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By W. H. W. Husband

Rock salt has been mined by the solution method for many years in many countries. Attempts have been made in the past in Canada and various other countries to produce potash by the' same method. However, only Kalium Chemicals Limited (1) has been successful, possibly because the conditions in Saskatchewan are the most favorable conditions to be found so far for the development of a solution mining method for potash. There are significant differences in solution mining of rock salt and solution mining of potash. First, rock salt deposits are relatively pure in respect to soluble minerals, whereas potash is never found in the pure state and contains Substantial amounts of other soluble minerals, particularly rock salt. In comparison to rock salt, much less potash is dissolved and brought to the surface for the same amount of water circulated through the orebody. The amount of water to be evaporated per unit weight of product is a major difference. Much greater amounts of water must be evaporated when producing potash and the treatment of the brine is more complicated because other dissolved salts have to be separated. Secondly, the rock salt deposits, particularly the domes, are much thicker. Bed thickness is of prime importance because it determines the yield of a well and consequently the economics of the process. Furthermore, as rock salt provides a strong roof structure, larger cavities can be developed and this prolongs the life of the rock salt well.

Jan 1, 1971

By J. J. O?Neill

Introduction The Beattie mine is the first of its character to be exploited in Quebec. It is primarily a large low-grade gold deposit containing values which a few years ago would not have been considered as ore. Much interest is attached to this development as its success may mean a greatly enlarged scope to gold mining in Canada on deposits which have formerly been considered worthless. Because of its potential importance as a pioneer in low-grade gold mining, the Quebec Bureau of Mines decided to make a careful detailed study of the Beattie in the hope not only of assisting in its development, but of stimulating the search for similar essential geological conditions in other parts of the Province. This paper is a summary of the results obtained during two months on the property in 1932, supplemented by a few trips underground in 1933. The full report will appear in the Annual Report of the Quebec Bureau of Mines for 1932, Part C. Location and Means of Access: The Beattie ore-body is situated two miles west and one half mile north of the centre of Duparquet township, and approximately 22 miles north 28° west of the town of Noranda. Until the fall of 1932, access to the property was from LaSarre, on the Canadian National railway, over a thirty-mile water route with one portage 600 feet long; about 2,000 tons of machinery and supplies were taken in by that route. An automobile road, nine miles long, now connects the property with the Makamik highway, and a narrow-gauge railway, without ballast, gives outlet for concentrates from the mill to the C.N.R. tracks of the Rouyn-Taschereau line, nineteen miles distant.

