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By T. T. Campbell

This investigation was undertaken by the Bureau of Mines to determine if high-purity ductile molybdenum of uniform quality can be prepared by bomb reduction techniques. Molybdenum trioxide (Mo03) and mixtures of molybdenum dioxide (Mo02) and trioxide were reduced by magnesium in closed steel bomb reactors. Very high pressures in excess of 5,000 p.s.i. developed during magnesium reductions of Mo03. The addition of calcium oxide to the bomb charges caused a significant reduction in pressure. Reaction efficiencies higher than 95 percent were obtained during magnesium reductions of either Mo03 or mixtures of Mo02 and Mo03, but high pressures were encountered when the charges contained from 30 to 60 percent Mo02. Reaction efficiencies were usually low (less than 80 percent) when the bomb charges contained more than 40 percent Mo02. The charges with the best composition considering operating pressure, yield, and purity contained from 10 to 30 percent Mo02. The addition of small amounts of carbon to the reaction charges was helpful because some deoxidation occurred during the reduction and also during subsequent arc-melting of the regulus metal. The purity of the bomb-reduced, arc-cast molybdenum metal ranged from 99.2 to 99.8 percent and in some instances the metal contained as little as 5 parts per million oxygen.

Jan 1, 1962

The paper provides a brief review of a multivariate uniform conditioning and a localized multivariate uniform conditioning (LMUC) technique, and presents a production reconciliation case study based on a porphyry copper-gold deposit in Peru. The reconciliation study compares the longterm LMUC mineral resources model (typical of new mining projects, which are invariably based on drilling data on a relatively large grid) to the corresponding production blast-hole grade control model, as well as the final plant production.

Jan 1, 2014

By M. F. Handley

Sequential grid mining has been employed as the primary mining strategy at the AngloGold West Wits Elandsrand Mine since the inception of stoping operations from the sub-vertical shaft system in 1988. Little has been published on sequential grid mining as a mining strategy since, and the purpose of this paper is to describe sequential grid mining, its history, its implementation at Elandsrand, and the outcome to date. The results obtained using sequential grid mining have been evaluated from seismic data, productivity statistics, and rock related accident statistics. Comparisons with neighbouring mines namely Western Deep Levels and Deelkraal, have been made to substantiate the improved conditions observed at Elandsrand, and to compare sequential grid mining directly with longwall mining in similar conditions and at similar depths. Sequential grid mMining is shown to be cost-effective, more flexible, and safer than long wall mining in similar conditions, at least on the Ventersdorp Contact Reef in the western part of the Carletonville Goldfield. More work is necessary to establish it as the favoured mining strategy at depths exceeding 3000 metres, and for reefs other than the Ventersdorp Contact Reef.

Jan 1, 2000

By Fathi Habashi

"Crushing and grinding of ores and their beneficiation by washing away gangue minerals has been practiced since ancient times. Primitive crushing was done by hand pounding the ore with a hard stone then by using metallic hammers. The mortar and pestle was mechanized using a lever and when the size of operations increased in the middle ages, the stamp mill was introduced. The grindstone played an important role in grinding of ores. Panning for gold and hand sorting of minerals were two old methods of separation, now gave way to modern techniques. Flotation started in the middle of the nineteenth century by using oils to collect the mineral particles and float them on the surface of the aqueous slurry. It was only in the 1920s when it was discovered that organic compounds were affective floating agents. Textbooks written by distinguished engineers such as Rittinger, Rickard, Pryor, Taggart, Richards, Gaudin, and others contributed to the recognition of this field as a new discipline to be taught in Universities. INTRODUCTIONThe ancient Egyptians knew already that it would be easier to melt an earth rich in gold particles than another which is poor. As a result all efforts were made to enrich the gold by washing away the light gangue minerals (Figure 1). Another ancient method for enriching gold particles from a river stream was by means of fleece, hence the Greek myth of the “golden fleece”. The present day Georgia was known in ancient times as Colchis and was a center for gold working. It was known to the ancient Greek as the land of Golden Fleece. The use of special cloth to catch gold particles was also described by Agricola in his 1555 book De Re Metallica (Figure 2)."

