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By V. Roze, M. E. A. Robertson, C. J. Sharland

Current Techniques - Fire Assay Fire assay of gold has been used for several thousand years and is a well known technique to the traditional assayer. Very few assayers wish to use the method but to date there has been no viable alternative. Fire assay is expensive in labour, time, capital and running costs. Workers can be exposed to hazards and uncomfortable working conditions such as lead fumes, heat stress, dust and eye strain. The high capital cost of putting up the building and equipping it, together with running costs which increase annually at a prohibitive rate makes the technique less attractive each year. The main requirement in most assay laboratories is to maximise throughput economically. This is difficult with fire assay as it is impossible to automate. Each sample for analysis is handled by at least 12 people and each person represents a potential source of error. Record keeping and report generation has to be done manually which is both slow and prone to errors. Replacement of staff requires a considerable training period and with a large turnover of personnel this presents yet another problem. The presence of silver and dross in the gold sample affects the accuracy at low gold values. X-ray fluorescent analysis Two methods of XRF instrumentation have been used with limited success. The first type is a laboratory instrument employing L X-rays. Small samples of a few grams, which are not representative,

Jan 1, 1988

By José Wilmar Calderón-Hernández

Aços inoxidáveis supermartensíticos (AISM) são aços de matriz martensítica contendo baixos teores de carbono, abaixo de 0,03%. Eles vêm sendo utilizados na indústria de óleo e gás para aplicações específicas que exigem resistência mecânica aliada a moderada resistência à corrosão. Após serem temperados para a obtenção da estrutura martensítica, esses aços são submetidos a tratamento de revenimento para alívio de tensões e melhoria das propriedades de tenacidade e ductilidade. Durante o revenimento é esperada a ocorrência de mudanças microestruturais resultantes principalmente da precipitação de diferentes fases. Tais precipitados influenciam tanto as propriedades mecânicas finais quanto a resistência à corrosão desses aços. Nesta pesquisa foi avaliada a resistência à corrosão por pite de dois AISM do tipo 13Cr5Ni2Mo, um deles contendo Nb (0,11%), através de ensaios de polarização potenciodinâmica em soluções de 0,6M NaCl sem e com adições de 0,3M e 0,6M Na2SO4. Os resultados mostraram que a adição de Na2SO4 no eletrólito contendo NaCl inibe consideravelmente a corrosão por pite. Foi constatado também que o AISM contendo Nb apresenta maior resistência à corrosão por pite nos eletrólitos de misturas de cloreto e sulfato. Além disso, os resultados mostraram que o revenimento a 575°C melhora a resistência à corrosão por pite, comparativamente ao revenimento a 600°C. O melhor potencial de pite foi obtido para o aço ao Nb, revenido a 575°C por 2h, em eletrólito 0,6Na2SO4+0,6NaCl.

Jan 16, 2018

By José Britti Bacalhau

Na conformação de plásticos de alto desempenho, cuja demanda cresce continuamente nos setores automotivo e de eletrodomésticos, é necessário aços com elevada resistência mecânica e excelente polibilidade. O aço DIN 1.2711 e suas modificações são materiais encontrados no mercado que atendem tais necessidades, porém não foram projetados para essa aplicação. O presente trabalho discute as características de um novo aço desenvolvido especificamente para moldes plásticos de alto desempenho. Foram produzidos em escala piloto, dois lingotes de 55 kg, sendo um deles o DIN 1.2711 que serviu de referência, e o outro com a nova composição química. A curva TRC dos materiais foi determinada por dilatometria, e sua usinabilidade avaliando o volume de material removido em relação ao desgaste da ferramenta de corte em fresamento. Caracterizações microestruturais por MO, MEV e dureza também foram realizadas. O Novo Aço apresenta elevada homogeneidade microestrutural e de dureza, boa temperabilidade e usinabilidade superior ao DIN 1.2711. A segunda etapa constou na produção de um bloco forjado em escala industrial a partir de um lingote de 35 toneladas, e na validação dos dados experimentais em empresas fabricantes ou usuários de moldes, as quais comprovaram a superior usinabilidade do Novo Aço em aproximadamente 50% ao DIN 1.2711. Devido à boa combinação de propriedades de manufatura o Novo Aço se torna uma interessante opção para o aumento da competitividade das ferramentarias e usuários finais de moldes plásticos.

