable ores. The application of microwave pretreatment to the processing of refractory and finely disseminated ores is of great interest as the technology can potentially reduce high comminution costs and improve mineral liberation. Sized ore samples were subjected to microwave irradiation at power levels varying from 1 to 5 kW over exposure times of between 1 and 6minutes in order to determine the influence of heating rate on mineral transformation, ground product size distribution and mineral liberation. The microwave irradiated samples were ground and subsequently floated. A comparison is made with non-microwave treated samples. Flotation grade and recovery show a strong dependence on the microwave absorption characteristics of the mineral components of the ore, in the following decreasing order -sphalerite, galena, and lastly chalcopyrite.

Jan 1, 2003

By Wilson R. G

The Bulli and Wongawilli Seams, the two principal sources of coking coal for the Port KKembla steelworks of Australian Iron and Steel Pty. Ltd., vary in rank and in type over the Southern and -South Western Coalfields. The Bulli Seam, ranging widely in type, produces coke varying from weak to strong. The Wongawilli Seam, more consistent in type, produces coke of more consistent strength, but considerably less strong than that from the best Bulli Seam coal. Plans of seam variation show the regional trends in rank and type for each sear. The strongest coke is derived from coal containing between 45 and 55 per cent vitrinite, m.m.f. This is obtainable from the Bulli Sean in a zone embracing Bulli and Appin Colleries.

Jan 1, 1969

By Yang Guangqing, Shao Jiugang, Zhang Jianliang, Wan Dan, Fu Yuandi, Guo Hongwei

"Resource of metallurgical coke is becoming scarce, and although coke can be partially replaced by pulverized coal injection, there are many restrictions for further increase in coal ratio. Mixed charge of ore and lump coal from top to replace more coke was studied in this paper. Softening-melting property of the burden was affected by charge of lump coal. Softening-melting properties of mixed charge of ore and coke, mixed charge of ore and lump coal were tested respectively. Results show: the property of the burden mixed with coke is superior to the burden mixed with lump coal; lump coal would not deteriorate softening-melting property of the burden and some of them can even improve softening-melting property of the burden. Top charge of lump coal would not deteriorate softening-melting process, and this should be a new way to increase coal consumption to decrease coke rate.IntroductionThe blast furnace is still the predominant process for the reduction of iron ore and will probably remain so for the next decades. Metallurgical coke is becoming scarce and expensive, so the cost of hot metal can be decreased by reducing the consumption of metallurgical coke[l]. Coke can be partially replaced by pulverized coal injection, currently the highest rate of pulverized coal reached 266kg/tHM, most of blast furnace PCR is about 150kg/tHM, and it is very difficult to further increase of PCR. Nut coke is charged into blast furnace mixed with iron ore, not only for improving utilization of metallurgical coke, but also for lowering the coke rate. Presently the majority of blast furnaces in the world use nut coke although its amount is very different: from 10-20 to 70--100 kg/tHM and more[2-4].The effect ofnut coke in blast furnace is extensively researched, and the main conclusions recommend: to improve gas permeability of cohesive layer in blast furnace, to promote reduction of iron burden, protect metallurgical coke from the solution in the shaft due to higher reactivity of nut coke. There is no special requirement for the strength of nut coke[5-8]. Nut coke is also used for sintering fuel, which may lead to the shortage of the nut coke charging into blast furnace. So lump coal mixed with iron ore is considered to be charged into the blast furnace, not only to reduce the cost of grinding coal, but also to increase the use amount of coal."

Jan 1, 2013

By J. A. Wilcox

A NEW LINE of specialists has arisen as a result of the trend toward labor socialization and collectivism in all branches of industry. These men are the ones who will govern the destiny of many companies and the labor policy of our government in coming years. They must be men of integrity and of rather exceptional qualifications; men who can foresee the trend of labor relations with business, and who are willing to sacrifice the immediate fruits of technical training for manual labor and study. They must take their place in industry, not with the idea of following the orthodox line of advancement, but knowing that they must stay at the bottom until they have learned to understand the viewpoints, the work, the advantages and the disadvantages of each classification of labor. They must not be of a radical nature or become easily biased, and they must study. You will say I am looking for a superman and in one sense that is true, but the business man and our government are both in the market even now for this type of man, and with the proper training and background, many of our young technicians can readily enter this field of work.

