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By J. D. Clendenin

Systematic practices for protecting crops from frost damage began in the United Metes more then 40 years ago when the Weather Bureau Fruit-Frost Warning Service was organized; however, various practices employed in frost protection are centuries old. Although there are areas where little doubt exists as to whether protection is needed, there are also circumstances where there is some doubt as to the need for frost protection. Many factors influence this, including not only critical temperatures but also the maturity dates of the crops relative to marketing. Critical temperatures for frost damage to trees, plants, blossoms, and fruits very with weather, plant variety and nutrition, and stage of growth. In the case of truck crops, a single night of protection from frost injury might yield big dividends with a variety of sweet corn or tomato that matures early while price is high yet be worth very little with a midseason or late-maturing variety. Consequently, it is the individual grower who must decide whether to use frost-protective measures on the basis of his returns, the quantity and quality of his crop, the marketing situation, the sensitivity of his crops to frost damage, and the frequency of damaging frost in his area.

Jan 1, 1955

By Will Jansen

When Enron rocked the United States with its Titanic-sized financial accounting scandal, miners and metallurgists were probably too busy on the mine sites in remote locations to wonder about its ripple effect. But then Enron sank, Arthur Andersen tanked and the list of scandals, costing billions of dollars, continued to ripple. Followed by the Public Company Accounting Reform and Investor Protection Act of 2002 (Sarbanes-Oxley), the recent credit crunch and weak economy, the currents from Enron?s collapse eventually washed right into the mine and the mill. These events placed intense scrutiny on metals production accounting processes as traditional semi-qualitative metal accounting practices provided insufficient credibility and transparency. ?There is growing intolerance of organizations that are unsure about the location of thousands of tonnes of ore, which will typically lose 10 to 15% of their notional value on the way to the concentrator,? Rob Morrison wrote in the opening chapter to An Introduction to Metal Accounting and Balancing. ?If the measurement and forecasts also contain qualitative (fudge) factors, a very real suspicion might emerge about just how much metal might disappear (by theft or misplacement) before detection becomes likely.? Metallurgical accounting, put simply, is the tracking and reporting of the quantity and quality (tonnage and grade, usually) of materials entering or leaving each stage from source to product for a specified accounting period. Lacking an accounting standard, metals accounting in precious metal operations has been performed in an ad-hoc, informal manner, leading to numerous errors and unidentified potentially significant inefficiencies and financial losses. As a result, mining companies are beginning to examine the quality of their metals accounting systems since they form the basis of mining company?s financial accounts and reports. As part of an effort to create that accounting standard in the mineral industry, University of Queensland?s Julius Kruttschnitt Mineral Research Centre published the textbook An Introduction to Metal Accounting and Balancing in 2009. While development of a textbook and standard are significant steps forward, the challenge in the precious metals industry is in the application of some of these suggested practices. Though improving process transparency and precious metals accounting reporting accuracy is a key driver for change from the financial side, perhaps even more important is the potential benefit to operational performance that comes with better measurement, accounting and reconciliation systems. Loss of precious metals, processing of waste and inefficient mining and processing systems are all problems that are faced in an operation on a daily basis that can help be resolved through improvements in metal accounting and reconciliation. The financial consequences of such operational inefficiencies and bad decisions based on poor information are arguably greater than consequences of fraudulent accounting. Large discrepancies between mine and mill measurement systems that measure the quantity and quality of valuable material currently exist. Some of these are expected because of statistical variation, but inherent random measurement variation is sometimes an insufficient explanation. Though the mill can usually make much better production estimates through their measurement systems (that is, less variation), this knowledge rarely benefits the mine. 3 Moreover, even if the mine does a reasonably good job of estimating expected production at the grade control level (in situ), issues such as blast movement, poor mining practice and inefficient ore/waste classification make for a disconnect between the in situ estimates of the mine and the estimates from the concentrator. This inhibits effective evaluation of the reserve and grade control models using concentrator estimates. Linking the two ends, mining and concentration, is a neglected area sorely in need of an overhaul. Hence the need for improved mine to mill reconciliation ? the area of comparing, balancing and adjusting production estimates between mine and mill for consistency in reporting.

