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The exercise of preparing this paper has been both enjoyable and thought provoking.In carrying out the research I have spoken and written to many people. Without exception they have been eager to help, all have spoken of the high regard in which they held Dr Williams, not only as a metallurgist but also as a person.Review of GK's life reveals an enormous impact on the industry in which he worked and the people with whom he associated. Consideration of this impact inevitably leads to the question "what can we learn from his life and the way he went about his work?"

Jan 1, 1985

Peko Mines N.L. has considerable experience in the treatment of a wide range of comparatively small orebodies.Gold-silver, bismuth, and sulphide and oxide copper ores are treated under difficult geographical conditions.Treatment of these ores is complicated by some unusual metallurgical factors.Metallurgical operations are described, including the treatment of the gold-bismuth-copper ore from Juno. The new Warrego mine is to have a highly instrumented concentrator by December 1971. Autogenous grinding is being considered.

Jan 1, 1969

The organization of this department is as shown in the following chart:Chief Mechanical EngineerPowerGenerationWorkshopsNew ConstructionMaintenanceTransportCommunity ServicesMineMillSmelterDesign and OfficeOrganizationThe functions of each section will be described separately.MAINTENANCE UNDERGROUND DEPARTMENTThis section covers all mechanical equipment underground as well as fans and winders on the surface, the headframes, and conveyors from the shaft to the crude ore bins. As has been descrIbed, No. 2 Ore shaft was opened up to the surface and a new headframe and receiving bins were erected, and when the new lead crushing and screening plant was constructed and ready for operation, the rope sheaves...

Jan 1, 1953

By Kwok S, Haemmerle A

Treatment methods for a low grade deposit at Mt. Fitch near Rum Jungle, N.T., were investigated. Physical beneficiation of the ore, sulphuric acid leaching, carbonate leaching and various methods of uranium extraction from the leach liquor were studied. Although the deposit occurs in a carbonate environment, acid leaching of the ore after beneficiation by radiometric sorting appears to be the most economic treatment method. Uranium would be recovered from the leach liquor by solvent extraction.

Jan 1, 1970

By P H. Warton

It is proposed to construct a gold extraction plant at Matatoki, near Thanes. Ore to be processed at the mill will come from reopened and enlarged underground mines north of Thanes. The project has been described in some detail in environmental impact reports (Worley Consultants Ltd 1984, 1987), and is now at an advanced stage in terms of obtaining the required statutory approvals.

Jan 1, 1987

The process and control technologies incorporated into the coal preparation plant at Newlands were to be used for the first time in Australia. The commissioning organisation and procedures were set up on the basis that commissioning personnel, while being competent, would be unfamiliar with the equipment. In addition the commissioning process would have to be completed quickly. The organisation coped with all of these problems and more.

Jan 1, 1986

Mount Isa mine is the largest underground mine in Australia and is located 2,000 kilometres north-west of Brisbane. This mine has been in continuous operation since 1931 and in 1986/87 the silver/lead/zinc stream achieved the peak annual mining rate of 4.7 million tonnes. At present about fifteen different steeply dipping stratiform orebodies are being mined to maintain an annual production rate of around 3.0 million tonnes. Out of these, only two orebodies (2 & 5) are amenable to sub level open stoping (SLOS) type bulk mining methods. This year only 150,000 tonnes are scheduled from pillars and remnant areas but in future, more sources will be required to meet the budget production targets.

Jan 1, 1990

By Hosking JW, Muir DM, Ruane M, Smith I. Hinchliffe WD

Maintaining carbon activity is critical to the satisfactory recovery of gold in the Carbon-in-Pulp (C.I.P.) process. Reduced activity can lead to gold losses in tails and lower tonnage throughput.Carbons from a number of W.A. C.I.P. circuits have been examined for the extent of fouling by inorganics such as calcium, magnesium, copper, nickel and silicon. Many of these carbons have exceedingly low activity leadingto low gold loading and excessive contact times. The relative importance of these fouling agents and cyanide levels on carbon activity is discussed. Mathematical modelling shows that relatively small improvements in kineticactivity lead to much lower tank volume require-ments and carbon residence times.

Jan 1, 1984

During the post war era, the requirements of the "Third" World for modern civil works, energy and industry, coupled with an insistence that these capital installations are understood and controlled by indigenous people, have crea- ted a demand and flow of technology from those countries with well developed skills. Thus has grown a real trade in technology - an activity in which consultants play an important role. An indication of the magnitude of this trade is given, together with an outline of some of the special problems. Australia is shown to be dis- advantaged and has been slow to offer the incen- tives to consultants which other countries offer.

Jan 1, 1975

The recommissioning of the plant at Mary Kathleen involved several distinct phases. The previous plant process was modified significantly, the plant capacity was increased by the addition of new equipment and the exist- ing equipment was in most cases overhauled. This equipment was either reused in its original duty or relocated. Maintenance requirements after the plant was cmommissioned were high because of the amount of modified equipment and also because some old items of equipment were deliberately not overhauled during recommissioning. The equipment that was overhauled has operated reliably. However some new equipment has not been as satisfactory.

