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By L. A. Vermeulen, C. P. Campbell, D. D. Howat

The production 01material liner than 75 µm in a number of open-circuit mills was investigated. The mils ranged from laboratory rod and ball mils treating a variety 01 ores to large industrial rod mils treating gold and copper ores. It was shown that the dependence on feed rate 01 the production 01 material liner than 751J.1T1 can be accurately described by a simple formula that was derived in previous work. In some 01 the systems reviewed, it proved possible to assess the feed rate 01 ore to the mil at which the rate 01 production 01 material finer than 75 µm can be maximized.

Jan 1, 1991

By A. Miller, M. Bétournay

The main objectives of the Mine Mechanisation and Automation program (MMAP) are to enhance health and safety in underground mining operations, facilitate mechanization and automation in narrow- vein and deep mines, provide sound science to regulatory agencies and improve mine profitability. The program, which has a unique underground and surface industrial scale facility, is involved in many multi-partner projects, like hydrogen fuel cell applications, electrification and hydraulification of underground mines, reduction of noise and vibration, miner location device, explosive-free blasting and hoisting. The paper presents an overview of the Mine Mechanisation and Automation Program of Natural Resources Canada and some of the main projects.

Sep 1, 2001

By F. F. Roxborough, P. King, E. J. Pedroncelli

This paper describes tests on the performance of a continuous miner in cutting South African coal. Although coal cutting has been investigated extensively overseas, the results have not led to significant changes in machine design because these machines find little difficulty in cutting the softer overseas coals at a fast rate. In general, the results of the tests show that cutting efficiency improves markedly as the depth of cut per revolution of the drum increases, and that the best spacing of picks on the drum is twice the depth of cut. Pick shape is of secon¬dary importance in terms of cutting efficiency, only small differences having been found between the performances of conical- and chisel-shaped tools.

Jan 1, 1981

By H. W. Read, L. G. D. Napier

Change is endemic in our society. Future change will be accelerated by an explosion in technology, communication, and political thought. To meet these challenges, rapid structural changes have been taking place in mining organizations both here and abroad. The management of shaft-sinking projects is a case in point. Shaft sinking is a seminal element in the sustained well-being of a deep level mining venture. Its accomplishment is fraught with risk, involves a high level of capital expenditure, and is a precursor to profitable mining investment. The purpose of this paper is to present a concise and practical picture of the concepts, methods, and techniques of professional project management as applied to shaft-sinking projects.

Jan 1, 1994

Prediction of the performance of explosives In bench mining by C. M. LOWNDS, B.Se. Hons (Rhodes), Ph.D (Cape) (Visitor) Some of the problems encountered in the calculation of the relative weight strength of explosives are discussed, and a realistic model of the behaviour of explosion products in a borehole is proposed. The heat flow from condensed to gaseous products is calculated as a function of time, and the relationship between the pressure and the volume of the product gases is found by a consideration of the compression of the rock between radial cracks. Work done on the burden is assumed to cease when the cracks first appear at the face. Reasonable values of burden and crack velocities are obtained from the model. Calculations of the relative weight strengths of aluminized mixtures of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil show that the increased density resulting from the addition of aluminium is the main advantage to be gained.

Jan 2, 1975

By R F. Sandenbergh, Y Wei

The flotation separation of the Rosh Pinah ore into lead and zinc concentrates are based on the selective flotation of the lead containing minerals followed by the activation and recovery of the zinc sulfides. In the present work the influence of the composition of the water on the selective flotation of the lead containing minerals is reviewed and the results given of the laboratory investigation of the influence of activating species such as silver, lead and copper, on the selective recovery of lead minerals from the Rosh Pinah ore. It was found that it was difficult to prevent the activation of the sphalerite by the metal species in solution in the absence of cyanide, and that colloidal precipitates most probably also serves as a significant carrier of these activators in the flotation circuit. Removal of heavy metal species from the solution by means of an adsorbent is possible, but most probably not practical.

