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By Robert L. Wade

The two primary goals in underground coal mining are to improve safety and to lower mining costs per ton through increased productivity. However, as evidenced by the drastic decrease in. productivity since the enactment of the 1969 Coal Mine Health and Safety Act, (the Safety Act), these goals appear to be mutually exclusive. Millions of dollars have been spent in the res, arch and development of systems to solve this problem. Before the Safety Act, "productivity had experienced a 25-year history of continued increases ...? (Douglas, 1980). But since its enactment there have been dramatic decreases in productivity accompanied by phenomenal increases in mine costs. Labor trends, depletion of the more readily minable underground coal reserves and other factors have contributed to this situation, but the dominant factor is undoubtedly the Safety Act itself. To illustrate, prior to 1969 underground coal mine production was much greater than surface mine production but since then underground mine production has been declining at a rate greater than the overall growth rate of total coal production.

Jan 1, 1985

By E. Lammer

"Underground mining processes are dangerous. The design of mining equipment, which is able to cope with the hostile underground environment, is a challenge for all machine manufacturers. Presupposition for realizing the vision of SANDVIK for zero harm for working with SANDVIK equipment is the installation of the appropriate processes. Into the product engineering and product development processes of Sandvik Mining and Construction, a specific "Product Safety Process" has been integrated, where all safety related activities like identification of all life cycle hazards, risk management and safety verification / validation are planned, performed and documented. Product safety shall be „designed into" the products. Therefore, specific research activities have been started, to address the safety and health related topics for the development and for the engineering of SANDVIK mining machines."

Jan 1, 2011

By Y Xie, L O’Connor, S C. Dominy

"Sheeted vein gold deposits are characterised by multiple subparallel veins and free milling gold. In situ heterogeneity of mineralisation results in grade and process parameter variability, which will increase project risk. Measured variability is often enhanced by poorly designed sampling and test work protocols. Protocols that are optimised within the framework of the theory of sampling to suit the ore type, together with quality assurance/quality control systems, will reduce variability and provide fit-for-purpose results. The geometallurgical approach requires spatially distributed samples within a deposit to support variability modelling. Diverse attributes from core logging, mineralogical/textural determination and small-scale tests are used to measure variability. This contribution emphasises early stage geometallurgical intervention during project development. It presents a discussion of representative sampling in the context of the theory of sampling. A case study presents a protocol that exemplifies how data can be gained from a well-designed and planned program to support a resource estimate and prefeasibility study.CITATION:Dominy, S C, O’Connor, L and Xie, Y, 2016. Sampling and Test Work Protocol Development for Geometallurgical Characterisation of a Sheeted Vein Gold Deposit, in Proceedings The Third AusIMM International Geometallurgy Conference (GeoMet) 2016, pp 97–112 (The Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy: Melbourne)."

Jun 15, 2016

By R J. Johnson

The development of "SANFO" has provided the Mining Industry with a LOW COST HIGH GAS VOLUME, VARIABLE DENSITY, Blasting Agent which can be blended "On Site" in a simple Agitator mixing and charging system by mine site employees.

Jan 1, 1996

By C. P. Crawford

In the current issue of Link-Belt News is this quotation: "Advancing waves of other people's progress sweep over the unchanging man and wash him out." As we look over the industrial world today we are struck by the many waves which are sweeping over backward industries. Mergers are being consummated in all lines of endeavor. General Motors are making radios and the Bendix Brake Company are making airplanes. Railroads which twenty years ago were called to account by the Federal Government for their efforts to form combinations are today being ordered to combine. But what is of immediate concern to the coal industry is the fact that there is now in existence or in project a total of 3,641 miles of pipe lines to carry natural gas to most of the country's industrial centers. This is the wave of progress which is sweeping toward you and me. If we are to grasp the significance of these many changes, we must widen our vision so that we may learn some- thing from 'the other fellow's experience. The first lesson is that cost of production alone is not a measure of profit. It is an interesting fact that the production of an article represents a definite loss until that article has been sold for a price in excess of its total cost, and the money is in the hands of the producer. If this is true, then the selling price is more important than the production cost.

