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By Erland A. Tillman

The U.S. National Committee on Tunneling Technology under the aegis of the National Academy of Sciences has long recognized that productivity in major underground construction projects could be increased through better contracting practices and better management. Between 1974 and 1978, this Committee has prepared three reports on these subjects. This paper reviews these reports and their recommendations. It covers the extensive actions by the U.S. National Committee on Tunneling Technology to bring the recommendations to the attention of leaders in the underground construction industry and thus further their adoption and implementation. These activities are continuing. Visibility in this session will give these reports and recommendations increased exposure.

Jan 1, 1981

By Henry Brehaut

The International Network for Acid Prevention (INAP) was formed in 1998 by 17 international mining companies to promote significant improvements in the management of sulphidic mine materials and the reduction of liability associated with acid drainage through knowledge sharing and research and development of technology. Since its inception two panels have been formed to identify and move forward with research projects and eight networks have been constituted to initiate interaction and knowledge sharing within the membership in specific areas of technical interest. An INAP web site has been developed to facilitate the sharing of information and to encourage the exchange and development of new ideas.

Jan 1, 2000

By Marian W. Otrebski, Julian A. Korneck

Long distance, overland conveyors require significant capital outlay of which up to 70% may be contributed to the cost of belting. Significant savings may be achieved by identifying possible risk areas and applying modern technology methods to reduce or eliminate risk. Recently, Sasol Coal commissioned an overland belt conveyor system comprising three belt conveyors of 7 km, 5 km and 4.5 km in length. These were designed and constructed taking the above into consideration. Contained in the paper are the belt conveyor system requirements, designing assumptions and methods applied in the designing process as well as ways and means to eliminate or at least reduce risks.

Jan 1, 1998

To cost-effectively reduce noise and vibration in newly manufactured mantrip vehicles. Approach Previous Bureau of Mines research demonstrated that noise controls could be in-stalled on existing mantrip vehicles, thereby substantially lowering noise levels inside the mantrip. Under Bureau sponsorship, a manufacturer of mantrip vehicles agreed to incorporate similar noise controls into a new vehicle during manufacture. Throughout this project, durability, maintainability, and cost were considered to be as important as noise reduction. How It Works The following noise-control features were included in the new mantrip: (a) Suspension Isolation- The suspension components were isolated by inserting elastomeric materials between them and the vehicle frame.

Jan 1, 1982

The Jurassic Walloon Coal Measures crop out over much of the Moreton Basin and contain numerous thin, banded coal seams which have been mined at various locations since the 1870s. Historically most mining has been by underground methods. Increased exploration during the 1970s and 1980s has led to the delineation of significant open cut coal resources and to the development of the Oakleigh, Jeebropillly and Ebenezer open cut coal mines in the Rosewood-Walloon area. Over 2 170 million tonnes in-situ of shallow, high volatile bituminous coal with a mean maximum vitrinite reflectance of between 0.5 and 0.6 have been proven in the Basin.

Jan 1, 1991

By J. Marshall Downey

The most fortunately situated U. S. potash producer-whether in New Mexico, California, or Utah--once simply took from the ground a mixture of sodium chloride and potassium chloride, crushed it to a maximum of 10 mesh, and separated the two salts by physical methods. He piled the sodium chloride on the desert and sold the potassium chloride to fertilizer mixing companies. Seven companies in the Carlsbad basin of New Mexico now use at least three basic processes for making the separation and at least three more processes have been or are under investigation. In addition, two companies outside the basin use two methods for taking KC1 from natural brines

Jan 12, 1958

By Marvin L. Whisman

A radiotracer technique developed by the Bureau of Mines extends to the parts-per-billion range the sensitivity for determining contributors of deposits formed in stored and thermally stressed jet fuels. The method depends upon measuring radioactivity associated with thermally induced deposits from fuels containing one labeled compound. The technique was applied to 88 test blends, representing 12 fuels and nine carbon-l4 labeled fuel constituents or fuel additives, or both. Data from results of these tests are included in this report. With this radiotracer technique, the contribution of fuel components and additives to thermally induced deposits in a variety of fuel environments was estimated before and after storage.

