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Jan 1, 1965

By B. F. Decker, D. Harker

The recrystallization reaction in OFHC and spectroscopically pure copper has been followed by X ray diffraction determinations of the amount of material with the cold-worked and recrystallized textures in specimens which had been given various heat treatments. The heats of activation for recrystallization are found to be: 29.9 kcal per rnol for OFHC copper and 22.4 kcal per rnol for spectroscopic copper. A reliable and speedy method for measuring the amount of recrystallized material in a piece of rolled metal, together with a new scheme for low temperature heat treatment, have made possible a determination of the activation energy for recrystallization in rolled copper. This method for studying recrystallization rates is different from others reported in the literature.' Oxygen free, high conductivity copper—OFHC copper—of purity 99.98 pct gave an activation energy for recrystallization of 29.9 kcal per mol with recrystallization data taken in the temperature range 208-245°C. Copper of purity 99.999 pct from the American Smelting & Refining Co. gave an activation energy for recrystallization of 22.4 kcal per mol with recrystallization data taken in the temperature range 43-135°C. The great change in activation energy for recrystallization as the small amount of impurity in the metal is decreased suggests that the motion of grain boundaries is conditioned by the impurities which must be concentrated in them. Thus the OFHC copper recrystallizes with an activation energy of the order of magnitude to be expected for the diffusion of the kind of impurities likely to be present. The high purity copper, on the other hand, recrystallizes with a much lower activation energy, in accord with the notion that the grain boundaries need not wait for the impurities to diffuse with them. Copper when strongly cold-rolled has a well-defined crystallite texture which can be described by saying that the [111] direction of the face- centered cubic crystals is aligned approximately in the cross-rolling direction and that faces of the form {110} lie approximately in the rolling plane. When such rolled copper is completely annealed the crystallite texture is quite different: the [loo] direction is in the cross-rolling direction and faces of the form (100) are in the rolling plane. At intermediate stages of annealing, the copper contains both textures. If a Geiger counter X ray diffraction spectrometer is set up so as to measure the intensity of the (200) Bragg reflection from the rolled surface of a piece of copper strip, this intensity increases from a very small value in the cold-worked state to a maximum as the specimen is annealed. The same would be true for (200) reflections from planes normal to the rolling or cross-rolling directions. In view of this fact, the amount of material in the copper which has recrystallized can be measured by comparing the intensities of one of these reflections just mentioned with the intensity from a similar specimen after complete annealing. In much the same way the intensity of (111) reflections from planes normal to the cross-rolling direction could be used to measure the amount of unrecrystallized material in the specimen. In the work to be described here the amounts of recrystallized and unrecrystallized material in partly annealed rolled copper specimens were determined in this way. Experimental Procedure Samples of oxygen free high conductivity (OFHC) copper, cold-rolled 99.7 pct to 0.002 in. thickness, were subjected to heat treatments for various chosen times at four different temperatures, and high purity copper samples, cold-rolled 98.0 pct to 0.0015 in. thickness, at six different temperatures. Each sample, after treatment, was placed in an orientation sample holder for use with a Geiger counter X ray spectrometer and a reading was taken of the intensity of the (200) reflection from planes perpendicular to

Jan 1, 1951

By P. E. Demmler

The apparatus in which the process of bright annealing of copper wire was carried out consisted of a section of iron pipe, 6 ft. long and 3 ft. in diameter. The pipe was provided with flanges to which were bolted the end plates for sealing, also with inlet and outlet tubes to allow for the displacement of the air in the pipe by natural gas. After charging with copper wire, sealing and displacing the air, the pipe was heated to 350' C. (662" F.). It was expected that the natural gas would furnish a neutral atmosphere which would prevent oxidation and give a satisfactory bright-annealed product. It was found, however, that the outer layers of wire were discolored and not suited for the use for which they were mtended. To obtain an idea of what was taking place in the annealing furnace, skeins of the hard-drawn wire were placed in a glass tube so that all changes in appearance could be observed as they were heated to different temperatures and under varying conditions. The temperature in each case was determined by means of a thermocouple placed in the tube close to the wire. Following is a summary of the results of these experiments: 1. When the wire was heated for 1 hr. in a current of natural gas at a temperature of 350") 400") or 500" C. (662", 752", or 932" F., respectively), there was a marked darkening of the wire throughout the skein. 2. When heated for 1 hr. in natural gas at a temperature of 600" C. (1112' F.), there was no coloration, the wire remaining clean and bright. 3. When heated in natural gas to 350" C. until darkened and the treatment continued with the temperature raised to 600' C., the coloration disappeared and the wire became clean and bright.