Jan 1, 1934

By Lloyd Pollish, Robert N. Breckenridge

SUCCESS in any underground mining operation is determined by accessibility of the orebody, which in turn is dependent upon maintenance of passageways to the mining zones and temporary support of the voids caused by extraction of ore. This is accomplished by one or a combination of the following methods: timbering, back-filling, pillaring, or, more recently, rock bolting. Timbering has usually been the principal means of maintaining these underground openings necessary for mining operations. Timber, however, does not prevent ground movement beyond the scope of localized sloughing, which is indicated by the gradual failing of the timber itself. Besides this, timbering has always been a costly process, and with the decline of available supplies of timber close to the mining areas, mining men have constantly sought other methods of controlling ground. Rock bolting is now replacing timbering at an ever increasing rate. Experience has proved that this form of ground support is just as applicable to blocky igneous rock as to stratified rock. Besides preventing sloughing of the walls and back of underground openings, Fig. 1, rock bolting has a stabilizing effect on the surrounding ground in much the same manner that steel reinforcing rods add to the strength of concrete structures. Further, rock bolting is flexible and may be applied to any shaped excavation, whereas timber sets are in a fixed pattern and the ground must often be changed to conform with this pattern. Rock-bolting installations were made in metal mines of the Northwest as early as 1939. An exhaust air crosscut was driven that year in one of the Butte mines of the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. The crosscut was rock-bolted and gunited at the time it was driven and is still being used to exhaust hot humid air from the 3400 level of the Belmont mine. It is interesting to note that no sloughing or caving has taken place in the 14 years it has been open. Even though these early installations of rock bolts were successful, few men recognized their potentiality until recent years, when the coal mines started their programs of mechanization and the great trend toward roof bolting began. In some areas of the Northwest stopes that previously required heavy timbering and close backfilling are now being mined by the more economical cut-and-fill and shrinkage methods. When used in conjunction with timbering, rock bolting increases the efficiency of the operation by decreasing hanging wall dilution and by making it possible to blast larger rounds. Most of the rock bolts installed to date in mines of the Northwest have been the 1-in. diam slot and wedge type, but there has been a recent trend to- ward using the 3/4-in. diam expansion shell bolt shown in Fig. 2. In addition to these commercially manufactured steel bolts, wooden bolts have been used with considerable success by the Day Mines of Wall'ace, Idaho. Installation of the slot and wedge type requires three distinct operations, with tools for each operation: 1—drilling the hole to proper diameter and depth, 2—setting the bolt, and 3—tightening the nut. Holes are drilled and bolts set with pneumatic rock drills. A number of setting or driving tools have been used successfully, but most follow the same general pattern. Usually the driving tool is designed to accommodate a short length of drill steel on one end and the rock bolt on the other end. In this manner the hammering effect of the rock drill is transmitted through the steel and driving tool to the bolt. When machines not having stop rotation are used, slippage is allowed between the driving tool and bolt or between the drill steel and driving tool. The rock bolt nuts are tightened either with pneumatic impact wrenches or with hand wrenches. Impact wrenches are desirable because they are faster and assure adequate tightness. Expansion shell bolts have the following advantages over slot and wedge rock bolts: 1—No special equipment other than a wrench is needed for their installation. 2—Installation is faster. 3—They are removable. 4—Holes need not be drilled to a specific depth as the expansion shell will anchor anywhere along the length of the hole. These advantages are offset somewhat by the lesser strength of the bolt, since expansion shell bolts are generally made from 3/4-in. diam steel as compared to 1-in. diam steel for the slot and wedge type. One manufacturer, however, is now fabricating expansion shell rock bolts from steel of high tensile strength, which gives this ¾-in. bolt a much greater strength than that of the mild steel bolt. Table I illustrates tests made by the Anaconda Copper Mining Co. to determine the proper hole size to use with various types of bolts and to determine

Jan 1, 1955

By J. S. Aronofsky

The areas are identified where the techniques of operations research have been applied in the petroleum industry. Particular emphasis is given to the linear program models that have been used for solving management problems. Of the entire gamut of applications for linear programming, attention is focused on the models that represent underground reservoirs. Such models could be used to help schedule drilling rig operations and to schedule oil production. A framework is established for placing the model for underground reservoirs in the proper perspective along with the models which represent other facets of the oil business. One of the remarkable phenomena of this century is the rapid growth in the size and' complexity of human organizations. The mere size of modern business means that administrative decisions can affect vast quantities of capital and large number of people. Mistakes can be tremendously costly, and a single wrong decision can require years for rectification. Moreover, the pace of modern business is such that decisions are required more rapidly than ever before; the mere postponement of action can give a decided advantage to a competitor. It is not surprising that the increase in difficulty of decision making has been followed by efforts to put this activity on a more objective basis. The growing science of operations research, which relies heavily on the methods that have proved so successful in the physical sciences, is one aspect of these efforts.

Jan 1, 1962

By J. K. Gowans

"INTRODUCTIONTo bring a mining property into production in the Canadian High Arctic a company must deal with the harsh environment, the short shipping season and the high cost of labour. In trying to minimize the effect of these factors, the concept of a barge-mounted process plant was investigated as an alternative to the conventionally built concentrator. Cominco's previous experience gained at the Black Angel Mine on Greenland's west coast suggested that this would be a practical alternative.The normal shipping season at Little Cornwallis Island is approximately six weeks long, from mid-August to the end of September. All equipment and materials must be delivered during this small ''shipping window."" The logistics problems are enormous; if the conventional approach had been used the major process equipment would have been delivered to Little Cornwallis Island at the same time as the completed barge actually was! Construction would also be starting at the start of the worst climatic conditions, the Arctic winter. Nine months production was gained by opting for the ""Barge"" approach.What the Arctic winters do to the shipping season, so do they affect the productivity and the cost of labour. Construction labour must come from southern Canada. Thus higher transportation costs and higher wage rates, with more overtime and incentives, increase the labour costs to approximately 50% over normal southern rates. Couple these rates with the lower productivity involved with men working in the extreme cold temperatures and the net effort is worth avoiding. A process plant being constructed in Southern Canada can take advantage of more accessible labour at lower costs, increased productivity and a faster construction schedule. The barge concept must still deliver the equipment and materials during the ""shipping window"" but it can in the completed form."

