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By P. Schilizzi

The increased impact of mining subsidence in the U.S. coalfields and the recent regulatory constraints legislated by government and state agencies have provoked an intense research effort on this topic by government agencies, coal companies and academic institutions. Subsidence and horizontal strain predictions are a basic requirement if subsidence and its associated effects are to be controlled and contained within acceptable environmental levels. As a result, several such prediction techniques have been proposed or are currently under development to assist coal operators in minimizing the detrimental effects of these surface deformations. VPI&SU has been actively involved in this research effort in the past few years, with particular emphasis on the Appalachian coalfield. During the initial stages of this research a large number of subsidence case studies were collected from the literature, the coal industry and government agencies. In total, data from 32 longwall panels and 60 room and pillar panels were collected. This data bank was used to determine relationships between the basic mining and subsidence parameters, in order to allow the evaluation of the various prediction methods for the Appalachian coal region. Based on this data two subsidence prediction techniques, one based on profile functions and the other on influence functions have been developed. Profile function methods provide a tool for a fast calculation of subsidence on a line across a mine panel. Influence function methods, on the other hand, allow for a more detailed calculation of ground movements, in any mode and at any depth, on a grid or at any specific point. The limitations of the data of the collected case studies, i.e. accuracy of surveys, frequency of monitoring, lack of horizontal movement measurements, etc, led VPI&SU to the initiation of a detailed subsidence and strain monitoring program above a number of active mines, located in three major coal producing counties of Virginia. The aim of this program was to enhance the data base with accurate and complete measurements of surface movements and to allow, therefore, the refinement of the prediction techniques. This paper presents this monitoring program, discusses in detail the results obtained from three specific case studies and provides recommendations for the implementation of the field data in the general prediction methods.

Jan 1, 1986

By John N. Murphy

INTRODUCTION It's a pleasure to be with you and to share in this opening session for the 27th Annual Institute on Mining Health, Safety, and Research. As we come together today, I would like to reflect for just a moment on the past Institutes. Much of the progress in Mine Health and Safety has been the subject of presentations and discussions at the previous Institutes, either by identifying the issues, proposing techniques to overcome the problems, or presenting new findings to address important issues for the mining industry. May I extend our thanks and congratulations to VPI and to the planners and organizers of all of these Institutes for their important contributions to our mutual goals of improving mine health and safety. In the time available today, I would like to accomplish two objectives: 1. Provide my assessment of the current status of the Mining Health and Safety Research Program; and 2. Share with you the continuing need and direction for the Mining Health and Safety Research. MINE HEALTH AND SAFETY RESEARCH TODAY Mine Health and Safety Research was conducted formerly at four geographical locations within the USBM, specifically: Pittsburgh, Spokane, Twin Cities, and Denver. Although the Twin Cities and Denver Centers were closed, we have been successful in relocatingfmaintaining much of the core competencies to conduct a responsive, multidisciplinary Mine Health and Safety Research Program. The current staff at Pittsburgh and Spokane directed toward Health and Safety Research totals 397. This includes Lake Lynn Laboratory, about 60 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, where large-scale mine fire and explosion research is conducted. With the closures and transition we have worked to maintain the core competencies necessary to address Health and Safety issues. In some cases we have made arrangements to provide the requisite core competencies through external organizations. An example is the reassignment of the diesel particulate instrumentation capability from Twin Cities to Pittsburgh. In the case of diesel emission control, due to the cost of relocating laboratories and the lack of the appropriate skills at Pittsburgh or Spokane, the emission control laboratory is now being operated in Minneapolis through a contractual arrangement with the University of Minnesota.

To enhance safety and efficiency when moving large mining equipment under energized trolley lines, and to assist in compliance with Section 75.1003.2, 30 CFR. Approach A system was designed, using established technology, that permits a remotely located circuit breaker to be controlled from the cab of a mine locomotive moving large mining equipment under energized trolley lines. This control consists of setting the desired trip current, automatic or manual tripping, resetting, and voice communications between the locomotive and a remote Circuit breaker location. How It Works According to 75.1003.2, 30 CFR, whenever a piece of off-track equipment (such as a longwall chock or a continuous miner) is moved by rail under energized trolley or feeder lines, power for the locomotive that is moving the equipment must come from only one' circuit breaker. This circuit breaker must be adjusted to permit no more than one-half its rated short-circuit current to flow. The intent is to lessen the danger if an accident should occur, and if the equipment contacts the trolley line. Even so, the danger is great. This half setting can still represent many hundreds or even thousands of amperes, enough to endanger personnel, the equipment, or the mine. The Remote Control System reduces this danger substantially by giving the personnel associated with the move total control over the associated circuit breaker. The system as designed, is intended to be used with portable circuit breakers that are pulled on a small flat car by a mine jeep, and either precede or follow the equipment, depending on the direction of the power. This portable circuit breaker is equipped with a commercially available solid state overcurrent relay and associated shunt. This circuit breaker is connected via heavy duty clamps around an open trolley line tie breaker such that the current through the shunt is also the current in the trolley line. A receiver, interfaced with the overcurrent relay and shunt, completes the remote system.

