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Some fundamental aspects of recent single-particle fracture studies are reviewed. Findings from this research shed new light on the utilisation of energy during comminution operations and provide useful pointers to new research directions that could lead to significantly better comminution machines. Two methods for quantitatively predicting mineral liberation during comminution are reviewed. These methods have been developed into useful practical procedures, but they are almost unknown in the mineral processing community. Their use should promote the consideration of mineral liberation as an important variable to be considered during the design and operating control of comminution circuits.

Jan 1, 1993

The word `environment' may have many different meanings but, for the purposes of this paper, I have assumed the definition included in the Environmental Protection Act 1986 (Western Australia). This Act defines `environment' as `... living things, their physical, biological and social surroundings, and interactions between all of these'. The Act further defines the `social surroundings of man' as `... his aesthetic, cultural, economic and social surroundings to the extent that those surroundings directly affect or are affected by his physical or biological surroundings'. This gives a very broad meaning to the idea of environment and environmental issues, and it is therefore understandable that the influence that environmental issues have on mining activity can vary so much from state to state, and even within states, and why the degree of influence can change so much with time.

Jan 1, 1990

By Aust M. I E

IT is the custom, I must admit, for a presidential address to be a review of the progress during the year of the institution presided over, and of the sciences and arts within its ambit. On this occasion precedent is departed from in favour of a subject by request.As man has at last, in employing gravimetric and electrometric methods of subsurface research, started on the rational use of divining rods with some knOWledge of their governing laws and principles, and with some ability to interpret the results obtainedfrom them, I was asked to add to the voluminous literature of the quack or empiric divining rod. James Mansergh, the author of Melbourne's sewerage system, in his presidential address before the Institution of Civil Engineers in 1901, admitted he was afraid touse the hazel rod lest in sinking on its indications to some solution.

Jan 1, 1928

By Wickham P

Digital computer based control systems are used to implement control and monitoring over most unit operations in Mount Isa Mines Limited lead-zinc concentrator and copper concentrator. Implementation has been gradually devel- oped and expanded since the first process computer installation in 1969. Operations currently using high level control logic include crushing, grinding, on-stream analysis of flotation products, flotation reagent additions, and tailings thickening. Details of gains in metallurgical efficiency for each system are considered.

Jan 1, 1978

Three main divisions of the. Proterozoic are recognised in the North- West of Western Australia. These are referred to, in order of decreasing age as the Mt. Bruce Supergroup, the Bresnahan Group and the Bangemall Group. The stratigraphy and distribution of each is described, their relative ages discussed and a brief geological history of the whole area is Presented.

Jan 1, 1964

Whether you are an employee, contractor or consultant working in the mineral industry, there are pressures to deliver the best possible performance. Technical professionals are usually driven by an internal desire to perform to a high standard because of personal pride in their profession, but there are an increasing number of external requirements to demonstrate that the actions taken were based upon reasonable grounds and that the work conformed to current best practice. People expect these best practice procedures to be followed and governments are now requiring those tendering for contracts to be registered in some way and to be participants in quality assurance schemes. One is not immune to these pressures just because you are working in a less legislatively sophisticated developing country in the circum-Pacific rim (Pacrim) region.

Jan 1, 1995

By Martin CH

Over the past forty years colliery management has coped with intensive mechanisation and other rationalisation of traditional conditions to accomplish increases to outputs by miners, mines and nationally. The basic managerial function of planning, organising, directing and controlling have adjusted and expanded to current management demands, including the detail of achieving the highest possible efficiency, particularly in forward planning. Although industrial aspects have vastly improved, there are lingering problems. Safety is not necessarily the basic ingredient of any industrial events-which occur but is always paramount. Likewise some legislative changes may have elements of political and particular vested interests and conservation of technical expertise may be threatened by such frustrations. Not only technical excellence is required, but particular attributes of the individual are required in management evolving from "simple owner management to the complete corporate approach required for the multidisciplined operations of to-day".