Jan 1, 1978

The light microscopic study of the physical structures of coal and associated mineral matter is an important technique in providing information on the characterisitics and possible behaviour of coals in industrial processes. However the ultrafine nature of coal and mineral particles together with the limits of resolution of the light microscope restrict such studies. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)with its better resolution and higher magnifications is the means by which further information on coal properties can be obtained. An associated energy dispersive X-ray specrometry (EDS) method allows non-destructive in-situ chemical analyses to be carried out at the same time.

Jan 1, 1989

The T33-34 blast, the first major blast at Mount Isa Mines, broke 1,360,000 tonnes of copper ore using 349 tonnes of explosives. The original concept of firing T33, T34, T35 and U37 separately was changed during the life of the project due to adverse ground conditions. These conditions also caused the stoping method to be modified after the firing of the stopes had started. To stabilise the two stopes T33 and T34 where large fall off was occurring, rib pillars were left in the original slot. This caused the blast design to be more complex as these rib pillars had to "lead" the blast. The implication of such a large blast on the underground and surface environment was thoroughly investigated and precautions taken. The charging time of the blast was six weeks. Hook-up was started four days before the blast and continued until two hours prior to the blast. Detailed scheduling was carried out of other work that had to be done in the 24 hours before the blast to ensure that there were no delays in the firing.

Jan 1, 1977

By Thompson J

A programme of testing and evaluation has been in progress at Isa Mine for the last four years with the objectives of rationalising ground support practices, improving installation quality and increasing productivity of ground support functions.Numerous innovations have been successfully implemented. These include the introduction of swellex rockbolts as the major form of temporary support, the use of splitset rockbolts as the primary means of support for the hangingwalls of cut and fill stopes and the introduction of dowels with pumped cement for general long term support.The installation of swellex bolts has been successfully mechanised throughout the mine using Tamrock automatic rockbolters and Atlas Copco BUK 11R drilling rigs modified for this purpose.

Jan 1, 1985

By Baafi E. Y

A heuristic approach for the optimisation of the stope geometry is presented. The heuristic method uses economic model of a given deposit to search for the best combination of mining blocks that results in the maximum profit while imposing geo

Jan 1, 1998

By King R. L

The Bureau of Mines has developed and deployed three expert systems to give advice on mining health and safety. These are: dust control for continuous miners, dust control for longwall shearers, and methane control. All three systems query about the nature and extent of the problem. Typical questions asked deal with observed methane levels, ventilation type and quantity, cutting sequence, and what control technology is employed. Advice given does not focus on a single issue, but may suggest a variety of approaches consistent with the ability of the operator to implement the Suggestions.

Jan 1, 1988

By Schmidt LC

The method of supporting excavated roofs in underground coal mines by conventional roof bolting systems is challenged due to its shortcomings of being time-consuming and leading to possible unsafe installation. Though a few alternatives have been considered, the ultimate and most efficient bolting method has often been conceived as one using a self-drilling roof bolt, or a Rapid Face Bolting System (RFBS). The on-going Rapid Face Bolting Project undertaken by the University of Wollongong includes a special tubular bolt design.The tubular bolt designed for the RFBS is a "single-pass" bolt equipped with cutting tips used to drill a bolthole to accommodate the bolt. Different from that of the coring bit employed in geological site investigations, the principal design consideration for the tubular bolt is low cost associated with a small working life for the cutting tip.

Jan 1, 1991

The first step in the mining and processing of nearly any mineral ore is comminution. Since the oil embargo of 1979, the mining companies have been striving to reduce energy consumption and costs. The first serious step was the introduction of in-pit crushing in the early 1980s. With in-pit crushing accepted as a standard design mode, the energy saving emphasis turned to comminution practices. A great deal of attention has been focused on blasting and grinding. The one step that has not been addressed is the primary crusher. This paper will address the opportunities for comminution improvement through optimisation of the primary crusher.

Jan 1, 2004

By Wang Xia, Zhou Aiming, Shi Shengyi

Zhangmatun Iron Mine is situated in the suburbs of Jinan city, Shandong, China. Because of surface environmental constraints, no suitable site can be selected to dispose of mill waste. The full mill tailings must be disposed of underground. This paper deals with the work conducted at Zhangmatun mine to develop a total tailings backfill system, taking advantage of a doubleshaft blade mixer and an activating agitator to prepare backfill. Cement and ground slag are added to tailings for strength development. Two stopes have been filled and the pillars have been effectively mined out during the field trial. The application of innovative total tailings backfill technology is a new concept at the mine. Detailed planning has achieved a close integration of mining, milling and backfilling. Full mill tailings, with or without rock, are disposed of underground in a continuous process to fill, totally and systematically, the cavities formed by mining. Utilisation of cemented tailings backfill solves not only the problem of disposal of mill waste, but also the resource problem of providing backfill materials to the mine. The strategy also maximises ore recovery for the mine.

Jan 1, 1998

By Anderson DR, Tassell G

A major environmental impact study carried out in the sand dunes of eastern Cape York used image analysis of remotely sensed data to both select sites for ground investigation and categorise the different ecological units present. The approach adopted was particularly suited to the type of environment in question and allowed a high degree of quantification, at a high level of confidence, at costs several orders of magnitude less than conventional Methods.

Jan 1, 1987

By Gadsden R. W

Physical and chemical requirements are defined for coke and ferrous materials used in modern high productivity blast furnaces operating in Australian conditions. Recent developments in the type of equipment required to be installed at the steelworks to ensure these requirements are described with illustrations from current plant practice provided.

Jan 1, 1976