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XstrataÆs Mount Isa Copper Operations (MICO) is a world-class mining operation producing in excess of six million tonnes of copper ore per annum from its underground mining operations. The Mount Isa Copper Mines have been producing from the underground operations since 1952. Current copper reserves are 87 million tonnes at 2.8 per cent Cu, extending the mineÆs life beyond 2018. The underground orebodies in the copper mines are divided into nine distinct areas and are mined by sublevel open stoping techniques. One of the nine areas is the hanging wall lens, which consists of two sections; a northern lens (NHWL) and a southern lens (SHWL). The SHWL has a proven reserve of 2.2 million tonnes with an average grade of 2.9 per cent copper. Stopes in the SHWL have an average size of approximately 245 000 tonnes and will be extracted in a primary-secondary mining sequence, producing ore until 2009. This paper discusses various aspects of stope design applied in the southern hanging wall lens, including sequencing options and the rationale for the selected sequence. Design features are also discussed and how they have evolved as more is learnt about the SHWL orebody. These include mass firing techniques, focusing on minimising ground vibrations, using seed wave form analysis and prediction. Rock mechanics issues will also be discussed, in particular the reinforcement of stope hanging walls and the use of instrumentation to monitor behaviour within the hanging wall.

Jan 1, 2006

By César Bernal Matallana

El objetivo del presente trabajo es analizar la documentación y data existente de las empresas mineras, definir los procedimientos adecuados para la codificación de los datos básicos requeridos por un sistema de información, así como la simpliificación del flujo de documentación y mecanización del sistema, aprovechando la infraestructura computacional que posee CENTROMIN-PERÚ. Para ello, se evalúa el sistema de información para planeamiento de minas y el sistema de información para el modelo matemático de minas Casapalca, concluyendo que este último sistema se encuentra implementado y permite suministrar los datos al Modelo Matemático de Planeamiento Minas. Asimismo es usado también para elaborar y reajustar el planeamiento mensual de producción que efectúa la supervisión de minas, constituyéndose en una herramienta valiosa para la toma de decisiones en el área de operaciones.

Nov 20, 1978

By Samuel L. Hoyt

THE present report represents that part of the work that has been done by the War Minerals Investigation, Manganese Section, of the Bureau of Mines, on the use of manganese alloys in open-hearth practice. The magnitude of the work and the number of people participating in one way or another make it difficult to acknowledge adequately the services of all who have contributed to the success of the work. It would, be amiss, however, to pass to the body of the report without mentioning the hearty coöperation and willingness to assist of the various manufacturing interests. With such a sympathetic attitude toward this investigation, our work was assured of success. Inasmuch as the unhappy circumstances that rendered this investigation necessary have now passed, this report is made in 'the hope that the results may prove of some permanent value to the peace-tine operation of our open-hearth industry. Broadly speaking, the purpose of the manganese investigation was to consider the most suitable means of utilizing our domestic supply of manganese and thus relieve, to the maximum extent possible, our shipping of the burden of importing manganese ores. It was not held that any decided shortage of manganese 'was imminent but rather that every legitimate means should be utilized for making our ship tonnage available to European service. While we have considerable metallic manganese in this country, it occurs largely as a low-grade mixture with iron or silica or with both. The open-hearth investigations, therefore, were carried on to determine the extent to which domestic or low-grade alloys could properly be substituted for high-grade alloys without materially impairing the steel production as to either quality or quantity. Also, it was held that such an investigation would yield valuable results to the steel industry as well as contribute, in no small way, toward

Jan 2, 1919

By W. Hu

Gravity concentration has been the main method for tin ore beneficiation, based on the significant difference of density between cassiterite and gangue in the tin ore. However, with the exhaustion of rich and coarse reserves, the proportion of tin distribution in slime be-comes as high as 50 to 70% and has a size range of -19 urn. In some sulfide tin ore, most of the tin is of the minus 10-urn size fraction, and thus slime processing has gained importance in tin ore processing. Some innovations are being developed, such as the centrifugal cone separator, belt concentrator, slime table, B-M separator, and slime flotation. Direct flotation with tolyl arsonic acid has been practiced with success.