Jan 1, 2007

By B. Zongwane, A. T. Visser

In surface mining operations, ultra-heavy trucks operate on haul road networks which are typically from 10–40 km in length. Road networks for these vehicles have historically been designed and maintained empirically, relying heavily on local experience. Whilst it is possible to construct amine haul road that requires no maintenance over its service life, this would be prohibitively expensive, as would the converse but rather in terms of vehicle operating and maintenance costs. An optimal functional design will include a certain amount and frequency of road maintenance which can be planned, scheduled and optimized within the limits of required road performance and minimum vehicle operating and road maintenance costs. For existing mine haul road networks, which may not be optimally designed and maintained, the problem of identifying existing deficiencies, quantifying their impact and assigning priorities within the constraints imposed by limited capital equipment and manpower is problematic. This is reflected in the fact that most surface mine operators agree good roads are desirable, but find it difficult to translate this into an effective road maintenance system. The aim of this paper is to present a road maintenance management system which utilizes on-board truck diagnostic data in conjunction with computer-based truck dispatch systems. Through a comparative analysis of the various haul road maintenance systems available to a mine, a condition-triggered road maintenance system is introduced. System architecture, evaluation of real-time data, event trigger level determination, specific condition signatures and real-time rolling resistance calculation are discussed. Finally the event, activity, transaction and notification system is portrayed in conjunction with the determination of key productivity indicators and benchmarked road and truck performance. Keywords: Haul road, maintenance, surface mining, rolling resistance, truck haulage.

Sep 1, 2001

Infacon 74 Members are reminded of the International Ferro-Alloys Congress that is to take place in Johannesburg between 22nd April and 1st May, 1974. The Congress is being held jointly by the National Institute for Metallurgy, the Ferro Alloy Producers' Association of South Africa, and the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy. Correspondence and enquiries should be addressed to The Secretary, Organizing Committee, INFACON 74, Private Bag 7, Auckland Park 2006. The gold deposits of the farms Lisbon and Berlyn in the Eastern Transvaal by v. c. H. R. BRERETON. Published in the Journal November 1973. AUTHOR'S CORRECTIONS The following amendments should be made.

Jan 2, 1974

By C. T. Connor, O&apos

The fifth University of Cape Town (UC1)/University of Stelenbosch (US) Minerals Processing Symposium was held at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Stelenbosch on Friday, 8th August, 1986. This series was initiated in 1982, the symposia being held alternately in Cape Town and Stelenbosch. The South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy has kindly agreed to sponsor this event for the next three years. Cokemaking On the initiative of the European Cokemaking Commitee, the First International Cokemaking Congress will be held in Essen (F.R. Germany) from 13th to 19th September, 1987. It is being organized by the Steinkohlenbergbauverein, together with the Verein Deutscher Eisenhitenleute.

Jan 1, 1986

By M. J. H. Tonkins, C. C. Crosson, G. Paterson

The development of drilling and blasting practice at Palabora Mining Company Limited by c. C. CROSSON, Pr. Eng., A.C.S.M. (Hons), BASe. (Min. Eng.) Toronto, M.!.M.M. (Member), M. J. H. TONKING, Pr. Eng., A.C.S.M., BASe. (Min. Eng.) Toronto, M.I.M.M. (Member), and G. PATERSON, B.Se. (Min. Eng.) Glasgow, M.!.M.M. (Visitor) Open-pit drilling and blasting practice at the Palabora Mining Company Limited is described, with particular reference to the development of aluminized slurry explosives. Rotary drilling of primary drill holes, drilling patterns, and blasting techniques for use with slurry explosives are described.

Jan 2, 1976

By A. P. W. Briggs

Difficulties with the screening of large volumes of pulp to remove plus 600 /km material before the adsorption circuit and to retain plus 20-mesh carbon in the adsorption contactors have largely been solved, with the result that the plant can now handle its design throughput. The elution and electrowinning processes have been modified to simplify the circuit, but the regeneration of carbon remains unsatisfactory. The production of fine carbon in the plant can lead to increased gold losses, and this carbon must be collected and treated. Collection methods for fine carbon and some indications of the quantity of the carbon and its gold values are given.

Jan 1, 1983

By J. P. McDonald, P. L. Mattison, J. M. W. Mackenzie

A variety of processing problems in the hydrometallurgical extraction of uranium in the U.S.A. are contrasted with those in South Africa. In U.S. plants, for example, problems are often encountered in the separation of vanadium, molybdenum, and uranium, and in the contamination of the circuit with organic acids. South African plants often experience problems with dissolved silica in the feed, clarification of feeds, and problems associated with synthetic polyelectrolytes. Individual situations are examined, along with the analytical techniques that assist in solving specific problems. Successful approaches that have been applied to mechanical and chemical problems in' uranium solvent-extraction plants are discussed.

