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By E. M. Frizzell

This paper addresses the use of the microcomputer programs BACKONE and BACKWEDG for an estimation of rock mass strength characteristics by back analysis of plane and wedge failures. The artificial support requirements are also determined by the programs PLANE2, BOLTPAT, and BOLTWEDG in terms of rock anchor installation angles, tensions, and installation patterns. These programs have been combined into a package called BACKPACK, which can be applied in open pit mines where some failures have already occurred.

Jan 1, 1988

By R. J. Roman

During the refining of primary magnesium metal: a spent flux (sludge) is produced which is considered a dangerous waste by the Washington State Department of Ecology. Four years of research, testing and marketing has identified two beneficial markets for the spent flux: 1) as a fertilizer and soil admendment as a result of the material's high potash and nitrogen content and its high lime equivalence and 2), as a roadway deicing agent to clear roads of ice and snow as a result of both the salt content and the flux containing chemical compounds which exothermically react with water.

Jan 1, 1988

By R. O. Y. Breese

The term "diatomite" implies the nearly pure sedimentary accumulation of diatoms. Sedimentary and chemical purity, low density, inertness, intricate fine structure, high brightness and other properties give the diatom and diatomite unique industrial usefulness and commercial value in high value functional filler and specialty filter aid products. Although diatomite deposits occur commonly throughout the world in Miocene and younger marine and lacustrine sediments, deposits that contain significant reserves of crude suitable for these quality sensitive markets are uncommon. U.S. production is centered on exceptional deposits located in Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and California. Evaluation of deposits requires understanding of geology, mining, production and end use. As crude quality in deposits varies within and between strata, ore suitable for quality sensitive end uses must be identified through sampling and evaluation programs tailored to permit recognition of critical variations.

Jan 1, 1989

By B. T. Dawson

In today's work world, constant changes are a fact of life. Downsizing and technological advances are two of the most prominent concerns for employers and employees alike. In this article, the author addresses some of the emotional consequences of these changes and offers a new, empowering perspective for coping with them.

Jan 1, 1998

By S. Polegeg

The basic principle of this separation method was already defined in the middle of the nineteenth century. However, a change over for the treatment of minerals has followed from the construction of proper machines i.e. airjigs and airtables as late as in the twenties and thirties of this century. The main application of this technology was subsequently found in coal processing and reached quite a great dimension in the two following decades. The number of applications of this method in mineral dressing plants decreased rapidly and has almost vanished in the fifties in favour of wet concentration procedures. It has been for a long period as long as up to the eighties that no more consideration was taken for applying dry gravity separation in the field of mineral processing also due to the successful introduction of flotation. Due to the fact that labour cost was increasing remarkably within the past period after the end of World War II also the economic conditions in the agricultural sector became more though. As a result there came up a great demand for harvesting machines. Since agricultural products can only be processed by dry methods in a prevailing number, highly developed machines were introduced for the dry processing of food and feed stuff.

Jan 1, 1992

By G. L. Merritt

The implementation of the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) has evolved into one of the most complex environmental protection programs to come out of the late 1970's. The level of detail in the statute and the regulations have resulted in a rigid and complex set of requirements for the administration, permit-ting, inspection and enforcement of the program. In addition, the constant change of the federal program caused by regulatory changes, reorganization of the Office of Sur-face Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), ongoing litigation involving OSMRE, and the use of the budget to establish additional mandates on OSMRE and the State Regulatory Authorities have resulted in an unstable program. The instability of the program makes it extremely difficult for the States to implement their programs and to achieve the goals of SMCRA.

Jan 1, 1988

By J. D. Shenk

The White Cliffs diatomite deposit occurs in a lacustrine facies of the Quiburis Formation, an Upper Miocene to Pliocene basin-fill sediment of the lower San Pedro Valley. On-going geo-logic mapping has defined an 2.5-3.0 m (8-10 ft) thick ore zone near the mill site, several marker beds, a NNW-trending high-angle normal fault, and a NW-trending syncline. The diatomite has an average loose-weight dry bulk density of 130 kg/m3 (8 lbs/ft3) and is presently marketed outside Arizona for asphalt filler. Current development is projected to yield 3500 mt (4000 st) of finished product, with an estimated 91,000 mt (100,000 st) of finished product obtain-able from several other nearby sites.

Jan 1, 1988

By E. Bonates

Truck/shovel systems are a major form of materials handling in open-pit mines in spite of the high associated capital and operating costs. Mine management is usually faced with a decision to purchase new equipment in order to support the steadily increasing on production. These decisions involve a high degree of uncertainty with respect to future demands and technical developments. This paper describes a computer simulation model for evaluating the optimum equipment fleet in an open-pit mining operation. The system is based on a stochastic simulation program which accounts for the various mining and economic parameters. It calculates the type of equipment and the optimal number of trucks needed to meet the production targets. Two types of selection criteria: maximum rate of production or minimum cost can be applied.