Jan 1, 2009

The El Pe±on gold-silver deposit comprises four epithermal, low-sulfidation veins, which contain 2.9 million oz Au and 48 million oz Ag. Provisional data on alteration mineralogy, fluid inclusions, and vein textures constrain the chemistry and hydrology of the hydrothermal system responsible for ore mineralisation at El Pe±on. Alteration minerals include quartz, adularia, albite, illite, smectite, calcite, chlorite, and pyrite. Alteration minerals suggest the existence of near neutral pH, low salinity hydrothermal fluids, which circulated over an area greater than 18 km2. Complex mineral zonation patterns result from variations in host rock permeability and composition, overprinting alteration possibly produced by thermal waters from surficial and peripheral parts of the hydrothermal system, and supergene weathering in the hyperarid environment. Upflow zones were focused along N-S and NE trending structures, producing crustiform quartz-adularia+carbonate veins. Fluid inclusion data indicate vein deposition from low salinity (

Jan 1, 2002

By Darrell Wilder

When designing excavation support systems in urban environments, it is often necessary to consider the effect of vertical surcharge loads from adjacent structures. Several methods are used in practice to establish the horizontal surcharge-induce pressure on the excavation support. According to the experience of the authors, these methods often seem to overestimate the effect of the surcharge and may have significant impact on the construction costs. This paper explores several of these procedures and provides a discussion as to the reasons for the differences in surcharge effect predictions between different procedures. It also provides practical recommendations for designers dealing with excavation support design.

Jan 1, 2006

By J. P. Bergh

The advent of low-quality export coal demand has brought a new range of possibilities to the South African coal industry. Products that traditionally were only of value to the domestic or combustion industry sectors now have the potential to be exported, with only minor amounts of upgrading required through beneficiation. Comparatively high steam-coal export prices can be obtained for lowquality export coal, which enhances the economic feasibility of expanding low-quality thermal coal exports. There are, however, increasing concerns about the feasibility of lower quality thermal coal exports and the broader implications. These concerns relate to the environmental impact of low-quality thermal coal production for export and the inherent threat to the security of domestic thermal coal supply in South Africa. Against this background, this paper serves to explain the extended value chain in the production of export coal. The technical and economic advantages and disadvantages of low-grade exports versus coal production for domestic use are evaluated. The value chain estimation is calculated by the beneficiation modelling and characterization of two coals. Based on the value estimation, the lowgrade export production scenario, and finally the modelling of potential pollutant distribution, are described. Keywords coal beneficiation, techno-economics, thermal coal, dense medium processing, dry processing, fine coal processing, environmental impact.

Nov 1, 2013

By A. Asadi

Subsidence phenomenon as an unwanted consequence of underground mining can cause problems for environment and surface structures in mine area. Surface subsidence prediction for inclined and steep seams has been given less attention than horizontal seams due to the difficulties involved in the extraction of such coal-seams. This paper introduces a new profile function method for prediction of surface subsidence due to inclined coal-seam mining. The results of calculation with the new function indicate that the predicted value has good agreement with the measured data. Keywords: subsidence; coalmining; caving mining methods; longwall mining; profile function.

Jan 1, 2005

By X Qiu

According to the temporal and spatial distribution of regional metallogenesis, thePacific Rim can be divided into four global metallogenetic systems. The Asia-Australia W-Sn metallogenetic belt is the typical representative of intracontinental metallogenetic systems. This belt resulted from Mesozoic and partly pre-Mesozoic tectonic magmatism, mainly related to S-type granite of crustal source that was generated by collisional orogeny combined with oceanic subduction in intracontinental and continental margin settings. Based on the concept of metallogenetic series, there is a group of mineralised ore types showing a definite spatial and temporal distribution from endogenetic to exogenetic. These metallogenetic series are widely distributed in the Asia-Australia W-Sn metallogenetic belt, and are well developed in Southeast China. Five metallogenetic series and two petro-minerogenesis evolution models have been established according to their tectonic settings, various types of granitoids and metallogenetic evolution.

Jan 1, 1995

By Leonardo Massone

The p-y method is one of the most popular methods in pile design and has been calibrated for various boundary conditions using numerical and experimental studies during recent years. Most studies on reinforced concrete (RC) piles have included the impact of flexural nonlinearity, (e.g. nonlinear moment?curvature relations) but not considered associated pile shear deformations when deriving p-y curves from field data. Common p-y curves may be better applicable for piles with flexure dominated failures (e.g. piles with free- head boundary conditions). For piles with fixed head boundaries (i.e. rotation restrained piles) shear deformations could be of significant influence. To study this problem, a coupled shear flexure interaction model for axial-bending-shear behavior coded in OpenSees was applied to a 0.61 m (2 ft) diameter flagpole and a 0.61m (2 ft) diameter fixed head pile specimen to investigate the possible influence of shear deformations to the overall pile responses. The surrounding soil was represented by p-y curves derived from prior large scale testing on piles with similar boundary conditions. Analysis results show that for flagpole piles, shear forces and shear deformations were insignificant. Considerable contributions of pile shear displacements and forces were observed for the fixed head pile, with shear displacements contributing up to 40% of the total pile displacement. Results suggest that nonlinear shear deformations for reinforced concrete piles should be considered for fixed-head or similar conditions, and that currently used p-y curves may underestimate the actual lateral pile displacement and possibly lead to unsafe design for the particular boundary condition.