Jan 1, 2009

By G. B. Quaye

The deep level gold mining environment is characterized by high stresses that give rise to intense mining induced fracturing of the rock mass surrounding the stopes. In a geologically disturbed region where the intensity of mining induced stress fracturing is high, the degree of faulting and/or the frequency of other geological features such as joints may pose serious strata control problems. Unfavourable intersection of these discontinuities namely, faults, joints and mining induced stress fractures tend to divide the immediate hangingwall into unstable keyblocks which, if not supported, may result in extensive falls of ground. Effective support strategies therefore demand detailed investigation of the predominant inclinations and orientations of these discontinuities. The orientations and inclinations of these discontinuities surrounding a deep level stope have been measured. The results are projected onto the lower hemisphere of a stereographic net to determine the factors that contribute to the falls of ground in the stope. The analyses reveal that unfavourable intersection of these discontinuities divides the immediate hangingwall into unstable wedges that may become dislodged between support units.

Jan 1, 1998

By Dale Preece

A carefully designed and controlled in-place destruction experiment was performed on a concrete bunker buried in 4.27 m (14 ft.) of soil. The objective was to determine if the explosive charges would collapse the structure in-place without requiring mechanical excavation. Collapse of the buried structure was first attempted by drilling holes in the soil and placing four 13.38 Kg (29.5 lb) Comp B explosive charges at a depth of 2.13 m (6.7 ft.). The configuration of the charges when detonated was 2.13 m (6.7 ft.) off the top of the concrete roof and 3.66 m (12 ft.) apart in a square pattern. Detonation of these charges created a crater ~4.88 m (16 ft.) in diameter and 2.13 m (6.7 ft.) deep, leaving ~2.13 m (6.7 ft.) of soil covering. Very limited spalling occurred on the ceiling of the concrete structure as a result of detonating these four charges. The second attempt to collapse the structure consisted of placing another single 13.38 Kg (29.5 lb) charge, identical to the first four, near the geometrical center of the bunker roof. This charge was detonated in the soil cover 100 to 200 mm (4 to 8 in.) above the reinforced concrete roof, collapsing it. Due to the collapsed roof and remaining soil cover, the structure had been collapsed in place, requiring no further demolition.

Jan 1, 2006

By D. J. Burdon, Anthony Caplan

"(1) The radiological appearances of pneumokoniosis on the Kolar Gold Field is described in detail. The characteristic abnormality is the. presence of a diffuse, fine annular and punctate mottling. (2) The frequency of symptoms could not be determined with any degree of accuracy, but it is believed that symptoms are absent and there is no incapacity until profuse radiological mottling is present, i.e., after long exposure to dust. (3) There is an increased predisposition to tuberculosis, which, if it occurs, affects the prognosismost unfavourably.(4) Pathological examination shows that the radiological mottling is due to the presence inthe lung of numerous small dust-cdll aggregates (up to T5 mm. in dia.) deposited around the smaller bronchioles and blood-vessels.(5) The dust-cell aggregates are relatively acellular but when tuberculosis is superadded thereis an excessive cellular and fibrotic reaction.(6) The difficulties of defining the radiological and pathological appearances of early pneumokoniosisare discussed.(7) The incidence of pneumokoniosis in 7,653 workmen with 5 or more years’ undergroundservice was 43-75%, but it is suggested that in future the incidence will be appreciably lower.(8) The methods of- dust production and the chemistry of mine dust are described. It isshown that the free silica-content of air-borne mine -dust is relatively low.(9) The aetiology'of the pneumokoniotic lesion is discussed."

Jan 1, 1947

By James C. Barker

A uniquely mineralized area extends from northwestern Canada through Alaska into eastern Siberia. Some of the metals found there are relatively rare in the conterminous United Stales. Among these are cobalt, the platinum-group metals, and chromite. Geologic evidence suggests that cobalt and the platinum-group metals may be present in deposits that could constitute nationally important reserves. Chromite in potentially minable deposits is known, but it may be relatively less abundant. Limited reserves of these metals have been delineated, but most of the favorable terranes and reported occurrences throughout the vast expanse of Alaska remain unexplored. As part of the mineral studies mandated under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, the Bureau of Mines' Alaska Field Operations Center and the Bureau's research centers at Albany, Oreg., and Reno, Nev., are cooperating in a long- range program to investigate occurrences and delineate reserves of cobalt, the platinum-group metals, and chromite in Alaska. Studies of other critical and strategic minerals will be phased in during succeeding years, as ongoing projects are completed. This first in a series of annual reports summarizes available information about deposits and past production of cobalt, the platinum-group metals, and chromite, and describes current and planned Bureau investigations of these minerals.

