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By Robert Walker

The win theme of this session is Unique Material Handing Systems. The theme was selected because of two major factors. 1. Accomplishments of unique character manage to attract interest regardless of their age. 2. There is much to be learned from pioneering efforts of the past as they are the stepping stones to technological development. Thus, 2-1/2 years after completion, the engineering feat of Oroville Dam still looms large let us take a close look at this project to see what made it unique. To begin with, it established a number of firsts: At 770 feet it was the highest earth fill dam in the world. At $121 million dollars, it was the largest ever United States construction project (Civil). At 80 million cubic yards it had the largest earth volume of any dam in the world. The extensive use of belt conveyors for this application had never before been tried. The use of a high capacity bucket wheel-excavator with shiftable belt conveyors had never before been utilized as a con¬tractor's tool. The principal of the "integral train" was applied most effectively whereby up to 220,000 tons of material-was transported daily some 14 miles. To achieve optimum economics a number of technical breakthroughs were necessary. The suppliers of major commercial components worked hand-in-hand with system engineers to develop new machinery necessary for the highly mobile characteristics of the systems, viz., single pulley drives delivering 2000 horsepower, 1000 horsepower right-angle shaft-mounted reducers, across the line starting of 1000 horsepower squirrel cage motors, 10 miles of steel chord conveyor belts with belt tensions up to 150,000 pounds, aircraft-type disc brakes, hydraulic take-ups, train loading at a rate of 25,000 tons per hour, automatic train indexing for rotary dumping at 10,000 tons per hour, roll-over car dumping without uncoupling cars, shifting 7500 ft. long conveyors up to 300 feet laterally without disassembly. These are some of the superlatives that have made the Oroville Dam project unique. The measure of its success is demonstrated by the results.

Jan 1, 1970

By J. Hebert, J. Donnelli, J. Sedey

Installation of a Load Commutated Inverter (LCI) provides an economical method for conversion of a Fixed Speed Semi-Autogenous Grinding Mill into one with variable speed, qualities. Though capital intensive, the conversion appears to be one of the most cost-effective methods to gain the advantage of critical speed variations for variable ore characteristics. Expected advantages from the installation of LCI drives at the Goldstrike Mine were decreased liner wear, decreased media consumption and additional grind for increased production rates. These issues as well as construction, economics and performance will be discussed in the presentation. The utilization of the existing equipment came to play an integral part of the study and economic justification of the overall project.

Jan 1, 1999

By D. R. THOMAS

GENERALLY speaking, the production of other metals in Mexico fluctuates with that of silver. The first commercial discovery of mineral was in Taxco, Guerrero, in 1552. Five years later, the patio process was introduced at Pachuca, by Bartolome de Medina. In 1884, the main line of the Mexican Central R. R. was completed and a few years later, the National railway. In 1907, the patio process, after 350 years of successful operation, was replaced by cyanidation. Soon after the completion of the railroads, smelters were built at various points and provided means of treating ores that could not be treated by any of the processes existing at that time, such as patio, lixiviation, or pan amalgamation. As a result, a number of mines were developed along the railroads and even far \ out in the mountains. In order to facilitate the shipment of this ore to the smelters, purchasing agencies were established, which for a time were very profitable; most of these agencies are now permanently closed.

Jan 1, 1921

By Donald O. Capstick

A mineral survey of the 520-acre Quigg West Wilderness Study Area (MT-074-155) was conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Mines in 1986 at the request of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management in order to evaluate its identified mineral resources. The Wilderness Study Area is in Granite County in western Montana about 16 miles northwest of Phillipsburg and 27 mi les northeast of Hamilton, MT. Stony Mountain, a study area on lands administered by the U.S. Forest Service, is about 1 mile to the south-southwest and was studied concurrently. No mineral resources were identified in the Quigg West Wilderness Study Area, but high grade gold assays, as much as 1.24 ounce gold per ton, were obtained at the one prospect found. Samples from four workings contained significant gold; minor silver, molybdenum, and copper were also present. The prospect containing the narrow and discontinuous gold-bearing quartz vein straddles the south boundary of the Wilderness Study Area. The shear zone containing the vein projects toward the old Crescent mine, about 4.5 miles to the south, which shows a similar geologic structure.