Jan 1, 1983

By O. L. Kowalke

During the last few years the use of base-metal thermocouples has increased very considerably in various industries, due to the necessity for more precise control of temperatures. The base-metal couple has the advantages of being robust to a surprising degree, cheap as compared with platinum couples, sufficiently accurate for most operations, rapid in indicating changes in temperature, easily renewed or repaired, and of generating a much higher electromotive force than the noble-metal couples. There are, however, some factors, such as indicating and recording instruments, the insulation on the elements, the constancy and homogeneity of the wires, and the resistance to oxidation in the furnace, that limit the. Usefulness of the temperature-measuring device. It is the purpose of this paper to discuss in what manner these factors affect the usefulness of the couples.

Jan 9, 1919

By L G. White

During 1958, prospecting parties working for the Mackenzie Syndicate in the Flat River area of the Mackenzie mountains, Northwest Territories, identified tungsten mineralization and located the property now being developed by the Canada Tungsten Mining Corporation Ltd. Scheelite mineralization, associated with pyrrhotite and minor chalcopyrite, occurs in lime silicate skarn replacement zones within a limestone-chert-argillite series intruded by granitic dykes originating from the ? main batholithic mass underlying the sedimentary beds. The results of surface outcrop sampling and 15,000 feet of grid-pattern diamond drilling have been combined to outline an orebody estimated to contain 1.32 million tons, grading 2.51 per cent WO after applying a 10 per cent dilution factor for mining purposes. T HE property of Canada Tungsten Mining Corporation Ltd. is located in the upper Flat River area of the Mackenzie mountains, Northwest Territories. Skarn-type replacement deposits containing scheelite mineralization are .situated between elevations of 4,500 and 5,500 feet above sea level along the east flank of the mountain range forming the boundary between the Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories. The nearest supply center for the area is Watson Lake, Yukon Territory, located at Milepost 635 on the Alaska Highway.

Jan 1, 1963

By L. A. Mills

After three years of experience in operating the pilot plant for the Noranda Continuous Smelting Process, the decision was made, in March 1971, to build an 800 ton per day commercial plant at Noranda, Quebec. The de- sign and layout of the plant is discussed and the installed equipment described. Experience previously gained in the pilot plant is mentioned when it has been used in the choice of equipment or plant layout. The full- scale reactor was started up in March 1973 and the operational datacollected and the experience acquired during the first 30 months of operation are described. This includes operation to produce both high grade matte and copper. Areas discussed include refractory wear, fuel consumption and throughput of copper concentrates. Changes made to original equipment and methods of operation are discussed, together with the reasons. The ad- vantages of using solid fuels to handle inert materials and to maximize converting air flowrates and concentrate throughputs are described. Relative efficiencies of oil and natural gas are compared. The addition of oxygen from a 94 ton per day oxygen plant to the reactor converting air was started in August 1975 and the initial operating results are included.

Jan 1, 1976

By Milan Lipensky

This paper discusses the longwalling practices used at the San. Francisco Mine of Compania Minera Autlan in Mexico, in. the mining of a sedimentary, manganese deposit. Bethlehem. Steel Company is a part owner of this property. The San. Francisco Mine is located approximately 580 miles west of Mexico City, on the outskirts of the town of Autlan, in the State of Jalisco. The ore is shipped from the port of Manzanillo 120 miles southwest of Autlan. The mining method is a variation of the longwall retreat system, using friction. props that, until recently, had been used only in coal mining operations of Europe and the United States. However, due to the structure of the ore body and the modified longwall system that is practiced, there exists some unusual variations, such as: .1) friction props set by a mechanical two-step lifting device, 2) drilling and blasting, against the friction props, 3) a highly fractured and undulating, volcanic tuff roof; 4) displacement faults-up to 5 meters, and 5) a relatively stable, irregular floor.