Jan 1, 1981

By L. E. Young

THE progress of mineral industry education will be limited to the period prior to World War II and will be considered as primarily a division of engineering education. Its relation to progress in the mineral industry and to the activities of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers will be emphasized. The history of mineral industry education has been recorded most completely and authoritatively by Dr. T. T. Read in his recent volume in the Seeley W. Mudd Series of American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers publications, entitled, The Development of Mineral Industry Education in the United States. Therefore, most of the historical details will be omitted from the discussion and an effort will be made to point out significant developments and to analyze trends. INTRODUCTORY STATEMENT AND SIGNIFICANT POINTS IN PROGRESS Among the significant points in the development of mineral industry education in the United States since 1871, the following deserve particular mention: I. The number of institutions offering undergraduate instruction has increased, particularly during the years 1890 to 1925; the number of students enrolled in undergraduate study has increased greatly, largely on account of the development of courses in petroleum engineering and increasing interest in metallurgy. 2. The selection of students to be admitted to undergraduate courses has been improved through the advisement, counseling, and guidance programs sponsored by the Engineers' Council for Professional Development. 3. Improved instruction methods and the training of the teaching staff have been promoted by the educational institutions themselves, but with the most effective stimulus and guidance of the American Society for Engineering Education and the Engineers' Council for Professional Development. 4. The accrediting of undergraduate curricula through the Engineers' Council for Professional Development, considering both qualitative and quantitative criteria, has done much to improve standards of instruction in engineering education for the mineral industry. 5. Undergraduate curricula and courses are revised currently to meet the needs of the American mineral industry. New curricula are developed currently to permit specialization in technical fields, particularly in the fourth year of undergraduate work. 6. There has been a strengthening of the fundamental courses in mathematics, physics, mechanics, and chemistry, and at the same time these courses are being adapted to the most recent developments in the industry, including metallurgy, geophysics, petroleum engineering, petroleum technology, ceramics and so forth. 7. There has been continuing improvement in plant and laboratory facilities of the educational institutions.

Jan 1, 1947

By C. -K. Fang

"Aging effect on the wear resistance of alumina particulate-reinforced 6061 aluminum matrix composites with a block-on-ring wear tester has been investigated. Specimens with various Al2O3 volume fractions of 0%, 10% and 20% were employed in this work. Experimental results indicated that over-aged monolithic 6061 Al had the best wear resistance, as compared with under-aged and peak-aged conditions. For the composite containing 10% Al2O3, over-aging and peak-aging resulted in similar wear resistance, which was higher than that for underaging conditions. For the composite containing a high volume fraction (20%) of Al2O3, the wear resistance reduced with the increase in aging time. Although longer aging time was favourable to the wear resistance of monolithic 6061 Al, it was detrimental to that for the Al2O3/6061 Al composite with high volume fraction of particles. IntroductionMetal-matrix composites (MMCs) have received attention in many engineering applications because of the demands for high specific strength (strength-to-weight ratio) and specific stiffness, good high temperature capabilities and wear resistance. The manufacturing processes of fiber-, whisker-, and particulate-reinforced MMCs have been well developed (Hosking et al., 1982). Because of the reduction in fabrication cost, the applications of MMCs have been widely extended to light weight-bearing sleeves, calipers, automobile parts (brake rotors, drive shafts, connecting rods, piston rings, and cylinder liners), sporting goods, aerospace components, tanks (wheels, speed brakes, and track shoes) and other industrial applications. Among the three types of metal matrix composites, particulate-reinforced MMCs are promising because of their homogeneous and isotropic material properties and low cost. Additionally, they can be formed using conventional metal processing techniques."

