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By Everett P. Partridge, J. E. Conley

Available statistics show that the demands of the American chemical industry for sodium sulphate have been increasing slightly in recent years. The supply from domestic sources, particularly in the form of byproduct salt cake from the acid manufacturers, has been tending to decrease this to the growing manufacture of synthetic acid. Both hydrochloric and nitric acids are being synthesized from their elements. The natural result has been that a smaller amount of salt cake is available. Simultaneously, the expansion of the kraft-paper industry, especially in the South, has brought about greater demand for sodium sulphate in that section. This demand is being met by domestic byproduct salt cake, by imported German sodium sulphate made from potash waste liquors, and by favorably situated domestic deposits of Glauber salts and the anhydrous salt, thenardite. No shortage of natural sodium sulphate exists in the United States, but usually such deposits occur in semiarid regions far removed from transportation facilities and from markets. Moreover, the major portion of the natural deposits is Glauber salt or mirabilite (Na2 504 • 10H20), which must be dried or dehydrated in order to meet consumer requirements. The water of hydration represents, roughly, 55 percent of the total weight of the crude salts and therefore has a very important influence on transportation costs, in many instances the cost of getting even the dehydrated product to market is the deciding economic factor. Therefore, the recovery of production of anhydrous sodium sulphate from plant-waste liquors or from natural brines of suitable composition might be economically feasible.

Mar 1, 1936

By Jack L. Henry

A laboratory and a pilot-plant-scale investigation has been conducted by the Bureau of Mines to examine possible sources of nitride defects in the production of magnesium-reduced titanium sponge. The production of alpha-stabilized nitride inclusions in hot-rolled titanium plate from air contamination of sponge during its manufacture has been experimentally demonstrated. Magnesium-reduced sponge prepared from air-contaminated magnesium or when contaminated by an air leak during reduction, vacuum distillation, or inert gas sweep, shows very large variations in nitrogen content. Refractory nitrides, delta TiN and epsilon Ti2N have been identified in this sponge. The highest incidence of inclusions resulted from sponge that was reduced by air-contaminated magnesium and from sponge subjected to air contamination during the vacuum distillation cycle and during helium sweep. Air contamination of sponge during the reduction cycle was not nearly as effective in producing inclusions. Tests showed that color and texture may not be reliable criteria for locating defects during sponge inspection. Maintenance of good vacuum-tight integrity, filtration of molten magnesium prior to charging into the reduction retort, and mechanical attrition of sponge to pulverize and disperse nitrides are suggested as practices to lower inclusion incidence in commercial titanium ingots.

Jan 1, 1974

By M Thierry Bernart

The software QUALITIR is a software developed by CNSIDCI, framework on five research and experimentation years. This conceived tool by specialists for professionals is a decision aided design tool concerning mining. It makes party the rare software regrouping the different themes approached by the profession namely, the general idea of blast design, blasting sequences, the fragmentation as well as the study of vibrations. Henceforth it is by the intermediary of such tools that performances in term of profitability, security or impact on the environment will be able to be realized.

Jan 1, 1997

The Khanong supergene-enriched copper resource, (~23 Mt at 3.0 per cent Cu), is one of several resources recently discovered in the intrusive-centred, sediment-hosted Au-Cu Sepon mineral field located in southern Lao PDR. The unusual style of hypogene mineralisation and unique set of conditions have resulted in the development and preservation of a supergene-enriched profile in this subtropical climate. Hypogene sulphide-rich mineralisation replaced calcareous cataclastite (fault rock) developed in the flat-lying, extensional, Khanong Fault. Spatially, the hypogene mineralisation was immediately out board of the skarn û hornfels Cu-Bi front and in board of sediment hosted Au-(As-Sb) mineralisation in a zoned intrusive-centred hydrothermal system. In situ supergene enrichment of the sulphide protore has resulted in a high-grade chalcocite-clay zone (~10.3 Mt at 4.6 per cent Cu) overlain by leached limonite-clay. A very high-grade in situ to exotic limonite-clay Cu-oxide-mineral zone is locally developed above impermeable dolomite at the base of chalcocite-clay zone. Exotic Cu-Mn-wad mineralisation developed for up to 1 km down the hydraulic gradient from the chalcocite-clay zone. Unique supergene enrichment conditions have resulted in the high-grade Khanong Cu resource in a subtropical weathering environment. The base of the currently active supergene profile coincides with the base of a flat-lying, pyrite-rich fault rock, dipping parallel to the hill slope, maximising Cu enrichment. Meteoric water has been channelled along subvertical faults and narrow horizontal subsurface zones. Low permeability of the fault host rock and footwall rocks has controlled the low volume and slow movement of groundwater required for supergene enrichment. Erosion has been slowed by the resistive ironstone and limonite-clay layer at surface, which assists in preserving the gentle slope over the chalcocite-clay zone.