Jan 1, 1964

PHILIP L. GILL, New York, N. Y. (written discussion*).There is one feature of the fire-refining of electrolytic copper which I believe should be mentioned when the relation of oxygen content to the "pitch" or "set" of refined copper is under discussion; that is, the segregation of impurities. Variation of "pitch" or "set" is frequently noted in castings of different shapes, cast at the same time from the same furnace, though the oxygen content remains identical. For instance, it is possible to cast two wire-bars in the same shaped molds from the same ladleful of copper, the one 2 in. thick showing a good level set, the other, 4 in. thick, being overpoled. Also, when two bars are cast of the same weight and at the same time from the same furnace, one bar in a copper mold at the proper temperature, the other in a mold that has been allowed to get overheated, the bar in the hot mold will show

Jan 8, 1918

With the coming of the month of 'October the various sections are beginning active work for the winter. The Colorado, Washington, Montana, and New York Sections are all doing good work in raising funds for the hospital bed at Rheims which is to be a memorial to the members of the A. I. M. E. who gave their lives in the great war. We hope that all the other sections will begin to work with this object in view and will make even a better record than they did with the Belgian Relief Fund. It was with much regret that the President, Mrs. James F. Kemp, and the Secretary, Mrs. Sidney J. Jennings, were obliged to forego the pleasure of attending the Chicago meeting in September. They were, however, ably represented by Mrs. Arthur S. Dwight who gave an informal talk after which was formed the Illinois Section, which has our best wishes for all success-" Over the top and the best of luck!"

Jan 11, 1919

By N. R. Adsit

THE B-Ni system was chosen for this study because of the great interest being shown in boron-fiber-strengthened composite materials. Boron fibers were obtained from Texaco Experiment, Inc. They average 4.2 mils in diam with a 0.5-mil tungsten wire in the center. In order to make the diffusion couple, the fibers were included in the nickel matrix by electroforming. The samples were placed in a preheated furnace for the desired temperature and length of time. Sectioning and polishing the samples revealed concentric rings as shown in Fig. 1. The average penetration distance, X, was calculated by measuring the radius of the second phase (the white shell in Fig. 1) and subtracting the original radius. The second phase was identified as NiB by X-ray diffraction. This allows the kinetics of the formation of the phase NiB to be calculated by Eq. [I], which is taken from offman:"

Jan 1, 1967

By P. D. S. St. Pierre

IN REGENT YEARS, blast furnace operators have found it necessary to improve their technology in order to handle increasingly low-grade feed and yet satisfy the demands for greater tonnages of metal. Studies have been made covering several aspects of the problem, and in this connection the slags produced in the iron-making process have been critically examined with a view to discovering the slag with the optimum properties for a given operation. A good slag should combine, as far as possible, the properties listed in Table I. Unfortunately, some of these desirable properties are incompatible. For example, the advantage of the small ?bulk of a low-flux slag is offset by its low desulphurization potential and high viscosity. Similarly, a very fluid slag increases refractory wear. It will be seen, then, that a balance must he struck between these conflicting requirements. In the .present paper only the melting relationships of blast furnace slag ?compositions will be considered in detail. In interpreting the data herein presented, the optimum property requirements listed in Table 1 must strictly be borne in mind. It should also be noted that the discussion presented here always relates to calcined fluxes, since this facilitates reference to the final slag composition. Thus, in making calculations pertaining to the ?burdening of the furnace, due allowance should ?be made for the fact that the fluxes are added as carbonates.

Jan 1, 1956

By S. Street

The Environment process, invented by Prof. H.K.Womer and developed at the University of Wollongong, simultaneously treats ferruginous and organic wastes via bath smelting. Conceived in the late 1980's, the patented process was originally developed using steelworks dust to settle solids from sewage, producing a composite material suitable for smelt reduction. Work began on the process in 1990 with the Australian patent having a priority date of February 1990. Early research focussed on settling of solids from sewage, while pyrometallurgical investigations examined smelting in small induction furnaces. By 1992 smelting trials had been undertaken in pneumatic and electric arc furnaces, the process being successfully demonstrated up to on 8 tonne scale. The success of this particular trial, and other smaller trials, resulted in construction of a 100kg DC arc furnace which was commissioned in 1993. By 1994 the main project focus was on development of the smelting technology. Over 3 years of trials on the DC arc furnace have identified and clarified many of the pyrometallurgical reactions. optimum operating parameters, as well as demonstrating the versatility of the process for treating a wide range of wastes. Currently the Illawarra Technology Corporation (lTC), the commercial arm of the University of Wollongong, is pursuing commercialisation of the process.