Jan 1, 1987

[NORTH AMERICA UNITED STATES ALABAMA America.-Dyar, 0. C. Anniston.-Klugh, B. 0. Ashland.-Pallister, H. D. Auburn.-*Poor, R. S. Bessemer.-Creveling, J. 0. Lindstrom, W. A. McKenzie, W. 0. Mitchell, F. R. Birmingham.-Abbott, C. E. Aldrich, T. H., Jr. Armstrong, 0. R. Beard, A. H. Benjamin, F. S. Blackburn, E. 0. Blair, A. J. Blair, 0. S. Blair. H. W.]

Jan 1, 1946

By A. Whillier

Recovery of energy from the water going down mine shafts by A. WHILLIER, Pr. Eng., Se. D. (M.I.T.) (Fellow) The influence of energy-recovery systems on the rise in temperature of water going down mines is examined. It is concluded that the, cost benefit of such systems, deriving partially from the reduced temperature rise in situations where cold water IS sent underground from surface, would more than justify the installation cost.

Jan 4, 1977

By J. Burns Read

IT IS the purpose of this paper to summarize, as far as possible, the metallurgical information and experience gained by the Ordnance Department, during the War, in the manufacture of artillery cartridge cases, to describe the tests to which artillery cartridge cases were put, and to summarize the knowledge and experience gained in this testing. The authors wish to acknowledge the aid given by manufacturers, army officers, and civilian employees of the Ordnance Department in obtaining these data. Artillery cartridge cases are cold drawn from circular disks punched from strips of rolled brass. The manufacture involves from 25 to 30 main operations, which are done almost entirely on a punch press. Descriptions of the operations have appeared in various periodicals and, therefore, will not be given here. After each cupping, or drawing, operation, except the last, the cases are annealed at from 540° to 650° C. (1000° to 1200°F.), to remove all the hardening stresses set up in the metal and to allow complete recrystallization. After each annealing, the cases are pickled in niter cake or sulfuric-acid solution and then washed in water to remove all traces of acid. In some instances, the cases are then immersed in a cyanide-salt solution, and afterwards rinsed in water, to remove the thin layer of copper that forms on the surface of the cases during the acid pickle. The last cold-drawing operation is followed, by the heading operation which, by flattening the head of the case on the outside, causes the metal to flow on the inside to approximately the proper finished dimensions. The mouth, or open end, is then annealed at 430° to 480° C. (800° to 900° F.) by immersion in a salt bath or by gas flames. After being washed, the cases are tapered, when they are ready for machining, inspection, and testing.