Jan 1, 2003

By N. A. Zeigler, T. D. Yensen

Aging is a term that connotes a slow change in properties under ordinary operating conditions. It can be accelerated by increasing the temperature and by mechanical straining. The magnetic properties of iron and some of its alloys have for many years been known to be subject to such a change. But the cause of the change was not recognized until a few years ago after mechanical age-hardening in non-ferrous alloys of the "duralumin" type had been definitely shown, by means of solid solubility curves, changes in electrical resistance and microanalysis, to be caused by slow precipitation of one or more constituents from the solid solution. The similarity between the solid solubility curves of such alloys (Fig. 1) and those for iron-nitrogen (Fig. 2) and iron-carbon alloys (Fig. 3) below the A1 transformation point suggested at once that magnetic aging of iron might be caused by a similar process; namely, by the slow precipitation of carbon and nitrogen in the form of Fe4N and Fe3C at ordinary temperatures because of a cooling rate that had been too rapid to permit complete precipitation according to equilibrium conditions. This suggestion has since been amply confirmed, particularly by the comprehensive work of Köster1 on the effect of nitrogen and carbon. Typical curves are shown in Fig. 4 for the relationship between aging temperature and coercive force. Previous to the establishment of the precipitation-hardening theory it was thought that the effect of nonmetallic elements like C, N, O, etc., on the magnetic properties of iron was greatest when these elements were retained in solid solution, atomically dispersed throughout the interstitial spaces of the iron lattice2. Based on the theory that magnetic properties are intimately connected with the regularity of the lattice, it now follows quite logically that a greater effect on this regularity may be obtained when the above impurities are precipitated as very fine particles of Fe3C, Fe4N, FeO, etc., more or less uniformly dispersed within the grains. But if this is the case, it follows also that there must exist a relationship between the size

Jan 1, 1935

By N. A. Zeigler, T. D. Yensen

Aging is a term that connotes a slow change in properties under ordinary operating conditions. It can be accelerated by increasing the temperature and by mechanical straining. The magnetic properties of iron and some of its alloys have for many years been known to be subject to such a change. But the cause of the change was not recognized until a few years ago after mechanical age-hardening in non-ferrous alloys of the "duralumin" type had been definitely shown, by means of solid solubility curves, changes in electrical resistance and microanalysis, to be caused by slow precipitation of one or more constituents from the solid solution. The similarity between the solid solubility curves of such alloys (Fig. 1) and those for iron-nitrogen (Fig. 2) and iron-carbon alloys (Fig. 3) below the A1 transformation point suggested at once that magnetic aging of iron might be caused by a similar process; namely, by the slow precipitation of carbon and nitrogen in the form of Fe4N and Fe3C at ordinary temperatures because of a cooling rate that had been too rapid to permit complete precipitation according to equilibrium conditions. This suggestion has since been amply confirmed, particularly by the comprehensive work of Köster1 on the effect of nitrogen and carbon. Typical curves are shown in Fig. 4 for the relationship between aging temperature and coercive force. Previous to the establishment of the precipitation-hardening theory it was thought that the effect of nonmetallic elements like C, N, O, etc., on the magnetic properties of iron was greatest when these elements were retained in solid solution, atomically dispersed throughout the interstitial spaces of the iron lattice2. Based on the theory that magnetic properties are intimately connected with the regularity of the lattice, it now follows quite logically that a greater effect on this regularity may be obtained when the above impurities are precipitated as very fine particles of Fe3C, Fe4N, FeO, etc., more or less uniformly dispersed within the grains. But if this is the case, it follows also that there must exist a relationship between the size

Jan 1, 1935

By A. F. Buddington

INTRODUCTION EVER since a genetic connection between many ore deposits and magmas began to be widely recognized, some two-score years ago, there has been much discussion of the complex and intricate problem of the genetic association of specific kinds of mineralization with specific kinds of igneous rocks. General discussions of the latter problem and pertinent data have been given by S. F. Emmons, Kemp, Lindgren, Niggli, Rastall, Spurr, Vogt, and others. In this paper no attempt is made to deal with mineral deposits genetically associated with volcanic rocks, but only with those presumed to be related to exposed intrusive masses. The writer is indebted to E. S. Bastin, F. F. Grout, Edward Sampson, and to the members of the committee in charge of the preparation of the volume, for a critical reading of the manuscript and many worth-while suggestions.