Jan 1, 1942

By R. Van A. Norris

Although mechanical appliances for the ventilation of mines have been known siuce very early times (one being mentioned in Agricola's De Re Metnllica, 1657), it is only within the last forty years that such appliances have been generally used. A great number of different ventilators have been invented and used, but the varions forms of centrifugal machines having proved their efficiency, have now almost conlpletely replaced all others. Most if not all of the machines in use in this country are of this class, being either open-periphery fans, or closed, with chimney and spiral casing, of a more or less modified Guibal type. The theory of such machines has been demonstrated by Mr. Daniel Murgue in Theories and Practice of Centrifugal Ventilating Machines, translated by A. L. Steavenson. His statement may be condensed thus : Let a = orifice in a thin plate, of such area that its resistance to the passage of a given quantity of air equals the resist ance of the mine. I o = orifice in a thin plate of such area that its resistance to the passage of' a given quantity of air equals that of the machine. Q = quantity of air passing in cubic feet per minute. V = velocity of air passing through a. Vo = velocity of air passing through o. h = head iu feet air-column to produce velocity IT h, = head in feet air-column to produce velocity V,.

Jan 1, 1892

By N. S. Dalal, J. F. Mega, X. Shi, V. Vallyathan

Several studies have suggested that pulmonary toxicity to asbestos and silica may be mediated through oxidant-induced cell injury. We have reported recently that surface radicals associated with freshly fractured silica may be an imponant factor in cell injury and induction of pulmonary disease. Although the generation of oxygenated radicals in dust-cell interactions has been demonstrated, there are no data correlating the toxicity of a dust with the level of oxygen radical generation by the dust during its interaction with phagocytic cells. In the present study, we have investigated the in vitro generation of oxygen free radicals from human neutrophils and rat alveolar macrophages stimulated with freshly fractured silica, aged silica, amosite, crocidolite, chrysotilc, and a nontoxic dust, barite. Electron spin resonance (ESR) with the aid of a spin trap phenyl-N-ten-butyl nitronc (PBN) was used to measure the oxygen radicals generated during phagocytosis of the dusts. The relative toxicity index and ESR peak heights, on an equal surface area basis and normalized to barite as one, showed a direct relationship. The normalized toxicity indices and peak heights were: silica, 3.5 versus 2; chrysotile, 4 versus 2; crocidolite, 11 versus 8; and amosite, 26 versus 13. Addition of hydroxyl radical scavengers such as catalase, dimethyl sulfoxide, 1,3 dimethyl-2-thiourea (DMTU), sodium benzoate, and mannitol prevented the radical generation. Carmustine, a glutathione reductase- glutathione peroxidase inhibitor, caused a 5-fold increase in the radical generation. These results indicate that a nontoxic dust such as barite generates toxic oxygen radicals at a minimal level that can be quenched by the normal cellular defense system. For toxic dusts such as silica, amositc, chrysotile, and crocidolite, the potential for oxygen radical generation is enhanced by their surface propenies, physical dimensions, and the surface-based radical-generating redox sites. The enhanced radical generation may impair the cellular defense system, resulting in cell injury. Use of scavengers, chelators, and potentiating agents suggests the membrane-based oxidase system as the probable primary source of the radical-generating system. The data presented herein suggest the generation of oxygen free radicals as an important primary event in silica- as well as asbestos-induced cell injury.

Mar 1, 1992

By Wilhelm Brandstätter, Johannes Steiner, Alois Triessnig, Christian Redl

"The results of numerical simulations of bubble detachment from an orifice in a horizontal plate submerged in liquid are presented. The bubbles are created by forcing gas through this orifice into stagnant liquid. The simulations are performed with a two-dimensional incompressible Lattice Boltzmann (LB) scheme. In previous works the same problem was investigated by two-phase simulations in which surface tension effects were considered by an interaction potential formulation between the phases. In contrast, in the present work a volume of fluid (VOF) model consisting of a carrier fluid and a passively advected scalar function for the calculation of gravitational and surface tension forces, respectively, is used. The aims of this study are to examine the applicability of the one-phase LB method to the numerical analysis of bubble formation and to verify the theoretical and experimental predictions of the dependencies of the departure diameter on gravitational forces, surface forces and wettability effects. To this purpose the simulations were performed at different values of gravitational acceleration g, surface tension coefficient s and contact angle ß. Nonlinear fits to the data yield functional dependencies which are in good agreement with the predictions. IntroductionBubble formation behavior is an extensively studied subject, especially in chemical engineering, power industries and metallurgical processing. Knowledge of the underlying physics of bubble motion is, for example, required for the design of chemical reaction towers and agitation tanks. Another important application is the argon gas injection through the wall of the tundish nozzle into liquid steel stream to deter clogging with solid inclusions. Argon bubble motion and its effect on flow depends greatly on different parameters, e.g. gas flow rate and size of the bubbles. Thus, if these bubbles are not managed properly, they can become encapsulated upon solidification and result in undesirable impurities in the material [1, 2]."