Jan 1, 1923

By P. E. Demmler

The apparatus in which the process of bright annealing of copper wire was carried out consisted of a section of iron pipe, 6 ft. long and 3 ft. in diameter. The pipe was provided with flanges to which were bolted the end plates for sealing, also with inlet and outlet tubes to allow for the displacement of the air in the pipe by natural gas. After charging with copper wire, sealing and displacing the air, the pipe was heated to 350' C. (662" F.). It was expected that the natural gas would furnish a neutral atmosphere which would prevent oxidation and give a satisfactory bright-annealed product. It was found, however, that the outer layers of wire were discolored and not suited for the use for which they were mtended. To obtain an idea of what was taking place in the annealing furnace, skeins of the hard-drawn wire were placed in a glass tube so that all changes in appearance could be observed as they were heated to different temperatures and under varying conditions. The temperature in each case was determined by means of a thermocouple placed in the tube close to the wire. Following is a summary of the results of these experiments: 1. When the wire was heated for 1 hr. in a current of natural gas at a temperature of 350") 400") or 500" C. (662", 752", or 932" F., respectively), there was a marked darkening of the wire throughout the skein. 2. When heated for 1 hr. in natural gas at a temperature of 600" C. (1112' F.), there was no coloration, the wire remaining clean and bright. 3. When heated in natural gas to 350" C. until darkened and the treatment continued with the temperature raised to 600' C., the coloration disappeared and the wire became clean and bright.

Jan 1, 1923

By W. J. Schlitt

Introduction Heap and dump leaching are low-cost metal production techniques that are gaining in popularity among gold and copper producers. However, the flow of solution in heaps and dumps has received little attention in the literature. This is unfortunate since solution flow is one of the few parameters subject to operator control. Thus, solution management may well influence both operating costs and plant performance. Costs aside, there are two important aspects of solution flow to be considered -the metallurgical and the hydrological. Some of the metallurgical factors have recently been discussed (Jackson and Ream, 1980; Schlitt, 1984; Schlitt and Nicolai, 1987). These cover solution application rates and methods, irrigation rates, leach-rest cycles, and nonvertical solution flow. According to Caldwell and Moss (1985), however, the hydrological aspects may be more significant than the metallurgical ones. In particular, a phreatic surface will form when excessive flow leads to an accumulation of water and the associated buildup of pore pressure within the rock pile. Such internal flooding can either originate at the foundation or at some other zone of very low permeability. The latter condition gives rise to an impounded volume of solution, i.e., a perched water table (see Whiting, 1985). Caldwell and Moss point out that a rising zone of saturation is probably the most common cause of dump failures. Of course, such failures have even occurred in heaps that were carefully prepared for leaching (Milligan and Engelhardt, 1984). Thus, flooded conditions and perched water tables represent an important safety consideration as well as having an impact on metallurgical performance. The following sections describe a case history in which a perched water table developed within a copper leach dump. The description includes background information, solution flow rates, and metallurgical data. Then this situation is compared to one involving normal drainage. Description of the leach system The leach dump in the case history is located at a shutdown open pit copper mine. It was built in two lifts, with the second added some 20 years after the first. There is little detailed information available on the initial lift. It was built with rail¬hauled waste and was generally less than 30 m (100 ft) high at the crest. The area available for leaching was about 120 m (400 ft) wide and more than 380 m (1250 ft) long. The dump surface was prepared for leaching by dozing ponds approximately 12 m by 12 m by 2.5 to 3.0 m deep (40 ft by 40 ft by 8 to 10 ft). The ponds were leached by flooding with barren leach solution returned from a scrap iron cementation plant. Based on mill feed at the time, the average waste grade was probably close to 0.4% Cu. The first lift leached well. It accepted high flows, which together with the waste grade, produced a rich pregnant leach solution (PLS). Old records indicate a PLS of "50 lb Cu/ 1000 gal," or about 6 g/L. As later drilling would indicate, such a high tenor led to dissolution of considerable scrap iron that was returned to the dump. The iron then hydrolyzed and settled out on the pond bottoms. In addition, the waste settled substantially so that the unleached crest was 3.0 to 4.5 m (10 to 15 ft) above the ponded area. Eventually, the leachable copper was extracted and the dump became less permeable. Thus, the PLS tenor dropped until it became uneconomical. About ten years later, mining resumed and the decision was made to add another lift to the dump. This was done without giving much thought to a subsequent leach operation. Hence a 24-m (80-ft) lift was built on top of the original dump. The surface of the latter was not prepared in any way, e.g., by leveling and/or deep ripping, prior to over-dumping. Examination of subsequent drill cuttings indicated that the new lift contained about 0.2% Cu, with chalcopyrite and chalcocite (50:50) being the predominant copper minerals. Most of the chalcocite occurred as rimming on the abundant pyrite, with the pyrite to chalcopyrite ratio estimated at 10 to 1. The use of 100- and 120-ton trucks for haulage caused some waste compaction during emplacement. In addition, the host rock itself was relatively soft, being a porphyry intrusive material that was partially altered to clay. As a result of the initial compaction and clay swelling, the rate of water percolation from the new leach ponds was slow and the ponds often contained considerable standing water. Even frequent ripping failed to provide a sustained improvement in the percolation rate. The poor surface permeability was exacerbated by hydrolysis of iron salts which settled as a layer on the pond bottoms. Partly as a result of the permeability problems, metallurgical performance was not up to expectations. These had been based on laboratory tests which showed about 20% copper solubilization in two weeks. Continued copper extraction in the tests also suggested that a substantial percentage of the copper would eventually be recovered. However, the PLS grade in the actual operation peaked briefly at about 0.48 g/L Cu (4 lb Cu/1000 gal), then declined to a range of only 0.24 to 0.36 g/L Cu (2 to 3 lb Cu/1000 gal). The poor leaching was traced to a lack of oxidation of the sulfides. There were two principal observations supporting this conclusion. First, there was no evidence of any heat being generated within the dump. As discussed elsewhere (Schlitt and Jackson, 1981; Hiskey and Schlitt, 1982), pyrite oxidation is quite exothermic and the high pyrite content of the waste should have led to an increase in the temperature of the leach solution as it percolated through the rock pile. Second, there was no sign of any natural convective air flow through the dump.