Jan 1, 1933

Jan 1, 1967

By J. D. Sudbury, J. E. Landers, D. A. Shock

The external corrosion of casing is one of the most important problems facing the present day production man. A 1953 NACE report' estimated the annual cost of casing corrosion at $2,200,000 in 22 fields studied. The fields represented only 10 per cent of the wells in the United States. It was significant that 77 per cent of the failures reported were due to external corrosion. A variety of means for combatting the casing corrosion problem have been discussed in papers such as the NACE survey' mentioned previously. No attempt to revicw these will be made in this paper. Thc scope of this paper has been limited to a discussion of the following major items: (I) an instrument for studying external electrolytic corrosion; (2) use of this instrument to determine the quantity of protective current required to prevent corrosion of casing; and (3) problem of accelerated external corrosion of the oil string at the base of the surface string. ELECTROCHEMICAL MECHANISM OF CORROSION It IS gcncrally belleved that one major cause of external corrosion is the existence of electrolytic cells operating between various formation waters. A theoretical discussion of the role of earth potentials in casing corrosion has been presented by L. de Witte and F. J. Radd.2 A brief picture of the electrolytic corrosion action between two differcnt formations (A and B) is presented in Fig. I. This picture is a review to many but is given to insure clarity. In the anode area, oxidation takes place as iron ions go into solution in formation A as a product of corrosion. In the cathode area. reduction takes place and hydrogen atoms are formed at the boundary between the pipe and formation B. The flow of electrons. as indicated. is into the pipe at the anode or corroding area and out of the pipe into the formation at the cathode. In order to conform with regulations of this journal, the flow of a conventional current (I! is also indicated in this sketch. All subsequent references will be to this so-called conventional current flow and will be indicated by the symbol (I). As this action takes place the layer of hydrogen developed on the cathode offers a resistance to the flow of current in the cell. It is said (hat the cathode has been polarized. This polarizing film can be rcmoved by addition of a so-called dcpolarizing agent which reacts with and removes this hydrogen film. Such an agent must be present in ordcr for this corrosion reaction to go at a rate sufficient to cause a severe corrosion problem. The two common depolarizing agents are: (I) oxy-sen. which readily reacts with hydro gen to form water, and (2) certain bacteria which use atomic hydrogen as part of their life process. It is not difficult to explain the presence of these agents. Oxygen may be present in some very shallow formations. Sulfate reducing bacteria are found to exist in nearly any ground where mud pits might be dug. THE CASING POTENTIAl-PROFILE Instrumentation A sketch of the equipment* uscd in determining casing potential profiles is shown in Fig. 2. The tool is run in the hole using a hoist truck with a three-conductor cable. This tool must be run with tubing and rods out of the hole and should be run with the flow line disconnected. By proper choice of electrode size it can be run in any size casing. The electrodes must be run in an open hole or a hole filled with oil. Measurements cannot be made while immersed in water. The tungsten carbide-tipped knives serve as the electrical robes and arc spaced 25 ft apart. The potential difference along a 25-ft section of casing is measured with a potentinmeter to an accuracy of about 5 mv. Current flowing in the pipe can then

Jan 1, 1956

By Frederic Benard

THIS paper constitutes a preliminary report on experimental work done to date on the anode-furnace treatment of blister copper containing relatively high percentages of nickel. The investigation has not been completed but results obtained to date are considered of sufficient interest to warrant publication. Blister copper treated by the Ontario Refining Co. originates from the Copper Cliff smelter of The International Nickel Company of Canada, of which the former is a wholly-owned subsidiary. The blister as received contains from 0.50 to 1.50 per cent Ni, and in this respect differs from that treated by other refineries on this continent. During the anode-furnace treatment, only a portion of the nickel content is removed, and of the amount remaining in the anodes a varying percentage is found in the anode slimes. This necessitates a more extensive treatment than ordi-nary, nickel-free material. Sometimes it is necessary to repeat roasting and leaching operations several times before the nickel content is low enough to permit the slimes to proceed to the doré furnace. This, besides increasing treatment charges, causes greater selenium stack losses and involves a longer tie-up of precious-metal values. Therefore this investi-gation was undertaken with the aim of determining the factors influencing the diversion of nickel into the anode sludge. From experience it was known that by keeping the nickel content of anodes at 0.55 to 0.60 per cent maximum a relatively satisfactory slime resulted. One avenue of attack therefore was developing improved elimination in the anode-furnace treatment so that the anode content mentioned above was not exceeded. Another angle was to improve the solubility, during electrolysis, of the nickel constituent in the anodes, thus decreasing the percentage diverted to slimes. It may he mentioned here that nickel dissolving electrochemically and entering the electolyte pre-sents no difficulty from a treatment standpoint. Both of these approaches were studied and are discussed sepa-rately below.