Jan 1, 1969

By Abrahamsson S, Niklasson B

In a follow-up of 12 production blasts in a quarry at the Mrica project on Java, tightly spaced porous bands were found to govern fragmentation to the extent that the average fragment size k5o was nearly independent of the specific charge within the range 0.30-0.56 kghn3. This fording resulted in a reduction of the running costs for drilling and blasting by 20-40%. Our work has given considerable practical benefits and insights into the blasting process, even if the results were of no direct use to check out fragmentation predictions based on models, which was one of our main Goals.

Jan 1, 1990

By Billingham R

The Department of Mines Tasmania employs a Drilling Section for specialised drilling re- quired by government and semi-government bodies. The section has a complement of nine crews oper- ating auger, cable tool, rotary and diamond drilling plants. For some years the Department has been involved in site investigation drilling of the Derwent River. The experience gained indicated that drilling methods should be altered. In 1976 an urgent programme was requested and the opportunity was taken to solve many problems associated with previous investigations. Equipment and methods are discussed in detail. The improved technique contributed to the suc- cessful completion of the Phase 1 site investi- Gation.

Jan 1, 1977

By D Gericke, R Cooke

This paper presents an assessment of the status in design and operation of deep level backfill distribution systems by referring to case studies and practical experience. The improvements in design and operation of the systems can largely be attributed to an improved understanding of slurry flow behaviour and a corresponding integrated design approach that includes slurry flow modelling, system design and application of the latest technology. The conclusions summarise the lessons learnt from such case studies and stresses the importance of design reviews and audits of existing systems as a means to ensure that the mistakes of the past are not repeated in the future.

Jan 1, 1998

By R. Q. Shotts

This paper is a review of recoverable reserves of bituminous coal in the Southern Appalachian area, according to the latest published estimates. A few comparisons are made, some apparent trends are discussed, and some comments are made regarding the limitations of present estimates. The definition of Southern Appalachian area used in this report is somewhat arbitrary. It includes all the bituminous coal deposits of Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. All of West Virginia has been excluded. The East Kentucky and Virginia counties included were selected in connection with a literature study the writer made in 1959 of possible coal supply areas for the Tennessee Valley Authority. The selected counties were considered to be the only ones from which TVA might expect to obtain coal. The availability of coal from some of these counties is doubtful, but no other East Kentucky counties were considered more than remote possibilities. With these limitations, the Appalachian area covered is that from which producers of electric power and steel and commercial coal users, located in the Southeastern U. S., may expect to obtain their supplies of coal. Of course, it is recognized that coal from the eastern interior fields is also available to many of these same organizations. RANK AND QUALITY OF THE COALS Practically all the coals in the Southern Appalachian region are of high volatile A bituminous rank. An occasional sample indicates a slightly lower rank, but such samples may be oxidized or otherwise not representative. Some thin beds in Lookout Mountain and Sand Mountain in Alabama and Georgia, are low volatile bituminous coals, but they have not been mined extensively in modern times. There is a possibility that some of the deeper beds along the southeastern edge of the Warrior field of Alabama are near the Low-medium volatile bituminous dividing line. The Sewanee bed and some other minor ones of the Southern Tennessee field, some of the lower beds in Virginia, many beds in Sand and Lookout Mountains in Georgia and Alabama, one or more beds in the Coosa field, possibly some lower beds in the Cahaba field, and most of the beds along the southeastern edge of the Warrior field and the southern end of the Sequatchie anticline of Alabama, are of medium volatile bituminous rank. The quality of the Southern Appalachian coals is highly variable. Some of them, particularly such prevailingly thin ones as the Black Creek bed of Alabama and the Straight Creek bed of Kentucky, are unusually low in mineral matter— probably the lowest in the U. S. With the exception of certain beds and local areas, Alabama and East Kentucky coals probably have as low average ash and sulfur content as can be found in any sizeable coal area in the country. The sulfur content of Southern Appalachian coals is also variable, but few beds are consistently high in sulfur. In Alabama, sulfur generally increases from southeast to northwest across the Warrior field, but this trend is not quite as clear in the other states. A few beds in Northern Tennessee are prevailingly high in sulfur. All Southern Appalachian coals are potential coking coals if they can be prepared to meet chemical requirements. Only a comparatively small part of the medium volatile A bituminous coal, but most of the medium volatile bituminous coal mined is actually used for coking purposes. An estimate of reserves of coking coal under the requirements of present practice, could be compiled comparatively easily, but this probably has never been done. The reserve of coal that can be coked as an ingredient of a suitable blend is probably many times the size of the reserves of coal that will yield suitable blast furnace and foundary coke without blending. WHAT CONSTITUTES ECONOMICALLY RECOVERABLE COAL RESERVES? When one first realizes the vast extent of the coal-bearing rocks in the Southern Appalachian area, (see Fig. 1) the thought is likely to occur that the supply of coal is inexhaustible. This is particularly true on realizing that in some of the basins of thicker coal-

