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By John B. Hastings

Ten miles from Hartsel, near Antelope springs, in Park county, Colorado, there is a large area of unconsolidated lake-beds, which are interesting because at least a part of the lacustrine sands contains in the aggregate an immense amount of gold. During 1906, one of the arms of this dessicated lake was fairly well prospected with shafts and cuts by an Eastern company to test its value, as favorable amounts of gold had in some instances been found upon it. The claims of the company contain about 5,000 acres of the beds; bat this is only a small portion of them, a south branch from a main body, which is at least 7 miles in diameter, with other and very wide lateral gulches, paralleling the one herein described on the east and west. A certain amount of digging and sampling was done in the outside areas; but the result was evidently unsatisfactory, since the work was discontinued. This section of Colorado has not been studied geologically, and the age of the ancient lake is unknown. It is probably Quaternary. I spent two weeks on the ground, in September

Jan 1, 1909

By Richard T. Newcomb

Federal and utility industry research has largely ignored coal beneficiation techniques in the implementation of SOx control. This paper accepts the hypothesis that beneficiation cum scrubbing is the cheapest way for the vast majority of seams in the eastern coal provinces to comply with standards. Comparisons are based on point estimates of average beneficiation costs from a model of coal preparation (COBET) designed to simulate four levels of cleaning. The paper describes how economic theory can be applied to derive econometric supply functions from actual data on the geology of minable seams, washability and technical constraints. West Virginia is taken as an example of a producing region. Spatial supply functions are derived empirically from the engineering model simulations.

Jan 1, 1977

THE good and lofty men of intelligence are constantly discoverers of many beautiful things, because of their kindness or because they are driven by necessity. Either they shorten the method of making them after they have seen them, or they think how they can be increased in power or how they can be used for various effects in addition to the one intended by the inventor. Certainly all the effects described to you in this Tenth Book derive from gunpowder. When so many proper- ties and so much strength were observed in this, it was thought that by enclosing it in some strong thing that had the power to resist it, gunpowder would produce a marvelous effect. And thus they made a tube of bronze or iron [160v] which they closed with a wooden plug. They applied fire, and when they saw how forcefully this plug issued they thought of making one that would come out and strike in order to destroy things. They made an instrument of bronze or of iron and put some powder and a round stone inside, and called it a spingard. Developing then from this,

Jan 1, 1942

Where Does the Mine Dollar Go? BY PAUL M TYLER (Min & Met, April, 183 3900 words) Wage earners on the job get nearly 50 per cent of the mine dollar; salaries normally take over 5 per cent (less for large metal mines); and less than 20 per cent is expended for supplies, materials, fuel, and power The total of all such specified expenditures, which may be loosely described as "direct costs," has tended over several decades to decline from over 75 per cent to under 70 per cent of the gross receipts from the sale of products of mines and quarries The item of supplies and material is far less important in the extractive industries (mines, forests, and fisheries) than in manufacturing For manufactured products the average cost of raw materials was 30 4 per cent of gross sales, almost double the proportion for the mineral industries, whereas factory wages and salaries accounted for only 33 2 per cent instead of 51 9 per cent Within reasonable limits, the margin above direct costs as herein calculated affords a measure of capital's share in the total realized from sales A preponderant group of mineral industries operate under conditions that permit or require a margin of 25 to 45 per cent At one end of the scale are highly organized industries such as sulfur, fuller's earth and iron ore mining employing much

Jan 1, 1935

By O. Bergmann, R. E. Lueders, R. R. Ellefson, H. M. Brennecke, D. S. Davies

A new hydrometallurgical process has been developed to recover copper from sulfide ores. Copper is leached in a staged reactor system utilizing nitric and sulfuric acids at 105OC. Iron is removed from the pregnant liquor as a jarosite, and cathode copper is electrowon directly from the purified pregnant liquor. The spent electrolyte is recycled. Nitrogen oxides evolved from the leach are reconverted to nitric acid and are also recycled. Sulfur is rejected as So, jarosite, and gypsum. The process is highly versatile and can recover precious metals, molybdenum, and zinc when these elements are present. Continuous, integrated, semi-pilot plant operations using chalcopyrite ores demonstrated 99% copper leaching and production of cathode grade copper. Economic evaluation shows that the process is competitive with pyrometallurgical and other hydrometallurgical processes.