Jan 1, 1989

By A. R. Laplante

The mineralogy of the Joe Mann mine differs from that of other deposits of the Chibougamau area that are exploited by Les Nines Camchib Inc. It is characterized by very fine first generation gold and very coarse second generation electrum. Successful processing required adjustments of the processing flowsheet, which includes gravity, flotation, and cyanidation. A study of coarse gold liberation in the gravity/grinding circuit is described. Modifications to the flotation circuit and the reconditioning of a small capacity cyanidation circuit are presented.

Jan 1, 1989

By C. J. Konya

When blasts are designed, the assumption is made that all blastholes release near ideal energy. In many types of mining operations, some blastholes release very little useful energy. These blastholes will be called malfunctioning blastholes. Recent studies indicate that on many types of blasting applications, 30 percent of blastholes are malfunctioning. This malfunctioning routinely occurs on the operation and is not an unusual occurrence. This paper will discuss the cause of malfunctioning blastholes and methods to minimize the detrimental effect on both safety and costs.

Jan 1, 1988

In 1936 a young Dutch geologist discovered an exposed ore mountain in the remote, mountainous province of Irian Jaya, Indonesia. This was the beginning of one of the most overwhelming challenges ever faced in obtaining mineral resources from the earth. The challenge was to traverse mangrove swamps and reach deep into the almost impenetrable jungles of the Jayawijaya Mountains which have an elevation of 4900 meters (16,000 ft.). The target was an almost inaccessible mountain of copper ore.

Jan 1, 1988

By D. S. Bloswick

An investigation an4 analysis of slip/fall accidents specifically pertaining to underground coal mines was conducted. From a population of 751 accident reports, three major sources of injury which account for over 80% of the incidents have been identified. The specifics of this study are presented in this paper. Based on the results, several recommendations are made to reduce such accidents in underground mines. In addition, a brief discussion of the slip-hazard analysis laboratory at the University of Utah, which will be useful in future analyses of these accidents is presented. Work in this facility includes the simulation of certain mining activities in a controlled setting. Foot forces are measured and work methods subsequently developed to minimize the slip potential of these activities.

