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By Stephen Utter

Stresses induced by block-caving mining were estimated from in-place measurements of strain or deformation in rock and concrete around mine openings. The four types of gages used for measurements in the Climax Molybdenum mine during 1959-61 were Whittemore gage, Carlson strain meter,2 Valore strain cell, and Climax extensometer. Gage performance in the laboratory was evaluated by stressing instrumented rock and concrete specimens in a universal testing machine and by comparing measurements taken by the gages and a standard gage. Gage performance in the mine was evaluated by comparing measurements taken during an 18-month test. The Whittemore gage, Carlson strain meter, and the Climax extensometer proved suitable for the investigation; the Valore strain cell, effective in the laboratory tests, gave erratic measurements in the mine.

Jan 1, 1965

By M. J. Ferrante

A process was investigated for preparing Specification-grade nickel (containing less than 1 percent cobalt) by stripping it electrolytically from a nickel sulfate-boric acid solution and using the stripped electrolyte for the preferential dissolution of nickel from basic carbonates of nickel and cobalt. The basic carbonates were produced at the plant at Nicaro, Cuba, owned by the U.S. Government. Determination of the optimum conditions for deposition of Specification-grade nickel indicated that the upper limit of cobalt concentration was 0.1 gram per liter. The pH, temperature, and concentrations of nickel and boric acid in the electrolyte were not critical. An aluminum cathode and two lead anodes were used at a cathode current density of 1.2 amperes per square decimeter.

Jan 1, 1959

By C. Chávez, J. Portilla

El prospecto se ubica en el distrito de Chojata, provincia de General Sanchez Cerro, departamento de Moquegua y a altitudes desde 4,200 a 4,700 m.s.n.m. Las alteraciones más importantes en la brecha andesitica, son la silicificación (calcedonia, ópalo) y cloritizacion; también se observa un poco la presencia de sericita y algo de calcita.

May 1, 2008

By D. R. Spink

An historical background is presented to provide a basis for the lack of normally expected developmental effort over the first 20-25 years of viable zirconium production operations. This is followed by a description of developing technology, which is the result of years of research and piloting effort directed to the development of a more economical method to produce high-grade metallic zirconium. It is predicted that many of the process improvements described will have a significant impact on future zirconium production methods and consequently on future prices and markets.

Jan 1, 1977

By H. Vermette, J. Demers, R. Leclerc, P. Bergeron, P. Hudon, A. Lessard

The Arvida Smelter marked its 80th anniversary in 2006. Arvida currently operates 6 potrooms equipped with prebaked side-feeding pots producing 160 000t of aluminum per year, requiring the supply of 300 000t of alumina per year. In the past, to ensure reliable alumina supplies to the pots, especially in winter, a safety stock of alumina was kept inside the plant. The improved reliability of shipping on the Saguenay River has cut the need for such a stock. However, the stoppage of 8 Soderbergtechnology potrooms, starting in the 1980s up to 2003, generated alumina from the cleaning of pot pits, totaling 18000t and leading to the building-up of a significant alumina stock again. Concerns over working conditions, effect on potroom operations, and dust emissions prevented Arvida from tackling effectively this impressive alumina stock. Yet the increasing cost of alumina has created a strong motivation to use the stored alumina. In 2004 Arvida launched a project to recycle the stored alumina. This 4-year project aimed at clearing the alumina stock without affecting the operation of the smelter. It involved changing work organization, improving equipment and controlling the effect of the recycled alumina on the smelting process and working conditions.

Jan 1, 2006

To investigate mine ventilation problems which do not lend themselves to conventional anemometer and smoke study techniques by use of SF6 (sulfur hexafluoride) tracer gas. Approach SF6 tracer gas is released in-to the air at a given mine location. By collecting air samples at various other locations and analyzing these samples for SF6, the amount of air traveling from the release location to each sampling location can be quantitatively determined. Travel time between these locations can also be deter-mined. How It Works SF6 is ideal as a mine tracer gas. It is safe, odorless, chemically and thermally stable, and it generally has no background concentration. Furthermore, it is instrument detectable at concentrations as low as 10 parts per trillion. The SF6 is generally released from a pressurized lecture bottle, and air samples are taken in syringes or evacuated bottles. During the past several years, SF6 tracer gas has been employed to study a wide variety of mine ventilation problems such as: recirculation of return air into In-take airways, air leakage from adjacent mines and gob areas, air transit times through stoped areas, airflow patterns during a mine fire, leakage of gases from an underground oil shale retort into mine workings, face area ventilation patterns, methane flows in metal/nonmetal mines following a methane out-burst, and many other problem areas. Examples of some recent uses of SF6 follow.