Jan 1, 1988

By Gao H

Based on the author's research and plant practice experience of the last decade, several technological approaches have been developed to increase the recovery of gold and silver associated with sulphides. This paper gives a general discussion of some technological problems encountered in this area in five aspects and introduces the different approaches employed in three typical mineral processing plants to increase recovery of associated gold and silver. On the basis of studying occurrence characteristics of gold and silver minerals in sulphide ores and of determining loss locations of gold and silver on flotation process, a remarkable improvement on the recovery of gold and silver in all these three plants was made by choosing proper grinding fineness, using combined collectors of good selectivity, properly decreasing the grade of main metal concentrates, making reasonable arrangement of the products of main metals, or a combination thereof.

Jan 1, 1993

INDEX OF CONTENTSIntroduction.Systems of classification of coals.RankClassification of Australian coals.Defects of systems in use in other countries.Indexing by Fuel Ratio.Classification by Ultimate Carbon/Ultimate Hydrogen.Relationship between Fuel Ratio and ultimate composition.Suggested convention for classification.Origin and Evolution.Notes on directions of change of composition on Carbon Hydrogen chart.Summary and conclusion.Acknowledgments.Bibliography.Appendix.

Jan 1, 1948

The global recession of the 1980s drove commodity prices down and intensified cost competition. The 1990s saw a restructuring of the mining industry with the survivors adopting new technology, significantly increasing workplace productivity and reducing capital and operating costs. Major changes in mining industry business strategies evolved in the late-1980s including the development of miner - supplier - manufacturer - partnerships, cultural changes in work practices and common goals between the partners to reduce the cost of production. These industry trends are putting new demands on mining machine manufacturers and dealers both on the `hard' side of the machine business, such as research and product development programs, and on the `soft' side in terms of business processes, use of human resources and communication. The paper describes several mining industry trends as identified by a large supplier to the industry, and discusses the impact they are having, and will have, on mining machine development and the provision of product support services to the industry.

Jan 1, 1995

By Lightfoot BW, Foo KA, Conochie DS

Aberfoyle Limited operated a matte fuming pilot plant, incorporating a SIROSMELT furnace in 1980/81. This plant was a significant advance in both smelting and tin extraction technology. Important design, construction and commissioning aspects are discussed and some of the key points to emerge from this phase of the work are reviewed.

Jan 1, 1984

By Grainger A, Dawkins G, Lysaght A, Kennedy R

Maintenance management improvement projects were undertaken at several BHP Collieries Division mines pursuing.the objective of achieving better structured maintenance procedures. Efficiently structured maintenance and optimum asset use are interdependent and productivity and computer models assist towards that objective. Definition of aspects of maintenance and analysis of the nature of equipment and materials, workloads and tasks, lead to more effective planning and scheduling of maintenance. The quality, standards and procedures of records must be suitable and adequate for storage and future retrieval. Total Quality Control initiatives and improvement projects even extend into spheres of customer/supplier relationships and problem solving teams as well as the more recognisable standards of management and performance factors in maintenance. All such factors contribute to a Maintenance Management Matrix to provide a better structured approach to economic maintenance management in the capital intensive coal mining industry.

Jan 1, 1991

Fluid bed sulphation roasting of bismuth concentrates began at Warrego in 1980 in con- junction with the recommissioning of the Tennant Creek Smelter. This process, develop- ed by Peko Mines, is used to separate copper and bismuth by converting copper minerals to a water or weak acid soluble form and then leaching. Pilot scale testwork conducted at the Australian Mineral Development Laboratories (AMDEL) and by Dorr Oliver Pty Ltd in the USA indicated that close control of bed teaper- atures and exhaust gas composition was required to ensure high levels of soluble copper. After overcoming some initial problems, the plant now achieves typically 89 percent copper extraction. Plant capacity is 2.7 tonnes/h by design but in practice this is limited by feed analysis, air requirements, cyclone operation and calcine particle size Consideration.

Jan 1, 1984

By M A. Ward

On 23 May 1977 the Hon Mr George Gair announced an amalgamation of the present Ministry of Energy Resources, the New Zealand Electricity Department and the Mines Department. Hopefully it will prove to be the solution of many national problems in energy planning and policy making, in energy distribution and use, and energy discovery and production. The name of this new giant is the Ministry of Energy which gives a firm indication of its future direction. For those amongst us involved with mineral energy resources the establishment of this new department must be encouraging. For those amongst us who are involved in non-energy side of the mineral industry it is the very opposite. The loss of the Mines Department a year short of its centenary is a loss for the mineral industry without a doubt - but how much of a loss?