Jan 1, 1981

Advances were made during 19b5 in many phases of a broad program designed to increase efficiency in the mining, preparation, and utilization of coal. Also recorded were achievements in activities devoted to mine health and safety, coal resources, and mine explosives. Featured in this report is a review of progress in environmental studies relating to coal mining and utilization. Environmental projects comprise a comprehensive program to facilitate mine reclamation and reduce air and water pollution associated with extraction and use of coal. Publications cited throughout this report present results of the coal program in greater detail. Organizations, institutions, and companies contributing to the program are listed in appendix A. Centers and laboratories conducting the coal research and related investigations appear in appendix B.

Jan 1, 1966

Advances were made during 19b5 in many phases of a broad program designed to increase efficiency in the mining, preparation, and utilization of coal. Also recorded were achievements in activities devoted to mine health and safety, coal resources, and mine explosives. Featured in this report is a review of progress in environmental studies relating to coal mining and utilization. Environmental projects comprise a comprehensive program to facilitate mine reclamation and reduce air and water pollution associated with extraction and use of coal. Publications cited throughout this report present results of the coal program in greater detail. Organizations, institutions, and companies contributing to the program are listed in appendix A. Centers and laboratories conducting the coal research and related investigations appear in appendix B.

Jan 1, 1966

By Frederick Bird

This paper is based upon a review of studies of mostly Canadian mining companies in Chile, northern Canada, Tanzania, Guatemala, Ghana, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. In spite of often well-meaning efforts most mining firms produce wealth in developing areas that largely benefit those immediately involved, sometimes neighboring communities, and often those in the governing strata. Typically mining takes place in enclaves and fosters enclave development, rather than the kind of inclusive wealth development favored by the recently UN published Inclusive Wealth Report. One way by which mining operations can foster more inclusive wealth development is to adopt much broader approaches towards the construction of the various physical and social infrastructures ? roads, water, electricity, health services, schools, security ? required for their own operations by collaborating with diverse regional, provincial, and/or national agencies and businesses to develop these infrastructures for larger populations and areas beyond the immediate sites where they are operating. Established mining firms can also foster more inclusive wealth development by establishing more formal, collaborative relationships with artisanal miners.

Aug 1, 2013

By F. Hassani, K. Moozar, J. Ouellet, P. Gauthier

"This paper describes a sudden spill of waste rock used for backfilling from a waste pass at an underground mine in Canada, thus causing a major failure/accident. The mine operator immediately launched a detailed investigation to understand the causes of this accident and develop procedures to prevent any recurrence of such events in the future. The authors from McGill University were invited to collaborate with the engineers at the mine to examine this accident. The events leading to the accident were studied, appropriate measurements were taken and samples of the waste material were collected for further testing and analysis.The field visit and the interview of the witnesses allowed the detailed documentation of the events. The sequence of events related to the incident, along with the experimental results obtained in the course of the investigation, are presented. The waste material was characterized in the laboratory with regard to its behaviour in the presence of water. This information is discussed and the failure mechanism involved in the accident is identified. Finally, the full recommendations as well as the immediate operational measures implemented by the mine to prevent the future occurrence of such events are presented and discussed."

Jan 1, 2004

By K. Rainer Massarsch

In some parts of the world, vibrators are used extensively for different types of foundation engineering projects. If used correctly and in suitable soils then vibratory pile driving for example is very efficient. However, soil conditions and the installation procedure have great significance for the driving resistance and affect the bearing capacity of vibrated piles. Also the intensity of ground vibrations which are transmitted to the surrounding soil is affected by the vibration process. In spite of the increasing use of vibrators and the rapid development of vibrator technology, many aspects of pile-soil interaction are not yet understood. In order to asses the importance of factors, which govern pile installation (and extraction), it is necessary to consider the entire chain of vibration energy transmission from the vibration source to the pile, the interaction between the vibrating pile and the soil and the wave propagation in the subsoil, Fig. 1. [ ] Fig. 1. Transfer of vibration energy from the vibrator through the pile into the ground In the present paper, some important aspects of vibratory driving and their significance for pile installation and soil compaction will be discussed.