Jan 1, 1962

It is shown that, when a flat-bottomed indentor is pressed into the surface of a strong rock, the normal force necessary to cause failure of the rock is reduced substantially if a shear force is applied to the indentor. A mathematical analysis is described, which shows that higher stresses are induced in an elastic material close to the free surface of the material ahead of a punch when a shear force together with a normal force is applied to the punch. Therefore, failure of the material would occur with lower forces applied to the punch. Stress trajectories show that fractures develop in the rock along lines of maximum principal stresses.

Jan 1, 1978

By Jorgen Elbrond, Xiaoli Tang

In this paper we apply continuous-time option pricing theory (Dixit 8 Pindyck 1994) to show how to obtain an optimal investment rule for a mining project which requires sequential in- vestments. The application per se is to some extent very simple. The main purpose of the paper, however, is to draw the attention of mining people to how the option pricing theory may be used to capital investment decisions. This topic in economics is quite new but is attracting a lot of attention.

Jan 1, 1996

By R. S. Shrode, R. F. Bunting

Transportation is one of several important increments in the total market cost of most commodities. On a national average it has been reported that transportation accounts for about 25% of the total cost of a product at the market place. And industrial minerals are no exception. In fact, the proportionate cost frequently exceeds the 25% average. Further, it may actually determine the economic value of a deposit. Transportation possibly may be thought of as a specialized subject, of concern only to a traffic manager and of only nominal interest to the mining engineer, the geologist or other technically oriented member of a mineral producers' staff. However, in the industrial minerals field, interest is not commonly confined to exploration, development, production or marketing, but is in contrast an overlapping one. In a very real sense this broad area of interest in the total economics of the business is the specialty of the industrial minerals man. And transportation is a vital part of the total picture.

Jan 1, 1970

By R. Van Hille, S. Lacour, A. E. Lewis, K. Peterson

"This paper compares thermodynamic modelling results with those obtained for copper sulphide removal from aqueous solution in both continuous and batch experiments at laboratory scale. Sulphide precipitation has been demonstrated to be an effective method for heavy metal removal. The advantages are the high degree of metal removal at low pH, low quantities of sludge formation, the ease of de-watering and low reactor retention time due to high reactivity of sulphides. However, the low solubility of sulphide species can lead to spontaneous nucleation of fines, which are difficult to remove.Theoretical modelling was carried out using ASPEN Plus™ and OLI systems Inc ESP process. Both simulators were used to calculate copper sulphide recovery and residual aqueous copper concentrations as a function of pH. The predictions were then compared with experimental results. Both simulations predicted that all of the inlet copper would precipitate as sulphide CuS(s) over the entire range of pH and sulphide: copper molar ratios investigated. The simulation results were strongly influenced by the number of chemical species and the nature of the thermodynamic data taken into account in the model.The continuous experimental studies were carried out in a fluidised bed reactor (FBR). Copper sulphate was reacted with sodium sulphide and the solid precipitated directly onto the pellets in the FBR. The use of sulphide was motivated by high sulphate levels in local acid mine drainage and the ultimate integration of the metal removal process with a biological sulphate reducing process that produces an aqueous sulphide stream.A maximum dissolved copper removal of 99.6% (AAS analysis) and a total removal efficiency of 95.8% (dissolved copper minus fines) were achieved. Stoichiometry of the precipitate was determined from SEM/EDAX analysis (atomic percentages) and was close to 1/1, irrespective of the operating conditions."