Jan 1, 2004

By Carolline Garcia Trindade Real

Uma linha contínua não só melhora o conforto aos usuários, mas também melhora as condições de desgaste, fadiga e manutenção dos equipamentos ferroviários. Porém os parâmetros de soldagem devem ser bem especificados e controlados de forma a obter uma junta soldada adequada. Este trabalho oferece uma revisão geral sobre as características básicas de uniões aluminotérmicas de forma a subsidiar a avaliação e melhoria no desempenho de soldagem aluminotérmicas de trilhos, realizada em um outro trabalho também sendo apresentado.

Aug 16, 2017

Jan 1, 1934

By Y. Tang

The paper studied the extraction characteristics of the fly ash from a location in Guizhou province. Under ordinary pressure, the fly ash is extracted by an acid and alkali, and then studied for its reaction characteristics with different extraction agentia, temperature, consistence and time. The results of acid extraction show that there are good reaction characteristics for Fe2O3 with HCl and the extraction rate decreases with the increasing of extraction time. There are good selective characteristics between Al2O3 and H2SO4 and they weaken with the increasing of temperature and the expanding of time. The best extraction results are shown with CaO and MgO because of their chemical characteristics and the over-saturation degree of the extraction processing. In addition, It?s found that it cannot leach all the substances from fly ash even with the higher consistence (10mol/L) of extraction agent, the longer extraction time (2h) and the higher temperature (100?) .It shows that the extraction rate of Fe2O3 is 82.81% and that of Al2O3 is 29.01%. The results of alkali extraction show that the extraction rate increases with the consistence of extraction agent and temperature, and the extraction rate of SiO2 by NaOH increases rapidly with the time expanding while that of Al2O3 falls gradually.

Jan 1, 2014

By A. E. Powers, J. F. Libsch

THE simultaneous influence of time and temperature upon the tempering process in steel is well known. Hollomon and Jaffe¹ have expressed the effect of time and temperature upon the progress of tempering by a single parameter, T (c + log t); where T is the absolute temperature; t, the tempering time; and c, a constant characteristic of the steel and treatment. It was found that when hardness data for plain carbon and low alloy steels were plotted vs. this parameter, a master tempering curve was obtained which satisfied all the data for a given steel and a given hardening treatment. Roberts, Grobe, and Moersch² successfully applied the tempering parameter to various tool steels, including high speed steel for tempering times ranging from 6 min to 100 hr. The influence of tempering time and temperature upon the physical properties of high speed steel has also been extensively investigated.'" Recently, the use of induction heating for very rapid tempering treatments has received attention. The authors% have shown that tempering treatments of only a few seconds duration may be successfully applied to plain carbon and low alloy steel. However, the influence of such short tempering treatments in high speed steel has not been explored. Since high speed steel is a highly alloyed steel exhibiting physical reactions during tempering that are often relatively slow and large in magnitude, it is an interesting steel for the study of tempering reactions. It was the purpose of the present investigation, therefore, to study the early progress of reactions leading to secondary hardness in high speed steel, type 6-5-4-2, and to determine if induction-tempering treatments of a few seconds duration are able to produce results equal to those of more conventional long-time tempering cycles. Experimental Details The chemical compositions for two different heats of W-Mo high speed steel used in this study are given in Table I. Table II summarizes the heat treatment given various groups of specimens cut 21/2 in. long and centerless ground to ¼ in. diam. Hardening treatments consisted of preheating to 1600°F (870°C) for V2 hr and then oil quenching from 2250°F (1230°C). Heat I was subjected to the high temperature in a salt bath for 3 min, while specimens of heat II were austenitized in a carbon-block muffle furnace for 10 min. Specimens of series E were immediately refrigerated to — 318°F (— 195°C) in liquid nitrogen following the hardening treatment to transform the major portion of the retained aus-tenite. Specimens of series F and G were subzero cooled to — 100°F (-75°C) in a dry ice-alcohol mixture. Induction tempering was performed with a Lepel high frequency converter operating at a frequency of approximately 300,000 cycles per sec. Heating cycles were controlled and recorded for each specimen using a chromel-alumel thermocouple, percussion welded to the surface of the specimen, and a modified high speed instrument with a timer previously used and described.' Temperature oscillation of the specimens, while being held at the tempering temperature, was ± 15°F (8°C). Tempering Treatments: After hardening, specimens were tempered between 900" and 1500°F (480" and 815°C) to study the progress of retained austenite decomposition and secondary hardening. The specimens tempered in salt for 1 hr (series C, G, and I) were considered to represent conventional treatment and are used for comparison with rapid tempering treatments. Several induction-tempering cycles were employed: 1—flash tempering, i.e., induction heating to the tempering temperature and immediately cooling (series A, E, and F); 2—induction heating for 60 sec at temperature (series B); and 3—double-induction tempering by two successive heating and cooling cycles (series D). All specimens tempered by induction were heated at an initial rate of 450°F (250°C) per sec except those of series E, which were heated at an initial rate of 1300 °F