Jan 1, 1982

By D. S. Kingery, D. W. Mitchell

Experience in Europe indicates that the control of dust production and dissemination by water or foam systems is not successful except during undercutting. Cybulski, Dawes, and DeBraaf-respectively Director, Mines Research Establishment "Barbara", Katowice, Poland; Principal Scientific Officer, Safety in Mines Research Establishment, Sheffield, England: and Chief, Central Mines Research Establishment, Hoensbroek, Treebeek, The Netherlands-believe that wetted dust becomes readily dispersible and abatement measures should be considered only as a temporary means for reducing the health hazard. In an effort to reduce the health hazard, calcium chloride is used on the floor of main haulageways in Dutch mines and water infusion is practiced in Germany in mines where the coal is relatively porous. With respect to wet coal dust, the Belgians, British, Dutch, French, and Russians reportedly have accepted the results of research from the Polish and American experimental mines on the effectiveness of water as an inert in arresting explosion propagation. The Polish use the two test methods proposed by the U.S. Bureau of Mines for evaluation of the adequacy of wetness of mine dust; they require that water be added to the wet dust to maintain a minimum of 50% moisture by weight if dependence is placed on water alone.

Jan 7, 1964

By J. M. Avasthi

The DOE-funded (Contract No. DE-ACO3-77ET13108) Gulf Research & Development Co. (GR&DC) field tests of underground coal gasification in steeply dipping beds (UCG/SDB) were conducted in the North Knobs area, located 12.8 km (8 miles) west of Rawlins, WY. The site has a gently rolling, sparsely vegetated, semidesert terrain on the transition zone between a broad, flat basin (Great Divide Basin) to the west and the subdued mountains of the Rawlins uplift to the east. A comprehensive geotechnical program (Ahner et al., 1980) was essential to successfully complete the test program. Emphasis of the program was the subsurface characterization of the site and consisted of mapping, drilling and logging, core analyses, and hydrologic tests. The samples of lithologic units over- and underlying the G coal seam were tested in the laboratory for their modulus and strength. This program provided the required data necessary for designing surface facilities, input for permits, and ensuring correct placement of the process modules. The two UCG tests at the Rawlins site were conducted in the nominally 6.7 m (22 ft) thick G coal seam (rank-subbituminous B), dipping at 63°.

Jan 1, 1984

By S. Edward Drummond, Charles D. Haynes, Stephen H. Stow

This paper is a preliminary report on the occurrence and distribution of economically interesting heavy minerals (kyanite, sillimanite, staurolite, zircon, monazite, ilmenite, leucoxene, rutile) in sands from the sea floor surface of the offshore area, Alabama-Mississippi. Weight percent of heavies derived from the +60 portion of 97 samples is contoured in [Fig. 1]. Five hundred grains from 42 of the heavy mineral separates were identified and sized microscopically; the data were converted to weight percent for each mineral species and are summarized in [Table 1]. Heavy Mineral Distribution In the Gulf, there is a general westward decrease [(Fig. 1)] in maximum abundance of heavies from 2.4% north of Sand Island at the mouth of Mobile Bay to slightly over 1.0% south of Petit Bois Island and a corresponding decrease in the Mississippi Sound from 1.4%, north of Dauphin Island to slightly over 0.25% north of Horn Island. Average concentrations of heavies for different areas are found in Table 1. There is westerly longshore transport in this area; the interaction of the longshore current with discharge from Mobile Bay and disruptions of the current by Sand Island, possibly aided by a shoaling effect, appear to be the cause of the preferential deposition and concentration of heavies (2.4%) north of Sand Island in 10 to 14 ft of water.

Jan 1, 1977

By Glenn Southward

This describes a highly concentrated mining system consisting of a series of short faces arranged to get complete recovery of coal with the maximum protection for the men and equipment. A series of conveyors collect the coal from eight faces and discharge into mine cars at a central loading point on a main haulageway. The conveyor is sectional and, by a multiple-drive arrangement, the same standard parts are used to construct a unit of any length. THE. V system of mining used at the Norton mine of West Virginia Coal & Coke Co. was designed as a modified longwall with face conveyors, FIG. 1.-GENERAL DESIGN AND ARRANGEMENT OF FACES IN V SYSTEM. for use under roof conditions that would not permit regular longwall methods. This mine is in the Lower Kittanning seam, which averages about 6 ft. in height. There is from 20 to 30 ft. of slate and shale immedi-