Jan 1, 2012

By K. Blaski

his paper reports an investigation aimed at optimizing the compaction of granulated hard-metal powder for the production of cutting tool inserts. The optimal compaction is that which yields optimal shrinkage during sintering, i.e. minimum porosity in the sintered part. Extensive compaction tests on 23 different hard-metal powders have been carried out and have shown that the ideal ?green density? of a hard-metal compact, i.e. the density after compaction, increases linearly with the apparent density of the powder. On the basis of this result, an equation has been derived, which allows one to predict the optimal shrinkage that a hard-metal compact undergoes during sintering once the following data are known: the required sintered density, the volatile content of the powder and the apparent density of the powder. Since these data are available to the tooling designer, this equation allows one to design tooling for the compaction of hard-metal, which leads to optimal shrinkage

Jan 1, 2007

Longwall mining originated in the early 18th century in the county of Shropshire in England, where it was known as the longway method. Its name implies the extraction of the seam over a long continuous length or wall of exposed coal. Until the late 19608 and early 1970s the use of the longwall system with a few exceptions was confined to the United Kingdom and Europe. It was not until the early 19708 that the highly productive longwall faces we now know, were developed and the application of the longwall system extended to Australia, South Africa, United states of America and other parts of the world. The modern longwall face has three major components, namely: +         the machine to break and load the coal +         the face conveyor; +         and a system of roof support.   This paper reviews the development of longwall mining technology. The parameters directly influencing the production 'of a modern longwall face are considered, as are the possible constraints to the further development of the longwall system.

Jan 1, 1991

Commercially interesting deposits of zeolite rich tuffs and amorphous silica have been discovered recently in the Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ), North Island, New Zealand. This paper reviews them and comments on the potential for further discoveries. Potential markets for these unusual industrial minerals are discussed.

Jan 1, 1997

By M Lentz

This paper will discuss the issues associated with blasting in an urban mining environment that have been addressed by Winstone Aggregates at the Mt Wellington Quarry. These issues include - control of vibration and air overpressure, repeatability of shot performance, fragmentation on an extremely low maximum instantaneous charge, compliance with Territorial Authority regulations and perception. Over the last two years, in order to address these issues, Winstone Aggregates have undertaken a programme of continuous improvement, which has included; ò implementation of new technology; ò revising site procedures; ò conducting an investigation into the structural response of local buildings; ò investigating safe extrapolation; ò extensive public consultation; ò establishing credibility during the consent process; ò identification of perception issues; and ò building relationships and trust with neighbours. The issues addressed at the Mt Wellington Quarry have increasing significance for traditionally rural mining operations, as the input of the local community being urban or rural, increases. New and existing operations have the potential to adopt best practice now, building trust with the community and raising the profile of the industry.  

Jan 1, 1999

A pilot steel ladle injection facility designed to assist in the production of high quality steels suitable for use in pipelines has been built and commissioned at the Basic Oxygen Steelmaking (BOS) plant at Port Kembla Works.The plant design and the injection procedure are described.The performance of the unit and some metallurgical results are discussed in terms of the addition to the steel ladle of various quantities of calcium silicide and a lime based material. The effects of these additions on sulphur content and inclusion morphology and hence on steel ductility are also presented. The influence of ladle lining on desulphurisation is illustrated.On the basis of the experience gathered in the pilot plant a permanent and more sophisticated injection facility has been designed.

Jan 1, 1983

By L. Rademan

The kinetic leaching behaviour of a low-grade surface gold ore and a high-grade reef ore were evaluated to determine the achievable gold recovery from these ores and particularly mixtures of these ores. The reef ore material has a head grade of 13.40 g/t with a relative standard deviation of 3%, and the unprocessed surface ore material a head grade of 0.43 g/t with a relative standard deviation of 15.6%. It is concluded that the kinetic leaching behaviour of these free milling gold ores during cyanidation, is not influenced by mixing of reef and surface ore material. No statistically significant relationship exists between the achievable recovery by direct cyanidation and the head grade of the material fed. No ideal ratio of surface ore to reef ore could be established. It is recommended that these materials should be processed simultaneously to minimize the costs, security risks, and losses incurred in transportation.

