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By Charles J. Johnson

The United States is totally dependent on imports for all primary chromite and most ferrochrome supplies. Although the United States imports chromite and ferrochrome from a number of countries, the long-term future of chromite supplies appears to lie in southern Africa (Republic of South Africa and Zimbabwe) where 88 percent of known world reserves exist. Floreover, low mining costs and the availability of low-cost electricity for ferrochrome production gives South Africa a comparative advantage over most other chromite and ferrochrome-producing nations. A well-known problem faced by the United States is that when viewed from a longer-term perspective, the major sources of supply of metallurgical grade chromite and ferrochrome may be subject to disruption. The three countries that have caused the greatest concern have been the Republic of South Africa, the Soviet Union, and Zimbabwe. South Africa presents a particularly difficult problem because it may be subject to internal political unrest and/or U. N, economic sanctions. South Africa has increased its share of world chromium production from about 30 percent in 1968 to 62 percent in 1978.1

Jan 1, 1982

Before presentIng my address I wish to acknowledge the honour which has been conferred on me by my appointment to the position of President of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.It is a matter of great concern to us all to find our Empire at war. I am confident that, as was the case in the war of 1914-1918, members of this Institute and of kindred Institutes and Associations will contribute in full to the Empire's needs and that in the end our cause shall triumph.I think it appropriate that I should take as the subject of my address that of the Broken Hill Lead-Silver-Zinc Industry. The subject matter of this address has been confined to the operations of Mining, Ore Dressing, Lead Smelting and Refining and production of Electrolytic Zinc in Australasia. The review of the Broken Hill Lead-SilverZinc Industry would not, of course, be complete without reference to those Australian industries which trace their origin to the Broken Hill field, but· it is thought that an outline of these industries would make thIs review too extensive.HISTORICALMany efforts have been made to translate the early history of Broken Hill and its subsequent growth throughout the years into one of the wor~d's most famous mining fields in the form of a simple story.

Jan 1, 1940

By A. Tobey Yu

The recent adverse economic climate has added further impetus to the demand for better-grade and lower-cost raw materials, for which increasingly larger quantities of muck are being moved and processed at higher unit labor costs. As a result, the cost impact of handling and shipping has never been as keenly felt by the mining industry as it is today. Thanks to joint innovative efforts by users and manufacturers, new and improved automated bulk-handling systems and devices are now blossoming everywhere to give the mining man the tools he needs to move ore, waste and concentrates more efficiently and economically.

Jan 1, 1970

By F. G. Coggin

" If you could only get that motion into a machine," said a gentleman, as he watched the process of making a " van " on a shovel, and saw the copper roll up to the highest point, "it would beat the world for slime-dressing." This idea has led to many an effort to get into a machine that peculiar motion, called the " vanning motion;" and so cams, eccentrics, eccentric gears, levers, bell-cranks, togglejoints, links, springs, etc., have been brought into requisition, while a contribution has been laid upon all the conceivable motions, rolling, tumbling, swinging, jerking, tossing, dropping, tripping, intermittent, regular and irregular, or a combination of some of them, to which have been added percussion, concussion, and more discussion —all in a vain attempt to combine in a single machine the consecutive motions of the shovel, in washing, flowing, and tossing the van. The Patent Office Reports, and the various mills of the country, show, as a result of this, a lot of gimeracks, most of which never went beyond a first trial, finding their way to the scrap-heap. Others still running might as well be there; while some have considerable merit for dressing other and richer sands than copper. It does look tempting to see that clean edge of copper climbing up the shovel-blade; but those who have seen in it such visions of large fortunes have not considered the time it takes to make a van, compared with the small quantity treated upon the shovel; and this points to the reason for the failure of all that class of machines called " vanning machines," when used for dressing copper slimes, namely, a lack of capacity. The writer has come to this conclusion through an experience with the Rittinger side percussion-table of the most improved make, sent from Germany to the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company, and with the Ellenbecker tables, used by the same company, both of which are good types of that class of machines. In both of these machines, the tables are suspendetl by rods which allow them to swing, and they can also be adjusted for the purpose of varying the inclination of the table. In the Rittinger machine, the motion of the table is at a right angle to the flow of the slime, being produced by a wiper-cam which throws the table against a spring, which throws it quickly back against a stop, the percussion throwing up the mineral. In the Ellenbecker table, the motion is

