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By Henry G. Morris

The use of compressed air for the transmission of power has reached so great a development that we find numerous large establishments devoted to the manufacture of machinery for its production and application, and special periodicals published for the dissemination of information on the subject. Moreover, its employment is so general in mining operations that no apology is needed for the presentation to the Institute of such a paper as the present. The admirable articles of Mr. E. A. Rix, published in Conzpressed Air, show a wide range in the mechanical efficiency of air-compressors, varying, under different conditions, from 15 to 60 per cent.; and it is evident that any

Jan 1, 1902

By T. J. McMahon

This Bureau of Mines study describes the development of a large-scale, three-dimensional, finite-element model of a deep-vein Coeur d?Alene District mine. The three-dimensional model was prepared from combined digitized mine maps and generated levels that may also be analyzed as independent two-dimensional models. A comparison of the stress changes and displacements was made following a simulated vein excavation in both the three-dimensional and two-dimensional models. A one-cut excavation was simulated with the two-dimensional model and a multiple-cut excavation was simulated with the three-dimensional model. The compared results from the two analyses are discussed in terms of the inherent differences between the models.

Jan 1, 1989

By Joseph C. Buchen

IN principle, production of salt from sea water is a simple operation. Sea water is trapped in ponds, the sun and wind cause evaporation of the water, and what is left is principally salt. Commercial production of solar salt, however, requires a careful consideration of many factors. Obviously, sufficient evaporation must take place throughout the making season to produce an economically adequate crop. Other factors are density of soil, contour of ground, height of ground above sea level, minimum dilution from fresh-water streams, and distance from market. Unfortunately, in the United States the localities of greatest evaporation, allowing for the other factors, are not the most suitable for the manufacture of sea salt by solar evaporation. The south end of San Francisco Bay most

Jan 1, 1937

Since 1992 the Grasberg Mine, located in the remote regions of Indonesia, has utilized the Modular Mining System. Over the last several years, major steps have been taken to maximize this productivity enhancement system. These steps include; the Automated Lineup, the Linear Program upgrade, tracking of Mean Time Between Failure, a MEDS system interface, a VMIS system interface, and implementation of the new Graphical Operator Interface Console with Global Positioning, This application of new technology and innovation has lead to improved performance, understanding and reporting, as well as the quality of the Indonesian Engineers. These efforts have contributed 10 Grasberg achieving one of the lowest mining costs in the copper industry.

Jan 1, 1998

By J. E. Berg

THE geology of the Coeur d'Alene mining district is so familiar to every one interested in mining that I will only note as an introduction that the main producers are mines whose orebodies lie in the Revett or Burke quartzites ; that the known orebodies in the eastern part of the district all lie north of the Osburn fault; that the Prichard formation is quite generally looked upon as being unfavorable for lead deposits ; that the monzonite intrusive mass extending north from Gem to Sunset Peak, and over into Cedar Creek divide, is considered to have been the prime agent in the crea-tion of our orebodies, and that diabase dikes are a quite common feature at most of the properties with which I am familiar. Some of the exceptions to these statements may be mentioned. The Interstate-Callahan mine is considered the exception disproving the alleged relation between large ore-deposits and the Prichard formation, but this property was primarily a zinc producer, with lead secondary, though of sufficient tonnage to be a valuable product. A second interesting occurrence in the Prichard worth calling to your attention is the Jack Waite property, on Tributary Creek, north of Murray. This vein lies at a low horizon in the Prichard forma-tion, and the ore differs essentially from others in the same horizon elsewhere in that it is a clean, medium to coarsely crystalline, lead ore carrying very little zinc, about one ounce silver to ten units lead, and is accom-panied by a clean quartz gangue or vein filling. I believe that quartz was the primary mineral in the fissure, and that the lead ore was deposited in the vein as a replacement of the quartz.

Jan 7, 1927

By Jeff Reid, Mohamed Maghari, Nicholas Joens

The Burnaby Mountain Tunnel was an integral part of the Trans Mountain Expansion Project. General Contractor, Kiewit Ledcor TMEP Partnership (KLTP), contracted with McNally Construction to build an underground tunnel between the Burnaby and Westridge Marine terminals under Burnaby Mountain. The pipeline was constructed within a 2.6-kilometre tunnel, eliminating the need to run the pipeline over the mountain and minimizing community impacts. The complexities of this Project led to multiple innovations, including the design of a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) capable of excavating through mixed-faced conditions concurrently thus allowing the Project team to complete the tunnel with limited geotechnical information.