Aug 16, 2017

By Rodrigo Faveret Signorelli

O desenvolvimento das famílias de aço inoxidável ocorre ao longo do tempo de acordo com as necessidades apresentadas pelos usuários. As usinas siderúrgicas, em geral, coletam informações de mercado para entender quais produtos deverão ser lançados nos próximos anos antes de iniciar novos desenvolvimentos. Utilizando-se desta ferramenta, a Outokumpu abriu três frentes de pesquisa nos últimos anos em busca do desenvolvimento de novas ligas. A primeira linha de pesquisa trata de um aço ferrítico, denominado 4622, que possui alto teor de cromo, cuja resistência à corrosão é equivalente à resistência à corrosão do 304. A segunda linha de pesquisa contempla um aço austenítico que se assemelha ao 316L, denominado 316plus,porém com custo reduzido. Por último, a Outokumpu, ao notar que aços Duplex raramente eram aplicados em equipamentos e máquinas que dependiam de facilidade de conformação do material, iniciou o desenvolvimento da família FDX. Esta família é composta por aços inoxidáveis duplex com alongamento elevado, que os aproxima dos aços inoxidáveis austeníticos. O objetivo deste trabalho é apresentar estas três novidades recentemente lançadas pela Outokumpu ao mercado.

Jan 16, 2018

By Rodrigo Rocha de Meira

O laminador de tiras a frio n° 3 da CSN apresentava perdas de produtividade ao processar aços de elevada resistência microligados, com limite de escoamento mínimo igual a 340 MPa, dotados de largura superiores a 1400 mm. Devido à crescente demanda do mercado automotivo relativa a esta família de aços, tornou-se necessário um estudo para optimizar a produtividade do equipamento e não desestabilizar o fornecimento aos clientes. O estudo consistiu em testar parâmetros de processo alternativos, objetivando abastecer o laminador de tiras a frio com bobinas laminadas a quente dotadas de resistência mecânica ligeiramente menor, para promover maior estabilidade operacional no equipamento a partir da redução das cargas de laminação. As alterações propostas resultaram no aumento de produtividade do laminador de tiras a frio, sem comprometer as características mecânicas do produto final.

Jul 30, 2018

By João Francisco Batista Pereira

Nos últimos anos a indústria automotiva tem evoluído de forma significativa em relação à preservação ambiental (redução da emissão de CO2) e com respeito à segurança veicular. A Usiminas, alinhada com esse direcionamento, tem realizado diversos estudos visando obter novos produtos de alta resistência mecânica que possibilitem a redução do peso dos veículos e diminuição do consumo de combustível, além do aumento da segurança. O aço TRIP, desenvolvido e recentemente comercializado pela Usiminas, é um exemplo dessa nova geração de produtos avançados, que conciliam alta resistência mecânica e alta capacidade de conformação. O trabalho apresenta as características do aço TRIP desenvolvido pela Usiminas assim como os resultados de aplicação em peças automotivas da Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.