Jan 1, 1999

A number of mineral deposits occur in close proximity to the Pacific plate fronts. Among these deposits are gold-silver and the base metal sulphide deposits of copper, zinc and lead. Gold deposits that commonly occur in these areas are of hydrothermal origin. Of these the epithermal deposits have attracted the attention of the exploration geologists as well as the metallurgists. One vital aspect of the activity of the geologists is the development of models for epithermal gold mineralisation in the Pacific Rim. These models can also be used by metallurgists for predicting gold extraction processes. This paper reviews the mineralogy, fineness and the host minerals of gold and examines the data in the light of gold mineralisation in the southwest Pacific Rim. The gold mineralisation models proposed for the Pacific Rim have been used to predict gold extraction processes suitable for the various mineralisation types. Discussed also are the mineralisation and treatment processes of some selected epithermal gold deposits and gold-rich porphyry copper deposits in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji and New Zealand.

Jan 1, 1999

By Smith N. S, Rholl S. A, Otterness R. E

The Bureau of Mines is conducting research to develop blast designs for the control of fragmentation and rock displacement and the reduction of overall mining costs. This Bureau experiment, a program of 25 reduced-scale blasts conducted at the University of Missouri-Rolla's experimental quarry, determined the effects on fragmentation of changes in burden, spacing, explosive diameter, and stemming-explosive length. Combined with previous work at this experimental quarry examining air gap, delay, and decoupling effects, this experiment provided a data base of over 50 shots. The fragmented rock, 1000 to 3000 kg from each 3- to 4-hole blast in the 1 m bench of massive dolomite, was completely screened to assess fragmentation. The explosive used for all the tests was extra dynamite initiated by seismic caps fired from a sequential blasting machine with delays of 5.2- to 13-ms/m of burden. Empirical equations were developed which predicted the effect of shot design parameters on the fragmentation. These formulas predicted the average fragment size of each of the 25-shots to within 13 percent. For spacing to burden ratios of 1, 1.4 and 2, there were optimum burden to explosive diameter ratios (B/de) of 30, 26 and 20, respectively. Decreasing the B/d. ratio beyond these levels resulted in little or no reduction in the average size. For B/de ratios above these levels the average size increased but, at least a 15 percent reduction in the average size results when the shot design parameters are optimized.

Jan 1, 1990

By Juan J. Monsalve, Mario Karfakis, AMAN SONI, Nino Ripepi, Jim Hazzard

Pillar collapses are events that due to their severe consequences can be classified as high risk. The design of pillars in underground room-and-pillar operations should migrate to risk-based design approaches. The authors of this work proposed a risk-based pillar design methodology that integrates stochastic discrete element modeling for pillar strength estimation, and stochastic finite volume modeling (FVM) for stress estimation. This paper focuses on the stochastic FVM component for stress estimation. The mining and geomechanical aspects of a case study mine (CSM) are described and pillar stresses are estimated by using three approaches: (1) analytical solutions, (2) 2D finite element modeling, and (3) 3D finite volume modeling. This operation extracts a 30° dipping deposit, which makes current underground stone mine design guidelines inapplicable for this CSM. This work compares results from each stress estimation approach and discusses uses the point estimate method as a simplified stochastic approach to evaluate the effect of rock mass elastic properties variability on pillar stress distribution. Results from this work show that the three estimation approaches lead to different estimations, possibly, due to the wide range of assumptions each estimation approach considers. It was also determined that the horizontal to vertical stress ratio has a significant impact on pillar stress magnitude. Therefore, it is recommended to perform in situ stress measurements, or assume worst-case-scenario values to account and reduce uncertainty due to this parameter. The stochastic stress estimation approach used in this paper provides results that can integrate a risk-based pillar design framework.

