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By P. D. P. Hamilton

IT is perhaps obvious to most individuals who are interested in the mining industry that a producing mine has been subjected to several phases of engineering attention. In this paper it is the author's hope that a thoughtful survey of these various engineering phases will emphasize certain points of value and interest which may sometimes be overlooked. The points which we will bring out are being made in an analytical sense and are not in any way a reflection on any individuals or organizations which might see in these illustrations a similarity co chair particular conditions. In other words, we are drawing on our general experience to illustrate the points which we chink are worthy of mention, and which we believe are of a type sufficiently frequent co be emphasized. It is well co point out chat, in this paper, we are not concerned with the relative importance of such theoretical questions as to whether or not a geologisc is more important than a prospector, or the office manager than the surface foreman. We are, however, interested in analyzing the various types of engineering experience required in the bringing of a mining enter-prise from the early prospect stage in co-production, and their importance to the project as a whole. In order to simplify our analysis of the subject, it has seemed best to outline a simple mining organization. In using the terms 'industry' and 'business', we feel chat frequently those engaged in mining do not always appreciate that mining is actually an endeavour, or a business, which has the same economic fundamentals as any other business. In the mining industry, the field and producing engineering are counter-parts of the research and production phases of any other type of business. Once this is realized, it is fairly obvious that mining, like any other industry, is a matter of economically acquiring raw materials, processing them, and finally marketing the resultant commodities as favourably as possible. The points may be discussed in a little more detail as follows.

Jan 1, 1938

The Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Corp. announced plans to raise June ingot prices by 4 cents to 57 cents per pound. Producers? April value for 99.5 percent unalloyed aluminum ingot was at 53 cents per pound. Domestic merchants last month were quoting the metal at 48-49 cents per pound. Primary aluminum producers began restarting production facilities following the settlement of the coal strike. Noranda Aluminum Inc. recalled workers to prepare potlines for production at its plant at New Madrid, Mo., which had closed February 14, 1978 due to the shortage of coal. Eastalco Aluminum Co. resumed full capacity production at its Frederick, Md. smelter where production had been cut by 30 percent. Anaconda Aluminum Co. resumed full capacity production at its Sebree, Ky. smelter.

Jan 1, 1978

How did you get into mining; were you from a mining town or mining family? Not at all. I grew up in northwest Kansas. I liked to hunt and fish, so I thought it would be fun to work for a company that made knives or guns. It seemed like metallurgical engineers would be something those companies could use, so I started in physical metallurgy. I got a summer job at the great Climax molybdenum mine near Leadville, CO shoveling muck onto conveyors. I was hooked. I loved everything about mining, so in the fall, I changed majors from physical metallurgy to mineral processing. For many years you actually discouraged young people from studying the mining disciplines. Could that be right? That’s true.

Jan 1, 2007

By BUREAU OF MINES

In July, 1918, the attention of the Secretary of the Interior WItS called to the rapidly increasing cost of producing gold and the declining output of that metal in the United States. Realizing the importance of the gold-mining industry, the Secretary appointed a. committee, consisting of Hennen .Iennings, chairman, J. H. Mackenzie, and Charles Janin, of the Bureau of Mines, and H. D. Me- Caskey and F. L. Ransome, of the United States Geological Survey, to,make a thorough study of the gold-mining situation in the United States. The study was to cover the increased cost of recovery and the decreased output of gold, and to consider the different measures that had been proposed to relieve the industry and stimulate production. This report embodies the results of the investigation and study made by the committee. The report presents statistical data compiled from various sources, showing the production of gold in the United States and other countries, with comparative figures for coal, iron, and other mineral products, and describes the sources and distribution of gold output in the United States. It discusses the relation of gold' production to finance and credit, the causes for the decline in gold output, and measures for the relief of the industry. The Interior Department publishes this report in the belief that the widest publicity possible should be given the findings of the committee in order that attention may be directed to the serious conditions revealed therein, and in the hope that wide discussion of the subject may result in some action being taken that will aid in upholding the gold standard ,and the gold industry.