Jan 1, 1884

By Oswald J. Heinrich

The responsibility resting upon the owners and managers of mines where fire-damp is generated, renders it a matter of imperative duty that a frill and correct statement of any explosion that occurs should be given to the public. But such a statement must be based on the testimony of impartial eye-witnesses or trained experts. Then a sad experience may result in the adoption of effective preventive measures. In the absence of any official and professional body of mining experts in the State of Virginia, the writer desires to submit to his professional brethren of the American Institute of Mining Engineers an account of an explosion which recently took place in a colliery under his management, and earnestly desires a thorough and impartial discussion on the Fats submitted. Description and Plan of the Mine.—The "Grove" shaft is situated at the nearest point 825 feet from the last old workings upon the Midlothian property, south of the old Pump shaft works. (See Plate 111.) The shaft was sunk by the former company, some thirty years ago, to the depth of 622 feet. An incline over 230 feet long, starting in a northwest direction at a depth of 105 feet above the shaft bottom, had been driven to explore the coal on the dip. A return of very small dimensions had been driven round the shaft on the south side, entering the upcast chamber. With the information obtained from the former company that a seam of coal about four feet thick, at a depth of 490 feet, had been found, and with the information obtained by the present proprietor, R. T. Burrows, of Albion, N. Y., by means of two boreholes on the dip west of the old shaft, in both of which workable seams of coal at various depths had been ascertained, the clearing out and thorough retimbering of this shaft were commenced in March, 1873. Borehole No. 1, at a depth of 4773 feet from surface, revealed a seam of coal. This borehole was afterwards carried to a depth of 1140 feet to the granite, without finding any other seam of coal. Borehole No. 3, at a depth of 608 feet, revealed the first coal-seam, 14 1/2 feet thick; at 633 feet, the second, 12 feet thick; at 662 feet the third, 1 foot thick, and at 692 feet the fourth, 43 to 5 feet thick. The borehole was stopped at a depth of 715 1/2 feet.

By Oswald J. Heinrich

THE responsibility resting upon the owners and managers of mines where fire-damp is generated, renders it a matter of imperative duty that a full and correct statement of any explosion that occurs should be given to the public. But such a statement must be based on the testimony of impartial eye-witnesses or trained experts. Then a sad experience may result in the adoption of effective preventive measures. In the absence of any official and professional body of mining experts in the State of Virginia, the writer desires to submit to his professional brethren of the American Institute of Mining Engineers an account of an explosion which recently took place in a colliery under his management, and earnestly desires a thorough and impartial discussion on the facts submitted. Description and Plan of the Mine.-The "Grove" shaft is situated at the nearest point 825 feet from the last old workings upon the Midlothian property, south of the old Pump shaft works. (See Plate III.) The shaft was sunk by the former company, some thirty years ago, to the depth of 622 feet. An incline over 230 feet long, starting in a northwest direction at a depth of 105 feet above the shaft bottom, had been driven to explore the coal on the dip. A return of very small dimensions had been driven round the shaft on the south side, entering the upcast chamber. With the information obtained from the former company that a seam of coal about four feet thick, at a depth of 490 feet, had been found, and with the information obtained by the present proprietor, R. T. Burrows, of Albion, N. Y., by means of two boreholes on the dip west of the old shaft, in both of which workable seams of coal at various depths had been ascertained, the clearing out and thorough retimbering of this shaft were commenced in March, 1873. Borehole No. 1, at a depth of 477 1/2 feet from surface, revealed a seam of coal. This borehole was afterwards carried to a depth of 1140 feet to the granite, without finding any other seam of coal. Borehole No. 3, at a depth of 608 feet, revealed the first coal-seam, 142 feet thick; at 633 feet, the second, 12 feet thick; at 662 feet the third, 1 foot thick, and at 692 feet the fourth, 4 1/2 to 5 feet thick. The borehole was stopped at a depth of 715 1/2 feet.