Jan 1, 1988

By W. M. Ma, Daniel W. H. Su, K. Centofanti, Yi Luo, W. L. Zhong, Syd S. Peng

3.1 INTRODUCTION The final subsidence basin discussed so far is that developed long after mining has stopped. In a supercritical final subsidence basin, the central portion subsides uniformly. Thus any structures located there are not subjected to any final permanent surface deformation. But this statement is only true for the final subsidence basin. When the face is moving, the structures are subjected to dynamic deformations associated with the dynamic subsidence basin. For instance the house in front of a moving face (location 1 in Fig. 3.1) is subjected to the maximum tensile strain and the maximum positive curvahue. When it falls behind the face in location 2, it is subjected to the maximum compressive strain and the maximum negative curvature. When the house is far behind the face in location 3, it returns to its original condition with only uniform subsidence. However, the magnitude of the dynamic deformations may be sufficiently large to damage a structure in locations 1 and 2 before it reaches location 3. Therefore it is very important to study the characteristics of the dynamic subsidence basin. Under normal conditions, when the face has advanced for a distance approximately one-sixth to one-third of the seam depth from the setup entry, depending on the seam depth and the physical properties of the overburden strata, the movement of the over- burden strata reaches the surface, whereupon the surface also be- gins to deform. Thereafter, the surface point where the movement initiates is always located at a fixed distance ahead of the face. The angle between the vertical line at the faceline and the line connecting the movement initiation point on the surface and the face- line is the angle of advance influence, w. The angle of advance influence can be used to determine the distance, [ 1], which is the influence zone ahead of the face. w is approximately 20O to 35 O for the northern Appalachian coalfield (Peng and Geng, 1984). The movement of each surface point is a relatively complicated process both in time and in space, because the relative position between the faceline and each surface point varies continuously, so that the direction and rate of movement for each surface point differ. In the following sections, the movements of each surface point on the major cross section are illustrated. 3.2 DYNAMIC SURFACE MOVEMENTS Dynamic surface movements include dynamic subsidence and displacement. The movement of each point on the subsidence basin is different as the face advances from 1 to 6 (Fig. 3.2). Surface points A and B, being far in front of the moving face, subside and displace toward the face (i.e., from A to A' and from B to B'). Point C, which is quite near but in front of the moving face, subsides continuously but displaces initially toward the face and then turns to pure subsidence ending up at C'. Point D, which is behind the face above the gob, subsides continuously, but displaces initially toward the face when it is in front of the face and reverses to follow the moving face when it is behind the face, with the amount of displacement toward the face being larger than that following the face. As a result the net displacement is toward the center of the gob (i.e., from point D to D'). The same statement is true for point E. For point F, the net displacement is zero, i.e it appears to have dropped down vertically to F'. For points G to I, the net displacements are in the direction of face advance except the magnitudes are increasing in sequential order. Point 1, has reached the final dynamic position of 1'. In other words, the face has passed sufficiently away such that it does not affect the movement at point I. All other points (A to H) are still within the face influenced area. 3.3 DEVELOPMENT OF DYNAMIC SUBSIDENCE PROFILES When the face has moved for a distance of h/6-h/3 from the setup entry, surface subsidence reaches the surface. At this time the surface subsidence basin is very mild (S, in Fig. 3.3), and it is symmetrical about the center. As the face continues to advance, the maximum subsidence continues to increase, and its location moves with, but falls farther behind the face. When the face has advanced a sufficient distance, e.g., (0.9-2.2)h, away from the setup entry, the maximum subsidence reaches the maximum possible value (curve S,). At this time, the dynamic subsidence profile is fully developed. Thereafter both sides of the dynamic subsidence profile become stabilized. The subsidence profile on the face side moves with the advancing face in an orderly manner (curves S, and S,). When the face stops, the face side of the profile continues to subside and becomes stabilized (curves;) sometime after. Curve S; is the final subsidence profile (see Fig. 2.22). 3.4 DEVELOPMENT OF DYNAMIC DISPLACEMENT AND SLOPE PROFILES The dynamic displacement profile moves with the advancing face (Fig. 3.4), but changes according to some specific rules. When the face has advanced to A, the surface begins to move and its dynamic displacement profile has two maximum values (curve Ua): one positive near the setup entry moving toward the face advancing direction and the other negative on the face side also moving toward the face advancing direction. As the face continues to advance, the positive maximum displacement on the setup entry side increases and moves toward the face continuously. The same statement is true for the negative maximum displacement on the face side. When the opening increases to the critical size, both the maximum positive and negative displacements reach the peak values and remain constant thereafter. Notice that when the opening becomes critical in size, the point of zero displacement no longer moves with the advancing face. Rather it spreads into an area of zero displacement (curve Ue) and expands as the face advances. When the face stops, the displacement on the face side continues until it becomes stabilized (curve Úe). Curve Úe is the final displacement profile. The ratio of maximum dynamic to final displacement ranges from 60 to 75%. The dynamic slope profile follows the same patterns of change. The ratio of maximum dynamic to maximum final slope ranges from 50 to 80%. The maximum slope decreases with in- creasing rate of face advance (Peng and Geng, 1984). It must be pointed out that except for those near both sides of the profiles, each point on the displacement and slope profiles is subjected to a cycle of positive and negative displacements and slopes depending on its relative position with respect to the face.

Jan 1, 1992

By S. B. Patton

A comprehensive approach to the development and organization of an expert system that is designed to assist electricians in diagnosing electrical faults m mining machinery is discussed. The system includes diagnostic, reference, and tutorial programs. The diagnostic portion of the system is based on a causal-reasoning approach which is used to establish a hierarchy of symptoms and the subsequent production rules for identifying component-level failures m the motor-control circuit of a shuttle car. With this approach, conclusions are developed directly from knowledge of the circuit and its behavior (in both working and failure modes) based on first principles, rather than the heuristics of a domain expert. The symptoms and their hierarchical structure an: formulated by creating "what-if" scenarios and performing a qualitative circuit analysis for each fault Techniques for incorporating interactive graphical displays of the circuit schematic into the diagnostic portion of the system are also presented. Supportive computer programs that provide' reference material and tutorials on the circuit are also described.

Jan 1, 1989

By R. Bhaskar

The results of an experimental and theoretical research study into the spatial and temporal behavior of dust in mine airways is summarized in the paper. Experiments were performed in mine airways under both controlled and normal operating conditions. The controlled experiments included the documentation of the concentration and deposition patterns for two types of dust under three different velocities. Real-time dust concentration data were obtained using Real-time Aerosol Monitors (RAM-I) to determine the dispersion coefficient in a mine airway. On the theoretical front, a convection-diffusion model of the dust flow phenomenon in mine airways was developed considering dominant mechanisms affecting dust transport and deposition in mine airways. Mechanisms modeled include turbulent and gravitational deposition, coagulation, and dispersion.

