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By TENNEY C. DeSOLLAR

TRADITION tells us that the earliest use of Alabama iron was to make shoes for the horses of General Andrew Jackson and his men during the first part of the nineteenth century. The first recorded incident in the making of iron was the request of U. S. Indian Agent Benjamin Hawkins "that a crew of blacksmiths be sent to the Creek Nation in the lower Mississippi territory." These frontiersmen made up the first body of pioneer iron makers in the territory. The first known blast furnace was built by Joseph Heslip in 1818 at Russellville, named after Major William Russell, who was General Jackson's chief of scouts. The Tannehill furnace was built in 1830 in what is now Tuscaloosa County and its ruins, as shown above, can be seen today.

Jan 1, 1937

By W. H. Yarroll Discussion by W. A. Griffith

W. A. Griffith (Head, Research Department, Phelps Dodge Corp., Morenci, Ariz.) - It is gratifying to see the increasingly common use of classical statistical procedures by metallurgical researchers. Mr. Yarroll has given excellent illustrations of the utility of multiple correlation analysis of complex metallurgical data. Our experience in applying these procedures to historical plant operating data has differed, however, from that which he suggests. The uninitiated frequently assume that the volumi-

Jan 1, 1969

By Marcel Labbé

La largeur de l?armature peut être modifiée selon les besoins du client entre 48 " et 64" de largeur totale, donc 2 sections de 24" à 32". Ceci permet à l?opérateur d?effectuer le démantèlement de l?équipement pour le déplacement dans les endroits restreints. Le déménagement d?un niveau à un sous-niveau devrait se faire dans un quart de travail de 8 heures. L?option de largeur permet au client de choisir un équipement adapté à son environnement de travail (1). La largeur de la table de forage peut être modifiée selon les besoins du client entre 48" et 96". Cette particularité permet une meilleure stabilité, et plus de précision dans le forage (2). Il y a 4 pattes hydrauliques à chaque coin pour la stabilisation lors de forage (3). La table de forage a 360° d?angle de forage sur 3 côtés du transporteur. La table peut sortir de chaque côté du transporteur de 40 ½" à partir du centre du transporteur pour faciliter la mise en place de la foreuse dans les endroits difficiles d?accès. La plage de forage est considérablement agrandie. Cette caractéristique qui fonctionne hydraulique, permet à l?opérateur de forer sans être obligé de changer la position du transporteur pour des changements de trous. Tous les types de foreuse peuvent être installés sur cette table de forage (4). Sa petite dimension lui permet d?accéder, par des monteries de 30" de diamètre, à des sites de travail de 2,5 mètres de hauteur et largeur. C?est un équipement adapté aux gisements filoniens. Ce genre de gisement est de moins en moins rentable pour les compagnies minières. La mécanisation des ces gisements va permettre de les rentabilisés en augmentant la productivité et la santé du travailleur, en réduisant la dilution (5). Les manettes de contrôle de la foreuse, les mouvements de la table de forage ainsi que le déplacement du transporteur ont été installés selon les recommandations d?un ergonome. Des recherches ont été effectuées par ce spécialiste sur les cas d?accident survenus avec l?utilisation de ce genre d?équipement. Il a déterminé les positions le plus confortable que l?opérateur doit prendre pour éviter les douleurs prolongées (6). Le système de roulement est composé de 4 roues pleines installées sur 4 planétaires de 9000 à 15000 livres de capacité munis chacun d?un moteur hydraulique. Des freins ont été installés sur les planétaires pour assurer la sécurité de l?opérateur et faciliter le positionnement du transporteur lors du forage. Des roues rétractables peuvent être installées pour faciliter l?accès sur rail (7). Ce transporteur peut être alimenté par une puissance électrique plutôt que par une puissance pneumatique. Cette puissance électrique est fournie par un Power Pack qui transforme l?énergie en puissance hydraulique. Ce type d?alimentation est employé lors du forage de développement, mais il peut aussi être utilisé pour le forage long trou. Cet avantage permet au client qui a un problème de pression d?air d?utiliser l?électricité. Par contre si vous utilisez l?électricité mais que dans un secteur isolé le gros courant électrique n?est pas accessible vous pouvez utiliser votre équipement en utilisant la puissance pneumatique. Le changement d?alimentation énergétique se fait facilement (8). Cet équipement est construit pour effectuer 4 types d?activités : forage de développement de niveau et sousniveau avec l?installation d?un bras porteur, forage et pose de câbles d?encrage pour soutènement de terrain, forage de production long trou et forage de monterie ascendante et descendante. L?avantage est que vous investissez dans un seul équipement au lieu de 2 ou 3. Cet avantage vous fait économiser dans votre budget d?équipement. En plus cet équipement est construit pour de dure travaux et ne contient aucun système électronique (9).