Jan 1, 1930

By Michael Klug

"In the past the optical sorting in the mining sector has not enjoyed an outstanding and very celebrated position in the industry because of insufficient computer–, sensor– and valve-technologies. Due to the fast development processes in the last years, companies nowadays can offer a high efficient system to the industry. Sensor based sorting is already an outstanding and proven technique and has become an important alternative to either extensive process steps or the widely spread handpicking.The increasing costs for the latter results in manual sorting of more coarse material. "

Sep 1, 2017

By Helmut Thielsch

METALLOGRAPHIC specimens whose surfaces are to be investigated are too thick to allow either light or electrons to pass through them for microexamination by transmission. This difficulty is overcome with optical microscopes by illuminating the surface through the objective lens. For electron microscopes best results are obtained by preparing thin replicas of the surface of the specimen, placing them in the microscope and passing the electron beam through them. Since electron microscopes represent a rather recent invention, they have found little application as compared with optical microscopes. This is true because, aside from the cost of new equipment and development of new techniques, some of the older replica methods necessitated the destruction of the surface from which a thin transparent replica was obtained. In other processes in which the surface is preserved, either too tedious a procedure is required, unsuited to "mass-production " requirements of industrial laboratories, or replicas of insufficient contrast and sharpness are produced. In general, investigations with the electron microscope involve five steps: (I) polishing the surface of the metal specimen, (2) proper etching of the surface, (3) preparing the suitable replica from the surface, (4) examination and photography in electron microscope and (5) interpretation. PREPARATION OF METAL SURFACES Usual metallographic polishing is generally satisfactory. It is important though that the final polish be applied very care- fully, since otherwise evidence of a small amount of deformation might show up even on relatively deeply etched surfaces. A high-power microscope should be used to determine the suitability of the polish and etch. This, of course, is not different from optical examinations, but in these, if a deep etch is used, the problem is less serious. It is frequently difficult to detect with optical microscopes poor polishing aside from superficial scratches before etching. Figs. I and 2 show micrographs of "well" and "poorly" polished nickel etched by immersing the same for 20 min. in a solution containing 8 grams cupricsulphate in 40 C.C. of concentrated HCl and 40 C.C. of H20 (Marble's reagent). The sample shown in Fig. I was polished in its final stages for 5 min. on a carborundum wheel followed by 10 min. on a rouge wheel, whereas the sample shown in Fig. 2 was polished only I min. on the rouge wheel. Generally, this procedure does not guarantee that the surface of the specimen will be either undistorted or deformed. It was applied here merely to show the effects of good and poor polishing. To the experienced investigator, plastic deformation is

Jan 1, 1946

By Enrique Toledo G

Dado que la vanguardia tecnológica en la perforación y transporte subterráneo minera es cada vez mayor, se hace necesario que las labores mineras se adecúen al funcionamiento del sistema. En este sentido, el método tradicional de cuadros de madera en la minería subterránea sin rieles quedó desplazado, surgiendo alternativas modernas como el empleo de arcos metálicos revestidos con concreto armado, el bulonado con diferentes tipos de pernos de roca y la aplicación del Sholcrete. Entre estos últimos, la mina Cobriza ha desarrollado un nuevo método de sostenimiento denominado "Shot Fer", el cual satisface el desarrollo de las labores mineras, asegura la estabilidad permanente de las labores subterráneas en terreno deleznable, disminuye los altos costos unitarios en el sostenimiento de las labores subterráneas y garantiza la seguridad contra los accidentes que pueda sufrir el personal que trabaja en la perforación y en las operaciones de sostenimiento.

Nov 8, 1984

By Ivan Salinas

Un estudio de Microsoft Office 2003 señaló que las personas claves en la toma de decisiones no están debidamente informadas -en tanto la información que necesitan se halla en una base datos de otra organización. En ese sentido, el presente texto plantea el uso del Infopath como herramienta del paquete Microsoft Office 2003 que facilita la información al trabajador, permitiéndole hacer uso de los servicios Web desde sus desktops que accesan a la información de la empresa, de forma que ayuda a las organizaciones a capturar más conocimiento y tomar decisiones adecuadas a futuro

Sep 19, 2006

By W. A. MacWilliams, R. G. Reynolds

"This paper describes, for the first time, a patented method of extracting sodium sulphate from a natural deposit in Western Canada. The method resembles, but is not, strictly speaking, solution mining. The fact that a plant based on this method has been in successful operation since late 1969 will be of added interest. The deposit in question is located near Metiskow, Alberta, and conventional surface recovery methods could not be applied because of heavy concentrations of mud. Considerable pilot work went into the separation and recovery process on which the plant operation is based. The history of the industry is covered briefly as background to this development. Today it is clear that the method has broader application within the industry and, in concept, may generate interest in many other applications."