Oct 30, 1919

By W. Burr Bennett

The prestressed concrete industry in particular, and the precast concrete industry to some extent, are rank newcomers to the concrete construction field compared to the cement, ready-mixed or concrete masonry industries. This young industry reflects its youth and vigor in its enthusiasm, optimism and the belief that it can reach any goal it chooses to set -- and it is setting its sights high. The prestressed and precast concrete industry fully expects to become the major structural and architectural material by the 1980's. Before exploring how the industry expects to reach this goal, a brief look at the origins and the growth of the industry may be useful in an evaluation of the feasibility of this goal. It was always recognized that concrete, strong and efficient for supporting loads which cause compression, was weak and inefficient when used to carry loads which induce tension. Thus the reason for reinforced concrete in which the concrete efficiently carries the compression in a flexural member while low grade steel bars reinforce the concrete in the areas 'of tensile stress. (Fig. 1). The steel being relatively inexpensive, can passively, but quite effectively carry tensile force while the concrete carries compression. The concrete in contact with the reinforcing also protects the steel from corrosion and acts as insulation to provide a superior "built-in" fire resistance. The major disadvantage of reinforced concrete relative to its main competitor, steel, is its weight in relation to its load-carrying capacity. Reinforced concrete systems, such as waffle slabs, I-beams, thin shells, etc. ,

Jan 1, 1971

By O. V. Bush

Most governments recognize that energy efficiency represents a partial solution to reducing global capital shortages and environmental crises that threaten to seriously impede economic growth. Much of the United States and many foreign countries are embracing the concept of Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) which incorporates Supply Side Management (SSM) and Demand Side Management (DSM). Since SSM comes at twice to three times the cost of DSM, it makes economic sense to employ the energy conservation techniques of DSM. This paper will explain these concepts and some of the incentives being put forward by governments and utilities to promote DSM.

Jan 1, 1995

By Henry E. Keniston

In every business today costs come under almost microscopic scrutiny. It's hard to conceive that less than 30 years ago there was no such cost consciousness apparent in overall industry. Railroads, through their almost absolute monopoly on freight handling, were one of the industries where little thought was given to overall costs. True regulation kept rates in line, but railroads did very little in the area of supplying equipment intended to help the shipper minimize his costs and at the same time result in savings to the rail carrier. During this period, except for isolated cases, railroads placed standard cars for loading. Most railroad car fleets consisted of box cars, hopper cars, flat cars and low side gondola cars certain roads having unique movements developed special cars to accommodate the particular product, but seldom did these cars move in general interchange service. Most of you are aware that several large companies built railroads of their own as an integral part of raw materials handling from remote sources to production plants located near concentrations of usage. On these railroads special cars were built with little thought to inter-change service. Examples of such railroads are the Duluth, Missabe and Iron Range, the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern, the Union Railroad, the Bessemer and Lake Erie and the Birmingham Southern.

Jan 1, 1972

By Oliver M. W. Sprague

THIS gold problem is full of complications and can hardly be handled adequately or comprehensively in any short period of time. Perhaps I might begin by mentioning a few aspects of the subject about which I suppose there will be no disagreement. The first of these is that we already have a stock of monetary gold in the United States far in excess of what is needed to support any desirable increase in the present volume of currency and credit. The second is that this already superabundant gold stock is certain to be considerably enlarged during the course of the war, and presumably during the months of readjustment following its conclusion. Some billions of additional gold, we may reasonably presume, will come into the country during these next few years, thus increasing the aggregate monetary gold stock from the present eighteen billions to perhaps twenty- two or even twenty-five billion dollars.

Jan 1, 1940

Prof. H. O. Hofman, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Boston, Mass. (communication to the Secretary): When Mr. Stetefeldt quotes me as saying that " silver-assays are uniformly made by scorification," he has evidently not understood that I was referring solely to the practice of silver-lead smelting-works. Everybody knows that silver-mills do not employ the scorification-assay for regular work ; and it is equally certain that in very few, if any, silver-lead smelting-works will the crucible-assay be found in use for determining silver. The second part of the quotation, "as it is adapted to all kinds of ores and gives excellent results unless organic matter is present," although, of course, also intended in a restricted sense, might very well be extended to a general one. Mr. Furman, in his Manual of Practical Assaying,* says, on page 123: "We believe that the Colorado practice is preferable, as most ores will yield higher silver-results by scorification." The fact that the scorification-assay is the accepted one in Colorado is strong presumptive evidence for its accuracy, as exactness would nowhere else be more jealously demanded. Mr. Stetefeldt cites Albert Arents- as a supporter of his preference for the crucible-assay, although I had already done so in favor of scorification. Looking up again the reference, I find that I was justified in quoting him, as, while Mr. Arents advocates the crucibleassay for low-grade gold ores, not on account of the greater accuracy of its results, but because it is quicker and less expensive, he condemns it§ for the assay of silver-ores, and prefers the scorifier for rich goldores, and for coppery ores, and in general for ores containing both silver and gold. As I, like Mr. Stetefeldt, have kept no detailed