Jan 2, 1924

By L. L. McDaniel

DURING the past few years a number of improvements in smelting and power equipment have been made at the Douglas smelter of the FIG. 1.-GENERAL PLAN OF SMELTER. Phelps Dodge Corporation at Douglas, Ariz. In the summer of 1935 work was started on the first unit of a new reverberatory waste-heat boiler plant which ultimately was to furnish steam for a modern high-pressure power plant. A second reverberatory waste-heat boiler unit

Jan 1, 1939

By S. S. Hedge, J. C. Ferm, J. T. Berger

The coal procedures described in this paper address the problems building a body of coal data that is accurate, precise, readily available, and easy to manipulate. The system is a set of interactive computer procedures consisting of a) data gathering (core hole and geophysical logs, their location, elevation, etc.) and standardized computer printouts, b) the graphic outputs of coded logs (log strips-scale variable) wing on-line electrostatic plotter, c) determination of seam continuity via relative movements of the log strips on an interactive graphic display terminal, d) calculation of the seam parameters (minable seam thickness, volume of non-coal material in the seam, ash and sulfur content of the raw or prepared product, roof and floor characteristics and other attributes relevant to mining), e) posting of seam parameters wing on-line drum plotter controlled by a microprocessor on-line to the minicomputer (PDP- 11).

Jan 1, 1983

By Walter E. Dean

Deep-sea manganese nodules are considered to be potential ores of manganese, nickel, cobalt, and copper. Considerable time, effort, and funds have been applied to the study of the distribution of nodules on the seafloor and the location of economically important areas, but less effort has been spent in understanding the origin of nodules. Most theories that have been proposed to explain the origin of manganese nodules have been based on inorganic processes. It is not by coincidence, however, that the area considered to be most economically feasible is, in the zone of high biological productivity in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean and underlain by siliceous biogenic sediment. The genesis of manganese nodules and the concentration of many trace elements are related indirectly, and possibly directly, to the activities of organisms.

Jan 1, 1983

By John Birkinbine

IN all metallurgical processes and mining operations, water is an element which receives attention from the management ; and provision is required either for a means of supply, or for the disposal of accumulation. In many works the quantity of water to be furnished is sufficiently large to place the item of water supply of equal importance to the reception of material or disposition of product ; and the means to be employed receive, or should receive, the most careful investigation. There are exceptional cases where mines or quarries possess a natural drainage, but a large majority of the useful ores and the fuels delved from the earth are obtained from workings in which water accumulates and must be removed. Often the quantity to be

Jan 1, 1877

By Rex T. Ellington

The fluidized bed is an effective method for investigating retorting phenomena and possibly a commercial means of retorting oil shale. Both were examined by Sinclair Oil (now part of Atlantic Richfield Co.) in the period 1965-1698. The results of the work show that the presence of an oxidizing environment during retorting results in loss of oil yield which indicates that vapor phase oil burns in preference to combustion of coke on spent shale. Consideration of hardware indicates that there are several possibilities for commercial embodiment. As a companion to shaft-type retorts the fluidized bed could have good potential. Realistic assessment of costs suggests that further development may have to wait commercialization of another process.

Jan 1, 1974

By John K. Hammes, Stanley D. Michaelson

Generally, the mining costs reported for the large open-pit operations in the United States and South America lie within the range of $0.20 to $0.30 per ton of material moved. (These operations have strip- ping ratios ranging from 1.5 to 4.0.) Productivities for the larger North American properties are in excess of 200 tons of material per man shift, while those for the South American operations are less than 200 tons per man shift. The most significant variations in cost are in the categories of haulage and general mine cost. Haulage costs vary, as expected, according to the mine elevation, pit profile, crusher location, and accessibility of a dump area, and general cost variations depend largely on the overhead cost items included in this category. Drilling and Blasting Practice The majority of open-pit copper mine production drilling is performed by rotary drills. Hole diameter varies from 6 in. to 12 in., with 9-in. holes being most common, and penetration rates vary from 35 ft to 60 ft per hour.