Jan 1, 1982

By L. A. Price

With increased stripping ratios and with dwindling ore content, the mining fraternity is increasingly turning to larger and larger equipment for profitable open pit operations. The availability of higher horsepower prime movers and increased capacity electric transmissions using either wheel mounted or axle mounted traction motors makes a reality of single axle, rear dump trucks having 150 to 250 ton capacity. The size of electric loading shovels is inherently geared to the size of haulage equipment. To work effectively with this new generation of trucks, the Harnischfeger Corporation has introduced its P&H Model 2800 with a capacity of 20 to 25 cubic yards and a working weight of nearly 1,500,000 pounds. The Model 2800, depicted in Figure 1 loading a 200 ton truck, has many new electric and mechanical features designed to give excellent production and low cost operation. Chief among the new features is the ELECTRO TORQUE* control system. ELECTROTORQUE is a completely static, solid state electronic system supplying controlled power both to the armature and to the fields of the d.c. shovel drive motors. It eliminates many major electrical rotating machines and their attendant maintenance. The system was developed jointly by ASEA of Sweden and Harnischfeger Corporation.

Jan 1, 1969

By R. C. Milici

The primary factors that determine the marketability of coal from various supply centers in the U.S. are coal quality and supply; i.e. low sulfur, moderate- to high- Btu coals have large market areas when compared to less expensive but poorer quality coals. Price is the major factor in the competitive marketing of similar coal products. Good quality, (moderate- to high- Btu, low sulfur) coals from the Powder River and central Appalachian basins are marketed over large areas of the country, and central Appalachian coal is widely distributed in foreign markets, primarily as coking coal. In contrast, poorer quality bituminous coal (low calorific value and/or high sulfur) from the Illinois Basin, northern Appalachian Basin, and lignite from the Gulf Coast is marketed in or near the States in which it was mined even though the price at the mines may be lower than mine prices for central Appalachian coal. Widespread distribution of sub-bituminous Powder River Basin coal is enhanced by its exceptionally low mining costs, which offsets transportation costs to distant markets.

Jan 1, 2001

By A. L. Podia

The purpose of this research was to develop a system capable of detecting changes in the structure of rocks, leading to failure of mine roofs, and/or excavations. A prototype system was developed, field tested and delivered to the United States Bureau of Mines for further evaluation and research. This system is based on the analysis of acoustic signals generated on the surface of the roof by an impact device and which are reflected or backscattered by flaws and discontinuities in the rock. The specially designed impact source is capable of generating high frequency acoustic signals with excellent repeatability. The system can also be used in conjunction with conventional acoustic pulse transducers. The received signal is digitized and the data transferred to a minicomputer for processing and display. This capability allows the immediate determination of wave velocity and/or distance to a reflecting interface. Various data processing techniques such as averaging, differentiating, and comparing of different signals can be selected by entering the appropriate commands on the keyboard. Being a programmable system it is possible to implement more advanced signal processing techniques. All results as well as the signal are displayed on a CRT. Furthermore, a permanent record of the data can be generated on paper tape, which can be reentered and processed at a later date. A communications interface allows transmission of the sampled signal to a large scale re-mote computer. The system was tested extensively in the laboratory, and field tested at the York Canyon Coal Mine. These tests proved the feasibility of operation in the mining environment. Results indicate that further investigation and development will have to be undertaken to fully develop the potential of this system in satisfying the goals of this research.