Jan 1, 1988

By Chris A. Fleming, Daan Seymore

The Golden Jubilee Mine in South Africa is the first mine in the Western World to introduce resin-in­pulp technology for the recovery of gold from a cyanide-leached slurry. Located in the Eastern Transvaal region of the country, the plant processes approximately 375 metric tons• of ore per day, of which over 90 per cent is mined in an open pit adjacent to the metaflurgical plant, while the remaining 5 to 10 per cent is trucl<ed in from two small high-grade deposits, located about 10 kilometers from the plant. The gold grade in the open pit is about 1 git, while the values m the two high-grade deposits range between 5 and 15 git. At the current treatment rate, the proven reserves m the three locations will last about another 10 years. Early testwork indicated that the ore was not well suited to conventional filtration processing or to heap leaching because of its high cfay content, and that carbon-m-pulp (CIP) would probably prove to be the most viable metallurgical route. Tcstwork to establish the feasibility of CIP for this application was carried out at Mintek in 1985. This worl<, which was based on batch-leaching and carbon-loading tests, indicated that CIP was technically feasible, but that both the rate of gold loading and the gold-loading capacity of the carbon were inferior to those obtained with Witwatersrand ores. The poor adsorption characteristics of the carbon were attributed to the abnormally high concentration of natural organic compounds (humates and fulvates) in the ore. Batch tests were therefore also carried out with strong-base resins, since resins are known (1] to be far less susceptible to organic fouling than is activated carbon. The results were very promising, and pointed to fast kinetics and a high loading capacity. (Fig. 1 ). Notwithstanding these findings, it was decided to recover gold with activated carbon at Golden Jubilee Mine because the CIP process was, by then, well established in South Africa and elsewhere in the world, whereas resin-in-pulp (RIP) was unproven technology. The r>lant was commissioned in September 1986 and, for 18 months, operated in a carbon-in-leach (CIL) configuration, i.e. with a total of . six leach tanks, the last four of which contained activated carbon. As could have been predicted from the laboratory results, the performance of the CIL plant was generally poor, low gold loadings on the carbon (less than 1500 git) and high losses of soluble gold (0.2 to 0.3 p.p.m.) bemg characteristic of the operation. Consequently, it

Jan 1, 1990

By T. J. DeMull

AMAX&apos;s Sleeper Mine uses conventional cyanidation milling and heap leaching techniques to produce gold. Since milling operations commenced in March 1986, average ore processing rates have improved from the design rate of 455 tonnes per day to more than 720 tonnes per day. Heap leaching was added to the process facilities in September 1986 at a design rate of 1,500 tonnes per day, and current heap leaching rates exceed 2,680 tonnes per day. Presented are descriptions of the Sleeper processing facilities with emphasis on the crushing and grinding circuits, a review of the selection of crushing and grinding equipment, and a summary of operating performance during the first 16 months of operations.

Jan 1, 1988

By Shawn Boltz, Erik Westman, Derrick Chambers, Xingdong Zhaoa, Qiankun Zhua

Microseismic passive velocity tomography is becoming an effective technology for large-scale mining-induced stress monitoring in underground mines, especially in the field of early warning of mining-induced hazards. Aiming at the problems of missing low-magnitude events in traditional microseismic monitoring, as well as the potential to increase the resolution of the tomograms in both time and space, a microseismic passive velocity tomography analysis method based on the template matching method was proposed. First, the template matching method was used to pick microseismic events. Then, the probabilistic, non-linear, global-search earthquake location method was used to locate the events and calculate travel time and travel distance. Finally, the fast-marching method was used to carry out passive velocity tomography analysis to image the movement of the abutment stress associated with the longwall. The results show that the selected templates can identify more microseismic events than the traditional microseismic analysis, and the variation trend of events in each day is consistent with the data from the traditional analysis. Using microseismic event locations, travel times and travel distance can effectively complete microseismic passive velocity tomography analysis in each day during the study period and can effectively identify the forward and side abutment stress zones of that longwall panel. This study provides a reference for the identification of mine-induced high stress zones, which has implications for hazard identification and mitigation, with increased resolution of the tomograms in time and space.

Jun 25, 2024

By M. K. LeBegue

Water sprays located behind the bits of cutter drums have been shown to reduce the incidence of face ignitions. This paper details the design approach to successfully incorporating water seals into a drum miner cutter head.

Jan 1, 1999

By D. U. Gustafsson

After half a million meters drilled with Wassara we are now confident that ITH hammers powered with simple water will become an established product for production drilling. Today four drill rigs in LKAB Malmberget equipped with Wassara drill about 25 000 m per month of 4 1/2" holes. In Kidd Creek, Canada, Was sara is used for production drilling in stopes with good results. The first Wassara 6" hammer has drilled a 36 meter long, completely straight horizontal cut hole for drifting in the LKAB Malmberget Mine. Main advantages are about doubled penetration rate, very good air quality and improved hole cleaning which facilitates stabilized drilling. Disadvantages are resistance to new technology and, in some cases, the increased use of water.

Jan 1, 1995