Jun 23, 2024

By Gabriel R. Royo

This paper will cover a back up roll bearing technological upgrade, being implemented at the TERNIUM SIDERAR Hot Strip Mill (HSM), in San Nicolas, Buenos Aires, Argentina. This change was motivated by increased operating loads, which caused the original bearings to be outside the designed bearing rating. The problems were first identified by bearing seizures in some stands, and later followed by cracks forming in the back up roll neck areas due to fatigue and overload. MORGOIL engineers worked together with TERNIUM SIDERAR engineers in analysing the problem and to upgrade the mill with the newest and most economical technology. The upgrade consisted of changing the bearings to the latest generation MORGOIL bearing: the KLX, which within the same space, increases bearing capacity around 25%. This was accomplished re-utilizing all chocks. The new bearing allowed for a re-design of the geometry of the back up roll neck, making it much stiffer than the original design, and eliminating fatigue failures. In addition, an upgrade to hydraulic mounting and dismounting using the MORGOIL® HB lock was also implemented, as well as changing to the newest MORGOIL® HD seals. With the MORGOIL® KLX® upgrade, TERNIUM SIDERAR HSM increased load capacity, allowing them to roll products that were not even considered decades ago. Both older oil film bearings and roller bearing mills have been successfully upgraded while reusing existing chocks and in many cases rolls. Solutions are customized to the customer’s equipment and goals.

Oct 30, 2017

By McHenry Mosier

The application of diamond drills for blast holes is limited to the special Job of extracting floor and stope pillars, and therefore their operation is intermittent. The zinc ore drilled occurs in metamorphosed dolomitic limestone. The mining method is sublevel open-stoping on 200- foot lifts. Ample fresh air is provided by mechanical ventilation. Diamond drilling blast holes began in August 1944. Drills were mount- ed on a 3-inch quarry bar. The contract price for labor for operating equipment owned by the company was $0.23 per foot. The diamond bits were cast-set at the factory in a sintered tungsten matrix. Bit replacement costs were $0.15 to $0.20 per foot drilled. The feet drilled per bit ranged from 87 to 258. The feet drilled per diamond-drill shift ranged from 121 to 129. Holes were loaded with 60-percent special gelatin dyna- mite and fired electrically. In percussion drilling, the estimated feet drilled por machine shift with hand-held sinkers was 65. The tons broken per machine shift averaged 40 throughout the mine. Detachable bits have been adopted recently. The principal advantage of diamond-drilling blast holes at the Balmat mino is the extraction in a safe manner of ore not minable by short-hole drilling. The principal disadvantago is the greater cost per foot of holo in comparison with percussion drilling.

Jun 1, 1947

By Sun Ying, Zhang Jing, Li Qiu-ju, Wang Yan-ze

Copper smelter slag was leached using sulphuric acid solutions under atmospheric conditions. Base on the composition and phase of copper slag, the effect of the concentration of sulfuric acid and leaching temperature to the leaching growth rate of Fe, Cu, Co and Ni in the copper slag were investigated in this paper. Simultaneously, the influence of sulfuric acid concentration, leaching time, leaching temperature and the amount of sulfuric acid (solid-liquid ratio) to the leaching rate of these metal elements were researched. Experimental results showed that: with the increasing temperature, the dissolution rates of the metals elements increased first and then decreased. Due to the influence of silica gel which was obtained in beginning of leaching, the higher the concentration of sulfuric acid is not conducive to dissolution of the valuable metal elements. The dissolution degree of Fe, Cu, Co and Ni were 92.83% 96.76% 93.62% and 63.41% respectively.

Jan 1, 2016

By Steven E. Mischler, Jay F. Colinet

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) promulgated a rule in 2014 that required numerous changes in compliance dust sampling requirements for coal mine operators. Two key parts of this rule were the lowering of the respirable coal mine dust standard from 2.0 mg/m3 to 1.5 mg/m3 and requiring operators of underground coal mines to use a continuous personal dust monitor (CPDM) for compliance sampling. The CPDM currently approved for compliance sampling is equipped with a display that provides miners with in-shift information on their respirable dust exposure. The goal was to provide an indication of a potential overexposure and empower the miner and mine operator to implement changes in controls and/or operating practices to prevent an overexposure from occurring.