Jan 1, 1973

By Alexandra de Almeida Diego

O controle da transferência de calor é uma das principais funções que o fluxante exerce durante aplicação no molde de lingotamento contínuo. O fluxo de calor na interface placa / molde deve estar adequado aos parâmetros de processo e ao tipo de aço, caso contrário pode provocar preferencialmente alarmes de agarramento em aços baixo carbono e trincas longitudinais em aços médio carbono, podendo levar até ao breakout. Este trabalho tem o objetivo de caracterizar os filmes de escória aplicados em aços baixo (Filme BC) e médio carbono (Filme MC), ambos comerciais, utilizando as análises de Microscopia Eletrônica de Varredura (MEV) com Energia Dispersiva de raios-X (EDS) acoplado e Difratometria de raios-X (DRX). As diferenças entre os filmes de escórias foram discutidas e relacionadas aos dados presentes na literatura.

Aug 16, 2017

By Charles W. Bloomquist

The profitability of miscible flooding in a hypothetical target oilfield is examined. The major costs, including Windfall Prof it Tax, are identified and their re1ative importance are discussed. The sensitivity of profit to important physical and economic variables is evaluated and discussed, including variance in oil recovery, oil price, injectant requirements, injectant cost, and capital requirements. Economic sensitivities to important development and operating decisions such as timing, Spacing, Slug size, and gas recycling are also analyzed. The Windfall Profit Tax (WPT) as it applies to gas miscible EOR projects is reviewed. The effect of WPT on each of the various project cases is analyzed and the effect of reduced WPT on remaining production from existing operations is evaluated. Tax implications are compared for integrated vs. "independent" controlled projects and the alternative of expensing vs. capitalizing tertiary injectants is also evaluated. The impact of the Net Income Limitation in reducing WPT. during early and late project life is determined and discussed.

Jan 1, 1982

By Thiago Guimarães Teixeira

Produtos químicos são os ingredientes essenciais para os processos de tratamento de águas e efluentes. A GDU consome mais de 30 produtos químicos diferentes utilizados em suas 17 estações de tratamento de água e efluentes distribuídas em toda a Usina Presidente Vargas (UPV). A gestão dos estoques dos produtos químicos, acompanhada do consumo padrão de cada um, contribuem para a garantia da qualidade da água tratada e no custo de tratamento de cada ETE. Por outro lado, a falta ou a deficiência de um sistema de gerenciamento acarreta em descontroles dos parâmetros de qualidade da água e aumenta custos por imprevisibilidades no processo, podendo inclusive causar danos aos processos clientes. O grupo em conjunto implantou um sistema de gerenciamento visual dos estoques de produtos químicos em cada área de sua responsabilidade, pois foi evidenciado muitas ocorrências de descontrole da qualidade da água devido à falta de produtos químicos na área, e como consequência, elevados pedidos de produtos químicos em emergência. A principal ação tomada para a implantação desse sistema de gerenciamento de produtos químicos foi estabelecer, por meio de gráficos de controle, um sistema de gerenciamento visual, permitindo conhecer, acompanhar e prever o consumo e data de novos pedidos. Dentre os benefícios da implantação deste trabalho, podemos citar: a) Efetivação dos pedidos de produtos químicos com antecedência; b) Entregas programadas na data de necessidade, com estabelecimento de nível de estoque de segurança de produto nas áreas; c) Redução do número de solicitações de produtos químicos em emergências; d) Envolvimento dos operadores nos consumos e controles de estoques de produtos químicos, através do sistema de gerenciamento; e) Parâmetros de qualidade da água estabilizados; f) Redução do risco de interferência nos clientes por má qualidade da água; g) Redução de desperdícios; h) Custos evitados com transportes e multas ambientais.