Aug 16, 2017

By MARCELO TADEU TOMAZELA LIMA

Os aços inoxidáveis são largamente utilizados nos mais diversos segmentos da sociedade, tendo como principal característica a resistência à corrosão. Existem muitos estudos sobre o comportamento destes aços, que se apresentam com diferentes composições, estruturas e propriedades, mas algumas características ainda precisam de muito estudo, como exemplo a interação do metal com o hidrogênio. O hidrogênio nos metais é estudado há muitas décadas pela sua alta capacidade de mobilidade intersticial, todavia seus mecanismos de fragilização são pouco compreendidos e propostos em algumas teorias. O presente trabalho busca caracterizar os efeitos do hidrogênio em um aço inoxidável ferrítico tipo AISI 409 quando tensionado em ensaios de achatamento comparativamente entre amostras hidrogenadas e não hidrogenadas. Os testes no material de base evidenciaram que o hidrogênio age na perda de ductilidade deste aço inoxidável, apresentando facetas de clivagem ao ser tensionado. Os resultados obtidos sugerem que a fragilização por hidrogênio representa um risco e um desafio à Indústria, reforçando a necessidade de desenvolvimento de pesquisas e estudos para minimização dos efeitos do hidrogênio nos metais.

Oct 30, 2017

By Thais da Silva Ferrarini, Pedro Lucas Freitas

Com mais de 35 anos de operação, as 3 baterias de coque da ArcelorMittal Tubarão estão chegando em fim de vida útil, mas apesar disto tem que continuar operando e produzindo coque de qualidade. Suportando as condições operacionais mais diversas, a automação tem um papel importante para ajudar nestes desafios, ajudando nas ações para aumentar a vida útil das baterias, em ações de manutenção, controle térmico e outros mais.

Oct 1, 2019

By Alexandre de Freitas Gomes de Mendonça

São crescentes as exigências por confiabilidade nos processos siderúrgicos. Nesse contexto, a Usiminas tem direcionado esforços em suas aciarias na busca da melhoria contínua dos processos garantindo a maior estabilidade operacional. O lingotamento contínuo é responsável pela solidificação controlada do aço líquido. A solidificação inicia-se no molde pela formação de uma pele que sustenta o núcleo líquido ao longo da máquina. O rompimento dessa pele representa um dos maiores problemas no processo de lingotamento contínuo por vazar o aço líquido no interior do veio e atingir as partes eletromecânicas da máquina. Essa ocorrência oferece risco de dano às pessoas, promove a interrupção do lingotamento no veio, sucateamento de produtos e indisponibilidade momentânea do equipamento. Visando reduzir a frequência de rompimentos, a Usiminas repotencializou o sistema de exaustão de vapor, adequou o sistema de detecção de rompimento de pele e criou uma equipe multidisciplinar para análise de cada evento. Essas ações reduziram significativamente a frequência dos rompimentos de pele na Aciaria 2 da Usina de Ipatinga, a ponto de registrar 539 dias sem esse evento.

Aug 17, 2017

By Leandro Moraes da Silva Graciotti, Lorenzo Bortolon Scandian

Este artigo tem como premissa apresentar o quadro evolutivo referente a Segurança do Trabalho no Terminal de Produtos Siderúrgicos (TPS) do porto de Praia Mole bem como mostrar as novas ferramentas e tecnologias aplicadas ao processo portuário para garantir a perenidade das operações. Neste documento apresentaremos o Terminal de Produtos Siderúrgicos, sua estrutura de funcionamento, e as operações executadas. Em seguida, explicitaremos as ferramentas de gestão de segurança utilizadas e suas tecnologias. Por fim, exibir-se-á os impactos provenientes dos recursos e ações de segurança executadas, enfatizando a importância da tecnologia em conjunto com a segurança do trabalho no TPS.

Oct 1, 2019

By Ivan F. Avery

OUTPUT of carbon black in 1959 increased in all producing States except New Mexico. The national increase was 20 percent. Domestic sales and exports increased 22 percent and 16 percent, respectively, resulting in a 21 percent gain in sales. Sales to the rubber industry, which purchased 95 percent of the domestic output of carbon black, increased 23 percent. Sales to all other major consumers also increased. Stocks decreased 82 million pounds during the year. [ ]

Jan 1, 1960

By Robert J. Alberts

Our shop started up in April of 1969, and during its 8th month of operation produced over 300,000 tons. Production continued to increase, and by January of 1970 tonnage rates significantly above 300,000 tons per month were being realized. Ours is a three vessel shop, producing 200 ton heats, with a normal grade breakdown indicating more than one half semi-killed carbon steel, with the balance distributed over rimmed and capped steel, alloy steel, killed carbon, and special killed drawing quality steel. The recent christening of a continuous billet caster has dictated that close to a quarter of our liquid steel be delivered to the caster.