Jan 1, 1877

By AIME AIME

CHARLIE WARNER, Chairman of the Petroleum Division, is no stranger to the problems of the oil industry or to those of the Petroleum Division, after more than 25 years of experience in locating and producing oil and more than 22 years of membership in the Institute. He was born at Jefferson, N. Y.. April 27, 1894, and educated in the public schools of New York State and at Cornell University where he studied geology and allied sciences from 1913 to 1917 and received a B.A. degree. Immediately upon completion of this training, he was employed by the Empire Gas & Fuel Co. as a field geologist in Oklahoma and Kansas. Two years later he became district geologist for the Emerald Oil Co. in Oklahoma and Kansas, and in 1920 he rejoined the Empire Gas & Fuel Co. in the capacity of district geologist in Oklahoma. In September of 1921 he began his association with the Houston Oil Co. of Texas. He was district manager for the company in the Mid-Continent area until 1932 when he was transferred to the head office at Houston, where he became superintendent of the land and lease department in 1934 and was elected a director of the company in 1941. In these capacities, and also as petroleum engineer for the company, he keeps in intimate touch with all phases of field activity and with the regulation of the industry by State and Federal agencies.

Jan 1, 1943

By A. C. Moerman, C. W. Pelley, K. R. Notley

"The software package described in this paper facilitates the handling of diamond drilling information in the creation and maintenance of a geological information database. Once entered, the drilling information is stored in a direct access file for rapid retrieval. The drill data are sorted into vertical cross sections and interpretation is performed using on-screen menus to define areas of common rock type and outline the mineralized zones. Intersections of individual zones can then be examined and outlined in the longitudinal dimension at a graphics terminal.With the aid of surface-fitting routines, the digitized information can be used to generate three-dimensional models of each zone. From these models intermediate cross sections and level plans can be obtained. Several interpretations are possible and plotter drawings can be obtained. An output file for use by ore reserve estimation software can also be created.Future work will tie this software to geostatistics and mine planning programs and will be aimed at converting mainframe software to run on microcomputers. IntroductionComputer applications in underground mine planning and geology are not new. Operations such as Sherritt Gordono and Kidd Creek have been using software developed about a decade ago for handling geological information and designing stoping blocks. However, general use of such systems has been limited mainly due to the cost of hardware which was affordable only to large corporations. Software to perform the work was usually developed on site and was largely unavailable for use by others, being site-specific, or too expensive for other organizations to purchase.The increasing power of microcomputers and mini-computers, and their relatively low cost compared to the mainframe computers which were previously used, has led to the increased use of computers at mining operations of all sizes. Sources of software for use in geological interpretation and mine planning have increased in number with the proliferation of the use of microcomputers."