Jan 1, 1987

By David Jurich, Joseph N. McDivitt

INTRODUCTION South Coast Water District (SCWD) operates the Beach Interceptor Sewer Tunnel(BIST) in South Laguna, Orange County, California between Monarch Beach and Aliso Beach (Figure 1). The 10,200-foot long BIST houses a 24-inch gravity Techite sewer pipeline critical to the SCWD Sanitary Sewer Collection System. The original tunnel and sewer pipeline were constructed in 1954 and the sewer line was replaced in 1974.Periodic inspections by sewer pipeline maintenance crews documented deterioration of specific intervals of the tunnel. Rotting timber supports and rock falls in the tunnel as a result of the deterioration were endangering the sewer pipeline and a 731-foot section of tunnel located at Thousand Steps Beach was determined to be in immediate need of repairs. SCWD and consultants Hatch Mott MacDonald (HMM) and Tetra Tec prepared a Work Plan for emergency tunnel stabilization and pipe protection measures that was implemented in January 2007. Normal access to the beach and the section of tunnel requiring repairs was limited to public stairs referred to as Thousand Steps and, therefore, all materials and equipment needed for the work were transported to the beach by ocean-going landing craft. Additionally, the emergency repairs had to be completed without taking the pipeline out of service. Numerous environmental, logistical and operational requirements had to be overcome to complete the challenging emergency repairs. GEOLOGICAL SETTING The Laguna Beach area is located in the Peninsular Ranges of Southern California. The project area is located on the southwest flank of Niguel Hill along marine wave-cut cliffs and slopes. The tunnel was excavated in the San Onofre Formation, a marine deposit, characterized by abrupt lateral and vertical changes in lithologies that vary from boulder to cobble and gravel size breccias to medium coarse sandstones with gravel, sandy claystone and siltstone. The interval of the tunnel that required repairs is located within the San Onofre breccia, a moderately-to-well cemented, poorly bedded to massive unit with angular to subangular boulder and cobble sized clasts of schist. The sandy silt matrix of the breccia is composed of quartz, feldspar and schist grains (Figure 2). GENERAL TUNNEL DESCRIPTION The approximately 6-feet high by 6-feet wide 10,200-foot-long BIST was hand mined in 1954 at the base of the coastal cliffs. Primary access is through twenty-one access adits from public and private beaches. The tunnel is located in an easement that extends beneath private property with residential structures situated 50 to 80 feet above and horizontally in close proximity to the tunnel alignment. Most of the tunnel is horse-shoe shaped and unsupported, but approximately 3,000 feet is supported by timber