May 1, 2001

By W. K. Callaway

The need to increase ore recovery and pillar stability caused the Magmont Mine staff to investigate the use of sandfill to accomplish both tasks. The use of hydraulically stowed classified mill tailings as a subsidence preventative will be discussed as well as the use of sandfill in pillar recovery and as a part of the regular mining cycle.

Jan 1, 1986

By C. B. Manula

In this report, the application of the Open Pit Materials Handling Simulator (OPMHS) to a Southwestern surface mine using draglines and front-end loaders is described. The specific objective of the study is to demonstrate the application of the simulator to analyze mine planning and to analyze alternatives for increased production. The simulator was verified by comparing long term production figures to the simulated results from data collected on a mine visit. A short term and a long term alternative are studied with projected productivities and scheduling. No economic analysis of these proposals were performed.

Jan 1, 1977

Past issues of Minerals and Materials have discussed such aspects of the economy as consumption and investment expenditures, interest rates, productivity, and international trade barriers and their effect on the minerals industry here and abroad. In this issue, we will (l) look at recent indications of a possible economic recovery, (2) present 1983 expectations reflecting the results of industry surveys conducted by the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), and (3) briefly discuss the contribution of the U.S. mining industry to total gross national product (GNP). THE RECOVERY Throughout most of 1982, DOC's Composite Index of Leading Indicators provided evidence of impending improvement in the economy. The index increased moderately during eight of the months in 1982 and then jumped an estimated 3.6 percent in January 1983 (table 1). While the leading indicators continued to predict improvement, the general economy, as measured by the Index of Industrial Production, continued its slide through November 1982 (table 2). Finally total industrial production increased in December 1982 and continued on an upward path in January and February, as predicted by the leading indicators.

Jan 1, 1983

By D. G. Foot

The Bureau of Mines investigated energy-efficient methods for recovering potash values from process and waste brines. Laboratory pan evaporation of four chloride brines produced crude salts containing predominantly sylvite, halite, and carnallite. Six sulfate-chloride brines produced crude salts containing primarily schoenite, kainite, leonite, sylvite, carnallite, and halite. Potash grades ranged from 7.2 to 22.2 pct K20, and recoveries from 84 to 99 pct. Sylvite flotation from chloride evaporites, with amine collector, recovered 90 to 97 pct of the potash in a concentrate containing 54.3 to 60.3 pct K20. Fatty acid flotation of the high-sulfate evaporite recovered 78 pct of the sulfate minerals in a 27.8-pct-K20 concentrate. Flotation of the chloride minerals with amine collector recovered 80 pct of the potash in a 59.7-pct-K20 concentrate. Solar evaporation of 10,000 gal of brine recovered 99 pct of the potash in a crude evaporite containing 24.5 pct schoenite and 20 pct sylvite. Continuous flotation in a 100-lb/h process research unit recovered over 95 pct of the potash in schoenite and sylvite concentrates containing 28.0 and 62.3 pct K20, respectively. An economic evaluation suggested a rate of return of 3 pct for a new facility and 9 pct if. the process is adapted to fit an existing plant.