Jan 1, 1988

By Richard M. Crowell, John W. Shield, Todd J. Harvey

Facing lower gold prices, gold mine operators throughout the world are seeking ways to reduce costs for treating refractory sulfide ores. Many gold mines, currently producing oxide ores, have underlying refractory sulfide deposits and the operators could extend the mine life by processing these sulfides. Fortunately, oxidation technologies for refractory ores need not be complex nor costly. GeoBiotics, Inc. has developed heap biooxidation technologies (GEOCOAT™) for treatment of refractory gold ores and concentrates. GEOCOATTM uses simple low cost unit operations common to heap leaching of gold and copper ores. The cost effectiveness and flexibility of GEOCOAT™ heap biooxidation allows mining companies to expand operations to include refract01y ore. In addition, GEOCOAT™ can be utilized to supplement or replace existing oxidation processes such as roasting, autoclaving, or agitated tank biooxidation, and to treat a lower resource grade than is currently economic. The GEOCOAT™ technology involves coating sulfide concentrates onto sized support rocks and biooxidizing the sulfides in a heap configuration. After biooxidation the concentrate is stripped from the support rock, neutralized and leached in conventional cyanidation facilities. Ashanti Goldfields Company Ltd. (AGC) produces over 885,000 ounces of gold per year from oxide and refractory ores at its Obuasi operations in Ghana. Refractory flotation concentrates are treated in roasters and in the world's largest stirred tank biooxidation facility. In August 1998, AGC and GeoBiotics jointly constructed and operated a field demonstration heap of the GEOCOATTM process at the Obuasi operations. The heap contained I 082 tonnes of support rock and 125 tonnes of concentrate. The heap was approximately 19 meters square at the base and 3.8 meters high, and ran for 88 days after which the concentrate was reclaimed. Average gold recovery after biooxidation was 91.5% with a NaCN consumption of 8.6 kg/t. Baseline gold recovery by direct cyanidation of the concentrate was 53.8%.

Jan 1, 1999

By Albert H. Fay, William B. Plank

In practically all rock-excavation problem there is need for a careful study of the rock structure, its fault, cleavage or bedding planes, and even the texture of the rock itself. These studies should form the bases upon which an excavation method is selected and they should be carefully considered in predicting the amount and extent of the excavation. The need for such studies was forcibly illustrated in the problems involved in a cut made in 1929, along and underneath a 200-ft. high rock projection for a State highway near the City of Easton, Pennsylvania. The rock mass was badly faulted and also contained a number of cleavage planes at approximately right angles to the fault planes. Much of this structure was visible and could have been studied and analyzed before the work was begun. The State had rigid specifications as to finished grade and slope of cut, which apparently were made without reference to the geologic structure. The contractor complied with the specifications, under the close inspection of the State engineers. A tunnel blast was placed in the base of the cliff, with the result that 65 per cent more rock was broken than was intended by the specifications. About four years after the blast, the writers of this paper studied the circumstances surrounding the operation, to determine the cause of this excess excavation. Scope of Work The section of the roadway involved was about 200 ft. long and on a 6' curve. It was necessary to relocate points on the curve, from which all faults and cleavage planes were located and measured by the use of transit and clinometer. A plan (Fig. 1) showing the blasting tunnel, the roadway, and traces of the faults and cleavage planes on the level of the roadway, was prepared; also 13 cross-sections at varying intervals, showing the original face of the hill and the face after the blast. The original and final profiles of the rock face, taken from the plans of the State engineers, are shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4.

Jan 1, 1937

By J. A. Bowknocker

NATURAL GAS was secured in the Trenton limestone near Findlay, Hancock County, in 1884, and oil in the following year. Drilling was rapid so that the production increased by leaps and bounds; in 1896, it exceeded 25,250,000 bbl., the maximum for the field. Since that time, the yield has decreased steadily and in 1921 was only 1,447,243 bbl. The territory extends as an arc of a circle from near the western end of Lake Erie southwest into Indiana, which it enters in Adams and Jay Counties. Sixteen counties are listed in Ohio but five of them combined had a new production of only 264 bbl. and they might well be omitted. Progress in the Trenton limestone field of northwest Ohio in 1923 is shown in Table 1.

Jan 3, 1924

By Richard E. Chism

Is my paper on Mexican weights and measures, presented at the Bethlehem meeting, I gave a formula for the reduction of Mexican ounces per carga to American ounces per ton, which may prove misleading. I wish therefore to substitute the following rule: To reduce Mexican ounces per carga of 300 Mexican pounds to Troy ounces per ton of 2000 pounds avoirdupois, multiply the number of ounces per carga by 6.078. Or, to reduce Troy ounces per ton of 2000 pounds avoirdupois to Mexican ounces per carga of 300 Mexican pounds, multiply the number of Troy ounces per ton by 0.165.