Sep 24, 2022

By W. T. Wertman

LABORATORY research has been started at the Bureau of Mines Morgantown Petroleum Research Laboratory, Morgantown, Va., to investigate the possibilities thermal-recovery methods for producing crude oils of high API gravity found in oil reservoirs of the eastern United States. This bibliography on thermal methods of oil recovery was compiled as a part of the work. Crude oil discoveries to December 31, 1958, in the United States were estimated to exceed 270 billion barrels. Cumulative production of crude oil through 19.55 was about 60 billion barrels, and the American Petroleum Institute estimates that an additional 30.5 billion barrels are economically recoverable by present methods. On this basis, about two-thirds of the oil that has already been found can be classified as economically unrecoverable for lack of a satisfactory method. The rap icily rising costs of proving new deposit; of domestic petroleum, the lack of new discoveries of large oilfields in the united States, and I he growing demand for crude oil have caused an acceleration of research to develop new or improved methods fur producing "unrecoverable" oil in known reservoirs.

Jan 1, 1960

By José Aparecido Pereira

Este trabalho descreve uma nova metodologia para análise de calibração de cantoneira bem como realizar alterações de calibrações existentes, usando para isto a fórmula de Ekelund. O ponto chave da metodologia é a transformação dos passes de cantoneira em passes planos e a determinação dos coeficientes de alargamento de cada passe. O levantamento dos fatores foi baseado em projetos existentes e em amostras coletadas em laminadores.

Aug 17, 2017

By AIME AIME

DOUBT in anyone's mind that this is the age of metals, industrially speaking, could easily have been dispelled by attending the National Metal Congress in Chicago, Sept. 22 to 26. Iron, copper and aluminum; zinc, lead and nickel, often alloyed with each other or with some of a dozen minor metals, make the materials without which the modern world could not run. Science, pure and applied, is doing marvels in finding new mixtures, new alloys to meet new needs; in developing new means of rolling, fabricating, casting and welding metals cheaply-and effectively. These and related matters were the subject of 100 papers presented at 33 seperate sessions of the organizations that participated in the congress.

Jan 1, 1930

The last issue included a discussion of recent indications of a 1983 recovery and a brief analysis of the contribution of the U.S. mining industry to the gross national product (GNP). In this issue we present sales and other data indicating the strength of the 1983 recovery and quantitatively analyze the structural shifts that have taken place in the U.S. economy and mining industry since 1972, and changes in electricity consumption by the mining industry. U.S. Economic Recovery The tentativeness in the February/March issue of Minerals and Materials regarding the strength and sustainability of the U.S. economic recovery can now be replaced with a note of increased confidence. Real growth of GNP on an annual basis in the first quarter of 1983 was 2.5 percent, compared with 1.4 percent predicted in the Economic Report of the President.1/ Preliminary second-quarter 1983 data provide further cause for optimism. Recently released data indicate that consumer spending is playing a key role in the recovery. Retail sales have increased significantly across a wide array of goods, especially consumer durables, where sales increased 4 percent from March to April (table J) and were 12 percent higher in April [ ] than the 1982 monthly average. Consumer durable sales were led by sales of building materials spurred by the growth in residential construction, motor vehicles and parts, and household durables, including appliances and furniture.

Jan 1, 1983

By Graham W. Marks

Recently it was shown the total energy method of spectrochemical analysis is suitable for the quantitative estimation of many of the elements of which ores are composed. It was shown how this method can be applied to the determination of germanium, tin, and lead. Continuing, this work, the present report deals with analyses for beryllium, zinc, cadmium; and indium. There are three basic problems in these investigations. The first is to study the influence of those elements that make up the greater part of an ore sample on the spectral-line intensities of the elements for which analyses are being made, the latter generally being the minor constituents. The second is to develop proper methods for the preparation of standard spectrographic curves. Finally, we are concerned with improvement in equipment and procedure, so that greater accuracy can be achieved. As discussed previously, it is better to study as groups those elements that belong to the same group in the periodic table because their spectra are similar. Beryllium, zinc, and cadmium are thus related. Indium was included in this work because it is, associated with zinc and cadmium in zinc ores.