Jan 1, 1989

By D. Harrington

Approximately 2,000 persons are killed annually in the coal mines of the United States. There is no question that this number is at least double and probably treble what it should be and by all means the least excusable of the fatalities are those caused by explosions and fires. Fatalities from explo- sions and fires in coal mines are almost invariably caused by carelessness or negligence. Table 1 indicates that the fiscal year ending June 30, 1931, ras by no means a satisfactory one as regaris either the number of explosions or the number of persons killed by them. This tabulation lists all ignitions to which the attention of the personnel of the safety division was called and in- cludes not only major disasters, but also explosions in which fewer than five were killed, as well as several explosions from which no fatalities resulted. It will be noticed that last year there were 26 explosions in mines in 10 States of the United States, resulting in 217 deaths. In the previous year there were 34 explosions with a death list of 199, and in the year before there were 38 explosions with a death list of 139. Hence, the past fiscal year had distinctly a poorer record of fatalities from mine explosions than either of the two previous years. Of the 26 explosions in the past fiscal year, Pennsylvania had 7, West Virginic 4, New Mexico and Ohio 3 each, Alabama, Oklahoma and Washington 2 each, and California, Illinois and Indiana 1 each; the one in California was in a tunnel being driven for water purposes but giving off explosive gas (methane). In fatalities Ohio had the worst record with 38, Oklahoma came next with 45, then Indiane with 38, and Pennsylvania with 23; although Alabama had 2 ignitions and Washington 1, they caused no fatalities. Utch, Colorado, and Kentucky had no explosions reported by the safety division of the Bureau of Mines during the past fiscal year, but were on the list for the previous year, though in the case of Colorado there were no fatalities. On the other hand, Indiana and New Mexico, neither of rhich was charged with an explosion in the two previous years, were on the list for the past fiscal year; New Mexico had the bad record of three explosions, though fortunately with but a total of eight fatalities. Ohio reported 3 explosions to the safety division of the Bureau of Mines in the past fiscal year, 2 in the pre- vious year, and 3 in the year before that, or 8 in the past three fiscal years with 92 fatalities; all of these eight explosions were in open-light mines.

Dec 1, 1931

By Nelly Carmen Rivera Oliva

El presente texto describe el sistema de catastros de pasivos ambientales, el cual permite recopilar la información de acuerdo a criterios técnicos, a través de los datos más relevantes de las unidades mineras inactivas y de su entorno. Su diseño está basado en la toma de datos mediante dos planillas digitales denominadas: la ficha de identificación y caracterización de pasivos ambientales mineros que incluye el registro de la información del medio físico, biológicos, social y la ficha de identificación y caracterización de componentes mineros abandonados para el registro de datos específicos de caracterización de los aspectos físicos de la operación minera, los que se subdividen en cinco categorías definidas como: labores mineras, residuos mineros, residuos no mineros, edificaciones e infraestructura, y sustancias químicas. Ambas fichas registran el ingreso de información de aspectos jurídicos, físicos, ambientales para una adecuada caracterización. Finalmente, la recopilación se realiza en tres etapas: precampo, campo y postcampo o gabinete por medio del registro a través de diversos controles de introducción de datos.

Jul 1, 2014

By Robert A. Lothrop, Richard B. Porter, Robert P. Porter

Changes became necessary in dredging methods employed in Idaho through passage of the Dredge Mining Protective Act (1954). Among other provisions, the law requires dredge operators to construct settling ponds of sufficient capacity and character to reasonably clarify the water used in the mining process before such water is discharged into the stream. Porter Bros. Corp., a placer mining company with many years operating experience in Oregon and Montana, became interested in strategic mineral placers in Idaho in 1950 when it was learned that prospectors had discovered a radioactive mineral deposit in Bear Valley Creek, 95 miles northeast of Boise. The company acquired mining leases and proceeded with exploration and development work on the property. After extensive research had resulted in the determination of successful separation processes, contracts were negotiated with the federal government and deliveries of columbium-tantalum and uranium concentrates commenced in 1956.