Jan 1, 1887

By Ghiani M, Currelli L, Fuganti A

the results of an experimental study aimed at beneficiating a complex ore containing bastnaesite and other rare-earth minerals, with associated barite and fluospar are illustrated. Owing to its minero-petrographic, physico-mechanical and structural characteristics, the crude ore is not amenable to classic concentration methods, such as flotation, magnetic and gravity separation. Therefore the technical feasibility of selective disintegration followed by size classification has been studied, whereby bastnaesite and the other rare-earth minerals can be concentrated into the finest size fractions. Leaching and subsequent extraction of rare-earth metals by liquid-liquid separation represents the final stage of beneficiation.

Jan 1, 1993

By Doyle P, Mulroney D

The Cassidy Shaft was sunk to access the Mount Charlotte and Reward Orebodies below the Flanagan Fault. The 1,184m deep shaft is concrete lined to 6.5m diameter for its full depth. The initial 590m was excavated by stripping into a 1.8m diameter borehole and hoisting the broken material through the existing mine. The remaining 594m was excavated by conventional shaft sinking methods. The shaft was sunk through 3 existing plats and an additional 8 plats cut. 1,800 tonnes of steel and 8 cables were installed during the furnishing of the 4 compartments.

Jan 1, 1985

By J. J. Scott

INTRODUCTION Rock mechanics theory needs to be applied to solve ground control problems, but in the final analysis the mining method and equipment which is used will be those which solve problems in a practical manner. Equipment and its inherent productivity and safety as supplied as "off the shelf" items by manufacturers often dictate the size of mine openings. Operators may tolerate falls of ground and associated hazards if productivity and safety problems are not too severe. In this whole process the costs of mining finally dictates just what system will be employed and what equipment will be used. True solutions to ground control problems sometimes require that the mine operator step back and totally rethink his problems. The true cost of accidents are often missed and hidden in overhead costs. Losses in production and accompanying profit are not fully considered, false economics, such as using inappropriate roof support devices, are undertaken at times when using the most expensive devices to totally eliminate accidents may be the best overall solution. Automation to remove the worker from the hazard area is often over- looked as the initial capitol expense to apply it may be high. Cooperation between mine engineers, mine operators, safety personnel, equipment suppliers, and government inspectors, both state and federal, is required to reach workable solutions that best meet the goals of all parties.

Jan 1, 1983

By E. J. Bruderlin

A METALLURGICAL process to be economically successful must be carried on under proper conditions of control and equipment. The question of equipment is always of primary importance. In the dis-tillation process for the recovery of zinc by retorting, the retort is the all-important piece of equipment. Each retort in a working block must function as a separate unit. Over-all block efficiency is the result of the ability of the individual retort -to withstand the severe conditions of operation for a maximum period of time. Therefore retort manufacture has been an ever present problem with the operator of a zinc-retort-ing plant. During recent years the zinc-plant operator has been faced with rapid changes in the character of the ores and concentrates. Operating costs have increased as a result of the- introduction of the flotation process and the amount of flotation concentrates to be handled. To counteract increasing costs, the operator has found it necessary continually to attempt heavier loading of retorts, until a 45 to 50-lb. charge per cubic foot of retort space has become common practice. Heavy loading has brought about severe firing conditions, which, in turn, have emphasized the necessity for further improving the quality of the retort. Increasing percentages of detrimental impurities in the retort charges have also added to the operator's difficulties.