Jan 4, 1922

By V. E. Dementiev, V. I. Kulikov, G. I. Voiloshnikov, Yu. O. Fedorov

"The report presents the summary of the JSC Irgiredmet’s activities in the field of preconcentration of ores. As of 2018, the Institute has almost 40-years’ experience in this area. Over the years, Irgiredmet has done a lot of work – from development to implementation of new technologies of ore piece sorting and concentration based on X-ray radiometric separation (XRRS). INTRODUCTION Preconcentration has been a challenging issue of the mining industry over the last decades. The implementation of this technology can significantly increase mining efficiency. The main application of preconcentration is improvement of mined ores quality, however new and more complex issues have arisen with the evolution of the technology. Irgiredmet has started to develop an efficient preconcentration technology for gold-bearing and rare-metal ores 40 years ago. The X-ray radiometric method widely used at that date as a method of elements determination in geology and geophysics become the ground for this work (1). Since that time, the Irgiredmet Institute has developed and significantly improved the technology of piece ore sorting, or XRRS (2-5), that is currently also known as the X-ray fluorescence method. The progress of the XRRS development achieved by Irgiredmet in cooperation with Rados LLC, Tekhnoros LLC (Krasnoyarsk), Rados-Service LLC and CJSC Tekhnogen (Ekaterinburg) has proved efficiency and applicability of the XRRS technology for processing a wide range of minerals and solving of various technological problems (7-9) compared to other radiometric methods (6). Furthermore, obtained results are supported by numerous studies, trials and implementations. The significance of ore preconcentration for greenfield and brownfield projects determined the establishing a new subdivision of Irgiredmet, the XRRS Technology Center (XRRS TC), that has provided the Institute with a completed range of processing technologies, from preconcentration to producing final products. Over the past few years, the XRRS Technology Center has carried out studies and testing of a numerous (more than 100) projects, mines and deposits of gold-bearing ores, rare metal ores (Be, Ta, Nb, W, Mo), base metal ores (Cu, Sb, Zn, Pb), ferrous metal ores (Fe, Ti, Cr), rough diamonds and coal. The XRRS Technology Center performs various specific studies and testing not only in Russia, but as well as in Kazakhstan, Georgia and Mongolia. Mines and companies from Chile, India, China, Iran and other countries also take an active interest in the XRRS technology."

Jan 1, 2018

By G. K. Manning, A. R. Elsea, A. B. Westerman

A considerable number of high-tem-perature alloys, that is, alloys which have load-carrying ability at elevated temperatures, have been developed on an empirical basis. In order to determine why these alloys possess this particular ability, a project was started at Battelle Memorial Institute on the fundamental factors promoting high-temperature strength of alloys. .4t the time of inception of this study, the cobalt-base alloy, Vitallium, was widely used because of its good high-temperature properties. One phase of this study was to include an investigation of the structures observed in vitalliurn after various heat treatments. Howcver, before investigating the structural features of Vitallium, it appeared logical to examine the phase diagrams of the related binary systems in order to develop information as to which phases might be present in Vitallium. A preliminary survey of the pertinent alloy systems was made, with particular emphasis on the cobalt-chro-mium system, which is the base for the Vitallium series of alloys. The early work of Lewkonja and Guertler2 indicated that cobalt and chro-mium are completely miscible in the liquid state, and, within a narrow temperature range, in the solid state; that the liquidus shows a minimum; and that the alloys containing 45 to 85 pct chromium undergo a transformation at [zoo to 12 50 c More recently, Wever and Haschimoto,3 Wever andLange,4and Matsunaga5 carried Out experimental work which led to the diagrams shown in Fig I and 2. Both diagrams are based on thermal analysis, metallogra~hic, magnetic, and dilatation data; in addition, X ray diffraction results were used by Wever and Haschimoto, and electrical resistance measurements by Mat-SUnaRa. It is apparent from a comparison of the two diagrams that there was a difference of opinion as to the locations of the boundaries of the various phases, and as to the existence of a phase containing approximately 47 pct chromium. With these excep-tions noted, it might be pointed out that the two diagrams are similar, and that, in general, any particular reaction which is shown on both diagrams occurs at a lower temperature on the Matsunaga diagram than on that of Wever-Haschimoto-Lange. Thus, in view of the gaps in the data arid the questionable features in the published diagrams, it appeared desirable to start the fundamental study of Vitalhum by deter-mining the diagram for the cobalt-chro-mi~m system- Experimental Work For the convenience Of the reader, the diagram as determined by the present investigation is presented in Fig 3. The liquidus and solidus data for the low-chromium alloys were taken from the work of Wever and Haschimoto,3 while the melting point for pure chromium is the