Aug 17, 2017

By Joe Keane

DOUG HALBE: The kickoff speaker, and my unanimous choice, is Joe Keane. Joe was born in Butte, Montana, and began his association with the mining industry as an under- ground miner at age 16. Currently he is president of KD Engineering and Metcon Research. He had it lucky when he went to school because there were only 44 elements in the periodic table, I understand. [laughter] Here's Joe. JOE KEANE: I'm doing this under protest. Maybe we can start the slides. Mr. Halbe gave me this topic, but I don't like it. I don't like Mr. Halbe either [laughter] because of the way he shanghaied me into this. He called me up on the phone and said this is what you're going to speak about: "Five Things I Never Want to See Again in Plant Design," and I said, "Huh!" Then I started getting stuff from SME about how to make a presentation. I have decided to change the title to "More Than Five Things I Never Want to See in Plant Design," since you can't have a completely negative speech; you have to have other topics. So we will have some other, not completely nonrelated, topics to sort of break the tension. I tried to find a joke to open with. I talked to Omar Mutati. All of his jokes were either about Bill Clinton, our beloved President, or they were too filthy to say in a mixed group. [laughter] So I decided to start this out with a profound statement. The pro- found statement is, "The meek shall inherit the earth, but not the mineral rights," [laughter] by J. Paul Getty. J. Paul Getty was one of my favorite guys because when a real obnoxious reporter asked him one day, "How can I become wealthy?" he said, "Drill for oil and find it."

Jan 1, 1998

By VIVEK KUMAR HIMANSHU, Murari Prasad Roy, Kaushik Dey, Rakesh Kumar Singh, Ashish Kumar Vishwakarma

Sublevel stoping is the most popular and practiced mining method in underground hard rock mines. Proper planning and its execution is the key requirement for stope extraction using this method. The stope extraction has been a challenging task since decades. The major reason is the unavailability of free faces as compared to opencast bench blasting. The geological and geotechnical parameters change gradually even within the stope itself. So, the blast design parameters should be planned according to the scenario of the upcoming ring. The blast design parameters like burden, toe spacing, inclination of blastholes, diameter of blastholes, charge density of explosive, etc., play an immense role in the rock damage. For the proper breakage of rock, the movement of burden is the prime objective. To study this, an explicit dynamic based modeler of M/s Ansys was used. The burden values were varied from 20 to 65 times of blasthole diameter to assess the optimum burden value during the study. The models were simulated for the rock having uniaxial compressive strength as 35 MPa and 102 mm blasthole diameter. Three holes were simulated having depth around 14–14.5 m. Different blast design parameters and respective blast-induced ground vibration have also been measured at the experimental site. The core samples of the rock present at the experimental site have been used for the evaluation of geotechnical parameters. These geotechnical parameters were used in the simulation models. The volume of rock excavated along the free face has been calculated in each model by varying the burden. It has been found that the burden value can varies from 35 to 40 times blasthole diameter (3.6–4.1 m) to achieve a greater volume of rock along the free face for 102 mm blasthole diameter and rock of 35 MPa uniaxial compressive strength.

Dec 22, 2023

The primary purpose of the Institute is to advance the technologic and engineer-. in- arts embraced by it through inter¬change of knowledge. This can best be clone by the presentation and discussion of technical papers by its members. Short " practical papers are especially welcome. An author should always satisfy himself that his material is of a quality that Will be a credit to him and to the Institute. The preparation of a good paper fre¬quently leads to a reorientation of the author's thoughts, and publication con¬tributes much to the professional standing of the author. Members are urged to submit papers presenting the results of their work. Attention to the following sugges¬tions will greatly further the prompt and efficient handling of manuscripts. 1. SUBJECTS: The subject must be within the field of the Institute.

Jan 1, 1943

By N. J. Sather

The history of the Bunker Hill mine dates back to August 26, 1885, when Noah S. Kellogg found the outcrop of the Bunker Hill orebody on the hillside of Milo Gulch above the present town of Wardner, Idaho. A small concentrator was erected in 1886, and before the railroad came, the mine output was transported by mule teams to the head of navigation on Coeur d'Alene Lake. After ten years of production, an interest was purchased in the Tacoma smelter at Tacoma, Wash., to which the entire output was shipped. In 1916 and 1917, a modern lead smelting plant and refinery was erected, and a modern electrolytic zinc reduction plant was built in 1927-1928 by the Sullivan Mining Co. which was 50 pct owned (and now totally owned) by the Bunker Hill Co.