Jan 1, 1895

By James W. Martin

This user's manual analyzes the application, selection and performance of front-end loaders in mining operations which can effectively utilize their load-and-carry capability. All aspects of the application are considered starting with a discussion of the load-and-carry system and alternate material handling methods. Site conditions such as the geology of the formation, material characterisitics, alternative mine plans and working conditions are identified. Selection considerations include machine design characteristics, production capabilities and ownership and operating costs. Typical operating practices and safety procedures are discussed. Comprehensive machine specifications, together with a series of checklists and worksheets, are included for preliminary analysis.

Jan 1, 1981

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Jan 1, 1985

By R. D. Coursen

Tin has been one of the very few commodities which has been covered by an international commodity agreement. It is the only metal so covered. The reason behind tin&apos;s prediliction for an agreement has been the inconsistency of the price pattern for tin during the entire 20th century. It is not surprising in view - of the wide and wild fluctuations in its price that tin has been called the Cinderella metal. An examination, for example, of prices in 1977 alone attests to the erratic behavior of the tin markets. The high was recorded on October 27 at M$1,895 per picul and the low on January 3 at M$l,314 3/8, on the Penang market, a spread in Malaysian dollars of $581 for a picul weighing 133 1/3 pounds. The first steps in international cooperation on tin were taken after the price bonanza of the First World War. Despite a lack of increased consumption, and in spite of the fact there was no shortage of mining production during the war, prices boomed. Shipping shortages and thinning stocks brought about a situation where in the U.S., industrial stocks were only 1/6 of what they had been in 1914. The boom busted early. In 1921 the tinplate industry of the world had cut its output in half and total world consumption of tin fell by 1/3. Tin producers became so concerned that they created what was called the Bandoeng Pool. It accumulated stocks held by countries now known as Indonesia and Malaysia, amounting to 28 percent of the combined production of the two countries and about 15 percent of the total world for 1921. The pool holdings were shortly exhausted and thereafter in the years 1924 to 1928, general boom conditions existed for tin.

Jan 1, 1978

By Oliver Bowles

The Bureau of Mines issued three Information Circulars on marble many years ago (5), (6), (7).2/ They have long been out of print; furthermore, conditions have changed considerably in the industry in succeeding years. A presentation of current data is therefore desirable. This report furnishes general information on marble, including its properties, distribution of domestic and foreign deposits, methods and equipment used in quarrying and milling, economic and marketing problems, and recent advances in marble technology. INTRODUCTION Most marbles are crystallized limestone. The term "marble" is derived from a Greek word meaning to sparkle or flash, because the calcite crystals in marble sparkle as they reflect light. The word "marble" is employed frequently to mean a small ball used in the game of marbles with which nearly every child is familiar. Although the little spheres were originally of marble, few of those made in recent years contain that material; nevertheless, the expression "playing marbles" has persisted.

Jan 1, 1958

By William H. Lehr

In recent years, we have witnessed many innovations in the equipment used in handling bulk materials. Not too long ago, any sizeable stockpile of coal or iron ore was attended by one or more material handling bridges. More recently, large stockpiles have been built with mobile equipment of&apos; the earth moving type with bulldozers and front end Loaders being utilized in reclaiming operations. The most recent stocking and reclaiming device is the rotary bucket wheel machine. The early bucket wheel machines built in the United States were developed for the strip mining of coal. We understand that the first American machine was built in the Midwest in 1944. This type of unit was developed in an effort to reduce the cost of removing overburden and to provide satisfactory spoil disposal. As the available coal reserves under shallow cover were exhausted, the cost of removing the deeper overburden with conventional equipment became too great for these operations to continue profitably. The first machine has now been followed by six or seven additional units, the largest of which can handle material at a rate of more than 7000 cubic yards per hour.