Jan 1, 1949

By Smith, George Otis

THE matter that I have on my mind this evening is engineering's need of an open forum. Our fathers of three centuries ago were pro-testanta for freedom of speech and thought in matters religious; later, our fathers were revolutionists for freedom of speech in matters political; until today freedom of speech has become so universal throughout the land that even in the sanctuary of our homes, at times, we have to turn off the loud-speaker. Talk is not always a condition of progress, but light is everywhere necessary to growth, whether the growing thing is a blade of grass, a baby chick, or a young idea, and we must regret anything that tends to shut out the light from the operations of business and industry. Of course, I realize there is little that is novel in what I am saying. Indeed, I have found that Dr. James Douglas-a name we love to honor in our Institute-as long ago as 1907, gave an address at the Toronto meeting that any of us would be proud to be author of twenty-one years after. Dr. Douglas at that time spoke on secrecy in the arts and the text then taken by this leader in metallurgical technique and in the constructive management of big business was "the dangerous temptation to adopt secretive methods by very large corporations." In both thought and language Dr. Douglas was direct and vigorous and he needs no internreter. He advocated the wide open door for ideas on two counts: advancement of technical knowledge and education of public opinion. A few sentences will serve not only to prove the vision of James Douglas, but also, I hope, tempt you to hunt up his address in the Institute's TRANSACTIONS, and thus get his whole thought first hand.

Jan 1, 1928

By H. R. Hanley, C. Y. Clayton

One of the most important contributions to the art of electrolytic zinc production has been the aluminum cathode. This has been used in all major production since its commercial developmerit in 1916. The literature is replete with important contributions, some of which may have been replaced by better ones, but thus far there appears no other metal to take the place of aluminum as cathode material. Credit for this innovation goes to Sherard Cowper Coles, of England. When experimenting on the extraction of zinc from Broken Hill ore at Hayle, Cornwall, in 1893, he introduced the aluminum cathode, and in 1895 obtained . British Patent No. 20073. The reason for this dominant position of aluminum as cathode material in zinc sulphate electrolytes is its unique surface, to which electro-deposited metals usually do not tightly adhere. The metal must be of high purity for best results. It is possible to develop a starting-sheet method by which thin electro-deposited sheets of cathode zinc are made and stripped from a smooth aluminum plate. Such thin sheets of cathode zinc may be used as are the copper sheets in standard electrolytic copper-refinery practice. However, complications arise because of extreme warping of the zinc starting sheet after a few hours of deposition, and thus special arrangements must be made to compensate for this abnormality. Reasons advanced for the ease with which deposits may be stripped from the aluminum surface are: (1) presence of a permanent oxide coating on the metal, (2) failure of aluminum to alloy with the deposit, (3) differences in coefficient of expansion, (4) high position of aluminum in the electromotive series of metals. Of these reasons for nonadherence, which may have some application in general deposition, probably the oxide coating has the greatest bearing on the subject of zinc deposition. Adherence of zinc deposits has occasionally had serious effect on tonnage and production costs. Opinions have differed as to the specific

Jan 1, 1944

PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR EUGENE MCAULIFFE OMAHA, NEBR. PAST PRESIDENTS AND DIRECTORS HERBERT G. MOULTON NEW YORK, N. Y. JOHN R. SUMAN HOUSTON, TEXAS TREASURER AND DIRECTOR H. T. HAMILTON NEW YORK, N. Y. VICE PRESIDENTS AND DIRECTORS ERLE V. DAVELER NEW YORK, N. Y. W. M. PEIRCE PALMERTON, PA. PAUL D. MERICA NEW YORK. N. Y. LEROY SALSICH DULUTH, MINN. CHESTER A. FULTON NEW YORK, N. Y. L. E. YOUNG PITTSBURGH, PA.

Jan 1, 1942

By Jon Y. Kaneshiro, Stephen J. Navin, Jerry Ostberg

In 1968, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation awarded S.S. Mullen Construction of Seattle, the Intake Tunnel (488 m by 4 m diameter tunnel) and Pumping Plant No. 1. In1998, the Southern Nevada Water Authority awarded Lake Mead Constructors (Kiewit of Omaha) a parallel New Intake Tunnel (518 m long by 4.6 m diameter tunnel) and Pumping Plant. Both projects provide water to a thirsty Las Vegas. This paper presents a detailed comparison of the two intake tunnels in terms of grout takes and pressures, geologic mapping and rock quality, grout penetration beyond the excavation line, degree of fracture grouting, and groundwater inflow boundary considerations. The paper provides a comparison of grouting techniques and material developments then and now.