Jan 1, 1981

By D. Mark, S. R. Hunneyball

The ongoing revision of the Respirable Dust Regulations (RDR) by the UK coal mining industry includes the introduction of personal exposure monitoring for underground mines, rather than the fixed point sampling of workplaces. The initial choice CIP10 personal respirable sampler, failed during the underground trials because of the transfer of large non-respirable particles to the respirable dust deposit under vibration from man-riding belts, and of adverse effects of high winds and high dust loading on the flowrate through the sampler. These effects were validated in laboratory simulations of these conditions. A cyclone-based personal sampler is showing promise as an alternative.

Jan 1, 2003

The May General Meeting of the Institute was held in Kelvin House, Johannesburg on 20th May, at 4.30 p.m. Mr V. C. Robinson (Vice-President) was in the Chair in the absence, overseas, of the President, Mr J. K. E. Douglas. There were also present 16 Fellows: Messrs J. A. Adamson, R. S. J. du Toit, J. A. Drummond, D. F. A. Grave, T. L. Gibbs, G. H. Grange, D. V. Howat, P. H. Kitto, Dr P. J. LIoyd, Messrs B. H. L. Leach, J. de V. Lambrechts, Dr J. T. McIntyre, Messrs C. S. MacPhail, P. W. van Rensburg, S. G. Taussig, W. S. Rapson. Six Members: Messrs E. L. Atkinson, R. Hemp, Dr J. Martinson, Messrs A. H. Munro, G. J. van Jaarsveld and J. H. Qwilliam. Two Associate Members: Messrs B. H. van Rensburg and H. Triiter. Four Visitors: Prof J. E. Kerrich, Dr G. K. Sluis-Cremer, Messrs D. Kisbey-Green and L. W. Isserow. For Secretariat: Mrs S. de Gersigny. Total present: 27. OBITUARY The Vice-President: "It is my sad duty to announce the death of Stephen Ring, a member who joined the Institute in ]961, and passed away on the 31st of December, 1969. I would ask you all to rise and observe a moment's silence. Thank you." MINUTES The Vice-President: "May we confirm the minutes of the Special General Meeting and Monthly General Meeting, held on 20th February, 1970, as published in the April issue of the Journal?" MEMBERSHIP The Vice-President: "I have much pleasure in announcing that the names of the undermentioned candidates, having been published in accordance with By-Law 5 2.2, Council has elected them to membership of the Institute in the following grades: Fellows: Denis Ian Field, Arthur Cecil Waiter Comyn, John Hall, Leon VercueiI. Members: Jan McLellan Vosloo, Jan van Velze. Graduates: Richard Darnley Beck, John Edward Andrews, Roderick Nowell Randell. Associates: Alexander Duncan Ross, Ian James Terrill. Students: Hendrik Jacobus Oostenwald Prins Smith, Graham Peter Gooding, Rudannes Raath Homan. "I welcome the newly, elected members to the Institute." GENERAL BUSINESS The Vice-President: "Are there any matters which you wish to raise under 'General'? There being no matters to raise under 'General', we will proceed to the next item on the Agenda." PAPER FOR PRESENTATION The Vice-President: "It is my pleasant duty to call on Dr du Toit to deliver his paper, entitled, 'The functional relationship between dust hazard and the rate of collecting funds to pay compensation for pneumoconiosis'." After the presentation of the paper (published in the March Journal) the Vice-President said: "This paper is a very important addition to the considerable volume of work applications on this subject of pneumoconiosis. The disease, in all its various forms, has received attention from many, many great men, both in the medical world, and engineers. The fact that there is this big volume of publications of literature on it still doesn't mean that we can get anywhere beyond the old, simple injunction, that the prevention of pneumoconiosis does not depend on compensation, levies or anything else. It simply depends on allaying dust as quickly as possible. "This paper, however, is another scientific landmark and I think, in a cold and dispassionate way, it sets out some important points in this whole subject of the relationship of the levy - the money of compensation to the dust which causes it. "I have, personally, very little to criticise in this paper but when I listened to Dr du Toit's final conclusions, I wondered whether the words, 'Within the data available', aren't the key to this whole situation. I agree that he has demonstrated a workable relationship between the current industries for levy and dustiness, but among the factors which he lists as being important, I know that there is one which is missing. This is extremely difficult to evaluate. It's a factor which has destroyed, on so many occasions, the work which has been done by so many genuine, intent, honest people working in this field, and this is this unknown factor, this hidden factor of political opportunism, which has so often played a very important part in pneumoconiosis compensation. "How many of us have seen the grubby, grasping fingers of power-mad demagogues, and I can name them for you - but I won't - and also the blatant vote-catching of certain politicians interfering in this field. How, at the end of all that, the poor scientist, the poor dedicated man in the Mines' Department, who has to write the law of compensation, can operate, I do not know. "From this picture the ordinary layman recoils in horror. Among the casualties in this particular war, which has been fought over so many years, I am perfectly certain, are some of the criteria of certification, especially in '56/,57, when that extraordinary condition, known as 'pulmonary disability' was introduced. I am sure there were casualties then, in the criteria of certification. "Nevertheless, this paper is a worthy addition to the long list of scientific work done on this so-important

