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By I. A. Mwamba

Titanium sponge, which is almost pure titanium, is extremely ductile and not easily processed into titanium powder. One method of producing powder is the hydride-dehydride (HDH) process, where titanium sponge is hydrided to form brittle titanium hydride (TiH2). Titanium hydride is easily milled to produce powder and is then dehydrided to form Ti powder. In this work, titanium hydride powder obtained from titanium sponge was used as a starting material for blending and mechanical alloying with elemental powders. Firstly, titanium hydride powder was blended with aluminium elemental powder to produce a homogenized powder, which was then compacted and sintered to produce powder metallurgy compacts. Secondly, titanium hydride powder was mechanically alloyed with aluminium elemental powder and then compacted. The mechanically alloyed powder was characterized in terms of particle size distribution, morphology and microstructure. In both blending and mechanical alloying, the green compacts were characterized by assessing the green density, while the sintered compacts were characterized by their sintered density, microstructure, and hardness. The two processes have resulted in the formation of TiA13 intermetallic compound. It was established that by simple mixing and homogenizing, titanium hydride can be used as a starting material to produce powder metallurgy components in which porosity is a benefit rather than a problem, much akin to metallic foams. From the products obtained in the TiHz-Al system, it appears that titanium hydride can be used as a precursor in mechanical alloying. However, the possible formation of complex hydrides may introduce detrimental properties, and needs to be further investigated. For the production of non-porous components, it would be advisable to dehydrogenate the TiH2 powder before milling i.e. producing titanium powder by the hydride-dehydride (HDH) method. Keywords Mechanical alloying, titanium hydride, titanium aluminide and blending

Jan 1, 2011

By Jom Gentry

Acrylamide chemical grout (C3H2NO) has been successfully used for over 50 years to control groundwater and stop infiltration. This paper will address three unique projects involving the control of groundwater with each study providing special circumstances and geological conditions: encapsulation of radioactive hazardous waste in the United States, a tailings dam for a large copper/gold mine in Argentina and 27 miles of leaking subway in Canada. The primary reasons for selecting acrylamide grout were based on the following characteristics: thinnest chemical grout on the market, a true solution grout which contains no suspended solids in the blended product, flexible gel set times, and a 362 year half-life in soil as determined by the U.S. Department of Energy.

By F. Habashi

It has been estimated that about 45 tonnes of mercury are emitted annually in the USA in the atmosphere as a result of burning coal in power-generating plants. A similar situation had existed in the metallurgical industry particularly in zinc production plants but this problem has been solved long ago by introducing scrubbing systems. Methods of mercury removal and recovery are discussed.

Jan 1, 2010

By M. J. Blackburn

The ordering reaction and its effect on dislocation awangements in alloys based on Mg3Cd has been studied by transmission electron microscopy. Ordering occurs by the growth of ordered domains until they impinge, thus producing an antiphase domain boundary (APB) network. In the disordered alloy, slip is confined to the basal plane while in the ordered condition slip occurs on the basal, prism, and pyramidal planes. Superdislocations have been identuied on these planes and their origin and expected spacings are discussed and compared with the observations. The APBs between the dislocation pairs have been resolved and have proved useful in the identification of superdislocations. Observed slip structures are related to the changes in mechanical properties produced by ordering. At high temperatures magnesium and cadmium form a continuous series of disordered hexagonal solid solutions. At lower temperatures three ordering reactions occur; two based on the compositions Mg3Cd and MgCd3 are transformations to DO19-type superlattices while alloys based on the composition MgCd transform to a B19 lattice. The ordering process in alloys near the composition Mg3Cd has been studied by several workers'-4 and it has been shown to be a first-order type transformation. The variation of mechanical properties with the degree of order and temperature have been reported in some detail by Stoloff and Davies.5 It was shown that the disordered alloy was stronger and less ductile than the ordered alloy, the differences being attributed to changes in the number of active slip planes and to the presence of short-range order in the disordered alloy. In this investigation the ordering reaction has been qualitatively followed by transmission electron microscopy. The effect of this ordering transformation on the dislocation arrangements in deformed specimens has been studied in some detail. EXPERIMENTAL Alloys were melted in a stainless-steel crucible under a flux and chill cast; both melting and casting were performed in an argon atmosphere. The ingots were hot-rolled and tensile specimens cut from the resultant strips. Some large-grained specimens were grown by the strain-anneal method. Heat treatment was carried out in inert atmosphere furnaces and in oil baths at the lower temperatures. Thin foils for transmission electron microscopy were produced by electropolishing in a cooled solution (temp = -40°C) containing 50 cu cm of nitric acid and 180 cu cm of methanol at a potential of 10 v. The ordering reaction was followed by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray, and electrical resistivity measurements but this paper will be concerned chiefly with the electron-microscopy results. Much of the work described in this paper was performed on an alloy containing 26.10 at. pct Cd although two of the micrographs are taken from work on a 25.55 at. pct Cd alloy. RESULTS i) The Quenched Solid Solution. Specimens which were quenched from above the critical temperature showed diffuse superlattice reflections. sark-field analysis on these reflections failed to reveal the presence of ordered domains and thus the superlattice reflections were assumed to arise from regions of short-range order. Quenching from temperatures of 400" to 450°C results in the formation of dislocation loops and helical dislocations. Such defects have been observed and analyzed in detail in several hexagonal metals6-' and as the crystallography and interactions of such loops appear similar in this alloy they will not be reported in detail. Fig. 1 shows a high density of loops