Jan 1, 1952

By J. W. Neale

Mintek and BacTech have joined forces to provide the metallurgical industry with bacterial-oxidation processes for the treatment of sulphide ores. The processes are aimed at both refractory gold-bearing and base-metal concentrates. Previously, BacTech had commercially implemented the refractory gold process at the Youanmi Gold Mine in Western Australia. More recently, the process has been incorporated in the Sulphide Treatment Plant at the Beaconsfield Gold Mine in Tasmania, Australia. In addition, Mintek and BacTech have recently signed an agreement with the Laizhou Gold Metallurgy Plant in China?s Shandong Province, which will see the third commercial realization of the technology for refractory gold. Development of the base-metal technology is the subject of several papers in the proceedings of this colloquium. The implementation of the refractory gold technology at Beaconsfield is discussed in detail. Some important aspects that are covered include: ?Test work, and the choice of bacterial culture ?Process design choices, and the advantages of the Mintek-BacTech process ?Inoculum build-up ?Plant commissioning ?Plant performance. Besides the Laizhou project, Mintek and BacTech are currently investigating several other commercial prospects for the technology. These include the use of the technology for a gold-copper deposit, where the production of both gold and copper is envisaged.

Jan 1, 2000

R. Culver, Colorado School of Mines I appreciated Professor Starfield's presentation, because his approach to blasting research reflects my feelings that a lot of practical work can be done toward making short-term advances that can be used by the blasting industry. We should not forget this in our attempt to obtain solutions to such idealized problems as a mathematical theory of cratering. The blasting industry would like very much to have the efficiency of the basic blasting processes improved from the range of 20 percent up into the range of 50 percent. And many of these problems should be approached and attacked in the laboratories. Blasting research at the Colorado School of Mines for the past two or three years has been aimed at improving the pre-splitting process, because we feel it will become increasingly important to the construction industry. We have attempted to develop a unified theory of how pre-splitting works; and the more we investigate, the more variables we find. We may never obtain an entirely satisfactory theory of pre-splitting, but we have developed a tentative explanation. One of our first conclusions was that we are making very poor use of the explosive in current pre-splitting practice. But to appreciate this we must first consider how pre-splitting works. A series of parallel boreholes are loaded with low density charges which are detonated simultaneously. (Delayed detonation has been tried, but most people agree that simultaneous detonation is best, and this is what we found.) Stress waves traveling out from each borehole interact with the stress waves from the two adjacent boreholes influencing the direction of the fractures that occur and propagate from each borehole. It has been suggested in private communication with Mr. Wilbur Duvall of the U. S. Bureau of Mines, that the fracture between the adjacent boreholes is a result of the net particle velocities above and below the pre-split plane which tend to set up a net tension along the pre-split plane. Regardless of what the exact mechanism is that causes the fracture to propagate from one borehole to the next, we know that it, in general, relies upon an interaction of the stress waves. However, if there is a large compressive stress normal to the pre-split place, it can practically eliminate any possibility of obtaining the desired pre-split by preventing the desired fractures from getting started. Aside from obtaining a fracture along the pre-split plane, the other major aim of pre-splitting is to minimize the fracturing that occurs around the borehole. We do this by drilling a large hole and putting a small charge in the middle of it. This results in a badly decoupled charge which is very inefficient; most of the energy is used in compressing the air in the borehole. Out of discussions about how pre-splitting works, we decided that perhaps there was some other explosive geometry which would make more efficient use of the explosive, and result in optimizing the pre-splitting process. Starting in the laboratory with small plexiglas blocks, we found that a fully-coupled explosive charge of 5 grains/in. of PETN gave random fractures extending about I in. from the borehole. A 1/4 in. plexiglas plug fit into a 1/4 in. hole in a similar block with the same fully coupled charge gave random fractures extending out only about 1/2 in. due to the energy absorbed in fracturing the plug. If the plug was split longitudinally but otherwise using the same geometry, it was possible to drive a fracture about 2 in. in either direction from the borehole, with an even smaller amount of fracturing around the borehole.