Jan 1, 2001

By D. N. Nilsen

The Bureau of Mines is developing a method to recover Ni, Co, and Cu from laterites containing less than 1.2 pct Ni and 0.25 pct Co. The method consists of the following basic unit operations: (1) reduction roasting, (2) leaching, (3) solvent extraction, and (4) electrowinning. The method reflects three Bureau of Mines objectives: (1) recovery of critical minerals that are domestically in short supply from low-grade domestic laterites, (2) lower processing energy requirements, and (3) solution recycling. This report deals with the extraction of cobalt and the preparation of a suitable cobalt electrolyte by solvent extraction from liquor produced by this method. Nickel and copper are coextracted with LIX64N from an ammoniacal ammonium sulfate leach liquor containing about 1.00 g/l Ni, 0.30 g/l Co, 0.03 g/l Cu, and 0.02 g/l Zn. Cobalt (III) in the nickel-copper barren raffinate is reduced to cobalt (II) with cobalt metal. Reduction of cobalt (III) to cobalt (II) greatly aids subsequent extraction. Commercially available XI-51 extracts about 94 pct of the cobalt from the treated raffinate in one stage in a laboratory mixer-settler continuous circuit. Ammonia loaded on the solvent is removed in two washing steps. About 94 pct of the cobalt then is stripped from the XI-51 in one stage with spent cobalt electrolyte containing about 77 g/l Co and 18 g/l sulfuric acid (H2S04), Electrolytes containing less H2S04 also may be used. Preliminary data indicate that coextracted zinc may be removed from pregnant cobalt eletrolyte containing 3 g/l or less H2S04 with di-(2 ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (D2EHPA).

Jan 1, 1980

By H. J. Heinen

A technique offering promise as a metallurgical processing sequence the recovery of molybdenum (Mo) from the sulfide mineral--molybdenite?was investigated. The method consists of two steps: (1) electrosynthesis of pure dimolybdenum carbide (Mo2C) from molybdenite (MoS2) and (2) interaction of Mo2C and molybdic oxide (MoO3) to produce pure molybdenum metal. Two molten salt systems were satisfactory for electrosynthesizing Mo2C. The first was a mixture of potassium chloride (KCl), potassium fluoride (KY), and sodium metasilicate (Na2SiO3), and the second consisted of sodium fluoride (NaF), KF, sodium tetraborate (Na2B4O7), and sodium carbonate (Na2CO3). Yields up to 0.42 gram of Mo2C per ampere-hour were obtained. The carbide, mixed with monitored amounts of MoO3, was converted to molybdenum metal of 99.9 percent purity by sintering at 1,500° C.

Jan 1, 1965

By J. O. Voigt

No major changes took place in the salt industry during 2004. No new uses of salt appeared and only localized supply disruptions occurred. Many salt producers reported slightly increased salt sales and profits for the year. In the United States, about half of the salt supply is produced as brine, by solution mining, and is used by the chemicals industry. One-third of U.S. salt is produced as rock salt by 14 underground mines. The remaining two production techniques, each with less than 10 percent of the total tonnage, are vacuum-pan-evaporation for refined, food-grade salt, and solar pond crystallized salt.

Jan 1, 2005

By R. W. Harnmack

Hydrogen sulfide generated by the anaerobic respiration of sulfate-reducing bacteria was used to treat pH 2.2 water from the abandoned Rio Tinto copper mine in Nevada. The untreated water contained 550 mg/L Fe, 140 mg/L Al, 90 mg/L Cu, 80 mg/L Mn, 60 mg/L Zn, 4 mg/L Co, and 2 mg/L Ni. The bench-scale treatment system examined consisted of a bioreactor for H2S generation and three precipitator/clarifier units for metal sulfide precipitation and recovery. The treatment system reduced the concentrations of all metals except Mn to less than 0.1 mg/L. Manganese concentrations were reduced by 96 percent to 3.3 mg/L. A CUS/SO concentrate (33 pct Cu) and a ZnS/5° concentrate (28 pct Zn) were produced that may be suitable for metal recovery at existing smelters