Jan 1, 1936

By Doug Tesarik

The study of neutrinos?particles infinitesimally smaller than atoms?would be significantly advanced if a deep underground facility were available that would filter out unwanted cosmic radiation. Encouraging progress has been made in satisfying the criteria for such a facility with the selection of the Homestake Mine in Lead, SD, by the National Underground Laboratory Committee as the recommended site for a National Underground Science Laboratory (NUSL). The Homestake Mine is America?s oldest and deepest underground mine, and its well-maintained infrastructure to depths of 2438 m below the surface makes the mine an excellent site for such a laboratory. The investigation reported here is an initial study of the stability of the first of the proposed chambers. A cylindrical room with a dome-shaped roof and floor was analyzed in three dimensions using the finite-difference program FLAC3D. The results were compared to recommended support requirements based on Barton?s Tunneling Quality Index, Q. Based on model results and observations from previous mining studies, large rooms with 50-m roof spans can be constructed and will remain stable at 2141 m below the surface in the Poorman Formation when the rock is reinforced with cable bolts. Construction may be possible at lower levels in the Yates Formation if more extensive laboratory strength tests confirm initial results.

Jan 1, 2002

By J. A. Herbst, O. A. Bascur

Fine coal cleaning by froth flotation has become common practice in the US with more than 73 kt/d (80,000 stpd) treated in this way. In spite of this large tonnage, developments in the automated control of coal flotation circuits have lagged significantly behind those for mineral systems. The primary reason is that instruments have not been available for the online measurement of carbon ash content or other critical variables in coal slurries. A second reason is that the influence operating variables have on coal flotation are not completely understood. During the last few years, some of the needed instrumentation has been developed, while an improved knowledge of the flotation process itself has occurred through mathematical modeling. As a result, certain control strategies for coal flotation are beginning to emerge. This paper attempts to evaluate several control strategies using a detailed flotation dynamic simulator, Dynafloat. After construction of a process matrix for the system of interest, promising alternatives for linking manipulated and controlled variables were analyzed. To develop combined grade and recovery control strategies, it was necessary to construct a grade/recovery map with the aid of the simulator to drive the system to known, final, feasible grade/recovery operating conditions. Finally, an advanced strategy that uses an on-line model to identify disturbances and take control actions is proposed.

Jan 1, 1986

By K. L. Williams

The Bureau of Mines tested a prototype tapered-element oscillating microbalance (TEOM) dust monitor for measuring respirable coal mine dust. The monitor uses the inertial behavior of a vibrating element to measure the mass of sampled dust. Tests were performed to determine variability, drift, the effect of humidity, placement of collection filter, and element orientation during analysis, and comparability with gravimetric measurements of respirable coal dust. Variability was about 1.6 µg. Over about 26 h at 46 pct relative humidity, drift was very slightly negative. When the relative humidity was increased to 78 pct, all units showed a total positive change less then 40 µg over about 70h. Filter placement variation on the tapered element resulting from in- consistent sizing of the filter mounting bases caused significant error (up to 0.2 mg). In practice, calibration of the system for each new filter will eliminate that error. Orientation of the element during analysis did not introduce significant error, but care is necessary when mounting the canister that houses the element to avoid damping oscillation of the element. Dust tests were performed in an aerosol chamber using coal dust. Measurements made by the TEOM dust monitor agreed to within 10 pct of simultaneous measurements by gravimetric personal samplers.

Jan 1, 1986

Important chemical and other technical engineering work necessary, for the prosecution of this war is being carried on by the Bureau of Mines Experiment Station, at Washington, D. C. The services of trained men of the following classifications are urgently needed Bacteriologists Instrument makers Biologists Laboratory Assistants Chemists, Inorganic Laborers Chemists, Organic Machinists Chemists, Physical Physiologists Chemists, Electro- Plumbers Chemical Engineers Steamfitters Draftsmen Stenographers. Electrical Engineers Skilled labor of various kinds If your training fits you for any of these occupations, send to the Bureau of Mines, American University Experiment Station, . Washington, D. C. for blank forms. When properly executed and returned by you, these forms will be placed on file, and when a vacancy occurs you will be considered for it and will be notified if your services are desired. If you are a registrant in the draft, and have not yet been- ordered to camp, it may be possible to have you immediately inducted into the service for work here. If you are not in the draft, but feel that you wish to serve your country in the present crisis, you can enlist, or serve as a civilian. Serve your country where you can serve it best. VAN H. MANNING, Director.

Jan 6, 1918