Jan 1, 1967

By Kelly F. Bailey

Introduction On June 20, 1986, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published revised asbestos exposure standards for general industry and construction. The standards reflect OSHA's attempt to adequately control workplace exposures to minerals it considers carcinogenic - minerals capable of causing or contributing to cancer. These standards specifically identify asbestos as: chrysotile, an asbestiform serpentine mineral; and the amphibole minerals amosite, crocidolite, tremolite asbestos, actinolite asbestos, and anthophyllite asbestos. Each of these has a more common nonasbestos mineral analog that exists in nature in a crystalline, blocky shape rather than the hair-like or fibrous shape of asbestos. The mineralogical names for three of these nonasbestos minerals are unique: antigorite for chrysotile, cummingtonite-grunerite for amosite, and riebeckite for crocidolite. The other three nonasbestos analogs do not have unique mineralogical names. They are simply designated as actinolite, tremolite, and anthophyllite without the word asbestos following their names. The 1986 OSHA standards not only cover exposure to the six asbestos minerals, they also cover specifically the nonasbestos forms of actinolite, tremolite, and anthophyllite (AT&A). The new standards regulate these minerals exactly like asbestos (OSHA, 1986). The construction aggregate industry views this as a major problem because these nonasbestos minerals are common amphibole rock-forming minerals in the earth's crust. They exist in small quantities over large areas of the United States (Kuryvial et al., 1974). These minerals, unlike asbestos, are not mined for a specific commercial purpose. They are unavoidable components in much of the aggregate used for construction throughout the US. They are also common in the gangue material of metallic ores. There are areas of the US where amphibole-bearing bed¬rock is common. Not every rock mass in these areas contain amphiboles, however. It does mean, though, that amphiboles are physically compatible with many of the rocks in those areas. And given the correct geochemical conditions, they will be present primarily in the nonasbestiform variety. In addition, these amphiboles will probably exist in the natural drainage system, sand and gravel deposits, stream sediments, lake shores, valley basins, or ordinary beach sand within these areas. There has been little quantification of nonasbestiform AT&A in dusts and soils in the US. This is not surprising since these nonasbestiform minerals are not commercially valuable. However, an example of the pervasive nature of these minerals can be found in a 1981 Geological Society of America publication where about 0.7% tremolite-actinolite was found in the desert dust in and around Tempe, AZ (Pewe, 1981). Since OSHA standards treat these common nonasbestos minerals as carcinogens in the same way as asbestos, large natural areas in the US are implicitly being labeled as hazardous by OSHA. When a substance is identified as a carcinogen, another OSHA standard comes into play, the Hazard Communication standard. There are also right-to-know laws in 9 states that essentially duplicate this federal standard. These standards require that a product containing 0.1% or more of an OSHA-designated carcinogen be labeled as such (OSHA, 1983). This means that much of the stone and sand gravel products occurring naturally and mined in the US could be labeled a carcinogen when, in fact, they are not. The National Stone Association (NSA) and the domestic construction and mining industries believe that OSHA has seriously erred. The NSA has studied the health, mineralogical, technical, economic, and legal basis for OSHA's action. These studies concluded that there is no justification for the agency regulating nonasbestos minerals as if they were asbestos. Health issues The preamble to OSHA's 1986 asbestos standard states that evidence for asbestos-like health effects from exposure to nonasbestiform varieties of AT&A is inconclusive (OSHA, 1986). The fact is, not only are the data inconclusive, they are nonexistent. During 1986-1987, NSA's occupational health and epidemiology consultant, Environmental Health Associates (EHA), reviewed all available health studies related to AT&A. EHA found evidence that malignancies in both experimental animals and humans are associated with the asbestos forms of these minerals. No experimental or epidemiological evidence was found that indicated such pathogenic effects occur from exposure to nonasbestiform varieties of these minerals. There are relatively few scientific studies of the health effects of exposure to nonasbestiform varieties of AT&A. In three different animal studies, exposure to either nonasbestiform tremolite or actinolite did not result in pulmonary fibrosis on in excess tu-