Jan 1, 1984

By J. E. Johnson

Discussion of the paper of Prof. Henry M. Howe, presented in abstract by Bradley Stoughton at the Cleveland meeting, October, 1912, and printed in Bulletin No. 71, November, 1912, pp. 1181 to 1227. J. E. JOHNSON, JR., Ashland, Wis. :-This material is largely beyond the understanding of most of us practical men, but there are certain portions of that diagram that are of enormous importance. We have been conducting a, very extensive investigation of the quality of charcoal-iron and of all iron, and we have found that this eutectic point here (indicating on chart) is a sort of balance point between the good irons and the bad ones, and I have some slides to show what practical results we have found depending on this point here on the d diagram; and it would be a mistake for men who were -concerned with operation and were getting practical results, to think that these things are of no importance. They are exceedingly hard to understand, and I confess that a great deal of them is beyond me, but there is no doubt that the quality of iron depends to an enormous extent on the location of the carbon content of the iron to the right and left of this point, and the position of that point is dependent upon the silicon, and I wish to make a plea to the practical and operating members of the Institute not to disregard this material on account of its being highly scientific, because I hope to show later that there are matters of the highest practical importance that depend directly upon certain portions of this diagram. HENRY D. HIBBARD, Plainfield, N. J. :-T understand that washed metal, which, is practically pure iron and carbon, does not solidify at one instant, is cast-iron does, but passes through a mushy stage. That has been an enigma as to how and why it did so, and possibly some light might be thrown on it in this connection. BRADLEY STOUGHTON, New York, N. Y.:-If Wittorff's propositions are accepted, washed metal containing more than 4.1 per cent. of carbon would begin to solidify as liquid plus Fe4C

Dec 1, 1912

The Phoenix mine on the Mararoa Reef at Norseman, Western Australia, provides an outstanding: AUstralian instance of the recurrence of payable ore beneath the bottom of an abandoned mine, and an interesting and instructive example of the development ofideas with regard to ore recurrence in a particular district. The Mararoa Reef is the most productive of several hypothermal goldquartz vains in pre-Cambrian basic volc81olics which strike northsouth and dip on the average, 45 degrees east. The Phoenix minewas abandoned at 500 ft. vertical depth after producing 342,000 tons of 9.9 dwt. recovery grade (equivalent to nearly half of the total production of the Norseman field) from a 2,500 ft.. long, horizontally disposed oreshoot, which is reported to have had an ore outcrop only 30 ft. in length.Interest in the field was revived in 1933, and by 1941 new ore mined and developed on the Mararoa Reef by Central Norseman Gold Corporation N.L. amounted to approximately 700,000 tons of 6.7 dwt. recovery grade. In the same period another oreshoot of similar size and grade was developed by Norseman Gold Mines N.L., south of the old Mararoa company's site. As shown by the plans, the ore occurs in discontinuous shoots. The intervening area of shear is poor in quartz as well as in gold. Geological work on behalf of Western Mining Corporation Ltd., and Central Norseman Gold Corporation N.L. has been in progress in the mine and in the field more or less continuously from 1913 to 1941 and again since 1946. This paper describes the successive advances in the understanding of the exploratory problem up to late 1941, to which several investigators have contributed. It is published by permission of the Board of Directors of Central Norseman Gold Corporation N.L., owners and operators of the Phoenix and other mines.Development of the Prospect.In 1933 Western Mining Corporation acquired an option over the Phoenix property and adjacent leases. H. E. McKinstryl visited the mine and recognised that the ore occurred primarily on the flatly dipping sections of the vein, as distinct from the steeply dippingsections, in a wide shear zone with reverse movement. Many of the flatly dipping fractures were seen to exhibit tension phenomena and to link one shear plane to the next below on the footwall side. The flat links carried much more quartz than the steeper shears.Later, H. J. C. Conolly, assisted by J. D. Campbell, examined the prospect and by contouring the vein with reference to an inclined...

Jan 1, 1950

Sulphide minerals, such as pyrite and sphalerite, are leached by ferric sulphate. This reaction produces ferrous sulphate and other dissolved products. The ferrous sulphate is re-oxidized to ferric sulphate by bacteria. These reactions can be written as: [ ] However, in 1964 Silverman and Ehrlich proposed that this is not the only role that is played by bacteria. These researchers proposed that T. ferrooxidans enhances the rate of oxidation of pyrite above that achieved by chemical reaction with ferric sulphate at the same solution conditions. This enhancement in the rate of dissolution was proposed to occur by direct microbiological action, possibly by the extra cellular secretion of an enzymatic oxidant. Since the Silverman and Ehrlich proposal, different authors have made opposing claims concerning the action of T. ferrooxidanson pyrite. This ?direct mechanism? of bacterial dissolution of pyrite can be given by the following reaction: [ ]