Jan 5, 1960

By Ailton Lopes de Oliveira

A Usiminas, como empresa de ponta na produção de aços planos, visando manter e ampliar a sua liderança na produção e comercialização destes produtos, investiu uma elevada soma na modernização de sua linha de produção. Em 2012 foi instalado na Usina de Cubatão, o moderno Laminador de Tiras a Quente e, em agosto de 2013, foi dada a partida operacional da nova linha de Decapagem 03. O objetivo da nova Decapagem 03 é agregar valor em seu portfólio de produtos, complementando assim a nova linha de produtos ofertados com novas dimensões e qualidades. A nova mistura de produtos laminados a quente atende maiores faixas de espessura e largura, além de oferecer tipos de aço não produzidos anteriormente. Este trabalho visa mostrar as principais etapas deste projeto, os benefícios e os resultados preliminares alcançados com a instalação da nova linha de produção. A Decapagem 03, por seu elevado nível tecnológico, é considerada "estado da arte em produção de bobinas decapadas", garantindo assim a obtenção de produtos de grande valor para os clientes, atendendo aos mais rigorosos padrões de qualidade.

Jul 30, 2018

By E. Hoek

INTRODUCTION Rock slope stability research has been in progress for the past four years at the Royal School of Mines in London under the sponsorship of a consortium of 23 companies* with interests in open pit mining. This paper reviews the principal aims and achievements of this research project. In order to assist the reader in following these details, the basic philosophy underlying the formulation and direction of this research project is discussed. DISTRIBUTION OF RESPONSIBILITY In open pit mining, the economic necessity of keeping waste rock removal to a minimum generally means that the mine slopes have to be excavated to the steepest possible slope angle. On the other hand, excessive steepening of these slopes can induce failures, which may negate the economic benefits that have been aimed at and which may also result in loss of life and damage to equipment. Consequently, where slope failures are likely to prove to be a problem, an evaluation of the stability of the slopes to be created should be included as part of the overall pit design. How is the stability of a rock slope evaluated? When this question was examined, during discussions on the research policy to be followed at the Royal School of Mines, it was clear that relatively few satisfactory techniques were available in a form that would be comprehensible and therefore useful to the practical mining engineer. It was recognised that the research project must be directed towards two distinct aims: a) The evaluation of existing techniques for rock slope stability analysis and the provision of new techniques where these existing methods were found to be inadequate and b) The presentation of the results of this evaluation and research in a form that would be useful to engineers without specialist training in rock mechanics. It was soon realized that a university based research team, however large and efficient, could not achieve these aims without the co-operation and assistance of mining engineers,

Jan 1, 1972

By Michael W. Oakland

Weidlinger Associates was retained to evaluate the foundations supporting ten oil storage tanks at a tank farm on the east coast. The tanks were constructed over the site of a landfill which was underlain by deep organic deposits. The tanks were typically 48 ft. in height and ranged in diameter from 60 to 150 ft. The tanks were supported on both wood and steel pipe piles. After more than 35 years of service, an inspection found that up to 25 percent of the piles had separated from the mat foundation. The operations at the facility were temporarily stopped pending further investigation. Weidlinger developed comprehensive finite element models of the foundations for each tank and used random generators to conduct Monte Carlo simulations the range of scenarios of detached support conditions since it was not possible to survey all the piles below the tanks. To confirm the modeled performance and verify stability, each tank was also load tested using water with electronic instrumentation installed by Geo-Instruments. The instrumentation provided real time, web based monitoring during testing in areas which would otherwise be inaccessible during loading. Through inspection, complex modeling and sophisticated load testing, Weidlinger and Geo-Instruments were able to show that all but one of the tanks could safely be put back into service. This paper details the analysis, Monte Carlo simulations and instrumentation and load testing performed for this unique project.