Jan 1, 1938

The Bowen Basin coal field is an important energy resource. A relatively small proportion is avail- able by open cut operations. Responsible men throughout the world have warned of the need to increase coal research immediately. Because energy is still available in abundance these warnings have not been heeded in Australia. The characteristics of the Bowen Basin coal make it a fairly difficult underground mining proposition and a significant research effort is required to solve the problems likely to be encountered. Both industry and government have responsibilities in the economic recovery of the maximum proportion of the resource and jointly funded research administered by existing organisations should be inaugurated forthwith.

Jan 1, 1976

By Giorgio De Tomi

La industria del cemento se caracteriza por una alta inversión en tecnologías de procesamiento, principalmente en la fábrica de producción de cemento. Dicha tecnología incluye el monitoreo continuo y la mezcla de las materias primas que se obtienen de la cantera y también de fuentes externas. Por ello, la inversión es necesaria para producir un producto final que sea fácil de trabajar, con buena resistencia y excelente durabilidad a largo plazo. Para satisfacer estos requerimientos el rango de variación de los minerales constituyentes del cemento debe ser muy ajustado. En ese sentido, el presente texto plantea una solución integrada para el control de la calidad basada en un profundo conocimiento geológico de la cantera de caliza, lo que permite programar las mezclas de materias primas de acuerdo a los requerimientos de la planta.

Aug 25, 2002

By P. Somasundaran, K. P. Ananthapadmanabhan

A knowledge of the role of effects and interactions of chemical species is important in developing an understanding of the behavior of mixed minerals and natural ores in beneficiation processes such as flotation and flocculation. In this study the role of such species was examined for the calcite-apatite system by conducting flotation of each mineral in various supernatants prepared by mixing with water. Supernatants of apatite and even that of calcite depressed the flotation of calcite markedly in the pH range of 5 to 13. Addition of Ca(NO3)2, K2C03, and K3P04 also produced definite effects under various pH conditions. Apatite flotation was also affected by the mineral supernatants and by carbonate and phosphate solutions. The results are analyzed in terms of the surfactant's solubility properties and the mineral's electrochemical and dissolution properties. While depression of calcite flotation by the dissolved species is found to be governed by depletion of oleate by bulk precipitation, the depression of apatite flotation is caused by the carbonate and phosphate species in the system. Turbidity measurements and a thermodynamic analysis of possible interactions in the system support these considerations. The effect of the supernatant of minerals on their own flotation suggests the important role of kinetics of various surface interactions in comparison to that of mineral dissolution.

Jan 1, 1985

By F. D. DeVaney

[In the course of the investigation by the U. S. Bureau of Mines and the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy at the Mississippi Valley experiment Station at Rolla, Mo., on the beneficiation of the low-grade manganese ores of the country, some samples from the Cuyuna District, Minn., have been examined. The work was done under the direction of W. H. Coghill, supervising engineer of the Mississippi Valley Experiment Station. Josoph and Kinney5 in venting about the relative importance of Minnesota deposits of low-grade ore compared to the total reserves say:]

Jan 1, 1930

By Hisakazu Matsushita

1. Introduction This is a report on applications of the earth pressure type balanced shield tunneling projects executed under narrow streets on soft alluvial layers in Japan. Japan is a long island country surrounded by the sea. Steep mountain ranges run along the archipelago and numerous rivers originate from the mountains, leaving only limited areas of flat land along the upper and middle reaches of the streams. The majority of cities in Japan are on soft alluvial layers. Alluvium represents an extremely complex soil formation, sections bordering diluvium being characterized by sharp undulations. Various difficulties are therefore encountered in shield tunneling work undertaken in such ground conditions. Particularly, at work sites lying in an unstable, waterbearing layer with high permeability, shield excavation becomes utterly impossible, hampered by large amounts of underground water as well as land collapsing caused by the water. Even when work can somehow be accomplished by using chemical grouting or by lowering ground water level, which require extra expenses and time, undesirable effects such as ground surface settlement are unavoidable in projects undertaken in the past. The newly developed method allows safe and accurate tunnel excavation at normal speed and without giving any adverse effects on buildings above, even under such unstable ground conditions. An outline of this new method was announced at the "International Tunnel Symposium '78" held in Tokyo, and the method has since been employed in a number of tunneling projects in this country. This report provides further data on the new method with reference to some of those projects, explaining how it allows tunnel excavation with