Jan 1, 1948

By W. G. Willson, Y. L. Li, P. D. Rao, D. E. Walsh

The combination of high moisture and low heating value has restricted most low-rank coal (LRC) usage worldwide to mine-mouth power generation. The objective of this study was to subject two Alaska low-rank coals to hydrothermal drying to enhance their marketability in the Pacific Rim markets and to evaluate the chemical and physical properties of the dried products as a function of process conditions. Coals from Usibelli Coal Mine and the Beluga coalfield have a heating value of approximately 18.5 MJ/kg and contain about 28% moisture. Hydrothermal treatment (at 275° to 325° C) of lump coal, from the Usibelli Coal Mine and the Beluga coalfield, enhanced the heating value of the material, on an equilibrium moisture basis, from 18.5 MJ/kg to nearly 27.8 MJ/kg. The product coal, with a high heating value and only 0.2% S, is an environmentally-acceptable premium fuel; additionally, with the Hardgrove grindability index of the coal greatly improved, its value is even further enhanced. An increase in hydrothermal drying temperature promotes vesiculation of resinite. Also, ulminite reflectance increased to 0.92%, and ulminite was subjected to widespread vesiculation; this resulted in a coke-like structure indicative that the material went through the fluid stage.

Jan 1, 1993

By Glenn C. Reed

This report is one of a series describing mineral investigations within the Missouri River Basin in Montana. The primary purposed of these investigations is to provide information to agencies of the Department of the Interior and others concerned with the planning of Federal power developments in the basin. This report is limited in score to consideration of mineral deposits of presumed inventory value within Gallatin County, Mont. The field investigations were made during the fall of 1948.

Jan 1, 1951

By S. Read, G. Cook

The Hoek-Brown failure criterion is often applied to a wider range of rocks than the isotropic rock masses to which it is strictly applicable. This paper evaluates the patterns of defects in rock masses using spherical projection contour plots of samples of randomly-generated orientations and datasets from mapping of New Zealand closely-jointed greywacke rock masses. Two indices from the contour plots - the area within the 1% contour (A1%) and maximum concentration (Cmax) are introduced for distinguishing uniform (isotropic), random or regular defect patterns. The indices provide a potential extension to current guidelines on the use of the Hoek-Brown failure criterion. The paper also outlines kinematic checks to assess the influence of defect clusters on rock mass strength. Das Hoek-Brown Bruchkriterium, das strikte nur fuer isotrope Gefuege gilt, findet oft einen viel weiteren Anwendungsbereich. Diese Arbeit bewertet diverse Dispersionsmuster der Defekte einer Gesteinsmasse. Wir vergleichen in sphaerischer Projektion (1) Beispiele zufaelliger Orientierung von Defekten und (2) Felddaten ueber neuseelaendisache engstaendig geklueftete Grauwacken. Die Projektionen werden durch die Indices A1% (Flaechenanteil des 1%-Bereichs) and Cmax (Hoechstkonzentration) gekennzeichnet, welche isotrope, zufaellige und regulaere Muster unterscheiden und die aktuellen Richtlinien zum Hoek-Brown Kriterium ergaenzen. Wir testen ferner Defektgruppen der Gesteine kinematisch auf ihren Einfluss auf Massenfestigkeit. Le critère de rupture de Hoek-Brown est souvent utilisé sur une variété de roches plus étendue que les masses rocheuses auxquelles il est strictement applicable. Ce travail évalue la distribution des défauts au sein d'une masse rocheuse en utilisant une projection sphérique des contours d'échantillons d'orientations générées aléatoirement et de données de cartographie provenant de greywackes à joints rapprochés de Nouvelle Zélande. Deux indices de cette projection - la zone des contours en dessous de 1 % (A1%) et celle de concentration maximum (Cmax) sont introduites pour distinguer les répartitions uniformes (isotropes), aléatoires ou régulières. Ces indices fournissent une extension potentielle aux règles d'utilisation du critère de rupture de Hoek-Brown. Ce travail utilisent également les contrôles cinématiques pour évaluer l'influence des groupes de défauts sur la résistance de la masse rocheuse.