By J. H. Viljoen, A. Heyns, J. F. Morrison, C. H. Wyndham, N. B. Strydom

Discussion M. J. Martinson* (Associate Member): This is another interesting paper in the series which the Human Sciences Laboratory is publishing on the physiological cost of the more strenuous manual tasks performed underground. As a mining engineer-albeit presently an academic one -this contributor is more concerned with the practical significance of the study in the field of stope cleaning than with physiological niceties, but before discussing some of the practical issues raised by the paper perhaps the authors would care to reply to lay comment on three physiological matters. Firstly, in two places the authors make statements to the effect that the maximum oxygen intake of 'average' (sic) Bantu mine workers is 3.0 l/min. What do the authors mean by 'average'? Maximum oxygen intake in the individual is probably some function of inter alia age, physical fitness, state of health, ambient partial pressure of oxygen, diurnal and/or seasonal changes in metabolism, and possibly cumulative exposure to dust and other occupational contaminants. Since maximum oxygen intake is apparently such an important quality in manual labourers we ought to have a clear picture of its distribution in the entire labour force, and also know precisely how the individual's quantum is affected by factors such as those mentioned above. Secondly, arising out of the same statements and ignoring the reservation implicit in the previous paragraph, is it correct to say that the 'average' Bantu mine worker has a maximum intake of 3.0 l/min? In the August 1966 issue of the South African Journal of Science four of the present co-authors reported the mean maximum oxygen intake of a random sample of 338 Bantu recruits of different tribes to be 2.63 l/min with a standard deviation of 0.542 l/min, and these figures were repeated in a paper published in the November 1968 issue of this Journal. Admittedly the mean maximum oxygen intake of the six subjects used in the present study was 3.05 l/min, but since they were selected on the grounds of previous shovelling experience they can hardly be regarded as being 'average' recruits. Thirdly, it seems to me that the authors are perhaps a little uncritical in their acceptance of the '50 per cent of maximum oxygen intake' level of activity for endurance work. I am not unmindful of the evidence upon which this level is based, but I suggest that the evidence is at best tenuous and that the whole topic of fatigue and 'optimum' levels of productivity under conditions of high muscular activity and considerable psychological stress is a lot more complicated than would appear from the authors' ready acceptance of the 50 per cent level. Under present working conditions the question is largely rhetorical because it would need an army of supervisors to ensure that all members of a typical gang work at 'optimum' levels throughout the shift, but if individual performance should ever become more readily determinable the issue might become crucial to management and malayisha alike. So much for physiological matters; now a few random thoughts on some wider, practical issues raised by the paper. In the paragraph headed Material the statement is made that 'The mixture (of fine, medium-sized and bigger rocks) was considered to be representative of an average underground rock sample'. Elsewhere in the report the authors specifically draw attention to the effect of particle size on the oxygen consumption of men shovelling graded material, and intuitively one imagines that the size distribution of the material being shovelled would be highly significant in a study such as this. Presumably the authors were forced to assess size distribution subjectively because of the lack of objective data on the subject, and possibly the necessity for this assumption highlights how little we know quantitatively about any of the variables in stope cleaning systems. In this connection it may be remarked that although the present study was largely designed to show how dip and stoping width effect energy expenditure in shovelling, no data are given-nor, probably, are they available-to show how the industry's stoping tonnage is distributed in terms of these two factors. It seems to me that if the mining industry seriously hopes to improve stope productivity it must start by measuring the basic variables in existing systems. Elaborating somewhat on the previous paragraph, there also seems to be a tremendous gap between the present study-and its predecessors-and the prospect of gainfully using the information so carefully garnered by the authors. It would be reassuring to hear from the authors that their work on the physiological aspects is being integrated in some master plan for increasing productivity of manual labour. This I fear is not the case, and if productivity has changed at all in recent years I would hazard a guess that the change has been brought about by random factors rather than by systematic engineering design. The Human Sciences Laboratory has worked extensively in stopes in the past, and possibly the time has come when it should widen the ambit of its operations to include engineering-type analyses of cleaning systems, with particular emphasis on the economics of rapid cleaning by manual labour. Perhaps experiments could be conducted with stakhanovite-type gangs consisting of men selected for their high maximum oxygen intake and superior motivation; these men might be offered special incentives in the shape of extra pay