Jan 1, 2000

By D. E. Van Dillen

Three-dimensional structural analyses of three instrumented areas of a deep, longwall coal mine have been performed using the finite element code BMINES. The three Instrumented areas include two single-entry portions and one double-entry portion of the Sunnyside No. 1 Mine, Sunnyside, Utah. The finite element models simulated the sequence of excavation in each test area: the advance of the entry, installation of structural supports, retreat of the longwall, caving behind the longwall, and accumulation and loading of the gob. The structural supports considered in these finite element models include rock bolts, wood cribs, concrete cribs, steel arch sets, and chocks. Mechanical simulation of the geologic environment is achieved through elastic/ perfectly plastic material models employing anisotropy to represent finely layered regions of the medium. The results of these calculations are com-pared with the instrumentation readings from the mine. These measurements include closures, crib loads, rock-bolt forces, and stress growth.

Jan 1, 1978

By R. Karl Zipf

The sudden, violent collapse of large areas of room-and-pillar mines poses a special hazard to miners and mine operators. This type of failure, termed a "Cascading Pillar Failure" (CPF), occurs when one pillar in a mine layout fails transfering its load to neighboring pillars causing them to fail, and so forth. Recent examples of this kind of failure in coal, metal and nonmetal mines in the U.S. are documented. Mining engineers can limit the danger posed by these failures through improved mine design practices. Whether failure occurs in a slow, nonviolent manner or in a rapid, violent manner is governed by the local mine stiffness stability criterion. This stability criterion is used as the basis for three design approaches to control cascading pillar failure in room-and-pillar mines, namely, the containment approach, the prevention approach, and the full extraction mining approach. These design approaches are illustrated with practical examples for coal mining.

Jan 1, 1996

By R. S. Dean

[During the past fiscal year the Metallurgical Division has made important contributions along the lines dictated by the Bureau policy of conservation of domestic mineral resources through Its investigations include determining of fundamental data of metallurgically important materials improvement of standard ore-treatment method to eliminate waste and improve the grade or recovery of the products; and development o new metallurgical processes.]

Jan 1, 1940

By M. A. Reyes, L. Yan

Heat and humidity buildup withn refuge alternatives (RAs) may expose occupants to physiological hazards such as heat stress. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) regulations require RAs in underground coal mines to provide a lifesustaining environment for miners trapped underground when escape is impossible. RAs are required to sustain life for 96 h while maintaining an apparent temperature (AT) below 95 °F (35 °C). The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) tested a 10-person tent-type RA, a 23-person tent-type RA, and a 6-person metal-type RA in its underground coal mine facilities to investigate the thermal environment over a 96-h period. The test results showed that mine air and mine strata temperatures surrounding an RA occupied by simulated miners (SMs) increased over the 96-h test period. The test results suggest that RA manufacturers should consider this increase in temperatures when calculating and evaluating RA components during surface and laboratory tests. The findings can equip stakeholders with additional considerations for calculating the interior heat and humidity temperature profiles for occupied RAs not tested in situ.

By Kasimcan Koruk, Julian M. Ortiz

A geological model accounting for uncertainties possesses important advantages for resource estimation. Machine learning algorithms (MLAs) employed on multivariate geochemical datasets open up ways to new methodologies for such geological models with ease in comparison to traditional geostatistical methods. This article proposes a two-step MLA with an ensemble implementation to define geological domains and their uncertainties based on geochemical data. The proposed workflow is applied hierarchically on a dataset from a porphyry copper deposit to perform binary classification that can be attributed to alteration domains.

Mar 1, 2024

By A. N. Baldwin

This report documents the work performed under Bureau of Mines Contract J0265029 to study and develop two innovative mining systems: ? An underground auger capable of augering into the right and left ribs without repositioning the machine ? A conventional mining system employing recently developed innovative machinery. The report is separated into two volumes to document the two studies separately. Volume I describes work performed and the recommended concept for a bidirectional auger. Volume II describes the studies of mining equipment performance and mining plans developed to determine a conventional mining plan offering improved productivity.