Jan 1, 2003

By R. E. Head

[Recent investigations at the Intermountain Experiment Station of the Bureau of Mines at Salt Lake City indicate that metallurgists have given little attention to the occurrence of jarosite minerals in the oxidized ores of lead and silver. These investigations have also emphasized the importance of lowing when these minerals occur in the oxidized ores, especially those containing lead, silver, and gold, as their presence is a material factor in selecting a suitable kind of treatment. Since the question of the occurrence of jarosites in oxidized ores has come to the attention of the Bureau of Mines, investigation has indicated that plumbojarosite and argentojarosite are quite common. These two minerals appear to be widely distributed and probably escaped recognition by persons who had attempted to treat certain oxidized lead ores in which the jarosite minerals represented a material portion of the metal content. Consideration of the physical characteristics of the jarosites also indicates that in many cases failure to treat some of the oxidized lead ores with success has been directly due to the fact that the greater portion of their lead and silver content was present as plumbojarosite and argentojarosite. The data and the description of these minerals given in the body of this paper indicate that attempts to recover lead and silver from ores in which appreciable amounts of too metals occur is plumbojarosite and. argentojarosite would be unsuccessful if confined to gravity methods of concentration. There are undoubtedly considerable tonnage of oxidize lead ores in the various mining regions of this and other countries, and it is quite probable tat in some of these ores the metal content of lead and silver may be largely anglesite (lead sulphate) and cerussite (lead carbonate) but that they will also contain cerargyrite (silver chloride), argentojarosite, and plumbojarosite. The treatment of such ores therefore presents an important problem, since a product is discarded from]

Jan 1, 1928

Once every three years the eyes of the construction and mining industry?s turn to Munich, Germany for the bauma trade fair and exhibition. From April 19-25, Messe München International (MMI) will host the 29th edition of this massive show that, despite the recent recession and global financial struggles, has grown yet again. The show, which is completely booked, will take place on a record 555,000 m2 (5.9 million sq ft) of indoor and outdoor exhibition space at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre. More than 3,000 exhibitors are expected to make use of this event. To prepare for the show that highlights some of the largest and most impressive construction and mining equipment in the world, Messe München began working months in advance on getting the infrastructure on the open-air site ready, in time for the arrival of the gigantic machinery exhibits, which started to arrive in March. Part of the preparations include a new entrance at the northwest corner of the exhibition center that was built to regulate visitor flow better. This should help with bauma considering that in 2007 more than 500,000 visitors passed through the gates. ?Although in 2010 the construction machinery sector in many markets worldwide will be recovering only slowly from the recession, we are pleased to report that we are seeing strong demand for exhibition space. This shows that exhibitors regard participation in the world?s leading trade fair bauma as a must, although many are at present having to make cuts in their advertising and trade-fair budgets. We have been particularly surprised by the strong demand for space from exhibitors from markets like China, India and Turkey. The fair is fully booked and many more companies are on the waiting list,? said Eugen Egetenmeir, managing director of Messe München. More than 50 percent of the exhibitors at bauma 2010 come from countries outside of Germany. While the show?s primary focus is on the construction section, it is not as if the mining sector will be difficult to find. With some of the largest equipment in world on display in section C2 (Fig. 1), the mining industry is sure to be well-represented.

Jan 4, 2010

By Edgar Peña

La efectividad de un equipo en la planta de la industria minera es importante en tanto se opere con eficiencia y efectividad. Empero, es necesario conocer el método de cálculo que se ha empleado para determinar la tasa de efectividad del equipo y sobre qué datos se han hecho los cálculos. En esta perspectiva, el presente trabajo describe las herramientas utilizadas en Southern Perú Cooper Corporation para el logro de la calidad de trabajo a través del incremento de la productividad y control de los costos. Para ello, se han utilizado herramientas como: la recolección de datos, visualización de datos, diagramas de Pareto y análisis de beneficios. Asimismo, para una óptima efectividad del equipo deben mantenerse registros precisos de la operación del equipo.