Jan 10, 1969

By R. J. E. Stewart

Another very successful evening meeting was organized by the Johannesburg Branch of The South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy on 20th November, 1990, when Mr R.D. MacPherson, General Manager of Richards Bay Minerals, gave a presentation on the Richards Bay operations. The function was held in the Ballroom of the Johannesburg Country Club, and the very high attendance (some 250 people) was indeed a reflection of the high profile of the subject mater. It was also a fitting reward for the efforts of Mr MacPherson and his team, who spent a considerable amount of time and effort traveling the country to present 'the other side of the story'.

Jan 1, 1991

By F. W. Petersen

For the past thirteen years, the Universities of Cape Town and Stellenbosch have hosted an annual symposium to discuss topics relevant to mineral processing. Since 1987, this Symposium has been held under the auspices of the Western Cape Branch of the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, and has become one of the main events on the national conference calendar. In 1989 and 1993, the symposia took the shape of international conferences. This year the 13th Annual Mineral Processing Symposium was organized by the two universities, the Cape Technikon, and the local branch of the South African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, and was held at the Van Riebeeck Hotel in Gordon's Bay.

Jan 1, 1994

By R. C. Urquhart, W. P. Channon, D. D. Howat

Discussion: The mode of current transfer between electrode and slag in the submBerged-arc furnace by w. P. CHANNON, R. C. URQUHART, and D. D. HOWAT J. MEINTJES I have read the paper with much interest, and I should like to make a few observations. (I) The experimental work deals with resistance heating by an electrode immersed in a slag... AUTHORS' REPLY We thank Mr Meintjes for his critical analysis and helpful comments arising out of his study of our paper. Possibly we should emphasize at the outset that our experiments all related to the conditions in which the lower portion of the electrode was immersed in molten slag. We believe, however,

Jan 12, 1974

Measurements of the rates of penetration at various throttle air pressures are presented as a function of thrust for three different rockdrills when drilling quartzites with strengths of 45 000 lb/in2 and 39 000 lb/in2, The rate of penetration at optimum thrust is shown to agree well with the predictions of theory and curves of air consumption as a function of throttle air pressure are presented. Man-held machines are shown to be under-thrusted at throttle air pressures above 40 lb/in2g. Measurements of bit wear as a function of distance drilled are presented graphically and discussed in terms of the theory developed in Part 1.

By M. C. van Blerck

This paper reviews the current mining taxes in South Africa, discussing the recommendations of the Mantis Technical Committee, the measures already implemented, and the future outlook. It is concluded that the tax burden imposed on individuals and on the corporate sector should be reduced, and that the taxation of al economic sectors should be neutral. The reforms implemented in 1989 and 1990 are expected to continue, and it is thought that, if the State commits itself to tax neutrality and reduces the ordinary rate of company tax to 40 per cent, the rate of mining taxes will also be lower. Ring-fencing is expected to be reduced further and the rules for capital safe-havens to be refined.

Jan 1, 1990