Jan 1, 1968

By G. L. Oldright, Virgil Miller

"ACKN0WLEDGMENTSThe data given in this paper were collected at the Bunker Hill smelter through the courtesy of Stanley A. Easton, the vice-president and general manager, Frank M. Smith, the smelter director, and with the assistance and cooperation of A. F. Beasley, the smelter superintendent, and his staff members.THE BLAST FURNACE AND PLANTThe general lay-out of the recently built (1917) Bunker Hill plant has been given in the technical press in articles that were cited in Report of Investigations 3088. In addition it may be noted that the description of an ideal smelter given by Riddell 5 a year later fits the Bunker Hill smelter very well, with some changes, such as the location of the stack, made necessary by topography. For purposes of this article on the blast furnace it may suffice to state that the plant is one of the ""side hill location"" type. The various successively lower benches may roughly be considered as made for (1) the stack, (2) Cottrells and bag houses, (3) Dwight and Lloyd sintering machines with the equipment or bins for handling or mixing the feed and storing the finished product, sinter, and (4) the blast furnace feed floor with a slightly rising gradient to the bottom of the bins for sinter, feed, and take. The lowest bench (5) might be considered that of the blast furnace tapping floor at which or at appropriately slightly lower elevations are located the units for softening, refining, and treating precious metals, and for casting and loading lead. A very careful study of grades was made in order to be able to handle the products easily. All units were left with at least one end open to permit expansion of the plant, it desired, and each unit was separated from the other, evidently so that the operators on one level would be annoyed as little as posssible with the products made on another."

Apr 1, 1931

By Osvaldo Guilherme Comineli

An extensive investigation into the role of low copper contents on the hot ductility of C-Mn-Al steels has been carried out in order to better understanding the problem of “hot shortness”. Previous work has suggested that this problem results from the build up of Cu that occurs at the surface of the steel as a consequence of the preferential oxidation of iron. This causes the formation of a Cu-rich film of low melting point. A nickel addition has been reported as a solution to the problem, since it increases the solubility of copper in the austenite. After hot tensile testing to failure, samples of Cu-containing steels have been examined using optical, scanning and transmission electron microscopes. Recently published results indicate that copper, in addition to precipitating out as CuS, also segregates to MnS inclusions forming a shell around them. This does not seem to impair the hot ductility under an inert atmosphere, but may have serious consequences under an oxidising environment and lead to “hot shortness”. The influence of nickel in improving the hot ductility seems to be due to it forming a higher melting point alloy with the segregated copper. Data from this incomplete work also suggests that Ni reduces the precipitation of CuS particles. Current investigation carried out using confocal microscopy still to be completed will improve the understanding of the role of copper and nickel on the problem of “hot shortness”.

Aug 8, 2018

Failure of rock materials is a process of crack propagation. Crack initiation takes place when the crack tip stress intensity K reaches a critical value called fracture toughness, K1C. The rock fracture toughness is known to be affected by the surrounding environment such as temperature, confining pressure and humidity. In order to examine the effect of humidity, a series of semi-circular bend tests were performed under various water vapour pressures in a rock material that is known to be anisotropic. Water vapour promotes stress corrosion of rock and therefore the fracture toughness was found to have a decreasing trend with increasing water vapour pressure. The rate of decreasing the fracture toughness depends on the microcrack density that promotes the migration of water vapour into the rock. Also in an anisotropic rock, the fracture toughness depends on the direction of crack in relation to the anisotropy of the rock material.