Jan 1, 1972

By W. J. Witte, M. K. Witte

"INTRODUCTION A pilot heap leach project was conducted on the B. P. Selco Hope Brook ore located in southwestern Newfoundland. The pilot heap leach was undertaken to assess and confirm the following:1) To confirm that heap leach technology now currently used in the United States could be applicable to Canadian sites.2) To confirm gold recovery by the Heap Leach technology3) To assess and study potential heap leach environmental concerns in cold and wet climate.PROJECT LOCATIONThe Hope Brook Project is located near the southern coast of the island of Newfoundland, approximately 100 kilometers southeast from Stephenville, approximately 25 kilometers west of Burgeo, Newfoundland. Access to the property is limited to helicopter, float plane or by sea through Couteau Bay. The property was covered with muskeg and very few trees. Surface relief was moderate with many poorly drained boggy sections confined to small areas. Many small unnamed lakes were located on the property which provided water to small brooks and streams flowing to Couteau Bay.Several locations were reviewed for the installation of the pilot heap leach facility. Important parameters used to select a suitable location included sufficient land area, close proximity to but not on the ore body, reasonable protection from wind, sufficient supply of fresh water, close to a suitable location for a portable crushing plant, reasonable access to aggregate material for preparation of the test pad and ponds and suitable contours to minimize site preparation."

Jan 1, 1987

Last October a committee was appointed by The War Service Association of Manufacturers of Solder and Bearing Metals, Inc. to consider the report of the U. S. Bureau of Standards to the Conservation Division of the War Industries Board, a letter of the War Industries Board, and the discussions of this letter as reported at the meetings of association and to summarize the information thus obtained. The report of this committee has just been printed. The committee agrees with the Bureau of Standards that 99 per cent. tin can be used. It also finds that a very small amount of lead might increase the tendency of the bearing to crack and that lead has a hardening effect on babbitts up to a possible limit of 10 per cent. of lead. Still in the so-called genuine babbitts, in the presence of lead a certain proportion of low melting point eutectic is introduced which admits of the bearing being poured into thinner sections and is decidedly advantageous in the die-casting process in producing a much smoother casting. But the committee recommends that the Bureau of Standards thoroughly investigate this point. Lead-base babbitts, to give satisfactory service, must be carefully made of the proper raw materials. The bronze hearing that has been thoroughly tinned and containing the thinnest possible babbitt lining is now becoming recognized as the ideal bearing. The compositions, recommended by the committee are as follows:

Jan 2, 1919

By G. W. Thompson

G. W. THOMPSON,* Brooklyn, N. Y.-This subject has two aspects, neither of-which can be ignored: these are the economic aspect and the technical aspect. Under ordinary conditions, economic law will take care of the conservation of tin. Under present conditions it seems desirable that economic law should still be permitted to operate as far as is practicable. It is true that this law operates rather slowly, and that under war conditions it cannot be depended upon to give our Government the supply it immediately needs. There should, therefore, be a designation of the essential industries by the Government, and tin should be supplied for those needs, letting the non-essential industries take what is left. At the same time, information ought to be forthcoming as to how tin can be conserved; with tin selling at 80 c. per pound, more or less, it is to the interest of every consumer to get the best information he can as to how he can save tin. Economic law would properly punish those who do not study their own interests in this way. I deprecate, therefore, any centralized socialistic effort toward avoiding penalties through failure to observe and obey economic law. In saying this, however, I am not unmindful that it is desirable for our Government to take such control of the tin situation as may be necessary to the prosecution of the war, practically regardless of the effect of such action upon individual industry, which should studiously seek to adjust itself to the new condition. The Government should promulgate such technical information as it can collect, showing how tin can be conserved, and should urge upon every consumer the exercise of his common sense in self-protection. There is very little danger of any one attempting to hoard or corner tin, in the present state of the market. Most consumers will be glad to live from hand to mouth, covering their sales by purchases, or vice versa. As to the technical aspects: Tin and tin alloys are used to give certain practical and also certain artistic results. The practical factors are those involved in proper adhesion, continuity of surface, protection, the right degree of hardness, proper working qualities, etc. The artistic results are those that appeal purely to the eye or to our cultivated sense of what is desirable. There is no doubt that a great deal of tin could be saved if there were not a demand for certain pleasing effects. How can this saving be brought about? The users of tin hearing alloys are not the only ones involved in this question. The manufacturers of solder and babbitt have for a long time sought to give certain appearances to their fabricated bars and ingots in order to make them more salable. The user of a solder is very apt to judge of its working qualities by the appearance of the bar; the same thing is true with regard to babbitts. Under ordinary conditions, manufacturers are justified in trying to

Jan 12, 1918

By T. Martinez Patino

Precious metals have been sought by man through time. The search has been the cause of many historic events as well as the founding of the famous Mexican, Minion centers of Durango, Guanajuato, Zacatecas and others. Bacis, a silver - cold deposit in the State of Durango was one of the lesser known centers established during Spanish colonial times. During the past year, metal prices have suffered a substantial decline, resulting in the closure of many mines. Through astute exploration, development and exploitation of the mine, the effect of the low prices has been offset and the mine is surviving these hard times.

Jan 1, 1994

By Prasanta Paul, Aminul Islam

"Nhava Sheva (India) Gateway Terminal Private Limited proposed to construct a container terminal yard, comprising a back-up area at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Terminal (JNPT), Uran, Maharashtra. The proposed container terminal yard is located on a recent reclamation on the Thane Creek, which was developed by land-based reclamation method. The underneath soft marine clay was treated, using vertical band drains and placement of surcharge upon.Settlement of the reclamation during its construction was monitored using settlement plate installed at +4.8m CD elevation which was above the highest high water level.This paper examines the settlement behaviour of the reclamation during the ground improvement works. The geotechnical parameters are back-analyzed by the authors from the field settlement results and the concerned preloading details. The back analyzed coefficients of consolidation due to horizontal flow (Ch) are compared with laboratory determined parameters and the estimated value, using Asaoka Method (1978). The authors also studied field compression ratio [CR= Cc/(1+e0)] vs. the compression ratio determined by laboratory test using back-analysis method.1. INTRODUCTIONNhava Sheva (India) Gateway Terminal Private Limited proposed to construct a container terminal yard, comprising a back-up area of approximately 27 hectares, complete with associated buildings and services on a part brownfield/ greenfield site. The back-up area shall include a heavy duty block paved pavement with band beams for electric Rubber-Tyred Gantry Crane (eRTGC) alongwith surface water drainage system and other services including area lighting, provision of fire-fighting facilities , sources for potable water and power.Based on the Employer’s Requirement and the available geotechnical investigation report, ground improvement scheme is designed by the construction contractor. Ground improvement works included the installation of prefabricated vertical drains and subsequent placement of surcharge for accelerating the consolidation of the underlying soft marine clay."