By LUIS ALBERTO TORRES-CRUZ

The Plewes method is relatively well known among geotechnical engineers interested in assessing the liquefaction potential of soil deposits. Furthermore, it was one of the four methods considered in the post-failure investigation report of the Feijao Dam I, also known as the Brumadinho Dam, in Brazil. The inclusion of the method in that report is likely to increase its visibility among geotechnical practitioners tasked with assessing the liquefaction potential of tailings. While the authors of the method duly presented it as a screening method, more recent technical literature contains conflicting views on its reliability. Considering the popularity of the method and that the safety record of tailings dams is a cause of great concern, this study assessed the uncertainty of results from the Plewes method. The study concludes that, even under optimistic assumptions, the results of the method are too uncertain for detailed characterization of tailings deposits.

By Robert Laurich

Chuquicamata pit was opened in 1915 with steam shovels and steam locomotives brought down from the Panama Canal excavation project. With expansions in the early years, more steam locomo¬tives were brought into the mine. IMPROVED LOCOMOTIVES During the period 1927 to 1937, electric locomo¬tives were purchased and main line and bench tracks were electrified. Third rail was installed up to the working areas. At first, the locomotives were equipped with batteries for service at the shovels, but charge life was too short and they were con¬verted to use the third rail and a reel with 3000 ft of trailing cable for service in the loading area.

Jan 11, 1959

By L. A. Arrington-Webb

The International Standards Organization (ISO) 9000 series of quality standards was published in 1987. First initiated by the British in the mid-1970's to assure the quality of British goods and services. ISO 9000 certification demonstrated the capability of a supplier to meet the requirements of the customer. Thiele Kaolin Company has invested considerable time and money achieving and maintaining ISO 9002 certification. Through a regimen of process control and documentation, routine audits, and a commitment to quality management, this kaolin producer continues to be a competitive pigment supplier in a world-wide market.

Jan 1, 1997

By Shigeru Ueda, Shin-ya Kitamura, Dong Jun Shin, Xu Gao

Steelmaking slag contains useful elements such as P and Mn. Generally, in the carbothermic reduction of slag, not only P but also Mn are reduced and a Fe–P–Mn alloy is formed. In this study, the possibility of the separation of Mn and P was investigated. A mixture of synthesized slag and graphite was heated at 1773 K, and the compositions of the separated slag and metal were analyzed. The results showed that with a decrease in basicity, the reduction of P was enhanced but that of Mn was suppressed. Thus, under an optimum condition, steelmaking slag was separated into a Fe–P alloy and a high MnO-containing slag. Although further investigation is necessary, the formed alloy and slag could be used as raw materials for fertilizers and Fe–Mn alloys, respectively. This paper elucidates the concept of this process and the results of the fundamental experiments.

Mar 1, 2018

By Peiye Yan, Huiqing Tang

To reduce coke consumption in blast furnace ironmaking, this study proposed a new method of applying iron-coke briquette prepared using hematite powder and pulverized coal to protect coke in BF iron making. Results showed that, with a ratio of hematite to coal of 2.0, the iron-coke briquette could obtain a satisfying compressive strength of more than 1500 N both before gasification and after being gasified by CO2 for 1 h. The activation energy of the iron-coke briquette was 93–135 kJ/mol, which is lower than the coke and therefore could protect the coke in BF. The agglomeration and stratification of iron particles occur in the course of iron-coke briquette gasi fication and is bene ficial to the improvement of the iron-coke briquette strength.

Mar 1, 2018

By Wangzhi Zhou, Huasheng Chen, Bowen Li, Meng Liu, Mingsheng He, Long Zou

Steel slag is an inevitable by-product from a steelmaking furnace such as a converter, an open-hearth furnace or an electric arc furnace. The yield of steel slag increases with the sharp rise of steel production. Utilizing the slag effectively and comprehensively is one of the important tasks to promote the development of iron and steel industry in China in a sustainable and efficient way. In this study, hot-poured steel slag from a converter was used to prepare ceramics by mixing with fly ash, microsilica, and quartz. After heating at 1100–1200 °C, the ceramics were well sintered. XRD revealed that multiple crystalline phases coexisted in the glass-ceramics, and the main crystalline phases were diopside and anorthite. SEM observation indicated that there was a plate-columnar composite structure in the ceramics. Reaction mechanisms were discussed.

Mar 1, 2018

By M. G. Silva-Valenzuela, H. Wiebeck, F. R. Valenzuela-Diaz, J. C. Arjona, S. H. Wang

Urea is the most used nitrogen fertilizer around the world being responsible for many environmental problems. Preparation of microcapsules from biodegradable polymer has been reported as a main system to sustain active substances, finding application in different areas. The objective of this work was to sustain urea in nanocomposite microcapsules of poly(3-hidroxybutyrate) (PHB) reinforced with a smectite Brazilian clay in its natural (MMT) and modified (OMMT) form. PHB/MMT and PHB/OMMT microcapsules were obtained by w/o/w emulsion. Characterization were performed by XRD and optical microscopy. Structural and morphological differences observed by XRD and optical microscopy shown that PHB/OMMT microcapsules are smaller than PHB/MMT microcapsules, with average size diameter ranging * 49 μm. Results indicate that PHB/OMMT microcapsules present more defects and fractures than PHB/MMT microcapsules.