Jan 6, 1961

By M. O. Abo-el Fotoh, J. B. Mitchell, J. E. Dorn

The effect of strain rate and temperature on the tensile flow stress of a polycrystalline bcc alloy of magnesium containing 14 wt pct Li and 1.5 wt pct Al was investigated for strain rates of 3.13 x lom5 to 3.13 x 10-3 per sec over the range from 20° to 300°K. From about 180° to 300°K the alloy exhibited an ather-ma1 deformation behavior where the flow stress was independent of strain rate and increased only slightly with decreasing temperature. At lower temperatures the flow stress was strongly strain-rate- and temperature-dependent, characteristic of deformations controlled by thermally activated mechmzisms. The activation volume for thermally activated plastic defornzation was between 5 and 30 cu Burgers vectors, independent of plastic strain. This low-temperature thermally activated deformation behavior was found lo be in satisfactory agreement with the theoretical dictates of the Dorn-Rajnak1 formulation of the Peierls mechanism where deformation is controlled by the rate of nucleation of pairs of dislocation kinks over the Peierls energy barriers. SEVERAL studies of the low-temperature thermally activated deformation of bcc metals and alloys (molybdenum,1 tantalum,1 Fe-2 pct Mn,2 Fe-11 pct MO,3 and AgMg4) have revealed that the strain rate is controlled by the activation of dislocations over the Peierls-Nabarro energy hills. Although there is some uncertainty as to the nature and effect of solute atom-dislocation interactions during low-temperature deformation of bcc metals, it has been concluded by Dorn and Rajnak,1 Conrad,1 and Christian and Masters6 among others that overcoming the Peierls-Nabarro stress which arises from the variations in bond energies of atoms in the dislocation core as it is displaced is the probable mechanism controlling low-temperature deformation. The purpose of this research was to investigate the low-temperature plastic deformation of the bcc alloy Mg-14 wt pct Li-1.5 wt pct A1 to determine if the behavior of this alkali metal alloy might be analogous to that for other bcc metals. This alloy was selected because of its availability and its current industrial importance as a lightweight material for aircraft and aerospace applications. I) EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE Polycrystalline tensile specimens having cylindrical gage sections 2 in. long by 0.2 in. in diam were machined from as-received alloy sheet stock of Mg-14 wt pct Li-1.5 wt pct Al. Specimens were annealed in an argon atmosphere at 423°K for 4 hr and maintained in a kerosene bath together with the sheet stock to prevent corrosion. The resulting specimen microstructure consisted of a coarse uniform dispersion of incoherent precipitate MgLi2Al particles7 in a bcc 0 phase matrix having an average grain size of 150 p. Prior to testing the specimens were chemically polished in dilute hydrochloric acid. Comparison of tensile properties and microstructures of specimens cut from center and edge sections of the sheet stock revealed no effects of inhomogeneities in the sheet material. Tensile tests were performed on an Instron machine at crosshead speeds corresponding to tensile strain rates of 1.56 x 10-5 and 1.56 x 10"3 per sec. Stresses were determined to ±2 x 106 dynes per sq cm and strains to within ±0.0001. Average values of shear stress t and shear strain y reported were taken as one half the tensile stress and three halves the tensile strain, respectively. Flow stresses were taken at 0.05 pct strain offset. Test temperatures down to 77°K were obtained by immersing the specimens in constant-temperature baths. Lower-temperature tests were performed in a liquid helium cryostat to within ±2°K of the reported values. Prior to testing at the various temperatures and strain rates all specimens were prestrained at 2 35°K at a shear strain rate of 3.13 x 10-5 per sec to a stress level of 0.606 x 10' dynes per sq cm to obtain a uniform initial state. Additional tests were made to determine the effect of changes in strain rate and strain on the flow stress by rapidly changing the crosshead motion during testing. Shear moduli of elasticity, needed for analyses of the data, were obtained at several temperatures by a common technique of determining the resonant frequencies of vibrations of rectangular test specimens. 11) EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS Fig. 1 shows the experimentally determined flow stress vs temperature for two strain rates. Two distinct regions of behavior are evident. Below about 180°K the strong increase in flow stress with increased strain rate and decreasing temperature indicates that deformation is controlled by a thermally activated dislocation mechanism. At higher temperatures an athermal region is evident where the flow stress is independent of strain rate and only slightly dependent on temperature. The applied stress t to cause plastic flow was separated into two components:

Jan 1, 1969

By I. D. McPherson, Dominic P. Mahoney

The Metro Sports Facility is currently under development in Christchurch, New Zealand and is a key Anchor Project in the city’s post-earth quake recovery. When completed it will be largest indoor sports and swimming pool complex in New Zealand, with a building footprint in the order of 22,000m2. The site is underlain by poor performing soils comprising interbedded layers of soft compressible silts and loose liquefiable sands to over 20m depth. The site is typical for Christchurch with a shallow groundwater table and artesian conditions. The site performed poorly during the 2010-2011 Canterbury Earthquake Sequence with extensive liquefaction, and associated ground damage. To provide a resilient and economical foundation system for this key development project, deep ground improvement comprising of a uniform grid of some 7,200 stone columns in conjunction with robust shallow foundations has been adopted. This paper discusses the geotechnical site constraints, and ground performance under earthquake loading and describes the various options considered for the development. The foundation option selected, the design considerations of the adopted stone column ground improvement, and foundation solution are described in detail, as well as, construction observations. The paper aims to provide insight into an urban large-scale ground improvement project for the engineering practitioner.

Nov 1, 2022

By D. Malhotra

The number of variables which can effect flotation of molybdenite is very large. This paper discusses the effect of two operating variables, namely, the degree of aeration and agitation, on the grade and recovery of molybdenite. A series of factorially designed flotation tests were carried out in a "Leeds Automatic Laboratory Flotation Cell." The analysis of flotation results indicate that molybdenite can be characterized into fast-floating and slow-floating components. The rates of fast-floating components, which do not create a problem in flotation, could be varied by changing agitation of airflow rates. However, the rate of slow-floating components was stable and was only a function of residence time in the float machine. The degree of aeration has a significant effect on the grade of MoS2 with only a slight effect on the recovery of MoS2. The degree of agitation has a slight effect on the grade, but does not effect the recovery of molybdenite. The implications of the results on the design of flotation cells and control and optimization of the existing circuits is subsequently discussed.

Jan 1, 1977

By T. Badrujaman

In September 2005, after 30 years experiencing in operating an ESF using a falling water film shell cooling system, Antam entered the new era in operating an ESF, after completely modernized its ESF No. 2 from a falling water film shell cooling system to a copper cooling system. Further, in the beginning of 2007, Ferronickel plant No. 3, where its ESF also uses copper coolers, was successfully commissioned. By operating an ESF using a copper cooling technology, Antam has to face some challenges to establish the operation stability. Besides that, the chances to maximize the furnace efficiency are greatly opened. The shielded-arc mode of electrode tip is selected to operate an ESF under relatively high furnace power to produce metal having tap temperature below 1500? and slag having tap temperature below 1600?. It leads to electric current unbalance. Further, operating an ESF using a copper cooler system under high voltage as consequence of the furnace power raise increases metal and slag tap temperature. This condition damages furnace integrity fast. Besides that, relatively high metal temperature increases its pressure during metal tapping. It leads to failure in closing the metal tap hole. The main different ways in operating an ESF using a falling water film shell cooling system and a copper cooling system lie in the electrode tip mode, the water specification used for cooler, metal tap block maintenance and allowed metal & slag level in furnace. Since a copper cooler system allows an ESF to be operated by consuming nickel ore having ratio Fe / Ni up to eight and producing slag having relatively high Fe content in slag, an undesirable silicon reversion phenomenon becomes an obstacle in reaching the operation stability. A copper cooler technology lets Antam to take a chance to increase its capacity. Modernizing the ESF No.2 had increased its furnace power from 17 MWh to 25 MWh. Meanwhile the ESF No. 3 can be operated up to 42 MWh. This technology allows an ESF to be operated under relatively high furnace power above 25 MWh safely as well as prolong the campaign life of ESF brick. Further, lowering ESF power consumption, extending the limitation of ratio S/M in nickel ore consumed and adjusting Ni grade in ferronickel product can be gained by applying this technology.

Jan 1, 2014