Jan 1, 1977

By James R. Wickens, David La Rosa, Robert E. McIvor, Adrian Dance

"The comminution circuit at Barrick Cortez Gold Mine uses an open circuit primary jaw crusher followed by a standard SABC grinding circuit. The grinding circuit incorporates a 26’Ø x 11’ SAG mill, an Omnicone 1560 pebble crusher and a 16’Ø x 28½’ ball mill. Both mills are driven by 4500 HP motors.In 2007, several comminution circuit studies were performed to assess circuit performance and map a course for improvement. This paper discusses the results of those studies including an analysis of mine-to-mill opportunities, grinding work index efficiency, and ball mill functional performance. Subsequently, improvements to the circuit were made to enhance operating efficiency. Specifically, improvements to the pebble crusher liner configuration, advanced process control system (expert system) and ball mill classification and ball charge are discussed. In addition, other current and future improvement opportunities are discussed.INTRODUCTIONThe Barrick Cortez property is expanding to include the new Cortez Hills open pit and underground mines. Ore from these new mines will be processed in the existing Pipeline mill facility. In conjunction with ore characterization work, performance of the comminution circuit needed to be quantified. Thus, in 2007, the comminution circuit was surveyed and opportunities for improvement identified.Figure 1 below shows the Pipeline mill flowsheet. It is a standard SABC grinding circuit using an open circuit primary jaw crusher followed by a 26’Ø x 11’ (7.92m Ø x 3.35m) SAG mill, in closed circuit with a Omnicone 1,560 pebble crusher, and a 16’Ø x 28½’ (4.88m Ø x 8.69m) ball mill. Both mills are driven by 4,500 HP (3,357 kW) motors. The SAG discharge screen aperture is 5/16” (8 mm) x 1-1/16” (27 mm) slots. Ball mill circuit classification is done with Krebs D20B cyclones."

Jan 1, 2009

By H. Foster Bain

THERE has never been a great civilized nation which did not have a mining industry; civilization cannot flourish without metal mining. Without tools we can have none of the 'industries that are the foundation of civilization and without metal mining we cannot produce the material of which tools are made. Therefore, if we have no metal mining we have no metals, no tools, no civilization. An example to illustrate this may be drawn from a recent article in the Saturday Evening Post which described the run-down condition of modern Athens. Athens is nothing but a busted mining camp! In its palmy days the Greeks so applied the leasing system to the silver mines of Laurium that the royalties, paid the expenses of government and instead of a tax bill the inhabitants received a pay check. The Persians came over to capture these mines but the Greek navy was built to defend them. When the silver mines played out, Greek civilization declined.. Our mining must continue if our civilization is to continue.

Jan 1, 1921

By F. R. Lee

[WHEN the Bureau of Mines was established in July 1910, one of the problems immediately attacked by the new organization was the development of standard, for the design and testing of electrical equipment that could be used without fear of initiating fires and explosions in underground coal mules. Research and investigation by Bureau personnel, supplemented by the published results of similar work by European mining authorities, led to the establishment of standards or "schedules." which guide manufacturers in the design of many types of electrically operated machines and devices used in. underground coal Mining. By issuing these standards, Bureau personnel establish the requirements to be met by such equipment before it tan be approved by the Bureau of Mines as permissible for use in gassy coal mines. Every 2 years the Bureau of Mines publishes a list of equipment that leas been accepted as approved or permissible during the preceding 2 calendar years. This is done to inform the mining industry of the availability of the latest equipment for safe use underground.]

Jan 1, 1964

By L. R. Stoiser

The mineral resource potential of the Los Bronces deposit was successfully evaluated by an intense, coordinated program over a 37-month period (April 1978-May 1981) as part of an economic feasibility study. The program included more than 120 km of core drilling, 63 km of access road construction under adverse topographic and climatic conditions, detailed geological mapping, plus other related activities. This Tertiary-age copper-molybdenum deposit is composed of an earlier mineralized porphyry-type body intruded in part by a large complex of mineralized hydrothermal breccia pipes. Both intrusive and extrusive igneous rocks are present. Erosion, oxidation, leaching, and supergene enrichment of copper have resulted in a deposit now exposed at the surface that contains more than 368 Mt grading about 1% copper equivalent as sulfides.

Jan 1, 1982