Jan 1, 1977

The space probe Magellan is on its way to Venus (May, 1989) and with its sophisticated radar systems will discover much more about our twin planet. There is tennuous evidence that Venus once had liquid water. Did it have life? Why was it not stable and why did liquid water not persist through the period of the dimmer young Sun? These are profound questions for us. We understand why Mars froze when volcanism terminated (Just as Earth will freeze one day) but could Earth boil if we continue to add greenhouse gases (Broecker, 1985). What will happen if 10 billion humans continue to use fossil carbon as their main fuel source? The Earth is warming fast and the new satellite data show that the oceans are warming faster than we thought. Is this just a fluctuation or is the greenhouse signal coming through the normal noise of climate?

Jan 1, 1990

From statistics on general and electrical fatalities in the Australian mineral industry, it could be said that the present approach to industrial safety is irrational. Deaths are few and decreasing in number, yet spend- ing on occupational safety is large and increasing. State mine safety inspec- torates are being expanded and a National Occupational Health and Safety Commission was recently established. Recent data are analysed in the paper and mining industry fatalities placed in perspective with deaths in other areas. Cost effectiveness of different strategies is discussed along with social implications. Strategies found successful are described and others suggested.,

Jan 1, 1988

By Weller KR

Computer programs are described which help the metallurgist to process sample data from a plant survey; to carry out simple mass balance calculations; to present the results of circuit and equipment performance in convenient form; and to simulate the circuit response to changing operating conditions. The uses and limitations of these programs are explained by following through a case study of the sulphide flotation circuit at Cleveland Tin Ltd. The circuit was sampled, the data analysed, and some process inefficiencies established. Simulation calculations were then made to provide information on which to base decisions regarding possible circuit changes aimed at improving performance.

Jan 1, 1983

This paper presents a summary of tools and methods used for geotechnical assessments and monitoring systems at block caving mines. A critical review of these tools is given based on the authorÆs experience in block caving operations. The reviewed tools include cavability prediction, fragmentation evaluation, geotechnical monitoring systems, numerical stress analysis and others. Some of these tools have been developed under certain circumstances in particular mines and experience shows that their applications under different geological and mining conditions have often been difficult. Examples from block cave mines are also utilised in this paper to illustrate the importance of the further development of these tools, whilst possible improvements on these tools are also suggested.

Jan 1, 2000

Although the last decade has seen the growth of many new licencing and approval requirements for the exploration and mining industries, there remains in each State of Australia and the Northern Territory a predominant "Mining Act" containing provisions for the grant of exploration and mining tenements. What then are the rights and duties of tenement holders either by virtue of a Mining Act or through other approval and licencing mechanisms? What rights and duties does a person acquire when he is granted an exploration licence or a mining lease? In this paper I will attempt to cover these types of questions using in particular examples from New South Wales. I will also refer to a range of other subordinate approvals and licences which today's society requires and the need for ethics and recognition of liabilities.

Jan 1, 1995

By Shinnosuke U, Zhang HE

In this paper, it is shown that the higher the pre-activation concentration of copper ions in pulp, the larger the adsorption amounts of copper ions and xanthate on arsenopyrite surface, and the better the arsenopyrite flotability in strong alkaline medium. On arsenopyrite pre-activated with cupric ions, the xanthate adsorption density in strong alkaline medium is approximately equivalent to that of cupric ions. It is therefore concluded that an amount of copper ions adsorb on arsenopyrite surface first, and then an amount of xanthate can (and only can) adsorb dependently on the surface active sites produced by these adsorbed copper ions on the mineral, so that arsenopyrite is kept rather flotable and is hardly separated from pyrite even in very strong alkaline medium. Selectively wiping out the surface copper active sites on arsenopyrite is the key point of successful separation of pyrite from arsenopyrite. According to this theory, a new 'SZLI' (know-how) method was recommended to satisfactorily deal with the difficult separation.

Jan 1, 1993