Jan 1, 2015

By Fabiola Espinoza Carmona, Elena Chiriotti, Edoardo Misano

"INTRODUCTION Ganntas Tunnel is part of the modernization project of the railway between Alger and Oran, in Algeria. In order to double and rectify the existing line between El Affroun and Khémis Miliana, the alignment foresees the excavation of a 7 km-long twin tunnel. The excavation works started in June 2011 with the contractor CCECC, under the supervision of SYSTRA. Excavation is driven in conventional method by hydraulic hammer simultaneously on 8 different faces since excavation was started also from a junction window towards the middle of the tunnel. The minimum longitudinal distance to be respected between two contiguous tunnel faces has been set to 30 m. The tunnel cross-section is a 70 m² oval shaped profile, temporary support consists of shotcrete, bolts and steel ribs. A 30 to 50 cm thick cast in situ concrete final lining has been provided as well. When the tunnel reached a fault zone in soft clayey marls extreme squeezing occurred, works were stopped and re-profiling operations were carried out along more than 100 m. To date, works proceed at slow rate since high convergences are still monitored and completion of works is not expected before December 2016.GEOLOGY The project is located within the Tellian Atlas mountain area, including in particular the Djebel Ganntas massif in between Mitidja and Chleff plains. Djebel Ganntas is characterized by an extensive massif aligned in East-West direction with smooth slopes made of soft clays that emerge in multiple cliffs and ravines. On the top of it, along the edge, a more recent sandstone formation is found. The existing data on the geology did not allow to establish an accurate geological model at tender stage. In-situ investigations allowed at design stage to identify a Quaternary alluvial cover of clays and gravel, followed by a Miocene stratum divided in a sandy top layer and a lower clayey layer. From a structural point of view, geological maps suggest a north direction dip of layers, but the in situ surveys showed that layers were highly folded. The lack of information at tender stage on the structure of the geological series should have triggered an extensive investigation campaign at detailed design stage which did not take place causing serious consequences on costs and time at construction stage."

Jan 1, 2016

By D. F. Malan, P. J. Le Roux

Almost no work has been published on the strength of pillars in mines exploiting the LG6/LG6A chromitite bands in the Western Bushveld Complex. The strength of these pillars is unknown, and the hard rock industry still uses the Hedley and Grant formula. Numerical modelling, using inelastic constitutive models, may be of some value in estimating the pillar strength, but this approach is difficult and prone to errors as many assumptions are made. This paper explores the alternative approach of the back-analysis of actual LG6/LG6A mining layouts, using displacement discontinuity codes to simulate the average pillar stresses on a mine-wide scale. From this, and underground observations, a ‘minimum’ pillar strength (K-value in the pillar strength formula) can be estimated. The codes TEXAN and Map3D are both used in the paper to simulate the actual pillar shapes and sizes in an LG6/LG6A mine. The results are encouraging as the two codes produced similar APS values for a complex pillar geometry. An estimated K-value of 77 MPa was determined for the LG6/LG6A pillars in this particular area. This is more or less similar to earlier work done for the UG2 chromitite seam, but higher than the K-value of 39 MPa for a linear formula obtained by other workers for LG6/LG6A pillars. Caution should therefore be exercised before using this higher value for all areas. The effect of element sizes and explicitly simulating the effect of the surface for shallow pillars is illustrated in the manuscript using both codes. The need for actual pillar observations and an iterative design process, which cycles between modelling and observations, is also emphasized.

Nov 27, 2024

By J Player, G Sweby

The material properties and hence performance of saturated alluvial sediments slope can be incorrectly forecast if the water content is not preserved, and materials properties not correctly determined. The occurrence of saturated sediments in the Western Australia (WA) Goldfields, while not common, should be a significant investigation focus. Geotechnical engineers new to the area may be unaware of this and hence the importance of correct testing and determination of the material strength. Application of appropriate analysis to determine stable pit slopes to an acceptable level of risk, is not possible unless the appropriate strength and hydrogeological parameters have been established at the outset. A back analysis is presented of a pit that had extensive slope failures in alluvial clay-rich sediments with discussion on the approach adopted by the original design engineers to assess pit wall stability and consequent poor slope performance. Learnings from a full pit 3D back analysis are presented, with an approach to geotechnical and hydrogeological investigations and analysis for slopes in similar materials.

Jun 22, 2022