Jan 1, 1968

By Alvin W. Schillinger

During the past ten years, the Calumet Div. of Calumet & Hecla, Inc. has conducted extensive exploration and mining in the footwall of the Osceola amygdaloid lode in the native copper district in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. In an attempt to delineate more clearly the extent and nature of high-grade footwall copper mineralization, 876 diamond drill and long steel holes aggregating slightly more than 47,000 ft have thus far been drilled from the accessible hanging-wall workings. Early in this program it became obvious, through inspection of footwall workings in progress, that due to the erratic and bunchy occurrence of the native copper in the footwall zone, the exploration drilling was failing to outline completely the extent of the oreshoots. Early drilling results indicated isolated pockets of ore whereas in actual practice the footwall was found to be fairly thoroughly mineralized in shoots within the ore zone. Based on drill results only, the "success factor" (discovery ratio) was only 34%.

Jan 11, 1964

By D. W. Fuerstenau

Recently R. J. Charles1 showed that comminution of brittle or semi-brittle materials in batch operations is described more appropriately by a variable energy relationship than by the specific relation- ships proposed by Rittinger,2 Kick,3 and Bond.4 That is, the value of n in the empirical differential operation which applies to crushing and grinding (Eq. 1) is variable. Independently, Holmes6 developed an identical generalized equaton for size reduction. The experimental data of Charles and Holmes show that the value of n is determined by the material and the comminuting machine and is constant for a given combination of these two conditions. The general objective of the present article is to extend the Charles-Holmes concepts to continuous ball milling. The specific objective is to analyze the operation of a vibratory ball mill dry-grinding chromite in a continuous open circuit and to develop an equation for the comminution of chromite in this mill.

Jan 12, 1959

By D. F. DeSante, A. S. Tetelman

MICROCRACKS are often introduced into commercial metals during fabrication processes such as swaging, cold rolling, deep drawing, and welding. These microcracks act as strain concentrators and may be capable of causing premature catastrophic failure of a component or weld. The present investigation was undertaken to determine whether high-temperature annealing treatments may be capable of reducing or negating the detrimental effects of such existing microcracks. Internal microcracks, ranging from 0.1 to 0.85 mm in length and averaging 0.23 mm, were introduced into polycrystalline Fe-3 pct Si tensile specimens (0.155 mm grain size) by the cathodic charging of hydrogen.1'2 The typical appearance of such microcracks and their associated strain patterns (made visible by the technique of dislocation etch pitting3) is shown in Fig. 1. The stress fields of the dislocation loops formed during plastic relaxation stabilize the microcracks so that, when the internal hydrogen pressure is removed: the microcracks stay open, rather than disappear as perfectly elastic cracks would be expected to do.' As shown in Fig. 2, such stopped microcracks cause a 36 pct decrease in the macroscopic cleavage fracture strength at -196°C.

Jan 1, 1969

By John Birkinbine

In all metallurgical processes and mining operations, water is an element which receives attention from the management; and provision is required either for a means of supply, or for the disposal of accumulation. In many works the quantity of water to be furnished is sufficiently large to place the item of water supply of equal importance to the reception of material or disposition of product; and the means to be employed receive, or should receive, the most careful investigation. There are exceptional cases where mines or quarries possess a natural drainage, but a large majority of the useful ores and the fuels delved from the earth are obtained from workings in which water accumulates and .must be removed. Often the quantity to be

By Leigh J. Wardle

SUMMARY This paper describes a numerical method for calculating the three- dimensional stresses and displacements induced by tabular excavations in a rock mass consisting of parallel layers of distinct material properties. The method is based on the superposition of numerical solutions for elementary displacement discontinuities in a parallel layered rock mass. The method can be used to analyse complicated excavation layouts such as those encountered in room-and-pillar or longwall mining. The method can automatically take into account the effect of the earth's surface. The method offers an economic and efficient solution to stress analysis problems which cannot be adequately modelled using two- dimensional methods and for which the expense of three-dimensional finite element or general boundary element analysis cannot be justified. INTRODUCTION Underground mining often takes place in tabular or lenticular orebodies. In many cases, for example room-and-pillar and longwall mining, the excavation geometry cannot be adequately modelled by two- dimensional methods of analysis. In these cases resort must be made to three-dimensional methods of analysis. Although in principle three-dimensional finite element models can be used for these geometries, cost limitations have restricted their application to a small number of cases. For example, room-and-pillar systems of regular pattern have been analysed by numerically modelling

Jan 1, 1984