Jan 1, 1973

By G. J. Melvin

Mines the world over tend to face a common range of problems. They begin life by trying to determine if there is sufficient product, usually under tons of earth, of sufficient quality to justify the operation. Once such a determination is made the mine must then be planned and brought into operation. Once operating most mines find that they are far away from suppliers, using very expensive equipment. Hence the three most common mining problems are, what does my ore body look like and how can it best be mined, how can I get sup- plies to my mine in the most cost effective way, and how do I control the vast dollars required to keep it all operating. Mincom started life by providing technical mining software to address the first of these problems and was very successful, particularly in the coal mining industry. However the company soon realized that if it was to become a significant provider of mining industry software it must also address the other major problem areas. Hence started what is now Mincom's largest business which is the provision of fully integrated mine management software with strong emphasis on materials and maintenance management to control costs. Mincom not only supplies the software but also provides a comprehensive implementation package using its own staff of experienced mining industry specialists. This papaer highlights some of Mincom's international implementation experiences.

Jan 1, 1989

By Jack Hayes

The design and construction of deep foundations involve many uncertainties. For the designer there are uncertainties regarding soil and ground water variability, regarding sampling and lab testing, regarding analytical techniques and regarding construction technique. The latter being the uncertainty over which the engineer has least control and which may have the greatest impact on capacity. Foundations with a high design factor of uncertainty can be very costly. Foundations designed with a high factor of uncertainty may have a low factor of safety, which can be even more costly.

Jan 1, 2000

By H. F. Haller

Large volume sand plugs are placed in tunnels to stem underground explosions at the Atomic Energy Commision's Nevada Test Site. Placement through long, narrow accessways is like stemming coyote holes and blast chambers in mining and construction. Experience with several other methods showed that pipeline conveying could be preferable. Small scale tests justified predicting a placement rate of 20 y. p. h. at 1000 feet, with a modified gunite placer. The initial production trial placed over 2000 c. y. and was estimated to effect a small cost saving after paying for new equipment. Initial problems included duct replacement and supply delays, dust, and other personnel hazards. Operations analysis and SOP'S reduced delays during the second field trial, minimized hazards, doubled production. Re cent re search and operations analyses produced data on abrasion resistant ducts, identified minor equipment modifications which can improve production, developed techniques for impact compaction to 90% ?maximum? and for extension of the practical range to 2000 feet. Twenty-two illustrations include an air consumption-distance chart.

Jan 1, 1967

By Chulgi Suk, Hoon Park, Hyonsoo Kim, Hakman Kim, Sangho Cho

Dust emission from blast demolition and other construction activities can be a nuisance; it is widely recognized that fine particles less than 10 µm in equivalent diameter (called PM10) may cause health problems. Mist spray systems, such as rain guns, sprinklers, water/surfactant sprays (or foams) etc., are some of the most effective dust suppression methods. A large amount of research has showed that when water droplets are produced in an equal amount to that of dust particles, the airborne dust is suppressed by the agglomeration of dust and mist particles. A method for generating micro-sized mist from water, achieved by the detonation of explosives in the water tube, was suggested and is called the ‘detonationdriven water bag burst system’. There are many experimentally observed limitations of the explosioninduced water break-up process. The water bag explosion tests were simulated using the AUTODYN software, in order to investigate the aerosolization mechanisms of the detonation-driven water and water break-up process into micron-sized droplets. As a result of the numerical analyses, the diffusion direction of water when detonating in the central interior part of water tube was radioactive and significantly stronger than when detonating in the bottom exterior part; this is due to the compressive flow of the volume change inside of the water tube, which resulted from the blasting wave inside of the tube, as well as the reflected pressure on the ground. Blast tests of full-scaled reinforced concrete columns were conducted to verify the effectiveness of the suggested detonation-driven water bag burst system. The water breakdown and dispersion that occurred while blasting the reinforced concrete columns were observed using a high-speed camera, and dust generation was monitored using four density detectors. The suggested detonation-driven water bag burst system showed that the average dust density decreased by up to 7 mg/m3.