Jan 1, 2003

August 10 to 14, 1914, inclusive Headquarters will be at the Hotel Utah. The following program of the meeting has been arranged y the Local Committees: Monday, August 10.-Members and guests will register at the Secretary's desk in Room C-38, Hotel Utah, and receive the official badges, booklets and programs of the meeting. At 2:30 P. M., there will be an organ recital at the Mormon Tabernacle, after which members and guests will be taken for a trip around Salt Lake City in sight-seeing motor cars. At 8:30 P. M., the ladies will assemble in the lobby of the Hotel Utah, where they will be met by the members of the Ladies' Entertainment Committee, and will be taken for an automobile drive about the city. At 8:30 P. M., a technical session will be held in the ballroom of the Hotel Utah. The following papers will be presented: F. W. BACORN: An Amendment to Sales's Theory of Ore Deposition. C. W. GOODALE: Drumlummon Mine, Marysville, Mont. I. B. JORALEMON: The Ajo Copper-Mining District. STUART CROASDALE: Leaching Experiments on the Ajo Ore. FRANK R. VAN HORN: The Occurrence of Bournonite, Jamesonite, and Calamine at Park City. HOWLAND BANCROFT: Dip Chart. M. N. ALLING: Ancient Auriferous Gravel Channels of Sierra County, California. B. S. BUTLER AND H. D. MCCASKEY: Copper Ores of the New London Mine. GEORGE A. PACKARD: Rope Idlers in the Raven Shaft. ARTHUR CROWFOOT: Development of the Round Table at Great Falls. FREDERICK LAIST AND A. E. WIGGIN: The Slime-Concentrating Plant at Anaconda. W, L, AUSTIN: The Treatment of Copper Ore by Leaching Methods. W. L. AUSTIN: Leaching Copper Products at the Steptoe Works.

Jan 8, 1914

By J. Bruce Gemmell

ODP Leg 158 drilled seventeen holes into the active TAG hydrothermal mound and underlying stockwork, 26°N, Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Drilling in five different areas, including a high-temperature black smoker complex and a lower-temperature white smoker vent field, revealed the multi-stage depositional history and character of sub-seafloor mineralization and alteration. The upper portion of the mound consist of massive pyrite and pyrite breccias which are underlain by pyrite-anhydrite breccias and then by quartz-pyrite breccias. Quartz-pyrite breccias grade down into silicified wallrock breccias. Chloritised basalt breccias occur at depths greater than 100 m. Several stages of quartz-pyrite±chalcopyrite veins occur in the stockwork zone and lower portions of the mound, whereas anhydrite±pyrite±chalcopyrite veins occur within the upper parts of the mound. Recovery of unaltered basalt near the edges of the mound has constrained the extent of the stockwork zone to a pipe-like feature 80 meters in diameter. A detailed sulfur isotope investigation of sulfides and sulfates within mound and the underlying stockwork zone has revealed the overall range of sulfide d34S analyses to be 0.35% to 10.27%. Anhydrite has a tight range of d34S values 20.55% to 21.56%. There are distinct differences in d34S values between the different textural types of pyrite (massive sulfide, breccia clasts, disseminations associated with alteration, and veins). The massive sulfide and breccia clasts have a similar distribution of d34S values (6%-8%), however the d34S values of the disseminated pyrite associated with the alteration are distinctly heavier (8%-10%). Vein sulfides have the lightest d34S values (5%-7%). Sulphur-isotope values at TAG are, in general, the heaviest reported for unsedimented mid-ocean ridge deposits.

Jan 1, 1998

By Carl Scholz

During November and December, 1907, four serious mine-explosions occurred in the Appalachian coal-field, which resulted in the loss of nearly a thousand lives and caused an eliormous damage to propcrty. These accidents attracted more than the usual attention; coal-trade and engineering papers contained many comments and suggestions on the cause and prevention of accidents; the daily press in many instances condemned the coal-operators and charged these accidents to their negligence, or their anxiety to make money without adopting precautionary measures. Immediately after cach accident the respective State authorities ordered close investigations to be made, with the view of establishing the cause and suggesting remedies to prevent recurrence. Representatives of the Technologic Branch of the IT. S. Geological Survey, to whom the investigation of mine-accidents had recently been delegated by the Secretary of the Interior, visited the mines and co-operated with the local authorities in their determinations. It may be safe to say here that an investigation of a mine after an explosion has occurred discloses but little, because the causes hare been removed and conditions have been entirely changed. On Jan. 8, 1908, the coal-operators of West Virginia organized an association at qTashington for the purpose of making extensive investigations, and sufficient funds were pledged to carry out this work. At this organization meeting, the representatives of the Geological Survey present had no suggestions to offer as to the cause of these accidents. An examinatiou of the various reports concerning these accidents indicates that the explosions were caused by the ignition of gas or dust; they show the point of origin and the direction in which the force was expended, and give a detailed description of the damage done. Very little has bee11 said as to what