Jan 1, 2007

Mineral sands are being used as the source material for new "high-tech" engineering materials. One such material, Magnesia Partially Stabilized Zirconia (PSZ) has been developed and patented world-wide by CSIRO. Derived from zircon sands, the material is currently produced by Nilcra Ceramics in Australia and is exported world-wide.The properties of the material are contrary to those generally accepted for ceramics and are far more akin to those of steel. The material resists not only abrasive wear, impact and thermal shock, but does so under corrosive conditions that frequently cause early failure of metal and cemented carbide.While the consumption of mineral sands for the production of PSZ is not going to significantly increase the demand in the short term, the material itself may well assist the productivity and processing problems within the industry.

Jan 1, 1986

By Paul M. Tyler

[This paper presents one of a series of digests of foreign mining legislation and court decisions which is being prepared in advance of a general report relative to the rights of American citizens to explore for minerals and to own and operate mines in various foreign countries. This interpretation of the mining laws of specified French possessions in Africa has been prepared from the best information available in Washington, but is released subject to correction and amplification, if necessary, by the proper American diplomatic and consular officers, to whom it is being referred through the courtesy of the Department of State. France controls large areas on the African continent, but the various Colonies and Dependencies are administered more or less independently. Algeria is under the direct jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior, and its mining laws are essentially the same as those of the mother country. Tunis and Morocco are attached to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; separate digests of the mining laws' of these respective colonies have already been prepared by the United States Bureau of Mines. The present paper covers all other French territory on the continent of Africa except Somaliland, a rather small Colony including the port of Djibouti near the point where the Red Sea joins the Gulf of Aden. Available information indicates that the prospects of mineral production in this Colony, apart from salt and gypsum, are not at all encouraging.3]

Jan 1, 1933

By T. H. Dubaniewicz

Fiber-optic technology is progressing rapidly, including the development of fiber-optic sensors for many applications. These sensors have the advantages of high sensitivity, light weight, small size, high bandwidth, and freedom from electromagnetic influences. The U.S. Bureau of Mines is investigating the use of fiber-optic technology to monitor mine atmospheres. This report describes a methane monitor based on differential absorption of infrared light. The monitor can detect methane concentrations as low as 0.2 vol pct as far away as 2 km via fiber-optic cable. The upper range is 100 vol pct methane. Since the system requires no electrical power within the mine, it is intrinsically safe.

Jan 1, 2010

By Peter Faust

The foundations for the new South Viaduct Bridge in San Francisco were extremely challenging due to the requirement for very large and deep piles installed adjacent to historic structures. Drilled shafts up to 12? foot in diameter were constructed to a maximum depth of 200? feet in alluvial soils and Franciscan Bedrock using an oscillator system for the installation of the permanent steel casing. This paper provides an overview of the construction techniques, the equipment, and the challenges associated with constructing 12? foot diameter shafts on this very complex project in one of the nation?s nicest landscape setting.

Jan 1, 2011

By N LaBranche

The resurgence of Silicosis and Coal Worker’s Pneumoconiosis (CWP) in coalmines has placed the spotlight back on the management of worker exposure to particulate matter across all mining sectors (Coal Workers Pneumoconiosis Select Committee, 2017). There already exists a substantial body of knowledge on particulate matter and its impacts upon human health (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, 2018). The contribution of silica to respiratory disease is well known. However, it is also clear that there are major gaps in our understanding. In part, those gaps relate to the contribution to adverse health effects of mineralogical constituents in the dust (LaBranche et al, 2021a). It is also becoming evident that the size and shape of the particulate matter can affect its potential impact on human health. The University of Queensland has developed a methodology for characterising respirable and inhalable dust samples using scanning electron microscopy. Multiple samples from numerous mining operations have already been analysed using the UQ methodology. The process has been successful in showing the variety of mineralogical components and particle size distributions present in various areas of the mines.