Jan 1, 2016

By Rollin Farmin

"SWELLING GROUND" delivers pressure on mine timbers that originates in expansion of the wall rock, whereas "heavy ground" delivers only gravitative pressure. Of the several possible causes considered, the swelling is attributed to the physical surface action of water on gouge and flaky rocks at the periphery of the mine opening.

Jan 1, 1944

By Jun Yang, Zongshan Zou, Mei Qu, Jianjun Zuo

For technical renovation of the thermal plant, one frame structure workshop of 50,000 m2 (59,800 yd2) construction area and one reinforcement concrete chimney of 150m (492 ft) height shall be demolished by blasting at same time. The engineering environment of which is complicated and the accommodation space is limited. Therefore, the collapse sequence, direction, scope of the dismantled building must be accurately controlled to ensure the safe operation of the adjacent generator unit and transformer station. By taking technical measures of theoretical analysis and numerical simulation etc., as well as research on structures collapse method and detailed delay interval, it puts forward the technology of bidirectional folded collapse of the workshop and it uniquely adopts the initiation system that combined with “half-second delay inside drilling” and “millisecond delay outside drilling”. Additionally, by using of the integrated vibration reduction technology in combination of the blasting ruins, buffer ditch and damping ditch, it has safely accomplished the demolition blasting work in high efficiency. Besides the demolition blasting vibration signal is collected and analyzed. The success of the demolition blasting will become valuable reference to other similar works.

Jan 1, 2016

By Paul J. Henkels

Synthetic gypsum is the calcium sulfate co-product of a number of industrial processes. Synthetic gypsum utilization as an alternative to the naturally occurring mineral continues to grow in the gypsum industry. In particular, flue gas desulfurization (FGD) gypsum produced by the electrical utility industry has had a significant impact and a far-reaching effect on the gypsum wallboard manufacturing industry. This paper will discuss the various synthetic gypsum sources verses natural gypsum and highlight issues of use in gypsum wallboard and related products.

Jan 1, 1999

By R. H. Pemberton

"THE Mattagami district of Quebec has, during the past few years, experienced intense exploration by virtually every mining company operating in Canada. As a result of this activity, a number of well-mineralized zinc-copper bearing bodies have been found, some of which will almost certainly go into production. Much of the area has undergone what is now termed ""Saturation Prospecting"" or intense and detailed geological and geophysical surveying, followed by the drilling of nearly all possible bets. Considering only the airborne geophysical surveying, some blocks of ground have been flown by virtually every geophysical instrument which has to date been installed in an aircraft. A list of these different geophysical instruments would include: l. Fluxgate-type total field magnetometers 2. Vertical field magnetometer ,3. Nuclear-precession magnetometers 4. Single-frequency out-of-phase electromagnetometers 5. Dual-frequency out-of-phase electromagnetometers 6. Horizontal component measuring electromagnetometers 7. In-phase and out-of-phase electromagnetometers8. Dip-angle measuring electromagnetometers."

Jan 1, 1961

By Guillermo Re Kühl

En este trabajo se describirán en forma sucinta las etapas de un proyecto de exploración hiperespectral y se comentarán los resultados obtenidos con dos sensores aéreos con los cuales HytecAltoAmericas S.A. trabaja actualmente.

May 1, 2008

By James J. Scott

Friction Rock Stabilizers, trade name II Sp 1 it Sets'" have been under research and development by the author and the Ingersoll-Rand Company since February of 1973. The United States Bureau of Mines and the Mines Enforcement and Safety Administration as well as many mining companies have cooperated in field testing the device. Split Set rock anchors are distinctively different from the widely used mechanical rock anchors or fully grouted rock anchors. They control ground movement internally in a manner that allows controlled deformation during the early phase of the ground reaction curve but then, as secondary creep develops, anchorage per unit length increases and they serve to strengthen and stabilize the opening for long periods of time. The history of research and development of the Scott Split Set rock anchor system with accompanying laboratory and field test data is presented in this paper.

Jan 1, 1977