Jan 1, 1996

By Charles Camsell

Few persons ever stop to consider how vital an influence minerals, and especially metals, have had upon human history, how they have affected the every-day life of the individual or how at different periods they have altered the course of nations and determined their progress. Students and writers of history have dealt very fully with political history and have given us a great deal of detail about the careers and policies of kings, parliaments and nations, but frequently have not touched the economic causes that have been the real forces influencing the development and carrying out of these policies. So far as minerals are concerned there is no single work from which one can get a concise and consecutive account of the growth in the use of minerals, nor of the diverse ways in which the. geographical distribution, the .search for, the development and the use of mineral resources have affected human progress from the beginning of man's history. The reason for this is quite plain, and when one takes a little time to think of it he begins to appreciate the magnitude of the job and he will realize that the story of minerals and mineral resources touches a tremendous range of human activity, not only of mining .and metallurgy, but the whole field of agricultural and industrial growth, of exploration and colonization, transportation and commerce, monetary system, commercial policy, in short, almost every phase of economic life.

Jan 1, 1926

By D Kilkenny

This paper discusses the use of a mechanised shaft sinking machine Herrenknecht Vertical Shaft Sinking Machine (VSM) – to conduct the 93 m presink for the Wira Hoisting Shaft at the Prominent Hill Mine in South Australia. This technology has been widely used in the global construction industry, however, this was the first time it had been used in Australia and the second time in a mining application. The non-entry shaft sinking system eliminates risks associated with a traditional manual method and allows all shaft construction operation to take place from surface. The geology in the upper 100 m at the Prominent Hill mine is conducive to mechanical excavation, with expected rock strengths below 130 MPa. This enabled an alternative shaft construction methodology to be considered. The Herrenknecht VSM system was selected due to its extensive work history and demonstrated performance in similar ground conditions. In collaboration with the operations and design team, the shaft collar and surface configuration were modified to suit the requirements of the VSM, additional equipment, and loading jacks that support the pre-cast lining. Dedicated concrete moulds were designed in Germany and built in Italy. The concrete segments were cast in Adelaide and road freighted to site. This paper outlines each stage of the presink – refurbishment, transportation, logistics, establishment, operation and demobilisation. Selecting this shaft presink excavation methodology, delivered through positive collaboration and communication despite some challenges, shows the benefit to the mining industry of applying new technology and innovation to improve safety and productivity.

Mar 29, 2023

By Sarah Beutner Mavrogenes

The mineralogy of three slags from a domestic secondary copper refinery were studied by applied mineralogical techniques to determine the: 1) phases present, 2) phase chemistry, 3) phase abundance, 4) associations, 5) crystalline habit, 6) grain size, 7)microtextures, and 8) causes for certain metallurgical problems, such as metal losses to the slags. The slags were produced by skimming the bath prior to melt-down to allow heat from the flame to reach the bath. The first slag is highly viscous and all three slags contain a large amount of copper. The "first slag", which is skimmed prior to treatment of the bath with fluxes, contains metallic copper, cuprite, delafossite, magnetite, Mg-hercynite, common spinel-chromite solid solution, picrochromite-chromite solid solution, common spinel-picrochromite solid soiution, gahnite, cassiterite, silica-rich glass, and corundum. Its abundant solid refractory phases make the slag difficult to skim. The "soda-rich slag", skimmed after the treatment of the bath with sodium carbonate flux, contains cuprite, delafossite, magnetite, cassiterite, Na-Al-silicate, and Na-Al-Ca-silicate. It contains less metallic copper than the first slag and lacks the refractory minerals. The "phosphorus-rich slag", skimmed after treatment of the bath with a copper phosphide flUX, contains metallic copper, cuprite, delafossite, berlinite, cassiterite, silica, apatite, Cu-Fe-rich apatite, copper phosphate, Cu-Fe-phosphate, and a Pb-phosphate. In contrast to the above three copper-rich slags, recent charges have produced a silver-copper-rich slag. The "silver-rich slag", skimmed after the treatment of the bath with a copper phosphor ide-borax flux, contains, cassiterite, delafossite, cuprite, a Na-Al-silicate, magnetite, metallic copper, MgO, common spinel-chromite solid solution, and wollastonite. Silver ranging from 0.05 to 2.02% was found by atomic absorption and inductively coupled plasma spectrometry analyses in the metallic copper phase.