Jan 1, 2009

By Paul T. Allsman

Iron-ore deposits in southwestern Utah, as the major source of iron ore for western steel plants, were investigated by the Bureau of Mines in 1942-45 in cooperation with property owners and operators and with the assistance of the United States Geological Survey with a view to determining and extending the known reserves. The factual data resulting from that project were presented in a previous report and in a report on the geophysical surveys now in course of publication. The present report has been prepared in response to expressed public interest in the ore reserves of Iron County. Mining began in the district in 1871} but. did not become important until 41 1923. From 1923 to 1946, inclusive) production totaled 10,139,500 long tons. In 1945 the district yielded 1,931,749 long tons containing 52.84 percent iron; in 1946 the corresponding figures were 1,317,671 and 53.75. The deposits lie .in a narrow, 23-mile long belt extending northeasterly from Washington 'County into Iron County along a line of mountains, chief of which are Iron Mountain, Granite Mountain, 'and Three Peaks in Iron. County. The deposits are hematite-magnetite bodies, chiefly in limestone near its contact with the monzonite of the mountain masses, but with a few important veinlike bodies in the monzonite or at the contact. They range in size from small pods to several millions of tons, and in depth from surface or near-surface to a known maximum of 1,300 feet:

Jan 1, 1948

Jan 1, 1975

By P. W. Ware

The majority of all refined copper is consumed to produce electrical conductors. Most copper conductors are drawn into wire from 8 mm ETP copper rod produced from high purity copper cathodes. Southwire Company has more than 40 years experience using, designing, fabricating and marketing a process for continuously producing ETP copper wire rod. This process is called the SCR® (Southwire Continuous Rod) process. Today, approximately half the copper wire rod produced in the world, or more than one third of all refined copper consumed, is produced using the SCR process. Southwire has sold 75 SCR copper rod mills to metal producers and wire manufacturers around the world. Southwire is North America's largest electrical wire and cable producer. Southwire operates a 48 metric ton per hour SCR® copper rod system in Carrollton, Georgia. This allows Southwire to provide technical support for existing SCR® system customers based on first-hand knowledge. Rod fabricators and their wire customers are always striving for copper rod that improves productivity. They are looking for improved surface quality, finer wire sizes and fewer wire breaks per ton of rod drawn. This paper will present a brief history of the SCR® process, a description and recent process developments.

Jan 1, 2007

By William A. Ribich, Hans A. Hug

INTRODUCTION Providing sufficient thrust, particularly in the proper manner, is one of the major problems of conventional hardrock drilling and tunneling machines. For instance, with tunnel boring machines, massive jacks, mechanisms, and structures are required to generate and transmit the forces to the cutting head. One pays for this massiveness both in terms of material (dollars per pound) and in the attendant difficulties of transporting and maneuvering such machinery. The effect of an efficient thrust generation method on system size is evident when one considers conventional shaft drilling equipment. Raise borers are small enough to be used underground, while conventional big hole drilling equipment requires large amounts of space, personnel, and support. Proper application of the force is another problem, even with smaller holes such as blastholes. While one can load most tricone blasthole bits to their limit with such drill rigs as the Bucyrus Erie 61R or the Gardner Denver 120D, transmitting very large forces through the relatively flexible mast and drill pipe leads to large vibrations, fatiguing of the mast structure, and impact loads on the bit. In the following, a new method of generating the required rock fragmentation force is presented. Furthermore, the force is generated and applied in such a fashion that not only can the equipment size and weight be reduced, but also the cutter and equipment life can be increased.

Jan 1, 1974

By Gary S. Brierley, Tracy J. Lyman

INTRODUCTION Geotechnical engineers play a major role in tunnel design primarily because tunnels are constructed entirely within the ground. In general, this role can be divided into two major tasks: subsurface investigations and project design. Under subsurface investigations, it is necessary for the geotechnical engineer to accurately describe the ground in which the project will be built. Under project design, it is necessary for the geotechnical engineer to work together with other members of the design team to make certain that the tunnel fulfills its intended purpose at least cost. Given in the paper are the authors' opinions about what constitutes an adequate scope of services for these two tasks on a tunneling project. SUBSURFACE INVESTIGATIONS o Background Study All subsurface exploration programs for tunnels begin with a thorough investigation of background information about the proposed site. Such background information includes geologic, reports topographic maps, aerial photography, and case history reports of other nearby tunnels. Once completed, it is necessary to study the background information so that the proper scope and magnitude of subsurface exploration work is performed in a manner that provides maximum input to a knowledge of those intact and rock mass properties that are important for an understanding of the entire ground mass. The blind application of field and laboratory techniques, no matter how sophisticated, is wasteful and potentially