Mar 1, 2018

By Dakota Faulkner

Unexpected roof falls often occur in the entries or intersections of active mining sections in underground mines. For large roof falls (greater than 20 ft in height), it becomes dangerous and impractical to clean up the rock debris and re-bolt the newly exposed roof strata. To help mine operators rehabilitate the roof fall areas in a quick, safe, and economic manner, Jennmar Corporation and Keystone Mining Services, LLC (KMS) designed, tested, and developed various impact-resistant (IR) steel set designs, as initially detailed in the proceedings of the 30th International Conference on Ground Control in Mining (ICGCM). Since then, the IR steel sets have been successfully installed in more than 100 roof falls in 43 different coal mines. Significant data has been obtained from these installations, enabling further refinement to and improvement on the design. This paper (1) updates drop test results of the IR lagging panel, (2) presents a case study of the performance of IR arch sets installed 56 months ago at a roof fall rehabilitation site, (3) demonstrates capacity evaluation of the IR steel set, and (4) outlines a preliminary applicability evaluation guideline of the IR steel set for a given roof fall condition. Field evaluation and structural numerical analysis indicate that impact capacity of the system is significantly higher than that of the IR lagging panel, as originally determined. It is concluded that, when evaluating the applicability of an IR steel set, ground control engineers should consider the IR lagging and steel set as an entire system and make a reasonable engineering decision based on actual roof fall geotechnical conditions.

Jan 1, 2014

"Horizontal grinding mills have been used in the mining industry for more than a century, and due to their operational and maintenance simplicity they remain a widely used technology for various stages of comminution. The relative ‘efficiency’ of horizontal grinding mills compared to other comminution equipment is often debated, and efforts to improve the energy efficiency of these mills is an on-going area of attention for process engineers.The discharge arrangement design affects the material transport characteristics within a horizontal grinding mill. Material transport plays a significant role on efficiency of horizontal grinding mills. The magnitude of benefits that can be achieved with efficient material transport in AG/SAG mills has been demonstrated in a Greenfield milling operation at Mirabela Mineração’s SantaRita Nickel operation in Brazil. This grinding circuit was commissioned in October 2009, which was designed as a typical SABC circuit to grind 4.6 mtpa (575tph) to produce a P80 of 125um with 10-12% ball charge in SAG mill. The nameplate design capacity has been achieved in few days in ABC circuit without grinding media in SAG mill, and has been operating in ABC mode. The through has gradually increased to an average of 800 tph and recently 7% ball charge has been introduced to increase the throughput to +900tph.This paper investigates improved material transport using Outotec’s TPL™ (Turbo Pulp Lifter) technology and the opportunities this technology presents when designing horizontal grinding mills. Operational data, with particular reference to energy and throughput optimization, is presented."

Jan 1, 2013

By A. Singh

The control of flotation plants is by no means trivial. Flotation is one of the most interactive minerals? processing operations. The interactive nature of flotation circuits results in oscillations of levels and hence of grades and recoveries. Also, poor level setpoint tracking and disturbances have negative influences on grades and recoveries. The result is an unstable plant with limited scope for optimization. An advanced controller, FloatStarTM, has been developed to provide tight control and to reduce the amount of disturbances in flotation levels. It has been shown on a number of plants that the system results in faster and better setpoint tracking, better regulatory control and faster settling times after start-ups and disturbances. The successful stabilization provided by FloatStar has made it easier to investigate the area of optimization on flotation circuits. Mintek has identified the need for a more meaningful set of setpoints or aeration rates to use as a basis for control than levels and have advocated flow control by looking after residence times. When the feed conditions change, the ideal solution would be an algorithm or strategy that finds the new optimum conditions rather than just having an unguided hunt from the previous point. A multivariable flow-optimizing algorithm, a new module in FloatStar, has been developed to calculate optimum level setpoints and/or aeration rates that will aim to optimize the residence times, mass pulls and circulating loads within a flotation circuit. Keywords: flotation, regulatory, FloatStar, start-up, disturbance, residence times, circulating loads

Jan 1, 2003