Jan 1, 1989

By G R. Ballantyne, B Putland, I Lovatt, M Di Trento

The Tropicana Gold Mine, owned by AngloGold Ashanti Australia Ltd (70% owned and managed) and Independence Group NL (30%) is located 330 kilometres east-northeast of Kalgoorlie, Australia, in the newly developed Albany-Fraser Orogen. Following extensive feasibility studies, a high pressure grinding roll (HPGR)-ball milling circuit was selected based on the reduced power requirements and thus reduced operating expenses. The HPGR-ball mill circuit was estimated to require 75% of the energy of a standard semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill circuit. Even with an anticipated greater capital cost, the HPGR-ball mill circuit was found to give significantly better financial returns in all cases investigated in the feasibility study. A comparison between the specific energy requirements of the HPGR, crush and SAG based circuits (SABC) from the feasibility work was conducted and the HPGR circuit was found to be considerably more energy efficient. A survey was conducted and the efficiency of the HPGR was similar to both the overall circuit design and the HPGR laboratory results, reflecting the accuracy that is possible for design and operation of HPGR circuits.Between 2015 to 2016, the Tropicana circuit has achieved a 20% increase in throughput from 780 to 930 t/h, and this increase has been maintained in 2017. This improvement can largely be attributed to upgrades to material handling processes, increased HPGR speed and smaller HPGR screen apertures. The result of these changes has been to increase the ball mill capacity by increasing the breakage conducted by the HPGR.CITATION:Ballantyne, G R, Di Trento, M, Lovatt, I and Putland, B, 2017. Recent improvements in the milling circuit at Tropicana mine, in Proceedings MetPlant 2017, pp 73–83 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne).

Sep 11, 2017

By Jessica Egan, Daniel Hodouin, Claude Bazin

"The recovery of gold by leaching is influenced by the size of the gold carrier particles and the chemical environment. Using the relationships between the leaching rate, infinite recovery and particle size for a given set of chemical conditions, it is possible to simulate gold recovery for various feed size distributions. However the use of these particle size relationships is only valid if the leaching of gold from a given size class is independent of the production history of this size class. For instance, to use these relationships it is necessary to verify that gold recovery from the leaching of the 200-270 mesh size class remains the same if the size fraction is taken from a coarse or finely ground ore sample. Several laboratory tests were carried out to answer that question. Results of the tests show that within the large error margin associated to gold content measurements, the history of the production of a size class does not affect the gold leaching from that size class. Emphasis of the discussion is put on the difficulty associated with the processing of data containing significant measurement errors as it is the case for gold assays of leaching tests.INTRODUCTIONMore than 75% of the gold produced in the world is extracted by cyanide leaching of gold ores. The ore is ground to expose the gold carriers and the ground material is reacted in an oxygenated cyanide solution that dissolves gold, leaving solids gangue minerals that are disposed to tailings ponds or returned in underground mines as paste fill. The gold contained in the solution is recovered by either the carbon in pulp process or by cementation onto zinc powder, before being melted and casted into a brick (Marsden and House, 2006)."

Jan 1, 2009

By R. L. Grayson, S. Yuan

A stochastic model for evaluating the impact of the reliability and maintainability of shovels and trucks on the operational effectiveness of shovel-truck mining systems is presented. In the model, the Markov modeling technique is used to analyze the operating status of a shovel-truck mining system. Then, simulation is used to study the productivity of a shovel-truck system in a particular state. Finally, the relationship between the effectiveness of a shovel-truck system in terms of productivity and the reliability and maintainability of equipment is established. This relationship may be very useful to mine managers in making decisions in surface mining (e.g., regarding production process control, equipment replacement, and maintenance planning). A quantitative study is given to demonstrate how the reliability and maintainability of equipment affect the system effectiveness and how to pinpoint the parameter that has the most significant effect on the system effectiveness. The quantitative study indicated that in order to improve the system effectiveness significantly, the reliability and maintainability of the equipment need to be improved simultaneously.

Jan 1, 1995