Jan 1, 2012

By G. Hangone

Paper written on project work carried out in partial fulfilment of MSc thesis This paper investigates the effects of thiol collectors: xanthates, dithiophosphates, dithiocarbamates and mixtures of these on the froth flotation performance obtained with a bornite-rich copper sulphide ore from Okiep Copper Mine with a feed grade of 1.8%copper. Batch flotation tests were used to assess the performance in terms of mass-water recovery, sulphur grade-recovery and copper grade-recovery relationships and the Klimpel rate constant for copper recovery. The results showed that the di-ethyl-dithiocar-bamate (di C2-DTC) was the weakest collector of copper sulphide minerals. Highest copper recoveries were obtained with the di-ethyl-dithiophosphate (di C2-DTP), which were accompanied with more watery froths and lower copper grades demonstrating frothing properties in addition to collector action. Superior copper recoveries were obtained with the 90% ethyl xanthate (C2-X):10% di-ethyl-dithiophosphate (di C2-DTP) and 90% ethyl xanthate (C2-X):10%di-ethyl-dithiocarbamate (di C2-DTC) collector mixtures compared to that obtained with ethyl xanthate at an equivalent collector dosage of 0.139 mol/ton ore (a dosage equivalent to 20 g sodium ethyl xanthate per ton ore). A superior copper grade was obtained with the 90% ethyl xanthate: 10% di-ethyl-dithiocarbamate collector mixture at a dosage of 0.0695 mol/ton ore compared to that obtained with ethyl xanthate at the same equivalent dosage. Keywords: flotation, collector mixtures, copper sulphide ore

Jan 1, 2005

By Gunnar Persson

The borehole pressure/time history of blasting practice is simulated in a twin pendulum apparatus, where the expanding shotfiring gases force two steel slab swingers apart. A pilot installation built at SveDeFo is described. The relevant factors, that govern the use of this test method as a means of classifying explosives with respect to their toxic fume potential, are described.

Jan 1, 1996

By T Leach, B Fulton, R Stewart

Gold mineralisation at Porgera is inferred to have been derived from a deep differentiated magmatic source which is capped by a series of (now tilted) inward dipping sills and stocks, which comprise the Porgera Intrusive Complex. An arc normal transfer structure provides a conduit, at tile intersection with an arc parallel structure, into which basic magma derived from tile deep melting of mantle material has been emplaced. Two phases of mineralisation display an association with late stage feldspar porphyry intrusives. Stage I carbonate-base metal-style gold mineralisation occurs as early quartz-sericite, then massive sulphide and late zoned Mn-Fe-Mg-Ca carbonate vein/breccias. Magmatic fluids derived from the deep magma source, are interpreted to have migrated along me margin of a feeder stock to the sills, and south to Waruwari. Stage II epithermal Au-Ag quartz-style gold mineralisation occurs as early fluidised breccias and carbonate veining, followed by zoned quartz-roscoelite-carbonate-gold vein/breccias, and late carbonate and/or sulphate open space infill. Magmatic fluids are interpreted to have utilised the same plumbing system as the late stage feldspar porphyry intrusive, and then migrated into the Roamane Fault which was dilated by; dextral rotation on elements of the transfer structure, normal faulting, and refraction around the competent footwall hornblende diorite. Bonanza gold is localised in a jog in the Roamane Fault, hangingwall splits and at intersections with cross structures. Bulk low grade Stage I gold has been deposited by the mixing of magmatic fluids with cool gas condensate waters, whereas high grade Stage II gold mineralisation resulted from the rapid quenching of mineralised magmatic fluids by oxygenated groundwaters.

Jan 1, 1995

To allow routine measuring of the exposure of underground workers to N02 from diesel engines and residual gases from blasting. The Approach: A miniature sampler absorbs NO2 which can be measured using a simple method adaptable to both multiple automatic analyses or individual on-site analysis. How It Works: The NO2 sampler is encased in a plastic tube approximately half the length of an ordinary ball point pen and clipped to an underground worker's hard hat. Removal of the end cap activates the personal sampler. Air from the working place enters the open end and diffuses at a controlled rate down the tube interior. The diffusion rate is dependent on tube dimensions (ratio of cross-sectional area to length). The closed end of the tube contains stainless steel mesh which is coated with triethanolamine (TEA) for absorbtion of all NO2 reaching it. Other oxides of nitrogen are not absorbed. The amount

Jan 1, 1975