Jan 1, 1989

Driefontein Gold Mine together with Kloof Gold Mine and Beatrix Gold Mine forms part of Gold Fields South Africa. Driefontein Gold Mine is situated near the town of Carletonville, 50 km south of Johannesburg, in the Gauteng Province. The 4 Shaft East complex comprises of the 4 Main Shaft and the 4 Subvertical Shaft. The main shaft is 9150 m in diameter and was sunk in 1984 to a depth of 2000.5 m. The 4 Subvertical Shaft is 7320 m in diameter and was sunk during 1985 to a depth of 3006 m. Full production was, however, only reached during 1988. Intensive mining is currently being done between levels 28 to 42. In 2002 a decision was made to start mining the shaft pillar, situated between 32 and 33 level in the subvertical shaft. Intensive studies showed that with selective mining scheduling the total mineÆs life could be lengthened by nine years if accessed timeously. The higher grades present in the shaft pillar can be mixed with lower grades from the same reef band presently mined 1500 to 2000 m away from the subshaft pillar area. The shaft pillar comprises 50 per cent of the remaining ore resources available. However, no provisions were made in the initial phases of the shaft development to extract the shaft pillar. Grades between 4300 cmgt to 2500 cmgt relating to 23 and 14 g/t are present in the shaft pillar and an estimated 50 tonnes of gold can be produced from this pillar in the period from 2007 to 2015. The pillar extraction is the key to DriefonteinÆs long-term gold profile. Every geological feature possible is represented in this to-be-mined pillar area. The pillar around the shaft is a complex structure featuring hard and soft lava, sedimentary structures/plane parting that moves against each other, quartzite capping, etc. Replacement of services and secondary support systems were designed, modelled and put in place. The original steelwork was not designed to cope with the various stresses and movements, which are expected once the extraction process is started. Existing shaft steelwork was used as far as practically possible. The principal behind the design was that the steelwork would be totally disconnected from the shaft lining over its total length of 132 m in the area of the reef intersection. This will allow the steelwork to move independently from the geological structures surrounding it, allowing a certain degree of distortion of the shaft lining, moderate twist and tilt to take place without interfering with hoisting operations.

Jan 1, 2005

By Rafael Henrique Alves Gomes

A automação em processos industriais agrega qualidade, padronização e segurança aos produtos e pessoas envolvidas. Entretanto, as demandas de mercado, custos agregados e a concorrência exigem melhorias que podem ser alcançadas através de métodos de otimização. Este artigo apresenta algumas metodologias e ferramentas para otimização de processos industriais que visam desvincular a obrigatoriedade de que Técnicas de Controle Avançado em métodos de otimização são a única solução capaz de oferecer resultados satisfatórios para aumento de produtividade. Os recursos expostos abordam a gestão de malhas de controle, gestão de alarmes e o cálculo do indicador global de eficiência, o OEE.

Aug 17, 2017

By Max W. Ball

An intelligent discussion of the oil situation and its needs, whether from the standpoint of the prospector, the operator, the engineer, or the public administrative officer, must be founded upon a knowledge of the law under which oil lands are obtained. A consideration of new legislation must be prefaced by an understanding of the present law and its results. This paper undertakes to present no new remedy for the ills of the present situation, no new solution of the problems the oil business is facing. It attempts merely to summarize the present law, its provisions, its origin, its development, and its effects. The discussion does not pretend to be exhaustive from a legal standpoint. It aims to avoid legal intricacies which tend to. confuse rather than clarify. It seeks but to present the essentials of the existing situation. The title to government lands known to contain valuable deposits of petroleum may be acquired only under the terms of the placer law as embodied in Section 2329 et seq. of the Revised Statutes. As a preliminary to considering the desirability of this situation it is profitable to examine into its origin. Origin of the Law Congress has left no room for doubt as to the legal applicability of the placer law to oil lands. The Act of Feb.11, 1897(29 Stat., 526), provides: "that any person authorized to enter lands under the mining laws of the United States may enter and obtain patent to land containing petroleum or other mineral oils, and chiefly valuable therefor, under the provisions of the laws relating to placer mineral claims.' . The immediate cause for the passage of this Act was stated in a brief report in the, House of Representatives (there was no debate in the Senate) to be a decision of the Department rendered Aug. 27, 1896 (Union Oil Co., 23 L. D., 223), directing the cancellation of an oil placer entry on the ground that land containing petroleum cannot be located and entered as a placer mine. The report of the Public Lands Committee of the House contains the following interesting statements Congressional Record, vol. xxix, p. 1409):