Jan 1, 1995

By J. R. Thoenen

[Before 1914 Germany held virtual monopoly on the world supply of potash for fertilizer purposes. During the world War, potash shipments to the United States ceased, and recourse was had to domestic supplies. High war-time prices stimulated interest n various sources, and domestic production increased rapidly. At the close of the war, resumption of shipments from Germany and other sources reduced prices to below pre-war levels, and, as a result, most of the domestic producers ceased operational.]

Jan 1, 1941

By F. Khorram

Image processing is a technique that simulates the human vision system. This technique enables applying every statistical or intelligent operation to recognize differences. In this way this new technique is used in quality control systems in most industries. Studying sedimentary rocks is very important from the economic point of view. Some units of sedimentary sequences involve different mineral deposits, hydrocarbon and water resources. Therefore it is important to identify and classify different sedimentary rocks. Descriptive classification of sedimentary rocks is usually based on visual and textural features and chemical composition of a sample. In this paper different samples of a limestone mine in central part of Iran are classified. The samples were collected from different parts of the mine and crushed down in size from 2.58 cm to 3.58 cm. The rock samples were labeled based on percentage of chemical and lithological compositions. Each sample was assigned to one of the distinguished groups. The images of the samples were taken in appropriate environment and processed. A total of 74 features were extracted from the identified rock samples in all images. In order to feature dimensional decrease, principal component analysis method was used. Then Bayesian statistical algorithm was used as a useful tool for classification. Classification Correctness Rate (CCR), calculated for the test data sets are %88, %68, %61 and %72 for the first to fourth class respectively. Therefore it can be inferred that the extracted features of images are appropriate indicators for different samples identification. These precise results besides the advantages of image processing technique, which are increasing speed of operation and decreasing cost, appears to be a desirable success.

Jan 1, 2012

By William L. Saunders

Many members of the Institute, who participated in the visit made, during the Bethlehem meeting of February, 1906, to the shops of the Ingersoll-Rand Company, at Phillipsburg, N. J., inspected with interest the new Electric-Air drill, which the company had set up for the purpose of showing it in actual operation to American mining engineers. At the request of the Secretary of the Institute, I promised at that time to prepare a paper for our Transactions, describing the construction and advantages of the machine. But such a paper would then necessarily have contained much that was only expected or claimed by the designers and manufacturers of the drill, and not yet incontrovertibly proved by varied and long-continued practice. However moderate such statements might have been, they would have given inevitably to the paper, to some extent at least, the air of a prospectus, rather than of a technical contribution. I therefore decided, with the Secretary's approval, to postpone the writing of the promised paper until it could set forth the results of adequate actual practice, as well as the latest details of construction, etc., based upon practical experience. That period has now arrived. The Electric-Air drill has been exhaustively tested in the field, under varied and arduous conditions and upon the hardest rocks. It is now fairly in the field; its merits and performances are matters of unimpeachable record, and its place among established competitors can be definitely determined. As a representative of the Ingersoll-Rand Co., as well as a member of the Institute, I may be permitted to add that my company, being largely interested in the manufacture of air-coxpressors and machinery driven by compressed air, has no desire to injure its own business by claiming for this new machine that it should immediately supersede all existing applications of pneumatic transmission of power for drilling. On the

Jan 1, 1908

By William C. Cooley

SUMMARY A review is presented of the state of development of high pressure water jet equipment and of large impact hammers for rock tunneling. Information from the U.S.S.R. is based on published literature and three personal visits. Applicable papers which were presented at the International Symposium on Jet Cutting Technology in Coventry, England in April 1972 are reviewed. Data are presented on continuous jet systems, pulsed water cannons, and hydraulic-powered impact hammers with respect to the specific energy of rock breakage and potential application in tunneling machines. INTRODUCTION It has been estimated that the cost of underground excavation during the period 1970-1979 in 15 countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development will be over $54 billion, an increase of 104% over the period 1960-1969. It is expected that 55% of the tunneling construction will occur in hard rock (Ref. 1). Present tunneling machines are generally limited to soft and medium-hard rock. When used in hard rock, the cost of replacing mechanical cutter bits is high. Therefore there is a need for improved rock fracture methods which can be applied economically in tunneling machines for hard rock. Water jets and mechanical hammers are two

Jan 1, 1997

By Charles Zdazinsky

Over-break is undesirable in underground civil construction because it excessively damages rock along the perimeter of the tunnel, which directly influences the cycle times of advancement. A quicker cycle time for each process is required to optimize the operation and therefore minimizing over-break is essential for operational success.