Dec 6, 2010

By B. Simser

Rockbursting around underground excavations continues to be a core risk for many deep mining operations. Numerous advancements in mine design, preconditioning, monitoring, mining equipment, exclusion zones, and ground support have significantly lowered the risk to mine workers. As mining continues in deeper, more challenging environments, a multitiered approach to rockburst risk mitigation, starting with mine design, is required. Both the overall mine sequence, for example, avoiding converging mining fronts, and local design “stick handling” can play an important role in risk reduction. Rockburst case studies dating back to the late 1990s up until 2024 are used to highlight risk factors and risk mitigation (tactical and strategic). Examples from several deep hard rock mines are used, generally in high horizontal stress fields (k ratios 1.5 to 2), and strong brittle rock (> 200 MPa unconfined compressive strength). Mining induced stresses as well as high in situ stress due to depth are discussed. The context is Canadian mining, which typically has highly mechanised operations, large openings and equipment. Examples from a narrow vein mine and shaft sinking are also given because neither environment is simple to mechanise, highlighting the need for other risk mitigations. A “sieve” analysis based on mine incident reports is used to show how a multi-tiered risk management plan can lower exposure to violent ground failures. A few incidents still make their way through the “sieve,” indicating a need for further improvements. Thoughts on future/ current developments, and their strategic importance are given. Ground support is the last line of defence. The proliferation of multiple styles of yielding tendons and support systems has made many choices available to rock engineering professionals. Despite the increased availability of dynamic ground support components, there are still difficulties getting clean load transfer to bolts, determining support demand, monitoring loss of capacity over time/mining, and evaluating true system capacity. Virgin development in deep high stress brittle rock can result in high strainburst exposure prior to any stoping operations. The mining process must reduce worker exposure to unsupported rockmasses. Successful preconditioning in a shaft sinking operation, the use of high early strength shotcrete, and mechanised equipment are also discussed.

Nov 24, 2025

By Ivan Malinsky, Gérard Castonguay

"On a développé un procédé qui donne une fonte (2,3% C, 0,07% V) du V2O5 (99%) et un rutile synthétique (94% TiO2) à partir d'un minerai, dont les réserves au Québec sont importantes. Le procédé comprend les opérations suivantes: 1) la concentration magnétique du minerai (30% Fe, 9% TiO2 et 0,65% V2O5) pour produire un concentré (65% Fe, 7% TiO2 et 1,6% V2O5); 2) le smeltage du concentré aggloméré dans un four à arc, sans fondant, pour produire une fonte et une scorie (30% FeO, 40% TiO2 et 8,0% V2O5) qui contient plus de 95% du vanadium et du titane présents dans le concentré; 3) le grillage alcalin (37% Na2CO3) de la scorie suivi d'une lixiviation à l'eau et de la précipitation de l'hexavanadate d'ammonium à partir du filtrat; 4) la lixiviation du résidu par l'acide sulfurique pur ou usagé pour produire un rutile synthétique. Un estimé préliminaire de la valeur économique du projet laisse croire à sa rentabilité à la condition que l'investissement pour le smeltage soit inférieur à environ 400$/tonne de fer.IntroductionLes gisements de magnétites titanifères sont nombreux dans le monde. Ils consistent en une magnétite étroitement liée a l'ilménite, La teneur trop élevée en TiO2 empêche l'exploitation de ces gisements pour la production de fer. Cependant, dans certains cas, la magnétite a une teneur intéressante en vanadium qui peut rendre l'exploitation de ces gisements rentable. Aujourd'hui, les magnétites titanifères constituent la plus importante source de production de vanadium. On estime qu'environ 70% du vanadium produit provient de ces sources."

Jan 1, 1983

By Gary E. Geiger

laboratory studies were performed to assess the calcium carbonate inhibition performance of phsophonates and polymeric dispersants at high hardness and high pH conditions. Based on the results of these studies, a new calcium carbonate treatment program was developed that shows excellent Inhibition characteristics and Is not sensitive to calcium hardness.

Jan 1, 1998

By Jr. Herty

As the problem of inclusions in steel has become increasingly important, more and more attention has been paid to the source of the oxide inclusions in steel. In killed steels the oxide inclusions are traceable to the reaction of deoxidizers with the iron oxide dissolved in the steel during the refining period of the open-hearth heat. In a large class of steel known as "rimming steel" the action of the steel during solidification depends entirely on the gas evolved, and this evolution in turn is controlled by the amount of iron oxide in the liquid steel in the mold. It is therefore of great importance to be able to determine the amount of iron oxide dissolved in steel and to devise methods for the control of iron oxide in any class of steel. The object of the present investigation was to obtain a true value of the oxygen con-tent of liquid steel. If the steel has not been deoxidized, the greater percentage of the oxygen is present as iron oxide in solution.