Jan 1, 1979

By Split Engineering Chile Fernando Fernandez

Mathematical modeling in conjunction with mineral characterization is widely used as a method for design and optimization of comminution circuits, to simulate the processes of crushing, grinding and classification. An important input parameter to the simulation models is the Run-of-Mine Particle Size Distribution (ROM PSD). The run-of-mine size distributions due to blasting have a great influence on the performance of a semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill. In this paper, a mine case study was conducted where there are four primary geologic units and the material properties between the four units vary considerably. Also, the mixture of the four unit that will be mined at any given time also vary considerably. This presents a challenge in terms of optimizing the blasting for mill production throughout the mine life. As part of the case study, field rock mass characterization, laboratory rock mechanics tests, and laboratory breakage tests were conducted. The field characterization and rock mechanics tests provide material properties used to simulate the effect of different blast designs on run of mine particle size distributions (ROM PSD). The JKSimBlast software was used for these simulations. The rock breakage tests provide material properties used to simulate crushing and grinding performance. The JKSimMet software was used for these simulations.

Jan 1, 2015

By O. Herstad, J. M. Toguri, K. Grjotheim

DURING the last three years, investigations on the aluminum reduction of magnesium-bearing compounds have been initiated at the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, The Technical University of Norway. The results of these investigations are reported in this paper. Very little information exists in the literature on the reaction between magnesium compounds and metallic aluminum. The available information itself is conflicting, and, to clarify the existing discrepancy, the reactions between aluminum and magnesium oxide (MgO), caJcined dolomite (CaO . MgO) and olivine (Mg2SiO.) were studied. The logical approach for the study of these reactions between condensed states with the formation of a gaseous phase is, ( 1) the measurement of the equilibrium vapour pressure of the gas, in this case magnesium, associated with the respective reactions and, (2) the identification of the end products of the reaction in order to establish the re-action scheme.

Jan 1, 1962

This paper summarises the performance of the gold exploration industry in the Western World since 1970, with particular emphasis on the period 1985 - 2003. It identifies the number and size of major (ie >1 million ounce) primary gold discoveries made over this period by location and type of company. Estimates are also made of the likely contribution from smaller discoveries down to 0.1 million ounces. It also assesses the overall trend in the percentage of grassroot discoveries that are converted into mines, and the time taken to get them into production. By comparing the discovery data against total exploration expenditures it is possible to determine the average unit cost of finding a major gold deposit. It is significant to note that the average unit cost per discovery and per ounce of resource has tripled over the last 30 years. An attempt is made to determine the overall economic value generated by the industry. This is based on a detailed analysis of the rates of return and the Net Present Values (NPVs) of 109 major gold projects. After including an adjustment for discoveries not modelled, the NPVs are compared against the total amount of money spent on exploration to determine the value-to-cost ratio for the industry. Based on historical spot gold prices and tax rules, it is found that the return on investment for gold exploration in the Western World over the period 1985 - 2003 was around five per cent real after-tax. The returns achieved in the US and Australia was significantly higher than that for Canada. The returns also appear to have declined in recent years. With regard to the relative performance of junior versus major companies, the paper estimates that the junior sector accounted for 30 - 40 per cent of the total exploration expenditure, and were was associated with 34 per cent of the total number of major deposits, 27 per cent of the contained ounces and 25 per cent of the economic value found.

Jan 1, 2004

The development of paraprofessional courses in metallurgy and related disciplines, by the Department of Technical and Further Education in New South Wales, is outlined in this paper. The changing nature of metall- urgical educational requirements is summarised, and various attendance patterns discussed. The potential advantages of the sandwich system of College attendance, to the more distant sectors of the mineral processing and metallurgical industry is outlined. Some of the likely future trends in technician education are presented. These include the need to respond to the changing expectations of technician employers, as shown by industrial surveys, the role of experiential learning, the need to integrate courses so that students can build on prev- iously completed courses, the possibility that future technicians will require a multi- disciplinary background and the provision of easier access to technical college facilities by potential students and industries.

Jan 1, 1978