Sep 13, 2001

By D. I. Bardos, A. M. Bardos, Paul A. Beck

The approximate effective silicon radii in ternary Laves phase alloys with transition elements and silicon were found to range between 1.16 and 1.21A, i.e., considerably smaller than the atomic radius calculated for elemental silicon. The atomic radii were found to increase with the size of the transition element atoms in the structure. It has been noted by Aronsson1 that silicon in solid solution in iron, cobalt, and nickel has an effective CN 12 atomic radius of approximately 1.20Å, a value very much smaller than the CN 12 radius of 1.34Å derived from the interatomic distances in elemental silicon.7 The unusually short metal-silicon interatomic distances in transition element monosilicides and disilicides have been also pointed out by various investigators.1 A similar tendency was observed by Nevitt in Cr3O type silicides.2 Recent work on Laves phases in ternary systems of silicon with transition elements4"8 suggested that extensive Laves phase fields may occur in such systems.8 It has been pointed out by Laves7 that the MgCu2 and MgZn2 type structures lend themselves particularly well for the determination of the effective radii of the component atoms. In these AB2 phases the B atoms are arranged in close packed straight lines, and their distances are related in a simple manner to the lattice parameters.8 The present work was undertaken in order to find out whether or not the B transition element in such AB2 Laves phases can be replaced to an appreciable extent by silicon. In cases where extensive substitution proves to be possible, the "average atomic radius for the B site" at various silicon contents was to be determined, and the effective atomic radius of silicon calculated by extrapolation to complete replacement of the B component by silicon. The following ternary systems were studied: Ti-Mn-Si, Ti-Fe-Si, V-Co-Si, V-Ni-Si, Nb-Fe-Si, Nb-Co-Si, Ta-Fe-Si, Ta-Co-Si, and Mo-Fe-Si. In all of these alloy systems, the Laves phase solid solutions were found to extend over a considerable range of silicon content. As previously reported,4"8 in the V-Co-Si, V-Ni-Si, and Mo-Fe-Si ternary systems Laves phases do occur, even though there are no corresponding binary Laves phases. In stabilizing the Laves phase, silicon acts as if it were decreasing the effective electron concentration of the alloy.8 A more detailed study of the boundaries of the Laves phases in the V-Co-Si and V-Ni-Si systems has been made and will be published elsewhere. In both cases, the elongated Laves phase fields extend parallel to the B-Si side of the composition triangle, clearly showing that silicon is substituting for cobalt, respectively, nickel over a wide range of compositions. The binary Laves phases NbCo2 and TaCo2 have the cubic MgCu2-type structure. It was found that, in both ternary systems with silicon, again the MgZn2-type hexagonal Laves phase is stabilized and that this phase extends to high-silicon contents. In each ternary system at least three Laves phase alloys of the composition A(B1_xSix)2 were used, x here denoting the fractional substitution of the B-transition element atoms by silicon. The alloys, listed in Table I, were prepared by arc melting in argon. Each specimen was water quenched after a homogenizing anneal of 3 days at 110(FC, except for the Mo-Fe-Si alloys, which were annealed at 1200°C. Metallographic examination showed that most of the homogenized alloys consisted of a single phase, although some had minor amounts of a second phase, as shown in Table I. X-ray diffraction patterns were prepared using an asymmetrical focusing camera of large resolution and Fe Ka radiation. The patterns were indexed, and the lattice parameters of the hexagonal Laves phases were determined from the available diffraction lines of highest indices: (213), (205), and (313). The lat-

Jan 1, 1963

By Noan Tonini SImonassi

As fibras naturais extraídas das folhas do curauá estão entre as mais fortes fibras naturais utilizadas como reforço de compósitos poliméricos para aplicações em engenharia. Tais compósitos, até agora, são limitados em relação às propriedades mecânicas e energia de impacto. Assim o objetivo do presente trabalho é de investigar a possibilidade da melhora da resistência à tração bem como a energia de impacto dos compósitos de matriz poliéster reforçados com fibras de curauá com variados parâmetros de processamento. Os parâmetros observados foram a quantidade de fibras com diâmetro fino e pressão aplicada durante o processamento. Utilizando 60% de fração volumétrica de fibras finas (diâmetro médio variando de 50 à 80 µm) contínuas e alinhadas foi possível se obter resistência à tração superior 200 MPa. Ainda, aplicando-se 30 MPa de pressão durante a cura foram obtidos mais de 270 MPa de resistência a tração. Já para resistência a impacto Izod, uma resistência de 340 J/m foi obtido pelos corpos de prova com entalhe feito em sentido perpendicular ao alinhamento das fibras.

Oct 30, 2017