Jan 1, 1932

By Juan Ares, Enrique Fernández, Alejandro Sanz, Francisco González

"INTRODUCTION Crossrail is a subsidiary company of Transport for London created for the construction of a new transverse train line 118 km long between Maidenhead and Heathrow in the West, and Shenfield and Abbey Wood in the East, including 21 km underground below London. Crossrail C305 Eastern Running Tunnels project is the biggest contract within Crossrail Project and involved boring 11.8 km of twin tunnels through London’s city center. Crossrail C305 Project interfaced with different contracts along its alignment and therefore logistics and solutions had to be developed to minimize disruptions or interferences with other contractors and the neighborhood. The paper describes this innovative approach. C305 CONTRACT APPROACH C305 contract was split into three drives, to be excavated by four EPB TBMs 7.1m diameter, as shown in Figure 1. •,Drive Y: 8.2km long between Limmo Peninsula and Farringdon Station in the city center •,Drive Z: 2.7km long between Pudding Mill Lane and Stepney Green Junction •,Drive G: 0.9km long between Limmo Peninsula and Victoria Dock Portal in the East. Crossrail C305 Project scope of works included the excavation of TBM tunnels and shafts at Limmo Peninsula and Stepney Green (including 17m span turnout caverns), along with the requirement to traverse station and shaft structures of other Crossrail contracts. Limmo Peninsula Site was a strategic element as it was the only access point on the tunnel alignment with sufficient available area at the surface for tunnelling logistics and also connected to the Lea River, tributary of the River Thames which facilitated marine operations for segment supply and muck removal. These were the reasons for operating Drive Y & Drive G TBMs from that location. Drive Z TBMs were originally planned to be launched from Stepney Green to Pudding Mill Lane, supplying the TBMs during Drive Z excavation from Limmo Peninsula site through the excavated section of Drive Y between Limmo and Stepney Green. During the early stages of the project, a value engineering proposal with a new tunneling strategy was agreed wherein the Pudding Mill Lane contractor would provide space for TBM assembly and operation in their portal, allowing for reversing Drive Z excavation and launching the two TBMs from Pudding Mill Lane. This optimization reduced some of the shaft requirements at Stepney Green which were contingent upon critical enabling works and provided program certainty and cost savings for the full Crossrail Project. It allowed for the reuse of both the Drive Z TBMs for Drive G excavation from Limmo to Victoria Dock Portal thereby saving on the procurement of two TBMs, in addition to easier logistics for both Drives Y&Z, therefore de-risking the TBM excavation process and the C305 Project program completion."

Jan 1, 2016

By G. M. Wilemon

The U.S. Bureau of Mines has conducted investigations on extracting phosphate values from wastes generated during the mining and beneficiation of phosphate matrix. These wastes may contain up to one third of the phosphate originally present in untreated ore. Samples of wastes were air-dried and leached using 93 pct sulfuric acid in the presence of methanol. Evidence for the formation of a calcium sulfate hemihydrate coating that hinders complete dissolution of phosphate is presented. Solid-liquid separations were enhanced when flocculation was effected using poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) in conjunction with hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) or hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC. A conceptual flowsheet for a proposed process using an acid-alcohol leaching technique is presented.

Jan 1, 1990

By Ashraf M. Eid

Most research dealing with the problem of laterally loaded piles has been the response of individual piles subjected to lateral loads and/or bending moments. However, piles are seldom used individually but are normally constructed in clusters or groups. Little information is available of the effect of pile-soil-pile interaction (PSPI) on the performance of the group. This may be attributed to the difficulty of carrying out full-scale tests. Such tests are prohibitively expensive and require special installations to provide the required large lateral loads. The problem of laterally loaded single piles or pile groups involves the complexity of extending the theoretical solutions to the limits where the actual soil behaves nonlinearly. As the load increases, the elastic soil behavior cannot be adopted for design. Nonlinear soil behavior or the elasto-plastic behavior is evident. This research consists of experimental and theoretical models. The experimental work was conducted on models of free head pile groups in different configurations. The piles were in a sand formation and compared to the behavior of a single pile. The possible factors that influence the group behavior could be visualized. The experimental data was also compared to the widely used theoretical approaches to determine their adequacy. The analytical model makes use of the finite difference approach to calculate the soil non-linearity. A new approach equates the measured ground deflection and maximum bending moments of each row at every load level with the analytical model of single pile. This is the Deflection-Moment Fitting (DMF). The most suitable non-linear soil modulus modes and row contributions could thus be determined. Design of pile groups can be based on data pertaining to soil characteristics of the single pile. Results of the analysis were consistent with other approaches and proved to be adequate for design.