May 5, 2022

By R. A. Franks

An evaluation of a nuisance-emissions-discriminating smart mine fire sensor system was made in an operating coal mine. These field evaluations were conducted to determine the sensor system?s ability to discern nuisance emissions, such as diesel exhaust, emissions from flame cutting and welding operations or hydrogen gas from a charging station, from real fires and to compare the number of falsely reported fire alarms generated between the sensor system and a standard carbon monoxide (CO) monitor. The sensor system?s ability to operate successfully in the working environment of an operating coal mine was also evaluated. The smart mine fire sensor system consisted of four sensors whose data outputs were fused with the use of a neural-network-type computer program. Long-term trials were conducted in a haulage way, a belt entry, and a track entry. The system functioned successfully in the belt entry, in accordance with its developmental goals, where the sensor system even discriminated events not anticipated during development. It was not totally effective in the haulage way and track entry, though, due to a combination of significant diurnal air temperature variations, dust, and mechanically induced vibrations. Also, deteriorating rib conditions contributed to operational problems in the haulage way evaluation. In general, the smart mine fire sensor provided nuisance emissions discrimination and was shown to be a viable new approach for mine atmospheric monitoring, enhancing miner safety. This paper describes the in-mine evaluation of the smart mine fire sensor system and discusses recommendations for improving the system. Disclaimer: The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

Jan 1, 2008

By Cao rong-jiang, Tang Xin-he

"In ordinary manufacture process of tungsten powder, a preferable intermediate product used is ammonium paratungstate (APT). The particle size of tungten powder made from it through W2OO58 is larger than 1. 0 um. In order to obtain ultrafine tungsten powder with narrow size distribution, a new type of tungstate, hydraziniull tungstate, was studied. Its formula is 5(N2H5)2O·12 WO.s , with tetragonal crystal structure of a=5.821 , c=18. 468. Three methods for preparing hydrazinium tungstate (ART) were set up and ART can be produced by current industrial APT process with little modification of operation and without any change of equipment.Under certain PH and operation condition of the solution from which ART was produced, an autoreduction of tungsten occured, which produced a lower valency tungstate with blue color when ART was heated at different temperatures, in N atmosphere, tungsten bronze, tetragonal W0290 and W02.7E could be obtained respectively. They all have the superiorities, in the production of tungsten powder, of superfine size and narrow size distribution [average size of 0.5um or even smaller.The rate of autoreduction of ART is very fast at elevated temperature. The reduction reaction, which gaves tetragonal WO290, could be handled smoothly without explosion. To research their behaviors at autoreduction temperatures and the products of autoreduction will be new advances of tungsten chemistry and may also serve tungsten industry with new processes and materials."

Jan 1, 1988

By J. H. Tylczak, R. Blickensderfer

Impact and abrasion properties of various commercial US grinding halls were evaluated and compared by the Bureau of Mines, US Department of the Interior. Laboratory tests were conducted on balls obtained from eight major US manufacturers. The halls included forged steel, cast steel, and alloyed white cast iron and were subjected to repeated impacts until they broke or until 300,000 impacts were exceeded. Pin abrasion tests also were conducted. The results showed wide differences in impact lives, ranging from a few thousand to over 500,000 impacts. The life of inferior commercial halls was increased five to six times by a laboratory tempering heat treatment. For halls that did not break, the major impact wear mode was spalling and ranged from an average rate of 0.28 to 4.46 mg per impact. The softest halls (steel) had excellent impact resistance but low abrasion resistance. The abrasion resistance of the steel halls generally increased with hardness. The alloyed white cast irons had about twice the abrasion resistance of the steel halls. Users should become aware of the wide variations among commercial halls, and ball manufacturers should be aware that their product can he improved.

Jan 1, 1990

Noranda Mines, of Quebec, signed a contract for construction of a $20 million copper refinery at Gaspe, P.Q. The plant is expected to have a 65500-ton daily capacity for both concentrator and smelter. Extensive drilling. around Gaspe has revealed more than 65 million tons of 1 to 2 pct copper in several deposits. Cerro de Pasco Corp. has called a special stockholders meeting for August 19 to obtain permission to engage in the oil and natural. gas business, in addition to its present production of zinc, lead, copper, silver and other metals. St. Joseph Lead Co. recently entered the oil development field. The United States, Canada and Great Britain have agreed to establish a permanent organization to work on unification of engineering standards. General accord has been reached on drafting standards and practices, screw threads, fittings for gas cylinders, and fits and tolerances. Permanent committees will study these fields. Reconstruction Finance Corn approved the largest sum in its history. for a mining enterprise when it loaned $94 million to San Manuel Copper. Corp., of Pinal County, Ariz. The loan will be used to increase production of copper and molybdenum, in what was described as-the biggest copper deposits in the country. Three large gold mining concerns operating in the Philippines told the Philippine Wage Board that they would be forced to close if they had to boost miners' wages 500 to $2 per day. The companies are Mindanao Mother Lodes, Benguet Consolidated, and Balatoc Mining Co.

Jan 1, 1952

Jan 1, 1970