Jan 1, 1915

By Terry J. Briggs, Ian J. Kelso

"Abstract- The Century mine in northwest Queensland,Australia, is a major sediment-hosted zinclead- silver orebody, located within the western Mount Isa Basin. Stratiform, carbonaceous shalehosted mineralization is developed within Proterozoic shale and siltstone sequences of the Lawn Hill Formation. CRA Exploration Pty Ltd (CRAE) discovered the Century deposit in 1990 and open pit mine development commenced in 1998 under the ownership of Pasminco Century Mine Limited (PCML). The deposit contains an identified mineral resource of 105 Mt @ 12.1% Zn + 1.7% Pb + 46 g/t Ag (Broadbent and Waltho, 1998) which is currently being mined at a rate of 5 Mt/y.In December 1998, an exothermic reaction was observed between explosives spilt onto shale drill cuttings from a blasthole. This reaction is referred to as ‘reactive ground’ and has the potential to cause premature detonation of explosives in a charged blasthole with catastrophic consequences. The incident led to a subsequent geological and geochemical assessment of the different rock types at the Century deposit and their potential reactivity with ammonium nitrate-based (AN) explosive products. This assessment was conducted in an attempt to characterize zones safe for blasting with uninhibited AN-based explosive products. A direct result of this study is a set of procedures outlining the use of different AN-based explosives in areas defined as potentially reactive or non-reactive for the different lithologies present. Black shales contained in both the waste and mineralized sequences contain the sulfide mineral pyrite (FeS2), which is thermodynamically unstable with AN contained in commonly used explosives. The potential reactivity of partially weathered pyrite can ultimately result in the decomposition of an AN-based explosive. It was determined that only pyritic black shales showed any potential to react with AN, irrespective of their position in the stratigraphic sequence. Other lithologies present at Century, including Proterozoic sandstone and Cambrian limestone, are classified as non-reactive with AN. This is a geological risk management situation present at the Century mine."

Jan 1, 2001

This paper reviews the geochemistry of weathered nickeliferous sulphidic and lateritic profiles, the supergene behaviour of nickel and ore-associated elements, and their implications for exploration in an attempt to distinguish between barren and mineralised nickeliferous profiles. Nickel is an abundant accessory element in ultramafic rocks with background concentrations in some units up to 0.25 weight per cent. Ore-grades in fresh rock are mostly associated with massive and disseminated sulphide zones within magnesium-rich layered ultramafic sequences. In lateritic weathered terrain, nickel is also concentrated in the regolith profile. This process not only upgrades nickel in the gossanous weathered product of sulphidic deposits, but for sub-economic sulphide zones and some ultramafic rocks, is sufficient to result in a supergene resource. Ore-grade accumulations of nickel in regolith after sulphide-poor ultramafic rocks are referred to as lateritic deposits. Nickel sulphide zones and their ferruginous weathering products are collectively referred to as sulphidic deposits and are the major source of nickel in Western Australia. Mineral exploration in the Yilgam Block is hampered by deep lateritic weathered profiles (eg Butt and Sheppy, 1975; Smith, 1977; 1982). During the nickel boom of 1967 - 1972, most discoveries resulted from the location of outcropping nickeliferous gossan and ironstone. Exposed ultramafic terrain with nickel sulphide potential were explored intensively, mostly by gossan and soil sampling. However, up to 85 per cent of the area of the Yilgarn Block is buried by transported regolith. In these covered areas, barren and mineralised rock responses at the surface are similar and soil sampling produced unreliable results due to many false anomalies. A statistical, multi-element approach to regional geochemical exploration has evolved. Potential trace element indicators investigated, include Co, Cr, Cu, Ir, Mn, Pb, Pd, Pt, Sc, Se, and Zn. In recent years, trace element ratios have also been tested with varying degrees of Success.

Jan 1, 1996