Jan 1, 2005

By C. Clark, R. Pakalnis, B. Seymour, L. Martin, M. Stepan, M. Roworth, C. Caceres

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Office of Mine Safety and Health, Ground Control Engineering Branch is investigating the use of shotcrete in weak rock mass mines with the objective of reducing fatalities and injuries resulting from rock fall accidents. When shotcrete is used as part of a multielement ground support system, there is a need to know the support characteristics that the shotcrete contributes to the overall system. To quantify the support provided by the shotcrete, flexural strength tests were conducted with two common, commercially available fiber-reinforced shotcrete (FRS) mixes using the round determinant panel (RDP) test method, ASTM C 1550. A portable RDP test machine developed by NIOSH researchers was used to determine the peak flexural load and residual load capacity for a steel FRS and a synthetic poly FRS that were sprayed using dry mix procedures and equipment. Besides the flexural strength and loading behavior determined from these tests, a method was also developed for measuring the width of cracks exposed on the underside of a shotcrete panel during a RDP test and relating these measurements to residual load values. Quantifying the peak flexural load and residual loads of a shotcrete mix through on site testing at a mine and visually assessing the loading cycle and load-carrying capability of the shotcrete applied to underground workings will improve mine safety by providing a better assessment of the stability of shotcrete supported entries.

Jan 1, 2010

By Stephen C. Tadolini, Anand Bhagwat

"Intrinsic supports installed in mines with limited seam or mining heights have always proven to be difficult when the required support length is longer. To date, three solutions have been used to ensure that the correct length bolt is installed to achieve the required anchorage or to maintain immediate roof material: combination bolts, milled-notch bolts, and hot-notch bolts. The combination bolts use threaded sections and couples, which can be screwed together to form the required length. The primary bolt of choice, to minimize costs and achieve the desired support, has been milled- or hot-notch rebar bolts. These notches can be placed at strategic (required) locations along the bolt axis, so the bolt can be successfully bent and straightened during the installation process. However, these notches can reduce the strength of the bolting system; special reductions are detailed in ASTM F432-13 (2013). Technical advances in steel rolling and forged heading processes have led to the development of a deformed rebar bolt termed, the BORE bolt, which stands for Bendable Oval REbar. The BORE bolt can be bent at any location and straightened during the bolt installation cycle. This support exceeds the minimum designed capacities described in ASTM F432-13 and meets the yield and tensile strength requirements of a full diameter no. 6 rebar bolt. The profile and shape also reduces the resin annulus during the installation process to enhance mixing and shreds the cartridge film to help eliminate glove fingering.INTRODUCTIONThe height or depth of competent strata material, in the immediate mine roof, can be greater than the developed mine openings heights. This is especially true in coal mine openings where 50% of the minable seams in the US are less than 50 inches (132 cm). When this scenario occurs, it can be difficult to insert steel bolts in a solid single length. Figure 1 illustrates what difficulties can be experienced when a roof bolter operator is working and supporting a thin seam coal mine. There are three viable options currently available. Lengths of the bolt can be threaded and a steel coupler can be used between the sections to reach the required depth of anchorage. These systems, called “coupled bolts,” usually require a larger diameter hole to facilitate the larger coupler diameter and can be anchored with an expansion shell, resin, or a combination of both. To ensure that the coupler will develop the tensile capacity of the bolting system, required by ASTM 432-13 Standard Specifications for Roof and Rock Bolts and Accessories (2013), the threaded bars should be completely rotated and engaged into the coupler. Premature failures can occur when the threads “strip out” if not inserted completely."

Jan 1, 2018

By M. H. Erten

Most of the fourteen workable coal seams in the State of Missouri have high ash and sulfur levels and need beneficiation in order to meet customer and Environmental Protection Agency requirements. If proper ash and sulfur removal methods can be designed, more Missouri coals will be mined and used within the state. One of the main objectives of this research is to investigate the possibility of removal of sulfur of Missouri coals by conventional beneficiation methods.