Jan 1, 1909

By Lloyd A. Morley, Robert Stefanko

1 Abaibanel, S , "Deflection of Confining Walls by Explosive Loads," Israel Jour. Technology, vol. 4, n. 1, Feb 1966. 2 Albertoni, S and others, "Numerical Computation Methods for Implosion Processes," EURATOM Proc. of the Conf. on Megagauss Magnetic Field Generation by Explosives and Related Experiments, Milan (Italy), July, 1966. 3 Alexander, S. J , and Hambly, E. C., "Design of Structures to Withstand Gaseous Explosions," Concrete, vol. 4, n 2, Feb. and March, 1970. 4 Anonymous (Belgium Institute of Extractive Industries), "Report for 1968 (covering approved equipment for Belgiums gassy coal mines)," (in French and Flemish), Amales des Mines de Belgigue, n. 6, June, 1969. 5. Anonymous (Ghent Univ., Belgium), "The Welding of Very Thick Steels. Margin of Uncertainty of the Robertson Test," EURATOM Contract 042-61-9-RDB, May 20, 1965. 6. Anonymous, "Inportance of the Nature and Size of Weld Defects with Regard to the Mechanical Strength of Pressure Vessels, (in Flemish), A. Sys. Rev. Soudure, vol. 27, n. 3, 1971. 7. Anonymous (Raentgen Technische Dienst N V., Rotterdam), "Non¬Destructive Welding," Quarterly Report No 13, EURAEC - 1342, March 30, 1965. 8. Anonymous (Staff, USBM Safety Research Center), "Research and Technologic Work on Explosives, Explosions, and Flames: Fiscal year 1969," USBM IC8492, 1970. 9. Anonymous, "Symposium on Flameproofing Intrinsic Safety and Other Safeguards in Electrical Instrument Practice, April 27, 1962," IEEE Conf. Report Ser. 3, 1963. 10. Anonymous, "Unfired Pressure Vessels," ASME Pressure Vessel Code, Sec. 8, 1965. 11. Anonymous, "Unusual Pressure Relief Devices," Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, vol 54, n. 1, Jan., 1962. 12. Archer, G. L., "Design to Avoid Brittle Fracture in Welded Structures," Paper No. 4, Improving Welded Prod Design, vol. 1, Welding Inst., Cambridge, England, 1971. 13. Bailey, F. C., "Buckling and Failure Strength of Plating Panels Loaded in Shear," Final Report NASA Contract NObs-72290, Lessels and Assoc., Inc., Waltham, Mass., Sept. 20, 1963.

Jan 1, 1974

INTRODUCTION Great emphasis has been given throughout this text to the necessity of maintaining the integrity of mineralogical populations when operating upon sample data drawn from mixed populations. Mineral deposits rarely are completely homogeneous and often consist of many subsets separated by geological and mineralogical boundaries. Sometimes different mineral populations are difficult to distinguish, and may be inadvertently lumped together-often without serious consequences, but more often with detrimental effects upon analytical results. The geologist must accept the responsibility for recognizing and recording mineral boundaries that may include: changes in mineral suites, lithological horizons, host rock types, faulted and offset segments, zones of enrichment or depletion, and several other geological and mineralogical changes that effect mineralogical structuring and distribution within a deposit. When employing conventional methods for assigning estimated values to irregularly shaped mineral inventory blocks, it was only necessary for the geologist or engineer to con- fine the block limits to the known geologic boundaries. Thus if a fault interrupted the mineral zone, the trace of the fault could be used as a block boundary. Intelligent decisions could always be made as to which blocks to include in each mineral population. However, with the advent of the computer, which per- mits the computation of mineral inventory blocks using better mathematical estimation techniques, there now enters the "boundary problem." Unless the computer can be programmed to recognize population differences and geologic boundaries, greater estimation errors will be found in computer-generated mineral reserves rather than in less sophisticated conventional inventories. Much disillusionment has been expressed over the years by experienced mineral appraisers as a result of their study of computer-generated inventories that failed to account adequately for geologic vagaries. Many, thus disillusioned, have concluded that computer techniques are not satisfactory, or have only limited applications to simple deposits. As with all problems in the mineral industry,

Jan 1, 1980