Jan 11, 1988

By J. O. Brittain, E. P. Lautenschlager, D. A. Kiewit

Compression tests were run in the temperature range of 700° to 900°C ox 0' phase NiAl intermetal-lic alloys of several grain sizes. At these temperatures the minimum strengths were observed at the stoichiometric composition. While significant increases in strength occurved in both the low-nickel (vacancy) and high-nickel (substitutional) regions, the highest strengths were found in the high-nickel region. During deformation serrated flow was sometimes observed in the low-nickel alloys. After deformation transgranular cvacking and deformation striations were observed in all compositions tested. AS part of a general investigation of the properties of NiAl inter metallic compounds, a preliminary study of the role of point defects upon plasticity was made by high-temperature compression tests on ß' NiAl specimens of several grain sizes and compositions. ß' NiAl is an intermetallic compound having a CsCl structure and a rather wide range of composition from A1-45 at. pct to 60 at. pct Ni.1 According to Bradley and Taylor2 and to cooper,' it possesses a defect lattice in which departures from stoichiometry in the direction of decreased nickel content lead to the presence of vacant nickel sites (although Cooper's work indicates that a small amount of substitution also occurs) whereas departures on the high-nickel side lead to substitution of nickel on aluminum sites. NiAl forms congru-ently from the melt at approximately 1650°C,1 and thus has a higher melting point than either of its component elements. Up to this time, although this and other high-melting intermetallic compounds have been suggested for elevated-temperature usage,4 only the hardness4 and a few tensile-strength measurements5 have been reported for NiAl at high temperatures. In the present investigation the effects of composition upon the compressive-strength properties in a range of 700° to 900°C have been measured for NiAl of several grain sizes. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES The alloys were made as described elsewhere6 from an A1-46.8 at. pct Ni master alloy furnished by the International Nickel Co. with additions of high-purity nickel and aluminum. The charges were vacuum-induction-melted in A12O3 crucibles with small amounts of helium added to the atmosphere to suppress vaporization. They were cooled slowly from the melting temperature to achieve uniform grain size. In order to refine the as-grown grain size a special rolling technique was developed. Alloys were packed into 0.10-in. wall-type 302 stainless-steel tubes which were partially filled with magnesium oxide to prevent bonding between the alloy and the steel jacket. The ends of the tubes were closed by hot forging, and the packets were then hot-rolled. The alloys with greater than 50 at. pct Ni were rolled at 1100°C, but it was found necessary to increase the temperature to 1350° C before alloys with less than 50 at. pct Ni would roll without cracking. With these temperatures, reductions as high as 48 pct were achieved in a single pass. The rolled alloys will hereafter be referred to as "fine grained" whereas the as-grown material will be designated "coarse-grained''. The compression specimens were made by cutting square cross-sectional pieces, approximately 3/16 by 3/16 by 1/2 in., with a water-cooled diamond cut-off wheel from the as-grown or the rolled alloys. Specimens were ground to their final dimensions by polishing through 3/0 grit silicon carbide papers. The final shape was a rectangular parallelepiped of square cross section having a height-to-width ratio of 3:1. Compression testing was carried out in a compression rig of our own design mounted on an In-stron Floor Model. The specimen chamber could be heated to 1000°C and was controlled within ±2°C. The compression rig was enclosed within a bell jar and was maintained at a 50 µ of mercury vacuum throughout the duration of the test. The test cham -ber was heated from room to test temperature within 15 min. Specimens were then held at the test temperature 30 min prior to testing. Previous experiments indicated that no grain growth would occur within this time. An Instron Variable Crosshead speed unit was used to adjust for small variations in specimen lengths in order to have a constant initial strain rate, €, for all specimens of a group. For the fine-grained specimens the strain rate was changed rapidly at constant temperature by a factor of 10 with the speed lever on the Instron. For a given € the compression data was analyzed in terms of true plastic strain (E) and true compressive stress (0).