Jan 1, 1982

By Frederick K. Allgaier

This is the first in a series of progress reports on the longwall subsidence research program at the Bureau of Mines Denver Research Center. As part of this program, the Bureau and the Utah Power and Light Co. are cooperating on a study conducted at the Deer Creek Mine, which is directed toward developing the capability to estimate the surface subsidence resulting from longwall mining in a geologic, topographic, and mining environment common to coalfields in the Western United States. A monitoring network has been established at the Deer Creek Mine to measure subsidence over four adjacent longwall panels. To date, two panels have been mined. Subsidence began as the first panel was mined and continued for 1 year following completion of the panel, during which time the adjacent panel was mined" A maximum of 2.7 feet of subsidence occurred over the two longwall panels mined at a depth of 1,500 feet. Because of the length of time that subsidence continued after mining, the final subsidence profiles and angle of draw have not yet been determined.

Jan 1, 1982

By S McKnight, L Koroznikova, J Begelhole

"This paper outlines a simple methodology for iron ore characterisation. Iron ores commonly contain a range of iron oxides with varying iron content along with generally minor quantities of lighter silicate gangue phases, giving rise to density variations. Companies tend to rely on heavy liquid separation (HLS) in the evaluation of samples arising from exploration, mining or metallurgical processes. Heavy suspension separation (HSS), a simple laboratory technique of density fractionation, employing suspensions of fine tungsten carbide (WC) particles in lithium heteropolytungstate (LST) solutions, can be used in the evaluation of iron ore.As part of Arrium Mining’s program to improve its knowledge of ore types being processed in two hematite ore beneficiation plants (OBP), metallurgical evaluation of hematite feed and geometallurgical evaluation for the OBPs has become a major focus.Metallurgical evaluation of the hematite ore ultra-fine size fraction, formally treated as waste but now upgraded by HSS, is a part of Arrium’s program to improve recovery.The HLS method for iron ore characterisation is not generally used as part of routine iron ore feed metallurgical evaluation due to the expense, toxicity and time-consuming nature of the technique. Results show that the HSS method for iron ore characterisation can achieve low-cost, low-toxic separation and can be used on-site to improve turnaround time of results (Begelhole, Jasper and Koroznikova, 2013).Arrium have applied this technique successfully for the past three years to progress process improvement for the two OBP as well as to assist Arrium’s on-site laboratory services, Bureau Veritas in Whyalla.The main objective of this program has been to further develop the HSS procedures using a low-toxicity, high specific gravity (SG) suspension; LST and WC as the dense medium for metallurgical evaluation of ultra-fines.A suspension of a particular density will separate iron ore into two products: a sink fraction (denser iron oxide – hydroxide particles) and float fraction (silicate – iron ore composite particles). A theoretical grade and mass recovery can be calculated, and a grade – mass recovery curve can be constructed for iron.Metallurgical evaluation of the plant feed ultra-fine size fractions are used to improve efficiency of an upgrading plant process. This type of characterisation can be used to prepare feed piles of known processing characteristics, or to benchmark the performance of the process against what can be theoretically achieved.CITATION:Koroznikova, L, Begelhole, J and McKnight, S, 2016. Characterisation of Low-grade Hematite Ore Ultra-fine Size Fraction Particles by Heavy Suspension, in Proceedings The Third AusIMM International Geometallurgy Conference (GeoMet) 2016, pp 327–334 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Jun 15, 2016

By W. G. Pariseau

A U.S. Bureau of Mines case study of pillar recovery in high-grade ore near the Ross shaft at, the Homestake Mine, Lead, SD, has demonstrated the usefulness of the finite-clement method for the evaluation of shaft pillar mining plans and shaft stability. This report, one of three in a series describing the Ross shaft pillar case study, focuses on the premining stability analysis. The two-dimensional computer program UTAH2 was used in advance of pillar mining; results suggested that the shaft would remain stable. Subsequent reports describe parts 2 and 3 of the study. In part 2, borehole extensometers and other instruments were installed to provide data for model verification and shaft monitoring. Results of the recalibrated two-dimensional model confirmed the premining stability evaluation. However, after mining began, great concern developed because of the appearance of cracks and other signs of ground movement over considerable distances from the area of active pillar miping. In part 3, an intense three-dimensional modeling effort using UTAH3 was initiated. The results again showed that the shaft would remain safe. Three-dimensional analyses of alternative pillar mining scenarios indicated that more of the shaft pillar ore reserve could be recovered than previously thought.

Jan 1, 2010