Jan 1, 2015

By H. Cay, J. Zachwieja, T. Esplin, R. Ravenelle, T. Olsen-Tank

Barrick Goldstrike mine utilizes a carbon-in-leach (CIL) circuit to simultaneously leach gold into solution with cyanide and adsorb the gold-cyanide complex onto activated carbon for further refinement. If the gold bearing ore contains a significant amount of native carbonaceous material, gold cyanide can be adsorbed at these sites instead of onto the desired activated carbon and the gold is effectively lost to tailings in a detrimental process known as "preg-robbing." The preg-rob effect is considerably reduced by treating the ore with a surfactant, which is hypothesized to adsorb to and passivate the native carbon surfaces. Past laboratory and pilot studies have consistently demonstrated significant gains in gold recovery after treating carbonaceous ore with surfactant. With success in bench and pilot scale testing, a plant trial was conducted at Barrick Goldstrike to evaluate the feasibility of using an alkoxylated fatty amine surfactant (Ethomeen T/12) to aid in the leaching of high preg-robbing ores. This paper analyzes the performance of the surfactant during the plant trial in addition to the problems that occurred during the trial period. Suggestions for improvement are also discussed.

Jan 1, 2014

By Braam Blom

PK2 Ventilation shaft is part of Paardekraal No 2 twin shaft system that is being developed to replace depleting Merensky reef production at Paardekraal shaft complex. The sinking team at this shaft faced considerable challenge of improving the total sinking cycle in order to be able to deliver the fully equipped shaft on time and on schedule. The cladding support cycle was identified as the tedious and time consuming activity in the overall shaft sinking operation. Reduction in the time required for handling and setting up the support installation equipment, and the time required for subsequent installation of the necessary support has a direct impact on the overall cycle time, and consequently the overall productivity and efficiency of the sinking operation. This reduction in support cycle was achieved by making use of machine carousel. The objective of this paper is to describe the support methodology that was used during the ventilation shaft sinking and the use of the machine carousel to reduce the cladding support cycle. The machine carousel replaces the traditional use of machine kibble in conventional vertical shaft sinking and has been designed specifically for installation of sidewall support at the shaft bottom during the sinking process.

Jan 1, 2009

By Paul G. Marinos, Vassilis Marinos, Evert Hoek

The Geological Strength Index (GSI) is a system of rock mass characterization that has been developed in engineering rock mechanics to meet the need for reliable input data related to rock mass properties required as input for numerical analysis or closed-form solutions for designing tunnels, slopes, or foundations in rocks. The geological character of the rock material, together with the visual assessment of the mass it forms, is used as a direct input for the selection of parameters for predicting rock mass strength and deformability. This approach enables a rock mass to be considered as a mechanical continuum without losing the influence that geology has on its mechanical properties. It also provides a field method for characterizing difficult-to-describe rock masses. Recommendations on the use of GSI are given and, in addition, cases where the GSI is not applicable are discussed.

Jan 5, 2007

By Lee Sieng Kai

This paper presents the result of the analysis of strain-dependent concrete modulus from full-scale static axial compression load tests conducted on more than 200 instrumented cast-in-place barrettes and bored piles over the past 12 years, covering commonly adopted grades of concrete for heavy foundation construction in Malaysia and Singapore. The concrete modulus values, Ec, analysed were directly back-calculated from the material of the instrumented test piles by means of placing a layer of vibrating wire strain gauges near the pile head region. The best fit curve for back-calculated concrete secant modulus versus measured axial strain follows non-linear behaviour for both categories of test pile samples analysed. The result of the analysis seems to suggest that using average constant modulus value would generally lead to a significant error in load distribution computation, particularly at high stresses region.

Jan 1, 2006