Jan 1, 1965

By T Graham

The invention of the traditional belt and idler conveyor system is attributed to Thomas Robins in 1892. This basic concept, ubiquitous in most mining operations, has not changed markedly in 125 years and still suffers from five forms of energy losses. Firstly, Wheeler, Roberts and Jones (2004) showed that indentation rolling losses, a consequence of the indentation a roller inflicts on the belt, consume 60 per cent of all energy. Secondly, Wheeler (2006) explained that bulk solid flexure resistance resulting from material interaction and movement absorbs 20 per cent. The remaining energy is lost by idler rotating resistance (5 per cent), belt flexure resistance (5 per cent) and secondary resistances (10 per cent).Traditional conveyor systems are continuous as opposed to batch systems, implying both positive and negative features. On one hand, continuous systems have high availability (available infers ‘ready to run’), but, on the other, utilisation of availability is often low; for example, when a conveyor is running empty or below capacity. This converts into reduced system OEE (overall effective efficiency). Many attempts have been made to mitigate energy losses and low OEE issues, including development of rail-based systems. The key drawbacks have been higher capital cost, low flexibility, poor availability and lack of market acceptance.A recent conceptual development known as the ‘autonomous rail conveyor’ (ARC) promises to address issues of energy loss and poor availability and provide increased flexibility by offering solutions for difficult applications. The ARC uses a series of interconnected skeletal bogies covered with a conventional conveyor belt as a load bed running on relocatable light rail. The bogeys have two axles, each driven by integrated variable speed-geared motor and brake systems, and are connected to previous/next bogeys by specialised couplers. Power is provided by a generator (located in a dedicated bogey) and ‘daisy chain’ plug in cables. Centralised redundant control is provided at a preferred point. Although the system is batch in nature, the number of carriages and trains is flexible, meaning that the system is effectively continuous. Loading is achieved by feeding the ARC from a perpendicularly oriented apron feeder, while material off-loading is accomplished by a twist-dump operation in which the belt is twisted through an angle of 50° below the horizontal, causing material to flow from the belt into a receiving conveyor.The ARC system can run multiple trains over any distance, although benefits are more significant in distances of over two kilometres. Capital and operating costs are predicted to be lower than competitive products, with planned maintenance being simple to perform.CITATION:Graham, T, 2017. The autonomous rail conveyor significantly reduces ore haulage costs, in Proceedings Iron Ore 2017, pp 467–472 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Jul 24, 2017

By Yukika Miyashita, Takahiro Inoue, Kenji Namikawa, Masashi Matsumoto, Junichi Koseki, Yoshihiro Terashima

"In order to construct an underground two-layer expressway branch junction structure with a height of 14.7 m and a width of 22.3 m, two shield tunnels in each layer were combined by using a non-cut-and-cover enlargement method in sedimentary soft rock. Before and during the construction work, preliminary analysis, in-situ investigations and laboratory tests were conducted to ensure the construction safety and to evaluate the deformation characteristics of sedimentary soft rock. The construction project was safely executed without any water leakage or collapse of tunnel working face. The predicted results from preliminary analysis were almost similar to the measured values. From the detailed investigation of measured results, it was confirmed that the deformation characteristic of the sedimentary soft rock was observed to a small extent as the ground deformation derived from construction work. INTRODUCTION In recent years, some newly constructed urban expressways in Japan are being planned as underground structures due to the consideration of roadside environment. The construction of such underground expressways is frequently conducted using a shield tunneling, a typical one of non-cut-and-cover methods, to prevent any adverse effect to traffic in arterial roads, operation of nearby commercial establishments, and daily lives of local residents during construction work. For underground urban expressway, the connections with existing road network on ground surface or on elevated sections are indispensable, which require the construction of an underground branch junction with large cross-section. This raises a technical difficulty regardless of the open-cut or non-open-cut construction method."