Jan 1, 1965

By Shirley F. Colby

A continued rise in construction activity in 1941 forecasts further increases in the demand for building materials of mineral origin, Recent studies by the Bureau of Mines, United States Department of the Interior, reveal that sales of mine and quarry products and their derivatives as a class have followed the long-term trend of construction activity in the past and are benefiting now by the upswing in all types of building. At present most building materials of mineral origin are holding their own in the competitive arena. A few are slipping behind, but others have forged fax ahead. Prominent among those that have surpassed general construction activity since 1925 are sand, gravel, and crushed stone (used in concrete and road metal and railroad ballast) and cement. Both building stone and roofing slate have followed the building curve closely, although in the last few years sales of roofing slate have risen above the curve and sales of building stone have dropped below it. Clay products and building lime, on the other hand, have lagged behind the general procession. Gypsum sales likewise dropped behind, but during the last few years, this industry, thanks to the wider acceptance of its newer products, has staged a marked recovery so that it now stands in about the same relation to total construction activity as it did is 1927-25.

Jan 1, 1941

By Donald H. McLaughlin

PRICES paid for goods and services in paper currencies are undoubtedly determined by many interrelated factors, but among them none is more specific in pushing prices toward higher and higher levels than the vast increase in debts and monetary obligations of our own and practically all major governments. There is nothing unorthodox in the situation in which the gold miners find themselves today. With wages and the prices of all materials required in the production of gold at the high levels characteristic of a period of prosperity, phony or otherwise, and with shortages of both men and machinery to contend with as well, the spread between the returns in paper dollars that must be accepted for gold in the United States and the cost of producing it is rather painfully small for most producers. Technical

Jan 1, 1948

The 53 countries that constituted Africa in 1992 accounted for a significant portion of total world output of a number of mineral commodities. However, the continent&apos;s total output for a number of major mineral commodities declined relative to the volume produced during 1991. (See tables 1 and 2.) The most conspicuous declines in mineral production from 1991 to 1992 were for cobalt and copper (declines of 28.6 % and 23.4 %, respectively), which could be partially attributed to mining and metal processing difficulties caused by political and economic disruptions in Zaire and for uranium (12 % drop), for which much of the continental production decline was ascribed to Namibian cutbacks in response to lower world prices. The severe regional drought also adversely affected the mineral industry in a number of sub-Saharan nations.

Jan 1, 1994

By M. A. Bartkoski

Today?s surviving companies are being pushed to a heightened level of excellence due to market changes. Therefore, new business strategies must be explored. This paper offers a sequenced plan to retool, empower, and organize the entire team for a common goal. Integrity Process is an operating system that is very comprehensive and is integrated in every part of the business. It relies on a detailed prevention concept intertwined with accountability that produces individual efficiencies and team effectiveness. Integrity Process focuses on the importance between working from commitment motives versus compliance fears. The results are balanced in priority and truly yield a win-win for the owners, management, workforce, and the community. Integrity Process can and is being used in any industry that is challenged to optimize the relationship between people and process.

Feb 23, 2014

By L. A. Rapoport

This paper outlines the methodology and results pertaining to the simulation of the U.S. coal industry in the context of an integrated, time-dynamic model of Long-Range Energy Developments and Supplies (LORENDAS). By way of background we will present first an overview of the overall LORENDAS model structure. We will, then, outline the characteristics of the formulation and data used for the representation of the U.S. coal industry. Finally, a series of model results will be reviewed, with particular emphasis on the long term projections of coal production and distribution under different basic economic and/or political scenarios.

Jan 1, 1977

By WILKES BARRE

AS PREVIOUSLY announced, the semi-centennial meeting of the Institute is to be held at Wilkes-Barre, Pa., on Sept. 12, 13, 14, and 15. An interesting program of technical sessions and excursions is now being prepared by the Local Committee. At the time of going to press the program had not been completed in sufficient detail to permit its being pub¬lished in this number. The detailed program will be published in the September MINING AND METALLURGY, which will be printed in time to be distributed before the Wilkes-Barre Meeting. It may be said in advance, however, that the Com¬mittee has progressed so far in its work that we are assured of one of the -most notable meetings the Insti¬tute has held and that members will miss a rare .treat if they do not attend. The many trips and excursions, as well as the banquet, will be -given to the members as a compliment from the members of the Local Com¬mittee. . . The paper by Howard Eavenson on the Lynch Plant of -the United States Coal and Coke Co. will be illustrated by lantern slides and moving pictures. One of the most appropriate discussions will be that opened by Prof. J. F. Kemp on the Stratigraphy of the Anthracite Region; this also will be amply illustrated.

Jan 1, 1921