Jan 1, 1994

"The town of Monson in Piscutaquis County, Maine is the, center of an important site industry. Monson slate has a nation-wide reputation, particularly for electrical switch boards, and the deposits have been worked for the manufacture of such products for many years. Open-pit quarrying is the method most commonly employed in obtaining slate. Underground methods have been used in the Peaon Bottom district near Delta, Pennsylvania, but the quarries that were thus operated are now abandoned. Underground methods have been used more extensively in foreign countries, the most famous example being the slate mines at Angers in France, where an over-head stoping method has been employed successfully for many. It is only under special conditions that underground methods can be successfully used. If the deposit is wide and relatively thin, or if the material is too unsound to constitute a safe roof, open-pit methods must be used, for slate is too low-priced a commodity to justify the heavy expense of any timbering methods. It is only where the deposit is relatively narrow, of great depth, and sufficiently sound to afford a strong roof that ordinary mining may be employed.The best slate beds in two of the three quarries operated at Monson are no worked by underground methods. The chief bed worked by the PortlandMonson Slate Co. is 10 feet thick, stands vertical and strikes N. 63º F. The slaty cleavage is vertical and crosses the strike of the beds at an angle of 5 to 10°. The grain or second direction of splitting is vertical and perpendicular to the cleavage. In addition to the 10-foot bed, to 2-foot beds and one 5-foot bed are available but are not now utilized. In theMonson Maine Slate Co. quarry (the old Pond quarry) a greater number of beds available, but at present quarrying is confined to a single bed about 9 feet thick which dips 30º S.E. and strikes N. 47ºF. The slaty cleavage is vertical and strides N. 45º F., while the grain strikes N. 45-50º W. and is also vertical."

Nov 1, 1920

By Steven T. Mitchell

INTRODUCTION Mill production from the Homestake Mine in 1979 amounted to 1.29 Mt (1.43 million st) of ore containing 5.9 g/t of gold (0.172 oz per st) compared with 1978 production of 1.44 Mt (1.59 million st) containing 6.2 g/t of gold (0.180 oz per st). The average cost per ounce of gold produced in 1979 rose to approximately $250 contrasted with $176 in 1978. This increase in unit cost is the result of inflation, a diminishing ore grade, and productivity losses related to a shortage of experienced miners as well as compliance with federal regulatory requirements. Together, these factors prompted the investigation of several large-scale, highly mechanized underground mining methods. This analysis indicated Vertical Crater Retreat mining to be one of the safest underground methods known today, yet competitive with all other forms of stoping in terms of cost and productivity. Therefore, the feasibility of applying the VCR stoping method at the Homestake Mine was explored. Vertical Crater Retreat stoping is a recent innovation in large- scale underground mining based on C. W. Livingston's crater blasting theories. Figure 1 illustrates the method which consists of drilling 165.1-mm-diameter (6.5-in.) holes from a topsill down-dip to an under- cut on the level below. The bottom of each hole is then loaded from above with a predetermined charge weight and horizontal slices up to 4.27 m (14 ft) in thickness are blasted into the undercut. Broken ore is extracted from drawpoints located on or below the undercut level.

Jan 1, 1983

By L. A. Stinnett

An investigation of hazardous surface openings of abandoned and inactive underground mines in the Black Hills area of South Dakota has revealed: (1) tracing legal ownership of mineral claims via county courthouses is confusing, complex, and oftentimes misleading, (2) in general, the selected mine openings in this investigation are to be considered relatively high in risks and hazard potential which poses a threat to the general public, (3) mine closure procedures and designs can generally be categorically implemented depending on the overall situation of the particular mine opening with subsequent unit costs estimates, (4) few preventive state or federal legal measures exist to date concerning mine closures, and (5) liability damages relating to mine opening accidents usually involve expensive and complex common law cases.

Jan 1, 1979