Jan 1, 2016

By Swati Mohanty, G. V. Rao

Sedimentary dolomitic phosphate ores are difficult to treat by flotation, and high-grade phosphate concentrates with high recoveries are difficult to obtain. The literature indicates that the reagents required for beneficiation of such ores are generally dictated by the nature of the gangue. In this paper, the optimum flotation parameters necessary for enhancing the grade and recovery of a typical low-grade dolomitic rock phosphate ore from Jhamarkotra, Rajasthan, are highlighted. The standard design-of-experiment (DOE) technique was used to obtain empirical models for both grade and recovery. The model equations were then used for optimizing the flotation parameters, including pH, percent solids, collector dosage and depressant dosage. Laboratory experiments demonstrated that a phosphate concentrate containing about 36% P205, with a recovery greater than 95%, can be obtained in a single-stage by the reverse flotation of carbonaceous minerals at the optimized conditions. Key words: Phosphate, Flotation, Dolomite

Jan 1, 2003

By B K. Da, S A. Balaji, G P. Roy, T K. Dutta

The raw material handling complex at the Durgapur steel plant provides iron ore, crushed coke and flux to two sinter plants. Either some facilities were not envisaged or not properly designed before the project stage which caused problems during operation of the plant. The absence of an in situ roll turning facility, used to increase maintenance activities for disassembly, transportation of rolls to central machine shop and assembly of rolls, led to decreased crusher availability and increased activities for the maintenance crew. The provision of a smaller vibro feeder/screen in place of a suitable sized screen caused jamming of the screen deck, adversely affecting screening efficiency and the crushing index of crushed coke. Some design modifications and developmental work was undertaken, such as the development and installation of an in situ roll turning facility in the existing limited space, achieving low feed (0.1 - 0.2 mm/rev), lower cutting speed of 30 - 40 m/minute for 350 BHN hard roll, which was also a difficult engineering challenge to bring within the tolerable limit of vibration. This was successfully achieved. Modifications to the screen deck, introduction of differential speed crushing and modification to the vibro screen and vibro feeder for uniform distribution of feed have been incorporated. These innovative design modifications to the in situ roll turning have led to a drastic decrease in maintenance activities and an improvement in the crushing index. Modifications to the screen have resulted in the elimination of jamming and improved screening. Modifications to the vibro screen before the primary crushers and to the vibro feeder before the secondary crushers have prevented excessive wear in the central portion of rolls, ultimately leading to increased roll life. Incorporation of differential speed crushing has resulted in an increased crushing index and decreased generation of micro fines. All the above modifications have led to distinct improvements in equipment availability, increased roll life and a decrease in maintenance activities and improvement in crushed coke granulametry, ultimately resulting in improved productivity and quality of iron ore agglomeration at the sinter plant. The innovative design modifications mentioned above are discussed in detail in this paper.

Jan 1, 2005

By S C. Dominy, R C. A Minnitt

Determination of the sampling constant and liberation diameter are of importance when applying the Fundamental Sampling Error (FSE) equation to optimise sampling protocols. The method for the direct determination of the sampling constant is based on the æGy 50-pieceÆ experiment and variants thereof, which is generally known as the heterogeneity test. In the coarse gold environment, the heterogeneity test is prone to poor repeatability and bias due to the very heterogeneity that it aims to quantify. A key issue is the large sample mass that can be required in the coarse gold environment, which may reach 1 t or more. The heterogeneity test often provides an evaluation of the background gold grade heterogeneity, but understates that of the high-grade coarse-gold component. This is because the total mass of fragments is usually too small to represent the mineralisation. Despite this relatively well-known problem, heterogeneity tests are often undertaken on deposits where the presence of coarse gold is ignored, not fully realised or vastly understated. Sampling types and protocol designs are frequently based on poor quality data that do not match the characteristics of the orebody. For this style of mineralisation, an empirical approach to define ore characteristics is recommended.CITATION:Dominy, S C and Minnitt, R C A, 2012. Application of heterogeneity testing to coarse gold ores, in Proceedings Sampling 2012 , pp 143-160 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Aug 21, 2012